History

The world of the Western Lands is a parallel world to our own, where millions of years ago the ancient landmasses developed differently.

Africa and South America did not separate, but remained joined as a large continent in the Southern Temperate zone. North America is mostly represented by a series of large islands, the largest of which is virtually a small continent along the line of the Rockies.

The Canadian shield has moved eastwards, and collided with the Eurasian landmass, forming a large subcontinent, the Western Lands. The flora and fauna is similar to our own, though not identical. Partly this is because it is possible to move from one world to the other in certain situations.

In the world of the Western Lands there is no Africa as such, and therefore humanity did not develop as in our world.  All the human population is descended by people who 'crossed over' from our world in the same way as Mary did. 

There are several species of great ape, one of which lives in the North American islands.  “Crossovers” from this species may be responsible for Big Foot stories. 

The earliest surviving population in the Western Lands was a group of Indo-European hunters, about 5000 years ago.  Over time others crossed over and joined them.  As the natives were usually technologically backward, the newcomers often had an impact far greater than might be expected. 

About 1800 years ago the city of Kir Vor (then called Kir Tennus) began its rise to power, under an ex-Roman general, from minor city state to a major imperial power.  Within 200 years it had unified the whole subcontinent.  Over the following centuries this developed into a common culture and language (with a few minor exceptions), until the Kirian empire covered the whole of the lands west of the Cloudbearers.  The Ruetlis were part of the old empire, and their ancestors of that time seem to have accepted that status.  Whether that was because they wanted it that way, or because you don't argue with an emperor who runs an army several times bigger than your entire population, is not clear.  People who didn't like the emperor usually didn't survive long enough to leave much in the way of historical records. 

On the other hand, at least the empire did guarantee peace of a sort, and most of the emperors weren't too bad.  For a lot of people that was probably worth a few taxes and a foreign governor telling you what to do in your own country. 

Over time the empire gradually became corrupt, in the same way as Rome, and for much the same reasons, but with one vital difference.  The Cloudbearers to the east, and the deserts to the south barred the way to any barbarian hordes that might have destroyed the empire in the way that Rome was destroyed.  As a result the empire staggered on under weaker and weaker leadership. 

Things started to go badly wrong for the empire about six hundred years ago, when a strain of mental instability showed itself in the imperial family.  There was a series of exceptionally weak emperors, who let power slip more and more into the hands of the governors of the various provinces, until they became effectively independent.  The Ruetlis ended up with a rather nasty Imperial Governor, who was basically just a common thug with a pretty title.  An incompetently cruel Emperor contrived to get assassinated in Newbridge, on the edge of the Ruetlis, and the Governor decided to punish the entire province for it.  There was a rebellion, when the Valleys formed a common League, the League of the Covenant, against him, and a short war, then one day he in his turn had a unfortunate 'accident'. 

The Ruetlis became one of the breakaway provinces, while Kir Vor became no more than the capital of another petty successor state, but one with pretensions to imperial power that it never forgot. 

Fifty-six years before "Lady of Foxdale" opens, the king of Kir Vor died, leaving only a infant son.  The Mayor of the Palace seized control, taking the name Moy-Larnon (Moy the Regent), and held on to it.  When the King became of age, he was kept more or less a prisoner. 

There was opposition to the mayor and, but as long as he controlled the king, he believed he could control the opposition.  In any case he only had to wait, as on the king's death without lawful heirs, the throne would fall vacant, and he or his son or even his grandson would have no difficulty in ensuring his own election.  In the meantime he was not worried if he didn't have the title of king, as long as he had the power. 

"Heir of the Duke" is set towards the end of Moy-Larnon's reign.

About twenty years ago, Moy-Larnon died, and his son took over under the name Moy-Tan (Moy the Heir). 

Approximate dates are given below as YBC (Year of the Building of the City) and YCR (Year of the Covenant of Ruetli):

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