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Post by aspenivan on Nov 22, 2015 23:25:01 GMT
Brief History of the Story so Far
The world map is split into four regions: THE NORTH, THE WEST, THE EAST, and THE FAR NORTH. The former two are home to the driving (player-controlled) realms of this setting. The latter two are "colonial regions" with relatively little in the way of large, organized polities aside from one or two kingdoms.
THE SOUTH refers to the continent partly visible in the map of THE NORTH. It is considered the "birthplace of civilization" by many and holds some of the world's densest, most populous societies. The continent is overwhelmingly human, though a large population of Sylphs dominates a mountainous section of the coast.
The GRAND SURVAEK EMPIRE (demonym: Survaekom) was a massive empire that ruled the entire SOUTH. The empire was founded by Raegar Khaitis - a warrior-prophet who converted to the religion of Aedak, which originated in the central MESSARA region. He became the driving force behind its rapid expansion and founded the Empire on Aedakom principles. His heirs up until the last Emperor were each known as SWORD OF AED, tasked with defending the faithful.
AEDAK (Demonym: Aedakom) is the monotheistic state religion of the empire, whose god is AED. Its key concepts are the three values of Duty (doing your job), Mastery (doing it well), and Dignity (respecting others' work). It is administered by the VAEKIRATE, a religious hierarchy headed by the VAEKIR, who rules from the Holy city of MESSARA, the founding place of Aedak. The Vaekirate's duty is to encourage correct doctrine and provide spiritual guidance.
The GRAND SURVAEK EMPIRE and the VAEKIRATE invaded and conquered the bulk of the northern continent, defeating all who opposed them. Major Northern powers defeated were the EMPIRE OF ESHARA in the East and Center, and the CROWNED REPUBLIC OF LUCENTE on the Southern Shores.
The Empire instituted the NORTHERN CONTRACT. Under the contract, northern nations were allowed to rule themselves, but were required to change their state religion to Aedek, swear fealty to the Empire and Vaekirate, and pay tribute. Eshara, Lucente, and other large nations were abolished and divided into smaller nations to limit Northern vassals' power.
The empire ruled the north for roughly 40 years. Some nations did well under imperial rule, but others resented being ruled by foreigners or being forced to abandon their native religion.
In the FIFTEEN YEARS WAR several nations of the north rebelled against the empire with the blessing/support of the Vaekirate. The empire of Survaek had superior technology and armies, but was hampered by mass unrest and attrition.
Rebels: Firetooth Clan, Sefti-Cerdigonian Commonwealth, Kingdom of Navaren, Kingdom of Berranda
Loyalists: Ikegami Clan, Kingdom of Elon, Jotun Clan, Protectorate of Juturna
Ultimately, the Grand Survaek Empire lost. The strain of waging war in the north and discontent over the emperor's behavior caused SURVAEK to fracture into several nations: Byrnia, Raethon, the Vaekirate polities of Messara and Feymoure, and a vestigial Khaitis Empire. MESSARA was also strained and must hand off its responsibilities in the North to local clergy and lords.
The North was free. Some kingdoms went back to their traditional ways, others adopted southern customs, and most did some of both. In this time, many AEDAKOM HERESIES were cemented, variants of the faith unwilling to remain under Vaekirate jurisdiction. The post-war period also saw a limited re-birth of ESHARAN PAGANISM, seeking to unite various pagans under the temple system of the old Esharan Empire.
New invaders arrived during and after the war from other lands, displaced locals, and settled in the North. Most notable among them were the Gospodars, the Sacrye, and the Baemir. The Gospodars eventually integrated the local Beg Gurihm dwarves into their new kingdom and converted to Aedak. The Sacrye and Baemir held a tenuous alliance for some time, fighting the Firetooth and other orcs for territory, but eventually turned on one another.
After a decade of peace, a wave of EXPLORATION began in the North. Capable seafarers, some Northerns and others Southerners under Northern patronage, mapped routes first to the WEST, then to the FAR NORTH, and finally to the EAST.
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Post by zurajai on May 31, 2017 19:44:32 GMT
A Gathering Storm:
- 850 YP: The Northern Continent has once again been split by conflict, continuing the chaos of the collapse of the Survaek Empire. Independent nations long since under the heel of Emperor and Vaekirate now embrace local religions that have long since been suppressed. Meanwhile, hardline factions within the Northern Aedak Orthodox Church come to power, placing Karmozijn Kerk at odds with the liberal Vaekir in the South. The Northern Church now openly calls for a holy war to crush the pagans.
Stirred by territorial ambitions and using the oppression of faithful Aedak as a rallying cry, the Holy League comprised of the Firetooth, Sefti-Ceridognian Commonwealth, and Kingdom of Berranda, prepares for war. The opposition of the Northern priesthood means that the Vaekir cannot stop the conflict without threatening a schism within the Holy Vaekirate itself. The pagans and the new independent nations that refuse to return to the fold of mother church move to guard their newfound freedoms. A showdown looms in the North, far bloodier than the Empire’s collapse.
The Great Northern War:
-- 855 – 865 YP: The Great Northern War: The North, a powderkeg waiting for a spark, finally explodes into conflict. The Great Northern War will pit the Holy League against not only the pagan nations of Elon, Hessnya, Gospodors, and Vinaya, but against the orthodox nation of New Byrnis. The Great Northern War will be remembered for its great battles on the open plains, the brutal Sack of Dovwyn, and the clash of fleets on the high seas. Thousands will die outside the gates of New Byrnis, while heroes of Ages past such as Ikegami Naozumi and King Francisco Rodrigo will fall and pass into legend.
An Unstable Peace:
-- 865 YP: The Great War has largely reached a stalemate. Both New Byrnis, Berranda, and Commonwealth are largely in debt, with many thousands of lives lost. Elon has been ravaged in the West, with the Royal government slowly returning and regaining power amongst the fractured lords. The Ikegami with the death of Naozumi are beset by their own internal struggles as the young Sayoko takes power and the Gospodars consider their honor avenged for the raids on their territory. The Jotun and Vinayans remained locked in battle over the Jotun Isles but the coin for Vinaya’s mercenaries has long since run out, leading to a mass exodus of troops assaulting Voltheim. The powers reach a fragile armistice agreement, largely ending conflict in the North on a massive scale. Sporadic skirmishes will continue for years.
The Collapse:
- 866 YP: The aging Gudrik the Blood Dancer leaves Voltheim at the head of a large fleet of raiders, tradesmen, and settlers for the Far North. Gudrik will never return to the Jotun Isles but the last decade of his life will be the most legendary portion of the Blood Dancer's Saga as it opens the Far North for Jotun colonization.
-- 868 YP: After a cruel winter, the original expedition composed of 2000 settlers has dwindled down to little more than half. The first Jotun trading colony of Skalmhold is established though it is clear that this new Jotun settlement has been built on the bones of a far older civilization.
-- 867 YP: The Frontier War between the Union of Haiho-Ausvinthus and Gurd in the Far North remains locked in stalemate, strange reports of a mass migration of begin to reach the Southern nations. Trade caravans bring reports that the Gurdish heartland has been invaded by a Great Horde known as the Vaigayars beginning the Second Almur Invasion.
-- 868 YP: The Holy League becomes defunct as relations between the Commonwealth and Firetooth deteriorate over war debt repayments. With the war's end, its purpose of rallying the Orthodox nations together is largely spent as each nation moves to pursue its own ambitions that often run counter to one another.
-- 870 YP: The Vaigayars declare their own Kezurdom after capturing territory belonging to the Thrum and Gurd and leaving large swathes of each nation reeling.
-- 873 YP: Frustrated in its attempts to conquer the Jotun Isles, Vinaya turns its attention to its more immediate neighbors. Hessnya, long since reliant on Vinayan support is formally annexed when the King of Hessnya dies with his heir, married to a daughter of one of Vinaya's great houses, seceding to pressure from the Republic. Months later the Vinayan Navy anchor at Juturnapolis along the coast and intentions of forming a union between the two Republics of Vinaya and Juturna spark an invasion by the Elonese in defense of their own interests in the nation.
-- 875 YP: The Kingdom of Baemir is invaded by its former Sacryan allies, two long years of fighting end with much of the population dead or enslaved. Thousands more flee into the Wastes or across the frontier into 'Orcland'. Sacrye annexes Baemir, absorbing more and more territory in the Wastelands.
-- 878 YP: After a brief siege of Juturnopolis, it becomes apparent that Elon does not have the military means to seize the city. The Vinayan's, with its vast navy are easily able to keep the city and garrison resupplied. Instead, the Elonese turn their attention to the countryside where Elonese priests have converted large portions of the peasentry. The Republic of Juturna becomes split between the two regional powers who, incapable of further fighting, agree to a peace treaty resulting in Vinaya claiming the Juturnan coast and Elon annexing all Juturnan inland settlements.
-- 880 YP: The Commonwealth invades its Northern Frontier under the pretext of protecting the indigenous Sylph population. The remnants of the Thrum and Gurd are far too weak to resist, leading to an end to Goblin and Dwarven control of these areas. Further campaigns by the Union of Haiho and Vaigayars ensure that by 884, as centralized states, Thrum and Gurd cease to exist.
-- 885 YP: The War for the Granite Crown begins pitting the Kezur of the Vaigayars and Godspodors against one another for control of the Almur.
-- 888 YP: The Sefti Cerdigonian Commonwealth and the Kingdom of Berranda enter a personal union, under the banner of the Holy Empire of Eshara. The ancient Empire, once a symbol of paganism, is reforged with Orthodox Aedak binding its subjects together. In reality however, the unification seals the alliance of the two powers that has been in place for decades.
-- 890 YP: The Elonese begin their first expeditions to the newly discovered Western Islands, many Elonese, still economically devastated from the war, sign on for the new colony. Port Chello is established in 892, though like the Jotun, many of the colonists find it difficult to survive in the New World. Surrounded by hostile natives and suffering from an acute lack of land to cultivate, the colony teeters on the edge of collapse for three years until a second expedition brings much needed supplies and troops to secure the colony.
The Present:
-- 900 YP: The Holy Empire of Eshara sits at the height of its territorial zenith. Yet new outside threats on its borders and internal struggles highlight the difficulty of maintaining such a vast empire. The Jotun and Elonese look to expand to the New World, the Almur have consolidated under the Gospodors, and the Ikegami under its young Daimyo Sayoko look to the Far North for future territorial expansion. New Byrnis has become a commercial and trading powerhouse by reaffirming its links with the South. In the West, the Firetooth have gained supremacy over the Orc tribes though it cannot be said for certain that its yoke will remain forever. In turn, the threat from the Kingdom of Sacrye on its frontier grows everyday as it is driven by its priests to resume its bloody war of sacrifical devotion. The Republic of Vinaya stands isolated as one of the few remaining pagan nations on the Northern continent, though with its massive Navy and elite mercenaries, it too will look to the New World in the fight to save souls, wealth, and new lands.
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Post by zurajai on May 31, 2017 19:45:58 GMT
In the Land of the Setting Sun
Far from the gaze of Emperors and Vaekirs, the Land of the Setting Sun remains a mystery. This "Far West", just beyond the reach of even the Survaekom Empire at its height and split from the rest of the Northern Continent by impenetrable mountains and once-wild hordes, stands as an awe-inspiring new world to the inhabitants of the "North". But to its natives, as numerous and plentiful as their far-afield eastern brethren, the Land of the Setting Sun is as it always has been. Just as the "North" and the "South", the "West" has a deep and convoluted history all its own with crowns and kings and killers all the same. Even as Raegar read the Aedaknam, in the far west people loved, lost, and warred all the same as the peoples in the known world.
An Age before Sunlight
-- 1000~ BP: (Before the Prophet) In the ancient past of the Western subcontinent, history progressed as it had anywhere else; the stone gave way to metal as the bow gave way to the plow. Numerous and nameless are the kingdoms and empires that rose and fell to dust in days long lost and of them, not even memories remain. What matters to historians is what was not there; no great religion held sway, no great empire stood the test of time, and nothing worth remembering remains. So it is that the West is, from beyond this point, Tabula Rasa; blank slate. For those nations that have come since, the past did not matter and the future was unwritten.
The Rise of Dydor
-- 300~ BP: Stained into the slate of Western History, and potentially one of the oldest yet remembered piece of history, is the near legendary rise of the Dydorist faith. A cornerstone of Western religious history, Dydorism stands as the oldest organized faith group in the west. Founded by western human of now unknown name and origin with numerous and often conflicting myths filling in the gaps, Dydorism worships the single deific entity Dydor as the central, entirely good being of the universe. It is believed that Dydor, as the central entity of the universe, is the font from which all life spawns and to which all life shall return to upon death. Though starting in the center of the continent, along the banks of the inland Yanitro Sea, Dydorism would eventually spread to the four winds, stopped only by ocean, mountains, or endless wastes.
The Temporary Empire
-- 98 BP: Only several centuries after the founding of the Dydorist faith a modestly sized polity underneath the influential Yanitra Tahno, known at the time as Yana, rose to prominence at the forefront of Dydorist expansion. Tahno, more famously known by his honorific "Yanitra", stood as a proud supporter of the expanding Dydorist faith and famously persecuted and destroyed the giant tribes famed for their piracy of the inland sea. His aggressive stance towards the "devilish races", said to be naturally evil beings by more hardcore Dydorist teachings, led to consistent support by the burgeoning Dydorist clergy and the peasantry under their sway. With the religious elite of this new proselytizing religion backing him, Yanitra Tahno was able to conquer vast tracks of land and actively incorporate them into his new empire.
-- 93 BP: Scant years after reaching the zenith of its imperial reach, Yanitra Tahno's dydorist Yana Empire collapsed due to a number of external and internal stimuli. Tahno's death, alongside significant kickback from non-human races being added to the list of potential devilish races, led to numerous regional rebellions against Yana rule and the creation of multiple successor states. Though broken, Yanitra Tahno's vast empire left its mark; Dydorism had been cemented as the official regional religion for many polities left in the empire's wake, even among those who had rebelled. For this collapse, the Yana Empire is more frequently remembered by multiple names; translations into regional languages amounting to the title "The Temporary Empire".
Mages Enslaved
-- 80 BP: Among the primary tenants of Dydorism is the accepting of several immutable truths, most notably the nature of evil in its form of the devilish races and the draining of the soul caused by using magic. Though some extreme variants of the religion would eventually come to see these as entirely unacceptable within the realm of Dydor, many converts at the time struggled to so harshly condemn their fellow sapient beings with such ferocity. Despite these misgivings, common Dydorist teachings were very clear on the matter; magic was dangerous and innately spawned from evil in the universe. As such, it was under Yanitra Tahno's Yana Empire that a policy of enslaving mages came into practice; if evil could not be destroyed, it would be put to work for the betterment of those good peoples in the world. This new caste, actively enslaved from pagan witches or raised from youth under strict control, lived to serve their Dydorist masters and were taught a form of Dydorism that preached self loathing and eternal servitude to makeup for their sinful ways.
The Colossi
-- 10 BP ~ 20 YP (Year of the Prophet): From the western coast came raiders like nothing seen since the fall of the Temporary Empire, reavers of unimaginable size and ferocity. No doubt similar in heritage to the giants that Yanitra Tahno had struck down during his early conquests, these giants sailed in ships capable of riding up rivers as if they were but the open sea. Though unable to gain a serious foothold in and around the inland seas of the western continent due to numerous warm-water navies left over by Tahno's Empire building, the coast lines of the west were free for plundering. Known as Colossi to their prey and Daitya in their own tongue, these bestial monstrosities were famed for the bony protrusions on their heads and braided hair. This near-demonic description, as well as their long history of raiding, has left a bitter resentment in the hearts of all Dydorist for these pagan conquerors.
A Western Aedak
-- 73 YP: Even as the West grew with its own history, lands far afield were ripe with historical growth. In the South, the tribal leader of the Khaitis had unified his continent at the head of a faith of his own. His empire, known to the world as the Grand Empire of Survaek, brought Aedak to the rest of his continent by force of will and of arms in equal measure. Even as he went about reforging the lands he had conquered, priests and missionaries of all manner left the southern continents to lands yet unknown with desire to spread their faith to all corners of the globe. Among these was a young Byrnian Tovenaar, well before the time when the Vaekirate held tight leash upon their mage-elite, who traveled to the Far West in search of a flock to teach the word of Aed. What she found astonished her; mages, the gifted people granted great powers by Aed to help and do good, were left in shackles. This led to the first clash between Dydorism and Aedak, two religions who preached two vastly different and opposed views on magic. Through passionate oratory and fiery demeanor, the young Tovenaar brought about numerous rebellions among the slave-mage populations and others who felt oppressed by the lash of Dydorist masters.
-- 81 YP: From these rebellions came about the first Mage-States, following a form of Aedak that would eventually become unique to them in the far west. These Mage-States were initially one, directed by the Tovenaar from the south using Aedak teachings. One of the primary intentions of these nation-states was not to directly oppose the Dydorist policies, but instead follow a policy of benevolent separatism. It was only after the Dydorists refused to back down that the Mage-States formed into true nations seeking protection against their foes. After her death, the faith expanded and coalesced into a near caste system placing mages in a position of authority and duty in service and defense of the people. These Mage-States would develop a life of their own, at odds with the Dydorist polities sprawling the continent yet distinctly changed from the Aedak first brought to them.
The Darkening of Dydor
-- 100 YP: Referred to by many liberal Dydorist theologists as the Darkening, this period in history represented the response by the Dydorist faith to the successful Aedak-influenced mage rebellions. In accordance with rising fears held by many of the religious elite and propagated by them within their constituent populations, many forms of Dydorism began to suffer from increasing social conservatism. This came mostly in the form of tightening restrictions on mages and ever increasing hatred of the devilish races; where once Dydorists would be willing to deal with such creatures for the betterment of themselves, now many Dydorist communities threw them out entirely. It is from this time that the most conservative of Dydorist philosophies developed, some even going so far as to ban magic altogether and name humanity the only non-devilish race.
The March of Giants
-- 400~ YP: Many centuries after the collapse of the Almuric Empire in the Far North, several bands and small hordes of Almur found their way to the West. These horned giants, famed for their mastery of flame in all its forms and the ivory-like stone they become upon death, marched across the continent in search of their nameless god and a new home for their people. It was from these giants that the mystery of blackpowder found its way to the West where crowds were awed by fireworks and armies were decimated by belching flame. These times remain mostly legendary, as the Almuric colonization of the West remained primarily a failure, but it is from these lost travelers that many wonders came to the west and for that they are remembered in numerous myths and folktales.
The Return of Pagans
-- 500~ YP: Despite the meteoric and nigh implacable rise of Dydorism and Western Aedak, Pagans eventually began to again regain their positions of power. Much like the north before the coming of Aedak, the West had once been teaming with numerous pagan religions and local faiths that defined the theological landscape of the continent. For several centuries the might of these ancient faiths waned, drained by the waxing influence of Dydorism and its lesser foe. However, during a period of economic and social turmoil in many of the Dydorist states, pagan faiths made a comeback throughout the west. Though disorganized at the time, these faiths have been able to reach a period of enlightenment, regaining much of their lost territory and influence within their own nations and formally carving their own borders on the western continent.
Invasion of the Winds
-- 560~ YP: Not longer after the resurgence of Western paganism, the West was struck by an invasion the likes of which it had never seen. As it was all around the world, sylphan warriors poured forth from magical rifts opened by Dydor knows who from Dydor knows where. These savage invaders looked similar to the elves that had already occupied the continent but with insectoid wings and an affinity for wind magic their entire race bore. In tandem, these abilities allowed them to terrorize the west in flights of thousands, spreading like locusts to establish their own dominions. Just as they had done in the East and the South, these invaders created numerous petty kingdoms with few that would stand the test of time. Most notable from their exploits was their official demarcation as one of the devilish races, and perhaps the most deadly in recent memory.
A Door to the East
-- 825~ YP: The long thought impenetrable vastness of the orcish wastes, once teaming with vast hosts of barbarian orcs, had become silent in recent years. It was said by traders from Kaersch and other eastern nations that the Orcish furies had seemingly lost their fire or had otherwise found targets somewhere off to the East. Little did they know that a power was rising among the greenskin clans, the Firetooth uniting their people and crushing all resistance posed by their barbaric brethren. United underneath the banner of a foreign faith, these orcs turned from savagery to modernism and quickly discovered the value of trade. This new avenue of trade now opened left the world reeling as goods and wonders from either side of the divide were beginning to make their way across.
The Fall of Baemir
-- 845 YP: Far to the West, where few had dared to tread in ages past, the Kaerschan colony of Baemir had reached the end of its life. Heavily strained by aggressive neighbors and a consistently well organized and considerably well armed Orcish foe, the nation collapsed. The few survivors of the far off realm returned to Kaersch beaten and broken but not without treasures aplenty. Centuries ago the Almur had brought blackpowder to the west, as well as simple firearms, but with the return of Baemiran colonists the advances discovered by the East were brought with them. It is from these colonists that the invention of matchlock muskets and cannons were attained by the West. Since, numerous alterations and innovations have brought the technology reasonably forward, though not to the same degree as their western counterparts.
Beneath the Shadow of Crimson Sails
-- 850 YP - 940 YP (Present Day): As new land routes opened it seemed inevitable that the seas would rife with ships from far off lands. It was Elonese and Vinayan ships that first made contact with the West, both nations probing for lands to spread their influence and make a pretty penny while doing so. Soon to follow were vessels from the nations of the South, following in the footsteps of the northern pathfinders while simultaneously spreading the word of Aed. Among the most ardent arrivals were agents of the Vaekirate, having heard tale from merchants of Aedakom even so far as the Land of the Setting Sun. As of yet the lasting nature of relationships between western and eastern powers has yet to be determined but it can be said that whatever they may be, the actions of today will define the age of tomorrow.
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