Timeline of Ardrean History pt. 2 (Dawn Age)

Dawn Age

1:1 Dawn - The sun and Daegis rise together in the east on the vernal equinox, thus marking the first day of spring as the start to the Ardrean new year. Divine Justinia begins a campaign of expansion for the Chantry, training many young women as lay sisters to go out and serve the people. Lukarinas organizes a large public works program to build a new road from Arrellia north to Velengard and to rebuild that city as a garrison base and trade port along the river.

1:3 Dawn - Lukarinas dies at the age of 50 and is honored as a great hero of the people and father of the new nation. He is buried with Ariel in the catacombs beneath the Grand Cathedral, which is still under construction at that time. After the mourning period is over, there is much discussion as to who should lead the new nation. Lukarinas' son, Tyroq, is considered the prime choice, but he insists the new nation not follow in the footsteps of the Azure court with hereditary rulers. Instead he forms a body of representatives of the people and begins working on a new system of government.

1:4 Dawn - The Imperial Republic of Ardreas is formed with Tyroq as the first emperor, elected by the representatives who worked with him to form the laws governing the new nation. In the years that followed, they worked to organize a senate and court system and establish the duties of each position to ensure the people had a fair government. An eccentric Daegan monk named Tertius spreads dissent to the new nation and its religion, claiming that the Red Eye will one day have its revenge. When Ardreas is at its most prosperous, it will be overrun. Few people take him seriously, however, as the new nation is filled with hope for a better life.

1:9 Dawn - Tyroq continues his father's road expansion program by building a highway eastward to Teletec' on the Aurum river. He also establishes a trade network by sea to Seraph's Landing in the west.

1:12 Dawn - The first coinage of the Imperial Republic of Ardreas is minted in Arrellia. Bearing the face of Emperor Tyroq on one side, and an engraving of the double sunrise on the other, the gold coin is inscribed with the phrase: A Light in the Darkness.

1:18 Dawn - The first Phoenixes in over a hundred years are spotted at Lake Venetor, which with excellent opportunities for fishing and timber cutting drives a migration north.

1:24 Dawn - Velenmarch is founded on the northeast short of Lake Venetor as a trade post for the rapidly expanding timber industry.

1:29 Dawn - An expedition along the south coast discovers the island formed from the volcanic eruption at the end of the last age. They name the island Ember for the fires that birthed it, and the volcano that sticks up like a spike they call Emberthorne.

1:34 Dawn - Emperor Tyroq dies at the age of 60, leaving a legacy of expansion and hope for his time as the first Emperor of Ardreas. The senate convenes, and after several weeks of deliberation elects the former Praetor Tyrellius as the new Emperor.

1:37 Dawn - Cerus is founded at the mouth of the Aurum river as a new trade port and as the eastern naval base for the Seraphim fleet.

1:39 Dawn - A very cold winter blankets the land in snow, and arctic wolves are seen for the first time as far south as Velenmarch. Coveted for their white fur, many hunters flock to the area to catch what they can. Tyrellius himself leads a hunting party and spears a great white wolf, who's coat he has made into a cloak. From then on he is often called Wolfsbane.

1:41 Dawn - Construction of the Grand Cathedral is finally finished after 43 years, and a day of worship declared to mark the event. Emperor Tyrellius has a new coin minted bearing his face on the head and an engraving of the Grand Cathedral on the back. It retains the phrase: A Light in the Darkness which is becoming the national motto.

1:43 Dawn - Paper is invented in Arrellia by a cleric of the Grand Cathedral in an attempt to find something better to write sermons on than the old papyrus.

1:47 Dawn - A new keel design is invented by a ship builder in Arrellia, but due to fear of the design being stolen by a competitor he forms an organization to protect his interest. Complaints are lodged initially, but Emperor Tyrellius likes the idea, and so the shipwright's guild is formed.

1:52 Dawn - A new type of oil is discovered in the wetlands south of Seraph's Landing, one that burns fast and hot and even resists the wind and rain. Valued for its ability to provide fire even in the worst weather, it is also feared as a potential weapon, so Emperor Tyrellius orders the supply to be secured by the government and distributed only under supervision.

1:57 Dawn - Iron is discovered in the Duran Hills, up the Seraphim river from Seraph's Landing.

1:63 Dawn - Emperor Tyrellius Wolfsbane dies at the age of 64 and is succeeded by Senator Aluisse as the new emperor.

1:68 Dawn - Angel Falls is founded near the great waterfall on the Seraphim river and quickly grows into a trading port to exploit the new iron rush in the hills.

1:70 Dawn - A summer of heavy rain causes flooding along the Veles river from Velengard to Arrellia. Emperor Aluisse orders flood walls built along the river channels in Arrellia to protect the city from future floods.

1:74 Dawn - A brightly striped, fierce cat is discovered slaughtering pigs in the wetlands south of Seraph's Landing. Nearly as large as a horse, it takes a dozen men to kill the creature. Nothing like it has ever been seen before, and some speculate that it came from the large and mysterious island of Moarhis to the south.

1:77 Dawn - The philosopher Aristhines establishes an academy in Arrellia to begin studying nature and debating the merits of life.

1:80 Dawn - The first national census reports the total population of the Imperial Republic of Ardreas at around 972,800.

1:84 Dawn - Terratec' is founded as a military outpost along the foothills of the Sistine Mountains to protect the gold mines and guard the northern border from tribal encroachment.

1:89 Dawn - A daring young sea captain named Laredo proposes an expedition to sail all the way around the Ardrean continent and map all its shores. Initially met with disinterest, he eventually finds a patron in Emperor Aluisse who understands the value of such maps drawn on the new paper. He sends Laredo out with 3 ships to discover what he can.

1:91 Dawn - Laredo returns to Arrellia with only one ship manned by a skeleton crew. He reports the passage around the eastern end of the continent is blocked by sheets of ice. But the ice was not still. Across its surface he reports seeing men moving like ants on a log. Thousands upon thousands, migrating westward across the ice. Fearing a public panic, the emperor orders his report sealed and the information shared with only top officials.

1:93 Dawn - Emperor Aluisse dies at the age of 70, leaving a divided senate to decide the new ruler. Those who knew of the approaching horde pushed for a strong, young candidate and eventually Tiberius was elected as emperor.

1:95 Dawn - Bands of Andover wildmen are seen moving westward in the north near Terratec'. Under interrogation from Ardrean patrols they reveal they are fleeing a great migration. News begins to trickle through the land that something is coming. Emperor Tiberius orders a step-up in the production of iron weapons and increases patrols along the Aurum river.

1:97 Dawn - Taking inspiration from the river pirates of Antiquity, Tiberius orders the construction of a fleet of shallow-keeled light warships for river and lake operations.

1:99 Dawn - Divine Theodora announces a vision heralding the ending of this age and the beginning of the next. She reports seeing a great mass of dark clouds with lightning and thunder coming to cover all the land, and so names it: The Storm Age. A few weeks later, dark haired scouts are seen riding strange horses on the far side of the Aurum river.