The Age of Blackness refers to the lack of concrete information scholars have about the time period. The myths and legends of
Barsaminism and
Gran Saminism describe a time when
The First Descendants came from the heavens and settled the city of
Promethus a mystical city that could provide the first decedents with every they could ever need. However in the myth
The Fall of Barsamin, the jealous spirit
Herms and the demigod
Lok crash the heavenly palace of barsamin into
Promethus utterly destroying the city and leaving giant
Crater in its place.
The myths of
The First Descendants describe the almost magical abilities the descendants and their city possed. Myths describe how some of the buildings could fly through the air or crawl along the ground. One myth describes how decedents used portable windows that allowed one to look across any distance by manipulating the spiritual spectrum. Almost even more fantastically, the myths claim that the dependents knew how to create these wondrous devices.
Unfortunately with the destruction of
Promethus, only the most relevant knowledge survived. Any construction techniques immediately applicable to survival was passed downs; Cermanics, basic metallurgy, agriculture, all were passed down. Again any abstract knowledge that did not provide a survival advantage was lost or turned into fantastical myths; engineering and mathematical concepts, basic biology including evolution and germ theory, all remained known to a greater or lesser extent. Any more advanced technologies must clearly be the tall tales of the early survivors.
Little recorded history remains from this time. What scholars do agree upon are three basic tenets. First, the population remained small; scholars estimate the population to be anywhere from 3-5 million people. 2nd, the people used the lakes and rivers as a means of travel and communication. This allowed the small population to cover a large are around the
Tresbort Lakes and surrounding navigable rivers. Third, due to the easy lake travel the survivors developed a shared culture scholars call the
Nil Yeni based on the two ancient cities,
Nil and
Yeni, founding during this time.
The
Nil Yeni developed a culture focused around the survival of the community, called a
Village Himoth. Concepts of individual familiar relationships and knowing ones biological parents were foreign to them. Children were raised communally and ones efforts were devoted to ensuring everyone in the
Village Himoth prospered. The society was matriarchal with women being seen as wise and intelligent leaders. In fact the leader of a village was elected to the position of
Himoth from the most capable women of the village. Men on the other hand were seen as necessary to do the dangerous and hard jobs of survival but not to be trusted with leading the village.
Since the survival of the village mattered most,
Nil Yeni romantic and sexual relationships were fluid non binding. Relationships would form and people would grow together or relationships would end and dissolve as people drifted apart. While the
Nil Yeni were fairly open with their relationships, it was seen as very incestuous to have a sexual relationship with someone born in the same village. Thus in order to ensure no incestuous relationships could flourish, males would spend their teen years in another village often deciding to join the village. This practice of trading teenage males between villages was know as
The Unification Ceremony and created a complex web of relationships between the villages.
As the population continued to grow, the next major event in
Greater Yenaria was the formation of the
Barsaminic faith from the scattered and fractured beliefs of the
Old Heavanic Pantheon. The religious text the
Great Nossic details the life of the prophet
Da harka Darmin and how made a pilgrimage to the city of
Nil and spoke to the great spirit
Barsamin and through her conversation she discovered the true hierarchy of the world. The text then describes how she kept traveling and preaching about her great revelations. In her final days she founded the
Barsama Star Temple in the center of the giant
Promethean Crater. Even after her death the following priestesses use the temple to continue spreading the word of
Barsaminism.
By 2200 the
Nil Yeni had settled the lands surrounding
Tresbort Lakes all the way down to the
Vorden Mountians on the coast of the ocean. The river valleys and lake shorelines were bustling with
Nil Yeni Village Himoths. Yet very few
Nil Yeni started settling away from the navigable rivers and lakes. Instead the next wave of settlements would be on the coast surrounding
the Sea of Lok and teh
Cradcresse Islands. This expansion was facilitated by the development of an ocean worthy boat.
While the
Nil Yeni initially settled the narrow coast line between the
Vorden Mountians and
Herm's Sea, the isolated fishing villages quickly devloped their own distinct culture. The
Old Delarian culture, as scholars call it, was based around a deep reverance toward and understanding of the dangers of the seas. The
Old Delarians quiclky modified the small single hulled
Nil Yeni Knucklereeder boat to larger double hulled catamarans stable enough to surive the massive waves of the oceans. The new ship building techniques allowed the
Old Delarians and eventually the
Nil Yeni to explore and settle the mid oceanic islands.
With the ever increasing population of
Greater Yenaria the opportunities for conflict only intensified. While tales of the
Nil Yeni settlements before the wars tell of rivalries, alliances, catastrophes, no large scale regional conflicts were told. The Brybort wars are the first wars involing much of the
Greater Yenaria region. The
1st and
2nd Brybort wars focused on
Yeni's and
Rel's]'(settlement:13f50e00-3d93-4c8f-8d67-293230b57a33) rise to dominance as regional powers. In the @[3rd and
4th Brybort wars the two cities competed over dominance of the region. At the end of the 4th war,
Yeni had burned
Rel to the ground and now controlled,
Delnari, the new trade city of
Delfi, and almost all of the smaller cities and villages, leaving them in sol control of
Greater Yenaria and the surrounding islands.
While the end of the
4th Brybort War left
Yeni i complete control of the
Greater Yenaria region. Scholars mark the start of the
Early Yenari Empire on the day 2760.
Darmsel Darmin was returning from a holy expedition from to
Yenishar Coast where she founded the holy city of
Nali next to the rock columns she named the
Pillars of Barsamin. On her return she found her mother the
Himoth leader of
Yeni was assassinated and Darmsel's sister were starting a civil war over control of Yeni's territories.
Darmsel Darmin quickly convinced the
Gran Min of
Barsaminism to name her
Empero, a title Darmsel created to give her control over the politics of Yeni and the
Barsamic faith. With the backing of the church the Civil ar quickly came to an end leaving
Darmsel Darmin in charge of the newly formed empire.
With the establishment of the
Early Yenari Empire,
Darmsel Darmin changed the social structure of the
Nil Yeni cities. Scholars mark the start of the
Old Yenarian culture with the start of the
Early Yenari Empire.
Darmsel Darmin believed her blood was mystical and belived she could pass down her blood to her offspring. With the new
Empero obsessed with blood relations and not the survival of the
Himoth Darmin most
Nil Yeni women did the same. Additionally, Darmsel replaced the
Village Himoth system with the
Himark system. This changed the
Village Himoth into mainly an organization for enforcing loyalty to the empire and less about the survival of the community. These cultural changes allowed the empire to flourish for several hundred days.
The last Empero
Hraven Darmin was the first male Empero and led the empire into civil war. In 2947 he led the navy and army to suppress a new growing rebellion on the island of
Shadcress. Hravens brutal suppression of the rebellion and constant paranoia led to the navy to mutiny and defect to the rebels, resulting in the death of the Empero. When news of Hraven's death reached
Yeni Hraven's heir ,
Da Harka the 2nd a toddler only a few days old, disappeared and was presumed murdered. This started the massive civil war of the
Five Emperos. This war torn the empire apart and allowed the rebels on
Shadcress to gain independence and establish the new
Jharette faith.
The
War of the five Emperos ended when
Tomish Sharven, a powerful general in the war, created a power sharing arangment with one Empero. If the Empero would be in charge of the
Barsaminic faith and Tomish would become the
Gran Guide overseeing the empire. With their combined power they ended the civil war and created the
Middle Yenari Empire and empire that would see hundreds of days of stability.
The one exception the the
Middle Yenari Empires long period of stability was the
The 1st Navel war. The city of
Delnari susseded from the empire with support of the
The United Ire on the island of
Shadcress. The brutal war resulted in the
The Strepslim Accord which let
Delnari join the
The United Ire and monopolize all the trade on the lower
Strepslim. The
The Strepslim Accord meant that the
Middle Yenari Empire could not maintain contact with the
Cradcresse Islands and the
Yenishar Territories. Thus those area suddenly gained independence. Despite the loss of its island and coastal territories the
Middle Yenari Empire resumed its long period of stability focusing on its core territories around the
Tresbort Lakes.
The
Middle Yenari Empire came to end during the
The Marble Wars. Initially during the war, the Empire captured
Delnari allowing them access to the oceans again. However, the
Middle Yenari Empire was completely surprised when
Kallis Ternvic and the
Tern Bass invaded Yenari. The
Middle Yenari Empire regarded the
Tern Bas as nothing more than harmless wandering nomads. However, a few hundred days ago they had domesticated the wild
Dreck. The increased mobility that the
Dreck gave the
Tern Bas along with their unification under a strong leader, created an unstoppable force that completely surprised the
Middle Yenari Empire.
The
Tern Bas took over most of the central empire. They made
Delnari a free city, free to conduct its trade and its own affairs yet still technically part of the new
Yenari Empire. The northern part of the empire initially declared independence and supported the Tern Bass invasion yet when the
Tern Bas brutality became clear, the northern cities formed the
United Delfic Alliance in opposition to the
Tern Bas controlled
Early Yenari Empire.
While the
Tern Bas were successful in capturing much of the
Middle Yenari Empire, the
Barsaminic priests were distraught that their holy city of
Nil was occupied by priestesses preaching a false form of
Barsaminism.
Kallis Ternvic converted to barsaminism and invited the
Barsamin Empero back to Nil. Unfortunatley the
Barsamin Empero died on the trip to
Nil. This enraged
Nali and caused them to ally with
United Delfic Alliance and call for two crusades against the
Yenari Empire. The
Yeni Crusade completely failed to achieve anything. Several days later the
Nill Crusade successfully captured
Nil and exile the false
Barsamin Empero Deemor Darmin.
Nali might have liberated the whole
Yenari Empire if
Neerse Vimtoric and the
Tern Bas had not attacked the empire.
Recently declared the
First Father , by the exiled
first and only Granbarsamin Empero Deemor Darmin,
Neerse Vimtoric attacks the
Yenari Empire. He quickly takes over the empire, liberates
Nil. The
Fertile Shar remains independent for several days longer. Eventually, the nation of
Vordenlan captures
Delnari and this allows Neerse to retake much of the fertile shar. After the invasion over the next several hundred days, the
Gran Barsaminism religion spreads through the whole empire.
The empire is plunged into chaos when
Keraak Stuk "the userper" illegitimately declaers himself
the 4th Father of the
Yenari Empire. In the resulting turmoil, the
United Delfic States attack the empire and take
Nil back for 70 days and reclaim much of the
Fertile Shar. During this war the city of
Delnari also declares Independence and forms the
The Delnari Coalition .
After the
Nil was captured by the
United Delfic States the period called the
War of 200 days started. In reality the war was a series of small conflicts where neither side could gain an advantage. The most notable feature of the war was the increasing use of advanced military technology. Over the course of the war merchants like the
Lak Traygers started trading with the
Sol Cid Ire empire on the dark side of Didome, and the Gonnes and Kannons started being introduced to the rest of the nations of Didome. In 4344 using massive Kannons the
Yenari Empire overwhelmed the defenses of
Delfi and captured the city. This action brought an end to the 10 score war and paused the hostilies between the two nations, as
United Delfic States lost their capital an access to
Lake Resbort and the
Yenari Empire lost the ability to confront the Delfic states by land.
While their was a 80 day pause between the
United Delfic States and the
Yenari Empire. Hostilities resumed during the
Delfic League War when the
United Delfic States attacked to take back the city of
Delfi. While initially successful they defeated and their new capital of
Delian was burned to the ground. Before the
United Delfic States were completly crushed, the
Tern Bas attack the
Yenari Empire.
Over the past few hundred days, the
Tern Bas had lost much of thier standing in the empire as the gonne and kannon replaced the mighty Tern Bas astride a giant
Dreck. This had let them feeling disconnected from the empire. This current attack was the
Tern Bas' attempt to reclaim the empire. Unfortunately the Empire was able to utterly and mercilessly crush the
Tern Bas. Eventually, they recaptured the holy city of
Durbarrak.
In the past forty days three major trends have been shaping the
Greater Yenaria area. First, following the
Tern Bas revolts, the empire revoked the
Tern Bas' scared claim to the plains of the upper
Strepslim. This has allowed waves of desperate
Yenarian settlers to flood into the upper strepslim valley. Aditionally, rumors circulate amoung the
Yenarian settlers that the
Slim Bas joined forces with the remaining
Tern Bas and are preparing to sweep down upon the
Yenari Empire again. Some claim that they call themselves the
Bassols. Second, many popular movements and revolts have happened supported by the common people. For example, the commoners of
Delian overthrew the ruling aristocrats and have created
Nos Delian a government organized and run by the commoners. Third the
Yenari Empire has become financially exhausted as it attempts to control
Delfi and occupy the nation of
Sharlan.
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