“The soul becomes dyed with the colour of its
thoughts.”
― Meditations
 |
| This Land is Cursed |
Harsh. Strong.
Grim. Grey. Fitting descriptions of both the land and its people. Each as
unforgiving as the Ur-Flan that once reigned over it. Before the Oeridians
came. Before the Oeridians were corrupted by it, in turn.
The druids of antiquity allied themselves with the
sorcerous Ur-Flan, who once held whole tribes in bondage to their evil. The
unspeakable rituals performed by the Ur-Flan went unchallenged by the druidic
hierarchy of that era, so long as the former were not so prevalent in any
region as to threaten the balance of nature. [LGG – 161]
Having seduced the druidical hierarchy, the Ur-Flan
flourished.
 |
| Druids of Antiquity |
Eventually, they sought to challenge the dominion of the
elves, themselves.
The tale of what is now called the Coldwood is a
bitter one. The gray elves were once an introverted, studious and mystical
society that lived harmoniously with nature; they sought no dominion within or
without their homeland. They were very unlike the Ur-Flannae necromancers of
Trask who repeatedly sent silver-tongued emissaries to the elven city, yearning
for the magical power of the elves, until the day Fey Queen Sharafere banished
them from her court. In a jealous rage, the Ur-Flannae brought to bear their
magical might upon the city. Conjuring fiends, undead, and elemental forces
from the outer planes, they laid siege to the city, night after night. Fire,
acid and lighting erupted from the skies and the forest screamed in anguish,
beckoning both forces to end the conflict. [OJ#22 – 46]
That Ur-Flan rage was match by another’s.
After watching his homeland become fouled by the
Ur-Flannae siege for more than a fortnight, Darnakurian could take no more. […]
Darnakurian slew thousands in a matter of hours. The great swathe of
destruction his sword brought about ended in the horrific deaths of all he
encountered, as he expunged the Ur-Flannae from the Coldwood forever. [OJ#22
– 46]
The Ur-Flan retreated from the Adri into the highlands
that loomed over it, lands dominated by Suel barbarians.
Eventually, the Ur-Flan sorcerers waned in power and
vanished. Some of their magical secrets are still preserved by the Old Faith.
[LGG – 161]
Weakened and sparse in number, the Ur-Flan could not hope
to withstand the coming of the Oeridians.
The fierce Oeridian tribes […] moved east, thrusting
aside Flan and Suloise in their path. […]
For two centuries the Oerid and Suel battled each
other and the fragmenting humanoid hordes for possession of the central area of
the Flanaess, incidentally engaging the Flannish and demi-humans. […]
The success of the Oeridian domination of so much of
the Flanaess was in part due to their friendliness towards the original
demi-human peoples of the area – dwur, noniz, hobniz, olve – and their
co-operation greatly strengthened the Oeridians. The willingness of the Flanae
to join forces with the Oeridian armies also proved to be a considerable
factor. Perhaps the biggest asset the Oeridians had, however, was the vileness
of the Suloise – for the majority lied, stole, slew, and enslaved whenever they
had inclination and opportunity. [Folio – 5]
 |
| The Fierce Oeridian Tribes |
One would think that the Oeridians would tame the rocky
highlands of the evil the Ur-Flan had presumably brought. But the Oeridians
kept to the far more fertile southern plains.
The strongest tribe of the Oeridians, the Aerdi,
settled the rich fields east of the Nyr Dyv and there founded the Kingdom of
Aerdy, eventually to be renamed the Great Kingdom. [Folio – 5]
-217 CY
 |
| Kingdom of Aerdy |
[S]ome 700-800 years ago, the strongest of the
Oeridian tribes, the Aerdi, settled the rich lands to the east of the Nyr Dyv
and founded the Kingdom of Aerdy. [Ivid – 3]
Oeridians: The Oeridians have skin tones
ranging from tan to olive. They have hair which runs the gamut of color from
honey-blonde to black, although brown and reddish brown are most common.
Likewise, eye coloration is highly variable, although brown and gray are
frequently seen in individuals [.] [Dragon #55 – 18]
c. -200 CY
Aerdy was too small to confine the Aerdi.
When the Aerdi moved north from their initial holdings
between the lower Flanmi River and Aerdi Coast about eight hundred years ago,
they were less interested in the vast lands of the Flan between the Adri forest
and the Solnor Coast than they were in the south. [LGG – 73]
Adri Forest
The forest abounds with game, and it is carefully
forested and maintained by those who dwell within its confines. The wood found
here is generally employed for shipbuilding, spear shafts, bows, and arrows.
Weapons common to the inhabitants include the longbow, battleaxe, and short
spear. [Folio – 20]
Solnor Ocean: It is said the Solnor
reaches for a thousand leagues and more eastwards. […] Great monsters dwell in
the Solnor and sport in Grendep Bay when the sun warms the waters there.
[Folio – 20]
All too soon, even the less fertile northern highlands
lured the Aerdi. Those Ur-Flan who remained resisted their coming.
Other Celestial Houses, such as Naelax and Torquann,
desired their own homelands and looked to the northlands. By all
accounts, the Flan of these lands were vile and decadent. Worshiping dark
powers and draconian overlords, they preyed upon their neighbors for centuries.
These gentler folk were quick to ally with the Aerdi when their armies marched
up the Flanmi River and conquered those Flan kingdoms in the fifth century OR.
Most of these lands were soon consolidated as North Province of the Aerdy, with
the Naelax in the primacy. [LGG – 73]
Naelax: Ruling Royal House, major
landholders, noted for their penchant for building large-scale, formidable
castles and fortifications—and for their vanity. [Ivid – 10]
They had need to. The Suel barbarians crouched north of
the Teesar Torrent.
Teesar Torrent: An exceedingly swift
river which rises In the North Province of the Great Kingdom and feeds the Harp
below the Blemu Hills. [Folio – 26]
Blemu Hills: This chain of hills runs
from a point about level with Belport southwards to the town of Knurl, the
Teesar Torrent cutting their eastern verge. These hills form the southeastern
boundary of the Bone March. At one time they were home to certain demi-human
folk, but tribes of Celbit, Jebli, and Euroz now infest the place. [Folio –
22]
Wooden palisades soon dotted the landscape. Towers
loomed, watchful against the return of the hated necromancers, and keeping
watch over the gentle folk while they were at it.
But try as they might, they could never completely rid
the north of the Ur-Flan.
-171 CY
The Ur-Flan
were not easily uprooted. A blight never is.
A century and more of growth saw the Great Kingdom
expand, with the Flan driven north and the Suloise driven south to the margins
of the Densac Gulf. [Ivid – 3]
 |
| Chokestone |
The site is that of a great battle between Aerdi men
and a small Flan tribe in -171 CY. The Oeridians were easily triumphant, and an
excessively brutal general ordered the torture and sacrifice of all
surrendering Flan folk in thanks to Erythnul. The following day, the Aerdi army
woke from its camp to find that the land for several square miles around had
been stripped of vegetation. Only slate-like stone remained. As they trod upon
the stone, it cracked as if it were brittle paper, releasing clouds of oily,
choking smoke. Less than a third of the army managed to march away from the
accursed area, and those who survived suffered lung infections and disease
which brought their lives to very premature ends. [Ivid – 53]
-142 CY
The Flan were not the Ur-Flan – but the Aerdi would not
be convinced otherwise. Someone had to be taken to task for the necromancers’
resistance. Had the gentler folk known what was to be their eventual fate, one
wonders if they would have decided to aid the Oerid against the Ur-Flan.
 |
| Hextor |
Hextor
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Priests of Hextor are trained in assassination, so
that at the gain of six levels of clerical ability, one of assassin's skill is
gained. Thereafter, every two levels of clerical skill gains one of assassin 's
ability [.] [WoGG – 42]
Which then was their better master, the Ur-Flan or
Hextor? We might never know, as all history speak of the benevolence of the new
overlords.
The high history of the Aerdi people is a tale very
long in the telling. Hundreds of warriors, mages, seers, and others are much
more than footnotes to that history. Aerdi history before the founding of the
Great Kingdom is a rich, fabulous tapestry; and the lands the Aerdi came upon
were hardly bereft of legends, wonders, and luminaries of their own. [Ivid
– 3]
-107 CY
Despite Aerdi censure, the Flan held true to their
legends and lore, all belief to the contrary.
So too the Ur-Flan. They believed that if only they could
strike a blow the Flan would see reason and rise up under their true masters.
[T]he founding of the order was an auspicious
occasion. It occurred in the year 537 OR (-107 CY), when an attack upon the
traveling train of the king of Aerdy was foiled by a group of young men,
primarily woodsmen and farmers from a nearby village. Ur-Flan insurgents
released a winged horror upon the royal tent city in an effort to assassinate
the leader of their conquerors. The young men of the village thwarted the
attack, at the cost of most of their lives. The king was so impressed with the
courage of the survivors that he raised them up as his "Knight
Protectors." [LGG – 157]
The Ur-Flan failed, not only to kill the king, but also to
inspire their once supressed brethren to recall their (the Ur-Flan’s)
greatness.
-10 CY
As the Ur-Flan faded into supposed obscurity, the Aerdi
marched on unto their manifest destiny.
After several decades of increasing growth, power, and
prestige, Aerdy embarked upon a series of conquests, the greatest of which was
the defeat of the Nyrondal cavalry squadrons at the Battle of a Fortnight's
Length. Thereafter, Aerdy was known as the Great Kingdom, whose monarch held
sway from the Sunndi swamplands in the south, westward to the Nyr Dyv, and from
thence northwards through the Shield Lands and beyond the Tenh. [Folio – 5]
It soon looked as though they would conquer the whole of
the world, if not just the Flanaess.
1 CY
Indeed, they very nearly did.
The Aerdy calendar dates from the crowning of the
first overking, Nasran of the House of Cranden, in Rauxes in CY 1. Proclaiming
universal peace, Nasran saw defeated Suloise and Flan—rebellious humanoid
rabbles of no consequence and no threat to the vast might of Aerdy. [Ivid –
3]
The whole of the world could not stand before Oeridian
might.
But was that might wholly Aerdi? Or even wholly Oeridian?
Great Kingdom: OS [Dragon #55 – 18]
Unmixed Oeridians, despite claims of the Great
Kingdom, are most common in Furyondy, Perrenland, the Shield Lands, and in the
east and south in North Province, Medegia, and Onnwal and Sunndi. [Dragon #55
– 18]
80 CY
As the Great Kingdom waxed, so did Naelax. Their central stronghold
became a walled town, the wooden palisade impenetrable stone. Before long, its
tall walls could not contain its fortune.
The Old City was built circa 80 CY [.] [Ivid – 47]
100 CY
Indeed, the good fortunes of Celestial Naelax raised
their House above all others in the north.
By 100 CY, there were four such viceroys. One in
Zelradton administered South Province (awarded to House Cranden), and a
counterpart in Eastfair controlled North Province (awarded to House Naelax).
[LGG – 23]
When the Great Kingdom was young and the successors to
Nasran began the westward expansion of their empire, the northern frontier
quickly came to demand their notice. Seasonal raids from the Suel barbarians,
which had been a nuisance for decades, suddenly tripled in size and frequency.
The northernmost outpost of Johnsport and the coastal towns of Bellport and
Kaport Bay became frequent and favorite targets. When it became increasingly
clear that the herzog of North Province was unable to deal with the problem,
Overking Manshen turned to his experienced field generals, veterans of
campaigns in the west, to fortify the northern border of the realm, bypassing
his ineffectual kinsman in Eastfair. [LGG – 36]
102 CY
The lesser Houses chaffed under the Greater, and were
soon clambering for their own demesnes.
In 102 CY, House Garasteth laid claim to the [Asperdi]
isles, and open conflict threatened to break out between House Garasteth and
House Atirr, from North Province. [LGG – 99]
108 CY
Before long, the Suel’s hitherto dominion of the northern
seas, and their most southerly settlements were under siege.
By autumn, after having been met with relatively light
resistance, the Aerdi succeeded in uprooting most Fruztii encampments, and the
foundations of a great stronghold were laid at Spinecastle. The Aerdi freed
Johnsport in a pitched battle with the barbarians before the onset of winter.
Sensing that this would be only the first phase of a long struggle, Aerdi commanders
summoned thousands of contingents from North Province over the objections of
the herzog, a Hextorian who had wanted to lead the forces into battle himself.
[LGG – 36]
134 CY
Houses rise and fall within the Great Kingdom, as stars
invariably ascend and descend. Naelax, apparently incapable of dealing with the
northern barbarian problem, had fallen out of favour.
In 134 CY, the early Rax overkings inaugurated a
series of actions that would ultimately lead to the downfall of their house
some three centuries later. In that year, the ill-tempered Overking Toran I
deposed the scion of Naelax from rulership of North Province, appointing in his
place the leader of the smaller but rapidly rising House Atirr. [LGG –
73,74]
House Atirr ruled the province from its capital on the
coast, eschewing Eastfair. The land experienced a brief renaissance under this
enlightened leadership. However, this demotion was a slight that the Naelax
would never forget. [LGG – 73]
166 CY
 |
| Herzog Atirr Aeodorich |
Old Baron Asperdi's young but powerful naval force
from the Sea Barons was brought to bear on them, led by Lord Admiral Aeodorich
of House Atirr, then accorded the finest naval captain of the time. […] This
won greater fame and praise for the Aerdi admiral, who eventually rose to the
throne of North Province some years later. [LGG – 71]
The Atirr ruled for nearly a century, reaching heights
under the Herzog Atirr Aeodorich, a former head of the Aerdi admiralty and hero
of the Duxchan Wars. [LGG – 73]
167 CY
Atirr, however favoured, was as unsuccessful in subduing
the northern Barbarians as Naelax had been. Lesser houses, tasked with holding
the line, paid the price.
Monduiz Dephaar was born in the North Province at Bellport
in 167 CY, His family was one of many which fell victim to the seasonal raids
of the Fruzlii on the Solnor Coast following the wresting of the Bone March and
Ratik by the Aerdi as buffer states against these savage marauders a few
decades earlier. [Dragon #291 – 93]
170s to 200 CY
Those displaced by the endless conflict had to make their
way in the world, however high or low their origin.
Lord Dephaar survived to earn himself membership in
the order of the Knight Protectors, which formed the primary vanguard against
these raids. He fought beside such luminaries as Sir Forran Vir and Lord
Kargoth. Dephaar soon became a veteran of these northern campaigns, a great and
relentless warrior feared by the hardy Thillonrian invaders. As his victories
against the Fruztii piled up, his reported atrocities were initially
overlooked. Eventually, they could not be ignored and he was censured by the
highest echelons of the Knight Protectors for violating their time-honored
codes. Lord Dephaar went into self-imposed exile to the far north, vowing
requital. He lived for a time among the Schnai, where he not only continued his
campaign against the Fruztii but was also forced to learn the ways of the
barbarians. [Dragon #291 – 93]
196 CY
Dephaar was not the only noble to find navigating the
maze of Celestial politics challenging.
[I]n 196 CY,
[Lady] Lorana [Kath of Naelax] was promised to Prince Movanich of House Attir,
heir to the Herzogy of the North Province, in an effort by the Overking to heal
the rift between the two then warring houses. But Movanich would not have her
and spurned the marriage. Lady Kath was humiliated. She joined [Lord] Kargoth's
mutinous retinue, indeed was one of its instigators [.] [Dragon #291
– 95]
Indeed, many
families found it financially taxing. And perilous.
[T]he brothers
Sir Maeril and Sir Farian of Lirtham […] were former Naelaxian nobleman whose
family lost most of their possessions during the ascension of House Atirr to
the Herzogy of the North Province in 134 CY. They overcame their meager
circumstances to earn worthy places among the ranks of the Knight Protectors,
ultimately siding with the ill-fated Lord Kargoth. [Dragon #291 – 97]
200s CY
Naelax, though,
continued to thrive, regardless what woes might be borne by the lesser Houses.
Eastfair is divided into Old City and New City. [Ivid
– 47]
[Eastfair
was] greatly expanded in size during the third century when New City
began to grow outside the original walls. Old City is now mostly the province
of the poorer people, save for the complex of buildings known as "The
Cyst," while New City contains the homes and workplaces of the well-off.
[Ivid – 47]
203 CY
Whispered rumours passed from seditious lips to willing ears
that the throne might be brought to task for its favouritism, for its insidious
meddling in the affairs of the great families, for its playing one House
against another. So too its nepotist institutions. It only stands to reason
that the wronged, the dissatisfied, and the discontented would rally to
whatever cause might arise.
[Lord Dephaar] returned south to Castle Fharlanst in
203 CY, when word spread around the kingdom that Lord Kargoth had decided to
challenge the Council Gallant of the knighthood. Only then was the true horror
of the traitorous paladin's plan visited upon Lord Dephaar, who had willingly
joined his seditious circle. He has been a death knight ever since. [Dragon
#291 – 93]
Dephaar was not the only one to fall from grace.
All told,
thirteen of Kargoth’s cadre fell with him.
 |
| Saint Kargoth |
A sudden
coldness tore at his skin. One by one, the smoking, scorched bodies of the dead
knights around him began to rise to their feet and fix their gaze upon him.
Their armor and clothing were seared to their charred flesh. A preternatural
glow emerged from their faces, where once had been eyes. Sir Benedor recognized
instantly that these were no longer men, but fiends. These were the dreaded
death knights, newly sired into the world. [Dragon #290 – 103]
[Lady Lorena]
suffered the same fate as all the others [of Kargoth’s retinue] when the
paladin unleashed a demonic horror on the Great Kingdom in 203 CY. The newly
sired lady death knight returned to North Province following the upheaval. [Dragon #291 – 95]
All told,
thirteen of Kargoth’s cadre fell with him.
The smoking
bodies of thirteen Knight Protectors were strewn about the inner sanctum, which
now resembled a charnel house. Their eyes had been cut from their faces, and
Kargoth was nowhere to be found. Sir Benedor immediately suspected dark sorcery
and moved quickly to examine the Orb in the center of the room. The young
knight barely glanced at its rune-covered surface before the chamber began to
stir.
A sudden
coldness tore at his skin. One by one, the smoking, scorched bodies of the dead
knights around him began to rise to their feet and fix their gaze upon him.
Their armor and clothing were seared to their charred flesh. A preternatural
glow emerged from their faces, where once had been eyes. Sir Benedor recognized
instantly that these were no longer men, but fiends. These were the dreaded
death knights, newly sired into the world. [Dragon #290 – 103]
The Great
Kingdom would never be the same.
213 CY
One would never suspect that the Great Kingdom was
capable of such evil. But it was.
Its days of shining splendor had come to an end.
The Great Kingdom reached its height over the next
century under House Rax, with ambitious rulers such as the lines of Erhart and
Toran. However, with the death in the spring of 213 CY of the Overking Jiranen,
a sovereign who had reigned many years, succession became a matter of intrigue.
His fatuous son Malev was uninterested in the office and proceeded to
secretly auction it off to the highest bidder among his relatives. Malev did
not care who took the throne, and it came as some surprise when his cousin
Zelcor reportedly met his price. [LGG – 23]
223 CY
Indeed, before too long, not only had Naelax regained
favour, but it also regained its seat of power. It did it the old-fashioned way:
it bought its seat.
Herzog
Movanich died mysteriously in 223 CY and House. Naelax once again ruled in Eastfair,
while the Atirr were nearly persecuted out of existence over the next two
centuries. [Dragon #291
– 95]
House Naelax finally regained the throne of North
Province in 223 CY, after the untimely death of Herzog Atirr Movanich. Some say
this was accomplished by paying off the heavily indebted Overking Zelcor I, who
had no aversion to procuring his own berth over a decade earlier. [LGG –
74]
Mid 250s CY
But even as Naelax rose, the Great Kingdom began its
long, slow descent.
The Naelax grew powerful after the mid-250s CY, when
their primary rival, the Heironean church, achieved independence in far-flung
provinces such as Ferrond and the Shield Lands. Many of them withdrew from the
increasingly decadent Great Kingdom, and no longer would these two rival orders
contend equally for the attention of the Malachite Throne. [LGG – 73]
c. 300s CY
Despite the Great Kingdom’s descent, its legacy of evil would
henceforth rise exponentially.
The Book of Darazell
This spellbook has a dark and evil history—a legacy
that mirrors the land from where it came, the blighted Kingdom of Aerdy. Its
spells were first put to paper sometime in the 4th Century by the
assassin-wizard Darazell. Little is known of the history of this evil mage save
the infamous and rare spells he perfected, especially his trademark Darazell’s
noose. Darazell met an ironic fate when he himself was assassinated by unknown
hands, his body found slumped over his beloved spellbook. […]
[T]he book was sold, bartered, stolen, lost and found
from the See of Medegia to North Province and back over the next 200 or so
years [.] [Dragon #243 – 92]
356 CY
The once Great Kingdom was by now only great in name. It
was debauched, decadent, and rotten to the core. Those who could distanced
themselves from its rot did so, and eventually would rid themselves of it,
altogether.
The decisive phase in the break-up of this mighty
empire can be dated precisely to 356 CY. In this year, the ruling Aerdi
dynasty, the House of Rax, was sundered by an internal feud. The junior branch
of the ruling house declared its lands free of the Overking's rule, and the
kingdom of Nyrond was born.
The Overking reacted swiftly, amassing a great army to
crush the seceders. But he had the misfortune of encountering a powerful Flan
barbarian foray into the North Province of the Great Kingdom itself that same
winter. [FtAA – 4]
[A] massive invasion by a unified host of Fruztii and
Schnai threatened to overwhelm the nations and sweep into North Province in 356
CY. [LGG – 90]
[B]arbarians from the Thillonrian Peninsula raided the
Great Kingdom's North Province, forcing the overking to divert troops from the
western front. [LGG – 14]
The Overking's armies beat off the invasion, but were
too weakened to assault Nyrond. [FtAA – 4]
The barony [Bone March] and the Great Kingdom averted
disaster, but at the price of losing all of the province of Nyrond. [LGG –
90]
Was this invasion a happy happenstance? Or otherwise?
History does not speculate on whether the Suel
barbarians who then surged south through Bone March and into North Province did
so at the behest of Nyrond silver or by their own estimation of Aerdy's
critical situation. Regardless, they presented the sitting overking with a
difficult option: crush the rebellion in Nyrond or lose the whole of North
Province. [LGG – 77]
What choice did the Overking have? He chose the North
Province.
437 CY
 |
| Ivid I |
House Naelax reached its nadir in North Province with
the rise of Herzog Ivid I of the North in the 430s CY. [LGG – 74]
The tale of the Great Kingdom of Aerdi begins almost
40 years prior to Iuz’s rise. In those days, the North Province was ruled by
Prince Ivid, a charismatic and able-though thoroughly debauched-nobleman.
Because decades of weak kingship under the House of Rax had eroded imperial
power, nobles such as Prince Ivid grew bold in their claims, pressing demands
upon the Malachite Throne. The kingship, weak as it was, folded beneath the
pressure and the Great Kingdom plunged into the Turmoil Between Crowns.
[Wars – 4]
Ivid was not content to sit upon his northern throne. Not
when he could aspire to the Malachite Throne.
After the withdrawal of Nyrond from the Great Kingdom,
the slide became precipitous. Buffoons and incompetents sat upon the Malachite
Throne, and their mismanagement split apart the Celestial Houses. This period
of degeneration culminated in the Turmoil Between Crowns, when the last Rax
heir, Nalif, died in 437 CY at the hands of assassins from House Naelax.
[LGG – 24]
When Nalif, the only remaining heir of Rax, was
assassinated, a host of rival princes claimed right to the Malachite Throne.
[Wars – 4]
Though commonly credited to Prince Ivid’s hand, no
direct evidence links the future Overking to the assassination. [Wars – 25]
The herzog (great prince) of North Province, Ivid I,
then laid claim to the throne. [LGG – 24]
Years of civil war ensued, and only the intercession
of dispassionate houses such as Garasteth and Darmen brought about the final
compromise. [LGG – 24]
Thus began the Turmoil Between Crowns [.] [Folio –
5]
446 CY
It would be no easy task for Ivid to claim the Malachite
Throne. Nalif had many relatives. And the House of Rax was the house in
ascension. For now. But that was no insurmountable obstacle.
No direct evidence links Ivid, ruler of the North
Province at the time, with the assassination of the entire House of Rax in 446
CY. [FtAA – 4]
Prince Ivid solved the problem of succession by
eliminating all contenders and leaving himself the sole surviving prince of
blood. Thus, the House of Naelax achieved the throne and Prince Ivid became His
Celestial Transcendency, Overking of Aerdy, Grand Prince hid. [Wars – 4]
The tyrannical Ivid I assumed the Malachite Throne at
the price of granting greater autonomy to the provinces, notably Medegia, Rel
Astra, and Almor. [LGG – 24]
Each would succumb in turn. Each had their price, after
all. Money. Power. Influence. Autonomy.
REL ASTRA (City of)
They desperately seek close ties with Medegia and the
Sea Barons to balance the weight of the Overking's kinsmen in North and South
Province. It is reported that the Overking views these machinations with
ill-concealed delight, for they are seen as check and balance, as the monarch
fears his own at least as much as he distrusts others. [Folio – 14]
Be that as it may, Ivid’s North Province would forever be
his most staunch ally.
When Ivid I finally assumed the Malachite Throne by
446 CY, North Province remained his closest ally and the chief possession of
his cousins. [LGG – 73]
Blood is thicker than water, after all; especially when
spilled.
The recalcitrant herzog of South Province was quickly
deposed and replaced by a prince from House Naelax, who sought immediately to
bring the southern insurgents back into line. In 446 CY, the herzog
granted an audience to representatives of Irongate, who went to Zelradton to
air their grievances. The offer turned out to be a ruse, and the ambassadors
were imprisoned, tortured, and executed for Overking Ivid's enjoyment. The
whole of the south arose again in violent rebellion, and one year later formed
the Iron League and allied with Nyrond. [LGG – 24]
446 to 494 CY
One might expect that Ivid’s reign was wrought with
tyranny. And terror. Probably because it was.
Ivid ruled for 48 years and, though he never regained
control of his lost provinces, he bound the rest of Aerdi to him through fear
and debauched reward. [Wars – 5]
One might expect then, that such terror would have
brought on a certain Pax Naelaxia; but in that supposition one would be wrong.
449 CY
Momentous change beset the Great Kingdom. [FtAA –
5]
Civil war erupted in the Great Kingdom. The North
Province, now ruled by Ivid's nephew, soon established independence, as did the
wily Herzog of Ahlissa in the South Province. [FtAA – 5]
So much for “blood is thicker than water.” But we are
talking about the Celestial Houses, after all. And spilled blood, as noted, is
the thickest blood of all.
A nephew that Ivid left as steward of the North
Province rebelled against his uncle and established his fief as a sovereign
state. [Wars – 4]
The war would span the kingdom in its entirety, even unto
the very door of the Malachite Throne.
The history of this second wave of civil war is even
more confused and incomplete than that of the first. The sack of the University
of Rauxes in 449 CY destroyed all imperial records of the war. [Wars – 4]
450 CY
How many died in that bloody civil war? We will never
know. A great deal. So much so, in fact, that the conflict burned itself out
quickly. All for naught. Ivid retained his throne, and the Celestial Houses,
one after another, fell in line.
In Planting, CY 450, all houses agreed to accept Ivid
as overking, and their leading princes paid homage along the Great Way in the
Parade of Crowns. The House of Naelax was triumphant. [Ivid – 4]
And yet, however familiar the façade appeared, the Great
Kingdom emerged a very different kingdom, indeed.
Ivid may have won a kingdom, but he paid a high price.
The South and North Provinces, and Medegia, became in effect semi-autonomous
provinces of the Great Kingdom. [Ivid – 4]
North Province was ruled by the House of Naelax
[.] [Ivid – 4]
However, that still left Ivid in control of most of
the Great Kingdom in theory, and since Naelax held much of the lands in North
Province, it made little difference in practice there at least. [Ivid – 14]
453 CY
It comes as no surprise that the good people of the
kingdom pined for a happy ending in the civil war’s aftermath; even if they had
to find that happy ending in old tales.
Goodmonth
By Gironi
Boccanegra in 453 CY
This is a well-known
collection of 100 popular short stories, derived from oral tradition, which
were collected by Boccanegra and set in a framing story. The framing story
deals with ten members of tine idle rich of Eastfair, paired into five couples,
who decide to go on a trip while the local clerics try to stamp out an outbreak
of plaque in town. They adjourn to a villa outside the city, where they eat,
drink and engage in storytelling to pass the time for an entire month (which
happens to be Goodmonth, hence the title). All the stories they tell deal with
love in some manner, and some are quite bawdy. All the stories are also
generally agreed to be both witty and entertaining. [Dragon #253
– 41]
486 CY
If the civil war taught Ivid anything, it was that good
roads moved troops more efficiently than bad ones. And that castles lording
over the landscape deterred uprisings, depending on who resided within them.
[T]he Castle Tax [was] introduced by Ivid I in CY 486.
[Ivid – 18]
The tax was justified as a way of paying for new
castles in North Province, where it could be claimed that they were needed to
protect the electrum mines of Bellport from humanoid attacks. Of course, such
castles were built in lands mostly owned by Naelax nobles. [Ivid – 18]
Ivid came to the conclusion that these new castles,
inhabited by his kith and kin, aught to be paid by other Celestial Houses. This
had the added benefit of impoverishing those other Houses, making it difficult
to raise armies that might revolt against him.
494 CY
 |
| Ivid II |
Not to worry, surely his son would carry on his legacy….
494 to 497 CY
Then again, perhaps not.
Ivid II, survived only three years on the fiend-seeing
throne. Unstable before his coronation, Ivid II quickly lapsed into raving
dementia upon assuming the full regalia of office. [Wars – 5]
497 CY
Perhaps Ivid’s grandson’s reign would be better.
Madness did not bring Ivid II’s fall, however: he was
slain by a son who desired the crown. Ivid III immediately followed his
grandfather’s example, exterminating his blood kin so none could challenge him
for the crown. [Wars – 5]
At least that lends a certain continuity to
expectations….
490s CY
As to the peoples’ expectations….
GRANDWOOD FOREST
The Grandwood is perhaps the only part of the old
Great Kingdom with some claim to being an enclave of the fair and good. It has
been for over a century the refuge for those fleeing the cruelties of the
Overking or the Herzog of North Province. [FtAA – 53]
The people had had enough of Pax Naelaxia… those who
could flee, that is; those who could not… well… they had to endure what they
had to endure.
 |
| Ivid III |
What had to be endured was far more taxing in some areas
than in others. Enduring cruelties was one thing, being conscripted into the
army or militia to protect those cruelties was quite another.
There is continual border warfare along the Teesar
Torrent and in the Blemu Hills of Aerdy' s North Province, although some say
that the Overking would gladly make peace with the humanoids to the north and
enlist them in his own armies. [Folio – 9]
To be sure, Ivid III and House Naelax began to think that
humanoid mercenaries might be more malleable, and loyal, than conscripted
serfs.
523 CY
Genell is born.
Grenell has been a survivor all his 62 years.
[Ivid – 58]
[The current year is 585 CY (Common Year). {Ivid –
3}]
550s CY
 |
| Ivid IV |
When he reached advanced age, however, Ivid III
declared that his surviving child would succeed him. The announcement unleashed
a bloodbath of fratricide in his children’s velvet prison. The sole survivor
became Ivid IV. [Wars – 5]
His survivor could not have been more disappointing.
Ivid IV’s reign accomplished little. The Overking
excelled in debauchery, not administration. [Wars – 5]
Granted, all that debauchery set the stage for what was
to come.
Ivid IV had been a prolific sire. [Wars – 26]
 |
| Ivid V had to dispose of 123 brothers and sisters |
Before his ascension could be assured, Ivid V had to
dispose of 123 brothers and sisters. Though suckling babes proved easy prey,
Ivid V's older brother easily matched him. For many years the pair waged a war
of assassination and intrigue in their prison-palace before Ivid V prevailed.
[Wars – 26]
Ivid V, set to work. Second among the Overking’s sons,
Ivid V thought to simplify the appointment of an heir by exterminating his
siblings. [Wars – 5]
Though Ivid V completed this task with skill and
dispatch, his father still refused to yield the throne to him. [Wars – 5]
Ivid V realised that odd numbered Ivids were better
emperors than even numbered ones.
554 CY
 |
| Grenell Naelax |
[Ivid V] hired the Overking’s latest favorite[concubine]
to pour acid in the emperor’s ear. [Wars – 5]
Ivid IV should have seen that coming. But he was an even
numbered Ivid, after all, so we shouldn’t judge him too harshly. Besides, Ivid
V was certainly an Ivid.
Ivid V's role in the affair is doubtless: the new
ruler boasted of the ruthless deed. Recognizing the danger of keeping a
treacherous concubine on hand, however, Ivid V sentenced his accomplice to the
Wheel of Pain. [Wars – 26]
555 CY
Grenell become Herzog of North Province.
He is 32 years old.
[Conjecture. There is no canonical date for his ascension
that I am aware of, but he is mentioned in regard to the fall of Spinecastle,
so I assume he had some experience in the role by then. Also: 555 is one number
down from 666 in each column. Read into that what you will….]
556 CY
 |
| Ivid V |
The Great Kingdom saw a brief, violent resurgence
during the reign of Ivid V, who assumed the Malachite Throne in 556 CY.
[LGG – 24]
Ivid V ascended to the Malachite Throne in Rauxes in
CY 556 by the traditional manner of murdering his father and others who got in
his way. This was accepted practice in many royal houses in Aerdi. The moral
degeneracy which the House of Naelax actively encouraged had taken a firm
rooting in Aerdi aristocracy. [Ivid – 4]
Ivid V ascended the throne and has held it for 28
years. [Wars – 5]
560 CY
Not long after Ivid and House Naelax contemplated whether
to import humanoids into their country en mass, those very same humanoids came
to the conclusion that they very much would like to live there.
In 560 CY, the humanoids of the Rakers began major
forays into [the Bone March]. Turmoil within the Great Kingdom was so great
that opposition to them could not be effectively mustered. Within four years,
the orcs, gnolls, and ogres of the hills and mountains had swept across the
lands in an orgy of pillage and slaughter. Rapacious and merciless, the
humanoids attacked the North Province, the Theocracy of the Pale, Ratik
(especially), and even Nyrond. [FtAA – 24]
561 CY
Given their initial successes, a great many orcs and
gnolls concluded the very same thing, that they very much wished to live in
Bone March and North Province.
[O]rcs and gnolls who first emerged from the Rakers en
masse in 561 CY. These humanoid invaders swept across the march over the next
two years and put most of its leaders to the sword. [Dragon #291 – 88]
563 CY
Herzog Grenell surely rushed a great many troops up to
the Teesar Torrent to counter the orc’s and gnoll’s advance.
 |
| Invasion! |
[Spinecastle] was sacked by surprise in 563 CY by
marauding tribes of orcs and gnolls [.] [Dragon #291 – 88]
Presumably, this included Clement and his family, who
sheltered at the impregnable Spinecastle until the final assault by the ores.
The marquis, along with many of the surviving nobles and richest merchants of
the land, held out hope for succor from Ratik or the North Province, but it
never came. The city of Spinecastle fell suddenly and surprisingly to the
invaders after a prolonged siege. Most rumors at the time indicated that the
castle’s defenses were pierced from within, that dark and hidden ways unknown
even to the residents of the castle were suddenly laid open from the depths.
Whispers spoke of a dark betrayal, and this tragedy only served to confirm for
some the notion that Spinecastle was cursed. [Dragon #291 – 88]
Perhaps Grenell sent more than troops to the Teesar
Torrent….
 |
| Grenell |
Because all too soon, those very same orcs that had sacked
Spinecastle marched into North Province, as guests, not as an invading army.
The importation of orcs and goblinoids began in
earnest after the fall of Bone March, when Herzog Grenell, cousin to Ivid V,
made a pact with the orc and gnoll chieftains who deposed Marquis Clement. It
has become the suspicion of many that Grenell plotted the downfall of Clement
in some way, for he was quick to ally with the nonhumans who soon took over the
nation. [LGG – 74]
One wonders if House Naelax regretted that invitation?
An increasing number of humanoid mercenaries have been
employed within Aerdy. Originally, their use was confined to the Naelax lands,
and especially in the North Province, where Bone March humanoids are used as
troops. [Ivid – 10]
The border between Bone March and North Province very
soon became a very chaotic affair.
Following the collapse of the Bone March in 563 CY,
Lord Dephaar carved out a small realm for himself surrounding his stronghold.
He now rules over a mass of humanoids and bandits, who refer to him as the
Dreadlord of the Hills. [Dragon #291 – 93]
By treaty, neither side sends any troops into an area
of six miles either side of this border. [Ivid – 63]
North Province maintains plenty of spying keeps on the
borders of Delglath's lands, however. [Ivid – 46]
One would think that being “close allies” with this new Bone March
relieved North Province from requiring a great many troops patrolling its
northern reaches; but that did not turn out to be the case.
Note that High Nordan is actually across a border to
the Naelax lands, and a large garrison has grown up there in response to
Delglath's priestly and undead forces which maintain a strong presence in these
villages, though they do not practice the mass executions and animations which
occur in the capital. [Ivid – 64]
When the Bone March was overrun with humanoids, Ratik
began to court the Frost Barbarians, and formed an unlikely alliance with them
to jointly raid the Bone March and North Province. [FtAA – 34]
576 CY
Population: 5,000,000 (includes N. and S. Province and
Medegia)
Demi-humans: Some (scattered on fringes of kingdom)
Humanoids: Some (mixture)
Both the North and South Provinces are under the
suzerainty of Aerdi royal houses and are ruled almost as independent states.
The troubles in the Bone March have caused the Herzog of the North to fall into
line, as the difficulties with the Iron League brought his southern counterpart
into closer co-operation with the Malachite Throne. [Folio – 10]
His Radiant Grace, the Herzog of the North Province
(Assassin, 15th level)
Capital: Eastfair (pop. 29,100)
Population: 750,000
Demi-humans: Few
Humanoids: Some
Resources: foodstuffs, cloth, electrum
[Folio – 12]
North Province, the: Grenell, A 15 [WoGG – 17]
[In this early incarnation, Grenell is still an
assassin.]
The Herzog of North Province is a cousin of the Overking,
as evil as his kin, but certainly not as demented. The boundaries of this
princely fief extend from the Blemu Hills to the coast of the Solnor Ocean,
extending as far south as the Adri Forest, and well below the Trask River. The
court at Eastfair is infamous for its debaucheries. Movement of Nyrond-Almor
forces into the lower Bone March, and the capture of Knurl by these forces,
coupled with continuing incursions by humanoids from across the Teesar Torrent,
have troubled North Province. A punitive force of mercenaries was defeated in
the hills above Belport recently, and it is now reported that the Herzog is
seeking Imperial funding of a huge army to recapture the southern portion of
Bone March. This force would undoubtedly contain both mercenary men-at-arms and
humanoids enlisted from the upper portion of the march. [Folio – 13]
Trask River: The Trask flows eastwards
through the North Province of the Great Kingdom to empty into the Solnor Ocean.
The Town of Atirr at Its mouth is a busy seaport. [Folio – 26]
Grenell of House Naelax rules North Kingdom, and he is
an utterly ruthless and cold-blooded monarch. Grenell's temporal authority is
augmented by his dominance of the church of Hextor in the north, of which he is
the titular head. The line of succession in North Kingdom is unclear, with many
potential claimants to the throne; Grenell has no children of his own. Fawning
Naelax princes abound in the debauched court of Eastfair. [LGG – 73]
There is but one region within North Province where
Grenell does not appear to reign: the Adri Forest.
ADRI FOREST
Population: 25,000-
Demi-humans: Few
Humanoids: Few
This great area of ancient forest lies principally
within the borders of the Great Kingdom, although its north-western tip (that
part west of the Harp River) belongs to the Prelacy of Almor. [Folio – 20]
 |
| The Adri Forest |
[T]he folk here have owed little allegiance to their
imperial masters. They are now most preoccupied with the dual threats of the
Bone March humanoids, who occupy an increasing swath of the northwestern
forest, and North Province axemen out for a quick killing from destruction of
the Adri. Previously, those from Aerdy were concerned with trade for the woods
used for shipbuilding, spear shafts, bows, and arrows. [FtAA – 51]
North Province was not what it once was, but it is also not what it
would one day be.
Either way, one wonders: aside from what
dwells under the Adri canopy, North Province has never been a bastion of Good.
Hextor reigns here, not Heironious. It’s descent into Evil can only deepen,
until Grenell’s Kingdom of Aerdy can only mirror the preceding Ur-Flan’s all
the more.
“In the end,
it is impossible not to become what others believe you are.”
―
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:
Kingdom of Aerdy heraldry, by Rajrani, adapted from World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
Hextor, by Adrian Smith, from Miniatures Handbook, 22003
Greyhawk map detail, by Darlene, from World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
Saint Kargoth, by Adam Rexin, from Dragon 290, 2001
Great Kingdom heraldry, from World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
North Province heraldry, from World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
Sources:
1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed
Set, 1983
2023 Greyhawk Adventures
Hardback, 1988
1068 Greyhawk Wars Boxed
Set, 1991
1064 From the Ashes Boxed
Set, 1992
9025 World of Greyhawk
Folio, 1980
9577 The Adventure Begins,
1998
9578 Player’s Guide to
Greyhawk, 1998
11742 Gazetteer, 2000
11743 Living Greyhawk
Gazeteer, 2000
WGR7 Ivid the Undying, 1995
Dragon Magazine 55,243,253,290,291
Oeth Journal #22
Greyhawkania, Jason Zavoda
The map of Anna B. Meyer
Good stuff as always, David. Love me some North Kingdom shenanigans!
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