History of the Galaxy

Our knowledge of history begins with the planet of Allysar, in what is now known as the Allysar System. The history of this unassuming star system is undoubtedly considered one of the most important of all of the explored solar systems. It was one of the most diverse planets leading into the era of space travel, and much of the Local Cluster is inhabited by the races that long ago existed alongside each other on this planet

<1656 - Pre-Change Times

This time is known “pre-history” to even the most knowledgeable of historians. True nations rarely formed, the only large scale unification being when a particularly effective conqueror managed to carve out a chunk of territory. The largest collection of peoples was city states, tribal villages and nomad groups. This time period is only even referenced by rare historians, as the times before the races expanded beyond their current planets are often considered unimportant and difficult to source. The planar gateways of the multi-verse were still functional, and while the races were not yet space-faring it was common for powerful magic users to visit realms beyond their own. The inhabitants of Allysar knew nothing of the aliens on the other solar systems near theirs, but some of the most powerful of their numbers had visited the exotic locales of the other planes. Summons and outsiders visiting their world was not that uncommon, but visitors from other worlds were unknown.
It wasn’t until after The Years of Change that true nations on Allysar began to form from the feudal societies of old. Some races and regions still had collections of area they called their own, but none moved quickly technologically or politically until the Upheaval times and the fall of magic. While many worlds had a diverse range of species, Allysar was unique in that it had the highest amount of intelligent creatures.
Race Specific History in Pre-Change Times
Drow: The Drow were known to once exist underground before their surfacing during the Age of Convulsions, and in this time were still occupying long-lost underground cities. The Luan Star Empire have persecuted any who continue to repeat this purported “lie” and consider it a grave insult, but many still acknowledge this or use “under dweller” as a derogatory term to refer to Drow.
Elves: The Elven Race are rumored to once have had mighty empires spanning Allysar, but had long ago been relegated to smaller islands since their long-past reign. They continued to maintain relevance by their mastery of magic and artisan skills, and while their Drow cousins managed to outshine them in supremacy the Elves still managed to carve out a place in the cosmos.
Humans: Humans had long been thriving in between the other races, and towards the 20th century had carved out Large Empires of their own. Their fast reproduction rates and overall ingenuity and drive led them to not only outpace most other races in technological terms but also their sheer numbers led to them quickly being the dominant race on the planet. When the denizens of Allysar became space faring, it was Humans that paved the way to the stars.
Dragons: Dragons existed long before the other mortals dared set foot on their domain, but the explosion of the other races populations had caused many of their elders concern. While dragons vastly outclassed other races in strength, magical prowess and often intelligence, the sheer numbers and amount of heroes who saw slaying a dragon as a heroic act, threatened dragons to extinction. Even the “good dragons” began to become territorial and protective of their kind, and it wasn’t until they began to ally with other races that they secured their existence.
Dwarves: Dwarves had long been relegated to underground empires in the pre-isolation times, but had began to thrive in larger numbers on the surface over the centuries. Trade with humans led to an abundance of food, and They still did not have a strong centralized peoples or nation, but were becoming more populous than ever before.
Halfling/Tiefling: They all were considered variants of Humans that managed to retain just enough isolation (or possibly divine intervention) to be considered actual races. During this time they thrived in small communities within or around the human populations, and generally managed to avoid the ire and contempt of the other races. None would be major players on the interstellar stage, but all can be found to this day.
Goblin: Goblins existed on not only Allysar but numerous other systems. As humans and other races spread, they were shocked to find goblins already inhabiting these worlds. Its unknown how they spread so far and adapted to so many environments so well, but they are known to nearly all civilized races.
Orcs: Orcs were a hunter-gatherer race long after others had settled into civilized towns and villages. They had been in a constant state of war with nearly anyone they could get in arms reach and were considered a near plague by civilized races, but their fate would begin to rapidly change upon entering the era of Upheaval.
Kobold/Dragonborn: These were speculated to have been created by Dragons to serve them, but their exact nature is long lost. Both managed to survive beyond Allysars fall and they proved adaptable enough that they have adapted remarkably well to other planets and climates. Dragons, Kobolds and Dragonborns are the few races originating from Allysar that seemed unaffected by long times spent in zero-g, where other races atrophy and suffer other adverse effects. For this reason the early days of Space Travel favored these races, leading to historians to speculate whether Draconic creatures originated on Allysar at all.

The Years of Change 1656-2035

This time period was collectively called The Years of Change because it encompassed a many year span of events that greatly changed the state of Allysar and led to the current state of the cosmos.
1656 – The Years of Isolation: Before 1656, the deities were a major part of the daily lives of all the citizens of Allysar. Entire nations were beginning to form around the gods that blessed and communicated with their devout. It was in this fateful year that the path to the modern day is credited to have begun, for the deities themselves seemingly stopped responding to mortal requests. To make matters worse, all extra-planar connections were severed and teleportation magic was completely non-functional. Even the nature of magic itself was severed, for the powerful mages of the age were lost, never to be seen again. Allysar was, by and large, isolated from the outside world. Far in the future historians investigating the few other races that had history dating this far back would discover this cosmic event was not localized, but for now there was no means of knowing how widespread this event was.
Societies that had become dependent on magic were thrown into civil wars or collapsed entirely. Many people deemed magic the root cause of the problems themselves, and enormous distrust was sown against the very few magic casters that remained, leading to persecution and further stability problems. Some religions survived, while their patrons were silent, through sheer force they managed to convince their followers to remain faithful. Tensions flared across the world and fighting over natural resources and territory would begin
1659 – The Age of Consolidation: Not long after the isolation began, what was deemed the age of consolidation began to surface. Charismatic leaders began to form nations, each preaching their own reasons for the isolation and their own solutions to the problems it caused. When it became apparent that magic and the gods had at least become diminished, the citizens of Allysar began to rely on themselves more than ever before. Technology surged onwards, and devices that were previous rendered unnecessary by magic were suddenly in extremely high demand. Over the next decade, manufacturing of goods and communication rapidly shifted in methodology.
1734 – The Age of Convulsions: While the surface world was experiencing unprecedented shifts in borders, technology and demographics, the denizens of the underground empires had remained relatively unaffected. While they lost their ability to travel to other planes and deities had stopped communication, their ability to utilize magic was seemingly undiminished. The reason for this is unknown but historians have speculated the underground empires had particularly strong magical nodes that led to them retaining their abilities long after the surface races magical collapse. Unlike the relative stability of the other races, Drow had undergone an enormous societal shift. With the Priestesses of Lolth powers gone, the males revolted against their female matriarchs. The rebellion was suppressed, but it was the sign of things to come.
The relative stability would finally conclude, for during this time, the era known as “The Age of Convulsions” began. Devastating earthquakes and underground lava flows rocked the planet. The damage on the surface was devastating, tsunamis wracked coastal cities and ravines split the trade routes. While surface dwellers were dealing with one of the most difficult times since the Isolation, it was a near apocalyptic event to those who dwelled beneath the surface. The Duergar were entirely wiped out, and few underground races managed to survive. Wluene was credited for the survival of the Drow, she led her kind miraculously to the surface despite almost all others perishing. They rose in the realm of Etores, and in the ashes The Wluene Empire was formed from the conquests of the Drow Wluene and her people. The other surviving drow were rapidly assimilated into her Empire, and the Orc tribes that had originally inhabited the continent were subjugated and enslaved into a servant class for the dark elves. The humans that inhabited the coast fled or were embroiled in a decade long guerilla war with the Drow, but after years of bloody war finally defeated and forced into the Empire. Over the next couple decades, revolts by Humans and Orcs as well as foreign threats led the Drow to a harsh realization: If they continued the way they were going, their race would go extinct. The low reproduction rates and constant war to control their subjects continued to chip away at their already diminished population. It soon became clear that something need to change, and the Drow trusted their leader Wluene. The entire outlook of the Drow shifted in an incredibly short period of time for such a long lived race, and they enacted what was known as the Wluene Declaration. The Drow would continue to govern but would give representation to the Orcs and the humans, and they would effectively be considered free. The other nations were shocked by this reversal of attitude, and expected it to fail.
Despite this, the Drows strategy succeeded. The Orcs and Humans were promised some level of autonomy, freedom and advancement, and the cogs of a functioning society began to spin and the Empire began to flourish. The leadership and unexpected cooperation of the Drow led them to retain control while the Humans and Orcs formed their foot soldiers. Over the next couple hundred years, the decisions made during this time would lead the fledgling Drow led Empire to become a superpower.
1846 – The Wars against the Independents: Many things changed during this time period, combat shifted from being predominantly melee to being almost entirely ranged. Magic still continued to remain far weakened compared to the prior ages to the point that only the long-lived races truly remembered the era where it was a force to be reckoned with. The nations began to rely far more on technology and numbers to settle disputes and manufacturing began to increase in remarkable numbers. Guns were refined and manufactured to higher standards than ever before, and even artillery began to impress military commanders across the globe. Almost none of the nations were truly dominant, but many smaller nations began to be mopped up as power was consolidated. Wars were constant, but on a relatively small scale, with larger nations beginning to weave webs of allies.
1856 – The Age of Industrialization: This year was declared the true start of Allysars industrialization period, factories and other industry began to spread. Goods and munitions were produced in large numbers and populations continued to swell. Consumer goods were the leading cause of industrialization as free trade led to unprecedented growth, but it wasn’t the most noteworthy development. Arms production, and toward the end of this age vehicles and aircraft sprung into production. Many strong nations existed, but the ones worth noting were the Wluene Bloc, the Ophidian Territories and the Principality of States, whom were considered the centralized points of power leading into the 20th century. Over the next 50 years consolidation was ever more prevalent, and tensions between the major empires began to flare.
1915 - The Abyssal War: Less than a decade after teleportation returned to the world, something devastating happened. Those that sought to utilize their magic for long distance travel began disappearing upon casting their spells along with those that traveled with them, and portals to the Abyss opened in their wake. Demons poured through the gates and a costly war was fought lasting the better part of a century. The demonic hordes ravaged the world, but the advent of guns and other technology at least gave the world a fighting chance. Millions died, and only through catastrophic losses and sacrifice were the portals closed and stability finally returned. Rapid waves of distrust once again spread and wizards were persecuted across the globe. What they did not, or cared not, to know was that magic had entirely left the known systems, never again to return.
1996 – The War of the Triumvirate: The Abyssal War had ravaged all inhabitants of Allysar, and in the wake the populations and simply needed time to recover. But distrust between the three powers began to reach a peak, each propagandizing and blaming the other for the planets turmoil. Proxy wars were being fought across the globe, until it finally peaked in 1996. The Wluene Empire, still led by the Drow Wluene, allied with the Principality of States and went to war against the Ophidian Territories. The war was devastating and swift, aircraft, tanks and other weapons of war saw their first wide-spread use on the battlefield. Losses were far less than might have been expected, for the Dragons that ran the Ophidian Territories were quick to realize they faced overwhelming odds. They surrendered to the Principality in an effort to avoid persecution by the Drow, and the resulting treaty and surrender of territory causes an irreparable rift between the two remaining superpowers.
2029 – Mass Destruction Proliferation and The Short War – During this time the tensions between the Principality and Wluene Bloc reached a peak. A proxy war over the southern territories of Kolania developed to a full scale war. The Principality had a new weapon, and it was during this time that the first true weapons of mass destruction were detonated, forever changing the future of the world. With the discovery of Gloomium, made from refining the metal, they could be detonated when super-heated into a devastating explosion. The Wluene Bloc recognized the incredible devastation this device presented, and sought an immediate peace. Seizing short term territorial goals, it gave The Wluene Bloc time to construct their own Gloomium devices. Over the next 20 years, both sides began an arms race of apocalyptic proportions. Neither side could go to war or risk Gloomium annihilation, and an era of suspenseful peace began.
2079 – The Final Frontier – Multiple decades went by in what was likely the most peaceful time in history. Neither superpower went to war and open trade even occurred between the Empires. During this period both the major empires became space faring and even managed to make small outposts on other planets or moons. Neither would dare attack the other, so a tentative peace was formed. But this would not continue for long, and both sides sought to gain the upper hand on the other. Technology increased at a rapid rate, and it wasn’t long until major outposts, space stations and colonies began appearing across the local solar system. Travel between the moons and planets was still exceedingly slow and dangerous until the construction of the first subspace drives. The old rocket drives were considered primitive and far too-often resulted in the explosion of the ship. The new subspace drives could be powered off pure hydrogen, were far faster, more reliable, and even catastrophic failures rarely resulted in the loss of the ship. These new drives paved the way into the stars for all the races.
2091 – The Death of Wluene - The famous Matriarch who led the Empire for hundreds of years and pushed their Empire into the stars, finally dies. Her successor was widely disliked and a brief but severe period of infighting occurs. In the wake, the remaining Drow band together to continue the Empire in her vision, and the Luan Star Empire is formed. The Drow would elect one of their number to lead among a collection of states, below that a group of advisors would be elected from the remaining citizens territories, and peace would be maintained. The Principality watched and waited, unsure of what to make of the wide swings in power in the Empire. But eventually the dust settled, and it became clear that both sides would continue in an uneasy peace.
2111 – The Great Expansion – The year universally celebrated as a holiday across the cosmos as The Great Expansion. It was during this time that simultaneously many races discovered their first Warp Gate. These were points in space that allowed faster than light travel beyond their solar systems. The Luan Star Empire expanded to a Star System known now as the Luan System, for no other major space faring species existed here and they claimed it as their own. They began to settle and later industrialize and populate the system. Through genetic manipulation they even sped up their reproduction rates, and became more populous than ever before. Meanwhile the Principality began to expand to the Eridani system, named after the first explorer Ernest Eridani who managed to successfully plot a route here. Worlds were colonized and the first interstellar trade began. From here it became apparent the denizens of Allysar were not alone, as humans and other commonly known species were discovered in the systems. None were space faring, and were either welcomed into the empire or subjugated, in the case of the Luan Star.
2165 – Allysar’s End – Many scholars speculate over the true beginning of the war and exactly who was the cause, but one thing all agree on is 2165 is the beginning of the end. What started as a trade dispute escalated into a system spanning war that devastated all habitable worlds in the Allysar system. Both sides claimed the other launched the first strike, but Allysar Prime was utterly annihilated in radiant green hellfire. Most inhabited worlds in the system fell to one form of attack or another, and many battles were waged over the new Empires fledgling existing worlds. After years of fighting and a complete lack of will to continue the fight settled in, both sides were forced to abandon their campaigns as the costs became too great. The fighting abated, but a formal peace was never signed. The warp gates were closely guarded, and Allysar itself was abandoned.
2245 – Continued Expansion - Both Empires attempted to rebuild in their new systems, and some scavengers forayed back to Allysar through the Warp Gate to attempt to salvage from the old worlds. They were often met by new unseen horrors, but a new industry was developed to retrieve valuables lost in the war. During this period new discoveries were made, and a Warp Gate was found the two-star system of Diplos and the Garell System, dominated by a gigantic red star. The races of the Diplos system were in an unending war against the Formians of the Cryptora system and shared the information of that warp gate to the Principality. A treaty was formed, when the formians were defeated the races of the Diplos system would join the Principality. A long war against the Formians was waged, but finally the Hive Queens were defeated and the Formian hive mind was no more. With the Formians control severed, the remaining surrendered and despite the animosity were allowed independence. To mosts surprise, when not under the queens control they were fairly intelligent and independent creatures, and it was decided that utter annihilation would be immoral.
The Luan Star Empire had similar successes. They had expanded to the Garell system and despite the resistance, incorporated the races inside into their empire, and began to set their sights on The Torilan system.
2310 – The Luan Star / Torilan War: While the Principality were still recovering from their war against the Formians, the Luan Star Empire discovered a Warp Gate to the Torilan system. Inside they saw more resource rich planets and races to dissolve into their empire, but the inhabitants proved more formidable than previous conquests have been. Despite the resistance the system would have eventually fallen, were it not for the arrival of the Vesk (Space-faring Lizardfolk). A previous unknown gate to the Vesk system was invaded by numerous war fleets of the Vesk, and the Luan Star Empire was now on the defensive. Worlds fell as the war-like Vesk launched a devastating attack on the Drow-led empire.
During this time, due to a technology increase and increased sensor tech, The Principality had found a previously unknown warp gate from the Diplos System to the Vesk system. Initial scouting ships and interrogation of captured Vesk traders revealed to the empire that the Luan Star were not only being invaded by the Vesk, but a further Warp Gate to the Goranth system lay beyond under the Vesks control.
The Principality took a risk. They went through the Vesk system, set up orbital defenses at the waygate preventing reinforcements and rearming of the Vesk fleet, and even freed the races of the Goranth system from the Vesks control. Without reinforcements and armament, the Vesk fleet fell. But when the Drow pursued the Vesk through the gate, they were fired upon by the Principality forces before they realized what they had done. Negotiations proved futile, but the Vesk were defeated. When faced with the option of Gloomium annihilation or subjugation into the Principalities collection of states, the Vesk chose to join. The races of Goranth reluctantly joined as well, owing allegiance to those that freed them from the the Vesk.
2336 – New Warp Gates: During this time, the Luan Star Empire retreated to lick their wounds. Not only had they suffered devastating losses against the Vesk, much of their remaining fleet was damaged or destroyed by the Principality as they pursued the retreating Vesk. The Luan Star Empire now occupied the Wluene System (named after their founder) and the Garell system, but they had not managed to conquer the Torilan system who remained independent. The Principality discovered two new star systems, the Valissian System and the Luyten system. The Luyten human populations fought back, but were far outclassed by the warships of the Principality and were forced into the Principality over a decade long war. The Valissian system was more resistant. Despite the best efforts of the Valissian navy, eventually they were defeated by the powerful fleets of the Principality. The system was deemed a migration system, and millions relocated in an attempt to find a new life.
2357 – An Age of Fear: During this time, fear of the Luan Star Empire and a resurgence of the long-past war began to spread. Whether this was natural or a result of propaganda is unclear, but the government began to consolidate power and further control the population. Resistance to these efforts was forming, the denizens of the Luyten and Valissian systems who were beyond the direct control of the Principality became actively hostile to the government. They began to attack and sabotage Principality loyalists, and it wasn’t long before retaliation began. The government of the Valissian seceded, and declared themselves independent to the Principality. When it became apparent there would be no negotiations, senior officials decided to make an example of the unfortunate inhabitants of Valissian Prime. The entire planet was annihilated in a month long barrage, but rather than achieve the desired effect of a quick-peace, other systems rallied against the Principality.
Fleet battles and fighting erupted across numerous systems. Billions were vanquished in the coming fighting, but the military of the government stood victorious in the ashes. In its wake, the Conglomerate of Terrestrial Principals was formed in an effort to reassert its control. A reorganization occurred within the government, and tighter control was enacted to discourage dissenters from spreading “anti CTP sentiment”. The day was declared a galactic holiday named “unification day”.
2377 – The Conglomerate of Terrestrial Principals: The new government wasted no time in enacting reforms to maintain their control. They started with the core systems in Eridani, and began public programs designed to curb dissent. From here the Diplos system and Vesk system were further incorporated, with the sights set on maintaining a grip on the rest of their systems. The outer systems resented the rise of the new government, seeing it as authoritarian and cruel. Those that stood in its way were eliminated, and a series of purges was conducted on the core systems to make sure the populace fell in line. Mandatory Neural implants and regulations were put in place to strictly monitor reproduction, the media was entirely absorbed by the government to control what the populace saw, and morality laws were put in place to further control how people thought. Freedom was a long lost concept as any who held onto the old ways were systemically purged from the morally just future that the CTP envisioned. Immoral behavior of any sorts was considered a sin in the new order, and would be strictly enforced.
Despite the draconian efforts to maintain control, the sheer size of the systems and gigantic populations meant that these edicts were not as effective as they wished. Vast underground criminal empires arose, and the outer systems began to actively oppose the CTP. But … they learned from their mistakes.
2420 – The Current Year: No new warp gates have been discovered in a few centuries. The Luan Star Empire has mostly recovered from its previous defeats and trade has been opened with the CTP. The new Conglomerate has began to exert further authoritarian control over its populace, and has managed to regain control over its previous territories. The Goranth, Cryptora, Luyten and Valissian systems, while technically allied with the CTP are under almost independent control. The CTP wishes to re-incorporate these systems into her control, but for now they remain a safe haven for criminals and independents. They continue to tighten their grip on the systems viewed as their own, but control has been relinquished to the corporations in an effort to maintain control.