Ravensridge

Founding of Ravensridge

10

Ravensridge is founded as a settlement for cultists worshipping the Old Ones. The settlement is between the Ghost Wood and the Dark Marsh, close to the northern embankment of the Ashwhey river.

Divide of the Ravensridge Cult

30

A large group of the founding cult divide from the main doctrine to pursue dark arts. The head of said divide is Morgana Abaddon. The town remains in conflict for a small time before a mutual agreement is made between the two parties.

Establishment of Trade Routes

110

The Abaddon family establish trade with the nearby town of Tenebron. Primarily, livestock and alchemical components refined by the Abaddons over the years are traded.

Keep of Kathadras Built

135

Due to the growing population of the city, a grand keep is built and fortified with large walls surrounding what is now known as Pine Cliff.

Ravensridge destroyed by Earthquake

136

A sizeable tremor sends a large portion of landmass crumbling down, causing over half of the northern city to be destroyed. The Cliffside Bar never repairs the damages of the earthquake to date, and a gaping section of wall is still seen from within the bar.

Rise of the Abaddons

189

The old tensions between the cult, now known as The eyes of the Lightmarsh, and the Abaddons once again brews, and Morgana takes the city keep, and hence the town, driving the cultists out.

Malbrook University is Constructed

200

The Malbrook family move from Tenebrom to establish the University. Over twelve years the building is constructed and the Malbrooks become a powerful name in the town.

Renaming of Ravensridge

235

Up until this point, Ravensridge is known as Bleakly Hills. The Malbrooks form the city council and instigate the change with the support from the Abaddons to rename the city to Ravensridge.

The Bleak War

Period: 250 to 292

A 40 year war is instigated by a dispute between the archbishop of the High Church in Fortcley and The Duchess of Cavery in the south. The war leads to the widespread influx of religious presence in the land and is attributed to the rise of superstition in the public towards witches and magic.

Sack of Ravensridge

260

Ravensridge garners a reputation for housing witches, and during the Bleak War, the High Church sacks Ravensridge and publicly beheads Morgana Abaddon. The Order of the Dawn, a sect of the High Church, takes Ravensridge and drives both the cultists and remaining witches into hiding.

Reign of the High Church

Period: 261 to 350

During this period, the Bleak War eventually ends, and Ravensridge begins to flourish under the rule of the Church. Tensions brew however, as many of the once high class citizens are sentenced to miserable lives due to suspicions of witchcraft or other supernatural affiliations. A clear class system is established, and witch hunts are a common occurrence, much to the distaste of the once powerful Abaddons.

Usurping of the High Church

350

Minerva Abaddon makes a pact with a demon to inflict powerful curses. Archbishop Lanius of the High Church, the current mayor of Ravensridge, is cursed by a horrible plague, and forced to hand power of the city to Rigel Malbrook. The Abaddons plan to keep a low profile while at the same time reclaiming a seat of power. The High Church are hence pushed from power, and the Abaddons are put in charge of the witch hunts.

Mining Boom

360

The Barlow family establish the mining industry in Ravensridge and the city begins to prosper with Florence Barlow at the helm of the lucrative industrialism.

City Expansion

Period: 360 to 400

The Barlow estate begins construction, and the old city wall is demolished to make room for a new wall, which takes 15 years to complete and encompasses a far larger area. Harlem Asylum finshes construction, as does the Malbrook Library, which is now the largest building in Ravensridge. Many other buildings and establishments are built during this period.

Dissolution of the High Church Chapels

378

Five chapels of the High Church are dissolved and two of the buildings are demolished, by order of Minerva Abaddon. The other three are re-purposed or sold off. Members of the high church are outraged but ultimately powerless. The Barlow Family publicly back the abolition.

Banning of Worship

400

After a three generation reign of the Malbrooks as city mayor, a Barlow is elected mayor. Peggy Barlow's first act as mayor is to ban religious worship in the city; a highly controversial act that inevitably leads to a revolt some years later. All chapels and cathedrals are closed and in extreme cases, worship is punishable by death.

Revolt of the Lower Class

410

Due to the banning of worship by Peggy Barlow some years prior, a revolt begins in the city due to the desire of the lower class to worship their respective religions freely. Many lives are lost in the dispute which lasts over two weeks. notably, the Barlow Mansion is burnt to the ground by a group of anarchists called Multi Ignotum. Eventually the ruling is revoked and Peggy Barlow steps down from leadership. In Peggy Barlow's place, Ainsley Drow is elected mayor.

Rebuilding of the Barlow Estate

420

The Barlow estate is rebuilt over the course of ten years following the incineration of their previous mansion. The estate is built further out from the town in a bid to deter any future arson attacks. The estate is far larger and more grand than the previous, and rivals the Abaddon Mansion in grandeur.

Equilibrium of Power

427

The constant flux of power and tension in the city between witches and the church finally come to a balance when The High Church Treaty is signed by both Minerva Abaddon and Kingsley Hunt, the current Archbishop of the High Church. Both parties are free to exist peacefully in the city and neither are henceforth sanctioned to run for mayor. The Order of the Dawn is formally dissolved as a sect of the church, albeit it still exists as a separate entity.

Economic Boom

460

Ravensridge becomes the biggest and wealthiest city in the region, which prompts a decade of rapid growth, and a region chamber of coin to be established, of which John Filigree is at the helm. Along with the establishment of the Annual Fineries Market Festival and the booming mining exports, Ravensridge falls into a time of long awaited prosperity.

The Great Book Heist

489

Malbrook Library falls victim to a troupe of 'Education Libertarians' that stage the greatest theft Ravensridge has ever seen. Over twenty thousand pence worth of books are stolen from the library overnight, costing the Malbrooks many irreplaceable and rare tomes meticulously collected over the years. After the heist, the Malbrooks employ the Black Fists to guard the library at all times.

Allegiance to Empress Josephine

511

Up until this point the province of Ravensridge remains neutral grounds and without allegiance. Due to the expanding empire of Empress Josephine, Ravensridge is inclined to swear allegiance to the crown or face the wrath of the silent army. Evidently, allegiance is pledged.

Artisan Boom

524

After the city swears it's allegiance to Empress Josephine, her influence brings about a new age of artistic presence; painters, poets and musicians begin to emerge in the city, which sparks the construction of the Pine Cliff Theatre.

Fly Epidemic

670

A fly epidemic becomes so serious that many of the streets are covered to the extent that ‘the people’s feet made as full an impression on them as upon thick snow’.

Conflict with the Delacroix

870

A rival coven, the Delacroix family, thwart the Abaddons attempt to incite a witch hunt against them. The Delacroix are known seers, and start to garner a following. The Abaddons, fearing an eventual revolt, curse the family with a lethal plague, which kills a large portion of the family and demolishes any power they once had.

The Nightingale Masacre

894

Victor Nightingale massacres an entire family in one night during a double lupus moon. Many speculate he had been cursed with lycanthropy; he was found naked and asleep at the bloody scene the following morning. House Nightingale become feared and fall from their high status due to public scorn.

Assault on Ravensridge

913

The city is assaulted en masse by a horde of demonic creatures named Deep Fiends, after a particularly vibrant ritual carried out by a cult named The Faceless Flock. Floki Nightingale and her forces, alongside the Black Fist, defend the city, but the creatures become overwhelming. Floki is then said to have leapt from the battlements, entered a ferocious, animalistic rage and began massacring the beasts with her bare hands. This act somewhat redeems House Nightingale in the eyes of the public.

The Stonewood Fires

938

The Stonewood family, having moved to Ravensridge to sell a mystical timber, felt the wrath of House Abaddon after the Helbridge family claimed witches among the house. The Stonewood mansion was burnt to the ground by the Abaddons, and many prestigious members of the Stonewood family were tied to the burning building to die.

The Emergence of the Beast

966

A large creature finds its way to Ravensridge and begins taking children and eating them. Eventually the creature grows to a size much larger than an elephant and attacks the Racecourse housing the Annual Races. Many are killed that night, and the death toll is the third highest of city events, coming in behind the Assault of the Deep Fiends, and the Bleak War.