Continuity

For information on the topic of continuity in fiction, continuity errors, and retroactive continuity (retcon), see wikipedia - Continuity (fiction)

Basic back-story of AC

The basic back story of AC involves the events of the Olthoi invasion of Auberean, Asheron's involvement, The Sundering, and the conditions which summoned Isparians to Dereth. This story has been told many times, and there is often inconsistency with these tales.

According to a Stormwaltz quote, in the original lore outline documents the Yalaini development of portalspace amounted to three lines: Asheron uses portal magic to trap BZ, Asheron creates a stable portal, Asheron brings in the bugs. The original version was that Asheron was surprised and overwhelmed by the Olthoi and was unable to close the portal to their world before thousands of Olthoi had already entered Auberean. This version of the story is retold with minor variations in the original intro video, the original manual, the Historical Archive, the Sybex strategy guide, and the AD:DM manual.

During the A Time of Chaos story arc the story was changed significantly. Players gained access to Knorr, where the Yalaini launched their exploration missions to other worlds. Inside, many texts written by Asheron were discovered. With these texts and others, the story of the Olthoi invasion was changed. It was not a magical experiment gone awry or accident on Asheron's part that caused the invasion - and his discovery of portal magic is only partially to blame, in that it enabled the exploration of other worlds. Instead, it was Gaerlan who inadvertently left a portal link to the Olthoi homeworld open. And it was Emperor Kellin II who demanded that more Olthoi specimen be brought to Knorr, including the Olthoi Queen. With the Queen on Auberean, the lesser Olthoi began to obey her will again, and this is what caused Knorr to fall, and eventually, all of Auberean. The AC:ToD manual reflected this story change with its (incredibly brief) lore summary, which placed the blame of the Olthoi invasion on Gaerlan.

Later, The Knorr Quiddity Seed quest was added. This quest involves entering dream realms and defending Asheron's memories from Aerbax. It is an in-game retelling of the first scene of the original intro video, with Asheron and his disciples. However, this retelling has many errors. First, it takes place at the Knorr Lyceum. However, the events in the video are said to take place somewhere on Dereth, as it was the final stronghold of the Yalaini people, where Knorr would be the heart of the Olthoi's territory. Second, in the video, the building crumbles to pieces, yet it is in perfect condition when we visit it in the present day. While an interesting quest, it either entirely changes the history, or (more likely) is not accurate at all.

Conclusion

Olthoi Invasion- The Olthoi arc retcon is considered the correct lore. Asheron was not directly responsible for the Olthoi invasion, it was Gaerlan and the Emperor.

Sundering - The truth about The Sundering remains a mystery. In all accounts, it did cause a disturbance in the fabric of Portal Space. But whether or not the Sundering caused portals to begin to appear on other worlds is up for debate.

The current Yalain Age is Moriqui Eipoth (ME), and was declared by Asheron after he sent his people away. According to information in the Ages of the Empyrean lore document included on the AC:DM CD, the date that Isparians first arrived on Dereth was ME 564. So the notion that The Sundering instantly caused portals to appear on Ispar is not correct, it took 564 years.

According to the AC:DM CD Lore, the Virindi arrived on Dereth before any other race, and they fought Asheron over something and lost. The fact that the Virindi are explicitly stated to be the first to arrive could imply a wide range of things. Perhaps they intentionally or unintentionally disrupted portal space. Or perhaps, when they fought Asheron the battle weakened the wizard and some protection he placed on the currents of portal space fell. Whatever the case, it seems unlikely that the Sundering is the true cause, but the truth may never be revealed.

Harlune and the Timeline

The basic story for Harlune is that when he was visiting Ispar with other Empyreans as explorers/researchers, he saw what was going on in Aluvia with Alfrega, and decided to stay behind during the next trip to Ispar. He did so, and helped free Aluvia from Viamontian rule. Harlune was not swept away into portal space with the rest of the Yalaini when Asheron cast the Sundering spell because he was still on Ispar. When portals to Dereth from Ispar began to appear, he returned and went to live in the mite maze. There are five important events:

1. The invasion of Aluvia

   This is said to occur on 804 RC.

2. The first mention of Harlune on Ispar during the reign of Alfrega.

   This happens during leafcull of 860 RC.

3. The Olthoi arrival on Auberean.

   This happens on HE 459.

4. Asheron Casting the Sundering.

   This happens at HE 647.

5. The beginning of AC, when mass amounts of Isparians came to Dereth.

   This is the beginning of the Portal Year calendar, 0 PY.

From the Ages of the Empyrean, we are told that 0 PY = 1276 RC = ME 579. ME 579 would be equal to HE 1226, if the Third Age of Lore had continued on. Converting the dates into comparable forms, we get the following:

1. The invasion of Aluvia

   804 RC

   -472 PY

   HE 854

2. The first mention of Harlune on Ispar during the reign of Alfrega.

   860 RC

   -416 PY

   HE 910

3. The Olthoi arrival on Auberean.

   509 RC

   -767 PY

   HE 459

4. Asheron Casting the Sundering.

   697 RC

   -579 PY

   HE 647

5. The beginning of AC, when mass amounts of Isparians came to Dereth.

   1276 RC

   0 PY

   HE 1226

Using only official dates and conversions, the basic back-story of Harlune is not possible. He would have been present on Auberean for the invasion of the Olthoi, at which point all exploration missions would presumably have been canceled. He would also have been present on Auberean for the Sundering, which would have placed him in stasis in Portal Space with the rest of his people.

There is no evidence of or reason for a conspiracy or cover-up, so it is unlikely the dates were intentionally created to contradict Harlune's history. The most likely explanation is that at the time when Harlune and the Reign of Alfrega were created, in beta, the timeline was not yet set in stone, and there was likely no conversion for Roulean Calendar Years and Portal Years.

While there is little that could be done to correct this situation other than outright changing the dates (which would then interfere with numerous other dates and events in the timeline), Harlune's back-story could probably safely be considered canonical, even if the dates do not work out.

Undead

In early days, the back story of the existence of undead was very different from what it is now. While today undead are almost always members of the ancient Empyrean cultures of the Dericost and Falatacot, that was not always the case. The Zone Bestiary Undead Entry originally described them much differently. Undead were said to be the reanimated corpses of fallen Isparians, possessed by evil spirits said to be linked to Bael'Zharon.

During the first story arc this was retconned to the current Dericost origin of Undead. However, there are many early dungeons and points of interest that still suggest the undead have an Isparian/Shadow source. For example, the lore of the Fycheck Ruins near Shoushi state that the undead there are fallen Sho warriors who fled from battle. Another example is the somewhat common pairing of Shadow and Undead in early dungeons.

Tanada House of Earth

The Tanada House of Fire quest involves recovering special scrolls that belonged to the houses of Air, Earth, and Water. Tanada Sajo explains that "because Aerbax succeeded in corrupting the Masters of Air, Earth, and Water, he was able to steal the scroll of each House." However, the lore of the Tanada House of Earth quest implies that the House of Earth is unaffected by the recent corruption of the House of Air.