Timeline
A prolonged fracturing of humanity begins; an estimated half of the existing population leaves Ajvas for new lands
Date: 896 B.D
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of course, the desire to explore and establish one’s own beliefs has been reduced to a “fracture”
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fear not, dear historian, Ajvas did survive; in fact, it remains overpopulated even after a war that wiped out a third of humanity
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I’d save my lamentations for the Al’Rayk that were suddenly forced to share space with swarms of humans
A faction of humans splinter off to return to the Source of humanity and found the nation of Sudec
Date: 898 B.D
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and so began the practice of making life harder than it needed to be in service of a strict, overbearing deity with an odd resemblance to the human spreading His word
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and the Al’Rayk, who had been getting on just fine without a higher power for millennia, likely watched in bemusement
Sudec: a nation founded on the belief that the Father put things where he did for a reason, and so they should remain – humanity was birthed in the desert because they were meant to live far from lands of temptation, wombs were placed within women because their bodies were meant for procreation, animals were placed within reach of humans to sustain their hunger (the fact that Sudean livestock had to first be magically domesticated and then led back to Sudec from Ajvas is, regrettably, disregarded)
Birth of the nine First Humans from the Source in what is now Zahual, Sudec
1052 B.D
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of course the timeline begins at the first point of human history, not known history, though the Al’Rayk existed long before us
Source: naturally occurring magical locations, from which new species are born fully formed; while Sources cannot be visually differentiated from the surrounding wilderness, stepping within their borders provides an immediate feeling of peace
The First Humans settle in what would one day become Sangrauj, Ajvas
1051 B.D
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and how, I wonder, did the First Humans not bumble about the desert for years, instead of heading unerringly for a large body of freshwater that would ensure humanity survived and thrived?
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a mention of the fact that we owe human civilization and language to the guidance of altruistic Al’Rayk would not go amiss
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their trees grow like mushrooms with the help of magic and alchemy, just in time to be cut down again (can’t make a navy out of nothing, and pirates are ever-present)
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one tree has been spared this fate – the thousand-year-old ginkgo tree in the capital of Nizai
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known as the Free Cities, and founded by survivors that were abandoned by their countries during the Deviance
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their magical practice is unbounded by the rule of law
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offer a safe berth for pirates, in return for trade
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as the Accords prevent the Forsworn Nations from attacking human cities directly (even those outside their purview), they’ve attempted to cut off trade to the Free Cities by targeting pirates. All attempts to date have failed
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here there be healers (but never enough, which is probably why their healers are unofficially obligated to procreate)
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their military is colloquially known as the “Undying Army” (a name undoubtedly meant to strike terror into enemy hearts; unfortunately, monsters do not speak our language)
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the renowned skill of their healers enables them to Heal soldiers as they are injured, allowing fighters to disregard mortal wounds
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might there be settlements here, populated by people that couldn’t tolerate the restriction of magic in the Forsworn Nations?
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more likely these mountains are only home to monsters and desperate bandits living in the ruins of our past
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local expletive of choice is “bloody”
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the military owns their citizens’ bodies on and off from the ages of eighteen to forty; only severe maiming excuses them from battling the monsters to the north
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their fighting style relies on avoiding injury; if you’re not quick on your feet and backed by an equally speedy squad, well you’re just a bad soldier, aren’t you
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the citizens’ distrust for one another is only outmatched by their distrust for the nobility
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“your whip, your cow”: if you’ve the means, you claim and keep whatever you want
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they maintain a bitter rivalry with Kythos (and will never admit Kythos has pulled ahead by every possible measure)
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keep minting gold coins with a bit of silver and silver coins with a bit of copper, I’m sure no one has noticed
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where relaxation goes to die; if one could box up productivity, Numenians would weight it and sell it by the dram
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your status is measured by your contributions, and your life tied to those that funded your ability to contribute (an entire country held together by a cascading series of favors)
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woe betide anyone that uses magic here…the nation wielded it so destructively in the past that they horrified themselves into banning it
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birthplace of modern alchemy, monster farms, and legitimized assassins
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call the Maker the “Creator”, because His creations aren’t only functional, but beautiful
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revere the art of creation to the point that they’re ruled by master craftspeople and artists
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unlike every sane (but unromantic) nation, they didn’t leave their mountains to the monsters
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Tecaya is here somewhere, in some unreasonably romantic mountain stronghold
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cleverly (and magically) irrigated farmland feeds the entire population and then some, despite the otherwise parched landscape
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have conveniently forgotten they and the Andreni were ever one people, one nation
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thieves caught fleeing across the hazy lakeside border into Kythos find themselves taxed a portion of their stolen goods and then booted back into the lake
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what in the Maker’s name is over here?
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don’t think about it too much or it’ll drive you mad not knowing
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proof that “wait and see” is a viable political strategy, military strategy, social strategy…
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rue the day they set up a nation bordering Numenia
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their habit for spectation has birthed many remarkable historians over the years
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learning and Healing for all
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a haven for immigrants and a magnet for talent
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where the community feeds and houses any animal that needs it
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led by nine elected officials, as often from fishing families as they are from mercantile ones
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cleverly manipulating international law for the good of all since 514 B.D.
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home of the first human settlement, and they’ll never let anyone forget it
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their sheer size has helped them survive antagonizing every single one of their neighbors
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as for the systematic segregation of cultural minorities, their government claims helplessness; what can they do but neglect those that choose to live in seclusion, when they have so many people to look after?
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two dedicated days per year where every citizen does nothing but read – one on the coldest day of the year, huddled by a fire, and one on the hottest, when it’s too scorching outside for anything else
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genderfree Librarians of untold knowledge rule this nation
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their greatest cities are carved into the faces of stony red cliffs
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or half if it anyway, given the half across the mountains remains unmapped (by us anyways)
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The Forsworn Nations would be a more accurate title
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where monsters abound and the only wars are in human history
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the walls of their homes are suggestions, marked only by potions to repel insects and wildlife
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the rooms of their homes are sunk into the ground, lined by waterproofed teak and rich carpets, and connected by winding paths and gardens
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the boundaries between homes are vague, marked only by the mingling of alchemically cooled breezes and the welcoming calls of neighbors
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main form of communication – unsolicited advice
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favorite pastime – pounding their citizens into “the shape the Father intended”
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if everything’s meant to remain where the Father put it, why do you keep mining the mountains?
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your hypocrisy is showing
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their iron grip on the Source of humanity’s birth is only loosened by exorbitant pilgrimage fees
The Al’Rayk Wars
523 B.D. – 514 B.D
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what did we expect – that powerful magical beings believing in the sanctity of life wouldn’t set those beliefs aside when we made a mockery of them?
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a more accurate count would be one year of war and eight years of humans butchering Al’Rayk and any humans that sided with them; the Al’Rayk leadership decided early on they were quite done attempting to coexist with most of humanity – after that, what was left was years of helping their people and human allies flee over the eastern mountains to the Al’Rayk lands there
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the evacuation complete, a truce was reached – an abridged version might read, “you stay on your side and we’ll stay on ours”
The Deviance begins; the rise of monsters
1 A.D
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“the rise” – as if it wasn’t humanity’s fault
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true to form, humanity escalated power struggles to strategic wars, strategic wars to wanton destruction, and wanton destruction to a total loss of control and the obliteration of a third of our population
Monsters: soldiers of humanity turned scourge of humanity (in a “shocking” turn of events that definitively proves humanity’s inability to comprehend cause and effect)
A human coalition of surviving nations is formed to stand against the monstrous threat; the Al’Rayk join in the defense of the land
15 A.D
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it took a generation of humans growing up in the devastation their parents had caused for humanity to lay aside petty differences and band together to save what was left of their world
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“join the defense” – in other words, in the interest of preemptive self-preservation, the Al’Rayk had the good sense to join their human enemies to combat the monsters that had now begun flowing over the mountains into Al’Rayk territory
Creation of the Accords: a covenant between the newly named Forsworn Nations, as well as the Al’Rayk, that defined the borders and common laws of the Forsworn Nations
21 A.D
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ah, the greatest downside of obliterating nations: paperwork
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an agreement that, among other things, effectively eliminated the ability for The Forsworn Nations to go to war and prohibited the knowledge or use of any magic that would enable them to do so (which, by all accounts, was most magic)
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heaps and heaps of state-ordered book burnings followed the signing of the Accords – perhaps the only solution if they wanted to obliterate any remotely dangerous magic, given that temptation always seems to beat out human restraint
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it is likely the Al’Rayk, being far less depleted than humanity by the wars of the Deviance (and possessed of good sense), were behind the push to memorialize humanity’s exhausted and hazy concept of “no more war” in an alchemically binding document
Opening of trade with the Al’Rayk
Date: 22 A.D
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hereafter, once per year, dragons fly crates and crates of alchemical ingredients over the mountains (dragon scales, kurasa feathers, and the like), and set up a massive trading post where they exchange these ingredients for human news
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they’ve certainly learned their lesson about leaving us to our own devices; this way they’ll at least get some warning before the next calamity comes pouring over the mountains
Xochi’s Apothecary opens
329 A.D
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my sister wouldn’t presume to put her own shop opening on a timeline of the great events of human history. But I think our people will remember it as such. She’s the first person of Sudean birth able to ply her craft outside Sudec’s borders. The first that isn’t a politician or a trader, who by definition must do so. I think she deserves to be on here. To Xochi: don’t you dare scratch this off. Signed, the more talented sister
Domestication of Al’Rayk begins
Date: 520 B.D
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ah yes, “domestication”, what a kind word for capturing and magically stripping away a being’s intellectual capabilities
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of course there are records of the timing, though the guilty humans managed to keep their activities hidden for three years; couldn’t resist boasting in writing, if nothing else
Al’Rayk: intelligent beings, each type endowed with their own magical abilities (and a cultural abhorrence towards violence and harm, something we would do well to emulate)
End of the Deviance
20 A.D
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by “end”, they mean “at least the monsters aren’t making their home in our gardens anymore”
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the monsters will continue to relentlessly attack humanity for centuries, but fear not, they’ll (mostly) stay out of heavily populated areas
Xochi’s Notes
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annotations included to provide context and accuracy, courtesy of Xochi the Alchemist
Future Adventures in the World of Ya’Aburan
