Continuity/Aluvian Settlement on Dereth

There are pieces of information regarding when Aluvian settlements were established on Dereth, but there is a not a cohesive timeline. This article will attempt to construct a likely timeline.

Overview

The Underground City was the first Aluvian settlement, established by Thorsten Cragstone, Elysa Strathelar, and their band of rebels in -3 PY.<ref name=CragstoneTNSign>2010/06 Shifting Gears - Town Network: Cragstone (Town Network Sign) description</ref><ref name=TheUnderGroundCity>1999/11 Release - Cragstone Library: The Underground City text</ref><ref name=HistoryOfAubereanVol5>2003/03 A Perfect Paradox - The History of Auberean: Volume V: New Arrivals (-540 to 13)</ref>

Cragstone is the second oldest Aluvian settlement, founded in 0 PY after the defeat of The One Queen.<ref name=CragstoneTNSign /><ref name=HistoryOfAubereanVol5 />

Cragstone was followed by Holtburg.<ref name=HistoryOfAubereanVol5 /> Holtburg was settled in 2 PY.<ref name=ACManualHoltburg>1999/11 Release - Asheron's Call Manual: Holtburg</ref><ref name=HoltburgCharacterCreation>2005/07 Throne of Destiny - Character Creation: Town Selection Holtburg description</ref><ref name=HoltburgTNSign>2010/06 Shifting Gears - Town Network: Holtburg (Town Network Sign) description</ref>

A map of the Aluvian realm, described as depicting locations of some of the earliest human settlements, shows Arwic, Cragstone, Eastham, Glenden Wood, Holtburg, and Rithwic.<ref name=ZogblasterAluvianMap>1996-1999 (unknown) Asheron's Call Beta - Zogblaster Archive: Aluvian Realm in Dereth</ref>

Rithwic is the next town with a known date, having been founded in 7 PY.<ref name=ACManualRithwic>1999/11 Release - Asheron's Call Manual: Rithwic</ref><ref name=HistoryOfAubereanVol5 /><ref name=RithwicTNSign>2010/06 Shifting Gears - Town Network: Rithwic (Town Network Sign) description</ref>

Some time after Rithwic was established, the southern frontier moved down to Dryreach.<ref name=ACManualRithwic /><ref name=RithwicTNSign /> The frontier was further expanded, with Lytelthorpe being founded in 10 PY.<ref name=RithwicTNSign /><ref name=ACManualLytelthorpe>1999/11 Release - Asheron's Call Manual: Lytelthorpe</ref><ref name=LytelthorpeTNSign>2010/06 Shifting Gears - Town Network: Lytelthorpe (Town Network Sign) description</ref>

There are a few towns that we do not know when they were established: Fort Tethana, Plateau Village, Stonehold, and Crater Lake Village. There are also the settlements of Neydisa Castle and Bandit Castle, but those two are a topic for another article.

Finally, there are a few failed or abandoned settlements of note: Colier, Edelbar, and Fort Witshire.

Colier was a mining town in northern Osteth. It supplied the towns to the south with raw materials. The town was raided by Banderlings, and survivors of the raid relocated to other well-established towns. At one point, the raid was described as occurring years ago.<ref name=HistoryOfColier>2001/10 Dark Majesty - AC:DM CD Lore: History of Colier</ref>

Edelbar was a town west of Holtburg. In 13 PY, it was described as an old abandoned settlement.<ref name=EdelbarDirections>2002/12 The Hall of the Tusker King - Edelbar Directions text</ref> In 10 PY, Alatar Locke noted that Edelbar was where his friend Galtith died helping the townsfolk escape from Tumeroks.<ref name=QRCardEdelbar>1999/11 Release - Quick Reference Card Edelbar description</ref>

Fort Witshire was established in the very early years after the Olthoi were overthrown. At the time, human settlements were under constant attack by Tumeroks. So Witshire established the fort west of Cragstone, in an abandoned Empyrean ruin. When the Tumeroks were driven back, the fort was abandoned.<ref name=HistoryFortWitshire>1999/11 Release - History of Fort Witshire text</ref><ref name=DirectionsFortWitshire>1999/11 Release - Directions to Fort Witshire text</ref>

Analysis

To summarize, the information above establishes the following events as occurring in the specified years.

Portal Year	Event
-3 PY	Underground City is discovered, settled.
0 PY	Cragstone is founded.
2 PY	Holtburg is founded.
7 PY	Rithwic is founded.
7 PY to 10 PY	Dryreach is founded.
10 PY	Lytelthorpe is founded.

In 10 PY, Rithwic was described as one of the youngest Aluvian towns.<ref name=ACManualRithwic /> At the time, maps of Dereth generally only included 8 towns in the Aluvian realm: Arwic, Cragstone, Dryreach, Eastham, Glenden Wood, Holtburg, Lytelthorpe, and Rithwic. This includes both maps on the Quick Reference Card and the towns listed in the Asheron's Call Manual. Even later on, when the Map Panel added more towns, the only additional town to be considered part of the Aluvian realm was Fort Tethana. Bandit and Neydisa Castle, Crater Lake Village, Plateau Village, and Stonehold were all considered independent settlements.

So, if there were only 8 Aluvian towns at the time, for Rithwic to be one of the youngest towns in 10 PY, then Rithwic would have to be the 4th most recently established town or newer. We know that Dryreach was founded after Rithwic.<ref name=ACManualRithwic /> Likewise, Lyteltorpe was founded after Rithwic.<ref name=RithwicTNSign /><ref name=ACManualLytelthorpe /><ref name=LytelthorpeTNSign /> This means Rithwic has to be the 4th or 3rd most recently established town.

If the map of the Aluvian Realm is an accurate representation of a specific period of time, then the map had to have been created after Rithwic was founded in 7 PY, and before Dryreach or Lytelthorpe were founded. That map includes Arwic, Cragstone, Eastham, Glenden Wood, Holtburg, and Rithwic. Since we know that Cragstone and Holtburg were previously established. That means that of Arwic, Eastham, and Glenden Wood, it is only possible for one of those towns to be founded after Rithwic.

The siege of Holtburg can help solidify the timeline. There are some continuity issues with the Siege of Holtburg and Founding of Rithwic, but regardless of those issues, some facts are clear:

• In 6 PY, Holtburg was besieged by Tumeroks.<ref name=HistoricalMarker>1999/11 Release - Worcer's Missing Heirlooms: Historical Marker description</ref><ref name=HoltburgRedoubtDirections>1999/11 Release - Worcer's Missing Heirlooms: Directions to the Holtburg Redoubt text</ref><ref name=CaveOfAlabreeDiretions>1999/11 Release - Brogord's Demise: Directions to the Cave of Alabree text</ref><ref name=HistoryOfAubereanVol5 />
• Celcynd saved the children by summoning a portal for them to escape through.<ref name=HistoricalMarker /><ref name=HoltburgRedoubtDirections /><ref name=HistoryOfAubereanVol5 /><ref name=HardunnasRetiredDialog>1999/11 Release - Worcer's Missing Heirlooms: Hardunna's retired dialog</ref><ref name=WorcersRetiredDialog>1999/11 Release - Worcer's Missing Heirlooms: Worcer's retired dialog</ref><ref name=WorcersDialog>2004/12 The Calm - Worcer's Missing Heirlooms: Worcer's dialog</ref><ref name=ACrabbedNote>1999/11 Release - Water of Mount Lethe: A Crabbed Note text</ref><ref name=OfCelcyndTheDour>1999/11 Release - Water of Mount Lethe: Of Celcynd the Dour text</ref>
• Some years prior to 10 PY, Harlune lived in Arwic.<ref name=TheReclusiveMage>1999/11 Release - Water of Mount Lethe: The Reclusive Mage text</ref> Before he was known as Harlune the Misanthrope, he was Harlune of Arwic.<ref name=BarkeepRicetha>1999/11 Release - Barkeep Ricetha dialog</ref>
• Harlune was a famous mage, and many young mages came to hime seeking apprenticeship.<ref name=BarkeepRicetha /> The only pupil he took on was Celcynd.<ref name=TheReclusiveMage /><ref name=BarkeepRicetha />
• Celcynd was the first Isparian to master Empyrean planar magic.<ref name=OfCelcyndTheDour /><ref name=TheReclusiveMage /><ref name=HistoryOfAubereanVol5 /> Celcynd mastered planar magic after becoming Harlune's apprentice,<ref name=TheReclusiveMage /> but it is unclear if he learned planar magic during his apprenticeship, possibly with the help of Harlune, or after his apprenticeship.

Since Celcynd's apprenticeship occurred prior to the siege of Holtburg, and Harlune was living in Arwic when Celcynd sought his apprenticeship, Arwic had to have been founded prior to 6 PY. It also had to have been founded after Holtburg, since Holtburg is specifically called out as the next town to be settled after Cragstone.<ref name=HistoryOfAubereanVol5 />

With that information, we can add to the timeline:

Portal Year	Event
-3 PY	Underground City is discovered, settled.
0 PY	Cragstone is founded.
2 PY	Holtburg is founded.
2 PY to 6 PY	Arwic is founded.
2 PY to 7 PY	Eastham and/or Glenden Wood are founded.
6 PY	Holtburg is besieged by Tumeroks.
7 PY	Rithwic is founded.
7 PY to 10 PY	Prior to Dryreach, Eastham or Glenden Wood are founded.
7 PY to 10 PY	Dryreach is founded.
10 PY	Lytelthorpe is founded.

Colier's place in the timeline can also be somewhat established. Colier was said to have supplied the towns (plural) to the south. So it had to have been established after Cragstone and Holtburg, placing its founding after 2 PY. Colier itself was already abandoned by Leafcull, 10 PY. It was said that it had been years since the Banderling raid, meaning the raid occurred in 8 PY or earlier. And finally, if we believe the map of the Aluvian Realm to be accurate, then the raid of Colier must have occurred prior to the map being created.

References

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