“It is always better
to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.
For every one of us, living in this world
means waiting for our end. Let whoever can
win glory before death. When a warrior is gone,
that will be his best and only bulwark.”
―
Beowulf The Chosen People |
They are
the chosen people; so their tales profess, destined to rule the Rhizians and
the world. So Vatun decreed. It is their king that holds the title
“Fasstal of all the Suelii.” No other.
It was they who led the Houses of Pursuit before the Rain
of Colourless Fire fell, and they who ventured furthest out upon this cold land,
even so far as to round its tip and colonize its north shore, ice-locked
nine months of the year. They adapted to their new land, and were named for it, the Ice Clans. And though their numbers are fewer than those of their cousins, the
Schnai and Fruztii, they are by far the most fierce, the great white bear
Nanook their totem.
The Cruski Coast |
The Cruski war upon the Stonefist and the southerners,
using kayaks in the north and longships to the south. They are loyal to their
cousins, and have long sought their lost tribe across the eastern horizon.
Those wishing a Nordic, or Viking
game will be well suited to campaigning here.
Great inspiration for this area can be found
in: Beowulf, the Kalevala, Nibelungenlied, The Last King (TV), Vikings (TV), The Eagle (film).
Country
specific resources:
The
Greyhawk Folio, The Greyhawk setting boxed set, Greyhawk Adventures, Living
Greyhawk Gazetteer, Greyhawk Wars, From the Ashes Boxed Set, Dragon magazine
#52,55,57,63,87,88,89,253
WGS1 The Five Shall Be One
WGS2 Howl From the North
Adventures
in the country include:
From His Cold Dead Hand |
C13 From His Cold, Dead Hands, by Carlos Lising, casl Entertainment, 2019, Jotsplat & the Icy Sea
Blood on the Snow, Dungeon #3
Glacier Seas, Dungeon #87
Ill Made Graves, Dungeon #133, Jotsplat & the Icy Sea
Arctic
adventures in the Taival Tundra; Big Seal Bay (and the outer doors of and
ancient dwarven clanhold)
Forest
adventures in the Sable Forest. Winter wolves and sable firs.
Mountain
adventures (and possibly Underdark adventures) in the Corusks and Griff
mountains (alternate placement of G1-3). Dragons. Remorhaz. Yeti.
Intrigue
in Glot. Scarlet Brotherhood agents, perfidious Schai!
Border
skirmishes with the Bone March.
Fey fading
lands.
Ruins of
the Ur-Flan from the time of Keraptis.
Adventures
in nearby adventures include:
WGS2
Howl From the North
WGR5 Iuz
the Evil
The
Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga
Fright at Tristor, Theocracy of the Pale
Forge of Fury, Bone March
A Slight
Diversion, OJ#9, Redspan, Bandit Kingdoms
Out of the Ashes, Dungeon #17, Bandit Kingdoms
Ghost
Dance, Dungeon #32,
Rovers of the Barrens
The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb, Dungeon #37, Bone March
Ex
Keraptis Cum Amore, Dungeon
#77, Burning Cliffs
Deep Freeze, Dungeon #83, Theocracy of the Pale
Armistice,
Dungeon #84, Griff
Mountains
The
Sharm’s Dark Song, Dungeon
#87
The Witch of Serpent's Bridge, Dungeon #95, Schnai
Beyond the Light of Reason, Dungeon #96, Tenh
Raiders
of the Black Ice,
Dungeon #115, Blackmoor
In the Shadows of Spinecastle, Dungeon Magazine
#148
The Stolen Seal, World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, Ratik
FB1 While on the Road to Cavrik's Cove, casl Entertainment, 2021, Ratik
Tomb of Zhang the Horrific, by William Dvorak, Rovers of the Barrens.
Although
later retconned into the Yeomanry, B1 Into the Unknown (in the
monochrome edition) was originally suggested as located in Ratik. That would
make north Ratik an ideal location for B2 Keep on the Borderlands,
as well.
Forest
adventures in the Hraak Forest.
Sea
adventures upon the Solnor and the Icy Seas.
Border
skirmishes and raids into the Hold of Stonefist.
Mutual defense
negotiations with the Barbarian tribes.
Mutual
defense with Fruztii barbarians of the Kelten Pass.
Expeditions
into the Griff mountains in search of lost Skrellingshald (also known as
Tostencha).
The Land
of Black Ice, and the Zeai Clan (Sea Barbarians, or the Leopard Seal Clan) upon
the Icy Sea.
Trade
expeditions to The Sea Princes and the North Province.
The
search for and discovery of Fireland, and the arrival of a ship from Fireland.
Espionage
with the North Kingdom.
The Hunt
for agents of the Scarlet Brotherhood.
Ice Barbarians:
chaotic neutral, chaotic evil; Suloise, Common, Cold Tongue
[DRG#52 – 20]
His Most Ferocious Majesty, Lolgoff Bearhear, the King of
Cruski; Fasstal of all the Suelii
Capital: Glot (pop 5,100)
Population: 60,000
Demi-humans: Few
Humanoids: Likely in mountains
Resources: furs, copper, gems (I)
[WOGA - 26]
Lolgoff Bearhear |
Proper Name: Kingdom of (the) Cruski
Ruler: His Most Ferocious Majesty, Lolgoff Bearhear, the
King of Cruski, Fasstal of all the Suelii (CN male human Bbn15)
Capital: Glot
Major Towns: Glot (pop. 5,100), Jotsplat (pop. 3,200)
Resources: Furs, copper, gems (I), rare wood (sablewood,
not exported)
Population: 158,800—Human 96% (S), Dwarf 2% (mountain
65%, hill 35%), Halfling 1% (stout), Other 1%
Languages: Cold Tongue, Common, Dwarven
Alignments: CN, N
Religions: Kord, Llerg, Norebo, Xerbo, Vatun
[LGG - 54]
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:
WGS1 Five Shall Be One, cover art by Jeff Starlind, 1991
C13 From His Cold, Dead Hands, cover art by Daniel Govar, 2019
WGR2 Howl From the North, cover art by Jeff Starlind, 1991
Cruski heraldry, from the World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
Sources:
1015
World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983
1064
From the Ashes Boxed Set, 1992
2011A
Dungeon Masters Guide, 1st Ed., 1979
9025
World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
11743
Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 1999
9577
The Adventure Begins
9578
Player’s Guide to Greyhawk, 1998
Dragon
Magazine
OJ
Oerth Journal, appearing on Greyhawk Online
Living
Greyhawk Journal
Greychrondex,
Steven B. Wilson
Greyhawkania,
Jason Zavoda
Anna
B. Meyer’s Greyhawk Map
Awesome resource. My current campaign is set in Cruskii in fact :)
ReplyDeleteWell composed.
ReplyDelete