Cibola Hold was founded in 2425, in the middle of the ninth Pass, by a group of settlers from the North seeking to bypass the immigration restrictions of the old Southern Hold. In 2440, a refugee named Morestan arrived at Cibola from the just-destroyed Southern Hold, and by various means (both fair and foul) became Holder. He is the ancestor of the present Lords of Cibola, who still revere his name.
Morestan used his connections in the more populated regions of the continent to encourage settlement in the Cibola region, and the original hold served as a way station and resupply point for explorers seeking new lands to the west and south. With the end of the Pass, the region experienced a population boom, and near the end of Morestan's life he became the first Lord of Cibola. The main hold grew in prosperity as a trading center after Izmir hold was founded and farming began in earnest in what is now the southern region of Cibola. Raiders sprang up as the population of the South increased, and one of Morestan's last acts was to order the construction of a fortress, which was completed about 2500, though at that time it was only about half the size of today's structure.
As the raider attacks continued through the 2500's, the holders began building an adobe wall that encircled the space then used for irrigated farmland. Cibola became more prominent in the region and claimed more and more of the surrounding territory. The Lords of Cibola eventually drew up firm boundaries with the neighboring Holds, though part of the border with Izmir was based on a river that turned out to shift its course every few Turns within a very fertile region, thus causing many border disputes.
As the raiders were put down, beginning in the early 2600's, Cibola hold began to approach its full farming capacity and the Lords turned their efforts to economic diversification. They vastly expanded their fishing fleet, and their exports of salt and blackwater, and started exploratory projects to hunt for useful metals and ores within the spine of the hold. This proved successful, and the hold became one of the most prosperous in the south, though its lords retained tight control over their people. Seeking to quiet dissent, they constructed a large arena within the walls of the main hold to showcase the traditional bullfights and horseraces that had been held on a smaller scale throughout the hold. Cibola Fortress was also greatly expanded during that time.
Lord Morlan, predecessor of the current Lord Morgav, was confirmed at age 25 by the conclave upon the unexpected death of his father in 2787. He ruled ably for most of his career, and took seriously the StarCraft's warning of returning Thread in 2800. He began a program to Threadproof all of Cibola's many holds and cotholds, though he was no friend of the Weyr. By 2810 Morlan began to show some signs of early senility, though this did not really affect his management of the hold until almost ten turns later, after which he took a turn for the worse and began giving arbitrary and occasionally contradictory orders and behaving peevishly to any who protested. By then he had only two sons left: his eldest (and named heir) Morian and his youngest, Morgav. Morian died of a sudden illness in 2813, and Morgav became the heir and moved swiftly to consolidate his position. Half a turn later he convinced his father to step back and give him the position of 'Acting Lord Holder', and over the next two Turns Morlan receded further and further from the activities of the Hold, and Morgav was finally confirmed as Lord in 2827.
Chronology of recent events
| (100 Turns ago) | |
| 2762 | Morlan born |
| 2787 | Lord Morlan confirmed by Conclave upon the death of his father Gavelan |
| 2800 | The Starcraft predicts the return of Thread, to occur in 2850 |
| 2800.09.11 | Morgav born to Lord Morlan of Cibola; he is the fourth legitimate son. |
| 2804.03.27 | Morgav's mother Eloia dies bearing a daughter, Molloi. |
| (50 Turns ago) | |
| 2810.11 | Morlan's second son Gromald is Searched; he impresses right away but dies about a Turn later during weyrling training. |
| 2815.08 | Morgav meets Garald the assistant Steward |
| 2816.02 | Morgav is fostered to Barrier Hold, but is returned after only a few months. |
| (40 Turns ago) | |
| 2818.11 | Lord Morlan's third son Tarmort dies in the bullring. |
| 2819 | Lord Morlan's mental degeneration begins in earnest. Morgav is posted away from the main hold in an attempt to keep him unaware of this. |
| 2820 | Morgav marries his first wife Esthena, whom he met at one of Cibola's minor holds. By this time he has already fathered several bastard daughters. |
| 2821 | Morgav's first legitimate son Morano born |
| 2821 | Cibola's holders begin to chafe under Lord Morlan's increasinly arbitrary rule. |
| 2822.10.02 | Morgav's second legitimate (and eldest surviving) son Morthen born. |
| 2822.13.21 | Morgav fostered to Drake Hold, in a rather desperate attempt to get him out of the succession struggle. |
| (35 Turns ago) | |
| 2823.05 | Lord Gilhran of Drake discovers that Morgav has gotten his daughter pregnant and sends him home in disgrace. |
| 2823.09 | Morgav's daughter Marnali born (conceived just before Morgav was sent off) |
| 2823.13 | Lord Morlan's heir, Morian, dies of a sudden fever and Morgav becomes heir |
| 2824.06 | Morgav becomes 'Acting Lord Holder' as Lord Morlan's dementia takes a turn for the worse. |
| 2825.02.22 | Third legitimate (and second surviving) son Esthevan born |
| 2826.03 | Morano dies of a childhood fever |
| 2826.05 | Morgav's daughter Kerilonna born |
| 2826.07 | Head Steward Elarian is executed for crimes and Garald takes over his position. |
| 2827.06 | Morgav's daughter Renaveri born |
| 2827.12 | Morgav is confirmed as Lord Holder of Cibola. |
| (30 Turns ago) | |
| 2828.05 | Esthena miscarries |
| 2830 | Morgav's half-sister Uregani marries Ecidrik of Thornblaze |
| 2831.02.27 | Morgav's daughter Salidomara born (also see CIS on the club website) |
| 2832.01 | Esthena miscarries again |
| 2832.11 | Morgav's daughter Tarathana born |
| 2833.05.10 | Morgav's illegitimate son Gavion born to his former favorite mistress, who has been married off to the holder of Tall Mare hold. |
| (25 Turns ago) | |
| 2833.09.10 | Esthena dies bearing Morgav's fourth legitimate son, Nessar. |
| 2833.T.E | Morgav marries Listella. |
| 2834.10.03 | Morgav's fifth legitimate son, Waldo, born. |
| 2835.08 | Morgav's daughter Genifer born |
| 2836.07 | Morgav's daughter Nikamena born |
| 2836.T.E. | Morgav's younger sister Molloi marries Lacob of Rubicon, who becomes Lord there four Turns later. |
| 2837.05.02 | Listella bears a premature, deformed daughter who dies in days. |
| 2837.10.19 | Molloi's son Lomcoli born |
| 2838.03.17 | Morgav's sixth legitimate son, Varen, born (three weeks prematurely.) |
| (20 Turns ago) | |
| 2839.01.28 | Morgav's daughter Kuroi born. |
| 2839 | Marnali married to Lyraan, half-brother to Lord Caley of Barrier |
| 2839.13.17 | Morgav's daughter Jevande born. |
| 2840.12.26 | Morgav's daughter Sadeera born. |
| 2841.13.08 | Morgav's twin daughters Lacelli and Pridessa born. |
| 2841.T.E | Kerilonna married to the heir of one of Morgav's minor holders |
| 2842.T.E | Morgav's eldest surviving son Morthen marries Seroni, daughter of Tarron of Tall Mare Hold |
| (15 Turns ago) | |
| 2843.T.E. | Renaveri married |
| 2845 | Listella dies |
| 2845 | Morgav marries Saliba (who was at that time a 24-Turn-old widow) |
| 2846.03.29 | Saliba bears Morgav's seventh legitimate son, Sallorv, a frail and sickly child. |
| 2846.07.14 | Morgav's son Esthevan marries Renillis, a granddaughter of Lord Mendius of Dawn Sisters. |
| (10 Turns ago) | |
| 2849.04 | Esthevan's wife Renillis dies bearing a son, Renillo, who survives |
| 2849.?? | Morgav names his son Waldo as heir, in an attempt to motivate him (and goad his other sons.) Waldo runs away soon after. |
| 2850.03.11 | First Threadfall of the Tenth Pass |
| 2851.12.15 | Waldo impresses a blue at Kadanzer, and Morgav disowns him. ["Eggs after breakfast", FTA03] |
| 2851.T.E | Morgav recognizes Gavion and several other illegitimate children |
| 2852.05 | One of Morgav's newly recognized bastards is killed in the bullring, and Morgav sends the bull as part of his tithe to the Weyr where it kills the weyrherder upon arrival. ["The Heart of Life", FTA07] |
| 2852.11.27 | Morgav tricks Lord Janol of Sunstone and gains a great deal of secret influence over him. |
| (5 Turns ago) | |
| 2853.01.28 | Morgav's daughter Genifer, whom Morgav was maneuvering to have betrothed to Gordian the heir of Riverdance, is killed by the Riverman. ["A Thousand Steps", FTA07] |
| 2853.06.09 | Sallorv dies of a fever. |
| 2853.09 | Morgav's ally Lord Mendius of Dawn Sisters establishes New Dawn Hold, ostensibly just within his western boundary with Izmir but really on the Izmir side of the vaguely defined line. A troop of Morgav's Rangers protects the hold. |
| 2853.13.18 | A devastating earthquake at Thornblaze during an important wedding kills several Lord Holders and heirs, destabilizing the political situation. ["Broken Vows" Parts 1-3, FTA10-12] |
| 2854 | Tarathana marries Head Steward Garald after Garald's first wife dies suddenly. |
| 2854.06 | Morthen becomes Captain of Morgav's Rangers |
| 2855 | Lord Holders Lisand of Delta and Novran of Drake both die unexpectedly. Their successors are appointed by Conclave, along with a new lord for Thornblaze, after much delay. |
| 2856.04 | Kadanzer Weyr moves to a new site after its dormant volcanic home reawakens. Morgav brokers a compromise in Conclave to enable full support of the Weyr's move, in exchange for the Weyr's agreement to consider changes to the infamous Weyrlands Compact. Cibola, along with every other major hold, is required to supply workers to help the Weyr build its new site. ["From the Ashes" Parts 1-3, FTA18] |
| 2856.04.15 | Kadanzer mountain has a major eruption; the nearly abandoned Weyr site is totally obliterated. ["From the Ashes" Part 4, FTA18] Kadanzer Hold is badly damaged and Morgav gives aid to Lord Dracir on favorable terms. |
| 2856.?.? | Morgav receives an informal offer from the new lord Andlin of Windsong Hold to marry Nikamena. This offer is later withdrawn, and Andlin instead marries Lady Amalee, granddaughter of Lord Kabur of Maori |
| 2856.T.E | Nikamena marries Lavin, heir of Dawn Sisters Hold |
| 2858.01.14 | A weyrling bronze dragon is killed while attempting to hunt fighting bulls at Marshland Hold. the rider survives but two holders are killed; Morgav has the rider branded as a murderer, but is forced to return him to the Weyr after an embargo is imposed on Cibola. [By the Horns, FTA20] |
| 2858.05.28 | The Harvest Gather proves quite eventful. [Stories forthcoming] |
| 2858.05.28 | Jevande betrothed to Lord Baylis of Izmir |