Post by cerdigon on May 21, 2017 18:00:39 GMT
HISTORY OF THE NORTH
Before the Conquest
Before the Southern Invasion, the North was home to several powerful realms. Most prominent among them was the human-elven Esharan Empire, whose influence was felt throughout the entire continent, and whose inclusive brand of polytheism facilitated a whole network of connections among Northern pagans. Also notable were the Crowned Republic of Lucente, a human realm in the South that dominated coastal trade; and the elven Sefti Kingdom in the Northeast.
Many calamities struck the continent in the 700s, the century that would see the Southern Invasion. The first Sylphs in the North arrived in great masses early in the century, settling uncomfortably close to the Sefti Kingdom. A tense peace brokered through royal marriage was broken when the Sylph lord Cadoc pressed the rights of his son to inherit the Sefti throne. The resulting civil war creating the kingdom of Cerdigon, and the two kingdoms entered what seemed to be a perpetual conflict.
In Lucente, another influx was occurring, of the Southern Shore Goblins. Though not politically unified or overtly hostile, the clannish newcomers quickly crowded into the historically human territory. They founded their own villages, towns, and even cities that existed in an uneasy state with their "refined" Lucentian neighbors. Banditry and piracy rose sharply, and the famed Crowned Republic began to lose the wealth of commerce that defined it.
Finally, the great Eshara itself was under pressure. Between the great Red and Tumble Way Rivers, the once scattered bands and settlements of dwarves joined together as the Sultanate of Beg Guhrim. Though much smaller than its Imperial neighbor, the realm was well-entrenched in the foothills and mountain edges. More importantly, the dwarves showed an unexpected knack for diplomacy and intrigue, and their constant schemes withered Imperial authority along its Northwestern edges. And to the South, a second Sylvan Invasion saw many imperial holdings lost to the newly-founded Kingdom of Navaren.
The Great Conquest
and the Northern Contract
772, Year of the Prophet. Missionaries from the Grand Survaek Empire made their first mass conversion, bringing the light of Aed the petty king of Elias and his subjects. Nominally a vassal of the Esharan Emperor, he provoked the suspicion of his overlord, who sent an army and a fleet as "garrisons" to ensure there was no rebellion on its way. The move unintentionally provoked a civil war between the Aedakom King and his pagan generals.
The Grand Survaek Emperor, heeding his duty as Sword of Aed, sent a war-fleet with an army to relieve his brother-in-faith. Under murky circumstances the fleet under Grand Admiral Selman Reyid made battle with an Esharan fleet and utterly destroys it. Thus began the Great Northern Conquest.
Over the course of over a decade, the Grand Survaek Empire and the Holy Messarom Vaekirate subjugated a vast territory. Rather than attempt to govern it directly, the reigning Emperor Yvor Khaitis established the Northern Contract, organizing his immense new territory into over a dozen relatively small vassal-states. The new vassal-lords were all made to pledge their loyalty to Survaek and Aed, renouncing any past fealties and old religions. They committed to pay taxes and raise banners as the Empire required, and to abide by the decrees of the Messarom Vaekir.
Some of these vassal states were new inventions made by cutting up the old empires of Eshara and Lucente: The Eastern "Loo-Can-Tee" Republic was granted to the Southern Shore Goblins, and in the West the Crowned Republic of Juturna was placed under a minor noble Lucentian family. However, most vassal-lords were of existing ruling dynasties reigning over more or less their traditional lands. All existed under the supervision of the network of Imperial Forts across the region, whose center was the Southern-settled city of New Byrnis (formed from the old Kingdom of Elias).
At the same time, the Vaekirate formalized and expanded its Northern branch, known as the Crimson Tome. It established dozens of Kerks, fortified missions across the region tasked with converting the population and enforcing orthodoxy, centered on the massive Karmozijin Kerk on the Eastern bank of the Ryn River.
In 799 YP, Emperor Yvor Khaitis passed away. After a two-year regency under Empress Nayani Daru, his only son Vokoryn II took the throne. Despite some controversial conflicts with the Vaekir, his first seventeen years of rule would see general stability across both the Southern and Northern Empires. During this time, Aedak took root across much of the North, and the old gods began to be pushed to the margins of popular worship.
An Account of Many Significant Events from 816-822, Years of the Prophet
816 YP The Jotun conduct several raids against the dwarves of Beg Guhrim. Imperial officials over look the raids after taking a share of the spoils as back taxes.
816-817 YP War of Sefti Succession: King Cadoc of Cerdigon sends poisoners to the Sefti Capital causing the deaths of King Jotheim and Prince Jolinar. Queen Athinea declares war on Cerdigon, setting off a succession crisis. Queen Athinea capitulates after a short but brutal period of fighting. She gives the Sefti throne to her half-Sylph son Aeron in exchange for Cadoc surrendering to imperial judgement for the assassinations.
817 YP The Sultanate of Beg Guhrim falls into total disarray, and several pagan warlords take power. The newly-united Sefti-Cerdigonian Commonwealth, with the help of the Crowned Republic of Juturna and the blessing of the Vaekirate, moves to restore order in the name of Aed. Shortly afterwards, the Ikegami Clan does the same with the tacit support of the Imperial Vizier. After a short but bloody campaign, the dwarven-lands are split between the Commonwealth and the Ikegami. The city of Mog Bhelnom, the Sultanate's old capital, is placed under join control of the Empire, the Vaekirate, and the Commonwealth.
818-821 YP War of the Wastes: The Empire concerned by rumblings in the west declare open war on the orcs of the wastes, offering bounties on warbands and settlements. The Jotun send a expediton almost immediately under the command of Thane Gudrik along with imperial observers. The campaign is initially sucessful but later runs afoul when the giants consume poisoned supplies from Elon. This will later lead to the scandal of the Tree of St. Oleo.
In mid 820 The wastelanders invade with a massive army. They win the Battle of Gasvan's Ford against a combined Firetooth-Elonese army, clearing their way to lay seige to Thundercrown. There, they are untterly destroyed by a grand northern relief army. This will be the first and only time all the great kingdoms of the north take the field on the same side.
At the end of the war the Jotun launch a suprise raid on the Capital of Navaren, one of the only two northern kingdoms not to send troops to fight the wastelanders. This causes tension amongst the northern lords as each take sides before an imperial hearing.
819 YP The Grand Tournament: In the lull between the Jotun raid in the Wastes and the Wastelander invasion, Vizier of the North Ishui Seldu organizes a grand tournament which all northern vassals attend. Many monarchs and retainers prove their valor in the field during three weeks of events. Feasts are held intermittently, one of which ends in a general brawl among contestants.
Autumn 820 YP Scandal of the Tree of St Oleo: The poisoning of supplies sent to the giants was eventually attributed to the Elonese lord Elymilak Sarvo. Demanding blood, Thane Gudrik convinces King Azlyn to allow him to duel the aging nobleman. The giant's victory is swift, but he spends minutes afterwards nailing his dying opponent to the Tree of St Oleo, sacred site and relic of Elonese Aedak. Gudrik's honor is forever stained, and relations between the Elonese and the Jotun dip to an all-time low. A year later, a Vaekirate Tovenaar (mage) removes the nails and heals the tree.
Winter 820 YP Winter Solstice Festival: The Firetooth Clan sends out invitations to celebrate the Winter Solstice in its capital of Thundercrown. The festival is well-attended but not especially memorable.
Spring 821 YP Death of Vizier Ishui Seldu: After forty years of administering Imperial law in the North, Vizier Ishui Seldu dies. His funeral is attended by all the northern vassals, the Emperor himself, and the Vaekir himself. After the funeral, the vassals elect a new Vizier, the esteemed merchant-lady Adjuran Sujjid.
Summer 821 YP Wedding of Gudrik and Lagertha: After some negotiations between the Vaekirate and the Jotun, Thane Gudrik the Blood Dancer is married to the Tovenaar-Akur (Vaekirate battle mage) Lagertha Titanhand, daughter of the famous Tovenaar-Akur Haakon Titanhand.
Autumn 821 YP Firetooth-Wolfwyrd War of Aggression: Seeking to solidify their control of their mountain borders, the Firetooth stage a surprise attack against Wolfwyrd settlers. The ensuing Battle of Itziar is the only confrontation of the war. Firetooth militia led by the self-exiled Southerner Tavian Azir face off against outnumbered Wolfwyrd professionals. The battle is a Firetooth victory, expelling the Wolfwyrd from their traditional territorial claims, but comes at a high cost in life. The war is halted shortly thereafter by a ceasefire order from the Vaekirate.
Spring-Summer 822 YP King Casomir's War: Early in the year, finding fault with his long neglect to fund any temple construction in his realm, the Vaekirate excommunicates King Casomir of Hessnya. In response, the King declares open war against the Vaekirate. Vizier of the North Adjuran Sujjid attempts to intercede in behalf of the rogue imperial vassal, but Chief Priest Staas of the Crimson Tome refuses to consider anything short of Casomir's unconditional surrender. The Vizier submits to the Vaekirate decree and renounces the Empire's pledge of protection to the King of Hessnya.
A great Vaekirate army is raised and organized under Haakon Titanhand, and the Firetooth Clan organizes its own army in support of Aedak. In order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, Imperial General Ishui Jaou captures Wyvern's Landing without firing a shot using the Surv-Akur Garrison in the city. Furthermore, the vast majority of Hessnyan members of the elite Northern Imperial Husaria defect and ride to New Byrnis, in accordance with the Vizier's decree. King Casomir is left with a small force of professionals and a modest army of levies to defend himself, and he holes up with them in Keir's Climb.
The first casualty of the war is Chief Garlog Whiteshot of the Firetooth Clan, who is stabbed through the lung by a "surrendering" Hessnyan outpost commander. He survives but is permanently disabled. When the combined Firetooth-Vaekirate army surrounds and besieges Keir's Climb, King Casomir negotiates a truce. He disbands his levies, dismisses his professional troops, and surrenders himself to the Vaekirate. However, a pagan war magus and acolytes the King had turned to in desperation refuse to leave the castle, and it takes several days of bombardment and battle to dislodge them.
Autumn 822 YP Wasteland Conversion Council: In the wake of the victory in the Great War of the Wastes, the Crimson Tome calls a council to discuss efforts to convert the wastelanders. The Firetooth Clan hosts the council in Thundercrown at the recently-completed Cathedral of Erasmus. Elonese, Wolfwyrd, Commonwealth, and Ikegami delegates also attend. The council ends with the decree of a great mission to the Wastes, which meets with great success among the border clans.
An Account of the Fifteen Years' War
Provokation: 823-825 YP
– In the North: Restrictive coronation agreements for newly-converted Wastelanders joining the Northern Empire, limiting their territory to "rational borders." Refusal to recognize certain claims and even some conversions in order to justify settlement by Southern migrants.
– In the South: Unilateral act redeeming the Cult of Raegar, a heretical branch of Aedak now referred to as Raegar-Aedak. Seizure of Vaekirate Colleges in Survaek using the Surv-Akur, then transforming them into Imperial Academies. Appropriating tithes/donations as well as special Vaekirate treasuries “for the Sword of Aed,” i.e. to pay for the expenses of the bureaucracy and the military.
– Generally: Seizure of scattered Vaekirate holdings throughout the Empire, North and South. Refusal to comply with direct decrees from the Vaekir. Actions justified by principle of “imperial pre-eminence,” which claims Emperor as Heir of Raegar has final say in such decisions above and over the Vaekirate.
Outset: 825-826 YP
– First hostilities in the North. Firetooth army confronts Survaekom settlers in the Southern Wastelands, forcing them to flee Eastward. Vaekirate openly praises the Firetooth and condemns the settlers.
– Survaekom counter-attack: Settlers incorporated into Kazan Tribe and mobilized for war. Elon called into war, along with the full Imperial Northern Husaria. With the support of Surv-Vyaez ships and marines, the army beats back Firetooth-Wastelander forces.
– Crimson Tome declares war on the Northern Empire in the name of protecting the Northern faithful, in particular the Wasteland converts. Chief Priest Staas organizes grand army under command of Haakon Titanhand, which rallies at Karmozijin Kerk. Furthermore, scattered Vaekirate zealots and some Guard units skirmish with Surv-Akur forces over seized Vaekirate holdings. Street fights in cities with Surv-Akur garrisons become common.
– Firetooth along with Commonwealth, Navaren, and Wolfwyrd declare open rebellion against the Empire. Ikegami, Elon, and Jotun rally to the Empire's defense.
– The Central and Northern Ryn and the nearby plains quickly become filled with raids and skirmishes. The Kazan and Elonese frontier forces clash frequently with Firetooth, Wastelanders, and Wolfwyrd.
– First major military confrontations between Vaekirate and Empire take place in Hessnya, which is quickly rendered defunct as a kingdom and essentially split in half between the warring factions. The area devolves into a "no-man's land" as several Hessnyan war-bands and petty lords contest the presence of both factions, and neither the Empire nor the Vaekirate considers the area crucial enough to devote a true campaign to it. They hold onto major settlements while Hessnyan pagan forces control much of the countryside.
A War of Great Battles: 826-829
- Violence breaks out along the mountain border between the Ikegami and the Commonwealth. Atrocities are committed on both sides as local forces and militia groups raid and slaughter settlements along the border.
- A Surv-Akur army under General Ishui Gvardiu lands on the coast of Navaren and marches inland, swiftly crushing all resistance and capturing the capital before help can arrive.
- After months of warfare the Surv-Akur gain a major victory against the rebels in the West at the Battle of the Silver Hills.
- Karmozijin Kerk is placed under Siege by a Surv-Akur Army under General Nel Hjarkin, supported by Elonese levy infantry.
- With support from a fleet of Survaekom river Galiots, the main Elonese army under King Azlyn and a second Surv-Akur force push the rebels north along the Ryn. By Fall the army threatens to enter the Firetooth heartland and besiege Thundercrown.
- The Firetooth intentionally destroy the Thunder Dam, causing the Ryn to flood violently and burst its banks. The river Galiots are destroyed, and large quantities of Surv-Akur supplies, cannons and equipment are swept away.
- The Surv-Akur army is forced to spike and abandon their guns in a hasty retreat. They march south along the River Road in the middle of winter with few supplies and a Firetooth army on their heels. By the time they reach the safety of Dovwyn more than half the army has deserted or died. Kazan-Elonese cavalry rearguard actions prevent worse damage, at the cost of taking heavy casualties themselves.
- A combined Firetooth-Wolfwyrd army marches south in the spring to relieve Karmozijin Kerk. In the ensuing battle, pro-Vaekirate forces defeat the Hjarkin's army but with heavy casualties. They decide not to attempt a siege of Dovwyn.
- General Ishui Gvardiu, Daimyo Ikegami Naozumi, and Jarl Tholarg Wolfkin of Jotun mount a three-pronged invasion of the Sefti-Cerdigonian Commonwealth. With heavy support from the fleet of Grand Admiral Selman Reyid and the raiders of Thane Gudrik, Surv-Akur and Jotun swiftly capture the city of Thesus, traditional capital of the Sefti Kingdom. Meanwhile, the Ikegami confront and defeat the forces of the Commonwealth in the bloody Battle of the Guhrim Plains.
- Ikegami Naozumi's army and General Ishui's army both march on the Cerdigonian capital of Morgraig, but a timely Firetooth offensive threatening Kegosu forces the Ikegami forces to turn around. The Imperial Army is harried by sylvan raids and ambushes, slowing their march, while the Jarl Tholarg's army is isolated and ambushed at the edges of the Great Forest. The Jotun retreat hastily, and soon the Surv-Akur force is alone. General Ishui Gvardiu, whose scouts report several Commonwealth armies converging on his forces, decides to fall back to Thesus and regroup.
A War of Attrition: 829-836
- The nomadic settlers of Survaek organize themselves into a great horde under the command of High Chief Olog Garuy Kazan. They along with Elonese rangers under Sir Bronsyn stage raids on villages, outposts, and caravans throughout the great steppe covering Firetooth and Wolfwyrd territory. This draws away some of the Wolfwyrd-Firetooth forces around Karmozijin Kerk, who move to secure river crossings and border settlements.
- General Nel Hjarkin receives significant reinforcements from the South and the Protectorate of Juturna, and with King Azlyn's army once again crosses the Ryn after defeating a Firetooth-Wolfwyrd army. He besieges Karmozijin Kerk. The siege will be the longest of the war, lasting four years from 830-834.
- Anti-Imperial riots break out across Juturna with the departure of most of the Imperial garrison.
- King Aeron surprises the Imperial Army on the road to road to Mograig and utterly defeats them at the Battle of Gervish's Folly.
- After the defeat at Karmozijin Kerk, the combined Wolfwyrd-Firetooth army marches east and attacks the exposed Ikegami hinterland, quickly capturing Kegosu. The Ikegami army invading the Commonwealth is forced to return home to face the threat.
-As the Second Siege of Karmozijin Kerk drags on General Hjarkin slays the Tovenaar-Akur Lagertha Haakonsdottir when he repels a Vaekirate sally. When Thane Gudrick learns of the death of his wife he leads a suprise attack on the besiegers' lines under the guise of delivering supplies. The attack is devestating, allowing the Vaekirate forces to successfuy sally against the disrupted Imperial and Elonese forces. The siege is broken, and the remains of the attacking army retreat to Dovwyn. But, much withered from the long siege, the defenders do not have enough forces to pursue. When the Emperor demands Gudrick's head from Jarl Tholarg he is refused and the Jotun go into rebellion.
- Indiscriminate raiding by the Kazan Horde draws Chief Olog Garuy into conflict with additional Wasteland Orc bands, who rally under the Stonefoot Clan to fight back. Kazan raiding is essentially neutralized as the conflict with the wastelanders consumes the majority of their attention. Chief Olog Garuy Kazan is grievously wounded in battle near the end of 836, and he dies before the new year.
836-838: The Empire Crumbles
- Concerned with the protracted war draining their population and resources, the Great Houses of Byrnis declare Byrnia's secession from the Grand Survaek Empire in allegiance to the Messarom Vaekirate. The Raethonite gentry soon follows suit, and nearly half of the Southern Empire is in open revolt. With open war between the Emperor and the Vaekir in the Survaekom homeland, droves of troops in the North defect, desert, or go rogue. Those remaining loyal to the Emperor are almost all called South.
- The Northern Vaekirate likewise strains under the pressure of the sudden war in the South. Droves of Hierschaarom are called away and transported South with the help of Byrnian naval support. Over time Tovenaar and other officials follow, and the kerks are reduced to skeleton crews. As Southerners leave, the functions and responsibilities of the Northern Vaekirate are rapidly transfered to native Northerners' hands.
- With the weight of supporting the Imperial cause in the North weighing far more heavily on their shoulders, and seeing that the Northern Empire's demise is on its way, New Byrnis and the Protectorate of Juturna renounce their loyalty to Emperor Vokoryn II Khaitis.
- Ishui Gvardiu and the Juturna Corps, the last intact Surv-Akur army, leave Thesus and march Southwest. They reinforce the city of Mog Bhelnom, still held by a skeleton imperial garrison and mostly deserted. The General declares an independent free city, begins collecting taxes from surrounding dwarven villages, and establishes relations with New Byrnis.
- The Ikegami Clan, the Kingdom of Elon, and the Protectorate of Lucente along with scattered remnants of the Surv-Akur end their offensives and commit everything they have to defending their territory. The Protectorate of Lucente soon collapses when the resident goblins rise in revolt, deposing and murdering the governor.
- A Firetooth-Wolfwyrd army along with the remainder of the Northern Vaekirate Guard under Haakon Titanhand defeats King Azlyn's badly-ountumbered army at a river crossing, granting the allies clear passage to Dovwyn. Under intense pressure from the hereto relatively secure gentry of the capital, Azlyn negotiates peace with the attackers. He reluctantly agrees to renounce his pledge to the Emperor through a two-stage process. First the Southern Shores surrender under Queen Chello, and after two weeks of internal negotiation Azlyn convinces the frontier lords to renounce Imperial loyalty as well. The Kingdom of Elon does not go on to fight the Ikegami, instead becoming the first Northern realm to end its participation in the war altogether.
- The Kazan Clan, under Olog's heir Yslan, abandons its oath to King Azlyn on the pretext of loyalty to the Empire, although it does not break the peace established with the rebels. He rallies the other settler clans, army deserters, opportunists, and orc villages forced into vassalage to form the independent Kazan Khanate.
- The Ikegami Clan fights on for an entire year as the sole remaining vassal loyal to the Empire. Ikegami Naozumi is trapped in his besieged capital for months, but he does not surrender until his population is racked by an epidemic. This mostly ends the war in the North.
838-841: The Long End of the War
- Several Imperial Forts, some officially loyal to the Emperor and others turned into their own petty fiefdoms, stubbornly hold out against the Northern powers. Tired from twelve years of fighting, attempts to retake these forts are half-hearted. The forts eventually succumb to attrition, and those that remain intact are looted and destroyed by their own dwindling garrisons.
- New invaders seem to converge on the North all at once, threatening many recently-liberated realms. To the North of Cerdigon, the sylph warlord Cadfael Tanglemane wrests several settlements from King Aeron's grasp with a massive force of mercenaries and opportunists.
- From the Far North comes the Gospodar Horde of Almur, but it makes little impact descending through the mountains until it hits the Free City of Mog Bhelnom. Over the course of three years, the Gospodars fight Grand Mayor Ishui Gvardiu, the Juturna Corps, and dwarven defenders. They win the epic Siege of Mog Bhelnom in 841, crush the Juturna Corps, and execute Mayor Ishui.
- A second wasteland horde, under the Ironskull Clan, hits the Northwestern Aedakom orcs. They defeat dozens of clans, and only the combined efforts of the three greatest Aedakom clans stop their advance. Unphased, the Ironskull establish a settled kingdom bordering their adversaries.
A Gathering Storm:
- 850 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: The Vaigayars declare their own Kezurdom after capturing territory belonging to the Thrum and Gurd and leaving large swathes of each nation reeling.
-- 873 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: The War for the Granite Crown begins pitting the Kezur of the Vaigayars and Godspodors against one another for control of the Almur.
-- 888 AYP: 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 AYP: The Elonese begin their first expeditions to the newly discovered Western Islands, many Elonese, still economically devastated from the war,becoming the first to establish ties and new trade routes.
The Present:
-- 900 AYP: 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.
Before the Conquest
Before the Southern Invasion, the North was home to several powerful realms. Most prominent among them was the human-elven Esharan Empire, whose influence was felt throughout the entire continent, and whose inclusive brand of polytheism facilitated a whole network of connections among Northern pagans. Also notable were the Crowned Republic of Lucente, a human realm in the South that dominated coastal trade; and the elven Sefti Kingdom in the Northeast.
Many calamities struck the continent in the 700s, the century that would see the Southern Invasion. The first Sylphs in the North arrived in great masses early in the century, settling uncomfortably close to the Sefti Kingdom. A tense peace brokered through royal marriage was broken when the Sylph lord Cadoc pressed the rights of his son to inherit the Sefti throne. The resulting civil war creating the kingdom of Cerdigon, and the two kingdoms entered what seemed to be a perpetual conflict.
In Lucente, another influx was occurring, of the Southern Shore Goblins. Though not politically unified or overtly hostile, the clannish newcomers quickly crowded into the historically human territory. They founded their own villages, towns, and even cities that existed in an uneasy state with their "refined" Lucentian neighbors. Banditry and piracy rose sharply, and the famed Crowned Republic began to lose the wealth of commerce that defined it.
Finally, the great Eshara itself was under pressure. Between the great Red and Tumble Way Rivers, the once scattered bands and settlements of dwarves joined together as the Sultanate of Beg Guhrim. Though much smaller than its Imperial neighbor, the realm was well-entrenched in the foothills and mountain edges. More importantly, the dwarves showed an unexpected knack for diplomacy and intrigue, and their constant schemes withered Imperial authority along its Northwestern edges. And to the South, a second Sylvan Invasion saw many imperial holdings lost to the newly-founded Kingdom of Navaren.
The Great Conquest
and the Northern Contract
772, Year of the Prophet. Missionaries from the Grand Survaek Empire made their first mass conversion, bringing the light of Aed the petty king of Elias and his subjects. Nominally a vassal of the Esharan Emperor, he provoked the suspicion of his overlord, who sent an army and a fleet as "garrisons" to ensure there was no rebellion on its way. The move unintentionally provoked a civil war between the Aedakom King and his pagan generals.
The Grand Survaek Emperor, heeding his duty as Sword of Aed, sent a war-fleet with an army to relieve his brother-in-faith. Under murky circumstances the fleet under Grand Admiral Selman Reyid made battle with an Esharan fleet and utterly destroys it. Thus began the Great Northern Conquest.
Over the course of over a decade, the Grand Survaek Empire and the Holy Messarom Vaekirate subjugated a vast territory. Rather than attempt to govern it directly, the reigning Emperor Yvor Khaitis established the Northern Contract, organizing his immense new territory into over a dozen relatively small vassal-states. The new vassal-lords were all made to pledge their loyalty to Survaek and Aed, renouncing any past fealties and old religions. They committed to pay taxes and raise banners as the Empire required, and to abide by the decrees of the Messarom Vaekir.
Some of these vassal states were new inventions made by cutting up the old empires of Eshara and Lucente: The Eastern "Loo-Can-Tee" Republic was granted to the Southern Shore Goblins, and in the West the Crowned Republic of Juturna was placed under a minor noble Lucentian family. However, most vassal-lords were of existing ruling dynasties reigning over more or less their traditional lands. All existed under the supervision of the network of Imperial Forts across the region, whose center was the Southern-settled city of New Byrnis (formed from the old Kingdom of Elias).
At the same time, the Vaekirate formalized and expanded its Northern branch, known as the Crimson Tome. It established dozens of Kerks, fortified missions across the region tasked with converting the population and enforcing orthodoxy, centered on the massive Karmozijin Kerk on the Eastern bank of the Ryn River.
In 799 YP, Emperor Yvor Khaitis passed away. After a two-year regency under Empress Nayani Daru, his only son Vokoryn II took the throne. Despite some controversial conflicts with the Vaekir, his first seventeen years of rule would see general stability across both the Southern and Northern Empires. During this time, Aedak took root across much of the North, and the old gods began to be pushed to the margins of popular worship.
An Account of Many Significant Events from 816-822, Years of the Prophet
816 YP The Jotun conduct several raids against the dwarves of Beg Guhrim. Imperial officials over look the raids after taking a share of the spoils as back taxes.
816-817 YP War of Sefti Succession: King Cadoc of Cerdigon sends poisoners to the Sefti Capital causing the deaths of King Jotheim and Prince Jolinar. Queen Athinea declares war on Cerdigon, setting off a succession crisis. Queen Athinea capitulates after a short but brutal period of fighting. She gives the Sefti throne to her half-Sylph son Aeron in exchange for Cadoc surrendering to imperial judgement for the assassinations.
817 YP The Sultanate of Beg Guhrim falls into total disarray, and several pagan warlords take power. The newly-united Sefti-Cerdigonian Commonwealth, with the help of the Crowned Republic of Juturna and the blessing of the Vaekirate, moves to restore order in the name of Aed. Shortly afterwards, the Ikegami Clan does the same with the tacit support of the Imperial Vizier. After a short but bloody campaign, the dwarven-lands are split between the Commonwealth and the Ikegami. The city of Mog Bhelnom, the Sultanate's old capital, is placed under join control of the Empire, the Vaekirate, and the Commonwealth.
818-821 YP War of the Wastes: The Empire concerned by rumblings in the west declare open war on the orcs of the wastes, offering bounties on warbands and settlements. The Jotun send a expediton almost immediately under the command of Thane Gudrik along with imperial observers. The campaign is initially sucessful but later runs afoul when the giants consume poisoned supplies from Elon. This will later lead to the scandal of the Tree of St. Oleo.
In mid 820 The wastelanders invade with a massive army. They win the Battle of Gasvan's Ford against a combined Firetooth-Elonese army, clearing their way to lay seige to Thundercrown. There, they are untterly destroyed by a grand northern relief army. This will be the first and only time all the great kingdoms of the north take the field on the same side.
At the end of the war the Jotun launch a suprise raid on the Capital of Navaren, one of the only two northern kingdoms not to send troops to fight the wastelanders. This causes tension amongst the northern lords as each take sides before an imperial hearing.
819 YP The Grand Tournament: In the lull between the Jotun raid in the Wastes and the Wastelander invasion, Vizier of the North Ishui Seldu organizes a grand tournament which all northern vassals attend. Many monarchs and retainers prove their valor in the field during three weeks of events. Feasts are held intermittently, one of which ends in a general brawl among contestants.
Autumn 820 YP Scandal of the Tree of St Oleo: The poisoning of supplies sent to the giants was eventually attributed to the Elonese lord Elymilak Sarvo. Demanding blood, Thane Gudrik convinces King Azlyn to allow him to duel the aging nobleman. The giant's victory is swift, but he spends minutes afterwards nailing his dying opponent to the Tree of St Oleo, sacred site and relic of Elonese Aedak. Gudrik's honor is forever stained, and relations between the Elonese and the Jotun dip to an all-time low. A year later, a Vaekirate Tovenaar (mage) removes the nails and heals the tree.
Winter 820 YP Winter Solstice Festival: The Firetooth Clan sends out invitations to celebrate the Winter Solstice in its capital of Thundercrown. The festival is well-attended but not especially memorable.
Spring 821 YP Death of Vizier Ishui Seldu: After forty years of administering Imperial law in the North, Vizier Ishui Seldu dies. His funeral is attended by all the northern vassals, the Emperor himself, and the Vaekir himself. After the funeral, the vassals elect a new Vizier, the esteemed merchant-lady Adjuran Sujjid.
Summer 821 YP Wedding of Gudrik and Lagertha: After some negotiations between the Vaekirate and the Jotun, Thane Gudrik the Blood Dancer is married to the Tovenaar-Akur (Vaekirate battle mage) Lagertha Titanhand, daughter of the famous Tovenaar-Akur Haakon Titanhand.
Autumn 821 YP Firetooth-Wolfwyrd War of Aggression: Seeking to solidify their control of their mountain borders, the Firetooth stage a surprise attack against Wolfwyrd settlers. The ensuing Battle of Itziar is the only confrontation of the war. Firetooth militia led by the self-exiled Southerner Tavian Azir face off against outnumbered Wolfwyrd professionals. The battle is a Firetooth victory, expelling the Wolfwyrd from their traditional territorial claims, but comes at a high cost in life. The war is halted shortly thereafter by a ceasefire order from the Vaekirate.
Spring-Summer 822 YP King Casomir's War: Early in the year, finding fault with his long neglect to fund any temple construction in his realm, the Vaekirate excommunicates King Casomir of Hessnya. In response, the King declares open war against the Vaekirate. Vizier of the North Adjuran Sujjid attempts to intercede in behalf of the rogue imperial vassal, but Chief Priest Staas of the Crimson Tome refuses to consider anything short of Casomir's unconditional surrender. The Vizier submits to the Vaekirate decree and renounces the Empire's pledge of protection to the King of Hessnya.
A great Vaekirate army is raised and organized under Haakon Titanhand, and the Firetooth Clan organizes its own army in support of Aedak. In order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, Imperial General Ishui Jaou captures Wyvern's Landing without firing a shot using the Surv-Akur Garrison in the city. Furthermore, the vast majority of Hessnyan members of the elite Northern Imperial Husaria defect and ride to New Byrnis, in accordance with the Vizier's decree. King Casomir is left with a small force of professionals and a modest army of levies to defend himself, and he holes up with them in Keir's Climb.
The first casualty of the war is Chief Garlog Whiteshot of the Firetooth Clan, who is stabbed through the lung by a "surrendering" Hessnyan outpost commander. He survives but is permanently disabled. When the combined Firetooth-Vaekirate army surrounds and besieges Keir's Climb, King Casomir negotiates a truce. He disbands his levies, dismisses his professional troops, and surrenders himself to the Vaekirate. However, a pagan war magus and acolytes the King had turned to in desperation refuse to leave the castle, and it takes several days of bombardment and battle to dislodge them.
Autumn 822 YP Wasteland Conversion Council: In the wake of the victory in the Great War of the Wastes, the Crimson Tome calls a council to discuss efforts to convert the wastelanders. The Firetooth Clan hosts the council in Thundercrown at the recently-completed Cathedral of Erasmus. Elonese, Wolfwyrd, Commonwealth, and Ikegami delegates also attend. The council ends with the decree of a great mission to the Wastes, which meets with great success among the border clans.
An Account of the Fifteen Years' War
Provokation: 823-825 YP
– In the North: Restrictive coronation agreements for newly-converted Wastelanders joining the Northern Empire, limiting their territory to "rational borders." Refusal to recognize certain claims and even some conversions in order to justify settlement by Southern migrants.
– In the South: Unilateral act redeeming the Cult of Raegar, a heretical branch of Aedak now referred to as Raegar-Aedak. Seizure of Vaekirate Colleges in Survaek using the Surv-Akur, then transforming them into Imperial Academies. Appropriating tithes/donations as well as special Vaekirate treasuries “for the Sword of Aed,” i.e. to pay for the expenses of the bureaucracy and the military.
– Generally: Seizure of scattered Vaekirate holdings throughout the Empire, North and South. Refusal to comply with direct decrees from the Vaekir. Actions justified by principle of “imperial pre-eminence,” which claims Emperor as Heir of Raegar has final say in such decisions above and over the Vaekirate.
Outset: 825-826 YP
– First hostilities in the North. Firetooth army confronts Survaekom settlers in the Southern Wastelands, forcing them to flee Eastward. Vaekirate openly praises the Firetooth and condemns the settlers.
– Survaekom counter-attack: Settlers incorporated into Kazan Tribe and mobilized for war. Elon called into war, along with the full Imperial Northern Husaria. With the support of Surv-Vyaez ships and marines, the army beats back Firetooth-Wastelander forces.
– Crimson Tome declares war on the Northern Empire in the name of protecting the Northern faithful, in particular the Wasteland converts. Chief Priest Staas organizes grand army under command of Haakon Titanhand, which rallies at Karmozijin Kerk. Furthermore, scattered Vaekirate zealots and some Guard units skirmish with Surv-Akur forces over seized Vaekirate holdings. Street fights in cities with Surv-Akur garrisons become common.
– Firetooth along with Commonwealth, Navaren, and Wolfwyrd declare open rebellion against the Empire. Ikegami, Elon, and Jotun rally to the Empire's defense.
– The Central and Northern Ryn and the nearby plains quickly become filled with raids and skirmishes. The Kazan and Elonese frontier forces clash frequently with Firetooth, Wastelanders, and Wolfwyrd.
– First major military confrontations between Vaekirate and Empire take place in Hessnya, which is quickly rendered defunct as a kingdom and essentially split in half between the warring factions. The area devolves into a "no-man's land" as several Hessnyan war-bands and petty lords contest the presence of both factions, and neither the Empire nor the Vaekirate considers the area crucial enough to devote a true campaign to it. They hold onto major settlements while Hessnyan pagan forces control much of the countryside.
A War of Great Battles: 826-829
- Violence breaks out along the mountain border between the Ikegami and the Commonwealth. Atrocities are committed on both sides as local forces and militia groups raid and slaughter settlements along the border.
- A Surv-Akur army under General Ishui Gvardiu lands on the coast of Navaren and marches inland, swiftly crushing all resistance and capturing the capital before help can arrive.
- After months of warfare the Surv-Akur gain a major victory against the rebels in the West at the Battle of the Silver Hills.
- Karmozijin Kerk is placed under Siege by a Surv-Akur Army under General Nel Hjarkin, supported by Elonese levy infantry.
- With support from a fleet of Survaekom river Galiots, the main Elonese army under King Azlyn and a second Surv-Akur force push the rebels north along the Ryn. By Fall the army threatens to enter the Firetooth heartland and besiege Thundercrown.
- The Firetooth intentionally destroy the Thunder Dam, causing the Ryn to flood violently and burst its banks. The river Galiots are destroyed, and large quantities of Surv-Akur supplies, cannons and equipment are swept away.
- The Surv-Akur army is forced to spike and abandon their guns in a hasty retreat. They march south along the River Road in the middle of winter with few supplies and a Firetooth army on their heels. By the time they reach the safety of Dovwyn more than half the army has deserted or died. Kazan-Elonese cavalry rearguard actions prevent worse damage, at the cost of taking heavy casualties themselves.
- A combined Firetooth-Wolfwyrd army marches south in the spring to relieve Karmozijin Kerk. In the ensuing battle, pro-Vaekirate forces defeat the Hjarkin's army but with heavy casualties. They decide not to attempt a siege of Dovwyn.
- General Ishui Gvardiu, Daimyo Ikegami Naozumi, and Jarl Tholarg Wolfkin of Jotun mount a three-pronged invasion of the Sefti-Cerdigonian Commonwealth. With heavy support from the fleet of Grand Admiral Selman Reyid and the raiders of Thane Gudrik, Surv-Akur and Jotun swiftly capture the city of Thesus, traditional capital of the Sefti Kingdom. Meanwhile, the Ikegami confront and defeat the forces of the Commonwealth in the bloody Battle of the Guhrim Plains.
- Ikegami Naozumi's army and General Ishui's army both march on the Cerdigonian capital of Morgraig, but a timely Firetooth offensive threatening Kegosu forces the Ikegami forces to turn around. The Imperial Army is harried by sylvan raids and ambushes, slowing their march, while the Jarl Tholarg's army is isolated and ambushed at the edges of the Great Forest. The Jotun retreat hastily, and soon the Surv-Akur force is alone. General Ishui Gvardiu, whose scouts report several Commonwealth armies converging on his forces, decides to fall back to Thesus and regroup.
A War of Attrition: 829-836
- The nomadic settlers of Survaek organize themselves into a great horde under the command of High Chief Olog Garuy Kazan. They along with Elonese rangers under Sir Bronsyn stage raids on villages, outposts, and caravans throughout the great steppe covering Firetooth and Wolfwyrd territory. This draws away some of the Wolfwyrd-Firetooth forces around Karmozijin Kerk, who move to secure river crossings and border settlements.
- General Nel Hjarkin receives significant reinforcements from the South and the Protectorate of Juturna, and with King Azlyn's army once again crosses the Ryn after defeating a Firetooth-Wolfwyrd army. He besieges Karmozijin Kerk. The siege will be the longest of the war, lasting four years from 830-834.
- Anti-Imperial riots break out across Juturna with the departure of most of the Imperial garrison.
- King Aeron surprises the Imperial Army on the road to road to Mograig and utterly defeats them at the Battle of Gervish's Folly.
- After the defeat at Karmozijin Kerk, the combined Wolfwyrd-Firetooth army marches east and attacks the exposed Ikegami hinterland, quickly capturing Kegosu. The Ikegami army invading the Commonwealth is forced to return home to face the threat.
-As the Second Siege of Karmozijin Kerk drags on General Hjarkin slays the Tovenaar-Akur Lagertha Haakonsdottir when he repels a Vaekirate sally. When Thane Gudrick learns of the death of his wife he leads a suprise attack on the besiegers' lines under the guise of delivering supplies. The attack is devestating, allowing the Vaekirate forces to successfuy sally against the disrupted Imperial and Elonese forces. The siege is broken, and the remains of the attacking army retreat to Dovwyn. But, much withered from the long siege, the defenders do not have enough forces to pursue. When the Emperor demands Gudrick's head from Jarl Tholarg he is refused and the Jotun go into rebellion.
- Indiscriminate raiding by the Kazan Horde draws Chief Olog Garuy into conflict with additional Wasteland Orc bands, who rally under the Stonefoot Clan to fight back. Kazan raiding is essentially neutralized as the conflict with the wastelanders consumes the majority of their attention. Chief Olog Garuy Kazan is grievously wounded in battle near the end of 836, and he dies before the new year.
836-838: The Empire Crumbles
- Concerned with the protracted war draining their population and resources, the Great Houses of Byrnis declare Byrnia's secession from the Grand Survaek Empire in allegiance to the Messarom Vaekirate. The Raethonite gentry soon follows suit, and nearly half of the Southern Empire is in open revolt. With open war between the Emperor and the Vaekir in the Survaekom homeland, droves of troops in the North defect, desert, or go rogue. Those remaining loyal to the Emperor are almost all called South.
- The Northern Vaekirate likewise strains under the pressure of the sudden war in the South. Droves of Hierschaarom are called away and transported South with the help of Byrnian naval support. Over time Tovenaar and other officials follow, and the kerks are reduced to skeleton crews. As Southerners leave, the functions and responsibilities of the Northern Vaekirate are rapidly transfered to native Northerners' hands.
- With the weight of supporting the Imperial cause in the North weighing far more heavily on their shoulders, and seeing that the Northern Empire's demise is on its way, New Byrnis and the Protectorate of Juturna renounce their loyalty to Emperor Vokoryn II Khaitis.
- Ishui Gvardiu and the Juturna Corps, the last intact Surv-Akur army, leave Thesus and march Southwest. They reinforce the city of Mog Bhelnom, still held by a skeleton imperial garrison and mostly deserted. The General declares an independent free city, begins collecting taxes from surrounding dwarven villages, and establishes relations with New Byrnis.
- The Ikegami Clan, the Kingdom of Elon, and the Protectorate of Lucente along with scattered remnants of the Surv-Akur end their offensives and commit everything they have to defending their territory. The Protectorate of Lucente soon collapses when the resident goblins rise in revolt, deposing and murdering the governor.
- A Firetooth-Wolfwyrd army along with the remainder of the Northern Vaekirate Guard under Haakon Titanhand defeats King Azlyn's badly-ountumbered army at a river crossing, granting the allies clear passage to Dovwyn. Under intense pressure from the hereto relatively secure gentry of the capital, Azlyn negotiates peace with the attackers. He reluctantly agrees to renounce his pledge to the Emperor through a two-stage process. First the Southern Shores surrender under Queen Chello, and after two weeks of internal negotiation Azlyn convinces the frontier lords to renounce Imperial loyalty as well. The Kingdom of Elon does not go on to fight the Ikegami, instead becoming the first Northern realm to end its participation in the war altogether.
- The Kazan Clan, under Olog's heir Yslan, abandons its oath to King Azlyn on the pretext of loyalty to the Empire, although it does not break the peace established with the rebels. He rallies the other settler clans, army deserters, opportunists, and orc villages forced into vassalage to form the independent Kazan Khanate.
- The Ikegami Clan fights on for an entire year as the sole remaining vassal loyal to the Empire. Ikegami Naozumi is trapped in his besieged capital for months, but he does not surrender until his population is racked by an epidemic. This mostly ends the war in the North.
838-841: The Long End of the War
- Several Imperial Forts, some officially loyal to the Emperor and others turned into their own petty fiefdoms, stubbornly hold out against the Northern powers. Tired from twelve years of fighting, attempts to retake these forts are half-hearted. The forts eventually succumb to attrition, and those that remain intact are looted and destroyed by their own dwindling garrisons.
- New invaders seem to converge on the North all at once, threatening many recently-liberated realms. To the North of Cerdigon, the sylph warlord Cadfael Tanglemane wrests several settlements from King Aeron's grasp with a massive force of mercenaries and opportunists.
- From the Far North comes the Gospodar Horde of Almur, but it makes little impact descending through the mountains until it hits the Free City of Mog Bhelnom. Over the course of three years, the Gospodars fight Grand Mayor Ishui Gvardiu, the Juturna Corps, and dwarven defenders. They win the epic Siege of Mog Bhelnom in 841, crush the Juturna Corps, and execute Mayor Ishui.
- A second wasteland horde, under the Ironskull Clan, hits the Northwestern Aedakom orcs. They defeat dozens of clans, and only the combined efforts of the three greatest Aedakom clans stop their advance. Unphased, the Ironskull establish a settled kingdom bordering their adversaries.
A Gathering Storm:
- 850 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: The Vaigayars declare their own Kezurdom after capturing territory belonging to the Thrum and Gurd and leaving large swathes of each nation reeling.
-- 873 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: 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 AYP: The War for the Granite Crown begins pitting the Kezur of the Vaigayars and Godspodors against one another for control of the Almur.
-- 888 AYP: 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 AYP: The Elonese begin their first expeditions to the newly discovered Western Islands, many Elonese, still economically devastated from the war,becoming the first to establish ties and new trade routes.
The Present:
-- 900 AYP: 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.
