IM2 Legends and the Darokin/Alfheim Timeline
by Andrew TheisenHas anyone worked out how the Legendary Characters from IM2, Balthac, Aurum, Sinan and Ascalon fit into the history of Darokin and Alfheim?
Balthac has some degree of incorporation already, via his inclusion in Wrath of the Immortals. To a certain extent, that allows for Sinan to be included as well.
For my own part the following were my main connection points:
Sinan's history of combating an Orcish invasion of Alfheim matched pretty well with the Beastman invasion of Alfheim by the wizard Illodius in 550 AC, albeit with a different name (the wizard is Kazad in IM2); for my part, I just note that Illodius is the elvish name for the wizard.
With that date in mind, Balthac's life and death falls somewhat earlier (as he was already long gone by then), so somewhere around 300-400 AC or thereabouts (certainly, at least, preceding the Elfwar of 501-504 AC).
I tied Ascalon to the Years of Infamy in Glantri; the plague that ravaged northern Darokin ("From the north came a pestilence borne on a bitter wind." - IM2) was also, in my campaign, the same plague that swept across the highlands c. 800 AC, and was blamed on the dwarvish prospectors from Rockhome (whose natural dwarvish immunities made them resistant to it). It was, in fact, caused by the demon sent to the Broken Lands to spread its vile pestilence as described in IM2, a fact that is still not widely connected (or at least acknowledged in Glantri).
As for Aurum, I can't recall the specifics now, but I know I speculated on that on the Piazza at one point (I can't find it in a search, so it may have been on one of the prior incarnations of the board). I didn't have any canonical dates/characters to tie it to, but I believe I had made a connection between the unnamed lich of Malpheggi from IM2 and one of the fan works for the southern Darokin region at some point. I'll have to go back and see if I made some notes outside of the board, or if I can otherwise recall how I tied it together.
EDIT: Yay! I found it. I guess I did write out a more detailed timeline at one point, but it was much longer ago than I thought, and at the MML. It's on the Vaults here: Darokin Timeline - Darokinian Heroes from IM2. Its still missing some information about Aurum, which I am convinced I did flesh out a bit more here on the boards at one point, but possibly in a previous version. I'll keep looking to see if I either find that info, or find inspiration to recall what I added to the legend and how I fit it in.
EDIT II: I should also note that Aaron Nowak expanded upon the legends of the IM Heroes in his own Expanded Darokin Timeline, drawing upon various sources (including my own speculations). It is definitely worth checking out.