Drifter One
Acolyte
THought I would stick this up, a timeline of Rustica, the main setting in my world. My story begins just before the Armeon Wars.
Darkness Falls — World and Warriors
The Old World — Made up of seven Kingdoms:
- Rustica — Capital City is Vermont
- Atrea — Capital City is Tranquility
- Tallon — Capital City is Falmur
- Küuläracht — Capital City is Rägnik
- The Grogan Empire — Capital City is The White City
- Hel — Capital City is Stûrmgaard
- Velonnia — Capital City is Velon
History and Politics
Rustica is the largest and most populated of the seven kingdoms, and probably the most diverse. The known world was mapped out from Vermont over 500 years ago by the explorer Piettre the Great and as such the Nautical Navigation Authority is located in Vermont and all time zones are taken from the same city, known as VCT (Vermont Calculated Time). The modern calendar also originates from Vermont, developed by a recluse scholar known as Diomese, published a few decades before Piettre the Great embarked on his famous voyage. Diomeses’ calendar was first used by Piettre and since then the modern year counting is known as AD (After Diomese). Rustica has a rich history and is chronicled from the earliest of days, and thus is considered the capital city of the Seven Kingdoms. The Grogan Empire contest this and believe, due to their military might, that The White City, known in the native tongue as Albareth, should be the capital of the Old World. Rustica and Vermont remain strong allies with the Elves of Tallon and the sea faring nation of Atrea. Küuläracht remain neutral and are largely left to their own devices. Relationships with the arrogant Grogans remain strained and are not on good terms at all with Hel. The conflict between Hel and Rustica (The Sloan War in 546) has left bitter tastes in the mouths of both nations. The barbarians of Hel, who were slaughtered by the forces of Rustica, are taught to hate Rusticians from schooling age, even though the war happened over 500 years ago. The politicians of Rustica still try in vain to improve relations to this day. Velonnia remains a strange land for it is the only nation where magic is accepted as a practiced art and not illegal.
Timeline for Rustica
0000 — Diomese first modern day calendar in Vermont.
0022 — Piettre the Great embarks on the Fantastic Voyage using Diomeses’s calendar to record his trip. Later to discover and map the known Old World.
0085 — Cartographers finally replicate and reproduce Piettres’ maps. Vermont becomes the nautical centre for the Old World.
0086 — The Deviant Army rises to capture knowledge from the Vermont Sea Scholars. War of the Defiant begins.
0087 — Great Library is destroyed in the War of the Defiant. Vine the Merciless accepts to be City Protector Absolute.
0088 — War of the Defiant ends as King Gauldrac is captured and publically executed on Tower Hill in Vermont. Plans to rebuild the Great Library begin.
0091 — Great Library is rebuilt by order of Vine the Merciless. Vine crowned King as government shifts to Monarchy.
0095 — Treaty signed with the Tallonic Elves and Atrea. Trade and power increases in Vermont.
0099 — Chaudric Chapel is commissioned.
0101 — Growing popularity in the new sport of Death Ball gives rise to official governing body: The DBLA (Death Ball League Association).
0129 — King Vine marries Queen Victoria of Atrea. Magnar is conceived.
0130 — Prince Magnar is Born.
0132 — King Vine falls ill and his health deteriorates. Desperate for another child, Queen Victoria conceives again.
0132 — Twins Percival and Marianna are born. Queen Victoria dies in childbirth.
0133 — King Vine dies from tuberculosis. Warden Michael named Keeper of the Crown.
0144 — Warden Michael dies in hunting accident. Crown is unclaimed until one of the Princes comes of age. Percival preferred over the brutal and bad tempered Magnar. Magnar begins to plot against his brother.
0145 — War of the Boy Kings. Civil war breaks out in Rustica as two brothers, Percival and Magnar fight for power. The oldest, Magnar was only fifteen years old, Percival, the youngest, just thirteen.
0156 — War of the Boy Kings is over as Percival is murdered in his Royal Palace at the age of 24. Magnar the Red named as king.
0160 — Magnar the Red suicides at just 30 years old. Marianna named as the first ruling Queen of Rustica.
0161 — Marianna marries Duke of Cuffley. Theonna conceived.
0162 — Princess Theonna is born. Bravil conceived.
0163 — Prince Bravil is born.
0190 — After stepping down at the age of 58 after a 30 year reign, Queen Marianna is known as Marianna the Blessed as her reign saw no conflict. 27 year old Prince Bravil named King.
0193 — Marianna the Blessed dies of natural causes at the age of 61. Public holiday announced for years to come named as Queens Celebration Day (5th Lund).
0200 — Bravil marries Baroness Constantine. No children conceived.
0202 — Bravil discovers Constantine is infertile and has her beheaded.
0203 — Bravil marries Lady Mary of Maradoc. Later executed for providing no children. Age of Execution begins.
0204 — Bravil marries a reluctant Elven Princess, Averia. Averia conceives a child. The first Elf Queen Rises.
0205 — Prince Harrin is born. Averia dies in child birth. Bravil mourns the death and never remarries but fathers several illegitimate children.
0228 — Prince Harrin, pressured from political parties, brands his father, Bravil, a Usurper and the Black Weekend Uprising begins. Bravil is removed from his throne and executed for frolicking with lower class citizens.
0229 — Highest number of executions in history is recorded at Tower Hill for the year. John of the Weald rallies common folk in the north to rebel against Prince Harrin ‘Half-Blood’.
0231 — Rise of the North Lords. John of the Weald marches south to the Royal Palace in Vermont. Sacking royalist towns and recruiting those who despise Prince Harrin. Harrin sends a token force to meet John at Regalhead. Battle of Regalhead is recorded as one of the most bloody conflicts ever seen. Harrins’ troops are rallied and those that are captured are shown mercy and treated well by John. Harrins prisoners are tortured and executed, numbering 137 souls.
0232 — Three years after the initial uprising, John of the Weald reaches the gates of Vermont. John requests parley but is denied by Harrin. John lays siege to Vermont and lasts seventeen days. After fierce fighting and a tactical stalemate, John is Assassinated in his sleep, ending the siege. Harrin captures 1001 of the enemy and beheads every one of them, mounting their heads on spikes outside the Palace gates. Survivors returning to the North send John of the Weald to martyrdom, and St Johns Day declared a public holiday (June 6th). The grotesque sight outside the palace gates earn the entrance the name Head Pole Gate and the moors beyond, Headless Hill.
0233 — Harrin urged to declare peace. Harrin obliges.
0251 — Harrin the Executioner dies without heir from Tuberculosis at the age of 46. The Throne remains uncaimed.
0253 — An Elven Prince sends word to Parliamentarians that he is rightful Heir to the Throne being a direct descendant of Queen Averie. Parliament rejects the claim. Awoan, the Elf Prince informs Parliament that he will be “visiting” Vermont.
Darkness Falls — World and Warriors
The Old World — Made up of seven Kingdoms:
- Rustica — Capital City is Vermont
- Atrea — Capital City is Tranquility
- Tallon — Capital City is Falmur
- Küuläracht — Capital City is Rägnik
- The Grogan Empire — Capital City is The White City
- Hel — Capital City is Stûrmgaard
- Velonnia — Capital City is Velon
History and Politics
Rustica is the largest and most populated of the seven kingdoms, and probably the most diverse. The known world was mapped out from Vermont over 500 years ago by the explorer Piettre the Great and as such the Nautical Navigation Authority is located in Vermont and all time zones are taken from the same city, known as VCT (Vermont Calculated Time). The modern calendar also originates from Vermont, developed by a recluse scholar known as Diomese, published a few decades before Piettre the Great embarked on his famous voyage. Diomeses’ calendar was first used by Piettre and since then the modern year counting is known as AD (After Diomese). Rustica has a rich history and is chronicled from the earliest of days, and thus is considered the capital city of the Seven Kingdoms. The Grogan Empire contest this and believe, due to their military might, that The White City, known in the native tongue as Albareth, should be the capital of the Old World. Rustica and Vermont remain strong allies with the Elves of Tallon and the sea faring nation of Atrea. Küuläracht remain neutral and are largely left to their own devices. Relationships with the arrogant Grogans remain strained and are not on good terms at all with Hel. The conflict between Hel and Rustica (The Sloan War in 546) has left bitter tastes in the mouths of both nations. The barbarians of Hel, who were slaughtered by the forces of Rustica, are taught to hate Rusticians from schooling age, even though the war happened over 500 years ago. The politicians of Rustica still try in vain to improve relations to this day. Velonnia remains a strange land for it is the only nation where magic is accepted as a practiced art and not illegal.
Timeline for Rustica
0000 — Diomese first modern day calendar in Vermont.
0022 — Piettre the Great embarks on the Fantastic Voyage using Diomeses’s calendar to record his trip. Later to discover and map the known Old World.
0085 — Cartographers finally replicate and reproduce Piettres’ maps. Vermont becomes the nautical centre for the Old World.
0086 — The Deviant Army rises to capture knowledge from the Vermont Sea Scholars. War of the Defiant begins.
0087 — Great Library is destroyed in the War of the Defiant. Vine the Merciless accepts to be City Protector Absolute.
0088 — War of the Defiant ends as King Gauldrac is captured and publically executed on Tower Hill in Vermont. Plans to rebuild the Great Library begin.
0091 — Great Library is rebuilt by order of Vine the Merciless. Vine crowned King as government shifts to Monarchy.
0095 — Treaty signed with the Tallonic Elves and Atrea. Trade and power increases in Vermont.
0099 — Chaudric Chapel is commissioned.
0101 — Growing popularity in the new sport of Death Ball gives rise to official governing body: The DBLA (Death Ball League Association).
0129 — King Vine marries Queen Victoria of Atrea. Magnar is conceived.
0130 — Prince Magnar is Born.
0132 — King Vine falls ill and his health deteriorates. Desperate for another child, Queen Victoria conceives again.
0132 — Twins Percival and Marianna are born. Queen Victoria dies in childbirth.
0133 — King Vine dies from tuberculosis. Warden Michael named Keeper of the Crown.
0144 — Warden Michael dies in hunting accident. Crown is unclaimed until one of the Princes comes of age. Percival preferred over the brutal and bad tempered Magnar. Magnar begins to plot against his brother.
0145 — War of the Boy Kings. Civil war breaks out in Rustica as two brothers, Percival and Magnar fight for power. The oldest, Magnar was only fifteen years old, Percival, the youngest, just thirteen.
0156 — War of the Boy Kings is over as Percival is murdered in his Royal Palace at the age of 24. Magnar the Red named as king.
0160 — Magnar the Red suicides at just 30 years old. Marianna named as the first ruling Queen of Rustica.
0161 — Marianna marries Duke of Cuffley. Theonna conceived.
0162 — Princess Theonna is born. Bravil conceived.
0163 — Prince Bravil is born.
0190 — After stepping down at the age of 58 after a 30 year reign, Queen Marianna is known as Marianna the Blessed as her reign saw no conflict. 27 year old Prince Bravil named King.
0193 — Marianna the Blessed dies of natural causes at the age of 61. Public holiday announced for years to come named as Queens Celebration Day (5th Lund).
0200 — Bravil marries Baroness Constantine. No children conceived.
0202 — Bravil discovers Constantine is infertile and has her beheaded.
0203 — Bravil marries Lady Mary of Maradoc. Later executed for providing no children. Age of Execution begins.
0204 — Bravil marries a reluctant Elven Princess, Averia. Averia conceives a child. The first Elf Queen Rises.
0205 — Prince Harrin is born. Averia dies in child birth. Bravil mourns the death and never remarries but fathers several illegitimate children.
0228 — Prince Harrin, pressured from political parties, brands his father, Bravil, a Usurper and the Black Weekend Uprising begins. Bravil is removed from his throne and executed for frolicking with lower class citizens.
0229 — Highest number of executions in history is recorded at Tower Hill for the year. John of the Weald rallies common folk in the north to rebel against Prince Harrin ‘Half-Blood’.
0231 — Rise of the North Lords. John of the Weald marches south to the Royal Palace in Vermont. Sacking royalist towns and recruiting those who despise Prince Harrin. Harrin sends a token force to meet John at Regalhead. Battle of Regalhead is recorded as one of the most bloody conflicts ever seen. Harrins’ troops are rallied and those that are captured are shown mercy and treated well by John. Harrins prisoners are tortured and executed, numbering 137 souls.
0232 — Three years after the initial uprising, John of the Weald reaches the gates of Vermont. John requests parley but is denied by Harrin. John lays siege to Vermont and lasts seventeen days. After fierce fighting and a tactical stalemate, John is Assassinated in his sleep, ending the siege. Harrin captures 1001 of the enemy and beheads every one of them, mounting their heads on spikes outside the Palace gates. Survivors returning to the North send John of the Weald to martyrdom, and St Johns Day declared a public holiday (June 6th). The grotesque sight outside the palace gates earn the entrance the name Head Pole Gate and the moors beyond, Headless Hill.
0233 — Harrin urged to declare peace. Harrin obliges.
0251 — Harrin the Executioner dies without heir from Tuberculosis at the age of 46. The Throne remains uncaimed.
0253 — An Elven Prince sends word to Parliamentarians that he is rightful Heir to the Throne being a direct descendant of Queen Averie. Parliament rejects the claim. Awoan, the Elf Prince informs Parliament that he will be “visiting” Vermont.
Auror
