Once again I found myself working on the Taymoran Timeline. The original timeline was written by Giampaolo Agosta in August 2002. In January 2003 I re-wrote it taking in consideration all the information provided by John Calvin in regard to the geological instabilities of southern Brun in the 2000-1500 BC years, and worked toward making the history consistent with the Human Ethnography.
This updated version takes also in consideration, for the early history of the Albarendi, the Ierendi Timeline devised by Sharon Dornhoff, and for the early history of werebeasts the Treatise on Lycanthropy by John Calvin. Some comments by Agathokles and Calvin made at the time of the previous version have helped me to make some minor correction to the work.
Last but not least, I've chosen to ignore James Mishler's work, as it is too well-detailed and incompatible with other fan-based material to be included.
Comments and criticism are welcome.
Taymoran Timeline
by Giulio N. Carolettibased on the work by Giampaolo Agosta, John Calvin and Sharon Dornhoff
3'000 BC: Skandaharians from Norwold migrate towards the areas of nowadays Known World. They are the ancestors of Antalians, Thantalians, Trantalians and Nantalians.
2'800 BC: The surviving Thonians on southern Brun start rebuilding their civilisation, though most of their technological lore is lost. For the next three centuries, they remain isolated from neighbouring cultures. Many of the people still suffer from destructive forces unleashed by Blackmoor, forces which cause them to slowly rot and die.
The Skandaharians tribes collectively known as Thantalians occupy the Northern Reaches.
2'500 BC: Survivors of the Thonian colonies resurface as the Taymorans, a people with bronze age technology among stone age Azcans, Maharians and Skandaharian descended tribes.
Most of the Maharian tribes are conquered and assimilated by the Taymorans.
Taymoran humans establish bronze age kingdoms in modern southern Darokin, Five Shires, Undersea, eastern Ierendi, and perhaps Minrothad. Most of the eastern Maharian tribes are conquered and assimilated by the Taymorans. Exceptions: Makai (western Ierendi) and those who flee south (eventually to become Varellyans).
Taymorans have good metalworking techniques and rich mines of copper and other metals useable for the production of bronze. Probably, they also have rich gold mines.
The knowledge of metalworking and other surprising technological and social advancements were preserved during the Great Rain of Fire age by a cadre of Nosferatu followers of Nyx, who allow the Taymoran priesthood of Nyx - who is considered a mother goddess and a protector against the dangers of "light" by the earliest Taymorans - to access this knowledge and establish a power base for themselves.
Dunharians and Skandaharians of the Nithian areas are at very early bronze age technology, or perhaps at aeneolithic technology--they have copper and perhaps silver, but no other easily accessed metals.
2'400 BC: The Taymorans use their magic and knowledge of metallurgy to establish a number of trade routes to the west (with Azcans and the ancestors of Huleans) and north (to the newly created Antalian holdings in Heldann).
The Antalian culture is now at a Bronze Age development stage in Norwold, thanks to its contacts with the Taymorans through the Streel trade route.
2'350 BC: Taymoran leaders, who are by now mostly priests of Nyx and necromantic wizards, start joining the ranks of the undead, under the tutelage of the original Nosferatu.
2'300 BC: Dunharians fleeing the Skandaharians reach the Isle of Dawn. These become the Dunael.
One of the main clans of Skandaharians, known as the Nantalians, follow the Dunharian tribes to the Isle of Dawn.
2'250 BC: The Sheyallia elves reach Taymora. The local Necromancer Kings offer them the lands to the east of their nation, provided that they help opening new trade routes. Elven mercenary companies, armed with Taymoran bronze weaponry, invade the giant-held forests and mountains. They open up the trade routes to nowadays Ylaruam.
2'200 BC: Height of the Taymoran power. Taymoran city-states dot the southern coast.
Giantish clans (Fomorians) brought to submission by the joined Taymoran - Sheyallia operations are employed to build megalithic fortresses in Taymora. Silver start flooding the cashes of the Taymoran necromancer kings.
Some northern Nosferatu leaders send missions to Hule and beyond, in an attempt to expand their territory.
Meanwhile, southern kings send naval expeditions east, to the Isle of Dawn. They attempt to establish colonies, but they are repelled by hostile Giants, Elves, and Dunael (a human race of Dunharian ethnicity).
The Dunharians and Skandaharians of Ylaruam and Thyatis have become a new population, known as Trantalians.
The elven migrations reach Glantri. The Verdier, Meditor, and Vyalia clans (from the Sheyallia nation) settle the forests to the east of Taymora as vassals to various eastern Taymoran kings.
The Nantalian tribes are losing ground to the Dunael.
Desperate, they ally themselves with the local Oltec cities, who are in trouble as well. They form a new population, known as Nithians.
2'100 BC: Various necromancer kings develop special servant races, like the albarendi and the lycanthropes (they follow one of the beliefs of their patroness, Nyx, who likes creating new races, especially ones accustomed to a night-based activity cycle).
Albarendi were common Taymoran humans bred as albinos by the kings and ending up ostracised by their own people in fear of their link with the undead masters.
Lycanthropes are created by some of the most cruel necromancer kings, desperate to keep their minions subjugated. They devise a magical disease which would impart more bestial aspects onto its victims. This is the Mythic Lycanthropy (see John Calvin's "A Treatise on Lycanthropy" for further details).
The region now known as Ylaruam is a verdant region of grasses. Southern areas are in control of the Taymoran Empire. Northern areas are settled by Trantalian and Thantalian clans (Neathar tribes related to the Antalians).
2'000 BC: Trantalians, Thantalians and Oltec barbarians cut the trade routes to Antalian lands.
The northern Taymoran kings use Malpheggi and Azcan mercenaries in an attempt to reopen the Streel river route, with mixed success.
A number of kings try to increase their power by shifting their allegiance from Nyx to Thanatos. The effects are devastating, as the war between followers of the two entropic immortal rages for years. Taymora is politically weakened, and attempts by various kings to expand their holdings in Nithia and on the Isle of Dawn are rebuffed.
Some geological instabilities destroy some peripheral areas of Taymora, sinking some areas and creating new islands and land masses. Most Taymoran cities survive, and the Kings foolishly continue their wars.
Thantalian and Trantalian tribes begin their rise, having reached bronze age technology.
The Nithians flee from the Isle of Dawn to nowadays Ylaruam, under the guidance of the priesthood of Nephthisi.
1'900 BC: The priesthood of Nephthisi guides Nithia to success against the northern threat. A series of conflicts halts the Antalian and Thantalian expansion in the Northern Reaches. Likewise, the Nithians repel Trantalians to the west. Silver mines in the Northern Reaches are exploited. The silver is traded to Taymora, where it pays for the Taymoran bronze. Like modern Ierendi, Taymora has no silver mines, so silver is quite valuable there.
1'850 BC: In Nithia, the militant Priesthood of Rathanos oust the priestesses of Nephthisi from their monopoly of silver trade, as the latter Immortal start losing interest in the Nithians. Aware of the strife going on in Taymora, the Priests of Rathanos extend the mining techniques of the Nithians beyond silver mining.
The remnants of the Taymoran culture becomes known as the Land of the Dead, or the Land of the Night, among the Nithians. This is due to its western position, to the persisting geological dangers that ravage those doomed areas that still haven't sunk, but also to its Undead ruling caste. Taymora is known to the Pharaohs as a coalition of many nations - this considers both the Temran (Taymoran) city-states and the vassal or allied nations of elves (Shelash), fomorians (Poymeren), lizard-men (Malepeq), Azcans (Ashkan), and later the Lukka (lycanthropes) and Alpared (Albarendi humans).
1'750 BC: After many years of war between those who had remained loyal to Nyx and those who had turned to the ways of Thanatos (a battle between Nosferatu and Vampires), the core of the Taymoran Empire sinks beneath the waves. Geological disasters-volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, enhanced by the massive magical energies invoked by the warring sorcerers- sink most of the remaining Taymoran lands into the sea, and splinter off much of the rest south of the modern day lands of the Five Shires and the Atruaghin Clans.
End of the Taymoran culture.
The plateau under which the surviving Azcans have been living largely collapses, killing many of them and leaving the survivors in a shattered, hostile land.
1'740 BC: A wave of fleeing Taymorans hits various locations in the east. The armies that are invading Nithia are routed thanks to the priests of Rathanos, who use fire magic to counter the undead units. Mythic Lycanthropy spreads throughout the Nithian population.
Nithian priests begin to alter the disease, trying to lessen and remove its worst effects. Over several decades they are successful in this endeavour, creating Ancient Lycanthropy (for further information on the history of lycanthropy, John Calvin, cit.).
Fomorians and Taymorans fleets also reach the Isle of Dawn, where they manage to take hold of the western region.
Other Taymoran remnants are found in southern Darokin (Tuma), the Hulean region, Sind (Lycanthropes), Ierendi (albarendi), Vyalia, and Minrothad. A few Albarendi clans also reach the forested Doulakki lands (these will be among the ancestors of the Cynidiceans).
1'720 BC: Land masses split further away, forming ten islands south of the Five Shires.
Taymoran remnants attempt to take over Meditor elves in Colhador, are repelled.
1'700 BC: Cataclysms split land masses and ocean floods create islands; Meditor elves are left on the new-made Isles of Dread.
The Albarendi have established modest communities on the western islands formed from the destruction of Taymora. They have occasional trade relations with the lizard men, but no formal government beyond village elders. Because the islands' two species, reptilian and human, are active at different times - one by day and the other by night -the Malpheggi and Albarendi cultures seldom come into conflict.
Having lost their mines, and the sources of their bronze, the Taymoran remnants turn to iron for their works. The Taymoran smiths captured by the Nithian Pharaoh bring to Nithia the knowledge needed to push the nation towards the Iron Age, thanks to the rich iron mines of the Alasiyan highlands and the high-temperature fires provided by the priests of Rathanos.
1'600 BC: The Taymorans of the Isle of Dawn move further north, until they settle down founding the new culture of the Aseni. These are the ancestors of the Alasyians.
1'500 - 1'000 BC: Nithia conquers all of the Thantalian and Trantalian tribes of nowadays Ylaruam, and parts of the Isle of Dawn.