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Marrishland has a long and violent history. Several civilizations have risen and fallen, here, and the book tells about events during one of the most turbulant periods - a period whose events determine whether a civilization survives or dies.

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The Council of Isnel and the Shortest Peace (ca. 2790 - 2810 I.D.)

After the Second Battle of Strand, the Fygae seemingly gave up on renewing their power in the Mar cities. They maintained a presence in Litus Albus, Tego Ventus, and Ypavidus, but even these occupying forces were reduced in size until they could no longer afford to oppress the Mar lest a revolution topple them. This gave the magocracy and the southern cities space to rebuild and recover from long years of conflict.

The South recovered far more quickly because of the presence of the Aspiron. The wizards expanded the training of these magic wielders to include Power and Mobility, increasing the effective strength and speed of the work force. Within two years, the Aspiron were nearly as proficient with the myst as the wizards of Liter Asper, though they did not understand its theories and lacked any education. The South rose as the Liter Asper Alliance, a confederacy of city-states.

While the South thrived during the peace after the expulsion of the Fygae, the West struggled to rebuild. The magocracy had not suffered nearly as many casualties as the southern cities, but all of them were wizards. Not only did their deaths mean a shortage of educated civil servants, their replacement was problematic because it took four years to train a new apprentice to the rank of wizard. Tales of the South's swift reconstruction by means of the Aspiron reached the ears of the magocrats, and the Mardux quickly realized these former rebel sympathizers would soon be capable of attacking Domus Palus.

The Mardux swiftly sent diplomats to arrange a formal meeting with the leaders of the Liter Asper Alliance at a town called Isnel near the border between the magocracy and the Alliance. Neither side trusted the other, suspecting treachery, so while both sides agreed to meet at the Council of Isnel. They both arrived with an army of magic wielders who camped outside the town with orders to attack at any sign of treachery.

In this tense atmosphere, Mardux Sissel Fredik and her advisors met with Weard Gynt Stepdek, the chief magocrat of Liter Asper, and several other Alliance members. They quickly agreed on a peace treaty, loudly expressing their concern that another civil war would make all Mar vulnerable to attacks by the Fygae and their resolve never to lose another city to the Fygaen menace. They discussed the possibility of unifying the West and the South into a single nation called Marrishland and debated at length the form the government of such a country should take. Resolving to discuss unification further at a future meeting, they agreed in principle to an alliance against the Fygaen occupation in the South - expressing an intense desire to liberate Weard Darflaem's home city of Litus Albus. They discussed the Aspiron and Bera's Unwritten Law. Those present agreed that while the Aspiron were in violation of the Law, the circumstances under which they had been trained had been of the direst sort, so the wholesale slaughter of every non-wizard in the Alliance was not necessary and was, in fact, patently absurd. Instead, Mardux Fredik suggested and the Alliance agreed that the Aspiron should be educated in accordance with Bera's Unwritten Law, preferably within eight years.

At the end of the Council of Isnel, the Alliance and the magocracy sealed a peace accord and clearly intended to continue discussions on more complex issues facing the two countries. Mardux Fredik returned to Domus Palus on Heldnat 44, 2796 I.D. She sent hundreds of mapmakers to spread the news of peace to everyone in Marrishland.

Not all of Mardux Fredick's subjects approved of her treaty with the Alliance. On Weardnat 1, 2796 I.D., Weard Ander Mucker - one ot the magocrats opposed to the treaty - challenged Mardux Fredik for the Chair and defeated her. Mardux Mucker's first act was to declare war on the Liter Asper Alliance. The call to arms followed so swiftly in the wake of the declaration of peace that many towns received the messages in the wrong order. This swift transition from peace to war in a matter of days was known in later years as the Shortest Peace.

Weard Gynt Stepdek fared little better, once news of the declaration of war reached the South. The war between the magocracy and the Liter Asper Alliance was bitter and seemingly interminable. Stories tell of Meteos Niktos - the Night of Falling Stars - that took place at some point during this new violence. On that night, hundreds of shooting stars streaked across the sky, especially in the north near the position of Cali'her - the star associated with Weard Darflaem. Both sides regarded this as a sign of their imminent victory, but many wise Mar said it was a warning.

A few years after Meteos Niktos, the Mass - an army of Drakes so large, tales say, that it outnumbered all the Mar who had ever died since the time of the Kalkorae - emerged from the lands north of the Fens of Reur and swept over every community in its path. This was the beginning of the Marrishland Massacre.

(Contributed by Weard Gilda Kronas)