A History of the Fourth Age, Volume One
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- Chapter 1: GaeliaThe beginning of the fourth age was marked by expansion. From the central continent did humans migrate to lands which once were held under the banner of the vicious Simaros Empire, claiming them as our own. The ruins of their once great civilization mark the end of nearly four hundred years of war, dominating the records of the third age. Their fall is our rise, however, and their lands have been repurposed and rebuilt in our own image, that of human perseverance. We were pioneers in these early years, discovering both danger and prosperity in the remains of the past. Small towns were formed by settlers wherever resources could be found, and the next two hundred years were characterized by settlement and adventure. Eventually we humans did what we do best, however, and we collaborated to create something larger and grander than ourselves. By the year 170 of the fourth age, humanity established the first of the great human kingdoms: Gaelia.
- Chapter 2: The First FourWhile Gaelia began to prosper, other groups of humans sought to replicate its grandeur. What were once small settlements began to come together to stake out locations upon which to build an everlasting foundation for the future, and over the next one hundred and fifty-three years, three more kingdoms were formed. To the east, just north of the vast forest upon which the name "Moorne" had been bestowed, the kingdom of Umbardom arose, its land rich in elk and furs. To the north, towards the end of land's reach, was the kingdom of Deicia founded. And to the west, nestled between the great mountains which towered above all, was the kingdom of Furgis erected. For the next twenty-six years these four kingdoms dominated the eastern continent, and humanity began to flourish.
- Chapter 3: SuccessionIt was the year 349 of the fourth age, and Gaelia and Umbardom were primed for all-out war. Beneath the Moorne's canopy lay not only resources, but valuable land which both kingdoms desired for themselves. If that wasn't reason enough, King Lovis Wesfil, the reigning king of Umbardom, had fallen ill and was not long for this world. Upon his deathbed did Lovis name his only son, Prince Edmond, as rightful inheritor to the crown, as the law of succession dictates. However, unbeknownst to Lovis, his brother Archibald was furious with this decision. Edmond was yet young, and Archibald believed that he was entirely unfit to rule over the kingdom's vast holdings. Unfortunately, following the passing of King Wesfil, the royal court became divided, with both Edmond and Archibald gaining support from influential nobles alike. Unfortunately for Archibald, Edmond's supporters began rallying the commoners of the south to their side, and he found himself hard pressed to maintain his bid for authority. To this end he sought the help of Gaelia, promising them a share of the Moorne's resources in exchange for support in the coming war, which they accepted.
- Chapter 4: The AllianceIn the end, war was avoided, albeit only just. The most influential noble in Gaelia at the time, a man by the name of Melor Krest, Duke of Pacts, enacted a brilliant solution which he proposed to both sides: an alliance of crowns, and a dividing of land in the name of mutual prosperity. All parties involved were hesitant to accept at first, but ultimately the fear of a long, bloody war (the likes of which ended the Simaros Empire before them) won out, and a tenuous agreement was made. By the end of the year, the Gaelian Alliance was established, and a territorial line was drawn through the center of the Moorne, dividing the kingdom in two. Prince Edmond, now King Edmond, became the first king of the newly established South Umbardom. Though saddened by his exodus from Umbardom proper, he and his southern followers claimed the fertile plains to the Moorne's south, and the village of Kalnica became the capital of his kingdom. To the north, Lovis's brother Archibald was crowned King Archibald of Umbardom, and in honor of the new Gaelian Alliance, a new kingdom's capital was constructed. This is the City of Horns, named so for the dwindling elk population, and later known as Guildhorne.
- Chapter 5: A Tenuous PeaceIn the years that followed, the village of Kalnica grew to become known as the capital city of Kal Crossing, and as King Edmond grew, so did the kingdom of South Umbardom. Under his rule the kingdom maintained strained but overall peaceful relations with Umbardom despite the feud with his uncle in the years prior, and King Archibald was able to maintain Umbardom's autonomy from Gaelia, who honored both Krest's proposal and the agreement Archibald had made with them prior. The four kingdoms of man had thus become five, and together paved the way for the future of the fourth age, despite ongoing struggle with the remaining Simaros in the region, who, despite a divided territory and now vast cultural differences, maintained the unsuccessful bid for the land that they once ruled.