For those just joining us, this part of the historical timeline occurs before yesterday's timeline.
The Human Era
~800
BD
Human Expansion: the
First Wave
(Westerly)
(200 DC Lithian; 139gc U Eldoth)
The earliest human
world to develop hyperspace travel was “Old Westerly,” a world
with four moons consumed by rising sea levels brought on by
mismanagement of industrial resources. The Westerly people were the
first to spread throughout the galaxy and they found it already
occupied by aliens. Made desperate by their misfortunes and keenly
aware of ecology thanks to the collapse of their own homeworld’s
eco-system, they tended to settle on harsh worlds and integrated
closely with it while forsaking (or losing, over the years) advanced
technology in favor of simpler, more sustainable lives, or they
refused to settle worlds at all, and formed roving space-caravans of
asteroid miners and, when necessary, pirates. They valued survival
and fierce independence above all else, making them tenacious
colonists.
~300 BD Human Expansion: the Second
Wave (Shinjurai)
(720
DC Lithian; 154 gc
U Eldoth)
The next major wave of humanity came from the city-world of
Denjuku. Unlike the Westerly, they came from a society that prized
science and rationality and, indeed, this was they hey-day of
Rationalism, and Rationalist sages like Tai-Sun Saga and Kun-Lun Kaku
lived in this era, writing their great works and pushing their people
to the stars. Their mastery of technology gave them immediate
dominance over the worlds they settled and where the Westerly had to
beg and struggle to find worlds to settle, the Shinjurai could afford
to conquer and trade.
The Shinjurai wave
followed the Westerly wave, often colonizing worlds humans had
already carved out a niche on and setting themselves up as new
masters, or cutting deals with alien powers to gain control over
marginal worlds. The result was not a unified empire, but scattered
pocket realms of the Shinjurai, each unique in its character, and
open to trade with aliens, especially the Traders, who began to trade
ideas with the Shinjurai, a fertile cross-pollination that resulted
in rapid advancement in hyperspatial technology, hyperium fuel and
the works of Trader Rationalist, Tillika. These star-nations
centered on a single nexus systems, which acted as a hub of trade,
and slowly grew to encompass numerous systems around them.
Major settlements
in his era include Xen and its Geno-Sages and Stanis and its
Cybernetic Religion.
~100 BD Human Expansion: the Third
Wave (Maradon)
(900
DC Lithian; 160 gc
U Eldoth)
The last wave of
humanity would prove the beginning of the end of this era. They came
from the doomed world of Maradon, which would be torn apart by the
wars of dominance that would eventually lead to the rise of Alexus
Rex as its sole master. The increasing radiation levels released by
its global war and the controversies created by the newly arising
class of powerful psychics led to the flight of various factions, who
turned to piracy or religion to sooth their wounded hearts. The
Maradon people did not travel as far as the rest of humanity and
would colonize the more complicated worlds of the Glorian Rim, such
as Persephone, Caliban (though this is contentious, as it may have
been settled by Westerly people first, and the current people may be
a fusion of both bloodlines), Bellerphone and Zaine in the Galactic
Core.
The Alexian Dynasty
21 BD to 1 AE The Rise of
Alexus
(1009
to 1032 DC Lithian;
163
to 164 gc
U Eldoth)
By
the time “Alexus Rex,” the nigh-mythical founder of the “Eternal
Empire” and the Alexian Dynasty, the Maradon people had already
scattered to the stars, thanks to the nigh constant warfare on their
homeworld caused by the upheaval of the advent of extraordinarily
powerful psychics and nuclear war. Alexus Rex won that war and
achieved dominion over his homeworld; he himself was one of these
“new psychics” and he gathered about him other powerful psychics
into an elite force that defeated the other forces on his world. He
then turned his attention to the stars, where he had already gathered
some allies, where he burst
free of the Maelstrom and took the galaxy by storm with a force of
arms and psychic insight not seen since the first Ranathim Tyranny
and, thanks to improving hyperspatial technology, at an unparalleled
pace of conquest .
The Akashic Prophecy: The
first world Alexus sought to conquer was Persephone, home to the
Akashic mystics and their famous prophecies. The world and its
mystics readily surrendered to him and gave him his queen, the
founder of House Sabine: Sissi Sabine. Akashic precognition would
serve the Alexian warmachine thereafter.
The Caliban Duel: To
escape the Glorian Rim with this massive fleet, Alexus Rex needed to
tame Caliban. He famously dueled Lothar Kain to a standstill and
offered the pirate vassalage: to serve Alexus in return for the
spoils of Empire. Lothar Kain accepted and founded the House of
Kain.
The Subjugation of the
Shinjurai: The primary
opponents of Alexus Rex were other humans, mainly the Shinjurai
thanks to their Trader allies and their advanced technology.
Nonetheless, the psychic mysteries of the Akashic mystics defeated
the Rational technology of the Shinjurai and Xen was defeated
(thanks to “Apex Prime,” the founder of House Apex), though
Stanis, bolstered by the Hyperium Guild and the Tan-Shai family,
held strong.
The Conquest of Chronos and the
Coronotion at Sovereign: The
defeat of a minor warlord on Chronos signaled the end of alien power
in the Galactic Core and thus the symbolic rise of man as Galactic
Conqueror. However, Chronos proved too far from the Glorian Rim,
and too alien in culture, to rule from. Alexus chose instead an
untouched garden world, dubbed it Sovereign and on its virgin soil,
held a coronation ceremony where the head of the Akashic Order
placed upon his brow the Galactic Crown, initiating the “Eternal
Empire” of the Alexian Dynasty
1 AE to 476 AE The Early
Dynasty
(1032
to 1521
DC Lithian; 164
to 178
gc U Eldoth)
The
Early Dynasty retained the martial character of the rise of Alexus,
continuing his wars of conquest across the Galaxy and bringing the
rest of the Galactic Core and other parts of the Galaxy to heel.
The Trader Genocide: Shinjurai
power could not be fully extinguished so long as the Traders held
sway, and they had deep connections in the Arkhaian and Umbral Rim,
and thus needed to be purged for Alexian power to continue. The war
against the Traders proved one of the longer and more destructive
wars of the Dynasty, culminating in the destruction of their
homeworld.
The Treaty of Shaddai: Even
without their Trader allies, the Shinjurai nations of the Arkhaian
Spiral held firm against the advance of the Alexian Dynasty, thanks
in no small part to the patronage of the Hyperium Guild and the
Tan-Shai family. Eventually, the Alexian Dynasty offered Mythren
Tan-Shai the same deal they had Lothar Kain: vassalage in return for
autonomy. He accepted, and Stanis and the Kybernian Constellation
joined the Dynasty under House Tan-Shai.
- The Westerly Rebellion:
Once
the Eternal Empire had subjugated all off their Shinjurai foes, with
no major remaining enemies, they could turn their attention to
domestic concerns, which meant raised taxes, stricter laws and a
crackdown on those who did not fall in line with the Akashic
Mysteries. The Westerly populations, long independent, found
themselves under intense pressure and many lashed out. This proved
tragic, and their populations were either wiped out or forced to
migrate to the edges of Alexian control, especially in the direction
of the wild and untamed Umbral Rim, where they began to settle along
the edges of the Hydrus Constellation.
222 AE to 319 AE The Reign of Satra
Temos (the Umbral Rim)
(1259
to 1359
DC Lithian; 171
to 174gc
U Eldoth)
A new
Tyrant arose in the Umbral Rim during the Early Alexian Dynasty,
though this one was unlike any who had come before him. Rather than
accept the symbolic, ceremonial rule of the Ozamanthimian Tyrants, a
Ranathim under the psuedonym of “Satra Temos” wrote a diatribe
about the weakness of his species, how masters had come to accept
slavery. It became a racial call to arms, a demand that the Ranathim
ascend to their rightful place rather than dully accepting what other
races in the Umbral Rim gave them.
The work generated
outrage, which Satra Temos channeled into dominion. He used his vast
psychic powers to channel rebellion and revolt across the Umbral Rim,
and he rose amidst the chaos. He never formally ruled anything,
acting more like a master of a criminal syndicate centered on revolt,
racial superiority, assassination and a cult of personality that
arose around him. His reign of terror lasted a Lithian century when
it abruptly ended, the shadowy Satra Temos simply vanishing from
history without a trace and his dominion collapsed quickly. His
legacy would carry on, however, as his disciples carried his lessons
and began to build their own structures of conspiratorial power that
would culminate in the Shadow Tyranny two hundred years later.
476 AE to 959 AE The Middle Dynasty
(“the High Gothic period”)
(1521
to 2019 DC
Lithian; 178
to 194
gc U Eldoth)
A
succession crisis within the
Alexian Dynasty rocks the House
of Alexus and forces them to give concessions to prevent civil war.
This era sees the slow down of the Alexian war machine, the shift of
the Alexian Dynasty to a more ritualistic rule, one where the Emperor
rarely leaves the gardens of Sovereign, and where the heads of the
various Houses begin to take on a greater role. The era sees an
explosion of culture and ornately beautiful armor as military arms
begin to take on a more ceremonial role.
The Succession Crisis: the
proliferation of the Alexian line led to lesser siblings being
married into families or given minor titles meant
that numerous families scattered across the Empire had some claim to
the Alexian throne and so when an Alexian Emperor died without an
heir, civil war nearly erupted until wiser heads prevailed and a
successor was properly chosen from a close branch of the Dynasty.
The Rise of the Houses: The
chaos of the succession crisis forced concessions from the Dynasty
to their vassal lords. The various houses, while founded in
previous eras, took on a form more familiar to the modern galaxy and
had a far greater measure of autonomy as the Alexian Emperors became
relegated to a more ceremonial role as a “Font of Honors” and
the stamp of legitimacy upon the actions of the Houses.
The Reign of the Nameless
Emperor: Curious records
associated with the succession crisis show signs of a data purge
surrounding one of the rulers of the Alexian Dynasty. He seems to
have been the Emperor during the time of the succession crisis,
either a short-lived usurper, a compromise candidate later rejected,
or the rightful heir deposed and then his reign covered up. He
seems to have laid the ground work for some of the advances and
techniques used later by Lucian Alexus to solidify his power.
The Reign of Tanaquil Alexus:
Considered the most exemplary
Empress of the era, Tanaquil Alexus proved a deeply philosophical
ruler whose reign laid out the rules and expectations of the Houses
and the forms of etiquette expected of those who attended the
Alexian court. She also penned substantial works on the Akashic
Mysteries, still used to this day by the aristocracy.
The False Oracles and the House
of Bastards: The Akashic
Order’s image of perfection took a blow during the succession
crisis and the rising power of the aristocratic houses made the
lords less inclined to blindly follow Akashic oracles. Furthermore,
as the lines of what was socially acceptable became more clearly
defined, people needed to turn elsewhere for their more illicit
needs, and so a trade in self-serving prophecies began to arise,
with Akashic-trained Oracles offering their assistance directly to
the ambition of houses, and the bastards and illicit servants of the
aristocracy coming together into an informal organization known as
“the House of Bastards.”
The Conquest of the Hydrus
Constellation: As it winded
down, the Alexian warmachine did still manage to conquer the gateway
into the Umbral Rim, ending a long period of Keleni independence.
House Elegans, who had spearheaded the conquest, were given command
of the region, and they ruled with a light hand, allowing the unique
practices of the local Keleni and Westerly populations to remain
unchecked.
The Preaching of Isa the Exile:
Integrated once more into a
greater galactic community, some Keleni began to move about the
population, preaching a unique form of Communion open to all
species. The most famous of these preachers was the saintly Isa the
Exile, who would be mysteriously martyred (some blame the Akashic
Order or Keleni traditionalists, but a Ranathim assassin seems the
most likely case). This
lead to the widespread belief in True Communion throughout the
Dynasty (but especially in the area bordering the Umbral Rim) and
the undermining of many of the ideas and ideals of the Akashic
Mysteries.
~500 AE to 1300 AE The Shadow
Tyranny (the Umbral Rim)
(1546
to 2371
DC Lithian; 179
to 204
gc U Eldoth)
During
this era, the Umbral Rim sees a slow, but distinct, shift in the
institutions of political power. While still highly fractious and
balkanized, the warlords, pirates and criminal organizations begin to
fall in line behind a mysterious “Circle of Tyrants.” According
to the lore of the era, these Tyrants were powerful psychic masters
who followed the teachings of Satra Temos and ruled from behind
puppets and catspaws, using manipulation and fear as their main
levers of power. Definitely during this era, the various warlords of
the Umbral Rim were able to set aside their differences long enough
to make organized pushes, especially against the Temple Worlds,
seizing it from the Dynasty, then losing it in the Communion Crusade,
and then waging a secret war with the Templar, who eventually won and
broke the Circle of Tyrants, but not before they had corrupted the
promising Revalis White and dealt the Templars a serious blow,
leading to their dissolution at the end of the Alexian Dynasty.
959 AE to 1359 AE The End of the
Dynasty (“the Communion War”)
(2019
to 2432
DC Lithian; 194
to 206
gc U Eldoth)
Decadence
and corruption dominated the end of the Alexian Dynasty, as well as a
reaction to that corruption in the form of the rise of the Knights of
Communion, the masters of the Temple Worlds, the Space Templars. The
reign of the Mad Emperor Lucian Alexus and his war on the Templars,
the Communion War, would see the end of both the Templars and the
Alexian Dynasty.
The Loss of the Hydrus
Constellation: the churning
forces and mini-empires of the Umbral Rim managed to re-capture the
Hydrus Constellation, enslaving many Keleni and humans alike and
desecreting the Temple Worlds. The Alexian Dynasty did nothing, as
the worlds proved too troublesome to hold and the Dynasty had turned
inward at this point.
The Communion Crusade:
Dissatisfied with the lack of
Alexian response, True Communion adherents such as the Westerly
mercenary Pagan Hue, the
space knight Troy Elegans, and the True Communion preacher An-Kellun
Arrenon, took it upon themselves to stage a war to reclaim the
Hydrus constellation. Former space knights joined forces with
Westerly mercenaries gathered arms and took the Constellation
themselves.
The Temple Worlds restored: The
Communion Crusades left the Hydrus Constellation in the hands of
humans faithful to True Communion. Rather than return the
Constellation to the Alexian Dynasty, they declared their
independence, recreating the Keleni Temple Worlds in their own
image. Where space knights had ruled the Alexian Dynasty, now the
Knights of Communion ruled and guarded the Temple Worlds with their
own unique brand of True Communion, which welcomed all species and
all adherents regardless of station. They proved a resilient and
powerful state, one which troubled the decaying Alexian Dynastry and
the Akashic Order with their “subversive” rhetoric.
The Reign of Mad Emperor Lucian
Alexus: The decadence of the
aristocracy allowed for the Alexian Dynasty to begin to regather
power. Secretive technological projects begun by the “Nameless
Emperor” culminated in the creation of “Immortal” armor and
advanced fighters both capable of sustaining their occupants
indefinitely and enforcing total loyalty to the will of the Alexian
Dynasty. Using these, Lucian Alexus was able to break out of the
cage of ceremony and ritual long imposed on the Dynasty and directly
enforce his will upon the Galaxy, upending centuries of tradition
and power by bringing in new houses, like Tan-Shai
.
The Revalis Heresy: One
of the most powerful and influential Templars, now called Revalis
White, broke from True Communion to side with the lurking influence
of the Cult of the Mystical Tyrant, still alive in the Umbral Rim.
His unique take on both philosophies created a rift within the
Templars.
The Communion War: Lucian
Alexus declared war on the Temple Worlds, initiating the Communion
War. This resulted, swiftly, in his death at the hands of Jax
Elegans but culminated in the rebellion of the Houses against his
rule, the dissolution of the Templars and the loss of the Temple
Worlds as a distinct entity, and ended at last the Alexian Dynasty.
