Geoff
"c. -1000 FT: Worship of Beory, the Earth Mother, is very strong throughout the Flan tribes. Her druids have a position higher than clan chief. Beory’s children – Ehlonna and Obad-hai – have a small but growing following. Pelor is present but has no organized priesthood."[1]"c. -800 FT: As the Flannae grow in number in Gyruff, the giants notice their presence and start attacking the Flan tribes. The conflict becomes bitter and gruesome when the Flannae learn that the giants will eat prisoners." (Grand History of Geoff)
"c. -700 FT: Worship of Pelor increases as the Flan tribes struggle against the giants. Trithereon reveals himself to the Flannae." (GHoG)
"c. -500 FT: According to legend, Pelor teaches the Flannae how to make the longbow. Whether that is true or not, the Flannae use this powerful weapon against the giants." (GHoG)
"c. -250 FT: The Flannae and the elves have long lived beside each other peacefully. In an attempt to bring the humans in as allies against the dragons, the elves offer to share their knowledge of magic. They train the first wizards in Gyruff." (GHoG)
"c. -200 FT: To counter the human alliance with the elves, dragons make the same offer to the humans. Dragon magic relies on draconic blood to work. The next generation sees the first human sorcerers." (GHoG)
"c. -175 FT: The Flan tribes are divided on which side to take in the war. Some take the elves; some take the dragons. Some choose neither. Ultimately, the Flannae have little effect on the conflict." (GHoG)
"c.-100 FT: Llywellyn, the Great Druid-King, leads the Flan tribes of the Sheldomar in a crusade against the giants. The giants are pushed into the mountains. Llywellyn unites the tribes living in the Sheldomar into a loose confederation." (GHoG)
"c. -90 FT: With the giants gone, the Flannae discover the gnomes who live in the Stark Mounds and the Good Hills. The two races establish friendly relations." (GHoG)
"1 FT: The Druids of Beory oversee the erection of the Standing Stones at Rhun. The Flan begin tracking the years from this event." (GHoG)
"c. 250 FT: The first dwarves arrive in the Crystalmists. They traveled from the far north, seeking good stone and rich veins of ore. The Flan tribes begin trading with them." (GHoG)
"The descendents of Llywellyn, the Druid King, are no longer able to keep the confederation together. The tribes split and go their separate ways." (GHoG)
"456 FT: Many of the Druids of Beory die suddenly. This includes the Great Druid. Beory herself seems to distance herself from the world. Her priesthood wanes. Without the strong leadership from Beory, the druids of Ehlonna and Obad-Hai start to feud openly." (GHoG)
"1780 FT: Empire of Vecna falls as Kas the Bloody-Handed slays the Whispered One, the Lord of the Spider Throne." (-371 CY) (GHoG)
Tenh
- "The walled town of Stroun was long famed for its singular mage-priests of Boccob and Istus who were known throughout Tenh as "The Declaimers." Believed to be diviners without peer and to have powers of foreknowledge and precognition, these enigmatic men and women, no more than twenty in number, always refused to attend the courts of Ehyeh or any other noble. They gave their judgements, warnings, and announcements without fear or favor and did so when they deemed the time right. In 580 CY, they stood together in the town square and stated that Tenh would fall within three years. The immediate reaction was one of panic, followed by the budding of the town's walls, and then, after a year, gradual amnesia as the words of the robed masters faded from memory. It was another year before they were proven right, but by then, they had all vanished without a trace on the eve of the fall of Stroun. Now, the Declaimers whereabouts are unknown. They have disappeared as completely as the dervish High priests of Tdon, ten centuries before them." (Iuz the Evil, 75 pdf)
- Two years ago, a Tenha youth called Umenyeh enrolled in the college's history program. To gain credibility with his fellows, Umenyeh showed them an oversized, aged libram he had "liberated" from a partially destroyed wizard's tower as he fled his bome city of Calbut during the Stonefist invasion of 582 CY. The book, written in a phonetic transcription of a time-lost Flan tribal tongue, seemed to Umenyeh and his friends to have something to do with bound spitits an ancient traditions. The budding scholars hope to translate the entire work in order to gain insight into the "quaint" traditions of the primitive Ur-Flan who once inhabited the land that became Tenh."
- "This is the height of folly. as the work is actually the infamous Thrice-Damned Tome of Anashelaq. By personal order of the Duke of Tenh, the malevolent book had been kept under constant guard by a contingent of sorcerers until those adepts were called to the futile defense of Calbut, where they were slain to a man. A montb ago, one of Umenyeh's amateur translators vanished while at work on tbe volume, leaving behind the book and scraps of bloody clothing. Umenyeh covered up the disappearance and is now working more furiously than ever, convinced that the tome soon will reveal some all-important secret." (LGJ#4.7; Grey College entry)
Fleeth
I. Problem of Fleeth: A. Date of destruction 1. Some time after founding of Keoland in -342 CY (VR; date from LGG.64). a. However, Vecna’s empire fell a “few seasons” after founding of Niole Dra c. -359 to -358 CY. (LGG.64) 2. About 900 years after Vecna’s escape as a youth (VhotR.59, 61) 3. Before the destruction of the Kingdom of Mara in -419 CY (WGA4.bc)B. Location 1. N. Keoish frontier (“Vecna’s Realm”) 2. Eastern plains (VhotR.1) a. E of Keoland? Neheli lands? Sheldomar R? Would this be the D of Ulek? b. E of Lortmils? Veluna, perhaps? (Works if Pholtus=Rao) C. Size 1. Frontier town/city (VR) 2. Town/city (WGA4) 3. Metropolis (VhotR) D. Age 1. Founded “shortly after” founding of Keoland in -342 CY (VR; date from LGG.64). a. However, Vecna’s empire fell a “few seasons” after founding of Niole Dra c. -358 CY. (LGG.64) 2. Stood for “centuries” on the plains (VhotR. 1); a large thriving city even 900 years before its doom (VhotR.15-16)
Locating Fleeth
“Eastern plains” (VhotR.1) Eastern from where? Uhas’s POV (Niole Dra)? Vecna’s POV (Rushmoors?)? Uleks? Unlikely: “The County of Ulek has had a long history as one of the more peaceful lands in the Flanaess.” (LGG.117) “The Old Faith (druidism), as practiced by the common folk throughout the central Flanaess, was the center of culture here. The sovereign was always a member of the druidic hierarchy. . . .” (LGG.117) “The Uleks have provided shelter to Good-aligned nonhumans for untold centuries” (LGG.118) Duchly likely former subject of Celene, due to similar coinage (only ep differs)–LGG.38, 118) D. Of Ulek LG Triad claims elves of Celene ruled Duchy before being taken over by Ur-Flan. (OJ#16.61, 70) Katzman has similar take (OJ#16.72-74) “Dwarves have lived in these hills since well before the Great Migrations a millennium ago. Treated as an extension of the legendary dwarven kingdoms of the Lortmils at their height, there has been a dwur prince in these foothills long before there ever was a human king in Niole Dra” (LGG.121)
Mountains beyond N. Wall (VhotR.23, 24), west wall (29, 30), possibly south walls as well (VhotR.1)
River flowing from mts (VhotR.17)
Religion=Pholtus. Unlikely, Pholtus is Oeridian. Oerid migrations didn’t begin until c. -465 CY (tAB.55) IS a moon god (VhtoR.5) to whom Darknight is important (VhtoR.15) Rao fits bill on both accounts+ is Flan (LGG.129; DNG #41.47) Priests inVHotR wear white robes (some w/ cowls) trimmed in blue or gold) Pholtan priests wear white robes sometimes trimmed in silver, &/or gold (LGG.179; FtA.91; DR#294.28) Rao’s priests wear white robes (FtA.85) Rao’s paladins wear gray or blue-gray tunics trimmed in white and gold, and sometimes wear cowls Though Rao usually thought of as benevolent deity (LGG.181; FtA.85), his priesthood has demonstrated intolerance & fanaticism in a Pholtine vein (DNG#41.47), resulting in branding for theft (nobles), imprisonment for inability to pay church taxes during a bad harvest, and imprisonment for blasphemy (DNG#41.49) Darknight: VhotR, once/ 12 yrs (p. 15); Untrue: yearly on Goodmonth 11 (tAB.46) Could instead be a conjunction involving the moons & 5 wandering stars (WoG.4)
Palm trees in city Possibly transplanted &/or winter-hardy
No “kora” (Kara) fruits in Fleeth (VhotR.50) Kara native to southern flanaess (WoG.6; FtA.50) Found in Celadon (COG:FFF.3)
Possible location: Veluna, near Fals pass; near Mitrik? Mitrik holy site founded 9 CY (location of Crook of Rao) (LGG.129)
Seeing that the presence of palm trees are the only reason to assume Fleeth was located in a tropical region, one must therefore determine whether it is possible for palms to survive in “central” temperate regions, given the fact that kara fruit is only available
Demi-human realms
Elves
"Elves were present in the lands east of the Crystalmist Mountains for uncounted centuries prior to the rise of the first human kingdoms there. Slowly driven from open country to more secluded and better defended strongholds by the growing strength of both human and nonhuman folk, elves still held a number of forest and upland realms at the rime of the Twin Cataclysms. The invading humans, ores, and others pressed them further, until some prominent elven realms made military and political alliances with dwarves, gnomes, and halflings, and even with certain major human tribes (usually Oeridian), Today, elves are dominant in Celene, Sunndi, Highfolk, the Vesve Forest, and the Lendore Isles." (LGG.8)- Valley elf kingdom: "Gnomes lived as citizens of the valley kingdom even before the first grand duke reigned in Geoff. By the time the Keoish built their empire, humans from the lands west of the Barrier Peaks had immigrated to the Javan Vale." (LGG.127)
Gorna founded -311 CY or before: "With the help of the sylvan elves of the forests and the gnomes of the Stark Mounds, the Geoffites erected Gorna more than nine hundred years ago" before 591 CY. (LGG.48)
1st Grand Duke: "In 316 CY, the region was peacefully incorporated into Keoland, its nominal leader gaining the title of Grand Duke of Geoff" (LGG.48)
Keoland founded: "Keoland was officially founded in the year 303 OR (-342 CY), a union between the Neheli, Rhola, and minor Oeridian nobles who came to control large swaths of the central valleys between the holdings of the SueL" (LGG.64)
Gnome migrations: "Rock gnomes of the Flanaess have their origins as trappers and herders in the remote wooded highlands of the north. Their southward expansion began only a few centuries before the Invoked Devastation, bringing them into lands populated by other races. Their lairds and chieftain recognized the authority of elven or dwarven sovereigns, but discouraged any mingling of peoples until the Suel and Oeridian migrations encouraged cooperation between races." (LGG.9)
- Sheldomar: "According to legend, the elves live in the great forests in the Sheldomar Valley. Their knowledge of magic is strong and they war with the Dragons who are also strong with magic." (no date, Grand History of Geoff)
- Hocholve: "This relationship seems to have persisted until at least the end of the last century, despite vigorous and heated protests by the High Lord of Elvend om at Hocholve." (LGG.127)
- Celene: "Celene has ever been home to the gray elves of the Flanaess. In ancient days, elven princes held sway from the Velverdyva to the Wild Coast; by the time of the Migrations, their rule had diminished to isolated pockets such as Celene." (LGG.39)
- City of Summer Stars:
- Sunndi: "These men and women made the place their home, easily befriending the indigenous gray elven lords, who claimed to have lived in the land since the first tree had broken ground." (LGG.110)
- Vesve:
- Highfolk: "The Fairdells and the Vesve Forest were home to high elves for untold centuries." (LGG.53)
- Fellreev: "That castle itself is said to be built on the ruins of a high elven city razed by Oeridians neatly nine hundred years ago, and Dahlvier himself is thought to have many unique, ancient, elven magical items and lore in his citadel home." (Iuz the Evil) [-316 CY]
Dwarves
"The dwarves do not speak of their origins to outsiders, so little of their ancient history is known. However, it is understood that they once had great underground halls in the northern Crystalmists that were destroyed by the Invoked Devastation. Their last High King perished in the aftermath, and the clans have ever since been sundered. Led by lords and princes of differing noble houses, the dwarf clans allied with elves and gnomes during the Suel and Oeridian migrations, and even joined humans of reliable disposition to defend their territories. In the present day, dwarves are found in rugged mountains and hills, particularly in the Lortmils, Glorioles, Crystalmists, Iron Hills, Principality of Ulek, and Ratik." (LGG.9)- Dwarven kingdom of the Lortmils:
Ulek states
"The County of Ulek has had a long history as one of the more peaceful lands in the Flanaess. The native Flan and halfling peoples were willing to accept Oeridian sovereignty in exchange for protection from the more rapacious Suel, then showed an equal willingness to accept Suloise of more amiable disposition. They came under the rule of Keoland in that state's early history, though the county was always a distinct land with its own lord. The Old Faith (druidism), as practiced by the common folk throughout the central Flanaess, was the center of culture here. The sovereign was always a member of the druidic hierarchy, whose position was respected by both the human and nonhuman inhabitants of the county, regardless of the ruler's race or patron deity." (LGG.117)"The Uleks have provided shelter to Good-aligned nonhumans for untold centuries, while wars and displaced human nations have moved across the Flanaess, consuming most of the habitable lands" (LGG.118)
"Dwarves have lived in these hills since well before the Great Migrations a millennium ago. Treated as an extension of the legendary dwarven kingdoms of the Lortmils at their height, there has been a dwur prince in these foothills long before there ever was a human king in Niole Dra. These dwarven lords protected the wealth and resources of the southern Ulek hills for ages, establishing their lonely halls in the earth and interacting little with the native Flan who inhabited the flatlands. This remained true until the Suel and Oeridians came together in the central valleys to found Keoland." (LGG.121)
Named for Ulaa?[2]
Halflings
"Halflings originally occupied small settlements in the river valleys of the west-central Flanaess. They spread slowly into other territories, so that by the time of the Suel and Oeridian migrations, few were north of the Gamboge Forest or east of the Harp River. They are common in much of the Sheldomar Valley, interacting freely with humans, dwarves, elves and gnomes. Historically, they prefer to dwell in stable nations ruled by stronger folk Today, halflings are found in much of the Flanaess, but they still favor the central and western regions from the Urnst states to the three Uleks." (LGG.10)Citadel Cavitius
“Where the characters nave arrived is a special, small section of the negative quasi-plane of Ash. Originally, this piece was part of that uniform and deadly wasteland, undistinguished from the surrounding gray. Vecna took an interest in this place and, over the centuries, transformed the hostile environment into his own private fortress and prison-Citadel Cavitius.” (VL, 62) “Vecna has chosen to build his citadel on the border between the plane of Ash and the Negative Material plane. Through spells and magical devices, he has formed a small pocket of solid matter and fashioned it into Citadel Cavitius.” (VL, 62) Cavitius was actually seized from the Doomguard by Vecna (David Cook, Planescape Campaign Setting: A DM Guide to the Planes (Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994), 37).Empire of Vecna
“From the loneliest chamber of a black tower, he ruled over a now-forgotten nation. Some say his realm was beyond the great mountains to the west. Another theory holds his tower once rose from the very depths of the Nyr Dyv. A few writers even go so far as to claim Vecna’s dominion extended over another plane and that he was ultimately destroyed by a revolt of the greater powers that dwelled there!” (VL, 6)“Even though his body gradually withered and decayed, Vecna remained “alive” and continued to expand his evil dominion.” (VL, 7)
“The scene shows the remains of an immense palace, shattered and broken. The destruction could only have occurred moments before, since rubble is still crumbling away and people are running in confusion. Even in destruction, the palace looks both majestic and corrupt. This is the palace of the Spidered Throne, the seat of Vecna’s ancient empire. The scene is moments after Vecna’s defeat by Kas.” (VL, 60)
“As an undying king he ruled a land ranging from the Sheldomar Valley [to] the northwest shores of the Nyr Dyv, although his immediate reach was only the land near his stronghold, called the Rotted Tower in the Rusbmoors.” (DR#348, 20)
The Occluded Empire of Vecna, as it became known, served ably as a ulcer in the gut of all migrants. Oeridians flowing east from the Fals Gap had avoided Vecna’s lands by coincidence, at first, but soon learned that the lich-lord’s dominion extended all the way to the northwest shores of the Lake of Unknown Depths. Despite Vecna’s control over such a wide berth of land, his actual grasp did not extend far from his own Rotted Tower, said to be located in the Rushmoors, or the now-ruined town of Tycheron, along the northern banks of the Velverdyva, not far from modern Dyvers. (Vecna’s realm)
“he once controlled an empire that spanned much of the Flanaess of Oerth and a number of extraplanar locations.” (DVD, 110)
“On the outside, this fearsome structure is an exact duplicate of Vecna's ancient seat of power, as his empire reached its height across a now-forgotten region of the Flanaess. The palace housed the legendary Spider Throne and was the site of Vecna's greatest political and magical triumphs (and, perhaps, his greatest mistakes).” (DVD, 57)
“This is the home of Vecna, a perfect replica (from the exterior) of the fabled Black Tower from which he once controlled an empire that spanned much of the Flanaess of Oerth and a number of extraplanar locations.” (DVD, 110)
About Vecna
Vecna’s appearance
“Formerly a lich, Vecna has retained the horrid appearance of these monsters. His body is mummified with patches of dry rot showing through the tatters he wears for clothing. His left arm ends in a crumbling stump. Vecna’s face is covered by a silken scarf, veiling his features underneath.” (VL, 73)Vecna in life: described as a “tall, dark-haired man with handsome features.” (DVD, 120) See also, DVD, 95-96 & 99-100.
Height: "Although the room appears to be unguarded, the seated statue of Vecna (Scene Five) is actually a stone guardian, a type of variant stone golem." (DVD, 95)
Stone Guardian . . . SZ M (6'1" tall) (DVD, 95).
"Scene Five: This scene is more of a sculpture than a relief. It is a life-size statue of the wizard from the other scenes, except now his features are gaunt and skeletal." (DVD, 96)
Vecna’s personality
Vecna prefers to act indirectly in the affairs of men, guiding and steering his followers to goals only he understands. Nursed on treachery and deceit, the Whispered One has no compassion for mortals, even his own worshipers. Those who follow him must commit themselves to being utter pawns to his schemes. Followers who serve him well are rewarded with knowledge, usually damning secrets others would prefer stayed hidden. Those who anger Vecna often find themselves betrayed and blackmailed, their darkest sins suddenly known to those who can hurt them most. (VL, 73)Vecna’s Cruelty
Even in life, Vecna’s strictness and cruelty were infamous. He built a great kingdom based on his wizardly skills and his fiendish cruelty. Some tales claim he bred entire villages like cattle, simply to keep his foul laboratories supplied with subjects for his experiments. Others describe military campaigns where he annihilated entire cities beneath tidal waves of rock and earth.” (VL, 6)“So formidable was his temper that men feared to speak his name. Lord Vecna was the Whispered One, the Master of the Spider Throne, the Undying King, and the Lord of the Rotted Tower.” (VL, 7)
“The lich committed horrible evils, exploiting the lives of those unfortunate enough to live under his rule. It is said he sacrificed entire villages of his own people just to fuel the magic of a single spell.” (DR#342)
Magical skill
- Though few admit it openly, a great numberof evil sorcerers and wizards revere Vecna, the Whispered One-possibly the grearest living wizard (and certainly the greatest unliving) of any age." (Complete Arcane, 188)
Lichdom
Vecna’s path to lichdom unknown.- “As entertaining as these tales are, most sources agree that Vecna was a supremely talented wizard who became obsessed with overcoming death when his beloved mother died." (DR#402, 2)
- "After hundreds of failures Vecna devised a ritual that siphoned power from the planes to animate his lifeless body, giving him immortality as a lich." (DR#402, 2)
- “According to some tales, Vecna amassed enough power to confront his own death and forever imprison it, thus escaping his doom.” (VL, 7)
“A third version is that Vecna found the secret magic of life and thus transformed himself into the most powerful of liches.” (VL, 7)
“Beyond death, he became the greatest of all liches.” (VL, 7)
“When Vecna betrayed the druids and twisted their power over nature into a source of undeath, they were completely unprepared. Some druids fled, many died, and the few who remained served the Whispered One. A number of scholars believe that the druids who served Vecna rescued many of the Ur-Flan secrets and the Old Faith preserves that knowledge to this day.” http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=lg/lgpg/20080122a
“Following this, a large group of Flan from the Velverdyva valley migrated into the Sheldomar. They were pastoralists, leading large herds of sheep, and worshipping Rao. The Old Faith directed their followers, by now settled agriculturalists, to oppose them. This led to years of low-scale warfare that finally ended when the leaders of the Old Faith turned to a warlord with ties to the Ur-Flan by the name of Vecna. They anointed him High King of the Sheldomar, and directed their people to follow him in defeating the newcomers.
Following his victory Vecna began to reorganize the small states of the Sheldomar, turning them into a coordinated nation to support him in his researches. It was at this time that the Great Druid of the Old Faith informed him that he was to be sacrificed in a ritual to restore the land. Feigning acceptance, Vecna allowed the ritual to proceed, but at the culminating moment, he revealed his powers, twisting the ritual, and using the power to turn himself into a lich-like creature. Slaughtering the leaders of the Old Faith, he proceeded to establish his rule over those Flan closest to him.” http://canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&thold=-1&mode=flat&order=0&sid=761 see also: http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=824
Acererak
“Acererak, who is said to have ruled the swamp in the distant past and now has his burial place somewhere within its confines.” (FTA.61)“Even when the Great Kingdom swelled to its greatest size in 5516 SD [1 CY] under Overking Nasran (Flan name for him?), Shar was protected from land assaults by the Vast Swamp. . . .” During the next two hundred years, the Brotherhood continued to develop its information network. . . . Rumors of a powerful lich, Acererak, building a stronghold in the Vast Swamp caused some alarm, as the Brotherhood feared another magical war with possibly cataclysmic consequences–especially as the undead mage was presumably unconcerned about any potential damage to the local ecology. Acererak later entombed himself after killing all of his slaves. . . . The first appearance of the frog-like demigod Wastri in 5730 SD [215 CY] was met with surprise, confusion and disgust.” (TSB, 4)
No comments:
Post a Comment