The huge, deep bogs of the Iol swamp are nearly all that remain of the massive forests that once covered the world. They are forbidding places, difficult to navigate and filled with deadly snakes and other creatures. Canopies of moss and vine shade most of the ground, rendering the swamp's interior pitch-dark, even at midday. Pockets of methane gas boil up sporadically, and sometimes burn for days after being ignited by lightning.
Iol's trees are highly prized, both on-world and off, for their durable, hard wood. Neither of Iol's mountain ranges are impressive, however, either in grandeur or mineral content.
The Rogo Sea is a long, calm body and the primary source of fresh water for Iol. Hover ferries commonly travel both it and the Heart Sea.
The temperature of Iol is moderate year-round. Each season lasts over 250 days, with the change from season to season barely noticeable.
Early History[]
A Baufrin exploration team first surveyed Iol in 4025. Pleased with what they found, the team recommended extensive colonization. Over the next 200 years, more than five thousand Baufrin settled on Iol, mostly in and around their first city, Mosaka (later shortened to Mo).
Disaster struck in 4398 when an explosion tore through the Mosaka Commonwealth research lab, releasing a wide range of viruses being developed in the labs. By far the most damaging was Streptum Siccicacus II, more commonly known as the Memory Plague. Affecting only Baufrin, it destroyed the memory cells of their brains. Within three weeks Iol's Baufrin were virtually helpless. By the time a special Virus Control Team arrived, only 23 Baufrin survivors remained on Iol.
It only took two years to find a cure for the Memory Plague, but Iol's colony was long-gone. Baufrin avoid the world to this day, though other races were welcome. Humans and a handful of Naram were quick to grab the opportunity. Within 250 years Iol's population had swelled to more than a million, with several thriving cities around the globe. Methane gasses provided cheap power, and petroleum products became a substantial export.
The Snow Plague was a harsh repeat of the previous viral disaster. Civil disorder disintegrated entirely, as cities became clan holdings were each family made and enforced its own laws.
The KessRith arrived in 4997, easily eliminating the meager defense. They, too, found Iol pleasing and soon had it booming as a base of operations against what was left of Humanity in Shannedam County.
Quick to exploit the world's population and resources, the KessRith's first major project was a combination pipeline and monorail linking Iol's major cities. Constructed by sheer muscle, the incredible undertaking was accomplished by nearly a million Human survivors from surrounding worlds whom the KessRith enslaved to work on the project. Most died in the hot, deadly swamps.
The pipeline was encased in ferroconcrete and topped off by a two-lane monorail. The line was in two parts, one linking Hornic and Mo and the other linking Anko and Dak. Mo and Anko were linked with a heavy heavy hovercraft transport system and a pipeline running under the Rogo Sea. When it was complete, the KessRith added a number of factories in the hills surrounding Anko, their occupational capital.
The KessRith also destroyed two massive forests, exporting the rare woods off-world. They also bled dry the many natural gas and oil fields, using the Anko factories to transform these raw materials into weapons and other war material.
In late fall 6577, the renewed Commonwealth began its push to the last KessRith-occupied worlds in Shannedam County, including Iol. Intelligence agents infiltrated Iol and organized the Humans and Naram into revolt against their masters. Within three months, factory production was cut in half, and oil and gas fields were ablaze across the world. In Dak, Humans openly rebelled, killing 200 KesRith and burning most inhabitants of the city's KessRith quarter. The long-awaited rebellion spared only one thing: the precious monorail-pipeline.
In short order, the KessRith Empire decided that naval power was the only way to hold Iol. Whoever controlled space controlled the system. They pulled their garrison legion temporarily off-world, mostly for the troops' own protection.
The Royal Navy sent four carriers along with two strike regiments into the Jea star system to secure Iol. The fierce fighting lasted for nearly a week near Jeanette I. The wrecks of two KessRith battleships and a small carrier still ring Jeanette I in a low orbit.
Iol was once more in Commonwealth hands, but it no longer held much value. Most of its natural resources were either exhausted or sabotaged, and will take centuries to recover. A small infantry regiment was raised from the population, the 445th Light Infantry Regiment, and this served as the planet's defense force.
Recent Events[]
Realizing Iol's importance as an entry point into Shannedam County, the CAF established a large naval base, Trafalgar Command, in orbit over William. Two CAF regiments were assigned the world as garrison, along with the 445th Infantry Legion.
When TOG struck deeply at Ancona, however, it caught the CAF unprepared. With the fall of Olisipio and Mysia, Iol was suddenly behind enemy lines. By November 6816 the Royal Navy was on the defensive in the Jea system. TOG Seeadler Class Carriers made weekly sorties against Trafalgar Command, chipping away at its resources. Naval reinforcements were quickly battered and beaten with each new wave of TOG's attack. In December 6816, a TOG Tyrannis Class Cruiser rammed Trafalgar Command, putting it out of the war.
In Spring 6817 the Commonwealth High Command realized the futility of maintaining a strong defense on Iol. The world's main naval base was crippled beyond reasonable repair, and it offered little in productive war resources. They left only the 445th Infantry Legion, redeploying the other CAF regiments to Mavinav and Carthage X.
Instead of landing a strike legion, the TOG Navy began a series of surgical bombardments designed to cripple the 445th. After two days of bombardment, more than a third of the Legion was destroyed. The 445th pulled back to the mountains near Dak.
Led by the 10102nd Infantry Legion (White Lightning Legion), TOG ground forces dropped and immediately secured Mo and Anko, then turned to Dak. The 445th fought back for two weeks until finally disbanded by its commanding officer. Over 350 personnel successfully fled TOG patrols in the thick woodlands to the east of Dak, and their fate is still unknown.
Construction began immediately on a VLCA at Iol, a station that has become a vital hub in the network between the forward and rear lines of the TOG offensive. The conquerors also pressed Iol's population into slave labor to repair the damage to the devastated world. From the beginning, however, sabotage hampered the TOG occupation. This was further sparked by Commonwealth Intelligence rumors that the survivors of the 445th had organized a functional rebel cell on Iol.
The difficulties with minor sabotage grew until 6826, when the TOG military governor brought in a team of Lictor IS agents. These agents infiltrated the Iol society from top to bottom, some even posing as survivors of the 445th who hoped to form rebel cells. Within months, the Lictors managed to pinpoint more than 13,800 individuals on Iol who posed a long-term threat to the occupation.
On 1 January 6828, the "Night of Shadows," the Lictors captured almost all these individuals. Some were sent to Ciria and other mining operations, while others were interred on Thapsus. Many have been executed.
The Night of Shadows had a sobering affect on the population of Iol, abruptly bringing the sabotage to an almost complete halt.
Planetary Timeline[]
4025
CW surveys the world.
4225
About 6,000 colonists, mainly Baufrin, have settled on world.
4398
Experiment explodes, letting loose deadly viruses, including Baufrin Memory Plague.
4995
Snow Plague hits.
4997
KessRith attack.
6577.09
CW begins push toward last of Shannedam County worlds in KessRith hands, including Iol.
6578.03
KessRith driven from world.
6816
Naval war in system.
6817.05
TOG takes world (445th CW Infantry Legion, 10102nd TOG Infantry Legion).
6826
Lictor agents brought to world.
6828.01.01
Lictor agents apprehend nearly all rebels during the "night of shadows."