Ab urbe condita
(Dates are from the date of the creation of Caer Tagel, designated year 0. For those who care about such things, this corresponds to the year 753BC)
550 - Birth of Gwydion
552 - Birth of Macsen
602 - First Kingdom formed under the rule of Macsen
Wledig. Caer Tagel established as the capital on Gwynedd. Orcadia, Breceliande, Lyonesse and Orlamonde are the
first worlds brought into the Alliance.
605 Sigmund and Signy (first of Belegyr's "Volsungs") born
on Mannheim.
634 Sigmund exiled for murder. Brothers and Signy
follow.
652 Volsungs destroy the house of Hunding Sigmund proclaimed king. Alliance with Siggeir of the Gruethungi
betrayal by Siggeir at instigation of remaining Hunding leaders, death of Volsung
brothers except Sigmund who flees into exile in Arcadian space.
672 - Arawn, Breceliande's
Lord of Summer, creates the first Wild Hunt in the cauldrons of the Summer
Palace.
697 Sigmund returns to Midgardr. Fosters Signy's youngest son Sinfjotli Siggeirsson.
702 Sigmund's first (unsuccessful) attempt on Siggeir.
Exile this time with Sin. First attempts at recreating
pre-Ragnarrokr battle armour almost end in tragedy
when the suits malfunction. Sinfjotli's first "death". "Wolves in
Hallowed Places".
703 - Marriage of Macsen to Alianora
of Breceliande, daughter of Arawn.
723 - Macsen assassinated. Gwydion
creates a cauldron born copy of the emperor, but the process is unsuccessful
and the result is a simpleton. "Llew" is
exiled to the forests of Gwynedd, along with his creator. Alianora
is crowned Empress.
730 Siggeir deposed by Sigmund and Sinfjotli now at the head of a large mercenary force
"The wolves of Odin". Retaking of Barnstokkr.
732 Sigmund marries Borghild.
733 Birth of Helgi
737 Birth of Hamund
748 Helgi earns battlename
"Hundingsbani"
775 Sinfjotli murdered by Queen Borghild after a duel with her brother. Borghild
exiled. Sin joins Einherjar.
782 - Empress Alianora is imprisoned when proof
of her complicity in the death of Macsen is uncovered.
The crown is given to a cousin of Macsen's, called
"Emrys".
960 - Caer Gwydion
created.
1003 Bornholm deserted by Burgundians.
1104 - Sigmund remarries this time the daughter of King Eylimi, Hjordis
1106 Attack on Barnstokkr by Alberich. "Death" of Sigmund, Hjordis
captured as bondslave to Alberich,
Sigurdr Sigmundson born.
1116 Sigurdr apprenticed to Regin a technomancer who lives
on the edge of Alberich's domain. Assulted
by Alberich, taken by Regin
and his nephew Fitela. Grows up in
their household along with a young girl "Keely",
their ward.
1122 Burgundians re-emerge from hiding, Emrys employs them as feoderati against the uprising of the Alammanni.
They vanish again shortly afterwards.
1126 Sigurdr aware of Regin's
real identity as his father refused entry into his mercenary band as it is in
fact the Einherjar. Fights
alongside them however to destroy Lingwe and the
other Hundings who had attacked Sigmund. Becomes Keely's lover. Earns a
reputation, departs with his father's old sword and dragonbone
armour. Parts from Keely, who gives
him her only valuable possession, a gold ring.
1135 Sigurdr saves Gunther's
life, becomes war leader of the Bugundians.
Falls for Gudrun, Gunther's sister.
1140 Gunther agrees to allow Sigurdr (Siegfried) to marry Gudrun if he helps to arrange Gunther's alliance to the Hundings
by marriage to a young woman of their royal house, Brynna.
1141 Siegfried marries Gudrun in joint ceremony with Gunther/Brynna. Worried by Brynna's strange behaviour.
1150 Brynna notices Gudrun's ring the one
she'd given to Sigurdr when they were young.
Confronted by Sigurdr over possibility she might be
behind recent attacks on their space. Tries to discredit Sigurdr
by revealing his past (as thrall/catamite to Alberich
something he'd kept secret). Estrangement of Gudrun and Sigurdr. Hagan encourages the discord.
1155 Murder of Sigurdr by Hagan after Gudrun
betrays the weak points of his armour. Left for dead, rescued by Sigmund. Hagan
tries to kill Brynna, having determined that she is
working for some outside agency against their house. Escapes
on Sigurdr's cybrorse, Grani. Rejoins Einherjar
fleet to find Sigrudr resurrected.
1159-1161 Burgundians lead mass invasion of
Gallic space
1164 Gundahar (Gunther)
of Burgundy proclaims a puppet emperor against Emrys.
Forces Gudrun to marry Atli of the Hundings.
1172 - Vortigern, son of Emrys,
crowned emperor.
1172- Merlin first appears, during the battle between two dragons that
threatens to tear Gwynedd apart. Aids the emperor in removing the threat, and
is granted a position at court.
1189 - The invasion from outside the Empire by the Warlord Cynric begins. Merlin suspects that Lailoken
is behind the invasion. Travelling to Breceliande to
investigate, he meets Viviane, grand-daughter of Arawn.
The two become lovers.
1189 Hunding mercenaries under Atli paid by Vortigern to attack Gunther.
1190 Gunther and Hagen killed by Atli, in turn killed by Gudrun. The Einherjar
help finish the war by attacking Borbetmagus, the Burgundian capital world.
1199 - With the War escalating to the point where all of the Worlds are
threatened, Merlin decides, against all advice, to seek help from the World
Tree. Hanging from the branches for three days and nights, he is granted the
"gift" to move backwards and forwards through time. It is rumoured
that this cost him his shadow. A bitter quarrel with Viviane leaves the two
opposed to each other.
1199 - Uthyr son of Vortigern
born
1200 - New Year's Day - Ygraine, daughter of
Viviane born.
1207 - Caer Tagel
falls to Cynric with the help of Sigmund and the Einherjar, and he places his fleet commander, Gorlois, in charge of the citadel.
1237 - Breceliande, led by Eachtar
and Viviane, makes a peace with Cynric. In token of
which Ygraine, Viviane's daughter and Eachtar's mistress, marries Gorlois,
Cynric's commander of the fleet.
1248 - High Summer - Vortigern killed by Cynric at the battle of Anderida
when his dromond is shot down. Uthyr
claims the crown, and is promised a way to end the war by Merlin. To this end,
the two men travel to Caer Tagel,
now in the hands of Cynric's warleader,
Gorlois. Negotiations were proceeding well until Uthyr falls for Gorlois' wife, Ygraine. His men take the citadel by force in the night,
and Uthyr, protected by an unwilling Merlin, kills Gorlois and rapes Ygraine. (Thorns)
1248 - Midwinter. On Breceliande Merlin comes
to take the child born to Ygraine away, to be raised
in secrecy. Appealing to the Lord of Summer, Eachtar, he arranges for the child to be fostered with his
half-brother, Kai, son of Ygraine and Eachtar, and under the nose of the Lady of the Lake
(Viviane).
1264 - Arthur first meets Morgaine and falls in
love with her, not knowing of their kinship. (Thorns)
1270 - Arthur, Morgaine and Kai re-take Caer Tagel. Arthur proclaimed warleader of the Dragon Legions,
and Morgaine of the Rose.
1271 - The Battle of Badon. Morgaine
earns her nickname "The Rose of Annwn"
after her command carrier destroys the remainder of Cynric's
fleet and the Einherjar in orbit around the planet.
On Badon itself, the battle ends with victory for the
Legions after a massive land battle between Cynric's
forces and Arthur's. Sigmund, Sinfjotli, Sigurdr and Brynna captured along
with several other captains and imprisoned on Breceliande.
Arthur proclaimed Ard Ri when he retakes Excalibur from the dead hand of Cynric, and the sword's powers are made manifest. The
festivities for Morgaine are cut short by Merlin's
arrival and his revelation of her kinship to Arthur. (Thorns)
1275 - Morgaine's son Gareth is born, and
fostered (as her own) by her sister Morgause, now
Queen of Orcadia.
1288 - Arthur marries Guenever, daughter of Leodegrance of Cameliard. Merlin
gifts Arthur with a bough of Yggdrasil, which is made
into a Round Table, and placed in the council chambers of Caer
Tagel.
1293 - Arthur learns for Merlin of the prophecy that one of his bastard
offspring will destroy his brave new alliance. Urged on by a jealous Guenever, he orders the execution of his bastard children. Morgaine publically repudiates him for this crime and
removes her legions in protest to Breceliande. (Thorns)
1295 - Gareth, desiring to be presented at court as were his elder
brothers Agravaine and Gawain (called "The Hawk
of May", and now Arthur's champion), and Gaheris,
disguises himself as a kitchen boy and takes service.
1300 - Guenever is divorced by Arthur due to
her inability to bear him an heir. Returning to her father's home she discovers
her sister Eleanor's affair with Gawain and betrays the lovers. Eleanor,
pregnant with Gawain's child, drowns herself.
1310. Gareth becomes a knight of the Dragon.
1312 - Arthur contracts to marry the grandaughter
of Cynric, in order to cement an alliance with Midgard, Cynric's homeworld. He sends Gareth and Kai to bring her to Gwynedd,
and on the long journey back, Gareth falls in love with the girl (Winifreda, called Gwenhyfar in
the tongue of Gwynedd also a descendent of Sigmund via the daughter of Sigurdr and Gudrun).
1317 - Gareth and Gwenhyfar's long affair
discovered by his brothers. He escapes, she is
sentenced to death for treason. Morgaine gives him a
company of her own troops and he frees her and flees to Breceliande.
1332 - The Alliance is attacked by outside forces, dragon-born sorcerers
and demonic armies of homunculi. Arthur is forced to make a truce with Morgaine and Viviane of Breceliande, and pardons
Gareth and Gwenhyfar.
1335 - Gwenhyfar killed in battle over Orlamande. It is suspected, but not proven, that the King's
Men were responsible.
1337 - Arthur launches an attack on the sorcerers' homeworld,
and leaves Gareth in command. Still blaming Arthur for Gwen's death, he usurps
the throne and takes control of Caer Tagel, Caer Siddi,
and Caer Legionis. Arthur
has left Excalibur in his care, and in front of the council with the proof
given by the sword itself, he reveals his real identity. With the help of the
bulk of the Rose Legion left in his charge, he quickly takes control of several
core worlds in the Alliance. Once his power base is secure, he contacts the
sorcerers' homeworld. Forewarned by Merlin, Arthur
aborts his attack only just in time, and finds himself fighting a war on two
fronts.
1338 - Viviane sides with Merlin in an attempt to defend her world. Morgaine moves Breceliande's
orbit and the planet's already erratic orbit plunges it into a devastating ice
age. Only a massive sorcerous effort saves the
planet, but doing so costs Viviane her life and she dies in Merlin's arms.
1338 - Merlin entrapped and imprisoned on Breceliande
by Morgaine. (Shadows)
1340 - Battle of Camlann. With both sides
weakened, the final confrontation takes place in system. Morgaine
orders Gareth - now known as "Mordred" -
"Ill counsel" for his betrayel, to take
Arthur alive. He refuses, and both ships engage, only to cripple each other. Morgaine finds Mordred's body and
revives him as a cauldron born copy, Arthur's ship is never found, nor is
Excalibur. Morgaine takes the throne and is crowned
Empress of the Alliance.
1340-2110 - The Reign of Morgaine the Deathless begins.
1356 - Gwion founds the Bards Guild in direct
opposition to the Battle Queen, and begins training cyngael.
1370 - First rumours that Gwion is a
cauldron-born revenant of Merlin begin to circulate. Gwion
performs at a festival in Caer Tagel
during the Midwinter feast.
1397 - Kastchei arrives on Skazki.
(The Birth of Kastchei the Deathless)
1400 - Morgaine outlaws the Cyngael,
but this simply enhances their popularity. The council of the alliance, swayed
by Gwion's arguments in support of the organisation,
overrule Morgaine's decree and place the cyngael beyond the reach of any ruler for all time,
granting them immunity for their art. This will be the last time the council
overturns the Queen.
1436 - Pwyll of Badon,
Gwion's greatest protιgι, is born.
1470 - Pwyll seduced by Morgaine's
handmaiden, Kaitlin. With her lover's support, Kaitlin is inducted into the cyngael.
1480 - At Kaitlin's urging, Pwyll begins to
re-write the official histories, including the legends of Merlin.
1485 - After a direct confrontation with Gwion
in the Bard's Hall, the cyngael are split, some
electing to follow Pwyll, others staying to follow
the true path.
1620 - Morgaine declares Pwyll's
Order - signified by the Owl - to be the true Bards guild. Gwion's
followers keep the old symbol of the paired ravens.
1672 - The Raven cyngael are outlawed, hunted
down and killed. The cyngael now search out not only
all Raven bards, but also destroy books, paintings, tapestries and any other
medium of recording that holds clues to the old tales.
1712 - Morgaine's cyngael
now search out any tellers of the old tales. Those who refuse to adhere to the
revised versions are killed. The Raven bards now operate in secret, teaching
and seeking out old tales to preserve them.
1752 - Breceliande, long used by Morgaine as her prison planet, becomes again the focus for
rebellion, as the last of the Raven bards take refuge
there. Morgaine awakens several of "The
sleepers" - last of the dragon-born sorcerers, anathema even to their own
kind, imprisoned in the ice caves. One of them kills Gwion.
The blue dragon who accompanies Gwion flees. The year
becomes known as the Year of Omens, as on several worlds, strange events shake
the Alliance to its roots. On Gwynedd, a blood red sky follows the installation
of the Black Throne inside the Round Table. The piece of Yggdrasil removed to make room for the throne is used to
create a gwyddbwyll board and pieces, said to have
oracular properties.
1821 Kastchei leads a rebellion against Morgaine under the guise of first Ganelon
of Maganza, then Accolon of
Gallicia. Revives the imprisoned Einherjar on Brceliande.
1852 Final battles of Accolon's rebellion
leaves over a dozen worlds in flames. Kastchei
betrayed by the Volsungs (now calling themselves the Korday family) in order to bring an end to the killing. Kastchei is eventually sent back to Breceliande
by Sigurdr/Alex and Sigmund/Philip revives the remainder
of the fleet. Alex stays on the Giant's Dance with Brynna/Keely.
2110 - A disastrous military campaign in a distant dimension strands Morgaine and Mordred far from
home, with no hope of return.
2117 - The lord of Gwynedd, Maelgwn the second,
takes the vacant Black Throne, and installs himself as Ard
Ri. His son Elphin has been a secret supporter of the resistance to Morgaine for several years, and disapproves of his father's
move.
2118 - Elphin exiled by Maelgwn.
2120 - Taliesin arrives in the Thirteen Worlds. (The Hunting of the
Hart)