The chronology of the elder races is a pain in the ass to be sure. Here is how it stands as i see it:
1) The KCNR arrive/evolve and rule a Technologically superior society. They are accompanied by the more "primitive" KCCM, the early Jaghut, the Forkrul Assail (to what capacity we don't know) and perhaps the Eres'al, who are feral (more ape then human) at this time. The Deragoth rule seven cities.
2) The KCNR die out, leave or are destroyed by the KCCM ("never ignore the barbarians" - Emperor Kellanved). The KCCM Rule as the dominent species.
3) The Eres'all develop a mundane intellegence and are domesticated by the Deragoth on the continent of 7 cities. The KCCM still rule everything else.
4) The Jaghut rise and begin to decimate the KCCM (probably by accident while making the land more "hospitible" at first with thier Omtose Phellak, which would be hazardous to the cold blooded KCCM, and then later for defensive and then offensive purposes). This occurs over a very long period of time. The KCCM resurrect the KCNR to assist them but the KCNR refuse to share thier formidible powers with the matrons and are enslaved. The intellegent Eres'all evolve, reletively unnoticed, into the Imass during this time.
During this time is when the Jaghut formed and subsequently abandoned thier civilization. Chances are that it was formed based on the mutual idea of eliminating the KCCM much like the War against the Tyrants united all the Imass. Thier civilization's subsequent abandonment was most likely due to either a reduced threat from the KCCM or perhaps they saw that they were begininng to treat the newly evolved Imass much like the KCCM treated them and abandoned it all to avoid the KCCMs fate (and ironically this is what occurs because of the tyrants actions later on).
All of point 4 occurs over thousands of years
5) Somewhere during the latter part of point 4 Anomander Rake and his Tiste Andii followers abandon mother dark and arrive on Wu. Go into seclusion.
6) Andarist and his Tiste Andii followers are cast out by mother dark and arrive on Wu. Go into seclusion.
7) The realm of shadow is sundered by Scabandari Bloodeye and Silchas Ruin during an edur civil war and is assailed by a multitude of beings attempting to usurp its power. Forkrul assail enter said warren from the Wu side to reassert "order". The elder god Kilmandaros along with Anomander Rake enters the shattered warren to cleanse and repair the damaged cause by both the sundering and the FA's attempts to passify the invaders.
At the same time on the continent of Letheras the Edur and Ruin's Andii discover one of the few remaining KCCM enclaves (the last is on morn and about to open a portal to chaos and become embroiled in a civil war with the KCNR) and destroy it. After the destruction of the KCCM, the betrayel of silchas ruin and his Tiste Andii, the betrayel of sheltatha lore and the destruction of scabandari bloodeye, Gothos seals the entire continent in a spell that completely isolates it from both the physical and spiritual worlds.
8) The KCNR break thier chains and revolt beginning a civil war with the final remaining KCCM on Morn. The last KCCM matron opens a portal to chaos in an attempt to harness its power and is trapped within the portal. The remaining KCCM die out without her to sustain them effectively ending the KCCM civil war and species. The KCNR leave in thier pimpin sky keeps. (note i have no evidence of the last part but it makes sense)
9) During the time of the KCCM and the Jaghut the Eres'all evolve. By the time the Jaghut have abandoned the trappings of civilization the Eres'all are now the Imass and the Imass begin to spread. The majority of Jaghut see this like the spread of mice or other such short lived vermin and raise islands and wall of ice to prevent it. Eventually certain powerful Jaghut see an opportunity for even more power and enslave the Imass, posing as thier gods and savagely ruling them. These are the Tyrants, the most powerful of them being Raest. Discovering the truth the Imass rise up and, with the help of other Jaghut, imprison or destroy the tyrants. The Imass then turn thier revenge upon ALL the Jaghut and begin thier war of attrition that is increadibly destructive to the environment (entire glaciers rising to cover a continent and then being forced to receed in a single season, etc). THE IMASS ARE STILL MORTAL AT THIS TIME. The "first" Empire is born.
10) Somewhere during this time the TTT had a civilization of thier own and were forced to dismantle it and retreat from total annihilation by either the Forkrul Assail or the Edur (I'm not sure which, maybe both since they were both involved). They were assisted in this by both the Mortal Imass and the Jhag Icarium (still sane. maybe trying to save his mom?). Using ships the mortal Imass and icarium were able to deliver the TTT to the Laedoron Plateau (to hide them few remaining) and imprison the Forkrul Assail "Peace".
During this time the call goes out to all the Mortal Imass to attend the ritual of Tellan. The Imass on the excursion and some of thier TTT allies attempt to make it back but are forced to fight the Edur across the entire ocean scattering them to the various corners of the world and forcing them to miss the ritual. These Imass and TTT breed and evolve into the Barghast/Fenn derivatives which are prevalent pretty much everywhere. The Teblor from Karsa's tribe are the purest of all the TTT offshoots (having been the sucessful result of the Imass/Icarium campaign). Also, some of the Imass sided with the Tiste Edur fighting thier kin at this time. This Imass/Edur union eventually evolved into the Moranth.
11) The Imass invoke the Ritual of Tellan in order to pursue those Jaghut too powerful or to far away for the Imass to destroy in thier mortal forms. Also because the war was costly and the Imass needed a way to keep up thier numbers. Using the power of their ancient beast hold the Imass bound thier spirits together creating the warren of tellan. They brought some of thier domesticated Ay with them because they would have starved to death otherwise.
Days before the ritual Onrack the Broken paints Kilava Onas' sexy likeness on a cave wall making her immortal. Kilava, already being an immortal due to the painting, defies the summoning, kills all of the Tarad Imass except her brother who drives her off. She finds and makes sweet love to Onrack and gives birth to the first members of the human race as we know it.
Onracks wife see's all this and becomes enraged. Despite the Ritual's bindings her, the rage consumes her forcing the other T'lan Imass to sever her from the ritual and leave her somewhere on seven cities. She eventually finds a fragment of KE and becomes the whirlwind goddess.
Shortly before the ritual, Kilava Onas seeks to rescue 2 Jaghut children (Pannion and his sister) from her own kind and imprisons the sister in the rent on Morn by mistake, freeing the KCCM matron.
The Mortal Imass are no more. Humanity is born as are the T'lan Imass and T'lan Ay.
lots of time passes
12) The human first empire is born. Colonies are established, including the one on Letheras. Desembelakis rules the first human empire. The Kallorian empire is also born on Jakuruku shortly after.
13) Powerful mages on the continent of Korelri try to destroy Kallor by capturing the power of a foreign god and instead pull him from his realm and tear him to pieces, ravaging the entire world. Enter The crippled god and the great ravens. Fandarey vanishes into Chaos during the fall leaving togg to wander alone.
14) 3 years after the fall of the Crippled God the Elder gods converge on Jacuruku to destroy Kallor themselves and find the Kallorian Empire destroyed by Kallors own hand (using KCCM/KCNR technology). They curse each other. K'rul prepares a place within himself to contain the dead and shattered land of Jacuruku so that the land can heal (the imperial warren).
15) Desembelakis and his first empire attempt some crazy spell for some strange reason and it all goes wrong (perhaps seeking power against what Kallor unleashed in Jakuruku). Citizens of the first empire are transformed into D'ivers or Soultaken. Most are insane and they tear each other to pieces. The T'lan Imass decide that they don't like whats going on and move in and kill everyone. Some soultaken and d'ivers survive and become the First Heroes (Trake, etc)
16) Long period of pretty much nothing. The free'd matron spends millenia crawling out of her burrow. The T'lan Imass continue hunting while the T'lan Ay continue doing whatever they want. Humanity evolves and spreads, the jaghut die and deminish. The TTT on the plateau evolve into the Teblor. The barghast and moranth evolve. etc, etc.
On the continent of letheras the remaining Edur, the Letherii first empire colony and the tiste Andii that survived the betrayel evolve in isolation.
17) Early in this period in time of reletive quiet, Gothos goes missing. His son Icarium believes that he is being held as a prisoner in a House of the Azath. Icarium destroy's the azath house attempting to free his father and as a result the repaired warren of shadow is sundered once again as is icarium's mind. Unfortunatly it was all for nothing since Gothos was living in the azath by choice as opposed to being its prisoner.
18) Various pieces of the realm of shadow are claimed by various beings (the Whirlwind goddess) over time. The largest is eventually claimed by shadowthrone and cotillion and is labeled as high house shadow.
edit: edited based on information from other readers
