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0.CHRONOLOGY:

The Dark Era (before Time):
-Primordial Gods appear out of the Darkness.
The Light Era (approx 50k-10k BAE):
-Primordial Gods begin their Work: The Time is created, allowing for cycle of birth and death to commence, and Light is borne out of the Darkness, to illuminate the World when needed, and out of Light, Fire and ultimately Life are created.
The Mythic Era (approx 10k-2000 BAE):
-Marsh-Cities of Naja: Naja appear as the peoples of the first civilization, founding the first marsh settlements and uniting under the first Kings. Primordial Gods, after existing for dozens of millenia, begin to age and tire of their own existence.
-The Investment: Primordial Gods decide to leave the World; they Invest their successors, the Present Gods, with divine powers: these gods are KROM, SETH, MAHNYA, SEIOS and KRYPTA, as well as numerous lesser gods, like Ullo or Narya. Primordial Gods create the Hopmiehetes, a race tasked with protecting other beings from evil.
-The Breach: The Aether is created, and Primordial Gods vanish into it; the Aether and the World remain connected by the way of Nodes, which leak the Aether into the World. Out of this mixing of dimensions, SEIOS weaves the first powers of Magic.
Before Atlantean Era (2000-0 BAE):
-1600s: Parsians appear as a civilization, building their famous mudbrick cities across the fertile banks of vast rivers flowing through the arid deserts of the World. They also become first to codify Magic and write down the first Spells.
-1000s: First Alps appear in the World (if their own Ancients are to be trusted), dwelling in tropical forests and mountain ranges in the southeast of the World.
-600s: Naja gradually disappear from the World and go into hiding underground, apparently on the insistence of their oracles and prophets. Faerie Folk (Fae) appear as a civilization. They soon become well known for their proficiency in both magics and metallurgy.
-300s: Qitani appear as a civilization, famous for their inventions and academical pursuits, as well as robust, bureaucratic-meritocratic hierarchy of power and leadership.
-100s: Atlanteans appear as a civilization, quickly gaining reputation of master engineers and wizards.
Atlantean Era:
0s-200s: Using their newfound inventions and creations, the Atlanteans explore the World. They discover primitive Humans, Kobites and Orcs.
200s-600s: Atlantean Golden Age: Atlantean culture and civilization flourishes, as they found colonies on distant shores, and store their knowledge in museums and libraries, educating lesser races in academies and schools of magics.
400s: First recorded sightings of proto-Dwarves, although they seem to disappear from Atlantean records after few dozen years.
600s-900s: Atlantean Silver Age: Atlanteans stagnate and begin to change mentally; once explorers and bringers of civilized thought, they begin to opress the lesser races and show arrogance toward the elder races, Qitani and Fae in particular.
831-834: The First War; Atlanteans go to war against the Qitani over a theological-scientific debate. Hundreds of thousands of Qitani and Atlanteans (mostly the former, though) perish in the conflict, which ends at uneasy peace.
901: The Revelation: SETH himself is revealed as the immortal King of Atlanteans. Atlantis moves onto the path of war and conquest.
901-1000: The Century of Blood: Atlanteans abuse and oppress Humans and Orcs, making them their slave-warriors. Parsians resist their advancing armies while Kobites hide in darkness under the surface World. Qitani suffer tremendous losses, but within next two generations, they almost fully embrace swordsmanship and warcraft themselves, finally being able to stand against Atlantean onslaught.
910s: Hopmiehetes are decimated and driven out of the known World into remote mountain chains in the extreme northwest. They won't be seen for the next millenium or so.
920s-930s: The Unseen War: Kobites discover the underground cities of Naja. War over resources sees Kobites victorious and Naja evacuating into deeper, hotter layers of the underground caves.
950s: Fae are completely annihilated. Later, rumors begin to circulate that their opulent castles and treasury vaults are hidden in the darkest forests and most remote islands of the World with use of magic spells and seals.
980s: First contact with Kokovyntars and Pterygapodians, found by Atlanteans in south-east of the World, which was once ruled by the Alps. The two young races are quickly enslaved and forced to fight as Atlantean warrior-slaves.
1001: The Fall of Atlantis: KROM, assisted by MAHNYA, slays SETH and disperses his remains, but KRYPTA prevents his violent soul from reaching the Aether, leaving up a possibility of his ressurection. The World is shattered as the Continent of Atlantis plunges into the sea; coastal lands are submerged, mountains are broken up, while flatlands are elevated. Seeing the horrific destruction, the Gods hide into the Aether.
1000s-1800s: Age of Chaos and Strife: Masterless and godless, Humans and Orcs carve out their own empires, while Parsians and Qitani go to great lengths to stop their spread. The Four Remnant Races often war with each other for dominance, resources and power. Other, younger races form their own nations, hoping to create a place for themselves in the World.
1000s: Pterygapodians and Kokovyntars retreat to their ancestral lands in south-east.
1100s: Saurians first appear, their ambitious and power-hungry Warrior-Queens quickly add extra oil to the war flames already consuming the World.
1200s: Dwarves and Heartlings first sighted; scholars believe that they are both descended from the race of Proto-Dwarves first met by the Atlanteans centuries earlier.
1300s: Kobites reappear, but unlike their previous selves, they're now of short height, and possess great hatred of the sunlight. They now prefer to dwell in dark caves and crevices, where they can live in relative peace.
1501: Ressurection of SETH: Coinciding with the first occurence of the Bad Moon, prophets and oracles of the civilized peoples proclaim that SETH's soul has reassembled its body and moved into the Aether. This causes his followers to come out of hiding, and new cults worshipping his name appear in the World.
1600s: Naja reappear on the surface of the World. They quickly try to reassert their dominance over the fertile grasslands and marshes, leading to several wars with the Heartlings and Humans over next few centuries.
1700s: Dogmatic and murderous Vishne appear in the World, calling themselves descendants of 'The Primordial Gods'. They quickly begin a campaign of subjugation and destruction against other, 'inferior', races. First Theran settlements found at the outskirts of known continents, and their descent from Atlanteans is quickly confirmed. However, other races, greatly weakened by centuries of conflicts, fail to contain the Therans.
1750s: Quartzians and Tentacloids first appear in the World, their appearance signalled by the first sighting of The Red Sun. The attempts of these two alien races at subjugation of Races of the World lead to escalation of conflicts. The loss of life from these wars reaches numbers previously unseen in any other conflict.
1800s-2000: The Silent Centuries: Various races of the World enter a lengthy period of isolation. Trade and travel becomes minimal, while technology and magical studies regress, with many secrets of the Atlanteans lost to history.
1900s: Hopmiehetes, now again numerous, leave their hiding places in the northern mountains, ready to fight the evil of the World once more.
1920-1980s: Kokovyntars and Pterygapodians migrate from south-east in large numbers to settle in more fertile provinces of the World, as their ancestral lands became too desertified to sustain them.
1980s: Rumors begin to circulate that powerful magicks can bring back the Gods from the Aether into the World. Attempts by civilized races at accomplishing this stimulates trade, travel and diplomacy between them.
YEAR 2000: Seven new, powerful nation-states emerge at the end of The Silent Centuries, setting up a stage for a new, World-spanning conflict.

a.RULES:

RIVERS:

Rivers are specials borders between provinces and supply centers. They have light-blue color instead of the usual brown.
Armies that go through River borders receive -1 penalty to their roll when Attacking.
The penalty can be negated by researching Bridge Building. Furthermore, the Saurian race has an innate ability to negate this penalty.

CASTLES&RIVER FORTS:

During Spring and Autumn, you can construct Buildings: Castles and River Forts, which provide strategic advantages against invaders.
You can build 1 Building per Season (2 with Logistics Technology). Buildings can be build in any Province that you control as long as it is not currently Sieged by an enemy Army.

Castles:
Castles provide +1 to the Combat Rolls of the Owner's Army stationed within. When enemy Army is occupying the Province, Castles extend the Siege time required to conquer the Province by 1 Phase.

River Forts:
The province needs to have a River (blue) border. River Forts grant a -1 Penalty to the Attacking Player's Army IF that Army is attacking through the River border (Saurian racial trait negates this penalty. However, Bridge Building Technology, does not).

CITY-STATES:

Each time Players' positions are placed down, 3 NPC City-States will be put down at random, non-Player Supply Centers.
The City-States can be conquered to gain control of the Supply Center they're at, but they build Castles (and River Forts, if possible) to protect themselves.
They also start with an Army, but it will not move to conquer any other Provinces.

These City-states can form Exchange Treaties with Players, but have only 1 slot for such.  City-States worship a particular God, and this affects the choice of Player they will agree to form a treaty with.
For example, if City-State worships SEIOS, and two Players, one having SEIOS and other having KROM, as patron gods, the City-State will favor the SEIOS worshipper.
KROM-worshipping City-State will refuse an Exchange Treaty with a SETH-worshipping Player, and vice-versa. Same relation holds for MAHNYA and KRYPTA City-States and Players.
SEIOS-worshipping City-State, being a rational and progressive, will readily accept any Treaty that comes their way (of course, they will still favor a SEIOS-worshipping Player over others).

Players' Thieves can Stage a Coup at a City-State, to have it abandon the current Exchange Treaty and offer one to the owner of the Thief that staged a successful Coup.

b2.RACES:

Alps:
Pale-skinned, pointy-eared bloodsuckers, some of which remember the times before Atlantis. Have pity on those under their terrible yoke, for they're no better off than cattle!
Useful Resources: -50% Max.Army limit (rounded down). +1% to Spellcrafting and +2 RP/Turn per each point of Max.Army limit lost this way.

Dwarves:
Short, bearded and extremely stubborn peoples, known for their resilience and endurance in combat, they're also masters of construction and earthcraft. Scholars believe they're related to Heartlings.
Stout Perseverance: Can build 1 extra Building per Turn. Armies +1 to Combat Rolls when Defending.

Heartlings:
Friendly and peaceful humanoids, who spend most of their lives tending to farms and gardens, and are known for their agricultural mastery. They're very territorial, though, and will defend their homes to the bitter end.
Home Gardens: +100% Max.Army limit from Supply Centers. Other Players forming Exchange Treaty with Heartlings gain +1 Max.Army limit extra. Player's Armies +1 to Combat Rolls whilst fighting in Player's Provinces.

Hopmiehetes:
Humans, if humans were hairless, reached 2.5m on average, and had two heads. Their metalworkers are unmatched in their skill; this mastery of metals was apparently a gift from one of the Primordial Gods, in exchange for keeping savage beasts at bay.
Blessings of the Sky Metal: +2 to Army rolls vs Monstrosities, and Armies of Alps, Orcs, Quartzians, Tentacloids and Vishne. +5 RP when researching 'Secret of X' (Steel, Mithril, Orichalcum, Fireblood) Technologies.

Humans:
Curious peoples of many different colors of hair and skin. They're fast learners and intrepid merchants.
Ingenuity: All Technologies receive 10% RP discount (60 => 54, 80 => 72, 120 => 108, 200 => 180). +1 Treaty Maximum.

Kobites:
Small, emaciated, nocturnal folks that prefer to live in the shadows.
Shadow Dwellers: +2 to Thief skills/abilities. Starts with a Thief.

Kokovyntars:
Reclusive, feline humanoids that build their cities around centres of learning, with each city led by magister-governor and guarded by a host of warrior-scholars. They're also fiercely territorial, and will eagerly punish those who dare enter their lands uninvited.
Warriors and Scholars: Player's Supply Centers provide +1 Research Point each. Player's Armies +2 to Combat Rolls when Attacking Enemy Armies standing on Player's Provinces.

Naja:
An ancient species of serpent-folk that existed before the Investment of the current Gods. Highly advanced, both mentally and physiologically.
Living Demigods: +1 to skills/abilities of all Heroes.

Orcs:
Black-skinned, green-haired conquerors and warriors, not afraid of dying in battle.
War Mastery: Armies +1 to all Combat rolls against non-Orcs. Enemy Castles provide no bonus versus Orcs. Cannot build Castles.

Parsians:
Bearded humanoids of the deserts, who have built cities and formed kingdoms before the rise of Atlantis. They're naturally attuned to the magics of the Aether.
Magick Blood: +2 Magic Points. Starts with 1 randomly choosen Spell.

Pterygapodians:
Small, feathery humanoids with hollow bones, and clawed feet and hands. They can walk on two, or run on four, appendages, and are capable of traveling for hours without getting exhausted, even when carrying heavy loads, like trade goods or metal armour.
Hollow Bones: Player's Armies can move across 2 Provinces each Turn. Player's Armies -1 to Combat Rolls. +1 Treaty Maximum.

Qitani:
A strange toad-like humanoids. Their culture and way of life is centered on improvement of one's spirit through honorable deeds, epic quests and martial prowess.
Warrior Culture: +2 to Fighter skills/abilities. Starts with a Fighter.

Quartzians:
Strange bipeds made of quartz-like flesh, with liquid glass(?) instead of blood. Completely incomprehensible to other species.
Truly Alien: Cannot form Exchange Treaties. All Provinces are treated as Supply Centers (except for victory condition). Armies +1 to all Combat rolls against non-Quartzians.

Saurians:
Reptilean folk that can thrive both on land and in shallow waters. Saurian society is matriarchal, and divided into strictly regulated castes.
Amphibious: No penalty for Player's Armies when attacking through Rivers and River Forts. Supply Centers bordering a Sea increase Max.Army limit by 2 Points instead of 1.

Tentacloids:
Strange bipeds that seem like a freak crossing between a human, an octopus, and a fish. Only recently they've started showing up in the dark forests and remote mountains of the World.
The Elder Ones: +2 to Wizard skills/abilities. Starts with a Wizard.

Therans:
The blue-skinned, almond-eyed descendants of the highly advanced Atlantean civilization. They know a lot about their ancestors, and seek to learn even more.
Ancient Knowledge: Wizards and Thieves get +3 to Unsealing and Disarming rolls, respectively. +2 RP/Turn.

Vishne:
Four-armed, silver-skinned humanoids with the green blood similar to that of the Primordial Ones themselves. They believe to be the superior beings, who have to purge the 'inferior' species from the world.
Path of Now and Forever: Armies +2 to all Combat rolls against non-Vishne.

c.GODS:

KRYPTA, Mistress of the Dead:
Speaker of the Slain, Ruler of the Underworld, Mistress of the Dead.
Bonus: Enemy Armies in Player's Provinces receive -1 to their Combat Rolls.

d.HEROES:

Thieves gain an ability:

Stage a Coup: Send a Thief to overthrow the current leaders of targeted City-State. If successful, the City-State will abandon the treaty they have currently and offer one to the Thief's Player, if possible. If the Player already has an Exchange Treaty with targeted City-State, it will instead join the Player as a Supply Center (with Buildings and Army intact, if present). If either attempt fails, there's 1 in 6 chance that your Thief will be killed!

e.TECHS:

Academics now provide +6 RP/Turn.

14. Bridge Construction
Research Points: 60
Effect: No penalties for Player's Armies when attacking through Rivers (unless River Forts are present).

15. Shipbuilding
Research Points: 120
Effect: Armies can travel up to 2 Provinces each Turn along coasts of a Sea. +2 Max.Army limit if Player's nation has at least 1 Supply Center bordering a Sea. +1 Treaty maximum.

16. Logistics
Research Points: 80
Effect: Can construct 2 Buildings per Season. +1 Treaty maximum.

g.SITES:

8. The Hidden Grotto of the Porcelain Dragon King and His Greystone Soldier Army:
An ancient Qitani underground vault belonging to the Porcelain Dragon King, Shi Shifu, an inventor and creator of many stone automatons. The Grotto contains hundreds of ready-to-serve granite soldier statues, as well as numerous kilns and assembly halls, allowing the owner to reconstruct damaged and replace destroyed statues.
Effect: Each Winter, allows the Player to place a Golem token in the Province with this Site (if the Province is currently Unoccupied). Player's Golems +2 to all Combat Rolls.

h.ARTIFACTS:

19. The Mask of Krypta
A large lead mask, depicting a smiling face of Krypta, rumored to contain a part of her essence itself. Its unearthing will surely let all worshippers of Krypta partake in ruling of the Underworld!
Association: KRYPTA, Mistress of the Dead
Effect: Heroes of all Players worshipping Krypta have 83% chance to be 'resurrected' after death. Armies of all Players worshipping Krypta gain +1 to Combat rolls against Armies of all Players worshipping any other God.

20. The Withering:
An ironwood scepter with a large obsidian orb on top. It radiates an aura of decay and rot that taints and devastates the enemies of the holder of The Withering.
Association: KRYPTA, Mistress of the Dead
Effect: Enemy Armies in Player's Provinces receive -1 to their Combat Rolls.

21. Ullo's Whisper:
An enchanted sacrificial dagger made of orichalcum, that speaks in the voice of Ullo, Cupbearer of KRYPTA. The dagger's voice confers upon the living the secrets of recently departed, for personal use of the dagger's owner.
Association: KRYPTA, Mistress of the Dead
Effect: Whenever Player's Army defeats an Enemy Army, +2 RP.

22. Throne of the River God:
A large, flat piece of granite, with carved corners and runic line scripts engraved onto the stone's sides. It is rumored to be the throne of Emesdos, the River God, and is said to imbue the owner's subjects with amphibian-like abilities.
Association: none
Effect: No penalty for Player's Armies when attacking through Rivers and River Forts.

23. Wand of Building Maintenance:
An artifact from Atlantis, although scholars are not sure who created this one, the general consensus being that its creator was Hector, the Third Sage, known for both his pragmatism and eccentricity. The wand is capable of creating shaped rocks and bricks out of thin air, greatly helping in construction of buildings and their repair, whether they be damaged by time, weather, or, as is often the case, wanton destruction.
Association: none
Effect: Player can construct 1 Building per Season extra. Enemies require +1 Turn to finish Sieges of Player's Provinces.

Players:
Eloise van der Boore: 4/23
Jorne Jarsson: 3/22
Lucas Dreyfus: 17/22 +10 Hit (1/3)
Marietta Lancaster: 1/20 +10 Hit (1/3)
Marion Casier: 3/20
Markus Bridger: 20/20
Orietta Fiorina: 3/19
Sylvianne Bismarck: 13/21 Arcane Barrier: +1 RES

Allies:
Cedric von Sachsen: 5/21

Enemies:
Swordsman A: -2/21
Swordsman B: -2/21
Swordsman C: -10/21
Swordsman D: 0/21
Javelineer A: -4/22
Javelineer B: -8/22
Javelineer C: -8/22
Javelineer D: -44/22
Army Mage A: -9/18
Army Mage B: -5/18
Army Mage C: -6/18
Army Mage D: -13/18
Scout Cavalry A: -2/18
Scout Cavalry B: -1/18
Transport A: 0/2 Hits
Transport B: 0/2 Hits
Transport C: 0/2 Hits
Transport D: 0/2 Hits

Players:
Eloise van der Boore: 4/23
Jorne Jarsson: 3/22
Lucas Dreyfus: 17/22 +10 Hit (1/3)
Marietta Lancaster: 1/20 +10 Hit (1/3)
Marion Casier: 3/20
Markus Bridger: 20/20
Orietta Fiorina: 3/19
Sylvianne Bismarck: 13/21 Arcane Barrier: +1 RES

Allies:
Cedric von Sachsen: 5/21

Enemies:
Swordsman A: -2/21
Swordsman B: -2/21
Swordsman C: -10/21
Swordsman D: 0/21
Javelineer A: -4/22
Javelineer B: -8/22
Javelineer C: -8/22
Javelineer D: -44/22
Army Mage A: -9/18
Army Mage B: -5/18
Army Mage C: -6/18
Army Mage D: -13/18
Scout Cavalry A: -2/18
Scout Cavalry B: -1/18
Transport A: 0/2 Hits
Transport B: 0/2 Hits
Transport C: 0/2 Hits
Transport D: 0/2 Hits

Players:
Eloise van der Boore: 4/23
Jorne Jarsson: 3/22
Lucas Dreyfus: 17/22 +10 Hit (1/3)
Marietta Lancaster: 1/20 +10 Hit (1/3)
Marion Casier: 3/20
Markus Bridger: 20/20
Orietta Fiorina: 3/19
Sylvianne Bismarck: 13/21 Arcane Barrier: +1 RES

Allies:
Cedric von Sachsen: 5/21

Enemies:
Swordsman A: -2/21
Swordsman B: -2/21
Swordsman C: -10/21
Swordsman D: 0/21
Javelineer A: -4/22
Javelineer B: -8/22
Javelineer C: -8/22
Javelineer D: -44/22
Army Mage A: -9/18
Army Mage B: -5/18
Army Mage C: -6/18
Army Mage D: -13/18
Scout Cavalry A: -2/18
Scout Cavalry B: -1/18
Transport A: 0/2 Hits
Transport B: 0/2 Hits
Transport C: 0/2 Hits
Transport D: 0/2 Hits