Chronicles of Anu

The Histories of Anu are chronicled here. Only major events will be listed here.

The standard "Before the Stormrift" (BtS) and "After the Stormrift" (AtS) is used for dates.

## The Age of Myth (Before ~10'000 BtS)

> Little firsthand accounts of the Age of Myth persist in the present, and the understanding Imperial scholars have of this era largely relies on the exceptionally rare preserved texts, archaeological discoveries, and the myths passed down among the diverse races of Excaria.
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> It was during the Age of Myth that the great civilizations of ancient Humans, High-Elves, Dwarves, Shortfolk, and Feyed Eladrin firmly established themselves. Each culture held distinct explanations and myths regarding the creation of Anu and their own origins.
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> In broad terms, the Age of Myth unfolded as a relatively tranquil epoch, characterized by the vast wilderness between the five civilizations. These societies had the freedom to expand, experiencing a degree of isolation from one another. Only a few trade routes and occasional diplomatic missions traversed the untamed wilderness that lay between the islands of civilization.
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## The War of the Five (~10'000 BtS - ~9'000 BtS)

> The War of the Five was a cataclysmic conflict in Excaria involving the dwarves of Aul-Duroth'Tahr, the ancient pre-imperial Humans and High-Elves, the Feyed Eladrin, and the Shortfolk. Beginning 10,000 years prior to Stormfall, its origins are lost to history, but scholars believed it started with the theft of the Duroth'Zuhl, a legendary gemstone from the dwarven capital. The dwarves, considering it their most sacred artifact, launched a furious campaign, eventually leading to total war among the five major societies. Lasting nearly 1,000 years, the war saw atrocities and suffering on an unprecedented scale. The Duroth'Zuhl was never recovered, and the conflict, driven by its own magnitude, only ended when it birthed The Umbral Lords and ushered in The Endtimes.
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## The Classical Age (~5'000 BtS - 166 BtS)

> This is the era before Ferra was discovered by the Old Empire. During this time Ferra was controlled by various natives. Relatively little is known of this era.
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### 168 BtS

#### The Discovery of Ferra

The giant continent of Ferra was discovered by the imperial ship "Aeternum" after it was knocked off course during a battle with an enormous sea beast.

## The Era of Discovery and Settlement (166 BtS to 0 AtS)

> During this era the Old Empire discovered and settled Ferra. It is marked by conflict with the natives and rapid expansion and development of the colonies. Its end was marked by the sudden appearance of the Stormrift and Ferra's subsequent isolation.
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### 164 BtS

#### The first Imperial Colony on Ferra

The first imperial colony is founded with the future city being called "Pomariames".

#### First Contact with the Natives

During a expedition into the Suli Forests to survey it for future expansion, the survey team was attacked by native lizard-folk tribespeople. This marks the first contact imperial ever had with lizard-folk and the start of the War of Suli Extermination. This first hostile contact sets the president for almost every future interaction between the settlers and their descendants and the natives.

**150 BtS**

#### First Council of Pomariames

As the Old Empire's colonies on Ferra expanded, the need for cooperation among settlements grew. Empress Rarin Kaerat invited representatives from various colonies to assemble themselves. Meeting in the city of Pomariames, they formed the Colonial Council and asked the empress to send a governor. The First Council of Pomariames is generally though of as the founding of the Imperial Colonies as a unified entity.

## The Era of Decline (0 AtS to 204 AtS)

> Following the appearance of the Stormrift the last legitimate governor of the Imperial Colonies on Ferra took over as highest ruler. While he lead the colonies well, his decision to appoint his son as the next governor will prove catastrophic in the era of chaos.
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### 12 AtS

#### Second Council of Pomariames

When the Stormrift fell around Ferra, the imperials lost the connection to most of their gods. With rising desperation and new heresies and cults springing up to fill the vacuum, Governor Alanus Damian call for a grand council to be held in Pomariames. Many priests, mages, learned men and nobles were in attendance and they systematically reformed the Old Imperial Church into the New Imperial Church.

Old, unresponsive gods were said to have ascended to a even higher plane, beyond the mortal planes reach where as new gods were proclaimed to fill the vacancies. Furthermore, while the New Imperial Church maintained the Emperor of the Old Empire as their theoretical figure head, the governor took control in their absence.

### 60 AtS

#### Cult of the Shattered Sky

A mysterious cult arises all over the Imperial Colonies, believing that the Stormrift was a punishment brought upon by the gods for the empire's hubris. They preach the need for penance and self-sacrifice to appease the gods and restore divine peace. They sought to archive this by capturing non-believers and torturing them until they begged for death. Only then killing their victims.

Governor Alanus Damian sends military units into cities. Making sure that no soldier is stationed their own home city and orders a massive and brutal crack down on anyone suspected to be affiliated with the cult.

### 64 AtS

#### The Social Wars

Though the Cult of the Shattered Sky wasn't entirely crushed, as the cult dwindled in influence, many soldiers were allowed to return to their own cities. Often they found members of their family dead, having been accused during the crackdown. Many military units became so enraged at each other for such killings that they marched on each other without orders.

While the social wars didn't see many large scale battles, the imperial on imperial fighting resulted in massive losses of irreplaceable men, women and material and greatly undermined the central authority of Governor Alanus Damian. While the civilian populations largely escaped direct harm, the rebelling units often levied extra tax to fund themselves in their quest of retribution. None the less, a couple of towns and cities were captured and sacked.

The social wars generally aren't considered a civil war as none of the rebelling units declared their hostility against the central government. It was however the first time Imperial troops would fight each other on Ferra. The social wars lasted for just over 2 years, the rebelling units having depleted each other to such a point that the forces still following the orders of Governor Alanus Damian were able to disarm the last of the rebelling units without further bloodshed.

### 98 AtS

#### Emergence of Pirate Havens

With the ever proceeding decline of central authority, the Imperial Colonies mothballed their meager fleet in favor of their land forces. Many of the sailors who were about to be jobless and destitute decided to put to sea instead, founding the first pirate fleets on Ferra. While many remained relatively peaceful, seeking only to force Governor Alanus Damian to reenlist them, many others began plundering and extorting the coasts.

Some towns had such depleted garrisons that they were either captured or surrendered to the pirates, turning them into Pirate Havens.

### 196 AtS

#### The Death of Governor Alanus Damian

The last legitimate Governor Alanus Damian has died under suspicious circumstances. His son Auxilium Damian takes over as the new governor as per his father's wish.

## The Era of Chaos (204 AtS to 722 AtS)

> The rising dissatisfaction with Govenor Auxilium Damian has broken out into large scale civil unrest. In the north Redor Haystan is leading a confederacy of cities and small states against the governor. In the west, due to the absence of the legions, an all-out war between the states has broken out in an attempt to absorb their neighbors. There is a sense of despair and the old religion of the empire are adapted and overworked.
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### 204 AtS

#### Start of the War of Rectification

Governor Auxilium Damian issued the Auxillian Decrees, in an attempt to reign in the northern settlements on the Hylthian plains, which have acted quasi independently from the Imperial Colonies. Upon the rejection of the Decrees, Governor Auxilium Damian sent his legions, starting the War of Rectification.

### 220 AtS

#### Singing of the Lucerian Accords

Representatives of the seaside cities around the Conthian Bay enraged at the attempts of Governor Auxilium Damian to enforce a trade embargo against the newly formed Confederation of Haystan, met in the city of Luceria, declaring their independence from the Imperial Colonies and allying themselves to the Confederation of Haystan.

### 226 AtS

#### The Raunum Revolution

With the War of Rectification going badly and food supplies from the Hylthian plains no longer arriving in the Urban centers of the Flarian Plains, desperation, discontent and starvation caused great unrest within the people. Two noble Houses originating from Raunum, House Aurelia and House Revannaus rose in revolt against Governor Auxilium Damian. His legions deserting him and his last cities opening the gates and welcoming the noble rebels, he was captured, brought to Raunum and executed. With his death, the Imperial Colonies and the War of Rectification came to an end.

### 264 AtS

#### The Beastly Torment reaches its worst point

During the fall of the Imperial Colonies and the wars that followed them, many slaves, primarily what Old Imperial Culture considered Beast-Folk, escaped their captivity. They roamed the landscape as nomadic, raiding warbands. The local garrison was often either unable to face these warbands or were afraid that if they left their settlements, another warband would attack it in their absence. So the city folk and their local garrison would stay put in their walled settlements while the warbands raided and raised the surrounding villages.

This caused a great famine in the south of Ferra centred around the Flarian Plains and many of these original settlements in the south shrank considerably from the death and destruction caused during the Beastly Torment.

### 264 AtS

#### The end of the Beastly Torment

Throughout the Beastly Torment, local, provincial and national governments pushed to contain the crisis. At first large armies were marched across the land but this was both expensive and ineffective as the smaller more nimble warbands would just avoid the great armies. When the armies were split up to chase warbands down or corner them, the smaller sections suffered unsustainable losses against the by now quite experienced warbands.

Eventually, many villages were abandoned and consolidated into small forts. During planting and harvesting season, large groups of soldiers were called up to protect the villages. In some places priests or mages enchanted to crop to be resistant to fire or simply to conjure great storms and rain.

Eventually the warbands ran out of easily raidable villages and suffered considerable losses whenever they attacked the village forts or cities. Hungry and exhausted, the warbands fled through the Highlands Corridor into the Highlands. Here, some would settle while others became nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes. While the Beastly Torment came to an end, raids from the Highlands, while less frequent and severe, would never truly end and especially during times of crisis and war, the Beastfolk would flood into the lowlands again.

## The Era of Tranquillity (722 AtS to 1538 AtS)

> This era stands in stark contrast to the era of chaos. While wars and unrest still are a part of peoples lives they mainly happen on a smaller scale and are less extreme.
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### 1102 AtS

#### Skyfall

In the spring of 1102 AtS a massive meteoroid hit Ferra, breaking up into several pieces and landing in the north of the continent. The remnants of the meteoroid created the Skyfallen Isle and the Skyfallen Mountains. The sky was tinted a crimson red for several months and the harvest failed across Ferra as the Red Winter stopped most plants from growing.

### 1196 AtS

#### Founding of the Republic of Wailaia

The collection of towns and villages elected the most popular amongst themselves Gerjium Badejak to be Grand Minister, founding the Republic of Wailaia.

### 1226 AtS

#### Badian Independence

Due to a diplomatic blunder, Grand Prince Ulrik Fulke was forced to grant the city of Badenbach and the surrounding lands independence as the City-State of Badenbach to lift an embargo imposed on him by the Shimmerhand Association.

### 1359 AtS

#### The Burning of Maiengrub

By the year 1359 Maiengrub had grown into a important regional trade centre on the Taler-See. While busy, it was largely peaceful yet on a fateful evening many billows of smoke begin to raise over the city walls. The Lost Hill Kin, a local beast folk tribe descending from the Nordtaler-Bergen had attacked the city. While the walls and guard held for a while, the beast folks did breach multiple sections of the wall and much of the northside of the city was burned.

## The Era of Unrest (1538 AtS and beyond)

> The current era is plagued by unrest. It mirrors the beginnings of the era of chaos. Though if this tension and unrest erupts into actual chaos or if it will all blow over has yet to be seen.
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### 1550 AtS

(Start of the rifted universes campaign / Present Day)

#### The Birth of Emberot and start of the Emberot Crisis

In the spring of 1550 AtS, the great phoenix Emberot was born in the city of Zweiwig, resulting in the utter destruction of the city.