Ancient Rednedonian History: From the Ancient Tribes to the United Kingdom.

Ancient Rednedonian History Part I: The Ancient Tribes.
Around 1500 years before Lezran explorers set foot on the Afriquen continent, the ancient tribes of Rednedonia began recording their experiences in detail. Some of the first recorded documents are the tales of glory written by Hedivu shamans and lorekeepers. Although their authenticity is debatable, they provide a detailed record of how the ancient Hedivu raiders lived their lifes. The ancient lorekeeper of Hevuk Demorsen (Sen meaning "Son of") was the first to provide a detailed recording of the land that would become Rhedivius. This is a colored recreation of the original carving of the village of Rediv.

Many Hedivu tribesmen lived a life of raiding, taking food and other necessities from nearby tribes such as the Vidirim. Vidirim and Hedivu lorekeepers alike created representations of these fearsome warriors. Here is a colored recreation of a painting of Hedivu warriors.

The Vidirim
Mentioned earlier in this work, the Vidirim were often the target of Hedivu raids due to the large amounts of precious metals present in their mountain homes. Their lifestyle usually revolved around mining said precious metals to be traded to other tribes. As a result, the Vidirim were one of the richest of the ancient Rednedonian tribes. This is a recent picture of the remains of one of the Vidirim's biggest villages.

The Destim and Zimpu
The Destim and Zimpu lived very similar lifestyles. The open plains they roamed were also home to massive herds of Afriquen Buffalo, an animal that has gone nearly extinct in recent years due to poaching. As a result, these tribes made their living by hunting the large creatures, using their meat for food and their hides for making clothing and housing. Unlike other Rednedonian tribes, the Destim and Zimpu tribes were nomadic. Their houses were made of buffalo hides, and were easy to set up or remove. These nomadic tendencies were due to the tribes' reliance of the aforementioned buffalo, needing to follow the herds in order to keep them in close proximity. This is an artist's rendition of what Destim and Zimpu villages were believed to look like.

The Rhestin
The Rhestin were among some of the most developed of the ancient Rednedonian tribes, and many of their laws and governmental structure influenced modern Rednedonian government. Their home was the slopes of the Afriquen Alps, an area filled with trees that were ripe for woodworking. Therefore, the Rhestin industry heavily relied on lumber and woodworking. Their construction skills outpaced those of other Rednedonian tribes, and their house design also inspired those of medieval Rednedonians. This is a recent picture of the remains of a Rhestin village.

Ancient Rednedonian History Part II: Unification
Around 800 years before Lezran explorers first set foot on Afrique, the Rednedonian tribes finally decided to unify. When the tribes formed their unified nation, they decided to call it "Rednedonia" or "Land of the Unbroken." An apt name considering their recent history. The Chieftan of the Zimpu tribe was elected as the High Chieftan of the Rednedonian tribes, and he would become known as High Chieftan Befim. It is at this moment when the differences between Afriquen and Lezran culture and history begin to differentiate. Lezra had a classical age, influenced by the rise of an enormous empire that ruled most of the continent. (Think how the Romans influenced Europe.) In Afrique, there was no such empire. Therefore, Rednedonia did not experience the marble pillars and bronze statues evident of Lezra's classical age. In the High Chiefdom, the different culture groups of the Rednedonian tribes slowly united into one unified culture group until they decided to reform the country around the year 500 BFC (Before First Contact). Medieval culture began to take root in the country, and it was reformed into the United Kingdom of Rednedonia. High Chieftan Hareldus was renamed King Hareldus I, and he began to rebuild the country into a glorious medieval kingdom. These are paintings showing the capital of Rhedivius around 487 BFC, as well as the throne room of Mon Rhed around the same time. For reference, the location depicted in the Hedivu carving above is around the northeastern coast of the smaller island.

Ancient Rednedonian History Part III: Interactions With The Neighbors.
Although Rednedonia moved forward in terms of culture and technology, the Toastian tribes to their west had trouble putting aside their differences and uniting. The Toastian tribes were almost constantly fighting amongst themselves, and when they weren't fighting each other, they were fighting Rednedonian garrisons on the western border of the Kingdom. Some of the most well known tales of glory come from the tales of Rednedonian knights fending off Toastian tribesmen, despite being outnumbered mulitple times. Relations between the two peoples would remain sour for the next several hundred years and would only begin to warm up after the Lezran discovery of Afrique and the modernization of the Toastian peoples. This is a picture of a suit of armor used by Rednedonian knights circa 357 BFC.

Ancient Rednedonian History Part IV: The Road To First Contact
One of the other major results of the culture difference between Lezra and Afrique is that because there was no wise continent-wide empire that took all of it's wisdom with it when it was destroyed, there was also no Renaissance as there was in Lezra. Afrique had no hidden knoweldge to rediscover, and as such, it never moved past the medieval era in terms of advancement. When Lezran explorers finally arrived in Afrique, the explosion of knowledge given by the Lezrans rapidly propelled Rednedonia and the rest of Afrique into the Industrial Era, in an enlightenment similar to the movement that occurred in Lezra as a result of the Austrontan Wars. The country embraced Lezran knowledge and culture, but still retains many of the traditions and tales that made Rednedonia what it is.