Chronology of Shadowstar

A chronology of events is not the same as a history. A history carries weight, grief, and the voices of those who lived it. A chronology carries dates. Both are necessary. I have written the history of Shadowstar as I lived it — with all the scars that come with living. But I have also learned that memory alone is an unreliable keeper of time. Dates do not lie the way stories sometimes do. This chronology exists for those who need the bones of history without the flesh. For those who wish to understand not just what happened, but when — and in what order the world chose to break and rebuild itself. Use it as you see fit.

The Chronology of Shadowstar is defined by the Cataclysm, which divided history into two eras: BC (Before Cataclysm) and AC (After Cataclysm).

The events leading to the Cataclysm are detailed in Whispers of a Distant Home.

0 AC: The Cataclysm. Shadowstar was torn from its home world and cast adrift in the multiverse.

The Age of Ashes (0 AC–75 AC)

• 47 AC: Orcs launched brutal assaults on dwarven hill settlements, marking the beginning of a conflict that would last decades.

• 75 AC: The era drew to a close as the first rumors of new gods began to surface, whispering the return of divine power to a world that had long lived without it.

The Age of Wars (75 AC–135 AC)

• 77 AC: Druids reappeared on Shadowstar, for the first time after the Cataclysm.

• 82 AC: The Orc-Dwarf War ended with a legendary dwarven counterattack, scattering the orcs into the wilderness.

• 87 AC: Orcs began construction of the grand city of Gundarakk.

• 98 AC: A temple dedicated to Cyric was constructed inside Portjaw.

• 107 AC: Cyric followers raided elven forests, triggering a human-elf conflict.

• 116 AC: Elves successfully repelled the human raiders and strictly banned all outsiders from entering their forests. Concurrently, the Portjaw Civil War erupted; Cyricists fled to the Hills of Vanechka under orc protection, and a Helmite government took over the ruined city.

• 135 AC: Halflings started restoring the trade networks, bringing the bloody age to a close.

The Age of Trade (135 AC–230 AC)

• 200 AC: A group of adventurers was lured into Mount Shadowstar by the deceptions of the wizard Zoltan. Few returned. (These events are detailed in “Mists of Mount Shadowstar”)

• 201 AC: The First Portjaw Treaty was formally signed, stabilizing relations between humans and elves.

• 228 AC: Orc forces, heavily reinforced by powerful ogre mages and fanatical cultists of Cyric, launched a massive, coordinated assault against the dwarven stronghold of Shadowgate. Honoring their alliance, both human and elven military deployed units to reinforce the dwarven lines, successfully breaking the siege and driving the orc forces back to Gundarakk. During the chaotic fighting, Cyricist fanatics slew the legendary half-elf ranger Reiker and his closest brothers-in-arms with a targeted ambush.

• 230 AC: The Second Portjaw Treaty was signed, fully consolidating the human-elf-dwarf alliance and bringing the Age of Trade to its close.

The Age of Peace (230 AC–299 AC)

• 234 AC: In honor of the fallen half-elf hero from the Siege of Shadowgate, dwarven and human masons started constructing Reikerpass, a heavily fortified gateway city designed to monitor the borderlands. Concurrently, the elves established the port of Greenshore along the Forestlake coast.

• 239 AC: Construction of the military bastion of Hatchet started, serving as a frontline defensive hub and staging ground for allied patrols safeguarding overland trade.

• 251 AC: A group of adventurers searching for Zoltan revealed his secret — he had escaped death by becoming a vampire. (These events are detailed in “Wanted”)

• 268 AC: The vampire wizard Zoltan established Cyrest in the Hills of Vanechka, uniting rogue human cultists under a single banner.

• 276 AC: Gundarakk and Cyrest formed an alliance, creating a powerful military coalition.

• 299 AC: The Fall of Portjaw. Portjaw was completely occupied by dark forces, its civilian population enslaved or scattered, ushering in the grim Age of Terror.

The Age of Terror (300 AC–327 AC)

• 300 AC: Zoltan fully consolidated his military occupation over Portjaw, repurposing it to serve the dark order, initiating the Age of Terror.

• 305 AC–320 AC: The height of the great forced-labor marches; hundreds of captives were marched to the Hills of Vanechka to fortify Cyrest.

• 327 AC: A legendary band of adventurers destroyed Zoltan. Allied forces smashed the remaining occupying armies, officially bringing a close to the 27-year tyrannical occupation and giving birth to the Age of Hope. (These events are detailed in “From dusk till dawn” and "The Battle of Fates")

The Age of Hope (327 AC–383 AC)

• 332 AC: Construction of Castle Jawguard began, heavily fortified and staffed by the paladins of Torm to act as a frontline spiritual and martial shield against the dark powers of Cyrest. Concurrently, the Three Castles Confederation was established, with Portjaw designated as its capital.

• 364 AC: Castle Capefang was raised on the coastal borders of the Gundarr Plains, establishing a fierce stronghold for Talos cultists and pirates.

The Age of Prosperity (383 AC–416 AC)

• 383 AC: The Shadowgate Treaty was signed, halting centuries of conflict.

• 397 AC: Capefang signed the treaty, concluding an era of unchecked coastal raiding, though their commitment to the treaty remains doubtful. (These events are detailed in “Calm Before the Storm”)

• 415 AC: Shar and Cyric cultists executed a coordinated attempt to activate the ancient stone circles. (These events are detailed in “Mistress of the Night”)

• 416 AC (Present Year): The current year of the setting.

416 AC (Present Year): The current year of the setting. Shadowstar stands at a volatile crossroads between continued prosperity and a descent back into darkness.