Timeline
Note: For a full expanded history, please see the Expanded Timeline for a near-complete history of the Eberron setting taken from The Grand History of Eberron by Christopher J. Monte.
This timeline uses the common calendar of Khorvaire called the Galifar Calendar which was developed during the reign of King Galifar II and places it's year 1 at the year of the founding of the Kingdom of Galifar. (Year of the Kingdom or YK) so all dates prior to that year are negative numbers and all dates after are positive.
The Age of Dragons
Date: Unknown
In the mythic past, the world was one and the progenitor wyrms, the first and greatest of dragon-kind, ruled all. The three most powerful (Siberys, Eberron, and Khyber) discovered (or created) the Prophecy. Khyber and Siberys disagreed over the Prophecy and battled with one another. Khyber was victorious over Siberys, and sought to take control of the Prophecy, only to be attacked by Eberron. Eberron wrapped his coils about Khyber, trapping the evil wyrm.
In the end, Siberys' shattered body became the Dragon Above - the glowing ring that surrounds the world. Khyber, still trapped in Eberron's coils, became the Dragon Below and the source for all great evils. Eberron healed the World Between by becoming one with it. Siberys called forth the next generation of dragons, Eberron created all manner of other living things, and Khyber spat out the fiends.
The Age of Demons
Date: -10,000,000 YK
Khyber's fiendish offspring overrun the surface world, creating a hellish environment where rakshasas and night hags rule supreme.
Date: -1,500,000 YK
Dragons, the offspring of the Dragon Between, rediscover the Prophecy and rise from their primitive state to oppose their demonic overlords. Unable to defeat the demonic hordes of the Dragon Below alone, the dragon ally with the couatls, the offspring of the Dragon Above.
The common races, still in primitive states, hide from the godlike combatants and find a way to survive.
Date: -100,000 YK
Recognizing their cause would otherwise be lost, the Couatls sacrifice most of their number to bind the most powerful of the demon lords and the majority of the fiends back to Khyber. The couatl's remain trapped for eternity with the fiends they bind. Victorious, the dragons retreat to Argonnessen to contemplate the Prophecy, ignoring the "lesser races."
The Age of Giants
Date: -80,000 YK
The giants rise from the ruins of the Dragon-Fiend Wars to establish a civilization on the continent of Xen'drik. They enslave the primitive elves, which has the inadvertent effect of pulling the first of the common races out of their primitive state.
Date: -75,000 YK
Dragons and dragonborn come to Q'barra to guard Haka'torvhak
Date: -60,000 YK
Dragons make contact with the giant kingdoms and teach the giants arcane magic.
The giants master the arcane arts, creating wonders unequaled even in the modern day. The elves - ignored by their giant masters - watch and learn.
Date: -40,000 YK
The quori invade Xen'drik from the plane of Dal Quor, the Plane of Dreams. After 1,000 years of battle, the giants call upon the most powerful magic of the dragons to throw Dal Quor out of planar alignment, forever sealing that plane away from Eberron. The resulting backlash shakes Xen'drik to its core and plunges large chunks of the continent beneath the sea.
Date: -39,000 YK
Event: 1,000 years after the end of the Giant-Quori war, Xen'drik is still suffering from the magical backlash of disrupting Dal Quor's planar orbit. Horrible curses and plagues still sweep through the land, and the elves use the opportunity to rebel.
A corp of elves - called the Phiarlan or "Spirit Keepers" - work as bards, scouts, and couriers during the elven rebellion against the giants.
In a desperate attempt to regain control of their slaves and save their dying civilization, the giants turn again to the most powerful draconic magic. Before they can unleash such destruction a second time, the dragons attack Xen'drik and the giant civilization collapses.
The Phiarlan spread the word of the elven prophet Aeren, gathering elves to flee Xen'drik for the sub-continent that would become known as Aerenal. The elves that chose to stay behind in Xen'drik and go into hiding, become the drow.
The Age of Monsters
Date: -38,000 YK
The giants revert to primitive monsters living in the ruins of their shattered civilization as the dragons return to their secluded continent and the elves settle Aerenal.
The first of the goblinoid kingdoms rise in the area that will one day become Breland and Darguun.
Date: -29,000 YK
Orc nations arise in western Khorvaire to compete with the goblinoid kingdoms.
Aerenal elves spread across the sub-continent of Aerenal, creating clusters of city-states.
Date: -25,000 YK
The Undying Court appears in Aerenal.
First skirmish between the elves and the dragons, which sets a pattern of long periods of peace punctuated by short, devastating battles every few hundred years.
Date: - 19,000 YK
The goblinoids push the kechuala (lizardfolk) out of the Talenta Plains and into the Endworld mountains. Many of the lizardfolk that survived the goblin armies die in the mountains. The small remaining fraction makes their way into the jungle of what is now Q'barra.
Date: -15,000 YK
The Dhakaani unite the goblinoid nations to create the greatest empire the goblins have ever known.
The dragon Vvaraak, in response to a portion of The Prophecy he had been studying, begins teaching the orcs druidic magic. These orcs become the first Gatekeeper druids.
Date: -11,000 YK
The dwarves migrate from the Frostfell to the Ironroot Mountains.
Date: -9,000 YK
Aerenal elves establish a colony in what is now present-day Valenar. Peaceful coexistence doesn't last, and the elves come into conflict with the Dhakaani. The elves abandon the colony when another clash with the dragons threatens Aerenal.
Date: -8,000 YK
The daelkyr - a race of immensely powerful beings from Xoriat, the plane of madness - invade Eberron. They are eventually defeated by the Gatekeeper druids, who seal the portals to Xoriat and trap the remaining daelkyr below ground but not before decimating the western reaches of Khorvaire.
Date: -4,000 YK
Weakened by the Daelkyr War, the Dhakaani government collapses to internal power-struggles and civil strife. Goblinoid city-states and smaller nations endure but lack the political and military cohesion of the earlier empire.
The Current Age
Date: -3,100 YK
The greatpine Oalian (the future Great Druid of Eldeen Reaches) is awakened.
Date: -2,200 YK
The Mark of Hospitality appears among halflings of the Talenta Plains.
The Mark of Shadow and the Mark of Death appear among the elves of Aerenal. The dragons watch in awe and horror as the Prophecy begins to unfold among the “lesser” races.
Date: -2,100 YK
Founding of Io'vakas in Argonessen built by the 'lesser races' that the dragons transplanted from their ancestral homes across Eberron.
Date: -2,000 YK
Lhazaar leads humans from the continent of Sarlona to the eastern shores of Khorvaire. The humans land in the pre-Galifar Lhazaar Principalities and have little or no contact with the fractious goblin states.
The Mark of Healing appears among halflings of the Talenta Plains.
Date: -1,975 YK
Founding of the City of Shaarat by Malleon the Reaver built on top of the ruins of the Dhakaani city of Duur'Shaarat.
Date: -1,800 YK
The Mark of Scribing appears among the gnomes of Zilargo.
Date: -1,600 YK
The Mark of Sentinel appears among humans of pre-Galifar Karrnath.
Elves & dragons unite to destroy House Vol (which carries the mark of death), ending millennia of intermittent warfare between the two species.
Vol the lich queen of the dead is created.
House Phiarlan leaves Aerenal to relocate among the humans of Khorvaire.
Date: -1,500 YK
The distinct settlements that will become the Five Nations are cut out of goblin controlled central Khorvaire.
The Mark of Making appears among humans of pre-Galifar Cyre.
The Mark of Warding appears among the dwarves of the Mror Holds.
Date: -1,400 YK
King Beggor of the nation of Wroat orders the City of Shaarat destroyed due to the descendants of Malleon refusing to bow to his authority.
Date: -1,390 YK
City of Sharn is built on top of the ruins of the City of Shaarat by King Breggor.
Date: -1,000 YK
Karrn the Conquerer establishes the nation of Karrnath, defeats the remaining goblinoid settlements, and unsuccessfully attempts to conquer the other four human nations.
The Mark of Storm appears among half-elves of pre-Galifar Thrane.
The discovery of houses Gallanda, Jorasco and Lyrandar by Karrnathi soldiers in the Talenta Plains.
Date: -900 YK
The Mark of Passage appears among humans of pre-Galifar Aundair.
Date: -802 YK
Taratai and The Kalashtar appear in Adar fleeing Dal Quor.
Date: -800 YK
The Mark of Handling appears among humans in the Eldeen Reaches.
Date: -500 YK
Quori begin the conquest of Sarlona which brings a second wave of humans to Khorvaire's eastern shores.
The Mark of Detection appears among half-elves of pre-Galifar Breland.
The dragonmarked houses launch the War of the Mark to end the threat of aberrant and mixed marks.
Date: -493 YK
War of the Mark comes to an end when Lord Tarkanan, the Lady of the Plague and his other lieutenants in a last great act of defiance cause the destruction of the City of Sharn and the believed extinction of the aberrant mark.
The Twelve is established.
Date: -302 YK
Founding of Riedra and their unification under the Inspired.
Date: -200 YK
Io'vakas was destroyed by the dragons due to a small sect of Yuan-ti who sought more power and the deepest mysteries of draconic magic for themselves.
Arnaarlasha (the noble gold dragon great wyrm of the Warders) along with a dozen elder dragons shepherded a thousand survivors of Io'vakas to the slopes of Mount Erishnak where they created the city of Io'lokar, the City of Knowledge.
Date: -45 YK
Galifar I is born in the city of Korth in Karrnath.
Date: -41 YK
the Border Wars begin eventually drawing in all five human nations of central Khorvaire.
Date: -24 YK
Galifar assumes rulership of Karrnath.
Date: -14 YK
Galifar begins his campaign to unite the Five Nations.
Date: -7 YK
Galifar makes a deal with the dragonmarked houses, offering them neutral status in exchange for support in his campaign.
Date: -2 YK
The Mark of Finding appears among humans and half-orcs of the Shadow Marches.
Date: 1 YK
Galifar I and his five scions - Cyre, Karrn, Thrane, Aundair, and Brey - take control of the Five Nations and establish the Kingdom of Galifar.
Date: 15 YK
Galifar I establishes the Arcane Congress in Arcanix in Aundair.
Date: 28 YK
Galifar-Lhazaar War, a decade-long conflict, begins.
Date: 32 YK
The Five Nations of Galifar adopt the names of King Galifar's children as their own.
The city of Sharn is once again rebuilt on top of the old cities ruins.
Date: 40 YK
Galifar, now eighty-five winters old, steps down and passes rulership of the kingdom to his oldest remaining scion, Cyre.
Date: 53 YK
Galifar I dies.
Date: 106 YK
House Kundarak is recognized by the established dragonmarked houses.
Date: 299 YK
The Church of the Silver Flame is born.
Date: 347 YK
House Lyrandar takes possession of an island off the coast of Aundair to create Stormhome.
Date: 498 YK
House Sivis discovers the Mark of Finding while exploring the Shadow Marches. House Tharashk is created shortly thereafter.
Date: 512 YK
King Daroon orders the construction of the Starpeaks Observatory.
Date: 600 YK
Clan Noldrun of the Mror Holds disappears.
The Battle of Arnaarlasha's Fall begins a day after Arnaarlasha (gold dragon great wyrm of the Warders) dies. The battle only lasts 4 days as the city successfully defends itself from the Rogue dragons.
Date: 778 YK
Medusas from Khyber take possession of Cazhaak Draal.
Date: 783 YK
The first speaking stones developed by the Twelve.
Date: 789 YK
House Sivis message stations begin operations.
Date: 797 YK
Mordain the Fleshweaver is Excoriated from House Phiarlan for practicing the forbidden magical arts of the Daelkyr.
Date: 802 YK
The Kingdom of Galifar, in cooperation with the dragonmarked houses, funds the upgrade of the trade city of Stormreach on the northern peninsula of Xen'drik.
Date: 811 YK
First lightning rail connects Flamekeep and Fairhaven.
Date: 832 YK
The Inquisition to wipe out lycanthropes (aka the Silver Purge) is launched by the Church of the Silver Flame. Over the course of the next 50 years, virtually all Lycanthropes on the continent are slain.
Date: 845 YK
King Jarot begins a public works project to connect all of central Khorvaire via lightning rails.
Publication of the Deviant Celestia.
Date: 873 YK
Discovery of Blackroot (Mordain the Fleshweaver's tower in Droaam).
Date: 865 YK
Lightning rail lines connect the Five Nations, Zilargo, the Mror Holds, and the Talenta Plains.
Date: 878 YK
House Deneith begins to provide clients with goblinoid mercenaries from Darguun region.
Date: 890 YK
The city of Stormreach puts down the Omaren Revolt.
Date: 894 YK
King Jarot, the last ruler of Galifar dies. Thalin, Kaius, and Wroann reject the succession of Mishann. Wrogar backs his sister's claim, and the Last War begins.
Date: 896 YK
Order of the Emerald Claw established.
Date: 897 YK
Desperate to save Karrnath from the ravages of the Last War, Kaius I of Karrnath pledges his kingdom to The Blood of Vol. For his trouble, Kaius I is turned into a vampire by the lich-goddess Vol.
Date: 910 YK
Kaius II ascends to the throne of Karrnath after Kaius I disappears
Date: 914 YK
The Mror Holds declares it's independence.
Thalin of Thrane dies and the Church of the Silver Flame assumes control of the nation.
Date: 918 YK
Unknown saboteurs destroy the Glass Tower of Sharn.
Date: 928 YK
Duke Ven ir'Kesslan leads settlers from Cyre to forge the nation of Q'barra.
Date: 946 YK
The city of Stormreach is attacked by the Battalion of the Basalt Towers, but with the help of the Giants of Rusheme Stormreach wins the battle.
Date: 956 YK
Southern annex of Cyre becomes the Elf Nation of Valenar.
Date: 958 YK
The Eldeen Reaches declares itself an independent nation under the protection of the Wardens of the Wood and the guidance of the Great Druid Oalian.
Date: 961 YK
Boranel becomes king of Breland.
Date: 962 YK
Zilargo - always an independent protectorate of Breland - formally aligns with Breland.
Date: 965 YK
House Cannith perfects the modern-era warforged, living constructs designed to fight the Last War.
Date: 969 YK
Haruuc leads the hobgoblin rebellion against the nation of Cyre & Breland, and the nation of Darguun is born.
Date: 972 YK
House Thuranni splits off from House Phiarlan.
Date: 976 YK
Regent Moranna of Karrnath outlaws the Order of the Emerald Claw.
Date: 980 YK
Queen Aurala's reign of Aundair begins.
Date: 986 YK
A trio of hags known as the Daughters of Sora Kell invades western Breland with an army of trolls, ogres, and gnolls. Unable to confront both the monsters and fight its opponents in the Last War, King Boranel pulls settlers back and seals off the land west of the Graywall Mountains. The Daughters of Sora Kell declare the sovereignty of the nation of Droaam.
Date: 990 YK
The first elemental airships go into service for House Lyrandar.
Date: 991 YK
Kaius III's rule of Karrnath begins upon his 20th birthday.
Date: 993 YK
Jaela Daran (age 11) assumes the power of the Keeper of the Silver Flame.
Date: 994 YK
A magical blast of unprecedented power obliterates the nation of Cyre creating the Mournland.
The Blackwheel Company’s efforts to oppose the githyanki Lich Queen, Vlaakith CLVII are successful and they sever all connections from the Astral Plane to the material world. No githyanki or githzerai have been seen since.
Date: 996 YK
The Treaty of Thronehold officially ends the Last War. The treaty officially recognizes the nations of Aundair, Breland, Thrane, Karrnath, the Talenta Plains, Zilargo, Q'barra, the Lhazaar Principalities, the Mror Holds, the Eldeen Reaches, Darguun, and Valenar.
The treaty further commands House Cannith to destroy the creation forges (the devices used to create warforged). Remaining warforged are granted the rights of sentient beings.
the mysterious appearance of Dolurrh's Dawn in Droaam.
Date: 997 YK
largely due to war refugees, the City of Stormreach expands.
Date: 998 YK
The Present: Your Adventure Begins...