Timeline

This page outlines a brief overview of the history of the multiplanar setting that Ceruleum exists within. This is not written from a sapient perspective, but is simply truth. For calendar notations see Calendar Notations.

The true gods exist as unknowable timeless beings of cosmic extraplanar energy. They emerge from nothingness, form a world, return to nothingness and repeat. Each new world they form exists within its own plane, is governed by its own cosmic laws, and begins to die when eventually abandoned by the true gods.

Some examples of previous worlds are:

• Zora'shi (The Abyss)
• Jalda (The Hells)
• Oula (The Maddening)

This era is defined by the creation of the Mortal Sphere. It is the plane created before Ceruleum and is the origin plane of the Sapient life that struggle to survive there now. Many sapient races were created to inhabit the Mortal Sphere, as projects and playthings for the true gods.

• There is nothingness. The nothingness is bored, except nothing cannot get bored as that would make it something. And so the boredom builds like an itch until the nothingness creates; it creates light, and by proxy darkness, and tears it's essence apart so that it can continue to be nothing, and leave instead this new something to govern its creation.
• After a number of itches, creations and tearing the nothingness rests leaving the essence to govern the new plane. Fire explodes in stars throughout the nothingness. Earth forms planetoids, and Water floods some of them. Air on fewer still.
• Where these forces collide, new things spring into existence, and further tearing of essence occurs - fragments torn into smaller fragments still. Steam and Rain and Nature arise.
• This essence is but an energy and cannot truly think, as nothing in its creation can think, but it yearns to. And so thinking things, Sapients, appear within the world seeded with fragments of the Gods that they call souls.
• The first ones do not satisfy the Gods, so they iterate and abandon their protégé in chase of new ones. For a full list of sapient races see Sapients.
• In turn the sapients created and built and dreamed, and the gods tore themselves further to govern.

A series of wars break out, true gods try a number of things to stop them but ultimately act in favour of their own creations.

• Goblinoids form the first civilisations.
• Floresi are enslaved by Ignians
• Ignian collapse Goblinoid society, and enslave them.
• Luzoni appear and are enslaved by Ignians
• Minotaur are created to be slaves for the Durvar. Tritonions appear in the oceans.
• Orcashi are made to combat the Ignians. War breaks out across most of the surface.
• Storms ravage the world to try to quell the war.
• Folathi are created, the dawn of magic. They are designed as peace keepers, but are to peaceful and do not involve themselves.
• Fey are created, and use their magic to end wars and segregate the races.
• Orcashi refuse to be subjugated and, with the Goblinoids alliance, restart war.
• Humans are created, with the intent that they be less war hungry than Orcashi.
• They are not. They join the fighting on all sides, fighting even against their own race.
• Some Sapients, mainly goblinoids and Orcashi, are driven into caverns below the surface by Gods and mortals.
• There is a brief period of peace on the surface. The cave dwellers begin waring with the Durvar.
• War reignites on the surface between established civilisations. Coastal peoples are at war with the Tritonions.
• Durvar breach the surface for the first time. They do not distinguish between the cave dwellers and those on the surface and go to war.
• Tortuga are created to act as a bridge between the land and sea. It doesnt work.
• A new land on the opposite side of the Sphere is created. The Ignians are moved there.
• Prani are created as slaves for the Ignians.
• Dragons are created, almost Demigod like beings. They are designed as a collective enemy to unite Sapients.
• This works to an extent, lessening the scale of wars as peoples unite to combat the Dragons.
• The Tritonions are relentless in their attacks on the land - they are already a united people within the sea.
• The gods lift the land from the sea to separate the Tritonions.

Kingdoms rise and fall, giving structure to large and stable countries (See obsolete nations). Eventually some land splits from the main continent forming separate islands. Ancient powers grasp to re-establish their power.

• The land is held in the sky by the material embodiment of the god of magic, which forms an orb of energy under the continent.
• The Tortuga imprison the essence of the god of Rain, and control the weather from great towers.
• A mad king splits his land from the continent with the help of great mages. He flies his land too far from the orb (known as the Undersun) and crashes into the sea. This forms a chain of islands half way across the sphere.
• Ignian can sail to the half way islands, allowing them to reach the floating continents underside.
• Durvar on the underside of the continent develop a way to float rock down to the ocean, and start trade with Ignians.
• As magic advances, dragons become less of a threat and retreat into the hidden places in the world.
• The fey retreat to the last great forest.
• Another part of the continent splits. Many people start trying to split their own islands from the continent.
• The kingdoms war with themselves constantly, slowly forming into larger unified nations.
• The surface treats Sapients from underground as monsters.
• Dragons are hunted and have their souls trapped rather than allowing them to reincarnate.
• The surface and fey go to war. An ancient tree important to the fey is toppled. A human sacrifices a true god relic to restore it and bring a fragile end to the war.
• The underground sapients band together. They are (literally) petrified by surface folk, using magic powered by Dragon souls. Eventually this is seen as an act of evil and reverted.
• Slaves in Ignius begin an uprising.
• An ancient evil, known as the Fox King, escapes their eternal prison, set on getting revenge against the God of Magic.

• The essence of the god of Rain is released.
• The essence of the god of Nature is corrupted.
• The Fox King partially succeeds weakening the God by stealing their essence, before they are stopped. As they die they are thrown to a space on the edge of reality where true gods collect the essence grown in Sapients. The explosion of power from them disrupts the balance of things, hastening the true gods retreat from the Mortal Sphere.
• Without the god of Magic supporting the continent it falls back to the sea, fracturing into numerous distinct countries and microcontinents. The remaining energy from the god of Magic helps to slow this descent, before dispersing into crystals and arcane devices - including Automatons which gain Sapience. Other magic, previously called the weave, fades from the world.

This era spans from the moment the main continent fractures and returns to the ocean, until the true gods left the plane.

• Powerful beings protect the peoples of the new landmasses during the actual fall, and the unstable period that followed.
• The Tritonion empire is fractured and begins to collapse.
• Nations form, wars happen.
• More and more true gods are abandoning the plane.
• Trade connections are made through the central islands beck to Ignius.
• Ignius undergoes a civil war, ignited by the slave trade.
• The essence of the God of Fire is split randomly amongst the Sapients, rather than abandoning the plane.
• The last true gods leave the plane and return to the Void. The essence of the God of Water brings a Sapient with them, a sentient Axolotl, which acts as a supercharged catalyst for the forming of the next world (Ceruleum).

With the true gods gone the plane slowly dies. Plants and animals, anything without its own essence, becomes less and less with each passing generation. Powerful Sapients become the last hope that civilization clings to.

• Ignius ends the civil war, slaves are freed.
• With the plane unprotected by the true gods scavengers from dead planes attempt to breach the Mortal Sphere.
• Artifacts infused with old magic become a competitive resource.
• Nations attempt to utilise artefacts to stop the dying, but only result in slowing it.
• Many wars are fought as resources dwindle.
• Fey, still linked to the essence of the God of Nature by pure will, conduct a ritual to pull their lands into a timeless micro-plane.
• The Eldon University of the Great Arts invents a way to map Sapient mind into machine; a fragile biohack that destroys the subject.
• Most uncultivated creatures are extinct
• Ceruleum is discovered.
• Most uncultivated plants are extinct
• The first successfully returning probes are sent to Ceruleum.
• Multiple artificial habitat projects are started with the aim to preserve ecosystems.
• The first successful manned mission to Ceruleum takes place

This era is defined by the arrival of the Arks in Ceruleum and the struggle for survival in an isolated and resource-scarce ocean world.

• Production of the first Ark begins.
• The first test habitat is sent to Ceruleum. It ultimately fails, stalling the Ark project.
• After several more failed attempts, a successful Ceruleum habitat is established.
• The first Ark is completed and leaves the Mortal Sphere for Ceruleum.
• Following its success, multiple Ark projects are completed and launched, though capacity remains limited.
• The last Ark departs the Mortal Sphere.
• Sphere technology functions unreliably in Ceruleum. Long-range communication is no longer possible. System malfunctions are common.
• Ceruleum is a water world. Arks are scattered and isolated across vast distances.
• Some Arks fail, either due to internal conflict, mechanical failure, or outside forces (such as the fauna or flora of Ceruleum).
• Initial exploration is conducted using submarines adapted from Ark systems.
• Early sub expeditions discover viable resources, including mineral vents and dense biological regions (See zones and Biomes).
• Many early expeditions are lost due to environmental hazards and native fauna.
• Local resource availability proves insufficient to sustain some Ark populations long-term. Arks within communication range establish trade agreements and resource-sharing arrangements.
• Rationing protocols are implemented across most Arks.
• Salvage operations target failed Arks, lost habitats, and earlier probes.
• Some Arks specialise in food production, material processing, or technological maintenance.
• Control of high-yield resource zones becomes contested. Submersible vessels are intercepted, sabotaged, and destroyed in disputes over resources.
• A major alliance collapses following a large-scale loss of life during a contested expedition. Hostilities escalate into direct conflict between Arks.
• Several Arks are destroyed, abandoned, or rendered non-functional.
• Permanent settlement strategies are developed, including anchoring to stable regions and constructing semi-submerged structures.
• Populations decline due to conflict, system failures, and resource shortages.
• Cultural divergence increases as isolation persists.
• Contact between distant Arks becomes rare or ceases entirely.

Ark-descended societies stabilise, lost technologies are rediscovered and adapted, and there is an emergence of a unifying power within Ceruleum.

• Surviving Arks and their settlements stabilise, forming isolated but sustainable societies.
• Many Arks are no longer mobile, functioning as permanent cities or fragmented structures.
• Distinct cultures and identities develop, with many losing clear knowledge of the Mortal Sphere and the intricacies of its technology.
• Trade networks re-emerge between nearby settlements, facilitated by submarine travel.
• Technological understanding varies widely; some settlements regress while others preserve near complete understandings of Ark systems.
• Knowledge of Ceruleum’s ecosystems improves, allowing for more reliable harvesting, domestication, and navigation.
• A period of relative stability allows for population growth in some regions.
• A single Ark-descended society begins consolidating knowledge of Sphere technology and Ceruleum ecology. This society pioneers improved, reliable systems adapted specifically for Ceruleum conditions.
• Expeditions are launched to recover lost Arks, technologies, and data stores.
• Smaller settlements are absorbed through diplomacy, trade dependency, or force.
• An emergent empire forms, built on recovered technology, control of resources, and adapted understanding of Ceruleum.
• Competing powers resist consolidation, leading to regional conflicts and unexpected alliances.
• Standardised systems of technology, communication, and governance begin to spread.
• Many formerly isolated cultures are brought into contact, often losing autonomy in the process.
• Large-scale coordinated projects resume, including reconstruction of infrastructure and expansion of habitable zones.
• Resistance movements, independent Arks, and uncontacted settlements persist beyond the empires control.
• Exploration continues into distant and deep regions, driven by the need for resources and lost knowledge.