The Kingdom of Iochand was a medieval monarchy along the Westcoast in Cannor, known for being the only kingdom to be ruled by a gnomish dynasty. The majority of the population of Iochand were the Iochander humans, alongside the Creek Gnomes who called the kingdom home. Iochand was founded in the chaos of the Dragonwake, lasting until its dissolution by Reveria in 1264.
History[]
Early History[]
The Gnomish Hierarchy first established control in the region when they founded Portnamm in 1044 BA, a trading post interacting with the human and halfling tribes in the area. Portnamm grew over time as the Small Province was established and trade upriver expanded, developing into a full city. As the Hierarchy’s influence over the Lencori human tribes of the area began to grow, the Portroy Province was established, administering the gnomish settlements and Lencori tribes around the Portroy river.
The Lencori tribes of the Portroy Province, the Abonni, Rouderni and Merissii, would become influenced by the Portnammer Creek Gnomes in language and culture over time, becoming a distinct group of humans under the Hierarchy. When the Day of Ashen Skies arrived, Portnamm was damaged heavily by floods and the Portroy Province’s capital was moved upriver to the city of Roynoms.
Founding of Iochand[]
A map of the borders of Iochand before its fall
As the Dragonwake ravaged Cannor, the kobolds of the Dragonheight Mountains poured out of their caves in 470 and ravaged much of the Dragon Coast, leading to the collapse of the Gnomish Hierarchy. The Portroy Province avoided the fate of the Hierarchy heartlands, becoming a destination for many of the refugees coming across the Gnomish Pass.
During this time, the Portroy Province’s governor was the Creek Gnome Fizwick Allspark, a former actor of the Nimsnoms theatre. Fizwick and his close ally, Erna Tonks, began to stabilise the province through rapid reform and establishing humans and gnomish Graaffin to rule the outer territories of the Portroy Province. Eventually in 471, Fizwick declared his conversion to the faith of the Lencori of the province, and he would be crowned King Fizwick of Iochand - the crown provided by the mayor of Portnamm, a prop from the Nimsnoms theatre. The Graaffin would become the equivalent of counts, Ezra Tonks would become Hezoggin - or Duchess - of all territories south of the Portroy river, and the mayor of the city of Portnamm enshrined as Hierarch of Portnamm, the only non-feudal title under the new kingdom.
The new Kingdom of Iochand faced its first war in 490 against the Small Kingdom - the successor of the Gnomish Hierarchy’s Small province - in which a short war ended with Iochand exchanging the city of Turnwell and Smallmarches region in exchange for the province of Manerd, the war ending early as both faced invasions from the north from the Alenic tribes.
High Kingdom and Regency era
Iochand faced hostilities from the Alenic tribes in the north, taking control of the Dragonpass launching attacks south into Iochand’s territories. After decades of division in Lencenor to the south, Lorenan the Great had rallied the soldiers of the other Lencori kingdoms under his forces, and alongside the soldiers of Iochand, they had pushed back against the Alenic Warlords pushing into Lencenor. Within weeks of the Battle of Rosefield, after the Tretunic and Sormanni kings, Fizwick declared fealty to the newly established High Kingdom of Lencenor in 525.
Soon the Small Kingdom would swear fealty to the High Kingdom of Lencenor in 529, establishing the greatest extent of Lorenan’s High Kingdom. After Fizwick’s death in 552, his son Royy I Allspark reaffirmed the fealty of Iochand to Lorenan’s High Kingdom, and later his heirs. This would last until the War of the Three Roses, where Iochand would drift away from the authority of Redfort, becoming functionally independent in 622 following the Treaty of the Redfort.
Iochand would maintain an alliance of mutual defense with the Rewantis Kingdom of Redwood, but skirmishes with the Alenics of the Kingdom of Eaglecrest would continue in the Gnomish Pass.
Era of Black Ice[]
In the 770s, Gerudian Reavers began their raids on the southern Dragon Coast and Lencenor, with many gnomes in the north of Iochand directing the raiders towards the Eaglecrester territories in the Gnomish Pass with tales of rich cities. The Reavers did later continue their raids further south, attempting to sack Portnamm, but were repelled before the city’s defences fell.
In 825, invading forces of Reavers led by Reaverking Askel landed in the northern lands of Iochand, seizing land in the north of Iochand and land from Eaglecrest in the Gnomish Pass. A number of battles between the Reavers and Iochand’s army, aided by the Kingdom of Redwood, would see both sides locked in conflict for decades with both sides taking important settlements from the other.
Redwood soon faced conflict with the other Lencori Kingdoms in the south, leading to the King of Redwood signing the Portroy Agreement with the invading Reavers that established the Portroy River as a border between the two forces. Iochand on its own however was able to hold back the Reavers until the 850s, and established Iochand’s border with Askel’s new Kingdom of Reveria. Hostilities between both kingdoms would continue at varying levels for centuries, and Redwood abandoning Iochand would allow Enteben to seize the southern province of Clearshore.
War of the Sorcerer-King[]
With Lorent preparing against the northern threat and the Castanorian armies establishing the Vertesk Dominion within Gawed’s borders, King Carwick saw that Iochand joined the League of Free Realms. The armies of Iochand would face many battles against the Castanorians, first notably facing the Castanorian armies in the Battle of Stormpoint, alongside Reverian and Lorentish armies.
The war saw Iochand defend against incursions into the Ciderfields, failing to defend against a Castanorian push through Turnwell, which resulted in their armies sacking Portnamm on their path towards sieging Deranne. Following the arrival of the elves from the west, fate turned against the Castanorian soldiers, and Iochand faced liberation from the forces of the Sorcerer-King.
Eventually the armies of the League of Free Realms would defeat Nichmer’s Castanor, and the Grand Ball of Anbenncóst would reaffirm the borders of Iochand as the same that preceded the War of the Sorcerer-King. The ruling King Carwick would be the one to follow in the footsteps of many human dynasties in Cannor, reaffirming the House of Allspark as House síl Iochand, as elvenization encompassed much of Cannor.
Peak and Fall[]
Following the War of the Sorcerer King, King Carwick síl Iochand oversaw the beginning of the reconstruction of Portnamm, focusing on restoring the Nimsnoms Theatre and University of Portnamm. This peace and rebuilding would see Iochand reach a new peak in cultural output and economic power. After Cawrick’s death in 1069, his daughter Queen Tripp síl Iochand would reign for over a century and a half. Her reign would mostly focus on further developing the cities of Iochand and delegating further development to the vassal states within the kingdom with grants, including overseeing the restoration of Portnamm to power not seen since before the Day of Ashen Skies. When the Turnwell League became an economic threat, Tripp aided the Duke of Appleton in dismantling the league, annexing Turnwell into the crown's demesne while Appleton annexed Cowskeep and Butterbun sought protection from Gawed.
After Tripp’s death, Iochand would be ruled by her elderly cousin, Fizwick III “The Fool. Fizwick III. In his old age he focused mostly on his family’s own interests, largely ignoring the kingdom in his three decades of rule. Reveria would invade Iochand in the 1260s, and Fizwick’s insistence on controlling the war effort would result in a resounding defeat. In 1264, the Reverian army would torch the Royal Palace of Iochand, resulting in King Fizwick III and over half of the House of Iochand perishing in the blaze, effectively dissolving the Kingdom of Iochand. The Duchy of Southroy swore fealty to the Kingdom of Lorent to avoid further hostilities from Reveria, while the City of Portnamm would cite the Portroy Agreement as a document guaranteeing their legal declaration preventing their annexation, which Lorent would support to enforce their new vassalage of Southroy.
Culture[]
Iochand was the home of the Creek Gnomes, alongside the Iochander humans and Creekfoot Halflings. Creek Gnome influence resulted in the people of Iochand developing a culture of performance, promoting the theatrical institutions, including comedy and tragedy as primary focuses over accurate history. Iochanders would develop a unique dialect of Common, with notable gnomish influences distinguishing the Iochanders from other Lencori peoples. Outside of the formal theatrical heartlands of Iochand, many travelling carnivals that followed the cultural practices of Iochand would travel across Western Cannor, delivering shows and tricks to entertain the peasantry of the region.