Colonies/History of the Colonies

The Long War (2005-2012)

When Portion decided to attack Lukon, it ignited a conflict which would dominate the Colonies for many years and would outlast many realms, including instigator Portion. Although the war was won by the alliance of Lukon and Oritolon after the destruction of Wetham in 2010, Giblot managed to hold on devianlty two more years until it met its demise finally as well.

The Greed of Portion

Peace ruled the Colonies, until the Kingdom of Portion, which was allied with Alowca and Alebad, decided to invade Lukon with hopes of total conquest. Much of this conflict took place in the region of Adaria, which borders both realms' capital cities.

When Outer Tilog joined the conflict, Portion finally managed to break through and arrived at the walls of Lukon, where King Yidsrl offered his capitulation. However, Portion had no desire for peaceful relation with Lukon and desired to obtain the wealth of the city. Thus King Ronan of Portion refused the capitulation and the war dragged on.

Oritolon made an alliance with Lukon, and turned the tides. Lukon pushed Portion back and even started to threaten the capital.

The Shadow War

Under the leadership of Falcon the Assassins tried to gain a monopoly on the shadow walkers of the island and went so far as to attack any realm which sheltered an infiltrator unwilling to walk under the guild’s banner. The guild was willing to hire out the services of her shadow walkers and often a noble would post a contract and a guild member would finish the transaction. Moreover, the Assassins demanded immunity from punishment for their agents. Fear became the tool of the Assassins and nobles across the island were always careful to not walk out at night because nobody knew where an Assassin might be or when they would strike.

However, the people of Portion decided that they would not have their laws or business dictated to them by Falcon and ignored the Guild's demands. This sparked a Shadow War between the Assassins and Portion. The Guild stated that they would only accept contracts against the realm of Portion, and, funded by Lukon, began a campaign of murder attempts against Portionese council members. Because Wetham desired the lands of the Assassins, they made an alliance with Portion and helped to defend it against Lukon.

Valast of Lukon also paid Falcon to send the Assassins infiltrators against the walls of Portion. Their goal was to damage the city walls and for every level the walls were lowered the sum of 1000 gold would be paid, plus a 50 gold retainer for each infiltrator. It was a steep price but Lukon was desperate and had only three regions, while it was facing five realms.

Initially things went well and Portion was unable to keep their city walls from falling into disrepair and the damage was mounting. However, three notorious infiltrators were killed and several more deported. With more infiltrators being caught and the less experienced ones unable to fulfill the roles of their mentors the guild was forced to withdraw and recover. Although the Guild continued to take Lukon’s gold to attack Portion, these attempts had nowhere near the intensity or skill as during the Shadow War.

So ended what many refer to as the golden age of the Assassins. Its fear was broken, as it was unable to uphold its threats against other realms having infiltrators and the guild was never the same again.

The Rollsovar Conflict

The only realm not involved so far, was Giblot. It initially sought peace with its neighbors, but a war with Outer Tilog erupted over Rollsovar. At first Giblot suffered greatly in the war and was often having to fend off Tilogian forces in its core regions, such as Wirkfyr and Briarull. The army of Giblot was simply no match for the more powerful, organized and expansive Outer Tilog. However this all began to change after Thanatos Reaver organized an informal coup for power in Giblot. Although his methods were heavily criticized, his rise to power began to see a turnaround in Giblot's fortunes.

The polical situation in the Colonies after the Fall of Portion.

The Fall of Portion

The theocratic armies of Alowca and Alebad, ruled by Rhysten and Eugene II, rallied in Alebad before journeying north to aid Portion; however, together with the bulk of Portion’s army they strayed from their course, and launched a sneak attack on Oritolon instead, hoping to catch them off guard in Windaria. By chance, a lone Oritolon infiltrator was in the region of Windaria and delayed the travel of the holy armies. When the enemy arrived in Windaria, cut into undesired waves, Oritolon took advantage and mounted a defence, which crushed the combined theocracies.

Lukon took this opportunity to attack the capital, and after a week-long siege the city fell. Most of the Portionese nobility escaped to Outer Tilog, Wetham, and Alebad, with others seeking better fortunes across the sea. Thus peace returned to the Colonies, but the Long War was not over yet.

Political instability in Alowca

Alebad had lost regions to Lukon, so Pontifex Crystal of Alowca promised them Abaka as compensation. However, Crystal lost the confidence of her people and was forced to flee the country. Pontifex Ender of Alebad decided to side with Oritolon and Lukon in order to obtain Abaka.

The Alowcans were forced back to their capital in the face of an overwhelming force. There they argued and despaired with many fleeing the continent. However, a lull in the fighting while Oritolon and her allies refitted their armies provided breathing space to Alowca which allowed them to regroup and to rebuild their army. Anomalous took charge, granted Abaka to appease Alebad and within a few weeks Irdalni was recaptured. A stalemate ensued with Oritolon and Alowca engaged largely in tactical posturing with the occasional bloody border engagements and numerous raids on both sides of the border.

Anomalous devised a plan to split Lukon in half, but Margrave did not agree with the proposal feeling it was beneath the nobles of Alowca. The morning after a heated debate, Anomalous announced a tournament to celebrate peace in Alowca and Margrave rebelled. After the rebellion was announced, Margrave and Always spoke out against Anomalous for his choice of proposed tactics. The rebellious uprising had almost total support in Alowca with only two people standing with Anomalous. Feeling betrayed Anomolous purchased the Duchy of Alowca through the forgery of papers and the bribing of civil servants with the gold collected from the participants’ fees in the tournament. Anomolous, ordered his civil servants to exact his revenge by tearing down the city’s infrastructure before he left for Oritolon.

The Free Realms Alliance

Xerxes turned his efforts more towards reconciling relations with Alebad and building a strong alliance that would assure the future security of the realm. However the divisions between Alowca and Alebad had become very deep, and it was only with the election of a new Alebadian Pontifex that headway was finally made in the negotiations. A far more understanding and co-operative man, Ardrryn Dynrode and Xerxes were able to reconstruct the frayed relationship between the sister theocracies, with pledges of alliance, a common direction and a desire to federate at a later date to assure future diplomatic co-operation rather than military solution in regards to disputes.

It was during this time that Xerxes proclaimed to have received visions from the Trinity instructing him to wage war upon the Lukonites for their checkered past and hegemonic influence upon the Colonies. Knowing that simply by declaring war he would accomplish nothing in his goal of the liberation of Portion, Xerxes then turned towards diplomacy making overtures to the newly peaceful realms of Outer Tilog and Giblot, as well as Wetham and the Assassins in the hopes of building a solid coalition between many of these nations. Initial support for a grand alliance was lukewarm however, and it would not be for several months more of negotiation and diplomacy before any of the parties became far more interested.

Eventually, successful in his efforts through a combined effort with the other rulers of the Colonies, the Free Realms Alliance was founded between the nobles of Wetham, Giblot, Outer Tilog, Alowca, Alebad with the Assassins following shortly afterwards. However the alliance was half-hearted and riddled with internal conflicts and failed to prevent Oritolon and Lukon from inflicting heavy damage on Alowca and Outer Tilog. Eventually Alowca and Alebad gained some ground in Oritolon but were driven back again.

The Reformation

Alowca continued to wage a successful war against Oritolon however, utilising the vastly improved infrastructure of the realm and the bulging numbers of nobles to great effect. In a rapid fire attack along with Alebadian forces, the region of Grentzen was taken for the first time in the history of the long war, and with Oritolon city threatened and its lands deserting its control in droves it seemed that Alowca was on the verge of winning the war. But strategic blunders resulted in the reclamation of the region by the Oritolonians and a resumption of the stalemate.

What followed was an exodus of active nobility to other realms and other continents. The Church of the Trinity in Alowca began to disintegrate as the priesthood slowly disappeared and the Temples fell into disrepair. Eventually, there was not an active priest left in the Faith to continue spreading the word, and the funds ran out resulting in total closure of the Temples of the Faith.

A young knight, named Cathal, reorganized the Church to the Reformed Church Militant of the Trinity, placing a stronger emphasis on core spiritual beliefs and the defense of the faithful. Around this time Xerxes stepped down from his duties as Pontifex following many long years of noble service to Alowca and Lady Allyah was elected in his place to lead the faithful.

The Alliance breaks apart

Then the Assassins turned against their former allies: the woodland of South Bakker has long been a claim of Wetham, though occupied by the Assassins. Martin, seeing that the neighbouring realms of Giblot and Wetham had grown complacent and weak, launched dual invasions against both of them. His ambitions were successful in capturing the regions of Helsera and Hulaford. Miles succeeded him. He often fulfilled contracts singlehandedly and quickly became a feared and respected infiltrator. But eventually his life was ended in a Wetham dungeon by the judge, Wolfgang.

Further setbacks were experienced with the breakup of the Free Realms Alliance, because Thanatos was far more interested in waging war upon Outer Tilog. He switched to the side of Lukon and together they slowly pushed the Assassins and Outer Tilog back. The Assassins lost the previous gains of Helsera and Hulaford. Akando became the new leader of the Assassins and had a brother in Giblot. They were able to use that influence to bring a weary peace between Giblot and the Assassins.

After the capture of Steepglades by Giblot, the republic used a recently discovered land bridge to reach Outer Tilog's most vulnerable regions and began a long campaign of looting and razing there and in the surrounding area coinciding with another assault by Lukon on the other side of Outer Tilog. Combined the allies managed to reduce Outer Tilog to one region.

Mere days before the final assault on Outer Tilog was scheduled to happen, Sera Osha called for an uprising against the Republican government citing its tryannical nature and the social closure of its leaders who did nothing but promote friends and allies in the Giblot hierarchy. Although many supported the republic, just as many supported Sera against Thanatos showing the scale of discontent with the workings of the republic. After two days of heavy fighting and clashes in the capital, the Rebel forces managed to bludgeon their way into the Royal Palace and overthrow the Republican regime. After that the Republics most prominent members went into exile and a Democracy was installed in its place.

Outer Tilog City is taken

Under Akando’s successor Diana the war between Giblot and the Assassins recommenced. Diana negotiated an alliance with Lukon and Outer Tilog to combat respectively Wetham and Giblot. However, Innocent wanted to annul this alliance to return the Assassins to their traditional neutral ways, but Wetham refused and the Long War continued.

Initially this went well for Wetham when Giblot obtained South Bakker. But the Assassins expanded into Hulaferd and launched a massive campaign against Wetham, almost wiping them from the map. Meanwhile Giblot fared better and pushed Outer Tilog out of their capital. With Wetham neutralized and Giblot at the height of its power, the Assassins had to make a choice to either continue to side with Lukon or build a new strong alliance with Giblot.

Soren strengthened ties with Lukon and together they drove Giblot out of Outer Tilog City thanks to the betrayal of Duke Angus Na Leodaich.

The Path of Chivalry

Towards the final third of the war The Path of Chivalry was founded in Oritolon as a response to the increased use of religion by Alowca and Alebad as a weapon of war and a tool of intimidation and coercion. The Path's intention was to mitigate such subversion of faith by promoting favourable feeling towards Oritolon within its border and later in newly conquered territories.

Following the visions which he received from the Trinity, Cathal opened discussions with High Priest Cleatus of the Path of Chivalry to see if the two faiths could live peacefully side-by-side after many long years of mutual hostility. Not all welcomed the new teachings and the once much loved Denarien, who in his youth was named Squeaks, rejected the new faith. Appointed Judge by Gravitas following his election as Pontifex, Denarien became a vocal proponent of the Avatars, declaring his will the infallible judgement of Alluran. He brought his office into disrepute by acquiring the Baronetcy of Irdalni under questionable circumstances and as the conflict with Cathal deepened over the latter's peaceful overtures to Oritolon, he closed the temples in Irdalni. For this he was exiled and replaced as Judge by Abigale Azale. Eventually Lord Gravitas could contain his fury no longer and met Denarien, once one of his closest friends, for a duel to the death. Denarien prevailed but within the week met his own doom under the blade of Aoifa, Cathal's sister.

Alebad falls

For long years the two Theocracies stood in league against the power of Oritolon and Lukon, an alliance which each considered too influential to go unchallenged. The war between the two factions had long been a stalemate but this was to change when Valast, the ruler of Lukon, moved his capital to Portion. With the Lukonian army now free to pillage the northern plains Alebad soon found herself sorely pressed, ceding territory after territory to her northern neighbour as her nobility falling into decadence.

In the south Oritolon added to her woes and a fierce struggle ensued for control of Abaka, the vital link between Alebad and Alowca. Lord Gravitas, then General of Alowca was captured in battle and Cathal briefly took charge of Alowca's armies. Rallying every able-bodied man in the realm he marched to Abaka and for four bloody days he held the field against the full might of Oritolon, refusing to cede until his enemies gave surety that the Kamido Holy Places would be left untouched by the occupation forces. Of the army of Alebad only two companies came to their aid, one of those commanded by his sister Lady Aoifa. Further attempts to force the passage failed and Alowca was forced to look on impotently as her ally was raized and her nobility scattered.

Alowca falls

Following the death of Lord Gravitas leadership of Alowca fell to Lady Allyah, a much respected General who long sought peace with Oritolon and an end to the ancient blood feud. Her overtures came to nothing and soon the Oritolon army was first pillaging and then conquering the peaceful farmlands of Warmanoras, leading to the Great Famine. Fully seven eighths of the city's population died in the following months and many of her nobles sought exile overseas, but a small band of the faithful remained and under the guidance of Prophet Cathal and Priestess Rachel spread the teachings of the reformed Church Militant of the Trinity.

After some months Warmanoras was reclaimed and under Lady Aoifa's leadership the farms were soon producing a good harvest, bringing the famine to an end and allowing the city granaries to be refilled. Though the realm was now bankrupt and her armies but a shadow of former days, still the respite from war and hunger was a reminder of what once had been. Alas it was not to last and Oritolon recaptured the farms, arresting the Prophet when he lead a peaceful protest against their occupation, and setting in motion events which no realm could overcome.

For months the foundries of Oritolon and Alebad had been busy building great war engines whilst their knights trained their troops in the latest techniques of siege warfare, biding their time. Though Alowca still boasted a strong militia garrison the famine had weakened them and they were over-reliant on the field army. When an opportunity to recapture Warmanoras presented itself and several of the city's knights went to assist, the full weight of Oritolon fell upon the weakened defenders and overwhelmed them, desecrating the Holy Places. Many knights fled into exile, seeking the fabled Kingdom of Alluran, and of those that remained Lady Aoifa was chosen to lead the last desperate defense. Meanwhile with all eyes on the fighting Prophet Cathal slipped from the city unseen with the Holy Relics and a small band of his faithful Templars, disguised as Oritolon soldiers.

Refusing to accept the title Pontifex, Lady Aoifa was sworn in as Chief Minister and Defender of the Faith, fighting a desperate duel with Lord Fingo Asfaloth as the city burghers continued to resist the occupation. The resistance was doomed to fail and at the last Lady Aoifa faced General Hvrek in single combat. The battle raged back and forth until a well-timed sword thrust left Lady Aoifa unable to continue. She offered her life, but he could not bring himself to slay her. Thus passed Alowca, Jewel of the South, into the shadows of myth and legend.

The Fall of Alowca in 2009.

The Twilight Period

Wetham and Giblot now faced the might of the island, but when Wetham was separated from Giblot, it would succumb to the might of Lukon and the Assassins. Giblot would hold out longer, but the balance of power would never be endangered. Minas Thalion was organized on the ruins of Alebad and joined the war against Giblot.

Oritolon would suffer due to internal division, allowing Lukon and Outer Tilog to become the two largest realms on the island. However, since these are the only two realms with less historical records than Portion, details of this period are sketchy.

The Founding of Minas Thalion

The founding of Minas Thalion and Wetham II.

Once it became apparent that The Long War could not only be won but could result in the eradication of both Alowca and Alebad and the taking of their lands both Oritolon and Lukon had agreed after lengthy discussion that the best way to manage these new lands would be to found a new realm based around the Alebad duchy and populated by nobles from both Oritolon and Lukon, with government positions shared equally between the conquering realms. Lukon was slow to finalize and enact this plan following the war, but with pressure from Oritolon who were feeling the pain of trying to maintain regions so far from their capitol a deal was eventually reached and the realm of Minas Thalion was duly founded.

Tragically the Oritolon noble who had been nominated to rule the new realm was slain upon her arrival in its capital during a confused and needless battle brought about by a disastrous case of mistaken identity resulting from the chaotic nature of the first few days after the realm's founding.

The Hvrek Rebellion

Hvrek Psyche became Duke of Alowca when it fell to a combined army from Lukon and Oritolon, retaining this position as a noble of Oritolon after the war. Shortly after the founding of Minas Thalion he led a round of protests against Oritolon's Prime Minister, Antonine Willhelm. Hvrek and his supporters claimed that Antonine was a member of 'The Colonial Brethren', a group dedicated to spreading chaos within the most powerful realms on the continent, and was conspiring to ruin Oritolon. By careful positioning of his followers in key areas, and the founding of a religion uncannily similar to that of the former theocracy of Alowca, Hvrek had gained enough support to be elected Prime Minister of Oritolon.

This was seen by many as a coup by forces loyal to the fallen realm of Alowca. Suspicion turned to dismay as Hvrek used his position to appoint his followers to positions of power. Any noble thought to oppose him was banned without question by his puppet judge, Katherine. Outraged, a group of long established Oritolon loyalists mounted two rebellions and eventually forced Hvrek and his followers from power. The exiled nobles were repatriated and Actrial Erendegard was subsequently elected Prime Minister. Though Oritolon was saved from the brink of disaster the chaos of this coup and counter-coup resulted in Oritolon losing control of many of her regions, including the duchy of Alowca which slipped into anarchy as a result of Hvreks final acts of sabotage.

The Tyranny of Khain

In an attempt to draw the deep divisions between factions in Oritolon into the open and forge a unity among Oritolon's nobles Prime Minister Ash Ketchum stepped down from his position in order to force an election, changing the realm government system to a monarchy as he did so. The fierce debates that resulted leading up to the election did indeed draw out the factions, perhaps more effectively than he imagined given what was to happen later, and some of the bile and frustration that had been building up in certain places was vented and then subsided to a degree. There was deep distrust on all sides over the motives of many of Oritolon's nobles and much accusation, supposition and plotting.

Khain Dragonborn won the election on a platform of reform and a return to Oritolon's core values of strength, justice and unity through the founding of a complex and rigid senatorial system. But although he tried to ease their concerns many were still fearful of the possibility of subversion of power in Oritolon and there were many misunderstandings, arguments, debates and protests arising from his election and subsequent announcements as he and others tried to found the new system.

To make matters worse a previously unnoticed group of nobles who up until now had been relatively silent and inactive started to arrest the realm's own priests, causing chaos in Oritolon's regions. Though a weak attempt was made to portray this as some form of protest it was assumed by most to be simple, spiteful sabotage by a previously unnoticed group who had failed to gain power. They were banned and the order given to hunt them down mercilessly. Shortly afterwards the realm's Finance Minister, Doctor Jeckyl, Thirdborn, sabotaged the realm's taxes, in order to steal as much of Oritolon's gold as he could, then fled the realm.

Amid this turmoil, treachery and trouble Khain founded a Senate as well as ministries of Finance, Justice, Diplomacy and War in which any noble could join and have a voice. He also declared that the Nobles of Oritolon would be expected to adhere to the rules set out in The Seven Pillars, a formalized code of expected behavior for nobles. Most nobles of Oritolon eagerly swore an oath to uphold those values and it looked like a fair government system had finally been put in place.

However a flaw in the system was soon to emerge when Khain was put under pressure by allegations of abusing power by acting without the knowledge of the senate in critical matters of diplomacy and internal policy as well as treating some nobles with undeserved contempt. This revealed an ideological split in the senate between Khain and his followers who had believed that the senators were advisers to the ruler and others who had been led to believe that the senate would make all decisions democratically and the ruler's role was to enact those descisions. These directly opposing views on the source of political authority led to a split between Khain's followers and the rest of Oritolon who now realized that Khain and his followers considered him an Emperor.

A vote of confidence in Khains' role as ruler was called in the senate and went against him, requiring a referendum of all nobles as to his continued rulership. Before the results were returned he called a referendum on the preferred government system and following its result changed the government system to monthly elections of all government positions, it is assumed that he did this because the system he had created was designed to make it easier to hold on to power than to regain it should it be lost. He declared the system he had created 'failed' and symbolically destroyed the original copies of the articles of the republic and The Seven Pillars which he had written.

Then came the news that Lukon, long-time federation partners with Oritolon, had broken their federation and intended to invade Oritolon in order to bring stability to the chaos and allow Oritolon again to become trusted allies. There were strong hints that unless the widely respected former Prime Minister, Spearhead Reapers, became ruler of Oritolon this trust would be next to impossible to gain. Khain was protested out of office by those who felt he had placed Oritolon at grave risk by his actions. His supporters, who were adamant that opposition to him was unfair, protested the remaining government members from their positions.

There was much activity by individuals loyal to Oritolon behind the scenes and eventually the threat of invasion was lifted. Spearhead was soon elected ruler and set about restoring the traditional government system of Oritolon, trying to calm relations with her former federation partners and renew the attempt to take back the rogue region of Irdalni. Khain and his supporters continued to protest constantly in an effort to undermine the government and regain control for themselves. This resulted in many of his supporters being banned from the realm for abusing the political system. As former royalty Khain could hide behind legal immunity to banishment and snipe at the government with impunity and his previous instability quickly degenerated into outright mania. Now rogues, his supporters harassed the borders of Oritolon. Eventually Khain and his remaining supporters within the realm openly rebelled against the government. The rebellion failed and Khain and his followers exiled.

With Spearhead Reapers forced out of political retirement to be elected Prime Minister and the last of the disruptive elements purged from Oritolon the realm immediately found a new focus and energy. The traditional government system was reinstated, the old alliances with Lukon and Minas Thalion rebuilt and the notoriously difficult rogue region of Irdalni was finally integrated into Oritolon. This was swiftly followed by the re-taking of Alowca and Warmanoras. Harmony and co-operation reigned as all worked together for a better future. As he had promised Spearhead stepped down from power as soon as Oritolon stabilised.

The Giblotian War

With their civil and military affairs put in order Oritolon joined their army in the war on Giblot,which now stood alone against Outer Tilog, the Assassins, Lukon, Oritolon and Minas Thalion. Records of this period are virtually non-existent. However maps from these days reveal much.

A conflict arose between Minas Thalion and Oritolon, which called on his ally Lukon to push Minas Thalion out of Alebad. They then fled all the way to the north, where they established a foothold in Drenga. However, there it withered away, unable to expand from Drenga due to the presence of the Assassins in former Giblotian lands.

Lukon turned against the Assassins to obtain Wetham with the help of Outer Tilog. Once the Assassins released Wetham, a puppet state was created in its place. But Lukon decided it wanted direct control and annexed it anyway.

Despite these conflicts, Giblot was destroyed, falling against the combined might of the Assassins, Outer Tilog and Lukon. A puppet state was created, but as with Wetham, its masters decided outright domination would be best, so the city became an integral part of Outer Tilog.  

The War of the Federations (2012-2020)

Lukon in 2013 at the height of its power, allied to the Assassins and Oritolon.

The Land Reform

With peace coming to the continent, major land reforms took place, which resulted in 13 new regions. This seems to have resulted in a war between Lukon and Outer Tilog, where the Assassins decided to side with Lukon. Initially Outer Tilog would appear to follow the same fate as all enemies of Lukon had done so far, but it managed to deal a major blow by helping Wetham III split off from Lukon.

Oritolon does need seems to have gotten involved initially, but sent a lot of food to support Lukon. Malice Osha disagreed with the decision to empty Oritolonic granaries to feed the power hungry Lukonites and decided to secede his Duchy of Alowca to form the Realm of Aren. There were fears this Aren was an incarnation of the enemies of the Long War, but it proved instead to prefer a docile stagnant existence, isolated in its corner of the Colonies. That is, until the arrival of Aquila Schwarzherzig. Aren had been without a Warlord for several weeks, and in a matter of days, Aquila took upon herself the responsibilty.

The Grand Resolution

More troubles came when former Lord Elect Cathal of Minas Thalion moved to Lukon and became General under Empress Valakyrie. In this role he led the successful campaign to break the Republic of Oritolon and drive out the regime which had instigated the war between Lukon and Minas Thalion.

The creation of Inner Tilog and Portion due to the Grand Resolution.

Another continental reform was enacted: a resolution was passed which allowed every realm to have only have one city. This meant the restoration of Minas Thalion in Alebad, suggesting the influence of General Cathal and other Thalions on the drafting of this resolution. The two great powers of the time, Outer Tilog and Lukon, seem to have supported this idea because they believed it would allow them to use diplomatic actions to weaken the other side, as Outer Tilog had done with Wetham. Whatever their reasoning may have been, Lukon released Minas Thalion and Portion, while Outer Tilog released Inner Tilog in Giblot.

The Grand Alliance

These new realms were, of course, allied to their overlords, which resulted in closely knit federations. Of special interest should be that a conflict arose between Aren and Minas Thalion concerning Abaka, but when Aren decided to renounce their claims on Abaka, a formal federation actually was formed between the two realms. Oritolon did not seem to have formally become part of this federation, but they formed a close alliance which they dubbed the Grand Alliance.

Meanwhile Outer Tilog managed to push back Portion and forced their nemesis to agree to peace terms. This allowed Minas Thalion to fill the void left behind by Portion. A brutal war was fought across the plains of Bode Batura and deep into the woods of Naan Forest. Here the Grand Alliance clashed with the combined might of both Tilogs and Wetham in an increasingly brutal war where religious unrest and espionage became daily woes. Eventually it managed to take control of the former Lukon territories east of Arakir and even convinced Inner Tilog to switch sides and help attack their former overlords.

Outer Tilog signed peace with the Great Alliance to focus on its former puppet with the help of the Assassins. With the hatred increasing, Inner Tilog lured in many former Tilog-hating Giblotians and renamed itself to Giblot Magnum.

However, the Grand Alliance would not know peace: like its predecessor, Wetham stubbornly refused peace and the war dragged on. It is then that Portion and Lukon came to the aid of the formerly rebellious province.

The Grand Alliance falls apart

A breach in the Grand Alliance occurred when King Ash of Oritolon laid claim to Abaka and war between Aren and Oritolon ensued, leaving Minas Thalion to face three realms alone.

Meanwhile Outer Tilog managed to destroy the new Giblot and replaced it with Gothica, led by Inalla Fontaine. The purpose of Gothica was to create a group of knights even more savage and disciplined than Outer Tilog. Gothica immediately came into conflict with the Assassins, but this conflict was ignored by Outer Tilog, which joined their former Portionese enemies against Minas Thalion. Once more Minas Thalion was destroyed.

The Grand Alliance had lost the war. The island was now dominated by Outer Tilog and the federation of Wetham, Portion and Lukon. However, they had shown to have weaknesses: Portion had lost the military struggle against Outer Tilog, while Outer Tilog had lost the diplomatic struggle due to loosing its influence over Wetham and having unreliable puppets in Giblot.

The Rise of Halcyon

Oritolon realized it could not subdue Aren and decided to renounce its claims on Abaka. It also decided to organize another realm on the ruins of Alebad: Halcyon. Halcyon and Oritolon immediately had to struggle against Outer Tilog, which also claimed the city. At one point Halcyon was left with only Alebad and the end appeared imminent and unavoidable. But with a few new immigrants coming from faraway lands and continents the realm suddenly found a glimpse of life and a chance for a stronger future. Little by little the new and the old started to make small gains, minor victories and then pushed forward towards the most important milestone that directed Halcyon's future into something more - the Battle of the Hooves.

The Battle of the Hooves was a large battle that happened in Bode Batura. It included the armies of Oritolon and Halcyon on one side and Outer Tilog on the other. It is named as such due to the importance the cavalry made on that day. The powerful charge of the southern riders carried the battle to victory against all odds and once again crowned a mounted knight a champion of the battlefield. After the battle Halcyon finally tasted victory and started to make serious gains that brought them closer to victory.

The War escalates

The war escalated, as Outer Tilog called Portion and its confederated for help. However, Aren decided to join its former allies in the south and even Gothica turned against their overlords by sending raiding parties against Wetham to obtain slaves for necromantic experiments.

Aquila lead the armies of Aren with unabated ferocity, leading the first allied forays into Outer Tilog, raiding and killing. This continued for several months, until Khan Alec Moore began to petition for peace, agreeing to pay Portion a staggering sum of gold and apologize for attacking Portion, all after a crushing victory against the combined forces of Portion and Outer Tilog. When it came to light that Halcyon, Aren's allies, had been absent from the battle at the encouragement of the Khan, things came to a head. Enraged at this betrayal of warrior culture, Aquila and her trusted lieutenants rebelled against the Khan and seized the government. The palace fell to the forces of the Warlord and the Khanate was disbanded. In its place, the Dominion of Aren was born.

The War of Southern Justice

When the war finally came to a stalemate, peace was signed. However, the end of war allowed free passage for nobles of Outer Tilog. This was used by the Governor of Alebad, Johannes von Lunkhofen, to break off from Halcyon and realign the capital of the Republic to Outer Tilog. This treason left the government shocked and paralyzed as Alebad represented half of the realm's economy and best infrastructure, which was now in the hands of someone else. Despite the theft of Alebad, Halcyon maintained an uneasy and shaky peace with Outer Tilog. For several months Halcyon lobbied for political and military support which resulted by both Oritolon and Portion coming to their aid. At the same time, Phoenix Legion has begun to amass a great host in the new capital Alowca. By the time when the drums of war began to pound again, Halcyon and Oritolon gathered an army of almost 2.000 soldiers and stormed the walls of Alebad in a decisive and clear victory.

Johannes von Lunkhofen was eventually apprehended and then burned alive in a public ceremony. Another battle later ensued in Bode Batura which was, once again, a clear victory for Halcyon and their allies. Few days later, the war ended after having lasted for less than two weeks. The War of Southern Justice saw Halcyon triumphantly return to their maiden city and their star was once again on the rise.

The Great Dying

The Colonies in 2019 before the sudden disappearance of Aren.

Already during the war the nobility of the Dominion of Aren suddenly died out. The reason for this unexpected dying is unclear. Gothica may have been involved and it should also be noted that the Undead Dominion has an uncanny similar name. It is also interesting to note that the Great Dying did not start until Halcyon had expanded into former Aren lands. So most likely a virus had hit Aren.

Whatever may have been the case, while peace negotiations were taking place, Lukon suddenly collapsed, the surviving nobles choosing to join Portion, while at the same time land between the Assassins and Gothica became depopulated. A few weeks later the lands between Gothica and Outer Tilog had also fallen to lawlessness.

In the fear that followed, more realms would meet a sudden demise. When the virus hit Wetham, the surrounding regions switched to Portion, allowing the city of Wetham to die off. A revolt in Gothica put an end to their necromantic experiments and the revolters granted the crown to Outer Tilog. Oritolon was weakened and preyed on by Halcyon. 

The Undead Dominion (2021-present)

The Lich King announces the Undead Dominion on Arakir.

The Great Dying stopped when a new realm appeared on the Arakir: the Undead Dominion. As its unholy grasp spread across the continent, it forced the remaining realms to band together for survival. But hatred ran deep among the realms on the continent and uniting them was not an easy task, since infighting seems to be characteristic to the Colonies.

Caravanthian of Halcyon founded Sacris Incendium and Confronted the Colonial Senate over their attempts to force Halcyon to abandon one of its cities, ultimately leading to the stunning dissolution of the Senate and acknowledgment of Halcyon's sovereignty.

Antonio of Halcyon decided to set aside ancient differences and to cooperate with Outer Tilog against the Undead Dominion. However, as Halcyon grew stronger, the other realms united in opposition to its imperial growth. Halcyon emerged from that conflict unscathed, and ultimately expanded further due to advances in administrative capabilities. But meanwhile the Undead Dominion had grown stronger and threatened the entire continent.