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"History seems to us an arena of instincts and fashions, of
appetite, avarice, and craving for power, of blood lust,
violence, destruction, and wars, of ambitious ministers, venal
generals, ravaged cities, and we too easily forget that this is
only one of its many aspects.
"Above all we forget that we ourselves are a part of history,
that we are the product of its growth and are condemned to
perish if we lose the capacity for further growth and change. We
are ourselves history and share the responsibility for world
history and our position in it. But we gravely lack awareness of
this responsibility."
-- Grendel the Wise, Keeper of the
Library of Evermist
 
Every civilized species has used stars as a map to guide them
across the seas and as a way of telling stories about their
past. The stars are the gateway to a new world that serve as a
outlet for one's imagination. Taranche has many that study
astrology and the star's direction of fate. Stars are used for
both science and folklore.
Listed below are a sampling of some of the stars, constellations, and
other heavenly bodies that make up the crowded night sky of Taranchen.
Somewhat complicating matters is the fact that each race, and often
individual societies and groupings within those races, has their own
names and myths associated with any given constellation. The most common
names are given below, in alphabetical order.
BE = Before Empire IR = Imperial Reckoning
|
1132 BE |
Varasninith, the last great Elven kingdom, collapses
under the deadweight of its own noble class. It
becomes easy pickings for goblin and human raiders. |
|
1 IR |
King Tanicio Longinus Kaeso, the ruler of Taora, a small
city-state on the Sea of Horses, leads an army to conquer
his neighbors. He declares himself Emperor, with his
original city as his capital, thus centralizing the rule of
all his conquered territory. Unsatisfied with local
conquests, he begins a great outward expansion. |
|
3 IR |
The
Taoran army enters and assumes control of the Lost Coast
cities without a fight, but are unable to expand through the
Forest of Teeth. |
|
9 IR |
Taoran
forces conquer the Central Heartlands. |
|
14 IR |
In the
spring, Taoran ships begin attacking the port cities of the
Tan Lemenar archipelago. By the end of the year, the entire
island chain is under Imperial rule. |
|
19 IR |
Taoran
forces extend the rule of the Taors to the EasterSea Coast.
Taoran ships begin attacking the Tan Aaten archipelago. |
|
22 IR |
Chayk
barbarians repulse the forces of the Taoric Empire. Emperor
Longinus declares his expansion goals satisfied and settles
down to unify his Empire. |
|
1381 IR |
Emperor
Sextilus begins expansion once again by sending his forces
into the western reaches of the Sea of Horses. For the most
part, the Jaris cities surrender without much resistance
though one, Baz-al-Khmur, is burned to the ground before
fighting ceases. |
|
1386 IR |
General
Fladio sends Emperor Sextilus the now legendary "This river
and no further" declaration from the banks of the
Fireserpent River, thus forever fixing the westward border
of the Empire. |
|
2218 IR |
The daughters of several Imperial Advisors and ministers
go missing, suddenly. The Emperor, suspecting dark
plots and assassination attempts, calls for an immediate
investigation.
Archpriest Pescenilla Bara Kaesippina assassinates Emperor
Gaius Placidus Vero in front of the royal court. She makes
no defense, does not resist her arrest, and is executed a
week later at the order of Emperor Gaius Cassius Tessio,
Placidus' nephew. |
|
2219 IR |
Emperor Gaius orders the renovation of his personal bed
chambers. Two days into the job, workmen find the
decomposing bodies of several young girls, hidden in a
secret chamber behind the private bath. Several
bloodstained tunics recognized as belonging to Placidus Vero
are also found. |
|
4217 IR |
Rostok
raiders begin incursions into the northern reaches of the
Empire. In response, Emperor Decius IXX sends the Eighth and
Fourteenth Imperial Legion to pacify the barbarians. |
|
4218 IR |
The
Eighth and Fourteenth Imperial Legion, under the command of
General Hapidio Lucus Graco, reaches the gates of
Blagoevgrad, a Silde city state on the shores of the Sea of
Steam, and begins a siege. |
|
4424 IR |
Koprivtitsa, the last of the "border kingdoms", as the great
Silde city-states are coming to be called, is conquered and
brought under Imperial rule. General Lucus sends the
Fourteenth out on a "hunting expedition" to pacify the
nomadic Rostok. A month after Koprivtitsa is pacified,
Enrikkarit Zambre, Bulyar of the Minyaki Rostok tribe,
declares himself Khahan and gathers over nineteen Rostok
tribes to his banner. Once gathered, he leads his horde
against the Fourteenth Imperial Legion in the Valley of
Yellow Horses, a hundred miles west of Bor Blagov (as
Bagoevgrad has been renamed); the Rostok are slaughtered to
a man. The Fourteenth suffers 80% casualties.
The last three survivors of the Fourteenth Legion stumble
into Bor Blagov, telling a tale of constant harassment and
night-time guerilla raids by Rostok horseman, and the
privations brought on by the harsh winters of the Great
Empty. |
|
4367 IR |
Emperor Falero
Lollus Barus is assassinated, along with his family, by his
leading general, Cassius Tito. Tito takes up the crown and
names himself Emperor. General Flavius Oppus Tertio,
Commander of the Fourth Imperial Legion, defeats Tito's
loyalists and takes the capital city, naming himself
Emperor.
An army of 15,000 Chayk warriors led by Hlald Stymundssen
invades the Northern Marches, burning every Imperial town
they find and taking everything not nailed down back to the
northlands. Prince Lucius Poverus Scippio, governor of the
Marches and cousin to Emperor Tertio, decides that the only
thing they can do is evacuate as many people as possible to
a single city and concentrate on that one area's defense. He
chooses as his defensive base the port city of Silvertbay.
A Great Horde under the leadership of Gothrolhk, a half-orc,
pours out of the Clawspires and invades the Heartlands as
far as Bor Saminart. The Second Imperial Legion attempts to
stop the Horde's advance and is slain to the man.
Duke Junius Placco of the Kellevian March declares
himself an independent monarch of the Kingdom of Kellevernan,
no longer accountable to the Empire. He shocks his local
nobles by taking as his Duchess the wife of a local Aateni
tribal chieftain, but given the personal loyalty the
Eighteenth Imperial Legion (which has been nicknamed the
"Fire of Kellevan" for close to a thousand years) feels for
the Prince no trouble results.
Emperor Tertio is killed in his bedchamber. Witnesses
suspect that the murderer was his latest "acquisition", a
Vos girl torn from his family, but as the girl is never
found no proof is ever shown.
The Empire descends into chaos as nearly every possible
claimant to the throne goes to war with every other
claimant. |
|
4395 IR |
As trade in his
Landsgrave begins to break down, Margrave Calaif Whitebrow
of Bor Samneva, tiring of bandit activity in the area
surrounding his town, summons the nobles of the surrounding
towns to investigate possible solutions. |
|
4402 IR |
Lucius Poverus
Scippio dies. As his first act as prince, his son Lucillius
declares Silvertbay renamed Povero in his father's honor. |
|
4403 IR |
After eight years,
troops under the Margrave of Bor Samneva succeed in hunting
down and killing the so called Bandit-Lord Frygith the
Black. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of a twenty
year pacification campaign. |
|
4413 IR |
The nobles of Bor
Tyressul, Oxenfyrd, Waymoot, Bor Samneva, and Bor Celebora
collectively crown Margrave Calaif Whitebrow, founding
Calafia. |
|
4501 IR |
Forces of the
Witchking Leofgyf conquer the Eastern Heartlands. He
declares his holdings to be the Soravia, named after his
youngest daughter. |
|
5125 IR |
Hlujirik Port is
attacked by a band of giants. Most of the town is destroyed
before the band is eliminated. |
|
5149 IR |
The temple of
Lampronus in Bor Berengal is burned to the ground. Priests
of Valgilla claim responsibility. |
|
5153 IR |
Current campaign
year. |
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site is best viewed using the
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Cards font. |
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The Young Kingdoms PBEM Universe
and the World of Taranche are copyrighted to Jack and Rebecca
Butler, and is their solely owned property. The Young Kingdoms PBEM Universe
and the World of Taranche, and all of the campaigns therein, are
works of collaborative fiction. All the characters and events
portrayed here are either products of the authors' imagination or
are used fictitiously. Except where otherwise specifically
noted, the Young Kingdoms PBEM Universe and the World of Taranche, all
Young Kingdoms characters, and all stories included therein are Copyright
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The submitter does not give up the right to use the material in ways
unconnected to the Young Kingdoms PBEM Universe and the World of
Taranche. This website was
designed by Jack Butler, and is maintained by Jack Butler. Unless
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No material on this site may be posted or published elsewhere without
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