A Proposed Timeline

164 ATO-112 ATO Approximate date of the first known Resonance. Exact details of this event are largely not understood, though it is largely believed that it was the birth of supra-geological formation now known as the Mar, and that much of the climactic, geologic, and physical landscape of the world was changed drastically. Prior human civilizations were not completely wiped out, but much of the existing research about the nature of the Mar suggests it is most concentrated in high population centers, and made these areas especially difficult to inhabit.

164-151 ATO The Covey Era The earliest determined era after the start of the Resonance. Many human settlements are small, highly mobile groups with few alliegances and a high propensity for raiding, few people have established settlements or agriculture. It is suggested that much of survival is due to the leftover detritus of the pre-Resonance world, and some have suggested that this is why there are many aspects of pre-Resonance life (food, technology, clothing, culture, even art and music) that left no trace in the world: they were simply used up by early survivors. Little recorded history survives in this time period with the exception of a handful of accounts both of the current time and a single existing history of the pre-Resonance world, all of which are by amateur historians and are assumed to be largely faulty.

122 ATO A relatively large wandering group, in an area with few resources and many raiders, attempts to take shelter within the Mar itself and to use it to build a more permanent settlement. Record of this event is in the form of a single journal of one of the group’s younger members, left in the nearby ruins of a car when the group finally went in. While this was assumed to be a failed endeavor for many years, it is now suggested that this group, along with others that may have attempted the same, was the foundation for the large Mar-city known as Adelma.

112-67 ATO The Polphail Era Marked by the official settlement of Oiler’s Pass and it’s pivot towards agriculture instead of salvage to support it’s citizens. While not the first permanent settlement in West Faraday, many other earlier permanent settlements have begun slowly decay or simply merge with nearby groups to become larger towns; as larger cities begin to be established and bring with them safety from the Mar, the pull of these attracts many small groups and smaller towns are left abandoned. Much of the earliest history of Oiler's Pass is foggy, its founder remains unnamed to this day.

67 ATO A series of massive storms sweep across most of the continent, and the Mar begins to show it’s more unpredictable face. A handful of other cities that were beginning to be established - known from early trade records with Oiler’s - are lost entirely. Almost all groups on the road are lost as the Mar rapidly changes it’s format and location (though many of these people may have been absorbed into then-young Adelma). While Oiler’s Pass originally survives much of the damage, a second wave of storms destroys much of the city and it has to be rebuilt. This rebuilding effort sees the rise of Oiler’s powerful engineer/architect/construction worker class and it’s associated union.

67-0 ATO The Kitezh Era This era is marked by the rapid proliferation of small cities and permanent settlements across the continent, with large groups of people taking advantage of a relatively quiet period of weather while the deterioration of supplies from the pre-Resonance world requires survivors to adapt and adapt quickly. Many of these cities are blips on the map, essentially, anything from incompetent leadership to low numbers of recruitment to flawed crop planting to weather events from the Mar eliminating them as soon as they are founded. This period is the reason (along with the nature of the Mar itself) that Harmonic archeology is often made difficult, as it can be incredibly difficult to determine if a ruined city that is discovered is a Harmonic ruin or a Kitezh failure. Along with the many dying cities founded and subsequently destroyed, some of West Faraday’s more familiar cities can also trace their roots to this period (though often in unpredictable ways!), Meridian and Shreveport are notable among them. (Although Primary is often associated with Meridian, it is much older than it’s twin and some historians suggest it predates even Oiler’s Pass, however impossible this may be.)

32 ATO Earliest recorded intentional travel into the Mar. The explorer, known as ‘The Challenger’ or ‘Challenger’s Deep’, (it is unknown if this is their true name or a moniker) was a resident of Oiler’s Pass and after 2 generations of stability, the danger of the Mar became more of an abstract concept than a true threat. The Mar then transformed, for her, into a compelling concept and a deeply alluring place though they could never truly describe this compulsion (though ask any modern-day Mar explorer and it's likely they will describe the same.)

0 IO-102 IO The Cladding Era Largely an era of slow establishment and relative safety across the continent, what marks this as a new era is the arrival of anti-Mar mechanisms that make storms, other weather events, and travel significantly safer. Interestingly, Oiler’s, Lariat, and Meridian all invent different ways of moving through the Mar within these years, with very little exchange of ideas. As travel becomes more common and these technologies evolve, the fabric of the world changes drastically; each of the cities allows trade to supplement it, architecture changes as new building materials are made available, new fashion styles are introduced, and traders as a class begin to gain power. Meridian especially begins to focus on trade exports over the more subsistence-style cities of the past…until:

102 IO A hurricane devestates the western coast. The Mar does not let anyone forget what it is, and people suffer as a result. After the longest period of stability, most cities are unprepared for the storm and the devestation pushes many towards a more isolationist mindset. Meridian, resistant to this, instead founds an industry even more focused on it’s ability to negate the Mar and becomes known as a rising power with a strong focus on science. Arkosy, ever on the defensive, shutters its walls and survives with fewer casualties than many.

126 IO - 134 IO The Keyhole Wars Arkosy's silence following the storm of 102 hid a city in turmoil: a series of civilian revolts, factionalization within the governments outer branches, increased influence both from isolationist and expansionist groups, and an ailing sovreign caused a series of rapid changes within the ringed city. Most importantly, the death of their previous ruler resulted in the early promotion of previous City Administrator Emrik Hanlon, who drove the city towards a new expansionist regime. When the city opened its gates again in early 126, it was to reveal a building military that began marching south and west towards Lariat, Claddagh, and Saros, its nearest neighbors. Claddagh and Saros were annexed early in the conflict, and while the difficult terrain around Lariat gave Lariat a chance to mount a counter-offense, it was eventually laid under a seige that remains in place for the bulk of the war. When Oiler's and Meridian declare neutrality, it is only the efforts of Claddagh’s exiled leadership mustering a militia from outlying towns and Lariat’s new Mar-divers fueling their guerilla movement that push back against Arkosy until a lucky Saros-Claddagh strike team manages to assassinate the Hanlon, who is replaced by a young new leader who is anxious for peace.

134 IO - 253 IO The Cladding Era Marked by a long period of city growth, trial and error, and eventual success, the Cladding Era’s true historical legacy is as a period of harsh internal change within West Faraday’s new cities. While Arkosy goes dormant and again retreats, Oiler’s goes through a period of unrest and rapid change, cycling through leaders quickly and ending up with new governmental systems in place, Meridian and Primary meet and are at each other’s throats, and Lariat struggles through a phase of rebuilding after the Keyhole wars. Claddagh and Saros, the two cities most affected by the Keyhole wars and close neighbors become embroiled in a brutal conflict. Arkeesian loyalists in Saros stage a coup and marshal a force to attempt to retake Claddagh in Arkosy's name, and while Arkosy publically disavows this action, their own military was recently dissolved and they are unable to interfere. Claddagh and Saros tear each other apart in West Faraday's northern plains, and the era ends when both are in ruins.

253 IO - 367 IO The Sintering Era page in progress! (coming soon!) Learn more about the cities of West Faraday Maps of West Faraday