Utceforp wrote:Alright, here's the history of the "Isle of Artana", the homeland of my characters.
Artana is a large, temperate island about one tenth the size of Terra, located to its northeast. It has moderate summers and frigid winters. The northeast of the island is dominated by a large chain of mountains and several smaller islands. The south of the island is a flat, fertile grassland that was once an enormous forest known as "Gylwed Forest". The northwest of the island is a frigid wetland, with many rivers constantly changing course. first appears in the written record around 5,000 years ago, during the Terran Empire's exploration of the seas. The island of "Yrtain" was described in the written records of a Terran sailor as being home to countless petty "Yrtaini" kingdoms, who occasionally united under a "High King".
About 3,000 years ago, Artana reenters the historical record. According to runic inscriptions, oral tradition, and the epic poem
The Lay of Argos, Artana was invaded by raiders from across the ocean known as the "Umirlings", named after their leader, the warlord Umir the Lame. Umir the Lame was supported by his various children, including Ivar the Pale, Wulfhildr Long-Tooth, Bjorn of the Black Hand, Sigfrith the Skinner, and Argos White-Hair. Umir the Lame is generally assumed to have been real, but the historicity of his children is highly disputed - in particular, Bjorn of the Black Hand and Argos White-Hair are often considered to be wholly legendary or later warlords unrelated to Umir. The Umirlings had originally been invited to Yrtain as mercenaries by High King Yrgais, but betrayed him. Native Artanni oral tradition holds that the Umirlings betrayed Yrgais because of their thirst for blood and gold, while the
Lay of Argos claims that Yrgais was a Daemon-worshipper who ruled with the aid of witches, and that Argos White-Hair persuaded his father and his siblings to overthrow him after falling in love with Yrgais's abused daughter. Descendants of the native Artanni also believe that Yrgais, who they call "The Old King", employed magic-wielding druids, but that those druids received their gifts from the gods, not from Daemons. The native Artanni also believe that Yrgais's magical sword is hidden somewhere on the island, and someday the true ruler of Artana will find it, reactivate its magic powers, and drive the Umirlings out.
At any rate, Yrgais was defeated and slain in battle by Umir, and his dynasty faded from history. Umir died coughing up blood later that year, furthering rumours that Yrgais and his followers practiced dark magic. Umir's children divided up Yrtain between themselves, forming a handful of petty "Jarldoms". The Artanni clans of the northwest retained their independance, due to the difficulty the Umirlings found in navigating the wetlands.
The two cultures slowly assimilated into each other. The Umirlings swiftly adopted the "clan" structure of the native Artanni. "Yrtain" became "Artana", "Jarls" became "Earls", and "Gylwed" became "Galwood". Clan Payle ruled the forests in the south. Clan Longtooth ruled the northeastern mountains, Clan Ribbell ruled the northwestern wetlands, and Clan Skinner ruled a small archipelago off of Artana's eastern coast. The new Umirling clans elected their own High Kings, usually when threatened by the wetlands clans.
Around a thousand years after the Umirlings first arrived in Artana, Alpin Argoss, Chief of the minor clan of Argoss, was declared High King of Artana by the other clans. High King Alpin commissioned a group of the kingdom's most accomplished bards and scribes to write an epic poem honouring his clan's founder, Argos White-Hair. The result was
The Lay of Argos, which incorporated oral tradition, older sagas, and Alpin's own theories into an epic story about Umir the Lame's youngest son. Clan Argoss would lose much of their newfound influence after Alpin's death, but
The Lay of Argos would go on to become an integral source of information about the early Umirling period, and have a massive impact on Artana's cultures and languages.
Of the various clans, the Payles eventually became the most powerful, as they controlled the fertile southern lands of Artana that had once been Gylwed Forest. For almost a thousand years they held a monopoly on the title of High King. The title became pseudo-hereditary, and permanent, rather than elective and temporary. The Longtooths, Ribbells, and a variety of minor clans all swore fealty to them. Meanwhile, Artana was increasingly influenced by the Terran Empire, and the Terran language, the worship of Gaia, and some of the trappings of feudalism spread to much of Artana through cultural diffusion.
In 11,277, High King Dunchad Payle subjugated the Eastern isles, executing Thorfinn Skinner when he refused to swear fealty. One of the minor clans of the Eastern Isles was Clan Blackhand Brennus Blackhand had fought against the Payles alongside the Skinners, and thus feared for his life when King Thorfinn was executed. Brennus, his family, and many other Clan Chiefs fled from the Isles to Terra, where they were granted asylum by the Terran Emperor. Brennus reached an agreement with the Emperor, where the Emperor would provide men and ships to depose King Dunchad, and in exchange Brennus would swear fealty to him.
In an elaborate ceremony, the exiled Artanni lords elected Brennus to the position of High King
in absentia, and he was given a crown by the Emperor. Soon afterwards, he returned to Artana with an army of Terran knights at his back. The Skinners betrayed Dunchad for Brennus after a few victories, while the Ribbells remained neutral, and the Longtooths initially remained neutral but eventually sided with the Payles after learning of Brennus's agreement with the Terrans. The Payles and Longtooths were defeated in a series of battles, and eventually Brennus came to control the whole of Artana. Brennus held a coronation ceremony, where the great clans formally elected him a second time.
Brennus had the main line of Clan Payle killed in order to prevent them from claiming his crown. The lesser branches of the clan were allowed to live, but were forced to abandon their surnames and found new clans. The most powerful of these clans were Clan Thorn, founded by Thorin Payle, and Clan Vulne, founded by Volnarr Payle. The Blackhands seized control of Galwood and the Eastern Isles, and have reigned as High Kings ever since.
The Regines rarely interfered with Artana, albeit mostly due to lack of interest. With the instability caused by the death of Empress Artemis, however, the Blackhands are increasingly concerned that they will be dragged into mainland politics.