Primer: Recent Timeline of Eberron

Here's a timeline of the recent history of Eberron, going back to within your lifetimes (or things that are common knowledge). I picked only the biggest events:

104 years ago

•King Jarot, last ruler of Galifar, dies. His five children disagree on the rite of succession; Mishann, queen of Cyre, is the oldest, but she is opposed by Thalin, Kaius I, and Wroann of Thrane, Karrnath, and Breland, respectively, while Wrogar of Aundair sides with Mishann. When Mishann arrives at Thronehold for her coronation, she finds the island blockaded by her siblings' navies. After a short battle, Mishann escapes. Diplomacy fails, and the siblings begin fighting amongst themselves over who should sit on the throne. The Last War begins.

84 years ago

•The Mror Holds split off from Karrnath.

•Thalin, king of Thrane, dies. The Church of the Silver Flame uses the opportunity to take control of the nation and depose the aristocracy.

42 years ago

•Elf mercenaries annex southeast Cyre and declare the sovereignty of the elf nation of Valenar.

40 years ago

•The Eldeen Reaches declares itself an independent nation from Aundair.

33 years ago

•House Cannith perfects the modern-era warforged and begins mass-producing them.

29 years ago

•Hobgoblin mercenaries annex southwest Cyre and create the goblinoid nation of Darguun.

26 years ago

•House Thuranni splits from House Phiarlan.

11 years ago

•A trio of hags called the Daughters of Sora Kell arrives in Droaam with an army of trolls, ogres, and gnolls. Breland pulls its forces back, and the Daughters declare the sovereignty of the monster nation of Droaam.

8 years ago

•House Lyrandar puts its first elemental airships into service.

5 years ago

•6-year-old Jaela Daran assumes the power of the Keeper of the Silver Flame, becoming the spiritual leader of the Church of the Silver Flame and the political leader of Thrane (though in practice, the Council of Cardinals oversees most affairs of church and state).

4 years ago

•In an unprecedented magical event called the Mourning, Cyre is destroyed. Survivors report seeing a flash of bright light in the city of Making, and a dead-grey mist spreads out from the city to encompass the nation's borders, killing everyone in its path. Compounding the tragedy, the hatreds of the Last War lead many of Cyre's neighbors to refuse aid to the refugees; the elves of Valenar and the goblins of Darguun treat the refugees as invaders, killing them as they ran.

2 years ago

•As the nations are too shaken by the events of the Mourning to continue fighting, the Treaty of Thronehold officially ends the Last War, though tensions from a hundred years of fighting remain.

•Cyre is no longer recognized as a sovereign nation; Breland grants the survivors a small patch of land called New Cyre.

•As part of the treaty, House Cannith is ordered to destroy all creation forges, and all warforged are emancipated and granted the rights of sentient beings.

Now

•The party is assembled by Professor Burch of Morgrave University to search for the Siberys Pandect.