===== The End of History ===== Two hundred years ago a magical catastrophe struck the people of Djemity and annihilated their history. In a single instant the libraries of the Teklo were emptied, the maps and charts of the Aquienos vanished and the ornate tapestries of the Sylphim unravelled. Worse still was the effect upon the people of that time, for the knowledge of history itself was ripped from their heads. Many were left dazed and confused from the loss, but the truly afflicted were the loremasters and teachers. Bereft of their wisdom many were left as childlike simpletons whilst others became dangerously insane. Since that time the peoples of Djemity have struggled to rebuild their past from what few clues remain scattered about the lands. Sometimes fragmented writings are found hidden in ancient tombs, or blasted into the landscape of isolated areas, far from any habitation. Occasionally artists find themselves struck by a strange inspiration to create works based on a history they no longer know. For most people the loss of their history has only increased the importance of their traditions. They are a link to a past that will hopefully one day be rediscovered; a connection to ancestors whose names have been stripped from all memory. ===== The Hazy Past ===== Since the End of History, scholars have been able to piece together patchy information on some ancient history. These are partially guesswork and disagreement exists between and within the races as to their accuracy. ***More than 500 years ago:** There was a colossal war. Huge numbers of tombs seem to date to this time, and the murals occasionally found intact within depict scenes of anarchic battle between all the races. ***~250 years ago:** The [[the enemy|Arkhivians]] were exiled from Djemity. Some great crime against the other races united them and together they drove the Arkhivians out to the [[geography#the ice waste|Northern Wastelands]]. ===== After The End ===== ***200 years ago:** The then Kirlsa king re-establishes his credentials by besting all-comers and then reopens diplomatic relations via some light raiding of his neighbours. *The Becquerel, isolated as they are within the [[geography#seraphol forest|Seraphol Forest]], were soon all but forgotten by the other races. Occasional forays into the woods by adventurous diplomats were rarely successful and eventually it was assumed that they had likely died out. ***190 years ago:** Over a decade of study the races have mostly rediscovered their old crafting methods: how to make steel, shipbuilding techniques, the mathematics of architecture, etc. ***185 years ago:** A wandering shepherd stumbles upon fragments of a Teklo rune slate mentioning the exile of the Arkhivians to the Ice Wastes. *Attempts are made to locate the Arkhivians in the hopes that they might not have suffered from the End, and would maintain a complete record of history. However only their deserted settlements are found, and reluctantly it is agreed that their race must have succumbed to the cold. ***170 years ago:** Tensions rise between the Sylphim and Kirlsa when a band of 'scholars' are discovered looting artifacts from an ancient king's tomb. Such incidents become relatively common over the next couple of centuries. ***120 years ago:** Teklo miners delve too deep and breech the halls of Arn, the Mountain King. The [[beasts#spirits|spirit]] is enraged and lays a terrible curse upon the miners and their descendants. The mineshaft is collapsed and warded against further intrusion. ***100 years ago:** Bloody war breaks out between the Teklo and Sylphim, each claiming to be wronged by the other. The conflict ends only after the total destruction of the [[places of interest#fallen parabai|Isle of Parabai]] followed by the sealing of the [[places of interest#the lost polis of raksan|Polis of Raksan]]. ***70 years ago:** The venerable Kirlsa Guardian Numa goes mad, and sets her bound creatures loose upon a diplomatic gathering. A cross-race party of warriors briefly forms to defeat her. ***50 years ago:** Members of the Aquienos Explorer Fleet rediscover the [[geography#the beast wall|Beast Wall]], an impassable barrier of giant monsters far out in the Eastern Ocean. ***20 years ago:** The [[beasts#great wryms|great wyrm]] Hrundag unleashes his spawn upon the Seraphol forest. Kirlsa beast hunters are surprised to meet Becquerel scouts as they put down the invasion. The wyrm himself escapes. Contact with the Becquerel is restored to a limited degree. ***10 years ago:** A huge tidal wave slams into the eastern shore of Djemity. The Fleets are badly damaged and the east-most edge of the Seraphol forest floods into a treacherous swamp. ***5 years ago:** The explorer ship 'Lapanda' is lost navigating the northern ice. A search is launched but no trace of the ship is ever found. ===== Recent Happenings ===== ***1 year ago:** The Sylphim crown Empress Aysa IV. * A star falls from the Hrangh constellation. It is retrieved by the Aquienos, split up and given to some ships in the Explorer Fleet. Ships with a piece of the star are able to travel much faster, greatly cutting the time it takes to travel to places such as the Beast Wall, making it a matter of weeks rather than months. ***10 months ago:** The Caste of Emissaries is formed by the Becquerel - more of them venture beyond the Seraphol, but those in contact with other races number only in the dozens. Some are said to speak of a Becquerel prophecy regarding a great Enemy. ***9 months ago:** A bloody civil war breaks out amongst the Teklo as Warden-General Chent Fra Kat rises against the Senate. ***6 months ago:** Contact with the Aquienos' northern islands is lost. Individual ships despatched to investigate do not return, including the //Fuzuvia//. The War Fleet begins to mobilise. *The Senate's Legions crush the last of the Teklo rebels. ***5 months ago:** A small band of adventurers returns from the North reporting the movement of a great army of the Arkhivians. Sorties by the War Fleet are met by harrying attacks from smaller enemy vessels but are unable to chase them down. The Aquienos begin diplomatic overtures to the other races. ***4 months ago:** Following a great storm a large war galley of foreign design is found broken upon Djemity's northern shores. No sign of its occupants are found. *Teklo scholars discover an ancient treaty binding the races to unified action in the event of the Arkhivian's return. ***3 months ago:** The leadership of each of the races agrees to abide by the treaty and preparations begin to go to war. ***1 month ago:** The Kirlsa King falls ill following the annual games. Rumours of poisoning abound. ***1 week ago:** A United Expeditionary Force under the joint command of the Teklo General Maan Fra Grest and the Kirlsa Warleader Asad is dispatched to drive the Arkhivians back onto the ice wastes. *Construction is completed on the [[Citadel]] and a call goes out for those Heroes of the land who have not yet left to attend a council of war.