Territorial Extension to the East
Soon after the Radiant began to build up their settlement, Alero directed them into a frenzied expansion. During this early period, the geographical reach of the Radiant grew at its greatest pace. Beginning with the settlement of the Elerian fields, the period ends with the founding of Cashiris.
The fields existed on a lush plain, which extended to a beach of golden sand leading down to the waves of Coralsea. After building their homes and dividing up the land, a central hall was designated for Ceoves and his staunchest followers. Alero selected six of them to form a body of leadership, who would be known as the Council. With a diligent workforce and the aid of magic, food was never in short supply. Water was retrieved directly from the Casezin river, which watered the fields with nutrient rich fresh water from Mirrorsea. The buildings of this time were made from wood, obtained from the trees that used to grow on Elerian fields.
With the needs of the population easily met, attention was turned to the construction of Eleris, designed by Alero to be a defensible base for his growing civilisation. The Casezin originally cascaded down from Mirrorsea in a series of small falls, and erosion had caused the cliff face to recede westward, forming a concave in the wall of rock. Over the next decade, magic would be used to carve the cliffs, transferring rocks from the western cliff to build up a wall in the east. This was done to form a crater, with a single entrance to the Elerian fields in the east. While that was done, magic was also used to shape the channels for the water from Mirrorsea. From the year 25 AE on, the life giving water would cascade down in a series of six towering waterfalls; a defining characteristic of Eleris in the centuries to come.
As the enclosure of Eleris was approaching completion, Alero gathered an expedition to head to the mountains in the northwest, to prospect for metals and minerals. This team would eventually set up the mining settlement of Foshiris in 34 AE.
Eleris City began to grow properly after its enclosure, soon outpacing the temporary settlement on the fields. These buildings were carved from the stone of the cliffs themselves, and augmented with metals from Foshiris. The west quadrant of the city was designated as the religious and governmental district. Since it was closer to Foshiris, the smithies and industrial stores were built to the north. The south side of the city was the residential district, and also had restaurants and the first school of the Radiant. Food stores and stores for lumber were on the eastern end of the city, near the entrance to the Elerian fields.
There was a strong impulse to explore the unknown eastern reaches of Coralsea, and this was encouraged by Alero, at least during this early stage of the Radiant's growth. The east was regarded as territory that would pose no resistance. This was in contrast to the west, the exploration of which was viewed with skepticism since it would involve dealing with the supposedly 'inferior strains of humankind', who had not accepted Alero.
The eastern expeditions were far more successful than initially anticipated. The numerous islands of the Coralsea Archipelago offered more arable land in addition to the area of the Elerian fields, so colonies were soon founded to farm and harvest the rich bounty of the islands and surrounding sea. In the year 172 AE, the most centrally located colony was nominated as the central hub for the other eastern colonies, and named Alaris.
As the years rolled on, Alaris became more than just a centralised collection point for the production lines of the Coralsea Archipelago. It grew into a centre of research and discovery of the diverse biota of the reefs. The development of Alaris called for more supplies, and so a second mining settlement, Cashiris, was established in 185 AE in the eastern highlands by a branch of the team that founded Foshiris. The Cashiris mine was not naturally as mineral rich as Forshiris mine, but it provided enough, especially in terms of stone, which the Radiant were beginning to favour as their primary construction material.
Early Population Growth
While the territorial reach of the Radiant expanded, their population increased accordingly. There were 64 who made the fateful choice of committing to Alero, population rose slowly at first, and was centred in Eleris. Before the expeditions and colonisation of the Coralsea Archipelago from c. 90 to c. 130, population increased at an average rate of 3% a year, given the extremely long lives of humans, even those of the Fallen, during the Age of Light. Eleris first reached a population of 600 in 78AE. Following the increased food supplies from the island plantations and kelp harvests, there was a population boom, where the total Radiant population increased at an average of 7% a year from the year 115 to 140. The population of Eleris first exceeded 10,000 individuals in the year 136 AE. At the end of the colonisation population boom, Eleris had a population of just under 14,000 individuals, driven both by birth rates in Eleris itself and immigration from other settlements. The total population, mostly dispersed to the east, was close to 17,000.
The rapidly rising population, while not actually coming close to to exhausting the supplies that magic enhanced agriculture could produce, was certainly alarming for the Council, who feared difficulties in administration and organisation. As a result, in 140 AE, they implemented population control measures, which legally limited a married couple henceforth to a maximum of 6 children, with at least 12 years in between each child. Among the justifications given for their invasive policy were optimisation and devoted care for each child during their formative years, strain on educational systems, and on increasing competition for employment.
The sentiment of the Council's Six-Child-Decree, as it came to be known, was readily identified with by most of the Radiant people. Complaining about the crowds of the cities was almost a daily affair, and the older generations amongst them lamented the loss of the 'early sense of unity', as it became impossible to know and keep updated with all the lives of the 'unending multitude of faces'.
Yet, there were those who would not comply, citing the large immediate families of the founding generation. The largest of the founding families had 38 children from the union of Teoves and Lesuves while Lesuves had remained in her childbearing years; 21 sons and 17 daughters. The phases of life were also stretched in step with the long early lifespans during the Age of Light. Of the 9 centuries or so of life allotted to the Fallen, a woman was in her maternal years, on average, between the ages of 40 to 120. Derogatorily termed the 'Breeders', the minority who vehemently disagreed with the Council's decision were forced to live out in the smaller settlements of the Radiant. Away from the crowded cities, their 'unrestrained fertility [would] not compromise the comfort of the cities' and would instead 'aid the development of the wilder settlements'. Thus, the later Radiant cultural attitude of disdain towards children and childbearing had its first slender beginnings in the early Council's population control measures.
Soon after its official founding and designation as the centre of the east, Alaris quickly became the second large population node, although it was still far smaller than the senior city by numbers. Alaris's population was augmented due to immigration from the colonies on the other Coralsea islands. In 172 AE, Alaris had a population of about 2,500, while Eleris had a population of 18,500. By 175 AE, the population of Alaris had risen to 4,100, but Eleris had a significantly lower growth rate, having reached 18,800 inhabitants. The other colonies were much smaller than the two cities, having an average of about 150 inhabitants. As a whole, the population of the Radiant had reached about 24,000 in the year 175 AE.
From then on, the rate of population increase was eventually tamed, though in terms of absolute numbers, the population of the Radiant would continue increase for many centuries to come.
With the needs of the population easily met, attention was turned to the construction of Eleris, designed by Alero to be a defensible base for his growing civilisation. The Casezin originally cascaded down from Mirrorsea in a series of small falls, and erosion had caused the cliff face to recede westward, forming a concave in the wall of rock. Over the next decade, magic would be used to carve the cliffs, transferring rocks from the western cliff to build up a wall in the east. This was done to form a crater, with a single entrance to the Elerian fields in the east. While that was done, magic was also used to shape the channels for the water from Mirrorsea. From the year 25 AE on, the life giving water would cascade down in a series of six towering waterfalls; a defining characteristic of Eleris in the centuries to come.
As the enclosure of Eleris was approaching completion, Alero gathered an expedition to head to the mountains in the northwest, to prospect for metals and minerals. This team would eventually set up the mining settlement of Foshiris in 34 AE.
Eleris City began to grow properly after its enclosure, soon outpacing the temporary settlement on the fields. These buildings were carved from the stone of the cliffs themselves, and augmented with metals from Foshiris. The west quadrant of the city was designated as the religious and governmental district. Since it was closer to Foshiris, the smithies and industrial stores were built to the north. The south side of the city was the residential district, and also had restaurants and the first school of the Radiant. Food stores and stores for lumber were on the eastern end of the city, near the entrance to the Elerian fields.
There was a strong impulse to explore the unknown eastern reaches of Coralsea, and this was encouraged by Alero, at least during this early stage of the Radiant's growth. The east was regarded as territory that would pose no resistance. This was in contrast to the west, the exploration of which was viewed with skepticism since it would involve dealing with the supposedly 'inferior strains of humankind', who had not accepted Alero.
The eastern expeditions were far more successful than initially anticipated. The numerous islands of the Coralsea Archipelago offered more arable land in addition to the area of the Elerian fields, so colonies were soon founded to farm and harvest the rich bounty of the islands and surrounding sea. In the year 172 AE, the most centrally located colony was nominated as the central hub for the other eastern colonies, and named Alaris.
As the years rolled on, Alaris became more than just a centralised collection point for the production lines of the Coralsea Archipelago. It grew into a centre of research and discovery of the diverse biota of the reefs. The development of Alaris called for more supplies, and so a second mining settlement, Cashiris, was established in 185 AE in the eastern highlands by a branch of the team that founded Foshiris. The Cashiris mine was not naturally as mineral rich as Forshiris mine, but it provided enough, especially in terms of stone, which the Radiant were beginning to favour as their primary construction material.
Early Population Growth
While the territorial reach of the Radiant expanded, their population increased accordingly. There were 64 who made the fateful choice of committing to Alero, population rose slowly at first, and was centred in Eleris. Before the expeditions and colonisation of the Coralsea Archipelago from c. 90 to c. 130, population increased at an average rate of 3% a year, given the extremely long lives of humans, even those of the Fallen, during the Age of Light. Eleris first reached a population of 600 in 78AE. Following the increased food supplies from the island plantations and kelp harvests, there was a population boom, where the total Radiant population increased at an average of 7% a year from the year 115 to 140. The population of Eleris first exceeded 10,000 individuals in the year 136 AE. At the end of the colonisation population boom, Eleris had a population of just under 14,000 individuals, driven both by birth rates in Eleris itself and immigration from other settlements. The total population, mostly dispersed to the east, was close to 17,000.
The rapidly rising population, while not actually coming close to to exhausting the supplies that magic enhanced agriculture could produce, was certainly alarming for the Council, who feared difficulties in administration and organisation. As a result, in 140 AE, they implemented population control measures, which legally limited a married couple henceforth to a maximum of 6 children, with at least 12 years in between each child. Among the justifications given for their invasive policy were optimisation and devoted care for each child during their formative years, strain on educational systems, and on increasing competition for employment.
The sentiment of the Council's Six-Child-Decree, as it came to be known, was readily identified with by most of the Radiant people. Complaining about the crowds of the cities was almost a daily affair, and the older generations amongst them lamented the loss of the 'early sense of unity', as it became impossible to know and keep updated with all the lives of the 'unending multitude of faces'.
Yet, there were those who would not comply, citing the large immediate families of the founding generation. The largest of the founding families had 38 children from the union of Teoves and Lesuves while Lesuves had remained in her childbearing years; 21 sons and 17 daughters. The phases of life were also stretched in step with the long early lifespans during the Age of Light. Of the 9 centuries or so of life allotted to the Fallen, a woman was in her maternal years, on average, between the ages of 40 to 120. Derogatorily termed the 'Breeders', the minority who vehemently disagreed with the Council's decision were forced to live out in the smaller settlements of the Radiant. Away from the crowded cities, their 'unrestrained fertility [would] not compromise the comfort of the cities' and would instead 'aid the development of the wilder settlements'. Thus, the later Radiant cultural attitude of disdain towards children and childbearing had its first slender beginnings in the early Council's population control measures.
Soon after its official founding and designation as the centre of the east, Alaris quickly became the second large population node, although it was still far smaller than the senior city by numbers. Alaris's population was augmented due to immigration from the colonies on the other Coralsea islands. In 172 AE, Alaris had a population of about 2,500, while Eleris had a population of 18,500. By 175 AE, the population of Alaris had risen to 4,100, but Eleris had a significantly lower growth rate, having reached 18,800 inhabitants. The other colonies were much smaller than the two cities, having an average of about 150 inhabitants. As a whole, the population of the Radiant had reached about 24,000 in the year 175 AE.
From then on, the rate of population increase was eventually tamed, though in terms of absolute numbers, the population of the Radiant would continue increase for many centuries to come.
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