I get your point Henry, but I've always tried to stick somewhat close to canon in shared worlds like Arcanis. It's just how I prefer to play things for the most part. A lot will depend on what players want, they may not want a home game. We'll see.
Of course if they do want a home game I can set it either in the past or some area not currently being used like Almeric. If I do in the past (say I use the Blessed Lands) then I can follow the general outlines of history and make some minor tweaks along the way, but in the end the basic timeline will remain intact.
On the other hand I could go completely off the rails. Calmemnon does not survive to adulthood, this whole Destroyer arc never happens. Instead we have Voiceless Ones and the Silence up to all sorts of no good in the Blessed Lands and the players have to deal with THAT. All sorts of hilarity and hijinks ensue...
OR perhaps the Sleeping Emperor declares a "crusade" to take the First City and we have another Coryani-Khitani War and I borrow stuff from the movie Kingdom of Heaven...
OR "something" from the Citadels of Neroth and Beltine emerges (a Paragon of Neroth?)...