Wendar-Denagoth Timeline
by Marco Dalmonte and Shawn Stanley(Timeline for the Wendar and Denagoth Region v 2.4)
BC 6000: There is no true civilisation in the Outer World. Humans are tribal hunter-gatherers, living mostly in plains and light forests. They are divided into three great races: Neathar (light-skinned), Oltec (copper-skinned), and Tanagoro (black-skinned). Dwarves are barbaric mountain and foothill dwellers, mostly goatherds. Elves are sheltered, protected and nurtured by the forest-spirits they worship; they do not need to work or suffer. There are no monstrous humanoids on the world to threaten the demihumans. Halflings live in the rolling hills and forests of the southern continent, some distance from the elves, whom they respect greatly. (HW)
BC 5000: The childhood of the elves is over; the forest spirits stop sheltering them, forcing them to leave paradise and to seek their own futures. The first great elf civilisation, Evergrun, rises on the southern continent. (HW)
BC 4500: Beastmen - reincarnated souls of evil beings - appear in the upper Borean Valley, a frozen land north of Blackmoor. These beastmen are wild, chaotic creatures that do not breed true; whelps may have some or none of the traits of their parents, may be of different size and appearance. This is all brought about by the magic of Hel, who wants to introduce more confusion, dismay, and death into the world. (HW and GAZ10)
BC 4100: Neathar living near the Borean Valley establish the first contacts with Beastmen and begin to trade and barter after the initial diffidence of the humans and some minor skirmishes. In the following decades, intermarriage becomes quite common among some humans and a small number of Beastman tribes, and a new stock of people (children of Neathar and Beastmen) spreads in this area, living peaceably alongside the Beastmen and the Neathar. These people have purely human characteristics despite their parentage. Hel did not plan for this to happen but when she saw that it was starting to happen she decided to let it and watch the consequences.
BC 4000: The human Blackmoor civilisation begins a meteoric rise due to its great success in developing powerful sciences and technologies. It conquers and assimilates all surrounding human tribes and quickly grows very powerful. (HW)
BC 3500: The Blackmoor civilisation is flourishing. It conducts trade and intermittent war with the southern elves, at the other end of the world. (HW) Blackmoor priests demand the extermination of the "unnatural" beastmen in the upper Borean Valley, and promote holy wars to hunt down and destroy those creatures. (HW)
By this time the elves of Evergrun who are curious about the world in which they live in migrate from Evergrun. Four clans, the ancestors of modern Shadow Elves, colonise the area near Blackmoor. Another clan, the Aquarendi settles near the sea further to the south of Blackmoor. Another clan, the Geffronell, settles in a forested area which would later become known as Wendar. (HW modified)
The elves who settle near Blackmoor are influenced by the Blackmoor culture as are the elves in Evergrun who keep in contact with them. They also try to influence the Aquarendi but they are rather more obstinate. There is no contact with the Geffronell as they left Evergrun slightly earlier than the other clans and did not keep contact with Evergrun. (HW modified) The widespread Neathar race is beginning to undergo development; the language in individual areas changes rapidly into very different dialects, and the independent Neathar tribes no longer recognise a kinship or a common origin among themselves. (HW)
BC 3200: The Blackmoor crusades drive the Beastmen farther north, into the land called Hyborea; they adapt to the colder climate and survive. The humanoid race born from the Neathar-Beastmen crossbreed flees south-eastward instead, retreating to the inhospitable mountains and eluding the Blackmoorian pursuers. These mountains are the area which will become known as the Icereach Mountains. The Neathar-Beastmen crossbreeds inhabit the southern parts of these mountains just north of what will become known as the Denagothian Plateau. (HW modified)
BC 3100: The Aquarendi clan are finally sick of the continual pressure from the Blackmoor elves to embrace technology. The Aquarendi have tried to gain aid from Ordana but she is unhappy with all elves at the moment and how most they have turned from her path. The Aquarendi seek the guardianship of Manwara, an Immortal of the sea who is more open to their plight, and enter the warm waters to begin a new life. (PC3 modified)
BC 3000: In Blackmoor a nuclear device in the Beagle which had been tampered with by locals explodes in an event later called the Great Rain of Fire which wipes out the immediate area including the Blackmoor civilisation. The axis of the Known World is shifted causing the Blackmoor area to move closer to the north pole and the elvish civilisation moves closer to the south pole; the elves migrate to their colony of Grunland (which now begins centuries of volcanic upheaval that lead to its being renamed Vulcania). (HW modified)
Large areas around Blackmoor including much of the Gazetteer area is darkened by clouds thrown up during the explosion. A nuclear winter scenario exists over much of this area. Ice activity is increased in mountainous and near-mountain areas and glacial activity is increased or initiated in such areas.
In the Geffronells' territory many elves suffer because of the Blackmoor catastrophe and the following nuclear winter. Some of them contract a rotting disease and die, others begin to loose their memories of the past and slowly isolate from their neighbours.
BC 2990: Nine elf-mages join together to prevent the utter annihilation of their folk and eventually create the Elvenstar, whose curing and protecting magical properties help the elves to survive the cataclysm. In the following years they travel north to a great plateau and with the use of their combined magics create a lush healthy forest in the southern edge, and migrate there with most of their clan, settling in what they call the Great Forest of Geffron, a more secluded and safe place to live than their former valley. In the ensuing years the nine elves train many apprentices in the magical arts to give their clan a better chance to stand against the savage creatures of the surrounding regions, unknowingly completing the Trial and Testimony needed to become immortal in the Sphere of Energy. Then they travel extensively in the surrounding regions and finally find a lesser artifact of Energy, completing their Quest. At this time they realise they've stumbled on the path to immortality and search for an Immortal to sponsor them: but when they find out they have to compete against each other to attain immortality, they refuse, as they are so closely linked to each other to feel as one single person. Impressed by their show of friendship and honour, Thor agrees to sponsor them as a group, and after many battles they finally attain immortality in the Sphere of Energy.
BC 2800: A separatist branch of the southern elves, led by Ilsundal the Wise, decides to abandon Blackmoor technology and return to the nature-oriented magic of their ancestors. They begin a long migration northward in the hope of finding the lost colony of the Aquarendi elves that had settled near Blackmoor. (HW modified)
BC 2700: The growing tribes of Neathar-Beastmen crossbreeds spread south from their mountain homes colonising the northern parts of what will be known as the Denagothian plateau. They do not venture far enough south into the forested southern part of the plateau.
BC 2500: Over time the area affected by the nuclear winter scenario decreases and glacial activity decreases as the area warms up again. By this time these areas are becoming more habitable. (HW modified) In Grunland, the elvish civilisation is losing its battle with the elements: it has forgotten most of its magic and its Blackmoor technology is failing. A second separatist group of southern elves begins the long march northward (HW) they are led by a wise elven sage named Genalleth and his young elf apprentice Enoreth.
BC 2400: A human culture, the Antalian tribes (descendants of the Neathar) are flourishing in the area later to be called Norwold. They are a blond, warlike culture with bronze weapons and armour. (HW)
BC 2300: By this time Ilsundal's expedition, after a long trek across western Davania, has crossed the Strait of Izonda to the Immortals' Arm, and headed east along the Savage Coast. Genalleth's expedition takes another route through the Addakian Sound. The two migrations do not meet up. (COM modified)
BC 2290: Genalleth dies during the trek across the Addakian Mountains. Enoreth replaces his beloved mentor as head of the expedition and heads northward.
BC 2200: Some elves break off from Ilsundal's migration and eventually find their way to the frozen valleys of Glantri, where they settle. A few from Enoreth's migration also reach Glantri and settle among their cousins a little bit later. (HW modified)
BC 2120: Enoreth's migration comes across a large forested area, which will later be known as Wendar. He decides to settle his people there. Enoreth calls the forest Genalleth after his mentor who died during the migration from Grunland.
BC 2100: The leader of the Den tribe of Neathar-Beastmen crossbreeds, Jotakk, decides to unite her tribe with the surrounding ones. She leads the warriors of her tribe in war against the nearest neighbour in order to "persuade" them to unite. The tribe of Den is situated in the area of badlands where Gereth Minar currently stands. Elsewhere, Ilsundal's migration reaches the Sylvan Realm in the far west.
BC 2094: Jotakk succeeds in taking over the Kroj tribe.
BC 2091: Jotakk succeeds in taking over the Zo-lak tribe.
BC 2087: Jotakk takes over the Zeress tribe a particularly powerful tribe thus proving herself a capable warleader. Numerous other tribes surrounding the growing lands of the Den tribe give in an agree to join the larger tribe peacefully. Jotakk fashions herself as the ruler of a new kingdom and calls it Denagoth, which translates to the Land of the Den.
BC 2000: Antalian colonists migrate southward into the lands later to be called the Northern Reaches. (HW and GAZ7)
BC 2000-1750: An agricultural settlement flourishes along the river Nithia; it swiftly becomes the seat of a fast growing culture.
BC 1950: The Shadow Elves travels back to the surface and they settle in Glantri again, but they do not meet any of the elves from Ilsundal's migration that have also settled in Glantri in BC 2.200, since they are separated by many hostile humanoids and some human tribes.
BC 1800: Genalleth elves discover the Geffronell clan living on the northern plateau and establish the first contacts with the long forgotten brethren. They soon discover the Geffronells have few vague memories of their origins and the pre-cataclysm period, and they don't remember about their homeland, Evergrun. Enoreth begins to conduct diplomatic missions to befriend the lost clan, who is at the moment very suspicious about foreigners.
In the Sylvan Realm, Ilsundal creates the first Tree of Life and becomes an Immortal.
BC 1725: King Loark raises Great Horde at Urzud (which is located at a fork in the Borea River according the map in GAZ10) and migrates eastward, continuing his Quest for a Blue Knife. (GAZ10) (Note: GAZ14 says that the Horde moves southwards, HW says that the Horde migrates southeastward with great hordes of hill goblins, trolls and giants especially begin moving southward into areas occupied by human settlers.)
Some elves move to the southern part of the plateau with the Geffronells' permission and settles in the western tip of the Great Forest of Geffron. They rename it Lothenar Forest after their leader; the two groups of elves get along well.
The elves remaining in what will later be known as Wendar claim the forested valley as their own territory and rename it Genalleth Valley. Thanks to Enoreth's effort, the three groups are now linked by a solid and mutual friendship and they unite in one single elven nation, Enoreth becoming their leader.
BC 1724: Akkila-Khan believing he is working off better knowledge than Loark raises an appreciably smaller horde an moves southeastward from Urzud on his Quest for the Blue Knife.
BC 1723: Akkila-Khan comes across the northern edge of the Denagothian plateau and starts ravaging the Denagothians.
BC 1722: The Great Horde of King Loark cross the Icereach Range and ravages the Antalian culture of Norwold and learning Norse culture, and sending the Antalians there into a dark age; the Immortals Odin and Thor send intact communities of Antalians into the Hollow World. (The descendants of the outer-world Antalians eventually become the men of the Heldann Freeholds.) (HW) Some Antalians cross the Mengul mountains and join with the Denagothians against Akkila-Khan.
BC 1721: Thanks to the efforts of the brave Denagothians and of the Antalians, Akkila Khan is forced to move on southward, entering the elves' territory. Using their superior magic and knowledge of the region, the elves drive Akkila's forces out of their land, and he ends up in Ethengar.
BC 1720: Akkila-Khan conquers the southern steppes of Ethengar (GAZ10)
BC 1711: The Great Horde reaches pre-Khanate Ethengar. Akkila-Khan allies with King Loark against Ethengarian nomads. (HW)
BC 1700: The elves of Glantri discover, in the area that will be later known as the Broken Lands, a strange artifact from the lost Blackmoor civilisation. They tinker with it, and the artifact explodes cataclysmically, sending impenetrable clouds into the sky, and spreading a strange rotting plague among the surviving elves. The elves shelter themselves in the deepest caves, finding an incredible series of caverns and beginning a years long migration. Some emerge in the Five Shires (the Gentle Folk), some arrive in the Hollow World (Icevale elves), some perish.(HW) Again a nuclear winter scenario exists, this time over much of Glantri and areas immediately surrounding it. Glacial activity is increased or initiated in the mountains in the area affected.
In Genalleth the temperature decreases.
As a consequence of the humanoid invasion and the Broken Lands catastrophe, the Kingdom of Denagoth collapses when the last of the Denagoth Kings dies without heirs, and the warleaders struggle among themselves to gain power. Despite the end of the large Denagothian tribe, the fact that their language has become pervasive throughout the area and the sense of racial unity that the Neathar-Beatsmen crossbreeds have, they still think of themselves as Denagothians and the entire plateau on which they live as Denagoth - although they still enjoy warring amongst each other and now against the Antalian tribes that have joined them on the plateau.
Due to the Broken Lands catastrophe, a great area of the Geffron Forest is turned into a vast plain, when trees wither and die because of the radioactive rains; the area will then become known as the Avien Plains. In Genalleth and on the Denagothian plateau, many elves and humans contract a strange disease that afflicts their minds as well as their bodies, draining physical strength and memories at a very fast rate. Fortunately, thanks to the help of the Geffronell elves, who use the Elvenstar to cure the disease, the three elven groups don't suffer too much casualties. Unfortunately, because of the radioactive disease they contracted, the elves have lost their earlier memories and even though the effect has been stopped thanks to the Elvenstar, they have forgotten the name of their former leader (Genalleth) and their ancestry (their memories date back to BC 1900). They only know that they now live in Brun, that their leader is Enoreth and that they have named their land Genalleth, but they don't remember anything more about the past 500 years. (This way, the name of the leader of the second expedition from Grunland was forgotten.)
The Korrigans, creators of the Elvenstar, become known and worshipped by elves of the Enoreth migration as well, becoming the Immortal patrons of all the elves of the region.
BC 1690: Leaders from the now disunited Denagoth clans declare a truce and petition the Lothenar and Geffronell elves for help to fight the rotting disease that is now decimating their tribes. After much negotiating especially by Enoreth, the elves agree to use the Elvenstar to help the Denagothians, who in return swear not to invade the southern part of the plateau.
BC 1688: Enoreth dies of old age and is buried in a sacred tomb, Enoreth Shrine, in the Great Forest of Geffron, near the southern border of the plateau. Unable to find a charismatic figure to lead their clans, the elves agree to choose separately their own leaders and to let their "kingdom" fall; they remain in friendly terms with each other, anyway.
BC 1680: After Enoreth's death, relations between elves and Denagothians become strained.
BC 1000: The humans of the Northern Reaches area are conquered and enslaved by the Nithian Empire. (HW) Some human tribes attempting to avoid their fate migrate northward and westward: eventually, some of them cross the Mengul Mountains and reach Genalleth, where they settle. The Nithian Empire not liking the colder climates does not extend its grasp to these regions.
BC 900: The humans of Genalleth establish relationships with the Genalleth elves and gradually they become friends; intermarriages occur a few decades after, sanctioning the peaceful attitude of both races.
BC 500: The Nithian Empire, having incurred Immortal dislike, abruptly ends: the Immortals use magic to ensure that almost all trace of the Empire is wiped from the face of Mystara, including the Antalians of Genalleth. (HW)
AC 0: General Zendrolion Tatriokanitas assassinates King Lucinius and declares himself Emperor of Thyatis.
In the years since the fall of the self styled Denagoth Kingdom many tribes have risen and fallen in prominence amongst the Denagothians although nothing of consequence was borne out by any such minor kingdom. During this time Denagothians have spread throughout much of the Mengul Mountains and to those areas immediately surrounding the mountains. Also, with the passing of centuries, the Denagothians have forgotten what the Geffronell elves have done for them after the Broken Lands catastrophe, and they are making more and more raids into their forest, earning their enmity and distrust.
AC 100: Wendar, son of an elven adventurer and a human female with elven heritage, is born in Genalleth in the village of Gethenar. He astounds the chirurgeon of the village in that he is not still born as has been the norm with such births.
AC 117: Wendar, who has been adventuring since a young age manages to kill a huge green dragon in her lair that has been terrorising the area for some time. Wendar is lucky in this encounter in that the dragon was recovering from a disagreement with another dragon. Despite this the battle was tough.
AC 120: Wendar and a group of local adventurers take it upon themselves to patrol their homeland area and protect it from monsters.
AC 122: Adventurers from Sylvair join with Wendar and his group and expand their area of surveillance around Sylvair.
AC 125: People from surrounding villages also join up to the scheme set up by Wendar. People start referring to them as the Wendarian League.
AC 162: Wendar dies.
AC 163: The village of Gethenar changes its name to Wendar in honour of what Wendar did for the people of the area.
AC 210: Sylidair (an elf) is born from elven parents in the town of Sylvair
AC 250: Although the Wendarian League has still been active since Wendar's passing it has started to decline in numbers.
AC 400: By this time the Wendarian League has broken apart as separate villages start to look after their own security.
AC 533: Nebunar is born in a Neathar-Beastman (Denagothian) tribe, the Essur, in the tundra plains on the northern part of the plateau: he's the only child of the Essurs' chieftain.
AC 563: Nebunar leads his clan (the Essur) southward, conquering and enslaving the human tribes he finds along his path, until he reaches the Great Forest of Geffron. There, after destroying a few elven settlements, he builds Drax Tallen and declares himself King of Essuria: his kingdom encompasses the whole south-eastern tip of the Denagoth Plateau. Nebunar does not venture too far into the elves' territory.
AC 568: Idris' cult begins to spread throughout Essuria and Denagoth. Nebunar (who is a follower of Idris) allows this to occur although he decides not to take an active part in the process - instead he does nothing to stop it, and this cult attracts many other followers among Nebunar's entourage as well.
AC 593: Nebunar acquires the Blackstick thanks to the help of Idris' High Priest and begins his studies to acquire the full mastery of its powers.
AC 595: Nebunar dies and the Blackstick is entombed with him; his son Dallovan succeeds him on Essuria's throne.
AC 613: Essuria expands its borders conquering the Avien tribes that live in the region called the Plains of Avien: the westernmost border is now the Lothenar Forest (not included).
AC 628: Dallovan dies after 30 years of strong and fair rulership: his son Naga ascends to the throne.
AC 648: Naga tries to conquer the town of Wendar and the neighbouring elven communities and marches south. After some minor victories, his armies are defeated by the joint forces of elves and humans, on the shores of the river later to be known as Naga River, where the Essurian King meets his demise. There is talk of restarting the Wendarian League at this time but petty rulers from some of the towns make sure that the idea does not come to fruition - they fear to lose the control they have over their villages.
AC 648-658: Civil War in Essuria. A bitter feudal war erupts in Essuria among the various clan leaders at the death of Naga, plunging the realm into one of its darkest periods. At the end of the war Naga's cousin, Ranyn (member of the Essur clan) rises to power after obtaining the loyalty of many clanleaders and slaughtering all the others who refused to acknowledge him as the rightful heir to the throne. In the meantime, many of the subjected tribes manage to break free from Essuria's yoke and become independent once again: Essuria loses control over the Plains of Avien. Ranyn is crowned fourth King of Essuria.
AC 668: Ranyn manages to conquer again the Avien Tribes.
AC 678: Ranyn establishes a small keep a few miles north-east of Naga River to guard the southern access to Essuria: the village of Geron is built.
AC 688: Ranyn dies: his son Gereth ascends to the throne. In Genalleth, Sylidair decides to create a special unit of loyal elves to defend his homeland from the menacing Essurian forces that have begun to occasionally raid the forest from the town of Geron. He bands up with some friends and creates the Defenders of Genalleth, an unofficial squad composed of elves only; then they begin to patrol the forest and the countryside and they rise in number in the following years.
AC 698-718: The Great War. A warlord from the tribe of Den named Henadin unites the northern tribes and marches south to conquer Essuria and re-establish the once powerful Kingdom of Denagoth. The war ravages across the plateau for 20 years, during which famine, massacres and diseases claim nearly half of the entire Essurian population. In a desperate effort to resist Henadin's powerful army, Gereth uses priests of Idris to rally humanoid tribes into his army: the backup forces of orcs, hobgoblins and gnolls that join the Essurian army prove vital to the campaign. At the end of the war Henadin is killed and his disbanded armies retreat northward. Gereth builds a great tower along the northern border of Essuria as a strategic military keep to control the northern tribes' movements and as a monument to Essuria's might: he names the tower after himself.
AC 724: Bensarian is born from human parents in the small hamlet of Kevar.
AC 726: Bensarian's family is killed during an orcish raid. An elf passing nearby discovers the little Bensarian under the charred ruins of his house and decides to bring the baby back with him to his clan stronghold. Bensarian is thus adopted by the clan of elves and grows up adopting their customs and learning their traditions.
AC 733: Gereth dies during a raid in the Plains of Avien to repress a minor unrest among those tribes: his son Minar ascends to the throne.
AC 738: A few Denagothian clans unite again and raid the northern provinces of Essuria, destroying the Tower of Gereth after a long siege. Essuria's army counterattacks and repels the invaders, re-establishing the former northern border. Minar rebuilds his father's tower and renames it Gereth-Minar.
AC 748: Minar tries to invade the Wendar region, but like his predecessor Naga he is promptly repelled by the joint forces of Genalleth and Geffronell elves and the humans living in Genalleth. The elves in particular use their better knowledge of the area and their superior magics to best the Essurian warbands and to affirm their predominance in this part of the region.
AC 753: Bensarian, now a wise man, starts to travel throughout Genalleth and then up in the Great Forest of Geffron, learning the customs and history of the elves living in the region and befriending every single clan.
AC 758: Minar dies: his son Landru ascends to the throne.
AC 763: Bensarian has discovered a big hole in the history of the elves living in the area and he offers them his help to discover their real roots and the secrets of their ancestors. The elves are positively surprised by the dedication and the friendship showed by the sage, and knowing this will not be an easy nor short task, they offer him to extend his lifespan in exchange.
AC 768: The Unhuman Treaty. Landru signs a treaty with the humanoid population living in Essuria and in the surrounding mountains that gives them the right to raid and sack the elven settlements in Lothenar and Geffron Forest, as well as in Genalleth, in exchange for their help in case of war. Lothenar and Geffronell elves begin to suffer greatly from these vicious and malevolent humanoids in the following decades, while Landru is able to conquer a big part of their lands.
The people (Denagothians) of Essuria do not know why Landru has done this as many distrust the humanoids. This is because over time the common Denagothian has forgotten his heritage from the Beastmen. Nebunar relearnt this fact from Idris and since then it has been a well guarded secret amongst the rulers of Essuria. Landru sings this treaty as much for aid in time of war as out of kinship with the humanoids.
AC 773: Landru calls upon the army to conquer the now thriving town of Wendar and the surrounding region, and thanks to the humanoids' help and the elves' temporary weakness he manages to get past the Mengul Mountains. Unfortunately, the humanoids disband just past the mountains and scatter to the four winds to raid the countryside without an organised strategy, so Landru and his army are defeated by the elves and the humans. The elven leader of the Defenders of Genalleth, Sylidair, personally kills the Essurian King during the final battle.
AC 774: Landru's brother, Beldan, ascends to the throne. The first thing he does is to abolish the Unhuman Treaty, and then he begins a personal crusade against orcs, ogres and other humanoids to avenge his brother's death (which he blames on them). He doesn't listen to the whispered promises and lies of the Idris' priests and ignores their advice on the humanoid affair: he is now on a personal quest for revenge. He also wants a scapegoat to explain the Essurian leaders' incapacity to conquer Genalleth and to unite the population.
AC 778: The High Priest of Idris, displeased with Beldan's actions, warns him of his misdeeds: the King merely laughs at such words and continues in his crusade, backed up by most of the population and much to the elves' joy. The High Priest then begins to spin a web of political intrigues and bribery to cause the king's downfall.
AC 783-788: Time of Terror. Beldan escapes some assassination attempts but is unable to find the real culprits. The King becomes more and more paranoid as the years follow and the assassination attempts increase, until he begins to put to death every single person that is in any way related to his would-be assassins. Common citizens and clanleaders alike fall victims to Beldan's obsession and the population begins to despise its ruler: the High Priest remains untouched by the King's Purge, but some minor Idris priests do not.
AC 788: Beldan is suddenly attacked by an angry mob while travelling through the streets of Drax Tallen and he's literally torn to pieces under the eyes of his guards, who don't move a single finger to help him.
AC 789: The High Priest and the various clanleaders agree to elect Naren, a lesser member of Essur clan, as the new King of Essuria. He is nothing more than a puppet controlled by the High Priest and some of the most powerful clanleaders, but he doesn't realise it. The crusade against the humanoids is declared finished by the King and peaceful trading and diplomatic relationships are established between Essuria and Wendar: this is part of the High Priest's plan to infiltrate Idris' followers in the Genalleth Valley, in order to spread there the cult. The High Priest begins also to regain the humanoids' trust and alliance with various subtle manipulations and royal decrees.
AC 793: Halvan, Naren's brother, begins his studies of magical arts under Bensarian's guidance.
AC 803: Halvan returns of Essuria with a dream of building Drax Tallen into a wondrous capital. Under Halvan's supervision, construction of the Kings' Mausoleum in Drax Tallen begins.
AC 804: Halvan discovers the Blackstick in Nebunar's tomb and begins to study it.
AC 808: Naren dies in his sleep and his brother Halvan is crowned king. The construction of the Mausoleum is completed.
AC 809: After much deliberation Halvan decides to give the Blackstick to Bensarian for safekeeping.
AC 813: Bensarian finishes his long quest to find the truth about the elven history and gives the Elven Chronicles he wrote to the Geffronell and Genalleth elves, as a longstanding sign of their mutual friendship. He is now commonly hailed as Friend and Hero among the elven settlements in Denagoth and modern Wendar.
AC 818: Bensarian gives the Blackstick to the Geffronell elves to prevent its abuse and they give the Elvenstar to him in return, according to the omen received by the Korrigans.
Sylidair, leader of the group of elves known as the Defenders of Genalleth, dies in the town of Sylvair, his headquarters.
AC 843: Under Halvan's rule Essuria thrives, but when he unfolds some dark secrets about Idris and its High Priest, Halvan suddenly dies during his sleep, like his brother about 30 years before. His son Gallathon is crowned eleventh King of Essuria.
AC 848: Gallathon begins to establish numerous diplomatic and trading ties with the surrounding nations and populations, and this brings much wealth to the royal vault of Essuria. Idris cult also spreads to the surrounding regions, even though it often remains a hidden, underground faith. The Church of Idris begins to spread strange rumours about the Geffronell elves and their "gruesome" ritual practices. The High Priest of Idris has decided to find a new scapegoat to blame for Essuria's troubles and the past defeats, and it's obviously the elven race. Idris' priests start preaching a policy of mistrust and xenophobia against the Geffron and Lothenar elves, and then against the elven race as a whole.
AC 858: As a result of the Idris' priests preaching, the Essurians and most of the Denagothians harbour now an open hatred towards the elves, who are seen as responsible for their sufferings and the military failures of Essuria, as well as dedicated to dark magics and horrible cannibalistic rituals. Relations between Wendar and Essuria becomes strained and some humans living in the Valley of Genalleth begin to listen to the words of Idris.
AC 864: Minor skirmishes take place in Genalleth between human villages and elven strongholds: the plan of Idris' High Priest is by now fully into motion. He wants all the humans living in Denagoth and Genalleth side with his faith against the elves, so that Essuria can conquer the whole region in the name of Idris.
AC 868: Gallathon dies: his son Mirimar gains to the throne.
AC 876-881: Years of Disgrace. Denagothian tribes invade Essuria and raid its northern provinces. Gereth Minar falls to its attackers and every effort to retake it is vain. The Avien Tribes take advantage of the situation to rebel against Essuria, and drive out their plains the Essurian governors along with their soldiers. After 5 years of war and a disastrous military campaign, due in part to the incapacity of Mirimar (who is a scholar and not a trained soldier) and to the corruption that has spread throughout the Essurian political and military structure during Gallathon's and Mirimar's rule, Mirimar is forced to accept the independence of the Avien Tribes and to sign a nefarious peace treaty that gives away to the Denagothians the northern half of the kingdom.
This event is a major setback for the High Priest's plan of marching again against the elves of Geffron and Genalleth. He decides to wait before taking any serious step to conquer Genalleth and to retake the northwestern lands, and in the meantime launches a propaganda to make the people believe that the Years of Disgrace have been caused by the elves.
AC 888: Mirimar dies and his son Vespen becomes the new king, but he proves no more capable and no less corrupt and lazy than the two preceding kings.
AC 889: Gylharen is born, a human, in the town of Wendar.
AC 890: Landryn, younger brother of King Vespen, travels from his home in his youth at the behest of his brother. Whilst travelling through Thyatis, Landryn comes across the Hattians and he stays with them for a while picking up their culture. In this land he also begins studying the necromantic arts under the tutelage of a wizard named Teriak.
AC 897: After the sudden death of the old mentor, Landryn "borrows" his name, as well as his collection of spells and arcane books, in his honour. Then, Landryn Teriak returns home hungry for power and begins to scheme behind his brother's back; the High Priest supports the young necromancer.
AC 898: Vespen dies poisoned by his own brother, Landryn the necromancer, who immediately seizes the throne and establishes a personal dictatorship. With the help of Idris' High Priest, he is able to persuade the other clanleaders to swear obedience to him, and those who protest are either killed or imprisoned. He then schemes to regain the lost territories and to conquer the land of Genalleth.
AC 901: Landryn reshapes the Essurian Army to eliminate the corrupt and inept officers. He creates inside the army a special body of elite soldiers trained and taught by the Church of Idris whose purpose is to keep an eye on the other soldiers and officers and to spread the national anti-elvish ideology. This force is called Special Security Squadron (SSS).
AC 903: By this time, Landryn has eliminated all the opposers to his regime and he's backed up by the Church of Idris as well as the whole army and its officers: the Essurians hail him as "Ozerferher" Landryn (Divine Leader Landryn).
AC 904: Listening to the High Priest's advice, Landryn creates a secret unit of loyal humanoids dedicated to the extermination of the elven race and trains them in hidden facilities inside Essuria. These soldiers, the Elf Skull Unit, begin then to stage raids into the Geffronells' territory to capture elves and to extort them information about their military tactics and their defences; usually these raids turn out to be nothing more than ruthless massacres.
AC 906: Gylharen, a very charismatic person who has already started to prove himself as an adventurer even at this young age, starts again the dream of the Wendarian League. He notices that the relationship between humans and elves have become tense in the last years due to the Idris cult influence, and he starts diplomatic missions to restore peace between the two races living in the valley.
AC 907: Landryn invites the major Denagothian warleaders to Drax Tallen pretending to sign another peace treaty, but he soon shows his real intentions by slaughtering them with a treacherous assault. Then he launches an all-out assault against the Denagoth tribes and prepares to invade Wendar at the same time, rallying troops of humanoids to power up its army and unleashing the whole Elf Skull Unit inside the Great Forest of Geffron. This is the beginning of Landryn's long prepared military campaign to swiftly conquer the neighbouring lands: the Blitzkrieg has started.
Bensarian, who has foreseen what will happen, bestows upon Gylharen the Elvenstar, in order to protect Wendar from the armies of Essuria. Gylharen uses the Elvenstar for the first time and although there are no obvious effects at this time he starts the process of becoming an elf. When the hordes of humanoids and Essurians attacks Wendar, Gylharen is then able to repel them and to protect his territory, forcing the invading army to retreat behind Naga river.
AC 908: The Denagoth Tribes unite under a mysterious leader who claims to be Henadin, the ancient warlord returned from the dead to obtain vengeance against Essuria, and they repel the Essurian troops with unexpected fierceness, invading the kingdom in retaliation.
The ESU controls by now the whole southeastern part of the Geffron Forest and the Essurian Army is ready to counter attack the forces of the Wendarian League, but the situation on the northern border convinces Landryn to call back both armies to contrast the Denagothian invasion forces.
AC 909: The Essurian Army is soundly defeated by the Denagothians particularly due to the fact that the Avien Tribes join Henadin's forces and attack the Essurians from the rear. Drax Tallen falls after months of siege laid by Henadin and his troops, and the High Priest of Idris is killed by Henadin, whereas Landryn flees across the Geffron Forest to the Plains of Avien, pursued by one of the golden dragons who accompanied Henadin. When the great wyrm finally catches him, it breathes its poisonous gas on the wizard and then leaves, letting the charred remains of the former king to decay under the sun. After some months, an itinerant priest finds Landryn's corpse and Raise him, thinking he was victim of an evil dragon. Soon after being resurrected, Landryn thanks his saviour by casting on him a Magic Jar, and once inside his healthy body he slays the poor fellow, who curses him upon his death; then Landryn flees east into the Lothenar Forest. After raiding and razing throughout Essuria, some of the Denagothians head north, while others remain in the region: as for Henadin, he disappears mysteriously shortly after the fall of Drax Tallen.
AC 910: After many diplomatic missions, Gylharen finally manages to unite all of the villages of the Genalleth Valley and the Wendarian League officially becomes the Kingdom of Wendar: Gylharen is crowned first King of Wendar.
The first public act of Gylharen is to declare the Idris faith unlawful inside Wendar's border and to banish or put to death every known Idris' priest, to the elves' joy.
AC 914: Landryn arrives at Geron, where he meets the local priest of Idris and with his help he's able to recruit a few soldiers and officers of the former Essurian Army and the Elf Skull Unit who have remained loyal to him. They agree then to accompany him in his long trek throughout Denagoth, where he begins with the use of magic, corruption and intimidation, to obtain the help and the loyalty of many tribes of humanoids and Essurian clans, in his dream to raise ancient Essuria from the ashes.
AC 915: Wendarian explorers come across the Sand Folk on the Adri Varma Plateau. They open diplomatic ties with these people who they call Ungolwaith. This chance encounter starts a more open policy in the Wendarian government who over the following years starts to make contact with surrounding nations.
AC 922: Landryn sends a priest of Idris to Wendar as a mole using the network established by the cult, with the task to infiltrate the Wendar government and spy close upon their defences, in order to exploit this information when an all-out assault will be made.
AC 925: The Church of Idris reaffirms itself as the dominant religion in Denagoth and it elects its new High Priest. Landryn asks for his support and he blesses him in the name of Idris.
AC 934: Landryn has finally retaken the fallen Drax Tallen and Gereth Minar from the Denagothians, ruling his scattered humanoid and human followers from the Tower of Gereth. He organises the systematic extermination of the Lothenar and Geffronell elves using many evil dragons and the new ESU to achieve his aim: by the end of the year the Lothenar elves have been completely wiped out, whereas the Geffron elves who have not managed to escape to Wendar, have been reduced to less than a thousand individuals living in heavily guarded areas. In these prison camps, they work as slaves to produce items useful for the New Essurian Army and are used as guinea pigs for strange genetic experiments.
AC 936: Landryn discovers that his body is slowly but inevitably decaying as a result of the cleric's curse and he tries to find a cure to his disease. After a long research he finds out that Wendar magical artifact, the Elvenstar, has also curative powers besides its protective ones, and he decides to obtain that artifact in order to cure himself and to invade Wendar without too much efforts: he then arranges for the theft of the Elvenstar.
AC 937: Camla, Landryn's spy, steals the Elvenstar replacing it with a false sapphire, and then flees to Gereth Minar, where he gives it to Landryn, who begins to study its magical properties.
At the same time, plague and famine strike Wendar, claiming hundreds of lives, and the humanoid hordes assemble to launch their attack and to conquer Wendar under Landryn's banner.
AC 938: A serious drought withers
crops and depletes the water supply in Wendar: this brings on civil
disorder. Gylharen puts a call out for adventurers to aid in this
time of peril for Wendar, and a party of brave souls travel to
Wendar to answer the king's call. The group of adventurers is able
to pass beyond Landryn's lines and to reach Gereth Minar, where
they fight against Landryn and his minions and recover the
Elvenstar just in time to avoid Wendar's fall. Landryn is forced to
flee to Drax Tallen at the end of the battle, where he desperately
struggles to find another cure to his curse and to further his plan
of conquest, now that his humanoid hordes have been scattered to
the four winds.
(These events are played out in first part of the module X11: Saga
of the Shadow Lord.)
AC 939: Landryn's body is on the verge of complete decay and the necromancer tries the last resort he has: he undertakes a complicate ceremony involving dark powers and foul sacrifices and with the help of Idris' priests he undergoes his transformation, becoming a vassalich. He then listens to the advice of the High Priest of Idris and tries to build up an army of undead with which he wants to crush Wendar once and for all. For this purpose, he tries to recover the fabled Blackstick, a staff that is said to create and control the undead, and he sends his minions to the last person who is reported to have had it: Bensarian. They manage to find Bensarian and force him to reveal where the Blackstick is hidden with some spells, then they leave the half dead sage and head for Enoreth Shrine. The party of adventurers must now answer the call of Bensarian, who reveals them that Landryn is about to obtain the Blackstick and that he must be stopped at all costs. They head for the Geffron Forest, looking for Enoreth's tomb. They arrive too late and they must then follow the Lord's minions to Drax Tallen, where they battle Landryn face to face. At the end, they manage to kill him (sending his soul into his phylactery) and to destroy the Blackstick, and return to Wendar with the good news. Their leader dead, the army disbands and Essuria is plunged once again into political chaos. (These events are played out in second part of the module X11: Saga of the Shadow Lord.)
AC 940: The High Priest of Idris finds Landryn's phylactery (the device where his life force is stored) and has him return into this world by possessing a nearby corpse. He falls then under the High Priest's direct control, for he holds the source of Landryn's powers, and he begins to use his undead servant to further Idris' plans. Landryn resents being controlled and starts to scheme in order to regain his freedom and to attain full lichdom.
AC 951: Through continued use of the Elvenstar Gylharen notices certain changes occurring to himself.
AC 966: Gylharen is completely turned into an elf-mage.
AC 970: Wendar opens diplomatic ties with Glantri.
AC 980: Landryn discovers the existence of the Black Staff of the Carnifex by examining ancient scrolls and a strange Davanian monolith, and he begins to devise a plan to conquer Wendar and the whole Known World by turning its population into undead. He begins again to submit to his will many humanoid tribes and Denagothian settlements with the aid of the Church of Idris, and swiftly raises to prominence under the name of Shadow Lord.
AC 982: Wendar opens diplomatic ties with Alfheim, Darokin and Norwold.
AC 989: Wendar opens diplomatic ties with the Heldannic Territories and Sind.
AC 1005: Start of the four year period known as the Wrath of the Immortals. Wendar remains neutral but open to any refugees, who in fact arrive when Alfheim is conquered by the Shadow Elves. (WotI)
AC 1008: Four Alfheim clans arrive in Wendar, (unknowingly bringing the plague they contracted while crossing Ethengar and Glantri) and are immediately welcomed by the population, who tries to help them the best it can. The clans are the Erendyl, Mealidil, Grunalf and Long Runner, and among them is the former King of Alfheim, Doriath Erendyl. (WotI and PWA1014)
AC 1010: With the help of the Elvenstar and of clerics from Norwold, the elves manage to stop the plague from claiming other lives and the order is once again restored in Wendar.
AC 1013 An elven forester announces the discovery of a type of tree bearing magically healing fruit deep within Wendar's forests. The announcement sparks a rush of treasure-seekers into the wilderness. (JA)
Elvenstar note
The Elvenstar has a relatively unknown side effect that occurs when it is first used but only by non elf users. When a non elf user first uses the Elvenstar it starts to encode an alternate elven biology for that person the age of which is based on this first use. Through long continued use of the Elvenstar this process ends in the user being turned into an elf who was, for all intense purposes, was born in the year detailed by the process below. So far Gylharen is the only non-elf who has used for Elvenstar for any significant period of time to come under this effect. Bensarian did not have much need to use the Elvenstar when it was in his possession and before this only elves had access to it.
Assume Gylharen was born human.
Assume Gylharen first used the Elvenstar in his 18 th year.
Assume humans live to be 60 years old.
Therefore Gylharen was 18/60 th of the way through his life.
Assume that this year was AC 889 (as according to PWAs: "Bensarian
bestowed
the Elvenstar upon Gylharen around AC 900").
Therefore Gylharen was born in AC 871.
Assume elves live to be 700 years old.
Therefore in elf terms when Gylharen first used the Elvenstar he
was 18/60 *
700 the way through an elf life. This number ends up being 210.
Therefore 210 years before AC 889 is 679 (as stated in
PWAs).
Alternative restaging for X11 in modern days (by Shane)
X11, page 2: "Less than a year ago the star disappeared from Gylharen's citadel. In the wake of the loss things have gone badly. The first disaster to befall the realm was a plague. It spread quickly from the rural outskirts of the state and soon enter the capital, killing thousands before Gylharen could organise the necessary effort to end it."
Now in the Wrath campaign, Fall of Year 1009, the second group of Alfheim elves reach Wendar; the "Glantrian plague follows them there". This plague is also mentioned in the Almanacs, which further note that Wendar sought clerical help from Norwold and received it, containing the plague "before it could do serious harm to his population".
The X11 plague in Wendar is followed by a serious drought, withering the crops and depleting the water supply. Gylharen requests the aid of Thyatis, "but the Emperor was pre-occupied by a crisis of his own and was unable to lend aid". Instead an adviser hires a small group of adventurers and sends them instead - the starting point for the PCs in X11.
AC 1009-1010 is definitely a time of crisis for Thyatis, what with the Alphatian-Glantrian war, the week of no magic, etcetera. Thincol certainly doesn't have either supplies or troops to spare for Wendar, even if they were formal allies rather than simply on friendly terms (Almanac AC 1010, "rumours that Wendar is a staunch ally or even a subject nation of Thyatis are false; the two nations are not even in regular diplomatic contact"; nonetheless those rumours have to come from somewhere, so I'm assuming friendly if somewhat informal ties exist).
Therefore while X11 might be re-staged in AC 1009 onwards. The Shadow Lord has taken advantage of the Glantrian-Alphatian war to have the Elvenstar stolen and amass his armies, as none of Wendar's allies, formal or otherwise, can spare troops of their own to help Gylharen protect his nation.
Perhaps events might proceed something like I've written below (there are some potential spoilers for players of the Wrath of the Immortals campaign).
AC 1009 (Summer): Camla steals the Elvenstar in late Summer of AC 1009, his master Teriak having begun the insertion of the human mage into Gylharen's circle of confidants years earlier. Though of course Gylharen suspects the Shadow Lord, all attempts to locate Camla and the Elvenstar fail.
Gylharen, his nation's militia already on alert due to the wars, begins preparations in expectation of an attack from Denagoth. An experienced adventurer himself, Gylharen might be inclined to enter Denagoth and retrieve the Elvenstar personally, but the loss of the artifact has severely handicapped him; he has been greatly aged and weakened to the extant that he resembles an old man and must rely on servants even to help him to his throne. No capable heroes he can trust are immediately available in Wendar, as they are either busy defending Wendar from the upsurge in humanoid incursions or have left the nation to throw their lot in with one side or another of the great conflict. He also wonders if any of the others in his inner circle of friends might be hidden traitors as well.
AC 1009 (Fall): The Alfheimers refugee arrive in the Fall of AC 1009, bringing the plague with them. Gylharen cannot send messengers to Thyatis as the intervening countries are all also subject to the plague, and the Alphatian armies are in Thyatis anyway; if any are sent, they aren't heard from again. Gylharen instead turns to Norwold for help; by the time the elves are confined to southwest Wendar and sufficient clerical aid arrives, winter is fast encroaching. With both Wendar and Denagoth about to be completely buried in snow (more than usual due to the upheaval in the planetary weather patterns caused by the destruction of the Alphatian landmass), there will be no invasion until spring. If there's any silver lining to the plague, it is that there is enough food for the survivors to last through the bitter cold of winter. (plague, source of clerical aid and destruction of Alphatia as per almanac and Wrath timelines)
AC 1010 (Spring): Spring arrives, bringing with it a terrible drought caused by the altered weather patterns. While this also affects Denagoth, the mountain range ringing most of the plateau acts as a buffering influence, and the Shadow Lord's forces begin amassing. While Teriak has had little success in his efforts to pierce the secrets of the Elvenstar, he has no fear of the crippled Gylharen and his drought stricken nation, nor the possibility of Gylharen finding allies. New conflicts are breaking out throughout the Known World as nations vie for their piece of the new order, while the few neutral nations aren't close enough or safe enough to Wendar to help anyway.
However, possibly through the help of one of the Norwold clerics, Gylharen has been able to ascertain that the Elvenstar is indeed in Denagoth and in the hands of Teriak; the moment the spring thaw hits, messengers are once again sent out.
AC 1010 (Summer): Landryn starts the invasion of Wendar, the first step in his master plan.
Joint Glantrian and Darokinian efforts lead to the recruitment of a band of adventurers who are immediately dispatched to Wendar, in order to help the Wizard King. They are able to locate the Elvenstar and to delay a bit the invading force, confronting the Shadowlord and his lackeys in the tower of Gereth Minar...
Scenario 1: The PCs retrieve the Elvenstar
AC 1010 (Fall): The adventurers are able to retake the Elvenstar from Landryn and they return it to Gylharen. The Wizard King is able to repel the invasion from Denagoth by using the Elvenstar and his troops.
Scenario 2: The PCs fail
AC 1010 (Fall): The forces of the Shadow Lord invade Wendar and conquer the eastern half. Gylharen and the resistant forces retreat back to Oakwall and Woodgate, forming a fortified defensive line between these two major settlements, while the forces of evil roam across eastern Wendar.
Another group of adventurers arrives in Wendar to defeat the evil invaders and retraces the first party's trail to Gereth Minar, where they take advantage of the Shadow Lord's absence to infiltrate the tower and retrieve the Elvenstar.
AC 1011: With the adventurers' assistance, Gylharen is able to regain the lost territory and to restore peace and order inside his kingdom.
If Landryn dies at the end of the adventure, then the following applies:
AC 1011: A party of adventurers from
the Heldannic Territories stumbles across the ruins of Drax Tallen
and enters the deep underground levels. There, one of them falls
victim to a deadly trap not triggered during the last battle and
dies: Landryn immediately takes possession of his body and after
slaying the other adventurers, continues with his master plan...