A History of the Clan War and the Politics that Came of It

Incursion of the Humans Into Clan Territories -
Year 130 (approximately 2215 BCE Earth time)

The political situation in Anieth was the result of a war that took place about 150 years before the Game officially began in 380. These years are the number of years since the great volcanic eruption had wiped out many of the peoples of the lands around Anieth. As you can see from the map below, the Holly lived well north of the River Bras and the Oak to the south. (red and brown) The Pine and Birch Clans were split depending on which side of these ancient antagonists they favored, Holly or Oak. The Willow still occupied the Marshes of the Avena, but well to the south of the Bras. (light green) This no man's land along the River Bras was occupied by an ancient people called the Anu, who were human, but very sparsely populated and very primitive, not hunter-gathers but mesolithic farmers.

A push from the east beause of drought that got worse in the decades after the volcano, led the nomadic tribes that roamed there closer to the mountains and better grazing for their herds. There they met the Anu and pushed down over the mountains to better grazing still along the lakes and then down the Bras to the sea. The Anu were too few in number to object to the Horse People taking over their lands; they were largely assimilated as an under class of people, but their farming methods were adopted and they profited by the introduction of cattle, sheep and dogs into their lands.

As humans are wont to do, they pushed up the rivers on both sides of the Bras as their families grew and they depleted the grazing along the river and switched over to growing marketable crops like nettles for linen and wheat. The Bras, although not navigable, became a highway of trade to the Lakes and on to the new city at Belva. Goods were sent down the Belva River to trade with Zelosia. The war began with the slash and burn techniques of the croppers and herders to increase grasslands for their cattle and crops. The made the mistake of burning lands too close to the Holly

The Holly reacted with their usual violence and began to systematically slaughter the humans. The Pine and Birch objected and pointed out to the Oak that the Holly would not stop the slaughter until they controlled the Bras and then what? Would they push on south and start up the war again with the Oak? The Oak listened to avidly to this reasoning for the last thing they wanted was to share a border with their enemies. The rest of the Lesser Clans wanted nothing with another war between these peoples and also stepped in to the war to try to end it peaceably and escort the humans "out the door" to Belva.

All the Clans became deeply involved in the meeting of the Holly and Oak at the Bras, even the southern Clans like the Thorn and the Ash. The Hazel came up with a workable solution that also seemed more fair to the humans. They would let the humans settle right along the river to act as a buffer between the two warring Clans. They could continue to trade with Belva and the East, and would be escorted up the Trader's Road by the Birch. The Holly were made to see reason about another war with the Oak and the Oak were forced back from the Bras River as the Holly retreated "three spears to the north." The situation was quiet for a while, but the Holly warriors planted themselves along the Bras to watch the border and the humans. It was uneasy at best. The Willow thinking the humans fair game, started to prey upon them and the Oak took them as slaves as well.

Meanwhile, in the East, the humans were pushing down the eastern slopes of the mountains and settling the eastern shores of the Avena, pushing again into Birch territory. Although the Birch were more tolerant, this was not a situation that they could stand. Appealing to the Clans would mean death for the humans. And then the Hazel came up with a daring plan. They would pick one woman from each of the families who controlled the tribes. That woman would breed with a shapeshifter. The result should be a daughter with a magical mind. They knew that sons would have less stability and also not necessarily stay in the family. The Thorn, the Birch, the Pine and the Aspen tried this and finally figured out many of the variables involved in the mating and offspring of a half-breed union. Only certain of the Clansmen had the necessary traits that seemed to be acceptable in the daughters without driving them mad, which was the usual result of a half-breed union. The Holly and Oak and Ash were invited to also be sponsors, but none of the Marsh Peoples wanted anything to do with half-breeds. The Trees also feared what would come of a half-breed daughter of such people. The Holly chose the peoples orphaned on the Bras who would continue to act as hostages.

This is the organization that was settled by the year 200. The Nine Nations were formed around the families with appointed "queens" who were had magical gifts from their fathers. The Trees also formed the structure you see in the "Cycles" page where the balance of power is kept by alternating Tree Queens and Animal Kings with Animal Daughters and their Tree Kings. Each generation is about nineteen years. At the end of that term, the kings and queens must be replaced, the Colleges also and the family will sometimes change according to the alliances of the daughter. The likelihood of any one of the Nations having a Tree King being next to another Nation having a Tree King is very low since the terms vary according to the calendars they follow (see Calendars) and they are not in sync with each other's generations. The Nine Nations acted as a buffer between the Wood and any other humans until the Zelosian Invasion in 380.