A SHORT HISTORY OF YSGARTH
	Ysgarth is an ancient world and has been the battleground of many races and societies
over centuries of recorded and dimly remembered history.  It would be too mamoth a task to
examine every moment of the history of the world here, but we can look at the high points of
that history and go into detail on the most important aspects.

The Ysgarth Calendar
	Just as there are different races in Ysgarth there are also different calendars.  For
purposes of sanity we will use the Kyvenic calendar because it is the most like the calendar of
Earth and is also widely used throughout northern Ysgarth.  There are 12 months in the
Kyvenic calendar, of 30 or 31 days each.  They are Belin, Afrul, Maig, Lewen, Rhuth, Awist,
Imbola, Uthved, Sawin, Ragvir, Guyen and Bluthen.  Belin through Maig are the Spring
season, Lewen through Awist are the Summer, Embola through Sawin are the Fall and
Ragvir through Bluthen are the Winter months.  Maig, Awist, Sawin and Bluthen are the 31
day months.  The 31st day of each is considered a seasonal holiday (Luwensad, Imbolech,
Sawin and Bealtin) sacred to a particular god (Lugon, Ariana, Guyon and Belenos).  Every
fourth year a day is added to Rhuth and it is celebrated as a special summer holiday.
	The other major calendar of Ysgarth is the Saesan calendar which is based on the
lunar cycle.  It was developed from a more primitive version which is still used by the Vaen
people and has been adjusted to fit with the older Aetruvian calendar.  There are 13 months
of exactly 28 days each.  As with the Kyvenic calendar a day is added every fourth year at
the end of the 13th month.  The months are Orienos, Litros, Carmentes, Cambios, Baletros,
Insator, Adolenda, Kirinos, Unraedos, Messia, Maervinos, Elusios, Nemos.  The names of the
months are mostly drawn from the names of ancient Saes rulers or deities, though some
descriptive Etruan names have also been adopted.
 	Unfortunately many regions are not aware of these two reasonable calendars or such
refinements of time keeping as adding a day every four years, with the result that the
officially recognized date may change as much as a fortnight when you cross a border in
some backw ATer regions of the world.
	Please note that all dates are given here in the reckoning of the popul ATion group
most likely to record history, the people of the great city of Tolemeias who use the Kyvenic
calendar because of the proximity of the Kyvenic nations and its similarities to the calendar
of far off Ilchania where the ancestors of many Tolemeians originated.  Thus, all dates given
are either Before Tolemeias ( BT) or After Tolemeias ( AT).  The current year is 835 AT.
The history of Ysgarth is also traditionally broken down into three Epochs or Cycles by
which the following sections are separated.  These epochs are to a large extent defined by
climactic and geological cataclysms.

The First Epoch
	The date of the origin of life of Ysgarth is not known for certain by anyone.  However
the earliest history is found in the oral records of the Trozard race which were put into
writing sometime starting in the third millenium  AT.  They indicate the existence of
organized society dating back at least nine millenia prior to that time.  Thus it could be said
that the history of Ysgarth begins in the year 10,000 BT.
	The original or native races of Ysgarth were not what we would call human.  The first
intelligent races in the world were the Trozards or Tarskahe and Batragi or Batraksch, both
of which presumably evolved from more primitive species native to Ysgarth (some other
offshoots of which survive) and rose from savagery in far separate parts of the world,
eventually coming into conflict as their populations grew and they began to compete for
territory at about 10,000 BT.
	Today's Trozards are warm-blooded, carnivorous bi- pedal lizards who have a highly
developed code of morals and still call the world of Ysgarth by their ancient name for it,
Ishtikha.  They bear single, live young, nurse them on mother's blood, and mate for life.
Batragi are cold-blooded, omnivorous, bi-pedal and frog-like, laying multiple eggs and
usually mating only for convenience, though they maintain large extended families.  The two
races had as many differences as similarities so conflict was understandable.
	As the ancestors of the Trozards were feral carnivores and the ancestors of the Batragi
were omnivores, the more aggressive Trozards restricted the expansion, but not the
population of the Batragi who could survive quite well in less pleasant territory, particularly
the warmer parts of the world.  This left the Trozards controlling more territory, but not
using it nearly as efficiently.
	About 7,000 BT, while the Trozards and Batragi were beginning to settle, build their
first major structures, domesticate animals and even do some farming, a third race appeared
on the scene, evolving extremely rapidly from lower species. These were the Chitare who
appeared quite suddenly on the scene, developing quickly, posing a threat to both fledgling
Trozard and Batragi society, because the Chitare were already highly organized and socially
developed almost from the start, an inherent trait of their insect ancestry.
	Competition for territory and food sources with the ravening and rapidly growing
Chitare population caused Trozard civilization to accelerate its development, leading to a
rapid growth in technology, engineering, agriculture and social systems, so that by 5000 BT
Trozards were living in cities and identifiable nations and were beginning to develop a
written language from a system of pictograms attributed to the legendary scholar Ulekhtis.
The Batragi felt the same pressure and went through a similar though slower course of
development, eventually forming an alliance and borrowing many ideas from the Trozards in
the face of their common enemy.
	By 4200 BT the Trozard population had stabilized at about 5 million on the main
continent of Ysgarth, with the first colony of Asachae Trozards led by the great Sekihi
already extablished on the southern continent.  Because of their low birth rate and
increasing territorial pressure, the Trozard population virtually ceased to grow.  At the same
time although the Batragi bred much more enthusiastically, their population had reached
only about 3 million and was growing very little because of massive conflicts with Chitare
who had developed a fondness for Batrag eggs.  The Chitare population, on the other hand,
grew without check, with colonies and settlements springing up all over both the main and
southern continents with alarming rapidity, reaching more than 15 million by 4000 BT, only
three millenia after they were first contacted by Trozards.
	Despite their rapid expansion, Chitare society had stagnated at what we might
consider an early iron-age level of technology, with basic metal working, minimal
development of mechanics, little knowledge of any but the simplest magic, and some
advanced, potentially interesting horticultural techniques.  To their advantage they had
developed racial specialization to an extreme point, with specially bred Warrior Chitare who
were more than a match for any dozen Trozards in hand to hand combat.  On the other
hand, Trozard and Batragi civilization was advancing rapidly in technology, use of magic,
societ  to get along, even to the degree of founding the shared port city of Ulag-Hikta w sch
was later destroyed in the Time of Cataclysms. For both races there was no dealing with the
alien mentality of the Chitare.  The result was a violent series of racial wars, beginning in
about 4200 BT and reac sng their bloody conclusion in about 3500 BT when the Batragi
General Brouag and  ss Trozard counterpart Likesa unleashed a manufactured bacteria w
sch attacked and weakened the carapace of infant Chitare causing deformity and early
death.  These wars eventually virtually destroyed all three races in a great clash of
unthinkable magic and mechanisms.
	One reason for the final conflict between the races of this epoch was a change in the
climate.  Beginning in about 4500 BT the climate of Ysgarth had begun to cool, and an
iceage was well underway by 4000 BT, with the polar caps and gigantic glaciers extending
as far south as what is now Galetach.  This increased population pressure and made a war
inevitable.  It also made it very difficult for survivors to recover once the war was over.
	As a result of this genocidal war all of the major Trozard settlements on the main
continent were destroyed, as were virtually all nation-states larger than tribes or family
groups.  The Asachae Trozards on the southern continent fared somewhat better, preserving
much of their ancient tradition in their ancient mountain strongholds.  The Batragi also
fared better than most of the Trozards, preserving considerable population, particularly in
the eastern part of the main continent.  The Chitare were virtually exterminated in the war,
surviving only in extremely isolated pockets with very small populations, too small to reach
the critical mass w sch allowed their initial population explosion.  Ultimately, by about the
year 3000 BT the Trozard population was down to less than half a million, the Batragi
population was just under a million and the Chitare population was close to 50,000 world
wide.
	Despite their rapid expansion, Chitare society had stagnated at what we might
consider an early iron-age level of technology, with basic metal working, minimal
development of mechanics, little knowledge of any but the simplest magic, and some
advanced, potentially interesting horticultural techniques.  To their advantage they had
developed racial specialization to an extreme point, with specially bred Warrior Chitare who
were more than a match for any dozen Trozards in hand to hand combat.  On the other
hand, Trozard and Batragi civilization was advancing rapidly in technology, use of magic,
societal sophistication and organization.  The pressure of the growing Chitare population
forced the other two races to adapt and improve rapidly or be destroyed, and though they
took great losses, towards the end of this period Trozard and Batrag mage-scientists found
ways to bring unimagined destruction to their enemies..
	Cooperation between Trozards and Batrags became inevitable under the pressure of
the expanding Chitare population.  There were enough similarities between their races for
Trozards and Batrags to get along, even to the degree of founding the shared port city of
Ulag-Hikta w sch was later destroyed in the Time of Cataclysms. For both races there was no
dealing with the alien mentality of the Chitare.  The result was a violent series of racial wars,
beginning in about 4200 BT and reac sng their bloody conclusion in about 3500 BT when
the Batragi General Brouag and  ss Trozard counterpart Likesa unleashed a manufactured
bacteria w sch attacked and weakened the carapace of infant Chitare causing deformity and
early death.  These wars eventually virtually destroyed all three races in a great clash of
unthinkable magic and mechanisms.
	One reason for the final conflict between the races of this epoch was a change in the
climate.  Beginning in about 4500 BT the climate of Ysgarth had begun to cool, and an
iceage was well underway by 4000 BT, with the polar caps and gigantic glaciers extending
as far south as what is now Galetach.  This increased population pressure and made a war
inevitable.  It also made it very difficult for survivors to recover once the war was over.
	As a result of this genocidal war all of the major Trozard settlements on the main
continent were destroyed, as were virtually all nation-states larger than tribes or family
groups.  The Asachae Trozards on the southern continent fared somewhat better, preserving
much of their ancient tradition in their ancient mountain strongholds.  The Batragi also
fared better than most of the Trozards, preserving considerable population, particularly in
the eastern part of the main continent.  The Chitare were virtually exterminated in the war,
surviving only in extremely isolated pockets with very small populations, too small to reach
the critical mass which allowed their initial population explosion.  Ultimately, by about the
year 3000 BT the Trozard population was down to less than half a million, the Batragi
population was just under a million and the Chitare population was close to 50,000 world
wide.
	Under these conditions of natural and unnatural devastation, much of Trozard and
Batrag technology and civilization was lost, though some effort was made to retain records
and technical knowledge through the oral tradition and primitive written documents.  The
slow growth rate of the population of these two races means that by the present day their
numbers have probably little more than doubled, making it difficult for them to reclaim their
former glory.

The Second Epoch
	With Ysgarth thus depleted, it was ripe for colonization, and after the conflicts of the
fourth millenium BT, beings from several other worlds or planes began to covet it.
Ultimately a small group of refugees from an advanced race on a  sghly magical plane
decided to make it their home.
	The degeneration of the mana field in the plane of Duhteraiso led to a decline in the
birth rate of the Dothian, the dominant race of that plane.  The Dothian were a  sghly
magical race and their birthing process required the availability of a significant amount of
Mana.  Eventually population growth virtually stopped and the population began to decline
from death, and even their Spirit Lords began to lose power and be drawn into the entropic
void.  The last c sld born in Duhteraiso was Nathyurashen, who in time, was made king of  ss
people.  Realizing that  ss world and people were doomed, he used much of the remaining
mana of Duhteraiso to open a gate to a young and mana-rich world which he called
Usaneteheron (Place of the new birth), but w sch we know as Ysgarth.  Through this gate
passed Nathyurashen, several of his slightly older peers and a number of the youngest
females of the race, leaving behind more conservative elements which made up most of the
Dothian population, who presumably died out in the due course of things.
	The new world was a place of great glaciers and mountains, but the Dothian found a
good place to settle between a barrier of mountains which held back the ice and a great sea
which warmed the land.  The Dothian were well adapted to cold temperatures, so this was a
good world for them.  Physically, Dothian are bipedal humanoids with pale skin, ranging
from 5 to 6 feet in height, slight of build, with very fine, dark hair worn long and braided and
no hair anywhere except on their heads.  Their skin is somewhat leathery and very resilient.
Their teeth are sharp and pointed because of their carnivorous heritage.
	All of these planal refugees except for Nathyurashen and one of the females found that
they could not produce living offspring in the new world, and most died at an accelerated
rate or in conflict with the hostile natives of the new world.  Nathyurashen and his mate
Ileaheshado were eventually left completely alone in an alien world, for their deceased
companions could not even be preserved in spirit form because they had not acquired
enough Esahi (natural mana) to survive the Ritual of Rebirth, though later generations
absorbed enough of the local Esahi to survive the ritual, thus creating the Wraithlords who
live on as guardian spirits of their race and the Doomlords who seek to thwart them, though
they are mostly imprisoned.
	Nathyurashen and Ileaheshado did have children, producing four sons (Sulosanusan,
Uleadatheshadur, Thalirabasir and Aethushrisar) and a number of daughters.  These
children in turn mated together and produced a large number of offspring who were
somewhat inbred, but still generally healthy.
	Ileaheshado died young in battle with dangerous natives and Nathyurashen went
against custom and mated with his own daughter, the beautiful Ithreyorari.  They had one
child, Cheleadabathar.  When he came of age he fled the court of his father and half-brothers
and went into the mountains with his mother.  There they mated together and produced a
line of misshapen but powerful offspring.  With each generation the great magical power of
the Dothian had been declining and Ithreyorari believed that by controlled inbreeding this
power could be preserved.  This course was reviled by most Dothian, but it worked for the
few generations which she and her son bred in their mountain fastness.
	With each generation the number of Dothian in the new world increased rapidly, but
their magical power diminished.  In the first generation there were two Dothian.  In the
second there were 8.  In the third there were 40.  In the fourth there were 200.  In the fifth
there were 1,000.  In the sixth there were 5000.  In the seventh there were 20,000.  In the
eighth there were 100,000.  By the fifth generation the Dothian no longer had the capacity to
retain the level of Esahi to undertake the Ritual of Rebirth and become Spirit Lords and even
in the fourth generation the spirit forms taken after the ritual were weak.  Note that the
Dothian generation is about 100 years.  Adulthood is reached at about 50 years and life
expectancy is about 250- 300 years, though this declined somewhat with succeeding
generations. The population of rebel Dothian in the mountain regions grew at a somewhat
accelerated rate, beginning in the third generation with Cheleadabathar's 20 offspring.  In
the fourth generation they numbered 120.  In the fifth generation there were 600.  In the
sixth generation there were 3000.
	It was at this time, in about 2400 BT, that war broke out between the two branches of
the Dothian, leading to many casualties on both sides and the general defeat of the mountain
rebels whose 50 or so surviving Spirit Lords were banished from the plane and sealed out
with the Ritual of the Chains of Blood.  Surviving members of this rebel faction either
retreated to the hills or were uneasily assimilated into Dothian society.
	In the seventh generation peace was reached with the native races of the new world in
the face of increasing numbers of invaders of a strange race of hairy creatures of limited
intellect and technology who began to appear on the great icefloes and migrate into Dothian
lands bringing with them violence and destruction.  These hairy creatures are numerous,
destructive and energetic and the Dothian have taken every effort to contain them and
guide their migration southward beyond the Dothian lands.
	During this stable period Dothian society was broken down into four major clans and
these are divided into many sub-clans.  The four clans controled four separate parts of the
Dothian settled lands.  The four clans were the Uleada, Thalira, Aethu and Sulosa.  The
Uleada lived on the coast, the Thalira lived in the northern hills, the Aethu lived in the
eastern mountains and the Sulosa lived in the southern and eastern plains.  There was some
inter-mixing of clans and there were several Dothian cities, including Tsedarishar on the
coast and Talmiradej in the highlands between Thalira and Aethu lands.
	By the tenth generation the Dothian population was fairly stable, with their naturally
low birth rate further inhibited by the shortage of Esahi.  The result was that by about 2100
BT the Dothian population had stabilized at about 200,000 and was not really growing.  They
were losing their sense of cultural identity, thinking of Ysgarth as their home world, losing
much of their magical ability, and generally becoming more isolated and less socially
motivated.  The societal strain of changing worlds, losing magical power and a declining
population resulted in insularity, paranoia and isolationism for the different clans who took
possession of their territory and dealt very little with outsiders, a disunity which ultimately
made them pretty vulnerable to later invaders.
	Eventually the Uleada became the Guracheth who live mostly on the island of
Seregond, the Thalira became the Khuzda who populate the Kingdom of Khuzdaral and call
themselves Khuzda, the Aethu became the Guichon who have several nations in the
mountains of the far north, and the Sulosa became the Echyron who are scattered in small
settlements throughout human dominated regions.  While all of these races retained some of
the basic characteristics of their Dothian ancester they also developed their own unique
characteristics and cultures.
	In the early years of human settlement some Dothian interbred with humans and
joined their society.  This was possible because aeons before the settlement of Ysgarth the
two races shared a common ancestry.  It is commonly believed that magical ability in
humans is the result of Dothian blood somewhere in the family tree, with a greater
proportion corresponding to greater magical talent.

The Third Epoch
	At this point, Ysgarth was still underpopulated and with the ice-age beginning to end
much more land was going to be available than any of the races could hope to use.
	Seeing Ysgarth to be more or less vacant once more, a group of devotees of
techno-magic and interplanal meddling decided to stake a claim.  These beings called
themselves Archaeurges, and can only be described as a- religious minor deities devoted to
social and magical experimentation, essentially interplanal crackpots.  Thus, Ysgarth became
the 'Great Experiment' of seven of these superpowered entities.  Their program got
underway immediatly, as they began to kidnap small groups of population from other planes,
many of them quite close to Earth or other major planal focuses.  Their aim was to bring in
an assortment of human races and dump them in certain patterns in the world, where they
would guide their development towards a civilization based on their own ideas.  Some of
these humans called the world Ysgarth or World of Ice, because of the glaciers which were
just starting to recede when they arrived.
	The flood of humans continued from about 2500 BT to about 1500 BT, with a growing
population which was in conflict with itself, but also with older races who were pushed
farther and farther into obscurity and isolation.  Many Dothian actually interbred with
humans, producing a strain in the human population with somewhat higher than normal
potential for magic.
	After about 2500 years, as their subjects were rising from savagery and had dominated
or emarginated the other races, something went awry in the grand sheme.  One of the seven
archaeurges, named Faldyg, began to diverge in his philosophy from his fellows, and decided
to make changes without their approval.  He also gathered support among the people, and
the aid of human a group of human mages whom his power had made prematurely powerful.
	The inevitable conflict between Faldyg and his supporters and the rest of the
Archaeurges was resolved by Faldyg's total defeat and flight and the eventual suppression of
his followers led by the Archimage Rhithark.  Unfortunatly, this conflict was so violent that it
caused huge changes in climate and geography, most notably in the form of a second minor
ice age and a huge earthquake which opened a rift almost 1000 miles long and over 50 miles
wide right down the middle of the main continent which came to be called the Abyss.  The
social repercussions were enormous, with some societies split, two major empires destroyed,
and huge migrations southward of a number of warlike tribes.  This was called the Time of
Cataclysm, and the social chaos and interplanal bad press was so great that the Archaeurges
decided to abandon the ruins of their experiment and start again elsewhere.
	One of Faldyg's allies in his revolt was a cabal of extra- planal demons led by a being
known as Apollyon or Sathanas.  In a deal with them he agreed to take aid from a malcontent
group within their ranks, refugee beings from the world of Skakrodjar led by Zaedukrom the
Eyeless.  After their defeat, one of Faldyg's last acts was to give these allies control over the
lands in the bottom of the Abyss as their own realm.
	One of the last decent acts of the departing Archaeurges was to establish the Veil
Barrier which surrounds the Abyss.  This is a wall of magical force which inhibits the actions
and movements of entities of power, such as demons and undead, though not totally.  It is
maintained by hidden enchantments which are still effective after almost a thousand years,
though they do show some weakening.  The veil keeps the demons (as humans know them)
in the Abyss, which is the last favor which the Archaeurges could do for humanity.  The
demons in the Abyss are a group of refugees of several races who were cast out of their
ruined plane of Skakrodjar where they had led a war of opression.  They took up residence
with sympathetic forces on the plane of Abaddon, one of the planes of Hell,  for a time, but
eventually began to cause unrest against Apollyon himself, hoping for a coup in favor of their
own leader, Zaedukrom.  Thus, sending them to the Abyss on Ysgarth was an ideal way for
Apollyon to provide them with their own realm and imprison them at the same time.  They
maintain a diplomatic relationship with the other hell-planes, and seek to subvert and corrupt
humankind on Ysgarth, running the Abyss as a hell, where they give physical forms to souls
which they buy or corrupt so that they can enslave them.  Because their population is small
and they have a rigid social heirarchy, they need workers badly to support their standard of
living.  Zaedukrom and his minions cannot leave the Abyss without pain and danger, except
in special cases or in the protection of a summoning, so they have to work through agents
and su BTle tactics.  The Veil Barrier is no hindrance to those humans foolish enough to
want to cross it.

The Fourth Epoch
	The Time of Cataclysm was about 850 years ago, and in that time new empires and
states have arisen, and the ice has receded, although the Abyss remains.  Ysgarth goes on,
picking up the pieces and building new societies without interference from alien entities, but
in a delicate balance of mixed races and societies and the ongoing threat of the demons
dwelling in the very heart of the world, a hell so real that you can walk to its edge and look
down harsh cliff faces at realms ruled by demons.
	One softening factor to all this is that some of the ancient Dothian live on as the
Wraithlords created by the Ritual of Rebirth.  They seek to protect the humans who carry a
slight touch of their blood.  They are ancient and of some power, though they are not totally
benevolent.  For the time being, their own foes, the other Spirit Lords or Doomlords, are
contained and no real threat, unless the Chains of Blood are Broken.
	With all of these ancient powers as well as the gods and beliefs which men brought
with them from other planes, Ysgarth is a world of varied possibilities and all manner of
hidden challenges.

The Great Migrations
	Most of the peoples of Ysgarth seem to have originated somewhere in the tundra and
icy wastelands near the northern end of what is now the Great Abyss.  From there they
migrated southward looking for more hospitable climates.
	Among the earliest to arrive were the ancestors of the Aegera and the various Urmassa
descended peoples (Ka'anda, Biwemba, Hassa, Ilassi, etc), who made their first appearance
at about 2500 BT and were eventually forced far south to ultimately settle in the southern
continent because of pressure from more aggressive tribes.  They were followed around 2300
BT by groups like the Bahadin, Phari, Sindari and Vorates in the east and within a hundred
years the Aetruvian and Machari people followed, migrating to the west.
	At this point a period of settlement commenced with most of the population centered
around the shores of the Inner Sea, leaving a great deal of open wilderness in the inlands
uninhabited.  The overall population density was low, and most commerce and contact was
carried out by sea.  A second wave of migration began in about 1800 BT with the arrival of
the ancestors of the Hellaga, Akaja and Ilchanid tribes in the east and the Evarian, Auscian,
Kernioc, Kyvenic and Caeludic peoples in the west.  Most of these people settled farther
north coastal areas away from the central trade routes of the Inner Sea.
	After a lengthy delay, a third and final wave of migration, mainly of previously nomadic
steppe peoples took place from about 100 BT to about 400at.  It consisted of two main groups
of peoples, the Khasak, Izbek Karamani and related tribes in the east, and the Saes, Aesc,
Gott, Fretsa and related tribes in the west.  In recent years a series of mini-migrations have
occured with groups related to the Saes, including the invasion in about 450 AT by the Vos
and Aran tribes of the area north of Ilchania, and of the Vaen tribes in the west around 750 to
800 AT conquering portions of previously Combric and Machar territories, such as the
Lagmark.
	Only relatively small and disorganized groups remain in the northern steppes on both
sides of the Abyss, so large scale migration is unlikely, especially since these nomads have
become increasingly settled in the more desirable border and mountain regions and are
learning more and better agricultural techniques from their settled neighbors.

Early Exploration and Settlement
	Civilizations grew up quickly along the eastern rim of the Inner Sea, with major cities
already established as early as 2000 BT.  Empires were built, laws established and history
made.
	The Phari took the lead in exploration and trade, developing an extensive network of
trading posts and contacts with more primitive tribes all along the coasts of the Inner Sea.
Other nations such as the Akaja, Hellaga and eventually even the warlike Ilchanids followed
in their wake until a lively trade grew up around the eastern shores of the Inner Sea, trading
grain and foodstuffs from Ilchania and the north down to Aegera and the many Bahadin
kingdoms, and returning with rare naptha, papyrus and spices.
	Looking for better markets, beginning in about 1000 BT the Phari started looking
westward, eventually crossing the dangerous waters at the mouth of the Abyss and reaching
the western reach of the Inner Sea.  Not far beyond the Abyss, among the primitive Marmar
and Machar tribes they built their first trading post which later became the city of Massalia.
Trade for fur and rare metals was extremely lucrative and soon the Phari families who had
settled in Massalia were bloated with wealth, and in turn the barbaric local tribes were
gaining the rudiments of civilization.  Following the same model in the southeast other Phari
merchant families established the city of Sardis in about 650 BT.  It became a major trading
post which attracted the dark-skinned Massanda and Ka'anda tribesmen of Arojika and
their valuable cargoes of slaves and unusual woods.
	In about 700 BT a group of energetic newcomers from Akaja and Hellaga, funded and
supported by Emperor Ulaktaret III of Aegera, followed the sea route west in search of some
of that same wealth.  They settled at a good harbor on the western shore of a peninsula west
of Massalia and north of Sardis and established the bustling city of Tibrum.  The local
Aetruvian and Evarian peoples were very receptive to the benefits of civilization and had in
fact already developed their own cultures with written languages, fairly large settlements,
loosely structured government and extensive overland trading routes, bringing goods and
resources from all over the west to the ships of eastern merchants.  The Aetruvians took to
government and commerce like fish to water and with the wealth and technological
advantages gained from trade with easterners they quickly came to dominate the local
region and their primitive republic was declared the Aetruvian Empire in 296 BT.  Their
independence was patially the result of the outcome of the Great Sardian War in which the
mercantile empires of Pharia and Akaja vied for dominance on the Inner Sea, ultimately
destroying each other in a generation of warfare and leaving the door open for the rise of
local insurgents as their power faded.

The Founding of Tolemeias
	Late to come to the arena of international adventurism were the Ilchanids.  As their
powerful empire grew along the northern coast of the eastern section of the Inner Sea, their
military might enabled them to dominate much of the old Phari and Hellaga territory by 100
BT.  As those old kingdoms fell into decline their colonies in Massalia, Sardis and Tibrum
became independent or fell under the sway of emerging local nations.  As they grew wealthy
the Ilchanids began looking around for new worlds to conquer.  Not great seamen
themselves, they followed routes established by earlier explorers and employed Phari and
Hellaga seamen to do most of the difficult work while Ilchanid families raked in the profits.
	The first explorer to pass the Straights of Chamev into the Great Western Sea was an
Akajan  named Oikos Innakos who explored the Evarian coast in about 600 BT.  Sardian
merchants exploited the western coast of Evaria beginning in about 550 BT, making regular
contact with the Auscian tribes who had already established excellent inland trading routes,
in many case better than those of the Aetruvians, allowing Sardian merchants to cut out the
middle men and make considerable profit off of this somewhat longer route.  To a large
extent it was this competition between Sardians and their Auscian allies and the Akaja of
Tibrum and their Aetruvian allies which touched off the Great Sardian War in 328 BT, which
left Sardis in ruins and both empires in a shambles by its conclusion in 302 BT.  After that
contact with the Evarian and Auscian coasts continued, but at a considerably more
restrained rate.
	Northward exploration was resumed when the Ilchanids entered the picture to fill the
void left by the fall of the Akaja and Phari mercantile empires.  In 18 BT a Phari merchant
named Miccoros Tolmy, employed by an Ilchan merchant family travelled up the western
coast and landed on the shores of what later became the Kyvenic kingdom of Ustradwi.
There he made contact with friendly locals, including a well travelled Kyvenic man named
Isberos who had learned the Sapra language from Sardian merchants and was eager to act
as a guide to Tolmy, a role which he filled for the next two decades.  In subsequent
expeditions Tolmy brought profitable cargoes and made contact along the coast as far north
as Combria and up the Cynfael river as far as it was navigable.  It was on the banks of the
Cynfael that Tolmy established his first permanent trading post which would later be named
Tolemeias in his honor.  He picked a prime location where an unnamed village already
existed with a potentially excellent river port, on the border between the emerging Kyvenic,
Kernioc and Auscian kingdoms.  In its early years his settlement enjoyed the protection of
King Ugon I of Ceredigion who proved to be a powerful benefactor.  Tolmy used this
settlement as his base of operations for future exploration until his death around 12 AT
during a northward journey, possibly among the dangerous natives of the isle of Seregond.
	Tolemeias continued to prosper, as did its many trading partners.  By 50at at least a
dozen prominant trading families had settled branches in the growing town and it was
attracting craftsmen and merchants from all of the surrounding nations who settled on both
sides of the river and became part of a growing population.  It quickly became a focal point
for diplomacy, manufacturing and a lively fishing trade, because of its protected location,
proximity to the great forests of Auscia and Marchioc and the iron and copper mines of
Amerwic and Ustradwi.
	As Tolemeias developed it became a center of great wealth, even greater than its older
predecessors to the south.  It became a focus of international trade and the center of an
extensive overland network of roads and trails bringing goods from all over the north.  As
the city grew it acquired autonomy because of its special relationship with the Empire of
Ilchania and the Kingdom of Ceredigion.  Ultimately it's wealth was so great by the year 645
AT that it was granted the ultimate privelege of independence, though strong trading
contracts and ties of blood and interest continued to link it to Ilchania for many years.  The
population was of many nations and many languages.  By the end of the 8th century the
population topped 300,000 souls, making it arguably the largest city in the world, rivalled
only by its sister city Carzal, capital of Ilchania.  The vast majority of the laboring population
was of Kyvenic and Auscian stock, with a ruling class with ancient roots in Ilchania, Pharia
and Hellaga, and a growing underclass of Vaen, Machari and Gael latecomers.
	Today literally hundreds of ships and wagons enter and leave the city every day.
There are half a dozen gates, hundreds of warehouses, extensive suburbs (to the north) for
both the wealthy and the destitute (to the south), over 100 craft and merchant guilds, an
extensive city government and complex religious heirarchy.
	The power and influence of Tolemeias is enormous.  As it grew it became a seed for the
growth of wealth and civilization which spread throughout the west, particularly benefiting
the Kyvenic and Auscian peoples, but shared to some degree by anyone with something to
trade.  Cansa, the language of Tolemeias has become a pervasive trade tongue in all the
western lands.  Youths of many nations dream of running away to earn their fortune in the
great city, unaware of the danger and squalor which goes hand in had with great wealth.
	To a large extent it is the existence of a trading center like Tolemeias in a central and
accessible location which led to success similar to, but even greater than that enjoyed by the
regions around Massalia and Tibrum.  As the most recent and most extensive example of the
impact of eastern colonization in the west, Tolemeias has become a dominant force in the
development of that region.  Much more detail on Tolemeias can be found in the section on
cities.

Rise of the West
	Although tribes began migrating into the area west of the Abyss as early as 2200 BT,
the numbers migrating that direction were far smaller in comparison to the land area
available than those who moved eastward, implying a point of origin somewhere to the north
and east of the Abyss itself.  Conditions in the west were such that the climate was relatively
hospitable, well suited to hunting the large herds of wild game in the north and to gathering
an easy subsistance from the wild crops of the south.
	While populations and civilizations grew up rapidly in the east, the conditions in the
west provided less pressure for rapid urbanization and regimentation of life, so at the time
that the first great cities of the east were being built around 1500 BT the tribes of the west
were just beginning to form their first simple tribal confederacies and overland trading
systems.
	In this early period before the arrival of eastern traders the dominant super-tribes of
the west were the ancient Orszang (ancestors of the Machar, Marmar and Orvadi), the
Kadeliac (ancestors of the Kael, Kyveni, Kernioc and related peoples) and the Aetruvians
(along with their relatives the Evarians and Auscians).  Until 2000 BT these peoples were
hunters, gatherers and herders, living off the land and travelling with the herds and the
seasons in small family groups.  After 2000 BT they began to settle down.  The Kadeliac
people into regional clans of as many as 30 family groups, the Orszang into small agricultural
settlements and the Aetruvians into larger settlements mostly on the sea coast.
	As is the natural trend among people trading routes developed between different clans
and regions, bringing shell and wood from the north to trade for pottery and worked metal
from the south.  Settlements became larger and more permanent, agricultural techniques
improved, populations became concentrated, languages began to change, and by 800 BT the
first real nations began to emerge.  The earliest of these were city-states along the southern
coast and clan alliances in the north.
	The first clearly identifiable and lasting nation state to control significant territory was
the Aetruvian Kingdom of Etruika which was established in 760 BT and lasted until about
580 BT when it was reorganized into a larger nation which included much of Evaria and was
the nucleus of what later became the Aetruvian Empire.  In those early years an Evarian
Kingdom known as Tulesia ruled the western coast from about 675 BT to 590 BT.  The
Kingdom of Auscia was established in 610 BT and survived until about 390 AT when it was
subdued by the Saes Empire.  The first northern Kingdom was Ystradia, the ancestor of
modern Ustradwi, established in around 590 BT.  Other kingdoms followed until by the end
of the 4th century almost all of the land area of Ysgarth except for the great steppes was
claimed by someone.  The dominant political forces of this period were Ustradwi, Combria to
it north, Auscia and the Aetruvian Empire.
	With the arrival of merchants from the east change was rapid, with nations like
Aetruvia gaining advantages over their neighbors because of their trading relations with
easter nations.  Settlement and organization of states intensified after the period of the
founding of Tolemeias, disturbed only by the ongoing influx of barbarian tribes from the
northern steppes.
	During the early years after the founding of Tolemeias the various Kyvenic nations
formed an alliance for purposes of trade and diplomacy, a pattern followed some years later
by the Kael nations to the north.  Despite their conquest by the Saes the power of the
Aetruvian political machine continued to grow, until their empire reached its height under
Saes domination in about 400 AT.  Eventually their territory stretched from the southern
coast all the way to the River Cynfael, with the Kingdom of Auscia the last major nation to fall
to their rule, and with Suessiones, Frejsa and Marchioc essentially puppet states on the
border of the great empire.  At that point the limits of Saes/Aetruvian resources were more
or less reached and after 400 years the empire has begun to crumble under its own weight,
with the loss of the martial tradition of the Saes and increasing infighting among Aetruvian
political factions.

Recent Events
	Bluthen 787-Present: The Great Vaen Settlement: Under the sponsorship of the
governments of Badenoc and Morianoc and with economic aid from mercantile interests in
Tolemeias, the Hrugia, Durok and Turing tribes of the Vaen were settled in the arable
steppe-land west of the river Efernwy in an are area previously settled by exiles from
Badenoc and eastern Combria.  This new settlement quickly formed into a loose
confederations of steadings centered around the growing trading center of Cepestowe.
	Rhuth 23, 788-Death of King Mador: After years of congestive illness Mador, King of
Morianoc and Arbrennin of all the Kyveni people died in Baelnok.  He was succeeded by his
eldest brother Reis, according to Kyvenic laws of succession, although there was some
suspicion of Reis' involvement in accelerating the final stages of his brother's fatal illness.
	Afrul-Imbola 790: The Conquest of the Machar: This year saw what many believe to be
the last great Vaen invasion in which King Atli of the Zubingi lead some 9 large tribes south
through Talebolion into the mountain kingdoms of Macharia, rapidly subjugating the
ill-prepared nations of Machar-Orszag and Toth-Orszag, establishing the new
Vaen-dominated Kingdom of Lagmark under Atli's rulership.  It is rumored that this invasion
was secretly supported by the Kyveni kingdoms who sought to divert the dangers of another
Vaen invasion in their own territory, working through agents including the Vaanite Shaman
Orm Thegnson and his disciples.
	Rhuth 29, 791: Declaraation of Caerfaelig and the War of the Kyvenic Succession: With
this historic document Lawys Edmyg, younger brother of King Reis of Morianoc declared his
brother's accession to the throne to be invalid and brought forward statements from
witnesses claiming that Reis had ordered the death by poison of his elder brother King
Mador as well as the assasination of his brother Cradoc.  After this declaration Lawys took
his personal troops as Earl of Penllyn and entered open rebellion with limited support from
the King of Lesser Combria and the Duke of Badenoc.  This marked the beginning of the
War of the Kyvenic succession in which Lawys was fight a harried defense in eastern
Morianoc for two years, until driven back across the river Efernwy into Badenoc, where he
was victorious in he Battle of Cardaw, regaining a hold on part of the eastern border, leading
to a series of victories and an end to the war on Uthved 1, 794 when Black Reis was slain by
his own bodyguard while on campaign -- though rumors of assassination by a group of local
barons were current at the time.  Reis' death rapidly accelerated Lawys rise to the throne,
with Mador's son Madioc as his designated heir.
	Imbola-Uthved 795-The Skraling War: In this conflict a combined army of of the Gale
and Kyvenic nations met and defeated an unexpected invasion of Airgedelia by a horde of
demi-human beings called the Skralings who attempted to migrate out of the northern
mountains into the Airgedelian lake district.  Their main force was trapped in a crater-valley
and slain in a battle which lasted for several days.  No one really understands their nature or
origins and the few survivors are being hunted down and exterminated.
	Belin 796: First Auscian Rebellion: After years of preparation and gathering strength
Corlan, exiled King of the Auscians led an army through the Amerwyk Mountains to take
the ity of Karru, the eastern capital of the old Kingdom of Auscia, establishing a tenuous hold
on the mountainous segment of the kingdom he planned to recapture from the Saes Empire.
Saes legions quickly moved into the province and Corlan and his men ultimately retreated
into the sympathetic Kingdom of Marchwik to plan their next move.
	Ragvir 16, 796: The Night of the Glados: In a sudden overnight coup control of the
unstable Kingdom of Marchwik (southernmost of the Kymric kingdoms) kingdoms) was
seized by forces of Saes Legion XII (The Wolf Legion) which was ostensibly there to hunt
down Auscian rebels, but had formed an alliance with the Auscians and defected from the
empire to takeup mercenary service under King Gadvallis who they eventually deposed and
arrested.under arrest.  Maxen Ultig, called the Wolf of the East, former commander of
Legion XII led the rebellion and seized the reins of power in Marchwik.  This coup was made
easier by the fact that Legion XII was one of the three Saes legions whose membership was
mostly expatriated Kyvenic and Auscian recruits with the usual smattering of Vaen.  Maxen
was previously believed to have been executed for treason in 793 when he refused an order
to execute the families of Auscian loyalists, and that supposed execution set off the desertion
of his over-strength legion.  It is thought that all of this may have been part of an elaborate
plan for a hidden conquest of Marchwik at the invitation of its clan leaders and barons,
because King Gadvallis was dottering and without a desirable heir and the nation was liable
to be plunged into an unpleasant civil war.
	Afrul 797: Guildlord Takes Ill: With the coming of Spring, Satral Kutillis, Guildlord of
Ptolemeias was taken ill with a mysterious affliction which reduced his decision making
capacity and restricted him to his bed.  While he was incapacitated his duties were taken
over by a council of leading merchants and priests, but this illness in an elderly Guildlord
placed the city in a state of uneasy tension awaiting his recovery or the elevation of a new
Guildlord.  A number of likely prospects began to vye for position, including his son Meyntar,
Guildmaster Urslan of the Shippers Guild and Commander Delren of the City Guard..
	Lewen 2, 797: Saes Emperor Dies: A sudden seizure took the life of Emperor Vales II.
With minimal scuffling he was succeeded by his young nephew Cambisos.  As the new
emperor was still a minor the senate selected Thuvadar, advisor to the late emperor to act as
regent for the next three years.  Thuvadar's regency marks the first time in over 100 years in
which the empire is actually in the control of a member of the old Aetruvian aristocracy,
something which makes many of the Saes rather uneasy.  Doubly so given the fact that the
young Cambisos himself is half Aetruvian on his mother's side.


