Second Age: Age of Expansion

## 1-114 Age of Expansion

What marks the start of the Second Age is a period of relative peace and migration. Although peace was becoming the norm, there was still the normal raiding of clans and tribes, but more and more people were binding together to build something more permanent.  Clans became fiefs, and in the far north and east, the fiefs were massive and strong.

This relative consolidation and growth led to growth in the population of all peoples. And with the growth came the other great change, which was that people were starting to resettle elsewhere.  If the area around them was too crowded, or if some of their neighboring clans were too bellicose, people found a reason to explore, expand and resettle in lands where there were none before.

## 1-114 Ûr & Ka United

The first century of the Second Age is also marked by a paradox in the lands of the Ûr and Ka.  The clans of the Ûr & Ka became great, and sought limited cooperation to grow their holds and fiefs into mighty fortresses of not just defense, but of glory of their ability to craft and build and work together. Over a few short decades, the peoples of the Steppes proceeded to build the most massive fortresses that Eirethune would ever see.

### 17-34 Great Keep of Thab Nardiak

The Great Keep of Thab Nardiak of the Kabendis clan, would be the largest fortress of all time.  No city even today has as many towers or as thick walls as this great citadel.  The Orcrad Under-dweller named Thab Nardiak[1] was arguably the greatest orator of his time, and perhaps of his race.  He convinced all of the eight greatest clans of the Steppes that they had the ability and resources to build monuments to their own prowess and the greatness of the Ûr and Ka races.  For the most part, the Ûr primarily were the general purpose laborers while the Ka took on the roles of miners and engineers.  The Orcrad were an exception being part of both labor castes.  Thab Nardiak held counsels often and kept a stream of representatives from each of the 8 clans coming and going to the Great Keep as work on it progressed.  The Great Keep became a center for clan diplomacy and justice while each clan focused on building their own protective and ornate towers. As the Keep of Thab Nardiak grew in size and glory, the other clans did their best to rival the Great Keep.

### 20-88 Dûnthang Towers of the Eastern Steppes

The word Dûnthang has a meaning in the old tongues which approximates ‘acceptance of clan’.  It doesn’t solely imply connection, cooperation or admiration; rather it stresses acceptance and understanding of clan life, existence and ritual.  The clan towers, however, must be accepted to be some of the greatest building achievements of the Second Age.

#### 20-35 Kharin Dûn

The Dwarves of the Kharin clan were the first to begin building their tower.  The Kharin had always been known as trusted and proficient miners. They used their keen eye for mineral and stone and wood to seek out materials that would be stronger than anything else found in the mountains and quarries found in the Steppes. When Kharin Dûn was built, the stone that was cut for their towers was harder than any substance that could be found elsewhere in Eirethune [2].

#### 24-33 Kazden Dûn

The Kazden clan was known for their efficiency and focus. As such, the Dwarves & Gnomes of the Kazden clan were the first to finish their tower, though it was not because it was the least intricate nor massive.  The towers of the Kazden were higher than any of the towers produced by the clans of the Steppes, save that of Kalabor[3]. When Ulgak-Thwarg, the great explorer from the second century of the Second Age first came to Kazden Dûn, he marvelled at the engineering and proclaimed "*These towers touch the sun, moon and stars of our world. There could never be such amazing glory as could be found in the engineers of the Kazden."*

#### 28-41 Gorgen Dûn

The Orcs of the Gorgen clan built their tower next.  Besides being the greatest horsemen on the Steppes [4], the Gorgen clan were known as the negotiators and diplomats, along with clan Kabendis.  The Gorgens were close allies with Kazden clan, and when it came for the towers of the Gorgen to be built, clas Gorgen used many of the Kazden engineers to help build their impressive tower of the plains.

#### 33-47 Kirgandor Dûn

The Orcs of the Kirgandor clan built their towers quickly, but the level of fortitude of their keep was inferior to those of the other clans. Although their towers may have been insubstantial, the strength of the clan was never weak. The Kirgandor were Kabendis’ greatest rivals and worked to sway the Ûr mindset away from cooperation and more towards competition and domination[5].  The most impressive construction of Kirgandor Dûn was its doors.  The Doors of the Tower were made of Iron and Bone with great engravings on both substances which recited the clan history.[6]

#### 39-59 Kalabor Dûn

The Dark Elves, Gnomes & Dwarves of the Kalabor clan built a single tremendously tall tower, perhaps the tallest tower next to the great spire of Calandoriel.  It was clearly a tower to show their power rather than to create something defensive, but it was a tremendous sight to see. Kalabor was led by the Dark Elves who used their substantial diplomatic abilities to appease and control the clan, which was primarily Underfolk.[7] Even so, the Kalabor hired many engineers and builders from other clans in order to achieve their great tower. The intricate engravings all over the tower told the story of all of the clans of the Steppes, and once completed, the tower became a place where all delegations from other clans felt the need to visit, examine and behold in awe.

#### 48-63 Gagbin Dûn

The Gagbin clan was not only the largest clan in the Eastern Steppes, but it was comprised of all of the Ka & Ûr races, as well as the outcast Madur elves who found their way to the east.  To that end, the tower of the Gagbin was stout and large but engraved with intricate designs representing all who worked on it. Similar to tall tower of the Kalabor, yet the engravings here were focused only on the stories of Gagbin.  Different parapet styles on each of the main walls; even the doors and gates of the Tower were engraved and unique from one another.[8]

#### 57-75 Grogthank Dûn

The Orcs of the Grogthank clan were always the outsiders from the rest. Their tower was not very impressive, but it took a long time because they were watching the political fighting between Kirgandor and Kabendis.[9]  They did not trust Thab Nardiak, but they did not speak against him either, preferring to lie in wait and see what would happen. Their fortress was still thick and strong, but rarely spoken about in the sagas and tales of the Steppes.

#### 63-84 Kabendis Dûn

The Orcrad of the Kabendis clan built a great tower to house their elders.  It was started last because of the focus that the clan put on getting Thab Nardiak’s citadel built.  However, Kabendis Dûn was probably the strongest of all of the Ûr towers, well-engineered from all that had been learned by the construction of the keep of Thab Nardiak.

## 8-114 Construction of the West

In the western Madur lands, there was a great deal of construction as well.  The Khalid-Ka clans had been grouped into a few groups, each with large populations. In the west, however, the Madur clans remained feudal, small and somewhat isolated.  Because of the feudalism of the West, many different smaller towns and cities were founded, as opposed to the eight great towers of the Khalid-Ka.

### 18-64 Coastal Fief Construction

Along the Bryan, the Tcherna Sea and the South Seas, there was the ability to fish and trade easily with other seafaring clans.  Good harbor locations marked the ability for clans to prosper and grow.  In more difficult locations, like Gelden or Regent, the peoples of the area came together to engineer the ports and harbors they required. As time progressed, the fishing and trading ports evolved into villages, and later towns, with other nearby clans joining the originating host seafaring clan.  The power of those seafaring host clans grew strong and began to gain dominion over other small spheres of influence, scattered along the coast of Eirethune.

### 35-114 Birth of the Great Cities

Many of the greatest cities of today were created during this era.  In the case of cities, there was a diplomatic or military grouping of powerful clans who wished to establish a basis of dominion in a region.  Each of the greatest nations of today had at least one city created during this period from these so-called clan coalitions.

### 65 Peace of the Trees - Elven Triumvirate Born

The hills, meadows and forests of Glenhome had long been the
ancestral homeland for most of the elves of Eirethune.  There had been ethnic divisions between the Elven groups: High, Meadow, Wood & Hill (Dark), and these divisions were deeply felt, causing each group to distrust and conduct warfare against the others. Whether the conflict was for competition or ethnic honor, the skirmishes ensued.

After a short period of raiding between all of the groups in the middle of the 1st century, the High Elf leader, Dalinien[10], resolved that he had had enough of the bloodshed that the ethnic divisions had caused.  He called forth to the leaders of each of the four Elven groups: Aliania of the Meadows[11], Galanadran of the Wood[12], and De’Adoro of the Hills. Dalinien's great hope was to end the violence between them, and to set up a governing body that would represent each group, their customs, desires and grievances.  All three leaders were receptive to Dalinien’s ideas, but unfortunately, both Galanadran and Aliania refused to be seated near De’Adoro.

The raids and wars in the hills were very vicious, and the Hill Elves were known for their propensity for vengeance and deception in diplomacy. [13] Both the Meadow and Wood elves had been recently at war with the Hill elves, and so there would be no talk of sharing leadership with them.  Dalinien was gravely disturbed by this inability of the Wood & Meadow Elven leaders to put aside their differences, but there would be no changing their minds.  So the Elven Triumvirate was born between the non-Hill elves, but Dalinien made it very clear that although the Dark Elves would not be part of the governing body, there would be no warfare aimed at them while the Triumvirate ruled.  The Dark elves were given a peace that they long desired, but unfortunately at the expense of being outsiders to the rest of the elves.

## 40-120 Drifts in the East

There were two migrations during this period which resulted
in the settlement of lands which had previously had only a few clans or were
unpopulated.  In each case, the
settlement was driven by the need to get away from the somewhat claustrophobic
nature that their source area had been growing into.

### 64-120 Madur Settlement of Kastgor and Vendratti

The clans around Devnah were already becoming quite feudal and violent.  Many of the more nomadic clans that were in Devnah & Thearth needed to find more open pastures and a land to call their own.  A few of the clans moved north into Rhorden, but many others decided to leave the area completely, heading out along the boundary lands and into the mountains of the southeast.

In Kastgor, the most nomadic of the clans found a place to grow, prosper and follow their favored gods, rites and customs. No substantial permanent villages or towns were built, as the clans moved where they wished and enjoyed the freedom that their isolated valley supported.

In Vendratti, the nomadic way of life was coupled with a sense that there should be something permanent to offer communal support, whether through trading or protection. A few trading villages became walled towns which in turn became beacons for the culture that was being developed in the isolation of Vendratti.

### 75-104 Khalid-Ka Settlement of Vendratti

In the lands controlled by Ûr clans in Khalid-Ka, three of the four major clans were controlled by Orcs.  Only in Gagbin was power shared between races, but it was also the most disorganized and inefficient of all of the clans.  The under-represented nomadic Ûr humans decided to leave their homeland and find a home for their own.  They headed south through the mountains until they came in the high plains of Vendratti. Here they found a kinship with the Madur nomads.  Eventually the language of the area would follow the Madur family, but even today, there are a few clans left in Vendratti who speak a language based off of Khalid-Ka. The walled towns of Vendratti now held both Madur and Khalid-Ka, and the knowledge and customs of the land grew into something different than anywhere else found in Eirethune.

### 84-112 Arrival of the Gnomes in the Southland

Later in the period, after the great keeps were constructed, there was a strong feeling among all of the gnomes of the Khalid-Ka that they were being treated as underlings, and that they would never be able to improve their station in the world of the Steppes.  They did not care for the overt warlike nature of the dwarves and orcs, and they could not compete with the diplomatic prowess manifested by the Orcrad and Drow.  However, they knew that some piece of the world was made for them to prosper and to rule.  One by one, the gnomish clans of the Khalid-Ka departed their homeland for places unknown.

The first clan to leave was Warbin.  They had taken a path with the other nomads who wished to live in Vendratti, but instead of staying with them, they decided to move on.  When they reached the coast of Eastlom, they knew that it was the warm water of the that held the key to their final destination.  Warbin sent back word to the gnomish clans in Kalabor that they were on the verge of finding the new homeland.  It didn’t take long for the other clans to start moving.  Kalabor and Gagbin were denuded of gnomes within 2 years.  Warbin had moved on in primitive sailing vessels until they came to the olive tree coasts of the Southland.[14]  They made landfall south of the future city of Farrish and the new gnomish homeland was founded and has prospered ever since.

## Links

Chronology of Eirethune

Previous, First Age

Next, The Second Age: Plague of Ur & Ka

## Notes

[1] *Circlet of Thab Nardiak* was believed to
enhance Thab Nardiak’s ability to speak and convince others to do his
bidding.  In addition, it was said that
the circlet allowed him to disguise himself when he wanted to, although it was
said that when he did so, it would age his face afterwards for weeks.  The location of the circlet is unknown.

[2] *Hammer of Ma’Ab Kharin* was forged by the
greatest miner of Kharin Dûn for use in constructing the great citadel.  The hammer is said to be able to cut through
any stone with great ease, and it also allowed Ma’Ab to find metals worthy of
construction where no other dwarf thought there might be some.  The hammer is believed to be in use by the
current lords of Kharin Dûn.

[3] *Eyepiece of Thalinor Kazden* was
constructed from the adamantine and magicum found in the heart of the hills
below Kazden Dûn.  This eyepiece allowed
the great engineer Thalinor the ability to see for miles, determine upcoming
weather, see tremendous detail up close, and determine height/depth to the
greatest degree of accuracy.  The
eyepiece was used by a Kazden lord during the Fourth War of the Ûr Lords, but
was lost at the Bloodbath of Meisceoireacht.

[4] *Bridle of Aptorian Smaq* was a simple
lightweight chain bridle which the greatest rider in Gorgen lineage used.  The Bridle could summon any riding beast that
Aptorian Smaq ever trained and rode.
After the destruction of the Gorgen clan by the Gagbin, the bridle was
placed in the hands of the upper riders of the Dark Caste.  Knowledge of its use was not known until
Abdank-Godcau attacked the Thangku’Ur army at the start of the Third War of the
Ûr Lords.  It was lost at the Battle of
Bloody Stone in 1223.

[5] *The Quill of Jajin Tor* was used by the
scribe of the greatest diplomat in Kirgandor lineage.  The scribe used the Quill to permanently
remember what he wrote with it.  In
addition, it is said that if the same scribe ever erased something that he had
transcribed that had been someone’s recollection of an event, that even would
no longer be remembered by the person who had made the recollection.  The location of the quill is believed to
still be in the rubble of Kirgandor Dûn.

[6] *The Great Iron & Bone Key of Kirgandor*
Dûn *was said to be able to open any door no matter how large or small.  However, the opener of the door would be*
drained of power, even to the point of death, depending on how formidable the
door was.  The location of the key is
unknown.

[7] The
great height of the towers of Kalabor Dûn required workers and engineers to be
careful of their step.  There were
several *Boots of Badorlin Kalabor*
constructed by the named tailor which allowed workers to climb almost any
surface without fear of falling.  It is
said that the boots would event allow workers to hang upside down on surfaces
for a short while.  There were many pairs
of these boots made, most of which are probably still in the Steppes, but at
least one pair is known to be in the vaults of the King of Gale’s Head.

[8] The *Library of Gagbin Dûn* was said to be the
greatest in the early years of the Second Age.
History, lore of the deities, science, magic, alchemy, and all of the
secret knowledge of the First and early Second Age were present in the
library.  When Gagbin Dûn was destroyed,
the library was ordered destroyed as well.
It is believed, however, that many of the tomes did escape into personal
treasuries of higher Dark Caste lords.
In addition, it is also known that during the migrations, many of the
books were brought to both the Southland, and into Dag Dwarven Deep.

[9]
Grogthank used many spies to watch Kirgandor and Kabendis.  The chief spy of Grogthank was Amtor
Grogthank, and he researched magic to enable his spies to be as clandestine as
possible.  It was said that many of the
best spies were equipped with *Cloaks of*
Amtor Grogthank *which enabled them to move from one shadow to another*
without notice.  It is said that the Ûr
Lords still use some of the great cloaks for their chief spies, but at least
one was known to be in the vaults of Detmanth Keep prior to the Great War.

[10] As one
of the greatest leaders of elvenkind, Dalinien had the power to see the value
and honesty of the people he met.  To
some extent this knowledge of a person’s inner virtue would be a tool for
Dalinien’s negotiations.  It is believed
that some of this power was present in an amulet that Dalinien would often
stroke while negotiating.  The *Amulet of Dalinien* was lost by one of
the elven lords in a raid against the Ûr Lords around the
in 1164.

[11] Aliania
was believed to be the fastest meadow elf to have ever lived.  She had made a pair of boots which enabled
her to run extremely fast, and to almost permit her to run through the air,
just above the ground.  The *Boots of Aliania* were believed to work
best in the open fields rather than in woods or underground.  The boots had been used by the Caer Ddaden
chief scout, but when he died at the Battle of Godmok Hill, they were lost
somewhere in Roane.

[12] Galanadran
was known for his ability to work with trees and floral life.  There were many stories of him beckoning
trees or shrubs or vines to his command to help him move or even sit.  Some of his great power in this regard was
transferred to a golden leaf garland which he always wore on his head.  The *Garland*
of Galanadran *has been in possession of the elder lord of Cellen Wood for*
many generations.

[13] *Dagger of De’Adoro* was a great weapon of
vengeance.  If the wielder felt vengeful
towards a particular enemy, the wielder would know the direction of that enemy
depending on the distance and the vengeance felt.  If the dagger struck the enemy, the enemy
would bleed profusely depending on the wrong which they had done to the
wielder.  The dagger is believed to be lost
somewhere in the or Moors of Mor.

[14] The *Helm of Warbin* was said to allow the
wearer the ability to swim, walk or breathe water as they liked.  There were some side effects according to some stories, but in general, the Helm also provided a degree of buoyancy allowing the wearer to disregard the weight of their armor when in the
water.  For many years the helm was in the hands of the leading lords of the Southland; however, the helm was lost during a raid against the Ûr Lords in 1222, somewhere in the Lloer Moors.