Regional Histories/Eydana

Although the nations of Searwenn trade frequently with Eydana, and the continent is one of the better documented of the Lands Beyond, there is still much that is shrouded in mystery, especially the many wonders mentioned in the Tales of the Snow Kingdom, with only rumors and legends pointing to their supposed existence. The stormy, unpredictable sea that separates Westrinia and Eydana makes travel difficult, and few large expeditions were made on either side until large ships, capable of crossing the Sea of Storms, were first made in the 13th century.

## Ages of Myth (before 4000 BCE)

There is almost no history, legendary or otherwise, of Eydana set during the Ages of Myth, as the Tales of the Snow Kingdom do not extend past 2800 BCE in Eydana, however, some of Draconia's legendary histories claim that Eydana (not directly mentioned) was the homeland of all dragons, who had an advanced civilization before a cataclysm of obscure background caused them to flee to Draconia.

## Age of Obscurity (4000 BCE-600 CE)

The Age of Obscurity in Eydana is so called because there is little verified information, and most information is legendary.

### Founding of Velinia (2800 BCE)

According to the Tales of the Snow Kingdom, the first city on Eydana, called Velinia (Old Eithonan: *Veliinstaad*), was founded around 2800 BCE by king Heyelnor of Torann, who was led to the continent by a surprise storm and a call of great fortune to be found, which included the Crystal of Rainbows. Despite several difficult winters, Velinia managed to thrive, and became the capital of the Kingdom of Eydana (Old Eithonan: *Kennireike Eyjdana*).

### Augustian expedition to Eydana (356-357 CE)

One of the few recorded journeys to Eydana was during the wave of invasions that followed the Augustian Succession War, when Marcus Raellius Celeno began sailing to Westrinia to aid the legions fighting there, but the difficulties of navigating through the unpredictable Westrinian seas resulted in Celeno's fleet drifting off course and going along the southern coast of Westrinia, eventually crossing the Sea of Storms that separated Westrinia and Eydana and docking near the city of Velinia in the summer of 356.

Celeno's Eydana expedition is the only non-legendary source for the Age of Obscurity, and the two books he wrote on it have survived to this day. According to Celeno, the culture of the *Velinii* (Eydanans) of the time was similar to that of fallen Eithona, with a language either closely related to Hrantasker or even a mere dialect of it. The *Velinii* lived in fortified settlements, like the people of Dachain, and built many shrines to major and minor deities in all of their settlements.

Some cities, such as Velinia and Euranum (Owtrais), with over 200,000 people, were as large as Elvon and Castrum Corvinum (modern Ravenfield), but most cities were considerably smaller, usually around 10,000 people, and the continent itself was relatively sparsely populated outside of the river banks and the coast. Smaller settlements were usually tightly clustered near resource deposits or fertile soil, and would sometimes end up merging into a quasi-city consisting of several interconnected towns and villages.

### Turmoil in Aehannis (480-496 CE)

Around 480 CE, eastern Eydana entered a period of high-level conflict, where the kingdoms of Velinia, Aehannis, Yentris, and several others warred against each other to claim the throne of Aehannis after king Calflain (d. c. 480) died without a valid heir. None of the states involved in the conflict managed to fully conquer the region, and the throne of Aehannis was taken by a local military leader, who would become king Erilbeir in 493 CE.

### The First Landing (496-498 CE)

In 496 CE, the kingdom of Aehannis, under its king Erilbeir (c. 460-522), formed an army to invade Westrinia. On 23 May 496, the first Eydanan soldiers landed near Tharwedow, sacking every town that attempted to resist, and even beating the Erienwenn army in combat at least twice. On 5 July 497, Erilbeir began sieging the city of Tharwedow, successfully breaking through the lightly guarded first line of defenses, but was repeatedly repulsed trying to assault the main wall, until 30 January 498 when Tharwedow unexpectedly surrendered, shortly before the Erienwenn army could arrive at the city. In the aftermath, Erilbeir became the duke of Tharwedow, and his army settled down in the city. It is presumed that Aehannis was conquered by one of its neighbors during the First Landing, or shortly after.

## Age of Harmony (600 CE-1246 CE)

The Age of Harmony in Eydana is called so because there are few (recorded) major conflicts during this period, and no other signs of considerable unrest.

## First Unified Period (1246-1370 CE)

### Invasion of Westrinia (1337-1345 CE)

After uniting nearly all of Eydana in the aftermath of the Second Baron's War, emperor Galendeil began planning a massive invasion of Westrinia, aiming to take not just part of a kingdom, as king Erilbeir did around 800 years earlier, but the entire continent. If successful, Galendeil would likely exceed even the legendary king Heyelnor in the glory and fame that the invasion would bring.

To invade Westrinia, Galendeil assembled the largest oceanic invasion force in recorded history - 257,000 infantry, 33,000 cavalry and at least 1,100 pieces of artillery

## Notes

1. ↑ Older research suggested Velinia, but this theory is now disproven
2. ↑ The size of Erilbeir's army is disputed as sources are scarce for this period, but reasonable estimates put it at 35,000, somewhat smaller than the Tharwedow army.
3. ↑ The Elvonin naval landings during the Dacanian War in Seki were larger at 610,000 soldiers, but are not considered an oceanic invasion as the soldiers were transported across the Avakhor, a semi-enclosed sea.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tales of the Snow Kingdom, Book VIII (778 CE), translation 1911, Halwich Publishing Group
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lands of the Furthest West (*Terrae Occidentales Ultimae*), Gnaeus Tustulus, translation 1890
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Erienwenn Chronicles, Book 4, translation 1849
4. ↑ Westrinian Annals, 370-751 CE, translation 1861
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Emperor Galendeil's Wars in Westrinia, Breinoch mac Venthuil, translation 1879