Saltwave History - LY 2144-2148

The First Five Years

History of Saltwave from LY 2144-2148

2144 - Restoring Order

The government of Landers is fully restored and resettling of refugees is organized. Bands of raiders, barbarians, and goblinoids harry the rebuilding effort. Landers and the Orcish Confederacy renew their alliance to fight the threat.
Lebensbrüke annexes and restores order to Smeisserand. The ruling elite of Smeisserand had been all but destroyed in the war and Red Plague. Local lords could barely keep people fed and monsters and barbarians at bay. Queen Anissette's troops and adventurers led a largely unopposed annexation of Smeisserand's territory. Most goblinoid raiders retreated into dense or difficult terrain.
New Japan reforms under the name Honura. The great dragon, Panitoko, takes control of the survivors of the War of Falling Stars and unites them under her banner. Provinces and districts are established for the purpose of rebuilding and pacifying barbarians, goblinoids, and other threats. Honura's industrial policy is established to build national dominance within twenty years.
The great patriarch of the kzinti, K'zar-Kiir, conquers the remaining opposition to his rule from among the former Patriarchs. The loss of the ancient manufacturing plants to the Sky Golem invasion and the high-tech weapons to the Dragon's Gift makes K'zar-Kiir's low-tech military strategy even more effective. Three factors led to a swift consolidation of power. Firstly, the dispersed kzin population and lack of falling star strikes made for much lower losses of kzinti to the Sky Golems. Secondly, the kzinti were able to avoid much of the chaos that engulfed the human lands because relatively few of the felines succumbed to the Red Plague. These first two factors enable K'zar-Kiir's efficient and well-disciplined military might (the third factor) to bring order and security to most of the continent.
Lord Wilem Brust and Lady Lizelle Kagaar are wed. The Lord Chamberlain and Lady Minister of Finance of Lebensbrüke are married in Voyreem.
The Eastern nation of Amazonia fully reforms under Queen Sally DuCourt. Queen Sally conquered the territories of the Far East in the years before the War of Falling Stars. Lacking much of an industrial base, these lands were not devastated by Sky Golem strikes. The Red Plague and invasion forces of the constructs were greater concerns. Queen Sally's pirate forces played a supporting role in the Sky Golems' defeat. As the queen culled the most cruel and violent pirates from her ranks, she also began the work of establishing new forms of order and government in the Far East lands.
Raiding barbarians and goblinoids plague civilized lands. The sharp increase in the numbers of goblinoid creatures due to the Red Plague threatens the already tenuous stability of civilized nations. Rulers must divert many troops and resources that could be used to rebuild the war-damaged countries to defense.

2145 - The Year of the Prophet

The Prophet, Rrkia-Friday, receives the Ishan revelation. A kzinrett warrior and follower of the archmage hero, Dark Schniedar, receives a divine revelation from God. Instead of uniting the fractured kzinti of the patriarchies by force, as she had intended, she does so by spreading the new religion of harmony and unity between the races. The Hero's Tongue word ishan means readiness. Rrkia-Friday exhorts kzinti to call themselves Ishan to mark their readiness to receive enlightenment. She defeats all who challenge her without killing one, revealing extremely power divine gifts of wisdom and healing. This leads her to join the harem of the great patriarch, K'zar-Kiir, as his first wife, defeating the former first wife in challenge combat to do so.
Deeyam regains its independence from kzin domination. After nearly five years of occupation and enslavement, the Deeyam Empire is freed by the assistance of Landers and Amazonia. The Landers Western Fleet defeats the kzin armada in the Gulf of Banuro to cut off escape for the retreating kzin nobility. The great dragon, Ysmeeris, wins the crown in a contest of champions designed to pick the best leader from among the claimants to the throne. While foreigners are skeptical of the legitimacy of this victory, the Deeyami people acclaim the new Emporess with adulation and givings of thanks.
The University of Voyreem is founded. Sir Drake Hedgerton dedicates the newly built University. The college of magic, completed earlier in 2144, surpasses the Landers Royal Academy of Magic and Science in prestige, breadth, and depth of knowledge. Even more people flock to Voyreem.
Sorcerous magical talent is revealed in many. As a result of the surge of magical power that heralded the death of the Sky Golems, many beings of different races are manifesting arcane talent. Most powers appear by happenstance, at random, or under periods of stress. Sir Drake of the White Mantle determines that these are natural powers that can be developed with training, though they appear spontaneously in certain individuals. A branch of the College of Magic at the University of Voyreem is established to train and study this new sorcery.
Amazonia (and, it is later discovered, the prrexi nations) treats with the Rael trade mission to obtain the technology to rapidly build an advanced Information Age economy. Lebensbrüke likewise uses this resource, but much more subtly than Amazonia. Landers and Technikor rely upon their own resources. This causes them to fall behind the technological level of other nations in later years.

2146 - The Establishment of Ishan

The Ishan religion spreads quickly across both kzin and demihuman lands. Ishan speaks to equality and readiness for enlightenment of all civilized races, and its message is as strong for humans as for kzinti. A hero of the War, Brother Hans, wrote a book two years ealier foretelling the coming of Ishan to the human people. This is taken as a prophecy by many members of the Komatsine faith, who convert to Ishan. Others consider Ishan a heresy, and become adamant in their opposition. This leads to a schism and armed conflict between the former Komatsine factions. The Prophet points to the Komatsine writings where this split is foretold, and gains even more converts.
Lebensbrüke annexes Vargas from the fractured former Kyriabor territory. This gives additional protection and stability to the region east of the Alaan Mountains.
The Kenku Jest is made between Lebensbrüke and the various kenku of Jaastenland. Under the guidance of the silver dragon, Talon, Queen Anissette finally gains the respect and allegiance of the remaining kenku bands in Jaastenland. This causes kenku raiding and lethal hazing to cease; only pranking and jesting continue. With the danger of serious injury or death removed, most demihumans are more willing to live and let live with the kenku, and playful relations continue.
King Rupert and the allied forces of Landers and Technikor pacify the remaining splinter domains of petty warlords and bandits that arose during the chaos of the War of Falling Stars. Railcar lines and trade have been fully restored across the Four Kingdoms with help from the great dragon, Zkydraksys. The Orcish Confederacy industrializes, as well.
The great dragon, Benshannazar, adopts the tottering nation of Qoolm as a protectorate. Vowing to make Qoolm safe and prosperous for demihuman citizens, the great dragon begins advising and negotiating with the various petty rulers of Qoolm. He organizes a rebuilding effort and encourages treasure seekers to explore, map, and exploit the Risen Lands of eastern Qoolm.

2147 - The Ishan Message Sweeps the World

Queen Anissette of Lebensbrüke publically converts to Ishan. Following her husband's guidance and example, Queen Anissette adopts the Ishan faith and welcomes it into Lebensbrüke as the official religion. Sir Drake formalizes the Code of the White Knight around the principles of Ishan.
Independent kzin lords who reject Ishan carve holdings out of the western regions of the kzin continent. The Prophet refers to them as "old-style kzinti," and warns them that Ishan is ready for them if they act with their livers and not their heads.
K'zar-Kiir changes the name of the Grand Patriarchy to Ishan. The ishan ruler adopts this change to reflect the solidarity and glory of the growing religious harmony between races. The move is widely approved by the civilized nations.
The Prreshtuwan Federation opens trade relations with the West. Deeyam, Ishan, Lebensbrüke, and the Four Kingdoms are the first to hear of the existance of the long-hidden prrexi nation. Despite its vast territory and power, the nations of Prrexiland had chosen to remain isolated from the world for eighteen centuries. Severely damaged in the War of Falling Stars, the prrexi leaders decide to encourage open contact with other races to promote exchange of knowledge and materials for rebuilding.

2148 - Holy War Begins

Landers' steam fleet is rebuilt. The steam cruiser fleet of Landers suffered losses near sixty percent during the War of Falling Stars. The Landish navy is rebuilt with strengthened materials salvaged from Sky Golem drones and armed with better magitech weaponry. Landers has three fleets, the Eastern, Western, and Home Fleets. Each fleet operates two battlecruisers, sixteen cruisers, forty-eight corvettes, and eight submarines, all steam powered and magitech armed. While the expenditure of funds to build the navy causes some grumbling, the focus of Landers on becoming the undisputed naval power unifies the nation around a common goal, as King Rupert intended.
A neo-traditionalist movement among the dwarven clans gains strength. Many dwarven survivors of the War of Falling Stars have blamed the technology of the corporate clans for drawing down the might of the Sky Golems so severely upon Technikor. The craft-minded leaders of the movement urge a return to traditional mining, forge, and smithy arts. The Technikor Senate considers the matter and founds the city of Sunnerdom for citizens who wish to live in traditional ways. Sunnerdom will have no Corporate Council representation, but may send clan electors to the Senate.
Simplified means of enchanting magic items are discovered. In the wake of the worldwide magical pulse at the end of the War of Falling Stars, some magical effects are easier to achieve. Among these is the capacity of journeyman spellcasters to create permanently enchanted items. These methods become widely shared.
King Rupert and Queen Celeste of Landers convert to Ishan. The monarchy of Landers converts to Ishan from Komatscience, marking the death blow for the religion that has lasted two millenia.
The Komatsine schism breaks into open warfare in Landers and Qoolm. Dismayed by the growing strength and popularity of Ishan, the Komatsine High Council pronouces holy war upon the "kzin-born Ishan heresy." Depleted of its wisest and most stable leadership through the War of Falling Stars and recent conversions to Ishan, most people now regard the leaders of Komatscience as conservative, close-minded, and backward looking.

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