Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Sep 08, 2005 10:09:19	Hello all, This is the final installment of the timeline, which brings us almost to the present day. I may have more tidbits to post as time (and other people's interest) permits. Geoff PS - As a Word document, the timeline is 16 pages long. Quite a record for me! ************************* The Great Northern Campaigns (AC 170 - AC 474) AC 170: Some members of the newly formed Wendarian League look north, to the Northern Wildlands, and begin to entertain dreams of recovering the lost territories of Nimbeth and Thalion. The interest is also spurred by calls for aid from the embattled frontier dominions, which are being forced to give ground to the frogmen of the northern moors, and their occasional Denagothian and orcish allies. AC 192: The Great Northern Campaign begins. Various elven rulers lead their best troops to Lerian’s Tower, and some of the surviving frontier dominions, and from there enter the Northern Wildlands. They encounter scattered bands of orcs, Denagothians, and frogmen, which they disperse easily at first. As they venture further north, they encounter more determined foes. AC 194: The soldiers of the Great Northern Campaign fail to take the ruins of Nimbeth, though they establish a defensible frontier nearby, roughly 40 miles to the north of the current Wendarian border. Settlers begin to trickle north to claim the regained territories. They meet with more success in the west, against the frogmen, where the border advances by 70 miles on average, and almost reaches the valley of Thalion. This is generally considered to be the end of the Great Northern Campaign. AC 206: King Geldarion dies of old age; he is succeeded by Ellareth, his second son. Although he is more of a fighter than his father was, Ellareth lacks Geldarion’s tact. Immediately after his coronation, Ellareth proclaims that he will reclaim his birthright and sit on the throne in Nimbeth before his reign ends. AC 209: A band of elvish heroes fights their way into the valley of Thalion, and crosses the famed bridge into the ruined city. There, they defeat an orcish warlord, and claim Thalion for themselves. After news of their achievement spreads, a small trickle of humans and elves makes their way to the valley, and resettles it. The city is rebuilt during the following decades. AC 217: King Ellareth demands the return of lands formerly belonging to the Kingdom of Nimbeth, some of which are now in the possession of the other elvish nobles who took part in the Great Northern Campaign. While a handful agree in exchange for being allowed to rule them in the king’s name, most refuse. AC 228: After many years of building up his armies, the King of Amoleth marches north to retake Nimbeth – and succeeds after a bloody, month-long battle. The other rulers of the “new frontier” (as it is called by many elves) watch warily as King Ellareth returns his court to the ruined city, and undertakes a massive effort to restore it. A few of the nobles, believing that the Kingdom of Nimbeth is rising once more, swear fealty to the king. AC 236: The surviving human clans of the Northern Wildlands, who have by now noted the return of the elves to Thalion, begin a raiding campaign against them. AC 267: King Ellareth and his armies invade the nearest northern dominions, conquering them after several decisive battles. The remaining northern realms forge an alliance against him, and appeal to the other members of the Wendarian League for aid. The League condemns Ellareth’s selfish drive to rebuild his kingdom, and declares his realm an enemy land. Many elvish nobles agitate for the liberation of the dominions conquered by King Ellareth - this marks the start of the Second Great Northern Campaign. AC 281: After several years of inconclusive fighting in the north, where they have tended to lose ground, a coalition of elvish realms launches a surprise attack against the city of Amoleth. The defences manage to hold long enough for the garrison of Lerian’s Tower to come to the city’s aid, but not before some of the attackers manage to break through. In the chaos, Amoleth’s armies lose several key skirmishes, and the city’s defences collapse entirely. Looting is widespread as the victors exact their revenge, and Indlath, a noble who was dispossessed by King Ellareth several years previously, crowns himself King of Amoleth. AC 283: The Battle of Two Kings is fought north of Amoleth, as King Ellareth of Nimbeth, in a fit of rage, throws his entire might against the city in the hopes of retaking it, and the rest of his southern lands. King Indlath of Amoleth meets Ellareth on the battlefield, and wounds his enemy severely before being defeated. Although King Ellareth wins, his victory is a hollow one, as his armies are now severely weakened. The Second Great Northern Campaign ends with the Wendarian League’s acknowledgement of Nimbeth’s victory, but few elves will willingly deal with the ostracised kingdom. AC 285: The elves of Thalion have begun to lose ground to the humans, who have not let up since their raiding campaign began. Some citizens flee southwards, while braver souls head north, into what was once the realm of Forenath. The leaders of Thalion issue a plea to their southern kin to aid them. Some elvish nobles, disappointed that the Second Great Northern Campaign has ended, lead their armies north in search of glory – this can be considered the beginning of the Third Great Northern Campaign. AC 287: Noting the kingdom’s weakness, orcish and Denagothian tribes invade Nimbeth from the north and east, respectively, in the hopes of driving back the elves, and securing more loot. King Ellareth is grievously wounded in battle, and dies hours later on his throne. His daughter, Ancalimë, crowns herself queen and leads the defence of Nimbeth. Further west, the frogmen receive messages from the Denagothians, urging them to fight the elves with renewed vigour. AC 290: Although they fight bravely, the elves of Nimbeth are unable to hold back their enemies; great swaths of territory in the east and south are lost, nearly cutting the kingdom in two. Queen Ancalimë pleads for aid from the Wendarian League, asking them to have pity on her people. Her pleas are ignored. AC 292: At the Battle of Isiliath, a large force of frogmen, spurred by tales of elvish losses to the east, routs the combined armies of four frontier dominions, leaving two of them effectively without armies. The frogman victory weakens the resolve of other dominions, and creates a weak link in the elves’ formidable line of defences. By the end of the year, five dominions fall to the frogmen. AC 293: The city of Nimbeth is completely cut off from the rest of the kingdom. Orcs and Denagothians run rampant throughout the countryside, killing any human or elf they can find. Thousands of people flee south and west. AC 295: In the west, elvish armies from Genalleth and some of the northern frontier dominions drive the human raiders away from Thalion, after which they proceed to force their enemies north of the River Muil. Many human settlements are destroyed. Some of the elves, not satisfied with effectively wiping out the native human populations south of the river, pursue them. AC 297: Her armies unable to hold the city any longer, Queen Ancalimë orders her people to abandon Nimbeth. Aided by magic and good tactics, the queen and her army open a gap through the besieging orcs and Denagothians, and manage to hold it long enough for the surviving citizens to flee to the west, and then south to Amoleth. Miraculously, few casualties are suffered. After thoroughly looting the city, the Denagothians and orcs head south. AC 300: Some former refugees from Thalion have by now established isolated strongholds in what was once western Forenath. A few of these also make contact with the vanguard of the Third Great Northern Campaign. Relations are cordial, but the elvish settlers – who crave peace and safety more than anything else – have no desire to re-establish the realm of Forenath, as many of the self-appointed elvish crusaders obviously do. AC 302: The city of Amoleth endures the first of many sieges mounted by the allied orcs and Denagothians, who have overrun the rest of the kingdom. Once again, Queen Ancalimë requests aid, warning that the fall of Amoleth will leave Genalleth open to invasion. Although a few volunteers from the south come to her aid, the queen is disheartened to learn from them that many of the eastern frontier dominions are in danger of falling to the frogmen, and scattered bands of orcs and Denagothians have begun to wreak havoc in Genalleth. Many elvish realms have left the Wendarian League to look after their own interests by this time, complicating efforts to organise a unified response to the attacks. AC 310: Northern Genalleth is now in a state of chaos, as Denagothian and orcish warriors stream past weakened (and in many places nonexistent) elvish defences to commit mayhem. Many of the remaining frontier dominions have fallen to the frogmen, but the remainder send what aid they can to the embattled towns and cities of Genalleth, even though they are embroiled in costly wars of attrition that they seem likely to lose. With the attention of Genalleth and the dominions directed elsewhere, little thought is given to Thalion and the lands further north. AC 320: After many years of increasingly strained relations, the warriors of the Third Great Northern Campaign attack the elvish enclaves known to them in the former lands of western Forenath. Wherever they win, the warriors usurp control over the strongholds, and reorganise them to be provinces of what they hope will be the reborn realm of Forenath. Many denizens of the enclaves, not wishing to live under military rule, flee to the relative safety of Thalion. AC 330: After several vicious battles, including a decisive elvish victory near the village of Yngvarsvall in AC 326, Genalleth’s northern frontier has stabilised once more, but it is now 60-70 miles south, on average, of Wendar’s current border. The city of Amoleth now lies at the edge of orcish lands, and Lerian’s Tower is an isolated, well-defended elvish enclave in the midst of hostile territory, which is given a wide berth by the enemy, who fear Prince Lerian greatly. Most of the frontier dominions have also fallen to the frogmen, cutting off Thalion entirely. AC 335: Aware that they are largely cut off from their kin in Genalleth, and that the Wendarian League - whose unity has allowed the elves to make significant gains against the orcs, frogmen, and Denagothians – is in rapid decline, the soldiers of the Third Great Northern Campaign consolidate their forces, and send a delegation to Thalion, to urge its people to join them in creating a new, unified elvish realm in the north. Realising that the warriors have forgotten the original purpose of their campaign, and that they now seek only to carve out a realm where they can reign supreme, the citizens of Thalion refuse. Within weeks, much of the military strength of the Third Great Northern Campaign is thrown against the city. AC 337: After withstanding a siege for almost two years, Thalion falls to the elvish warriors of the Third Great Northern Campaign – but the victory is not an easy one. Believing that much of Genalleth has fallen, and that there is no other place for them to go, the people of Thalion fight without regard for their own lives. Roughly two-thirds of the inhabitants are killed in the fighting, and their enemies lose more than half of their number. Disgusted at the fate of their once-lovely city, many of the surviving inhabitants head south in search of their kin, preferring the dangers of the journey to living under their enemies’ rule. Those who survive the arduous trek settle primarily in and around Amoleth, Yngvarsvall, and Woodgate. AC 339: Queen Ancalimë of Amoleth is assassinated while delivering a proclamation on the state of the realm. The assassin is never caught, and the queen’s death plunges the city into chaos, as she had no recognised heirs. Gwindor, the middle-aged son of Prince Lerian, and Voronwil, a young elf who claims to be a descendant of King Beldareth (who is in fact the grandson of Arendyll) declare their claims to the throne of Amoleth. Over the coming months prominent citizens declare their allegiance to one claimant or the other. AC 341: With most of the nobility supporting Gwindor’s claim to the throne of Amoleth, Voronwil begins to call attention to his rival’s potential weaknesses: his age, his lack of experience fighting Amoleth’s enemies, and his stated refusal to risk more elvish lives in regaining the lost northern territories. Over time, several key nobles (particularly those who lost lands in the north) switch their allegiance to Voronwil. AC 344: Gwindor dies under mysterious circumstances while hunting with a friend, a minor northern elvish lord with deep ties to the House of Nimbeth. Many find it strange that Gwindor, an accomplished hunter, died in such a manner, but all lines of questioning are soon hushed up. Voronwil, by now a claimant to the throne with broad support, presents himself as the new King of Amoleth after a period of mourning. Few other elvish realms react to the news, concerned as they are with their own affairs. AC 350: By this time the native human clans of the Northern Wildlands have recovered enough that they can resume their vendetta against the elves. Their closest foes are the warriors based in Thalion and the scattered strongholds in fallen Forenath. Many decades of fighting ensue. AC 358: King Voronwil initiates a campaign to retake as much of the lost territories of southern Nimbeth as possible; unofficially, this is the Fourth Great Northern Campaign. Aside from a handful of volunteer units from Woodgate – primarily comprised of former refugees from Thalion – few elves or humans from other realms flock to his banner. AC 371: King Voronwil’s campaign is largely a success; in the east, the frontiers have been pushed 50 miles northwards on average (roughly approximating modern Wendar’s northern border between Lerian’s Tower and Bynflaare Hall). The king’s armies spend the following years pacifying the region thoroughly before allowing it to be resettled. Elsewhere, however, much of northern Genalleth remains overrun by orcs and Dengothians. AC 400: By this time the Wendarian League has broken apart as separate towns, cities, and villages start to look after their own security. In the far north, the humans have taken a number of strongholds, driving their surviving opponents, who cannot obtain any help from their southern kin, to Thalion. AC 407: Having secured his regained lands, King Voronwil leads an expedition further north to explore the ruins of Nimbeth. He discovers that a fearsome mountain giant, named Felzuumath, rules the ruined city. Furious that such a creature occupies the city that is his birthright, Voronwil returns to Amoleth and begins organising a campaign to oust him. AC 413: Thalion falls to the massed might of the human clans of the Northern Wildlands, though it costs them greatly in doing so. The surviving elves flee southwards, many of them making it to Genalleth. Satisfied that they have driven the elves away for good, but still considering Thalion and its valley to be tainted, the humans return to their homes in the north. Only a handful of hidden elvish strongholds – those which escaped the notice of the Third Great Northern Campaign – remain in the former lands of western Forenath, and these have no dealings with humans. AC 422: King Voronwil’s armies march on Nimbeth in the hopes of dislodging Felzuumath and his horde. After making some impressive initial gains, the elves are surprised by Felzuumath’s tactical skill, and are driven south. AC 428: Prince Lerian, hero of the Battle of King’s Sorrow, dies peacefully at the age of 719. He was one of the few elves who still remembered Nimbeth, or its almost legendary first king, in their glory. He is accorded a hero’s funeral, and is interred in his tower’s tomb. AC 433: After years of slowly being forced southwards, King Voronwil and his armies retreat to the city of Amoleth, where they endure a protracted siege. Numerous messengers are sent to implore the other elvish rulers for aid, but all of them refuse, citing Ellareth’s deceitfulness and blind ambition, which in their view destroyed the northern realms. The garrison of Lerian’s Tower marches to Amoleth’s aid, but it is too late; the city’s defences fail, and most of the population is slaughtered – including Voronwil. Only a handful of refugees make it to other settlements, sharing their tales of what happened. After wintering in the ruins, the giant takes his army on a rampage. AC 435: One young adventuress in Woodgate, named Nione, is disgusted by the spreading tales of wanton slaughter coming from the lands to the north, and by the indifference of many elves to the suffering of the people living there. She dedicates herself to ridding the land of Felzuumath, and begins to assemble a band of like-minded elves and humans to help her. Many small battles and skirmishes occur over the following years, hindering Felzuumath’s advance. AC 452: At a great battle that will later be known as Felzuumath’s Fall, the veteran adventuress Nione, accompanied by a volunteer army from many towns and cities in Genalleth, meets the southward moving horde of Felzuumath. Nione meets the giant in battle, slaying him and putting his horde in disarray, although she later dies of her injuries. Her closest companions take up her cause, pursuing their remaining enemies with a vengeance. AC 456: By now, Nione’s tragic triumph resonates greatly among the elves and humans of Genalleth, and many rulers cite her as an example of true heroism. Maeglin, the son of Voronwil and sole surviving heir to the House of Nimbeth, builds a shrine to the heroine and begs the other rulers to forgive his family of its past transgressions. To demonstrate his break with family traditions, he declares that Amoleth will not be rebuilt. Recognising that, although Ellareth’s acts brought much ruin upon the elves, they had turned their own backs on many innocents, the other rulers of Genalleth rescind their declaration that made Nimbeth an enemy land. AC 462: The Fifth, and final, Great Northern Campaign is declared. Still unified by the sense of common purpose of driving the orcs and Denagothians from their land, many elvish rulers unite under one banner and march north. AC 474: The armies of the Fifth Great Northern Campaign manage to push their enemies out of northern Genalleth, establishing a border that roughly approximates that of modern Wendar. Their immediate goals achieved, and having no desire to embark on another costly campaign to retake the lost lands to the north, the new border is fortified, and many of the armies return home. This marks the end of the Great Northern Campaigns, and over the following centuries only hardy adventuring parties try their luck in the Northern Wildlands.
#2 zombiegleemax Sep 09, 2005 23:21:47	Wow that's good. Is there going to be more additions to this or is this pretty much it?
#3 zombiegleemax Sep 10, 2005 21:34:12	Wow that's good. Is there going to be more additions to this or is this pretty much it? That's pretty much the end of the story, until around AC 1000 or so. In the intervening period, the elves and humans of Genalleth lacked the unity to mount a large-scale campaign to retake the northern territories. Also, if you use Shawn and Marco's Wendar timeline, Denagoth becomes a much more active player after AC 500 or so, and so Genalleth's attention is focused on it out of necessity. However, the odd adventuring party would have gone north in search of loot, and some of them no doubt made it back, with tales of strange monsters, wondrous sites, and of course treasure. There may have been a few isolated attempts, on the part of individual rulers, to extend their borders northwards, or to found a new dominion. Some of these could have succeeded, and there may even be an inhabited tower, keep, or fortified settlement north of Wendar even today (i.e., as of AC 1000). Many people in Wendar would probably not give the Northern Wildlands much thought, as conventional wisdom would probably have it that nothing good can ever come of colonising the north - recent (by elvish standards) history supplying many good examples. Of course, there would be those in Wendar, such as the House of Nimbeth (which survived the centuries following the loss of Amoleth), who would agitate for a restoration of the "old borders". Where King Gylharen would lean on such a question...I don't know. The formation of Wendar in AC 919 created a unified nation once more - one that would be strong enough to mount another campaign to expand northwards. Whether it would do so would entirely depend on the campaign - if Denagoth is not currently a threat, then Wendar might look north once more (as my opening promotional text in part one of the timeline implied). Definitely, this could be fertile ground for campaigning - as was the intention! Geoff