Western Iola – The Keeper of Roots

Governance

Western Iola maintains a council of elders, drawn from its ancient clans and farming dynasties. Decisions are debated, often at length, with emphasis on tradition, heritage, and the welfare of the land. Though slower-moving than Eastern governance, it ensures stability and continuity.


While Eastern Iola courts technology and militarism, the West has doubled down on heritage stewardship, becoming the custodian of Iola’s ancient ways.

Religion & Belief

Western Iola leans heavily into traditional spirituality. Their temples honour the cycles of nature, the harvest, and ancestral spirits. Many Western Iolans see the war as a divine punishment for pride, and so humility, patience, and remembrance are central virtues.


Daily Life

Western Iolan life is slower, rooted in community and land. Villages and towns revolve around farming, fishing, and craft. Celebrations follow the seasons, with grand feasts, dances, and story-songs passed down orally for generations.


Western Iolans value family ties deeply, and extended families often live together. Education focuses on philosophy, culture, and stewardship of the land.


Identity

Western Iolans see themselves as the “true Iolans,” keepers of what was lost when the East turned to industry and war. They view Eastern Iola with caution, believing their obsession with strength will inevitably lead to more bloodshed.



THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED IOLA

For centuries, Iola was a single, formidable power on the eastern continent of Anarkand. Its reach extended from the fertile valleys near the Central Core all the way to the coastal plains of the south-east. Iola was feared and respected in equal measure, boasting unmatched military might, thriving trade networks, and a deep cultural pride that made it a beacon of strength.


But the strength of Iola was also its weakness. The eastern half grew increasingly industrial, militant, and ambitious, pouring its energies into fortifications, weaponry, and expansion. The western half, meanwhile, remained rooted in tradition, land stewardship, and cultural continuity. What began as subtle cultural differences gradually grew into political disagreements, and then into bitter divisions.


The Fracture and the War of Iola

The breaking point came when mutual distrust turned into outright hostility. Historians within both East and West describe different causes: taxation disputes, border arguments, and competing claims over ancestral rites. But another explanation has taken root beyond Iola’s borders — the conspiracy theory of outside interference.


According to this theory, the Radamis Empire and the United Territories of Samokov looked upon Iola with growing alarm. The idea of a single nation wielding such overwhelming influence on the eastern continent unsettled both powers. Supposedly, through carefully placed emissaries, traders, and missionaries — some acting under the patronage of the Temple of Anark — they festered division between the Iolan halves. Economic manipulation and subtle religious tensions, it is claimed, drove East and West further apart until war became inevitable.


Whether true or not, the belief persists around the world that Iola’s collapse was not merely internal — that it was designed. When war finally came, it was devastating. East and West poured their armies against one another in what became known as the War of Iola, fought across their shared heartlands. To hold their lines, both sides built a massive barrier: the Red Wall, a colossal stone and iron structure that ran across the entire breadth of their border.


The name came not from its construction, but from the slaughter that drenched it. Tens of thousands fell against its foundations, staining the wall in blood. To this day, its hue remains a grim reminder of what was lost.



The Birth of Freemor

Amidst the carnage, there were those who wanted no part in the war. Families, scholars, tradespeople, and even soldiers disillusioned by the endless bloodshed sought escape.


Here, the role of the Temple of Anark becomes undeniable. Pressured by Radamis and Samokov, the Temple decreed that a separate refuge must be established for those unwilling or unable to fight. With backing from sympathetic nations, vast airships and fleets of sea vessels were provided, ferrying the exiles away from Iola’s shattered borders.


These refugees eventually settled further east, founding the land now known as Freemor. Freemor’s identity has always been that of a nation of survivors — people who refused to be claimed by the madness of their divided homeland. They blended traditions from both East and West, creating a culture of neutrality, independence, and pragmatism.



The Modern Day: A Divided Family

Today, Eastern Iola and Western Iola remain locked in a tense stalemate. The Red Wall still looms across their border, less a fortification now than a scar made solid in stone. Both sides watch each other carefully, wary of rekindling war yet unwilling to reunite.


Eastern Iola remains driven by its industrial, militant identity, valuing discipline and strength.


Western Iola embraces its heritage of tradition, agriculture, and cultural guardianship.


Freemor thrives as the third child of the schism, outwardly neutral but economically essential to both halves, trading across borders where direct contact remains fraught.


The conspiracy lingers as an unhealed wound. Many Iolans whisper that Radamis and Samokov engineered their downfall, that the Temple of Anark betrayed them by enforcing separation. No evidence has ever surfaced, but the belief itself is enough to shape policy and prejudice.


Thus, the intertwined history of the three states is a tale of family turned rivals, of exile turned survival, and of a wall that bleeds still in the minds of all who remember the War of Iola.