Xarlemi Age (Patronage Supplement)

Timeline - Xarlemi Age!

←	Juzhian Age
2051	Xarlem succeeds Juzhian.
2090	Borderlands rebel against Alabastria.
2093	Xarlem negotiates treaty, forming Border Kingdom.
2150	Harald founds the "Northern Reach".
2186	Otto invades Border Kingdom.
2212	Otto conquers Border Kingdom.
2218	Zarlem refuses to aid Oncia when Caliphate attacks.
2223	Otto dies; Xarlem invades Border Kingdom.
2265	After twenty year trek, Yaro I conquers New Dragonseye and founds Winteren.
2274	Xarlem conquers Border Kingdom.
2314	Oncia besieges Sarrun.
2321	Xarlem refuses to aid Oncia when Gamaliel destroys her army.
2327	Over next 20 years, Gamaliel conquers western Alabastria to Dragonseye.
2347	Xarlem refuses to aid Oncia when Gamaliel conquers Downlach.
2350	Alabastrians in Dragonseye discover the Compass Rose.
2369	Xarlem forms the Order of the Compass to protect Dragonseye.
2372	Otto II negotiates treaty with Alabastria.
2397	Otto II dies; Xarlem reconquers Border Kingdom.
2437	Gamaliel conquers Dragonseye.
2440	Elementals anoint Chingiz Ironbearer to vanquish Ferroclasty.
2441	Xarlem and Order of the Compass reconquer Dragonseye, briefly ending war with Caliphate.
2444	Oncia, Halfling Queen, and ravin Caraw, create Oncia and Carraway.
2447	Caliphate finishes ten-year dismantling of Wall, replaced by Walls Road.
2467	Haaken reunifies the Northern Reach.
2469	Alabastria and Caliphate go to war again.
2481	Chingiz conquers Ramhead.
2488	Immortal appoints Tsune queen of Verdant; Ranshi founds Pure Land Sect.
2491	Chingiz founds Ironguard.
2494	Gamaliel retakes Dragonseye, briefly ending second Alabastrian-Caliphate War.
2496	Wintreni Civil War begins and lasts 88 years.
2505	Zhalfa attempts unsuccessful coup against Emperor Xarlem; Civil War lasts 29 years.
2506	Border Kingdom collapses into anarchy.
2508	Ironguard invades Caliphate; Ironguard-Caliphate War will last 15 years.
2523	Three tribes reform Border Kingdom.
2564	Order of Compass declares independence from Alabastria.
2569	Northern Reach splits into three.
2584	Chingiz dies; Ironguard falls to civil war that lasts 61 years.
2585	Immortal War begins in Verdant, lasts three years.
2586	Hara and Buka found Nidvalar.
2588	Immortal War becomes Verdant rebellion, which lasts a year.
2591	Buzurg founds Midhaven.
2595	Caliphate invades Nidvalar, but stopped by construct army.
2601	Min founds Minia.
2606	Hara and Buka form Nidvalar Assembly.
2608	Border Kingdom establishes seven-member Council of Chieftains.
2615	Temur takes control of Legion.
2628	Ulaganqara’s Legion consolidates three Legions.
2630	Nidvalar Assembly refuses to sell constructs to outsiders.
2632	Ulaganqara's unsuccessfully invades Nidvalar.
2637	Temur conquers Midhaven. Queen Ghiya flees to Winteren.
2645	Temur slays Ulaganaqara in battle, declared king of Ironguard.
2646	Muhajiel invades Oncia.
2646	Margreth reunifies Northern Reach.
2652	Ironguard invades Caliphate, forcing end to siege on Oncia.
2654	Demetrius abandons Assembly.
2655	Caliphate repels Ironguard and re-invades Oncia.
2658	Queen Ghiya reconquers Midhaven.
2659	Demetrius founds Clockwork Circle.
2660	Alabastria invades Caliphate, forcing end to siege on Oncia.
2678	Peasant uprisings in Verdant.
2683	Ironguard invades Minia unsuccessfully.
2692	Caliphate repels Alabastria; re-invades Oncia.
2697	Dragonseye War. Alabastria forced to end siege on Oncia; Dragonseye founded.

The Juzhian Age ended with the death the the Second Empire and Alabastrian Emperor Juzhian.

Free Kingdoms

The Xarlemi Age was an age of constant warfare, where empires dwindled amidst the rise of numerous Free Kingdoms.

As the age progressed, the power of the empires of the prior age -- the Alabastrian Empire, Second Empire, and the Caliphate. have either disappeared or have had their dominions so diminished they function merely as another Free Kingdom. Now power seems to have been decentralized. Rather than one or two major powers, there are nearly a dozen kingdoms vying for power. When one kingdom becomes too powerful, the others unite to oppose the power. In this way, parity, though not peace, has been maintained for the past six and a half centuries.

Though some of these kingdoms have not survived -- the Border Kingdom and Northern Reach to name two -- many more have chipped away at the powers of empires. This age saw the founding of Winteren, Verdant, Ironguard, Nidvalar, Carraway, Oncia, Midhaven, Minia, and Dragonseye, all on land once dominated by the Caliphate, Second Empire, and Alabastrian Empires.

Societies

The decentralization spreads even beyond the kingdoms to groups with no ties to any land. The Clockwork Circle, Efthali, Pure Land Sect, Order of the Compass, and reconstituted Ramhead Rangers were all founded during this age, which has also seen a resurgence in the power of the older societies, like the Dodecians (who were instrumental in the recent founding of Dragonseye) and the Loyalists (who were instrumental in the founding and survival of Chisel).

Religious and quasi-religious orders have also begun to flourish, in part because mortals perceive that their world is unstable and perilous and need something to give them hope. Followers of the Nine Truths report swelling numbers, as do followers of the Efthali Dark Arts. Priests dedicated to the Code of Juzhian have begun to formalize their ranks and delve into the study of the magic of the landbond, while those inspired by the predictions of Min, even beyond the borders of Minia contemplate a society without magical bonds to the land. Even the venerable Testament has become reportedly more faithful, generating an entire philosophy based on the teachings and legends of the great Lucinda. Moreover, Patron Cults, free peoples voluntarily offering themselves to various Patrons, have been on the rise. Anthropophagic Cults, in particular, are a problem near the Wild Forest, where mortal sacrifices to these Patrons have been reported. And in Nidvalar, some discrete Elemental Cults have sprung up, calling for the demise of Nidvalar's governing Assembly, as well as its rival Clockwork Circle.

Patrons

The fall of central imperial powers has also heralded a new measure of activity among the Patrons, after thousands of years of relative inactivity. The Titans intervened directly in the founding of Winteren. The Oni challenged the "Immortal" in Verdant. The Elementals anointed Chingiz to found Ironguard. The Mounds of the Shinigami have been reported active after thousands of years of torpor. People have reported dreams and omens that the Leviathans are awakening after thousands of years of slumber, and some believe their presence was felt when the Nereid Sea began to boil during the recent Dragonseye War. Sailors on the Savage Sound report that dreadnaughts captained by Anthropophagi ply the seas. Even the long dormant temples of the Avatars appear to be humming with a new life and presence of the vanished Patrons. Travelers report more frequent harassment by the Fey and their elven and goblin servants. Only the Dragons appear to remain hidden from mortal eyes.

Mortals

While the Patrons rise anew, the mortal institutions appear to be weak and crumbling. The warlord Temur is old and weak. Rumors abound the Xarlem and Oncia have become rakshasa. Muhajiel and Gamaliel have entered their winter phases, and retreated to their capital in Sarrun apparently at a loss as to how to recapture their Caliphate's former glory. The Immortal has retreated from governance of Verdant, acceding remarkably to the desires of mortal concerns. Regent Onggye of Minia is aging and her population starving in the vain hope of surviving without a landbond. Chisel and Winteren are rife with infighting. Nidvalar suffers from attacks of the Clockwork Circle and discontent amongst its native warforged population. Midhaven and Carraway were humiliated by a young human Rickard, and his fledgling Archduchy of Dragonseye can barely maintain its own small borders, much less confront resurgent Patrons. It appears there are few in the Free Kingdoms who could stop the Patrons should they seek to reassert their dominion over all the mortal races.

The instability has caused a massive migration into many of the Wild Lands. The Barrens and Wild Forest now teem with refugees and expatriates. Even the Blackscale Swamp has had to deal with individuals seeking refuge therein.

---

Back to Main Page → 4e Homebrew → Campaign Settings → Patronage