The Provinces of Ulthuan | The history of Ulthuan | The Dragon's Guild | Religion | Training in Ulthuan | Miscellany
For the most part the calendar in Ulthuan conforms to that of the Western world in terms of months and days, so anyone used to the English calendar will have no difficulty in comprehending it. The methods of keeping track of the years, however, are different. Ulthuan is not a Christian country and so concepts of A.D. and B.C. have little meaning. Instead the Ulthuanian calendar operates a similar system based around the estimated date of The Sundering, so instead we have dates P.S. and A.S. (Pre Sundering and After Sundering). Currently we are in the year 476 A.S.
This is by no means a total guide to every important date in the Ulthuanian calendar, as the different religions operating within the realm all have their own holy days and festivals. However, this is merely a rough inkling of some of the more widely celebrated dates.
January 1st - New Years Day. The general good cheer (for those who aren't waking up with huge hangovers) surrounding this day in the Western
world has been carried over into Ulthuan. The coming of the new year is always considered a good time to celebrate and plan to face the coming year with
new resolve and a determination to fix all the wrongs of the previous year. Needless to say, whether these good intentions are actually carried through
depends wholly on the individual and on the whole the people of Ulthuan are just as bad at keeping new year's resolutions as anyone else.
March 31st - Pantalote (Spring festival). The final onset of spring is held as a good thing by everyone, so today is the day where the warm,
sunny weather is welcomed with singing, dancing and all kinds of exciting entertainment. Every town and village will have at least one or two stalls set
up to keep the people's interest on this day although the exact form of the celebration varies from province to province. Caledor, for example, has
traditionally marked the day with large Spring fairs (indeed a Spring fair in Sector Alpha is generally considered to be enough entertainment for the
entire season never mind one day, such is the large scale of these events) whereas Eataine upholds its tradition of needing to be as extravagant as
possible with not only fairs, street entertainment and processions but also huge public feasts where all are invited to come along and share the good
cheer.
June 21st - Summer Solstice. Minor festivals are held on this day to celebrate the longest day of the year, generally revolving around the
appreciation of life as a whole although again the exact form of these festivals varies greatly from province to province. The summer solstice is on the
whole celebrated with far less aplomb than other festivals and for most people a simple toast is more than enough to mark the day.
September 30th - Fionyulna (Harvest festival). The roots of this celebration, interestingly enough, can be traced back to the days when elves
inhabited Ulthuan. As excessive and as extravagant as legend suggests, they would mark the end of the grape growing season with large feasts and, of
course, many, many bottles of fresh wine. Nowadays the ritual has become a point to mark the end of the main farming season as a whole, but that doesn't
make the feasts still held on this day any less extravagant, for humankind is about the only species who can even hope to rival the elves in terms of
excesses!
October 31st - All Hallow's Eve. For a place as prone to magical and other supernatural happenings as Ulthuan, this day takes on a whole new
significance to the usual pranks and fancy dress that the mainland is familiar with. Today is the day when the magical currents are at their strongest.
Mages can pull off their strongest spells. Supernatural creatures are at their strongest. The psychic are at their most sensitive. Today is a day where
anything can happen, and is viewed with a mixture of excitement and dread by many. Unsurprisingly the extra strength lended by this strange day means
that today is also taken as the day where any rituals involving magic take place owing to the much greater chance of success.
November 12th - Templamente (Sundering's Eve). Today is held in especially high reverence by those who are familiar with the ways and customs of
the Old Ones, the common name for the elven race that existed in Ulthuan before humans settled in the area. It is a day to remember the terrible and
abrupt war known as The Sundering that totally wiped out elven cilvilisation and is generally marked by varying levels of gravity. For most Templamente
is a day similar to the American custom of Thanksgiving, where people gather together to remember the folly of taking things for granted, although for
certain religious groups it marks the end of a whole week of ceremony and grieving for all that was lost in The Sundering. In either case it is a very
solemn day for the entire populace.
December 25th - Winter Solstice. Normally referred to as Christmas by most, this holiday has lost its religious significance almost completely
since there is no real majority religion within Ulthuan. Instead it is seen by many as simply an excuse to get together with family and friends, exchange
gifts, party the night away and generally unwind in a way that is nearly impossible during the rest of the year. When left uninterrupted the festive
celebrations tend to last much longer than the single day, which is usually simply the peak of a good week of making merry.
Pre-Sundering
It is important to note that a lot of the ancient history of Ulthuan was lost during The Sundering and those who are familiar with it tend to keep to
themselves. However, several key events are still talked about in legend and known through what little remains of the elven shrines and cities.
3245 PS - The first recorded Phoenix King, Aenarion the Defender, takes the throne. His rule lasts for hundreds of years, being as he was long-lived
even by elven standards, and his many heroic and noble feats eventually gave him an almost religion-like following.
1563 PS - The first War of the Magi. Corrupted by the allure of black magic the brother of the Phoenix King at the time, Bel-Shanaar the Navigator, rose
an army to swarm Ulthuan and take it as his own. He is defeated, however, not least due to the impressive bravery of Dragon Prince Caledor Dragontamer,
who is said to have rode into battle atop a large green dragon and lain waste to dozens of enemy units. His great bravery grants him the honour of
having an entire province named after him, the area of Caledor, the mountainous land said to be the roosting place of the dragons.
1205 PS - The now-infamous Caledor Dragontamer, one of the greatest heroes in Ulthuanian mythology thanks to his part in the War of the Magi, founds a
great underground citadel in the mountains of Caledor. This eventually goes on to become an important seat of power for generations right up until the
end of the reign of elves.
876 PS - The second War of the Magi begins. An unknown elven warlock from the area eventually to become known as Nagarythe makes an attempt to destroy
Ulthuan completely with his demon-blessed powers.
862 PS - The second War of the Magi ends as Caledor Dragontamer manages to set up a portal designed to drain the area of all demonic influence. Sadly
this comes at the expense of his life, the magic required to create the portal being far too great for any mortal body to survive the casting. The portal
is sealed in Nagarythe and stabilised by the erection of several magical shrines, later to become known as the five Gates of Ulthuan.
285 PS - The portal at Nagarythe fails after many centuries of keeping Ulthuan free from evil. Fortunately the Gates alone are able to contain the
demonspawn released to the confines of this area that will eventually become known as the Shadowlands due to its less than savoury denziens.
The Sundering
The time of The Sundering is spoken of in hushed tones throughout Ulthuan, especially so from those who have an inkling of what actually occurred. A
terrible, terrible spike in ethereal energy finally gave the devils of Nagarythe the opportunity to break through the barriers that contained them. A
terrible and bloody war was staged as the elves tried desperately to fight off the monstrous onslaught. However it seemed to be in vain and the forces of
evil pressed ever onwards, slaughtering all in their path to appease their dark appetites.
It was at this point that a cabal of the most powerful sorcerers in Ulthuan met with the elven council and a plan of action was decided upon. The elves knew that their time was drawing to a close. They also knew that once they were gone the forces of Nagarythe would turn their evil eyes to the rest of the world. So in sheer desperation they decided to cast one last, awesomely powerful spell that within moments of its casting wiped out almost every shred of supernatural force in Ulthuan. Sadly the spell spelled the end of the elves just as much as it did for their enemies; both forces had magic running through their blood after all.
Since that period no elves have since been spotted in Ulthuan. They destroyed themselves along with their foes, purely so that the rest of the world might live on.
After Sundering
75 AS - The terrible magical storms that have prevented outside access to Ulthuan since the days of The Sundering finally abate. Humans take their first
tentative steps into this once proud and magical realm and with them bring pokémon, creatures that will eventually replace the fabulous monsters of old
and help bring a whole new trade into this mythical realm - that of the pokémon trainer.
125 AS - With the realm slowly becoming more settled the traders and merchants of the land band together to protect their interests. The first
incarnation of the Dragons Guild is born.
177 AS - The War of Rains. A short, bloody conflict born of civil unrest characterized by the fact that throughout the conflict the weather was always
dark and ominous, hence the name. Some say the war was started by a mad despot with access to hidden magics although none can really know for sure.
180 AS - End of the War of Rains. To help maintain stability the Dragons Guild is formed to give the people more of a voice in their government. This
marks the birth of the political system still used in Ulthuan to this very day.
293 AS - A warlord from Nagarythe, Baron Diabolos III, makes an attempt to consume the land in darkness, convinced that he is being instructed to by a
strange being named Resomegnis. Weilding strange and unnatural powers not seen in Ulthuan since the days of The Sundering he sweeps through the land,
only to be stopped by a small band of trainers and warriors that can be considered the precursors of the Dragon Tamers of more recent times.
460 AS - The first known incidents in Ulthuan involving Team Rocket.
476 AS - The current day.