Gaiaterra: Elysea's Conflict/The Timeline of Gaiaterra

Post-Gods Departure (0000 V.C.-insert V.C.)
"Time will tell... Sooner or later... Time will tell, my sister..."

-Elysea, telling to the dying Tacitus about peace.

Age Of Darkness (insert V.C.-insert V.C.)
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Also known as the End Times, The Age Of Sorrow, and the Shattering Of Nations. Called so because of it being the bloodiest period of history, even when compared to modern battles, with only the horrors of Embry and Aden matching up to a fragment of the age. The Age Of Darkness is first marked by the first Chaos Incursion, led by the first Demon Prince Be'lakor, whose old name is lost to time, that led to the shattering of many nations, such as the Dwarfs that would become the Coalition abandoning their settlements to ride out the war in their mountain homes/fortresses, and the birth of new ones as millions of refugees fled the coming darkness and settling into unknown lands in the hopes of escaping Chaos, most of the modern nations, such as Cantha and Aio of the Coalition, were descendants of these refugees. And was the first largest, bloodiest, conflict in Gaiaterra history.

Followed by the rise of Nagash, the first (dark) necromancer, causing an event known as the "End Times", as many scholars had feared that Nagash couldn't be stopped, leading to the fall of once great kingdoms like Gilneas, Sylvania, Valyria, etc. A bloody war where generations were wiped out as they fought against the rising tide of undead. But eventually sealed Nagash within a special temple, though most of his undead generals had escaped but were weakened, with the kingdom of Ridgburg, where Nagash was born, having to destroy itself to stop the undead, though the kingdom only went into stasis, its people existing in a state of death and undeath.

By the end, the surviving kingdoms, mainly made of orphaned teens and children and a few long-lived races some of whom still lived today (such as Iver of the Wolf Clan or Elrond Half-Elven of the Communes), were cast into an uncertain future and forced to pick up the shattered pieces and rebuild. And where the Grey Steel Order was born, to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again. Even today there are many records of the event lost to time, with only long-lived races such as the Commune Elves and the Varl being the reason why they had more knowledge of the period than they should, and the population of today is only one-third of the population before Nagash.

Age Of Dawn (insert V.C.-insert V.C.)
Also known as the age of settlements, the age of uncertainty, or the age of resurgence. The Age Of Dawn was born out of the generation that survived the Age Of Darkness, having to rebuild their shattered homes. A time in which small, isolated kingdoms were founded while the kingdoms that survived hunkered down and began recovering.

Age Of Iron (insert V.C.-insert V.C.)
Also known as the age of kingdoms, the age of chivalry, or (boringly) the middle age, the Age of Iron was born out the generations from the Age Of Dawn, now desiring to expand their kingdom and reclaim the lands lost to Nagash. Leading to the rise of many feudal kingdoms, a few of which still stands today.

The most notable part of the age, and its namesake, was the discovery of forging techniques that made iron, which was considered too weak and required special equipment to be a novelty at most, practical. Leading to the diminishing of bronze making and the birth of more advanced iron tools.

It was also the age of chivalry, with the birth of the first knightly order.

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Renaissance (1200 V.C.-1400 V.C.)
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Also known as the first industrial revolution. The Renaissance marked the first time in Gaiaterra history, in the aftermath of the End Times, where research and knowledge were focused. Leading to the creation of beautiful architecture, paintings depicting the gods or the past, to the creation of wonders such as the printing press.

One of the most (in)famous discoveries of this time was gunpowder. Invented by Elsword chemist in the hopes of finding the potion of immortality. What they had made instead was an extremely flammable powder, and once they realized what it is they began using it to make flaming arrows and even a rudimentary flamethrower, while the Grey Steel Order had further improved on it, leading to them making the first firearm (though they didn't reveal that secret). And about a few years afterward, they had found the right amount of ingredients to make it explode, which they had used to make the first fireworks to ward off evil spirits. But the first use of gunpowder, outside of the Grey Steel Order, was only in the year (insert), which was a complete accident. With the legend being that when (insert) began his/her/their conquest had reached the Luresian border a firework maker, whose village had no soldiers and got surrounded, quickly improvised by firing her fireworks directly at the (insert) army. And had realized just how powerful the fireworks were, as the explosion was strong enough to burn the Conqueror's lighter armored force and caused the cavalry to panic, and soon many of the villagers began using the firework, now modified with more powder and ball bearings, to blast apart the conqueror's forces. The event had cause the maker to be promoted as the head researcher into the new experimental warfare division, and in only a few years the first cannons were made.

Age Of Horizon (1400 V.C.-insert V.C.)
So named because the people of Eorzea desire to reach new horizons. The Age Of Horizon marks the first time in Gaiaterra history when the people of Eorzea began to sail out to sea, thanks to more advance ship designs and better rations, to explore and settle new lands and trade routes. With such expeditions, from east to west, leading to nations that would eventually become Aquila, Zemuria, Embry, and so on. And going past the borders of their homes to meet the Katsuragis, Garleans before Voshkod rise, the people of Cantha, the Coalition, and so on.

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Age Of Fire And Gunpowder (insert V.C.-insert V.C.)
Considered as a bridge to the old and new ways of warfare. The Age is so named as the power of industry reached its first peak. From the first diesel engine to metal cartridges it was an age where science and technology were thought limitless. But was also the first time where many thoughts and ideas were upended and shattered, such as the Aquila War For Independence being the first stone that shattered the colonial empires, the Horus Heresy that finally destroyed the Coalition ambition of conquest, the great (insert Napoleonic war equivalent) shattering the feudal systems and the thought of "god-given rule", among many others.

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The First Great War (1912-1919 V.C.)
"In Gronders Field, the poppies blow..."

-In Gronders Field, a song written during the Hawke war. Now sung in remembrance of the lives lost.

Known as the Hawke War. The Great War, also known as the War To End All wars as the scholars (tragically) thought that such brutality would discourage their nations to go to war again, was the first time the people of Gaiaterra had to witness the sheer power of firearms, and it all started with one shot, a shot that would change the world. Where the Modern Age was ushered, not by hope or a new dawning, but by gunpowder and smoke and the blood of ten million men and women, soldiers and civilians. From the centers of Eorzea, to the waters of Aquila, to the tundra of Voshkod and the sands of the Southern Continent, to the heartland of Luresia and the deepest sea.

But before we get there we must know the context, the seminal tragedy. It was the year 1912 V.C., the peace in the aftermath of the (insert Napoleonic war) had lasted a century withing Eorzea, with what wars in between being little and out of focus, but yet, unknowingly, the stage was set for tragedy. Beginning being the recent formation of Aselia, who despite being a relatively young nation was also powerful thanks to land and resources, and is bitter about having less land and influence despite being the most powerful.

Next, were the leaders who had the intelligence and guile to navigate their nation through the byzantine schemes of politics growing old and grey, slowly dying out while their successor proves to be incompetent. Such as (insert Alexander the second equivalent) who had managed to reform the primitive Voshkod and brought it to the modern world, even if he had to do it with an iron fist, yet his son (insert Nicholas the second equivalent) had destroyed everything his father built in the war, from falling under the thumb of a mystic named Kucan (whose bald head and goatee looks too similar to one of Emets advisors), to losing to the Katsuragi's, a nation Eorzea thought weak, culminating in him and his family being gunned down by the revolutionaries that would make modern Voshkod.

And finally fear, leading them to do irrational decisions just to keep their power. As the now deceased empire of (insert Ottoman empire equivalent) was slowly broken apart as its lands began declaring independence and they were too weak to stop them, to the point that it was nicknamed "The withered old man of Eorzea", the (insert Austro-Hungarian empire equivalent) and Voshkod Empire began to fear their hold on their power, not helped by having also witnessed the successful revolutions of Aquila and Cantha, with the (insert Austro-Hungarian empire equivalent) being slowly chipped away around a few decades before the war, as the council deemed them having the right to be free, with each new nation causing resentment to grow to those chained to the empire which caused further unrest and strife within, and the Voshkod, despite holding the largest territory, were severely behind technology, and with their humiliating defeat at the hands of the Katsuragi, the first in which an Eorzea nation lost to a Canthan nation, they had shown the other nations how weak they were, while causing the empire itself to teeter on the verge of revolution.

Thus all the pieces were set and the gunpowder was loaded, all it need was a spark. And that spark happened within the nation of (insert Serbia) in (insert Sarajevo), in what could only be described as a chain of coincidences, or Tzeetchian gambit.

As on (insert day), 1912 V.C., the Archduke of (insert Austria), (insert Franz Ferdinand) and his wife had come to (Sarajevo), the most aggressive of the (Austria) states in desiring freedom, to see the military drill in the city (in actuality it was an excuse for them to enjoy their anniversary). But that day was also a day of national pride for the people of (Sarajevo), as it was the day of their greatest battle, the (insert battle of Kosovo). To them, the Archduke's attendance was an insult, of showing them that they are their servants. And in a cafe, six young, drunk, nationalist men were ranting and raving, wanting to murder the Archduke for his crime, when an older woman came up to them, whose only known feature was an eight-pointed star ring she wore, who then tell these men that the Archdukes must pay for his show of superiority and gave them money to buy the weapons necessary to carry their plan, a few days later she was found dead, yet she smiled, without any evidence to find the murderer. That woman was a cultist of Tzeentch, who had a vision of the war, and the Grey Steel Order came too late to stop her.

Finally, on the day of the parade the men came to kill the Archduke. But at first it looked like they failed, two of them were caught and apprehended by Grey Steel agents, another couldn't bring himself to murder them upon seeing how happy they were, and another had his equipment sabotaged by the Order and had to flee, but the next one had managed to throw a bomb but missed, maiming and killing the surrounding people and the car behind the Archduke, and was soon captured, having broken his leg as he didn't realise how shallow the river he was diving into was and then puking when he downed an expired cyanide pill. The failed assassination caused the motorcade to flee and the city to lock down, and the last assassin gave up, knowing full well that their chance was gone, and went to a bar to drown his sorrow.

Under normal circumstances, the Archduke would have fled immediately. But, with his bleeding heart, he chose to instead go to the hospital to visit those injured by the previous explosion. And the chauffeur driving the Archduke took a wrong turn, right into the street where the last assassin was drowning his sorrows, and then had an engine breakdown immobilizing them.

And with two roars of gunfire that echoed throughout the street and time. The Archduke and his wife were dead. And the Grey Steel Order failed to stop the Heralds.

In the aftermath of the assassination, the (Austrians) wanted war, though the (Hungarian) side wanted peace and would only agree to war if their empire doesn't annex even an inch of (Serbian) soil, with (Serbia) and had asked their stronger ally, Aselia, for assistance, who obliged but ask they do it fast so that Voshkod can't mobilize and plunge them into war before the kaiser goes on vacation for nearly a month thinking the issue was solved. Yet the was hadn't started, there was still hope. As a Voshkod ambassador in (Serbia) had met up with the ambassador of (Austria) to hopefully settle for peace, as they both knew how this war would end. But, right before they could sign the treaty, the Voshkod ambassador died of a sudden heart attack, causing the desire for war to spike believing the (Serbian) ambassador poisoned the Voshkod ambassador, though the Grey Steel Order are still unsure if the ambassador was poisoned by the Heralds or just an unlucky coincidence.

With Aselia's support the (Austrians), in a gambit, sent out an ultimatum to (Serbia), whose conditions were impossibly high to accept, in the hopes they refuse and give them casus belli, and making it look like they gave them a chance to settle it peacefully, but was delayed for various reasons, and by the time the ultimatum was sent the Voshkod had already mobilized in (Serbia) to support them, thanks to Orlais giving them their full support. And, as if Tzeentch was dangling hope on a rope before pulling away and laughing, the foreign minister of Voshkod, Sazanov, had met up with the ambassador of Aselia who desperately begged Sazanov to call off the mobilization, telling him that the monarchies must work together or there will be a revolution that will destroy their empire, but Sazanov replied.

"If (Austria-Hungary) swallows (Serbia), we will go to war."

The tragedy in hindsight, as if it was some twisted play, was that the Voshkod had feared that (Austria-Hungary) would annex (Serbia) if they attacked, and thus didn't want their force to leave the border, and both he and the Aselian ambassador didn't realize that the (Austria-Hungary) never intended to annex (Serbia). And then the (Serbians) sent a reply to the ultimatum, but in a way that makes it look like they were truly accepting so that the (Austrians) will look bad if they attack. Thus (Austria) had to mobilize. And by the time the kaiser returned he realized that there was now no reason for war, with the ultimatum sent, and offers one, final, solution. Have them only invade the capital of (Serbia) and declare victory, thus not only saving face but doing it quick enough that the Voshkod won't go to war, but it had to be done quickly. A week passed before the force took hold of (insert), and news returned to Sazanov that the (Austrians) attacked, which was a lie by a Brotherhood spy as the (Austrians) weren't even mobilized, and thus Sazanov, who had resisted to full mobilization, finally approved. But yet the Czar himself didn't want t go to war, and message the kaiser, his cousin, to stop this, knowing full well how horrible the war will be, before demanding that the general call off the mobilization. Leading to a great council where (Nicholas) tried to get the church and parliament to see reason, but in the end, when an aide accidentally touched his wound about being an uncertain prince, he agreed to the mobilization.

And yet that Aselian ambassador came to Sazanov one last time. Begging him to call off the mobilization, telling him that this will lead to the death of millions, and the death of monarchy, all for a small conflict. And yet he was rebuffed. And so the Hawke wars began, and in a month a million soldiers were dead.

Soon all of Gaiaterra will witness how their advancement had changed warfare. As machineguns that fill the air with lead and reloaded in seconds ripped apart all but the hardiest races in a hail of gunfire, forcing them to hunker down in trenches, to artillery that could fire being sight range and level buildings, the invention of poisonous gasses that left soldiers choking in agony with those who survives bearing scars until they die, to the outright horrible experience of fighting in muddy, rat-infested trenches. Forming a bloody stalemate both sides hid in trenches lest they be shot by machinegun fire, only broken apart by the suicidal charges through no man's land where thousands would die to claim a few feet of ground.

It was also during this horrid time that the tools used today came to be. From the tanks built to wade through gunfire to the SMGs used to fight in the tight corridors of the trenches.

It was also known for being the death of the Voshkod Czardom, saved for the nobles who escaped to form what would be Rusviet, and the rise of the Union, though it had good intentions, and maybe on another timeline was a Guardian Of The Tacitus who fought for freedom, it was twisted into a tool for corruption and power by Emet and the Brotherhood which it never recovered from. As the Voshkod people were starving by the war and angered that their emperor was working what amounts to a crazy man the people began to riot, which then led to an all-out civil war between the socialists, led by (Karl Marx), who genuinely fought for the equality and freedom of men and women but died midway in the revolution with (Lenin) taking up the leadership role, and the loyalist, led by those loyal to (Nicholas), annd though the royalist fought hard (Nicholas) and his family were captured and soon executed (though whether if it was under (Lenin)'s orders or done by the guard's volition is still debated) for the fear that the loyalist freeing them. And, despite claiming they fought for freedom and equality, (Lenin), (Marx) successor, was closer to a dictator than a socialist (as in reality he was a Brotherhood spy who assassinated (Karl)), cracking down on those who refused his rules and setting up a secret police to hunt down traitors, basically those not loyal to him. And his successor, Emet-Selch Garlean, was even worse.

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the Hawke war was like a child finally entering adulthood. As declining empires and monarchy were finally shattered and the thoughts of chivalry and knights burnt away in the fires of industry, and the first (and tragically not the last) time the children of Elysea fought each other with the intent to kill for the sake of power or petty vengeance. And when the smoke finally clears the survivors had realised that they're in a new age, of new powers, new technology, and new terrors.

The only true victor of the horrid war was the Heralds, whose gods feasted upon the emotions of the war while the Heralds furthered their great plan, and the Brotherhood, who decided to use this unexpected event to their advantage, secretly manipulating events behind the scenes so that they could take control of the Voshkods, though the socialist revolution was neither of their doing they used it to their advantage, and maybe annex a weakened nation or two.

And for the Grey Steel Order, who had tried so hard and lost nearly everything to stop the war, they failed miserably. The war is the greatest failure the Order had suffered and is considered a mark of shame they must wipe away be ending the Heralds. The only silver lining being the prophecy of Lady Maria, who is fated to stop the Heralds.

The Great Voshkod-Aquilan War (1953 V.C.-1959 V.C.)
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The GVAW was also the first dawning of the new battlefield. With the age of infantry waves and trenches replaced with mechanized forces and aircraft.