Continuity/Basic Backstory

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 AC: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, Knorr Quiddity Seed Quest 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.