Iros



Iros is the home to great house Irodasi, from which it is named, and all the lesser houses that has sworn fealty to King Felcroft V of Irodasi. Before the Rivening, the Kingdom of Iros spanned all the lowlands below the plateau. Now Iros is situated on a tilted peninsula which rises to the north and dips all the way into the mist to the south. The ancient capital city Hazeward stands on this border, defending the kingdom from the constant incursions from the Nethersphere.

Statistics

 * Capital: Hazeward
 * Population: 1453000
 * Imports: Mercenaries, airships, livestock
 * Exports: Artifacts, expertise (combat, engineering, netherlore), timber, and pelts

Houses

 * Irodasi
 * Shievel
 * Flinton
 * Guignot
 * Vandice

Geography
Of all the Kingdoms of Riven, Iros is the southernmost. The Kingdom of Iros is situated on a tilted plateau with its southern part dipping into the Nethersphere. Being very close to the equator, the ring of Riven hangs almost directly on top of the huge landmass. Temperatures at night pierce freezing but at daytime days are mild. But the sun is relentless, and even though it isn't very hot, the people of Iros have tanned skin.

Fauna
Because of the shifting temperatures, Iros is extremely windy, and storms often pummel the rocky grey landscape. The land is composed of huge swads of barren rock broken up by islands of grass and huge sturdy oak trees. Mist from the world below constantly crawls up into the lowlands giving it a haunting atmosphere.

Wildlife
Since monstrosities often creep up from the Nethersphere only the strongest wildlife have managed not to go instinct. Stubfaced bears, wolly brontops, and crown beasts all had the strength the face down whatever spawned from below. Rabbits, horned hares, and bleak foxes had the deftness to go unnoticed.

Society
The great house Irodasi has ruled the Kingdom of Iros from the capital city of Hazeward for hundreds of years. This monstrous city fortress stretches along the southern border of Iros shielding it from most of the incursion from below. To the west, it stretches all the way to its neighbor city of Flinthome, the seat of house Flinton. To the east, through the ancient Murkwood, the inhabited wall meats the city of Galenest, the seat of house Guignot. House Shievel holds all of the land north of the Needle Sea. Below Hazeward, in the shallows of the Nethersphere, a few inhabited mountain tops pierce the mist. These still have Vandice settlements, even though the majority of house Vandice, its vassals, and serfs, have settled in Irodasi lands.

Iros' King, Felroft V of Irodasi, rule the land with an iron fist. He is an imposing man that can trace his lineage hundreds of years back. with the exception of the serfs, all capable men must attend military service. This has bred a no-nonsense rulership that deals swiftly with unlawful behavior and trifles very little with courtrooms. It has also ensured that Iros has one of the biggest and most well-trained armies of the Seven Kingdoms.

Each House of Iros governs a realm and has a duke as representative in the Court of Iros. Each realm is split up into several manors that are ruled by lords. The lord of a manor is responsible for all activity in his manor and that all produce is held up to the standards of The Tenets of Fate. All realms of Iros are governed by manorialism. All produce is taken to the Lords Estate where they are handled under the supervision of a Knight Inquisitor. Half of all produce is taken to the Dukes Estate where it is used to feed the army. The rest is redistributed back to the serfs equally.

The king takes the threat of the Nether very seriously, and the Knight Inquisitors have a decree that lets them enter all settlements to undertake inspection. Knight Slayers have a similar decree that let them roam freely on all lands of Iros hunting stray netherspawn.

This is not to say that unlawful behavior doesn't exist in Iros. Many farmers and hunters must conduct unlawful business out of necessity. But performing heinous acts of mixing or just unregulated farming can invite terror to a realms. Malicious spirits have an easy time seeping up through the cracks so close to the Nethersphere and corruption is a very real problem in the kingdom. Naturally, the Inquisitors put many cultists to death every year.



Notable Locations

 * Hazeward. Capital of Iros and seat of King Felcroft V of Irodasi.
 * Flinthome. Seat of house Flinton.
 * Galenest. Seat of house Guignot.
 * Wetfort. Fortress of house Shievel
 * Dakenmill. Seat of house Shievel.
 * Oxwark. Irodasi fort known for the Knight Warden acedemy.
 * Swordcross. The free town north of Wetfort famous for its countless duels and guild presence.
 * Hotsprings of Fezil. Heretical hotsprings in the lands of Guignot.
 * Murkwood. Untamed forest that traverses the Hazeward wall to the east.
 * Scorl Forest. Western forest that lies between Flinton and Shievel lands.
 * The Heralds. Ancient statue faces on the edge of the plateau to the north.
 * Splintered Cliffs of Aram. Western mountain range above tree limit.
 * Bolom. Eastern mountain range that has a prominent dormant volcano forming a black spike.
 * Ignadengiz (Needlesea). The inner lake formed by the rivers from Aram located north of Hazeward.

Irodasi
The most prosperous and powerful house. Their military might equals the best of Koshin and they rule Iros with an iron fist. Most offspring of Felcroft V are all in military positions of power. Together they form a tight core of the kingdom. The Knights of Irodasi are called the Knight Wardens or the Bleak Wardens. They keep a watchful eye on the borders which they patrol constantly.

Shievel
House Shievel is the second largest house on Iros. They have a healthy symbiotic relationship with the Irodasi and serve as Inquisitors in all the inner parts of the kingdom. They use very little time managing their realm and usually hire Irodasi or Guignot lords as stewards so they can focus on maintaining the One True Law.

Flinton
House Flinton are the absolute masters of building and engineering. This means their expertise is employed everywhere in the Seven Kingdoms and in turn, is why they occupy the smallest realm on Iros. Flintonites employ merchants of house Guignot as their mediary on matters of trade. This has built a foundation for great prosperity for both houses and also helped them into the political scene of the Seven Kingdoms.

Guignot
House Guignot is the newest house loyal to king Felcroft V of Irodasi. They had little choice as their shrewd political and mercantile strategies got them banished from Bercia a hundred years ago. The king of Iros back then took them in and made them an offer they could not resist. Bend the knee to him and serve as his voice in the political tabernacle and in return they would be given a realm in his kingdom.

Vandice
Except for a few outposts, the ancient house of Vandice is the only house that has no lands. All was lost during the Rivening and now they live as immigrants in Iros. The Irodasi tolerate this since they are formidable fearless warriors with a burning passion to reclaim their lands below Iros. Perhaps this goal seems impossible, but with every slain monster the Vandice Knight Slayers feels one step closer to revenge.

Notable People

 * Lord Barquess Shievel of Wetford
 * Steward Eaverly Guignot of Wetford
 * Cholmondelay Leyden Guild Master at Wetford
 * King Felcroft V

Relations
Iros is a rough place with little time for courtrooms and balls. The people of Iros find the aristocratic squabbles of other kingdoms unnecessary and wasteful. One should enjoy the present and work hard to establish a future.

On Bercia
Although Bercia produces some of the best swordsmen in the seven kingdoms, their effort to protect an airy concept such as culture is a fruitless endeavor. How can the King Pontiff favor these weaklings such? Seems their tongues are just as sharp as their swords.

On Dakhazia
Wildmen and dancers. How they have managed to keep their kingdom prosperous must be by the hand of Fate itself. They do produce the kingdoms finest ore and their prices are not the worst either.

On Gloorim
The kingdom of Gloorim has suffered as we. We stand with them as long as their meddling doesn't cause us any problems.

On Kothin
The armies of Kothin are formidable indeed. But riddle me this, if their kingdom is at war with itself, how come they boast about being the best commanders in the seven kingdoms? Wasteful and pompous.

On Leyden
If any kingdom shares the people of Iros' bravery it is the Leydenites. None other kingdom have ventured so deep into the Nethersphere. If only their prices reflected this bravery. Unfortunately, there is almost nothing a Leydenite cant procure. So we need these dandy cockroaches.

On Mesanct
Without the King Pontiff, Iros would have fallen ages ago. We owe the safe haven of Mesanct everything. But safe times create weak men. His holiness should keep a watchful eye on his bloodline not becoming muddy.