Brief History
Year -9:
End of Third Sorcerer War, much of the Empire in ruins and with three rival Emperors. Eterium in chaos.
Year -5:
Rise of Emperor Aulorius (The penultimate Good Emperor).
Year -3:
West Marches reconquered.
Year -1:
South and East Marches reconquered.
Year 0:
The Hundred Families, led by Sidonius exiled to Thalassa for violating the Laws of the Blood and the tenants of Eos of the Sun.
Year 1:
Establishment of the city of Thalassa and the Directorate, led by Sidonius
Year 2:
Assassination of Aulorius and rise of the mad Emperor Philarian. On Thalassa Sidonius builds the Vault of Ages, spends a hundred days inside.
Year 3:
Death of Sidonius, cornerstone of the Great Library laid.
Year 53:
Adera, the last city on the Great West Road revolts against Imperial rule, separating Thalassa from communications with Eterium and the rest of the Empire.
Year 54:
Aria Sidonius, head of the Directorate, enters the Vault of Ages, emerging with the knowledge of Thalassa’s manifest destiny. She becomes devoted to the god Aarith shortly thereafter.
Year 55:
Thalassa offers assistance in the form of knowledge, intelligence, and weapons to the Periphery Marches against the Empire.
Year 58:
Aria herself dies in a magical duel with the former Imperial sorcerer Erabulus and his cohort after causing a miracle that drowns his fleet and destroys him and his threat, saving Thalassa and the Periphery.
Year 59:
A cult begins in the Periphery focused on Aria’s sacrifice.
Year 60:
The Directorate is replaced by a democracy lead by the Mayor after Adera tries to conquer Thalassa. The other Marches join Thalassa to stop them.
Year 61:
Thalassa begins intentionally expanding its trading fleet and influence in the West.
Year 65:
Thalassa begins a policy of indirectly balancing the rival ambitions of the Periphery Marches (now Kingdoms).
Year 72:
Initial inroads on the Brentine shore and the Riftlands.
Year 90:
Thalassa begins using the emerging cults of Aarith, Aria and Aether to craft a quasi-religious veneer on the manifest destiny and economic approach.
Year 100:
Founding of the Wizard’s Guild.
Year 150:
Temple of Aarith reaches the nadir of its influence.
Year 175:
Founding of the Merchant’s Consortium.
Year 220:
The resurgent Empire under Gradian III discovers what Thalassa is doing. A warfleet under General Carius Diogenes is organized to conquer Thalassa.
Year 224:
Much of the Brentine shore and the coastal towns of the Periphery are briefly reconquered by Diogenes.
Year 225:
Thalassan Fleet slows down, but doesn’t decisively defeat Diogenes. Sidonius predicts an Imperial overreach and to keep harassing the Empire’s fleet.
Year 226:
The Imperial Fleet is recalled for use closer to Eterium due to a more pressing revolt.
Year 240:
The Last Civil War is fought in a half-collapsed Empire besieged by rebellion, invasion, and pestilence.
Year 245:
Eterium is sacked, triggering the Spiteful Retribution of the usurping Sorceror-Emperor Archonis the Gray versus rivals Kentigar, Gradian IV and Loscar. Millions dead.
Year 246:
Sarantium formally walls itself off from the Western and Eastern marches and the Imperial heartland, nearly being destroyed itself.
Year 255:
Goblin raids begin in earnest in the north of the Periphery in the White Mountains. Subsequent raids of other tribes of humanoids and humans increase over time.
Year 302:
Brianna Dhal leads a Thalassan overland expedition to the former capital. All it finds is ruin, decay, barbarism, and even undead animated by pockets of dark magic.
Year 305:
Dhal discovers a rump Empire on the Enderian Coast, east of the ruined capital. The town of Ostea, renamed New Eterium, rules two dozen villages and some depopulated farmland.
Year 310:
A great horde of Norvick barbarians united under Haalkhan the Red begins conquering the Rift Kingdoms one at a time, threatening Thalassan interests.
Year 314:
Thalassa and its allies suffer a huge defeat to Haalkhan. Sidonius appears in the Vault advising a policy of attrition and maneuver.
Year 315:
Thalassan and allied forces under Brendon Vael turn the tide, cutting off Haalkhan’s supplies and going behind the lines to sack his forward bases.
Year 316:
Haalkhan retreats to Gharvan to build his forces for a fresh assault.
Year 317:
Haalkhan dies. His rivals tear his empire apart in the Succession Wars. Tribes settle in Snowmor, Krelmar, Maelith, and parts of the Rift Kingdoms. Humanoid raids dramatically shrink in the aftermath.
Year 318:
Thalassa formally creates the Thalassan League encompassing most of the western periphery and Brentine kingdoms.
Year 320:
Thalassa formalizes a standing army and navy.
Year 330:
The League begins exploring and fortifying the White Mountains north of the Periphery Kingdoms.
Year 376:
Rumors of another colony of Sidonius’ followers inspires Arcadia Dhal, grand-daughter of Brianna, to follow her mother’s footsteps and explore the old Empire.
Year 379:
Arcadia finds that the Empire has mostly fallen to a dark age with warlord kingdoms fighting each other for control.
Year 380:
Arcadia discovers a resurgent Sarantium controls a small south-eastern Empire, but is at constant siege from barbarians and its eastern rivals.
Year 390:
In Eterium, Arcadia finds the ancient Imperial Temple of Records, from which she daringly retrieves any scrolls referencing Thalassa, Sidonius or his followers.
Year 398:
Explorer Taran Paolson discovers an elven city in the mountains of Andir beyond the Western Plain kingdoms. To say they were hostile is an understatement.
Year 410:
Trade established with the Dwarven Realm of Arazhur. Importing of horses from Snowmor tribes increases.
Year 420:
End of a hundred years of Succession Wars among the barbarians of Malith and the Steppe.
Year 421:
Silver found in the White Mountains’ Lioné Region north of Uzec, with the Upper Calder Valley having the richest mines.. An old Dwarven keep is fortified by the Lord Baron of Uzec to protect trade and the villagers in the lower valley and project power into the upper valley, beyond the Lower Calder Falls.
Year 422:
Last Goblin raid from the White Mountains repelled. None seen since.
Year 447:
Today