History of Cevaire (Civilizations: The Dawn)

Cevaire in Antiquity
Cevaire was founded as the one of the earliest nations on the continent, second to that of Thalassia. Cevaire was created in the year 1, as marked by the Cevairean Calendar which was introduced at the time of the founding of the nation. All events and occurences before Cevairean foundations are referred to as occuring Prior Foundation (PF).

Early Years
The country was created as a consolidation of the four tribes existing in the area. They are, as listed by general powerfulness at the time, the Cevai, Ayoran, Adelari, and Derarri. Before Cevairean consolidation, all the tribes were a primarily despotic monarchy, having a Chieftain rule over them. Consolidation began in 13 PF, when Chief Harvin Agosoeli of Cevai was able to forge a royal union with the Chief of the Ayoran tribe, Oltimania of Ayoran. The Cevairean-Ayoranese League was then formed. After years of military construction, from 10 PF to 2 PF, the League went into conflict with the two northerly tribes of the Adelari and Derarri, in the Northern Conquest. Tensions between the two regions had already existed for centuries, so the Cevairean and Ayoranese people were quite enthuasitic to war against their northern enemies. After eight years of concisive victories and successes, the League was able to capture the last Adelarion fortress at the mouth of the Dellois River. The north was conquered.

Foundation of Cevaire
The League then began enforcingtheir culture upon the new land. Adelarion and Derarrite valued ideals like ancestor worship, parental reverence, and the want for a tribe governed by an oligarchy. In short, the peoples of these tribes held their parents, particularly their paternal figures, in high prestige. On the other hand, The Cevairean and Ayoranese valued monarchial systems of governance and political equality within their realms. Because of this, the two tribes evolved a quite unique way of managing the household and country. Both men and women were expected to contribute to society by any means available, such as hunting, fishing, farming, and running households. Young girls and boys were taught to hunt and fish at an early age. Farming would be later taught in the teenage years. When a woman became pregnant, which was encouraged, she was expected to do as much work as she felt comfortable, which included tilling fields, setting traps, and managing the household. However, as evidenced from a very early stage of the tribes, pregnant women were discouraged from hunting in fear of her and her child's health. Once the baby was delivered, the mother was also expected to breast feed for some time. After about a few years, the fathers were expected to assist in taking care of the children while the mother resumed frequent hunting and farming. After generations, this process soon became a cycle: A woman got pregnant and slowed her activities. She then gave birth and helped raise the child for a few years, from which she then shared raising the baby with the father or older sibling while she resumed her activities along with the other villagers. A few years later, mostly six or seven, she would become pregnant again. By the time a woman was fifty years old, she would have had at least four children and a relatively healthy lifestyle.

The issue of marriage was typically the same between the hierarchial classes of Ceva and Ayoran. The lower classes usually married young and quickly produced large families. The upper and noble classes conducted much of the same procedures. In the early stages of Cevairean and Ayaronese history, marriages were conducted by tribal priests, and the to-be bride was usually presented to the to-be groom a few days before the marriage. Courting was not common, and after the wedding, the bride usually moved in with groom and split her assets between them. By the time of King Harvin and Queen Oltimania's reign, the institution of marriage was different. Courting and periods of dating became common, where for example the to-be groom would frequently invite the to-be bride to lodge at his home. A few weeks would pass before the wedding, which became a heavily religious, while also brief, ceremony performed by a class of religious officials, named the Consumiendas, would occur. Weddings usually lasted only a few hours and were accompanied by the closest members of the bride and groom's family. Moving in with the husband was still common, however, by the time of Queen Oltimania, the married couples of Ayoran usually moved in with whoever had more social standing or prestige.

Because of this whole lifestyle, from hunting to marriage, the Cevaireans and Ayoranese looked at men and women as equals, both personally and politically. Although women had the burden of going through pregnancy, they soon become adept at giving birth and becoming deeply involved in their societies while remaining fertile and healthy. During the Northern Conquest, where armies were first truly used, there was a relatively equal of men to women involved in the proto-military. However, as equal as it was compared to the rest of the continent, women were still discouraged from being soldiers and commanders, as killing people, as opposed to animals, was seen as reserved for men, and not for women.

Politically, the want for sons as strong, male leaders was non existant. The two tribes evolved a system of Absolute Primogeniture, where the first born child of the reigning chief would be next in line, regardless of sex. If the chief had no children, then the throne would pass to the elder brother or sister of the chief, or their oldest sons or daughters.

Religion-wise, the League had a very solar oriented system of beliefs. Throughout their history, Ceva worshipped a poytheistic cult of sun gods and godesses. These warrior like deities were fervently worshipped constantly, and were seen as the driving force behind most Cevairean political and military successes or failures. The Ayoranese had a very similar religious structure. Their religion, a much more strict, monotheistic belief, paid reverence to the solar deity of Aytuene. The god represented fertility, and was responsible for sustaining the land, rivers, and animals and holding equilibrium over all life, thus sustaining the Ayoranese as well. When the Realm of Cevaire was formed, a strict set of religious rules was commonly followed in Ayoran. The most important of these rules was that one must pay Aytuene tribute every evening at sunset. Tribute was commonly a bowl of fruit, fine jewelry, artwork, or in very extreme cases which may have occured in the very early stages of Ayoranese society, human and animal sacrifice. At the ascension of Queen Oltimania, however, this practice had fallen out of favor thousands of years ago.

Realm of Cevaire
When the Realm of Cevaire was founded two years after the Northern Conquest, in the year 1, absolute primogeniture become a part of the monarchy. Harvin became the King, and Oltimania become the Queen. While later monarchs of Cevaire ruled as single sovereigns, the early monarchs, like Harvin and Oltimania, shared power equally. Harvin dealt with matters surrounding his native Ceva, now a province of the realm, and Oltimania governed Ayoran, also a province. The two then split power between the conquered Adelari and Derarri lands. Harvin governed Adelari, and Oltimania governed Derarri.

Three years later, in year 4, Oltimania gave birth to a boy, whom she named Harvinos, in name of her husband. Two years after that, year 6, she gave birth to a girl, whom she named Bedencia.

Soon after the births of the royal children, a line of succesion was created. Harvinos become the heir to the throne. Queen Oltimania then issued a decree laying out titles for royal children, named the Ten Titles of Inheritance.


 * First born child: Heirate of Cevaire (spouse given title of Heiratan)


 * Second born child: High Prince of Ceva (spouse given title of Princet)


 * Third born child: Prince of Ayoran (spouse given title of Princet)


 * Fourth born child: Durate of Adelari (spouse given title of Duratan)


 * Fifth born child: Durate of Derarri


 * Sixth born child:  Conte of Dellois (spouse given title of Contan)


 * Seventh born child: Conte of Gabraldi


 * Eighth born child: Deci of Claroso (spouse given title of Decian)


 * Ninth born child: Deci of Oroseille


 * Tenth born child: Ledi of Aborri (spouse given title of Ledan)

The titles were genderless, as set out by the Queen. However, on certain occasions Bedencia was called ''Princess. ''

The decree was soon published, and Harvinos became the Heirate and Bedencia became the ''High Prince. ''The family of four then moved into the royal palace in the central plains of Ceva.

Fledgling Nation
The Realm of Cevaire was founded on a high note. The country was relatively stabile and the government secure. The King and Queen ordered farming projects for their respective provinces, and work immediately began to be done concerning public works, as well as work on the first planned city of Oltimanium.

By 3 YIG, the population numbered about 90,000, and rising quickly. Most were farmers and those of low class. The upper classes, about 1% of the population, were mostly tribal elders who were able to smoothly enter the monarchy as the landed elite. The government was de facto ruled by Queen Oltimania. By law, King Harvin was to rule as well, but bouts of illness starting in year 2 debilitated him and he spent most of his time in his palace.

Queen Oltimania's first challenge of rule was pacifying the Adelarians and Derarrians, many of which debated the legitimacy of her rule and contested what her role as a woman should be. Oltimania's challenge was made harder when foreign ambassadors of the Aicazh religion entered her court. While at first interested in these strange missionaries from a far away empire, Oltimania soon found trouble. After the Aicazh ambassadors began trying to convert several Ayoranese courtiers in April of year 4, Oltimania had them both imprisoned. The news broke out and angered many opposition groups in Adelari and Derarri (both of which soon became shortened to Adoderrari). Many of the opposition groups were followers of the Aicazh religion itself, considering that the far away Aicazh empire was collapsing and triggering a large Aicazh diaspora. Rumors began being spread about Oltimania, being an unruly woman who has sadistic fun bossing around others and scoffing at things she sees as below her. King Harvin was seen as the obedient lap dog who did whatever she said, depsite the truth being that Harvin was a relatively capable ruler unfortunately struck with debilitating lung disease.

Simultaneously, fishermen were discovering a large island off of the coast of Ceva. The island, named Ayorica, was soon claimed by Ayoran and incorporated to be apart of that province. The first settlement, Terra deu Plena, faltered after a series of misfortunes in the year 3 and only recovered four years later. In 7, the settlement of Raya Jevilla was founded. The settlement, which meant "Bright Jewel" in Cevairean, was named for what the settlers saw as a resilient, strong place to live compared to the disastrous Terra deu Plena.

On the mainland, many settlers began seeping south. After many settlements were established, King Harvin named the territory Agosielle, in honor of his last name.