Gaian civilization continued to grow, as such things tend to do, and it soon became obvious that they weren't the only such developers on the land mass. Rumors had often spoken of other great races beyond the setting sun, and sightings of scouting groups lent substance to these. Their first official encounter came from the Halite people, in the form of representatives boldly marching to the gates of Rigat – the fifth Gaian city, settled on the sugar-rich plains beyond the mountains encircling Umma to the West.
Unlike Gaian civilization, founded in relative isolation, on the ideals of the nomads they had once been, the Halite had achieved supremacy simply by annihilating any and all competition before settling down. Their civilization was very much based upon the idea of their own supremacy, and the sheer arrogance shown by the representatives bode ill for the possibility of favorable relations. With vast yet primitive armies, the Halite were decidedly belligerent in their demands of the Gaian people.
Hospitality can only be stretched so far, and as soon as the representatives, inevitably perhaps, demanded full knowledge of many of Gaian technologies – including advanced construction and currency – they were forcibly ejected from the city, and told to find their way back to their own people. This they managed to do, bearing tales of the Gaian refusal to bow to their supposed supremacy. The inescapable war between civilizations had begun.
The Kahn refused to let the civilization as a whole suffer, however, simply moving available battle-capable citizens to Rigat and Umma – the cities under greatest threat – and continued to expand Northward, beyond snow-capped mountains, and into the ice-plains dotted with forests beyond. Tyra, Ignar, and Jima were founded in quick succession, taking advantage of a large inland lake, a river wending its way toward same lake from the mountains, and another river making its way through forests rich with deer and other game.
Shortly after the founding of Jima, potential settlers sighted herds of horses – roaming animals that Gaians had often encountered when nomadic. Settled where the delta of a river emptied into an ocean bay, the city of Gorath was a base for horse-wranglers and breeders, where they made a successful bid to domesticate the herds somewhat, to the extent that a good many were trained to be ridden. These were quick to be pressed into service further speeding up communication between cities, but many, deemed still too wild to be utilized in such a mundane task, were instead ridden by trained warriors. Trained in throwing javelins and spearmanship, these providing the fledgling Gaian military with trained cavalry – something the Halite military lacked.
Incursions into Gaian territory by Halite warriors became many and frequent, until finally a massed invasion began, targeting Rigat. The Halite had very much the advantage in numbers, but superior tactics and technology held back the offensive. Gaian archers had begun practicing the usage of longer, stronger bows, capable of shooting much farther and with more force than a standard bow – such that the Halite used. Few attacking warriors reached the walls, and those that did were swiftly repelled by Gaian spearmen.
Losses were inevitably taken by the defenders, but they were nothing compared to the slaughter wrought upon the Halite, especially once the cavalry arrived to help whittle down their forces – some of whom had taken up archery in addition to their already formidable skills. With superior speed on their side, the Gaian cavalry chased what remained of the routed Halite force back to the desert that formed the border of Gaian territory.
Upon receiving word of the defeat suffered, the Halite chieftain sent emissaries under sign of parley, in order to open up the possibility of more cordial relations. Nothing much resulted from this, other than opening the borders once more to trading between the two races – albeit closely watched. It was about this time that another civilization was revealed – that of the Prasian. Like the Halite, their capital was established much further to the West, but North, and over a mountain range from the more warlike race.
The fringes of their expansion, however, were already beginning to lap at the edges of the Gaian territory – reaching as far as the mountain range, distantly visible across the desert from the plains surrounding Rigat. Gaian explorers were soon to discover that this range stretched across the entire continent – a sort of spine to the land.
Three more cities were founded in quick succession, this time to the East of Gaia; one, just South-East of Gorath, was a base for the mining of a new, reddish mineral, which when extracted from the ore, created Iron. Traces of Iron had previously been found, and had been used primarily in increasing efficiency and longevity of farming equipment.
The quantities at which the ore was mined outside of Kora, however, was sufficient to experiment thoroughly with, and smiths were soon founded to forge stronger, more efficient armament for the military forces, primarily those stationed near the Halite border. The threat of force evident, accompanied by several demonstrations as to the effectiveness of Iron weaponry versus Bronze, held the Halite in check for long centuries to come.
It was about this time that the greater minds of the civilization gathered in Gaia for a summit on belief. Many had begun to question the monotheism that had for centuries salved the people's uncertainty of creation, the afterlife, and the question 'why?' – a fact the priests were more than eager to see stopped. But the inhabitants of the libraries disagreed – the fact of the matter was that a belief in God relied heavily on faith, and not questioned the more detailed assumptions, usually glossed over by the clergy.
This was not contenting to the intellectual community, as they preferred reason and logic over blind faith. If something is not able to be adequately proven, their argument said, then it must invariably be open to question. The clergy's resounding response to this was one of indignation, claiming the libraries were sinful, and had removed themselves of the grace of God. When asked why, a great deal of spluttering ensued. The scientific community, as they now were known, laid back and watched their opponents dig their own graves.
The Kahn, seeing this, was unconcerned. He bothered himself with the responsibilities of his people, the duty of which he deemed much more important than endless religious speculation. His son, however, was a frequenter of the libraries, with an insatiable thirst for knowledge. He had been one of the chief organizers of the scientific forum on religion, having speculated at a very young age on the more unaccountable gaps in religion, refusing to blindly accept what did not make sense of any kind.
But a Kahn was to be objective, so he had also closely studied religion, learning from the highest ranking Bishop himself in private tutelage. Everything he learned made him question even more, until the Bishop threw his hands up in despair at the boy's lack of faith – a fact that convinced the future Kahn more than ever that the time for change had come. When he rose to power after his father's death, it was decreed that citizens were no longer to be blindly dedicated to a single creed. People were to believe whatever they wished, he said, and to be free to question all they thought was lacking cohesion. The scientific process of organized experiments was adopted as standard in learning institutions nation-wide.
Such a dramatic reorganization on a personal scale was slow to be absorbed, especially by the older and more sedentary-minded, but the more rational tended to prevail, on the basis that religion wasn't actually being attacked as such – only being organized more logically as a personal aspect of life, best excluded from a formal education. This was a pivotal moment in the Gaian civilization's growth, the effects of which were not to be seen conclusively for decades still to come.
Meanwhile, little had been heard from the Prasians. Relations remained open and hospitable, but, unlike the Halite, the Prasians were primarily an industrious and introspective people, focused more upon their own civilization than the doings of others. They were slightly awed, it must be said, of the technological prowess and cultural strength of the Gaian people, which may have led to an understandable reticence. Indeed, the Prasian city of Mera, so impressed by the nearby Gaian city of Rigol, newly settled just North-West of Rigat, voluntarily acceded to Gaian rule. It is testament to the Prasian civilization as a whole that they took this succession with remarkable aplomb, requesting neither relinquishment or recompense, letting the city's residents choose as they preferred. Those who did not wish to acquiesce to a Gaian influence removed themselves rather than make a stand, and many other Prasians chose to emigrate to Mera to experience a Gaian lifestyle. Many stayed.
Trouble, however, was once more on the rise. The Halite, encouraged by recent advances in their own warfare technology and disciplines, became restless once more. It was horses they wanted, and horses they were going to have. Two more cities had been settled to the South of Rigat – Juna on the banks of an interconnected lake network on the desert's edge, and Theril even further South, bordering on two Halite cities. The spot was risky from the first, but it was hoped by the settlers that, like Mera, the two might accede to Gaian rule – especially if they offered usage of the horse-herds that were roaming the surrounding grassland, not to mention the luxury furs collected within the nearby forests.
Unfortunately, the mischievous settlers had been lulled by the Halite docility of the past few centuries – as had the Kahn himself, who stationed no more military than a necessary show of force. The Halite had learned craftiness of their own, however, and had amassed a sufficient force to overwhelm the lightly-held city. Once more, they pushed for knowledge of the most recent Gaian advancements, including designs from the civilization's most talented inventors. One more, they were refused – but this time, it was expected and planned for.