New runes sometimes came to wizards in the way of visions; it was said that several wizards might be granted the same vision at once. In times of catastrophe and great upheaval, an existing rune might simply cease to work—simultaneously, all across the world. No one quite understood how this was so, yet instances of this happening are recorded in numerous accounts. Many runes lost their potency after the Change, but several new ones appeared at about the same time. Runes were sometimes forgotten, only to be rediscovered.
Chronology
c. 3100: foundation of the northern empire; kings and princes of subject nations swear fealty to the Pendawer family, rulers of Alluinn
4010: Phaôrax, Erios, and then Rhuadllyn declare independence; the long struggle known as the First Pharaxion Wars begins
4016: Erios and Rhuadllyn surrender, a treaty is signed without reparations, and their rulers again swear fealty to the Emperor; however, the war with Phaôrax continues with the help of the Dragonstones
4020–4030: rise of sorcerer-kings in Otöi; many smaller nations of the southern continent are conquered and subjugated
4031: the Pendawers make peace with Phaôrax; a marriage is made between the two houses to seal the treaty
4040: Otöi makes a first incursion on Empire lands in the form of a raid on Tirhéne; though the raiders are repelled, the Pendawer emperor now perceives Otöi as a threat
4067–4069: Otöi sends out a full-scale army of conquest; Tirhéne falls; Malindor is invaded
4070: Otöwan armies driven out of Malindor
4072: Alluinn reclaims Tirhéne
4073–4075: the sorcerer-king of Otöi consolidates his power on the southern continent, declares himself Emperor of the South
4076: to maintain his interests, the Pendawer Emperor arranges the first of many marriages, this one between a Pendawer princess and the heir to the throne of Thäerie
4078–5000: the Pendawer Emperor arranges more political marriages, with Hythe, Weye, and Rheithûn
5004: Otöi attempts to invade Phaôrax; the King of Phaôrax wards off invaders with the help of the Alluinn
5012–5037: a princess of Phaôrax marries the Emperor’s oldest son; twenty-five years later, their second son is crowned as Emperor in Ceir Eldig
5090: a dispute between the kings of Thäerie and Phaôrax almost escalates into war, but the Emperor mediates; however, the Pharaxions feel they have not received their due, and ill feelings continue to rankle for another five years
5098: Otöi makes another incursion into Malindor; later that same year there is an attack on Brielliend
5099–5108: full-scale war between the empires of Alluinn and Otöi; gradually, the armies of Alluinn begin to prevail
5010–5011: in a tremendous (and ill-advised) battle of magics, the wizards of Alluinn quickly gain the advantage, but not before the Otöwan mages summon up forces that neither side can control; approximately six hundred mages and four hundred wizards are killed almost simultaneously; their deaths send such a shock through the world of matter that the path of the moon is altered, and there are earthquakes, floods, and other disasters in every land of the known world; the destruction is worst in Otöi, but much of Alluinn is levelled as well, and what remains descends into a state of anarchy; Tirhéne becomes a desert wasteland
1: a new reckoning of years is begun; unable to restore order in Alluinn, the Emperor takes sanctuary with his kinsmen on Thäerie; this is regarded as a slight by his kinsmen on Phaôrax; the effects of the new elliptical orbit of the moon are felt everywhere in the form of destructive tides that rise higher than ever before and increased seismic activity; scholars begin to divide the history of the world into two epochs, Silüenne (“the subsolar world”) and Silürené (“the sublunar world”)
2–88: a period during which nationalism combines with isolationism; everyone is so absorbed in repairing the damage wrought by war and sorcery that it is an era of peace between nations; the natural world, however, remains in a dangerous state of flux; midway through this period, the King of Thäerie dies and his heirs offer the throne to the Pendawer; he consents and marries a Thäerian princess to seal the agreement
89: a brief war between Thäerie and Phaôrax—their quarrel lasts less than half a year; a treaty is signed, and Princess Nimenoë is sent from Phaôrax to be fostered on Leal, while a minor princeling from Thäerie goes to Phaôrax
99: Nimenoë’s elder twin sister, Ouriána, makes a secret pilgrimage to the ruined capital of Otöi
102: Ouriána ascends the throne of Phaôrax
103: Ouriána establishes a new religion centering around the Devouring Moon; shortly thereafter she declares herself an incarnation of the moon goddess
108–115: Ouriána and her twelve priests immerse themselves in the blackest of magics, and so begins her reign of dark sorcery; in 110 she gives birth to her first son, Guindeluc
116: relations between Thäerie and Phaôrax become increasingly strained; Ouriána declares herself the heir to the Empire and sends out armies to recover her lost territories; her invasion of Rhuadllyn is almost immediately successful; she nextt sends armies to Brielliend
118: the Prophecy comes into the minds of many seers at virtually the same moment; this event will be repeated many times in later years
121: Ouriána’s armies enter Malindor; an alliance is made between Thäerie, Rheithûn, Hythe, Weye, Mere, Gonlündor, Leal, and Erios to oppose the expansion of Ouriána’s territories and expel her armies from Malindor and Brielliend; as leader of the alliance, Réodan Pendawer assumes the title of High King.
130: Nimenoë marries Eldori, a minor prince of the Old Thäerian line; Ouriána weaves a curse to render her sister barren; later that same year, Ouriána gives birth to her second son, Cuillioc
139: Ouriána’s priests take command of her armies, entering the war on many fronts; it becomes evident that what had only been rumor before is true: dark sorceries have altered them beyond recognition, and they begin to be known as the Furiádhin
141: Eldori dies; later that same year, in spite of Ouriána’s curse, Nimenöe gives birth to Guenloie, but dies in childbed; in order to distract Ouriána while Éireamhóine spirits the infant away, Réodan sends a fleet to attack Phaôrax; the invasion is a disaster, but in defending her island Ouriána works spells that leave her so weakened, she does not regain full use of her powers for several years; Éireamhóine and Guenloie are apparently killed in an avalanche in the Cadmin Aernan
160: word comes to Leal that Guenloie is still alive