Sixteen Dancers

The **Sixteen Dancers** were several goddesses from Gauvajut and Vozonid mythology, chosen by the heavens to represent a specific era of ancient history.

## 1: Surinejas

See also: Celestial Age, First Age

A woman who was a famous dancer. She helped the Zarandim Wheelbringers introduce their technologies to the then-primitive Assuwelli, making way for them to become a powerful kingdom.

In the early part of her age, humanity first appeared on Jerde. By that time, the Celestial Empire was undergoing decline as it started to lose its magical powers.

In the later part of this age, iron was discovered by the peoples of Randros, Marnoxai, Rannar, and Prisapura.

The ancestors of the Tchukorjans and another tribe arrived to Darros from the north or west forty years before the Aksiparce Migration reached there.

The Aksiparce Migration took place during that age, when a huge number of people crossed the frozen northern continent and became the ancestors of the Tuksharans and Slavs. The first man who died during the migration became a guardian spirit, Djed Moroz.

During her age, the Eimaranda Empire was defeated by the Anevondirs, who were later thrown into chaos.

## 2: Winjari

See also: Second Age

A princess of the Kingdom of Assuwas, during the locust armies' destruction of her country.

During her lifetime, storms appeared outside Jerde's star system, cutting off contact between it and the rest of the Galaxy.

Iozae was settled for the first time, evolving from tribal chiefdoms into confederations of kings. A great war caused hundreds of clans to depart to the seas in great fleets. These seafarers became the ancestors of all Wonao peoples.

### Birth of the Slavs

The first Slavic civilisation, Oruz, emerged at southwestern Darros, where its people built stone circles for their gods. They also influenced their northerly tribal kin in the cold land of Darros, who adopted their civilisation.

Some time later, Naevana arose from the primitive Slavic tribes far north from Oruz. They were visited by Madaenan merchants, who taught them their arts and writing. From it, the birch bark syllabary was created from Madaenan cuneiform. The usage of cuneiform also spread south to Oruz and the Slavic and Tchukorjan tribes in the east, allowing their oldest known places and people to be remembered.

## 3: Lūrisa

A scholar who became a warrior, defeated the tyrannical Emperor Werannas of Jaupata. During her time, the Dwersonian islanders began their seafaring expeditions to trade with and explore distant lands, including her country.

Shipwrecks of trading ships that bore chests of spinels have created wall-like islands of spinel that hampered communication between Palkyras and other continents. The few aliens that managed to get past the storms surrounding Jerde's solar system returned with reports that the planet appeared to "bleed": they left reports describing the planet as "a portal to Hell".

According to legend, an arrogant noble threw a jasper gem into a crack on his way to his mansion in what is now northeastern Rabydos. Weeks later, he found that a new mountain chain of orange rock tore across the earth and brought his mansion above, and he fell to his death: he supposedly created the Jasper Mountains of northern Rabydos.

During this age, the ancestors of Tebwe in western Randros have discovered iron.

### Randros

During the early years of the Third Age, the Alodaar (Olendaraz) civilisation thrived along the northwestern shores of Randros. They were taller than the average human, and they left behind ruined castles along the crags. Six kings known among them included Alrikor, Arnovakor, Meeroljot (who were at war against each other), Haari, Odallaug, and Sigedago.

### Darros

In Darros, the eastern cities were united under Emperor Vladimaer I Sventoslav, who founded his own version of Rodnovery (Slavonian religion) supposedly inspired by visions from the gods. That polytheistic faith is later known as the Zoltakruga, the "Golden Circle"; or by the rest of the world as Sventokrugism or Zoltokrugism. West of it, new kingdoms emerged from people related to the Darroskei, yet influenced by the two hubs of Naevana and Oruz. Among them were the ancestors of Baniorel, Plaeskovia, and the Forest Slavs.

Plaeskovia's first city was Irboris. 300 years later, its people adapted an ancient tribal council in place of a king who was slain in battle, creating the first republican government among Jerde's Slavic civilisations. The High Posadnik, or president, was the chief among all the other posadniki (governors) who were elected by all adult male members of society, possibly influencing Sevraeja to also adopt its own form of democracy due to how efficient it was.

The Zoltokrugist religion was corrupted by evil kings and leaders, who murdered many people as sacrifices to stay in power. Notoriously, they ruled over Pogimmel in the south, demanding a yearly tribute of women to be murdered for their gods. The Pogimmellians rose up in rebellion, claiming that the same gods of Darros spoke to them that they rejected the sacrifices. In the same rebellion, the Pogimmellians also claimed and cursed that the souls of all those murdered as sacrifices will be raised as goddesses. The goddesses were believed to be responsible for cursing Darros with many storms, that killed their murderers and sent them into the Underworld.

### Rannar

Ruðvarðr established a code of laws for the Kingdom of Vandra (Rannar).

### Siangwaan

The land of Siangwaan was ruled by Tulakon the Cruel, a king who hunted his people down like animals to drink their blood. He was opposed by Naranerik, a scholar.

### Resovjant (Bujan)

From the ancient peoples that populated Bujan and other islands, the Wonaos established the first tribes, and then kingdoms. Daizhouvian merchants, sailors, and pirates introduced various technologies, from plate armour and bronze to horse riding. Some of those nations were Resovjant and Makkadal, although they were not unified yet.

Resovjant was stricken by an unusually-harsh winter that led to starvation, turning the stable petty kingdoms and chiefs within against each other. Cannibalism, murder, and human sacrifices were widespread, allowing tyrants from the western islands to dominate Resovjant.

King Motakol unified the island of Resovjant, later Bujan, ending the cannibalism and human sacrifices that were widespread before his reign. He also established the Krudaka Code to guide his people, and an elective monarchy that continued into modern times. But later in his reign, he and his people suffered from panic attacks, traumatised by the carnage they witnessed years ago.

Several people wandered all over Resovjant to help the kingdom heal from their pain, and only after Motakol's son swore never to allow the abominations before his reign to be practiced again, he finally found peace and died. The next king of Resovjant followed his people as they use Motakol's laws to create a fair and just society, in honour of their unifier's love for them.

South of him, the island of Makkadal was settled by other Wonaos, who set up their own kingdoms. Their language and Motakol's Wonaos were among the earliest-attested Wonao languages in history.

50 years after Motakol's son became king, the Wonaos discovered that mangrove trees use sediment to gather more land. They started planting mangrove forests to expand farmland south of Bujan. The first man to practice this was Paisolan, hailed as a folk hero.

Some time after Motakol's reign, the first cats were introduced to Resovjant. They became two breeds, the pale Saeumo and the black Larusaeu of river villages. Later, the first cherry seeds were introduced to Resovjant. According to legend, the earliest seeds were blown to western Resovjant by a tornado, while historical records attested the first seeds and samples being a gift from a Daizhouvian merchant.

## 4: Areltas

An empress of the Warannas Empire who dealt with the seafaring nations of the east. An ice age occurred many years after her life.

The first reported cases of vampirism were found to the northeast of Zarijana and western Darros. The first known vampire in the world was Oktoponto, a murderer who was banished to a cave to starve.

These vampire chiefdoms became into cannibalistic savages. The Oruzii built a great wall to keep the vampires out, lined with shields to reflect the sun's rays to burn the vampires from their siege rams. Each shield has a sun emblem for Daiashbagaz, the sun god.

King Oruzla, ruler of Oruz, later led an expedition of surviving Sevraejans to destroy the vampires and liberate their homeland. They were aided by a man whose entire tribe was cured of vampirism and a farmer who accidentally discovered the cure. While some of the Sevraejan knights stayed behind the look after Oruzla's wall, the knight who was freed from vampirism fell in love with the farmer woman.

One tribe migrated from southern Tchukorja to the isthmus between North and South Darros, where they founded stone settlements and began farming the plants in the jungles. The tribe noticed that they wandered too far to the south as they tried to follow the Sun, and they began worshipping the Sun, building pyramids and step mounds as their temples. Its already large numbers multiplied and became into the Tirri people.

In the year 604 of the calendar of Jonulha (the oldest of the Tirri calendars), they first met the Slavic peoples of the north, who were simply known as "Northerners" or "Silvelheng-lhir". Both of them began trading with each other. Both races began learning each other's architecture, stage acting, and agriculture; specifically, the Slavics taught the Tirrians how to forge metal alloys and build ships, and the Tirrians taught the Slavics how to grow tropical crops and control large reptiles.

However, the southern kingdoms were the only Slavic nations to use the reptiles, while the northerners saw them as dangerous and avoided them.

The Kingdom of Madaena, ancestors of the Zarijanians who lived north of Zarandu, encountered the Otjaezva and taught them many forms of technology, from architecture to mathematics. In fact, one of the three writing scrips used in Sevraeja was originally from Madaenan cuneiform.

## 5: Mirunas

An empress of the Alerzane Empire, whom under her reign her armies expanded its borders.

The Tirri people of the isthmus became into several kingdoms, and the oldest of its well-known stone pyramids are being constructed during that time. They begin developing a system of astronomy after noticing that the stars in ancient oral legends were *very* different from the very ones seen above their homes, being the same as those in the Northerners' star maps.

Later, the Canals of Lhiarong'lul were built to connect the two oceans between Darros, allowing farmers, fishermen, and sailors to easily navigate without leaving and switching ships after days, if not weeks, of travel through a network of inns and carriages borne by reptiles.

Several aliens managed to get past the storms and raid Freyrgard's people as livestock: instead, the captured humans multiplied into a ferocious horde.

Sevraeja's western cities became havens for Norse who sailed around the arctic ocean for a new home, resulting in a trend for adopting Norse art.

King Sōvijus ruled Marnoxai during that era.

## 6: Sanzatti

A handmaiden who became into an artist.

During her time, the Ice-Lords' invasion of the Nordrisk Kingdoms in the further north were repelled and defeated. The Murawo Empire also existed during that era, slaughtering and enslaving thousands to force them to worship their emperor.

It was during this age when the tributary state of Runchino broke away from Kunebian domination, and formed its own civilisation at eastern Rifandi. They later became the ancestors of the powerful realm of Kikori.

Makkadal was unified into a single kingdom through the Treaty of the Six Princes. It became part of a triple alliance with Resovjant and Ohon.

## 7: Minderetti

A cook in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Haspūna, whose apprentice Rasmezeja continued her work. During her time, Haspūna traded with the Asshurun Empire to the east, and the Tukshara and Daizhou of the further east had just discovered gunpowder.

On a dry summer night, a meteor storm struck the steppes, leaving behind great piles of stone "as tall as lonely, barren hills". One local king, Hlebri Ilsevich of Perjaslavets, saw this as an answer to his prayers for more bricks, as no one was killed or injured by the falling hills. This led to hundreds of mountain-cities seen all over Rukania and nearby lands, possibly the first Burrow-cities in the world.

Later, the Sevraejans discovered their own uses for the gunpowder deposits in their lands, inventing a sort of flamethrower and fireworks that were adopted by other Slavs and the Zarijanians. This was also when the Zarijanians developed a gun-platform shield that was also adopted by the Sevraejans, who shared a somewhat similar culture.

During the latter part of her age, hundreds of years after her death, human civilisations battled enclaves and hordes of vampires. Five notorious vampire civilisations include Maaros (southern Darros and southeast Randros), Lemiars (southern Vilon, later the Vichelthos who worshipped a solar god of the underworld), Vethalcha (east of Prisapura and Mandala), the Hrangids (scattered from western Paltirion to south of Rabydos in the ice wastes) and the Tyrants of Aurilak (Bivos).

The Maaros vampires were not as successful as those before them from the north, as the Sevraejans and their allies used their gunpowder weaponry to burn them. The spread of gunpowder aided other human nations in defeating the once-powerful vampire hordes.

In eastern Rifandi, the enemies of the vampires rallied at Pangara and Maukega, where they devised methods to defeat and kill the vampiric hordes. After finding strange black dust that scorched the vampires when burned, one sailor went east to Zarijana, where he was taught to build weapons using gunpowder. His fight against the vampires who tried to stop him along the way became a legend all over eastern Rifandi. That humble sailor, who also led an army of musketeers to defeat the vampires, was honoured like a king for saving his people.

## 8: Sarewanti

See also: Eighth Age

A court dancer of the Kingdom of Hadanto, during an ice age that occurred long after the stocky Aspuruk aliens of the south were defeated by Bannar of the North. Some records claim that she was one of Bannar's consorts.

During her age, the warrior Bannar led an army against the Aspuruks, who were known as the "Ettin-Lords" for their two heads. He was considered to be a descendant of the bright god Baldr, and he even used a sacred blade to quickly slay the Aspuruks' beasts and ruler. For his deeds, certain locals venerated Baldr as their patron deity, seeking to become heroes like Bannar.

The Aspuruks once attempted to set up a base at present-day Pyranika and Budino, north of Marnos. Bannar led his armies against their six fortresses, leading to so much strange, alien treasures being plundered. Later on, they were given away to the Ecumene, although unfortunately many of these treasures were destroyed for their lethal properties.

Only several far-flung nations were spared from the ruin of the Aspuruks. From northerly Luskara and the many kingdoms and republics southwards, to distant Rasumotu, these countries were of little interest to the Aspuruks, except for small raids that were mostly unsuccessful, defeated and plundered by the locals.

One Aspuruk fleet that settled on Ida, present-day Bujan, was wholly defeated when a local king and his raiding parties slaughtered most of the soldiers. They were able to overpower the aliens using their toughened steel, which was found to be tougher than the aliens' armour and doors. The information gathered from the surviving prisoners, who became the king's scribes, was shared to the Ecumene, which led to better designs for their adapted Aspuruk technology.

After they defeated the Aspuruks, several civilisations utilised their technology while the rest of the world destroyed the Aspuruks' machinery out of fear of being poisoned or mutated. These civilisations -- Tukshara, Daizhou, Yawanda (later Kikori), Dashadesha, and Darros -- formed an alliance known as "the Ecumene" to protect the planet from alien invasions and prevent other people from acquiring their technology and destroying the planet. The Ecumene also sent expeditions to contact the other two human races in space, the Freyrgardians and the Londurilli. While both civilisations sent their own fleets to contact the peoples of Jerde, many Jerdiskar angrily rejected their delegations, preferring to be left alone. However, some nations slowly adopted Ecumene technology to ensure a better life for their peoples, or simply to explore the Galaxy.

Rukania was divided into several kingdoms and realms. Among them were the Republic of Vyzbori in the middle, the mighty Kingdom of Tyarvo Giantslayer in the north, and the more well-known Kingdom of Roriz at the south. Roriz's capital, the seaport of Bilborodaz with its thousands of bazaars, was well-known in ancient and classical records across various civilisations, including the Gauvajuts and their Vozonid successors ages later. Its name became used for the entire Darroskei continent!

## 9: Eskewekues

A court poet in the city of Kardaraš of the Nepnariš Kingdom. During her lifetime, many civilisations that once tried to master the technology stolen from the Aspuruk became more barbaric and primitive, except for the Tukshara, Daihan, Darroskei, half of Rifandi and Randros, and other far eastern nations who remained technologically-advanced.

A certain gothi from Rannar, Arnerik Bannarson, became well-known as an explorer after his attempts to retrace Bannar's southward march instead made him circumnavigate and record many parts of the world. Before he returned to his homeland, he left copies of his maps at Vachelon, which were used by sailors and traders to navigate across other countries.

## 10: Naikazette

A concubine of Emperor Kampajaras of Pirenawas during his decadent rule. To save her family from Walchol raiders from the west, she became a warrior and secretly escaped the palace.

For 46 years, Kikori was ruled by three tyrannical kings who raided nearby lands and enslaved the locals. The last of these tyrants was defeated and slain by one of his slaves.

During the Tenth Age, two alien fleets fought over the jungles of Porashon. Their wreckage left behind a vast deposit of gold and minerals that was buried in the mountains over the next millennia - though the Kekhaulid tribes and the occasional Gauvajut managed to mine the gold and minerals, leading to greater riches and opulence. The deposits were capable of growing in ever-stretching veins, fed by water and sunlight.

## 11: Werimella

Naikazette's descendant. A warrior who fought for the Harawanes Kingdom.

This age was notorious for its religious wars, where some of its empires resorted to killing hundreds and thousands as sacrifices to their gods. These wars are known in later history as the Gnifstred Wars, after the knives used by many civilisations to kill their prisoners. These empires were later defeated by the "Lifesaver Coalition", which included some nations that refused to kill people as sacrifices. In spite of initial disagreements, the Ecumene, twelve Freyrgardian empires, and the Londurilli Empire had to intervene by sending fleets to stop the other nations from exterminating humanity.

As a result of many robbers and fraudsters running rampant in Harawanes, fraud and scamming became unforgivable sins to the Gauvajuts' religion. Suspected fraudsters were either executed if investigations confirmed their involvement, or they were simply killed. Most of the robbers and fraudsters who were active in those times were slaughtered by the fanatical Harawanes people.

Initially, another law called for executing family members fed by fraudsters, but after three massacres, the law was changed to only punish families who were supportive of the fraudster. Relatives who turned fraudsters over or repaid the exact amount stolen by fraudsters were spared and forgiven, or even allowed to kill the fraudster.

## 12: Airineja

A Queen of Takusta. She lived during the ice age that occurred long after the Great Night.

Before her age, the Great Night occurred when frequent volcanic eruptions covered the skies and froze the world. Encouraged by the social unrest that quickly spread throughout the world, hordes of vampires emerged from cave networks to feast on thousands of humans. The most powerful of these vampire nations include Maarinda of southern Darros, the nomadic Harmils of Palkyras, the Vechaal-Pathals beneath Mandala, and the Lemarrinth of Vilon: all of them not only sought to enslave humanity again, but also to exterminate each other. A great war ensured between the vampires against the surviving humans and their Ecumene allies, ending with the near-extermination of all known vampire tribes.

While humanity battled the vampires, a fleet of Celestials landed in modern-day Siangwaan and built fortresses. Before they were able to successfully summon more armies to conquer the continent, several legions of aborigines defeated them and sabotaged their portals. The warriors' leaders, Matukurudak, Koendokmol, and Miirondal, had nothing but steel swords, spears, and armour. The Celestials would had instantly burned the mortal armies, but their arrogance allowed the human hosts to infiltrate into their fortresses.

## 13: Rānawijas

An Empress of Pahhuwašila.

More religious wars, between worshippers of Perjania, Thermulki, Malkotro, and three atheist empires who sought to exterminate religious beliefs. One of these atheist states, the Kingdom of Bercheandri, sought to mutate its own people into a cybernetic form using technology purchased from the Ecumene. Angered by the abuse of their technology, the Ecumene's members stopped giving their technology to the rest of Jerde, forcing the ruined nations to rebuild from scratch or abandon their god-machines when they ran out of fuel.

Horrified by the devastating technology used during the religious wars, the other peoples of Jerde became more backwards. They restricted firearms to gunpowder and cannons and dismantled the few electric grids that remained, but they still continued to build sufficient water plumbing systems.

## 14: Sashawija

She and her husband Wajurimmūwas founded the Kawwajuta (Gauvajut) Kingdom, while later became into a long-lasting civilisation.

The former capitals of the Kawwajuta Kingdom were Khattusas, followed by Samuhha and Kajalpinar.

During her time, some flying cities of Tukshara reached Vachelon in the west.

During that time, Tamatura (then known as Khünnü) was a mighty empire at eastern Esami, from the frozen seas of the north to the northern edge of Pju-geba and Trungda (Sai La). Those two southerly nations repelled Khünnü's advances by fighting together. It was founded by the warlord and emperor Demüdj Tüge Khagan, whose four successors held his realm in an iron grip before his incompetent fifth descendant lost much of his empire to his three brothers.

## 15A: Nenarezzi

A warrior of the Kaweijuta Dynasty who was also Emperor Arnuwanz' wife, while he was fighting Pharaoh Smenkhaten's armies to the north. She was considered as the Fifteenth Dancer according to the Gauvajuts.

## 15B: Hēlenni

Around a thousand and a half years after the fateful Battle of Kerinesh, she was a Queen of Ispartis who was abducted by Prince Parisannas to his city of Tuwilas in the southwest, triggering the disastrous Tuwilas War. Her cunning and poetry earned her a place among the Sixteen Dancers (against Nenarezzi) according to some foreign countries.

During this age, the Ecumene was disbanded as its members were less cooperative. The Tuksharan Empire waged war against the Wonao kingdoms of the east, until they defeated the colonial rulers. Later, Pinoguni was torn by a civil war, causing thousands of migrants to settle in the rebuilt kingdoms as craftsmen and merchants.

## 16: Ratāri

See also: Sixteenth Age, Sixteenth Age timeline

A Queen of Kawwajutas who expanded her empire's territory. Many years after her death, the Gauvajut Empire was involved with four wars against successive rivals in the east, before being conquered by the Zonunja barbarians.

The Kingdom of Mendir in northwestern Rannar has applied gunpowder in its army's weaponry, and the neighbouring Kingdom of Var to the southwest used a species of slug to power its airships. While Kawwajutas fought against the Ardeschen Empire to the east, both Nordic kingdoms worked together to push back the Tuksharan Empire from their continent.

The age lasted for 10,010 years.

## See also

* Celestials
* Galactic Empires, for corresponding events in galactic history
* Twelve Goddesses of the Months