Timeline of Cataclysm History

 Lost Ages   1136   1396   1513   1691   1742   1796   1800   1803 
 * According to ancient legend, there was once a human civilization that possessed immeasurable arcane power. It is said that this civilization, now remembered as the First Light, had unlocked the secret to eternal life.  Upon attaining immortality, the First Light used their power to open a door into the Wayworld and overthrow the Primordials, taking their place as the new gods of the Planet.  Little is known about the First Light, as all physical evidence of their existence vanished with them.  All that remains is a metal pillar in the deserts of the East Marches, supposedly the site of their ancient capitol city.  The pillar is inscribed with a message to humanity, promising immortality and godhood to any and all humans who follow in their footsteps.  This pillar was found centuries after their disappearance by ancient magi, who took the message to heart and founded the Church of the First Light.
 * The theocratic nation of Nouvon is founded under the rule and guidance of the Church of the First Light. The First Light faith is adopted by the kingdom of Febral as well.  Worship of the Primordials is outlawed, as is the practice of vox planetae magic.
 * The Altean Imperium is formally established when Azra van Koren completes her conquest of Cerelia and is declared Empress by the Church of the First Light.
 * Gregoreich and Kadan join the Altean Imperium.
 * Construction of the Spire begins.
 * The Altean-Dolmach Wars, also known as the Bitter Wars, begin when the Altean Imperium attempts to cross the Bitter Mountains and invade Southern Dolmach.
 * After several years of conquering the Eastern Marches, the Altean Imperium faces heavy resistance from the Kingdom of Vir, led by the Queen Elbras and Queen Elisar. Despite it's best efforts, the Imperium is beat to a standstill and signs the Treaty of the Hidden City, halting it's Eastward expansion in it's tracks.
 * The Imperium begins making small incursions into the Eastern Marches in flagrant disregard for the Treaty of the Hidden City. Elisar and Elbras come to an impasse as to how to respond.
 * Construction of the Spire is completed.
 * Enraged by the Altean Imperium's incursions, Elisar raises an army behind Elbras' back and marches on the Spire. The siege of the Spire lasts for weeks.  The Archmagus of the Court Imperium convinces Emperor Bran von Gregswich to allow him to activate the Spire as a last ditch effort to beat back Elisar's armies.  The Spire's activation results in a tear in the fabric between the mortal world and the spirit world.  Extra-dimensional entities composed of pure Way-energy pour out from the tear and lay waste to the surrounding region.  The Court Imperium is wiped out in seconds, crippling the Imperium's leadership.  Driven mad with grief, Elisar believes the Way armies have been sent to cleanse the planet of humanity, and tasks herself with keeping the tear in reality open.
 * Elbras arrives at the Spire with her own army, and fights her way to the top. Despite her best efforts, she is unable to convince her wife to close the portal.  The two queens duel atop the Spire, and Elbras is forced to kill Elisar, pushing her flaming body into the rift and using the last of her own power to close it.  The Cataclysm, as it would come to be called, ends, and the armies of the Wayworld are banished.
 * The Imperium is thrown into complete disarray with the death of it's core leadership. Civil wars break out across the Imperium as the now barely-associated nations begin fighting each other for territory.
 * Elbras returns to the Hidden City and integrates herself into the throne room, where she would remain for centuries, using her limited power to keep the city safe from prying eyes.
 * Spire City becomes a lawless and inhospitable ghost city, and Wayfires burn there for years to come. Weeks after the Cataclysm, the remnants of the Imperium leadership convenes in Gregswich, Gregoreich, and attempts to bring the Imperium back together.  Disputes over who should take the throne of Emperor arise immediately, followed by several wars of succession.
 * The glowing purple stones left behind by the Cataclysm are discovered to have powerful arcane properties. Imperial magi begin to study the stones.

 1805   1806   1807   1812   1860   1865 
 * The provinces along the Eastern frontier of the Imperium take advantage of the civil wars in the core and break away from imperial rule completely, forming a loose conglomerate of independent territories and city-states known as the Free Territories.
 * The Dolmach Confederacy crosses the Bitter Mountains from the North and attempts to invade the embattled Imperium, but is beaten back when the Imperium recklessly deploys Wayrock-augmented Battle Mages. The destructive arcana released during the war causes widespread destruction and collateral damage.  Dolmach retreats.
 * Peasants in Kadan and Gregoreich stage a revolt in an attempt to force their kingdoms to secede from the Imperium. The revolt is put down, but sentiment for the anti-imperial cause spreads.
 * The progressive movement gains enough traction to form an anti-imperial league consisting of Kadan, Gregoreich, and parts of Cerelia. Nouvon, Febral, and Southern Cerelia remain devoted to the Imperium.  A new civil war breaks out between the two factions.
 * The United Republic of Altea defeats the Altean Imperium in a decisive battle at the Spire, bringing an end to the civil war. The Treaty of the Spire was signed, bringing the two factions together and forming the Altean Union.
 * The Redeemers declare open rebellion against the Union in the hopes of restoring the Imperium. The resulting Redeemer War claims millions of lives.
 * The Awakening occurs. Thousands, possibly millions of dead humans wake up and rise from their graves.  These undead humans retain their memories and personalities from their past lives, earning them the name "revenant" instead of typical wights.  Though some are able to return to their previous lives, most are rejected by society and their loved ones, leaving them to find new lives either in poverty or out in the Lawless Regions.