POLITICAL ENTITIES:
 
Alvada (capital: Duo Alva):
Once the all-powerful Alvadan Kingdom, it was a nation of religious zealotry and prosperity, strict laws and happy peoples. It was also land of powerful sorcerors, who nonetheless failed miserably in the grand project called 'The Rise of Greenland', causing a worldwide catastrophe and forever changing the shape of lands.
Later, the ruling family got into a feud or two during after Reckoning, and the prosperity and word of law was replaced with lawlessness and successive reigns of terror and absolutism. It has been more than three hundred years since that dark time.
Nowadays, the tertiary branch of the Alvadan royalty rules over the confederation of the island ports and coastal cities. While others moved both in terms of magical and spiritual development, the Alvadans still worship the 'Old Gods'; pagan deities, of which there are hundreds, most of them having something to do with nature, sky, sea, land and other worldly things.
 
Domiria (capital: Domiria):
After Undine Domiria the Fearless have eradicated the monsters of the Western Continent, she and her followers, various people of Alvada oppressed for various reasons, settled down in what would be Domiria city. While chaos reigned over Alvada, the Domirians rather vigorously expanded their territories. Within a hundred years, there were trading posts as far as The Wailing Sea and Neverending Waters.
After the death of long-lived heroine and queen, some begun to take her being as divine - they couldn't believe that a normal human could do so much in so little time, topping all her achievements with creation of an empire rivaling Alvada. What started as personal devotion of her closest comrades, is now a major cult centered around the worship of 'the most unquestionable divinity' of Undine.
Domirians pride thesmelves on their openess and friendship toward all those who are enemies of Alvada, but were quite ruthless in putting down rebellions and uprisings. Only one such civil war was lost, creating the Alliance of Zeekonrik. In the last fifty years, the Domirians did form a rather amicable relationship with their northeastern neighbours.
 
Alliance of Zeekonrik (capital: Zeekonrik):
A group of northern settlements was rather badly exploited by the Undine's descendants. About eighty years before present, they had enough of it and, at the Trade Hall of Zeekonrik, thirteen City Governors pledged to overthrow their masters and live together in alliance of friendship and cooperation, the signal for rebellion being Grain Feast; a simultaneous seizure of grain shipments on the ships headed for Domiria.
It took thirty bloody years of war (fueled by Alvadan arms) and destruction of many of Zeekonrik settlements before Domirians acknowledged the Alliance as a political entity. But the sour times are long behind, as the children and grandchildren of the soldiers on both sides now trade and travel freely between their homelands, the relationship now closer than that between Zeekonrik rebels and Alvadan weapon suppliers of the past.
Zeekonrik sailors are renowned for their knowledge of the northern seas and ability to steer and operate ships in dangerous waters. Unfortunately, this allows many of them to profit as pirates, with many pirate bases located on the Eastern Continent, where rocky gulfs and shallow waters trap many a military ship that attempts to chase the sneaky pirates back to their hideouts.
 
Tower of Xos:
Founded by Xos the Wise, one of few mages who travelled with Undine Domiria to the western continent. It was built to make a place for all scholars and mages where they could follow their scientific and arcane pursuits freely. Unfortunately, this had a rather adverse effect on the surroundings; while Alvadans take magic more spiritually, and Domirians and Zeekonrik more prgmatically, the Xosians are reckless and near zealous in their pursuit of knowledge.
Many failed experiments drastically changed local landscape, and many wildebeasts and monsters roam the dark forests and fog-covered valleys around the Tower. Even the local waters aren't safe from tentacled monstrosities and overgrown squids, although at least the waters are monitored by Black Ships of Xos, to ensure that ingredients, devices and magical tools can be exchanged with cities of Narosten and Kada for other goods and resources otherwise not available at the Tower.
 
CHRONOLOGY:
 
{{3285 DC}}: Mages of Alvada, attempting to create a more favorable landscape for human habitation, fail miserably; mountains crumble as sea levels rise, indundating lots of farmland and sinking many cities. Millions die in the flooding, earthquakes and the famine of subsequent decades. This even is called 'The Reckoning' and the old Dynastic Calendar of Alvada is replaced; the years are now measured 'After Reckoning'.
1 AR ~ 30 AR: Famine, plague and drought kill many Alvadans and depopulate the once thriving cities; Alvadan population falls to under five million, a mere one tenth of its previous size.
29 AR: Crown Prince Mao is murdered by his sister, Princess Aotarena. Civil war ensues after Aotarena refuses her father's call to the capital.
29 AR - 38 AR: Aotarenan Civil War. Half a million civilians and soldiers die before Princess Aotarena surrenders and is executed. However, her children continue to scheme against the rest of Alvadan Royal family, resulting in several more wars.
{{38 AR ~ 200 AR}}: The Dark Ages of Alvada; a time of chaos, terror and civil wars.
49 AR - 63 AR: Utolian Civil War.
77 AR - 80 AR: Rebellion of Qapar Trademasters.
85 AR - 92 AR: Govadan Civil War.
101 AR: Uprising of Di.
104 AR - 120 AR: 'Three Animal Kingdoms' Period; three branches of Alvadan Royal family fight for the throne.
120 AR: Crown Prince Atan, the last male of the main branch of Alvadan Royal family, dies in ship battle east of Feres.
120 AR - 125 AR: 'Lion Against Wolf' Period.
125 AR: Lupus Blooddrinker defeats his half-brother Agas the Lion and becomes next Alvadan King.
127 AR, 128 AR: Rebellion of Tama and subsequent Annihilation of Tama.
171 AR - 181 AR: The Great Purge; non-believers and atheists are persecuted and executed across Alvada.
181 AR: Toan the Old dies without male heirs; his second cousin, Talo, becomes next King of Alvada. His first edict is to limit the political power of Old Gods' Cult and delegalize mass executions of heretics, effectively ending The Great Purge.
194 AR: Talo is murdered by his son, Xaver Ironfist.
194 AR - 200 AR: Xaver Ironfist puts down numerous rebellions, riots and uprisings in a campaign equaling Aotarenan Civil War in terms of casualties and destruction. Many peoples, often in large groups, escape for Lesser Pleiades, Isle d'Opal and even to Western Continent, amongst them a then-little known monster hunter Undine Domiria, her husband and several of their comrades.
200 AR - 235 AR: The Ironfist Rule. Alvada prospers as its citizenry is simply to terrified to rise against their King.
[b]206 AR[/b]: Undine Domiria slays Eno the Dragon, freeing the Western Continent from scaly menace. Free Western Peoples declare her their leader and Domirian Kingdom is founded.
206 AR - 296 AR: Creation and expansion of Domirian Kingdom, reaching its greatest territorial extent in the last year of Undine's rule.
235 AR: Xaver II becomes King of Alvada; as popular figure and staunch opponent of policy of terror, he quickly proves to be much more loved and skilled leader than his father. No major conflicts or civil wars are experienced in Alvada since his ascension.
{{255 AR}}: Xos the Wise establishes The Tower (later known as Tower of Xos), a place of magical learning accepting all traveling scholars and sorcerors, allowing them to conduct experiments in peace and away from settled areas.
~300 AR: The Cult of Divine Queen Undine is created; within just a generation, it accumulates over ten thousand adherents.
388 AR: Salt Tax is introduced, putting heavy monetary burden on northernmost settlements. Dissent grows, especially after the rise of gluttonous and cruel Sonofaph to Domirian throne.
399 AR - 401 AR: The Sea War between Domiria and Alvada erupts. Several coastal settlements are bombardment, but casualties are small and military action infrequent before the two powers sign a peace treaty.
425 AR: Grain Feast; thirteen northern settlements dump the grain shipments reserved for Domiria into the sea, signalling their revolt.
425 AR - 454 AR: The Great Northern War; Thirty years see destruction of many of Zeekonrik Alliance signatories while Domirian population suffers from famine caused by disruption of trade routes. Combat infrequent after 440 AR, peace treaty signed in 454, with Domirians acknowledging the independence of Zeekonrik Alliance.
468 AR: The Tea Incident; Crown Princess Manua of Alvada is poisoned by tea served by Domirian royal family. Subsequent political scandal greatly sours relationship betwen two countries, with another war barely avoided. Since then, trade between two countries is mostly conducted through Zeekonrik Alliance traders or via Port of Opal.
490 AR: Sinking of White Doe: King Umaros, Queen Teluna, and their three eldest sons die when the royal galleon, The White Doe, sinks during a violent storm just outside Port Goodwynde. Titus, the youngest of Alvadan Princes and the twin of now deceased Narius, becomes the next Alvadan King. At first aided by Regent Paon, he ascends to the Alvadan throne in 494 AR.
~504 AR: Rumors emerge that King Titus of Alvada is suffering from chronic, incurable illness. With no heirs and no other males of Royal Family alive, the continuation of the dynasty and the future of Alvada is questioned.
505 AR: PRESENT DAY