TimeLine

There are three forms of dating commonly used by historians. The first is Sosarian Reckoning (S.R.), usually used only for pre-Cataclysm events, dated from the establishment of the Esidin Empire. The second is After the Cataclysm (A.C.), the name granted to the great worldwide upheavals following the shattering of the Gem of Immortality. The third and final is the King’s Reckoning (K.R.), which is dated from the founding of the Kingdom of Britannia. It has not found great use yet, most of the city-states continue using Cataclysmic calendars.

For simplicity, all dates are given in A.C. first, with S.R. following. K.R. is not shown, but is fairly simple to calculate, subtract 250 from any A.C date.

History before the casting of the Armageddon spell is entirely unknown, and subject to wild speculation.

-6,241 A.C.          (-3,049 S.R.)

• A human mage named Zog learns the Armageddon spell and casts it, for reasons unknown, laying waste to the entire world, slaying nearly every living thing, except Zog himself. The approximate time of this event is known as any attempts to use magic to scry further into the past are blocked, the spell disrupted the ether so severely.

-5,192 A.C.          (-2,000 S.R.)       Estimated

• Sosaria fully recovered from the Armageddon spell. Ancient myth holds that survivors of the Armageddon spell used magical gates to bring new species and flora/fauna from other worlds to revitalize the world.

-3,692 A.C.          (-500 S.R.)           Estimated

• The Esidin culture develops, and spreads over most of the world in a fairly short period of time, developing an extremely complex and diverse system of government, magic, and ethics. It is rumored that they even conducted explorations into the cold dark Void beyond the world, the Moonstones are rumored to be Esidin artifacts. In addition, Lord British suspects his medallion of the Silver Serpent may be of Esidin origin, and that the moongates themselves may be the result of their machinations.

• The Esidin people fend off and defeat an invasion of Daemons from another realm, and construct permanent wards that prevent them from coming freely into Sosaria. Only through specific rituals of summoning and binding could they be brought in. These wards exist to the present day, although most mages are totally unaware of this.

-3,192 A.C.          (0 S.R.)

• The Ancient Liturgy of Truth is founded in the Esidin Empire, who begin keeping an accurate dating system. The exact date it known today because of their extremely advanced magical techniques of sealing ethereal time signatures into stone tablets, which can still be read and calculated from today. (Later records are less approximate.)

-2,678 A.C.          (514 S.R.)

• The Esidin Empire colonizes Ambrosia, a small subcontinent. Its most notable structures are dedicated to various philosophies.

-2,191 A.C.          (1,001 S.R.)

• “Rocks from the sky”, asteroids or comets from space, strike Ambrosia, killing most of the inhabitants and sinking the island. Myth holds that the ethereal disturbances may have pulled it into a self-contained dimension.

-1,977 A.C.          (1,215 S.R.)

• The city of Wind is founded. Myth holds that it was a city of rogues in the Empire, another says it was comprised of refugees from Ambrosia.

-1,692 A.C.          (1,500 S.R.)         Estimated

• The Esidin Empire crumbles and falls, for reasons unknown. The only surviving city is Wind, which retreats into isolation. Pieces of the Esidin culture survive, including the Cult of Truth.

-1,000 A.C.          (2,192 S.R.)         Estimated

• Two major cultures of humans appear in Sosaria, very similar to Celts from the 2^nd century B.C., and Saxon/Roman Britons from the 3^rd -4^th centuries of Earth. The result after a century or so are a number of small feudal kingdoms, with heavy Celtic influence in culture and design.

• Several other species and races are appear, including Elves, Dwarves, Bobbits, Fuzzies, etc. Most are in far fewer numbers than humans, and form small satellite communities.

• The Gargish Seer Naxatilor uses the great Lenses, the Vortex Cube, and the Moonstones to temporarily bring the Vortex, the great storm at the center of the Void, in contact with the world, so that he can extract the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom. This causes a slight imbalance in the karmic balance of the multiverse, which creates a number of side effects that would have serious repercussions in the years to come.

• Mondain, using the Gem of Immortality, retreats to this point in time to rule over Sosaria, causing “a thousand years of chaos”. The fact that it coincides with the removal of the Codex from the Vortex begs speculation.

-217 A.C.             ( 2,975 S.R.)

• Several Sosarian nations, including Akalabeth, form an alliance against the giantkin of Sosaria, including Cyclops and Titans. After several decades of fighting they are driven underground, until the time of Mondain’s ascension to power.

-50 A.C.               (3,142 S.R.)         Estimated

• A man named Cantabrigian, from Cambridge, Great Britain, Earth, arrives in Sosaria through the use of a medallion wrought in the shape of a Silver Serpent. He meets a woodsman named Shamino upon arrival, and strikes up a friendship with him.

-20 A.C.               (3,172 S.R.)         Estimated

• Wolfgang, king of Akalabeth, worried over his second son Mondain’s actions and behavior, offers him a powerful relic, the Gem of Immortality. Mondain instead slays his own father and takes the Gem for himself.

-15 A.C.               (3,177 S.R.)

• The adventurer British and allies aid in driving Mondain from Akalabeth, and is elected the Lord of the land in recognition for his efforts. The capital is renamed Britain in his honor. Mondain retreats to the Continent of the Dark Unknown.

-10 A.C.               ( 3,182 S.R.)

• Mondain discovers how to utilize the Gem of Immortality, and creates a temporal stasis field around his castle, which allows him to exist outside the timestream. He travels back in time and conquers Sosaria 1,000 years in the past, using his minions to overrun the land. The result is a temporal crisis that results in causing severe havoc to the timeline and development of cultures and history. Lord British manages to stabilize his own lands through the use of extremely taxiing magic.

0 A.C.                   (3,192 S.R.)

• The Stranger defeats Mondain in his stronghold, shattering the Gem of Immortality. Unbeknownst to either the Stranger and the inhabitants of Britannia, the remaining shards of the gem, numbering several dozen, each contain an identical copy of Sosaria, with all inhabitants that lived at that time.

• Mondain’s use of the Gem of Immortality to create a temporal stasis for his castle, allowing him to live unaffected by the ravages of time, has serious repercussions upon Sosaria. Because he no longer existed for a thousand years, three of the continents of Sosaria disappear, as if they never existed. (Although some living and written memory of them exist, which further confuses things.)

• Earthquakes and natural disasters rock the shard worlds, causing widespread destruction. Mountains rose, landmasses sank. Most of the surface area of the world becomes fused together into one large landmass. This major continent becomes known as Britannia, in homage to the last known surviving King of Sosaria, Lord British. Also of note, the only four towns to survive the destruction relatively intact are Britain, Yew, Moon, and Paws. The other city-states, Montor, Grey, Fawn, and Tune, are reduced to ruins, forcing the inhabitants to relocate.

• In Britain, Lord British relocates to the Old Keep, while plans for a new city and castle are laid out. Britain starts a Reconstruction period.

2 A.C.                   (3,194 S.R.)

• A large group of refugees, consisting of citizens and knights from Montor, and tradesmen and engineers from Grey, flee their ruined cities and settle on a twin river system in southern Britannia. The settlement has no name other than “the city” for many years, as extreme distances separate them from other cities.

8 A.C.                   (3,200 S.R.)

• Lord British sends one of his best knights, Beorgyth Malphane, with a small legion of troops to explore the northern regions and establish a fortress to guard Britain’s northern border. He also sends Dupre and Shamino out on diplomatic surveys south and west.

• Shamino meets a group of rangers from Yew on the other side of the pass, who take him to Yew, where he is warmly welcomed.

• Dupre finds ‘the city’ in the far south, the remnants of Montor and Grey, where he stays for many years, aiding them in design of government and training their soldiers in the old ways of knighthood and chivalry.

11 A.C.                 (3,203 S.R.)

• Ground is broken for Castle Britannia, starting with the digging of the moat in a small celebration in Britain.

12 A.C.                 (3,204 S.R.)

• Reconstruction period in Britain ends, work on the castle continues.

15 A.C.                 (3,207 S.R.)

• An explorer from Britain, whose name is lost in the records, discovers the fledgling community in northeastern Britannia on the mouth of the Kendall River. He records the city’s name as “Vesper”, an old word referring to twilight, since it was as far east as he could find.

17 A.C.                 (3,209 S.R.)

• Vesper begins building ships capable of long-range travel across water.

18 A.C.                 (3,210 S.R.)

• Refugees from the ruined city of Fawn, sailing a ship purchased from Vesper, settle on a jungle island, which they dub “Magincia”. They quickly develop a nomadic herding culture.

30 A.C.                 (3,222 S.R.)

• In Ultima Prime, Exodus is defeated. Part of his plans for world domination had included attempting to reproduce the temporal flux field the Gem of Immortality had created by using a shard for this purpose. In the wake of his destruction the experiment goes awry, and physically alters the landmass of Sosaria Prime to match the shard world.

36 A.C.                 (3,228 S.R.)

• The city of Vesper is formed, and making use of the natural lumber resources in the region, builds a sizable fleet of exploration ships, and begins establishing contact with the other “lost” cities in the strange new world.

Year 54

• Vesper establishes trade with Magincia. The merchants find them to be a simple people, who’s wool is moderately worth the voyage, in return for metal tools and other items that were impossible to make on the island.

Year 85

• Methis, a herdsman of Magincia, finds a vast cavern network beneath the island of Magincia, literally loaded with rare gemstones.

Year 92

• Vesper discovers the existence of Ocllo. The Oclloans, however, refuse trade and remain isolated.

Year 101

• The Battle of the Green Plains. Uulder Malphane, the legendary warlord, falls, along with his small but veteran force, at the site that would become the Crossroads.

• The Great Earthquake strikes, the epicenter upon Dagger Isle. The subsequent forces cause a secondary quake in the Serpent’s Spine. The result is the near destruction of Britain and Moon, the flooding of Vesper, and the separation of Skara Brae from the mainland.

Year 106

• A circle of mages from the city of Moon, fleeing the civil war on Verity Isle, settle on Magincia, establishing the mage’s guild there.

Year 108

• The engineer and artisan, Enris of Trinsic, is banished from his home city for greed and dishonorable acts.

Year 110

• Enris, formerly of Trinsic, settles on Magincia. He is commissioned to create the new city that is planned.

Year 115

• Methis, the undisputed ruler of Magincia at the time, orders all wooden structures on the island to be burnt and the ashes scattered to the sea winds.

Year 140

• The aged Methis creates the Magincian Parliment, with nine council members, to rule after his death, which occurs one year later.

Year 154

• Enris, designer of the city of Jewels, dies the wealthiest artisan in the world. His home, the first stone building on the island, is converted for use by the Tinker’s Guild, which he founded during his construction years.

Year 174

• An emissary of Ocllo visits Magincia, and suggests the idea of embargoing the world as a show of Magincian power, and as a way to break up the unification of the city-states under Lord British.

Year 175

• The trade embargo of gemstones by Magincia begins. The loss of gemstones on the market causes a severe slide in the value of gold, and a sharp increase in gem value, which throws the developing cities into turmoil. Silver and copper coinage come into widespread use to fill the gaps, without much success. The beginning of the Dark Years.

Year 177

• Lord Robere, Lord British’s brother, starts a rebellion to take the throne for himself. After several months of grievous fighting in Britain, Robere fled to his fortress on the Battle Plains to the north. Lord British followed, defeated and slew Robere in the Battle of the Crimson Plains, as they were renamed. The green valley west of Robere’s fortress, where he died and was buried, began to wither and die at this time, eventually forming the Sandlands.

• Lord British is visited by the Time Lord, and told of the true nature of the world, and what he must do. He begins the Virtue Project, in which the eight shrines are built. Lord Blackthorn moves out of the Castle and takes up in Lord Robere’s old abode, and constructs the Shrine of Chaos.

Year 180

• All eight shrines to the Virtues, and the shrine of Chaos, are completed.

Year 183

• A group of rogues establish a pirate’s den on the tropical isle southeast of Britain. Buccaneer’s Den is founded. Beginning of the Pirate era.

Year 190

• Under threat of war, and diplomatic pressure from Britain, Magincia finally lifts the embargo, restoring economic balance. End of the Dark Years.

Year 192

• The Temple of Pride is built in Magincia.

Year 206

• The colony of New Jhelom is founded on the desert isle north of Magincia, under the direction of Nesha, the king of Jhelom.

Year 210

• Gold crowns, stamped with Lord British’s face on one side, become the standard monetary unit of Britannia. Silver and copper coins go out of circulation.

Year 213

• Jhelom abandons the colony of New Jhelom, due to distance and lack of support from the other city-states.

Year 223

• The Battle of Ocllo, in which the banded pirate clans are soundly defeated just south of the entrance to Ocllo’s inner lake by a coalition of forces from Trinsic, Britain, Serpent’s Hold, and Jhelom. End of the golden age of Piracy.

Year 225

• Kahz the Ravager comes into power in NuJel’m. He signs a treaty with Magincia, guaranteeing complete protection from the scattered pirate bands, in return for a sizable influx of wealth to develop NuJel’m.

250 A.C.              (3,442 S.R.)

• Britain, Trinsic, Yew, Serpent’s Hold, and Skara Brae sign the Treaty of Unification, which forms the cornerstone of the Kingdom of Britannia, recognizing Lord British as the monarch of the Kingdom, and each city-state as a sovereign member.

Year 253

• Magincia signs a mutual defense treaty, the Maritime Alliance, with Ocllo and NuJel’m, staving off any planned invasions from Trinsic.

Year 262

• Jhelom joins the Kingdom.

Year 271

• Moonglow joins the Kingdom.

Year 279

• Magincia joins the Kingdom and alliance as the city of Pride, which they argue to this day is superior over Humility..

Year 280

• The hordes of Akaz, an orc chieftan, ravage southern and central Britannia. They are defeated south of the Fens of the Dead by the Trinsic legions.

• Paws is destroyed by the hordes. Only a few survivors escape, including CrawWorth, the ex-Captain of the Guards in Trinsic. The dikes of Paws collapse, and the swamp swallows the ruins of the town within a few months.

Year 293

• Minoc is granted full city status, and becomes part of the Kingdom.

300 A.C.              (3,492 S.R.)

• Present day, beginning of Ultima Online.