Greyhawk Musings: The Schnai Primer

“Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things:

what's said and what's done.”

― Seamus Heaney, Beowulf

His Bellicose Majesty, King Ingemar Hartensen of the Schnai, yearns for a return to the glory days of Rhizia. The strongest, and most populace of the Barbarian states, they held sway over their brethren for years, but that has changed in recent years. Their brethren have shown increased autonomy. He is not pleased about that; but to march against one would risk conflict with the other, and while he was certain that his jarls could defeat one, his folk would be hard pressed to defeat both at once. So They said. So, he waits. And watches. And prepares.

King Ingemar Hartensen

The Fruztii's alliance with the Ratikians will surely bring them low, they said; the Ratikians are only using their northern neighbours to blunt the swords of the Euroz and the Fists.

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

In truth, the snow leopard clans were never the fiercest (that distinction was held by the Fruztii) or the most adventurous (that might be said of the Cruski); they were the slyest, the most cunning, and the most calculating. One must not think that the snow leopards are not ferocious, because they are. Many are called to the path of the berserker, eschewing armor for the spotted hide of their patron totem, the axe, and shield and their trust in the favour of Vatun.

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

Adventures in the country include:

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

Expeditions to Skrellingshald (Tostencha)

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.

Snow Barbarians:

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:

Nordic-Sailor-Nation-development-art by theotherearth

Old-Viking by utilikiltarian

Snow-Leopard-Speed-Painting by tehchan

The Witch of Serpent Bridge by Vinod Rams, from Dungeon magazine #95, 2002

Gaze by dropdeadcoheed

Snow Barbarian shield, from the Greyhawk Folio, 1980

Snow-Leopard-Eye by lahvorre

Sources:

1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983

9025 World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980