Fantasy Timelines

CATCH-ALL D&D TIMELINE

In this fantasy timeline, alien beings are assumed to have lived for billions of years before the current rise of known beings. “Modern” peoples and their deities did not rule the cosmos until not more than 1 million years ago.

* Before 6 million years ago… Aberrations, Beasts, Plants, Ooze
* 1 million years ago … Celestials, Elementals, Dragons, Fiends (Demons)
* 200,000 years ago… Celestials, Fiends (Devils), Fey, Humanoids
* 20,000 years ago … Giants, Monstrosities
* 2,000 years ago … Constructs

UNKNOWN PRE-HISTORY
??? years ago … Creation of multiverse? Previous universes?
15 billion years ago … Creation of known universes.
4.6 billion years ago … Earth and solar system form
4.2 billion years ago … Origin of life on Earth
240 million years ago … First dinosaurs on Earth.
63 million years ago … Dinosaurs go extinct on Earth.
6 million years ago … “Modern” humans (homo sapiens) evolve from apes.

WAR OF CREATION
1 million years ago … Primordial titans (chaos) war with an Elemental Air power (order). Demons arise, war with celestials (some future devils). Dragons arise as protectors/destroyers.
200,000 years ago … “Eve” on Earth, mother to all current day humans.

THE FALL
Sometime after 200,000 years ago … Celestial rebellion, devils created and cast into Hell.

EPOCH OF MAGIC
42,000 to 36,000 years ago … Early human cultures form on many worlds. (On Earth, Sumerians.)
36,000 to 30,000 years ago … Draconic magic dominates. Reptile and amphibian warlocks rule many worlds. Illithids invade multiverse.
30,000 to 25,000 years ago … Draconic magic fades. (On Earth, lush Sahara region dries into sandy desert).
25,000 to 14,000 years ago … Fey magic dominates. Elves and eladrin spread across many worlds. Gith rebellion against illithids.
14,000 to 11,000 years ago … Snake empires arise on many worlds. Fey magic fades, elves cast out of planar homeland to wander mortal worlds. Drow appear.
11,000 to 7,000 years ago … Humans spread across many worlds. Some use mix of draconic and fey magic. (Torhoon Empire on Oerth.)
7,000 to 6,000 years ago … Human civilizations begin on many worlds. Arcane/Mercane appear.
6,000 to 4,000 years ago … First Great Age Of Mages on many worlds (rise and fall of Atlantis and Ennead on Earth, Blackmoor on Mystara, Netheril on Toril).
4,000 to 3,000 years ago … Dark Age (cults, beastmen). Thri-kreen insect people conquer many worlds.
3,000 years ago … Great Illithid Wars on many prime worlds, thri-kreen empire falls.
3,000 to 1,500 years ago … Second Great Age of Mages on many worlds (Suel Empire and Balunish Empire on Oerth, Netheril on Toril, Nithian Empire on Mystara, Age of Arcanum on Exandria).
1,500 to 1,000 years ago … Dark Age (Calamity on Exandria, Athas sealed off, Invoked Devastation wipes out Balunish Empire, Rain of Colorless Fire wipes out Suel Empire).
1,000 years ago … Vecna founds empire on Oerth, writes the Codex of the Infinite Planes, betrayed by Kas the Bloody-Handed.
1,000 to 800 years ago … Gradual rediscovery of magic by humans and other peoples.
800 years ago to now … Third Great Age of Mages (Greyhawk on Oerth, Glantri on Mystara, Second Sundering on Toril).

OERTH TIMELINE (World of Greyhawk)

The planet of Oerth, the northern continent of Oerik, the eastern half of which is called the Flanaess (named after the native peoples, the Flan). The planet Oerth is at the center of its solar system, around which orbit two moons — the vacuum rockball Kule (aka Celene), covered in ruined towers, and Raenei (aka Luna), a small natural wilderness — along with a sun (Liga) and many asteroids, one of which (Bral) serves as a deep space “starport” for magical ships.

PRE-HISTORY: Multiverse begins, chaos, primal forces form (alignments), energy forces form (elementals), multiverse closes off from “non-multiverse” (the Far Realm, trapping a few aboleths), first cosmic powers form (deities) and war against the elementals about the same time as mortals form (life on the prime plane), war between lawful celestials and fall of losing side (devils), faith of mortals begins feeding the cosmic powers…

MYTHIC PAST
995,000 years ago … Queen of Chaos wars on Wind Dukes of Elemental Air.
990,000 years ago … Rod of Law (aka Rod of Seven Parts) used to slay Queen of Chaos on prime world (Oerth).

(Oerth’s second sun in the sky may or may not disappear during this time.)

AGE OF THRALLS (demon-worshipping inhumans use humans as slaves/food)
14,000 years ago … Valley elves settle in the Valley of the Mage.
13,000 to 11,400 years ago … Strife among elven peoples.
13,600 years ago … Kopru (serpent-like amphibians) start undersea empire on Oerth.
11,400 years ago … Elven deity Corellon transforms rebel elves into the drow.
11,000 years ago … Drow civilization begins in the underdark.
10,000 years ago … Yuan-ti (snakefolk) empire on the continent of Melavi (Hepmonaland).

AGE OF DELIVERANCE (first empire of free humans)
9,600 years ago … Drow city of Erelhei-Cinlu built in the underdark.
9,000 years ago … Torhoon human peoples overthrow yuan-ti empire.
8,000 years ago … Peak of the Torhoon Empire on the continent of Melavi (Hepmonaland).
7,000 years ago … Torhoon Empire falls; Olman people escape to southern Flanaess.

AGE OF GLORY (rise of human empires, magic and conquest)
6,000 years ago … Founding of the Suel Empire.
5,000 years ago … Suel mages begin magically binding genies.
4,000 years ago … Emperor bans binding, prompts a 30-year civil war between houses.

AGE OF MEN
4,000 years ago … High and wood elves establish nations in the Flanaess (Highfolk, Celene, Aliador, and Arrisa).
4,000 years ago … Tiamat-worshipping empire of Caerdiralor rises and falls (near modern Onnwal).
(During the following 1,200 years, Suel develops ever-greater magics. Non-Suel tribes – the Oerid and Bakluni peoples to the north – gradually subjugated and enslaved.)
2,850 years ago … Suel Empire stretches to the Dramidi Ocean, but stays west of the eastern mountain ranges.
2,500 years ago … Founding of the Empire of Sulm in central Flaeness.
2,115 years ago … Break with Suel, founding of the Baklunish Empire.
2,050 years ago … Keraptis the mage becomes protector of northern Flan people.
2,000 years ago … Vecna born into an untouchable caste among the Flan people.
1,676 years ago … Uprising ends rule of Keraptis, mage goes into wandering exile.
1,500 years ago … Empire of Sulm destroyed, lands become The Bright Desert.
1,376 years ago … Keraptis and evil gnome followers move under White Plume Mountain.
1,304 years ago … Plagues sweep human empires in western Oerik, 40% of population dies.
1,100 years ago … Baklunish wizard Lyzandred becomes a lich.
1,075 years ago … The lich Vecna founds an empire through the central Flanaess.
1,066 years ago … A newborn baby named Acererak is rescued and raised by the lich Vecna.
1,060 years ago … Start of the Baklunish-Suloise Wars, prompting eastward migrations into the Flanaess.
1,050 years ago … Vecna writes the Codex of the Infinite Planes.
1,040 years ago … Baklunish and Suloise empires turn to goblin, orc and ogre tribes for mercenaries.

THE GREAT MIGRATIONS (human peoples driven east due to empire wars)
1,030 years ago … Oeridian refugees settle the city of Exag (modern Perrenland).
1,000 years ago … Invoked Devastation wipes out Balunish Empire, Rain of Colorless Fire wipes out Suel Empire.
921 years ago … Vecna is betrayed by Kas the Bloody-Handed, his empire falls.
800 years ago … Founding of the Kingdom of Aerdy by Oeridians in eastern Flanaess.

AGE OF AERDY (rise of The Great Kingdom)
576 years ago … Empire of Aerdy proclaimed.
426 years ago … Rhennee people (Romani) first appear in Adri Forest. Unaccepted, they take to barge life on rivers and lakes.
378 years ago … The Star Cairns, a Suel magical site southeast of the City of Greyhawk, hit by meteor summoned by the lich Lyzandred.
373 years ago … Betrayal by Knight Protector of the Great Kingdom Sir Kargoth in a pact with Demogorgon, leads to creation of death knights in Aerdy.

AGE OF GREAT SORROW (decline of The Great Kingdom)
363 years ago … Eclipse during an Aerdy coronation signals the Age of Great Sorrow.
261 years ago … Future city of Greyhawk established as a trading post.
255 years ago … Zagig Yragerne becomes Mayor of the settlement of Greyhawk.
255 years ago … The Relentless Horde invades the far north of the Flanaess.
234 years ago … The Grey College founded in the settlement of Greyhawk.
215 years ago … Zagig Yragerne buries a cache of extraplanar magic under the Land of Black Ice.
204 years ago … University of Magical Arts founded in the settlement of Greyhawk.
183 years ago … Zagig Yragerne founds the Guild of Wizardry in Greyhawk.
179 years ago … The mage Tasha becomes an apprentice to Zagig Yragerne. (Tasha will later become known as Iggwilv, the world’s greatest demonologist.)
155 years ago … Zagig Yragerne disappears from public life. (Demigod Zagyg appears.)
97 years ago … Iuz becomes a political threat in the north-central Flanaess.
96 years ago … The witch Iggwilv conquers Perrenland but is soon overthrown by a rogue demon, years of famine and terror follow.
80 years ago … Greyhawk’s “lansgraf” government model is officially replaced by an oligarchy. The neighboring free city of Hardby and the Wild Coast break off from the Domain of Greyhawk’s influence, causing an economic decline.
78 years ago … Greyhawk officially becomes a Free City after severing ties with The Great Kingdom.
71 years ago … Iuz disappears and his nation falls into chaos.
67 years ago … Mordenkainen born.
63 years ago … Orcs and goblins driven from Suss Forest and conquer the Pomarj.
25 years ago … Discovery of gold and treasure under Castle Greyhawk spark economic boom.

RECENT HISTORY
8 years ago … Temple of Elemental Evil founds an army, gets destroyed a year later by a coalition of humans and elves at the Battle of Emridy Meadows.
6 years ago … Iuz accidentally freed from magic prison, returns to lead his empire.
5 years ago … Iuz conquers lands of the Horned Society.
4 years ago … Tribes of orcs invade the Shield Lands, refugees flee to Furyondy.
4 years ago … First reports of The Scarlet Brotherhood, a Suel-supremacy movement.
3 years ago … The Kingdom of Furyondy declares “perpetual war” against Iuz; the Wegwiur “wolf nomads” of the north, lords from the Shield Lands and elves of the Vesve Forest join in alliance. Greyhawk, especially its Thieves Guild, also pledge support against Iuz.
2 years ago … An unending winter storm forms above the northern Archbarony of Blackmoor.
1 year ago … Reports of massive raiding by giants across the western kindgoms. Strange monsters seen roaming in the Barrier Peaks mountains.
Months ago… Thefts of magical items suggest Keraptis has returned to White Plume Mountain.

BLACKMOOR HISTORY (ON OERTH)

2,000 years ago … Ur-Flan sorcerers enslave fiends and elementals, build standing stones around area later known as Blackmoor.
1,400 years ago … Flannish Tuocts peoples dwell north of Cold Marshes, fight the Egg of Coot.
1,200 years ago … Suel barbarians raiders, the Zeai people, settle along Blackmoor Bay.
800 years ago … Aerdi pioneers settle in Blackmoor, build Castle Blackmoor.
788 years ago … Calen the Chronicler (Khoronus) brings family from Mystara to Oerth, founds the Order of the Chroniclers monastery in Blackmoor. (Broomsage Abbey)
400 years ago … Ranial the Gaunt seizes power, defies The Great Kingdom, creates True Trolls.
390 yeags ago … Forces from The Great Kingdom destroy Ranial, Blackmoor joins Aerdy Empire.
322 years ago … The Archbarony of Blackmoor becomes independent of The Great Kingdom due to a clerical error in establishing the boundaries of Furyondy.
255 years ago … The Relentless Horde invades the far north of the Flanaess.
201 years ago … The Lich of Glendour conquers Blackmoor.
196 years ago … Wastrian cultists wage genocide on non-humans in Blackmoor.
180 years ago … Rua Morgaiste overthrows the Lich of Glendour, becomes first Archbaroness of Blackmoor.
125 years ago … Rua Morgaiste dies, leaving no heir. Baronial Council to choose next leader.
125 years ago … Reign of Fadden of Dantrefaer as archbaron.

(Over next 80 years, Fadden and three others would lead as archbarons in contant struggle against the Egg of Coot.)

60 years ago … Last actual sighting of the obsidian dragon Ignisvitrumsable in Blackmoor.
43 years ago … Forces from the Egg of Coot take Blackmoor Castle; Baronial Council retreats into The Comeback Inn.
25 years ago … Archbaron Bestmo begins rule from Dantredun, forms Council of Speakers.

(Technically, authority over the nation still rests in the hands of the missing Baronial Council, but no one else has the might to challenge Bestmo or his personal band of half-orcs.)

BLACKMOOR HISTORY (ON MYSTARA)

7,000 years ago … Neathar, Oltec and Tanagoro tribal hunter-gatherer humans.
6,000 years ago … Founding of the First Republic of Thonia.
6,000 years ago … Alphantian magic-users arise on a distant planet across the galaxy.
6,000 years ago … Elves enter the mortal world.
5,500 years ago … Beastmen, reincarnated souls of evil beings, arise north of Blackmoor.
5,275 years ago … “The Unwanted,” Thonian exiles and criminals, settle in the north. Elves and the Egg of Coot are already there.
5,250 years ago … Calen (the future immortal Khoronus) is among the first settlers in the northern Thonian colony of Blackmoor.
5,150 years ago … Calen (Khoronus) transports his descends to future Oerth (-212 Oerth time).
5,150 years ago … Humans establish the Cult of the Frog.
5,025 years ago … The Baron of Blackmoor is slain, succeeded by the progressive King Uther. Decades of strife follow (fighting the Emperor of Thonia, beastmen, Egg of Coot).
5,006 years ago … The starship FSS Beagle crashes on Mystara, near Blackmoor. Within a year, renegade crew members escape and joins/influences the Cult of the Frog.
5,003 years ago … The Thonian general known as “The Iron Duke” learns of The Comeback Inn.
5,000 years ago … Blackmoor University scholars study the Beagle’s advanced technology, incorporating it into their society.
4,500 years ago … The Empire of Thonia is conquered by the Kingdom of Blackmoor.
4,200 years ago … Blackmoor crusades push beastmen north into land of Hyperborea.
4,000 years ago … The Great Rain of Fire / Planetshift: The engine of the starship Beagle explodes, near extinction event.
4,000 years ago … The Great Rain of Fire destroys Blackmoor, sea levels rise, ice age.
4,000 years ago … Elves near Blackmoor flee underground, becoming the Shadow Elves.
4,000 years ago … Immortals transplant Azcans and Oltecs into the Hollow World.
3,800 years ago … The Comeback Inn surfaces in the sea, gets trapped in a glacier.
3,500 years ago … Northern ice age ends but Blackmoor and northern elf lands still arctic.
3,410 years ago … Immortals limit southern elves still using Blackmoor technology to a valley in the Hollow World. A decade later a volcanic eruption wipes out the southern surface elves.
3,000 years ago … The Comeback Inn is freed from the ice.
3,000 years ago … Nithian human civilization arises. Bronze Age tech.
3,000 years ago … Beastmen evolve into orcs, goblins, ogres, giants and trolls.
2,800 years ago … Sylvan elves create first Tree of Life.
2,710 year ago … The Great Hordes of rival kings unite in Ethengar, then break up.
2,700 years ago … Elves of Glantri find Blackmoor artifact in Broken Lands, mess with it, region blown up.
2,500 years ago … Nithian empire evolves to Iron Age tech.
2,100 years ago … Nithians establish the colony of Thothia on the Isle of Dawn.
2,000 years ago … Nithian Empire at its peak.
2,000 years ago … Alphatian air mages land on Mystara on a remote continent.
1,800 years ago … Nithian leaders corrupted into worshipping entropy (Thanatos and Ranivorus).
1,200 years ago … Alphatian conquests expand territory.
1,000 years ago … Thyatian-born, Alphatian-trained wizard, kills the Alphatian wizards in Thyatis and declares himself King of Thyatis; war breaks out between Thyatis and Alphatia.
1,000 years ago … Relics in the Temple of Remembrances of New Thonia destroyed in fire.
720 years ago … Immortals of Energy change Beagle’s energy blast, create Radiance.
650 years ago … The Radiance discovered in the territory of Glantri.
600 years ago … Offshoot of Alphatian people discover the Radiance, settle in Glantri.
500 years ago … Conflicts between Alpatian, Thyatian empires and colonies rise.
272 years ago … The d’Ambrevilles arrive in Mystara from Old Averoigne of Earth.
41 years ago … Alpatian, Thyatian empires declare open global war on each other.

FORGOTTEN REALMS TIMELINE

PRE-HISTORY: Multiverse begins, chaos, primal forces form (alignments), energy forces form (elementals), multiverse closes off from “non-multiverse” (the Far Realm, trapping a few aboleths), first cosmic powers form (deities) and war against the elementals about the same time as mortals form (life on the prime plane), war between lawful celestials and fall of losing side (devils), faith of mortals begins feeding the cosmic powers…

36,000 to 31,000 years ago … Days of Thunder (dinosauroid and sarrukh amphibian empires)
31,000 to 25,000 years ago … Dawn Age (giant empire of Ostoria, then dragon empires)
25,000 to 13,000 years ago … First Flowering (peak elven magic)
* 18,600 years ago … First Sundering, Abil-Toril split into two worlds
13,000 to 10,000 years ago … Crown Wars (series of epic inter-elven wars)
* 11,000 years ago … High Lady Ordalf (a leShay) founds city of Karador, kingdom of Sarifal in the Moonshae Isles and continues to rule to the current day
10,000 to 4,000 years ago … The Founding Time (elf and dwarf empires, djinn conquests)
4,000 to 14 years ago … Age of Humanity
14 years ago to now … Era of Upheaval

11,400 years ago … Corellon transforms elves into the drow.
11,000 years ago … Drow civilization begins in the underdark.
4,905 years ago … The Nether Scrolls discovered, humans abandon elf magic for sarrukh magic. Mythallar created.
4,326 years ago … First Netheril floating city arises.
4,000 to 1,700 years ago … Rise, reign and fall of Netheril Empire.
1,711 years ago … Phaerimms drain magic, end of Netheril Empire, floating cities fall.
3,000 years ago to now … Various human empires rise and fall.
14 years ago into near future … Time of Troubles (gods become mortal), murder of goddess of magic Mystra and spellplague, Second Sundering (Abdil and Toril remix).

PLANESCAPE / SIGIL TIMELINE

PRE-HISTORY: Multiverse begins, chaos, primal forces form (alignments), energy forces form (elementals), multiverse closes off from “non-multiverse” (the Far Realm, trapping a few aboleths), first cosmic powers form (deities) and war against the elementals about the same time as mortals form (life on the prime plane), war between lawful celestials and fall of losing side (devils), faith of mortals begins feeding the cosmic powers…

1 million years ago … First tanar’ri (demon), named Demogorgon, formed in the Abyss.
995,000 years ago … Queen of Chaos wars on Wind Dukes of Elemental Air.
990,000 years ago … Tanar’ri and baaetzu meet, Blood War begins.
990,000 years ago … Rod of Law used to slay Queen of Chaos on prime world (Oerth).
Sometime around here … Celestials war against fiends, ends in stalemate.
100,000 years ago … “Ancestors” spread mortal civilizations across the prime material plane.
70,000 years ago … “Ancestors” disappear. Tiamat exiled from Io’s court to Avernus.
36,000 years ago … Sarrukh amphibian empire on Toril
34,000 years ago … Illithids breach into reality, found multiverse-wide empire
26,000 years ago … Some elves tear open portal into the Far Realm, horrors ensue.
17,000 years ago … Major devil rebellion against the hierarchy in Hell.
16,000 years ago … Gith rebellion, fall of illithid empire, Githyanki/githzerai split.
15,500 years ago … Fiends discover Sigil.
15,250 years ago … Mortal mage fails to overthrow the Lady of Pain in Sigil.
14,623 years ago … Start of King’s Age calendar on world of Athas (Dark Sun)
13,498 years ago … Athas “Blue Age” ends, world becomes a desert, humans arise there.
11,400 years ago … Drow banished to underdark on multiple prime worlds.
11,000 years ago … The Lady of Pain begins mazing people instead of trapping them in Pandemonium.
11,000 years ago … Surge in Demogorgon’s power, Blood War intensifies.
9,250 years ago … Ogres become first mortal race on Krynn.
6,085 years ago … Worm-like Syllix discover space travel (spelljamming).
5,452 years ago … Arcane appear on prime worlds, Mercane across planes.
4,988 years ago … The god Aoskar slain by the Lady of Pain, temple in Sigil destroyed following defection of four dabus to his religion.
4,775 years ago … Sarrukh magic rediscovered by humans on Toril, found Netheril Emipire.
4,615 years ago … The Enneads (Egyptian pantheon) forms on Earth, spreads to Toril.
4,300 years ago … Partholonian mortals settle in Tir Na Nog. (Outlands)
4,059 year ago … Battle of Magh Ithe, formorians invade Tir Na Nog.
4,015 years ago … Syllix empire falls, thri-kreen star empire lasts almost 1,000 years.
3,286 and 3,259 years ago … Magh Tuireadh battles in Tir Na Nog.
3,080 years ago … Great Illithid Wars on prime worlds, thri-kreen empire falls.
2,902 years ago … Illithids, beholders fight was across space.
1,711 years ago … Disruption of magic on Toril, Netheril Empire gone overnight.
1,315 years ago … The Keepers first appear.
1,138 years ago … Psionic kings of Athas seal off their world from other planes.
1,114 years ago … Skall found the Dustmen planar faction.
990 years ago … The Bleak Cabal planar faction is formed.
972 years ago … Fraternity of Order planar faction is formed.
923 years ago … Transcendent Order and Sign of One planar factions form.
864 years ago … Athar planar faction is formed.
859 years ago … Philosophical society forms, will become The Believers of the Source.
744 years ago … The Fated repossess a magic college in Sigil, convert it into the Hall of Records and become an official planar faction.
696 years ago … Society of Sensation formed, initially as a social club.
685 years ago … Anarchists grow in Sigil, start of Revoluntionary League.
616 years ago … Great Upheaval: By order of the Lady of Pain, four dozen planar factions order to reduce down to 12. Sons of Mercy and Sodkillers unite to become the Mercykillers faction. Indep membership swells.
489 years ago … Knights of Harmony found the Harmonium on the planet of Ortho.
475 years ago … Harmonium founded on prime world of Ortho, conquer planet in a centry.
390 years ago … First reports of the Demiplane of Dread.
182 years ago … Harmonium comes to Sigil, wars with the Doomguard. At the end, the Harmonium become city guard and the Doomguard run the Armory.
155 years ago … The mad mage Zagig Yragerne of Oerth becomes the demigod Zagyg.
152 years ago … The Rock of Bral established in Greyspace.
135 years ago … The Xaositects recognized as a faction in Sigil.
59 years ago … Mercane cartel known as the Union open a planar metropolis.
(15 years from now, Faction Wars begin)
(17 years from now, Die Vecna Die)

THE ELVEN TIMELINE

Pre-History (multiverse) … The leShay, elf-like immortals, survive the destruction of a previous cosmic multiverse.
Before 25,000 years ago (multiverse) … Elves and eladrin dwell on the Plane of Arvandor with their deities.
25,000 to 13,000 years ago (Toril) … First Flowering (peak elven magic) across the cosmos.

14,000 years ago (Oerth) … Valley elves leave Arvandor, settle in the Valley of the Mage, renounce elven deities.
13,000 to 11,400 years ago … Strife among elven peoples across many worlds. Elves cast out of Arvandor; eladrin go the Feywild, elves to mortal worlds.
13,000 to 10,000 years ago (Toril) … Crown Wars (series of epic inter-elven wars).
11,500 years ago (multiverse) … An elven mage seeking ascension to godhood suffers betrayal by human wizards, she becomes the Raven Queen in the Shadowfell along with her followers, the shadar-kai elves.
11,400 years ago (multiverse) … Elven deity Corellon transforms rebel elves into the drow.
11,000 years ago (multiverse)… Drow civilization begins in the underdark of many worlds.
11,000 years ago (Toril) … High Lady Ordalf (a leShay) founds city of Karador, kingdom of Sarifal in the Moonshae Isles and continues to rule to the current day.
10,000 to 4,000 years ago (Toril) … The Founding Time (elf and dwarf empires).
9,600 years ago (Oerth) … Drow city of Erelhei-Cinlu built in the underdark.
9,000 years ago (multiverse)… Elves begin teaching magic spells to humans on many worlds to guard against Lolth’s armies.

(Thousands of years of inhuman empires rising and falling on many worlds. Fish-people, snake-people and so forth. Think Deep Ones.)

6,000 years ago (Oerth) … Founding of the Suel Empire of human mages, using mostly elven spells.
6,000 years ago (Mystara) … Elves migrate to the mortal world of Mystara, settle in southern continent.
5,000 years ago (Oerth) … Mages from the Suel Empire switch from elven magic to elemental and infernal magic.
4,905 years ago (Toril) … The Nether Scrolls discovered, humans abandon elf magic for older alien magic.
4,400 years ago (Mystara) … Elves on Mystara begin to abandon magic use in favor of Blackmoor’s technology.
4,000 years ago (Oerth) … High and wood elves establish nations in the Flanaess region (Highfolk, Celene, Aliador, and Arrisa).
4,000 years ago (Mystara) … The Great Rain of Fire / Planetshift: Blackmoor wiped out, elven homeland lost to sudden ice age.
4,000 to 1,700 years ago (Toril) … Rise, reign and fall of Netheril Empire in the “Forgotten Realms.” One day their flying cities just crash to the ground and it’s all over.
3,500 years ago (Mystara) … Elven magic on Mystara reaches its peak in the southern continent.
3,200 years ago (Mystara) … Culture divide as southern elves keep to technology, breakaway elves return to magic use and head to northern continent.
2,800 years ago (Mystara) … First Tree of Life created on Mystara.
1,800 years ago (Mystara) … Elves found their nation of Alfheim, begin changing weather patterns.
1,000 years ago (Oerth) … Mutual magical destruction of two major human empires: Invoked Devastation wipes out Balunish Empire, Rain of Colorless Fire wipes out Suel Empire. Surviving refugees migrate east into the known lands of the Flanaess region.

(Over next 1,000 years, three generations of elves watch human empires rise and fall, keeping a conservative but supportive stance toward humans. Meanwhile, Lolth continues to scheme for cosmic domination across the multiverse, turning many worlds into battlegrounds.)

EARTH (modern Earth)

15 billion years ago … creation of the universe
4.6 billion years ago … Earth and solar system form
4.2 billion years ago … origin of life on Earth
240 million years ago … first dinosaurs
63 million years ago … dinosaurs go extinct
6 million years ago … humans’ genetic divergence from apes
200,000 years ago … genetic “Eve” lives in Africa
42,000 years ago … Sumerian kings begin
32,000 years ago … Sahara region starts to dry into a sandy desert
12,000 years ago … humans cross land bridge to the east (North and South America)
11,650 years ago … last glacial retreat, start of the Holocene epoch
6,241 years ago … start of Egyptian calendar
5,785 years ago … start of Hebrew calendar (3761 B.C.E.)
5,500 years ago … start of first Dynasty in Egypt
4,720 years ago … start of early Chinese calendar (2637 B.C.E.)
4,650 years ago … Gilgamesh reigns in the Mesopotamian city of Uruk
4,630 years ago … Imhotep is vizier, Great Pyramids built in Egypt
4,500 years ago … Great Sphinx built in Giza
4,100 years ago … Stonehenge is completed
3,628 years ago … eruption of Thera destroys island (Atlantis?)
3,200 years ago … Siege of Troy
2,330 years ago … Alexander conquers the Persian Empire
2,275 years ago … Colossus of Rhodes built, destroyed by earthquake 51 years later
2,220 years ago … Rome conquers northern Italy
2,215 years ago … Great Wall of China built
2,050 years ago … Caesar conquers Gaul, invades Britain; starts cival war year later
2,031 years ago … Mark Antony, Cleopatra die, reign of Egypt ends
1,567 years ago … Attila rules the Huns
1,545 years ago … start of King Arthur’s Grail quest; Vandals sack Rome