Svimohzia
Cradle of Civilization
The clans that remained on the Isle, rather than journeying across
the now-sunken land bridge, lived predominantly in small villages,
each with an elder who acted as tribal leader. Eventually, however, a
village allied with dwarven warriors (and their secret of iron) rose to
power and conquered much of the Isle. The first King, Miznoh I, set
up his court in the land of Meznamish, claiming rulership over a
Meznamishii Empire. Aside from Meznamish itself, the Empire
contained three duchies (Ahznomahn, Ozhvinmish and Zazahni)
owning allegiance to the King.
Then, after fifteen generations of relative peace, an army of
hobgoblins swept out from the southwest, conquering all in their
path. In response, then-current King Vhohmi III commanded his
dwarven allies, as well as the dukes of Ozhvinmish, Zazahni and
Ahznomahn to engage the hobgoblins. Zazahni responded quickly, as
did half of the Ozhvinmishii troops (the other half became distracted
by the beer and women at the undefended forts of northern Zazahni
and began what they called “protective occupation”). Meanwhile,
Ahznomahn responded by declaring its independence and seceding
from the Kingdom. Although the hobgoblins were eventually pushed
back to the southwest (where they remain today as the Kingdom of
Ul-Karg), all was not at peace.
The surviving dwarves cut their mining production in half and
raised their prices, and the Meznamish economy began to tumble.
Distant Ahznomahn, with its new sea markets, quickly became the
new economic power of the island. With Meznamish in tatters,
Ozhvinmish also declared itself independent and elected its own
King. Zazahni remained loyal to Meznamish for only four more years
before also declaring itself independent.
Today, the kingdoms of Ahznomahn, Meznamish, Ozhvinmish and
Zazahni still maintain their borders, while the dwarves keep much to
themselves, deep within the mountains. However, the hobgoblin
Kingdom of Ul-Karg rules much of the southwest, and two
brandobian colonies (Bronish and Vrandol) can be found on the Isle’s
western edge.
History
In the beginning, the Svimohzish Island was the cradle of civilization and, as time passed, most of the tribes followed the herds of
migratory game across the now-submerged land bridge to the main
continent. The clans that remained lived predominantly along the
northern coast of the island. Their settlements were primarily small
villages, each with an elder who acted as tribal leader. The Svimohz
people were peaceful farmers, hunters and fishermen. They settled
most of the island’s northern coast, as well as areas of the interior
along the Izhoven River.
Mewzhano, a young upstart from a clan in the Miznoh Forest, was
banished from his tribe for speaking of rich lands beyond the hills.
He took a handful of loyal followers and headed west over the
Menamo Hills. There, they found black sand beaches on the
Mewzhano Bay, named for its discoverer. Mewzhano and his men
explored the coast and encountered a tribe of primitive fishermen.
His trained warriors easily conquered the small village. They took
wives from among these people and settled down to a life of peace.
In the Tanezh Mountains, Mewzhano encountered a group of
dwarven miners who traded iron weapons and tools to the humans.
In return, Mewzhano provided the miners with food, blubber and
ivory harvested from sea lions and whales that came to mate in the
warm waters of Mewzhano Bay.
A generation following the introduction of dwarven-made iron
swords, Miznoh, a great warrior and descendant of Mewzhano,
emerged as chieftain. Miznoh mustered every able-bodied warrior,
hired a group of dwarven mercenaries, and set off to conquer the
lands back to the east. The iron weapons proved to be superior and,
one by one, all the tribal leaders swore allegiance to Miznoh. When
Miznoh proclaimed himself King, his demesne ran from the Zhano
Headlands along the northern coast to the Vohven Jungle. He
controlled the Imomena Hills, the small villages along the Izhoven
River and the sparsely populated plains and lowlands of the
Svimohzish interior.
Due to the long growing season and the warm, wet climate, the
Svimohz became successful farmers. Additionally, the people learned
to navigate small rafts and barges along the rivers and coast. The small
boats aided their development of more advanced fishing techniques,
yet they did not construct large watercraft until centuries later.
King Miznoh I set up his court in Meznamish, the capital of which
they named Monam-Ahnozh. The King’s family ruled for seven
generations. Royalty controlled the land by controlling commerce;
only the King had access to dwarven metals, and thus weapons and
coins.
After fifteen generations of relative peace, an army of hobgoblins
swept down from the west near Zhano-mewhi Bay. The hobgoblin
army pushed northeast along the southern edge of the Tanezh
Mountains and headed toward the Imomena Hills. In response, the
Svimohzish king, Vhohmi III, commanded the dukes of Ozhvinmish,
Zazahni and Ahznomahn to move their armies west and engage the
hobgoblins at the Izhoven River.
Zazahni responded quickly; their warriors were well seasoned from
fighting hostile natives and trolls in the Vohven Jungle. Half of the
Ozhvinmishii troops arrived within three weeks while the other half
traveled southwest between the Svomawhom Forest and the Awhom
Forest to reinforce Zazahni. Ahznomahn responded by declaring its
independence and seceding from the Kingdom. This enraged the
King, but with his armies marching to engage the hobgoblins, he
could not respond militarily.
While the dukes’ men held off the hobgoblins, Vhohmi and the
dwarven king descended out of the Menamo Hills and engaged the
hobgoblins from the rear in what has become known as Fortnight’s
Battle. Both sides suffered many casualties during the two weeks of
vicious fighting, and the hobgoblins finally retreated. Since King
Vhohmi’s Ozhvinmishii reinforcements failed to arrive and his own
army was devastated, he was unable to pursue the Kargi.
The Ozhvinmishii troops that never arrived had become distracted
at the undefended forts of northern Zazahni. The Ozhvinmishii
soldiers had begun what they called “protective occupation.” The
soldiers consumed most of the fall harvest and all that season’s beer.
When news of the hobgoblin defeat arrived in northern Zazahni, the
Ozhvinmishii forces withdrew. However, they took home with them
much of the Zazahnii livestock, and left behind many pregnant
women.
After the war, with their numbers severely depleted, the dwarves
cut their mining production in half. They began charging outrageous
prices for the now rare minerals and metals. King Vhohmi III tried to
bargain with the dwarves, using food supplies as a bargaining tool; but
the dwarven food stores were full and they refused to lower their
prices. The Meznamish economy tumbled. Ahznomahn, which had
opened new markets with Kalamaran sea merchants, was the only
country unaffected by Meznamish’s collapse. Thus, Ahznomahn
quickly became the island’s new economic power.
Zazahni, understandably bitter after returning from war to find
their food stores gone, demanded restitution. King Vhohmi III
ordered the Duke of Ozhvinmish to pay Zazahni damages and to
forcibly reunite Ahznomahn with the rest of the kingdom.
Ahznomahn responded by offering Kalamaran metals to Ozhvinmish
at a lower cost than the King could offer.
Finding the time right for revolution, Ozhvinmish disobeyed
Vhohmi and entered into an alliance with Ahznomahn. The King
responded by attacking Ozhvinmish in the Miznoh Forest. The
Ozhvinmishii army (fresh and well fed) forced Vhohmi back to the
hills. The Ozhvins declared themselves independent and named a
king of their own. Zazahni remained part of the kingdom for only
four more years before also declaring itself independent.
Maps
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Livre 2 - Svimohzia
Svimohzia contient where all the smaller settlements are visible and accounted for.
Alternative Name(s)
The Ancient Isle
Type
Continent
Location under
Included Locations
Included Organizations
Related Ethnicities
Inhabiting Species