Vergonen was smiling; it was the cavalry’s turn now. Chira itself was not a great nation of horsemen; rather the cavalry were drawn from all quarters of the Empire and as such looked much
more of a patchwork than the footmen.
‘I never tire of it, Hylas,’ Vergonen was saying. ‘I never tire of it, seeing the army on the move – all those months of drilling the men, getting them to learn their
formations, seeing it in action like this, I never tire of it.’
‘And now you have a whole country to add to the Empire,’ Hylas replied. A nation in collapse, allied with Koze; how you will rise in the Emperor’s favour.’
‘It matters not,’ said Vergonen, completely untruthfully. ‘You yourself gave their king the conditions for our support; that he has failed to meet them is his fault entirely.
We are here to provide security for the Empire, nothing more.’
‘And when order is re-established, we will withdraw here?’
Vergonen smiled. ‘If it is the Emperor’s will.’
‘We should be at his palace in the morning,’ said Hylas. ‘There we can appoint a new king, a more loyal one, which shouldn’t be too difficult. Having said that mind I do
feel a little sorry for Aganosticlan; it was hardly his fault that he supposedly came up against a dragon.’
Vergonen’s smile vanished. ‘It is no laughing matter. Tanaren seems to be a land of dragons. the Emperor’s symposium will be examining the matter carefully. If more dragons
awaken, not even the Empire can feel itself completely safe.’
Hylas seemed unconcerned. Like many he had difficulty believing the veracity of these outlandish tales. ‘And what of Tanaren itself, I wonder? I will visit their Grand Duke the minute this
Arshuman business is settled, but the Emperor’s eyes are ever restless.’
‘Tanaren has little reason to concern itself with us for the time being. It is a trading nation and has many partners with whom our own trading relations are poor. It is strong with a
battle-hardened army, but, as you say, the Emperor’s eyes are ever restless – nothing can ever be set in stone.’
‘Tanaren is a matter for tomorrow; Arshuma is the matter for today.’ Hylas’s face was ever grim. ‘See how the army floods this plain; they are almost all through the
pass. Just baggage and rear guard remain. Let us move to the army’s head and direct its march from there.’
Hylas steered his horse down the rocky hill and forwards, but Vergonen held back for a little, admiring his command. Today another country had ceased to exist in its own right, becoming rather
just another province of the Empire. The young but martial Emperor, Ucarioth III, would indeed be pleased with this day. A country in chaos needing the restoration of order, discipline and
obedience, and Chira was just the firm guiding hand required in this instance.
A millennium ago, it was just another city-state nestling among the low mountains. Now it was the greatest empire the world had ever seen, bordering five oceans, uniting over fifty former
kingdoms under the astute management of its Chiran officials. It was no coincidence that this had happened, for no city knew the values of self-sacrifice and unity in a common cause better than
Chira did, no army was better paid or trained, no priesthood united more under its faith, and no Emperor commanded such respect as Ucarioth Alkyneses, Knight Reaper of the North.
And Vergonen knew that he was just a minor player in the perpetuation of such an empire. And yet, as he was taught as a child, even the most insignificant person has a role to play. And play it
he would; with all his heart and every sinew he would play it. As Vergonen finally urged his horse down the hill, he knew that, while he still drew breath, the Empire’s thousand years of
glory would be ever set to continue.
The dating system currently in use in Tanaren was adopted following the securing of full independence from the Chiran Empire following the Battle of Hawks Moor. Prior to
that, the Chiran chronology was the one widely used. This system counts year zero as the year in which its near neighbour and rival city-state Anmir was conquered, the formal date from which Chira
started to count itself as an empire. The system in Tanaren has as its zero year the date the first Grand Duke, Tanar, secured Roshythe and landed in the bay in which Tanaren City was to be
formally established. This occurred some 220 years after the Chiran year zero, so to count the years in the Chiran chronology, 220 years need to be added to each date below.
There have been 52 Grand Dukes, most administering the country as a Chiran client kingdom with full autonomy (providing they did nothing to seriously annoy their overlords). There have been
three periods of full independence (the current period being easily the longest), while, from years 500 to 655, the Grand Dukes were appointed directly by Chira and acted as little more than
provincial governors. This was the only period in which heredity did not count in the matter of succession. Not all the Grand Dukes are listed below for reasons of brevity.
c.
-300
Foundation of the city of Chira. Legend has it that Chir a shepherd from the high mountains happened upon a green tract of land nestling between two
mountain spurs and when he struck his shepherds crook upon the ground a great river poured forth and the God Artorus appeared to him telling him to build the foundations of the city that would
become the greatest in the world.
c.
-280
First war with Anmir ends in defeat. A treaty is signed ceding land and money to the victorious city along with the payment of an annual tribute.
c.
-260
Second war with Anmir ends in victory. All land and money reclaimed and Anmir were now required to pay tribute to Chira.
c.
-220
Final war with Anmir. Anmir conquered and annexed and Chira formerly declares itself an empire.
-184 to -180
The great mage war. A collaboration of mages attempt to take Chira using their destructive powers. Thousands die before they are defeated. To control the
mages in future, colleges are founded in remote areas where they are penned, trained and only called upon at times of need. Other countries see the system and copy it as nearly every country had
been threatened by mages in times past.
-175
Lake Coteku and its peoples conquered by Chira.
-166
Lake Febrey and its peoples conquered by Chira.
c.
-140
The remaining Lakes peoples accept Chiran hegemony.
-100 to -98
First rebellion of the People of the Lakes.
-90 to -87
Second rebellion of the People of the Lakes brutally suppressed.
-61
The First Wych War starts as Chira intercedes in a tribal dispute.
-37
The First Wych War, a conflict sporadic in nature with loyalties constantly shifting ends with the annexation of the Lutelia and Baetal tribes and the seizure of
their lands. Many Wych folk flee to other tribes, but those who could not or did not want to flee become absorbed into Chiran society as a despised minority.
-14
Second Wych War commences as Wych general Gellethon invades the Lakes, defeating a small Chiran border force at the Battle of Nexi.
-13
Gellethon victorious at Battle of Lake Kepha.
-12
Gellethon victorious at Battle of the Shadows.
-11
Battle of Lebethra. Nearly 50,000. Chiran soldiers killed in a day. The Lakes are seized and the Wych folk besiege Chira City.
-7
Wych folk leave Chira City. Siege broken many times in preceding years as General Kathan keeps luring the Wych forces into piecemeal battles. They move back to the
Lakes where Kathan continues to harass them.
-2
Stalemate of war broken when Chiran general Tolmareon invades the Wych homelands of the northern plains. Surprised, the Wych folk fall back before him.
0
Tolmareon’s chief commander, Tanar, invades the lands that come to be known as Tanaren. Roshythe taken in a near bloodless assault and Tanaren City founded.
Tolmareon names Tanar as first Grand Duke and Tanar’s first commanders as hereditary dukes; this includes Linus Hartfield, Tanar’s closest confidant.
2
Battle of Shefom. Wych folk finally defeated, Second Wych war declared over the following year with colossal land gains for the Chiran Empire. The Wych folk either flee
overseas or secrete themselves in the darkest woods. The remainder are absorbed into Chiran society.
3
The Battle of Metu. Tanar defeats a force of rebellious Wych folk and their Marsh allies. The following year punitive actions are taken against the Marsh folk. This
battle is counted as the first of the nine great battles of Tanaren.
21 Tanar, the first Grand Duke dies. In the preceding years Tanaren is accepted as a Chiran client state and its borders are formally established. Tanaren City continues to
swell and Tanaren now has its own standing army closely allied to Chira. Wych colonies are established in the Aelthenwood and the city of Zerannon is founded in the hope of improving relations
between the two peoples. This contrasts sharply with Chira’s attitude to the Wych folk according to which they are little more than chattels.
40
Suspicious death of Culmenion of Zerannon ends the period of good relations between humans and Wych folk.
46
Christoph Hartfield becomes the sixth Grand Duke and the first not related to Tanar. The previous Grand Duke died without issue and so the remaining dukes decided the
succession between them.
57–59
Third Wych War. The rump of the tribes still dwelling on the plains are finally defeated. No free Wych peoples now exist on the Great Plains.
72
The Battle of Oro-Califan. An invading Kozean army of 70,000 is surrounded and slaughtered, tipping the balance of power between the two empires and starting the slow
decline of Koze.
c,
100
Construction of the College of the Mages on the Isle of Tears is completed. The Isle of Healing is founded some twenty-five years later.
120
Tamas Hartfield, the eighth Grand Duke, formally names Tanaren City as the new capital. The city is often referred to as just Tanaren by the locals, causing much
confusion between the country and city among foreign visitors.
160
Lorgan Mesteia becomes the eleventh Grand Duke ending the rule of the Hartfields.
225
Grand Duke Typhon Mesteia defeats a Chiran army at the Battle of Red Vale. Chira, riven by internal conflict at the time, is unable to resist, as Typhon declares full
independence from Chira. This was the second great battle of Tanaren.
273
Death of Typhon the Nation Builder.
291
Arshuma, under the kingship of Otyx the Fell Hammer, expands his country’s boundaries north of Harshafan’s Belt for the first time. Its new territorial
claims drive a wedge between Tanaren and Chira, meaning the Empire is no longer physically connected to Tanaren.
292
Battle of Donan’s Field. The young Grand Duke Donan Mesteia is cut down and killed by an Arshuman army.
293
Battle of the Meads. The new Grand Duke, Lasran Marschall, stops Arshuman ambitions by defeating them at this, the third great battle of Tanaren.
294
With the army of Tanaren still weak and the Arshumans regrouping, Lasran Marschall asks the Chiran Empire for their protection. Independence is lost and the
Marschalls are seen for ever after as Chiran sympathisers. The land lost to Arshuma is not regained.
305–401
Under four Grand Dukes, Bredun Marschall (305–26), Tobin Mesteia (326–33), Travanor I (also: the Great) (333–74) and Dane Mesteia
(374–401), Tanaren enjoys the greatest period of stability it has ever known. Universities become fully established as among the greatest in the world, the grand cathedral and Ducal Palace
double in size (the cathedral gets its golden tower at this time) and Tanarese sea power becomes pre-eminent. Trading links with the elves become strong and a great flourishing of the arts and
sciences occur. The country is ostensibly still a Chiran client kingdom, and resentment begins to rise again. A secretive independence movement, the Army of the Blue, is founded.
415
The new Grand Duke, Eliobald Mesteia (401–16), is seen as weak and indecisive compared to his predecessors. Festering resentment focuses on Duke Hartwig in the
northern heartlands and finally, in 415, the First Tanarese Civil War breaks out.
416
The Battle of Hartwig. Marius Hartwig advances on Tanaren City and Eliobald rashly rides out to meet him. He is killed and Marius Hartwig becomes Grand Duke, the only
Hartwig ever to have the title. This is the fourth of the great battles of Tanaren.
418
The other dukes turn to Chira for aid. They blockade the harbour of Tanaren City and send a force to defeat Hartwig. After months of evasive action Hartwig is finally
brought to bay and defeated at the Battle of Drego’s Spur. He is executed and the Hartwigs are stripped of the title of Duke. Hartwig’s son fights against his father and so is given the
title of Baron. This is the fifth of the nine great battles of Tanaren.
444
The great insurgency, or the Second Tanarese Civil War. The new Grand Duke, Tolbas Edrington, is challenged for the title by Baron Radman Stramash, a bastard son. He
allies with Kibil and Arshuma and his great army descends on Tanaren City. Tolbas again elicits Chiran aid and the forces meet close to the Red River. Baron Radman orders his Tanarese banner to be
dipped in the blood of the dead from a previous battle and so the battle they fight becomes known as the Battle of the Blood-soaked Banner. In terms of troop numbers, this was the greatest battle
fought on Tanarese soil. Many thousands are killed, including Tolbas and Radman, but ultimately the Edrington forces triumph. Obviously, this is the sixth great battle of Tanaren.