Timeline of Akiniwazi: 1115-1190AD

The next century of the important historical events of Akiniwazi.

1115AD – Thanks to stories from sailors who had plied the trade between Akiniwazi and Viking lands, the rumor that the Garden of Eden has been found in Akiniwazi spreads throughout the medieval church. During the Norwegian Crusade, this rumor catches fire with the men returning from the Holy Land. Instead of returning home, many wish to cross the ocean with the Vikings. Several of their allies who came back to Viking lands of other nationalities not of Norse blood want to go too. In a surprising move, King Sigurd the Crusader and his allied Jarls continued support the emigration policy of previous Kings. Akiniwazi increases significantly despite the restrictions as returning crusaders also bring their families to relocate despite many crusaders being refused.

1120AD – The population of Akiniwazi is believed to pass 250,000 people.

1131AD – Koenraadian Sect founded by Saint Koenraad. As the different monastic orders control and set up housekeeping in Akiniwazi to establish the Church, the amplified Gifts of the Spirit begin to exert an unexpected influence over their decisions. The first major break from the Roman Catholic Church and the Old World’s monastic orders is the renaming of the Church in Akiniwazi as the Kyrkja, and begins to form around the teachings of Koenraad, a monk blessed with extremely pervasive wisdom and guidance. It is through his revelations that the beginning of the Kyrkja begins to form, and the first Sect, based off of the gift of Wisdom and Discernment comes to be.

1135AD – Havarian Order founded by Saint Havar of Bergen. The order was a response to the need to preserve and disseminate knowledge as well as find a refuge for those men who wished to devote their lives to God in search of it.

1153AD – The first Monastery of the Havarian Order was founded outside of Mannvoenlandnaam on a small island on the Kisiina. Its relative closeness to the city allowed it access to the growing intelligentsia of the capital and courtiers and facilitating the importation of books of knowledge and other great works of the church and nobility for preservation.

A group of Jarls began to be concerned at the theft or destruction at the hands of Skaerslinger and demand that Havar take on a military force to protect the wealth there. Havar refused seeing the danger of the wealth and knowledge being politicized, but saw the need for defenses before crisis happened. He began falling back on his experience as a soldier during the second crusade to begin training Monks in combat. Havar was assisted in his efforts by a former soldier turned monk, Brother Ole Verndahl in creating a school of combat in which did not require weapons, but could use nearly anything as a weapon if necessary. It was named “Manu Dei Ducitur”, or also called “Manu Dei” for the amazing providence the art seemed to always exhibit in defeating foes. Although it is mostly used for non lethal defense, it can be quite deadly when the need arises. It serves first to incapacitate, rendering an opponent unable to fight by a variety of methods focused on locks and dislocations of joints or chokes. It does not focus on any weapons for it assumes the practitioner has been caught unarmed and surprised and therefore uses what is available to defend oneself this level of improvisation leads to very creative conflict resolution

1157AD: Koenraad dies and becomes the first canonized Saint for the Kyrkja.

1160AD – Native born children start outstripping the rate of emigration for the firs time. This shift allows the power of the Kyrkja grow. The Norse Monarchy, now in civil war, squabbled over the real claim over who was in control of the colonies of Akiniwazi. Many claimants to the throne believe this will help their cause.

Because of the great distance, most of this struggle was irrelevant to those colonials who also were adopting a more pious name of “The Forsamling” thanks to the influence of the Kyrkja. Some of the settlements forming on the shore of the Kiisina Sea started choosing which king they would follow during that time, unable to decide who was the real monarch they owed loyalty to, this often led to short lived skirmishes between towns and farmholds.

1180AD – The Skaerslinger begin open war upon the people of Akiniwazi. Previously, the Skaerslinger had taken a hostile avoidance attitude where they avoided the Forsamling and vice versa as much as possible. Conflicts previously were only due to unavoidable contact, or infringement on their sacred sites or nomadic paths, but now attacks were being made outright. With the settling of the Kiisina Sea becoming more complete, they attacked anyone who dares try to settle inland along rivers and lakes. The reaction varied greatly by settlement and Hirdman in charge. The Church calls up crusaders to go drive back the enemy and claim the land for Christ. This is immediately, but ineffectively resisted by the fractured Viking nobility. For the first time, a few non-Scandinavian bloodlines make it to Akiniwazi, but due to the Kyrkja’s effort on the other side, all passage become one-way limiting the knowledge of Akiniwazi outside of Viking lands.

1182AD – The Order of the Ragnarites is founded by Saint Ragnar. Their order is quickly bolstered by recruiting Crusader forces. They embrace the new found gift of miracles that assist them in spiritual warfare. It becomes an uncommon but not unheard of occurrence to have angels manifest in battle with Skaerslinger who manifest demons. Slowly, the Ragnarites begin forcing back the Skaerslinger south of the Athrfljot after discovery of a long portage to another river system.

1183AD – The Ankarite Order is founded by Saint Ankar.  An order of gifted preachers and orators around the gifts of exhortation, teaching and evangelism.

1187AD – The Battle of Portcullis Lakes. A very large encampment of Skaerslinger holding a summer council is discovered around a set of lakes by a small army of Ragnarite Crusaders after weeks of raids by the Jarl of Mannvoenlandnaam’s huskarls that plied deep south on a river that had been recently discovered. They discovered a very large gathering of Skaerslinger as they were coming to a tribal gathering to ready for an even more powerful campaign to kill off the encroaching outsiders. The large force of Huskarls and Ragnarite Crusaders were reinforced by an angelic host as they caught the Skaerslinger off guard. Crusaders and raiders slaughtered the encampment by the thousand, scattering the remnants of the disorganized Skaerslinger. In the days after the battle, scouts discovered a series of small lakes that lead to the shores of a massive fresh water lake as big as any sea known before! This lake became known as Lake Ishkode (taking the name from the corrupted words “Lake of Fire” in the Skaerslinger’s tongue) This began a new era of exploration deep into the interior of Akiniwazi.

1188AD – 1190AD – Explorers quickly began sailing longboats across the interconnected waters and discovered all seven of the major lakes of Akiniwazi. The victory at Portcullis Lakes has only served to rally and unify the Skaerslinger tribes who warn of their revenge and desire to kill every foreigner in their land. Fortunately for the Forsamling, they did not have the ability to bring enough force to bear to drive them out of their occupied gathering grounds. As a further incitement, a new heavily fortified settlement began in the rich valley of the Portcullis Lakes. The Kyrkja order that the first Cathedral of Akiniwazi be built on this site and consecrate the ground as to form a permanent spiritual beachhead against the satanic forces that ruled the land. Some minor ruins are discovered showing that the Skaerslinger at one time might have conquered a more advanced civilization or be its savage descendants of a fallen empire of old.