“Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the
measure of two things:
what's said and what's done.”
― Beowulf
A Return to Glory |
King Ingemar Hartensen |
And the Cruski, for all their high opinion of their selves, are few, and could never stand against any meaningful invasion. Their coasts are too long, too rugged, too sparsely populated. And ill-defended. They trust in the ice and to inhospitable seas to safeguard their scattered settlements.
Let them think themselves independent, they advised. The fools will, without doubt, return to the fold, pleading aid, and pledging fealty.
So say the Red Robes. They know patience. And they are wise. And have they not decreed that the Schnai are the true masters of the North?
Once the Scarlet Brotherhood landed upon their shores, their whispers of glory have taken root.
The Schnai have taken to raiding more, pitching their ships against those of the Sea Barons, their most hated enemy, even more often than usual of late. Sea Barons bested the Schnai in their most recent clash, capturing or sinking seven ships in the exchange.
The Snow Leopards |
Vatun favours them. Truly he does. He listens, and answers their call in time of need. As do their ancestors.
Black Sails of
Schnai: Enchanted in the land of Snow
Barbarians and blessed by shamans of their barbaric gods, these square sails
are hoisted only on the funeral ships of great barbarian heroes and lords. The
deceased warrior’s body is burned along with the ship and all but a small piece
of the sail. Afterwards, the character’s spirit can be called on by the tribal
chiefs in time of battle by burning the remainder of the sail. The spirit
appears as a spectral einheriar (spirit warrior) and fights on the side of the
tribe until destroyed. […] It is reported that several villages have up to 10
of these spirit warriors on call. [GA - 77]
DMs who wish a campaign in the frozen north will find
this an idea locale. There are fiords and jarls and berserkers, filled with
longships and combat.
There is great intrigue in the court of Soull, with the
Scarlet Brotherhood in attendance and in the Halls of the Jarls.
Cruski
barbarians would undermine their machinations, killing them outright; but not the Schnai, who find their words profetic and pleasing.
PCs from
Ratik would work to expose the Brotherhood’s wicked plans. Ships from the Sea
Barons might raid the Schnai, flipping expectations.
Primary sources:
Dragon Magazine_52,55,57,63,87,88,89,256,291,315
WGS1 The Five Shall
Be One, WGS2 Howl From the North
The Witch of Serpent Bridge, Dungeon #95
Forest
adventures in the Spikey Forest. Winter wolves and sable firs.
Mountain
adventures (Underdark adventures) in the Corusks and Griff mountains (alternate
placement of G1-3). Dragons. Remorhaz. Yeti.
Intrigue
in Glot. Scarlet Brotherhood agents!
Fey
fading lands. Ruins of the Ur-Flan from the time of Keraptis.
Adventures
in nearby adventures include:
WGS1 The Five Shall
Be One
WGS2 Howl From the
North
The Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga
WGS1 The
Five Shall Be One, Bandit Kingdoms
WGR5 Iuz the Evil
OJ#9, A
Slight Diversion; Redspan, Bandit Kingdoms
Ghost Dance, Dungeon #32, Rovers of the Barrens
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
Glacier Seas, Dungeon #87
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
C13 From His Cold, Dead Hands, by Carlos
Lising, casl Entertainment, 2019, Jotsplat & the Icy Sea
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.
B1 In Search
of the Unknown (in the monochrome edition) was originally suggested as
located in Ratik. That would make north Ratik would be an ideal location for B2 Keep on the Borderlands as well.
Schnai Shieldmaiden |
Arctic adventures in the Taival Tundra; Big Seal
Bay (outer doors of ancient dwarven clanholds); The Land of Black Ice, and the
Zeai Clan (Sea Barbarians) upon the Icy Sea.
Forest adventures in the Hraak Forest.
Adventures upon the Solnor. Clashes with
the Sea Barons; Trade with or Raid Ratik and the
Bone March and beyond. Clashes with the
Sea Barons.
The Scarlet Brotherhood, Invitation to
the Kingdom of Shar, Tivenot Peninsula).
Exploration of
the far south (Hepmonoland).
The search for and discovery of Fireland, and
the arrival of a ship from Fireland.
chaotic neutral, chaotic evil; Suloise, Common, Cold
Tongue
[Dragon #52 - 20]
KINGDOM OF SCHNAI
His Bellicose Majesty, King of the Schnai
Capital: Soull (5,400)
Population: 90,000+
Demi-humans: Some
Humanoids: Many (in mountains)
Resources: copper, gems (I-II)
[WOGA – 35]
Proper Name: Kingdom of (the) Schnai
Ruler: His Bellicose Majesty, King Ingemar Hartensen of
the Schnai (CN male human Bbn16)
Capital: Soull
Major Towns: Soull (pop, 5,600), Knudje (pop- 4,500)
Provinces: Eleven noble fiefs controlled by clan jarls,
with numerous minor noble fiefs below each
Resources: Copper, gems (I-II)
Population: 209,000—Human 79% (S), Dwarf 8% (mountain
60%, hill 40%), Halfling 6%, Elf 3%, Gnome 2%, Half-elf 1%, Half-orc 1%
Languages: Cold Tongue, Common, Dwarven, Halfling
Alignments:
CN, N, CE, CG
Religions:
Kord, Llerg, Norebo, Xerbo, Vatun
[LGG - 105]
Patient, the Leopard Waits |
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:
The Witch of Serpent Bridge by Vinod Rams, from Dungeon magazine #95, 2002
Snow Barbarian shield, 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
2023 Greyhawk Adventures, 1988
11374 The Scarlet Brotherhood, 1999
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
Nice write up on the Snow Barbarians... well done!
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