Tyrrellean History

Throughout its long existence, Tyrrell has witnessed countless conflicts, inventions, discoveries, and sweeping historical events that have come to shape modern society. While nigh impossible to list them all, below is a brief Overview of Tyrrellean History that hopes to convey the major events of each era. 

Based on the siblings calendar used by most shorter lived races, recorded history stretches back 5990 Lesserkin years. The siblings calendar is divided into three different ages, with the present day currently set during year 40 of the Third Age. Finally, there exists a vast prehistoric era known as the Forgotten Age, of which little physically remains, but whose echoes are still strongly felt.

Prehistory in Tyrrell is commonly referred to as the ”Forgotten Age”. While the exact length of this period is unclear, it’s considered to have stretched from the creation of the universe to the very beginning of the First Age. When it comes to provable historical fact, little remains and even less is understood about the Forgotten Age. Ending nearly 6000 years ago, few records from this era have survived the twin ravages of time and conflict. The little that remains is often intertwined with mythology and as such it is considered to be unreliable at best by modern historians. 

Despite the lack of verifiable knowledge, or indeed perhaps because of it, much of the ‘evidence’ for this era exists in the form of faith and folklore. Ancient civilizations tell tales about tribal champions and the supernatural entities they encountered. Religions around the world explain how existence purportedly came about through the work of a god or gods. Archaeologists whisper about powerful relics or ancient ruins whose origins remain a mystery. Yet there is one legend that repeats itself across cultural lines throughout Tyrrell. 

At some point during the Forgotten Age, there existed frightening eldritch entities with god-like powers whose true name has been lost to the sands of time. Now simply referred to as “the Forgotten”, the origins of these entities or what they truly were is a mystery to even the most ancient of Elderkin societies. Yet, one thing remains abundantly clear. The Forgotten were intelligent beings who once ruled the entire world with an iron fist, and much in the way of death, destruction, and abject suffering occurred under their reign.

The end of their rule was marked by a global cataclysm of some sort, referred to as the “blessed nightmare” by modern scholars. This disaster nearly wiped out life across the moon and reduced much of what existed into rubble. It had the singular benefit of weakening the Forgotten and thus ending their rule.

Recorded history in Tyrrell starts during the First Age. It began when the last of the Forgotten were sealed behind the gates, great magical portals that led to a dark realm far beyond Tyrrell. With the Forgotten banished from the face of the world, the few survivors of the blessed nightmare were left to rebuild from scratch. During the early years of the First Age, Tyrrell was a primitive and savage world, uncharted and dangerous. 

Malicious aberrations left over from the previous era haunted the landscape. The great works of magic of the Forgotten went haywire, ravaging the world with artificial storms, swarms of beasts, and other strange phenomena. Occasionally, civilizations would briefly arise only to be destroyed without a trace. 

However, in various regions around the world, the magically gifted races, now collectively calling themselves “Elderkin” started to organize. Through the power of their innate magical abilities, the Elves, Dwarves, Cyclopi, and Zanayotl worked to tame the wildlands. Slowly over the centuries, harmful entities were sealed away, monstrous creatures were tamed or driven out, and the world was made safe again for large civilizations. 

Thus the earliest known countries and kingdoms to arise in Tyrrell were those of the Elderkin. Some of the oldest examples of these include the elven Empire of Hvel’Luthnor (in the modern day Three Dynasties), the Dwellerdons of Lasukahvel (in modern day Midboria), the cyclopicity-states of southern Elysia, and the dwarven holds of Pharakaatus. Following the branching paths of the fieldic leylines, the Elderkin would further explore, map out, and colonize the known world.

As the early Elderkin nations expanded and bumped up against each other, they soon discovered other sentient races found across Tyrrell. These beings lacking a natural connection to the magical field, were dubbed the “Lesserkin”. Throughout much of the First Age these Lesserkin lacked organized countries and existed only in Stone Age style tribes, clans, or chiefdoms. Examples of these Lesserkin races include the Orcs, Beastkin of various kinds, and Merfolk. Amongst their ranks was a then minor race known as Humans. 

The First Age Elderkin rarely showed any regard for mankind, considering them to be primitive barbarians at best and an invasive pest at worst. Occasionally, nomadic human tribes would wander into the territories of the elder races uninvited, much to their frustration. As Elderkin nations continued to expand, their concept of borders became more defined resulting in the early migration patterns of mankind becoming increasingly restricted. 

This forced the previously nomadic humans to form permanent settlements in leyline free regions which were ignored by the Elderkin. As these settlements grew in size, human bronze age towns and city-states began to develop. These early communities were centered around Western Ciradon, during the mid to late 2500s. Mankind’s first true country, the Areghiev Empire, would form in the  eastern Vosk Basin during this time. 

Though Areghiev would scarcely last 200 years before it was destroyed by a confederation of tribal clans, it set the stage for the rise of other human and Lesserkin countries. Across Tyrrell, Lesserkin nations began to rise and fall in rapid succession. Many of these early humans would even cross the narrow Jeweled Ocean into Parthus. 

While the Elderkin were taken by surprise at the explosive growth of humanity, mankind’s nations remained small, disunited, and poor. Many a human nation would run afoul of their Elderkin betters, resulting in them being invaded, pillaged, and destroyed. For the entirety of the First Age, this was how geopolitics was conducted. Lesserkin nations would either be stepped on, or stepped over, by their elderkin neighbors.

Despite the rapid growth of Lesserkin civilization, the Elderkin as a whole still did not view them as equals. So paltry were their achievements, and so confined was their spread, that the Elderkin did not update their beliefs about the Lesserkin’s supposed inferiority. Lesserkin within the confines of Elderkin nations found themselves living as second class citizens at best, and slaves at worst. Independent Lesserkin states were often ruthlessly destroyed the moment they conflicted with the desires of the ancient Elderkin empires.  

A profound sense of envy also began to spread as the magical abilities of the Elderkin became better understood. Many desired the same powers and longevity as the Elderkin, but due to their Lesserkin biology they could never achieve it. Their growing resentment felt towards the Elderkin would eventually have catastrophic consequences.

The First Age came to an abrupt end in its 3036th year, now considered to be year zero of the Second Age. A human from the Vosk Basin, driven by envy for the Elderkin’s power, and hatred of their prideful natures, unsealed the First Gate within Midboria. For the first time in three millennia, the Forgotten were unleashed upon Tyrrell. This human was transformed by their twisted powers into the First Dark Lord. He became the Forgotten’s spearhead in a war to reestablish their dominion over the world. 

Using the Dark Lord as their proxy, the Forgotten would tempt mankind to join them with the promise of supernatural powers and greater longevity. Many human nations became willing servants of the Forgotten and were transformed into the Forgotten’s foot soldiers. Millions would die as the First Gate War raged across West Ciradon, and only after 18 years of fighting was the Dark Lord slain and the gate resealed by an alliance of Elderkin nations.

In the aftermath of the First Gate War, humanity was blamed for their role in the conflict. Many Elderkin grew distrustful of mankind, due to the fact that the Forgotten had favored using them as easily manipulated pawns. Collectively, the Elderkin grew to believe that Lesserkin nations were too dangerous to be left to their own devices and needed direct oversight in order to prevent them from being corrupted by the Forgotten. 

Thus, a new global order began where the human nations of West Ciradon were forced to undergo vassalage to a patron Elderkin country. Human nations who refused typically faced invasion and immediate destruction by superior Elderkin armies. One by one, the human societies that did not bend the knee  fell to the might and magic of the Elderkin. Nations which were not outright partitioned would be corralled into a number of small tributaries, protectorates, and vassal states. These nations were kept on a short leash and controlled by the neighboring Elderkin empires. 

Whenever a human country grew too powerful or too independent, the Elderkin would fund a rival vassal state to invade on their behalf and put them back into their place. The Elderkin viewed these early conflicts as a way to keep the Lesserkin subservient to them and divided amongst themselves. However, many ambitious individuals began to use them as a way to grow their own nation's power and influence over the other Elderkin nations.

Thus Western Ciradon would witness numerous proxy wars fought between rival Elderkin powers over the course of the Second Age. In order to escape this harsh system of control, many humans would migrate out of West Ciradon into less  populated regions of the other continents. This often led to conflict with  other Lesserkin who were already native to these areas.

Despite the Elderkin’s hopes that they could prevent future conflicts, the First Gate War would prove to be only the first of nine wars the Forgotten would launch as they attempted to return through the other gates. In 90 SA the Second Gate was opened beneath the mountains of Pharakaatus. 

Though a complete Forgotten victory was thwarted, the insect-like creatures they had created continued to infest the mountains of the Eternal Empire through the modern day. In 506 SA, the Third Gate was unsealed, devastating the ancient elven homeland of Hvel'Luthnor. Again the Forgotten would eventually be contained. Additional Gate Wars would be fought in Elruth, the Saressen Empire, and 3 other locations across the breadth of Tyrrell. 

With each gate’s opening the Forgotten would create new monsters, appoint new Dark Lords, corrupt new minions, and attempt new strategies to conquer Tyrrell. However the Elderkin too would adapt, and with time they would become increasingly proficient at resealing the gates. The final Gate War would occur in 1180 SA, with the opening of the Ninth Gate on Velta Island in the Jeweled Ocean.

The Ninth Gate War would prove to be the most destructive of the Forgotten’s invasions. Mutating people and animals to serve their will, the Forgotten laid siege to 4 of Tyrrell’s 6 continents. East Parthus was almost entirely conquered and many nations and peoples were entirely wiped from existence. It was only through the sacrifice of the Champions of Sperrhis’ that the Forgotten were narrowly defeated and the massive gate located within a volcanic hellscape finally closed. 

In the aftermath of each gate war, the offending gate was secured and powerful magic was put into place to ensure they could never be opened again. Such was done upon the opening and discovery of each gate, such was the way the gate wars were fought during the second age.

The Gate Wars devastated much of Tyrrell, with certain regions  experiencing massive depopulation during the Ninth Gate War. In particular, East Parthus entered a dark age as nearly all of its major civilizations had been destroyed, their leaders killed, and their peoples dead or scattered to the winds. In many cases it would take centuries to rebuild what was lost. Yet where some saw ruin, others saw opportunity. As the Elderkin were distracted with their own reconstruction efforts, limited attention was paid to the realms of the Lesserkin. 

Although this sometimes stifled their recovery, it also allowed for a greater consolidation of Lesserkin states. Many human nations such as Turangar, Moreva, or Voskgardia would expand their territories by annexing or incorporating weaker neighbors. Elsewhere, countries that had survived the Ninth Gate War began to lay claim to the land of countries that didn’t. Some nations like Jaldalsa, Aldalse, or the Sudraghian city states were founded on the bones of empires toppled by the Forgotten. 

As reconstruction required an increase in resources, the Elderkin began to explore further afield in search of new lands to colonize. Many Elderkin colonial empires, already established in previous centuries, reached the peak of their expansion around this period. By the 1400’s Tyrrell had largely recovered from the damage inflicted by the Gate Wars and entered a new age of growth and prosperity. Slowly, the horrors inflicted by the Forgotten faded away becoming yet more myths embedded into history.

Meanwhile, on the Red Steppe in East Ciradon, the orcs had remained a tribal society largely irrelevant to global history. As a whole, orc culture placed immense emphasis on personal relationships and loyalty rather than abstract ideals such as nations or ideology. As a result, the orcs had always had a hard time uniting together, beyond small tribes or nomadic war bands. Occasionally charismatic warlords would rise through the ranks and unite the tribes to form "hordes". These hordes, while sometimes truly powerful, would collapse after the death of its leader. 

In the 2000’s of the Second Age, orc shamans, who had been using mysterious black powder for their religious rituals, discovered its potential for war making. Soon the first cannons were created and pointed at nearby cities. This sudden increase in firepower caused multiple hoards to become active simultaneously across the Red Steppes and the region was engulfed in a massive war as tribal coalitions fought to conquer, assimilate, or incorporate each other into their own warlord's hoard. 

Among the various warlords who battled fiercely with one another, one possessed such immense tactical genius and personal charisma that he managed to defeat all other contenders, driving them out of the Red Steppes altogether and sealing his hold upon the entirety of Eastern Ciradon’s core. 

His name was Purgu'gash, a name that yet lives upon the lips of his modern day orcish worshipers. In campaigns that would become legendary, he defeated every orcish warlord and army who opposed him. These defeated rivals fled outwards, causing the Orcish Wars to spill into the outside world. For the next several decades, multiple orc hordes would perform a series of conquests and raids on a scale Tyrrell had never seen. 

Despite his many victories, Purgu'gash was not content with having united the Red Steppes. After receiving “holy wisdom” from the sacred Rhino, he chased his remaining rivals further across the continent, eventually defeating each in turn. Only after his foes' broken bodies lay at his feet did he turn his attention towards the remaining nations who opposed him. 

The end of the Orcish Invasions would eventually come about as the orcs attacked more fortified cities, forcing them into long drawn-out sieges. This would lead to the defeat of the united orcish army at Turangar, during the Siege of Lumara. Purgu'gash would be  killed by an unidentified arrow and the Orcish Confederation crumbled after the death of its leader. His final words were purportedly, “My body has fallen here, yet I shall remain.”

As Orcish society once again regressed into warring tribes, the ability for them to build cannons would be lost for hundreds of years. However, the devastation that gunpowder wrought was not erased from people’s memories. In the 2300’s of the Second Age, the dwarves of East Ciradon began to experiment with shipboard cannons to counter elven naval supremacy. Combined with their runic magic these early cannons proved to be an immediate success and revolutionized naval warfare. 

This sparked an arms race as cannons became increasingly common across the many battlefields of Ciradon. As these weapons were further refined, the range of cannons increased while their weight was reduced. The success of cannons prompted the development of new types of gunpowder weapons. Although it had been the Elderkin who reintroduced gunpowder to the world, it was the Lesserkin who made the most use out of these advances.

In the 2450’s, human nations in West Ciradon started using arquebuses in their armies, though which country first invented them is hotly disputed. These early firearms were woefully inaccurate, dangerously unreliable, and had a painfully slow rate of fire. Rarely were they a true match for experienced Elderkin mages or archers. Nevertheless, it was easy to train new marksmen, especially compared to Elderkin archers or swordsmen, and they could be fielded in mass peasant armies. Though melee weapons and bows would remain in practical use for the next few centuries, firearms became increasingly commonplace.

Starting with the Fraternal War in 2566, conflicts in Tyrrell would be fought using the tactics of pike and shot warfare. Proxy wars between the Lesserkin intensified during this period. This led to increased centralization inside of Lesserkin societies, a rapidly escalating arms race, and the early seeds of nationalism. While the Elderkin frequently dabbled in this early era of firearms, particularly the dwarves of Western Ciradon, their nations more often than not favored long range spellcasting, magical arrows, shield spells, or other enchanted equipment to counter the growing threat of guns.

In 2691 SA the course of history would be forever altered by an invention that went completely unnoticed at the time. In the Elruth Empire, dwarven craftsmen created Tyrrell’s first piston and cylinder steam engine. The original purpose of this steam engine was to pump water out of flooded dwarven mines. However the design proved inefficient and uneconomical compared to simply hiring water mages to do the job. The steam engine was quietly discarded and may have disappeared entirely from record if it were not for one of Elruth’s small vassal states. 

In 2701 the abandoned designs for the steam engine were picked up by the human Kingdom of Voskgardia. First used to pump out mines in their soggy highlands region, various improvements would be made to enhance the device’s safety and efficiency. With these improvements the Voskgardian’s slowly began to find other uses for their steam engine. The dawn of industrialization loomed over the horizon. 

In 2783 SA Voskgardia would overthrow its Elruth backed king to become a republic under Tassendreli vassalage. Though an alliance of Elruthian vassals would attempt to invade Voskgardia and restore the monarchy by force during King Lappin’s War, Voskgardia would prove victorious in part due to their invention of rifled muskets. Over the next century Voskgardia would experience an unprecedented period of economic growth and territorial expansion. 

To Tassendrel’s benefit, Voskgardia managed to conquer several of the neighboring vassal states aligned to other Elderkin empires. Other human states joined Voskgardia peacefully for economic or cultural reasons. All the while Voskgardia’s rapid industrialization blossomed with inventions like trains, steamships, and huge factories. Many of these innovations had even begun to spread to nearby human states, such as trains in the 2820’s.

By the last decade of the Second Age, Voskgardia had grown to become the most powerful Lesserkin country in Tyrrell’s history. It had even begun to eclipse many smaller Elderkin nations, much to their ire. While Tassendrel had previously benefited from their vassal's rise, many Elderkin began to fear that Voskgardia had grown too large and powerful to control. Increasingly, calls were made to reduce Voskgardian autonomy and bring the nation directly under Tassendrel’s dominion. In response, Voskgardian leaders began a rapid military buildup, investing in their armies' size and weaponry.

Voskgardia's growth came at tremendous environmental cost. Deforestation had become widespread across the country. Smoke from factories filled the skies with ash and grime, darkening the sun and creating acid rain. Overfishing took place throughout Voskgardia's polluted waterways. Many species were driven into extinction. The toll this unchecked industrialization had on the environment began to even impact the Field. By 2913 SA the elves living along the borders of the Tassendrel Empire began to sense that the leylines surrounding Voskgardia had started to weaken and decay. 

With their ability to use magic under threat, relations soured between Voskgardia and the nearby Elderkin countries. Many of the Elderkin, largely ignorant about the workings of human technology, accused Voskgardia of intentional sabotage or even Forgotten worship. In response to these rumors, a trade embargo was initiated by the Umrinor Cordaile, with the demand that Voskgardia dismantle its heavy industry and allow Elderkin inspections to occur to prove that Voskgardia was not under the influence of the Forgotten. Relations would reach their breaking point in 2914 SA, whena Tassendreli envoy tasked with investigating Forgotten corruption was arrested in the Voskgardian city of Vyzlevni. 

When an armed Tassendrel delegation was sent to free the envoy, a riot broke out and several elves were slaughtered. In response Emperor Thalienar, seeking a quick military victory to enhance his legitimacy, sent an ultimatum to Voskgardia. They were to hand over several high ranking government officials, surrender any non-bladed weapons, and enact an immediate policy of de-industrialization. Calls for further negotiations by Voskgardia were subsequently ignored. When the demands of this unreasonable ultimatum were not met Tassendrelofficially declared war.

The War of the Dawn began in 2914 SA, the year that would become year zero of the Third Age. The first major engagement occurred at Tiirgard Crossing and would prove to be one of the most one sided battles in Tyrrell's history. Elven infantry, mages, and cavalry unwittingly marched directly into Voskgardian landmines, machine guns, and artillery fire. Tassendrel's initial invasion force was completely routed. Attempts to stop the invading Voskgardian army would only have limited success at heavy cost. When Emperor Thalienar refused to capitulate, Voskgardia would launch a full scale invasion into Tassendreli territory, with the express purpose of overthrowing the emperor and installing a new one friendly to Voskgardia’s interests.

In the opening year of the war, Tassendrel's outdated tactics proved insufficient against Voskgardia's advanced weaponry. Voskgardia would capture several important cities, ports, and provinces in northeast Tassendrel. With the capture of Castle Kentadel it appeared as if the Tassendreli capital of Sarkavilna itself would fall. The young Emperor would be further hamstrung by the Black Rose plot, a coup attempt only narrowly stopped by a cadre of loyal officers. These officers would go on to form the core of Tassadendrel's army, an army whose tactics and customs had been seemingly overnight rendered obsolete. The Ronalon offensive, named after General Ronalon, would be the first victory that Tassendrel would achieve, finally pushing Voskgardia back and giving the Elven nation the breathing room it so desperately needed. 

In response to Voskgardia’s continued dominance, Tassendrel called upon its vassal states and its allies in the Umrinor Cordiale for support. Trench warfare, proving to be a viable tactic, spread across the battlefield and was heavily used by Elderkin Armies. Additionally, the Cordiale would supply loyal partisans behind enemy lines who would wage a sabotage and terror campaign across Voskgardia. As the war dragged on, the methods of the Elderkin would become more savage, driven by not only the need to win, but the need to merely survive.

Finally, reluctantly, the Elruth Empire would join the war as part of the Umrinor Cordiale. Initially, Elruth saw some success, pushing Voskgardia from the south and supplying their allies with much needed relief. However, Voskgardia, knowing how much the Elruth Empire relied upon their human serfs, began shipping in weaponry and supplies to sympathizers within Elruth. The resulting human uprisings split apart the Elruthian territories in a civil war, ultimately fragmenting the empire. Elruth's mountainous territories would suffer a large-scale famine as they could no longer import food from their vassal states. Voskgard would invade and subsequently occupy these vassal territories, siphoning off food and material back into their homeland to be used in their war effort, leaving the locals high and dry. 

The Great Elruth Famine killed millions and turned most of the remaining West Ciradon Elderkin states against Voskgardia. Midboria, the Union of Great Holds, and the Red Mountain Dominion all joined the Umrinor Cordiale. With the refinement of new Elderkin tactics such as illusion spells, Walking Coffins, and new weaponry such as Zuriss and Zanayotl war constructs, Voskgardia was finally forced back inside its own territory. The war would continue on and off for several more years as Voskgardia's defenses held. However impossibly outnumbered and slowly being choked out of resources and manpower, Voskgardia would ultimately fall after nearly two decades of attrition warfare.

Upon its defeat, Voskgardia was partitioned and occupied by the member states of Umrinor Cordiale, then forcibly deindustrialized. Despite sporadic resistance from a partisan faction known as the VLF, the Cordiale continues to rule over the Voskgardian Occupation Zone. Through the use of collaborators and reeducation camps, the Cordiale is working to slowly erase Voskgardian national identity and dismantle the former country into several smaller puppet states. However the Elderkin’s hopes of somehow ending human industrialization was an abject failure. 

As the war reached its end, the technological innovations that had been trickling out of Voskgardia soon became a deluge. Millions of Voskgardian refugees managed to flee the country, bringing with them their technical expertise. Operation Sea Lantern, a desperate last ditch effort by the Voskgardian Military and Intelligence Services, was a wild success, with designs, blueprints, patent documentation, and industrial equipment being successfully smuggled out of the country throughout the final years of the war. The Phoenix's final cry of defiance was heard the world over.

Leftover Vosk weaponry frequently found its way into the hands of rebel groups and underground movements. Seeking to replicate Voskgardia’s rise, many Lesserkin states began reverse engineering their technology. These efforts to copy Voskgardia’s methods of industrialization quickly became too widespread to be realistically contained on a global scale. 

While the Umrinor Cordiale was distracted with their desperate battle against Voskgardia, many of the Elderkin’s vassal states and overseas colonies seized the opportunity to declare independence from their overlords. The Elruth Civil War further created a power vacuum that was never entirely filled. Already severely weakened during the War of the Dawn, the Elderkin struggled to prevent their vassals from breaking away without compromising their existing war efforts. They were left to pick and choose which Lesserkin states to suppress and which to reluctantly relinquish dominion over. 

By year 40 of the Third Age dozens of human nations had caught up to, or even surpassed, Voskgardia’s previous levels of industrialization. This technological development however has only further polluted the environment and damaged the fieldic leylines. With magic now in decline across Tyrrell, relations between the Elderkin and Mankind have reached a breaking point. Both sides have begun preparing for a great confrontation, seeking alliances and gathering their forces in preparation for war…

• Timeline of Tyrrellean History