Chronology

Year of Change: Cyrus Northwode, an ambitious city-state head boldly claims several cities, including the trading town of Ursa, with force after several years of rising tensions between the nearby city-states.
1-9: Cyrus Northwode continues to slowly stabilize his rule over conquered city-states and absorb other city-states who don't recognize his right to rule his new lands.
6: Cyrus Northwode gains the help of a travelling sage who greatly assists in his conquest.
10: Cyrus proclaims himself king over his lands after removing the last of his enemies from his conquered lands and renames himself Cyrus the Great and names his lands Ursangro.
11-26: Cyrus focuses on expanding his country's wealth by prioritizing trade routes over law making and concerns of the citizens.
14: Cyrus the Great increases lumber prices with neighboring city-states and deals with opposition from the city-states by force, planting the seeds for the first war.
22: Cyrus's citizens and officials express concern about their King's violent and brute force methods. Many are imprisoned though some manage to flee to current day Ludoh.
31: Those who fled from Cyrus form the Council of City-States that govern themselves through elected councilmen. Their collective lands are named Ludoh.
40: Cyrus the Great dies in a mysterious accident that is never fully investigated and no culprit is found. His son, Garath, succeeds his father under advice from Cyrus' advisor who's name has been lost to history.
41: Ludoh demands lowered lumber prices. Garath the Great refuses. Ludoh invades Ursangro and captures several cities along the lumber route.
42: Ursangro brutality drives the Ludohans out, burning their own cities to the ground to drive the occupying forces into ambushes where they are killed to the last man.
46: As the Lumber War continue on, King Milnoir I assumes rulership over several city-states, named Ilim, and begins negotiations with Ludoh and Ursangro to end their war.
50: A number of merchant ruled city-states formally join together to form Eslana though little changes in their ruling power.
51: Nomadic peoples of eastern Ludoh grow tired of the loose governing body placed over them that limits their lifestyle and declare themselves the Free People of Ostil, named after their collective chieftain's clan. Ludoh doesn't challenge them due to the imminent end of the Lumber War.
52: The Lumber War officially comes to a close after a 6 year cold war filled with minor skirmishes.
58: Emperor Astrali I lays claim to all lands not belonging to Ilim, Ludoh, Ostil, Ursangro and Eslana.
65-71: The Uprising: Peseants in current day Thalis kill the members of Astrali I's governing party and declare themselves an independent country called Thalis.
66: Astrali I sends his army to subjugate the Thalians but they are unprepared to fight the natives who slowly decimate Astrali I's armies through guerilla warfare.
72: Under advice, and threat of invasion, from King Milnoir I Astrali I ceases to send soldiers into Thalis although he refuses to acknowledge Thalis as a country.
74: Garath the Great dies in a similar manner to his father which also is never fully investigated. His only heir and daughter, Alys, succeeds her father under advice from Garath's advisor who's name has been lost to history
77-86: King Miloir I dies of old age. The youngest of his heirs is named King Meloir II and sparks a civil war.
81: Having defeated 4 of his elder siblings King Melior II demands the remaining two surrender. Instead, the two band together, prolonging the war by at least 2 years.
86: King Melior II defeats and personally delivers their punishment, death by beheading, at the capital city of Melior.
87-108: 35 years of relative peace across the continent allowing the established countries to consolidate their power.
90: Astrali I dies peacefully in his sleep and the ablest of his heirs, as decided by duels to the death, is named Astrali II.
99: The Ostili finally respond to Ludoh's request to trade after nearly 50 years of silence on the matter.
108: Ayls the Wise, dies in a manner similar to her father and her son, Midir, succeeds her. Many of the servants and citizenry began to start rumors of a curse placed on the royal family.
109: Astrali II sets out to conquer Thalis, capturing and razing several border villages.
112: With funding from Eslana and weapons from Ilim the Thalians fight back the Astrasian soldiers and their Emperor.
121: Tensions rise between Thalis and Astrasia resulting in small minor conflicts.
125: The Ursangro Vanishings: Whole villages in Ursangro go silent and soldiers sent to investigate also disappear. Panic begins to take hold of the citizenry.
133: A lone Thalian sneaks into Astrasia and murders Astrali II during a speech.
134: Astrali III is crowned after personally putting down a brewing rebellion that the Thalian assassin may have been the ringleader of.
135: Astrasia demands an apology from Thalis. Thalis refuses to take responsibility for the death of Astrali II. War is only avoided due to Ilim threatening to involve itself.
139: Midir's only heir is killed during a peasant uprising trying to quell their fears about the vanishings plaguing the country.
140: Midir the Kind collapses during a meeting discussing the vanishings and spends the next months fighting an unknown illness before dying.
141-168: Years Preluding Conflict: Ursangro collapses under the rule of Midir's advisor who's name is lost to history. Ludoh sees its first instance of a single noble family gaining control over the council. Laws restricting magical practice are put into place but are quickly repealed during the next rotation. Astrasia and Thalis have minor border skirmishes from time to time; neither side accepts responsibility for them.
169: Emperor Astrali IV is crowned at the age of 12 after being the only one to survive a string of assassination attempts on Emperor Astrali III's family.
179: Astrali IV puts a council in place by request of his citizens. It quickly proves to do little in limiting him and he creates much stricter laws.
180-192: Numerous rebellions spring up in Astrasia only to be brutally put down. Ludoh also sees another instance of complete council control and the first coming of the Magic Ban and the Isle of Spirit is quietly sold to Eslana. Ludoh demands the isle back during the next rotation and thus starts the War of the Isle.
193: Under employ of Eslana, along with most of Thalis' mercenaries, Mark Vinduous takes nearly a whole half of the isle back from Ludohans. Milnoir the Wise steps in with all of Ilim's might and forces both sides to cease fighting. Negotiations immediately fall through and the war turns into another cold war.
195: Brinhor breaks off from Thalis as an independent country by taking advantage of the strain placed on the country by Ludoh and Eslana's prolonged cold war and Astrasia's constant aggression.
204: Present day Rotting Empire. An underground rebellion starts gathering members to topple Astrali IV.
205: Sybil Hallewell starts recruiting. Magi Wars starts.