Chronological History Part Two, 848 to the End of the First Millenium
848 The north-west was attacked in late summer by an army of orcs and bugbears which came down from the mountains to the eastern fringes of these lands. The human and halfling settlements had been extending up into the mountains, with an increase in mining activity to meet the demand of the southern kingdoms. The orc army seems to have been controlled by a bugbear leader, and they seemed to have a wide range of aims, from capturing mining facilities and driving the people out of the mountains to stealing food supplies and causing as much destruction as possible. At first, the invaders met little resistance; there were no guards to the mines against this kind of attack. All the northern kingdoms had mining operations of some kind, however, and this was seen as a collective problem. Appeals for help by the kingdom that bore the brunt of the attack meant that the thirteen nations pulled together a collective army and used it to drive the invaders away. They went further than that too, pushing this army far into the mountains, clearing orcs and bugbears from far around the kingdoms. This invasion galvanised the thirteen kingdoms into a single political force, too. From this point forward, the kings of these nations were much happier working together, and with the orc problem solved, they could see clearly how much they needed their trading partners in the south.
850-880 The southern kingdoms were becoming settled and secure. Warring in the south had ceased around 850 with the last of the major military conquests. There were now six large kingdoms in the south, each well-equipped with manpower and a strong-armed force. This kept a steady peace, and co-operation had become the normal approach exports of food to the north were still strong, and growing demand in the north meant that new, lucrative markets opened to the traders of the south. Other goods were now becoming popular exports from the south fine goods, wines, silks, and other luxury items; all purchased with minerals and oils from the north.
880-890 The kings of the south were becoming agitated at the rise in popularity once more of wizards. While they understood the usefulness and importance of wizards to society, they were not prepared for the unrest their presence causes to the peasantry. And now, a large number of wizard guilds were springing up in the high streets of southern towns and cities. The population were becoming fearful and angry. It was clear that some kind of action would have to be taken.
892-907 The southern kings began a campaign of persecution against magic users. Most of the southern rulers threw their weight behind the attacks as a peasant backlash against the wizards began. What started out as simple rioting and wizard guild burning by peasants was escalated by the powers into full scale witch-hunts and public burnings. Inevitably, one of the southern kingdoms refrained from this kind of activity. Quietly at first, but ever more publicly as time passed, they took a stance supporting the wizards. Eventually, they used their own troops to keep their peasants in line. This was the kingdom of Tholain; they not only refused to fight against magic users, but they gave sanctuary to all wizards who were suffering persecution in other kingdoms.
In secret, the young King Dominus Tholain sponsored the Magic User Sect movement in his own country; he provided financial assistance and provided properties which could be used as research facilities. Tholain never managed to convince her neighbours that persecuting wizards was morally dubious, but instead made enemies for those kingdoms of some very powerful people. Dominus read this situation clearly; he was glad he drew the most powerful wizards to his kingdom and, secretly, he planned a military conquest of those who persisted with wizard persecution.
918 Tholain waged war on its neighbours. It had spent eleven years researching magic and training its wizards for this conflict. For many magic users, this was a revenge assault, it repaid the hardship and suffering they had endured and avenged the friends they had lost. For King Dominus of Tholain, it established an Empire.
There was no way the southern kingdoms could withstand the assault of so many wizards. Most fell quickly, only one held out for several months. At first, they attacked with surprise, two of Tholain’s neighbours fell within the first week, the tactic was to use a light infantry army to join battle in the field or to surround towns and cities, then augment that with powerful elemental spells against any mustered enemy army. Progress was swift; leaders of the invaded nations were exiled or killed, and the peasants were conscripted to continue the campaign. The wizards in the Tholain army were vicious in the battles; they had nearly twenty years of hatred and anger to unleash. For the first time since The Great Disaster, magic was used on the battlefield, and it brought swift victory.
The campaign did nothing to improve the standing of wizards among the population, however. The opposite happened; peasants became more scared and more upset by the terrible power they had seen unleashed. The military campaign had wide political implications for the south and for the whole realms. The southern kingdoms were now made subject to a new Empire; King Dominus of Tholain took the crowns of his six countries and set himself up above them all when he formed his Empire in 919. While not a cruel leader by the standards of the day, he made life uncomfortable for his people as he strove to improve his lands. He increased food output because he recognised its political importance, and the fledgling kingdoms of the north-west became utterly dependent on his food supplies. He understood well how to use this to exert control.
Emperor Dominus' approach caused unrest through many of his much of his Empire; it started a migration of people away from the south. Population growth in his lands, however, far outstripped this during the next 50 years. People were now moving further north than they had before, and also into new colonies in the north-east, where new communities of humans, halflings and gnomes were being established. It is probable that people had lived in that region for many years, possibly as far back as the time when the north-west was colonised, but with poor soil and poor farming techniques, the lands would not have progressed far, or even been noticed by the political engines of the south kingdoms.
971 The calendar was changed this year scribes calculated the date of the disaster, and adjusted all the dates by adding 871 years. It is unknown what formula they used to determine the date the Disaster happened, but it is understood to be accurate. Historical documents from before this time may suffer from incorrect dates.
973 The north-west was ravaged by food blight; the realms were hit by unusual weather patters which left the fields bare at harvest time. Extremely heavy rain followed by three months of hot sun mean that the north-west’s harvests failed. All regions were hit by this, the exports of food form the south dried up, and people died in their thousands. Some of the religious cults were charged with restoring the balance of nature, but the task proved too difficult. The poor nutrition for the peasantry lead to outbreaks of diseases, and epidemics came and went over the following three to four years. Recruitment at temples went through the roof, and eventually (by mid 974) there were enough clerics to keep the food that existed wholesome enough to eat.
979 The north-west was once again invaded by roaming bands of Bugbears and Gnolls. The depleted population, barely recovering from the famine, did not have enough warriors to hold off the attackers. By now the the Empire had become rich from their trade with the north, and they offered to help, but at a price. They sent north an army of warriors and wizard which easily dealt with the invasion, but which remained afterwards to ensure that the population were “properly defended” against further such attacks. The north-western realms were both deeply indebted to the south and badly weakened, so could not stand against the Empire’s wishes. The Empire remained in the north-west for many years.
c1000 It is about this time that the first records show trade between the north-east colonies and the north-west. Without proper trade routes, direct trading with the the Empire was nearly impossible, but it seems that the Empire was not slow in recognising these new markets.
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