Yularan History

The island of Yulara is found within the Sea of Petals, in the continent of Syltor. It is known for the civilisations of the Sand Republic, The Kingdom of Lennox, the Dominion of Ostia and the Kingdom of Valle, along with the Republic of Halge and its holdings.

Yularan history is defined by warring communities and frequent societal collapse due to both internal and external factors. The nature of the region as having large swathes of desert dividing the North from the South led to many numerous and isolated cultures emerging over time. Most dates are defined by a unique dating system of Before Dragoonid Collapse (BDC) and After Dragoonid Collapse (ADC), due to inconsistencies in unifying a date system with the rest of the Syltoren continent as a result of isolationism and historical record disruptions.

Raft-Culture Era (~25,000-100,000 BDC)
The Raft Culture Era is named after the Raft Peoples, immigrant tribes of unknown origins who marked the first humans to occupy the isle of Yulara. The exact timeframe of their arrival has been difficult to determine, due to numerous difficulties in obtaining any form of physical records of their existence or culture.

Historians first discovered evidence for the Raft Peoples' existence from excavations of extremely primitive boats in southern river valleys in Yulara. The presence of rich delta soils allowed for a good preservation of a sole rare specimen of a boat, which was little more than assortments of twigs and branches held together with reeds and twine. Due to the unlikely nature of such a vessel being seaworthy, it is theorised that these peoples arrived via nearby land either in modern-day Andorn or along land bridges from elsewhere. The latter theory holds the most prominence among academia due to a lack of finds of Raft settlements along the southwesternmost point of Yulara, in the Riverrun Region.

The Raft Civilisation were likely hunter-gatherers, thriving on endurance-based hunting accross the savannah and coastal desert regions for subsistence. Finds of pointed wooden spears in and around the Riverrun, Heliodusion and Ib regions suggest that these early settlers utilised burning the ends of their spears to create a hardened point. The skins of killed animals were used as clothes, with the pelts of antelope being particularly prized.

Beyond this, little is known of this period in Yularan History due to a lack of permanent structures enabling an effective preservation of specimens. The discovery of Raft Culture specimens has largely been through sheer luck, as some are found well-preserved in river-delta mud, but in areas farther from a river, preservation seems unlikely due to both exposure to the elements and the Fall of the Dragoonid civilisation some 25,000 years later. Prior to these discoveries, the basis for Raft Peoples' existence lay largely in the form of educated guesswork, a migratory seaborn people being the likely explanation for a genesis of human presence on Yulara.

Usage of stone tools occurred not too far before the following period after the Raft Peoples Era, and was the starting premise for the Dawn of Agriculture on Yulara.

Dawn of Agriculture (~12,500 BDC)
Some 12,500 years before the Fall of the Dragoonids, Yularan communities developed stone tools and primitive agriculture through cultivation of grain and small berry shrubs. A consistency of a food supply developed, leading to a nuceleation of communities together in arable areas arround river valleys such as the Epipria, Brhakus, Thura, Akh and Katoum rivers.

Society gradually began to form during this era. Grain was gathered and collected by farming families into single granaries and storehouses, allowing for these farmers to hold immense sway in their local communities. It is believed that society operated on a basic bartering system, where the different members of the community traded between eachother in order to acquire food and water. The farming families distributed grain in the form of primitive currency to labourers accross the local community, as evidenced by excavations in Ib and Heliodusion revealing skeletons of labourers buried outside clay structures with the bodies exhibiting structural stress on the bone structure from toiling. Those inside larger clay structures had less obvious structural defects suggesting a lesser degree of work.

Housing began to spring up in a more refined manner, with mud and clay from riverbanks being used to sculpt basic dwellings. In many cases however, wooden huts assorted from fallen logs and foliage were used in absentia of their clay counterparts due to an estimated lenghty construction time. From finds within these communities it is estimated that the average diet consisted of a primitive bread, fish, berries and wild game.

Over subsequent millennia, pottery and carpentry began devlopment apace, with jars and containers occupying households to store freshwater and grain. An early evidence of writing was found enscribed upon shards of potterry, likely with a sharpened stone. The wrtiting resembled a sort of cuneiform. It is likley that most pottery was created from hardening of clay in the harsh Yularan sunshine.

This primitive writing system enabled basic communication of the earliest forms of religious belief found on Yulara; a form of animism and elemental worship that called for burnt offerrings to bring rains and sooner river floods.

Rise of the Grain Pharaohs (~3,000 BDC)
The dominant agricultural families of these agrarian societies would gradually consolidate vast swathes of power and influence within their communities. Tablets record offerrings of fish, pots, and whittled totems being offered to the eldest male of these families, which became the basis of the Grain Pharaoh titles that would exist for the following ten thousand years.

In the early days, Grain Pharoahs enforced their hold over the local supplies of grain by the creation of what Syltoren archeologists reffer to as "Grainsmen", a collective of enforcers drawn up of relatives and the occasional lucky outsider. Through these Grainsmen, the Grain Pharaohs could control the who gained access to the wheatfields and stockpiles within communinites. Most excavated settlements in the Yularan Ib, Riverrun and Heliodusion regions have been found to contain primitive granary structures where dried-clay records contained references to how much grain each Grainsman was allotted.

In cases of famine, it was not unheard of for desperate thieves to be exiled out into the desert north of the river valleys, a sentence considered to be effective death for the exile. Unbeknownst to these burgeoning Pharaohs, those that did survive these trials by fire would form small, roving nomadic communities, living oftentimes from the sustenance of stray desert mice and cacti juices. Malnutrition was commonplace for these scavengers, but soon, from desperation, raids would be conducted on the southern villages, for the sake of survival.

Dawn of Masonry (2,900-2,800 BDC)
The new pressures of sponatneous raids meant that the complacency of the Grain Pharaohs over their local communities was shaken. The men of the deserts and indeed the Grain Pharaohs themselves largely used stone tools for most purposes, and so the Pharaohs sought ways of innovation to keep abreast of attacks.

This innovation took the form of basic stonemasonry, as far as records tell. The name for this period is derived from the beginning of more coherent (yet exceedingly scarce) records, as all earlier documents have had much of their original content eroded due to the crumbling nature of sun-baked clay tablets. Excavations find that large slabs of stone were carved to create interlocking studs and indents in order to create basic battlements and larger-scale structures. In addittion, rare finds have shown the beginning of Pharaoh laws and doctrines, as recorded in a find known as the "Bhrakkus Steele".

"The catch of the River shall be worth an [untranslated] of grain. A mason's day's work shall be worth ten ears for craft of each Work. A fieldman shall recieve a part of the day's Yield in proportion to his toil."

-The intelligible sections of the Bhrakkus Steele.

Bronze Age (2800 BDC)
The Yularan Bronze Age was marked by sudden appearances of bronze tools in various excavations across different aspects of life. Bronze sickles, spears and even small daggers have been discovered indicating that the metal alloy was implemented in most aspects of society. Due to scarcity of written records during these very early years in Yularan civilisation, it is difficult to say how far Grain Pharaoh societies had advanced following the Dawn of Masonry period, but material excavations reveal very basic furnace constructs likely used in the smelting of bronze.

Jewelery of fish, and fertility amulets have also been discovered around river deltas and coastlines from this period too, indicating a continual social emphasis on nature and reproduction. Village structures retained their primitive stone or mud thatching styles, with little indication of further advances in masonry in a sophisticated sense.

Warring Villages Period (2800-2600 BDC)
Due to the greater prevalence of new, more effective bronze weaponry, more villages under their Pharaohs sought to subjugate their neighbours in the pursuit of food, livestock, wealth (bronze) and women. This lead to a rise in violent, extensive skirmishes often resulting in eradication of entire villages. In some cases, closer neighbours banded together in confederations under a dominant and effective Pharaoh, leading to the early calcification of basic Pharaoh dynasties. In many cases, one Pharaoh would massacre another, leading to forceful absorbtion of their village(s).

It must be noted that the modern Rathniri understanding of a Pharaoh and this proto-yularan Grain Pharaoh dynasty vary dramatically, with the latter being, to all intents and purposes, a glorified chieftan, rallying tribal diaspora together for mutual benefit against other similarly advanced and agressive groups. These banded villages bartered among eachother almost exclusively as opposed to the slightly more liberal prior eras, and shared similar methods of weapon construction. This has been determined through excavations revealing commonalities in engravings on spear shafts across small regions in Yulara amongst other similarities.

Eventually, so many villages banded together under different Grain Pharaohs that the Warring Villages Period came to an end, as tribal conflicts had become too damaging and exhaustive to different communities that a sustained raid on villages became more trouble than it was worth.

Nyphmut Dynasty (~2500-2377 BDC)
The Nyphmut Dynasty formed in southwest Yulara along the Ib and Bhrakus rivers circa 2500 BDC. Exact timings are nearly impossible to determine due to Warring Villages Period texts being few and far between, however, inscriptions reveal the earliest identified ruler to be known as Nyphmut, from whom the dynasty derives its name. Nyphmut united approximately 30-40 villages under him, the dynasty lasting a further ~170 years following his passing.

Nyphmut was succeeded by his eldest, Nyphmut II, creating a tradition of patrilinial succession that would endure throughout the Nyphmut Dynasty until its collapse. The Nyphmut lines of succession are as follows:

Nyphmut I (~2500-2470 BDC).
Exact dates unknown. Dates attributed to reign asscention and succession, due to lack of documentation of birth years.

Nyphmut II (~2470-2433 BDC)
Known for decreeing patrilinial succession upon ascention. Ruled for 37 years, before dying of a watersnake bite. Ordered a greater emphasis on the stockpiling of grain and perishables into granaries, leading to granaries becoming more commonplace across the dynasty rather than household storehouses.

Nyphmut III (2433-2396 BDC)
Faced a brief succession struggle with his sister Nephme who challenged Nyphmut to single combat during the proceedings of the funeral entombment of their father, as recorded in True Dynasty Period historian Syphos' Tales of the Old Kingdoms. Nyphmut III reportedly won through use of a dagger that fell from his father's funeral robes as the fight unfolded. This was seen as his father's spirit bestowing a blessing upon Nyphmut to rule the throne, though not before Nephme succumbed to her wounds, dying at the feet of her father.

Nephme is reportedly buried with Nymphut II, and Nyphmut III lived a long life before passing from ill-health.

Tymun I (2396-2377 BDC)
Tymun I ascended to rule the Nyphmut Dynasty's territories at a notably young age, being rumoured as no older than 14. Tymun was resultantly inexperienced, and through rumours of his father's blessing in ruling, he too believed himself to be granted the same right over his kingdoms. Tymun I is documented as often abusing his authority, calling for stonings of labourers on whim, and often arbitrarily hoarding grain harvest for personal use. Multiple small revolts occurred under Tymun's watch, being swiftly and violently supressed.

One night, Tymun awoke to an impaled asp being staked above the threshold of his complex, mere feet from his personal chambers. As a result, Tymun gradually changed his approach to rule, becoming more benevolent and caring toward his subjects. This proccess became part of Yularan folklore within the Ibean region, known as the "3 Phases of Tymun", where the passage of the sun was likened to Tymun's rule. Dawn being naiive and gradually harshening until Noon, before softening until Sunset.

Tymun died with no successor. There are multiple debated reasons for this, some arguing infertility, others either a fraternisation with male consorts or simple asexuality, however due to a lack of documentation of the personal life of Tymun it is unlikely no conclusion will ever be reached.

Kephmesht Dynasty (2377-2213 BDC)
The Kephmesht Dynasty took over Nyphmut Dynasty territory after their collapse. Kephmesht I was a close confidant of Tymun I in his latter years, often resposible for imposition of Pharoah's tithes on barter and what little intra-village trading occurred during this period. Kephmesht ascended at the general acquiescence of much of the former Nyphmut Dynasty's court, though not without small-scale rebellions, which never fully abated until midway through the reign of his successor. Retphiri I. Line of succession is as follows:

Retphiri I (2352-2303 BDC)
Retphiri I inherited the disarray of his father's kingdom upon his death, which meant much of his early rule was dedicated to the supression of said revolts. These revolts occurred for various reasons: some were in dispute of the Kephmesht succession, arguing instead for liberty under a local leader, others over the Pharaoh's tithe, which became particularly controvesial in times of intense drought or poor fishing seasons. Retphiri responded by reforming the Grainsmen (at this period a semi-symbolic position) into a coherent military enforcement group, which was continually rallied in times of revolt. Eventually these revolts receded, but public sentiment never truly recovered.

Upon Rethpiri's death, Syphos' Tales of the Old Kingdom recounts many from particularly remote villages affected by grainsmen travelling for the sole purpose of defiling the tomb with worm and snake carcasses, the latter having became a symbol of the mistreatment by Pharaohs of their subjects since Tymun I.

Retphiri II/Karakosht I (2303-2365 BDC)
Initially ascending under the name of Retphiri, due to the unpopularity of his father Retphiri adopted the new name Karakosht, an amalgamation of Karakh (an old Kephmesht word for scorpion) and Oshtiris (a healing salve derived from aloe and an assortment of river herbs). This was specifically chosen to evoke a sense of Karakosht healing his subjects of the "scorpion sting" of his father's rule. The ruse eventually worked, with Karakosht reducing the size of the Pharaoh's tithe, and the Grainsmen adopting a change of role from enforcement of Pharaoh hegemony to a general protective militia in times of strife. Karakosht enjoyed a time of relative prosperity for his kingdom, with no known records of famine.

Kephmesht II (2365-2313 BDC)
Kephmesht II ascended following Karakosht, ruling effectively and prosperously until combinations of raids from men of the desert, famines and even river flooding resulted in the overturning of his kingdom, and indeed the Kephmesht Dynasty. The resultant period of instability in Ib and the wider Yularan subcontinent at large became known as the Red Sands period, so-called for tales of the Khaset and Abaton deserts being so rife with slaughter the sand was stained with blood.

Accounts exist arguing the last day of Kephmesht II's reign was marked by a solar eclipse, seen as a signal from the ancestors of the soil that Yulara had sinned against them.

Ba'ahtuuros Dynasty (~2500-2263 BDC)
Far less well documented, the Ba'ahtuuros Dynasty existed in the southeast along the Heliodusion, Taran'bak and southernmost Khaset regions of Yulara, forming a kingdom defined by violent supression and brutalism. Much of the succession of the Ba'ahtuuros is shrowded in mystery, as unlike the Nyphmut and Kephmesht Dynasties, the Ba'ahtuuros relied on oral histories to tell of royal successions. Thus dates are almost impossible to apply effectively until their collapse in 2263 BDC, as-documented by court accounts of Kephmesht II recounting word-of-mouth tales. The line of succession is as follows, with no dates being applied:

Ba'ahtuuros I
Ba'ahtuuros I was a warlord Grain Pharaoh controlling a village in the Khaset deset. These Khaseti tribesmen survived off of sandworms and small grubs, deriving nourishment from cacti and this poor diet. Ba'ahtuuros made his name through violent raids on his southern neighbours, whom had long benefited from the more fertile southern peninsula of Yulara, often slaughtering and stealing cattle, which was considered the greatest commodity among the Khaseti due to the livestock's capacity for consistent nourishment. Eventually Ba'ahtuuros grew bolder, and began entirely conquering neighbouring villages rather than raiding them, forming the Ba'ahtuuros Dynasty.

Botuuros I
The next recounted tale is of Botuuros I who is supposed to have ruled at least half a century after Ba'ahtuuros' passing. Botuuros is famed for leading a warband into the desert into a persuit of a living bronze cow, returning empty-handed and with a handful of his original men. Botuuros is often invoked as an example of overconfidence in the face of nature amongst the older Khaseti in modern Yulara.

Lyphtuuros I
Lyphtuuros I is noted as the last leader of the Ba'ahtuuros Dynasty as-documented by the Kephmesht, known for having been routed by roving desert raiders, collapsing his Dynasty. Khaseti legends tell he fled north to what would become modern-day Zar'Roc, where his small cavern dwelling (which had also long prior been a place of other smaller tribes) was considered to be the site that would one day rear the Dragoonids, and their city of Khoponeos.

Other Notables (~2500-2200 BDC)
Minor Grain Pharaohs controlling small settlements and remote areas of Yulara did exist, though not on a similar scale as the aforementioned dynasties. These were often small coastal Pharaohs who existed in a similar state to the Warring Villages Period.

Roving nomads in Abaton and Khaset grew only stronger with time, as the harsh environment of this desert region of Yulara led to it being the natural place of exile for the discontent of Pharaohs and differring dynasties. The result was this area becoming a hotbed of violence, thievery and tribal roving, as nomads fought not only amongst themselves, but bitterly against those who had cast them and their ancestors out. These would become the Desert Raiders that longafter would plague the northern and southern river delta Yularan civilisations, and would prove catastrophic to established dynasties during periods of natural disasters such as the Red Sands Period.

Red Sands Period (~2280-1986 BDC)
The Red Sands Period was an approximately 300-year long era of upheaval and natural disasters. It is unclear where a singular origin began, though the year 2280 BDC is currently the agreed-upon start date amongst scholars following the recordings of the Ba'ahtuuros era Steele of the Aggrieved Shepherds, a tablet found in one of the villages of the then-collapsed Kephmesht Dynasty. The Steele depicts a widespread crop blight, along with an unusually early locust spawning season that resulted in a massive devastation of crop yields. Resultant famines were unbelievably destructive to both wider Yularan civilisation and culture, leading to another sparse coverage of this period. Resultantly, the Red Sands Period can be distilled into several core issues that plagued Yulara, rather than a single chronology.

Natural disasters
Migrations of sand worms with poisonous adaptation were common among Khaset and Abaton desert regions. Sand worms seldom grew larger than a grub, or insect-larvae size, with rare and almost mytholigical exceptions occasionally documented. However, newer strains of sand worm propagated that secreted a mild but effective neurotoxin that induced paralysis upon consumption. This neurotoxin often was left on uneaten remnants of afflicted crops that sand worms had eaten, and on food reserves that said worms had breached. As a result, many communities dwindled from both starvation and poisoning. Over time, afflicted regions developed a tolerance for this neurotoxin, however not for many centuries afterward.

Encroaching desertification too proved an issue. Frequent hot summers and dry winters and spring seasons created dry conditions for forest fires and denitrification of soil on the outskirts of desert regions, expanding Yulara's central desert belt by an estimated 34% by current geologists. This too created an exacerbated effect on famines that were commonplace during the Period, driving violent and agressive migrations of displaced villagers and farming communities. The Desert Raider population further increased due to this migration and resultant paranoia in refugee cities, as surviving Grain Pharaohs exiled increasing numbers of their subjects to retain control.

Famines, as outlined, were exceedingly detrimental to overall wellbeing of the early Yularan civilisations during this period. However, as grain failed, more turned to fishing in increasing numbers as a stopgap, dwindling fish stocks. This created ecological disruption that led to a deoxygenation of certain areas of Yularan coastline, as predator numbers fell, inedible herbivore fish numbers rose, and plant life died resulting in massive die-off of aquatic biodiversity that only recovered as climate cycles stabilised and famine occurences started to decrease. It is estimated that many of the current Yularan aquatic ecosystem originates from migratory life from the colder south of the Bardonian coastline, or from remigratory species that had fled their habitats during this period. In any case, biodiversity never truly recoved in the same way since.

Civil Unrest
Unrest following this ecological disaster leads to collapse of multiple Grain Pharaoh dynasties. Notable among these is the Ba'ahtuuros Dynasty, which oral histories relay as falling due to much of their conquered farmland sufferring desertification. It is from this period that the earliest versions of the modern Yularan folktale of Darakon and the Iron Snake emerge, with Darakon claimed to be the warrior who overthrew the Ba'ahtuuros Dynasty.

In any case, dwindling food supplies led to Pharaohs becoming increasingly cruel. Mass graves have been discovered, alongside defaced and destroyed complexes belonging to former Grain Pharaohs, indicative of the turbulence within Yularan society as Pharaohs sought to control their subjects ever further, and their subjects rebelled.

Nomads to Desert Raiders
Nomads and exiles increase in numbers, organise and conduct raids more frequently on Grain Pharaoh villages and territories. These renegades exiled by their former leaders and villages grew tougher, with those who survived the ever-harsher desert climates banding together and participating in relentless and vicious forays into the north and south, fuelling their existence with the spoils of their conquest. Prior to the Red Sands Period, these exiles were mostly roving nomads, with the Desert Raider archetype being limited to select groups of particularly desperate desert-dwellers. However, as their numbers grew and the desert conditions worsened, nearly all of these roving nomad ethnic groups adopted a militant Desert Raider lifestyle for their own survival.

It is from these new Desert Raiders that the Red Sands Period derives its name. Bloody skirmishes were increasingly common, with many villages abandoned and rebuilt in cyclical patterns as their inhabitants were either butchered or routed and then gradually returned over decades, only for another roving band of Raiders to repeat the process. In some villages in particular, Lennox archeologists have coined a name for the mineral "ba'osteos", roughly translating to "death-bone rock", being a combination of sandstone and bone fragments that appear to be merged into different structures constructed during this era. The find implies that so many corpses were present from raid-ravaged communities, they were often buried into the setting walls.

Militarism begins
Gradually, organised armies and militias begin forming properly in response to the Raider threat as more communities band together in the pursuit of collective saftey from raids. Faced with a literal life-or-death scenario technological advancement increases as communities attempt to find effective methods of defence. Prototypes of chariots appear, and basic plate metal armour is implemented with more uniformity, with prior bronze plate armour being reserved for only the favoured Pharaoh's men. Cultural backwardness is still prevalent due to emphasis on communal defense, however. Trade did remain non-existent, so many grain pharaohs raid eachother like desert raiders, which further exacerbated militaristic development.

Exsanguination of the Desert and the recovery (1986-1645 BDC)
The Exsanguination of the Desert (otherwise refered to as the Scouring of the Desert) was a military campaign launched by an alliance of multiple Grain Pharaohs and villages against the Desert Raiders with the purpose of routing and removing these groups from Yulara, and bringing an end to the Red Sands Period. The campaign began in 1986 BDC, where military skirmishes have been discovered to have taken place in multiple locations. Known skirmishes are that of Zar'Roc (named after modern location name), Epipea and Akh. In each case, due to the state of erosion present in these sites, exact casualities have been difficult to determine, with no complete skeleton discovered. Conservative estimates argue that the total deaths of the campaign amounted to close to 75,000 people over 8 years at an absolute minimum.

The campaign came to an ultimate success for the Pharaohs with the decimation of populations of Desert Raiders to a mere minute fraction of their original numbers, with many entering hiding in their old haunts in Abaton and Khaset. However, while this campaign had achieved success, the state of Yularan civilisation remained precarious. From 1978 BDC onwards, famines and ecological catastrophies remained commonplace, though without the constant raids of Raiders that had beset the subcontinent during the Red Sands Period. These famines and ecological changes began to subside from the 19th century BDC, and from here the beginnings of new agricultural techniques were born. An example of this is the Heliodusion region's adoption of irrigative channels for farms, having relied prior on basic ditches and seasonal river floods for crop growth. This resulted in grain stocks increasing, and so too the life expectancy of many Yularans.

Another notable addition to Yularan life during this period was the adoption of a more sophisticated form of river travel: the canoe. Prior to the 18th century BDC, any river travel that did occur took place on exceedingly primative rafts or flatboards, which were used for the purpose of easily transporting grain along ditches in small quantities. Canoes were constructed around a stick-based frame, with twine and reeds interwoven with a fine layer of dried mud or tree resin as a sealant. The canoe led to a greater integration of trade between villages than dangerous land-based commerce, and waterways gained further importance. Over the coming centuries, the canoe would eventually become the barge, and the foundations for the Dragoonids' exploratory forays into the Syltor continent.

True Dynasties (1645-1200 BDC)
Following the Exsanguination of the Desert, Yularan communities reconstituted themselves as outlined, buffeted by recoving climate cycles and improving agricultural environments. Over approximately 300 years, Yularan society gradually centralised along river valleys in a degree not achieved by the first Grain Pharaoh Dynasties. Due to the increasing usage of river travel, villages expanded rapidly according to prosperity and the needs of migrating populations. Transplantation of communities along riverbeds became increasingly commonplace, as more Yularans chose to migrate in search of gainful employment. Resultantly, the tribal and village-centric realities of prior grain Pharaoh dynasties vanished, replaced by towns and even proto-cities in rare cases. This led to the creation of regional hubs of learning and a rapid expansion of writing systems, art and philosophy. However, these changes were not universal, and many areas remained tribalist despite the "True Dynasties" Era's moniker.

Kehmet Dynasty (1645-1032 BDC)
The Kehmet Dynasty is historically the largest and most sophisticated of excavated Grain Pharaoh Dynasties. The Kehmet Dynasty is believed to have controlled land southwest from the Bhrakus to the central Khaseti Akh river. Its creation in circa 1645 BDC is historiographically considered to be the beginning of the "True Dynasties" era, as its management epitomises the Grain Pharaohs at their zenith of power and influence, before succumbing to the Dragoonids' Kehmet Campaign in 1032 BDC.

Notable events and accomplishments
The founding of the Kehmet Dynasty in 1645 BDC marked the single greatest achievement in Pre-Dragoonid Ancient Yularan History. It was accomplished by Kehmet I, who created a string of marriage alliances with multiple village heads, conglomerating these settlements into a singular kingdom. The practice itself was not unusual of a Grain Pharaoh, however the accomplishment of such an alliance on this scale had remained unattempted prior. Kehmet I pioneered standardised bartering rates throughout his kingdom, and oversaw a slow but sustained growth in harvest and advancement.

The invention of the 6-spoked wheel in 1597 BDC marked a turning point in Yularan land-based transportation. Prior to this advancement, Yularans had relied on more primitive, misshapen wheels formed through cutting the cross-section of a log, relying on these for basic movement of goods. Indeed, even prior to this, a Yularan laborer would often transport large quantities of stone over long distances via utilisation of an array of logs, While initial spoked wheels could not take the strain of large loads, over the following centuries, these wheels where expanded upon, and eventually saw use across Yulara for all forms of transportation. In some cases, stone carvings of the wheel can be found within modern Lennoxer architecture in commemoration of the Kehmet Dynasty's legacy.

The invention of the uphill irrigative funnel in 1528 BDC revolutionised Yularan agriculture and wellbeing, as the series of interlocked funnels allowed for water to be transported passively uphill at angles as high as 25 degrees. This allowed for greater ease in directing water to farmland without reliance on flooding or river channels, and also enabled the movement of water in towns without requiring porters to move said water personally.

Bahlosht Dynasty (1637-1024 BDC)
In many ways a successor to the Ba'ahtuuros Dynasty centuries before, the Bahlosht Dynasty laid claim to smaller holdings of former Ba'ahtuuros lands. This dynasty was marked by frequent infighting in its infancy, dominated by competing bands of rogues who sought dominance, eventually uniting under an unknown single ruler. Few are aware of the extent of the Bahlosht Dynasty in any meanigful aspect, since they relied upon oral traditions in order to convey histories. However, we are aware of multiple contributions that the Bahlosht made to Yularan development during their existence.

Notable events and accomplishments
The domestication of Yularan camelry (circa 1610s BDC) was a landmark achievement for the Bahlosht Dynasty in its infancy. This advancement revolutionised prior dependency upon river-based travel, and reliance on gruelling on-foot travelling across the subcontinent. Many were able to transport more goods further distances, and the possiblities of a greater trans-Yularan trading system became actualised.

The creation of the five-point caltrop (circa 1570-80s BDC) allowed for mitigation of the potential misuse of camelry during wartime and skirmishes. Its speedy development came about when blacksmiths noted the difficulty camels had overcoming excessively jagged terrain, and thus created crude caltrops, with five sharp points to maximise effectiveness. The Bahlosht themselves never fully utilised the potential of this invention due to the poor quality of their own local iron deposits, however, the adoption of this invention by neighbouring dynasties cemented the tool as pivotal in the control of mobile camelry.

Popularisation of the Bahloshtirine Epics (circa 1300 BDC) marked the arrival of one of the earliest instances of pre-Dragoonid poetic form in Yulara. Once the Bahlosht Dynasty had calcified, their culture began to flourish, with their poetry being one of the more comprehensive surviving remnants of their society. The "Bahloshtrine Epics" recount various tales of military prowess, individual feats of strength, and tales of overcoming immense odds. The style is marked by an emphasis on iambic septameter, and use of a lower vocal register when reciting verse. These practices remain prized in niche Yularan communities even to this day.

Nephrit Dynasty (1652-1021 BDC)
The Nefrit Dynasty is also little-known due to a series of societal collapses through famines that occured in Nephrit regions. The Nephrit were famed for their advances in agriculture through practice of "soil treating" where fields were tilled in a unique way, improving the fertility of cropland. It is believed by archaeologists that this was a ritualistic practice. No surviving Nephrit texts exist, mentions of the dynasty only occurring from Kehmet records and eventually Dragoonid inscriptions following the Nephrit Campaign of 1023-21 BDC.

Contact with the mainland (~1200 BDC)
Yularans make basic trades with proto Ryzani peoples and Niedenese. Not substantive until Dragoonid Kingdom arises.

Advances in shipmaking led to the rise of basic seafaring ships and sloops, and eventually Yularans began to explore the Sea of Petals for the first time since the Raft Culture's arrival on the island. Early explorations were disastrous for a variety of reasons: ships did not handle poor weather effectively, Daelyrian Wyverns were more prevalent in eastern potions of the Sea, and poor allocation of supplies led to high mortality rates. Over the span of forty to fifty years, however, these techniques were refined and expanded upon.

It is believed that around this period contact with the mainland of Syltor first began for Yularans, though documentation is spotty. Discovery of a series of amphora in Zar'Roc comprised of Brothian Clay indicates that the Brothian region of Syltor was likely the point of first contact for these peoples, though no Brothian texts have been discovered that mention Yularan traders. This first contact marked the beginning of a series of extensive trades and enterprises that would continue during the Grain Pharaohs' decline, and truly flourish under the Dragoonids.

Primary trades were usually basic goods like fish, fruit and honey during this early stage. It appears to be a larely barter-oriented enterprise. Scholars are unsure about the actual mechanics of the trade: Old Yularan contains no artefacts of Olthiac/Brothian languages, nor is it known exactly how these two languages were translated. However, despite the obvious cultural and linguistic discrepancies between Yularans and Syltor mainlanders, no evidence of skirmishes between these groups have yet been discovered, nor have any meaninful settlements been found that align with Yularan traders. It is therefore believed that such visits were exceedingly brief, or relied upon Yularans being hosted by the tribes that they visited, with the exact niceties of these early interactions being deeply mysterious.

Grain Pharaohs in decay (1168-1159 BDC)
Opression rises as Grain Pharaohs become complacent. The Grain Pharaohs began to prosper meteorically through the expansion of basic maritime trade, and the discovery of Iron smelting. From this, Grain Pharaohs tighten their hold over their subjects, and thereby opression rises. Iron Age begins in earnest, allowing for the creation of more durable tools and effective construction and exploitation rises in tandem with these new demands as many are forcibly conscripted into mining and smelting jobs. Grain Pharaohs style themselves in divine image, but famines strike again, leading to unrest. Wars made to consolidate kingdoms under one Pharaoh with little success. Desert Raiders grow in number due to these various pressures but are not as effective due to the Scouring of the Desert and the various issues that arose from this campaign.

Axes of Grain Pharaoh Oppression
The Grain Pharaohs' oppression of Yularan subjects manifested in three main axes: the social, the economic, and mobility. These three main axes combined into an increasingly elaborate and restrictive social structure that is believed to have directly contributed to the overthrowing of all Grain Pharaoh Dynasties by the Dragoonids in their series of campaigns from 1035 BDC to 1012 BDC.

Social Oppression
Grain Pharaohs created a rough class-based system that divided society into camps according to trade and livelihood. The lowest of these was the quarrymen, or Khamphrit. Khamphrit were broader in diversity than the name suggested, as the class encompassed those working in mines for the extraction of ore, the quarryworkers and basic menial labourers, alongside porters and low-skill workers. This class recieved little in the way of a wage, being given an exceedingly low quantity of grain for the subsistence of themselves known as the Quarrymen's Take, or Khamphri Nehet. This take would increase in the case of workers having families, but only marginally, and in many cases overseers would ignore this practice deliberately to lower their labour costs. Khamphrit were prohibited from having a say in matters in any form, including being prohibited from audience with the Pharaoh or any of their staff.

The equivalent of the Ancient Yularan Middle Class were the Scribes or Grainsmen, known as the Siphrit. Like the Khamphrit, the Siphrit were also provided a take, knowhn as the Siphrit Nehet, or Grainsmen/Scribes take. The term Siphrit in Old Yularan holds a dual meaning, encompassing all roles deemed especially valuable for Grain Pharaoh society, which were primarily agricultural families who worked large swathes of land, and the educated or literate classes like scribes. Stonemasons and potters were also inclueded in this class (potters to a lesser degree), and also received the Siphrit Nehet. This Nehet was often negotiated on a case-by-case basis between Siphrit and Utephrits, with haggling involved according to the value of a trade or good made. Siphrits were prohibited from marriage with upper classes, and marriage with Khamphrits was veiwed as something to be heavily frowned upon. Siphrits were permitted audience with the Pharaoh if their grievances were deemed sufficient by the Pharaoh's staff. In some cases, Siphrits could force Pharaohs into concessions by reducing their donations of grain to the granaries of the Pharaoh, effectively inciting famines in smaller towns and villages across a kingdom. However, this occurence was rare, and became rarer still as Grain Pharaohs increasingly employed the use of force in suppression of dissent.

The upper classes were known as the Utephrit, which translates approximately to "Favoured". Utephrit were typically those among the Pharaoh's retinue, such as their personal scribes, officials, extended family or otherwise. In cases of wealthy merchants or traders, these individuals occuped a pseudo Utephrit status known as Hatephrit or "Part-Favoured." The Utephrit were able to talk to the Grain Pharaoh regularly as a matter of necessity in the case of personal retinue, or simply on account of their relations to the Pharaoh for the cases of family members or persons of other such influence. Utephrit were prohibted from marriage outside of Utephrit, with the exception of Hatephrits. In many cases this led to inbreeding and deformities in some members of the Utephrit, though this was not especially commonplace. It was possible for non Utephrit or Hatephrit to become part of this class through favour of the Pharaoh or a particularly influential Utephrit, though such elevations were uncommon. The Utephrit did not recieve a Take, instead being granted access to grain reserves and allowances in accordance with their favour afforded to them by the Pharaoh. What resulted from this was an abuse of silo supplies as many Utephrit took more food for themselves in a single visit than a Khamphrit family would earn in a week. This led to justified unrest, which was met by force from the Grain Pharaoh and Utephrits, who frequently held sway over the militia and organised forces of a town under a Pharaohic Dynasty.

Economic Oppression
In the cases of the Khamphrit classes, labourers were entirely at the whims of overseers (usually Siphrits) who assigned the Khamphrit Nehet through public records of what each labourer achieved in a workday. Frequently this was used as leverage against Khamphrits for Siphrit personal gain (lowering of labour costs, encouragement of greater yeilds), resulting in malnutrition and injuries. Khamphrit workers were prohibited from creating their own trades, as Siphrits created precedent with the Pharaoh and Utephrits that meant that Khamphrit businesses were forcibly transfered to a Siphrit. Khamphrits were only ever allowed to be labourers under a Siphrit or higher class; they could not work together in mutual employment or employ eachother outside of a Siphrit, Utephrit or Hatephrit structure. Any attempt to avoid this was met with public flogging, and in severe cases, stoning. Khamphrit classes were subjected to a tithe in times of war, which was notoriously unpopular due to the meagre nature of the Khamphrit Nehet as payment for labour, since a tithe often meant hunger for Khamphrit families paid by Nehet.

Siphrits faced regular tithes too, though proportionally less than what afflicted Khamphrits in wartime. Siphrits paid the Pharaoh's Tithe (Old Yularan Unknown), which was approximately two-tenths of their income under the Nehet each year. Siphrits faced minimal economic restrictions under the Grain Pharaoh system, however Siphrits were largely prohibited from trading goods between seperate Kingdoms, instead going through Hatephrit merchants for this purpose. Additionally, Siphrits were prohibeted from working under the Pharaoh directly save for express permissions granted by Utephrits or the Pharaoh themself.

Utephrits faced no restriction nor tithe by the Pharaoh. In times of war, the Pharaoh would meet with the Utephrits to coax funds for militaries, alongside the coordination of forcible service initiatives where able-bodied men were forced into military service. For Hatephrits, they faced Pharaoh's tithe (this being one-tenth of their income compared to the Siphrit tithe), and were also prohibited from working under the pharaoh as advisors or equivalent roles. For Hatephrits, their children frequently worked as scribes for the Grain Pharaoh in the hopes of being elevated to full Utephrit.

Mobility Oppression
Khamphrit workers were entirely disallowed from leaving their villages or towns without express permission from a Utephrit or employment under a Hatephrit. This did become more lax in times of war but frequently Khamphrit workers spent their entire lives without ever leaving the confines of their villages. Those who left their village without permission were subject to functional exile, as the punishment for disobeying this edict of permanent residence in villages was the lopping off of the feet, which resulted in certain death through blood loss.

Siphrit were permitted to travel between towns and villages within the kingdom of a Grain Pharaoh. However, travel between kingdoms was explicitly prohibited for Siphrits, being subject to the same punishment as a Khamphrit leaving their village. Siphrit who had family in neighbouring kingdoms could petition the Pharaoh for specific dispensation to visit, though this was rare and often only allowed for the single village wherein their relative resided.

Utephrit and Hatephrit could move freely without the need to inform the Pharaoh, however Hatephrits conducting maritime voyages were required to inform the Pharaoh so that they could note this reason as an excuse for non-payment of tithes.

Responses
The response of the majority of Yularans to the initial establishment of Khamphrit, Siphrit and assorted castes was largely muted initially. However, as the system appeared to no longer be what was initially believed an empyrean thing, reactions gradually became more rebellious. Frequently petitions were made to the Grain Pharaoh dynasties by their subjects without permission, resulting in violent confrontations between the Pharaoh's guard and mobs of dissatisfied citizens. This would only worsen in times of famine or drought, with two major famines occuring in 1142 BDC and 1134 BDC.

The impact of these famines cannot be understated. Grain Pharaohs violently supressed riots and revolts over food, resulting in mass deaths. In one case, a mob grew so violent and sizable that the severed head of a leader of one of the Pharaoh's guards was presented to the Pharaoh himself. The Pharaohs faced far more frequent and continuous challenges to their authority as the years passed, and responded with increasing displays of force. Summary executions became common, and tablets discovered by archeologists in some areas recount segments of the Bhrakus river becoming "red with blood" from the scale of some mass executions one unknown Grain Pharaoh reportedly carried out.

An increasing number of Yularans retreated to the old haunts of Desert Raiders, which had been long abandoned since the Exsanguination of the Desert. What remained of these dwellings were known as Tomb Cities, a phrase that would be reused several millennia later by the Pharaohs of Lennox on rediscovery of some of the Old Yularan remains. The new residents of these regions began to repurpose these areas as independent dwellings led by councils of senior elders, which was seen by Pharaohs as an affront to their rule. Thankfully, no Pharaohs sought to remove these dwellings due to the instabilities of their own dynasties. In some of these Tomb Cities, refugee Yularans found they were already occupied by mysterious figures who demonstrated extraordinary magics...

Magic arrives on Yulara (1159-1037 BDC)
The discovery of magic for Yularans began around 1159 BDC. The exact date and year is unknown: documentation of this period is inaccurate due to later events following the collapse of the Dragoonid Civilisation some thousand years later resulting in obliteration of most textual sources. What remains are oral histories passed from Yularan to Yularan, and thus the reliability of these histories greatly differ, similarly to accounts on the Ba'tuuros Dynasty.

What can be ascertained is that during this period, two sources of magical learning manifested on Yulara: travellers through the Sea of Petals, and the mysterious inhabitants of the Tomb Cities. The travellers from the Sea of Petals do not seem to be Olthiac or Brothian in origin, with accounts describing "skin of verdant hue" and "wreathed in bone and pendants", which is believed to have been in alignment with Syltor mainlander superstitions of orc inhabitants on Yulara. These travellers congregated mostly along the southwest of Yulara, in regions that have since been named Riverrun and Ib. From these areas, the Grain Pharaohs learned enchantments that created more bountiful harvests, more durable arms, and others besides. Exact details are unknown, as most oral histories merely describe the "wonders" that these travellers bestowed.

Grain Pharaoh Responses
The Pharaohs themselves reacted poorly to the arrival of magic on Yulara. These travellers disseminated the information freely amongst Yularans they encountered along the southern coastline, often in exchange for nothing besides a meal. This resulted in many under the Pharaohs gaining knowledge that challenged their presupposed position within the Grain Pharaoh caste system, serving as a threat to Grain Pharaohs' authorities.

Resultantly, Grain Pharaohs would imprison or oppress those who had received knowledge of magic from the travellers, with only Utephrit or Hatephrit castes being allowed to practice magic through trade. This led to further numbers of Khamphrit and Siphrit leaving for Tomb Cities, who encountered new, different forms of magic that were unlike any known to wider Yularan populations. Travel in and out of villages was increasingly scrutinised by the Pharaohs, and public torturing of offenders was implemented to dissuade more leaving Pharaohs' kingdoms.

The Dwellers of the Tomb Cities
The populations of the once-abandoned dwellings of the Desert Raiders had steadily increased over time as Grain Pharaoh rule became increasingly brutal over the span of multiple centuries. Pharaohs were aware of these cities, but largely did not act upon them due to internal tensions within their kingdoms, alongside a sense of complacency regarding the overall wellbeing of their state.

In some of these Tomb Cities, however, Yularans discovered that the dwellings of the Desert Raiders were not as abandoned as they had thought. To the north, amongst the sands of Khaset and Abaton, some systems of caves and tunnels had people already living there, people who were starkly different from the average Yularan in complexion and apperance. It was these people who introduced the knowledge of fire magics to Yularans who came to live within these cities alongside them. According to legend, some of these people were so proficient in their magics that their skin glowed from within with a fire unseen, and their very words carried the flames fit only for beasts of Yularan fable. These Yularans who encountered them called them "Drakonhid", after the legend of Darakon and the Iron Snake, but subsequent linguistic evolutions in Yularan Language and the conversion from Old Yularan to Dragoonic would change this to "Dragoonid".

The Dragoonids were reportedly a heavily tall, muscular people, regardless of sex or age. Accounts record the average Dragoonid adolescent as standing above six feet tall as a minimum, with notable Dragoonids being described as anywhere from seven and a half to eight and a half feet tall. Dragoonid dwellings therefore were large in size: the theorised "birthplace" of the Dragoonid peoples on Yulara in the Tomb City now known as Zar'Roc had complexes with vaunted ceilings and wide passageways. It is believed that Dragoonids all had blue eyes and dark skin, and this idea was often utilised by Lennox figures to invoke their authority, a prominent example being Sirius I, whose advanced age, dark skin and blue eyes were used to indicate his inherent right to rule Lennox as a possible Dragoonid decendant.

Under these Dragoonid Tomb Cities, Yularans flocked for refuge in increasing numbers, where they learned magic and martial prowess, amongst all manner of advancement. It is not known how or when the Dragoonids gained access to such a great array of learning, however accounts describe a degree of knowledge of advanced architecture, masonry and engineering, basic remidial medicine, agriculture and other systems. The Yularans under the Dragoonids accepted the Dragoonid mantle for themselves, and slowly but surely became militant toward the Grain Pharaohs, who by contrast were largely unaware of the Dragoonids' existences. However, on the year 1035 BDC, the Dragoonids would venture forth from their Tomb Cities and begin a forty-year-long series of campaigns that would overturn the Grain Pharaoh orthodoxy and forge a new Yulara, one that would not be seen before or since.

The Dragoonids Rise (1037-996) BDC
Extensive military campaign by Dragoonids out of tomb-city called Khoponeos. Eventually overturns all Yularan Grain dynasties and unites them all under Dragoonid Kingdom. Later a proto-republic (councilor government with military representatives at local level).

The Dragoonids operating from Tomb Cities did so under a system of popular leadership, where those deemed of sufficient experience and competence for the affairs of a City were chosen by the vote of all those above the age of 25. The system itself was an entirely novel structure, as the rule of Grain Pharaohs was considered something dictated by the world itself, this new system standing in direct contravention to it. In many ways, the Dragoonid's existence served as a direct form of rebellion, which became apparent to Yularans who sought refuge among them.

Over time, it was the beliefs and urgings of these Yularans that most likely spurred the Dragoonids to action against the Grain Pharaohs in the pursuit of ending the tyranny of the dynasties over the subcontinent. From a series of Tomb Cities, the armies of the Dragoonids surged forth, leaving the deserts to overturn each dynasty one by one. These campaigns were each named after the regime that was overturned in a three-decade-long conflict which resulted in Dragoonid victory, and the dawn of a new era in Yulara.

Lennox, Valle and Yulara (1249-1311 ADC)
Events from April 2021 to June 2021

Bardonian Spring and Post-Spring Yulara (1311-1391 ADC)
3rd Bardonian Empire invasion, Coalition War, Post Coalition borders

Unification efforts and internal tensions (1412-1515 ADC)
Credia, Battle of Ramtopia, TTT1 and collapse. Capna's invasion of Ostia.

A Stricken Isle (1515-1789 ADC)
The secession of Nighthaven from Valle to create Lemebah (Swagistan). Ostian tensions with Credia, Capna, Lennox and Swagistan. Credian tensions with Helmia. Vallian and Lennoxer tensions with Halge and Vasilea Incident. Diarchy of Petals. TTT2. The Aragon Crisis, and eventual Halgean retreat from Yulara.