“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
―
 |
| Old King Cralstag |
What might we infer from his single
mention? Insight. Arrogance. Hubris? Courage? Foolhardiness? Perhaps all these.
Beyond his scant mention, one might
glean much from what occurred during his reign. And beforehand. Maybe more
might be learned from what is said about his people and his kingdom, its past
and its present. And where he reigned.
Up in these
northern latitudes, the sun comes up for only a short time each day. At most,
three hours of sunlight illuminates the frozen landscape. There are about two
hours of twilight, and the rest of the day is spent in darkness. However, the
stars are unusually bright, allowing some limited sight. [WGS2 – 16]
Cruski
is remote. Isolated. Cold. A narrow strip of land, betwixt tall mountains, and deep
blue seas, far removed from the hustle and bustle of the civilized world, where
the elements appear as great a danger to life and limb as any monster the
heartiest of adventurers might encounter. Except those who dwell there face as
many monsters as any heroes anywhere, mayhap more, given how far Cruski is from
any “taming” influences.
The civilized
can only wonder what might dwell and lurk so far from any place of consequence,
what some might presume the end of the oerth.
As I
said, the deep blue sea:
Solnor Ocean:
The Solnor ("birthplace of the sun" in Old
Oeridian) is believed to be the mightiest of Oerth's four oceans. [LGG –
149]
It is said the Solnor reaches for a thousand leagues
and more eastward. […] Great monsters dwell in the Solnor and sport in Grendep
Bay when the sun warms the waters there. [WoGA – 42,43]
A huge clockwise current sweeps up the coast of the
eastern Flanaess, carrying ships from the Thillonrian Peninsula out to sea, and
bringing curious debris (doubtless from whatever land is on the Solnor's far
side) to the shores, of Hepmonaland and the Lordship of the Isles. [LGG –
149, 150]
Solnor Ocean: Kraken, Walruses [FtAR#11]
And towering
mountains:
CORUSK MOUNTAINS
The ice-capped Corusk Mountains are the backbone of
the Thillonrian Peninsula. [LGG – 142]
The Corusks form a bow, the backbone of the
Thillonrian Peninsula which runs from the Solnor Ocean in the east, north and
west and then southwest where the range terminates (Hraak Pass). While the
lower parts of the mountains are inhabited by humans, various bands of evil
humanoids and monsters of all sorts dwell in the central fastness. [WoGA –
52]
While the lower reaches are farmed with difficulty by
humans, giants, ogres, trolls, and other monsters dwell in the central
fastness. Monsters are less numerous farther east, but freezing fogs sweep down
from the heights to threaten travelers. [LGG – 142]
It is thought that this range
possesses little in the way of valuable ores or gems. [WoGA – 52]
To the north lies the great ice,
ice presumably without end.
 |
| The Icy Sea |
These
northern waters, likely a part of the circumpolar Dramidj Ocean, remain frozen
except in high summer. [LGG – 148]
Even in
summer the Icy Sea can be dangerous due to thick fogs and floating mountains of
ice. [WoGA – 47]
Whales of all sorts frequent these waters, said to be
the domain of a mighty leviathan lord. Ice Barbarians take their ships into
these waters to hunt whales and collect walrus ivory and seal furs on the
surrounding coasts. [LGG – 148,149]
Icy
Sea: Killer Wales, Walruses [FtAR#11]
Rurszek:
Flowing from a frigid cave at the base of the northern Corusks, this
slow-running river empties into the Aldefjord north of Jotsplat. [LGG –
152]
Big Seal Bay: This
shallow arm of the Icy Sea has long marked the boundary between Stonehold and
the Ice Barbarians kingdom. Natives camp in the forest
and hunt seal in the summer months. Few humans visit the desolate eastern
bay, though the chiseled outer doors of an ancient dwarven clanhold are said to
be visible high in the Corusk peaks. [WGG 3e – 26]
What’s that? An ancient dwarven clanhold? No dwarf that I
know has ever uttered a word on their ever settling the northern face of the
Corusks. Could this be a myth?
One
expects all manner of polar beasts. And one would be correct in that. Bears, arctic
fox; arctic char, and leopard seals; and whales, most notably that unicorn of
the sea, the fabled horned narwhal. The sight of white dragons taken wing is
not uncommon; yet there are other far more mysterious things that might be met
upon the ice.
Nauskiree
Nauskiree appear almost bipedal, their
torsos being larger than their pelvis. However, their extremely long limbs and
greater weight on their forward half make it hard for them to lift both
forelimbs for more than a moment, and so the creature gets about on all fours.
Its skin is gnarled like bark, and coloured in a random pattern od dark gray
and white that resembles snow clinging to the trunk or branches of a tree. Its
skull-like head and some of its joints are surrounded by stringy gray hair
resembling dead grass or pine needles. [LGJ#1
– 22]
To come upon one is almost certain doom. A
deathly cold cling to them, and those who stray too close are stricken by it,
their limbs torpid, their minds clouded with confusion. [LGJ#1
– 22]
Despite its
remoteness—maybe in spite of its cold and dangers and presumed poverty—Cralstag’s
people prosper.
Population: 60,000
Demi-humans:
Few
Humanoids:
Likely in mountains
Resources:
furs, copper, gems (I)
[WoGA – 26]
All the
barbarian peoples of eastern Oerik are pure Suloise. [WGS2 – 5]
 |
| Cruski |
Capital: Glot
Major Towns: Glot (pop. 5,100), Jotsplat (pop. 3,200)
Provinces: Seventeen jarldoms (five around Jotsplat),
over thirty minor noble holdings, and Glot (capital realm)
Resources: Furs, copper, gems (I), rare wood
(sablewood, not exported)
Population: 158,800—Human 96% (S), Dwarf 2% (mountain
65%, hill 35%), Halfling 1% (stout), Other 1%
Languages: Cold Tongue, Common, Dwarven
Alignments: CN*, N
Religions: Kord, Llerg, Norebo, Xerbo, Vatun
[LGG – 54]
The Cruski themselves are a
people of pure Suel race, speaking the Cold Tongue as their native language.
Though they have always been the least numerous of the Suel barbarians, their
royal lineage is the oldest. The king of Cruski holds the title "Fasstal
of all the Suelii," indicating his preeminence among the nobles of the
Suel race and giving him the right to pronounce judgment on any of them.
Politically, this has little real importance, for he has no power to enforce
his judgments. However, it is said by some that the god Vatun granted this
authority to the fasstal of the Suelii; if Vatun awoke, the full authority of
the office would return to the fasstal, and a new barbarian empire would emerge
under his leadership. [LGG – 54]
Indeed, the stark north is sacred to Cralstag and his
people.
Vatun made His home here, once. And the Cruski believe
that this hostile coast is favoured by Wee Jas.
A single stark tower of volcanic stone overlooks the
Solnor Ocean, 90 leagues north of the Sablewood, at the very tip of the
Thillronian Peninsula. Called the Dokkhulder, or Dark Hall. Studiously avoided
by the local Cruskii barbarians, this fell structure is somehow tied to the
Dark-Eyed Goddess [Wee Jas], for mages in service to her are sometimes seen
making their way there, usually in the company of a bardic Keeper. [OJ#7]
Might this be why the Fasstal of all the Suelii reigns
over this supposed desolate coast? Was he, then, to defend these shores from
any who might desecrate it?
The Ice Barbarians are unsteady allies of the other
barbarians, raiding where and when they please. [WGS2 – 6]
They raid Stonehold when the opportunity presents
itself. [LGG – 149]
The Ice Barbarians have supported the Fruztii to some
extent by making naval raids along the northern coast of Stonefist. [WGS2 – 6]
The other joint operation of [Fruztii, Cruski, Schnai,
and Ratik] has been against the Hold of Stonefist. Fruztii forces have now
secured the pass south of the Hraak Forest and control the lands for 20 miles
around. [WGS2 – 6]
Territorial disputes with Stonehold that predated the
wars were finally brought to a head three years ago, when a combined host of
Cruski and Schnai entered the eastern hold. They were unable to capture the
town of Kelten, but the Cruski reinforced their control of the Taival Tundra.
[LGG – 55]
They are not without allies. They’ve the Zeai.
[O]n the Icy Sea side are the Zeai, related to the Ice
Barbarians. [LGG – 154]
And the Fruztii, so long as the Kelten Pass remains open
to them.
The Ice Barbarians are unsteady allies of the other
barbarians, raiding where and when they please. [WGS2 – 6]
The Suelii called themselves by names in the Cold
Tongue, too: Cruski, the Ice Clans, who are the most noble and brave; Schnai,
the Snow Clans, who are the most numerous and strong; and Fruztii, the Frost
Clans, who are the bulwark and first in battle. They battled with each other
over the long years since Vatun lay down in the cold, but they would always
join their hosts together when an outsider threatened. The Schnai perfected the
art of building longships, and the Fruztii found adversaries for the barbarian
nations to fight and plunder. The Cruski joined with their cousins on many of
these raids, taking special joy in fighting their particular rivals, the Sea
Barons of Aerdy. [LGG – 55]
They also have villeins, vassals, and slaves.
The Coltens folk had no place in [the Stonefist]
hierarchy, and many fled to the Hraak Forest, or beyond the Big Seal Bay and
the northern thrust of the Corusks to dwell in the Taival Tundra, in the land
of the Ice Barbarians). [LGG – 109]
Cavalry is not unknown on the western tundra, but few
tundra-dwellers are Ice Barbarians, most having Flan ancestry and being related
to the Coltens of Stonehold. They do not serve as warriors for the Cruski,
instead paying tribute to their Suel overlords to be left alone. [LGG – 154]
Is Cralstag’s eastern and northern coasts truly bleak?
Not so. Though frequently shrouded in spring, windswept in high summer, and
lashed by torrents of icy rain in autumn, they are lush, should you allow your
eye to see what is there, and not what you think you see.
 |
| Sable Wood |
Sablewood trees (which give the forest its name) are
short with thick trunks. Their branches make excellent arrowshafts. wood cur in
the dead of winter has the finest grain, and turns a deep, lustrous black when
rubbed with hot oils. [WGG 3e – 23]
The barbarians prize this material greatly, and they
will not export it. [WoGA – 59]
Winter wolves prowl its western half. [WGG 3e –
23]
Halsjaken: This river drops swiftly from
the western Corusks, bending north past Glot to flow into the Spitzfjord. [LGG
– 152]
Seas of flowers bloom in summer. Tall grasses roil and
flow, resplendent in their colour, as varied as a rainbow. His lands are indeed
beautiful. But unforgiving. Despite the bounty of the sea, despite its vast
herds of caribou and reindeer, its summer season is short, and much effort is
expended in its peoples’ thriving. Cralstag knew this, as did his father before
him, and his father before him. Little time is left for industry. Just so: Vatun
had imbued them with the pride befitting their station, decreeing that their
lot was not to scratch dirt from the oerth, nor to toil as the lesser folks
were destined to; Vatun decreed that they should be as the kings they were and task
lesser folks to serve them, and to take from the weak. And they did; and do to
this very day, even so far as to test their worthiness against the high
standard of the other Suelii.
The Ice Barbarians inhabit the bleak shores of the
Thillonrian Peninsula's north and east coasts. They will raid their cousins to
the south, the Snow and Frost barbarians, or raid with them into Ratik or the
more tempting Great Kingdom. In high summer they often find fighting by
rounding the coasts of the Hold of Stonefist, and the Cruskii have both hatred
and respect for the dour inhabitants of that land. Their most despised enemy,
however, is the Sea Barons, whose ships they attack on sight, and whose isles
they often attack and plunder – usually at a price. Of late these raiders have
joined with Frost and Snow barbarians in order to counter the growing strength
of the coastal defenders of the Great Kingdom and the Sea Barons. [WoGA – 26]
To understand Cralstag, we must understand the world he was
born into.
Long before he first looked upon his mother’s love,
strangers calling themselves kin came to call.
316 CY
By 5831 CY SD, relations were established with the
Suel tribes of Schnai, Fruztii and Cruskii in the northern lands. [SB – 4]
Travelers from the south came to call at the courts of
the barbarian Suel. Calling themselves the Brothers of the Scarlet Sign, they
claimed to be kin of the Fruztii, Schnai, and Cruski. By blood, perhaps they
were kin, though distantly—but, in spirit, they were the same devious
manipulators who claimed to rule the ancestors of the northern Suel. They came
with tales of the lost glory of the Suel race and its ruined empire. They told
how the Cruski were descended from an Imperial House, the noble and loyal
servant of the last Suel emperor. [LGG – 55]
The people of the Thillonrian peninsula had adapted
their original culture for their cold new homes, and the representatives of the
Kingdom of Shar (actually Brotherhood members) took some getting used to. [SB – 4]
320 CY – 570’s CY
But the Kingdom of Shar brought gifts that were
seductive. Such gifts were seen with suspicion, at first. But time, need, and
greed eroded their suspicion. What’s more, there appeared no end to these
gifts.
The southerners’ gifts of exotic woods and fine
weapons eventually won over the barbarian kings. [SB – 4]
The gifts, though freely given, came at a cost, it would
seem.
Culturally primitive by Brotherhood standards, the
northern barbarians were beautiful examples of unpolluted Suel bloodlines, and
many specimens were lured to Shar as “emissaries,” with the intent of improving
the southern Suel stock. [SB – 4]
500 CY
Old King Cralstag Gunnarsenn is born. [Conjecture: Cralstag must have lived long
enough to gain such a distinction as the “Old King.”]
530 CY
 |
| Cralstag Whitefang |
He takes the name Cralstag Whitefang.
Weaned on tales of the Cruski’s legacy and its destiny,
Cralstag thought little on what schemes his Suelii brethren might devise. Vatun
smiled upon his chosen people. Surely whatever their rivals and enemies might
hurl upon them would come to naught, wherever he might be.
Vatun was imprisoned by clerics of Telchur about the
time of the Battle of a Fortnight's Length. [LGG – 185]
If only Cralstag had pondered that Vatun had been tricked.
Imprisoned! That Vatun might be a victim of his own hubris….
540 CY
Cralstag should
never have believed in the myth of the Cruski’s innate sovereignty over the
Suelii. There has never been a Suelii. There were Rhizians, and the Rhizians were
and are independent peoples. They trust in kin, their jarls, and their thanes;
but not distant kin. They raid one another; and sometimes, when their longships
are asea, those distant kin show how perfidious they can be. And opportunistic.
If only Cralstag had understood that. But alas, he believed in Cruski strength.
And Cruski destiny. And in Vatun’s benediction. Mostly, he believed in the
riches his people seized while raiding south, coveting ever more of the silver
and gold they liberated from the weaklings of the Great Kingdom. His greed
urged him to send too many longships south season after season.
The Schnai took
note of this and invaded the Ursula Highlands, taking them for their own.
Cralstag could only look on in disbelief. How was this possible, he wailed,
crying out to a deaf and silent deity who cared little for weaklings or the
subjugated. His warriors far asea, he could do nothing to stop the Schnai; nor
could he dislodge them, either, once they returned, no matter how he might try.
The Schnai also made war on the Ice Barbarians,
wresting the Ustula region from them and holding it for several decades. They
never conquered the Ice Barbarians as they did the Frost Barbarians, however,
for the Cruski are nearly as able seafarers as the Schnai. [LGG – 105]
It was from this vantage that the Schnai demanded tribute
from their Suelii kin, the Cruski, tribute that could not be denied lest they
lose Glot.
Old King Cralstag’s nephew Lolgoff Olafsenn is born.
[Conjecture.]
[H]is birth city [is] Jotsplat. [Dungeon #133 – 39]
Old King Cralstag is without an heir. [Conjecture. If he
did, his nephew would not have been crowned, assuming the throne is hereditary.
Norse cultures were, so I assume the Rhizians were.]
540 – 560 CY
Lolgoff was an observant child, if easily dismissed as
such, due to his great height. As a child he was larger than his kith and kin,
twice the height of any his age. He will be a mighty warrior, all who
laid eyes on him said, nodding sagely. And surely he would be: He could tip a
cow with ease, they jested. It comes to no surprise that they pressed an axe
and a hammer in his hand, long before any of his peers.
He took to the axe and hammer with ease, all noted. As
expected. But so too tactics, and an understanding of how words were weapons in
Cralstag’s hall.
He watched. He listened. Olaf, his father, was pleased.
His jarldom would wax while others’ waned under Lolgoff’s sway, he believed. He
said as much to his brother, his liege, Cralstag. And Cralstag considered the
boy closely, as he had no heir.
Lolgoff would not prove his father wrong. Cralstag took
note of that, as well.
c. 570s CY
Distrust of
their kin did not preclude their sailing and raiding with them. After all, the
Cruski could trust that Schnai ships would not raid Cruski jarls should they be
south, raiding rich shores, and waging war upon a common enemy.
Cralstag bid
Lolgoff lead the ships of his jarldom south. Bring me back riches, Cralstag
commanded. And keep your eye on our benevolent liege-lords, Cralstag said in
confidence. Trust in their swords, he said, but not their words.
Lolgoff did as he was told. He learned much from what he saw of the Schnai, and
even more from what they said.
The Cruski
joined with their cousins on many of these raids, taking special joy in
fighting their particular rivals, the Sea Barons of Aerdy.
This was the
life of the barbarian Suel for hundreds of years, through victories and losses.
Their freedom was undiminished, but it was subtly threatened several decades
ago. [LGG – 55]
The emissaries
of the Kingdom of Shar had returned. They called themselves the Order of the
Scarlet Sign.
Old King
Cralstag admitted his suspicions of these southern kin to Lolgoff. I don’t
trust them, he said. Their words are as silk, he said. His father,
Gunnar, did not trust them, Cralstag said, nor his father before him.
573 CY
The emissaries of the Scarlet Brotherhood, as always,
offered many gifts and whispered many promises. They offered passage to any of
their brethren who wished to accompany them south. They
bowed. They pledged promises that never seemed to resolve. And they feigned
servility. Yet, all their whispers sounded like orders to Cralstag’s ears.
Old King Cralstag knew well that his ancestors, be
they slaves or scoundrels, were never the lapdogs of an emperor who stank of
magic. So he told the Scarlet Brothers, and before all in his court, as his
judgment on their words. For this, the Brothers murdered him soon
thereafter—not with clean blade or strength of arms, but with hidden venom in
his cup. [LGG – 55]
“Murder most foul, as in the best it is. But this most
foul, strange and unnatural.”
― William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Old King Cralstag was 73.
 |
| Lolgoff Bearhear |
The king's nephew, Lolgoff, knew the old king's
judgment and the manner of his death. When the Brothers were brought before
him, they spoke words of praise and honor for the dead king, and they smiled.
Lolgoff smiled too, as he cut them apart with the old king's sword, for he
honored Cralstag in deeds, not words. As king and fasstal, Lolgoff pronounced
his judgment: The Brothers of the Scarlet Sign should receive only death in the
kingdom of Cruski. [LGG – 55]
Thus, Lolgoff Bearhear came to his uncle’s throne.
His Most Ferocious Majesty, Lolgoff Bearhear, the King
of Cruski; Fasstal of all the Suelii [WoGA – 26]
Cruski, Kingdom of (Ice Barbarians): Lolgoff Bearhair,
F 14 [WoGG – 17]
(CN male human Bbn15) [LGG – 54]
Lolgoff was 33.
He had been weaned on the false premise of Schnai supremacy, of their
supposed suzerainty and their demand for tribute. On their deceit, and their
perfidious promises of Cruski self-determination under the threat of reprisals
should they not do as they were told. Lolgoff desired that his people be free
of them.
More importantly, Lolgoff had seen the
duplicity and treachery of those distant kin of Shar, firsthand.
He has rid his kingdom of the latter. He vowed
that he would be rid of the former.
“The best revenge is to be
unlike him who performed the injury.”
― Meditations
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:
Nauskiree, by Sam Wood, from Living Greyhawk Journal #1, 2000
Sources:
1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983
1064 From the Ashes Boxed Set, 1992
9025
World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
9317 WGS1 Five Shall Be One, 1991
9337 WGS2 Howl from the North, 1991
11374
The Scarlet Brotherhood, 1999
11742
Gazetteer, 2000
11743
Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
Living Greyhawk Journal #1
Oerth
Journal #7
Dragon Magazine #55,56,57,63
Dungeon Magazine # 133
Greyhawkania, Jason Zavoda
The map of Anna B. Meyer
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