Timeline of Pre-Wesnoth

Timeline of Pre-Wesnoth or Ancient Irdya

This is meant to be a list of the historical events of Irdya that took place before the Kingdom of Wesnoth was established. It is un-official but provides enough details for any curious UMC creator.

Location

Great Continent

Information to be added soon.

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Arkenova

Information to be added soon.

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Argea

The actual name of the continent that is referred in Wesfolk lore as the Old Continent. More information to be added.

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Netjer-Ta

This is a land distant from most centres of civilization; lying to the north of Argea, it is believed by some to be where orcs and minotaurs first appeared before spreading to Argea and then to the rest of the world. The first humans to reach this continent were the Windsong, who used is as a lab for their experiments; centuries after they were last seen there, the Sun's Cradle was again visited by humans of both the Aragwaith and the Hannuk people led by Myra of Hiera'Shirsha; there they founded the city of Maat'Kare. A remarkable geographic feature of this continent is the Sun Path, a long valley that crosses Netjer-Ta from east to west, and which is run by the great River Ruthen, with the Dark Island in its middle. To the north lie the frozen mountains of the vampires, while the southern mountains are ruled by the Motsoghnir and the Aigathol dwarves. Further southwards, there is the Silent Desert, which got its name from the fact that it is never plagued by storms. To the west, one can find the plains and hills where orcs and goblins dwell; and, to the east, the city of Maat'Kare and its satellite towns are situated. Centuries after Maat'Kare's founding, a catastrophic conflict known as the War of the Jewel reshaped the continent's landscape and political map, but little is known about it for now.

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Timeline:

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BW: Before Wesnoth

YW: Years Wesnoth

Distant Past (circa ~12000 BW)

• Ancient legends tell that the dragons were once the dominant species on Irdya, threatening the balance of nature. The High Dragons of Water, Fire and of the Sky - Nitiballi, Agniballi and Svarballi - are created by the Guardians to restore it. Svarballi is, however, corrupted; Agniballi and Nitiballi defeat him after a catasthrophic war, and seal up his soul. Nitiballi sacrifices himself to heal the world's wounds, and his crystallized body becomes the Fountain of Life.

Circa ~3800 BW

• The Aragwaithi, most ancient of all known human peoples, found Garet-Desh, considered the cradle of human civilization, at the Aragwaith Meadows, central Great Continent. Its first king is Maethar the Great, the first owner of the Rod of Justice.

3500 BW

• Ancient Dragon first appears, Shek'har first appears.

Circa ~3400 BW

• The Order of the Windsong first appears; they establish Foundations all over the Great Continent, but enter in conflict with various humans nations and also elves, their fiercest enemies.

3370 BW

• The Windsong Foundation of Hiera'Shirsha is established in the Windy Mountains; its Librarian manages to forge friendly ties with neighbouring peoples.

3230 BW

• By this year, all Windsong Foundations have been either destroyed or abandoned, but for Hiera'Shirsha.

3200 BW

• First Kalian - great council of the peoples of the great continent- named after the council of the elves - convened at Hiera'Shirsha to decide the peace between the Windsong and the elves; the Aragwaithi and the Aigathol Dwarves serve as mediators.

3090 BW

• Second age of the Aragwaithi Kingdom upon the great continent, King Abhai I founds Abhan dynasty.

2835-2834 BW

• The dragon Krathon rebels against the High Dragon of Fire, Agniballi and attacks the Aragwaith Meadows from the south while the Aragwaithi are fighting a civil war.
• Against his father's orders, Prince Abhai of Garet-Desh and his best friend, Aryon, go to the Windsong Foundation of Hiera'Shirsha to seek their help; there they meet the Weaver Maat.
• Fractured Aragwaithi mount little effective resistance against Krathon; however the other races of the Windy Mountains near the Meadows unite to face the threat. United armies of Dwarves, Aragwaithi, Elves and Windsong meet Krathon outside of Garet-Desh. The king is mortally wounded; he gives the Rod of Justice to Abhai, who harnesses its power and repels the enemy army.
• Abhai leads Garet-Desh's army to Unyathan, where he faces Krathon again. Aryon is killed, buts Abhai kills Krathon. In the same year, he is crowned King Abhai III of Garet-Desh.

2828 BW

• Abhai III takes advantage of his kingdom's might to proclaim himself the High King of the Aragwaithi, thus decisively ending the Aragwaithi Civil War.

2826 BW

• Myra, later known as Myra of Hiera'Shirsha, is born at the village of Kiera, in the southern Meadows.

2820 BW

• Maat is chosen as the new Head of the Windsong Order, the youngest and - arguably - most powerful of them all.

2804 BW

• Shek'har, viceroy of the Dragons' Land, still bitter over Krathon's unavenged death, awakens Svarballi. Svarballi kills Agniballi and starts preparing a massive attack on the western areas of the Great Continent. Dragon army sweeps across Great Continent.
• Princess Alenya of Lintanir is sent to the Aragwaith Meadows, where she'd arrive in the following year.

2803 BW

• The drake armies commanded by Khrakrahs besiege Hiera'Shirsha while Maat is not there; the saurian Assix steals the Book of the Dead from there and begins raising the first large-scale undead army in recorded history, save perhaps for those of Lich Lords Cahal and Jevyan; Hiera'Shirsha falls, and Myra leads the remaining Windsong to Garet-Desh. A Song of Fire begins.
• Myra seeks the Fountain of Life in an attempt to find a way in which to defeat Svarballi, accompanied by a soldier, Jevyan of Garet-Desh.
• A massive attack led by Shek'har himself forces the elves, the trolls and the dwarves to evacuate the Windy Mountains.
• Final battle of the Last War takes place at Garet-Desh; the allies resist until Svarballi himself appears. Maat sacrifices herself to trap the souls of Svarballi and three other dragons inside a gem, which Myra finds. Varthan, son of Abhai III and the new owner of the Rod of Justice, leads the Aragwaithi, the trolls, the elves and a few Windsong to the north, whilst Myra leads the Windsong, the dwarves and a few Aragwaithi to the east.

2802-2800 BW

• The refugees led by Myra enter the Hannuk Steppes, where she meets her father, Tarkyn.
• The vanguard of Shek'har's armies attack Tarkyn's lands, led by an undead Assix, who is vanquished by Myra.
• At the city of Ughure, Myra and her people are found by Shek'har and betrayed by the other Hannuks. Myra unleashes Svarballi's power to destroy Shek'har and most of his army, but is nearly killed by the explosion. Later, Jevyan calls the gem 'Sky Soul' for the first time.
• After the Battle of a Thousand Tears, during which a drake army led by Khrakrahs is held off, the refugees leave the Great Continent and sail eastwards, towards a continent known by the Windsong as Netjer-Ta.
• On the way to the Sun's Cradle, Myra finds the Trident of the Seas, a weapon forged by Nitiballi himself.

2799 BW

• The refugees reach Netjer-Ta, and meet the orc sovereign Ogesh and the Celestial Seraphin Lords. The refugees take the Land's End peninsula, granted to them by the wargs,from vampires and minotaurs. The legendary city of Maat'Kare is founded there.

2797-2796 BW

• The Aragwaithi reach the northern shore and set sail towards the northern horizons. They arrive at the shores of the Farthest North. They start building settlements which would eventually become great cities.

2794 BW

• Continental War begins in Netjer-Ta between the vampires and the orcs led by Hagor against all other nations. An army led by Myra defeats the vampire lord Vrykos; almost at the same time, the new Windsong Foundation of Hiera'Laksha is besieged by a Celestial horde. The Celestial lord Grigorius steals the Sky Soul, and in an attempt to harness its powers, is possessed by Svarballi. Myra manages to defeat him, but the Sky Soul is lost after the battle. A Song of Fire ends.

2785 BW

• Maat'Karian explorers discover a new land-mass southwards from the Sun's Cradle, separated by a strait. Maat'Karian colonists start building settlements there. They name it Argea (the Aragwaithi true name of the continent upon which Wesnoth will later be situated).

2735 BW

• Various settlements, which have gradually grown into cities, break free from Maat'Kare, declaring themselves a separate country.

2700 BW

• Empire of Anaktoron is founded.

2600 BW

• Civil war erupts in Anaktoron, leaving hundreds of thousands dead. First dark age. Anaktoron eventually re-united at some point.

Circa ~2000 BW

• Galderien dynasty begins in Anaktoron; Anaktoron absorbs lesser kingdom of Helletia. Capital moved to Gyaldon.

1185 BW

• War breaks out between the land of Anaktoron and Lich Lord Cahal. At first, the forces of the empire are victorious and Jevyan is crowned emperor. On his first day as emperor, he succumbs to old age and accepts Lich Lord Cahal's offer of becoming a Lich Lord. Antheia, granddaughter of Ariphon - advisor to the emperor, takes most of the remaining population and sets sail away from Anaktoron, leaving it to be devastated by the Lich Lords. [Library of Kratemaqht]

1184 BW

• Human refugees from the empire of Anaktoron arrive at the western shores of the Arkenova. Seeing that the land is fit for colonization, they start to build a new empire.

1182 BW

• Distrustful of the Lich Lords, Maat'Kare cuts off any remaining contact it had with Argea.

1146 BW

• The Empire of New Anaktoron is founded.

1145 BW

• Kaliban, seeing a new human kingdom expand sends his most loyal general - a vampire lord - to deal with them.

1144 BW

• The Maat'Karian mages Akhen, Merwe and Mahyus, alongside the vampiress Nyx, arrive at the western shores of Arkenova. They help repel the attack of Kaliban and are given the ranks of advisors to the Emperor.

1136 BW

• Nyx is exposed as a vampire, and this causes the empire to turn against her and her friends. They flee east, accompanied by their young apprentice mages. Akhen, Merwe and Nyx return to Maat'Kare, but Mahyus stays at Arkenova. He and his students arrive at a secluded island in the central-northern part, where he uses his mighty elemental powers to establish the Great Academy. He then changes his name to the more native-sounding Markus.

1080 BW

• Succumbed by old age, Markus transforms himself into an undead lich.

1030 BW

• The elves of the Twilight Forest, growing fearful of the rising Markus, sent forth their armies against him. Markus' elemental army decimates the elven attackers and the elemental master, in his rage, casts a spell that destroys the sacred home of the elves.
• Orcish Warlords, seeing that the elves were vulnerable without their forest, invaded. The remnants of the elven society flees further eastwards and divides into two groups, one going North and the other going South.
• The northern faction of elves are forced into the underground realm by the saurians and with the help of the Faeries, they create the Last Forest.
• The southern faction of elves arrive at the land of the Burning Sky (a term used by the elves instead of desert) and build a settlement, gradually developing into a thriving and prosperous city.

650-645 BW

• Settlers of New Anaktoron arrive at new land, south of Arkenova and start establishing settlements, eventually emancipating themselves from the empire.

590-585 BW

• Orcs wage a war against the mighty dragon Kor Vas. Saurians, trolls and goblins are drawn into the conflict.

560 BW

• A human lord, Tegwyn, gathering his loyal followers, leaves the Empire of New Anaktoron and journeys into the former capital of the elves. Acquiring the aid of the Elemental Wizards, he constructs Genesis - the first human city to be built in the Wild Lands. [Rise of Genesis]

543 BW

• Lord Tegwyn passes away, succumbed by old age. His son, Gwydoc becomes his successor.

540 BW

• Dantori, son of Gwydoc, is born.

530-528 BW

• A new War Chief among the orcs has risen and he lauches a full-scale assault on Genesis. Lord Gwydoc falls, and Genesis is captured. Dantori flees and vows to avenge his father.
• Dantori saves a troll tribe from orcs and earns their trust. They attack Genesis next and are successful in recapturing it. The orcs War Chief dies leaving the orcs in another civil war. Genesis is repaired, trolls and humans start living together in harmony. Humans live inside the city, and the trolls reside in the underground catacombs beneath the city.
• In 528 BW, the vampires launch a campaign of dominating the entire island. They begin first by attacking Genesis. Dantori falls after a long siege and the human population is enslaved alongside trolls. [Fall of Genesis]

520 BW

• War spreads throughout the northern regions of Arkenova - orcs, trolls, goblins, saurians and drakes enter a bitter war.

260 BW

• Kratemaqht - guardian of the Library at the ancient capital of Anaktoron is visited by a mage, who had heard about the Library from a story, and the great dragon allows the mage and his students to live and study there.

220 BW

• Lich Lord Cahal visits the library in search of a book, but the great dragon denies him any access. Enraged, the lich summons his minions, which Kratemaqht easily overcomes. Defeated, the lich lord vows to return and kill him.

210-198 BW

• Kratemaqht forges an alliance of various races in the Old Continent and declares war on the Lich Lords.
• After a long war, Lich Lord Cahal is destroyed, and Jevyan takes the remainder of his followers and sets sail to the Green Isle. A faction of Jevyan's followers, led by Prince Caldor arrive on the southwestern shores of Arkenova. He leads his people to mercilessly conquer the broken Kingdom of Estersage and finds a new kingdom called New Wesland.
• King Caldor starts a campaign against the cave cultists who had abducted his sister Eliza. He is successful at infiltrating the heart of the enemy lands, but fails to vanquish the Lich Shirzo. He brings down the capital, but is later killed by the incoming enemy army. [The Wesfolk Prince]

146 BW

• The Ruby of Fire finds its way into the hands of Lich lord Lenvan.

100 BW

• Markus is impressed with the abilities of two twin mages, Morin and Morgan and takes takes them under his wing.

62 BW

• Lich Lord Lenvan is trapped beneath Greenwood Forest in the Green Isle; with him goes the Ruby of Fire.

40 BW

• The twins Morin and Morgan betrays Markus, and run away with a scroll about the Immortality Potion.
• Morgan is later caught and her soul is used to make a dark magic potion.

38-24 BW

• The Grand Academy's High Mistress finds a wood elf infant in her garden. She finds herself bonded with the child, and raises Gioviel, the elf infant, as her own.
• The ten-year-old Gioviel shows magical abilities and is trained in the elemental arts.
• Gioviel accidentally drinks an evil potion and is banished from the academy. She searches for a new home, and finds the Last Forest - An underground forest, created and inhabited by a faction of the Twilight Elves. She battles the undead and earns her place alongside them. [An Elven Elementalist]

19 BW

• Jahin, later known as the Lord of New Genesis, the Dragon-Conquerer, and the Protector of Irdya, is born.

16 BW

• Barus, a power-hungry orc warlord, ascends to be the High Chief of all the orcs in Arkenova.

15 BW

• The Chaos Imperialists, alongside their demonic allies brought into Irdya from the Inferno, start to attack nearby lands.

14-12 BW

• Kingdoms of Gaelia and Marhelm to the East of the lands soon to be called Wesnoth falls. The lands to the North and East of the Lins-Elens fall into chaos. First Ka'lian dissolved, with many elves moving westward, toward the lands where the followers of Haldric are soon to land. Demon Lord Vaxmos ousted by Jalin, restoring relative peace. He sails Northwest and stumbles upon Arkenova.
• Jalin unites the dwarves, elves, merfolk, carapaces and human settlers against the greater menace - the Chaos Empire.

03-01 BW

• In the Lands of the Icy North, the Steppe Clans declare war against the Aragwaithi. The Aragwaithi lose and are forced to flee southwards. Having sailed for over a month, they arrive at Arkenova.

01-05 YW

The Legend Begins takes place during this time.

• Jahin inspires the slaves of Genesis to revolt and frees Genesis.
• Accompanied by his friends, he leaves the city in search of allies.
• Jahin returns with the aid of the Orcs, Trolls, Drakes, Saurians, and Elves and breaks the vampiric occupation over Genesis, and renames it New Genesis.
• Jahin is given the title, the Lord of New Genesis.
• Gathering enough allies, Jahin is able to defeat the Vampires, driving the majority away from Arkenova for good.
• Jahin is successful in closing the portal to the Inferno opened by Shirzo.
• Jahin slays the Red Dragon and earns the title Jahin the Dragon-conquerer.
• Jahin leads the Alliance of Light against the Chaos remnants, but the latter sails westwards.
• Jahin defeats or breaks all enemies and establishes the Alliance of Light.

Sources

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Information is derived from the campaigns:

• A Song of Fire
• Library of Kratemaqht
• Rise of Genesis
• Fall of Genesis
• Epic of Jalin
• The Legend Begins
• An Elven Elementalist
• The Wesfolk Prince