A Short History of the World

Ancient Ascension

The Ancient Peoples collectively leave Orth, for a new, different place created by Crahurnian. They live virtually in a place they name The Golden Plane, their minds having been uploaded into the vast memory storage of the starship Dawnfay, interacting and living on outside of their bodies. Over time, various peoples come to exist there, including the Squank, Uffrith, Disapperatures, Azodin, Funglin, Nimps, Myrthin and Titans.

The Octophele stayed behind, to watch over a world half-depleted in its minerals and resources, but with enough space to allow the younger peoples they've seen developing come forth and claim their birthright.

Golden Plane Explored

The entirety of the first world inhabited by the minds and virtual presences of the Ancient People's has been explored, which they name Kurth. They begin to explore other digital worlds which exist in the databanks of the Dawnfay, and explore the virtual universe they've created.

The Nightfay Created

Manovelar looked at the Hadas, Kabakuro, Myrthin, and the other advancing nations with concern. They had created a protectorate to allow the fragile growth of the other, less advanced peoples to continue uninterrupted, which it admired, and they'd left the surface of Orth to begin exploring the stars. But they wouldn't take the same route as the Ancient Peoples, and the world was running out of space. To aid them, it created the great City-Ship Nightfay, and taught them how to make more.

Golden Council Forms

The Golden Council is formed by the Ancient People, and formal diplomatic relations start with the Second Peoples, who now reside entirely on a fleet of ten vast vessels orbiting Orth, each with a population of around a billion souls.

Inter-World Travel Commences

A group of Ancient People scientists create the first portal to their digital worlds aboard the Dawnfay. Shaped like a tree and placed aboard one of the even more vast Nightfay vessels, the portal allows the Second Peoples access to the Golden Plane. Simultaniously, they create bioforms - living constructs they can direct to allow them to interact with the physical world once more, and some elect to visit, and even live with those aboard the Nightfay ships.

Henagon/Lurniage Symbiosis Begins

The Nightfay and Ancient People begin to interact with peoples of Orth, by the request of Crahurnian. These newer peoples, whom they call the Third Peoples, are considered children by the others. The Squank and Uffrith take a particular interest in the Henagon, and over time, come to bring the nearby Lurniage peoples under their wings. The Lurniage, with their opposable thumbs and giant physical power accelerate the construction of their growing cities and farm the land for them, whilst the Henagon lead and provide political governance under the tutelage of the Squank.

A Hardening of Relations

The Henagon/Lurniage relationship deteriorates after a group of Lurniage attempt to form their own government. This is quashed by the Henagon, resulting in the curtailment of interaction between Orth and the older Peoples. The Ancient and Second Peoples retreat back to their respective vessels, and the Remin and Kabakuro of the Second Peoples begin construction on the settlement of a new city on next planet out from the sun.

Contact between the peoples of Orth and those in the skies above becomes limited to formal diplomacy between governments and their representives. The new policy is to allow the Third Peoples of Orth to develop along their own lines; to let them shape their own destinies.

Around this time, the Triumvene mysteriously vanish. It's believed that their disappearance may have been related, but this is unproven.

Athirael Discovered

The Humans, more than any other nation in the world were explorers. It's perhaps therefore unsurprising that it was they who finally conquered the previously unscaled mountains to the south-east of their home nation; Matteland. Previously, nothing but untamed jungles and winding, in-navigable streams and rivers had been seen on the eastern coast. However, having now created boats capable of longer voyages, they discover the lands of the Henagon and Lurniage. Sealed off from the other nations of the world, these two races have had little interaction with the rest of the world's peoples. The discovery of their lands shakes global politics. This marks the start of the Modern Era (ME)

A New Ship

The Remin had long since given up the ways of manipulating the world. They aspired to be as the giants of old, understanding the world through experimentation and growth. Racing ahead of the other nations, they now saw the others as children to be protected. They sealed themselves off, pulling back into Carinerino.

Over time, as they grew ever more advanced, a sense of melancholy overtook them. They increasingly became aware of their loneliness and isolation. The Second Peoples came to them and offered them a life amongst others like them, amongst whom they could grow without the cares they had. A new start, with the races they'd idolised.

One year later, to the exact day, every Remin left Orth aboard their own Nightfay vessel, and began the task of making themselves a new home amongst the stars. Behind them, they sealed off the land scarred by their great failure, Nos Sans-Jadskat.

Morund Collective Founded

The three gathered round the table were pioneers in their fields. Josiah Fitzwilliam, the great Human farmer, who'd revolutionised the production of crops. Vegum Durzub, a leading Taurac banker and financier, who was leading a revolution in banking. Natalija Hrvoje, the Dadamard inventor, creator of machines that were changing the face of the world. These three had decided to come together, to see what their combined talents could do, purchasing the entire city of Begureu from the humans to form their own city-state. Together, they founded the Morund Collective, a group dedicated to the advancement of technology, and the betterment of all people. Their stated goal: to feed all, clothe all, aid all, and to one day, move from the very world itself to reach into the stars.

Taurac Civil War

Once a foundling and beggarly child, the now grown Sonagh Terazugh made a fierce sight. Her horns were the equal of any man, and her long, thick arms spoke of a life of hard work. Lady she might now have become, thanks to the generosity of her benefactor, the now late Lord Kirjeg, but her life had not been one of a genteel lady. The iron she'd spent 100 years working had been forged into her character. They'd been ruled wisely for more than 3,000 years by the Kings and Queens of her people. But for their people to grow in this new age would require more. Personal freedom. Liberty. Franchise for all, male and female alike. She withdrew her hands from huge gauntlets, and threw them at the foot of the throne.

"Our people, with or without your decree, shall be free," she stated to him. She bowed and withdrew from the court. Notice had been served. The Taurac civil war had begun.

The Age of Steam

The great engine roared and smoked. Gathered in the town of Trevithick, in the west of Matteland, a group of Humans, Marati, and the local members of the Court of Heavy Machines were stood around The Clockmaker's newest creation. He'd hiden what he'd done to himself, fusing magic and technology. More than that, he'd hidden the inventions he'd created for the better part of thirty years, decided now was the moment to let them into the light, even as he still hid. The object of their fascination was one he'd named the "super-heated gaseous locomotion and haulage engine". The engineers of the Court who saw the plans for it had come to think of it as the steam locomotive.

It puffed and thrummed and inside water and steam roiled with pent-up energy. Then, with the great thunk of a lever in the pilot-house being thrown, the vast lump of metal came to life. Slowly, it made its way along the forged steel tracks.

Lurniage Independence

Since a time before memory, the Lurniage had served. It was what they did. It was all they knew. And then, almost a thousand YA, they had for the first time, glimpsed something else. Peoples of different races. Peoples who worked together. Peoples to whom none were slave or master. And in that moment, a thought had struck and started to grow. Then, 37 YA, a single act of defiance by a single Lurniage had begun a fight against their masters. The internal strife had seen the decimation of the Henagon, and the loss of life on both sides was such to make a Taurac poet weep.

Now, around the broken remains of the Skytree Utherien'Linshariall, an accord was being reached. The Morund collective were giving up the historic lands of the Remin to the Lurniage. In Carinerino, aided by the Humans, they'd make a new home.

The Great Balance

Sadux wrote in his journal as he looked out of the barred window at the "Foreigner District" of this strange, beautiful city. He could see humans setting up their wares in the morning light. He'd had a long and distinguished career in the Dadamard diplomatic service, which covered an even longer and well-concealed career in the intelligence services. It was the latter that had been discovered. Of course, all knowledge of his activities were being disavowed. That was as it should be. Still, it was galling to have been discovered by the Nardlor of all people. Such actions were more than frowned upon by the great bear-people of the politically troublesome, warlike nation of Ko'Yuncia.

His execution was scheduled for the next day.

At least he'd been successful in his mission. He'd placed a time-bomb at the heart of their commercial empire. The stability of the peoples of the world would thus be maintained, if only for another few years.

The Age of Flight

It looked like the skeleton of a great whale, made from the lightest metal the Morund Collective knew of. A skin of woven silks enclosed six huge balloons, each designed to hold a vast torch underneath, blowing hot air. Under them all, a golden vessel, like a boat, with wings and fins and fans and all manner of scientific instruments aboard.

The Skyfarer. The first vehicle to take peoples other than the Henagon into the skies. Thousands of people had turned out, lured by the posters around the world, advertising the event. It was vast. Beautiful. And as the six torches lit deep inside, the great airbags heated, gently lifting it into the sky...

Current date: 108 ME