I write this history of Gaaltar knowing that it likely will never reach the eyes of those who need to see it. Given the nature of this volume, please allow your author a moment of self indulgence before it commences.

From a young age, I knew that I would become a historian. My father, by trade, was a bookseller and librarian. He was however much more known by the historical accounts he authored. My great-grandfather was the one that originally set my family upon this path. They were all reputable as knowledgeable scholars of ages past. For a time, I set myself upon the same goal. Coming of age as with limitless tomes and records of the past to read seemed like a treasure. In my sobering adulthood, I realized that a different path should have been taken. I have found myself in the present, recording events as they transpire and praying that the history is not destroyed or lost to time. This is not to imply that knowledge of the past is useless, if only more knew of it, maybe this future could have been prevented. However, I now find myself chronicling the rise of a new empire, on a scale never before seen on this continent.

My great-grandfather wrote of the Age of Discovery. It was a time where humankind lived alongside many other creatures and races. It was a time where there was no need for cities, no need for industry, no need for currency or laws. The world was not perfect by any means, but everyone was in touch with the true nature of the world. The “Discovery” of this era was that of what you might consider “magic”, “chakra”, “nexus”, or “power”. Life on the planet came to discover the true essence of the world around them. My great-grandfather used what little records there were to paint an illustrious picture of what the world was before history was recorded.

My grandfather wrote of the age after, known as the Age of Civilization. There still were no borders drawn, and no distinct countries. While there were societies, the notion of resource scarcity was not an issue. The population on the continent had not expanded to the sea, but the growth in the world created a need for centralized populations, individual trades, and in some cases, leadership. Sometimes by birthright, or sometimes by election, but seldom by conflict. The world spent this age coming into its own, and feeling out the borders of existence.

My father wrote of the eras between Civilization and the present. Primarily, the ages of Exploration and Industry. There is some amount of overlap between the two, and no clear demarcation between Civilization and the next era. (This causes debate among the topic for many historians, but not those who truly wish to chronicle and research.) These ages led to modern innovations using “magic”, the discovery of expansive oceans, new continents, other cultures, and a foundation of currency, among other things. Scholars debate when the continent of Gaaltar became primarily populated by humans, to ultimately no conclusion. Ultimately, the fixed date does not matter. Most other intelligent life and living creatures found a better home in the Age of Discovery. Many left Gaaltar during the Age of Exploration, or Industry. But ultimately, what caused it was humankind’s persistent quality to push for change, and discovery. Throughout history it has been seen as a virtue. In this Age, it has become unquestionably terrible.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I was born at the end of the Age of Industry, and live during what is tentatively known as the Age of Kingdoms. As a child, it was not odd to visit other kingdoms, and war was seldom. In this trailing decade of my life, that is no longer the case. Three shining kingdoms have risen above the others. Some history claims that all of these kingdoms are on land once occupied by dragons. Others claim that it is simply monarchies that have grown too powerful. In either case, those kingdoms have chosen to be identified as such: The Gold Kingdom, to the northwest, built upon trade, sprawling commerce, and aristocracy. The Silver Kingdom, to the northeast, was built upon industry, discovery, and research. The Bronze Kingdom, in the south, using conquest to overtake smaller rural kingdoms, destroy other warlords, and utilize the first true widespread military on the continent. These three will ultimately become one unified kingdom on the continent, in less than a decade I presume. At this point in time, none rival their power. Should they decide to remain separate, countries across the seas will likely see the ability to treat them as lesser, or invade. Uniting into one kingdom gives them the most sure control over the lands they have.

At the time of this writing, only three entities truly remain that operate independent of the “Shining Kingdoms”. One is the displaced monastery of Kun’dar, on an island off the eastern coast. The second are the “Five Families”, whose influence needs no mention. They have been instrumental in every part of history, though severely diminished now with respect to a true empire on the continent. Third, are the handful of true Sages left from the smoldering wars. While the Sages are powerful individually, they have no loyalty or nation remaining, truly relics of bygone Eras. None have been seen in over a decade, though surely some still live. I hope in this volume to outline the events that led to a singular empire on Gaaltar. Though I do not expect it to be circulated here, hopefully it will reach foreign lands once I am done, and preserve a record of what I expect would be a shrouded era otherwise.

[Excerpt from the Prologue of “The Rise of the Shining Empire”, by T.J. Tuvek]

[Dated fifty years Before Empirical Age]