EXPANDED TIMELINE
Firetruce Era
3641
After much political maneuvering, the Children of Phoenix host the first Firetruce. This intertribal celebration and festival will take place twice each century on a planet chosen by The Children. The collective tribes gather on these worlds to compete in martial games and trade stories and technology. Much diplomacy occurs, as well as much intrigue. The Tenets of Harabec, long known among the Tribes of Man, are modified to include a ban on ecocidal weaponry. Remembering the death of Ganges III, all the Tribes of Man agree to abide by this new Tenet.
3670
Using innovative strategies and striking with precision and economy, the Diamond Sword rapidly carve out a large holding for themselves. They become known as one of the Four Great Tribes, along with the Children, Starwolf, and Blood Eagle.
3691
Second Firetruce: The Children make little impact on the fractious feuding that has become customary among the tribes.
3700
The Empire begins to demand more influence in the wilderzone, but meets heavy resistance from the many tribes.
3741
Third Firetruce: It is a time of much prosperity among the Tribes of Man, and a lengthy period of relative peace ensues. Many smaller tribes rejoin the Children of Phoenix.
3770
The Blood Eagle initiate a stunning series of offensives, doubling their world count. No other tribe escapes unscathed. Bitter critics accuse the Blood Eagle of taking up the cause of the Empire once again.
3791
Fourth Firetruce: The Blood Eagle are forced to surrender a number of their gains from the previous twenty years in the face of a possible alliance between the Diamond Sword and Starwolf tribes. Realizing that such a war would be overly costly, the Blood Eagle leadership backs down. The Children are quite pleased with these turn of events.
3831
Hector Komarosu, Great Eagle of the Blood Eagle, is assassinated. The culprit is never caught or identified, but the Blood Eagle's age-old nemesis, the Starwolf, is blamed.
3841
Fifth Firetruce: Whispers of the Empire battling some distant "scourge" abound as Imperial advances into tribal space falter and cease. In the wilderzone, little progress is made toward tribal unification. Splinter groups from larger tribes seize the opportunity to declare themselves independent tribes. This year is no different, as the Blood Eagle leadership, still unsettled, fails to hold the allegiances of the Wolfsbane, Excelsior and Shadow Stalker groups. Many fights break out between Blood Eagle and Starwolf. The Diamond Sword champion humiliates the chief of the Gorgon Killers. This "time of reconciliation" sees little progress toward peace.
3844
Illya Ajax Konovalev is named Great Eagle of the Blood Eagle. The Wolfsbane tribe rejoins the Blood Eagle, but the Excelsior and Shadow Stalker tribes choose to remain independent.
3859
An unknown assassin kills the leadership triad of the Diamond Sword. Moving quickly, the Sworders are able to avoid the chaos and anarchy that plagued the Blood Eagle decades before. The assassin evades capture.
3891
Sixth Firetruce comes and passes uneventfully.
3903
Phoenix Prime Acantir Stefanos yl-Harabec, aged leader of the Children of the Phoenix, dies in his bed. His son, Renn Gistos yl-Harabec, is elevated to Phoenix Prime.
3904
Alexandre Konovalev, grandson of Illya Ajax, assumes the mantle of Great Eagle. In an effort to reconcile age-old differences with the Starwolf, he takes Freya Cloudchaser, daughter of a Starwolf chieftain, as his wife.
3905
Birth of Ulysses Konovalev to Alexandre and Freya.
3921
The Starslayer tribe settles on Theta Draconis IV after winning a lengthy battle with Diamond Sword over possession of the planet.
3924
The relationship between Alexandre and Freya decays to the point where she leaves him to rejoin her pack. Ulysses Konovalev reluctantly takes command of his father's Marathon Pennant to force her to return to the Blood Eagle.
3925
Most of the Marathon Pennant die in battle with the Starwolf Hepta Ourubis Pack. Ulysses Konovalev is not found among the survivors. An inconsolable Illya Ajax Konovalev vows to destroy the Starwolf once and for all. Freya goes into seclusion, reportedly numb with grief at the loss of her only son.
3928
The Blood Eagle Wolfslayer Pennant, including the elite Eviscerator and Deathbringer talons, begin an offensive against the Starwolf holdings in the Hepta Ourubis system.
3929
Starslayer tribe vanishes mysteriously from Theta Draconis IV. No trace of the 100,000 tribesmen remains.
3930
Blood Eagle forces prevail in the Hepta Ourubis system. The Ourubis Pack, nearly 80,000 strong, is wiped out. The Starwolf charge the Blood Eagle with use of ecocidal weapons, outlawed for centuries, and call for all tribes to aid them in destroying the Blood Eagle once and for all. The Blood Eagle vehemently deny the charge, claiming ecocidal weapons were used against the Marathon Pennant in '25.
Many Starwolf swear an Oath of Vengeance upon the Blood Eagle, declaring all-out war upon them. The Children of the Phoenix offer to act as judges and mediate the conflict.
3931
First attempt at mediation by the Children of the Phoenix between warring Starwolf and Blood Eagle factions results in thirty-eight dead, over two hundred wounded. The Children declare this outcome a "promising beginning."
3935
Pursuant to successful negotiations, the Blood Eagle declare the Wolfslayer Pennant dissolved and relocate the members elsewhere. They also withdraw any forces from Hepta Ourubis II, ceding possession of the planet to the Starwolf. Several tribal allies, including the Sons of Heracles and Gibraltar tribes, break their ties with the Blood Eagle. Other tribes, notable enemies of the Starwolf such as the Black Vulture tribe and aggressive tribes such as the Way of the Red Sun, now choose to ally with the Blood Eagle. Many subgroups of the Starwolf and Blood Eagle continue to battle one another. The Diamond Sword remain neutral.
3937
The Hell Lantern Flame of the Children of the Phoenix destroys Imperial outposts that infringe upon their holdings in the Kepler system.
3938
Two full packs of Starwolf attack Blood Eagle holdings on Deus Sanguinus in a massive frontal assault, reportedly coming in under a flag of truce. The Red Paladin Pennant is wiped out to the last man and woman. Alexandre Konovalev is now being described as either "determined" or "insane," depending upon whom you talk to. Attempts by the Children to mediate are summarily rejected by all sides.
3939
Imperials resettle worlds of Kepler II and VI and place garrisons on these worlds to protect inhabitants. The Hell Lanterns watch but do not attack.
The Children of Phoenix leadership rejects the militant demands for a tribal crusade by general Anton Malderi, self-proclaimed "Harbinger of Phoenix."
The Red Paladin Pennant is reconstituted by a group of Blood Eagle who claim to rededicate themselves to the ideals of honor and ancient chivalry.
The Children of the Phoenix decide to use the devastated world of Hepta Ourubis II for the next Firetruce. Both the Blood Eagle and Starwolf show little pleasure at this choice. The Starwolf have been working for years to repair the ecosystem. They now transfer a massive number of thralls from other holdings to speed the effort.
The Blood Eagle General known as "Fury" reconstitutes the Wolfslayer Pennant as a symbol of vengeance against the Starwolf. The Wolfslayers reportedly ignore the authority of the Great Eagle and answer solely to Fury. Initial victories over the Starwolf Old Ymir Pack show the new Wolfslayers to be even more ruthless than the old Pennant, and Fury proves she is a brilliant strategist. Many Blood Eagle flock to her banner.
The Starwolf attempt to form an alliance with the Diamond Sword against the Blood Eagle. Unsurprisingly, the Diamond Sword deny the petition and remain neutral.
3940
The Children of the Phoenix conclude that an alarming number of independent tribes have taken sides with either the Starwolf or Blood Eagle. Full-scale planetary invasions have begun, and bloodfeuds grow more common. The Phoenix Prime remarks that "this path to unity would be a fearful one." Backed by growing support, General Malderi again demands that the Children of Phoenix mount a crusade to force unity upon the Tribes of Man. Again his argument is rejected, but by a far more narrow margin.
After a series of inspired victories against the Starwolf settlements along the Tessellate Trailing, Alexandre Konovalev inexplicably withdraws his forces to Euralio VI and goes into seclusion. Fury argues that the Great Eagle is too hampered by grief and rage (and madness) to lead the tribe effectively. Blood Eagle sworn to the service of the Line of Konovalev are troubled, but remain loyal.
The Diamond Sword Triad meets on the world of Falcon's Crossroad to discuss the interpretation of a philosophical tract said to hold significant meaning for the tribe's future. Sworders appear unusually restless during the seven months of the debate, but say nothing to outsiders.
The Starwolf continue to shift their forces and reserves toward the war with the Blood Eagle. Heartened by Konovalev's sudden withdrawal, Starwolf Packs go on the offensive and strike far afield, deep into Blood Eagle holdings. Divided in their loyalties, the Blood Eagle muster poorly coordinated defenses against the wolves of space.
Rumors persist throughout the year that the Empire's struggle against The Scourge is not going well and that the Wilderzone itself may soon become embroiled in the conflict. Sightings of BioDerm ships and warriors are reported occasionally by frays, Grievers, and some Independent Tribes, but all are dismissed. None of The Four report any contact with forces from the Empire's Scourge.
3941
After much political maneuvering the Diamond Sword manage to convince Phoenix Prime Ren Gistos yl-Harabec to change the location of the Seventh Firetruce to the Diamond Sword world of Sahranon Xi IV. This is the first time in the history of the event that any tribe other than the Phoenix has hosted it.
In the Nirel-Malak lattice tensions build quickly as the Starwolf Ur-Warlord Ursula DiVaragas musters the bulk of her Tribe's forces at Ymir in preparation for a prolonged assault on Blood Eagle space. Best estimates put the size of the Starwolf muster at ten Thousand Knives, or roughly 150 thousand hardshelled warriors. It is DiVaragas intention to destroy the power of the Eagle once and for all and to that end she has mustered almost the whole of her Tribe's fighting forces.
At Charybdis Fury gathers what strength she can to face down the Starwolf Packs, though some suspect her true intent is to push towards Outermost and claim the leadership of the Blood Eagle by force. In response Eagle Pennants from every Order are put in the highest states of readiness. Hearing these rumors, and seeing the mounting tension within the Brotherhood of Steel, Great Eagle Konovalev demands that Fury come to Outermost herself to explain her actions. Her response to him is less than cordial.
As the Seventh Firetruce opens disaster befalls the gathering when, at the opening ceremonies, the Phoenix Prime is assassinated during his Unity Speech. In the wake of the event the Harbinger faction of the Children of Phoenix experience a swell of sudden support and Anton Malderi ascends to the position of Phoenix Prime. This marks a dramatic shift in the political alignment of the Tribe and threatens to destroy forever the dream of peaceful re-unification of the Tribes of Man.
In the first days of the month of Tears a BioDerm force led by Horde Maul descends on Ymir without warning and eradicates the whole of the Starwolf Muster. Over thirty Packs of Starwolf warriors are slaughtered and the strength of the Tribe is decimated in one blow. Fury's forces from Charybdis, intending to strike at the Muster before it is fully achieved, arrive in the midst of the fall of Ymir and are likewise routed.
At the same time a small Horde strikeforce is dispatched to Sahranon Xi IV to attempt a decapitation strike on the Firetruce itself. The force arrives on the 12th of Starry Cloak, destroys what resistance they find, and lays waste to the Firetruce grounds. Many of the Tribal leaders who are in attendance fall in battle but a few escape the onslaught and are later rescued when a Children of Phoenix force led by members of the Keepers sect, loyal to the fallen Gistos, arrive unexpectedly to relieve the planet. The Slonn forces withdraw, considering the strike a success, and return to Ymir.
Having barely escaped the rout at Ymir, Fury journeys to Outermost with a small group of loyal companions. There she reveals her true identity as Alyxandra Konovalev, the supposedly long dead daughter of the Great Eagle. She also presents her brother Ulysses and reports on the fall of Ymir. The Great Eagle attempts to kill the both of them, claiming they are imposters sent to assassinate him and dies in the attempt at the hands of former Sikkiyn-Captain and close friend of the family Starkar Mace.
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