History
Extensive history of AquilaPRJ.
Prior to Era Nova
It is widely known that a prosperous world before Era Nova had existed. A world filled with many various people and nations, mythical beasts and magics, all thriving together in harmony. Until a sudden horrible apocalyptic event took place. The worlds most tragic event, which caused all previous civilizations to fall. Everything had gone up in flames. Realms, nations, magical creatures, one by one they were all either slain, or fell to whatever horrors the tragedy brought with it. No one knows how it started, or what lead to it. In todays day and age, all that is left are traces & cinders of the old world.
Era Nova ; Year One
The first year of Era Nova marked the beginning of a new age for the peoples of Aquila. Across the world, nations established themselves, old societies developed new ambitions, explorers crossed unfamiliar lands, and discoveries began to connect peoples who had previously known one another only through rumor.
Thousands of years after the Cataclysm, the peoples of Aquila entered the first year of a new era. Although civilizations had long flourished across the world, much of Aquila remained divided by vast oceans, deserts, mountains and simple uncertainty. Many nations knew little of the lands beyond their immediate surroundings.
The beginning of Era Nova saw this isolation gradually begin to change.
Across Aquila, nations continued to develop their settlements and institutions. The Technate of Koperdam began an ambitious programme of infrastructure and expansion, while the Union of Coronado continued to be shaped by the independence of its constituent communities. In Baylara, the succession of the Copper Throne became increasingly complicated following the birth of a second male heir, creating divisions among the nobility surrounding the young Metanom and his infant brother Gavilios.
In other lands, the foundations of new settlements were laid. The fortress city of Vestad began construction under Katherine Kingswell, intended to serve as a final defensive refuge for Koperdam. In Coronado, the Heartwood Estate became the centre of renewed political activity as Stella Heartwood took an increasingly active role in the affairs of the Union.
The year was also marked by encounters between peoples who had previously remained distant from one another.
Explorers and travellers crossed the borders of numerous civilizations. The Kuri//aes, Serrano, Kheta-Kedet, Union of Coronado and other societies encountered outsiders and began to become known beyond their own territories.
In Kheta-Kedet, the return of Osiris brought an unusual personal connection between the past and present, while Queen Semet continued to contemplate the future of her civilization and its expansion along the Mistra-Itrw. In the lands of the Kuri//aes, Harakhas Gomas travelled between settlements such as Hais!am and Orutogams, witnessing both the persistence of old traditions and the gradual adoption of new materials and practices.
Coronado, meanwhile, faced growing internal tensions. Relations between settlements such as Demeralia and Riverston deteriorated following a violent confrontation over supplies, resulting in multiple deaths. With the position of Governor remaining vacant, attempts to restore political unity faced considerable resistance.
Elsewhere, the natural world presented discoveries of its own.
In Asphodel, villagers reported the appearance of a mysterious creature in the skies above a rural settlement. The large, shadowy bird was seen descending into a nearby flower forest, prompting an expedition to investigate its disappearance.
The expedition uncovered an abundance of unusual fungi and discoloured vegetation. The discovery would later become connected to a mysterious illness affecting the local population. Samples were studied and a temporary medicine was eventually developed, although the true nature of the organisms remained uncertain.
The year also brought considerable developments within Koperdam.
Under the direction of Henry Westcroft, construction and infrastructure projects expanded throughout the Technate. The opening of Clockhaven Eastern Station marked the completion of Koperdam's first operational railway, establishing a direct connection between Clockhaven and Vestad and beginning the development of a wider national railway network.
The government subsequently established Koperdam Railways, a national organisation responsible for the future expansion and operation of the Technate's rail infrastructure.
Koperdam's intellectual and cartographic institutions also expanded. Following the completion of the first modern survey of Aquila, the Koperdam Atlas Bureau was established to produce regional, continental, national, military and custom maps for clients throughout the world.
Perhaps the most significant development of the year, however, was the growing understanding of Aquila itself.
Percival van der Berg undertook an extensive expedition beyond the borders of Koperdam, travelling across oceans and unfamiliar territories and recording the geography, settlements and peoples he encountered. His journey brought him into contact with numerous civilizations and provided Koperdam with information that had previously been unavailable to it.
His expedition also produced several significant discoveries, including previously undocumented landscapes and unusual fungal organisms in the southern regions.
Percival's observations were eventually returned to Koperdam, where they were compiled and refined by Henry Westcroft. Together, their work produced the World Map, the first comprehensive modern survey of the known world.
Copies of the survey were distributed among nations across Aquila, providing rulers, explorers and scholars with a common geographical reference for the first time in the modern age.
The map was incomplete. Many territories remained poorly understood, borders were uncertain, and vast regions had yet to be explored. Nevertheless, it represented a fundamental change in the way the peoples of Aquila understood their world.
Yet the first year of Era Nova was not defined solely by exploration and discovery.
Individuals across Aquila experienced their own changes and challenges. Basil Blight survived a shipwreck and continued to establish his pirate settlement among the islands of Basil's Buccaneers. Sylvis Pardali struggled with uncertainty while adjusting to the world around her. Rullen Bellfore arrived at his new windstead in Mühn Proper, taking responsibility for an isolated tract of land. Valdemar Hvide continued his ambitions surrounding the development of a port, while Thabit documented his own experiences through a small book.
Political and personal responsibilities also grew for figures such as Stella Heartwood, Henry Westcroft, Harakhas Gomas and Estorrum, whose decisions increasingly affected the societies around them.
The year therefore saw the beginnings of countless stories that would continue far beyond its conclusion.
By the end of Era Nova, Year 1, Aquila was no longer quite the same world it had been at its beginning.
New settlements were being constructed. Nations were developing their political identities. Trade, exploration and travel were beginning to connect distant peoples. Conflicts threatened the stability of some societies, while discoveries promised new opportunities for others.
Most importantly, the peoples of Aquila had begun to see their world as something that could be understood beyond the boundaries of their own nations.
The first year of Era Nova was therefore not the story of a single expedition, nation or individual.
It was the beginning of a connected age.
The world had been discovered in fragments for thousands of years. In Era Nova, those fragments began to become a history.