Timeline

A rough estimate of the timeline of events that occur in the world of Flowers That Bind.

## The Old World

*These events take place at an unknown time in the past, but occur at least 5,000 years ago.*

* Beings known as Spirits roam the land, supernatural entities made of pure energy who lay claim to the elements of the world. Though their presence is subtle, they are able to influence the world in great ways. They cannot be seen by the average human, nor is their existence widely known.
* The first human civilisations arise, extending from the Gray Mountains to the southern sea.

### The Birth

* Rhea, a human woman, is born in a place known as Dacinda.
	+ In her adulthood, Rhea makes contact with the oldest living spirit. It shares with her its deepest wish, for its' brethren to walk the earth. The two come to an agreement and the spirit fuses with Rhea's body.
	+ As a result of the fusion of human and spirit, every other living spirit is transformed into a new race: the Dacindians.
	+ At the same time, dark entities known as demons are born from the supernatural refuse of the elements.
* Rhea, as the first Dacindian, takes command over the elements through Absolute Authority thanks to the power of the spirit she fused with.
* Some time after fusing, Rhea gives virgin birth to twins Rowan and Viola. These twins bear the Signet of Rhea, a unique birthmark passed down through Rhea's lineage.
	+ With their birth, the Authority is split into three parts, each taking a different shape within Rhea and her children.
* Just before reaching adulthood, Viola is slain by humans while trying to mediate peace between them and other Dacindians. Rhea uses her Authority to resurrect Viola as a spirit, dying in the process. Viola and Rhea's bodies then fuse together and transform into the Crystalline Altar.
	+ Rowan vows vengeance on the humans and leads an army of Dacindians and demons both to attack the human nations. There are many attempts on Rowan's life, but his power is too great to be taken down by normal means.
	+ Viola tries to convince Rowan to stand down for nearly two centuries, when he finally acquiesces and brings the war to an end.
* Rowan has at least one child with another Dacindian. Each of his children also bear the Signet of Rhea.
* After Rowan's death, both his and Rhea's Authority return to Viola and recombine into the Absolute Authority.

## The New World

* Viola spends many millennia easing the tension between the humans and Dacindians, taking up her mother's role as a peacemaker amongst the races. She also stays close to Rowan's descendants so as to watch over them in his stead.
* **~2,400 years ago**: Cosmo is born to the Rhea Family. Claudius is born in the wilderness beyond the Gray Mountains.
* Cosmo and Claudius meet as young boys and quickly grow close.
	+ In their adulthood, they lead their brethren beyond the Gray Mountains to lay claim to the wilderness which humans could not broach in order to build a home for the Dacindians to live in peace.
* Over the course of many years, the Dacinda Dynasty is built. With Viola's blessing, Claudius oversees the building of the Lucent Palace overtop the Crystalline Altar.
	+ The Dacindians appoint Cosmo to be their leader as he is a direct descendant of Rhea.
* **~2,000 years ago**: Cosmo gets a vision in the night of a dark power being unearthed by the human nations. They will go on to use this power in a terrible war against the Dynasty, leading to its complete destruction and the end of the Rhea bloodline.
	+ Cosmo requests for Claudius to enter the Crystalline Altar, putting him in stasis until the prophesized day. Claudius refuses at first, but eventually agrees.
	+ Upon entering the Altar, his consciousness separates from his body, allowing him to take the form of a spirit while his body slumbers. Because he is technically still alive, however, he is tethered to his body and cannot leave the vicinity of the Altar.
* Cosmo visits with Claudius on a regular basis even into his old age. He eventually passes while seated next to the Altar.
	+ Due to his vicinity to the Altar, his energy is absorbed by it and transferred to Claudius. The immediate effects are unknown at this time and even Viola is clueless as to what will happen as a result of this.
* Viola decides to bind herself to the grounds of the Lucent Palace so as to remain by Claudius' side. In doing so, she gains Authority over the surrounding lands, allowing her to further enrich the Altar with her own power as well as create an impenetrable fortress against outside threats.

### The Great War

* **~500 years ago**: The Orlaith Kingdom is founded after a long drawn-out war amongst the human nations. Those who refuse to bend to the Kingdom's will are forced south towards the sea, where Kotori Province is eventually established.
* **~250 years ago**: The Evergreen Throne and the Gilded Church are the presiding rulers of Orlaith. They preach peace between the nations, including the Dynasty. However, a small sect of the Church exhorts that the Dacindians are an infestation to be purged.
	+ With Rigel Ulrich at its head, this sect forms the Shield Order and overthrows the Church and the Throne.
* Shortly after taking power, the Order declares war on the Dynasty, forcing the people of Orlaith to turn to them for protection.
	+ Upon hearing of this, the current Dynast goes to the Altar and wakes Claudius, fusing his spirit back to his body. Due to the enrichment of both Cosmo and Viola, he has gained immeasurable power.
* With the aid of their dark weapons, the humans are able to push deep into the Dynasty's lands. However, thanks to Viola's power they are unable to breach the Palace grounds. With Claudius' aid, the Dacindians are able to push the Order back into Orlaith.
* **~120 years ago**: The current Dynast is slain in combat. Their only heir, Rosalin, is forced to take over as Dynast and lead the war efforts.
* **~100 years ago**: Rosalin and the Order's current Commander, Altair Ulrich, clash in a one-on-one duel. After two nights of arduous combat, they are both forced to retreat and their duel is declared a draw.
* Shortly after, both nations call for an end to the war and Orlaith and the Dynasty enter into a tentative peace while both nations recover.
	+ The Throne and the Church both retake power over the Kingdom and the Order is punished for its misdeeds. Instead of being dissolved, however, they become a smaller force dedicated to protecting the nation from within. All three parties then unify to become the Three Families, each holding equal power over the nation.

### Post-Great War

* **~50 years ago**: The current heads of the Families of Orlaith agree to peace talks with the Dynasty.
	+ As a neutral party, Kotori Province agrees to mediate between the nations and sends select envoys to Orlaith to set up a temporary base of operations.
* **14 years ago**: Sirius Ulrich takes over as the 71st Commander of the Shield Order at age 13 after the previous Commander is killed by demons.
* **10 years ago**: Demon activity spikes in the human nations. Kotori Province sets up defenses to fight back against them. The Order delegates the slaying of demons to the Blades, while the Shields remain in the towns and cities to protect their people.
	+ Humans begin laying blame on the Dynasty for this uptick in demon activity. The Argent Force is deployed in full force to cull the demon population and put the rumors to rest.
* **7 years ago**: Project Glass commences with the hopes of creating a human with the power of a demon. Orphaned children are taken as test subjects, but none end up in success. Twins Emelia and Eden show promise, but before the tests can be completed the project is discovered by the Order and put to a stop.
	+ In the aftermath, Sirius decides to adopt the twins and raise them as her own children, gifting them the Ulrich name.
* **3 years ago**: Youko joins the Shield Order as an envoy for Kotori Province, quickly earning the position of a Blade.
	+ Shortly after, she is chosen as retainer to the Crown Heir to the Throne, Celeste Durand, and leaves the Order.
* **1 year ago**: Celeste leaves with Youko on a pilgrimage to gain knowledge about the world before her ascension.