The Geban Chronicle

Key Dates

• ~3,398 BMGVaer'Terund Venar, youngest son of Empress Vaer'Tersa Elyrsana, declares war on Thazvaar after diplomacy collapses. The Geban-Thazvaari War will run three centuries, and the early centuries belong to the Dominion.
• ~3,297 BMGKazo Reyjuul and Huyasa Sers lead a fifty two person civilian survey across six continents until a Thazvaari ambush strikes the party.
• ~3,226 BMGThree generations on, Venar'Tolarg inherits both the throne and a war the Empire is still losing.
• ~3,207 BMGVenar'Tal Kareth is born, the only heir.
• ~3,203 BMGTolarg is killed in Northern Thazvaar and his body is never returned. Several sons of General Veris'Kelus Hael die in the same advance, none of them recovered. Venar'Tal is crowned at four years of age, is moved into the Sentinel district for training, and is separated from Veris'Kal Therak.
• ~3,181 BMGHis conditioning intensifies and he conceives the Eyes of Venar'Tal while still a student.
• ~3,174 BMGAfter almost thirty years apart, Venar'Tal and Veris'Kal reunite as adults with their objectives for Thazvaar already aligned.
• ~3,163 BMGThe Eyes of Venar'Tal is established as the Empire's air and naval dominance force. The war is still being lost on the ground.
• ~3,155 BMGBerinu asks Tal for help against Thazvaari criminal networks that have seized its resources and its government. The Empire liberates the continent. Berinu assimilates by choice to keep its autonomy. This is the first real turn.
• ~3,148 BMGThe Berinu Islands become the largest imperial naval base. Secure return routes, new relays, and air superiority follow. The war changes direction because the Islands exist.
• ~3,142 BMGThe Dominion briefly occupies eastern Jeyrha and takes researchers before it is thrown out. The occupation makes Jeyrha look aligned with Thazvaar. Xerik Haavu designs the Haavu cannon systems, Jeyrha assimilates peacefully, and the Haavu become the most prominent non-imperial family on the planet. Jeyrha is never conquered.
• ~3,138 BMGThe siege of Kharan's Gulf begins under King Feisuhosufes Hies and runs three decades.
• ~3,117 BMGEmperor Tal relocates to northern Berinu to fight the final years of the war himself, ninety years old and in his working prime. He is the only emperor recorded in direct action.
• ~3,108 BMGThe siege ends. King Feisuhosufes Hies is publicly executed in northern Berinu and struck from the imperial archives by decree, Nethelys Zahmira VIII is taken as wife, the mainland is invaded at terrible cost, and Veris'Kal Therak is named the first Imperator.
• ~3,096 BMGPrince Venar'Nethel is born, Tal's only son.
• ~3,077 BMGNethel is exiled to Ukhaalstaag after Tal uncovers a court plot to kill him. Exile instead of execution is what keeps him alive.
• ~3,069 BMGThe Velcrith merge takes hold in exile and the First Doctrine of Blood Royal is dictated to the scholars who served him.
• ~3,041 BMGThe Final Letter is written in Nethel's own hand, after no scholars remained.
• ~3,016 BMGVenar'Tal dies at a hundred and ninety one, named the greatest conqueror who ever lived. Veris'Kal outlives him by a decade.
• ~3,000 BMG onwardThe doctrine is discovered and lost many times, surviving in fragments for generations.

Defining Traits

• The original names of the Ngorrhali Passes are erased. Their greatest warriors become known as Frost Sentinels, serving as elite soldiers within the empire's military. Many of their martial techniques are adopted empire-wide.
• The Empire absorbs or exterminates all opposing civilizations within reach.
• Emperor Vaer'Terund Venar, great-grandfather of Emperor Venar'Tolarg, formally declares war on Thazvaar following the catastrophic failure of diplomatic negotiations, beginning the centuries-long Geban-Thazvaari War.
• Emperor Venar'Tolarg is killed during a major military campaign in Northern Thazvaar and his body is never returned. A very young Prince Venar'Tal is named Emperor.
• The Eyes of Venar'Tal is established as the Empire's air and naval dominance force under Emperor Venar'Tal Kareth, after the war has already run for generations as a losing one.
• Berinu reaches out to Tal for assistance in combating Thazvaari criminal organizations who were violently controlling their resources and actively seizing their government.
• The Empire directly liberates Berinu and they willfully assimilate to retain autonomy. Berinu joins because of Tal, and that is part of why he is remembered as he is.
• The Berinu Islands become home to the largest Imperial naval base, and the location of the Islands is what changes the war so the Empire can win.
• The Dominion briefly occupies eastern Jeyrha. Xerik Haavu designs the Haavu Cannon Systems, Jeyrha assimilates peacefully, and the Haavu family become the most prominent non-imperial family on Geba. Jeyrha is never conquered.
• Kazo Reyjuul and Huyasa Sers lead a fifty-two-person civilian survey that maps keystone life across Geba, Ngorrhal, Kela, Ukhaalstaag, Thazvaar, and Manalheim.
• Emperor Tal moves to northern Berinu to personally fight in the final days of the war.
• Emperor Venar'Tal Kareth publicly executes King Hies of the Thazvaari Dominion, ending the decades long siege of Kharan's Gulf, where he then took Queen Nethelys Zahmira VIII as his wife.
• Mainland of Thazvaar successfully invaded at significant life and resource cost to the empire, first Imperator appointed to maintain regional stability.
• Emperor Venar'Tal Kareth is named greatest conqueror to ever live.
• Veris'Kal Therak is named Imperator of Thazvaar.
• Conquered males are systematically executed, worsening the gender imbalance.
• Prince Nethel is exiled by Emperor Tal to save him after a court plot to have him assassinated. The First Doctrine of Blood Royal is written by Prince Nethel during his exile and merging with the Velcrith. He will later be recognized as the first known Vessel in Imperial history, but many centuries later.
• Elite structures under Tal. The Emperor's Wrath and the Frost Sentinels were instated generations earlier by Empress Vaer'yinda and expanded under his command. He added:
  • The Eyes of Venar'Tal – Integrated air, sea, and covert dominance.
  • The Sky Hammers – Airship-deployed shock forces, placed under the Eyes.
  • The Shield of Geba – His personal guard.