Shantanian Timeline

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Stories

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Act 0: Prior to the events of the game

  • C.E.N. 0 - The Creators' Vessel, with a crew of thirty expert Creator Mages, embarks upon its mission to forestall the end of the universe, with the use of new techniques to create planets. The Creators declare this new era "creo ex nihilo" - to create from nothing.
  • C.E.N. 85,432,330 - Kasiell's Disgrace - Archmage Kasiell is disbarred from his position and exiled from the Vessel to his own planet. Over the next several cycles, the remaining Creators monitor Kasiell's exile.
  • S.R. 0 - The Tale of Gregor Caynea - Realizing that Kasiell can no longer be left to his devices, Archmage Gregor sets off to Kasiell's planet of exile to defeat him. This day is celebrated in following years as a major festival, and marks the beginning of the S.R. calendar. Gregor is exalted as the King of the new nation of Caynea; he lives out the rest of his life as a mortal, since he cannot return to the Vessel.
  • S.R. 549 - Lestalian Margrave Kaze Tirell is removed by the Finders and replaced with anti-isolation campaigner, Calayus Denivan.
  • S.R. 550 - War breaks out between Caynea and Riga, over a patch of land at the very border of Lower Shantania. The land is a barren valley, aside from a single small oasis. King Harvill goes off to lead his people while Queen Jennet stays. While he is away, she gives birth to twins, and names both Bermand, intending for them both to have equal access to their birthright, so that there is no struggle over succession. The Transfers begin, and continue beyond the untimely death of King Harvill.
  • S.R. 578 - Acting Creator Archmage Aliana, an advisor and lover of Gregor, acts on her suspicions that Gregor - or his progeny - may have survived the fight with Kasiell. She travels planetside and meets Prince Bermand, over 500 years Gregor's descendant.
  • S.R. 579 - Bermand marries Aliana and is crowned King of Caynea. Aliana, not being an heir of any royal or noble bloodline, is dubbed Queen Consort.
  • S.R. 580 - Jennet's Corruption - Queen Consort Aliana gives birth to Lynia. Aliana is poisoned by High Queen Jennet to prevent the secret of the Transfers from spreading to Lynia. High Queen Jennet is said to have died of grief a month later, but continues to live in the shadows to coordinate the Transfers.

Act 1: Prologue

  • S.R. 597 - Princess Lynia turns 17.
  • Discovering the Transfers - The Transfers have continued, monthly, for 47 years. High Queen Jennet still presides over them, despite having lived longer than a Caynean royal tends to live. Lynia accidentally overhears a Transfer one night, and hears Jennet's voice for the first time.

Part 1: In Self Defense

Lynia is taught staff-fighting by the Captain of the Guard.

Part 2: Court

  • Bermand, the Distrustful - Lynia is seated for an audience alongside her father, King Bermand, as he sees a beggar charged with water theft, and a merchant who offers him protection to the northern Oasis.

Part 3: Discovery

Lynia sneaks out of her room for a nighttime stroll and overhears a meeting between King Bermand and his General.

Part 4: Flight

The Bermands become weary of the Transfers as Lynia stumbles upon one of them. Lynia is shocked to find that there are two of her father; unable to tell the difference otherwise, she mentally nicknames them "War" and "Peace," under the assumption that "Peace" is her real father.

Act 2: To the Border

Lynia is forced to run from Caynea in efforts to delay "War" Bermand's plan, with "Peace" Bermand assuring her that he will soon follow.

Part 1: Desperation

Lynia travels north to reach the border but is waylaid by bandits. Though she can defend herself against one or two, reinforcements arrive, and soon her two servants arrive as well. They, too, struggle to survive against the bandits, until four mysterious strangers appear behind the bandits, catching them in a pincer attack and routing them.

Part 2: The Wagon Train

Lynia is introduced to Wagonmaster Bren and his wagon train. She "joins" the traveling performers' wagon, where Teah, Helena, and Jasmine provide her with a suitable cover identity, and servant Eillis assists her in adopting a "common manner."

Part ???: The Rigan Nomads

When the wagon train reaches the Caynean Oasis, they come under attack by hired mercenaries. Information about their employer is taken with them to the grave; the wagon train aids a small detachment of Rigans in fighting the invaders off of the oasis.

Part ???: Betrayal

Lynia hears little of "Peace" Bermand. She fears the worst and sends a messenger to Caynea, inquiring to his present condition. Said messenger betrays her location, soldiers are dispatched toward her to recapture her.

Script

The caravan reaches a border crossing, this one manned not by the Caynean Guard, but by the independent militia of Jallanton. "We may yet be home free," Lynia remarks, taking a sip of her canteen. "Our days of running may have ended."

"And hopefully not with our deaths," Brenick replies. "We have the look of a militia ourselves; we'd best try to avoid a threatening appearance. Everybody, stow your weapons." The dancers immediately do so, though Teah is reluctant to put away her hammer.

"You seem uncomfortable, Brenick."

"I've never had much luck with border crossings. Border guards tend to have nothing better to do, and may come up with any excuse to run us through."

"Nonsense, Brenick. They're a friendly lot. I need only show them who I am and that I mean no harm."

Brenick halts the caravan a few feet from the gated wall, but seems hesitant to allow Lynia to disembark.

"Brenick, what's wrong?" Lynia touches the arm that bars her progress.

He shakes his head. "I really don't like the looks of these men. They're dressed in the garb of the city watch, but they look to have been in the sun for a while longer than most."

Lynia's mind races through the possibilities. There is no denying that these men bear the familiar tanned skin of Cayneans, but given Jallanton's proximity to the Caynean border, it could very well be a coincidence. "I suppose it may be unwise to reveal myself, in that case. Given our previous run-ins with my countrymen, I may be an infamous face."

"Perhaps it would be wiser if you stayed inside one of the carts," Brenick suggests.

"I shall. If I am needed, you may find me among the dancers." With this, Lynia makes her way back through the caravan carts. Brenick dismounts the lead cart and approaches the guards.

"Hold, traveller! We are under strict orders to search all who wish to enter the Free City," explains the first guard. Brenick nods in his direction. "We're to report any instances of harboring fugitives or illegal contraband."

"What, as opposed to legal contraband?" Brenick smirks slightly.

The guard ponders this for a moment, stroking his stubbled chin, then consulting with his watch partner. Some moments later, he speaks again. "It depends on the sort."

Brenick retrieves a small leather pouch from his satchel, pulls it open to make certain of its contents, then cinches it again and tosses it to the guard, who nearly misses it. "Little present for you if you'll let my caravan through."

"...Spice? Where might you have found this?"

"I have my sources. Perhaps I might find you more, should you be in need of it in the future."

"Very well." The guard taps his spear on the door next to him. The portcullis begins to rise, just enough to admit the carts. "Cause no trouble."

Act 3: A Suitable Cover

Part ???: (what just happened?)

Script

Lynia's eyes open to the sight of the extravagant ceiling that she has not awoken to for nearly two months. While it is visibly cracked in places, the servants have clearly wasted no time in patching the holes with what appears to be gold. King Bermand had mentioned this to her before; a technique from lands afar, with the understanding that a thing is more beautiful for having been damaged. Lynia ponders how this might be relevant to her. Since her decision to abandon the palace not two months hence, she has been damaged in more ways than she can recall knowing about beforehand.

Before Lynia has the chance to dismount the bed, there is a knock at the large bedroom door.

"Are you decent, my dear?" It is Bermand's voice, erring more on the side of gentleness than seems typical. Lynia answers yes, after wrapping herself in her silken bedding.

The door eases open, revealing the King himself. "I thought to see that you were in good health," says Bermand. "The suns are right overhead; you've been asleep for some time longer than usual."

"Is it not the servants' task to awaken me at the proper moment? I was unaware of there being any pressing need for me today." Lynia withholds her trepidation at speaking to him, remembering the caravan but not how she found herself back at the palace.

This page is pretty unfinished. Weasel plans to get to it eventually. Probably.

Lynia awakens again - certainly less than normal, for not having fallen asleep yet - and wonders if she has been dreaming. The palace seemed real enough, but her current location might be another, yet worse dream. Her bed is an unpleasant mixture of old wood and mildew, not buffered by the dancer's outfit which she has been wearing since joining Brenick, which she just notices is sticky with her own blood.

She rises to a sitting position, which she finds is far easier said than done. There are bruises covering parts of her stomach, clearly visible through the opening of the dress. There also appears to be a large gash in her left forearm. Her back stings, presumably from a whip or similar.

She stands now, unsteady on her legs, but not weakened. She is in a small cell of a dungeon, clearly not maintained for some time. The granite bricks that compose the walls, floors, and ceiling have been worn down, some of them cracked, some missing entirely. An unpleasant scent of mildew seems to waft from the moss growing across the ground. The bars making up the cell's door are rusty, but still appear to hold strong.

This page is pretty unfinished. Weasel plans to get to it eventually. Probably.

S.R. 598 - Lynia is returned to Caynea and imprisoned. Official word is that she never left and has remained in her room, wishing not to be disturbed. Truth is that she is in the dungeon being interrogated about how much she knows about the feud between the Bermands. Although Lynia has now technically come of age, "War" Bermand denies her any of the benefits that come with it, effectively disowning her. Owing to "Peace" Bermand's inexplicable absence, the Transfers are a moot point, and "War" Bermand holds full control over the throne.

Bermand - assumedly "Peace" Bermand - reappears to spring Lynia from prison. When asked how he knew she was imprisoned, he reveals that he has been conducting his own "secret transfers" by simply assuming his role as the king and avoiding contact with the "real" king currently in play. He also name-drops Brenick and advises Lynia to learn more about what his brother has been up to.

Among other less interesting discoveries, Lynia finds that "War" Bermand has been scheming a full-on invasion against Riga, first attempting to reclaim the lost oasis, but going well beyond into moving the capital into the plains. Riga has no interest in fighting, in the wake of their new king ordering all weapons be melted down into raw metals. Still, though, "War" Bermand wishes to leave no survivors, "for the good of the kingdom".

"Peace" Bermand was greatly opposed to taking the oasis by force to begin with, and repeatedly stood in the way of making any progress planning the attack, including spending the military budget on (among other things) criminal reform programs, state-provided attorneys for the poor, and the purchase of water shipments to distribute to the people. In the face of this, "War" Bermand planned to "remove" his brother so that the plans to assault Riga were not hampered any further. (It is somewhat appropriate, in retrospect, that he chose this word in particular; the Finders had taken notice, and Gaiana - the Decisive - personally dispatched herself to make contact with Lynia to aid her in deposing "War" Bermand.)

"War" Bermand still plans to eliminate his brother, but "Peace" Bermand's sudden disappearance (yet ceaseless tendency to somehow fool around with the military planning and budget) makes things much more difficult for him. In essence, these tactics work, and the attack on Riga is delayed for almost two years. Crucial progress is lost due to the formation plans and troop manifests going missing.

"Peace" Bermand decides that the best course of action, now that the plans have been finalized and the military properly outfitted, is to escape Caynea himself, amass an army of resistance fighters, and defend Riga from the oncoming invasion. He assists Lynia in re-escaping Caynea and contacting the wagon train, with a few quickly recruited defectors in tow, and upon joining Brenick again, he assumes a tactical advisory role and leaves Lynia in charge.

Act 4: All Hell, And Beyond

  • S.R. 600 - Caynea soldiers are dispatched on the first day of the first month: the Opening of the Sky Festival.
  • The soldiers are unstoppable, almost as if demon possessed. Lynia and her resistance manage to evacuate a portion of the Rigans, and recruit those few who refused to melt down their weapons, but most of Riga is slaughtered and put to the torch by the Cayneans.
  • High Queen Jennet makes her presence known for the first time since Lynia's birth. While Lynia has been aware of her being alive since learning of the Transfers, Jennet now contacts her directly as the leader of the detachment of soldiers who destroyed Riga. In the middle of her speech to Lynia, Jennet finally manages to resist her possession for long enough to make Lynia aware that her actions were not her own.
  • The "demon" inhabiting Jennet decides that she has outlived her usefulness to him, and he absorbs her lifeforce as well as that of the thousands of Rigans that the Cayneans have slaughtered. The lifeforce is enough to grant him a new body, so he throws Jennet aside. She quickly ages into dust, given that she is not supposed to have been alive for the last eighteen years. The demon is in fact the "Ice Demon Emperor" Kasiell, the same figure from Caynean lore.
  • Kasiell explains that he was never actually killed. While his body melted from the sun during his Duel of Hearts with Gregor many years ago, his spirit was forced to roam Shantania, clinging to other peoples' lifeforces...until around Lynia's birth. Queen Jennet was nearing the end of her life, and was nearly on her deathbed around the same time Bermand's wife, Princess Aliana, was giving birth. Kasiell spoke to Jennet's mind, making a deal that her body would play host to Kasiell's spirit, and her life would be extended in exchange for Aliana's.
  • Kasiell rejoins "War" Bermand and his troops, quickly conquering nearly all who oppose, as Lynia's resistance - with "Peace" Bermand in tow - quickly make their escape northward to attempt to warn the other kingdoms of the impending invasion. Kasiell's return has a negative influence on the weather, chilling Lower Shantania with a harsh wind. A few buildings in Caynea and Jallanton are totally destroyed by the wind. The few remaining tents in Rigan territory are simply blown away. Dark clouds begin to cover the land again.
  • Lynia's resistance may not be enough to take on Kasiell, so they first move north to enlist the help of the Grand March Lestalia.
  • Margrave Denivan refuses to give aid. If the invasion does not come this far northward, he reasons, there is no sense in sacrificing Lestalian lives for a war that is not theirs.
  • Kasiell's next target, the free city Jallanton, is demolished in the absence of a proper army, with the few survivors living only long enough to bring news of Bermand's invasion to the neighboring towns. With Bermand's troops to march on Lestalia next, the Margrave has no choice but to join the resistance.
  • Kasiell proves to be difficult to defeat. But as history repeats, Lynia remembers the spiritual protection given to her by her mother Aliana during her last moments clinging to life - Kasiell cannot possibly kill her.
  • Their battle becomes a stalemate. Despite being impossible for Kasiell to kill, Lynia sustains numerous injuries during the battle. Kasiell's arms are both broken during the fight, preventing him from wielding a sword. "Peace" Bermand, presently occupied with a few Caynean soldiers, attempts to break from them and runs for Kasiell to administer a killing blow. He barely misses Kasiell's heart. Kasiell knocks him down with a kick.
  • "War" Bermand finds Lynia and "Peace" Bermand on the ground, exhausted from battle. Having planned to attack his brother and finish him once and for all, he now finds himself robbed of his will to kill. As Kasiell picks up his weapon and again moves to finish the downed royals, he goes for Lynia first, but finds his attack bouncing off of her. Lynia's staff, the Caynean family "Cloudbreaker," has acted in defense of its master with the spirits of its previous wielders. Lynia takes hold of the staff and regains her willpower.
  • She and the Bermands now fight Kasiell, three on one. Lynia, wielding Cloudbreaker, cannot be damaged by Kasiell, but she cannot attack Kasiell without making herself vulnerable.
Normal Ending Path
  • As both Lynia and Kasiell are now occupied with each other, the brothers manage to catch Kasiell off guard and knock him down. Kasiell's realm fades, and the four find themselves back in the snow fields where their armies were battling. Nobody is fighting. The soldiers are helpless to do anything but watch.
  • Kasiell's body is now almost entirely useless as he bleeds out on the snow, his limbs crippled and cut. The twin Kings look at each other momentarily, and know what must be done.
  • "War" Bermand begins explaining to his brother, and to Lynia, that Jennet had not been acting by her own volition since Lynia made her escape.
  • "Peace" Bermand, hearing what his brother has said, shares his knowledge of the event that sealed Aliana's fate (as he was the one playing the role of King during the birth, not Bermand). The two Kings both realize what really happened those years ago. The reason Jennet killed Lynia's mother was that she had intended to kill Aliana anyway to keep the Transfers a secret, so she accepted Kasiell's bargain for everlasting life and poisoned her. Aliana's death was not considered suspicious; it was assumed that she had died of weakness from childbirth. Both Kings unite in the knowledge that they had both been had, and Lynia - having heard the explanation from Aliana's own voice, from within the staff - is also aware of it.
  • The Bermands unite to strike both their swords into Kasiell's heart at once, while Lynia holds Kasiell down with the Cloudbreaker. Their aim is true, Kasiell is defeated, and the battle is over with numerous losses on both ends.
True Ending Path
  • With Lynia having learned the secrets of the Cloudbreaker's true origin, and Kasiell's past with Gregor Caynea, she does all she can to hold Kasiell's attention during the fight.
  • Rowan, whose staff holds a damaged piece of Kasiell's Orrery, distracts him long enough that Lynia can catch him off guard and knock him down.
  • Gaiana, whose Finder's Implement is an artifact of Finder Prime - the Creator whose deeds are lost to time - attempts to Remove Kasiell with it, and succeeds only in damaging her Implement in the process. Kasiell overpowers all three of them, but while he is gloating, the cloud-stained sky begins to break.
  • A single beam of sunlight shines upon them all. The air begins to stir electrically. Kasiell is noticeably perturbed by this, enough to unwittingly let his attackers escape to safety. The sunbeam intensifies until it is almost blinding - but when it subsides, Kasiell is still there, partially vaporized, but still clinging to his own existence.
  • Nobody, least of all the armies surrounding them, has any idea what to do now. They watch helplessly. Lynia, Rowan, and Gaiana all begin to notice that their respective devices are blinking with bright red light. Nearby, "War" and "Peace" Bermands notice that their royal signet rings are doing the same.
  • The Creators' Vessel suddenly appears in the sky over Riga and is obviously getting closer. The armies flee, fearing that it will crash into them. Everybody around Kasiell follows suit until the Vessel lands on him.
  • In the confusion and disarray following an entire spaceship crashing into the plains of Riga, Lynia struggles to find her comrades, but does stumble upon a man in a strange uniform.
  • The man is not well, having sustained mortal wounds from the crash. Delirious from the pain, he mistakes Lynia for Aliana, and expresses his regret that he couldn't do more to help, but that he was finally of some use to the Universe.
  • Fortune-Giver appears in time to hear his last words which, for the first time, name him as Journeyman Thayer of the Creators. He recognizes the man in the uniform as the Vessel's Chief Magineer - the last Creator.
Both ending paths
  • The two brothers swear to go public with the Transfers, reveal the connection between Jennet and Kasiell, and publicly disclose the cause of Aliana's death.
  • With Jennet no longer in the picture, "War" Bermand surrenders his role in the Transfers, and in lieu of taking any position of power, opts to become an advisor of the treasury and give the throne to "Peace" Bermand. He takes on a new name, Vernard, and cuts off his royal-teal hair, as he feels he does not deserve the identity of a King.
  • Lynia, now no longer Wanted by her own kingdom, assumes a more active role in her nation's diplomatic efforts, as she has come to good terms with the Rigan King and the Margrave of Lestalia.
  • Brenick, having participated in the battle along with most of his wagon train, proves his worth as a noble and is accepted back into his family, no questions asked. He declines their offer, saying that he was never fully satisfied with his life as a noble, and feels that he can better serve Shantania as the Wagonmaster. His family, then, gives him a lump sum of money with which to expand his operations.
  • Jasmine, now a dancer full time, becomes famous throughout the nation, especially in the face of her new act, a dramatic interpretation of Gregor Caynea's legendary Duel of Hearts.
  • Helena is christened as a Virtuous Saint for her efforts, though she stays with the caravan for the rest of her days, serving as both a curate and the singing voice for Jasmine's dance performances. She does finally find her words, and her first performance to feature lyrics is received extremely well, though she still performs from behind the stage curtain.
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