Atûnassus Vyndal - The Ascension (-1500 to 0)

Long had Atûn nourished and protected his people within the defenses of ocean and jungle of Etal. The Etayen developed civilization in their own image, building upon the revelations of their unseen kin elsewhere in Qadal as told to them as new knowledge by Atûn himself. Small familial clans became sovereignties, and these political entities were combined into a proto-typical empire under the direct guidance of the Eshan, the chosen Atûsbal who reigned as greatest leader, and the masters of Amikiras. Agriculture was handed to them without labor nor consideration as a gift from Atûn. This allowed Etayen civilization to flourish across Etal, down its furthest southern reaches to the borderlands of Karossusdal where strange races dwell beyond the mountains. Writing, philosophy, the practice of nemeshir, and other pursuits of brilliance were conducted in blissful seclusion. Those olûndi believed themselves to be alone on their continent, save for the strange beasts otherwise encountered, but certainly nothing beyond the northern seas which Atûn forbid them to travel. These were the preparatory stages of the greatest diffusion of cultural wisdom and demographic contest which Qadal ever experienced. Atûn prepared his people for a greater fate than olûndi or Eshan could foresee.   Unfortunately for the nations bordering them, the rise in Etayen power changed them for the worst. They became proud and aggressive people in equal measure. From these factors came a burning desire for conquest and expansion, and the early portion of this era is marked by Etayen invasions to lands all across Qadal. Nevan, Othos, and even Grestovich were all assailed by Etayen expedition parties, but nowhere was hit harder than Everos. Everos has the distinct misfortune of being the closest land to Etal, so it was a matter of little difficulty for the Etayen to invade and establish themselves. By the year -600, the Etayen had conquered all of its southern land, and had began to invade its heartland.   The Etayen ruled over their Everosi domain for more than 700 years and held many domains of Aemarda in close vassalage or outright subjugation. To guide over the Etayen during their height was their lord and deity, Atûn. Many thousands of years ago, even before the Awakening, Atûn created the Etayen with his owns hands, and in his own image. He used them as a living conduit of power. Simply put, the more Etayen that lived in Qadal, the more powerful Atûn would become. His people had grown in power over the previous centuries from the safety of Etal, and by -1200 they were strong enough to project themselves upon the outside world. Their first target of conquest was the northern continent of Everos, which they swept into with ease. With swords in hand they staked their claim.   Under the boot of Etayen domination the men of these lands chaffed, and rebellions were common place. Most battles were disorganized, local affairs between petty kings of men and their local Etayen overlord. Often the fighting would end after a quick battle or a significant show of force, but not all rebellious lords were so easily dissuaded. Protracted, bloody wars were waged, the most famous of them being those of GhetHeral Ormelar, one of Eroyther's most well remembered kings. In -467 he led the united forces of Eroyther, Loryne and Valgorod, two of the strongest independent realms of men, to war against the Etayen in an attempt to drive them from the continent. To assist them in this endeavor was a most unusual ally, the Etayen of Nathrovas. The prince of that land, Iolas the Elder, recognized that his realm was equal endangered by the Etayen advance, and sealed an alliance of necessity with Ghet Heral. They theorized that a war of attrition would be the wisest plan of action, for it would be easy to goad the Etayen into making rash attacks against them.   In the icy fens of Nemrohed, the Daorhu kingdom of Banthoram waged war against their barbaric tribal neighbors. Yalagah Hroran Lazarum, known as Silveraxe for the weapon he always kept polished to a perfect shine, waged his war to claim the surface lands of the north. It was a bold offensive, and it proved to be quite successful in its early stages. Many barbarian villages and hundreds of people died to fire and steel as the Daorhu warriors tore their way across the countryside. Indeed, entire tribes were put to the sword in the darkest days. For months this lasted, until the momentum of the Daorhu assault began to weaken. Certainly, the skill of their commanders and the prowess of their warriors couldn't be questioned, but it is common knowledge that Daorhu fight at their best during defensive campaigns.   The defense of Metaorbu Baljir in 3429 is a good example of such an action, where the Daorhu could launch limited forays against the enemy to drive them away from their mountain holds, but then fall back and garrison in a major city when necessary. When that isn't possible, smaller fortifications dot the northern hill tops and mountains. Places such as Tor Toruhm in the eastern reaches of the north, and Tonom Maldur in the southern hills bordering the Corgastodmar Empire are such locations. Unfortunately, these were built much later in history, well after the campaigns of Yalagah Silveraxe. This lack of viable defenses proved to be the downfall of his invasion. Slowly but surely, the Daorhu were pushed back by counter-attacking Karthuuzar chiefs. After five further years of bloodshed, Yalagah Silveraxe finally surrendered his grip on the north, and retreated his men back into the mountains. Despite the failure of the campaign, Yalagah Hroran was as a great leader by his people for taking war to the tribes of the lowland north in exchange for their years of aggression. On the other hand, this event cemented poor relations between the tribal Karthuuzar and the Daorhu for centuries to come.   In Othos, the Eurobasar Empire was steadily expanding during this era. Starting in the north from its capital of Pyrgoros, it expanded southward into the kingdoms of Vestidia, Lothrand, and the other smaller realms that made up the patchwork continent. In -340, they conquered the Vestanir city of Liera, which was among its largest cities, comparable to even the ancient capital of Worthend. From there they marched southward still, capturing and assimilating all in their wake. The resistance against them was fierce, especially in lands of Vestidia where it is considered an almost holy dishonor for its warriors to surrender, but they endured. By the year -344, they have conquered all the north except the Azabar peninsula, and all of the central plains except Tarimikras and the marches of Vestidia. A brutal siege followed that dragged on for more than 17 months before the defenders of Tarimikras surrendered their Serene city state due to a lack of assistance by other nations. The Eurobasar Empire then made the city its capital, and began the process of breaking their lands up into provinces and counties. Pyrgoros became the capital of the province of Lyastra, and Liera became the capital of the province of Great Liera. Further conquests would follow in the coming years, and the Empire would expand under that model of organization. Conflict would follow, both from forces at home and abroad.   Among the peoples of western Othos who came under Etayen dominion, one managed to escape the terror and flee the continent altogether. They were known as the Volad, but later came to be known as the Gressar. The first settlers of that island kingdom arrived during the early Awakening and in isolation built up their power. They, in a manner not unlike the Karthuuzar, escaped to Grestovich to escape the unending violence of the mainland. The island is an inhospitable place even by modern standards, but for the primitive peoples who first arrived there it was deadly. Constant chills that grew into blizzards, limited fertile land, and dangerous wildlife were all present. Over the years, the population of Grestovich remained stagnate, with only a few hundred on the whole island. In that way they were no different from the other tribes of Othos, or possibly worse off. At least those on the mainland had warm beds to sleep in, or warmth at all. Perhaps from what has been said it seems that the story of the Gressar ends in frigid destitution, but that is not the case. That discovered a secret. They learned that it was possible to use their meagre fleet of small vessels to quickly attack the coast and escape without being caught. This strategy allowed them to gain the goods and materials unavailable to them on the island with minimal cost. It was brilliant. By the time they began to expand beyond Grestovich in the middle years of the Awakening, they found a weak and fragmented land that was ripe for raiding. For this reason, they developed their lucrative tradition of regularly pillaging the coastline of Othos. They quickly built a fearsome reputation and substantial wealth.   At the end of the Ascension Era came the conflict that would lead to the downfall of Etal's intercontinental empire: the colloquially described Etayen war, waged against them by Corgastor and the rebellious people of Everos. It was a response to centuries of misrule at the hands of the Etayen, who believed that their grasp of nemeshir and the presence of their deity in physical form made them the rightful rulers over the other races of Qadal. True or not, this aggressive demeanor led to constant conflict between the Etayen overlords and those they ruled, such as the War of the Black Hills, the story of which was told earlier. For every battle the Etayen won their situation became less tenable, as opposition to them grew. For years the opposition was small in scale and localized in scope. This allowed the Etayen to conquer northward until they had surpassed even the Aedúcarr Mountains in the heart of Mehras, and those who were not conquered were subjugated as vassal states. It was during this flurry of conquest that the Etayen made the mistake of making war on the neutral lands of Mehras, including the home of Corgastor. They attacked in the night whilst a gathering was being had in the village where Ghethemas now stands. Corgastor's close companion Nelsor was slain, along with most of the inhabitants of the village. The survivors banded together and sealed the Forest Pact, where in the name of great Aebaster, creator of Aemarda, they would purge the Etayen from Everos.   The war carried on for years as the sides fought throughout Mehras, the forces of Corgastor growing stronger as more warrior rallied to his cause. It became a war of attrition, as so many wars against the mighty Etayen became, but in this conflict the Etayen found themselves unable to pin down the rebellious forces. The Aedúcarr mountains proved to be a more treacherous terrain to navigate, more so than the Black Hills of Nathrovas. The battles were costly for both sides as the armies raged across the mountains and the foothills below, but something extraordinary was realized as the war continued: The Etayen were unable to recuperate their loses. Those that were lost in battle were only slowly replaced, forcing the Etayen to fall to the defensive after the first four years of the war. More importantly than olûndari losses, the power of Atûn seemed to wane with every Etayen death on the field. He himself was bound to Etal to help contain the Vojûnic energy he had created for his people, but as he weakened his control over it too began to fade.   Finally, after 11 years of war, the Etayen of Etal were pushed from Everos at the Battle of Sedar. It had been a long and grinding fight, but Aemarda had finally secured its independence from Etayen rule, and Corgastor had been their hero. For weeks celebrations were had across the continent, as all from the men of Mehras, the Elivas of Lodon, and the Etayen of Nathrovas celebrated their hard-fought freedom. The kingdom of Jequa rose from the ashes of the old Etayen holdings in Sedrohed, and Sutan expanded in strength in Nathrovas, not to mention the lesSer Etayen principalities that rose during this time. It was grand for them, but in reality, all was not well. As Atûsbal Línast returned to his homeland with the remainder of the army, he arrived just in time to witness the passing of Atûn, who had been languishing away over the past year. His death signaled something much worse than poor fortune for the Etayen. The Vojûn that he had contained during his life was free to radiate outward across the world, without order or limits. At the time, they had no idea, but the introduction of nemeshir into the world at large set the stage for the tumult of the Weeping Era. Vojûnic monstrosities, rogue nemeshari, and many other threats could now roam free, with the realms of men and remaining Etayen too fragmented and weak to stand in opposition. The alliance of Aemar tribes Corgastor had assembled fell apart after their victory, so only the Dominion of Corgastor remained, and the sister kingdoms of Jequa and Sutan fought too often among themselves to provide protection. Darkness was falling and would remain for over 1,000 years.   Historians among the Everosi Aemar entitled this era the Talum ast Alorenducarr, or the Time of Mountains and Valleys. This was in reference to the whole span of time which followed the Etayen arrival in Qadal, leading to modernity. Civilization forever after advanced in booms and busts, leaving behind corpses and shattered spirits rather than the gradual growth which was formerly common. Indeed, the world’s prosperity increased as the Etayen brought extraordinary knowledge to untempered minds, but horrible tides came in the aftermath of Atûn’s death. In the Twilight era, as will be discussed, Esha began to recover from its wounds and rebuild. However, this was ruined by the Great Conflict of 2289, which hurled Olûllosia into terrible flux. Matters began to recuperate throughout the following Imperial era, and long did the world enjoy its greatest height since the Classical era, but then further calamity arrived. Zarthum, a dread Eshanic beast crafted by Ácolitus the creator, was summoned forth through trickery and brought devastation to Esha without the barriers of Kovûnkal to halt him. From 3451 and now thereafter, the Wandering era has plunged Esha into a new, terrible epoch of Eshanic uncertainty.