The Gallic League

1200BC-400BC: The Celtic tribes are culturally linked by social structure and trade.

700BC-400BC: Dramatic shifts in population and an increase in local tribal warfare start to break up the uniformity.

500BC: After several mild winters and cool summers the climate shifts and becomes much warmer.

400BC-390BC: Leading a confederation of tribes, mostly from the Boii, is a warrior by the name of Brennus (though his actual name is lost to history). Brennus’ army marches into the Po valley, taking Etruscan cities and villages. In a desperate attempt to stave off the wave of marauders the Etruscans request help from a city-state in the south, a people calling themselves Romans. They were a people of at least some repute as they were the ones the Etruscans went to in their time of need. Rome didn’t send a military force, instead mediators arrived. Brennus approached with caution but welcomed them. During the course of the negotiations an argument broke out and one of the Romans killed a tribal leader. Worried about the military power of the Romans, Brennus was able to convince his fellow leaders to agree to retribution only against the family of the assassins. An emissary was sent to Rome to ask for just this thing but it was rebuffed. Instead of handing over the wrongdoers the Roman leaders promoted them to lead an army.

390BC-374BC: Brennus’ War.

390BC-387BC: Brennus moves his army south, meeting the Roman legions outside Allia. The might of the Boii army and the military forethought of their general defeated the Romans. In the confusion that followed in the wake of the retreating Roman forces, Veii fell to the Boii assault followed by the siege of Rome itself.

386BC: According to a letter written by Brennus’ son (by the same name), put to paper 10 years after the fall of Rome, Brennus (the elder) was offered a large sum of gold in return for the withdraw of his forces. Brennus (the elder), however, found something much more valuable than a few chests of trinkets. He saw in Rome and the Etruscan city-states that had already been conquered and/or pillaged what his own people could aspire to become. Even if militarily these southerners hadn’t yet put up much of a resistance their organization and discipline was not to be overlooked. He admitted to his son that he feared the allure of wealth would be too much for his undisciplined war machine and they would lose all they had accomplished. So he declined the bribe, told his warriors that they were offered wine instead, and in the ensuing rage the last of Rome’s defenses fell. Brennus gave the population of the city to his warriors but took the lives of the ruling class for his own. He beheaded any that declined to answer his questions.

386BC-382BC: Known as the “Winter of the War” it was during this time Brennus incorporated the Roman military discipline into his own army – though it was very difficult and some families even returned north rather than subdue their frenzy. He also learned about the Latin League, the model our own leadership is based. As Brennus trained around the encampment that had become Rome raiding parties were sent into the surrounding districts, testing the new war methods that he would soon unleash on the rest of the Italians.

382BC: Brennus sent north a trusted warrior captain, by the name of Brawyn, with a contingent of Roman scholars and nobles and a letter outlining the vision he had for his people. His hope was to rally further tribes to his cause – eventually consolidating them under his command into a Celtic Empire.

382BC-375BC: The spring saw Brennus reemerge with his army. He learned about the League but he also learned that it was contingent mainly on the will of the Romans, and in their absence independence and infighting had sprouted up between the city-states that only worked to Brennus’ advantage. Without the will of the Romans Brennus saw a fractured and warlike people much like his own. This is something he understood, something he knew how to defeat. His plan had three parts; he sent war parties south, they would be used to disrupt the day-to-day lives and communications between the city-states. He then sent emissaries to the embattled people of Syracuse (in their recent history they had beaten back advances from their own people as well as an empire across the sea and would make good allies). His third front was his attack on the Umbrians.

Several skirmish were fought along the upper Tiber but the real battle came when Brennus crossed the Apennines. At Sentinum in 381BC Brennus came upon the main Umbrian army, it was supplemented by smaller contingents of Latins, Sabians, and Samenites. As Brennus’ army moved into engage the Umbrians the Latins, Sabians, and Samenites moved from concealed positions into the flanks and rear of Brennus’ force. At the height of the battle, when all resources were engaged, Brennus gave the signal for his own surprise. Riding in from their own hidden position were Brennus’ cavalry (3 units, equaling 2500; one unit of 500 javelins, one unit of 1000 mounted archers, one unit of 1000 armed with long swords). It was a major defeat for the Umbrians, and a loss of manpower that the other League members would soon regret.

During the continued war in Italia Brawyn rode north, first stopping in the new heartland of the Po valley. From there she traveled over the Alps and for the next few year delivered the news of Brennus’ War. The letter she carried with her laid out the plans for a unified peoples and the captives in tow brought proof it could be done. For a year she traveled, some joined her to offer there support but most waited for word of when and where this “meeting of the tribes” would take place. In the second month of Imbloc 380BC (March) word was sent that Alesia would act as the gathering point. Less than half of the tribes Brawyn visited the year before attended. Chiefs, warriors, and Druids gathered but little was accomplished during the month the delegates spoke. However the following year the numbers of representatives attending doubled and Brawyn was able to supply them with news of Brennus’ victory over the Umbrians (there is a story of entire villages suddenly proclaiming they were blood relatives of Brennus once word reached them of his conquests).

It was probably the emissary from Syracuse that most surprised Brennus once messengers finally reached him during his march down the coast. Brennus’ decree that “all the lands within the sea shall be yours” was welcomed by Dionysius I, though modern scholars feel it was the 500 warriors sent to aid in Syracuse’ fight for dominance that made more of an impact on the King. Dionysius declined to send military aid to Brennus but promised to dispatch ambassadors to his fellow Hellenists to speak on Brennus’ behalf.

376BC: Eager for news from Brawyn, Brennus grew impatient and sent an army of envoys to Alesia for word on the gathering. Having seen how fast word traveled between Rome and his moving army by using fresh messengers and horses from town to town Brennus established a series of weigh stations between Alesia and his army. As most of the adult population in the area was either now enslaved or on the warpath Brennus filled the envoy corps with every able bodied youth who was not of age to carry a sword into battle. By the end of the year a rough course of roads had been cut and the weigh stations were in place.

376BC-370BC: Syracuse begins its war for dominance (the warriors supplied by Brennus making up the front lines). This event renews the conflict with Carthage. Though battles at sea were inconclusive the two attempts to fight on land were totally in Syracuse’ favor. At their defeat in 374BC Carthage contented themselves with securing their assets on Sardinia and taking over all of Corsica. The remainder of the war was fought with the remaining city-states on the island that hadn’t yet fallen to Dionysius I. Though victorious, both Dionysius I and his son (who ruled after) were tyrants and faced several rebellions during the years they ruled.

375BC: Just ten days after the New Year (November) Brennus assembled his forces outside the city of Tarentum. All other major cities had either fallen by force or by mediation. The leaders of Tarentum did not come out to decide the fate of their city - and indeed, the rest of Italia. They remained held up behind their defenses. Brennus, eager to return to Alesia to be granted that which was most obviously his to claim – the title of High King – gave into his impatient and kicked his steed into full gallop. During the course of the battle, an arrow struck Brennus through the throat – he died instantly. His body was brought back to his tent, where his wife, Medb, and his son (who had been living in Rome since its fall) had been waiting to witness the final battle. Smeared in his father’s blood Brennus (the younger) stepped before his father’s military council and promised to finish the fight that had begun. After seven months of siege and battle Tarentum fell – Brennus burned it to the ground, killing every last warm blooded body within the walls to make sure he beheaded the one who had killed his father. After the battle, Brennus saw what he had done and wept. He vowed never to allow such carnage to befall these lands again.

During what had become the annual Gathering news had reached the delegates that Brennus (elder) was marching towards Tarentum. Living in the glory of our Empire we all like to bask in the wise decision of the Oghma to settle their differences and build on their commonality but in truth, looking back at the period, it was probably the thought of Brennus returning from years of war with a battle hardened army that solidified their wills. At the festival signaling the start of Beltane (May) the tribal representatives agreed to the mutual protection and cooperation of all their people. This did not include Celtibiria or the Bretons as few tribes from these areas bothered to attend any of the Gatherings over the last 5 years (which made the collective tribes very happy since even if the few representatives of those lands had agreed to join the League it would not have been a consensus of the territorial leaders in those areas).

374BC: Brennus (younger) stationed half the army in the area around Rome to keep the peace (Brennus placed Brawyn, as she had proven very loyal to his father, in charge of the occupational force). With the rest he marched north for Alesia to present himself to the Gathering. At the Gathering, now calling themselves the Oghma, Brennus decreed that it was not his intent to be anything but at the service of his people. “I am a warrior, my life is with my sword and shield – they are both raised in the defense of all those who seek it.” He proposed two measures; 1) keep the army stationed in and around Rome at the ready (he planned on disbanding the rest of his army in the north, that would give him a voice in every tribe in the League), and 2) to grant the city-states now under their control a voice in the council. The Oghma agreed to keep the warriors in Rome active and pledged the necessary food and supplies for such an effort, but they rejected Brennus’ plea for equal treatment for the conquered.

Brennus turned out to be an avid writer, he considered himself a poet and historian (and it is to his merit that we owe much of what we know of this time – especially given that our scholars of this time traditionally passed knowledge by word of mouth). He returned to Rome where he filled over a hundred volumes on everything from his daily meals, to his dealings with the locals, to the training he put his warriors through. He extended the weigh station line the length of the peninsula and was determined to prove to those his father had conquered that his people were more than marauders and barbarians.

The Italia that Brennus presided over as war chief was a shadow of its former self. 16 years of war and the steady exodus that redistributed the people of Italia in the land of the Syracuse, Helens, Egyptians, and Persians severely depopulated the area (in fact the area would continue to be sparsely populated until the beginning of the next century). Brennus strongly encouraged interaction between the indigenous tribes and what the people of Rome called his “migrating horde” – though, for every well-mannered conversation he overheard he was given news about two street brawls.

374BC-368BC: Despite the victory over Tarentum for the next 6 years Brennus had to march his army up and down the peninsula putting down minor revolts – usually in the form of non-payment of tribute.

368BC: A harsh winter brought roving bands over the Rhine. Suebi, Marcomanni, Cimbri, Teutones crossed the northern border in search of new lands and food. The Oghma sent for Brennus fearing that the stories they were hearing from outlying villages about the raiders were simply the start of a full on migration into Gallic territory. The war chief set out for the Rhine with just 10,000 warriors (fully half cavalry). He set up camp at Kelheim and by the end of Imbolc (January) the warriors sent to serve under him doubled his ranks. He ignored an edict and a visitation from several Oghma delegates to attack immediately and held camp until the start of Lughnasa (August).

368BC-361BC: Accompanying Brennus on the journey to pacify the region was a young man by the name of Eogan (he was the grandson of Brawyn). Brawyn had complained the boy had picked up too many bad habits (among others being fat and lazy) in traveling the conquered territories – Brennus writes that he liked the youth and for his own safety brought the young man with him on the campaign. Brennus (most likely in jest) thought that if the youth stayed in the south and continued his disregard for the sword in full view of his grandmother that she would kill him.

Brennus campaigned first against the Suebi on his march up the Rhine – so uneventful was this march that the only entry in Brennus’ journals is a paragraph describing a creek where he stopped to bathe. It was when he started his march down the Elbe that his army was put under constant attack. His journals point out a period of three weeks where they were hit by nightly raids. It seems that even the stout war chief had his fill of battle, Scholars like to point out that by the end of the campaign as he made his way down the Oder pacifying the Marcomanni he no longer listed his engagements in great detail but only the numbers of dead. In an ironic twist of fate, Brennus, like his father, fell victim to an assassin’s arrow.

Ever the historian, Brennus dictated a deathbed letter. He gave his support for Eogan, and noted that both the boy’s father and grandmother (both trusted warriors of renown) would second the motion. He advised his war council that Eogan would serve the army well as war chief and as a voice in the Oghma.

360BC: The letter, though enough to quiet most of the ambitions (though not necessarily enough to rally unquestioning support), was not enough to quell all of them. Oorf, with the backing of only a 1000 warriors broke from the main army vowing never to follow the will of any boy. He set off to gather the support of those who were about to fall under the yoke of the Gallic League. However, what was boiling up to be the start of a civil war within the ranks of the fledgling state ended with just a simmer. While hunting for local tribes to support him in his rise to power, Oorf was ambushed in the thick forests. The remaining Marcomanni, thinking Oorf’s force was some type of trap surrounded and slaughtered them. This, as it turned out, was the final stork in bringing the territory to bear. As the Marcomanni were engaged with Oorf’s warriors, Eogan ordered the army to attack (the victory securing his position as war chief).

360BC-336BC: Eogan left the army in the hands of a capable warrior by the name of Tyr and returned to Alesia to report to the Oghma. The Oghma were not pleased to see him. They had not been given word that he would be taking over the army and were fearful of the precedent this event may set. Nor were they happy about not receiving word from the front on how the campaign was going. It wasn’t said then but we know now that during a Gathering the previous year discussions had gotten so heated that several tribes threatened to leave the League unless they were made aware on how their warriors were doing in the north. However, Eogan was able to quell a minor rebellion, finish putting down the roving tribes, and had the backing of the army; so, they were willing to accept his position as war chief.

It came as no surprise to anyone in his family when Eogan did little with the army (due mainly to Tyr, the army was swiftly dispersed and resettled in the new territory). Eogan remained in Alesia were he was present every time the Oghma met. He persuaded the Oghma to build more roads so they could establish more weigh stations and enhance trade. He also spoke openly about setting up several nemetons specifically to the god Albiorix, and Teutates. It was his hope that these “sacred fight rings” would be a place where mock battles could be fought to temper the bloodlust that overcame the tribesman from time to time. He also encouraged the Oghma to ask the tribes to move from their fortified hills. It is said that he personally oversaw the construction of 38 new villages and was responsible for issuing orders for a further 180 other building projects (ranging from building bridges, schools, nemetons, and repair work on some of the existing buildings in Italia) – one wonders how much more he could have accomplished if he didn’t have to gain Oghma approval for each of his projects. One of the first things he’s credited with doing upon his return to Alesia was to ship Italian scholars, Druids, and Bards to the newly acquired territories to teach (the most important of which was the latest agricultural advances) and spread stories of the League’s greatness. These are just an example of his building initiatives that more than warranted him the title of “The Great Builder”. Eogan enjoyed food and drink and in his later years completely disregarded the fitness laws of our people. Overweight and in poor health he died peacefully in his sleep in the winter of 336BC but left word that he supported his son, Breoga, to be the next war chief.

It is perhaps the relative peace during Eogan’s time on the Oghma that gave the confederation of tribes the time it needed to become a lasting power. Arguments crept up and occasionally family feuds erupted into civil strife but the ruling council of family leaders, warriors, and druids was able to maintain the order it had been created to maintain. As a result trade and knowledge flourished, making many rich and influential – further entrenching the concept of the confederation in the opinions of the powerful.

336BC-323BC: Breoga shared none of his father’s interest in books, engineering, or politics. He favored the sword in arguments and resented the “pacifying of his ancestral spirit” over the past 30 years. Other than the active army camps in Italia many of the warriors had returned to their lands. In light of the peace of the past 3 decades there was even talk within the Oghma to disband the Italia camps. Breoga wouldn’t stand for this and contemplated ways to convince the Oghma of the need to keep and possibly expand the standing army.

Word reached Breoga of the plight of the Helen peoples. Under the rule of a great war chief named Philip they had managed to gain some independence from the Persians. Under Philip’s son Alexander the Helens were now poised to become the dominant power in the region. Breoga sent word to this Alexander that he supported his efforts to claim back his ancestral lands and offered the Gallic army to his cause. Alexander sent word back that they should meet. Breoga was given permission from the Oghma to meet with this Alexander (the council was unhappy with Breoga contacting Alexander without their permission they welcomed the possible trade expansion).

During the winter of 335 a meeting was set to take place at Shipka Pass. Alexander, with a large contingent of warriors, and Breoga with an equally large cohort, traveled to the arranged rendezvous - they said nothing to each other for several minutes, the only sound was the clink of metal as the warriors on the opposing sides waited for the command to strike. Eventually Alexander broke the silence and asked Breoga what the Celts feared most. Breoga’s response would go down in history, “we fear nothing but that the heavens might fall on our heads.” There was another minute of silence and then Alexander began to laugh, followed closely by his second, a man by the name of Ptolemy. Breoga didn’t join but did accept a seat within Alexander’s tent. Breoga, not being the scholar his father was, wrote nothing of this exchange, and sadly, the only word on these proceeding was a book written by the warrior Ptolemy years later. In his book he states that Alexander was taken by Breoga and that right away he saw the man as a friend.

Though Breoga pledged all the armies of the Gallic League the Oghma would not support that promise. Few of the tribal representatives saw reason to offer the lives of their own people in a foreign war but appreciated the friendship the war chief had forged with the Helen. Though they would not promote the formation and training of a new army they would not stop anyone from wanting to follow Breoga. In all, Breoga was only able to gather 12000 to his cause – the lore of battle was not enough to make most go against the wishes of the Oghma. Breoga joined up with Alexander’s army in time to face Darius III at Issus (333BC) and then joined in the march that conquered Egypt and Syria though didn’t aide in the assault on Persepolis at the behest of Alexander (who apparently felt this was something only his Helens should do in retribution for the destruction of one of their great cities 150 years earlier). Small rebel armies began to threaten what Alexander had thus far accomplished and he asked Breoga and his Gallic army to put an end to these troublemakers. This would be the last time Breoga set eyes on Alexander.

In the political chaos that followed Alexander’s death several generals maneuvered for a position to control the vast empire that had been forged (so said in the name of Alexander’s family). Ptolemy was one of these generals, he had fought along side Breoga on several occasions and it is said that a great respect grew between the two men. So it was no shock to anyone when Breoga supported Ptolemy’s claim to a portion of Alexander’s empire (Ptolemy departed for Egypt soon after the death of his leader with Alexander’s body), nor was it a surprise to see Ptolemy supporting Breoga’s claim to some of the territory for his warriors. What did come as a surprise was the dagger that Antigonus slipped into Breoga’s gut to show his disagreement with Breoga’s claim.

Antigonus wasn’t the only one within Alexander’s ranks that voiced decent against any barbaric claim to their former leader’s lands (especially since Breoga claimed the right to Macedonia). Nearly all of Alexander’s generals were against the claim – but as forces were drawn up to finish off the last of Breoga’s army rifts formed in the commanding ranks. None of Alexander’s generals felt Antigonus should be the supreme leader and the remaining members of Alexander’s family (whom the generals theoretically fought and served as satrap for) assumed they had authority to command.

323BC-300BC: Though the civil war that erupted between the factions was primarily settled during the first few months’ fighting it dragged on in minor battles for the next 2 decades.

323BC-322BC: In the wake of Breoga’s murder his army, as described by survivors, went berserk. 7000 Gallic warriors killed everything in sight as they fought from their camp in Babylon. They sent word by way of riders to the Oghma but had no way to know if such news would reach the homeland. Their only course of action was to fight their way back to the League. Leaderless they only got as far as Thapsacus before being defeated by the semi combined forces of Philip Arrhidaeus and Antigonus (on two separate days of fighting – first defeated by Philip and than retreating in to Antigonus’ army the following day). The remains of the Gallic army retreated into the desert.

It was at Thapsacus that the civil war was more or less settled. Though Ptolemy wasn’t present at the meeting he writes that within a day and a night the remains of the “royal family” were put to death (most information passed on to him by slaves formally in service to Antigonus). Antigonus, promising to uphold Olympias’ authority (Alexander’s mother) helped her poison Philip. Antigonus in return murdered Olympias as she slept that night. Antigonus (portraying the murder death as a barbarian plot) took control of Philip’s army. In the following month’s he was able to defeat several minor generals, an army sent by Cassander, and join forces with Lysimachus.

323BC-312BC: The Macedonian War

Breoga’s murder was the event that launched the Gallic League into war. Being so far outside the communication lines the weigh stations riders took almost two months to get the message of Breoga’s murder to the Oghma. The outrage was immediate. Within two days the tribal leaders promoted one of their own to war chief. Bebinn was a respected orator of the Oghma and a trusted influential warrior hailing from the Nori. In a month’s time all of Gaul had risen up to avenge Breoga (all except the conquered peoples of Italia, they weren’t allowed to carry weapons let alone join the army).

Almost a year to the day of the Oghma receiving word of Breoga’s murder Bebinn led an army of 100,000 down the Adriatic conquering the Illyrians along the way. At Epidamnos she spilt her army, sending half through the mountains to Macedonia while she led the other half into the Greek heartland. They met with little resistance, in fact Bebinn was surprised at how similar the people in the outlying villages and towns were to her own. Her first major victory came at Callium, the city was burnt to the ground after two days of fighting. Next she marched on Heracleia and another victory. As she besieged Delphi Bebinn dispatched 10,000 warriors to harry the cities further south.

The northern army, under the leadership of a warrior named Bran, as with Bebinn, met with little resistance with the smaller towns and villages, but in the last month of Lughnasa came upon Anigonus’ army. The armies formed up near Mezek. Though the armies were evenly matched it was the Gallic chariots that won the day. Even when Bran’s lines were broken by the hoplite phalanx his cavalry was able to fight a rearguard action enabling Bran to ferry his forces with his chariots back a mile and reform his lines. When the Gallic army advanced anew, the cavalry disengaged, feigned retreat, and came at the enemy from behind. When it was apparent that the battle would not be won by Antigonus, many of the Thracian cohorts switched sides (though Lysimachus’ managed to maintain the loyalty of the units directly under his command). Antigonus was barely able to flee with a few thousand men.

By 318BC the major cities in Greece were under Bebinn’s control (or were of no threat – especially after Cassander’s capture and death) and she marched with the bulk of her army north to rejoin Bran at Byzantium. A letter awaited her there; it was from Ptolemy whose armies sought control of Egypt. He, as Breoga had pledged to Alexander, proclaimed that he too joined in the Celts campaign to avenge Breoga. Ptolemy’s army would strike from the south and occupy Antigonus in palestine and Syria. The dawn of Beltane (May) 318BC as everyone in the Gallic League was celebrating, Bebinn opened the floodgates and 85,000 warriors poured into Anatolia. Simultaneously with this assault was the sea invasion of Cyprus and the coast of Anatolia (The Oghma had sent a request to Agathocles of Syracuse for ships and warriors – few warriors but many ships were sent). Those who surrendered were enslaved, those who didn’t were beheaded.

In 312BC on the high dry central plateau near the city of Pessinus in a war that started with a betrayal it was fitting that it would also end the same way. The remnants of Antigonus’ army gave up their general to Bebinn rather than face the renowned wrath of her forces. The lands Anigonus claimed were divided between the Gallic League and our ally Ptolemy. The League was granted the lands of Thrace, Macedonia, Greece, and Anatolia. Ptolemy held on to the lands of the Tigris and Euphrates, Egypt, and Syria. For his help in the war Agathocles was granted Crete and Cypress (as we were honor bound to grant per Brennus’ pledge in 378).

312BC-300BC: Though the war had ended, several engagements were still fought in the following years. Most of these battles were between Seleucus and Ptolemy (with the aide of some of Bebinn’s army). For the most part the League members were concerned about seeding their new lands with their own people.

312BC: Ptolemy, feeling secure in his position – especially after the marriage to Alexander’s sister Cleopatra (I) – was proclaimed Ptolemy Soter, King of Egypt (312BC-290BC). Cleopatra, however, would not rule long as Queen of the Nile – in 308BC she was murdered by Seleucid’s spies.

310BC: Throughout the Macedonian War there was a battle being fought at home that would shape the future leadership. The tenuous collaboration of the tribes that had been solidifying over the past 50 years began to fracture. The rancorous tribes could be more or less arranged into one of three groups: the “Urbans”, the “Spears”, and the “Majority” (so named because the core of this group were 12 of the oldest druids whose collective age was older than the rest of the Oghma put together).

The Urbans used Breoga’s death as proof that the Gallic League should not be involving themselves with issues outside their own territory. They called for the army to be disbanded.

The Spears felt the current system of one war chief was dangerous. When word reached them that Breoga had been killed, they all thought for sure the next news to reach them would be the breakup of the army into war parties each with their own war chief and all fighting for control. To avoid this outcome, the Spears called for the appointment of several war chiefs – with each member of this group electing themselves for the positions.

The Majority saw the danger in what could have happened when Breoga was murdered but saw a different answer to this problem. To the Majority, disbanding the army was not an option and nor did they see the wisdom in what the Spears proposed. To the druids of the Majority, the issue was balance in finding a way to grant power without becoming powerless. To them the answer was in how the League tribes had rallied around Bebinn when she was named war chief.

Ultimately, it was the Majority that won out and upon Bebinn’s return to Alesia, much to her surprise, she was crowned High Queen of the Gallic League (310-287). She declined the honor twice before taking it upon the third request. She established the standards by which the High Queen/King and the Oghma would operate for the next 150 years. Before her reign, the war chief had been more at the discretion of the Oghma but under her tenure as High Queen the war chief(s) answered directly to the crown. She also regulated the meeting times of the Oghma. Where as before, the majority of the representatives only routinely met around the New Year and some time during the three months of Beltane, Bebinn established the annual meeting times at each of the four seasonal celebrations. As Queen, she was able to conduct foreign policy (treaty, trade, war), appoint war chiefs, and levy taxes/tribute in conquered territories (all rulings could be vetoed by 2/3 of the Oghma). The Oghma was in charge of all domestic issues: peaceful migration of tribes that refuse or were unable to settle in the lands they already occupied, decide on the use of available resources, air and deal with grievances (though their rulings were subject to the High Queen/Kings veto). One of her first acts as High Queen was to formally sign treaties with both the Kingdom of Syracuse and the newly reformed Egyptian Empire.

High Queen Bebinn spent most of her reign trying to quiet the fears within the Oghma that she would seize full command and rule through the power of the army. Ironically, it was the war she led the League into at the end of her reign that silenced the last of the dissention.


300BC: Lysimachus, stranded in Asia Minor with his wife (Arsione I), daughter (Arsione II), and a small band of guards – and unable to rally any of what remained of his and Antigonus’ army – sought shelter with Seleucus. Arsione II is married to Seleucus but less than a year into the marriage, Arsoine I implements her daughter and husband in a plot to murder and overthrow Seleucus. Both are put to death and Arsoine II weds Seleucus.


The third century BC though much of this century was kept preoccupied by the First, Second, and Third Punic Wars there were still a few things outside of conflicts that deserve mention.

Religiously the landscape had not changed – in fact it would remain a solid blanket of polytheism for the next three hundred years. It wasn’t until the conquest of Italia and later the Hellenistic world that there was even the development of priestly cults to specific gods within our own pantheon.

During the third century pants made a steady incursion down along the Italian peninsula. It is interesting to note that it was much longer for that particular form of dress or anything Gallic to infiltrate the Helen lands. They would forever remain distinctly Helen. However, the same cannot be said for the cultural influence in the opposite direction. Hellenistic art and architecture will seep into the Gallic League, although, this will not become fully evident until the start of second century BC.

Trade would see a steady increase as peace and the construction of roads within the Gallic League continued to expand. However, there would not be much of jump in the import or export of goods (though, there was one commodity that became sought after – the Helens had stories and epics unheard of among a people who revered the gifts of the bard).

Tribes unhappy with the Celtic Confederation would find less and less land to which to migrate. Lands above the Rhine were unstable as Scythian and Germanic tribes still reigned. Breton was still apart from the league yet drawing every near. The last of what the independent tribes would call the “free lands” of the Iberian Peninsula would soon become the League’s latest amalgam.



310BC-298BC: Bebinn oversaw the construction of several fortified camps along the shared border in Anatolia, outside Delphi, and along the Danube, as well as extending the weigh station line down through the eastern conquered territories. Though she had no direct hand in the settling of the area she did make sure that wherever a new village was built there was a group of her warriors and their families willing to make a home out of the same place.

As part of an effort to subdue the worry among some of the Oghma, after the construction of the forts, Bebinn disbanded most of the army that had been formed to fight in the Macedonian War.

It is easy to see what prompted the High Queen’s next project. The League had enemies, and although the Oghma was correct in thinking that every man, woman, and youth capable of carrying a weapon was a warrior they did neglect one thing. Fervor and battle-lust were enough to fight a war but not enough to win one.

297BC: Upon her return to the heartland Bebinn ordered the construction of a war academy and chose Kelheim as the site (which already had a sizeable warrior population from when the area had been originally pacified). Construction was interrupted twice and not completed until after the High Queen’s death.

In the same year, Carthage began its plans for reasserting their power in the Mediterranean. We know they first looked to Egypt, but the aged Ptolemy Soter’s friendship with our own people caused them to seek other potential allies (not to mention that his armies were busy consolidating their gains during the recent war). Their far-reaching trade routes brought them other options. They knew that any attempt to retake Sicily would be complicated by Gallic intervention. So, they made overtures to the Dacian Kings – they managed to gain the support of three powerful tribal leaders, offering each his weight in gold for their loyalty.

295BC-290BC: The Dacian War.

295BC-293BC: The Dacian army poured over the Carpathians and reached the Tisza River before the League could stop their onslaught. They attacked in three prongs, the first two swung north into the heart of the Boii lands, while the third crossed the Tisza and headed up the Drava. At first, the villages and towns people fled before the horde but halted at the Danube and sent word to Alesia. Help would not reach the refugees defending the Danube in time. They were mostly wiped out when the center Dacian column turned down the Danube and the southern force headed north, striking for Pannonia.

When word reached Bebinn in Alesia she didn’t wait for the Oghma to assemble and instead immediately set out for Kelheim with her closest advisors. At Kelheim, Bebinn appointed two war chiefs – Aldhelm and Osfrid – she sent out Aldhelm with the small army stationed in the fortified town (mostly infantry) and kept Osfrid to train a second army. It wasn’t until the start of the New Year in 294 that the first actual battle was fought on the Pannonia plains. The battle was a draw – though the League had the superior army the Dacians outnumbered them 3 to 1. The Gallic army pushed the Dacians from Pannonia but had insufficient numbers to pursue. Through 294 into 293 there was a stalemate in the southern campaign. The northern Dacian force moved through Boii lands – meeting resistance from the local tribes as each village became an armed camp.

294BC-279BC: The First Punic War

294BC: The Carthage fleet of 144 ships clashes with the Syracusian squadron of only 30 ships off of Malta – Syracuse lost every ship, Carthage lost 5. 20 of Carthage’s ships are sent towards Crete and Cypress to engage in piracy while the bulk of the fleet makes for Sicily. In name only does the Gallic League declare war on Carthage (the Dacian war as well as the word of several Druids in the Oghma felt that this was largely Syracuse’s war and perhaps the simple threat of war with the League would bring the sides to the negotiation table).

293BC: Imbolc brought Osfrid and the second army out of training and into the field. They moved quickly down the weigh station roads and battled the Dacians twice – the Dacian forces still outnumbered us but the Gallic mounted archers and cavalry far outmatched anything the enemy could field. Eventually, in full retreat, the remains of the northern enemy army met up with the southern force and fled back over the Danube.

292BC-287BC: The Carthage fleet, though losing 40 ships, eventually defeated the Syracuse armada (all remaining ships in the east are held down in a cat and mouse game with the Carthage pirates) and Carthage is able to land its army. Segesta falls in the first year, two years after that Selinius, and late in the year in 289 Carthage puts Syracuse under siege.

292BC-290BC: Bebinn refused to allow the treacherous Dacians to escape and so ordered the two war chiefs to pursue. For the next two years they fought over a hundred small battles in and around the Carpathians before finally capturing the remaining Dacian Leaders (the League learned from interrogation who had paid the Dacians to go to war – news of this shifted opinions in the Oghma regarding Syracuse war with Carthage). Aldhelm remained to see to the continued retribution but Osfrid was recalled and ordered to a new front.

290BC: Ptolemy Soter dies, his son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus (290-246) succeeds him.

289BC: Fishing ships help to ferry a 1000 warriors from the Italia coast to Corsica in hopes of drawing some of Carthage’s army away from Sicily. Osfrid leads the rest of the Gallic army south to make camp and gather their forces before making a crossing from Italia to Sicily through Rhegium.

287BC: High Queen Bebinn dies. Bebinn’s daughter, Glaistig, a familiar face with both the Oghma and the warriors, is crowned High Queen of the Gallic League (287-285).

Glaistig rides to Rome with the Egyptian ambassador that had been stationed in Alesia. Using his ship they make for Eqypt – they were stopped once by a Carthage galleon, but not wanting to pick a fight with Egypt, the Ambassador’s vessel was aloud on its way. Although the new Egyptian King welcomed Glaistig with open arms the trip was in vain as Ptolemy II refused to lend military support to Syracuse (which he saw as a rival for trade dominance in the Mediterranean and who not-so-secretly was envious of Syracuse laying claim to Cyprus). Glaistig returned home empty handed.

286BC-285BC: Several attempts were made by Carthage to land an army in Italia but these efforts merely amounted to keeping the Gallic League from formulating an effective offense. However, High Queen Glaistig, having failed at diplomacy, hastened to prove her worth in battle. Syracuse had no war ships to spare and the League at this time had no fleet to speak of so every fishing barge was commandeered in order to make the crossing from Rhegium.

Carthage had laid in wait for this moment and struck with ferocity almost matching that of a Gallic warrior. Less than half of the League warriors made it to the Sicilian beaches (depending on the authors of this time anywhere between 5000 and 9000) – both High Queen Glaistig and war chief Osfrid were of those lost in the Strait of Messina, renamed soon after in memory of the High Queen.

The army that had made it to Sicily was enough to relieve the siege on Syracuse. For the next year and half, the army in Corsica, Sicily, and the few hundred warriors that managed a night landing on Sardinia were left with little support from the League. The Oghma, in somewhat of a disarray with the death of the High Queen and so many respected warriors, would not authorize another sea attack with Carthage so firmly in control of the Mediterranean (not that there were any ships to use anyway).

284BC-282BC: The war was mostly punctuated by small Gallic/Syracuse victories on the three islands, followed by Carthage re-supplying its forces and a major victory in their favor.

284BC: Lirinn, son of Glaistig, was a youth in the army punishing the Dacians. He commanded a cavalry unit and was respected by his warriors and war chief Aldhelm. When he finally learned of his mother’s death, he rode with his cavalry to Alesia where he demanded his birthright.

The representatives of the Oghma were not impressed by the Lirinn’s claim. However, they feared the fallout from the clans if the war continued to go badly, and since he had no way to fight a war he couldn’t get to, they welcomed the possible scapegoat. He was crowned High King Lirinn of the Gallic League (284-222) in Aibrean (April) of 284.

Two months into his reign, frustrated by not being able to get to the battle, Lirinn jumped upon the first bit of good news. A Roman carpenter visiting Campania came upon a beached Carthaginian vessel (such things were not unheard of given the on going war). Later that night he boasted in an inn that he could build a better boat. The Gallic warriors present sent this news via the weigh station to Alesia. By the end of IuiI (July) Lirinn had arrived in Rome demanding to meet this carpenter.

282BC: Construction on Lirinn’s ships was slow and it was actually Syracuse that turned the tide of the war. Syracuse’s eastern fleet ended the threat the Carthage pirates posed. Much of Carthage’s fleet patrolled the Italia coast keeping the Gallic League from attempting any major crossing. This left many of their supply ships under guarded or completely vulnerable. The eastern fleet struck at one of these cargo fleets, sending 4 ships to the bottom and capturing 11 others. The captain, a man by the name of Aeneas, received a grand welcome in Syracuse by King Thrasybulus II.

He was then ordered not to engage Carthage’s fleet in open battle but to continue to pillage their supply lines. This pulled many of Carthage ships from the Italia coast and allowed for the final completion of the first three Gallic vessels. They were launched with little fanfare as Lirinn wanted to keep the launching a secret.

281BC: Seleucus I dies, Antiochus I succeeds to the throne (281-261). His first act is to build several military settlements to defend against the nomads making incursions into the Empire.

281BC-279BC: Aeneas’ war of attrition with the Carthage supply lines, as well as the fresh warriors the League was able to ferry to the three islands, began to grind the Carthaginian war machine to a halt. In 279, when all of Carthage’s forces were expelled from Corsica, the Council of Elders felt the war had become far too expensive and sued for peace.

The Kingdom of Syracuse gained back the island of Malta as well as Corsica and Sardinia. The Gallic League gained a large sum of gold, and all of Carthage’s war ships. The only remaining islands within Carthage’s control were the Balearics.

278BC: The utter defeat and further lose of territory caused a series of revolts in what remained of Carthage’s Empire, eventually the Council of Elders was overthrown by Hanno II – who crowned himself King.

Lirinn wasn’t content with the confiscated armada. He resettled a number of the Venetii (long known for their sturdy fishing ships) in Massalia. The combined efforts of the Venetii, carpenters and engineers from the conquered territories, and Syrecusian and Egyptian advisors helped produce the first Gallic Fleet (by 272 a first rate ship yard had been constructed).

Thrasybulus II of Syracuse is murdered by Hieron II who assumes the throne (278-215).

276BC: The war academy that Bebinn had commissioned was finally completed. Lirinn was impressed by the facilities and commissioned two others to be built in order to maintain the fighting readiness of the League (one was to be built in Rome, the other at Mezek - both completed in 270).

At the Beltane gathering of 276, Lirinn convinced the Oghma the need for a larger standing army. He proposed that starting at the age of 16 all children would have to attend one of the academies and then serve as an active warrior for one year after training (those not already serving or who have served as weigh station riders or studying the druidic ways were exempt). Any person staying in the army longer then a year would be granted a stipend to be paid to the warrior’s family as recompense for losing an able body during the harvest. This would take effect once the other two war academies were completed and he planned on paying for it all with the restitutions paid by Carthage and the tribute collected from the conquered territories. The Oghma agreed, as long as in peace the number of active warriors didn’t exceed 100,000 (though, peace time estimates of this era placed the army never much over 75,000 – most of which were stationed in the border forts along the Danube, the rest were more or less evenly distributed in Kelhaim, Rome, and Mezek).

273BC: Ptolemy II asserts Egyptian authority among the Nubian Kings.

270BC: Trying to make up for the humiliating loses during the First Punic War, Carthage redoubles its efforts in Celtiberia. They begin to mine heavily, extracting more iron, silver, and gold in the next four years than in the previous 10. They also press their border north, enslaving the local tribes, which sets off a series of skirmishes.

268BC: The shattered Dacian tribes are brought to order under a single king, a warrior by the name of Oroles (268-226).

264BC-259BC: The Second Punic War.

264BC: Carthage had already subjugated many of the tribes south of the Ebro but their efforts were halted by the Celtiberi. Hanno II arrives in the spring 264 with an army of 12000 at his disposal.

Hanno II was unaware that the leaders of the Celtiberi and the Lusitani had sent a plea to the Gallic League for help. The High King agreed to send an army to face off against Carthage once again. The Oghma, with some dissention (mostly among the Druids on the council), agreed to rally the necessary warriors to augment the King’s army.

263BC: Lirinn crossed the Pyrenees (his original cavalry unit close at his side – now calling themselves his Algiz [pronounced all-yeese, meaning protectors]) with 20,000 troops and began taking fishing villages along the Mediterranean coast. He marched as far as the Ebro and made camp. He met with local tribal leaders but most importantly with the leaders of the Celtiberi and the Lusitani. While the Celtiberi and the rest of the tribes would join in the main assault the Lusitani would conduct a guerilla war behind the enemy’s lines.

262BC-260BC: Lirinn finally faced Hanno II on his march down the coast to take Cartagena. Hanno II had gotten some further help from Carthage bringing his army strength to 20,000. With the Celtiberi and various other tribes, Lirinn’s army had grown to about 35,000. Lirinn relied heavily on his cavalry and chariots but they we’re well matched by Hanno’s bowmen. However, it was Lirinn’s superior numbers that carried the battle and Hanno II was forced to retreat back behind stone walls.

Lirinn didn’t send his whole force to Cartagena, he dispatched 10,000 to set siege and with the rest headed west to meet up with the Lusitani. Near Toletum the High King fought a small contingent of Carthage soldiers; the battle was left mostly to the non-Gallic cohorts.

261BC: Antiochus I dies, leaving the Empire to his son Antiochus II (261-246), who begins a heavy military draft in response to unrest within the Empire.

In 260BC a curious letter reached Lirinn. King Hieron II of Syracuse had pledged his support to the Gallic League and launched an armada to claim the Balearic Islands. At the time, the High King did not realize the luck that had befallen him. Carthage was about to use those islands to send troops behind Lirinn’s army.

259BC: With much of the peninsula under Gallic control, Cartagena under siege, and Lirinn marching towards the city with more forces, Hanno II surrendered.

Lirinn demanded their unconditional surrender and received it. Carthage would have to give up their treasury, disband its entire army, and the League would retain all the lands that they had conquered. Due much to the influence of the Celtiberi most of the peninsula joined the Gallic League (the Lusitani being the only major exception). For his part, King Hieron II would take the Balearic Islands.

Carthage was left with their holdings in North Africa, though they would try unsuccessfully to expand their control down along the Atlantic coast. Hanno II would, however, successfully avoid two assignation attempts.

250BC: Bactria asserts its independents and breaks from the Seleucid Empire.

246BC: Antiochus II is killed battling the Bactrians, he is succeeded by Seleucus II (246-225).

Despite the military settlement of Antiochia to guard against incursions, Seleucus II loses a large swath of his empire around the Caspian Sea to the Parni (with the help of the Satrap Andragoras – several raids are even sent over the border into Egyptian and League territory but nothing comes of it). The area would not be brought back under Seluecid control until the end of the century.

Ptolemy II Philadelphus dies and his son, Ptolemy III Euergetes I, is crowned king (246-222) – like his father before him the ceremony takes place in Alexandria.

Ptolemy III inherited the largest army in the world, at the time, over 200,000 soldiers (many of which are the ancestors of the displaced refuges from the conquest of Italia and Helena – few, if any, actual Egyptians served in the army), as well as several border problems.

242BC-238BC: Ptolemy III begins to war on the Nubian kingdoms.

241BC: Persepolis (the Seleucid capital) is put under siege by the Parthians - it is finally lifted after 7 months.

240BC: A famine starts in Egypt, which isn’t as epidemic as it could have been because Syracuse agrees to sell large amounts of grain. In order to replenish the coffers, Ptolemy opened up a second war with the lame Carthaginian Empire.

Carthage begins to rearm in response to the Egyptian invasion, which breaks the treaty with the Gallic League. Lirinn - who swore his soul would never rest until Carthage was no more – gladly sends his son, Fenrir, the armada, and the warriors stationed around Rome to North Africa.

240BC-238BC: The Third Punic War.

In short, the war was a slaughter.

In the end, the Gallic League claimed Carthage and everything west of the city, Egypt claimed everything east of the former capital.

238BC: Ptolemy III returns to Alexandria where he celebrates the successful conclusion of both wars. He lavishes the city with gifts, buildings, and games. His attention on Alexandria to the exclusion of all other Egyptian cities – including the former capital of Memphis – brings many merchants, scholars, and citizens to the King’s court.

He dismisses their complaints and orders an increase in the garrisons in every major city along the Nile.

237BC: Lirinn visits North Africa. Fenrir, serving as war chief in the conquered territory, hails his father with a grand parade down the main streets of Carthage and presented him with a dozen chained nobles – each was later beheaded. It was reported that Lirinn was very disappointed to hear that Hanno II was found dead by his own hand when the city was taken.

Lirinn stayed in North Africa for the next two years helping Fenrir settle the warriors. For the first time in their history, Lirinn found that there were few who wanted to take the land offered to them, and had to order warriors to remain.

234BC: Lirinn (with his Algiz) and Fenrir begin their tour of the Gallic League.

Lirinn received several letters from various Oghma representatives during his touring years denouncing the act as glory seeking. The sum of the letters can best be said in what Orous of the Nervii wrote, “The land is governed by a Council not by one man.”

Persepolis is again attacked by the Parthans but the assault is uncoordinated and they are driven off. Yearly raids on the city and surrounding area will continue for the next 5 years.

226BC: King Oroles of Dacia dies. Rhemaxos, an ambitions warrior, takes the throne (226-198). He faces several revolts due to his strict autocratic leadership and constant raids by the nomadic tribes, but still managed to extend the borders of his kingdom along the Cheusthie Sea (Cheusthie means “inner” in this case, inland sea [the Black Sea]).

225BC: Antiochus III – also known as the Antiochus the Great (225-187) – murders his entire family, including the ruling monarch, in a coup that brought him to power. He reconquered Parthia (217), Bactria (205), and extended the Empire into the Kabul Valley battling King Sophagasenus’ forces (198).

222BC: Lirinn and Fenrir would never finish their tour. In Fomhair (September), they arrived at Mezek to view the war academy that had been built there only to find a surprise, a nearly completed marble temple dedicated to Teutates.

The architect (whose name has not survived history) was a native of the land. He and others had been taken by the simple yet reverent nemeton and the ritualistic sword play that took place there on occasion. After securing permission from the garrison chief for a workforce and contacting the local merchants for supplies, they began construction in 232. When they heard about Lirinn’s tour of the League they had hoped to have the building completed by his arrival (the temple would not be completed until 220).

Lirinn would not see the building completed. He died in his sleep before leaving Mezek. Fenrir was proclaimed High King by the Algiz.

Also in this year, Ptolemy III Euergetes I died – hated and feared by his people. His son, Ptolemy IV Philopator (222-205) would succeed him - his reign would be marked by great indulgence and violence.

221BC: After seeing his father to Kelhaim, where he was cremated, Fenrir journeyed to Alesia to make his coronation official (221-209). His first act was to commission the construction of similar temples like he saw at Mezek – one would be built in Kelhaim and another in Carthage.

219BC: Fenrir was awed by the desert landscape and returned to North Africa, spending the majority of his reign living in Carthage.

218BC: Under Ptolemy III the Nubians were increasingly put under tighter and tighter control. Ptolemy IV continued this process, going so far as to send a caravan south to claim several of the Nubian King’s daughters and wives as his own. The caravan never left the area and Nubia rose in revolt.

215BC: Hieron II dies, his son, Hieronymos takes over the throne of Syracuse (215-145).

213BC: Ptolemy IV ends his war with the Nubians. Upon his return to Alexandria, though, two minor revolts broke out, one in Thebes, the other in Memphis. For the next several years he is faced with periodic pockets of revolts throughout his Empire – if there had been any type of coordination on the part of this resistance it could have spelled an earlier doom for the King.

209BC: The Oghma demands that Fenrir return and join the Council. Many of the representatives were angry; technically part of the Oghma, Fenrir had never returned for any of the gatherings – instead ruling in abstention through letters, friends, and appointed ministers.

Fenrir returns to the Oghma during their New Year Gathering – leaving his 3 year old son and wife in Carthage. In the ensuing arguments he was challenged by a young representative, a Teutonic named Hygelac. Fenrir adjourned the gathering and he and Hygelac met at the Temple of Teutates. To the amazement of hundreds of onlookers the two clashed swords – for twenty minutes they exchange blows before a fatal wound was received.

Fenrir died instantly, pierced through the heart.

Hygelac claimed the crown by right of the sword – the Alzig had other ideas. They charged Hygelac but several members of the Council intervened. Before the Alzig could kill everyone in the temple Hygelac stepped forward. To satisfy their honor he would allow each of them one cut from their knives – he asked only that if he survived that they accept him as the new High King. He received 22 slashes over his arms, legs, and back.

Two weeks later, Hygelac was proclaimed High King of the Gallic League (209-175). The Algiz were asked to stay on to continue serving the High King, most, however, retired to Carthage (with Fenrir’s cremated remains) – honor bound to accept Hygelac as High King but not liking it.

207BC: The Kingdom of Syracuse mourns the passing of one of their greatest minds. Archimedes, whose mathematical formulas, water screw, and work in hydrostatics, will forever leave a mark on the world.

205BC: Ptolemy IV Philopator licentious lifestyle catches up with him, he dies seething with disease. He left his 5 year old son to take on the throne. Regents rule in place of Ptolemy V Epiphanes (205-180) until the age of 13.

Syracuse launches the largest war galleon to date, dubbed the Syracuse. This massive vessel held two hundred rowers and 150 soldiers. It will become the standard fleet ship for Syracuse for nearly 50 years.

200BC: High King Hygelac successfully incorporates his ancestral lands between the Rhine and the Oder into the League.




The 2nd century BC would see our first civil war, though many historians are reluctant to call it that. It is agreed upon, however, that it is the first serious internal conflict though neither of the opposing armies came into contact with each other.

Towards the end of the century and into the next we do see a shift from clan based farms to larger villas (to barrow the term from the Italians) owned by small families or even by one person.

The disturbance of war would not deter trade within the League, and it is the conflict that the Kingdom of Syracuse faces that actually increases our exports (though the increase is mainly limited to wood).

The best of the century, I think, can be summed up in a quote from Fenrir II Gadorn, “I found a League built of mud and sticks, I leave a League supported by stone and marble.”



205BC-200BC: Regent Tlepolemus artfully suppresses several revolts throughout the Egyptian Empire (it is said that he was a soft spoken man who used words first, money second, and the sword last).

198BC: The Dacian king Rhemaxos dies, his son Dicomes (after defeating his uncle in a fight) becomes the next ruler (198-185).

198BC-187BC: Antiochus III battles along the Indus River and Kabul Valley against King Sophagasenus’ forces (the war would drag on for many years without much gain or loss).

197BC: At the age of 13 Ptolemy V Epihanes is crowned king of Egypt – two ceremonies are conducted, one in Alexandria the other in Memphis.

Hieronymos, King of Syracuse, sends an exploratory force to the northern coast of the Cheusthie Muir (the area we know today as Sarmatia). As well as several abandoned cities they find a people with a curious assortment of customs similar to their own. The Sarmatians, a people influenced by not only the Hellenists, the nomadic Scytians, the Goths, but also an early Gallic people who were called the Tauri, would be forced into becoming allies with the Kingdom of Syracuse in the coming years.

195BC: Hieronymos would send another expedition, this one with 750 colonists, to Sarmatia – they establish Neos Syracuse – and begin to trade heavily with the indigenous people.

194BC-193BC: Dicomes launches an attack on the Sarmatians. Greatly outnumbered, the Sarmatians avoid engaging Dicomes in open battle and fight a guerilla war. After a few weeks they turn to Neos Syracuse for help. However, before a decision can be reached Dicomes stages a preemptive strike on the city, capturing it in a single night.

Hieronymos responds by sending 10 of his ships (most of the same design as the Syracuse) into the Cheusthie Muir. They burn every village and town along the coast – Dicomes withdraws his army back over his border.

193BC: Kelge, one of only a few druids amongst several shamans whom acted as caretakers for the Temple of Teutates at Mezek, led a raiding party of about 200 over the Danube into Dacia – without the consent of the local war chief or the knowledge of the High King. It is unclear whether this action had any affect on the war or if it was simply the fact that Hieronymos had landed 2000 soldiers in Sarmatian that ended the hostilities. (Kelge’s father had also been a caretaker for the temple. As a child, Kelge had witnessed the duel between Fenrir I and Hygelac. It was probably this moment that defined the rest of Kelge’s life. As was rare for the time he devoted most of his attention and studies to only two subjects, Teutates and warfare. In 193 he was in his twenties and a novice working at the temple – specifically he oversaw the ritual battles. Traders and ambassadors brought news of the war Syracuse fought with the Dacians and rumors of a people called the Sarmatians. Kelge found their similarities to his own people compelling, and the fact that the High King had remained neutral on the matter, disgraceful. So, during Lughnasa of 193 he launched his own raid over the border in solidarity with his brothers/sisters the Sarmatians.)

Ptolemy V is married to Cleopatra (II) (she is the daughter of a Syrian nobleman named Athanasios). They have three children, Ptolemy Philometor, Ptolemy Euergetes, and Cleopatra III.

191BC: Neos Syracuse is rebuilt and six months later the city Hieronymosia is also founded.

190BC: Ptolemy V opens the army enlistment to all Egyptians (this goes a long way to smoothing relations with the indigenous Egyptians who had been kept from the army until now).

189BC-180BC: Ptolemy V decides to make war on the Berber nomads who have been raiding the west and southwest.

187BC: Antiochus III dies fighting in the east, his son, Seleucus IV Philopator, takes control of the Seleucid Empire (187-146). He quickly makes peace along the Indus River – the area is far too unstable for victory to be completely possible. His ambition is more focused on regaining the lands that were rightfully his – those which were lost to the Gallic League and Egypt.

185BC: Dicomes is murdered by his cousin who is later murdered by Dicomes’ sons, Rholes and Moskon (twins). Rholes assumes the throne (185-172).

185BC-179BC: Seleucus IV declares war on Egypt. His forces cross into Syria surprising the garrisons along the border in a night attack. Before the gates could be closed for the night, there was a rampaging army roaming the streets of Nineveh. For much of the year most of Syria was systematically lost to Seleucus IV.

Egypt sends an emissary to the Gallic League. Perhaps if relations between the Oghma and the High King had been warmer the outcome may have been different. Though, it was up to the High King to declare war, his decision could be overruled by 2/3 of the Oghma. Hygelac foresaw this and presented the decision at a Gathering. It merely divided the Council down the same age-old lines on whether or not to subject Gallic lives in a foreign war. Eventually it is decided that the League will remain neutral during the conflict (worried that the decision would be perceived as weak Hygelac did send additional warriors to the shared border).

184BC: An army raised at Damascus, by Athanasios, was able to fight to a draw a Seleucid force of 12000 along the banks of the Euphrates. This blunted Seleucus IV plans for conquest and it wasn’t until the end of the year (184) that he was able to advance once again. By this time however Ptolemy V had been able to redirect some of his armies, fighting the Berbers, to the north.

For the next three years Seleucid and Egyptian forces would clash. Battles would be fought at Issus, Baghdad, Damascus (twice), to name but a few – Ptolemy would never be able to gain enough of an advantage to take the war onto Seleucid soil.

180BC: The war tipped fully into Seleucus IV favor over the course of a week in the spring of 180BC. Ptolemy V died of unknown causes. His son, Ptolemy VI Philometor, though only 10, was crowned King of Egypt in Memphis (180-145). For the next 4 years Cleopatra II would serve as regent for her son. She became known to the common people as the “Mother of Egypt” – she greatly encouraged mingling between rich and poor, native Egyptian and the ruling classes. To the nobles, especially those in Alexandria, she was a scourge on their way of life.

Though a domestic goddess, Cleopatra II was not a general. Although, as long as her father, Athanasios, fought on in Syria there was little to fear (he had been fronting the supplies and funding for much of the war thus far). It is a cruel twist of fate that he would die a week to the day after the King. The power struggle Cleopatra II faced with the rest of the court Ministers caused several miscommunications to be sent to the army. The result was that by 179 Egypt had lost everything north of the Sinai.

179BC: Kelge founds the Order of Teutates in Mezek. Its original charter was to establish standards for the ritual battles throughout the League and to keep alive the fighting spirit of the ancestors.

Cleopatra II offered peace to Seleucus IV, who, along with all conquered lands and a war indemnity, accepted.

All that remained of Egypt in the Palestine/Syria region were a few enclaves of resistance – the major ones of note were Damascus (which would finally fall in 175), Trye (which would fall in 174), and Jerusalem (which would hold out for 11 years and finally fall in 168 –whereupon would begin a 10 year cycle of persecution of the Jews for their 11 year hold out).

175BC: Hygelac’s dies of an undetermined illness, his reign was uneventful. His claim to the throne was understood and accepted but not welcomed. Consequently, he did little and acquiesced to the Oghma on many decisions. His daughter, Bebinn II becomes the next High Queen (175-164).

Fenrir’s son, a boy by the same name, grew up in and around Greater Carthage (everything between Cirta and Carthage, as suppose to Lesser Carthage which is everything east of Cirta). His mother was a slave his father had been taken with and took to his bed. Upon Fenrir’s death, (out of love or fear) she took her own life. Fenrir II was raised instead by an elderly druid by the name Dyfid (the evidence is purely conjectural but there are certain scholars who believe Dyfid was originally from the lands of the Venetii and came to Grater Carthage based on visions he had). When Dyfid had a dream (so it is written) about Hygelac’s death he encouraged Fenrir to seek out his birthright.

Fenrir’s arrival at Alesia is well documented. He rode a white stallion, his Algiz were dressed in dark leather armor and riding brown or black horses. He carried two axes instead of a shield and sword (as seen in the many statues and carvings depicting him). The Oghma may have been impressed but they would not allow Bebinn II to meet with Fenrir. They must have felt that one such event as brought Hygelac to the throne was enough for a generation. Besides, he was unproven in battle, raised in a conquered territory, and flanked by a dozen armed men. They sent him away.

Fenrir returned to Carthage through Celtaberia – though there is no record, he did meet with several tribal leaders before continuing home. Considering the events that were to occur next can there be any wonder what was discussed.

174BC-164BC: The First Seleucid War.

174BC: With the remains of the Egyptian Empire in Palestine/Syria firmly under siege Seleucus IV turns his attention on the Gallic League.

Using surprise to his advantage, Seleucus IV attacks in three prongs. Using captured ships he sends 2000 soldiers down along the Anatolian coast – well beyond the fortified camps guarding the border.

Even as fast as the weigh station riders travel news still did not arrive in Alesia soon enough to stop the invasion. A week after word reached Alesia about the attacks they learned that the garrisons along the border had depleted their numbers in order to fight the enemy that had gotten behind their lines. As expected, the decision played into Seleucus’ plans – a week after the border guards had abandoned their posts he attacked.

In this same year, Ptolemy VI came of age and took full command of the Egyptian Empire. He married his sister, Cleopatra III, the following year (which was suggested by their mother to placate the Alexandrians who had become resentful. Not only had the army been opened up to the native population and the crowning ceremony held in Memphis, but they also feared that the King would marry a non-Greek. Since Cleopatra II had no intention of aligning her family with any in Alexandria and marriage to an Egyptian would probably cause a revolt, she took the next politically viable option). They had two children, Ptolemy Neos Philopator and Cleopatra.

Ptolemy Euergetes demands to rule jointly with his brother and sister. His request is denied, whereupon he leaves Memphis for Alexandria. He’s given a warm welcome in Alexandria and, after the death of his mother, is elected King of Egypt (174-164) – though his reign doesn’t reach much beyond the city of Alexandria.

172BC: In Imbolc Fenrir crossed the Mediterranean with twelve ships (each carrying a hundred warriors). He landed in Rhegium and immediately started rallying locals to his cause (as yet, all conquered territories were not represented in the Oghma - even if much of the population by now were of Gual descent. Though left more or less alone, if you don’t count the bi-yearly tribute, all non-Guals were remanded to second class citizens).

He left the south and moved north, the army stationed in and around Rome, though having received word on Fenrir, would not be able to stop him. Fenrir left the south in near rebellion which the army in Rome had to deal with before facing Fenrir.

Fenrir arrived in Alesia in Aibrean (April) but there was no Oghma there to meet him. Unsure of what Fenrir’s intentions were, and the split that occurred when Celtaberia voiced their support for Fenrir, the representatives of the Oghma had decided not to return for any further Gatherings until Bebinn II could be recalled to deal with the situation (many of them went as far as to ready their own people for war).

Fenrir would not remain in Alesia for long. Word reached the city via the weigh stations that Rholes of Dacia had invaded Boii lands once again (Seleucid IV had united with the Dacians in his war against the League).

Unfortunately, the first engagement would be our only true victory. Fenrir’s army of about 1500 (all cavalry) met the leading force of the Dacian army – among them was Rholes. During the course of the battle Fenrir is unhorsed and cut off from the Algiz that had been guarding him. Weaponless, the cavalry leader stood his ground against a charging foe – who dropped dead at his feet after being shot with twelve arrows, it was later discovered that the body was that of Rholes (as recorded by Kelge – who had fired one of the arrows that took down the Dacian King). Moskon, Rholes’ twin brother, would become the next Dacian King (172-102).

In Fomhair (September) of 172 Ptolemy VII Euergetes II found himself quickly becoming a frustrated ruler. His one attempt to overthrow his brother and sister was a complete failure – to add insult to the defeat his brother’s army wasn’t even given orders to follow Ptolemy VII retreating army back to Alexandria.

171BC-170BC: Ptolemy VII Euergetes II would next attempt to annex the island of Cyprus. However, his fleet was no match for Syracuse and lost all but three of the war ships sent on the errand.

During the year long skirmish, Seleucus IV takes advantage of the distraction and lands his own army on Cyprus. With tensions in Sarmatia still high and not being able to match the strength of arms the Seleucid Empire could field Hieronymos settled for a small indemnity. It is a dishonor he and the rest of the Kingdom of Syracuse would never forgive Egypt for allowing.

Having failed at expansion, Ptolemy VII would direct his anger inward on the city becoming the “Ruthless tyrant of Alexandria”.

170BC-164BC: The Hellenist Revolt.

170BC: The Hellenist cities of Athens, Delphi, and Thebes revolted against the Gallic League. They are able to field an army of 6000 in the first year – a second army of 2000 was supplied by Corinth the following year. During their rebellion, they would burn every weigh station for twenty miles of the cities and kill every rider they came upon (this barbarous and heinous act severely disrupted communications for some time).

Due to the rebellious cities, Bebinn II had to split her army, keeping half to fight Seleucus IV and the rest she sent to put down the uprising.

168BC: By Samhain, all but the coast of Anatolia is lost to Seleucus IV – at this point the war had become purely defensive.

The revolt of the Helens dissolved after the defeat of their army at Thermopylae. Athens, though, would hold out for the next 4 years.

164BC: Fenrir is finally able to win a decisive battle against Moskon, though losses were heavy for Fenrir’s army, Moskon offers peace.

High Queen Bebinn II, riding from the victory over Athens to her armies in Anatolia, dies when her horse throws her.

When news of Bebinn’s death reached Fenrir he immediately sent a message to Seleucus IV asking for peace. The war had been very expensive for Seleucus, not only had he bribed the Dacians into joining him but he had also fostered the Greek revolt. Now, with both those distractions at an end, and the unrest in Italia in hand, Fenrir stood in a position to possibly take back all that had been lost. So, Seleucus took Fenrir’s offer of peace – all territory lost to the Seleucid Empire would remain under their control.

In Meitheamh (June) of 164 the citizens of Alexandria revolt against Ptolemy VII – the defining moment came when word reached the population that he had raped and murdered his 10 year old daughter.

His brother, Ptolemy VI (who has ruled the rest of Egypt since 180BC) jumped at the chance to bring Alexandria peacefully back into the fold – the garrison (4000 soldiers) sent to occupy the city was welcomed by the citizenry.

163BC: As part of the New Years celebration (November) Fenrir II is crowned High King of the Gallic League. He will become known as Fenrir Gadron (Iron Fisted) (163-149).

His first task was to recall the Oghma. He toured the League for the next three years gaining a pledge of loyalty from Oghma representatives whom remained in hiding (several times at the point of a sword).

160BC: When Fenrir II Gadron returned to Alesia he had the loyalty of the League but only brought with him 9 of the estimated 150 representatives. The 9 were all high ranking druids and would make up a new High Council which would remain in Alesia year round (Kelge is named as 1 of these 9). The other representatives would meet annually for a month at the beginning of Samhain during the New Year celebration – direct control of the League had come under the command of the High King and his army.

For his drastic reshuffling of the hierarchy, Fenrir II Gadron would have to deal with growing unrest within the League (and in the Helen lands, which because of their revolt would keep their status as a conquered territory). However, with the backing of Lesser and Greater Carthage, Celtaberia, the citizens of Italia, and the army, the rumble of discontent never flared up into outright revolt. It also helped that he kept the populous occupied with building projects. In Beltane, construction started on his Grand Bath in Carthage, as well as several other smaller baths throughout the League. He also put up half the expense of several temples – two were dedicated to and on the scale of the Temple of Teutates in Mezek (a third and fourth were dedicated to the Father god Dagda and his daughter Brigit in Kelheim) but most were of varying size and patronage.

159BC: At the age of about 60 Kelge writes his book, The Way of the Sword (although, many of my readers would probably know it better by the title it has come down through history with, The Book of Kel). In which he describes his studies on war, fighting, dueling, and the forging of weapons. It was a hereto then a taboo practice for any druid (of any rank let alone one of Kelge’s importance) to put any knowledge in writing. Though, since the conquest of Italia and the formation of the League writing had been becoming more and more prevalent, one can still only imagine the stir this must have caused in the Druidic community.

In this same year, the displaced Gallic populations that now existed under the control of the Seleucid Empire begin their strategic raids on the surrounding countryside. For the next ten years they will continue to strike at Seleucid towns, never gathering in sufficient numbers for Seleucus IV army to battle. Even though the epicenter for these raids, the city of Pessinus, had been ransacked and set fire two on several occasions, the raids continued. Over the years, Seleucus, would slowly grant Pessinus and the other heavily Gallic towns varying levels of autonomy.

149BC: Fenrir dies, his son, Bowdyn is crowned the new High King of the Gallic League (149-120). Bowdyn was a successful war chief, having fought with his father against the Dacians during the Seleucid War (also serving as a raid captain in strikes over the border). Bowdyn would prove to be a much kinder High King. Fenrir II had taken over hearing many cases that would normally be handled by the local druids (his judgments were often harsh and cruel). Bowdyn would return many cases to the druids, though, he devoted a certain amount of time to hearing cases that the locals were unwilling or unable to try. He would also dismiss many of the ministers his father had appointed in order to maintain control over local affairs – regions had now gained back much of their internal independence taken away by Fenrir II though were still subject to the High King’s approval. Bowdyn would have 5 children – 4 girls named after the four winds and a son – and eventually would place his offspring in positions of great authority (a gentler ruler he was but not ready to give up all the power his father had acquired).

146BC: Eager for the crown, Antiochus IV Eupator (146-142) poisoned his father and took command of the Seleucid Empire. Antiochus IV was as ruthless as his grand-father. His aggression towards everyone (particularly Jews and foreigners [meaning most merchants, traders, and the Celts still living within his borders]) completely destabilized the Empire both socially and economically.

145BC: Ptolemy VI Philometor dies – he was a beloved ruler of his people. He named his son, Ptolemy VIII Neo Philopater (145-101) as his successor but the child was only 5 at the time of his father’s death. His mother, Cleopatra III, would serve as Regent for the next 10 years.

Hieronymos of Syracuse dies. He leaves 16 children, unable to choose any one offspring to rule the Kingdom he grants 10 of them Mayorships in a city of their choosing, to the remaining 6 he entrusts the Kingdom. Hieron III governs Corsica, Alexander governs Balearics, Pontus Sardinia, Balasi Crete, Kratos Sarmatia, Thadalus Malta, and to Pancratius Sicily.

144BC: After a long and contributing life, Kelge dies. Bowdyn orders a three day festival to celebrate the druid.

142BC: Fearing civil war, Antiochus IV is murdered by his Ministers - leaving the 10 year old Alexander II Balas to rule the Empire (142-90).

Alexander II would not rule alone, Demetrius (the leader of the Ministers) held sway over every decision and edict the young King made. He and the rest of the Ministers, for the rest of Alexander’s life, would stroke the embers of every ego driven desire.

140BC: Jerusalem and several other smaller Jewish settlements rose up against the Seleucid Empire. The rebellion is put down within the year and new laws are passed to ensure the steady decline of the rebels and their religion (among the new laws: No more than 6 Hebrews are aloud to congregate in any one location at any given time. No other synagogues will be allowed to be built and it is forbidden to repair any existing temples).

137BC: In the summer of 137, tensions were high and patience was low within the Oghma (Fenrir II had taken much of their authority and his son although had returned some of that independence still controlled much of the domestic affairs of the League). Bowdyn came up with an idea to mitigate the last of the unrest without losing anything his father had gained. He appointed his 4 daughters to the positions of Vates – a title that had largely fallen out of practice - and sent them to conduct a circuit court through the League (each was given a region, they would travel around that region returning to Alesia every 6 months to report and receive word on any new developments within the League). The Oghma would still make the trip to Alesia upon the New Year for a Gathering and during the rest of the year would be able to have a hand in the League government (without having to make the long trip) through the High King’s Vates.

133BC: Ptolemy VIII marries his sister, Cleopatra IV. They have 3 children, Alexander, Ptolemy, and Cleopatra.

The growing tension between the governors of the Kingdom of Syracuse explodes into civil war. In the spring of 133 a merchant vessel sailing from Crete and bound for the Balearics is sunk “accidentally” by a war galleon flying Pancratius’ banner. War erupts, though it is mainly fought between Pancratius, Balasi, and Pontus. The other siblings, sometimes supporting one brother, sometimes another, and sometimes all three at once, periodically throw their weight into the conflict. Kratos, being so far removed from the epicenter, and Thadalus of Malta, who has no navy to speak of, remain neutral during the civil war (133-130).

130BC: The Syracusian Civil War is brought to an end in the winter of 130 – just two weeks before the New Year. Hieron III of Corsica dies, in his will he grants his island to the Gallic League (presumably to keep it from being torn apart by the war). Bowdyn had no interest in the island or being drawn into the conflict so mediators are sent to Syracuse. It is decided that the remaining siblings will form a council and rule jointly from Syracuse – together they will appoint someone (not of their bloodline) to be crowned king upon the death of the last member of the council.

128BC: As a gesture of unity, the new High Council of Syracuse founds a new colony in Sarmatia – in accordance with what it represented the city was named Anti-Bellum.

120BC: Bowdyn dies, his son, Brennus III, is crowned High King of the Gallic League (even though both previous Brennus’ were never crowned High King they are still accepted as having been the first and second leaders of the Gallic League).

118BC: Ptolemy VIII rules jointly with his son Alexander (118-80).

116BC: In a quick succession of deaths (some of them questionable), Thadalus of Syracuse finds himself the sole member of the ruling Council – he appoints Theodosios (the commander of the navy) as King (116-90). After the ceremony, Thadalus retires to Malta where he dies in his sleep two years later. King Theodosios’ first act was to change the direction of the navy. Instead of the behemoth war galleon that had become the primary ship of the fleet, which were expensive to build and man, he decided to begin construction on quicker more maneuverable ships.

Alexander II of Egypt declares war on the Seluecid Empire, both he and his father would lead an army. Alexander II marches his out over the desert, completely circumnavigating Alexander II Balas’ forward forces, while Ptolemy VIII heads north liberating former Egyptian cities along the Mediterranean.

As Ptolemy VIII approaches Jerusalem the inhabitants rise up against their Seleucid rulers. The city is taken without much of a battle and throngs of Jews rush to swell the Egyptian ranks. Ptolemy VIII, whose chief goal is Damascus, dispatches his new Jewish recruits to other cities to incite them to riot ahead of his army.

Within a month’s time Alexander II Balas’s army is fighting a hundred small revolts, a siege of Damascus, and the sudden emergence of an army out of the desert striking for Babylon.

115BC-113BC: The Second Seleucid War.

115BC: Brennus III declares war on the Seleucid Empire and joins the Egyptians in their efforts to take back lands lost at the beginning of the century.

113BC: The Seleucid Empire by this time had been pushed back beyond Pessinus and had lost most of Syria (though they had held the line at the Euphrates). The Ministers who oversaw every thing in Alexander II Balas life force him to sign a peace treaty with Egypt and the League. It draws the new borders where the armies stand at the time of the signing, gave Cyprus to Egypt (who in return is asked by Brennus III to pay a small sum to the Kingdom of Syracuse for the island that used to be theirs), and grants both a large indemnity to be paid over the next 10 years.

110BC: Three years after the war the area that had been occupied by the Seleucid Empire was still tumultuous. In an effort to create some stability in the area Alexander II of Egypt proposed a bold plan. For their efforts during the occupation and their help in the war to reclaim the territory Alexander II of Egypt would create the Kingdom of Judea (all lands between Judea and Galilee) upon his death. Initially this caused trouble within the great houses – as well as at home - especially from those in Galilee who saw no reason why the kingdom couldn’t be named after them and some voices of decent wanting sovereignty now. Eventually terms for the unification of the territory are made and Jerusalem is named as the future Capital. Alexander II is applauded by Brennus III for this expression of faith and acceptance of the Jews (the High King was eager for a reason to return to normal diplomatic relations with the Egyptians. Even though the League and Egypt had just come off of fighting a war together, relations between the Egyptians and we had been at an all time low. The Oghma did not approve of the carnal interaction between brother and sister that the ruling family in Egypt seemed to flaunt without regard).

103BC: The Seleucid’s finish paying off their war debt. The heavy taxation the Ministers were forced to impose have left a sour taste in the mouth of the people and there is talk of change throughout the Empire. Fearing the inevitable, the Ministers begin a plot to blame Alexander II Balas for the situation and overthrow him. Word reaches the King about this and in a stroke of self preservation he bites the hands that have fed him for all his life. He rounds up all his Ministers and puts them to death. But this would not solve all of his problems – there was still unrest in the Empire and Alexander was not a trained administrator. The concessions and deals he would have to make over the coming years would prove to be both foolish and deadly.

101BC: Ptolemy VIII Neos Philopator dies. His son, Alexander II who had been ruling jointly since 118 now wore the crown alone.




The first century BC would be a time of great shifts in the status quo. Our neighbors will face civil war, imperial collapse, as well as imperial growth. While for the Gallic League the century will be mostly peaceful – though two short wars would be fought, the Reclamation War and Boefus’ War. But this bloodshed also brings to us the patron of one of our greatest songs, “The Valor of Medb”.

The use of ring mail for the army comes into wide use at this time, both as protection for warriors and their horses. Chariots and cavalry continue to make up the bulk of the army, though through the continued efforts of the Order of Teutates there remains a core elite force of warrior foot soldiers.

The League’s first Forum (the Forum Brennus) is built in Alesia – it will become the template for all later models. We’ll also see the introduction of both the mechanical reaper and the water wheel (although, there is some evidence that both had been in at least limited use on farms for over a century now).

Bebinn III will undertake the first census of the Gallic League at the end of the century to implement tax reform. The other major event of social significance occurs almost completely unnoticed – the birth of a boy named Yeshua in the town of Nazareth, to some he will come to be called Christ or Messiah to others The Prophet.



100BC: Moskon of the Dacians died in 102BC, reportedly at the age of 98 – which was no easy task for a king in a culture whose length of reign was often determined on how long his sword arm remained strong. He had no son to crown and no daughter to marry off and continue his line. The two years of in fighting that ravaged Dacia after his death came to a close when an 18 year old warrior by the name of Duras (100-56) defeats all other rivals (under the guise of peace talks he had the other warriors and self named kings meet – the agreement was that no warriors but themselves would be allowed near the talks. Duras had agreed to this, but he didn’t need warriors when poisoned wine would work just as well).

98BC: Even with the defeat of his enemies, Duras’ political stability was not ensured. In two years alone, he escaped over a dozen assassination attempts – several of them narrowly. His solution to this problem was war. War with the League had always proven very costly, his chances were better with the new Syracuse colonies but the League could never be counted on to remain neutral. His only other option was the Scythians – which, on the first day of spring weather, he marched an army to subdue. A state of war would continue for nearly the whole of the century, breaking out into open combat whenever Duras felt his opposition growing in strength.

96BC: Duras’ army (which still heavily relied on foot soldiers – as with the Scythians) suffers a costly draw against a coalition of Scythian tribes. He will end his war this same year, rewarding some of his warriors with the conquered territories.

90BC: Theodosios, in ailing health for the last two years, dies. With no children and seeing the end, he named his chief military advisor, Julius Romani, as his successor (90-67) who takes the name Julius Romani Theodosios.

Alexander II Balas dies. He is said to have fathered over a 100 children – none of which he claimed as his own. Upon his death, nearly every one of those children and satrap Alexander II had allowed to slip from the Seleucid grasp began clamoring for the right to rule the empire – in essence, the Seleucid Empire ceases to exist.

87BC: Julius starts to aggressively settle Sarmatia. He will found a city a year for the next five years.

83BC: The Sarmatians, seeing an endless supply of colonists pouring into their territory, begin to war with the Kingdom of Syracuse. They fair well in raids and ambushes but a major defeat along the shores of the Sea of Azov proves they are no match for a pitched battle. (In order appease several members of the Oghma and the Order of Teutates Brennus III sent a letter to Julius strongly stressing the need for a quick end to his war in Sarmatia.)

War breaks out again between Duras of Dacia and the Scythian tribes. This time his army travels all the way up the Vistula to the coast. Unable to hold on to these lands, by the end of the year Duras withdraws his army back behind his secured borders.

82BC: Julius Romani Theodosios arrives in Sarmatia to take direct command of his armies (an independent empire Syracuse may be but their ties to and the influence of the Gallic League was not to be ignored). He offers small kinglets to those willing to be allies, lies and deceit to keep those wishing to remain neutral fighting with their neighbors, and outright bloodshed to those in opposition.

80BC: Brennus III dies in Aibrean. He names his eldest daughter as the next High Queen, although, formally, this had to be ratified by both the High Council and the Oghma. Which it was, allowing Epona to be crowned (80-53). Epona will increase the number of Vates to 6 in her first year as High Queen and commission the construction of the (Forum Brennus) in Alesia (the complex will eventually include a Pantheon Temple, a market place, an open air amphitheater, and a Grand Hall for Gatherings). Construction will continue for the next 10 years with only a brief halt during the Reclamation War.

Alexander II of Egypt dies. His younger brother, Ptolemy IX Soter II (80-50), is crowned King in Memphis. His coronation doubled as a marriage ceremony, on the same day he weds his sister, Cleopatra V. Their attempts to produce an heir would be unsuccessful – if the rumors are to be believed, not for a lack of trying.

79BC: Julius Romani Theorosios concludes his war in Sarmatia. It was written that those not put under the enforced truce were enslaved and those not enslaved were killed.

With Palestine and Syria in order once more many awaited the day Ptolemy IX would follow through with his brother’s wishes and proclaim the Kingdom of Judea. However, Ptolemy IX had spent many years in Alexandria where Alexander II plan was not enthusiastically embraced. Ptolemy IX shared these views and reversed his brother’s proclamation. Though Jewish cities would maintain a high level of autonomy, they would remain within the Egyptian Empire – to ensure this, Ptolemy IX sent an army of 12000. It was led by Jarha, a fellow Alexandrian who through an illegitimate bloodline was also a Ptolemy (he was a descendent of Ptolemy VII Euergetes II who ruled Alexandria from 176BC-164BC).

78BC-76BC: The Reclamation War

78BC: In the chaos that followed Alenader II Balas’ death Epona took the opportunity to reclaim the rest of the territory lost during the war with the Seleucids. She started out from Kelheim with 12000 warriors, when she arrived in Pessinus she commanded a force of 55,000. The war would have been far easier with an enemy that had but one face, but in the power vacuum of the disintegrating Seleucid Empire up every hill, around every sand dune, and within each town there was a king to be defeated. By Samhain of 76 Epona had conquered a wide swath of land that concluded with the shores of the Caspian Sea. The urge to continue the war down through what remained of our long time enemy must have weighed on the High Queen’s mind for she sent reconnaissance missions deep into the unclaimed territory. She even sought council from the 9 druids and the Oghma (the first High Monarch to do so since before Fenrir II). By the time the Oghma had come to agreement on how to advise the High Queen (which was to fight on and finish off the long time enemy) she had already taken the word of the 9 druids – she halted her army and consolidated her gains.

It seems nearly simultaneously both in Italia and Gaul we see the development and use of a breakthrough farming device, the mechanical reaper. Via trade routes and diplomats the idea is spread to the other Empires and by the end of the century it is in use wherever grain is grown.

67BC: Julius Romani dies, the throne of Syracuse passes to his nephew Gaius Julius Romani (67-46). His reign is peaceful and will send an expedition east from his cities in Sarmatia to find the source of the trade that has continued to fill the coffers of Egypt and Suleucid Empires.

62BC: Duras again marches his army up the Vistula, this time with the intention of keeping the territory. He battles the local tribes for the next 3 years.

61BC: After six years with no word on his trade expedition, Gaius Julius Romani sends a second – this one with a detachment of his best warriors (no evidence was ever found in regards to the first expedition, although, given the treacherous territory they had to travel through death by barbarians is the most likely explanation).

59BC: What Duras wasn’t able to complete through bloodshed he now is able to finish with fear. The mere mention of his name and tribes send whatever tribute will keep the Dacians on their side of the border.

58BC: Gaius Julius Romani’s Eastern Expedition reaches the Han Empire. Emperor Xuan (74BC-49BC) welcomes them and for the next two years many goods and information are exchanged.

56BC: Duras dies. His son, Duras II (56-50) becomes king and faces immediate war with the Scythians. News of the feared Duras’ death inspires the subdued tribes to battle for their freedom. This proves to be a task worth the risk, Duras II is not as daring or tactically minded as his father and thusly the Scythian tribes are able to win several early victories and much of the conquered territory along the Vistula.

54BC: Epona sends her son, Boefus to Breton. The Gallic League had always traded heavily with our northern cousins but over the last several years that contact had continued to drop off.

Boefus is greeted by Commius, the leader of the Atrebates (a confederation of tribes). From him we learned that in 67BC war had erupted on the island between four of the major tribes, the Atrebates, the Trinovates, the Cantuvellauni, and the Icini. The war began after the son of the Trinovates king tried to usurp his father’s holdings and join with the Atrebates. This had failed but it was nonetheless the spark necessary to inflame many years worth of blood feuds. Commius was in a very strong position in the south but his closest rival Tasciovanus of the Cantuvellauni had an equally defensive hold on a much larger territory to Commius’ north. Boefus knew that if the war was to end he would have to get these two to a table. Boefus would spend the better part of the year trying to get the tribes to put down their weapons and meet.

Gaius Julius Romani’s Eastern Expedition returns with carts filled with silks, spies, clothing, and porcelain. Joining them is a representative from the Han Empire, Jing Wu, who will tour not only the Kingdom of Syracuse but also the Gallic League, and the Egyptian Empire (he will return to the Han Empire in 49BC).

53BC: Boefus is finally able to convince Commius to meet with his enemies and arranged a meeting with Tasciovanus but it wasn’t meant to be. As they made their way to the meeting place they were ambushed by warriors wearing Cantuvellauni colors. Boefus was wounded in the attack and later died of those wounds. Before word could reach the League, High Queen Epona would also die. Epona’s daughter, Medb – though, only 14 – is crowned High Queen of the Gallic League (Although, the Oghma was unsettled on the issue of placing one so young on the throne, the High Council approved of the measure and the issue was closed).

52BC: In IuiI Commius arrives in Alesia. He expresses his regret for Boefus’ death and asks for Gallic intervention in his fight for supremacy over the island. The League, however, is much more interested in Boefus’ killers. With the blood rage that overtook the League after Breoga’s murder (323BC) the Oghma cried out for revenge. For once the High Council was in agreement, though this may have been due to the fact that 3 of the 9 were now of the Order of Teutates and saw Boefus’ death as a great dishonor.

51BC-46BC: Boefus’ War

51BC: It took the League an entire year to gather the necessary supplies and ships to make the crossing. In the mean time, Commius kept the Cantuvellauni busy with skirmishes. The Gallic armada sailed from Boulogne (war chief Orleos in command) and landed in the east, sacking the Cantuvellauni capital of Camulodunum. The town fell quickly and with Tasciovanus’ army busy along his shared border with Commius there was nothing to stop the League (though the absence of documentation doesn’t mean the absence of fact, nonetheless, there seems to have been little pillaging, indeed, most of the conflict was directed towards Tasciovanus’ fortified camps). By the following Imbolc, Orleos’ was supplemented by a further 10,000, bringing the Gallic force in Breton to about 25,000.

Out numbered and fighting on two fronts, Tasciovanus would hold out until Samhain, when he was capture in an attempt to retake Camulodunum. During questioning the leader of the Cantuvellauni denounced any ambush that killed Boefus. Before anything further could be learned, though, Commius slit Tasciovanus’ throat. Outraged and now fearing that there was more to this than mere blood feuding, Orleos attempted to take Commius into custody (Orleos’ suspicions would prove to be correct – it was Commius own men, dressed in Cantuvellauni colors, who ambushed and killed Boefus in hopes of garnering Gallic help against Tasciovanus). Commius would not be caught and would instead retreat to his own lands. When news of this affront was given to the rest of the Cantuvellanuni they joined with Orleos. For the next two years they battled Commius and although his lands would eventually fall he would still elude capture.

50BC: Ptolemy IX dies childless (two years after his wife/sister Cleopatra V). A deathbed whisper proclaims his most trusted general as his successor. Jarha immediately returns to Alexandria to take up the crown. He proclaims himself Ptolemy X King of Egypt (50-45).

Duras II dies (reports tell us that his hands clutched his chest as if struck by some invisible bolt – modern scholars feel this is an accurate description of a heart attack). His younger brother, Burebista takes the crown (50-32).

Though the water wheel and the water screw (care of Archimedes of Syracuse) had been in use for over a century helping to draw water from deep mines it is only in this year that we start to see them make an appearance on farmsteads. In about 10 years the invention had spread through most of the League, within 20 years it was in common use throughout most of the known world.

49BC: To ensure the safety of travelers and trade Gauis Julius Romani builds fortified outposts all along the route to the Han Empire – each tower is lightly guarded (between 50 and 100 soldiers) but is also equipped with a signal fire incase of a massive assault.

Emperor Xuan dies. His son, Yuan takes over the Han throne (49-33). Yuan would face increasingly larger numbers of “Barbarians” spilling over his borders – to compensate for this he undertakes a massive military build up. He happily welcomed the good news and trade that Jing Wu’s return brought.

48BC: During Samhain and Imbolc Commius would take his stories of the evils of the conquesting Gauls to the Silures, the Cornovii, the Iceni, and even the Brigantes. By the start of Lughnasadh he had gathered a force nearly matching that of the Gallic League and marched south to meet them in battle. The two armies would meet on several occasions though two bear mentioning (the first would occur in 47BC and place High Queen Medb forever in the hearts of our people; the second a year later in 46BC and will end the war).

The citizens of Memphis refuse to recognize the new Alexandrian King as their own. They promote the garrison commander, a general by the name of Necho – a well respected and fair man – as the King of Egypt (48-25)

Before the end of the year, the people of Thebes name their own Harrab (a popular nobleman) as King of Egypt (48-35). His position is further solidified when messengers from Nefer (an army commander monitoring the border territories) arrive in Thebes to inquire about supplies. Harrab returns the messengers with news on the political situation and asks for the young commander’s support (to entice things, Harrab offered his only daughter, Mintaka). Nefer makes Harrab wait an entire year but does eventually accept the offer.

48BC-25BC: The Egyptian Civil War would be fought off and on between the rival Egyptian cities for the next 23 years.

47BC: In Marta (March) High Queen Medb came to Camulodunum to gain first hand knowledge on the war. During her visit Commius would attack the city, his forces would eventually be driven off. Orleos would pursue but when both the attacking and defending armies had dropped over the horizon a new army of Iceni attacked. Medb conducted the army in Orleos’ absence. She was with the archers as they picked off the enemy from the ramparts, at the breach in the wall once the enemy had broken through (before nearly 30 of her Algiz pulled her to safety), and rode with her warriors as they drove back the enemy from the city.

Ptolemy X attempts a major assault on Necho of Memphis. However, several minor uprising flare up in Palestine the instant he begins to withdraw his army from the region.

Burebista of Dacia, unlike his father and his brother, had learned from Dacia’s wars with the League – more to the point, their defeats under the hooves of the League’s cavalry. He began training a cavalry during his brother’s reign – now he felt prepared to use it. For the next two years he would war with the nomadic tribes along the Vistula and steppes.

46BC: Orleos, riding with an advance party, stopped to water his horses at the River Legro. An enemy scouting party happened to be stopped at the same river. When the two groups saw each other they lock in combat. Orleos sent for his army as did the enemy scouting party send for theirs – it was two days of advancing, retreating, and maneuvering before Commius’ army was defeated. Commius was found afterwards, his back against a tree, an arrow through his skull.

Medb would not keep the lands as conquered territories and instead invited them to join the Gallic League. At the New Year Gathering of the Oghma in 45BC Medb presided over the induction of 24 new representatives from Breton.

Gaius Julius Romani dies. His grandson, Titus Gauis Julius Romani, will take up the crown (46-7).

Ptolemy X is murdered by one of his generals a man by the name of Shufti who assumes the Alexandrian throne (46-45).

45BC: Shufti is murdered by his personal guards, the leader of which was a man named Basti who claims the Alexandrian throne (45-37).

44BC: High Queen Medb marries Orleos (ten years her elder).

37BC: Basti, who became more and more a victim of his own paranoia, is killed by a young solider within his ranks. The boy, who took the name of Ptolemy XI Alexander III, was the great nephew of Ptolemy X, would be king from 37BC to 5AD. From what we know he favored the cult of Horus and may have seen Basti as his very own Seth to be slain.

33BC: Emperor Yuan dies. His son, Cheng, will take the throne (33-7) and users in a period of great corruption in the Han Empire.

32BC: Burebista dies. His nephew, Duras III will succeed him (32BC-27AD) – he is the son of Jepsum (Burebista’s sister) who married a prominent Dacian warrior named Cotiso. Under Dacian law, the child born of a king’s sister, when there is no other legitimate heir, will be the heir apparent. Duras III is 12 when he assumes the throne and already an accomplished archer of the realm. He halts the wars with the Scythians and secures the borders then turns his attentions to gentler pursuits. Great hunts are orchestrated and games, the grand finale being the archery contest (he will eventually invite warriors from other realms to compete in these contests).

29BC: Ptolemy XI begins a major campaign against Necho of Memphis. The removal of necessary units from Palestine and Syria cause these territories to instantly rise up in revolt. For the next 7 years they will remain mostly out of Egyptian hands.

25BC: Memphis falls to Ptolemy XI forces. However, eager to gain control of the rebellious territories to the north he sends peace envoys instead of continuing on to attack Thebes.

22BC: An agreement is reached between Thebes and Alexandria. Ptolemy XI will rule Lower Egypt and Nefer would rule Upper Egypt.

Ptolemy XI immediately sets out for Palestine/Syria to join his armies already trying to regain control of the region. He will spend the remainder of his reign in this conquest.

Nefer, taking advantage of the peace after so many years of conflict, encourages trade and drastically overhauls his Egypt’s infrastructure.

13BC: Medb dies, her death is labeled as suspicious – she had made many enemies during her reign by seeking advice from neither the Oghma nor the High Council but only from her husband, who had died 16BC. (unlike her mother High Queen Epona who was the fist of her line to reseek the council’s advice). Though many accusations are made the matter is eventually dropped. Bebinn III is crowned High Queen 4 months after the death of her mother (13BC-37AD).

10BC: Nefer dies, his son, Socco takes the throne at Thebes (10BC-18AD). He will continue with his father’s efforts and rebuild several sections of the city which had fallen into disrepair – greatly improving the standard of living for many of the lower class citizens of Thebes.

7BC: Titus Gauis Julius Romani dies. The Kingdom of Syracuse passes to his son, Pyrrhus Titus Romani (7BC-20AD), an overweight glutton, who single handedly destroyed the peace between the neighboring empires.

Emperor Cheng dies. His nephew, Ai – the son of prince Kang (the emperor’s half brother) – takes the throne (7BC-1AD).

2BC: Bebinn III begins the first census of the Gallic League.

There is no exact date but it was within these last years of the century that Yeshua of Nazareth was born, a carpenter’s son whose name will usher in a new era of theology.
 
Gallic League pt.2

The 1st century of the new millennium would bring to a close a long standing alliance, mark the birth of a new religion, and begin the hereto unprecedented volume of documented knowledge.

The Gallic League will fight the Romani War during this century, the first war since the founding that brought blood to the heartland. The iron rule of the Fenririan Family comes to the end with the election of Caratacus I – he spends much attention on fortifying the League. Namely in Eastern Anatolia where the incorporation of the tribes remained difficult (some areas hardly visited by a Gaul except for the tribute collectors and warriors).

The blanket of polytheism is broken during this time. From the words of a wandering cleric comes the basis of the Christian doctrine. For much of this century the Faith is limited to missionaries and small congregations that develop almost independently of each other. For the Gallic League little changes at this time, pockets of the followers appear but our pantheon remains largely undisturbed. The cult of Amon-Re will help the Faith take firmer root in Egypt and the authoritarian rulers of Syracuse and Dacia will welcome the concepts of order and strict adherence. Further east Mithraism, like the Order of Teutates in the League, will slow and/or completely hinder the spread of the Faith in that direction.

Contact with the Han Empire not only brought much wealth and many goods into the West but it also brought knowledge. Specifically, insight into the medicine of the body and mind, which when linked to the Druidic studies on herbal remedies fosters many scientific breakthroughs. Athens will eventually build a medical university – followed shortly after by the construction of several others throughout the neighboring Empires.

Two of the greatest architectural structures of this period will be constructed; the Duras Amphitheater and what will become known as Saint Claudian’s Church.

The first ever census for the League will be completed during the early part of this century. Some figures from the census: estimated population 48 million; 250 Oghma representatives, 9 High Council members, 8 Vates, 50,000 high nobles, 100,000 minor nobles, 50,000 merchants/artisans, 200,000 druids, 400,000 shamans/priests, 100,000 bards, 25,000 weigh station riders, 100,000 active warriors (easily augmented by the fact that everyone of fighting age has had some military training), 150,000 in some form of servitude, of the rest the majority are farmers of greater or lesser standing.



1AD: Emperor Ai dies, leaving the Han Empire to Kan Ping - Emperor Yuan’s great grandson (1-6).

2AD: Pyrrhus Titus Romani resented having to maintain pleasant relations with the small kinglets run by barbarians in a land that his ancestors had conquered almost a century ago. He disliked the expense of keeping such a large standing army in the region to battle raiders and crime. He blamed the League’s continued interference for both these problems. So, with the backing of the trade guilds (many of which were housed in Syracuse – the center, more or less, of the growing dissatisfaction with their northern neighbor) Pyrrhus enacted new trade laws – essentially making it very expensive for Gallic cities to buy luxury items coming into the region via the Julian Road (claiming the need to expand the garrisons at the outposts along the Road – though there is no evidence that this was done, there is, however, information that points to the complete opposite).

5AD: The first Gallic census is completed. From this information Bebinn III does a number of things. She divides the League into 8 regions: Gaul, Italia, Celtaberia, Greater Carthage, Lesser Carthage, Breton, Helena, and Anatolia (correspondingly, she increases the number of Vates from 6 to 8). She organizes the tax code (basing it on the region’s harvest and income from trade at the end of Samhna (November – not to be confused with Samhain which is the three month season that starts in November and ends in January). Though local authority still resides mainly with the High Monarch (in keeping with the Fenririan Family) the Vates begin to wield increasing influence on the High Monarch.

Ptolemy XI of Lower Egypt dies while fighting in Palestine. His son, Ptolemy XII will inherit both the throne and the problems in Palestine (5-28). Heavy resistance in this area will continue against the Egyptians until 18AD.

There is a brief and very unsuccessful Scythian rebellion against the Dacians, the uprising lasts less than two months. The outcome of the revolt is the construction of a line of forts along the entire length of the Dacian border (construction will start on the first fort in 5AD the last will not be completed until 105AD).

6AD: Kan Ping is succeeded by Liu Ying Ru Zi (6-9). His reign will face rampant economic problems as Emperor and the rising power of the landholders clash.

7AD: Helena is officially made part of the League under the condition that no Hellenistic cohorts to be formed for at least 10 years (the memory of their revolt, though waning, still lingers). 10 representatives are inducted into the Oghma during the New Year Gathering.

Pyrrhus Romani is approached by Darus III of Dacia with an offer to buy several ships. Pyrrhus accepts and further plans are made to build two shipwrights for the Dacians – at a substantial price. By the end of the year the first Dacian trade vessels are sailing through the Hellespont (much to the dismay of the Gallic League).

Leading the rebellious factions of barbarians, landholders, military leaders, peasants, Mang is able to take control of the Han capital. Emperor Ying is deposed by Wang Mang (9-24). Mang’s efforts to meet the wishes of his wealthy landholders (his largest supporters) while maintaining his authority leads to further economic problems.

12AD: Pyrrhus, feeling confident with his dealing with the Dacians against Gallic approval, begins to openly subvert several kinglets in Sarmatia. In response to this Pyrrhus received two letters; the first was from the High Queen expressing her distaste with these actions, the second was a warning from Kail a high ranking druid within the ranks of the Order of Teutates threatening to lend aide to the Sarmatians if hostilities were not halted. Pyrrhus ignored both letters, claiming to be only defending his people against violent raids.

15AD: Bebinn III response to the unfettered passing of Dacian ships through the Hellespont is to instate a toll on non-Gallic vessels.

Ptolmey XII defeats a rebel stronghold at Massada. Later this year, they sink a fleet of 10 ships near Cyprus that had been raiding Egyptian shipping lanes. It is discovered from interrogation that the Hebrew rebels had bought the ships and weapons from Syracuse (the exchange was made somewhere at sea). Pyrrhus Romani denies selling the weapons and ships, saying instead that a convoy of ships heading for Sarmatia had disappeared last year…he claimed the deed had been done by pirates.

Encouraged by the recent goodwill from the Kingdom of Syracuse, Duras III of Dacia sends an envoy to Pyrrhus Romani requesting the use of some of his scholars and engineers. Duras wished to build an arena for his games (which by this time had come to be called the Dacian Games). Pyrrhus grants the request and within the year ground is broke on the new amphitheater (completed in 25AD and will hold 50,000).

18AD: Socco of Upper Egypt dies. His son, Nefer II, will take the throne (18-58). In what has become almost a tradition at this point, Nefer II will try to out do his father’s building efforts. Though, he completes several minor projects it is the one that was never finished that he is most famous for – the Theban Obelisk. Only drawings survive today, however, we know construction started around Feabhra (February) of 25AD and that it was so large that it had to be built in segments, each to be lowered onto the last. Nefer II is quoted as having said, “it will be seen from Alesia.” Work on the project will be halted in 34AD, started again in 39AD for a short time but eventually abandoned.

Ptolemy XII is finally able to quell the rebellious factions in Palestine and the area is quiet once again (albeit an unsettling quiet). With the bulk of his armies already in the area Ptolemy XII will being a two year campaign against the Warring Kingdoms and take back lands formally under Egyptian control.

20AD: Pyrrhus Titus Romani dies, reportedly in his last days his skin had taken on a frightening yellow tinge. His son, Philo Pyrrhus Romani assumes the throne (20-37).

24AD: A distant relation to the Han line, Liu Xiu (24-57), after rallying the dissatisfied landholders and merchants against Wang Mang, reestablishes the Han Empire. He is unable to hinder the rampant corruption that has plagued the Empire for over a century now.

27AD: Duras III dies, he passes Dacia to his son, Cotiso – named for his grandfather (27-42). Cotiso will spend his reign reorganizing Dacia into a formal state. He will create a court system, tax system, and rules of succession. He will also build the first road network, mainly to link the forts being built (much of this work will be carried on by his successor).

28AD: Ptolemy XII dies and passes the throne of Lower Egypt to his son, Ptolemy XIII (28-37).

30AD: Palestine rises up in revolt, due largely to Syracusian interference. Hardly two months after the insurrection, as Egyptian armies fought in the streets of Tyr and Jerusalem against Hebrew militias, Syracuse declares war on the Lower Kingdom – claiming to be coming to the aide of a fledgling nation (30-37).

Philo Romani launches his first attack against Cyprus. An army of 10,000 and 244 ships assail the island. Ptolemy XIII responds and sends his own fleet against Philo but they are driven back. Although Ptolemy is able to himself rebuff an attack on Alexandria he is unable to send reinforcements to Cyprus. By year’s end the island is mostly under Syracuse control.

The following year, Ptolemy launches a full counter attack on Philo. But instead of trying to retake Cyprus Ptolemy’s main force sails for Sicily. Ptolemy is able to land enough soldiers and provisions that for the next two years several cities, including Syracuse, are brought under siege. He is periodically able to re-supply his armies ravaging Sicily but the intermittent sea battles and the battles being fought in Palestine limit Ptolemy’s resources.

Philo is also able to land an army in Egypt, outside Cyrene. However, in what has become one of history’s greatest failures, the army, in an attempt to bypass local towns and cities, marches out into the desert – nothing more is heard of them.

33AD: The Pharisees, striving to battle for the creation of their own kingdom, deal harshly with a small yet growing cult. The followers of Yeshua are declared heretics, within the year many are arrested and sentenced to stoning.

34AD: Ptolemy sends a small fleet up through the Hellespont. The small armada sinks many trade vessels and sets fire to Neos Syracuse.

35AD: During the New Year Gathering, a delegation arrives in Alesia, they are followers of a man they call Yeshua. Bebinn III welcomes them and listens to their tales. She, like the rest of the High Council and Oghma, found the words of their leader very familiar: the concept of balance, generosity, peace, and independence were old philosophies within the League. However, their belief in a single God was too fantastic to believe – and, if the members of the Teutates Order are to be listened to, a dangerous one too. There was no need to doubt the validity of the Gallic gods or their strength and wisdom. Bebinn III respected their wish to settle and preach and allowed them to build homes outside the city. The visitors (who come to be known within the League as Fadeyrianists [Followers of the Prophet]) gain a strong following among the small Jewish population in Alesia and from there spread the word throughout the League (preachers soon learn to avoid areas where Teutates is heavily worshiped but otherwise are welcomed). The faith will only take root in a few places, mainly in Italian and Helena towns and cities – and even there Yeshua is worshiped as a prophet and the Christian God is just another among our pantheon.

Thanks to the School of Archimedes, several new inventions come into being that help lift the siege on Syracuse (namely the catapult). However, as both sides prepare their respective armies to attack each other once again a storm sweeps through the Mediterranean scattering the armadas. For the next year there would be a lull in the war as both sides lick their wounds and send envoys to the Gallic League for intervention. Although relations with the Kingdom of Syracuse were tense at this time High Queen Bebinn III could not support one long time ally and not the other. She, regretfully, declines both requests for help but does offer mediation. The Egyptian ambassador accepts this offer but the Syracusian is affronted and departs. The war would go on.

During the pause in the war Nefer II of Upper Egypt sent word to Ptolemy XIII. Though the contents are unknown, what was said did begin a series of messages sent hastily back and forth between the two kings of Egypt. The result was the marriage of Nefer II only daughter Merykara to Ptolemy XIII of Lower Egypt. During the ceremony it was announced that the two kingdoms would be one again. Though Nefer and Ptolemy would rule their respective portions of the Empire they would meet several times a year to prepare for the coming day when their grandchild would reunite the lands. Among the terms of the alliance, Nefer would help Ptolemy fight Philo Romani and if either ruler should die his lands will be forfeited to the other (rumor has it that Ptolemy insisted on this clause – one cannot help but wonder what his intentions were).

37AD: Bebinn III dies in her sleep. She had no children. Upon the Gathering in Samhain the Oghma elect Caratacus as the new High King (37-54) – once the High Council had agreed. Caratacus is from the Catuvellaunii, a tribe living in southern Breton. He was a respected leader of his people, having fought off several raids by Hibernian raiders. He was known within the Oghma as “the voice of independence” having fought verbally for his two years as a representative on any issue that remotely seemed to force any tribe to do something they had no wish to do. Caratacus ends the iron first ruling of the Fenririan Family. He increases the number of Vates to 16 (appointing several Oghma members) and allowed the regions to regain the local independence regarding domestic affairs.

The war between Egypt and Syracuse was renewed in Lughnasa. 5 Egyptian scout ships clashed with the leading force of a new Syracusian armada – one of the Egyptian vessels was able to make it back and warn Alexandria.

This time Philo would not only land an army (forgoing surprise and making a beachhead instead along the delta) but also, for the first time since war had been declared, openly supplying soldiers, weapons, and food to the Judean front.

Among the ranks of the Syracusian soldiers were 35 catapults – they had even outfitted 7 of the larger Syracuse type war galleons with catapults (these top-heavy vessels, however, proved largely ineffective as it was difficult to steady a ship to make an accurate shot and the stress of firing a catapult broke apart 4 ships).

Though the city would be damaged (included the famed Library of Alexandria), sections burned, and other areas temporarily occupied by Syracusian forces, Philo’s second attempt to take Alexandria would be no more successful than in 30AD. For three days the city and surrounding area was put to blade and torch but with the help of Nefer II army (which was limited, because much of the funding for the army had been transferred to the building projects over the last 50 years) Philo’s forces were defeated. If Syracuse could take away any victory from this defeat it was that Ptolemy XIII was killed during the fighting. Philo Romani, however, would never find out about his as his flag ship, listing heavily from damage, rolled during the long retreat back to Sicily.

Even after Ptolemy’s death Egypt’s would remain in twain, either because Nefer II was unprepared to take command of the vast Egyptian Empire on his own or perhaps it was because he was content to rule his Upper Egypt. Merykara would act as Regent of the Lower Kingdom until her one year old son, Seti, could come of age. Her time as ruler would not be pleasant as few in Alexandria looked kindly on a woman they viewed as Ptolemy’s consort from the south. The terms of the peace treaty between Syracuse and Lower Egypt would further infuriate the populace – Egypt had to recognize the Kingdom of Judea and allow Cyprus to remain a Syracuse possession (though, the Kingdom of Syracuse would have to pay a small sum to Egypt for the property, at the Gallic League’s insistence – something that only went further to distance the relationship between our people and the Kingdom).

Philo Romani had three sons, the eldest of which, Marcus Philo Romani, was in the armada and watched as Philo’s ship sank beneath the waves. Upon his return to Syracuse, Marcus takes the throne (37-43). Marcus would blame the Gallic League for his father’s death – he expels the Gallic ambassadors before the end of the year.

39AD-43AD: The Romani War.

39AD: Marcus Romani had approximately 1000 ships in his navy. In Beltane of 39 he launched every one of them at the Gallic League. The coordinated attacks struck first at Massalia, destroying the port, the ships in dock, and setting fire to the city, Ostia was next, followed by Carthage, and Carthaginian. The bulk of the fleet then hunted down the few remaining Gallic ships that patrolled the Sea – making no distinction between merchant and war ships. Within a week of the attacks on our main navy and shipping ports Marcus landed with an army of 12,000 in Campania hoping to appear to his ancestral lands as a liberator. Certainly there were a few villages that welcomed Marcus (the enclaves that still spoke the all but dead Latin language) but the land had been under Gallic control for 3 centuries and an active member in the Oghma for a hundred of those years. A second army, under the command of his brother, Gaius Titus Romani, began attacking the Helena coast – eventually landing an army (approx. 20,000 – mostly supplied from Sarmatia) and setting siege to Byzantium (which would fall the following year).

Caratacus rides out from Kelheim with the army stationed there. Before he sets out he sent word to the war chief in Mezek, a warrior by the name of Tor, that he was to maintain a watch on the Dacian Border. Though weigh station riders are sent they will never reach Pessinus to order Caer to move on Byzantium. By the time Caratacus reached the Po valley, Marcus was still in lower Italia – the warrior packs that had formed once the first towns went up in smoke had harried the invading army enough to slow its pace.

40AD: Marcus would capture Rome in Marta (March). The city had only a small garrison – the main force had been removed long ago when Italia had been formally incorporated into the League – so fell within hours.

Caratacus would meet Marcus on the field of battle a week later and fight the second battle of Allia (a place made famous by Brennus I who defeated the Romans here in 390BC). The League would win the day once again, driving Marcus back to Rome. Before reaching the city, Marcus will split his army, sending half over the Spine of Italia and up into the Po valley, with the rest he fortified Rome.

When Caratacus discovers this he too splits his forces, leaving half to fight for Rome and leading the rest to chase down Marcus’ Marauders (Caratacus would spend two years battling and chasing the marauders before finally defeating them in lower Gaul).

When news reached Caer in Pessinus of the fall of Byzantium he immediately rode out with 20,000 warriors to reclaim the city. By the time he reached it though it was well fortified and garrisoned – the bulk of the invading army had slipped back into their ships and were making for the Helena cost. Caer would follow, using fishing ships that had escaped the Syracusian navy. Gaius Romani would not find the Greek lands easily controlled – they had just been granted full status in the League and were not willing to loose it now by suddenly switching allegiances. Athens bared its gates when Gaius arrived and before he could let loose with the twelve catapults in his command he was surrounded. Not only had Caer come up on his forces but Tor had abandoned his watch of the Dacian border once word reached him that Gaius was marching inland. Neither Gallic commander offered clemency, though, they did capture Gaius alive to offer him to Caratacus and the Oghma.

42AD: Cotiso dies. He had two daughters, Zina and Danya. Both will marry prominent warriors though Danya has a daughter, and Zina will give birth to a son, Duras IV. Duras IV becomes the next king of Dacia (42-59).

A contingent of the Jewish sect of Christians (a term coined by a priest in Antioch who himself hosted several of these renegades after the death of their leader) arrives in Alexandria. Merykara greets them and allows them to settle within the city. The Christians focus on the nobility of the poor is welcomed by the impoverished empire.

43AD: After defeating Marcus’ Marauders in Gaul, Caratacus set out for Rome, but before he arrived Marcus was vanquished; bringing to a close the Romani War.

44AD: Claudius Julius Romani returns from Alexandria (where he had been studying since the conclusion of Syracuse’s war with Egypt). While in Egypt he was taken by the ideas of the new cult forming among the city’s poor. He spoke with the Christian leaders, read all that he could get his hands on (which at the time was very little), and became a follower. When he arrived back in Syracuse he found that one brother had been killed in battle, the other captured and held prisoner, and he himself was now king (44-75). He sought peace with the Gallic League and requested the return of Gaius Titus Romani (which he was, a year later). The terms of the peace treaty returned Byzantium to the League, forced the Kingdom of Syracuse to scuttle or sell off all of their war galleons (they were allowed to keep their merchant fleet), and enacted a war reparation to be paid over the next 10 years.

Paul of Tarsus, establishes the first church and begins training priests on the new Word (even with the local support for the new religion it would be years before it is recognized as such – as an example, even within the walls of Alexandria people in and out of the sect continue to mistake Christian priests for priest of Serapis well into the next century).

48AD: A group of Christian priests from Alexandria arrive in Dacia. Duras IV takes to their words (especially the tales of fire and brimstone) and allows them passage through his kingdom.

50AD: Christian priests arrive in Alesia and are a little surprised to find some in the Gallic League already familiar with the Faith (and a little insulted by the version being practiced). It is during this meeting that the catholic is used to describe this sect. One of the Caratacus’ Vates, a Helena by the name of Porfirio, described the missionaries as claiming their church to be katholikos (catholic = universal). Caratacus is far less cordial with the visitors than High Queen Bebinn III had been. He, after hearing them out, finds their rhetoric dangerous, proclaiming, “we have more than enough gods and do not need one such as the likes of yours”.

52AD: Seti III comes of age and is granted the Egyptian Empire - in theory he ruled both Lower and Upper Egypt, in practice, Nefer II was still looked at as the crowned king of the Upper Kingdom. Both turned a blind eye on the subject as long the other didn’t enforce their claim. Seti III turned his attention on two projects. The first being to impregnate his new wife, his aunt Cleopatra VI (Ptolemy XIII younger sister though still 15 years Seti III senior) whom he married on the first anniversary of taking the throne. The second was the first major building project to be started in the Lower Kingdom since the Empire was split – the Grand Canal. Building on the existing cannel system Seti set out to improve and expand by linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. The Lower Kingdom was in shambles after the war with Syracuse – they had lost Cyprus and a large section of Palestine and none of the former Kings had spent much on keeping up or encouraging trade (which had never fully recovered from the drought of goods caused by the breakup of the Seleucid Empire or the shifting of the trade routes north through Sarmatia). In an effort to undercut the trade monopoly Syracuse had with the East and raise the moral of his countrymen Seti III broke ground on the new canal (though the boy king is credited with these thoughts it is hard to imagine one so young as having such insight – in this author’s opinion it was Tebia, a scholar in the service of Ptolemy XIII who also was Seti III tutor, and several other advisors and ministers that set the wheels in motion on this project). Construction would be delayed on several occasions (usually due to finances) and not completed until the reign of Seti V.

54AD: Caratacus dies, he spent much of his reign building fortified camps. One will be built in Cartagena, the other in Messalia (though, neither would be on the scale of the ones at Mezek, Kelheim, or Pessinus). Caratacus also reestablished the fortified camp at Rome to ward off Syracuse. In his final years he began efforts to overhaul the navy. Caratacus had two sons, Ceithern and Tethra. Tethra becomes the next High King, though spends less than half of it in Alesia (54-69). Ceithern, who, like many of the Teutates Order, was unhappy with the way the Sarmatians were being handled by the Kingdom of Syracuse. He will leave the League in 56AD to conduct raids in both Dacia and Sarmatia – exact evidence of this is limited, our only information regarding Ceithern are the letters sent to his brother, the last of which (arriving in Alesia sometime in 70AD) is never read by Tethra.

57AD: Liu Xiu dies, the new Han Emperor is his son, Zhuang Ming (57-75). Under his reign the peasant population comes under increasingly dark times as the landholding nobles are allowed more and more freedom and less state interference. He will conduct several campaigns against rival lords in the south and southwest regions of the Empire between 67AD and 75AD.

58AD: Nefer II dies. The Upper Kingdom passes to his grandson Seti III – uniting the Empire in practice as well as in theory. Seti III would do little with the reunited lands, his attention and efforts would continue to be focused on the Grand Canal. The upper lands would retain a marketable level of self rule and as long as taxes and tribute filled the treasury Seti III saw no reason to change that practice. Several cities, especially Thebes, did rumble with discontent. They had been lavished upon by the Harrab Dynasty and now were being virtually ignored.

59AD: While inspecting the construction of one of the forts a scaffolding collapse, killing 20 people, including Duras IV. The kingdom passes to his cousin, Cotiso II (59-89).

60AD: Breton tribes are raided by Hibernian pirates. Envious over the adventures he has been reading about in his brother’s letters, Tethra jumps at the chance to lead a force against these pirates. The fighting will continue for 9 years with little being accomplished.

63AD: A mountain, known locally as Vesuvius, shook violently. Many buildings in the surrounding towns collapsed. Even though all is quiet after a few days for the rest of the year hundreds of druids will make a pilgrimage to this location to study and wonder at the unsettled mountain.

68AD: Christian missionaries (two independent groups, one from the Kingdom of Syracuse and others from Alexandria) make it to the Han Empire.

69AD: Tethra dies when his ship is sunk off the Hibernian coast. A 17 year old warrior by the name of Creoiys arrives in Alesia claiming to be Tethra’s son and heir. His claim is not supported by either the Oghma or the High Council – the validity of his words are tried by the Teutates Order. Creoiys and the chief caretaker for the Temple Teutates face off within the nemeton (the first of the two skilled warriors to draw blood during the ritual would be the victor). Surprisingly, there is little documentation on this event, but we do know that Creoiys was found honorable and allowed to take the throne as his father’s heir (69-115). His reign will be unremarkable though not since High King Fenrir II has there been a Gallic Ruler who has focused so much of their attention and time on presiding over trials and influencing local administration (a fact that does little to win him support).

75AD: Claudius Julius Romani dies. He spent his reign promoting the Christian cult. He built a domed temple with a crescent colonnade and the largest fountain of the time (architecturally it represents their God [the dome] cradling/protecting [the colonnade] the world [the fountain]). He had no children and would pass the Kingdom to his most trusted advisor, Kirkor - who later added the name Kyros [Master] to his name (75-105).

Zhang Di succeeds his father, Zhuang Ming as the Han Emperor (75-88). Zhang halts the conquests his father had started and turns his focus from expansion to infrastructure. He will try and deal with the corruption amongst his ministers and generals as well as curb the power of the nobles and increase the standard of living for the peasants. Zhang Di becomes known as the least expansionist of the recent Emperors but by far the most autocratic.

79AD: After laying mostly silent for so many years Mt. Vesuvius awakens once more. A fiery black cloud poured out from the top of the mountain, the sea retreated, and smoldering embers set first to everything they landed on – most found this frightening, others found it educational. After hours of this magnificent show the mountain gave no indication that it planned on stopping. Under the orders of the druid Etan, the masses of Pompeii began being evacuated and he sent word that all towns in the area should do the same. If Etan had waited but an hour more the horror that was soon to come would have been far worse. For soon Vesuvius was spewing forth a wall of gas, ash, and fire there was nothing to do but run. In the aftermath, both Pompeii and Herculaneum would be no more, buried alive with many of their inhabitants. Etan will proclaim Mt. Vesuvius and the region to be a sacred site, Druids and scholars from many lands will come to study and worship at this bay. Within 5 years Etan has a school built two miles down the cost from the catastrophe (the studies done here on geothermic and geophysical principles will have a great impact on future generations).

A treaty is signed between the last of the Warring Kingdoms. Artabanus will become the king of Parthia, Eucratides will rule Bactria, and Demetrius will lead the resurrected Persian Empire.

87AD: Seti III dies, his son, Seti IV assumes the Egyptian throne (87-102).

Buddhism makes its first inroads into the highly Confucius state of the Han Empire.

88AD: Emperor Zhang dies, his son (his 5th son to be exact) takes the throne. Emperor Liu He Di (88-106) will return to his grandfather’s endeavors (after making peace with the nobles).

89AD: Cotiso II dies. His son Dapyx will take the throne (89-119). During his tour of one of the recently completed forts (Sarmizegetusa) he is awed by the sight and immediately proclaims this to be the new capital.

90AD: Seti IV, looking for revenue to complete the Grand Canal, increases the Egyptian presence in Nubia. Taxes, tribute, and most importantly resources (namely gold) had been dwindling over the last ten years as those in the Upper Kingdom slowly distanced themselves from the rest of the Empire. Seti III, though educated in Alexandria, was of Nubian decent from his mother’s side, and so, made it easier to put up with his sometimes ruthless requests for men and materials to complete his task. Seti IV was far enough removed both by blood and distance that the fringes of the Upper Kingdom felt it no longer bound (after so many years of little interference from the main Empire) to the rest of Egypt. Though culturally almost indistinguishable from greater Egypt the lands of the Nubian kings broke from the Egyptian Empire and for the next two years would fight for their independence under the banner of the powerful trading city of Axum and their king, Amanikhabale.

92AD: Unprepared both militarily and financially for a long war, Seti IV allows king Amanikhabale his independence – Axum would become a client kingdom of the Egyptian Empire and pay tribute for the next ten years. Amanikhabale becomes the first king of the Axumite Empire (92-102).

96AD: Hero(formally of Alexandira, but along with many others, fled during the war with Syracuse), a Greek working and studying at the Etan University, puts to paper a drawing of his aeolipile also known as the “Vesuvian Engine”.



The 2nd century AD will be witness to many scientific and technological advances. Druid astrologers will strive to better map and understand the stars. The current understanding of anatomy will be greatly added to by a succession of Helena scholars (with special attention paid to the vascular system and the treatment of head trauma). A collaboration between druids and Han scholars will produce the first seismoscope in 130AD. A college of thinkers from many realms will produce the first bound geography manuscript. In 120AD the wheelbarrow (a useful tool) will migrate to the Gallic League from the Han Empire. Around 170 the iron plough is invented by a Helena. Paper, invented in the Han Empire, will become the rich noble’s novelty and be slow in reaching the west (where it will make little impact on cultures that had been happily using papyrus for a number of centuries).

It is difficult to draw lines through religious philosophy; often time areas of influence will overlap and shift with population. The general patterns are as follows: the Gallic League remains a conglomeration of greater and lesser spirits and Fadeyrianism will continue to thrive though not grow beyond the lower classes of the larger cities. Christianity will continue to make progress in Dacia and the Kingdom of Syracuse as successive leaders are drawn to that faith. The cult of Amon-Re, which in the pervious century had helped allow the Christian faith to seep into the Egyptian culture, is now the cause of a split from the growing traditional doctrine. Christianity will have some success south of Egypt in the Axumite Empire and in breaking the wall of Mithraism and spreading to the tribes along the Ganges River while facing utter defeat in the Kingdom of Judea. The Buddhist philosophy will flourish in Bactria and portions of the Han Empire (while making inroads into the lands to the south of the Han), but for the most part the Han Empire will remain a Confucius state.

The live and let live policy we had for our non-member cousins comes to an end this century. The trouble we face is nothing compared to the political instability developing in the Han Empire as local administrators, generals, court ministers, royal and noble families all jocky for control.



102AD: Seti IV dies, he leaves his son, Seti V the Egyptian throne (102-142). The coronation will be held in Alexandria, which had many outside the city (particularly those of the Upper Nile) upset. Within two years, Seti V will move the capital to Memphis after falling in love with the city on a brief tour of his holdings. In that same year he will wed a wealthy Theban landholder’s daughter (her actual name is not recorded though at the wedding she is crowned Cleopatra VII). This starts a tradition that will be carried out through many years – the King’s sons marry Thebes and his daughters marry Alexandria.

104AD: Amanikhabale, the first Emperor of the Axumite Empire, dies. The throne passes to his daughter Amanitore (104-123). Her reign is marked by an increase in trade to the south and interior lands.

105AD: The King of Syracuse, Kirkor Kyros, dies. A masterful administrator but a weak leader, he did manage to greatly expand his kingdom’s treasury by selling off the last of his warships to Lusitania and the Kingdom of Judea. Though he, himself, was not a Christian, his wife did convert. The last two years of his reign were met with increased raids in Sarmatia by the Alans and Hunni (as well as some native Sarmatian unrest). His son, Daedalus – who was only 15 at his father’s death, takes on the crown of Syracuse (105-140). Daedalus will do little while king, the first 5 years are spent in depression over his father’s death. In his 6th year while climbing (a favorite activity of his) he falls and is severely injured, after being nursed back to health by his mother and several priests Daedalus devotes his life to the Faith.

106AD: The Han Emperor Liu Hedi dies. He is succeeded by Shangdi but he dies in his sleep less than a year after taking the throne. Dowager Deng will act as regent for the remainder of the year until Huan (the dowager’s cousin) is appointed (107-125).

110AD: Lusitania, after centuries of relative isolation, emerges onto the world stage. For the past 50 years they have been honing their seafaring skills (establishing a first rate fishing and merchant fleet in the process). In this year they sent out their first exploratory mission down the African coast and between 112 and 135 they set up a series of trading outposts.

King Orodes IV (110-112) begins a period where Parthia faces constant barbarian incursions.

112AD: Orodes IV is killed during a battle with an unnamed Scythian tribe. His son, Chrosoes will continue the war eventually forcing a short peace in 118 (112-126).

115AD: High King Creoiys dies, he had three children; Bebinn, Tethra (who becomes a druid), and Caratacus who is crowned the next High King (115-125). Caratacus, like his namesake, finds more interest in being a warrior than a ruler.

The nomadic tribes north and west of the Han Empire begin to stir and encroach on Han territory (territory either directly controlled or under the influence of the Han). This leads Huan to begin a military suppression and expansion to pacify his borders.

117AD: King Demetrius of Bactria (110-135), after signing successive treaties with both the Parthians and the Persians looks east to expand his kingdom. In Marta with an army of 15,000 he begins his march down the Ganges River.

119AD: Dapyx, King of Dacia, dies leaving behind 3 daughters and 1 son, Decebalus, who assume the throne (119-149).

120AD-135AD: The Gallic Wars (which is comprised of three different campaigns; 120-128 against the Laginians, 126-130 against the Eraneans, 131-135 against the Darini and Robogdii).

120AD: Tired of the endless raids Caratacus II sets out from Breton with an army to conquer the Laginian tribes. He splits his force (reportedly 35,000), the first making landfall around Dubh Linn, the second landing in Laighin (Caratacus led the second army while war chief Fynn commanded the first). By spring of the following year much of the coast was under League control.

The Grand Canal is completed. The event is marked by a 3 day celebration and a parade of ships from every known kingdom up and down the river. With the opening of the canal and relative calm in the successor kingdoms of the Seleucid Empire Egypt finds it is once again becoming a dominant trading power.

122AD: With fresh warriors and supplies Caratacus II marches down the River Shannon, finding heavy resistance along Lough Allen and Ree but after a major victory in Marta the enemy war bands broke up and would not field another army until the following year when Caratacus begins his march south into Munster.

Fynn’s army would remain largely in the Dubh Linn area protecting the coast and serving as reinforcements.

123AD-126AD: Caratacus II, after turning south into Munster, will face off against Mc’Og – the Laginian war chief – nearly a dozen times before trapping the Laginian commander and his army with his back against the sea in Samhna (November) of 126.

War parties from the Eraneans attack Fynn’s supply camps along the Ulster border. Fynn responds by sending several thousand warriors across into Ulster. The following year (126), a larger army of Eraneans attacks Fynn’s army, succeeding in driving the League army back to the coast before a counter charge forced the day to a draw. By years end, Fynn was marching the whole of his force (about 25,000) into Ulster.

125AD: Caratacus II dies in an ambush while out scouting for his army. His sister Bebinn is also injured in the attack but survives. After recovering from her wounds she accepts the crown becoming High Queen Bebinn IV (125-138) – the Oghma and High Council are informed about this via the Vates.

Much of Syracuse’s lands between the inland seas are lost to the Huns.

The Han Emperor Huan dies, the throne passes to Xiu Long (a military advisor) but only two months into his reign he is killed in a coup staged by the court eunuchs who favored Bao Shun (Emperor Huan’s son) (125-144). Emperor Bao will continue to expand the army and push Han influence further west.

The first Lusitanian ship circumnavigates Africa – returning to Lusitania via the Grand Canal after stops in Axum, Alexandria, Syracuse, and Massalia.

127AD: Late in the year Bebinn IV starts her march north, battling small tribes, but faces little resistance. When she comes to the River Shannon she is met by messengers from Fynn. After learning of the new front Bebinn sends for the army at Kelheim. Bebinn will leave much of her army in Laighin to complete the southern conquest and move north with only her Algiz (about 200 in all).

128AD: Both Antebellum and Neos Syracuse are sacked by the Alans. Daedalus sends his two sons (Tarquin and Balas) to finally put down the invading tribes.

The Dacian King Decebalus, in response to a massive barbarian invasion, sends his armies to the east. Where, after defeating the Alans, they continue to push and conquer lands along the Don River.

130AD: Bebinn IV and Fynn are able to win a major victory over the Uluti, leaving only a few roaming bands in northern Ulster to contend with. However, several tribes, the largest two being the Darini and the Robogdii, escape across the sea to their holdings in northern Breton. Bebinn leaves Fynn with much of the army in Ulster to handle the last of the resistance and sails for Breton and the Kelheim army that has been waiting in Camulodunum.

In hopes of curbing some of the wealth pouring into the Egyptian Empire, Darius V of Persia begins advancing across the Persian Straits. His plans are to control the desert peninsula and the Horn of Africa in order to force his own toll for ships coming and going through the Grand Canal.

The tribes of Lusitania establish the Triumvirate whose main objectives are to oversee trade (a loose agreement among ranking families, though no governing body oversees their actions and each for the most part act alone excepting in matters of concerning the kingdom as a whole).

131AD: Bebinn IV crosses the lands of the Brigantes and begins to make war against the Darini and Robogdii. Two obstacles will make the first two years of this phase of the war very difficult. The first was the rocky unfamiliar terrain, the second was the negotiations Bebinn IV had to endure with the Caledonian tribes. Until 133, when an agreement was finally reached, Bebinn was only able to pass 2000 warriors up into northern Breton (to add any more to the invasion would have brought the Caledonians in on the side of the Darini and Robogdii).

133AD: The two sons of Daedalus push back the invading tribes and re-conquer the lost Sarmatian territory.

Emperor Shorakaror (123-147) of the Axumite Empire is given word that the Persians are expanding their borders. Fearing invasion Shorakaror declares war on Darius V and launches an attack on the Persian army (several battles will be fought on sea and land from 133 to 136). By the end of the war, Darius V is forced to withdraw from some of his gains due to the loss of man power. Shorakaror, though acquiring little territory, will keep what he conquered.

135AD: At Lough Sell, the last of the Darini and Robogdii were defeated. They were surrounded; Bebinn’s army was marching north along the hills, a second army (which sailed from Ulster and landed at an inlet north of Lough Sell) was marching south, and a cohort of Caledonians were taking to the hills and mountains behind Lough Sell to fight in the valleys and passes.

Upon her return to Alesia to address the High Council (her first since becoming High Queen in 125) she recommended that the lands of the Caledonians be allowed admittance into the Oghma but that Laginia and Erania be treated as conquered territories. She also ordered the construction of a permanent military camp to be built along the inlet at the mouth of the Mersey River (about where OTL Liverpool is located). The High Council agreed, which was ratified by the Oghma at the start of the New Year (the military camp will be completed in 127 which will become the town of Bebinnshire in 140). The new lands will be in a state of unrest (with particular trouble brewing in the winters of 138, 142, and a year long revolt in Dubh Linn between 157 and 158) until about 170AD when the last recorded incident with a roaming war party is noted.

Demetrius of Bactria dies, the kingdom passes to his son Diodotus I (135-152) - who will end the wars along the Ganges River, consolidate his father’s gains, and create several client kingdoms from the rival warlords in the area.

138AD: Bebinn IV dies childless. She names her nephew as her heir. Bran had been serving in the ranks; first as a weigh station rider and now as a cavalry commander in Laginia. He and his wife, Geayveeley (a native Laginian), return to Alesia where he is crowned the High King (138-164).

140AD: Daedalus dies. Balas (the elder brother) is recalled to Syracuse to become king (140-155). He immediately commissions a new army to expand the holdings in Sarmatia and further punish the Alans and Huns.

142AD: After a long and prosperous reign king Seti V dies. The crown passes to his son, Seti VI (142-180) who, the following year, will marry Inhapi of Thebes.

Tarquin, who believed in a defensive war, requests of his brother men and supplies to build a wall between the Dnieper and Don Rivers. 4 months go by with no word from Balas so Tarquin begins construction without permission.

144AD: Bao Shun dies and passes the crown to his son, Bing Chung, but fate would not allow this and less than a year into the reign Emperor Chung dies of unknown causes. He is succeeded by Zuan Zhi, the great grand son of Emperor Zhang – his time on the throne will likewise be short but not due to natural causes.

146AD: Emperor Zhi is poisoned by Dowager Liang’s brother, Ji, in favor of the dowager’s son, Zhi Huan (146-168).

147AD: After years of expansion and battling the nomadic tribes the Han Empire falls into a war with Bactria. Within 4 years, 3 emissaries sent to Bactria were killed (supposedly by bandits). Upon the 3rd death Emperor Huan sends a message to Diodotus demanding reprisal for the deaths. Diodotus, grossly underestimating the strength of arms that could be brought down upon him, responds with a message saying that the Emperor’s emissaries should be more careful in lands not of their own. Before the end of the year, the two Empires are at war (147-158).

148AD: Several border skirmishes are fought between Persia and Egypt along the Tiger. However, neither king is willing to declare war so after much posturing both parties back down (the lack of escalation may have been in part due to the fact that the Egyptians had very good relations with the Han who were currently not that far from the Persian borders).

149AD: Tarquin makes yet another request of his brother for men and supplies (since beginning construction in 142 Tarquin wrote over a dozen letters to his brother updating him on the wall and requesting supplies – all but one was answered). Tarquin’s request is denied, Balas instead demands that his brother march with his army to the Volga to assist in the taming of the land (Balas had just suffered a major defeat at the hands of a confederation of Alans and other Scythian tribes). Tarquin refuses which sets off a civil war (149-151).

Decebalus of Dacia dies along with his eldest son during his campaigns along the Volga River. Decebalus’ remaining son, Duras V (who had remained in Sarmizegetusa) proclaims himself the new king (149-168).

151AD: The civil war between Tarquin and Balas grinds to a halt after an envoy from the Gallic League meets with them. Their war had spilled out onto the open water and on several occasions threatened Gallic shipping and lands. They were informed that if another such incident were to occur within 2 miles of any Gallic ships or lands that the League would declare war on the both of them. The brothers come to terms and call a truce – they would both return to Syracuse and rule jointly.

155AD: Tarquin and Balas would not rule amicably. Tension between the two would continue to be thick and eventually break out into an open brawl. During the winter they both challenge the other to a duel, Balas will die during the fight and Tarquin will succumb to his wounds before the next sunrise. The crown will pass to Balas’ daughter, Persephone, who becomes the first queen of the Kingdom of Syracuse and the last monarch of the realm (155-185).

157AD: Persephone finishes her father’s conquest and sets the new border at the Ural Mountains (which will become steady source of mined income in the coming years).

Emperor Zhi Huan war with Bactria spills over into Parthia which provokes Mithridates IV (145-162) into a 3 year conflict with the Han (after being bribed by Diodotus II to declare war).

158AD: A treaty is signed between the Han Empire and Bactria. So Emperor Huan can avoid the expense and logistics of maintaining a kingdom so far from the core of the empire and King Diodotus II can avoid losing his lands it is decided that Bactria will become a client kingdom of the Han (paying a hefty tribute each year).

159AD: Persephone completes the wall her uncle had started, the Tarquin Wall runs between the banks of the Dnieper and the Don Rivers (it will later be extended and include a section between the Don and the Volga and another between the Volga and the Urals).

A great plague is carried to the Han Empire by returning soldiers from the wars with Parthia and Bactria (it will later be spread to the Kingdom of Syracuse, Dacia, and the Gallic League via the Julian Road). At the height of the pandemic it will kill 5 million people – ¼ of those infected die. Though the disease will carry on for the next 10 years outbreaks will occur for the next 20.

164AD: Tensions in the Gallic League were running high With Dacia’s armies mobilized. To calm this wariness, Bran had spent much of his reign touring the League (in his absence Geayveeley handled many of the administrative aspects of ruling). While inspecting the fortification along the border with Dacia Bran contracts an illness and dies about a week later. He and Geayveeley will have no children (though Geayveeley will give birth to a stillborn child). Though Bran never named her specifically, Geayveeley was always seen as the right hand to the High King and so it isn’t surprising that the title passes to her. She is crowned High Queen by the High Council in 165 at the Samhain Gathering (165-172).

165AD: Persephone commissions the position of Governor to be her hand in Sarmatia – unrest had been on the rise in the area since the plague began to appear in 61. She sends Gaius Septimius Verus to take command of the region.

Duras V halts the eastern expansion at the Volga and during Imbloc he sends an expedition across the shallow sea to the lands beyond. By the end of Beltane the explorers returned to Sarmizegetusa with great tales.

168AD: Duras V dies, leaving his son, Duras VI, as King of Dacia (168-190). The relative peace that had been founded in the last half of his father’s reign was brought to a close. Dacia was again awash in native uprisings due in large part to the plague that had been sweeping through the lands for the last two years.

Emperor Zhi Huan dies, some suspect due to the plague as several of his family members die within days and weeks of his passing. The throne passes to a cousin, Hong Ling (168-189).

170AD: Over much of the last century the Kingdom of Judea had faced near civil war as the different sects of their faith argued over the governing of their kingdom. However, in Feabhra (February) the Pharisees were able to gain political cohesion and form the Elder Council.

Though the League was far less affected by the plague that ravaged Dacia, the Kingdom of Syracuse, and the Han Empire, it was still struck by the pandemic. The infected amounted to mainly the less affluent strata of poorer homesteads and our comparatively small slave population. Nonetheless, the dip in population did cause an agricultural slump that threatened the possibility of famine. To address this issue the Oghma commissioned scholars throughout the League to come up with a solution that may prevent disaster. It was a Helena by the name of Cato that eventually came up with several inventive ideas, the two primary ones being crop rotation and the iron plough.

172AD: Geayveeley remarried in 170AD to Billey Darrgh (a noble from the Venettii). They will have one child, which Geayveeley died giving birth to. Billey was an unknown to the Oghma and the High Council and he himself unenthusiastic about ruling. Acting almost unilaterally, the High Council decide to act as regents with Billey for the next 14 years the child queen Sheel can take the throne.

177AD: Since 37AD there had been several periods of persecution towards the Christians still living in Judea, the years between 177 and 189 marked the worst of those persecutions and would actually result in the expulsion of all Christians from Jerusalem.

After the success of Cato’s rotation plan and plough at several test farms the idea is spread to the rest of the League and eventually the neighboring realms. The success of these ideas also has another result, at the Gathering in Samhain it is decided to do away with the practice of slavery - which had never been a popular practice (a two year stipend was paid out to any showing significant financial loss because of the shift in the labor force).

180AD: Like his father, Seti VI conducted his empire through many years of peace and prosperity. Seti VII becomes the new King of Egypt (180-189). Seti VII is a sad figure in Egyptian history. He was married to Natu, who was also from Memphis – and of a much lower class (her father was a sculptor) – several years before becoming king. Seti’s brother, Imhotep was supposed to be king but he, along with his wife, died in a fire. Seti, in an attempt to save his brother received a lasting scar over his right arm and face. Now facing the inevitable task of becoming king, Seti left his wife (such a marriage would not have been seen as fitting for the king). This act must have been more difficult than failing to save his brother (by all accounts Seti and Natu were very happily married and already had a daughter). Seti will instead marry Nefertari of Thebes and have another daughter – though, it is said that the union that brought their daughter into this world was the first and last time the couple would lie together.

Persephone, in poor health, commissions the creation of a governing body to augment the help her advising council gives her in the administration of the Kingdom. In Fomhair (September), 100 Consuls are elected (though voting is limited to high born and landholding nobles) – many priests are elected to these positions.

184AD: Plague, famine, fear, taxes, and the continued military buildup forces a major rebellion in the Han Empire. Dubbed the “Yellow Turban Revolt” this insurrection will mark the beginning of the end for the Han Empire. Though the Emperor is able to eventually suppress the uprising (187) the political self-governance granted to local generals and administrators during the incident will prove to be a far more dangerous foe.

185AD: Persephone dies childless. The Kingdom of Syracuse passes to the Consuls and the late Queen’s advising council – which will be phased out over the following year (actually they were bought off, each was given large tracks of land in Sarmatia in return for their retirement from public office). The only remaining holdover from the Monarchy is the Governor of Sarmatia (Gaius Septimius Verus – who will remain Governor until 194).

186AD: In a grand naming ceremony Sheel (the name given at her birth which means seed) takes the name Medb II and is crowned the High Queen (186-241) by the High Council.

189AD: Seti VII is found dead, poisoned (Natu was found on the same night, also poisoned). Nefertari, assumes the roll of regent for her 9 year old daughter, however, Nebttaui (the daughter of Seti and Natu) who married an Alexandrian noble by the name of Ahmose claims the right of regent for her eldest child (currenly 8 years old). A special council is convened to help decide on this matter. Eventually it is decided that Nebttaui’s son, Ahmose III will be the heir but that Nefertari will remain as regent until the child comes of age.

189AD: Emperor Hong Ling dies. The throne passes to his son, Xie Xian (189-220).

190AD: Duras VI, in a crazed rage, kills his family at the news that his wife had given birth to yet another daughter (he had 5 in all), before killing himself. Reports suggest that he had been mentally unsound since an illness brought him near to death in 188AD. Dacia passes to Gradov (Duras VI cousin who recently returned after being an ambassador to the Gallic League and who was trained in the medical arts – training he used to help nurse Duras back to health in 188) who will rule from 190 to 215. His reign will focus on two points: promoting trade (he will be the first since Duras III to increase the size of the war and merchant fleets), and promoting the Christian faith (he will commission the construction of several churches throughout Dacia).

192AD: For nearly a century and a half Christianity had been making advances in the Egyptian empire, though the core remained in Alexandria. Early in the year of 192 two things would occur which would forever change the Faith in Egypt.

The first would be the missionary expedition led by Tertullian (who was actually a native of the Gallic League born in Greater Carthage). In response to the persecutions in the Kingdom of Judea and emboldened by the news of the successful establishment of the first Christian mission in Bactria two years earlier, Tertullian led nearly 2000 missionaries to Jerusalem to reestablish the Faith in those lands. The Elder Council, assuming this an Egyptian invasion, dispatches their army. However, before any battles could be fought Nefertari sends a letter denouncing the cult and their actions (she was never found of them or their faith – though, there was a small yet vocal outcry against Nefertari because of this). The Elder Council labels the army as barbarians and massacres the lot of them.

The second occurs a month before Tertullian sets out for Jerusalem. Amunhotep, a priest of Serapis – though more recently a Christian priest, has a vision wherein Amon-Re hands to him a statue of bright white marble depicting Osiris, Isis, and Horus (Amunhotep later commissioned the carving of this statue and numerous replicas were to follow – each church would soon prominently feature one). The news of his vision quickly spreads throughout the city and than on into the countryside. By the middle of the next century all but the most devout begin to follow this hybridization of Christian and Egyptian theology.

In response to this the Consuls of Syracuse strongly condemns both the Egyptian Empire and the Kingdom of Judea – though, little is accomplished by this action.

194AD: Governor Gauis Septimius Verus dies in Sarmatia. The Consuls of Syracuse decide not to appoint another governor and instead grant direct authority to the local administrators.

195AD: On the sixth year of Nefertari’s reign as regent Ahmose III came of age. Power would not be transferred as smoothly as had been planned. During her time in power, Nefertari managed to place several loyal followers in key positions within the palace. When the time came for Ahmose to assume the throne Nefertari barricaded herself in the palace with the hopes of forcing Ahmose to fight his way to the throne and in so doing showing him to be a brutal leader. However, Ahmose would not fight, and instead waited – on the third day, Nefertari and her attendants committed suicide by poison. Ahmose had Nefertari buried in the Valley of the Kings but with little fanfare and far from the tomb of his grandfather. Ahmose III assumed the throne the following day (195-247), two years later he married Itrewherit of Thebes.

196AD: Gradov (who was not a warrior), looking to reinforce his position as the Chief Warrior of Dacia, leads 2000 soldiers north over the shallow sea to establish a permanent settlement among the savages. The following year, Nordoras is founded.

198AD: The Dacian invasion of the north lands sparks debate in the Oghma. Medb II, wanting to free up a number of active warriors, wishes to declare the conquered lands of the Lagins and Erainns official members of the League. Some in the Oghma were not as convinced that the conquered territories were ready for full membership and self governing. Fear of continued Dacian growth would eventually win out and it is decided that the Lagin and Erainn tribes will be included in the Breton region and allowed to send representatives to the Oghma (as with the Helena inclusion, for the next 10 years there will be no cohorts formed in these areas).




The 3rd century AD will bring us into conflict with a long standing rival, Dacia. Technically the Gallic League has fought 3 wars with them however this conflict is designated the Second Dacian War (the first was against them in 295BC, the second was during the First Seleucid War in 174BC). Although more or less at peace since 174BC there have been innumerable raids and smaller incidents over the border in that time that have been handled at the local level.

The Han Empire will break apart and remain at war with itself into the next century. From the Han ashes will rise the Jin Dynasty and from that will form the Chin Empire which will be greater than the Han ever were. A product of the Han decline was the drying up of the trade routs, specifically trade flowing into the west through the Julian Road. The Consuls of Syracuse will attempt to maintain order along the road but eventually trade will all but stop and the only traffic will be staunch missionaries spreading the Christian faith.

Egypt will remain in control of the southern land routes and sea trade (though, they are easily rivaled on the water by Axumite and Lusitanian merchant ships). From trade we begin to see the formation of a new state in Africa. Both the Axumite inland trade and the Lusitanian sea routes are fostering the Berber nomads of the west into a sedentary lifestyle – a great new empire will be created from these tribes in the coming century.

While the wealth of West Africa is generating some small kingdoms based on trade, the wealth and proximity to larger kingdom in the east is devouring other small kingdoms. War and passive settlement has continued and will continue to enlarge the Axumite Empire through this and the following centuries. Though a distinct people, it is the Bantu tribes which will find themselves the victim of eventual cultural absorption into Axumite lands.

You can trace the break in the religious link between Dacia and the Kingdom of Syracuse to this time. Though both are progressing towards a state run theocracy it is Syracuse that takes the first major steps towards that end. Already many of the Consuls of Syracuse are of the Church, during the 3rd century attempts are made to appoint church heads as military leaders – a move that will bring an endless series of problems to the Kingdom. A shift in church policy will also make it possible for “pagans” and “sinners” to be granted a place in the Christian afterlife.



200AD: The battle of Guandu is fought between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao (a rival warlord). Cao Cao is victorious, granting him almost unobstructed control of the northern portion of the Han Empire.

In this same year Sun Quan breaks from the Han Empire, founding the Wu Kingdom in the southern coastal region.

208AD: Cao Cao, in an attempt to bring the Wu Kingdom under his control battles Sun Quan. Sun Quan is victorious, the battle solidifies his control over the region.

210AD: Xerxes IV of Persia dies, the throne passes to his son Silas II (210-241). Silas, who reportedly had long urged his father to do more than build up the empire’s defenses, begins to increase the size of his army.

212AD: Egyptian towns along the border with Persia are raided, no survivors. Two weeks after the raid King Silas receives a messenger from Ahmose III of Egypt. With little proof that it was the Persian king that raided the border Ahmose’s letter amounted to little more than a warning.

213AD: The Han Emperor, Xiandi, in order to maintain peace in the north, grants Cao Cao legitimate administrative control over several cities.

The Parthian King, Vologases, is disturbed by the news of raids over his border. Whole towns burned with few or no survivors. He first suspects the Persians but rumors of Bactrian expansion cause suspicions to shift east (rumors that were initiated by Persian spies within Vologases’ court).

215AD: Silas II sends a small army (about 1000 soldiers) to the border with Egypt, they begin to march on their side up the Tigris. Ahmose III, who had strengthened the garrisons along the border since the last raid, sends his garrisons to follow (reportedly about 7000 soldiers). While both armies are occupied watching each other another series of towns are sacked, this time survivors mentioned black ships. When news of this reached the commander of the Egyptian forces he attacked Silas’ army without orders. This sparks a series of envoys over the next few years between the two kings, both accusing the other for the attack.

Gadrov, the Dacian King, dies. The throne will pass to his son, Moskon II, an inpatient warrior who will continue to expand his borders.

218AD: Moskon II establishes two fortified camps in the northern wilderness. Following on the heels of the military constructions are several missionary groups – the first church is established in 220.

Another year of raids along the Parthian border, these are largely ignored as the empire is preoccupied by Vologases sudden death. The throne passes to his son, Mithridates VI – who is suspected in his father’s murder (years later is it discovered that Vologases was assassinated by Persian spies).

220AD: A native Sarmatian by the name of Rhoxoles leads a slave revolt. It is said she was the favorite bedmate of a Syracusian minister in charge of several mines along the Urals. We know for a fact that she was found stabbing the minister to death, his screams had alerted the local guards. She was later freed by some friends and thus started the revolt that would last for 3 years.

Xiandi formally abdicates to Cao Pi, the son of Cao Cao (who had been the defacto ruler of the Han Empire since 200AD). Cao Pi founds the kingdom of Wei from his father’s holdings.

221AD: The Consuls of Syracuse, after receiving several reports on the slave revolt, and the local administrators and generals inability to suppress it, send one of their own to Sarmatia. Callistus, Consul of Syracuse, is given the title, Patriarch of Neos Syracuse, and given command over all the armies in Sarmatia. Though he fights in no battles Callistus is credited with creating a military council using the local generals. Through the military council’s coordinated efforts they are able to suppress the revolt by the end of 222.

Liu Bei, a relative of the Han family, attempts to battle Cao Pi in order to regain the throne but fails. He instead founds the Shu Kingdom out of the western Han Empire. Liu Bei will attempt to hold on to the trade routes and territory that connected the western empires with the east but this would ultimately be his undoing.

The three successor kingdoms of the Han Empire will continue to battle each other for the better part of the century.

222AD: Mithridates VI declares war on Bactria (222-227). His motivations for this seem to stem from the years of suspicion that Bactria had been conducting raids and the assignation of king Vologases. What also prompted the declaration of war at this time was the internal turmoil of the Han Empire, of which Bactria had been a client kingdom.

224AD: Callistus is assassinated. Prior to his death he pushed through many social reforms, the most radical of which was the concept of absolution. He granted absolution and amnesty to any who participated in the revolt if they renounced their pagan gods and accepted the Lord. This was not wholly accepted by the Consuls, who for their part didn’t enjoy the idea of forgiving murderers and allowing them the glory of God. After Callistus’ murder however the Consuls took it upon themselves to mark him a martyr and used his death to promote mass conversions to the Faith.

225AD: Moskon II begins a 5 year campaign in the Northlands that will bring everything south of Lake Vattern under his control.

227AD: Demetrius III of Bactria, after losing much of his kingdom to Parthia and surviving a coup by his generals, is able to force a major defeat on Mithridates VI along the Indus River.

228AD: Missionaries from Syracuse arrive in Alexandria and set out to tour and preach to the Egyptian Empire.

230AD: Riots in Thebes when Christians (chiefly from Syracuse) clash with Christian followers of Amon-Ra. Similar clashes will spring up throughout the empire over the next 5 years.

231AD: Moskon II builds several work camps in the Northlands and begins to profit off the amber found in large quantities in the region.

Several Axumite merchant ships vanish during the course of the year and the coast is harried by pirate ships (reportedly, “ships as black as night”). King Arquamani, who had been looking for a reason to expand his empire further into the Bantu tribes, begins a series of wars that will bring all of the Horn and portions of the southern coast under his control.

235AD: Riots in Memphis cause a portion of the city to be completely burnt. Ahmose III calls out the army to quell the unrest (hundreds of Christians, on both sides of the belief barrier, are killed). Though Ahmose III faces some stiff protests against his actions most anger is directed to Syracuse for bringing on the wrath of the king.

237AD: An Egyptian merchant ship is boarded by a Syracusian ship (which was also a merchant vessel though its deck was lined with archers and ballistae). Three Egyptians are killed and the cargo seized, the ship is sent back to Egypt with a message for the King – “The Consuls of Syracuse are not at war with the King of Egypt, but with the heretics living like rats in your Empire”. Ahmose III saw it differently and immediately declared war on Syracuse (237-240). Despite the lack of any “war galleons” the garrisoned merchant ships Syracuse used were enough to draw the war out. There were no large sea battles, Syracuse’s tactic of sending ships set ablaze into the Egyptian flotillas succeeded very well in sinking and scattering enemy ships.

Several uncoordinated native attacks strike at Dacian camps in the Northlands – they accomplish little, but do burn down one of the mines, and force Moskon II to enlarge his army in the region. It will take 3 years but the roaming war bands will be defeated and the area quieted once more (a more forceful stance on conversion is taken up by the Dacian church in order to help stomp out subversives).

239AD: Silas II sends another army of 1000 soldiers up along the border with Egypt. When they are not harassed they cross the border raiding every town within a two day’s march of the Tigris. Before the end of the year, Silas launches a full attack on Egypt – sending his armies at Baghdad and Nineveh and his navy (ships with black sails and hulls painted with black pitch) on an unsuccessful attack to secure the Grand Canal (239-242).

Moskon II dies leaving the throne to his son, Duras VII (239-258).

240AD: Ahmose III offers peace with Syracuse so he can devote the full attention of his armies on Persia.

241AD: Medb II of the Gallic League dies. Her daughter, Aalid is proclaimed the new High Queen (241-249). Mebd’s popularity as High Queen more than her daughter’s qualifications allowed the crown to pass to Aalid. Aalid had been a sickly child without her mother’s beauty or spirit as an adult and now the High Queen she was indecisive, pale, and willowy. Mebd II son, Darragh, probably wouldn’t have been a much better choice; he was 10 years younger than Aalid as well as having something of a temper.

Silas II dies, Persia passes to his son Cyrus IV a militarily inexperienced young man with visions of recreating Persia’s great empire (241-256).

242AD: The Persian army is defeated outside Seleucia, before word reaches Cyrus IV, the commander of the vanquished Persians, a man by the name of Shapur, surrenders to the Egyptian general, Nefer – one of Ahmose’s sons. Shapur is later beheaded by Cyrus along with those who remained in the army he led.

244AD: Bishop Lucian Marin (head of the church in the Northlands) begins a policy of open persecution of the pagans in the Northlands.

246AD: There is a brief battle along the Teutonic coast when a disorganized army of a few thousand northern tribes attempt to cross the shallow sea. They make landfall near Odorus, a town that had become a fortified camp during Medb II reign. After a week of fighting, and rounding up the scattered groups that came aground elsewhere, the leaders were brought before Aalid in Alesia (though from various northern tribes these people will become collectively known as the Goths). They spoke vividly about the Sjofan (sea demons) and the conquest of their ancestral lands.

Aalid would meet with the Vates and the High Council for the next three days, were the decision was made to refrain from war.

When the Oghma gathered in Samhna they too voted on the issue, seeing as they were not going to war they saw it as a domestic affair. It wasn’t surprising that they were spilt on the decision of offering help to the Goths. In the end Aalid was granted leave to offer food, weapons, and supplies from those Gallic regions that voted to help the Goths.

It was roughly two months after this that Darragh, in a widely known secret, led a small contingent of warriors and Algiz across the shallow sea to help the Goths fight the Dacians.

Ahmose III dies leaving the throne to his younger son Nefer III (247-262).

248AD: Unable to punish the followers of Amon-Ra (and taking note of the action by the Church in the Northlands), the Consuls of Syracuse instead begin to punish the last of those holding to the pagan ways in Sarmatia – the persecution will continue until 255.

A new wave of raids and uprisings sweeps through the Dacian occupied north. Dozens of slaves escape their masters, a few taking the time to actually murder their overlords in their beds. By the end of the year, the renegades managed to form themselves into an elusive army.

249AD: High Queen Aalid dies. Darragh is recalled from the Northlands to become the next High King (249-268). His first act is to increase the amount of food and weapons being shipped to the Gothic tribes. In the following years he will even appoint war chiefs to lead Gallic/Gothic armies against Dacian incursions into the Northlands.

250AD: Cyrus IV, against the recommendations of his military advisors, declares war on Egypt.

The Consuls of Syracuse begin replacing military commanders with or making them subject to the authority of church officials.

Duras VII arrives in Nordoras to take personal control of the army, under his leadership the resistance is crushed within two years.

252AD: Linus Nemo, the garrison commander at Panticapaeum (as well as claiming lineage to the line of kings), rejects the order to resign or be placed under the authority of the local bishop. He raises his garrison and marches on Neos Syracuse. His attack fails and he withdraws back to Panticapaeum. His cry for civil war is ignored by many (a group of Sarmatian slaves do approach him about joining forces but Linus has them beheaded for attempting to rise up against those that have clothed and fed them).

253AD: The Consuls of Syracuse commissions Marius, a fellow Consul, with the title of Patriarch of Neos Syracuse and charge him with defeating Linus Nemo (which he does the following year – though, unlike Callistus, Marius personally oversaw the battles that took place).

256AD: After a few early victories Cyraus IV war with Nefer III eventually turned in Egypt’s favor. Persepolis will be razed and Cyrus IV was killed during the preceding siege. Many of Cyrus’ advisors switched sides during the battle and will later be appointed to administer to the Egyptian acquisition. In place of Persepolis Nefer will found a new city on the Persian strait, Niwitinwad-Wer (which will become the new regional capital).

258AD: The tribes of the Northlands field a new army, this time under the guidance of Gallic war chiefs. They stage a night raid using Gallic ships on Nordoras, killing many before the alarm could be raised – including Duras VII.

The Dacian crown passes to Cezar, Duras’ cousin (258-286).

Sima Yi of the Wei Kingdom defeats the Shu Kingdom and captures Emperor Chan (though, the kingdom was largely administered by Jiang Wei – the Prime Minister – who was killed during the final battle). Yi relinquishes much of the territory formally held by the Shu Kingdom by granting it to self-proclaimed nomadic kings and loyal generals and then consolidates his gains (the relinquishing and redistribution of land does set off a period of intense border disputes that will last until 265).

260AD-277AD: The Second Dacian War.

260AD: After a major defeat for the Gothic tribes along the banks of Lake Vanern it is discovered that the Gallic League had been supplying food and arms (and occasionally warriors) to the uprising. A month later, in Aibrean (April), Cezar declares war on the League. Cezar leads an army from Sarmizegetusa and up the Danube. They crossed the border two weeks later, burning many towns within the Pannonian Plains and striking for the foothills of the Alps and the Nori lands.

The garrison at Mezek is immediately ordered to the Danube but they are unable to breach the forts along the border (sieges will be in place for the next 10 years).

261AD: After about a year of slow advancing, the Dacian army is finally bogged down in the mountain passes near Virunum and outside Bratislava. A second Dacian army crosses the Tisza in Meitheamh (June) heading north for the Elbe.

262AD: The army deadlock in Virunum is broken by a desperate Dacian charge however a week later, tired and starving, the enemy is defeated by a well rested and well feed Gallic army (the garrison from Rome). The Dacians do not fully retreat, they fall back and take up a defensive position in the hills along the Adriatic.

Heavy rains and thick forests play against the cavalry out of Kelheim and they are forced to give up the battle once their flank is turned by the Dacian army that had been making for the Elbe. Loses were sufficient enough for the Dacians that they had to halt any major advance into Gallic territory for the remainder of the year (during which they will be constantly harried by Gallic war parties – if not for the reserve army that arrived in Feahra of the following year the war may have ended here).

Nefer III chokes on a peach pit (a rather unceremonious end to a great war leader). His son, Sesmet, becomes the next Egyptian King (262-287). Little will occur during his reign, the only major event of note is a small uprising in former Persia led by a distant relation to Cyrus IV.

264AD: Still unable to dislodge the entrenched Dacian army along the Adriatic or being able to inflict a large enough defeat on the armies in the Boii and Nori lands the Gallic League is threatened by yet another Dacian force. This one lands near the mouth of the Oder and moves quickly to secure the lands between this river and the Elbe – eventually, all major resistance is quelled in the area and although the Teutonic peninsula is never conquered it is cut off from the rest of the League.

267AD: Gallic war parties are forced over the Rhine after being routed by the Dacians – although, disastrous this does mark the highwater mark of the Dacian incursion. It will be a number of years before major campaign is launched to retake these lands.

Before Cezar press his victory over Darragh the Northlands rise up once more – taking advantage of the number of troops being drawn away to battle along the rivers and forests of Gaul. Under the leadership of a warrior named Alberik, the Gothic tribes take back the lands around Lake Vanern. They spend the next 5 years staging hit and run attacks on Dacian camps and supply lines.

268AD: The military defeats, loss of life and land, and the famine that began the year before bring many angry voices to the Oghma when the representatives convene during the New Year Celebration. They ask Darragh to abdicate, perhaps if the High King had been a younger man this might have meant civil war but as it was the fire that had been within Darragh when he took on the crown had been extinguished by a reign of nothing but war. With no children and no clear heir it is decided that the High Council should act as regent until a suitable High Monarch could be found (268-276).

The Wei and the conquered Shu Kingdom are formally united by Sima Yan – the grandson of Sima Ji (he is said to have been sexually voracious and very extravagant), ushering in the Jin dynasty.

270AD: Over the last two years, as the High Council built defenses with the army, war parties raid and battle Dacian forces. Of the dozens of war parties the one that came to take center stage in the efforts to retake Gallic territory was Rhiannon’s war party. She started by making raids across the lower Rhine. She eventually provoked a small Dacian army into battling and chasing her war party back to Kelheim where the enemy was ambushed by the Gallic army there.

Over the next two years Rhiannon will work with the army at Kelheim in setting up ambushes. Some time during these small campaigns the war chief commanding the Kelheim garrison is killed, Rhiannon is appointed by the other garrison leaders as the new war chief.

275AD: Rhiannon, though serving as the acting war chief for Kelheim is not formally given the position until after her victory at Stradonice – where Cezar had placed a majority of his army to keep control over the lower Rhine and the Vatava.

Cezar and his Dacian army are forced to retreat from Nordoras, which they watch burn as they sail for the Dacian coast.

276AD: Rhiannon is appointed by the High Council as High Queen. Rhiannon is not in Alesia to accept the crown, for the last year she has been moving her army quietly and slowly along the foothills of the Alps and into the Pannonia Plains where she made camp during the harsh weather of Eanair and Feabhra. In Bealtaine (May) she will begin her march down the Danube, bypassing obvious attempts to battle Cezar’s army and instead spurring her cavalry for Sarmizegetusa. By Lunasa (August), she had an army of 70,000 and was placing the Dacian capital under siege (with the drive for the Dacain capital, men and supplies meant for the border forts are redirected, which allowed the Mezek army to breech the frontier and join up with Rhiannon).

277AD: After the fall of Sarmizegetusa in Bealtaine (May) Cezar requests peace from both the Gallic League and Alberik.

278AD: Rhiannon is formally crowned High Queen of the Gallic League in Alesia (276-307). All lands taken by Dacian armies are relinquished. Sarmizegetusa is given back to the Dacian, although only after a large bribe. Rhiannon sees to the formation of the Gothic Protectorate in the hopes that the Northlands will form themselves into their own state. However, the formation of a stable government is postponed when Alberik and other tribal leaders begin to fight amongst themselves (The only thing the groups seem to agree on is the expulsion of all Christians).

282AD: Emperor Yan finally conquers the Wu Kingdom though he will find lasting peace a little more elusive. Yan will continue to battle petty princes, powerful generals, and insurrections within the newly acquired Wu Kingdom for the rest of his life.

286AD: Cezar dies, his eldest son, Marius will take the throne (286-296) after winning a duel with his brother Teo (who survives his wounds and serves as his brother chief advisor).

287AD: Sesmet dies and passes the throne to his first born son, Sesmet II (287-297).

295AD: Emperor Yan of the Jin Dynasty dies. Command of the armies will pass to his son, Zhong, who will prove to be an unpopular and insufficient ruler (295-307).

296AD: Marius dies, some say he was poisoned; the Dacian throne passes to Teo (296-317).

297AD: Sesmet II dies and passes the throne to his youngest brother Ahmose IV (297-333).



The 4th century AD will be a period of trouble for the Gallic League. We will fight three wars, two of them with Dacia, and between 324 and 342 there will be 6 High Monarchs (3 of them in 334). We will find ourselves stepping close to civil war during this troubled time with the events surrounding High King Morgan. Even with the troubles within the Monarchy and the wars the Gallic people still lived a comfortable and peaceful lives – though the disparity between east and west was growing as the Rhineland, Helena, and Anatolia find themselves rebuilding after each war.

Civil war continues to be a problem for the Kingdom of Syracuse as Sarmatia remains a hotbed of insurrection. The family Verus reappears, drawing power and authority away from the Consuls. Although a costly equilibrium is reached it can be said that this century saw the sun setting on the Kingdom of Syracuse.

As twilight falls on Syracuse the sun rises for a few other kingdoms. Stepping on to the world stage are Gupta, Schroda, Ghana, and Scanza. Gupta have a highly rigid social system with families of warriors, farmers, and artisans. The Schroda, a southeastern city in Africa who had a sizeable kingdom which greatly expanded in the past century. The Schrodian ruling elite is based on cattle wealth and the slave trade. Ghana, the native word for king, develops in western Africa under the guidance of Lusitanian trade – authority in these lands is based on resourse control and loyalty is won by gift giving. The Gothic tribes under the protection of the Gallic League will end their quarrels and fall behind a single king. The assisted by the Gallic League, the monarch of this land will hold absolute authority and although religionsly open to any gods their will be a consorted effort to keep all forms of Christianity (including Fadeyrianists).

From the flames of the Han Empire and formation of the Jin dynasty the Far East if brought under the banner of the Chi Empire. The new cohesion is tested by nomadic tribes on the periphery of the Empire but towards the end of this century great leaps are made in raising the standard of living for the common peasant.

Under the hardship of the later Han Empire and its breakup Confucianism was toppled as the state religion. Filling the vacuum to a great degree is Buddhism, with it promise for a better life after death, and to a smaller degree Christianity. Buddhism will also be carried by the Bactrian Kingdom as it spreads from the Ganges River south. Christianity, though finding some welcomed ports in the Far East, has a harder time penetrating the wall of Mithraism in the Parthian Empire (those missionaries that were able to make a stand in these lands will continue to be persecuted). Towards the end of the century Mithraism will face competition from within as the followers of Mehrdad grow in number. Christianity will fare better in the lands where it was founded, the Kingdom of Syracuse and Dacia – to some extent in the offshoot version being practiced in the Egyptian Empire. The Council of Kourion will be the first of many meetings between the fractured Christian churches to write the unified biblical cannon.






303AD: Alaric, son of Alberic, becomes the first King of Scanza (303-319). Though the whole of the jagged snowy peninsula fell under the title of Gallic Protectorate when Alaric became king his kingdom consisted of mainly coastal territories. Gallic technology and farming techniques will help to support the fledgling kingdom but the wars with Dacia fought during this century are what solidify the Gothic tribes into one.

305AD: In Marta King Teo of Dacia sends his army down the Vistula, they fight scattered resistance and find some help from local villages that had just recently been part of Dacia. Alaric is slow in gathering his forces (this is probably due to the difficulty in finding loyal leaders among his new subjects) and it isn’t until Meitheamh (June) that he sends his army across the shallow sea.

306AD-309AD: The Gothic War.

306AD: High Queen Rhiannon, pledging her support for the new kingdom (which the sources say she felt was still a Gallic protectorate), orders the army at Kelheim to the Dacian border. The heavily fortified border makes swift strikes difficult and it isn’t until Beltane of 308 that a major victory is won.

307AD: High Queen Rhiannon dies, leaving her daughter Bebinn V to rule the League (307-323).

Emperor Zhong is murdered by a group of ministers and nobles. Zhong was an ineffectual emperor who accomplished little and strained the conquests and allegiances his father had been able to win. In death, however, he served the Jin Dynasty well – upon his death, Zhong’s brother, Chi (later to be called Chi Huai), rallies the loyal nobles and makes war on the last of the factionists left over from the breakup of the Han Empire (307-313).

308AD: Ahmose IV is awakened in the middle of the night with news that a major revolt had erupted in the Persian province. Sufficient forces will not be sent to the area to quell the rebellion (which lasted until 311) until the following year. In the mean time, Shapur Assim, the man who orchestrated the rebellion, is able to sack and fortify several cities – including Niwitinwad-Wer (the regional capital).

309AD: Teo offers peace and a large tribute to both Scanza and the Gallic League. Bebinn V accepts the tribute but King Alaric also keeps the lands he conquered during the war.

310AD: Frustrated by the lack of sufficiently sized bridges over the major waterway of the League Bebinn V begins a tour of the League that will take several years (and end with twelve new bridges). During this time she meets and marries a Celtaberian warrior by the name of Iden (later to be called Keir – dark skinned - they will have two sons, Morgan and Neal).

With the Persian province still in turmoil Ahmose IV is given direr news, the new Parthian King, Antabanus III, had declared war on him (310-313). Antabanus III hoped that the revolt would keep Ahmose IV forces occupied enough to allow him to annex a large portion of the former Persian lands before having to defend against any major counterattack. His assumptions were wrong; Shapur Assim had no wish to be ruled by either the Parthians or the Egyptians, and so turned his forces on both of these armies. In the end, Antabanus III actions would prove to play most favorably into Ahmose IV hands – both Shapur and Antabanus’ armies will exhaust themselves fighting each other.

Jin scholars invent the magnetic compass. However, it won’t come into wide use until the next century (it will eventually be brought west over the sea trade with Egypt).

313AD: Chi Huai, after defeating the last of his rivals, proclaims himself Emperor and founds the Chi Empire (313-320).

315AD: Hippolysusr builds a device based on Hero’s designs for the Vesuvian Engine, although the bulbous modal is very inefficient, it is nonetheless a success (several attempts have been made over the yeas since Hero put his theories and designs to papyrus but Hippolysusr’s is the first to gain notoriety).

316AD: Teo attempts to retake the lands along the Vistula but is killed in the first battle. Several more skirmishes will be fought but by the following year Teo’s son offers peace.

317AD: Teo II becomes King of Dacia (317-323).

319AD: King Alaric dies, the throne passes to his son, Ivor (319-335).

320AD: Artabanus III will try once more to conquer former Persia and diminish Egyptian dominance in the region (320-328). His last campaign against Ahmose IV ended in a humiliating defeat – the only victory the Parthian King could take from the war was that he himself had captured and beheaded Shapur Assim (which, consequently, disbanded what remained of the rebel army and brought Egypt’s full attention down on Parthia). Artabanus III will make his first push into the Egyptian Empire across the upper Tigris and Euphrates, easily overwhelming the Syrian garrisons (Artabanus’ northern army held about 25,000). He will halt his efforts in the north for two years while he puts Damascus under siege. A second army will strike first at Seleucia and then on to Babylon before moving further inland, while a third army will move on Niwitinwad-Wer (both of these armies were approximately 15,000). Ahmose IV will again receive unexpected help with the war, after the fall of Damascus in 322, and the opening of the Judean border, King David IX pledges his armies to fight with Egypt (though, no formal declaration of war is committed, in fact there is no records whatsoever of David IX and Artabanus III speaking).

Emperor Chi dies and passes the crown to his son, Ye Min (320-329). The new emperor will struggle with Hun incursions throughout his reign.

322AD: A Christian council is held at Kourion (a port city in Cyprus) to discus the growing disparities between the different churches. Though originally intended to be a meeting between the Dacian and Syracusian churches it grew to include representatives from the Christian of Amon-Re, Gallic Fadeyrianists, and Monophysites from the Axumite Empire (who elected their first bishop in Axum in 320). The Kourion Accords will begin a long process of developing the biblical cannon, over the rest of the century there will be a dozen more councils.

323AD-336AD: The Third Dacian War.

323AS: A coup kills Teo II and brings Dorin (323-340) to power in Dacia. Dorin’s popularity springs from the popular hatred towards Scanza and the Gallic League – and Teo’s attempts to act peaceably. He declares war on the Gallic League for their interference in the last major war with Scanza.

Bebinn V will meet Dorin on the Pannonian plains, a victory Bebinn V will not walk away from. She died on the battle field in the arms of her husband, Iden Keir, who was later that day proclaimed High King by the Algiz (323-326).

Lysander Verus, a descendant of Gauis Septimus Verus (the first Governor of Sarmatia), who had been speaking out against the heavy taxes and the burden on the slaves for several years, continues to ingratiate himself to the native population by marrying a Sarmatian woman by the name of Tanya. He will eventually be arrested in Samhna of 326 but was only held for two months before being released (the Consuls of Syracuse offered him a pardon after several riots had to be forcibly suppressed during his incarceration). It was upon his release that he fully embraced the church and its teachings, but still spoke out openly about Syracuse’s heavy hand in ruling Sarmatia.

326AD: Iden Keir, who had no interest in being the High King, steps down in favor of his son Morgan who had just come of age (326-333). Besides being a heavy-handed ruler (who pressed attacks when retreats were the better part of valor) but he was known to have had at least three women in his tent/room at any one time. Gallic armies will continue to battle Dacian forces and eventually break down the border forts but at a cost of thousands of lives.

Artabanus III begins an intense period of Christian and Buddhist persecution. Both religions have grown to a sizable minority and threaten the all but declared state religion of Mithraism.

328AD: Artabanus III and his army retreat back into Parthrian territory, before the year is out Artabanus will commit suicide – bringing his son Vologases II to the throne (who will continue his father’s punishment of the minor faiths but will halt the practice by 330).

329AD: The Dacian ability to fight in the passes of the Carpathian Mountains eventually forces a Gallic retreat. War chief Neal (High King Morgan’s brother) will instead focus his attack on the Dacian capital hoping to draw Dorin out of the mountains. The relief force Neal had been counting on to come from Mezek will never reach Sarmizegetusa. The Mezek army, under the command of war chief Dymphna, is unable to inflict major losses on a second Dacian army she is battling along the Cheusthie coast (Black Sea).

Emperor Ye Min dies, his son Yan Ming takes the thrown (329-343). He will pacify the nomadic tribes along the borders and expand the Empire to the south.

330AD: Bowing to popular opinion, the Consuls of Syracuse appoint Lysander Verus as Patriarch of Neos Syracuse. His first task is to stop the raids along the eastern border and to increase the flow of goods making their way west into the rest of the Kingdom (the supply of which mysteriously began to wane in the months prior to his appointment).

333AD: Even with the siege weapons available to them the Gallic forces repeatedly found it difficult to bring down a fort and even though on the field of battle the League could usually carry the day the Dacians always had one more fortified position to retreat into. And yet, it was not the protracted war that turned the Oghma against High King Morgan but the scandalous affairs he had with several of the Oghma wives and daughters. The Oghma called for Morgan to step down in Aibrean (April) he refused, though the representatives never found out he refused. Morgan had his Vates removed from office so news was never taken to the provinces. Two weeks later the High Council ordered Morgan to abdicate, again he refused and disbanded the High Council.

When news of this reached Neal in Dacia he immediately withdrew from Sarmizegetusa and marched his army back to Alesia. Neal would have no need of his army however as Morgan had no one at his side (even the Algiz had abandoned Morgan in favor of his brother). Neal and Morgan would duel on the steps of the Teutates Temple and later that same day Neal would be crowned High King (333-334). Within the next few days Neal reconvenes the High Council and sends word to the Oghma via the court Vates.

Ahmose IV dies – he is hailed by his people as one of their most beloved kings. Ahmose IV will have no children of his own and instead adopts his nephew, who takes the name Ahmose V upon his coronation (333-348).

334AD: High King Neal, less than a year as the Gallic League ruler, dies leading his army in a battle along the Tisza River (fighting the Dacian army that had reorganized after the siege of Sarmizegetusa had been dropped). Neal’s close military advisor and cousin, Doane, will proclaim himself High King but before the end of the year he will be mortally wounded in battle. His body will be transported back to Alesia, where on his deathbed – in a desperate attempted to maintain the family line - he will name his father as his successor (the first incident of a son naming his father as heir). Cedric was a Celtaberian representative, elected to the position after years of being a humble farmer. Now an elderly statesman with no interest in being High King, he sends for his daughter who is in her last year as a weigh station rider serving in Helena.

335AD: Brenna is crowned High Queen in Feabhra (335-342). She will eventually marry Ceallach (also known as Ceallach The Helena - whom she met while serving as a weigh station rider).

Ivor, son of Alaric, King of Scanza, dies. His son Alaric II becomes King (335-362).

336AD: Brenna signs a peace treaty with Dorin, borders will return to what they were before the hostilities.

Mehrdad, a shepherd in Parthia, has a vision of the “true faith” and begins to preach (he takes all the similar aspects of the rival religions and claims those to be the edicts of Heaven).

337AD-340AD: The Sarmatian War.

337AD: Lysander Verus orders a contingent of horsemen to pursue a roving band of bandits over the border into Anatolia (a group of Alani). In the course of their attempt to capture the robbers two Gallic towns are ransacked, in response the local warriors form a war party and slaughter all but two of the Sarmatian horsemen. The following month Lysander sends a small army into Anatolia to annex the rancorous towns in order to punish them.

When news of this action reaches High Queen Brenna she orders the removal of Lysander Verus (in the letter to the Consuls of Syracuse she states, “brought to Alesia in chains.”) and reparations for the damage. The Consuls refuse the request (if they had agreed they certainly would have faced civil war). Brenna orders the army at Pessinus into motion, however, even with the weigh station riders by the time these order arrive Lysander had moved a large army into eastern Anatolia.

Brenna, herself, will Command the largest seaborne assault of the time. Ships will sail first from Massalia, landing an army in Corsica and Sardinia before going on to harry the Syracusian merchant fleet. A few weeks later another armada will set sail from Cartagena and Carthage, landing armies in the Balearics, Malta, and Crete. Brenna will sail with the fleet out of Rhegium, landing with the army in Sicily.

The Balearics, Corsica, and Sardinia will make cursory attempts to resist the invasion but after a couple weeks and a dozen skirmishes they fall to the League. All three of these islands have been heavily influence by Gallic culture and found it difficult to raise arms against the League (Fadeyrianists make up a strong minority on these islands). The task of conquering Malta would be more difficult but eventually accomplished. Sicily and Crete are where the major campaigns will be fought and although several cities will be put under siege neither island will be captured during the war.

The battle in the Cheusthie Muir would be far more difficult. At the time, the number of war galleons in the region was few (the standing strategic philosophy of the time was to keep Dacia and Syracuse bottled up in the sea by maintaining control of the straits). Consequently, our navel forces in the Cheusthie Muir were eventually overwhelmed by Syracuse’s armed merchant fleet (for the last year of the war the burning of Gallic coastal towns was a common sight). We see an interesting development in ship design at this time; Syracuse merchant ships, at least those sailing in the Cheusthie Muir, are plated with shields from their waterline straight up to produce a six foot wall over the deck – slits were cut through the wall every few feet to allow archers and ballistae to freely fire.

340AD: By the pause in the fighting during Samhain the war had reached more or less a draw. Gallic forces in the Mediterranean had won many victories and captured several islands and put Syracuse itself under siege. Supremacy of the Cheusthie Muir had been won by Syracuse. Both armies in Anatolia had inflicted many casualties on each other but little ground had been gained or lost. However, with Syracuse under siege and about to fall the Consuls sign a peace treaty. Although Brenna will concede on the issue the war would almost flare up again over the removal of Lysander. After months of negotiations: eastern Anatolia would remain under Syracusian control (Brenna was willing to let this part of the League go as it was on the fringe of the Empire and had never been fully incorporated), the Balearics, Corsica, and Sardinia would be kept by the League, Malta, and the areas captured on Sicily and Crete would return to Syracuse, and the ban on Syracuse building war galleons would be lifted. The aspects of the treaty are a clear indication of the power shift within the Kingdom of Syracuse – a factor they will continue to battle for a number of decades.

King Dorin dies and passes Dacia to his son Emil (340-363). The new King’s first act is to enter into another war with Scanza. Although no large armies are fielded, for the next 5 years intense border raids are conducted.

342AD: Brenna dies during the birth of her only child. Her husband Ceallach (The Helena), though trained in the art of war was far more respected for his scholarly skills, is crowned High King of the Gallic League (342-360). During his reign he will repair many buildings that had been ignored in recent years as well build new ones and conduct his own research into furthering our understanding of the circulatory system (specifically the aspect of preventing exsanguinations).

343AD: Emperor Yan Ming dies. His son Rui Cheng takes the throne (343-361) – Emperor Rui will halt expansion into the south and focus on the northern frontier as the tribes there begin to stir.

Along Africa’s western coast a new Empire is formed from the semi-nomadic peoples of the region (under the help and influence of the Lusitani trade warriors). Gold mines and trade routes are brought under the control of a powerful tribe, the leader of which is Adwin Abrafo, who founds the capital city of Kumbi Saleh and the Wagadugu Empire (although, the kingdom will be referred to more often as Ghana – the native word for king).

348AD: Ahmose V dies from an illness he contracted after a brief tour of his empire. His eldest son Amanhotep – who was leading a small force to put an end to a group of robbers calling themselves the “Desert Wind” – is informed of his father’s death and his ascension to king (348-370). During his reign, Amanhotep will increase the size of the army (mainly to protect against Parthia but for use in colonization as well) which will lead to social unrest his successors will have to face.

249AD: Mehrdad and his followers settle in Marlik near the Caspian Sea.

350AD: Egyptian traders coming from the east inform Amanhotep of a sword they saw while in the Gupta Empire (at the time the Gupta Empire was a group of kingdoms and chiefdoms working together in their continuing war with Bactria – pushed from their original lands along the Ganges River they now occupy a position between the Narmada and the Godavari Rivers). Though rare at the moment, the people of that land had the ability to forge swords far greater quality than what the Egyptian Empire was using (or any empire at the time). By the following year, Amanhotep sends an expedition to gather more information.

352AD: Amanhotep sends the first colonizing ships to Lower Gupta (the area south of the Gupta Empire, kingdoms that were associated with though not part of the Empire). He founds two cities and sends emissaries to the surrounding kings (cities that soon become rich in trade). In a few years Amanhotep will have formulated a client relationship with the other kingdoms, including the Gupta Empire. Soon, Egypt is conducting even more trade in these lands, especially in military tactics and weapons - which begin to be used against Bactrian advances (this greatly sours Egyptian/Bactrian relations).

358AD: The smelting technique learned in Gupta is perfected by Alexandrian forges – it is from this date that this hardened iron known locally in Lower Ganges as ukku gets the name Alexandrian Steel.

360AD: High King Ceallach dies. His daughter, Rhiannon II is crowned High Queen a week later (360-385). She will continue in her father’s building initiatives and his almost obsessive investigation into anatomy (it is through their efforts that the technique of legating veins and arteries is discovered, as well as new procedures for the setting of bones, the application of cosmetic work, and antiseptics).

A number of the smaller kingdoms around Lower Gupta begin to war with each other. To maintain peace, Amanhotep sends his army in and deposes the current monarchs, later to appoint new ones. This practice of pacification is used repeatedly over the coming years.

361AD: Mehrdad dies peacefully in his sleep, his last words uttered were, “the true way”. His followers will take his teachings to nearly every corner of Parthia and by the end of the century have a sizable order established in the Empire.

Emperor Rui Cheng dies. His eldest son, Yi Ai, (in poor health) will become emperor (361-366).

362AD: Dacia and Scanza will fight a sporadic war (or a series of small wars) over the next 10 years.

362AD: Alaric II dies, his death causes the Scanza armies to halt when a young and untested King comes to power, King Alaric III (362-384).

363AD: King Emil dies and although it is his nephew, Dorin, who is the accomplished warrior, he passes the crown to his son Moskon III (this is Emil’s younger son, his eldest died while fighting in Scanza).

364AD: Moskon III is murdered by his cousin Dorin, who takes the crown and the kingdom (364-378).

365AD: Lysander Verus dies but tensions between Sarmatia and Sicily will continue to be a problem within the Kingdom. Marius Verus who had enjoyed the comforts of being the Patriarch’s son is surprised when he is not appointed to his father’s position. Instead a messenger and a priest by the name of Philip arrive in Neos Syracuse to inform Marius that his services are no longer necessary. Within the month, Marius takes command of the palace and removes Philip from Sarmatia by sword point. Before the end of the year he is faced with several factions and an army of 2000 sent from Sicily – The Kingdom of Syracuse is again in civil war (365-370).

With continuous warfare between Dacia and Scanza King Dorin II cancels the Dacian Games (which have been conducted almost annually since 30BC).

366AD: Emperor Yi Ai collapses while feasting at a banquet. His younger brother (younger by nearly 15 years) immediately rushes the Emperor off to privet chambers where he is proclaimed dead the following morning. Yu Kang takes the crown (366-396) and begins a massive campaign against the nomadic Huns who have reappeared in great numbers along the western border.

370AD: Amanhotep dies and passes the crown of Egypt to his son, Sesmet III.

An agreement is reached among the two major opponents in the Syracusian civil war. A monk by the name of Nicolae will be appointed Patriarch of Neos Syracuse and have authority over the city and both he and Marius would govern the rest of Sarmatia jointly. The agreement was reach none-to-soon as hardly a month afterwards bands of nomadic Huns and Alani began striking at the eastern frontier. For the next two years much of the army in Sarmatian will be mobilized along the Urals and Tarquin Wall.

At the height of the Scanzian spring attacks on Dacia another threat strikes at the Eastern border, Huns and Alani from the steppes. Raids and incursions will fall on Dacia for the next 4 years.

376AD: The Persian province again explodes in revolt; although this time the rebel bandits are largely unorganized.

377AD: Two unrelated events in Egyptian history. First, King Sesmet III dies when his horse is startled during an ambush and throws him to the ground. Second, Parthia again declares war on Egypt (377-380), though, with Sesmet’s death, Memphis doesn’t find out about this new war for 3 months. Sesmet III leaves behind a 7 year old son and an ill wife – Grand Vizier Salla is appointed regent.

378AD: Tensions between the Kingdoms of Syracuse and Judea boil into open warfare (378-380) after the expulsion of the Syracusian ambassador from Jerusalem for allegation of gross misuse of authority (allegations included carnal activity with boys and preaching the Christian faith outside a synagogue).

Dorin II dies, his son Dorin III becomes King of Dacia (378-402).

379AD: Regent Salla is sent word that the Kingdom of Syracuse, in their efforts to war with the Kingdom of Judea, wish to march an army through Egyptian territory. Salla refuses and the Consuls of Syracuse declare war on Egypt (379-380). Again, serendipity will strike in Egypt’s favor (not that much help was needed, in the course of the year Egyptian marines will battle and eventually take control of Cyprus – which Egypt held onto after peace was declared). When Syracuse and Parthia realize that they are both at war with Egypt they meet to discus a joint effort however during the course of the negotiations insults are made and both the Syracusian and Parthian ambassador are killed (it is not clear who drew first or what exactly the cause of the fight had been). In short order both Empires are calling for peace with all other kingdoms and declaring war on each other (380-384).

384AD: Alaric III passes the Scanzian crown to his only child, his daughter Bera (384-397).

385AD: Rhiannon II steps down as High Queen and crowns her son, Neal II, as the new High King (385-408). Neal II was born in Athens and received most of his education from the scholarly and military school in that area (Rhiannon had spent much of her reign in the Helena cities and will retire to Athens after her son’s coronation).

Regent Salla steps aside to allow King Seti VIII to take the crown (385-417).

Marius Verus, now an old man, retires from public life, neither he nor Patriarch Nicolae pass the Co-Governorship to anyone – which enrages Laszlo, Marius’ son.

386AD: Laszlo Verus murders Patriarch Nicolae and his father and takes control of Neos Syracuse. No ships are allowed to leave or enter the Cheusthie Sea unless accompanied by one of his messengers - an edict that brings the Kingdom of Syracuse to the brink of war with nearly every other Empire. War is averted however by the Consuls actions, they condemn Laszlo and excommunicate him (Laszlo Verus has the distinction of being the first excommunication). Over the next 3 years Laszlo defends against several small navel battles, two small local armies, and a dozen riots (much of any of the support he would have received from being a Verus dissolved upon his excommunication).

After decades of ruthless expansion and wide ranging client kingdoms, the Axumite Empire comes upon a major rival to their conquests. Emperor Demissie is defeated by a coalition of Bantu tribes under the banner of the Schrodan Empire (Schroda was a city near the Limpopo River, it held increasing power over the region between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers. The empire is ruled by wealthy elites – based on number of cattle one owned – who over the last century have seen their status grow as trade has increased and a number of new tribes have been subverted or enslaved).

392AD: Laszlo is murdered in his sleep by his son, Sandor who openly proclaims his father a despot and throws himself on the mercy of the city. Sandor is spared but the body of his father is torn to pieces and burned. Based on Sandor’s sincere regret over what his father had done and the popularity for his actions in toppling the despot the Consuls of Syracuse appoint Sandor Patriarch of Neos Syracuse.

395AD: Queen Bera of Scanza allows her son Eskil to rule jointly with her.

396AD: Emperor Yu Kang dies and passes the Chi Empire to his son, Xiaowu (396-422).

397AD: Eskil is crowned King of Scanza after his mother takes ill and steps down as queen (397-415) - she will die before the end of the year.




The 5th century AD: After skirting the issue on a couple of occasions the time would finally arrive when we would face a deadly civil war. Hardly any part of the League will be spared the carnage and for a period of about 20 years there will be much hardship in the Gallic lands.

Much of the west will share in the gloom of the century. Scanza will face a period of famine as well as the loss of much territory to the Hun invasions. They will come through it all far better than Dacia which will cease to be a kingdom for a number a years when they are briefly conquered and defeated by the Huns and the Gallic League. Egypt and Gupta will continue to exchange raids and small wars across the border with Bactria (though Gupta and Egypt will both in fact face internal problems that Bactria does not – the shifting political sands in Egypt will however bring about a momentous change in their royal houses). The swirling trouble will also ensnare Parthia – they will be invaded by Huns yet again during this century. King Nasim II will lose a lot of territory along the Caspian Sea before a peace is concluded and the Huns are aloud to settle in Parthian territory (though it is during these wars that a new form of communicating over long distances is developed – the famed mirror towers). The Axumite Empire will not face the same internal and external conflicts the rest of the west is engaged in however the political unrest in the surrounding kingdoms does threaten to spill over onto their soil. The upheavals in Egypt and the military build up therein in conjunction with a small border war in 460 with Ghana and the shifting politics in Schroda force the Axum king to abandon plans to settle the large island off the eastern shore (to be called Madagascar [I’m not entirely sure if it would still be called this but I couldn’t come up with any other name]). The Schrodian ruling house will change, shifting to a city called Great Zimbawe, with this comes a period of conflict.

After years of struggling with itself the Chi Empire comes into a golden age of expansion and relative peace and prosperity. However, it was during this era of growth for the Empire that the seeds of a great enemy are sown. I speak, of course, of the scattered peoples of Nihon who come down in history with the name Kamiharou.



400AD: Emperor Xiaowu initiates the Exam system (this will replace the old system of appointing administrators and ministers which led to rampant corruption and aided in the collapse of the Han Empire).

402AD: Dorin III dies and passes the throne to his only son (Dorin had several children but most were stillborn or died within a year of birth). Ioan will prove to be as weak a king as he was as weak of body (402-408).

404AD: After the loss of territory in the Mediterranean Sarmatia had a continuous stream of people flowing into the port cities. It wasn’t until the start of the new century that Consuls began making their home on the continent. Within ten years more than half of the chair holders would have a permanent residence in Sarmatia – by the mid 20’s court is being held in Neos Syracuse (though the Patriarch’s name doesn’t start appearing on any documentation from these meetings until nearly the end of Lysander II time).

408AD: High King Neal II dies. The Gallic League passes to his son Ambrose (408-425).

Ioan is killed in a coup by a warrior named Marin (408-432). Marin will usher in a revival of strict adherence to the Christian faith.

410AD: Possibly one of the greatest innovations comes to light around this year. The stirrup is invented in the Chi Empire. It will spread quickly through the military ranks and will reach the west in about 10 years (by 433 we see it in wide use throughout the Gallic League).

413AD: Seti VIII of Egypt sends a large military force to Lower Gupta to strengthen his holdings in that area as the minor kingdoms begin to battle one another once more.

415AD: The attempts that have been made thus far in trying to maintain peace in Lower Gupta are no longer sufficient (Egypt has been arbitrating, deposing, and instating monarchs in the area since setting up their own colonies in the region). Seti VIII enters into a small war when he sends a large force to take control of several minor kingdoms bordering his colonies (415-417).

417AD: King Seti VIII dies and passes Egypt to his son Amanhotep VI (417-432).

418AD: Sandor Verus, Patriarch of Neos Syracuse, dies. His time as the governor healed many rifts between Sicily and Sarmatia. His son Lysander Verus, a pious man (in his late twenties at the time), is voted in by the Consuls as the next Patriarch (418-439).

419AD: Battles rage once again in Lower Gupta between Egypt and a few smaller kingdoms (Egypt will also help fight a similar war between Gupta Empire and its neighboring kingdoms).

420AD: The Council of Neos Syracuse convenes. At which a monk by the name of Dorian presents the collective works of the biblical cannon (those approved, accepted, and discussed by the various Councils). Dorian’s work receives a cool reception as the bishops and priests of Syracuse take offence to it being written in Sarmatian (the local dialect of Sicilian – Sicilian is a Greek based language but with a heavy hybridization with proto-Latin). The events of the Council would only get worse, 3 days into the gathering of the various churches the representatives from Egypt depart. No reasons is given for this but 2 days later the bishops from Axum also withdraw – the turning point seems to have been several heated arguments over the Axum Monophysitic beliefs. A few days later the Council formal dissolves.

King Marin, upon his return from the defunct Christian Council, will close the Duras Amphitheater to all plays and games – although few physical changes are made it will reopen a few years later as a church.

422AD: Emperor Xiaowu dies and passes the Chi Empire to his son Dezong An (422-437).

423AD: Amanhotep VI himself travels to Lower Gupta to fight in the latest war between the neighboring kingdoms (423-425).

425AD: High King Ambrose dies. His son Alerio takes up the throne (425-444). Alerio will find public life burdensome (he doesn’t even appoint his own Vates, instead he allows several Oghma representatives to act as their own Vate or appoint ones for the High King). As the years go on Alerio will take longer and longer sabbaticals among the more reclusive sects of the druidic schools.

Amanhotep VI decides on a way to permanently pacify Lower Gupta. Upon his return to Memphis he initiates the Decree of Manumission (grating freedom to any slave wishing to join the army or journey to Lower Gupta to live).

At Saint Claudian’s Church in Syracuse the St. Claudian Accords are drafted by the Dacian and Syracusian clergy – formally creating the Catholic Church and forever fracturing the Faith.

After many years of sending soldiers to support one kingdom or another Dezong decides on a major shift in diplomatic policy. He invades the Korean peninsula in Beltane and will continue to campaign there for the remainder of his reign.

432AD: After suffering from a high fever for three days King Amanhotep VI of Egypt dies. His eldest son, Nefer III, assumes the throne (432-453).

King Marin dies. His son, Duras VIII will take on the throne and continue with his father’s religious vigor (432-456). Duras VIII will seek council from church heads on many state issues, something Marin rarely did even with all his devotion.

436AD: Patriarch Lysander II is granted the formal title of Protector of the Faith and included as a Consul (though a non-voting member).

437AD: Dezong will die while campaigning in the Silla Kingdom. He will have no children of his own but in accordance with his last wishes passes the Chi Empire to his nephew Yuan Zong. Yuan was a general stationed with his army in the south and had long awaited orders to finish subjugating the minor kingdoms that still occasionally raided the border. As Emperor he waited no longer and ordered his army over the boarder. The war in Korea will continue though for the time being mainly as a defensive war as most military resources were redirected to the southern campaigns.

439AD: High King Alerio goes into semi-retirement, although many of the court scribes and Vates (the number of which had risen to 33 under High King Alerio) moved with him to Rome. The Gallic League was, for the most part, presided over by the High Council and the Oghma.

Lysander II is found dead in his dinning room, foul play is considered though no proof of this is found. His son, Lysander III (who was also a member of the Consuls) is granted the position of Patriarch after much debate (439-460). The Consuls were fearful that they had allowed the position of Patriarch to become hereditary. Lysander III will take a more active role as Defender of the Faith, a position that eventually forces the Consuls to grant the Patriarch a voting right (in return it is decided that the Patriarch of Neos Syracuse must always be drawn from members of the Consuls – greatly limiting the chance of the position being passed down family lines).

Resistance in what remained of the Silla Kingdom intensifies forcing Emperor Yuan to reopen the peninsula war.

440AD: The Brehon Codex is compiled by druids working in Dub Lynn. Although the laws of the Gallic League were well established this is the first comprehensive series of volumes dedicated to the legal code.

444AD: High King Alerio steps down as the Gallic Leader. He had no children and will instead pass the throne to a great-niece who will be crowned High Queen Bebinn VI (444-460). Bebinn VI was of the Boii and unlike others from that clan and others by the same name she will not be a fine warrior. She served her time in the war academy (the academy in Rome) as stated by Law but did not serve in the army afterwards. She takes up the throne at Alesia however much of her interests revolved around music and poetry and like her father would leave much of the administration up to the Vates (she tried and failed to enter into the Bardic Schools). Within a few years High Queen Bebinn VI is holding court not with the High Council but with Gallic nobles and Oghma family members who have taken up residence in Alesia (and all of whom find her music and poetry enthralling).

Emperor Yuan will sail with his armada for a land they call Nihon (he concluded the peninsula war the previous year and used pirate activity as a reason for this new war – not that he needed the reason, Emperor Yuan had quickly become one of the Chi’s most favored General Ruler). The armada landing will be difficult, the clans of the Nara and Bizen would put up a particularly hard fight but with their defeats (around 449) the fledging monarchies of Nihon (which had barrowed largely from their contact with the Chi Empire) would be scattered, escaping on ships into the ocean.

450AD: It was around this year that the tribes along the Volga are brought under the leadership of a single man (traditionally called Scythian tribes although a number of them at this time belonged either to the Alani or the Hun). He comes down through history with the name his people called him, Sebo - which means revered.

Duras VIII closes his borders to the Gallic League and Scanza. He begins speaking with church heads on a regular basis regarding the “pagan empires”.

453AD: Nefer III is killed by Ahmose (a relative of the royal family and general in the army). With most of Nefer III best and most loyal army commanders in the Persian or Guptan province there were few immediate soldiers to be called upon for aid. The fighting was said to have been fierce but limited to mainly the palace and the area around Memphis. Ahmose takes the throne and become the 6th of that name to rule the kingdom (455-468). He spends the first year of his reign assassinating or heavily bribing Nefer III family, friends, and loyalists.

456AD: One of the reasons for Ahmose VI coup was what he saw as the unchecked growth of the Church of Amon-Re and the desecration of the old gods. He begins heavily taxing the Church and arresting the higher members of the cult. By the end of the year more than just the Church is being infringed upon. Revolts at the King’s actions are harshly suppressed – revolts that only spread further throughout the Empire when he revokes the Decree of Manumission and continues to increase the size of the army.

King Duras dies. His son, Marius II will take the Dacian throne (456-460). He begins a series of persecution against all pagans within Dacian borders (which included all non Catholics).

458AD: Not content to instill martial law and persecute Christians within his own Empire King Ahmose VI spreads outwards and declares war on the Kingdom of Syracuse (458-462). The first year of the war will see a series of near draws on sea but after the Egyptian victory at the battle of Malta (when a sizable portion of Syracuse’s Mediterranean fleet and the island of Malta were captured) most of the engagements will be conducted via siege.

459AD-463AD: The Fourth Dacian War.

459AD: Provoked by Marius II actions Danus, High Queen Bebinn VI son, marches with an army of Gallic nobles (most of which belong to the Order of Teutates) into Dacia in late Fomhair (September).

460AD: At the Samhain gathering High Queen Bebinn VI appoints her son Danus to rule jointly (460-479). Before the end of the year Bebinn VI will fully step down as Queen. Danus will prove to be, if possible, an even more ineffective ruler. His attention will be focused on the duties of the High Monarch but his interests were more for the power that came with the throne. He will spend most of his reign in Mezek (where he will commission several statues of himself) fighting and coordinating the war with Dacia. On what domestic issues he did decide on he would base his rulings on the advice of his Vates and the court nobles. Danus’ offhanded treatment of the Oghma and High Council will cause much commotion within the governing ranks but this amounts to little but harsh sentiments as a consensus on the issue could not be reached and petty squabbling ensued (and in the mean time Danus still commanded the armies and conducted the war)

King Marius II completes a deal with Sebo of the Huns. In exchange for a yearly supply of food and a large bribe thousands of Hun mercenaries will augment the Dacian forces in their war against the League. Although, the Hun emissaries return with a portion of the gold agreed upon Marius will die in battle before any more of the treaty can be honored (Marius II was killed at the first battle of Sarmizegetusa – the reserve force he led was ambushed on its way to help lift the siege of the Dacian capital. Though he failed, the siege would nonetheless be lifted the following year).

Angered at the aborted deal (Sebo seems to have taken it personally that Marius dies before full payment was delivered) Sebo and his Hun army cross the Volga into Dacian and Sarmatian territory – their attacks are swift and devastating. Similarly savage attacks will be conducted further north into Scanza - where Sebo will have his most success (Scanzaian soldiers were of little match for the mounted archers and swordsmen of the Hun army).

Lysander III dies and, in accordance with the law, he named someone among the Consuls to be the next Patriarch – his son, Julius Verus (460-473). Julius had been placed in a cloister at a young age at his father’s insistence, where he spent nearly as much time studying the bible as he did being trained by his father’s generals. He would later serves as a priest in Theodosis near the Tarquin Wall (the section that borders Dacia) and eventually rises to the position of bishop.

462AD: High King Danus, after the second battle of Sarmizegetusa (although a military defeat for the Dacians the fortified city would remain), split his forces. Instead of placing what remained of the Dacian army under siege he would leave a small force to watch and moved off northward to another Dacian army battling with the Hun invasion (High King Danus would continue this tactic of corralling the Dacian forces, thus, by the end of the war several pockets of unconquered territory will remain in Dacian hands). In early Deireadh Fomhair (October) Danus will fight a series of small encounters with Sebo’s Huns but both armies were much more interested in ravaging and hunting down the remains of the Dacian army to bother with each other in a full scale attack.

With no way to launch a proper offensive, losing the defensive war, and unable to free further military resources due to the Hun invasion Patriarch Julius II withdraws his claim to the island of Crete and bestows Sicily to the Gallic League (effectively ending the Kingdom of Syracuse). The city of Syracuse falls in Feabhra before Gallic forces can be sent to secure the island (much of the city was burned and sacked, including the famous St. Claudian’s Church).

Emperor Yuan Zong dies having greatly expanded the Chi Empire. He passes the throne to his son Yi Dan (462-482). He will ruthlessly put down several revolts in the newly conquered territories but otherwise will rule over a peaceful empire.

463AD: By Marta of this year the only remaining part of Dacia were a dozen fortified cities. So, it was inevitable that Danus would meet Sebo on the field of battle. This would happen in Bealtaine (May), after fighting several skirmishes the two forces now stood poised to strike at one another. The armies were evenly matched, both extensively used mounted swordsmen and archers, and both were traditionally fierce warriors. It is no wonder then that the battle was a draw, although Sebo had to withdraw, losses on the Gallic side were so numerous that pursuit was out of the question.

Any immediate counterattack on the Gallic League was disrupted by Sebo’s death (he was reportedly 100 years old – this is unlikely, but descriptions of “mouth sores” seem more credible and offer tantalizing yet enigmatic clues to his death).

465AD: After much land had been destroyed and several hard fought battles won, the back of the Hun invasion in Sarmatia is broken. Julius II at this time proclaims Sarmatia a kingdom onto its own. The Consuls of Syracuse is disbanded and elections will be conducted to form the Holy See, which, as Patriarch of Neos Syracuse, Julius II would be the head of.

468AD: Though the war in Dacia had been over since 463 the conquered territory remained only tenuously in the hands of the Gallic League. Raids by roaming Dacian and Hun forces were common and several cities had been left undefeated (isolated islands of resistance in a sea of League armies). Danus was ruthless in his taxation and tribute collection. The continued troubles with Dacia would be reflected in the Oghma but the flaws in the long standing system become very apparent. Even if Danus had been holding council with the Oghma (which he wasn’t, he still relied on his Vates, some of which worked specifically for certain members of the Oghma, and a handful of court nobles) it is hard to believe that much would have been accomplished. The Oghma was split on the issue of asking Danus to step down, the tribes of the west wanted him removed, but those of the east (who disliked the High King about as much) felt that without a viable contender to the throne their lands would be subject to yet more war with his removal (a point Danus played on while pitting the opposing sides against each other).

The self loving yet largely hated Ahomse VI dies in his sleep. Egypt will pass to his son Seti IX who will be just as ruthless and cunning a ruler (468-484).

Julius II orders the reconstruction of Saint Claudian’s in the heart of Neos Syracuse (the cathedral will not be completed until 583 although sections of the immense building will be in use long before the final touches are being made – namely the Basilica Julian, where the Holy See will convene, which will be completed in 485).

473AD: Julius Verus II dies (he is said to have been buried in a vault under Saint Claudian’s though no chamber has ever been found). It will take a year before the Holy See elects Theon Egidio as Patriarch of Neos Syracuse (474-483).

474AD-495AD: The Gallic Civil Wars.

474AD: The hatred brought on by taxation, tribute, and occupation causes Sicily to erupt in revolt as Catholics march on the garrisons all over the island. Danus responds harshly and suppresses the revolts. His actions further stir some unrest in the heartland as Fadeyrianists take issue with the treatment of their brothers in faith. Danus in turn sets down a penalty tax on any Christian church within the Gallic League. The Oghma refuse to enforce the new law at which time Danus disbands the Oghma. To inform the Oghma that their services were no longer necessary Danus sent 25,000 to roundup the representatives and bring them back to Alesia (the army was made up of mostly Algiz but also contingents from Mezek and Kelheim which had become very loyal to him during his command of the Dacian war). Before his army reaches Celtaberia that province, as well as Greater and Lesser Carthage, rise up against Danus.

In Marta as war chief Giorsal finished marching her army out of the Pyrenees and into the arid featureless plains of northern Celtaberia she came upon another army. This one was led by Oghma representative Kyna and had been in place for the last day and a half (Kyna had had Giorsal’s army scouted since they entered the passes). From the initial maneuvers the battle would be in Kyna’s hands – her forces were better rested and more familiar with the terrain. Over a half a day’s fighting Kyna would come out victorious. Giorsal would retreat to the coast and secure several villages there to await reinforcements. Kyna wouldn’t wait and a little over two weeks later the armies would face off against each other once again. This time however the defensive position Giorsal held would bring a victory to Danus’ army. For the rest of 474 there would be no major engagements.

By Bealtaine a new army would sail from Rome. A portion of which would land in Celtaberia to supplement Giorsal’s force (a small navel battle would ensue between the minor fleet out from Cartagena and the Roman armada) but most (approximately, 50,000) would land outside Carthage. By mind Samhain of 475 the city would fall, and a few months later Grater Carthage would be under Danus’ control.

475AD: By Marta of the following year war chief Argyle would come over the Pyrenees and although plagued by skirmishes during his long march he will not face a standing army until he neared Toledo. This time fortune would not favor the Celtaberian army; defeat was certain after a contingent of Giorsal’s army (who continued to battle the Celtaberian garrison out from Cartagena) arrived to support the attack on Toledo. Out flanked and nearly surrounded the city of Toledo would surrender by the following morning.

The fall of Toledo and Greater Carthage would be balanced by further bad news for High King Danus. The Breton tribes rise up against the army sent to secure their loyalty. The garrison of 5000 marching from Camulodunum is massacred by the Iceni. Danus, who felt securing Celtaberia was far more important, would allow Breton to pull away for the time being (eventually a separate peace is signed with the island, allowing them to remain outside the Gallic League only as long as tribute is maintained – High King Danus himself will sail to Camulodunum to sign the agreement before heading to Celtaberia with fresh warriors, leaving his son Morgan in command of Alesia and Gaul).

476AD: By the end of Beltane Kyna’s army had been reduced to less than 2000. Rather than allow for more senseless death she surrendered, Danus would have her dragged before him in chains and beheaded (her army was allowed to disband).

479AD: Raids and unrest in Dacia force the High King to draw more warriors to that region – including himself. While out riding, High King Danus is ambushed by warriors loyal to his son, Danus and a hundred of his Algiz are killed. Once word of this reaches Alesia Morgan is proclaimed the next High King by his soldiers stationed in the city (479-485). Morgan II blames Dacian marauders for the murder and begins harassing the countryside “looking” for the bandits. He will clash several times with Hun tribesmen as the borders between the conquered territory and the nomadic people had never been fully agreed upon.

480AD: Requiring more warriors for Dacia and not wanting to draw soldier away from Giorsal (who had remained in Celtaberia as war chief) Morgan II calls on Breton. The tribes there refuse to send any more warriors, so Morgan sends his army to take back Breton – sacrificing many opportunities to bring Dacia quickly back to order (from this point on the High King will be known as Morgan Creoi – Morgan the Stubborn). It will take three years of fighting (the bloodiest of which will occur in mountainous region controlled by the Silures) but Morgan will pull Breton back into the fold (though, many of the northern tribes were brought back via treaty).

481AD: Greatly angered by Morgan Creoi’s actions against the Breton tribes, Gaul (which until the war in Breton he had a tight control on) fractures into several rival armies. Old rivalries flare up but for the most part hatred and fighting is focused on Morgan and those loyal to him.

482AD: On the wings of fresh Hun migration, though lacking in the numbers of invasions earlier in the century, the rebellious Dacian territory rises up with new found ferocity. Rica, Marius II son who had remained in hiding since the conquest of Dacia, concludes the deal his father had made with Sebo and joins with the new leader of the Huns.

Emperor Yi Dan dies and passes the throne to his son Xian Zong (482-494).

483AD: Patriarch Theon dies and Juri Celestine is chosen from the Holy See (483-501). In 485, during the first meeting within the completed Basilica Julian of St. Claudian’s Cathedral, Patriarch Juri will send envoys to the various Christian faiths in an attempt to reconcile the failures at the Council of Neos Syracuse (420AD). Little is accomplished by this action.

484AD: Gaul had 9 clan leaders either fighting to dethrone High King Morgan II or fighting to become the next High King of the Gallic League: Alroy of the Veneti, Faolan of the Teutoni, Ceara of the Boii, Rowena also of the Boii, Llyr of the Averni, Owen of the Nervii, Teague of the Helvetii, Turi of the Nori, and Devlin also of the Nori. Morgan II marched his army back and forth between the rival lords shedding more and more warriors from the Dacian front in a vain attempt to hold onto the heartland. Eventually, in Aibrean (April) despite war chief Bowdyn’s best efforts he must withdraw his army from Dacia and take up a defensive position on the Gallic side of the Danube.

Seti IX is poisoned by his son, Sethos, who assumes the throne (484-504). Like his father and grandfather, Sethos was a vicious king, one can only assume that necessity saved him from the same fate (or worse) as his father. The rapid growth of the army and drop in revenue throughout the empire over the last 20 years had drained the treasury to dangerous levels. Since decreasing the army was not an option, Sethos revoked many of the trade embargos that had been implemented to punish certain regions. He also lifted the moratorium on Christian travel and Church constructions.

485AD: After being ignored for several months by High King Morgan II, war chief Bowdyn concludes a peace on his own with Rica and the Hun representatives. Bowdyn by this time had become greatly disillusioned with Morgan. Although he was unable to hold onto the Dacian territory Bowdyn was able to stand his ground at the Danube and prevented any invasion of Gallic lands. After securing the peace, and with the support of the Mezek army, the Greek, and Anatolian tribes he began his march on Alesia. Before he reaches Alesia however, High King Morgan II will die battling Llyr of the Averni. What Bowdyn finds on his arrival at Alesia is a city frightened into silence and a High Council desperately trying to mediate between the different clan leaders (he also finds living in captivity for the last 10 years several Oghma representatives which he promptly sets free – those that could return to their lands he sent safely away under the guard of some of his army). With the death of Morgan 4 of the 9 rival war chiefs have proclaimed themselves High King (with one High Queen), Faolan, Alroy, Llyr, and Ceara. By Samhain of 486 Giorsal (the war chief of Celtaberia and Greater/Lesser Carthage) adds her name to the list of rivals for the position of High Monarch – though her army never leaves Celtaberia.

Rica is named King and will rule over a reclaimed, yet smaller, Dacia (485-495). He now faces a new threat, the Huns who now make up a large portion of the populous in Dacia (more were yet to cross over the Volga in later years).

486AD: Negotiations between the rival Gallic lords breaks up. After the pause in warfare during the talks Alroy and Faolan are the first to strike. In a brief cooperation Alroy and Faolan’s armies attack Ceara at her winter encampment. She will escape but this initial assault will greatly weaken her position and a year later will be killed in battle with Llyr.

During Imbolc Llyr will bypass Alroy’s army (who had been busy pursuing Ceara’s army) and marches into the heart of Veneti lands. Faolan, who had spies within Llyr’s ranks, finds out about the attack on Veneti lands before Alroy. In the midst of battle along the lower Rhine Faolan has his army turn on Alroy as they battle Ceara’s army. With Alroy’s retreat to his homeland and Ceara’s decimation Faolan controls almost all of the Rhineland uncontested. By Lughnasagh Llyr has withdrawn from Venetia to battle Ceara’s attempts to take control of several Alpine passes and Alroy is moving on his former ally Faolan. Bowdyn in the mean time has held Alesia and gathers supplies and intelligence on the warring factions. Though he has fought several skirmishes with all of the rival parties he has kept more or less out of the conflict (this may be primarily explained by the fact that Bowdyn was far from the clans supporting him and he had only a small army currently in Alesia (about 1000)).

The Breton tribes hold their own meeting at Bebinnshire. It is decided that no army will be sent to the heartland (this rudimentary council will meet at Bebinnshire almost yearly for the next several years).

490AD: Giorsal is defeated. Celtaberia and Greater/Lesser Carthage will remain neutral for the two year as the conflict still rages in Gaul.

We see the first Martial Arts school created (Martial Arts, a collective term for a variety of fighting techniques. Prior to this time techniques were taught by seeking out masters or secluded school – much like it used to be in seeking out a Druid Master).

493AD: Envoys from the rival lords have meet periodically with clan leaders in Celtaberia since Giorsal’s defeat, mainly to assure that the peninsula lands intend to remain neutral. However, secretly, Bowdyn has been fostering a partnership with the peripheral territories (many of which are honor bound to him after he released the Oghma representatives upon his arrival in Alesia). In Mean Fomhair, after Alroy’s defeat at Faolan’s hands, Bowdyn launches his own offensive. Celtaberian tribes cross the Pyrenees and marched on Faolan strongholds along the Loire, the Rhone, and the Seine. Warriors from Carthage sail the Mediterranean and land in Massalia, taking that port city (which had been under Llyr’s control). Bowdyn sends his army north to contest Faolan’s hold on the Rhineland while he journeys south to join up with his much larger force moving north from Mezek.

Rica will convene a meeting with the clan leaders to choose a successor (though he placated his own people by allowing them to participate, to maintain the peace among the rowdy Huns he would only be making his pick from their representatives).

495AD: At the battle of Awin Varroo (near the headwaters of the Danube) Faolan is defeated by Bowdyn. Bowdyn challenged Faolan to single combat. Faolan, being Bowdyn’s younger by several years, accepted but experience would win out over youth on this day. Infuriated and leaderless the nobles under Faolan’s banner will charge Bowdyn before Faolan’s body had time to cool. There was said to have been no battle plan, the battle simple surged back and forth like the ebb and flow of the tides. To this day it is still marked as one of the bloodiest battles in our history.

With Faolan dead and what remained of his army under Bowdyn’s command Llyr will capitulate and discus peace before the end of the year.

By Fomhai the wars are over and Bowdyn has become the most dominate war chief and although he had been proclaimed by his army to be High King there was no Oghma to formalize this title.

Xian Zong will die suddenly (rumored to have passed while conducting his morning constitutional). Though not favored by his father, Ye Zhu will take the throne (494-516).

King Rica dies and, in accordance with the decision made during the successor meeting, Vladimir will be appointed king (a Hun whose family had actually been intermarrying with Dacian families for nearly 2 hundred years – rumor has it that the original interaction came when a Hun raiding party kidnapped several Dacian women). Vladimir, already an aged warrior upon taking the crown, will only rule a short time (495-503).

496AD: For the first time in 21 years a gathering of the Gallic clan leaders is held. Bowdyn, though looked to by many as the High King, defers to the High Council (which, although mostly ignored, has remained intact during the civil wars) when conducting the proceedings. It is decided that the Oghma will be reconstructed; arguing and threats rocket through the Forum Brennus when the clan leaders from Breton voice their wish to remain outside the League. Rather than face open war again the High Council rules that the head of any land may choose or not choose to remain part of the League. This was a rather safe ruling as Bowdyn held sway over most of the Rhineland and Gaul, as well as the Helena and Anatolia. The Celtaberian clans, a close ally of Bowdyn, would follow his lead, and in turn as would Greater and Lesser Carthage follow the Celtaberian lead. The only lands that must have been in question in the minds of the High Council were Italia (which was mostly Boii and Nori descendents) and the few holdings Llyr still controlled.

497AD: There are no statistics as to how many horses and weigh station riders must have fallen from exhaustion between 496 and 497 but the number must have been staggering. The clans stayed in almost constant communication as tribes deliberated over the issue of remaining part of the league or complete self-autonomy. Eventually fear of war and famine must have kept the lands in question with the League. In Marta another gathering was convened, Italia and Llyr would remain in the League (it was hardly a surprise that the Breton tribes hadn’t changed their minds – they would remain outside the League).

498AD: The first convening of the Oghma at Alesia since the start of the civil wars. Though the basic structure of the governing body would remain the same there were a few changes that Bowdyn had initiated. Each region would elect/appoint 4 Vates (the regions include Gaul, Celtaberia, Greater Carthage, Lesser Carthage, Helena, Anatolia, and Rhineland). Each of these Vates will spend one season out of the year in Alesia while the other three see to the regional councils (though, during the month of Samhna (November) there will be a gathering of all Vates, the High Council, and the High King). The divisions will still be the same; the High King will direct military and international matters (can also overrule and discus domestic issues), the High Council - as always - oversees the legal/religious aspects of the League, and the Oghma which deals with mostly the domestic side of affairs (though can also discus and overrule the High King on matters of war – with a majority).

Representatives from Breton arrive in Alesia. They speak on behalf of the Breton Republic (their capital being Bebinnshire) and offer warm greeting from the Council of Nobles.
 
Gallic League pt.3

In the 6th century AD we will see a drastic rise in the scientific method. Though the rise in interest seemed to occur almost simultaneously in various kingdoms and empires we can trace the development in the Gallic League to the years around 538. In 538 Vanko Xanthus finished his collective works (16 volumes): Mental and Physical Medicine (what remains of the original volumes as well as sanctioned copies are stored in the archives in the medical wing of the University of Athens). Sadly, there are a couple of events during this time that greatly deplete the ranks of our beloved druids. The first came in 523 with the Teutates rebellion. Where as the nobles that belonged to this cult found it prudent to find some other form of worship after the disastrous reigns of High King Danus and Morgan II, the druids who studied under Teutates were not so easily swayed and were among the many killed at Treves and Vangs. The next attack on the learned population came during the outbreak of plague in 544 and 545 as many druids studied the dead and dying in an attempt to explain, cure, and prevent further contamination. The last came in 558 when the High Council proclaimed the action of trepanning to be illegal. Although the practice of drilling holes in the head was a medical practice carried out before even the formation of the League it was in recent years that it had become perverted. The cult of Zeus (as practiced in Paris – the main city of the Parisii) is to blame for this disturbance. As the history reads, Tarvis is typically worshiped by craftsmen (artists, metal workers, etc.) but in the Cult of Zeus there seems to have been a bastardized version created where Tarvis held ultimate wisdom (probably an extension of the artistic visions bestowed on craftsmen). Travelers from Paris came to Athens were they learned of Zeus and more importantly, the birth of Athena. They surmised that wisdom can be found by opening your mind (which is a wonderful thought…if not taken literally). Over the past few centuries the Cult of Zeus was confined to mostly Paris but in the later 5th century and the early 6th century the worship spread to several towns and cities along the River Seine. Not only had the cult spread but trepanning was now being practiced by druids and doctors who worshiped Tarvis/Zeus/Athena on others. For every person (in that area) who was looking for medical help or some advice the answer given and practiced was a hole in the head. The mounting death toll caught the attention of the High Council. They passed judgment making the procedure illegal but in the most extreme of medical cases. Many in the cult saw this as an attack on their beliefs and so refused the order – they summarily found themselves besieged by angry townsfolk and the army. The bloody practice and the harsh enforcement (not to mention the earlier Teutonic Rebellion) took a heavy toll on the number of people entering the druidic schools and the number of people seeking druidic wisdom.

Christianity in Dacia will be dealt a brief setback during the 6th century. With the insertion of the Hun ruling class many of the old Dacian nobles were removed from power. For those few nobles who weren’t dispatched by axe or blade it became necessary for survival to downplay their beliefs. The Church still operated in the kingdom but few vaults was secure enough to be overlooked and although the Faith was not officially sanctioned against under the two Vladimir’s many lives of priests, bishops, and their holdings were confiscated by Hun rabble. By 515 there was hardly a church or abbey beyond the Carpathians that hadn’t been burned to the ground or abandoned. The worse was yet to come for the native Dacians. In 545 King Balda “The Mad”, under pressure from the Gallic League to curb the raids being launched over the border, begins to enslave many of the remaining native Dacians (many in this new round of enslavement were sold to traders and caravans heading East via Parthia and Bactria). It was oddly the buildup of hardships for Dacia that led to some normalization of the status quo. In 535 and 536 there were back to back harsh winters, more than 10 years after this the Kingdom of Dacia was still wanting for food and supplies. In 549, King Perkons (crowned in 548) begins to expand in search of supplies to feed his restless people – more to the point, to give his restless army something to do (the timing of this period of expansion might also have to do with the introduction during the first half of this century of the horseshoes, stirrups, and the breast-strap harness). Between 549 and 572 (under Kings Usins and King Oszkar I) much of what had been Dacia and more was brought under the control of the ruling Huns (this also brought Dacia to war with Scanza on two separate occasions; once in 551 for 3 years, and again in 570 for 2 years – it was this war that although costly for Scanza did blunt the Dacian expansion). The expansion brought new opportunities for native Dacians. Their numbers filled the Hun ranks in order to help control the growing territory and fight in the wars with Scanza. With the new roads new trade routs were created and along these byways missionaries (in the beginning most of these were from Sarmatia) would travel revitalizing the Faith in this region and converting many of the Hun overlords.

Scanza will face more than just the wars with Dacia. They will also face off in an undeclared war with the Breton Republic for over 20 years (starting in 530). Both sides will fight dozens of sea battles as each tried to maintain control of trade and fishing lanes. For Breton this will be their only international interaction for most of the century as they were focused internally with domestic squabbles. It was probably the famine that started in 535, with the never ending winter of that year, that kept Scanza from fairing better in their conflicts between Breton and Dacia (although, Scanza still relied on their fearless foot soldiers which even if they would’ve had in greater numbers still would not have been much of a match for the Hun/Dacian cavalry).

Events would remain more or less peaceful for Lusitania, Judea, and Ghana in the 6th century (we’ll actually see an explosion in architectural development in Judea during this century – primarily in the design and building of libraries). In response to greater contact between Ghana and the Gallic League (starting around 540) Lusitania does establish a series of permanent trading settlements along the African coast. This leads to several small skirmishes with the native populations but most outbreaks of conflict are ended amicably. Ghana will battle a few Axumite garrisons along the western terminus of the Axum trade roads but nothing comes of this as the tribes in the areas in question opt to openly join with Ghana. Given Axum’s wars with Egypt, Zimbawe, and their expansion efforts it is no wonder why they had to allow Ghana’s challenge in the western region to go unpunished.

Axum’s wars with Egypt, which had cost them some territory and lessoned their control on other regions, and the outbreak of plague in 543-445, were balanced by the successes against Zimbawe (and the successful spread of Christianity further south) along with the colonization of Madagascar.

For the Chi Empire there will be little of note for this century. They will expand for a period of about 10 years starting in 512 but their most notable events will occur in 535 with the invention of block printing and in 545 with the creation of the positional notational system (both of these were developed by Buddhists monks living in the claimed, yet uncontrolled, mountainous region to the west of the Chi border).




500AD: Bowdyn II dies without every formally being grated the title of High King. Despite the terrible time he lived through and the bloody ladder he climbed to become the head of the League he is still remembered in history as “the great peace maker” for his efforts during the aftermath of the civil war. He is chiefly hailed for reconstituting the Oghma and curbing the influence of the Order of Teutates. Even though Bowdyn II daughter Rhiannon (who will rule after him, 500-520) was of the Order, the cult will see a continued drop in followers throughout the century. The major turning point could probably be traced to the Rebellion in 523 when a number of the Order killed a priest and several Fadeyrianists – whom they blamed for the crack down on the Order.

Also in this year the breast-strap harness comes into use in the Gallic League.

504AD: King Sethos dies. His son Thutmose will take the throne of Egypt (504-516). Thutmose will find the merchant class of his kingdom to be an unruly bunch. Under Sethos, in order to help refill the royal treasury, some of the mandates restricting commerce and communication were relaxed. Now the merchants clamored for a full return to the policies before the coup that brought Thutmose’s family to power.

508AD-516AD: Tautor’s War.

508AD: Hiding in Helena were the remains of the last ruling family of Egypt. In exile many found the Gallic heart to be a prize worth winning. Tautor was born of a union between Egyptian and Gallic blood, (and he himself had a Gallic wife – name of Beitris) he grew up in the time after the coup that forced his family from Egypt. He and his family kept ties in Egypt and garnered support there and in the League for the time when the true House would be placed back on the throne. It was in Marta, before the flooding of the Nile, that Tautor chose to strike. He sailed from Attica with a small group of supporters (no numbers are given but it is assumed no more than a few hundred). He landed in the Kingdom of Judea, where he gained unofficial support and a few hundred more soldiers. By the end of the following month, with the full support of the Syrian province Tautor began the war to reclaim the throne of Egypt.

510AD: Although Rhiannon III initially sent a number of warriors with Tautor to reclaim his throne this is the year that she formally commits an army to the cause. They landed just north of the Grand Canal and fought heavily with the Egyptian army that guarded the waterway. It would take almost a year but eventually the Canal would fall to Gallic hands (who would hold it for Tautor).

511AD: Petre Sandu is elected Patriarch of Neos Syracuse (511-523). His time as Patriarch marks a period of great aggression towards non Catholics (monophystes, not pagans, found themselves the focus of Petre’s attention). Several charges of misconduct will be raised against the Patriarch but no formal court hearing his conducted.

512AD: Rhiannon III sends a second army to Egypt. After several aborted attempts (due to the ferocity of the Egyptian navy) this army would eventually land along the delta and make their way to Alexandria – which had thus far resisted Tautor’s siege.

516AD: With the support of the Asian holdings as well as the merchant class (which helped finance the civil war) Thutmose is overthrown by Tautor and is crowed the new King of Egypt (516-525) – restoring the 35th dynasty to the throne. As well as placing his family back in control of Egypt Tautor will also bring about a few other changes. He resumes the old tradition of son’s marrying Thebes and daughter’s marrying Alexandria. Tautor reinstates the manumission of slaves, fulfilling a promise he made to the throngs of slaves that joined his army during the war. As king he will also heed the requests of the merchant class that made no issue of reminding the new king of how they funded his return. King Tautor will create a new advising council, 100 seats will be filled by the various trade guilds from Memphis – however, the terms by which king and council interact will not be settled.

For our help in placing Tautor on the throne of Egypt the League was given payment for their services and a reduced tax on Gallic ships moving through the Canal.

520AD: High Queen Rhiannon III dies and passes the crown to her son Dorian (520-527).

523AD-525AD: The Teutates Rebellion.

523AD: Although Dorian hadn’t added to the edicts restricting the Order of Teutates he did enforce what his mother and grandfather had set down. This had led to an exodus of high born followers from Teutates (most nobles reverted to non-specific ancestor worship at this time). Followers of Teutates were not allowed to hold any position in the Oghma or the High Council (those already in office were allowed to remain). Furthermore, they would no longer be the only Order that maintains the ritualistic battles on the temple grounds (the founding responsibility of the Teutonics). The resentment would boil over first in the city of Treves, a Rhineland city. A group belonging to the Order of Teutates murdered a priest and several of his prisoners while they conducted services. The targeted Fadeyrianists seems to have been random – there had always been tension between the two beliefs. The city was devastated by three days of fighting and rioting, eventually Treves fell to the Teutonics. This began the rebellion that would sweep all of Rhineland into arms (pockets of unrest would spark elsewhere in the League but the major battles would be fought in the Rhineland). Resistance was scattered and for all their adherence to the fierce warrior code of old the groups were largely uncoordinated. This was due primarily to the use of weigh station riders by war chief Hafgan (war chief and garrison commander of Kelheim) to upset communications between the rebellious war parties.

525AD: Tautor dies, his son Alexander IV assumes the throne (525-547).

527AD: High King Dorian dies, he was young even for the time (late thirties early forties). He died childless and so the crown passes to his brother Aidan (527-545). Aidan will live a peaceful life, and will tour the League on several occasions, though he will pass tragically.

539AD: War between the Axumite and Egyptian Empires (539-547).

540AD: Julius III is elected Patriarch of Neos Syracuse (540-546). He will try and shift the focus of the church away from what he saw as the “alienation of the people from the Faith” (a practice that started under Petre and was continued by Teo I). He will donate large sums of money to Dacian bishops to help in their efforts to convert the ruling Hun population. However, Julius will also give monies to non Catholic churches in what he saw as promoting Christianity but what the Holy See saw as a deformation of the Faith.

543AD: A plague is carried from the war with Axum back to Egypt (from sources it is assumed to have been a major outbreak of small pox – it will reach epidemic proportion in several cities but will eventually burn itself out by 445).

544AD: The plague that had been affecting Egyptian cities finds its way aboard trade vessels to the Gallic League. The first city to be devastated was Byzantium, though quarantine efforts there helped to keep the illness within the city walls. The next was Rome, where efforts by the army and civilian authorities to keep the infection from spreading failed. In a matter of weeks much of lower Italia is awash in small pustules. It is during the efforts to help the sick and the dying in Rome that High King Aidan dies. Against the wishes of what must have been a very nervous entourage of Algiz Aidan journeyed south, bring food and supplies to the area. By the New Year he would die of the same disease.

545AD: In Samhain High King Aidan dies. His son Piaras will take on the throne (545-557). There will be little time to mourn as in the same year raids from Dacia increase and once again war is on the horizon. Piaras himself will travel to the border and take place in several battles. When King Balda of Dacia and Piaras finally met Balda would blame the raids and tension on the Dacian people who had yet to accept his rule. Upon returning to Sarmizegetusa he promptly began a campaign to enslave many of the indigenous Dacians.

The Council of Theodosis is held, among the issues discussed were the idea of private property, excessive profit, and priestly marriages. The Council was convened without the approval of Patriarch Julius III and within a matter of a week the meeting is closed - several bishops were arrested when the Council would not disband as ordered.

546AD: Julius III is deposed in favor of his brother Marcus who was very outspoken about Julius’ practices (546-558).

547AD: Psamtik an Alexandrian noble and husband of Aziza (Alexander’s daughter) becomes King of Egypt (547-566) upon Alexander IV death in Feabhra. Psamtik IV will have two daughters, Brenna and Eiu, both will marry (Brenna marries the Garrison general in Alexandria and Eiu marries a wealthy merchant).

Representatives of the Christian offshoot of Mehrdadism (the growing popular religion in Parthia) are rebuffed by the Holy See (Julius III had made several overtures to the Mehrdadists during his time as Patriarch in an attempt to heal the wounds of the past). This sets in motion a series of small conflicts, both written and militarily, between Parthia and Sarmatia – eventually leading to war.

548AD: There are riots in a few Sarmatian cities calling for the reinstatement of Julius III as Patriarch (the worst of which was at Recerau, a city near the mouth of the Don River). The situation becomes moot by the end of Eanair (January) when Julius III dies of a heart attack.

557AD: High King Piaras dies. His daughter Eilionoir will take up the crown (557-580).

558AD: King Girish of the Gupta Empire falls ill. At war with much of his family (as well as facing numerous fractures within the loosely connected tribes he rules over), and not wanting his shrinking empire to be taken by Bactria during a civil war, King Girish seeds Gupta to Egypt. This does not keep war from Girish’s lands, Bactria declares war on Egypt (558-565). Although Egypt has the better army, distance and problems closer to their more natural borders cause the war to stretch on and will eventually lead to Egypt calling for peace.

559AD: Parthia declares war on Sarmatia (559-563). The war is conducted half-heartedly by both sides and although several engagements are fought little territory is gained or lost.

560AD: Block printing begins to be used in the Gallic League (initially developed by the Chi around 535).

563AD: Several border disputes erupt between Egypt and Axum but a full scale war is averted. War is not averted between Parthia and Egypt (563-569). Parthia was heavily bribed by Bactria to enter into the conflict. By 567 the Persian province is abandoned but Egypt is able to hold the border at the Tigris and no Parthian ships are able to land troops on the desert peninsula.

King Assim Abara of Persia, emboldened by his successes against Egypt, orders the construction of a Grand Ziggurat in the name of the Great prophet Mehrdad. In part to commemorate his achievements, in part to out do the Christians who were building the Claudian Cathedral, and in part to deify himself.

565AD: Some good is brought back to Egypt from its wars in the east – they learn the use of windmills from Parthia.

566AD: Necho II, the husband of Brenna (Psamtik’s eldest daughter) and adopted son of the King takes the throne of Egypt upon Psamtik IV death (566-579).

579AD: During a resurgence of the plague King Necho II dies. Brenna, who had ruled for every purpose almost equally with her husband, now openly uses her title and assumes the throne as the Queen of Egypt (579-585). Her dominion will prove to be very unpopular, not only did she have a Gallic name but she was also partially Gallic by blood as well. She will eventually marry again and under pressure from the Civil Council Brenna will abdicate.

580AD: Eilionoir dies while traveling to Celtaberia on her way to witness the operation of the new windmills being built there (an innovation brought to the League by the Egyptians). After a month’s delay for Eilionoir celebration and cremation her niece Olwyn is crowned High Queen (580-593). She will continue on to Celtaberia and help in the construction of one of the windmills. It is on the return trip that word reaches them of an outbreak of the plague in several Celtaberian cities.

583AD: Saint Claudian’s Cathedral is completed in Neos Syracuse (the original having been destroyed during the last century’s war with Egypt). Although he will only sit for 2 and a half years, Patriarch Adelbert will be the first to hold a Grand Mass within the great halls of the new cathedral.

585AD: Brenna’s husband Hesperos, a cousin from Alexandria who she married in 584 (Hesperos was in his late twenties or early thirties when they married), becomes King of Egypt after Brenna abdicates (585-606).

593AD: High Queen Olwyn dies and passes the crown to her daughter Bebinn (593-610).




The 7th century AD can easily be marked as the century of warfare (a distinction that would carry over into the next hundred years). At the heart of the conflict were the Mehrdadian warriors whom exploded onto the world stage after the civil war in Parthia that brought them to power.

The Gallic League will be exhausted by wars during this century – the nation will be consumed with little else though some advances are able to slip through the fog of war (namely the compound microscope which is developed in 680AD). Our warrior code allows for war when threatened, however, as has happened, and as will continue to happen, an insult is as good as threat. Another theme that is depicted at this time, one that rings true today, is the influence of the High Council – though they can’t always persuade against war they have never been ignored when advising a halt to conflict.

Egypt and Dacia will be greatly influenced by their respective advising councils. In Dacia the House of Bishops will heed the call for righteous vengeance from the Patriarch of Neos Syracuse and convince the King to punish the pagan kingdoms (wars that will begin the fracturing of the Catholic empires). In Egypt the Civic Council will face a couple of set backs but by the end of the century they will have a King who signs away some powers. Dacia, unlike Egypt at this time will see their kingdom grow. With the conquest of Thrace and Pannonia Dacia will also add to it many steppe tribes. The core of the ruling Hun Dacians is still the lands around the Cheusthie Muir (the Black Sea) but their influence is felt well beyond the Volga.

Scanza will feel that influence. Still suffering from the famines of the last century, a situation which is not alleviated by the war with Breton and only exasperated by the Pagan wars and the loss of territory along the Vistula, Scanza border will continue to be raided even in the short periods of peace.

The Chi Empire will know the sting of constant raids as well. The ever present nomads to the north and west will poke at the empire, making massive incursions in 616, 623, and 656. The Chi will also face a threat from the ocean, the Kamiharou. The floating empire will make their first attack in 628 and will continue to burn and pillage the cost as far as Bactria for the next 200 years. The Kamiharou will leave a lasting mark on Chi and in fact world literature – their death first attitude to war, adventurous sailing, and superior sword making will often be romanticized. To this day, someone who is said to have “red sails” is someone who is driven often without regard for personal safety.

Besides the Kamiharou the Mehrdadian Celiphinate is probably the culture that has inspired the most literary references. Civil war would bring Muhammad Al-Ameen to power but it is sword, influence, and persuasion that shape Mehrdadism into a force to be feared and respected.



600AD: As with many generals in the Parthian armies Muhammad Al-Ameen was the son of a prominent Hun noble (those that were allowed to settle in the north along the Caspian sea during the long fought wars of the previous centuries). He was a trusted warrior of the king, Avicenna (as his name suggests, Al-Ameen does translate as trusted). It was in this year, however, that Muhammad converted fully to Mehrdadism after reportedly having a vision of the Great Prophet.

601AD: Muhammad attempts to have Avicenna convert and name Mehrdadism as the only true religion. Although Mehrdadism was at the time practiced by 2 out of 3 Parthians it was still considered to be a Hun religion by the Royal family and the loyal nobles. Avicenna rejects the idea and, perhaps seeing the future, strips Muhammad of his command (in the following months Avicenna will replace a dozen other officers within the ranks of his army).

602AD: Muhammad begins his war against Avicenna (602-608). The coup will succeed in toppling the Parthian Empire – by 610 the capital will even be moved to the holy city of Marlik (where Mehrdad had lived, taught, and wrote).

606AD: King Hesperos collapses at a celebration honoring 21 years of wearing the double crown. His son Necho will take the throne (606-625).

King Vilhelm II opens his reign of Scanza by declaring war on Breton (606-616). Both kingdoms had been conducting acts of piracy on the other for nearly 200 years – a war was fought in the previous century but little came from its conclusion. The Bretons will land one army in Scanza but it would be defeated by two harsh winters and an inability to resupply. King Vilhelm II will managed three landings, the first two were in Icini lands and were beaten back, the third (accomplished in 612) made landfall to the less populated north. Within two years Vilhelm’s forces had a strong hold in Caldonia (all of which would be seeded to Scanza at the conclusion of the war).

610AD: High Queen Bebinn VII dies in her sleep, the Gallic throne will pass to her son Cocidius (610-622).

Muhammad declares war on Egypt (610-617). It will be a hard fight for Egypt and will see them losing all of their holdings north of the canal by the time peace is declared.

612AD: Muhammad sets his focus on the Axumite holdings in the desert peninsula (where Parthia had periodic trade dealings and Mehrdadism was being practiced). Using their influence among the nomadic peoples of the desert land Muhammad is able to win several victories against Axum.

614AD: Muhammad’s army invades Judea after defeating the last of the Egyptian armies north of the grand canal.

Though the majority of his army battled Egyptian holdouts and Judean cities Muhammad does send an invasion force to the horn of Africa and the heart of the Axumite Empire. Again Parthian ranging influence with indigenous peoples comes in handy. The tribes along the western trade routes had long been under Axum rule – though largely profitable for tribal leaders they were still the subjects of outside rulers. By the end of the year Axum is fighting on two fronts.

616AD: Axum is forced to give independence to those tribes under revolt around Lake Chad. Though loosely cooperative, within the next few years these tribes do appoint their own king and come to be called the Kingdom of Kanem.

618AD: The siege of Jerusalem succeeds in breaching the thick stone walls of that mighty city. Few are spared the sword – and few of the great libraries and universities escape the torch. Muhammad decides to halt his armies at this time and consolidate his gains – this marks the end the Kingdom of Judea.

Ghana and Kanem exchange three years of brutal raids (surprisingly this does not lead to open war between the comparatively more powerful Kingdom of Ghana and the fledgling Kanem – the events that were soon to transpire within Ghana though offer a clue as to that kingdom’s restraint during the conflict with Kanem).

620AD: Over the last few years the Ghana nobles have been exerting greater control over the trade routes and the setting their own prices for goods – against the advising Lusitani, who until this year had the greatest control over goods in this growing African power. In a series of night raids all but a few of the Lusitani were killed – those that survived fled with only what was on their backs back to Lusitania. Over the next few months all but the furthest southern trading posts had to either be abandoned or were taken over by Ghanaian warriors. By the years end not only had Lusitania been kicked out of Ghana but all foreign traders.

621AD: The Trade War (621-623).

Along with Lusitanian merchants Gallic traders were also forbidden access to Ghanaian markets. The Lusitanian Triumvirate sent to Alesia a request for the League to protect their holding and interests in Ghana as well as those outposts along the African cost that were under attack. High King Cocidius and the rest of the Oghma were already willing to go to war with Ghana for the insult of expulsion – the petition from Lusitania was of little influence. Neither would it seem was the High Council who opposed the war, there are few examples of the High Monarch declaring war without the support of the High Council, this was one of those times.

The fleet normally docked in Cartagena was dispatched to the western cost of Africa while Cocidius gathered an army in Carthage for the march into Ghana (there were underway by the end of the year).

In much the same way that Breton’s infighting kept them from mounting a sufficient defense against Scandinavian invasion so to does Zimbawe’s tribal tit-for-tat make them vulnerable to invasion by the Axumite Empire. The first Axumite armies crossed the border in early Mean Fomhair (September) – marching down the cost and crossing from the colonies in Madagascar. Though the Zimbawe warriors would fight on until 625 it would be a losing battle to the end.

622AD: The natural obstacle of the Sahara allowed for only one land route to Ghana, along a narrow strip of hardly habitable scrub and desert along the cost. To quicken the arm supplies were kept to a minimal and instead pre-established supply points were made with the fleet. That narrow strip of land is where the Ghanaian army waited in a fort they called Verlaatberg. Even though most of the Gallic army was made up of units from Greater and Lesser Carthage they were still not as equipped or skilled at desert fighting as the Ghanaian warriors. Using Verlaatberg as the focal point they were able to meet every flanking maneuver and although tactically less advanced their spearmen were a match for the Gallic archers. Cocidius would lead a breakthrough on the gates of Verlaatberg but the assault would be repulsed before much more than a foothold in the inner courtyard could be made. Cocidius was mortally wounded during the withdraw from the courtyard, his body was carried back to his tent were he dictated a letter to his daughter back in Alesia – among his sentiments were orders to continue the fight.

During the night the Gallic army was endlessly assailed by raids and in the morning, the ships that were to bring fresh supplies and warriors never arrived (they were caught up with the enemy fleet – which would turn out to be a major victory but their delay meant defeat for the army outside Verlaatberg.

By the following evening what remained of Cocidius’ army was in retreat. Hardly half of the 15000 that left Carthage returned. When Fiona received her father’s letter it was said she locked herself away for 3 days. When she emerged she presented her father’s wishes to the High Council and the Oghma – the vote was split on whether to continue the war or not, Fiona’s was the deciding voice. She would agree with the High Council and send peace envoys; with the Gallic fleet in control of the ocean her terms for peace were accepted by Queen Ayisha of Ghana.

Lusitania would have to give up control of the resources still in their possession as well as a number of their trading posts. They would be allowed to continue their shipping rights – mainly because much of the Ghana’s fleet had been destroyed during the war. Gallic merchants were allowed to continue traveling to Ghana but only within one port town and the capital.

623AD: The peace envoys from Ghana and the signing of the treaty marked a double event, on a cold night in early Nollag (December) Fiona was crowned High Queen. Her reign was marked with sadness. She dedicated many statues and buildings to her father in cities throughout the League.

625AD: The Gallic League celebrates 1000 years since the formation of the Oghma. The month of Aanoghey (renewal – the 5 day month between Deireadh Fomhair (October) and the new year which begins in Samhna (November) that is usually used for religious observance) was awash in color and festivals from Alesia to Cartagena to Pessinus.

Necho III dies. The Egyptian throne passes to his son Psamtik V (625-633).

An issue that in large part had much to do with the defeat at the hands of King Vilhelm II openly fractures the Breton Republic. Though still formally acting with that title it is decided during the Senate meeting in Bebinnshire that the kingdom be split into four separate lands: Icinia, Brigatia, Catavulania, and Eraninn.

626AD: The 2nd Council of Theodosis is held, delegates from Dacia and Sarmatia decided on several issues; It is written into the cannon that the Ascension of the next Patriarch shall not be ordained until the third day of the passing of the pervious Bishop of Neos Syracuse. The practice of desecrating the dead by cutting into them for scientific knowledge is deemed sacrilege (though few doctors in Sarmatia practiced this research there were many in Dacia whom conducted their own research as well as followed what was being accomplished within the League and Egypt). The third major decision of the Council was to proclaim that priests shall not marry – all men of the clergy currently in wedlock were ordered to devote their lives to God or leave the Church (again, this new church law impacted Dacia more than Sarmatia).

In this year the first of the true double ended boats (with the major advancement of the T-shaped keel) are put to sea by Scanzian builders. In a few years the design is added to by the Lusitani with the side-borne rudder. Though it quickly becomes a favorite design among merchants, war ships will remain with the classical style for some time to come.

627AD: Egypt, in an attempt to re-expand their wounded empire launches an attack on the Axumite Empire (627-630). By the middle of the following year Egyptian soldiers are storming Axum, killing King Dedwen – though the royal family survived and his daughter Kandake would resettle the capital in Aman-Ank (founded by King Arquamani in 243AD), a city on the horn of Africa.

628AD: Muhammad Al-Ameen dies – it is said that his last words were that he regretted not being in the arms of Marlik. He died far from the holy city in Susa, his nephew was by his side (Muhammad’s two sons had died in battle) and would carry his uncle’s banner. Though young and untested in battle Al-Muttalib is honored as his uncle’s successor – it is a short time later Al-Muttalib unearths some “genuine” family documents clearly showing that Muhammad was a descendent of Mehrdad and so his blood too dated back to the Prophet. Real or not Al-Muttalib didn’t wait long for this evidence to be refuted and rushed to secure his new position by taking the title of Caliph.

The Kamiharou launch their first attack on the Chi Empire - these initial attacks are peaceful by comparison to the latter raids. The first attack came at dawn on the first day of Marta and was localized to the main island of Nihon. From capturing warriors, which was difficult since they would rather commit suicide than be taken alive, it is learned that the Kamiharou at this time are led by a man calling himself Emperor Temmu. From further interrogation of these warriors it is discovered that Temmu controls a hundred islands. In truth we know today that at the time Temmu controlled about a dozen islands through intermarriage and intimidation. Temmu himself didn’t reside on any one island. His court and army commanded the sea onboard ships, some of surprising size. Within a dozen years the floating empire known as the Kamiharou will reach out to strike along the whole of the Chi cost as well as up nearly every major river. By the end of the century kingdoms as far as Bactria are being economically bled to death by the swift and viscous attacks of the pirate nation.

631AD: Emboldened by their successes against the Axumite Empire, Egypt declares war on Caliph Al-Muttalib (631-634). By 633 Jerusalem is back under Egyptian control but by the following year the city is lost once more to Mehrdadian armies – joining Al-Muttalib in the war against Egypt was Bactria, a month after Jerusalem was recaptured Egypt also lost Lower Guptaian province.

632AD: High Queen Fiona, who had never recovered from her father’s death, steps down in favor of her daughter Iona (632-652).

633AD: Psamtik V is poisoned by his brother in a coup orchestrated by the Civic Council. Thutmose II (633-649) assumes the throne and immediately orders the construction of a new royal forum to be built as a meeting place for King and Council. The forum is never completed and within a few years Thutmose II is no longer seeking advice from the Civic Council (the Council was unable to react to this betrayal as over a dozen of their members suddenly died).

634AD: A series of small wars commence between the four kingdoms of the Breton Republic (these will continue on and off for the next hundred years). At the request of several Oghma representatives High Queen Iona sends mediators to Breton to help settle the skirmishes there.

The fighting in Breton will carry over to some estates in northern Gaul where family ties still spanned the Veneti Sea. Following the advice from the High Council, who foresaw the danger of quarrelsome families favoring the Breton conflict, Iona will send a further 3 more mediation missions – on the last one she herself will travel to Breton. At that time she surmised that further Gallic intervention would only harm any hope of reconciliation between the smaller kingdoms of the Republic.

Iona and the regional druids would be kept busy for nearly the remainder of her reign in keeping political tensions from boiling over into open conflict. Though the families of northern Gaul would remain cordial towards one another this did not stop them from sending aid to kin in Breton.

637AD: The Caliphinate and Bactria battle each other along the Indus River. The commander of Al-Muttalib’s force is killed in the crossing of the River, afterwards his army is soon flanked and forced to retreat. Two years of war followed the failed crossing of the Indus – nothing was accomplished and borders would return anti-bellum.

640AD: Dana Inney Burgess, a female druid (rare for the day), studying at the University of Vesuvius, writes her book “Scientific Speculation”. Wherein she hypothesizes about future advancements namely in the area of optics but she also theorized about projectiles, engines, and flight.

646AD: Al-Muttalib, without a formal declaration of war, advances over the shared border with Sarmatia (646-651). The unexpected ferocity of the Mehrdadian warriors (namely their swift well trained cavalry) overwhelms the Sarmatian armies sent to oppose them – at the best of times during the war Sarmatia is only able to fight to a costly draw.

648AD: Neos Syracuse is attacked and sacked. Mehradadian warriors will occupy the city for 7 days before reinforcements (many sent by Dacia) can reach the city.

649AD: Thutmose II dies while hunting with his son. The official report has Thutmose falling from his horse – several broken bones are consistent with a fall of this sort. However, recent examination of mummified remains of King Thutmose II (on display at the Royal Museum in Memphis) has uncovered several gouges in the upper vertebrae that suggest a different demise. By fall or knife thrust, Psamtik VI is crowned King of Egypt (649-668).

650AD: Neos Syracuse is put under siege (which will last for the remainder of the war).

The Grand Mehrdad Ziggurat is finished in Marlik – a three day festival commemorates the holy occasion. Al-Muttalib dies hardly a month later while battling in Sarmatia. His son Al-Mansur takes over the armies (650-670).

652AD: High Queen Iona dies and passes the throne to her son Brennus (652-669).

658AD: The First Pagan War (658-664).

This war had more to do with pride than anything else. There was the wealth of conquest and the money to be made in captured slaves – and the politically stated reason of doing God’s work – but it was the humiliating defeat at the hands of what were perceived as simple Bedouins that was the real motivation behind Sarmatia’s call for war.

There was unrest in Sarmatia and the Patriarch needed some one other than himself to place the blame. Who better than the Gallic League, a long time object of jealousy and hatred. Under promises of glory to God Ivan III is able to convince the House of Bishops (an advisory group to the King of Dacia) of the need for war – they in turn convinced King Sorin.

On a cool day in early Marta Sorin began his march into League territory. The first battle would come on the plains of Pannonia where fortified camps and local war parties were able to keep Sorin’s army busy until Brennus IV arrived with his own army. The chariots and cavalry of Brennus’ army easily turned the Dacian flanks – a timely warrior charge at the height of enemy confusion was all that was needed to push Sorin back over the Danube into Dacia.

This victory was diminished by the loss at Letnica in Thrace. Pannonia was for all accounts a stupendous blind. The majority of Sorin’s (and what Sarmatia sent) army was focused on taking the Greeklands. Local war parties would manage to keep the invading army from reaching too far into Thrace and Macadonia.

660AD: By Bealtaine Sorin was dead and his son Mozes was king of Dacia. Where Sorin saw the value in conquest Mozes was far more interested in the heavenly rewards. Mozes halted the incursions along the upper Danube that were meant to keep Brennus in check and threw the full weight of Dacia (and Sarmatia) at Byzantium.

Byzantium was easily the richest and largest city in the Gallic League. It was also the most well defended city in the Gallic League. The garrison leader at the time was a warrior by the name of Carrick and through his command and with the aide of warriors and supplies from Anatolia (supplied by Edan, the war chief from Pessinius) Byzantium will not fall. Carrick will even launch the small flotilla of ships under his command to do battle against Sarmatia war galleons.

A second army of about 2000 (mostly cavalry) will venture up the Sava but local war parties, which would eventually be drawn into a farmers army by Donella (later to be named war chief Donella), would force the Dacian into a withdraw. The small army, now down to less than half their original numbers, will be driven into the garrison at Mezek under the command of war chief D’Ary (who will be killed during this encounter).

662AD: Mozes will continue to harry Byzantium with a much reduced siege while the bulk of his force falls back into Dacia to fight Brennus IV who had finally broken through the line of forts along the Danube. The battle would eventually be fought about 20km from the Dacian capital – where due to poison and sabotage the Gallic League will lose. Under the cloak of night nearly a hundred of the captured peasants put to work in the Gallic camp would be rallied together by a man who has come to be a great hero in Dacia, Razvan (a retired soldier who at the time of his capture was thought to be a simple farmer). By morning nearly all of the chariots had been damaged and all the horses sick or dying. Though Brennus was able to make a strategic withdraw it was a costly effort – we can take away from this loss only that Razvan and most of his peasant army were beheaded.

If this wasn’t tragic enough there would be a second defeat for the League at Belgios. The fort, named for the prominent tribe in the area, guarded the lower lands of Macedonia. The garrison leader there was defeated by the only army Sarmatia would send into the war (about 4000). This defeat, even with Mezek and Byzantium still standing, opened all of Macedonia and the heart of the Greeklands to invasion.

664AD: Though Thrace, Helena, and Illyrium would burn, total conquest would be stilted by quarrels within the Dacian/Sarmatian army. After the defeat at Belgios the Sarmatian general began gathering locals and preaching to those whom would listen and torturing those whom bared their ears from God’s word (it is interesting to note that although a minority religion within the League Helena held the majority of the Christian sect calling themselves Fadeyrianists). The slow advancement of the army after the victories of 662 had severely strained the cooperating Dacian and Sarmatian generals – this would halt the war for almost an entire year as King Mozes and Patriarch Ivan III decided on the correct course of action.

Their quarreling would prove to be the downfall of the invasion. Brennus, now resupplied with a new army (made up of Italian and Celtibarian tribes) lands near Athens and begins his drive north. He will meet the enemy at Pella along the coast and win a major victory.

However, before any further action could be taken it is put to Brennus by the High Council to offer peace. The cost in lives and gold for the war had been the highest in Gallic history thus far. There was much that needed to be repaired, regrown, and replenished. The League would keep Byzantium (which had still been under siege) but the new border would run from Mezek, along the foothills of the Balkan Mts., to the Sava River.

667AD: Anatolian War (667-677).

Still bloodied and drained from the First Pagan War the Gallic League found themselves once again under attack - this time by the armies of Caliph Al-Mansur. Caliph Al-Mansur, though powerful and influential, had debts to pay to the tribes of the desert peninsula among others (the religious zeal and small bribes used to unite the peninsula would not maintain the balance of power – he needed money to place further bribes or pay for armies that would have to fight the internal conflicts that would undoubtedly spring up). Byzantium must have been an apple to good to be true – especially since Dacia and Sarmatia and done half the work for him.

Al-Mansur’s army swept into Anatolia striking first at Tarsus. After defeating the garrison there his army moved north to Vanota and another victory.

The garrison at Tavium, north of Vanota, along with segments of the army stationed at Pessinus will win a victory against Al-Mansur along the banks of Tuz Golu.

For much of the next year and a half the war would be fought in mountain passes as each side probed for weaknesses.

668AD: Psamtik VI dies and passes the Egyptian throne to his son Necho IV (668-674).

669AD: Brennus arrives in Limyra with an army of 7000, which is augmented by the local force to nearly 10,000. He set out for Amblada where Al-Mansur had within the previous weeks captured and was planning on using as a staging point. Brennus IV force would easily overwhelm the enemy garrison on watch at Amblada. From here he split his army into columns of 1000 and sent them into the mountains to clear the passes of the rest of Al-Mansur’s army.

The Victory at Amblada was followed by a victory at Vanota. Edan (the war chief from Pessinus) bypassed the large enemy encampment at Tuz Golu and recaptured Vantona and the Caliph’s supply trains. Two weeks later Edan would force the enemy army at Tuz Golu to surrender – which was denied, all those captured were beheaded.

By the end of the year both Brennus IV and Edan are marching towards Tarsus. The battle there was harsh and bloody as Al-Mansur’s forces had retreated and fortified the city. The city would fall back into Gallic hands though Brennus IV would die in the assault.

It would take many weeks to get a message to Alesia about the death of the High King and several more weeks after that for the body of the King to reach Alesia where it was cremated. Keelia, the King’s sister, takes up the crown and the war (669-678). The war, however, would not pick up again until 672.

670AD: Al-Mansur’s son, Al-Amin, takes the title of Caliph upon his father’s death (670-685).

672AD: Caliph Al-Amin renews the war by attacking and taking back Tarsus. Aiding him in this fight was his new navy (which he had spent the last two years buying and building – now more than ever the Caliphinate needed the rewards of conquest). The next city to fall was Limyra, where a number of Gallic ships were sunk, but the battle for Rhodes would halt the enemy’s advance. Al-Amin would be content for the time being with sacking coastal towns and concentrating on his land war.

Given the quickly moving enemy and the success of Byzantium in holding out against Dacia and Sarmatia High Queen Keelia opts for a defensive war. She herself remains in Alesia (the first in many generations to willfully remain so far behind the front) and directs Edan not to commit the army to the field and instead strike with minimal raids. “We will be as a thousand bees,” Keelia is quoted as having said.

Patriarch Ivan III (658-676) begins a massive building project in response to the growing influence of Mehrdadism within Sarmatia (in keeping with their evangelical nature, despite great risks, there is a constant flow of missionaries into Sarmatian lands now under Caliphinate control).

673AD-676AD: During this time Amblada, Rhodes, and a number of other cities and settlements fall to Al-Amin. Pessinius is never attacked but all the surrounding forts are taken, effectively cutting the Anatolian capital off from the rest of the League.

674AD: Byzantium is once again put under siege.

Necho IV dies, his son Psamtik VII takes the double crown (674-694).

676AD: King Psamtik VII and High Queen Keelia sign a new treaty, bringing Egypt into the war against Al-Amin.

677AD: Although the land war against the Caliphate amounted to very costly draws it is in this year a major sea battle is won by Egypt, forcing an end to Mehrdadian aggression for the time being.

The League is forced to give up all of Anatolia, including Byzantium.

The Council of Sarmizegetusa is convened (by direct order of Patriarch Ivan IV – which was rare, usually Councils are ordered by the Holy See and seconded by the Patriarch). Discussed, though no formal decree is made, is the role of women within the church. Among the Proposals put forth was a motion to regulate the procreation of wedded individuals so that the year is broken up into holy days when copulation could be conducted to insure a good and devote child and holy days of observance when all members of the church must refrain from all activity but prayer. Talks stalled when members of the Dacian church balked at the idea of preventing wedded couples from conducting their rights as a married couple (though, as they already had strict gender roles, many of the other proposals were met with nods of approval).

678AD: High Queen Keelia is forced to abdicate because of her inability to defend the League and her lack of interest in her judicial obligations. Dasos, Brennus IV daughter, who is now of age, is nominated and elected as the new High Queen (678-691).

679AD: The Second Pagan War (679-686).

In a passionate speech given by Patriarch Ivan IV in the weeks prior to the Second Pagan War he said, “There will be no heaven on Earth as long as there are snakes and demi worship. So be it in the land where the sinful are lead by a sinner.” A week later the House of Bishops convinced the King of Dacia to go to war with the Gallic League. Not that King Bodi I needed convincing, raised Catholic as he was he only practiced as often as he needed to maintain the crown.

A Sarmatian army of 3000 lands in Thrace with plans on taking the rest of Helena.

A Dacian army starts their war by invading Scanza along the Vistula.

High King Dasos sends the army from Kelheim to Pannonia where they do battle and are able to take the fortifications Dacia had built since the last war.

680AD: Much of the territory along the Oder had fallen to King Bodi when he was battling King Harlod along the Vistula. Bodi I now set his eyes on the Elbe but High Queen Dasos was ready for him. Though unpopular, Queen Keelia’s idea of thousand bees did have merit. Dasos would strike at Bodi’s army from all directions as he made his way to the Elbe, he would never know when or where the next attack would come. This had the effect of enraging the Dacian King and setting his faculties off center in the dense woods of the Rhineland. By the end of the year, Bodi is forced to pull back to the Oder. Also by the end of the year, the last of the Sarmatian army is retreating back into Thrace – they will not be a hazard for the remainder of the war.

The first compound microscope is built at Cularo (located in the Alps of the Norian lands).

681AD: Similar to her tactics along the Elbe High Queen Dasos now begins her push to retake the Oder – this time going as far as to burn bridges and farms.

682AD: Finally in Feabhra of this year High Queen Dasos gives King Bodi I what he had been longing for, war on an open field. Dasos does not hide the fact that she is marching towards the Vistula and as planned King Bodi is drawn towards the Gallic army. At Marcomnni (a city about 300km from the headwaters of the Vistula where the river begins to arch eastward) the two armies would meet. Angry and eager to fight a tangible battle, King Bodi I launches his campaign with little forethought; by the time he realizes he has been sucked into a trap it is too late.

There would be no major battles after Marcomnni, though the war would continue until 686 when the High Council advises Dasos to end the war. In the end both the League and Dacia were exhausted and ready for peace (I say Dacia because nearly all of the expense in soldiers and gold was theirs even though Sarmatia was theoretically part of the war on Pagans).

685AD: Caliph Al-Amin is the first of his line to die within the walls of the holy city. His son Al-Rashid becomes the next Caliph and reigns over the world’s largest empire (685-707).

691AD: High Queen Dasos dies. Though successful during the Second Pagan War her antics as queen left many longing for a new monarch. Her reported promiscuity was said to have made even some battled hardened warriors blush (she replaced all female members of her Algiz with male warriors – many found themselves posted to her private chambers). The throne will pass to her cousin and long time friend Rhiannon (691-714), the garrison commander at Corinth.

694AD: In an event that was perhaps as foolish as it was bold, Psamtik VIII, the son of the King, murders his father while he slept. With the loyalty of many of the palace guards (who were later paid off with promotions to army commanders) Psamtik VIII proclaims himself the new king and disbands the Civic Council and has several of them arrested for the murder of his father.

697AD: The Civic Council, though defunct, would not be deterred as they were in 633. Biding their time while Psamtik grew less and less favored by the people, they secretly sought a suitable heir. The Council would find their heir, Psamtik’s nephew, a child of Necho IV line, who had managed some how to enlist in the King’s army though he was two years short of the proper age. In another round of assignation, best depicted in the historical account The Night of a Thousand Daggers, Necho V was placed on the throne (697-719). This time the new royal forum would be completed (710) and one of the first acts of government there would be the drafting and signing of The Rights of the Council – a document that laid out the division between the King and the Civic Council.



The 8th century will continue with war on all fronts. History to date seems to be marked by violence with periods of peace but the 7th and 8th centuries had more than their fair share of conflicts.

Within the Gallic League there is much unrest. Families were literally at each others throats over the excuse of the battle being fought in Breton. Certainly not helping the situation were Scanza’s continued incursions and prodding that only inflamed the issues within the Republic – though why the Breton tribes continued to use this title is a mystery as it had been 70 years since the Senate of Nobles had been convened. This did not make Scanza very popular in the League but with the threat of invasion from Dacia and or Sarmatia (there was no evidence to suggest they had dropped the idea of purging Pagans from the world) the Oghma and High Monarch did maintain open relations with Scanza. Probably the largest social change in the League at this time is the rise in deaths due to dueling. This practice was as old as the League (even older) and despite attempts by the High Council to outlaw it such bouts of honor they would endure. Dueling had been on the rise since the breakup of the Order of Teutates – who held sway over such things. But it was the trouble among the tribes during this and the previous century that brought the issue to the forefront. Probably the two tribes most mentioned at this time were the Veneti and the Nervii – their disputes as well the disputes of other families will become the subject matter of one of the Leagues greatest bards. Angus Og was born in 787, he wont write his first story until the age of 20 (after a near fatal duel of his own), it is the vividness of his later writings however that cement himself a place in our history.

Ghana will find that an expanding empire is not an easy thing to control. Although attempts are made to increase the territory they gained from the Lusitani native ambushes and resistance stagnate the Ghanian efforts.

The Axumite Empire will continue to settle the unrest from their southern conquests. There is a major conflict with a people that to date there is little information regarding. From what is know from Axumite records a “Sea People” arrived in Madagascar with hopes on settling the island – though it is unclear these “Sea People” may be from the Spice Islands that had recently come into conflict with Bactria. When contact is made with the Axumite Empire there was talk of creating a mercenary army to finish subjugating Madagascar. In the end however it was decide the “Sea People” posed too much a threat and they were annihilated.

Kanem will become largely a self isolated kingdom – nearly all trade in fact between west and east Africa will be halted. With the exception that regular emissaries are sent to the Mehrdadian Caliphinate.

Although there are periods of peace within the Breton Republic war will continue to mark most of their history during this century. A major victory in fact will be won by the Icini over the Catavulanii.

The Mehrdadian Caliphate will face many troubles. War once again with both Egypt and the Gallic League with minor skirmishes elsewhere in the empire. Tribes they had bribed or forced into banning with them now find their loyalties easing. What is worse and probably more devastating are the series of assassinations that take place as general and kin rotate through the Caliph on the point of a dagger.

Despite their troubles the Caliphate is able to keep things together. Unlike the Chi Empire which likewise faces factions trying to pull away but fails in keeping them in the fold. Set upon on nearly every border by raiders and nomads the Chi Emperors are powerless to keep their empire safe and with every attack more taxes are bleed from the countryside to help prepare for the next assault. Perhaps it was short sighted of the Emperors to not see the coming day when private armies spring up in the provinces. Though the Chi will remain the empire does enter a very dark period.

The Kamiharou will continue their plague of raids. The frequency of these attacks will be less then in previous centuries as much of floating empire was committed it seems to sacking and holding onto land a little larger than the small islands that currently made up their kingdom. They will begin to settle in great numbers in a land they call Hayaskiriku – though the native population will make this settlement difficult eventually the resistance subsides.



700AD: Unrest in the desert peninsula forces Caliph Al-Rashid (685-707) to send an army into the area to remind the nomadic tribes of their loyalty.

The corruption of the Han Empire was rampant and obvious. With the creation of the Exam system to insure that the wise and intelligent would run the government a new undercurrent of corruption was created. The administrators of the Chi provinces had slowly been building their family fortunes and it was at the dawn of the new century that many of them chose to use those fortunes. With the Emperor and his armies seemingly unable to stop the flow of bandits and marauders over the borders the administors of the northern provinces began creating their own armies (by 705 many in the north owed their safety and security to Taewui Po after his defeat of Lei Long – a nomad with a large following).

705AD: Emperor Tai sends envoys to the provinces asking for renewed oaths of fealty and to replace the provincial army generals with ones picked by himself.

707AD: Civil war sparks in the Chi Empire (707-717). Taewui Po rejects the Emperors envoys – though he claims to be acting on behalf of the Emperor he does not allow his generals to be replaced.

712AD: Rebellion in the Egyptian Empire, loyalists to Psamtik VIII rise up against King Necho V (712-718).

713AD: The Third Pagan War (713-714).

If there was ever something to be regretted in our wars with Dacia and Sarmatia it can be found in the Third Pagan War. In Lunasa (August) an army marched from Neos Syracuse with the intent on attacking the Gallic League. It gathered numbers and momentum as it crossed into Dacia, by the time it entered Pannonia their numbers had swelled to almost 10,000 – and they were all civilians. Holy crusaders all of them, bishops, farmers, merchants, children from the moment they entered Gallic territory local war parties began attacking. Such was the easy with which the local tribes battled the Peasant Army that there was no immediate warning sent via the weigh stations to Alesia.

By early Direadh Fomhair the enemy army had gained the attention of the army at Kelheim. To the credit of the Peasant Army they stood their ground against the much larger and better trained Gallic force – they were still soundly defeated and retreated into the forests. A few weeks later in early Samhna the remnants of the Peasant Army arrived at Alesia, fully intent on cutting out the heart of our empire. High Queen Rhiannon IV assembled her army and offered peace to the rabble standing in ranks outside the city gates – they refused.

Those that survived the attack were shackled and sentenced to death. Though this action was sanctioned by more than half of the Oghma it was not seen as the best option to the High Council. The druids of the High Council demanded the survivors of the massacre be allowed to return to their lands (I have no wish to paint the High Council as spineless in the face of a defeated enemy but as is their nature they are the best of what we are – supposedly – and saw the magnanimous gesture as a way to stop the mistrust and wars between Dacia/Sarmatia and the League). The peasants would be sent back.

In the weeks after the defeat of the enemy High Queen Rhiannon IV would contract an illness – she dies of a high fever four days later. Her husband Rasmus (lovers since meeting in early adulthood in Corinth) will now take the throne – they had two daughters but both were killed fighting in skirmishes along the Dacian border.

715AD: Scanza declares war on Dacia (715-723). Though for Queen Viveca’s armies battles are fought at best to a draw (at worst to total retreat). Saving Scanza on a number of occasions when all seemed lost was her fleet of ships. They could enter the shallows and winding rivers to cut in behind the Dacian army and attack their farms and reserve forces.

Rebellion in the Caliphate as tribal leaders and appointed regents (appointed by the Caliph – some of them his own kin) murder Caliph Al-Walid (707-715) in his tour of the desert peninsula. Al-Walid’s son, Yazid, will march an army into the region and squash the revolt (715-718).

A plague strikes Byzantium, it soon spreads into Anatolia (the area will be ravaged by the sickness for several years).

716AD: Dacia suppresses a Gallic rebellion in Thrace.

717AD: Both the leader of the rebellion and Necho V are killed in battle which elevated Necho VI, the king’s son, to the throne. Necho VI is but 10 years old and so the Civic Council will act as regent (718-724).

Sawara Po, son of Taewui and now in charge of his father’s army, formally breaks from the Chi Empire.

718AD: High King Rasmus dies. Unwilling to see his line die he names his brother Baruch as his successor (718-724). Baruch will prove to be a very unpopular High King, a merchant by trade he was not up to the task of ruling an empire – let alone one as large or as complicated as the League. His judgments to keep peace among the tribes would often provoke fighting (the army had to be called out to settle disputes more often then during any other High Monarch) and allegations of bribery would repeatedly be brought up.

Sarmatia initiates an inquisition in Thrace in order to purge the pagans from the land (718-723). Reportedly over 10,000 are burned at the stake.

720AD: Unrest within the Jewish and Gallic cities now occupied by the Caliphinate. For the next 5 years there is widespread persecution of both peoples.

724AD: Baruch is challenged by Tormod Y’Lirinn, an Oghma representative from the Nervii. Tormod was of a family who’s name and blood carried back to nearly the founding of the League – he was also of the Nervii tribe who were in contention with several other tribes over the continuing struggles being fought in Breton.

A word on the Nervii: they are an old and traditional tribe (even today people of this branch tend to refrain from an excess of anything). They have not been complaisant with those seated in the High Monarch’s chair since the crown moved off the head of pure Gauls (they did not consider the Scordisci as part of the heartland – they didn’t consider any family, clan, or tribe south of the Po to be worthy to be a High Monarch. The greatest of all insults seems to have been to raise a trader from Helena (though to be fair Baruch did have Gallic blood in him) to the level of king – with the allegations of bribery and miss use of judicial powers to boot.

Baruch would meet the challenge but have a second fight for him. Tormod won an easy victory but would take the moment too far and kill Baruch as well. His actions forced other members of the Oghma to take up the challenge for their not only defeated but unlawfully slain King (honor is a bitch). In turn Tormod would be killed as well, and in the wake of his death riots would erupt in Alesia.

In the following weeks order is restored and those of the Nervii demand that although Tormod had acted rashly in killing the king the victory should still go to their house. This was apposed by nearly all the houses of upper Gaul who were and have been embroiled in family skirmishes and political wrangling over the issues in Breton for a couple generations now. This left no choice but to have the High Council step in and usher in the 4th Regency (724-735). Not that this would put an end to the unrest but eventually the High Council with the help of many local druids would manage to quiet the region with little bloodshed.

Necho VI is given the double crown of Egypt (724-732).

Egyptian inventors create a water pump that greatly enhances the Empires ability to bring water to desert villages.

726AD: Attempts are made by the High Council to outlaw dueling but widespread discord with this measure halts further discussion.

730AD: There is a major victory in Breton an army of Icini invades and conquers much of Catavolania (Camulodunum will be captured and held by the Icini).

Emperor Long Ji, who still faces tension on the border with the Po Dynasty, now is given news of a slave revolt in the south (Emperor Long Ji will not be able to suppress the slave revolt before all of the southern provinces rise up).

732AD: King Necho VI dies – succumbing to an illness that has plagued him since childhood (medical records from the period list the King as having had trouble breathing and a persistence cough). The Civic Council will appoint Ahmose (VII), the King’s cousin, to the throne (732-736) – passing over Necho’s younger brother, Thutmose.

734AD: Dueling is revisited in the High Council chamber after several Venitians and Nervians were found dead in Paris (the latest of several such incidents – this period of instabilities among the Gallic families will become the favorite subject matter of one of Leagues greatest Bards). Though dueling is not banned efforts are made to curb the violence – street dueling is marked as barbaric and all challenge here out must be conducted at the proper nemonton.

Once again Dacia faces Gallic rebellion in Thrace and the Danube region (it will be nearly a year before King Tabor can suppress the uprising).

735AD: It had become obvious to the High Council that the time had come to choose a new High King. With the latest revolt in Helena brutally suppressed and rumors of a new inquisition filtering in through the Fadeyrianists quarter of Alesia it was now clear that High Council could not longer postpone war. The High Council would search among the nobles and high born and would eventually decide that the Nervii did indeed have the best claim to the throne. They would nominate Gaiar, a general turned Oghma representative, who was of the Nervii and kin to Tormod (735-747).

A smaller outbreak of plague appears in Anatolia (the illness is confined to smaller towns and villages).

Caliph Al-Aziz is assassinated by a man named Marwan, one of the higher ranking generals in the army. The reasons for this generally accepted coup seems to stem from the belief that Al-Aziz’s actions while Caliph were not those of a man devoted to Mehrdad (Al-Aziz had levied heavy taxes on the populous – little went to the Empire and only enough seems to have been spent in Marlik to keep the citizens of the capital reasonably happy).

Bactria advances into formally controlled Chi territory (they will be at war with each other, on an off, for the next 12 years). With the area already weakened from war or still at war there was little to stop Bactrian armies from sacking palace after palace and laying claim to the region - despite Bactria’s claim the southern provinces will continue to be disputed. Regardless of the continuous problems the new lands will cause for Bactria the wealth gained from the conquest paid for a new army and armada – with which began the conquest of the Spice Islands.

736AD: Civil war in the Egyptian Empire. There was nothing in the Rights of the Council that allowed for them to interfere in the line of succession when there is a viable heir to the throne (though it was a calculated risk on behalf of the Council as Thutmose was reportedly hot-tempered and held little regard for the collection of merchants and land holders). Thutmose, in conjunction with the remains of the rebel loyalists of Psamtik VIII launch their attack on Memphis – killing Ahmose VII. For the next 8 years battles will be fought between the Civic Council (comprised of the resources of the merchant class, landholders, and several loyal generals) and the Royal Armies.

737AD: The Fourth Pagan War (737-741).

The 4th war would start with a new rebellion in Thrace. Only this time the revolt would not face the Dacian soldiers alone. When news of this came to High King Gaiar in Mezek (where he had been living for the past year) he saddled his horse and marched his army north into Dacia. He will spend the first 6 months of the war burning forts along the Danube before taking on the main Dacian army.

With no immediate opposition to Gaiar he would redirect a large number of his army to Sicily. Oh yes, the Sarmatians weren’t sitting this war out, they supplied some food and soldiers to Dacia but they also sent a number of their clergy to the only heavily Catholic region within the League. Within weeks of the first battle drum the island of Sicily had been coaxed into rebellion.

739AD: After the defeat of Vladimir IV of Dacia and the withdraw of the enemy back over the Danube High King Gaiar paused. He sent one of his armies by ship to finish putting down the Sicilian revolt. He contemplated heading north into Dacia or up the river to aid the battle in Pannonia (which after two years of battling and maneuvering was still unclaimed by the League). He decided to instead wait and meet with his advisors – he wandered if Byzantium made for a more important goal (there had been a small battle with the Mehrdadians earlier in the year, the Caliphate had withdrawn behind the thick walls but nonetheless the insignificant victory had given Gaiar ideas).

Also in this year Queen Matilda of Scanza commits a large number of her fleet to the Pagan War (as before the shallow draft of her vessels enabled them to sneak up rivers to attack Dacia from nearly behind, if not behind, their main forces).

General/Caliph Marwan is assassinated by Al-Mundhir, the son of the former Caliph. If Al-Aziz’s greed was not becoming a follower of the Prophet than certainly murder and usurpation were equally as heinous (or at least that’s the logic Al-Mundhir used).

740AD: A merchant (by the name of Sekani) turned military inventor (he traded in oils and other inflammables) has been working on ways to use his goods to help the Civic Council in the war (which has not been going well for the Council). He comes up with a mixture of materials that “burned as if alive” and presented it to Council – now in Thebes as Memphis was lost in the second year of the war. The chief military advisor to the Council, a soldier by the name of Ini-Herit, immediately orders Sekani to develop a means to deliver this living fire to the enemy. Eventually it is decided to bottle the liquid fire in jars with ignited wicks – the bombs would then be launched via catapult or by hand.

Patriarch Danus commissions another inquisition (740-745). This time the royal houses of Dacia are included in the Catholic scrutiny.

For the next decade there will be an even greater crackdown on Gallic, Jewish, and Catholic peoples within the Caliphate. Sparking this persecution is a major revolt in Anatolia. A systematic hunt will be conducted by military agents of Al-Mundhir to destroy all icons of the unbelievers.

741AD: With much gained in the war with Dacia and Sarmatia High King Gaiar levied an expensive treaty on the enemy and began to make ready for what was to come next.

743AD: The First Mehrdadian War (743-747).

The attempt to reclaim Byzantium would not go as planned. It seemed that since the small battle fought between the League and the Mehrdadian soldiers during the 4th Pagan War the Caliphate had been bracing for this moment. Byzantium had been well fortified and supplied – her walls would stand to the Gallic siege. Our navy was well matched against he enemy and though victories were won and warriors would land in Anatolia for every victory there would be a defeat and the inroads into Anatolia would amount to little more than raids.

Gaiar’s army would stall outside the city walls.

744AD: The Egyptian civil war is concluded. Ini-Herit will be proclaimed as the new king; upon his coronation he takes the name Ramesses (XII).

745AD: After years of fighting Sarmatia’s holy wars and being subject to the Patriarchs’ ideals, King Vladimir IV turns his armies on the Church (745-747).

747AD: High King Gaiar is shot through the eye with an arrow. In the weeks that followed Ailis, the King’s daughter, will take the throne (747-772) and for the time being halt the war.

Vladimir’s army breaches the Tarquin wall and marches on Neos Syracuse (it is said that upon hearing the news of this travesty Patriarch Agatho dropped dead of a heart attack). Within a few weeks King Vladimir has the center of the Catholic world under siege – Patriarch Felix immediately excommunicates the Dacian king. When word of this sanction spreads (as well as the threat from the church to excommunicate all Dacians who raise arms against the church) Vladimir’s army begins to disband. Vladimir is eventually arrested by a warrant signed by his son Dracul – who incidentally proclaimed himself king at the news of his father’s excommunication.

Caliph Al-Mundhir replaces his cousin Hakam (who administered the desert peninsula) with Hisham (one of the Caliph’s closest generals). The reasons seem to have been a less than private opinion of Hakam regarding Al-Mundhir’s persecution of the unbelievers. Hakam will vanish on his return journey to Marlik – supposedly killed or captured by roving bandits.

748AD: Patriarch Felix orders another inquisition into the royal houses of Dacia (748-750) – unsatisfied that King Dracul (considering the meaning of his name) would not fall into the same habits as his father.

750AD: King Dracul is ordered to step down as king of Dacia. He refuses and is excommunicated and removed anyway. He is replaced by Kristof, a member of the ruling family who had just entered the clergy.

Hakam reemerges from obscurity with an army at his side. Though there are few facts, it seems he spent the last few years in hiding gathering strength among those who had grown tired of the current line of successors to the Prophet. For the next two years Hakam’s army will battle the Caliph’s army until finally Al-Mundhir is killed – Hakam will take on the title of Caliph in 752.

753AD: There is a failed attempt to link the Egyptian water pump with the Vesuvian Engine to increase the range and ability of the pump. The matter of efficiency still confounds the engineers and scholars and after a few years of tinkering with the engine it is once more shelved for future minds.

756AD: The Second Mehrdadian War (756-761).

High Queen Ailis began anew what her father had left unfinished. Her armies would once again set out for Byzantium but again the well defended city would be hard to conquer.

758AD: At some point during the night of the New Year spies within the city slit the throats of the gate guards and unbarred the passageway. The moment was fleeting for before much more than a few hundred soldiers could battle through the gate the enemy managed to force down the substantial portcullis. Victory, it must have seemed, was at hand for the citizens of Byzantium, or at least those in the streets where the League fought for control, rose up against their masters and joined in the battle. By dawn the walls had been breached and many sections of the outer city had been captured. But Byzantium was massive with many walls to be broken before victory could be complete. Queen Ailis would waste no time in celebration, at once her army set to work on the next fortification.

Ramesses XII dies and passes the Egyptian crown to his son Alexander (V).

759AD: Fresh soldiers under the leadership of Hisham arrive in Anatolia to supplement the Caliph’s army. Within hours of the night setting and the armies bedding down two groups of assassins will search out for their targets. The long standing hatred between Hakam and Hisham would come to an end this night. Acting on news that Hisham would take this opportunity to rise to the position of Caliph (a position that was most likely promised to him by Al-Mundhir before his death) Hakam sends out his own daggers in a preemptive strike. As fate would have it, Hisham’s soldiers would be the quicker and by sunrise Caliph Hakam lies dead – Hisham will take on the title of Caliph (759-783).

760AD: The Gallic navy is finally able to land a substantial army in Anatolia. Their goal is not to march up the coast to Byzantium but instead to hit the enemy from behind and head for Pessinus. To our benefit the Caliphate was facing their own turmoil – their distraction opened many opportunities for victory. However, the end would not be as easily obtained – on 23rd Aibrean the army would march into Pessinus to find nearly the whole of the city slain and much of it burned to the ground. The supplies and victory they hoped to have gained here were gone before the army had even arrived.

On the dawn of the following morning the Mehrdadian warriors had surrounded Pessinus and demanded the Gallic to surrender. Surrounded and without supplies the army chose to fight – very few were taken prisoner.

761AD: News of the defeat at Pessinus and the heavy losses in the fight for Byzantium had the High Council calling for peace. High Queen Ailis would agree – news of what had happened at Pessinus had taken the fight from her blood (it was hard to believe that any Celts still lived in Anatolia). In the peace treaty the League would keep the sections of Byzantium they had captured – this granted them the city up to the Hellespont.

High Queen Ailis will rename the recaptured section of Byzantium - Shiar Cashtal (The Eastern Citadel).

762AD: This year marks the first of many bloodless rebellions in Dacia as Hun tribes, once loyal and part of Dacia, refuse to send their tribute. Trouble in the heartland keeps King Kristof from sending soldiers to reclaim his lost sheep.

767AD: King Kristof dies having fathered no children. The House of Bishops appoints Cyrus (once again, a young man just having entered the clergy). Cyrus is not of the ruling family but is a Hun and was approved of by the Patriarch of Neos Syracuse.

772AD: High Queen Ailis dies and passed the Gallic League to her son Vosegus (772-795).

774AD: Dacia erupts into civil war (774-786). It is a period in Dacian history when several factions and constantly shifting loyalties fought for the power of the throne.

776AD: Sarmatia had been keeping a close eye on Dacia since King Vladimir IV treachery. However, with Dacia preoccuipied with internal problems and the Caliphinate to the south facing similar ordeals Patriarch Silvester sends his forces to reclaim some lost territory.

778AD: Alexander V dies. His son Seti (X) becomes the new King of Egypt.

Caliph Hisham sends a detachment from his Damascus army to put an end to the Sarmatian advance. There are several small battles over the next year and a half but eventually a cease-fire is agreed upon – though no formal treaty is written and the border will remain in dispute.

780AD: Egypt declares war on the Mehrdadian Caliphate (780-785). The liquid fire makes its debut to the world in the first battle against Caliph Hisham’s army in the Sinai.

782AD: Jerusalem is retaken by Egyptian forces.

783AD: Yazid II, son of Caliph Hisham, in the first peaceful ceremony in almost 50 years is named the new Caliph (783-803).

784AD: Damascus is retaken by Egyptian forces.

The last of the Hun houses is defeated by a coalition of Dacian families – this is mainly made possible by the fact that Dacia had lost influence with the outlying Hun tribes along the Volga, many of those kingdoms became kingdoms in their own right (the defeat of the Hun houses ended almost 300 years of Hun rule). Almost immediately the Dacian families begin to battle each other.

785AD: Caliph Yazid II sues for peace with Egypt. Seti X wastes no time in spending the rewards of his victory, he immediately begins construction on a number of forts and updates older outposts (liquid fire factors heavily in this revamping of the Egyptian border guard).

786AD: Most of the fighting in Dacia is halted as Baldric of Carpathia defeats a large faction just east of the Don River. For the next 4 years the majority of the battles will be fought over the negotiating table.

788AD: Dacia declares war on Sarmatia. After years of arguing amongst themselves Baldric convinces those loyal to him and the rest of the faction leaders that the real enemy is Sarmatia. He reconstitutes the House of Bishops (purging Sarmatian loyalists) and with their blessing he marches towards the Tarquin Wall.

791AD: Patriarch Sandor is forced to offer peace to Baldric.

792AD: Baldric is crowned king of Dacia (792-814). During the same ceremony he names Adrian Anatolie as the Patriarch of Sarmizegetusa (formally splitting the Dacian and Sarmatian Churches).

794AD: Seti X, in ill health, passes the Egyptian throne to his son Necho VI (794-817).

795AD: High King Vosegus dies and passes the Gallic League to his son Esus (795-813).



The 9th century AD bears witness to significant change within the Gallic League. For generations the League had been using the Council System for electing and appointing officials. In the Council System all members of society (who’ve had military service) have a voice vote but it is the elected/appointed leader that has the final deciding vote. Within families it is the head of the family that votes, within tribes it is the head of the tribe, and within clans it is the head of the clan {family = a group of immediately related persons, tribe = a group of related families, clan = a group of related tribes; “Houses” a term used to usually mean a group of related clans though it can be used to refer to groupings as small as a single family}. Voting to elect the four Vates for a given region is done on a clan level (after the rulings from the lower councils have been heard the clan leaders then nominate and vote). Military training is compulsory but only those who have served in battle can voice their vote at councils. It is the nobles of a given House, in conference with the elected Vates of that region, who often makes decisions on allocating supplies, military aide, and workforce (and can be done without the approval of the lower classes).

This is all changed in the later portion of the 9th century. High King Seorus implements direct voting – Vates (as well as family, tribal, and clan leaders) will be elected via tallied vote. Seorus will also create the Warrior Tax, those not wishing to be trained at a Military Academy can choose to pay a tax in stead (it is in everyone’s best interest to have at least a little military service as eligibility to cast a vote is still based on serving as a warrior for at least two years. Not only that but anyone looking for more than a basic education – and not seeking the scholarly life of a druid – must go to an academy for those are the only schools that offer more than just simple reading and writing.

In Egypt the Civic Council continues to subvert the will of the king – mainly do to the weak and cautious nature of the Egyptian leaders after the death of Necho VI. There will be a significant growth in their trade as direct contact with the Chi Empire is reestablished. This however will provoke a decades long pirate war with not only Bactria but also the Kamiharou.

Bactria, like the Egyptians, will find themselves constantly watchful of the horizon. Though land raids had become rare sea borne attacks were frequent and with the trouble Bactria faced in keeping the locals of the Spice Islands under control they hadn’t the resources to free themselves of the Kamiharou.

Dacia and Sarmatia will are likewise fully aware of the draining effect of constant border raids. The tribes of the Volga, though having more of an impact on Dacia, were a constant nuisance to both Catholic empires. Since the schism there has been less and less cooperation between the two states. Several fundamentally different perspectives, which had been around since the formation of the church, had now grown to insurmountable sizes. For example, the Sarmatian Patriarch was akin to God on earth, infallible and gloriously righteous. The Dacians believed the Patriarch was merely the head of the House of Bishops – a man like any other man who was simply better versed in the nature of their Lord. Sarmatians believe in the biblical cannon had its place in everything – from church steeple to the marriage bed. Dacians found the bible to be a list of commands, punishment, and guidelines that had no place in how a married man and woman interact (or when). Sarmatians saw their God and gracious and caring. Dacians had come to believe God was kind but harsh and vengeful.

The seeds of great change are sowed in Kanem at this time. Though largely self isolated from the surrounding empires (mainly due to their constant infighting) they did have one external outlet. They sent nearly constant envoys to the Mehrdadian Caliph who in turn eventually sent one of his ministers to Kanem. Ashraf, and those he brought, will lay the ground work of what will become a new uniting dynasty in Kanem history.



807AD: Angus Og writes his first play (after his near fatal duel). By the time of his death in 849 his work will comprise of 200 poems and plays – to this day he is considered one of the League’s greatest bards.

813AD: High King Esus dies and leaves the crown to his eldest son Ailin (813-835).

818AD: Safety in Egypt had been compromised by the expansion of the Mehrdadian Caliphate. Thieves and cutthroats off all kinds found safety in the Arabia as long as they practiced the local faith – and didn’t annoy the local authorities too much. There was nothing stopping these raiders and criminals from crossing back into Egypt to carryout any number of dubious acts. Such had been the case for 20 years – under pressure from the Civic Council, King Ramesses XIII (804-826) begins to send a military escort with all trade caravans. This proves to be only a temporary fix as the surrounding empires grow edgy over the constant movement of Egypt’s armies. Therefore, in 818 Ramesses XIII decided to reestablish direct trade with the Chi Empire (access had been intermittent for a number of centuries because the Julian Road had fallen victim to nomads and little, if anything, came through Bactria and now the Caliphate).

823AD: The first Egyptian ship in over a hundred years makes port in the Chi Empire (they are well received).

A Chi scholar by the name of Wu Song invents the mechanical clock. Interestingly, Wu Song did not set out to create such a device, he set out to improve upon the “Gear Box” an instrument added to many carriages that helped determine distance and regulate rates being charged by the carriage service.

825AD: Egypt enters into a pirate war with Bactria and the Kamiharou – no formal war is declared as none of the kingdoms involved are in a position to enter into such an action. This state of active piracy will continue for much of the rest of the century.

828AD: In Toledo a new sword makes its debut. The keyl, a long slender blade (longer even the standard longsword), double edged, and ideal for jabs and thrusts. It was developed out of the evolving practice of dueling, whereas with the standard bouts brute strength often favored the victor, the keyl on the other had was a lighter weapon madefor the agile. For those using this blade against typical swords it meant you could dance around your foe and thrust in under an attack. The sometimes unwieldy length forced the users to often take up a second weapon in their free hand (be it a cloak, dagger, or thick leather glove). The keyl will spur new techniques and generations of teachers and schools.

829AD: In response to several harsh raids over into Scanza King Alvis leads his army into the contested territories of what had formally belonged to Dacia. The attack fails, the king himself is injured and forced to remain in bed for many weeks. The land had already been ravaged by wars for many years and so there was little to sustain an army on. All but one of the several battles fought would be lost – the one victory occurred as Alvis, confined to a wagon, led his shattered army home.

830AD: Byzantium rises up against the Caliphate.

The emerging influence of the Scandinavian navy over the last few centuries becomes apparent in the wake of the latest military loss. The navy didn’t operate under any official designation it did have several pseudonyms that were used interchangeably. The most popular of which was a term coined by an Icini captain; upon his capture (and before his death) he described the Scanza crew as a Viking. What was meant as an insult grew into a badge of honor. 15 Viking captains, some of whom were already ministers to the king, form their own council in a challenge to the monarch’s absolute authority. Facing civil war or a loss of authority King Alvis opts for sharing his power (essentially, in time of war the Viking Council would assume command).

832AD: The Dacian Patriarch Lucian begins preaching against loyalists of the Sarmatian church still living in Dacia.

The Byzantium uprising is suppressed by Caliph Ali Hasan’s forces. Al-Muhsin, one of the Caliph’s sons, is placed in charge of Byzantium (the defacto authority of all of Anatolia as well). A month later Caliph Ali Hasan dies and passes the Empire to his eldest son Walid (II) – 834-850.

834AD: The geocentric theory, assumed since man first started examining the sky, was formally established by Egyptian scholars in the 2nd century AD. But in this year a new theory takes center stage – heliocentric. Eli Dolius a scholar from Athens, based on Aristotal’s writings and his own observations, puts to the public the idea that the sun is the center of the universe. Although condemned by some within the League (and almost every neighboring kingdom) as fantastic and delusional the theory is picked up and seconded by a number of other scholars from Vesuvius and Alexandria in the coming years (by the middle of the next century heliocentric had replaced the geocentric as the driving theory in the League, Egypt, and Scanza).

835AD: High King Ailin dies, his son Caolabhuinn will take up the Gallic crown (835-850). Though the previous High Monarchs had banned wines and other spirits from the palace it was High King Caolabhuinn who expanded the ban to include all wines and games – other than ritualistic – in Alesia (attempts will also be made to curb such extravagances in the whole of the empire – though these attempts are met with little fanfair and sometimes even little success).

Patriarch Lucian, with military aide, begins arresting Sarmatian missionaries (the process will continue for the next 10 years).

Caliph Walid II places his brother Talib in charge of his armies in Arabia in response to several petty skirmishes among the nomadic tribes.

840AD: The Icini finish their conquest of southern Breton. The following year the Brigetes are dealt a major defeat at the hands of the Ereaians and much of their lands are occupied.

Caliph Walid II sends one of his chief ministers (also his most important priest) to Kanem at the request of that kingdoms leader. Ashraf will bring his whole family, and several dozen scholars and priests, with him to the African kingdom.

842AD: The Fifth Pagan War (842-847).

Perhaps hoping that a concerted front would reunite the Church Patriarch Philio calls for a new campaign against the pagan empires (it is doubtful that even if Dacia hadn’t been already engaged in battling the hordes along its northern border that they would have joined).

As it was, Patriarch Philio had to take extreme measures to stoke the flames of religious passion within Sarmatia. He promises that any person joining the army would be exempt from taxation, any noble family with more than two relations in the army would be exempt from the Noble Tax, any solider dying in combat will be granted a monitary dispensation (depending on the nature of their death) to be given to the fallen’s family.

These measures did well to bring forth the holy warriors and soon the Sarmatian army was headed for the Gallic League. Their attack would come by sea as they didn’t have permission to march through Dacia.

A large Sarmatian army (reported at nearly 20,000) lands in Thrace. The initial attack is victorious and both Odessos and Mesembria are captured and put to torch (after being thoroughly scavenged). But the same failing that stifled Sarmatian victories in the previous Pagan Wars challenged them now. Unable to decide on a course of action the leadership of the Sarmatian army split their forces. One army marched down the coast with plans on sacking Shiar Cashtal, a second force headed into Thrace with their eyes set on Mezek, and a third moved along the Danube (there goal was never established – though they did cross the river at several points into Dacia).

Who knows what would have happened had the Sarmatian army stayed together, they may have been able to take Mezek and then been able to control much of Helena before a sizable Gallic army could arrive. As it was, for a time the distraction of three separate armies played in Sarmatia’s favor. While the garrison out of Mezek was busy battling the army headed for that city, the Sarmatian army marching down the coast managed to take control of several cities despite local war parties.

843AD: Al-Muhsin is murdered by an angry mob in Byzantium. The leader of the resistance is a man by the name of Emrys – he was a member of the garrison and will lead his fellow soldiers in a revolt against the Caliphate (843-847).

844AD: By mid year both the battles in and around Mezek and the coast had dwindled and Sarmatia was now taking up isolated defensive position. The army marching along the Danube would in fact strike north fully into Dacia, the commander of this force seemingly deciding that the false Patriarch was a better target. Within weeks this army is defeated and captured by the Dacian military.

Patriarch Philio finds that the treasury is not sufficient to meet the promises that were made to the army. He will propose to the Holy See the idea of tithing (if they were to do God’s work than certainly it wasn’t too much to ask of the populous to pay for the honor of being the Hand of God).

For many years now Sarmatian missionaries had been traveling what had been the Julian Road preaching the word of God. They achieved much success in influencing the religions views of a number of tribes. So, along with tithing, some tribute does trickle into Sarmatia from various other outlaying nomad groups. Without question, at the time the most powerful of these nomads was Khan Boris (a tribal leader with a large following), who, with the help Sarmatia consolidates the tribes and nomads loyal to him to form the Khanate Kingdoms. Boris will supply to the Patriarch a small number of troops (several well trained cavalry units) but will soon become distracted with his own war with the Caliphate.

845AD: High King Caolabhuinn arrives in Macadonia with an army. He finds a refreshed and resupplied Sarmatian army instead of a nearly defeated enemy. This prompts him to order the Gallic fleet to step up their attacks on Sarmatian ships.

The Gallic League formally decrees that no Dacian or Sarmatian ship will pass through the Hellespont – this comes as somewhat of a surprise to Dacia as they were not currently at war with the League but their own concerns with the tribes along the Volga prevented them from doing anything other than protesting.

The landing of the Khans army would prove to be the last for Sarmatia and far from ending the war it only managed to prolong the fighting and exasperate High King Caolabhuinn to the point that he declared no clemency (all captives would be put to death).

846AD: King Boris of the Khazars invades the northern lands of the Caliphate along the Caspian Sea. Much territory is lost before Caliph Walid II can shift some of his forces from fighting in Anatolia.

The first meeting of the Breton Senate in over a hundred years – although only nobles from the Icini and Ereaian convene.

847AD: Trapped in Helena with no supplies the Sarmatian army will surrender in Meitheamh (June) (the Gallic fleet in the Cheusthie Muir had managed to take control of the waters and no more Sarmatian landings would occur). The Sarmatian treasury would be emptied to payoff the League – and the decree disallowing Sarmatian ships traveling through the Hellespont will not be lifted.

Caliph Walid II defeats a Khazar army and ends the invasions but the victory would come too late as Emrys of Byzantium had done much to weaken the Caliph’s control in Anatolia. Walid II will make peace with Emrys and grant him control of Byzantium as a client state of the Caliphate.

The conflict now turns to between Byzantium and the League. The Gallic hold on the Cheusthie Muir had stifled the trade passing through the Hellespont and therefore had affected the coffers of the emerging Byzantine state. However Byzantium currently only had a small army, no navy, and not wanting to request military aide from the Caliphate the situation lies unresolved for a number of years.

850AD: The Second Sarmatian War (850-851).

At a banquet a Sarmatian assassin (under the guise of an Egyptian priest) attacks and stabs the High King. The assassin escapes and later caught but his task had been completed. Though Caolabhuinn survived the assault the blade was poisoned and he would die several days later from the wound. His eldest child Beitris will become the next High Queen (850-876).

Enraged by this murder High Queen Beitris calls for war with Sarmatia. She rides out immediately for Shiar Cashtal and the Gallic fleet. Our best efforts to land an army in Sarmatia are defeated by the line of fortifications along the coast (though the Sarmatian fleet is either destroyed or captured). There would be little time to conduct any major assault as trouble in the heartland for the High Queen’s attention elsewhere.

The tense peace in Breton is brought to an end. In the spring of 850 King Eadglis and the (Council) of Scanza begin to war on Ereaian (it will eventually spread to Icini lands). The conflict will continue on and off for the next 50 years (though the war itself will be in hand by 662).

852AD: The Social Wars (852-864).

The attempts made by the Oghma, High Monarch, and the High Council to the current tensions among the houses prove ineffective and a war breaks out between several families (most of which are armed with keyls). Full engagements are not conducted but active raids are carried out and for the next dozen years there are roving bands (some the size of a war party {~50}) in the streets of many cities and along League roads. Within 2 years there is hardly a family in the League that isn’t at war with their neighbor.

856AD: The fighting among the houses sparks further unrest. The lower classes (farmers, merchants) tired of being ignored by the nobles and fighting their wars for them band together into their own army. It started in the villages outside of Paris and within months many villas had been ransacked and the nobles slain.

High Queen Beitris, frustrated with meeting with clan, tribal, and family leaders shuns further discussions and orders the army into motion to restore order. Ignoring the squabbles between the houses she first sets her attention on the peasant revolt.

The peasant army was well organized and led by a warrior who had taken the name of Brennus (he has come down in history as Brennus Y Parisii). High Queen Beitris will chase his army through Gual, Celtiberia, and into Lesser Carthage before Brennus is defeated (862). The Grand Chase seems to have in itself helped Brennus with his cause, with every retreat he gained many new volunteers believing, as he did, that the current system had broken down.

858AD: Emrys of Byzantium had been slowly exerting more and more influence over greater Anatolia since being granted semi-autonomy in 847. In this year however Caliph Al-Rahman decides to put an end to Emrys’ wandering armies and sends an army of his own into Anatolia (858-860).

860AD: The Mehrdadian Caliphate is invaded once again by the Khazars. With Emrys’ soldiers fighting mostly defensive actions Caliph Al-Rahman decides to shift much of his army to battle the Khanate Kingdoms.

The mechanical clock, first invented in the Chi Empire makes its way into the Gallic League. It is seen as a novelty and has little immediate impact on our society – though it does become popular among the druids and so will remain a scholarly device for many years.

862AD: Caliph Al-Rahman defeats the Khanate but no longer has the military strength to reopen the war in Anatolia (whereas Emrys has had almost 2 full years of fortifying and strengthening his position). Al-Rahman recognizes the independence of Byzantium. Emrys would not bask long in his accomplishment – he will die the following year, leaving Byzantium to his daughter Alma (862-881).

The war between Breton and Scanza takes a turn for the worse for the Icini. Several Catavulanii princes are killed by the Icini creating an ill-timed period of unrest (although this was largely unknown at the time, the murdered princes were the same turncoats who were very instrumental in the Icini conquest of southern Breton – it seems they were trying to make a similar deal with Scanza and were caught).

863AD: With the defeat of the peasant army Beitris turned her attention on the warring houses. At this time much of the scattered war parties had coalesced into small armies and their attention had turned from mainly warring among the houses to taking the fight to the Oghma. Although the battles between the tribes of Breton had sparked the conflicts between the houses of Gaul it was the success of Scanza over Breton and the League’s ignoring of this insult that brought the war parties to bear on their representatives.

The presence of High Queen Beitris’ main army back in Gaul, dozens of arrests, and several executions quickly forces the spontaneous army to disband – and its members to go into hiding. This does not stop the High Queen from punishing the houses – to paraphrase, she punished everyone so that she knew she got the right one.

With danger closing in from the Khanate and now Byzantium Caliph Al-Rahman moves the capital to Susa (a city he and his family had many direct ties to). The abandonment of the Holy City is seen as insult to the Prophet and Al-Rahman will spend the rest of his reign ruling over a hostile populous.

864AD: By the end of the year some order had been restored to the League, although for the time being much of the empire would live under the thumb of the military (though High Queen Beitris never dismisses the Vates of the Oghma their will and word have little authority throughout the remainder of her reign).

Queen Alma of the Byzantine Empire reopens the negotiations on the control of trade through the shared port. With a larger well trained army and a navy of their own she is in a much better bargaining position than her father had been (though at this time Byzantium could not hold a candle to the size and strength of the League). War was not seen as a favorable option there were many in the League who felt the same way about Breton as they did about Anatolia. High Queen Beitris was therefore compelled by Oghma and High Council to seek an amicable agreement. It is decided that the League would be responsible for tolls leaving the Cheusthie Sea and Byzantium would control traffic entering the Sea.

865AD: The Viking Council sends the fleet out in search of more lands. Within a few years there are seasonal fishing villages established on several surrounding islands.

866AD: High Queen Beitris orders the arrest of any person carrying a Keyl in public. Though not supported by the High Council they also make no move to prevent the measure from being passed.

870AD: Scanza establishes their first permanent colony in Iceland.

876AD: High Queen Beitris dies without children and without being married; she passes the crown to her youngest brother Aladair (876-888). Aladair, secretly an avid duelist, ends the arrests started by his sister, and in keeping with his family tradition (or perhaps simply to cut back the competition) he closes all dueling schools. He keeps the military on alert and the Vates under his thumb (local affairs now fall under the High King’s jurisdiction as a number of Vates and Druids are dismissed and replaced by friends and loyal nobles).

881AD: Queen Alma of Byzantium dies, the only event matching the grandure of her funeral parade was perhaps that of her father’s (both are buried in the same tomb, which had been constructed during Alma’s reign). Barisadem, the Queen’s son, will take on the Byzantium throne (881-905).

886AD: Emperor Ying Ze pacifies the Kamiharou with a substantial bribe (there will be similar exchanges over the next 10 years).

887AD: Emperor Ying Ze begins a new campaigne against the Po Kingdom (887-890).

888AD: Gallic Civil War (888-891).

High King Aladair dies, the unpopular nature of the family finally forces the High Council to step in and refuses to honor Bayard’s (Aladair son’s) claim to the throne. Although the Nervii house had been unpopular the Oghma didn’t want to see a League gripped in unrest without a High Monarch and so in turn they refused to allow another Regency (several contenders to the throne are nominated among the nobles and Vates).

This balking of the government instigated exactly what was trying to be avoided. War would breakout in Marta when Bayard and several loyal cohorts stormed Alesia. Within hours many of the High Council and Vates are captured and imprisoned. A few Vates and what remained of the High Council would retreat and reconvene at Kelheim. The petty fighting and several skirmishes that followed gave Bayard time to consolidate his position. He first restricted travel over as many roads as he could directly control (and any as many weigh stations, now all information passed through Alesia before being sent elsewhere). He then took control of the garrisons in Rome and Cartagena by dismissing both war chiefs and appointing his own.

After years of verbally sparing with each other King Victor of Dacia declares war on Sarmatia (with the full approval of the Patriarch and the House of Bishops).

Ying Ze’s war is halted for nearly a year because of Kamiharou raids. Though not as costly in lives or property what the marauders wanted most was the yearly bribe that was promised to them and never received. The Kamiharou withdraw after Emperor Ying Ze sends the payment.

889AD: The members of the High Council that had escaped Bayard’s treachery had been conducting a thorough search of the League for an heir to the throne (in truth they were not the only ones looking for an heir, Bayard’s soldiers were also ransacking the land in search of possible usurpers).

After failing to find and protect potential heirs on several occasions the High Council does manage to get the upper hand. They find a young Aedui farmer by the name of Seorus – a distant cousin of Bayard (Seorus was kin to High King Esus). Although Seorus himself was more interested in his fields than becoming the High Monarch his family had other ideas and quickly fell in line behind the High Council.

890AD: With Seorus more or less as a figurehead the High Council and the Oghma attack Bayard in the north from Kelheim and in Italia (by way of the Adriatic) from Mezek. By mid year the garrison in Cartagena deposes their war chief and sides with Seorus and the Roman Garrison is defeated in Campania. By Samhain Alesia is under siege.

Yi Zong, Emperor of the Po Kingdom, dispatches a large invasion fleet with the bulk of his army aboard (it is a desperate ploy as much of lands had been recaptured and the end was near). His plan was to land his army well behind Emperor Ying Ze to force a withdraw from the Po Kingdom. Had this occurred it probably would have been the end of the Chi Empire as Emperor Ying had committed nearly all of his land force to the invasion at this time. The Chi navy however would defeat the Po armada off the Silla coast.

891AD: The siege of Alesia is broken and Bayard is killed during the taking of the city.

The last of the Chi emperors dies. Ying Ze had no children and will mark the end of the bloodline that had founded the current empire. Xuan Chen, a trusted military man on the Emperor’s war council – and the man who masterfully led the Chi navy and defeated the Po Armada – will be appointed regent for 2 years while a search is conducted to find a member of the royal family.

892AD: Seorus is crowned High King of the Gallic League (892-899). Seorus had many friends in the peasant army of 856, and indeed at the time shared their views, now as High King he made it his purpose to settle those grievances. During his reign he will restructure the Oghma (by 895 the Council System begins to be phased out to be replaced by direct elections). Although the High Monarch will still be hereditary, the High Council is opened up to be voted on by all druids instead of being appointed by the High Monarch (the term would still be for life or abdication), and the Vates will be elected to the Oghma by direct vote. He will also institute a Warrior Tax – a paid exemption from military service (though initially implemented to appease the lower classes it will not be long before able bodied nobles are buying their way out of the army).

893AD: The Sarmatian army is defeated and Neos Syracuse is captured (Patriarch Ivan VI is captured and will die in prison). Sarmatia is incorporated into Dacia – some of the army and nobles do escape to the fringes of the kingdom where they set up their own principalities.

The ministers of the Chi Empire disappointedly end their search for another Chi Emperor and name regent Xuan Chen as the new ruler (893-910).

899AD: Seorus, old and longing to return to his fields before his death, steps down in favor of his son Baran (899-920).
 
Gallic League pt.4

900AD: High King Baran lifts the ban on the wine trade.

Emperor Xuan Chen fortifies the Chi Empire. He strengthens, rebuilds, and extends the Great Wall vowing to halt any further northern advancement.

905AD: High King Baran reopens the fight schools.

907AD: Although many of the restriction placed on Gallic society during the reign of the Nervii house (due in some part to the turbulence of the 8th and 9th centuries) the Keyl never fully recovers as the duelist blade of choice. Of course this is in part due to its cumbersome length which made it hard to travel with and difficult to manage a crowded room while wearing. Thus, in this year a new addition is made to the sword crafts genealogy – the cliwe (essentially a shorter version of the Keyl but with a slightly thicker blade).

908AD: For centuries since Lusitania started exploring down the coast of Africa ships had been lost or blown off course never to be seen again - in Marta, one of those ships returned. The crew’s stories and news of the new world would, for the time, be a Lusitanian secret (the following year the Triumvirate commissions an expedition and sends it west).

910AD: Lusitania loses several outposts to Ghanian invasion. What must have been strange to the outside world at the time Lusitania made only superficial objections to this normally act of war and simply renegotiated trading rights in the new Ghanian territories.

Fadlan Sufyan (a descendant of Ashraf), one of King Ali Dia’s ministers stages a revolt against the ruling house of Kanem (presumably because of Dia’s lack of conviction to the Prophet) and establishes his family as the new ruling house.

Emperor Xuan Chen dies. His son Xuan Yu (910-934) becomes the next emperor and will continue his father’s fortification initiatives.

912AD: Caliph Al-Damis, under the guise of uniting Kanem with the rest of the Caliphate, declares war on the Axumite Empire (912-915). Al-Damis is joined a few months later by an army out from Kanem (small as it was, about 500) though they are largely defeated in their first engagement against the Axumite chariots.

The Viking Council orders the suppression of several towns under revolt in lower Breton and Ereainn.

914AD: The outlying tribes invade Scanza (they push far into the interior before finally being halted).

915AD: Dacia renews its conflict with the tribes along the Volga – this time under the leadership of a people calling themselves the Novgorods (hailing from a settlement with the same name).

Mehrdadian Caliphate is attacked by both Byzantium and the Khazars. Caliph Al-Damis defends against this attack though it does stunt his war machine forcing him to halt his plans against the Axumite Empire (Al-Damis will have to defend against incursions in 917 and 919 before a formal peace treaty is signed).

Two ships from the Lusitanian expedition return (before the year is out the Triumvirate begins sending regular trips across the Atlantic).

916AD: Egypt and Kanem go to war (916-919).

King Harold, at the request of several nobles whose lands had been conquered by the recent invasion, seeks the Vikings permission to declare open war on the marauders. Before any decision can be made King Harold assembles his army and marches for the disputed border (the war to push the tribes of the Volkhov back to their lands will take nearly two years).

918AD: Civil war in Scanza (918-926).

King Harold returns successfully from war to find Havbevaka (Scanza capital – OTL Stockholm) guarded against him. In his absence the Vikings had seized total control of the realm. Low on supplies and out numbered King Harold falls back and for a year will find himself seeking military help from those he had just defeated.

919AD: After several failed attempts to gain the interior of Egypt Caliph Fadlan of Kanem offers peace.

920AD: Baran dies, passing the Gallic throne to his son Arlan (920-925). During his reign Baran played the High King very well. He spent much of the treasury building and rebuilding structures lost to war and or time (making sure that if something was constructed or repaired in Venetia than similar public works were maintained in Nervia – those being the two houses still in strife and the two every other unresolved feud was taking their cues from).

King Harold reemerges with his army and assaults Havbevaka – the campaign to take the capital and the fjord it controls will take a year and a half.

921AD: Continuing his father’s work to if nothing else buy off the troubled clans Arlan will, among other projects, construct the largest amphitheater of the time in Paris (known today as the Aedui Coliseum).

Fadlan, working at the behest of Caliph Al-Damis, declares war on the faltering Axumite Empire (921-926). Having learned from their first encounter with the Egyptians and the Axumties Fadlan had incorporated a division of chariots into his army (mostly bought through trade with Ghana though a few were stolen in raids or captured during the previous wars).

923AD: King Onan Umit of Byzantium declares war on Egypt (923-926) – with the goal of taking both Crete and Cyprus (which after few years will finally be captured).

After King Harold sacked the cove where the bulk of the enemy fleet was moored the Viking army was driven from Scanza proper and takes refuge in Caladonia. Even with much of the Viking fleet scuttled, acts of piracy and with a minimal fleet of his own King Harold will not be able to make a successful landing in Breton until 926.

925AD: Arlan marries the daughter of a prominent Boii noble. After the ceremony the couple participated in a spiritual cleansing ritual to prepare themselves for the marriage bed. During this ritual it was customary to consume a variety of sacred nuts and berries to promote bliss and wisdom (which, according to the druids, is meant to be passed to the child born of the first coupling). Arlan would not make it to the palace bedroom, minutes after eating of the sacred fruits his skin broke out in a number of red blotches, he clawed at his throat for air, and died.

His wife Guennola would assume the throne the following year (926-952). Although only Arlan’s bride for a few hours she did have the right as the next in line to rule. This, however, made for much discussion as the Aedui sent endless petitions to the High Council stating that their bloodline should still have precedence. What made matters more difficult was that Guennola had no intention on staying within the Aedui family, as her marriage to Arlan was one of political convenience, she returned to her house.

926AD: Sultan Fajar Muawiyah, Caliph Al-Damis’ cousin, stops collecting taxes and tribute in the name of the Caliph.

King Harold accepts peaces but will find that the total authority held by his ancestors will not be so easily won. The nobles of his army, and who had financially backed Harold’s side of the civil war, demand to have a say in the government – the victorious army fractures into arguing factions.

928AD: After only a few years as High Queen, Guennola found that the nation had lost touch with the ancestor spirit. All the turmoil of the previous centuries, the attempt to cleans the Gallic heart of wine and vices by the Nervii, and the Aedui politicking had done much to distil the League. During her reign she will set about to free the League from depending on foreign ships to handle trade (though having a navy and merchant fleet they were abysmally small compared to the size of the League). She will also set about to reinvigorate the army - the Aedui High Monarchs as stripped much of the compliment stationed in Kelheim and Rome and either disbanded them or used the soldiers to augment the local workforce during the many public works projects. In part to do this Guennola would institute an old practice of the mercenary army (Ghana, Lusitania, and Egypt will partake of this venture – the money gained would be put to use in constructing new war ships). Guennola will take one more action during her tenure, she will return the safekeeping of the Teutates Nemotons to the druids of that order (in the hopes that they would be able to reinstate the code of conduct that seemed to have been lost). Though, she will not do this until nearly the end of her reign and it will be the end of the next century before there are a number of fight school instructors with a solid education in Teutates.

King Mosi II of Egypt enters into a period of war with the Axumite Empire that will last until 946.

Caliph Al-Damis is murdered by his son El-Marees.

929AD: King Harold and the nobles sign The Decree of Rights and Privileges, creating the Riksdag (although the Viking Council had been officially disbanded after the civil war, many of its members found seats in the new parliament).

930AD: High Queen Guennola accepts payment from Ade Adan, the King of Ghana. War chief Garen Croonit and an army of 2000 are sent to Ghana. King Ade Adan begins to expand Ghana (which will only be halted by periodic bouts of border disputes with Kanem).

El-Marees marches an army into Arabia seeking the tax and tribute owed to him by Sultan Fajar.

A number of strange commodities begin to appear in old world markets, among them are odd animals, sugar, and chocolate.

932AD: King Khafra III declares war on Byzantium in response to several raids into Syria (despite 8 years of battles little is accomplished, Crete and Cyprus will remain in Byzantium control).

King Igor of the Novgorod (who had learned much in the way of military tactics during the Scandinavian civil war) converts to Catholicism prompting the Holy See (which, under the supervision of the House of Bishops, had been allowed to remain seated at Neos Syracuse) to send messages to King Vanko of the Khazars requesting he take up the call to defend the fledgling Christian kingdom.

El-Marees is defeated by Fajar’s nomadic war parties.

933AD: King Vanko invades Dacian lands along the Volga (933-937).

934AD: Emperor Xuan Yu dies suddenly. His son Xuan Long Wu claims the throne (934-945).

936AD: High Queen Guennola accepts an offer by King Khafra III of Egypt to send soldiers to aide in the war between Egypt and Byzantium (two smaller armies 1000 and 500 will be sent in 937 and 938). A large part of the payment on 937 was in the form of the secret to Egypt’s liquid fire.

Emperor Xuan Long Wu begins the final conquest of Nihon (936-950).

938AD: The Byzantine War (938-940).

King Onan Umit of Byzantium assaults several merchant ships passing through the Hellespont. The following day Shiar Cashtal is bombarded by land and sea catapults – the garrison leader of Shiar Cashtal returns the barrage but launches no other attack until word from Alesia (though there are two small navel confrontations before orders from Alesia reach the citadel).

High Queen Guennola will sail with her army from Rome sending a few ashore at Athens with the small stock of liquid fire and orders for the army at Mezek to support Shiar Cashtal. The High Queen will continue on with her army and land near Ilium (she is most noted in this war as winning the battle of, and defending against two days of counter attacks, the Gonan River).

940AD: With High Queen Guennola firmly in hold of the territory between the Aegean Sea and the Gonan River as well as having made no successful incursion into Gallic lands King Onan offers peace (a few months later he will also end his war with Egypt).

942AD: Encouraged by arms trade being conducted between the Gallic League and Egypt the Civic Council begins selling the liquid fire on the open market (a decision that will land them few friends in Egypt).

945AD: The Vistula War (945-949).

High Queen Guennola sends her armies into Dacia with the aim on freeing the Gallic tribes along the Vistula (a week after the invasion King Stefan II receives notice of the invasion and the declaration of war). Though Dacia will put up a strong defense it is never able to win back the Gallic victories of the initial invasion.

950AD: King Stefan II announces that he will release Neos Syracuse from Dacia Control as a measure of good faith with the surrounding Christian kingdoms.

Emperor Yoriie Kekipi of the Kamiharou founds Heiankyo in Hayashiriku (OTL Philippines) - the first permanent capital of the sea going empire.

952AD: High Queen Guennola steps down in favor of her daughter Maureen (952-972).

Devastated by war, internal conflict, and famine the Axumtie Empire collapses into a collection of petty kingdoms and tribal territories – though for a handful of years yet the African coast still pays homage to the king in exile (the Empire will formally cease in 960 upon the king’s death). King Abdimelech, the last king of the Axumite Empire, retreats with those still loyal to the monarchy to Madagascar.

The Holy See of Neos Syracuse negotiates a series of treaties forming the Holy Alliance (essentially making the rulers of the Novgorod, Khazars, and Sarmatian principalities honor bound to come to the aide of anyone else in the Alliance).

953AD: The Holy See elects Silverster Anibal, their first Patriarch since 893AD.

960AD: Under repeated attacks by pirates and neighboring kingdoms Queen Halimah of the Axumite people sends a petition to King Tatia of Egypt asking to be allied with his Empire. For a yearly tribute, and a large amount of autonomy, Madagascar is brought into the Egyptian Empire. There is much celebration in bringing a people that had once been part of Egypt back into the fold of the Empire – and King Tatia wasted no time in making sure they would never leave again. Before the signatures were signed on the agreement approximately 100 ships and an army of 4000 is sent to Madagascar.

The Chi Empire and the Kamiharou got to war (960-968). The war is devastating to the just recently rebuilt Chi fleet and the peace agreement will be equally as costly to the mainland (the war reparations will not be paid off until 978).

972AD: Marueen, like her mother, will step down to pass the throne to her eldest son Flynn (972-987).

Kanem declares war on Ghana (972-976).

974AD: Brought to mind by wild rumors coming out of Lusitania and pressured by pride (Scanza was the self proclaimed sea kings) King Otto Lunt and the Riksdag agree to send an expedition west across the sea.

976AD: Hans Gustav discovers a land he dubs Greenland – he spends the next few years exploring the new land.

The Chi Empire and Bactria go to war (976-980). The war is conducted half heartedly by both sides, there were few engagements as the Chi armies were marching into areas that Bactria had lost control of.

980AD: The first permanent settlement is established in Greenland, Hansborg – Hans Gustav as royal governor.

Emperor Xuan Xing Ying puts to his scholars to find a way to revitalize the insufficient agricultural practices of the Empire.

985AD: Alrik Gustav, after spending many years listening to his father’s stories of his many sea adventures, seeks glory for himself and sails west from Hansborg.

Emperor Xuan Xing Ying begins construction on costal defenses.

986AD: Alrik returns having spotted more land (“A land of stone and trees”) west of Greenland. He will spend the next two years gathering a crew, ships, and supplies for his next expedition.

987AD: High King Flynn dies. His daughter Medb (III) will take up the Gallic crown (987-1012).

989AD: Alrik Gustav returns to the Land of Stone and Trees. His crew was largely made up of sailors who had committed one crime or another in Hansborg.

990AD: Envoys from the Lusitanian Triumvirate offer payment to High Queen Medb III for Gallic soldiers. She commission only 500 soldiers once it is learned that they are meant to be guards for the Lusitanian outposts across the Atlantic (each soldier and family were paid twice the usual amount for their services).

A Chi scholar by the name of Liao Ruan while experimenting to find a new fertilizer discovers an explosive combination. After recovering from the experience he labeled his findings as dangerous and began experimenting in a different direction (this early form of gun powder will remain lost until the 14th century).

991AD: Alrik’s camp breaks up due to infighting and continued conflicts with the native tribes. Alrik returns to Hansborg.

995AD: Alrik convinces his father that a return trip to set up a permanent settlement would be worth great riches and prestige. News of the coming expedition however would reach the King’s Court before Alrik could set sail. King Harold II makes the New World Expedition a royal decree – it would be the Riksdag and he who would take on the expense and glory of the first settlement.

996AD: Oslo is founded in the New World.

998AD: King Harold II commissions a new settlement. Viborg will be founded (Alrik Gustav will be made governor).

999AD: Long awaited supplies reach Viborg and Oslo – the most long awaited supplement being the families and women.


The 11th Century will see an ever growing link between the Old and New Worlds. Slaves, criminals, adventurers, and traders will continue to brave the ocean and trickle (sometimes not by choice) into the new colonies. For the time being Scanza and Lusitania will hold the monopoly on discoveries and contact (though by the end of the century both the Gallic League and Ghana will establish footholds). Flowing east were trade goods such as timber, sugar, maize, and tobacco. Coming in to the west were, among other items, new medicines, sanitation, the knowledge of iron working, and domesticated animals. Moving in right behind the goods along the trade routes was the inevitable exchange of disease – though by far the natives of the new land faired far worse. By the dawning of the next century the sick and dying will out number the living.

It is the shift between the ruling houses that highlights one of the more interesting aspects of this century, that which occurs when a house is utterly dishonored. The Boii, and later the Tuetonii, will hold to a much tougher line when it comes to dealing with neighboring lands. This more aggressive attitude will bring us into conflict with Ghana and Scanza though both wars were not due to any specific Gallic action. We in stead were drawn into the conflicts because of Lusitania who continued to use Gallic mercenaries for their military.

It is hard to say whether or not the contact Lusitania had with the Mayan Empire had anything to do with the regional war that developed. The Mayans were by all accounts in decline when first contact was made. Trade and help from the Lusitanians bolstered their collapsing empire but trade and help with other city-states and regional strongholds may have started a power struggle (to name a few of the players involved: the Mayan Empire, the Mayan Highlands, the Toltecs, the Mexicas, and the Zapotecs).

It can be said that the Bactrian withdrawn from the area around the Spice Islands did initiate a prolonged regional war. Dozens of successor states developed, the strongest of which was the Li Dynasty. The reason for the Bactrian retreat stems from an internal conflict between the 12 ruling kings – though civil war had not erupted, a diminished cooperation between the kings and corruption had made it difficult for the Dharma (the leader of the Sangha – the gathering of the most knowledgeable of Buddhist monks) to maintain peace and order. What certainly didn’t help the situation was the war fought with the Kamiharou or the border skirmishes with the Chi as they (like the Bactrians had done in the previous centuries) capitalized on the instability in the region and the Bactrian withdraw.



1012AD: Medb III dies and passes the League to her son Trevor (1012-1027). Trevor will be the first High Monarch in almost 500 years to become an open member of the Order of Teutates.

A rebellion in Egypt starts a few months after the royal line dies out in Madagascar. With the death of King Korfa of the Madagascar Kingdom the royal line disseminated into ever less tangible claims to that throne. The Civic Council informed King Sesmet IV that in order to stop a civil war in the region he should appoint a regent to that land. King Sesmet IV gives the region one year to set someone on the throne.

1013AD: Unable to meet King Sesmet’s deadline Madagascar erupts into pockets of open rebellion after the regent was killed and his rather lengthy baggage train ransacked. What started out as a fight over the line of succession in a region of the Empire would flare up into a question of who has authority in a land so far removed from the mainland (fighting will continue until 1015).

1014AD: The question of authority spreads to other regions of the Egyptian Empire and more cities begin to unsystematically revolt.

1015AD: With no pattern to the unrest in the Empire and no end in sight (although, the Madagascaren region was pacified in this year). King Sesmet IV commissions a new council to investigate the problem. The main reason for unrest in the Empire was due to the power the Civic Council wielded and the lack of respect most subjects had towards it (the Civic Council was made up of 100 elder merchants and landowners from Memphis – elected from a select number of guilds). Armed with this information King Sesmet IV reorganizes the Egyptian government. Barrowing from both the League and Scanza Egypt will be broken up into regions, each with two elected officials; this will make up half the seats. The other half will be elected by the nobles, landowners, and merchants (though only those from Alexandria, Memphis, and Thebes). The King would remain the head of the State (able to conduct military and foreign affairs) with the Civic Council handling most domestic issues.

Bactria falls into civil war as rival regional governors battle to fill the dead king’s position (1015-1025).

1017AD: After years of promoting the Order, High King Trevor participates in a ceremony formally becoming a follower of Teutates. Part of the ceremony involved self sacrifice where he was bleed followed by a ritualistic duel where he was injured but survived.

1018AD: Two spies from the Muawiyah Sultanate are captured trying to assassinate the Civic Council members from Madagascar. Through interrogation it is discovered that the Sultanate had been involved in enflaming the Empire into revolt. Before the end of the year the Civic Council has pressured King Sesmet IV into declaring war on the Sultanate (1018-1021).

After a couple years of exchanging brutal raids over their shared border, Dacia and Novgorod openly go to war (1018-1020).

Byzantium and the Mehrdadian Caliphate go to war (1018-1024). Byzantium will defeat the Caliph’s armies and for a time control the Caliphate.

1019AD: Kanem declares war on Egypt (1019-1023) after Emir Muhammad Hakim learns that several of his own spies (within Egypt) had been captured in a wave of raids issued by King Sesmet IV (Emir Hakim, like the Sultanate, had been heavily involved with inciting revolt in Egypt between 1012-1015).

1020AD: The war between Dacia and Novgorod is cut short and reverts to simple raids after King Vladimir of Novgorod halts his armies and sends peace envoys into Dacia. The reason for this is a disagreement that erupted between the Khazar king Nicholai Laszlo and King Vladimir. According to the agreement of the Holy Alliance in the event of war all members would come to the aid of any member in distress. King Nicholai’s position was that the Holy Alliance was intended to protect against invasion not help a war started by another member.

1021AD: Patriarch Petre II is unable to negotiate a peace between Novgorod and Khazar and the two kingdoms go to war (1021-1025). During the course of the war several principalities are conquered instigating war between the smaller states in the region (this period of instability will continue until 1035).

1025AD: Kanem and Ghana enter a period of small wars (1025-1037).

Bactria forms the Council of Twelve, ending their bloody civil war.

1027AD: High King Trevor is poisoned and dies. His wife Eloise, who he married only three years earlier (a Teutonii by birth and follower of Teutates), is suspected in his death. The reason for this seem to stem from misgivings many in the League still had with the Order and the fact that Trevor’s body was found in bed. What seems to have kept Eloise from decapitation was a statement during her trial, “Great Teutates would strike me down if I ever used poison over a blade.” Whatever the opinions at the time concerning the Order of Teutates they could all agree that a follower would never use poison. The High Council dismissed the charges against Eloise – she was crowned High Queen a few weeks later (1027-1030).

1030AD: The uncertainness around High King Trevor’s murder and the mistrust of the Order made High Queen Eloise’s reign a difficult one. The burden of all this seemed to have prematurely aged the High Queen for by this year it is said her black hair had gone gray and her once beautiful features were scared by dry, blotchy skin. On her deathbed she wrote to her sister Elda naming her as successor to the throne. By the morning High Queen Eloise was dead and so too her sister – the letter was never found. If not for the copy sent in secret to the High Council none of this would be known.

Upon receiving the letter and news of the two deaths the High Council immediately exercised their right to enact a Regency (1030-1035). Investigation into the murders would net several dozen arrest – most of them from the Nervii and Aedui houses. The plot reached as far back as High King Trevor, whom they killed on the one hand out of fear for the Order and on the other wanting to set their families back on the throne. After the reparations and the dishonor of this event the land, wealth, and influence of these two house will be no more – within two generations both houses will fade from history.

1035AD: Satisfied that all those involved with the murders had been arrested or killed the High Council set their mind on appointing a new High Monarch. They would make their pick among the Oghma, their choice being that of Friedhelm Ell – a Teutonii (it is hard to say but weighing heavily on this decision seems to have been the fact that it was the Teutonii who were wronged).

Patriarch Marius is able to succeed where his predecessor Patriarch Petre II had failed. He convinces the warring principalities to settle their issues and declare peace. It is from these peace accords that Patriarch Marius sees that his true mission and the purpose of the Holy Alliance are to unite Christendom (“Before we can vanquish Evil we must unite the houses of Christ.”). To this end, he begins painting Dacia as a serious threat to that unification and declares war (1035-1041) – though at the time Patriarch Marius had an army hardly numbering 500.

1036AD: At the Samhain gathering of the Oghma Friedhelm Ell is crowned High King of the Gallic League (1036-1052).

The defeat and recapturing of Neos Syracuse by Dacia brings both Novgorod and Khazar into the war.

1040AD: War breaks out between several principalities when a few neighboring princes refuse to allow rival armies to march through their territories.

1041AD: Peace is declared between the Holy Alliance and Dacia (Neos Syracuse is released from Dacian control).

1042AD-1046AD: The First Mercenary War.

A Lusitanian ship meant for an outpost in the New World is sunk by Ghanian war ship. The Lusitanian vessel was carrying, among other things, 100 Gallic soldiers. The Triumvirate hardly had to protest to the Oghma and High King Friedhelm before the Gallic League declared war on Ghana.

As before Ghana’s fleet will take the brunt of the war and within two years the League is unquestionably in control of ocean. Although some progress will be made along the narrow stretch of land eventually heat and supplies play a larger role in the outcome of the battles.

1044AD: High King Friedhelm commissions the construction of a new dockyard at Massillia (which had been the main dock and shipwright of the Gallic League for centuries). The dockyard, which will come to be known as the Massillian Arsenal, will take several years to complete; the first ships won’t set sail from this facility until 1052 (besides mass producing ships, both war and merchant, this facility will also develop the frame first method - a much more efficient method of construction).

1045AD: Friedhelm abandons his assaults on the border and begins landing war parties along the cost. The Ghanaian army is built around small divisions of soldiers, they’re trained and designed to strike quick and without notice and then retreat. Not only is the League familiar with this type of warfare but we were also aware of the Ghanaian tactics as for a time Gallic soldiers served in Ghana.

1046AD: The war between Ghana and the League is ended. Ghana is forced to give up some territory and to pay reparations.

1050AD: Byzantium loses control of the Caliphate. Muhammad Al-Fadee Saffah leads a series of rebellions before confronting King Einion of Byzantium in open warfare.

1052AD: High King Friedhelm dies and passes the throne to his son Holden (1052-1079) – High King Holden will have 6 children, all but 2 will be killed in battle (he will not see either of his two surviving children before his death).

1056AD: Lusitania and Scanza enter into a piracy war as each tries to disrupt the others trade lines between the New and Old World (1056-1058).

1057AD: Muhammad Al-Fadee Saffah is able to gain independence from Byzantium. He takes the title of Caliph and resumes the traditional seat at Susa. His family held no connection to the Prophet Medrdad and his heavy hand in dealing with other warlords that had gained influence during the Byzantium occupation made him an unpopular ruler.

1058AD-1062AD: The Second Mercenary War.

Lusitania began using the Gallic soldiers and ships under their command right from the start of their conflict with Scanza. King Olaf, after being turned down again by High King Holden to stop supplying Lusitania with ships and soldiers, declares war on the Gallic League.

The initial Gallic campaign was to recapture Breton but despite being able to create a foothold in the region from which to advance little is gained between 1059 and 1060. In 1061 High King Holden switches the objectives of the war and commits a large army to the invasion of Scandinavian heartland. Holden is able to capture much territory before King Olaf can mount a successful defense.

1062AD: As part of the peace agreement between the Gallic League and Scanza, High King Holden formally dissolves the Mercenary armies Lusitania had been using. Although many of the soldiers in use by Lusitania are returned some are lost (presumably never informed about the Gallic withdraw from Lusitanian holdings and kept on by the Triumvirate to serve their needs). There are approximately 2500 soldiers that are not on record as having returned to the League (1000 of which were under the leadership of Hagan and Theodoric Ell – the High King’s sons – and who were last reported with their army in Mayan territory). The Triumvirate staves off war with the League in 1064 only by paying a very large reparation when they admit that despite a limited search they are unaware of the whereabouts of any of the missing soldiers (they claim native uprisings as the cause of their disappearance).

The Triumvirate is forced to commission their first standing army (better than 80% of this force will consist of archer columns – archery, a long standing tradition in Lusitania, a more practiced and longer standing tradition than even sailing).

War again erupts between several of the principalities.

1064AD: Novgorod and Khazar are brought into the conflict between the principalities. Over the next 20 years each of the principalities will be absorbed into either the Khazar or the Novgorod kingdoms.

1065AD: Ghana once again commits an act of piracy against Lusitania. King Obasi follows up the sinking of several trade ships by sending several of his own ships to seize the Lusitania outposts in the New World. King Obasi severely underestimates his enemy, although aware that Lusitania is no longer being supplied by Gallic soldiers it is not known that Lusitania has spent several years training their own army. When war breaks out Ghana is no match for the superior seamanship or the endless rain of arrow Lusitania is able to pour down (1065-1068) – not to mention the Lusitanian ships armed with ballistae firing jars of Egyptian fire.

1068AD: With Ghana defeated, yet again, King Obasi found that he was no longer wanted as a ruler and was overthrown. The country will be in a state of civil war for seven years.

1070AD: The Gallic army (in the New World), under the command of Hagan and Theodoric Ell (sons of the High King), captures Mixtlan and establishes their own kingdom – the city is renamed Teutates. Cut off from both the Mayan Empire (who they were ordered by the Triumvirate to aid in the regional wars) Hagan and Theodoric make an alliance with a small but fierce tribe named the Mexicas (they in turn were part of a larger army loyal to the Toltecs – one of the powers involved in the regional war).

Caliph Muhammad Saffah dies. He leaves his son Fajer, who, if possible, was even crueler (1070-1079).

1072AD: In an attempt to bolster his popularity Caliph Fajer moves the capital back to Marlik. This action seemed to only hasten his demise as people more than ever saw the drastic lack of regard for Mehrdad’s teachings.

1075AD: King Yusuf Zahur emerges from the civil war in Ghana as the new ruler. Within 5 years he has stabilized his empire enough to commission his own colony in the New World.

Lusitania changes the status of their holdings in the New World from outposts and trading posts to colonies and begins militarily taking control of areas of interest.

1079AD: High King Holden dies and passes the crown to his youngest brother Torquil (1079-1097).

Caliph Fajer is murdered by one of his generals. Naseem Nasir, who was from the same region where Mehrdad was born, assumes the Caliphate (1079-1105).

1080AD: Gallic trade vessels reestablish contact with one of the lost armies. High King Torquil quickly establishes regular contact with the city of Teutates and the current King, his nephew, Theodoric (Hagan having died the previous year in battle).

Ghana founds Pya Nchi (within two years the city becomes the primary location for shipping criminals and slaves).

1097AD: High King Torquil dies. The Gallic League is passed to his son Hagan (1097-1121) - Torquil had two sons, both of whom were named in honor of his nephews who had been missing.



The 12th century was a century of relative peace within the Gallic League. There were the Border Wars along the Fenrir Desert and the continuing battles in the new world (though more often the term Alrikia was being used as Alrik Gustav’s name appeared on many of the first maps that began being widely circulated in the various empires and kingdoms). Although the trading of ideas and goods brought the Gallic League closer with their ties in Alrikia an exchange that would gladly be forgotten was the rekindling of the Blood Sacrifice. Long ago, before even the founding of the League, Human sacrifice had been used to communicate with the gods but it was a practice that had gone unused for over a millennium (though animal sacrifice was still practiced at this time). The gods of the Toltec’s still demanded blood and the similarities between some of our own Great Spirits, particularly which of Teutates, did not go unnoticed by the soldiers, knights, and later the citizens sent to the Kingdom of Teutates.

Both Egypt and Ghana will lead successful campaigns along the coast of Africa and by force or treaty will manage to link their most distant outposts with the core of their empires. Caught between these two expanding empires is Kanem who, although is able to conquer some uncharted territories, finds that the majority of their successes come from spying, bribery, and inciting rebellions.

Scanza will face a number of obstacles as they expand into regions more heavily populated by natives. Though that would be a more correct statement is expanding into regions being depleted by disease of their native populations. On and off throughout the century Scanza will battle the Iroquois people, the Algonquin People, and the Inuit People – often times gaining periods of relative peace by pitting neighboring tribes against one another. By the end of the century and the beginning of the next the native peoples are so exhausted by disease and war that capitulation and cooperation are preferred over annihilation. For Scanza’s part, as with the conquest of war battered Breton, once peace was settled the natives were dealt with fairly well (as long as taxes were paid and laws obeyed).

Dacia would not be as lucky as the native peoples of Alrikia. The Holy Alliance had not forgotten the reason for their charter and would try again to bring the Dacian Church into the Catholic fold. The King, Bishops, and people of Dacia will not find a kind heart waiting for them in the calm of peace. The Holy Alliance will not stop with Dacia, the Byzantine Empire will next find itself as the object of attention, though only as a stopover for a crusade against the Cult of Amon-Re.

Lusitania, checked only by Scanza (who was at this time preoccupied with wars), continued to expand their influence in the New World. Almost each day found another tribe being forced to trade or face enslavement; the islands of the Mayan Sea (both large and small) were soon garrisoned by nearly a legion of archers each because of small gold deposits found, a peninsula jutting out into the Mayan Sea will be the first trading outpost in North Alrikia, Lusitania will also set up an outpost at the mouth of a mighty river along the coast of the mainland.

The Kamiharou also find themselves forcing trade on others. The first merchant vessel belong to the Kamiharou enters the Chi Empire in peace. The action is documented in several dozen letters dating from this time, it seems that the first decade of trade was mostly done out of fear of the past and what might happen if a Kamiharou trader was refused. In many official documents trading with the Kamiharou is noted as being dangerous if for no other reason then they tend to be angry and hot tempered. Perhaps in a sign of the growing political maturity of the Kamiharou they help in the creation of a new state in 1123, the Khmer Kingdom – situated very strategically between Bactria and the Chi Empire.

The Mayan Empire, which initially had gained much of what had been lost to them through Lusitania aid, found that the well had for the most part dried up. Though they still traded with Lusitania the military support offered to them had shifted north to their enemy the Toltecs. Thankfully, for the Mayan, the Toltecs only used the Gallic armies sparingly as they were bought as mercenaries for a kingly price.

Using both the Gallic and Mexica soldiers the Toltecs had managed to carve themselves a sizable kingdom and unlike the Mayan kings who ruled over an empire of mostly unwilling tributaries the Toltec Empire held their cities by direct might and oaths of loyalty (something they learned from the Gallic leaders).


1100AD: The first double masted ship is built and sets sail from the Massallii Arsenal.

King Khanum Aswad of Egypt ushers in a century of expansion for Egypt by sending his armies south to conquer by treaty or force the squabbling tribes of what remained of the Axumite Empire (King Aswad’s short time as king will be brought to an end when he dies in 1110 while battling in the south).

1104AD: The Emir of Kanem declares war on Egypt (1104-1107).

1115AD-1145AD: The Teutanii rulers were never one to stand down from a fight and the Friedhelm Line was no different. A simple border raid by an insignificant group of thieves from Ghana sparks the Border Wars. Once word reached High King Hagan via the weigh stations he dispatched the army at Carthage for the border with Ghana – a year and a half of fighting would amount to very little and eventually peace is declared. This small war was only the beginning however as soon the long desert border was constantly being assailed (as evidence will prove later many of these attacks were if not carried out by Kanem they were at least paid for by that same kingdom).

1115AD: The 12 kings of Bactria fall into open civil war (1115-1150).

1118AD: Byzantine Empire and the Muawiyah Sultanate go to war over the control of the Euphrates River (1118-1120).

1120AD: Necho VII, King Aswad’s son, continues his father’s mission and renews the wars in the south. This can be said for Kanem, although their military was apt at maintaining order within their kingdom and competent at defensive warfare its real mastery was in spying for hardly days after Egypt’s armies began assembling the Emir (informed incorrectly that Egypt was about to attack Kanem) declares war (1120-1123). Like his father King Necho VII would meet his end atop a battle horse – Although Necho VII death comes by means of a fall from his animal and not being shot off of it.

1121AD: High King Hagan dies and leaves the Gallic League to his son Ellard (1121-1131).

1125AD: The Byzantine Empire and the Mehrdadian Caliphate go to war over the control of the Tigris River (1125-1128).

1126AD: High King Ellard becomes the first monarch of the Gallic League to venture across the ocean and visit Teutates. He is given a very warm reception by both the natives and the League colonists – the celebration lasts 3 days. Ellard, at the advice of the members of the High Council and Oghma that accompanied him, would deny Teutates representation in the Oghma but promised that he would commission an army and send a war chief (by 1129 the High King had fulfilled his promise). Most note worthy of this expedition were the letters written a few years later by the members of the High Council who where there – they were both shocked and intrigued by the brutal rituals used in worshiping the Toltec gods as many of the gods in the League, including Teutates, had been worshiped in the same way.

1128AD: When the High King and his court returned to the League their stories would provide the initial fervor of curiosity that would spark a major migration of families across the ocean (to begin with, however, it was the warriors of the Rhineland that made up many of the first few waves of immigrants – a reemergence of the Teutonic Knights).

1130AD: The Byzantine war for the Euphrates is renewed (1130-1134).

1131AD: High King Ellard dies while hunting. He was unmarried and had no children and although it was well known that he wished the throne to pass to war chief Harold Reihl (Ellard’s good friend who was in command of the Kelheim army) a cousin by the name of Fedya would oppose the transfer of power (Fedya was a distant blood relation and since there was no written will describing the line of succession his claim was the better). Fedya was young and unknown to almost all of the Oghma but the claim was strong enough to make a challenge so the next High Monarch would be chosen by the Right of Kelge. Harold was the stronger and better warrior, one thrust through Fedya’s upper arm and the young man called out defeat (though due to his bravery for standing up for his right, and against odds that were obviously ill tipped in his favor, Harold will appoint, by special approval of the High Council and Oghma, Fedya to the position of Vate for the Rhineland). Harold was crowned soon after his victory (1131-1149).

1133AD: The Byzantine war for the Tigris is renewed (1133-1138) – The Holy Capital of Marlik is captured.

1138AD: The Holy Alliance declares war on Dacia (1138-1144). This time Dacia is unable to resist the combined armies of Novgorod and Khazar.

1139AD: High King Harold sends additional soldiers to the border with Dacia in preparation for any attack that may cross into League territory due to the Holy Alliance’s war (nothing comes of this as the Dacian/Alliance war never crosses the Danube).

1140AD: High King Harold sails to Greater Carthage to begin a fresh campaign against the attacks along the border (his march will bring him into conflict with Ghana once again but will mostly be confined to the Fenrir Desert).

Queen Amunet, the wife of the late King Sadikisefu, reopens the southern wars after a successful revolt frees several costal cities from Egyptian control (1140-1144)

1141AD: After a 6 year truce to bring an end to the Bactrian civil war negotiations break down and war erupts anew (1141-1150).

1144AD: King Dorik of Dacia is deposed and imprisoned. The House of Bishops is purged and reconstituted. The Dacian Patriarch is deposed and imprisoned (later to be killed during the inquisitions).

1145AD: High King Harold returns to Alesia after his victories in North Africa.

The first wave of non military Gallic colonists travel to Teutates.

Queen Amunet is poisoned; the turmoil that followed her death as well as the continued success of Egyptian armies along the Kanem border prompts the Emir to launch his kingdom once again into war with Egypt (1145-1151). It will take almost 2 years but eventually Queen Amunet’s son, Ramses (XVII), is given his birthright (he is only 14 at his coronation, one so young had not been given the double crown in over 2 centuries).

News reaches Emperor Chen Xuan that the nomads and semi-nomadic peoples of the steppes are engaged in a brutal civil war. The Emperor sends additional forces to the Great Wall and establishes The Minister of Defense whose only purpose is to maintain the strength of the northern frontier.

1146AD: Patriarch Ivan VIII commissions an inquisition in Dacia (1146-1150).

1149AD: High King Harold dies. He leaves his son Thorbert to rule the Gallic League (1149-1176).

1150AD: Exhaustion more then resolution brings the Bactrian civil war into a cease fire.

1152AD: The health and wellbeing of those in Teutates is brought into question as information about the death of several Gallic citizens reaches the High Council. 8 of the deaths were at the hands of enemies, not killed in battle but sacrificed in rituals afterwards. It was the deaths of the final 3 that disturbed the High Council in Alesia. King Theodoric II of Teutates maintained that they volunteered to participate in a religious ritual where they were sacrificed to save the souls of their captured family members and strengthen the resolve of Tolan and Teutates. A letter from the father of one of the “volunteer sacrifices” described the sacrifices as anything but volunteer. However, the distance and the fact that Teutates was only loosely defined as a conquered territory meant that the High Council could do little but hope that their outrage would keep others from “volunteering”.

Bhaskar Chander comes out of the Bactrian civil war as the single ruler. He will become the first Emperor of Bactria in 300 years, though he will have to rely heavily on the Sangha to maintain order in the war ravaged empire.

1155AD: High King Thorbert resupplies the army in Teutates (though some chose to retire and settle in Teutates many of the active warriors were returned to the League and replaced by 700 new soldiers and a new war chief). This was mainly done to pacify the High Council as they continued to fear the use of harsh rituals by the Order of Teutates – rituals that hadn’t been used in the League not since the centuries before even the Founding.

1160AD: A second round of inquisitions opens up in Dacia (1160-1163).

1168AD: The Chimu Empire faces stiff resistance from several city-states. The rebellion will start in a city called Cuzco but will quickly be aided by a close ally Machu Picchu (both cities will be secretly aided by Ghana).

Dacia rebels against the Holy Alliance (1168-1171) – the rebellion is unsuccessful.

1176AD: High King Thorbert dies. He was not as well respected as his father who had gained much of his notoriety during his pacifying of the Fenrir Desert. Thorbert had to spend much of his time placating angry Oghma and High Council members who were upset over the happenings in Teutates. Thorbert’s son Aylmer inherits his father’s problems and the League (1176-1201).

1179AD: High King Aylmer travels to Teutates in an attempt to settle the existing problems between the colony and the League. While there King Theodoric II dies and High King Aylmer takes the opportunity to appoint the current war chief, a man by the name of Erin Flann, as king (though this was made possible largely by the fact that Theodoric II had no living children or wife). The High King will also end the indeterminate status of Teutates by claming the area as a conquered territory.

1188AD: Patriarch Alexander issues a new decree, ordering that it was time that the Christians of Egypt be brought back into the fold.

1190AD: The High Council orders High King Aylmer to conduct arrests within the Order of Teutates as evidence of human sacrifice is being practiced, and condoned by the Order’s druids (at this time even animal sacrifice was rare but since the return of soldiers and families from the conquered territory there had been an upsurge in this type of worship to Teutates and other gods – culminating in the reported deaths of 3 separate human sacrifices, 2 male adolescents and 1 female adult). These arrests, while widely accepted even among the followers of Teutates, do spark a series of conflicts over the next 3 years – though mainly all these arrests do is to push the barbaric act underground.

With the armada ready and the army on the move Patriarch Alexander issues an order to the Byzantine King that he should let the holy army pass or face the consequences. King Isaac refuses and is declared war on by the Holy Alliance (1190-1193).

Also in this year, High King Aylmer commissioned the forming of a new army and put the garrison at Mezek on alert in response to the Holy Alliances invasion of the Byzantine Empire.

1193AD: The Byzantine Empire is captured by the Alliance. Isaac is killed and a cousin by the name of Korian is appointed by the Patriarch to be king (Korian is a Christian, though his devotion to the faith seems to have been a recent enlightenment).



The 13th Century brings the Mongols out of the northern steppes. Bactria, Mehrdadian Caliphate, and Khazar by far suffer the most from the invasions. It can easily be said that the century was at war with occasional years of calm. Internal conflicts over succession, Egyptian Fire, chariots, and the Gallic light cavalry would eventually grind the Mongol horde to a halt.

For the Gallic League the major event of the century is the reign of High King Everard (later to be named St. Everard by the Holy See). The first Christian King of the Gallic League will build several cathedrals and eventually lay dead on the floor of the forum Brennus. High King Everard does bring about a positive development in the league – his promotion of the Catholic God causes a backlash, sending many into the arms of the traditional pantheon (as many more people in the League worshiped other gods besides Teutates it in effect greatly diminished the influence of the Rhineland and their chief deity).

In 1250, after years of conquest, the Mongols receive envoys from the Catholic Church. The Mongols were already familiar with the Faith from travelers along the Julian Road (some among the Mongols even practiced). It is perhaps this direct missionary contact that causes the Mongol Empire to split more along religious lines. The Golden Horde and the Mongol Empire (the lands of the Great Khan) had a large Christian base, while the Ilkhantate followed Mehrdad’s teachings, Oegediid Khanate Buddhism (carrying the philosophy for the first time over the Indus), and finally the Chagataii Khanate which tended, like the Chi Empire, to have an equal number of Buddhist and Confusist.

There is a major outbreak of small pox in North Alrikia (affecting both native and colonial populations alike). The disease will cross the Mississippi by 1220, eventually burning out in the southwest but not before devastating the Mound Builder’s of the south and the Anasazi of the west. None of the Iron Age knowledge that preceded the plague would help the victims of the pandemic. It is a wonder how history would have been changed if the Lusitanians had been able to take advantage of the depopulating of the native peoples in the north. However, several wars of their own will leave them in no position to take charge of any more territory – and in fact, this century will see them loosing and fighting to maintain what they already controlled. For all of the Lusitanians trade (usually enforced trade) with the natives of the New World, it is largely not they that bring Old World knowledge across the ocean. They didn’t even trade Iron Age weapons with their closest allies, the Chimu and the Mayan – though the Mayan will get the knowledge through contact with the League. The Chimu would not be so lucky and it is this disadvantage that marks their downfall when the Incans (supplied by their ally, Ghana, with superior weapons and tactics) break from and takeover the Chimu Empire.



1201AD: High King Aylmer dies. The Gallic League passes to his son Harold (II) (1201-1222).

The Byzantine Empire is invaded by the Mehrdadian Caliphate (1201-1204).

1204AD: Ghana and Lusitania go to war after it comes to light that Ghana had been supplying the rogue city-states in rebellion against the Chimu Empire (1204-1206).

Marlik is restored to the Caliphate.

1206AD: High King Harold II receives word that Emperor Cipactli of the Toltecs had requested from the Kingdom of Teutates aid in subduing some unrest. Harold II refuses, though it is many weeks before the message reaches the Toltecs by which time the unrest in the Toltec Empire had grown into a rebellion of several cities.

Temujin comes to power and is given the title Gengis Khan.

1210AD: Gengis Khan launches his Mongol army at the Chi Empire and central Asia.

1214AD: After 4 years of battling along the Great Wall the Khan’s armies are unable to make any significant breakthroughs – due in no small part to the liquid fire supplied by Egyptian trade ships. Though he will make periodic attacks against the Chi most of the Khan’s armies are shifted west and south to central Asia where his swift moving and deadly cavalry have made contact with Bactria.

1217AD: Some of Gengis Khan’s army strikes north into Siberia.

1218AD: Lusitania and Ghana declare war on each other (1218-1230).

1219AD: Still weakened by the lengthy civil war of the latter half of the 12th century Bactria is unable to resist the Mongol horde and is conquered (though sections of the kingdom will continue to maintain their independence by becoming tributary states).

1220AD: The Caliphate and the Sultanate are attacked by the Mongols.

1221AD: A truce is called between Lusitania and Ghana.

1222AD: High King Harold II dies. During his reign he was sympathetic to the darker side of the Order of Teutates and as such many of the rituals that had been suppressed began to resurface. It was perhaps this dabbling in the “dark arts” as well as Harold’s stern and often abrasive nature that gave his son Everard an opposite personality. Everard, who would rule after his father (1222-1231), was unlike any of the Teutonii rulers to date. He was non-confrontational and uninterested in war, as well as being a Christian.

The Holy Alliance begins their war on Egypt (1222-1228).

1223AD: High King Everard had been an unpopular choice of successor when named but his actions in the year after his coronation only deepened the gulf between himself and the citizens of the League. High King Everard publicly announces at the Oghma gathering in Samhain that he plans on bringing the virtues of the True Faith to the League. Within the next few months he tours several cities (the first one being ancient Syracuse) and orders the construction of new churches and a cathedral in Syracuse, Alesia, and Rome.

Talks between Lusitania and Ghana break down and they are at war once again. Joining in the war this time will be a new state, the Incas. Their involvement, however, will be sporadic as most of their attention was on finishing off the Chimu Empire.

1225AD: High King Everard orders the arrests of many prominent druids (citing the practice of blood sacrifices as the reason). He also orders that missionaries should travel to the New World (Fadeyrianists make up the first waves) and allows Catholic missionaries from Neos Syracuse and the Holy Alliance to enter the League.

Damascus falls to the Holy Alliance.

The Khan’s army enters Khazar and then later that year Novgorod – both are unprepared as most of their armies were battling in Egypt.

1226AD: Gengis Khan attempts a major assault on the Chi Empire, attacking from his holdings in central Asia. While his other warlords attack and make significant gains in Novgorod and Khazar (gains that force the Holy Alliance to order their armies home from Egypt).

King Berk of the Byzantine Empire, the son of the recently deceased King Korian (died in 1225), rises up against the Holy Alliance (1226-1228).

The first church is built in the New World (it will eventually bear the name St. Everard – though in 1450 it is burned and rebuilt starting around the year 1500 and rededicated to Teutates).

1227AD: Gengis Khan dies. For the next 3 years the Mongol warlords will return to discus and vote on their next leader.

The Egyptian forts along the Grand Canal are captured. Jerusalem is put under siege. Alexandria is put under siege.

1228AD: The Great Fire of Alesia. Though there had been several fires in the capital over the years this was the first to burn down ¾ of the city (it reportedly started in the Fadeyrianists quarter but quickly spread to the rest of the city; damaging both the Forum Brennus and the High Council’s Nemonton). Though probably started by citizens angry over the recent edict preventing night worship, consumption of wine on Sunday, and the forbiddance of trade on Sunday, High King Everard used the event to remake the capital in his image.

Alexandria is breached, however, the Alliance army is under supplied and exhausted this allowed for the city to be recaptured 10 days later. A month later the forts along the Grand Canal, those that weren’t razed during the withdraw of the Holy Alliance, are recaptured. By Bealtaine all but Damascus is under the control of the Holy Alliance and Patriarch Ignatius III seeks a quick truce and soon after a formal treaty (Damascus is returned to Egypt and Cyprus, which was captured by Egypt in the final months of the war, is given back to Byzantium).

1230AD: King Cadell Fiallan of Teutates receives word that 5 Catholic missionaries are captured by rival city-states and put to death. This arouses no response from either the war chief or the King as neither were happy hosting the Christians. To prevent the need to go to war, war chief Hueil orders the withdraw of all Fadeyrianists (who were Gallic citizens and so their deaths would warrant a response) back to Teutates and allied cities.

Ogedei, Temujin’s son, takes control of the Mongol armies. His first act as the Great Khan is to subdue several client kingdoms in former Bactria that had risen up during the past few years.

1231AD: High King Everard forbids the ritualistic coupling during the spring celebrations. By Lughnasadh the Oghma is calling for Everard to abdicate – he refuses. Though there must have been dozens of challenges it was an Anantii by the name of Boamawny (an Oghma representative from Greater Carthage) who acted first. He delivered Everard’s body to the High Council, where proof that the encounter was a challenge and not a murder was offered by the High King’s Algiz. They verified that Boamawny approached the High Monarch, offered his challenge, and then ran Everard through as he tried to step behind his guards. Boamawny is crowned High King in the following weeks (1231-1246) and over the next year will reverse all of High King Everard’s edicts. Boamawny’s response is no mystery when you consider that his decisive action came after it was apparent that High King Everard had no supporters; I’m also certain that factoring into the event was the fact that Boamawny was of the Cult of Amon-Re who, much like Scanza, had a deep historical resentment towards Catholics. One wonders what Boamawny and the rest of the Cult of Amon-Re community felt when Everard become a martyr for the Catholic cause – he was later canonized.

1232AD: The Mongols renew the assault on Khazar and Novgorod.

The Mayan Empire and Lusitania go to war (1232-1234) – nothing comes of the conflict as the war was fought mainly on the ocean.

1233AD: High King Boamawny resumes the construction of the cathedrals started by Everard (adding Carthage to the list of cities to receive a similar house of worship). Initially this carries much resentment within the Oghma who begin to see unwanted similarities between Boamawny and Everard. However Boamawny’s popularity and the promise to order the expulsion of all Catholic missionaries within the League eases many concerns. Tensions between the Holy Alliance and the League mount but the Mongol presence kept a war from erupting.

1235AD: The death of a Fadeyrianists at the hands of a Toltec priest sparks several skirmishes between Gallic and Toltec soldiers (the Fadeyrianist was trying to stop the sacrifice of a child when he was killed).

Dacia begins their war to free themselves of the Holy Alliance (1235-1237).

1236AD: Lusitania faces native uprisings in their controlled territories along the Amazon River (1236-1242).

1239AD: Ogedei leads a major incursion into the Mehrdadian Caliphate (and later into the Sultanate, Byzantine Empire, and even on into Egypt).

1241AD: The Fenrir Desert Wars (1241-1247).

High King Boamawny returns to Greater Carthage to settle the nomads that had once again begun to raid along the Gallic border (though during this time it is not discovered, it is noteworthy to state that this represents Kenem’s only significant action taken during this century – for it was Kenem gold that funded the attacks on the League, some Berber kings even took it upon themselves to raid the Egyptian Empire).

Before the conquest of the Caliphate and the Sultanate can be completed Ogedei dies. His death ends the Mongol push west as once again all the war lords return east to fight amongst themselves for control of the armies.

1242AD: By middle of this year cities as far into Egypt as Alexandria had felt the sting of the Mongol invasion. The Egyptian army, whose chariots were a match for the Mongol cavalry, are able to beat back the invasion (by the end of the year the Mongols had pulled back from much of the territory they had gained in their lighting strikes – though this had more to do with the internal conflicts being faced).

1243AD: Guyuk, Ogedei’s son, is recognized by many of the war lords as the heir but his hold on command is tenuous as he is constantly challenged.

1246AD: High King Boamawny dies while battling in the Fenrir Desert and passes the League to his daughter Davia (1246-1271). Davia will continue her father’s fight, suffering several injuries and gaining a reputation for charging in without sufficient support. Davia was not a follower of Amon-Re but did share her father’s dislike of Teutates (the god). She commissions the construction of several new temples to her own patron, the father god Dogda, as a means to promote and increase the influence of other Gallic gods. Although, unlike past temples which were often secluded these would borrow from the Cathedrals completed by her father, these temples will be large and feature a new architectural design – a bell tower.

Dacia is invaded by the Mongols.

The Mexicas, a mercenary group that (along with the Kingdom of Teutates) had been helping the Toltecs form and maintain their empire, begin distancing themselves from their benefactors (over the next 20 years the Mexicas will carve out and establish their own kingdom a little north of the Toltecs).

1247AD: Davia brings the Desert war to an end. The desert land will be distinguished as a conquered territory, bring it under the direct control of the High Monarch. Davia sets up a series of forts in the area, their chief purpose is to house and protect the tax collectors that will roam the desert landscape to keep an eye on the tribes and filtch enough gold and goods from them so as they can never grow to be a problem again. There were problems with these measures; it left the tribes vulnerable even more so to bribery from outside sources, and there was no way for a tribe to prove that they had already been visited by a collector and would often be taxed several times over a given season.

Scanza is invaded by the Mongols. For the next 3 years raids will dive deep into the Scandinavian heartland.

1248AD: Guyuk dies. His sudden death comes at a time when the factions within the Mongols were about to erupt against him. Instead the various families, the heads of which were all in some way related to Gengis Khan, fell on each other (sometimes by way of military action but most often via political maneuvering).

1251AD: Mongka is hailed by many of the powerful families as the new leader of the Mongols. His rise to Khan forces many other families (specifically the Ogedeii, who travel south out of Mongolia proper to set up their own Khanates – which of course paid homage to Mongka). Homage or not, Mongka probably would have perused these factions had his attention not been preoccupied with the conquest of the Chi Empire. As a grandson of the Great Temujin he felt it was his duty to complete the task left unfinished. But as before with Gengis Khan the Great Wall will hold and shifting the assault to the south will fail when Mongka is killed in battle.

1252AD: Mongka attacks the Chi Empire.

King Inaros of Egypt, taking advantage of the Sultanate’s weakened state, and the Mongol pause, declares war on the Sultanate (1252-1255).

1255AD: Mongka dies in battle. His death sends the great Mongol horde into civil war. Batu, the head of Mongka’s family and a major warlord within the Mongol armies, decides to ignore the call of the kuriltai (Mongol war council) and the civil war and heads west where his armies waited for him.

1256AD: Batu’s Golden Horde strikes into Khazar, Novgorod, Scanza, and Dacia.

1258AD: The Mehrdadian Caliphate is conquered by the Ogedeii Khanate.

1259AD: The Mongol War (1259-1273)

The Golden Horde strikes the Vistula and the Danube; the forts along the Danube hold and repel the incursion but the warriors along the Vistula are overrun by the Mongol light cavalry. Within a month the Gallic army out from Kelheim (mostly Gallic light cavalry) crosses the Vistula into Dacian territory in persuit of the Golden Horde.

The Kamiharou battle briefly with the Mongols over the conquest of Khmer.

1260AD: Ambassadors from Egypt arrive asking High Queen Davia to join them in the war against the Mongols. Davia agrees and send the army from Mezek to join the Egyptians (Davia will travel with the army to Egypt but will not participate in any of the battles – twice as many Algiz were ordered to travel with her by the High Council and the Oghma to make sure of this).

Kublai, Mongka brother, comes to power in Mongolia and ends the civil wars. By the time of his ascension though much of the cohesion of the expansive empire had been lost and most certainly all of the westward push had lost its momentum. Though theoretically he ruled over all of the Mongol lands in truth the separate Khanates were mostly independent.

1261AD: The forests of the north had stalled the war in Dacia as neither of the elite cavalry armies were able to inflict a large enough victory to force a retreat of the other. The war in Egypt moved along much better, by the end of the year the combined armies of Egypt and the League were able to push the Mongol raids out of Egyptian territory.

1263AD: The Byzantine Empire and the Muawiyah Sultanate join the Gallic/Egyptian army – though neither the small Byzantium or Sultanate armies every meet on the same field of battle; Byzantium’s army will fight along the Tigris and Euphrates while the Sultanate cross the Persian Gulf to attack the Ogedeii Khanate in the former Mehrdadian Caliphate.

1265AD: The Egypt/Gallic army suffer a defeat at the Indus, caught in mid crossing (following what they thought was a rapidly retreating Mongol force) they are outflanked – some of their army was in the river, some on the west bank, and the rest on the east bank.

The retreat is disorderly and the Mongol counter charge pushes Egypt/Gallic army back into the Caliphate. Both the Byzantine and the Sultanate faction withdraw back to their own borders – choosing to defend rather than attack (though both will enter into a brief war in the following year as they race to lay claim to territory under no ones direct control).

Khazar is reduced to a few strongholds in the Ural Mountains and forts along the Caspian Sea and the Volga River (King Yuri of Novgorod calls an end to the Holy Alliance). The major victory over Khazar allows more of the Golden Horde to focus on the Gallic army. This shift helps push the battle back to the Vistula.

Kublai Khan renews the attack on the Chi Empire by assaulting Nihon by sea (Kublai is never able to make significant gains in Nihon and after 5 years of fighting he is driven from the islands).

1268AD: The Golden Horde crosses the Danube, taking Mezek, but are forced to retreat back over the Danube before the end of the year. In the south, the Mongol advance is halted near Baghdad.

1269AD: Both Dacia and Scanza send their own forces to battle the Golden Horde, the multi fronts forces the Mongols to retreat back over the Urals.

1270AD-1273AD: Scanza, Dacia, and Novgorod begin fighting amongst themselves as Dacia tries to reassert itself as a power in the region. Byzantium and the Sultanate formally withdraw their forces from the southern campaign. The break down in communication and cooperation allows both the Golden Horde and the Ogedeii Khanate to secure their positions, turning the war into a series of raids and skirmishes.

1271AD: High Queen Davia dies. The crown had been meant for her eldest child Ula but she died in the war against the Mongols in 1269 outside Baghdad. Davia had one other child, prince Kemen who was - to quote a contemporary - “frightening to look upon”. A childhood illness had left his face scared and disfigured. He was also “weak in body and mind” and often overlooked by his mother who showered attention on Ula but often left Kemen out of public ceremonies. So it was with reluctance that Davia named Kemen as her successor, he was crowned three days after her death (1271-1282). It was after Davia’s death that High King Kemen began relying heavily on his war council for aid in not only conducting the war but in running the League. One war chief in particular comes to the forefront of these private meetings, war chief Tara Sogail of the Aquatanii (over the next 2 years many members of the war council found themselves sent to the various fronts – everyone of them died soon after reaching their assignments).

1273AD: At the advice of his trusted war chief, High King Kemen signs a peace treaty with both the Golden Horde and the Ogedeii Khanate (The Khanate makes a separate peace with Egypt and the other empires).

Emperor Chen Li Xuan signs a treaty with the Mongol warlord Kong Chagatai. Later this year Emperor Chen Li declares war on Kublai Khan (1273-1281).

Emperor Coatl of the Toltecs and the ruler of the Mexican peoples enter into a brief war when Mexica refuses to send soldiers and tribute to the Toltecs (as neither side had the recourses at the time to wage a major conflict the war fizzles out over a few months).

1274AD: High King Kemen, 15 years the senior, marries Tara.

1279AD: The Ogedeii Khanate launches a seaborne attack of the Kamiharou. The attack fails and a truce is called before the end of the year.

1282AD: High King Kemen dies. The Gallic League passes to his wife Tara Sogail (1282-1312).

1284AD: The Toltecs and the Mexicians enter into a period of border disputes (raids and skirmishes will be fought for the next 10 years).

1286AD: High Queen Tara sends 200 fresh soldiers and a new war chief to the Kingdom of Teutates after the conflict between the Toltecs and the Mexicians spills over into Gallic territory (the High Queen demands that King Baran (the current king of Teutates) seek reparations from both parties and is told to warn them that if such action threaten Gallic borders again then war would be declared on both).

1290AD: Egyptian merchant ships meant for trade with the Kamiharou are blown off course and discover a desert land south of the charted waters (though we know today that the land was first discovered by Kamiharou sailors sometime during the 10th century).

1294AD: Egyptian ships return to the uncharted desert land, this time making contact with the indigenous aboriginal tribes.

1296AD: The Toltec Empire and the Mexican Empire erupt into open war. Both sides seek the Kingdom of Teutates as an ally. At the advice of war chief Iain (a cousin of High Queen Tara) King Baran sends word to the League about the situation.

1297AD: Before the High Queen can answer war chief Iain is killed. The Toltecs, in an effort to end their conflict with the Mexicans, raided the home in Teutates where Tezcacoatl (the king of the Mexicas) was staying – Iain was killed saving the king’s life (there is no word why the war chief was at the house, perhaps this is proof that King Baran was choosing to side with the Mexicas?). The death of the war chief bring Teutates in on the side of the Mexixas, within a week King Baran has appointed his own war chief and ordering his soldiers into Toltec territory.

1298AD: Egypt sets up their own outpost in what will be called Australia.



The 14th century will bring a new threat out of the northern steppes. The Black Plague will strike the Chi Empire first and from there make its way clock ways around the world. Between 1320 and about 1360 the world will be in the grips of the deadly disease. Preceding this outbreak will be the Great Famine that started in 1315 and will affect a number of the western empires leaving them even more vulnerable to the Black Death. When the wars of the century are factored into the death toll this becomes the most devastating 100 years in human existence (1/3 and some scholars estimate it at ½ of the world’s population was killed over a period of about 40 years).


1300AD: High Queen Tara receives news about the outbreak of war in the New World. More disturbing to her however is the news that King Baran had appointed his own war chief after the death of the Queen’s cousin Iain. Within weeks ships, supplies, 500 soldiers, and a new war chief are making their way across the Atlantic.

King Baran welcomes the ships, supplies, and soldiers, but not so much the new war chief (he was certainly not ingratiated when he also learned that his war chief was relieved of command). The war with the Toltecs will continue for 3 more years and during which King Baran will always make sure that the High Queen’s war chief and soldiers were stationed in the front lines.

1303AD: A truce is called between the Toltecs and the Kingdom of Teutates. A number of scuffles and skirmishes had broken out within King Baran’s armies as soldier directly loyal to him and those still loyal to the High Queen begin to clash. The Mexicans and the Toltecs make a separate truce over the next few months.

1304AD: The Mongol Empire attacks the Chi Empire (1304-1306).

1305AD: King Baran faces a rebellion within his armies when war chief Gall marches on the palace. Gall isn’t able to take the palace and retreats into the jungle where he will continue to battle Baran’s forces over the next 6 years.

1308AD: Buddhist monks transcribing agricultural manuscripts come upon Liao Ruan’s collective works (Liao Ruan was an alchemist from the 10th century – his early experiments proved explosive and so he labeled his work as too dangerous for use in farming).

1311AD: War chief Gall is killed, ending the rebellion in the Kingdom of Teutates.

1312AD: High Queen Tara dies with no heirs and no husband. With no direct family to lay a claim to the throne in the name of the Aquatani or the Anantii houses the High Council initiates the 6th Regency (1312-1317).

1313AD: King Baran renews his war with the Toltecs (once again appointing his own war chief – he manages to keep this, as well as the death of war chief Gall, a secret from the High Monarch by maintaining a strict control over the port cities).

1315AD: The Great Famine begins in this year due to cooling climates and several wetter than usual seasons (the Gallic League, Scanza, Dacia, and Novgorod are hit the hardest by this disaster). Access to grain from other kingdoms and maize from across the Atlantic softens the devastating effect of the disaster but deaths due to starvation and illness mount into the millions.

1317AD: The Oghma elects Athdar Kent, a Vate from the Venetii house of Northern Gaul (1317-1330).

King Baran dies. His son Gannon assumes the throne though he isn’t officially crowned the new king until the following year when approval from High King Athdar is received (1318-1351).

1320AD: Over the last three years High King Athdar increased the number of ships sailing between the Gallic League and the Kingdom of Teutates – the primary use of these ships was trading for food substances to offset the famine in Gaul. By this year the worst of the famine had ended though food supplies will continue to be low for the next decade.

By the end of the year the Toltecs have been defeated by the Teutions and Mexicas. Tolan will continue to maintain a level of importance as a regional capital but will be ruled by an official appointed by King Gannon.

Raids between the Byzantine Empire and the Muawiyah Khanate flares into open warfare (1320-1326).

The first appearance of the Great Plague in the Chi Empire.

1325AD: King Gannon, King Mazatl (of Mexica), and Minister Nopaltzin (of the Tolan region) sign a series of treaties and trade agreements that essentially unites the areas into one empire.

The Chi Empire is attacked by the Mongol Empire (1225-1228) – during this war gunpowder (or flash powder, as it was called at the time) is first used. It is deployed in a limited fashion as a scare tactic.

Kamiharou encounter the plague. Whole islands are abandoned. Probably one of the more interesting stories from the plague years comes from the Kamiharou. In order to protect himself, Emperor Minamoto sat in his throne protected by a circle of fire while the outbreak in the city was put under control. From this point onward through history we see a distancing between the Kamiharou Emperor and his people.

1327AD: The Kamiharou begin halting Chi trade ships, sparking war between the two empires (1327-1329).

1330D: High King Athdar dies, for his efforts in combating the Great Famine he will always be celebrated as one of the Leagues greatest Monarchs. The celebration of his life gives way to a month long period of morning after which his daughter Carling assumes the throne (1330-1341).

1332AD: The Chagataii Khanate invades the Chi Empire (1332-1335). The Chagatai are able to overrun the unfinished defenses along the western Chi border (left unfinished due to the Plague). They ravage and lay claim to large segments of the western Chi Empire before being stopped.

1334AD: Scanza founds Bergen at the mouth of a massive bay (OTL Chesapeake Bay). This becomes the southern terminus of the Scandinavian incursion into North Alrikia. The subtropical weather and the rallying of the native tribes (who had become well versed in making and using iron weapons) force a halt to colonization.

1338AD: The Chi Empire develops the first rockets (they become very popular for use during celebrations).

1340AD: The Great Plague reaches the Sultanate and the Ogedei Khanate, within a few months it strikes the Byzantine and Egyptian Empires.

Khazar and Novgorod declare war on the Golden Horde (1340-1345). The war is conducted separately, an aspect the Golden Horde uses to their advantage as several times during the war Khazar and Novgorod halt their attacks on the Mongols to fight between each other.

Kamiharou sailors sight the west cost of North Alrikia.

1341AD: The Great Plague reaches the Gallic League (the League’s sanitation and quarantined measures will help keep most areas of the empire from feeling the affects of the disease). The first city to fall to the illness is Shair Cashtal. Making port there are two ships from Tigris Euphrates region of the Byzantine Empire (the dead onboard out numbered the living – hardly a person left alive was free of the illness). Similar ships, not all of them refugees but merchant ships unknowingly carrying the disease, dock at other ports around the League. As news of these outbreaks reach the Oghma they immediately demand that the sick be quarantined.

High Queen Carling issues orders that the healthy should be evacuated from the quarantined areas. She herself will ride to Rome to help in the evacuation of the population. Her actions were made with the best of intentions but her humanitarian efforts only succeed in spreading the plague to other parts of the League. In Marta of this year, High Queen Carling dies in the outbreak that consumed Alesia. Her daughter Onora, serving as a weigh station rider between Kelheim and Alesia, is hastily crowned High Queen in the following days (1341-1345).

1342AD: Onora halts her mother’s initiative to save the healthy from the disease as every town and area where refugees were moved was soon stricken by the plague. Healthy or sick, whole towns, ports, and regions (in the case of Italia) were put under strict quarantine (only food, druids, and doctors were allowed to enter a quarantine zone once the army was put into place).

A ship bound for the Egyptian outpost in Australia runs aground. By the time it is discovered it is too late, the Plague had come to these shores. Within months the Egyptians are forced to abandon the outpost, leaving the Aboriginal tribes to fend for themselves (the desert landscape of Australia and the nomadic nature of the Aborigines does limit the spread of the disease).

The Plague reaches Dacia, Khazar, Novgorod, and the Il-Khanate.

The Chagataii Khanate invades the Chi Empire (1342-1346). Rockets, though in limited deployment, will make their first appearance in warfare. From the opening charge of the Chagati the war would not fall in their favor, they are defeated again and again.

1343AD: The Plague appears in Scanza – in two years it spreads to their colonies in North Alrikia.

1345AD: High Queen Onora dies while helping to enforce the quarantine of several Saluvii towns under revolt in southern Gaul. Onora had no children and no immediate relatives; in the chaos of the ravaging plague the High Council institutes the 7th Regency (1345-1347).

The Great Plague reaches Ghana (the empire’s slave population is devastated – though this doesn’t deter the savage practice as Lusitania steps in, making a tidy profit, and begins selling slaves captured in North and South Alrikia).

Il-Khanate is attacked by the Mongol Empire (1345-1348).

1346AD: The Chi Empire conquers the Chagatii Khanate.

1347AD: The Lusitanian War (1347-1351).

Suffering from the plague themselves the Lusitanian Triumvirate takes it upon themselves to start sinking Gallic ships (as the plague came to Lusitania via trade with the League). The High Council calls the Oghma to order and elections are held for the new High Monarch. Bebinn Folke of the Unaii from the Danube River becomes the next High Queen of the Gallic League (1347-1374). She was a respected war chief before becoming a Vate to the Oghma for the Greeklands.

1348AD: With no new reports of outbreaks within the League in the past year High Queen gathered an army and marched towards Lusitania. Over the last 80 years the Lusitanians had built up their defenses along the shared border with the League. Forts and walls now stood between the Gallic army and Lusitania. No major breakthrough is made in the next two years of war along the border.

1350AD: The Gallic navy lands an army on the two major islands in the Mayan Sea. The forts and outpost there were not a heavily guarded and the Gallic war chiefs found a ready militia among the natives who had been enslaved and mistreated by the Lusitanians.

Byzantium declares war on the Ogedei Khanate (the motivation for this seems to stem from restlessness in the armies and among the population as the Empire tries to recuperate from the Great Plague).

Corruption in the handling of the conquered Chagataii people sparks a populous revolt in the former Khanate and the western Chi Empire.

Kamiharou sailors land on the west cost of North Alrikia but do not stay.

1351AD: With the loss of the islands in the Mayan Sea and trouble with their holdings in North and South Alrikia (due in part to Gallic support given to the natives) the Triumvirate decides the war had become far too expensive to continue and offers peace. The League will keep the islands but for the time being will only build military ports – the islands become a Gallic Protectorate. The Lusitanian war however will bring the plague to these lands further devastating an already devastated population. By the end of the next century not enough of the native population will be in existence to warrant maintaining their home rule and the islands will be formally annexed into the League as a conquered territory.

King Gannon (and much of the royal family) dies when the plague surges through Teutates. The kingdom falls under the control of the ministers and a group of shipping merchants.

1353AD: By order of the Minister of Tolan the city and the region is closed off to traffic to both Mexica and Teutates. Tochtli, King Gannon’s grandson, who led a large army in the south guarding the border with the Mayan Empire, is ordered to march on Tolan.

The Rebellion in the western Chi Empire develops into a full civil war (1353-1360).

1355AD: High Queen Bebinn VIII begins the long rebuilding of the League. Families are relocated back to their lands, homes and businesses are rebuilt, and trade lines are reestablished.

Though the war with Lusitania had ended the conflict between the two empires would continue. Gallic pirates will begin striking Lusitanian ships and colonies and continue to do so for a number of centuries (eventually falling on other nation’s shipping and colonies as well). The first of these men and women to be labeled by the term is a man by the name of Bowdyn Dallas or Bowdyn “the Bard” (it is said he tended to quote poetry…in battle, if you can believe it). He ravaged trade routes for only 10 years before being caught and beheaded by the Lusitanians so very little else is known about him. Though Bowdyn was the first, he was not the last, and although officially all pirates would be declared outlaws by the High Monarchs unofficially most were welcomed and supported by the League.

Tolan is recaptured and the last vestiges of the Toltec Empire are torn down. With the successful conquest of Tolan and continued death at the hands of the virulent plague Tochtli is convinced by his aids and his soldiers to take the Teutates throne for himself (Tochtli was a soldier with no interest in politics, who even with his bloodline, demanded that he rise through the ranks on his own merits, and so was not easily swayed into marching on the capital).

1356AD: Tochtili is crowned king of the Kingdom of Teutates (no word is sent to the Gallic League).

1357AD: Il-Khanate attacks the Ogedeii Khanate (1357-1369).

1360AD: The Chi Emperor is able to quell the civil war in the west.

1362AD: With help from local Mehrdadian followers the Il-Khanate is able to win a major victory against the Ogedeii and conquer much of the former Caliphate.

1366AD: Though it had been 5 years since any outbreaks the famine caused by the disease still killed thousands in the New World. Ties between the Teutions and the Mexicans nearly broke during the height of the Black Death. King Tochtili, though kind to his people, held a militant attitude to outsiders and so communications with Mexica continued to be tense. By Samhain the border skirmishes had flared up into open war (1366-1374).

1368AD: Egyptian scholars solve the of problem efficiency in regards to linking the Vesuvian Engine with the Egyptian water pump. The new mechanical device helps bring irrigation to otherwise inhospitable regions.

1369AD: The Ogedeii and the Il-Khanate sign a treaty.

1374AD: High Queen Bebinn VIII dies. Her son Hefeydd is given the throne of the Gallic League (1374-1403).

King Tochtili defeats Mexica.

Gallic miners begin using the mechanical water pump to pump water from deep mines (the machine is also used to pipe fresh water to the parched territory of the Fenrir Desert).

A doctor by the name of Muhammad Al-Assim Asha living in Baghdad publishes his works entitled, War and Disease (primarily it describes the transfer of different illnesses between populations, how these diseases ravage the body, and how these diseases can be treated).

1380AD: Khazar renews their war with the Golden Horde (1380-1387).

1381AD: Emperor Yoritsune, fresh from an illness that kept him in bed for the last 9 months, proclaims that he was now a god having been visited by Tangaroa (the Kamiharou god of the sea and creation). According to Yoritsune, as a bird the great god stood before Yoritsune and called him brother, and said that all the land touched by the sea shall be his. With this insight in mind Emperor Yoritsune sends out ships to continue colonizing the surrounding islands.

1382AD: There had been no word with the Kingdom of Teutates in over 2 years (which had gone largely unnoticed as contact with the conquered territory had been seldom since the end of the Lusitanian war). High King Hefeydd sends a ship to reestablish contact with the Teutions.

1384AD: A second envoy is sent to the Kingdom of Teutates (this time 3 ships are included).

King Tochtili dies and passes the throne to his son Quauhtli.

The Kamiharou establish a colony on the west cost of North Alrikia.

1385AD: High King Hefeydd sends a message to his navy in the Mayan Sea to make contact with the Teutions (there were only a few hundred Gallic soldiers and 12 ships maintaining a patrol in the Mayan Sea at this time).

1387AD: Word reaches the High King that the Kingdom of Teutates has declared its independence.

The Golden Horde collapses into warring factions; the strongest of these minor kingdoms becomes the Kipchak Khanate.

1390AD: The Teution War for Independence (1390-1396).

The first fleet sent to reclaim the Kingdom of Teutates is ambushed by a combined Mayan/Teution fleet. The only members of the armada to survive were those that were captured – many of those there later sacrificed. This burnt up any leverage the Kingdom of Teutates had with the Order back in the League. Although the Order danced with the idea of reviving the ancient ways of worship (and some would still practice such ways in private) decades of angry backlash towards such things and the most recent sacrifice of Teutonic Knights by the Teutions brought the majority of the Order around to the reality of the situation. High ranking druids within the Order began making the distinction between the Teutions and the Order very clear. Slips of wisdom such as “Teutates tells us not to back down from a fight but it is murder to kill those who are already vanquished” and “War is good for the soul but the death of the defeated taints the honor of a house” began circulating through the League.

Though the cry for conquest was even greater now, the League’s efforts would be limited due to the loss of so many ships during the first armada. Although several more attempts will be made none of these later campaigns will meet with much success.

1396AD: The High Council pushes High King Hefeydd to call for a truce with the Teutions.
 
Gallic League pt.5

The 15th Century brings into the world the “Mechanical Revolution”. This period is also called the century of discovery as a number of scientific and technological discoveries are made. Not every empire will partake of these innovations as many of these were labor saving devices that would have put their slave economies into ruin.

For the Gallic League the discoveries of the 15th century came at a time of a labor and financial shortage. Into this monetary vacuum comes the development of private banks within the League. The High Monarchs of this century sought funding from the nobles and wealthy merchants to back the overseas ventures such as the 2nd Teution Independence War and the Cherokee Confederation.

There was more than just an awakening of inventions that marked this century there was also 3 major shifts in long standing Gallic traditions. Perhaps the first of these was unavoidable given the famine, plague, and shrinking treasury of the League – the weakening of the Gallic military. The League had always had a small standing army (between 100,000 and 75,000) but records from the time show active warriors at no more than approximately 60,000 and most of them guarded the Dacian border. Conversely to this was the rise in the number of elite units within the military, in part due to the Order of Teutates taking over the fight schools and in part due to the continued use of the same unites. The second is the dying out of the great houses such as the Boii and the Norii as citizens began preferring their clan or family names (an example of this is one of this century’s chief scientists Bruce Y Ovin Kelvin de Nori – who never went by anything other than Bruce Kelvin). It is doubtful that the third change was detected at this time but looking back through history it is easy to pinpoint the 15th century as the beginning of the end for the Weigh Station Riders.

Egypt will share in the inventions of this century, accepting some of the discoveries even better than the League - I speak of course of their earlier use of both the printing press and flash powder. The use of both of these though would be kept mainly to the area of religion.

Lusitania and Ghana would continue their love hate relationship. Despite their periodic conflicts (sometimes through 3rd parties, i.e. the Incans) they were still each others chief trading partners. Lusitania, unlike Ghana, will adopt many of the marvels of the Mechanical Revolution and this in part may be why Ghana suffered repeated revolts and civil wars during this time and Lusitania was able to increase their holdings. It is the Lusitanian success that brings them into conflict with the natives they continued to exploit and enslave and the Gallic League (which, due to some political backdooring, they go to war with over the issue of the slave trade).

The Kamiharou settlements will find an initial boost to their colonial efforts by the fact the natives (already sailors and traders in their own right) accepted them as gods – use of flash powder helped with this charade. By the time the truth is discovered the Kamiharou are there to stay.

For the Christian Kingdoms it is a period of great turmoil. After the purges of the previous century there was no one left to blame but an inattentive God. It seems that every other day there was a new preacher claming to have found the new path to righteousness. Most of these schisms were smothered under the boot of the Patriarch’s loyal soldier (the crimson guard) or by local authorities. But the Kingdoms had more than just religious turmoil to occupy their time, the Mongol empires made sure of that. For the Mongols the raids of other kingdoms were merely ploys by an ever changing line of rulers trying to maintain supremacy in between wars, civil wars, and famines that pitted one Mongol nation against the other.



1400AD-1406AD: The Second War for Teution Independence (though there are some that argue the first war had never ended and the Teution War for Independence started in 1390 and ended in 1406 with simply a 4 year period of rearmament between 1396 and 1400).

1400AD: High King Hefeydd seeks help from wealthy families to revitalize the diminished treasury. Though this marks the beginning of private banks within the Gallic League the banking system had been known since the heyday of the Kingdom of Judea. Not only had the Pharisees built great libraries and museums (most were later destroyed during the Mehrdadian conquest) but they also found themselves the Keepers of great vaults of wealth (as well as lenders) when the Patriarch of Neos Syracuse passed an edict making profit illegal.

Changes were made to the Gallic treasury system. No longer would the High Monarchs and the Oghma treasury be split and stipends for families with family members in the army would be significantly cut and in 1402 stopped completely (consequently enrollment in the military beyond the 2 year mandatory drops). With the private resources of the nobles and merchant class the High King was able to begin the construction of a new armada.

Before even Hefeydd sought the finances of the nobles, and within a year of the end of the first war, envoys from the League were being sent to the Mayan Empire. By Beltane negotiations had been successful in swaying the Mayan’s to become League allies. With this news and the construction of several new ships well on the way High King Hefeydd dispatches a new army. The army will land in Mayan territory and make their way towards the Kingdom of Teutates.

The Mongol Empire and the Chi Empire declare war on each other (1400-1410).

1401AD: The Battle of Nochtli Hill. A combined Gallic/Mayan army lined up along a narrow length of open land at the base of Nochtli Hill (which was about a 10 miles into Teutates territory) to face off against a much smaller Teution force. At the height of battle however the Mayan’s switched sides again – there was talk of Lusitanian interference but nothing was ever proven. Surrounded, the Gallic army cut through the human noose and fought their way to the top of Nochtli Hill where they defended themselves for 3 days before being overwhelmed and captured.

For the rest of this year Mayan and Teution shores and shipping will be raided by the handful of ships and soldiers stationed on the islands of the Mayan Sea.

1402AD: The armada meant to hit the city of Teutates makes landfall on the Mayan peninsula instead. For the next 2 years, while raids on Teution ships and coast continue, the Gallic army will conquer the Mayan Empire (during the First War for Independence and the Battle of Nochtli Hill the Gallic army was made up of mostly foot soldiers, when the full strength of the Gallic League landed on the Mayan Empire the army was made up mostly of the Gallic light and heavy cavalry – though the Mayan’s had become familiar with domesticated animals such as the horse since first contact they were not ready for the power of such animals when it came to their use in war).

The Egyptian Empire builds the first steam engine.

1403AD: High King Hefeydd dies. His son Bowdyn (III) vows at his coronation that his father’s wish for the utter defeat of the Mayans and Teutions would be granted (1403-1423).

Byzantium declares war on Khazar (1403-1407).

1404AD: The conquest of the Kingdom of Teutates begins. Hoping to bring the war to a quick close High King Bowdyn III distracts the Teution army with several false incursions into their territory before making his real push on the kingdom’s capital from land and sea. With most of King Xicohtencatl army out tracking down the Gallic guerilla attacks the city of Teutates would have to fight without relief for 5 days. The Teution King himself will lead one of the final counter attacks, taking 43 arrows before finally falling – if stories can be believed. When the news of the King’s death was taken to the other cities most capitulated rather than face extinction. King Xicohtencatl’s armies were not so easily convinced; they would fight on for another year and half.

1405AD: The steam engine is developed in the Gallic League (based on the Egyptian design).

1406AD: After six months the siege of Tenochtitlan (the regional capital of Mexica) ends in victory for the Gallic League. Within days the remaining war chiefs are forced to sign the Treaty of Tenochtitlan: The conquered territory of the Kingdom of Teutates and the Mayan Empire will dissolve their armies. All war ships and merchant ships will now belong to the Gallic League. The conquered territories will now be ruled by war chiefs and druids appointed by the High Monarch. All religions practices involving blood sacrifice were hereby ended.

Six months after the conquest of Teutates the Gallic League is hit by the first round of guerilla attacks (periodic crack downs forestall open revolt but the unrest rumbles here after).

1407AD: The first steam powered ship sets sail from the Massallii Arsenal (like the Egyptian ships the Gallic design is powered by two side wheel paddles). The Islands of the Mayan Sea are officially annexed.

1408AD: Flash powder is brought to the Egyptian Empire. The import serves well at different religious rituals and celebrations.

Muawiyah Sultanate attacks the Byzantine Empire in order to regain access to the Tigris and Euphrates (1408-1415). The Sultanate is never able to mount a significant threat and little is gained from the conflict.

1410AD: Egypt enters into two wars; the first is with Kanem (1410-1418) the second occurs several months later when Egypt tries to reestablish trade with the Aboriginals. The Aboriginals had suffered from the plague the Egyptians brought and were not as eager to reopen their native lands to trade. This series of conflicts with the Aboriginals will not be concluded until 1450.

Kanem attacks Ghana soon after declaring war on Egypt (both costal empires had been greatly weakened by plague and famine, which made them ripe for invasion as far as the Emir of Kanem thought).

There is a slave revolt in the Byzantine Empire though it is quickly subdued it does usher in a major change in Byzantine policy. The Rights of the Indentured are written in the wake of the revolt: this allows for slaves to buy themselves back from their owners.

Chi scholars begin experimenting with hallowed out logs and flash powder (over the next few years they come up with a design that is very effective at launching “shot” into an enemy).

1412AD: Flash powder makes its way into the Gallic League via trade with the Egyptian Empire. Though the flash and bang are impressive the powder does not makes an immediate impression on the people of the League (it makes even less of an impression on the people of Scanza when it reaches those lands around 1414). Making a much larger and immediate impact on Gallic culture is the completion of the Parisii School for Bardic Studies (it is to the Bards what the University of Etan at Vesuvius is to the druids). Within 20 years Paris becomes the center for music and theater within the Gallic League.

Flash powder also makes it to Lusitania in this year. Though domestically it doesn’t amount to much as a trade item, at first, when used in their overseas holdings the families find it made subduing the natives much easier.

Egypt founds New Memphis in Australia. They also conclude a treaty with Ghana to coordinate their counterattacks into Kenem.

1414AD: A druid by the name of Bruce Kelvin develops the first small pox inoculation.

Byzantine faces a rebellion (of sorts) in the conquered Khazar territories. Tax revenue plummets after the Patriarch of Neos Syracuse issues an edict that all Christians should obey God’s law and not that of the secular authority – tithes still went to the Church but taxes were not paid to the state.

1415AD: Via a trade with the Lusitanians Ghana develops their own steam engine.

Heuon Faisal begins preaching in Byzantium. His angry rhetoric not only targets the nations that have ruled and abandoned Anatolia but the ruling government as well. He spoke out against the formation of empires and instead for a return to tribal existence – small pockets of self-sufficient roaming families. Heuon Faisal will wander the Byzantine Empire as well as the Gallic League, Egyptian Empire, and the Mongol lands before returning to Byzantium to die in 1462AD.

1418AD: Ghana and Egypt conclude their war with Kanem. The Emir is deposed and the kingdom will be ruled jointly by Egypt and Ghana.

Shortly after the conclusion of the Kanem war Ghana under goes a coup. The king is deposed in a 10 day bloody revolt.

Lusitania enters into a war with the Incan Empire (1418-1421). This marks the first time Lusitania uses native levies in their armies.

1420AD-1422AD: The Cheusthie Muir War.

The Byzantine Empire declares war on the Gallic League (in their attempt to gain control of the entirety of the Cheusthie Muir). Their first strike comes at Shiar Cashtal but is repelled. Subsequent attacks come all along the Helena coast (too many to prevent) but all foot holds are kept from being resupplied by the quicker steam powered ships of the League (though the Byzantine Empire does discover that the side paddles are particularly vulnerable to ramming - it is a weakness however that they are never fully able to exploit).

The printing press reaches the Gallic League (from the Chi Empire). It will be another 10 years before the device is completely accepted by the League - mainly due to druid misgivings. The only point in history that could match the druids (the High Council included) misgivings about switching from diligent transcribing to this machine is when Kelge first put his teachings into written form.

The printing press doesn’t become widely used in Egypt either at this time as many scholars protests a machine mass producing what they consider to be a form of art (however, only a short 2 years go by before the device appears all over the Empire).

A device that makes almost an immediate impact on Egypt is the invention of the Mechanical Thresher.

Riots in Kanem, which start as food riots due to drought and loss of workforce, force Egypt to move additional troops into the region (once the riots are subdued Egypt imposes a heavy tax on Mehrdadian worshipers). Ghana, in Kanem territory directly under their control, outright forbids the worship of Mehrdad and begins murdering Kanemites (they conduct night assaults on people suspected of subversion, pulling them from their beds and leaving them dead in the streets).

1423AD: High King Bowdyn III dies, much of his reign had been focused on the pacifying of the Mayans and Teutions – even after the war the conquered territory was an unfriendly place. By the last years of High King Bowdyn III the area had become calmer allowing for his daughter Olwyn (II) to peruse a different focus (1423-1459). High Queen Olwyn II, even as a child, had been fascinated by tools and instruments (it is said her first toy as a child was a microscope – it is also said that this toy was soon broken when the child tried to take it apart). She begins to wean the League off of the dependence of the personal fortunes of the nobles and the merchants and focuses on revitalizing trade and scientific development.

The Mechanical Thresher arrives in the Gallic League.

Rebellion in the Muawiyah Sultanate (among the issues, corruption and that the current dynasty has been dealing amicably with the Il Khanate – who have assumed the role as the center of the Mehrdadian faith). After 3 years of war the Muawiyah family is deposed (after 300 years as the ruling family) and Anid Al-fahl Farees is hailed as the new Sultan.

1425AD: The Mechanical Loom is invented in the Gallic League (the loom makes its way to Scanza, Egypt, and other nations along the trade routes).

The Farees Sultanate declares war on the Il Khanate (1425-1432).

1430AD: A new wave of missionaries heads for the New World, mainly Fadeyrianists and druids – Catholic missionaries will not make any concerted effort to “save the souls of the far west” for a couple reasons; they’re leery since their first failed attempt to win over the Toltecs and Mayans, they are concentrating their efforts on the invading eastern tribes and empires, and finally the might and reach of the Faith has been severely diminished by the lack of cooperation among the Christian kingdoms. The Fadeyrianists and druids make contact with a number of tribes while traveling the array of different landscapes of North Alrikia – probably the most influential tribes were group of peoples making up the trade empire of the Anasazi and the remnant kingdoms of the once mighty Mississippian Mound Builders (both the Mound Building kingdoms and the Anasazi were in a period of near collapse at the time of discovery but trade and help from the League eventually revitalizes these nations – the League of course had their own reasons for this, making strong allies in New World made it harder on both Scanza and Lusitania).

A major slave revolt in Ghana erupts through many of the southern regions. The roaming bands could have been subdued if not for the civil war that sprang up along the Niger River (the son of the deposed king had returned to reclaim the throne).

The Chi Empire enters into civil war when the Emperor dies suddenly with no direct heir.

Lusitania begins a new series of Native Wars (both in their north and south Alrikian holdings) that will continue through the rest of the century.

1432AD: High Queen Olwyn II travels to the North Alrikia with an army of 1000 to help in the formation of the Cherokee Confederation (by 1437 the small wars and skirmishes had ended and High Queen Olwyn II was officiating at the naming of Chief Ata-gul kalu).

There is a populous revolt in the Chi Empire. Tired of the unstable nature of Dynastic rule a new army rises to battle in the civil war – this one lead mainly by angry merchants.

1435AD: The Rail Wagon (though more often called the Iron Horse – later settling on the term train) is invented in the Gallic League. The Egyptian Empire had been working on a similar device; theirs will be completed by the following year.

The slave army in Ghana leaves the borders of that empire and settles along the Kongo River.

1436AD: The Egyptian Empire develops their own Rail Wagon.

1437AD: The first rail line is completed between Alesia and Massallia.

1439AD: The civil war in Ghana is ended; Mamu Obike (the son of the deposed king) is victorious. His first action is to end the exodus of slaves to the Kongo region.

1440AD: The Gallic League, Lusitania, and Scanza all develop steam ships propelled by screw propellers within months of each other (the side paddle ships will be phased out of the Gallic navy over the next 10 years – not that there were many to be phased out).

Egypt’s first rail line is completed between Memphis and Alexandria.

The “Mechanical Revolution” reaches Dacia.

1442AD: The slave army, in conjunction with the tribes native to the region, are able to defeat King Mamu Obike (though he is able to halt the flood of slaves over the border).

The Kingdom of the Kongo is established.

1445AD: Egypt begins building their own ships with the screw propeller propulsion.

The “Mechanical Revolution” reaches Byzantium, largely due to trade with the Lusitanians.

1447AD: Edana Y Giorsal publishes her research on the manipulation of plant genes (OTL Mendel).

The civil war in the Chi Empire comes to a close and so does Imperial command. Provincial elections are held and the House of Commons and the House of Nobles are established.

1450AD-1456AD: The Byzantine Trading War.

Over the last 25 years, more or less since the Cheusthie Muir War, Byzantine ships had been searched, commandeered, and their cargos confiscated but Gallic patrols within the muir and the Mediterranean. Byzantium had been too busy facing revolts and dealing with social unrest within their own empire to demand much. King Duman, newly crowed, is young and needs something more than suppressing slaves and surfs to solidify his claim to the throne. In 1450, at the news of the latest Byzantine ship being searched by the Gallic League, King Duman declares war on the League.

King Duman will do a few things differently during this war. Shiar Cashtal will not be attacked; instead King Duman lands an army and put the city under siege. He also sends a much smaller force to the Danube, striking at the heart of Unaii lands. The bulk of his army though sails through the Mediterranean and lands in Celtibaria with the intent on taking control of what Plato called the Pillars of Hercules. Olwyn II falls for the bait and focuses on the war along the Danube and the siege of Shiar Cashtal, the warnings come too late about the landing of King Duman’s army in Celtibaria.

1452AD: Both the war along the Danube and the siege of Shiar Cashtal are ended. High Queen Olwyn II sends the army from Mezek to Ilium (the Gallic stronghold in Anatolia) with orders to invade and capture the Byzantine coast line. Olwyn II will first travel by ship to Rome, with the invasion of Byzantine the Roman army was freed up from coastal watch. With the Italian army she set sail again for Celtibaria where she will join up with another army forming at Numantia. By the end of the year Olwyn II is marching south to aid the Cartagennian army which had been fighting the Byzantines almost without help.

1454AD: With victories at Ilipa and Osuna and the sea battle off the coast of Abdera the Byzantine hold on Celtibaria is reduced to a handful of forts and fortified cites (Gades and Carteia being the primary strongholds). An attempt by the Byzantine general to land a force later in the year in Lesser Carthage fails – hardly half the number sent there return.

1456AD: King Duman offers peace. The two major points of the treaty allows the League to maintain control over much of the Anatolian territory they conquered and an end to all Byzantine shipping in the Mediterranean for the next 50 years. King Duman is deposed later this year by his cousin Dareh.

1459AD: High Queen Olwyn II steps down in favor of her daughter Mavis (1459-1486).

1460AD: Ghana builds their first Rail Wagon.

The Chi Empire develops the first hot air balloon.

1462AD: Information is leaked to the Gallic League that the Lusitanian Triumvirate had been supplying the Byzantine soldiers during their war with the League. High Queen Mavis commissions an inquisition into this matter but after 2 years the High Council forces the issue to be dropped for lack of evidence.

The Chi Empire develops the first parachutes.

1470AD: High Queen Mavis allows for the sale of arms to Cherokee Confederation – later that year the Confederation steps up their raids on both Scanza and Lusitania (the Scandinavian armies are surprised when the Cherokees begin using Egyptian Fire).

The “Mechanical Revolution” reaches China.

1472AD: Queen Hulda II of Scanza demands that the League stop shipping arms to the Cherokee Confederation. Negotiations will continue for nearly a year but eventually both the Oghma and the High Council advise the High Queen to suspend aid to the Confederacy for the time being (the following year Scanza is forced to offer peace to the Cherokees after a major defeat).

Byzantium attacks the Principality of Neos Syracuse (as expected, Khazar, heeding the Patriarch’s call for help, declares war on Byzantium, 1472-1477).

1475AD: Dacia declares war on Byzantium.

1479AD: High Queen Mavis enters into negotiations with Lusitania and Ghana over their slave trade (at the behest of our native allies in the New World who would like the repatriation of their peoples). With the invention of such labor saving devices as the mechanical pump, steam engine, the mechanical thresher, and the mechanical loom the practice of slavery is unnecessary. Lusitania and Ghana didn’t agree – the failure of these talks greatly sour an already weak relationship between these nations (though High Queen Mavis will make several more attempts at the negotiating table during the remainder of her reign).

1480AD: The Chi Empire develops the first successful gliders.

Dacia and Scanza go to war (1480-1484).

1486AD: High Queen Mavis dies (from her diaries we know she passed on with the deep regret at not being able to free the enslaved peoples of the world). Her daughter Rhiannon (V) takes up the Gallic crown and her mother’s cause (1486-1518).

1490AD: Ghana and Egypt build the Trans-African Rail Line.

1491AD: High Queen Rhiannon V is almost deposed when she openly challenges the High Council to a duel – a hasty removal of her by the Algiz allows time for tempers to cool. The argument was over the issue of slavery. Though abolished in the League for a number of centuries it was still practiced by other nations, the High Queen wanted to declare the practice illegal and back up the edict with war with any nation that continues to use slaves. Although many on the Oghma were swayed by the High Queen’s argument the High Council insisted that the Gallic League had no right enforcing their will on other nations (unless attacked first).

1495AD: High Queen negotiates a new treaty with the Cherokee Confederacy allowing for the use of the Gallic military (particularly that of the navy) until such time as they can build and maintain their own fleet.

1497AD: The Cherokee Confederation sends notice to all nations that slave ships will be boarded and the cargo commandeered.

1498AD: A slave ship making its way from Lusitanian holdings in North Alrikia is halted and seized by the Cherokee Confederation. A few months later a second ship off the coast of South Alrikia is halted (this time the ship is not confiscated but allowed to continue once the human cargo had been returned to shore). By Beltane the Triumvirate had declared war on the Cherokee Confederation by sinking two Gallic war ships in the Mayan Sea (the ships and most of the crews were Gallic but the vessels were two of 15 on loan to the Confederation).

1499AD-1506AD: The Great Atlantic War.

With the sinking of an actual Gallic patrol in the Mayan Sea High Queen Rhiannon V declares war on Lusitania.



The 16th century begins a new age of the high seas. The majority of ships are still powered by both wind and steam but ships solely powered by steam will become the primary naval vessel by the end of the century. Ship design will undergo a major change through out the empires as cannon development and deployment phase out the use of Egyptian Fire ballistae. Ships become more than glorified troop transports and floating ramrods and instead there is a constructional shift towards sea going fortresses. The Kamiharou make the first steps in this direction but it is quickly picked up and spread throughout the world.

While the Gallic League and the other nations of the world fought over land and sea there was a different type of war being fought on a more basic level. Through the diligent work of our druids and scientist diseases such as diphtheria and tetanus will begin to be driven from the populous (advance will continue to be made in this and other fields throughout the century and on into the next).

Though two major wars will be fought in this century, one of them being the first global war, it will be a century of relative peace for the Christian Kingdoms. There will be some minor border disputes but mostly their conflicts will be confined to religious idiosyncrasies argued between the Holy See and the House of Bishops. The greatest challenge comes when Temujin II appears out of the Siberian steppes as the new Khan of the reunited Mongolian Empire (Novgorod however will face the brunt of the invasion and it will not be until the Patriarch intervenes that peace returns).

The native populations of North Alrikia, having finally begun to recover from diseases and major migrations brought on by New World colonists, draw the battle lines and face the invasion with renewed determination. But too much of their efforts are spent warring amongst themselves to have significant impact on Scanza, Kamiharou, and even the Cherokee Confederation. If not for the League the land would have been carved up much like Australia is beginning to be. Though ostensibly we interfered to help bring peace, in reality we sent armies and envoys for the purposes of expanding our territorial control on the continent (we will meet neither intention to any significant degree).



1500AD: Lusitania moves quickly to recapture the islands of the Mayan Sea and sends 1500 soldiers and 50 ships (more than half of them steam ships). They are able to overpower the native wind powered ships and the small Gallic fleet (7 ships). The land battle for the islands however would not go as smoothly and although many of the smaller islands will be conquered both Cuba and Taino will remain under siege for the entirety of the war. Lusitania lands a second army near Teutates, and marches a third north over the border into the lands formally held by the Mayans (helped largely by Teution rebels).

Rhionnon V sends the Celtiberian army to the Lusitanian border (the High Queen will later arrive to personally take command).

In Marta the Gallic League suffers a second major defeat off the Lusitanian cost – losing another 7 ships and only sinking 4 Lusitanians. The Triumvirate will maintain an effective blockade of the Mediterranean until the end of 1503.

In Meitheamh (June) a Cherokee war party is able to sneak aboard and commandeer 2 Lusitanian war ships. They are able to sink 2 additional enemy ships but only 1 of the commandeered vessels is able to escape.

The Farees Sultanate goes to war with the Il Khanate (1500-1508).

The Byzantine Empire goes to war with the Il Khanate (1500-1506).

1501AD: The Cherokee Confederation seizes several Lusitanian outposts and colonies along the Atlantic cost.

High Queen Rhionnon V brings Scanza into the war. King Knut immediately dispatches war ships – by the end of the year Lusitania will have no merchant or war ships north of the Mayan Sea.

Fighting in the Mayan Highlands bogs down into a pattern of raids between the Gallic and Lusitanian forces. The Lusitanian army outside Teutates is forced to give up their siege and retreats to the relative safety of their Cuban harbor. Late in the year a Gallic army under the command of war chief Manauia marches over the Mor Abhainn (OTL Rio Grande) into Lusitanian held territory.

The Gallic Mediterranean Fleet (the western armada) attempts to break the blockade but fails. With the loss of another 5 war ships High Queen Rhionnon V goes to the Oghma to order the construction of more ships. An aspect of the Brehon Codex are the Preservation Laws – which places limits on the amount of land being cultivated, mines being dug, and trees felled. These Laws, more than any other, have limited the number of ships that had been built by the League. Pressure from the High Monarch and the Oghma forced the High Council to temporarily lift the Preservation Laws. Construction of new ships would commence almost before the High Council had agreed to suspend the Laws and would continue night and day until the end of the war.

1503AD: Gallic forces in the Mayan Highlands are able to beat back the Lusitanian/Rebel army and take the invasion into enemy lands.

Lusitanian Triumvirate is able to bring Ghana into the war, the blockade of the Mediterranean is passed to their control so that the Triumvirate can send ships north to battle the Scandinavian fleet that was now threatening to invade the Mayan Sea.

In Mean Fomhair (September) the Lusitanian border finally collapses under the Gallic assault. The Triumvirate relocates to their holdings in South Alrikia (for the first time since colonization the Lusitanian holdings in South Alrikia are collectively called New Lusitania). A month later, just before the start of Renewal, the Mediterranean Blockade is breeched by the Gallic armada.

The Kamiharou declares war on the Ogedei Khanate (1503-1510).

1504AD: The Battle of Four Fleets. In Nollag (December), the spearhead forces of The Gallic League, Scanza, Ghana, and Lusitania meet off the cost of New Lusitania when the Gallic/Scanza fleets tried to take Bibia (an major port at the mouth of the Amazon). The battle would be fought to a technical draw – the port would not be taken but the damage inflicted upon the Lusitanian/Ghana fleet was significant (especially for Ghana as many of their ships still used the side wheel paddles). For the rest of the year the war would be confined to several small encounters in the Atlantic.

1505AD: Scandinavian war ships are able to push the Lusitanian armada out of the Mayan Sea, a week later the campaign to recapture the islands is undertaken by Cherokee and Gallic forces.

By the end of the year Ghana withdraws from the war.

Byzantine Empire goes to war with Khazar (1505-1509).

1506AD: The Duman Treaty of 1456 expires (the treaty had put a halt on Byzantine shipping in the Mediterranean Sea).

The Triumvirate asks for a truce. The Treaty of Numantia is signed a few weeks later: The borders between the League and Lusitania will return to what they were before the war. Lusitanian holdings in North Alrikia will be forfeit. Half of all remaining Lusitanian war ships are to be scuttled. The slave trade (over the Atlantic) will be halted – slaves already in servitude must be allowed to buy their freedom (a byproduct of the treaty is that Lusitania and Ghana receives an influx of revenues from the Cherokee Confederation as that nation attempts to regain their people).

Madagascar separatists, those who wished to reform the Axumite Empire, bomb several military posts – a major change in tactics which up until this time protested by means of tax evasion and roving gangs (these separatists remain an issue for Egypt for a number of centuries).

1507AD: The Lusitanian Triumvirate returns home. One of their first actions is to closes their ports to foreign ships (as Lusitanian shipping made up more than half of the world’s trade network at this time this was a major blow to the economies of other nations). To further the impact of this action they begin to expand their control of trade routes and goods by settling in areas dominated by other nations (in the coming years they begin to settle once again in Africa and encroach on Egyptian and Kamiharou holdings in Australia).

Chief Fala of the Cherokee Confederation begins expanding his territory.

1510AD: The Preservation Laws are reinstated.

Egypt learns the use of hot air balloons and cannons from China.

China starts importing their first steam engines from the west (within 15 years they begin building their own engines).

1511AD: China launches their first steam ship, the Emperor Chi.

Before the end of the year the Kamiharou launch their first steam ship (also the first ship to be armed with cannons, 10 flank guns and 2 forward).

1512AD: Hot air balloons arrive in the Gallic League. They become widely used as outposts along the Leagues various borders (a message system similar to the Arabian “Tower System” is developed – throughout Arabia and Egypt there was a system of Towers from where messages were sent by way of mirrors and torches).

The formula for flash powder is learned by Egypt.

Byzantium renews their war with the Il Khanate (1512-1517).

1515AD: On a visit to Memphis, High Queen Rhionnon V witnesses a cannon demonstration. When she returns to the League she immediately issues orders that the League should develop their own.

Shah Ismail (an inventor living in the Il Khanate near the Byzantine border) begins experimenting with electricity by improving the “Baghdad Battery” (which has been in limited use since about the 7th century BC for electroplating). He is captured during the war between the Il Khanate and the Byzantine Empire (Shah is spared when he explains that although captured as a soldier of the Il Khanate his real work lay in science. Intrigued by this, the Byzantine noble takes Shah and his research back to Byzantium).

1517AD: In both the Gallic League and the Egyptian Empire the first cannons made of iron are created (within 10 years the cannon will be developed by all of the surrounding kingdoms). Over the next 10 years both nations under go major refits of their navies – exchanging Egyptian Fire ballistae for cannons.

1518AD: High Queen Rhionnon V dies and passes the Gallic League to her daughter Epona (II) (1518-1529). Rhionnon had also named her son Maccus to rule assuming that Epona has no children of age upon her death or abdication.

High Queen Epona’s first action as monarch was to christen the first Gallic Cannon ship, the Gods of the Ancestors (100 meters long armed with 10 cannons).

A few weeks later Egypt launches their first cannon ship, the King and the People of Egypt.

The launching of the Gallic and Egyptian cannon ships immediately catches the attention of every other western sea faring nation. Over the coming years there is a clear competition between the kingdoms to build bigger and more powerful war ships.

1520AD: There is a resurgence of the Great Plague in Egypt, the outbreak started in several southeastern villages when the Empire began expanding further into central Africa (these pockets of outbreaks along the southeast will continue over the next 5 years).

The Byzantine Empire declares war on the Farees Sultanate (1520-1522).

China declares war on the Mongol Empire (1520-1530).

1522AD: The first “Hand Cannons” are developed within months of each other by China, Egypt, and the Gallic League. These clumsy, loud, and inaccurate weapons however will not be widely accepted by the Gallic League.

1525AD: Egypt’s overseas trade had been hurt by the closing of Lusitania’s ports to foreign shipping (and the expanding Lusitanian colonial power). Because of this Egypt establishes their own colonies in the New World (their ships land in South Alrikia founding New Thebes on the cold southern plateau).

Ghana begins to expand more into central Africa eventually coming into more and more contact with the Kingdom of the Kongo. War will breakout before the end of the year (1525-1534).

1527AD: Outbreaks of the Great Plague appear in Ghana and the Kingdom of the Kongo.

In preparation for colonization into the midland of North Alrikia Scanza sends out several expeditions to map and survey.

1529AD: High Queen Epona II is poisoned and dies (her husband had died a year earlier during a hunting expedition, now leaving their only child Bran orphaned). Her brother Maccus is suspected but with no evidence and because of his over zealous hunt for his sister’s killer he is cleared of any charges. Maccus is crowned High King in the following month (1529-1554), within a year he adopts his nephew Bran as his son (Bran is killed in a tavern brawl at the age of 17).

1530AD-1590AD: Cannon making develops across Asia.

The Mongol Empire collapses. Though the war with China didn’t help, it was the years of famine due to poor harvests that were the leading cause of the collapse.

1532AD: The Great Plague reappears in a few costal cities of the Gallic League but the outbreak is more prevalent in the conquered territories of North Alrikia, where it will prevail until 1534.

The North Alrikian Wars (1532-1597).

As the Cherokee Confederation, Scanza, and Kamiharou press further inland the native tribes of North Alrikia begin forming coalitions of their own to battle the invasions. With tribes fighting tribes and groups of native tribes banding together to fight the “outsiders” it was inevitable that they would search out for anything that would lend the upper hand. News would spread quickly about a powerful tribe in the south that battled the slavers, worships the land, cures the sick, and who helped the Cherokees establish their own lands. Envoys will be sent to the Gallic League and High King Maccus will see them all. High King Maccus’ attempts to increase the League’s influence in North Alrikia will draw us into these wars on more than one occasion (fighting for several tribes at once, sometimes against Scanza and the Cherokees). High King Maccus’ dreams of expanding Gallic territory would ultimately fail, he would instead be written into history not as a great conqueror but as a peace maker. Pressure from the High Council and the Ogham not to get too involved in affairs and lands so far from the heartland will force Maccus into a position of enforcing peace treaties between tribes instead of ruling them.

Ghana learns cannon making from Lusitania.


1533AD: Teution rebels appear in the North Alrikian Wars as paid mercenaries. Provoking tension between the League and some of the Chiefdoms; Teution rebels continue to inflame the N.A. Wars in part in the hope to discredit the Gallic League and draw them into open conflict.

1535AD: The Egyptian Empire begins the Skirmish Wars with the Kamiharou (over territory in Australia, which won’t end until 1547) and Lusitania (over trading with natives in Australia and South Alrikia, a trade treaty is established in 1537).

Byzantine Empire renews their war with the Farees Sultanate (1535-1542).

1537AD: High King Maccus faces stiff resistance in the Oghma to sending an army to N.A. to “help” the Cherokee Confederation.

1538AD: Unable to interject militarily High King Maccus instead sends envoys to N.A. to discus a cease fire and trade deals. Months of negotiations accomplish little.

The Il Khanate collapse into warring factions.

1540AD: Another round of peace envoys to N.A. by High King Maccus. This time a nine month cease fire is obeyed where the Gallic League aides and trades with all sides.

1541AD: Scanza and Cherokee Confederation raid each other, ending the peace.

1547AD: Gallic envoys establish a cease fire in N.A., temporary two mile neutral zones are established between territories until permanent borders could be agreed upon.

Ghana begins sending armies into Ghana controlled Kanem in search of Kongo rebels and escaped slaves.

1550AD: The peace of 1547 in North Alrikia is dissolved when several raids take place over a period of several months (later it is discovered Teution rebels were the perpetrators).

Egypt begins annexing southern section of Kanem due to Ghana’s aggressive moves in the half of the kingdom they control.

Togus Chang is named as the Great Khan, though he will henceforth refer to himself as Temujin II. Like many in the Mongol kingdoms Temujin II is a Christian and along with his wars of conquest he takes special care to convert/purge his people of pagan faiths. His wars with the remaining Mongol factions will take a further 5 years.

1554AD: High King Maccus dies. His son Malvin is crowned the new High King (1554-1560). Malvin takes a much more wait and see approach to government – particularly with the North Alrikia.

Byzantium learns cannon making from the Lusitanians.

1555AD: Byzantium sends ships to colonize Australia and the islands of the Egyptian Ocean (they are immediately thrust into conflict with the native populations).

Rashid Al-Tabib is hailed as the new Caliph (creating the Tabibid Caliphate out of the ashes of the Il Khanate).

Temujin II begins his “War with the West”.

1560AD: High King Malvin drinks himself into an early grave (an event that is hardly rare in the Gallic League). Malvin will have no issue and so the position of High Monarch is opened to the Oghma.

Byzantium goes to war with the Egyptian Empire (1560-1562).

Tabibid Caliphate invades the Byzantine Empire (1560-1563).

1561AD: Raibert Conway of the Oghma (originally from the Po valley though he had been living in Alesia for 20 years) is elected as the new High King (1560-1577).

1564AD: The Tabibid Caliphate invades the Ogedei Khanate (1564-1565).

1565AD-1572AD: The Pan-Oceanic Naval War.

This marks not only the first global war but also the first use of Man-of-Wars that had been built by all sides of those in this conflict. Sea battles will be fought from the North Sea to the Tangaroa Ocean (OTL Pacific) though the majority of the encounters will occur in the Egyptian Ocean (OTL Indian). Land battles were also fought but the conflicts were small and undeceive.

The war starts because of skirmishes over territorial expansion in Australia between Egypt and Byzantium. The first broadsides are delivered in Mean Fomhair (September) when Egypt overtakes and sinks two supply ships meant for Byzantine colonies.

The war may have been over before the end of the year if Byzantium had not brought in on their side the Ogedei Khanate (though periodic conflicts had arisen between the Khanate and Byzantium some bribery and the chance to battle the Ogedeii long time enemy the Egyptians was enough to sway the Khan).

In return, Egypt brings China into the war (a long time ally of Egypt and foe of the Ogedei Khanate).

Before the end of the year Byzantium brings Lusitania into the war (Lusitania had never been happy about the trade treaty they had signed with Egypt and saw this as an opportunity to renegotiate for a better deal). This, of course, brought the Gallic League into the foray.

1566AD: Temujin II halts his “War with the West” after Patriarch Ivan X threatens the Great Khan with excommunication. He sets his ambitions instead on bringing the wonders the “Mechanical Revolution” to his people.

Scanza joins the Naval War on the side of Egypt.

Ghana joins the Naval War on the side of Byzantium.

1567AD: The Incas join the war on the side of Byzantium. Their maritime experience is as limited at this time as their navy is small, however, their attacks on Egyptian colonies in South Alrikia do their part in keeping Egypt and her allies from focusing on a single front.

1568AD: Teution rebels sabotage several Gallic ports and naval bases in Cuba greatly hindering the Gallic naval presence in the Mayan Sea and the Atlantic.

Egypt opens up enlistment to 3rd and 2nd class criminals (petty theft, burglary, debt, etc.) in order to flood Australia with colonists and soldiers.

1570AD: A large contingent of Gallic soldiers is sent to Teutates in response to increased guerilla activity. A few months later a measure is proposed on the floor of the Oghma regarding the future of Teutates.

The Kamiharou are brought into the war on the side of Egypt. The Emperor had sworn to remain neutral (and profit by trading with both sides) but in Beltane (May) an Incan patrol mistakes a Kamiharou merchant ship for one from China and sinks it.

Lusitania withdraws from the war as their efforts to conquer the Maori require more of their attention.

1571AD: The Kamiharou begins plating the hulls of their ships. The success of this defensive measure is shared with their allies.

Ogedei Khanate withdraws from the war when a combined invasion force of Kamiharou and China are able to take control of vast sections of Ogedei coastline.

The city of Byzantium is put under siege and both Cyprus and Crete are captured by Egyptian forces.

1572AD: Representatives from the Teution rebels are heard in the Oghma. A moving speech about freedom is given but with the current war winding down the High King is able to win many to his plan for further integration.

The Byzantine Empire calls for a truce. The Treaty of Memphis, signed later this year, ends the war. The most noteworthy outcome of this war is the creation of Mutual Protective Treaties which makes the Pan-Oceanic Naval War only the first in a series of global wars.

1577AD: High King Raibert dies. His daughter Arienh is crowned (1577-1611).

1580AD: An Egyptian inventor develops the Kerosene Lamp. It will take more than a decade for this new lamp to pervade into Egyptian society. Although, since the development of Egyptian Fire there has been an industry collecting the oil seeping to the surface of the desert landscape until a more abundant source or efficient means of collection is developed, output of the new lamps will be limited.

Also making an appearance in history is the first Matchlock rifle (developed in Egypt).

1585AD: The Kerosene lamp arrives in the Gallic League from the Egyptian Empire. This lamp burns longer and brighter than the standard oil lamps and is quickly adopted, though due to the limited supply only temples receive the new invention.

The matchlock rifle is first used in the Gallic League, like the hand cannons these weapons will make a limited impact on the Gallic League. Though, several units of sharpshooters will eventually be developed, and the rifles will be issued to soldiers but only as a first strike measure (to be abandoned for the sword upon the call to charge).

1588AD: A Byzantine inventor by the name of Fazlur Zavos develops the first Electric Motor capable of converting electric energy into mechanical energy.

1590AD: Egyptian inventors develop the Steam Drill (aiding in the search and depth of water wells, although it was developed to aid in the discovery and depth of oil wells).

Fazlur Zavos creates the first electric magnet (capable of lifting 10x its own weight).

High Queen Arienh meets with the leaders of over a dozen North Alrikian tribes to end the continental wars. Though a general truce is called (though not always abided by) talks will continue until 1597 and will eventually include representatives from Scanza, Cherokee, and Kamiharou.

1597AD: High Queen helps to write the North Alrikian Accords. Although the Gallic League promises to enforce the treaty if necessary against those other than native tribes it was up to the natives to keep the peace or fight the wars amongst themselves. Tribal boundaries are established but due to the nomadic nature of even the sedentary native cultures and the fact that many mid and north continental tribes were not included in the treaty it will be sometime before actual borders are respected. Also agreed upon in the treaty is a more autonomous Teutates – the appointment of low level administrators is given back to the Teutions, ministers and the “king” are no longer appointed by the High Monarch but require High Monarch approval, the conquered territory’s War Chief is still appointed by the High Monarch.



The 17th century sees continued war in North Alrikia as tribes battle each other in an endless tug of war over hunting grounds and agricultural land. The only supervising factor in the whole affair is the North Alrikian Accords and the Gallic Leagues occasional intervention. As seems to be the theme for the century intervention is the cause of several wars during this time as the Protective Treaties between Egypt and China, Egypt and the Gallic League, and Byzantium and Ogedii Khanate are the cause of much death and destruction.

There is a great leap in communication technology at this time. In the matter of a few decades messages that had been carried diligently by the Weigh Station Riders will now be carried by wires and sound. Though Riders become obsolete the horse (as a mode of transportation) will never go out of style – more or less cementing this fact are the first impressions of the Egyptian invention the noisy and unreliable “horseless carriage”.

Ghana faces a seemingly endless ripple of social upheaval. For the second time in its history a slave army is able to slip through the King’s fingers and escape the brutal clutches of their “masters” to found their own land (with a little help from the growing abolitionist movement and the League).



1600AD: Egyptian spies learn the Byzantine secret of the electric motor and magnet. This information is brought to the Gallic League soon after this act of espionage.

Even after the defeat of the Byzantine alliance at the end of the Pan-Oceanic Naval War Incan raids into Egyptian territory continued. An Incan raid in this year does not end with a retreat and so Egypt declares war on the Incan Empire (1600-1603).

China declares war on Mongols (1600-1610).

1601AD: The Incan/Ghana War (1601-1603).

Having overestimated his abilities to stand against the Egyptians the Incan Emperor Mayta writes to King Dabir of Ghana for aid. The long time supporters of Incan expansion and rivals of the Egyptians agree and join the war against Egypt. With Egypt claiming the war was instigated by the Incas and now that Ghana had joined the conflict it was necessary for the Gallic League to honor our Protective Treaty with Egypt and enter the war.

Little would be accomplished by the war as there were no major victories or defeats before the Incan Empire and Ghana called for a truce (it is largely accepted that the main reason for the truce was Ghana’s failed attempt to enlist Lusitania).

1602AD: Facing continued aggression from Lusitania as the merchant slavers expand into territory the Kamiharou Emperor had earmarked for himself war erupts between the 2 seafaring nations (1602-1607).

1607AD: Lusitania calls for an end to the devastating war with the Kamiharou (though evenly matched luck would play a large role in this war). For example, the deciding event occurs on the 14th of Feabhra when the main Lusitanian armada, meant to push Kamiharou from Australia, is scattered by storms – the remaining ships are easily forced into the jagged shoals of the Great Barrier Reef (the loss of so many ships, the life’s blood of the Lusitanian empire, forces no other response but to ask for peace).

1608AD: Several fist fights break out on the floor of the Oghma as tensions flare over the arrival of Teution representatives. There is a growing popular movement in Teutates for full independence, a movement that is favored by some in the Oghma and the High Council. The measure is rejected by High Queen Arienh.

Egypt almost goes to war with the Kamiharou but the issue is mediated by China (as to keep themselves out of the war as they would be obligated to because of the Protective Treaty) and war is averted.

There is a major border skirmish between Ghana and Egypt that will carry over into the following year (shipments of rifles had been discovered not only in Ghana controlled Kanem but also in the hands of slave rebels – Egypt is immediately suspected and so patrols are sent into Egyptian territory to investigate). With no direct proof and not wanting to enter into another war with Egypt at this time Ghana focuses its wrath on arresting people in Kanem.

The Tabibid Caliphate goes to war with the Kipchak Khanate (1608-1611).

China launches the Golden Dragon, a massive ship of the line with a length of 270ft and mounting 82 cannons.

1609AD: Teutates erupts into coordinated revolts – some peaceful, most violent.

Kamiharou launches their own ship of the line, the Kamikaze – 300ft and 60 guns.

1610AD: Ghana goes to war with the Kingdom of the Kongo (1610-1612).

1611AD: High Queen Arienh dies – failing to end the Teutates crisis. The Gallic League passes to her son Daryn who vows to end the Teutates revolt in a month (1611-1631).

1612AD: The Gallic League launches their first ship of the line, War Chief Brennus – 200ft and 40 guns. Egypt, Scanza, and Lustitania follow in the next few months with their own ships of similar designs. War Chief Brennus and 5000 soldiers are sent to Teutates, bringing the rebellion to a close.

1614AD: Egypt almost declares war on Ghana but mediations, once again conducted by Chinese ambassadors, calm both sides into standing down. The Incan war, the war with Ghana, plus the two near wars with Kamiharou and again with Ghana force the Egyptian Civic Council to rethink their global entanglements. The decision is made to end the administration of Kanem.

1616AD: Druid Marcus Devlin publishes his collective studies of the night sky, correcting some miss conceptions and adding several moons and 3 new planets to our solar system.

1618AD: Ending all pretence of hunting down slaves (especially since now they no longer have Egypt as a protector), Ghana openly declares war on Kanem (1618-1624). Though Egypt had largely withdrawn from Kanem the Egyptian appointed Vizier still had Egyptian trained soldiers at his command which enabled him to fight a very successful defensive war.

The Lusitanian Triumvirate authorizes the construction of a canal through their holdings in Central Alrikia.

1619AD: The Australian Colonial War (1619-1624).

On the 30th of Lunasa, working on a plan more than a decade old, Byzantium and the Ogedeii Khanate begin bombarding Egyptian ports in Australia. Within days of this attack a Byzantine army marches into Syria.

News of this attack quickly reaches the League and in accordance with the Protective Treaty with Egypt the League declared war on Byzantium. This, however, was expected and before our armies could mobalize and a lock down on Byzantine shipping could be put into place a Byzantine merchant vessel exploded in Massilia. Damage was significant, many war ships lost, and the Massilia Arsenal burnt down. Attacks on our shipping in the Mediterranean will be swift, greatly hampering our naval forces. The Army out of Mezek is ordered to the Byzantine border and the army in Ilium is ordered to begin sending war parties into Anatolia.

1620AD: Through the first two months of the New Year Byzantium continued their military assault on Egypt and the League (there was no concentric front as Ogedeii and Byzantine war ships harassed the rather lengthy coastlines of our two nations). In Eanair (January) the land war changed to a defensive war, Byzantium held large sections of Syria and Judea in Egypt – thankfully they were never able to fully take the Grand Canal (though the damage done in the two separate assaults caused the waterway to be closed for several months). In the League Byzantium/Ogedeii didn’t “hold” any territory though every day brought news of enemy marines striking as far inland as 20 miles.

The war turned to the Egyptian Ocean where Byzantine and Ogedeii war ships were matching the Egyptian/League victory for victory.

Druid Gaius Macnair creates the first submarine. Frustrated with the limitations of the simple window box for viewing the undersea world Gaius constructs the first submersible made of wood and pitch and a steam air pump. Gaius’ ambitions however overextended his abilities as a designer – he and his machine were never seen again. His work, however, caught the attention of several others and investigation into this field will continue.

The Tabibid Caliphate invades the Kipchak Khanate (1620-1626).

Scanza begins a renewed push to lay claim to territory in North Alrikia. They will be involved with a number of wars over the next 20 years (which over the next few years of the Australian War becomes an unnecessary distraction for the League).

1621AD: After delaying their entry into the war (dishonorably dragging their feet) China sends her first ships into the forays of the Australian Colonial War. The balance of power shifts but only for a short time as a few months later (as feared by the Chinese ministry) the Mongols gladly take the Ogedeii offer to join the war. 100,000 Mongols and a fleet of 80 ships are sent towards China (though when compared to Chinese ship design the Mongol fleet was about a half a century outdated).

A group of Chiefs from the North Alrikian tribes arrives in Alesia. Scandinavian aggression on the northern continent is threatening to breach the Accords and they want the Gallic League to hold up their end of the treaty. High King Daryn begrudgingly orders 6 ships to leave the Mayan Sea and take up a position off the coast of the Cherokee Confederation.

1622AD: A Helena by the name of Xanthos Nike develops the first Telegraph. His invention is immediately recognized as a useful breakthrough and telegraph lines begin being constructed between military bases.

A flurry of negotiations keeps several Chiefdoms from attacking Scanza, an action that would have drawn the League into a war they had no time to fight. High King Daryn dispatches 4 more ships, this time ordered into the North Sea and serious talks are held with Scanza.

1623AD: King Balder of Scanza agrees not to send soldiers into the uncharted territories (he also reasserts that no actions will be taken against members of the North Alrikian Accords as long as no action is taken against Scanza). By approval of the Riksdag, King Balder, however, doesn’t stop armed settlers from continuing to spread into the uncharted territories. Inevitably, classes occurred between Scandinavian settlers and native tribes – as long as they weren’t part of the Accords battles were fought.

A major slave revolt erupts in Ghana (supported by Kongo rebels).

1624AD: Ghana calls a truce with Kanem to deal with the slave army.

Though the Kamiharou are never officially named as part of the Egyptian alliance their timely invasion of the Ogedei Khanate goes a long way to ending the war (bribery and several visits from Egyptian and Chinese officials were enough to stoke the Kamiharou on and off war with the Khanate). The Ogedei withdraws from the war to face off against the Kamiharou (1624-1633).

Regardless of the Kamiharou invasion the war wouldn’t have lasted more than another year. Even though there had been no major defeat or victory for either side (though Byzantine had been driven from Syria) the war came down to a matter of resources – Egypt and the League could afford to loose more than Byzantium.

Traditionally the Gallic League dealt harshly with their defeated enemies (in this case High King Daryn wanted large sections of Anatolia returned to the League, restorations, and the entire Byzantine fleet dismantled). However, Egypt feared a devastating treaty would have a detrimental effect on the trade in the region. In the end, Byzantine would keep most of their fleet (We did, after all, have the right to claim ships to replace those destroyed in battle) but all munitions would have to be turned over to the Egyptian Alliance.

There were some interesting developments due to this war. It was the first full scale war where rifles were used. The effectiveness of our light and heavy cavalry were diminished so too the frontal charge however due to the increased use of successful faints and flank attacks these lessons were not taken to heart.

Also as a result of the Australian War we see the ground work for a breakthrough in antibiotics. Antibiotics had been known to the League for some time but while working with the wounded of the recent war they found that the usual treatments for fighting infections were insufficient. New attention is given to finding the answer to this problem.

1625AD: The Gallic League celebrates 2000 years of existence. Delegates from all over the world are invited to join the festivities in Alesia. The crowning event of this celebration is the announcement by High King Daryn that in the wake of the latest global conflict he is reopening the Olympic Games as a means to promote peaceful competition among the nations (the ancient games began in 776BC but were closed in 164BC after the Helena Revolt). Some of the grandure of this event is tarnished by the protests in Teutates and for Teutates in cities across the League.

Telegraph lines begin to be built in Egypt and Scanza (Ghana and Lusitania also build their own lines but the innovation will be confined to merchant and military use for a number of years).

1626AD: The Olympic Games officially open. High King Daryn (an athlete in his own right) not only opens the games but also participates. Athletes from a number of nations convene to compete. In a surprise move, invitations are even sent to the Christian Kingdoms, but what was even more surprising was that they accepted. After a poor showing at the games and the arrest and expulsion of several Dacians, Novgorods, and Khazars for openly trying to convert Gallic citizens the 1626 games also mark the last time for the next 50 years that the Christian Kingdoms participate.

The pro-Egyptian government in Kanem is overthrown, ushering in a period of instability that won’t abate until 1656 (during this time there will be 22 different Emirs).

Byzantium withdraws from much of the Tigris and Euphrates in the wake of their loss during the Australian Colonial War as they pull more troops to offset Khazar aggression to the north. The rivers now become a point of contention for both the Farees Sultanate and the Tabibid Caliphate as both claim the land for their border.

1628AD: A group of scientists and doctors working at Cularo in the Alps discover an aggressive bacteria fighting agent derived from blue-green mold. They call their discovery Penicillin.

Dacia reinstates the Dacian Games (founded in 32BC but were halted in 420AD when the Duras Amphitheater was closed and turned into a church). The Dacian Games never gain the same popularity as do the Olympic Games. For athletes training for the Olympic Games however the Dacian Games do become a stepping stone to Olympia (The Olympic Games are held every 4 years as to the Dacian Games which are held every 2 years).

1630AD: Telegraph lines begin being built to link the towns and cities of the Gallic League (like other inventions there is about a decade’s gap before telegraph lines begin to be built in Teutonica).

China begins building their own network of telegraph lines (also in this year their first factories are built to manufacture their own steam engines, electric motors, etc.).

Ghana learns of Kongo’s actions in the last slave revolt and declares war (1630-1634).

Khazar declares war on Byzantium, they will be in conflict with each other for the next 40 years (1630-1670) as territorial claims fly back and forth followed by military support.

Abequa, a soldier in the last Ghanaese slave revolt (spared the dismemberment that so many other captured soldiers received by a last minute plea and bribe by his master - a man sympathetic to the plight of the slaves), begins preaching in secret to continue the revolt against the Ghana overlords.

1631AD: High King Daryn dies. Daryn’s first born son and his eldest daughter died during the Australian Colonial War leaving the crown to be passed to his youngest child Ann (1631-1653).

Kamiharou set up their own system of telegraph lines but given the fact that their empire is made up of hundreds of islands the invention makes little inroads into their society.

1632AD: High Queen Ann begins ordering the closing of the Weigh Stations. Though there are several incidents of unrest (some of them bloody) most closings are handled peacefully. As it turns out the Stations commanders were only biding their time.

1633AD: Despite seizing several ports and large stretches of coastline the Kamiharou are never able to match the Ogedei on land. After years of back and forth battling a truce is called.

1635AD: A Scandinavian inventor by the name of Erik Herjolf invents the thermostat.

1636AD: Emperor Yoritsune XVI, the 16th reincarnation, suddenly declares war on China (after his fleets have struck first along the Nihon coast) (1636-1640). This decision goes against both the popular opinion and the opinion of his war council as China had become a close ally of Kamiharou over the last few hundred years.

1639AD: The Mongols and the Novgorods go to war. No one is clear on what started the conflict though the most accepted reason seems to be that a Novgorod rail road survey team was mistaken for the scout party of an invasion by Mongol outposts (1639-1645).

1640AD: High Queen Ann officiates at the closing of the last Weigh Station (the line linking Alesia to Kelhiem). According to first hand accounts High Queen Ann, in a voice full of sorrow, read the last dispatch as it arrived from Kelhiem – “We yield to the future.” Written by Olaf Yaws, captain of the Weigh Station riders.

Two hours after the final message was received via weigh station a new message is received by telegraph, “Massive revolt in Kelhiem.” This revolt is joined a few hours later by an attempted coup in Alesia as an army of Riders marched on the palace. The coup fails and after 10 days of fighting so does the revolt (though many were sympathetic to Riders’ right to fight for the existence of what had been a Gallic institution, it was, however, their fight to win or lose and so the small revolt never gained the popular support the Riders had hoped for).

The Weigh Station revolt sparks debate in the Oghma over another issue that continues to be debated in the confederation – Teution status. During the proceedings there is even a call for a national convention to establish a written constitution – the measure is squashed.

Abequa is captured and killed. His master is also murdered and his lands are forfeited to the crown, his slaves are sold throughout the empire.

In the wake of the Australian War, and the most recent battles with Kamiharou, a debilitating debate begins in China starting in the House of Commons, later to be carried to the House of Nobles with equal ferocity. The debate rises between the Confucius and the Buddhists, the Confucius look to the restriction of contact and knowledge but the Buddhists believe the opposite. While the issue of isolation is debated it is decided that trade and contact with other nations should be reduced (which only led to further depression in areas hurt by the wars).

Erik Herjolf develops the “Spark Motor” (a self starting motor).

1646AD: Emperor Yoritsune XVI is murdered by a group of his highest ranking guards. Since the 14th century the Emperors had become excessively distant, decedent, corrupt, and mentally unstable (the rampant incest I’m sure had much to do with this) after fighting China to a draw and the endless colonial missions to “Settle all the lands touching the Sea” had finally pushed the populous too far. The Royal family and many of the governing officials throughout the empire are executed.

1648AD: Druid Ervin Gaynor publishes his life’s work, The Path to Perfection. Wherein he outlines his theory of evolution and the role nature plays in shaping the development of species.

Ghana begins sending scouting parties into Kanem and the Kingdom of the Kongo again in search of the mounting number of disappearing slaves. These incursion stop short of all out war after a series of heady negotiations between the three kingdoms hammers out a new treaty. At the top of the treaty are two points: an agreement to return any slaves caught trying to cross the border, and Ghana relinquishes control of the rest of Kanem (which is a victory for a young warlord by the name of Nadeem Khan who was chiefly responsible for this portion of the treaty).

1650AD: Fighting in the Chinese Houses had been becoming more and more biligerent over the last few years but in this year the House of Commons is nearly destroyed in an explosion (it is never discovered who was responsible for the bombing). Prime Minister Lei Sying closes both Houses and orders soldiers into the streets.

Followers of Abequa, who have been leading the latest exodus of slaves, rise up in full revolt. Their attempted coup fails miserably and the army is soon making all haste for the southern border (eventually founding a land named for their martyred leader). This latest uprising brings into the open the whispers of debate within Ghana – whispers that even had lips and ears on the King’s council. Should Ghana rethink its slave practice?

Makani, one of the original guards involved in the murder of Emperor Yoritsune XVI (who had also surprisingly survived the purges and infighting of the last few years), rises to the be the new Emperor of the Kamiharou.

Erik Herjolf develops the Thor Battery (the first storage battery).

1652AD: The Abequa War (1652-1654).

Ragged and near to death ambassadors from the slave state of Abequa arrive in Alesia (via Egypt). The Abequan ambassador pleas for Gallic League support. Keeping with tradition of never turning away those trying to found their own land High Queen Ann agrees and issues orders to the armies in Lesser Carthage to advance into Ghana. The war is short as King Gyamfi of Ghana didn’t feel the fleeing slaves worth a prolonged war with the League.

1653AD: High Queen Ann dies with no heirs. The crown passes instead to her second cousin Arion Connor (1653-1680).

1656AD: Nadeem Khan is elected Emir by the majority of the Kanem factions and begins a new dynasty.

1660AD: King Gyamfi of Ghana executes 10 members of his advising council. Thousands more will be arrested and killed over the next 5 years as attempts are made to purge the abolitionist movement.

Though the issues in China were bloody and rancorous the events never fully turned into a civil war. By majority popular vote the nation decides stay the international course they were on – though they do end their mutual protection treaty with Egypt.

1662AD: A word on the political philosophy known as Byzantine Anarchy. Initially conceived by Heuon Fisal in the 14th century, it had gained a certain amount of momentum among the lower classes. Seeing a potential danger the Emperors adapted the philosophy and bastardized it so that Heuon’s words marked a new era of radical adherence to the state. With Byzantine’s continued defeats over the last few decades the state philosophy is getting a new interpretation. There is a return to the original message that begins in this year, but it is not long before two similar though opposing views develop.

1665AD: Ghana civil War – between the King’s armies and the abolitionist (1665-1671).

1669AD: The abolitionist army captures several war ships and flees to South Alrikia.

1671AD: The remnants of the abolitionist army disband, ending the Ghanian civil war.

1675AD: Ever since the development of the Iron Horse (though the term train begins to be used more commonly at this time) there has been much investigation into bringing the steam car to the roads of the Egyptian Empire. In this year the first working prototype is developed but the machine is noisy, unreliable, and some had a tendency to explode (those that were experiments into the notion of internal combustions – using, among other things, gunpowder as a power source. These early designs find limited use in Egypt and none outside the nation (say for China who begins looking into developing their own steam car).

Tibor Zakarij, author of The Reinterpreted Word, advocates for a total separation from state government and a return to the noble existence of peaceful, self sufficient, nomadic life. Hasad Eilidh (a doctor by education), author of Original Thought, also advocates for the return to nomadic life but he sees the return to individual groups much like the cells of a human body. Each cell has a purpose and is protected by a collective conscious. The obvious distinctions between the two major groups of thought lead to an endless conflict that at times consumes the Byzantine Empire in blood and fire for the next 2 decades.

1680AD: High King Arion dies. His son Ambrose (II) is crowned the new High King (1680-1716).

A Helena scientist by the name of Dorian Haden is the first to send his voice through the air with his new invention the Telephone.

Egypt invents the Flintlock rifle (the faster rate of fire and greater accuracy makes the change over from matchlocks easy; however, distribution is slow at first as the rifle is difficult to manufacture.

1682AD: The telephone is brought to Egypt and Scanza (from here the invention makes its way around the world over the next 20 years).

1685AD: Flintlock rifles make their way into the Gallic League. The rifle is rejected by High King Ambrose II when during the demonstration the gun misfires injuring the soldier using it.

1686AD: Dorian Haden develops the first phonograph.

1688AD: An Egyptian scientist by the name of Sabola Hafsah develops the first viable “Horseless Carriage” powered by gasoline (the byproduct of kerosene) and Thor Batteries.

1691AD: The first horseless carriages begin appearing in the Gallic League. These vehicles meet with little excitement as they still remain noisy and unreliable and so will promote little interest.



The 18th century brings into the world a number of new inventions. Rifled artillery and muskets, the gun turret, caterpillar tracks and more change the face of war. Inventions like artificial refrigeration, the airplane, the Moke Wireless, and the Belenus Lamp become welcomed additions to the households of the world. Horseless carriages begin to gain popularity around the world but in the Gallic League where they remain unpopular except for use in the military and later in the century as forms of public transportation. Like the horseless carriage the airplane gains little popularity and although it does find limited use as a bomber and an observational device it is more often used as a commercial and as a privet mode of transportation and communication. World over, though probably not more so than in the Gallic League, does the development of photography and radio have a great impact. By the end of the century Moke wirelesses are in every home and Picture Halls are in every town (slide shows accompanied by music) – a byproduct of this is a change from the typical bardic ballad to music that better represents the emotions of the situations being depicted on the slides.


1700AD: An inventor by the name of Brutus Camilo develops the first camera and film processing procedures (a combination of silver nitrate, mercury, and sodium that not only enables an image to be pulled from a glass or metal plate but also keeps it from fading). Over the next few years it will be further tinkered with as the process of positive/negative imaging is perfected (the process will continue to be refined and make eventual changes such as metal/glass plate to paper film).

Keegan Apnolan, a Gallic inventor, invents what he dubs the Belenus Lamp (the first lightbulb).

1703AD: For centuries the idea of flight has perplexed mankind however beyond the simple applications of gliders and balloons there has been little progress. This problem is partly due to the sustainability once flight has been accomplished. In this year, Shing Kong, a Chinese inventor, solves that problem with the world’s first motorized airplane. Though his first flight on the rather flimsy apparatus only lasted a few seconds and carried him 100 feet it was nonetheless the first steps towards the sky.

1710AD: The first bi and monoplanes come off the assembly lines in China and Egypt. Although a novelty, production of these planes remains minimal as a practical use has thus far eluded designers and consumers. The product becomes mostly bought and used in much the same way as early and current H-Carriages – used by the wealthy and well-to-do for pleasure jaunts.

1716AD: Ambrose II succumbs to an illness that had settled in his chest and dies. He is survived by his son Orin who is crowned High King (1716-1727).

1718AD: The Ancient Way (the wide road leading between the palace and the Forum Brennus) is illuminated by Keegan Apnolan’s Belenus Lamps.

Over the last 70 years or so the Lusitanian Triumvirate has been steadily losing their overseas holdings as funds, soldiers, and ships become less abundant (and family rivalries due to these stressors have lead to a revolving membership to the high command of Lusitania). In this year there is a major revolt in New Lusitania led by two army generals (Baior and Demaga) who have gained popular support (they promised to bring the marvels of the modern world to New Lusitania – currently the Triumvirate although building many roads has only limitedly exposed the Amazon region to what has been called the “Mechanical Revolution”).

1720AD: The Lusitanian Triumvirate sells the Maori Islands (as well as their Australian holdings) to the Egyptian Empire. The Triumvirate uses the money to fund their war and continue the construction of the Isthmus Canal (a project that has been floundering for the past century).

China invents the breech loading musket (this becomes very popular wherever flintlocks are employed).

Caddoan is the first on the North Alrikian chiefdoms to develop a modern army (though that term is relative to the technology being used).

Khazar is the first to build a power company for electrical distribution to the populous (the Public Works Power Company). PWPC will also be the first to build the largest steam turbine 10 years later (supplying power to the masses based on the slogan “to each according to their needs”).

1722AD: The first cargo and commercial airplanes are built (the historic commercial flight between Memphis and Alexandria was taken by King Memnon VIII and several members of the Civic Council).

1724AD: Due to sabotage along the rail lines the Triumvirate army and supplies are forced to travel by H-Carriages to the front line. During the trip heavy rain and the burden of so many reserve troops and supplies causes several of the metal and wooden wheels to break – stranding the reserve army and causing them to arrive late to the battle. The subsequent rout by New Lusitanian forces was a major turning point in the war.

1725AD: Brondolf Hansel of Scanza invents the compression ignition engine (OTL Diesel engine).

There are several major incidents between Scandinavian settlers and native North Alrikians – many homes on both sides of the borders were burned. The situation threatened to destabilize an already tense peace.

1726AD: The Triumvirate settles on a truce with New Lusitania (although the independent portion will call itself Amazonia). In the treaty the Amazon region is given a greater level of autonomy, they are allowed to form their own governing body but laws and trade agreements are subject to the Triumvirate Governor. It is also agreed that the loyalists, that had gone a long way to aiding the Triumvirate during the war, would be allowed to settle peaceably outside of the Amazon region.

Dacia invades the Kipchak Khanate (1726-1730).

1727AD: The Chiefdom Wars (1727-1730).

To help reinforce the N.A. Accords High King Orin travels to N.A. to tour several of the Chiefdoms. While in Caddoan Orin and several others in the caravan were killed during a raid by the neighboring chiefdom of Ute. Both Orin’s son and wife (Heuan and Medb) were still in Alesia, since Heuan was only a year old and Medb had no wish to be crowned High Queen the High Council called for a new Regency, the 8th since the Founding (1727-1739).

As has happened whenever a High Monarch or a member of the royal family was killed war was demanded by the people of the League. With a young prince waiting for the throne and a Regency in place the High Council knew they had to comply with the angry will of the people or face rebellion – or worse, civil war (although typically the High Council would seek other forms of retribution before settling on war).

With the permission of Caddoan and the Cherokee Confederation to use their territories as staging areas on the 24th of Deireadh Fomhair (October) the High Council issued a declaration of war on the Ute Chiefdom.

The Byzantine Revolution ends with the brutal murder of the King and his two young sons in their beds. Hasad Eilidh (founder of the victorious school of thought) is elected Chairman of the Byzantine Dominion. Actions are immediately taken to redistribute the tribes and reconstruct the army. Hasad was already in his 70s by the end of the revolution and only lived another year after his appointment. His suggestion as a successor, his second in command – a man by the name of Kemal, is unanimously elected by the Dominion Council.

1728AD: The High Council’s idea was to flood the Chiefdom with 100,000 Gallic soldiers and bring a quick end to the war but Caddoan and the Confederation did not want so many Gallic soldiers making their way through their territories so the League was limited to half that number with no more than 10,000 in any one area. The High Council had agreed to this as long as Caddoan and the Confederation supplemented with their own soldiers.

The first landing of troops in Teutates is hit by a guerilla attack. Subsequent attacks has the High Council splitting the army to hunt down the revolutionary force.

The rest of the Gallic army moves north as scheduled and right after the first engagement (which thoroughly defeated the Ute army) Ute allies (the Pawnee and Cree) launched their own counterattacks – striking first at Caddoan and the Cherokee Confederation in the hopes of driving their support from the League.

Like the Ute the Cree and Pawnee learned quickly that the League could not be defeated on open ground so over the next year and half there would be hundreds of small assaults and night raids by native war parties countered by the Leagues own version of the war party (rail lines become a favorite target for both sides).

1729AD: Even after the fatal experiments of Druid Macnair research into a workable undersea ship continued. Development had been slow as a viable means of powering such a device reliably for long periods had yet to be invented. However, with the development of the Hansel Engine that hurdle had been overcome. In Bealtaine (May) the first Gallic Submersible, the Poseidon is launched from the Massallii Arsenal. A few months later the first torpedoes are developed. Full deployment of this new weapon into the Gallic navy is limited however due to the lack of viable undersea detection system.

1730AD: With the Ute and Cree Chiefdom occupied by Gallic forces (and no raids in those territories over the last 5 months) the Pawnee – who had little free territory of their own – call for a truce.

The issue of Teution independence is visited again by the Oghma as hit and run attacks on military outposts increase as the Chiefdom War continues. The subject of a written constitution is brought up again by the High Council in the hopes of easing the situation in Teutates but the subject only amounted to greater argument within the Oghma (the idea of enforcing a constitution went against the very idea of the confederation the League has existed under for all these centuries).

The Christian nations enter into a period of warfare that is generally known as the Dacian Wars. Due to their recent and very successful campaigns against the Kipchak Khanate Dacia had stirred up fear and resentment from its neighbors. Between 1730 and 1752 there will be a series of wars that will exhaust the militaries of the Christian Kingdoms (It is during the Dacian Wars that plans are first used in combat though they are only employed as observational wings – taking photos, which does for the first time in history bring the horrors of war to the dinner tables).

The Lusitanian Triumvirate develops vulcanized rubber and a few years later produce the first pneumatic tires and quickly begins replacing their metal and wooden wheels of their vehicles (over the next 10 years the other nations of the world undergo the same change).

1731AD: Colleen Bavair, a scientist living in Carthage, develops artificial refrigeration which becomes very popular among vendors and a few years later when she invents the Home Cooling Unit her popularity stretches into the general population (over the coming decades her studies of the Cold Sciences will develops the process for extracting liquid oxygen and hydrogen but without any serious practicality to these discoveries they do not become widely known).

Ghana faces a rebellion in Cape Town (more or less OTL). The abolitionists, defeated in the last century and sent underground, have reemerged this time far more organized.

Civil war in Amazonia erupts between the forces of general Baior and general Demaga (though the Triumvirate Governor is able to get the two sides to agree to keep the capital and a two mile radius around the city as neutral territory the rest of the country is ravaged once again by war).

1733AD: The rebellion in Cape Town has grown with popular support to the point where loyal Ghanese militia groups have been forced deep into the jungle.

Airplanes are first used in bombing runs by Dacia. Though in some cases the results were devastating the inaccuracy of the attacks still made cannon barrages the favored means of bombarding the enemy.

1735AD: The High Council begins removing Gallic soldiers from the Ute, Cree, and Pawnee Chiefdoms – ending the 5 year occupation of those lands (a move that brings much opposition in the Oghma).

The Byzantine Empire declares war on both the Farees Sultanate and the Tabibid Caliphate (1735-1737). After two and a half years of trying to regain their territory along the Tigris and Euphrates a truce is called – the war was conducted half heartedly and Byzantine forces were known to attack and then quickly disengage even if the battle was clearly in their favor.

1736AD: The Gallic League pulls out of the Protective Treaty with the Egyptian Empire. Seeing a never ending draw on resources and their attention The Gallic League also pulls out of the North Alrikian Accords (a move strongly opposed by several Chiefdoms and the Oghma).

1737AD: The High Council takes it upon themselves to end the occupation of the conquered territory known as Teutates. Withdraw of all Gallic military forces will be conducted over the next year. Administrative assistance will still be offered for the next 5 years.

To put it simply, the cork had been removed from the bottle. With the Gallic League now out of the N.A. Accords and the Chiefdoms developing their own modern armies and navies the continent entered into a whole new period of gruesome warfare (warfare that Scanza and Kamiharou eagerly joined). Raids become numerous and brutal – the only thing keeping the death toll low is the sparse populations on either side of the borders.

1738AD: To create a direct land route to the rebellious southern region Ghana marches several war parties into Abequa (eliciting an immediate military response and letters to the Gallic League). The High Council refuses to send aid to Abequa but does order their ambassadors in Ghana to express the Leagues dissatisfaction with Ghana’s continued attempts to conquer the fledgling nation along their southern border.

1739AD: The Oghma confronts the High Council demanding that elections be held for a new High Monarch or that the prince be given his birthright.

Heuan Maonaigh takes his place at the head of the nation (1739-1782). He reverses some of the standings the High Council had taken during their recent Regency and makes several overtures to the Civic Council and King of Egypt to assure them that the Gallic League was still their closest ally. It is strange that only a few months later that statement would be tested. The subject of Teutates is shelved despite initial whispers that the new High Monarch would send in troops to retake Central Alrikia.

1740AD: The Great African War (1740-1745).

Ghana’s Cape Town colony declares their independence and renames their new nation the Republic of South Africa (they begin sending ambassadors and letters to other nations asking to be recognized and helped).

Egypt/Gallic forces will meet against Ghanese war parties in a dozen engagements throughout the Fenrir Desert – leading to the eventual annexing of that barren landscape. Though Ghana used breech loading flintlock muskets their devastating rapid fire was not fully felt as Gallic forces often worked in tandem with Egyptian musket units (and Ghana war tactics – which revolved around small war parties – never allowed for a large mass charge situation).

As had been the deciding factor in the many wars the League had fought with Egypt access and deployment of resources were the major influences when it came to our victory.

1743AD: Ghana recognizes the independence of the Republic of South Africa.

1745AD: The diversifying area of petrochemicals leads to the creation of plastics within months of each other in a number of nations.

Inspired by the independence of such overseas territory as Teutates and Amazonia Madagascar separatists (who had been a thorn in the Egyptian government for over two centuries) step up their rhetoric for their own independence (taking both political and military steps to that end).

1749AD: A Chinese inventor by the name of Shen Ho Long develops the helicopter. As the design is perfected the new flying machine gains much use as a rescue craft and finds a lot of service as a fire fighting vehicle.

Kamiharou and the Mongol Empire go to war (1749-1757).

Egypt puts Madagascar under martial law.

1750AD: A Chinese scientist by the name of Cheng Wei invents the first percussion cap.

Egyptian and Chinese scientists experimenting with electricity and the Belenus lamp leads to the discovery of electron flow and the development of the first vacuum and cathode ray tubes.

The Republic of South Africa annexes the Lusitanian holdings to their north (along the coast).

Dacia is surprised to find that they have an ally in their most recent attack on Khazar. Chairman Kemal declares war on Khazar in the name of Dacia and free trade along the Cheusthie Muir (1750-1752). Though Byzantium does hold the lands they conquer during the war their battle tactics are very similar to those used during their war with the Sultanate and the Caliphate.

1752AD: Martial law is relaxed in Madagascar.

1754AD: Scanza logging company invents the Caterpillar Track. The innovation greatly improves their vehicles ability to maneuver in the snow and haul wood.

1755AD: The 2nd Byzantine War (1755-1760).

Here we see what the Byzantine military had been training for over the last few decades.

Mazonn, the new Chairman of the Byzantine Dominion, using the horrors of the continued war in N.A. – a war brought on by the Gallic withdraw – as an excuse declares war on the Gallic League (The Chairman saw the High Monarch as a tyrannical ruler that only mocked the Oghma – what the Dominion saw as a primitive haphazard way to promote universal rule).

The first battle was fought at Shiar Cashtal and although the garrison at Mezek was able to reach the city in time their actions were mainly spent in fighting a rearguard action as the city was evacuated (as much as possible at any rate).

Over the next few years the League will continue to lose ground to the Byzantine advance. Though winning occasional victories – mainly by timely flanking maneuvers by our swift cavalry – the devastating effect of Byzantine rapid firing during massed engagements was taking its toll. Though many of the battles told the same story (just the terrain changed) the battle for Athens would set the mood for the war. During the height of battle, at a point where the Gallic charge was able to take the front lines of the Byzantine army, the Dominion general pulled up all of his reserves and ordered the new line to fire “without regard” into the turmoil of the hand to hand combat.

1756AD: Scientists in the Gallic League develop the first radar and sonar systems.

1757AD: The Gallic League launches the Wyvern, the League’s first official undersea war ship. The ability to strike at Byzantine ships nearly without notice tilted every sea battle in the League’s favor. Cutting off the enemy’s reserves and supplies slowly over the next 3 years was able to grind the Dominions invasion.

1759AD: Egyptian scientists discover x-rays (though the practical use of this discovery is a few years off yet).

1760AD: High King Heuan is able to get the Byzantine Chairman to agree to a truce. The Treaty of Alexandria would leave a sour taste in the League’s mouth – with our armies in taters and the lands of Helena torn asunder we were in no position to counter the “no fault” conditions of the treaty that merely returned the status quo. What was more distasteful, at least for those that realized it (despite the trouncing we received there were still those who refused to see), the once mighty and formidable Gallic military was no more.

A Kamiharou inventor by the name of Moke Kai, working with sending his voice wirelessly through the air, develops the Radio (though initially used for military purposes like the telegraph and phone this device becomes immensely popular commercially).

Rifled artillery is invented almost simultaneously in Scanza, Egypt, and China. This greatly extends the rage and effectiveness of these weapons, the initial testing of this new model proves so successful that these three nations immediately begin outfitting their artillery unites. Over the next 2 decades armies around the world undergo a major refit from smoothbore to rifled.

1763AD: The Egyptian Empire had been wrestling with building muskets with the same rifling as their artillery however testing in this field has met with explosive results as bullets continue to lodge themselves in barrels. However, in this year Egyptian munitions experts design a bullet that is smaller than the radius of the barrel that expand to grip the lands and grooves. As with the new modeled artillery the new Rifles are a quickly adopted change.

The mechanical tractor – a version of the caterpillar trucks being used by Scandinavian loggers (only this one is for use in farming) reaches the Gallic League.

High King Heuan visits the Egyptian Empire, and in what must have been one of the most difficult things for a Gaul of his stature to do, he asked King Lisimba II for help in modernizing the Gallic military (in exchange for this help Egypt was given our knowledge of the submarine and the track hauler). The change is hard and there are many reluctant voices in the Oghma but over the next 20 years the Gallic military undergoes a major refit.

1765AD: The Kamiharou develop the gun turret. Engagements against various pirate ships prove very impressive but no current major conflicts keep the advancement from fully being deployed into their navy.

1769AD: Egypt and Kamiharou go to war (1769-1773).

This becomes the first conflict between the Kamiharou turret ships and the Egyptian broadsides. The balance of the sea battles went to the Kamiharou as their guns could more easily be redirected. The war would end in a relative draw however because whereas the Kamiharou had the turret ship Egypt had been importing and improving upon the Scandinavian tractor carts – creating a variety of armored and armed troop transports (the obvious advantage of the turret ship and the track carts are not lost on the rest of the world – nations all over the world begin ordering and constructing their own versions of these two war machines initiating yet another global arms race).

Madagascar separatists seek a more political answer to their cry for independence by managing to elect officials to the Civic Council sympathetic to their cause.

1770AD: Over the last 10 years the Moke Wireless has spread to most of the major nations. In this year it arrives in the Gallic League and over the next years of continued improvement of the device we see a proliferation of Radio Shows (from comedy and drama to news and weather).

1775AD: Inventors working at the Cheng Wei Munitions and Ballistics Factory develop the first hand gun with a revolving chamber.

The Egyptian Civic Council rejects measures presented by the Madagascarian representative – Egypt will not allow any more autonomy to the island that it already has. Before the end of the month Egypt is again under martial law as unrest nearly turns to revolt.

1777AD: A group of doctors and scientists working out of the Athena Hospital (one of the leading schools for studying medical knowledge and technology) develop the worlds first X-ray machine.

1779AD: Druid Seamus Ward writes his book, Infinitely Small, wherein he outlines his atomic theory describing what he believes to be a potential power source with unlimited possibilities.

1780AD: The Mongol Empire goes to war with the Kamiharou (1780-1790).

1782AD: High King Heuan dies. With no living children the Gallic League passes to his half sister Alanna (1782-1797).

Gallic engineers come up with the idea to mount a turret to the armored track wagons. The track wagon had been armed only with rifle niches – it was in truth just an armored troop transport. With the innovation to place a turret to the track wagon the world has its first mobile artillery carriage (or M.A.C for short).

The Farees Sultanate goes to war with the Egyptian Empire (1782-1783). The war comes to a spectacular end when the Sultanate fails to capture the Egyptian oil fields (though does manage to set a few on fire) which had been the main objective of the war.

1785AD: The Farees Sultanate discovers oil in their own lands.

1786AD: The Farees Sultanate goes to war with the Tabibid Caliphate a few weeks after they announce they have also discovered oil in their lands (1786-1792).

1790AD: King Lotanar of Khazar dies at the age of 40 of a sudden heart attack. In good health and at odds with both military and church leaders foul play was suspected by leading nobles. These suspicions are kept from the general public and the investigation into this matter is called to a halt by regents Archbishop Imre and General Sandor in the name of the King’s son, prince Bodi (age 11).

1792AD: The Byzantine Dominion and the Ogedei Khanate jointly declare war on the Tabibid Caliphate and Farees Sultanate (1792-1802).

1795AD: Generals within the Dominion army take it upon themselves to cleanse the Caliphate and Sultanate of religious misleadings – a number of Mehrdadian religious sites are vandalized including the Grand Mehrdad Ziggurat.

1797AD: High Queen Alanna dies and passes the League to her son Micheil (1797-1835).



The 19th century brings into the world something that scholars have been longing for since the dawn of intelligence – the Universal Library. This amazing device will link nations in a way never before thought of. Not all advancement is met with such enthusiasm, for at least within the Gallic League the spread of the atomic theory and the development of nuclear technologies is met with much uncertainty.

Though war will rage across the world and almost continuously in North Alrikia (involving a number of Chiefdoms, Scanza, the Mongol Empire, and Kamiharou) no war was more noteworthy than the Siberian War and the first use of a nuclear bomb. But more so than the A-Bomb, it was the unfettered use of chemical and biological agents on both sides that brought a new level of devastation to the term War.

For the Gallic League it is also the century where the first use of our modern army is employed. The change had been hard for many in the League – watching as age old techniques and weapons were replaced was as difficult for the average soldier as it must have been for the Weigh Station Riders to watch their livelihood be closed down. By the start of the century though we were a military might to be reckoned with once more. We were changed for sure, the art of the latter part of the 18th century up to the first 10 years of the 19th century showed a warrior devoid of a fighting spirit – this was plainly seen, if by no other means, in how the sword had gone from a prominent figure in portraits to sheathed and in the background (though the sword will remain part of the Gallic soldier its importance will never be the same – over the coming decades the longsword will even be replaced by the shorter gladious, a sword largely indigenous to the Celtiberian region). The fighting spirit will return however with the help of a weapon known playfully has Little MACs (armored wagon tracks with a cannon turret designed in the latter half of the 18th century – Mobile Armored Cannons).



1800AD: The discovery of plastics in the last century has led to many positive developments but it has also led to some unsavory discoveries. I speak of the poison gas industry and the instant interest the world’s militaries had in the area. Over the next 10 years a variety of “agents” are developed – one of the most popular is Chlorine gas (developed in 1804).

Archbishop Imre and General Sandor of Khazar refuse to relinquish control of the kingdom to the heir, Prince Bodi Lotanar. The country had been under a regency since the sudden and unexplained death of the king 10 years ago. Fearing for his life Bodi flees Khazar for Novgorod but he is no more welcomed there than in his own country so after a year moves again to Neos Syracuse. Over the past 10 years the regents had slowly gained sole control over the press, food production, and manufacturing sighting one Church reason or another. For the most part the regents’ actions went overlooked by the average Khazarian as they lived in a theocracy and so were used to the Church providing for them.

1802AD: Archbishop Imre and General Sandor move to further solidify their positions. Since the departure of the Prince there has been growing unrest in how they have handled the government. Their response is to call the army into the streets of every major city and disband the ruling council (taking a page from early Christian history Archbishop Imre had disbanded the old army and allowed only those devoted to him and the scriptures to take the oath of loyalty).

Archbishop Imre believed that God should be the sole provider and protector of the people and since he was the hand of God it was his duty to act in the best interest of the people (and with the loyalty of people such as General Sandor this was possible).

1803AD: Despite archbishop Imre’s statements that he remained loyal to the Church and the Patriarch he was adamant that he knew what was best for the people of Khazar. When word reached the royal and church loyalists that the archbishop had ignored the Patriarch massive revolts erupted. It was into this madness that Prince Bodi returned to reclaim the throne.

Representatives from Australia are heard in the Egyptian Civic Council – decades of border disputes with the Kamiharou and little attention from Thebes had lead those on the frontier to take matters into their own hands on many occasions. The representatives ask for more help or full independence – the matter is given serious consideration.

1804AD: The 3rd Byzantine War (1804-1808).

In Marta the Ogedei Khanate and Byzantine Dominion begin taking what remained of the Tabibid Caliphate Sultan Fahd Al-Asil signs a treaty with Egypt ensuring that if the Sultanate were to be attacked that Egypt would come to its aide.

In Aibrean the annexing of the Farees Sultanate began. King Alexander X of Egypt orders Byzantium to withdraw from the Sultanate. The following day the Sinai is invaded.

High King Micheil having no provocation to attack Byzantium takes his request to the Oghma and the High Council. After 2 months of arguing and watching Egyptian soldiers die the High Council concedes and allowed for a vote to go to war. On the 14th of Meitheamh Gallic war ships began attacking Byzantine ships and costal defenses while the garrisons at Ilium (accompanied by 14 MACs) and Mezek (accompanied by 34 MACs) began the assault by land.

By Lunasa (August) Byzantium had been captured and so had much of the Byzantine coast. However, with the Horn of Egypt being invaded by Ogedei marines and stiff fighting along the Grand Canal and the Sinai it was far too soon to announce victory.

1805AD: Just days after the New Year the Byzantine Dominion and Ogedei Khanate begin using a new devastating weapon – Chlorine gas filled artillery shells. By Nollog large sections of the Byzantine Capital had been regained by the Dominion and the front lines along the rest of Anatolia oscillated on a daily basis.

The Civic Council, in a major shift in policy, creates the Australian Protectorate (based on the Gallic design) – with land and sea forces stretched so thin over the world and recourses needed closer to home it was either this or face an Australian rebellion.

Coire Tain develops the first motion picture camera. His first subject was to film the opening of a night blooming plant (as an amateur botanists he was making a record of plants in his home town of Nor Tor in central Gaul). His motion film gains immediate popularity – promising a continued development of this new device.

1806AD: Eanair the 20, this marks the high water mark for the Byzantine/Ogedei invasion: much of the Caliphate and the entire Sultanate were under their control as well as large portions of the Horn of Egypt and a few towns along the coast and in Madagascar. Although about half of the Capital remained in League hands the battle lines in Anatolia had been pushed back to Ilium.

It was on the 21st of Eanair though the scales would begin to shift. General Armilda (garrison commander for Ilium) was struck with the brilliance that accompanies idiots and prophets. With the city being bombarded and supplies short because of a recent Byzantine victory in the Med. She ordered her remaining 7 MACs to assemble together (going against the popular assessment for these mobile artillery which was to spread them out along the line to maximize your coverage). Ridding atop the center behemoth General Armilda ordered the Macs to charge with her 500 soldiers to support the assault. So, at noon of the 21st of Eanair General Armilda rode out into the lines of the Byzantine force (there were an estimated 2000 Byzantine soldiers that were in fact awaiting orders to commence their own assault on the city). The attack wedge formation broke through the frontlines of the Byzantine army and into their reserves, the Gallic troops that followed in the wake of the Little Macs added to the confusion and were able to force the Byzantine army into a withdraw. News of this great victory spread to quickly throughout the Gallic echelons (who were quick to adopt the Armilda’s attack style as it was reminiscent of the cavalry charge that had been done away with when the army was modernized).

Even though Prince Bodi had the majority of the population behind him the army was loyal to archbishop Imre and General Sandor. Better supplied and better trained the army of Prince Bodi could not hold out and were defeated. He and many of his followers were hung and crucified along the streets of the capital (an action that gained international disapproval).

1808AD: On the 9th of Bealtaine (May) the Byzantine Dominion offers peace to the Egyptian Empire and the Gallic League (the Ogedei Khanate would fight on until the 3rd of Mean Fomhair – September). Unlike the last encounter with the League the Byzantine Dominion would not be saved by Egyptian negotiation this time. The major points of The Treaty of Damascus: 1) The Byzantine military was to be abolished – no Macs, no artillery, no war ships, etc. (though they are able to maintain a small police force for internal peace). 2) The Farees Sultanate and the Tabibid Caliphate will be granted their lands back. 3) War reparations to be paid out over the next 20 years (damage for the war was estimated to be about 800 million ingots). 4) The position of the Chairman and the Committee were likewise to be abolished (Byzantium would be jointly administered by the League and Egypt for the next 50 years). 5) Over the next 50 years a Tribal Assembly will be established.

This treaty for the most part was applied to the Ogedei Khante excepting that they were allowed to maintain a minimal military force and their government was not abolished.

Madagascar representatives in the Civic Council demand a similar status as that of Australia – the request is denied leading to weeks of unrest on the island.

Coire Tain shows his latest film to a small audience in a Paris theater – this time his subject is a ritual fight held at a local Teutates Temple in Nor Tor. The film is so successful that the following month Coire is showing his film to a new audience, the High Monarch, High Council, and the Oghma in Alesia.

The Regents of Khazar declare war on the Tabibid Caliph (1808-1812).

Amazonia emerges from civil war, Benate is elected dictator for life (Benate is the grandson of general Demaga).

1811AD: Although motion film had been taken up by others their films were more along the same line as Tain’s early work, that being in the form of documentaries. In this year Tain takes the new industry another step by filming and producing his first full length movie. His subject is one of Angus Og’s most well known plays, Teague and Kyna (a story of forbidden love during the height of the Venetii and Nervii clashes).

1818AD: Motion film has spread like wild fire across the face of the Gallic League. The only thing lacking in the industry is a viable way to record sound and picture at the same time. This problem is solved in this year by the Tain Motion Picture Company. These “talkies” quickly replace the silent and sound aided films (sound aided are silent films where the sound was recorded on a separate device and played back in sync with the film).

Lusitanias Central Alrikian holdings begin revolting against the Triumvirate. The Triumvirate answers with the bulk of their military as loosing the Isthmus Canal would mean losing the last major source of income. The rebel armies quickly find aide with the Gallic League who secretly supplies arms and occasional refuge across the border.

1820AD: Gallic Scientist begin to routinely explore the oceans (the discoveries of mineral deposits, undersea volcanoes, as well all manner of undersea life will fill the Gallic newspapers and scientific journals for decades to come).

Engineers at the Cheng Wei Munitions and Ballistics Factory create the multi barreled machine gun. Reaching into the Hindu subculture the device is nicknamed Shiva or the Shiva Cannon. The Shiva is still using the standard gunpowder and paper cartridges so its popularity is undermined by its frequent jams. In fact the only nations that show any interest were Khazar, Ghana, and the Mongol Empire.

Dictator Benate begins expanding into New Lusitania. Cries for aide to Lusitania go largely unanswered as the Triumvirate is locked in combat with the rebels in Central Alrikia.

Skirmishes are reported between Abequa, Kongo, and S. African settlers/explorers. Although negotiations began between these three nations it was obvious from the start that they weren’t putting much faith in the talks as even before the first meeting each of them had ordered troops into the disputed area.

1821AD: Tain Motion Pictures moves from Paris to Cartagena, where land for making the films as well as studio expansion is far cheaper. This move, based solely on where Tain could make the Gallic ingot stretch the farthest, would mark the beginning of the separation between stage and film. From this point on the center for theater will remain in Paris but the holy city for those interested in the screen will be Cartagena.

1822AD: Governor Ander of Amazonia is expelled. When he arrives in New Lusitania he and Governor Iker form their own army to combat Dictator Benate’s aggression, sparking a 15 year war (1822-1837).

1823AD: Since the invention of the Belenus Lamp the Gallic League has been using a variety of heating sources to bring light to the nation (hydro, oil, gas, coal – most of which was imported giving an economic boom to Scanza, Egypt, and what was now occupied by Byzantium and Ogedei). A new fuel source is developed in this year at the Etan University, the Geothermal power plant. Unfortunately, the power source is area specific and there are many regions of the League that are unable to benefit from this resource at this time (these power plants however do become particularly popular in Kamiharou). The opening of the plant overshadows for a time other major research going on at Etan, namely investigation into atomic energy.

Since the invention of the radio and especially since the development of the motion picture there has been an effort to bring voice and picture to the homes of the average citizen. Siusan Enzo is the first to develop practical display devices based on the same principles as the radio and the motion picture. She presents her new invention in Egypt at the Memphis Scientific Associations annual faire. The audience, as well as several vendors, is amazed.

1824AD: The first television sets begin coming off the assembly lines a month after the first television studios opened up in Memphis and Cartagena.

Though war does not breakout at this time, Kongo and S. African survey engineers clash – the following day local soldiers are brought are called in to enforce each others claim. 2 days of fighting would ensue but uncertainty over which side Abequa would choose led to a mutual truce on the matter.

1825AD: Over the eons knowledge has been stored in either the minds of a select few or in the easily lost pages of books. Over the last 2 centuries there has been a collaborative effort by a group of Gallic, Egyptian, and Chinese scientists to make sure that knowledge and discoveries were stored in more that one mind, place, or book. Work has also been in progress to develop a “universal library”. Research into this began in 1750 with the first vacuum and cathode ray tubes and although there were already mechanical calculators (based on gears and levers) science demanded more. In this year a major advancement in this technology is made, the world’s first binary digital computer (developed by Unas Yafeu, Choi Zhung, and Selma Tadhchai). Though large enough that it required its own warehouse “Library I” is only the first of its kind – others will follow each smaller, smarter, and swifter than the last.

Madagascar announces that they formally have broken from the Egyptian Empire – Egypt sends in gunships and marines, sparking a two year conflict. King Memnon IX and the Civic Council order the arrest of the Madagascarian representatives.

1830AD: After years of skirting the issue and dozens of skirmishes within the disputed area war finally is declared by Abequa, the Kingdom of the Kongo, and the Republic of South Africa (1830-1842). Though throughout most of the war the three sides fought each other there were times were temporary deals and truces were created where 2 of the 3 would conduct joint efforts (eventually falling on each other when the task that brought them together was completed).

Madagascar is reorganized based on the Gallic concept of the conquered territory.

1835AD: High King Micheil dies and passes the Gallic League to his son Ryan (1835-1856).

The Cheng Wei Munitions and Ballistics Factory develop the metallic cartridge.

1836AD: Dictator Benate declares war on the Incan Empire (1836-1842).

1840AD: Television is quickly replacing radio as the primary source of news and entertainment.

After a 2 year pause in the conflict in Central Alrikia the war there is on once more.

New Lusitania vies for independence from Lusitania. The Triumvirate grants the independence (though relations between the two nations will remain very close).

1846AD: The remaining Lusitanian forces take up the defensive as the bulk of the army is air lifted and flees by ship after a series of crushing defeats. The Central Alrikian rebels, acting under the leadership of general Zolin (reportedly the ancestor of a Mayan king) proclaim their independence – which is quickly recognized by the Gallic League. When Lusitania returns a year later to reopen the war they are given a stern warning by High King Ryan that continued war with General Zolin meant war with the League.

1847AD: General Zolin reestablishes the Mayan Empire (granting the Gallic League for its help in bringing about independence toll free access to the Isthmus Canal for 50 years).

1856AD: High King Ryan dies. His only daughter Blair ascends to the Gallic throne (1856-1888).

The first color television broadcast is made, although this new development will not immediately catch on due to the cost of upgrading to a color TV.

Since “Library I” there has been continuous research and development into computer science with nearly each year bringing a new advancement. In this year the first computers utilizing the circuit board, floppy drive, and mouse are developed in China, the Gallic League, and Egypt.

1858AD: Egypt officially withdraws from the administration of the Byzantine Dominion. High Queen Blair fearing a destabilization that could once again threaten the Gallic League decides not to fully withdraw from the Byzantine Dominion. Although elections are held for new tribal council members for the Tribal Assembly High Queen Blair appoints her own Gallic counterparts to rule along side the council members.

1860AD: A Ghanaese inventor by the name of Kashka Ndulu develops the first repeating magazine rifle using metallic cartridges. The use of standard gunpowder though keeps fouling the machine gun (even with regular cleaning) and so the weapon is notorious for jamming.

China builds the first fully functioning nuclear reactor for the use of producing electrical power.

1861AD: Gallic technicians add the modem to the realm of computers. Over the next few years computers around the League will be networked together. Within 10 years university computers in China and Egypt will also be linked forming for the first time the “universal library”.

1865AD: The Gallic League’s first nuclear reactor goes on line on Eanair 1st (January). Over the next 2 decades Ghana, Incan Empire, Scanza, Egypt, and several Chiefdoms will build their own reactors.

1877AD: The Chiefdoms of North Alrikia formally found “The Races” – a collection of races over three days, few rules (making for a very exciting and dangerous event) and massive betting pools draw thousands.

1880AD: Working in secret Egypt builds and detonates the world’s first atomic bomb. Several months later they invite their closest allies (the Gallic League and China) to witness a demonstration. The delegates have two reactions to the explosive power: the Chinese ambassadors are amazed and return home to advocate for their own nuclear weapons program. The Gallic contingent, though equally amazed, heeds the words of the High Council members that were present – “Which of us would be safe from such devastation?” When they returned home their voices would go a long way to advocating the League halt their research into this area (serious consideration was even given to discontinuing the construction of any new nuclear power plants – and in fact construction on the first new power plant after this would not begin until 1892).

1882AD: China detonates their first atomic bomb. Though an attempt was made to keep this a secret Mongol spies still were able to learn a great deal.

1883AD: The Mongol Empire officially protests China’s actions and warns that any further nuclear tests would be seen as an act of war.

1884AD: China detonates a second bomb. Two days later the Mongol Empire declares war (1884-1890).

The Mongols declared war on China by opening up their Great Wall artillery. 150 cannons fired at once, for the first time in centuries, breaching the Great Wall and opening up China’s northern border. 100,000 soldiers charged through the hole.

The fighting would be devastating for both sides as each employed Shivas – though the Mongol initiative to fire several at once with several more in reserve when one would jam proved to be tactically advantageous.

1886AD: Tegus Qorchi, a Mongolian scientist and inventor, develops the first gas operated machine gun utilizing smokeless powder. Jams are reduced to a minimum. The exposure these weapons receive during the Mongol war with China gains them instant popularity throughout the globe and other nations soon begin outfitting their militaries.

1887AD: Although much of northern China had been overrun the war had bogged down as trench after trench was dug – by Meitheamh (June) advances, if victorious, were made at great cost of men and machines.

By Mean Fomhair (September) Khan Baatar and the High Command decide that they should take advantage of their success in China and turn their attention to another enemy. This time their declaration of war would not be signaled by a cannon barrage but with a massive land assault into Novgorod territory.

1888AD: High Queen Blair, in ailing health, steps down in favor of her daughter Morna (1888-1913).

Patriarch Christopher II orders Khan Baatar to withdraw from Novgorod or face excommunication (a threat that has worked in the past to force a Mongol retreat from Novgorod lands). Khan Baatar had expected this and banked on his own popularity as well as the popularity of the war to carry him through his next decision.

Khan Baatar in a 2 hour speech to his people laid out his proposal on why the Mongol Empire should split from the Holy Church. Though meeting some opposition Baatar’s wishes were enthusiastically accepted and the Eastern Church (or the Mongol Church) was established (similar to OTL Anglican Church – though the religious philosophy keeps the Catholic traditions the head of the church becomes the Khan who is advised by an archbishop appointed by the Khan). Khan Baatar immediately orders the confiscation of church lands and holdings – helping to pay for the ongoing war.

1889AD: The Chinese Houses launch a massive attack – preceded by the first nuclear bomb used in combat. The device was flown into Mongolia and dropped on Neguder (a major Mongolian port along the upper portion of the Sea of Nihon). Along with the plane that carried the bomb, the city, dozens of ships, and thousands of lives were lost in a blinding flash of light.

A shockwave was sent through the international community. The High Council of the Gallic League immediately issued a letter to the Oghma, the High Monarch, and the Chinese government restating their stance on the issue of nuclear development and asking for a halt to any further attack of this nature.

With the war still going strong a month later China launches another nuclear attack on the Mongol Empire – this time the target was Dadu, the Mongolian capital (founded by Khublai Khan along the shores of the same Sea that bears his name).

With communications severely disrupted, and although the march was bloody, the Chinese and Novgorod assaults would roll up the Mongolian front over the next 8 months.

The Mongols would have one final devastating attack before the end. Armed with their own nuclear bomb and high altitude airplane to fly it into China the Mongol commence with their own nuclear attack. However, the plane was shot down over the front lines along the Great Wall – the pilots had managed to arm the device before death, thankfully, for China at least, the bomb went off in a remote desert area.

1890AD: Probably the main result of the Siberian War was the enactment of the International War Conduct Treaty (which chiefly lays out weapons of war that were A) strictly forbidden to be used, and B) those that were not to be used on civilian targets – falling into both category A and B was the use of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological weapons…all of which were used to devastating degrees by all sides during the war).

Egypt allows Madagascar to hold elections for representatives in the Civic Council.

1891AD: The Incan Empire detonates their first nuclear bomb.

1893AD: The Gallic League begins directing large sums of money and supplies to the discovery of new and better fuels. The nuclear conflict between China and the Mongol Empire renewed the efforts of the High Council to ban nuclear power plants and research in the Gallic League (though the population was split on the nuclear issue what was fully agreed on was that the Gallic League had been at the mercy of importing its fuel for long enough).

Coddoan detonates their own nuclear bomb. Though the chiefdoms to the north go on alert no action is taken. The Kingdom of Teutates, which had taken on a philosophy of isolationist since their independence, mobilizes their armies as they perceive Coddoan with the Bomb as a clear threat.

1895AD: Negotiations between Coddoan and Teutates, administered by a collection of emissaries from other Chiefdoms, forestall an all out war between the two nations.

Madagascar readmitted into the Egyptian Empire.

Though micro-processors and memory chips continued to be improved allowing for computers to be built that now fit on a desktop education and military facilities are the only places benefiting from these devices. This is mainly because in order to operate these instruments one had to be able to read and write computer code. In this year however an Egyptian programmer by the name of Darius Oba Tau develops an operating system for the common user.

1896AD: The first domestic computers are sold to the populous in Egypt, China, and the Gallic League.

Tension and disputes over territory in North Alrikia between Mongolia and Kamiharou erupt into war (1896-1897). The war would be brief and fought mainly in North Alrikia.

1898AD: The first computer games come to market – though crude by modern standards they were a breakthrough in the area of home entertainment for the time.

1899AD: Though the world’s computers had been “talking” to one another since the 1850’s this year marks the grand opening of the first digitally public forums in the Gallic League. These “internet” chat rooms will soon be developed in nations around the world and spiral into any number of “sites” from online auctions and adult themes to teaching your child ABC and 123.



The 20th and 21st centuries bring us into the present and mark some very exciting developments in our international society.

The simplest things can sometimes spark the most ingenious of innovations. From the need to be first we see a century’s old knowledge bring to light the possibility of touching the stars. The great fear voiced by many around the world, but none as loudly as the druids, was that we were ruining the Earth by pumping pollutants and nuclear fallout into the atmosphere – by the end of the century however we are saved from ourselves by successful treaties, the development of Space Defense Platforms, and the pursuit of alternate power sources. In the case of the Gallic League this is brought about by exploiting the oceans currents and heat vents not to mention the development of hybrid engines. The early devices used an electric/gasoline combination but by the end of the century hydrogen based engines are out pacing all other models. Of course no story is without hardship, and thanks to The Great War millions would partake.



1900AD: The Chiefdoms of North Alrikia founded “The Races” in 1877AD (as the name indicates the festival is a gathering of athletes from the Chiefdoms to compete in a variety of races – the most heavily attended are automobile races). The races though very popular in N. Alrikia never gained a large international following due mainly to the lack of rules involved in the competition – thus injuries and occasional deaths are part of the risks (in the 128 years of the competition only 34 contestants have been from outside the Chiefdoms – 21 of those have been from the Gallic League). This penchant for speed and danger that has led many would-be victors to seek new and interesting ways to cross the finish line as quickly as possible. This year is marked in history because it is the year that the Akecheta family develops a liquid fueled rocket which they incorporate into the engine of their racer (incidentally, registries for The Races going back to 1877 show that the Akecheta’s had never ranked higher than 5th in all the years of the race prior to this year). The rocket and its fuel (based on findings made by a Gallic scientist during the 1730’s) did carry the Akecheta family into first place but also into the bandstands of the audience. The fiery mess of the aftermath was spectacular but thankfully only 2 were killed. Even without the attention grabbing explosion the eyes of the world were eagerly drawn to the new rocket and many nations will now begin developing their own versions.

1903AD: After much trial and error and many prototypes Gallic scientists invents the first reliable hybrid engine (electric/gasoline). This is the first of its kind and many more will follow though the most popular of which will be the hydrogen based engines (which grants a boom to the hydrogen industry which sprang up in the years after the first hot air balloons were developed but never fully took off as an immensely popular mode of transportation – though has seen an increase in interest since Akecheta rocket car). This technology will continue to be improved upon over the century and will greatly diminish our need on importing fuel and power sources.

1905AD: Caddoan test detonates their second nuclear bomb. This rouses an instant response from the neighboring Chiefdoms but not much is done excepting the exchange of heated remarks via ambassadors. This also gains the attention of the international watchdog commission known as the War Conduct Council (created by the War Conduct Treaty of 1890). Though with little funding and no means of enforcing the treaty (especially since none of the Chiefdoms had signed it) the W.C.C. can only bluster and suggest sanctions.

The Kingdom of Teutates doesn’t end with blustering they declare war on Caddoan (1905-1907).

1906AD: Caddoan begins construction on several new bombs to use in their conflict with Teutates which again gains the attention of the other Chiefdoms only this time they threaten war if Caddoan doesn’t halt their development of nuclear warheads. After a few tense months Caddoan bows to the international pressure and begins to disarm their nuclear arsenal. The collective front brought forth by the Chiefdoms over the Caddoan issue sparks whispers of unification among the North Alrikian tribes.

1908AD: Byzantine rebels succeed in bombing several Gallic military outposts and bases. This sparks debate in the Oghma and the High Council as many wonder if a continued presence in the Byzantine Dominion was worth the effort (with scientific exploration into alternate fuel sources meeting with success the easy access to oil recourses, a main reason for occupation, is lifted). Though the final decision would fall to High Queen Morna she does side with the interests of the Oghma and High Council and within 2 years the League fully withdraws from the Byzantine Dominion. The Tribal Assembly, though exuberant over finally being able to govern without a shadow, fears that they will be unable to stem the anger and hatred that fueled the rebels - especially since they took the Gallic withdraw as a great victory and were now even more determined to continue using their method. To that end, the leader of the Dominion rebels send a message to the world threatening to use nuclear force against any enemies (for the time being it is an idle threat as the rebel forces have no access to nuclear material).

Byzantine saber rattling and continued pressure from Khazar opens up talks between the Tabibid Caliphate and the Farees Sultanate – on the table is the idea to reform the Mehrdadian Caliphate. The issue of unification is mostly the idea of Sultan Muhammad Iben Zameel Al-Wathik, who is using the notion of peace to exploit and bloodlessly take over a greatly weakened foe.

Ogedii computer techs invent the Compact Disk – though initially intended to replace floppy disks and tapes the CD finds almost instant popularity in the music industry (in the near future a version of the CD is developed that records movies which virtually overnight replaces the bulky video tapes of home entertainment).

1910AD: The Incan Empire and Amazonia go to war (1910-1915). The war is most noteworthy for the first use of liquid fueled rockets that enabled both sides to strike deep into each others lands.

It is agreed that Prince Wajeeh (the son of Sultan Al-Wathik) will marry Princess Leila (the daughter of Caliph Sohrab IV), their first born son will be crowned the new Mehrdad Caliph. Until that time the nations will begin to act as one (some initial overtures were made to the only other chiefly Mehrdadian population of Kanem but that nation’s seemingly endless parade of political leaders made it impossible to have them join the Mehrdadian House).

1912AD: The Caliphate and Sultanate go to war with the Byzantine Dominion (1912-1914). 4 years of listening to rebel threats of nuclear strikes if their demands were not met finally carried over into actual conflict. The Byzantine rebels were too disorganized to put up much of a fight (especially since their greatest weapon was currently a bluff) and the Tribal Assemble was by no means equipped to deal with an invasion of this magnitude so the Byzantine Dominion once again found themselves occupied.

1913AD: High Queen Morna dies. The throne passes to her youngest son Heuan (II) (1913-1938).

1914AD: By this time the Byzantine Dominion was thoroughly occupied but by no means secured. However, the Mehrdadian military leaders had little time to worry about insurgency as over the last 2 years the regime in Khazar took it upon themselves to begin annexing larger and larger sections of border territory by Lunasa (August) the attempts to reclaim Caliph land escalates into a full war (1914-1919).

1918AD: Amazonia erupts into another series of civil wars (1918-1934).

1919AD: The Mehrdadian military is able to win back much of the lands confiscated by Khazar (though they are unable to inflict any serious defeats on the regime). A truce is declared, in the shadow of which Khazar conducts the first social and cultural purges in 500 years (the purges are directed against the Mehrdadians and Jews that unfortunately live in areas conquered by Khazar over the last century). Khazar also begins to fund and supply Byzantine rebels – though this seems contradictory when set against their theological policies it was justified by the Bishop as setting evil against evil.

1920AD: The Gallic League Launch their first nuclear submarine, the Brewyn.

The first undersea modules begin their descent to the construction zone. Work will being within the year on the first undersea geothermal power plant. This is primarily a test site, the hope is to set up the station and begin producing power for several coastal towns – if all goes well full development of this energy source will commence.

1921AD: The Tabibid Calipate and the Farees Sultanate celebrate the crowning of King Xerxes of the Mehrdadian Empire – (although a very popular youth, not only was he seen as the keystone in unifying the Mehrdadian House, but he was also handsome, charismatic, and had gained some notoriety as a calm, tactically minded leader during the last year of the Mehrdadian-Khazar war).

1926AD: Khazar signs a non-aggression treaty with Novgorod and Mongol Empire.

The undersea geothermal plant goes online (dubbed New Vesuvius).

1927AD: Khazar breaks the 8 year truce with the Mehrdadian Empire and invades (1927-1940) – though this is merely the opening scene in a much larger production.

With the success of New Vesuvius plans are set in motion to build other stations as well as to create supplemental industries to help with costs. Over the next 2 decades mining plants will also be completed as well as sea current turbine. Although popular for scientist and engineers the colony never becomes greatly popular among the citizens of the League though eventually places like New Vesuvius begin to grow their own food and support permanent residence.

1930AD: A joint effort by the Etan University and the Athenian Medical University celebrates successful trials using various stem cells to regenerate skin, hair, and organs of mice (over the coming years equally impressive trials will be conducted on a variety of animals).

The Byzantine Dominion revolts against the Mehrdadian Empire – gaining their independence once again.

1931AD: Emboldened by the successes against the Mehrdadian Empire Khazar continues south into the wealthy Ogedii Khanate.

Despite the most recent amicable exchanges between Khazar and Byzantium Byzantine rebels decide to strike out against the most immediate autocratic threat. Their first attack comes in the port city of Oghuz where an oil tanker is bombed (an oil tanker supplied from captured Mehrdadian wells). The Bishop (though more of a title by this point in time rather than an indication of religious rank) and High Command of Khazar decide to slow their advance into Ogedii Khanate and face the Dominion. Though they make a landing by sea they have no qualms about annexing Dacian territory along the Caspian Sea (claiming eminent domain) to create a land bridge to the rebels. This of course brings Dacia into the war.

1932AD: The Great War (1932-1940).

It is hard to say just how far Khazar would have gone if not for the fatal mistake of invading China. During Lughnasadh China had moved 3 divisions to the Khazar border with the only concern being to secure the region incase Khazar decided to annex any of their territory. Bishop Askar, going against the High Command, orders a halt put on the Dacian front to confront the Chinese threat.

Egypt declares war on Khazar.

With no end to the veracious conquests of Khazar and with 2 divisions located in Anatolia (easy striking distance into the Gallic League) High King Heuan II issues his own declaration of war 10 days after Egypt on the 15th of Deireadh Fomhair (October). As it turns out those 2 divisions in Anatolia were under orders to invade the Gallic League if Egypt or the League declared war on Khazar (the assumption being that if one went to war the other would follow suit).

In the first few months of 1932 Khazar is able to enlist the aid of the Mongol Empire and Ghana (the Incan Empire will round out the Khazar Alliance in 1933). For the Allied Coalition it was Mehrdadian Empire (what remained of it), China, Egypt, Gallic League, and strangely enough Dacia (in 1935 New Lusitania, Scanza, Kamiharou, and several North Alrikian Chiefdoms will join the Coalition – this happened after the Incan Empire launched and detonated a nuclear warhead over the Kamiharou shipyards in Hawaii, this of course was done to dissuade Kamiharou from entering the war after the Mongol Empire began to advance in North Alrikia).

For the purposes of this condensed account of history it would be difficult to minimize the epic greatness of the Great War (for further reading there are number of histories and novels dedicated to this period). I think it is easier to state that there was hardly a field or sea on Earth that was left untouched by the violence of this war.

By 1940 The Khazar Alliance crumbled as each faction signed separate peaces with the Coalition. Khazar however was not deterred by this and, as the saying goes, pulled up the drawbridge. Taking into consideration the exhaustion of the military and the number of lives it would take to breach the Khazar border nations of the world were happy to let Khazar fester behind fortification (sanctions and unrest would ensure that Khazar never left those fortifications). Of course this lays the ground work for a series of undisclosed events. Stories of humanitarian atrocities filtering out of Khazar lead to a number of subversive attempts to insight a revolution and smuggle people out of that land (this becomes a favorite topic for movie writers in Cartagena – the genera made famous by the ongoing feats of Aidan Flynn in such movies as A Dagger at Midnight and The Lover who Spied).

1938AD: High King Heuan II dies during the defense of Damascus. He led a relief column coming to the aid of Egyptian forces that had just suffered a defeat. Heuan’s arrival with the 103rd MAC brigade blunted the Khazar breakthrough and allowed for Egyptian forces to regroup (Gallic MAC’s tended to be smaller, quicker, and fired armor piercing rather than explosive rounds as compared to the Khazar fleet of Treads which were better armored but slower). His daughter Mebd IV will take the throne (1938-1951).

1940AD: In the wake of The Great War an international peacekeeping mission is developed to help reform the Byzantine Dominion and the Mehrdadian Empire. The royal Mehrdad family returns from exile in Egypt and the Byzantine Tribal Assembly is reconstituted.

Cell regeneration research begins trials on human volunteers (with the war just over there is a great wealth of volunteers looking for a chance that they may be able to regrow limbs, organs, and chard skin).

1945AD: After years of talking about it the subject of a Chiefdom Union is finally realized. The Chiefdoms of Sarsi, Ute, and Shoshone found the United Chiefdoms of North Alrikia – though more often called the Chiefdom Union. Over the next 10 years the list will grow to include the Cree, Algonquian, Sioux, Ojibwa, Oneida, and the Pawnee.

The Byzantine Tribal Assembly is allowed to form their own police force to combat the extremists still running rampant in the Dominion. As before the Tribal Assembly is unable to handle the radicals but through a series of truces and bribes is able to maintain a modicum of peace (this proved to be satisfactory for most of the world as the Byzantine extremists seemed preoccupied with conducting terror strikes against rival radical groups in Khazar and Mehrdadian Empire).

1947AD: The Chiefdom Union launches the first high altitude rocket. This amazes nations around the world as the notion of actually visiting the stars begins to actually look possible (since previously any idea of flight was considered either a novelty or commercial). From here on we see a continuing development of high altitude and upper atmospheric rockets (the birth of ICBMs). As with any great leap in military technology this caused an arms race as nations around the world carried on heedlessly in the attempt to create a method to single-handedly attacking an enemy on the other side of the globe.

1950AD: Egypt stands above other nations of the world as the first to launch an artificial satellite (Toth I – a communications satellite).

1951AD: The Gallic League and China follow in Egypt’s footsteps and launch their own satellites (other nations will do the same in the coming years). High Queen Mebd IV watches from her sick bed and dies a few days after the launch. Mebd’s daughter Bebinn (IX) (1951-Present) takes up the throne and proclaims that she plans on following her mother’s lead and take the League to the stars.

1960AD: Egypt is the fist to launch a living being into low orbit – a cat by the name of Sphinx.

A devastating drought sets in over central and eastern Africa. Though the Egyptian irrigation system and world contacts help to limit the effects other African nations, Kanem most especially, suffer greatly.

1961AD: China is the first to send a human into low Earth orbit, Chang Liwei returns as an instant international figure. The League and Egypt send their own astronauts into space in the coming months.

1962AD: Athenian Medical University successfully regenerates the skin of a burn victim.

1963AD: Kamiharou launch the first geosynchronous satellite into orbit – this GPS greatly increase the ability to navigate on land, sea, and air.

Farouk Baz becomes the first Egyptian and human to be launched into full Earth orbit. He circles 36 times before falling back to Earth and splashing into the Tangaroa Ocean (both the pilot and craft were lost on impact when the parachutes failed to deploy).

1965AD: The Gallic League sends Casy Erin into full Earth orbit and is able to recover both craft and pilot safely. High Queen Bebinn IX is quoted as saying, “Next stop, the Moon.”

1969AD: The Athenian Medical University begins looking into the regeneration of brain cells (the initial research is promising).

1971AD: The Gallic League beats Egypt and China to the Moon by 1 week. Glyn Maddox upon stepping from the Lander exclaims, “Surely these are the eyes of the Gods,” when faced with the clear beauty of the sky above the Moon. Debate begins in the corridors of the High Council on getting funding to build an observatory on the Moon – their first efforts are met with skepticism. The druids are not deterred and continue to seek not only Oghma approval but international help.

The ten year drought in Africa is given some relief with stronger than expected seasonal rain.

1976AD: High Queen Bebinn IX supports the High Council in their efforts to build an observatory on the Moon. After some debate the Oghma also agrees but on two conditions, 1) the expense of the project is shared by other nations (Egypt and China join the effort) and 2) that instead of a Lunar base they offer the idea of an orbital station. The compromise is agreed upon.

1977AD: The first materials meant for the observatory are sent into orbit and construction begins on the Space Station.

Khazar issues an edict stating that any attempt to populate the heavens with pagan ideals would be seen as an act of aggression towards God – and so, an act of aggression towards Khazar.

Byzantine radicals send word to the space faring nations of the world that any attempt to pollute space with their oppressive autocratic values would be seen as an act of war (as always they threaten nuclear strikes against the offending parties but by this time it is no longer a bluff).

These ultimatums send the international community scrambling to find ways to defend their efforts to explore space. This slows construction of the space station as material and funds go to detecting these radical groups before they can strike and finding a blanket defense system (the space program’s loss is the WCCs gain as international funds and materials shifts into their pockets).

1979AD: After dozens of international conventions the idea is hit upon to use lasers to knock down any missiles. Lasers are useful tools that are used in a number of fields from medicine to military to entertainment although for decades there has been steady research to make the instruments more powerful, safer, and sturdier, at the moment the devices are hard to power and easily damaged. Nonetheless, the idea is accepted by the League, Egypt, and China and plans are started in earnest to create a laser to serve as a defense against conventional or nuclear missiles.

1982AD: Gallic druids and scientists at the Etan University develop the free-electron laser (I’ll spare you the techno babble but essentially it is a highly powerful and focused laser that is capable to cutting through the atmospheric mess a conventional laser can not).

1984AD: After further testing it is decided to begin work on creating land and space based platforms that utilize the free-electron laser technology. Funding and construction of these platforms are halted several times due to argument within the Oghma – a small but vocal group feel that the conventional measures taken to prevent Radicals from fulfilling their threats has worked so why should the nation help foot the bill for such an expensive effort as laser. Bebinn IX and the High Council were resolute in their conviction to see this through to the end and so were able to squash any opposition to the defense projects.

1986AD: Though many support buildings still need to be started and completed the first Ground Defense Platform goes online in the Gallic League.

1987AD: The first Space Defense Platform goes operational. Although meant as a defensive weapon the potential use as an offensive weapon brings many angry voices from the international community. It is decided that control of these devises will be turned over to a broader range of nations. Operational control of the SDP is given over to an international committee already in place, the War Conduct Council – which creates its own committee to administer the lasers, the International Space Defense Agency.

1992AD: There are enough SDP and LDP (space and land defense platforms) to warrant a full return to the Space Station construction.

1995AD: Space station Chimera goes operational – the first of many residents are Angus Hayden of the Gallic League, Fariel Sadat of the Egyptian Empire, and Mao Qin of China.

1996AD: The droughts that have plagued central and eastern Africa over the last 50 years enter into a particularly severe period (ushering in ten years of little to rain in the region).

1998AD: With demand for space exploration and colonization out pacing undersea enthusiasts High Queen Bebinn IX puts to the High Council and the Oghma the task of colonizing the Moon (a subject that is already under serious consideration in the Egyptian Civil Council and the Chinese parliament). Bebinn and the people of the Gallic League accept the notion based on wide eyed wonderment (what’s out there?), the High Council on the quest for knowledge (what can we learn?), and the Oghma for financial stability and self sufficiency (tourists ingots and mining rights – specifically the mining of Helium-3, a valued substance found in great quantities on the Moon that may at last be the answer to creating an efficient and reliable fusion reactor).

2000AD: The Gallic League sends their first survey team to the Moon (the first mapping expedition since 1971 is conducted). The initial findings look good for fulfilling the interests of everyone back on Earth.

2001AD: Within weeks of each other Egypt and China begin shipping material into Lunar orbit for use in constructing their own bases. Before the end of the year the Gallic League begins shipping their own material.

2005AD: The expense of trying to be the first nation to colonize the moon is weighing on the Gallic League, Egypt, and China (not to mention several other smaller nations trying to catch up with the big 3). It is proposed by the High Council that a joint effort would be far easier – they sited the immense undertaking of building and setting up the SDPs and LDPs and how much easier and cost effective it was to work with other nations to get the job done.

After a month of negotiations the Treaty of Alesia is signed, creating the International Space Exploration Agency, a division of what had been called the War Conduct Council and what is now called the World Conduct Council. Cosigners are Egypt, China, Chiefdom Union, Ghana, and the Incan Empire.
 
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