Phaedros

Phaedros

**Phaedros overview**

The name "Phaedros" was pioneered by an ancient, "Keraunos The Mad" in his widely distributed book "The World and All Its Divine Mysteries"

It consistents of two continents, the northern one is largely dominated by the Imperium of Elysia. To the north lies the savage barbaric kingdom of Nordagard. Its people are barely above their savage tribal neighbors but have a series of agreements with Elysia which deflect Nordic raiders to the warmer southern kingdoms. At its far western end lies one of the fragments of old Aquitania, North Aquitania. The Tethys sea seperates the continents.

The Southern continent is a cosmopolitan land. Many kingdoms and tribes dot the region as well as Greek or Hellenic colonial states founded during the aftermath of the Fall. The northern parts of the continent are lush and verdant while in the south the Ansar Wastes dominate the center of the Continent. To the west the great Skaven Peaks tower over the coastline.

Phaedros Timeline as recorded by Elysian magistrates.

* -1000 Greek and Aquitanian ancestors settle their homelands warring with local native tribes.
* -975 The Empire of Ansar arises and conquers most of the southern continent with her near Endless Legions.
* -939 The Golden Company led by Atenra subdues the Aquitanian tribes and starts to civilize them.
* -900 Greek ancestors save the "Phoenix Claw" crew from starvation. As a reward the Ansari Empress Nefera sends engineers, priests and various other artisans to the Greek lands civilizing them as well. Empress Nefera was recorded as being a benevolent Empress. She sought to spread the light of civilization to the corners of the world and built many great public works.
* -870 According to ancient Ansari records the first mention of odd hairy men appear in the Great Western Peaks.
* -850 The first great blot happens in the far north. The smoke can be seen for miles as ancient Nords sacrifice countless people to the gods.
* -840 An incursion by these hairy men strikes into Ansari lands. After a few battles, the Ansari Legions banish them back to the mountains. Within a few years however, these Ratmen again strike out.
* -825 Ansar Emperor Khafre the Tyrant re-orders the Ansari realm and launches a brutal war against the Ratmen furthering pushing them back.
* -802 A Ratman assassin kills Emperor Khafre. Emperor Kamose the Good takes control from Khafre's dynasty and re-orders the state. Khafre's sons plot rebellion.
* -800 First Ansari civil war occurs. Meanwhile at the edges of the empire many small vassals and tributaries start to break free. After years of fighting Kamose is victorious.
* -778 Kamose dies which leads to the Second Ansari civil war. His son Merkare controls only the region around the Ansar capital as the Empire fragments into various large provinces.
* -738 Emperor Si-Tayet the Glorious brieftly reunites Ansar, proving to be the last great Ansari king. Seeing that the realm would break upon his death he sent his family north to live with the greeks (which leads to many greeks including the royal house of Psareas to claim descent from him). After his death in 703 Ansar fully fragments.
* -700 The first kings of Aquitania and the Elysia strike out and start to subdue local regions.
* -675 Marneus Aquitanius turns Aquitania from a minor power into a regional power.
* -665 The Great Heathen Army roars down from the north brieftly occupying Konstantinoupolis. King Archelaus skull is used as a cup by Great Jarl Bjorn "Greekslayer"
* -660 Local Noble Stavrakios rallies the Greeks and ousts the Great Jarl burning him at the stake atop the ruins of Konstantinoupolis.
* -655 Stavrakios the restorer pushes the Nords back into the frozen wastes and continues expanding outwards.
* -620 Aquitanians enter the lands of Sionnachia, led by Legate Valerian they subdue the region after a brutal war.
* -610 Octavian Aquitanius begins his rule which sees Aquitania reach her pinnacle of power
* -550 Aquitania and Elysia first contact each other, trade and diplomacy flow from nation to nation.
* -530 Octavian dies.
* -500 The time of troubles begin in Aquitania, The Northern and eastern courts start to openly feud causing infighting to weaken the realm. Dahae and Keltoi tribesmen raid the frontiers causing more problems. Meanwhile Ratman raiders start attacking from the Great Skaven Mountains.
* -484 Great Jarl Ragnar reunifies the Nords and smashes three Elysian armies causing Emperor Anthimos to pay tribute to the Nords.
* -482 Great Jarl Ragnar's longships start to rampage across the known world, no shore is safe from the rampaging nords.
* -479 The Ancient Aquitanian capital falls to Great Jarl Ragnar who burns the city down and salts the ruins, many thralls are taken north back to Nordagard.
* -460 Great Jarl Ragnar passes away with his sons inheriting various parts of his realm. One of his sons Anton is believed to of landed in the new world and disappeared. Nordic legends insist that one day Anton will sail back from the west and the world will tremble.
* -450 A marriage between Aquitania and Elysia brieftly unites the realms.
* -448 A jealous East Aquitanian Noble sets up a feast with the Emperor and Empress of the combined realms. During this feast his assassins strike killing both of them throwing the world into chaos.
* -440 Sons of Ragnar rampage across Elsyia devastating the land, meanwhile Ansari Tribesmen alongside other various tribesmen rampage into Aquitania as the Northern and Eastern courts fight one another.
* -430 Aquitanian General Lucius Sempronius rallies the Aquitanian armies and destroys a combined barbarian army. He is immediately proclaimed Emperor.
* -419 Lucius Sempronius passes away, upon his death the Northern and Eastern courts resume their feud
* -414 The border defenses completely fall, the Aquitanian Empire completely crumbles.
* -412 Ragnars descendants are finally pushed out of Elysia but the Empire is in tatters and partially fragments.
* -411 The Dark Age of Phaedros begins
* -400 Unnamed Ratman leaders brieftly have hegemony over a fair part of the southern continent before falling to infighting within a few years.
* -375 Large groups of Greeks start to migrate to the southern continent starting the early history of the new realms.
* -333 Emperor Theodore brieftly restores Elysia to some form of strength. He defeats Great Jarl Harald "Thornbreeches" in a fierce two day battle.
* -302 Emperor Theodore dies and within ten years Elysia is split into warring sub-realms.
* -290 Many scholars and scientists flee Konstantinoupolis due to the constant turmoil and immigrate to the various Greek cities in exile.
* -275 The Great Awakening starts to stir in the south. New Technologies and thoughts start to spread
* -272 Gunpowder is invented in the workshops of Grekia far in the south.
* -200 Gunpowder weaponry spreads around the world, Elysian Emperor Skleros reforms the military and starts to reunify the Greeks of the North.
* -196 Emperor Skleros defeats Duke Bardas in the battle of Pelagion reuniting roughly half of ancient Elysia. He is now titled Skleros the Restorer.
* -187 Karl becomes the Jarl of Nordagard.
* -179 The Veliko house of Bulgaria conquers the Volghar tribe nominally uniting Veliko Bulgaria for the first time in history.
* -177 Jarl Karl starts the process of freeing Nordagard from the Jarldom of Daneland. He reforms the spearwall shot tactics into more firepower based formations causing his armies to annihilate the Danelanders.
* -174 Nordagard is finally united and free. Jarl Karl gets on his ship "Wrath of Odin" and sails completely around the Northern and Southern Continents taking care to spit on the ground of each new nation and land he visisted.
* -170 The first sightings of the ratmen appear in the western mountains for the first time in two centuries.
* -169 Emperor Skleros passes away.
* -165 King Jan organizes the realm of Rheasa.
* -150 Emperor Gorgidas sends out emisarries to the various Greek colonial states in an attempt to unite the Greek diaspora realms.
* -145 Disgruntled Greek Noble Psareas claiming descent from the ancient Ansari Sultan heads south claiming the colony of Kalamata and reorganizes the state. He founds a militarized state and eventually goes on to command the strongest host in the known world.
* -128 Karl Jarl dies at age 82 wrestling a Polar Bear.
* -110 Trader coalitions form in a series of southern states resulting in the forming of Free Industry, Pyrostinisan and Nova Hellenica.
* -94 The revived Aquitanian states of North and East Aquitania beging feuding once more.
* -89 Ships from a distant realm known as Padelia arrive bearing gifts.
* -82 Padelia returns once this time establishing a large military base on what would become the city of Kotyaion, the future capital of Kaltavos.
* -78 Veliko Bulgarians attack the Padelians, after scoring a few early victories the Padelians annihilate the Veliko army and crucify most of the prisoners.
* -75 The grand Southern Expedition is launched, many southern states are subjugated by the Padelians, the Ratmen flee underground.
* -69 Jarl Canute launches a sudden assault on the Padelian realm burning many cities, however the Padelian revenge was swift. Many Nordic cities are burned in response and for a time the Nords flee inland avoiding their wrath.
* -67 The Padelians arrive in Elysia proper and demand submission. Emperor Gavras issues the famous statement "No"
* -64 After years of preparation the great invasion of Elysia occurs. After a fierce series of battles the Padelians are defeated.
* -59 The Padelians land once more and defeat Gavras in a series of battles along the western coast of Elysia, half of Elysia falls to the Padelians.
* -54 The Padelian conquest continues, all but Konstantinoupolis falls to them.
* -53 The Great Siege begins, As a cruel joke the Padelian Commander orders the various subjugated peoples to attack in the first wave. As they advance on the wall one of the commanders "Manuel Estarkes" stops in his tracks and turns his regiments around. Suddenly the other subjugated divisions halt and turn to fire on the Padelians. Elysian defenders sally out and the Padelian army is crushed.
* -52 Reclamation wars begin.
* -49 Elysia is reclaimed and the nordic coasts are cleared.
* -47 Emperor Gavras lands in Kalamata starting the reconquest of the south. One of the descendants of Psareas who had been leading a local resistance group is reinstated as a local leader and Emperor Gavras appoints him as second in command and warden of the southern continent.
* -40 The last Padelian garrisons fall
* -20 Phostis Estarkes leaves Elysia and founds the Commonwealth of Kaltavos based out of Kotyaion.Emperor Gavras dies and Strategos Georgios is proclaimed Emperor by the thematic armies. A series of subjugation wars for the south begin.
* -19 The new Emperor defeats a Southern Coalition and is proclaimed Holy Emperor Of Phaedros.
* -10 The Ratman known to the wide world simply as "BBC" gains power within the Ratman territory and starts to bring proper order to the state.

* -8 A Nordic man claiming to be Anton son of Great Jarl Ragnar appears suddenly in Nordagard, claiming to of lived in a new world for centuries. Many wonder how this old Jarl is still alive but all bow before the new Great Jarl regardless. He starts the Era of Colonization for Phaedros.
* -Emperor Georgios tightens his grip on the southern nations while annexing the northern part of the straight of Asen . As a response a new coalition of southern nations is formed , lead by Phostis Estarkes and Ioannis Psareas. In the face of a long and brutal war with an uncertain outcome the two sides start the negotiations. Constitutional Monarchy is established.
* -A new war begins between Elysia and VelikoBulgaria. The Imperator decisively defeats the Bulgar forces. The Great Migration begins for VelikoBulgaria to the new world.
* -Supporters of House Gavras wound Emperor Giorgos in an assassination attempt. The Elysian Empire is sliced in half. Meanwhile Phostis oppurtunistically seizes the southern half of the straights of Asen as the Elysian Realm burns.
* - The Elysian civil war ends In favour of Emperor Georgios. Notable moment were the battle of Konstantinoupolis where approximately 50,000 Gavras loyalists were killed. Some days later the bloody battle of Aigaiakon comes to an end and Strategos Nikephoros Rhadinos, assisted by a Free Industry Expedition, decisively defeats the Gavras force lead by the pretender himself. Approximately 250,000 Gavras loyalists are killed while the army of Nikephoros suffers 100,000 casualties. Emperor Georgios marries the sister of the pretender Pulcheria Gavras to mend the relations between the two families. Meanwhile Emperor Georgios threatens the southern coalition to cede him the southern part of the straight and manages to strike and alliance with Padelia. Kaltavos and the other non loyalist nations of the south, fearful of a combined Elysian-padelian might agree to the Elysian demands. Peace now rules again over Phaedros
* - After much turmoil in the Ansar Wastes, Free Industry sends out a call for help stating they can't hold back the tide anymore. Once the messaged was sent, a blizzard covered half of the southern continent and began to freeze the Tethys sea. A large force of unknown origin and composition now marches north seemingly unopposed.
* - The North's long dormant volcanoes erupted unexpectedly after rumors of fire beings started to circulate. The eruptions of the volcanoes covered the entire continent in a layer of ash.