The Ancient Stygian Empire Timeline
From Atlantic Roleplay Wiki
Originally created by OES (uncredited), reposted by Darrien Church, and cleaned up and reposted here for preservation.
* BC stands for "Before The Cataclysm"
200BC - Driven by dreams he cannot explain, the mage who is to become Nizar leaves the Moonglow Lyceum. Boarding a merchant ship of unknown origin, he heads into the still largely uncharted north.
Capsized and wrecked by a storm which rose out of nowhere, the vessel is lost, along with all aboard, save Nizar. Nizar awakes on the icy shores of the Dagger Isles.
Freezing and close to Death Nizar comes across a network of caves (later the Dungeon Deceit) on the southern-most tip of the Isles. Within he falls unconscious and is adopted by a pack of wolves (lycanthropes?) who nurse him back to health.
199BC - Now firmly adopted as the leader of the wolfpack, whom obey his wishes as though they spoke the tongue of men, Nizar ventures deep into the caverns that riddle the Isles.
Bidding his wolfpack allies to wait, he enters the largest of the underground chambers where he discovers an ancient site of ritual worship long buried. Inscriptions in an unknown language (later to be known as “The Black Speech” aka Stygian) cover every surface, and the presence of something pervades the place.
Nizar takes up the Ebon Skull from the altar on which it has lain in wait for him. Its avatar chosen, Oblivion grants Nizar the power and abilities that elevate him to near Demi-God status.
199 – 197BC - Returning from the caves as something other Nizar is followed by the now-walking corpses of all those who died in the sacrificial rites that took place in the ancient temple. Some five hundred off zombies and skeletons assist him in slaying all living inhabitants on the island – mostly primitive tribes of trappers and hunters.
Within the year, no human life exists upon the Isles. Nizar’s army of undead followers roam the lands extinguishing life wherever it is found – though the wolves of the Isles remain untouched.
With his army of undead now numbering close to two thousand, Nizar vanishes.
196 – 190BC - Reappearing in the far north of the Isles, Nizar’s undead begun the construction of a vast fortress (to become The Obsidian Spire).
190 – 185BC - Nizar receives a vision from Oblivion itself, instructing him to gather the most talented children of the land to him as disciples. Nizar meditates on this for sometime. The Spire is nowhere near completed.
185 – 182BC - A young street-thief in the capital city of Sosaria is the first of the children taken by Nizar in what will become known as “The Grand Culling”. This child, Ezerak becomes the first apprentice to Lord Nizar, and most favored.
The Elves begin to detect strange magics at work in the frozen north, and begin to seek answers.
182 – 150BC - The remaining twelves children join Ezerak. Chief amongst them are Isabella Roquelare and The Covetous Pair.
The foundations of the Cult of the Skull now complete, Nizar attracts more mortal followers with promises of power, or threats. The Cult begins to spread through the underground of the cities of Sosaria.
150 – 140BC - The Cult now numbers in the hundreds. Nizar and Ezerak perform a ritual that sees the Obsidian Spire completed in a single ritual, and raise the tower that is to become Morn Cirith in a similar fashion.
The Death Knight Kabar joins the followers of Nizar around this time, and under his guidance the formation of an organised military begins. The Cult becomes braver and raids on the outlying settlements of Sosaria begin. All bodies are returned to Nizar’s stronghold (now Stygia) where they are bought back to life and bound to his service.
140 – 132BC - Hundreds of Death Knights now openly enforce the Will of Stygia over the entire of the Ice Isles and much of the eastern coasts of Sosaria. The Cult of the Skull has strong roots in Nujel’m, Magincia and Britain.
The first explorations of the Elves into the Ice Isles is cut down to a man, they are restored to unlife and reveal much of the previously unknown elven nation to their new master.
Stygia grows in size, and becomes a powerful city in its own right.
Nizar vanishes, leaving Ezerak in charge of his Empire.
132 – 125BC - The first signs of rivalry amongst The Thirteen begin to show. The Covetous Pair are jealous of Ezerak’s influence and station and begin to plot his downfall.
Nizar returns, accompanied by a man known simply as “Semezaya”. This is the first vampire to enter the Necromancer-Lords service, many more follow. Human slaves are bought in to sate their hunger, and work the forges and mines of the Empire.
125 – 124BC - Nizar dies as a mortal and is immediately restored to life by an actual manifestation of Oblivion. His new status as a “Liche Lord” grants him untold power.
Rivalry between Ezerak, The Covetous Pair and the newly arrived vampires continues to fester beneath the surface of Stygia. Assassinations and covert attacks become commonplace.
123 – 100BC - Nizar leads the Stygian Forces against the mainland of Brittania, reaching as far as the Great Forests (Yew) before abandoning the campaign overnight, and returning to the Obsidian Spire.
The human, Nathaniel Haering leads the armies of the living against Nizar’s forces, with little success. It seems however that some greater power offers him protection, as he escapes each encounter unharmed. The human armies claim victory in Nizar’s departure.
The Covetous Pair have finalized their plans for dominion over Ezerak and extended it to Nizar. They now wish to be the sole rulers of Stygia.
100 – 50BC - Several significant victories over the undead have given the human forces hope, Nathaniel Haering is now widely regarded as the one mentioned in the Prophecies of the Avatar.
With the apparent absence of Nizar, the humans greatest triumph is the defeat of the Death Knight Kabar, at the hands of Haering himself. Heartened by this, the humans march of the Frozen Isles – and therefore Stygia.
The Elves and Dwarfs send aid for this onslaught, and it becomes known as the “Last Alliance”.
The Covetous Pair put the first part of their plan into action and force Ezerak into betraying Nizar. He is judged and found guilty by the Liche Lord and bound to the tower of Morn Cirrith. Ezerak is known ever afterwards as “The Unnamed One”.
Nizar emerges from the Obsidian Spire and inform his Chosen that he has devised a new spell that will snuff out all life on Sosaria and raise it into undeath. He calls this spell, simply, “Armageddon”.
Final Day - Nizar and the Chosen prepare to cast the Armageddon spell from the top of the Obsidian Spire. Even as they begin the lengthy rituals and incantations needed, the armies of the living assault the very walls of Stygia itself. The defense of the City is left to the remaining Death Knights and the Vampires, they are simply to buy enough time for their masters to finish the unholy ritual.
The walls of Stygia are breached by the powerful elven magics – though they are weakened by the essence of Oblivion that lays over Stygia. The armies of the Last Alliance swarm into the city itself .
The skies over The Spire become pure darkness as Oblivion itself begins to enter the world in order to aid its own avatar. Many of the Last Alliance die on the spot, their weapons, armor and flesh falling prey to the palpable entropy that spills from the portal.
The final part of The Covetous Pairs’ plan is carried out. The ritual is sabotaged and the immense backlash of magical energy engulfs Nizar and tears him apart.
The Covetous Pair achieve their goal of being the Lords of Stygia for precisely 13 seconds. A deathly stillness settles over the city, and the Frozen Isles. The partially manifested Oblivion unleashes pure Dark Magic as final parting gift before its portal closes.
The Oblivion fueled magic that radiates from the portal engulfs Stygia and the entirety of Dagger Isle. Stygia quite simply vanishes in an instant, nothing but a wasteland remaining. The Undead likewise dissipate entirely, whilst the living are torn to pieces by the massive infusion of energy. The Age of Stygia has ended.
* This addendum is credited to Dryzzid.
When Nizar reached the bottom of the caves, he found a thirteen tiered dais of blood which had two artifacts, the Ebon Skull and the Codex of Oblivion.
The Covetous Pair's plan for Ezerak was to influence Nizar into thinking that Ezerak's sister was a perfect candidate to become the first wraith. Ezerak tried to hide his sister and this was revealed to Nizar by the Covetous Pair.
Ezerak became the Nameless (Or Unnamed) One because his eyes and tongue were removed, and his eardrums were burned out.
I believe the age of Azalin began when a mortal Azalin discovered the Ebon Skull in the Well of Souls, some odd millennium later.