King and Wheel, Blood and Honour...
The Kingdom of Iagos makes up the largest part of the Imperial Southlands. It is a vast region characterized by rocky coasts, deciduous forests, rolling hills, jutting plateaus, and a substantial inland desert area. While mostly an an arid environment, it turns more lush as one moves north. Its climate is hot in the summer and generally mild and rainy in the winter.
The eastern coast of Iagos provides extensive access to the Helicosian Sea inland. It borders with Torvaria to the north, Delon to the west, and with Capracia and Aesos to the south. Much of the Kingdom's periphery is defined by mountains, badlands, or dense forests, which has helped to shape its geographic autonomy.
The eastern coast of Iagos provides extensive access to the Helicosian Sea inland. It borders with Torvaria to the north, Delon to the west, and with Capracia and Aesos to the south. Much of the Kingdom's periphery is defined by mountains, badlands, or dense forests, which has helped to shape its geographic autonomy.
Along with Torvaria and the Principalities of Capracia, the Kingdom of Iagos is one of the three constituent territories of the Kasparian Empire. It is the largest unitary polity of the Empire, ruled by an entrenched monarchy with strong ties to the Church of the Holy Wheel.
For this reason, the King of Iagos wields considerable influence within the Empire, but his power is often checked by rivalries with the other Imperial states, and by the Emperor himself.
Since antiquity, Iagos has been threatened by outside forces; Cyron imperialism, tribal raids from the north, coastal skirmishes with Malochovia, and a full-scale conquest by foreign heretics from Talumia. This legacy of conflict has made the Iagosi people what they are today.
HISTORY
In the Era of Common Men, Iagos' first inhabitants were uncultured tribes with little unity. Early Cyron texts speak of a potent king or chieftain known as Iagon the Tamer, whom all tribes paid homage to.
Whether Iagon was of the First Men or perhaps some kind of demigod is not known, but the region came to be named for him. The tales that survive (or were concocted afterward) have served as a founding myth for Iagos, allowing it to reform around a single monarch repeatedly, even after various historical defeats. This resilience and forebearance has become a hallmark of the Iagosi character.
The culture of Iagos would later be shaped by the civilizing forces of classical Aesos, by maritime trade with the East, and by the barbarian incursions from what is now Torvaria. The kings of Iagos initially resisted the advance of the Cyron Empire from the south, but were eventually assimilated. To this day, the cultural influence of the Old Empire remains very strong.
Whether Iagon was of the First Men or perhaps some kind of demigod is not known, but the region came to be named for him. The tales that survive (or were concocted afterward) have served as a founding myth for Iagos, allowing it to reform around a single monarch repeatedly, even after various historical defeats. This resilience and forebearance has become a hallmark of the Iagosi character.
The culture of Iagos would later be shaped by the civilizing forces of classical Aesos, by maritime trade with the East, and by the barbarian incursions from what is now Torvaria. The kings of Iagos initially resisted the advance of the Cyron Empire from the south, but were eventually assimilated. To this day, the cultural influence of the Old Empire remains very strong.
The TALUMIAN CONQUEST
After making landfall in Iagos, the Talumian armies swept through the interior. The response from the Imperial capital was tepid, leaving the Iagos mostly to fend for itself. Iagosi King Toromiro III met the Talumar armies and was defeated decisively at Campoteijo (near what is now Torrena). The rest of Iagos soon followed.
Despite this victory and the Cyron Empire's waning cohesion, the Caliphate was unable to meaningfully extend their conquest beyond the confines of Iagos.
Shielded by forests and mountains, the Imperial cities of the north were too well-defended, and repelled the foreign invaders. The other Empire member states and neighbours each responded to the threat in their own ways.
The noble courts of Delon, reeling from recent plagues, employed Duma mercenaries to protect their southern coastlines (although the price they paid for these services was high).
The Principalities of Capracia avoided conflict through diplomacy and trade arrangements, a tactic that served well against Talumia, but won them the mistrust of their neighbours ever after.
Although their progress was halted, the Caliphate held strong to Iagos, and began to consolidate their power -- ushering in the prolonged period of foreign rule that is now known as the Daramadi Heresy.
Although their progress was halted, the Caliphate held strong to Iagos, and began to consolidate their power -- ushering in the prolonged period of foreign rule that is now known as the Daramadi Heresy.
After the dust of the conquest settled, the new Caliphate of Iagos proved to be quite stable. Tensions with neighbouring nations remained, but through military strength and deft statecraft, the Daramadi Caliphate governed Iagos successfully for over two hundred years.
During this period Iagos lived under Daramadi religious law. The Caliphate did not force conversions, but rather mandated a new orthodoxy for other followers of the Trine. Prayers to Daramad were required, while the other Prophets were relegated to subordinate status. For a time, this was the way of things in Iagos.
During this period Iagos lived under Daramadi religious law. The Caliphate did not force conversions, but rather mandated a new orthodoxy for other followers of the Trine. Prayers to Daramad were required, while the other Prophets were relegated to subordinate status. For a time, this was the way of things in Iagos.
Remnants of Talumian culture are still visible throughout the Kingdom, and the Iagosi people are now several generations mingled, though most prefer to deny it. Daramadi worship has largely been scoured from the land, but today many Talumian institutions, fortresses, palaces, and schools survive in some form, and in some areas more than others.
The strength of the Daramdi state only faltered when overseas strife in Talumia translated to internal schisms in the Caliphate of Iagos. Provincial lords began to squabble, while border raids from surrounding Braicosi nations increased in frequency and scale. Nominally these forays were branded as holy campaigns against the Daramadi heretics, but territory and plunder were often the true motivators.
At the end of this period, these internal and external stresses boiled over into religious uprisings and bitter internecine conflict, culminating in what is now called the Great Reclamation.
The RECLAMATION
This war of Reclamation was bolstered by external support from the Church of the Holy Wheel in Capracia, both financial and military. Former Imperial states and even Clarion kingdoms pledged armies, all rallying under the banner of the Child Prophet.
The Reclamation found its greatest champion in the formidable Count of Lucon, better known as Escalo the Furious. After making a pilgrimmage to the holy city of Parona, Escalo received the blessing of the Grand Heirophant and a pledge of support from the Church in the war he was about to undertake.
Escalo of Lucon was not just a devout follower of the Saints, but also a forceful leader and brilliant tactician. His fervor was like wildfire; supported by forces from across Duatha, his reclamador armies marched through Caliphate territories, toppling the ruling Emirs and expunging Talumars from Iagosi lands.
When Ladroa, the last Caliphate-controlled state was liberated, a council of Braicosi elector lords was convened to determine the who among them possessed the support and the lineage to be crowned as monarch of the reclaimed holy Kingdom of Iagos, there was really no doubt as to the outcome. Thus was initiated the line of Escalo Furioso I of Lucon, Rex Sanctus.
When Ladroa, the last Caliphate-controlled state was liberated, a council of Braicosi elector lords was convened to determine the who among them possessed the support and the lineage to be crowned as monarch of the reclaimed holy Kingdom of Iagos, there was really no doubt as to the outcome. Thus was initiated the line of Escalo Furioso I of Lucon, Rex Sanctus.
Since the days of the Great Reclamation, Iagos has maintained an ongoing state of war, less as a matter of circumstance than as an ethic. Following the liberation of Ladroa, Escalo I instituted a policy of punitive warfare against Talumia - las Expediciones de la Rueda Sagrada.
For many generations after, each Iagosi monarch would find cause to raise levies and sail on Daramadi holdings. Typically there would be an Expedicion at least once a decade. Sometimes these were little more than privateering raids to line to coffers of the crown; other times, they were larger invasion forces to seize and occupy valuable territory overseas in the name of Iagos.
The Expediciones have been ongoing for the better part of two centuries. These distant wars serve as both political and religious tools, to bind the Iagosi people together under the Wheel and stoke their hatred for the Heretic. At the same time, they provide a form of self-strengthening by cultivating military prowess and a sense of duty. Lords and common men alike who hunger for prestige may serve the Wheel while winning plunder and glory abroad.
These conflicts also assert the Kingdom's important role in the defense of the Braicosi faith. For the Iagosi, the suppression of the heretic threat is a burden that Iagos carries for all of Duatha. This history helped forge a strong national identity based on religious and martial values, but the wars also come with some cost.
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| The Statue of Escalo the Furious that stands at the center of the Royal Plaza of Vizares |
The ROYAL FAMILY
The institution of the King of Iagos inspires intense loyalty in the Iagosi people. Since ancient times, Iagos was united under a single monarch . Now, almost two centuries after Escalo led the charge in the Great Reclamation, this royal dynasty has become notoriously decadent and dangerously inbred.
While much of the country lives in poverty, the common folk will often defend - or even glorify - the opulent excesses of the royal family. Even thinned by generations of decline, the Blood of Furioso commands respect in Iagos.
While much of the country lives in poverty, the common folk will often defend - or even glorify - the opulent excesses of the royal family. Even thinned by generations of decline, the Blood of Furioso commands respect in Iagos.
The reigning King of Iagos is Rex Sanctus Luiz Ferran Majoro Furioso III. During the War of the Phoenix, Luiz III ascended to the throne, following the death of his father Luiz II of natural causes. He is now thirty-nine.
It is said that young Luiz was mostly raised by radical Braicosi priests at court. Despite rumours of a dissolute youth, in his maturity he has proven to be a steadfast supporter of Holy Wheel's authority. His Queen (and cousin) Godina of Qexada, is no less devout, and has borne Luiz three sons and two daughters.
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| King Luiz & Queen Godina |
When the Clarion Throne fractured after the Regicide, the southern territories with old Imperial roots began to rearrange themselves into a new incarnation of the old empire of antiquity - the Kasparian Empire. At that inceptional moment, the support of the potent Iagosi throne and the Church of the Holy Wheel were instrumental to the Imperial unification efforts.
As a result, Iagos is a powerful player in the new empire, which sometimes places King Luiz at odds with the Emperor himself. However, the considerable clout wielded by the King has produced a kind of resistance in the other member states; fear of an Iagosi monarch gaining too much power over the Empire has promoted a species of unity among the various Duchies of Torvaria and Principalities of Capracia.
Emperor Reinhardt has been only too willing to exploit this dynamic to strengthen his position. In matters of government involving competing interests, the Imperial Electorate is predisposed to support the Emperor over the King of Iagos - although Luiz's close ties with the Church of the Wheel make for a tenuous balance in this newly-formed Empire.
In the Cyron Era, Braius the Pure, the Third Prophet, embarked on a fateful journey to Cyrona to meet with the Emperor Milianus I. While traveling through Iagos with his followers, the Child Prophet was brought before the Iagosi ruler, King Viraz. The king was a follower of old gods (accounts differ on which ones) and was little pleased to have a procession passing through his lands preaching Northern religion to his peasants. This encounter ended with the trial and martyrdom of Braius upon the Wheel.
It is a kind of irony that the land which so cruelly treated the Child Prophet, and defined the shape of the Braicosi religion ever after, is today the most ardent and devout of all Braicosi countries. While Parona (in Capracia) is the official seat of the Church of the Holy Wheel, the true religious backbone of the Empire is found in Iagos.
The sense of shame for the sin of Viraz is perhaps still felt today. Since the days of the Reclamation, the state religion of the Kingdom has adhered fiercely to the orthodoxy of the Four-Spokes. The austere Iagosi people are as penitent as they are pious, and live ever under the watchful eye of the Church's authority... and its secret informers.
In the time of the Old Empire, other religions once had greater acceptance. Thanks to this precedent, the Titans of Aesos, the Telosians of Siiga, and the other Prophets of the Trine are still tolerated in Iagos. However, their worship today is marginalized, and kept under careful scrutiny by the Holy Wheel's Inquisitors to ensure they do not gain more widespread influence.
The list of religious prohibitions, outlawed sects, and banned practices is significant. Purges, expulsions, and witch-hunts are common, and charges of heresy await any who step too far from the path of the Holy Wheel. As a result of this repression, many scholars, magicians, and heathens have fled the Kingdom to settle in more enlightened or tolerant regions of the Empire.
PEOPLE & CULTURE
The people of Iagos tend to be a sad-eyed, laconic folk; famously passionate and equally famously phlegmatic. Due to the arid climate and the Kingdom's history of war, tragedy is taken for granted. Life is hard, frivolity is scorned. In Iagos, stoicism in the face of adversity is tantamount.
The typical Iagosi is slight of frame and rather dark of cast, even more so than other southerners. This is likely due to intermixing during the two centuries under Talumian rule, but no Iagosi would openly acknowledge such a thing.
Although many political alliances during the Heresy were sealed with marriage, most noble families of the Kingdom have taken care to scrub their histories clean. Next to religious orthodoxy, purity of blood has taken on great importantance since the Great Reclamation.
The culture of the inland regions is notoriously dour and conservative, with an especially rigid form of religiosity. The eastern coastlines of Iagos are more colourful by comparison, with greater exposure to other influences through cosmopolitan trade.
In the southern border regions, the lingering influences of Talumian architecture, religion, and culture are still apparent, and. Meanwhile, in the northerly areas such as Saouvaz or coastal Sao Perico, an old influence from neighbouring Malchovia is evident, particularly in the distinctive regional dialect spoken there.
Aside from their enmity with Talumia, the Iagosi people feel a rivalry with Capracians, who are thought to be flamboyant, conniving, and immoral. Some of this stems from a historical resentment - in times past, the Capracian Principalities were often rich enough to pay off invading forces from eastern lands, or entered freely into trade with them, leaving Iagos to take the brunt of foreign aggression.
The Iagosi are renowned as excellent shipbuilders and blacksmiths. Swords from Torrena and Artosa are widely held to be among the finest forged by human hands, while the naval vessels out of Zalgadara are said to be the best on the Helicosian Sea, even if they are not as adaptable to the harsher conditions of the outer seas.
Today, the people of Iagos are defined by piety, personal honour, and a staunch loyalty to the line of the King who restored the land to its people and its faith. These are core tenets of Iagosi society, from the knightly class all the way down to lowly commoners.
MILITARY TRADITION
The pride (and perhaps arrogance) of the Iagosi people is legendary; every soldier thinks himself a knight of the faith, and every man is a hidalgo in his own mind. To give insult to any Iagosi is a grave matter, one which is often settled in blood.
Knightly codes of conduct are often considered antiquated in places like Torvaria or Capracia, while in Wellundia and Delon they are tinged with romantic idealism. Amid changing times, the knightly tradition has endured in Iagos, under a code known as the Cabalgada. Here, their long history of religious warfare has bred a particular strain of pragmatism that contrasts with more courtly notions of their western counterparts. In Iagos, knighthood is a solemn and strenuous affair.
Iagosi infantry are also renowned for efficacy and discipline. While the feared landsknechts of Torvaria may be effective and no less skilled, they are little more than callow mercenaries. By contrast, the strength of Iagosi armies is said to be in their loyalty and conviction, to both King and Saints.
Due to the strong martial culture of honour in Iagos, the practice of fencing is popular in the civil domain. Duels are a common means of defending personal dignity and resolving disputes. Iagosi schools of fence are held in great esteem across the Empire, and the native dueling styles are typically distinguished by an upright posture and the use of unusually long rapiers.
PROVINCES of IAGOS
ALANURAS *
This is a territory characterized by grassy plains. It is said that the finest horses and the best Iagosi cavalry come from Alanuras.
This is a territory characterized by grassy plains. It is said that the finest horses and the best Iagosi cavalry come from Alanuras.
ALCAZA **
In the time of the Heresy, Talumian border lords guarded these highlands from the Old Empire, but also served as important diplomatic go-betweens for the Callphate. Many of the elaborate fortified palaces they constructed still stand today.
In the time of the Heresy, Talumian border lords guarded these highlands from the Old Empire, but also served as important diplomatic go-betweens for the Callphate. Many of the elaborate fortified palaces they constructed still stand today.
The so-called Gate of Teeth. This craggy mountain province sits along the Aesos border and guards the roads to the east of Iagos. Its geography makes it nearly impregnable.
AREIAS **
The Land Painted Gold by the Sunset. Defined by mountain vistas and rolling hills. It is the main route into Iagos from Capracia.
ATALANTE *
AREIAS **
The arms of the surrounding coast protect a gentle laguna set with small sandy islands and swept by warm breezes. The shoreline boasts scenic white dunes and fertile inland hills. Many wealthy merchants and aristocrats make their retreats in these surroundings. Well known for its seafood and orange groves.
ARREBOLO **The Land Painted Gold by the Sunset. Defined by mountain vistas and rolling hills. It is the main route into Iagos from Capracia.
ARTOSA ***
This wealthy coastal city is a famed center for craftsmen and weaponeering, especially the production of cannon and gunpowder. The armourers of Artosa are also famed for their distinctive blackened steel plate harnesses.
This small inland city state sits upon the forested border of Torvaria. It is noted for resisting assault by Malachovian armies during the Tumult. This is chiefly attributed to a teenage girl who reportedly led the defense of the city in the heat of the wars. Now hailed as a living saint, the Lady Pirada lives in Atalante to this day. Sometimes political and religious figures travel to the city to meet and consult with her.
BRADAMONTE *
Named for the small fortified city built around a rocky ridge and an old fortress, famous for being unconquered throughout the era of the Heresy. Today it is considered the heart of Iagosi chivalry, and serves as the headquarters of the famed Knights of the Order of Brada. These cavaliers were key figures in the Reclamation, who endured many long sieges, and liberated countless communicites on their ride east. Today the Order is closely aligned with the Church of the Holy Wheel, and wields considerable political power.
CALIDO *
A hot dry agricultural countryside on the cusp of the desert. Known for a distinctive, spicy, Talumar-influenced regional cuisine that endures today.
CASCA *
In antiquity, Casca was the site of a great battle, though the specific details have been lost to the ages. A city built on old Cyron bones stands there now.
ESCALONA **
These pastoral hills and verdant valleys are ruled by lords made wealthy by their control of trade routes to and from the south.
KASTROS *
This region provides a gateway through the mountains between Iagos and Aesos. It is defended by many old forts dating back to classical times.
LADROA ****
The economy of this area is largely defined by trade, both legitimate and illegitimate, with many hidden smugglers coves and market towns. Most famous for Ladroa proper, the notorious City of Masks - a decadent, sin-laden port where anything and everything is for sale.
LEJANO
Harsh, dry badlands overlooked by a rocky frontier, turning to jutting mountains to the west. A land of vagabonds, exiles, and hard men.
MACIAS *
A seaside province of simple fishermen and sailors, with many cultural similarities shared with their Aesosian neighbours to the south.
MAGRETH
This sparsely-inhabited squalid marshland region sits in the basin of the San Leone desert. It is named for the Magrethi peoples found here, believed by some to be the remnants of the original folk of Iagos.
ORANDA ***
This agricultural province sits on the edges of the desert, with hills and forests behind, and Torvaria to the north. Named for San Orando, the Burning Saint, it is a place of historical and religious significance.
QEXADA ***
The religious heartland of the Kingdom. In the age of the Heresy, provinces on the periphery were able to resist the Caliphate's influence by virtue of geography. Qexada had no such defenses, and instead armoured themselves in their faith. Embattled throughout the two centuries of the Heresy, Qexada defied the Caliphate both covertly and through clandestine movements. Today, it is home to many holy sites, and is also the headquarters of the Inquisition of the Wheel.
RIMALES
Its name comes from an old Talumar word describing its spectacular dunes and shifting sands. This territory has little wealth, few people, and fewer laws.
RIMALES
Its name comes from an old Talumar word describing its spectacular dunes and shifting sands. This territory has little wealth, few people, and fewer laws.
SAFRA *
A province defined by its rocky landscape, sulphur flats, and famous yellow cliffs. Many who live here are descended from the Talumars of the Heresy era.
SAN LEONE The great central plains of Iagos are an extended desert region with only a handful of fortified towns governed by local barons. These are typically erected by mines or water sources, and offer protection to the caravans that traverse this expanse.
SAN LUCON **
This is the ancestral barony of the Furioso family. Once this was a peripheral territory pressed between desert and mountains, known for its independance and resilience. After the Reclamation, it was elevated to greater importance, but in recent generations, it has seen mostly inbred nobility with an inflated sense of importance.
SAOUVAZ ***
Saovaz is a major trading port near the “green arm of Iagos" and a principle example of the northern Iagosi culture. The Saouvaz region is renowned for its wines, and the great Rio Videira here serves as the gateway to the wine country of the interior.
SAO PERICO **
The tip of the northern peninsula is a rocky spar of seaports, daunting cliff forts and seaward watchtowers. The lords of Sao Perico are typically wealthy due to their maritime guilds, connections with nearby Zalgadara, and trade alliances with Malochovian cities to the north.
TORRENA ****
Built on a plateau on the edges of the central plains, Torrena is one of Iagos' largest cities. It is a centre for trade and manufacture, with large mineral reserves. The smiths of Torrena are especially famed for crafting exceptional swords and daggers - some say the best in the world.
VILLACOSTA ****
This province has an agreeable climate, with pebble shores and a green interior. It is home to long stretch of urban coastline and port towns. The royal family's summer palace is located here, making Villacosta an important political seat for a portion of the year.
VILLACOSTA ****
This province has an agreeable climate, with pebble shores and a green interior. It is home to long stretch of urban coastline and port towns. The royal family's summer palace is located here, making Villacosta an important political seat for a portion of the year.
VIZARES ****
The opulent capital and official seat of rulership of Iagos. The king's palace is located here, and the society of Vizares serves the many courtiers, petitioners, and would-be influencers who surround the royal court. It is also one of the principle cultural hubs of Iagos.
ZALGADARA ***
This seaside province has many famed shipyards, fed by the lush woodlands and logging camps of the forested northern peninsula. The vessels and shipwrights from Zalgadara are thought to be the best in Duatha. Even so, the area has a bit of an unsavoury reputation, second only to Ladroa.
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