A timeline for Tales of Zestiria and Tales of Berseria.
Both games are the primary source for this timeline, with further information from the World Guidance and Perfect Guide books as translated by kisechuu
, guardianoftime, aurantia-ignis, and ice-cream-beat.
Terminology is based on the terms used in the time described, but future terms will be noted.
If something is stated in Berseria's time to have happened X amount of years ago, add 1000 years to get Zestiria's time, and subtract 1000 from Zestiria's time to get Berseria's.
Some of the time period subtitles reference other Tales of games.
Unmarked spoilers to follow.
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Tens of thousands of years before Berseria
Due to the Medieval Stasis caused by Innominat, these events are mislabelled in history as happening more recently than they actually did.
Era of the Gods (Ancient Era)
The era where the world was created, its details are largely shrouded in myth and lost to time, except for legend that seraphim and humans coexisted together. By the time of Zestiria, the Era of the Gods is falsely stated to have occurred over 3000 years ago. It is also wrongly thought that this era came after the Temperance of Avarost.- Beings known as seraphim inhabit the Heavenly Realm, "the true world", which predates the existence of the human world.
- Humans are known to seraphim as "earth-dwellers" living on the surface world, where they create malevolence that is toxic to seraphim.
- To rid the threat of human malevolence, the seraphim of the Heavenly Realm wish to wipe them out entirely. However, there exists a number of seraphim who are sympathetic to humans and believe that they can coexist, and thus they make an oath with the seraphim of the Heavenly Realm. If they succeed in living alongside humans, the Heavenly Gate will open, and the Heavenly Realm and the Earth would become one. However, the seraphim of the Heavenly Realm choose to eradicate both humans and seraphim who sympathised with humans, adding a rule to their oath, which curses malevolence to turn seraphim into dragons and humans into hellions, making co-existence impossible.
- Hexen Isle and its gate are established.
- Subtitled as "Fortune of Phantasia".
The Descent of the Seraphim
The seraphim willing to coexist with humans descend from the Heavenly Realm to earth, although some accounts describe it as an exilenote . Several seraphim become Prime Lords (later called "Empyreans") and their Sub Lords become known as "malakhim". This name eventually applies even to malakhim who are born on earth.- Cooperation between humans and malakhim begins earnestly, with some humans possessing the rare trait of "resonance" capable of seeing malakhim. A legend from this time speaks of the first pact between malak and human, proclaiming the human Siegfried as the first Oracle, the title that would eventually become "Shepherd". He worked alongside the malak Brunhilt, and it is said that they were also aided by the normin Jenesiss, who was the first of the Normin to explore the world.
- The first malakhim who turn into dragons are recorded from this time. Some malakhim attempt to return to the Heavenly Realm through the gate, but are locked out due to the oath of coexistence being unfulfilled, and eventually become dragons roaming the Heavenly Steppes.
- Subtitled as "Destiny Dawn".
The Temperance of Avarost
The time period from which originates the "ancient tongue", a language that relies on the thoughts and emotions of its speaker to decipher. It marks the cooperation of malakhim and humans.- The powerful influence of the Empyreans founds the Kingdom of Divine Right, where malak artes are used to create advanced civilization and structures.
- Human-malak relations eventually falter due to malevolence. Surviving malakhim distance themselves from humanity and humans with resonance nearly disappear entirely.
- This era ends with Innominat's Cycle of Suppression, which dulls the emotion of everyone in the world to stop the spread of malevolence, but leaves gaps in history and wipes out information of the past, leaving this era remembered as a lost utopia, with very few records.
- In the time of Berseria, this is falsely recorded as having occurred 2000 to 1300 years ago.
Around a thousand years before Berseria
Starting from this point forward, the timeline discrepancies are corrected and all dates are accurate.
The Era of Disappearance (1300-1000 years before Berseria)
- The malakhim are no longer perceived by humans, and the lack of worship causes their blessings to weaken.
- Avarost culture and culture related to the malakhim are lost.
- Humans begin to war amongst themselves.
- The continent's culture and civilization begin to decline.
- This is when Innominat's most recent Suppression before Berseria occurred.
- It can be inferred that sometime before now the true name of the malakhim "seraphim" is forgotten.reason
Pax Meliodas (1000-800 years before Berseria)
- King Meliodas unifies the continent and ends the war. He was also the Lord of Calamity at the time.
- The Meliodas dynasty governs for 200 years.
- Humans reconstruct civilization and create culture independent of the malakhim.
The Era of Darkness (800-350 years before Berseria)
- Also known as "the Dark Period", this is an unknown period where records and information were lost due to invasion by another continent, leaving ruins of this time with visibly foreign architecture and designs.
- It can be inferred that the Meliodas dynasty was overthrown during this time.
The Liberation of Desolation (350-300 years before Berseria)
- King Claudin reunifies Desolation and frees the continent from foreign rule, ending the Era of Darkness. He becomes the founder of the Asgardian Royal Family. He was also the Shepherd (then called an Exorcist) of the time.
- The existing human culture merges with foreign cultures to create the Initial Asgard culture.
- The area of Hyland prospers and the Vivia Subterreanean Aqueduct is built.
- Somehow, malakhim culture is partially reconstructed, reviving advanced technology from older times.
- The first common calendar, known as the Desolation Calendar, is created.
- In the time of Zestiria, this is called "The Liberation of Glenwood".
Era of Asgard, Initial Period (300-100 years before Berseria)
- King Claudin fakes his death and takes an oath not to kill another human being in return for immortality, and continues acting as an Exorcist. He is joined by his right hand friend and ally Melchior Mayvin.
- His apparent death divides the Asgard Royal Family into branches fighting for the right of succession, prompting the Asgard Warring States Period. The most prominent branches are the Holy Kingdom of Hylandnote , the Kingdom of Midgand, and Kingdom of Lohgrin.
- The Holy Kingdom of Hyland falls, and its capital is allegedly sunk under Lake Perniya by dragons.
- Human civilization advances.
- Stories of hellions (then called daemons) are passed down due to this era of warring.
- It is said that humanity survived these wars through the efforts of the Exorcists of this time.
The Unification of Asgard (100 years before Berseria)
- The Kingdom of Midgand unifies Desolation.
- Asgardian culture peaks and peace prospers for 100 years. During this time, the Kingdom saw a population of 1.2 million people.
- Subtitled as "Graceful Asgard".
The Life of the Shepherd Artorius (32-10 years before Berseria)
- The former king Claudin, now the head of the Exorcists, finds and raises an orphaned Artorius Collbrande as his student. Together, they travel the world along with the normin, spreading the blessings of the malakhim and purifying malevolence. His long-lived life ends when he breaks his oath and kills to save Artorius' life in Lothringen.
- Artorius takes it upon himself to fulfil Claudin's goals and continues travelling with the normin to teach humans of malakhim and daemons, but humanity has become accustomed to peace and luxury and dismiss him.
- Legends of the Exorcists fade into obscurity and belief in the malakhim dwindle. The Four Empyreans fall into slumber and their blessings fade. Malevolence begins to spread and the earth's climate begins to grow colder.
- Hopeless and crushed with guilt from the death of his mentor and the failure to carry out his goals, Artorius leaves his normin companions behind and travels to the east, ending up in Aball, where he's found by Celica Crowe, who convinces him not to kill himself. The two fall in love not long after, and Artorius begins calling himself Arthur while living with Celica's younger siblings Velvet and Laphicet.
- Melchior learns of a young girl named Magillanica who has unusually high resonance and arranges for her to be taken in so he can train her as his successor.
Tales of Berseria
The Opening (10 years ago)
- Celica Crowe dies saving Artorius from brigands who've become daemons, falling into a shrine that holds Innominat. The resonance of her and Artorius' unborn child partially resurrects the Empyrean, and both are reincarnated as malakhim. Melchior takes the malak reincarnation of Celica's child, and Artorius rejoins the Exorcists and makes a pact with the malak reincarnation of Celica, vowing to end all the suffering in the world. Velvet and Laphicet survive the night.
- Innominat's awakening increases the resonance of humanity enough to make daemons visible to all humans, as well as suppressing the emotions of all malakhim.
- Within the next seven years, the population is halved, attributed to a fabricated illness called "daemonblight" that turns humans into daemons. In truth, this is caused by the surge of malevolence uninhibited by the malakhim blessings.
- This period is also the earliest point in time Aifread the pirate is known to exist. He is a feared pirate with a love of history, and has unusually high resonance. It is unknown when Eizen first makes contact with Aifread, but at some point during this period, Eizen becomes visible to the crew and he officially joins, quickly becoming Aifread's right hand man. At some point before Berseria, Aifread goes on an expedition and returns with something valuable, though what it was remains unknown for a long time.
- Artorius returns to being an Exorcist and leads the charge against the daemon threat. Over the next ten years, he becomes a hero and begins sowing the seeds of the Exorcist's Abbey. However, he regularly returns to check on Velvet and Laphicet.
- Magillanica undergoes her final test under Melchior after reaching the rank of Legate. She fails and is discarded by her mentor, causing her to go into a coma-like state for a short time while her Normin pact-partner Bienfu takes her to live with a Normin named Grimoirh. At some point, Bienfu leaves her behind, causing her to snap out of her haze and change her name to Magilou Mayvin to find him. She is found and captured and jailed in Titania. A story forms in the Exorcist organization called "The Lost Legate" because of her.
- Laphicet becomes sick with an illness called the Twelve Year Sickness, an illness that claims the life of children when they reach their 12th birthday. During his down time, he reads texts left by Artorius regarding Innominat. He keeps his illness hidden from Velvet and Artorius.
- Subtitled as "Open the Abyss".
The Advent (3 years ago)
- Laphicet offers himself as the second sacrifice to fully resurrect Innominat. However, he keeps this information from Velvet, causing her to interfere with the ritual and become transformed into a therion by Innominat. She is imprisoned in Titania.
- Seres, Celica's malak reincarnation, begins to regain her human memories after seeing these events. She spends the next three years struggling with Celica's memories, eventually deciding to go against Artorius.
- Artorius is given the title of Shepherd, consolidates the power of the High Priest, giving him full control over Midgand's Church of the Empyreans, in which he founds the Exorcists' Abbey. He is also given power over the Midgand government and military, effectively turning Midgand into a theocracy. He seeks to stop malevolence by capturing dragons and feeding them to Innominat, thus freeing the world of corruption by suppressing the emotions of humans and malakhim.
- The Abbey builds the Empyrean's Throne to house Innominat and serve as a place of worship.
- Armatization is developed as a tool of the Abbey, but is unstable and dangerous, risking turning the fused malak into a dragon. Melchior seeks out Siegfried, an ancient piece of technology found by the pirate Aifread, to perfect it.
- Zaveid, a Malak enslaved by the Abbey, is sent on a mission to capture Aifread, but is shot with Siegfried and regains his free will. Although Aifread is ultimately caught by Melchior, he manages to sneak the gun to Zaveid, who would use it to search for Aifread and free other malakhim from the Abbey.
- Having lost Siegfried, Melchior seeks another way of mastering armatization by infusing Seres with the Sorcerer's Ring and having her swear an oath that would complete the arte upon her death.
- Subtitled as "Guider's Vesperia".
Tales of Berseria (The Era of Disaster)
- Velvet escapes from Titania with help from Seres, who is fatally wounded in the escape and offers her life to Velvet to give her the power of the Sorcerer's Ring. Velvet goes on a journey to kill Artorius, becoming accompanied by Laphicet (the malak reincarnation of Artorius and Celica's son), Magilou, Eizen, Eleanor Hume (an Exorcist who defects from the organization), and Rokurou Rangetsu (a foreign swordsman). She becomes the first Lord of Calamity to be termed as such.
- Velvet kills Artorius and seals Innominat at the cost of her having to be sealed with him. He is replaced as the Fifth Empyrean by Laphicet, who takes on the name given to him by Eleanor: Maotelus.
- Velvet's party go their separate ways. Eleanor becomes the first in a new line of Shepherds, Eizen remains with Aifread's crew despite no longer being visible to them, Rokurou remains a daemon and travels the world, and Magilou begins documenting events.
- Desolation is renamed to Glenwood.note
Year 1 of the Glenwood Calendar (1000 years before Zestiria)
- King Percival of the Midgand Kingdom revises the calendar and purges information of the Shepherds and Exorcists from the official record. The Exorcist Abbey is dissolved as well.
- People lose the ability to see malakhim and daemons once more.
- Due to the awakening of the Empyreans, the geography of the continent changes drastically.
- At some point, Magilou's title of Mayvin becomes linked to a chain of people long lived humans who take watch and chronicle history.
Between Berseria and Zestiria
At some point between the two games, the malakhim become again known as seraphim, and the name of the Empyreans changes to the Five Lords.
Era of Asgard, Prosperity Period (1000-600 years before Zestiria)
- Earl Pen Dragonia, a descendant of House Dragonia and the Asgardian Royal Family, takes the land that will be Pendrago and founds the Rolance Empire.
- The geography of Glenwood begins to change, and the climate events prompt further cultural exchange, advancing their economy. However, it also causes the loss of lore and knowledge.
Era of Maotelus (600-200 years before Zestiria)
- The Kingdom of Lohgrin falls due to invasion by northern nomads.
- To reconcile, the Rolance Empire gives the nomads' king a territory and the status of duke, establishing the Suraga Duchy of the north.
- The Hyland Royal Family, descendants of King Claudin, resurfaces and found the capital of Ladylake by draining out the water that flooded the Holy Kingdom's capital, establishing the current Kingdom of Hyland.
- There are minor calamities, but they are quelled by the Shepherd.
- People's worship of Maotelus peaks, enabling further blessings and protection. Faith in him and the Five Lords become the state religions for Hyland and Rolance.
Death Age (200 years before Zestiria)
- A new Lord of Calamity rises, causing Maotelus' protection to falter and resulting in a sudden unnatural plague that wipes out half the population.
- Eizen faces down the Lord of Calamity after the current Shepherd falls in battle. He willingly turns into a dragon during the fight, devouring the Lord of Calamity, with Zaveid as a witness. Eizen then rests on Rayfalke Spiritcrest.
- The remaining Shepherds disappear.
- Despite the advancements in shipbuilding and ocean travel, the information becomes lost.
- For unknown reasons, the continent goes into isolation, secluding from other continents and ceasing interaction.
The Era of Three Countries (Decades before Zestiria)
- The Kingdom of Hyland, the Rolance Empire, and the Suraga Duchy war for dominance of the continent.
- Belief in the Five Lords dwindles and becomes lost to Hyland and Rolance, remaining only as tool for political agendas.
- During this period, power in Hyland gradually is taken over by the Senate, leaving the royal family as more of a symbolic monarchy.
The Life of the Shepherd Michael (35-21 years before Zestiria)
- Michael becomes Shepherd at the age of 12. Together he travels with his Prime Lord, Lailah, with the goal of reviving faith in the seraphim, but recognizes that the world has largely lost belief in Maotelus and malevolence runs rampant. (35 years ago)
- Michael realizes that Maotelus is threatened by the malevolence of Pendrago, where he is enshrined. Michael moves him to Artorius' Throne (formerly known as the Empyrean's Throne in the time of Berseria). He founds the nearby village of Camlann alongside other believers, including his sister Muse. He terminates his contract with Lailah and retires as Shepherd. (22 years ago)
- A year after founding Camlann, he begins writing the Celestial Record. (21 years ago)
Tales of Zestiria
The Age of Chaos (17-5 years before Zestiria)
- Catastrophic climate events occur, along with plague and further disaster.
- The Suraga Duchy and the Rolance Empire sign peace treaties, and the Duchy retreats further north.
- Camlann becomes the target of the Rolance and Hyland armies, due to being strategically placed between all three countries. Heldalf on behalf of Rolance seizes the village, but upon Hyland's invasion, abandons it and calls for a retreat. Camlann is thus destroyed by Hyland soldiers, whose malevolence corrupts Maotelus.
- Devastated, Michael sacrifices his nephew to curse Heldalf with an eternity of solitude, causing tragedies that would culminate with Heldalf's ascension to the Lord of Calamity. Michael then dies from this oath.
- The sacrificed child is reborn as a seraph due to his mother's prayers, becoming Mikleo. He along with a prematurely born Sorey are taken to the nearby seraphim village of Elysia where they are raised by Zenrus to become a Shepherd and a Sub-Lord.
- Muse remains and uses herself to seal Camlann away and protect the rest of the world from Maotelus' corruption.
- This marks the beginning of the Age of Chaos that lasts through the present-day.
- An incident occurs in Rolance where one of the princes is killed. Shortly after, an assassin organization called the Scattered Bones begins operating in the area.
Tales of Zestirianote
- Sorey and Mikleo grow up together with tales from the Celestial Record. One day they find Princess Alisha in the ruins near their village, setting off the events that leads Sorey to become a Shepherd and restore the Lords of the Land.
- After decades of war, the Kingdom of Hyland and the Rolance Empire begin peace talks when Heldalf creates a dragon in Glaivend Basin and the two armies cooperate to defeat it.
- Maotelus remains sealed in Camlann until broken out by Heldalf.
- Sorey kills the Lord of Calamity and is sealed away with Maotelus to purify him and the rest of Glenwood. Rose, leader of the Scattered Bones, takes over the job as Shepherd.
Epilogue (Unknown time periods)
- Lailah, along with Mikleo, Edna, and Zaveid, and the elderly Ayn twins, watch as the current Shepherd places flowers upon Rose's grave.
- Maotelus is fully purified, freeing Sorey, who goes on to save Mikleo from a collapsing ruin.
