Iacalos

The Iacalos region is located in South-West Daeamorant, and governed by Domusanc Calidolis. The capital of Iacalos is the city of Enassa, one of the largest cities in Daeamorant. Among the Benevolent Ones, the people of Iacalos hold a special reverence for Thaemenar, the God of Life.   Among the regions of Daeamorant, in a basic needs sense the region of Iacalos is by far the most prosperous. The diversity of terrain and elevation found in the region, coupled with the fertile soil, allows people in Iacalos to raise a bountiful and varied range of crops and livestock. This in turn leads to Domusanc Calidolis having firmly established relations with the other Domusancs, as Iacalos ships large caravans of foodstuffs across the country.   Iacalos has the largest population of any region in Daeamorant, yet does not have a proportionally higher number of settlements throughout it. Much of the region is relatively wild, and you'll find more towns and villages than major cities. The region also is comprised of a substantially higher amount of deviation in landscape: In the North you'll find the beginnings of the mountains that encircle Akenlos, to the West are the cliffs and coastal shores bordering the sea, to the East are the rolling hills that lead into the plateaus of Cyrancia, and throughout the interior of the region are many forests, plains, and rivers.   This willingness to allow areas of the natural world to exist largely untouched is the primary reason for why Iacalos is home to the majority of Wood Elves and Halflings in Daeamorant. There are some woodlands that are primarily occupied by Wood Elves, though none nearly as prominent as The Realm of Alea'Thesai in Torvahl, and many hamlets and settlements nearly exclusively occupied by Halflings, as their natural aptitude and gravitation toward the growing of things makes Iacalos the ideal region to inhabit in the country. Despite this, the population of Iacalos is still primarily Humans, as is the case with much of Daeamorant.   Iacalos does suffer from proportionally more beast-related attacks from wild creatures within their lands that have staked out a section as territory, and while often when possible that territory will remain left alone, this is also why the main import of Iacalos is, strangely enough, "adventurers". It is very common for mercenaries, adventurers, Paladins, and other such combatants throughout Daeamorant (particularly from Lucanis) to travel to Iacalos in the hopes of offering their services to those in the region with slaying dangerous monsters and beasts that have become problematic. The private military of Domusanc Calidolis is surprisingly small, as there's very little need for the region positioned farthest from neighboring countries to maintain a prominent standing military ever since the infighting of the regions ended long ago. As a result, Domusanc Drusurys is most commonly from where Domusanc Calidolis requests aid when problems that require combat prowess arise in Iacalos. A clever move by Calidolis, as the combination of Lucanis importing food from Iacalos as well as Calidolis recruiting the warriors for which Drusurys is renowned has fostered a strong bond between the Domusancs and their regions over time, despite their distance from each other.   The necessity of this interaction on the side of Calidolis would justifiably be open to scrutiny however, and serves as a good example of why underestimating Domusanc Calidolis politically would be a mistake. Iacalos is one of the most lucrative regions in Daeamorant, to the extent that they could, in theory, be sufficient without the rest of the regions were that their desire. And yet, Domusanc Calidolis strives, arguably moreso than the others, to maintain positive relations with the other Domusancs. They make yearly donations of a portion of the harvests from Iacalos to the the other regions, and make a point to import resources from each region equally when possible. They commonly seek the most compromising option in diplomacy, and, at least publicly, rarely seem to pick a clear side in disputes between regions. To those who pay attention to the numbers, it would seem that Domusanc Calidolis doesn't need to maintain these relations or reputation of generosity. To the devout, this would seem to be just putting Thaemenar's teachings into practice. To the more skeptical, perhaps cynical, this might be thought to be more political motivated. Calidolis, for its part, is careful to maintain that ambiguity.  

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The people of Iacalos have a reputation of generosity, though how much of that should be attributed to Domusanc Calidolis specifically is a matter of debate. While some may believe that the natural bounty of Iacalos should be shared with the rest of Daeamorant (a belief that Calidolis seems to push), in order for the goodwill gestures of food caravans from Iacalos to occur it requires the Domusanc to extract a higher tax of crop yields and generations of livestock. Some in Iacalos oppose this practice, believing that if other regions gave proper respect to Thaemenar perhaps they would benefit as well from the fertility of nature found in their own region.   Indeed, the people of Iacalos have a particular reverence for Thaemenar, moreso than the other gods given special focus in Daeamorant. Being a god of nature, the connection between the boons enjoyed by Iacalos and the deity seem obvious, but it's very much a matter of debate in the region among religious scholars whether their preference for Thaemenar was the catalyst for, or the result of, the natural benefits of the region. Nevertheless, the connection exists, and shapes much of the subculture of those in Iacalos relative to that of Daemorant as a whole.   People in Iacalos tend to be receptive of those from other regions in Daeamorant, and have more of a "national identity" than some regions of the country that instead think of themselves as being part of their region more than part of their country. Probably largely owing to the tendency for many in Daeamorant to migrate to Iacalos moreso than other regions when changing locations, those of Iacalos tend to view their relationship with the rest of Daeamorant as being more communal, which likely contributes to the behavior of Domusanc Calidolis with regard to their tendency to pursue a middle-ground politically.   Altruisim and generosity are considered to be virtuous traits moreso than in other regions, though such acts of benevolence are still considered to be things expected toward other citizens of Daeamorant. Iacalos still shares in the country's overall dislike of foreigners, but this distaste largely is based on a significant disparity between the culture of Daeamorant and it's neighbors, as the general mindset of those in Daeamorant is something of a passive sense of superiority. You'd likely be able to traverse Iacalos without much harassment as an outsider, possibly even be welcomed in parts of the region, but that is based on a basic expectation that such foreigners fully adhere to the cultural and legal beliefs of the region and Daeamorant as a whole. Iacalos is a peaceful and friendly place overall, but still has zero tolerance for the practice of the Arcane and adheres to other such cultural beliefs found throughout Daeamorant as a whole.   Citizens of Iacalos are expected to work as a farmhand or in a temple to Thaemenar for a minimum of 2-4 years before they're permitted to operate a business or own land in Iacalos. Those who live in the coastal settlements can work as sailors or fishermen as additional options. Another alternative is to travel with one of the caravans that deliver the bounty of Iacalos to other regions, though this option is more difficult to pursue as there is limited availability and the decision to bring someone of no experience with their caravan is left up to the master of the caravan.