Halflings, Minoans, and the island of Thira

The Dark Days

The peoples of Europe had been using metal for some time, usually in the form of copper, copper-arsenic, or low grade bronze. But around 2,500 BC a new wave of Indo-European invaders came on the scene.

They used a higher grade bronze for their tools and weapons. They also brought with them wagons and chariots. Items that let them carry more than their predecessors had. For those vehicles they needed something more than the paths and trails previously used, so they developed roads. Which in turn opened up forest land as never before.

The kobolds found themselves restricted more and more to marginal lands. Unable to support their old numbers they declined in population. At one point it is estimated they were reduced to a few thousand. Worldwide maybe 10,000 or so.

But the newcomers were bringing other changes as well.

The Tinkers

Among these was trade. With the new roads merchants and traders from the Mediterranean found it easier to penetrate Central and Northern Europe's secrets. With them came nomadic bands of human and halfling tinkers and tradesmen.

At first the kobolds were wary of these new-comers. It took a number of generations to learn to trust them. One thing that helped was learning that the halflings were as non-Human as kobolds are. that is, halflings are descended from bonobos, or pygmy chimps. An experiment in 'uplift' as much as the kobolds were. This gave both species common cause.

At the same time the halflings brought things that could make life easier for kobolds. Tools of bronze and new ways of tending the land. New magics too, better for gardening and hunting than what the kobolds had developed for themselves or learned from their more immediate neighbors.

But probably the greatest service the halflings ever performed for the kobolds was acting as intermediaries. To most humans, regardless of species, halflings are not a threat. They are seen as amiable, pleasant, peaceful folk who wouldn't harm a fly. Most everywhere they went other sophonts learned to use them as go-betweens, mediators in disputes and peace-makers in war.

At the same time the Humans were beginning to think of certain territories as being kobold land. Over the course of time they stopped trying to settle those areas, leaving them for kobold use. By 1,000 BC what is now southern Germany was seen as the kobold realm, and left to their uses.

The death of Thira was a big help there.

A Legend Dies

Thira was a small volcanic island north of the island of Crete. It was from Thira that the first Minoans to reach Crete set sail, and it held a place in Minoan mythology as the birthplace of their cattle god. It was also an active volcano, and prone to eruptions on a irregular schedule.

At first the Minoans let well enough alone. But then came the Achaeans, the first Greeks.

The Achaeans drove off or conquered the mainland Minoans, forcing those who would retain their independence onto the islands of the Aegean. While Central Europe's kobolds were fighting for their survival against proto-Celt and proto-German, the People of the Bull were struggling for their survival against proto-Greek. The discovery and settlement of Crete proved their salvation.

With Crete as their base the Minoans were able to recover and rebound. Long a people of the sea, they became masters of the waves. Once a tribal people, they became organized into a nation. A nation that expanded into a mercantile empire.

Having fled the mainland as refugees they would return as overlords, demanding tribute and bringing trade from around the Eastern Mediterranean. For centuries they ruled the Aegean and the lands around it. But then Thira blew up. Which event will be recounted with the next installment.

Next: The Old Gods Pass