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\title{History of the Empire of the Isles}
\author{\copyright1990 Aaron Sher}
\date{ars3\_cif@uhura.cc.rochester.edu\\
Phrixus, Lvl 1, Room 15, S3}
\maketitle
\setcounter{page}{113}

{\it \noindent
{\Large T}his is an addendum to Aaron's article in the 3rd
\underline{Guildsman}.\\}

{\noindent \Large A}lmost a thousand years ago,
the ancestors of the people of the Empire
lived on the mainland, Ilishtha. There they had lived for ages uncounted,
and there was peace.  The Ilishthans were ruled by a benevolent monarchy,
under the Imlash dynasty.  Their rule lasted for two centuries.

In the
year 20 B.F. (Before the Founding), a revolt of the aristocracy unseated 
the monarch, and the throne was taken by one Atyan, later to be
known as the Tyrant.  Atyan was not a good ruler, being too absorbed in
his power to be concerned with matters of his people's well-being.  Ten
years later, a man named Lorien the Explorer discovered an island, far over
the Northern Ocean, which was named in his honor.  On his return, there was
very little reaction; after all, who cared if there was an island out there?
Who would want to leave Ilishtha?

Over the next ten years, that attitude
slowly changed.  Atyan's rule became more and more tyrannical, and he grew
obsessed with eternal life.  He hated the thought of ever dying, and 
ruthlessly eliminated anyone who he perceived in his ever-more-warped mind
as a threat.  Finally, he went too far.  He had the heads of five of the
greatest families of Ilishtha assassinated at council, because he believed
(falsely) that they were plotting against him.  This could not be borne,
but Atyan controlled armies far greater than the nobles'.

Thus, the Five
Families (as they came to be called by their descendants) fled Ilishtha in
great ships, and sailed across the Northern Ocean to Lorien.  Where they
made port, they founded a great city, which they named Lan.  It was to 
become the heart of the Empire of the Isles.  This was called the Founding
of the Empire, and Lorien's calendar was dated from this day.

The Five
Families slowly colonized Lorien, and found that it was bountiful and
uninhabited.  Fearing reprisals, they forbade all contact with Ilishtha.
And so the Empire grew.  At the time, it was the Kingdom of Lorien, but
when, in the Year of the Empire 283, Oleand was discovered, the descendants
of the Five Families began to think about expanding.  In the Year of the
Empire 294, Oleand was colonized, and the city of Olan was established.

Oleand was found to be a land of jungles, far more hostile than Lorien,
and the creatures that lived in the jungles did not take well to man's
incursions.  Nevertheless, Oleand was colonized and subdued, a process which
continues to this very day.

In the Year of the Empire 312, an explorer
(whose name has been lost to history) discovered the Tormish Isles, a
small archipelago far to the north.  The Tormani were already very 
civilized, and trade was established.  In the year 343, the Tormish Treaty
was signed, officially making the Tormish Isles part of the Empire of the
Isles.

In the year 427, the island of Matibar
was discovered.  It appeared to be a land of plains, great sweeping prairies
which could easily produce fruitful harvests.  The city of Mati was founded
the very next year, and colonists began to come by the shipload.  In the
Year of the Empire 439 (by Matibarian calendars, Rathin 11) the city of
Delvornia was established at the fork of two great rivers.  All seemed to
be progressing smoothly.

In the year 443, the twin cities of Dominor were
established, and the explorers began to attempt the great mountain range
to the north.  The ships could not easily sail up the coast, because the
mountains did not stop at the water's edge, and there were treacherous
rocks and reefs barring the way.  Some explorers failed to return, but this
was not unusual for people pioneering into terrain as difficult and 
dangerous as these mountains.  In the year 445, a man named Brin discovered
a clear pass through the mountains, and it was named Brin in his honor.
Explorers began to attempt crossings of the mountains, but none returned.
Finally, a large group of settlers with armed guards set off through the
pass, intending to colonize the North once and for all.  Two days later,
they were attacked and massacred by orcs, and the Delvor-Neb wars had
begun.

Delvor-Neb is a giant orc tribe, or group of tribes, that has 
lived in the mountains (named the Swords of Delvor-Neb for this reason)
for time immemorial.  They had no real desire to live elsewhere, but the
presence of men upon the island was intolerable.  Orcs began raiding any
settlements that were not strongly defended, and hundreds of men and
thousands of orcs were killed.  The Regian armies could not counterattack,
because of Delvor-Neb's lack of a fixed stronghold and because of the
hostile terrain in the Swords.

The war dragged on for years, and in the
year 458 an army of humanoids (for Delvor-Neb had the support of ogres and
giants as well) attacked the great city of Mati.  In a battle which lasted
two weeks, they were repelled at great cost to both sides.  Three years
later, Dominor West was attacked, taken, and razed completely.  Years
passed.  Finally, in the Year of the Empire 473, the forces of Delvor-Neb
were driven back into the Swords by the Regian armies, and the Delvor-Neb
wars were declared to be over.  Still, the orcs were not completely 
defeated, and raids persist to this very day.

Brin Pass was still 
uncrossable, for the orcs attacked in force anyone who dared to try, and
the terrain was so much in their favor that they could not be repelled.
Therefore, in the year 485, construction of a great citadel at the mouth
of Brin Pass was begun.  Legend states that this construction was 
accomplished by the dwarves of Mish-ar-Neth working together with the
greatest archmage of all time, Amish-Tor.  It is certainly true that it
was completed in record time, only 8 years for the whole great edifice,
and using materials beyond any known to the common man.  Its walls are
unbreachable, and its gates indestructible.  It is guarded by magical
sentries and defenses, and none save perhaps the Commander of the Keep
itself know them all.

Delvor-Neb attacked it furiously 
(apparently they had been held at bay during the actual construction,
though no one knows how), but to no avail.  Its defenses were too strong 
to be penetrated by the likes of Delvor-Neb.  It has been, and is still 
being attacked about once every five to ten days.
The Regian soldiers stationed there are the elite of the entire army, 
and still must be rotated every few months. In fact, the Keep has 
actually been taken twice, by unknown means.  Both times, the Regian
armies marched out of Mati and retook the Keep almost immediately.

In  the year 524, the settlers (who could now cross Brin Pass in relative 
safety) carved the city of Ciator out of the Endless Waste, and caravans 
of supplies began crossing the Swords regularly.  Seven years later, 
one of the nomads of the Waste, Pirran the Wanderer, discovered the 
islands southwest of Matibar, and named them after the four gods of the 
nomads.  Due to the island's congenial climate, colonists began moving 
in, and they established the city Amrea on the largest island, 
Orea.  In addition, a port was established on the ``mainland" to ferry 
supplies over to the islands.  This eventually grew into the city of 
Ithiaport, the second-largest port city on the island.

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\begin{quote}
``The tree of liberty must be refreshed from
time to time with the blood of patriots and
tyrants."\\

\ \ \ --- Thomas Jefferson
\end{quote}

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