Velancthon: Name, Size, and Geography[]
Velancthon, or Velanqthon, was the name used by most natives of the continent discovered by Arquis Bolton to describe that land, which Bolton named "New Kerasiah." The name Velancthon is known now to be derived from the ancient tongue of the Illinathi, who once maintained a great empire from Illinath in the north to the modern region of Danestone and the Bay of Taren.
It's size is vast, and it's exact measurements cannot be justly calculated by its inhabitants. In terms we can understand, it is smaller than North America, but not by much. It also maintains a similar shape with the North American continent, and very simalar weather patterns and geography. The winters in Velancthon northeast are more disposed to snow, and the southeastern climate is warm but not as humid.
Prior to Discovery[]
Before the coming of Arquis, the people of Kerasiah knew little of Velancthon; that said, the history of the continent should not be taken lightly.
Prehistory[]
It is speculated that the first people who came to Velancthon crossed over a landbridge in the northwestern reaches of the continent and that the descendants of these people settled in the north and west of the continent. It is probable that it was also in this manner that horses and other such beasts familiar already to the people of Kerasiah were introduced to the continent, as in the most ancient Illinathi depictions of animals there are no hints of horses.
It is also argued that the Kerasians were not the first to cross the Sea of Ages from the Great Continent, Gerod (also called Gerahd), but that the ancestors of Eorlsor, Bor, and the Lowlands in ages past landed on Velancthon from across the oceans.
The Rise of Illinath[]
The rise of Illinath is estimated to have taken place four thousand one hundred years ago, or 3992 BFR in 408 FR. A powerful king unified the tribes of the Midland Sea, or Iruthele as it was called in the Old Tongue, and founded a capital, naming it for his tribe - the Illinathi. This king, Farthon the First and the Great, also called the Architect, initiated huge architectural projects of stone to glorify himself and the Illinathi gods.
Farthon is said to have lived one hundred years, having ruled for eighty-one of them and reigned as King of Illinath for seventy-five years. His grandson succeeded him as Farthon outlived his children. Farthon the Second, the Forger, succeeded his grandfather when he was already thirty-five in 3917 BFR. He reigned for twenty-seven years, and in this time Illinath experienced a Bronze Revolution, predating that of the Great Continent by almost one thousand years. For the first time, one sees evidence of chariots used by the Illinathi warriors.
Farthon the Second lived until he was sixty-two years of age, at which time his son, Athamon the First, also known as the Conqueror, ascended the throne. Athamon used the revolution of industry initiated by his father and the technologically superior military which it produced to conquer lands as far south as the Midreach of Bor and the Northern Lowlands. Evidence of Illinathi culture has been found as far south as Fernyan Greens. Where he went, he erected great steles proclaiming his greatness and that all enemies should tremble before his wrath. If he ever lost a battle, it is not recorded. Hahdring (Highdrangyr), Galtusena (Bor), Ellasan (Eorlsor), The Northern Isles, and the Raurock Lowlands as west as the Goldsea fell before the chariots from the north and the might of Athamon.
This marked the beginning of the Age of Illinath and a kingdom which was to last for three thousand years. It unified vast territories of land in Northern Velancthon both through force, culture, and language. It is recorded on the Roatan Stele: "I, Athamon, First of My Name, did order that priests and scribes should be sent to every territory which I, Athamon, have conquered, that they might instruct every subject, be they poor or rich, the language of Iruthele, that they might thank my gods and know that I am king and am merciful to my subjects." The Illinathi maintained this supremacy until one hundred and thirty years later, during the reign of Gherithon the Conciliator, when he allowed Eorlsor, Bor and Raurock conditional independence in matters of religion and domestic government.
Fall of Illinath[]
Around 850 BFR, the empire was in decline and the client kingdoms of Eorlsor and Bor were in the midst of Civil War when Highdrangian tribes formed the Highdrangian Confederacy and rebelled against Illinathi rule. They invaded from the north and sacked Illinath. Eorlsor allied itself with Highdranger, and Bor formed an alliance with the Raurock Lowlands. The Illinathi King, Farthon the Seventeenth, surrendered himself to the Eorlsoran chieftains who promised to spare him. But the Highdrangian chief Junno, whose family was said to have been killed by an Illinathi prefect, hid a dagger in undergarments when being presented to the captured king and stabbed the king in the neck. This is recorded in the runic records of the Eorlsoran people at Ecktenblatt.
From that time, Velancthon was plagued by fighting and countless wars and descended into the Days of Night, a dark age where knowledge and written alphabets were all but forgotten. The Illinathi became a primitive people, living amongst and worshipping the ruins of their own civilizations.
Discovery[]
The continent was discovered by Arquis Bolton in 83 BFR after 2 months at sea. He led a contingent of seventy ships, cogs and dromonds, west to explore, charged by Prince Geran to find new trade routes and map the western seas. He named the continent "New Kerasa," after his homeland and the capital of the region now known as Krastegrid, and established a colony at the mouth of the Stoneblood River. His company of some 5,000 men and women voted that the settlement be named "Arquistone."
The settlers of Arquistone immediately met natives of New Kerasa. The people of Bor and Berenc, the Rumerani tribes, and the natives of the Cape all displayed displayed caution when dealing with the Kerasan settlers. The tribes spoke similar tongues which betrayed a common ancestral language which was once prominent in the region, but the people were not open to sharing their history with the Kerasians. Governer Lord Arquis initiated an uneasy trade alliance with the Boor people and slowly Kerasian culture expanded beyond the borders of Arquistone.