Time Periods of the Lands of Power

Early Antiquity (1206 BCE-1055 BCE)
Early Antiquity begins in 1206 BCE, when King Euden founds Eudoria on the western shore of the Lands. Due to rich resources and plentiful lands, the massively successful colony blossomed until 1177 BCE, when the Wraiths first appear and begin making a series of attacks on Eudoria. In 1113 BCE, King Jorna dies without an obvious heir, as his sons were triplets. The sons agreed to split the kingdom into three seperate lands, which would later go on to war with each other. The sons, however, where all assassinated in 1075 BCE, which left Eudora in a state of chaos. After 20 years of turmoil with multiple successors attempted to take various thrones, a General of Tirithia, Ornatip, took control of all three realms and declared himself a Steward while the search for a new King continued. Ornatip allowed citizens to elect Delegates to a legislature that would elect a Steward every few years. This marked the start of Pax Eudoriana, a time when Eudorians and the Lands enjoyed a long period of peace.

Pax Eudoriana (1055 BCE-808 BCE)
Steward Ornatip was an effective leader, and marshaled the troops necessary to mount a quick and highly successful counterattack on the Wraiths, who withdrew to Gorgoria after a series of defeats. The Eudorian Republic quickly became the most powerful state in the Lands, and was able to militarily enforce peace.

High Antiquity (808 BCE-360 BCE)
High Antiquity began when the Wraiths managed to kill Steward Denepti of Eudoria King Ciria and Prince Hatmore of Aloria, and Prince Snaplish of the Ranhiran. Over the next nearly 450 years, the countries warred with each other and faced frequent attacks from the Wraiths, culminating in the release of Blogoth in 413 BCE. A successful alliance of the Free Peoples of the Lands managed to nearly annihilate Blogoth’s forces and forced Blogoth himself into hiding in 360 BCE.

Classical Period (360 BCE-422 ACE)
The Classical Period begins with the disappearance of Blogoth in 360 BCE and typically ends with the destruction of Sienna, the capitol of Earthenion, in 422 ACE. This was an unprecedented period of 782 years of largely peaceful times in the Lands of Power, and it saw large advancements in technology and quality of living. The Republic reached its greatest extent during this period, in the year 395. By that year, it had conquered large sections of Sigoria, the entirety of Aloria, parts of Tumbletopia, and a swath of southern Ranhiran. The Eudorian Republic had a massive influence on most of the continent’s culture and language. During this period, magical science advanced mightily, allowing for greater technology and impressive buildings.

Late Antiquity (422 ACE-689 ACE)
Late Antiquity saw the slow but steady decline of the Eudorian Republic. Wraith attacks increased in the north, which pressured Sigoria and the northern borders of the Republic. Public faith in the Steward declined, and assassination attempts became common. The Steward lost political and economic power- the Republic could no longer maintain control over much of its territory, losing nearly all of its Sigorian land by 550 ACE. Although the Republic still lay claim to most of its land in Ranhiran, in practice it had long since withdrawn its military forces from the region and did not have the resources to enforce its rule or expel intruders. Aloria became more powerful economically and was usually more safe, so it saw large amounts of immigration. Civil wars and political fights slowed the actions of the Republic, which failed to respond to major losses of territory. By the year 600, the Republic had been reduced to Eudoria and most of Aloria. The secession of Tirithgol in 641 ACE caused a rapid decline in Earthenion's ability to defend its northern flank. Wigise fell in 663 ACE, and Earthenion's cities was sacked multiple times. Finally, the last Steward of the Eudorian Republic, Gantor Branos, was captured and killed in 689. The end of Late Antiquity marked the finale of the 1,895-year long Eudorian hegemony.

Imperial Period (689 ACE-1384 ACE)
After Branos's death, the General of Aloria, who had grown more powerful during the later years of Late Antiquity, immediately shored up the Alorian border. The General claimed that the Alorian portion was the Republic. Aloria was capable of fending off its northern and southern flank from invaders, but expansion was not an option for the state for over a century. Eudoria remained a complicated mess of peoples who had fled Sigoria and the north due to the advancing Wraiths, as well as individuals vying for power in the vacuum left behind by the Republic. By 750 ACE, things had settled into several states- Tirithgol, the Kingdom of Tirithia, Sienna, The New Earthenion Empire, and a few other regions. A significant portion of Eurise was conquered by Sigoria in the 700s. Much of the remaining apparatus of the Republic lay in the rump state of Sienna, which controlled itself, a small portion of the coast, and its surrounding areas. Still, Sienna's potent military and magical force largely allowed it to remain untouched for several centuries. The New Earthenion Empire, ruled by a Sigorian General, laid claim to much of the Republic but was damaged by constant civil wars, which left it unable to meaningfully expand. The 234-year period between 872 and 1106 ACE are marked by Alorian hegemony. In 872, the Empress of Aloria, Jozefine, launched a swift attack on the New Earthenion Empire and the southern Kingdom of Tirithia, which she completed in less than a year. The siege of Sienna, which lasted for four months in 881, ended with Sienna's capture by the Alorian Empire. The late 880s saw a brutal counterattack by Tirithia and difficult resistance by Sigoria in Eurise. Empress Jozefine decided to shore up her borders instead of fighting both Kingdoms at once. A second Alorian expansion, however, began in the 950s, which saw the Alorians' technologically advanced army swiftly conquer much of the Ranhiran, and managed to significantly reduce Tumbletopia's territory. The Empire reached its economic peak by the end of the millenium, where it controlled nearly the entire southern continent.

As the largest and most substantial portion of the Eudorian Republic that remained stable after its fall, many in the Alorian Empire considered the Empire as the continuation of the Republic. They recognized Sienna as another place where the Republic’s sway still held, and were delighted when the city was captured in 881. The Empire made a point to formally fuse Sienna’s remaining Republic apparatus with the imperial administration, proclaiming it to be a day of holiday for the old Republic’s reunification.

The fall of the Empire was rapid, beginning in the late 1070s and ending abruptly in 1106. In 1077, Emperor Ramos Alleya launched a large and costly attack on both Sigoria and Gorgoria, hoping to extinguish both forces in one brutal attack. While this strategy was somewhat successful in conquering a large swath of Sigoria, Alleya's forces met a strong resistance in inland Gorgoria. The Emperor diverted more forces to Gorgoria and away from Sigoria, which allowed for a rapid series of revolts in Sigoria beginning in 1080. Alleya increased taxes and spent an enormous amount of the Empire's available resources to suppress both threats. He secured Sigoria once again by 1085, but many tribes in the Ranhiran, sensing weakness, launched their own sets of revolts in that same year. Alorian policy for centuries had been to brutally suppress any uprising, but Alleya lacked the power necessary to do so and was forced into a costly war with the Ranhiran tribes. Aloria withdrew from the Ranhiran in 1089, but was crucially cut off from a direct connection with its Gorgorian troops. By the mid-1090s, the Empire was in economic collapse, and the war with Gorgoria stalled. In 1096, Tumbletopia launched an attack on Aloria's southern flank, and forced Aloria onto the defensive on its own home turf. In 1097, Emperor Alleya's unpopularity caused him to be assassinated, leading to strife and discord in the Empire. Eventually, his adolescent daughter ascended to the throne after over seven months of conflict. Empress Shigansha was the last ruler of Aloria, and her inexperience led her country to several large defeats in Sigoria and Gorgoria. Public faith in the imperial administration rapidly declined, and in 1101 a huge swath of the western and southern portion of Aloria declared its independence. Unable to muster the resources for a second civil war, Shigansha was forced to establish diplomatic relations. Faced with the sudden loss of over half her territory, the Empress finally withdrew the crippled Alorian army from the north. Only about half of the remaining army returned, however- the rest fled to other regions and away from the collapsing Empire. The Alorian Empire fell into disarray over the next few years. The imperial government faded until there was little, if any, administration over Alorian territory. The Empress was unable to exert power over any part of the Empire that was not in the immediate vicinity of the capitol. During this period, much of Eudoria freed itself from Alorian command with little resistance. Finally, in 1106, Empress Shigansha was forced to flee the capitol after an armed revolt, and the Alorian Confederation, a group of small states in southwestern Aloria, was created. The remaining 278 years of the Imperial Period are known as the Post-Alorian age. Although the Alorian Empire continued to exist after 1106, it was largely rendered powerless after Shigansha fled, along with a group of loyalists, to the Kathian Islands, off the coast of southern Aloria. The islands, lightly populated and with little connection to the mainland, technically remained under Alorian control. Shigansha continued to claim that she was Empress, and although countries on the mainland vaguely acknowledged her title, she never returned to Aloria.

The Post-Alorian age was largely similar to the Pre-Alorian age; the power vacuum left by the sudden fall of the Empire led to the rise of several new states. The bulk of western Aloria was controlled by the Alorian Confederation, an alliance of peoples who were once denizens of the Empire. The Confederation was quick to establish friendly diplomatic relations with neighboring states, and as such, it was largely left alone for a while.

In western Aloria, the portion of the former Empire that had split off in 1101 became the Western Republic, modeled after the Eudorian one. The Western Republic was headed by a general elected by the legislature. The New Republic had good relations with the Confederation (and, to an extent, with the remainder of the Alorian Empire on the Kathian Islands).

As with the Eudorian Republic, there was some vying for the chance to inherit the Empire's legacy. The Western Republic, which composed a large portion of the Empire until it seceded in 1101, could lay claim to whatever remained of its political and economic power. The Confederation, on the other hand, controlled the old capitol city and a portion of Aloria's most treasured lands. The continued existence of Empress Shigansha, however, threw a wrench in both country's plans to be the successor to the Empire, as she continued to lay claim to the throne. The Kathian Islands continued to house the remaining imperial government, which administered the Islands in the same way it had administered the country. Although both the New Republic and the Confederation considered attacking the Islands, neither felt that it was worth the effort. As such, however, the public was divided on who the true inheiritor to the imperial throne was.