An Era of Peace
The empire had ruled peacefully for almost two thousand years since the Day of Just Rebellion at the end of the last great war.
The House of Constance ruled for 17 generations since the fabled Constance Primus united all the islands of the world in peace.
It was a time of hope. It was a time of magic.
The magi of all nine mysteries and the churches of all the gods of Good and Law worked together in unprecedented harmony. Together they brought forth miracles and wonders, all but ending famine, disease and suffering.
The empire expanded into the four corners of the realm.
An Age of Reason
Once the expansion reached the eastern and westernmost reaches of the world, the expansion of the mind began.
Emperor Aeterna Primus funded the building of the schools. Colleges and universities sprang up across the lands, spreading learning on a scale previously unthinkable. Scholarships were available to any able and willing to learn.
The most influential of these centers of learning were the Scholasticas of Civitas, Arcana, Deus, Scientia, Tridens and Fortis and they ruled modern thought for nearly nine centuries.
The world was on the brink of something only previously dreamed of by idealists. This something was so powerful, so alluring, yet so ephemeral that to say its name was to snuff it out.
The Dawn of Flame
To this day it is not clear where the Students of Flame came from, though we have had generations to study events.
In over 100 cities, flames erupted. First there were the physical flames, in every case, they started with the libraries and universities. Once the knowledge was burned, the granaries and the food storehouses came next. A few of the more prepared towns managed to put a halt to things before the flames spread too far, but the effects were nonetheless disastrous. In the more remote reaches, whole cities were lost.
Famine erupted across the lands. Millions died of starvation, pestilence, looting and war. The flames of chaos spread between the cities. Some nations rebelled.
Tiryns herself did not suffer any of the direct consequences, but the indirect losses were catastrophic. The island had long since become dependent upon regular supplies of food, spices, luxuries and the like. Faced with this, Empress Aeterna Decimus Tertius chose to create the outposts. The cost was tremendous and the payoff immediate.
Thousands of ships sailed carrying hundreds of thousands of soldiers, building materials and orders to create an outpost at every port, at every major intersection and near every city. Responding to chaos with overwhelming force, Tiryns quickly re-established order and peace, of a sort. Those who resisted were slaughtered. Those who refused to pay the taxes of food and goods Tiryns demanded were quickly removed from power or killed.
It was not all blood and tyranny, however. The soldiers put an end to the chaos, ensuring regular shipments of food and medicine got to those who needed it most. The famine passed. Law and order were restored. The ships of Tiryns brought soldiers, medicine and some learning to the islands. The ships returned with food and goods. A form of balance was restored.
It couldn't last.
...
About five years ago, we saw the last ship of Tiryns come and go. Several expeditions were mounted. None returned. The diviners worked their seeing magics. Those that lived clawed out their eyes or simply lost their minds.
Now, there are whispers of war brewing in the eastern continents. Local governor's are grabbing up and hording resources and power. Many claim the right of Tiryns when they do so, but few believe Tiryns will ever return.
In some cities, the people speak openly of casting down the legions. Still others grumble for conquest.
A report came to my desk yesterday speaking of dark creatures being seen in the north. If the reports from the south are to be believed, the Orgoshi have returned as well.
One way or another, the Third Age of Tiryns is over.
