― Beowulf
 |
| The Wind Howled... |
The
Fruztii are a farming and fisherfolk, even though their season is short. They
grow root vegetables and maze, and cast net where rivers spill into the bay;
but when the fields have been sowed, they embark upon the seas, raiding the
lands of the fat folk to the south, taking what Vatun has decreed as theirs:
that which the weak cannot keep.
 |
| The Sisters of Mystery |
Though
one the fiercest of the Clans of Rhiza, the Tigers had been broken on the
shield of Aerdy when they sought to crush the Oreidians at Marner and then at Spinecastle,
where the bleached bones of their fallen had leant their name to the district
that rose from it: The Bone March.
In their weakened state, they soon fell under the suzerainty of their
cousins the Schnai (the Snow Leopard clans), until King Ralff in desperation
parleyed with their once hated enemy Luxnoll III, to jointly defend against the
ever brazen bands of Fists that fell upon their villages from the Kelten Pass
while their longships were upon the seas, raiding.
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).
 |
| A Fierce, Watchful North |
There are none specific to the Fruztii, but
most pertinent information can be found in:
The Greyhawk Folio, The Greyhawk setting boxed
set, Greyhawk Adventures, Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, Greyhawk Wars, From the
Ashes Boxed Set, Ivid the Undying, Dragon_magazine_#57
WGS1 The Five Shall Be One; WGS2 Howl From the
North
Adventures
in the country include:
Armistice, Dungeon #84, Griff Mountains
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 (if not Fruztii lands) an ideal location for B2 Keep on the
Borderlands, as well.
Other adventures include:
Forest adventures in the Timberway and Spikey Forests. Winter wolves and
Mist wolves.
Mountain adventures (and possibly Underdark adventures) in the Raker and
Griff mountains (alternate placement of G1-3). Orcs, gnolls, giants and drow,
oh my!
Intrigue in Marner and Ratikhill. Ratik has many enemies (the Bone March,
Lord Grennell, the Barbarians early on, the Hold of Stonefist, the Scarlet
Brotherhood) and dubious allies (the Sea Barons and Theocracy of the Pale).
Border skirmishes with the Bone March.
Fey fading lands.
Ruins of the Ur-Flan from the time of Keraptis.
 |
| The Frost Barbarian |
WGS1 The Five Shall Be One;
WGS2 Howl from the North;
Fright at Tristor
The Stolen Seal, WOGG
OJ#9, A
Slight Diversion; Redspan, Bandit
Kingdoms
WGS1 The Five Shall Be One, Bandit
Kingdoms
WGR5 Iuz the Evil;
The
Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga;
Forge of Fury, Bone March
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
The Sharm’s Dark Song, Dungeon #87
Glacier Seas, Dungeon #87
Beyond the Light of Reason, Dungeon #96, Tenh
Raiders of the Black Ice, Dungeon #115, Blackmoor
Ill Made Graves, Dungeon #133, Jotsplat & the Icy Sea
In
the Shadows of Spinecastle, Dungeon Magazine #148
 |
| From His Cold, Dead Hands |
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.
Forest adventures in the Hraak Forest. Raiding and seizing Kelen.
Sea adventures upon the Solnor and the Icy Seas.
Raids into the Hold of Stonefist
Mutual defense negotiations with the Barbarian tribes.
Mutual defense with Ratik 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 Barons 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.
Frost Barbarians:
chaotic neutral, chaotic evil; Suloise, Common, Cold
Tongue
DRG#52 - 20
KINGDOM OF FRUZTII
His Most Warlike Majesty, King Ralff of the Fruztii
Capital: Krakenheim (pop. 3,300)
Population: 50,000+/-
Demi-humans: Few
Humanoids: Some
Resources: foodstuffs, furs, silver, gold
WOGA - 21
Proper Name: Kingdom of (the) Fruztii
Ruler: His Most Warlike Majesty, King Hundgred Ralffson
of the Fruztii (CN male human Bbn13)
Capital: Krakenheim Major Towns: Djekul (pop. 3,100),
Krakenheim (pop. 4,500)
Resources: Foodstuffs (plus fish), furs, silver, gold,
iron, timber, shipbuilding supplies
Population: 144,500—Human 96% (S), Dwarf 2% (hill 50%,
mountain 50%), Halfling 1%, Other 1%
Languages: Cold Tongue, Common
Alignments: CN, N
Religions: Kord, Llerg, Norebo, Xerbo, Vatun, Syrul
LGG – 43,44
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:
From His Cold, Dead Hands cover, by Daniel Govar, 2019
Frost Barbarians Shield detail, from the Greyhawk Folio, 1980
Sources:
1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983
9025 World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
9577 The Adventure Begins,
1998
9578 Player’s Guide to
Greyhawk, 1998
11743
Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
Dragon Magazine 68, 82
OJ Oerth Journal #10,
appearing on Greyhawk Online
Greyhawkania, Jason Zavoda
The map of Anna B. Meyer
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