A History of Vishteer

 

from Creation to the Present

Vishteer was created when the gods appeared. No one knows where they came from, nor why, but it is understood that they came from outside. Vishteer was rolled from the clay of the "Dark before the world" and each god or goddess had a hand in its creation. The gods chose Gods'isles as their private domain, an isolated chain of islands distantly placed in the Western Ocean, rich with plant and animal life, tropical in climate and stunningly beautiful. Here is the only place on Vishteer where they may walk in freedom, without damaging the fragile worlds of mortal beings. It is said that they still wander there at times even in the present age, when they have long since ceased to dabble in the day to day lives of their creations.

 

Elves were the first created race. They lived in what is now a growing desert of a continent far to the east of Mistland. It was then rich good forestland. Elves were immortal, with no vision of death. But they grew bored and began making powerful magic. Things went wrong, and their magic recoiled on them. Aragh, their teacher, was blamed by the other gods, and cast out of Gods'isle. He took up residence where his 'castle' now lies; far to the south in the permanently frozen wastelands. The other gods still fear that his presence outside Godsisles is dangerous to all demihumankind.

 

Many thousands of Elves died, and others were badly changed in the cataclysm. From those Changed have come the goblin-kind which still plague Vishteer. The Elves lost their immortality through their foolishness. They fled northward, east and west. They became a wandering race, always searching for that which equals the legendary country of their birth.

 

At some time after Aragh claimed the elves as his pupils and appointed himself their sole teacher, the lesser god Mikarathlan attempted his own creation. Wishing to maintain control over his people, he created the dwarves as a genderless people, who required his personal attention to reproduce. The first several generations of dwarves had life breathed into them by the god himself, and were  known as god-born to later generations. As gods are wont to do, however, he eventually grew bored with this intimate level of supervision. Not long before the fall of the elves, Mikarathlan taught his priests how to breath life into new generations of dwarves without his personal attention. Thus the generations of god-born passed, and the generations of the priest-born began. Even as the elves grew mighty in their magic, the dwarves delved deep. They learned to shape stone, to work metal and to cut precious gems. Many clans of dwarves came into existence, and each clan became convinced of its own strength and worthiness. Granite dwarves of infinite strength rivaled clans of handsome marble dwarves, fiery-tempered lava dwarves and those of cold obsidian.

 

After the ruination of the elves, the Gods created men. Legend says that they were created as mortals so that never again could a race attempt to rival the gods. Aragh, who was still angry with the other gods, was insulted by this new creation, so much less than his own, and even then desired to do it no good.

Deep in the Southern Grasslands, Elves met Men. At first, elves, dwarves and men met in friendship, but as men realized how long elves lived, they grew afraid, then jealously angry. Dwarves and elves, having little grounds for competition or even trade, remained friendly. But as they resented the elves for their long lives, men came to believe that the genderless dwarves were too alien to comprehend. For generations of man, there was distrust, then open warfare. Men drove elves westward, across the water. Elves first settled Mistland, then Miraboria and eventually Narbada. Some elves also arrived in Narbada from the west, across a land-bridge which no longer exists. The dwarves moved into and under their beloved mountains. Within the stone that created them, they found their perfect dwelling places.

 

Each new place that men, dwarves and elves visited, they met with new races. Orcs and other goblinkind spread from the original homeland, and the gods populated the earth with other intelligent races, including hobyts, the faerie races, giants and centaurs. These races were each created by one or more of the gods working in conjunction, each trying to find the perfect balance between mortal, immortal, magic and unmagic, blending their own characteristics into their creations.

 

Everywhere each of the three prime races went, however, the goblinkind followed. Orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, ogres and gnolls all spread as fast or faster than the prime races. They invaded the elvish forests, and the elves battled them with magic. They infiltrated the dwarves' tunnels, and a war that has not ended to this day began.

 

At some time in these early ages of Vishteer was a dimly remembered time known as the Interregnum. Magic ceased to function; all divine knowledge failed. For perhaps a generation, maybe a thousand years, there is no clear record, only technology worked. Man and hobbyts survived well, as did the goblinkind. Dwarves and elves and other races were badly weakened during this time period. However, gradually, without any clear reason, magic returned to the world. The gods turned their faces back to Vishteer, and slowly life returned to normal. What caused the Interregnum is unknown, and what healed it is equally unclear.

 

By the end of the Interregnum Elves had become much more rare; during this era they began to retreat into the Etherial plane to escape the goblinkind who had once been their own kith. Men grew ever more populous. The outright enmity faded. However, many elves still distrust humans, calling them 'the Slayers'. Civilizations rose and fell across Vishteer in the next thousands of years. Dwarves became very populous in the central mountain regions between Narbada and Miraboria, as well as in the much more substantial mountain ranges of the other continents. In this era a time that deeply shames the dwarves came to pass. In the pride of their strength, and not wishing to spend their own "pure" priest-born numbers in war against the crude goblinkind, the dwarves learned to create those whom they call "half-born". These creatures, not quite fully dwarvish in their nature, were made hastily and in large numbers. They were used as foot-soldiers in the bloody goblin-wars. Thousands were made and thousands died as the goblins were eventually beaten back. They were nearly mindless, but perhaps not so mindless nor soul-less as their creators imagined. Eventually some of the half-born revolted. They fled from their creators, and learned to survive, even to reproduce, on their own. Some took dwarf priests prisoner, and on other occasions the priests, feeling the burden of their creations on their own souls, fled with them. Offshoot races were born, including those known now as duergar and derro. Eventually the open warfare between the dwarves and the goblinkind declined into a low simmering hatred that has held for generations.

 

Long after the time of the Slaying, there arose an empire on Miraboria. It was led by powerful wizardly rulers and survived more than 800 years. Man-history dates from the supposed founding of this empire, called the First Miraborian. At its height, all of Miraboria, Mistland and Narbada were claimed as part of its domain. Even the legendary Cloudlands were ruled by the First Empire. But the cloudlands were not populated by humans, but rather the races of dragons, cloud giants, and other beings who preferred to dwell in the sky. These races resented being ruled by earthbound men. Eventually Civil War broke out, and the Cloudlands were destroyed. The blow to the Empire was great, and must have contributed to the Empire's later collapse.

 

When the Empire collapsed after its 800 year sway, chaos ruled (the collapse took approximately 200 years, dating from the fall of the cloudlands until the end of the Rock Plague). The fall of the Empire could be held up to many factors, but one of the most critical was the mass dying of the Giants. In those days they were a civilized race, and many lived within the Empire. They lived mainly in the Thaaluni mountains between Narbada and 'Boria, and few ever went to Mistland. When the 'Rock Plague' struck, it killed more than half the giantish people. Most survivors retreated from Narbada and Miraboria, abandoning their ancient homes in the Thaaluni mountains, and migrating into Mistland's mountains ranges where the plague was not so severe. Those giants in Miraboria became barbarous fragments of a once-great people. Dwarves too were affected by the 'Rock Plague', though to a lesser degree. Where the "Rock Plague" originated, no one could say for certain, but some blamed the terrible magics that were used during the war with the Cloudlands a hundred fifty years earlier. With the decimation of the dwarves, and the near-total elimination of giants, the Miraborian Empire could not withstand assaults from without or rebellions from within. The empire died slowly but surely. Eventually deep-folk, goblins and their kin came back in strength from deep below the Thaaluni mountains and the empire, already fragmenting, was overwhelmed.

 

After the fall of the first Empire, the passes to Narbada slipped from the ken of men in the East. The Thaaluni mountains were rendered impassable, held by orcs and goblins in the thousands. The magics which controlled the great channel across the central isthmus failed, and the sea routes were abandoned. In the 400 years of chaos that followed, Narbada's existence slid into legend and rumor.

 

For centuries, there was no central civilization. Petty kingdoms such as Uthelmar rose and fell across Miraboria, and similarly in Narbada. It is during this time that the marchat and the grippli races first come into the known record of Miraboria. Almost certainly, both were born of wizardly experimentation rather than from the hands of the gods.

 

On Mistland, however, after about 200 years, the city of Shalehun, once merely a provincial capital, became the new center of leadership for a lesser Empire. It rose to control Mistland, and Southern Isle, which were once part of the Mirabori Empire. 400 years passed (until about year 1,400). The people of Shalehun became arrogant, particularly their ruling Mages. Finally they began to disdain the very gods, deeming them petty and powerless. The gods cursed Shalehun, and fifty years later (year 1453), the city was dust. Magic became greatly feared in Mistland, the work of evil. Another hundred years passed (year 1550) in turmoil.

 

The Southern Islands were nearly abandoned, and became wild. Mistland sunk back into near barbarity. This time it was on Miraboria, the ancient heart of Empire, that civilization began to rebuild. During the time of the Shalan Empire, Miraboria had been a land without leadership, torn into tiny fragments of civilization struggling to survive among growing threats of goblinkind, petty warlords seeking power, and the remnants of Imperial warfare.

 

But in the year 1463, Khur Habbal began his conquest. A petty king and warlord, he claimed to be descended from previous rulers of the First Miraborian Empire. He declared himself Emperor and, aided by St. Stephen the destroyer, began to conquer the continent. Within 30 years, Miraboria was nominally under one rule. However, the grasslands of the west and the Thaaluni mountains beyond them stopped his westward expansion. He was never able to conquer the orcish tribes who dwelled there. During the first empire, demi-humans had lived alongside men. However, in the days of the second Empire, things were far more humanocentric. The area now called Avenvole, always an elven strongholt, became their only dwelling place within the Empire's bounds. It was possibly during this time that many of the magics which make it so unusual were created. Men were refused entry, and legends of its faery nature spread wide. Hobytlan survived by living in small communities and 'blending in' with the human population. Dwarves retreated underground or high into the mountains. Contact with the great dwarven kingdom in the Canyons of the far west was forbidden. Koruzd was established as a dwarven refuge at this time. Other races survived by stealth and cunning. In Mistland non-humans fared better, and lived more openly.

 

Under Habbal's sons the empire spread south. By 1580 Mistland was part of the Empire. Haven, a small city centrally located on the Dorlan River, was settled and grew rapidly. Another 100 years saw Southern Isle reclaimed. 300 years passed in near peace as the Second Mirabori Empire grew settled, then old (St Luana 1750-1806). It was in this time period that mages of the second empire first created the race known as Szathair. They were bred from a mixture of human and kobold, among other creatures. At first the szathair were bred as slaves, then as soldiers in the Empire's never-ending wars of conquest and the suppression of rebellions.

 

By the year 1931, the Empire had again begun to collapse (St Crotofiros 1803-1931). Orcs from the Opel and Thaaluni mountains began raiding Mistland and Miraboria. Over the course of nearly 60 years Mirabori Emperors slowly withdrew their troops from Mistland, to support their foundering home rule. Mistland was left to its own fate. By 1992 civil unrest and massive problems with its own evils had caused complete withdrawal of Imperial troops.

 

In Mistland 300 years passed in turmoil. Various Kingdoms rose and fell. Times became very hard. The details of the past became confused. Many people came to believe that the Shalan Empire's fall had caused their current desperate state. Magic, feared for centuries, eventually became completely forbidden. The church of Elanora especially came to be a major foe of all things magical. At this time the Shalani folk were first noted in historical chronicles. Some scholars now believe that these nomadic, sorcerous people may have their origins in the fall of the Shalan Empire. Indeed, perhaps they are direct descendants of the proud and secretive ruling clan of that era.

 

In the year 2219 orc raiders from the Opel Mountains descended on the Havenplain. The cleric Ellemarha of Elanora, also a proscribed magic user, led a small band of priests and warriors against them. She nearly single handedly defeated more than 150 orcs, and her troop stopped an army of over 1,000. She died in 2220 at the hands of the church, who twisted her acts to evil and distorted events to reflect their hatred of magic. They refused to accept her saintohood until 2531, over 300 years later. She became known as St Ellemarha the Martyr. For that 300 year period the church of Elanora was severely fractured in Mistland, and there were several factions of the order, some who opposed and some who supported Ellemarha's sainthood. The people generally but quietly did support and follow her. Acceptance of magic began to resurge.

 

In the years between 1992 and 2324 the R'kassan Horseplains, the Saffrin forest and other lands came under the rule of the Golden Sword Kings. In the north of Mistland the Kings of the Hills ruled. Southern Isle was ruled by the Kings of Eor, and in the deep jungle heartlands of Mistland a tiny elvish land called Mirkheim was established.

 

In 2324 disaster struck. Aelor, king of the Hills, was struck down by magic and laid to rest in Evflen Aelor, 'the tomb of Aelor' , and in the same year the King of the Golden Sword, Elfearic, was also slain. Aelor had no son, and was thus succeeded by a distant cousin, the Duke of Haven. King Elfearic, however, had an infant son, Leefric. Leefric returned home from Southern in 2345 where he had been raised (his mother was a Princess of the Southern Isles folk). With the help of Lord Godwin he regained his throne from usurping nobles. He claimed only those lands now part of Vanhark, along the southern end of Mistland. In 2374, some 29 years later, Leefric died. By treachery his younger son rather than his elder followed him on the throne. Within 10 years the line of the Golden Kings failed, and the rule passed to the present Princes of Vanhark.

In 2342, before Leefric regained his throne, another great event occurred. Orcs from the Opel Mountains descended into Mirkheim. They at once wiped out a small village. Fleeing from it was a youthful priest of Kehrin named Gwydion. He sought out a temple to Kethrin and as the orcs advanced on the unsuspecting cities of Mirkheim and Murile, began to recruit an army of elves and men. This unusual alliance defeated the orcs resoundingly, and the Grey Kingdom was formed. It is ruled equally by two humans, two elves and a half elf, each with the title of Prince. The human princes are still descendants of St Gwydion the Savior.

 

In 2376 Throgar, a priest of Arreth, was born, somewhere in Mistland's northern reaches. Before he died in 2410 he slew 5 good dragons, including Induhira the Silver, mate of Duranda, a vastly old and powerful being. For this act in particular, Throgar was Sainted. He is called St Throgar the Dragonslayer, and good dragons are ever his and Aragh's foes.

 

Most recently, Justin, a priest of Elanora was sainted, as he became the companion of Duranda. They performed many acts of Valor, in Elanora's name and as revenge for the death of Induhira. In 2475 Justin died and became St Justin of Dragon'sisle.

 

When the last Hill-King, Aelor, died in 2324 (or as legend sometimes hints, was trapped in magical sleep), his kingdom dissolved into three fragments, which have formed the present-day Free Duchy of Haven, the nation of Hadraith, and the Principality of Daintali.

 

The Havenite faction centered on Aelor's cousin, his closest male kinsman, the Duke of Haven. He claimed rulership under that title. Reasons for claiming this title rather than that of King hint at Aelor's possible 'undeath'.

 

The Daintali faction centered on his queen and daughter. His wife, a princess of Eor (part of Southern Isle), claimed her daughter as Queen of the Hills, but political realities reduced her to claiming the cities of Daintall and T'balu, plus the lands between.

 

Finally, Hadraith, long a semi-independent country, ruled by Hadraith Hammerfist as warlord, declared itself separate. He became Lord Hadraith I. Each ruler of Hadraith has traditionally sworn allegiance to "the King of the Hills, may he arise in our hour of need". Aelor's legendary sleep is commonly known here, used as a motif in many folk tales and legends.

 

In Miraboria, Khur Habbal's Empire endured from 1463 until 1931 without visible sign of weakening. It was a patrilineal autocracy, with the Emperor ruling over many small kingdoms, each some 100-200 miles in diameter. Note that the kingdoms of Mistland were larger, but they were considered barbarian states and only nominally kingdoms at all. Such was the arrogance of those who lived in Miraboria. The Emperor's family controlled the island of Haluun as their personal holdings. The empire was a wealthy, corrupt state, slavery was predominant, beaurocracy intense, taxes high, greed, graft and treachery commonplace. The predominant alignment of the population was neutral. Aragh, Kar, and Kethrin were the major deities. Elanora's worship was limited to slaves and peasants. Zathunar was believed to be the most powerful female deity.

 

In 1900 the current Emperor, Habbal Hanni was a senile old man. His second son was High Priest of Aragh. Then the Emperor and his elder son both died in a strange plague, which killed hundreds of people in Mirabor and then spread across the countryside. The High Priest took the throne. Thus began the open rise of evil in Miraboria. Slavery, always part of life, became rampant. Aragh's worship became dominant. By 1931 a dismal fate overhung Miraboria. Constant small slave revolts, frequently led by priests of Elanora, caused daily trouble. The emperor began to withdraw his troops from all foreign lands to reinforce his own rebellious armies. By 1992 this action was complete. Problems were intensified by incursions by orcs from the Thaaluni Mountains. In 1931 St. Crotofiros from Mistland led a band of followers against Miraborian slavers raiding the Mistland coast. He was remarkably successful, though he died of wounds recieved, and was drawn into the ranks of Sainthood. Slaves all over Miraboria took this as a sign that their cause was just. But for 50 more years things remained in balance. Then, in 1987, a priest of Akali, rival to Aragh's power, assasinated the current Priest-Emperor. During the following years chaos reigned as one short-lived ruler after another seized power. Across the empire, individual cities broke away to form their own defensive boundaries.

 

But slowly, by the year 2013, Aragh's priests once again dominated the others. An emperor by the name of Herudiband took the throne, calling himself the founder of the Third Miraborian Empire. At first his rule seemed secure, his strength well-founded. He and his followers turned their attention to pacifying the unruly slaves who ran loose in the countryside, and reuniting the semi-independent cities. Over the next sixty years they struggled to destroy the tenuous new lives these slaves had built. But the overlords had stretched themselves too thin, and were too strongly hated, ever to triumph again. During these troubled decades, many cities were besieged, destroyed and looted. Much of Miraboria became savagely dangerous, as mages blasted mages, fell monsters were created to do battle, small kingdoms were carved out by greedy knights and petty lordlings, and bandits stalked the roads and towns freely. Herudiband and his armies could not maintain their fragile control. Saint Ilyria was born in 2040, and by 2056 had begun her lifelong quest to destroy Aragh's forces across Miraboria. She had great success raising armies of one-time peasants, slaves, and terrified townsfolk who wanted only to restore peace to go on with their lives.

 

In the year 2075, after sixty-two years of struggle, and seeing defeat draw near at the hands of the priestess Ilyria of Elanora and her army, the Emperor Herudiband's High Priest of Aragh, Umade, cast a mighty ritual of desecration and destruction. The result was the laying to waste of a major portion of the richest lands of 'Boria, centered on the city of Kahakor. Thus were Umade's Barrens created. Only the sacrifice of her life in a powerful counterspell by Ilyria stopped total devastation of the whole east coast.

 

The rebellion was nearly destroyed, though many escaped with Elanora's aid. But there was worse yet to come. The desecration ritual caused horrible plagues to spread across the land. More than 80% of the population, entire cities and peoples, died. Men fled to the countryside, leaving the plague-nest cities behind them. In 2076 Mirabor, the empire's capital, was abandoned when more than half the population died in a single week of a rotting plague. The city has remained a place of legendary death ever since.

 

In 2081 the Port city of Adelf was abandoned and much of it burned after a bout of plague followed by the horrible rising up of many of the victims into undead. Little did any of the city's residents know that this was caused by Umade the high priest, who chose to settle in the city's necropolis after becoming a lich during the Devastation.

 

The few people who survived lived in isolated groups, which grew only slowly. Wilderness claimed much of the land. Armies and even whole towns gradually became barbarous tribes, and the other races, as for example the elves, returned to the now-wild forests to dwell. It was at this time that many halfling tribes became wanderers, and the Shalani arrived, migrating from the Southern Lands. Small pockets of civilization are now growing to reclaim Miraboria. But evil is not entirely gone. In the year 2488 the lich Umade, once high priest of Aragh, and long believed to be dead, raised an army of undead and other foul creatures to attack Greenvale, the largest and fastest growing of the new settlements. His attack failed only due to the valiant efforts of several bands of adventurers, and the great Prince Elox, who himself slew the leaders of the Liche's army. No sign of the Lich was ever found. Prince Elox ruled Greenvale for the next 38 years. His descendants are still the rulers today. 
  
 

Timetable:

 

Year	Events
minus 10,000(approx)	Creation of the Elves
minus 8,000	War of the Immortals
minus 7,000	Men and Elves met in the South lands
minus 6,000	War between men and elves, lasting many hundreds of years
1 to 800	First Miraborian Empire, time of the Cloud Kingdom. This was a time of great wizards, powerful magic and world-spanning travel. Most has been forgotten, and only a few names linger in the tales of bards.
602 to?	War of the Cloud Lands. This was the year in which the artifact was stolen from the Cloud-Realm
750 to 800	Age of the Rock Plague, loss of the First Empire; overland route to Narbada sealed. Sea route lost soon after. Great white dragon Angkarasce lives and amasses his hoard. He dies in the 1,200's. Dwarves retreated from their ancient halls deep into the earth; many giants died, and the giantish empires of the north collapsed. Many forget they ever existed.
759	Emperor Imhalder sinks the Palace at Mirabor to avoid its sack by an opposing army. He is presumed dead, the final Emperor of the First Miraborian Empire
800-1400's	First Empire lies in ruins; humanoids rule most of the land; demi-human races struggle to survive. Gradually small kingdoms become ascendant, mostly on the east coast.Dwarves return to the lands that will become Koruzd, and later, into Harothar. Exactly where the Dwarves returned from is a secret that even most dwarves today do not know.
900	Around this time the petty kingdom of Uthel arises south of what will become Greenvale
954	Twin princes divide kingdom of Uthel into two realms (Uthel and Mar). Second capital established near what is now Laigladen
955	Iniarv gives twin crowns to Kings of Uthel and Mar
1031	Twin Kings of Uthel and Mar die together at age 110
1,000	Shaleshun arises on Mistland
1,100	Kingdoms of Uthel and Mar merge in later years to become Realm of Uthelmar
1,200	Orc armies invade Realm of Uthelmar, are driven out
1,231	Battle of Viniar's tower; Viniar, now a lich, disturbed, destroys both armies (human and orc) with spells. Humans "win" battle
1,244	Orcs return to Uthelmar, overwhelm kingdom. King begs Viniar for aid; lich casts horrible spells, floods huge areas, creates Great Dismal Swamp. Kingdom dies
1,259	Dragon Chardansear (Ebondeath) settles in new swamps
1,453	Shaleshun falls to dust
1463	Khur Habbal begins his conquest in Boria. Around this decade, the dragon Fhorond is born
1490's	Miraboria under one rule, 2nd empire thriving and growing. Shalani appear in Mistland
1500's through 1600's	Elves recognize danger of 2nd empire to non-humans, retreat into Avenvole and seal it off. The Dwarves retreat temporarily from the Harothar region, sealing themselves into Koruzd again.
1520's	Around now, Chardansear becomes Dracolich, Order of Ebondeath of Akali is born
1580's	Mistland has become part of 2nd Empire
1680's	Southern Isles reclaimed for M. Empire
1700's	Sometime in this century Chardansear passes out of life and he enters his current ghostly state
1800's	2nd Empire has reached its pinnacle and begins to cross into unrecognized internal decline. The Szathair are created in this era, and the Catfolk are first seen, coming from western lands.
1803	St. Crotofiros born
1844	Ebondeath cult collapses when internal conflict becomes deadly serious. Survivors flee into swamp as Tower sinks
1900's	2nd Empire has reached its pinnacle and begins to cross into unrecognized internal decline
1931	St. Crotofiros dies after leading a raid on Miraborian slavers
1930 through 2075	slave rebellions and political upheaval on Miraboria are near-constant
1950	Dwarves return to Harothar, this time permanently.
1990's	The building of the city of Haroth is finished underground, and the coastal road is begun. The dwarves are recognized by the Emperor as rightful Princes in the region.
1992	withdrawal of Miraborian troops from Mistland complete
1990 to 2050	Most major clans of Harothar are established. Roads are built. Farmers come here seeking shelter from the violence elsewhere. The name of Haroth becomes synonymous with peace in time of war.
2000's	What will become the Empire of Miran was at this time two of the Second Empire's Provinces - one of which was Merithia. They are struggling to resist the Empire's collapse.
2013	Aragh's priests regain control on Miraboria, Emperor Herudiband rules, begins to exert control over slaves and common folk
2024	City of Imbular sacked and destroyed. Within the decade, mated green dragons settle in the ruins. Province of Merithia has officially fallen with the destruction of its capitol city.
2040	St Ilyria born
2051	Wreck of the Pride of the Sky occurs: a legend is born
2056	St Ilyria begins her campaign against Umade and Emperor Herudiband
2062	Sorceress Zaleena establishes a demesne in what is now the north of Harothar. She rules there for some 15 years before dying in the backlash of Umade's spell. The town from which she ruled was named Malvush, and it remains a ruin with an evil name even today.
2073	City of Edimal sacked by Ilyria's forces
2074	The Prince of Harothar officially declares his lands to be independent of Emperor Herudiband's faltering rule.
2075	St Ilyria's army defeats Aragh's forces, Umade casts the ritual of the great devastation. City of Kahakor blasted
2075 through 2200	Horrible plagues repeatedly decimate Miraboria's cities and human-settled countryside. Many small duchies and kingdoms rise and fall, armies march and wizards battle. Great evil is done to the land
2076	Mirabor, original capital of the empire, is abandoned
2081	Port city of Adelf abandoned after undead begin to rise in the streets
2100	The Dwarves of Harothar first begin to claim political control over surface lands around Haroth at this time. While the rest of the late Empire grows more dangerous, Harothar makes the first steps towards establishing a safe and expanding homeland.
2100 through 2200	Elves begin to filter back into the forests across Miraboria, although most remain more comfortable on the Ethereal Plane. They hope to reclaim war-torn lands for themselves.
2156	Official founding of the Petty Kingdom of Tremonia (then known as Tremon Arivia) in the Province once known as Merithia
2159	A group of Elves led by King Ilarnasil settle in the area now known to humans as Bregor's Hills (just west of Greenvale's current boundaries). They begin building a city there called Telenemtelari.
2162	The wizard known as Maloso rose to power in the petty kingdom of Tergesti. He created an army and seized the throne from rightful heirs. His reign lasted for 30 years before he was overthrown by priests of Centarius. Magic became hated and feared in Tergesti.
2170's	Anti-magic crusades in Tergesti spread to neighboring petty kingdoms. Many witch-hunts and burnings occur.
2177	City of Rostochi in what will become Tremonia is rebuilt after a massive fire forty years earlier
2200's	Five petty kingdoms in the southern reaches of the old Province of Merithia have formed the "Confederation of Miran". They are Tremon Arivia, Brixia, Argentor, Campis and Tergesti.
2200	City of Telenemtelari is well established. Elf-mound to the Ethereal is constructed, and the city/kingdom grows over the next 30 years. Many of the elves who are courageous enough to return to the material plane come here from Avenvole. Population reaches about 100,000.
2219	St. Ellemarha's defeat of the orc army on Miraboria
2220	St. Ellemarha is martyred by the church
2234	Fate overtakes the elvish city of of Telenemtelari - the king's daughters turn on each other in jealous rage and summon the Ygwannach from the Ethereal. The city is destroyed. Over the  next several hundred years, elvish folk try repeatedly but fail to end the curse. Eventually they declare the area off-limits and cease to try. Many of the elves from this land blame themselves for their failure to prevent the tragedy, and rather than return to Avenvole they blend with the local human population in the region, fueling the half-elf populations of Greenvale and Tallowsland.
2271	Devronius the Warlord takes power in Argentor of the "Confederation of Miran"
2281	Devronius marries into the rulership of Brixia
2283	Devronius seizes Tremon Arivia from its minor heir (who was said to be a sorcerer) and launches a successful military campaign to seize Campis. It is rumored that some of Tremon Arivia's royal family escape into the Stinking Lands.
2304	Tergesti of the "Confederation of Miran" unites with the other four petty kingdoms and renames itself the Empire of Miran. Anti-magic sentiments run wild, and priests of Centarius ride the wave to power.
2324	King Aelor dies or enters a magical sleep, King Elfearic slain
2342	St Gwydion the Savior unites men and elves, founds the Grey Kingdom
2345	Leefric returns to claim throne of the Golden Sword kings
2360	Greenvale founded this decade
2374	King Leefric dies, younger son succeeds
2376	St Throgar of Arreth born
2385	Princes of Vanhark succeed to the Golden Sword throne
2390's	Dwarves suffer their first attack by humanoid tribes out of lands north of Harothar. The wildlands are called "Gragash" by the orcs and ogres who dwell there, now that the Empire no longer holds them in check.
2400	Dwarves of Harothar are forced to pull back their northern boundaries as they are assaulted by Gragashan invaders. By this era, in Miran the Emperor is also always High Priest of Centarius.
2400 through 2500	Dwarves and humanoids of Gragash fight an ongoing border war; sometimes humanoids invade, sometimes Dwarves and Humans push north. Eventually an uneasy border-zone is established. During this time the infamous Troll-Prince Chu-Umbro rose and fell in his bid for power.
2405	Magic is declared officially anathema in Miran, and the "prophecy of the slaying" which declares that magic will be the downfall of the Empire of Miran begins to spread widely.
2410	St Throgar the Dragonslayer dies
2412	Twin Black Dragons Voaraghamanthar and Waervaerendor born, flee northward, enter Miraboria some hundred years later. They seek immortality
2475	St Justin of Dragon'sisle dies
2488	Elox wins war over Greenvale, becomes first Prince. His son Taran is born. Elox has a daughter (Lessian) about 4 years old already
2492	Elox's second son Barlat is born
2496	Elox's second daughter Janira is born
2500	Elox's fifth child, a boy named Dellfer is born
2501	Tallow's Inn first established on the Tallow River. Within 5 years a village grows around it.
2505	Taran, at 17, marries a Greenvale girl, the daughter of a Count
2506	Taran's daughter Mariette born
2507	Elox's first daughter Lessian marries a knight from Lathams'find and leaves Greenvale. She has no children survive to adulthood
2509	Taran's son Jhoram is born
2517	Taran dies of wounds received in battle with a hill giant, his sister Janira marries a Daintali nobleman and leaves Greenvale ( her children inherit there, and leave the Greenvale line of inheritance)
2518	Dellfer marries Kiretha, a Harothan nobleman's daughter
2520's	Twin Black Dragons settle in their lairs just north of Miran, still seeking immortality
2520	Jhoram son of Taran dies of a childhood ailment and Barlat, Elox's second son, becomes heir apparent to Elox
2521	Lessian in Latham'sfind dies of childbirth at age 37. The child, a girl, dies with her
2524	Emerald Dragon attacks Tallowstown, is defeated. Town officially chartered and Tallow elected Mayor.
2529	Barlat marries a Havenite merchant's daughter and moves there to learn the business. He renounces his claim to the throne, having no desire to rule. Dellfer becomes the next heir. He is childless
2530	Dwarven town of Malmhus founded as outlyer of Dwarven clan-city of Kithalar. Forts north and east of Malmhus established in next 5 years.
2531	St. Ellemarha's sainthood is accepted by the church which killed her
2532	Elox's granddaughter Mariette marries an Avenvole elf of high degree and moves there
2533	Mariette dies after giving birth to a son, who is raised in Avenvole. He is second in line for the throne of Greenvale, after Dellfer. His name is Estoriel
2535	Princess Rebecca, wife of Elox, dies.
2540	Prince Elox dies, Dellfer becomes second Prince of Greenvale
2546	Dellfer at last has a son (he is 46) named Tellmon
2550	St. Rikart's first miracle occurs in Malmhus. Within 5 years, a thriving pilgrimage route forms to the military outpost.
2557	Dellfer dies (of foul play?) and Tellmon inherits the throne. The regency council is established for the eleven year old boy
2562	Mad Wizard Wertigan makes an attempt to invade Marig and is roundly defeated by Greenvale guard backed by Knights of St Justin, who are then invited to stay in Greenvale by Prince Tellmon.
2564	Tellmon turns 18, regency council should disband, but Tellmon fails to complete the "Test of Rulership" prescribed by Elox for his heirs
2565	Tellmon attempts to claim the throne illegally, is defeated by Prince Starbow Estoriel, Elox's great grandson. Starbow claims the throne amidst a wave of wild popularity. Black dragons band together with bandits and pirates to search for lost Uthtower
2567	Starbow marries a young half-elf named Brigitta, and names her Princess of Greenvale. Brigitta is Count Sir Maxis of Fairvale's half-sister, born of his mother's second marriage to an elf of Laigladen. Lesser baronies begin to be established on flanks of Greenvale
2571	Starbow's first child, a girl named Brinette is born. She is named heir to the throne, to the shock and dismay of many conventional souls
2577	Starbow's sons Taran and Jhoram, named after Prince Elox's son and grandson, are born. The twin boys are given courtesy rank of Prince, but are not Starbow's heirs
2581	In Harothar, St. Rikart of Malmhus dies. Pilgrims continue to flock to the little town where miraculous healing occurs at the Saint's Tomb.
2600	Baronies of Eldon and Pintar's Keep (aka Tamar) are founded in this year. Baron Pintar and Baron Eldon are personal friends of Starbow, both of whom were involved in his restoration to the throne.
2608	Council of Tallowsland formed and Tallow Tallowson is elected Grand Mayor of the realm. Tallowsland is officially named the Republic of Tallowsland.
2610'S	A serious increase in the population of orcs, goblins and hill giants in the Karuun mountains begins. Similar increases are noted in the Knifetongue, Thaalun and Tower Mountains.
2612	Baron Eldon leaves his title to Baron Lewis and returns to adventuring. He is never heard from again.
2613 to 15	The wizard Brekart attempts to establish his tower on the north flank of Harothar; within two years his tower is broken and he is slain.
2625 to 30	During these years Harothar has suffered a great deal from invasions of "tainted" creatures out of Umade's Barrens. There are rumors of a being calling himself "The One" who seems to be behind the assault. Many dwarven troops are moved south, and Malmhus' contingent reaches a record low. Severeal forts to the north and east of Malmhus are temporarily abandoned.
2626	Princess Brinette is 55, and her brothers are 49, growing restless with little to do. Brinette is unwed, but has passed the Test of Rulership. Her brothers are both married, to human ladies of Greenvale's Noble class. Between them they have 11 children ranging in age from a few years to early 20's. These children are given the courtesy title of Lord or Lady, and the social rank of a count or countess
2627	A strange plague sweeps Greenvale's coastal third. Many fall ill, and hundreds, if not thousands, die. Later in the winter an army of orcs, goblins and hill giants descends upon Greenvale. During the winter, Starbow, and Brinetta are killed by the armies, led by 2 red dragons. Prince Jhoram is lost, killed in an avalanche created by Red Dragon Breath on an unstable mountainside
2628	The dragons are slain, Prince Starbow (who was actually assassinated) is raised. The evil wizard who seemed to be behind the plot to destroy Greenvale is slain by adventurers, and the kingdom begins to recover. However, there are still problems in County Seawall, where Count Arvon has been arrested for allying with pirates in an attempt to usurp the throne of Greenvale
2630	Over the summer and fall, a long campaign is fought in Harothar against "The One". Victory is declared in late fall, as the enemy's secret headquarters are found and destroyed. However, some rumors suggest that the evil wizard himself escaped.
2631	Brave soldiers in Harothar discover that a new army is building in the northlands. The border is re-armed, and open conflict is narrowly avoided by valiant adventurers.
2632	Five years after the end of the War in Greenvale, peace seems to be returning to the nation.

 

Timetable of the War's Events:

2626 - Late Summer - the plague reached Seawall, but it was not so severe here as further north. 


Early autumn - Sir Math replaced Count Alharvon, immediately raised taxes. Shortly afterwards, three of Newport's leading ship's captains were arrested for "complicity in treason" and imprisoned. One of the magistrates of County Seawall died of a sudden ailment. 


Late autumn - in Saltmarsh and Newport as well as other towns and roads of Seawall, bandits and theives became more bold and dangerous. Sir Math, now called "Lord Regent" increased patrols and raised taxes again. People grumbled, and word went out that the theives guild was behind the robberies. 


The plague which affected much of Greenvale is fading now. It is said that a band of adventurers discovered the evil source and spread a cure. 
At the same time in Northern Greenvale word spread of the orcish and giantish armies gathering outside the kingdom's boundaries. A call went out for troops to gather at first spring in Castleton and other northern towns. 


Winter - Lord Math cracked down on theives in Seawall - also imposed some new laws including the forbidding of all weapons to those not in the guard or patrol. Enforcement of criminal laws was made much harsher. In general the population responds well, as crime is brought back under control. 


Mercenaries from Daintall and Harothar, and a few dwarven units as well, began to arrive in Marig and up the South road from Miran. Math hired some of these men. 


Late winter - a few humanoid raids began in the north, while rumors spread of vast humanoid armies, numbering in the tens of thousands. Troops began marching north despite the late snows and icy ground. Math sent most of the guard troops north, leaving only merceneries in Seawall - laws were enforced with absolute strictness, and several merchants were arrested and convicted of being in league with the theives guild. 


2627 Spring - the War began in earnest. Soon word was brought that dragons were in league with the orcs. Princess Brinette was slain by one of the pair of Red Dragons. Then a huge battle occurred between the Orcs and the 'Valers. It has become known as the Princes' Fall, because Prince Jhoram was slain, and in the aftermath of the 'Valer victory, an assassin killed Prince Starbow. Eventually Starbow was resurrected, but his only remaining immediate heir, Prince Taran, has been greatly changed by the death of his twin. He is rumored to be bitter and withdrawn. 
One of the two dragons which attacked Greenvale was slain by a party of adventurers, and the other by a valiant band of Knights of St. Justin.

 

2632, five years after the war. There are still a few orcs and other goblinkind within the bounds of Greenvale, having found a variety of caves, dark forests and/or ancient ruins to hide out in. To the north of Greenvale, the Goblinkind remain a strong threat, and the army will have to patrol the border heavily, perhaps for years. The road to Harothar is perilous, and ship traffic is growing to make up the difference. North of County Holdfast, a small new barony named Karriver has sprung up. The Baron of Karriver is a retired adventurer who has promised Greenvale to help defend the boundary of the Kingdom in return for certain trade concessions. It is said that recently he has established two small gold mines in his Barony, and certainly he has wealth enough to hire a number of mercenaries.

 

2633 Baron Denbare of Dene in County Highscar is believed dead, and his son is now Baron; his wife rules in the boy's name. Kobolds in this area are becoming "domesticated" and taking on roles in the community under the watchful eye of local druids. The Baron of Karriver is now more fully established, after the defeat of a small dragon in the hills. The goblins and orcs have been beaten back to some extent.

 

Prince Taran of Greenvale continues to be moody and difficult. His brother Jhoram, who supposedly died during the war, has apparently returned to life, but trapped in the body of a magical bird. No one knows if it is really him or all a hoax. Sir Math and his neighbors continue to feud and the mood in southern Greenvale is ugly.  There is especially bad blood between Sir Math and the outlying baronies that flank Greenvale's southern border.