On Vlek Col Vlekzed

“Some are born great, others achieve greatness.”

― William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night

Vlek Col Vlekzed

The Hold of Stonefist has always been an enigma to those outside looking in. It is an Evil land, most say; but those who do have suffered its raids and its crimes of War. Sol never shines there, they say; and because of it, the souls of the “Fists” are as black as pitch. Those same Fists laugh when they hear such things, arguing that they are Flan, and are born of Beory and given the breath of life by Obad-Hai; before they bear Erythnul’s witness and beat those to suggest otherwise within a hair’s breadth of death.

What is known is mainly hearsay, for few would dare to brave its harsh lands.

A frigid climate and brutal regime combine to make Stonehold one of the harshest lands in all the Flanaess. Bounded to the west and north by the Icy Sea, Stonehold's southern and eastern borders are formed by the Griffs and Corusks. The majority of Stoneholders live a seminomadic existence, moving to the northern tundra in summer and migrating south in the autumn. The remaining third or so of the population dwell in permanent settlements, mostly west of the Frozen River. Brute strength has long been the main virtue espoused by the people of this land, and treachery the byword of her leaders. All of the bordering nations are Stonehold's enemies. Stonehold has no trade, her only export being war, and in this she excels. [LGG – 108, 109]

Are these claims true? Most are. Some are not. The Hold is rich with the most luxurious furs, ermine and sable and mink, and the most sought-after ivory, from walrus, and the tusks of mammoths and mastodons, no less. The purest silver gleams from its rock face, although who might be mining it none can tell, as most Holders wouldn’t know one end on a pickaxe for the other, unless it were used to crack a skull or two, that is.

As I said, the Hold is an enigma. As was its founder.

What is known is that [the] original Stonefist, one Vlek Col Vlekzed, founded his chiefdom around CY 430. Vlek was cast out from the Rovers of the Barrens for banditry, deceit, and murder, but a small number of warriors and their families followed this harsh and brutal but charismatic man. [FTAA – 38]

Was he a Rover? Some clam he was; but I doubt the veracity of that claim. He was Flan, that much is certain. But so are a great many of the Stonefists. In fact, I believe that Vlek was a Colten, once.

The people of the Hold of Stone Fist […] are primarily hybrids, [of] Flan/Suel [descent.] [WOGA - 13]

Most Holders are Flan (even if they are spotted with the blood of the Suel), for so too are the Rovers and the Tenhas, and a great many of the peoples inhabiting Theocracy of the Pale.

The […] citizens of the Theocracy of the Pale are primarily hybrids, [of] Flan/Oeridian [descent.] [Dragon #55 – 18]

So, regardless whether Vlek was a Rover or a Colten, he was Flan, and thus a product of The Old Faith.

The practices of the Old Faith are generally in accord with those of other nature priesthoods. The druids do not engage in the sacrifice of sentient creatures, yet there is a dark legacy within the Old Faith. The druids of antiquity allied themselves with the sorcerous Ur-Flan, who once held whole tribes in bondage to their evil. The unspeakable rituals performed by the Ur-Flan went unchallenged by the druidic hierarchy of that era, so long as the former were not so prevalent in any region as to threaten the balance of nature. Eventually, the Ur-Flan sorcerers waned in power and vanished. Some of their magical secrets are still preserved by the Old Faith. The Old Faith is still widely practiced in the Flanaess, and not only in those regions dominated by descendants of the Flan peoples. The age-old sacred groves and monolithic circles of the Old Faith may include shrines dedicated to any nature deity the resident druids permit, but most often they are unadorned. While Beory the Oerth Mother is the best known deity associated with the Old Faith, any druid of purely neutral alignment may matriculate through the Nine Circles of Initiation, regardless of which nature god that druid venerates. [LGG – 161]

A mixed legacy, indeed. Vecna was Ur-Flan. So too Keraptis, and Keraptis had reigned over the whole of the northeast for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Did that make the Coltens evil? Not necessarily; but the Coltens had lived under Keraptis’ rule, and they would have learned and understood their lessons well: that strength must be obeyed, and the weak subjected, enslaved and plundered. They would have learned cruelty as well as the application of strength, an important lesson to those living in a harsh and unforgiving land.

Was Vlek evil? Maybe. Most likely. His actions would suggest as much. The weapon he wielded would suggest as much, as well:

Stonefist Sword of Rage +2: This two-handed sword was enchanted during the reign of Vlek Col Vlekzed. No one is sure if Vlek wielded it himself, though the warriors of the Hold of Stonefist stubbornly (and violently) claim so. No one doubts that the weapon contains the strength and ferocity upon which Vlek built his domain. [GA – 87]

Such a weapon would truly be favoured by one who would venerate Erythnul.

He was surely driven to conquer.

The Rovers of the Barrens

Stonefist, then Vlek Col Vlekzed, founded his chiefdom in approximately 430 CY. Vlek was cast out from the Rovers of the Barrens for banditry and lying, but a small number of warriors and their families followed him as leader. For several years he wandered around the fringes of his homeland, raiding and stealing from everyone without prejudice. These minor successes attracted a growing following of fellow outcasts, bandits, criminals and like unsavory types. Yet with this strange mixture of fighters, he mounted a highly successful raid into Tenh, swung down into the Bandit Kingdoms and recruited more followers, and then defeated a punitive expedition sent from Tenh. When threatened by a bandit kinglet, Vlek replied by surprising his stronghold, sacking it, and carrying away most of its population. Riding unmolested through the lands of his former people, but not caring to test their fighting ability, Vlek moved beyond White Fanged Bay and established a fortified settlement as a permanent camp. [WOGA – 36, 37]

Vlek moved them beyond White Fanged Bay, where he established the fortified town of Vlekstaad. The Coltens were very uneasy with his presence in their land, but Vlek promised a truce and offered to negotiate with their leaders. As the Coltens traveled to the appointed site, they were ambushed and slaughtered by the followers of Stonefist. The remainder of the Coltens host was routed, and Vlek settled down to rule over the whole territory. [LGG – 109]

As Vlek's infamy spread, malcontents from many nations came to his standard, despite his new name of Stonefist (implying both a terrible foeman and an inflexible ruler). [WOGA – 36, 37]

Vlekstaad

The Fists

[Stonefist established the] Mastership of the Hold [as] a semi-hereditary position and title. The descendants of Vlek (he had 219 wives and 351 male children who survived to maturity) compete in a bi-annual "Rite of Battle Fitness." The winner may challenge the Master, one of the Atamen of the three towns, or lead a warband and become a chief. The surviving losers join the standing warbands (the "Fists"), those who did best becoming chieftains, sub-chiefs, and leaders of raiding bands. These savage war and raiding bands commonly raid Fruztii, Tenh, and even the Rovers of the Barrens. About 30% or so of the population of the Hold dwell in permanent settlements, and from these people are drawn the bulk of the footmen. Most of the balance of the population are semi-nomadic, moving into the northern tundra in the summer, and migrating south in the fall. From these people come the horsemen and light infantry of the "Fists." [WOGA – 36]

When Ratik and the Fruztii made peace, the subsequent battles for the Kelten Pass brought several telling defeats to “fists” led by the descendant warband leaders. The Hold was then divided between those who followed the laws laid down by Vlek Col Vlekzed, and those who claimed that Stonefist’s methods are no longer appropriate and the Coltens Feodality should be restored. The nomads and settlers west and around the Frozen River championed the ways of Stonefist. The population around Kelten and the Hraak Forest wished to establish new forms of leadership. [Dragon #57 - 13]

The Coltens folk had no place in this hierarchy, and many fled to the Hraak Forest, or beyond the Big Seal Bay and the northern thrust of the Corusks to dwell in the Taival Tundra, in the land of the Ice Barbarians). [LGG – 109]

[Few] tundra-dwellers are Ice Barbarians, most having Flan ancestry and being related to the Coltens of Stonehold. They do not serve as warriors for the Cruski, instead paying tribute to their Suel overlords to be left alone. [LGG – 54]

Those who could not flee remained in servitude to Stonefist and his descendants. [LGG – 109]

Vlek ruled by terror and brutality, but his people loved him for it. [FTAA – 38]

The Stonefist

Vlek fashioned his land after his own philosophy. Only the strong were fit to rule. And long did he rule, despite the challenges he had to face.

The Rovers hated him forever more.

[The Rovers] practiced their fighting skills against the men of the Hold of Stonefist and the savages and humanoids they met on raids into the Cold Marshes. [Dragon #56 - 22]

As did the Barbarians.

The Ice Barbarians are an utterly chaotic bunch, inhabiting the bitter northern and eastern edges of the Thillonrian Peninsula. They are formidable seamen, raiding west along the northern coast of Stonefist (in summer when the break-up of ice allows this) [.] [FTAA - 28]

In high summer [the Cruskii often find fighting by rounding the coasts of the Hold of Stonefist, and […] have both hatred and respect for the dour inhabitants of that land. [WOGA – 26]

And there are dangers upon the tundra.

Legends tell of a beautiful land in the heart of [the Griff Mountains], where buildings are roofed with precious metals and gems lie about on the ground. More reliable are reports that a gigantic city of orcs lies underground here, near Stonehold. [LGG – 143]

Great bears and wolves roam [the] depths [of the Hraak Forest], and a fair number of white dragons unexpectedly lair within. [LGG – 141]

Yeti and giants scale the heights, sabretooth tigers prowl the forests. Mammoths, mastodons, woolly rhinos and wolverines.

There are others, too; horrifying things. Winter wolves, remorhaz, ice toads and trolls. A hag or two for good measure.

And truly inexplicable things, too.

The Nauskiree

Nauskiree are tall, bizarre monsters thought to have migrated to the northern Flanaess from Telchuria before the twin Cataclysms, figuring into old Flannae tales of that region. Solitary hunters, they act much like trap-door spiders, hiding for long periods of time until prey approaches, then striking out with magic and teeth. Although they hunt alone, they are sometimes enslaved by frost giants and used as guardians.

Nauskiree appear almost bipedal, their torsos being larger than their pelvis. However, their extremely long limbs and greater weight on their forward half make it hard for them to lift both forelimbs for more than a moment, and so the creature gets about on all fours. Its skin is gnarled like bark, and coloured in a random pattern od dark gray and white that resembles snow clinging to the trunk or branches of a tree. Its skull-like head and some of its joints are surrounded by stringy gray hair resembling dead grass or pine needles. [LGJ#1 - 22]

To come upon one is almost certain doom. A deathly cold cling to them, and those who stray too close are stricken by it, their limbs torpid, their minds clouded with confusion.

The Hold would seem a truly uninhabitable place.

Did any of these defeat the Stonefist?

Not a one.

Nor his progeny. Or his people.

From this mix of settled and semi-nomadic people, Vlek's descendants created a fierce and savage raiding force. [FTAA – 38]

Is it any wonder that the Fists are a fearsome people?

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. 

Special thanks to Jason Zavoda for his compiled index, “Greyhawkania,” an invaluable research tool.

The Art:

Vlad by bardilf

Chase by mentosik8
Night-Shift by alcoholichamster
Abomination-DogSled-Run by maxd-art

Vlad by oleolah
Nauskiree, by Sean K. Reynolds, illustration by Sam Wood, from Living Greyhawk Journal #1

Sources:

1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983

2023 Greyhawk Adventures Hardback, 1988

1064 From the Ashes Boxed Set, 1992

9025 World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980

9577 The Adventure Begins, 1998

9578 Player’s Guide to Greyhawk, 1998

11742 Gazetteer, 2000

11743 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000

Living Greyhawk Journal, #1

Dragon Magazine 55,56,57

Greyhawkania, Jason Zavoda

The map of Anna B. Meyer