[Tyrea]

                                                                                                                    

The History of the...     

                                   

                                                                                    
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An Angelic Experiment 

?-1 AC

Magnolia was founded by a group of thirteen angels. Their names have been forgotten but the modern Magnolians simply call them the Thirteen. They believed the nature of man inevitably would lead to the destruction of all they have cultivated, that if man is allowed to rule itself they will inevitably turn on each other and bring ruin to the world. They wanted to show the rest of their kind that a direct hand can ensure that their creations can prosper for eons. With a direct hand there will be peace. They brought an unknown amount of humans to the valley enclosed by mountains, surrounding their experiment with a divine storm, similar to the peace barriers. It served to keep their subjects within we’ll also hiding it from their fellow angles until they had sufficient results. Over time the angles would direct the humans to construct a new civilization based on divine values.

Divine Authority

1-169 AC

Through the guidance of the angels did the humans build a magically advanced nation. With the combination of angelic insight and human ingenuity was the first magitech created, at first it was primitive and impractical but over time did the Thirteenth used it to optimize the society. Though they were the most advanced society on the continent the angels kept the humans on a tight leash. All decisions were dictated by them, including the roles of individuals and what actions were mortal. The angel's overtime began to value nothing but obedience from their subjects, making countermeasures to see that the humans could never rival the Thirteen’s power. A sense of moral purity was enforced at all times and those who couldn’t perform to their fullest were cast aside and replaced. Any disagreement or descent was met with punishments ranging from torture, confinement, to getting ripped apart by the divine storm. There was no room for choice in the realm of the Thirteen, there was only the guiding hand.

Sudden Disappearance

170 AC

When Kraus ascended as the archangel, one of the thirteen feared they would eventually discover the experiment and their enslavement of humans. Fearing eventual retribution they would come forward to Kraus in a desperate attempt to save themself. Needless to say the archangel was furious. Once the rest of the thirteen discovered this betrayal they dissolved the storm and scattered before Kraus could take retribution. Nobody knows the true fate of the Thirteen, only that they left a huge power vacuum with their sudden disappearance, one that would be filled by a chaotic civil war that destroyed their vision.

The Great Division

171-247 AC

The region devolved into thirteen clans that managed to salvage what magitech they could, turning the remnants against each other. They fought over land, tech, and the resources of the valley. Not much is known about this era due to literacy dying off for a time.

The Reunification 

247-249 AC

One of these clans known as the Magnolians, discovered the hidden library where the Thirteen documented their experiment and kept the knowledge of past magitech developments. Armed with this knowledge did the Magnolians re-engineer previously lost magitech and used its power to reunite the clans into the Kingdom of Magnolia, under the Sarris Dynasty.

The Kingdom of Magnolia

250-513 AC

Magnolia began rapidly expanding its territory under the rule of the Sarris Dynasty. The early rulers focused their attention on expanding their territory into more fertile land, steamrolling Lapine, and Felinae clans in the highlands with their technological edge, making allies with nearby powers such as Esshar. The later rulers were more focused on developing their economy and trading with powers such as Esshar and Aen. Magnolia regulated what it traded with outsiders however, only dealing in raw resources and low-risk items such as clocks.

Calakye the Radiant

514-529 AC

A growing sect of the Celestialism faith grew within Magnolian borders, brought from merchants who were converted in Esshar. Over the years they would grow a following to the point that king Calakye Sarris would convert and sought to spread his own sect of the faith, combining Celiestialism with worship of the Thirteen. His reforms echoed the authority of the angels including these caste restrictions and cruel punishments. A sizable group led by a few artificing guilds saw this as a threat to their way of life, plunging the kingdom into a civil war against the king. In the end the artificers managed to win out and depose the monarchy. During the chaos the opportunistic powers of Barburg, and Aen claimed a third of Magnolian territory, reducing it to its modern borders.

The Magnolian Council

530 AC

The artificer guilds reformed the government, shaping it into a republic where merit and knowledge determine one’s position. They decided that the influence of outside powers would only lead to their nation’s destruction, closing their borders and beginning Magnolia’s long history of isolation, and neutrality. Nobody enters or leaves the nation without the council’s approval. Organized religion was banned, all arcane magic was banned, and all trade with outside powers was controlled directly through the council.

Stagnation

540-700 AC

Over the course of a few centuries, technological developments stagnated due to a lack of outside contact and the contentment of the artificer guilds. Not much happened other than the Council building up the infamous Magnolian border, the most heavily fortified on Aegis.

The First Innovation Renaissance

715-780 AC

After reformers were made within the Magnolia government many restrictions were lifted, causing a technological renaissance where much of Magnolia’s more outlandish technology was developed. The culture of Magnolia also had some shifts to encourage curiosity, craftsmanship, and pushing the limits of magic. This would lead to many magical techniques being discovered such as metal and plasma.

The Outside Incursion

790 AC

A coalition of Celestialism Cultists, Occult Users, and Anti-Isolationist Merchants united in secret. They plotted to overthrow the council and form a government, more open to outside trade and the use of arcane magic. They managed to convince the Aen Empire and a rogue group of Barsburg Witches to increase their manpower to occupy the Capitol, all for the promises of magitech. On a winter night the coalition sabotaged a section of the border, allowing Aen, Barsburg, and a horde of summoned demons to clear a path to the Capitol. A weeks-long battle ensued where the Council’s forces barely held off the Coalition but in the end they gained the upper hand and kicked them out of Magnolian territory.

Aen lost a good number of their manpower in the incursion, giving Barsburg the edge it needed to cripple their rival’s expansion. The Barsburg survivors were branded traitors for collaboration with the Aen empire, with the few avoiding executions fleeing to Esshar, bringing their witchcraft with them. The traitorous Magnolians of the Coalition either died in the Incursion or migrated to the borderlands of Magnolia, eventually founding the settlement of Middlemist.

The Exodus

900 AC

After a huge purge of religious groups and other movements within Magnolia, many of its citizens began to question their place in the world and the authority of their government. A movement grew within the walls to leave their nation and rejoin the world. Whether through choice or exile Maglonians found themselves traveling to Esshar and beyond, disconnected from higher magi-tech in exchange for a new life, building a reputation for their agile physique and unrivaled artisan work. 

By the time of the Conquest of Rhoynur, about ⅓ of Esshar's population had some form of Magnolian ancestry.

The Second Innovation Renaissance

1200-1350 AC

The Magnolian Science Committee started to gain more and more influence over the Council, having concessions made to state-sponsored research projects, leading to a new age of technological development. Within these laboratories they throw away morals in exchange for results, bending the limits of magitech. Cloaking devices, mana drainers, rift circles, and many other highly advanced tech were developed. This largely went to reinforcing the border but it also gave them the tools to silently explore the world. Upon their cloaked airships did they travel the world, bringing once unreachable resources to Magnolia such as Spire Shares, Arcanium, and test subjects from many different races. The general civilian population experienced a second innovation renaissance thanks to the Science Committee’s methods, ones that still remain classified.

The New Order

1400 AC

The council started to grow suspicious of the Science Committee and its many advancements, and a few of them started to ask a few questions, causing the Committee's power to be questioned, giving it the impression it’s more unethical experiments could be discovered. Over the course of years the Committee bided their time, stacking the council with those loyal to them we’ll delegitimize those who seek to restrict them. When their representatives reached the majority they granted full political power to the Committee and reform the council to favor them. The remaining members were either ‘convinced’ or mysteriously vanished. Magnolia was now in the hands of the committee, with the Council as their puppet. The status quo wouldn’t change much other than the Committee being granted full autonomy in their research, now without the Council's oversight.

The Barsburg Scare

1420-1460 AC

It didn’t take long for the Committee to discover Barsburg had developed magi-tech, and it didn’t take long after than to figure out how. To say the Committee was outraged was an understatement, their one edge over the world slowly eroding away. They feared that Barsburg would eventually overpower them and thus they had the council enforce a series of legal purges occurring across Magnolia, to rout out Barsburg spies, convicted under a military tribunal. It was a time of panic and distrust, where anyone could be a Barsburg spy. What limited contact Magnolian had with the world was cut off, now only limited to expeditions by the Science Committee. The purge managed to catch a few Barsburg spies but the majority of those who were innocent citizens were tried as traitors and executed. Even after the purges ended Barsburg still maintain contacts in Magnolian, though it was a shell compared to their previous operations. By 1500 Barsburg had to cease operations though that hasn’t stopped their researchers from continuing to innovate.

Project Spark

1514

The rising power of Barsburg convinced the leadership of the Committee and certain council members to enact a centuries-long project, one kept a secret from the public and most of the government, with those working on it given information on a need-to-know basis, never given a full picture to what they're doing. It is a shared estimate amongst them that if Barsburg or another more populace power is able to reach Magnolia’s technological level, the state would stand no chance in defending itself. They don’t have the numbers to conquer Aegis to ensure their stability, and even if they do they couldn’t keep their grip over the continent forever. No, they will need to complete the Thirteen's original experiment. They will need to transcend the binding place upon all and achieve something no other nation could counter. The time it will take is estimated in centuries, maybe even longer, there will be setbacks, maybe even by decades and entire generations, but the outcome must be achieved to ensure the safety of their government, and the culture of Magnolia, infinitive.

Project Spark is the Science Committee’s greatest secret and by far their most ambitious project. Who knows how much progress they have made. Who knows what it will accomplish.