The Unofficial Timeline of Mystara
by Daniel Boese"Wrath of the Immortals"
1004 AC: A gold strike in les Montagnes Noires leads to a rapid influx of population with the Valley of Wolves in Glantri. Sire Malachie must contend with the fact that the majority of the newcomers are unwanted - they put a great strain on the taxed natural resources of the valley, strip the mountains of precious minerals Sire Malachie hoped to control for himself, and clash with the resident populations (both werewolves and non-lycanthropes).
The Council of Princes approves an Act of Enfeoffment in the area of Fort Sablestone. Sire Malachie attempts to capitalise on the Council of Prince's current willingness to create new Principalities. The White Wolf is also amused at this - if the Council grants an Act of Enfeoffment in the Valley of Wolves, it will become the thirteenth Principality.
Spring: Thyatis city suffers an enormous riot by the poorer citizens, who have seen a steady decline in the quality and quantity of free bread passed out by the officials. This has little effect on anyone not in - or under - Thyatis city. The wererats of Thyatis participate in the riot, as they depend on the free bread almost as much as Thyatis' poor do.
Spring: Both Alphatia's mages and Thyatis' military forces become more pushy and uptight than usual.
Spring: An Alphatian elf, Troikithus, uncovers evidence of the Brotherhood of the Radiance, and reports it to Empress Eriadna. A week later, his body is found floating in one of Glantri City's canals.
Summer: Relations between Glantri and the Empire of Alphatia become strained, as the Alphatian Council of Wizards accuses the Glantrian Great School of Magic of harbouring followers of the Entropic Immortals and using forbidden, evil magics. Spies and counter-spies make matters worse. Prince Etienne d'Ambreville is swept up in the politics and espionage between the two magocracies.
Summer: Clerical missionaries of the Immortal Vanya from the Heldann Territories are slaughtered while travelling through the Ethengar Khanates.
Fall: Several Glantrian nobles having dinner together are assassinated by a bombardment of lightning bolts, fire balls, and other powerful magics. The sole survivor, Prince Innocenti di Malapietra, testifies the killers were wearing Alphatian clothing.
Fall: Thyatis reinforces Glantri's demand to surrender the assassins, to everyone's surprise.
Fall: Without benefit of a declaration of war, the Heldannic Knights send several punitive raids into Ethengar, launching deadly lance-cavalry attacks against Ethengarian encampments and slaughtering every last man, woman, and child encountered.
Fall: Humanoids from the Black Mountains invade Graakhalia in force. The Master's spies learned of the routes through Graakhalia to tunnels beneath Sind; his agents made sure the humanoids heard there was rich plunder to be had beneath the Plain of Fire. The Graakhalians fight fiercely, then desperately, as band after band of orcs, goblins, bugbears, hobgoblins, and other humanoids press deeper into Graakhalia's labyrinths.
Fall: A band of Glantrians are sentenced to death for the arson of dozens of temples of the Immortal Asterius.
Winter: Glantrian adventurers escaping from Alphatia start a fire in Aasla as a distraction, which grows into a firestorm and devastates the city.
Winter: Humanoids secure Graakhalia's upper levels against the elves and gnolls, paving the way for the Master of Hule's plot to seize Sind. Hulean agents struggle to consolidate the bickering humanoids into an army that can hold Graakhalia while the Master moves additional forces into place.
Winter: Kiritan ul-Nervi, egged on by Hulean agents, stages a coup against his brother, Rajadhiraja Chandra ul-Nervi. The counter-uprising of Sind's people is met by thousands of humanoids and brigands appearing out of the earth itself to fight on the side of the new Rajadhiraja. More humanoids pour into Sind from the Plain of Fire, reinforced by Urduk nomads and a tribe of ogres from the Sind Desert. The civil war sets rajah against rajah as factions fight for control. Kiritan's forces quickly gain control of Sayr Ulan. Many loyalist Sindhis die protecting their ruler from assassins, and the Rajadhiraja flees to Ulimwengu.
1005 AC: The Council of Princes in Glantri approves an Act of Enfeoffment for la Vallee des Loups in favour of Sire Malachie du Marais.
Ethengar hordes attack the Heldannic Territories.
Prompted by attacks from Bellayne, the goblinoids of the Yazak steppes begin unifying. Robrenn attacks and irritates the Yazi goblinoids. (RS)
An internal holy war begins in Narvaez. The church of Narvaez unifies the factions by providing an external enemy: the other Savage Baronies. Narvaez carries its Inquisition to the other Baronies. (RS)
Spring: Empress Eriadna of Alphatia issues a proclamation of war against Glantri. In return, Glantri, backed by the Empire of Thyatis and the Heldann Freeholds, declares war on Alphatia.
Spring: Rajadhiraja Kiritan ul-Nervi consolidates his position as Sind's new ruler. He seems blind to the fact that he's merely a puppet, and that the Master of Hule pulls his strings. Many rajahs accept the situation, seeing opportunities to increase their own power. Only Rani Drisana of Jalawar, Rajah Mohan of Baratkand, and Maharajah Kami of Peshmir refuse to recognise Kiritan's claim to the crown.
Summer: Alphatia starts building up its forces in preparation for eliminating the Empire of Thyatis as an obstacle to invading Glantri.
Summer: The three rajahs of Sind who refuse to acknowledge Kiritan as Rajadhiraja attempt to overthrow the usurper. Their efforts are hampered by the fact that their mumlykets are separated by mumlykets whose rulers have sworn obedience to Kiritan. Opposed from without by Kiritan's Hule-backed forces and from within by spies and stooges, the attempted coup fails miserably. Maharajah Kabir Rudraksha of Kadesh seizes the opportunity to invade Peshmir, taking 87-year-old Maharajah Kami prisoner and setting his son Hara up as Peshmir's new Maharajah.
Summer: Alphatian wizards travel secretly to Glantri, and set loose hordes of monsters - many from other planes. Many of these monsters spill over the borders into Sind. Some join the Master's forces; others simply roam about looking for trouble.
Fall: In Jalawar, Inay Paramesh, a distant relative of the Madhars, overthrows Rani Drisana Madhar. Without the help of Kiritan's elite guard, Inay could not have hoped to succeed. Vijay Niranjan, the rani's half-brother, falls in the fighting, as does Rohit, her first husband. Drisana escapes with her husband Bhagwandas. The two flee to Ulimwengu in search of Rajadhiraja Chandra ul-Nervi.
Fall: The Alphatians on the Isle of Dawn assault the Fortress of Kendach and the Hold of Fenswatch. After a few weeks, West Portage is taken.
Winter: On the trail of rajadhiraja Chandra ul-Nervi, Drisana Madhar reaches Ulimwengu. She learns that he passed through Karimari territory on his way to seek help from Yavdlom, then travelled back through hoping to drum up support among the Urduk nomads who did not join the Master's forces. Drisana stays in Ulimwengu, hoping to convince the Karimari to supply warriors, elephants, and triceratops in the event Chandra ul-Nervi can form an army to regain his throne.
Winter: His power over Sind now relatively secure, the Master convinces Kiritan to invade Darokin. The combined forces of Sind's armies and the Desert Nomads overwhelm Darokin's defences and drive the Republic's armies before them. Akesoli falls within weeks, and the armies soon reach the city of Darokin itself. A substantial number of weretypes live secretly in Darokin - merchants and adventurers who contracted lycanthropy while abroad.
1006 AC: Torreón, Vilaverde, and Texeiras ally with Narvaez, rather than fight that state. The other five baronies (Guadalante, Cimmaron, Almarrón, Saragón, and Gargoña) ally to fight against the Narvaez alliance. Gauchos and Swashbuckler "freedom fighters" prove effective against the naval power and mercenaries of the Narvaez alliance. (RS)
Hule attacks the Savage Baronies. The baronies end their conflict to unite against Hule. (RS)
Spring: Glantrian wizard-adventurers travel to Alphatia and harass the nobles there - fire-bombings, hit-and-runs, and the like.
Spring: Duke Stefan declares Karameikos independent from Thyatis, now the Kingdom of Karameikos.
Spring: Chandra ul-Nervi hastily pulls together his own army of Urduk nomads, mercenaries, brigands, and outlaws from the Barren Plains and the Sind Desert to retake Sind while its fighting forces are occupied in Darokin. His ragtag army includes nearly 100 Karimari warriors with their /moto moto rods/ and mounted on elephants and triceratops, a number of Yavdlom warriors disgusted at their nation's policy of non-interference with "destiny", and loyal Sindhis who fled their homes when the civil war broke out. Panicking, Kiritan withdraws his armies from Darokin to meet his brother's threat.
Spring: The forces of Karameikos (including some werecreatures, although they try to keep that secret), Alfheim and the Five Shires march to the defence of the city of Darokin. They lift the siege, and over the next few weeks slowly drive back the Desert Nomads. The Master's forces, weakened by their sudden loss of manpower, begin to lose the ground they had gained in Darokin.
Summer: As the eastern armies drive the Desert Nomads from Darokin, Kiritan's armies barely manage to hold off Chandra ul-Nervi's irregular troops. Disgusted with this turn of events, the Master diverts his reserve forces to reinforce Kiritan's armies - rather than sending them to Darokin as he'd originally planned. The sudden influx of humanoids turns the tide against Chandra ul-Nervi. His forces decimated and scattered, the rajadhiraja flees back through Ulimwengu. The Master relinquishes his hold on Darokin, but tightens his grip on Sind.
Summer: Days after Chandra ul-Nervi's defeat, a devastating meteor sent by the Master of Desert Nomads smashes through the skyshield and slams into the Darokin/Glantri border. The impact creates an enormous crater north of Lake Amsorak. It destroys a mountain range, and raises an impenetrable cloud above the two nations. The resulting earthquake knocks down buildings in Akesoli and devastates the village of Chandbali. The dust cloud rising from the impact is larger than some countries. It covers all of southern Glantri and northern Darokin and extends over northeastern Sind. For days it blocks the sun. When it finally settles, ash and dust cover everything, smothering plants and fouling drinking water. The harvest is ruined, and a winter famine threatens.
Fall: The trees of the Canolbarth begin to darken, twist, and mutate, becoming increasingly inhospitable to the elves.
Fall: The dwarves of Rockhome, dismayed at the events of the surface world, retreat into their subterranean communities.
Fall: The Master of Hule decides that Chandra ul-Nervi must be eliminated as a potential threat to the conquest of Sind. He sends ten divisions across the Great Waste to Ulimwengu, certain that 10,000 soldiers would be more than enough to overrun the primitive Karimari forces and drive the deposed ruler out of his hiding place. The few soldiers and humanoids who survive the resulting massacre bring word of Ulimwengu's magical defences back to Hule. The Master is surprised to learn that the Karimari are far more than they appear. His magics penetrate the illusions that had kept the truth of Shani Kijiji and the Karimari from him.
Fall: The Master's attack on Ulimwengu is enough to convince even the most progressive-thinking Karimari to close their borders once more. All refugees are politely asked to leave - immediately. Chandra ul-Nervi and Drisana Madha seek shelter among the Yavdlom people.
Winter: The Great Khan of Ethengar, whose people have suffered from several savage raids by the Heldannic Knights, invades the Heldann Territories. His forces march straight to the capital, Freiburg, and lay siege to it.
Winter: On the Isle of Dawn, the Alphatian army attempts to secure the centre of the island, turning its attention to Redstone Castle.
Winter: Zealot followers of the "Desert Garden" philosophy of al-Kalim cross the Altan Tepes into northern Thyatis, and take Fort Nikos without a single loss of life on either side. The next day, they seize the town of Biazzan, also without a fight.
1007 AC: Yazi gnolls attack the Savage Baronies, which have been severely weakened by previous conflicts. The Master of Hule sets a curse on his enemies, inflicting floods and other natural disasters on the Savage Baronies. (RS)
Reston of Akesoli becomes King of Ierendi.
Spring: The Heldannic Knights and Empire of Thyatis formally sign a treaty of alliance.
Summer: King Thar of the Broken Lands leads his humanoid hordes in raids on southern Glantri, finally besieging Glantri City itself.
Spring: Kiritan vows to root out the last of his brother's supporters and begins a systematic program of oppression. The Master of Hule and his agents are more than happy to assist.
Spring: The Graakhalians stage a last-ditch effort to drive the humanoids from Graakhalia. They're soundly defeated. Nearly half their population has died fighting or of starvation (no time for harvests) since Graakhalia was invaded. The survivors retreat deep underground, into territory hitherto unexplored.
Summer: On the Isle of Dawn, the Alphatians take Newkirk in a surprise attack. Within a couple of weeks, Redstone Castle's commanders surrender.
Summer: Thousands of humanoids from the Broken Lands move into Glantri and Darokin; some enter northeastern Sind, adding to its misery. A few spill over into Graakhalia.
Fall: The Ylari forces in Biazzan decide to withdraw. The entire force slips away before the Thyatians are aware, getting all their people and most of Biazzan's wealth across the mountains safely.
Fall: Shadow Elves invade, conquer, and settle Alfheim, transmuting the forest and forcing the Alfheim elves to flee north to Wendar and south to Karameikos. Bands break away to brave the Desert Nomads in search of the long-lost Sheyallia elves. They find no sign of their brethren.
Winter: Plague erupts in the Heldann Freeholds, starting in the city of Freiburg.
Winter: An elf from Alfheim stumbles on a Sheyallia elf sheltering with a Sindhi family in Baratkand. The two gather together as many elves as they can and enter Graakhalia in search of the scattered Graakhalians.
Winter: Ochalea and the Pearl Island capitalise on the war raging between Thyatis and Alphatia to declare their independence.
Winter: The elves fleeing southward from Alfheim are trapped by a harsh winter in the icy foothills of the Cruth mountains.
1008 AC: The Savage Baronies again enter into border conflicts. Tortles and other peasants revolt. In Almarrón, rebels oust their dictator and install a Baron descended from their former noble rulers. The Colonial Revolt begins, and many colonies rebel against their parent states. Yazak goblinoids attack throughout the Savage Coast. (RS)
Countless uprisings, civil unrest, riots, and assassination attempts disturb Kiritan ul-Nervi's rule. The Master orders him to tighten his control of his nation or suffer the consequences.
Spring: Helskir is overrun by Alphatians, who quickly sweep south and capture the northern 2/3 of the Isle of Dawn. Within a few days, Eruul Zaar is crowned king of Helskir by Empress Eriadna herself.
Spring: Military forces from the Five Shires join the army of Darokin to help keep order there and defend Darokin from the humanoids occupying the Great Crater.
Spring: The Alfheim elves reach Karameikos, and are ceded land in the east of that kingdom.
Summer: Plague spreads throughout the north, reaching Glantri through Ethengar. With little clerical magic to combat it, Glantri's population is devastated. Lycanthropes seem just as susceptible as normal folk, and the Valley of Wolves loses many werewolves.
Summer: The many clerics of Heldann are increasingly winning the war against the plague. Healthy combined forces from the Heldannic Knights and Ostland penetrate into the Ethengar Khanates and, at the community of Tromso, massacre some of the armies which attacked their territories.
Summer: The Alphatian Naval Fleet sails around the northern end of the Isle of Dawn and engages the Thyatian fleet. Great harm is inflicted by both sides, and eventually the Alphatian navy retreats to the Isle of Dawn.
Fall: Ethengarians attack Alfheim elves crossing their territory to reach Wendar in the north.
Winter: Glantri is finally recovering from the plague, and is able to drive most of the humanoids out of Glantri into the Great Crater. Thar's hordes now decide to attack Darokin, but are driven back by the armies there.
Winter: The Alphatian Navy makes landfall in Ylaruam, at the town of Cubia, two days sailing from the Thyatian border.
1009 AC: Chandra ul-Nervi, sick at heart at the abuses his brother has been heaping on the Sindhi people, surrenders himself to an agent of the Master of Hule. He agrees to return as Rajadhiraja - under Hule's control - in order to stop the worst abuses. The Master sees this as a way to quiet Sind's unrest and promptly replaces Kiritan with Chandra ul-Nervi.
Spring: The Heldannic Knights launch a force to come, somewhat belatedly, to Glantri's rescue. Knights make an epic ride through Rockhome, Ylaruam, and Darokin, joining the Darokin army in time to push Thar's forces down into the Crater.
Spring: The Alphatian forces marching in by land slam into Fort Zendrol and capture it. For the first time in decades, Alphatian forces march across the border into mainland Thyatis.
Summer: The Alphatian military machine rolls through the Thyatian duchy of Tel Akbir.
Fall: The second group of Alfheim elves leaves the northern Glantrian mountains and enters the nation of Wendar. The Glantrian plague follows them there.
Fall: Thyatis, hard-pressed by the Alphatian military juggernaut, sues Empress Eriadna for peace.
Fall: A storm of tremendous force deluges the Alphatian city of Sundsvall with rain, hail, and lightning - and drains the world of magic. For an entire week, no magic works, either on Mystara or in the Hollow World. Lycanthropes can no longer transform and are stuck in whatever form they were in when the storm struck. When magic returns, so does lycanthropy and its effects. The storm and its after-effects were caused by an Immortal artifact, the Nucleus of the Spheres, the source of the radiance, a magical power unique to Glantri. (KW/HW)
Fall: Magic stops working, and Yazak goblinoids sack the capital of Herath. Though magic is restored a few days later, the Red Curse has spread across the coast. Inheritors of the baronies begin introducing /cinnabryl/ throughout the coast, while taking control of most of the /cinnabryl/ mines as well. (RS)
Winter: The Thousand Wizards of
Alphatia teleport to the skies over Glantri City and begin a
magical bombardment. The Nucleus of the Spheres is destroyed and
Glantri is devastated. Immediately afterward, earthquakes rock
Alphatia, and the continent sinks deep beneath the sea. Etienne
d'Ambreville vanishes.