Saturday 22 April 2023

A Hiatus - Resources, Part 1

 

“After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working.”
― Kenneth Grahame, Wind in the Willow

A Bit of a Break

The time has come for me to take a bit of a break. I’ve worked diligently, posting weekly for a few years now without fail, even if there have been times I’ve been hard pressed to keep up that pace – I blame laziness on my part when it does happen and nothing else – but I never failed to do so, regardless. I usually endeavour, though, to keep a few posts in the bank, so to speak, to give me time to work on fairly lengthy posts and series, and for those times when life comes calling and circumstances keep me away from my labours.
But alas, this will not be possible for a while: I’m going on holidays, my first lengthy trek since COVID struck and locked us down, my first since I retired. Therefore, I will not be keeping up my record of posting weekly without fail.

Do not despair! There’s many a Greyhawk blog out there for you to keep abreast of while I’m away. Here’s a few:
  • The Sages
    Greyhawkery. I expect you already know all about Mike Bridges’ 1000+ post website.
  • Greyhawk Grognard. Joe Bloch posts to both his blog and his YouTube channel. That ought to occupy your reading a viewing for a time.
  • Greyhawk Stories. Tommy Jon Kelly will keep you entertained with an abundance of fiction, from his pen and others.
  • Aerdi History. Scott McMillan will regale you with esoteric lore, specifically of the Great Kingdom.
  • Domain of Greyhawk. Paul Jurdeczka not only blogs but writes. Check out his gazetteer of Nyrond, among other things.

So, without further ado, I'll catch you on the flip side.
Oh! Where am I going? Turkey. It’s high time I saw Troy, the Ionian coast, the realms of Herodotus, and Çatalhöyük with my own eyes. Bucket list. You understand, I’m sure.


“If a man insisted on always being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.”
― Herodotus


The Art:




Friday 21 April 2023

The History of Hepmonaland, Part 4 (584 to 591 CY)


“Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves”
― Abraham Lincoln, Complete Works - Volume XII


Expeditions into Hepmonaland were Charted
The Suel had arrived in Hepmonaland. First as refugees, fleeing the oppression of the coming of the Scarlet Sign. The Brotherhood all to soon followed. As explorers. Colonisers. Exploiters. Slavers. Extending a duplicitous hand of friendship.

584 CY
The Great War, the Greyhawk Wars as they came to be known, had come to a close. Their coffers emptied, the nations of the Flanaess had exhausted their selves. They had spent their strength, dashing the flower of their youth upon the shield of their enemies. But not all. Not the Brotherhood. They had held back, fielded no armies, marched upon no fields. Yet somehow, they had conquered nations, by hook and crook and surgical precision.
The ports and straits and fleets of the south now in their possession, they turned their attention to the Dark Continent.
Extensive Forays
[After the war] [e]xpeditions into Hepmonaland were charted [.]
[SB – 6]
The Brotherhood has made extensive forays into Hepmonaland and the Amedio Jungle, both home to "degenerate" Suel people. [FtAA – 35]
The city [of Sharba, in Hepmonaland] is a staging ground for deeper forays into the jungle. [SB – 52]
They had great need of fodder to garrison their recent gains.
Recent kidnappings by warriors of Xolapeqa have aggravated Cuhuetla; armed guards watch over the northwestern settlements, and it is expected that the relations between the two states will escalate into war relatively soon. [SB – 49]
At least one ship departs Ekul for Hepmonaland every day—the purpose of these voyages can only be speculated upon in the north, though few believe the activities of the Brotherhood in Hepmonaland and the Amedio Jungle to be charitable. [LGG – 96]
Ekul has a large (if transient) Hepmonalander population. Since many of the savages have little experience on boats, the Brotherhood puts them ashore as soon as possible, which makes Ekul a dumping-ground for the transported warriors; the then march overland to the mesa. [SB – 25]
As in Ekul, large numbers of Hepmonaland soldiers and slaves camp outside the city [of Kro Terlop], awaiting transport. [SB – 27]

Exploring the Coasts
Their ships took to the sea, leaping past the northern jungle, landing ever further south, coming face to face with the coastal Tuov.
Protected from most naval attacks by the dangerous reefs on their western shore, the Cuhuetlan are not yet threatened by the Scarlet brotherhood. [SB – 49]
Ships from the Scarlet Brotherhood have landed in [the] port [of Ikelan] and so far relations have been cordial; the visiting Suel have made no mention of their agenda, nor of their hostility toward other races. [SB – 50]
Scarlet Brotherhood ships have been spotted along the western shore [of Iyapo’s demesnes] and navigating the Hambu channel, but the rocky cliffs have discouraged them from landing, and the Iyapoans have had little contact with the Suel explorers. [SB – 50]
The Scarlet Brotherhood has sent one delegation to the city [of Kundaxa], although they retreated quickly after viewing some of the giant hillside markings common to the region; no Brotherhood ships have come back since. [SB – 52]
The Kabrevo Plain
Kundanol has not yet been approached by the Scarlet brotherhood, although the priests of Uvot and Nola have received divine warnings that the Suel are not as friendly as other ports report.
[SB – 51]
The Scarlet Brotherhood landed once at the city port [of Byanbo] and offered gifts to the king; a small group remained behind to study the language and advise the prince. Reports surface from time to time of unusual ships on Byanbo’s shores piloted by beings the locals call “The Tall Walkers.” [SB – 48]
The Prince [of Vay Nama] has received several visits from red-robed officials of the northern lands, but has made no announcement about an alliance with the strangers. [SB – 54]
Emissaries from the Scarlet Brotherhood were slain and sent downriver, which caused the Brotherhood to patrol the Jolan coast; Prince Ilamo Ilamo looks forward to testing the blades of his warriors against the flesh of the white-skinned northerners. [SB – 50]


Exploring the Dark Continent
The agents of the Scarlet Sign were pleased with what they found: Gold, silver, gems. Spices. Textiles. Art and magic. And a people ill-disposed to keep them from taking what they wished. The Touv were as divided as the Olman in the north. And as ill-equipped to defend their riches. But the Brotherhood was stretched to its limit since the war. More of the faithful were required to ensure that those riches found its way to the motherland; thankfully, the faithful were only too willing to serve, and sacrifice themselves for the good of their beloved Shar.
Many volunteer for dangerous assignments in the Vast Swamp or the remote jungles, often sacrificing their lives for the betterment of their people. [SB – 9]

Typical assignments include:
  •  Ferrying messages to agents in Hepmonaland, the Amedio jungle, or extreme regions of the Tilva peninsula
  • Taking an administrative post in a Tilvanot city, Brotherhood controlled outworld city, of Brotherhood colony, including Hepmonaland and the Amedio
  • Exploring a particular country or region, discovering and claiming treasure and magic
  • Conveying troops or essential materials to an outworld location
  • Establishing a safehouse or temple in an outworld location
[SB – 9]

The faithful all too soon were setting out into the southern plains, even as they plunged into the jungles, each and all sending back both tales of wonders and riches, and reports of the most amazing discoveries that never failed to excite.
The discovery of near-human creatures such as apes and baboons in Hepmonaland and the Amedio has caused a great deal of excitement among the slave-breeders [.] [SB – 22]
Those who succeeded were rewarded for their successes.
Ziggurat
While most agents of the Brotherhood occasionally travel the Flanaess on assignments, few have time to take in the sights. Thus, many choose to vacation in the more civilized areas under Brotherhood control […]; the braver ones travel elsewhere about the Flanaess in disguise or to the strange cities of Hepmonaland.
[SB – 14]
Most preferred the comforts of the Tilvenot peninsula. But the Duxchan beaches beckoned, too. They were peaceful. Deferential. Subdued. Safe. Those faithful who toiled to tame Hepmonaland, however, sometimes found comfort under those ziggurats they had worked so hard to claim. Why tarry, though, the most dedicated argued, when one could relax under the southern stars, exploring the inland plains for a camel’s perch?

585 CY
One wonders how the Scarlet Brotherhood was received in the wake of the war. They were far afield, visible in most ports now, supposed gentle monks. Or so they presented themselves. The perceptive could not help to recognise their suppressed swagger, though, their hooded glance of contempt, their pride. They could not hide those from those who looked. Their composure declared: we are the masters of the southern seas.
These waters comprise the Aerdi and Oljatt Seas, the Tilva Strait, and the Spindrift Sound. The Scarlet Brotherhood controls much of these seas, contesting northern areas with the Sea Barons and in a few incursions from Ice Barbarians. Eastward along the north coast of Hepmonaland, a handful of pirates—some reputed to be seagoing hobgoblins—occasionally foray westward.
[FtAA – 48]
Surely the blame fell on the shoulders of the piratical Duxchaners, though. Didn’t it? It was their ships that held the Spindrift Strait, their crews that boarded merchants and extorted the tolls. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, they were the reclusive and seemingly benevolent Kingdom of Shar. Didn’t they?
Perhaps most importantly, many rulers in the Flanaess believe they have purged their courts of possible Brotherhood agents, giving sovereigns in courts still populated by inactive agents an unwise sense of security. [LGG – 98]
No matter. As masters of the southern seas they must be recognised, treated with, traded with, even if those lesser peoples knew them for what they were.

North Province
Grennel was pragmatic.
So far as importing foreign goods goes, the supply line from the south—the great Flanmi artery of trade—has dried up beyond Darnagal. Once, even Hepmonaland silks and spices reached Eastfair by this route, but no one could hope to sail the full length of the Flanmi safely now. Atirr has become the most important supply port for goods from the far south, which has made that city more important politically, as Grenell is only too well aware. [Ivid – 45]

Sea Barons
The Sea Barons are increasingly rapacious. Between the Rhisians to the north and the Duxchaners to the south, they have need to be. Basmajian Arras suspects they may be infiltrated and under siege.
Most seriously, Leastisle fell to pirates and buccaneers at the end of the Greyhawk Wars. Most of these freebooters were fleeing the eastern coastal cities of Aerdy, but they brought enough mercenaries and seapower to sack Vernport. They now sail widely, attacking any target that looks soft enough, from North Province to Hepmonaland. [Dragon #206 – 35]
[The Sea Barons] now sail widely, attacking any target which looks soft enough, from North Province to Hepmonaland. [Ivid – 45]
The old Medegian lands offer a soft target and the Barons raid there, but apart from the occasional foray into Hepmonaland to loot the spices, ivory, and furs which come from that vast land, that is about the limit of the Barons' current exploits. [Dragon #206 – 35/ Ivid – 45]
[T]he Barons and their liegemen often have slaves in their households, save in Oakenisle. These slaves are humans taken from Hepmonaland for the most part. [Dragon #206 – 36/ Ivid – 89]
The sharks revel in these times, however uncertain the future may be.
Sea captains who, as children, sat on his knee and thrilled to tales of savage Hepmonaland or the orcs of the Pomarj (Walfrenden has sailed all of the Azure Sea), are every bit as ready now to bring the old man a tankard of ale and hear the same tales again. [Ivid – 94]

Rel Astra
Drax the Invulnerable is as much an opportunist as Grennel.
Rel Astra is a city of contrasts. The Barbarian Quarter is a place of license and vivacity. Sunndi elves, albino barbarians, Suel folk, even a handful of Hepmonalanders can be found here. [Ivid – 97]
Rel Astra also has, by virtue of its size, some of the oddest and most specialized traders and shops anywhere. Selling Hepmonaland goods only is not uncommon, but Rel Astra also boasts one tiny, dusty little shop where only carved jade artifacts from the Shinazi people of that continent are sold. Those curiously fascinating little trinkets, often carved in the form of fabulous or enchanted beasts, are said to have magical qualities to ward off disease or magical control of one's mind. [Ivid – 97]
[P]irate vessels and a few ships which have looted, or traded with, the free Hepmonaland peoples have been known to bring their cargoes to Rel Astra. [Ivid – 97]
Trade must flow. Rel Astra means to be the marketplace on the Solnor.
In its expansive markets are displayed half the wonders of the world, and its streets are trodden daily by dark-skinned folk of Hepmonaland, golden Baklunish in flowing cloaks, and pale, gruff barbarians of the far north. [LGG – 92]

Ountsy
Ountsy,though open, is more cautious.
Lastly, though Ountsy is a puritanical and mean city, it has a sprinkling of visitors as all the southeastern port cities and towns do. Dullstranders sometimes trade here, likewise do men from the Darmen lands, the Sea Barons, and one or two Hepmonalanders. [Ivid – 102]
The markets to the west all but closed to them, thy have braved the blockades and sent out merchants and spies into Hepmonaland to discover what riches might be found there.
Celandenn: […] priestess of Wee Jas
Her home is filled with relics and trinkets from Hepmonaland, and she has visited there several times, though she does not reveal what she learned or observed in that wild and wondrous land. [Ivid – 102]

586 CY
Few ships ventured south of Dullstrand, what with the blockade. Those that did invariably found Duchan ships lying in wait.
Shulof
Shulof
Shulof is a highly fortified port on the island of the same name. Central to the town is a building called the Tower of the Eye, in which wizards use a crystal ball with clairaudience to scry Dullstrand, Rel Astra and Ountsy, reporting ship movements there to the captains of the Lordship and Brotherhood vessels via sending spells. Storm wizards on this island can also send disruptive weather into the path of enemy ships. Most of the civilian population of Shulof manufactures weapons, mainly arrows and ballista bolts, while others dredge the sea floor for catapult stones. Shulof is a way station for savages and slaves from Hepmonaland; a night spent on dry land prevents attrition due to seasickness. The kesh of Shulof is Uncle Ikkens […], a grey-haired man with a meticulous attention to detail and a long history of working on the sea.
[SB – 28]
Great standing waves of water have been seen off Dullstrand; the Brotherhood is experimenting with weather-controlling magic. Many locals are fleeing the city for Rel Astra.  [FtAA – 79]
That served the port of Dullstrand well in the long run, it turned out. With the blockade tightening, Dullstrand served as departure for caravans that trekked across the Highlands with regularity once tension cooled between Alhissa and Sunndi.
Merchant ships from Rel Astra ceased to appear in the Azure Sea after 586 CY. It is now known that the Tilva Strait has been blockaded by ships and possibly monsters under the command of the Scarlet Brotherhood and likely its puppet, the Lordship of the Isles. The seaports od Ekul and Duxchan are undoubtedly part of this blockade, though additional ports to support the effort may have been built along the Tilvenot Peninsula and even in northern Hepmonaland. This situation has led to an increase in trade along an overland corridor from the town of Dullstrand uphill to the Kingdom of Sunndi, and from there into the Kingdom of Ahlissa to Nyrond and on to the west. This trade connection has served to moderate tempers in diplomatic relations between the Iron League and Ahlissa. [TAB – 30]

How long the brotherhood could sustain the blockade was anyone’s guess. They would declare indefinitely. But there were those who thought otherwise. The Brotherhood was stretched thin. And all too soon they began to lose their grip on their recent gains.
[T]the Great and Hidden Empire soon fractured. [LGG – 98]
An oligarchy of nobles and generals took over South Province and the conquered portions of Idee; although Brotherhood assassins did their best to eliminate these leaders, the oligarchy held firm and claimed the rest of Idee by the end of 6101 SD. The Hepmonaland and Amedio troops were no match for the superior arms and cavalry of Ahlissa, and most were killed or forced into work camps. [SB – 6]
Meanwhile, the peasants of Onnwal threw down the Brotherhood government in all but the crucial port town of Scant. [LGG – 98]

586 – 589 CY
Despite these losses, the Brotherhood as a political entity is now much, much more powerful than at any time during its long history. While it has lost land, it has gained enormous wealth, destroyed and destabilized enemies, and made important gains in the southern jungles. 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]
A New Route
Few captains were wont to pay the exorbitant tolls to traverse the Tilva Strait. Some tried to run the blockade. Few succeeded.
Merchant ships from Rel Astra ceased to appear in the Azure Sea after 586 CY. It is now known that the Tilva Strait has been blockaded by ships and possibly monsters under the command of the Scarlet Brotherhood and likely its puppet, the Lordship of the Isles. The seaports of Ekul and Duxchan are undoubtedly part of the blockade, although additional ports to support the effort may have been built along the Tilvenot Peninsula and even in northern Hepmonaland. [TAB – 29]
Travelling ever south, Rel Astra rounded its southern extent.
It was then they realised that they had discovered a new route to the Azure Sea and the markets of the west.

589 CY
[T]hough the Brotherhood has lost much power since the wars, it is now more feared than ever before, and arguably remains poised to strike in several key, as-yet-revealed locations. [LGG – 98]
But there are cracks forming within its rigid structure. There are those who do not bow to the Father of Obedience, it would seem.
Key […] Hepmonaland holdings are being infiltrated by the so-called "Black Brotherhood," a sect devoted to entropy (Tharizdun). [LGG – 98]

Distracted by losses and internal strife, stretched thin to breaking, the Brotherhood found their blockade less secure than they had believed. Rel Astra had circumvented it altogether.
That summer, the appearance of a Rel Astran caravel in the central Flanaess surprised the Brotherhood. The ship had avoided the brotherhood blockade of the Tilva Strait by circling the small continent of Hepmonaland. [SB – 7] (6105 SD)
And elven ships appeared to sail where they wished with impunity.
An elven ship was seen in the Densac Gulf as well in 589 CY, and many wonder if the elves are allowed to pass through the straits or have managed to sneak through using magic. It is also possible the elves are rounding Hepmonaland as the Rel Astrans claim to have done. [TAB – 29]

The Brotherhood took measures to shore up their increasingly less effective blockade.
In that same year [6104 SD], the Brotherhood fortified its closest Hepmonaland ports to help maintain the blockade of the Tilva Strait. A third was build farther south on the western Hepmonaland coast; this third port was largely created to move goods, slaves and recruits north. [SB – 7]
The northernmost islands [of Breeka’s Teeth] are hideaways for pirates from the north, although few have been seen since the Scarlet Brotherhood increased their blockade of the Densac Gulf. [SB – 57]

591 CY
What’s the state of the southern seas?

Spindrift Sound: These waters connect the Solnor Ocean to the Aerdi Sea. Spindrift Sound is notable as the traditional battle-zone between the Lordship of the Isles and the Sea Barons, with pirates and sharks making it livelier still. [LGG – 150]
[N]o quarter is ever asked or given. Unknown pirates and buccaneers frequent these waters also, making it a lively place indeed. [WoGA – 48]

Oljatt Sea: The blue-green tropical waters east of the Duxchans, south of the Lendores, and north of Hepmonaland are known as the Oljatt Sea. This region of the Solnor is believed to be extremely deep and is known to be inhabited by sea monsters able to drag down solitary merchantmen with ease. Ships voyaging into the Oljatt are known to chain themselves together, with men-at-arms ready with pikes and bows to drive off giant octopi and sea serpents. Sharks of unbelievable size trail convoys in hopes of stealing scraps from a fight; giant crocodiles from the saltwater Pelisso Swamp do likewise near that area. Ships from the Lordship of the Isles and Scarlet Brotherhood sail here freely, hunting down vessels from other realms that dare invade "their" territory. Hobgoblin pirates are noted near Hepmonaland. [LGG – 149]

Pelisso Swamps
Pelisso Swamps:
These unhealthy stretches along the northern coastline of Hepmonaland are almost unexplored, but the meager accounts of the place are fairly consistent. [FtAA – 61]
Few explorers have braved its depths, thanks in part to the Scarlet Brotherhood's blockade. [LGG – 153]
 It is home to many exotic birds and insects, whose feathers and chitin would probably fetch good prices if they could be exploited. Giant crocodiles and poisonous reptiles and amphibians throng the place. There is said to be an extended family of black dragons (a most unusual occurrence) in one central location. [FtAA – 61]
Black dragons have been attacking ships passing the Pelisso Swamp. [SB – 61]
The flora is similarly said to be exotic and dangerous, with carnivorous plants and huge flowers, pitcher plants, and giant ferns standing twice the height of a man and more. [FtAA – 61]
Several ships have become stuck in very shallow rivers here, leaving much wealth here (or so it is thought). [LGG – 153]

Tilva Strait: The Lordship of the Isles long collected tribute from states wishing to use this long, tropical, shark-infested passage between the Tilvanot Peninsula and northwestern Hepmonaland. Such tribute was negotiated through diplomats and paid in advance, and Lordship vessels patrolled the straits, hunting for vessels whose home states had not paid the fee while also ensuring that those who had paid made the journey safely (i.e., were not attacked by pirates, rumored to actually be Duxchaner privateers). [LGG – 150]

Sahuagin
Densac Gulf:
Little is known of the tropical sea that lies south of the Tilvanot Peninsula and is bounded by the Amedio Jungle and Hepmonaland's western shores. The southern boundary of the gulf, according to various old maps, is loosely defined by island chains inhabited by pirates, south of which is the so-called Pearl Sea. The Scarlet Brotherhood makes travel to this region dangerous, though sea zombies, giant sea serpents, morkoths, and other horrors lurk here as well, possibly under the Brotherhood's control. An eastward-moving current is present here. [LGG – 148]

The Sea of Sharks: The eastern shore of Hepmonaland abuts the Sea of Sharks [.] Technically part of the Solnor Ocean, the Sea of Sharks is home to many colonies of sahaugin, which periodically raid the coastal towns. [SB – 55]

Vogan Sea (Pearl Sea): Named for the Tuov storm god, this sea is the source of the annual hurricanes that bombard the western side of Hepmonalnd. In its deeper areas, it is plagued by sea monsters. [SB – 56]



“End? No, the journey doesn't end here.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
“A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.”
― Graham Greene, The End of the Affair





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


The Art:
Quicksand, by Terry Dykstra, from Swamplight, 1993
The Tuov, by Sam Wood, from The Scarlet Brotherhood, 1999
Jungle Ruin, from Tomb of Annihilation, 2017
Greyhawk Map detail, by Darlene, from World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
Elven Ship, by Joel Biske, from Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
Swamp, by Terry Dykstra, from Swamplight, 1993

Sources:
1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983
1064 From the Ashes Boxed Set, 1992
1068 Greyhawk Wars Boxed Set, 1991
9025 World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
9577 The Adventure Begins, 1998
9578 Player’s Guide to Greyhawk, 1998
11374 The Scarlet Brotherhood, 1999
11743 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
Ivid the Undying, 1995
Greychrondex, Wilson, Steven B.
Greyhawkania, Jason Zavoda
The map of Anna B. Meyer

Thursday 20 April 2023

Freedom

 

Give me the long, straight road before me,
A clear, cold day with a nipping air,
Tall, bare trees to run on beside me,
A heart that is light and free from care.
Then let me go! – I care not whither
My feet may lead, for my spirit shall be
Free as the brook that flows to the river,
Free as the river that flows to the sea.


Freedom
by Olive Runner, from The New Poetry: An Anthology, 1917


The Art:

Friday 14 April 2023

The History of Hepmonaland, Part 3 (1 to 584 CY)


"Nowhere did we stop long enough to get a particularlised impression, but the general sense of vague and oppressive wonder grew upon me. It was like a weary pilgrimage amongst hints for nightmares."
– Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

The Yuan-ti
The Olman has long left Hepmonaland, those remaining slipping into barbarism, most skulking in the northern jungle, others casting nets into the shoals and reefs of the Duxchans. The islanders were no match for the Flan and Suel who followed.
The Kunda had collapsed.
Only the yuan-ti appeared to prosper.
These were dark days indeed for the Dark Continent.

1st Century
The Oeridians
The Oeridians reached the Solnor coast, and not able to march further they stepped upon the decks of galleys that they might march upon the isles they spied off their furthest shores.
The overkings colonized the islands off the eastern coast of the Flanaess, but standing in their way were the Flan and Suel inhabitants who had controlled these islands and plied the surrounding waters for centuries. For the most part they were no match for the Aerdi, and the isles of the Sea Barons were settled quickly.
None of these maritime powers and their natives were more powerful than the Duxchaners of the Oljatt Sea. These pirates and buccaneers were the terror of the south, holding a near stranglehold over traffic through the southern straits and raiding the southern coastal cities with ease.
[LGG – 70]
That would change over time as the Aerdi gained their sea legs.
This scattered principality stretches over seven major islands, from the Spindrift Sound to the mouth of the Tilva Strait. These islands are rich and fertile, and enjoy the benefits of their strategic location. They profit hugely from cargoes of goods brought from Hepmonaland to the Great Kingdom and collect tribute from those states which wish to use the Tilva Straits in commerce. [Folio – 12]

Rod of the Aerdi Sea (M): This defensive weapon was fashioned for use by merchants who sail the pirate-infested waters between Hepmonaland and the Great Kingdom. [GA – 74]

But the Aerdi had yet to brave the interior of Hepmonaland. Only the Suel had in earnest; but the Kingdom of Shar brought anything but peace and harmony with them.
Olman and darker-skinned natives of Hepmonaland live in abundant numbers here, but the people are treated as baseborn and often enslaved, working the plantations of the unscrupulously rich gentry. [LGG – 70,71]

166 CY
This is not to say that Rauxes was not away of the riches to be had deep within the dark heart of the southern continent. The overking was; but gaining access was not easy with the Duxchaners prowling the Aerdy Sea betwixt them and it. It was time to change that.
In 166 CY, he committed the combined navies of the Great Kingdom to breaking the power of the Duxchaners. [LGG – 71]

168 CY
Fleets were sent to deal with the piratical menace.
The Battle of Ganode Bay
Within two years of hotly fought battles in the Aerdi Sea, Atirr and his armada, which was outfitted with mages and powerful clerics of Procan, finally defeated the Duxchaners and their allies at the Battle of Ganode Bay
. [LGG – 71]
At the same time, their Duxchan rivals gained authority from the overking over the southern seas and the rich trade proceeding from Hepmonaland. [LGG – 100]
The Ardi had finally gained dominion over the southern seas.
The Oeridians have emigrated to these islands in large numbers only over the last few centuries; they are most common in Diren and the smaller isles of Jehlum, Mirim, and Luda. [LGG – 70]
The Aerdi settled these islands in large numbers, founding Sulward as the capital, though the population remained largely Suel, particularly on Ansabo and Ganode, where local Suel lords were absorbed into the government of the realm. [LGG – 71]
One would expect that the Aerdi would have then colonised the northern shores of Hepmonaland; but they did not.
Duxchan [..] gained authority from the overking over the southern seas and the rich trade proceeding from Hepmonaland. [LGG – 100]

170 CY
They might never have gained a foothold upon its beaches if the northern nation of the southern continent had not withered under the gaze of the fell serpent Meyanok and those Olman who remained continued to war amongst themselves. Further south the Touv continued to prosper, much as they always had. But all was not as it seemed; the Tuov were beset with the machinations of the cult of the serpent.
Tolanok was once an Olman city in the highlands of Hepmonoland. Abandoned during the Olman exodus, the Touv moved warriors into the city to hold the front line and to initiate attacks against the yuan-ti of Xapatlapo. After several years when the Olman did not return and the Xapatlapoans closed their borders, the Touv capital allowed civilians to settle the [Tolanok]. The hillside mines were reopened, and precious metals and gems flowed back to the capital [.]
[SB – 54]
Tolanok became a very wealthy state, although the mediocre soil of the region kept it from growing too large. It was its financial prosperity and status as the smallest of the Touv city-states that eventually attracted the attention of the priests of Meyanok.
Over the years the priests slowly replaced key individuals in the temples and the city government. In 170 CY, the high priests of Meyanok called down the power of their god and withered all vegetation within five miles of the city wall. The city’s stores of grain were lost, and the people were best by famine. Many fled, but most could not; those that died of starvation rose as the ravenous, a new form of undead. [SB – 54]

The Yuan-ti
The yuan-ti of Xapatlapo are withdrawn and rarely pass their borders. They have not raided in over a century and only occasionally travel west to trade with the islanders on the archipelago.
[SB – 54]
Ichamnmna began to fortify and rebuild, aided by the discovery of an iron lode the bronze-using Olman had left unused. Soon they began attacking north again, but the reptiles proved capable of defending their own lands. When Tolanok was rendered barren in 170 CY, Prince Okelo saw an opportunity to take the yuan-ti by surprise.
Unfortunately, the inhumans anticipated such a move and laid poisonous traps all along the path of the Prince’s troops while simultaneously flanking the humans and moving into the flatland, catching the citizens unawares. The people were enslaved and corrupted by the blood curse of Tlaloc, and Ichamamna remains a yuan-ti nation. [SB – 49] (1577 TC)
The Tuov ought to have fortified their borders and let sleeping serpents lie.

They had awakened the serpent.
c. 170 CY
When Ichamamna was overrun by yuan-ti, Ikelan increased patrols along its northern border, which has saved them more than once. [SB – 49]
Ichamamna is […] exploring and raiding south into Ikelan on a regular basis. Having learned ironworking from their human slaves, the Ichamamnan yuan-ti create ugly weapons of deadly efficiency [.] [SB – 49]

c. 400 CY
The Suel, it would seem, would not be spared the serpent’s attentions, either.
The people of Lega wander further than any other Hepmonalandic Suel [.] They have been fighting an intermittent war with the people of Sharba for the past 200 years [beginning now]. [SB – 52]

448 CY
One wonders why the Aerdi never colonised Hepmonoland’s northern coasts. Might that be because they had conquered most of the Flanaess and were taxed with controlling such a vast domain? That might be so. If only they had done a better job of it. Their empire began to disintegrate.
The prince of the Isles joined the Iron League in 448 CY, providing naval support and conveyance for traffic between Irongate, Onnwal, and their allies in Nyrond. In so doing, the lord of Diren was forced to deal more plainly with his fellow lords on the other islands, sharing additional power and ceding more local autonomy to them over the ensuing years.
The overking in Rauxes quickly issued letters of marque to the Sea Barons, designating the ships of the Lordship of the Isles as targets for any Aerdi vessel. [LGG – 71]
War had come to the southern seas.

570s CY
This is not to say that the Duxchaners are in complete control of the southern seas. There are patches that no man rules.

The Jungle of Lost Ships
The Jungle of Lost Ships
While in Sulward, the capital of the Lordship of the Isles, the adventurers are approached by an aging merchant who has a business proposition. He tells the party that one of his ships on a regular trade run to Hepmonaland was caught by a sudden storm, and blown hundreds of leagues off course to the east. Then the wind died, and the ship was drawn by a strange current to a place where there was a great mass of incredibly dense and tangled seaweed. Some of this seaweed had seemingly formed into great floating mounds. As they drifted closer, the captain realized that the floating mounds were actually derelict ships, trapped and overgrown by the weed. The captain saw ships of all nations, even ships of types that had been out of use for decades or that he had never seen before. Most importantly, he recognized two as being from the legendary Lost Treasure Fleet of the Sea Princes. Fortunately, another storm blew up and the ship was able to escape before becoming permanently mired. The captain reponed all this to the merchant and then retired, since the Hepmonaland run was to have been his last voyage anyway. [WoGG – 28]

Turucambi
The Oljatt Sea is largely unexplored owing to the hazard of the predatory sea creatures that dwell there, but nonetheless the intrepid Sea Lords have trade routes along the shallower portions well down the Hepmonaland coast. One of the primary reasons for taking such a difficult journey is the lacework of islands, reefs, lagoons, and lakes known as Turucambi.
Turucambi 
Turucambi is a maze of limestone jutting up from the sea bottom some 20 leagues from the mainland of Hepmonaland’s easternmost extremes.
[GA – 102]
Indeed, there are patches that none rule.
The waters teem with mermen, sahuagin, water nagas, sea elves, koalinth, saltwater trolls, ixitxachitl, and even a tribe of seagoing lizardmen. These fight constantly with one another to maintain their territories, and to exclude uninvited landsfolk. [GA – 102]
Few who sail the seas are privy to their goings on. Few care, fewer care to enquire, so long as their fleets are left alone.
Most have treaties with merchants from civilized lands or with Hepmonaland natives allowing safe passage and free trade. [GA – 102]
But something is up, it would seem. The sahuagin have been more rapacious than usual, of late.
The sahuagin attacks have increased in recent years, and [the Touv city-state of] Kevot has not fared well against them due to crop blights and livestock sicknesses; the sea devils have been carrying away people and livestock. […] [SB – 51]
The Suel heard of their misfortune. And, as one might expect…
[T]he fair-skinned visitors from the Land of Purity to the north have offered aid to the beleaguered nation. [SB – 51]
… as they are always wont to do….

573 CY
Red-robed Ambassadors from the South
Indeed, the Brothers of the Scarlet Sign from the reclusive Kingdom of Shar were only then venturing out into the wider world, offering their hand of friendship and benevolence.
In 573 CY, however, red-robed ambassadors from the south appeared in the courts of the Iron League Speaking in whispers, they offered their services to the merchant lords, announcing themselves as peaceful envoys of the Scarlet Brotherhood, representatives of the kingdom of Shar, an Ancient Suloise word meaning "purity." [LGG – 96]
Yet no one suspected the Scarlet Brotherhood. Their red-robed emissaries had wormed their way into the good books of many rulers and nobles, beginning with the states of the Iron League. [FtAA – 6]
At the time, few connected the appearance of these sagely, monastic advisers to […] any number of political developments throughout the Flanaess. The arrival of the Brothers of the Scarlet Sign did trigger curiosity, of course, and in short order spies were sent to the Tilvanot. [LGG – 96]

575 CY
The Brotherhood were benevolent to their long-lost kin, after all.
The arrival of pure Suel from the Scarlet Brotherhood in 6090 SD was a surprise to the people of Zar, who had largely forgotten their heritage and lived in a state of barbarism. The Brotherhood won over the Zarii with gentle words, promises of power and gifts, so the people of Zar taught the Brotherhood what was necessary to survive in the jungles of Hepmonoland. In less than a year, Zar became a primitive daughter state to the kingdom of Shar, sending resources and warriors north to the main Brotherhood lands. The city of Zar is being renovated and restored from ruin. [SB – 55]
Is blood thicker than water? Only when spilled.

576 CY
The Great Kingdom had lost control of the southern seas, and they were paying the price for it.
[The Lordship of the Isles] profit hugely from cargoes of goods brought from Hepmonaland to the Great Kingdom and collect tribute from those states which wish to use the Tilva Straights [sic] in commerce. [Folio – 12]
The Lordship of the Isles long collected tribute from states wishing to use this long, tropical, shark-infested passage between the Tilvanot Peninsula and northwestern Hepmonaland. Such tribute was negotiated through diplomats and paid in advance, and Lordship vessels patrolled the straits, hunting for vessels whose home states had not paid the fee while also ensuring that those who had paid made the journey safely (i.e., were not attacked by pirates, rumored to actually be Duxchaner privateers).
[LGG – 150]
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]
Indeed, the Duxchaners are the terror of most of the southern seas, from the Oljatt to the Densac.
Oljatt Sea: The waters to the north of Hepmonaland and east of the Duxchans is known as the Oljatt Sea. These warm, deep, blue-green depths arc dangerous in the extreme, for many creatures haunt this sea. Some are large enough to carry a ship to the bottom. and vessels going into the Oljatt are said to chain themselves together and have men with pikes and bows ready to fend off the monsters. [Folio – 20]
Aerdi Sea: The reach of water from the Tilva Strait to the northern tip of Asperdi Island, as far west as the islands beyond Spindrift Sound, and generally demarked by the islands which border the east coast of the Flanaess is referred to as the Aerdi Sea. Much seafaring takes place upon these waters, and many monsters are found upon and under its waves. [Folio – 20]
Tilva Strait: This narrow strip of water between the cockscomb of Tilva and Hepmonaland must be used by vessels sailing to or from the central waters and those of the east. This commerce is preyed upon by piratical vessels – sometimes whole fleets – so that squadrons of warships will be seen patrolling at times when important commerce is at a peak. [WoGA – 48]
Densac Gulf: It is thought that this body of water stretches for a thousand miles south between Lower Oerik and Hepmonaland. Who sails upon its waters and what lies below is not known. [Folio – 20]
Their ships lie in wait in the narrows, in coves, and all along the north coast of Hepmonaland.
Pelisso Swamps: These unhealthy stretches along the north coast of Hepmonaland are unexplored and who or what dwells there is unknown. [Folio – 23]

580s CY
The Brotherhood was a secretive lot.
The Scarlet Brotherhood was until recently a secret, apparently isolated power in the Flanaess. [LGG – 96]
Indeed, few outside the Tilvenot even knew they existed. To the outside world they were the reclusive Kingdom of Shar.
[F]ew save the folk of Sunndi paid much attention to the inhabitants of the Tilvanot Peninsula. Humans of pure Suloise stock, the southerners appeared to lead simple lives, taming their land as plantation farmers, trading but little with the outside world. To the Sunnd, their isolation seemed a natural result of the Spine Ridge and Vast Swamp cutting the Tilvanot from the rest of the world. [LGG – 96]
That was about to change.
Spies had been sent into the Tilvenot to discover more about the Kingdom of Shar.
Orderly Monks in Red Robes
Few agents returned to their masters. Those who did told of an agrarian society along the coasts that farmed far more than it could consume, with huge shipments of crop sent to the plateau at the center of the peninsula. The farmers, it was said, were kept in line by orderly monks in red robes, men and women who had on occasion displayed unimaginable acts of unarmed martial prowess. These monks kept the populace in order, making examples of those few who would defy their orders.
[LGG – 96]
In the last years before the war, reports reached the southern Flanaess that red-hooded mystics were enslaving and martialing vast savage empires in Hepmonaland. Travelers described these savages in the most horrific terms, mercilessly detailing their cruel rites and debased customs. According to travelers’ tales, vast nations following the ancient ways of the Suloise were mustering in the steamy gardens of Hepmonaland. [Wars – 6]
When rumors surfaced of their enslavement and martialling of armies of "savages" in Hepmonaland, men and women who should have known better dismissed such rumors. [FtAA – 6]
Still, Hepmonaland was too far from the beleaguered borders of the Flanaess kingdoms to cause much concern. [Wars – 6]

581 CY
It was only a matter of time before the Brotherhood and the yuan-ti would come face to face.
On the rare occasions when the yuan-ti [of Xapatlapo] have been spotted, they are all heavily armed. It is not known if the Scarlet Brotherhood has any interaction with these creatures. [SB – 54]
What will come of it is anyone’s guess.
With the increased incursions by the Scarlet Brotherhood in the past 10 years, Alocotla has been preparing for an eventual conflict by kidnapping and corrupting people of neighboring villages. The Lord of Scales is certain of the Brotherhood’s eventual attack, for his people are not Suel and no longer even human. [SB – 47]

The Scarlet Brotherhood are not a particularly warlike people, despite their temperament. The Suel had clashed with the Aerdi in ages past and had been herded before their greater ferocity. They had learned their lesson well and would rather not risk such a confrontation again. Let lesser beings and the lesser evolved wage war, they reasoned. They were above such trifles. There were better ways to gain one’s goals against nations that could never hope to understand the Suel peoples’ destiny, or the Suel’s natural and innate superiority, for that matter.
Let others die. That was the purpose of hobgoblins and the lesser Suloise of Hepmonoland: to sacrifice themselves for the Greater Destiny of the Suel.
And let others toil: The Flan and the Olman and Touv. And yes, the Oeridians, too.
But realising their plans was not going to be easy. Some, most, of the lesser cultures were reticent about realising their place in the world.
The Zarii are content with their lot; in exchange for goods and warriors, they receive exotic (to them) clot, weapons and food. They ferry agents of the Brotherhood along newly built roads to Lerga, travel to strange lands, fight and pillage; most don’t realize that they are second-class people to the Brotherhood—barely a step above hobgoblins. [SB – 55]
The Scarlet Brotherhood values the warriors of Lerga for their ferocity. The jungle nation welcomed the Brotherhood with open arms once they heard the latter revered Llerg as a deity. [SB – 52]
The Scarlet Brotherhood does not recruit from Sharba [.] The Brotherhood considers the Sharba practice of cannibalism revolting, emphasizing their subhuman status, but they recognize the value of these primitives in fulfilling the brotherhood’s overall goals. [SB – 52]
As they value the descendants of Sharba….
Their Centuries-old Curse
The Sharbakal are desperate for help in removing their centuries-old curse. They believe the Scarlet Brotherhood might have the power to do it, but are wary of what would be expected in return. A few volunteers have been taken away by the Brotherhood for study, both to determine the intricacies of the curse and (secretly) to see if it can be exploited in the Brotherhood war effort. Until they have more information, the Sharbakal hold the Brotherhood at arm’s length; rumors of raids into Sharbakal lands by Brotherhood warriors for slaving purposes have not helped relations.
[SB – 53]
Some large-scale breeding experiments involve the mutant or crossbreed children of the Hepmonaland nation of Sharbakal, whose natural reptilian-human cross allows for some interesting variety; [to say nothing of] captured yuan-ti from Hepmonaland [.] [SB – 23]

582 CY
The whole of the Flanaess became embroiled in war.
The barbarians invaded the Hold of Stonefist [;] [t]aking advantage of the chaos, Ivid V ordered the Great Kingdom's armies to muster [;] Almor was utterly destroyed; Nyrond was invaded; Sunndi was conquered [;] Medegia was despoiled and Rel Astra attacked by the Great Kingdom's own military. [LGG – 15]
The madness of war bred more war. [LGG – 15]
Did the Brotherhood light the flame of war? Fan them? It did not. But it had prepared for its coming.

583 CY
(Winter)
It was then that the Scarlet Brotherhood took measures in the Duxchans.
The Duxchan Isles had always been an unpredictable port of call. One always had to wonder where its allegiances lay. The answer to that question had always been obvious to any who had laid foot upon its beaches: With itself, for the most part.
This chain of islands has been occupied by the Suel for nearly one thousand years, and this race remains the most dominant population of the isles, most notably on Ansabo and Ganode. [LGG – 70]
These pirates and buccaneers were the terror of the south, holding a near stranglehold over traffic through the southern straits and raiding the southern coastal cities with ease. [LGG – 71]
And so it had been. Until it joined the Iron League. And so it seemed it would remain. Would the Lordship have stood with the League? It might have, but it was never given the chance to prove what faith might have been laid upon that decision.
During the Greyhawk Wars, the wintry Latmac Ranold was abruptly deposed and an unheralded successor immediately took his place. [LGG – 72]
Was the elderly Aerdian assassinated? Some believe so. Most Aerdi believe so. For in no time, the Lordship steered the Duxchans on a hitherto unforeseen path.
It is clear to most that Ingerskatti is a puppet of the Scarlet Brotherhood, but little can be done about it, as these cultists are very successful at putting their operatives in key positions within the realm, deposing Oeridians whenever possible in favor of loyal Suel. [LGG – 72]
Frolmar Ingerskatti of Ganode
The Lordship of the Isles quickly became a hotbed of intrigue. The new prince, a little-known Suel lord named Frolmar Ingerskatti of Ganode, immediately withdrew the Lordship from the Iron League and set about lending his naval forces to the maneuvers of the Scarlet Brotherhood, including the blockade of the Tilva Strait that continues to the present day
. [LGG – 72]
Trade and supply waned to a trickle, and what little that did find its way to port was paid for dearly. If at all.
When the Lordship fell to the Scarlet Brotherhood in late 583 CY, the nature of the tribute changed. A complete blockade of the straits was applied, with only ships of the Scarlet Brotherhood or Lordship of the Isles being allowed free passage. Cargo from other states could be shipped by Lordship vessels through the straits for an exceptionally high fee. It is heard that piracy here has fallen dramatically as a consequence. The Brotherhood may have charmed sea monsters into aiding the blockade, but details are not available. [LGG – 150]
These waters comprise the Aerdi and Oljatt Seas, the Tilva Strait, and the Spindrift Sound. The Scarlet Brotherhood controls much of these seas, contesting northern areas with the Sea Barons and in a few incursions from Ice Barbarians. Eastward along the north coast of Hepmonaland, a handful of pirates—some reputed to be seagoing hobgoblins—occasionally foray westward. [FtAA – 48]

584 CY
The Brotherhood Struck
The whole of the Flanaess a maelstrom and the southern straits secure, the Brotherhood struck.
This same year, decade-old paranoia regarding the Scarlet Brotherhood came true, as advisers in courts throughout the Flanaess were found to be Brotherhood agents. The Lordship of the Isles, Idee, Onnwal, and the Sea Princes fell under the influence of the Scarlet Sign, from treachery or invasion. [LGG – 16]
Barbarians from the Brotherhood’s holdings in the Amedio Jungle and Hepmonaland were used as soldiers to hold newly captured lands. [PGtG – 11]
The Brotherhood was revealed as an evil, racist order dedicated to preserving the culture and purity of the ancient Suel Imperium, without regard to the lives of others. [LGG – 16]
It has seemed extraordinarily easy for the Brotherhood to recruit veritable armies of the jungle dwellers to aid their campaigns and keep order in invaded states. [FtAA – 35]
They offered freedom to the most promising Suel-blooded savages they took in, in exchange for military service in the armies occupying the Hold [and their other conquests]. [SB – 6]

Hepmonaland might have been first, by the maelstrom raging upon the Flanaess had given it reprieve.
The Brotherhood plans to maintain friendly relations with Zar, Lerga, and Sherba. Occasional slave raids into Xolapeqa will also continue, but the Father of Obedience doesn’t want to antagonize any possible allies, and so he has directed Sister Leara to stop raids into Sharbakal. Not wishing a war on two fronts, he has ordered the cessation of all unfriendly interaction by Brotherhood agents with non-Suel nations of Hepmonaland. [SB – 23]
That cessation would not last for long.


"The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much."
– Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness





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


The Art:
The Yuan-ti, from Tomb of Annihilation, 2017
Greyhawk map detail, by Darlene, from World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
Hepmonaland map detail, by Sam Wood, from The Scarlet Brotherhood, 1999
Yuan-ti, by Jim Roslof (?), from I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City, 1981
Cove detail, by Doug Beekman, from The Scarlet Brotherhood, 1999

Sources:
1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983
1064 From the Ashes Boxed Set, 1992
1068 Greyhawk Wars Boxed Set, 1991
2023 Greyhawk Adventures, 1988
9025 World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
9046 I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden, 1980
9578 Player’s Guide to Greyhawk, 1998
11374 The Scarlet Brotherhood, 1999
11743 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
Greychrondex, Wilson, Steven B.
Greyhawkania, Jason Zavoda
The map of Anna B. Meyer