Tyrant Dynasty

The Tyrant Dynasty was a period of time between 68-15mya which (aside from the Early Oligocene harvest 30mya) was devoid of harvests and therefore a time of stability. During this time the portal was stationed between Ni'Khar and Kairul which at the time were much closer than they are today. Harvests of this period include the East Asian Harvest of 68mya which was caused by an extreme arid period which ended the latter Early Cretaceous Dynasty and due to the environment dinosaurs of Late Cretaceous East Asia were best to survive in this climate.

Video on the Topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODF\_O41OD54&t=924s

### Climate and Ecology

During a majority of the Tyrant Dynasty, the areas of Ni'Khar and Kairul were mostly humid, supporting primarily Open Conifer forests and fern prairies for terrestrial habitats. As the name of the dynasty implies, tyrannosaurs were the main megafaunal predators of the period, though this is a broad term as tyrannosaurs underwent major adaptive radiation in their 50mya hey day. Aside from tyrannosaurs, major fauna of the period includes hadrosaurs, ceratopsians, titanosaurs, therizinosaurs, azhdarchids, eudromeosaurs, ammonites, and mosasaurs.

Wetland herbivores of the Tyrant DynastyA herd of dynastic chasmosaurs lay at the riversideA Chasmosaur during the Tyrant DynastyTitanosaurs of the Tyrant Dynasty- Keenan Taylor
#### First Epoch Tyrants

During the first epoch, tarbosaurines descended from animals like *Tarbosaurus* and *Zhuchengtyrannus* were the top predators of both continents. Carcharodontosaurs held on, mostly in the tropical forests as titan specialists, but they steadily declined over this epoch. Alioramines and a clade of gracile, neotenic tarbosaurines vied for the mesopredator niche alongside juveniles of the dominant tarbosaurines. Towards the end of this epoch, alioramines got larger and more socially complex, and they outcompeted the carcharodontosaurs of both continents.

#### Second Epoch Tyrants

The middle epoch was defined by a decline of the robust tarbosaurines and replacement by robust alioramines. These new tyrants were far less violent, and adults had a range of keratin and fleshy caruncled displays. It is not known why these alioramines displaced the tarbosaurines, but this priority of visual intimidation over physical engagement seems to have been a factor, perhaps resulting in an ecological dominance despite the tarbosaurines besting them in direct encounters thanks to far more combat experience. Shortly after the ascension of the robust alioramines, the robust tarbosaurines went extinct, leaving only the neotenic tarbosaurines to carry on the legacy of the old kings.

#### Third Epoch Tyrants

The third epoch of the Tyrant Dynasty saw the return of the tarbosaurines to dominance with the genus *Omegatyrannus*, which assumed a robust bodyplan of their ancestors. They were specialized for prey which was quite successful at this time, and the Alioramines of this epoch were either pressured to specializations like titan hunters or armored game specialists. One group evolved especially pronounced teeth at the end of their maxilla, earning them the title of ‘saber-toothed tyrants’ by Assembly paleontologists. At fifty feet long and weighing twenty tons, the resident female tyrannosaurs of the genus *Omegatyrannus* were the largest theropods to evolve until that time, and would only be surpassed by the modern Kurajaku because of its aquatic lifestyle. Most adults of this genus were a more moderate ten to twelve tons, not dramatically different from most other tyrannosaurs before them. The territories of resident male and baroness tyrants were usually established around rivers or optimal habitats for a wide range of prey, but only the largest and most dominant females could hope to become a queen.

     In order to assume this title, a female would first need to endure the violent trials of adolescence, battle their way towards a generalist barony territory, and if they got enough food in the critical growth spurt stage, they could develop the skeletal framework to challenge a queen from a colony and become its ruler, a title she might hold for three decades.

     While overseeing the colony, the queen took on a farmer’s role. She knew every individual in her herd, sometimes even patrolling in their midst. The herd knew their queen and knew she would not attack them unless there was some sign of weakness, as much of her kills were of injured or old individuals, or when she was hunting, which took place outside of the colony. Members of her herd were sometimes the target of these hunts beyond the colony, but not always. Much of her hunts were of other prey species and even other tyrants that came too close. In this way, hadrosaurs and tyrants became deeply reliant on one another.   Approaching the size of these great queens were transient males, or Warlords. These were much larger than territorial resident males, or Barons, with their long strides affording them efficient travel. The biggest of these could weigh fifteen tons. They wandered the lands of the two continents, living a life of feast and famine. The wanderings of these males, much like the patriarchs of hadrosaurs, kept the genus fairly similar during this era, which some naturalists believe may have lead to a specialized uniformity which left them vulnerable.

#### Hadrosaurs/Agricolasaurus

  While the Tyrant Dynasty is named after the apex predators, the defining and keystone clade of this era was the hadrosaurs and their vast nesting colonies.

     Several lineages of saurolophine hadrosaurs came to dominance and were eventually replaced, but the clade overall was cosmopolitan in its distribution. They generally shared a basic bodyplan and varied little from their ancestors in appearance. During the last ten million years or so, a genus called *Agricolasaurus* had nesting colonies on both continents, dominating forests and fern prairies.

     *Agricolasaurus* was, despite its name, not a farmer, but they did cultivate the lands around their nests with their dung and seeds brought in from foraging. Unlike other species, they were not particularly migratory, although males dispersed far and wide, which is why species designation is rarely considered in study of this animal as they could all freely breed with one another. Eggs took around six months to incubate, and they did not have a regular nesting season, so it was critical to defend the region year round. Although they foraged many miles outside the colony so as not to deplete their land, their droppings within the colony were perfect for growing the cycads, horsetails, and ferns that their young needed once they outgrew crop milk. Yearlings remained with their parents for many years, and it was their duty to protect their little siblings from nest raiders. The yearlings in turn were defended by subadults and mothers from the mesopredators that lurked on the fringes of the colony. A number of unrelated bulls defended the herd, lead by the patriarch, who kept the younger bulls in line. While most adults peaked at ten to fifteen tons, the patriarch could weigh up to twenty-five tons in the largest species, and would fend off predators who might threaten his herd.

### Geography and Tectonic Movement

During the time of the Tyrant Dynasty, Pakardia had just broken away from mainland Kaishel and was on a northward travel around southeast of where it is found today. Arvel at the time was already established as an independent continent and was on a westward collision course with Ni'Khar, which by the end of the period had collided with Ni'Khar's plate. The Jurassic Islands were on a westward course towards Kairul which is still ongoing. Ni'Khar and Kairul at the beginning of the period were connected by a small channel between what is now the Crescent and southeastern Kairul. Other land masses remained relatively in place.

Kaimere 68myaKaimere 15mya
### The Dynastic Extinction

15mya, the northbound movement of Pakardia, Southbound movement of Ni'Khar, and eastern shift of Arvel's continental plate, resulted in the confluence of volcanic activity, which seems to have culminated in a brief yet apocalyptic window of time. Winds carried the volcanic ash north, west, and southeast, coating most of the tropics and southern temperate zones in desolation, especially The Known World. This extinction caused most tyrannosaurs, hadrosaurs, large sauropods, and ceratopsians go extinct, and gave way for the domination of the modern dominant clades such as thescelosaurs, elasmarians, megaraptorans, entelodonts, etc.

Excerpt from 'Harvests and Dynasties of Kaimere: Edition'

*"Around fifteen million years ago, Kaimere went up in flames.*

*From the south, the continental plate which now makes up Pakardia and the Southern Islands careened north and smashed into the known world. This pushed Arvel’s plate up into Ni’Khar, which at the time was the territory of the portal. The subsequent geological wounds exposed the planet’s interior in a toxic flood of basalt lava. The push also opened regions connected to these plates to the far north, one of which was directly within the heart of the portal’s old territory. This elder god’s body was dealt a great wound: most of its population was slaughtered. Burned in clouds of ash.*

*For many thousands of years, what is now the known world was a wasteland. The whole planet suffered, but flood basalt made the known world particularly harsh, especially what in the modern day is Qajar and Imperial Lands. Some theorize the fertility of these regions has something to do with how many nutrients were brought to the surface. Composting of enchanted flora going back to when the First Children occupied these regions is also at play, though the stage was likely set millions of years prior.*

*It took around half a million years for the portal to recover. It is unknown why the god moved south to its current location or how long it took, but the next harvest was thousands of miles from its old home, at the confluence of Pakardia, Ni’Khar, and Arvel where it remained to this day. The known world had begun to recover, with many small generalists enjoying a host of adaptive radiations interrupted by a few reclusive giants from faraway habitats spared the worst of the devastation. As the god could feel this was a shadow of the region’s ecological potential, an overgrown bed of weeds rather than a thriving garden it was used to, it began to tend to its home once more.*

*The first harvest collected from North America’s western coastline and as much as a thousand miles inland. With this location, the portal was able to gather flora and fauna for most regions in its new territory: prairies, forests, highlands, desert, freshwater, and coastal seas spanning from tropics to cool temperate regions.*

*Just as on Earth, the fossil record of Kaimere is fragmentary, increasingly so the further back in time you go. Although fossil hunting expeditions are expensive and dangerous, the Great Library has been fielding them for thousands of years. Their number of annual fossil collections are much less frequent than ours, perhaps only a few digs every year, but a much longer timeline has meant they have amassed a formidable collection that contributes to a very comprehensive understanding, especially of the formations in the aftermath of the Dynastic Extinction. Collaboration with human palaeontologists, especially within the past century as our understanding of our planet’s prehistory has caught up to their understanding of their own, has furthered this understanding."*