Previous: Gurutama Timeline Revising Part 23

More maneuvering in this post by the merchants attempting to circumvent the Great Blockade set up by the merfolk. And King Hrotomak expands his Empire. Hrotomak and the aftermath of his kingdom were never fully resolved in our Dawn of Worlds game. That resolution will come in future campaigns we play in Gurutama!

Another important part of this update is the civilization of the hobgoblins. Up until now they were essentially bogeyman in the forest. By the end of this post they have a city and are members of the expanding Hykman League.

724 NA: Construction on Prestounasi was completed. At the end of the Freedom Road the Hykmans raised the resplendent city of Prestounasi and built a fleet to protect her. Along the new trade route they also built The Bastion at the eastern side of the Homestone Bridge.

725 NA: The redirection of dwarven trade into the heart of the Hykman league brought even more fabulous wealth to Hykma and the Revered Administration. The city continued to grow in size, splendor, and wealth.

The rana of Pulchrito fell in love with the thriving shanty communities that continued to grow along the western river, between Pulchrito and Hykma. Wealth from Hykma enriched the Shanties, but the poor could only see the widening gap between themselves and the rich. All the new advances meant nothing if those at the top continued to discriminate against the poor.

726 NA: Enamored with the heroic image of his ruby adamantine plate, King Hrotomak planned another invasion within the ruins of the Najar Empire. He formed up a new army and set off for Alixria. The city and her twin yielded quickly. King Hrotomak toured his Empire on a victory parade and the gems on his armor shimmered like rolling lava.

727 NA: The hobgoblins in the north allied with giants and trolls. Another army formed. Communicating across the Freedom Road through the mystic power of their shamans, the Northern and Southern Hobgoblins planned an invasion of the only place unprotected by the elves’ magical defenses in the Lower Maw, the city of Prestounasi. The armies formed up and attacked. The elves hurriedly placed a few defenses around the city before the hordes arrived. Traps flared up destroying some of the hobgoblin forces, but the rest got through and raided the city. The people fled and the hobgoblins set up camp on the ruins of the city.

728 NA: The Frugal Profiteers, gleeful that the Hykman League’s route was interrupted, finished construction on their own land route around the Blockade. Roads were built to connect the cities of the west, Tylaniria, Syluk, and Cynelle. With a bit of prodding from other secret Profiteer members, the dwarves built a port to receive the ships coming out of Tylaniria. The port was named Bronze Port.

The elves offered their assistance to a Hykman expedition to reclaim Prestounasi. The response of the Hykman League was swift. The League raised a great host among her cities: soldiers were sent from Crolodan, The Bastion, and Hykma to deal with the troublesome hobgoblins. The force was impressive – an army gilded in gold with a magnificent caravan behind it. When they arrived in the ruins of Prestounasi and confronted the hobgoblin tribes, the Princes of Hykma named themselves gods. They were convincing, their show of wealth and power was well beyond anything the hobgoblins, trolls, and giants had ever imagined.

After a little skirmishing, the hobgoblins were subdued by what appeared to them to be divine beings. Not only was Hykman technology superior, but the temptations of Hykma were overwhelming – succulent meats that seemed to melt in the mouth, fine wines and beer from around the world, honey, spices, and of course gold. Proper swords, shields, and spears. And greatest of all… A home. Coaxed from the city, the hobgoblin tribes and their allies were taken to the mountainside below the ruins of Nanatok. On that site the skilled masons of the Hykman League built a new city and gifted it to the hobgoblins for oaths of fealty, loyalty, and fervent fanaticism to the revered gods of the Administration and the Hykman League.

-GoCorral

Next: Gurutama Timeline Revising Part 25