✎ history [Firmament]

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====== History ======
===== Overview =====

//While there have been peoples living in the Esharian Peninsula, and the surrounding lands, for thousands of years, recorded history is understood to begin with the rise of a coastal city at the peninsula's tip. Known as Hashat, this city and its inhabitants would come to dominate first their neighbours, before the entire known world around the [[the_sea|Qeltan Sea]]. They absorbed nearby countries into the Federation Under Hashat through ties of trade and patronage, and crushed the First Empire of Orrium, through martial and magical might. Though their power would wane, and then crumble completely over the next 500 years, their legacy would be picked up by the Royalty of Esharia: a worthy child indeed. Though, in this age of inheritance, the Empire of Orrium has also been reborn across the Heart Sea and a parent's challenges seem to have been passed to their children.//

 --- Foreword to //A Concise Esharian History//

{{:workshop_of_pieter_coecke_va.jpg |}}\\


===== Timeline =====

==== Before First Monarch (BFM) ====

Two great societies grow from the humblest of origins, on opposing sides of the Heart Sea. These are the Federation under Hashat, controlling its allies from the peninsular city of [[the_capital|Hashat]], and the Empire of Orrium, sitting as an impassive power block in the North. As these things often are, the two powers came into fatal conflict, and though it nearly destroyed both of them the Orrin lands were absorbed into the Federation. This Federation soon fell to near civil war, and emerged from the brink with a King at its head.  

<spoiler|Timeline>
  * c.300 BFM - The earliest settlements begin to appear across the Esharian Peninsula, and the lands of Orrium. It is assumed that Hashat was founded around then, but the details are lost to the winds of time.
  * c.100 BFM - Hashat draws together all the peoples of the peninsula in the Federation Under Hashat. Some are official subjects, whereas others are more pseudo-independent and simply pin their colours to the Federation's banner. At this time, settlers are sent across the sea to widen the Hashar sphere of influence; this is when tensions between the Federation and the First Empire of Orrium begin to rise.
  * 87 BFM - The razing of Irla, a burgeoning Hashar city of the border of Orrium lands, and the wholesale slaughter of any of its remaining inhabitants kicks off the first Hashar-Orrin war. An uneasy truce is established four years later, after a number of grueling summer campaigns are fought to a standstill.
  * c. 50 BFM - Tensions between the two powers continue to simmer, and occasionally burst into skirmishes and small wars. Around this point, the first discoveries of magic are made.
  * 42 BFM - A territorial dispute erupts beyond all ability of either side to control. The last Hashar-Orrin war begins.
  * 40 BFM - The war remains a bloody stalemate at sea, and in the coastal regions. At great cost, a Hashar general, Verma has moved an army by land through the closed end of the sea, and is poised to strike at Orrin lands.
  * 38 BFM - Verma’s troops wreak havoc in the North, but are unable to force a meaningful confrontation. Meanwhile, Orrium marshals their forces in the West and moves to march East along the coast to lay siege to Hashat.
  * 37 BFM - Verma is recalled as the siege of Hashat begins. Her weakened, fatigued army meets with the remains of the retinues of Halmus, the future First King, and those of the heads of the future great houses.
  * Summer, 37 BFM - The development of magic allows the refreshment and bolstering of the weaker Hashar army. This, combined with the leadership of General Verma, allows the breaking of the siege, and the routing of the largest body of Orrium’s forces.
  * 34 BFM - The Hashar counter-attack breaks the back of any Orrin resistance, and the first Empire crumbles and its lands are individually taken into the Federation under Hashat. The last Hashar-Orrin war ends.
  * 31 BFM - The four great houses begin a race to ultimate power: they marry into and then cannibalise a number of smaller houses to build their own power base. This continues, slowly at first, but then increasingly quickly over the next thirty years.
  * 1 BFM - The four houses stand at the brink of war, which would surely sunder the Federation under Hashat, and remake it anew, as something different.
  * 0 - The heads of these houses (Toqa, Morell, Dia, and Halmus) convened in the Ialcar Palace to try to avoid war. The result was the crowning of Halmus as the first king, on condition of his surrender of all lands to the others. This began the rule of Halmid kings, with the Toqare, Morelli, and Diite lines commanding the greatest portions of land in the Federation under Hashat.
</spoiler>

==== After First Monarch (AFM) ====

The Federation grows rapidly to control near the entirety of the [[the_sea|Qeltan Sea]]. Then it begins a slow decline into internal bickering. That which belonged once to [[the_empire_of_orrium|Orrium]] regains it's independence, and soon after the Federation itself crumbles into civil war. It would never recover under that name. 

<spoiler|Timeline>
  * 67 AFM - The last major known tome of magic is published. From this point, people simply attempt to recreate that which was known before, rather than investigate new magical avenues.
  * 100 AFM - The power of the first few monarchs allows the influence of Hashat to spread to most of the last surrounding the Heart Sea.
  * 173 AFM - The 9th Monarch of Hashat dies without a confirmed heir. A succession crisis erupts.
  * 174 AFM - A period of civil war: The three major houses (Toqare, Morelli, and Diite) clash to name their own successor. Previously withered branches of the Halmid line come to the fore.
  * 177 AFM - The Diite house allies with a cousin branch of the Halmids to bring a new official Queen, and lend the Diite house favour within the country. This lends favour to the Diite house within the country while this branch has power, and sets up the model for future succession crises.
  * 314 AFM - The lands under the former Orrin Empire declare independence from Hashar rule, mere days after being informed about the newest succession crisis.
  * 333 AFM - The Hashar Queen declares war to demonstrate their primacy over the domains around Orrium. The war lasts 4 years, with the Hashar armies making very few gains.
  * 451 AFM - The Federation under Hashat crumbles, with new centres of power popping up all over Hashar lands. The Interregnum begins; former Orrin territories take the opportunity to absorb nearby territories unthreatened. Many of the more distant territories declare independence.
  * 452 AFM - War begins between the Toqare, Morelli and Diite lands.
</spoiler>

==== Esharian Era (EA) ====

The Toqare House emerges victorious in the war, and part of them branch to become a new line of Monarchs. While it appears that the times of tumult are passing, [[the Empire of Orrium]] begins to reform itself in the North. Things continue to change, as history always does.

<spoiler|Timeline>
  * 473 AFM / 0 EA - In conscious parallel with the first Monarch, the head of the of winning Toqare House takes the surname Halmid, and renounces her former family. The lands are reunited under the Royalty of Esharia. The powers of the Monarch as much weaker than in the time of the Federation under Hashat - very federalised to the Mayors of City States.
  * 32 EA - The first Esharian succession passes bloodlessly, and with very little political intrigue. This is a good sign for a new era of strength and secuirty.
  * ~100 EA - The former Orrin territories begin agglomerating together into larger and larger territories controlled by family blocks.
  * 166 EA - The second Empire of Orrium officially forms in the north, positioning a threat to the Royalty of Esharia by its mere existence.
  * 181 EA - Orrium starts picking off the petty border states in the north. There is no official Esharian response, but many people begin predicting a successor to the Hashar-Orrin wars of old in the near future.
  * 187 EA - Start of the game.
</spoiler>

===== Map of the Qeltan Sea =====

{{ :firmamentmap.jpg |}}
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