Joint Writing Project: Timeline of the Thelland Wars of consolidation and enlightenment.
Here is the basic idea, a world of Kingdoms and fantasy races that is slowly consolidated into a new Empire. Parallel to but not identical to Europe. The Dwarves are technologists, the Elves mysterious and the Wizards most mysterious. Threaded together by the large ruling family.
The idea is a Thieves World style collaborative project. We write short stories in the world but no set style and cover any aspect that seems interesting.
This timeline has been assembled from several sources, government record books, birth records, letters of King Holl, Felina the Wise and a few other scattered sources. The knowledge from the later years was far more detailed as you will see. We that assembled this list wish to give special thanks to Irene Maumod, chief scribe and archivist of Armada. She was an invaluable fount of knowledge and knew where to find all the ancient materials we used.
1545: Young King Holl (age27) of Fleet married Princess Yisafra (age 19), the eldest daughter of Emperor Yanis of Yillian. Yanis has no sons and this will lead to the eventually merging of the two nations. Yanis is only 50 but the Empress is dead and he will not remarry. He has one younger daughter Dolna age 10. The Empress died giving birth to her, she was advised she would probably not survive the child’s birth. Dolna is a sickly child.Timeline of the Thelland Wars of consolidation and enlightenment.
1546: Queen Yisafra gives birth to Prince Hollis who will be both King of Fleet and Emperor of Yillian. The boy is healthy and both nations rejoice. The alliance is considered fully cemented with this joyous event and the Queen recovers quickly from the birth.
1548: Queen Yisafra gives birth to the twins, Prince Yan and Princess Hanna.
King Holl has been quietly building up his military forces and in late September launches a surprise attack on Killian, overwhelming and occupying the town swiftly with the support of a powerful fleet. At the same time the Yillian army with support of Fleet’s army takes and occupies Fyllian. Both victories are complete and with little casualties to either side. The area annexed is declared to be under the rule of Prince Hollis with King Holl appointing councils made up of men of both towns, officers of both armies and appointed Lord Mayors. Lord Gathone of Fleet is given Killian and Lord Brin of Kowry is tasked with ruling Fyllian.
1549: The two towns fall fairly peaceably under King Holl’s rule. Indeed most residents of Killian find conditions improved with increased trade and public works that improve sanitation. Also a small series of well built fortifications give better guard over the region and along the river leading back to Armada.
In further action a large fleet arrives in Julian to meet the army of Fleet and they burn most of the ships and go house by house to rout out the pirates and brigands of Julian. The raid is successful but Hilliard raises objection and King Holl does order his men back out but both Hilliard and Fleet leave strong garrisons of men to oversee the city until it can police itself again. Tensions ease between the neighboring kingdoms by the end of the year.
Princess Daphne of Hofra is born to King Olondor VI (age 29) and Queen Dalianna (age 22)
1550: Young Princess Dolna of Yillian (age 15) dies from scarlet fever. Her weak constitution gave her little chance and she went swiftly.
Emperor Yanis gives far more control of Yillian over to King Holl who begins a program of cleaning up the decaying town of Yillis and weakening the power of the Farmer’s Council. He has a few exercises for the armies of the two nations to work together.
King Holl quietly begins his plan for annexing Jarad. He has agents sowing problems between Jarad and Hofra and in the meantime works hard to improve relations with Hilliard.
Queen Yisafra gives birth to Prince Cargill. At age 24 the Queen has produced 4 healthy children and with apparent ease. She has also won the hearts of Fleet. Many young wives with problems giving birth or getting pregnant have appealed to the Queen for tokens to aid them and she has garnered a reputation for success. The Royal Family is well loved by both nations as prosperity and hope spreads. It appears the two nations are well on the way to a peaceful merger.
1551: The Kingdom of Jarad is blaming the loss of several merchant ships on government sanctioned piracy by Hofra.
Hilliard feeling secure in peace with Fleet after coexisting as the effective co-rulers Julian launches attacks on Baerlinger. The resistance and support from the country side is surprisingly fierce and while Hilliard take the town, they are constantly harassed and must maintain a large garrison of men in Baerlinger and conduct powerful sweeps of the countryside. The fighting continues throughout the year.
In November Jarad and Hofra go to war and Hofra surprisingly wins every naval battle and has Corinthia cutoff by sea.
1552: The Year of War. As Baerlinger continues to resist Hilliard a Captain and bowman makes a name for himself with his daring raids and great successes. He is known as Lord Forester and he has already defeated 2 large patrols of Hilliard as he turned ambushes on the ambushers. He always appears to be one step ahead of the army of Hilliard and rumors are he is an Elf-Friend and has a Druid that works with him. Some say he is half-elven or even that he is a Warrior-Druid himself.
To the south, Hofra is still winning at sea but the larger Jarad army is fighting its way to the City of Hofra itself. When in April two large, well trained and well equipped armies descend on Pithing and Pariphia. The Fleet arrives under command of King Holl himself at Pithing and Jarad is faced with a two front war they are ill-prepared for and the loss of the remainder of their Navy. King Holl’s fleet succeeded in capturing more ships than they loss in the battle for Pithing. Both towns fall and the better part of both armies are marching on Jarinth and Boffin. King Orange of Jarad orders his army back from Hofra to defend Jarinth. Hofra manages to harry their retreat and slow them down and the two armies quickly take Boffin and then begin a siege and reduction of Jarinth.
King Orange (age 52) asks for terms but King Holl demands surrender of Jarad to him in the name of Prince Hollis. He offers the King and his nobles to be part of a House of Lords to help rule Jarad peacefully under King Holl’s leadership. King Orange would become Duke Orange of Jarinth out of respect for his noble family. King Orange rejects this proposal and the fighting continues.
Attempts by the army of Jarad to break the siege are repulsed and Hofra is annexing lands along their border and negotiating with King Holl for an expanded border and Corinthia as allies against Jarad. In a well planned move, King Holl has brought in reserves to hold the cities to the North and brings up a fresh and well rested army to attack the Jarad army with Hofra’s army. Once the battle begins he pulls out all horsed units from the siege to aid in the assault. The battle rages for 3 days and includes a doomed sally from Jarinth itself that flounders in the secretly built pit traps and is trapped by troops secreted in trenches. The army of Jarad is wiped out completely with 3500 killed and 5000 surrendered.
The nobles of Jarinth sneak out an envoy looking for terms of surrender. A deal is worked out and the King and his family are delivered to King Holl by the Nobles. In a regrettable act the eldest Prince is killed resisting the nobles and his young wife violated, she commits suicide on the way to Fleet. The King and Queen of Jarad are taken as hostages back to Fleet and the remaining Prince and two of the three Princesses are separately held in Yillian. The last Princess Emma (age 21) is married to a powerful Noble of Jarinth, Marquis Roverton (age 30) and they are made the Duke and Duchess of Jarinth and charged with keeping the peace and facilitating the orders of the King Holl. It takes the rest of the year and into 1553 to complete the conquest and to settle the new borders. Hofra gains Corinthia and roughly half the land between the old border and the road from Corinthia to Jarinth.
1553: The new border is set; King Holl declares the newly joined kingdoms to be Empire of Western Thelland and raising his son’s title to Emperor Hollis. King Holl of course rules in his name. Emperor Yanis removes to the City of Armada to help train the young Emporer Hollis.
Hilliard has mostly subdued lands around Baerlinger but cannot bring Lord Forester down who has expanded his raids into Hilliard itself and successfully captured the Lord Mayor of Port Hilliard’s wife and children in the most daring raid of his career. They were removed from the Spring Equinox Fair and the ransom demand is nothing less than the complete withdrawal of Hilliard from Baerlinger.
While this is happening King Holl quietly increases the number of men and influence he had in Julian as Hilliard actually draws down their garrison.
The price on Lord Forester’s head is raised to 20000 Gold Pieces and a title of Nobility and promise of lands in Baerlinger. He has now become the greatest folk hero in the land but many seek him and chance for the gold. In July the Lord Mayor’s youngest is sent back dead with a warning that each month another child would follow. He then attacks and destroys several companies of the Hilliard Army trying to sweep the new lands of Baerlinger. The losses and lack of success have many muttering in Hilliard that no profit is being seen from Baerlinger and only horror and loss. In August a notice is left on the Mayor’s door behind the sealed walls of the town that his youngest daughter is now dead. The Lord Mayor’s appeals have failed and he chooses to step down instead and sends a proclamation praying for the safe return of his two remaining children and his wife. The raids increase in August and come September the Lord Mayor’s family including the youngest daughter is returned. It turns out his young son had actually died of a fever and was not murdered. A message is sent to Hilliard by various means to throw off the oppressor, King William the Foolish. With this the countryside around Baerlinger rises again to fight and the boats of Hilliard are burnt and scuttled in Baerlinger.
King Holl orders the taking of Julian as part of the Western Empire and escorts the remaining garrison of Hilliard back to Hilliard. King William protests but is strongly advised not to go to war over Julian. King Holl begins to consolidate rule over the vast farmland region from the southern point of Hilliard down to Jarad. This brings him into conflict with Byrota though, a powerful city that considered itself the main force in the area. Swords are rattled.
Queen Yisafra gives birth to Princess Safran in October.
The policy of improvements has gone a long way in Fleet and Yillian with the only negative note being that Lord Gathone needed to be set down for corruption and replaced by a less skilled noble Lord Trevan.
1554: Beginning of the Great Western War. King Holl has reached agreement with Lord Forester to make him the Duke of Baerlinger if he leads his people in war against Hilliard. He also has gauged the Halflings of western Hilliard are tired of their King and willing to be self-ruled communities under the flag of the Empire of Western Thelland.
King William (age 50) has forged an alliance with King Byron of Byrota, Lord Hansfel of Bale’s Ferry and Lord Ridder of Evenrude to fight Fleet. He is trying to cause uprisings in Jarad and Fyllian.
By May the armies take to field. Marshall Gunther of Yillian leads armies drawn from Fleet, Yillian and Jarad against Byrota with a river fleet to support. King Holl leads an army into Hilliard and the main fleet is sent in battle against Hilliard’s fleet. Lord Forester and other rebels harry the army of Hilliard as it heads back to defend Hilliard. A large number of men are sent to a watery grave when the small fleet of merchantmen is caught returning from Baerlinger. It is believe over 1000 soldiers were lost. By July things are going badly for Hilliard and Byrota.
The Jarad uprising were put down by Duke Roverton of Jarinth. He likes his new power, greater than he had under his father-in-law and the Duchess is worried for her family currently kept very well as hostages to Jarad’s peace. The pair worked hard to keep Jarad under the Empire. Fyllian goes a little better and forces King Holl to deploy 300 men to keep the area subdued.
Byrota pools money with Hilliard and secures the services of 7 large mercenary companies mostly from the Merchant’s League. These vets prove formidable in fighting the armies of the Western Empire but Baerlinger and Kofet both fall.
In September Hofra sends it army to Byrota. This is a very well equipped 2000 man army all on war horses. Hofra is both thankful for the aid King Holl sent when the Jarad army was nearing their capitol and hopeful of cementing an alliance. They also expect to add some land to their own kingdom.
The fighting becomes small armies in the field, a siege of Byrota and constant sallies in Hilliard. However, King Holl now wisely wishes a stalemate as he knows the mercenaries will soon leave the war and Hilliard is hurting already. Littleport is besieged. Lord Forester is raiding near Hilliard itself. Trade is cut off for Hilliard.
1555: The war continues slowly in the winter months. The army of Hofra had returned home with promises to be back in the spring. The mercenaries leave in January. Their supplies are not enough to keep them in the field; they actually join forces and raid Bale’s Ferry on their way home. The siege of Byrota continues as does Littleport and the Fleet kept Hilliard from any series marine activities.
Come Spring Hilliard and Byrota brace for renewed attack. They hold out little hope unless something breaks their way. King William has tried to get the services of Ilandria’s Wizards but those he sent never return. Entreaties to Caelie Confederation also fail. In early June 2000 knights of Hofra arrive supported by 1000 infantry and engineers and King Holl sends all of his reserves measuring 16,000 to supplement the 5000 already there to end the siege of Byrota. This leaves him thin in Hilliard but when the army under King William march to relieve Littleport they encounter a foe already orderly retreating and then surprise attacks from the local peasantry and Halflings. The 2500 men of Fleet come riding and marching back quick in a series of planned attacks and feints and King William dies from a mysterious back wound as does several of his top generals and captains. The battle is fierce and Fleet loses over 1000 men and another 800 injured but Hilliard loses 3300 as it retreats back to a safer area. Littleport is freed but only at great expense and the loss of the King himself.
Prince Jonas’s coronation is done swiftly and he tries for a desperate effort. He knows the main army of the Western Empire is marching on Byrota and sends his full force of 8000 men to attack Kofet and try to take it back. He is not expecting local support.
At Byrota, the 24,000 rule the field and begin the assault on the great walls of Byrota. Byrota is already tight on food and low on morale. It takes but 10 days for the walls to fall and 1 more for Byrota to fall. King Byron throws himself from his highest tower. Discipline fails with the breaking of the siege as the men were already fighting house to house. There is a great amount of atrocities, raping and pillaging of the once great city. Several major fires break out and further damage the city. It takes a week to bring all back to order and King Holl is swift to send 10,000 men heading north against Hilliard. Bale’s Ferry and Evenrude both sue for peace.
The Battle of Kofet was not the decisive victory that King Jonas needed and they broke off to meet the 10,000 marching north. Lord Forester raised an army of 800 to spread through the east of Hilliard and cause great disruptions, siphoning off the last of King Jonas’s reserves. The Fleet made a landing against Port Hilliard and the Empire uses about 3000 to harry and harass in the west of Hilliard. King Jonas is offered a dukedom of the City of Hilliard if he surrenders. Kofet and Littleport will be joined to Fleet and Port Hilliard will be another Dukedom. King Jonas weighed the situation well and agreed in the end with heavy heart. His brother and mother were taken as well cared for hostages to Armada. This brought about a more peaceful time for the Western Empire at least as they consolidated their many gains.
1556: Queen Yisafra gives birth to Prince Thisras in September. She is now 30 and her youth has faded but she is still pleasant looking. Consolidation continues. Hofra convinces Pologan to become part of Hofra as Hofra expands east along the shore and the land.
Lord Ham of Baerlinger is born to Duke Jon Forester and Duchess Arabella Forester (age 26).
The Empire of Western Thelland joins Hofra in its trading with the Empire of Hadon on the southern continent.
1558: Emperor Yanis passes away at age 63. He died of a wasting disease that took him quick. The entire Western Empire mourned for him for a week. Queen Yisafra was declared Empress of Yillian and King Holl her supreme commander and consort. The Empress gave birth to another pair of twins. Both boys but one dies the same day. Prince Yanis is doing well though and thriving. Bale’s Ferry, Pologan and Evenrude find themselves all but under the Empire’s control.
1559: Lady Jane Forester is born in Baerlinger to Duke Jon Forester and Duchess Arabella Forester (age 29).
1560: Queen Yisafra gives birth to her final child at age 34. Prince Garret. She has had 9 children and only one died.
1561: On Emperor Hollis’s 15th birthday Bale’s Ferry joins the Empire peacefully. The army is deployed to bring Evenrude and Thellin also into the Empire. It is a fairly peaceful process.
In 16 years King Holl has forged an Empire that includes most of the lands and people of Western Thelland. Prosperity and trade has great increased and improvement in sanitation and agriculture is causing a population boom. The Halflings of Kofet have especially grown in number and several small towns have risen up. King Holl has also lured many skilled Dwarves with promises of key locations in towns for their shops. He finds the Halfling have a great and previously untapped potential at farming and gives them far more land. There are no longer tariffs and far fewer tolls within the Empire of course. This has caused some job displacement but opened up far more opportunity. He introduced much more ranching to Yillian in particular and as employed the under employed in this industry. In Jarad the city of Jarinth is once again a center of trade and most displaced from other fields are now working in some support field for the merchants. Duke Roverton of Jarinth has grown to be very rich, richer than his father-in-law was as King.
1562: Old King Orange passed away. The Old Queen Embeth returns to Jarinth to live with her daughter the Duchess Emma (age 29). Prince Orrin (age 35) remains hostage but has married and is a gentleman farmer. Of the Princesses, Lilly (age 32) has been married off to the Duke of Kowry and Anna (age 23) to a handsome Captain Miggens (age 31) of the Fleet. There are many cousins among the four offspring.
1566: Emperor Hollis turns 20 and in great fanfare is engaged to Princess Daphne of Hofra. She is 17 and rumored to be a rare beauty. King Olondor VI of Hofra has hopes this will cement friendly relations with the Empire and he has been quietly negotiating for this day for the last 7 years and the last 4 in great earnest. The marriage is to be the following year and the Princess and a large escort will travel to Armada to formally meet the Emperor and his people. Her dowry will include 7 large ships of the line.
A plague of dragons descend on the Caelie Confederation. King Holl sends as much aid as possible under the command of Lord Admiral Hemmin and Duke Jon Forester. They help the people of Caelie drive the Dragons back out. Lord Hemmin lost his flag ship in the main encounter but they dropped 4 dragons to their death into the sea. Duke Forester killed the dragon Calcion with a small party. Calcion thought he was safe in secure hill fort but Duke Forester found a way to sneak in and slay him before he fully awoke. On Lord Hemmin’s return, he was made the supreme commander of the Fleet.
1567: The great marriage. The young Empress Daphne is a rare beauty. She is also intelligent and very well educated. Probably the mental superior to Emperor Hollis but she is smart enough not to let this be an issue. The young Emperor is well trained in government, court, nobility, tactics, diplomacy, naval skills and warfare. His father has ensured he is well capable of taking over the great Empire crafted for him. The young couple is a remarkable pair. He is handsome and brave; she is a glorious raven haired beauty of deep intelligence.
1568: Princess Hanna now 21 marries Maxwell Hemmin son of Lord Admiral Hemmin and already a famed Captain at the young age of 26. They are designated the Duchess and Duke of Fleet.
1569: The Emperor orders his top vassal and advisor, his father King Holl to Hrunfner and Tylander Village and all the open lands between. It is but short work for the large and well equipped armies to subdue this region. The Caelie Confederation is invited to join the Empire as three separate dukedoms. Negations continue and King Holl himself visits at the head of a fleet of 200 ships.
1570: The Confederation joins the Empire of Western Thelland. This is now the largest Empire since the dissolution of the Ancient Thellin Empire 900 years earlier. Emperor Hollis having studied history well decides on a plan to change the military of the Empire. He plans to maintain a large standing army and navy of regulars. These regulars will be heavy on officers and sergeants and mates. Then a large pool of reserve conscripts would serve for a certain period of time and return later for shorter periods yearly. In this way he planned to have a large professional force with a far larger trained reserve to preserve and enlarge the Empire. He worked to ensure the units would be largely mixed to better integrate the Empire into a single nation. He also continued his father’s policy of improving the Navy. His father approved all his ideas and ordered them to begin.
The young Emperor also sought to recruit and train spellcasters to support the Empire and army. He fostered and encouraged racial tolerance between the various races of the Empire. His desire was to count the Elves, Dwarves, Selkies and Otterkin as firm allies along with the Halflings that already love him and his father. He made fair progress with all of the above but especially the Dwarves and Otterkin. He shared a love of machinery with the Dwarves and had many prominent inventors and artificers in his councils and the Otterkin were unused to a human leader that took them as equals and responded well to it. This approached did not work as well with the Elves as the Elves never felt the humans were their equals.
In October Empress Daphne gives birth to a baby girl. The Princess Dollis or Dolly is healthy and thriving.
Princess Safran (age 17) marries Duke Jonas (age 38) of Hilliard, consolidating the ex-King’s position. His first wife died in 1568 without leaving a male heir but he does have two daughters that are 6 and 3.
1571: The Empress did suffer some problems with the birth and is slow to recover. No less a person than Duke Forester undertook a quest to find Ilandria the hidden city. He leaves in mid-May as the way is through the great northern forest and then through the snowy waste to the north. He brings 6 companions with him only and they each have a spare horse. All horses bred for heavy work, sure footed and of northern stock. The seven return in August with a special amulet to heal and assist the Empress. She recovers fully in a month and is said to have grown even more insightful. This is when it is believed she became impossible to lie to.
1572: The Empire expands again. Otterhome is added through peaceful negotiations as the rest of the great eastern bend of the Thellin River is added and the fertile fields on the eastern side. To the north a fearsome force of 20,000 march on Roundup with a solid supply line. It takes months but the locals are convinced of the merits of joining the Empire. The large garrison of 800 is maintained in the area for the next several years.
Prince Yan (age 24) is made the Duke of Yillian to serve his brother he marries a noble lady from a cadet line, a 2nd cousin. The Duchess Violet is but 16.
This is the first summer that the road to Ilandria is worked on to open the way for trade.
Queen Embeth passes away in Jarinth at age 65.
1573: Empress Daphne gives birth to Crown Prince Hollis the second.
Prince Cargill (age 23) marries the Duchess Rose of Jarinth (age 22). She is the middle daughter of Duke Roverton.
The Empire establishes forts east along the Thellin River and south along The Otter River. The road to Ilandria is clear with plans to expand and pave it in upcoming years. The great road building of the Empire of Western Thelland is begun this year. New and better roads are built. Aqueducts are planned and many bridges and ports for the River Thellin are planned. A series of state schools are started in the more urban areas. A steady and growing trade is started with Ilandria bring many marvelous items and weapons to the Empire and much gold and goods to Ilandria. They also express an interest in ancient works that have been kept or preserved and gems. Prince Garret (age 13) goes to Ilandria to Study.
The Merchant’s League grows very worried over their large and powerful neighbor. They are in contact with the Lord Mayor of Drallon who is also fearful. The Deep Council of Waterhome rebuffs their entreaties. The Dwarves of the Thellin Mountains also offer no direct aid.
1575: The Thellin army is nearing the professional level Emperor Hollis desired. The Fleet is top notch. Combined with the fleet of Hofra, they send 400 ships carrying great firepower and masses of men against Drallon as negotiation seal Waterhome joining the Empire with The Deep Council maintaining local authority.
Armies march on Drallonville and onto Drallon. Forces from Waterhome join both and 2000 knights of Hofra ride to Drallon. An astounding force of 34,000 begins the siege of Drallon. Great weapons of black powder cannons and magics breach the city walls on the first day. On the second day the troops pour through a dozen breaches and Drallon is quickly taken. The Lord Mayor is offered a chance to stay on under Duke Cargill. He accepts and retains his title though loses much of his powers. Hofra gains a large new region along the road and coast east.
1576: The Merchant’s League begins negotiations to join the Empire under good terms. This includes Prince Yanis being promised the Dukedom over the region upon marrying the Chief Minister’s daughter and heir. Prince Yanis is 18 and Lady Aura is only 15. The marriage and official “merger” of the League and Empire is scheduled for 1579. This will complete the consolidation of the West and Central Thelland.
Empress Daphne gives birth to Princess Felina. The child is sickly at first but the healer Gallen from Ilandria comes swiftly down the great Ilandrian Road to Baerlinger where 7 of the fastest and strongest ships of the Fleet under Brevet Commodore Hemmin await to rush Gallen to Armada. Gallen performs many rituals and spells and accepts an offer to become the court healer. He is given his own nearby palatial manse and authority as Minister of Health of the Empire. He receives the title Earl. He also advises the Empress to cease having children. The magics of the amulet help but each further birth will drain years off her life and possibly endanger her beyond the magic’s ability to aid her.
Lord Admiral Hemmin (age 60) dies at sea during an encounter with a large force of pirates in the stormy channel. The Fleet is victorious but he dies at the hand of the lead Pirate captain who boarded his ship. The EWT Crusader survives the encounter. Maxwell Hemmin is made a full Commodore and given command of the EWT Crusader when she is overhauled.
1577: Emperor Hollis and King Holl begin the building of swift cutters with brass cannons to support the large war galleys of the Fleet. The Empress begins negotiations with her brother the heir to the throne of Hofra for eventual inclusion in the Empire when he becomes King Olondor the VII.
1578: The Hofran Pact is approved by both sides. Hofra will be a semi-independent kingdom within the kingdom and the Kings and Princes shall be hereditary Sea Lords of the Empire. King Olondor the VI is not overjoyed but it is the prudent course and as long as he lives, Hofra shall maintain its full independence.
Heavy scouting of Far Home has been ongoing.
Trade with the Empire of Hadon has grown great as the demand for exotic goods has increased with the rising prosperity of the Empire. It is estimated that 400 ships made the trip across the channel. Trade from Drallon to Xylia is especially strong as despite the greater distance the sea is much calmer. Avandor on the west coast also sees increased trade from the North as the newer merchant ships of the Empire no longer fear deep water voyages and still fear the Stormy Channel.
1579: Prince Yanis (21) marries Lady Aura (18) and become the Duke and Duchess of Xallia which encompasses the Merchant’s League.
1580: In a stunning move the bulk of the Fleet working with special forces of Selkies and Otterkin combine with 5000 elite knights of the kingdom to seize vital ports and sea towers of Far Home and beat their magical Bronze Galleys in war by aggressive boarding through the swift cutters flying out behind the screen of vulnerable ships of the line and Selkies and Otterkin swarming over the sides in surprise attacks. The Fleet takes great losses of ships but captures 9 of 11 Bronze Galleys. One Galley escapes and another is crashed upon the rocks and appears to be beyond repair. As the year advances and army of 25,000 makes it to Far Home and secures the ancient city state and its outlying sea fort villages and farm lands. Commodore (Maxwell) Hemmin in particular distinguished himself. His promotion to Admiral follows the action.
Prince Thisras (age 24) is installed as Duke of Great Bay including Far Home. He is given a large garrison of 3,000 men and retains 2 Bronze Galleys and a good size fleet. Four Galleys are brought back to Armada and 1 each are stationed in Hofra, Kowry and Port Hemmin. Admiral Hemmin is given the EWT Bronze Sword as his flag ship. The one officially stationed at Port Hemmin.
Prince Thisras marries Lady Jane Forester (age 21) daughter of Duke Jon Forester of Baerlinger. They are charged with rebuilding the city state and surrounding bay and encouraging peaceful immigration from the rest of the Empire to increase the most eastern bastion of the Empire. Plans for annexation and expansion are largely done for now and the foreseeable future. Consolidation and infrastructure is now the main plan.
1581-1589: A decade of great prosperity as the Empire grows according to the careful plans of the Emperor, Empress, King Holl and Queen Yisafra and the Dukes of the Empire. Old King Holl passes away in 1589 at the age of 71. His final act was cementing a peace agreement and trade treaty with Ilandria to the benefit of both Empire and City of Magic. He has helped lay out a plan to slowly subdue the Jel Ahir and other nomads and to eventually annex Kophra and Bowen. Also strong treaties of Alliance are begun and ongoing with the Dwarf communities of Kantar and Goudon in the Central Thelland Mountains. He expects negotiation to take a careful hand and another 20 years or more.
The army of the Empire has grown into a vast and powerful force, well trained with a great core of skilled professionals and a large ready reserve to be called up as needed. The breeding of horses and training of long bowman and crossbowman give them a great advantage in any open battle and the variety of special units for fighting foes in less than perfect locations have proceeded well. Small battles and rebellions over this period are quickly put down with ease and efficiency. The nomadic tribes of the plains are stopped from raiding the borderlands with fair success.
The Fleet itself is the greatest by far since the long ago dissolution of the Ancient Thellin Empire. The inclusion of brass cannons and the newest iron cannons have made the ancient galleys even more powerful. Piracy has been stomped out nearly complete and trade has greatly expanded by land and sea.
Great efforts are made and rewarded to bring the lower classes fully into the Empire by improvements and fairness under the law. In 45 years King Holl built a mighty Empire and set his line to rule over it fairly but firmly. A great monument is built to him in Armada. Queen Yisafra continues to rule Yillian in the name of the Emperor. She spends part of the year in Yillis and part in Armada.
Reply with quote
