History (Karanduun Setting)

There have been four Times in the universe.

The first Time is the Time of Gods, where it is said there were a thousand other planets that resided in the void, until the great war over the Great Sky Weaveress' Daughter.

The second Time is the Time of Monsters, when humanity, the Children of the Bamboo, toiled under the heel of the superior engkanto and the halimaw, yawa, and maligno that roamed the lands.

The third Time is known as the Time of Heroes. The Golden Age of Humanity and civilization, even for the engkanto and other mortalfolk. They eradicated the halimaw, and created a lasting peace.

The fourth Time is known as the Time of Malice. It has become a world worse than the Time of Monsters, plagued with demonic creatures that stalk the wilderness, with prat of Gadlum having been infused into the very world itself, making sure that some mortal might be sent to the Realm of Darkness simply because of a simple misstep. Halimaw terrorize civilizations and bring once great cities to ruins. In this toiling time, the Civilized Folk band together in their points of light. The city of Phaedrus, the Indigo Metropolis, Selorong, Biringan, Damajii, Pinagsama, and more.

And the Karanduun return, now not only confined to humanity. The rest of the mortal folk have begun to exhibit Worthiness.

The history of Karanduun focuses on the heroes -- the Karanduun, those worthy of song. Human beings that led the world into a golden age. Now in this Time of Malice, the fate of the world belongs to the Karanduun. Will they return it to a better time, or destroy Sanlibutan completely?

History of Sanlibutan

The First Song is sung as thus...

The Time of Gods and the Creation of the Supernal Sky and the Guiding Ocean

…a Time where all the gods were flourishing, and had multiple kingdoms and castles in the different stars and planets. In the middle of it all was the Great Weaveress, who wove the world into being with her Five Principle Spindle. This time lasted for a very long time and ended with the Aeon Strife of Highest Divinities, which consisted of various being smashing and destroying planets in a war to win the Most Beautiful Daughter of the Great Weaveress.

This Time ended with the return to slumber of Mangatia as She hid her daughter for eternity. The war ended with nobody winning, and with the ranks of the gods (and every other planet) destroyed.

In the chaotic sea of chaos that was left, Maykapal, the Actor of Power, emerged, being one of the only ones left alive by the Aeon Strife. He warred with the Primordial Dragon known as Orphaned Spirit and won. In the wake of his victory, The Actor of Power threw Orphaned Spirit's body down to the conflux of stars and created the Sea. His friend, Galang Kaluluwa, the Wandering Spirit, was one of the Gods that survived. When Galang Kaluluwa died as well, Maykapal, in his grief, lifted him up, turning him into the Sky.

And thus, the Sea and Sky Firmament was made, which stood in the middle of the Sea of Stars, and then with that, The Actor of Power, left, seemingly to travel to other worlds, or maybe to seek out the Great Weaver.

And from there, the first diwata arose. The embodiments of nature. The Diwata known as Apung Maykaptan, the Supernal Sky, and Apung Magu'yawan, the Guiding Ocean, arose and they made love, and gave birth to two beautiful children: Paros, the Divine Wind and Dagat, the Sea of Passion.

The Birth and Rebellion of the Four Primordial Apo

Apung Paros was ever-changing and arrogant. He ruled with vast power over the winds and the air. He was eventually defeated and bested in both war and love by Apung Dagat. They lived a long life together in the world of Sea and Sky, but the diwata are not immortal. They are constricted to the movement of the winds. Eventually, Apung Paros died and his energy gave birth to the engkanto races: the Lipod, the Tamawo, the Palesekan, and the Dalaketnon.

Apung Dagat was overcome with grief, and died from overwhelming sadness. At the crux of her death throes, Apung Bakunawa, Serpent Goddess of the Depths was born, along with the magindara, a powerful race of water-people. Bakunawa was well known for her hubris, and she birthed a new race of serpentine draconic people that lived in both the sea and land known as the naga, who will eventually go on to create the Qirong empire.

The deaths of Apung Paros and Apung Dagat also brought forth more gods: Apung Okot, Lord of the Forests, Apung Sui-dapa, Lord of Death, Saragnayan, Lord of Darkness. Bakunawa was well known for her hubris, and she birthed a new race of draconic people that lived in both the sea and land known as the naga, who will eventually go on to create the Qirong empire.

In addition to this, the resulting divinity that arose from this and infused all of creation, and thus the other diwata arose, achieving conscience and sentience, living within Maka and the sea.

But these two powerful Apo did not live alone. In their lovemaking they gave birth to four powerful Primordial Apo:

Kalibutan, the Lakan of the Cosmos, was strong and tall, and his body was made of craggy rocks. He had inherited his father's vast power in addition to his own, and he was as arrogant as he was powerful. He strode forth with vast power, a leader like none other.

Adlaw, the Sun That Cleaved, was happy, noble, and always optimistic. He was filled with passion, and would've suggested Kalibutan to think twice about his plans, but his passionate love for his brother told him otherwise, and he thusly went with his brother. In addition to this, he was a comely warrior, filled with tactics and intelligence. He led from the frontlines, defender of his brothers.

Bulan, the Moon-Thief of the Sky, was comely, beautiful, and docile, and never questioned his brother's authority. He was shifting and versatile like quicksilver, and so he was able to help his brothers without question. Many of the current Apo that occupy Maka that have been there since the Time of Divinity have said that Bulan was both a woman and a man at the same time, depending on where you looked at him/her. He sought opportune times and destroyed Biraddali and wounded the Supernal Sky with a single dagger. A sleek and powerful striker.

Suga, the Sagess of a Thousand Lights, was lovely, perfectly beautiful, bright, intelligent, and the only daughter. She knew of the secrets of her parents, and from there she extrapolated the inner workings of creation, the pattern of the Great Weaver that hid in plain sight. She thus became the first Sorceress that knew the secrets to creation, the weaving of things, that only the Great Weaver knew.

Kalibutan was arrogant and powerful, as he inherited the power of his Father, Paros. In his hubris, he persuaded his siblings Adlaw and Bulan and Suga to seize the throne of Heaven from their Grandfather, Apung Maykaptan. Kalibutan used his commanding presence to command legions of Lipod and Magindara, as well as used his powers over the elements to blow open the gates of the Sky. Adlaw led the charge, fighting with vicious strength, assaulting his Grandfather’s biraddali (angelic people) servants. Bulan had snuck into Maka and gave the Apo the lay of the land, the weaknesses, the various weapons that were used there. He learned how to sabotage them, how to destroy them before they could even be used. Suga controlled the battlefield with her weaving sorceries.

The Mad Sky

In the wake of this heretical madness, the Supernal Sky was filled with anger, and He unleashed His Thunderbolt at the belligerent children. Even his favorite child, Suga, was struck and instantly killed. In his blinded rage, he tore apart gentle Suga with his thunderbolt.

The act of killing his children drove him mad.

He went down to the Seas and tore it apart, angry at Magu'yawan, but Magu'yawan clarified that She did not know anything about what their grandchildren were planning. Defeated and saddened, the Supernal Sky, now Mad, and the Guiding Oceans wept for their grandchildren.

Magu'yawan and Maykaptan gave Apung Adlaw, Apung Bulan, and Apung Suga light, and they were placed among the firmament of the world. Adlaw became the Sun, Bulan became the Moon, and Suga became the stars.

However, Kalibutan, being arrogant, was given no light, and he became the earth upon which the first shoot of bamboo grew from Magu'yawan, the Guiding Waters' tears. And from the bamboo, arose mankind...

...the Second Song continues...

The Birth of the Karanduun

… and it was Glorious. Before the humans even existed, it is worth mentioning that there have been previous beings before them. The Lipod, the winged wind-people, and the Magindara, the snake-tailed water-people, have existed much before they have. The tamawo and the palesekan fought amongst themselves in the Corpse of Kalibutan, claiming patches of forestry and life. The palesekan became the Children of the Trees, while the tamawo became the Children of the Crystal, creating large crystalline cities as opposed to the palesekan’s smaller forest-tribes.

The dalaketnon wandered across the world and eventually found one of the caves to Sulad, the Underworld. There they met Saragnayan, Lord of Darkness. And so, during the first few years of the Epoch of Heroes, the humans lived in constant fear of various halimaw and yawa, which came from the Sea, for the Sea was the corpse of the Orphaned Spirit. The other races also subjugated humanity under their rule, even the Naga that were the eventual descendants of the Naga Tribe of the magindara.

It wasn't long before The Actor of Power had returned from His voyage, and he found that all of the world was filled with death and travesty, crumbling underneath the crippling weight of the Mad Sky's tyranny. He sought to reason with the Mad Sky, who only ended up cursing him and banishing him from the world. Filled with wrathful revolution, he gave to Magu'yawan the instructions of creating powerful essences of pure, coruscating power -- he tasked Magu’yawan to collect the God-Shards of the Primordials: the Furious Rebellious Shard of Kalibutan, the Glorious Warrior Spirit of Adlaw, the Reaping Shadow Specter of Bulan, and the Burning Thousand Points of Suga. These four shards he sealed into his Storm-Breath, and into it -- like a craftsman would pour pouring hot lava into a cast -- the Actor of Power poured his unfiltered, incalculable Raw Bala.

These Breaths were then forged with Apung Tolus Ka Gomanan, the Diwata of the Forge, to craft a vast Receptacle upon which the power could be forged. Tolus Ka Gomanan, the Ever-Gnashing Hammer, used the four divine materials mined from the God-Shards of each of the four dead Primordial Apo and created the Receptacle of Heroic Power. These Receptacles were powerful enough to hold even the infinite might of the Actor of Power. With that, Actor of Power promised that he will return in the future. The Receptacle of Infinite Power only worked with those who had the potential for power, and thus they imparted the Receptacle upon those humans yet to be born. When those imbibed with the power of the Receptacle were birthed, they were observed to have grown twice as fast, reaching adulthood at fifteen years of age, and becoming able to speak at Nine-months. Each one imbibed with the power of the Receptacle were birthed under unnatural circumstances, one way or another -- under the singing of a tigmamanukan, or a vast bamboo patch grows in the span of minutes around the house where the hero is born.

These young heroes -- who have yet to prove themselves -- were given guidance by their ancestral spirits, otherwise known as their anito. These anito taught them to harness their infinite potential, and taught them about the nature of reality -- how the world was known as the Tapiserya, and everything was a string of Diwa that could be manipulated by the strength and force of their Bala, or their internal strength. They cultivated and trained, making their Bala more powerful, as they eventually became well known warriors.

During this time, a powerful Karanduun Datu named Saligang Makoda wrote the fabled “Cacophonies of Combat”, a large epic song dedicated to singing the songs of the Four Primordial Apo, and then detailing the four important parts of a War Band:

Ang Sandata, the Supernal Knife (Striker), who reflected the Cunning Moon.
Ang Kalasag, the Sublime Shield (Defender), who reflected the Resplendent Sun.
Ang Setro, the Sacred Scepter (Controller), who reflected the Esoteric Stars.
Ang Korona, the Celestial Crown (Leader), who reflected the Arrogant Earth.

In the Cacophony he sings that for battle to be won, each of the four roles must be fulfilled.

Eventually, the task of training these young heroes were passed down to the Katalonan, shamans that channeled the spirits. These Katalonan were known to be blessed with infinite wisdom of the anito and the diwata, but their job has become more dangerous when the task of teaching the young heroes was passed down to them. These young heroes then sought to slay the world, ridding it of malevolence, binding halimaw and other such creatures to their oaths, and creating vast empires, especially the Sinaunang Kedatuan, which even the Apo were proud of. The other sentient races, known collectively as the “Engkanto”, became amiable in the wake of their power, budding respect for frail humanity, who was known to be the weakest of all the races. Finally, humanity’s Karanduun matched the engkanto in terms of power and influence.

The Bane of the Mad Sky God and the Aswang

All of this became the object of the Mad Sky's hatred, and he sought to war with the heroes.

The heroes, now after a thousand years of prowess, creating vast technologies, and binding the three worlds of Maka, Sanlibutan, and Sulad to their will, have become worthy of legends. And their names became that to reflect their achievements -- the heroes were then on known as “Karanduun”, Worthy of Songs. They brought the world into the Golden Age.

The Mad Sky sought to create his own army of super-warriors. He went to the Seething God of Beasts, Apung Asuang, and gave the Apo power and a harem, in exchange for giving him what he needed -- a replenish-able amount of Devil-Beasts. He did so, creating 666 Devil-Beast Warriors which he named Aswang, to fight the Karanduun with. The Aswang had control over all manners of beasts and darkness, and used rage and illusion and witchcraft to their advantage.

The 300 Karanduun and their Armies fought against the 666 Aswang in the conflict known as the War of Majesty and Rage.

The Karanduun won.

The First and Final War of Sunder

Angered at this, the Mad Sky sent his angels, the biraddali, who were known to the mortal tongue as the Kumakatok, to connive with the world. They spoke with the Naga, who took humans and performed genetic sorcery upon them with the essence of Kalibutan, creating the Heretic King Burners, humans with the power and might of the Naga. They created 12,000 of them, who then created armies and fought alongside their Dragon Lord Generals.

The 300 Karanduun and their 666 Aswang slaves fought against the 12,000 Heretic King Burners and their 1,000 Dragon Lord Generals in the conflict known as the Thousand Brimstone Song War, which lasted for almost 1,000 years.

The Karanduun won once again, subjugating the Heretic King Burners under their command, and the Karanduun continued in their Thousand Year Kedatuan. They performed great miracles expanded the borders of Tapiserya, and even pushed the Jaws of the World outward, making it bigger than it already is.

The Mad Sky worked with Apung Saragnayan then, Lord of Darkness, and they stirred the waters, awakening the First Born Naga of Orphaned Spirit -- Bakonawa. When she awoke, she saw the seven moons, and wished to eat them. Two of the moons escaped, and Bakonawa ate the remaining four, but she only had her eyes set on the most beautiful of them all: Bu'an, one of the seven Moon Gods, who arose from the detritus Bulan’s corpse. Spurned by his love, Bakonawa took on the form of a Dragon and ascended to the sky. Halea created a silver mask to distract the wicked Bakonawa, and fought her until Halea successfully drove her back to the depths. Halea then replaced her brother and became the Masked Moon, the only Moon in the Sky, ever-vigilant against the Bakonawa. Whenever she removes her Mask, the light of the Moon is vanishes.

During the eating of the Moons, Saragnayan took the chance. Without the Moons and the Karanduun, he would be two steps closer to his dream of bringing his Realm of Gadlum upon Tapiserya, and enveloping it in darkness. He had corrupted 150 of the Karanduun and turned them into perverted version of themselves. Known as the Lingkag, they were the darkened, perverted mirrors of the majesty of the Karanduun... and they had the same power that the Karanduun had. In addition to this, the Lingkag worked with the Dalaketnon as well, the dark engkanto that served Saragnayan, as opposed to the tamawo and the palesekan, who were engkanto that served the Diwata as a whole and even helped the Karanduun.

This conflict was only known by one word: Sorrow. It is known as thus because it ended with a Pyrrhic victory...

...and the Mad Sky's final lightning bolt.

In his madness, and after aeons of combat against the majestic heroes, he unleashed all of his power upon the world, and his Lightning Bolt pierced through Diwa itself, in an event that was known as the Thousand Tears and Lightnings Apocalypse.

Tapiserya was destroyed wholesale, and then was buried under a World-Spanning Deluge. In fact, the Thousand Tears and Lightnings Apocalypse erased various possibilities in the Tapiserya that would've been, and created new ones, as well as removed various parts of physics and replaced it with amorphous rules. The world was quite literally changed.

In the Bolt’s its wake, the Karanduun were destroyed as well. The 150 Receptacles of Infinite Power released into the world, and then blown like dust by the wind. And eventually, the flood receded, and the world rebuilt itself, now without the Worthy...

...and the Third song is sung as thus...

The Time of Malice

...this is a time of wailing and gnashing of teeth. It was known as the Time of Malice.

The Naga, descendants of Bakonawa and the Naga, and the Engkanto re-established their hold upon the world.

The Thousand Tears and Lightnings Apocalypse caused a rift in being and essence, splitting the world in twain, ripping the world of spirit away from the world of nature, causing the diwata to live in invisible societies which the races of nature cannot see. They now lived in a sundered world, one half-empty.

The humans did not fail either, however. The Aswang left their empires and stayed in the fringes of Tapiserya, within dead forests and murky depths. The Heretic King Burners were destroyed by the Thousand Tears and Lightnings Apocalypse.

In the wake of the apocalypse, the engkanto races (who all participated in the war as well) all filled in the void. They began creating more empires and kingdoms and cities that eventually also fell as the tide of darkness became undeniable, and the warring between the engkanto eventually drove them to the same state as the now sundered and destroyed humanity. This time was known as the time of Twilight.

With the help of the engkanto, civilization rose up once again, now vastly reduced in population -- seemingly reduced to the time before the Karanduun came -- and began their bid for territory. Mortalfolk no longer meant just the humans, even if the other races were inherently more powerful More importantly, the Mad Sky became dormant in his Throne. The Apocalypse seems to have drained him of his power.

The Rebirth of the Karanduun

A hundred years pass before the Septumvirate -- seven siblings of half-tamawo blood -- discover the writings of Yavum. As to who Yavum is, is something up for debate. But whoever he is, he has the power to Bless his chosen ones with powers similar to the Karanduun.

Before long, the Blessed -- formally known as the Saint-Kings -- ruled over the Kivhran Peninsula, and in 1000th Year of the Masked Moon, have established colonial strongholds within Zuhayras, the Heart of the World.

To the east, humans have created the Giroan Empire, which have split off from the Dragon Lord (dragonborn) empire of Qirong. Their Emperor has exemplary powers over Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. Seemingly, the Emperor matches the accounts of a Heretic King Burner.

To the West, the various engkanto races are preparing to either storm the colonial empire or take over the Lakungdulan Archipelago for themselves.

To the South, the City-State of Effisia that is crowded with the other races, is becoming more and more adept in adapting various technologies, and have managed to create an aghimuan that can convey phantasmal images whenever performed with a sacred ritual.

The Aswang return from their hiding places, becoming powerful Devil-Beasts and barbarians and bringers of death. Without a leader, they become worse and worse, and eventually give in to their murderous malignant frenzy.

The Biraddali, without their Apo to command them, have begun to investigate the anomalies on the Thousand Stringed Tadhana Network.

In the midst of all this, a farmer girl in a backwater barangay is born under strange circumstances: her birth was heralded by an earthquake, followed by a flooding, followed by a storm, and then ended with a scorching drought that eventually brought the most fruitful harvest of the barangay’s entire lifetime. Finally, it was heralded with a loud crowing of a tigmamanukan… which eventually vanished after she was delivered.

For you see, the Receptacle now scattered in the winds, any being that is born with Karanduun blood, spawn of god and mortal, or powerful enough to accrue enough of the dormant Karanduun motes in the world are now eligible for the title of Worthy. The Karanduun return, either born, made, or attained.

In the 1107th Year of the Masked Moon, the Karanduun return.

In the 1107th Year of the Masked Moon, you arrive.

What songs will they sing of your deeds?...

...the Song continues…

Timeline After the Thousand Tears and Lightnings Apocalypse

0: The Final Wars of Sunder, the Death of the Four Moon-Gods and the Survival of the Three, Halea becomes the Masked Moon, Bakonawa is Cursed to the Dragon, the World is Darker, Saragnayan is Banished… ...The Thousand Lightnings and Tears Apocalypse. The world ends with the death of the Karanduun and the Lingkag. The World is left in twilight. The spirits -- the diwata from the most minor to the Astral Diwata (Apo) that live in the Sky -- have disappeared from the natural world, now hiding within their hidden societies. Mortals no longer have the innate prviliege of speaking to the embodiment of nature. The world of Sanlibutan is left in Twilight for the first time since the death of the Primordial Apo that made the various pieces of the world. The Supernal Sky, now known as the Mad Sky has disappeared, or has silenced. None know what has happened to Him. Not even His wife, Magu’yawan.

73+: Height of the Human Dark Age. Humanity now lives in a time of constant darkness. Those that survived the Final War attempt to guide humans back on track, to varying degrees of success.

90: The Time of Human Silence. The garuda people, now creating tribes, go into war with the fierce anggitay tribes in the Lakungdulan Isles. Humanity cowers once again within their caves, sometimes making tribes, sometimes dying to the rampant maligno that now roam the dimmer world.

100 - 900: The Flourishing of the Engkanto and Other Mortalfolk. The garuda create a great empire in the clouds, and another kingdom in the tree of Soonest. They go to war and in a few centuries, only the Tree Kingdom in Soonest survives. The tamawo have all been driven to their most fortified city--Biringan, and it is from there that every tamawo now lives. The palesekan live in the Near Shores of every forest, solitary creatures that play the flute, that only convene twice a harvest to reestablish roles within a forest. The dalaketnon have begun to move. The Lipod now try their best to keep consort to Apung Okot. The tikbalang are slowly being taught by the diwata and the tamawo to become the Guardians of Lakungdula. The Duwende have begun to leave Biringan and are now establishing the Underground Kingdom of Libing-Libing. The anggitay nomad tribes now constantly fight the Naga Empire of Qirong. The kapre have begun to create a vast interconnected society with the palesekan and the tikbalang, becoming outposts for the tamawo city of Biringan. They become punishers of the evil and protectors of the lost. The sarangay now live in solitary caves with their jewels, occasionally travelling to Biringan for the Accords and as well as trade. The elephant-headed ganesha are working on building their own Empire in the Southwestern Region of Liway. 103: Human Resurgence. Eventually humanity gained a foothold with the help of the Apo that live in the Mountains of Madja-as in the Island of Tabun. There they fight back against more powerful engkanto, and eventually spread to the rest of the Lakungdulan Archipelago.

131: Year of the First Datu. The First Barangay is established in the northern tip of the island of Esa. At this point, there is only one Datu.

154: The War of the Four Datu. A dispute rings out over which god brought them victory and the ability to survive. Thus begins the first major war of the humans in theTime of Malice, or the Era of the Masked Moon. The war lasts for a hundred years, sputtering out into an agonizing end with hostiles on all sides. Weapons of war were honed, sorceries and witchcrafts were accepted, and the First Barangay was fractured. Humanity was once again against each other.

230: The Kivhrans Find the Salvagewastes. The Kivhran Folk -- the humans that moved north from Tabun to the Continent of Hosk-Edur -- find the savage permafrost lands of the “Salvagewastes”, and they reverse-engineer the technology after living in close-knit tribes. Their culture and religion changes, focusing on the “Seven” whom they learned about in the various “Talking Metal Stones” that they find within the several tombs.

255: Human Path. The humans began moving away from each other and occupying the islands. The War of the Four Datu fractured them apart.

• The supreme Sun-Datu Kataastaasang Usbong Liwanag, worshipper of the Fierce Sun-Goddess Adlayari, Goddess of the Sun and the Morning, moved the farthest down to the Hot Continent of Vakshara. Those near the Coastal regions began creating trade routes, and Adlayari was eventually overpowered by a native Diwata of the Sands -- one that purported that He was the one above all. He called Himself Supreme Paragon, and most of the Vaksharan States obeyed His laws.

• The cunning Moon-Datu Nagmamalitong Mayumi, worshipper of the revolutionary Masked Moon Goddess Halea, returned to Tabun, and they placed a greater emphasis on their bond with the Lipod, for they favored the Moon most of all. The Tabunians cut themselves off from the world, creating a xenophobic culture.

• The great Star-Datu Ikaisang Sinag moved to the Eastern Island of Liway and began creating barangays there, establishing trade routes with the Far Western country of Merigo, the growing City-State of Ivh-Kivhra, and the Trader Nomads of the Vakshara. With the vast trades, they acquired knowledge and began synthesizing everything to create an organized religion of the Diwata.

• The Rebellious Moon-Datu Digumandong Kabatuhan, worshipper of none, stayed in the Thousand Islands, where they lived in a Thousand Barangays.

258: The Voyage to Hosk-Edur. After the war of the Four Datu, seven Tamawo-blooded humans left the unceasing wars of the Thousand Barangays, travelling north to where their Kivhran Cousins were. There they easily overpowered the Kivhrans thanks to their supernatural blood, and the Kivhrans began to think that they were the Seven Gods that the people thought to be true, and thus they were called the Septumvirate.

259-287: The Garuda Aviary Established. The first Garuda Aviary is established, made by a conglomerate of the surviving garuda, within the hollows of the tree of Soonest, in the middle of the Forest of Fireleaves within Tabun.

260: Humanity Discovers the Continent of Kat-jja, and the Naga known as the naga. Three barangays banded together and sailed East, where they found the lush and verdant lands of the Continent of Kat-jja. Before long, they established barangays there… until the raiding parties of the Naga, Naga -- humanoid draconic people -- that rode upon huge dragon-beast mounts found them. They subjugated the flourishing humans and made them their slaves.

295: The Discovery of the Tomb of Yavum. To the far west of the Kivhran region is an old tomb which was raided by a party of adventurers headed by Al-Kaig, one of the Seven. He managed to find a dusty old tome and read it, and unlocked parts of his Soul and heard the voice of Yavum. When he left the tomb, the Sun rejuvenated him. This was the first few steps of the empire-spanning Yavuman religion, and Al-Kaig became the First Saint-King, one of the First Blessed.

312-331: The War of the Seven Blossoms. The Seven men began fighting amongst themselves, having created seven tribes and seven settlements. The one who proved to be the most powerful, though, was the middle child named Kaig, which was the name of the God of War and Fire in the native Kivhran religion. He won by way of strange, eldritch sorceries that allowed one to manipulate the world with only their mind, which was only possible by reading the esoteric Chronicles of Light. With the war over, the First Empire was named Al-Kaig, Child of Kaig, and it spanned almost all of the Kivhran region, with the capital being in a peninsula, named Phaedrus.

324: The Five Kingdoms of Qirong. Qirong is split into five Kingdoms -- Shui, Huo, Feng, Tudi, and Gang. Thus begins the Warring Kingdoms era of the rian, warred with 1,000 Dragons and 10,000 humans. This rages on for three centuries, ending in the rise of a singular emperor, as mandated by the Dragon-Kings of Heaven. Humanity is oppressed even further.

349: Rise of Al-Kaig. Thanks to their faithful, Al-Kaig flourished. They retrieved many artifacts from the tomb, and those Blessed were turned into leaders and bishops and esteemed members of society. Al-Kaig took its first steps to domination. They began working with the Salvagewastes, reverse-engineering more artifacts, accelerating their technological advancement.

350: Makkalo’s Conquest. Makkalo, also called the First King, Descendant of the Star-Datu, begins north from the southern tip of Liway in the Lakungdulan Isles. He wields a powerful artifact from the first age – the Sticks of the Most Righteous Tiger, which he uses to bind the entire southern region of Liway under his rule.

376: Death of the First King. The Sticks are passed down to his son, Kaloi, who continues the Makkalan Bayan. The engkanto races begin resurfacing after a century of rebuilding.

458: The First Dalaketnon Advance. The dalaketnon begin advancing from their realm to the material world to try and conquer the Eastern Isle of T’Kapi. The T’Kapian tamawo fight back against them, and begin the First Dalaketnon War.

471: Death of Kaloi. Here Kaloi was assassinated by an unknown figure. The Makkalans began blaming the northern tribes and went to war with them. Because of their superior weapons, most of the tribes were subsumed and forced into the Makkalan Bayan and the northern region of Liway was subjugated under its control.

517 – 943: Al-Kaigian Conquest. The Empire of Al-Kaig ruled and expanded in the Kivhran region. Soon the rian (who have been building their empire two hundred years before Al-Kaig came) began trading with them, and the Al-Kaigians began learning of advanced techniques of power. Although the patented crystech that the rian used (which itself is just a reverse engineering of artifacts during the Time Lost) was hidden from them, the Al-Kaigians managed to glean important concepts from them. In addition, they have refined more artifacts and have crafted notable aghimuan, technology that required esoteric knowledge and the ability to harness Diwa by Bala to activate. Skyships were invented, as well as the reverse-engineering of ancient armor to create “Armadura”, technological armor powered by Diwa. Other notable inventions (or more likely, rediscoveries) include the pneumatic rifling alongside crossbows (which were learned from the rian), flowsteel armor (expensive to find, even more expensive to craft), and craftlight (alkymikal fixtures that create light and is the primary source of light in the seven cities).

503: Second Dalaketnon Advance. Now the dalaketnon were able to improve their weapons and used human fodder in the war against the tamawo, and succeeded in driving the tamawo back into Tabun. Their Empire of Ija Yawa now spans almost all of T’Kapi, with various maligno and human soldiers at their disposal. They war with the Nomads of Balaar and the City-State of Effisia to the South.

531: The Barangay Solidified. Around this time, the other islands grew, and Tabun is cut away from the world thanks to the perpetual God Storms that surround the area, thanks to the Weather Goddess Anitun Tabu. Notable barangays were the bayan of Ikkalaw, son of Ikaloi, that spanned most of Liway, save for the Deadgreen Wastes that separated them from the Kalilim Region. To the south, the Thousand Islands were in constant war, forcing them to develop cannons and better ships. The Bayan of Surara has an upper hand thanks to their integration of Barangan (sorcerers) into their ranks. The Barangays of the Thousand Islands begin crafting stone temples for their gods as well, alongside their worship of nature. These stone temples were dedicated to Barangaw, God of Victory and Rainbows, Sui-dapa, God of Death, Yna Guinida, Goddess of War, and Somilge, Goddess of Witchcraft (of which only one temple stands, deep in the forests of the Duho Island.) To the east, humanity still toiled under the iron-claw of the Naga.

600: Tabun Prospers. Untouched by war and destruction thanks to the godstorms, the Tabunians manage to live almost prosperously, and enhance their technology greatly. The gods helped them in their endeavors, and the engkanto flourish here as well. It is speculated the grand city-kingdom of Viringan is here. The Tabunian people to the north of Tabun construct the Heaven Terraces, which is a large terrace alongside the mountain of Lunos.

699: The End of the Warring Kingdoms. The five naga kingdoms are usurped and consumed by the major kingdom of Qirong, and thus begins the reign of the powerful Qirong empire. They face the growing Al-Kaigian power to the North, anggitay nomad archers to the Near North, and a magindara threat to the east.

720: The Tiger Bites the Dragon. Humanity will not cower. In the midst of the fighting, a powerful human who had been warped and perverted with the elemental might of the Naga led the rebellion against them. This man eventually became the first Giro'jji Emperor, because humanity succeeded in the rebellion, and they now live in the Near Shore of Kat-jja, in the region which they now call Giro. The Giro'jji Empire begins.

731: End of the Clan Wars. To the north of the Makkalan Bayan are the powerful and large clans of Diyaw and Banguso, who have been warring for the last hundred years. The two clans lived in the northern mountain range, which became the Bangao Range after the two clans unified.

796: Establishment of Dayawan. After centuries of study and teaching only orally, writing has found its way permanently to Liway, as well as religious texts. Dayawan is the religion coined by the Scholar Harana and proposed to the Lakan of Makkalan of that time, Ikkama, son of Ikkapa, son of Ikkato, son of Ikkalaw. Ikkama accepted the religion and made it the official religion of the Makkalan Lakandom, creating a unified set of beliefs among the Malakkan and Liway. The people of the Thousand Islands reject this unification and continue worshipping their Gods and their land, alongside those in the Kalilim Region. The Makkalan people call these “pagans” Spirit-people, for they worshipped the land without a religion. Dayawan puts a being known as Bathala as the supreme deity and yet still has nature and ancestor worship. It was the attempt of scholar – now Guro – Harana to collect and centralize the split beliefs of the Lakungdulan people. Guro Harana also wrote the Book of Souls, which has now become the holy book of Dayawan.

856-902: Driven by the Stars. With Dayawan on the rise, Ikkanim, Son of Ikkama, ventures forth to conquer the rest of Lakungdula. He begins with the Thousand Island people and manages to conquer almost every part of it by the end of the century. Dayawan is abhorred, but grudgingly taken. The mountain clans still manage to escape, for the mountains needed too much resources to conquer.

901: The Engkanto Accords. In which the tamawo and the Biringan government seek to establish trade and relations with the human civilizations after finding that the maligno and the dalaketnon are too powerful for them to handle on their own. These leads to the engkanto accords, allowing them to live alongside humanity, encouraging it even. In Liway, multi-folk demographics begin popping up more frequently, giving rise to pockets of civilization while maligno and other halimaw roam the forests and the lands.

950: The Coming of the Bright Man. The Al-Kaigian voyager and philosopher Marid finds the Ugad Island, to the south of the Thousand Islands. Soon expeditions were sent, and thus began the legendary crusade of Saffida.

974: Birth of Pinagsama. Two warring barangays in the Bokosan River within the Kalilim Forest make peace and unify their barangays, creating the Barangay of Pinagsama, as large as a city. This barangay was strictly open to all races and cultures. It has since become a cesspool and the birthplace of the “Gintuan”, a great business hub and guild that now spans most of the Thousand Isles.

1000: The Burning of Soonest. Maligno and dalaketnon have assaulted the tribal culture of the garuda within Soonest, burning down the largest firetree. The garuda have been fragmented into four tribes once again, and then scattered into the winds. They used to live in grand cities in the sky, but now live in aeries within cliffsides. The Ija Yawa Empire have begun launching attacks upon Biringan as well. More humans are being allowed inside the engkanto city.

1043 - 1116: Fall of the Makkalan Bayan. With most of the Thousand Islands and Liway underneath the Makkalan Empire, Makkasa takes to the north to conquer the Kalilim Region. The tamawo, duwende, tikbalang, garuda and the human forces that now live in some areas of the region declare war to protect the region, as it has become a hinterlands and safe haven for non Makkalan tribes. Makkasa is ultimately killed in combat by a tamawo lord. This, combined with the Al-Kaigian invasion of Agidyao, ultimately sends the Makkalan Bayan into chaos. By the end of the century, the Bayan is sundered into three Kedatuans: one led by the legendary boar-hunter Datu Durat, the infamous warrior-philosopher Dayawan Guro Datu Indara who made the thousand-armed demon Kurikat bow before him, and the warrior-priestess Rana Hurusa, who had been a datu of the various islands to the east of Liway before deciding to conquer the eastern border of the Makkalan Kingdom.

1078: Zuhayras Born. At this point, the Zuhayras colonies (named after Zuhayr, the then Prince of Al-Alara, who then became the Kaisar of Al-Kaig) are established, in the Thousand Islands after a combination of force and diplomacy and conversion from the Al-Kaigians. Those faithful and loyal to the Lakandom spited those who bowed to the colonizers, and the Agidyao have been hated ever since. The people of the Thousand Islands abhorred their large island cousins, and they found the Al-Kaigians to be very amiable, and thus the Thousand Islands was very much easily conquered through religion rather than bloody conquest (the sages of History have noted that the Al-Kaigians capitalized on the similarities of Yavum and their supreme God, Bathala). During this time some expeditions were also sent to the northeast tip of Liway, to the Kalilim Region, where they managed to put up trading posts to Pinagsama such as Selorong and Ufrayd. Here they weren’t met with fierce backlash. Yet.

1120: Manifest Destiny. The Al-Kaigian forces have conquered most of the Thousand ISlands now, and are turning their sights to Liway. T’Kapi proves to be too dangerous to march through, and they could not approach Tabun due to the God Storms. The three Lakandoms are forced to work together for the time being.

1130: Chosen of Raiders. The Lakandom of Gaputan is established, one of the most powerful thalassocracies that is powered by greed. They help in fighting back the colonizers thanks to their pirate tactics and their worship of Inang Maganda, Barangaw, and Makanduk.

1135 (Present Year): The Dance of the World. Rebellion now brews in the Zuhayras Island Group. The Three Lakandoms gear themselves for war, getting forces from the north, supernatural and even engkanto aid. As they war with each other, the current Governer-General Ignazi has begun her plans to launch a reconquista. The engkanto themselves are leaving their small abodes, venturing to the realm of the earth, and one can see them walking amongst mortals. The Tabunians are appearing more and more in the other islands. The Ija Yawa Empire is sending out corpse ships and ebony wood balangays and karakoas. The Qirong naga are strengthening, their empire is flourishing, but faces various barbarian tribes, and the Al-Kaig Empire. The garuda have been shattered. Al-Kaig is preparing a major assault against Lakungdula, but is also facing an attack from the Giro'jji should they not assist the Giro'jji in their plan to assault the Qirong Empire of the Naga. The gates of Biringan are still mostly closed off to humans.

Humans are the dominant race in the world. The center of the world is the Metropolis of Indigo.

And a farmer girl in a barangay is born to unnatural circumstances...

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