In the first cycle, which lasted approximately 750 years, Shallam was able to control much of the explored mainland and with it, built itself into a city of legendary beauty. Covered in mother of pearl and gold leaf, its characteristic domes and spires glistened from horizon to horizon. Between the fanatical loyalty that the city inspired in its citizens, and the vast warchest it had with which to hire mercenaries, Shallam was able to invade and capture Ashtan itself. Under the leadership of Darius, a nephew of the Emperor, Shallam executed a two-pronged attack against Ashtan, captured the Royal complex there, and declared dominion over all of the continent of Sapience.

Cycle two begins merely a week after the capture of Ashtan. The Shallamese conquerors wisely did not loot the city and instead began courting the citizens of Ashtan, hoping to win at least some of them over. It is ironic, however, that what would otherwise have been a wise course of action, in this case doomed their centuries-long conquest. Large groups of the Ashtan citizens began sneaking out of the city and organizing secretly in the Black Forest, south of the historically allied village of Thera, under the leadership of a former Ashtani noble named Zarathustra.

Organizing his followers into an army and enlisting the aid of the Therans and mercenaries whom he promised to pay later, he marched into Ashtan, organized a general rebellion, and freed Ashtan. The main entrance to Ashtan was named in his honour and he went down as the greatest Ashtani hero since the founder, Glanos.

For the next four hundred years, the legacy of Zarathustra's success enabled Ashtan to capture much of the land that Shallam had previously held, including the mines in the Siroccian mountains. In what perhaps would have been a repeat of the mistake made by Shallam, Ashtan began making plans to invade Shallam by water, sailing their fleet around the hitherto fairly unexplored southern half of the continent, and up the Peshwar delta right to the walls of Shallam itself. Unknown, however, to the Ashtan forces, the Shallamese emperor, Sulaiman, had prepared for them by sinking their old wrecks in the Delta, preventing passage through. Had the Ashtan fleet ever reached Shallam, it would have been sunk, and a full-scale land-war would have been the result, devastating the breadbasket plains and valleys that feed civilization. The Ashtan fleet had turned around, not because of any of these altruistic reasons, but because of the influence of the Church.

Cycle three of this seemingly eternal war of the city-states begins with the long and slow rise of the Church as a mediating force. This began when a Prelate of the Church, -- a Priest named Aquinas - gained wind of the imminent ocean-going invasion of Shallam. Journeying to Ashtan, he convinced the powerful, though generally thoughtful, King of Ashtan, Martin, of the probable consequences of another massive war. Martin ordered the cessation of hostilities for a time, but even a King cannot control the hatred of his citizens. Though a full-blown war had been averted, there were constant skirmishes and some large battles for the next two hundred years. Cropland was destroyed by passing armies, villages were burned to the ground, and mankind seemed intent on destroying itself before it could fulfill its massive potential.

Thus was the state of humanity until the birth of the man that would radically alter the course of affairs of not only mankind, but all five of the mortal races living in the continent of Sapience. His name was Nicator.