...with the emergence of the Promethean Plague, came the dawn of the Ancient Era, otherwise known as the Miracle of Progress, that saw a multitude of races - who once competed with the Prometheans, or were otherwise enslaved - taking on their own forms at an astonishing rate.

During the Age of the Promethean, the known world had been vastly impacted by the triumphal rise of the Promethean race. Their warlike nature, wedded with their knack for innovation and their ability to integrate the technology of other cultures through slavery, had allowed them to establish the earliest known Empire. For centuries, they cultivated bronze, built large cities, invented a series of written languages and even engaged in advanced seafaring practices.

However, by the Dawn of the Ancient Era, the Promethean Plague had laid waste to this once vast Empire. The plague itself was mysterious in nature, only targeting the species' female population, and carried with it a 90% fatality rate. Their population tumbled, and with it, their territory and international influence. The Prometheans were ultimately defeated by nature, as opposed to the rebellions of their former slave-states, and over the span of a hundred years, they retreated to their ancestral heartlands.

In a mere century, the world's rulers had become vulnerable to every foreign entity, and the stage for their extinction was set. It was only a matter of time though, in thanks to the Promethean Plague - rather than the weapons of foreigners - that they would be driven from the world, one way or the other.

Without the brutal rule of the Prometheans to either threaten or suppress them, various races across the continent exploded into an age of rapid progress - known as the Ancient Era - that saw their territorial, technological and cultural bounds reach new heights in a relatively short time span.

A new world order was arising, but only time would tell who would come out as the new Prometheans, and who would join them in their eternal slumber.

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The Ancient Era covers the initial rise of our nations, from former slave states and single-city communities who lived under direct or indirect competition with the Prometheans, to fully functioning nations.

Now that the Prometheans have been dealt a near-fatal blow from mother nature, a power vacuum has been left on the continent. For the first time in centuries, former slave-states and the free cities are free to enrich themselves in an era where their every move isn't threatened by the titanic might of a foreign power.

Some of these entities have only just emerged from a Stone Age, others are well encroached in a Bronze Age - and few have begun to enter an Iron Age.

This first Evolution Phase takes us from our nations' meagre beginnings, into the Late Ancient Era - a time where iron is being used enmass, where mathematics have established a firm foothold, where religion has either risen to extreme heights or been cast down, where giant galleys have started to prowl the seas, and where agricultural revolutions have allowed for greater productivity.

Things Specifically Disallowed During This Age:

• Colonisation (Stick to the circle)
• Wide-spread use of gunpowder
• Wide-spread use of anything tougher than iron.
• Significant worldly inventions that occurred after 400 A.D

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No turn order in play, due to amount of players and time concerns.

1. Frengo - Complete
2. neogreggory - Complete
3. Sigma - Complete
4. ClocktowerEchos - Complete
5. TheSovereignGrave - Complete
6. ZB1996
7. Shorticus - Complete
8. Epicberet
9. SavOrhchid - Complete

After the Prometheans withdrew themselves from the Uthein mountains, our peoples were suddenly greeted with independence - an eery concept, that for generations, they knew little about. Initial infighting took place in the city of Uthein, between various factions that sought to take advantage of their period of administrative chaos, though little is known about the scale of casualties incurred by this brief conflict. All that is known, is that Henrik Stonehammer, patriarch of the Stonehammer Clan, asserted himself as supreme ruler of our peoples.

However, his reign was brief, and by 3 A.E, he had been disposed by a popular revolt. In his place, the Council Under the Mountain was established, which for its part, was a semi-democratic body of elderly yet prominent Dwarves. With the Council, came the entrenched belief that the oldest and wisest amongst Dwarf-folk, should lead the infant nation in all matters.

The first obstacle for the Council to overcome? A chronic shortage of food, that was crippling Uthein and causing widespread dissent. Denied the grasslands by their Promethean neighbours, our folk were being starved of the opportunity to set up large-scale agricultural operations, that many other species at the time enjoyed. A series of trade pacts were established with the Prometheans; food for stone, and similar agreements, but these were usually short lived affairs and often one sided in favour of the Prometheans.

By 10 A.E, the Council decided on a military mission south, to claim some grasslands from the Prometheans. Whilst initially successful, this endevour ended in disaster; Uthein's citizen-soldiers were no match for Promethean battle prowess, and the mission resulted in a comprehensive defeat. Were it not for the sorry shape of the Prometheans, Uthein may have fallen in short order.

Decades of hardship followed, as the population of Uthein waxed and waned along with the availability of food. Revolts were common, and at times, the city was divided by the Council and rebel upstarts.

However, by 23 A.E, progress was being made in finding other food stocks - and for these, our folk looked to the mountains. The giant caverns within Mount Uthein were rich with all kinds of fungus-based vegetation, most of which was deathly poisonous, but some of which proved rich in nutrients and fit for eating. Over the course of a decade, Mushroom Farms started to establish themselves, and unleashing vast yields of food into the market.

62 A.E saw further advancements in the cultivation of fungus, and by now, a wide range of varieties existed for consumption. However, for the growing population of Uthein, a diet of mushrooms with a side of rare meat or crop was not enough.

63 A.E saw the Southern Expanse, in which the Council launched a renewed invasion of Promethean lands. This time, they were met with little resistance, and grabbed for themselves a stip of grassland south of Uthein. However, it would not be until 98 A.E that our folk had started to master the cultivation of surface crops well enough to make any noticeable difference to the city's food stocks.

In 87 A.E, Hodgrar Greymane, a young warrior in service to the Council, betrayed his masters. All members of the Council were slaughtered in a military coup, and Hodgrar anointed himself King of the Mountain. Several revolts followed his ascension, and a series of civil wars were fought until finally, his enemies lay in piles of gore.

With the increase in food production by 98 A.E, public opinion changed for Hodgrar, and his reign stabilised as the last of the revolts fizzled out.

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Cultural: No significant cultural changes were measured at this time.

Technological: Advanced Fungus Cultivation, and Early Agricultural Developments.

Military: 10 A.E saw an invasion of Promethea, with the aim of establishing arable land. However, the Dwarves were crushed.

63 A.E Saw a second invasion with the same aims, however this time the Prometheans no longer had the strength to resist.

87 A.E Hodgrar Greymane massacred the Council Under the Mountain, and anointed himself King of Uthein, which resulted in a series of civil wars until the arable land of the Promethean conquest began to yield food - which eased tensions.

Government Changes:

Hodgrar Greymane disbanded the Council Under the Mountain in 87 A.E, and has remained King up to 100 A.E.

Territorial Expansion:

With the Prometheans gone, we Kobolds were aimless, without purpose or meaning. Most of us returned to digging, slowly clearing the collapsed tunnels. Some of our kin left, without masters they decided to journey southward. It was not until the coming of Mata that we found purpose.
In the year of 12 A.E a single young Kobold asked why we were still digging, still doing the work of dead masters? It was with this question that Mata cemented her rule, her wise, rebellious words driving our kind forwards.

Mata, through the power of her voice, her questions, forged our people into a sharp pick, with which to carve out our destiny! However, all was not well. With our people guided, with them all living as one rather than as many, we found that our food was low. Queen Mata, as she was called then, decided that our old ways of eating what we found, of hunting whatever meat ran across our feet. We would grow plants, as the old masters did. We would gather parties to hunt prey, as the old masters did.

It did not begin well, as our people, as Kobolds have never grown food before, either gathering what we could or being fed by the more merciful of the old masters, the task of planting, of waiting until the food was good before gathering it and eating it was difficult. However we were never hungry, should ever there be lack of food we could eat as we once did, eat the bark of the trees, the soil of the earth.

When the year of 59 A.E came we were strong. We had food, and the tunnels of Scale Home were dug out, space for all Kobolds, and new tunnels being dug. The bodies of the old master's were found, kept on display in the chamber were they were buried in stone so that none would forget their time. However, all was not well in the year. Our great leader, Queen Mata, was dying. Upon her place of final rest she called forth her children. With her thirty children who came Queen Mata choose among them the wisest, and so began the rule of Queen Matia.

The body of the old Queen Mata the Questioner was burned, as is our way, her body used to warm the royal chambers as the new queen took on her role. We were strong, we had a home, and food, but we were also many, and growing. The queen knew in her wisdom that Scale Home would not hold us all forever, and that others like the old masters would come. So she, along with a entourage of two hundred, went south to find lands we could live in and prosper further.

She would be surprised to find Kobolds already in the lands south, living in the hills within huts of earth and mud. They had no ruler, instead living in a council were all the Kobolds made choice. Queen Matia knew that is would be wise to band with these Kobolds, to take them into her rule. They were also strong, for living upon the hills they learned of greater ways to farm, and how to fight. It would seem that when the Kobolds of this village first left the others they went too far south and met the ancient masters, forced to fight and flee. It was during this time that these hill Kobolds began fighting in groups with spears, the advantage of numbers lending to the development of a combat formation dubbed the phalanx.

The Queen Matis, in her wisdom, spoke with the people of hills, learnt of them. With the aid of her entourage she incited a great increase in the number of children within the hills, and in doing so convinced the kobolds of the hills of her reign, and so they joined themselves to the kobolds of Scale Home, and to the Queen. It was then that the village of Great Hill became under the rule of the leader of Scale Home.

Queen Matis the Wise passed in the year 98 A.E, and with her came the rule of Queen Hel. Time will tell of her, though within the two years of her rule thus far, may there be many more, she has proven bold, under her rule she speaks of expanding further, of finding the old master's and proving who the true masters are. Warriors are being assembled, and armies formed.

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Major Events of Scale Home - 1st Century

Cultural: No major cultural advances were made.

Technological: By the end of the first century, intermediate advances in Agricultural developments.

Military: The development of Phalanxes, A build up of military forces in the last two years.

Government Changes: The establishment of the matriarchy.

Territorial Expansion:

Zhodul, once it was one of several symbols of oppression by the hands of the Masters, hairy apes that saw themselves superior to all other lower races. The Fall however, showed the opposite. Once their numbers grew fewer, we rose up in arms and struck them down. We then ate in a Grand Feast, our former masters and "allies" filled our stomachs for many days on end and kept us sated for the time being. But soon we grew hungry once more, both in our appetites and in power. The Warchiefs did not seek to share rule of the city and the lands around, and with that, a new war had begun. The Three Great Tribes, the Ashbringers, the Whitclaws, and the Dragonfangs all stuggle for control of we now call Gurak. The streets run red with blood and the fighting continues to this day. The fighting had forced many smaller tribes to look beyond the city's limits, and o the Great Migration begun.

Grogar tribes had dispersed to all corners, some venturing into the grasslands, others going deeper into the southern jungles, some even going as far as the coast. The next century was one of war after war. Remnant Settlements of the Masters were soon discovered by the grogar, and despite fighting well, were eventually overrun. Former Slave camps and other liberated settlements however stood strong and defiant agianst the hordes, but how long that lasts, time can only tell.



Cultural: No significant cultural changes were made at this time.

Technological: Grogar Tribes have begun forging their own weapons and armor.

Military: Minor Grogar tribes set out to conquer land with mixed results. Several Fortresses and large Encampments have risen over the century. The Three Great Tribes continue their war for the city.

Government Changes: None were made at this time.

Territorial Expansion:

The decline of Promethean society had little impact upon the Yossod highland, for incursions into their mountainous homes had always been turned back by the fierce resistance of their native people. So it was not the plague-born fall of that civilization that ended the First Age, but rather the arrival of a small contingent of several hundred ayels in the small town of Qa-Avnel. The men of Qa-Avnel had had no prior contact with the ayels; none had, for the ayels had hid themselves away from the world for countless millennia. And though the ayels arrived in Qa-Avnel in peace, seeking nothing but a new home, the men of Qa-Avnel responded with hostility and violence. When they looked upon the ayels, in their appearance the men saw monsters and in the metal they wielded and wore the men saw blasphemers who tore apart the Holy Mother of the Earth for their own avarice and greed. And when their warriors attacked the ayels, they realized their first mistake. Though the ayels had come in peace, they came fully prepared for war. Though they were fewer in number and only a small fraction were true warriors, they had arms of bronze and their prodigious strength on their side. The warriors of Qa-Avnel, humans clad in bone and leather, stood little chance against the ayel onslaught and they were killed, their bodies drained of blood by the ayels for sustenance. And having seen the terror of the ayels, the men and women of Qa-Avnel stood aside as the ayels marched through their streets and to the gathering place of their priests and elders who had ordered the destruction of the ayels. The next time the people of Qa-Avnel saw their venerated rulers was when the ayels dumped their bloodless bodies in the center of town.

The next two years were one in which the people of Qa-Avnel lived in terror, for the ayels had barricaded themselves in the center of the town and let it be known whenever the townsfolk displeased or angered. Though in truth it was not out of anger and malice; the ayels' first impression of the race was that of one who understood only violence and so they ruled through violence. The problems were only compounded by the human's utter fear of the ayels and the two races inability to understand one another for not only did the ayels not understand the humans' tongue, they were incapable of speaking it. But this would change thanks to the actions of a young woman named Shala. Shala was kindly, and while she was as afraid of the ayels as anyone she did not blame them for they had been attacked first. And it was an act of kindness, an offering of food brought to the ayels as a gift, that challenged the ayels' previous views of the humans. They allowed Shala into the section of the city they lived in, and over time she came to learn of the ayels and their culture. She was the first human to speak understand and speak the language of the ayels, and over the months she became a bridge between the ayels and the humans.

Finally having a means of communicating with the humans other than violence, many of the ayels grew softer in their rule. Though many of the humans still viewed the people of Qa-Avnel with suspicion and mistrust, there were others who began to look upon them more favourably. But there were events being set in motion that would finally cement tremendous change in Qa-Avnel forever. Over the years small bands of warriors would raid and attack Qa-Avnel though they would be repelled each time, sometimes by ayel warriors and other time by the few human warriors who remained. But now a storm was brewing in the north as a wisened and ambitious priest had declared himself King, and wished to annihilate the ayels in a bid to cement his rule. For the ayels had become the boogeymen of Yossod and Qa-Avnel considered a dark and taboo place. And when news of this reached Qa-Avnel itself, many of the humans were glad for this, as they still viewed the ayels with hatred and mistrust. So when the army arrived Qa-Avnel, they were more than happy to allow the King's army in and tell them all they knew of the ayels. After which they were killed, the army rampaging through Qa-Avnel slaughtering any they found whether they be man or woman, child or elder. For the King had declared the entire city to have been polluted by the ayels and their presence, and proclaimed that when he was through Qa-Avnel would no long stand. Most of the ayels had decided that they had had enough of the humans, and that staying in the city would be too dangerous with an actual army rampaging through the streets. They planned to leave, killing any who attempted to stop them, and find a safer place to live. Shala, however, begged and pleaded for them to stay, but her cries fell on deaf ears. But when masses of people began banging on the gates crying to be let in and saved did the ayels listen. Though the people would later attribute this to the compassion of the ayels, and the ayels themselves never refuted this, in truth the reason the ayels chose to fight was simple: they had made a grave error in not leaving earlier and now chances of them escaping from the city without a fight were slim to none. And so the ayels prepared themselves and armed those humans who were willing to fight as best they could, and opened the gates.

What followed would become the battle which would signal the beginning of the Second Age, the battle for Qa-Avnel. The armies of the so-called King, wrapped in cloth and leather with weapons of stone and bone met the same fate as the warriors of Qa-Avnel years prior. And though this time there were more humans, the ayel had their human allies as well. Though many humans and even ayels suffered a bloody end at the hands of the enemy, the armies of the King were driven from Qa-Avnel. They were driven from Qa-Avnel and beyond, for the ayels pursued them, easily able to keep up with the fleeing humans and butchering them. Those who survived were scattered in all directions and the so-called King was captured and sucked dry, his bloodless corpse delivered back to his home as a warning to those who would stand against the ayels. And so it was that the survivors of Qa-Avnel came to view the ayel in a different light, their power and supposed compassion had convinced those who survived that their saviours were not monsters. And with this came the dawn of the Second Age, in which Qa-Avnel would develop into a regional power. The military might of the surrounding towns had been broken, and so they posed no threat to Qa-Avnel. And under the guidance of the ayels, the people were taught the art of metalworking and began to lose faith in the Earth Goddess whom the King had butchered their people in the name of. Instead the faith and beliefs of the ayels came to dominate the culture of Qa-Avnel.

The first five decades of the Second Age were an era of peace and prosperity for Qa-Avnel; the ayels were feared even more than before by the other men of Yossod and as the restrictions of the previous culture fell away the people of Qa-Avnel developed and adopted technology such as bronzeworking and irrigation. The surrounding area was discovered to be host to impressive deposits of copper, and the need to tin to forge their bronze combined with Qa-Avnel's location on a major river put Qa-Avnel on the route to becoming rich from trade with other peoples. However, there was one major obstacle to this: the other people of Yossod. They still clung to their native beliefs and so were vehemently opposed to Qa-Avnel. And this was the beginning of the First Yossodite Wars. The ayels would not see the fledgling city that protected them be strangled by the humans around it, and though token attempts at negotiation were made eventually it came to war. Though their armies were not large, they had bronze arms and in this time the ayels would still march alongside their human warriors so as to make up for their lack of numbers. The wars were won quickly and easily against the divided settlements of the Yossodites, and the domain of Qa-Avnel expanded to encompass the major trade routes to and from the city, securing its prosperity. In order to cement their rule, they instated individuals loyal to themselves to rule over the captured settlements and prevent rebellion. However, the most loyal humans were often those who were zealous in their faith and the belief of the ayels as the Children of God. And as a result, the ayels' hegemony became a de facto theocracy, ruled over by priests loyal to Qa-Avnel and the ayels.

However, the new lands under their control were nowhere near as loyal to the ayels as Qa-Avnel and civil strife was common. Many steps were taken to improve loyalty such as the banning of the worship of their previous Gods and the importation of people, mostly smiths and traders, from Qa-Avnel to the new cities. But the balance was a tenuous one, with the continuing stability of the state oftentimes coming down to the ayels themselves and their ability to easily butcher any who openly opposed their rule. However, over the decades the newly acquired lands would integrate themselves into the fold more and more as the first generations to live entirely under the rule of Qa-Avnel would become adults. This process was aided by the fact that with the developments brought on by ayel rule they were able to farm more food and were less likely to go hungry.

Then in 104.2, a growing power to the north would threaten the very existence of Qa-Avnel's state. Once more a priest had declared himself King, and moved against Qa-Avnel and the blasphemers there. However, King Shetai had not attempted this as one of his first moves; the King had moved against many of the smaller polities in Yossod and ruled over a land as large as Qa-Avnel's hegemon. The ayels had not made a move against him, as they assumed they would be able to take whatever he threw at them. They had become confident and secure in Qa-Avnel and now rarely left the city, as it was safer within the walls of the growing capital and their main concern was still the survival of their race. And now, they had an entire kingdom of humans to protect them. However, it came as no surprise when Shetai moved against Qa-Avnel and the first several battles ended in victories. The ayels were confident that this struggle would pose no real threat, and so it was a major shock when they received word that one of their armies had been soundly defeated and routed. And while they at first assumed this to be a fluke, they would later be handed a string of defeats at the hands of Shetai and his armies. Worried that these defeats would lead to dissent among some of their more traditional subjects, those who still resented the ayels, they had to make a choice. But in the end Shetai made the choice for them, for though he was a brilliant tactician he suffered greatly from hubris and declared himself the chosen of the Yossodite war God, claiming the ayels were liars and weaklings who sat in their city while their people died for them. And then he made the greatest mistake of all, he dared any of the ayels to prove him wrong.

A month later the army of Shetai met the armies of Qa-Avnel across the river from the growing city. And for the first time in centuries there was an ayel at the head of Qa-Avnel's armies, resplendent in bronze armour. Upon seeing the creature, there was an uproar of laughter from Shetai's forces as he pointed out her thin and noodly physique to his men. But, true to his word, he gave the ayel a chance to prove him wrong and the pair met for a duel in between the two armies. At first it seemed the two were equally matched with each other, with the duel dragging itself. It would become clear, however, that the ayel was merely playing with the King; she dodged our blocked all of Shetai's strikes and made not a single move to attack him. And when she did start striking, she made only slight wounds on the King to mock him. Shetai's armies watched with horror as the ayel played with their King, the chosen of their war god and the end came without warning as the ayel grew bored and ended the battle with a single strike to the King's chest. Then she decapitated him, and held his head aloft for all his men to see.

What followed would be a complete route of King Shetai's forces and the eventual collapse of his Kingdom as numerous forces vied for control. And in the chaos, the remaining armies of Qa-Avnel would march north, conquering the southernmost parts of his kingdom and integrating them into the greater state of Qa-Avnel much as they had done with previously conquered lands. And now 24 years later, in the year 128.2 (100AE), the integration process still continues with the main body of the Qa-Avnel hegemon a beacon of stability in Yossod as the fallout from Shetai's death continues as numerous forces still vie to unite the shattered remnants of his Kingdom. And having learned their lesson with Shetai, the ayels are looking northwards to secure their state against those who would attempt to destroy it. And they have learned that until the Yossodites are integrated fully into the fold, they will never be secure.

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Cultural: The humans of Qa-Avnel have adopted a religion and belief-set more in line with those of the ayels, with them viewing the ayels as the Children of God.
Technological: Development of bronzeworking and early agricultural advancements
Military: 0.2 (2AE) - Ayel and human militia defend Qa-Avnel against early Yossodite King; 104.2 (80AE) King Shetai invades Qa-Avnel hegemon and after a series of defeats has a string of victories against Qa-Avnel, Shetai is then slain in single combat by ayel warrior and his army routes, resulting in Qa-Avnel armies defeating the remnants and seizing the southern portions of his Kingdom
Government: Ayels become the ultimate authority in Qa-Avnel and put loyal humans in charge of new territories. Said humans are often zealous and pious priests, turning the hegemon into a de facto theocracy.
Territorial Expansion

As the Prometheans were driven from the city, the Regulii celebrated and cheered. For 4 days and nights, they would engage in perhaps the loudest, raunchiest party the world had ever seen. Dancers filled the streets as promiscuous parties and drunken orgies line every room, even the royalty and the nobility had engage in such wild behavior leading to some very lewd stories about several princesses and noblewomen that would echo for years to come (not that it wasn't exactly abnormal behavior). Such rapturous festivities would become the basis of a new religious holiday for the Regulii, the famous Primitus Noctus.

Of course once the celebrations had died down, the people of Ilitscium realized that partying all the time would not do them any good. As the Prometheans left, they realized that with them had left many things that they had once provided, namely a military force of some degree. Pirates who had once feared the might of the ape-men never dared wander to close to Regulii shores but with the primary threat gone, pirate attacks and sea raiders once again stroke fear into many. But this is where the Regulii's collective Noblilis proved its worth as through the myriad of ideas that had been thrown around, they had created a new weapon to combat the ocean-born raiders: the Elijur. The Eligur was a simple combination of two weapons which the Regulii had found worth during ship-to-ship combat; a short spear combined with an axe head on the end was discovered to be both proficient at preventing boardings and in melee combat. Such a weapon was revered by the Regulii "Ocean Guard" who would also act as a land force by the century's end.

The Elijur wasn't the only thing which had been produced out of the holy Noblilis. With the many minds of the Regulii put together, they had formed the basis of many building ideas including styles and supports. After several years of experimenting and mental debates, the Regulii managed to come up with a way of creating a stable (if not slightly shaky) method of reliably creating two story buildings with attempting at making more floors. The various pillars and supports used in buildings also found their way to ship makers who integrated the new supports with that of existing ship designs allowing for larger ships to be built. Perfect for the growing number of Regulii maritime merchants and the Ocean Guard that had protected them.

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Cultural:
Establishment of the "Primitius Noctus" religious festival

Technological:
Advances in ship building and multi-floor construction

Military:
Establishment of the Ocean Guard for both naval and land military units
Creation of the "Elijur" weapon

Government Changes:
None were made at this time.

Territorial Expansion:
None were made at this time.

As passed down by word of mouth, the history of the Soun'yei civilization began humbly. Once slaves of the master race, the Prometheans, now free to live as they pleased. As a generation that only knew captivity within barricaded coves the means of survival were unknown. The first action they took, unsurprisingly, was to swim as far away as they could get. Fear was still something they all knew well and getting away as fast as possible was a priority. However along the way, the learned the basics of what would be required to survive out in the open ocean. No longer were they thrown the scraps and food waste of the Prometheans, if they wanted to eat, they had to hunt for it.

It was easy to sit in coves and chase after small fish, but there were many mouths to feed--soon spears were developed, tying sharp weathered rocks on the ends of broken off branches found on coasts and floating in the sea. Coupled with echolocation, these omnivores learned to hunt larger game such as small whales and large fish. By far, the best hunter was a young male named Ru'taikaini. His ability to hunt and provide for his people moved him into the role of a leader. By time the docile creatures determined that they were far enough away from the fallen civilization of prometheans, they decided to set up home. By now, Ru'taikaini had married.

They took up residence in underwater caves and shallow, sandy coves. This peaceful race luckily did not experience war within their first century of existent. Solely peace and learning. By the end of the first century, Ru'taikaini had sired 4 children--all of which had perished. His first child--a son, was stillborn. His second child, a daughter, was born with her birth cord around her neck. The third child, yet another daughter, lived for a short period of time but died of illness a week later and the fourth child, a son, was stolen. After losing his fourth--assumedly healthy child to theft, the beginnings of law were implemented. Implementing laws were also motivated by the ferocity of the females--if their children were stolen, a murderous rampage could be inflicted upon another person--wheter they were guilty or not. Through the century, these rampages lowered the amount of females and children born within the species.

Thievery--especially of children, would be punished by death. This species, motivated by fear of the unknown developed scout out posts along the entrance to their safe haven. These posts are fairly far away, so the four scouts and their entire families moved outwards. One of these scouts, a female who went by the name of Cas soon became a military leader. She decided that they not only needed to see the enemy coming but needed a way to defend against enemies as well. Armies have been developed within the last 4 years, but no weapon advancements have been made. Only strategies and sharper spears.

Religion became prevalent during this century as well. Many noticed that higher survival rate of children born beneath the two moons--when exactly these moons became Gods, are unknown. They did away with the original names of the two moons, as dubbed by the Prometheans. Naming one moon Bas and the other Leacoup--hence the name of their growing city. These creatures became familiar with the sea, but land itself had yet to be explored. Initially, food sacrifices to the Moon God Bas were made by placing food on the sandy shores of the cove before nightfall. In the morning when they returned, the food was gone and paw prints were left in it's place. It was speculated that the God Bas had the spiritual form of a four legged creature, one that was utilized whenever he came down to the land to feast on their offerings.

It was Ru'taikaini who discovered that the food offerings were being eaten, not by their God in a spiritual animal form, but some sort of four legged canine like creature. He denounced their poorly constructed religion--this rejection was particularly fueled by the loss of yet another child, this time beneath the moon. However the majority of his people still worshiped the Moon God Bas and the four legged canine creature was worshiped as well.They told their ruler that he had been blessed, that he was now holy for being the first to lay his eyes on their God's spiritual form.

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Major Events of the Soun'yei - 1st Century

Cultural: Religion. The Soun'yei renemaed the two moons Leacoup and Bas and now worship a canine creature that they believe to be Bas' spiritual form. The skill of a hunter is now recognized by the amount of fishbones they wear. Birth rates and the amount of females drop significantly.

Technological: Spears were developed.

Military: An army was developed, spent four years developing strategy but have made no weapon advancements. Scouts were also established.

Government Changes: Ru'taikaini, a talented hunter, becomes the young king at the age of 125.

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The Promethean Empire had long kept the raiders of Zaqir in check. Zaqir was not a territory of the Empire even during its height: while it was a part of the continent, it was far from the center of the Empire, a sweltering jungle expanse whose shores were guarded by our fierce ancestors with their long naval tradition. However, the Promethean navy was larger than Zaqir's, and it had always managed to serve as a powerful buffer between saurian raiders and their vaunted plunder and glory. For centuries our battle-hungry ancestors chafed for want of raiding. They cursed the Prometheans even as they took on some of their customs. Zaqir was stagnant.

It is in light of this history that we can come to a better understanding of what we now know as "The Age of Adventure." Called "The Simple Times" by saurians of the day and "The Age of Strife" by a great many others, the century after the Promethean Empire's collapse was one of change for much of the world, but it also saw the resurgence of our raiding culture. While Zaqir could not be said to have expanded far in those first one hundred years, its wealth increased exponentially. It was a very different era than the one we know now. It was a time when the saurians were unchallenged by their neighbors.

There are several reasons that Zaqiri raiders came to dominate the eastern coast of the former empire, also known as the Red Shores:

• Firstly, while our people were women of war, many of our neighbors were used to depending on the Prometheans for help in battle. The legions were not made of humans or regulii, but of Promethean soldiers who disappeared with the plague. Of the old armies, only the distant grogar remained.
• Secondly, many of our neighbors were ill equipped to protect themselves. Being so dependent on the Promethean Empire, many city-states born in the Age of Strife did not have weapons made for their hands, or sometimes weapons of any sort at all. Zaqiri warriors wielding iron falcatas and bronze spears found themselves facing peasant-folk whose slings, pitchforks and felling axes proved ineffectual against Zaqiri mail.
• Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, our ancestors were eager to take advantage of the weakened shoreline as quickly as they could. They were presented an opportunity like no other, and like hungry sharks dove into the feast.

The first major Zaqiri raiding effort took place in the summer of 3 A.E. and lasted until the end of harvest season in 4 A.E. Human villages along the coast were caught off-guard. Hundreds of captives were hauled back to the city and made slaves. Most of the loot was simple - foodstuffs, pottery, trade goods - but the fighting was easy, and there was just enough Promethean gold to be found that further raids were enticed. So the pattern became that every summer through harvest season would be called "raiding season" along the eastern shores, and every winter the Zaqiri women returned home to be with their husbands and see their hatchlings.

The leadership of Zaqir was not noteworthy until the year 21 A.E. when the infamous Sakira the Ribsplitter at once earned her epithet and her place as Potentate (an Ilitsciumi word for "dictator") by leading a coup against the leader of the time. Her reign saw even bloodier raiding but was put to an end after a mere twelve years when she took a sling bullet to the skull while raiding. The Circle then elected Ninitzi the Serpent to be Potentate.

Ninitzi's rule (33 A.E. - 91 A.E.) was a long and steady one. The raids continued in her rule, but she (unlike other rulers) did not neglect to pay attention to domestic matters. Ninitzi arranged for an expansion of the fishing fleet, and she also encouraged exploration, offering a feast of honor and a chest of silver to anyone that brought back good news. It was through such exploration that the soun'yei - called simply the fishfolk by our ancestors - were discovered lurking in sandy coves tucked far away from Zaqir. They were believed to have nothing of worth, however, so while a scant few of them ("five of the meek fishfolk" wrote the woman whose ship it was that found them) were captured and enslaved, they were left alone for the rest of the century. It would be too difficult to chase them into the water itself.

The main difficulty Ninitzi faced was dealing with the regulii of Ilitscum. Initial raids against the regulii went extremely well: what little resistance the "slight, soft pleasuremongers" could offer was for naught: they were not the trained warriors the Prometheans had been and had not the bodies for the stuff of war. Moreover, their weapons were pitiable, and indeed often were not weapons at all. Raids against them continued well into 60-70 A.E, and these raids were the most profitable of the yearly rounds: their temples were filled with idols to the Divine; their clothing was of fine make; their fish was plentiful; their wine and ale was good; and the slaves taken from such adventures were longer lived than humans. A goodly number of merchant and fishing ships were taken, too, and were added to the expansive Zaqiri fleet. There were always those who put up a fight, but they were outmatched... for a time.

But somewhere around the time period of 65-70 A.E, the regulii began to fight back in earnest. Those survivors of the past battles with the saurian warriors became more experienced, and they began to design true weapons of war. Ilitscumi vessels gained escorts who made raiding more difficult and far less profitable, and moreover they were actually able to present a threat to our ancestors. While more battles were still won than lost, the fighting became much harder and more costly. Yet there were still goods that Ilitscum had which saurians were fond of. The raids continued, but the question of what to do with Ilitscum plagued Ninitzi.

Ninitzi decided it was best to develop a new kind of ship, one which could smash through those vessels which protected the merchant fleets of Zaqir's enemies. These were dubbed Swordfish, for much as the swordfish had its blade, this vessel had a prow clad in bronze or iron which could break other vessels. Such a tactic was not unknown: it was, in fact, common practice in the wars with the Prometheans. This time, however, there was a vessel made especially to smash other ships. This did not solve the problems with the regulii, however, and until the end of her days Ninitzi searched for some other means of obtaining their goods should. Indeed, it was only pressure from her subordinates that prevented her from sending a delegation requesting trading rights. So, while Ninitzi wanted to pursue trade with Ilitscum, the political climate in Zaqir served to maintain status quo: the raids continued and the prospect of trade with the regulii was forgotten.

Little expansion beyond the city walls occurred in this time. A few outlying tribes joined the greater union that was Zaqir, but not many. Still, patrols were sent to keep rightful Zaqiri territory firmly in their grasp.

In the winter of 79 A.E, Ninitzi decreed that all free human women who showed promise in fighting would be allowed a chance to join her crews in their next raiding season, assuming they knew how to wield a weapon. Few humans joined her in that season, but those that did returned home with treasures and prestige among the saurians. More human women joined them over the next several seasons in increasing numbers. Some human men wished to join the crews, but those who had the audacity to suggest such were beaten. It was in this way that humans became more accepted into saurian society - not quite equals, but not quite mere servants - while the traditional gender roles of Zaqiri society were strictly reinforced. Though the personal lives of humans in Zaqir would not change immediately because of this, human women would begin to play a more dominant role (similar to saurian women) in Zaqir's society.

The end of the Age of Adventure came about with Ninitzi's death in 91 A.E. She succumbed to a terrible illness that ate at her stomach and was mourned greatly. Her replacement was called Buzi. She would not earn her epithet until the second century following the fall of the Promethean Empire.

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Cultural:

The raiding culture of old is embraced again. The luxuries of the regulii are in high demand in Zaqir, and the present means of obtaining them is through plundering. A generally positive mood is possessed by the majority of saurians.

Human women have begun to be regarded a little more highly in saurian society. Human men, like saurian men, are still treated as servants and used to rear children.

Technological:

The swordfish vessel is developed, a ship with a metal prow designed specially for ramming. It is fast and dangerous, but is as susceptible as any vessel to boarding or fiery rains of arrows.

Military:

Numerous raids were conducted for steady income of wealth over the course of the century. These raids / adventures spanned the whole eastern coast of the continent, especially within the inland seas (AKA the Red Shores). No territory was gained from this, but goods and gold and captives were taken.

Government Changes:

While the government form remained the same as it traditionally was, the position of Potentate changed hands three times.

Territorial Expansion:

While no true expansion has occured, Zaqir's patrols and influence now extend over this area:

85 – 184 E.C. (1 – 100 A.E.)


In the west the Promethean Plague had come, and with it came the destruction of the status quo and the rise of their slaves and rivals. The Edimmu, however, were scarcely aware of such an event, and no Edimmu events of it exist. Instead, the Edimmu focused on the events of their own civilization. At the time, the Edimmu had already been organized into the city of Ashkar for a century, under the Mar-Tu Dynasty, whose founder claimed half-god status, making his descendants of divine blood. Their title was King of Ashkar, Shepherd of the Edimmu People.

In 85 E.C. (1 A.E.) the Sumu-abum was King. The same year colonists under Gabala-du settled south, but difficulties hampered their efforts. Later in the year Sumu-abum died. With his death came the beginning of a new era, when Sumu-abum’s son Anvor was crowned as King of Ashkar, Shepherd of the Edimmu, as was the title of the King. Anvor saw the increasing sophistication of society through a number of different methods. He began the first of public funding into the arts and sciences, which helped reverse the creeping stagnation of the sciences and arts. Royal prerogative was modified to adapt to the increasingly complex society consisting of many professions.

In 86 E.C. Anvor began to fund the colonists under Gabala-du with considerable resources. Under him, the colonists were able to flourish where they once had floundered, and the city of Gabala-du was founded, named after the leader of the colonists.

In 87 E.C. Anvor, due to his promotion of the arts, commissioned the poet Tudiya to something for him. This resulted in the famous Dialogue of Pessimism, and its influence on early Edimmu thought is hard to exaggerate.

In addition to these achievements, Anvor was popular with the populace due to walking among them and handing out generous donations. Nonetheless, he made powerful enemies. The priesthood was troubled that he favored the common teachers over themselves as the spreaders of knowledge, and the nobility were jealous and fearful of him due to his support by the commoners and the unwavering support the warriors had to him. He was assassinated by his own court in 88 E.C. (4 A.E.)

Anvor’s son Samu-Sumu, still a child, became King. Anvor’s younger Sumarael took control of the army and then weeded out the conspiracy to assassinate Anvor, and executed those responsible. Only six months laters, however, Samu-Sumu died in 89 E.C. (5 A.E.) due to poisoning. Sumarael became King and executed a number of powerful and influential nobles of questionable guilt for this crime. The influence of the nobility was curbed and their power was permanently weakened. Sumarael, as the brother and avenger of Anvor, inherited his popularity, and stressed his status as the descendent of the king of the gods.

In 94 E.C. (10 A.E.), the Sumarael Military Reforms occurred, which divorce the warrior profession from the military and replaced them with a professional soldiery.

In 99 E.C. (15 A.E.), in order to deal with the rising disorder resulting with legal confusion, wrote and declared the Code of Sumarael. It was the first codified set of laws for the Edimmu, and set up a system of regular and physical laws.

In 104 E.C. (20 A.E.) Sumarael sent resources to support to colonists who settled east, although he was skeptical of the need for expansion. With these resources, the colonists were able to found the City of Irgilu.

In 110 E.C. (26 A.E.) the founder of the City of Gabala-du, Gabala-du, lead the city into uprising. The reason for the uprising is not truly clear, although it is likely that he believed that Sumarael was the true culprit behind Samu-Sumu’s death, with which he may have had reason to suspect such. The revolt was massive, and the war lasted for four years. When the struggle ended in 114 E.C. (30 A.E.), the population of the city Gabala-du was reduced to a fourth of what it once was due to being thoroughly looted and razed, and its prosperity was reversed. As for the Gabala-du the man, he was put to death in that same year, and was seventy-three years old. The war would have lasting effects upon the state of the Kingdom, and the population would not surpass its prewar numbers for decades. A number of surviving revolters retreated north, forming the city of Ammtu-Buhur. Gabala-du was renamed Anvor. Its administration fell to Dyanu, priest of Enki, who was one of the leader’s of the revolt, but was pardoned so he could keep the city under control. Although Gabala-du, now Anvor, had its importance deeply reduced, its population did not drop further.

In the two decades after the war, Sumarael dedicated himself to the recovery of his kingdom. Nonetheless, this was a bleak time for most people. This era of suffering led to a number of poets, teachers, and priests to ponder why suffering existed in the face of the gods. There were two especially notable philosophers who dealt with this. Dyanu dealt with the imperfections of the gods, while Amaratu was a great ethical philosopher who dealt with the nature of the universe and human will and control.

Sumarael died in 131 E.C. (47 A.E.). Despite personal faults, he remained beloved by the people, and his reputation remained even the centuries following his death. He was known as the man who forged the Ashkar Kingdom, and history knew him as Sumarael the Great.

Sumarael’s son, Sumu-abil, ascended to the throne. He was dedicated to growth, promotion of the arts, and colonialization. In 141 E.C. (57 A.E.) and 146 E.C. (62 A.E.) and colonists were sent out to found the cities of Aba-ada and Iliug, respectively.

In the 150s E.C. (66 to 76 A.E.), the religious practices of the Edimmu began a reformative period, which is explained in length below.

In 163 E.C. (79 A.E.), Sumu-abil died, and was replaced by his son Illedrazki. Illedrazki was a peaceful man like his father and had a love of knowledge. The most skillful administrator of the nation so far, he oversaw growth greater than that of his father and grandfather.

In 164 E.C. (80 A.E.), the city of Anvor, by order of the King, was reverted back to its old name of Gabala-du. Seeing that the rebellion had mostly been forgiven, some men from Ammtu-Buhur moved back, although only about a thousand.

In the 170s and 180s E.C. a great exodus in the city of Ashkar occurred. Ashkar was greatly overpopulated, and a poor harvest triggered a large exodus from the city. Within twenty years, some eighty-thousand people settled into the countryside, forming countless new villages. New strides in cultivation allowed these villages to thrive. In Ashkar, labor shortages caused incessant problems, but under the wisdom of King Illedrazki, they were able to make due and return to productivity.

In 182 E.C. (98 A.E.), Aharru’s Of Numbers and Shapes gave the Edimmu geometry. In 184 E.C. (100 A.E.), Aharru was invited to the King’s abode, and was questioned on how his work could apply to architecture.



Sumu-Abum 24 – 85 E.C. (-60 – 1 A.E.) 63 – 85 E.C. ( -25 – 1 A.E.)
Anvor 45 – 88 E.C. (-39 – 4 A,E.) 85 – 88 E.C. ( 1 – 4 A.E.)
Samu-Sumu 80 E – 89 E.C. (-4 – 5 A.E.) 88 – 89 E.C. (4 – 5 A.E.)
Sumarael 52 – 131 E.C. (- 32 – 47 A.E.) 89 – 131 E.C. (5 – 47 A.E.)
Sumu-abil 82 – 163 E.C. (-2 – 79 A.E.) 131 – 163 E.C. (47 – 79 A.E.)
Illedrazki 112 – 212 E.C. (28 – 128 A.E.) 163 – 212 E.C (79 A.E. – 128 A.E)

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90 E.C.
Population: 265,000
Ashkar: 200,000
Gabala-du: 40,000
Villagers: 25,000

100 E.C.
Population: 283,000
Ashkar: 186,000
Gabala-du: 45,000
Irgilu: 25,000
Villagers: 27,000

110 E.C.
Population: 307,000
Ashkar: 201,000
Gabala-du: 51,000
Irgilu: 26,000
Villagers: 29,000

120 E.C.
Population: 270,000
Ashkar: 207,000
Irgilu: 26,000
Anvor: 4,000
Ammtu-Buhur: 3,000
Villagers: 30,000

130 E.C.
Population: 286,200
Ashkar: 218,000
Irgilu: 28,000
Anvor: 4,100
Ammtu-Buhur: 3,100
Villagers: 33,000

140 E.C.
Population: 301,100
Ashkar: 229,000
Irgilu: 29,500
Anvor: 4,200
Ammtu-Buhur: 3,400
Villagers: 35,000

150 E.C.
Population: 317,600
Ashkar: 213,500
Irgilu: 31,000
Aba-ada: 15,000
Iliung: 12,000
Anvor: 4,400
Ammtu-Buhur: 3,700
Villagers: 38,000

160 E.C.
Ashkar: 224,200
Irgilu: 32,500
Aba-ada: 15,700
Iliung: 12,600
Anvor: 4,600
Ammtu-Buhur: 4,000
Villagers: 41,000

170 E.C.
Total Population: 352,400
Ashkar: 195,400
Irgilu: 34,100
Aba-ada: 16,500
Iliung: 13,200
Gabala-du: 5,600
Ammtu-Buhur: 3,300
Villagers: 84,300

180 E.C.
Total Population: 372,600
Ashkar: 167,200
Irgilu: 35,800
Aba-ada: 17,300
Iliung: 13,900
Gabala-du: 5,900
Ammtu-Buhur: 3,500
Villagers: 129,000

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Cultural

The teacher/priest Feud

As changed knowledge increased in society, there was a challenge for who would be the distributor of it. The two professions who were possible candidates were the priesthood and the commoners, and so they competed for the prestigious position of distributor and inventor of knowledge. The priests were members of the ruling class and the teachers were commoners, making this an example of class struggle. This feud between the two actually help led to the assassination of Anvor, as Anvor, having favored Tudiya, was considered to favor the teachers, which led to the priesthood to conspire against them. In the coming century after Anvor’s death, however, neither, or rather both, side was favored, and there was a precarious balance created by both sides on competency.

The Code of Sumarael the Great

The Code of Sumarael the Great brought the first codified set of laws to the kingdom. Prior to this, what was illegal was what was bad, and crimes and punishments were up to individual judges, which created an injustice system. It consisted of nearly three-hundred laws, with punishments which were graded by social status, meaning the ruling class receive less harsh punishments. The Code uses the Law of Retribution as its basis, stating “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Religious Reform
In the 150s and the 160s E.C. the religious practices of the Edimmu reformed so that the became increasingly sophisticated. Temples were built, which became the home and the property of the priests. Under the priests were people called acolytes, who served as both the priests and apprentices of the priest. The priests oversaw a weekly service in the temple for believers on the seventh day of the week, which was done in accordance with organized rites.

The temples of each god was done with different rites, and some had notable customs. The warriors, who were rapidly vanishing, joined at the temples of Eliyahu, King of the gods, as acolytes, making those temples notable for their good security. The temples of Enki collected scrolls and books and had philosophers for priests. The temples of Iyanna practiced sacred prostitution.

The most noted person of the religious reforms was Apil-seun, Priest of Eliyahu. Aside from his efforts in setting up the temples and his friendship with Sumu-abil and Illedrazki, he set up an organized week, the festival Calendar, and the Rites of Life.


Apil-Seun organized and then distributed the Apil-Seun Week in 161 E.C. (87 A.E.).

Elu-Karulla, the first day – day of the sun goddess, when the week begins
Khatalul, the second day – day of the moon god
Imkhas, the third day – day of the god of war and destruction
Eliyahu, the fourth day – day of the King of the gods
Ramman, the fifth day – day of the god of rain, weather, storms, hurricanes, and thunder
Iyanna, the sixth day – day of the goddess of love, fertility, and war
Enki, the final day – day of the goddess of crafts, skill, art, law and justice, civilization, mathematics, wisdom, and water; this is a day of worship and rest


The calendar consisted of two seasons, Elu-Karulla (summer) and Ramman (winter), each which were six lunar phases long. Apil-seun made his calendar through popular custom and personal innovations. The festivals themselves had been long celebrated, and their dates were mostly taken from tradition. Due to superstition, a holiday must never be held on the ides, the fifteen. There are many festivals, and while most people will not celebrate even most of them, each of them are celebrated. It was written and distributed by Apil-Seun in 160 E.C.


The Rites of Life refer to the rites that are to be obeyed in births, marriages, and funerals. They had already been established, but Apil-seun put forward his own version in 161 E.C. (76 A.E.).They are ideally overseen by a priest, but may also be overseen by a teacher, poet, or priest’s apprentice. Of particular interest are the poems that are recited at each, which invocate proper gods and also give insight into the situation. The former two are noticeable hopeful, while the latter deals with death, the inevitability dying, the transience of human life, and the cyclical nature of the world.

Early Edimmu philosophy was not systematic, and consisted of poems, following the tradition set up by Tudiya. They generally used Double Dialectics. The dialectic occurs when a discourse between two or more people engage in discourse on a subject in order to arrive at the truth through reasoning. Double Dialectics is when there is both a dialect between those in the poem and the author and the reader, and ideally the author is the one who knows the truth.

Tudiya and The Dialogue of Pessimism

The Dialogue of Pessimism was written in 87 E.C., during the reign of King Anvor, by the poet and Tudiya (40 – 112 E.C.) (-44 – 28 A.E.), and led to the creation of philosophy in the Ashkar Kingdom, which it would influence for centuries afterwards. It does not make use of the Double Dialectic, which was a later development. The work is a one-hundred line long poem that consists of a number of conversations between a master and his slave. The master suggests one course of action, and the slave gives good reasons for why to do so. Then the master changes his mind, and the slave provides equally good reasons for not pursuing that course of action. There is also mentions of the gods, who reside above mortals. The poem would be seen as a supreme work of metaphysics and ethics. It exemplified the impossibility of discover absolute ethical truths and would be interpreted in a number of different ways.

Dyanu

Dyannu was one of the most notable philosophers of early Edimmu philosophy. He was born in 69 E.C. (-15 A.E.). He became priest of Enki in 96 E.C. (12 A.E.) at Gabala-du, a position he would serve until his death. He was one of the leaders of Gabala-du’s rebellion, but as he was the most popular, least powerful, and most levelheaded of them he was spared by Sumuarael the Great and allowed to administer the city, knowing Dyannu would not lead a second rebellion. Late in life he aided the religious reforms and had a temple of Enki built in Anvor. He died in 170 E.C. (86 A.E.).

He was very concerned with the suffering of the world, and considered the rebellion to have enlightened him on the true nature of the world. He detailed his philosophical system in his magnum opus The Righteous Man and the goddess, which was finished in 124 E.C. A righteous and pious man undergoes years of suffering, and on his deathbed converses with the goddess Enki, and they engage in discourse on why the world is full of suffering. The answer the goddess gives is that just as humanity is flaw, the gods are flawed, which leads to suffering. The righteous man replies that some gods have their entire being dedicated to things which lead to suffering, like Imkhas, god of war and destruction. The goddess replies that this is also true in humans, but it is not noticeable due to the pervasive influence of order. The poem ends with the righteous man’s death and a vision of a blissful paradise, which shows that we are rewarded for our deeds in the afterlife, although the ending is irrelevant to the theme of the rest of the poem.

The writing is a poem and a dialogue between two individuals. Dyanu also invented the double Dialectic in it. Although the obvious message and main theme of the poem is that it is a theodicy, it also contains the doctrine of the univocity of being, which in this case states that the difference in qualities between worldly things and the divine is simply the degree. Dyanu is wise, Enki is wise, and they are wise in the same way, buth Enki is wiser.

Amaratu
Among the ancient philosophers there are three men known as the Three Great Sages, and of these three Amaratu was the earliest one. He was born in 94 E.C. (10 A.E.), and fought in the Gabala-du revolt, on the side of the rebels. Following the revolts defeat, he fled with many others north to found Ammtu-Buhur. He eventually became a teacher of myth and was able to study the texts of Dyanu and Tudiya. In 152 E.C. (68 A.E.). He became legendary for his knowledgeable insights into ethics, but unfortunately he did not neatly fit into the kingdom’s intellectual climate, and he became a beloved but isolated figure for some time. His works consist of provactive questions and lively exchanges which were in many senses the first of their kind. His core works are considered to consist of his poetic works, which are Dialogue of Suffering, Eliyahu and Ghena’s Dialogue , Dialogue of Reason, and Dialogue Among the People, all which are poems that consist of dialogues between two people. He adopts Dyannu’s Double Dialectic in these as well.

The Dialogue of Suffering was personally the most important to Amaratu, and it was in here that he began Edimmu philosophical ponderings on ethics, and was surprisingly sophisticated in it. It is generally considered his most advanced work. It consists of two men discussing what is valuable, good, and necessary. Chief of all is the importance of accepting the natural order of things, and doing our natural duty in observance of the forces of order. The only things which have intrinsic value are virtue and knowledge, and other things, such as pleasure and even health, are used in the right way through these. All except virtue and knowledge can be taken away, and thus do not have the same value, and they will be taken away. You should not be sad when things pass, such as your livelihood, your health, or your very family, as all good things come to an end. The world has a great many events that happen to it, which may be harmful to us, as in the world almost nothing is really under our control. All that we are in control of is our own soul, meaning only our own will. Even if you are sold into slavery and tortured horrifically, your captors still cannot control your very soul. It is recommended to tell your children each day that tomorrow they will die so that they will adopt an attitude analogous to this philosophy.

Eliyahu and Ghena’s Dialogue deals with the gods, the beings who are above mortals. It consists of a conversation between Eliyahu, King of the Gods, and Ghena, primordial goddess of the earth. Eliyahu makes arguments for order, while Ghena rebukes him with arguments for chaos. Eliyahu begins to make the world out of Ghena’s body and Ghena tells Eliyahu that one day she will return and chaos will again reign, which he acknowledges, but says he shall again return after he has been vanquished. There are a number of claims which appear in the text. Order and chaos are natural opposites which are in an eternal struggle. The universe has a cyclical nature, with an endless cycle of end and rebirth through order and chaos. The divine is above and has supremacy over all things in the world.

The Dialogue of Reason is Amaratu’s formalization, or at least as formal one can be in an elegant poem, of the double dialectic. It ostensibly takes the form of a defense of the use of the poem to display philosophical truths, but this is not the point, as Amaratu did not believe anyone would doubt the method itself. Instead he used that as a cover, as in his arguments advocating philosophical truths through dialogue-poems make what the double dialectic really is clear. It consists of two people, and is a clear example of metafiction. One person advocates the use of poems to display truths, while the other claims the poem he is in, just like all the others, are too muddled to be effective at conveying truth.

Dialogue Among the People is the only one of Amaratu’s works that consists of a dialogue of more than two people. It consists of conversations Amaratu allegedly had when he questioned the people of Ammtu-Buhur on philosophical questions of virtue and truth. This is almost impossible, as it involves commoners speaking in elegant rhyming poetry who allude to The Dialogue of Pessimism. It covers the subjects that the aforemention works cover and is usally used as an introduction to Amaratu.

He also wrote six additional dialogues, which were dialogues between two people, but were not poems. They expound on the doctrines already laid out in his poems and serve to connect them. Through these prose dialogues, Amaratu became the first systematic philosopher. They connect Amaratu’s ethics, logic, and theology into one system. Also of note is his theory of education, which states the purpose of education is to adopt the proper behavior, which to Amaratu would be following his ethical system.

Technological

The Invention of Animal Husbandry
Not to be confused with the scientific and far more effective practice that was discovered thousands of years later, animal husbandry was “invented” by successful farmer and part-time teacher Uidab, born 108 E.C. (24 A.E.) He saw farmers in his village purposely buying and breeding the best animals in order to create offspring like them. Uidab began practicing this and, being literate, wrote on it in his The Proper Cow, which is not really about cows, but rather an essay-like writing on animal husbandry, although one that still indulged in the occasional evocative language and poetic prose, as well as arguments on the superiority of pork to beef. It was finished on 163 E.C.

Uidab moved to the city of Anvor, soon once again the city of Gabala-du, and gained fame. He eventually moved to Ashkar, where he lived for years, but retired to his home village. Its techniques would be used to great effect, giving the incentive for the First Great Migration, when over eighty-thousand people left Ashkur for the villages due to overpopulation. Had animal husbandry not been spread, it is likely Ashkar would have been subjected to widespread starvation.

The Invention of Geometry

Aharru was born in 98 E.C. (14 A.E.), and was a teacher who gained prestige teaching both mathematics and mythology. His Of Numbers of Shapes was informed by forty years of close study of numbers. Aharru’s Of Numbers of Shapes began Edimmu knowledge of geometry. It uses the sexagesimal numeral system, which has the number sixty as its base, and would lead to that numeral system, already prevailing, become the norm among the Edimmu. It would be use as the basis of geometry for early Edimmu geometers.

The work itself largely deals with shapes. Formulas for discovering the area of triangles, rectangles, circles, and hemispheres through the use of arithmetic that involve multiplication, division, base, and height are shown and then proved. Also discussed at length is how to discover if different shapes are geometrically similar, and slope.

Military

The Sumarael Military Reforms, which occurred on 94 E.C. (10 A.E.), divorced the Warrior Class from the soldiery. King Sumarael considered them expensive and unreliable, and thought that an army made up of hereditary warriors would deteriorate through the generations. They were not purged. They were replaced by soldiers who recruited from among the commoners, and were given training as either infantrymen or archers.

Government Changes

No government changes

Territorial Expansion

0-100 A.E. (RECKONED FROM THE RAISING OF THE FIVE STONES)

The ancient Promethean Empire, which had once threatened to breach the circle-sea and stretch her borders to the farthest horizons of the world through the power of her ingenuity, military might, and endless legions of slaves, had rotted from within. Not only the deadly Plague that left Promethean cities empty ruins, but the petty, impotent power struggles that tore the dying husk of the Empire apart. Nowhere was this more visible than in the north-west of the continent, where the great forests had long hid pockets of resistance to Promethean forces. As the legions retreated, they began to fight each other as much as the rebellious human tribes, resulting in an orgy of destruction. Centuries of Promethean advances in technology, culture and architecture were lost, leaving few, if any, true cities to be found in the region. It is in this climate of fear and upheaval that the Dyarvik first awoke, shaking off their chains to find themselves strong.

It is unclear when the Dyarvik were first mentioned in the historical record. Stone-trolls can travel far in their long lives, and as the Prometheans expanded, they encountered mysterious giant stone circles and small groups of primitive Dyarvik. Promethean nobility feared the size and strength of the trolls, and hunted them for sport and glory in the wilds of their Empire. But their use as labourers could not be ignored, and thousands of Dyarvik wasted away in slavery, confined in claustrophobic quarters and denied hibernation. Prometheans could not fathom the meaning of the massive stone circles they encountered, nor the strange scratches upon them – they saw the Dyarvik only as dumb beasts of burden, and bred them as such. When the plague first appeared, a majority of Dyarvik were Promethean slaves, and those who remained free were constantly hunted. Troll-spawn, a natural part of the Dyarvik life-cycle and ecosystem, were killed on sight.

[Biologist's side-bar: based on observations, it has been ascertained that far from being incidental, troll-spawn play an essential role in the troll reproductive process. Trolls do not have defined genders, and must condition themselves during their lives to develop the correct reproductive organs. These same organs will degenerate over time if unused, and will even instinctively be used for sustenance during hibernation. To speed up this process, surrogate children of other species are used to keep these organs in use. The genetic material injected into these spawn during hibernation has a small chance to fertilize other trolls who might shelter the spawn again; because spawn often resemble troll children, this was not unusual throughout millennia of years of evolution.]

The Dyarvik had been conquered, but not subdued. Blessed with the endless, meditative patience of natural hunters, they watched, and they waited. They learned from their captors, the logic of construction and agriculture, the violence of war. In low rumbles and quiet murmurs they dreamed of freedom, of open fields and wide woods, and of salvation. According to Dyarvik legend this is when they first developed the ritual of the death-recitation, where dying Dyarvik would recount their lives, wisdom and greatest secrets to a young Dyarvik tasked with remembering and carrying that knowledge forward. In this way, the Dyarvik gained a substantial practical mastery of Promethean architectural technology and of a primitive agriculture.

As the collapse of the Promethean authority continued, desperate commanders began pressing Dyarvik into military service. Trolls were used to flush out human rebels from the bushes and smash the lines of rival commanders. But they had never been used in strength until the Battle of Bar-Garam (Broken Stone) in 10 A.E. Desperate to gain an advantage, a Promethean commander fielded a hundred trolls from his labour camps. He hoped the biggest of them would scare the enemy into retreating. This troll, named He-who-gazes-at-stars, was easily 25 feet tall, and had been a slave for ten years. Before his capture, he had been a clan chief; but his clan had all been slaughtered in arenas for sport long ago. Without the long hibernation needed for trolls of his size and only limited rations, he was wasting away, but still of terrible strength and clear mind. Upon facing the enemy, Star-gazer saw dozens of trolls in the enemy ranks. At this moment, as he looked up at the morning sky, dozens of bright lights began streaking across it. Star-gazer recognized the symbol of salvation when he saw it, and with a great roar, broke his chains upon his unsuspecting captors. All throughout both armies, trolls turned upon the Prometheans as one wave of rage. Thousands perished in one of the greatest routs of Promethea's history, alongside eighty-four trolls. Star-gazer himself was mortally wounded.

As he lay dying, Star-gazer began to bellow his death-recitation to the sky itself. In it he told the remaining trolls of a green valley high in the mountains, and instructed them to there assemble and guard a great cairn to the five Ancients who had built the world, to watch the stars with endless care for guidance, to guard knowledge and wisdom zealously, and to never accept slavery again, whether it be of Dyarviks or any race. These four precepts would become the rallying cry of revolution, and marked the beginning of “reckoned time” for the Dyarvik. Over the next ten years, freed trolls from across the crumbling Promethean Empire followed the call to seek the fabled valley. Not naturally inclined to violence, the trolls fled the Prometheans as much as they fought them. Nonetheless, as the rumours of the victory at Bar-Garam spread, stone-trolls became symbols of resistance, and refugees of many races began to the hulking creatures for protection.

As more and more trolls arrived, they were able to build a truly gigantic henge of five towering stones in the center of the valley, which became in immediate site of pilgrimage. The valley itself remained a holy site, but trolls and other refugees began to settle nearby immediately. Most trolls remained generally semi-nomadic and independent, moving with the seasons and establishing networks of small caves, hidden strong-places, hibernation chambers and food stockpiles.

By 40 A.E. the Prometheans had been decisively defeated, but struggles between trolls over limited resources and the density of their population surrounding the holy valley of Five Stones presented a new problem. Disputes were in particular between the Stargazer clan, which considered itself the rightful successors to Grandfather Star-gazer, and the Strongback and Deepsleeper clans, who prided themselves on never having been enslaved by the Prometheans. To solve this, a great assembly of Dyarvik chieftains and ancient elders selected five high chieftains from among themselves to guide the Dyarvik faith, mission and tribes. One (or more, as needed) of these chieftains would be replaced every two years by the decision of the assembly, at the great festival of the summer equinox.

With this election began the period of the “Twenty Wise Chieftains”, from 42 A.E. to 82 A.E. The numerical advantage of former slaves and refugees in the assembly meant that the Strongbacks, Deepsleepers, and their allies never held a majority. These High Chieftains oversaw the codification of Dyarvik ritual and practice, the resolution of tribal territory disputes, and the development of important institutions. These included encouraging the practice of the death-recitation and creating an additional Assembly of Reflection. This assembly, made up of the most ancient Dyarvik, who were near death, or woke from their decades-long sleep-meditation only rarely, was tasked with meditating on the accumulated knowledge of the Dyarvik people and offering theological or practical advice to the bi-annual general assembly, which became known as the Assembly of Voices.

In 60 A.E. the Assemblies of Reflection and Voices jointly decided that Star-gazer's commands were inspired by the Five Ancients, and should be followed as such. Mindful of the command to watch the skies, an additional Circle of Stars was established to keep track of the changes in the skies. This circle of astronomers would share information among themselves and were tasked with the rebuilding of the ancient stone circles, aligning them with the movement of the firmament. With this movement, by the end of the century, came several small “schools” of Dyarvik Circle-astronomers who traveled together with apprentices and collectively remembered the positions of stars in the skies by telling each other long mnemonic sagas about Dyarvik moving from place to place. Early investigations of geometry, arithmetic, logic and epistemology were soon to follow, but the Dyarvik as a whole retained a deeply mythological and mystical world view.

In 82 A.E., after a series of sudden, mysterious, deaths, the Assembly of Voices came suddenly under the control of a group of young High Chieftains of Deepsleeper clan. Powerful and brash, they objected to anything Promethean and derided other Dyarvik for repeating their “lies.” But for their leader, given a decade, these “born-frees” or Barumbesukeh would have been easily replaced. The young High Chieftain Speaks-like-thunder was unusually shrewd and a gifted orator. He noted that most clans and refugee communities in the valleys supported themselves by pasturing large herds of animals and nascent agriculture gleaned from the Prometheans. By contrast, the minority Barumbesukeh clans still maintained a much more nomadic lifestyle.

By 84 A.E., Speaks-like-thunder had convinced the Assembly of Reflection and the High Chieftains that animal husbandry and the cultivation of plants was “slavery”, and was not permitted either by the ancient traditions of the Dyarvik or the new commandments laid down by Stargazer. As such, no intensive agriculture could take place within a ten-day's walk of the Valley of Five stones. Thousands of trolls and their troll-spawn, and thousands more humans refugees, were thus forced to migrate down from the mountains into the foothills to pursue their livelihood. Over the next two decades, most clans traveled even further away, and while their chieftains would still return every two years for the Assembly of Voices, the Barumbesukeh gradually came to practically control over both Reflection and Voices. Resistance to them was quickly and efficiently put down, and Speaks-like-thunder, now 70 years old, was the unquestioned leader of the High Chieftains.

His tribal power did not extend, however, beyond a five days march from the holy valley, and despite the disputes over husbandry and agriculture, the Dyarvik began to instruct the local humans in metallurgy, agriculture, and herbal lore, and assemble huge herds of elk, and cattle. The patient, watchful stone-trolls were the perfect shepherds, and the smaller, attendant bands of sentient troll-spawn and troll-beasts would pass the winter hibernating with the stone-trolls and watching the herds in turn, a symbiosis that only grew stronger as the years passed and the century of the Five Stones came to and end.

Major Events for the Dyarvik:

Cultural:
- bi-annual religious festival of the Great Assembly established
- The Valley of Five Stones built and becomes the ritual and cultural center of Dyarvik religion
- Stargazer's commandments become religious doctrine:
1.The Five Stones, representing the five divine ancients, are sacred and inviolate
2.All Dyarvik have a responsibility to observe the movements and patterns of the sky
3.To constantly seek and preserve all knowledge, wisdom, and memory
4.Never accept slavery of any beast or sentient creature
- Creation of the Circle of Stars, traveling schools of astronomers
- Re-construction of hundreds of astronomical cairns and henges

Technological:
- Development and advances in semi-nomadic animal husbandry and agriculture
- Preservation of Promethean architectural, construction and metallurgical technology
- Important astronomical, mathematical and philosophical movements established, though these remain mostly oral cultures

Military:
- No real military advancements

Government:
- Assemblies of Voices and Reflection founded
- High Chieftain Speaks-like-thunder and the Barumbesukeh [stone-troll clans never enslaved by Prometheans, and who resent the refugees] take control of the High Council in 82 A.E. after forty years of refugee dominance in the Era of the “Twenty Wise Chieftains”
- Refugee-descended clans eventually forced to migrate from the central valleys to the foothills due to the prohibition of agriculture and animal husbandry

Territory Expansion:
Red denotes regions of high stone-troll and troll-spawn population; communities migrate between several locations within this region. At this point, around 15,000 Dyarvik and some 20-30,000 troll-spawn are at least nominally united in the tribal confederacy of Five Stones. Some five thousand humans also live bordering these regions.

The Great Migration was but a blur, an undocumented mess, known only by what is passed by mouth. By the Second Century however, Highborn among the Grogar Tribes had begun to document the new age, properly record their people's deeds and actions after the Fall of the Promethean Empire. What is obviously known is that the lands surrounding the still divided and sought after city of Gurak was split between the Great Three, who in the decades, had slowly expanded outward and maintained dominions outside the city.

Lands settled by minor Grogar Tribes came to eventually form Tribal Alliances, filling in the void left by the Empire. Surprisingly for the Grogar, the years between 110 and 120 A.E. were more disturbingly "quiet" then usual. Conflict did occur, with skirmishes between tribes and liberated slave conclaves being the most common, but raids and battles of the scale during the Fall were a rare sight indeed.

The tribes used this Quiet as an opportunity to build their strength. Coastal tribes making use of the endless resources at their disposable, cutting through the jungles to build up large coastal forts and sea-faring vessels. Inland Tribes continued to fortify themselves as they prepared, ironically, making use of prisoners as slave labor. From small barely defensible camps, to fortress towns fit to fend off opposing tribes. The Decade of Silence was soon to end as the tribes grew in numbers, ready to wage a war unlike they've seen before, and so the Tribal Wars begun. From 121 A.E. to 170 A.E. The Grogar had fought in brutal slog of a war. The jungles of the West stained with the blood of millions as the tribes fought in hat seemed to be an neverending war. The bloody conflict would prove too much for the Great Three as they lost hold over Gurak as they lost more and more territory and wore one another down in the city.

The Highborn Memory Keepers saw fit to declare the conflict completely over by 171 A.E.

The end of the Tribal Wars also saw the end of the Great Three and the Tribal Alliances as they were. Although there was little difference admittedly, but there was indeed some. Most tribes, big and small, had either by dispersed or were completely destroyed. The Inland Grogar, for a good part of the Second and Third Centuries, were aimless Warbands slaughtering each other for even greater petty excuses. Few of the small inland tribes remained, but were too weak to assert themselves as dominant powers. And like the warbands, wore themselves down fighting among themselves or foolishly attacking the the slave conclaves, weakening themselves even further.

In the last decades of the Second Century, the city became even more violent. The fighting becoming more aimless then the warands themselves, more of a all-out melee, not one Grogar fighting for a single tribe, rather fighting for themselves.

The real power for the moment lied to the south. Few the isolated coastal tribes remained, however, like their northern brethren, they were in no position to conquer the aimless horde. Their eyes gazing upon the waters and the bounties that await beyond.



Cultural: None were made at this time.

Technological: Coastal tribes have begun construction sea-faring ships.

Military: None were made at this time.

Government Changes: Current Grogar Tribes dissolved. West descends into Anarchy.

Territorial Expansion: None were made at this time.

Uthein prospered under the tyrannical yet stable reign of Hodgrar Greymane.

His word was law, and dissent was met with the head of a bronze axe in most cases; the emerging Priestdom of the Mountain God threatened him only briefly during the year 107 A.E. In response to the Preists' rising influence with the common folk, King Greymane simply outlawed them and their practice. Hundreds of arrests and subsequent executions took place in short order, sparking a period of riots that were likewise met with further bloodshed.

However by 109 A.E, the Preistdom had been driven from the streets of Uthein, though continued a meagre existence in every back alley of every street and in every cellar of every hovel. The Crown stood uncontested, and thus the first King of Uthein was free to carry on his rule without intereferene from domestic entities.

The army was Greymane's strength, and into the army he poured the Kingdom's coffers. Bronze production peaked during this period, and weapon-craft soon replaced the peoples' passions for art. It is estimated that by 115 A.E, Uthein had a standing army of over ten thousand Dwarves, with enough bronze to supply them with simple body armour and an array of weapons.

120 A.E saw a Promethean incursion into the strip of grassland land that the Dwarves taken from them decades previous; the Prometheans had no real intention of drawing themselves into a protracted conflict however, and they removed themselves before Uthein amassed an army to evict them. However for the years that followed, minor skirmishes would periodically erupt between the two races and the grasslands would not see peace again until the dawn of the third century.

King Hodgrar Greymane's death in 145 A.E saw a rapid change in the Kingdom's foreign and domestic policies, with the ascension of Crown Prince Danak Greymane. Danak was said to be an educated and gentle Dwarf in his junior years, and at the age of 25, the crown of the Kingdom weighed heavily on his head. Hodgrar's former generals and trusted advisers each took their turn in twisting Danak's will to their own, but he was wise enough to see through most of it. He dismissed them all, one by one, until in 150 A.E his was the only voice in the Kingdom's business.

Over the next ten years, King Danak Greymane would repeal much of his father's brutal - yet perhaps necessary - actions. The Preistdom of the Mountain God was lifted from persecution, after Danak sought assurances that there would be no organised resistance to his rule. Churches found their beginnings here, and were regulated by state-owned Bishops. Religious scriptures were controversially modified during this period, to better suit the running of the Kingdom by a single man.

King Danak Greymane also expanded Uthein's primitive mining operations. Zinc and copper mines were established in the immediate bounds of Uthein, and existing facilities received investment from the Crown. Uthein's army was restructured at this time, and reduced in size in an effort to mitigate the burden it was placing on the economy.

Perhaps King Danak Greymane's most famous contribution to our history however, was his introduction of the Coin - a method of payment and of measuring wealth, that would come to slowly replace the age-old bartering system that had existed since the Prometheans occupied the region. These coins were initially made from bronze.

In 160 A.E, Danak's eldest son, Rokdar, petetioned his father to launch an expedition northwards. The Crown Prince's aims were to locate further ore stock piles, and to establish settlements away from the areas that the Kingdom contested with the Prometheans. The King conceded to his son's wishes, and so Rokdar went forth with a few thousand of his kin.

Between 160 and 180 A.E, Uthein underwent a massive territorial expansion as Rokdar's expedition claimed large swathes of the continent's central mountains. Dozens of mines were established, and with them, settlements. The success of this expedition flooded Uthein with an abundance of bronze, and also included a significant haul of silver. The people of Uthein prospered, and wealth flowed abundantly through the Kingdom from north to south.

In 182 A.E, Rokdar's settlers came into contact with the Kobolds of Scale Home. The creatures were an unfamiliar and somewhat frightful sight to the Dwarves, and hostilities broke out almost immediately. Border raids were conducted on both sides, often with little prisoners left alive to tell the tales of what had happened.

Before outright war could befall the two nations, Rokdar intervened in matters personally, and approached then nearest Kobold settlement under a flag of truce. Though he struggled to understand his northern neighbours, he was able to communicate his regret for the recent hostilities, and established a mutual non-aggression pact with the Kobolds.

On hearing of Rokdar's unsanctioned diplomatic mission, King Greymane ordered his son home, and started to plan for an invasion of Scale Home. Fortunately, Rokdar was able to appeal to his father's softer side, and talked him down from waging war with a peoples that had shown no wish to do the same. Instead, Rokdar was appointed as Ambassador to Scale Home, and entrusted with a mission to learn of the Kobolds, and to strengthen trade ties between the two Kingdoms.

During 180-90, Uthein shipped tonnes of ores to Scale Home, in return for badly needed food stocks that Rokdar's expansion had depleted. Small groups of Dwarven smiths, though primitive in their methods, made their way to Scale Home to teach the Kobolds of how to fashion bronze into all kinds of wares; however, King Greymane stopped short in allowing for the Kobolds to be taught how to craft bronze in the first place.

In the Summer of 191, disaster befell Uthein in the form of a Promethean invasion. By now, Tall Ape Grishartd Gritig had asended to power over the Promethean Empire. He was as blood thirsty as they come, and fiercely proud of his peoples' past - almost deludedly so. He saw the Dwarven conquests that had taken place a century ago as an affront to Promethea, and thanks to a brief lull in the Plague, now had the men he needed to put together a War Host.

The invasion was swift, and the Dwarves were crushed in the grasslands; the Prometheans poured into the mountains, and despite all the tactical advantages afforded to the Dwarves, they proved almost impossible to stop. King Greymane marched forth with his army of bronze-clad warriors, five thousand in all, and met Gritig in battle before the gates of Uthein.

King Greymane was slaughtered, along with his army, and the Prometheans burned Uthein to the ground. All of the mines and other settlements in the immediate area were likewise obliterated, and every Dwarf man, woman and child were slaughtered to the last.

Crown Prince Rokdar arrived a week after the fall of Uthein with his own army of some ten-thousand citizen soldiers, who carried whatever they could. Rokdar clashed with Gritig sixty miles north of Uthein, and though the Dwarves suffered appalling losses, they successfully forced the Prometheans to halt their advance until the following summer.

During the lull in fighting, Rokdar ascended to the throne-in-exile, and approached the Kobolds for assistance. In a private meeting with the Kobold Queen, he secured military assistance in return for a formal oath of fealty from the Dwarven King, and his peoples, to the Kobolds.

Over the course of the autumn and winter of 191 A.E, the Dwarves went about arming their new allies the best they could. The two races merged in the drill yards, exchanging tactics and ideas, and striving to fight as a coherent army despite their physical differences. By the Spring of 192 A.E, the Alliance of the Mountains (as it was known), was ready to avenge the death of Rokdar's father.

The Kobold-Dwarf Host marched south, where they were met with token resistance. Promethean settlements and mining outposts were systematically dismantled and their occupants usually slaughtered by overzealous Dwarves. Eventually, the host came upon the ruins of Uthein, where they found themselves staring at Gritig's renewed invasion force.

Ten thousand Dwarves, side by side with ten thousand Kobolds, crashed into the Prometheans. The Ape-People fought with their characteristic ferocity, and inflicted heavy casualties on the Alliance of the Mountains - however, once again, numbers won the day. The Prometheans were driven back, having sustained losses they could ill afford, and Gritig was forced to abandon his campaign. He fled back to Promethea to raise another army, leaving the destroyed Dwarf homeland in his wake.

After retaking Uthein, King Rokdar Greymane met with the Kobold Queen to swear his peoples' eternal allegiance. However, the Queen refused, stating that as the Dwarves and Kobolds had fought and died together as equals, then equals they would be in life. The King agreed with her sentiment, and the Kingdom of Uthein merged with Scale Home to forge the world's second empire.

The Empire of Scalethein arose from the ashes of Uthein, and her plentiful warriors now looked southwards, where an Ape King agonized over the end of both his reign and his peoples.

---

Cultural: During this century, organised religion was first outlawed, but later legalised. The Priestdom of the Mountain God was heavily interfered with by the state, however, with many of its scriptures modified to better reflect the obeying of a King.

Technological: Bronze weapons and armour received special attention during this century, although no ground breaking innovations were made. Mining operations were invested in quite heavily, and saw large expansion; however, the method of extracting ore from the ground remains crude and little innovation has taken place.

Military: The Kingdom held a standing army for much of this century, until it was destroyed by the Promethean invasion of 192 A.E. After this time, a citizens-army reminiscent of the 1st century was employed.

Uthein was sacked by a Promethean invasion, prompting the Dwarves and Kobolds to form the Alliance of the Mountains - a military pact aimed at driving the Prometheans out of Dwarven heartland.

Following the establishment of the Scalethein Empire, Uthein's citizen-soldiers have merged with the armies of Scale Home.

Diplomacy Summary:

Uthein came into contact with the Kobolds, and despite initial hostilities found common diplomatic ground.

Uthein shipped tonnes of ore to Scale Home in return for food.

After the Alliance victory at Uthein, the Kingdom merged with Scale Home to create the Scalethein Empire.

Government Changes:

The Kingship remained in place until 192 A.E, where it was replaced by the Diarchy of the Scalethein Empire. (To be explored further in the Third Century).

Territorial Expansion:



The Scalethein Empire by Spring 192 A.E (Barring concessions from Neogreggory)

101-200 A.E, Hel's Reign

The Queen Hel, despite her efforts, had great trouble gathering her army to storm the land of the old masters. It was not that she was at a lack of warriors, many kobolds shared her desire to bring justice to the old ones if not her boldness. However, she found that organizing the warriors, that ensuring each of them had a spear and a shield and was ready to march, was of great difficultly. And so Queen Hel laid down the first true laws of our people, by instating fellow kobolds to aid her in her duties, to give orders and ensure the state of the army. She would call them Captains, and these kobolds she chose for their sharp minds and keen ability to fight.

After many years of work Queen Hel, along with her captains, her favored daughter Hellia, and her army of four thousand, marched southwards. Deciding upon a path that would lead through the mountains for most of the journey the army marched for several months. It would be then that the troubles began, for in her rush to war and her focus on ensuring she had troops Queen Hel did not think to consider food. The only food the army had was that which they found in their march, and the mountains held far to little to feed an army. Only after losing a thousand warriors to hunger did Queen Hel stop, but rather than turn back she instead said that they would build a fortress, restock their supplies and then return to their march southward.

It would take many years to fortify the patch of mountainside the Queen had claimed, and she did not return to Scale Home at all during this time, only sending the most fleet footed of her warriors to send word and get supplies. It was during this time that the kobolds of Scale Home found one of the greatest of treasures.

In the year 152 A.E everything in Scale Home was normal. Tunnels were being dug, the ores found being stockpiled, for the old ones rewarded our kind long ago for finding ore before sending it away south, so even back then we knew it's worth, if not the complete worth. It was during this time that, by complete accident something marvelous came into existence. A flute. The exact details are unknown, but the magic of the flute could not be denied. Music swept through the chambers of Scale Home, and during those years everyone owned a flute.

It was during 182 A.E that the Kobolds learned of another race. Queen Hel, with her army, sat within the fortress of Hel's Watch, stockpiling food and spears, shields and water. However, it would be then that from the walls a sentry would spot movement, a great deal of it. The dwarves, though our ancestors did not know this. Queen Hel mistook the beings as short Prometheans, due to their girth and abundant hair. After several short skirmishes however, it was established that the two races shared a common language, and that nobody was or worked for the Prometheans. After the dwarf prince's visit to the fortress, Queen Hel planned the best way to remove this new threat, before her daughter convinced the Queen otherwise, the Dwarves had metal, new metal, and Hellia persuaded her mother into finding a peaceful manner of obtaining it.

Over the next two decades trade was established between the Kobolds and the Dwarves, they gave our people ore, and knowledge how to work it, while all we had to give them was food. After learning what exactly qualified as 'food' to the dwarves Scale Home saw an abundance of metal, and metalcraft. By 190 A.E nearly every Kobold in Scale Home was adorned with metal in the form of necklaces, bracelets and torcs. The more metal a Kobold wore, the better of they clearly were. Before long, small metal pieces of bronze were floating about Scale Home, normally found on the Dwarven traders that passed through. After a kobold by the name of Killuck asked what they were our people became introduced to the concept of the coin, and forever more was the market of Scale Home changed. Coin passed through the markets, and into the hands of those with the best goods, or the best songs. A kobold could survive entirely upon being a merchant or musician, when before the only trades were miner or farmer.

None of this however Queen Hel cared for, or was even aware of for the most part. She sat within her Watch, looking downward at the lands of the old masters, waiting for the time to strike. She was getting old however, and it was with great happiness that a chance presented itself to her. It was autumn of 191 A.E, and the dwarf prince, the one who represented his people, came to Hel's Watch. He was now a king, however his lands were held by a old master and his army. After much bartering Queen Hel and King Rokdar came to a agreement, his people would become hers, and she would get the battle she had been waiting for her entire life. Over the coarse of the autumn and winter the Kobolds and Dwarves trained as one, the Kobolds would receive spears tipped with good bronze, and two races would be ready. In the summer of 192 A.E the grand army of the Alliance of the Mountains marched southward, quickly and effortlessly taking apart Promethean outposts and mines. It was not until they reached the dwarf city of Uthein that the dwarf-kobold army met an actual threat. Gritig, the leader of the old masters. His army sat controlled the city, and the Alliance of the Mountains army would have to storm the city. It would not be hard to get in, the old master's welcomed the battle, and what a battle it was. Dwarf and Kobold phalanxes would collide with Promethean warriors, charge met with charge, spears meeting swords meeting axes. The turning point of the battle would be when Queen Hel charged forward with her personal guard and captains. Breaking through the Promethean line the Queen, on her own, charged Gritig. She would inflict a wound across his face, surely scarring him forever more, but afterwards she would lie broken, for Gritig was by far the stronger. However this act drove the old master and his army away, the force retreating.

The battle was won, and Hellia, who had been on the battlefield alongside Rokdar, became Queen. The dwarf leader, perhaps zealous after such a battle, was ready to swear fealty on the spot, but Queen Hellia stopped him. As the two had fought together, so should they lead. The Empire of Scalethein was born that day, upon the corpse littered battlefield. The new Queen looked over the bodies, and decided that she must return to her home. However, she would see finished her mother's dream. She would march upon the Prometheans, but not yet. It was with those thoughts she returned north, to the music of Scale Home.

---

Cultural: Invent of the flute, which led to many Kobolds becoming musicians. With an abundance of metal jewelry becomes commonplace, though the jewelry itself isn't very expensive, bronze, tin, iron.

Technological: Little innovation was made, a stockpile of various ores building up, mostly due to Kobolds lack of knowledge regarding their use. Flutes were invented so that's something.

Military: The beginning of military structure is introduced in order to maintain, well, order. Captains are established. The fortress of Hel's Watch is built in the mountains. Later in the century an army of Kobolds and Dwarves march south and liberate the Dwarven capitol.

Diplomatic: The dwarves are met, and trade is established. After the Kobolds aid the Dwarves in regaining their capitol the two races band together to form an Empire.

Governmental: Queen Hel's reign ends with her death in battle against the Prometheans, her daughter Hellia becomes Queen, and one of the two leaders of the Scalethein Diarchy.

(I've got no fancy map. Just look up, the dwarf post has an accurate map. Granted, no set location for Hel's Watch, I'll have that pegged by the next turn however.)

Qa-Avnel's ayel overlords waited and bided their time in their fortified home for decades while to the north the barbaric Yossodites who had yet to see the light of their civilization fought each other and died for nothing. The ayels waited until they were as weak as possible, until they were the ripest for the conquest that would bring them into their fold and forever put an end to any threat they might pose to Qa-Avnel's hegemony. And in 131.2 (102AE), they decided that the perfect time had come. The polities in the north were embroiled in yet another conflict, and expected nothing from Qa-Avnel but the occasional raid that was typical all along any border in Yossod. After all, they had sat quietly for decades. But the silence was broken when a massive raid was launched across the border, quickly taking many of the westernmost towns, which was quickly followed by a likewise strike from the east of Qa-Avnel. With most of the armies of the independent Yossodites either busy fighting one another or exhausted from such warring, they were easy pickings for the better equipped warriors of Qa-Avnel. Within months half of the Yossodite polities had come under the control of Yossod and in the opening months of 132.2 (103AE) the last independent Yossodite city had fallen to the might of Qa-Avnel. And with that the entirety of the Yossod highlands and its people had come under the control of Qa-Avnel and its ayels, or so they thought.

But when the victorious armies began to march south confident in their victories and ripe with plunder from fallen enemies, they came under attack. At first it was only the occasional raids, and the warriors thought it simply large numbers of bandits who had ridden the wake of chaos the armies had made as they had marched northwards. But then they came to a previously conquered city, only to find it in enemy hands and requiring another battle to return it to friendly hands. Likewise, all across northern Yossod the armies of Qa-Avnel were finding similar situations. When word of this came to ayel, a good number were furious and nearly all of them agreed to pull warriors from the rest of Qa-Avnel's territories to reinforce the armies in the north. What would follow would be a full decade of strife and chaos in the northern highlands as the populace simply refused to bow to Qa-Avnel. At one point even the territory taken from King Shetai in 105.2 (80AE) came under rebel control and those who had embraced the culture and beliefs of Qa-Avnel were routinely attacked and forced to flee south into safer lands. And it was then that the ayels had to make a choice; for the first time the idea of peacefully integrating conquered humans fell out of favour and a more brutal course of action was deemed necessary.

The end of the decade of strife would come with two separate incidents, the Sack of Ra-Hata and the Massacre of Akim. Ra-Hata was one of the largest cities in the north, and had long been a bastion of the rebellious population as it had only fallen during the original advance north. But in 140.2 (109AE) it fell once more to the armies of Qa-Avnel, and when it did retribution was swift as official word from the ayels themselves had ordered the warriors of Qa-Avnel to show no mercy to their enemies. Great Ra-Hata was completely destroyed, burnt to the ground and its bricks torn down to be taken back to Qa-Avnel to be used in the construction of a grand temple. As for the population themselves, many were slaughtered outright while the rest were taken prisoner. Of those imprisoned some became thralls while most would be marched to Lake Akim. And at Lake Akim they were met with a number of other prisoners from across the rebellious north, several thousand in total. And at Lake Akim they were butchered down to the last man, woman, and child for their role in the rebellion. Such brutal tactics and atrocities became common across the north, though not on that scale, wearing down the rebels as well as their will to fight. Eventually in 141.2 (109AE) the decade of strife would be considered at an end as the only remaining rebels were small holdouts.

However, the northern regions were ravaged by the armies of Qa-Avnel and many regions were no longer in open rebellion simply because they no longer had the manpower to war upon Qa-Avnel any longer. But the war revealed a major weakness in Qa-Avnel's armies to the ayels: they were, quite simply, composed almost entirely simple levied warriors. Yossodite warriors were simple peasants most of the year whose only experience came from border raiders. The armies levied from the interior of Yossod were noticeable less effective due to the simple fact that they had no experience with raiding unlike their counterparts on the borders. And even then they were not fit for garrison duty or easily holding vast tracts of land, which was why so much of the north was able to rebel before the campaign had even finished. In order to combat this, the ayels decreed the creation of a force of full-time warriors. Though they would be small in number, their ranks would be drawn from volunteers and orphans born and raised to fight. This group would be known as the Brotherhood of the Covenant after the Covenant of Blood, a ritual in which the Brothers swore to shed the blood of the enemies of God as well as to shed their own blood in the defense of their God, his Chosen Children (the ayels), and Qa-Avnel.

But the formation of the Brotherhood was only a small part of something greater, for the ayels also realized that with all their newly gained territory they couldn't simply just appoint loyal governors to all the settlements. Indeed they had already allowed most of the governors to appoint their own successors for ease of governance. So it was now that the ayels decided to both restructure the government of Qa-Avnel's hegemony as well as to codify the new faith of all of Yossod. However, with several hundred ayels all having a say it took over a decade for the ayels to finish the reformation. The Brotherhood of the Covenant itself was not even established until 146.2 (113AE) and the political reforms and codification of their faith would not be finished until 155.2 (120AE).

But when they were finished, they did not drastically change the political system. The ayels had decided to transform Yossod (for they had officially declared their state as Yossod after their conquests in the north) from a de facto theocracy into a de jure one. The only ones who could hold governing positions were those who were officially ordained as priests, though they could appoint whomever they wished into advisory positions, and most were allowed to choose their successors from any individual also ordained as a priest. However, Yossod itself was divided into 7 different administrative divisions ruled over by a High Priest. The High Priest, however, was not allowed to appoint his successor. Instead they were appointed (and were almost always a priest from one of towns within the region they controlled) by an individual who held the title of Prophet. The Prophet was the human ruler of Yossod, and dealt with the running of the state itself as well as being responsible for communicating the will of the ayels to Yossod. And furthermore the status of the ayels themselves were codified as the Ayelic Council, the ultimate and supreme authority within Yossod which contained all the ayels that lived. And finally, the Brotherhood of the Covenant was unique in that it operated throughout Yossod and as such their leader, the First Brother, was subject to none but the Prophet and the Ayelic Council itself.

The religion itself was finally codified in a series of edicts which firmly established the theology of the faith. The predominant themes of the edicts were those of loyalty and subservience to the One Almighty God. Also of importance was that God created the Earth for the mortal races, to serve them with food and materials; the Earth itself was not a deity or worth worship. And in addition it told the story of how the ayels were the Chosen Children of God who once lived in paradise upon the Moons before being forced to flee by the treacherous and traitorous races whom God had created the Sun for, and for whom in his wroth God drove from the Moons and set their homeland on the Sun to be nightless and scorched for eternity. And the edicts also told if how upon their death, the souls of the Faithful will be allowed entry to the paradise of the Moons no matter their race, for God loves those who love him. But more important than the Edicts themselves were that they were written down, for there was no Yossodite written language. Instead the ayels had created the Ayelic Script based upon their own writings for the Yossodite language. And even more than that was the establishment of the Qa-Avnel School, which would serve as a learning institution for aspiring priests, and would eventually expand to intellectual subjects not entirely religious in nature and whose example would serve as the basis for schools in the largest Yossodite cities.

The next several decades were once again of peace in Yossod; though there were small groups of rebels in the north they had been reduced to simple brigands and bandits and when they showed their faces the Brotherhood dealt with them harshly. The north was integrated peacefully through proselytizing, intimidation, and the importation of loyal Yossodites from the south. This time would also show the beginnings of the many priestly dynasties of Yossod, for the priests were not disallowed from having children and so many chose to ordain their chosen son and have them succeed them. And in this time of peace the Ayelic Council and succession of Prophets would work to improve and expand Yossod's trade networks, both within the nation and to the other polities around it. Yossod itself would come to be an important trade node for a number of reasons including the fertile soil of the highlands as well as the gold and silver that would come to be discovered in the southern reaches of Yossod. Though the distances involved meant that there was no direct contact with any other major civilizations, items from Yossod would on occasion reach them and vice versa. And throughout this, Yossod would grow ever stronger and more populous. Which would prove to be both a curse and, eventually, a blessing.

The signs had been showing themselves for many years prior, it was a bad harvest in the year 227.2 (175AE) that would bring about famine in Yossod. The population had grown many times over since the ayels had first revealed themselves over 2 centuries ago, and while there had been some advancements in agriculture the population had finally grown too large for Yossod to support. There was mass famine all throughout the highlands, though the most affected were the peasantry as the priests could, for the most part, afford to buy what little food their was. And, of course, the ayels themselves dined on the carcasses of fresh kills as they always had. And though the ayels were aware, it was only when a priest and his entire family were butchered and eaten in a town only a few days ride from Qa-Avnel that the ayels realized the extent of the food shortages. The people responsible for the attack were, of course, ordered to be executed by the Brotherhood, but the ayels realized they needed to do something and so they looked to the southwest.

To the southwest was a land of deep crags and canyons, but with enough arable land to support at least a fair population and, the ayels assumed, gold and silver as such found in southernmost Yossod. And the ayels saw this sparsely populated region as the solution to their problems. The only thing standing in their way were those few inhabitants the land had. Though there was few of them, they were not human. No, they were the great Promethean apes, remnants of the outposts and military campaigns of the Empire's attempts to conquer Yossod prior to their great plague. And though they were fewer in number, they were fierce warriors and knew the terrain far better than the Yossodites. But the ayels were confident, and while many Yossodites were wary of entering Promethean territory they did it for promises of food and wealth. And traveling among them were warriors of the Brotherhood as well as priests to attend to their spiritual needs as well serve as diplomats to the native Prometheans.

The first expeditions were less than successful, either completely wiped out or suffering from constant Promethean raids. So the Ayelic Council decided on the most rational course of action: they declared war on the Promethean remnants and the next expedition they sent was not to found a town but to uproot and destroy as many Prometheans as they could. The campaign resulted in heavy casualties, but in the end the Yossodites were successful and able to establish several new settlements in previously Promethean territory, which would quickly grow as they were protected by the Brotherhood and there were many eager to flee from the food shortages in Yossod proper. However, one thing stood out to the people living there and that was the strange lack of Promethean raids. When news reached Qa-Avnel, the Ayelic Council made the decision to suspend the military campaign. Instead, heavily protected diplomatic missions were made into what remained of Promethean territory and what they discovered surprised them. They knew there were not very many Prometheans in the area, but they came to discover that nearly all of the Promethean warriors had perished in Yossod's campaign. And so Yossod made an offer to the Prometheans, they could surrender to Yossod and become vassals of the Prophet and Ayelic Council as well as abandon the Great Ape. Naturally the Prometheans refused, and so once more Yossod went to war. Once more they were successful, but once more they took heavy casualties because while the Prometheans were not warriors they still had a terrifying strength and many of the Yossodite warriors weren't properly fed.

This time the Prometheans were forced to accept Yossod's offer, but this time they were not so lenient. The Promethean rulers were brought to Qa-Avnel bound, and forced to kneel before the Prophet and offer their lands and positions to the Ayelic Council. And then they were given a choice: forsake the Great Ape and worship the Almighty of Yossod or die. Most of them chose death after their disgrace, but a few chose to convert. The Prometheans back at their settlement, excluding the children, were given the same choice and most chose death as well. The previously Promethean lands were opened to another influx of Yossodite settlers who set up new farms and mines in the region. The lands would quickly become integrated into Yossod controlled by two new High Priests, with integration being exceptionally quick thanks to the fact that the Yossodite humans vastly outnumbered the Prometheans who remained.

Though the new farms didn't solve the famine overnight, some of the burden was removed from Yossod proper as people migrated and warriors died taking the land. And famine would end, and things would return back to normal in Yossod. The next 31 years would be another period of stability for Yossod and its new territories. The few Prometheans who remained in Yossod quickly became integrated by the indoctrination of their children combined with their short lifespans, and the fact that the Yossodites proved their superiority over the Prometheans didn't harm the effort. However, Promethean numbers remained incredibly low as their plague was still in full force. But now, with peace and stability, the overlords of Yossod are looking outwards. There are ayels who desire to keep the status quo, to fortify and hole up safe in the mountains to protect their race. But on the other hand there are ayels who desire to expand outwards, believing that the more people they bring under their yoke to serve as shields for their kind, the safer they will be. But even this group is divided; most wish to send their preachers far and wide along their trade routes to spread the Holy Word of the God, but they are a select few who view military might and conquest the most prudent and expedient route to safety.



Cultural: The faith and religion of Yossod is formalized and codified by a series of Edicts made by the Ayelic Council. Furthermore, the first school is founded in Qa-Avnel, created for the purpose of training the priesthood. However, the curriculum expands to include topics that are not strictly religious, and eventually schools following this model would be founding in most major Yossodite cities.

Technological: A few token advancements would be made in technology, but nothing major.

Military: In 132.2 (103AE) a military campaign would be launched north to bring the remainder of Yossod under the control of Qa-Avnel. Though the campaign would quickly end in victory, it would result in near a decade of civil war and strife that would not conclude until 141.2 (109AE).

In response to the shortcomings of Qa-Avnel's army the Brotherhood of the Covenant, a holy order of professional soldiers, would be founded in 136.2 (113AE). Though it would only exist as a core of elite soldiers, and not as the sole military.

In response to a famine and a need for more land and resources, Yossod engages in a campaign into the southwest mountains against remnants of the Promethean Empire in 227.2 (175AE). Though it costs a great number of lives fighting the apes, it is a success and the Promethean leadership is humiliated and most choose death.

Diplomacy: Further trade routes are established from Qa-Avnel and Yossod, and though there is no direct contact goods manage to make their way too and from Yossod.

Government: The rather freeform government is replaced with an established with a codified theocracy, with priests holding direct political power and each subservient to nine regional High Priests, with the human ruler and face of the ayels being a Prophet directly appointed by the Ayelic Council (composed of every ayel alive). Thanks to the priests ability to name their successor and no ban on having children, priestly dynasties begin to develop.

Territorial Expansion:

A century later and Ru'taikaini was still ruling as King. For about 25 years, no one questioned his rule. He managed to rectify the birth issue, a simple solution really, just put the women first. It was in this era that baby girl's were raised as warriors, anything less wouldn't be acceptable to raise children. The female population steadily increased in number and with it, the birth rates. This also perpetuated advancements in health and science--when their daughters were born with illness the fear of their female population dropping out permanently (much like some other inhabitants of this world that they were all too familiar with) and desire to cure was stronger.

After this however, Ru'taikaini's leadership was called into question by Cas, their military leader. 5 of their kind had been taken and presumably killed by who they now assumed to be the enemy and what was their leader doing? Having more children! Fearing their own return to slavery, Ru'taikaini was overthrown and killed and his wife was outcasted. Cas becomes the King, yet she also still maintains her extensive control over the military. The beginning of her Kingship in 127 A.E will spark nearly a century of military and technological advancement motivated by fear.

Within this century, various economic roles--jobs, were developed. There were soldiers, hunters, scientists and doctors. The military developed goggles that would allow for better eyesight above land, but for younger generations, that was already changing. The babies born in this era were born with pupils that could change size at will.Also, Cas led the exploration of the east coast--it was high time they met their enemies face to face. The Zaqirs were discovered and with them, the breadth of their technology. You never saw how behind you were until you saw someone that was ahead. In the beginning, Cas attacked out of spite and vengeance.

They went for the gender that looked to be the weakest of this species, the males. They lured them from the coasts and into the sea--when met with resistance exactly five of them were dragged into sea by hooked spears with rope on the ends to pull their catch closer. The killed the men and ate the flesh from their bones. Their carcassess were dragged back to Bas and whatever they could steal off their shores, bloodied water exciting their newfound bloodlust. A dangerous expedition undoubtedly, for if the women caught them, things would've gone differently.

They made their exit deep beneath the waves, catching sight of a massive ship as it returned from sea. Once home, they braced for war and drew up plans to construct a ship, similar to what they had seen. The journey back home was long and arduous, but the majority of them made it. Hunters also took advantage of the eye wear, said hunters were learning new tactics as their mammalian kindred did, when the tides were high, they slid along the coast--primarily for exploration purposes but to also gather dry wood, seaweed, crustaceans, starfish, and shells.

Constant breaching was also a method of exploration and observation. The soun'yei hunted with the small whales, spending more time with them in order to learn more. Through this, the soun'yei learned other ways to use their echolocation. Whenever and wherever they hunted, they made sure to leave plenty behind for their kindred as a sign of appreciation.

Major Events of The Second Century

Culturally: The female gender increases in importance, daughters trained a bit more rigorously than males in close combat fighting in order to protect children. The God Bas is still worshipped.

Technological: Rudimentary Medicine. Healing Salves, creams and tonics are developed. Bow and Arrows, manually retractable spears, nets. A ship is in the process of being built, will end up looking more like a submarine, but technologically, they aren't advanced enough yet in this century to complete it.

Diplomatic: May have started a war with the Zaqir's, they explored and raided the coast while the women were away. Killing five men and only five, taking what they could back with them.

Government: The Young King is overthrown by Military leader Cas, she introduces her people to bloodlust.

Buzi was only Potentate for ten years before the Circle made its first attempt to oust her from her throne in 101 A.E. It was a well executed plan: she was attacked while hunting in the jungle with her sisters in spring. She and her two sisters were unguarded, and they were attacked by fifteen well trained warriors. However, Buzi was simply too skilled a fighter: though her sisters died in that fight, ten of the would-be assassins were killed. The remainder fled for their lives. One of them was captured, and she told Buzi everything before the Potentate strangled her to death.

Buzi's retribution was brutal. She returned to the city, gathered her warriors, and attacked the Circle. A terrible battle engulfed the center of the city, but within a week it was over. Buzi did not kill the Circle immediately, but instead took them prisoner. Then she brought their families before them. One by one she killed their mothers, then their sisters, and then their husbands as well. Their sons she enslaved and later sold; their daughters were forced to join Buzi's warband, the threat to their lives very clear (as being in her warband meant she could execute them whensoever she wished). Finally, Buzi killed all the members of the Circle she felt were useless to her. Only five of the original twenty-one Circle members remained.

Buzi the Butcher appointed new members to the Circle, and she made it clear on several occasions that her rule was absolute. She led our ancestors well, inspiring terror and respect in those around her, controlling the populace through fear of what her reprisal would be should they disobey her will. While some would certainly call her a tyrant, such a despotic reign was seen as virtuous by saurians in those days. Zaqir flourished.

The raids around the world continued in Buzi's reign, but she had a taste for something more. First, she wanted to glorify Zaqir and her reign, so she set into motion great building efforts using slave labor and the wealth Zaqir had procured over the last century. Grand temples to the Divine were erected throughout the city, each of them dedicated to a different aspect of the Divine: War, Trade, Storms, the Sea, and Civilization. Other building projects took place as well, such as new wells for clean water and a huge arena called the Ring of Valor in which daily battles were fought. The walls that protected the city were reinforced, new ballistae were set upon them, and the towers that stood watch over the city were adorned with a new flag: a field of green split by a bloody sword.

Most grand of these city beautification efforts, though, was the start of a canal. The saurian raiding efforts to the north were slowed because the greatest of the fleets were located on the western side of the Zauri Strip, the piece of land on which Zaqir was built. Yet the strip was not especially wide: at its thinnest point, it was maybe 29 leagues wide at most. Some saurians and humans had settled the region just east of Zaqir and had built a small town called West Zaqir, but it was not the same as living in the splendor of the city itself. So Buzi began building a canal that she hoped would one day connect the Red Shores¹ with the Pearly Sea² to the east. The canal would not be completed in her lifetime, and a thousand slaves and two hundred free laborers would die between the canal's start in 120 A.E. and the end of Buzi's rule in 178 A.E, but work on the canal nevertheless was in full swing.

Under Buzi's direction, the raiding fleets of Zaqir became more aggressive than they previously had been. Zaqiri explorers discovered a number of settlements held by human-like creatures in the southern isles, so in 112 A.E. they began raiding those villages in earnest. The people they raided, the Ashkari edimmu, were unable to muster a proper response: twelve years of highly profitable raids went by as Ashkar's shores were plundered and hundreds (perhaps thousands) of villagers dragged to the ships in chains. Zaqir grew prideful.

But then the unthinkable happened: the edimmu actually beat saurians in battle. One of Zaqir's largest raiding fleets - a six vessel fleet with a crew totaling seven hundred saurian and human women - took shelter in a cove after finishing one of its most lucrative raids yet. Somehow, edimmu soldiers knew where they were camped, and at night they ambushed the Zaqiri raiders. It was a slaughter: only one vessel escaped the cove, and aboard it were only forty-five women. The rest were all killed or captured by Ashkar.

When Potente Buzi heard of this, the Butcher was worked into a state that was said to be "of both great fury and great pleasure," for this meant there was a real fight to be had. So, Buzi called for a meeting that winter with the Circle and the raid leaders of Zaqir. She arranged for a huge fleet to be assembled at the start of summer: Ashkar's shores were going to be invaded, and the edimmu would learn why the saurians ruled the seas.

In the first weeks of the summer of 125 A.E, a saurian fleet of around five thousand raiders fell upon the Ashkari city of Aba-ada. The city was garrisoned with perhaps three or four thousand soldiers, but there was also a sizable militia, and together they outnumbered the Zaqiri warriors. The battle was fierce. One of the raiders in Buzi's became a bard after this battle and wrote about the battle. One scene is described like so:

The whole world was painted red
No cobblestone was spared.
The streets were covered with dead
Stuck with swords and spears.

Fire and smoke choked the skies
They poured out their tears.
Though my sisters met demise
Glorious was this war.

Zaqir was forced to retreat to their ships, but it would be accurate to say that nobody really won the battle. Zaqir gained no loot. The city of Aba-ada was covered with the dead. Both sides lost more than half their warriors. The saurian raiders retreated back to Zaqir.

Our ancestors debated what action to take next. Though the invasion of Aba-ada was ultimately unsuccessful, it had given Zaqir's warriors a taste of war they had not known for over a century. Buzi decided it would be best to let the Ashkari be untouched for a time: her reasoning was that if they waited, Ashkar would either grow weak in their absence and so be good for plundering or would grow strong and become a worthy opponent the saurian people needed. A small number of women on the Circle protested. They were summarily executed by single combat in the Ring of Valor.

Buzi the Butcher prepared her fleets for a second invasion, this time against the regulii of Ilitscium. It took some time to build them back to their former strength, so she simply had her fleets raid Ilitscium's coast. The regulii were not warriors; the Ocean Guard were formidable enough, but they were not prepared for the focused attacks they suffered at the hands of our ancestors.

The actual invasion fleet arrived in 148 A.E. and anchored not far from the city's shore. They attacked the farmlands and villages surrounding the city en-masse, torching a great many fields. Then Zaqir sent a single ship to the city with an ultimatum: pay tribute or suffer the full wrath of Zaqir. Within a week, the decision was made, and Ilitscium began paying tribute to Zaqir.

But Ilitscium's leaders were cunning. Ten years of annual tribute came and went, but regulii diplomacy saw this change. Soon tribute became trade, and that trade slowly shifted to favor Ilitscium. Without ever lifting their hand to attack Zaqir, Ilitscium managed to shift some of the region's wealth away from Zaqir and into the regulii city.

Meanwhile, the raids against Ashkar started once again. By that time, Ashkar had developed a small fleet and the two city-states were warring back-and-forth on the seas and the shores, raiding each other and boarding each other's vessels. Zaqir came out the better in most of these skirmishes thanks to its long history of naval warfare and the natural saurian abilities at sea. Slowly, Ashkari seamen became more skilled and experienced. Zaqir's women made better warriors at sea, but on land Ashkar's forces seemed to have the advantage.

But here, too, things became strange: while every summer and harvest season was one of raiding and warfare, every spring became a time of trade between the two nations. From the end of winter to the middle of spring, Zaqiri merchants would dock in Ashkar and Ashkari merchants in Zaqir, and there would be little to no violence between them. But then they would cease trading in the latter end of spring, and in summer they would return to trading blows. It is strange to look back on this period of history, because the cycle now seems almost ritual, like a game between two children.

But these two wars with Ashkar and Ilitscium were not the only wars that Zaqir became embroiled in. In 178 A.E, the nearby human city-state of Sasham invaded Zaqir, its people tired of the constant raiding they suffered. Their invasion was repelled. Zaqir responded with an invasion force of its own, half marching through the jungle and half invading by sea. Unlike their invasion of Aba-ada, Zaqir's armies were successful in their attack. The city was placed under saurian rule, but Buzi died in the attack.

The death of Buzi left a strange power gap in the city. Several saurian women called themselves Potentate between 178-180, none of them lasting longer than a few months before a coup, assassination, or revolt brought about their end. It was in this time of strife that many saurians and humans decided to leave Zaqir and settle elsewhere. Some went into the jungle to build small villages, or they settled along the shore; but others decided to build a new city along the western coast of the peninsula. They called it Tiraqir, and by 190 they declared themselves independent.

Zaqir's new ruler, Izani the Brave, would have none of that. She took her fleet and promptly forced Tiraqir into submission. She executed Tiraqir's Potentate and forced its Circle to submit to her rule. Those who did not were also executed. She then planted the new Zaqiri banner on all the towers surrounding that city. From that day on, Zaqir was no longer a city, but a nation: the Zaqiri Dominion.

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1. The Red Shores consist of the coastline west of Zaqir and refer to the sea they surround.
2. The Pearly Sea is the body of water east of Zaqir.

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Cultural:

The city of Zaqir underwent massive beautification efforts as the wealth accrued from years of raiding was used to build grand new buildings throughout the city, including the famous Ring of Valor, a gigantic arena for bloodsports. Furthermore, construction of a canal to connect the Red Shores to the Pearly Sea began in the second century.

Trade with Ilitscium began some time after the middle of the century, and Ilitscium profited most from this trade. There is a cultural exchange involved as well. Trade also was conducted with Ashkar in the latter half of the century, but each season of trade was followed by a season of raiding on both sides.

Technological:

No great technological advances were made in this century.

Military:

The raids continued in the second century. Zaqir attempted to sack the city of Aba-ada in 125 A.E, but the fleet was forced to retreat from that battle; over twenty-five hundred saurian and human women died in that battle. Ilitscium was surrounded and forced to pay tribute to Zaqir starting in 148 A.E. The city of Sasham attempted to attack Zaqir in 178 A.E, but their army was repelled and the saurians conquered them. When the city of Tiraqir rebelled against Zaqiri rule, Zaqir subdued them in a quick but bloody battle.

Government Changes:

A completely new regime was established by Buzi in 101 A.E. The position of Potentate changed hands several times after her death in 178 A.E. Izani the Brave became Potentate in 180 A.E. and maintained that position.

Territorial Expansion:

Zaqir conquered the human city of Sasham and built a new city on the western coast called Tiraqir. Several villages, often a mixture of human and saurian, have begun to crop up in the jungle and along the shores.

O divinity, send unto me a daemon, so like Dyanu I may know why do the people suffer so.

The next century had begun with great prosperity. The growth of the population was at an all-time high, and the arts and sciences were flourishing. The brightest of the teachers were excelling in what would soon be called philosophy, trying to answer what the nature of the world was. With the invention of geometry, the sciences were developing. Crops were large, temples were filled with idols of bronze and gold, and the territory of Ashkar was growing rapidly.

However, this prosperity was not to last. It is unknown whether or not they were attracted by Ashkar’s prosperity or whether they would have attacked regardless. Whatever the reason, it came as a surprise to Ashkar, who were unsure if other species even existed. However, a village was attacked and decimated, its riches taken and its denizens taken as captives, in the year 196 E.C (112 A.E). The initial account of lizardmen raiding and sacking villages was laughed off by the nobles, but King Illedrazki thought it would be wise to pursue a course of action. The nobles disagreed, but Illedrazki’s grandfather Sumarael the Great had already gutted their power.

Soon it became evident to all that it was indeed lizardmen who were attack Ashkar. The people were fearful of the raiders, fearing that their own villages would be next. The people of Ashkar were absolutely enraged, and demanded a reprieve from their suffering. One thing that especially enraged all of the Edimmu was that they were being carried off as captives. Captivity was, the people said, for animals. The Edimmu thought of the Zaqiri simply as extraordinary intelligent lizards, and thought of them as some type of serpent rebelling the natural order of things. King Iledrazki had no navy of his own to counter the raiders, and he had no idea where they would appear. Patrols of the soldiers would march from village to village, but they had little luck.

However, the tide turned in 208 E.C. (124 A.E.), when a Zaqiri captive gave the location of a large Zaqiri raiding fleet. A nearby garrison of soldiers were dispatched and managed to discover them before they left, and utterly decimated them. In the following year, the city of Aba-ada was attacked, although the city fortunately had a stockpile of weapons and a large garrison. The Zaqiri were beaten back, with both sides receiving about equal casualties. The city of Aba-ada was decimated, its population reduced by half and, like Gabala-du before it, a prosperous settlement became a backwater.

While neither side could claim a real victory, Ashkar claimed that they were victorious. The Battle of Aba-ada ended the war, and Ashkar claimed the result proved the natural superiority of the Edimmu. The raids stopped, and peace once again came to the land. At this, the people rejoiced, but since there was never any peace treaty, there was never any great celebration. King Illedrazki had a Zaqiri captive that had learned the Edimmu language, and had told the King some general details about his homeland. So he demanded the captive to return home, and send a letter to the Queen. It read:

To the She-King of the Zaqiri, ruler of Zaqir, you have given to me, King of Ashkar, Shepherd of the Edimmu People, something that I have not been allowed to have for many years. You have given me the opportunity to address an equal. For years we have killed, and my sons have felt the spill of their blood, and your sons also have felt the tongue of death, spewing forth the forces of chaos. Yet I harbor not ill will, and hope introspect on the horrors of war. I dedicate myself to peace, yet I know that I shall not long live, and I humble myself before thee so that you may perhaps consider the prospect of peace. Yet whatever cause you may take, I accept it.

Not many others were so positive, however. After the war there emerged an intense hatred of the Zaqiri and a belief in the Edimmu’s own superiority. The premier poet of the time, Zabaia, said “If only the Zaqiri would sit down, look upon the beauty of the world, and write a few poems on love and life, then perhaps there might be peace.” Like Illedrazki, however, he was the exception.

It can be safely assumed that the universe follows a natural hierarchy, unlike the Zaqiri, who rebel against their betters.

Zaqiri, steeped in insolence, lustful for gain, slayer of the virtuous, abomination before the gods, may thy appendages be chopped from thy body!

However, while there was much hatred for the Zaqiri back home, they were considerably more amiable when they were in the Zaqiri’s land. During the time of peace, trade could begin to open up. Having been terrorized by the Zaqiri’s ships, Ashkar decided that ships like their own needed to be built. They built biremes, galleys with two decks of oars that were meant for raiding, while the four-deck quadriremes were built for naval combat. However, it was the single-deck monoremes, which were used solely for trade purposes, that saw immediate action, as ambitious men and women became merchants in the Zaqiri’s land of Zahker.

Trade proved to be mutually beneficially, and Ashkar saw trade with Zaqir as essential. When the merchants and other travelers from the Kingdom of Ashkar saw the great city of Zaqir, they were greatly impressed, even if the wealth of the city was partially stolen from them. The theologian Yahuabahu visited Zaqir in 276 E.C. (192 A.E.), exemplifying the general sentiment.

I look upon the great city of Zaqir, and I see not a society of lower people. The city is filled with riches, and in every direction the eye can look another of the builders’ achievements are seen. There are many great temples, dedicated to the Imkhas, Ramman, Enki, and others…There is a great canal, which has yet to be finished, but even so, it is evident that it must be the greatest feat of engineering across the four corners of the earth…There is a place called the Ring of Valor, the great pinnacle of manliness, a monument to the greatness of the city. I only wish that such a place could exist back in our great city, but instead Ashkar only has the teachers who lead our people into folly and impiety.

After the war, Ashkar continued into peace. Illedrazki was extraordinary old and died on 212 E.C. (128 A.E.), but not before he could normalize trade with Zahker. For his being kind, slow to anger, understanding, and able history would know him as Illedrazki the Wise. He was succeed by his son Akhar, who himself died in a mere three years. Under Ettrewahu, however, Ashkar would return to full form.

Under the expedition of Captain Isu of Aba-ada, Ilitscium was discovered in 220 E.C. (136 A.E.). However, they were in a foreign land that they knew nothing about, so they had to stay for a while. Fortunately, the Reguli were friendly, and the expeditioners were not adverse to lovemaking. After learning the language and culture and getting into a number of improbable adventures, they finally sailed home in 233 E.C. (149 A.E.). Unfortunately, in that year the Zaqiri raids began again, and Captain Isu and his fleet were captured and sold into slavery.

Back in Ashkar, the civilization was reacting to the once again turbulent situation. Ettrewahu had died in 229 E.C. (145 A.E.) and was replaced by his son, Sumarael II. An army that was larger than ever before patrolled coastal areas, and put extra care to larger settlements. Now with a navy of their own, Ashkar retaliated, attack Zaqiri villages. These raiders were not like the sea pirates of Zaqir. They were trained soldiers and sailors. They were allowed to loot what they wished, but their key objective was to weaken and frighten Zaqir. However, King Ettrewahu did not salt the earth, as he feared retaliation.

However, they only attacked for a part of the year. In a few months in the year, trade resumed, and during winter both sides stayed home. Sumarael II had thought of attacking during winter, but was too frightened of retaliation. In general, the educated thought of this situation as great folly, but it would continue for decades. In 240 E.C. (156 A.E.) Sumarael II died and was succeeded by his son Akhaku, who would rule for decades to follow, yet the situation under him did not change.

In 249 E.C., (165 A.E.) Captain Isu of Aba-ada was freed after spending fifteen years as a slave. He, however, had a very hard time getting home, and was only able to return in 256 E.C. (172 A.E.). People had assumed he had been lost. Trade was able to commence with the Reguli forty years after their lands been discovered.

In 283 E.C. (199 A.E.), Akhaku died after a reign of forty-three years. The rivalry and conflict with the Zaqir continued, with raids becoming a common, almost accepted occurance. Akhaku’s son, Iyannaabu, ascended to the throne, and he found this situation completely unacceptable. He considered all the kings since Ettrewahu to be spineless cowards who were unable to accept the hard position that would be necessary to defeat Zaqir. The raids had forced the population to stagnate in the villages, and if this continued for any longer the system would collapse. In 190 E.C villagers made up 35% of the population, in 240 they up 30%, and in 280 they made up 25%.

Illedrazki 112 – 212 E.C. (28 – 128 A.E.) 163 – 212 E.C (79 A.E. – 128 A.E)
Akhar 137 – 215 E.C. (53 – 131 A.E.) 212 – 215 E.C. (128 – 131 A.E.)
Ettrewahu 157 – 229 E.C. (73 – 145 A.E.) 215 – 229 E.C. (131 A.E. – 145 A.E.)
Sumarael II 176 – 240 E.C. (92 – 156 A.E.) 229 – 240 E.C. (145 – 156 A.E.)
Akhaku 198 – 283 E.C. (156 – 199 A.E.) 240 – 283 E.C. (156 – 199 A.E.)
Iyannaabu 223 – 313 E.C. (139 – 229 A.E.) 283 – 313 E.C. (199 – 229 A.E.)

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190 E.C.
Total Population: 395,100
Ashkar: 177,200
Irgilu: 37,900
Aba-ada: 18,100
Iliung: 14,900
Gabala-du: 6,200
Ammtu-Buhur: 3,800
Villagers: 137,000

200 E.C.
Total Population: 403,600
Ashkar: 187,800
Irgilu: 40,200
Aba-ada: 19,000
Iliung: 16,000
Gabala-du: 6,500
Ammtu-Buhur: 4,100
Villagers: 130,000

210 E.C.
Total Population:
Ashkar: 199,100
Irgilu: 42,600
Iliung: 16,800
Aba-ada: 10,000
Gabala-du: 6,900
Ammtu-Buhur: 4,600
Villagers: 117,000

220 E.C.
Total Population:
Ashkar: 211,000
Irgilu: 46,000
Illiung: 17,800
Aba-ada: 10,200
Gabala-du: 7,300
Ammtu-Buhur: 5,100
Villagers: 128,700

230 E.C.
Total Population:
Ashkar: 221,600
Irgilu: 50,000
Illiung: 18,900
Aba-ada: 10,500
Gabala-du: 7,600
Ammtu-Buhur: 5,500
Villagers: 139,000

240 E.C.
Total Population: 471,300
Ashkar: 232,700
Irgilu: 55,000
Illiung: 19,800
Aba-ada: 10,800
Gabala-du: 8,000
Ammtu-Buhur: 6,000
Villagers: 139,000

250 E.C.
Total Population: 490,600
Ashkar: 244,000
Irgilu: 60,500
Illiung: 20,800
Aba-ada: 11,300
Gabala-du: 8,400
Ammtu-Buhur: 6,600
Villagers: 139,000

260 E.C.
Total Population: 511,000
Ashkar: 256,200
Irgilu: 65,300
Illiung: 21,800
Aba-ada: 11,800
Gabala-du: 8,800
Ammtu-Buhur: 7,100
Villagers: 140,000

270 E.C.
Total Population: 531,700
Ashkar: 269,000
Irgilu: 70,500
Illiung: 23,000
Aba-ada: 12,400
Gabala-du: 9,200
Ammtu-Buhur: 7,600
Villagers: 140,000

280
Total Population: 552,000
Ashkar: 282,500
Irgilu: 76,100
Illiung: 23,000
Aba-ada: 13,000
Gabala-du: 9,600
Ammtu-Buhur: 8,100
Villagers: 140,000

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It was called the century of strife for a reason. War brought a general uneasiness in society, that uneasiness being brought about by large-scale casualties from raids. Village life, at least on the coast, greatly suffered.

However, not all the change was for the negative, as it was effectively an intellectual and artistic golden age. The teachers were skilled in educating the commoners. The beginning of trade with both the Reguli and the Zaqiri brought about the creation of the merchant class.



The Teacher/Priest Feud
During this century, the priests and teachers continued their feud in which they vied for control of knowledge. To the priesthood’s chagrin, the teachers began to gain widespread support among the King. The priests weren’t without their own achievements, but they seemed to pale in comparison to the teachers, whose leaders’ works were sponsored by the King. Because of this, the priests were unable to condemn stop the philosophers.

Religion

During the times when there was peace great ziggurats were built, replacing the temples as the centers of religious life. These structures were massive step-pyramids which held a temple, the place of worship, at the top.

Religious customs remained mostly the same, and there were no paradigm shifts for which god was the most worshipped, Eliyahu remaining of chief importance. However, there was considerable controversy on what the news lessons of the teachers. The cosmologists (detailed below) were thought to be making the gods transcendent, and the philosophers were doing away with the concepts of virtue and vice, and with truth. The theologian Dimutu (159 – 239 E.C., 75 – 155 A.E.) clarified what was, at least to the priests, the proper form of the religion, saying the gods were absolutely physical beings with bodies like Edimmu, and that true claims can be known by divine knowledge, or revelation.

Although they were expecting the teachers’ rebuttal, they instead got a very different response. The poet and theologian Azupirano (162 – 270 E.C., 78 – 186 A.E.) who traveled performing the Rites of Life, accused the traditional religion of anthropomorphism, and that claiming the gods had flaws like humans was impious. Instead, Azupirano advocated that the true gods resemble humans in neither form nor mind. Dimitu, still alive, reacted quickly and strongly. The other teachers distanced themselves from Azupirano.

Developments in Poetry
Ilum-Ital-Kishar’s Ekagony, first distributed in 186, was the first chronology of the gods written. It was beloved by both priests and teachers, and became close to a holy book in the coming centuries. It details the tale of the gods from the moment of creation until the birth of the later gods and the beginning of the first mortals.

At first there was only Ghena, the primodial goddess of chaos, whose formless body was the water waters of chaos that made up existence. Then Eliyahu, the first of the gods, came into existence, and struggled against Ghena. Eliyahu represented order and Ghena represented chaos. Eliyahu is victorious, and forms the world out of the waters of Ghena’s body. Since then, order has generally prevailed, but Ghena will return one day and return the cosmos to chaos. Even so, Eliyahu as well will return and return the world to order, and this process shall be continued forever.

The first generation of gods were summoned out of Eliyahu’s body. These included all the major deities. A second generation of gods, consisted of the descendants of the gods also existed, consisting of six-thousand minor deities. Aside from the gods and the mortals that were created much later, there were also the daemons, the lillim, and the muses. The daemons are benevolent spirits who serve as a guide to mortals and agents of the gods. Lillim are descendants of the Lilith, goddess of lust, whose nature are dedicated to the struggle against chaos, yet they are harmful to humans because they tend to seduce them and lead them to their death. Serving a similar role to the Lilim are the harpies and lamia. The muses are spirits who will appear to people and bestow on them inspiration. Below the surface of the earth is the underworld, where souls are taken by daemons to their eternal fate. If they did their duty they are allowed peace in the afterlife, and if not they are effectively thrown away and will eventually be eaten by the forces of chaos. The gods live in the clouds.

Later, evil spirits emerged, who were forces of chaos, and attacked the gods. Under the leadership of Eliyahu, the gods fight the spirits, forcing them to retreat back into darkness. Then in time the gods create the mortals, who are far below the gods, and worship them. The gods are closely involved with the mortals, and a number of demi-gods are sired. Eventually a great flood comes that wipes away all of civilization, a victory for the forces of chaos. The Ekagony ends by describing a legendary first chieftain, a demi-god who reigns for 100,000 years.

Being an age of epic poetry, this also brought the highest-regarded of the epic poets. Rimush was a man who was both lame and blind, and famously was guided by a youth, yet he was also known for his oratory ability, and thousands of people would come to see him speak of the myths. He wrote The Epic of Marduk, distributed 204. It details the journey of Marduk, a legendary demi-god and king.

At the beginning of the epic Marduk is abusing the people of the city by taking his “lord’s right” to sleep with brides on their wedding night and forcing men through incessant tests of strength, so the people plead the gods to save them from Marduk. The gods create Kamesh, an equal to Marduk. Kamesh is a wild man, so a temple prostitute over a period of seven days of lovemaking civilizes him, and then on the second day tells him about Marduk, and that he must force him to stop his oppression.

When Marduk and Kamesh meet, however, they become friends and the two of them agree to travel to the abode of the gods and slay the monstrous Humbraaba. When they arrive at their location, Marduk refuses the advances of Iyanna, goddess of love, taking into account her treatment of past lovers, and so Iyanna sends the bull of heaven against Marduk, which the two heroes slay. Eliyahu, king of the gods, is enraged and has Kamesh killed.

Marduk mourns Kamesh and begins to fear his own death. Marduk begins to look for a source of immortality. This search is interrupted, however, by the advent a war, during which many heroes fight. Marduk survives, and gains knowledge on the nature of humanity. However, he continues to search for a source of immortality, and finds a man who was made immortal by the gods after the great flood. The man, however, tells him that the gods shall never make someone immortal by whim, but tells Marduk that there is a plant at the bottom of the ocean that will restores his youth. Marduk reaches it, only for it to be stolen away by a serpent. Marduk mourns it loss, and realizes immortality is impossible.

Rimush wrote it as more of than epic tale. Although it tells an already very old myth, it also was intended by Rimush as more introspective than the oral myths. Marduk develops a fear of death, and this is exasperated by the horrors he sees while in war. However, he not able to go against the nature of the world, and is unable to achieve immortality.

Born a generation after the two great epic poet was Zabaia. He was the first notable lyric poets. He wrote poems from the perspective of a man, using poetry to talk about a certain subject. His subject matter included the feelings one feels when in the bliss of being in a festival, poems of sadness, joy, and rage, and poems describing the natural world, yet the subject closest to his heart is that of love. He deals with both love with men and women. Some of his love poems detail the emotion of love, but others are explicitly erotic, using the line “you wear me out with love.”

Zabaia was greatly admired, even within his home time. He was born in 163 and died in 233, and wrote hundreds of popular poems during his lifetime. His career began in the 190s, and he remained popular throughout his life. He was so popular among the people that they claimed he was an amnesiac god. Because of this, he is called The Divine Poet. However, his later career was much less profitable, as people were too concerned with the war. His style of writing heavily influenced effectively all lyrical poetry for centuries to come, but his style is more evocative of an ancient, pre-written style that is reminiscent of tribal songs.

Akhu, born 203, succeed Zabaia, but had a profoundly original style, despite the Divine Poet’s influence on him. He has been unfairly seen as a transitional figure between Zabaia and later poet Yasthiru. He was the son of a priest, but did not wish the life of the priesthood, in spite of their wealth and power. Instead, he was interested in becoming a poet like Zabaia, who he went to see often in his youth.

Akhu’s style was lyrical like its predecessor, but there is a difference in style. It is just as skillfully made but there is something simpler and more realistic about his sentence structure. However, it is important not to exaggerate, and Akhu’s successors, known as the Eastern Poets, would take this farther. Unlike Zabaia, Akhu explored politics and war in his poem, and had an intense for the Zaqiri. This is a difference between the time of Akhu and the time of Zabaia.

Developments in Philosophy

After the previous century had brought the colossal figures of Tudiya, Dyanu, and Amaratu, philosophy’s place in the intellectual and cultural world of Ashkar was solidified. It was, however, not called philosophy, and except for the cosmologists they were considered poets. By this time, Tudiya’s [i]Dialogue of Pessimism[/b] had begun to hold an exalted place. There were commentaries on the Dialogue of Pessimism, not being in poetic verse, are unambiguous works.

The Cosmologists

The cosmologists were people who saw themselves as scientists but have been seen as philosophers since the 5th century. Each of the cosmologists thought there was a single substance that all other things spring from.

Ag-ra-mas (126 – 205 E.C, 42 – 121 A.E.) was an astrology teacher and first cosmologist. They tried to trace all things to a single element, which they call the arche. Ag-ra-mas published two works, Scroll of Ghena, distributed 172, describes his theory, and The Elucidation of the Arche, distributed 183, a more sophisticated and popular work. For Ag-ra-mas, the arche is water. Water was the first substance to exist, and other things came after it. The world floats on water, and is flat like in the myths. Observing water was necessary for life and was solid, liquid, and an “earthy residue,” (gas). It resembled other elements and is the only element that can do such, so he thought that demonstrated water was the arche. Water is water is made by Ag-ra-mas a higher, slightly ethereal substance. Similarly, in myth the world was created out of the waters of chaos

Ag-ra-mas was succeeded by Bi-itu (174 – 256 E.C, 90 – 174 A.E.) Born 174, Bi-itu studied Ag-ra-mas’, saw him speak, and was heavily influenced by him. A teacher of astrology, he also fought in the First Zaqir War, and returned to teaching after its end. He thought that the arche was air due to its fluidity. Air turns into other elements when it becomes thicker or thinner, becoming fire when it becomes thinner, and becomes water or earth when thickened. The other elements, due to not being in-between substances like air, could not possibly be the arche. He was the first to suggest the soul is made of breath.

Akhatu the Riddler (200 – 291 E.C, 116 – 207 A.E) was neither a teacher nor priest, but did take his teachings to the people with his strange aphorisms, written in his book Nature, distributed 261, with which the readers are supposed to grapple with, and then arrive at the truth. There is something, which he called The Word, which is all around us but we don’t see it because we aren’t listening. There is a “unity of opposites,” where there are two aspects of everything, yet we only notice one aspect since we don’t listen to The Word. The nature of the world is both unitary and a multiplicity, just like a mixed drink. Everything is in flux always there is a primary, fundamental nature of the world.

Fire is the arche. Fire, he thought, touches other things and turns them into fire. In turn, fire morphs into air, which morphs into water, and earth. Water occupies the place as the opposite of fire. Souls are literally made of fire, and we die because our souls become wet. This is to him proven in one way by how our souls cool down when we die. We take in fire from the cosmos when we breath in along with air, and breath fire out, which is why our breath is warm. Fire is not analogous to flame, but rather is a vast, dry substance that is the most exalted thing in the universe.

Dyanism

Dyanism, the philosophy expounded by Dyanu, reached its height. It espoused a dualistic system of order and chaos and the supremacy of the gods, and that the nature of the gods can be seen by observing the world. Uiraka (140 – 230) and Idi-essu (134 – 220), two of Dyanu’s students, were the main figures.

Uiraka spread Dyanism through his three-hundred line poem Dialogue of the Man and the god, distributed 192, and his commentary on the Dialogue of Pessimism, distributed 205, becoming the most celebrated intellectual of Ashkar at the time. His work mainly dealt with the theodicy aspect of Dyanism, talking on why the gods allow suffering and how to overcome it, but the similarity between gods and humans is also present.

Idi-essu, unlike Uiraka, was very solitary. He moved to an isolated village south of Ammtu-Buhur, founding a mystical Dyanist sect, but was killed in a Zaqiri raid. His work were collected by an acolyte, Rakhak (163 – 260). One was a commentary on The Dialogue of Pessimism and a commentary on dialogue of The Righteous Man and the goddess a rare commentary on Dyanu’s work, and are the most detailed of all of these commentaries. He is most famous for his 500-lined poem, Dialogue of the Sage and the doubter. Highly stylized and evocative, it expounds on the Tudiyan doctrine of univocity of being. When describing qualities, all things which have that quality in the same sense. This is true for the divine, but the divine have the quality in the most supreme way. All people are made up of multiple qualities, or they would not qualify as having a nature, and this is seen in how Iyanna is goddess of both war and love.

Tudiyanism
Mubal-Seun was the founder of the school of thought called Tudiyanism, which consisted of people of who claimed adherence to the wisdom of Tudiya’s Dialogue of Pessimism. Mubal-Seun (90 – 180) was of royal blood, as a descendant of the third son of King Sumu-Abum. A general of the First Zaqiri War, he retired from the army and became a public follower of Tudiya’s poem, and exalted it as a sort of divine poem that was written according to divine providence.
Extremely prolific, and his work consists of six “Major Dialogues,” fifty-eight “Short Dialogues,” expounding upon Tudiya, and also wrote the Commentary on the Dialogue of Pessimism. Mubal-Seun avoided theodicy, taking the subject elsewhere. The core of his philosophy is the impossibility of knowing what is the correct choice or path to take, and the futility of any attempts to do so. Mubal-Seun and his followers followed a path completely skeptical of all claims to absolute knowledge, but did not deny the myths.

In the decades that followed, Tudiyanism would thrive among the teachers and was spread among the elite. It was a revolt against Dyanism and its interpretation of Tudiya, and the schools of thought engaged in debate and discourse with each other.

The most important Tudiyan of the later part of the century was Ira-Galamil, born 202 in Ashkar, conversed with commoners and would seemingly prove one position to be true, then prove the opposite in a type of intellectual exercise. A moral relativist, he believed all positions to be equally valid if presented well enough. He had a love of arts and poetry, and stressed that people should strive to achieve “excellence,” in all things. Gaining excellence is the purpose of life, since there are no great truths about the world, uttering the aphorism “man is the measure of all things.” He invented rhetoric, and wrote the first book on it, called Excellence in Debate, distributed 259. He was the father of Sophism, really a type of Tudiyanism, and his followers were called Sophists, who were teachers known for their rhetorical and oratory skill who were hired as skilled instructors.



Developments in Practical Technology

Aharru, mentioned before as the inventor of geometry, had spoken with King Illedrazki with how to apply his work to practical technology. He worked with the most brilliant engineer of ancient Ashkar, Meshu (136 – 233 E.C., 52 -14 A.E), and together they came up with a number of pratical usages for geometry. Through their collaboration, they were able to come with the invention of the ziggurat. However, with the advent of the First Zaqiri War, Ashkar was more interested in walls. So the first walls of Ashkar were built, which were made of stone.

The surge in knowledge in the sciences, as well a general mood of innovation and the example of the Zaqiri led to creation of ships. There were several types of ships, with the four-decked quadrireme being the heavy warships, the two-decked biremes intended for raiding, and the single-decked monoremes intended for trading.

Gisikim (178 – 255 E.C., 94 – 178 A.E.), was a healer and exorcist, who wrote a handbook called the The Exorcist Handbook, which contained certain axioms about exorcism and medicine. It was a foundational text in medicine, as it dealt with everything in a logical and consistent way, and was even able to present exorcism as a science, although only half of the material is on exorcism, and the other is on practical medicine. It was also a seminal influence on logic and mathematics, due to its use of axioms.

Mathematics

Agabaru (176 – 258 E.C., 92 – 176 A.E.) was a teacher of arithmetic who brought additions to mathematics. He analyzed Aharru’s work, and realized that his proofs were not sufficiently proven even though his conclusion were true, and correct this, and invented some notable theorems. He also defined volume as a three-dimensional space enclosed by some boundary and set the foundation of the mathematics of slopes, which would later lead to the inventions of the pyramid, although it would be much later.


With the advent of the Zaqiri raids and the subsequent invasion, Ashkar was never the same. The army was greatly increased in size, the navy was created.

[Cultural sidebar: Despite the tremendous significance that Dyarvik culture places on memory, wisdom, and the transmission of knowledge, historians of other races have found themselves frustrated when attempting to understand the major events of their history. Stone-trolls often have near-photographic memories when it comes to changes in the natural world around them, when observing the night sky, or identifying and recalling other creatures. They hold grudges and never forget friendships or cherished places, and also have a shrewd and reflective concern for politics, culture, and theology. Yet when talking about their history, the Dyarvik do not separate their knowledge into different topics; for them, the quality of the soil in a given year is of equal importance to the portents of the stars, to the birth of children, to political changes, and even to war. Likewise, stone-trolls do not divide knowledge into separate disciplines. While they recognize that some trolls are wiser in some topics than others, it is nonsensical for a troll to be an “astronomer” or a “historian”: after all, is that not what trolls are? In the Dyarvik language, the nearest approximation of “astronomer” is either “one of the Circle of Stars (who instructs in sky-lore)” or “star-watcher.” To get to the point: a historian asking an ancient Dyarvik about the events of his childhood will have to gleam information from a meandering discourse on moss, mysticism, and tribal dynamics. The following account has removed as much as possible details the human reader would consider extraneous.]

The ancients tell the story this way: at the beginning of the second century A.E., stone-trolls were divided into three different groupings. The first, of course, was around the Holy Valley of Five Stones. High Chieftain Speaks-like-thunder, just arriving in his prime at 86 winters, now controlled the High Council and the Assemblies of Voices and Reflection. About 6600 trolls remained in the Valley of Five Stones by 100 A.E., and under his own edicts, they could only engage in limited agriculture and husbandry. Still, work continued unabated on giant astronomical and geometric architectural structures; despite Barumbesukeh distaste for Promethean styles, their construction technology proved invaluable in the carefully chiseled, intricately assembled towers, stone henges, and memory halls that began to dot the inner valleys. Though Speaks-like-thunder was still young, he began to call himself “Thunderspeaker”, in the style of a clan name, an honour normally only given to respected elder trolls over the age of 150. He consolidated his political control, claiming to be “Most High Chieftain”, rightful religious and political leader of all trolls. In truth, he was this in name only.

While Thunderspeaker was owed the personal fealty of the largest Barumbesukeh clans, Deepsleeper, Stonebreaker, Riverdrinker and Longstrider, there were still around 2000 trolls who were suga, clans who were former slaves. These clans included the influential Stargazers, and the Strongbacks and Chainbreakers, who lived closely with the human troll-spawn and birthed more each winter. The six thousand sentient troll-spawn in the nearby highlands had been allowed to remain, but their villages and herdsmen were required to pay tribute to the Five Stones. A gangly six-foot troll-spawn could not hope to best a twelve- or twenty-foot troll in battle, but the troll-spawn tribes were more loyal to their troll clans than the Council. Furthermore, troll-spawn worshiped the nature-spirits of their human or Promethean ancestors and only paid lip service to the Five Ancients. The suga clans were consistent opponents of Thunderspeaker, in particular the 30-foot, two hundred-year old, Winterpine, a nephew of the Prophet Stargazer. The “Winterpine suga” saw Stargazer's commandments as open to interpretation, but believed the Assembly of Voices and Reflection should be guided by High Chieftains related to Stargazer – after all, they were the ones who carried and remembered his death-recitation most carefully. Knowing they were outnumbered by Barumbesukeh, they also advocated for troll-spawn to have voices in the assembly.

This religious and cultural divide would only deepen in the valleys of the Five Stones over the next twenty-five years. Thunderspeaker feared Winterpine's suga might attempt a coup or political maneuver during a Bi-annual Festival of Stars, when hundreds of powerful and ancient suga trolls returned to the valley from afar to speak and vote in the Assembly of Voices. So, in 120 A.E. it was officially pronounced that the creation of sentient troll-spawn was in breach of the Five Precepts of Stargazer, and disallowed for any troll. The suga were outraged. Many barumbesukeh, as well, were skeptical but obedient to this new rule.

In 125 A.E., Thunderspeaker organized many young warriors into a formal bodyguard in preparation for the next year's Festival. While it was common among many clans for a Chieftain to be accompanied by several young men, normally the size and strength of a troll leader was defense enough. By the end of the year, there were one hundred trained “Stoneguards.” The suga saw this as a trained army, and began to arm themselves; suga radicals numbered perhaps five hundred, and while the ancients, Winterpine among them, urged for calm, violence began to break out across the valleys in the spring of 126 A.E. The strife came to a head, as expected, at the Festival of Stars in the summer.

The radical suga had come planning to force Thunderspeaker from the High Council, through words or through force. Hundreds of troll-spawn warriors lay in wait above the valley. Dozens more sympathetic chieftains from the Northern and Southern clans had arrived, but Thunderspeaker's control over the Assembly meant that a political victory was unlikely. The radicals hoped to force Winterpine and the other suga into open rebellion. They also knew many Barumbesukeh chieftains disliked Thunderspeaker, and though they would not speak against him, might not fight for him if it came to war. On the night of the Festival, three hundred trolls and five hundred troll-spawn warriors stormed the Five Stones. They expected heavy resistance but only slew a few guards, driving right up to the stones themselves. By the time they realized the trap, it was too late. Hundreds of stoneguards and Deepsleeper and Stonebreaker clansmen had surrounded them, and fires suddenly blazed high into the night.

Trolls are very difficult to kill. They can recover from even the most crippling wounds, given time and care. Yet on the slaughter was complete; not one suga troll escaped the clubs, spears and fists of Thunderspeaker's men. In the highlands, ancient Longstrider hunters fell on the troll-spawn allies, and across the valleys, encampments and holdings of suga trolls were raided and burnt. In later years, this night would come to be known as simply “the Grudge” or “the Blood-debt” by the suga and the “Night of Betrayal” by the Barumbesukeh. It is estimated six hundred trolls, over three-fourths of them suga, and a thousand trollspawn lost their lives that night. Winterpine and other chieftains were imprisoned, an unacceptable insult and crime for any troll, and two months later sentenced to permanent exile by a unanimous vote of the Assembly of Voices.

With winter approaching, 1200 suga trolls and 4000 troll-spawn lead by Winterpine were exiled to the unfamiliar north with their herds, but stripped of their fall harvests. With them went 980 barumbesukeh who refused to accept the rule of Thunderspeaker and were outraged at the massacre of fellow trolls. Two hundred trolls and countless spawn would die of hunger and exhaustion on the journey or simply never awoke when spring returned to the earth in 127 A.E. Yet they eventually arrived at the end of a long journey in the highlands above the Great Northern Forest. The details of this journey quickly entered the Great Recitation, the history taught by rote to all children of suga and exiled barumbesukeh.

The exiles and Winterpine himself were welcomed by the tribal leaders of the northern troll tribes, who had prospered in the century and a half since the fall of Promethea. The Northern dyarvikim [Children of the Forest], were a mixture of the wild northern Dyarvik and descendents of Promethean slaves exiled from Five Stones fifty years earlier. Approximately 9000 trolls and 15,000 troll-spawn occupied a massive stretch of forest and plains from the highlands to the sea. They had built mighty hill-forts and stone circles, created cultivated fields and rolling pastures in the great wilds; many advances in pottery, husbandry and metallurgy date to this wealthy period. Still, many Dyarvik lived much as they had for centuries, even under the Prometheans, traveling in alone or in small bands. They lived alongside human tribes mostly peacefully, though there were constant skirmishes and ritual battles between dyarvikim and the fierce Feinar warriors.

For a time, all was well in the North, and for twenty-five years, Winterpine and his people prospered alongside the northern tribes through seasons of great plenty. But the good times were not to last. Dyarvik ancients speak of a great and bitter wind that came down from the north in the fall of 154 A.E., bringing a particularly cold and bitter winter, with more snow than had been seen in memory. Floods followed in the spring, washing away crops and soil, and then a great rainstorm drowned the land for five days. No more rain would fall for four months. The next winter was long and cold, and again the spring floods burst the banks of rivers, and again the summer was dry. Plants began to wither, cattle collapsed in the heat, wells and food stocks grew shallow. Troll children and troll-spawn emerged from hibernation smaller and weaker than they began, as though their hungry hosts had drained some of their vitality. The elders prayed that the Five Ancients would look on them and weep, wetting the land with their tears. No answer was heard, but the rumble of thunderstorms that always stayed on the horizon.

The drought would last fifteen years, until 169 A.E. During this time, many trolls ventured south, only to find the famine more severe and the human residents greedily guarding their meagre stocks. Others returned to Five Stones and submitted to Thunderspeaker. But most stayed, and suffered. Violence broke out between humans and trolls, and dozens of minor wars were fought over trifles. The Feinar, in particular, became convinced that the trolls had a wealth of food in their hill-top forts. While they could not defeat the trolls when they marched in force, they hunted isolated troll families and bands, and massacred villages of troll-spawn. In winter, they scaled unguarded walls and killed trolls as they slept. In response, troll chieftains marched north in 159, 163, 167, and 168. They killed Feinar by the thousands, burnt camps and villages, set fire to their forests, and returned home hungry and bloodied, with nothing to show for their efforts but scars and empty faces. Trolls understood violence and combat between individuals and small groups, but this sustained mass warfare, year-after-year, exhausted them.

Worrying the trolls were too vulnerable on the lowlands and in the forests, Winterpine convinced many trolls to follow him back to the highlands. In 173 A.E., the Feinar and allied tribes saw their chance, and seized much of the north from the trolls in a single bloody summer. But their victory would last only a year; in 174 A.E., the drought returned even hotter and dryer. Lightning struck thousands of times, and catastrophic forest fires devastated at least twenty-five percent of the northlands. This unparalleled ecological disaster scattered both trolls and Feinar. The trolls were forced to retreat to the mountains with what remained of their herds, and many Feinar, naming the Great Forest as cursed, poured eastward towards Yossod and Qa-Avnel. By the end of the century, their tribal lands would almost reach the Ayel's borders. Some isolated trolls and humans remained in the Great Forest, but otherwise the whole region was either wilderness or Feinar territory. The dyarvikim trolls returned to the highlands.

The famines finally ended in 179. While the Feinar raided the lands of the Yossod, groups of stone-trolls, searching for better pastures and fertile valleys, began to trade pottery, cattle and the strength of their backs for food and a place to stay the winter. While trolls and humans were wary of each other, troll-spawn proved good and approachable ambassadors between the two races. When Prometheans resisted Qa-Avnel, several stone-trolls served as engineers to the army, happy to break paths and carry burdens to help defeat their sworn enemies. Together, humans and trolls weathered the great famines, and rebuilt towards the end of the century in the North.

Meanwhile, over this period, a much smaller group of trolls had established themselves in the south, in the great river valley of the Get. These Getterim, numbering perhaps two thousand, were the clans who had worked in the forges and on the monuments of Promethea, and were the most independent out of any trolls, paying very little attention to the political events in Five Stones. In the years leading up to 151 A.E., they had become closely entwined with the human cities on the coast, and had begun trading their raw metal and stone, and their labor, for advanced technologies, cattle, and jewelry, for which the Getterim developed a pronounced taste.

In 151 A.E. an ambitious human king, Ahmet Pajar I, rode out to an assembly of the greatest troll chieftains. He ruled the city of Bet Aybar, the center of trade and wealth on the west coast of the continent, and dreamed of extending his power throughout the west, even up to Promethea. He promised the trolls he would institute their faith as a state religion, ban slavery in his realm, and grant them massive swathes of territory, tens of thousands of cattle, and, most remarkable of all, half of the Imperial treasury each year – in exchange for their labor and military service. The trolls agreed after much debate, and so the Empire of Bet Aybar was born. By Emperor Pajar I's death in 189 A.E. trolls were entirely entwined in the fabric of Imperial society. Racism and prejudice did remain on both sides: merchants grew frustrated with the trollish habit of freeing foreign slaves (and even “freeing” servants) wherever they saw them. Yet the Emperor's personal bodyguard was made up of fifty armored twenty-foot trolls, and troll-spawn formed half his legions.

By the end of the century, the three kingdoms of the stone-trolls stood as such:
- The Dyarvikim tribal confederation in the northern highlands with trade routes to Yossod and the Great Forest. A significant minority are exiled suga who follow Winterpine, nearing the end of his waking life: he slept through three whole years at the end of the century. They are only just recovering from devastation: 7,000 trolls remain, and 14,000 trollspawn.
- The southern Getterim number approximately 3,800 and an astonishing 16,000 trollspawn, most of whom are shepherds and wranglers or cavalry and legionnaires of Bet Aybar.
- The barumbesukeh of the Five Stones, under High Chieftain Thunderspeaker, remain xenophobic, conservative and suspicious of outsiders. They number perhaps 4,200 with only a few remaining loyal troll-spawn clans who guard the borders in winter. Most are stationed nervously on the eastern border, where the new Scalethein Empire has began to rub up against the holy lands of the stone-trolls.



Cultural:
Increasing cultural, poltical and religious divisions between:
Barumbesukeh: trolls never enslaved by Prometheans, in general xenophobic and religiously conservative. They believe trolls should be ruled by one Most High Chieftain (Thunderspeaker), and refuse to create sentient troll-spawn.
Suga: descendants of former slaves who believe the Assemblies of Voices and Reflection should include troll-spawn. Politically and religiously, however, they owe their allegiance to the Stargazer clan, notably the now-ancient Chieftain Winterpine.
Dyarvikim: northern trolls who live in the highlands and lowland hill-forts, generally the most numerous and (after the Getterim) technologically advanced of the stone-trolls. They are increasingly traders, traveling long distances, living in small groups, and bartering their labor and knowledge for food, supplies, winter protection, and (even more) knowledge.
Getterim: southern trolls who live in the Get valley and the big cities of Bet Aybar. They have a love of jewelry, fancy armour and weapons, and take pride in their skill in husbandry, agriculture, warfare, and construction.

Technological:
Generally increasing tech with domestication of animals, riding horses (for trollspawn; though troll-spawn horses are common, being stronger, larger, and easier to tame and control), pottery, architecture, and metallurgy.

Military:
Getterim trolls begin to use armour and metal weapons in battle. Troll-spawn now provide the majority of the cavalry of Bet Aybar, and they have started to serve in the Imperial legions, developing new forms of miltary organization and mass combat techniques.
In the north, dyarvikim have begun to construct massive defensive fortifications and hill-forts or earth, wood and stone to protect themselves, especially on the lowlands.
The Five Stones has developed the “Stoneguard”, massive trolls who spend their lives training for combat to enforce the will of the Most High Chieftain Thunderspeaker.

Government:
Thunderspeaker consolidates control in the Five Stones, and exiles the suga rebels, lead by Winterpine, to the north.
In the south, the getterim support Bet Aybar's rise to power and the expansion of a human state that worships the stone-troll Gods.

Territory:

By the dawn of the third century, the Promethean Empire was all but exhausted. Tall Ape Grishartd Gritig's disasterous campaign in the mountain realm of Uthein had not only ended in complete military collapse, but had also resulted in the birth of the Scalethein Empire - a foreign entity that now had the infrastructure and warriors to lay siege to the last bastions of Promethean kind.

The Uthein Campaign had also cost the lives of many Lesser Apes (Warlords), leaving a giant vacuum of power all across the ruptured borders of the Empire. Brother now fought brother over their father's vacant seat, and precious Promethean blood was loosened upon the grass to no avail other than to settle petty rivalries. The Empire's vast stocks of copper and tin had also been heavily depleted, meaning that for the first time in centuries, the Prometheans were unable to equip themselves with metal-based weapons.

In all, Grishartd Gritig's invasion of Uthein had set the scene for the extinction of the Prometheans. It is little surprise then, that in 207 A.E, he was murdered by his own body guards as he slept.

Though Promethea's bad fortunes did not end there. Without the Tall Ape to rule, various factions broke into out right civil war - vying for the ancient throne that had ruled the continent for so many years.

And as thousands died in the stupid and pointless strauggle, thousands more died from the Promethean Plague. By now, it was estimated that only 26,000 females of breeding age were alive, in contrast to some 210,000 males - and the former figure was shrinking daily. It would take a miracle to turn things from the brink, and in the year 208 of the Ancient Era, such a miracle was granted.

Horok was born from the union of Man and Promethean, whose parents had been executed upon his birth. He'd served as a slave ever since, living in misery like so many of his kind - until the assassination of the Tall Ape, and the collapse of the Empire.

It was he who led the Slave Revolt, and it was he who broke the Lesser Apes at the Battle of Promethea City, and rose to power on a fertile bed of popular support not just from his slave-kin, but from the common Prometheans who had been driven to despair. Horok was an intelligent being, blessed with a human's intellect, and within days of seizing power of the Promethean Throne, he unleashed a range of sweeping reforms.

Slavery was immediately banished, and cannibalism was also outlawed - both of them dismissed as decrepit acts that the Great Ape in the Sky had never sanctioned. Then he turned his attention to the Promethean Plague, and in a feat of ingenious social engineering, went about separating females; indeed, it became punishable by death for two females to be within fifty feet of each other. This led to a chaotic period within urban centres, as females were herded out into the country under armed guard, to start life anew in specially built camps. His hopes were that the plague would struggle to spread, if it could not so easily find a host.

By 211 A.E, Horok had survived seventeen assassination attempts, and had put down six separate rebellions. Yet, already his reforms were having effect, as the absence of slaves gave the economy an unexpected revitalisation, and the Promethean population stabilised for the first time in a hundred years.

Looking north, Horok understood that sooner or later the Scalethein Empire would come. Without mines, the Promethean Empire's ore income was little to none, and so, Horok looked to the thick jungle-like vegetation that inhabited much of Promethea. Trees were felled by their hundreds, and were used to create heavy clubs, long pikes and bows. These weapons were primitive, but in the hands of the muscular Prometheans, they would stand against the amassing forces of their northern neighbour.

In 227 A.E, the Promethean Empire's fortunes had transformed miraculously. The Plague had not been seen in some areas for more than a year, and the female population had started to recover - though it was still decades from equalling out with that of the males. Horok's soldiers numbered in the thousands, and he had them drilled daily; the ancient stone walls of Promethea City had been repaired and revitalised where possible, and food stores swelled the granaries.

She wasn't what she had once been, but in 227 A.E, the Promethean Empire had transitioned from a graveyard into a regional power - and would not easily be dislodged.

The year was 200 A.E, the Prometheans had been driven from the Dwarven homelands for a few years now, and yet, ruins of the old kingdom still scattered the snowy peaks of the mountains it once inhabited. The Scalethein Empire was in its infancy; its run in with the Prometheans had placed great strain on its fledgling infrastructure, and on its people.

Tens of thousands of Dwarves had died during the fall of Uthein, and its once thriving industry had been put to the torch. Roads too had been torn asunder, making it difficult for Rokdar's attempts at rebuilding his shattered homeland. Kobold labour was plentiful however, and no doubt, for this he was entirely grateful.

It took a year to clear the rubble of Uthein, for the King had proclaimed that 'We shall not settle in the graves of our loves ones!', and it would take a further five years to build the city anew.

The Dwarves plied their trade here, as they errected giant stone structures into the mountain sides. Walls were constructed to house these structures, and into the mountains, Rokdar's folk dug - not for ore, but for living space. Indeed, Rokdar envisioned the future of his peoples protected by the skin of the mountains, not the walls of surface settlements.

With Kobold assistance, the Dwarves were able to reopen several zinc, copper and tin mines that had been obliterated by the Prometheans. By 227 A.E, Uthein had been born anew into a giant subteranean city, with a population of some hundred thousand Dwarves, and ten thousand or so Kobolds.

By then of course, the King had retired his crown for the title of First Minister of the Empire, which entitled him to the same rights when it came to the ruling of state. The Kobolds indeed, kept their Queen, and thus the Empire was then headed by the First Minister of Uthein and the Queen of Scale Home.

Fearing that the common folk would eventually grow envious of their betters, Rokdar created the Senate - a body of elected officials, whose purpose was to draft legislation, administer the Empire's day-to-day needs, and to advise both he and the Queen on all matters. They were all for their bluster, an impotent body, that existed solely at the whim of Rokdar and the Kobold Queen. Within months of its founding, the Senate's roster was doubled, to include Kobolds - and thus, the Empire found its representative government body.

And then, with some deliberation, the Senate, the First Minister and the Kobold Queen drafted the Imperial Testament - a crude form of unniversal laws and rights that would govern the subjects of the Empire, and it unfolded as follows:

• All citizens are equal in the eyes of the Senate, the First Minister and the Queen of Scale Home. Therefore, they are afforded the same rights in matters of business, electoral affairs and property ownership regardless of their gender.
• Should a Citizen slay another, regardless of their race or prejudice, then they too shall be slain in accordance with Natural Law.
• All local laws specific to certain Imperial Provinces will be respected.
• A Citizen is free to follow the religion of their choosing, provided their beliefs do not contradict the Imperial Testament or stand contrary to the established rule of law.
• Thievery shall be punished by a debt equal to the goods stolen; where the debt cannot be paid, then internment or hard labour will be implemented.
• A Citizen cannot own a Citizen.

In 227 A.E, it was well known throughout the Senate and the First Minister's residence, that the Kobold Queen had designs for Promethea. Both races had suffered dreadfully at the hands of their former ape-masters, and now for the first time in their collective history, they stood in a position of relative strength.

It was with this in mind, that Rokdar ordered his finest smiths to begin experimenting with weapon designs. The pike and the spear were the Imperial Army's backbone, but the First Minister felt that the future would hold more imaginative weapons.

As a result, the First Minister was presented with a contraption termed "the 'pult". It was a large machine, made from timber and burnished with bronze-crafted mechanisms that winched back a "throwing arm". Once loaded with a rock of generous weight, the pult could throw the projectile a hundred yards - and to devastating affect against soft-skinned targets.

The First Minister shared this information with the Senate, and no doubt the Kobolds took the design and improved upon it.

In further preparation for the coming conflict, Rokdar oversaw a large rise in bronze production. He promised the Senate "Fifty thousand spear heads, fifty thousand helms, and fifty thousand cuirass's", and though he failed to achieve half this target in the time he allotted, it was a testament to Uthein's remarkable recovery and to its significance as the Empire's industrial heart.

By now, the Priestdom of the Mountain God had started to find its roots - after losing most of its literature to the fall of Uthein. Once again, documents were dreamed up - though this time to replace what was lost, not to mutilate that which did not fit. Many previous cultural requirements that entitled a believer certain benefits, had been removed, and the religion became a rather "casual" affair, which suited the First Minister (himself an agnostic) down to the ground.

There were a few incidents, where Mountain God firebrands would defame the Empire with accusations of heresy, and some Kobolds met a terrible end in the form of lynchings or assassinations in Uthein. However, most of these crimes were quickly dealt with - often severely - though mistrust in the Uthein Kobold community would exist for some decades after.

By the time of the Scalethein-Promethean War, Uthein had taken on a much different form to its previous self. However, only time would tell whether it would see a third rebuilding.