"The first way to lose a state is to neglect the art of war;
the first way to gain a state is to be skilled in the art of war."
Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
The Great War, or the Greyhawk Wars, as it came to be
known, had not ended, so much as exhausted itself. Manpower was depleted,
coffers spent, resolve at wits end.
To what end? Those hardest pressed would say, “For
survival.” They would not be wrong; for those who had succeeded in doing just
that might have realized that success was just that. To have not persevered, to
have not “won,” would surely have meant, at best, slavery, or death, or a fate
far worse than either those. There were those who suffered so: The Holy Censor,
for one. And possibly, Osson of Chatwell, for another.
For others, war’s end meant victory; and if not victory,
a reprieve.
584 CY
When
peace came in Harvester 584 CY, the whole world was weary of war. Many hoped
that the treaty signed then marked the end of the marching armies, bloody
fields, and the burning cities. But this was not to be. The peace of the
Greyhawk Wars is now seen to have marked the end of only the first part of a
great period of conflict that has reached into every part of the known world
and affected every creature from the highest prince to the lowest peasant
farmer. [TAB - 19]
In 584 CY, Frolmar
Ingerskatti of Ganode [despot of the Duxchans] used his fleet to terrorize
ports on the Azure, first by attempting a failed raid on Gradsul, then by
harrying the vessels of Irongate, whom they view as their most important rival.
[LGG - 72]
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. Most of Ansabo, the port of Sulward, and the whole isle of
Ganode are now completely under their control. [LGG - 72]
In villages of southern
Keoland, commoners are hanging anyone wearing a red cloak, out of fear of the
Scarlet Brotherhood (not quite true, but people brazenly wearing red are
treated with great suspicion and hostility and may be assaulted). [FtAA - 79]
585 CY
The
Euroz of the Bone March had not been invited to the peace talks in the Free
City of Greyhawk. Not realizing that hostilities had come to an end, they
continued to clash with Ratik and Nyrond. Bone March is now steeped in
discord, ruled by a coalition of invading nonhuman tribes, particularly orcs,
gnolls, and ogres. Humanity, which once thrived here, is generally enslaved and
subject to the capricious whims of petty bandit chiefs and nonhuman warlords
who raid Ratik and even North Kingdom at will, going as far as Nyrond and the
Flinty Hills to pillage. [LGG - 35]
Despite the fact that Euroz
tribes abut the North Kingdom still raided those towns with impunity, the Bone
March still expected the debt of their having helped the North Kingdom by
attacking Nyrond to be paid: "We helped you fight Nyrond, now you help us
storm Ratik." They and the North Kingdom shared a border, and common
interests, were mentioned. Grenell could not help but notice the implied
threat.
For himself, Grenell doesn't
give a fig about Ratik. Unfortunately, no few of his most powerful local rulers
care a great deal about Ratik—as do many ordinary folk. Many of them share the
same Oeridian-Flan racial mix as the men of Ratik, and they admire the rugged
bravery of Ratik's warriors in having kept the humanoids at bay for so long.
They are opposed to any plan to conquer Ratik, and some of them are ready to go
and fight for Ratik should Grenell dare act against that nation.
There is another twist to
this. The barbarian nations are strongly allied with Ratik. At the present
time, their raids are focused on the Sea Barons and they do not often raid most
points along the eastern North Province seaboard, save for Bellport. This is
because many of the rulers and armies of that eastern seaboard have managed to
make a peace of sorts with the fierce [Suel] barbarians, Prince Elkerst of Atirr
being a notable example. Indeed, the barbarians increasingly trade with some
North Province coastal towns and villages, and that trade brings much needed
wood, furs, and other commodities in short supply in North Province. [Ivid - 44]
Grenell thought on what might
happen if he honoured his debt to the orcs. If he attacked Ratik, the Barbarian
raids would surely recommence. His was a precarious balance. And besides, he’d
already aided the orcs when he sent agents to liberate the Seal of Marner from
the Baronial Vault. And they did, and they passed the Seal on the orcs waiting
in the Kelmar Pass. It wasn’t his fault the orcs had lost the Seal to the
Ratikkans pursuing them.
Besides, hadn’t he already
helped them enough?
The influence of North
Province (now North Kingdom) has led to greater organization and military
effectiveness among these barbaric tribes. [LGG - 35]
Nyrond and the South Province had never been friends. Indeed, they have
a very long history of conflict as they vie for control of Relmor Bay. Relations
have not improved since the South Province became the Kingdom of Ahlissa, most
assuredly because Alhissa was as vile a land as the one the Great Kingdom had
devolved into.
Along Relmor Bay, South
Province is engaged in a sporadic piratical war with Nyrond. The fleets of
Prymp and Shargallen raid southern Nyrond, seeking slaves, plunder, and food.
In return, Nyrondese vessels raid Ahlissa's northern coast and, indeed, mounted
a major raid on Prymp itself in Coldeven. This piracy is still relatively small-scale
because neither side seeks all-out war and neither has a truly dominant fleet.
Still, this gives Reydrich concern. For one thing, building up defenses such as
city walls is expensive, and local rulers demand help with such constructions
which Reydrich is loath to give. [Ivid - 44]
Prymp is a major center for
the vile trade of slavery, and in truth virtually anything is for sale here,
including the loyalty of many of its mercenary and blackhearted defenders. Many
are ex-slaves, pirates of old, or simply chaotic and utterly untrustworthy souls
held in check by the rigid Lawfulness of the city's rulers. [Ivid - 132]
Relmor Bay: The
eastward branch of the Sea of Gearnat is Relmor Bay, long the battleground for
the fleets of Almor, Nyrond, and Onnwal, against the naval squadrons of old
South Province. Warfare was almost constant here in 579-584 CY, during the War
of the Golden League and Greyhawk Wars. Nowadays, Nyrond is the sole major
power around, projecting considerable naval force from [her ports.] However,
Ahlissa fully intends to sail this sea again with newly built squadrons from
the infamous port of Prymp, and the bitter rivalry and conflict could easily be
reborn. [LGG - 149]
Nyrond has taken steps to ensure that does not happen.
Keeping close to port is a
reaction to the Nyrondese raid on Prymp earlier this year (585 CY). [Ivid - 132]
Winter of Hunger
Not all casualties of war are
from battle. Peasants and serfs suffer as much as, if not more than, their
betters. Are they not conscripted? Is not the abundance of their fields not
expropriated by necessity? Who then is there to reap what is sown, if the land
is sown at all, if the farmer himself is left to enrich the soil in the cause
of a greater good?
The folk of Gamboge Forest
play a vital role in supplying the towns and villages of northern Nyrond with
tubers, nuts, winter berries, and other food with which the Nyrondese can
stretch their meager grain reserves. This supply of forage products is
declining; Gambogers say they have been ambushed by forces of the Theocracy of
the Pale who have stolen their goods, slain some of the woodsmen, and abducted
others. The forest folk are reluctant to travel now, and a Nyrondese trading
group that went to the forest has not returned. Starvation threatens many
villages and people. [FtAA - 76]
There were rumors that Duke Szeffrin, the Butcher of Chathold, was in
control of one of the Orbs of Dragonkind, the Orb of the Hatchling,
specifically.
“I must also tell you that I
was profoundly distressed to read of the rumors you have heard regarding a
white orb said to have been seen in the claws of the Great Murderer of Almor,
Duke Szeffrin. This was news of the worst sort, and your report regarding the
powers that the orb is said to possess has only fed my nightmare that a true
artifact has fallen into the possession of our hated enemies. That this orb is
held by an undead wretch such as Szeffrin is ghastly news[.]” Excerpt of a
letter from the archmage Otto to Johanna, dated Sunset, 8th of
Coldeven (585 CY) [Dragon #230 - 8]
Otto had cause for concern:
Almor has passed from the map
of the Flanaess. Weakened and embarrassed by Osson's exploits, it was invaded
by Ivid in 584 CY and its old capital, Chathold, utterly decimated by the
Overking's mages and priests. The animus Duke Szeffrin now rules half of the
old Almorian lands, and this creature, formerly a greatly favored general in
Ivid's armies, is reputedly one of the cruellest of the animus nobles now holding
sway over so much of Aerdy. [FtAA - 27]
Otto understood how dire that prospect
was. Szeffrin was as mad as Ivid, if far more calculating.
There is an old saying that “Blood is thicker than water.” Most believe
that to be true. But Kith and Kin are not blood; they are relatives; they are
not one and the same. Grenell understood the difference, if King Archibold III
did not.
In the fall of 585 CY, King
Archbold appeared to suffer a stroke. Clerics from around the land convened in
Rel Mord, finally determining that he had been poisoned. Within hours of the
discovery, Prince Sewarndt and a group of military officers attempted to seize
the throne. Only the intervention of the capital's entire Heironean clergy
saved the crown and the king. By the time Archbold's older son, Crown Prince
Lynwerd, could lead an army to his father's side, Sewarndt and a handful of his
cohorts had vanished into the Nyrondal countryside. [LGG - 16]
585 CY
Crown Prince Lynwerd was on an inspection
tour in Mithat, but he was notified (by magical means) within an hour of the
attempted coup and immediately led an army back to the capital. Prince Sewamdt
and some of his supporters fled before his brother arrive& his other allies
were quickly skin or captured.
King Archbold recovered from
the assassination attempt, but he never recovered from the knowledge that one
of his sons had tried to kill him He became deeply depressed and ceased
speaking with anyone, even his own family.
[TAB - 30]
One would think the Herzog
Genell had matters well in hand. He had escaped Ivid’s Kiss, and held Nyond at
bay long enough to retain his lands. Had he done so by skill? Or did fickle
Istus and her capricious luck play a role?
Only in North Province, where
Herzog Grace Grenell actively allied with the Bone March against Nyrond, are
these troops still reliably under the control of the ruler. [Ivid - 10]
The rest of what was once the
Great Kingdom had not been so fortunate as he.
These roaming orc mercenaries
are having a good time of it, especially in central lands where the opposition
to them is weak and the pickings rich. The orcs have grown wily and smart, and
they have altered the practice of warfare and skirmishing in Aerdy. The most
famous example of this is the desertion of Prince Trellar's orcish mercenaries
to the city of Pontylver in an abortive sacking of that city in Coldeven, CY
585. Against Prince Trellar's
orders, the orcs put up their siege engines and sent a chieftain emissary into
Pontylver. Offered a better pay rate by the city's ruler, the orcs spent two
long days in financial discussions before they promptly turned right around and
massacred Trellar together with his armies.
Indeed, in some lands the
orcs have settled down and built towns. The most notable examples are the
coastal orcs of Montesser on the Spindrift Sound. Thousands of miles from home,
with few orcish priests to rabble-rouse them, these members of a
non-influential orcish tribe simply decided that two years of marching was
enough and a warm summer with plenty of sun and food in the belly was
appealing. Such peaceability is distinctly unusual, however. [Ivid - 10]
586 CY
Fireseek
Nyrond had been stuck many blows throughout the War, so much so that it
was a miracle that it still stood; but no blow struck as keenly as when
Archbold’s youngest son tried to wrest the throne from his father and brother.
Archbold never recovered from that betrayal.
Sewarndt's treachery
shattered whatever resolve Archbold had clung to during the difficult war
years. A wholly broken man, he abdicated in favor of Crown Prince Lynwerd in
Fireseek, 586 CY. [LGG - 78]
During Fireseek 586 CY, the
king abdicated the throne and went into retreat at his estate outside the
capital. Lynwerd was declared king. His brother has not been seen in Nyrond
since, but he is believed to be alive and in hiding, possibly still planning to
take the throne. [TAB - 30]
Nyrond had been far less
fortunate than the Pale had been. The Stonehold, Iuz, and Ivid had set upon
Nyrond, and though it had prevailed, it had done so at a cost. It had lost many
in those battles. Indeed, its citizens had fled the onslaught. Its soldiers had
fallen. Lynwerd needed to replenish his peoples. He encouraged his people’s
return, enacted a “baby bonus” for fertile families, and he appealed to
refugees and the nervous citizens of the County of Urnst to move to Nyrond to
aid in its rebuilding.
King Lynwerd I seized the moment and made every effort to revive his
declining realm. In his first year on the throne, he restructured Nyrond’s
military command and cut back the size of his armies, freeing many troops to go
home and farm their lands again. He reduced taxes almost to prewar levels, and
he even authorized a bonus of 1 gp from his personal treasury to each Nyrondese
family that celebrated a birth in 586 or 587 CY. (This latter project, though
dogged by fraud, had the desired effect of boosting the postwar baby boom to
record levels.) [TAB - 30]
Despite financial reverses and personal tragedy, [Lynwerd] has been able
to expand and stabilize Nyrond's eastern borders, and to repair and strengthen
his kingdom's roads, armies, cities and trade links. [PGtG - 25]
[He] seized the western half
of Almor, realigned the command structure of his armies, and reduced taxes to
prewar levels. While the latter did much to boost the morale of his lords, it
has done nothing to pull Nyrond from the bitter clutches of poverty. [LGG - 78]
Coldeven
Demons and devils walked the
oerth. They brought mayhem and terror with them, misery and death. And where
they took to the field, those nations of the world fell, riven and torn. The
champions of weal searched for an end to their terror, and found it in Veluna.
The Flight of Fiends
In Coldeven 586, Canon Hazen of Veluna employed the Crook of Rao, a
powerful artifact, in a special ceremony that purged the Flanaess of nearly all
fiends inhabiting it. Outsiders summoned by Iuz, Ivid, or independent evils fell
victim to this magical assault, which became known as the Flight of Fiends. [LGG - 16]
No one knows how many demons survived the Flight of Fiends in 586 CY;
few have surfaced. [LGG - 61]
Canon Hazen’s banishing the
fiends whipped a blight from the face of the Oerth. Demons and devils ought not
to walk the land. But none could have predicted what chaos might arise from
such a righteous act.
[Spies] and agents of the
overking [had always] kept careful watch on the actions of [the priesthood of
Hextor, for its power was hardly contained.] The priests, lacking detection and
subtler magic, were not well-equipped to uncover such agents.
The crafty Naelax overkings
kept this situation in existence for many decades, with one twist and turn
after another keeping the Hextor priesthood firmly under their thumbs. When the
Greyhawk wars came, however, the overking truly needed the support of the
priests.
Ivid neglected his usual
intriguing for the purpose of giving with one hand and craftily undermining
with the other. And under Patriarch-General Pyrannden the priesthood waxed
powerful. Ivid must have felt utterly betrayed when he called upon Medegia for
aid during the Greyhawk wars and found that the chief censor refused him—with
the backing of the Krennden, Patriarch of Hextor in Rel Astra, the nominal
capital city of Medegia. Ivid has had his revenge on the Censor, of course, but
the patriarch fled to the safety of the north-east coast.
What has happened
subsequently is almost without precedent within this priesthood. Patriarch
General Pyrannden has stood by Ivid. However, Krennden, Patriarch of Hextor in
Rel Astra, has pronounced the Overking insane and renounced his sacred
guardianship of the Malachite Throne on account of that. [Ivid - 22]
Krennden’s pronouncement was soon heard across the length and breadth
of the Kingdom, and beyond. Ivid was not fit to rule, he said. He had lost
command of the fiends. He had lost the Great War. He was mad. He would be the
death of them all if left to continue. Many agreed.
Ivid V the Undying, Overking of the former Great Kingdom, had retreated
to his capital city of Rauxes during the Greyhawk Wars, There, in his madness,
he allowed the kingdom to dissolve, focusing instead on the unfortunate
residents of the city. [PGtG - 12]
Immediately thereafter,
priests of Hextor appeared in Rauxes, the former capital of the Great Kingdom,
and announced that Ivid V was no longer Overking. Conflict engulfed the capital
in a matter of hours. Many of Ivid’s generals and nobles, filled with spite and
ambition, marched on Rauxes. No one can explain what followed. but the city
itself was engulfed by a strange magical warp. Few willingly approach Rauxes now,
and bizarre eldritch forces still prevail where the city once stood. [Gaz
3e - 4]
A reason for [why the priest
of Hextor declared this] was never given; possibly, the disappearance of fiends
from nearly all the Flanaess, which occurred just before this, had some
connection.
Whatever the cause, the next
event was only minutes in coming. The Malachite Throne of Rauxes was open for
the taking. A conflict almost immediately broke out in the city between rival
nobles, many of them spellcasters and some of them undead It appears that
several contenders magically transported themselves to the city from afar to
take advantage of the situation. Perhaps even the animus Duke Szeffrin, who
oversaw the destruction of Almor, was in Rauxes, as he was no longer seen in the
Almorian Lands after this date.
Eyewitness accounts are few
and confused, but most tales indicate the capital was in flames within the
hour. Thousands fled as houses were consumed by terrific bursts of magic. A
number of reports have filtered back in recent years indicating that Rauxes yet
stands, but the city and the lands around it for several leagues are dominated
by bizarre and dangerous magical effects. Spellcasting is unpredictable and
monsters never seen before inhabit the ruins. (One very dangerous monster is
said to resemble a two-headed man.) What became of the people who were not able
– or who refused – to flee can only be imagined. The wizard Mordenkainen
commented in private that such destruction could only have been brought about
by an artifact, and a rift in the planes may have been opened there. (He was
furious when his remark was repeated by a hireling and widely circulated.) No
reliable adventurers are known to have explored the old capital, so nothing
more is known of this matter. Rauxes is still considered a part of the Kingdom
of Ahlissa, but its status is complicated [.] [TAB - 24]
Immediately after the Flight
of Fiends, it was announced in Rauxes that Ivid V was no longer overking,
though it was unclear if he had actually died. Conflict engulfed the capital in
a matter of hours as many of Ivid's generals and nobles, filled with rage and
ambition, marched upon Rauxes. No one can explain the events that followed, but
the city itself was soon engulfed in a strange magical field. Few willingly
approach Rauxes now, given the bizarre eldritch forces that prevail where the
ruined city stands. [LGG - 16]
The end came swiftly in 586
CY, when rivals for the throne, perhaps including the fiendish Duke Szeffrin of
Almor, attacked the capital after hearing news indicating Ivid V had died or
been deposed. Rauxes fell victim to a vast magical conflict that left the city
in ruins and submerged in a region of distorted magical force with
unpredictable effects. The final fate of Ivid V, the rivals for the Malachite
Throne, and Rauxes's citizens remains unknown. All central authority gone, the
provinces of Aerdy went their own ways. [LGG - 24]
As Rauxes burned, and writhed under a twisted dome of spiraling mauve
and purple lights, those who still cared asked, “Is Ivid alive?” He wasn’t,
though, was he? All knew as much; so, the question might have been, “Does Ivid
still exist?”
“What does it matter,” they said, elevating Grenell to oversee his
House. For he surely lived. He surely existed.
Following the devastation of
Rauxes in 586 CY, Grenell became the scion of House Naelax. [LGG - 74]
Planting
Lynward looked upon his Kingdom and despaired. She had been laid low,
and it was his solemn duty to rebuild her, protect her, and raise her back up
form her unexpected poverty. All this he must do, and do it quickly if she were
to weather what storms would surely come. Nyrond still had enemies: what
remained of the Great Kingdom, Iuz, the Euroz of the Bone March.
He needed farmers and stonemasons, and goodwives; and he needed them
now!
When in 586 CY war flared again between Furyondy and Iuz, Lynwerd
appealed to nervous citizens of the County of Urnst to move further from Iuz’s
empire and settle instead in Nyonds western lands. More importantly, King
Lynwerd stood up to representatives of the church of Pholtus and the Theocracy
of the Pale, resisting calls to allow the North Lands of Nyrond to be given to
the Pale. This policy produced bad feelings in the Pale for the young king, but
the Pale is now preoccupied with the war in Tenh and does little but sow
dissension among Nyrondese peasants through temples and clerics of Pholtus. [TAB - 30]
Just then, Baron Baystrayne of Woodwych revealed himself to be the
villain he most surely had always been.
Lynwerd’s worst defeat in 586
CY came when Baron Bastrayne of Wocdwych fled the kingdom with the bulk of the
ax money he had been collecting from local peasants and merchants for years. He
was also found to have despoiled pan of the Celadon Forest, and the inhabitants
of the woodland were in arms over their mistreatment. The king’s men were
unable to find the baron, who disappeared without a trace. Worse, the elves and
woodsmen of the Celadon were in full revolt, attacking anyone who entered their
real. Lynwerd was forced to order troops to secure the forest’s perimeter,
though he kept his soldiers out of the wood itself. [TAB - 30]
Was Nyrond the only nation in
need of rebuilding? No. The whole of the Flanaess was in such straits.
Trade need be found if the markets to the west were closed to the East
due to the Scarlet Brotherhood’s blockade. Maybe there were markets to the
east? There was the rumoured Fireland. And there had to be other lands east of
there. There was only one way to find out. A small Fleet from Asperdi
(Sea Barons) set sail across the Solnor Ocean.
Ships from resource-hungry
lands of the eastern Flanaess are striking out in search of trading partners,
hoping to rebuild from the wars. The Sea Barons and the east coast city-states
of Rel Astra, Ountsy, and Roland are now exploring the mini-continent of
Hepmonaland, returning with fantastic tales and riches. (Many fall prey to
disease, pirates, monsters, and privateers from the Scarlet Brotherhood and
Lordship of the Isles, however.) Several major kingdoms full of new peoples are
said to lie in this tropical land, some rumored to be at war with the
slave-taking Brotherhood. [TAB - 38]
Several ships captained by half-elven smugglers joined a flotilla of
the Sea Barons in their journey over the Solnor. They had an ulterior motive.
The half-elves were reportedly searching for the last members of the
dispossessed Council of Five of Lendore.
In the years since the
Greyhawk Wars, some of the surviving exiles have joined together with
half-elven captains on the Medegian coast. It is an open secret that they are
smugglers, willing to transport any cargo for a price. Several of these ships
secretly accompanied the flotilla of the Sea Barons in their voyage over the
Solnor in 586-589 CY. The Spindrift exiles were thought to be searching for the
last members of the Council of Five, who had fled across the waves when the
clerics of Sehanine usurped their authority. It is not clear what benefit they
seek by contacting their deposed leaders, but the half-elves clearly wish to
return to their birthplace and free it of the magical affliction of Sehanine. [LGG - 69,70]
Reaping
The Great Kingdom sundered, and
Ivid apparently lost, the North Province declares itself Great Kingdom of
Northern Aerdy, and Herzog Grenell of House Naelex was crowned Grenell I.
In 586 CY, Herzog Grenell of
North Province declared himself overking of the Great Kingdom of Northern
Aerdy. [LGG - 16]
In the north, Ivid's cousin,
Herzog [Grenell,] founded the Great Kingdom of Northern Aerdy and crowned
himself overking, a title not used outside his own realm. He focused his
energies entirely on defending and consolidating his new realm. [LGG - 24]
The South Province also
sought to step into to vacuum left by the Great Kingdom’s collapse. Under the
aegis of its provincial graf, Reydrich, South Province restructured itself as
the Kingdom of Ahlissa. [TAB]
c. 586-591
Grenell
did not have his nation as well in hand as one might think.
Rumors
spill from a dozen sources about a dreadful civil war fought in the late 580s
around the city of Rinloru, with men, orcs, and hobgoblins pitted against a
vast army of undead; details are sketchy even now. Fighting is likely to
continue there still. [TAB - 23]
Rinloru is currently a city
of undead, besieged by Torquann armies attempting to destroy a mad undead
cleric of Nerull (once a Torquann prince) and his ghastly armies that control
the ruined city. [LGG - 73]
The most serious internal
threat to [the North Kingdom] (aside from the risk of a chaotic orc uprising)
is a civil war centered around Rinloru, now devastated after a four-year siege.
Ivid V had a noble, a minor priest, turned into an animus during the Greyhawk
Wars to govern this city and surrounding lands. The priest took a liking to his
ghastly condition and developed a megalomaniac desire to convert the whole
Great Kingdom into an undead empire under Nerull. [LGG - 74] Grenell wondered about the
tactics of the orcs, for in truth, they had developed a cunning and patience
hitherto unknown to those savage tribes, and strategies he had not taught them.
Rumours abounded that the hierarchs of the Horned Society were not dead after
all, that a few, if not all, had escaped Iuz’s wrath, and were now
headquartered along the coast of the Pomarj, or even in the Bright Desert or
Rift Canyon. Rumours persisted that they had found their way into the Bone
March.
The Hierarchs and the rest of the leadership of the Horned Society were
presumed destroyed in Coldeven 583 CY, during the night of the Blood-Moon
Festival. Demonic forces sent by Iuz slew the Hierarchs there and allowed Iuz
to quietly take command of their nation. It is possible that one or more
Hierarchs survived the incident and is attempting to rebuild the organization,
but most assume that the group is no longer a threat. Still, Arkalan Sammal,
the renowned sage of Greyhawk, made an interesting appraisal based on reports
gathered by the old sage in recent years. The society, he claims, survives in
the present day and has metamorphosed from a group centralized within a single
nation to one with its secret tendrils buried across the Flanaess. "The
Horned Society must surely have known that the return of Iuz would spell its
ultimate downfall," he reasons. "It would have planned for this eventuality,
most likely by moving its operations out of Molag before the Old One's axe
fell." Rumors during the last five years have placed the group's
headquarters along the coast of the Pomarj, in Bone March, or even in the
Bright Desert or Rift Canyon. Most people no longer care, for Iuz is now
perceived as the true threat. However, suggests Arkalan, the Horned Society has
become even more dangerous since its dispersal. As the Archmage Mordenkainen
was heard to comment last year during a conclave in Greyhawk, "Are their
members now dozens, hundreds, thousands? Where are they headquartered? What do
they plot? Can we rest assured of the death of the Unnamable Hierarch? To the
one who could answer these questions would go the thanks of a free people."
[LGG - 157]
As the Great Kingdom broke apart, the herzogs and grafs and the Holds
of the Celestial Houses saw fit to take what they might while they might. If
they did not, others surely would. The Scarlet Brotherhood, mayhap….
Graf Reydrich of South
Province, though hampered by the loss of his fiendish servitors to the Crook of
Rao, set in notion his plans to enlarge his kingdom and turn it into a true
empire. By unknown means thought to consist of a combination of spells,
enchanted assassins, and a spy network of his own […] he was able to find and
slay many of the Scarlet Brotherhood’s commanders in Onnwal and Idee. His
powerful military units rode directly into Idee in late 586 CY, conquering the
northern half. He planned to move on Onnwal as well, but bad weather and heavy
fighting in Idee forced him to delay those plans. [TAB - 24]
The Brotherhood suffered a major setback in 6101 SD when Reydrich, Graf
of South Province, used his own spy network to discover and slay many
Brotherhood members in Odee and Onnwal. He followed this with a military strike
that conquered the northern half of Idee. [SB]
Reydrich knew that he could not let such quiet aggression go
unchallenged, not when those of his inner court knew what he did, that the
mysterious nation of Shar to the south had infiltrated every level of his
government. Why would they, unless they had meant to take control of it.
Reydrich told one of his generals to be prepared to ride to the
Tilvanot Peninsula by year’s end over the bodies of the Scarlet Brotherhood’s
finest spies, assassins and savages. [TAB - 24]
But Reydrich as truly fortune’s fool. Just as he declared his intent to
march unto the land of Shar, fickle fate decreed otherwise.
The general returned to Reydrich’s quarters later that day to find the
archmage dead, apparently slain during the casting of another spell against the
Brotherhood’s leaders. His assassins were never found. [TAB - 24]
Assassins? Assassin. Fate does not require a hammer when a needle will
do.
Tyrum is the man who killed killed the original Reydrich of South
Province in 6101 SD, infiltrating the Graf’s domicile, slaying him, and
transporting a piece of flesh back to the Brotherhood wizards to make a clone.
The success of this solo mission caught the attention of the Father of
Obedience whom after observing him in subsequent missions, appointed him
[Foster Uncle of Faith.] [SB - 18]
A charismatic and evil man, he left his position in the Temple of Pyremius [years earlier] when he realized he could best serve his god and the
Suel race by becoming an assassin, a profession recognized as part of the official
Brotherhood government. [SB -18]
The plot thickens. Was Reydrich truly master of his own fate. Not so,
says the Scarlet Brotherhood.
[Reydrich had been] under the magical influence of the Brotherhood. The
Father of Obedience used him to eliminate ambitious political rivals in Indee
and Onnwal, then had the graf assassinated before he could overcome the
enchantment. Idee and several units of savages seemed acceptable losses
compared to the elimination of potential challengers to the Father’s
leadership, and he retained several backup plans to compensate for Idee’s
“freedom.” [SB - 6]
But is this truly true? I wonder. Reydrich was a powerful man, few his
arcane equal. It would take an immensely powerful wielder of the Arts to have
dominated one such as he. It would be far easier to spin such a tale, and to
quietly spread it far and wide, and see how it might undermine trust.
With Reydrich reputedly dead, the Scarlet Brotherhood agents attempted to usurp the South Province, assassinating those members of the newly declared
Kingdom of Ahlissa’s Oligarchy.
[A] coalition of military
officers and nobles who briefly attempted to establish a realm of their own, renaming
South Province the Kingdom of Ahlissa Several of this oligarchy were slain by
Scarlet Brotherhood agents during the winter of 586-587 CY, but the oligarchy
held together and oversaw the complete reconquest of Idee by the end of 586 CY.
[TAB - 24]
Wars are costly affairs. Lives are lost. Wealth too. In the aftermath,
the peoples of the land need time to breathe, to replenish, to rebuild. And to
heal old wounds. Re-establish broken bonds. Trade can help do that. It opens
dialogues. It reminds those who fought that not all across the border are foes
and fiend. The Scarlet Brotherhood preferred that not happen.
Merchant ships from Rel Astra ceased to appear in the Azure Sea after
586 CY. It is now known that the Tilva Strait had been blockaded by ships and
possibly monsters under the command of the Scarlet Brotherhood and likely its
puppet, the Lordship of the Isles. [TAB - 29]
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 has
served to moderate tempers in diplomatic relations between the Iron League and
Ahlissa. [TAB - 29]
Even the Scarlet Brotherhood can change their mind. A piece of the
action is far more lucrative a proposition than a blockade, and less costly
than the loss of a single ship and its crew, even if that crew are Duxchaners
and subjects of the Sea Princes.
The Scarlet Brotherhood in Scant originally blockaded the Strait of
Gearnat, but soon switched strategies, instead allowing ships through—with the
payment of protection money. This is particularly irksome to the Domain of
Greyhawk and the kingdom of Nyrond. [TAB - 25]
Had Duke Szeffrin of Almor perished amid the devastation of Rauxes? If
he had, few would mourn him; none would; but his absence left a vacuum to be
filled, and Lynwerd meant to fill it.
The disappearance of Duke Szeffrin
from Almor in 586 CY, after being confirmed by priests and wizards at court in
Rel Mod, led Lynwerd to take a gamble and order his troops on the eastern
border to advance into Ahorian Lands, clearing them of bandits, humanoids, and
undead. Though slowed by unexpected resistance from many humanoid bands
(ex-soldiers from the Great Kingdom), Lynwerd‘s forces were successful in
reaching the Harp River late in 586 CY. This gave Nyrond the appearance in the
minds of many in the Flanaess of being militarily strong once more, though this
was far more illusion than reality. [TAB - 30]
Brewfest
The Scarlet Brotherhood’s hold
in Onnwal had begun to slip. The Land of Purity was a small nation, and despite
its people’s dedication to duty, its resources were stretched to the very
limit.
The Scarlet Brotherhood
gained much in the Greyhawk Wars but suffered later reversals. In 586, the
people of Onnwal rose up against their occupiers, reducing the Brotherhood's
holdings to the capital, Scant. [LGG - 16]
Onnwal continued to struggle against the Scarlet Brotherhood. The core
of the rebelling force consisted of the entire [thieves’] guild of Scant, led
by a notorious master thief, Rakehell Chert. [TAB - 25]
[Chert’s’ thieves had worked hand-in-hand with the dwarven clans of the
Headlands and with Irongate [….] Chert also received considerable help from the
famed archmage Bigby, once a resident of Onnwal, and a group of Bigby’s former
associates and apprentices in Scant. The rebellion began on the first day of
Brewfest, 586 CY, and lasted through Patchwall. [TAB - 25]
Since 586 CY, rebellious
Onnwallers had tried to recapture [Chadwell] manor unsuccessfully, until a
storm raging in off the Gearnat veiled their assault. Inside, they discovered a
scene of unrivalled butchery amongst the Brotherhood's troops. Several of the
Onnwallers remained inside overnight to investigate and were found dead the
following morn. Both sides now avoid the area, unsure of what lurks below the
house. [LGJ#0 - 12]
With Onnwal's rebellion in
late 586, a counter to [the chaos of the piracy plaguing the Wooly Bay] has
formed, with Safeton and Hardby sending out warships to patrol the north, and
Onnwalish ships from Scant guarding the south. This reduced the incidence of
piracy, but it has hardly eliminated the problem. [Slavers - 38]
(Year End)
Oligarchy of Ahlissa conquers
all of Idee.
In late 586 CY, South
Province captured the northern half of Idee, and would own the whole of the
territory by the end of the year. [LGG - 98]
The fall of Idee to South
Province in 586 CY and the emergence of the United Kingdom of Ahlissa in the
following year panicked many in Sunndi, who already felt threatened enough by
the Scarlet Brotherhood's attempts to overthrow the realm from within. A few
heavy-handed overtures by Ahlissa for the county to join their nascent empire
did not help matters. [LGG - 111]
The citizens of Idee feared for their future under Ahlissa, but the
oligarchy was not inclined to exact revenge on the rebel province, though
looting was widespread. The main enemy was now the Scarlet Brotherhood, whose
savage army was not equal to the task of defending itself against heavily
armed, highly trained, highly motivated cavalry, infantry, and sorcery. As
expected and feared, most of the leaders of the Scarlet Brotherhood here
escaped, their whereabouts unknown even to this day. [TAB - 24,25]
No siege lasts forever, although they can last a very long time,
indeed.
Irongate lived under siege
until late 586 CY, when the Scarlet Brotherhood suffered setbacks in Idee and
Onnwal that prevented it from keeping the pressure on Irongate's defenders.
Irongate is no longer pushed back on its heels and has tried to reestablish the
alliance. [LGG - 58]
The Scarlet Brotherhood’s iron
grip had begun to slip. The Father of Obedience had planned well, and his
conquests had been swift; but he also knew that holding onto those swiftly
gathered gains was quite another thing, altogether.
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 and to
Keith Horsfield for his “Chronological History of Eastern Oerik.”
Special thanks
to Jason Zavoda for his compiled index, “Greyhawkania,” an invaluable research
tool.
The Art:
The Orbs of Dragonkind, by Larry Smith, Dragon Magazine 230, 1996
Lynwerd and Archbold, by Joel Biske, from Living Greyhawk Gazatteer, 2000
Arabian-esque Nights, by Bill Willing, from A3 Assault on thre Aerie of the Slave Lords, 1981
Sources:
1015
World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983
1043
The City of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1989
1064
From the Ashes Boxed Set, 1992
1068
Greyhawk Wars Boxed Set, 1991
2011A
Dungeon Masters Guide, 1st Ed., 1979
2023
Greyhawk Adventures Hardback, 1988
9025
World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
9253
WG8, Fate of Istus, 1989
9399
WGR 5, Iuz the Evil, 1993
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The Adventure Begins, 1998
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Player’s Guide to Greyhawk, 1998
11374
The Scarlet Brotherhood, 1999
11621
Slavers. 2000
11742
Gazetteer, 2000
11743
Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
Ivid
the Undying, 1998
Dragon
Magazine
OJ
Oerth Journal, appearing on Greyhawk Online
LGJ et. al.
Greychrondex,
Wilson, Steven B.
The
map of Anna B. Meyer
