Events

Battles, political upheavals, and historical moments that shaped the world

55 entries

1st Battle at Border River

The 1st Battle at Border River was a military engagement that took place during the 15th Year of King Malaky XVI's reign, during which Baron Theodore von Monocle was away on active duty while Liliana von Monocle died of fever during the cholera epidemic.

2nd Wyranth War

The 2nd Wyranth War was a major military conflict between the Wyranth Empire and Rislandia that commenced during the 16th Year of King Malaky XVI's reign, serving as a central backdrop to The Blood of Giants and leaving lasting consequences depicted in The Steam Knight and The Iron Wedding.

Ascension of King Malaky XVI

The ascension of King Malaky XVI marked the formal transition of the Rislandian throne following the death of King Malaky XV, delayed by the new king's choice to wait until the new year and until Wyranth forces had been fully expelled from Rislandian soil. The coronation that opened the 1st Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign was described as marked by both triumph and mourning.

Assassination Attempt on King Malaky XVI

The assassination attempt on King Malaky XVI was a foiled plot against the Rislandian monarch, thwarted by James Gentry. The incident was later cited among James's notable accomplishments during his promotion ritual in The Steam Knight.

Assassination of King Malaky XV

The assassination of the beloved king by Wyranth agents during the first major invasion, leading to his son's ascension.

Battle of Greenhorne

The Battle of Greenhorne was a fierce engagement during the Wyranth invasion in Year 19, in which Rislandian forces recaptured the town of Greenhorne. The battle was characterized by trench warfare, gas attacks, and hand-to-hand combat, and was later documented in an unnamed soldier's account referenced in the work 'In The Trenches.'

Battle of Lake Bethany

The Battle of Lake Bethany was a military engagement fought at Lake Bethany during the 24th Year of King Malaky XV's reign. Baron Theodore von Monocle commanded the airship Liliana during the battle.

Battle of Pleasant Pass

The Battle of Pleasant Pass was a major engagement fought at Pleasant Pass in the Westerly Spine during the First Wyranth War (Year 337), in which Wyranth forces pushed through the pass before being repelled by airship bombardment, including the loss of the airship Kerli. A separate battle of the same name occurred in Year 439 during the Wyranth War of Years 437-442, in which Frederick von Monocle is recorded as a participant.

Battle of Rislandia City

The Battle of Rislandia City was a pivotal engagement of the Wyranth invasion in which Rislandia City was overwhelmed by Wyranth forces, marked by the emergence of a walking giant and the catastrophic crash of the airship Liliana. The battle was named by Zaira von Monocle in her ship's log and is credited with saving the kingdom from certain destruction.

Blood of Giants Expedition

The Blood of Giants Expedition was a mission undertaken in the 19th Year of King Malaky XVI's reign to travel to Zenwey in search of a cure for giant's blood addiction. The expedition was approved by King Malaky XVI as a three-week mission and involved the airship Liliana crossing the Golgmarsh Ocean.

Border River Conflict

The Border River Conflict was a seven-year war fought between Rislandia and Wyranth from Year 175 to Year 182, sparked by a Wyranth crossing of the Border River and ended by the Treaty of Lake Bethany. The conflict cost Rislandia approximately 3,000 dead and established a lasting enmity between the two nations.

Cholera Epidemic

The cholera epidemic was a disease outbreak that claimed the life of Liliana von Monocle, mother of Zaira von Monocle, occurring approximately three years before the events of For Steam and Country.

Cold War (Rislandia-Wyranth)

The Cold War between Rislandia and Wyranth was a period of sustained hostility lasting from Year 298 to Year 311, marked by an arms race, propaganda, border fortifications, espionage, and sabotage, but no open military conflict. It began after King Malaky IX insulted Wyranth ambassadors, leading to the severance of diplomatic relations between the two kingdoms.

Conquest of Tyndree

The Conquest of Tyndree was the subjugation of the Tyndree Kingdom by the Wyranth Empire, occurring in the 2nd Year of King Malaky XVI's reign under the command of Emperor Eisenherz. The event is notable in the history of Areth in part for the rescue of Duchess Liliana von Monocle by Theodore during the fighting.

Crystal Integration (Year 39)

Crystal Integration was a pivotal event in Year 39 in which the elders extracted air crystals from nearby caverns and embedded them within the upper levels of the Crystal Spire, producing the structure's first crystal-powered lights and establishing the Crystal Chamber at its heart. The project also left certain chambers permanently sealed, most notably the Locked Door on the 73rd floor.

Events of The Crystal Conspiracy

This page catalogues the significant events depicted in The Crystal Conspiracy, a novel in the Adventures of Baron Von Monocle series by Jon Del Arroz.

Events of The Iron Wedding

This page catalogues the key events depicted or referenced in The Iron Wedding, including the airship crash, the bandit attack on the road to the Wyranth capital, the automaton battle test at Loveridge, and the initiation of Ivan's Phase Two military campaign.

Fall of Oretha

The Fall of Oretha was a catastrophic event that marked the collapse of the Orethan Dominion's capital or empire itself. According to A History of Rislandia, the mysterious figure known as the Undying One, identified as Sethran Corvus, vanished in the aftermath of this event.

Fantasy War (Years 375–383)

The Fantasy War (Years 375–383) was an eight-year conflict between the Wyranth Empire and Rislandia sparked by the discovery of ancient crystal artifacts beneath Devil's Mountain, and ended inconclusively with the Treaty of Greenhorne. It was defined by the unprecedented deployment of crystal-powered weapons and automatons on both sides, and ultimately led to the capture of Baron Theodore von Monocle.

First Wyranth War

The First Wyranth War was a brutal four-year conflict fought between Rislandia and the Wyranth Empire from Year 337 to Year 341, sparked by a Wyranth assault on Pleasant Pass. It concluded with the Treaty of Lake Bethany, which restored the pre-war status quo and established an expanded demilitarized zone at Pleasant Pass.

Giant's Blood Crisis

The Giant's Blood Crisis was an event in Year 493 during the reign of King Malaky XVI in which the origin of the Wyranth serum was traced to an evolved giant. The crisis was ultimately resolved when Zaira von Monocle found the cure following a royal expedition to the Zenwey continent.

Great Continental War

The Great Continental War was a devastating historical conflict on the continent of Areth that drove the original Rislandian settlers to flee, resulting in the loss of the art of manipulating crystals with willpower and the eventual disappearance of those settlers. In the centuries that followed, the land was resettled and the empire that arose eventually splintered.

King Malaky's Funeral Procession

King Malaky's Funeral Procession was a state ceremony held in Rislandia City to honor the late King Malaky XV, culminating in a gathering at the open courtyard before the king's main chamber and attended by foreign ambassadors, nobility, and vast crowds of citizens.

Loveridge Conflict

The Loveridge Conflict was an event that took place in Year 223 of the Rislandian calendar, resulting in the city of Loveridge joining the kingdom of Rislandia. It is recorded in A History of Rislandia as a defining moment in the city's history.

Night of Shattered Crystals

The Night of Shattered Crystals was a coordinated imperial purge carried out on the autumn equinox of approximately Year 590 Before Present, in which Emperor Nerovan the Mad ordered the destruction of the Crystal Guilds across the Orethan Dominion in a single night. The event preceded the Great Sundering by three months and marked the end of a guild tradition that had sustained the empire for a thousand years.

Nightmen Invasion

The Nightmen Invasion was an ongoing military crisis in which Nightmen forces threatened to consume all of Rislandia, blocking Oler Pass in Year 21 and drawing in key figures including King Malaky XVI, Zaira von Monocle, and Ivan. The invasion coincided with the birth of Lilly von Monocle to Talyen von Cravat.

Portsgate Conflict

The Portsgate Conflict was a brief but bitter dispute fought between Rislandia and Portsgate during Years 95–98 of King Malaky II's reign, arising from disagreements over fishing rights, tariffs, and the payment of trade tolls. The conflict ended in stalemate and was resolved by a mediated treaty in Year 98.

Portsgate Flood

The Portsgate Flood was a catastrophic natural disaster that struck the coastal city of Portsgate on Day 35 of the Month of Dukes in the 15th Year of King Malaky XVI's reign, when a massive hurricane drove floodwaters to the rooftops of the city. The airship Liliana and her crew carried out the only successful evacuation of stranded civilians, rescuing refugees from the submerged city.

Rediscovery of Crystal Magic

The Rediscovery of Crystal Magic was a pivotal event occurring around Year 485 during the reign of King Malaky XV, in which scholars successfully re-attuned air crystals in the Crystal Spire, restoring functional crystal magic to Rislandia for the first time in over five hundred years. Though weaker than the magic of the ancient empire, the rediscovery enabled transformative new technologies, most notably airships.

Rescue of Duchess Liliana

The Rescue of Duchess Liliana was a legendary event in which Baron Theodore von Monocle fought through Wyranth forces to reach High Mesa Castle, during which he named his airship after Liliana on the spot. According to A History of Rislandia, the event became celebrated in both Rislandia and Wyranth, with each nation preserving its own version of the story.

Second Battle of Rislandia City

The Second Battle of Rislandia City was a major military engagement fought in and around Rislandia City in which Zaira von Monocle participated and nearly died multiple times, ultimately resulting in the expulsion of the Wyranth Empire from the northern half of Rislandia.

Second Battle of the Border River

The Second Battle of the Border River was a major engagement fought during the 17th Year of King Malaky XVI's reign, notable for the disappearance of Baron Theodore von Monocle during or after the fighting. It resulted in significant casualties on both sides.

Siege of High Mesa

The Siege of High Mesa was the Wyranth assault on High Mesa Castle during which Baron Theodore von Monocle, on his airship's first mission, rescued Duchess Liliana, about twenty years before For Steam and Country. A History of Rislandia describes a six-month siege in which King Aldous III of Tyndree died defending the castle; the Tyndree Kingdom itself survived and folded into the Wyranth Empire in the 2nd Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign.

The Alliance (Rislandia-Wyranth)

The Alliance was a short-lived but historically remarkable military partnership formed between Rislandia and Wyranth during Years 493–494, uniting two ancient enemies in joint operations against the Nightmen. According to A History of Rislandia, it represented unprecedented cooperation between the two rival powers.

The Exodus (Malaky VII's Reign)

The Exodus was a mass flight of religious clergy from Rislandia during the Purge under King Malaky VII, in which hundreds of priests and monks sought refuge in Wyranth, Tyndree, Atrebla, and other distant lands. Those who fled established churches in exile, preserving their faith outside Rislandia's borders.

The Great Gathering

The Great Gathering was the convergence of approximately 21,500 refugees at Petra Magna over the course of Year 540, drawing survivors from the former guilds, the Church, the imperial legions, the scholarly community, and the common people. It marked the emergence of key leaders including Jory Malaky, and laid the foundations for what would become the Malaky dynasty.

The Great Sundering

The catastrophic event that destroyed the Giants' civilization, transforming the world and scattering crystal magic across Areth.

The Iron Wedding

The Iron Wedding was the proposed marriage between Zaira von Monocle and Emperor Ivan of the Wyranth Empire, a politically motivated alliance interrupted by a large-scale Nightmen attack at Carnait Cove during the 20th Year of King Malaky XVI's Reign. Though the ceremony was never completed, a Rislandian-Wyranth alliance formed in its aftermath.

The Noble Conspiracy (Year 240)

In Year 240, a group of Rislandian nobles plotted to assassinate King Malaky VII and replace him with his more moderate cousin, but were betrayed and captured. The conspirators were subsequently imprisoned and subjected to the humiliating Edict of Ridicule in Year 241, which forced them to adopt absurd surnames — an act whose consequences echoed through their family lines for generations.

The Pinnacle (Year 40)

The Pinnacle was a tower constructed in Year 40 that reached a height of 400 feet, offering unobstructed views in all directions from a platform at its summit. It served as a landmark visible from across the peninsula and could signal danger by means of a beacon fire lit at its top.

The Poisoning (Death of Malaky VII)

The Poisoning refers to the sudden death of King Malaky VII in Year 259, officially recorded as natural causes but widely believed to have resulted from poison administered in his wine. The culprit was never identified, and the event generated lasting speculation about the true source of the king's death.

The Purge (Malaky VII)

The Purge was a systematic campaign of religious suppression carried out by King Malaky VII between Years 231 and 235, during which senior church leaders were arrested, bishops exiled, and churches closed or placed under royal control. High Priest Benedictus III died in prison during the Purge, officially from illness, though foul play was widely suspected.

The Zenwey Expedition

Zaira's mission across the Golgmarsh Ocean to find a cure for giant's blood addiction, leading to enslavement by the Nightmen and eventual escape.

Treaty of Greenhorne

The Treaty of Greenhorne was a peace agreement signed in Year 383 that ended the Fantasy War (Years 375-383), restoring the status quo ante bellum between Rislandia and Wyranth. Among its provisions was a mutual limitation on crystal magic research, though King Malaky XIII later violated that ban in secret.

Treaty of Lake Bethany

The Treaty of Lake Bethany is the name shared by two distinct diplomatic agreements in Rislandian history, signed in Year 182 and Year 356 respectively, each concluded near Lake Bethany and each shaping the boundary and relations between Rislandia and Wyranth. The second treaty, signed in Year 356, formally ended the First Wyranth War.

Treaty of Year 341

The Treaty of Year 341 was a peace agreement negotiated in Year 341 that brought the First Wyranth War to a close. It restored pre-war borders between the belligerents, expanded the demilitarized zone at Pleasant Pass, arranged prisoner exchanges, and imposed no reparations on either side.

Tyndri Departure

The Tyndri Departure was the migration of approximately 1,500 followers led by Tyndri Silverveil in Year 14, resulting in the settlement of the southeastern peninsula and the eventual founding of the Kingdom of Tyndree. It stands as one of the formative schisms of early Rislandian history.

Wars of the Warlords (Time of Blood)

The Wars of the Warlords, also called the Time of Blood, was a catastrophic period of approximately fifty years that followed the death of Emperor Nerovan and the collapse of his empire, during which dozens of rival claimants plunged the continent into devastating conflict. Millions perished, cities were sacked and burned, and civilization regressed by centuries, leaving a legacy that shaped Rislandia's enduring value of stability.

Were-Rat Purge

The Were-Rat Purge was a military expedition conducted in Year 3 of Rislandia's history, led by Captain Cedric Ironhelm, that located and destroyed a were-rat pack in the Old Forest, breaking the were-rat threat and allowing farms to expand safely. The three-week campaign involved 200 soldiers, 50 Pyrean warriors, indigenous guides, and priests, and culminated in Captain Cedric killing the pack's alpha in single combat.

Wyranth Attack on Plainsroad Village

The Wyranth Attack on Plainsroad Village was a devastating assault by Wyranth war engines that destroyed much of Plainsroad Village, claimed the lives of James Gentry's parents, and forced James and his sister Zaira to flee on horseback. The attack proved a defining moment in James Gentry's life.

Wyranth Capital Riot

The Wyranth Capital Riot was a public uprising organized by the Wyranth Underground Resistance in the industrial district of the Wyranth capital, during which hundreds of masked participants clashed with imperial forces and automatons. It is first depicted in The Iron Wedding.

Wyranth Invasion (Years 492-493)

The Wyranth Invasion of Years 492-493 was a large-scale military offensive launched by the Wyranth Empire against Rislandia along the Border River, representing one of the fiercest conflicts between the two kingdoms in generations. The invasion resulted in the assassination of King Malaky XV, the ascension of King Malaky XVI, and ultimately ended with Rislandian forces driving the Wyranth back across the Border River.

Wyranth Schism

The Wyranth Schism was a foundational rupture in Year 11 of the Rislandian settlement, in which Wyranth Ashenblade departed the community of Jory Malaky with approximately 3,000 followers over irreconcilable philosophical differences. Ashenblade led his people south across the Westerly Spine mountains and settled beyond the Border River in a volcanic southern region, establishing what would eventually become the Wyranth Empire.

Wyranth War of Years 437–442

The Wyranth War of Years 437–442 was a five-year conflict between Rislandia and the Wyranth Empire fought from Year 437 to Year 442, sparked by Wyranth accusations that Rislandia had violated the crystal research ban. The war ended in a small Rislandian victory, with Wyranth agreeing to recognize Rislandian territorial claims under a status quo ante bellum treaty.

Wyranth-Tyndree War

The Wyranth-Tyndree War was a brutal conflict fought between the kingdoms of Wyranth and Tyndree over territorial disputes during Years 115 to 120 of the Rislandian calendar. The war ended in stalemate, with both kingdoms exhausted, while Rislandia under King Malaky III maintained neutrality throughout.