Here be Dragons

Planatary History

There are four periods of Planetary history according to human historians who theorize about the full history of the world. This is a history few know of, and fewer even try to understand. Studies of this are scant and far between.

Precolonization History

History taking place before the colonization of the world by the humans who were meant to live there, Mostly explains where they came from and where the agriworld plans came from. (Also where the Genetically engineered flora and fauna comes from.)

History of the Colony

What it says on the tin.

Post Cataclysm History

History after the Coronal Mass Ejection that destroyed high technological civilization on the world.

Invasion History

This period begins when the Dragons invaded the continent from overseas, and 'ends' when the 'old histories' of the kingdoms of Saratica end. (Those being the official histories.) It is comprised of several 'indepeendant' histories of the period, gathered by various historians and hidden away in various caches or by historians who survived the event.

The Dragons invaded early in 521 by the new dating period (measued agins't the founding of the Kingdom of Saratica), invading the continent from the north west, acfross the sea from a large island some 300 miles away. The dragons came fleeing a bad harvest as their farms on the island went astray, the crops going feral, the state of crops and fish stocks where the fish or crops revert to a wild state. The foods or fish stocks foul and are ruined (although still edible) and in the case of crops become harder to farm, while the fish if not properly takes care of can die, loos the urge to mate, or become posionous due to posionous food items in their diets. (Posionous to human derived species: Transhumans or H. Sapiens. [Dragons are modified humans.]) They found on this island (as well as most northern lands) their own agricultural package

When they landed they came after the crops of man with a vengance, but with their own b

History after the arrival of the Dragons. (Who arrive shortly after the Birth of Magic. Since humans did not use magic (past those with greener thumbs they little understood) a post BoM history section is not recorded.)

Known History

Early Kingdom History

This period overlaps with the previous, and comprises the early history of Saratica and other kingdoms on the island of the same name as the kingdom. The official history of these nations are very well recorded, as it's a official state function to record the history of the nation for future generations. This is done from several hidden monastaries which specialize is keeping the history safe for future generations. A few of these monastarie are built deep underground to keep them save in case the Dragons raid imperial lands like they did long ago. These histories wre rewritten after the invasions stopped and the nation of Saratica became a empire offically as one of the many 'projects' ordered by the then king.

Of course, it's witewashed history written by a combination of the priests of Alaster and the then king who wished to remove the weakness of the then most promenant religion, seen as a weakness that allowed the Dragonoids to easily sweep away the human armies early during the invasion.

Modern History

Starts with the invasion, and deals with the last few centuries before the current era.

As indicated by the title, 'well recorded history' is shorter than the full history of the world. Infact it is shorter than the last 'period' of full history. Those who do study 'the full history of the world' often call this post-

Political

Kingdom of Saratica

A agriculturally advanced nation that is comprised of local fiefs and local overlaid military commands, baronies which have resisted the new move to create fiefs and have their own military, or cities and towns that have remained historically in good governance. Of baronies, they need to be dealt with on a case by case basis. Rarely, two or more of these baronies will have the same kind of 'alliance' with the monarch, a long held 'alliance' that they have had for generations. Each locality produces goods and can have hundreds to dozens of farms within it, depending on local succession and other historical factors.

Goods are taken from localities based on calculated percentages of the local production, (usually 85%) or tithes, which ever is more. These are measured month per month during the harvest season. These are taken by trading caravans which travel across routes much like rivers, smaller caravans merging with larger caravans. Locally the goods are stored and convoy's do the inverse, carrying goods from one trading location to another. Additionally. goods can be traded from the caravans and the convoy's as they move across the nation, over time the amount of tradible goods reduce in both, and in convoy's they reduce as well as the convoy splitting a great many times in parts of the empire where goods of a specific type are not grown locally.) Military convoys are not supposed to trade with anyu location that is not a military town, fort, or army.

Single fiefs and all but the most powerful Baronies combined into territories. Territories are merely created to command the trading routes through them and help in relaying the messages such a system has to have. These interect with the 'trade commanders' (the older term is 'Carravan/Convoy Master/Mistress') who lead the expeditions across the Empire's bredth and width. These trade commanders are civilians who can and do lead small military escorts in the trickest region sof the empire, such as <various semi-seperate regions and the connecting routes to the main empire> as wel as naval forces attacked to sea routes. (It should be noted that even a single trade route always ends at a port, to a naval caravan/convoy, and from another port to it's final destination, at which times the goods are handed over to another trade commander.

The Monarch can request a representative of every Lord/Lady or Baron/Baroness or a representative to come to the capital and will then convene a 'council of affairs' where he sets policy for the year, and can ask for suggestions from various Lords or Lodies. (This is rare. Although it does happen to those who are defacto military commanders in their own right, or still maintain standing armies of their own.)``

Species

Dragonoid

A tall reddish brown species with 'crowns' exending from their forehead back covering a backwards pointed 'cone' The forehead has three horns on the front, and two smaller horns extending from behind the ears. Between the horns ins a shin layer of skin that forms from the skin the covers the horns. Behind the secondary horns, is a further stetch of skin that connects tetrinary horns that extend from where the Temporal skill plate extends towards the Occipidal. Behind this display hides a enlarged brain cage, itself 5% larger than the average humans.. They have two genders, one female and one transfemale - the latter serves the same role as males IRL.

Notes on Dragonoid settlements

They live in multi-level cities made up of walkways between buildings and few balconys. They use smaller open areas to mixed in with their buildings and walkways to allow light to infiltrate all levels of their cities. Various open squares can be found at all levels of the cities. No city is over three stories, with the capital at five levels (the upper two are reserved for the region that hosts the royal palace, and those levels are reserved for the royals themsleves, with a exception for the stairwell that leads to the grand entrance to the throne room and several smaller chambers off the throne room.)

When building a new settlement, it's similar to planning out a dwarven settlement before it's finished, but instead of digging the city out of a hill/mountain, buildings are placed specifically to keep in mind the possible future needs of the settlement. While changes are possible, it is a long proccess to widen a 'walkway' that hosts several buildings already existant. Sometimes a walkway that is mostly unused will be made narrower if traffic control is requested, or a hallway will be turned into a dead end. The closed off areas must be accessable for pest extermination however.

Human

Biologically they are variations of olive skinned, although some have pale skin. Mostly black hair, except fo the occasional blond. Eyes are nearly universally blue, green or brown. (So 'boringly normalitive'.)

The Plot

Two nations exist on the continent of Asuria, one inhabited with Dragonoids - Luivan, one a human kingdom, Saratica.

The story begins in the capital of the Kingdom of Saratica, a island city called Sumerica that is older than Dirt. The King of Saratica finds his only daughter and heir laying with a male dragonoid. Upset at this turn of events*, he attempts to assassinate the dragonoid and arrange a marriage**. (*The kingdom of Saratica had been trying to resist the larger kingdom of Luivan for generations. This was seen as a plot by Luivan to take over his throne and add it to the dozens held by the Emperor of Luivan. **This is made more difficult in the laws that allow a princess/prince to choose their own lifemate. however, it can be done if no suitable person is found within three years of the prince/princess' coming of age.)

The renegade prince is estranged from his royal family, and seeks to rebel, seeking a state that rebelling dragonoids can flee to. This reasoning goes by the wayside when she falls in love with the human princess, however forces beyond her control try to force the issue. (The 'Luivan Army Revolutionary***' invades the smaller kingdom after the prince tells a agent the plan is canceled, but after the death of the king (which is suspicious in it's own right.) This is a orchestration of the King of Luivan who desires to conquer Saratica so that he can put in a government agreeable with his own, and kill the Prince (or King). Two birds with one stone.)