Aster's expedition
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 Depiction of the expedition's departure from a ca. 1400 manuscript. | |
| Date | February 18, 1387 – November 6, 1389 |
|---|---|
| Location | Odoneru Ocean Crona |
| Motive | Find the source of the wealth of Audonia |
| Patron(s) | Ardmore |
| Participants | Paul Aster |
| Outcome | First documented Occidental visit to Crona, subsequently partly mapped by Aster |
Aster's expedition was a naval expedition launched in the 1380s on behalf of Ardmore and lead by Ænglish mariner Paul Aster. While the expedition was initially a method by which Ardmore intended to compete abroad with successful South Deric traders by sailing west, Aster reached Crona and documented most of the land. Commercially, the expedition was a failure, but the tales and trinkets brought back by Paul Aster made him one of the first celebrities in the history of the Occident. Aster wrote a series of vague memoirs about the expedition, which lead to the expedition being wildly embellished over the next centuries. Aster, who grew wealthy from the voyage, became the subject of many lasting folk tales and urban legends. The expedition lead to much of southern Crona gaining the name "Paul Aster's Land" and different variations thereof, leading to the modern name of Paulastra.
In the history of marine navigation, it was one of the first well documented uses of the carrack in the Occidental world.
Background
Crona and the Occidental world had mutual knowledge of eachother only by intermediaries as of the 14th century. It is a commonly held misconception that Aster's expedition "discovered" Crona for Occidentals, but by the medieval period the Occidental world knew of a landmass in the vicinity of Crona from two different sources, with most considering the differently sourced locations to be entirely separate landmasses. Occidentals learned of a land east of Alshar from Audonian traders in antiquity, and references to such a far eastern land are made in Great Levantine sources as early as the 2nd century. The second source was through people living on Vallos, who knew of a large land to the far northwest of Vallos. On both sides of the Odoneru Ocean, flotsam washed up on the shores of Levantia and Crona, although due to prevailing winds and tides, large Levantine artifacts are known to have been found and taken by Cronans in antiquity whereas only small scraps of vessels and other manmade objects landed in Levantia. Most Occidentals anticipated these lands, which they believed to be two separate locations, to be analogous in size to Vithinja. Aster, however, correctly deduced from the size of world that a large region existed between Vallos and Alshar, and that the lands referenced by both must be the same location. Due to its size, he supposed that it was the source of most gold and wealth on earth, believing in what can best be described as a popular proto-economic legend of the medieval period, that all wealth flowed east to west, ending in Levantia and Sarpedon. The prospect of finding the source of all wealth was appealing for the rulers of Ardmore, who decided to fund an expedition proposed by Aster.
Initial voyage and discovery of Crona
The voyage departed in February 1387 with much fanfare. Aster was provided with six state of the art sailing ships. Besides Aster and the main crews, a number of friars were aboard with the intention of making converts in any lands discovered by the expedition.
New objectives
Aster's achievements
Contact with the North Songun civilization
Discovery of Alstin
Discovery of Alstin and return voyage
Legendary occurrences
A very wide number of legends, myths, and fantastic events were attributed to the voyage both during Aster's life and especially afterward.
Post-expedition fame
Upon the return of the expedition to Ardmore in November 1389, Aster became one of the best known people alive at the time and was a very early example of a celebrity. He was widely celebrated across the Occident.
Legacy
Aster's expedition exposed Crona to the Occidental world definitively for the first time, opening up the possibility of trade with the Occident. The opening of Crona lead to its later conquest and colonization by the Occident.
Aster's expedition also marked a turning point in the history of Varshan and its satellite states. According to the few available written sources of the time, the arrival of the Occident signaled an apocalypse-like event that lead to Orthodox Arzalism taking on a more violent and brutal nature.
Aster Day
In many Cronan countries, Aster Day is a national holiday commemorating the expedition and discovery of their homelands. It is held on February 18th, the day the expedition departed Levantia.