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.