History of Lumen City

This is a big summary page for historical events that lead to Lumen today. It is not going to be absolutely everything that happened over the course of history, and I am going to summarize a lot; the stuff I go into detail for will be for my own enjoyment, for character creation hooks, for lore relevance, or because another player asked for more information / needs more information for their character. Please let me know if you need anything explored or more details for your character, but I will not be making "The Complete History Of Lumen City".
TO BE CLEAR: Just because there's information here does not mean it's going to make or break your understanding of whats going on in the story. A lot of this is minor details I might use to fill in some gaps or as a reasoning for some other more widely understood plot point later, and if anyone wants to make a character using this information then it will become more relevant. Some of this is more lore relevant than other bits, but I will give you all more opportunities to learn lore relevant information during the course of the campaign as well. This is just for the history majors and the game theorists in the group to sift through. TLDR, no need to study unless you're interested. It won't be irrelevant, but its not the basis for the campaign.

Pre-Lumen

Before the city of Lumen was established, the region was populated by a variety of indigenous peoples. The most well known of these tribes are the Enskarakwa (pronounced en ska ROCK wa), the Akawenteaka (ah ka when TAY ka), the Onyota'a ka (own YO ta ah KA), the Genundowa (GEN un doe wa), the Shenandoah (SHEN an doe ah), the Neshnabé (nesh nah BAY), and the Menunkatuck (MEN un KA tuck). These tribes are a part of a nation of allied peoples called the Kerhiteshonni (ker he tay SHOW knee) or "People of the Woodland", or more commonly referred to as the Epicenter Alliance.
There are dozens of other tribes that populate the continent, but these are the closest to the Epicenter and to Lumen City. They share a lot of the same cultural practices and have a similar mythology between them.
*** To be clear, the tribes below will be described by what they are most known for, not what they exclusively do. Each tribe has weaving, shell necklaces, archery, dance, song, elaborate clothing, etc etc. It is only exclusive if I say it is, otherwise each description is not the only thing that defies them. I'm just not going to write an entire wikipedia page for each.

The Epicenter

The epicenter is a doline with shallow water at the bottom and a single, lightning-tree-like structure in it's center. The cosmic epicenter is still a large mystery; what exactly it is, why it exists, and what it is capable of are still largely unknown. The "tree" is the largest mystery; it seems to have the exact composition that makes up lightning, but in some kind of stasis. Contact with the tree is extremely dangerous and direct contact has always resulted in death, as if the individual were struck by lightning themselves by touching the tree.
Surrounding the doline is a dense forest charged with arcane energies. The forest's energy is similar in composition to the feywilds, but is distinctly of the material plane. Historically, this forest was known as the Kerhitenawenuq (ker he tay NAH way nook), or "Forest of Monsters" because the forest was heavilly populated by violent and predatory creatures. It is unknown whether it is the forest or the tree that draws in these kinds of creatures, but this is why the epicenter is so prone to attacks or otherwise drawing in unsavory creatures or forces of darkness. For most of history, the Enskarakwa held territorial control over the Epicenter's tree, but in recent history the Jarihian government has held control over the area.
It's importance to the First Star is still mostly unexplained; historically, the first team of Vigils was formed around the Epicenter and most Vigil activity is conducted around it, leading to strong correlation between the site and Lumen activity, but little else is known about the connection.
The epicenter is off-limits to the public and is closely monitored 24/7. Distance tours are conducted for researchers, scientists, or upper-level students looking to study the epicenter, but no-one other than approved research teams are allowed close to the tree. There have been motions to try and utilize the tree as a source of power, but those have been heavilly fought (mostly by Vigils seeking to protect the site from misuse).

The Enskarakwa

The Enskarakwa are the tribe that had the most influence on Lumen City's history, and is the most populated of the Kerhiteshonni tribes today. They controlled the part of the epicenter that holds the tree before Lumen was established. They are the only tribe in the nation that is strictly matrilinneal, and most affairs are handled by the women of the tribe. Historically, it was the men's job to hunt and farm, while the women gathered wild food and resources, weaved and sewed, painted, led ceremonies, and handled the dead. Both genders faught as warriors historically, and to this day both are still trained as warriors even if there is little need for it.

The Akawenteaka

The Akawenteaka are the tribe most well known for their creation of shell necklaces and weaving. Their culture focuses much of it's work on arts and crafts and trades using shell necklaces as currency. They are the first recorded native tribe to use an intermediate means of exchange rather than bartering, but these shells had more significance than a simple dollar bill. They are used for record-keeping, ceremonies, and as gifts.

The Onyota'a ka

The Onyota'a ka are most well known for their skill in archery and hand crafted bows and arrows. Their culture revolves around bowmaking, fletching, creating arrowheads and shafts, and demonstrating their skill with crafting and using these materials. They hold ceremonies with archery games and tournaments and judge their warriors on their ability to use a bow and arrow.

The Genundowa

The Genundowa are most well known for their culture surrounding dance and garments. They have the most elaborate song and dance rituals among the neighboring tribes and have regalia for every occasion. The dress and dance combination is important for carrying out ceremonies or storytelling, as several outfits were meant to embody historical figures, deities, or spirits in these tales. Being a storyteller is a revered profession among the Genundowa and requires a great amount of skill in dance and charismatic pull over their peers.

The Shenandoah

The Shenandoah are most well known for their clan-based system. This system is seen in all Kerhiteshonni tribes, but was popularized by the Shenandoah. The clans are based on moral principles and animals: There is the turtle (associated with wisdom), the crane (associated with respect), the deer (associated with love), the bald eagle (associated with honesty), the loon (associated with humility), the marten (associated with bravery), and the bear (associated with balance). They are very familial and hold their clan above their tribe; some Shenandoah have connections in other tribes, or were even born outside of the tribe, but still primarily classify themselves by clan.

The Neshnabé

The Neshnabé are most well known for their "Seven Grandfather Teachings", moral principles that teaches the equality and importance of their fellow tribesmen and respect for all of nature's creations. They are: wisdom, respect, love, honesty, humility, bravery, and balance. This system is seen in all Kerhiteshonni tribes, but is highly prioritized by the Neshnabé; they is considered the most spiritual among the Kerhiteshonni.

The Menunkatuck

The Menunkatuck are a tribe composed of nomadic clans that used to travel the forests surrounding the epicenter, moving to avoid attracting monster's attention and thriving off of the natural resources hidden within the dense, arcane forest of the Epicenter. These clans are smaller than clans from the non-nomadic tribes, and usually consist of one family and a few extended relatives. Several clans would claim the same animal symbol and combine their family name with the animal, such as "The Bears of Shawátis". They would meet once every three months to share resources and information before splitting apart again.

The First Vigils

Stories kept from the local tribes explain that the first group of vigils was a team of six young adults, each hailing from a different tribe, that came together to investigate the Epicenter. The story explains that these individuals were approached by a figure they call "Lightning Woman", likely an interpretation of the First Star, and were granted the choice to become Vigils, protect their tribes from the Kerhitenawenuq, and bring alliance to the tribes by forming a team with one another. Not much else is known about the first team, but they are named in several other stories as mythical figures akin to angels or divine saviors. These stories reffer to the first team of Vigils as The Abnaki (ab NAH key), and many indigenous groups use this term to reffer to Vigils as a whole (usually using "Abnaki" to mean "Vigils" and "The Abnaki" to mean "The First Vigils").
It is understood that the first team having six members instead of seven is significant because it is implied that "Lightning Woman" was their seventh member. This is the only explanation given by native peoples, but it is not ever explicitly stated by any recorded tale or song describing the Abnaki. This is likely because the native people did not keep strict historical records and it was simply understood that "Lightning Woman" was part of the first team, which would also explain their divine significance in other tales. It was possibly never recorded because of a sense of "why would you?" as if it was common knowledge; this is also how indigenous people treat this information, but it is worth noting the absence of an explanation.
There is always one tribe left out of the myth, but the tribe varies between tellings. From the Enskarakwa, Akawenteaka, and Genundowa, the tribe that was left out is the Menunkatuck. From the Onyota'a ka and Menunkatuck, it is Enskarakwa that is left out. From the Shenandoah and Neshnabé , it is the Onyota'a ka that is left out. This likely indicates some feud between the tribes that resulted in the Onyota'a ka and Neshnabé being at odds with the neighboring tribes, which is further supported by records of war between these tribes throughout history and during colonial expansion.
There is no archaeological evidence to support that these individuals ever existed as the mythology describes them. It is likely that the "First Vigils" myth is akin to a creation myth and merely exists to explain the Vigils where no other story or science can fill the gap. It is likely that there was a first team at some point, but the exact nature of the team and how it was created is unknown. This is also supported by the highly symbolic nature of the Abnaki, with a team of six plus "Lightning Woman" instead of seven standard members of the team, making the Abnaki appear as more symbolism than reality.

Establishing Lumen

The first cross-sea contact with the native people was made by colonizers from Venerkandseeking to establish a new territory across the sea in "the new land". The leader of this first expedition was a man named Ebenezer Lucian, who (...wip). Initially, the natives and colonizers were weary of eachother but did not seek to harm eachother either. Shortly after the first Venerish town was established, though, they were overwhelmed by the monstrous inhabitands of the forest surrounding the epicenter. The colony sought the aid of the local people, the Enskarakwa tribe. They were reluctant to aid the colonizers at first, but the Vigils who protected the tribe at the time were convinced to protect the Venerish (happy thanksgiving!). A new town was constructed closer to the Enskarakwa homeland named Luciantown (eventually Lucian City), the earliest version of Lumen City.
Over time, as Lucian City grew and with the aid of the native people (and a joint team of Vigils described below), Jahiri became independant from Venerkand and established itself as an independant nation. At first, the nation was built on cooperation with native peoples, but over time the culture and representation from native groups became suppressed and eventually expelled from Lucian City. The city was renamed to Lumen City around when the first native reservations were built. This has been recently recognized and attempts are being made to bring equality to the native peoples; Jahiri is still in the process of healing the bonds between itself and the native tribes.

First Colonial Vigils

What happened when the colonizers got involved, WIP: Jaherian Revolution spurred some Venerish people to attemp to join the Vigils, and they succeeded. With a new team of Vigils composed of five Venerish and two Kerhiteshonni peoples, the revolution was won. Yippee!

Major Events up to Present-Day

All the major events, attacks, and whatnot leading up to present day Lumen.

Establishing Lumen City University

wip, the history of the university

The Wynnes

wip, the history of the Wynne family.

Major attacks

Wip, this wont be just one section, I'll make several attacks on the city and split them up into these sections. They'll span from Godzilla-esque events to more minor things, not all specifically the forcess of darkness but most of them will be. 9/11

Hub