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Venua'tino: Difference between revisions
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==History== | ==History== | ||
=== | ===Prehistory and antiquity=== | ||
Very little is known about the earliest human settlement in Venua'tino. The only facts established definitively are the presence of humans in the territory around the same time as the first arrival of humans throughout the rest of Crona. Limited evidence of early cave dwellings exist, with small and erratic cave paintings and limited material remains found inside. Most scholars agree that Venua'tino was, with the exception of a few places, not inhabitable during the last great ice age, accounting for the very limited archaeological evidence. As the ice receded, an increase in coastal material cultures is observable, but very few artifacts remain. It is likely Venua'tino was first permanently settled, like other places in the Nysdra, by transient fishermen. The [[Nysdran Collapse]] created conditions of rapidly rising sea levels and salinization, destroying most of the early human settlement in the territory from both a demographic and material point of view. Until around 300 BC, the Nysdra had almost no saltwater fish, eliminating the viability of many coastal settlements. Regardless, migratory hunters continued to live in the territory before, during, and after the collapse, and these seasonal hunters form the ancestors of many of the tribal peoples living in Venua'tino's interior. | |||
After the fall of the Empire, several surviving cities continued to fight amongst themselves in order to establish hegemony and supremacy. By the 600s, most major cities of the Venua Empire had collapsed and migratory tribal life became the staple throughout the entire Venua'tino region. [[Shenendehowa Bay]] became the | The advent of agriculture came to the Venua'tino region in approximately 500 BC definitively, though some scholars believe the city of [[Shenendehowa Bay]] was established with agricultural technology at an earlier point. Agriculture was used, at first, as an alternative to fishing as saltwater fish had not yet populated the Nysdra, but by 300 BC agriculture and fishing became a viable tandem for the growth of urban settlements in Venua'tino. Several major coastal settlements were established by 300 BC, and by 250 BC a political entity which loosely covered the entire coastal region of Venua'tino was established. This polity, which goes by the historiographical term "Venua Empire", had no official name but was colloquially referred to as the "Confederation of the World" by its inhabitants. The Venua Empire continued to establish new settlements and colonies along the coast and by 150 BC had made significant inroads into the Venua'tino interior. Without political rival, the Empire - whose rule had consolidated in Shenendehowa Bay by 100 AD - continued to spread until the 400s AD and had many interior tribal clients. The historical record is silent on why the Empire went into rapid decline, but climatological evidence suggests that a millennia and a half of warmer temperatures in the area came to a swift end. Historians believe former client tribes came south to the coast and sacked major cities while cities of the Empire fought over existing resources. Some historians even believe that major tribes of the area today are descendants of the residents of some cities who were displaced by the environmental changes and became migratory. The Empire ceased to exist by 500 AD. While it was never especially centralized, it was the last time the entire region would be under the dominance of a single polity until the establishment of the [[League of Nations]] mandate over the region nearly a millennia and a half later. | ||
After the fall of the Empire, several surviving cities continued to fight amongst themselves in order to establish hegemony and supremacy. By the 600s, most major cities of the Venua Empire had collapsed and migratory tribal life became the staple throughout the entire Venua'tino region. [[Shenendehowa Bay]] became the remaining major population center of Venua'tino. By 800 AD, some sense of "normalcy" had returned to the area as both cities established relatively stable and expansive Kingdoms which were able to keep the tribes from raiding their lands. This "two Kingdoms period" continued through the medieval period and provide the first major source of written material and history of the region, and scholars of the two Kingdoms period had great interest in the ancient Venua Empire. | |||
===Quetzen hegemony=== | ===Quetzen hegemony=== | ||
The two Kingdoms period began to come to an end towards the end of the 13th century and the dawn of the {{wp|Little Ice Age}}. The severe climatological effects are thought to have lead to the major wave of crop failures affecting both Kingdoms, which lead to the weakening of both. In [[1324]], the first [[Quetzenkel|Quetzen]] sailors began to arrive on the north shore of the Nysdra. Though disunified, the major maritime city states of Quetzenkel were far more prosperous and powerful than the Venua'tino on account of Quetzenkel's fertile farmland and strategic trading location. Through economic means, the two major cities and other coastal settlements of Venua'tino soon became dependencies on the Quetzen maritime powers as crop imports gave the Quetzen significant power over Venua'tino. Beginning in the 1440s, the city states began campaigns of military subjugation, establishing the first trans-Nysdra colonial system. [[Shenendehowa Bay]] became subordinate to Quetzen city states | The two Kingdoms period began to come to an end towards the end of the 13th century and the dawn of the {{wp|Little Ice Age}}. The severe climatological effects are thought to have lead to the major wave of crop failures affecting both Kingdoms, which lead to the weakening of both. In [[1324]], the first [[Quetzenkel|Quetzen]] sailors began to arrive on the north shore of the Nysdra. Though disunified, the major maritime city states of Quetzenkel were far more prosperous and powerful than the Venua'tino on account of Quetzenkel's fertile farmland and strategic trading location. Through economic means, the two major cities and other coastal settlements of Venua'tino soon became dependencies on the Quetzen maritime powers as crop imports gave the Quetzen significant power over Venua'tino. Beginning in the 1440s, the city states began campaigns of military subjugation, establishing the first trans-Nysdra colonial system. [[Shenendehowa Bay]] became subordinate to Quetzen city states during this period, a status that would continue for the next three centuries. The rise of [[Quetzenkel#History|Archchief Quetzen I]] lead to the destruction or subjugation of many of the Quetzen maritime powers. Local notables in the Venua'tino coastal settlements reestablished native rule over the course of the 1640s and began a series of violent internecine wars that devastated the region. | ||
===Polar Captaincy=== | ===Polar Captaincy=== | ||
The anarchy which followed the collapse of the Quetzen thalassocracy was ended with the arrival of conquerors from [[Varshan]] in [[1652]]. Due to the weakened state of the region, the relative low population density, and the lack of organized resistance, the Varshani force was small - most historians believe it was small as 2,000. Due to its proximity to Varshan across the [[Nysdra Sea]] and decentralized nature, as well as the lack of a systematic campaign of conquest by the relatively small force, the Venua'tino area was not directly incorporated into the Varshani state but instead organized into an entity known today as the "Polar Captaincy". The Polar Captaincy was organized around a few key coastal cities - including [[Shenendehowa Bay]] - which were designed as centers of control and locations to export both goods and slaves to the Varshani mainland. The Captaincy was essentially an organized tributary entity, wherein the cities and tribes of the territory would bring tribute to the cities to be exported to Varshan. Most slaves would come from privateers capturing mariners from Nysdra Sea traffic rather than the native population, although during its centuries-long history some campaigns into Venua'tino's interior were waged with limited success. Warring tribes and cities would also occasionally submit their captured enemies into slavery with the Varshani authorities. During this time, Varshan invested relatively heavily into the region's coastal infrastructure, giving it well-built cities and roadways connecting the handful of coastal outposts. The Captaincy also generally regulated inter-tribal or inter-city disputes among the native population. As conquests and raids - and consequently sources of new slaves - slowed elsewhere, Varshan increased the frequency of raids into the Venua'tino interior beginning in the early 20th century. This not only led to discontent but significant economic disruption, greatly exacerbating conflict between the native tributaries. | The anarchy which followed the collapse of the Quetzen thalassocracy was ended with the arrival of conquerors from [[Varshan]] in [[1652]]. Due to the weakened state of the region, the relative low population density, and the lack of organized resistance, the Varshani force was small - most historians believe it was small as 2,000. Due to its proximity to Varshan across the [[Nysdra Sea]] and decentralized nature, as well as the lack of a systematic campaign of conquest by the relatively small force, the Venua'tino area was not directly incorporated into the Varshani state but instead organized into an entity known today as the "Polar Captaincy". The Polar Captaincy was organized around a few key coastal cities - including [[Shenendehowa Bay]] - which were designed as centers of control and locations to export both goods and slaves to the Varshani mainland. The Captaincy was essentially an organized tributary entity, wherein the cities and tribes of the territory would bring tribute to the cities to be exported to Varshan. Most slaves would come from privateers capturing mariners from Nysdra Sea traffic rather than the native population, although during its centuries-long history some campaigns into Venua'tino's interior were waged with limited success. Warring tribes and cities would also occasionally submit their captured enemies into slavery with the Varshani authorities. During this time, Varshan invested relatively heavily into the region's coastal infrastructure, giving it well-built cities and roadways connecting the handful of coastal outposts. The Captaincy also generally regulated inter-tribal or inter-city disputes among the native population. As conquests and raids - and consequently sources of new slaves - slowed elsewhere, Varshan increased the frequency of raids into the Venua'tino interior beginning in the early 20th century. This not only led to discontent but significant economic disruption, greatly exacerbating conflict between the native tributaries. | ||