The History of Zemjata

Beginnings

99,999 BCE

Neser, the Goddess of Space, and Neuse, the God of Time, create the Kosmos Abadi, the Undying Universe. They then give birth to Sron, the God of Life, and Mytes, the Goddess of Death.

Creation of The Planes

69,999 BCE

Sron and Mytes give birth to Hundet, the God of Order, Chramouh, the Goddess of Love, Trwyn, the God of Chaos, and Nares, the Goddess of Nature. Together, these four gods created the planes of existence: Zemjata (Earth), Neboto (Heavens), Pekol (Hell), Cistiliste (Purgatory), Vreme (Time), and Prostor (Space). Each god took their place in their respective planes, and created all things therein.

The Sibling Gods

10,000 BCE

Hundet and Chramouh gave birth to Naka, the Goddess of peace.
Trwyn and Nares gave birth to Sudur, the God of war. Now, all of the gods sat back and watched their creations develop.

The First People

5000 BCE

The first men arrive on Zemjata. They are called the Abadi, or the Undying. They settle on the two islands, known as Ostrov na Bogovi (The Isle of the Gods) and Ostrov na Gavoli (The Isle of the Devils). They are primarily a hunter/gatherer society, and eventually split into several tribes of people. After discovering sea travel, these tribes would go on to settle other lands.

Ancient Technology

2500 BCE

The Abadi developed several technologies during this period. They made pottery and stone tools, the developed techniques for animal husbandry and mining, the learned irrigation techniques, and even invented the wheel.

Ancient Technology, Part II

1500 BCE

The Abadi eventually learned how to study astrology, leading them chart courses over long distances using their knowledge of sailing. The developed a primitive system of writing (known as La'teen) and moved from stone tools to bronze. Towards the end of this era, they invented archery.

Classical Technology

540 BCE

Not too long before the Abadi split, they developed several systems of mathematics, which lead to a profound interest in pre-medieval engineering. They established a system of currency, called the La'maat, and moved from bronze tools to iron ones. Eventually, they domesticated the Alpacaswans, leading to an affinity for riding.

The Lands of Peace

106 BCE

One tribe that split from the Abadi decided to call themselves the Damai (the Peaceful). They were an agricultural and religious tribe, settling on the continent to the northwest. This tribe, over time, split into three smaller tribes, the Narestians, Nakalians, and Chramouhs. The Narestians settled to the north and became quite adept at hunting and shepherding. The Chramouhs settled in the central valleys, becoming great farmers. The Nakalians in the south, were fishermen.

The Lands of War

105 BCE

The continent to the northeast was settled by a tribe calling themselves the Haus Darah (the Bloodthirsty). They eventually split and became the Neserstanis in the south, Srons and Hundets in the central regions, and Neuselandians and Myteslandians to the north. They all became militaristic, and focused on hunting, warring, and mining. They traded with the people of the west for food and resources.

The Forgotten Islands

103 BCE

One last tribe remained, the Yang Taat (the Devout). These people were blessed, or cursed, with magical abilities and so were shunned by the peoples of the East and West. They sailed far to the northern seas, settling on two islands. They would become the Trwynians in the west, and the Sudurstans in the east. They would trade only with one another.

Damai Technology

200

The Damai built upon the discoveries of the Abadi, leading to skills in cartography, mass production, banking systems, printing, and astronomy. These developments would be shared with the East.

Haus Darah Technology

200

The Haus Darah expanded upon the technologies of the Abadi, discovering military tactics and engineering, developing apprenticeships and stirrups for the Alpacaswans, machinery, castles, and gunpowder. These technologies would eventually be shared with the West.

The World Moves Forward

450

As trade increased between the continents, newer technologies developed worldwide. Education was rapidly growing, and industrialization was taking business to a whole new level. Economics were expounded upon, leading to wealthier nations. On the military side of things, a worldwide understanding of ballistics and rifling occurred, leading to deadlier weapons.

The Nakalians

1000

The fisherpeople of the west, the Nakalians eventually evolved into transparent skinned amphibians. Capable of living on both land and in water, the Nakalians were second to none when it came to fishing and sailing. They would often export their goods, including their well-built ships, making them a very rich nation. They were democratic in all matters, and very hospitable to outsiders.

The Chramouhs

1000

The Chramouhs, farmers of the central valleys, eventually evolved into what we would recognize as humans. Very dexterous and agile, they tilled soil from dawn until dusk. They also had a standing army. Their goods were traded north and south, but they developed a hatred for the people of the East. Chramouhs were a monarchy, and suspicious of foreigners.

The Narestians

1000

The Narestians, hunters and shepherds of the North, evolved to resemble giant werewolves. Able to chase predators away from their flocks, the Narestians had plenty of food and animal labor to export. They traded with everyone, being very hospitable despite their appearances. They also loved to drink.

The Neserstanis

1000

The Neserstanis, divers of the South, evolved into tan-skinned humanoids. Living in the deserts of the East, they grew fond of diving into the seas, discovering many treasures there. They dealt in relics and antiques, trading with anyone that would give them gold. They had a large, well-trained army, small navy, and were on high alert with regards to foreigners.

The Srons

1000

The Srons, rock-dwellers of the East, evolved into roach-like creatures, around the size of tortoises. They mined the rocks, acquiring many precious metals which they used in blacksmithing. Their weapons were held in high regards. Having the second-largest army, they were very skeptical of outsiders, often acting hostile without provocation. They lived longer than any other race.

The Hundets

1000

The Hundets, or forest-dwellers, evolved to resemble large eagles. They could fly short distances, but mostly walked on their strong legs. They were traders of information, as they knew, psychically, all the goings on of the world. They were open to foreigners, but cautious. They had a standing army of 10,000 men.

The Neuselandians

1000

The Neuselandians lived in the alpine tundras of the north. They evolved to resemble small bears, no larger than 3 feet in height. Despite their size, they were vicious and cursed with the inability to forget. They would sell their military might to the highest bidder, as they had the largest army on Zemjata. They openly traded with the west for resources.

The Myteslandians

1000

The Myteslandians ruled the arctic wastes. Nothing could survive in that environments, and the waters off the coasts were known to be unsailable. These people appeared to be giants, growing up to 13 feet in height, and were pale as the snow in their lands. They often wore the skulls of seals in order to hide their faces. They traded in meat, often sending it to the Neuselandians in exchange for their runts.

The Forgotten Islands, Part II

1000

The Trwynians, on the western island, evolved into repulsive, mauve-skinned bat-like creatures, thin as bones and tainted by evil. Their breath spread disease to all who encountered them. They were incredibly hostile and preferred to use life-draining, vampiric magic. The Sudurstians, on the other hand, were huge, scaled ape-like beings with an affinity for magic that enhanced their natural abilities. They, too, were extremely hostile, and typically ate their foes.

Wizard Tech

1100

The Wizards, most devout followers of the 10 Gods, discovered many surprising technologies during this time, skills and objects that could only be used by them. Scientific theory and philosophy was discovered, leading to experiments that revealed both electricity and chemistry. At the end of this era, the Wizards would create a temple- The Temple of the Hamakargich' Ts'ants'y.

The Hamats'ants'

1134

A new form of magic, created by Neuse, the God of Time, is given to the people of Zemjata- Hamats'ants', a collection of all things, past, present, and future, stored in an invisible dimension, accessed only by Wizards.

Chramouh and Hundet

1300

Chramouh and Hundet began, at this time, to have a somewhat strained relationship. The Hundet would occasionally fly to Chramouh and steal unsuspecting children, taking them back to the forests. No one knew what became of them. The Chramouh began to plan for an invasion of Hundet, contacting the Nakalians in an effort to gain naval support.

Trwyn Meddles

1470

The ancient God of Chaos, Trwyn, influences his followers, the Trwynians, and the Sudurstans into casting a magic ritual to exacerbate the tensions between the Chramouh and the Hundet. The ritual works, and tensions begin to soar, potentially plunging the whole of Zemjata into chaos. The other gods respond, with Hundet and Chramouh, the Mother and Father gods, creating a being out of pure divine magic- his name, as we would soon learn, was Wigglesnort.

Princess of Chramouh

1488

The King of Chramouh, King Bignosius Upsalad III, has lost his daughter, Princess Snotalot Upsalad, to the Hundet. Fearing for her life, and recognizing an opportunity to declare war, he gathers his advisors, including Wigglesnort's mentor, Great Wizard Whitenosehairius. Wigglesnort comes of age.