Modern Salvar's history properly begins after the War of the Tap. See Ancient History [link] for information predating this tim
The Ethereal Sway Appears -- CP 100 to CP 200
The divine beings known as the Ethereal Sway appear to mortals in Salvar near what is now Knife's Edge. They lead the local Salvarians out of their dark age and oversee the construction of the Grand Cathedral. They would guide their followers for one hundred years before mysteriously vanishing. Though the official Church of the Ethereal Sway would not properly form for some time, this new cult would continue to grow in size and influence. See: Ethereal Sway [Link].
Salvarian Expansion -- CP 200 to CP 450
The Salvic people who had inhabited the Testhan River Valley for untold centuries, begin pushing west and north. The young and zealous cult of the Ethereal Sway unites with a number of greedy oligarchs to expand this new country called Salvar. They wage war against both the Skavian humans and the orcs (who in turn wage wars against each other). Over centuries of intermittent conflict, Salvar captures the ancient city of Pestovo and huge swaths of new land. [Possible future links to Skavian Wars and First Orc War.]
Salvar United -- CP 450 to CP 624
Growing unrest between Salvar's nobles as well as the cult of the Ethereal Sway prompts the crowning of the first King of Salvar [name pending]. The city of Archen is founded on the northern frontier. The orcs launch a major campaign southward to retake lost lands and the Salvarians and Skavians set aside their centuries' old grudges to unite and repel the invasion. Some tension will remain between the two human groups afterward, but most Skavians would come to see themselves as part of the Kingdom of Salvar from then on. In the south, untold thousands of Urodins flee Raiaera after a bloody purge by the high elves, setting in the marshy southeastern region of Salvar. They would later rename the land Uroda and swear fealty as a province of the kingdom. [Possible future links: Second Orc War.]
The Demon Wars -- CP 624 to CP 837
See [Demon Wars [Link]]. The Haidean demons did not reach Salvar for the first century of the war, though the damage they caused elsewhere effectively isolated the kingdom. When the demons did arrive, even Salvar's well-prepared defenders failed to stem the seemingly endless tide. Ultimately, it was Saint Denebriel, anointed of the Sway, and her followers who broke the demon horde at the Grand Cathedral (which would eventually be renamed Saint Denebriel's Cathedral).
Founding of the Church -- CP 837 to CP 1000
Though the Ethereal Sway's religion had been growing since after the War of the Tap, only the end of the Demon War brought it to such a dominant position in Salvar. The vast majority of the citizens worshiped the Sway by this point, forsaking the Thayne or Old Gods of their ancestors. The Church of the Ethereal Sway forms, the official state religion of Salvar. Numerous holy orders form, including the Witch Hunters, Empowered Priests, and Paladins. Magic and its practitioners face persecution as the Sway's anti-magic doctrine becomes more extreme.
During this time, Salvar recovers from the Demon Wars along with the rest of the known world. The crown passes uneventfully from heir to heir, given dispassionate nods by the nobility and church. Exports of fur, lumber, ore, and other raw materials draw outside attention to the northern kingdom.
Succession Wars -- CP 1000 to CP 1241
See: Salvic Succession Wars [Future Link]. King Vadim Goreya, known for his devout faith and punitive taxation of the nobility, dies of old age in CP 1,000. His son and heir, a sickly boy of eleven, is declared unfit to rule by many rival families. What follows are a series of bloody coups and civil wars between major factions in the nobility. Several kings are crowned and overthrown within a few years, followed by years of more fighting.
For nearly two and a half centuries, the people of Salvar suffer and starve as the rich and powerful fight for control. The export of raw materials steadily declines and finally grinds to a halt. This finally attracts Coronian attention to the war-torn kingdom.
Coronian Colonization -- CP 1241 to 1301
Hoping to restore the flow of raw materials from Salvar, Corone and a coalition of wealthy merchants send a fleet to the kingdom's sparsely populated eastern coast and establish a new colony. They build what becomes the city of Tirel along the Sea of Scales. Within a year, fresh lumber and other materials flow out of Salvar again.
After a few decades, the squabbling Salvic lords finally begin reacting to this foreign incursion. A number of lords send their own troops to capture Tirel, but are each repelled. Meanwhile, Corone's colonial forces push toward Uroda, causing mounting concern among the populace. Without a king to lead them, Salvar seemed incapable of repelling Corone's forces.
In CP 1296, a powerful lord named Marat Desinov secures the backing of the Church of the Ethereal Sway and rallies a great army, with several other noble houses backing him. He marches across Salvar and in a series of bloody battles, drives the Coronians to the sea, burning many of their ships as they retreat. He captures Tirel and declares all of the continent north of Kachuk, from west coast to east, as part of Salvar. With a large army behind him, he secures the throne of Salvar in short order, turning the land into a dictatorship in five short years.
Desinov Dynasty -- CP 1301 to CP 1624
The heirs of King Marat rule for several generations, some kind, some wise, some cruel, some reckless. The nobility sees their power in governing the kingdom dwindling as the Desinovs act as absolute monarchs. With the Church's backing, the Desinov Dynasty is secure.
Rathaxea Dynasty -- CP 1624 to CP 1808
In 1624, King Grigor Desinov dies, leaving his daughter Idara as his only heir. Members of the largely patriarchal Salvic nobility saw this as an opportunity to increase their own power and depose the Desinov Dynasty. To avert civil war and also secure her power, Idara marries a wealthy Coronian aristocrat, Silas Rathaxea. His wealth and influence combined with Idara's own allies and backing of the Church secures her throne.
Three years later, Idara is assassinated, leaving Silas, a foreigner, as the king of Salvar. He quickly arranges for his own first-born son to marry the Boyar of Pestovo's daughter, cementing his dynasty's power for generations.
War of Flesh -- CP 1808 to CP 1812
For generations, the monarchy and church, once closely tied, have slowly drifted apart. The Sway grows to resent the secular leanings of the foreign-spawned Rathaxea dynasty. Likewise, the crown has grown to fear the church's power. King Iorlan Rathaxea and the Ethereals Sway's high priest act simultaneously. The king is declared an apostate and excommunicated and the priests of the Sway are declared traitors. See: War of Flesh [link]. This civil war ends with the Church weakened. A new king, Bratus Kutzovich, is chosen because of his proper Salvic heritage and backing from the Vorgruk-Stokes Company. This king, however, holds less power than those before him. The League of Salvic States now votes on many matters of state.
Present Day: 1815
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