A current and permanent timeline of events in a Multiverse of shifting timelines, time traveling meddlers, Reality collapsing wars, and elder beings who love to dabble in the impermanent is next to impossible. When Time and Space can be altered by any who have the means to touch it then consistency becomes difficult at best. However, ENIGMA researchers have kept a paradox insulated record of the most prevalent and noteworthy events in the Multiverse. While time is actually multidirectional in a narrative sense there are some fixed points in time which seem to persist either through the will of the Multiverse itself or the efforts of ENIGMA.
Dating Systems[]
There are trillions of calendars and dating system throughout the Multiverse but three prominent dating systems offer a consistent reference for the Multiverse community:
Genesis Current Era (GCE) - This is the dating system used by the beings of Genesis which is sadly woefully inadequate. Rather than being based on the age of the universe or the formation of planets or even the beginnings of civilized record keeping the system is foolishly based on the estimated birth of a religious figure. Though flawed, this system of chronology heavily influences most of the other Realities in the Multiverse. Depending on the Reality in question locals may perceive their date to be anywhere with 1,000,000 years before to 2,000 years after GCE. Given the nature of the formation of Aether this makes sense as Aether is influenced by the perceptions of the beings who generate it and therefore can only contain known history and shared future expectations.
Victorian Era (VE)- This is the dating system used by Reality B-15 Europa and is the principle dating system used by the Enlightened Realities of the Multiverse for commerce and diplomacy. It is often listed in local documentation with both the local date and the VE date side by side while Multiverse organization usually ignore Reality specific dates. This system is based on the birth of Queen Victoria the First, the most notable monarch of their history but seems to be a notable time point in multiple Realities with many universes experiencing the birth of notable leaders, the beginnings of religious movements, or the occurrence of miraculous phenomenon. Scholars across many Realities agree that this is no coincidence and that this is a fixed point of unknown importance in the Multiverse. There are theories that this is proof of the Theory of Multiverse Homogeny but that is not widely supported. Most Realities in the Enlightened Multiverse community make use of the VE calendar due to its familiar linear organization and the ease with which it allows them to trade with the principle powers of the Multiverse.
Fae Calendar (FC)- The dating system used by the Fae is enigmatic at best and maddening at worst. It has been observed that magical beings based in Aether from dreams and nightmares have a completely different concept of time compared to linear beings. Amongst their own kind the Fae refer to the calendar as Althoth Tzolkʼin but for the fae the concept of time is fluid and circular, so linear numeric dating fails to translate the mythical understanding of time. Instead, the Fae use one important event as the guidepost for calendar estimates, The Horrific Calamity. All dates are measured in their proximity to this one historic event that affected all mythical creatures in the Multiverse. The Fae conceive Time as a Sphere or circle with all of existence ultimately repeating itself again and again. As such the "dates" on the fae Calendar represent a nonlinear magical distance from The Horrific Calamity in a four-dimensional space. The Fae Calendar is very difficult for mortal beings to understand, and many Realities consider it complete nonsense however with training and reference materials linear beings can grasp it.
Pre History-[]
Unknown: Pre-Time-[]
Nothing is known about Pre Time existence save that all the most elder being testify that it did exist. A timeless existence with no shape or form.
Unknown: Birth of Genesis-[]
The birth of the primary Reality from the Void is a debated topic amongst theologists across the Multiverse. Its exact events are unknown, but it is known that several of the most elder immortals in the Multiverse were spawned at the same time most likely from the Aether caused by the thought patterns of early lifeforms in various stages of development.
Believed to be 60,000 BGCE: The first new Reality "The Red Fork Incident"-[]
Several millennia into the existence of the prime Reality Genesis the first alternate reality was born. While most sentient beings did not even notice the elder beings alive at the time experienced a violent turbulence and several elder lifeforms perished in the "First Fork". It is at this time that the being known as Justinian came to be Enlightened and joined the elders of the Multiverse. Once mortal, Justinian witnessed the splitting of Realities as great red energy that overwhelmed the mind. Once in control of their faculties again Justinian took the newfound power and might of an elder being and forged the Red Fork Empire amongst the rapidly expanding Multiverse of various probabilities and universes. However, given the rapid expansion of the Multiverse and the introduction of Dream and Nightmare worlds the Empire could not control or even catalogue these new Realities and soon settled into internal squabbles allowing Realities to escape the Empire's notice and develop free of Red Fork Empire influence.
Elder History[]
Believed to be 5000-3000 BGE or 1 FC- The Horrific Calamity and the rise of the Dull-[]
The Dream Worlds of the B Sphere and the Nightmare Realms of the C Sphere developed into full Realities as the Humans of Genesis and its Alternates grew more complex civilizations with imaginative religions and folklore. Being fantastic in nature, these worlds quickly adapted the Aether in their Realities to what we now call "Magic" in various forms. Whereas current magical organizations are quite suspicious of each other the Elder Fae were much more cooperative and unified. These ancient mythical beings served the interest of both new and old Gods either willingly or through influence. Deities born of the Aether spawned by ancient belief systems tended to be selfish and greedy often making war with each other across adjacent Realities, but none had the scope of power necessary to accomplish a true expansion of power. Eldar Fae, led by the Proto-Elves, undertook a dedicated study of the magical arts producing a powerful ritual that had the power to gather Aether and spawn new Realities for their Deities. There are no records of what this ritual consisted of or why it led to the Calamity, but it is known that upon its discovery the Elder Fae began dying across the Multiverse. Across all three Spheres mythical beings and beasts perished from a fast-acting disease until every Eldar Fae was dead. There are no records detailing this event, but it coincides with the first incidents of the Dull in the Multiverse.