“…he who knows when he can fight and when he cannot,
will be victorious.”
―
 |
| His Grace Xavener's Coronation |
Indeed, most nations were left battered and bruised,
still gasping from their efforts.
The time had come to smooth relations, if not heal
wounds.
The time had come to wait.
587-591 CY
The South Kingdom had spent what
goodwill it might have had. Reydrich had had fiendish servitors, he had sided
with Ivid, and invaded Sunndi and Idee. His forces had attacked and razed
Almor.
But Reydrich was gone. In his
place sat an oligarchy of its highest Houses; but it was Xavener who sat upon its
seat of power. I am not Reydrich, he declared.
And he wasn’t. But one might say
that he was cut from the same, if tattered, cloth.
Today, the kingdom is a
shadow of its former self, as wars of independence and centuries of conflict
have sundered the once great empire. It is now colloquially referred to as the
New Kingdom of Ahlissa, or more often just Ahlissa, borrowing the name of an
ancient Flan realm that the Aerdy defeated to win these fecund southern lands
during the migrations. [LGG - 21]
At one time these were the
richest provinces of the Great Kingdom, but years of war have reduced much of
the economy to tatters. The last five years were dutifully spent rebuilding
infrastructure. [LGG - 21]
587 CY
Fireseek
During Growfest 587 CY, it
was announced that these nobles and their Houses were allied in a new political
body called the United Kingdom of Ahlissa. […] Prince Xavener was proclaimed
the first Overking of the United Kingdom of Ahlissa; other princes gained
positions within Xavener’s court or became speakers for their families or
realms in the newly constituted Imperial Council. This council was devised to
debate issues, recommend courses of action to the Overking, and even vote for
acceptance or rejection of a wide range of internal policy issues (with
allowance for the Overking's veto on some items).
The naming of the United
Kingdom of Ahlissa was doubtless influenced by Grenell's Great Kingdom of
Northern Aerdy, which did not respond to calls for it to join this new alliance.
Many saw the renaming as a wise move, allowing Ahlissa to disassociate this new
body from painful and fearful memories of the decayed Great Kingdom. Xavener
himself remarked with humor that it was better to be the first ruler of a new
empire than just another name in a long list of an old nation. His title of
Overking reflects the kingdom's borderline status as an empire. [TAB - 25,26]
The provinces of the broken
Great Kingdom are now reunited, but into two mutually hostile powers. In 586
CY, Herzog Grenell of North Province declared himself overking of the Great
Kingdom of Northern Aerdy. Overking Xavener I rules the United Kingdom of
Ahlissa (founded in 587) from his new capital of Kalstrand. Both leaders would
like to destroy each other, but financial problems and internal power struggles
have forced them to devote their energies toward rebuilding their armies and
infrastructure. [LGG - 16]
 |
| Reydrich, Returned |
But things are never so simple,
not when there are wizards afoot.
Graf Reydrich had returned, and
he was demanding his kingdom back.
The old Kingdom of Ahlissa
became the Principality of Ahlissa, whose capital remained at Zelradton; the
title was a concession to the noble houses there who wished to honor Queen
Ehlissa the Enchanter, who long ago ruled the area and for whom the fief was
named. The surviving three members of the Ahlissan oligarchy were to be left in
charge of the Principality and given the title of prince—until Graf Reydrich,
believed assassinated the year before, reappeared at the royal ceremony of
investiture in Zelradton.
Reydrich gave no explanation
of his whereabouts in the past months, instead demanding with some heat that he
retain control of "his" Ahlissa. The members of the Ahlissan
oligarchy immediately declined to pursue their claim to nobility and were given
minor titles and lands far removed from Ahlissa, at their request. Overking
Xavener honored the graf's demands and invested him as the Prince of Ahlissa,
also granting the archmage the position as Xavener's chief advisor on things
sorcerous. However, it is said the Overking made certain demands on the
archmage in return for rulership of Ahlissa, and Reydrich was in a fury over
them, though he agreed to the conditions anyway. No satisfactory explanation
for Reydrich's "death" and "resurrection" has been advanced
(and none dare ask him about it). [TAB - 26]
Was this Reydrich? It was
presumed he’d been assassinated by the Scarlet Brotherhood shortly after doing
away with its spies, and boasting that he would march upon that secretive
peninsula.
Few doubted that he was dead
then; but they were not so sure, now.
One might hazard the opinion
that the transfer of power was not without incident.
 |
| A Return Paid with Heavy Coin |
There was talk that the price
Reydrich’s return was paid with heavy coin, and that it was he who silenced
those conspirators of his own House.
Would he have paid such coin?
Indeed, he would. And mayhap he did; but few would voice such an opinion aloud.
 |
| Lord Drax |
The fall of the hated
overking and Rauxes in 586 CY caused Lord Drax to sever ties with the Great
Kingdom completely. When Grand Prince Xavener of Darmen organized the United
Kingdom of Ahlissa the following year, Drax refused all appeals to join the
empire, and he convinced many of his Garasteth peers to do the same. [LGG - 93]
Was living life under an undead
king all that bad? Lord Drax didn’t think so.
Lord Drax styles himself an
enlightened despot, despite the fact that he is undead (see later). By most
accounts, he lives up to his reputation, as he can be harsh but also practical,
intelligent, and controlled. He even has a dry sense of humor. He commands a
large standing army and a navy the equal of any city's on the coast. He rules
with austerity and wisdom, but also with a tight fist; he has little opposition
within his realm. [LGG - 92]
What did Xavener do about this?
Nothing. He had other, more pressing, concerns just then.
The Scarlet Brotherhood, for
instance.
It is commonly believed that
Brotherhood spies are thick in this region, though learned observers think far
fewer spies are present than most people think. Overking Xavener has ordered a
massive build-up of the decrepit imperial fleet, and he ordered the execution
and imprisonment of several naval officers who allowed the fleet in Ptymp to
decay. Given that both Prymp and Naerie City are being upgraded and
strengthened as seaports, the Scarlet Brotherhood cannot be happy about the
situation. Conflicts with Brotherhood ships have already been reported, but the
waters off Naerie (formerly Idee) are said to be swarming with monsters under
the Brotherhood‘s control. Talk is heard in seaport taverns of possible raids
against Kro Terlep in retaliation for Brotherhood piracy. [TAB - 28]
Almor, as we know it, had passed
into history. Duke Szeffrin had laid waste to it. But he too had supposedly met
his fate while sacking Rauxes after rumours indicated that Ivid was dead.
Perhaps Ivid was not dead, after all. Then again, maybe Szeffrin wasn’t either.
It was only then that Lynward liberated
what he could of that savaged nation. He desperately needed arable lands, and
people to farm them. And even more importantly, he needed to secure his border from
this new Kingdom of Ahlissa.
Nyrond has expanded east to
annex the ruined and depopulated lands of Almor, destroyed by the Great Kingdom
in the Greyhawk Wars[.] [TAB - 17]
In his first year on the
throne, Lynwerd seized the western half of Almor, realigned the command structure
of his armies, and reduced taxes to prewar levels, While the latter did much to
boost the morale of his lords, it has done nothing to pull Nyrond from the
bitter clutches of poverty. [LGG - 78]
Nyrondese soldiers and
expatriate Almorians began to retake these land […], but resettlement has been
greatly slowed by local humanoids and undead. Vast tracts of land remain
unfarmed down to the Harp River, all of which was declared a protectorate of
Nyrond by King Lynwerd I in Growfest 587 CY, an act that greatly angered the
newly formed Kingdom of Ahlissa. [TAB - 27]
Xavener may have been greatly
angered, but he was in no position to contest Nyrond’s claim, just then.
Like Lynwerd, Xavener was
greatly concerned with the blight of mighty undead left from the Great Kingdom’s
purges.
So too was Grenell. The
Dreadlord Monduiz Dephaar dwelt on his northern border.
And another, one Delgath the
Undying in Rinloru, a cleric of Nerull and lieutenant of Ivid’s, held off
forces of the North Kingdom with his undead army.
The most serious internal
threat to [Grenell’s] realm (aside from the risk of a chaotic orc uprising) is
a civil war centered around Rinloru, now devastated after a four-year siege.
Ivid V had a noble, a minor priest, turned into an animus during the Greyhawk
Wars to govern this city and surrounding lands. The priest took a liking to his
ghastly condition and developed a megalomaniac desire to convert the whole
Great Kingdom into an undead empire under Nerull. Since 587 CY, Delglath the
Undying […] has proven to be a military genius and master spellcaster, holding
off a vast encircling army with his own undead forces, created from the city's
once-living inhabitants. He is aided by a large number of Nerull clerics, loyal
to him though he is unquestionably insane. Delglath has several actual
artifacts in his possession, and there is real concern that unless he is
destroyed, the situation might get out of control. [LGG - 74]
 |
| A Surgical Approach |
Now, the Duxchaners, with the
resources of the Scarlet Brotherhood at their backs, have made a comeback. Two
captains loyal to the Sea Barons were killed and replaced by agents of the
Brotherhood in 587 CY. [LGG - 100]
589 CY
 |
| Count Hazendel |
After long consideration and
consultation, Count Hazendel (himself of a major noble house of the gray elves)
declared in Growfest 589 CY that Sunndi had forevermore severed all ties with
the Great Kingdom and its successor states and noble houses. [LGG - 110]
The independent cities and
towns of the Solnor coast (Rel Astra, Ountsy, and Roland) have made no official
response to Overking Xavener’s call for reunion, though unofficially, they
discard any possibility of union with the empire. All of these cities have increased
patrols along their borders, built new lookouts and fortifications, and
expanded and improved their military forces. [TAB - 29]
If anything, those who opted not
to return to the fold of empire were banding together against the threat of
those who were opposed to their mutual self-determination.
The [Scarlet Brotherhood] spies
were uncovered, but the Sea Barons are extremely concerned that they will be
targeted by the Scarlet Ones to suffer the same fate. For that reason, they
have allied with Lord Drax and the Free Cities of the Solnor Compact, keeping a
close watch over the activities of their captains. [LGG - 100]
 |
| To see, asea ... |
The Sea Barons are very disturbed
[by] events in the Great Kingdom of Northern Aerdy and are undoubtedly
considering raids against shipbuilding facilities in Winetha and elsewhere.
[TAB - 29]
Spindrift Sound itself is
navigable, but shipping is menaced by the Scarlet Brotherhood and the
activities of a few pirates based on the eastern Medegian coast. [LGG - 68]
Even the elves of the Spindrift
Isles have been seen, a sight not seen since before the War.
Next to nothing is known of
events in the Spindrift Isles, though elven ships are often seen cruising the
Aerdi and Oljatt Seas. [TAB - 29]
Elven vessels are sometimes
seen to cross the Aerdi Sea in the direction of Lendore Isle, presumably
shipping from secret ports cut beneath the Hestmark Cliffs. A number of elven
warships also travel to or from the Lendore Isles as escorts for passenger
craft. They will certainly intercept any seagoing craft that manages to bypass
the barrier of magical mist that envelops these islands. Elven ships were also
sighted farther east on the Solnor by Sea Barons' ships in the late 580s,
perhaps exploring or trading with distant elf colonies. [LGG - 68]
The Scarlet Brotherhood had
overextended its reach, it would appear. It was but a small nation, all things
considered, and it relied on fear and uncertainty to keep what gains it had
gathered in. But being so few in number, it became increasingly difficult to
keep its most belligerent holdings under heel.
In 589, the slaves and former
nobles of the Sea Princes took advantage of internecine struggles within the
provincial leadership to engulf that nation in a continuing civil war.
[LGG- 97]
[The] Hold of the Sea Princes
collapsed in a bloody civil war that began in 589 CY. [LGG - 16]
It lost control of its interior territories
of the Hold of Sea Princes to rebellious slaves, free Holders and humanoid
mercenaries, only able to keep the Flotsam, Jetsom, Fairwind, Port Toli and
Monmurg.
They fared better closer to
home.
The Brotherhood commands the
southern seaways, with naval blockades in the shark-infested waters of the
Tilva Strait, and in the so-called "Southern Gates" of the Azure Sea,
between the Amedio Jungle and the Tilvanot Peninsula neat the Olman Isles.
[LGG - 98]
Since the Lordship of the
Isles guards the ways between the mainland of the Flanaess and the Tilva Strait
as well as the shores of mysterious Hepmonaland, much income is derived from
exacting levies from trading vessels passing through local waters. [LGG - 70]
The Iron League was not what it
was, thanks to the Scarlet Brotherhood, and Ahlissa.
Onnwal had fallen to the
Brotherhood. So too the Lordship of the Isles, even if the rest of the Flanaess
thought them capricious, and perfidious (not that they weren’t; just not in
this instance), having betrayed their former allies for new. Idee had held out against
Ahlissa for a time; but they could not hope to deny such a nation for long; and
did not.
That left Sunndi and Irongate;
two, where four had once stood united.
 |
| Olvenking Hazendel, the Defender |
After long consideration and
consultation, Count Hazendel (himself of a major noble house of the gray elves)
declared in Growfest 589 CY that Sunndi had forevermore severed all ties with
the Great Kingdom and its successor states and noble houses. Sunndi was made a
kingdom of standing equal to Nyrond and Furyondy, a political act of no small
importance. The few Aerdy-descended noble houses of Sunndi were ordered to
rename themselves, and a Congress of Lords was appointed to advise Olvenking
Hazendel the Defender. The lords were the rulers of the many human and
nonhuman noble houses of the realm, and they met for the first time in
Pitchfield in Growfest 590 CY. Each lord was made a count, master of one of the
many small counties that now dot the realm. [LGG - 111]
Not all news is bad. Some is
unexpected, even surprising. Three long years had passed before the Sea Baron
Fleet returned from its expedition across the Solnor. The Barons had thought
the fleet lost. Who can blame them? Few who had ventured far out onto that
trackless sea had returned. Those who did vowed never to return. A great many
thought this a foolhardy venture, and had said so. All protest was put aside
upon their return.
A small fleet of ships set
sail across the Solnor Ocean from Asperdi in 586 CY, returning in late 589 CY
(missing several ships and many crewmen) with startling tales of the lands
beyond the horizon. This has sparked great interest in a return voyage [….]
[TAB - 29]
590 CY
 |
| A lone long ship sailed into port... |
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. The aged explorer Korund of
Ratik can supply maps and some information to anyone wishing to return to
Fireland with these barbarians, but he is too infirm to travel and is growing
senile as well. Frost Barbarians believe “Firelanders” are descended from sailors
from the Thillonrian Peninsula who settled there centuries ago; the barbarians
wish to establish contact with them. The glaciated land is called Fireland for
its volcanoes, visible for many miles at night as red fountains in the sea. [TAB - 38]
Few were willing to pay the
tithes exacted by the Brotherhood for passage through the Tilva Strait,
although many did. The price for that passage was frightfully high; so, it
comes as no surprise that there were some adventurous souls who would attempt
to circumnavigate Hepmonaland, if such a thing were possible. None had tried,
as yet. How large was that mysterious continent? How far south did it plunge?
It was time someone found out, they decided.
Ships from resource-hungry
lands of the eastern Flanaess are striking out in search of trading partners,
hoping to rebuild from the wars. The Sea Barons and the east coast city-states
of Rel Astra, Ountsy, and Roland are now exploring the mini-continent of
Hepmonaland, returning with fantastic tales and riches. (Many fall prey to
disease, pirates, monsters, and privateers from the Scarlet Brotherhood and
Lordship of the Isles, however.) Several major kingdoms full of new peoples are
said to lie in this tropical land, some rumored to be at war with the
slave-taking Brotherhood. [TAB - 38]
The Sea Barons do not desire
a permanent alliance with the Cities of the Solnor Compact, distrusting Drax's
motives, but they feign friendship. The Sea Barons fear assassination or worse
by the Scarlet Brotherhood, and treat with strangers in their lands harshly.
Expeditions launched to the mysterious south in the last few years have
returned with tales of fantastic wonders and riches. [LGG - 100]
Bigby discovered that it’s not easy being a person of
interest.
The Scarlet Brotherhood
understood the danger he posed to their occupation of Onnwal. So, they thought
to ease their occupation, by easing him from what responsibility he thought he
might have to it, his home.
Bigby lived in Onnwal, but
fled after the Scarlet Brotherhood conquered it. He now lives in the city of
Mitrik in Veluna. [PGTG - 22]
[Bigby had] nearly killed Iuz
once and is greatly hated by the demigod: in 590 CY, he survived an
assassination attempt by Iuz's agents. [PGTG - 22]
As far as the Scarlet
Brotherhood was concerned, their attempt on his person was just strategic
maneuvering. Nothing personal, you understand. Their concern, and their
attempt, could be construed as a complement, they argued. Respect, even.
One might never confuse Iuz’s
attempt on his life with respect.
Grenell had invited Xavener and
the south to unite under his banner, and thus his rule. Xavener declined,
inviting the same of Grenell and the north, who also declined the invitation.
The two new empires raced to occupy what lands that might. It was only a matter
of time before they would meet. And stare at one another across an unclaimed
field.
One neither dared claim.
By 590 CY, Ahlissa’s
expansion northward ran into the northern Great Kingdom’s southern expansion.
Currently, Ahlissa is a hotbed of cutthroat politics. [PGTG - 12]
Those families and states still independent
were encouraged to choose on which side of the Aerdian line they wished to
stand.
The Marchland of Rauxes is
administered from the Barony of Carnifand. No one pretends that anyone travels
to the “lost city” of Rauxes for any reason; wise folk avoid it. The Marchland
is likely to be divided soon into smaller provinces, leaving only the City of
Rauxes as a Marchland. The nobles here do not complain, as they were brutalized
by a long succession of Ivids and are thus prone to accept whatever dictates
are given them by any authority.
Rumors flew in the fall of
590 CY that Northern Kingdom forces were seen in the uppermost regions of this
march. Some nobles with holdings between Delaric and Rauxes have yet to declare
allegiance to either Xavener or Grenell (such as Prince Strychan of the town of
Dustbridge, on the upper Flanmi), but they are under great pressure from both
sides to do so quickly. [TAB - 27]
In 590 CY, Countess (now
Princess) Karasin of Innspa finally declared her city for the Ahlissan empire—reportedly
after being threatened with invasion and worse by Overking Xavener. [TAB - 27]
[Some] inhabitants of this
land immediately fled west across the Harp River when they were told they were
part of the new empire. [TAB - 27]
Xavener was one to consolidate
power. Fewer capitals meant fewer lords of power. Fewer lords of power ensured
there were fewer pairs of eyes casting covetous eyes upon his throne. Let those
others control the lesser families, the petty lords, and the peons.
He would control them.
In 590 CY, the administrative
capitals of [the Adri and Grandwood Forests] were moved to Innspa (for the
Adri) and Torrich (for the Grandwood). The long-time inhabitants of these two
forests are reportedly terrified at being brought into the empire, and
considerable resistance is expected from them, not to mention possible military
action by the Northern Kingdom and Rel Astra Concern over a possible
Adri-Nyrond alliance is on the minds of many in Kalstrand Military units are
forming at Innspa and Torrich, preparing for their first scouting missions.
[TAB - 26]
War is costly, in capital, in
lives. Xavener needed to rebuild his empire. He would need money to do that.
But with whom would he trade? He was surrounded by enemies, and those who no
longer looked upon the South Province with trust.
He would have to renew that
trust. And build a bridge or two.
The first Overking of the
United Kingdom of Ahlissa is the head of House Darmen, which has near-total
control over mercantile activity in the realm. The Royal Guild of Merchants of
Aerdy was formed by this house to manage its trade interests, and the guild
today pours vast funds into Xavener’s treasury. Little is known about Xavener
except what his court tells others. He is a superb leader and wry charismatic,
but his enemies do not seem to survive long in Ahlissa, and it is apparent that
some of his aider fear him very much. [PGTG - 26]
Sunndi was close, and
prosperous; and largely untouched by the war.
Xavener opened a dialogue: You
can trust me, he said; I am not Ivid; or Reydrich. I am House Darmen. All
we ever wanted was peace, and trade. Trade with me, to our mutual benefit.
He waited for Hazendel’s
response.
Hazendel also has reaffirmed
Sunndi's allegiance to and support of the Iron League, though only Irongate and
the rebels in Onnwal remain as members. Despite the Iron League's anti-Aerdy
stance, cautious trade began with Ahlissa through Hexpools, Kalstrand, and
Nulbish in 590 CY. Attempts to get the independent port town of Dullstrand to
join the kingdom have not yet worked out; infiltration of the town by the
Scarlet Brotherhood is rumored but unproved, and the town continues to support
Sunndi. Glorioles dwarves, long reluctant to cooperate with elves, have
remained subject to the king by old treaties, though they have asserted their
separation from other peoples at the same time they fight alongside them.
[LGG - 111]
Some trade with Ahlissa
through Hexpools, Kalstrand, and Nulhish began in 590 CY, though Sunndi and
Ahlissan army units glare at each other across the Thelly and Grayflood Rivers.
[TAB - 29]
The Scarlet Brotherhood looked
to trade with their neighbours, too. Through intermediaries, of course, seeing
that few would trade with them directly.
While few ships of the Scarlet
Brotherhood dock at few foreign ports, their junior partner, the Lordship of
the Isles, successfully acts as a neutral intermediary; they trade with Nyrond
and the Principality of Ulek; some have entered the Nyr Dyv. [SB - 7]
 |
| A lone caravel sailed into port... |
The circumnavigation of
Hepmonaland was shorter than expected. It was also far more dangerous than
those who ventured the trip would ever have expected.
That summer [6105 SD], the
appearance of a Rel Astran caravel in the central Flanaess surprised the
Brotherhood. [SB - 7]
[The Solnor Pact] (Rel Astra,
Ountsy, and Roland) have sought to break the iron grip the Scarlet Brotherhood
has placed on trade with western lands by way of the Tilva Strait, but without
success—until the astonishing appearance of a Rel Astran caravel at Hardby in
590 CY. The crewmen claimed to have sailed around Hepmonaland’s southern tip
from the Oljatt Sea, battling their way through a blockade of Scarlet
Brotherhood ships between the Olman Isles and the Tilbanot Peninsula and the
Sea of Gearnat. They produced many strange spices, tools, jewels, clothes, and
devices alleged to have been gained in trade with previously unknown kingdoms
and peoples of this tropical land, which the Rel Astrans claimed was either a
huge island or a very small continent. The ship’s left two months later for
home but has not been heard from since. Despite the ship’s apparent loss, this
new route is sure to be tried again by brave crews anytime soon. [TAB - 29]
The Brotherhood responded by
tightening their blockade along the coasts of Hepmonoland; those foolish enough
to endanger themselves on such a journey were welcome to try, but any who pass
too close to areas the Brotherhood controlled would not live to brag of their
exploits. If such voyages became commonplace, the Brotherhood would increase
its blockade of the Olman Islands. [SB - 7]
 |
| Tightening the Blockade |
One must always
give credit where credit is due. This History 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.
Thanks
to Steven Wilson for his GREYCHRONDEX and to Keith Horsfield for his
“Chronological History of Eastern Oerik.” Special thanks to Jason Zavoda for
his compiled index, “Greyhawkania,” an invaluable research tool.
The Art:
Overking Xavener of Ahlissa, by Vince Locke, from Living Greyhawk Gazatteer, 2000
Halga, Iuz, and Null at play, by Vince Locke, from Living Greyhawk Gazatteer, 2000
Sources:
1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983
1064 From the Ashes Boxed Set, 1992
1068 Greyhawk Wars Boxed Set, 1991
2011A Dungeon Masters Guide, 1st Ed., 1979
9025 World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
9577 The Adventure Begins, 1998
9578 Player’s Guide to Greyhawk, 1998
11374 The Scarlet Brotherhood, 1999
11742 Gazetteer, 2000
11743 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
Ivid the Undying, 1998
Dragon Magazine
OJ Oerth Journal, appearing on Greyhawk Online
LGJ et. al.
Greychrondex, Wilson, Steven B.
Greyhawkania,
Jason Zavoda
The
map of Anna B. Meyer
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