Creation
Nothing is truly known of how the universe came to be. The most respected account of the Beginning was recorded by Ukar scholars who gathered information regarding Science and Magic to construct an explanation for the existence of this world.
The Beginning
Before the universe existed as it is known, there was only mana and a sphere of energy to which it was attracted and which it surrounded in all directions. Then, an anomaly. The sphere suddenly expanded with great force. In an instant, four elements were born from the explosion. The elements clashed and collided with each other as they were propelled into the universe.
Mana was strewn into chaos. It expanded, shifted, condensed, and dispersed to make way for the elements. As mana pushed into itself, some condensed enough to become sentient, but the beings were undone just as quickly as the mana dispersed. These un-embodied flashes of life occurred a near infinite number of times in the first second as the universe cast outward. These were the spirits of the Gods. In this same instant, one condensation of mana compressed greatly enough to gain control of itself and its mind. It did not allow itself to expand again, as it reveled in its existence. It was the first God. The being watched as mana instinctively seeped into the elements of the expanding universe, creating a vacuum of space. As the God had this first thought, elsewhere three more Gods were born.
Mana was still abundant enough for the Gods to know of the others' existence, but as mana streams spread into the growing universe and pooled among the elements, the Gods became detached from each other and were alone in their minds. They came together in resistance to the void created by their loneness. With their power, the Gods could control the four elements, to which they were so attracted, and they instinctively began manipulating these elements in order to create worlds.
Ancean Era
The Ancean Era is a term used to defined the time period between the beginning of recorded history and the events at the Mana Tree. The start of this Era marks the first year of the common calendar, which has been adopted all over Gasaron thanks to the efficient spread of information by Ukar scholars. The Era takes its name from the continent of Ancea, which at this point in time was the only inhabited continent on Gasaron.
Rise of the Platinum Kingdom
The beginning of the Ancean Era is characterised by the rapid expansion of the Human city of Keshlam, the first Human settlement to develop an advanced political structure and to become a city-state. Under the rule of Lord Janeb Venn of Keshlam, the city expanded its sphere of influence and annexed the main tribal settlements of Ancea under its rulership. Lord Venn was crowned King Janeb the Founder, first holder of the Platinum Crown. His realm became known as the Platinum Kingdom and it extended over all of mainland Ancea, excluding the Land of Fire - then seen as an island with little resources and sparsely inhabited by Kralogs - and the Tempus Mountains, which remained independent tribes under the control of the Ukar race.
Under King Janeb and several of his successors, the Platinum Kingdom grew and prospered. Three cities developed on the eastern side of Ancea: Tulimshar, Hurnscald and Nivalis. Under the Kingdom, the capital city of Keshlam and its three children cities became prosperous centres of trade that drew most of the human population to the safety of their walls.
The Red Queen
The Platinum Crown continued to follow a clear line of succession for 206 years, always providing a good successor for the realm, who ensured its continued development. On the year 206CCE, after a long crisis of succession, a minor noble (whose original name remains unknown) came to inherit the Platinum Crown. She styled herself Queen Platyna the Red. She cared little for the day-to-day administration of her realm, and delegated most such tasks to her council. Most of her days were spent working on her personal image as Queen. She became known for her regalness and her public displays of her own power over her subjects. However, the general growth of the Kingdom halted during her reign for the first time in over two centuries of its existence. The economy began to collapse under her lavish spending at court, which created an extrordinary wealth imbalance throughout the population. New developments were abandoned and maintenance of roads and buildings became slow. Widespead famines caused by improper administration of the land hit twice during this time, causing the death of over half of the Human population within just five years.
The Blue Revolution
Tired of the Queen's neglect for her people, the council decided to seize power and depose Platyna the Red. On March 213, during one of the Queen's long absences from court, Chancellor Benjamin Frost convinced the entire council to support an immediate takeover. He proclaimed the Republic of Ancea and appointed himself Lord Prince of the Republic. This event would become known as the Blue Revolution - taking its name from the uniform colours of the Chancellor - and mark the end of the Platinum Kingdom. Benjamin Frost maintained his title for eighteen months and was eventually deposed by the very council that had supported him during the Revolution. Rather than electing a successor, the council declared itself head of government as well as head of state and continued to rule the Republic.
Emergence of the City-States
The Republic of Ancea ceased to exist officially in August 216CCE, when the cities of Tulimshar, Hurnscald and Nivalis installed their own independent governments. The Council of the Republic retained de jure control over the City of Keshlam, now their last controlled territory. Despite that, they stopped meeting regularly and neglected the administration of the City in favour of devoting time to regaining control of the rest of Ancea. This sent Keshlam into rapid decline, and its citizen began to emigrate to the other Cities. Tulimshar nearly doubled its size as it was the only city to allow free immigration within its borders. This caused wisespread poverty in the lower parts of the city, but also provided plenty of cheap labour to boost its trading economy. Hurnscald and Nivalis became the uncontested capitals of their respective regions of Argaes and Kazei, while Tulimshar continued to be the only port and permanent settlement in Tonori. Keshlam, once the proud capital of the Platinum Kingdom, became mostly abandoned, with its population concentrated into a single quarter of the city and ruled by an assembly which took on the duties of the inactive Coucil.
