“If you are going through hell, keep going.”
― Winston S. Churchill
“Never, never, never give in!”
― Winston S. Churchill
Questions arise while worldbuilding.
How do cities arise? Why do cities arise? Why do they,
and not others, grow, thrive, and become the capital of a region, or the nation
in which they reside?
Take Marner, the capital of Ratik, for instance. If there
was ever a perplexing placement of city in the whole of Greyhawk, this would be
it. Most cities begin as one would expect: On a river, upon a lake, at a
crossroads, amid rich farming, or because there be gold in them there hills.
Not so Marner. Marner was settled and grew from necessity. The Great Kingdom
thought to expand, and in expanding, it gathered in enemies, as well as new
lands. The Suel. The Ur-Flan. The Barbarians.
The Barbarians were especially troublesome. They refused
to submit. They refused to be tamed. They warred. They raided. They made a
nuisance of themselves; so much so, that the Overking declared that they be
defeated if they could not be pacified.
When the Bone March was created by the Overking, a
further outpost was desired and the Aerdi banners pushed northward as far as
the Timberway. A military commander was appointed to see to the establishment
of a secure territory and lumbering was gotten underway, as the great pines of
the area were highly desirable in shipbuilding. [WOGA - 32]
122 CY
But who should be tasked with such a task? Someone well
acquainted with fighting barbarians, that’s who.
[It] soon became clear to the leaders of the Aerdi
military that a further buffer was required if these new lands were to be
protected from additional incursions from the north. General Sir Pelgrave Ratik
of Winetha, a wily veteran of the barbarian campaigns, appointed in 122 CY to
oversee an expedition that would attempt to drive the Aerdi frontier all the
way to the foothills of the Griff Mountains. Ratik and his forces inaugurated
their expedition by crossing Kalmar Pass, taking the town of Bresht in a
blustery winter campaign that cost the Fruztii dearly. [LGG – 89]
123 CY
The Barbarians, being who and what they are, refused
pacification. They refused to submit.
Ratik discovered that there were those who were not
altogether displeased with his conquering these lands. The dwarves and gnomes,
and the elves, and those Flan who had migrated here untold centuries earlier,
could not care a whit who ruled that thin strip of ground between the Grendep
and Rakers so long as they were left to go about their business in peace. Some
were even inclined to help if that ushered in that peace, all the sooner.
After brokering an alliance with the dwarven lords of
the eastern Rakers, Ratik proceeded to force a retreat of the Fruztii up the
narrow coast and into the northern fastness of the Timberway. [Ratik] wisely
refused to follow them into an obvious trap and instead broke off the pursuit
and fortified his gains. He was immediately hailed a hero in the south and his
legend grew quickly. [LGG – 89,90]
Pelgrave Ratik discovered that not all the Suel had
retreated. Some had farmed these lands and had harvested the Timberway and the
Loftwood for generations, and were very much married to the land. They had
roots, and their thanes were willing to pledge fealty, should they be allowed
to remain, and left to rule in their new overking’s stead. Krakenheim had had
long since neglected them, they reasoned, and one overking was as good an
another, as far as these “southern” Suel were concerned.
Some farming is conducted during the short growing
season in the open lands between Marner and Ratikhill. [LGG – 89]
Ratik is populated chiefly by folk of Aerdi descent,
with an Oeridian-Suel mix being common. Few Flan are here, though many Fruztii
and some Schnai are present, expatriate farmers from their homelands. Dwarves
and gnomes are numerous in rougher lands. Only humans prefer the coasts, where
their fishing villages are located. [LGG
– 89]
124 CY
The Kingdom required a fortress with which to defend its
newly gained grounds, and it needed a port.
Bresht was too far south. And inland. Onsager Point, on
the other hand, jut out over top a natural harbour near the extent of their
gains, and it commanded the peninsula round which the Rhizians raided south. That
made Onsager Point ideal.
General Sir Pelgrave Ratik of Winetha struck ground and
raised his palisade. He named the site Marner, after his wife.
Over the ensuing months, General Ratik established a
military fort overlooking Grendep Bay at Onsager Point. He called the place
Marner, and used the newly founded town as a base of operations from which to
secure the whole territory. Ratik soon began exploiting the shipbuilding
opportunities afforded by the tall pines of the Timberway, and Marner grew from
a sizable stronghold to a small port city. [LGG - 90]
Ratik stretches between the Rakers and the Solnor
Coast, where the modest city of Marner, the capital, is its only major port. [LGG – 89]
The climate of Ratik is wintry much of the year, with
heavy snows swollen with moisture from the Solnor falling steadily during the
height of Telchur's sway. [LGG – 89]
No city thrives on conquest alone. There must be trade;
without it, the settlement would surely wither and die.
Ratik soon began exploiting the shipbuilding
opportunities afforded by the tall pines of the Timberway, and Marner grew from
a sizable stronghold to a small port city. Ratik sent glowing reports to his
superiors in the south and was shrewd enough to back them up with a steady
stream of riches, including highly prized furs and precious gems acquired in
trade from the dwur. [LGG – 90]
The active commander soon sent such a stream of riches
southward (he was a just man, friendly with the Dwerfolk, and an able tactician,
too) - accompanying them with detailed reports of successful actions against
the last of the Frost Barbarians in the area - that the Overking took notice. [WOGA
- 32]
128 CY
The Fruztii could not tolerate the Aerdian presence in
their land. They turned to their Rhizian brethren for aide in repelling the
intruders. It must be done soon, the Fruztii said, lest their roots grow too
deep.
In 128 CY, the Fruztii and Schnai allied to create an
invasion flotilla. They launched a concerted attack on Marner during the spring
that almost caught the Aerdi by surprise. In defense, General Ratik set the
major approaches to the port ablaze, forcing the armada through a narrow
approach where it was cut to pieces by the siege engines of the fort and a
squadron of the imperial navy. [LGG
– 90]
130 CY
After a raiding fleet was roundly beaten, the Overking
elevated this general to the nobility, creating him Baron Ratik. WOGA - 32
The overking was sufficiently impressed with the
victory that in 130 CY he elevated Pelgrave Ratik to the aristocracy, granting
him the title of baron and the new lands as a personal fief. [LGG – 90]
130 – 350 CY
Can one separate the history of those who rule with that
of the city or the state? If not, then the history of Ratik and Marner is very
much married with that of the Bone March. Ratik sprang from the March, after
all.
Thereafter a succession of [Pelgrave Ratik’s]
descendants have ruled the fief, bravely combatting raiders so as to gain their
respect and even friendship from some, while humans and demihumans alike
prospered. [WOGA - 32]
The baron and the marquis of Bone March became fast
allies, and their descendants enjoyed a great deal of peace and success over
the next two centuries, needing only to fend off infrequent raids from the
Timberway and the Rakers until the middle of the fourth century CY. [LGG -
90]
353 CY
No sally, no sortie, nor siege could dislodge the Aerdi
from Marner. The Rhizians decided to cut it and Ratik off from its lifeblood by
encircling it. Should the Bone March fall, surely Ratik and its port of Marner
must, as well.
[A] massive invasion by a unified host of Fruztii and
Schnai threatened to overwhelm the nations and sweep into North Province in 356
CY. The Rax Overking Portillan was concurrently embroiled in a struggle over
the secession of Nyrond and had assembled an invasion force to head west, which
he was forced to divert north to counter the new threat. The attack was soon
turned back, though at great cost. So fierce was the defense of the men and
dwarves of Ratik that even the Fruztii were impressed. [LGG - 90]
450 CY
The Celestial court would accomplish what the Fruztii
could never do. Its myopic rule turned inward, and for centuries the Great
Kingdom waned, shrinking ever smaller. It was only a matter of time before
Marner realized that there could be no help from the Malachite Throne, not
then, not ever. It must look to itself and its closest ally, and none other,
were it to survive.
Ratik and Bone March gained semipalatinate status
following the Turmoil Between Crowns, which saw a shift of power from the
Malachite Throne to the provinces. Few of Ratik's riches headed south in
tribute, and Alain II of Ratik took to calling himself archbaron henceforth. [LGG
– 90,91]
560 – 563 CY
But all too soon, disaster struck.
In 560, nonhuman tribes from the Rakers and Blemu
Hills struck into Bone March, subjugating the land in 563 and slaying its
leaders. [LGG – 91]
When the hordes of humanoids began attacking, Ratik
had ample warning from the dwarves dwelling in the mountains. Companies of men
and gnomes hurried west to aid their countrymen against the invaders, while
couriers were sent south (and north) to alert the people there. Resistance was
so fierce that the area was bypassed, and the attackers fell instead upon the
Bone March. […]
The Baron's forces are able to defend Ratik, but they
are not strong enough to dislodge the humanoids from the mountains of the plain
to the south. [WOGA - 32]
Ratik and its baron, Lexnol III, had been forewarned
and deflected most of the invaders, but could not prevent the disaster that
befell the march. Lexnol, a skilled leader and tactician, realized that he was
now isolated and no succor would be forthcoming from the south or the court of
Overking Ivid V. He approached the lords of Djekul, who had grown less wary of
the proud Aerdi in the intervening years and were even grudgingly respectful.
With the Fruztii, Lexnol forged an affiliation called the Northern Alliance.
Ratik subsequently became fully independent of the Great Kingdom and had the
might to both hammer the orcs and gnolls of Bone March and dissuade an invasion
from North Province. [LGG – 91]
The isolated barony has since been ruled as a fief
palatine. [WOGA - 32]
563 – 566 CY
Desperate times require desperate measures. The Fruztii
had long been long been subjugated by the Schnai, and Ratik found itself
without allies. Ever so quietly, Lexnol, archbaron of Ratik, treated with young
King Rälff of
Krakenheim, and came to teams of mutual benefit.
In 563 CY, orcs invaded Spinecastle by secret ways
that offered its defenders little warning or means of preparation. Within just
three years, the nonhuman masses had laid low the nation from the outside in
and the inside out, dominating the realm from Johnsport almost to the Flinty
Hills. A raid into Ratik was attempted, but an alliance between Lexnol and the
Fruztii prevented its success. [LGG - 36]
Ratik is well settled despite being located so far
north of the population centers of the former Great Kingdom, partly because so
many refugees fled here from Bone March. [LGG – 89]
Ratik is a small, but prosperous nation. Natural barriers
on all sides isolated Ratik from the rest of the Flanaess, but also protected
it from invaders for centuries. [WGG
- 14]
574 CY
Mysteries abound in the far north. The elves once had a
great civilization there. So too the Flan. Keraptis once lorded over the whole
of the lands the Rakers surveyed. And more recently, a little-known pair of
adventurers had once taken up residence in the shadow of the Rakers. Maybe
you’ve heard of them? Rogahn and Zelligar. Who knows what each and all had
left in their passing?
The Ice-Shard Tome
This infamous spellbook first came to prominence in
the year 574 C.Y. in the port city of Marner, capital of the Archbarony of
Ratik. It was purchased by Crylandren, a wizard of that city, from a band of
Frost Barbarians recently returned from dangerous explorations in the great
Corusk Mountains. Distrustful of wizardly magic, the barbarians were quick to
take their gold and leave, eager to join the spring raids on the coast of
Aerdy. [Dragon #243 - 89]
Crylandren copied what he wished from the book, noting
the difficulties in scribing spells, before selling the book. [Dragon #243 – 89]
On its journey the tome acquired both its popular
title and a sinister reputation. Rumors persist of either some kind of curse
associated with the tome or of a powerful, extraplanar mage tracking the book,
slaying those who have handled it, but always failing to possess it himself. [Dragon #243 – 89]
576 CY
His Valorous Prominence, Lexnol, the Lord Baron of Ratik
Capital:
Marner (pop. 3,240)
Population:
35,000 Demi-humans: Mountain Dwarves (8,000 +). Gnomes (3,000 +)
Humanoids: Many
Resources: shipbuilding supplies, furs, gold, gems (IV)
[WOGA - 32 ]
The baronial levies consist of schiltrons of spearmen
and a small force of light cavalry. Large dwarven contingents are available in
rime of need, as are several companies of sturdy gnomes. A force of men-
at-arms, crossbowmen, and mounted sergeants comprises the regular army of
Ratik, with bow armed woodsmen patrolling the north and sling-equipped
hillrunners watching the southern borders. [WOGA – 32]
577 CY
The Ice-Shard Tome
Certainly Crylandren is now dead. His corpse was said
to have been found frozen, the windows of his study thrown open, and the blood
in his veins reportedly turned to ice. Alternatively, the old mage’s death
could be accounted for by nothing more than the bitter winter of 577 C.Y. It is
certainly true that he often neglected his health while performing spell
research. A list of similar deaths, always grisly but unsubstantiated, precedes
the book. [Dragon #243 - 89]
579 CY
Marner remained married to the Bone March, despite its
fall, for Knurl survived, and held firm against impossible odds. Knurl cried
for help. “Only you and I stand against defeat,” it said. Marner remained true
to the March’s final besieged remnant.
Knurl presented Marner with its daughter to seal their
pact.
In 579 CY, Lexnol's only son, Alain IV, the heir to
the throne of the archbarony, married Lady Evaleigh, the daughter of the count
of Knurl. The county was the only surviving province of Bone March, and the
union was arranged to improve the lot of both realms. [LGG – 37]
Alain acquired the dream of uniting Ratik and Bone
March, but failed to convince the king of the Frost Barbarians of his plan to
drive out the nonhuman tribes. Many whispered that Alain was encouraged in
these ambitions by his step-family, particularly the count of Knurl, whose
position between Bone March, North Province, and Nyrond was grossly precarious.
In certain agreement were the immigrants from Bone March, who were driven from
their lands by the invaders. [LGG –
37]
580 CY
Not all wished the lords of Marner and Ratik well.
One can understand the hatred of the humanoids.
One wonders after Rauxes betrayal.
The successful alliance of the Barony of Ratik and the
Frost Barbarians has caused much consternation in Bone March (and among the
Baron of Ratik's political enemies in Rauxes). The tribes of the Bone March are
still smarting from the drubbing they received last year from the combined
Ratik-Fruztii armies, so the evil leaders of the humanoids have determined that
the northern alliance must be dissolved. Certain espionage elements in Marner
that usually work for the Overking were contacted, and an agreement was
reached. In a daring raid, the Seal of the Alliance was stolen from the
Baronial Vault. This symbolic parchment was endorsed and blessed by the gods of
both Ratik and Fruztii, and the superstitious Frost Barbarians place great
store in its continued safety. Once it is learned that the men of Ratik were
unable to keep it safe, the alliance will probably fall apart. or at least be
greatly damaged. The Seal is now being taken to Spinecastle, where it will be
displayed and its theft publicly announced. [WOGG – 29,30]
However, regaining the Seal will not be easy, for the
thieves and assassins from Marner are now riding with an armed group that was
waiting for them with the border guard.
This group includes:
- 24 ores, including some leader types.
- An evil human magic-user of high level, with
appropriate magic items. (He now carries the Seal.)
- 5 ogres, all well-armed and armored.
- A charmed minotaur which protects and obeys the
magic-user.
[WOGG – 30]
In 580 CY, intruders from Bone March attempted an
audacious act of treachery by stealing the Seal of Marner, an object blessed by
the gods of the Suel barbarians that was the symbol of the new Northern
Alliance. The plot was foiled when the raiding party was captured in Kalmar
Pass before making it back to Spinecastle with their prize. [LGG – 36,37]
[The] Seal of Marner was stolen by agents of Bone
March, an effort by the nonhumans to quash the alliance between Ratik and the
Frost Barbarians. The document was recovered before it was secreted to
Spinecastle, but not before news of the theft drove a small wedge between the
Fruztii and Ratikans. [LGG – 37]
584 CY
RATIK, ARCHBARONY OF
Ruler: His Valorous Prominence, Lord Baron of Ratik,
Lexnol
Capital: Marner (pop. 3,400)
[FTAA - 34]
Marner is a vital port along the coastline—the major
port for Ratik from which a little trade still manages to filter down to
eastern Aerdy states, although this is very hazardous. [FTAA - 48]
A Great War
raged across the Flanaess, yet Marner remained largely untouched by its waging,
if not its passing. The map of the Great Kingdom had been rewritten, and where
once the North Province had been, a new Great Kingdom of Northern Aerdy had
sprung. This new kingdom was far from friendly.
But, its new
overking, his Grace Grenell, soon discovered that Blood can be thicker than water.
Suel had long been established along the coast; so too Flan; and those who had
once conquered the Loftwood and Timberway had hailed from these lands; and they
were less inclined to spill the blood of their cousins than was Grenell.
A walled city of 19,000 people, Atirr is now a major
power base in North Province. Built some 35 miles from the coast along the
lengthy Trask estuary, Atirr has a well-disciplined army, a growing naval
strength, and is a key trade city.
Atirr and the lands around are ruled by Prince Elkerst
of the House of Torquann. Elkerst distances himself from all nobles of the
House of Naelax and has made it quite plain to Grenell that he will not allow
his forces to be part of any pact to attack Ratik. Elkerst has received
emissaries from both Ratik and the Frost and Snow Barbarians, and has concluded
agreements with them. The barbarians do not raid Atirr or Elkerst's lands, nor
those of minor Torquann princelings along the coast as far as the Causeway of
Fiends. They also refrain from raiding Atirr shipping. In return, Elkerst
supplies weapons to Marner (his own war galleys traveling there) in return for
wood and furs. Atirr vessels also trade with the Sea Barons, although not as
often as they once did. The southern dirawaen road is not used for trade to
Rinloru, given the evil triumphant there, though Atirr militias regularly
patrol it close to the border. And there are fortified garrison houses at
regular intervals along it. [IVID –
50,51]
586 CY
Alain’s desire to liberate the Bone March had become an
obsession. Luxnol told his son to be patient. The Fruztii will be convinced, in
time, he said. But Alain would not be deterred.
Luxnol reluctantly agreed to let his son probe Spinecastle’s defences.
In 586 CY, Alain led a force of men and dwarves into
Bone March in an attempt to retake Spinecastle with the baron's grudging
support. The attack failed, and Alain's surviving lieutenants watched as the
young lord was dragged from his horse by gnolls and slain. [LGG – 91]
The unusually organized nonhumans laid a trap for the
force in the hills north of Spinecastle. Horrified survivors who escaped back
to Ratikhill reported that the trapped raiders were dragged from their horses,
torn apart, and eaten alive before their eyes. [LGG – 37]
Upon hearing of his son's demise, old Baron Lexnol
collapsed. He awakened the next morning with a shock of white hair and a palsy
that confined him to bed. Lady Evaleigh, now widowed, assumed the throne and
has guided Ratik through the trouble that has befallen it. [LGG - 91]
590 CY
Proper Name: Archbarony of Ratik
Ruler: Her Valorous Prominence, Evaleigh, the Lady
Baroness (also Archbaroness) of Ratik (CG female human Rog9/Wiz3)
Government: Independent feudal monarchy having severed
all fealty and ties to the former Great King- dom, its successor states, and
noble houses; member of the Northern Alliance
Capital: Marner
Major Towns: Marner (pop. 6,600), Ratikhill (pop, 5,500)
Provinces: Fourteen freeholds ruled by human and dwarven
great lords Resources: Shipbuilding supplies, furs, gold, gems (IV), timber
Coinage: [Modified Aerdy] orb (pp), crown (gp), scepter
(ep), penny (sp), common (cp)
Population: 138,500—Human 79% (Sof), Dwarf 8% mountain
80%, hill 20%), Halfling 6%, Elf 3%, Gnome 2%, Half-elf 1%, Half-orc 1%
Languages: Common, Old Oeridian, Dwarven, Cold Tongue
Alignments: N, NG*, CN, CG Religions: Procan, Xerbo,
Kord, Norebo, Trithereon, Phyton, Oeridian agricultural gods
Allies: Frost Barbarians, dwarves and gnomes of the
Flinty Hills and Rakers, Nyrond, Knurl (see Bone March)
Enemies: Bone March, North Kingdom, nonhumans in Rakers,
the Pale (minor), Snow Barbarians (sometimes), Ice Barbarians
[LGG – 88,89]
The current Baroness, Lady Evaleigh, is the widowed
stepdaughter of the old Baron Lexnol. He still lives, but no longer rules.
Baroness Evaleigh is mistrusted by many in the kingdom, for she was not born in
Ratik and is seen as indecisive by many lords of Ratik. [WGG - 14]
While the rulership of the realm rests completely with
the hands of the baron or baroness, its lord takes counsel with numerous
constituencies, including the Council of Great Lords (fourteen human and
dwarven peers), as well as the burghers of the small cities and towns. The
current baroness, Lady Evaleigh, is the widowed stepdaughter of old Baron
Lexnol, who yet lives but has been incapacitated for several years. Baroness
Evaleigh is mistrusted by many in the kingdom, for she was not born in Ratik
and does not always seem to understand its precarious position. It was the old
baron who won the trust of the Fruztii and negotiated a treaty with their king.
The dwarf and gnome lords respect decisiveness, and Evaleigh has shown little
during her short tenure. While the military is loyal to the crown, many grumble
that the count of Knurl, Evaleigh's father, has grown far too influential in
the affairs of Marner. Lexnol had been working on a treaty with the Schnai to
shore up his position against Bone March and its allies in North Kingdom, but
these efforts are currently in shambles. Few things would please North Kingdom's
"Overking" Grenell more than to see this realm succumb to chaos. [LGG – 89]
Raids into the archbarony from Bone March have
resumed. [LGG – 37]
Ambassadors from the Scarlet Brotherhood were spied in
Djekul. Ratik wants to expand the alliance against Bone March and North Kingdom
to include the Snow Barbarians, but the Schnai will negotiate only with Lexnol.
Agents of the Sea Barons have approached Evaleigh to gain access to Marner. A
half-orc spy working for North Kingdom was discovered in Ratikhill but escaped. [LGG – 91]
In Marner, capital of Ratik, a lone long ship sailed
into port in late 590 CY. The pale barbarians aboard the ship spoke a dialect
of the Cold Tongue and claimed to be from a distant northeastern island called
Fireland. They came with four other ships in search of help for an undisclosed
problem facing their people; their other long ships were sunk by sea monsters
or Ice Barbarian raiders. [TAB - 38]
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:
World of Greyhawk map detail, by Darlene, from the Folio, 1980
The Death of Prince Alain IV, by Joel Biske, from Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
Sources:
1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed
Set, 1983
1064 From the Ashes Boxed
Set, 1992
WGR Ivid the Undying, 1995
9577 The Adventure Begins,
1998
11742 Gazetteer, 2000
11743 Living Greyhawk
Gazetteer, 2000
Dragon Magazine #243
Greyhawkania, Jason Zavoda
The map of Anna B. Meyer
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