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=== Prehistory and early history ===
In 25,000BCE the Chomlec culture emerged on the North coast of the Axdelian peninsula. Chomlec society flourished for a while, however it soon fractured due to increasing migration across the rest of the peninsula. The Neolithic era began in approximately 8,000BCE after the redevelopment of agriculture and spurred the establishment of the first permanent settlements. Metallurgy was independently developed in the foothills of the Auric Mountains in 4000BCE, with copper, silver and gold metalworking spreading rapidly across the region and driving a period of productivity increases and urbanisation. Bronze working would later be introduced into the region, likely from the far east where the first advanced Auroran civilisations were developing, namely the [[Nelokhvi Empire]], or by proxy through nomads roaming the Staynish region who regularly interacted with them. [[File:Lapytian Fortress.jpg|thumb|251x251px|PartiallyThe restored walls of Aeqa, a small Laqytian city abandoned in the 13001400's BCE|left]]
The first advanced civilisation in the region was Laqytia, a collection of city states which was established in approximately 2200 BCE on the upper course of the [[Ueclid River]]. The region there was well suited for agriculture, thanks to its drier summers, relatively meek springtime flooding, and the ease with which the alluvial floodplains could be irrigated. The capital of Laqyta was the largest and most influential city in the region, and established close links with many other towns and cities along the valley. The state had a single spoken language but multiple written systems of communication used in parallel, likely drawn in from across the peninsula. Geological activity and droughts troubled the state for its entire history. At several points the cvilisationcivilisation was recorded as being close to collapse, but continued to persist thanks to its strong trade connections. Despite these troubles, Laqytian cities hadare arenown for their rich culture of artistry and oralsocial traditiontraditions which persistedwere throughouthighly theirinfluential history.on Widescalelater urbancivilisations. planning is also evident alongside competentLaqytian architectural ability, aswas seenalso invery theadvanced, Laqyaand palacetheir complexsettlements inwere modernoften daymeticulously Montzaplanned. Whilst no cities were built in the lower Ueclid, trade routes existed along the river with local communities, and severalthe peoples on the north coast. Several satellite lordshipsstates emerged in the surrounding regions due to the prosperity itLaqytia brought. During its peak, the states influence had spread across the entire peninsula, as evidenced by Laqytian coinage and artefacts being found all the way to the west cape and even beyond the Zycannes in the east.
By the 15th and 14th centuries BCE, however, Laqytia entered a period of rapid decline. Records from the time indicate that a series of natural disasters occurred in the space of a single year, including a flood which resulted in a diversion of the Ueclid river. A subsequent famine lead to an exodus of people from many of the outlying cities who depended on trade with the agricultural core. Some time after this, the city of Laqyta experienced widespread fire and looting, causing much of the city to be burned to the ground. The cause of this is debated, with the two dominant theories being either civil disturbance due to the population loss in the years prior, or an invasion by nomadic cultures from the West taking advantage of the defensive outlying towns and cities becoming mostly abandoned. Several other cities were burned in similar fashion and Laqytia collapsed, leading to its near entire abandoned. The Laqytian people migrated primarily north down to the lower Ueclid, south past the Teba Mountains and towards the numerous floodplains and the coast, and even beyond the Auric mountains to the site of modern Emberwood Coast, whilst others went south, eventually ending up in the Lyr valley or the southern coast of the peninsula. ▼
▲By the 15th and 14th centuriescentury BCE, however, Laqytia entered a period of rapid decline. Records from the time indicate that a series of natural disasters occurredand insuccessive thecrop spacefailures ofplagued athe singlecentral yearvalley, includingand athe floodriver whichwas resulteddiverted inafter a diversion of the Ueclid riverflood. AFamines subsequent famine lead to an exodus of people fromcaused many of the outlying cities who depended on trade with the agricultural core . Someto fall, and some time after this , the city of LaqytaLaqytia experienced widespread fire and looting, causing much of the city to be burned to the ground. The cause of this is debated, with the two dominant theories being either civil disturbance due to the population loss in the years prior, or an invasion by nomadic cultures from the West taking advantage of the defensive outlying towns and cities becomingfalling mostlyinto abandonedruin. Several other cities were burned in similar fashion and Laqytia collapsed, leading to its near entire abandoned. TheSeveral Laqytianlarge peoplemigrations migratedoccurred, primarilywith northmany downLaqytians heading north to seek refuge in the lower Ueclid, southwith pastsome thealso Tebaturning Mountains andwest towards the numerouslocation floodplainsof andmodern theEmberwood coast ,. andOthers evenwent beyondsouth past the AuricTeba mountainsMountains and to the sitecities ofwithin modernthe Emberwood Coastfloodplains, whilst others went south,further still eventually ending up in the Lyr valley or the southern coast of the peninsula. [[File:Ueclidian empire peak.png|thumb|300x300px|The approximate size of the Ueclidian Empire at its peak territorial extent|left]]
=== Early Antiquity (13th - 8th century BCE) ===
With the the end of the 14th century BCE, many small Lordships and chiefdoms had been founded along the length of the Ueclid river as a result of the power vacuum left by the sudden collapse of Laqytia. This eraLittle hasdetail becomeis known, as the first dark agehowever, as texts from the time are infrequent and some remain unreadable due to writing in several undeciphered scripts. This period is sometimes referred to the Axdelian dark ages. Additionally, a significant amount of the written material from the Laqytian period was lost in civil wars which razed remnant cities and towns across its former territory. The political landscape at the time is difficult to reconstruct and many interpretations are controversial, but all evidence suggests it was extremely tumultuous and fraught with war.
In approximately the 12th century BCE, the walled city state of Quen exited a long period of social unrest, and began a highly successful conquest under KindChief Eida which saw the entire Upper Ueclid come under his dominion. The Soltic confederacy, a naval coastal state east of the Ueclids mouth, began its own simultaneous campaign to control the lordships of the fertile and productive floodplains in the area. TheAt powers came intosome conflictpoint in the middle of the century provokeda war withwas Eida'sprovoked Ueclidian Empire sending warships upbetween the rivertwo togrowing raid towns and constrict trade. Taking advantage of their weak land forcespowers, Eidahowever pushedfighting downwas the valleyslow and siegedarduous theirdue holdingsto on the river and the coast. However, many areasEida's werebeing ableunable to holdcontend outwith thanksthe toSoltic suppliesNavy broughtand in by theirvice navyversa. Eida was succeeded by his son Eida II, who launched a renewed campaign into Soltic territory which eventually succeeded, putting the entire Ueclid valley and the Northern coast under his dominion by the 11th century BCE. TheThis unified Ueclidian empire remained the status quo for approximately a century and a half as the regions dominant power. In this time, a standardised system of writing and booms in trade leading to increased record-keeping signifiessignified the end of the first dark ageages. ▼[[File:Ueclidian empire peak.png|thumb|300x300px|The approximate size of the Ueclidian Empire at its peak territorial extent]]
[[File:ISS-38 Kliuchevskoi Volcano on Kamchatka.jpg|left|thumb|Mt. Koriba photographed from low orbit]]
▲In the 12th century BCE, the walled city state of Quen exited a long period of social unrest, and began a highly successful conquest under Kind Eida which saw the entire Upper Ueclid come under his dominion. The Soltic confederacy, a naval coastal state east of the Ueclids mouth, began its own simultaneous campaign to control the lordships of the fertile floodplains in the area. The powers came into conflict in the middle of the century provoked war with Eida's Ueclidian Empire sending warships up the river to raid towns and constrict trade. Taking advantage of their weak land forces, Eida pushed down the valley and sieged their holdings on the river and the coast. However, many areas were able to hold out thanks to supplies brought in by their navy. Eida was succeeded by his son Eida II, who launched a campaign into Soltic territory which eventually succeeded, putting the entire Ueclid valley and the Northern coast under his dominion by the 11th century BCE. The unified Ueclidian empire remained the status quo for approximately a century and a half as the regions dominant power. In this time, a standardised system of writing and booms in trade leading to increased record-keeping signifies the end of the first dark age.
The UeclidUeclidian empire did not persist for very long though, as rebellions were commonplace and growing competition fromnew other regionspowers outside the Ueclid valley threatened their trading hegemony, primarily the Zycannian Mirazii Lordship and the southern Kassyr Chiefdom. The Kormistazic Confederacy was also founded on the southern coast during this time, with a ruling class deriving from the descendants of those who migrated south when Laqytia fell, and was based around the twin city states of Sekan - and Aruqa. The Ueclid empire finally fell following the twin revolts of the Soltics in the North and the Teba in the South. The twoNeo-Soltic formedLordship rivaland empiresthe onTeba theirempire respectiveimmediately halvesbecome offierce therivals river,from Thetheir Neo-Solticrespective Lordshiphalves andof the Teba empireriver, and fought forto control land in the middle regions before coming to a peace agreement in 935 BCE. After this the Soltics expanded along the northern coast whilst the Teba strengthenedbecame economically powerful with monopolies over cross-mountain trade routes with the Kassyr, Kormistazics and the Lyr valley. For the next two centuries the peninsula remained divided between dozensbulk of small,the mostlypeninsula fledglingremained Lordshipsin anda wasrelatively marredpeaceful bystatus frequentquo skirmishesdivided whilstbetween the largermany empiressmall benefitedLordships from theirand influencecoalitions. ▼
▲The Ueclid empire did not persist for long, as rebellions were commonplace and growing competition from other regions outside the Ueclid valley threatened their trading hegemony, primarily the Zycannian Mirazii Lordship and the southern Kassyr Chiefdom. The Kormistazic Confederacy was also founded on the southern coast during this time, deriving from the descendants of those who migrated south when Laqytia fell, and was based around the twin city states of Sekan-Aruqa. The Ueclid empire finally fell following the twin revolts of the Soltics in the North and the Teba in the South. The two formed rival empires on their respective halves of the river, The Neo-Soltic Lordship and the Teba empire, and fought for land in the middle regions before coming to a peace agreement in 935 BCE. After this the Soltics expanded along the northern coast whilst the Teba strengthened cross-mountain trade routes with the Kassyr, Kormistazics and the Lyr valley. For the next two centuries the peninsula remained divided between dozens of small, mostly fledgling Lordships and was marred by frequent skirmishes whilst the larger empires benefited from their influence.
=== Classical Antiquity (748 BCE - 345 CE)===
====Koriba Catastrophe====
In 748 BCE, theMount Koriba volcano in the eastern Lyr valley experienced its most powerful eruption in recorded history, rating on the upper end ofa 6 on the volcanic explosivity index. This caused devastating local effects, causing widespread crop failures due to the ash clouds and acid rain. Whilst all civilisations west of the Zycannes were impacted by the eruption, the nearbytrade dependant Teba empire was among those who suffered the most. InTrade ansharply attemptdeclined toin recoverthe quicklyfollowing years, causing the empire cutto offbecame mostsignificantly ofweaker itsand tradebecome tiesinternally withinstability. surroundingMany states,neighbouring manycivilisations ofsoon whichjumped forged alliances withon the Neo-Soltic Lordship in orderopportunity to forcetake theadvantage Teba to continue trading. After continuing to refuse,of the alliedempire statesand began raiding Teban settlements, sparking a century longof warwars which ravaged both sides and caused far more damage than the relatively short term effects of the volcano. TheA further effect of this was that the Kormistazics, who had many trade links with the Teba, entered a period of infighting and civil wars as various members of trading nobility attempted to seize control of Sekan-Aruqa. As trade with the North would continuefailed to declineever overtruly the yearsrecover, the instability in the region would remain, resulting in the confederacies decentralised political structure collapsing and beginning a trend of power being consolidated by an increasingly small number of oligarchs. The wars often spilled out into surrounding unincorporated settlements, often leading to subjugation and incorporation under the banner of the outlying cities.
Other civilisations such as the Kassyr and Mirazii, who were also dependantconnected onthrough Teban trade networks, suffered greatly in the years after the distasterdisaster, however withoutwith manyweak nearby competitorsneighbours and natural defences on their side, their civilisations managed to remain stable and prosperous past the initial hardships. It was at this time, withinin the vast ZycannianMona traderiver routesvalley inthat served as the primary trade corridor between these between these two stable empires, that a group of cavan prophets known as the four oracles began teachingfounded the Kozam faith. toThey started by bestowing their teachings onto travellers and passerspassing bymerchants, many of which chronicleschronicled the writings and began founding temples in many major cities. The oracles are known to have travelled to many of these early temples, however many written records of their movements have been lost due to contemporary censorship and later iconoclastic and revisionist periods. One place known to have been visited was the Kormistazic capital of Sekan-Aruqa, where the religion became noticeablyvery popular with the citizenry and several noble families, generallyinitially coexisting with the other religions present in the region.
====FormationRise of the First Kormistazic Empire====
Early in their history, the seafaring Kveshi civilisation of South East Aurora began exploring much of the Azure sea and establishing numerous outposts to facilitate trade. One of their furthest western excursions led them to contact the Kormistazics in 723 BCE, where it is written they were received very well and a cultural exchange took place between the two cultures. In order to facilitate further trade with the region, the Kveshi were grantedcolonised a small, sparsely inhabited region of coastal foothills shadowed by the Okrani mountains. Most of the areas inhabitants were forced to relocate, and were either fled to Kormistazm or retreated further within the valleys of the mountains. The Kveshi then established an outpost town on the territory which would later became known as Oceansend and began trading regularly with the cultures on the southern coast of the Axdelian peninsular, primarily with their primary interest being silver bullion from Kormistazm and the Lyr Valley. Among the most historically important effects of Kveshi trade was the introduction of advanced iron smelting technology to the region. This combined with the reverse engineering of their advanced naval vessels allowed the Kormistazic confederations economic and military power to balloon rapidly whilstbefore muchother ofcivilisations in the peninsularregion continuedcould tofully betake stuntedadvantage byof the new technology conflictthemselves.
Despite relative prosperity within Sekan-Aruqa, the economic booms leddid thenot waywork forto thereduce reignitionviolence ofand infighting between the controllingKormistazic oligarchs,ruling withclasses. Soon enough the majorityentire of theKormistazm conflictwas centeredunder arounddirect or indirect control of the Jakatei and Renequil dynastiesfamilies. In the 5th century BCE a plague swept through the south of the peninsular, incitingtriggering a civil war which resulted in the Jakatai'srapid expulsioncollapse fromof the capital.confederacy Theinto confederacytwo collapsedalliances intoof independent city states, with many of the inland ones controlledloyal byto the Jakatai and the coastal region under the Renequil. The matriarch of the Jakatei, Vireña, usedwas thea situationradical toreformer organisewho herwas landsvery andpopular reformdue governmentto institutions,her asembracing well as increasing popular support by embracingof Kozam as the state faith. With the Renequil remaining staunchly pagan, this created a significant amount of tension between the lower and upper classes in Sekan. Whilst Vireña would die before the Jakatai retook Sekan-Aruqa, her eldest son Mariqo continued her efforts, constricting trade with the south in order to exacerbate their economic harshiphardship, as well as greatly expanding their influence further inland.
In 537539 BCE, the Renequil honour guardarmy revolted, imprisoning theirmembers chargesof the family and inviting Mariqo to claim Sekan-Aruqa. Facing little resistance, Mariqo retooktook the capiptalcapital and immediately set about uniting the lands of the confederacy under the Jakatei dynasty,. He expandingexpanded the scope of the reforms introduced by his mother to every Kormistazic town and city to ensure their cohesion and loyalty. He also made athe statementdecision outto ofpardon pardoningmany of the remaining members of the Renequil, even granting them some governorship over their historic lands. A devout follower of Kozam, he further incorporated the religion into the government and promoted its worship as a unifying tenet of Kormistazic culture. He passed away a year later, his son Kalam Jakatei succeeding him. Like his father Kalam was enamoured by Kozam philosophy and took several years early in his reign to travel east to the ZycannesMona mountainValley range from whereand the religion originatedZycannes in order to seek divine inspiration. Upon his return in 533 BCE, he declared the reform of the still nominally Confederate government into an imperial executive supported by a council of Nobles and Kozam elders from every region of Kormistazm, and that he intended to unite the dozens of dividied states west of the Zycannes as equal territories under a single prosperous empire. Kalam then changed his name to Enullus Jakatei Kalamitas, beginning the Kalamitas Dynasty and officiallythe beginningfirst incarnation of the Kormistazic empire.
==== Era of Rapid Kormistazic Expansion (532 - 310 BCE) ====
[[File:Cava family.png|thumb|Sketch of a cava family wearing colourfulcolourfully decorated robes and loose pantaloons typically worn by the wealthy in the early Kormistazic empire]]
Upon Enullus' ascension to the position of Kormistazic emperor, he began a campaign of Northward expansion, incorporating the regions small Lordships and chiefdoms as provinces under his rule. Naval advances brought forth in earlier centuries now allowed faster and easier navigation of the Axdelian peninsular riverways,. butHowever the slowconflict burnendemic ofto conflictthe region had driven many people to banditry, and thus much of it could not be used withoutsafely thefor risktrade ofdue fallingto preythe torisk opportunisticof piratespiracy. Thus as the Kormistazic empire used these rivers to assert themselves across the southern plains, the loyalty of conquered people was often earned with the vanquishing of river pirates and the opening of free trade. With his children being unwilling to take the throne, Ennullus named his cousin, Ax̂ilo Kariqo Kalamitas, as his successor in 485 BCE. Worried about the Kveshi, whichwho had reacted to the new empire by heavily fortifying the city of Oceansend, Kariqo expanded Kormistazic control over the southern coast of the Axdelian peninsula. With the state religion of Kozam spread widely across the south of the peninsula and the imperial army violently crushing all opposition where it arose, there was often little resistance to this initial phase of Kormistazic expansion. As the empires border expanded, so did it's military power and thus its ability to expand further, leading to increasingly aggressive actsmanoeuvres. The Empires first major military victory would come after the Kassyr Chiefdom declared war on the empire in 458 BCE. This came in response to repeatedafter incursions of Kormistazic soldiers into Kassyri territory and several pleas to cease the actions were ignored. The [[South Teban War|First Kassyri Integral War]] lasted for over five years but resulted in a crushing defeat for The Kassyr, who were forced to cede all of their holdings outside of the Mona river valley to Kormistazm. However, Ax̂ilo was badly injured during the war and survived only six months before succumbing to an infection, being succeeded by his daughter Ñeya Yala Kalamitas, the first Kormistazic Empress.
By this point, civilisations north of Kormistazm were predominantly weak and stagnant, still recovering from the century long conflict that ravaged them after the environmental fallout of the Koriba eruption. The only exception to this was the Neo-Soltic Lordship, which had recoveredsuffered little and now dominatedalmost muchcompletely ofdominated the landstates north of the Teba mountains, enjoying a position of considerable military and economic influence. TheTeba onceempire, mightyafter Tebaseemingly empireunending border conflict, had struggledbeen struggling with a dwindlingfalling population and weak leadershipgovernment for decades., Inand so in 447 BCE the Teban Emperor Cerules II famously visited the recently incorporated Kassyri city of Chaeqan to meet with the Kormistazic Empress Ñeya. Following several weeks in the city, Cerules publicly converted to Kozam and announced that the Teban empire was to enter a pact of friendship and defence with the Kormistazic empire. TheWith reactionthe fromdefence Tebanof citizensthe wasempire mixednow asbolstered manyby believedKormistazic Ñeyaassistance, hadthe seducedreaction Cerulesfrom inthe orderTeban topopulace gainwas influenceone overof him.elation, Howeverhowever amongstdetractors theclaimed nobilityÑeya ahad closerseduced relationshipCerules within theorder powerfulto Kormistazicsinfluence was viewed very favourablyhim. Cerules public conversion plus the close bond between the two empires also led to an explosion in Kozam worship during this period, whichslowly in the next century would become another justification for the Tebansupplanting annexationexisting intopagan Kormistazmfaiths.
After the rapid pace of unprecedented expansion in the first half of the century, the Kormistazic imperial bureaucracy had been stretched beyond its limits. Thus the sovereigns succeeding Ñeya focused their attention domestically, reforming the empires government structure to better manage its new lands and formalise relationships with its neighborsneighbours. The mostlylargely disorganised territory that had been incorporated at this point also required attention to ensure its full integration and quell dissent. Among other things the empires provinces were reorganised and large scale public works were authorised to support the capital city, which had grown significantly to the point Sekan had fully engulfed Aruqa, leading to its name shortening due to the redundancy.
With the Teba empire serving as a buffer between the Soltic and Kormistazic empires, the turn of the century saw campaigns of lateral expansion launched to secure riverways and establish coastal provinces. ThisWhilst triggeredfriendships were secured with the Imbiraturian empire to the east, there was a bloody war with a coalition of Lyr valley Lordships which resulted in a humiliating Kormistazic loss, humiliating the more organised and centralised empire. A second more successful conquest was attempted a decade later, but it was a pyrrhic victory which resulted in massive losses of life. Fearing a revolt would lead to further costly wars of attrition, effortsprojects to interlink the Lyr valley economy intowith the empirekormistazic hearland with roads were undertaken viaprimarily tradeto andfacilitate the constructionrapid movement of infrastructuresoldiers tobut linkalso theimproving Lyr Valley with thetrade Kormistazic heartlandsroutes. A permeantpermanent military garrison of volunteer soldiers was also established to secure the region. These projects were so successful that they were extended to the rest of the empire in the following centuries and were a key factor in its long term success. Increased security along the southern coast and economic prosperity led to the expansion of the Kormistazic navy, which also reduced reduced raiding attacks from Kveshi pirates which had become a nuisance for the growing empire. Without serious resistance, The Kormistazic empire continued to expand its influence over the Lyr valley, using its navigable waterways as arteries through which materials and labour could be rapidly supplied for establishing roads, fortifications and settlements in the interior. Much of this expansion was funded and directed by Kozam affiliated nobles, who saw spiritual and economic benefits to spreading the religion.
==== Solto-Kormistazic Wars (309 - [] BCE) ====
(cont: Lyr valley expansion provokes violent response from Soltics. long series of wars, which once resolved in a kormistazic victory is followed by the final rapid expansion to the first empires peak size and consolidation of control)
==== Golden ageAge of Kormistazm and DeclineFinal Conquests (1st - 4th century CE) ====
(lots of gold, engineering, mathematics, science, trade w/ everyone, quality of life, you name it. Leadership becomes more focused on vanity projects )
(Conquest of the west coast, domination of the entire peninsula)
=== Late Antiquity (345 CE - 742 CE) ===
==== NorvianFall invasionsof the First Kormistazic Empire (4th - 7th century CE) ====
(lots of civil wars, imperial government collapses signalling the end of the first empire, and the backdrop of constant Norvian raids. Insert crop failures from Tore and iron age collapse)
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