General Avalonian History
Pre-Imperial History
Historians have typically estimated that the survivors of Atlantis landed on the shores of Eastern Thule and established civilization some three thousand years prior to the establishment of the Republic around 3200 BAE. While records are scarce from that time period, Historians do know that the fledgling Avalonian civilization learned much of their magic from records mysteriously left behind by ancient Dwarvish clans who had long abandoned the mountains for then unknown reasons. With the discovery of Dwarvish Force-based magic, the Avalonians eventually abandoned the traditional Life-based magic that was believed to have been practiced on Atlantis. (See Avalonian Magic.)
Through the intervening years, the Avalonian civilization thrived in the Underdark Lightfields within the Olympic Mountains, eventually becoming a city state with the expansion of the city of Asgarth. Eventually however, in 2952 BAE, one of the few dates historians are certain of, a schism occurred and a large number of Avalonians headed towards the surface to find new opportunities. One group discovered the Olympian Valley, near the peak of Mount Olympic. Most historians believe that the Olympian Valley, a hospitable and relatively warm patch of land, is not a natural formation and was created by one of the same deities that created the Underdrak Lightfields and deposited the humans there. Within decades the settlements within the valley quickly expanded to become Civitias Avalonis, the city of Avalon. For the next several hundred years a rivalry loomed over both city states, leading to several minor skirmishes.
Imperial History
In 2508 BAE, after centuries of minor warfare, the Avalonian King, Ptolemios I, led a massive and devastating invasion into the Underdark, laying seige to the city of Asgarth. At the time, a chronicler remarked that Ptolemios had credited the invasion to "inspiration from the gods." In reality, it was most likely strained food supplies that drove Avalon to invade Asgarth. Over the centuries, the city of Avalon was slowly outgrowing it's ability to feed the people within its walls. The small amount of arable land was overfarmed and poor crops had led to several minor famines throughout the years. Some historians speculate that had invasion been stopped or scrapped, Avalon may eventually have failed as a city state. By 2510 BAE, the Avalonian Army had broken through Asgarth's defenses and conquered the city-state. In the winter of 2511 BAE, Emperor Ptolemios I officially established the Avalonian Imperium and presided over the Imperial throne as both the first emperor and head of the Ptolemy Dynasty.
This period in time represented a blossoming, and some historians refer to it as the beginning of an age of reason for Avalonian civilization. Much of the superstition during the pre-imperial times was replaced with reasoning and rational logic. The old Elder Polytheism gave way to a brand of Uristism. Scientific discoveries abounded during this period and there was a strong undercurrent of magical and physical exploration. However, there was a great deal of chaos underlining the supposed order of imperial society. Fickle, ineffective monarchs dotted the historical time-line, leading to several political purges and more than a few succession crises. This was as much an age of strife as it was an age of reason.
As far as external affairs were concerned, the Imperial Age marked a time of relative peace and quiet. The Imperium expanded the territory under it's control, expanding towards the hillsides of the eastern coast of the island and establishing a new settlement, Nova Atlantia, towards north of the capital city. Airships, crewed by curious adventurers and scientists mapped out the boundaries of the continent of Thule. Some even traveled to the nearby continent of Lemuria. There is speculation that a ship or two may even have made it as far as the continents of Rutas and Mu. During this period, the Imperium established contact with several Uruk and Dwarvish civilizations. Relations were generally friendly although limited. For the most part all involved parties kept to themselves.
The reign of the final Avalonian Emperor, Augusta III, proved to be a turning point in Avalonian history. By a rare fluke, the young, idealistic emperor turned away from lavish expressions of power and wealth and instead focused on properly governing the Imperium. After more than two thousand years, institutional rot had long set in, and Augusta III spent most of his time reforming critical Imperium institutions and personally combating corruption. During his reign, he delegated enormous amounts of power to the impotent Imperial Senate, allowing it to rise to new heights of power and prestige. With his reign, despite his tough anti-corruption policies, a general wave of social liberalization swept through the Avalonian civilization. A stifled and informal academic and scientific community was given new life and motivation. Throughout the two centuries of his reign, the Avalonian Imperium experienced a brief revival. After years of petty bickering among the political elite, the Imperium regained it's interest in the realms outside of its borders. A new wave of explorers set out to chart the lands beyond and moderate Imperial expansion led to at least Imperial claims on the entire island. All this earned Augusta III the admiration and loyalty of the people. However, for reasons unknown, Augusta was incapable of fathering any children with any women of the Imperial Inner Court. He died peacefully in his sleep in 86 BAE, leaving no clear line of succession. As he had no children and no surviving relatives, the death of Augusta III marked the end of the Augusta Dynasty.
Just as it seemed the Avalonian Imperium would be racked by another series of succession conflicts, the invigorated Imperial Senate, the Council of Archamges and various other political activists stepped in, performing a bloodless coup d’état. With the support of the Archmages and the Senate, as well as the open support of many citizens, the armed forces of the Imperium were hesitant to act. After a decade of rule by the Senate, the Avalonian Imperium was officially dissolved and a new Avalonian Republic was established in 76 BAE.
Republican History
The Early Republic
The new Republic started in much the same mood as the old Empire had ended. Art, music, culture and drama entered a new golden age. This new upswing in cultural production were key to the overall production of a new republican culture. Science and magic continued to innovate at an exciting pace with discoveries such as adamantium casting and the invention of primitive firearms resembling the Alfar Arquebus. New derivatives of the old RUNTRAN magical language streamlined magic, slowly transforming it into a semi-logical science.
Avalonian politics was reinvigorated with the creation of new institutions and the reformations of old ones. Despite the excesses of the old Imperial authority, the Imperial Throne was maintained as an institution, although Imperial authority was checked by the new Parliament and the Prime Minister. In 74 BAE, the Odina family became the first and only Imperial dynasty to hold the throne in Republican history. Historians attribute the survival of the Imperial Monarch as an institution to the peoples' favorable attitudes towards the final Emperor. Externally, in addition to sending out new exploration expeditions, the Republic made an effort to reconnect with the people on the Thule mainland and to re-establish diplomatic relations which had long lay fallow. For the first five decades of the Republic, it seemed as if Avalonian civilization was poised to enter a new period of openness and to take a major role on the world stage. Indeed, some believed that the greatness possessed by the ancient civilization of Atlantis, which most consider to have played a formative role in Avalon's past, was within Avalon's grasp.
Contact with the Alfar Empire
All of this changed in 23 BAE when contact was first established with the growing Alfar Empire under the eventual Alfar Emperor, the Lord of Dar Gorath. An Avalonian exploratory skyship encountered an Alfar warship near the northwest coast of Lemuria. By all accounts, the encounter was actually quite peaceful, such as it was. Communication were hampered as the Avalonian explorers did not understand Alfar and the Alfar warriors had a very limited understanding the Dwarvish dialect spoken by the Avalonians. Trinkets were exchanged and somehow the Alfar were able to communicate to the Avalonians that they were approaching the border to a vast Alfar empire. At the end of the meeting, the Alfar made a request of the Avalonians. At the time, no one on the Avalonian ship understood what the request meant. A nearby scribe however, attempted to transliterate the sounds made by the Alfar warrior. Accounts indicate the Avalonians bowed politely and headed back north towards Avalon to report the discovery. It would be thousands of years before anyone in Avalon would make sense of the request. The Alfar warrior had given the Avalonian explorer an ultimatum: Whoever you are, we are coming for you. Submit to the greatness and glory of the Emperor of all of Alba.
News of the Alfar Empire eventually made its way back to the republic, where it was greeted with a combination of skepticism and caution. Most simply did not believe the Alfar Empire was as large as it claimed. However, even if the Alfar Empire possessed only a fraction of the territory and power the warrior claimed, it would be more than an even match for the Republic. After more than five decades, the exploration expeditions were halted and a number of skyships were equipped with Haze Fields and sent out to the nearby continent of Lemuria to keep patrol and look for signs of this new empire. A select number of particularly gifted adepts and masters were also sent to Lemuria to find evidence and acquire information about the Alfar. In the meantime, the Republic accelerated efforts to upgrade and reform the Imperium's antiquated military. The Council of Archmages retreated from public sight in 20 BAE and isolated themselves in the Avalon Tower, and would not re-emerge for more than four decades. At the time, no one at any level in the government understood the Council's reasoning or intentions.
Retreat into Isolation
After more than twenty years, in the year 5 AE, the patrolling skyships near the northern Lemurian coast finally saw what some had dreaded would happen nearly two decades ago. The Skyship Thanatos, overlooking a large coastal kingdom, witnessed a massive siege by an Alfar army. Although they were greatly outnumbered, over the course of only a week, the walls and the army of the coastal kingdom lay in ruins. The captain of the Thanatos took detailed notes on the movements and apparent tactics of the Alfar army. The captain at the time concluded that the Alfar Empire, at the very least controlled most of northern Lemuria. At around the same time, information from the mages sent more than two decades ago trickled back towards the Republic and corroborated the captain's report. The government was in a near panic. Never had the Avalonians encountered a civilization that was capable of threatening Avalon on an existential level. Throughout the decade beginning in 10 AE, more information returned as mages returned from their sojourn on the Lemurian continent. The most shocking news of all was received when Master Wace Mindus returned in 20 AE with a report from his journey to the coast of Mu. The report detailed was incredibly detailed and gave the most realistic account of the Alfar Empire that the Republic possessed. Territory, tactics, magical capabilities, societal observations, approximate demographics, technological capabilities were all covered in the report. (See Excerpts from the Mu Report of Master Wace Mindus.)
While Avalonian technology and magecraft was slightly superior to the Alfar, the leaders of the Republic realized that there was no way for Avalon to win an extended attrition war with the Alfar. Military leaders, however, were confident that Avalon's armed forces could win multiple defensive engagements against Alfar forces of significantly larger size. The only good news was that nothing in Master Wace's report indicated that the Alfar knew where the Avalonian Republic was located. The decision was made in 21 AE to minimize the Avalonian Republic's presence in the world as much as possible. All trade and diplomatic agreements with neighboring powers were severed and the Republic entered a 5000 year period of In 22 AE, the Council of Archmages re-emerged from isolation and revealed an enormous Haze Barrier generator in Avalon Tower. Constructed with help from the Mechanicus Corp of engineers and scientists, the Haze Barrier would operate much like the Haze Field on a skyship. However, the enormous size and area covered meant that at any one time, at least one Archmage must maintain the barrier. Even with four Archmages, it would be difficult to run the magic schools and maintain the barrier at the same time. A law was passed by the Parliament mandating that the Haze Barrier would have to be maintained at least during the day and in times of emergency. A permanent Skyship patrol was established to provide early warning to Avalon and to allow the Archmages execute other responsibilities beyond maintaining the Haze Barrier. In practice however, over the last 5000 years, with the exception of the Necromatic Invasion of 5157 the Haze Barrier was only ever down for a couple of hours at a time.
Stasis
The 5000 years of history that occurred after this are something of an interesting historical phenomena. The Avalonian society essentially became obsessed with avoiding an Alfar conquest. Every effort was poured into strengthening defenses and keeping up with Alfar weaponry and technology through indigenous R&D efforts. Economically and politically, however, Avalonian society entered into stagnation. Despite increased politicization of the citizenry, no political movement ever made any real progress, as the majority of the society's efforts were directed towards resisting a potential Alfar invasion. Throughout 5000 years, reforms did come about, but often at a glacial pace. Corruption, as always, was a major issue throughout the Avalonian Republic. Often it was rigged voting and party machines and bosses who controlled local apparatus of power. While in theory, anyone had a chance of ascending the political ladder of power, often it was the rich and privileged who governed the less wealthy masses. In a few rare instances, the Parliament became so embroiled in internal politicking that several Emperors of the Odina Dynasty were able to seize at least temporary power. It was the stagnation and tendency of Avalonian society towards the status quo that prevented a return to an Imperium. As a result of the Republic's self-imposed isolation, no real significant external events were present during this period of Republican history.
Despite relative political and economic stagnation, other areas of Avalonian civilization experienced enormous advances, especially in the areas magic and culture. While other areas of Avalonian civilization entered a rut, the entertainment industry entered nearly five decades of reform and innovation (although some would term it devolution). Magic also saw continual, although incremental improvements in efficiency and power, making Avalonian mages some of the most powerful in the land. Scientific advancement was also heavily touted by society. After 25 AE, the Avalonian society maintained no less than four or five mages in foreign lands at any given time. Often, 2 or 3 adepts were accompanied by one or two masters. Like their predecessors, these mages were tasked with tracking Alfar advancements and technology, generally keeping the Avalonian government informed of affairs and developments. (See Avalonian Mage Expeditions.) Ironically, scientific advancements started to lag, despite massive state support. Without trade and contact with foreign cultures to sustain an influx of new ideas, science academies in the land stagnated with one sole exception. The nature of Underdark Lightfields and the Olympian Valley had always been a great mystery; scientists and naturalists had attempted to understand their origins ever since the formation of the Imperium. Over the millenia, there had been slow but steady progress. During the period of isolation, while other sciences stagnated from lack of new data and information, natural science surged forth with new discoveries and answers to old questions. Discoveries and new understandings of Physics, Mathematics, simple Biology and Chemistry were all critical in the general advancement of Avalonian scientific knowledge; combined with information from the many mages in Alfar territory, this allowed the Avalonians to at least keep pace with the Alfar on a technological level.
The Necromatic War
Five thousand years of stagnation eventually took their toll on the Avalonian military. The war that army was trained the fight never materialized. The Alfar Empire never reached Thule in any force and never even entered the Eastern Island and eventually, the Avalonians learned of the downfall of the Alfar from various returning mages. By now, the army was in a general state of disarray, and seemed on the verge of disintegrating altogether. In fact, only the Council of Archmages, along with some of the magical universities managed to ward off sustained rot and stagnation. Every other institution was suffering from some degree of rot or another. And then the Avalonian society learned of the Necromancer Lords in 5147. Initially, there was great and sustained debate among the politically active. Popular pressure as well as the highly motivated and patriotic Prime Minister Julius Paicer led to a critical period of institutional reformation that prevented entropic collapse of the Republic's political foundation. At the same time however, the knowledge of the Necromancer Lords to a great schism among the mages of Avalonian. Some advocated joining the Necromancer Lords while others stressed caution and rearmament in case the Necromancers proved hostile. Tensions eventually rose to a boil in late 5148 in Magery Massacre of Avalon. A group of mages decided to defect and head off towards Necromancer lands. They commandeered a transport skyship and were prepared to sail off to the West. The Archmages as well as the Army however, feared these defectors would reveal the location of Avalon and compromise the very existence of Avalon. Two Avalonian Warships, Valiant and Yggdrasil opened fire on the unarmed transport, causing it to crash into a nearby mountainside. Three companies of Fire-casters led by the Archmage Dragos moved on the remains of the transport and brutally killed any remaining survivors. When the public learned of the massacre there was a general uproar and threat of rebellion and rioting against both the Parliament and the Council of Archmages. The Republic seemed on the verge of chaos and anarchy when fate intervened yet again in the form of a returning mage. This time, Master Veobulf brought news of a great war between the twisted Necromancer Lords and the peoples of Lemuria. The public debate shifted from to a question of whether the Avalonian Empire should emerge from isolation to fight the Necromancer Lords. A more detailed account from Master Veobulf in the intervening months however, quickly squelched the notion. The combined might of the Necromancers would utterly devastate Avalon. Even if Avalon were able to drive off the Necromancers, the result would no doubt cause the complete collapse of Avalonian civilization. The decision was made to maintain the Avalon's neutral position. In the meantime, measures would put into place in an attempt to reform the armed forces.
In 5152, an expeditionary force from the Necromancer lands managed to land on the Eastern Island. It was quickly subdued by the Avalonian Navy and a small contingent of the elite Lightblade company. In 5155, a larger, followup force made it as far as the foot of the Olympian Mountains, overrunning minor (but evacuated) settlements before being subdued. No doubt curious as to the mysterious loss of more than three legions of troops, the Necromancer lords sent an enormous army of more than twenty thousand soldiers into the Easter Island in 5160. The invasion force was intercepted by advance elements of the Avalonian Navy. Enemy mages were able to nullify the Avalonian Haze Fields, and in the ensuing firefight, two Skyships, Lightfoot and Augusta were sunk. However, the enemy invasion force lots more than 5000 troops before ever touching foot on Republic soil. By 5156, the enemy had penetrated the Haze Barrier protecting Avalon and became one of the first non-Avalonians to witness the capital city. Captured Necromancer soldiers remarked that they were surprised to find such a sophisticated civilization hidden among seemingly inhospitable lands. For almost a year, fierce fighting ensued near Avalon as the enemy force attempted to encircle and lay siege to the city. Historians note that if not for the secret tunnel-way between Avalon and Asgarth, which provided critical supplies of food and weapons, Avalon would have fallen in less than six months. Finally, in the winter of 5157, Republic soldiers along with two Archmages finally broke through the siege forcing an enemy retreat. A trio of Avalonian warships cut off the Necromancer Lord-General's escape route back toward the Thule mainland. The ensuing battle was murderous and no quarter was given. At then end of the battle, the Necromancer soldiers were annihilated leaving only a handful of captured soldiers. The Republicans however, suffered crippling losses. Historians believe that a fourth Necromancer invasion would most likely have overwhelmed the exhausted Republican military.
Thankfully, by 5160 AE, the Necromancer Lords were far too busy in Lemuria to bother sending another large expedition. Small raiding bands continued to harass (attempt to harass) the Avalonian Republic, but no Necromancer forces ever penetrated the Haze Barrier again. Modern Avalonian historians believe that the defense of Avalon was critical in the greater Necromatic War in that it sapped critical troops from the war effort in Lemuria. By 5180, the Necromancer threat had subsided as the Necromancer lords were forced to focus more troops on the Lemurian front. While the Republic itself had suffered very little, its military was utterly broken. A complete reform was instituted by Prime Minister Alanus Frey in 5192 AE and continued by his successor Gregory Alexandropos. If nothing else, the Necromatic War was a critical point in Republican history and was a prime factor in propelling the Republic out of stagnation and into the modern era.
Post Necromatic War/Modern Times
The period of time from 5200 AE to the current year revealed a trend away from isolation and re-engagement with the rest of the world. Information from the mages sent out showed that, perhaps for the first time in more than five millenia, the Avalonian Republic could afford to venture out into the world and pick where it left off 5,000 years before. While the Haze Barrier has been maintained, there has been talk of eventually shutting it down until it should be needed again. With trade trickling in again, at least to the outer settlements, the economy is finally taking off after five millenia of restraint. With trade comes knowledge of foreign technological advances, leading to more competition in Avalonian science institutes to come up with a new breakthrough. The thawing of Republican isolationism has breathed new life into Avalonian society, and only time will tell if this trend will continue or whether the appearance of a new nemesis will force our society back into isolation.
If the actions of Prime Minister Alexandropos are any indication however, Avalon may be moving away from isolation for good. Taking office 5250, the new Prime Minister was able to clean up Avalonian politics and reform aging and decrepit institutions. His current domestic agenda is reformation of the armed forces into a smaller but smarter and more technologically advanced force. (See Military of the Avalonian Republic.) Prime Minister Alexandropos has also embarked on an ambitious foreign agenda of re-engagement with the world, leading a series of several diplomatic envoys to the Thule mainland. As of publishing of this history, the Prime Minister is embarking on his most ambitious diplomatic tour, intending to loop through Lemuria towards the coast of Mu and back. History will judge whether this will lead to a new age of openness or become a precursor to isolation and conflict.