Alright, let's go. I'm not normally one for fanfics, preferring originals mostly, but I read a few David Eddings fanfics and thought of a few good ideas for one. Lo and behold, this happened. So then, bear with me. This is a short chapter for the moment because I just wanted to establish the basis of the story; what's happened, where everything's at, etcetera. Pretty much, late 1800s to early 1900s, when the majority of technological revolution happened.
For the first time in hopefully many chapters, I say that, sadly, none of the Belgariad or Mallorean, including characters, themes and ideas, belong to me, except for the plot and any original characters.
Updated on 16/03/12. I just added a little more to some of the changes.
Updated again on 17/03/12. Fixed dates and titles.
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Belgarath, the Eternal Man, Ancient and Beloved, the most powerful sorcerer in the world, and married to a wolf, sat reading idly through the Mrin Codex. Even though the book had sometimes made him do everything short of destroy it in frustration, it had never lied and it had guided his path true and clear.
Now, because of the obliteration of the Dark Prophecy some thousand years ago, it was just a useless bit of parchment recalling past events in an archaic tone.
Those thousand years had been kind to the world, both in the East and the West. Eriond had convinced the Angaraks not to kill Alorns anymore, and there existed a strong truce between the Alorn kingdoms and Mallorea, forged by Belgarion and Zakath, two of the most powerful rulers in history. Urgit's secret had been let loose, and bonds between Aloria and the Murgo kingdoms had strengthened, and the previously-weak monarch even kept his soldiers from others' throats.
The wars in Arendia quieted down a bit after Belgarion had put his foot down – quite forcefully – a few times, and convinced the northern Tolnedrans to find another pastime than supplying weapons to destroy peace. Prince Keldar and his associate, a scraggy Nadrak named Yarblek, succeeded in becoming the world's richest men and even held the title for a dozen or so years before the investments were passed to Keldar's two children. The fortune still is passed through the family, each generation being taught to make money, from money.
In more recent years, there had been several dozen changes of monarchs on the thrones of each nation, and three changes in dynasty in Tolnedra – the Borune dynasty died with Varana's son, and the golden mantle of the emperor was passed to the Vorduvians. They ruled until 5433, when their last ruler passed the mantle to the Honethites, and they left the throne to the Borunes again in 5801. Now, in 6386, Ran Borune XXXIV industrialised Tolnedra, not far behind the economic Sendarians – probably because Tolnedra tried to swindle ideas out of people instead of coming up with them themselves.
The last few hundred years had definitely been interesting. With the advancement of technology, a compound formed by mixing stone and a few other things formed a substance commonly known as cement, and this paved just about every road in the West, as far as Belgarath knew. A certain powder was discovered to have been particularly ignitable, and the invention of firearms came into the world – long iron barrels with a trigger release, igniting the powder and launching a small steel ball.
Asturians, being well-known for their marksmanship, eventually abandoned their bows for the superior firearms.
Although these firearms, known as guns, weren't entirely safe to other human beings, they were mostly used for hunting.
Because of all this industrial revolutionising, wood was being burned at an increasingly fast rate, and the northern forests of Gar og Nadrak disappeared in about two hundred years of intensive wood-cutting. The Dryads of Tolnedra defended their territory with a vengeance, however, and it was almost impossible to travel through their animosity; the (Great Forest) became known as a death-trap for all who entered. Although they kept good relations in the past with the Borune dynasty of Tolnedra, their logging industries destroyed that relationship.
The Algars, despite the newer forms of transport quickly being formed, such as the first flying machines of history, stuck adamantly to their horse-breeding, and still out sped anything on land, a fact they were quite proud of. Belgarath had observed a few subdued experiments conducted on the plains, however, that showed that they did take a mild interest in the flying contraptions.
And the Sendars; strong, unwavering and resourceful. Although they still farmed for the staples of modern life, like wheat, grain, poultry and meat, they had expanded even further into other areas that people need, like weaponry, tailoring, blacksmithing, mining and several others that had now become the necessary things for life.
Because of this, Sendaria led the way into a brighter and more productive future.
All in all, it had been an eventful few hundred years, and the sorcerer idly wondered what the future held for them.
'I could tell you if you'd like.'
Belgarath nearly fell out of his chair.