This chapter covers the history of Traladara and Karameikos in the last two millennia, that is from the Beastman invasion to 970 AC. The majority of this document was recreated here without permission from A Karameikos Companion located on pandius.com and written by Agathokles. All rights go to him/her. The full document can be found under Player Resources.
Dates are presented in BC and AC format, which correspond to Before and After the Coronation of the first Thyatian King.
Before BC 1000, the Traldar people, a nation of southern Neathar descent led by a small Nithian aristocracy, had settled in the lands now know as Traladara, which had previously been the northern frontier of the Taymor kingdoms. A few Taymor survivors had been absorbed into the Traldar colonies.
However, due to unfavorable climatic conditions, the colonization attempt had mostly failed. The Nithian aristocracy had been absorbed into the larger Neathar population, leaving traces of its presence in the culture of the few surviving villages.
The Hutaakans, jackal-like humanoids of Nithian culture, had taken control of the Traldar, providing training in agriculture, bronze working and other vital crafts in return for labor and goods, slowly allowing the Traldar to build a network of small city-states.
BC 1050 - Nithian wizards create the Gnolls. [GAZ10]
BC 1000 - Beastman invasion (BC 1000-992): the Gnolls escape Nithia and invade the Traldar lands, conquering the western half of modern Karameikos up to the Volaga and most of modern Darokin. [GAZ1, HW]
Hutaakans retreat to the Valley of Hutaaka. [B10, GAZ1, HW]
King Milen leads a migration towards Davania rather than fighting the Gnolls. [HW, HW3]
Part of the Traldar population is moved to the Hollow World by the Immortals. [HW]
Some western Traldar clans flee west through the Five Shires and the lands of the Atruaghin Clans, and settle in Sind, where they become known as the Dom.
King Halav of Lavv, Queen Petra of Krakatos and the Hutaakan-trained wizard Zirchev guide a coalition of eastern Traldar city-states in the war against the Gnolls. [GAZ1]
Elsewhere, King Blystar III of Rockhome defeats the Goblinoids of the Broken Lands. [GAZ10]
Other Orcish tribes found the Kingdom of Othrong in the territory of the modern Five Shires. [GAZ8]
Paladin of Ixion Strahd von Zarovich and his lieutenant Vladislaus Drakul lead a contingent of soldiers to the Ravenloft Gap and reclaim a Nithian fortress in the mountains to cut off Gnoll reinforcements. It is during this time that Strahd becomes the first vampire after stealing and drinking Ixion's blood.
After the rout of the Gnollish horde, the Traldar lands are left almost devoid of population, and revert quickly to wildernesses. A number of Antalian tribes, related to the Yevo of western Brun and the Vatski and Viaskoda of Norwold, take part in the battles for control of the Hin lands, but are defeated by Loktal Ironshield. These Vandars move into lightly populated lands between the rivers Achelos and Volaga and settle there, speeding the transformation of the Traldar people into the Traladarans.
The barony of Halag and the kingdom of Krakatos are the major human nations in the area, though Marilenev, Halavos and other city-states rise to power at the end of the Dark Ages. The Dark Ages end with the emergence of a unified Kingdom of Traladara under King Ithron.
BC 950 - The last Gnolls are driven away from the Traldar lands, but the Traldar population has dropped to 20% of the pre-war level. [GAZ1]
BC 938 - Fall of the Kingdom of Hindon at the hands of the Orcs. [GAZ8]
The Vandar tribes migrate from central Darokin to the Five Shires.
BC 933 - The Vandars, northern raiders that had taken part in the Hindon wars, invade the western Traldar lands. Due to the massive damages wrought by the Gnolls in that area, they find no opposition. More Vandar tribes will enter the Traldar lands in the following twenty years.
BC 930 - Petra becomes Immortal under the patronage of Khoronous.
BC 910 - Halav becomes Immortal under the patronage of Odin. [WotI]
BC 900 - First appearance of the Witches of Dymrak, a group of nine Crones of Chaos.
BC 875 - Zirchev creates the refuge-land of Haven as part of his path to Immortality. [B3, B1-9, GAZ1] He also trains an apprentice, the Seer of Traldar, to whom he entrusts the Eyes of Traldar.
BC 870 - Zirchev becomes Immortal under the patronage of Ilsundal. [WotI]
BC 800 - The Traldar population rises, and the Traldar mix with the now sedentary Vandars. Elsewhere, Mealiden Starwatcher leads the Sylvan Elves to the steppes between Nithia and the Streel river, founding the Kingdom of Alfheim and beginning the creation of Canolbarth. [GAZ5]
Halag is founded around this time by a Vandar tribe.
BC 612 - Nob Nar, a Hin adventurer, kills the Vandar baron Ulstagh of Halag. [GAZ8]
BC 600 - The Dom people return to Traladara after a long exile, but no longer fit with the Traladaran culture.
BC 580 - Reign of Tahrek the Radiant, lord of Krakatos and owner of the Crown of the Sun. Under Tahrek, Krakatos and Lavv rise to a new prosperity. Tahrek’s descendants will become the Torenescu clan. [DMSK]
BC 500 - The fusion of Vandars and Traldars has brought to a new people, the Traladarans. [GAZ1, HW]
Elsewhere, the Empire of Nithia is destroyed by the Immortals. [GAZ2, HW]
BC 492 - Goblinoid hordes defeated by the Dwarven armies in the Battle of Sardal Pass. Death of Queen Ubdala. [GAZ6]
BC 491 - Goblinoid hordes fleeing the Sardal Pass take refuge in the Cruth Mountains. [GAZ10]
BC 490 - Lavv and Krakatos are destroyed by the hordes of the Hobgoblin king Leptar. The goblinoids themselves are decimated by the plague spread by Leptar to weaken the Traladaran cities.
BC 488 - Traladaran clans chase back the hordes of Leptar and found the town of Halavos near the ruins of Lavv.
BC 480 - The Goblinoid hordes are pushed back into the mountains and in the Dymrak woods.
BC 470 - The Kerendas tribe conquers the southern Doulakki city-states.
BC 415 - Hobgoblin king Leptar becomes Immortal under the patronage of Orcus.
BC 308 - Trinkla, a young magician, steals the Black Opal Eye from the Isle of Lost Dream while the Seer of Traldar is absent. She flees to western Traladara and becomes known as the Black Seer.
BC 276 - The Black Seer dies, and the Black Opal Eye is entombed with her.
BC 195-147 - Traladaran prince (Ban) Ithron unifies the Traladaran clans and takes the title of King of Traladara. [KKoA]
BC 162-158 - The Doulakki City-State of Salonikos is attacked by King Alevar of Alfheim. The siege of Salonikos is broken by the intervention of a dwarven volunteer corps.
BC 100 - Gnomes from the Hardanger Range, led by the Hilltopper clan, found the city of Highforge. [GAZ1, KKoA]
BC 7 - The Thyatian wizard Elyas receives the Fire Opal Eye and becomes the next Seer of Traldar.
BC 4 - Elyas recovers the Black Opal Eye from the tomb of Trinkla the Black Seer.
BC 0 - Lucinius Trenzantenbium, A Thyatian-born, Alphatian-trained wizard, kills the Alphatian wizards in Thyatis and declares himself King of Thyatis; war breaks out between Thyatis and Alphatia. (DotE)
By the end of the millennium, the short-lived unification of Traladara, the arrival of friendly demi-human clans, the defeat of the Orcs in the west and the formation of the Thyatian Empire in the east help Traladara emerge from the Dark Ages. New trade centers rise to greatness along the major rivers. Traladara is soon divided into a number of small principalities called Banates.
AC 1 - Traladara’s population raises, especially in the coastal and riverside areas. Marilenev is the major trade center. Halavos, Lugsid, Zadreth and other towns and villages are found along the rivers Volaga and Shutturga. The elven Callarii clan from Alfheim settles in the Radlebb woods. [GAZ1]
AC 3 - Elyas, the Seer of Traldar, dies in a struggle with the Witches of Dymrak. The Black Opal Eye is lost.
AC 300 - A dwarven clan, the Stronghollow, settles in Highforge. [B7]
AC 301-356 - Bogdan Ivanovich, Ban of Marilenev, claims the title of King of Traladara. He manages to bring under his heel several clans, but the kingdom dissolves at Ivanovich’s death. [KKoA]
AC 400 - Thyatian missionary clerics translated the Song of Halav and set it in writing. [GAZ1]
This leads to the formation of an organized Church of Traladara. The Church assumes slightly different forms in the three main regions (Halag, Marilenev and the north-east). The church is known as the Church of Traladara only in Marilenev. Elsewhere, it is known as the Church of Halav.
AC 410 - Minrothaddan merchants bring lycanthropy to Traladara. [PC4, GAZ1, GAZ9]
At the same time, the descendants of the Taymoran Nosferatu resurface.
As the Banates assume a more stable form, Traladara falls under the greedy eyes of the Kings of Darokin, leading to a century of conflicts known as the four Traladaran Wars. While this is a time of strife, it also leads to the modernization of the Traladaran Banates, thanks to the increasing contacts with both Darokin and Thyatis. The Traladaran League emerges as an attempt to form a unified Traladaran nation.
AC 412 - Corwyn VIII of Darokin reduces the northern Traladaran clans, including those of Lugsid and Vaion, to vassal status. He is killed by assassins sent by the coastal clans with ties with the city-states of New Alphatia and Harbortown. His heir, Corwyn IX, declares war on the lords of Marilenev, Vidrin and Halavos.
The lords of Koriszegy, Salonikos, Dmitrov, Lumm, Gorenenov and Volaga ally with Marilenev, Vidrin and Halavos to counter the Darokinian egemony.
AC 415 - The King of Darokin, Corwyn IX, dies in battle against the Traladaran League. His son, Corwyn X, continues the war effort. Harbortown and New Alphatia enter the war on the League’s side.
AC 417 - The First Traladaran War ends with the Peace of Marilenev. Darokin relinquishes all claims on Northern Traladara.
Traladaran nobles claim titles styled on the Thyatian and Darokinian model, replacing the old Ban and Zhupa titles. Marilenev, Salonikos and Halavos claim ducal rank, while the other nobles of the Traladaran League take the title of Count or Baron. The old Traladaran titles remain in use in western Traladara.
The Monastery on the Hill is founded by the Count of Vaion and dedicated to Halav.
AC 436 - The Alasiyan warlord Sabir ibn Ibrahim conquers Salonikos, renaming the city Al-Zalenikah. He founds a state, the Imarat al Zalenikah, that will survive for two generations, and will be a centre of learning, especially in astronomy and geometry.
AC 443-445 - The Silver Purge is unleashed against lycanthropes along the coasts of the Sea of Dread. New Alphatia is almost destroyed in a battle between lycanthropes, humans and elves. Many lycanthropes survive deep in the woods of Traladara.
AC 450 - Religious conflicts within the Church of Traladara and political manipulation by the Harbortown envoys leads to the Second Traladaran War, which pits Halag against Marilenev and Halavos against Vaion. The Hojah, ruling clan of Halag, and several of their allies are forced to flee to the eastern coast of the Gulf of Hule. Seven citystates (Kladanovich, Slagovich, Hojah, Zvornik, Nova Svoga, Zagora and Boyarski) are founded there. [RS]
Vaion is home to another heresy, which is uprooted within twenty years by priests from Halavos and Selenica, but survives in the isolated Monastery on the Hill.
AC 468 - Duke Demara of Halavos unifies several of the northern clans.
AC 474 - Demara is acknowledged as King of Traladara by the Barons of Volaga and Lugsid and the Count of Vaion. The coastal clans, Marilenev, Dmitrov, Vidrin, and Sulescu, oppose this move, but they obtain only limited support from Harbortown. In the following years, Demara manages to obtain the submission of the ruling clans of Gorenenov, Lumm and Koriszegy. [KKoA]
AC 488 - King Demara marries the daughter of King Mithras V of Darokin and launches the Third Traladaran War. A combined force of Demara’s and Mithras’ troops conquer Al-Zalenikah, which is renamed Selenica and added as a duchy to the Kingdom of Darokin. Elsewhere, Hadric Corser found the city of Minrothad over the ruins of New Alphatia. [GAZ9]
AC 490 - Death of King Demara. Mithras V of Darokin claims the regency of Traladara for his infant grandson Mithras Demaravich. The lords of Lumm, Volaga and Koriszegy rebel against the Darokinian king and form a new Traladaran League with the coastal clans. Mithras V sends as army to quell the rebellion.
AC 493 - Mithras’ army is defeated by the forces of the Traladaran lords in the Fourth Traladaran War. The Traladaran League is confirmed as a permanent institution, led by the Diet of Marilenev, an assembly of the Traladaran nobles.
The Elfwar and the passage of the Darokinian crown to the Ansimont line mark the end of the hegemonic ambitions of Darokin on Traladara. However, the growing instability of the northern neighbour leads the Traladaran principalities to turn on each other, dissolving the Traladaran League.
AC 500 - Lycanthropy and vampirism return in the more isolated regions of Traladara. [PC4]
Elsewhere, the Red Orc chief, Sitting Drool, becomes supreme chief of the Broken Lands hordes, leading to a twenty years-long war with the Kingdom of Darokin, the Kingdom of Alhambra and the Kingdom of Braejr. [GAZ10]
The Empire of Thyatis, meanwhile, is locked in a pitched war against Alphatia in the Alasiyan colonies. [GAZ2]
AC 501 - Mithras V of Darokin blames “elven treachery” for his defeat in Traladara, bringing on the Elfwar right when Corunglain is threatened by Sitting Drool’s hordes.
AC 503 - Mithras V and his grandson Mithras Demaravich are killed by the elves of Alfheim. The Darokinian nobles name Corwyn Ansimont as the new King.
AC 504 - Corwyn XIII puts an end to the Elfwar.
AC 511 - The Diet of Marilenev elects the wizard Perrantin as Warlord of the Traladaran League, giving him power to lead an army to help the Flaems of the Highlands in case of a dragon invasion, which never comes. The northern warrior Solveig WhiteGold and Perrantin uncover the Shield of Halav, and present it to the Church of Traladara, helping its consolidation. They found the Temple of the Shield and the village of Zadreth [HtH]
AC 523 - Sitting Drool conquers and sacks Corunglain.
AC 525 - Corunglain is freed from the orcish hordes, but becomes an independent city-state.
AC 527 - Sitting Drool is killed by adventurers.
AC 534 - Charles III, an incompetent ruler, is the new King of Darokin. Due to a mix of incompetence and adverse circumstances causes the next three kings to be reduced to mere figureheads, as the nobles become more and more independent and the merchant houses become the real power in Darokin city. Selenica and Athenos claim their own independence as the Principality of Selenica and the Duchy of Athenos.
AC 570 - The Hins of the Five Shires found colonies in the Ierendi achipelago. [GAZ4]
AC 585 - Thyatis occupies the archipelago of Ierendi to use the islands as penal colonies for the Hattian rebels. [GAZ4]
AC 596 - The Traladaran nosferatu Aden marries Emilia Ansimont, sister and heir to the King of Darokin, and sets in motion a plan to restore royal power in Darokin. In the following years, he manages to regain the power lost by the inept Ansimont kings, and takes the throne with the name of Aden III.
AC 600 - The Traladaran League is finally dissolved due to dissension between the clans and the disappearance of the Darokin threat. In Vaion, the local lord, a descendant of Demara’s sister, claims the title of King of Vaion, which is mostly ignored by the other nobles. The Ban of Halag assumes the title of Duke, following most other Traladaran nobles.
In Ierendi, former Hattian rebel, pirate, and convict Mad Creeg leads a successful rebellion against the Empire of Thyatis. [GAZ4]
AC 612 - The failure of the Traladaran League leaves the Duchy of Marilenev deprived of much of its political power. The trade guilds, led by the Radu family, oust Duke Alexandr Marilenev and replace the ducal government with an oligarchic republic
AC 657 - The undead nature of Aden III is revealed by spies from the House of Corun, and the nosferatu king is forced to flee. Without Aden’s energic rule, the Kingdom of Darokin dissolves.
AC 658 - The lords of House Corun claim the title of Duke of Corunglain. In the following years, the northern and western regions of Darokin follow suit, claiming independence.
Increasing Entropic cult activities build over the rivalries among the clans and the rise of religious fanatism. Several clans are accused of harboring Entropic cultists or vampires, and another century of war sweeps away much of the progresses brought on by the Traladaran League
AC 675 - The vampire-king psychosis and the political chaos of Darokin reach Traladara as well. A numer of “holy wars”, more or less justified, are fought between the Traladaran nobles during the course of the following fifty years, instigated by Orcus in the form of a devil swine.
AC 681 - The town council of Marilenev finances the construction of the city walls.
AC 691 - Foundation of the Minrothad Guilds. [GAZ9]
AC 700 - Zemiros Sulescu becomes a Nosferatu. [GAZ1]
By this time, the Monastery on the Hill is home to an obscure Entropic order devoted to Orcus, Leptar and other Fiends.
AC 720 - Count Morphail Gorevitch-Woszlany, lord of Lumm and Gorenenov, becomes the nosferatu known as the Black Count of the Moor. The clashes between Traladaran lords become more violent, and Gorenenov, Lumm, Vaion, Volaga and Halavos are destroyed in the following decade
AC 723 - The Kingdom of Darokin is formally dissolved with the death of the last king, Santhral. A dozen of duchies, baronies, and city-states war over the former territory of Darokin.
AC 725 - Queen Elendorath of Vaion is defeated and killed by the Prince of Selenica. Her goblinoid armies disperse in the mountains. The Monastery on the Hill is razed, but a few priests survive.
AC 728 - Morphail, defeated by an alliance including Marilenev, Vidrin and Selenica, flees to Glantri with his people. [GAZ3]
AC 750 - Favorable policies by the town council of Marilenev and the threat of war cause a large part of the rural population of Marilenev to settle within the walls of the city-state.
AC 783 - Castle Koriszegy is struck by a curse that destroys the entire clan, except for the Count, who becomes a mad vampire. The territory around the castle quickly becomes a wilderness
The IX century is comparatively quiet. Only the City-State of Marilenev, the Duchy of Halag, and the Principality of Selenica survive mostly unscathed. However, the noble houses of Selenica are severely reduced in power, and the merchant houses take control of the city. North-eastern Traladara suffered the largest damage, and no major towns survive.
AC 802 - Year of Infamy in the Highlands. [GAZ3]
Some Dwarven survivors settle in Marilenev.
AC 810 - Blynos Kivinivich, a Traladaran priest, writes “My journey: story of a country preacher”, a collection of parables. [HtH]
AC 813 - The mythical Sword of Halav is last seen in the hands of the Duke of Halag, Uidar the Quick. [DMSK]
AC 829 - Foundation of the Republic of the Highlands. [GAZ3]
AC 830 - Blynos Kivinivich, now an elderly priest, writes two more autobiographical tomes in the course of the next five years. [HtH]
AC 831 - Foundation of the Emirates of Ylaruam. [GAZ2]
AC 858 - Light of Rad: the Republic of Glantri becomes the Principalities of Glantri. [GAZ3]
The dissolution of Darokin leads the Emperors of Thyatis to plan the conquest of Traladara and eastern Darokin. However, the wars with Alphatia absorbed most resources, and the imperial plan never went beyond the occupation of Marilenev and the other major settlements of Traladara.
AC 900 - The Emperor of Thyatis, Gabrionius IV, sends his legions in Traladara, and installs a governor in Marilenev, which is renamed Specularum. Garrisons are sent to the borderlands, with the goal of setting up spearheads for a campaign against the Darokinian successor states. [DotE, GAZ1, KKoA]
Traladara is incorporated in the Empire as an Imperial Province.
Thyatian troops invade Lugsid and raze it. A plague in Zadreth force the population to abandon the village and the nearby Temple of the Shield. The survivors settle on the lakeside villages and in Fogor. [HtH]
As a reaction, Selenica establishes closer ties with Darokin.
AC 927 - Foundation of the Republic of Darokin. [GAZ11]
AC 960 - Gabrionius V is assassinated in the Spike Assault. Thincol Torion ascends to the throne. [DotE]
AC 970 - Stefan Karameikos III trades the Duchy of Machetos to Emperor Thincol for the Grand Duchy of Traladara and independence. [DotE, GAZ1]
Trying to establish closer ties with the new Karameikan government, the Baron of Luln sends his two sons to Specularum to integrate into the Grand Duke's court. The eldest son, Sergor Ivanovich, joins the Guard Phorsis and is placed under the command of an up and coming Thyatian-born knight, Sir Alexios Steleokontos. The youngest son, Misha Ivanovich, becomes a regular entertainer in the local taverns, spreading tails of a folk hero that has gained an almost mythological status in western Traldara. The brother's guide from Luln to Specularum, Lia of the Wolfswood, has taken up temporary residence in Specularum, occasionally working for the Guard Phorsis as a spy.
AC 971 - With Alphatian backing, the Radu, Torenescu and Marilenev clans rise against the new government, but fail, thanks to the work of the PCs. The clan Marilenev is all but destroyed. [GAZ1]
The Alphatian Twilight Legion arrives late to the party because of storms on the sea and are forced to capture Specularum without the aid of their Traladaran allies. The PCs travel to Thyatis City to rally support against the incursion, returning at the head of a Thyatian force. With the help of Princess Mellivora and her Callarii Rangers, they manage to defeat the Twilight Legion. Cut off from the sea, the surviving Legionnaires flee west.
Word of an attack on the Baron of Luln cause the PCs to travel west. There they discover evidence of the one Vampire Master the Druids were unable to account for, Lord Korizegy. As a Master he is truly immortal, but offers a deal. If the PCs can kill the first vampire, the Masters will lose this protection. Striking a bargain with Lord Korizegy, the PCs travel to the dreadrealm of Ravenloft where they confront the first vampire, Strahd von Zarovich, and destroy him. The PCs disappear from the Known World for three years and are declared dead.
AC 972 - Second wave of nobles arrive in Karameikos, lead by a prominent Thyatian family, the Promethians. [GAZ1]
Stefan Karameikos invites the Traladaran Clan Council to join his Karameikan Council. At this time and as a show of faith in his Traladaran allies, he changes Specularum's name to the pre-Thyatian Mirros.
Ludwig von Hendricks takes control of Halag and begins construction of a castle on a hill that overlooks the city. Natives of Halag call the castle the Duumtor, which means Fort Doom in Old Traldar. Von Hendricks also takes administrative control of Demiv after an anti-Thyatian uprising that kills the ruling Baroness and her family.
AC 973 - Sergor and Misha's mother is murdered. Jaspar Kashyev, the Ivanovich's Uncle and Castellan, is accused of the act by Bargle of Irendi, the Grand Duke's Inquisitor. Jaspar is sentenced to a quick death by Ludwig von Hendricks, the ranking lord in Western Karameikos. With Sergor and Mischa declared dead and no new ruling house appointed by the Grand Duke, rule of Luln falls to Ludwig von Hendricks. The Black Eagle Barony is formed, stretching from Halag to Luln and then south to Demiv.
Reports of a Warlord unifying orc and ogre clans in the Cruth River Valley have reached Mirros. Ludwig von Hendricks is tasked with dealing with the threat.
AC 974 - The towns of Kelvin and Vorloi are founded on the ruins of Vidrin and Halavos. The Promethians have been promised rule of the town of Lugsid, which they plan to rename Threshold.
The PCs have claimed the Ravenloft Gap as their new barony under Baron Sergor Ivanovich. They have begun to build up the infrastructure to open up the Old Svalich Road between Karameikos and Darokin to caravans, although chose not to deal with the Trade Princes of Darokin in negotiating the price for establishing a trade route, instead hoping that word will travel and spread of a new road.
The PCs also released 13 spirits that Strahd had imprisoned in Castle Ravenloft, and are now dealing with the consequences of their actions. Melivora has now accepted one of the spirits into her body and the PCs destroyed one spirit on the day in which Strahd's fel magic would be used to keep him imprisoned for another year.
AC 975 - On the eve of an important visit from the Penhaligons, word that the situation in the Cruth Riverlands is deteriorating begins to filter into the Barony of Barovia as refugees from the crisis there move into the valley for safety.