Ages of Shireroth: Volume One

The Ages of Shireroth
By Shyriath Bukolos, Official Historian
Begun 1789 ASC

I. The Khaz Modanian Age: Before Shireroth

Introduction

The history of our land of Shireroth, and the tale of the Kaisers who have ruled it, are both documented in a number of sources – mythological, anecdotal, historical. One wonders, then, why it must be gone over again; why, one might ask, make a history of Shireroth when others have already gone over it?

To this, one can only answer that the histories that exist cannot do justice in and of themselves. Valuable though they are, they are but fragments of a greater whole; pieces of a puzzle, yet to be assembled. And some of the pieces are still missing; as you will see, much of the history of the great Khaz Modanian Empire, precursor to our own nation, has been lost, perhaps irretrievably. One can only hope that future archeological work will shed more light on such gaps in our knowledge of the past.

Furthermore, it is my hope that the compilation of this work will prevent future gaps from opening. By centralizing all of what is known in one series of written sources, not only will our past never be lost to us, but the groundwork shall be laid for recovering further knowledge.

It is in that spirit that this History is written.

In the Beginning

The history of Shireroth, like that of any nation, begins with events that transpired long before the nation itself existed. To find the beginnings for Shireroth, then, it is necessary to look to the Khaz Modanian Empire.

For many thousands of years, the Empire, whose heartland lay in the archipelago known as the Khaz Modan Isles, stretched its control over a wide area. It encompassed all the islands from Muad’dib in the northwest to Yardistan in the southeast, and also controlled the coastal areas of the east and south of the Shirerithian continent. In some areas, the Empire reached far inland as well, particularly in the south and along the River Elwynn; the current locations of Shirekeep and Brookshire Hamlet are, despite their distance from the sea, both within the old borders. Still, the coastal nature of most of the Empire’s territories suggests that they were a largely maritime nation, and were probably accomplished sailors.

This is corroborated by evidence brought to this historian from Yardistan, whose scholars generously agreed to hold a ceasefire long enough to send him copies and analyses of ancient Yardistani histories and legends (see below, in the section on Yardistan). Among the oldest of these are accounts that refer to maritime exploration by “Khez Madonia” (Khaz Modan), by “Isvanerad” (Istvanistan), and by people from the coast of the continent. While the dating of these accounts is uncertain, they must go back at least to the years immediately predating the formation of the Empire. Accounts of subsequent times make mention of the colonization of the continent by the Empire (though not in great detail), and suggest that the use of explosives by the Khaz Modanians came about through contact with the inhabitants of Istvanistan.

Still, the exact origins of this ancient nation are utterly lost to obscurity. A lingering myth suggests that the first Emperor was the son of Agni, God of Fire, but in all likelihood this was a story invented later, meant to glorify the throne. It is known, however, that the Emperors had a close identification with the fire god, due in part to their stewardship of the ancient weapon known as the Sword of Fire. Just as each Kaiser takes up the Sword of Vengeance upon attaining the throne, so did the Emperors of Khaz Modan take up the Sword of Fire; it was seen as the symbol of the Imperial Throne. Whether or not Agni was the true sire of the bloodline, it remains evident that when the God saw fit to forge the Sword and present it as a gift to mortals, it was the line of the Emperors to whom He chose to give it.

Unfortunately, little concrete is known about the Khaz Modanians or their Emperors, save that they were a long-lived people. Occasional myths dating from back then survive to the present day, but most are of a religious nature, even when they are set during the time of the Empire, and as such are not particularly useful in determining a sequence of historical events. It is known that they were a deeply religious people, and so strong was their faith that it has been passed down to us with remarkably little change (including their Gods, and their devotion to the B0O0O0/\/\!!!). But of events, dates, and names within the Empire itself, we know next to nothing, most of what once existed having been lost in the events that destroyed the Empire. This remains true, however, only until a period toward the end of the Empire, where a selection of historical events has survived to be passed down.

The End of the Old Order

Whatever was the nature of the Khaz Modanian Empire, it, like all nations, was not able to last forever. Even as it reached its greatest extent, internal forces were contriving to put the mighty nation under great strain. The conquered coastal peoples that the Empire now ruled were not always as submissive as their rulers would have liked, and their kin beyond the Empire’s borders were even more restless. As suggested by Yardistani records, the ancient Shirerithians had their own history of maritime exploration, and were probably proud and fierce peoples in their own right. It is probable that the treasuries of the Empire began to be drained by the cost of military actions against unruly city-states, and the reputation of the imperial government began to gain a definite tarnish. Yet this was nothing compared to the blow taken by the Emperors themselves, when it was discovered that the fabled Sword of Fire, symbol of the imperial office, had disappeared. This posed a serious challenge to the Emperors, and their authority began to become shaky.

Yet despite these troubles, by the days of the late Empire the Khaz Modanians had developed immense powers with which to control their surroundings. A curious and inquisitive people, the Khaz Modanians had made great inroads not only into the development of technology, but also of magical powers. Eventually, the specialists in these disciplines coalesced into two separate groups; on the one hand, the technologists and scientists who had created the Empire’s fabulous devices became known as the Technomaezji, while on the other, the magical specialists became known as the Elemental Mages.

The Elemental Mages became interested in a form of magical power called planar magic, which is believed to have been a way of opening and traversing passages to other planes of existence. Eager to explore these other planes, the Mages began experimenting with this poorly understood branch of the mystic arts, beginning around b2494 or so with the accession of the last Emperor, Niglai Me’Jiliad. But it appears that these activities were not popular everywhere in the Empire, and the Technomaezji in particular were vocal in their opposition, believing that such tampering was dangerous and irresponsible. In order to have the planar experiments stopped, the Technomaezji initiated political and legal action against the Elemental Mages in order to force them to stop. The exact nature of these political struggles are no longer clear, but it is believed that the clout of the two factions was such that appeals were made directly to the Emperor himself. Though no violence was committed, the situation became sufficiently tense to reach almost the proportions of a cold war.

However, the Technomaezji evidently lost their battle. The Emperor permitted the Elemental Mages to continue with their experiments, and so they did. But, as the Technomaezji feared, the results turned out to be catastrophic.

As with so many other facets of Khaz Modanian history, the nature of the disaster is utterly unknown. The Mages, in their experiments, stumbled upon something in b2474 – some being or event – that they were unable to control, and that whose danger became evident when it destroyed the Mages themselves. The Technomaezji, their worst fears realized, used the all the technological prowess at their disposal in order to stop the growing calamity, but found themselves unequal to the task. Faced with no other alternative but to save themselves, the Technomaezji used their devices to hide themselves away from the world, kept safe from the disaster. It would be three thousand years before they would emerge again.

Their safety, however, was not a luxury the countless millions of the Empire had. The disaster, whatever its nature, shattered the Empire. The Khaz Modan Isles, and all the surrounding areas – the heart and core of the Empire, the part of the Empire with the most population, the busiest trade, the most advanced technology – saw its infrastructure, and probably no small number of its people, wiped out in an eye blink. And with the sudden lack of commodities or government, whatever survivors there were would have been hard pressed to survive. Only Emperor Niglai and his retinue managed to escape before the disaster.

Meanwhile, out in the further reaches of the Empire, the situation also became bleaker. Although not subject to the disaster itself, Khaz Modanian colonies that depended on the heartland for valuable goods and protection suddenly found themselves relying on their own resources. Meanwhile, the numerous city-states and principalities that had placed themselves under the authority of the Empire found themselves independent again, and many began to destroy and plunder the colonies of their former masters, scattering their populations. What was left of Khaz Modanian civilization outside the heartland became swallowed up in the wars of conquest that followed over the next thirty years.

The Heir of Brookshire

But not all of these emerging states were hostile toward the old order, and some had had good relations with the Imperial government. One of these was a city-state just within the borders of the old Empire, named Brookshire. A moderately-sized but influential polity, Brookshire had been ruled by a line of Dukes who had been friendly to the Emperors in the past, even helping to contain some of the more troublesome city-states, such as nearby Goldshire. It was to Brookshire, then, that the Emperor and his exhausted retainers managed to make their way during the mid-b2400s, after spending years crossing the chaotic lands between the coast and the borders of the city-state. The reigning Duchess, Fola Helipov, welcomed the refugees into her realm in b2447, and though the lands around them crumbled, Brookshire remained a haven for all its inhabitants.

As Niglai settled into his new life in exile, he apparently found his friendship with the Duchess to be more than political. Niglai and Fola became quite enamored of each other, and although their love took many years to blossom, they eventually conceived a child. That child, a son, heir to the legacy of the Khaz Modanians, was born in the year b2430 ASC. He was given the name Raynor Me’Jiliad; but later generations would come to refer to him as Raynor I.

But the young heir found himself in trouble almost as soon as he was born. Goldshire, a Duchy a considerable distance away, was historically an aggressive state, and before its absorption into the Empire had wielded considerable power in the region. But longtime rival Brookshire, backed by the Khaz Modanians, had long prevented it from expansion. But Ju’Uliave Mercaja, head of a powerful merchant family and Duke of Goldshire, had begun carving out his own petty kingdom after the fall of the Empire through a combination of aggressive trading practices and ruthless military bullying. The two Duchies had been at war only a short time before Niglai’s arrival in Brookshire; control of the economically vital River Elwynn had always been a point of contention, especially with Brookshire’s ally Musica occupying a strategic position at the mouth of the river.

Realizing that eliminating the young Raynor could weaken Brookshire in the future, the Duke of Goldshire sent assassins to Brookshire to kill the young heir and his father. Although the attempt failed, Niglai took his son into hiding to protect him from any further attacks, though this meant that Niglai was never able to marry Fola. For years thereafter, the elderly monarch raised his young son in secret, attempting to prepare him for the day that he would return from hiding and claim his rightful place.

The Origins of Goldshire

It is believed that the ancient Duchy of Goldshire dates back to pre-Khaz Modanian times. The foundations of the area’s commercial power also give the region its name, for not only ancient Goldshire but much of the area now occupied by the Duchy was rich in deposits of gold. Gold mining in the area has occurred for as long as records exist.

This wealth attracted foreign powers at a very early stage. Invaders from what is now Treesia landed in Goldshire and their descendents formed the first Goldshirian noble families. This possibly included the powerful House of Mercaja, which established its dominion in a city-state occupying the area around what is now Goldshire Hamlet. Several Istvanistani expeditions also settled in the area.

The coming of the Khaz Modanians to the Goldshire coast, and the occupation of the old ports by their colonists, cut off the Goldshirian city-states from their traditional trade overseas and crushed many of the most powerful of their leaders. Commerce turned inland, and the River Elwynn and it tributaries became the main means of transportation between the city-states. Even though the Elwynn valley was itself later subdued by the Khaz Modanians, colonization was not as intense, and trade along the river remained only slightly hindered by the tariff stations set up by the Empire.

After the Empire’s collapse during the years following the disaster of b2474, the Goldshirian city-states regained access to the sea and wiped out the Khaz Modanian colonies. The Mercaja domain, which came to be called Goldshire, was among the most aggressive in the territorial struggles that followed, and by the reign of Duke Ju’Uliave had come to include most of the northeastern coasts and extended to the Elwynn. Under the Duke’s direction, Goldshire expanded still faster, and by the end of Brookshire’s Wars of Unification occupied most of its present territory.

The Wars of Unification

Niglai Me’Jiliad, last Emperor of Khaz Modan, died in b2408. Raynor, now 22, emerged from hiding, and publicly took his rightful place as Heir of Brookshire, to much public acclaim.

Much had happened over the past two decades. Goldshire continued to expand, controlling much of the River Elwynn in b2413, and its trade contacts brought in goods from all over the eastern part of the Shirerithian continent. The Musican Alliance began to be drawn within Goldshire’s sphere of influence, and in response, Fola had concluded numerous alliances and mergers with neighboring states in order to counteract Goldshire’s influence. But Brookshire still stood in danger of being out competed by its own rival, and Raynor saw that more drastic measures were necessary.

Calling up the armed forces and militias of the Duchy, Raynor began a campaign of expansion. The closest of Brookshire’s allies were wooed into becoming part of the Duchy itself, contributing greatly to the Brookshirian army; this allowed Raynor to begin conquering the numerous smaller city-states south of the Elwynn. The Wars of Unification lasted from b2408 to b2400, and during this time Brookshire gained almost all of its modern territory, except for the islands of the Benacian Archipelago.

The last of the battles of the Wars of Unification took place in Woodshire. Nowadays no longer remembered save as a place-name, the Thanedom of Woodshire was the last of the independent city-states south of the Elwynn. It lay mostly just to the south of the main fork of the river; however, the Thane also claimed a small spit of land between the West and East Elwynn. In early b2400, Raynor’s armies marched into Woodshire Hamlet and claimed all Woodshirian territories for Brookshire. A small detachment was sent to the section of Woodshire between the rivers in order to secure it; but after several days, nothing was heard of the small group. A larger force was sent, and this discovered a military outpost, manned by a Goldshirian military unit.

Raynor learned from local inhabitants that the Thane of Woodshire had invited the foreign forces into his land as a protection against Brookshire; had Brookshire invaded only a few months later, Goldshire would already be in control of the territory. Raynor, angered by the interference, attacked the outpost and installed a Brookshirian garrison there. When news of this reached the Duke of Goldshire, a flurry of angered letters passed back and forth between himself and Raynor, each accusing the other of various grievances, and both claiming Woodshire as occupied territory. Toward late b2400, the already-tense situation continued to worsen, and the militaries of both Brookshire and Goldshire massed on the banks of the Elwynn.

But there was a weak point in Goldshire’s fluvial armor, in the form of the Musican Alliance. Once a small confederation of city-states clustered around the mouth of the Elwynn, and a close ally of Brookshire, it had joined Brookshire a few years previously, and possessed holdings on both sides of the river. Fearing that this political bridge would allow Brookshire easy access into Goldshire’s territory, Duke Ju’Uliave, having gathered his forces as best as he could, invaded the eastern half of Musica. Raynor, in a strongly worded declaration, proclaimed (and rightly so) that Goldshire had attacked what was, completely without a doubt, the sovereign territory of Brookshire, and declared war upon the aggressor state.

Utilizing the newly acquired outpost at the confluence of the Elwynn as a base, Raynor made temporary bridges across the Elwynn by laying wooden platforms on rows of anchored boats, stretching across the river. By the end of b2400, the armies of Brookshire, tired though they were, marched into Goldshire, to finish their conquests once and for all.

The Fall of Goldshire

Goldshire had not been idle in the time that Raynor had been expanding his Duchy. Ju’Uliave had poured his considerable wealth into the raising of armies to protect his land, and into the expansion of that same land. By the eve of the war, Goldshire covered all the territories east of the Elwynn, and was heavily defended in the meantime. Yet, the Duke of Goldshire made several strategic errors that were to heavily affect the course of the war.

His first was his failure to deal with Raynor’s growing power. It is possible that he did not believe that Raynor was who he said he was; after all, Goldshire’s assassins were supposed to have killed him, and he had disappeared for twenty years. There may also have been a measure of overconfidence involved; Goldshire was, after all, the larger and better-organized Duchy up until the late stages of the Wars of Unification. As a result, Ju’Uliave was content to build up his military forces within Goldshire instead of striking an early blow against its growing neighbor.

Secondly, the Duke of Goldshire was not as fair a lord as many would have liked. The scion of a lone of merchants, Ju’Uliave’s greatest concern with his empire was the extraction of funds; although he was a wise enough person to invest in his lands, many peasants (especially those of newly-acquired lands) found themselves taxed very heavily. Dissatisfaction resulting from this was harshly dealt with, and much of the population of the new provinces was only too glad to aid Raynor in freeing them. This also deprived Goldshire from using local militias for defense, as Brookshire did; the burden of defense was placed entirely on Ju’Uliave’s own forces.

And lastly, and perhaps most importantly of all, the Duke was not the most strategically minded person in the world. At the time of Raynor’s invasion, Goldshire’s powerful military was almost entirely concentrated at along the Elwynn, forming what Ju’Uliave had hoped was an impenetrable shield along his border with Brookshire. However, aside from spreading his forces thin along the river, this left very little manpower available to defend the interior of the Duchy; only the capital at Goldshire Hamlet maintained a heavy defense force.

As Raynor’s army punched through the defending force on the eastern bank of the Elwynn, he perceived that this arrangement had flaws that could be exploited to his advantage. He separated his forces into two; one, comprising the bulk of his forces, would turn east, trapping Ju’Uliave’s armies in between themselves and the River Elwynn, cutting them off from the capital in the process. The second, smaller force, consisting mostly of cavalry and other fast-moving units, headed north, into the interior of Goldshire. Led personally by Raynor, they called themselves “Raynor’s Raiders”, and caused severe havoc in some of Goldshire’s newest provinces.

Over the next three years, Raynor continued moving from place to place in northern Goldshire, disrupting government activities and winning the locals over to his cause. The area came effectively under his control, and resources and materiel were sent south to the main army for their maintenance and defense. They were aided when Musican partisans in the south of Goldshire rose up in b2398; driving out the Goldshirian garrisons stationed along the river, they helped several militia units from Brookshire cross the Elwynn. Operating from bases on the marshy islands of the Elwynn delta, the militias were able to keep the southern Goldshirian armies sufficiently distracted that they could not turn north to attack the encampments of the Brookshirians.

By b2397, Raynor had built up enough support in the north of Goldshire that he felt ready to complete his conquests. He led his fast-moving cavalry forces, followed by a somewhat ragtag coalition of local militias, to the east, and began attacking the loyal Goldshire merchant cities on the coast. From there he moved south along the shore, capturing city after city, and late in the year reached Goldshire Hamlet itself. Raynor’s Raiders were quickly joined by a large detachment from the main army, and laid siege to the town; after a few months, the defenders surrendered. Ju’Uliave’s own officers, perhaps tired of their former lord’s mismanagement, offered him up to Raynor, who slew him on the steps of the ducal palace.

But the final act of the war was yet to come. Ta’Are Mercaja, son and heir of the Duke of Goldshire, commanded one of the army units trapped by Raynor’s army. When news of his father’s death was proclaimed by the victors, and the rest of Goldshire’s armies began to lay down their arms, Ta’Are angrily gathered up a group of his most loyal horsemen, and in b2396 managed to break through Brookshire’s lines, heading west, toward the river. Whether he was simply trying to flee Raynor, or to reach lands beyond the Elwynn to gain support for his cause, none remember; but he managed to find enough remnant loyalists to cause considerable trouble for the occupying Brookshirians in the lands he passed through.

It is said that the Gods, looking favorably upon Raynor, sent him a sign warning him of Ta’Are’s escape. They sent to him a great rock, made from a strange metal, which fell from the sky, landing just outside Goldshire Hamlet. Realizing that his foe’s heir would escape his wrath if he did not act soon, Raynor summoned one of the greatest blacksmiths of the age, and commanded him to use the metal from the meteorite to forge a sword for him, so that he could carry the favor of the Gods with him on his chase. Laboring long into the night, the smith produced for Raynor a blade of black metal that gave a greenish cast when seen in the right light; Raynor named it the Sword of Vengeance in honor of his task. It became the symbol of his family and of the Kaisership; it is believed to have strange powers, granted by the Gods, that only the heirs of the line of Raynor may use.

Raynor and his Raiders took up pursuit of Ta’Are’s band, chasing them through the wilds of western Goldshire until, after many months, the rebels became contained near the confluence of the Elwynn. Trapped between the river on the one side, and Raynor’s men on the other, Ta’Are sent out archers to ambush the Raiders and assassinate their leader, but Raynor was able to avoid the attempt on his life, and the assassins foiled. The Raiders traced the archers back to Ta’Are’s camp, and after a terrific slaughter, the rebels were decimated, almost within sight of the place where the war between Brookshire and Goldshire began. Ta’Are himself was taken prisoner, bound in heavy chains, and taken back to Goldshire Hamlet, thrown into the dungeons that were his by right of birth.

The Founding of Shireroth

After this last defeat, whatever resistance still remained in Goldshire began to die down. By early b2395, the last unrest in southern Goldshire was put down. The Goldhshirian armies were disbanded, and local militias, more loyal to Raynor, were given charge of the region’s defense. The conquest of Goldshire was complete, and, bit-by-bit, most of Raynor’s armies returned home.

Raynor, now with two Duchies in his possession, was faced with the problem of how to deal with his new territories. He had completed his vengeance upon the Mercaja family, and had gained the respect and loyalty of the people during his campaigns; but now that Goldshire was his, he was unsure how to govern it. Simply incorporating it into Brookshire was out of the question; Brookshire’s capital was too far removed from Goldshire for effective governance, and extending its political power over a territory as big as Brookshire itself would be a task of monumental proportions, far more difficult than the extension of military control had been.

Raynor realized that Goldshire could not be left to total independence; but neither could it simply be made part of Brookshire. He realized also, in his wisdom, that the most effective way to reconcile his problems was to make Brookshire and Goldshire independent of each other, but answerable to the same authority; two smaller polities united under one crown. So it was that Raynor began to build a new city around the outpost at the confluence of the Elwynn, building up the fortress there into a mighty castle keep, the Shirekeep, which gave its name to the city. From there, he would be able to govern both Brookshire and Goldshire more effectively, and from a location easily defensible from either direction.

On the day that the first foundation stone of the new castle was laid down, Raynor made a speech to the people of the new city of Shirekeep, copies of which were carried to all the towns and villages under his domain; and in this speech he announced his vision of a greater nation, of which the two Duchies would only be smaller parts, and which he himself would lead as ultimate monarch. On that day, raising his Sword of Vengeance above his head as he made his declaration, Raynor Me’Jiliad became Raynor the First, Kaiser; progenitor of the Imperial Bloodlines, and founder of Shireroth.