I took the time to write up the recent history of Arenia the other day... I've never done that before, so let me know what you think!
I drop a lot of place names in there, so I went ahead and attached a map of Arenia.
Anyway, moving on...

5006 - Beginning of Origen's reign
Origen's Peace
5053 - Vandel invasion
August 15: Vandel army masses at Arenian border, outside Lazzara. General Chale prepares city and sends messengers to Origen, at the capitol Rauzze.
August 16: All messengers, except one - Oslo - are intercepted and killed. The Vandels continue to gather.
August 22: Vandels begin building war machines.
September 3: The invasion. One army attacks Lazzara, another Benem, and another Rauzze (by sea).
October 11: Ecra and Caryn send their amries to Lazzara, but are defeated.
October 3: Benem is taken.
November 2: Lazzara is taken.
5054 - Defeat of Arenia
January 5: Rauzze is taken, and Origen is killed.
January 7: Ecra and Caryn are taken easily, since their armies were already defeated.
February 1: L'yille is betrayed and taken.
February 3: Kejma and occupied by neighboring country Trilema as a precaution.
March 24: Tenanore is taken.
March 26: All the remaining Arenian troops flee to Velmac. The Shapeshifters go to Bekohan. The city of Aila is totally abandoned.
April: The Vandels solidify their rule. They set up governors, and Archard crowns himself king. Soldiers are put in all the cities; laws are created and enforced. Velmac is surrounded, but since there are so few people there, the Vandels mostly ignore the city.
July 1: The Vandel garrison at L'yille sets sail for Bekohan.
July 4: They arrive, at night and in secret. The Vandels go into important homes and kill the leaders there, disappearing before morning.
July 5: Full-out attack and rout of the Shifters. Caught off-guard, the shifters are picked off individually by groups of Vandels.
July 7: The Vandels cover the island, killing any stragglers. The Old One, a village leader, takes the children of her village, along with her daughter-in-law Ismaire, and escapes to the mainland.
July 20: Bekohan is deserted.
August 4: The Old One arrives in Velmac with Ismaire and the children.
August 10: General Chale meets with the Old One, and decides to send the children through the portal to Monark.
August 11: They leave for the portal, which is in Lazzara. Chale is killed when they run into a group of Vandels outside Velmac.
October 26: They arrive in Lazzara, and sneak in with the help of an Arenian.
October 28: Ismaire takes the children through the portal. The Old One and Ismaire's younger sister Sierra stay behind.
November 13: The Old One arrives back in Velmac.
5054 - 5064 - The Vandels pour into Arenia: men, women, and children. They take over the cities. Arenian humans are allowed to stay, under strict laws and taxes. However, Shapeshifters are not allowed to live. Archard is a tyrant, killing any he feels threaten him. He establishes slavery - often, Arenians are taken from their homes and sold.
The Arenians in Velmac bide their time, hiding from the Vandels and growing stronger.
5065 -
May 15: Luke and Alyse's (two of the shifter children) parents suddenly appear in Velmac, with Kane and Rani's brother Aric, and their 9-year-old son Ishmael.
May 27: Emilion, their father, is captured. Terrified, he reveals where his wife Siria is, along with Sierra. He is set free, but only within the confines of Tenanore.
July 8: Siria and Sierra are captured.
July 11: They are tortured. Siria is killed, and Sierra tells the Vandels about the shifters hidden in Monark. She is held in prison.
July 9: Ishmael and Aric are sent to Monark with a human couple.
5066 -
August 31: Wulf leaves Rauzze for Lazzara.
November 12: Wulf goes through the portal, using Sierra to guide him.
December 2: Kane and Sierra come through the portal. Alyse follows, and Wulf comes later with his captives.
December 4: Ismaire, Nazra, and Obsidian (her children) come through the portal.
Phew... that's a lot of dates... if you lasted this long, thanks for reading. I hope it wasn't boring! I would love to hear your thoughts on it, too.
