Cimmeria
Cimmeria is a group of islands in the strait between Hyperborea and Elwynn Proper. The archipelago forms the Circuit of Cimmeria of the Princely Precinct of the Elwynnese Union which is known as the County of Illumination and Cimmeria. The islands are, from west to east, Icefire, Snowhawk, Wolfraven, Thunderrock, and Cromswind. Each island also corresponds to one bailiwick with the same name as its island.
History
Cimmeria has a long and convoluted history. It was originally created as an independent micronation by Ryan Caruso around 2001, later joined the Hegemony of Alexandros, and eventually ended up in Shireroth. Its early history in Shireroth is unclear, although both Ardashir Khan and Aurefiction Auraumbre were residents at one point.
Caruso originally envisioned the islands based on the writings of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian stories. Many early elements of Cimmeria borrowed from this heavily, including the name. The islands were each intended to represent a different clan of Cimmeria, which were all united by the Crown Clan of Wolfraven. The islands were said to have been settled by explorers from the Isle of Volsung in Hyperborea, which lays not far to the north of the archipelago. The Cimmerian culture eventually developed more of an original identity as more people began to contribute to it.
Most of its cultural development comes from Unaimed Arrow, where it was cast in an unsympathetic light as a frozen swampland full of unfriendly people. It has also been mentioned that the island has a large Hyperborean minority population, although this theme has never been developed.
The Battle of Cimmeria, a fictionalized account of a real battle between Shireroth and foreign "hackers", took place there. The fictional Battle of Wolfraven, in which forces loyal to Kaiser Los II sunk the Yardistani battleship Inevitably Destructive In All Circumstances also took place in the island's capital. The Khan of Vijayanagara has used Cimmeria to test weapons, to little lasting damaging effect.
Recent Events
In recent years, Cimmeria has gained notoriety for being home to strange militaristic cults and independence movements, such as the Holy Church of the Divine Icebear. Cimmeria was one of the main battlefields in the Icebear Rebellion, during which members of the Holy Church proclaimed Elwynn a theocracy.
