You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy ."
— Obi-Wan Kenobi
“Maybe there is a beast… maybe it's only us.”
― Lord of the Flies
 |
| Rookroost |
It’s a wonder as many people live in these lands as they
do. Or that any chose to come here in the first place. But there was silver in
them thar hills, once. Or should I say, in them Rifts? That’s what drew those first settlers, once
the heathen Rovers were pressed north to make room for honest folk, and peace, progress,
and empire. The Flan had never made proper use of the land, anyway. Not that it
was much use: the soil was rocky, and little more than boulder clay; and what
with the profusion of firs, it was acidic, too. It was barely tolerable to
beans and taters, and hardly tolerable as pasture. But there was silver, and
plenty of it, while it lasted. It’s no wonder the Flan didn’t even fight for
it, much.
Some say there were those Flan who did, or sought to,
even if they didn’t. Ur-Flan artisans, they say. Tall tales tell that the
people of Veralos thought to use magic to dissuade the Aerdi from coming, that
they implored an ancient and wizened prophet with talent in one Art or another
to do the deed. There are those who even whisper that the doer was Keraptis,
himself; but that’s neither here nor there. Those Aerdi scouts that did come said
that they found an abandoned town on the edge of the Rift. It was ancient, they
said, yet tables were laid, as though to sup, and the hung herbs still smelled
fresh. Round the decay, nothing stirred, the only sound the rustling of the
wind on the birch and poplar that hid it from sight. That’s no never mind, the
Free Folk say. That was long ago. Just talk.
 |
| The Bandit Kingdoms |
So it remained until Iuz came.
 |
| Alhaster |
Hail Iuz!
Be quick to “hail” when hailed, if you know what’s good
for you. And trust no one. Not your friends. Not even your grandmare. After
all, you never really know where another’s loyalties might lie, do you?
Adventures in the Bandit Kingdoms center on the political machinations of the
various warlords and powerful merchants as they send adventurers to deal with
pesky monsters, guard caravans of pilfered loot, hunt down betrayers, or wreak
havoc on their enemies’ interests. Bizarre monsters from the Fellreev Forest
and Rift Canyon must be dealt with. Beware the dragons in the Fellreev Forest
(green), Rift Canyon (red), and White Plume Mountain (dracolich)!
 |
| The Combination of Free Lords |
 |
| Suffering Iuz |
Inspiration for campaigning in the Bandit Kingdoms can be
found in the “Thieves’ World” anthologies, edited by Robert Lynn Asprin and
Lynn Abbey; “The Black Company series,” by Glen Cook.
Inspiration may also be had from the AD&D 2nd
Ed. accessory: “Lankhmar, City of Adventure” (TSR_2137)
Further inspiration can be had
from “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,” by William L. Shirer.
BDKR1: The Unofficial Living Greyhawk Bandit Kingdoms Summary, by Casey Brown.
Dragon Magazine, issue 56, “Protection circles and the like, plus news of the
north central Flanaess”
Dragon Magazine, issue 63, “Where the bandits are”
Fate of Istus (details the city of Rookroost)
Iuz the Evil
The Greyhawk Folio, The Greyhawk setting boxed set, Greyhawk
Adventures, Greyhawk Wars, From the Ashes Boxed Set, Living Greyhawk Gazetteer,
Dragon magazine #52,55,57,63,205,253,293
Adventures in this country include:
S4 White
Plume Mountain
Return to White Plume Mountain
A Slight Diversion, OJ#9, Redspan,
WG8, Fate of Istus, #1, Rookroost
WGS1 Five Shall Be One
Out of the Ashes, Dungeon
#17
Age of Worms
adventure path (Dungeon Magazine, issues 124 – 135)
The Spire of Long Shadows, Dungeon, #130The Prince of Redhand, Dungeon, #131The Library of Last Resort, Dungeon, #132Kings of the Rift, Dungeon, #133Into the Wormcrawl Fissure, Dungeon, #134Dawn of a New Age, Dungeon, #135
Aquatic Adventures: The Artonsamay River, Lake Aqal, the Nyr Dyv
Badlands Adventures: Bluff Hills, Great Effluvlial Swamp, Rift Canyon and Rift
Barrens, White Plume Mountain
City Adventures (post-wars): Alhaster (port town ruled by a Hextorite), Hallorn
(overrun with undead), Riftcrag (populated by humanoids loyal to Iuz),
Rookroost (largest city in the region and secretly ruled by a shapeshifting
cambion), Stoink (run by thieves)
Forest Adventures: Fellreev Forest, Tangles Forest
WG8, Fate of
Istus, #2 Nyrond, #5 Pale
WGS2 Howl From the North
WGR5 Iuz the Evil
The Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga
Fright at Tristor, Theocracy
of the Pale
Forge of Fury, Bone
March
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
Armistice, Dungeon
#84, Griff Mountains
The Sharm’s Dark Song,
Dungeon #87
Glacier Seas,
Dungeon #87
Beyond the Light of Reason, Dungeon
#96, Tenh
Raiders of the Black Ice,
Dungeon #115, Blackmoor
Ill Made Graves, Dungeon
#133, Jotsplat & the Icy Sea
Tomb of Zhang the Horrific, by
William Dvorak, Rovers of the Barrens.
C13 From His Cold, Dead Hands,
by Carlos Lising, casl Entertainment, 2019, Jotsplat & the Icy Sea
C14 The Sanguine Labyrinth, by Carlos Lising, casl Entertainment, 2019, Burning
Cliffs
C17 The Root of All Evil, by Carlos Lising, casl Entertainment, 2019, Burning Cliffs
FB1 While on the Road to Cavrik's
Cove, casl Entertainment, 2021, Ratik
Although later retconned into the Yeomanry,
B1 Into the Unknown (in the monochrome edition) was originally
suggested as located in Ratik, The Duchy of Tenh, or the Theocracy of the Pale. That
would make either an ideal location for B2 Keep on the Borderlands, as
well.
Pholtans from the Theocracy of the Pale to the east seek
to break Dimre’s defenses.
The Tenha city of Redspan vies with Rookroost for control of the Artonsamay
River’s northern traffic.
Nomadic barbarians of the Rovers of the Barrens dominate the wild plains to the
north.
Devils stalk the Horned Society’s lands while paladins in the Holy Realm of the
Shield Lands seek to curtail bandit and infernal invasions alike to the west.
County of Urnst shipping on the Nyr Dyv is often harassed by corsairs out of
Alhaster.
Heroic campaigns are difficult to set in the Bandit Kingdoms. Paladins are
generally run out of town by the local populace for being nosy do-gooders. In
addition, there are few ancient dungeons to explore (except for Nerull’s Bane
in the Fellreev Forest and Wormcrawl Fissure in the Rift Canyon).
chaotic neutral, chaotic evil; Flan, Baklunish, Oeridian,
Common.
[Dragon #52 – 20]
Various claims to royal titles exist
Capital (largest city in strongest state): currently
Rookroost (pop. 17,310)
Population: 95,000 +
Demi-humans: Few if any
Humanoids: Many
Resources: silver (mines in rift area)
[WOGA – 19]
After the War:
Ruler: none (Iuz)
Capital: largest city in strongest fiefdom, currently
Rookroost (pop. 11,650)
[FTAA – 22]
Proper Name: (formerly) Combination of Free Lords; (now)
Bandit Lands (within the Empire of Iuz)
Ruler: Various petty warlords and tyrants or Lesser Boneheart
mages, all supposedly in service to Iuz
Government: Many loosely allied petty dictatorships,
currently "administered" (often in name only) by occupying forces of
Iuz
Capital: (formerly) The largest city in the strongest
fiefdom, usually Rookroost
Resources: Silver (in Rift Canyon)
Population: 475,200—Human 79% (OFSb), Half-orc 9%,
Halfling 5%, Elf 3%, Gnome 2%, Dwarf 1%, Half-elf 1%
Languages: Common, Orc, Halfling
Religions: Iuz (officially), but also Olidammara,
Erythnul, Norebo, Hextor, orc pantheon, Nerull, Ralishaz, Kurell, Fharlanghn,
Pholtus, Trithereon, Rudd, various goblinoid gods
[LGG – 25]
Provinces:
9. Artonsamay, Duchy of the;
11. Dimre, Grand Theocracy of (independent);
16. Fellands;
3. Freehold, Mighty;
14. Greenkeep, Defenders of the;
17. Groskopf, Grand Clans of;
12. Johrase, Kingdom of;
13. Midlands, Stronghold of the;
8. Redhand, Principality of;
7. Reyhu, Great Lands of;
6. Rift, Men of the;
15. Rookroost, Free City of;
10. Stoink, Free City-State of;
5. Tangles, Earldom of the;
1. Warfields, Unified Bands of the;
2. Wormhall, Barony of
[Dragon #63 – 14]
 |
| Winter is Long, and Life is Short |
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.
This Primer has
been expanded from the original “Touring the Bandit Kingdoms Postcard” on
Canonfire! written by Casey Brown, and some passages from that scholarly work
reside with this piece.
The Art:
Alhaster, from Dungeon #131, pg. 80, 2006
Assassinat de sigebert, ler Grande Chroniques de France (Bibliotheque Nationale de Fance, Paris), and The Unofficial Living Greyhawk Bandit Kingdoms Summary cover, 2012
WG8 Fate of Istus cover, by Daniel Horne, 1989
Bandit Kingdom heraldry, from the Greyhawk Folio, 1980
Bandit Kingdoms map, by Darlene, from Dragon #63, 1982
Sources:
2011A
Dungeon Masters Guide, 1st 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
Hail, Iuz!
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