Dark Ages

Map of the world during the Dark Ages.

The Dark Ages were a period in the history of Dimension S-2012 lasting from 100 AA to 250 AA. The term 'dark ages' originated in the Early Modern Era and refers to the lack of knowledge about this period in history, in contrast with New Sisanctum at the height of its power. More recently, as the accomplishments of the era came to be better understood by historians, the Dark Ages are no longer regarded as a transitional period between the New Sisanctan Era and the Early Modern Era, but have come to view the period as the foundations for the industrial and scientific revolutions which occurred during the Early Modern Era.

## History

After the fall of New Sisanctum in 100 AA, the global population dwindled for several decades, preventing large empires from forming and causing a mass migration to the north. The discovery of carrots and potatoes as nutritious crops eventually kickstarted an agricultural revolution, resulting in a population explosion. By the late 2nd century AA, global population numbers had surpassed its previous record size, at the height of the New Sisanctan era. As a result, several large population centers began organizing into empires, projecting their strength to claim larger territories and to spread their culture. One of these empires was an underground civilization in the south called Hu Hé Lóng. Its capital was an underground city filled with beautiful pagodas. However, it also held control over several other areas, such as a harbor on its southern border and a desert town on its northern coastline. Hu Hé Lóng's territory was surrounded by a Great wall. In the north, across the ocean from Hu Hé Lóng, descendants from New Sisanctum founded the Merchant Republic of Columbia. To the west, the Kingdom of Kevin controlled a vast forest and its resources. The last major empire from this period was the Bokalian Empire, primarily centered around a large glass monument on top of a mountain. They were located north of Columbia.

At first, these nations were relatively isolationist, but relatively quickly, their influence reached each other's borders and tensions rose. In 207 AA, the Bokalian Empire and Hu Hé Lóng signed the Treaty of Hu Hé Lóng, a defensive alliance aimed against the Kingdom of Kevin and the Merchant Republic. In response, the latter two signed a secret defensive alliance of their own in 208 AA. Both alliances began building up their military, both in terms of offensive and defensive capabilities. The Bokalian Empire, inspired by historical sources talking about New Sisanctum's diamond walls, began constructing its own diamond wall along the southern border with Columbia and the Kingdom of Kevin. Both Hu Hé Lóng and Columbia began lining their coastline with increasingly strong TNT-cannons, capable of launching explosives all the way across the ocean. But these nations were not only competing on the military field, as fierce scientific debates such as the Gravity Debate also errupted. As a result, scientific knowledge advanced tremendously during this era in comparison to the relatively peaceful century under New Sisanctum's hegemony. Dark Age inventions would lay the groundwork for the Industrial Revolution of the Early Modern Era.

Culturally, the competition between these nations also led to a extraordinary amount of literature, architecture and music. For Hu Hé Lóng, literature and philosophy were a way to establish a national identity distinct from their enemies in the north. Columbian architects experimented with unusually tall buildings and their knowledge would allow USA to eventually build skyscrapers. Several famous classic works of music originate from the Bokalian Empire and are still popular throughout the world.

Unfortunately, the state of cold war was not sustainable and war eventually broke out between the two alliances. From 210 AA to 250 AA, the Dark Age nations were involved in several wars which eventually led to their downfall and almost complete disappearance. The large arrays of TNT-batteries on the coastlines of Hu Hé Lóng and Columbia took each other out relatively early, and caused a large degree of destruction in both nations. Meanwhile, a silverfish plague swept through the Kingdom of Kevin, destroying major infrastructure and fortifications. By 250 AA, nothing remained of the four empires which had waged war for almost 40 years. Despite attempts to establish a global court of arbitration to resolve tensions, war, famine and plague had once again reduced the global population and caused another wave of migration back towards the south.

The Dark Age nations would live on in several successor states. Hu Hé Lóng fell apart due to a civil war. The capital was destroyed and its territory divided between various warlords. These warlords would eventually be united once again by the Six Banners under the Kung Dynasty in the 8th century. Survivors from Columbia would settle Ingen City and USA, providing both with the necessary knowledge and craftsmanship to build towering skyscrapers.

## Historical Sources

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The Treaty of Hu Hé Lóng

The signatory hereby swears on his life that he will never ever betray other signatories of this treaty.

Cooperation between the different empires is important
to defeat those [REDACTED]-Americans.

Signed:

SibCDC
cedric[REDACTED]
relis6075

 Translation | * Page 1