Because Trid is a setting of connected sandboxes, its “world history” is necessarily chronicled in broad terms via a handful of massively impactful milestones. In this respect, it is a foundation upon which each sandbox's more detailed history is laid.
As a result, the history below is that of outcomes, with very little attention paid to what caused them. There are no years, nor are the Ages quantified by duration. No individuals are identified. As such, it is a sequence—a sparse timeline only. This is not to say a cohesive narrative couldn't be laid by connecting these dots, but rather that it would be
one of many possible narratives that leads to the same state of affairs.
In other words, the history below tells us
what happened—it is up to individual referees to apply the details of
how and
why to that sturdy framework.
The Before Times
Trid's earliest records describe a warm and verdant planet populated by giant reptiles, primitive humanoids, and two dominant races, the
elves in present-day
Alfland and the
saurians in the islands of the
Serpent Sea. These opposing cultures reached a copper-age standard, and with the aid of arcane magic expanded their territories, eventually clashing in earnest along the
Glittershore.
As the elves and saurians battled for control of the Continent, the various humanoid races developed slowly, in small stone-age tribal units, avoiding the conflict around them. The dwarfs fled underground to the
Deepreach, humanoids hid in the cold and rugged wilds, and humans roamed the Continent as nomadic hunter-gatherers. Neither the elves nor the saurians gained an upper hand in direct confrontation, and the period was marked by an effective stalemate during which each group laid hold to what territory they could, hoping to isolate the other and dominate through attrition.
The Dim Ages
The impasse between the elves and the saurians persisted until the saurians created the
Far Paths, a network of extradimensional portals that allowed rapid travel across great distances. The saurians used these portals to deploy their armies across the Continent, quickly overwhelming the elves along multiple fronts.
Searching for allies, the elves lifted the nomadic humans out of the stone age, teaching agriculture, writing, and the ways of the
Ardic Gods, though they forbade man to study the arcane. As the elves defended against the saurians, human culture evolved, until an alliance of elves and men eventually crushed the
Saurian Empire, leaving their culture and their edifices in ruin.
The Age of Fable
After defeating the saurians, the elves cemented their alliance with humans by establishing the Ardic Republic, which unified two-thirds of the Continent under a
common religion,
language, and law. Cooperation between elves and humans blossomed into great social prosperity.
As human generations passed, the elves expanded their arcane knowledge until an accident struck
Opho with a powerful burst of magical energy. Knocked into an unstable orbit, the moon absorbed the burst, but soon after began emitting random surges that disrupted arcane magic on Trid. These emissions compromised the elves' ability to wield arcane magic, and the so-called
Ardic Curse shifted the balance of power towards man.
This loss of leverage disposed the elves to despotism, ultimately provoking fierce human rebellion that signalled
The fall of the Republic. During this violent period, human cultures forcefully distanced themselves from elven influence, spawned the
Ethos Gods, and began to experiment with the arcane. After generations of hard and wasteful war, humans pushed the elves back to Alfland, irrevocably shattering the Republic. Those elves who survived surrendered their homeland in exchange for safe passage to the Fey Realms, embarking on a mass sea voyage to the west known as The Retreat.
The Age of History
Decades of conflict combined with the elves' exodus created vast stretches of wilderness overnight, riddling established polities with pockets of unsecured territory through which the denizens of the wilds rampaged. Humans still struggle to dislodge them as they slowly rebuild the civilisation the elves betrayed. Many places seethe with wildermen tribes, humanoid clans, monser lairs, and the strongholds of self-styled lords whose lust for power scorns justice or social order.
It is the year 1026, just over a millennium since the elves left, and man has much chaos to tame:
The North: The
Northern Kingdoms are the most stable lands, though they struggle against humanoid warbands from the wild
Bretland Marches, Jarlefolk raiders from the
Frost Reach, and internal power-brokers eager to exploit any opportunity for gain. Trade with the Coastal Dukes of the
Sovereignties is brisk, though increasingly taut: The Dukes have grown rich through commerce with the Midlands, and some feel it would be cheaper to take the Nordland's resources by force than with coin.
The Midlands: The
Twelve Tribes of the
Midlands maintain a strict theocracy dedicated to Adesh, the Lawful Lady of Hieron, though the rise of the
Messenger Cult threatens the social order. Watching closely are the
Alfmen, who plan to make
Alfland the heart of a new Ardic Empire.
The South: Wildermen mercenaries under elven captains drove the
Sudemen south of the Elven Road during the Fall, retaking most of
Sudenland for themselves. The displaced Sudemen nobility established their footing in
Austrus, whose dynastic autarchs have since campaigned (unsuccessfully) to recapture the heartlands north to the
Glittershore and west to
Buccina.
The East: The
Ostmen claim all land to the south and east of the elven road, not coincidentally the bloodiest battleground during The Fall.
Ostland is now home to a handful of growing polities with the common purpose of fiercely eradicating any scrap of elven influence they can find. They listen to their ancestors, who urge them to topple the Alfmen satrapies lodged along the Glittershore. This requires a larger naval presence than the Ostmen can muster. Meanwhile, burgeoning sea trade with Austrus is creating an economic boom in the southern Ostland states, prompting colonial expeditions to
Eremus across the Broadstrait.
The Serpent Sea: The
Sea Holds, gateway to the
Serpent Sea, consist of dozens of independent city-states built upon the ruins of the ancient Saurian Empire. Notoriously fickle in their alliances, the native
Inselmen are nevertheless prolific trading partners that supply the Continent with many exotic goods (including
lotus). Each city-state deploys its own navy, largely to shield merchant vessels from the greedy eyes of ubiquitous pirate lords. Many of the smaller islands of the
Serpent Archipelago are uninhabited (or at least unexplored), though
Pon is overrun with humanoids and
Palus remains an inpenetrable province of wildermen.
The Promise
A future time, prophesied by men as an age of peace and prosperity. The Promise means something different to each culture and may take one of many forms. Religions likewise have different approaches to realising the Promise, and many cults are devoted to a specific interpretation of how best to bring it about.
Comments