Gran Duchy of Vrianos, Kingdom of Ras-Prythax
My Lordship, Viscount Wilifrick of Verbobonc,
Despite Feraso City being so close to The Weissmach border, I forget how equidistant it for the far western and eastern provinces.
It's taken a number of days through some beautiful countryside, but we have finally reached the "edge of the empire" so to speak: The Gran Duchy of Vrianios.
The only difference between this territory and The Weissmach is an un-enthused allegiance with the crown. The attempts to control the Duchy from the administrators in Feraso City is dominant, so much so, that during his reign, the Duke of Vrianios, has gone by Michael (his birth name), Mykul (to coincide with the greatness of our recently deceased Krugraf), and when the paper pushers and melodramatic ministers thought it unbecoming of a "frontier noble", have forced him to use his childhood nickname, Miksa, in all formal affairs.
Most would think it intolerable to deal with such flippant decisions, much less widely varying taxation and commercial levies on the whims of other ministers, but Vrianios is in a defensive disadvantage that the Ras-Prythax military is a simple solution.
The ten baronies making up Vrianios are bordered by the sometimes lawless lords of the Weissmach to the north. The northeast border is with the independent Witchlords and Sorcerer-Kings of Hermetus. As if a land full of moody mages and spellcasters isn't enough to make Miksa worry at night, the Kingdom of Vlachia to the southeast, despite a very isolationist posture, seems to be the source of numerous legends of lycanthropes and vampire-kind coming across the border and terrorizing his subjects.
And along the southern border is the only true military threat to the entire Kingdom of Ras-Prythax: Milosic. An huge expanse of wasteland in the middle of the continent, serving as home to numerous sub-human races. Lucky for the Duke (and the entirety of the Kingdom), regular patrols are sent into the land for scouting, and if the orc tribes get too strong, a proper culling is conducted before a horde can form.
Still for such peculiar situations the peculiar people of Vrianios have adopted some of the traits of their neighbors. The penchant of Hermetus kin to wear various talismans, charms, and wards. The lawless rules of the wandering folk of Vlachia, and a heavy, portable starch and sausage diet, just in case they need to flee from the orcish hordes.
My Lordship, Viscount Wilifrick of Verbobonc,
Despite Feraso City being so close to The Weissmach border, I forget how equidistant it for the far western and eastern provinces.
It's taken a number of days through some beautiful countryside, but we have finally reached the "edge of the empire" so to speak: The Gran Duchy of Vrianios.
The only difference between this territory and The Weissmach is an un-enthused allegiance with the crown. The attempts to control the Duchy from the administrators in Feraso City is dominant, so much so, that during his reign, the Duke of Vrianios, has gone by Michael (his birth name), Mykul (to coincide with the greatness of our recently deceased Krugraf), and when the paper pushers and melodramatic ministers thought it unbecoming of a "frontier noble", have forced him to use his childhood nickname, Miksa, in all formal affairs.
Most would think it intolerable to deal with such flippant decisions, much less widely varying taxation and commercial levies on the whims of other ministers, but Vrianios is in a defensive disadvantage that the Ras-Prythax military is a simple solution.
The ten baronies making up Vrianios are bordered by the sometimes lawless lords of the Weissmach to the north. The northeast border is with the independent Witchlords and Sorcerer-Kings of Hermetus. As if a land full of moody mages and spellcasters isn't enough to make Miksa worry at night, the Kingdom of Vlachia to the southeast, despite a very isolationist posture, seems to be the source of numerous legends of lycanthropes and vampire-kind coming across the border and terrorizing his subjects.
And along the southern border is the only true military threat to the entire Kingdom of Ras-Prythax: Milosic. An huge expanse of wasteland in the middle of the continent, serving as home to numerous sub-human races. Lucky for the Duke (and the entirety of the Kingdom), regular patrols are sent into the land for scouting, and if the orc tribes get too strong, a proper culling is conducted before a horde can form.
Still for such peculiar situations the peculiar people of Vrianios have adopted some of the traits of their neighbors. The penchant of Hermetus kin to wear various talismans, charms, and wards. The lawless rules of the wandering folk of Vlachia, and a heavy, portable starch and sausage diet, just in case they need to flee from the orcish hordes.
The Magnus Horseguard is a large cavalry unit whose roving patrols prevent the infestation or expansion of monsterkind through the Duchy, but they do not patrol the most obvious shortcut in Vrianios: The Sotet Forest.
Most don't think about cutting through the impenetrable forest, but we aren't the wisest bunch while adventuring. We quickly learned that a portion of the forest opened into a series of winding canyons, and we were foolish enough to venture through them.
While we weren't hopelessly lost in the chasms, we were lost enough to elude the clues of a hydra lair, only to walk right into the middle of it the next day.
Between Commander HouseKarl, Morag, and Brother Eligius, I realized that I was in a far more competent party than before. Within minutes, the hydra was dead.
We cleared out the lair of gold, kicked around dozens of broken artifacts and treasures, and a lone shortsword that had not corroded one bit. None of us could deftly wield such a weapon, so we handed it off to our guide Simon.
Yours in Perpetual Service,
Sir Elsderth, Lord of Greyhawk
SageSword of the The Order of Merit
Wielder of the Legendary Betrayer.
Defiler of the Temple of Tiamat.
Freigraff Vagabundieren of the Totenlinden Amberstoll
DM Notes: This has nothing to do with with anything about my high school D&D game, but it (1) helps fill in a part of the map I've never used before and (2) allowed me to use a cool pic from Dragon #137 - Wilderness Adventures, one of my favorite issues.
Next: #41 Death from Above
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| Commander Rolf HouseKarl doesn't take kindly to unlicensed hydras... |
We cleared out the lair of gold, kicked around dozens of broken artifacts and treasures, and a lone shortsword that had not corroded one bit. None of us could deftly wield such a weapon, so we handed it off to our guide Simon.
Yours in Perpetual Service,
Sir Elsderth, Lord of Greyhawk
SageSword of the The Order of Merit
Wielder of the Legendary Betrayer.
Defiler of the Temple of Tiamat.
Freigraff Vagabundieren of the Totenlinden Amberstoll
DM Notes: This has nothing to do with with anything about my high school D&D game, but it (1) helps fill in a part of the map I've never used before and (2) allowed me to use a cool pic from Dragon #137 - Wilderness Adventures, one of my favorite issues.
Next: #41 Death from Above
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