Iolanthe

The Kingdom of Iolanthe is located on the south eastern continent and is ruled by Royal House Arsevac, It is constantly at war with the Arakandi menace.

Foundations
Iolanthe arose through blood and conquest. In 1287 ICA, Imperial Varin Forces were sent south of the Rivenspine Mountains on their far eastern edge. The Emperor at that time, Daelaedric II, was intent on driving the Arakandi out of the arrable lands they had colonized in the east and back into the Craglands.

The command of the expedition was given to Archduke Victor Arsevac. House Arsevac was a closely related client House of House Varin, and thus Emperor Daelaedric gave the command to a relative he could trust.

The fighting in the lands of what is now Iolanthe was intense. Thousands of Imperial Troops clashed against many more their number of Arakandi. Grave prices were paid by the Emperor's sorcerors to give his troops the edge in battle, and offerings beyond count were given up to Trastin.

Finally, in 1295 ICA, the Imperial Forces were victorious. The Arakandi forces were pushed back beyond the Red Flake River and into the Craglands. Iolanthe was founded and constrution on Castle Soleford began.

During the Succession Wars (as the Iolanthians name them), House Arsevac remained neutral. They were far too busy fending off the Arakandi to get involved in the squabbling of greedy Nobles. They did form a working partnership with House Arodes, as neither house had ambitions to the Imperial Throne and neither was close enough to grasp it anyway.

Current Territory
The Kingdom of Iolanthe currently contains the City of Iolanthe, a bustling port; Castle Soleford, its principal stronghold; and the town of Beeir.

Most power is centered in the City, as locals call it, with a strong martial prescence along the Red Flake bordering the Craglands.

Resources
The natural soil of Iolanthe is very fertile, and has allowed for generally good cultivation. The Rivenspine protects them from the arid winds of the Great Desert; there is plentiful water and grazing area.

The Rivenspine also provides good deposits of iron and bronze. Iolathne is further blessed by a silver mine, allowing them further funds to protect their border. The hills in the kingdom have known sandstone deposits, and the forests produce primarily cherry wood. This means that the Kingdom of Iolanthe is hard pressed to maintain a navy as it has no oak reserves of its own.

The glaring weakness of Iolanthe's natural resource cache is its lack of saltpeter. Blackpowder weapons have proved very useful against the Arakandi, and the Kingdom is forced to buy all of theirs from foreign partners.

The Arakandi Wars
The struggle against the Arakandi is everpresent for the brave warriors of Iolanthe. Boarder skirmishs occur on a monthly basis, though full scale incursions are less frequent. Though the original intent of the Iolanthian founding was to drive the Arakandi out eventually, limited resources since the Fall of the Empire have relegated Iolanthe to a defensive posture.

The constant struggle is very taxing on Iolanthe's people and economy, and they have a constant appeal out to all nations to send troops to help the cause. House Arsevac knows better than any other what could happen if a major spearhead broke out of the Craglands.

The last major Arakandi Invasion was in 74 AFE.