Timeline

(OOC Note: This timeline references events that occurred, and would be present in various scripture throughout the world.)

## Mythical Age

Much of recorded history during the Mythical Age was lost following the two Divine Wars. Historians often disagree on the exact length of this era--anywhere from a **century** to **several thousand years**.

### Before Creation

In the realm of Atmos, there were seven Archangels and an all-powerful God. The realm's inhabitants were locked in a one-hundred thousand year war between the Angels, creatures of the light, and the Akuma, creatures of the dark. Neither side could triumph over the other, with Atmos devolving into a desolate wasteland--very few of the races other than the immortals were able to survive for long.  It was a constant state of war.

The Archangels in particular were the only race that have their own freewill outside of God's vision, with all other inhabitants pre-destined to wage war against the opposing army by the God of Atmos- a battle without end between the light and the dark. One Archangel, Kraus Eternia, the youngest of the seven, plotted a rebellion against his creator and sought to escape the realm of Atmos.

He took with him his three-hundred most loyal Angels, and in a ritual where his body was crushed and scattered into the nether from the sheer weight, formed a new realm. It was sealed off from Atmos, and thus begun the beginnings of the world of Eternia.

The Angels would not arrive for many centuries after.

### Creation of the World

The divine spirits acted as an extension of the Creator's will, and what began as a formless mass of matter was soon shaped: Ixchel created the moon, which governs the tides, and Jiuweihu created the sun, which provides warmth and light. Huatl shaped the continents, and Jormungand filled the cracks with water.

Each divine spirit had an important role to play in establishing a world where life would be bountiful, unlike the wasteland that was the Archangel's former home.

It's also written--though described differently depending on the scripture--that the divine spirits had to defeat a great evil. In Luminism, it was a darkness that came from within them, a journey of self-discovery and betterment. In Tocathianism, it was the very essence of chaos itself, sealed away in the moon. The divine spirits (when they lived alongside man) were averse to delving into the specifics, as they saw it as unnecessary.

It's not quite known how the First Men came to be. While the divine spirits personally crafted the many millions of animal species in their own image, in the few texts that survived the divine wars, accounts of man's first steps are vague. The most consistent claim is that the First Men came from the core of the planet itself, nourished by the soil until they awakened.

The spirit world had also yet to take form. Spirits walked alongside man and beast, from the elegant, crystal-like Teraphim, to the simple wisps in the atmosphere. It was common to see fire elementals dancing in a candle, or air elementals singing in the wind.

### Fear of Man

Magic was at its peak during the beginnings of the world. The First Men were demi-gods in their own right. And in all of that power, they had nightmares and fears, of creatures that were eerily similar to the Akuma of Atmos.

The demon race was born from the thoughts of men, taking shape directly from their nightmares. It is not known whether this was due to outside interference, or entirely a byproduct of intense fear from extremely powerful magi.

### Astral Planes

As Eternia went through its natural cycle of life an death, the astral planes gradually formed--including the spirit world, which Ryujin was tasked with overseeing. The flow of magic soon settled in the physical realm, and the spirits eventually left to take their place in their proper domain.

### Arrival of the Angels

It was perhaps many centuries, or even longer, before the Angels entered the dimension of Eternia. Travelling through a complicated portal of space and time delayed their arrival, and they were naturally distraught that Kraus Eternia had not arrived with them--who many speculated may have perished following the ritual.

They carried out his plan, nonetheless, and walked alongside the many human civilizations that were still relatively primitive. They taught them to read and write, shared architecture designs (but encouraged them to be creative), and advised where necessary--but mostly kept a distance, because the creator empathized that the humans were to make their own path.

Some paths that men took would disturb many of the Angels greatly. Murder, violence, and greed--acts that reminded the white-winged ones of the Akuma so distinctly.

There was a sense of uncertainly among the Angels on the future of humanity, and whether or not they were the race that Kraus truly meant to inherit and care for the world. This subject would be of intense debate for many years in the Temple of Light, where they resided.