“I’ve never known fear; as a youth I fought
In endless battles. I am old, now,
But I will fight again, seek fame still,
If the dragon hiding in his tower dares
To face me”
― Burton Raffel, Beowulf
Few civilized realms give much thought to the vast lands
beyond the Phostwood, if they give them any thought at all. It is only a frigid
wasteland, its inhabitants barbarians and bandits.
In that regard, Seuvord the Red succeeds in being both.
Or is he?
Is he a bandit? He most assuredly raids. He would argue
that he must take what he must to survive; because he has no choice. He is
surrounded by enemies, and few friends, if any.
Is he a barbarian? He would say not; and he takes issue
with the name given him by those craven fools to the south: Sevvord Redbeard. Sevvord?
That was a Suel’s name, he would say. Redbeard? He did not choose that name, he
would say. He chose Seuvord, because that was the name given him, and he also
chose “the Red,” for his hands had been bloodied long before he participated in
the Rite.
The grim, bloodthirsty Master
of Stonehold is a warlord with almost unparalleled experience. Ruthless and
savage, he led troops to conquer, loot and occupy Tenh, though he now fights
Iuz’s forces and the Theocracy of the Pale to retain his claimed territory.
Stonehold currently suffers from attacks by the Snow, Ice and Frost Barbarians. [PGTG – 26]
Most presume
that he sprung from Vlek Col Vlekzed’s line. His mother claimed so; and he
claims as much, too. Who can say for certain if that is true or not? Vlek did
have 219 wives and 351 male children, after
all, so the odds are in his favour.
And who would dare refute it? Regardless who Seuvard’s antecedents might be, he carries Vlek’s sword, as all the Masters of
the Hold have, despite Vlek’s command that it be broken and burned along with
his remains when he died.
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]
To understand
the man, one must understand the land that weened him. His is a harsh,
cruel realm. But there is beauty there, too. The landscape comes alive in
spring, the heaths and marshes awash with bloom. Sunrises and sunsets are pure
and crystal clear, blinding in the easy, glowing hotly in the west. The night
sky is alive, eerily aglow, and mesmerizing.
The climate is subarctic,
with brief growing seasons, poor soil and conifer forests. There are reports of
curious lights in the sky like colorful ribbons, stripes or flashes. [PGTG – 6]
Even in winter, the landscape is a sight to behold. It
flows. It changes, sculpted by the wind. A cold wind. A frigid wind that will
sculpt your very face with frost. And turn your face from it when it blows.
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? A great many of the Holders migrate alongside their reindeer, and their
mammoths, only camping upon the White Fanged Bay and Icy Seas when the walrus
are beached. But are all who border them enemies? The Barbarians are. Surely
the Rovers, too.
[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]
But who would choose to befriend the Rovers,
when they lay with their horses and sire centaurs? Are the Holders
the uncivilized lot the southerners claim them to be? Those dour northerners
would say otherwise. They do not dine on finery, nor swill acrid wines. They do
not pat the corners of their mouths with linen. Or clench their buttholes lest
they fart. Such “refinement” would be a waste of strength and effort, what with
the north wind sure to blow and the snows to fall sure to fall no sooner than
your wind escape yer arse. There is work to be done. Game to harvest, fish to
salt, hides to cure.
As to trade, 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 (though many suspect), 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. It trades. With who? None would admit to it; but they do trade
with the Stonefist, otherwise how does its silver and fur and ivory make its
way to those southern courts that never give it a second thought.
Not civilized?
They follow the Old Ways. Old Gods. The gods that birth the sun, and blow the
wind, and call them to use their strength to take what is theirs to take. To
survive.
So, it is
civilized. In its way. And it is also savage. As was its founder, who was a
Holder, not a Rover. Banished. Prodigal. Returned.
Stonehold began as the Hold
of Stonefist, a bandit chiefdom founded in the territory of the old Coltens
Feodality. Vlek Col Vlekzed, called Stonefist, was a ruthless bandit who had
been cast out from the Rovers of the Barrens for his vice and cruelty, and left
to wander the fringes of his homeland for several years. Over that time, he
gathered a large following of evil men, even sacking one of the old Bandit
Kingdoms and carrying away most of its population. 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.
Outcasts from many nations
were attracted by Stonefist's infamy, and came to swell the ranks of his
followers. Stonefist established the Mastership of the Hold as a semihereditary
position, available only to his descendants. They were allowed to compete in
the biannual Rite of Battle Fitness, which determined the rank of potential
challengers to the Hold's leaders. The overall winner was allowed to challenge
the Master of the Hold, while the surviving losers would join the Fists, with
those who did best in the battle-rite becoming chieftains and leaders of the
war bands. 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).
Those who could not flee
remained in servitude to Stonefist and his descendants. [LGG – 109]
The
people of Stonefist are a cruel, bloody bunch with little sense of honor or
decency. They are arrogant, contemptuous bullies, always seeking new victims to
rob, rape and pillage. [FTAA – 39]
To suggest the Holders are without honour is
presumptuous. They do indeed have honour; but it is the type expected by a
harsh and unforgiving land. The strong rule. But only for so long as they
command the respect and fear of those they rule over. Power must be wrested
from the strong. And strength must be proven.
[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]
No boychild could take Vlek's name, so great was his
person; each considered the sole property of his mother by the Stonefist. And
thus he set precedent among his Fists. Each scion had to earn his right to a
name, indeed, his right to vassalage; and upon surviving the Rites, if he
survived, he could then take his father's name, or his own name, if he so
chose, and upon that name gained acclamation or infamy, and with it his status
among his peers.
Of course, there were those who might try to wrest power
by less honourable means.
In 523 one Storrich of the
Hold of Stonefist failed in an attempt to advance himself by less than
traditional methods. Poisoners are not highly regarded even in that grim
country, and so Storrich and his followers were obliged to flee. Since the
season was summer and the Ice Barbarians would not be likely to let his ship
pass unmolested, Storrich and his pursuers turned westward. Unfortunately for
Storrich and his men, the pilot of the ship ran it aground offshore the Wastes,
and Storrich’s company was obliged to take to the land, the pursuit still hot
on their heels. As a last desperate measure Storrich attempted entry into the
Burning Cliffs region, risking a stone path that he and his men found leading
into the smolder. Storrich’s pursuers turned back at this point well satisfied,
and informed the Master of the Hold that they had driven Storrich to his death,
having waited some days for him to attempt a return and having seen nothing. It
proved to be untrue. [GA - 97]
But it has been
over a century since the Stonefist held his hold. And half a century since
Storrich failed to wrest power from those who followed Vlekzed. What had
changed in the Hold? Very little. The strong succeeded the strong.
While the Hold itself was
relatively safe from invasion, the Master, Seuvord Redbeard, and his Atamen and
chieftains were faced with a dilemma. The Rovers of the Barrens
were undoubtedly gaining in numbers once again, so no easy raiding prospects
existed to the west. Likewise, both southern passes to the rich state of Tenh
and the lands of the Fruztii were closed to all but a major effort. A major
effort was impossible because of the near-revolt of the eastern (mainly
Coltens-descendant) bands under Ataman Dyerg Keda […] and supported by over a
dozen chieftains and subchiefs. Seuvord Redbeard, being both tough and
intelligent, refused to be drawn into a civil war, for then the surrounding
enemies of the Hold would surely take the opportunity offered and destroy the
remnants of the state. As Seuvord also wished his own line to retain the
Mastership of the Hold. as a hereditary right, he called a great council at
Purmill, with safe conduct for all who attended.
Many observers were surprised
that all of the principal leaders of the Hold took part in the convocation, but
those aware of the cleverness of Seuvord knew that he was certainly responsible
for the showing. What was put forth at the council by Seuvord Redbeard was that
the Hold must adapt to the changes taking place and the new alliances against
its people. He asked the assembled leaders to grant him the hereditary title of
Rhelt; he asked that Atamen also be made hereditary leaders, and also that the
chief men of each area be given the right to elect the warband leaders. The
Rite of Battle Fitness was not to be done away with, however. Instead, it would
qualify warriors for service in the standing army to be formed immediately,
with those of exceptional capabilities to be made leaders, companions of the
Rhelt, or even war chiefs whose right it would be to expand the realm through
conquest and occupation.
There was considerable
dissension, particularly from the direct descendants of Stonefist, but enough
of them, as well as of the nomadic chieftains, agreed to Seuvord’s proposal to
sway the entire assembly. In CY 578, shortly after Tenh had coronated its new
Duke, the Master of the Hold became Rhelt Seuvord I of Stonehold. Several of
his cousins took ill from a mysterious flux shortly after the coronation, and
about a dozen others were reported fleeing into the Griff Mountains with a
small band of loyal followers.
The former Hold of Stonefist
is now divided into four Atamanships: Vlekstaad, Purmill, Kelten, and Bastro.
Four Great Chieftains were also created: Reindeer, White Bear, Walrus, and
Forest (Hraak) People. The word of these Great Chieftains is equal to that of
an Ataman. Finally, war chiefs of the west, south, north, and east were
appointed to raise bands of fists to keep the land safe until the Rhelt’s own
army could be formed. Only about 1,000 personal guards are in this standing
force as of 579, but the war chiefs have been relatively successful, especially
in the east. There, the frontier of the Stonehold has been pushed past Big Seal
Bay [,] 80 or 90 leagues into territory claimed by the Cruski. [Dragon #57 – 13,14]
The Master [began to make] certain political changes in Stonefist [….]
To resolve a long-standing tribal conflict, Sevvord essentially introduced
feudalism to the Hold. He had himself decaled Rhelt (“king” in the Cold
Tongue), and his own position and those of his Atamen were made hereditary.
Thus, the Atamen became nobles and Redbeard’s line became royalty. The chieftains
of Stonefist were allowed to elect warband leaders instead of having them
chosen by the brutal Rite of Battle Fitness. The Rite itself was modified to
become more survivable while remaining physically challenging and dangerous
(Some tales sad the Rite was often turned into a massacre to rid Sevvord of
potential rivals.) A standing army was established, made up of warriors who
survived the Rite. The war chiefs were tasked with expanding the Hold of
Stonefist through conquest using their Fists (warbands). […] The Hold of
Stonefist was also renamed. Now openly calling itself Stonehold, this
quasi-kingdom is composed of four Atamanships: Vlekstaad (west), Pumull
(south), Kelten (east), and Bastro (north). Four Great Chieftains were named,
each equal to an Ataman (Reindeer, White Bear, Walrus, and Forest [Hraak]
People). Stonehold has become a force that is greatly feared by all in this
region. [TAB – 22,23]
582 CY
War had been brewing for a long time. All the nations of
the Flanaess knew as much. Most had prepared for its eventuality; indeed, some
welcomed it. There were old scores to settle, lands coveted, resources to reap.
It had only been by the grace of those who had tirelessly fought against its
eventuality had it been staved off for as long as it had. Had they truly had a
hand in its forestallment, or was it because Iuz was under lock and key; was it
because the Scarlet Brotherhood had yet to act? Such is conjecture, because its
time had come; and as the parables warned in the quatrains of Daoud’s Lantern, the
realization of their wishes was never as expected.
In 582 CY, a series of conflicts collectively called
the Greyhawk Wars began. Iuz had escaped magical imprisonment beneath Greyhawk
Castle in 570 CY and returned to his homelands. [PGTG – 10]
Did it begin as
expected, with Iuz come howling from his Hills? Or with Ivid annexing the (in
his delusional mind) recalcitrant state of Nyrond? No. Such momentous events
are always conceived in the most unlikely places, in the most unexpected ways:
If a Flanaess sage had been asked in 582 CY where the
first strike in a continental war would most likely come from, he would not
have replied, "from the Hold of Stonefist," which is exactly where it
originated. Founded some 150 years earlier, the Fists were usually considered
to be slightly better-organized barbarians than those in the Bandit Kingdoms or
in the neighboring lands of the Fruztii, Schnai, and Cruskii tribes.
All the barbarians were inflamed by a rumor that swept
their lands: that four of five legendary magical swords, the Swords of Corusk,
had been found, and that when the fifth was obtained, a "Great God of the
North" would rise and lead them to conquest and greatness. The fifth sword
never was found, but one calling himself Vatun and claiming to be the Great God
of the North appeared before the barbarians of Fruztii, Schnai, and Cruskii,
and they swept west into Stonefist under his leadership. [FTAA – 6]
The first strike was a stroke of unusual cunning and
ingenuity. Constructing an elaborate fiction about a "Great God
Vatun," Iuz managed to ally the barbarian nations together. Deluded by
dreams of greatness, the barbarians subjugated the Hold of Stonefist. [WGR5 – 3]
By pretending to be their god Vatun, he tricked the
northern barbarians of he Thillonrian Peninsula into attacking the Hold of
Stonefist. He apparently gained magical control over Sevvord Redbeard, the evil
Master of the Hold, and used the Fists (as the Stoneholders are called) to
sweep into Tenh in 582 CY. [PGTG – 10]
Even as Vatun appeared before his dread-filled
followers, the Fists converged upon them to stop the ceremony. In the brief
battle that ensued, Vatun easily routed the Fists and thereby won the prostrate
praise of the barbarians. However, instead of completely crushing the Fists, Vatun
sought them as allies. Over the course of a few weeks, Sevvord Redbeard once
noted for his stubborn independence underwent a radical (if not magical) change
of heart and joined forces with Vatun and his barbarian hordes. [GW: ADV – 7]
Iuz cast a powerful enchantment/charm spell on Seword
Redbeard and a handful of his shamans and Fist leaders to bring the Fists under
his control. The spell was unique, crafted with fiendish help. A simple dispel
magic can't counter it. The effect of the spell is to make Seword consider Iuz
a useful ally and a geas element in the spell directs Sevvord's attention to
acts of war in Iuz's interests. [WGR5
– 67]
The Hold of Stonefist, now ally rather than enemy of
the barbarians, massed for an assault to the south. Demonstrating a savagery
that surpassed even his reputation, Sevvord Redbeard, Master of the Hold,
bloodily crushed all opposition to his rule. He turned the yearly Rite of
Battle Fitness into a massacre to prove his ascendancy, then gathered his cowed
forces for war talk. He said the time had come for the Fists, robbed of their
lands and glory, to bring their southern neighbors to task.
With such demagoguery, the Master of the Hold
assembled a huge and loyal barbarian army. The Fists were hungry for war and
Sevvord Redbeard planned to let them feast. Under Vatun’s orders, the Master of
the Hold led his army through Thunder Pass and swept down on Calbut in the
Duchy of Tenh. [GW: ADV – 7]
Under Vatun's direction, the Fists swept into the
Duchy of Tenh in 582 CY and conquered it quickly. [FTAA – 6]
This invasion, however, did not follow the same course
as past attacks. While Tenh’s forces mustered to waylay the Fists, Sevvord
Redbeard pushed his troops forward again. In the brief campaign that followed,
the Fists marched down a branch of the Zumker River, easily overwhelming the
thin ranks of the Tenhas militia in their path. Within five days of the fall of
Calbut, Sevvord’s horde laid siege to the walled capital of Tenh, Nevond
Nevnend. [GW: ADV – 8]
The Duke and Duchess fled to the County of Urnst for
safety. The Tenhas' former arrogance cost them dear; no help was forthcoming
from other nations. Nyrond was nervously watching Aerdy, unable to risk forces
far to the north. [FTAA – 6]
The powerful nations of the Flanaess were astonished.
What was at work here? Iuz's cunning plan drew attention away from his lands,
far eastward. [WGR5 – 3]
News of the fall of Tenh spread through the Flanaess
like a rolling cloud of doom, triggering reaction on all sides. Sevvord
Redbeard’s conquest rung like a death knell across the land. The messengers
whispered the news in the ears of kings and emperors, saying “The hammer has
fallen. The time has come.” The great war had drawn its first blood. [GW: ADV – 8]
It is little wonder that Iuz sought to use this
machinery of war. Sevvord Redbeard was magically ensnared by Iuz's fiends, but
what Iuz whispered to him was very much to his taste, anyway. Redbeard's brutal
massacres in Tenh only enhanced his reputation, and his Fists swagger across
their own lands, those of Tenh, and part of the old Bandit Kingdoms in the
bargain.
Sevvord may be little more than a pawn of Iuz now, but
Iuz is careful not to make this obvious to the strong, independent Fists and
their chiefs. Iuz does not dispatch fiends, Boneheart leaders, or hobgoblins
openly into Stonefist or Tenh. His control is exerted purely through Sevvord,
and this suits Iuz, since diluting his own forces by having to assign more of
them here would not be wise. If Iuz's magical control could somehow be
identified and broken, it is intriguing to think upon the consequences.
The people of Stonefist are a cruel, bloody bunch with
little sense of honor or decency. They are arrogant, contemptuous bullies,
always seeking new victims to rob, rape and pillage. [FTAA – 38,39]
When the war came, Iuz did not forget the Rovers'
history of opposition to him and the Rovers did not join his fraudulent
alliance of the barbarians and Stonefist. He used the men of Stonefist to smash
the eastern lands of the Rovers, and during and after the wars, he sent his own
troops to maraud further. [WGR5 –
61]
583 CY
The alliance forged by Vatun soon collapsed. The Great
God instructed the barbarians to invade the small state of Ratik, but their
chiefs refused; they had long allied with Ratik against the humanoids of the
Bone March and indeed against the Great Kingdom itself. They began to doubt
Vatun; very wisely, since Vatun was a sham and a lie, a mask worn by Iuz the
Old. But now Iuz was ready to strike elsewhere, both south and east. [FTAA – 6]
And so the deception that triggered the great war met
its end, but not before Iuz had firmly allied Stonefist to his cause. Though
the alliance farther east collapsed, Iuz had successfully turned the
barbarians’ attention away from the west: instead of pouring though the
mountain passes, the barbarians launched daring longship raids along the coast
of the Great Kingdom. [GW: ADV – 9]
[The Barbarians] feel the deception of Iuz keenly, and
skirmishes against Stonefist across the Griff Mountains are currently planned
by King Hundgred. [FTAA – 25]
[King Ingemar Hartensen of Schnai’s] great hatred for
the Stonefisters, and wishes to mount a joint expedition with the other
barbarian races through the Griff Mountains to lay waste to Kelten. [FTAA – 35]
A major raid into Stonehold was mounted […] by a
combined force of Schnai and Cruski, though they were ultimately driven back.
Since then, the young king of the Frost Barbarians has finally declared his
nation's independence from the Schnai, Old King Orvung might have gone to war
over such an action, but the current king is more circumspect History, he
realizes, often repeats itself. The ambitions of the young king of Fruztii may
soon prove too great for his jarls, and Ingemar will be ready to support their
disaffection. [LGG – 106]
Not all raids
were by the Barbarians.
[The numbers of the Rovers of the Barrens] increased,
and they 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]
A former servant of Iuz and now the demigod's
implacable foe, Tang had escaped with a small band of cavalry after a daring
raid into the Howling Hills with the Wolf Nomads. Crossing the open plain to the
Fellreev, Tang and his mercenary band encountered small groups of Rovers,
gathering them at the village of Sable Watch. With their aid, together with
Wardogs from the Forlorn Forest and beyond, he successfully attacked Iuzite
forces in the Barrens, eventually capturing the fort of Hornduran. Most of the
Rovers were still without mounts, so Tang made a fateful decision to raid into
Stonehold for horses.
The town of Vlekstaad was chosen as the target of the
Rovers' nighttime strike. With most Fists either in Tenh or fighting the Suel
in eastern Stonehold, Vlekstaad had almost no able soldiers in residence. Such
defenses as they had were quickly penetrated, thanks to the Wardogs' amazing
stealth. The stables of Vlekstaad provided a trove of horseflesh, but escaping
with them proved more difficult than Tang had anticipated. He and his
companions were trapped by a patrol of Fists and forced to battle for their
lives. The expedition might have been lost there had not a young Wardog,
Nakanwa Daychaser […]), led his own band of warriors on Tang's trail. Trapped
between the two forces of Rovers, the Fists were slaughtered, but Tang was
mortally wounded. Nakanwa quickly assumed control of the surviving Rovers,
ordering them to seize everything of value in the town, including its citizens.
The remains of the town were set ablaze, becoming the funeral pyre of Tang the
Horrific. [LGG – 95]
584 CY
The War came to
an end. Exhasted, the nations of the Flanaess limped to the Free City of
Greyhawk to sign the peace, wach in their knowledge that the peace would be
anything but.
Most came
willingly. Most by necessity. They needed time to lick their wounds, to
consilidate their gains, to appease their people, their dukes, their egos.
A few came
because they were bid to. Others because they were coerced. It has even been
hinted at that some, like the Stonefist, even came under duress.
The Hold of Stonefist signed following the mysterious
deaths of several atamans. [GW: ADV
– 29]
So hints the
Scarlet Brotherhood. And so they led those in their newly gained grounds to
believe. That the Brotherhood could possibly pulled off such a feat is
unlikely. The Hold is too far removed from the Brotherhood’s sphere of
influence. And, in truth, the Fists are too tightly knit a group, and too
paranoid of the intent of others for the Brotherhood to have had any hope in
succeeding in such an endeavour, even if they had attempted it.
Seuvord came to
the table to boast. To strut. To be seen and feared. “It was I who started
this,” his very presence said. “And I can do it again, if I so choose to.”
Seuvord signed
where he was bid. And then he returned home to do as he had always done: what
he pleased.
Was peace had? That depends on how one defines peace. Did
great armies vie with one another hence forth? No. Did small armies flit back
and forth across borders with regularity, striking, and spiriting away before
they could be engaged? Yes. Were nations openly hostile to one another?
Certainly. When were they not? The Cold war that was, before it had burst into
flame, had grown hot again, and would remain broiling for years to come, for
decades, in fact.
[The] men of Stonefist often enter the eastern portion
of the Forlorn Forest in large hunting bands. Stonefist men wear the skin of a
bear or great wolf proudly, but the tattooed skin of a slain Rover makes a very
acceptable trophy too. [WGR5 – 63]
Indeed, even conquered lands were as unsettled as one
might expect borders to be. Some “allies” can be as recalcitrant as the
partisans those allies were meant to quell, as Iuz soon discovered.
[Control] is harder to keep the farther east one
travels, where renegade Bandits, the remains of the Rovers of the Barrens, the
exiled remnants of Tenh, and the men of Stonefist strain against the yoke of
Iuz. Against bandits and rovers, force will do the job, so Iuz can dispatch
fiends and humanoids. In Tenh and Stonefist, though, there is no love of
humanoids or Iuz himself, and control can only be exercised by influence and
subtle stratagems. [WGR5 – 5]
The Stonefist nation is young, born in adversity and
constant marauding. Constant movement on attack and retreating to defensive
fortifications after that attack, not occupying their conquests, is what makes
the Stonefist men feel comfortable. [WGR5
– 67]
Calbut is not only a fine stronghold which the
Stonefist men prize, but it is ringed by four platinum mines in the Griffs. The
human and hill dwarf miners there are enslaved, but not without cost. Stonefist
men know little of mining and dislike confinement in dark areas, so they aren't
exactly adept at keeping their slaves subdued. [WGR5 – 69]
Around 25,000 Tenhas died in the wars, but Stonefist
men regard animating dead bodies as a despicable and blasphemous act, so luz's
priests have had to be careful in this respect. [WGR5 – 68]
There is another problem weighing on the minds of the
Fists. Since the sham of the "Great God Vatun” was exposed and barbarian
shamans and priests have begun to see that Iuz was behind it all, the Fists
face more hostility and raids from their traditional foes, the eastern
barbarians. No longer are these two uneasy allies. Having occupied Calbut and
secured Thunder Pass is useful to the Fists, but keeping men in Tenh when they
are needed to defend Stonefist against the barbarians is irksome. Many seek to
go home, putting Tenh through one last ordeal of slaughter and pillage before
they go. In the interim, many are restless and bored, prone to drunkenness and
mindless violence against the Tenhas. [WGR5 – 67]
588 CY
Long had Seuvord ploughed the land as Iuz bid.
He enslaved the peoples of Tenh.
He hunted the Barrens for Rovers.
He sent his Fists across the Griffs, for all the good
that did, what with Ratik standing shoulder to shoulder with Fruztii. And
Cruski and Schnai and Zeai landing upon his far shores.
He continued to plough the land as Iuz bid even as the
fiends took flight; but once those fiends had fled, the strain upon the Old One
waxed, and the hold he held upon his many vassals waned. Until, one by one,
those enslaved to his will slipped from that grasp. Distracted, Iuz raged. And
his force of will began to break.
In 588 CY,
Iuz lost control over Sevvord Redbeard, leader of the Hold of Stonefist;
Sevvord largely abandoned his occupation of Tenh and restructured his land (now
called Stonehold) to better fight against outside threats. [PGTG – 12]
Rhelt Sevvord, the ruler of the realm, openly
proclaims his independence from and hatred of Iuz even while faction leaders
within Stonehold secretly court the demigod in the hopes of winning power for
themselves. Murder among the Stonehold leaders is commonplace, and
assassination is a recognized method of negotiation. [WGG - 18]
Iuz was soon to
learn that Seuvord’s rage could match his own.
Enraged by
the abuse he suffered, Redbeard vowed revenge. Iuz’s priests, soldiers, and
advisors in the area were slaughtered on sight, and Tenh was plunged into
bloodshed once again. The Master then ordered the looting of Tenh and a retreat
to Nevond Nevnend and Calbut. Stonefist warriors meant to keep this area so as
to guard Thunder Pass (called Rockegg Pass by the Tenh), the route through the
Griff Mountains back to Stonefist. Reports were already filtering back to the
Stonefist troops that a force of Ice and Snow Barbarians was raiding and
burning its way across the eastern Hold and wished to go home to do battle. [TAB – 22]
His army drove the barbarians back from Kelten and
secured the pass, while he returned to Vlekstaad with his personal guard. The
town was a smoking ruin, its inhabitants dead or fled away. The Suel barbarians
he blamed for the attack left no survivors to describe the onslaught. A picked
force of warriors pursued their trail into the lower Griffs, where it
disappeared. He decided the Suel had obviously escaped through the mountains
back to their homelands in Rhizia.
Rhelt Sevvord vows vengeance against the Suel, though
his greatest hatred is for his former "ally," Iuz. Vlekstaad is being
rebuilt, refortified, and regarissoned. Kelten and Purmill are more important in
the affairs of Stonehold, especially in light of the ongoing warfare with the
Suel barbarians. The occupation of Tenh is now over, too, except for Calbut and
Nevond Nevnend. It may be that the great accomplishments of the first rhelt of
Stonehold are finally at an end. [LGG – 110]
Were Iuz and the
Barbarians Seuvord’s only concern. His are a passionate people, a devout
people, superstitious people. They have always been beset with madmen and
prophets who inevitably suffered their visions when the north wind howled and
the snows closed in. Their visions were always those of such things as the true
path, the purity and the soul, and the righteous mind; and their path always
seemed to lead to insurrection and betrayal. Seuvord was plagued by these
madmen, and it was a wonder how many of these madmen lined up to dangle from
the gates of Vleksted.
In the course
of three bloody days dozens of young men and women were put to the axe within
Vlekstaad. Mad mobs of warriors roamed the ruins of the settlement following
the direction of snarling priests of Erythnul who claimed that hated Iuz had
possessed some of the Stonehold’s youth. The rampagebegan by decree of Gurfaald
the Malformed, a twisted prophet of the Lord of Slaughter who wandered down to
Vlekstaad from his filthy hovel near Lake Albanfyl. Other priests believed his
revelation, and faithful warriors scoured the already decimated settlement
looking for the “spawn” of the Old One. These rabble-rousers claimed that the
young were more susceptible to Iuz’s magic, but others believe the victims' only
crime may have been failing to pay proper tribute to the god of hatred and
rage. Relt Sevvord himself finally put down the hysteria, confronting [Gurfaald]
and cleaving the prophet’s head with a mighty plow of a waraxe. Many within
Stonehold believe that Sevvord ended [Gurfaald’s] crsdade only because he found
it personally insulting. [LGJ#3 – 30]
Another season
passes. The wind blows. The snows fall. And enemies plot.
The other joint operation of these states has been
against the Hold of Stonefist. Fruztii forces have now secured the pass south
of the Hraak forest and control the land for some 20 miles around.
The Ice Barbarians have supported the Fruztii to some
extent by making naval raids along the northern coast of Stonefist. The Snow
Barbarians have concentrated on attacks on Great Kingdom and Sea Baron
shipping, although some of the Schnai have been seen “assisting” the Frost
Barbarians in Stonefist. [WGS1 – 4]
No matter. Let
them plot. Let them come. The Fists were ready to receive them.
There have been reverses in the east: a Stonefist
force from Kelten inflicted a severe defeat on one group of Frost Barbarians a
couple of weeks ago. They then proceeded to destroy the border community of
Ranskine. [WGS1 – 37]
Stonefist,
Hold of (Pop 60,000+) Hold of Stonefist: chaotic evil; [Flan, Suloise,
Common, Cold Tongue]. DRG#52 - 20
Capital: Vlekstaad (pop. 2,100)
Population: 60,000 +
Demi-humans: Doubtful
Human 96%, Orc 2%, Dwarf 1%, Other 1%
Humanoids: Some
[WOGA - 36]
Human 96%, Orc 2%, Dwarf 1%, Other 1%
[WGG – 18]
Resources: furs, ivory, silver, gems (I)—
Religions: Erythnul, Syrul, Beltar, Beory, Obad-Hai
Capital: Vlekstaad Major Towns: Bastro (pop. 1,700),
Kelten (pop. 2,800), Purmill (pop, 1,900), Vlekstaad (pop. 2,200 before being
burned, now 700)
[LGG - 108]
[…] Strong Flan and minor other elements are present
in Stonehold [….] All these people live in relative barbarism, […] attacking
overland in wild hordes. Threats to this area are more often internal than
external: currently, the Fists struggle to solidify their borders. [PGTG - 6]
[The] Hold of Stonefist, would produce […] Slavic-type
barbarian fighters. These characters would employ broad swords and short bows
as additional required initial weapons. Horsemanship would be nominal at best,
but running would be normal, and in most cases the skill of making and manning
rowed boats would exist. [Dragon #63 –
11]
Horsemanship would be nominal at best, but running
would be normal, and in most cases the skill of making and manning rowed boats
would exist. [Dragon #63 - 11]
Cavalry is not unknown on the western tundra, but 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]
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]
Hraak Forest: The Hraak is a pine and fir
woodland that borders the Corusk Mountains north of Hraak Pass. The pinewood is
exploited by the people of Stonehold for fuel, trapping, and hunting. The
warlike Forest People (a Cohens tribe now part of Stonehold) live within. Great bears and wolves roam its depths, and a fair number
of white dragons unexpectedly lair within. [LGG – 141]
Hraak Forest: The Hraak is a largish pine
and fir woodland within the territory claimed by the descendants of Stonefist.
It borders the Corusks north of Hraak Pass. [WOGA – 59]
Kelten houses nearly 1,000 persons, mostly of
barbarian ancestry. A few refugees from the Hold of Stonefist have settled here
as well. Weapons of all types can be seen in Kelten, mainly designed for
northern living-spears, ice picks, ice saws, etc. Dried vegetables and meats
are big items here; cold-weather clothes are popular commodities, too. Parkas
lined with wolverine fur are the best clothing value to be found in these
parts. (Wolverine fur in the lining of the parka hood keeps moisture from
building up on its surface.) [WGS2
- 16]
GRIFF MOUNTAINS As the name implies, the peaks
of these mountains are the habitat of many monstrous creatures. The Griff range
extends from the western terminus of the Corusks at Hraak Pass, southwest and
west for over I 00 leagues. These mountains divide the Hold of Stonefist from
the Duchy of Tenh and the Theocracy of the Pale below. Being only a trifle
lower than the Corusks. the Griff Mountains are similarly uninviting to human
settlement, although there are some sprinkled here and there, for these
mountains do contain valuable mineral deposits. There is supposedly a small and
beautiful land in the heart of this range. Ruled by a powerful prince, and
protected from all invasions by magic and might, this tiny realm is said to
have buildings roofed in copper and silver, gold used as lead is elsewhere, and
jewels lying about on the ground. [WOGA
- 52]
As the name implies, these mountains are home to
griffons and other monsters, particularly giants and ogres. The Griffs nearly
wall in the Thillonrian Peninsula from other lands. They are uninviting to
civilization, though humans and dwarves are sprinkled here and there, for these
mountains contain valuable mineral deposits. Legends
tell of a beautiful land in the heart of this range, 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]
CORUSK MOUNTAINS The Corusks form a bow. the
backbone of the Thillonrian Peninsula which runs from the Solnor Ocean in the
east, north and west and then southwest where the range terminates (Hraak
Pass). While the lower parts of the mountains are inhabited by humans, various
bands of evil humanoids and monsters of all sorts dwell in the central
fastness. It is thought that this range possesses little in the way of valuable
ores or gems. [WOGA - 52]
Big Seal Bay: This shallow arm of the Icy Sea,
lying just east of the Hraak Forest, marks the usual boundary between Stonehold
and the Ice Barbarians. Natives encamp in the forest and hunt seal in the
summer months. Few humans visit this desolate region, though the chiseled outer
doors of an ancient dwarven clanhold are said to be visible high in these
isolated peaks. [LGG - 147]
Icy Sea: These northern waters, likely a part
of the circumpolar Dramidj Ocean, remain frozen except in high summer. Whales
of all sorts frequent these waters, said to be the domain of a mighty leviathan
lord. Ice Barbarians take their ships into these waters to hunt whales and
collect walrus ivory and seal furs on the surrounding coasts. They raid
Stonehold when the opportunity presents itself. Even in summer, the Icy Sea is
dangerous due to thick fogs and floating mountains of ice. [LGG – 148,149]
The Icy Sea is frozen over in great areas except
during high summer, during which time Ice Barbarians sometimes hunt here for
walrus ivory, killer whales, and seal furs. Even at such times, the sea is
dangerous due to thick fogs and floes of pack ice. White Fanged Bay is aptly
named after a ragged coastline that resembles the teeth of a great predator.
The seals and walruses here are hunted by the men of Stonefist. [FTAA – 49]
White Fanged Bay: The ice formations common
this body of water resemble the teeth of a predator, and the bay is named for
the great ice-coated rocks and bergs that menace vessels attempting to land
along its shores. In summer, vast numbers of walruses and seals bask along
these rocky coasts, while killer whales hunt in the waters of the bay.
Stonehold folk hunt and fish by the shores. [LGG – 150]
Frozen River: This swift river runs from the
Griff Mountains through Stonehold to empty into White Fanged Bay. Its surface
often freezes in winter, though the waters beneath still flow. [LGG – 152]
Frozen River: A swift flow running mainly
north from the Griff Mountains through the lands of Stonefist to empty into
White Fanged Bay. [WOGA – 54]
Abanfyl, Lake: Sightings of aquatic monsters on
the Abanfyl’s surface are common. The lake is also said to be the home of a family
of dragons who lair on a small, haze-shrouded island on the central waters. [WGG
3e - 26]
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. [LGJ#1
- 22]
One must always give credit where credit is due. This piece 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:
Hold of Stonefist Illustration, by Jeff Starlind, from WGS2 Howl From the North, 1991
Hold of Stonefist Heraldry, from World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
Nauskiree, by Sean J Reynolds, Illustration by Sam Wood, from Living Greyhawk Journal #, 2000
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
9337 WGS2 Howl from the
North, 1991
9399 WGR5, Iuz the Evil, 1993
9577 The Adventure Begins,
1998
9578 Player’s Guide to
Greyhawk, 1998
11742 Gazetteer, 2000
11743 Living Greyhawk
Gazetteer, 2000
Living Greyhawk Journal, #1,
#3
Dragon Magazine 56,57,63
Greyhawkania, Jason Zavoda
The map of Anna B. Meyer
