Santhros: Anchor Points

*kicks thread door open*

Let's revamp this discussion a little so that we have something to start with at Santhmoot II, August is neighing.

I read in another thread that the idea was to start with a 'milestone scheme' and work in a spiraling way from there. We have 1600 years to fill, so let's start. We have a few basic outlines on the site in the history section, which are terrible outdated:
- Age of Change (50 b.S. - 500 a.S.)
- Golden Age of Kings (500 - 1249 a.S.)
- Age of Discoveries (1249 a.S. - now)

The following changes have been proposed
- Age of Rebuilding (1500 - now)
- Age of Havoc (XXXX - 1500)

The discussion concerning the Age of Rebuilding I leave in another thread where it belongs, but let's see if we can somehow mix the old information in the history section with our new ideas, keeping in mind Curgann's comments on 'transitional periods' (see of the other thread on this topic).

The Age of Change sounds logical to have to me. It would be a typical transitional period: after all, for the first time (or, for the first time since the old elven empire Fav'al-thingie?) the whole Southern Sarvonian continent is united under one banner. We need a few centuries to:
- establish a governmental apparatus which can govern this large an empire/nation
- social problems with clans/people/cities/races not readily accepting the new government, read for example the entry on the Ban-Yuk Ogres.
- other empires/nations testing the power of this new nation (for example, from the North, from Nybelmar, from Aeruillin.
- I think this does not necessarily have to last until 500 a.S., but for example until 200 a.S.

Afterwards, when most of these problems have been settled, you can have these few centuries of the Golden Age of Kings. This should then be a glorious period with a lot of diplomatic and trade contacts overseas and up north, architectonial prestigious projects etc. Of course this can't go on for ever, one King will fall see the possibility of an overseas land grab, or might want to repress the population for even more money to build his own mausoleum. This might end in a revolution, with as marking point the desctruction of Santhala by angry mobs and/or rebelling orders (remember that the power of the Santhran is based on knightly orders, see entry on Santharia, lots of possibilities here). We've arrived for example at 400 a.S.

If we want the family of Santhros to survive, a possible heir has to be kept safe somewhere. We could find ourselves a knightly order which hides the sang real (yes that is an attempt to create our own grail legend) while chaos reigns the lands. I'd propose not divide the country again in tribes, but something more along the lines of the Frankonian empire after Charlemagne, which was divided in three among the sons (which in our case could be the strongest thanes all battling for the lost throne), so that Santharia would be split in something like three or four parts. We could make a very interesting course of time here with centuries of constant changes in the map, allegiances changing over time, until we have time for peace again.

Age of Rebuilding would then follow somewhere along the lines of 1200 a.S. (hold on, we'll arrive at 1500 a.S. shortly, just using my lables for the periods differently). The continent is still divided into several nations, but no longer constantly quarreling. The reason for this could be a common enemy or threat from outside. imHo this could be a very good time to have something with a grand good vs. evil battle like thing again, or some sort manifestation of the eternel struggle between Ava and Coor. To me, Santharia always remains a realm of wonder, magic and myth and I don't see why the last two millenia should be without this sort of epic struggle which is at the core of the Santharian myth and elven belief.

This would then result in another (but as always, not final) victory of good and with Gruthonc (sp?) the Wise we could then have all the continent united again, for another glorious Age of Discoveries. The aforementioned Age of Rebuilding would then become the transitional period to this (and the current) period of prosperity.

Of course you can see that the change of Ages happens more rapidly in modern Santharian times, but this matches our own history as well, where we can see a rapid change of society along side the end of 19th and throughout the whole 20th century, with pre-industrial, industrial, modern and postmodern society quickly exchanging places within the course of some mere decades.

Well, that's quite a donation of two sans I think, let's hear some response, comments, criticism so that we can carry on with this issue!