Page 2Chugoku

Sam

ple

file

Page 3 Chugoku

Sam

ple

file

Page 4

2500’s Khonshu had lost much of it’s fleet to skirmishes and it’s realm of influence dwindled, allowing other powers to grow across the globe. By modern times the Khonshu naval kingdom had ceased to be, and they are simply a supplicant to the Scyzantine Sultanate.

Hyperia: ~2800 BFHyperia holds many

similarities to our own Greece and Macedonian civilizations. Even the myriad of city states bear similarities to our own. In recent times those similarities have fallen away, with a unified Hyperia under the rule of a dynasty of conquering kings. More differences arise in what are merely myths to us are fact to Hyperians. Inventors have created fantastic devices for their rulers, including flight for flightless animals, Heroes tread the lands fighting horrific beasts, and Sailors visit amazing islands off the coast, meeting bizarre hermits and collecting ancient artifacts. Hyperia has also been the long rival of Khonshu, with both having massive naval fleets, and with Hyperians worshiping sun gods, the rivalry only grew stronger, until Hyperia finally

On a world like ours, called Earth, with seven continents, and a history not unlike our own, live animals have that raised themselves up to create cities, to invent inventions, and to govern nations. Just as with our own time line, the Earth of Brushfire can trace back dozens of empires, that rose and fell, that changed the face of the world, that crushed civilizations, and rebuilt them from scratch.

Khonshu: ~3000 BF (Before Foundation)

Similar to Ancient Egypt or Babylon of our own Earth, Khonshu was an oasis kingdom, eked out from a tiny river on the tip of a peninsula. In the early days of their Earth, civilization held its seat of power in the south of the major land mass, Eutheria. Despite it’s isolation by land from other areas of the continent, cut off by an expanse of desert, Khonshu controlled a large fleet of ships, which were able to patrol distant holdings, and raid potential foes. Indigenous to many nocturnal creatures, Khonshu’s religion was based heavily upon the Moon and deities related to it. By the

History of the Worldsupplanted Khonshu as the dominant power of the ancient world.

Jaguero Empire: ~1450 BFJust as the Meso-Americans

all but disappeared under the coming of the Conquistadors, the Jaguero were pressed deep into the jungles of Vespuccia, leaving behind their ruined villages and temples. But long before they became a mystery, the Jaguars were the dominant power across two continents. Their monolithic structures were built as far north as what is now Xalepena City. Their downfall was a long time coming, as they had long oppressed the other species of Vespuccia. The Capybara were all but extinct when the first colonists from Mare-Civitas set foot on the coast. They were the last threat against the total domination of the hemisphere. Beyond the lust for power, the evidence left behind in their cities show a blood lust for sacrificial ceremonies. A people that could have focused their efforts towards developing a better world, spent their days killing their friends, families, and slaves to appease their appetites.

Sam

ple

file

Page 5

Chugoku: 745 BFWhen the Myo Khans, roving

nomads of the eastern steppes, settled down from generations of war with the Vandal tribes, they had no comprehension that they would be placing the cornerstones of one of the greatest nations on earth. Despite it’s current crisis of civil war, and oft deposition of weak rulers, Chugoku has developed many of the greatest advancements in technology, culture and government. Even in the middle of a 4-sided war, Chugokans rarely live in poverty. Unlike our own China, Chugoku managed to keep outsiders restricted to merchant activities and never found themselves a practical colony to Imperialist western countries. Instead, the decadence of its own rulers forced the hands of the people to fight for equal rights, thrusting Chugoku into it’s current internal strife.

Rodentian Republic: ~650 BFThe myth goes that two

rats found their tails bound together. Some versions of the story say they were bandits, tail knotting being a common punishment in Hyperia. Other variations say they had survived a brutal battle together, binding their tails in brotherhood. In either case, the two rats, Rode and N’Tia found themselves on the coast of the Mare-Civitas, the Civilized Sea. Dying of thirst the two desperately drank from the waters. The miraculously fresh water saved their lives and the two set about building a house upon the coast. In the decades

to come more animals would trek to the coastline, hoping to avoid predators in the wilds and join the two friends and build a village. By 650 BF, Rodentia had become a nation of ideals, quickly on it’s way to being the crown of the civilized world. A Senate of elected officials discussed the needs of the people and the laws of the known world.

Rodentian Empire: 0 AF (After Foundation)

By 0 AF, Rodentia had become a twisted, corrupt civilization. Murius, a member of the Senate, found himself cast out for daring to question the ethics of a fellow member. The group had become a criminal syndicate that the civilians thought they voted for. During his last days in Rodentia, after he had presented his evidence to the council chambers, Murius worked with members of the army to ensure that if he failed, the Senate would fall. Murius’ body would eventually be found on the coast of Brisica, an island not far from the capital. The day after, the army moved into the city and sacked the Senate building, killing all the senators inside. The city itself was destroyed to a brick. In the coming months, General Soricus, a shrew, would lead the military in building a new capital, Muriccio, in honor of the one honest Senator, on the coast of Brisica. Soricus would be crowned Caesar, and the calendar reset to After Foundation.

Scyzantine Empire: 752 AFCold-blooded creatures

have always liked the heat. During the waning years of the Rodentian Empire, Scyzas, a monitor lizard, founded a home for all reptile kind on the shores of Lake Tiberia. He named the city after his wife Lacerta, who had died on their journey. Scyzas, like many reptiles, was seen as a lower form of life to mammals; the Rodentian Empire used reptiles as slaves. With a safe haven for their kind, Reptiles across the continents travelled there, to live under a free banner. Though the Rodentians saw this growing ‘scaly presence’ as a threat, the Vandals to their north would destroy their empire before they could act against the slaves.

For generations the city would grow, above and below ground. Other cities sprouted up across the desert, and the tribes of Zabar allied themselves with the new sultanate. Eventually even the great kingdom of Khonshu would become a principality to the Sultan. Some historians suggest this great unification of the south and the east would cause the Holy Rodentian Empire to form. Taking up the cause of mammals everywhere, Orders of Knights would bring battle to the Scyzantines, for several centuries, the Southern Crusades would wreak havoc upon both sides. Though the Knightly Orders are now scattered and broken, bankrupt in their own blood lust, and the principalities under the rule of the Scyzantines have returned to their own autonomy, there is always the chance these two powers could bring about a new war, to wreck the entire

Sam

ple

file

Page 6

devices, or worked in foundries casting iron work, Vespucci longed for exploration. Generations of failed sea voyages told him that the world had been discovered, and there was nothing new to see, but he eventually set about proving the existence of another land mass by haphazard math, conjectured evidence, and a collection of hearsay. Despite his inept presentation, a group of Civitan merchants saw promise in his suggestion. Another continent would provide colonization prospects as well as new resources to exploit, which the Mare-Civitas was quickly running out of. In 1488 AF, Lorenzo da Muriccio, the Prince of Merchants, paid for the ships, crew, and supplies Vespucci would need to reach a continent half a world away. A year later with land in sight, Vespucci wept on the deck, too wracked with emotion to set foot on the land. Lorenzo da Muriccio claimed the land of Vespuccia for Mare-Civitas.

The World Today: 1821 AFToday is an era of unrest on

their Earth. As one might say every moment is anywhere. A new Empire rises in Aquitar, and the Scyzantines outlast any of the three Rodentian nations. With gunpowder and cannon leading the way in war, many soldiers of antique combat find themselves outstripped in prowess. Today, heroes lead from the rear, directing battle from atop a hill, drinking sancerre in their tents. The thunderous volley of black powder kills thousands in a battle, where hours would go

hemisphere.

Holy Rodentian Empire: 945 AF

The story of the building of Muriccio often leaves out that much of the building material was taken from the scorched ruins of Rodentia. Many prophets said that any nation built on the ruins of corrupt Rodentia would be doomed. Though the city of Muriccio stands to this day, The Rodentian Empire had fallen by 800 AF. For a century and a half, the Vandals controlled the continent in a reign of fear and war. When the Scyzantines began pressing west into the remnants of the Rodentian Empire, the Vandals reunified the ancient nation into a new machine of war. The Holy Rodentian Empire fought to protect God and Country from the reptilian threat. Despite having origins in a call to war, the HRE became a stable force in Eutheria, even giving the world such advanced leaders as Charles de Mange. Eventually as the crusades against the easterlings weighed heavily on the soldiery and the citizenry, the Empire fell apart, into half a dozen minor nations, but the framework still exists, bolstered by the Grand Order of the Knights Bubonic, always poised to protect the western world from the threat of scaly domination.

Rediscovery of Vespuccia: 1489 AF

Vespucci da Ventura was different from other Venturans. While most kept to their smithies inventing new

by, in antiquity, with out a single death. Brushfire’s Earth is on the cusp of the modern age, if it can only survive the industrial revolution.

Sam

ple

file

Page 7 Scyzantine

History of ScyzantineFoundation of the Empire

748 AF - Scyzas and his tribe had been defeated by the Rodents in a skirmish on the shores of the Danidan River. Like all reptiles in the Rodentian Empire, Scyzas and his wife Lacerta were sold into slavery.

751 AF - Several years into his servitude, Scyzas was sold to Praetor Pyctoris on the front lines against the Vandals. While camped on the Danidan River, the Praetor’s army was attacked by a group of berserking Hamsters, the first of many forays by the Vandals in their dismantling of the Rodentian

Empire.

752 AF - Scyzas would escape into the forest during the attack and begin a search for his wife. After over a year of questing, Scyzas found Lacerta in the heart of Muriccio. After sneaking out of the city the two would find themselves hunted by Praetor Pyctoris. Sure of an impending reptilian revolution, the Praetor would follow them as they fled down the Danidan river toward the eastern deserts.

753 AF - Racing east, the Praetor’s soldiers eventually caught up to Scyzas and Lacerta. On the shores of Lake

Tiberia, Lacerta was slain by the Rodents. Scyzas would have been killed as well if not for the intervention of Veiled Chameleons, bursting from the sand itself to slay the interlopers. Now free from slavery, Scyzas would found a city named for his lost wife as a haven for all reptiles.

825 AF - As the city was built, it was soon realized it was not safe enough on the open shores. By building tunnels beneath it, another city was established at the base of the Bayawak Mountains, and the two were linked together. Any siege that would be successful would have to close off both cities at once. Eventually Agaminople, the new city, would become the capital of Scyzantium, and become the grandest city of the world.

Varanid-Agamid War1030 AF - Monitors of the

southern deserts would eventually migrate into the empire, and their leader, Griseus, would declare dominion over the empire. For centuries, the Monitors had been the nominal rulers of the southern world. In their generations-long migration cycle, the Monitors had not discovered the burgeoning empire for over 200 years.

1031 AF - The deliberations between the Monitors and the Agamid Dynasty lasted for over a year before a war between the two broke out. The siege of Agaminople began soon after, and the Monitors were sure of their victory.

Sam

ple

file

Page 8Scyzantine

1035 AF - With it’s link to Lacerta, Agaminople was never fully affected by the attrition of a siege. The Monitors camping outside the city were growing aware of their connection to the outside world and sought to find another way into the city. In the Bayawak mountains above Agaminople, a cave system runs through to Chugoku. The Monitors purchased blackpowder from the Chugokans and sappers used the explosives to create a hole in the cave system into the back of the city. The Siege ended quickly as Monitors poured into the city. Griseus was crowned Varanus ibn Qutul, first sultan of the Varanid Dynasty.

The Reconquista and The Crusades

1050 AF - The Varanids soon showed extreme prowess for rule, and began to enjoy a more stable, civilized life in their new Empire, and soon saw fit to expand their borders. With the vacuum of power resulting from the collapse of the Rodentian Empire, many of it’s holdings along the Mare-Civitas were ripe for conquering. Varanus ibn Qutul sent his forces against the city states of Hyperia. The forces of Scyzantium marched all the way to the sea, conquering cities and subjugating the mammals. The Monitors had never felt the slave’s whip and had no grasp of the fear and outrage their actions would cause across the western world.

1121 AF - The near islands off the Hyperian coastline remained under porcupine control. Despite several forays in an attempt to reconquer the mainland after 70 years, the Scyzantines still ruled their people with an iron fist. At the beginning of the decade a warlord banded together forces from Hyperia and the northern Mare-Civitas cities to once again try and retake their homeland. This Reconquista was successful and the capital of Helios was retaken in the summer of 1121.

1350 AF - Despite the loss of the majority of the Hyperian Territories, much of the northern lands remained under Scyzantine dominion. During the first half of the 14th century, the Scyzantines began building more permanent fortifications in these areas, including on the ruins of Rodentia itself. This became the last straw for the Mammals. Ludwig the Vandal, king of the Vandalands called for a war against the Reptiles. This First Crusade begain a centuries long conflict between the Reptiles and Mammals of Eutheria.

Sam

ple

file

Page 9 Scyzantine

Knightly Order, Varanus won the city and sparked the 8th Southern Crusade.

Reclaimation of Lacerta1755

With goading from his vizier, Varanus ibh Suley looked to reclaim many of the territories taken from the Scyzantines in the 7th Southern Crusade. The key feature of their battle plans was the lake side city of Lacerta, first capital of the Empire.

The city had become the headquarters of the Knights Tiberias in the intervening years, and the reptiles brought over a hundred cannons to destroy the walls and retake the city. The Knights were recently flushed with recruits and sat a close to ten thousand strong. During the first few weeks of the siege, the cannons destroyed the outer walls but the main keep remained protected by an inner wall.

After the Scyzantine forces moved into the city and began melee combat with the Knights, the fighting became brutal and the casualties on both sides began to mount. In hopes of defeating the defenders, the Sultan sent word to Agaminople to have a group of Assassins re-open the tunnels connecting Agaminople and Lacerta and secret themselves into the besieged city.

Once inside the inner walls, the assassins opened the gates to let their forces in. Despite the tactical position the Tiberian Knights found themselves in, the defenders refused to give up the keep itself. The Sultan found his hand forced, either massacre the knights and create martyrs, or leave the city to his people’s ancient foes. With the conviction to destroy the

Sam

ple

file