Lost Izagone

Izagone is an island nation off the coast of Eastern Vosca. It is believed to be the very tip of a much larger chain, or possibly even a continent. The rough seas and numerous monsters make exploration of that land very difficult, and no ships have yet returned from the so-called "Sea of Ghosts."
Izagone is an isolationist country. Its few bays are protected by numerous forts, and the severe winds and constant storms have eaten away all of the beaches outside of these few safe harbors. It is almost impossible to gain access to the country without going through one of these protected harbors... And Izagone does not accept visitors, or trade, of any sort.
Long ago, in a time distantly remembered, the Izagoni were more open. The original founders of Karthack were said to be a tribe from Izagone, and many great events, inventions and empires are tied to their influence. For example, the chariot was said to be an invention of the Izagoni, as were the first horses domesticated and ridden into battle. Many old stories remember them as conquering warlords, mighty invaders, and wise rulers.
But for whatever reason, some time ago, the Izagoni shut themselves up, and essentially stopped trading and dealing with anyone except for the Kedouins. Very little goes in or out of Izagone, these days.
Every so often, Izagoni will appear on the mainland. These are often exiles, criminals, but are sometimes merely adventurous youths. All give the impression of an incredibly ordered society, even by Genosian and Karthacki standards.
The Izagoni are dark-skinned, even compared to the Karthacks of the Southeast, who are considered to be related to them. They are tall, and have black, brown, or red hair. Their eyes are invariably black.
They do not often speak of their homeland, when abroad. The attitude with which they view Voscan civilization ranges between utterly contemptuous, and a sort of muted pity.
The Izagoni who come to the content rarely come in military garment. Most are civilians, and they frequently bear spears, short-swords and shields made of wood and rawhide, or Urumis, a weapon strongly associated with the Izagoni "taskmaster" that has become a stock character in Genosian culture.
Izagone is not just that little island. The part of it of which Voscans have charted the coasts enough to put on a map is the size of Iber, but it is common knowledge that it extends beyond, and is fucking huge. Zells sometimes sail through those cursed waters, but even they don't do it for fun, it's a terrible place even by their lofty standards, and for whatever reason, Izagone doesn't seem to "count" for the purposes of their Friends in Deep Places ability. They usually end up in Kedoua or Karthack if they plunge down into the depths... And those are not places you want to be if you're a Zell.
TL;DR, it's fucking Africa surrounded by sea monsters. Imagine what lies inside! Is it a high-tech civilization that has isolated itself from fucked up Vosca? Is it Lordran, a smoking ruin of a once mighty civilization, and its over-proud refugees in denial over its fall?
Category:Countries