Colchis: History

5114AD Pastor Dominique & the Third Crusade

The presence of La Revolution had suppressed the greatest excesses of the Crusaders for a generation. But, it had also allowed resentment and hatred of the wheelies to build up without proper release.

Within six months of the great ship's departure, a new firebrand priest had captured the imagination of Colchis' bigoted coalition of christians. Pastor Dominique travelled from city to city, from town to town preaching a new crusade; one that would break the evil of the Chaos Cults for all time. He accused the cultists of using human sacrifice to harness the necromantic energies released by death. He claimed that far out in the grass sea there were whole villages of zombies, enslaved by the dark powers of the Raksasas.

The Third Crusade decisively smashed the power of the Chaos Cults. By 5135AD the Free State's railroad network controlled the grass sea for 2000km in every direction. This huge area, which contained the vast majority of Colchis' population was forcably 'christianised'. Those who resisted were imprisoned, and tens of thousands were killed. In 5140AD the Free State declared the area to be a protectorate, and it has been called the Protectorate ever since.

Menhirs and henges within the Protectorate were dynamited or mined, to prevent the Cults from using them. In 5146AD, Timara Henge itself was substantially destroyed and the remains mined to prevent rebuilding. Only in the far depths of the grass sea did the Cults openly survive.

Population in 5150AD, c. 32 million

Free State - 10 million of which:

English speaking christians - 7 million
French speaking Catholics - 2 million
English speaking wheelies - 1 million

Protectorate - 20 million of which:

English speaking wheelies - 18 million
French speaking Catholics - 1 million
English speaking christians - 1 million

Far Grass Sea - 2 million of which:

Wheelies - 1.5 million
Proclaimed Chaos Cultists - 0.5 million