"Our battle is more full of names than yours,
Our men more perfect in the use of arms,
Our armour as strong, our cause the best;
Then reason will our hearts should be as good."
Shakespeare,
Henry VI, Part II (1597-99)
 |
| The Raging Storm |
Furyondy looked to the north and saw doom as it never had. Fear prevailed among the populace, and faith in the Knights of the Hart, as well. However, faith can only gird the shield. Belvor needed nor than just fear and faith; he needed information, not rumours and hersay , if he were to defend against Iuz and his hordes; so he sent spies into Iuz’s empire.
Iuz’s assumption of power and armament for war did not pass unnoticed.
Furyondy’s spies headed back to King Belvor IV with word of the swelling
humanoid armies. The news could well have been written in the spies’ blood,
though, for most of the human agents were discovered and slain, virtually
closing King Belvor’s eyes and ears. When the few spies did reach him, though,
the Furyondy king heeded the fate of Tenh and immediately set to building his
defense. The citadels along the Veng River were stocked and garrisoned in
expectation of immediate attack. Belvor’s vassals raised militia and shifted
troops to the Veng border. Emissaries rode to the Shield Lands and Veluna to
brace them for war. Belvor was determined that Furyondy would not fall.
[Wars - 9]
583 CY
Though
ill-prepared, Furyondy was not complacent. King Belvor IV, while raising troops
at home, dispatched his most silver-tongued advisors to the southern courts.
Ambassadors bore the alarming news to Celene, Bissel, Veluna, the Uleks, and—most
important of all—Keoland. With impassioned eloquence, the emissaries warned of
dire consequences should the northern kingdoms fall. They urged the nations to
ally and thus check the tide of evil, finally and forever. Nor were their words
in vain: most of the leaders heeded the call, but wondered how little aid they
could provide and how long they could delay before sending it. [Wars - 10]
The Shield Lands and Furyondy, both, prepared for what must surely come. They ought to have prepared as one, but suspicion will always supplant common sense. Such was the pride of Lord Holmer of the Shield Lands. He was suspicious of Belvor. He thought Belvor intended to annex his little state, the first step to that end sending aid against a threat that had never been much of one in the past. The rabble of the Bandits and the lesser forces of Iuz had never posted a true threat in the past, so why would his Knights of the Shielding need those of the Hart? He would regret his miscalculation.
The Shield Lands and Furyondy, both, prepared for what must surely come. They ought to have prepared as one, but suspicion will always supplant common sense. Such was the pride of Lord Holmer of the Shield Lands. He was suspicious of Belvor. He thought Belvor intended to annex his little state, the first step to that end sending aid against a threat that had never been much of one in the past. The rabble of the Bandits and the lesser forces of Iuz had never posted a true threat in the past, so why would his Knights of the Shielding need those of the Hart? He would regret his miscalculation.
Furyondy, which had great experience dealing with Iuz and his armies,
dispatched emissaries to Admundfort, offering military and financial support
for the grand invasion that surely was to come. [LGG - 14]
Fearing annexation so soon after reclaiming his damaged homelands,
Holmer curtly refused these offers and expelled Belvor's agents from his realm.
Within months, Iuz's armies, which had savaged the western Bandit Kingdoms,
stood on his eastern border. [LGG - 104]
In the coming of Flocktime, Iuz struck. In the dead of night along the
banks of the Veng and Ritensa, the humanoids of the Horned Society launched
probing attacks. None made more than small headway against the knights of the
Hart and Shielding, but the attacks still achieved their aim. While King Belvor
and Lord Holmer peered myopically at their river frontiers, Iuz’s true legions
marched east, fording the Ritensa north of the Shield Lands and striking into
the Bandit Kingdoms. The petty warlords were easily cowed by Iuz’s might and,
given the number of spies recently executed, the evil lord was confident that
Belvor and Holmer were blind to his maneuvers. [Wars - 9]
Outflanked and unable to support resistance on two fronts, the Shield
Lands crumpled swiftly. Over 11,000 Shield Landers fell in the invasion, with
as many dying in the subsequent occupation. While life under the bandits and
Hierarchs had been difficult, at least the rulers had been (in most cases)
human. Now, under Iuz, farmers were forced to work for orcs, necromancers, and
demons. These creatures knew nothing of mercy, and life in the Shield Lands
became that of fearful persistence, of not knowing if the next day would bring
death or disfigurement, knowing that it would not bring hope.
Except for lone fortified keeps and minor pockets of rural resistance,
the whole of the Shield Lands fell to Iuz. A daring defense of Admundfort
allowed much of the capital's population to flee via ship to Willip, but the
evacuation was not completed. Earl Holmer, ever the noble knight, remained with
his homeland, only to be carried off to the dungeons of Dorakaa. [LGG - 104]
Occupied Admundfort was taken by Iuz as the new regional capital, to be
administered by a Lesser Boneheart mage, Vayne, and assorted demons. The rest
of the country fell to lesser leaders, including several fiends. The fertile
lands of the Shield Lands became the breadbasket for Iuz's entire army, much of
the physical labor carried out by zombies or humans under the constant threat
of murder and subsequent revivification. [LGG - 104,105]
[Furyondy] sought alliance with the Shield Lands to secure itself
against the Old One, but stupidly, the pettyminded rulers of the Shield Lands
refused, believing this to be a step in a planned annexation by Furyondy. They
paid dear for their foolishness. Iuz feinted an attack westward. Meanwhile, his
main body of troops struck far to the east and southeast, into both the Bandit
Kingdoms and into the Shield Lands, which they flanked to the east from bases
in the old lands of the Horned Society. Admundfort and Critwall fell swiftly.
Lord Holmer, who had refused a pact with Furyondy, was taken to meet his fate
in the dungeons below Dorakaa. [FtAA - 6]
Shield
Lands fell swiftly to Iuz as he swept from the west during the Greyhawk Wars.
The well-maintained primary roads of the Shield Lands made this conquest easier
for the Demipower, if anything. [WGR5 Iuz the Evil - 42]
Lord
Holmer learned of Iuz’s flanking march only after the humanoid hordes had breached
the eastern border. Raging like a grass fire across the open fields of the
Shield Lands, they drove on Critwall. When this dark report reached Lord
Holmer, he pulled all but a screen of knights from the King Belvor’s emissaries
to the Shield Lands river frontiers and personally fought his way back toward the
undefended capital, Admund-fort. More than half of the knights fell in the
drive toward the island, but those who reached the Nyr Dyv set fire to as many
vessels as they could, then sailed across the channel to the capital. Ragged
and weary, the remaining knights could not hold the capital before the
onslaught of humanoids, though they came across in dories and trawlers. Admundfort
and Critwall fell, and so too did Lord Holmer, borne away in clawed hands to
the dungeons beneath Dorakaa. [Wars - 9,10]
Furyondy prevailed where the Shield Landers failed. As
Holmer’s forces reeled under the onslaught, Belvor ordered his armies forward
into the Shield Lands, where they met stiff resistance. Had he not drawn forces
from the Vesve, and had the retreating Shield Landers not joined him, he may
not have carried the day.
The fall of the Shield Lands left Furyondy’s eastern flank exposed, a threat King Belvor moved quickly to block.
Lords scoured the countryside, raising vast militias to complement the thin
ranks of the Order of the Hart and troops were hurriedly transferred from the
Vesve Forest frontier. The newly raised troops and reinforcements confronted
the advancing humanoids at the Battle of Critwall Bridge, dealing Iuz’s forces
a severe blow. The armies of Furyondy repelled the humanoids and held the Veng
River line against further advance. [Wars - 10]
Iuz was not finished, though. The
conquest of the Horned Society and the Bandit Kingdoms was not enough. Neither
was the sacking of the Shield Lands. Iuz had his sights set on the greener pastures
of Furyondy. Iuz had his sights set on the whole of the south. He pressed on
and lay siege to Chendl.
Iuz had no intention of letting his string of victories end, however.
Using loot captured in the Shield Lands, Iuz hired humanoid mercenaries in the
Vesve Forest. The mercenary army descended from the Vesve, overrunning the
frontier guard of Furyondy and capturing Crockport. Furyondy’s capital, Chendl,
lay open and unguarded across the belly of the land. But for a hasty
confederation of Highfolk and knights, Chendl would have fallen by the next
dusk. The ragged force of Highfolk and knights refused to grant the orcs an
open fight, harrying them instead. Though the orcs’ advance continued, it
slowed sufficiently for the defenders of Chendl to prepare. By the month of
Reaping, however, Chendl lay surrounded. [Wars - 10]
Furyondian forces fell back to the capital, surrounding
it, stopping the Orcish advance into Fairwain Province.
The knights had managed to stop the orcish advance into Fainvain and
the humanoids could do little more than surround Chendl. The Horned Society’s
incursions across the Veng occurred less often and grew less concerted. Best of
all, the Canon of Veluna sent word that his forces were hurrying to Furyondy’s
side. The news from Nyrond, too-though not the best-at least indicated that the
Fists were contained. After considering these encouraging matters, King Belvor
rallied his spirit and returned to the fight. [Wars - 11]
Belvor would not see his capital razed to the ground.
Neither would he allow those brave souls defending it sell their souls for
naught. He attacked, breaking the orcish ranks, ending the Siege of Chendl.
Furyondy ’s first task—more political than strategic—was to sunder the
siege of Chendl. Gambling on the chaotic nature of the tribes surrounding the
city,” Belvor left most of his strength on the Veng border and personally led a
picked command of elite units against the siege force. Belvor’s knights were
severely outnumbered, but by strategic cunning and sorcerers’ aid, they gained
the upper hand. The knights sliced through the humanoid lines and pinned the
besiegers to the city walls. In short time, the fields around Chendl became a
smoldering graveyard of goblinkind and the way to Chendl was open once more.
By this time both Iuz and Furyondy were stretched to their limits. The
furious pace of the war had exhausted their reserves of trained manpower and
supplies. Through the months of Patchwall, Ready’reat, and Sun-sebb, both
nations scrambled to reprovision their forces. [Wars - 11]
 |
| Archbold of Nyrond |
Meanwhile in the east, Archbold III of Nyrond finally rallied himself
from the shock of tenth’s defeat. Smarting from accusations that he had allowed
the troublesome dukedom to collapse, King Archbold decided to undeniably prove
his support for his former colonies. Armed with reports that the Fists were
mercilessly pillaging the fallen duchy, Archbold marched north into the
Nutherwood. Elven contingents in his army allowed him to easily infiltrate the
Phostwood and overwhelm the few Fists posted there. Without further warning,
the Nyrondese burst from the forest.
Unlike the Tenhas though, the Fists did not simply crumble: Archbold found
himself facing a determined foe. Angered at the surprise attack, Sevvord
executed a few lackluster commanders as examples to the others, then sacrificed
Fists to delay the advance as he mustered his forces outside the village of Ternsmay.
Though outnumbered, Sevvord held the advantageous ground. In the ensuing
battle, neither side could gain the upper hand. After fighting well into the
night, the Fists withdrew farther and fortified their position. Though Archbold
had emerged victorious, the victory was bitter, for he could risk no further
advance into Tenh. He had, however, forced Redbeard into a defensive stance as
well. The battle ended in stalemate and the armies spent the next tedious weeks
watching their enemies across a mile-wide no man’s land. [Wars - 10]
By 583, however, war would return to haunt Nyrond. Confident that a
personal victory over untrained barbarians would do much to bolster his
flagging popularity in Nyrond's northern regions, Archbold led a huge army
through the Nutherwood, hoping to strike a telling blow against the 'Fists
inhabiting Tenh. Fighting lasted for an entire day. The barbarians fell back to
more heavily fortified lands, but the cost to Nyrond was great. More than three
thousand soldiers fell before nightfall, and Archbold himself suffered grievous
wounds, not least of which to his pride. He had gambled Nyrondal cavalry
against the hordes of Sevvord Redbeard and won, but it did not seem like a victory.
[LGG - 78]
The Story Reuven
of the Rhennee
Reuven learned the ways of the forest in the distant Adri, saw combat
in Nyrond during the Creyhawk Wars, and picked up a host of thiefly skills in
the decrepit city of Seltaren, in the Duchy of Urnst. [RPGA Fright at Tristor - 3]
584-585 CY
The orcs of the Bone March sought to crush Ratik, but the
defenses of the Kalmar Pass and the walls of Ratikhill had defeated them time
and again. So to the Dwarves of the Rakers, and the Gnomes of the Loft Hills.
As had the Loftwoods. They could not raze the mountains or the hills, but trees
could burn.
The site of a great Ratikkan
victory over Bone March orcs (578 CY), the wood was partly despoiled by
nonhumans setting fires (584—585 CY). It is once again a battleground between
Ratik in the north and orcs and gnolls in the south. [LGG - 141]
Dangerous times make for strange bedfellows. The enemy of
my enemy, and all that. Thus, the Bandit chieftan, Hendrick, did what he never
would have done in times of “peace.” He allied with the wood elves near Fleischriver
to battle forces of Iuz. One could not be free of such evil if one were dead,
he reasoned.
 |
| Skannar Hendricks |
Incredibly, this alliance has
worked. Hendricks' men include fewer evil, and more neutrally aligned men than
most bandit gangs. Likewise the elves have many neutrals. There was some room
for understanding, since both hated Iuz and his ores. So, the wood elves have
allowed Hendricks' men to build a couple of strongholds in the Fellreev and
after a joint battle against a large force from Fleichshriver in Patchwall, 584
CY, some kind of friendship has been cemented. [WGR5 - 56]
In the Bandit Kingdoms, the towns of Hallorn, Riftcrag, Rookroost, and
Stoink are regional capitals. Hallorn rules the western Bandit Kingdoms,
Riftcrag the Rift and Rift Barrens, Rookroost the region between the Rift and the
Bluff Hills, and Stoink the southeastern Bandit Kingdoms. [LGG - 60]
Iuz could not be everywhere, and so he could not control
all of his vassals all of the time. Sometimes they went rogue, dispensing
murder and mayhem without his sanction. Did this bother Iuz? Not particularly, not
if their actions spread, for terror is a weapon, and so long as that terror
furthered his ends, he was pleased with what it wrought.
 |
| Steelbone Meadows |
In late 584 CY, when the Pact of Greyhawk had been drafted and the war
was ended but for skirmishing in the far-distant lands of the Pomarj, Ratik,
and the margins of the Lost Lands, the priest Bernel of Hallorn commanded a
gathering of bandit forces drawn from these western lands at what is now called
Steelbone Meadows. Bernel was certainly paranoid, possibly completely insane.
Ten thousand bandits gathered to celebrate the war's end, expecting to be given
instructions for the new campaigns of pillage they looked forward to after the
winter. As most of them slept in their huge tented campsite, Bernel, who
believed that the bandit leaders intended to turn against Iuz and reclaim their
lands from Iuz's control, had over half of them slaughtered by fiends, ore
assassins, and lethal magic. The survivors fled in all directions. They
currently eke out a perilous living in these infertile, poor plains lands.
Unfortunately, the survivors own chaotic evil disposition prevented them from
allying against their oppressor. Many of them turned on each other, claiming
that the other had co-operated with Bernel, betraying his fellows to ensure his
own survival. Thus, the roaming bandit gangs are as likely to attack and kill
each other as they are to strike against Iuz's forces, who rarely patrol these
lands any more. Bernel was swiftly replaced by Iuz and is now a prisoner in
Dorakaa's dungeons. The new commander at Hallorn has suffered a strange fate of
his own. Perhaps the dying curses of the men slain at Steelbone Meadows have
affected one victim, at least. [WGR5 - 49]
In late 584 CY, news from
Greyhawk declared an official end to the war, and many warriors gathered in
northeast Wormhall to confer with their leaders regarding plans for next year's
summer raiding season. After many nights of drunken Brewfest revelry, more than
ten thousand bandit men from Abbarra, Freehold, Midlands, Warfields and
Wormhall were attacked as they slept by a treacherous (and probably mad) cleric
of Iuz, using magic, assassins, and demonic servants. About half of these men
escaped, most badly wounded, and fled overland to refuge in Greenkeep, Tangles,
or the Rift. All nurse a grim hatred for Iuz and his forces in their homeland.
The abandoned campsite, now known as Steelbone Meadows, is overgrown today,
with rotting tents, rusted weapons, and scattered bones forming a grim, open
graveyard. Though it is likely the massacre went against the wishes of Iuz (who
had the mad cleric carried off to an unknown fate), it nonetheless offers a
stern warning to those who wish to throw off the puppet rulers installed by the
Old One. [LGG - 31]
 |
| The Rook in Shadow |
Abbarra: [Some] assassins survived (perhaps organized by their former leader,
the ruthless Kor (NE male human Asn12) and now prey on Iuz's rare patrols in
this area. These "terrorists" strike from hidden bases and live off
the land. Abbarra is technically governed from Hallorn, but it is generally
ignored by the empire. [LGG - 25]
Artonsamay,
Duchy of the: Rumored to have been ruled by a puissant
noble adventurer of Urnst's Gellor dynasty, Artonsamay was a favorite haunt of
thrill-seekers and lawless folk lacking an evil or sadistic bent. None of this,
however, served to aid the duchy when Iuz's forces invaded in 583; the realm's
castle "capital" was destroyed, and most of the land's residents fled
to the County of Urnst, Stoink, or the Rift. Great magic was employed in the
battle, and Artonsamay is now mostly uninhabited wilderness (much of it barren)
with poor hunting, governed from Stoink. Many, including Countess Belissica,
believe that Duke Gellor […] is dead, though the folk of Stoink whisper that no
less than Iuz's high priestess, Halga, was seen there, tracking a man bearing
an all-too-familiar appearance. [LGG - 26]
Dimre, Grand Theocracy
of: Dimre is technically governed from Stoink, though it is autonomous in
reality. Dimre's clergy preaches that to understand the glory of Light, one
must first walk hand-in-hand with Darkness. Its army keeps watch on all
borders, allowing none but the faithful to pass into their sacred land.
[LGG - 26]
Fellands: The bulk of the bandits working with [Xavendra, an oddly refined and
graceful cleric of Iuz] have turned to dark religion and evil debauchery.
Xavendra has a well-known distaste for orcs, and some suspect she may make a
play for independence (despite being a cleric of the demigod) should Iuz's full
attention fall elsewhere. [LGG - 26]
Freehold,
Mighty: The Freehold keep itself was altered in the early months of Iuz's
occupation, becoming the grisly castle known as Fleichshriver. Remolded by
fiendish hands, the citadel is an imposing reminder of the evil, otherworldly
forces that once infested the local countryside. Though passers-by no longer
need fear the claw and tooth of marauding demons, strange, haunting screams can
still be heard from the seemingly abandoned keep; locals give it a wide berth.
Iuz's archmage Null […] of the Greater Boneheart, was known to come here in the
past and might do so still. [LGG - 26]
Defenders of
Greenkeep: Greenkeepers escaped the
massacre at Steelbone Meadows and withdrew into their corner of the Fellreev.
They suffered much from raids by wizards, clerics, and orcs under Iuz, but some
hang on, helping and helped by the Reyhu-elf alliance across the river. They
avoid the plains to the south. [LGG - 26]
Grosskopf,
Grand Clans of:
Many Grosskopf raiders with cavalry skills
elected to take Iuz's suggestion that they relocate to the Barrens to fight the
Rovers, with whom Grosskopf had clashed for many decades. The raiders live now
at the Barrens' regional capital, Grossfort, forming the basis of a sizable
army known as the Marauders of the North. Other Grosskopf troops work with
allied orcs and goblins at Senningford and Narleon, fighting Stonehold
skirmishers and supplying Iuz's troops in Tenh. Grosskopf and Fellands are both
now controlled from the regional capital at Rookroost. [LGG - 27]
 |
| Grosskopf Raiders |
Johrase,
Kingdom of: Kinemeet is now primarily an orcish city, its forces charged with
controlling the plains for 100 miles or more in all directions. The commander
here, usually a gigantic orc or intelligent ogre warrior, reports to either
Rookroost or Riftcrag, depending on whim. The commander is replaced about once
a year, however, thanks to duels for leadership. The orcs here are warlike in
the extreme but loyal to Iuz, despite the fact that they frequently use Johrase
shields and flags along with those of the Old One. [LGG - 27]
Midlands,
Stronghold of the: Most surviving forces were destroyed at
Steelbone Meadows, and the temple has been razed. The region is now under the
control of Kinemeet's orcs, who usually answer to Graf Demmel Tadurinal [a
cleric of Iuz], a toadying [sycophant] stationed in Rookroost. The graf also
handles patrols along the Artonsamay. [LGG - 27]
Redhand,
Principality of: Now that most of the Old One's demonic
officers are gone from the land, many believe Zeech and his men are set for a
rebellion. Word of this surely has reached Dorakaa, and all eyes watch the
debased prince with grotesque curiosity, guessing at his fate should he defy
Iuz. Zeech would get no help elsewhere, as he is greatly hated in Urnst and
Furyondy. [LGG - 27]
Reyhu, Great
Lands of: The old Reyhu region is administered by a quartet of clerics of Iuz in
Balmund, who in turn report to either Riftcrag or Stoink (their orders are
often confused on this point). Their incompetence does not eliminate the fact
that the countryside literally crawls with orcs and their allies, and hence is
well defended, if only by the sheer number of defenders. Reyhu's celebrated fields
lay fallow, its crucial resource completely ignored and turning into
wilderness. [LGG - 29]
Rift, Men of
the:
Rift folk are mostly as chaotic and evil as the nonhumans, but they are
clever and skilled at mountaineering and trap-setting. Many thieves and berserkers
are among the warriors here, and Erythnul worship is widespread. Iuz's agents
inhabiting Riftcrag made it a regional capital in 584. They keep watch over the
canyon from the city and from the Leering Keeps, five citadels perched on the
northern edge and eastern end of the enormous chasm. Led by Cranzer […] a
powerful member of Iuz's Lesser Boneheart, these forces patrol the Rift,
attempting to contain the plar's growing army while continuously assaulting the
Tangles with axe and fire. The Rift holds mines that provide the region's best
silver veins. Of late, Cranzer has made deals with the Rift bandits in order to
make the regular silver shipments personally demanded by Iuz. [LGG - 29]
 |
| The Rift Folk |
Rookroost,
Free City of: Rookroost now governs all plains, forests, and hills between Cold Run
and the Zumker River, all Iuzite forces in Tenh, and the plains across the
Artonsamay south to the Rift Barrens. [LGG - 29]
Stoink, Free
City-State of:
Currently ruled by the fearless and grossly
overweight Boss Renfus the Mottled […]. Stoink sponsors brigand raids into
northern Nyrond, and its forces loot the supply trains of the army of Tenha
expatriates attempting to retake their homeland under Duke Ehyeh III.
Cross-river raids between Stoink and the Urnst fortress Ventnor are increasing,
but they have not yet invited an invasion by the County of Urnst north of the
Artonsamay. The northern border with Dimre is stoutly defended to prevent
raiding by overzealous minor priests. [LGG - 30]
 |
| Looting Supply Lines |
Earldom of the
Tangles: Iuz rules this area from the
small town of Hallorn, the earldom's former capital and now one of Iuz's
regional capitals. Hallorn was once a grim place filled with little more than
zombies, thanks to an insane priest of Iuz and his numerous demonic allies. [LGG - 30]
Warfields,
Unified Bands of the:
Warfields is much less a center of military activity these days,
consisting mostly of wilderness and ruined towns. Administered from the
regional capital at Hallorn, the land is rife with hobgoblins, and few humans
remain. The hobgoblins send many of their number south to fight returning
Shield Landers at Critwall. The former Guardian General, an imposing warrior
called Hok […], has not been heard from in over five years. [LGG - 30]
 |
| Rife with Hobgoblins |
Wormhall: No
one knows the true faces of the lords of Wormhall. Rumors suggest they are
ordinary humans, fiends, reanimated lords of old, or worse. The structure and
province are named for the tenebrous worms that literally crawl on the walls of
the Wormhall, a revolting feature that has led many to suggest magic created by
the infamous arch-cleric Kyuss is somehow involved in the affairs of the land.
[LGG - 31]
584 CY
Ket had long coveted the arable lands east of
the Bramblewood, and had fought more than one Short War with Veluna and
Furyondy and Keoland to gain a foothold there. Iuz had whispered in their ear. Now is your chance, he said. Strike while your enemies are in the North.
Ket listened, and sent its forces into Bissel.
In Goodmonth 584 CY, Ketite cavalry attacked Bissel's watchtowers along
the Fals River at the northern end of Bramblewood Gap. Without many of the
mercenaries within its Border Companies, who had traveled south and east to
battle the Pomarj and Iuz, Bissel fell by mid-Harvester. Ket, encouraged by the
Old One, forced Bissel's surrender after the fall of Thornward. The archfiend
and the westerners had hoped to use the old margrave, Walgar, a ranger of some
renown, as a puppet, but pride would not allow it. After giving up his lands,
the aged ruler committed ritual suicide. Graf Imran Tendulkar, a Baklunish
religious warrior, took a soft hand to rulership as Walgar's replacement. He
and his men attempted (often in vain) to convert the Bisselites to western religions,
all the while waiting patiently for the land to accept its new governors. Other
nations, understanding Bissel's strategic importance, attempted to break Ket's
hold. In a succession of battles, Veluna drove invading forces from the neck of
the Fals River Pass and Highfolk gnomes defeated Ketite forces in the Northern
Lorridges. Further advances into the nation were halted by Ketite horsemen,
often with assistance from the remnants of Bissel's disbanded Border Companies,
now bankrolled by western interests. [LGG - 33]
The Great Kingdom desired the return of those provinces
that had ceded from its oversight. Nyrond had begun the tide of defection.
Nyrond was also the most powerful of all those who would defected. Should
Nyrond fall, the rest would bend the knee once again, either by choice or by
the sword. And so Ivid attacked Nyrond.
The reports of war, blood, and great conquests being made by the hated
barbarians and barely-civilized Fists of the North excited and enraged the
overking. Egged on by the priesthood of Hextor, Ivid entered the fray by
storming into Nyrond and its ally Almor. [Ivid - 4,5]
But Ivid was defeated.
It is a tribute to Ivid's incompetence that a nation with the vast
armies and resources that the Great Kingdom had was fought to a standstill by
much smaller Nyrond. For all the excellence of the Nyrondese armies, and their
superb morale and training, Ivid should have been able to crush them.
[Ivid - 5]
Ivid was livid! Lack of dedication conducts a pogrom,
executing servants, sages, and surfs; he executes his generals and nobles,
transforming them into undead.
Ivid personally assumed complete command of all the armies of the Great
Kingdom, despite the counsel of his best advisors. Ivid did not just overrule
or even sack his generals: he executed them, sparing only his favorites. [Wars - 20]
Finally, Ivid V decided to create utterly loyal servitors among his
generals and nobles. He expediently had them murdered and raised in unique
undead forms; each was revived as an animus, an undead being possessing all the
skills and talents of the former living person. With the logic of the
terminally deranged, Ivid came to see this revivification as a reward for his
favored courtiers. [FtAA - 8]
 |
| Reward |
Convinced of treachery among his nobles, he invoked a unique new form
of ensuring their obedience. With Hextor's priests and the aid of fiends, he
had the nobles slain and brought back to unlife as powerful undead
creatures—animuses. He thought that by eliminating their human weaknesses
and he could be certain of the loyalty
of wholly acquiescent zombie-leigemen. What he actually had, however, was a large number of very powerful and
embittered monsters who retreated to their own lands and simply defied him.
In response, Ivid began executing as many traitors (the vast majority
of them imagined traitors) as he could get his once-elite Companion Guard to
lay their hands on. Rauxes was awash with blood; by the end of the wars, its
population was barely above half its pre-war total. [Ivid - 5]
One must strike while the iron is hot. Ivid had taken control of the Aerdian armies, much to the dismay of those generals still untouched by his hellish desire. The Great Kingdom was in disarray, its parts shattered as its herzogs and governors sought to salvage what they might.
Hearing of massacres in Ivid’s lands, King Archbold in Nyrond
counterattacked the Army of the North between Womtham and Innspa. Though Ivid’s
animus generals fought well—being themselves unafraid of death—the chaotic
heartlands of the Great Kingdom offered no support to the Northern Army. [Wars - 21]
Almor was not so lucky as Nyrond. [It] was invaded by Ivid in 584 CY and its old capital, Chathold,
utterly decimated by the Overking's mages and priests. The animus Duke Szeffrin
now rules half of the old Almorian lands, and this creature, formerly a greatly
favored general in Ivid's armies, is reputedly one of the
cruellest of the animus nobles now holding sway over so much of Aerdy. [FtAA - 27]
Nyrond, for all its honour and decency, understood
when a rabid dog needed to be put down. They took measures for the greater
good, as even the most forthright must in such times.
The crisis reached its climax during the Richfest celebrations of that
year. An assassin emerged from the thronging crowds and struck Ivid a mortal blow
with a poisoned dagger. When news spread of Ivid’s death, the gloom over the
land lifted. The nobles stoked the fires of celebration, joyously preparing for
the power struggle to come. [Wars - 21]
The Great Kingdom was spared that turmoil, however, by an even greater
one. Just as the cunning of the mad Overking had saved Ivid from countless
threats past, it saved him now from the grave. Secret arrangements, perhaps
made with fiends summoned while on the Malachite Throne, resulted in the
Overking’s revivification. Ivid V—who had seemed cold and soulless in life-seemed
doubly so in death. [Wars - 21]
The supreme irony is that Ivid himself is an animus now. After an
assassin's poisoned and enchanted dagger struck him, only this revivification
process was able to prevent his death. Still, the process failed in some crucial
respect, as Ivid still has the wasting disease he contracted shortly before the
wars. The disease appears to be incurable.
Ivid the Undying is dying by the day. [Ivid - 5]
The North and
South Provinces fully secede from the Great Kingdom.
The North Province seceded, and with the aid of humanoids from the Bone
March, succeeded in repelling Nyrondese forces in the Flinty Hills. Wisely, the
Nyrondese held off from further massed battles, perhaps sensing the imminent collapse
of Aerdy. The North Province's secession did indeed trigger the complete
disintegration of the Great Kingdom. Animus nobles across the land (and the few
still living) withdrew all support and the remnants of their armies from the
Overking. The Great Kingdom was no more; a welter of petty states, ruled by
disputatious nobles (many of them undead), was all that was left. An empire
that had stretched from Perrenland to the Aerdi Sea had been wholly expunged in
less than four hundred years. Sic transit gloria mundi (or its Oeridian
equivalent): so passes away the glory of the world. [FtAA - 8,9]
Herzog Grenell watched as the once Great Kingdom shrank,
its power diminished, its lands divided. He declared himself King of his North
Province. He knew his reign would be short is sanctimonious Nyrond had any say
in the matter, so he marched his armies north to meet what would surely come.
Grace Grenell, Herzog of the North Province rebelled against his cousin
in a desperate attempt to hold his lands against the march of King Archbold.
Freed of the mad king, the Herzog and the orcs of the Bone March halted the
Nyrondese armies in the rugged Flinty Hills. The Herzog callously sacrificed
both human and orcish troops to grind King Archbold’s advance to a halt. Though
the Nyrondese could advance no further against the combined armies, Archbold,
tantalized by the prospect of ultimate victory, refused to break off his
assault. [Wars - 21]
Grenell was wary. Indeed, he was quite fearful. He did
not intend to join the ranks of Ivid’s “most loyal servants.” And if he were to
be summoned to Rauxes he most certainly would have been. Therefore, he did what
most vainglorious despots would do in such circumstances; he too seceded from
the Kingdom.
The North Province’s defection from the Great Kingdom unleashed the
pent-up fears and ambitions of all nobility in the Great Kingdom, both living
and animus. The Herzog of the South, among the first nobles rewarded with death
and revivification, reasserted his claim to the South Province. The wave spread
outward from there: living nobles turned their fiefs into armed camps and
animus lords sought to expand their realms. The Overking’s authority collapsed
entirely, leaving Ivid with only his personal estates. Thus, the always-fragile
Great Kingdom shattered into a hundred petty principalities, dukedoms,
baronies, counties, and earldoms. The Aerdi Empire was no more. [Wars - 21]
 |
| His Grace Grennel |
For himself, Grenell doesn't
give a fig about Ratik. Unfortunately, no few of his most powerful local rulers
care a great deal about Ratik—as do many ordinary folk. Many of them share the
same Oeridian-Flan racial mix as the men of Ratik, and they admire the rugged
bravery of Ratik's warriors in having kept the humanoids at bay for so long.
They are opposed to any plan to conquer Ratik, and some of them are ready to go
and fight for Ratik should Grenell dare act against that nation.
There is another twist to
this. The barbarian nations are strongly allied with Ratik. At the present
time, their raids are focused on the Sea Barons and they do not often raid most
points along the eastern North Province seaboard, save for Bellport. This is
because many of the rulers and armies of that eastern seaboard have managed to
make a peace of sorts with the fierce Flan barbarians, Prince Elkerst of Atirr
being a notable example. Indeed, the barbarians increasingly trade with some
North Province coastal towns and villages, and that trade brings much needed
wood, furs, and other commodities in short supply in North Province. [Ivid - 44]
There was also the Barbarians to consider. If Grenell
attacked Ratik, Barbarian raids would most certainly recommence. His was a
precarious balance, as many of the peoples of his northern coast shared
familial ties to those Barbarians.
Kaport Bay
Kaport Bay is the most rugged
of North Province's towns, a whaling station and fishing town of 5,200 souls.
Together with its twin satellite villages of Low and High Scarport, this town
has a characteristic atmosphere. The people here are hardy men and women with
little time for frivolity—or outsiders. They term themselves
"Kaportlanders" and are proud of this. Flan blood is strong, and the
Kaportlanders are no friends of Grenell and his court. Kaport Bay maintains
three stout war galleys used to protect its whaling fleet, not least against
the attacks of deep-sea kraken in the Solnor Ocean. Barbarians rarely raided
here in the past, given their blood ties with the fair-haired Kaportlanders,
and they do not do so now. [Ivid - 56]
In time, the conflict paused. They had no choice. Coffers
were empty. Their armies tired beyond comprehension. The combatants dug in, licked
their wounds and waited, glaring across the span at hose who glared back, and
slavered, whether they were satisfied with their gains or desirous of taking
back what was theirs or not. This is not to say that all was calm. Because the
Flanaess was not calm. It seethed.
Nyrond had another threat to contend with: the Bone March humanoids
skirmished with Ratik and Nyrond itself. [FtAA - 7]
What of the northeast? Tension is high. Violence certain. Nevertheless, for all the conflict west of the Rakers and to the south, the Thellonrian Penisnsula had been left largely unscathed.
Ratik and the Bone March are at each other's throats. [FtAA - 21]
 |
| Seeking Destruction |
And
the barbarians are a law unto themselves, still raiding Aerdi, still supporting
the brave folk of Ratik, still deeply hostile to the poisoned words from
Stonefist. [FtAA - 10]
Even in Peace, treachery reigned:
Thus ends the
episode of the Greyhawk Wars.
Ratik and the Thillonrian Peninsula have weathered the
Greyhawk Wars, Ratik far better than the Barbarians did, I image. The Barbarians,
especially the Fruztii, and maybe the Cruztii, to a lesser extent, have been in
direct contact with the Stonehold. The Stonehold has vastly increased their
holdings, at the expense of Tenh.Even in Peace, treachery reigned:
On the Day of the Great Signing, however, Greyhawk suffered a great
treachery: Rary, one of the Circle of Eight, destroyed his companions Tenser
and Otiluke in a great magical battle, then fled. Many suspected that the
former Archmage of Ket had hoped to hold the ambassadors hostage, perhaps
capturing Greyhawk itself in the process. Instead, he and his cohort, Lord
Robilar, went to the Bright Desert to form their own kingdom. Fearing further
disruptions, the delegates hurriedly signed the Pact of Greyhawk. Ironically,
because of the site of the treaty signing, the great conflicts soon became
known as the Greyhawk Wars. [LGG - 16]
The Art:
One must always give credit where credit is due. This History is made possible primarily by the Imaginings of Gary Gygax and his Old Guard, Lenard Lakofka among them, and the new old guards, Carl Sargant, James Ward, Roger E. Moore. And Erik Mona, Gary Holian, Sean Reynolds, Frederick Weining. The list is interminable. Thanks to Steven Wilson for his GREYCHRONDEX and to Keith Horsfield for his “Chronological History of Eastern Oerik.”
Special thanks to Jason Zavoda for his compiled index, “Greyhawkania,” an invaluable research tool.
The Art:
Black-Legion by dominikmayer
In the Ruins of the Shield Lands, by Joel Biske, from Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
Defeat by johnsonting
Rage by atlantisvampir
The-Hero-we-need by dominikmayer
Defeat by johnsonting
Rage by atlantisvampir
The-Hero-we-need by dominikmayer
We-die-we-fight-Ms-Orc-14 by bayardwu
Sources:
1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983
1064 From the Ashes Boxed Set, 1992
1068 Greyhawk Wars Boxed Set, 1991
2011A Dungeon Masters Guide, 1st Ed., 1979
2023 Greyhawk Adventures Hardback, 1988
9025 World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
9253 WG8, Fate of Istus, 1989
9399 WGR 5, Iuz the Evil, 1993
9577 The Adventure Begins, 1998
9578 Player’s Guide to Greyhawk, 1998
11742 Gazetteer, 2000
11743 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
Ivid the Undying, 1998
Dragon Magazine
OJ Oerth Journal, appearing on Greyhawk Online
LGJ et. al.
Greychrondex, Wilson, Steven B.
Greyhawkania, Jason Zavoda
The map of Anna B. Meyer
Sources:
1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983
1064 From the Ashes Boxed Set, 1992
1068 Greyhawk Wars Boxed Set, 1991
2011A Dungeon Masters Guide, 1st Ed., 1979
2023 Greyhawk Adventures Hardback, 1988
9025 World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
9253 WG8, Fate of Istus, 1989
9399 WGR 5, Iuz the Evil, 1993
9577 The Adventure Begins, 1998
9578 Player’s Guide to Greyhawk, 1998
11742 Gazetteer, 2000
11743 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
Ivid the Undying, 1998
Dragon Magazine
OJ Oerth Journal, appearing on Greyhawk Online
LGJ et. al.
Greychrondex, Wilson, Steven B.
Greyhawkania, Jason Zavoda
The map of Anna B. Meyer
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