Foreword
These are meant to cover the broad strokes of the timeline in between 470 BC and 52 AC. The time signifiers are BC (before cataclysm), AC (after cataclysm), and AE (after emergence). The current year is 522 AE.
For the sake of preserving people’s sanity, I will use AE when possible for the years.
Five Eras
1-2nd century - The lost era, also known as the founding era describes the years for which humanity lived in isolated communities buried in the few safe places that could be found, with our civilisation basically being relegated to subsistence agriculture mixed with hunter gathering and scavenging.
Little is known about many parts of this era, as it is estimated only around a third of the communities established in this era have any surviving members left. This is the unfortunate consequence of the unintuitive nature of what constitutes “safe places” not always being immediately obvious.
For the many living outside the few civilised areas of the nine rivers, this era never truly ended.
1-3rd century - The carrion or dark era began after a series of kingdoms and dominions were established at the behest of high demons, fiends or even powerful beasts. These were essentially universally methods of controlling the food source that human souls provide in order to prevent the emergence of rival beings of the same rank (in other words, instinctual ladder kicking).
This era does not have a set date as the first society of this type in the nine rivers existed nearly as soon as humans arrived there. Its peak was in the mid third century, with the density of beings of such power reaching a zenith not since reached at any era since.
A peace between so many divine beings could never last, and a six year frenzy of destruction would ensue, unleashing chaos that would not be seen again until the cataclysm.
3-5th century - The solar era is marked by a series of human champions being approached by angels of horizon offering great power at no cost and using their newfound power to overthrow their inhuman masters.
This era is generally the most peaceful of any of the following eras, and most cities and cultures date to this time. Of course, once their common enemy was vanquished, the various kingdoms did begin to chafe against and turn against each other, but most of these were very medieval like affairs, with warfare being largely confined to a small cast of incredibly powerful warrior aristocrats.
The first cracks in this seemingly eternal order began to show once the truth of the nature of Horizon and the consequences of his gifts was widely dissimulated. The younger monarchs were largely cut from an extremely prideful and honourable cloth, and as such most dismissed these whisperings as intentional deceptions by followers of the surviving demons of the old era. Those that did not however often committed elaborate double suicides, patricides, or simply threw themselves at their most hated rivals with wanton abandon. Others posited that so long as a critical mass of blessed did not exist, it would be fine, and so sought to eliminate all other dynasties and bear the sin of rulership over humanity alone.
Strangely, this coincides with a series of manic breaks amongst many long beloved rulers, the most famous of these being Apollion of Zaratin and The Mad King Constantine XII.
5th century - The unification era, also known as the imperial era, ran throughout the later half of the 5th century and consisted of the city state of Xiteyaka successfully unifying the entire continent at the behest of their god emperor Tezcatlipoca.
5-6th century - The cataclysm era, also known as the modern era, began 50 years ago with the birth of a new star directly above the imperial core. This instantly incinerated two billion people, and initiated a large-scale push by the wyrm hosts who successfully managed to corrupt the lion's share of those two billion souls.
A secondary effect of this was a temporary bout of madness afflicting the emperor for a decade, which, alongside the disruption of travel through the centre region, caused the northern and eastern provinces of the empire to succeed.
Note - Regarding the early followers of horizon.
This won't make any sense to those who don't have private access to the burning horizon document.
The powers of Yad Eshel and Tamiel postdate the Solar Era, being introduced during the late unification era to replace the angel Adamas of Horizon, after his sealing at the hands of the Supreme angel Metatron.
As such, the powers associated with the solar monarchs are different in kind to those given to modern pinhole cultists.
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