Years of War:
The Black Age would start with discoveries such as the medical qualities of the common plant known as Elfroot. Though there would be dark times such as the murder of King Guiomar the Younger of Antiva by the legendary Callisti di Bastion. In 4:40 Black, the Divine would call the first of 4 Exalted Marches to destroy the Heathens in Tevinter. The Chantry would gather large armies from all over Thedas except for Divina and they would march on Tevinter. But all would end in failure with the Chantry's armies failing to take Tevinter's capital of Minrathous. All the Exalted Marches did was increase the separation between Tevinter and the South. The Imperial Chantry forms its own dogma and policies and many mages flee from the Chantry allows Tevinter to recover from its waning power.
In 4:46 Black, Divine Clemence I commission the Tevinter Fugitive and former magister Adralla of Vyrantium to write the Litnay of Adralla which is a tool to use against Blood Magic and demons. In 4:52 Black, the Great Riot of Val Royeaux takes place and is believed to have sparked by the performance of the Lost Play The Setting of the Light.
In 4:80 Black, the Orlesian Emperor Jullian believed that it was time for the heathens in Divina to be vanquished and he called for a conclave to discuss what must be done. He was able to convince many of the Kingdoms to unite to destroy Divina. It was in part that Jullian was related to many of the other rulers of Thedas through his Grandmother Queen Asha of Antiva. Though many just wanted the great Wealth of Divina. Jullian was convinced that a they should split their army in three with a attack on the West by Orlais, an invasion of Highever through the Waking Sea and a 2nd landing near the city of Denerim. However Neverra refused to get involved in this and sent a warning in secret which warned Divina's emperor. Soon the Orlesian army attack the Great Wall and they were determined to take this wall down and retake their lost city of Monstimmard. The Free Marches states invaded the Waking Sea and Antiva and Rivain would invade Denerim. All three invasions ended in a disaster. The attack on Denerim was done with small raiding ships and renforcements from the islands of Alamar and Brandel's Reach caused the invasion to be boxed in and slaughtered and then the army of the Imperial city would move and attack the Free Marcher's army from behind while they besieged the city of Highever. The 2nd army was defeated and forced into retreat.
Meanwhile Jullian personally led his Orlesian army to the Great Wall of Divina. The Elves of the Dales as well as the human army stationed at the Wall were prepared for a defence. With only one gate through the Wall, Jullian ordered his army to break the Gate down. However the army at the Gate refused to move and Siege engines were usless as the rocks they fired just went over the wall. Catapults were more effective but Divina and the Elves had used magic on the wall so the wall refused to fall easily. Jullian had no word on the other armies and had no idea that they had been easily defeated. The Battle at the Gate developed into a stalemate as neither side would budge. The Wall's defenders were easily able to get supplies but the attackers started to run out of supplies. Finally in 4:84 Black, the Gates of the wall opened, Jullian believed that the Gate had fallen then led his army and rushed through the Gate with his army and was determined to end the defenders of the wall. However it turned out to be a trap as the Wall had a second hidden gate which dropped and trapped Jullian and a good portion of his army. The defenders of the wall surround Jullian's small army and Jullian was killed in the fighting. His body was paraded around the walls and the rest of the army lost heart and fled. After the terrible defeats that the Chantry faced, Divina would strike hard and they led ship attacks on the Free March state of Kirkwall and several Orlesian cities such as Val Royeaux which Grand Cathedral was burnt and it took many years to rebuild.
In 4:99 Black, Divine Justinia II named the next age as the Exalted Age as the wars with Tevinter persists. But in 5:10 Exalted, the 4th Exalted March ends in a retreat for Orlais and then the world would be shaken when in 5:12 Exalted, the Fourth Blight began in Antiva and the country was quickly overrun by Darkspawn. Antiva city is evacuated but the royal family refuses to leave. The royal guard rebel and kill King Elaudio but are stopped by the Grey Wardens and it is reported that he is killed by Darkspawn. The Free Marches is also attacked and the Grey Wardens are able to evacuated the people of the city of Wycome to Starkhaven. But then the Darkspawn pour into the Free Marches and Rivain and the Darkspawn rise in Anderfels as well and their capital city of Hossberg comes under siege.
Orlais and Tevinter are attacked by Fewer Darkspawn and are able to drive the Darkspawn back underground. However mainly because of the failed Exalted Marches, Tevinter refuses to send any aid to the Marches and Orlais only sends a token force. Only Divina remained safe though they were reluctant to get involved outside their territory as they had been attacked by Orlais and when they had assisted in the 2nd Blight, the Chantry tried to force the Chant of Light on them.
In 5:16 Exalted, Divine Hortensia II died and her replacement, Divine Rosamund is elected and is the youngest Divine in history and she had been groomed for the position by Hortensia. In 5:20 Exalted, the Grey Warden Garahel is able to convince Divina to send aid to the Free Marches due to Divina being him homeland. Garahel is able to break the siege of Hossberg. Back in the Free Marches, the despite the help of Divina, the Darkspawn ravage the Free Marches and Kirkwall declares the common Nug as vermin due to fears that they carry the Darkspawn taint. Refugees flee towards Divina and Divina allows them in. In 5:22, Garahel unites the Free Marches together and Wardens from Orlais, Divina and Anderfels unite and an army is gathered to stop the Darkspawn. The united army is led North by the Grey Wardens and in 5:24 Exalted, the Battle of Ayesleigh takes place in southern Antiva. Garahel dies killing the Archdemon Andoral and so many Darkspawn are killed in the fighting that they believe that the Blights are over. Though the Dwarves fight the Darkspawn daily but are ignored except by the Grey Wardens and Divina. The young Orlesian Knight Lambert Valmont is raised to nobility for his bravery in the battle of Ayesleigh by King Azar of Antiva. Lambert marries one of Azar's daughters and when he returns to Orlais, the Emperor is forced to raise Lambert to nobility and House Valmont is created. However many Griffens were killed in the fighting and they would die out not long after.
In 5:37 Exalted with aid from Divina, Tylus Van Markham is crowned King after claiming to be a descendent of Emperor Drakon's son killed in Cumberland and kills the Ruling King of Neverra. He was also a hero of the Fourth Blight and stirs Nationalist feelings in the Western Free Marches against the growing power of Orlais. He wins several victories against Orlais and established Neverra as a growing new power. The Chantry's influence in the Free Marches begins to fade as many states are angry with the Chantry as Divina aided them when the Darkspawn were attacking. The Chantry sat back in Orlais and did nothing so the Chantry's power begins to fade. Many people from the Free Marches also fled to Divina and many ended up converting to the Nine Divines and settling in Divina which angered the Chantry claiming that they had turned their backs on the Maker.
In 5:71 Exalted, Divine Rosamund dies after 55 years in power and is regarded as one of the most compassionate women to have had the position. Divine Amara III is elected and she was a fanatic and sought to return the Chantry's power in the Free Marches so she had the Templars crack down on people converting to the Nine Divines and many were s;aughtered but this angered Divina and the Free Marches and only created Riots in the cities which resulted in Templars being killed in the cities and Grand Clerics being attacked by mobs. Eventually Amara III was assassinated though it is unkown who, some say it was templars others say assassins from Divina did the deed and she is replaced by Divine Theodosia I. In 5:99 Exalted, Queen Madrigal of Antiva is assassinated on a hunt and is stabbed by 4 blades. When Theodosia hears the news, she names the next age as the Steel Age due to her having nightmares about the assassination.
The Steel Age would see a new enemy arrive on Thedas. In 6:15 Steel, Dragons were hunted to near extinction by Dragons slayers of Divina and by the Pentaghasts of Neverra. But in 6:30 Steel, a new people known as the Qunari landed in Par Vollen, an island nation north of mainland Thedas which was loosely controlled by Tevinter and they quickly conquer the land unknown to the rest of the world. Two years later in 6:32 Steel, Qunari ships land on the Tevinter controlled Island of Seheron and Northern Rivain. This was the start of the Qunari wars and by 6:42, most of Tevinter except for the capital of Minrathous is taken along with most of Rivain and Antiva and the Qunari attack the Free Marches.
In Divina, there would be a small civil war when Lord Balak, one of the tribal Avvar lords organisted a small army and attacked Divine in 6:50 Steel. The war lasted two years but Balak was eventually killed in battle and the Avvar submitted, however there was a great famine and Divina had to relay on imports from Neverra. When the Chantry heard of this, they attempted to force the Chant of Light on them saying their Nine Divines had turned their backs on them but like all the other attempts, it was repelled.
Back with the Qunari, the humans had managed to organize themselves and push back the Qunari and rebellions in conquered Tevinter manage to free Tevinter from Qunari control. The Qunari are forced into retreat. When the Qunari attack the city of Seleny, a dragon appears and forces the Qunari into retreat. In 6:99 Steel, Divine Hortensia III names the next age as the Storm Age as she sees a storm of violence across Thedas.
Hortensia was right as there was a lot of violence across the Storm Age. First in 7:5 Storm, Emperor Arland becomes Emperor of Divina and is proven to be a Tyrant and he places hard taxes on the people of Divina. But soon Arland goes into madness and he accused the Grey Wardens of Divina to be working for the Chantry. His cousin Sophia Dryden was the commander of the Wardens and Arland feared that she might try to overthrow him. So he ordered his army to destroy the wardens at Kvatch, but most of his army mutinied and the Wardens joined in Rebellion and they started a civil war which would see Arland killed.
By 7:23, the Qunari are forced back to Seheron and Rivain but they are well entrenched and in the same year, the largest naval Battle of the history of Thedas, the battle of Nocen Sea results in a stalemate with many ships lost on both sides. With both sides exhausted, an impasse begins. In 7:25, the First Exalted March on the Qunari is declared by the Orlesian Chantry to retake Rivain and by the Imperial Chantry to retake Seheron and the city of Qarinus. During the wars, Orlais is able to steal the Qunari sacred book known as the Tome of Koslun.
The next years would see a change in politics. In 7:28 Storm, a dragon Cult uses the high Dragon Urzara to devastate the Northern Free Marches until the dragon is slain by a group of soldiers. In 7:34 Storm, Archon Nomaran is elected as Archon of Tevinter and he overturns the old rules and forbids Mages from taking part in politics though he is quickly assassinated and his laws are overturn. In 7:44 Storm, Emperor Freyan becomes Emperor and allows woman to become Knights in Orlais after witness the death of Ser Aveline, the knight of Orlais.
However the Qunari wars get worse when the Second Exalted march on the Qunari ends in disaster in 7:52 Storm and the Qunari capture most of Antiva. Then Divina gets their first fight with the Qunari when the Qunari attack their island stronghold of Estwatch and the Qunari use it as a launching point for their fleets. Though the Qunari are impressed with Divina's capability. In 7:55 raiders from Llomerryn unite under the banner of the Felicisima Armada and their fleets counter the Qunari fleets at sea. The third and final Exalted March on the Qunari is called and Divina assists this time and their fleets are able to retake Estwatch. In 7:56 Storm, while the Qunari are forced into retreat, they gain a foothold in the Free Marches by landing near Ostwick and attacking Starkhaven and Kirkwall, while Starkhaven defeats the Qunari, Kirkwall falls due to a Qunari Mage known as a Saarebas. The Qunari also land in Divina in order but they wanted to test the Divina army and they are easily defeated which caused the Qunari to respect Divina and their ways.
Kirkwall is liberated in 7:60 Storm by the efforts of an Orlesian Chevalier called Michel Lafaille who becomes the First Viscount of Kirkwall. More battles followed such as the Battle of Afsaana in 7:75 Storm between the Qunari and Orlais but by 7:84 Storm, the Qunari only have one stronghold left on mainland Thedas, the city of Kont-aar. The Nations declare that rebuilding is more importent than retaking Kont-aar so envoys from the Humans nations except Tevinter approach the Qunari and the Llyomerryn Accord is signed and peace is declared although it is a fragile peace. But Tevinter countines their wars against the Qunari to retake Seheron though the Qunari pulled back to Par Vollen and Rebuild. In 7:99 Storm, the Divine names the next age as the Blessed Age after twins boys are born to Emperor Etienne I of Orlais. And during this age, Divina would face their toughest challenge yet.
Chapter end:
Notes: Just one history chapter left before we get to the story. I am trying to figure out how the great War between Divina and Orlais will go so the next chapter will need some think over.
