The timeline is an attempt to organize the most important events. It is divided into eras and goes back to the first signs of civilization on the planet. Descriptions of each event will hopefully be kept short and simple.
Origins
Pre-History
The Exekians evolve as a culture. The first human civilization appears in the north.
ca. 600 years ago
After the outbreak of a deadly plague, the surviving humans escape further south. There they encounter the Exekians, who proceed to kill or capture all the humans they can find.
ca. 202 years ago
The Old Exekian Empire rules most of the planet. For centuries, they have kept generations of humans as slaves.
In the copper mines of Arza Vist, an Exekian overseer is injured by a dislodged iron ore, which burns his skin. Several human slaves witness the event, among them a young Letholdus Stirling I. Having discovered the Exekians' weakness, the humans in the mine rise up against their captors and March to the Forge, where they begin making iron weapons.
Word travels throughout the Empire, and an underground trade of iron tools and weapons begins. Slaves use them to rebel against their Exekian masters and escape captivity. The Empire attempts to quell the revolts, but is largely unsuccessful.
ca. 200 years ago ("Year Zero")
Armies of escaped slaves have developed in the wilderness. They are united under the banner of Letholdus and declare war on the Empire. Launching an assault on the capital, the soldiers kill the Emperor and raze the city. Over the next two centuries, the humans will kill or drive most of the Exekians south into the Shadowlands.
Reign of King Letholdus I (0-16)
After defeating the Empire, Letholdus was declared unofficial king of the humans. His unnamed nation included Castle Vallon and the city of Bodai. He married Camilla and had one son, Cassius I.
Reign of Cassius I (16-58)
Cassius was known as a great military leader who conquered most of the city-states. His exploits in battle earned him the title "dragon king" which translates into "Alucar" in Exekian. It is this title that gave the nation of Alucarsia its name.
Reign of Letholdus Stirling II (58-88)
Nearly killed as a child by his own mother, Letholdus II was raised by his deformed father. He was known for his kind nature and compassion, but his good intentions often backfired. He was succeeded by his youngest son Radu, his eldest, Erasmus II, having been killed in battle.
Reign of Radu Stirling (88-100)
Radu became king upon the death of his father. His nephew Cassius II went into hiding out of fear he would be killed to remove him from the line of succession. Immensely disliked by the Alucarsian nobility, Radu was assassinated after just twelve years of rule, leaving no heirs of his own.
Reign of Cassius Stirling II (100-123)
Cassius II assumed the throne upon his uncle's death, aged just fourteen. His reign was marked by unrest between his children, culminating in the slaughter of his son Stephen, Stephen's wife and infant child, as well as the mysterious death of his daughter Odette.
Reign of Letholdus III (123-134)
The last surviving child of Cassius II, Letholdus III orchestrated the deaths of his siblings and their families in his quest for purification of the royal line. Paranoid and cruel, he imprisoned and tortured his wife, believing she had been unfaithful to him, and was obsessed with his own warped ideas of purity. He is best remembered for having conquered the free city of Kataru by way of merciless brutality.
Reign of Enid Stirling (134-162)
The daughter of Letholdus III, Enid's reign was comparably peaceful and unremarkable. She had four children, with her eldest son Tristan becoming her successor.
Reign of King Tristan (162-179)
Year 1
Tristan is crowned king of Alucarsia. He is already married to Deirdre Crimwall and has two sons, Aldous and Claudius, and a daughter, Helen.
That same year, the prophet Vormund founds a new religion. Among his followers are a teenaged Gavin Zosimus and the former Exekian prince Kemet. Under the king's orders, Vormund is captured and executed.
Year 12
The last of the Exekians in the kingdom are killed or driven out and the borders are once again secured. The New Exekian Empire is created when Calysto becomes empress.
Year 17
Tristan is assassinated by Drusus Rolfe. Rolfe is slain by Lord Gavin Zosimus. Tristan's eldest son Aldous ascends the throne.
Reign of King Aldous (179-200)
Year 1
Prince Claudius Stirling contests Aldous' right to the throne on the grounds that they are twins, and therefore share a birthright. His claims garner support, and before the end of the year the War of Succession breaks out.
Year 2
In an attempt to gain more allies, Claudius declares that if he becomes king, he will end the persecution of the Vormunds and the Exekians. Lord Gavin Zosimus, who has kept his religion a secret for over fifteen years, joins Claudius.
Year 3
After a disastrous battle which resulted in the death of Lord Zosimus, Claudius goes into hiding.
Aldous takes the Zosimus family hostage and destroys their estate. Lady Melissa Zosimus and her two children, Laura and Galahad, are split up. Melissa and Galahad are later presumed dead; Laura is taken to Castle Vallon for safekeeping.
Year 4
Aldous arrests Helen, who is revealed to have been spying for Claudius. Under torture, she reveals he is living under the alias "William Harding" in a remote village.
Claudius is captured and brought in chains before Aldous. Aldous tortures and humiliates Claudius before sentencing him to death.
Helen becomes a permanent prisoner of the crown. She prohibited from leaving Castle Vallon without special permission from the king, and he forbids her from marrying, making any children she might have automatically illegitimate.
Aldous marries Laura Zosimus.
Year 5
The Fifth Exekian War is instigated by Aldous, who hopes to eradicate the Exekians once and for all. He brings the pregnant Queen Laura with him. During a battle, Laura gives birth to a stillborn son and subsequently "discovers" John.
Upon Aldous' return, Laura shows him John, claiming that Akhen is punishing Aldous for warring without reason, and begs him to retreat. When he refuses, she initiates a revolt among the soldiers, forcing Aldous to call off the invasion.
With the human retreat, the New Exekian Empire turns its attention to other matters, namely the forces of outliers Nechtan and Zimreon.
Year 6
A period of peace occurs in Wallachia. Richard is born nine months later. Nechtan joins forces with Zimreon, officially forming the Clan, and the New Exekian Empire participates in small-scale battles with them.
Year 7
Eleanor is born.
Year 11
Laura dies. Aldous sends John to the tower.
Year 15
Richard is married to Lady Wilhelmina Sutherland. Aldous arranges the union in an effort to prevent Richard from seeing Karen Liu.
Year 16
Prince Tobias Stirling and Kai Liu are born within the same year. Both are the children of Richard.
Year 19
Hans Liu, the second bastard child of Richard and Karen, is born.
Year 21
Aldous dies of an infected arrow wound due to an accident while hunting.
Reign of King Richard (200-Present)
Year 1
Richard is crowned king. He is married to Wilhelmina Sutherland, with whom he has a son, Tobias. His attempts to divorce Mina, marry his mistress Karen Liu, and legitimize his bastards Kai and Hans are thwarted by the Council. As promised, he also sets John free.