Poisoned Shadows - Timeline

Partial Timeline of Théah

Quartus 21, 1668 – With the political situation in Montaigne growing increasingly volatile, Cardinal Erika Durkheim takes a reassignment to the Heart of the Drachen Cathedral in Freiburg, ousting Father Heinrich Weissels as the the Cathedral’s caretaker (though he remains on as a bitter associate priest). In an attempt to repair some the damage done to the reputation of the Vaticine Church, she begins looking for representatives of other faiths to take up residence in Freiburg, opening up the Cathedral to their services and forming an “Inter-Faith Council” to heal some of the wounds opened by Cardinal Verdugo’s Inquisition. Her first recruit is a vicar representing the Church of Avalon.

Quartus 29, 1668 – A recently-retired Eisen sailor (some would say “pirate”), Joseph Schmitter, arrives in Freiburg with the deed to the old Drachenheim estate, which he won in a dice game. He and his young daughter move into the manor house and regret it almost immediately as things turn sour.

Sextus 21-30, 1668 – Captain Schmitter, now Lord Drachenheim, plays a minor role in defending the city during the siege of Freiburg.

Corantine 10, 1668 – For the first time in Guild history, the Swordsman’s Guild revokes their sanction of two fighting schools—Condorcet and Bonacci—due to both schools’ flagrant disregard for Guild custom and repeated, illegal duels between their members, publicly endorsed by the schools’ founders. Linnae Knute is the primary advocate for the schools’ expulsion.

(Except as indicated below, the timeline for the next twelve months or so follows the events described in The Montaigne Revolution.)

Primus 16, 1669 – In a private, almost secret ceremony, Eisenfürst Logan Sieger grants Lord Joseph Drachenheim the title of Knight Defender of Freiburg, and elevates him to a full Baron. The reason for these acts is completely unknown, though Baron Drachenheim immediately becomes one of the new Eisenfürst’s most trusted advisors and closest friends. From this point forward, the Baron is seen at formal occasions wearing a Dracheneisen sabre, presumably given to him by Logan Sieger. Furthermore, he somehow finds the money to pay off his numerous inherited creditors, and he begins refurbishing Drachenheim Manor.

Secundus 22, 1669 – Eisenfürst Erich Sieger and his army begin their march through the Königreich of Hainzl to return to their own lands and deal with the rampaging Mörderbande. Hainzl’s forces offer little resistance to the advance, stepping in only when Sieger’s men threaten to overrun one village or another, or strip too many resources from the already taxed countryside, in the quest for supplies.

Tertius 19, 1669 – Erich Sieger and his men surround the castle of Stahlfort and demand the surrender of the Mörderbande. Faced with their refusal, Sieger prepares to lay siege to the impenetrable castle. The Siege of Stahlfort begins.

Quartus 28, 1669 – The Black Freighter is spotted by the Raven’s Claw, a merchant vessel sailing out of Carleon. Much to the relief of the outgunned Claw, the Freighter does not attack. Sightings occur sporadically over the next year, though it never engages any of the ships that spot it. Rumors begin to circulate that the Freighter is hunting a specific target.

Sextus 12, 1669 – First reported attack of the Beatrice, a pirate vessel hunting the Trade Sea, and captained by a tall, powerful woman whose hair reportedly drips fresh blood. She massacres the crew of an Inish merchantmen, leaving behind a single survivor, though she cuts off both his hands before setting him adrift on the derelict ship.

Sextus 17, 1669 – Increased Sea Dog patrols around the shores of Avalon lead to the capture of the renegade Inish pirate “Bloody” Jack O’Donnell. Sailing under Vodacce letters of marque, the man is little more than a butcher, and is quickly found guilty of sinking no less than six of his own family’s merchant vessels and killing hundreds of men and women.

Julius 19, 1669 – A knife-fighter in a frowning white mask, identifying himself only as Le Corbeau, makes his first appearance in the port of Barcino, protecting the Montaigne authorities from harassment by El Vago. Over the next several months, the pair engage in a veritable chess match of one-upsmanship, and fight a number of memorable duels on the rooftops of the city.

Corantine 21-Septimus 1, 1669 – A mysterious plague strikes Freiburg. A number of nobles and city watchmen lose their lives due to the illness and the feverish panic it spawns. The “plague” is eventually discovered to be the result of a poisoned water supply, though the culprit manages to escape. Outbreaks of the sickness in outlying villages over the next few weeks eventually provide a record of his movements.

Septimus 27, 1669 – The man responsible for poisoning Freiburg’s water supply and an accomplice are found brutally murdered in a private room at The Waltzing Dice, an exclusive social club and casino in Freiburg. The murderer is never officially identified.

Octavus 3, 1669 – After losing one of their waystations (and a large number of junior recruits) in a mysterious fire, the Order of the Drachen (an Eisen mercenary company chartered in every Königreich but Freiburg) takes its leave of the country, securing a lucrative offer for long term employment in western Castille. On their way out of Eisen, the Order sacks a number of small towns along the border between Wische and Heilgrund as a final “good riddance” to the beleaguered nation.

Octavus 21, 1669 – Beginning on this day, the use of Glamour within Avalon, Inismore, and the Highland Marches becomes highly unstable, though no one (save Derwyddon, who refuses to speak of it) knows why. Curiously, Glamour use outside the Triple Kingdoms remains unaffected.

Octavus 23, 1669 – A number of mortals previously held within the Sidhe realm of Bryn Bresail, including Captain Bonnie McGee, are returned to Théah. While many of the returning mortals go (or already are) insane, a few lucid survivors talk of a bloody war, threatening to tear the Sidhe realm assunder. Captain McGee surfaces in Eisen, with no knowledge of how she got there.

Octavus 28, 1669 – Vodacce’s Brevalli Family finishes reworking the outdated Lucani Swordsman school into a more modern rapier style that bears their name.

Octavus 29, 1669 – By order of Queen Elaine, Jack O’Donnell is hanged by the neck until dead on the docks of Carleon.

Nonus 4, 1669 – For reasons known only to herself, Cardinal Durkheim orders a near-total purge of the ordained and secular staff at the Heart of the Drachen Cathedral. With remarkably few exceptions, everyone from the most senior minister to the newest acolyte is transferred to a new post outside of the city, or strong-armed into retirement. The first vacant positions are immediately filled by individuals hand-picked by the Cardinal herself, or by Captain Sabhaya.

Nonus 6, 1669 – Occupied only by a skeleton crew of church officials, the Heart of the Drachen cathedral is attacked by unknown assailants. By the end of the evening, two priests, a nun, a lay assistant, the sole remaining member of the cathedral’s choir, and the representative from the Church of Avalon—all members of Cardinal Durkheim’s “new regime”—lie dead. The attacker or attackers escape unharmed, and are never publicly identified. Despite the tragedy and the recent turnover, Cardinal Durkheim announces that her planned Inter-Faith Council will go forward, and she begins making arrangements to bring in a member of the Ussuran Orthodoxy and the Objectionist faith.

Nonus 21, 1669 – The Beatrice engages the Black Dawn, once again captained by Jeremiah Berek. The Sea Dog vessel is boarded, and amid the chaos, a number of enemy sailors penetrate the Dawn’s hold. Deducing what is about to happen, Berek thrusts Captain, the ship’s mascot, into Celedoine’s arms and orders her into a longboat. When she balks, Berek punches his first mate out and dumps her into the boat, then cuts its lines to send it splashing into the Trade Sea. Moments later, the bloody captain of the Beatrice severs the boarding lines holding the ships together (stranding a score of her own men on Berek’s ship), and the Beatrice pulls away. Before Berek can give the order to abandon ship, the Black Dawn explodes in a massive fireball, sending the enemy vessel and Celedoine’s longboat rippling away, both badly damaged. Celedoine is rescued by the Raven’s Claw, an Avalon merchant vessel which, ironically, had been carrying Bonnie McGee home.

Nonus 23, 1669 – The Black Dawn is confirmed lost with all hands except Celedoine (and Captain). The list of confirmed deaths includes Captain Jeremiah Berek, Quartermaster Kurt Weinberg, Boatswain Sean McCorley, Ship’s Chaplain Mattias Brewer, Master of the Tops “Long Tall” Harry, Shantyman Roger Gaffrin, Master Gunner Jimmy Bass, Ship’s Carpenter Dorf “The Beast” Klinderhoff, and Noble Sailors Benny Gimble, Ulfied Jansson, Angus MacLeod, Paul Norton, “Needle Nose” Nye, Annie Rush, and “Seven-Color” Sam. Nothing less than pure luck kept Phalen Cole from being aboard the Dawn, as he was suffering from a mild illness when she sailed, and begged off the patrol.

Nonus 24, 1669 – The Swordsman’s Guild sponsors a tournament among the Masters of unsanctioned schools (with Guild recognition as the prize) in celebration of Founders’ Day. Though marred by intrigue and the involvement of unidentified, malicious forces, the tournament is won by Benoit Lafontaine, representing the Condorcet fencing style. Lafontaine defeats a representative of the new Brevalli school in the final round, earning the wrath of the struggling family. Condorcet is once again sanctioned by the Guild, representing a huge embarrassment to Linnae Knute, who demanded the school’s expulsion in 1668.

Decimus 2-5, 1669 – Boli Kollson and Master Allen Trell simultaneously—and possibly working towards a common purpose—commission the secret modernization of the Kjemper and Urostifter fighting Schools (respectively) into “proper” fencing styles, much as Leegstra begat Snedig. Neither of them make their efforts (or their reasons) publicly known.

Decimus 4, 1669 – A series of mysterious events rocks the foundation of Freiburg to its core. A private wine-tasting at the Waltzing Dice turns to tragedy when one of the guests—another of Cardinal Durkheim’s remaining, trusted agents—succumbs to strychnine poisoning. Within hours of her death, a series of explosions rip through nine Freiburg businesses, seemingly at random. Though the guard is immediately mobilized and the resulting fires contained, by the end of the evening nine buildings, ranging from a jeweler’s store to a fishmonger’s hovel, are destroyed and thirty-one people (including four children) are killed (or missing and presumed dead).

Decimus 6, 1669 – Mystery follows mystery in the free city of Freiburg. Tibold Dedrick is found in an alley just before sunset—not just murdered, but utterly butchered. As the Freiburg town guards search Dedrick’s home looking for information that might identify his attacker, they find evidence linking him to the attacks on the cathedral and the explosions of two nights before, as he set out to eliminate certain “rivals.” Furthermore, the investigation turns up evidence of Dedrick’s slave trade, and reveals a hidden cellar where two of the victims of his attacks, believed dead, are found—beaten, bound, and ready for delivery to the Crescent Empire. The rescued ladies are returned to the their homes. Dedrick’s murder ultimately goes unsolved.

Decimus 8, 1669 – Bonnie McGee accepts a commission as Admiral of Avalon’s Sea Dogs. She recruits Celedoine as First Mate and Phalen Cole as Master of the Tops to serve aboard her flagship, the newly-commissioned Hurricane II. She also convinces Nicole Cowbey to come out of retirement and rejoin her crew as Quartermaster. Bonnie is offered the chance to take Berek’s place as one of Elaine’s Knights, but respectfully declines the honor, saying, “I’ve had me fill o’ crazy Sidhe rituals.”

Decimus 11, 1669 – After nearly nine months of bitter stalemate, Erich Sieger leaves the siege of Stahlfort in the hands of his lieutenants and turns north with a small band of followers, believed to be headed towards Freiburg.

Decimus 19, 1669 – Within hours of arriving in Freiburg, Eisenfürst Erich Sieger and his men are killed by unknown parties, their bodies picked clean of anything of value. Though closely resembling a brutal mugging, virtually no one believes that the Eisenfürst would fall to any number of common street thugs. Regardless, with Sieger’s death, his purpose in coming to Freiburg remains unknown.

Decimus 20, 1669 – A pair of assassins penetrate the castle at Carleon and make it all the way to the royal wing, near Queen Elaine’s bedchamber, before being detected and intercepted by Sir Bors MacAllister. Subsequent…investigation…reveals that they represent a group of dissidents headquartered in Breg. Despite MacAllister’s protests, Queen Elaine begins making arrangements to celebrate Yule in the province, hoping to foster goodwill with the locals.

Decimus 21, 1669 – With Eisenfürst Logan Sieger out of the city on unknown business, Freiburg’s City Hall is broken into by an unknown party or parties. Wilma Probst offers no official word regarding what was stolen, though rumors begin flying that Freiburg’s piece of the Imperator’s armaments is among the missing items.

Decimus 29, 1669 – A second plot to assassinate Queen Elaine is foiled by Bors MacAllister, after he is tipped off by Edward Daniels, captain of the Royal Maiden. The assassins had planned to detonate a large amount of gunpowder, stockpiled beneath the platform where the Queen stood, addressing the citizens of Brenneth. High King Piram publicly denounces the assassins (who died in the ensuing swordfight with Elaine’s guards), while Bors MacAllister is reportedly livid at the continuing failures of his spy network and the unwanted (though timely) “interference” of Captain Daniels, a loyal member of the Brotherhood of the Coast.

Primus 4, 1670 – Agents of Montaigne’s Committee of National Welfare descend on Barcino, searching for a number of Royalists rumored to be in hiding there. For the first time, El Vago and Le Corbeau fight side by side to protect the citizens of Barcino (of both nationalities) and send the Committee thugs running back to Charouse.

Secundus 19, 1670 – Doña Elodia Avila de Torres dies in her sleep. Formal control of Rancho Torres passes to her aging nephew, Don Victor Sandoval de Torres (an extremely distant cousin of Good King Sandoval), and his young wife, Doña Guendolen Mandrake O’Toole de Torres del Avaloña, a powerful Glamour mage.

Tertius 27, 1670 – After the first thaw of spring, Jack MacNitt and Cecil Edwards of the Adventurer’s Society of Luthon launch their respective expeditions to the Fire Wall of Cathay. At “The Colonel’s” request, his good friend Syed Rastogi actually leaves as part of the Edwards team, presumably to help protect the aging explorer from the unexpected in Ussura.

Early Quartus, 1670 – In an early front runner for “most bizarre moment of the year,” delusional Eisenfürst Georg Hainzl overhears two courtiers discussing the death of Erich Sieger. Hainzl petulantly declares “I’m not dead!” The Eisenfürst recalls his armies from their encampments along the border with Fischler and prepares to march on Stahlfort.

Mid-Quartus, 1670 – The Royal Maiden, flying the colors of the Brotherhood of the Coast, begins to patrol the waters around Avalon. Despite the fears of the Sea Dogs, it avoids attacking Avalon ships, and even comes to their aid on a number of occasions over the next year. It also makes infrequent stops in Carleon, for unknown reasons.

Quartus 16, 1670 – Working on information acquired from the Invisible College and the Explorer’s Society, an expedition funded jointly by Eisenfürst Logan Sieger and Baron Joseph Drachenheim sets out to explore a ruined city found nestled in the southern Drachenbergs, both for its archaeological importance and as a potential site for a second independent city in the style of Freiburg.

Late Quintus, 1670 – Cardinal Durkheim and Captain Sabhaya become aware, through various sources, of information regarding the location of the missing Montaigne archbishops, a large transfer of Inquisition gold, and the survival of General Montegue. They begin to put a particularly cunning plan into motion, and make contact with Eisenfürst Fauner Pösen as part of the first step.

Late Quintus, 1670 – For reasons known only to himself (and none of them likely to be pleasant), Giovanni Villanova sponsors the elevation of the Brevalli family to the upper ranks of Vodacce nobility, persuading (through bribery, threats, or other means) the Falisci, Bernoulli, and Vestini families to elevate their patriarch, Cesare Brevalli, to the rank of Prince. Villanova also facilitates the marriage of the oldest Lucani daughter, Astra (age 15), to Cesare’s oldest son, Filippo (age 27), and the betrothal of Angelina Lucani (age 13) to Filippo’s brother Francesco (age 22). Each of the remaining Lucani daughters is promised to one Brevalli cousin or another.

Quintus 29, 1670 – The second siege of Stahlfort formally begins as Eisenfürst Hainzl (still convinced he is Erich Sieger) takes command of Sieger’s remaining forces. They join Sieger’s troops in throwing themselves at the entrenched, but exhausted, Mörderbande. Over the next month, a number of mercenary bands arrive and fall under Hainzl’s banner; among these is a potent force from the Steil Academy, led by Oswald Steil, a local hero of the War of the Cross who had been missing and presumed dead for months. Though he refuses to speak of his mysterious vanishing act and return, his eyes are haunted, and recurring dreams wake him, screaming, nearly every night.

Early Sextus, 1670 – Eisenfürst Pösen agrees to release Montegue (in exchange for the Inquisition gold, captured by agents of Cardinal Durkheim). He helps free the Montaigne archbishops, then immediately seeks out his sister-in-law, Anne (currently leading the Montaigne government-in-exile in Wische), hoping for information about his wife and child. He is reunited with Dominique in Wische, and she tells him the half-truth that their son was stillborn. She does not offer specifics, and Montegue is too heartbroken to press the matter.

Sextus 8, 1670 – One of Giovanni Villanova’s most experienced (and most dangerous) Hands, Raphael Bonaventure, defects to Vendel, presumably at the behest of his paramour, Maria Villanova—a highly-placed member of the Razors and Prince Giovanni’s estranged cousin. Almost immediately, Raphael receives a guarded welcome into Val Mokk’s inner circle, and begins a violent rivalry with the Captain of the Razors, Renato Marchello.

Mid-Sextus, 1670 – Agents loyal to Stefan Heilgrund infiltrate the Königreich of Fischler to investigate the mysterious happenings there. They discover the treacherous forces that hold sway over the Eisenfürst and eliminate them. Fischler is forced to surrender his piece of the Imperator’s arms and take an oath of vassalage to Eisenfürst Heilgrund. Within days, the schattensoldat spread into Fischler, and Stefan Heilgrund moves his base of operations to Seeufer. Many believe that the move is a precursor to the invasion of Hainzl.

Mid-Sextus, 1670 – Giovanni Villanova makes an extensive loan to Cesare Brevalli, enabling him to lease a portion of the island formerly belonging to the Lucani family, not to mention extensive tracts of land in Villanova territory. Cesare also manages to lure the Grimanci family from Alcide Mondavi’s employ, offering them a position guarding the strega of the recently-elevated family. Utterly livid, Prince Alcide recruits the Demara family, desperate for status (not to mention employment) since the fall of the Caligari family, to take their place.

Late Sextus, 1670 – An army of peasants, Royalist Swordsmen, Eisen soldiers, and Vaticine troops marches on Charouse, jointly led by Montegue and Jean-Marie Rois et Reines. Simultaneously, Castillian forces out of Rancho Torres, bolstered by Eisen mercenaries from the Order of the Drachen, recapture the port of Barcino. Don Victor, leading the attack, sends messengers to rendezvous with Montegue’s advancing army, and immediately storms across the river towards the Montaigne capitol.

Sextus 27, 1670 – The Swordsman’s Guild recognizes Brevalli as a sanctioned Swordsman’s School.

Sextus 29, 1670 – Oswald Steil, with a small cadre of hand-picked followers, completes a suicidal climb through the Weissberg Mountains and manages to penetrate Stahlfort’s defenses (aided by a number of defections from within the lower ranks of the Mörderbande). Within hours, they infiltrate the keep and force the surrender of the renegade army’s leaders. The gates are opened, and “Eisenfürst Sieger” marches triumphantly into the city, bringing the second siege of Stahlfort to an end.

Julius 4, 1670 – Mere days away from the ship’s maiden voyage, a mysterious fire breaks out aboard the Hurricane II. While the quick thinking and timely action of countless shipwrights, dockworkers, and local citizens prevent the fire from spreading, Admiral McGee’s flagship burns to the waterline.

Julius 13, 1670 – The bloody sails of the Crimson Roger are spotted off the coast of Carleon. While every available Sea Dog prepares to sail out and meet the Rogers, the feared pirate ship runs up a white flag of truce. Flanked by several Sea Dog vessels (and the Royal Maiden), the Rogers are allowed to make port. Captain Reis sends an emissary requesting an audience with the Queen, which is denied. Instead, Bonnie McGee, Bors MacAllister, and a coterie of Elaine’s Knights board the ship to meet with her officers.

Julius 14, 1670 – Faced with an unwinnable battle on two fronts, the Revolutionary government in Charouse surrenders the city, simultaneously putting an end to the Frenzy and the political careers of the Council of Eight. The Castillian forces return to their own lands without incident.

Julius 16, 1670 – After three days of discussions, arguments, and swarms of messengers carrying dispatches between the docks and the palace, the Crimson Roger strikes her colors. A small number of officers—protesting loudly—are led off the ship in chains. Riant Gaucher, revealed to be the false “Captain Reis” is among them.

Julius 18, 1670 – The drama at Carleon’s docks grows even more surreal, as Admiral McGee and her hand-picked officers arrive to take possession of the Crimson Roger. The ship is resupplied and sets sail in a matter of hours…flying the colors of the Sea Dogs! An excited burst of yapping as the ship leaves port reveals that Captain, the Sea Dogs’ mascot, has also found a home aboard the Roger.

Julius 22, 1670 – Anne and Dominique du Montaigne join their victorious husbands in Charouse. Parlement remains in control of the nation for the time being, though several of the more controversial members are forced to step down.

Corantine, 1670 – Stefan Heilgrund’s forces sweep into Hainzl and overrun the Königreich with virtually no resistance. The schattensoldat quickly spread into the captured territory, while Heilgrund’s mundane forces begin a frantic search for the Imperator’s shield.

Early Septimus, 1670 – After weeks of debate regarding the proper form for the reinstated government, Montegue is overwhelmingly elected to the newly-created post of Prime Minister in Montaigne’s first national election, making him the de facto head of government. Parlement remains intact to advise the new Prime Minister, and its vacancies are filled in regional elections.

Septimus 15, 1670 – Now in control of three Königreichen, Stefan Heilgrund sends a missive to Pösen, Wische and Freiburg, demanding that he be recognized as “Eisenkönig.” While his refusal to acknowledge the rule of Hainzl/Sieger to the east suggests that the Mad Prince will be his next target, Logan Sieger orders his guards to begin preparing for a siege in Freiburg as a precautionary measure.

Octavus 1, 1670 – Sentenced to death after a brief trial, Arnaud du Charouse is beheaded at dawn. Following the execution, most Montaigne cities hold a festival in which their manifestation of le coiffeur is chopped into kindling and burned.

Late Octavus, 1670 – The Montaigne Parlement formally returns Barcino to Castillian control, in appreciation for the aid of Rancho Torres in avoiding serious bloodshed during the overthrow of the Revolutionary government. The declaration is largely a formality, as Barcino had been under Castillian control for several months.

Nonus 1, 1670 – Anne du Montaigne is crowned Queen, though she will serve a largely symbolic role as head of state. (Her husband takes the name and title Prince Jean-Marie du Montaigne.) At her coronation, Queen Anne reveals the new national flag of Montaigne: a golden sun (sans mole) upon a field of red, symbolizing the blood of all Montaigne people, noble and commoner alike. As part of the ceremony, a small group of Montaigne and Avalon heroes are recognized (though specifics are never given) for outstanding valor and selflessness, and receive the Croix du Soleil: Montaigne’s highest honor. Both the fourteenth of Julius (Victory Day) and the first of Nonus (Queen’s Day) are declared national holidays.

Nonus 1670 – Queen Anne grants amnesty to les Tabards Noirs for their anti-Revolutionary actions during the Frenzy, and gives them commissions as the official protectors of the royal family. This allows the Musketeers to maintain their more comfortable role as national peacekeepers and defenders of the people. The Musketeers are given permission to keep their Revolutionary uniforms, but they voluntarily take up the golden sun on a red field in honor of the new Queen.