Mystara Timeline

900AC

* Traladara is annexed by the Empire of Thyatis.

970AC

* Grand Duchy of Karameikos established in Traladara, led by Grand Duke Stefan.

1000AC

* Grand Duke Stefan declares himself King Stefan I and secedes from Thyatis. Kingdom of Karameikos declared.

POINT OF DIVERGENCE

Though there are many events prior to this that did not happen in the Mystara canon, this is the point where Black Horizon vastly diverges from the established history.

* Karameikan Civil War occurs between Stefan’s loyalists and the Black Eagle Barony. The Civil War ends in a loyalist victory, and the Empire of Thyatis backs the Black Eagles, saving them from total annihilation at the hands of the King’s Armed Forces and irregulars from Threshold.

1018AC to 1019AC

* The Black Eagles enact "Operation: Royal Flush", a plot by Energumen and Erebus to assassinate Stefan and his heirs, and establish Ludwig von Hendriks as the new king.

* Princes Valen and Justin are successfully assassinated; shortly after, Black Eagles stage an attack on Tarnskeep, killing most of the inhabitants. Field Marshal Terrial, husband of Princess Adriana and son-in-law of King Stefan, is wounded in the attack but survives.

* Supported by Bargle the Infamous, the Black Eagles teleport into the Royal Palace in Mirros and kill almost everyone inside. King Stefan, Queen Olivia, and Princess Adriana are killed in the attack.

* Unknown to the Black Eagles, Terrial and his children (Prince Lucien Karameikos and Princess Argent Karameikos) have survived and been smuggled out of Karameikos via sea.

POINT OF DIVERGENCE

Mystara: Black Horizon shut down at this point; following events are specific to the Alternate timeline.

* As the next in line to the Karameikan throne, Ludwig von Hendriks declares himself King Ludwig I. Most of Karameikos rejects his declaration; the remainder, mostly the uneducated and uninformed lower classes, are ambivalent. Thyatis views the declaration as a treasonous as Stefan’s original secession and subsequently drops the Black Eagle territory from the Empire.

* With the government's line of succession shattered -- the Grand Justiciar, Grand Magister, Ministers of War, Trade, and Finance were killed in the attack alongside the royals -- the country quickly destabilises. Nobles and government officials begin scrambling for positions of power, causing infighting at almost every level. This is the start of a chaotic era known as the Interregnum.

* With an uncertain national hierarchy, conflicting orders, and some landed nobles attempting to establish their own authority through local militias, law and order begins to collapse outside of towns.

* As if driven by the intense chaos permeating the land, a powerful evil force attacks Threshold. Threatened with total annihilation, the whole town takes up arms under the leadership of the Arcane Alliance, supplemented by adventurers and town militia. The commander of King’s Road Keep deploys his entire garrison to alleviate the pressure on Threshold.

* As they face being overrun, an act of desperation is performed to permit thousands of non-combatants a chance to escape to nearby Kelvin: a tunnel through time. The most powerful mages and adventurers cast a simultaneous time stop and wish. The intended effect was to freeze the attack and create a corridor free from magical effects and enemy forces.

* The actual effect was a catastrophic event that destroyed a significant portion of the town, killed or magically petrified its defenders, and routed the attackers. It was, however, partly effective and allowed a number of civilians the chance to escape.

* With Threshold in ruins, the destruction of the King’s Armed Forces battalion, and infighting amongst lordships, the security situation in the north deteriorates further. Travel and trade with Darokin becomes untenable.

1020AC - 1030AC

* With their opposition weakened, the Black Eagles see this as their moment to bring the country to heel. The majority of their forces are mobilised and begin establishing control over much of western Karameikos.

* A Justiciar establishes the Provisional Government, an autocratic council of military officers, mid-tier state officials, and nobles. Though the council is fairly diverse, some view it as a military junta. Most members are Traladaran or Karameikan, with only a couple of Thyatian birth, which garners significant support from the native Traladaran population.

* Skirmishes between the King’s Armed Forces – who retained their original name – and the Black Eagles occur throughout western Karameikos, particularly along the important Westron Road. Both forces suffer losses, though royal forces generally come off worse due to a combination of poor leadership and the Eagles’ unconventional tactics.

* The Empire of Thyatis completely cuts diplomatic links with the Black Eagles for fear of the instability in Karameikos spilling over into Thyatis. However, they continue to trade with both Mirros and Halag.

* Threshold begins to repopulate and rebuild. Old residents return, but most of the population is fresh. They are hardy folk drawn by the alluring danger of the “Threshold curse” or the relatively remote and lawless location. Many hail from Karameikos, but some have made the dangerous trek from Darokin or even further abroad.

* The ambitious Baron Desmond Kelvin II, son of the first Baron Kelvin, cites Church of Karameikos doctrine and states the ruler of the kingdom is appointed by divine right. He subsequently declares the Provisional Government an unlawful entity in the eyes of the Immortals, and that the Barony of Kelvin will answer only to the rightful heir to the throne. The Church of Karameikos in Mirros disagrees, but the King’s Armed Forces are unable and unwilling to stand up to Kelvin’s Order of the Griffon.

* Mirros, weak and unable to keep control of the entirety of Karameikos, reluctantly recalls its forces to reconsolidate them in the southern, more developed part of the country. In doing so, it concedes control of the north to lawlessness, the Black Eagles, and private militias. The Threshold Advisory Council, the town’s new governing body, view it as Mirros abandoning them to their fate.

* Enterprising individuals sell off series of “marble and crystalline statues” from Threshold, sending them to nobles elsewhere in Karameikos and the Known World. Older residents speak against it, but the sales provide significant funds to rebuild the town, and no one else is helping them.

* Inspired by Kelvin’s stand against the weakened Provisional Government, a small number of other lords and landed nobles begin to self-declare as autonomous states and give themselves grand titles. Mirros, sensing an impending total collapse of their authority, deploys the army to pacify the errant nobles. While successful, it is an unpopular move and supports opposition claims of a military junta.

* Rumours of King Ludwig’s ill health spread through the Black Eagle territories. This is violently suppressed by their internal enforcers, Erebus’ Blackguard, however the rumours persist due to Ludwig’s age.

1030AC to 1044AC

* Karameikos appears to be a failed state, torn apart by political rivalry and personal ambitions. However, delineation between faction boundaries grows clearer, and the country begins to slowly stabilise in its current, fractured form.

* While the Black Eagles consolidate their position, establishing small outposts throughout the west, internal disputes begin to arise as there is talk of King Ludwig’s successor. Rumours of infighting spread to areas outside the Eagles’ control.

* Threshold continues to rebuild, and eventually takes control of the nearby town of Verge. Without governance from Mirros and inundated by the influx of adventurers, entrepreneurs, criminals, and outlaws, the region reverts to a semi-lawless frontier.

* Mirros’ recovery from the initial chaos is slow but grows exponentially as time goes on, mostly due to their dominance of trade routes. However, the loss of the northern mines has reduced their military capability when compared to others. Kelvin continues to reject the authority of the Provisional Government.

* Mining restarts in Threshold, which boosts the towns’ economy through trade with Darokin, Kelvin, and Mirros.

* Skirmishes and low-level conflict between royal forces and Black Eagles continue as both sides attempt to dominate the other. Both sides attempt to subjugate Threshold and Kelvin through diplomacy and force with little success.

1044AC to 1048AC

* Though a shadow of his former physically strong self, Ludwig retains his sharp wit and strategic mind. However, he has grown increasingly paranoid, and his circle of trusted advisors grows small. Eventually only Bargle has the ear of Ludwig.

* Kelvin convinces Threshold to combat the threat of the Black Eagles together, which manifests in the form of a mutual defence pact and increased trade of Threshold steel and Kelvin food stocks. Combined, they control the important King's Road, which runs from Selenica in Darokin through Kelvin to Krakatos.

* The Black Eagles' dominance of western Karameikos is firmly established. The Westron Road and surrounds are controlled by the Black Eagles up to Rifflian. A forward outpost near the site of the old barricade has been established to extend their reach further.

* The King's Armed Forces actively patrol southern Karameikos, where the Provisional Government is recognised as the lawful authority of the land. The majority of the country's population, agriculture, and trade routes fall in their area of influence, which stretches from Sulescu in the west to Rugalov in the east.

* Rumours begin to spread of the survival of King Stefan's grandchildren. The possibility of their return could mean reunification and prosperity for the kingdom or a new era of chaos and violence. Ludwig, on hearing the rumour, is furious and immediately begins plotting despite no proof of the rumours' truth.

1048AC

* King Von Hendriks emerges from hiding revitalised and young again. A resurgant Black Eagles declare war on the KAF.

POINT OF DIVERGENCE

Dark Age of Mystara split from Mystara Alternate at this point.

1049AC

* The Manticore Company, lead by Mauthe, are contracted by the Black Eagles to lead an auxillary unit tasked with quelling rebellions and distracting the powerful residents of Threshold.

* After the successful assassination of Councillor of Justice Sully by Mauthe's Manticores the town of Threshold is plunged into chaos. An incident deep below Darcy's Diner leads to the releasing of a torrent of eldritch energy that had long been lurking beneath the surface. Darcy's Diner and a number of nearby buildings are destroyed by the initial release of energy. The town is quickly abandoned as a thick mist of wild magic settles over the core of the town.

* With the citizens of Threshold quelled by the chaos unfolding beneath them.. the war between the KAF and the Black Eagles grinds on for several years, inflicting heavy losses on both sides and draining the surface of precious resources.

1054AC

* Noting the rising status of Manticore Company within the BE armed forces members of a KED taskforce contact leadership within the Alphatian mercenaries camp. In an impressive feat of social engineering they manage to convince the Alphatian mercenaries to rebuff contract renewals with the BE in favor of signing a new contract with the KAF. The Alphatians desert their posts in the dead of night, arriving at Mirros to a luke warm welcome from a people who have very little trust of mercenaries.

* With their superior numbers and the added boon of the Alphatian mercenaries the KAF gain the upper hand in their war with the BE. They inflict heavy losses on the BE and force King Von Hendriks to rely heavily on Mauthe's Manticores as well as a large number of second-rate mercenary companies.

1055AC

* With the lines of battle pushing deeper into Black Eagle territory the result of the war seems a mere formality. Those in Mirros are already celebrating, and the upper echelons of the KAF start counting their chips early.. looking towards a future without the threat of the BE. At this time a schism develops withing the KAF leadership. On one side are those loyal to the vision of Stephan Karameikos.. those who would protect the smaller settlements of Karameikos and maintain the status quo. On the other side are those who would subjugate the other settlements.. building a new empire to match that of the Thyatians.

* Through shrewd political manouvering the newly formed Karameikos Freedom League wrestle political power from the King's loyalists, the now unwelcome loyalists fleeing from Mirros and setting up camp in King's Road Keep.

1056AC

* Sensing the opportune moment Archak unleashed his full force on the world above. Taking the middle ground of the Black Woods for himself, and signalling the final death knoll for the town of Threshold.

* Both the KFL and the Black Eagles pull back their forces, refusing to undertake any major engagements. The conflict is now a struggle for survival, limited to lightning-raids to steal supplies. The real war is now between the dead and the living.

1057AC

* Pockets of resistance hold up where they can near the ruins of threshold. The survivors making their way north to the nearby shireling colony. New Threshire is born in the shadow of Thresholds demise.