Timeline of Arcadrian History

128      

Hezzite traders transform the outpost of Narcana into a permanent colony through an arrangement with the Gaygers, the nomads who live in the area.

97

Arcadra is founded by as a colony by Viyannic merchants from Anacaphra on the site of the ancient Helanic town of Olbam.  The settlers quickly intermingle with the locals, creating a people with mixed Viyannic and Helanic heritage.

97-63

Arcardrian influence spreads across the peninsula as that of the Helanic cities wanes due to drying conditions inland.

75

Arcadra becomes fully independent from the kingdom of Eltheon in Anacaphra.  Kelostius is elected to be its first king.

68

Huelvius, son of King Kelostius of Arcadra, is born.

63-61

War between Helanar and Arcadra.  The Arcadrians are triumphant, and most of what will later be known as Arcadria Major, along with part of eastern Methania, is brought under their sway.  The ruler of Arcadra, Kelostius, becomes the first High King.

57

King Olnassus of Helanar dies and Kelostius installs himself as regent for Olnassus’s underage son.  He instates the first attempted purge of the Death Cult in Helanar.  Violence erupts, rocking the new kingdom.

57-48

This is a period of conflict throughout the Arcadrian region, as the royal forces attempt to eradicate the Death Cultists and their supporters.  Many foul deeds are performed on both sides, including the assassination of the Arcadran king and many members of the royal family.

48

King Huelvius of Arcadra finally locates the hidden temple of the Death Cultists beneath Helanar and has it destroyed, massacring all he finds within, but he is unable to penetrate the deepest, most hidden chambers.  He declares a festival, and it looks like peace may finally have come to the region.

47

King Olnassus of Helanar enters his majority and becomes ruler of his people.  He pays homage to Kelostius as High King.

45

Olinarus of Helanar is born.

40

Archannon of Rathaegor is born.

37

Garrison of Ilosor is born.

35

Prassian of Arcadra, son of Kelostius, is born.

29

Heruisus of Arcadra, son of Kelostius, is born.

25

Listerola of Ulthseoör is born.

24

Cradolon of Ulthseoör is born.

19

Unbeknownst to Kelostius, Olinarus, having explored the ruins of the Temple of the Death Cult, finds the Hidden Chamber.  The Death Cult is reawakened, but now in secret, and he allies himself with it.

17

Onassus of Helanar dies, and Olinarus becomes king.

16-6

The power of the Death Cult begins to rise again in Helanar, though now in secret, with rituals held out of sight.

8         

Listerola, the daughter of Kendrosk, king of the Aean kingdom of Ulthseoör, is slated to marry Garrison, prince of Ilosor, though she has never met him.  During the wedding celebrations, she falls in love with Heruisus of Arcadra, a visiting notary.  She abandons Garrison and flees with Heruisus to Arcadra.  Garrison is incensed, and his brother Archannon, a strong warlord of the kingdom of Rathaegor, incites many Viyannic people to a declaration of war on Arcadra.

7         

The Viyannic forces under Archannon set sail for Arcadra.  They stop at Circath to collect more troops and supplies.  The Circathians deny them aid, and they sack the city, slaughtering many inhabitants.  Their losses are heavy enough that Archannon winters on the island.

6         

The Viyannic forces land outside of Arcadra and begin the siege.  The Arcadrans under the leadership of Prassian engage in a desperate and valiant defense.  The people of Circath, also of Viyannic origin, appeal to the Hezzites for protection in response to Viyannic aggression and become a vassal state.  The Viyannic forces conquer several outlying areas to supply food for the troops.

5         

The Viyannic forces set up a permanent base about 50 miles south of Arcadria, where the dependents are housed.  The new city is named Neoaeantowen.

4

Garrison is slain while attacking a supply caravan entering Arcadra.

2         

Prassian dies in the fighting but Heruisus takes over as leader of the city defenses.  King Kelostius dies of grief, an aged and broken man, and the people look to Heruisus as their new king.  A series of defeats causes the morale of the Viyannic troops to plummet, and Cradolon, the champion of Ulthseoör, is ready to leave.  Archannon burns the ships to prevent the troops from deserting.

1         

The Hezekial wall around Arcadra is finally breached.  Archannon is slain in the fighting.  Cradolon assumes leadership of the Viyannic forces and prevents the general destruction of the city.  The palace of the Arcadran leadership is besieged but not breached.  Some generals, under the leadership of Briaston of Jurgon, are displeased by his lenient treatment of the inhabitants, and he has them expelled.  They flee to Helanar and offer their services to its king.  Olinarus, the king of Helanar, imprisons them and offers his services to Cradolon.  Cradolon accepts, and allows Olinarus to retain his position as ruler of Helanar under Viyannic overlordship.  Other city-states are impressed by Cradolon’s generosity and, realizing that they cannot combat the Viyannic forces, also swear fealty.  A Senate is formed to rule the newly-conquered territories, consisting of Viyannic generals as well as allied local leaders.  Neoaeantowen is renamed Cradolonum after the victorious general.

1         

Heruisus surrenders to Cradolon on the condition that Listerola will not be molested.  As a gesture of goodwill to his new subjects, Cradolon allows Heruisus to live on the condition that he swear fealty, which Heruisus accepts.  Heruisus and Listerola leave the city with their household and move to Silercum, where they are accepted with open arms by the mayor, who is a vassal of Cradolon.  The remaining civil servants are allowed to keep their jobs.  The Senate proclaims Cradolon Imperator, and he takes the name of Craditus, with great popular approval.  Many of the younger Viyannic leaders take on Arcadrian-style names in emulation of the Imperator.  The new Arcadrian calendar begins.  Some of the Viyannic troops hire Hezzite ships to transport them back to their homelands, but many more stay.

2-27     

Through diplomacy and (sometimes) force of arms, Craditus manages to secure the lands of Arcadria Major, Arcadria Minor, Methania and Diacrassaus under his leadership.  Viyannic military leaders are placed in positions of power in conjunction with local leaders.  Other Viyannic immigrants arrive and continue to fill positions of power.

6         

The mayor of Silercum dies and Heruisus is elected to take his place.  Over the next few years, he proves to be a dedicated ruler and a powerful ally to Craditus.

7         

Briaston and his associates are freed from prison.  They leave Helanar for Clastaera, then the southernmost of the Arcadrian cities.

16        

Olinarus dies and Guetharius, a Viyannic captain, is instated in his place.  The magistrate of Spatircan applies and is accepted as a member of the Arcadrian Senate.  Guetharius begins to persecute the powerful Helanarian Death Cult, which has become very unpopular with the populace.

18        

Briaston approaches Stychugar, the king of Cythaen.  They plot to stop the advance of Craditus.  Stychugar publicly declares that all territory south of Spatircan is under Cythaean dominion, and if any Arcadrian troops advance beyond that point it will be seen as a declaration of war.

19        

At Guetharius’ request, Craditus forbids the practice of human sacrifice in the Empire.  Guetharius uses this as the incentive to begin a wholesale attack on the Death Cultists.  Heavy fighting ensues in the streets of Helanar, and the temples are destroyed.  Many of the leaders escape, however, and flee or go underground.

26        

Briaston makes a deal with the head of the Helanarian Death Cult, who has managed to make his way to Cythaen.  They formulate a plan to overthrow Craditus and take the Arcadrian Empire.  They secretly plan to do away with Stychugar as soon as is possibly convenient.

28        

Death Cultists assassinate Guetharius.  At the same time, Briaston and Stychugar lead their forces north in an attempt to take Spatircan.  The siege of Spatircan begins while Craditus hastily pulls reinforcements together.

29        

Spatircan is able to hold its own, and the Arcadrian reinforcements envelope the Cythaean forces.  The Cythaeans are ambushed and a huge rout ensues.  Stychugar is captured and thrown into chains.  Briaston escapes and flees to Cortezra, where he sets himself up as the new king.  The princes of Menassta and Iopsonallum refuse to recognize his leadership.

31        

Briaston attacks Menassta and captures it.  He massacres the prince and his family and places Menassta under his direct rule.  He moves against Iopsonallum.  The prince of Iopsonallum appeals to Craditus for aid, and an Arcadrian expeditionary force is sent.  The prince is slain in the ensuing attack, and the expeditionary force finds itself in charge of the city.  Its leader, Ponobrius, successfully defends the city and, in a brilliant maneuver, deals Briaston a crushing defeat.  As the Cythaean forces flee in disarray, Ponobrius gives chase, defeating them before they can reach Cortezra.

32        

Ponobrius enters Cortezra and declares all of Cythaen as a dependency of Arcadria.  Briaston is publicly executed.  Craditus reluctantly appoints Ponobrius as governor of Cythaean, and he is admitted to the Senate.  Ponobrius expands his personal army and acquires vows of allegiance from the remaining Cythaean city-states.

33-52   

Ponobrius continues to build a power base in the Senate, until he is the second-most powerful man in the Empire.

36        

Stychugar dies in prison, probably at the hands of an assassin in Ponobrius’ hire.  With no legitimate ruler, Cythaen is firmly under Ponobrius’ control.

42        

Jerica, under pressure from neighboring nomadic tribes, applies for membership in the Arcadrian Senate and is accepted.

49        

Craditus dies at the age of 72.  He is succeeded by his eldest son Macritan.  Macritan is very opposed to Ponobrius and the two are often at odds.

51        

Rumors circulate that Ponobrius has brought some remnants of the Helanarian Death Cult to Cortezra to use them to further his ambitions.  The rumors are false, spread by Macritan, but the Death Cultists have set up a base in Cortezra nonetheless.

53        

Macritan secretly plans to have Ponobrius killed.  Ponobrius hears of the plan and hires assassins to murder Macritan while he is on a hunting expedition in the Methanian wilderness.  He is 58.  Ponobrius is declared Imperator by the Senate while Didacalus, Macritan’s younger brother and governor of Tarestum, is declared Imperator by his troops.  Ponobrius and Didacalus meet in battle near Traecum.  Ponobrius is victorious but is wounded in the battle.  Didacalus retreats to Lespictan.  Ponobrius dies due to complications from his wounds, and the Senate declares Didacalus Imperator.

53-60   

Didacalus spends considerable effort eradicating all traces of Ponobrius from public records, etc.  He roots out many of Ponobrius’ supporters and has them ruthlessly executed.

60        

The last of Ponobrius’ known supporters are publicly executed by being mauled by animals.  A special building is built for the spectacle, the first gladiatorial arena.

66        

Didacalus dies at the age of 65.  The Senate votes for his adopted son Tacitan to be made Imperator.

73-75   

Famine strikes in much of northwest Arcadria, but Cythaen and lands to the south are not affected.  Refugees flee to Cythaen, Nutrium, Narcana and some as far as Haegys.  Tacitan imposes rationing on Cythaen and ships much of its food to stricken areas, breeding resentment among the populace.

75        

The Hezzite rulers of Narcana convince refugees to colonize several trading posts, setting up permanent bases.  The Hezzite cities of Nartarum, Salkafta and Tanzra are founded.

76        

The famine finally breaks, and many return home.  Many also stay in their new homes, especially bolstering the population of Narcana.

76-79

Tacitan continues to requisition food from Cythaen in lieu of further famine, and to encourage growth in the north.  He establishes the city of Tacitanra as a model city and for the purpose of having another important Viyannic center in Arcadria Major to combat the power of the native governor of Helanar.  The governor of Cythaen, Nostramius, uses the call for supplies to elicit more than is necessary, which breeds hatred toward the Imperator and the Viyannic overlords.

79

Tacitan falls ill in late fall, and his son, Pollobius, takes his place at most functions.

80        

Tacitan dies in the middle of spring at the age of 60, after a long illness.  Pollobius is elected Imperator.  He lessens the supply tax on Cythaen, in response to popular pressure, but does not relinquish it entirely.  The feelings of resentment in Cythaen are mollified for a time.  Nostramius begins to cultivate the ear of the Imperator, and becomes one of his most trusted advisors.

86        

The growing season begins looking very dry, and the Senate enacts famine measures, with especial urgings from Nostramius.  Nostramius uses the occasion to enrich himself off his people’s toil.  The famine never comes, but famine measures are repealed too late.  There is great suffering in Cythaen, and popular resentment grows.  A young soldier of Cythaean heritage, Balsynthar, who is rumored to be of royal blood, rises to the forefront of the protest movement.

87        

Although famine measures are lifted, Nostramius continues his abuses.  There are popular uprisings on the streets of Cortezra, Gypsalum and Menassta.  Nostramius plays it up as being a revolt, and troops are sent in under his command.  Balsynthar escapes to Nutrium, but many others are captured and slain.

88-97   

A series of wet years in Narcana and the desert to the south lead to a vast population expansion.  The Narcanians begin to set up permanent colonies along the coast of western Molossia.

88        

Rebels in Cortezra court the Death Cultists living there.  They agree to give the Cultists certain rights in exchange for their services.  Balsynthar pleads his case to Octaniot, the king of Nutrium.  Octaniot agrees to help the people of Cythaen by speaking for them to Pollobius.  Death Cultists assassinate Nostramius before Octaniot can do anything.  Pollobius responds by declaring martial law in all Cythaean cities save Iopsonallum, which has not been affected by the uprisings.  The Death Cultists are hunted down, but many escape.  The ringleaders of the assassination are found and exterminated, along with many others who were not involved.  Terror reigns over the land.

89        

The princes of Iopsonallum and Tenips, the two most loyal cities in Cythaen, appeal to Pollobius for mercy on the beleaguered cities.  He has them thrown into prison.  Martial law is extended to Iopsonallum.  Food is becoming scarce in the cities since much is requisitioned by the army.  There is talk of revolt, and appeals are made to Nutrium.

90-96   

The army is able to hold things together in Cythaen, but conditions are steadily worsening.  Many inhabitants flee to Nutrium, where the king grows worried at their plight (and their effect on his country).  The Cythaean refugees organize under the leadership of Balsynthar.

92        

The city of Octanis is founded.  Many of its inhabitants are Cythaean refugees.  Jálhûnisev of Literia becomes the general of the northern armies of Nutrium.

93

Balsynthar weds Kellantia, Octaniot’s daughter.

95

Jassenessia, daughter of Balsynthar and Kellantia, is born.

97        

Death Cultists make an abortive attempt on Pollobius’ life.  He escapes, but they succeed in slaying his wife and eldest son.  He assumes the Cythaeans are behind the assassination attempt and orders very harsh measures to be taken.  One of his generals, Janis, refuses to comply and is executed.  His soldiers revolt and join with the citizens to free Cortezra from Arcadrian rule.  Balsynthar seizes the opportunity and marches on Menassta with the help of Jálhûnisev’s troops, taking it.  The Sitars, nomads in eastern Sitaeria, begin to expand their territory.

98        

Arcadrian troops are ousted from Tenips and Gypsalum.  The newly freed cities form a confederacy, proclaiming Balsynthar head of the new Cythaen Republic.  Pollobius’ troops are defeated by the Republic while trying to cross the Iops.  Cortezra is taken by the confederacy.  Iopsonallum is scourged for harboring Cythaean sympathizers.

99        

Another army is defeated along the Iops, primarily because troop morale is at an all-time low in Arcadria.  Nutrium gives help to the Cythaean refugees.

100      

Iopsonallum revolts and successfully overthrows the Arcadrian governor, who is publicly executed amongst great festivities.  Death Cultists approach Balsynthar, but he refuses to treat with them.  His generals urge him to attack Spatircan, but he refuses as the inhabitants do not wish to join the Republic.  Pollobius starts raising troops for an all-out assault on his enemies.

101      

Jálhûnisev approaches the Death Cultists, and they make a pact.  Pollobius falls ill, and the invasion is called off.  The Sitars attack the Hezzite city of Polanta, but are driven back.

102      

Pollobius recovers.  His troops move on Iopsonallum and lay siege.  In the meantime, a second group beaches off Valoii and attacks the Nutrian city. Jálhûnisev and Balsynthar rally their troops and try to hold back the attackers.  Valoii and Menassta fall by the end of the year. Jálhûnisev calls on the help of the Death Cultists and is initiated into their order.  The Sitars attack Polanta again, and are driven east.

103      

Arcadrian troops lay siege to Cortezra and attack Tarscipan.  Pollobius dies mysteriously, at the age of 61, while visiting Iopsonallum.  His son Craditus II takes command of the Empire at the age of 38.  Tarscipan falls to the Arcadrian forces.  While Craditus II is in conference with his generals, the tent catches fire and all inside are slain before they can escape.  The Arcadrian army, leaderless, falters.  Balsynthar counterattacks and recaptures Iopsonallum. Jálhûnisev recaptures Tarscipan and Valoii, annihilating the troops before they can leave.  He executes all prisoners.  News reaches Arcadra of the Imperator’s demise, and his siblings fight over the throne.  Two brothers are killed in a street fight between rival factions, and a third is mysteriously trampled to death.  Craditus’ sister Galetria flees to Aean, in fear of her life.  The youngest member of the family, Lucian, is finally declared Imperator at the age of 9.  Menassta surrenders to Balsynthar rather than fall victim to Jálhûnisev’s attack, and he grants them reprieve.  The Sitars attack Jerica and defeat the small garrison there.  The city is sacked and many of its inhabitants are carried off.

104      

Lucian’s advisors recognize that they are in a very tight spot and make peace with Balsynthar on excellent terms—he is given official recognition and a guarantee of peace cemented by several key hostages, including the Imperator’s younger sister Selena.  The Sitars sack much of the territory north of Jerica, but are unable to take the Hezzite cities, which had been bolstered by refugees some years back.  They sweep down to the south, where they are met in battle by a cobbled-together Arcadrian army at the fords of the Cheon River.  The battle is a stalemate and both sides withdraw. Jálhûnisev’s troops consolidate their territory and then he marches on Calabrath.  What was supposed to be a victory parade turns into a massacre as Jálhûnisev’s troops slaughter Octaniot, his family and the royal guard.  Jálhûnisev proclaims himself King of Nutrium.  Loyalists claim Kellantia (the only surviving offspring of Octaniot) as their queen and civil war erupts.

105      

Death Cult assassins sent by Jálhûnisev attempt to kill Kellantia, but are intercepted by Balsynthar and some trusted guardsmen.  Balsynthar and the Cultists are slain in the confrontation.  Loyal guardsmen take Kellantia and Jassenessia from Cortezra to harbor them in the eastern hills until they are sure the city is safe for them.  Selena is captured by Cultists and brought to Jálhûnisev.  In the meantime, Rhistanzar, one of Jálhûnisev’s supporters, declares himself the new Prince of the Republic, and Nutrian troops come in to support his reign.  The loyalists are slain on their return to the city.  Kellantia and what remains of her retinue flee to the desert land of the Ertrans, where her mother had some connections.  The Arcadrians regroup their armies.

106      

The Sitars attack Arcadria again, and defeat the garrison at the Cheon Fords.  They attack Pharsobus but are driven back in a desperate offensive.  They regroup and camp west of the Cheon.

107      

The Sitars bypass the garrison at Pharsobus and attack several cities west of the forests, pillaging but not staying.  They sack Traecum at the end of the year and camp there for the winter.  Lucian’s advisors desperately try to raise troops to combat the invaders.

108      

Jálhûnisev’s Death Cultists find Kellantia and make an attempt on her life.  It is beaten back, but the chief of the Ertrans asks her to leave.  Kellantia and her loyal supporters break off from the main group of the Ertrans, along with several tribesmen, and settle in the south.  They become the Octana.  The Sitars march on Arcadra and defeat the troops outside the city.  Pollobius’ advisors pay them off, and they leave for a time, settling around Jerica and further to the east.

110

Jálhûnisev weds Selena, sister of the Imperator.  She is fourteen years old.

111

The Sitars come west again, in greater numbers since they have allied with other nomadic groups, and demand an exorbitant payment to leave.  The Arcadrian government is unable to meet their demands, and the Sitars go on a looting spree in Arcadria Minor and Arcadria Major.  Many are killed and the army is unable to do much more than defend the walled cities, which are for the most part ignored.  The countryside is all but abandoned and famine sets in.  In late summer, a young general named Lindornus, a native by birth, cobbles together a small army and inflicts a defeat on the invading nomads once they have finished raiding the countryside around Cradolonum, thus raising morale in Arcadria considerably.  Several other battles are fought but they come to little.  The Sitars winter in Arcadria Minor.

112

Lindornus stages a sneak attack on the Sitar forces in their camp in the dead of winter, and many flee east in disarray.  In the spring, Lucian comes into his majority and takes credit for Lindornus’ victory, increasing his glory.  He removes many of his advisors from office, blaming them for the defeats, and has some executed, mostly out of spite. Jálhûnisev sends a Nutrian expeditionary force into the eastern desert to look for Kellantia, but it vanishes completely.  Hûniksev, son of Jálhûnisev and Selena is born.

113

Lindornus is sent east to remove the Sitars from Arcadria Minor.  He is only partially successful, and winters in Pharsabus while the Sitars still hold the land to the south and east.  Kellantia becomes ill, although this is not known outside of the land of the Octana.  Jassenessia weds Qejthar of the Ertrans.

114

Kellantia dies early in the year and Jassenessia becomes the leader of the Octana.  Lindornus fights a series of battles against the Sitars, many of which end inconclusively.  Still, he is able to preserve more of his troops and, through efficient management, is able to outlast the enemy.  The Sitars retreat across the Cheon for the winter.  Fallantia, daughter of Jassenessia, is born.

115

Lucian demands that Jerica and its surrounding environs be retaken, but Lindornus has neither the troops nor the supplies for such an endeavor.  He crosses the Cheon but is defeated and has to retreat to the Fords.  The Sitars force the Fords but do not go further.  Lindornus is relieved of duty.

116

An old man, Jálhûnisev finally succumbs to illness.  His elder son, Porlhûnisev, becomes king.  Other groups rise up to dispute his claim and civil war recommences.  Selena weds one of the important generals of the northeast and gives him legitimacy in the war against her step-son.  Lucian takes personal command of the Arcadrian troops in the east and is soundly defeated by the Sitars once again.  He pays them off, and then blames the defeat on his captains, especially the leaders of the divisions from Paltyra and several other western cities.  Many are executed.  Two western divisions, under the command of the Paltyrian Honoroptus, desert and march home.  When Lucian demands that the city hand the troops over to be punished for treason, they go into revolt instead.  Selena’s husband is slain in the war and she is captured by Porlhûnisev.

116-120

Civil war rages through Nutrium.  Death Cultists become more and more powerful in the state as Porlhûnisev begins to rely more heavily on them.

117

Lucian recommissions Lindornus to defend the eastern border with half the number of troops that he had previously.  He takes the remaining divisions and marches on Paltyra.  Lindornus fortifies the Fords and lays the foundations for the later city of Callastum, which at this time is only a military fort.  The Sitars demand to be paid off while he is still in progress, and when he cannot they attack.  They are driven back but cross at another point, raiding deep into Arcadria Minor.  Lucian fights an indecisive battle outside of Paltyra and sets in for a siege.  Lindornus attacks the Sitars on their way back from raiding, and takes them unawares.  Few escape, and their military power is decimated for several years.  They retreat further from the Fords, but Lindornus cannot afford to follow them.  Qejtharian, son of Jessenessia, is born.  Porlhûnisev weds Selena.

118

Lindornus leaves Callastum to the care of a captain and returns to Arcadra.  He is met with great enthusiasm and the Senate heaps honors upon him.  Lucian continues his costly siege.  The coastal cities of Methania and Diacrassaus declare themselves for Honoroptus. 

119

The Paltyrians buy help from Hezzite mercenaries from Zephenica, who break the siege.  Lucian is forced to withdraw, with Honoroptus hot on his tail.  Honoroptus takes Depistra but stops his advance there.  Lucian is greeted in Arcadra with derision by the Senate and responds by murdering some and causing others to flee.  He brings his troops into the city, dissolves the Senate, and begins to rule the empire directly.  A group of Senators appeals to Lindornus to be their champion.  He attempts to report this to Lucian but is attacked before he can.  He manages to escape and flees the city.  His troops rally around him and declare him Imperator.  Lucian and Lindornus fight an indecisive battle outside of Lespictan, and Lucian is left in control of the city.  By the end of the year, only the land from Porcellum to Traecum and Lespictan, along with a few cities in northern Arcadria Minor, remain under Lucian’s control.  Balsynthar, son of Jassenessia, is born.  Selenyssa, daughter of Selena and Porlhûnisev, is born.

120

Porlhûnisev is found dead in his chambers with no apparent cause.  His lieutenant Rythûsérn, a Death Cultist that worked closely with his father, takes the mantle of kingship.  Selena flees with Hûliksev and Selenyssa to Arcadra. The last vestiges of rebellion are crushed in a series of violent bloodbaths.  Refugees flee to the Paltyrian kingdom, Arcadria, and especially the lands of the Ertrans and Octana, where Kellantia is rumored to still be alive.  Jassenessia’s power grows and her people become too large to continue to live in secrecy.  Lindornus wins a series of battles against Lucian in the west, and captures both Silercum and Lespictan, Lucian’s most important cities in Arcadria Minor.  He takes Traecum in early winter and prepares to march on Arcadra come spring.

121

Honoroptus advances as far as Helanar, but the garrison there drives them off in a surprising route.  He stays at Porcellum.  Lindornus drives through the east coast of Arcadria Major and several cities opt to support him rather than be attacked.  By mid-summer his troops have trapped Lucian in Arcadra.  Lucian kills himself in his palace before they can break in.  Senator Pominus, one of his supporters, takes command of the government and becomes the de facto imperator for several days, until Lindornus arrives at the city gates.  Pominus hands the city over to the general, who becomes Imperator.  Lindornus immediately marches to meet Honoroptus, and the two meet in battle near Porcellum.  Honoroptus falls back into the city, and Lindornus commences the siege.  As the siege continues, conditions worsen in the city and Honoroptus falls ill and dies.  Lindornus is killed in a sortie against the gates that same evening.  Pominus becomes Imperator once the word reaches Arcadra.  In the meantime, Rythûsérn prepares for an attack on the Octana, and his troops begin to march late in the year.  The First Battle of the Desert is fought before the year is through, but Jassenessia’s troops flee before Rythûsérn’s troops can make much headway.  Qejthar, Jassenessia’s husband, is killed.

122

Early in the year, Kellantia, daughter of Jassenessia, is born.  Rhistanzar dies and Rythûsérn officially becomes the king of Cythaen, despite some resistance that is quickly crushed.  Death Cultists are placed in high positions throughout that land.  Pominus, to secure his claim as Imperator, sends to Aean for Galetria, Lucian’s older sister.  She divorces her previous husband, who retires with honor, and marries the Imperator, bringing with her Herolod, her eldest son, now in his early twenties.  Pominus offers to drop all grievances against the western army if they agree to rejoin the Empire, and they accept.  For security reasons, however, he breaks up the main rebellious companies and scatters the soldiers across the frontiers.  Herolod is placed in charge of the remnants of the eastern army and marches against the Sitars.  In a brilliant campaign, and with the help of his personal retinue of Aeanic troops, he is able to recapture Jerica and several of the surrounding villages, nearly restoring the Eastern Frontier.  He is given a triumphant welcome on his return to the capital.

123-125

Herolod continues his campaigns in the east, making steady headway against the Sitars.  He captures much of the western peninsula but does not bother the Hezzite cities in the east.  His glory grows, and soon his popular following is as great as Pominus’.

123

Selena weds Jorvinus, Pominus’ son.  He adopts her children as his own.

124

Herolod marries Fanolla, Pominus’ daughter.  They have a son, Pominus Sitaricus, late in the year.

126

The Second Battle of the Desert is fought between Jassenessia’s troops and a small contingent of Rythûsérn’s forces.  Due to luck and the help of the desert, Jassenessia is able to capture or kill all of the attackers, which does more for her reputation than a greater victory would.  Herolod returns to Arcadra after securing the eastern frontier.  Decratus, son of Jorvinus, is born.

127

Manolod, son of Herolod, is born.

128

Two of Pominus’ sons from his previous marriage die under mysterious circumstances and a third, Jorvinus, is horribly embarrassed and exiled.

128-132

Herolod continues his campaigns against the Sitars.  By the end he has all but eliminated the threat for good, and accepts a yearly tribute from their leaders.  Colonists begin to move into the north.   Herolod’s long estrangement from his wife causes her to seek comfort elsewhere.  Her affairs become the talk of the city.

129

Rythûsérn raises a much larger army than previously and sends it into the desert after Jassenessia.  She allows it to search blindly for several months while attacking outliers and supply trains.  By late summer the army has become hopelessly lost and demoralized.  With the lure of easy plunder, several desert tribes band together with the Octana to descend on the army, and it is destroyed utterly, its soldiers either slain or sold into slavery.  Many end up in Haegys or the great southern slave ports.  This is considered the Third Battle of the Desert.  News of the defeat reaches Nutrium and the soldiers revolt.  Cythaen rebels, and Rythûsérn resorts to increasingly strong-armed tactics to keep matters under control.  A reign of terror begins, reaching incredible proportions by the end of the year.

130

Pominus’ son Jorvinus dies in exile, apparently having been murdered, although no certain reports reach the Imperator.  Herolod becomes the heir apparent of the Empire.  Repressions in Nutrium continue to worsen.  After another minor defeat in the desert, the eastern army rebels under the leadership of one Yornthérn, a prominent general.  Rythûsérn marches east before Cythaen can wholly be subdued and defeats Yornthérn, but his army is greatly weakened.  In desperation he begins to hire mercenaries to fill out his troop rosters.

131

Rythûsérn returns to Cythaen and finishes the process of subdual.  Because of problems with the treasury, he finds that he cannot pay his army without greatly raising taxes.  He does so, taking draconian measures against any protestors.  He needs to hire more mercenaries to keep order.  Several of the Octana are able to insert themselves in important places in the military.

133

A bad harvest in southern Nutrium makes it impossible to raise the taxes necessary to pay the army.  Rythûsérn attempts to anyway, causing many to flee into the wilderness and abandon their farms.  He retires mercenaries and gives them some of the abandoned land, but many are unsatisfied.  Pominus takes ill, and Herolod is proclaimed co-emperor for the duration of the illness.  Herolod, once again in Arcadria, catches Fanolla in one of her affairs and divorces her.  Because of the disgrace that she brought to the Imperial name, she is exiled.

134

After another year of inadequate pay, the Nutrian army rebels.  They declare Falhâzad, a Fakhyr mercenary, to be the new king.  Civil war erupts.  Jassenessia sees her opportunity and, with as many forces as she can muster, reenters Nutrium.  Falhâzad kills Rythûsérn, and for about a month is king of Nutrium, until Jassenessia marches on Calabrath and defeats his forces in battle.  She takes control of the government and immediately expels or executes all of the Death Cultists she can find.  In Arcadra, Hûliksev gathers an army to claim the kingship of Nutrium for himself.

135

Pominus dies of his illness, and many rumors circulate that his wife was responsible.  Fanolla dies in exile, apparently poisoned.  Herolod is elected Imperator and Pominus Sitaricus is proclaimed the heir apparent.  He takes Selena to be his wife, amid rumors that she has seduced him in order to further her power.  Jassenessia attempts to normalize the political situation in Nutrium but the kingdom is too fraught with strife.  Several mercenary leaders set up rival kingdoms in parts of the country.  Selenyssa weds Herolad’s cousin in Aean.

135-144

Nutrium is engulfed in civil war as Jassenessia’s forces battle first one than another of the rival kingdoms within Nutrium.  Herolad uses this time to reinforce his dominance over Cythaen, forcing its inhabitants to pay him tribute in return for protection.  Several Arcadrian colonies are founded along the western coast of Sitaeria and Tolasstis.

137-148

Herolod begins to indulge his taste for strange spectacles.  Much of Arcadra is incensed at his behavior and he spends more and more time at his summer palace in Cadari, an island near Paltyra.  Selena and Galetra vie for control of the Imperator.

137

Qejtharian is made chieftain of the Octana while Jassenessia concentrates on Nutrium.  Hûliksev invades Nutrium, and several northern cities in and around Cythaen acknowledge his overlordship.

138

Valudon, son of Selenyssa, is born in Aean.

139

Qejthyn, son of Qejtharian, is born.

140

Octalthar, son of Kellantia, is born.

141

Hûliksev is defeated by Jassenessia in battle, and Selena forces Herolad to pay ransom for him.

143

A spate of violence erupts between the Arcadrian and Narcanian colonies in Tolasstis.  Pominus Sitaricus is sent to quell the conflict, and inflicts a great loss upon the Narcanians which results in the capture of Tartarum and several minor towns.  He is given a triumph on his return to Arcadra.

144

Jassenessia marches into Kalkor, the stronghold of the last remaining warlord kingdom, situated in the hills near Luvescum.  The ravished kingdom is now completely under her control.  Pominus Sitaricus continues to grow in popularity among the young nobles of the Empire.  Selenyssa’s husband dies and she brings Valudon to Arcadra.  He begins to be called by the Arcadrian name Valuvius.

145

Herolod passes a tax on certain luxury items in order to support his increasingly exotic extravagances.  In response, many of the young nobles revolt, and Pominus Sitaricus is thrust into the position of rival Imperator.  Before the revolt can go far, the Imperial Guard is sent into the city and a riot of violence breaks out, during which Pominus Sitaricus is killed.  Many believe that he never intended to revolt against his father and that he was set up to fall because his popularity was growing too high.  Manolad becomes heir to the throne.

148

Manolad is killed in a hunting accident, the last of Galetria’s direct male line.  Many believe Selena to have been responsible.  Selena’s son by Jorvinus, Decratus, becomes heir.  Selena arranges to have Galetria “retired” to a villa in the country where she is closely watched.

149

Hûliksev is placed in charge of watching his aunt Galetria.  She wins him over to her side in jealousy of his younger brother, and some say that they become lovers.  Late in the year, Hûliksev and some of his loyal troops, many of whom have connections to Death Cultists from Helanar and Nutrium, attack the palace unannounced and kill both Selena and Decratus.  Herolad, in an uncharacteristically decisive act, has Hûliksev executed and Galetria placed into exile on an isolated island north of Arcadra.  No Imperial heir is declared.

150-159

Herolad becomes exceedingly punitive in his rulings, and many of the higher nobility are slain under suspicion of treachery, and others flee to Narcana or Nutrium.  The common people are little affected and are not willing to rise up against him.

157

Believing her finally beyond any power and malice, Herolad brings Galetria back from exile.  She begins to cultivate Valuvius, despite the fact that he is the grandson of her hated sister, as he is her only remaining relative.

159

Herolad has a stroke and becomes a virtual invalid.  When he recovers, he retreats to his island and disassociates himself from the world, drowning himself in pleasures.  Valuvius becomes the de facto ruler, making judgements in Herolad’s name.

161

Jorithynar, son of Octalthar and Fallthia, an Arcadrian noblewoman hostage whom he weds later that year, is born.

162

Death of Herolad at the age of 62.  Valuvius becomes the new Imperator.  He weds Orissa, a noblewoman with a scandalous reputation who is 12 years older than him, over Galetria’s objections.  He has Galetria banished to the House of Silence, where she lives out her remaining years alone.  A coup is attempted in Nutrium by remnants of the Death Cultists and other groups.  They storm the palace complex, and many of the royal family are murdered, including Fallantia and her children, Balsynthar, and Octalthar, son of Kellantia, though Kellantia flees with her grandson, Jorithynar.  Qejtharian, who is overseeing troops to the north at the time, attacks the city and drives out the rebels, but is gravely wounded and dies the following year.

163

Jassenessia scours Nutrium for rebels, finding and executing many, but remnants of the Death Cultists remain hidden among her people.  Olinia, daughter of Valuvius, is born.

166

A protest over heavy taxes by Narcanian nationals in Tartarum turns into a riot, then an insurrection, and the Arcadrian Governor is killed.  Valuvius sends in troops.

166-170

Fighting in Tolasstis as more cities join in rebellion, aided by clandestine supplies from Narcana.  Boenthus, one of Valuvius’s generals, distinguishes himself by his excessive brutality, which eventually breaks the spirit of the rebels and leaves many thousands dead.

167

Death of Jassenessia at the age of 72.  Qejthyn, son of Qejtharian, becomes King of Nutrium.  Death of Galetria at the age of 80.

167-173

Revolts in Nutrium as various factions test the resolve of the new king.  He is inexperienced, and for a time it seems as if they will succeed, but by 173 he has eliminated the uprisings everywhere except in Pterath and Tarscipan.

169

Olinitus, son of Valuvius, is born.

173

Rebellion is finally squelched in Nutrium and it seems the kingdom is at peace.  Qejthyn dies suddenly in late summer, assassinated by rivals.  Kellantia assumes the title of Queen and quickly takes control.

177

Death of Valuvius at the age of 39 from a hunting accident.  He is succeeded by his son, Olinitus, who is only 8.  Several of Valuvius’s generals, led by Boenthus, conspire to take leadership for themselves, splitting up the Empire among them and using the false claim that Valuvius was murdered to get rid of anyone who opposes their rule.  Orissa is banished to the House of Silence.  Olinia is held captive.

178

Kellantia falls ill.  She begins preparing Jorithynar to take up the reins of leadership.  Boenthus attempts to take Olinia by force in order to cement a claim to the throne, but she kills him instead and flees the palace.  Without leadership, the generals strive against each other and Imperial leadership falls apart.  There is great rejoicing in Tolasstis at Boenthus’s death, and Olinia finds refuge there.

179

Tartarum and several other cities in Tolasstis expel their Arcadrian troops.  They do not have sufficient forces to resist the Arcadrian army, however, and forces led by the generals Helcatian, Titus, and Marcian crush them in battle, though Marcian is slain by a stray arrow in the process.  Helcatian and Titus return to Arcadra victorious, and are quickly able to take control of the government.  Olinia, having escaped, flees to Nutrium.

180

Kellantia dies at the age of 57, and Jorithynar becomes King of Nutrium at the age of 19.  A noble and kind ruler, he is able to win the hearts of his people and keep dissident factions from rising up.

182

Helcatian has his rival, Titus, murdered in his bath and assumes sole leadership of the Empire, though Olinitus at age 13 is still nominally Imperator.

183

Jorithynar and Olinia are wed, though many among the Nutrian people are wary of having an Arcadrian princess as their queen.  Helcatian, fearing that the couple may challenge his claim to leadership, foments rebellion among certain factions in Tarscipan and convinces them to seize the city.  They declare a new, independent kingdom, and Helcatian declares them under his protection, making sure that the pronouncement only reaches Nutrium after Jorithynar has marched on the city at the bequest of loyal factions.  Before battle is even joined, Helcatian uses this move as an excuse to declare war on Nutrium.

183-189

War between Arcadria and Nutrium.  At first, Arcadrian victory seems inevitable as the Nutrian forces are pushed back to the desert, but by 185 the advance has been halted and by 187 the Nutrians are beginning to gain ground.

185

Jolmarius, son of Jorithynar and Olinia, is born.  Olinitus reaches his majority at age 16 and, fearing that he may attempt to take direct charge of the Empire, Helcatian has him killed and declares himself Emperor.

185-189

Helcatian purges the upper ranks of Arcadrian society of any who are or are imagined to be opposed to his rule.  At first, he relies on false charges within the legal system, but eventually resorts to having his secret police kidnap and murder his rivals.  All remaining members of the royal family, even those only distantly related to the former Emperor, are killed at this time, save Olinia.  Taxes are raised to support the war effort, putting a heavy burden on the common people.

187

The Battle of Lerossa, where Jorithynar’s forces ambush and nearly annihilate the main Arcadrian army, turning the tide of the war.  In the north, Tolasstian rebels rise up, forcing the Arcadrians to fight on two fronts.  Helcatian takes over leadership of the southern army while his son Feluvan commands the troops in the north, and Ulynthum, the main center of the rebellion, is placed under seige.

188

Feluvan razes the city of Ulynthum to the ground amidst terrible slaughter.  Tolasstis is pacified, and his troops rejoin his father’s, save for an occupying force.  Orissa, Olinia’s mother, is publicly executed.

189

The First Battle of Valoii, where Helcatian and Feluvan break the Nutrian army and scatter the remnants.  Valoii is taken and Tarscipan besieged and then sacked amidst terrible atrocities, while a smaller force under Feluvan chases Jorithynar’s remaining army south.  Olinia raises a second army and catches Feluvan’s forces unaware, destroying them utterly.  Feluvan is slain.  The new Nutrian army marches north, and catches the Arcadrian army returning from the sack of Tarscipan.  The Second Battle of Valoii.  The Arcadrian army is routed, and Helcatian is slain while trying to flee.  Jorithynar and Olinia march north, and are hailed as liberators by the oppressed populace.  The few remaining Senators proclaim Jorithynar as Emperor and heir to Valuvius by virtue of his marriage to Olinia.  He is crowned just weeks before the new year.

190-227

Reign of Jorithynar, who takes the Arcadrian name Jorithannian, and Olinia.  They are widely hailed by history as being among the wisest rulers of the Empire, though at the time many decry the degree of influence the Empress has over the Emperor and policy.  This is a time of peace and rebuilding within the Empire and fierce diplomacy and sporadic conflicts with rivals without, particularly Narcania, which seeks to exploit the weakness of the Empire following seven years of war for its own gain.

191

Narcanian-backed pirates destroy the main Arcadrian fleet off Tarestum and sack the city.  Jorithannian recognizes the threat posed by not having a strong navy and begins building ships.

192-203

The Arcadrian navy engages with pirates and, later, Narcanian vessels throughout its waters in an effort to stop predation on its merchants.  The conflict is mostly inconclusive, but the Arcadrian navy rises in prestige.

194

Following Nutrian tradition, the first Festival Games are held in Arcadra at the end of the harvest, commemorating the fifth anniversary of Jorithannian and Olinia’s rule.  The great celebration draws in vast crowds from throughout the region.  Festival Games continue to be held every five years, with some interruptions, until the present.

197

An Arcadrian naval colony is founded at Tulassum to counteract the Narcanian influence on the island of Molossia.

203

Tulassum is besieged by Narcanian forces, but the Arcadrian navy is able to break the siege.  A truce is signed, ostensibly protecting Narcanian and Arcadrian spheres of influence.

205

Jorithannian travels to Narcana and meets with King Didyron.  They sign a treaty of accord and friendship, carefully delineating spheres of influence.  Jolmarius weds Hypathys, daughter of the king, who is only 12, cementing friendship between the two countries.

209

Hypathys dies in childbirth, as does the baby.  She is given a state funeral, and King Didyron attends.  The friendship between the two peoples is reaffirmed.

212

Jolmarius weds Poncasta, an Arcadrian noblewoman.  Their marriage is troubled from the start.

213

Arencilla, daughter of Jolmarius, is born.  Arcadrian and Narcanian forces act jointly to destroy a pirate fleet in Anacaphra.

214

Renissa, daughter of Jolamarius, is born to Hermilla of Spatircan, his mistress.  The birth is public knowledge and the subject of much gossip.

217

Jolmarius divorces Poncasta, though he keeps Arencilla in the palace.  He weds his mistress, Hermilla, despite the ensuing scandal, and officially acknowledges Renissa.  There is a public falling out between Jorithannian and his son over the marriage, and Jolmarius is moved to Tolasstis to be Governor there, where he will be less in the public eye.

220

Jolmarius leads a sneak attack on a pirate fleet stationed in northern Molossia and is lauded as a hero by the people.  Jorithannian reluctantly acknowledges and praises the deed.

221

Balsinathan, son of Jolmarius, is born.  Jorithannian recognizes the boy as next in line for the throne and Jolmarius returns to Arcadra.  Father and son are reconciled.

227

Death of Jorithannian at the age of 66.  His funeral is a massive display, with delegations from throughout the Empire and even many of its neighbors.  Narcanian envoys deliver the Golden Dolphin in his honor.  The Empress Olinia steps away from public duties, and Jolmarius takes the throne.

230

Arencilla weds Olmyon, younger son of Didyron of Narcania.

239

Prince Relaton, heir apparent of King Didyron, is lost at sea, leaving no clear succession to the throne.  His many brothers begin to cultivate supporters for their claims for the throne.

239-242

Infighting among the Narcanian factions supporting the different sons among King Didyron.  One son is killed, and two others are sent into exile.

242

King Didyron of Narcania dies at the age of 81.  The factions supporting the King’s various sons erupt into war.  Jolmarius supports Olmyon’s claim.

242-248

War in Narcania, with one and then another of the factions rising to prominence, only to be beaten in turn.

243

Balsinathan weds Ilysa, sister of Olmyron, who is 16.

244-259

Ilysa bears Balsinathan six daughters, four of whom survive to adulthood, but no sons.

245

Immanys, a Narcanian fleet commander who declared himself for one of the brothers who was killed in the struggle, takes command of southern Zephenica and declares his independence of the King.

248

Olmyron is slain in battle, and Arencilla and their children are murdered.  Jolmarius sends in troops and restores order, instating Tilyon, Didyron’s crippled nephew who was not considered a contender for the throne, as king.

248-250

Arcadrian troops supporting King Tilyon crush the remaining insurrectionist forces, and order is restored to Narcania.

253

After over half a century of special status as a kingdom ruled by the Emperor separate from the Empire, Nutrium is officially incorporated into the Arcadrian Empire.  Onysthus, younger son of Jolmarius, is made Governor of the province.  Balsinathan, older son of Jolmarius, is made co-Emperor with his father.

255

Jolmarius dies at the age of 70.  Balsinathan becomes Emperor.

256

King Tilyon of Narcania is murdered.  There is a brief period of chaos, but it is brutally resolved within a month by Derynis, Captain of the Ships, who destroys his rivals, declares himself king and eliminates the remaining members of King Didyron’s line.  Balsinathan, unable to send in troops in time to stop this course of events, is forced to recognize Derynis as king, though the two men are not friendly.

257-285

Although no official state of war exists between Narcania and Arcadria, the two powers vie with each other over control of the western sea, hiring pirates and mercenaries to attack their rival and supporting allied cities in attacks on one another.  The Narcanians begin to make in-roads into Haegys, while the Arcadrians gain more influence in Anacaphra, Polyaegis, Aean, and eastern Molossia.

260

Mediocratum is founded as the farthest north Arcadrian colony on Molossia.  The Narcanians conquer and fortify Pradir in response.  Ilysa becomes pregnant again, but the child, a son, is born dead.  She dies from complications from the pregnancy at age 33.  Balsinathan is devastated by her death and shuts himself away for days in mourning, to the consternation of his subjects.  When he finally emerges, he is a changed man.  From then until his death, he is more withdrawn from governing and relies more and more on his advisors.

263

Cressian I is born to Renissa, daughter of Jolmarius.  Though she is 46, he is her only surviving son.  She has no more children.  Balsinathan, with no sons of his own, declares the boy to be his heir.

267

At the urging of the Senate and his advisors, Balsinathan agrees to remarry.  He weds Silessia, a highborn Nutrian from a wealthy family who is 18, almost 30 years his junior.  From the beginning, he neglects her, and it is rumored that their marriage remains unconsummated.  By the end of the year, Silessia is seeking comfort elsewhere.

268

The Arcadrians establish a fort at Phoractum at the bequest of local leaders who fear the growing aggression of Narcanian forces from Pradir.

272-285

Significant colonization of Lower Haegys by Narcanian settlers.

273

Balsinathan divorces Silessia after her affairs and sexual excesses become too notorious for him to ignore, and she is sent back to Nutrium in disgrace, though he does not have her punished.  He vows never to marry again.

277

Apolus, in Polyaegis, is founded by Ceriphian settlers fleeing the war against the Palyronians, the westernmost colony of that people.  They side with the Arcadrians against their Narcanian rivals.

283

Cressian I marries Titania, the 17-year-old daughter of Senator Timaneus, one of Balsinathan’s chief advisors.  They meet for the first time at his wedding, and he is instantly smitten, as she is stunningly beautiful.  She quickly gains considerable influence over him, which she uses to further her father’s causes in the Senate.

284

Final defeat of the Paltyronian navy by the navy of Cathae, ushering in the Golden Age of Ceriphian culture, which is to have a great influence on the eastern Sea and, later, the Arcadrian Empire.  Cressian I becomes co-Emperor and takes on more and more duties as his presence gives his uncle an excuse to withdraw further from the public life.  Cressian II is born.

285

Phoron of Cathae defeats Apolus and instates the Argathan League, an alliance of Tellustric city states dedicated to the protection of their mutual interests.  The Argathan navy, ostensibly under the auspices of protecting their western territories, crushes an Arcadrian fleet that has been preying on city-states allied with the Narcanians.  A second, Narcanian-allied fleet is destroyed late in the year, proving that Phoron is on neither side and will tolerate no aggression in his growing sphere of influence.  Tellustruc colonists flood into the region.

285-300

Tellustric colonies are founded in Molossia, Aean, Polyaegis, Anacaphra, and Lysaemachia, as well as to the east.  With the backing of the Argathan League’s navy, neither the Arcadrians nor the Narcanians are able to do more than fortify their own settlements and deal diplomatically with the newcomers.  Timaneus becomes increasingly prominent in Arcadrian efforts to deal with the Tellustric forces.

292

Balsinathan dies at the age of 71, after years of being Emperor in name only.  Cressian I takes the crown.  Senator Timaneus is made one of his chief advisors.

301

Through an astonishing feat of diplomacy, Timaneus manages to deflect a fleet of Argathan ships from attacking the under-defended Arcadrian colonies in eastern Molossia, despite offering them no more than assurances of his good will.  This is widely lauded as an act of supreme patriotism, and there is great rejoicing in the Empire.  Timaneus dies before he can reap his rewards, however, his boat being wrecked in a storm near Hylide.  Cressian I names him a hero of the realm, and his widow and family are given great honors.

302-308

Further troubles between the Arcadrians and the Argathan League, though they do not escalate to full-blown war.

303

Cressian II marries Malvania of Menassta, a young widow of 23 and the daughter of an influential Senator.  Cressian III is born late in the year.

305

Malvanissia, daughter of Cressian II and Malvania, is born.

308-311

Arvaterex, Emperor of Paltyronia, leads a second expedition against the Tellustric city-states, drawing their attention to the east and giving the Arcadrians some respite.  The Narcanians support Arvaterex in his efforts, hoping to profit from Tellustric misfortunes, as do several of the eastern Tellustric city-states.  The Arcadrians remain out of the conflict.

309

Phoron of Cathae is killed in battle.  No similarly strong leader emerges from Cathae, and they instead elect a series of greedy rulers who have little interest in anything beyond enriching their city-state at the expense of their neighbors.  The last ruler of Haegys dies and there is confusion about his succession.  Rangorban, a Narcanian prince, seizes the throne in Orphis, while Honotempis, a distant cousin of the old king, is crowned in Donetis—he fears foreign influence and wants to isolate Haegys from the surrounding world.  Rangorban asks for help and the Narcanian navy moves in to keep order and keep the trade flowing.  Civil war begins.

309-313

Civil war in Haegys

311

Arvaterex is assassinated and the Paltyronian Empire is thrown into chaos.  The planned Paltryonian assault on Tellustric lands fizzles.

312-328

Chaos within the Paltyronian Empire as one after another of Arvaterex’s relatives and generals attempts to claim the Imperial Seat.  Refugees from the conflict flee to the west.

313

The civil war in Haegys ends after the Narcanians pound Honotempis’ troops into submission.  Rangorban of Orphis is victorious and seizes power over all of Lower Haegys as a Narcanian kingdom allied with Narcania.  Tribute is paid to him as far south as Donetis.

314-334

Rising tensions between Tellustric city-states result in several small-scale conflicts that spill over into Arcadrian waters.  The Arcadrians use these as an excuse to increase their influence in several western Tellustric colonies.

319

Baltarica splits from the Paltyronian Empire under the leadership of a native king.

325

Under increasing pressure from his father and the Senate, Cressian III agrees to marry, wedding Timesia, the daughter of a senator.  This is just a marriage of convenience, however, and he has no interest in her, being unwilling to even consummate their marriage.  He gives her everything she wants, however, and she is able to make herself content with life as a public figure.  Porcinassus I, son of Malvanissa, is born.

328

Cressian III begins a secret relationship with Olvinus, a young senator and close confidante.

334

Delrovix of Cteriph, the son of the Paltyronian general who led the attack on Thegaraus, takes the Imperial Seat and ends the civil war within the Empire.  Exhausted, the people welcome his victory.  He immediately begins trying to destabilize his old Tellustric enemies, giving his support to the powerful city-state of Phoneca.

334-349

The Thegarian War between Cathae and its allies in the Argathan League and Phoneca and its allies.  The Narcanians seize the opportunity to expand their influence in the west.

335

Cressian II dies at 51, and Cressian III becomes Emperor.

338

Cressian III’s relationship with Olvinus becomes known, as rumors spread across Arcadra.  Timesia, humiliated, leaves him and returns to her father’s house.  She is wed to another senator late in the year, and Cressian III says nothing against it.  Many pressure the Emperor to marry again, but he refuses.  He makes Porcinassus I his heir.

344

Battle of the Elgin Gulf, where a Narcanian fleet inflicts heavy casualties on Arcadrian forces off Aean.  The Arcadrians claim they were there to protect their merchants from pirates, but Narcania had declared the city-state as their exclusive trading partner.  War is narrowly avoided (the Arcadrian fleet is not strong enough to take on the Narcanians anyway), but anti-Narcanian sentiments in Arcadria are on the rise.

347

The Argathan League finally falls apart after member-states have become increasingly irate with Cathaen leadership.

349

Defeat and sack of Cathae by the Phonecans and their allies.  Cathae’s naval power is crushed and much of its wealth is carried off, though the temple complex remains undisturbed out of reverence.  Telannus of Poliphia is born.

350

Ptinimys of Polipha, father of Telannus, succeeds his father to become King.  He begins building a powerbase in the north.

350-368

Ptinimys expands the Poliphian kingdom through conquest and diplomacy, claiming rulership over all of Ceriplus, Sorcyra, and northern Thegaraus, and demanding tribute from many of the Tellustric city-states, though Phoneca remains independent, with Narcanian support.  Tellustric power is broken in the west, and the Narcanians and Arcadrians swoop in to fill the void.  Narcanian influence in Aean grows as a number of city-states are forced to bow to its king.

351

Olvinus is killed in a duel.  Cressian III is crestfallen and mourns for months, seeing no one.  The Senate looks to Porcinassus I for leadership, and he assumes Imperial duties, though does not take the title.  When Cressian III re-emerges, he is a broken man and allows his nephew to run the Empire.

353

The Failessian desert people stage a raid on the Arcadrian town of Oslum in eastern Nutrium, a sign of things to come.

357

Failessian raiders attack eastern settlements in force, but disappear back into the desert before the army can confront them.

358

Porcinassus I weds Delania of Rantrada.  Derovix dies and his son Pylonyx becomes Emperor of Paltyronia.

357-378

Failessian raids become a common occurrence, causing great consternation in Nutrium and Cythaen.  The army is unable to contain them, and they become more and more bold.

359

Cressian III dies at 56 after a lingering illness.  Porcinassus I, who has been ruling for eight years, becomes Emperor in name as well.  The Narcanians begin supplying the Failessians with arms and supplies to aid them in their efforts.

361

Porcinassus II, son of Porcinassus I, is born.

362

Cathae falls to Ptinimys.

367

Ptinimys attacks Paltyronian forces in Hydrax, but is defeated.  Telannus, in a brilliant maneuver, uses his rearguard to prevent an utter route, winning the loyalty of many in the army.

368

Ptinimys is murdered, and it is rumored that either his wife or son did the deed.  Telannus becomes king of Polipha.  Telannus begins preparations for war against Paltyronia.

369

Pylonyx, in a bid to follow up his victory of two years earlier, marches on Polipha and meets Telannus in battle at the Boghran Fords, where his army is almost completely annihilated.  Pylonyx flees.  Telannus calls on his Telliustric allies and subjects, and begins chasing Pylonyx east, conquering as he goes.

369-381

Telannus steadily conquers Paltyronian lands, and it seems as if none can stand in his way.  His forces reach Far Zaban as far as the Great River, beyond even the farthest reaches of the Paltyronian Empire.

369-404

Narcanian influence continues to grow in Aean until nearly all Viyannic cities south of the Monterraneans are either client kingdoms or under its direct rule.

373

Telannus catches up with Pylonyx, who is killed in battle.  Many Paltyronian generals do not recognize the new conqueror, and war continues.  Nathanian I is born in Deonvae, the son of the prince of the city and an Arcadrian senator’s daughter who can claim familial ties to Jolmarius.

378

Failessian raiders attack Polanis, far deeper into Arcadrian territory than ever before, sacking the city and leaving a trail of destruction.  Public outcry is intense, and Porcinassus I is forced to stage a full-on assault.

378-385

The Desert War between Arcadria and the Failessians.  This spills over into a series of naval battles between Arcadria and Narcania once it becomes known that the Narcanians are backing the Failessians to draw attention away from their activities in Aean.

379

Telannus’s troops in Farther Zabam revolt, refusing to go farther.  In disgust, he turns back west, marching them through the harsh desert, where many die.

381

Telannus begins making plans for the conquest of Haegys, Narcania, and Arcadria.  His forces land in Thempes, and he begins marching west.  He readies to march on Haegys, but is assassinated before he can do so as the result of a far-reaching conspiracy.  His empire is divided between his generals, who begin fighting amongst themselves for his control.

381-384

The Wars Between the Generals, as Telannus’s successors fight to apportion his Empire.

384

The Treaty of Chollandra.  Optimaxenus is given control of Glaphis and Thempes, Antipontes of Baltarica and the East, Loncedius of the lands from Polaba to Sarak, Helocan of the South to Zaban, and Piontannio of the ancestral conquests of Ptinimys from Ceriplus to Hydrax.

385

Arcadrian forces finally break the Failessian army, and the Failessian leaders sue for peace.  Many Failessians are forced to relocate into various parts of the Empire, and the Arcadrians begin to build outposts in the desert to guard against future incursions.  The last of the Tellustric garrisons in Zaban are destroyed, cutting out the most populous part of Helocan’s empire.

387

The Great Library is begun at Harapols by Optimaxenus.  Deonvae is forcibly assumed by the Narcanians, and Nathanian I and his mother flee to Arcadra.

388

Piontannio is murdered, and the Ceriphian cities throw off the yoke of Poliphian control.

389-417

Near constant warfare in the Tellustric homelands as the various city-states vie with one another for control.  Conflict spills over into the east, with both Arcadrian and Narcania becoming involved in backing various factions.

393

Antipontes deposes Helocan and marches into Pallenia, conquering all of the Tellustric-controlled lands south of Sarak.

398

Baltarica revolts under native kings and breaks away from Antipontes’s empire.

399-407

War between the Antipontan Empire and Baltarica.  Numerous battles are fought and Antipontes regains some territory, but he is unable to retake Baltarica.

400

Loncedius dies, and his kingdom is split into various smaller kingdoms.

401

Optimaxenus conquers Sarak and Pityon, two of the successor kingdoms, giving him territory on both sides of the straits.

402

Narcania formally annexes Lower Haegys, ostensibly to protect it from Optimaxenus’s aggression.

403-410

War between Narcania and Optimaxenus.  Narcania is able to hold onto much of its territory, but its reserves are sorely tested, and it is unable to maintain as strong a hold in the west as before.  Arcadria takes advantage of the situation and encourages revolts, especially among the Viyannic peoples.

404

Antipontes is slain in battle against Baltarica, and his son Antipodes II, who is half-Pallenian, takes the throne.

407

Nathanian I is given permission by the Senate to return to Aean with a force of Arcadrian volunteers.  He begins a widespread revolt that the Narcanians, embroiled as they are in wars in the east, are unable to control.

408

Nathanian I formally calls upon the Arcadrians for aid, and Porcinassus I agrees, warning the Narcanians about interfering in Aean, which he claims is an historical ally of the Arcadrian people.  Nathanian I marries Jeulassia, a distant cousin of Emperor Porcinassus I, as a means of securing his ties to the Empire.  She arrives in Aean late in the year.

409-441

The Wars of the Successor States, in which, through a series of conflicts, the various Tellustric kingdoms contend for territory in the east.  Historians are divided over when one conflict ends and another begins, but the time is one of almost constant warfare and widely shifting boundaries.  By the end, the major powers are the Thempen Empire in the west, which loses all of its territory across the straits, the Antipodan Empire in the east, with territory as far north as Antyrrhium, and Baltarica, which is under native control.  The rest of the former Tellustric empire is a series of small kingdoms ruled either by Tellustric or native leaders.

410

Nathanian II is born.

412

Porcinassus I dies at the age of 87.  Porcinassus II is proclaimed Emperor.  He proves to be a much weaker ruler than his father.  Nathanassus, son of Nathanian I, is born.

414

The Narcanians, taking advantage of the laxities caused by Porcinassus II’s inattention and the infighting among his advisors, invade Aean.  Nathanian I takes charge of the Arcadrian troops in Aean and fights back.

414-416

The First Arcadro-Narcanian War, fought mostly in Aean and Molossia.  Although the Arcadians can make little headway against the Narcanian navy, they are triumphant on land.  The Narcanians lose Aean and much territory in the southern areas of Molossia.  Eventually, they sue for peace.

417

Nathanian I is declared the High King in Aean.

421

Death of Porcinassus II at the age of 60.  He is pre-deceased by both of his sons (Porcinassus III having died the year before), and there is thus no direct heir to the throne.  More distant relatives vie for the office, but none is able to garner much support from the Senate.  In the end, Nathanian I, who has a distant claim to the throne through Jolmarius, is given the Emperorship and rules under the Dual Crown.  Aean becomes a province in the Empire under the direct rulership of the Emperor.  Many in the Senate do not approve of the annexation and the growing influence of the north, leading to unrest.  The Narcanians, taking advantage of the conflict, invade Arcadria from the east, under the leadership of their general, Doninam.

421-437

The Second Arcadro-Narcanian War.

421-428

Doninam leads his troops deep into Arcadrian territory.  In a series of brilliant victories, he defeats one Arcadrian army after another, sacking cities and putting the populace to flight.  Nathanian I tries one tactic after another, but is unable to stop the man, who has recruited many of the tribal leaders in the desert to his banner and uses elephants in his retinue, which are almost unstoppable on the field.

428-429

Arcadra itself is besieged, but Doninam cannot breach the city walls or prevent supplies from coming in by sea.  Though there is much suffering and death within the walls, the defenders prevail until an army is able to be mustered in Nutrium and brought north to relieve the city.  Doninam lays off the siege, but continues ravaging the countryside.

429-432

After years of living off the land, Doninam’s provisions are finally running out as fewer and fewer farms are still working in the devastated countryside.  His coalition of allies begins to fall apart.

431

The Arcadrian navy attacks Zephenica and captures Baecaddir.  Nathanian II, who is a commander in the navy, weds Hylaena of Baecaddir, a Narcanian princess, over the objections of his captains, who think he should have merely made her his slave.  Over the years, she bears him only daughters and no sons, but he refuses to divorce her.

431-436

The Arcadrian army in Baecaddir increases through the recruitment of mercenaries from local tribes and attacks neighboring Narcanian outposts.  With their land forces tied up in Arcadria and, later, Narcania itself, they are unable to reinforce their garrisons, and one after another the Narcanian colonies fall to the Arcadrians.

432

Doninam is called home by the king, Liannistirx, who is jealous of his success.  There, he is murdered by men loyal to the king.

432-437

The Arcadrians take the offensive against the Narcanians, slowly pushing them east.  Exhausted and with fewer and fewer allies, the Narcanian forces fall back toward Narcana.

433-439

The Sarabs revolt against their Antipodan overlords and set up an independent kingdom based in Gesolarum.

434

Nathanassus marries Silena, the daughter of an Arcadrian senator.  Deochia, daughter of Denomilas, Narcanian governor of Lower Haegys, is born.

437

Siege and blockade of Narcana.  After four months, the city surrenders and the Arcadrian armies pour in, for three weeks of looting and pillaging that leave the city devastated.  Liannistirx is killed, and his young son Hianntirx is instated in his place.  Narcanian influence in the west is crushed, and the Arcadrians annex all Narcanian territories on Molossia and in the northern lands of Anacaphra, Polyaegis, and Lyseamachia.

438

Nathanassus II, son of Nathanassus, is born.

441

Lower Haegys splits from the Narcanian Empire, leaving the kingdom without its major source of grain.  Denomilas, the Narcanian governor, declares himself king.  Nathanian I dies, and his son Nathanian II becomes Emperor.  The exhausted rulers, unable to reach an agreement among themselves, agree to be ruled by the decision of an outside party, and Nathanian II becomes the first Emperor to journey to the East when he oversees the Treaty of Rett-Shelin, which supposedly finalizes the boundaries of the various kingdoms and guarantees the peace with the threat of Arcadrian intervention.

441-450

Narcanian fortunes are on a sharp decline and its people begin to suffer.  Desert raiders step up their attacks, and people flee to the cities.  In Arcadria, a group of senators, led by former generals who fought against Doninam, contend that Narcania is still a threat and must be destroyed.

450

The anti-Narcanian faction in the Senate concocts a false plot against the Emperor, placing the blame on Hianntirx and his advisors.  There is an uprising of hate against the Narcanians, and the Emperess Hylaena’s life is threatened.  To prevent a general slaughter of Narcanian nationals within the Empire, Nathanian II reluctantly declares war on Narcania, though he does not lead the forces into battle.  Denochia of Haegys seduces Hypastus, one of Nathanian II’s generals who was sent to Haegys to prevent them from becoming involved in the conflict, and they begin a torrid affair, though he is married and 30 years her senior.

450-452

The Third Arcadro-Narcanian War.  The Narcanians, vastly outnumbered and undersupplied, finding themselves with no allies, defend themselves as best they can but are no match for the Arcadrian invaders.  Narcana is utterly destroyed and its population slain or pressed into slavery.  Several other cities suffer similar fates as huge portions of the population are dragged off to the west.

451

Hyastian, son of Denochia and Hypastus, is born.

452

Denomilas, King of Haegys, dies.  Denochia becomes Queen.  Hypastus refuses to return to Arcadra and is stripped of his ranks.  He becomes consort to the Queen.

452-456

A series of dry years add to the suffering of the Narcanian population, and many survivors of the war either perish or flee.  Narcania, now a province under Arcadrian rule, is a broken shell of its former glory.

453-455

Denochia and Hypastus encroach on Thempan territory with the claims that it rightfully belongs to Haegys.

455

Hypastus is killed in battle against the Thempans.  The Haegan forces are routed.  Much civil uprising in Haegys.  Hyastian is sent to Arcadra to live with relatives.  Denochia is able to buy off the Thempans before they attack Orphis.

456

Denochia is forced to sue for peace.  The Thempans are in control of most Haegan territory in the Thris Delta and force both an annual tribute and an occupying army on the state.  Hyastian remains in Arcadra.

457-463

Denochia attempts to court Arcadrian support while not overly antagonizing the Thempans.  She wins some sympathy to her cause, primarily among Arcadrians who see the vast resources of Haegys and want them for their own, but Nathanian II refuses to become involved.

462

Olivinian is born.  Later in life, his mother Olissina will claim that he is the bastard son of Nathanassus II.  This is not true, though Olissina never reveals his real father.

463

In light of increasing aggression by the Thempans, Denochia agrees to marry Prince Jaresses, second son of Emperor Aristophus of the Antipodan Empire.  He travels to Haegys and is received with honor.  Incensed, Emperor Oriphonis of Thempes demands that the marriage be made null.  Fighting between Jaresses’s guard and the Thempan occupiers results in Jaresses’ death.  Aristophus demands retribution, and, when Oriphonis is slow in reacting, declares war and crosses the straits.  Denochia revolts against Thempes, forcing them to fight on two fronts.

463-474

War between the Thempan and Antipodan Empires, with neither side making much headway against the other.

467

Nathanian II agrees to support Denochia’s cause and sends in Arcadrian troops to restore order.  Thempan troops are forced to withdraw, though there is fighting in Pallcanera.

469

Nathanian III, son of Nathanassus II, is born.

470-502

Increasing tensions in the Tellustric world lead to a series of conflicts that increase in intensity.  Arcadria is increasingly looked to as an arbiter of these conflicts, and in some cases is compelled to intervene on behalf of one party or another to protect its own interests. Sarabs and others flee the conflict, settling in many cities around the Middle Sea.

470

Olissina marries the son of a Senator.  She begins spreading rumors about the parentage of her son.

473

Nathanian II dies at the age of 63 without a son to take his place.  Nathanassus becomes Emperor.

474

Worried at the impact the conflict is having on trade, Nathanassus pressures the warring empires to cease their conflict, threatening intervention if they do not.  Armistance is declared between the Thempan and Antipodan Empires, and the border remains at the straits.

476

Angustimus I is born.  He is not of senatorial rank, and joins the army when he is of age, proving to be a brave soldier and promising tactician.  He quickly rises within the military ranks.

481

Desiring not to leave the harbor open to piracy and to solidify control over the land, Nathanassus orders Narcana to be resettled as the Arcadrian colony of Narcassum.

493

Nathanassus II dies at 54, and his son Nathanian III becomes heir to the throne.  Olissina makes a bid to have Olivinian recognized as a member of the imperial family, though the Emperor rebuffs her.

495

Nathanassus dies at the age of 83.  Nathanian III becomes Emperor.

497

Deochia of Haegys dies at the age of 63.  The nobles, unwilling to be ruled by a foreigner, fight among themselves over the succession.  Nathanian III steps in and appoints Hyastian as a client king, subservient to the Emperor.  Thempes, seeing an opportunity to expand its control over the region, moves in to retake its former territory in Pallcanera.  Nathanian III, wishing to appear strong, declares this to be an act of aggression against the Empire and declares war.

498

Nathanian personally leads the army into Pallcanera.  He is a poor tactician and allows the Honor Guard to be separated from the main body of the army, where it is ambushed by Thempan forces and nearly all are slain, including the Emperor.  Olivinian, as the only (supposed) male descendant of Nathanian I, is proclaimed Emperor.  He proves to be extremely ambitious and aggressive.  He also has a talent for choosing very talented men to be his generals.

498-521

Arcadria is at war with Thempes.  With access to more manpower and a stronger navy, the Arcadrians seem sure to win, but Thempes is able to use its vast wealth to bring other kingdoms into the conflict on its side, forcing the Arcadrians to fight on many fronts. 

499

Arcadrian sailors are killed in Anapolia in the ongoing conflict between that city-state and those allied with Cathae.  In response, Olivinian sends in troops, who attack and take the city within two months.

501

Angustimus I is elevated to general of the army in Thempes after the serving general is slain in battle.  His first action as commander is to relieve the besieged army at Ralistrium and route the enemy, winning him the devotion of the troops.

502-518

Arcadrian forces subdue all of the Tellustric territories west of Hydrax, either by direct conquest or making their leaders client kings.  At first, they look for legitimate reasons to become involved, but by 511 they resort to conquering the region entirely under the auspices of preventing further bloodshed and disruption of trade.  After years of war, many cities welcome the stability brought by the Arcadrians and open their gates to them.

503-506

With one successful battle after another, Angustimus I pushes the Thempan forces back almost to the gates of Harapols.

506

Hyastian dies, and Olivinian makes Haegys a province of the Empire.  The Antipodans, seeing the threat of boundless Arcadrian aggression, declare war.  Arcadrian troops are pushed westward again by the Antipodan invaders.

506-521

Years of warfare in Thempes and in the north, leaving great destruction in their wake.

508

Angustimus I returns to Arcadra for a triumph after capturing the Thempan city of Salkafta.  Olivinian, who is childless, adopts Angustimus I as his son.

515

Bethrotum is captured.  The cities of Hydrax submit to Arcadrian rule.  Angustimus I weds Clarissa of Arcadra.

517

Angustimus I takes Phostos.  Horestus I, son of Angustimus I, is born.

518

Olivinian dies at the age of 55.  Angustimus I becomes Emperor.

521

Arcadrian troops march on Harapols and sack the capital.  Much of the Great Library is destroyed, and much learning is lost.  The Thempan Empire is destroyed, and the Arcadrians are in control of the entire southern coast of the Middle Sea.

522

Arcadrian troops cross to Phostos and begin their conquest of Antipodan lands.

522-538

Fighting in the east.  Baltarica seizes on the chaos and attacks the Antipodan Empire from the east. The Antipodan Empire loses more and more territory, until only Azberhitz and the coast to the south remains.

534

King Helzinkhar of Sarak submits to Angustimus I and becomes a client king of Arcadria.

538

Final destruction of the Antipodan Empire with the suicide of Emperor Alchimus.  The northern and eastern portions of the Empire are split between the Arcadrians and Baltaricans.  The remaining lands are too far from the Middle Sea for the Arcadrian troops quell, and they are allowed to become client kingdoms that pay tribute to the Empire.  An exhausted world prepares for peace.

542

Horestus II, son of Horestus I is born.

545

Angustimus I dies and Horestus I becomes Emperor.  There are popular displays of grief throughout the Arcadian lands.  In the east, the former Emperor is deified, as was the custom of Tellustric Emperors.  Horestus I does not discourage this, and uses it as a means of controlling the people.

545-642

Aside from minor border skirmishes with Baltarica and raids from pirates and barbarian tribes, the Arcadrian Empire enters a period of remarkable peace.  Trade flourishes and prosperity increases throughout the Empire, and travel is safer than it ever has been throughout the region’s history.  Local rulers vie with one another to build monuments to their gods and to the Emperors, for this is the only option available to them when the Arcadrians will no longer allow any open conflict.

547

Belkheziod II becomes king of Sarak.  He begins building a great port at Rett-Shelin called Horestianum in honor of the Emperor.

549

Belkheziod II begins rebuilding the Temple in Gesolarum with the intent of making it the greatest in the world.

550

Mastimus, son of Horestus I, is born.  He is crippled from birth, with a withered hand and leg, and largely ignored in imperial circles despite clearly being a bright child, as is evident from an early age.

566

Horestus I dies after a largely uneventful rule at the age of 49.  He too is deified in the east.  Horestus II becomes Emperor.

577

Jarod, who will later be known as the Druis, is born, a humble man in a backwoods town in Sarak, just as the Sarak legends predict.  In later years, many legends grow surrounding his birth.  Angustimus II is born in Arcadra to Antima, Horestus II’s sister.

582

King Belkheziod II of Sarak dies.  The Arcadrians begin direct rulership of Gesolarum, though they allow Belkheziod’s heirs to continue ruling client kingdoms based in Ashkem and Gezo.

582-645

In protest over Arcadrian rule, rebel groups intensify in Sarak. Rumors abound that a Savior us coming who will throw off Arcadrian rule and restore them to their former glory.

585

Horestus II dies at the age of 43 after a long and grueling illness.  He is dutifully deified in the east.  His nephew Angustimus II becomes Emperor, though at only 8 years old, most governing is done by his advisors.

585-593

Angustimus II is raised within the palace in the lap of luxury, subject to nothing but his own whims.  It is clear from the beginning that he is unbalanced, though his advisors hide this from the populace, hoping that they will continue to be able to hide his disturbed tendencies once he becomes Emperor.  At some point during this period, he comes across Sarab writings and is taken with the idea that he is the Savior promised to the world, as predicted by their prophets.

592

Messanian is born.

593

Angustimus II comes into his majority.  At first, he allows his advisors to continue ruling the Empire while he contents himself with overseeing festivals and events and enjoying the fruits of the great wealth that flows into the Empire.

598

Angustimus II suddenly decides that he is going to rule in truth.  He dismisses all of his advisors and takes direct charge over the reins of the Empire.  Capricious and forgetful, he sends out orders but often doesn’t follow up on them or is surprised when he finds out about the consequences.  He weds Salissina, his cousin and playmate when they were children, and their parties are notorious for their debauchery.  Gallianus is born.

600

Salissina dies in childbirth.  Angustimus II has a breakdown.  When he emerges again, his sanity is completely gone.  He declares himself a living god, and forces his subjects to worship him.

600-612

Angustimus II begins taking action against his perceived enemies, identified based on his dreams and visions and with no basis in actual action.  They are dutifully arrested and, when he remembers them, executed for his pleasure by his loyal guard.  He also demands women who catch his fancy to be given to him, and several flee or commit suicide to escape his depredations.  He is also given to great displays of extravagance, giving away gifts seemingly at random.  He is loved by the people, who do not see the madness and are happy to see their betters be put down, but feared by the nobility.

608

Jarod begins preaching in northern Sarak, spreading a version of the Sarab faith that some find revolutionary and threatening.

610

Jarod is killed in Gesolarum, put to death by the Arcadrian authorities.  His followers, however, say that he rose from the dead, and begin preaching in his name.

611

Poncos, a Tellustric Sarab, has a vision of Jarod and is converted to the new faith.  He becomes a zealous advocate for the new teaching.  Vivanassius is born posthumously after his father is executed at Angustimus II’s order.  Porcinassus is born.

611-628

Poncos travels widely across the Middle Sea, preaching the new faith, particularly in Tellustric-speaking lands.  Followers of Jarod spring up in cities around the Middle Sea.

612

Angustimus II dreams that the head of his guard, Calgarian, is plotting against him and orders the man killed.  Calgarian murders the Emperor instead.  Before the Senate, which by this time has been neutered and gutted, can react, Calgarian places Mastimus on the throne.

612-628

Rule of Mastimus.  He is a thoughtful Emperor who sets about restoring order to the Empire and ensuring that trade continues.  He is also a great builder and patron of the arts.

615

Gallianus joins the army.  He is sent to the east and stationed in Chollandra.

620

Gallianus weds Hypassinia, a Antyrrho-Tellustric woman from Chollandra.

621

Ventarian, son of Gallianus, is born in Chollandra, the first Emperor born in the east.

621-624

Gallianus is engaged in a series of border skirmishes with the Baltaricans, in which he proves himself to be a keen tactician and a popular leader of men.  His talents are recognized as he moves through the military ranks.

622

Mastimus marries Floria, the former wife of a senator purged by Angustimus II and many years his junior, at the urging of his Senate.  She is a nasty and ambitious woman, and begins poisoning the reputations of all members of the imperial family in favor of her son, Vivanassius.

622-628

Floria engages in a number of affairs in order to gain favor with important Senators and generals in the Empire in favor of her son’s claims to the throne.

624

Hyanus, son of Gallianus, is born in Grathelm, but he dies young.

625

The citizens of Chollandra declare Mastimus a living god and build a temple to him in their city.  This is done in a bid to gain Arcadrian favor in their dealings with neighboring cities.  Mastimus finds this deeply disturbing, but is unable to do anything to stop them beyond vague protestations.  Gallianus is elevated to the rank of general.

628

Poncos is arrested and taken to Arcadra.  He begins preaching in the capital, and wins converts among both Arcadrian Sarabs and other sympathetic people.  Mastimus dies after a short illness at the age of 78.  He has not formally declared an heir, but by wide acclaim Vivanassius is placed on the throne.  He is 17.

628-632

Although Vivanassius is the nominal ruler, Floria uses her position to reward her favorites and punish her enemies.  Neither she nor her son has much thought to matters outside of the capital and the tributes that keep flowing in, leaving local rule to the governors.  In some places, this is a blessing, but other regions, particularly Sarak, are cursed with governors only interested in their own fortunes and begin to suffer under the neglect of the Emperor.

630

Cephales, the leader of Jarod’s disciples, is taken to Arcadra and becomes the head of the church there.

632

Vivanassius turns on his mother and has her executed.  He takes sole command.  Many of his mother’s supporters are purged.  He begins a program of massive building to aggrandize himself and distract the populace from his excesses.

632-642

Tax revenues are not able to keep up with Vivanassius’s spending, and he begins a policy of arresting wealthy citizens on trumped-up charges and either executing them or forcing them to commit suicide after having them sign away their fortunes to him.

633

Ashekem is incorporated into the Empire.

634

The Great Fire in Arcadra, in which more than half of the city is destroyed.  Though part of the cause is due to Vivanassius’s purging of the public coffers (with their reserve designated to public works), he places the blame on the followers of Jarod, a new group in the city.

634-642

Persecution of the Druists.  It is limited to Arcadra and the surrounding cities, but many are martyred, including Poncos and Cephales.  The unwillingness of the martyrs to betray their faith inspires the faithful, and the religion, now called Driuism, begins to spread more rapidly.

635

Commistrian, son of Gallianus, is born in Posterryem.

637

Gallianus is appointed to be High General of the eastern army.

642

A conspiracy led by the senator Galthus takes over the palace, and Vivanassius is captured and forced to commit suicide.  Galthus is proclaimed Emperor.

643

Early in the year, a military coup overthrows Galthus, who ruled for a mere four months.  Galthus is executed, and Porcinassus, the leader of the Home Guard, seizes power.  The generals in charge of the main divisions of the Arcadrian army refuse to recognize him as leader, and Messanian, general of the northern army, and Gallianus, of the eastern army, begin their march toward Arcadra, while battles between troops loyal to the three contenders erupt across the Empire.  Messannian arrives in Arcadra first and defeats Porcinassus’s forces outside the city.  He deposes Porcinassus after he reigned for only two months, sending him into exile.  Gallianus arrives three months later with a large army behind him, and the two forces meet in battle on the Typhorian Fields south of Callastum.  The battle is inconclusive, but Messanan hit by a misplaced sling bolt from his own side and dies three days later.  His reign was only three months long.  Gallianus takes control, declares himself Emperor, marching on Arcadra, where he is greeted enthusiastically as he takes on the mantle of leadership.

644

A Baltarican incursion into Pallenia reaches as far as Posterryem, though the city itself is not taken.  Alarmed, Gallianus raises taxes to help rebuild the army in light of the depletion of manpower caused by the civil war.  His tax collectors heavily burden the populace, increasing resentment against Arcadrian rule in the region, especially among the Sarabs.

645

A demonstration in Gesolarum during the High Festival becomes threatening, and the governor orders his troops attack the people.  Many are slain.  This is the final straw, and those who have been plotting rebellion finally seize their chance, taking up arms against their Arcadrians, who are scattered in small garrisons around the region.  Arcadrian troops are slaughtered, some by stealth in their beds, and the governor of Gesolarum is captured and hanged outside the Temple.  The revolt quickly escalates as the Sarabs take control of most of the towns and fortresses in the region.  Elmarias, the general left in charge of the eastern army moves against the Sarabs.

645-663

The Sarab revolt, which engulfs all of Sarak and at times erupts into other Sarab communities across the Empire.

646

Elmarias is slow in reacting to the revolt, allowing the Sarabs a chance to organize their defenses against him.  When he finally meets them in battle outside Daz, his force is routed and he is forced to flee.  There is great rejoicing in Sarak.  Jonendial, a member of the historical priestly class, is proclaimed King of Sarak, and so-called prophets proclaim that his will be the beginning of an unbroken line held up by their God.

647-650

Elmarias, an ineffectual leader, fights several battles against the Sarabs which have little strategic effect but bolster the rebels’ confidence, leading to even greater claims and feats of bravado.  Gallianus sends the navy in to cut off trade by sea, slowly strangling their access to supplies while he urges bold action by his general.

650

Elmarias finally attacks Ashekem, but he is tentative and holds too many of his forces in reserve, allowing the Sarab forces to break his line and then attack his reserves.  His troops flee the battlefield and there is great rejoicing in Sarak.  Sarab forces annex Gezo, sending the client king, Ghareziel, a Sarab loyal to Arcadria, to flight.  Ghareziel comes to Arcadra, telling the Emperor of the true situation in Sarak, and Gallianus is incensed.  He sends his son Ventarian east to take over leadership of the eastern army.

651

Ventarian lands in Dellana and demands a meeting with Elmarias, whom he quickly deposes and sends back to Arcadra in disgrace.  He quickly begins marshalling his troops, which have been scattered across the land and are suffering from a lack of coordinated leadership.  He moves quickly against the Sarabs, and they suffer their first real defeat of the rebellion outside Gezo.  By the end of the year, the Sarab rebels have been ousted from Gezo and Ghareziel has been reinstated.

651-658

Ventarian methodically captures city after city, razing the countryside as he goes.  Tens of thousands of Sarabs flee Sarak, seeking safety elsewhere in the Empire, but they are met with suspicion where they go, particularly as some of the more fervent rebels also leave, attempting to stir rebellions elsewhere to fragment the might of the Empire.  Some of these attempts are successful, but none of the rebellions are very effectual, and they are quickly quelled by local leaders.

658

Rett-Shelin falls to Ventarian, cutting the Sarabs off from the sea.  The siege of Gesolarum begins.

660

Borana, the younger brother of Jarod and head of the Druist church in Gesolarum, dies in the siege.  Leadership of the Druist church permanently passes from its Sarab roots to the wider realm of former pagans who are taking up the faith.

661

After three years of siege and terrible hardships, the Arcadrians finally breach the defenses of Gesolarum.  The people, though almost at the breaking point from starvation, having long ago used up their food supplies and resorted to cannibalism. They fight fiercely, and the Arcadrians are forced to use fire to smoke them out.  The conflagration races out of control, and most of the city is destroyed, along with the Temple.  The Arcadrians raze the city walls, leaving the former center of Sarabian life a ruin.

661-663

Despite the fall of Gesolarum, Sarab resistance still continues among fanatical groups unwilling to believe that their God will not somehow miraculously come and save them through an apocalypse.

663

All but one of the remaining apocalyptic groups are destroyed. The last remaining force holds the fortress of Almedda until 663, to which Ventarian has his troops lay siege while he returns to Arcadria with the plunder of all of the greatest Sarab treasures.  The Arcadrians finally breach the walls of Almedda and enter the fortress, only to find its inhabitants slain by their own hands.  So ends the Great Sarab Revolt.  Ventarian weds Aminassa in Arcadra.

665

Aminassa gives birth to Venassus, but he dies before the end of the year of a fever that devastates Arcadra and the surrounding territories.  Aminassa becomes sick too, and though she recovers she is left barren.

668-670

Ventarian is called back to the east after Baltarica stages a series of attacks on the border.  He pushes their troops back and fortifies the border.

671

Gallianus dies at the age of 73.  Ventarian refuses to allow him to be declared a deity, according to Gallianus’s wishes.  Ventarian becomes Emperor.  Borsippus I is born.

671-695

Ventarian reigns over an Empire at peace.  The Baltarans are kept in check through the constant vigilance of his troops, and the Monterraneans are secure in the north.  Trade flourishes, and the new Druist faith spreads alongside it.  Sarab refugees from Sarak settle into their new homes and adopt a vibrant faith without the need for the Temple.

672

Commistrian weds Viviana of Jerica.

674

Gallianus II, elder son of Commistrian, is born.

683

Zenimus, second son of Commistrian, is born.

694

Borsippus II is born.

695

Ventarian dies childless at the age of 74.  His brother, Commistrian, who is 60, is proclaimed Emperor.  He continues Ventarian’s policies of a strong military presence on the border and a benevolent attitude toward trade at home.

701-704

A plague sweeps through the lands around the Middle Sea, starting far in the east and reaching Baltarica in early 701.  It spreads by means of the increased trade fostered by the peaceful state of the Empire.  Hundreds of thousands die, particularly in the southern, more populated lands.  The Druists, with their philosophy of helping all in need, become more visible in their communities as they care for the ill, both their own and others’.

701

Gallianus II dies from the plague after catching it while visiting the troops in the east.  Zenimus, who is with his brother, catches it as well, but recovers, though he is never the same as before.  His erratic behavior is thought to have begun with this illness.

702

Commistrian dies from the plague. Zenimus becomes Emperor, though he is still weak from the fever at his coronation and collapses, which many take to be an evil sign.  In response, he proclaims a great celebration in his honor, which serves to spread the plague more rapidly through the city.  The death toll is enormous.

703

The plague spreads to Aean and Molossia, and from there to Norwinon and other lands beyond the Empire.  Hypatian, the leader of the Druist community in Arcadra is rumored to be able to cure the deadly disease through his miraculous powers, and people flock to him.  Zenimus has him arrested and killed, but the healings continue.

704

The plague finally abates in the Empire, though it is still affecting the lands north of the Monterraneans.  Zenimus decides, against all evidence, that the Druists were responsible and begins a second persecution.  He also declares his father Commistrian to have been divine and demands that all Imperial subjects perform public obeisance to his image to uncover secret Druists.  Sarabs are exempt from this, for fear of a second revolt, which breeds resentment between the Druists and Sarabs.  Some Sarab communities begin outing their Druist-leaning members.

704-715

Off and on persecution of the Druists, who are considered an illegal sect.  At first, the persecution is intense and several hundred are killed, particularly in Arcadra and its surrounding environs, but it quickly becomes more sporadic as Zenimus loses interest, and by 707 few Druists are being brought to authorities except through the spite of their neighbors.  Also during this time, Zenimus’s erratic behavior and depravity increase.  He also becomes increasingly paranoid, and has those he thinks are plotting against him arrested and publicly executed.

706

Zenimus forces himself upon Gallina, the wife of a prominent Senator, while at a dinner party.  When her husband protests, he has him tortured and killed in the public square.  Gallina kills herself in shame, and is held up as a paragon of Arcadrian virtue in later years.  This is the beginning of a series of more and more terrible scandals as the Emperor preys on whomever he can get his clutches on to satisfy his lusts.

708

Zenimus is talked into marrying Riasta by the Senate, who hope that being married and starting a family might temper him, but it does nothing of the sort.  Zenimus alternates between cruelly abusing her, forcing her to participate in his depravities, and neglecting her in fits of anger where he forbids his servants from even giving her food.

709

Zenimus finds Ghondra, a former thief and prostitute whose tastes are as depraved as his.  Together they set up a court that forms the basis for many later Druist versions of the rites of those who worship the devil.

709-714

The Baltarans, taking advantage of the leadership vacuum, attack the eastern provinces, conquering several of the eastern cities.  Borsippus I, a senator from Corfidum with distant ties to the Imperial family, is sent to deal with the problem, in part because Zenimus finds him tiresome and wishes to be rid of the man.  Borsippus I proves to be an able commander and stems the Baltaran advance, though he is not able to regain all that was lost.

711

Riasta kills herself out of despair, having lost two pregnancies from being beaten by her husband.  He has her body desecrated and thrown out of the city for the carrion beasts. Zenimus officially marries Ghondra, making her Empress.  In the north, the first Druist missionaries cross out of the Empire, starting in Norwinon, which speaks a language closely akin to the Arcadrian tongue.

712

Titus Covinamus, the future Emperor and son of the governor, is born in Bethrotum.

714

Zenimus, jealous of the acclaim Borsippus I has gained in the east, has the man recalled to Arcadra with the intention of having him executed.  Borsippus I is waylaid along the way by a storm and is stuck on Soloyos until the following year.

715

Zenimus finally goes too far, forcibly abducting the lone daughter of Cleotinus, the general of the Northern Army, and killing her during his revels.  In rage, Cleotinus raises troops and marches into the city.  Zenimus’s friends flee, and the Emperor is brought forth and executed, along with Ghondra.  Borsippus I returns to Arcadra in the midst of the purge, and Cleotinus has him instated as Emperor.

716-720

Borsippus I restores order in the Empire.  Cronies of Zenimus are either arrested and executed or forced into exile.  A number of them flee to Azberhitz, the last remnant of the Antipodan Empire and now a virtually lawless realm, where they nurse their wounds and weave conspiracies against the Empire.  End of wide-spread persecution of Druists as worship of Commistrian and Zenimus is no longer encouraged.

717

With Borsippus I otherwise occupied, the Baltarans attack again.  The Battle of the Olive Wood, in which a major division of the Eastern Army is overrun and destroyed. Borsippus I sends his lieutenant Cleitus, who came with him from the east, along with his son Borsippus II, to deal with the problem.

718-725

Cleitus and Borsippus II slowly drive the Baltarans back yet again.  The eastern fringe of the Empire is depopulated as citizens flock west or to the Baltaran heartlands.

720

Borsippus II weds Chelseana, the daughter of the governor of Chollandra.

722

Borsippus III, son of Borsippus II and Chelseana, is born.

725

Cleitus asks to retire, and Borsippus I grants his request.  Borsippus II becomes commander in the East.  He begins a massive levying of troops.

726

Borsippus II begins his massive assault on Baltarica.  The border is overrun, but he is thrown back at the line of the mountain fortresses.

727-731

Repelled from a direct assault, Borsippus II swings north and attacks Aista, the northernmost Baltaran province.  The fighting in the mountains is fierce, but the Arcadrian troops move ever forward, building roads and forts to guard their passage.

728

Titus Reviastus, a member of the Zenimusan group in exile who is rumored to be the son of Zenimus by one of his conquests, a rumor which may well be true, is proclaimed Emperor in Exile by the splinter group, though few within the Empire even know of his existence.  He is 21.  The Zenimusans begin spreading rumors about the return of the True Emperor.

731

Hushammatla, the capital of Aista, falls to the Arcadrians.  Its king is dragged away in chains, and Aista is fortified.  In turn, the Baltarans strike deep into Pallenia, devastating the poorly guarded forts and sacking several towns before withdrawing.  The people demand that Borsippus II cease his offensive and look to their defense.  Titus Reviastus is approached by a shadowy group who offer him their aid.  They are Vipers, the descendants of the Death Cultists of Helanar, thought to have been extinguished centuries ago and forgotten by all but the most learned scholars.  Titus Reviastus agrees.

732-741

War in the east, as the Arcadrians and Baltarans contend for control.

732

The Oracle of Slyra declares to representatives of Titus Reviastus that the next Emperor but one will be named Titus.  He is ecstatic.

733

Titus Covinamus joins Borsippus II’s army as a lower-level officer. He is assigned to the forces in Pallenia striving to retake territory from the Baltarans.  Titus Reviastus is inducted into the Cult of the Viper.

735

Arcadrian forces advance as far as the Baltaran city of Khorazni, reaching the west bank of the Halhuevek River.  Titus Covinamus distinguishes himself in the assault.  Baltaran forces attack the Arcadrians outside Khorazni and defeat them, retaking the city.  Their assault is relentless, and the Arcadrians are forced to retreat over miles of unfriendly terrain with the Baltarans assailing them at every turn.  Thousands of men die along route, including the attacking commander.  Titus Covinamus becomes leader of the retreating forces as there is no one of higher rank to take the position.

736

The Baltarans push the Arcadrians back to Cteriph, where Titus Covinamus arranges his troops for a last-ditch defense.  When all looks lost, Barsippus II arrives with fresh troops and routes the invaders.  While Borsippus II is in the field, Vipers strike his household, unaware that he is not there.  Chelseana is murdered, as is the rest of the household, including Borsippus III and his siblings.  Borsippus II vows revenge and takes out his wrath on Baltaran nationals who were framed by the Vipers, but the true culprits are never found.

738

A second attempt on Borsippus II’s life is foiled by one of his maids, who is able to scream out a warning before she is murdered.  One of the assassins is captured, but kills himself before he can be questioned.  It is clear, though, that there is something more sinister behind this than merely Baltaran spies.  Worried about the future of the Empire, Borsippus II adopts Titus Covinamus to be his heir.  Titus Covinamus weds Helissa, Borsippus II’s cousin.

741

Borsippus I dies at the age of 70.  The death comes suddenly, and his son, who was not present, rightly suspects poison.  Borsippus II is proclaimed Emperor when news reaches the battlefield, and he rushes west, leaving Titus Covinamus in charge of the Eastern Army.  In Azberhitz, Titus Reviastus proclaims himself a contender for the throne, but there are few in the Empire who are interested in his claims.  He sends emissaries to the Baltarans to gain their support.

742

Titus Covinamus is attacked by Viper assassins, but they are driven off or killed.  Titus Reviastus marries Dareshma, a daughter of the king of Baltarica.  The Baltarans declare their support of Titus Reviastus as Emperor in Exile.

743

Dual Baltaran assaults in Aista and, slightly later, Pallenia.  Titus Covinamus races to Aista to head off the army there while the main force strikes and ravages Pallenia.  Titus Covinamus is bottled up in Hushammatla while Baltaran forces capture Cteriph.  Titus Reviastus is instated as ruler in Cteriph, though he is, in truth, a vassal to the Baltaran king.

744

Titus Covinamus breaks the siege of Hushammatla and races south, only to be met in battle by Baltarans commanded by Titus Reviastus.  During the night, two of Titus Covinamus’s commanders are murdered in their tents, throwing the army into confusion.  Ttius Covinamus is unable to retake Cteriph, and is forced to fortify a border much farther west than previously.

744-792

The Kingdom of Pallenia, which officially terms itself the Arcadrian Empire or the Eastern Arcadrian Empire, exists as a thorn in the Arcadrian Empire’s side, drawing troops and resources away from other frontiers in an effort to stop its aggressive expansionism.  Arcadrian efforts to control the problem are hampered by a series of high-profile assassinations.

745

Dorcemus, the only son of Titus Covinamus and Helissa to survive past childhood, is born.

747

Titus Reviastus II is born.  Dareshma is said to have died in childbirth, though there are darker rumors spread about her demise.  Titus Reviastus II is raised within the Viper Cult and surrounded by members at all times.

751

Emissaries from Pallenia first arrive among the Äugran peoples, a backwards people from north of Hyrax long ignored by the Arcadrians save when their occasional raids flared up on the border.  At first, the Pallenians approach them with offers to serve as mercenaries.

751-790

The Pallenian military becomes more and more reliant on mercenaries as the Baltarans withdraw their support and native troops prove less than enthusiastic.

755

Borsippus II is poisoned, and though the would-be assassins are unsuccessful, he does not regain his strength and is never fully well again.

759-765

Äugran mercenaries begin returning home after serving in the south.  Having seen the vast riches available in Arcadria, they stir up their people to gain some of those goods for themselves.

761-780

Wave after wave of Baltaran attacks push the Arcadrians out of Aista.

764

Borsippus II dies after a long illness.  Titus Covinamus is made Emperor.  Titus Reviastus, certain that he is destined to become Emperor in truth, attacks in the east, but without the backing of the Baltaran king, who is more interested in having a series of friendly buffer states between him and the Arcadrians than in Titus Reviastus’s ambitions.  The attack is unsuccessful and Titus Reviastus is killed, making his son King of Pallenia, a title which he accepts.  It is said that dark rites, the like of which have not been seen in a millennium, are practiced at his coronation.  Horatian, Helissa’s sister’s son, is born.

765-775

The Baltarans, sickened by the conduct of the Pallenian king, slowly withdraw all support from the kingdom and begin re-fortifying their borders.

766-790

The first wave of Äugran attacks against Arcadria, funded in part by Pallenian gold.  At this time, these are mainly for plunder, as the Äugrans have no means of besieging cities, but they are a harbinger of worse things to come.

767

Helissa, wife of Titus Covinamus, dies.  Though Titus Covinamus does keep a few mistresses, as he did before the death of his wife, he never remarries.

767-782

Under Titus Reviastus II, the savagery of Pallenian attacks increases tenfold, with horrible acts of violence and destruction committed by his mercenary army after every victory.  The people on the border live in terrible fear, and many areas are completely abandoned.  The people of Pallenia are harshly oppressed, and grow to hate their ruler.

769

The Bishop of Arcadra, having risen to increasing prominence, declares himself the successor of Cephales and to hold a position of particular authority in the church.  Bishops in eastern cities, especially Harapols, contest this claim.

775

Dorcemus is murdered shortly before his 30^th birthday celebration.  Titus Covinamus adopts Horatian as his heir and begins raising him in the palace.  The boy is introduced to the Tellustric philosophers, and quickly becomes enamored of their wisdom.

780

The new Kingdom of Aista is established.  Never again will the area be under Arcadrian control.

782

Titus Reviastus II is assassinated in the midst of a dark ceremony by an uprising among the people.  The Vipers respond with terrible violence, and the streets of Cteriph flow with blood.  Ulfghiar, an Äugran mercenary and army commander, leads his troops into the city and turns them on both sides, slaughtering many until hostilities cease.  Ulfghiar declares himself king.  Three months later, he is assassinated and replaced by Ferhalian, a follower of Titus Reviastus II who is propped up by the Vipers.  The mercenary army revolts, and many desert.  The Arcadrians, seeing their chance, attack, and the border is overrun.

783

Ferhalian is assassinated.  Tullius, a mercenary originally from the southlands bordering Zaban, takes charge of the military and beats back the Arcadrian advance, though some territory on the western border is lost.  He is declared king.  Having courted the Vipers before his rise, he is not challenged.

784-789

Tullius attempts to push the Arcadrians back, but to no avail, and he is running out of funds for his mercenaries and sources of plunder.

785

Horatian weds Drusilla, an Arcadrian noblewoman with many connections.

786

Titus Covinamus dies at the age of 74.  Horatian becomes Emperor.  He endeavors to rule the Empire following the policies laid out by the ancient philosophers, and though he is forced to make some compromises, he is mostly successful.

789

In desperation, Tullius orders his troops to attack caravans moving through Baltarica, looking for a means to support his troops.  For the time being, the Baltarans step up their patrols but make no other move against the Pallenians.  In Arcadra, Horatian installs a meritocratic civil service, calling in talented men (and a few women) from across the Empire to run things more smoothly and fairly.  Tomanes of Elyssa becomes the first Druist to hold a governmental position, as the regulator of the Imperial Post.

791

The Pallenians attack and sack the ancient town of Flossin in Baltarica.  King Shamalka of Baltarica can take no more, and lets loose his armies against the Pallenians.

791-815

Raids from the Äugrans and other tribes along the northern Arcadrian frontier are intensified as mercenaries returning home from Pallenia fill their ranks.  In response, the Arcadrians are forced to expand their military presence in the area, drawing troops from other, already-weakened frontiers.

792

The Baltarans besiege Cteriph while subduing the rest of the land.  The common folk greet them with open arms, opening their gates to the invaders and seeing them as liberators.  The Vipers and mercenaries hold out for several months, until Tullius is slain in a sortie against the enemy.  Cteriph falls, and the Pallenian Kingdom is no more.  Pallenia is incorporated into the Baltaran Kingdom.  Horatian, knowing that he does not have the strength to retake Pallenia and grateful that the hostile kingdom has been eliminated, acknowledges the Baltaran conquest and signs a treaty of peaceful relations between the two states.  In the north, the Norwinese king converts to Druism, as do many of his people.  Norwinese missionaries begin moving west, north of the Empire.

793

Marius, son of Horatian, is born.

799

Talanis is besieged by the Äugrans as they ravage the countryside.  The defenders are able to hold them off, but only through the timely relief provided by a large naval force.  This is the first time the Äugrans have successfully besieged a city.  It will not be the last.

802

Cleatus, future Emperor, is born.

803

Polphimum, an Arcadrian colony, is sacked by Äugran raiders who gained the gates through treachery.

803-815

Many towns and homesteads in the north are attacked, and some are taken.  The Arcadrian troops find that they are always one step behind the Äugrans, who by this time have some among the Vipers working with them, who came along with the former Pallenian mercenaries.

806

The High King of Mageon is converted to Druism by Saint Reynalsin after supposedly performing a series of wonderous miracles.  Mageony quickly becomes a site of center of Druism in the north as many of the lesser kings flock to the new faith.

815-819

Horatian launches a massive invasion force against the Äugrans, and conquers much of the territory around the Gulf of Alcassia, pushing the Äugrans farther to the north.  For the first time, the Arcadrians control territory north of the Monterraneans.

816

Marius weds Telissta of Tulassum.  Garvalus and Silvanian, future Emperors, are born.

818

Cliassian I, future Emperor, is born.

819

The Arcadrian troops return to Arcadra in triumph at the cease of military actions in the north.  A great celebration is held in their honor, the first of its kind in decades.

819-847

This is a period of peace and stability in the Empire.  The eastern border is stable, and though there are occasional rumbles of hostility by the Baltarans, they do not attack, being distracted by matters farther east.  Sporadic raids from the north still occur, but they are much smaller in scale, the main armies having been destroyed.  In future years, this is seen as a golden age, overseen by a benevolent ruler whom even the Druists admire, despite his paganism.  Druism spreads quietly through the Empire and beyond.

820

Dorsimmus, son of Marius, is born.  Profabian, future Emperor is born.

828-829

Rheimhar, High King of Mageon, wishes to make a pilgrimage to the land of Jarod’s birth, and appeals to Horatian to do so.  Horatian, though bemused by the odd religion, agrees, and Rheimhar travels to Sarak with his retinue, creating a great stir along the way.

833

Tacitorus, future Emperor, is born.

835

The Bishop of Mageon is given Patriarchal status in the north, though he is considered subordinate to Bishop of Arcadra.  There is resistance to this move among the Bishops of some of the eastern cities.

843

Marius dies at the age of 50.  Dorsimmus becomes heir to the throne.

844-850

Horatian’s health begins to noticeably decline, as does his mental fitness.  He begins to rely more and more on his advisors, and to have more reservations about his grandson’s fitness to lead, not all of which is the result of his increasing paranoia.  Dorsimmus becomes more isolated from court affairs, and throws himself into his other love, sport.  He quickly gains a reputation as a frivolous playboy, spending liberally from his allowance.

845

Dorsimmus weds Marciana of Traecum.

847

Dorsimmus is given the victor’s wreath at the Hilthassian Games, though there are widespread rumors that his victory was undeserved.  Resentment toward the heir grows.  A vast army of Mulighars (their Äugran name, which means ‘ravagers’) appears in the northeast, made of nomads from the steppes who have crossed the mountains, the first wave of such invaders to threaten the west.  They sweep in and scatter the Äugran peoples, reaching the borders of the Empire by the end of the year.

848

The first wave of Mulighars attacks the Arcadrian-held territories around the Gulf of Alcassia.  Zolmassus is besieged for two months before falling.  Its walls and buildings are razed and torched, and its populace is enslaved or put to the sword.  Terrified at the ferocity of the invaders, Horatian’s advisors scramble to assemble a counter force while the Mulighars lay waste to the countryside and town after town falls to them. Refugees stream south, stressing the capacity of Hydraxan and Sorcyran cities to accommodate them.  Thousands perish.

849

The Battle of Talanis between Arcadrian and Mulighar forces results in a disastrous Arcadrian defeat, and the survivors of the battle retreat to Talanis, where they are besieged while the Mulighars are given free reign over the countryside.  There is infighting among Horatian’s advisors as they debate what to do about the crisis, and the conflict becomes so intense that it erupts into fighting in the streets between the factions.  Meanwhile, the situation in the north grows ever worse.  The Baltarans begin eying Arcadrian lands in the east.  Horatius, the first son of Dorsimmus to survive past infancy, is born.

850

Horatian dies at the age of 86.  Beloved to the end, even though his last few years were marred by conflict and internal strife, he is given a marvelous funeral that is attended by Arcadrian and foreign dignitaries alike.  Even the Druists and Sarabs mourn his passing and remember his kind and just rule.  Dorsimmus takes control and immediately banishes the feuding advisors.  He sends as many troops as he can spare to the north, but realizes that they are not enough, and in the end authorizes a massive payoff to the Mulighars if they depart.  Satisfied, they push north instead, assail the eastern kingdoms of Mageony.

851

Mageony is saved by the timely death of the Mulighar king and the squabbling over his succession that fragments the invading force and makes it vulnerable to attack.  By the end of the year, the Mulighar host has been dispersed.  There is no respite for Arcadria, though, as conflict with the Baltarans begins anew in the east. Silvanian, now one of the commanders in the Eastern Army, adopts is lover, Tacitorus, who is 17 years his junior.

851-854

Drought in many areas strains an economy already disrupted by war expenditures, and the harshening taxes breed destitution and resentment.

852-857

Conflict in the east and the need to rebuild defenses in the north severely drain the state coffers, worsened by Dorsimmus’s extravagant spending.

853

As a means of increasing the tax base, Dorsimmus confers citizenship on all freeborn peoples within the Arcadrian Empire.  By this time, the privileges of citizenship have eroded sufficiently that it makes little difference in people’s lives, but there is resentment nonetheless among the people of the traditional Arcadrian homeland.

854

Gemmanus I, son of Cliassian I, is born.  Dorsimmus commissions an extravagant golden statue of himself to be erected in Hilthassia, despite the economic turmoil.

854-856

Popular uprising against Dorsimmus’s rule, which are ruthlessly put down.  A rumor spreads that the Emperor is not the grandson of Horatian at all but an imposter.

855

Silvanian is made the high general of the Eastern Army.

856

Dorsimmus sends troops into Helanar following a public riot, and many innocent people are slain in the ensuing chaos.  Armed rebellion begins, aided by the Vipers who still survive in Helanar, under the leadership of Cleatus, a lesser nobleman.

857

Dorsimmus sends his personal guard against Cleatus, but they come into battle overconfident and underprepared and are utterly crushed in a surprise ambush.  Cleatus follows the victory by racing to Arcadra as fast as the news can reach the Emperor, breaching the gates before they can be fortified against him.  Rebel forces storm the palace, which is virtually undefended, and kill all they can find, including Marciana and Dorsimmus’s young son Horatius.  Dorsimmus escapes, but is found in hiding several days later and killed.  Cleatus proclaims himself Emperor and reigns in Arcadra for 25 days, though his rule is not accepted (or even announced) in much of the Empire.  Desperate to form a powerbase, Cleatus seizes all the wealth he can from the nobles, resulting in a second rebellion against him, led by Garvalus, one of the leaders of the Senate.  There is fighting in the streets, but Cleatus is unable to keep his forces together, many of whom have dispersed to spend their looted booty, and is surrounded by enemy troops, where he takes his own life rather than allowing himself to stand trial.  Garvalus becomes Emperor, and rules for 63 days.  In the meantime, Profabian, the general of the Narcanian army who had been called in by Dorsimmus to help restore order, marches west and reaches the gates of Acradra.  He refuses to submit to Garvalus, who had not anticipated his coming.  Garvalus attempts to hold the city against him, but Profabian is able to overcome resistance and sweeps into the city.  Profabian is declared Emperor.  He begins rounding up the conspirators and publicly executing them in a manner befitting common criminals, leading to great protest and resentment.  Suspecting further revolt, he instates a reign of terror against any who dare question his decrees.  Meanwhile, having heard of the chaos in the capital, Silvanian marches west with a sizable portion of his army.

858

Profabian’s reign of terror intensifies, expanding beyond the lands immediate to the capital.  Silvanian reaches Narcania and Profabian’s forces meet him in battle.  Silvanian is triumphant and continues marching toward Arcadra, beset by Profabian’s forces but never turned aside.  They meet in battle for a second time outside Orbramna, and Profabian is utterly defeated and the Emperor captured.  Silvanian proclaims himself Emperor, has Profabian executed, and marches into Arcadra as resistance disappears.  Baltaran and Aistan attacks on the eastern frontier find the Arcadrian forces unable to stop them and plunder the land, though they do not conquer any territory and leave the cities untouched.  Cliassian I, Silvanian’s subordinate, is raised to the position of General of the East.

859-863

Silvanian consolidates power in Arcadra, leaving much of the hinterland poorly defended.  Increased attacks by the Baltarans and desert nomads allied with them devastate the eastern frontier.

863

Silvanian is murdered by dissidents from a rival faction, but his army is still in control and places Tacitorus, who is woefully unprepared to be Emperor, on the throne.  Unsure of how to handle the situation, Tacitorus leaves retribution for Silvanian’s murder to the troops, who proceed to carry out persecutions against any they see as insufficiently supportive of the new Emperor.  The city and surrounding countryside rise in revolt.  Tacitorus shuts himself inside the palace and is seldom seen in public.  Cliassian I wins a much-needed naval victory against the Baltarans, cutting off their supply route through Azberhitz, greatly lessening the pressure on that front.

864

Tacitorus’s troops put down the revolt in shockingly brutal fashion, so that even the Emperor cannot ignore the outcry against them.  He does not move immediately, but by the end of the year he has the ringleaders arrested and tried.

865

Tacitorus executes those responsible for the worst of the abuses. Feeling betrayed and drunk on their own power, the commanders of his troops assassinate him, but they are in turn killed before they can raise up another Emperor.  There is fighting in the streets, and in desperation, the Senate calls in Cliassian I to restore order.  On the way to Arcadra, he is raised as Emperor by the troops, and there are none left who are willing to oppose him.  Cliassian I marches into the capital, arrests the ringleaders responsible for the recent troubles, and sets up a government run by individuals loyal to him.

866-878

Reconstruction.  Cliassian I does his best to restore what was broken during the years of civil war and mismanagement, bolstering the defenses in the east and rebuilding in Arcadra, but his resources are far less than those once available to the Emperors of old and his building lacks the grandeur of his predecessors.

878-892

Plague strikes the Empire, appearing first in Haegys, perhaps through contact from the south.  There is terrible suffering as it spreads throughout the Empire and to lands beyond.  Fortunately for the eastern provinces, it affects the Baltarans as much as it does the Arcadrians, sapping too much manpower from both sides to continue the conflict.  Trade is severely disrupted, and some areas become almost empty of people, settled only by bandits and beasts.

887

Gemmanus II, eldest son of Gemmanus I, is born.

892-905

A period of slow recovery, hampered by recurring local bouts of the plague, though their range is much more limited than at first.  Bandit lords begin appearing on the borderlands, especially in the Great Desert and in the highlands of Molossia, and the Arcadrian military is spread too thin to deal with all of them.

896

Cliassian I dies at the age of 77.  He is succeeded by Gemmanus I.

905

Gemmanus I rebuilds the Narcanian Army, though it is now mostly made of mercenaries, and sends it against the desert bandit lords.  After six months, the army proves unsuccessful, unable to pin down the highly mobile bands.  In the end, he promotes Elkhezram, a mercenary from the desert tribes south of Nutrium, to be the commander of the Narcanian Army, and the man begins preparing the troops for the realities of desert warfare.  Gemmanus I also attacks the Baltaran forts along the border with slightly more success, as several are taken and the Baltarans lose some ground.

906-912

The Desert War, where Arcadrian mercenaries under Elkezram engage the nomadic desert bandits across the southern frontier.  One after another of the bandit groups are defeated, more because Elkezram is a master of playing them off against each other than because of the size of his army, which is very underfunded and perhaps a third of the size of the combined bandit troops.

906-915

Continued conflict in the east against the Baltarans.  At first, the Arcadrian troops are on the offensive, pushing back the enemy, but their offensive only lasts until 907, when the Baltarans ambush the main force outside Hezriam and begin their counteroffensive.  All ground gained is lost by 911, and for the remainder of the period the Arcadrians are engaged in a desperate struggle to hold on to what they still have.

912

Elkezram returns to Arcadra in triumph.  He is awarded high honors, including Arcadrian citizenship, and Gemmanus II weds his daughter, Kiranish.

914

Gemmanus III, son of Gemmanus II and Kiranish, is born, though he dies in 923.

915

Elkezram is sent to the eastern frontier, where he reorganizes the army into a series of quick-striking groups rather than its former focus on defense of static forts.  The reforms are successful, and the Arcadians are victorious in several subsequent battles.

916-918

Elkezram wins further victories in the east, but he has in sufficient forces to hold the entire frontier.  Aistan forces attack in the north, flanking his troops and forcing him to withdraw before he can capitalize on his victories.

918

Gemmanus I dies at the age of 64.  Gemmanus II becomes Emperor.  Elkezram is found murdered in his tent.  Although it is not clear who is responsible, many of his commanders blame one of the former leaders of the Arcadrian forces whose command had been supplanted in 915.  He is tried and acquitted, and many of the mercenaries loyal to Elkezram depart, some returning home, others selling their services to Azberhitz or the southern kingdoms.

919-926

Bereft of Elkezram’s genius, the Arcadrians are unable to hold on to their gains, and the eastern frontier is reduced to a stalemate, with lines very similar to what they were in 905.

922

Junovian, second son of Gemmanus II and Kiranish, is born.

924

Docletus, third son of Gemmanus II and Kiranish, is born.

926-958

Tense peace in the east as both sides try to rebuild while keeping a wary eye on one another. Although there is no open contact, both the Arcadrians and Baltarans fund bandit groups and nomadic raiders to harass the other side and their allies.

930-937

First outbreak of major hostilities on the northwestern frontier as trade disputes between Norwinese and Aeanic merchants erupt into violence that leads to open conflict.

931

Diorus, future Emperor, is born.  Desert tribes stage a major raid against Thempes. This is the result of increasing drying in the interior, a process that has been going on for centuries and has reach a critical point in water and food shortages.  The Arcadrian presence is insufficient to head them off, and they plunder much of the countryside.

932-939

Fighting in Thempes devastates much of the countryside.  People flee toward the coast, further speeding the process of desertification.

933

Honorus, future Emperor, is born.

935

Gracian, father of Solctian, is born.

937-941

Arcadrian troops are sent to Aean to quell the troubles there, though their numbers are not sufficient for invasion.  They do not advance far into Norwinon, but they do build a series of forts along the border, pushing deeper into Norwinese territory than has ever been the case in the past, with fortresses north of the passes through the Monterraneans.

939

The Battle of Kormanthis, where a large force of desert raiders is trapped by Arcadrian troops and defeated.  Cowed, the desert tribes submit to Arcadrian rule.

940-970

To prevent further raids, the Arcadrians resettle several desert tribes in the semiarid regions of Thempes, which were already becoming unsuitable for much agriculture.  Warlike peoples, many enroll in the auxiliaries and serve throughout the Empire.

941-959

Continuation of the line of forts through the Monterraneans east to Lyseamachia.  The increased Arcadrian presence results in greater hostilities along the border, particularly as some groups benefit from the Arcadrian trade while others do not.  Destabilization of what will later become Gallimona (later Muirland), eastern Gyaria, and Perrinath.

943

Junovian weds Lessandra, the sixteen-year-old daughter of his second cousin.  Cliassan II, son of Junovian, is born.  Lessandra dies a few days later of complications from the birth.

944

Grieving, Junovian throws himself into the study of philosophy, finding in it a sense of personal strength as well as disappointment in many of his contemporaries.  He becomes a stern and serious young man.  Liana, mother of Solctian, is born into a Druist family in Knarssis.

945

Junovian remarries, wedding Olvina, another distant relative, but though they have several daughters they have no more sons.

949

Junovian founds the Philosophical Academy in Arcadra.  By then, Druism is already sufficiently widespread that he sees the Academy as a force of reason to counteract the growing movement, which he views as deluded and potentially dangerous.

953-962

Civil war between various factions among the Norwinese people when, upon the death of the king, there are two rival claimants to the throne, one of whom, Warrenon Hialtine is supported by the Arcadrians for his support of their interests.  The other, his cousin Algernon Hialtine, is a traditionalist supported by most of the Norwinese nobility.

956-960

A series of dry years around the Middle Sea leads to famine and misery throughout the region.  Unrest grows, and Gemmanus II is unable to fully deal with it.

958

Gemmanus II dies at the age of 71, and is succeeded by Junovian.  Junovian is deeply unpopular in the Senate and with many of the nobles, who resent his insistence on asceticism and forgoing luxury, both personally and for the Empire at large, as a means of restoring order and combatting the famine.  A group of resentful nobles with ties to the east begin cultivating Docletus, feeling he will be more sympathetic to their cause.

958-960

Famine around the Middle Sea reaches a peak, leading to widespread banditry and revolt.  Dissatisfaction with Junovian’s rule grows, and there are rumors of a plot against him in favor of his brother, though no evidence to convict anyone ever comes to light.  Docletus begins speaking out publicly against his brother.

958-995

Khallanic tribes to the northeast of Baltarica begin raiding south in large numbers, drawing the Baltarans’ attention away from their western border and giving the Arcadrians some respite.

960-970

Docletus becomes more and more drawn into his new “friends”, who, unbeknownst to him, have ties to the Vipers.  They fuel his natural resentments and paranoia, until he suspects everyone but his closest subordinates of working against him and the true good of the Empire.

961

The famine breaks and the rains finally return, but Junovian does not let up on his measures, knowing both that there is no guarantee that the good times will remain and that the people are still suffering and will need some time to get back on their feet.  Noble resentment of the Emperor increases.  There is an attempt to kidnap Olvina and two of her daughters, sponsored by one of the disaffected nobles, which goes awry, resulting in the culprit’s trial and exile, but Junovian’s clemency does little to decrease the grumblings among the aristocracy.  An Arcadrian fort in the Monterraneans south of Norwinon is overrun by forces opposed to Warrenon.  The Arcadrian troops strike back, raiding deep into Norwinese territory.  Gracian marries Liana, though he does not convert to Druism.

962

The Arcadrian-leaning faction in the Norwinese civil war, having lost much of its support, appeals to the Empire for assistance, asserting its more proper claim to the throne (by Arcadrian, rather than Norwinese, law).  Seeing a means of distracting his nobles from trouble at home, Junovian quickly gathers his troops and sends them into the Northlands, placing them under the command of many of the most powerful of his opponents, both to be rid of them for a time and in hopes that the plunder they gain might mollify them (or they might be humbled or killed in battle).

962-964

Arcadrian armies conquer much of the Northlands, crushing resistance (made less by the fractured nature of the northern kingdoms) and bringing Norwinon, Perrinath, and Gallimona under Arcadrian control.

963

Algernon Hialtine is killed in battle.  Warrenon is placed on the Norwinese throne and is given guardianship of what remains of the Norwinese royal family.  Posthumous birth of Faith Hialtine to Amelian, wife of Algernon.  Beginnings of the Norwinese resistance while the Arcadrian troops move east. Solctian, future Emperor, is born in Knarssis to Gracian and Liana.

963-1077

Norwinese rebels fight a guerrilla war against the Arcadrian conquers and their allies.  At first, the rebels are mostly the remnants of the forces loyal to Algernon that were not defeated in battle, but over time they become more organized and widespread, creating an environment of fear and violence.

964-970

The victorious generals in the north consolidate their holdings and reap great plunder, bringing much-needed wealth to the Empire but breeding increasing resentment against them in the conquered territories, especially by those who collaborated with them.

968

Junovian dies at the age of 46 after a short illness.  In reality, he was poisoned by one of his servants who was secretly a Viper brought in by his enemies.  Cliassan II becomes Emperor.  Warrenon of Norwinon travels to Arcadra to offer his support to the new Emperor, and the two become friends.

970

Cliassan II dies under mysterious circumstances, though it later becomes clear that he was poisoned by forces hostile to Junovian and allied with Docletus.  Childless and without brothers of his own, he is succeeded by his uncle Docletus.  Docletus, by this time thoroughly deluded with paranoia, strikes out at his perceived enemies throughout the Empire, beginning widespread persecutions.  These include all who do not immediately laud his ascension with sufficient enthusiasm, as well as deviant groups such as the Druists.  Warrenon protests, refusing to instate some of the harsher measures as they would make matters much worse in Norwinon due to its overwhelmingly Druist population, and he is summarily executed, along with his family and charges.  Only Faith, whisked away by a faithful servant, is saved.  The Arcadrians begin direct rule in the north.

970-977

Rebellion explodes, particularly in the Northlands, as crushing taxes are laid on all with Druist sympathies, and protesters who are caught are killed.  Purges continue against Docletus’s perceived enemies, while his allies take positions of greater power.

977

Docletus is assassinated by a conspiracy that includes several Druists.  In the ensuing chaos, Honorus, the general of the Home Guard, is proclaimed Emperor.

977-986

Honorus, recognizing the threat that the Druists pose to his dreams of conquest through their frequent pacifism and unwillingness to fight other members of their faith (including those outside Imperial rule), casts the blame for Docletus’ death on the faith as a whole.  He begins with high-profile trials of the Druist conspirators against the Emperor and limiting the rights of Druist citizens, and continues to enact harsher and harsher measures from there.

979

Kiranish, having outlasted all of her sons and grandsons, dies at the age of 85.  Bishop Liassus of Bethrotum begins advancing the Liassan heresy.

980-1006

Spread of Lisassanism throughout the Arcadrian Empire, though it does not take much root in the Druist lands north of the Monterraneans.

981

Solctian marries Rhiessa of Bethrotum, a Druist like his mother.  Faith Hialtine becomes the driving force behind the Norwinese Rebellion.

982

Honorus raises Diorus, the general of the Eastern Army, to a position almost equivalent to co-Emperor.  This intensifies Arcadrian control over the Tellustric-speaking eastern territories and their much higher concentrations of Druists.  Heraclesus I, son of Solctian, is born.  Rhiessa becomes enamored of the teachings of Bishop Liassus.

986

Honorus begins to exhibit signs of the wasting disease that will eventually kill him and is in almost constant pain, making him even more vengeful and irrational.

986-989

Druism is officially outlawed, and Honorus orders all adherents of the faith to publicly renounce it or be executed.  Massive persecutions sweep the Empire, though some governors are more zealous than others, and in most places only those who publicly and stubbornly attest to their faith are arrested.  Still, thousands are captured, and the stories of those who refuse to recant and are killed for their faith bolster the will of the rest.

989

Honorus dies after years of terrible suffering, though for his last months he is entirely bedridden and Diorus has been leading the Empire.  Diorus assumes the Imperial title.

989-992

Persecutions of Druists continue, though Diorus does not pursue them with the same vigor as his predecessor.  Some Druist groups take up arms to protect their fellows and begin searching for a leader.

990

Guangilla becomes the leader of the Khallanic tribe known as the Jarighevka.  A remarkably ambitious man, he undertakes to unite the Khallans into a single empire.  Gracian, Soltican’s father and one of the captains of the northern army, is executed by Diorus for sedition, though the charges were very clearly fabricated.  Solctian stays in the army, and begins building a power base of his own.

991-994

Through ruthless conquest and canny diplomacy, Guangilla unites the Khallans into a single entity, perhaps the greatest mobile fighting force since Telannus.

993

Diorus demands that Solctian submit himself to him in Arcadra, and Solctian refuses.  Diorus brands Solctian a traitor, but his loyal troops refuse to hand him over.  Diorus sends troops to quell the rebellion.  The Battle of Vereii, where Solctian’s smaller force defeats Diorus’s troops in battle.

994

Solctian promises full rights and freedom from persecution to any Druists who join his cause, should he win.

994-1001

Civil war between Diorus and Solctian rages across the Empire.  Many Druists join Solctian, swelling his ranks.  Of Solctian’s three sons, only Heraclesus I survives the conflict.  The tide of battle flows one way and then another, but slowly it becomes clear that Solctian’s forces have the upper hand.

995-998

Guangilla invades the west, conquering and mobilizing the Sadjevs and uprooting the Ruhsens as they flee his forces.

996

The Battle of Herellium, before which Solctian claims he has seen a sign of God’s favor.  His troops believe him and commit themselves to God.  Though smaller than the Imperial amry, Solctian’s force prevails, and many, believing that the Druist God was responsible for the victory, convert.  Solctian controls all of the Empire north of the Middle Sea, and his troops proclaim him Emperor, though Diorus still rules from Arcadra.

998

Heraclesus I converts to Druism, into the Liassan heresy.

999-1003

Guangilla crosses the mountains and his forces flow west, pounding Mageony and shattering the kingdom.

1000

Solctian, though not yet recognized as Emperor in the capital, declares Druism to be the national religion of the Empire.  His forces cross the Middle Sea and begin making their way south.

1001

Solctian marches on the capital.  Diorus meets him in battle outside the city, but by now Solctian’s forces are much larger and more experienced, and they overwhelm the Imperial Army.  Diorus takes his own life rather than be captured.  Solctian becomes Emperor in truth, and officially ends all persecution of Druists.  He places many Druists in places of power, though does not act against those of other faiths.  Heralcesus I weds Pontia, a Druist from a prominent Arcadrian family.

1001-1004

Conflicts between the Orthodox Druists and the Liassans rage throughout the Empire, with both groups calling the other’s perspective a heresy.  Liana, mother of the Emperor, sides with the Orthodox Druists while her daughter-in-law Rhiessa sides with the Liassans.  At first, Solctian does not get involved, preferring to deal with the new threat from the north, but he quickly sees that the division is threatening to tear apart his Druist coalition.

1003

Heraclesus II, eldest son of Heraclesus I, is born.

1003-1007

Guangilla, having overtaken Mageony, wheels south to attack Sorcyra, Hydrax, and the surrounding Arcadrian lands.  The army, having been stretched thin in the civil war, crumbles before him, and he marches south, reaching as far as Bethrotum and as far west as Polyaegis.  Chaos reigns in the north.

1004

Solctian calls the Council of Chollandra to resolve issues of orthodoxy in the Druist church.  Liassanism is condemned by the Council, though many of its adherents refuse to succeed.  Several of Solctian’s decisions about church structure and which policies to adopt are politically motivated and alienate the northern bishops from outside the Empire, especially as he immediately begins to act as if he is the head of the Church in the same sense as the old emperors were the head of the pagan pantheon.  Still, the northern representatives ratify the decisions of the Council.

1005

Herotitus I, second son of Heraclesus I, is born, along with his twin, Herodesus.  Heraclesus I is sent to rally the Eastern Army and stop Guangilla’s attacks.  He lands in Bethrotum, relieving the city and pushing the Khallanic horde back into Hydrax.

1006

Heraclesus I pushes the Khallanic forces back to the Gulf of Alcassia.  Solctian falls suddenly ill, dying at the age of 43.  He is formally baptized into the Druist faith on his deathbed.  Heraclesus I is given the news and raised to Emperor while in the field.  The battle of Carthesis, where the Arcadrian troops inflict heavy losses upon the Khallans, though their own losses are also grievous.  Guangilla retreats north to regroup.  In the ensuing calm, Heraclesus I calls a second, much more rushed, Church Council, and this one declares for Liassanism.  The northern bishops, already alienated due to structural decisions regarding the hierarchy and the place of women, break from the Council, as do many in the south outside the Empire.  Faith Hialtine is betrayed by traitors in her camp and murdered.

1007

Heraclesus I begins persecutions of the Orthodox Druists, removing them from positions of power, imposing heavy penalties for professing Orthodox principles, and forcing some of their leaders into exile.  Many Orthodox believers (large numbers of whom don’t really understand the controversy in the first place) turn nominally to Liassanism to avoid persecution.  The northern Druists, however, fight back, and the Norwinese rebellion gains in strength.  While in the process of fighting Ruhsen tribesmen on his western flank, Guangilla is struck by a stray arrow and dies some days later.  With no strong leader to hold his empire together, it quickly falls to pieces.  By the end of the year, his squabbling captains have turned on each other and most of his forces have dissipated.  The Sadjev princes who were part of Guangilla’s horde begin carving out kingdoms for themselves.

1007-1033

Many Ruhsen tribes, pushed west by the advance of the Sadjevs and Guangilla’s invasion, move into Mageony.  They quickly set up semi-independent fiefdoms among the native Mageon population, and the Mageons find themselves looking to Ruhsen warlords for protection.

1007-1046

Many believers from Druists sects proclaimed as heresies in the Empire flee eastward, spreading the faith into Aista, Baltarica, Zaban, and beyond.

1007-1058

The animosity between the Liassans and Orthodox Druists erupts into sporadic violence throughout the Empire as each group attempts to assert dominance over the other. Pagans, Sarabs, and members of other faiths also find themselves caught up in the violence and hated by both groups.

1008

Heraclesus I dies at the age of 26 and his son, Heraclesus II, becomes Emperor when he is not quite five years old.  The Empire is in fact ruled by the boy’s regents, which include the Liassan Bishop of Arcadra, Rhiessa, his grandmother, and his mother Pontia, his mother.  They intensify the persecutions against Orthodox believers.  Liana, mother of Solctian and now exiled from the capital, makes her celebrated trip to Sarak, building churches in many of the sites that were important in the life of Jarod Druis.

1011-1045

Having recovered from the depredations inflicted by the Khallanic attacks, the Baltarans are once again in a position to assert their position in the east.  Arcadria and Baltarica are almost constantly at war throughout this period, though eth fighting is generally localized and amounts to very little.

1015

Liana is allowed to return to Arcadra though she does not renounce her Orthodox faith.  She becomes a rallying point for Orthodox believers and begins tutoring her great-grandsons, Herotitus I and Herodesus, in questions of the faith.

1016-1068

Liassan missionaries travel among the Ruhsens, converting several of their chieftains.  This sets the Ruhsen warlords at odds with the native Mageon people, leading to greater internal instability.

1019

Heraclesus II reaches his majority, but he continues to rely on his regents as he did before, ratifying whatever they put in front of him and spending most of his time in leisure.

1021

Death of Liana, mother of Solctian, at the age of 77.  Death of Heraclesus II at the age of 18 as a result of illness.  Herotitus I, his younger brother who is sympathetic to the Orthodox cause, is made Emperor, though there are claims that Herodesus was actually the elder twin.  Herotitus I attempts to draw out an accord between the Liasans and Orthodox, permitting both sects to enjoy favored status in the Empire, but animosities run too deep between the two groups and the conflicts only intensify with both able to proclaim themselves openly.

1026

Herotitus I weds Avarica of Astellum, the niece of a prominent Orthodox Bishop.

1027

Herodesus weds Dorianna of Arcadra, a highly ambitious woman who continues to spread rumors that her husband is the true heir to the throne.

1030

Herotitus II is born to Herotitus I.  Hesperus is born to Herodesus.

1032-1074

Conflict in Perrinath intensifies into the Highland War, where the Perrians of the interior revolt against their Arcadrian overlords.  The fighting is incredibly fierce on both sides, but in the end the Arcadrians are forced to withdraw across the river and fortify the border.

1033-1079

The power of the High King in Mageony steadily weakens as the local kings become mere figureheads and real power rests among the Ruhsen warlords.

1044

The first hints of plague are seen in eastern Baltarica.  By the end of the year, it has reached the capital, killing untold thousands.

1045

Herodesus dies, an early victim of the plague, as does Avarica.  All fighting on the Baltaran frontier essentially ceases as both realms cope with the devastation caused by the disease.

1045-1046

The plague, worse than any in a millennium, reaches the Middle Sea.  It sweeps through the Empire, following the trade routes, but is less devastating north of the Monterraneans.  Perhaps as many as one in four people are killed, especially in the most heavily populated areas.  Vast areas are depopulated, and people flee or resort to banditry in the ensuing devastation.  Both the Liassan and Orthodox leaders cite the calamity as evidence of God’s displeasure at the other side of the conflict, and interfaith conflict intensifies.

1046-1048

The plague moves north of the Monterraneans, while lessening in force in the south.  Gallimona is especially hard-hit.

1047

A massive riot in Harapols between Liassan and Orthodox Druists turns into several days of unremitting violence, which is only quelled by the local garrison after many are killed.  The violence is particularly hard on the resident Sarabs, who are unfairly targeted by both sides.

1047-1055

Massive depopulation of Gallimona as many of its remaining inhabitants, devastated by the combined blows of the plague, raids associated with the Highland War, and attacks from bandits and Ruhsen adventurers, flee south.

1049

Herotitus II weds Estellia Opinassus.

1051

Birth of Theodesus I, son of Herotitus II.

1053

Hesperus weds Flanissia Erustanius.

1057

Birth of Hesperus II, son of Hesperus.

1058

Baraklo of Rocgregeo is the first Ruhsen warlord to be declared king on the death of the native Mageon king.  In a desperate attempt to lay the question of right worship to rest once and for all, Herotitus I calls the Second Council of Chollandra, compelling both Liassan and Orthodox leaders to attend and presiding over it in person.  The Council is terribly contentious, and on several occasions, violence breaks out and the Royal Guard has to step in. Eventually, the Council decides in favor of Orthodoxy, proscribing Liassanism.  Some Liassans accept the decision, but most rise up in protest.  A number of leaders among the Orthodox take this as justification to violently suppress the Liassans, and the Emperor, desiring conformity, accedes.  Only one Bishop from the North attends the Council, and he is so disgusted with the proceedings that when he brings word back to his fellows, as a group they refuse to accept the Council and any prominence of the Austerlate in Arcadra.

1058-1067

Dorianna, mother of Hesperus, builds a coalition of generals, nobles, and high-ranking Liassans who are dissatisfied with Herotitus I and willing to back his nephew as Emperor instead under the fictional claim that Herodesus was actually the first-born.  Hesperus’s ambitions grow.

1063

Death of Herotitus I at the age of 57.  Herotitus II becomes Emperor.

1067

Death of Dorianna.  Despite her passing, the conspiracy backing Hesperus continues to gain in power.

1071-1079

Vast immigration of Ruhsen tribes into Mageony, overwhelming the native populations in many areas, especially in the east.  Many of the newcomers rally around Ruhsen warlords already established in Mageony, while others attempt to set up their own powerbases essentially independent of the High King.  The Mageon army, already composed in great part of Ruhsen troops, falls apart as the realm is divided between conflicting Ruhsen and Mageon domains.  The High King remains, but he is merely a puppet of the most powerful warlords.

1073

Hesperus seizes his moment.  In a bloody coup, he and his fellow conspirators seize control of the Palace, murdering many of the royal family and those loyal to them, but Herotitus II escapes.  At the same time, generals loyal to Hesperus take over the armies through murder and duplicity, though the attempt on the Eastern Army fails.  Herotitus II flees east.  Theodesus I, who was stationed in Thempes at the time and thus escaped the coup, goes into exile.

1074

Theodesus I marries Serana Nitalian while in exile.  Birth of Theodesus II.

1074-1076

Hesperus consolidates control of the Empire.  Herotitus II is in hiding.  The Eastern Army forms almost a second state, keeping the peace within Arcadrian borders but ignoring orders from Arcadra.

1075

Herotitus II is approached by representatives of the Vipers, though they do not identify themselves as such.  Desperate for allies, he agrees to treat with them.

1076

In the absence of any real order, the Patriarch of Mageon becomes the de facto ruler of the city as well as the head of the Northern Druist Church.  Herotitus II, having secretly gathered enough followers to be a force to be reckoned with and having won the loyalty of the general of the Eastern Army, formally declares the Usurper a traitor and announces his determination to bring Hesperus to justice.

1076-1078

The Succession War in Arcadria, where the forces of Herotitus II and Hesperus the Pretender clash in many terrible battles across the Empire.  Several cities are reduced to rubble as they are besieged because their leaders chose the wrong side. 

1077

Birth of Theodorus, son of Theodesus I

1077-1079

Hesperus calls the Northern Army south to fight against Herotitus II, leaving Norwinon with only a scant Arcadrian presence.  The Norwinese erupt into full-scale revolution, attacking Arcadrian soldiers and sympathizers alike.

1078

Archibald Palitine is elected king of Norwinon, though much of the country still remains under Arcadrian rule.  Hesperus is killed on the battlefield, and Hesperus II is declared Emperor.  He only rules for three weeks before a coup, staged by loyalists to Herotitus II, many of whom are secretly Vipers, leads to the assassination of Hesperus II and his siblings, along with many retainers and leaders in the regime.  After several days of executions, Herotitus II takes over command and marches into the city, victorious.

1079

The Norwinese forces capture the governor and declare themselves free of the Empire.  After the destruction caused by the civil war, the Arcadrian Army is too thin to do anything about it.  The Arcadrians, however, retain control of Gyaria.

1079-1085

The Ruhsen invaders solidify their control over most of Mageony, though some small realms remain in native hands.  As more and more immigrants flood in, unlanded Ruhsen warlords cross the Monterraneans and sack several Arcadrian cities.

1080-1096

The Baltarans, taking advantage of Arcadrian weakness, renew their attacks on the eastern frontier, though the fighting is not continuous and most attacks are mere raids aimed at gaining plunder and slaves.

1081

Birth of Theotitus, son of Theodesus I.

1082

Crassian Mallaius, who is secretly a Viper, is assigned as an advisor to Theodesus II by men loyal to the Emperor.

1083

Theodesus II marries Cellasia Diometres.

1085-1093

Ruhsen attacks across the Monterraneans intensify as they ally themselves with the Äugrans in the east.  Bornia, the last remaining Arcadrian territory north of the Monterraneans along the Gulf of Alcassia, is overtaken and split between the Ruhsens and Äugrans.  The Äugrans also conquer all the of Hydrax north of Carthesis save Telanis.

1087

Serana begins to suspect that Crassian Mallaius and his companions are more than what they seem and begins trying to spy on him.

1088

Desperate for a way to continue to pay his much-beleaguered armies, Theodesus I sends an expedition under Junius Massara along the west coast south of Arcadra in search of plunder. Serana accumulates enough evidence to become very fearful about Crassian and what he represents, but before she can bring this to her husband he is called away on duty.  She is murdered before he returns, though her death is made to seem natural.  Crassian Mallaius becomes an important member of Theodesus II’s inner circle.  The Muirs, a Ruhsen tribe, cross into Gallimona and take it for themselves, meeting little resistance from the remaining populace.  They are kept from crossing the river by the Perrians, except in the south, where few people live.

1089

The Arcadrian expedition reaches Ngwali and sacks the capital without warning, killing thousands and sending the plunder north.  Birth of Eleara Salimantia.

1090

The Arcadrian expeditionary force topples the Ngwalihan queen and seizes control with Junius instating himself as governor, plundering the riches of the realm and sending many of its citizens into bondage.

1090-1092

Arcadrian control over the Ngwalihi intensifies, nearly free of any oversight by the Emperor.  Junius enslaves the entire populace, forcing them to work for him, trebling the gold output of the mines but causing terrible misery and starvation because of his mismanagement.

1093

Junius declares himself King of Ngwali, forcing the 12-year-old daughter of the former queen to be his bride.  Tribute to Arcadria ceases, but Ngwali is too far for Theodesus I to stop him.  The battles of Lauricanda and Vereii, in which the combined armies of the Ruhsens and Äugrans are finally stopped from their advances, though the Arcadrians do not have the resources to follow them.

1094

Theodesus I marries Oniesa Dularin.  From this point on, the hold Crassian Mallaius has over Theodesus II begins to increase precipitously, especially after the disappearance of his close advisor and friend Darus Sevonus.  Emissaries sent to Junius to report on the situation are captured and murdered.

1094-1108

The Bandit Wars in Norwinon, Gyaria, and Perrinath, where the Arcadrians, unable to afford an attack on the north due to the massive weakening of their armies after the Succession War and renewed conflict in the northeast and east, fund bandit groups to harass rebellious groups within the Empire and the new kingdoms of Norwinon and Perrinath instead.  These cause much suffering, and many people are murdered or enslaved because of their depredations, but because of their efforts the Norwinese are unable to liberate their former lands in Gyaria.  Crassian Mallaius is one of the architects of the plan, and undercover Vipers figure prominently in many of the worst atrocities committed during this time.

1095

Birth of Oseodrus to Theodesus I and Oniesa.

1096

Death of Herotitus II at the age of 65.  Theodesus I becomes Emperor.  Theodesus I signs a peace treaty with the Baltarans, agreeing to give them control over several cities that they claim as historically theirs.  Unbeknownst to Theodesus I, the Baltarans are facing threats from Zaban and can no longer afford to continue hostilities.

1097

In his greed, Junius attacks the small kingdom of Tabo, expecting them to be equally easy pickings, but finds them far more prepared.  His troops are thrown back, in part because the natives pressed into his service, having nothing to lose, desert at the first opportunity.

1098

While battling on his eastern and southern frontiers, Junius sends an expedition into the interior looking for another source of gold to fund his army, which is increasingly reliant on mercenary troops.  They disappear.  Later, a darkness descends on the capital, and everyone in the palace is found dead, including Junius.  The Ngwalihi slaughter their remaining Arcadrian oppressors, but the creeping darkness continues and many more die of unknown causes.  The rest flee.

1099

Tabo invades Ngwali but finds the capital deserted, along with many of the villages, and the few survivors they find talk of terrors beyond description.

1100

A second Arcadrian expedition is sent to Ngwali but finds only deserted ruins and are greeted with hostility by all neighboring peoples.  They depart quickly.

1102

Birth of Consanian to Theodesus II and Cellasia.  From an early age, Crassian shows great interest in the child.

1103

The Archbishop of Obardhour breaks from Muirland, forming the realm of West Muirland under his leadership.

1104

Birth of Oresta, daughter of Theodesus I and Oniesa.

1108

Death of Theodesus I at the age of 57.  At first, there are rumors that the circumstances of his death are suspicious, but these cease quickly and it becomes known that he merely suffered from a bad heart.  Theodesus II becomes Emperor.  Crassian Mallaius is elevated to the post of Secretary of Weights and Measures.

1110

Theotitus weds Eleara Salimanta.

1113

Birth of Sevona Avarice to Theotitus and Eleara.

1117-1124

The Ruhsens of Muirland and Mageon renew their raids to the south and west, reaching as far as Gyaria, Perrinath, Lyseamachia, and Ceriplus.  With few troops in the area, the Arcadrians are unable to do more than defend the cities and fortified sites and leave the countryside to itself.  Many refugees stream south and west.

1118

Birth of Ertovius to Theotitus and Eleara.

1119

Birth of Eleara Theosa to Theotits and Eleara.

1123

In Norwinon, evidence is discovered that Crassian Mallaius murdered Darus Sevonus and has been using terrible means to exert his influence over the Emperor.