3060 BC: Garal Glitterlode creates a new species he calls Gnomes and places them in the outer fringes of Evergrun, near the south pole. These are the ancestors of the Ice Gnomes.
3000 BC: The Great Rain of Fire hits Mystara and the planet shifts on its axis, causing the poles to cover new previously inhabited areas. Earthquakes, storms and volcanic eruptions abound everywhere. (HW)
2900 BC: Seeing that his creations, the gnomes, are in great danger and have little chances of surviving, the Immortal Garal creates another stock of gnomes (much like Kagyar will do with dwarves) and places them in Brun (Rockhome and Northern Reaches area). These gnomes prove to be more tinkering and more versed in fantasy physics than the first breed. However, the first breed is tougher and more resourceful than what Garal predicted and they manage to survive, migrating from Evergrun to Vulcania and beginning their new life in that harsh land. Some of them are common earth-gnomes while others begin to live very close to volcanoes or high up in the mountain caves.
2700 BC: Within two centuries, two different cultures develop among the gnomes who live in Vulcania and the clans split. The so-called Ice Gnomes live up the mountains in inhospitable conditions, but thanks to their particular stamina they have now become masters of the cold climates (somewhat between Icevale Elves and Kogolor dwarves). The second group is an offshoot of the Ice Gnomes who has adapted to live inside the volcanoes, using and benefiting from the hot energies of the gases and the elemental plane of fire. Some of them have even invented a technology capable of travelling through any wormhole in a volcano and pop out in the Elemental Plane of Fire, so there are gnomes in that plane too. These are called Fire Gnomes (they are unknown to anyone but the Ice Gnomes and Thimhallan). The two groups do not go along well with each other because of their different biases.
(Ice Gnome: Fire is bad: remember the Great Rain of Fire! Fire Gnome: What the heck are you talking about? Fire makes life comfortable!)
2500 BC: Gnomes living in the Rockhome area start exploring the neighboring sites. Some of them move permanently in the Northern Reaches when the ice sheet recedes, establishing both seaside aboveground and underground complexes (the Falun Caverns) where they live. Others migrate at the foothills of the Cruth Mountains and settle south west of Rockhome territory (in what will be later called Darokin). Among these are the gnomes who will found the city of Serraine.
Gnomes keep contacts with the dwarves living in the Northern Reaches area.
2000 BC: Antalians move south to nowadays Vestland. The gnomes keep away from the humans.
1800 BC: The old dwarven race is replaced by Kagyar with the modern dwarves. Some of them are placed in Rockhome, where they will eventually found their kingdom in BC 1400. Others inhabit the mountains of Vestland and Soderfjord: these dwarves (the ones in the Northern Reaches) call themselves "Modrigswerg". They have not yet been tainted by the Dark Elves by this time. (HW)
1500 BC: To the south, the Nithian culture begins its climb to greatness. Pflarr creates the Hutaaka and puts them in the southern Altan Tepes Mountains. (HW)
1100 BC: The Nithian Empire expands in all directions. Colonies are settled in islands nowadays known as the Isle of Dawn, Minrothad and Ierendi. On the land the Nithians push south into nowadays Thyatis and north into the Northern Reaches. First contact is made with the dwarves and gnomes. (HW)
1060-1050 BC: Antalians and dwarves with bronze technology fall before the Nithians with their iron and magic. Humans are enslaved, while dwarves get killed for resisting. Half the gnomes of the Falun clan are taken to the dungeons of Nithia for arcane magical experiments. To be noted that this clan is made of earth-gnomes and so called sea-gnomes, who are experts at sailing and building ships (much like the Minrothad sea-elves). The other half (mostly earth-gnomes) manage to avoid capture by retreating deep into their cavern complex and devising new traps to hinder the Nithian conquerors. First Gnomish Exodus: Gnomes flee in order to avoid the Nithian persecution and their gruesome experiments. Many flee to where the Nithians haven't gone yet, that's to say Davania. And the more southwards -the better. They avoid landing on the Jungle Coast (Nithian colonies there - at its peak the Nithian Empire stretched from the Isle of Dawn to the Savage Coast and from Norwold to the Jungle Coast) and sail until they arrive in the Vulture's peninsula - the Empire of Varellya at that time. They are however mistaken for halflings or halfling-kin and after the first squabbles erupt, the gnomes move inland and resettle south of the Aryptian desert in a secluded valley. [*]
1050 BC: Evil Nithian necromancers research a way of creating a servitor race resembling the Hutaakans by reincarnating gnomes using the blood of trolls. The entire Northern Reaches have been conquered in the attempt to get more specimen. After a few years the first hundred gnomes are turned into gnolls. (GAZ10)
In Nithia, the remaining gnomes are put to slavery working in the pyramids.
800 BC: The Nithian colony of Thothia experiences a heavy drought. Assistance is needed from the mainland but the Nithian galleys are too slow to bring grain in time.
795 BC: Empress (Pharaoh) Shadla "the Learned" discovers the gnomish slaves’ affinity to water and their skill with technology. She promises the gnomes partial freedom if they manage to design advanced vessels that do not require rower slaves (at that point in history oceanic vessels were yet to be invented). [***]
773 BC: The gnomes finish building a huge ship shaped as a wood and metal whale. They name it "Leviathan". Pharaoh Shadla is skeptic about putting humans in the ship and is also afraid of losing grain. She orders that the gnomes be put into the leviathan to operate it and to simulate the weight of grain. The Leviathan is set on a test sail accompanied by Nithian war galleys to prevent escape.
Once deep at sea the Leviathan suddenly begins to sink in the water. The Nithian captains try to rescue the ship but without success. The truth is that, using their technological knowledge, the sea-gnomes created a submersible ship powered by water elementals and used it to escape slavery.
772 BC: In a fit of rage, Shadla orders the death of hundred gnomes in Nithia. Then she issues a proclamation promising to spare all those gnomes who would have helped the Nithians building sea-going vessels. Many gnomes begin to collaborate with Pharaoh Shadla to save their lives. Those who refuse are put to death.
Ranivorous contacts Shadla and she is slowly corrupted by his false promises of greatness. The entropic corruption of Nithia begins.
771 BC: The Leviathan settles on the floor of the Alphatian Sea. The gnomes discover they have crashed on a volcano right near a dorag village. They contact the dorag race and with their help start building an underwater city where to live.
750 BC: After learning all she wanted from the gnomes, Pharaoh Shadla (inspired by Ranivorous) orders all the gnomes living in Nithia to be sacrificed to the gods in order to protect the first great Nithian sea expedition to the west. In fact, her real fear is that gnomes could reveal others the secrets of their skills and Shadla wants to prevent this from occurring.
748 BC: Shadla the learned dies from poisoning. The young (11 year old) Pharoh Ranarhotep II takes the throne actually he is a popet of the preists of Thanatos.
730 BC: The sea-gnomes finish the construction of the city of Deepreach, an impressive submersed city . With the help of the local Dorag they begin to explore the Alphatian Sea.
724 BC: In a general meeting of the Deepreach clan, the "Scroll of Hidrognomos" acting as a constitution for all gnomes, and establishing the laws of proper society and of relations with other races.
712 BC: Ranarhotep the 2nd is assassinated in his bed by a gnoll. Ranarhotep III, the accursed, begins his reign.
700 BC: Thanatos, helped by the Immortal Ranivorous, completes the corruption of the Nithians. The pharaoh turns the entire Nithian Empire toward worship of Entropy. (HW) The Nithian colonists in Thothia turn away from the entropic faith of their homeland and increasingly turn to a new form of mysticism. (HW) Nithians arrive on the Savage Coast. They interbreed somewhat with Oltecs. (RS)
500 BC: The Nithian Empire, having incurred Immortal dislike, abruptly ends. The Immortals alter the climate, divert the headwaters of the River Nithia, promote social unrest, deny magical powers to their clerics, and take other actions which cause the Empire to collapse catastrophically. The Immortals use magic to ensure that almost all trace of the Empire is wiped from the face of the Known World. The colonies are systematically destroyed - - except for Thothia, which has already turned away from the Entropic faith which led to the destruction of Nithia. (HW)
490 BC: Kobold clans are driven into the uplands of the Northern Reaches from the west. They overrun and exterminate the surviving gnomes living in the Falun Caverns, and occupy their subterranean kingdoms. (GAZ7) The Immortals transport the Valoin Gnomes on a Floating Continent in the HW. (PWA2)
495-490 BC: Second Gnomish Exodus. Many gnomes flee the goblinoid invasions that are rocking the Known World going in two directions: southwards (Davania) and westwards (Hule and the Savage Coast). Many run westwards, where they establish their colonies (the ancestors of the Hulean and Savage Coast gnomes). A few clans build ships and take for Davania instead, settling for a brief period in the Milenian lands.
300 BC: During the exploration of the Sea of Dread, the sea-gnomes of Deepreach discover the Twaelar civilisation in the southern area near Thanegioth. After hearing of the misdeeds and corruption of the surface dwellers from the gnomes, the Twaelars vow to mistrust them and to stay away from them as much as possible. This is just one of the causes of the Twaelars' isolation policy which still applies in the present.
251 BC: A legendary gnome craftsman named Glimreen Gemeye discovers a jet engine artifact of the destroyed Blackmoor civilisation near Serraine. (PC2)
0 AC: Highforge Gnomes settle in Traladara territories. (GAZ 1)
39 AC: On Ambyrmont 1st the Flying City of Serraine
makes its maiden flight. (PC2)
1011 AC: After Alphatia's sinking and the Behemoth's awakening, numerous problems arise for the sea-gnomes in the Alphatian Sea, including attacks from sea-beholders and new merfolk immigrants. (see Underocean Timeline)
1016 AC: With the Thyatians passing more and more frequently in their seas, the Twaelar fear they will be soon discovered and enslaved, and thus have declare war on the terrestrian, helped by the sea-gnomes living with them. (see Mystaran Almanac AC1016)
[**] There is a very interesting note to make here. If the gnolls were created in BC 1050 (as HW says), that means they bred into the thousands within 50 years (according to HW)! Assuming a few years to get to the Traldar lands, and several more for word of the war to spread (so Milen can flee), we're looking at no more than 40 years or so between the conversion of gnomes to the appearance of a great horde. If this is correct, then the Nithians would have to have carried out mass alterations (unless it's possible that gnolls could breed so much) - so a lot more than hundred gnomes would have to be captured.
Two theories can be used to describe what happened. The first is that gnolls really breed too fast, even though this doesn't explain why the Known World is not yet overwhelmed with gnolls by now. The second one involves a bit more of imagination. It deals with Outer Planes and basically we can assume that the creation of the gnolls took place in an outer plane where time flows faster than on Mystara (there are many). The Nithians didn't want to risk anything with their magical mass-breed alteration and so decided to run their experiment in an outer plane connected to Nithia via wormholes. Unfortunately for them, the gnolls were able to fight off their control and rebelled, then found the wormholes and many of them used them to reach Mystara before all the gates could be closed. So the gnolls' invasion came to pass only 50 years after their creation. While in fact, 200 years had passed in that Outer Plane (the creation process required a great deal of time and was later followed by a decades long attempt to teach the gnolls the basics of the nithian culture, obviously with nefarious results: the gnolls gained too much willpower and intelligence to rebel against their masters).
[***] By BC 1,000 the Nithians had colonies on the Isle of Dawn, Ierendi and Minrothad, and this could have been achieved even without seagoing vessels (the Phoenicians were master sailors but didn't have oceanic vessels). However, by BC 700 the Nithians were already in the Savage Coast, so even if the Nithians hadn't ocean-going vessels by BC 795, they certainly invented them by the middle of the eighth century. The sea-gnomes' knowledge was indeed used to produce fine sea-going vessels that helped the Nithians become master sailors as well.
