The Duchy of Tenh Primer

 

“Peace can happen in 24 hours... just like war can happen in 24 hours.”

― Sari Nusseibeh

“How much longer is the world willing to endure this spectacle of wanton cruelty?”

― Bertrand Russell

The Homeland of the Flannae

The Flan have a saying: “All roads lead to Tenh.”

The people of the Duchy of Tenh are pure Flan, proud of their bronze color, and are as convinced of their racial superiority as any scion of the Celestial Houses of Aerdy. They claim to be the last homeland of the Flannae, the proud, final nation of the many that had once spanned the breadth of the Flannaess before the coming of the Aerdi, and had thus given succour to all Flan who made their way there. “Come,” they called, for this is your sacred soil.

The Free Flan

It claimed that it had never been conquered, that it was free, and always had been, no matter that the Duke had pled fealty to Aerdy, and Aerdy had allowed them that belief; and so long as the Duchy paid their tithes, Rauxes had no desire to argue the point. It remained so until Nyrond seceded, as soon did the Theocracy of the Pale. The Duchy reasserted its claim to sovereignty, and the Great Kingdom, far too busy fending off a serious threat from the Rhizians, could not then concern itself with its petulant children. It would gather them up in due time, it believed, but the test of time proved that such would never be the case. Nyrond was too strong, and the Great Kingdom had grown too weak. Indeed, when the Great Kingdom tried, the Tenh defeated them at the Battle of Redstone, and Tenh owed it fealty no more.

The Tenha and Rovers at Tea

In the decades that followed, the Duchy proved itself worthy of its claim to freedom, repelling the Theocracy of the Pale’s intent to annex it, to say noting of the banditry it endured from the west, and the seasonal raids of the Fists from the north; and the ever-present threat of marauding humanoids from the Griff Mountains, and the trolls from the fens. The Duchy had had been blessed with natural defenses, the swift flowing Artonsamay, Yol, and Zumker rivers, none easily breached; and when they were, their cavalry was as swift (a necessity considering their ancient kin, the Rovers were as like to raid them as not), their pikemen sturdy.

And so it was until the Great War, when the Fists descended upon them with a fury and resolve never before seen.

They fell. Their Duke fled; and the Time of Tears began.

Continuing to Fight

Now part of the Empire of Iuz, the Duchy of Tenh is very much a memory, its people ravaged, with as many fled to foreign lands as remain. But Hope prevails. The people persevere. And they pray that one day they will be free again. The Stone fist has left in the wake of unparalleled bloodshed, and Iuz’s Boneheard still rules in his stead.

Forces, few and scattered, loyal to the Duke of the old Duchy of Tenh, continue to fight against the numerous invaders over the last decade. The Duchy in essence, is no more, divided between the Pale, the Stonehold and the forces of Iuz, who seek to steal and fight each other over the remnants of wealth which remains of Tenh.

Espionage, sabotage, small party raids are a fact of life here. There are those here who plot and strive for the triumphant return of their Duke, who, still in exile in the County of Urnst, has yet to return to the war-torn lands of Tenh. His continued absence weakens the resolve of the partisans who remain, continuing to hope that he will return with a mighty host to drive the invaders away, and make Tenh safe once again.

Inspiration for campaigning within Tenh will be had in the original trilogy of “The Black Company,” by Glenn Cook; and in the history of Poland, most specifically concerning the Partisans of the Second World War: “Fire Without Smoke: Memoirs of a Polish Partisan,” by Florian Mayevski, “Definace,” by Nechama Tec; and the novel “The Polish Officer,” by Alan Furst.

Further inspiration can be had from “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,” by William L. Shirer, and “Night,” by Elie Wiesel.

Country Specific Resources:

There are none specific to the Duchy of Tenh, but most pertinent information can be found in:

The Greyhawk Folio, The Greyhawk setting boxed set, Greyhawk Adventures (concerning Tang), Greyhawk Wars, From the Ashes Boxed Set, Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, Dragon magazine #52,55,56,57

Adventures in this country include:

Beyond the Light of Reason, Dungeon #96, Tenh

Although later retconned into the Yeomanry, B1 Into the Unknown (in the monochrome edition) was originally suggested as located in The Duchy of Tenh (as well as Ratik and the Thocracy of the Pale). That would make north Tenh an ideal location for B2 Keep on the Borderlands, as well.

To the northwest is the Bluff Hills, home of the Shadow caverns and number of ruins of ancient Ur-Flan cities.

Forest adventures in the Phostwood, an ancient forest, with secrets of it own, now disturb by the war.

Partisans in the Fellreev forests.

Mountain adventures (and possibly Underdark adventures) in the Griff mountains (alternate placement of G1-3). Dragons. Remorhaz. Yeti.

The primary source of adventures stems from the occupation of Tenh by Iuz and Stonefist.

The fight for survival against Iuz and his Boneheart.

The rolling hills of Tenh are dotted by Iuzian fortifications.

Partisan fighting against the occupying Iuzian and Stonefist forces.

Retrieving artifacts or important symbols of the Tenh military (battle honors, a magical weapon, etc).

Slavers from Iuz, border skirmishes with the Bandit Kingdoms, the Theocracy of the Pale, and Stonefist.

Adventures in nearby areas include:

S4 White Plume Mountain, Bandit Kingdoms

Return to White Plume Mountain

WG8, Fate of Istus, #1 Bandit Kingdoms, #2 Nyrond, #5 Pale

WGS1 Five Shall Be One, Bandit Kingdoms

WGS2 Howl From the North, Stonefist

WGR5 Iuz the Evil

The Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga

Fright at Tristor, Theocracy of the Pale

Forge of Fury, Bone March

A Slight Diversion, OJ#9, Redspan, Bandit Kingdoms

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

Glacier Seas, Dungeon #87

King of the Rift, Dungeon, #133, Bandit Kingdoms

Into the Wormcrawl Fissure, Dungeon, #134, Bandit Kingdoms

Tomb of Zhangthe Horrific, by William Dvorak, Rovers of the Barrens.

C14 The Sanguine Labyrinth, by Carlos Lising, casl Entertainment, 2019, Burning Cliffs

Arctic adventures in Blackmoor, the Cold Marshes, the Taival Tundra; (and the outer doors of and ancient dwarven clanhold)

Helping the Duke himself rally enough of a force amongst the friendly neighboring countries to retake Tenh.

Acting as agents of Iuz in the County of Urnst, looking to capture or assassinate the Duke.

Creating trouble in the Stonehold lands, pulling military resources away from Tenh.

Convince Nyrond, which is on the cusp of either helping the Duke/peoples of Tenh or ignoring their calls and strengthen their own fortifications, to select one choice or the other.

Infiltrating the Gibbering Gate, in Rover territory, to free prisoners from imprisonment. The Gibbering Gate, a prison / insane asylum run by Jumper, one of Iuz’s Greater Boneheart, is found in the Barrens. Information about the Gibbering Gate can be found in WGR5 Iuz the Evil.

Ruins of the Ur-Flan from the time of Keraptis.

Hunting down the mythical White Auroch.

The Forlorn forest found just to the east of the Barren Wastes, is full of hideous monsters and possibly ancient secrets.

Forest adventures in the Burneal Forest, Bears, winter wolves and sable firs.

Sea adventures upon the Icy Seas, White Fang Bay, and Big Seal Bay.

Adventurers traveling into the Northern Wastes can visit the mysterious Burning Cliffs and visit remote Rover villages along the coast.

Duchy of Tenh:

Lawful neutral, neutral; Flan, Oeridian, Common.

[DRG#52 – 20]

His Radiance, Duke Ehyeh of Tenh

Capital: Nevond Nevnend (pop. 23,800)

Population: 200,000

Demi-humans: Some

Humanoids: Numerous (in mountains)

Resources: foodstuffs, platinum (platinum is rare and usually associated with palladium in copper and nickel deposits, in our world)

[WOGA – 37]

Capital: Nevond Nevnend (pop. 19,000)

[FTAA – 39]

Proper Name: Duchy of Tenh

Ruler: Contested: His Radiance, Duke Ehyeh III of Tenh vs. forces from Iuz, the Pale, and Stonehold

Capital: Nevond Nevnend

Resources: Foodstuffs, platinum (resources not currently developed or exported because of warfare)

Alignments: LN, N, NG

Population: (excluding invading forces) 195,000— Human 78% (F), Halfling 9%, Elf 4%, Dwarf 3%, Gnome 2%, Half-elf 1%, Half-orc 1%, Other 2%

Languages: Common, Flan, Orc, Goblin, Dwarven

Religions: Iuz (Iuz's forces); Pholtus (Pale's forces); Erythnul (Stonehold's forces); Allitur, Beory, Berei, St. Cuthbert, Pelor, Zodal, Obad-Hai (original religions); old Wastrian temples

[LGG - 112]

The Sun Sets on Tenh

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 exhaustive.

Special thanks to Jason Zavoda for his compiled index, “Greyhawkania,” an invaluable research tool.

It has been expanded from the original found on a “Touring the Flanaess Postcard” written by Buster “Ancientgamer” Budd, and some passages from that scholarly work reside with this piece.

The Art:

Aeons-Foreshadow-Leipoxana by magnus-strindboem

This-Must-be-the-Place by rafamaciel

Tea by toru-meow

Aurora-Borealis-C-VIII-Strangers-in-the-Night by magnus-strindboem

Beyond the Light of Reason, by Adam Rex, from Dungeon Magazine #96, 203

White Plume Mountain cover, by Jeff Dee, 1980

Duchy of Tenh heraldry, originally from Greyhawk Folio, 1980

Snowy-trees-on-background-of-amazing-sunset-in-winter by sergey-ryzhkov

Sources:

2011A Dungeon Masters Guide, 1^st Ed., 1979

9025 World of Greyhawk Folio, 1981

1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983

2023 Greyhawk Adventures, 1989

1064 From the Ashes Boxed Set, 1992

9577 The Adventure Begins, 1998

9578 Player’s Guide to Greyhawk, 1998

11743 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000

Dragon Magazine

OJ Oerth Journal, appearing on Greyhawk Online

Living Greyhawk Journal

Greychrondex, Steven B. Wilson

Greyhawkania, Jason Zavoda

Anna B. Meyer’s Greyhawk Map