Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, Chapter 4: Lendore Isles to Sea Princes

Moving on, we have the Lendore Isles next. Or rather, the 'Radiant and Transformed Domain of Sehanine of the Lendore Isles', which is ruled by the Most Radiant Bow of Sehanine, Orb of the Heavens, High Priest Anfaren Silverbrow, a CG male elf C20 of Sehanine. Lendore is an extreme theocracy; the church runs EVERYTHING here. And this is almost entirely elves, with a population of about 41,000. Obviously, the elf pantheon takes center stage here. Formerly known as the Spindrifts, it used to be the setting for Len Lakofka's Lendore Isles adventures (Secret of Bone Hill, The Assassin's Knot, and Deep Dwarven Delve). Reading through the history part of the entry, it's clear that those modules are still canon, but the elves just completely took over and kicked out most of the humans off the islands after the Greyhawk Wars and turned Lendore into an elven holy place. Well, that sucks. There are human rebels resisting the elven takeover, but they are most definitely a tiny minority.

The Lordship of the Isles is an 'independent monarchy' that is really just a puppet state of the Scarlet Brotherhood. Nominally, the ruler is His Exalted Highness, Prince Frolmar Ingerskatti of Duxchan, Lord of the Isles, Scourge of the Waves, a N male human F12. The population is about 266,000, most of which are human (primarily Suel), and most of the citizens just mind their own business (common alignment is N). However, the government is NE thanks to the Brotherhood's presence. This is a collection of seven islands that is effectively run by pirates. They don't like being controlled by the Brotherhood, but they aren't in a position to do anything about it just yet.

The North Kingdom is formally called the Great Kingdom of Northern Aerdy. This is an independent feudal monarchy whose ruler is His Righteous and Transcendent Majesty, the Overking of Northern Aerdy, Grenell I, Grand Prince of House Naelax, a LE male human C19 of Hextor. Since he's the highest-ranked cleric in the kingdom, he's also in charge of the church as well as the feudal nombles in his service. So this guy has a lot of power. The North Kingdom is a breakaway polity from the Great Kingdom, which has pretty much shattered into several smaller political bodies after the Greyhawk Wars. The North Kingdom is comprised of eleven principalities as well as some smaller baronies and counties. This is a big nation, with a population over 2.6 million people. Most are Oeridians and Flan, and of course the prominent alignments are LE and NE, with LE being the government's alignment. Hextor gets top billing here, too, which should come as no surprise. Unfortunately, this kingdom isn't very fertile; resources are not exported, since everything they grow and mine is needed to keep the country going. The most important situation is the impending war with Ahlissa; it's very unlikely that this war will be averted. Good luck traveling there.

The Kingdom of Nyrond, a hereditary feudal monarchy, is ruled by His August Supremacy, Altmeister of ALl the Aerdi, King Lynwerd I of Nyrond. He's a LG male human F14 who lives in the capital of Rel Mord, which is also the largest city in Nyrond. This is a pretty big country, with a population roughly equal to the North Kingdom, which is of course one of their primary enemies. Nyrond got hit hard by the Greyhawk Wars, and hasn't come close to recovering yet. Heironeous is the main deity worshiped here, so it's no surprise that the North Kingdom isn't a close ally. Nyrond does have allies; the Duchy and County of Urnst, Greyhawk, Irongate, and Sunndi are reliable friends. Nyrond recently went through a civil war when the younger son of the king tried to stage a coup during the Greyhawk Wars, and the treasury is pretty much empty. So, Nyrond is a struggling kingdom trying to recover multiple body shots. Lots of fun.

Onnwal is a bit of an enigma; it's a kingdom currently in rebellion against itself. The political situation is a bit complex, but the official rulership of Onnwal is currently controlled by agents of the Scarlet Brotherhood, and is ruled by Exalted Sister Kyranie, a LE female human Monk10; there is also a strong rebel faction led by two men: His Noble Authority, Jian Destron, the Szek of Free Onnwal (LN male human F8), and His Honor Rakehell Chert, Commander of the Free Onnwal Army of Rebellion (N male human Rog18). Unlike Irongate, which resisted the Scarlet Brotherhood's attempts to take it over, Onnwal failed to recognize the imminent treachery, and the Brotherhood took over the primary port of Scant during the Greyhawk Wars. Even though that's all they control of the kingdom, it's enough to give the Brotherhood a strong naval presence, and they seek to crush the rebels and bring all of Onnwal under their control.

The Theocracy of the Pale is...well, it's a theocracy, of course, ruled by His Worshipful Mercy, Theocrat Ogon Tillit, Supreme Prelate of the Pale, a LN male human C16 of Pholtus. Pholtus is the only legal religion in the Pale, and the population of just under 400,000 is almost entirely human (split between Flan and Oeridian). The religious bureaucracy is in complete control, and there's an ongoing inquisition two centuries old that suppresses all other faiths, not just the evil ones; Nyrond, which is strongly tilted to Heironeous, is considered a false faith. So, the Pale is not a nice place. And they hate wizards, who are all considered 'consorts of demons'. The Pale used to be part of the Great Kingdom, but as that august kingdom fell into corruption and decay, the Pale declared its independence the same year Nyrond did. They did remain under Nyrondian control for about a century, but then were completely independent. And now that Nyrond is in such dire straits, the Pale is looking to take some of their lands for themselves. It's quite the place.

The Plains of the Paynims isn't really a nation; it's more of a collection of nomadic desert tribes. They are west of the Barrier Peaks and north of the Dry Steppes, and are ruled by a collection of petty tribal nobles such as khans, shahs, and padishahs. There are about half a million of them, almost entirely Baklunish, and the typical alignment is CN. Most of their interesting history happened centuries ago, so things have been rather quiet. However, there is a thriving and lucrative slave trade that Al'Akbar's clerics would be very interested in shutting down.

The Concatenated Cantons of Perrenland are/is an independent parliamentary republic. The executive leader (the Voorman) is elected to an eight-year term. Currently, His Gravity, Karenin, Voormann of all Perrenland, a LN male human F14, is the ruler. The provincial names have a heavy Germanic flavor to them; the primary coinage is based on the 'mark' and 'pfennig', so yeah, this is Greyhawk Germany. Without the goose-stepping and Panzers. The population is less than half a million, mostly human (split between Oeridian and Flan), with a strong dwarven population (mostly mountain dwarves). Allitar and Ulaa are the most common deities, and while the most common alignment is LN, the government is LG. They don't have allies, only trading partners, but their list of enemies is interesting. Surprisingly, it includes Furyondy and Veluna because...Perrenland has a 'neutral' stance toward Iuz? Really? A lawful good Germanic culture is making goo-goo eyes at evil incarnate? Okay, then. Perrenland is rather isolated, being between two mountain ranges and a lake. They have a strong military made up mostly of militias, and...ah, I see. It was the previous Voormann who made a neutrality pact with Iuz, sparing Perrenland from the devastation of the Greyhawk Wars. That guy got booted as soon as his term was up, and the current leader, Karenin, was elected. His term is up next year, and it's doubtful he'll get reelected as he spent most of his time in office seeking consensus instead of taking action. Well, that's nothing new in western politics, is it?

The Orcish Empire of the Pomarj sits on a peninsula splitting the Sea of Gearnat and the Azure Sea; it's basically across the sea from Onnwal. However, the Pomarj isn't exactly a nice place, run by His Most Ferocious Majesty, the Despot Turrosh Mak, a NE male half-orc F16. The population is about 43% orcs and roughly a quarter humans (Suel and Oeridians), with goblins and hobgoblins equalling the human population. The orc and goblin pantheons are the most common ones here, of course. The Pomarj isn't a great place to grow things, which is probably why no one has seriously bothered trying to take it away from the orcs. There are resources there such as silver, gold and gems, but food is a precious commodity here. This is where a good chunk of the classic Slavers series of modules took place (A1-4), and those events are briefly mentioned in the history. Turrosh Mak is a relative newcomer to the scene, having led the orcs to take big chunks of both the Wild Coast and the Principality of Ulek. Mak's current plans involve a fleet of pirate ships, and there are rumors that drow have been spotted in the city of Highport. So, there's plenty to do in the Pomarj. And it's one of those places that didn't have a linked Earth region, so you couldn't play as a native of the Pomarj. No big loss, really.

The Archbarony of Ratik is an independent feudal monarchy ruled by Her Valorous Prominence, Evaleigh, the Lady Baroness of Ratik, a CG female human Rog9/Wiz3. It's a small coastal nation in the northeast, isolated by the Rakers which separate them from the Bone March. The population is less than 150,000, mostly Suel humans, and the Suel pantheon is dominant here along with some Oeridian agricultural gods. Evaleigh rules because her husband was killed in an abortive effort to retake Spinecastle in the Bone March; now she's trying to navigate a tenuous alliance with the Frost Barbarians and protect the Archbarony from a southern invasion.

Rel Astra and the Solnor Compact is a sovereign city-state run by...a charismatic undead, His Most Lordly Nobility, Eternal Custodian and Lord Protector of Rel Astra, Drax the Invulnerable, a LE male animus W11/F3. An animus is a form of undead that doesn't get a template description here, but might in a future product. He's sort of lichy, except he doesn't look nearly that bad. Anyway, Rel Astra used to be part of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy, but it's now independent. When the Great Kingdom began to fall apart a couple of centuries ago, Rel Astra went out on its own, and during the Greyhawk Wars Drax was coerced into becoming an undead by Ivid the Undying in order to protect the city from renegade Aerdy troops looking for loot and plunder. His primary advisor is a two-headed bestial demon known as the Fiend-Sage...hey, I recognize that name. It was in the Living Greyhawk Journal article about new monsters. Well, there we go. Anyway, Drax kept Rel Astra from joining the new United Kingdom of Ahlissa. His goals now involve bringing the Sea Barons into the Solnor Compact to create a coastal kingdom with himself in charge.

The Rovers of the Barrens, ruled by His Mighty Lordship, Ataman of the Standards, Durishi Great Hound, Chief of the Wardogs (CN male human F9), are one of the most northern lands of the Flanaess, between the Fellreev Forest and the Empire of Iuz. Not a pleasant place to be. These people are nomadic, of course, so there are no actual settlements in this region, only temporary camps. These are mostly Flan barbarians who are trying to survive in the face of constant threats from Iuz and the many orcs and goblins in the area. The Greyhawk Wars nearly annihilated the Rovers, and it is only recently that they have begun to rebuild their strength in the face of unrelenting doom.

Ah, the Great and Hidden Empire of the Scarlet Brotherhood. Not much is known about these evil monks, but they are definitely one of the 'big bads' of the Flanaess. Iuz is way in the north, the Brotherhood is way in the south. The human population is almost exclusively Suel, and they are the one place where Ancient Suloise is not a dead language. Their enemies list is surpassed only by that of Iuz; even the bad kingdoms don't like them. Up until the Greyhawk Wars, they were a quiet, behind-the-scenes power that worked in secret. Then, during the Wars, they came out of the shadows and toppled governments through espionage, assassination, and blackmail. It turns out that they had spread agents over much of the Flanaess to help them, and now a lot of places are quite paranoid about the Brotherhood and their actions. Now they are an open political entity, although information about the nation is scant at best. And there is a secret sect within the Scarlet Brotherhood known as the 'Black Brotherhood' that worships Tharizdun and works toward his inevitable return. Charming group.

The Dominion of the Sea Barons is a group of islands of the eastern coast of the Flanaess, north of Rel Astra. Hey, another independent feudal monarchy ruled by His Noble Prominence Basmajian Arras, Lord High Admiral of Asperdi, Commander of the Sea Barons, a LE male human F13. Although he's lawful evil, the isles of the Sea Barons are dominated by CN alignment. There are four of these islands in total, each ruled by its own baron and answering to the Lord High Admiral. One of those islands, Leastisle, was sacked an captured by marauders in the Greyhawk Wars, and they haven't been able to spare the resources to take it back thanks to Scarlet Brotherhood threats.

The Hold of the Sea Princes is a region in civil chaos thanks to the machinations of the Scarlet Brotherhood. The eastern islands and cities are controlled by the Brotherhood, with Elder Brother Hammandaturian, Shepherd of the Sea Princes (LE male human M12) their representative. The rest of the region is controlled by various warlords, tribal clerics, and foreign armies that conquered the rest of the Hold during the Wars. The people are mostly Suel, but there are also some Olman here. Less than a decade ago, the Brotherhood assassinated 90% of the nobility's leadership in a single night; the survivors signed a notice of surrender, giving the land to the Brotherhood. So, it's a mess, and ripe for adventure. Too bad it wasn't a region available in Living Greyhawk.

And that will do it for tonight; there's still a good chunk of this chapter left, but we're under forty pages to go, so I should be able to finish it in one more shot before going on to the rest of the book.