Vorden is a world with lore designed to accommodate playing in nearly any TTRPG system all within the same world. I wanted to be able to run my players through a 1980s Kids on Bikes campaign in the same world that a Mothership or OSE campaign might also be set. In order to make this all work we need a timeline, or more specifically, we need The Unified System Timeline of Vorden.
I have divided the current Vorden lore into six ages. Each age represents a span of time within the Vorden lore which allows for similar styles of play:
The Turbid Times or The Age of Obscurity - Vorden is our world (Earth), so this first age represents our past, present, and near future. This age ends with the creation of the Titans - six super-intelligent artificial beings.
The Numenist Age or The Age of Titans - The Titans trigger rapid advancement in both technology and discovery. Elves arrive from the extra-dimensional realm commonly known as Fae. Gods are created by the Titans, and magic is brought into the world. All manner of extra-planar beings and beasts find their way to Vorden. This age ends with Dawn War - a world changing conflict between the Titans which ends with each of the Titans either destroyed, exiled, or lost.
The Age of Ash - Vorden is in ruin. After the Dawn War mortals are left to pick up the pieces of their broken world. Chaos, madness, and despair reign. A terrible plague ravages the land. This age ends with The Great Cataclysm, in which the Titan Éatress, previously thought to have been destroyed in the war, remakes the world anew.
The Age of Arcana - The remaking of the world ushers in an age of sword and sorcery. Many new peoples of Vorden emerge, including Dwarves, Halflings, and Gnomes among others. Magic is relatively rare and the Gods interfere little in the affairs of mortals.
The Grand Arcane Age - As the empires of Vorden rise and fall the use of magic reaches a zenith. Enchantments, conjurings, and arcane wonders previously undreamt of become possible. It is an age of high magic. This age ends with a magical singularity event which comes to be known as The Collapse Arcana.
The Age of Discovery - Following the Collapse Arcana the people of Vorden once again reach for a powerful tool of a bygone age: science. The blend of technology and remnants of magic is what defines this age.
