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Here's a timeline I wrote for my Age of Worms Player's Guide. It includes important events for the Flanaess, the City and Domain of Greyhawk, and Diamond Lake. Many thanks go to Erik Mona and fellow Paizo messageboarders such as Rob Bastard and Peruhain. I would love to give more credit where credit is due, but I don't remember half of my sources. The only thing I added myself was the disappearance of Nohrtan, the founder of the Cult of the Green Lady.
Prehistory: Ancient burial tombs were established in the Cairn Hills by several races, of which only the Flan are recognised. The three other, and older races, are collectively referred to as the Cairn Builders.
-644 CY: Tribes of Oeridian horse barbarians, living near the Suel Imperium and the Baklunish Empire, united in a single confederation to resist incursions by the Baklunish.
-465 CY: Great Migrations began. The Oeridians began to migrate eastwards through the Fals Gap. They were the first large group to enter the lands of the Flan, which they termed the Flanaess. They were soon followed by Suloise refugees fleeing the cruelties of their tyrannical and war-ravaged empire.
-422 CY: Twin Cataclysms. After decades of conflict between the Suel Imperium and the Baklunish Empire, the Suloise Mages of Power called down the Invoked Devastation upon the Baklunish. In retaliation, a cadre of Baklunish wizard-clerics brought the Rain of Colourless Fire upon their hated enemies. Both empires were destroyed, leaving only the Dry Steppes and the Sea of Dust. Suloise refugees, migrating eastwards, soon crossed the Crystalmist Mountains into the Flanaess, often fighting for control against the Oeridians. Most Baklunish survivors fled north towards the Yatil Mountains or Dramidj Ocean.
-357 CY: The Empire of Vecna fell after the treachery of Kas the Bloody-Handed.
c -345 CY: A few Suloise clans settled around the western shores of Woolly Bay, establishing the Wild Coast. The majority of the Suloise moved farther east across the Selintan and drove most of the hunter-gatherer Flan southward towards the Abbor-Alz. The luckiest Suloise settled to the south and east of the Nyr Dyv and eventually established the Kingdom of Urnst.
c -315 CY: The village of Greyhawk was founded by Suloise settlers as a log trading post.
-279 CY: Ena Norbe, a Suloise wizard from Safe Town (now Safeton), founded the Town of Norbe Harbour. The effects of plague and bad weather soon changed the settlement’s name to Hard Bay. Ena Norbe eventually married the captain of her guard, had six daughters, and established the Gynarchy of Hard Bay (later Hardby).
-216 CY: The Aerdi, the most powerful Oeridian tribe, founded the kingdom of Aerdy along the Flamni River.
-109 CY: Aerdy defeated Nyrond to the northwest in the Battle of Fortnight’s Length, establishing themselves as a major power.
1 CY: Declaration of Universal Peace. Nasran, the Grand Prince of Aerdy, was crowned Overking of the Great Kingdom. The Great Kingdom of Aerdy eventually ruled over most of the Flanaess, from the Solnor Ocean to the Yatil Mountains.
4 CY: Maret Nial, an infantry captain from Aerdy, but originally from Greyhawk, crossed the Cairn Hills with a large band of ex-soldiers and proclaimed the village of Greyhawk conquered without bothering to have a battle. Eventually the Overking granted him the title of Landgraf of Selintan.
100 CY: The Viceroyalty of Ferrond established in the Great Kingdom, comprising of lands west of the Nyr Dyv to modern-day Perrenland.
c 150 CY: The Rhennee first appeared on Oerth.
209 CY: The Expulsion of Evil. After the garrison commander and the Landgraf of Selintan were both assassinated, the next officer in line, Ponjes the Bull, declared martial law in Greyhawk. His soldiers burned several evil temples to the ground, massacred every worshiper of evil gods that could be hunted down, and seized their property. This event established the policy of intolerance for wicked deities and priests in Greyhawk.
With the death of the heirless Landgraf, Ponjes established the Directing Oligarchy, a council made up of the most important town leaders. Ponjes was later appointed Landgraf by the Overking of Aerdy.
254 CY: The Viceroyalty of Ferrond seceded from the Great Kingdom due to the incompetence of the Rax Overkings, becoming the Kingdom of Furyondy and the Archclericy of Veluna.
261 CY: Imperial soldiers were finally withdrawn from Greyhawk and the Landgraf was charged with defending the Selintan region using only local militia.
310 – 421 CY: Zagig Yragerne became Landgraf and Lord Mayor of Greyhawk. His 111 year rule had many achievements: He reformed the city’s legal code, established a city currency, reformed the militia and led it to many victories over bandits in the Cairn Hills, had the Midbay channel to the mouth of the Selintan marked with buoys and lights, founded the Guild of Wizardry, invited scholars to Greyhawk to create colleges, had the city’s sewers and Free City Arena built, oversaw the creation of two mines in the Cairn Hills (Diamond Lake and Steaming Springs), organised the first Desportium of Magick, and so on.
Zagig’s eccentric personality appeared to gradually deteriorate after 370 CY, and the Oligarchy and many citizens were in terror of his humour and his rages. It was obvious after 395 CY that Zagig had unlimited power but was wholly insane. The city both thrived and suffered in the last years of his rule until 421 CY when Zagig mysteriously disappeared.
356 CY: The Viceroyalty of Nyrond declared itself independent of the Great Kingdom, cutting off Greyhawk from Aerdy.
479 CY: Iuz, the half-demon adopted son of a petty noble, came to power in Furyondy’s Northern Reaches.
498 CY: The City of Greyhawk was declared independent of the Great Kingdom by Lord Mayor Paerinn.
498 – 510 CY: The Hateful Wars. Returning to Celene from the County of Ulek, the olven prince consort was waylaid and slain by orcs in a narrow pass in the Lortmil Mountains. His death led the elves to spearhead the Hateful Wars in which Celene, the Ulek States, the Lortmil dwarves, and the Kron Hill gnomes combined their forces in an effort to drive the orcs, goblins, and hobgoblins out of the Lortmils. Using underground passages, the allies discovered every secret stronghold and forced the humanoids to the surface where after two harsh winters they were driven fro the mountains altogether. Most of the survivors fled to the Suss Forest.
505 CY: Iuz mysteriously disappeared. A Cult of Iuz soon appeared worshipping the Old One as a god.
513 CY: Orcs and other humanoids driven from the Lortmils after the Hateful Wars emerged from the Suss Forest and descended upon the Pomarj, driving out the local lords and putting many of the local folk to the sword.
525 CY: A mine collapsed in Diamond Lake. Over 300 miners were killed in the disaster.
533 CY: Infighting in Greyhawk’s Guild of Thieves between the Kurell-worshipping old guard and reformers led by Yavos the Elder.
c 545 CY: Ragnolin Dourstone of Greysmere moved to Diamond Lake and established several mining operations in the area.
555 CY: Felanore, a young giantess of the Cairn Hills, was captured by members of the Diamond Lake garrison and “granted” to the owner of the Spinning Giant to serve as mascot. Thereafter, she became known as “Flailing Felanore.”
570 CY: Iuz freed from imprisonment under Castle Greyhawk and returned to his lands as a god made flesh. Thousands of those who had been “unfaithful” were murdered upon his return.
The Circle of Eight revealed that not only was Zagig (now called Zagyg) still alive, but he was also the demigod servant of Boccob, the god of magic.
Nerof Gasgal, a master thief, became Lord Mayor of Greyhawk.
571 CY: A violent conflict in the Old City of Greyhawk between the Guild of Thieves and the Union of Beggars led to a portion of the Old City being burned down by accident.
575 CY: Izenfen, Mistress of the Twilight Monastery, refused to use the Censer of Symmetry to locate unclaimed ore deposits for a cadre of miners from Diamond Lake. The miners invaded the monastery, seeking to steal the Censer, but failed, though Izenfen’s daughter Imonoth died in the conflict. In retaliation, Izenfen sent her best warriors into Diamond Lake, where all fifteen survivors of the ill-fated raid were assassinated. This event became commemorated yearly as Darkstar’s Kiss.
Lazare, a dragonchess champion from Greyhawk, used his ample winnings to purchase a mine in the hills northeast of Diamond Lake.
576 CY: The Red Death plague, spreading from Rookroost in the Bandit Kingdoms, quickly ravaged across the Flanaess.
The Red Death reached isolated settlements such as Diamond Lake, killing many of the townsfolk. The influential mine manager, Millicent Parrin, one was of the first victims to die from the sickness. Her daughter, Luzane Parrin, inherited her family’s three mines at the age of 17. Another notable victim was Flailing Felenore, a giantess living in Diamond Lake.
577 CY: Prince Zeech of Alhaster breaks with the Shield Lands and joins the Combination of Free Lords (now Bandit Kingdoms). He names his lands the Principality of Redhand.
578 CY: Lazare, nearly bankrupted after the death of his wife, was forced to sell his mine to Balabar Smenk of Greyhawk.
579 – 581 CY: Shield Lands Invasion. The Horned Society, allied with some Bandit Kingdoms, invaded the Shield Lands in 579 CY. By 581 CY, all but the city of Critwall had been conquered.
581 CY: Chaum Gansworth moved to Diamond Lake.
582 – 584 CY: Greyhawk Wars. Iuz appeared to the Thillonrian Barbarians as their god, Vatun. Uniting the Northmen with the Hold of Stonefist, he quickly conquered the Duchy of Tenh before the alliance broke up. Returning to his homeland, Iuz then conquered the Horned Society, Bandit Kingdoms, and the Shield Lands in quick succession. Furyondy was invaded, and much of its northern territory was captured and laid waste.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Ivid V of the Great Kingdom invaded Sunndi, Almor, and Nyrond, conquering all but the latter. Ivid attempted to ensure loyalty by having his generals and nobles assassinated and reanimated as intelligent undead. He in turn was assassinated, though the Church of Hextor restored him to undead “life”, after which he known as Ivid the Undying.
In 584 CY, a half-orc named Turrosh Mak united the humanoid tribes of the Pomarj, conquering several cities of the Wild Coast and nearly half of the Principality of Ulek. The appeals of the Prince of Ulek to Yolande, the Olven Queen of Celene, fell upon uncaring ears. Celene closed its borders to even its most trusted allies, refusing to let elf blood fall in non-elf wars. The Knights of Luna were formed by elves who opposed Queen Yolande’s neutrality during the Greyhawk Wars.
That same year, decade-old paranoia regarding the Scarlet Brotherhood came true, as advisors in courts throughout the Flanaess were found to be Brotherhood agents. The Lordship of the Isles, Idee, Onnwal, and the Hold of the Sea Princes fell under the influence of the Scarlet Sign, from treachery or invasion. The Brotherhood was revealed as an evil, racist order dedicated to preserving the culture and purity of the ancient Suel Imperium, without regard to the lives of others.
583 CY: Yellow Eye plague decimated the town of Elmshire and nearly a quarter of the population died.
583 – 584 CY: Lizardfolk from the Mistmarsh attacked outlying farmsteads in the spring, prompting the construction of Blackwall Keep and Marsh Keep.
584 CY: Pact of Greyhawk. Delegates from battle-weary lands gathered in the City of Greyhawk to declare peace, fix borders, and mandate an end to hostilities. Because of the site of the treaty, the great conflicts soon became known as the Greyhawk Wars. Before the signing, the archmage Rary of Ket slew two members of the Circle of Eight before escaping to the Bright Desert with his cohort, Lord Robilar.
585 CY: The rebirth of the Circle of Eight was announced in Greyhawk with the joining of three new members.
Ulgo Fant, one of Diamond Lake’s prominent mine managers, died of old age without any heirs. His estate was purchased by the newly arrived Balabar Smenk of Greyhawk.
Professor Montague Marat’s traveling sideshow arrived in Diamond Lake. The professor was seduced by, and joined forces with, Zalamandra to create the Emporium.
The Whispering Cairn is rediscovered in the Cairn Hills by a Diamond Lake teenager. The youth of Diamond Lake then begin to use the cairn as a test of mettle, daring each other to spend the night.
586 CY: Canon Hazen of Veluna employed the Crook of Rao, a powerful artefact, in a special ceremony that purged the Flanaess of nearly all fiends inhabiting it. Outsiders summoned by Iuz, Ivid the Undying or other evils fell victim to this magical assault, which became known as the Flight of the Fiends. King Belvor IV of Furyondy quickly joined Canon Hazen in declaring the Great Northern Crusade, to regain lands lost to Iuz during the Greyhawk Wars, thus breaking the Pact of Greyhawk.
Immediately after the Flight of the Fiends, it was announced in Rauxes, the capital of the Great Kingdom, that Ivid V was no longer Overking, though it was unclear if he had actually died. As nobles and generals fought over the Malachite Throne, the City of Rauxes was engulfed in a strange magical field that prevented approach. Herzog Grenell of the North Province soon declared himself Overking of the Great Kingdom of Northern Aerdy. The following year, Xavener I was also crowned as Overking of the United Kingdom of Ahlissa.
588 CY: End of the Great Northern Crusade. The armies of Furyondy and Veluna had restored the nation as well as part of the old Shield Lands. The destruction and debauchery revealed as Iuz’s agents fled sickened the crusaders. King Belvor IV declared eternal war upon the Old One, pledging to settle for nothing short of the complete destruction of Iuz himself.
589 CY: A local girl vanishes while spending the night in the Whispering Cairn. Visits to the cairn by Diamond Lake’s youth taper off.
590 CY: The wizard Allustan returned to Diamond Lake, after adventuring for several years.
591 CY: Nohrtan and his followers arrived at the Cairn of the Green Lady in Diamond Lake after a five-year journey.
592 CY: Professor Montague Marat left Diamond Lake for unknown destinations. Most members of his sideshow chose to stay in Diamond Lake’s Emporium.
The leader of the Cult of the Green Lady, Nohrtan, mysteriously disappeared and was replaced by Amariss.
593 CY: Luzane Perrin’s husband mysteriously died.
Amon Kyre, the Justice of Heironeous in Diamond Lake, vanished under mysterious circumstances. He was replaced by Valkus Dun from Greyhawk’s Sanctum of Heironeous.
595 CY: Campaign begins.
Wow, Hagen, you really pulled out all of the stops. Great work.
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Wow, Hagen, you really pulled out all of the stops. Great work.
Combined with Rob Bastard's AOW timeline, this gives you a listing of all important events for those DM's wanting to set the game in Greyhawk. A lot of the events are irrelevent, but if you're like me and you're trying to make Age of Worms even more Greyhawkish, then this should prove useful.