Early history of Lourenne

The early history of Lourenne refers to the period of the history of Lourenne prior to the country's colonisation by outside explorers.

Due to a lack of written records, little detail is known about the extensive history of the indigenous people of Lourenne. Archaeologists believe that the ancient kingdoms existed for several centuries, and fragments found in several palaces in southern Kundir suggest that the old Orinco historical records were lost in the bloody Godless Wars that came to a close shortly before the arrival of the first Rildanorian missionaries. Oral traditions, many of which were transferred to paper during the Colonial Era, are rich and detailed, though their vast diversity and intentional inclusion of mythology limit their use to contemporary historians. Traditional stories from across Lourenne, however, frequently mention an ancient 'mother civilization' known as the Olmec Empire, and archaeologists have made several findings in the country's more remote regions that support these claims. Though little can be determined regarding Olmec history, it is apparent that they were quite advanced. Artifacts and inscriptions found in the few surviving Olmec temples show that they invented their own system of writing and possessed a calendar based on relatively advanced mathematical concepts. Modern linguists have also noted that similarities between the various indigenous writing systems of the later civilizations indicate a common root in the Olmec language. According to traditional myths, the Olmecs were ruled by a council of incarnate gods. However, a conflict, generally attributed to some sort of romantic jealousy, led to the council's dissolution and the creation of the five great kingdoms of the ancient period. The largest and most influential of the latter kingdoms was the Orinco Empire. The Orinco civilization, originating in Alvium, spread to encompass all of Kundir and Kreshar prior to its collapse in the 18th century. Like the other kingdoms, the Orincos worshiped their monarch as a god, though, much to the ire of their neighbors, they insisted that their emperor was 'the King of the Gods.' This belief drove the Orincos to conquer lesser tribes and demand tribute from other kingdoms. The once extensive Xinca and Miskito kingdoms were driven into the isolated mountains of the Barrier Range during their centuries of resistance, and it is believed that the Orincos slaughtered many of their people during intermittent wars. Only the Zapotec and Mixtec were able to keep Orinco aggression in check, maintaining prosperous kingdoms on the Haboves Peninsula. Beyond their aggressive warrior culture, the Orincos were deeply religious. Despite the challenges presented by hostile terrain, the Orincos constructed several marvelous temple-cities across eastern Lourenne, many of which still stand today. Orinco beliefs involved a complex cosmology which led them to develop an intricate knowledge of astronomy. Many calculations and observations found inscribed in ancient temples have proven surprisingly accurate. The Orincos unlike the preceding civilizations, were pantheistic instead of polytheistic. The Orincos did not believe in discrete gods, but one god, Ahau, who took on different aspects. The Orinco Emperor, of course, was considered the dominant aspect, and anything that opposed him, be it a rival kingdom or natural disaster, was considered to be an incarnation of his lesser instincts. The principle Orinco holy book, the Popol Vuh, was one of the few religious texts that survived the ancient and colonial eras, and in recent years, a few nationalists have started studying the book as one means of restoring an 'authentic' cultural identity.

Historically opposed to the Orinco Empire were the Mixtec and Zapotec kingdoms which thrived on the Haboves Peninsula. Though quite distinct, the Mixtec and Zapotec enjoyed a long history of peaceful coexistence, a fact attributed to their shared mythology. According to both cultures' legends, their kingdoms were ruled by the gods of rain (the Zapotecs' Cocijo) and light (the Mixtecs' Coquihani), whose marriage created life. In reality, however, the monarchs of both kingdoms were almost always male, though an annual tradition involved each king giving the other a concubine who represented the fertility of their people. The Mixtec and Zapotec also both believed the Orinco Emperor was the incarnation of Tzontemoc, the god of death, whose jealousy they blame for causing the fall of the Olmec Empire. Culturally, the Zapotec (which roughly translates to 'inhabitants of the place of the fruit') were a sedentary and opulent civilization that deeply valued luxury. Living in cities along the Habovesian coast, the Zapotec developed numerous agricultural innovations and were rarely in want of food. The Zapotec were, however, deeply devout, and made frequent sacrifices to their God-King. Generally considered the more volatile of the two primary Habovesian deities, the hurricanes that often battered their coastal cities were attributed to his dissatisfaction, and consequently, the late summers were a time of especially extravagant (and often violent) sacrificial rituals.

Living in the southeastern hills of Haboves were the Mixtec (or 'cloud people'). Though usually considered more docile (a characteristic also attributed to their God-King), the Mixtec were also exceptional warriors and historically served as defenders of the Haboves Peninsula as a whole. Their battle prowess was greatly enhanced by their skill in mining and craftsmanship. The Mixtec, who also associated Coquihani with fire, are believed to be the first of the ancient kingdoms to make predominant use of metal weapons and armor, a practice which quickly spread among their hated rivals, the Orincos. The Mixtecs' skill with metal also led to the development of a standard currency, as well as especially intricate jewelry. Mixtec jewelry is, in fact, one of the few indigenous art forms to survive the Colonial Era wholly intact, as Rildanorian traders made a fortune selling their exotic earrings and necklaces overseas. Tragically, most of the more spectacular artifacts described and occasionally sketched by early colonists were melted down by traders to provide materials for more 'transportable' goods. Local legend says that any jewelry or coin made from these religious icons are cursed, and any who possess them are destined to meet a gruesome end. This legend is believed to have originated with the well known fate of the Gorgon, a massive Rildanorian galleon destroyed by a hurricane after it had been loaded with a small fortune in gold bars created from ancient discs depicting the marriage of Cocijo and Coquihani.

Less is known about the once influential Xinca and Miskito civilizations, largely on account of the fact that they had already been driven to the furthest southern fringes of Kreshar and Kundir by the time that the first Rildanorians arrived in Haboves. In general, these kingdoms are considered to have been less developed than their northern neighbors, as they favored a largely nomadic lifestyle and created few permanent settlements. Oral traditions retained by today's Xinca and Miskito populations insist that both civilizations initially had God-Kings, though the reason for their disappearance has long been lost to obscure myth. The Xinca claim that their God-King decided to abandon his human incarnation to better protect his people, a myth which serves as the foundation of their animistic mysticism. Miskito myth, on the other hand, claims their god was eaten alive by conquering Orincos, a belief which led to the morbid iconography that can be seen today in the skeleton-adorned flag adopted by Miskito separatists.

In the early 14th century, the era of the ancient kingdoms came to an end with the infamous Godless Wars that triggered the rapid decline of the indigenous civilizations. These protracted conflicts began with the mysterious murder of a young Mixtec king, an act that eventually came to be attributed to Orinco assassins. The leaderless Mixtec kingdom was driven into a collective rage, and their warriors poured into Orinco lands without restraint. The ensuing conflict was extraordinarily vicious and resulted in the destruction of several Mixtec and Orinco cities. It ended, however, when a group of influential Mixtec priests produced a child that they claimed was the new reincarnation of Coquihani. The child, prodded by the nervous priests, demanded an end to the war, and the majority of the people followed. A few powerful Mixtec warriors, however, doubted the child's legitimacy and continued to hunger for vengeance. Eventually, one of their ranks infiltrated the Orinco capital and succeeded in assassinating their mighty emperor. The high priests of the Orincos, not nearly as cautious as their Mixtec counterparts, were not hesitant to retaliate with their full might. Massive Orinco armies, the likes of which had never been seen, collided with the Mixtecs' formidable line of hillside fortresses, and for the first time in the history of the ancient kingdoms, they penetrated the interior of the Haboves Peninsula. The Orincos quickly overran their enemies, spreading the bloodshed to the shores of the Antonese Ocean, and in a horrific display of savagery, they paraded the corpses of the Mixtec and Zapotec God-Kings through the streets of the Zapotec capital. Their intent was to refute the essential divinity of the two monarchs, and their success in doing so marked the true end of the ancient kingdoms.

In the decades that followed, each of the three civilizations fractured into small, warring tribes. The death of the God-Kings left no grounds for political unity, as even the old religions had been cast into doubt. In time, the great kingdoms devolved into a chaotic mass of battered and disillusioned people. The inhabitants of these lands were nationless and godless, exhausted from war and harrowed by famine. Amidst the ruins of their crumbling temples, the people of what would soon be Lourenne were ripe for conquest.