Era 1: The Arrival - Years 1-c500

Overview   The first few hundred years after the cataclysm are known to history as 'The Arrival'.   In turn, six of the seven major tribes that left the west arrived in Edane. The ancestors of Nordrest, the Eksil, were the first to arrive, settling in the north of the continent. Within half a century they were followed by those calling themselves the Hizbrann (The Chosen). These became the descendants of the Zhdanese to the east.   By the end of the first century, two more tribes had arrived in the southern parts of the continent. The Cytanians and the ancestors of the other city states called themselves 'Fortunati' due to the rich abundance of resources they found in the south. A competitive people by nature, they were never destined to remain united for long, with the two tribes spliting into five separate city states over the following millenia.   Ever tranquil and unknowable, noone is entirely clear on when the Hatnu Pachi tribe arrived in Edane. Accounts from the time suggest that they intermingled with all of the other tribes on their arrival on the continent, setting up temples in every major city and attempting to revitalise the mystic beliefs of the west.   The final tribe to arrive in Edane were the Litikanians. A determined and stubborn people, they crashed onto the shores of the peninsular between Cytania and Nordrest. The waters around the area are dangerous and lack deep harbours, making it difficult to move in and out of the area. As such, they retreated to the mountain areas to farm and mine for resources.   The seventh tribe were the Baarathi who arrived in the south. It is not known exactly how long after the cataclysm that the southern peoples sailed the Sunset Ocean. To date, their existence still remains a rumour. Whereever they landed, it must be south of the Burning Desert as there is no evidence of life along the southern continent's northern shores.   The historical truths around the journey to Edane from the west have long since faded into myth and legend. Some stories tell of nine tribes that lived in the west, others of twelve. Of the tribes that remained in the west, one is rumoured to have sailed further west from the Old Lands after the cataclysm. It is possible that they have formed the basis of the Eastern kingdom, known as Anshar, meaning 'Foremost of the Heavens', possibly descended from the Ilukabu tribe. They were believed to be a strictly hierarchical society which may explain why they are attributed to the rigid, formal nation of Anshar.   Legends tell of a tribe that agreed to stay behind to safeguard the Sacred Old Lands and act as caretakers until the tribes return to whence they came. The Nagual, or guardians, were lost to those who left the Sacred Lands. Many believe that they now live on another plane of existence, like living ghosts.   All of the tribes struggled to survive in their new environments. The shamistic powers they were able to freely channel in the west had faded to almost nothing when they crossed the Sunset Ocean. The land of Edane required grit and determination to toil the land, whether it be the frozen lands of the Eksil or the turbulent earthquakes in the lands to the south for the Fortunati.   The tribes were forced to learn anew how to forage and hunt; how to build homes and overcome the elements. Some relished the challenge and rose to it; others resented the chain of events which had led them to this new continent. The stories and legends that grew about the west among the different tribes reflected these feelings. While their powers faded in the majority of people, a few still managed to hold onto enough of their powers to distinguish them from the others. In almost all of the new tribal settlements, it was those with these powers which rose to senior positions in the communities, either tribal leaders or high priests.   It is hard to tell from the historical record how much truth lies in the dates given for the rulers of this period. The longevity of their rule implies a life expectancy far beyond modern life spans. It is not uncommon in the historical record to see rulers that appeared to live for hundreds of years. What is apparent is that these life spans shortern dramatically during the time of the First Great Disaster.   Timeline of the Arrival   10,000 years ago – Ancestors of Nordrestians arrive on the west coast of the Northern isles.   Year 1 - After briefly stopping on land for supplies and wood to replace their broken ships, the Nordrestians continue east, sailing along the coastline. One family elects to stay behind to welcome any other refugees from the west and to serve as a warning if the darkness is to follow. These are the descendants of Oskuldur – a people believed to have never fully lost their link with nature. A people seen as unruly and wild, living on the edge of the known world.   Year 1 – The Nordrestians sail across to the second continent. Some ships are lost and shipwrecked on the mainland. The main fleet continues island hoping along the Skjargard. Many of the refugees begin to protest. Land has been found, why should they continue? The leader of the Eksil (the exiled ones) is keen to continue. The sacred spear has been brought with him, used to cut the Sacred One, but not kill him. It must be taken as far as possible and hidden as it is rumoured that if his blood is united, he will awaken.   Year 2 – The Eksil arrive at the mouth of what will become the River Elvel and establish a small, river side community. A mound is constructed to house the sacred spear and the leader of the Eksil (Havrei Sende) build their home next to it.   Year 2 – 100 – The Eksil continue to explore the coastline, unable to let go of the seafaring nature and keen to familiarise themselves with the surroundings. The land is fertile in the summer but bitterly cold in winter, leading to many wishing to explore further south. The descendants of Sende are not keen to forsake the sacred relic of the spear, wishing for it to remain hidden. They encourage ship captains to explore the coast to the south and the coastlines stretching across the Kjede archipelago comes under Eksil control.   Year 50 – The ancestors of the tribe of Zhdan arrive from the west. Unknown by the Eksil, they had been sent by the Sacred One to find the relic. However, on their journey they had fared even worse than the Eksil. They called themselves the Hizbrann (The Chosen). Originally, they had arrived on the shores of the continent – the peninsular, infamous for its rocky coastline and lack of deep water ports. After losing several ships, they had washed ashore on the islands of the Kjede archipelago and come into contact with the Eksil.   The current leader of the Eksil, wary of his ward and mistrusting their new visitors, refused them hospitality, requesting they not set ashore, but be restocked, fed and watered, before being sent on their way. The Hizbrann are escorted through the archipelago, sailing on until the arrive on the flat, open plains on the southern shores of the Bestridt Sea. The Hizbrann, and later the Zhdanese would not forget their treatment on arrival on the shores of Edane, setting up thousands of years of hostility and hatred. Where they land is named Safehaven.   Concerned about the arrival of more settlers, the Eksil explore up the Elvemunn, looking for a suitable place to move away from the coastline that can be better defended and to protect the sacred spear. This leads to the discovery of the canyon and waterfalls that will become the future site for the city of Nordrest.   Years 50-100 – The Zhdanese (Hizbrann) move further inland. Largely living as nomadic tribes, spreading rapidly across the continent looking to find the spear. However, being so far from The Sacred One, its hold over them is weakened. The land is wild, flat and bitterly cold in the winter, leading them to harden and adapt to survive. They develop technologies to add their traversal, beginning thousands of years of interest in the pursuit of technology.   Year c100 - Two tribes, the Vespera and the Avidans, travelled across the Sunset Ocean together. They had used the extra time in the west to plan their journey to a much more precise degree than the Eksil and the Hizbrann, using all of the latest astrological technologies to set a precise course to where they predicted the climate would be most favourable to settlement. Many of the Eksil worried that the taint of the west had infected those who had remained in the Old Lands. However, it seemed the Vespera and Avidans had experiences nothing but good fortune on their journey, even naming themselves the 'Fortunati', an attempt to forge a unity between the two tribes as a single, united group. The first place they landed was named the city of Fortuna on the coast.   Years c200-c300 - A strange cult appears in the historical record in all of the major nations of Edane - the Eksil, the Hizbrann, the Vespera and the Avidans all record a group of people known as the Hatnu Pachi. They claimed to come from the west but their strange, religious ways are unlike anything shared by the other tribes. In some places they are tolerated, in others, quickly moved on, but they gain a reputation for healing and medicine so are largely accepted.   Year 333 - This is the date the Baarathi record in their historical record for their arrival in the east from the Sacred Lands. It is a date that supposedly links to the original 9 tribes. Unlike the six tribes that arrived in Edane, the Baarathi journeyed south in the west lands before attempting their journey east. As such, they never reached Edane, instead arriving far to the south of the Burning Desert and the Boiling Ocean.   Year 380 - The Ilukabu tribe sail west from the west lands, landing on the shores of the far eastern continent. They will remain a secret and unknown nation for the next 6000 years.   Year c400 - The Litikanians shipwreck on the shores across the north west coasts of Edane. With so many years having passed since the arrival of the Eksil, anything coming from the west is treated with mistrust. Some are killed on sight, some are chased from the shorelines. Their tough, darkened skin, halting speech and bulk lead many to surmise that they are a cursed people.   The bulk of the fleet crashes into the shores of the Brooding Peninsular, a barren rocky landscape with waves that crash violently against the sheer rock faces. Some of the ships wedged themselves into the narrow crags, allowing the refugees to escape to safety.   Year 400 - 450 - The Litikanian survivors form scattered communities across the tops of the cliffs of the Brooding Peninsular. A strong people, they fashion ropes to climb down the cliffs looking for eggs and to catch fish from the sea below.   Gradually, their exploration moves inland as some of them inhabit caves in the mountains known as the Five Knuckles.