Chapter 3, The Pre-Aerdy Period: The Coming of the Zelrad Suel to Ehlissa

Zelrad Suel landing in Ehlissa,
 -400 CY
art by Angus McBride

Approximately 50 years before the rise of the Kingdom of Thalland and the Medegian Bladelands, the Suel house of Zelrad was driven from the lower Sheldomar Valley by an alliance of their fellow Suel houses of Neheli and Rhola. Led by their fasstal, Anwilya they set out from near what is now the town of Greutam in the Principality of Ulek. Sailing east, they looked for refuge. In the Pomarj they found only other hostile Suel. Landing in the hills east of the Bright Desert, Anwilya’s heir, Vultolf was murdered by seemingly hospitable Flan tribesmen who then treacherously attacked the Fasstal and her party at a welcome feast. Though she lived, the Fasstal was horribly wounded in the retreat to the ships. The Suloise house of Onnwi was more open in their antipathy and several Zelrad ships were burned or captured by the Onnwi in a naval battle that took place on Noxia Bay. Battered and mistrustful, in -400 CY the Zelrad landed on the coast of Ehlissa near the mouth of the Serumaren River(1). They found themselves facing an army led by Nyfain, a daughter of Ehlissa VIII. To the relief of the Zelrad, Nyfain welcomed them, and she and Anwilya became fast friends. This was in contrast to prior relations between the Ehlissans and refugee Suloise houses. The queendom had seen considerable conflict with groups of Suel since one led by Zellif Ad-Zol, the son of the Emperor had landed south of them in what is now Idee in -447 CY(2). This had been followed by the Onnwi, who had invaded the Dragonshead Peninsula in -419 CY, conquering the petty Flan kingdoms of the lowlands that had once been vassals of Ehlissa, and then attacking the queendom by sea in a series of piratical raids(3).

Anwilya, Fasstal of the Zelrad,
c. -400 CY
art by Xanthe Sinclair

A thing to know is that culturally and linguistically, the Ehlissans were alien to the Flan tribes of the eastern Flanaess, having more in common with those that had primarily inhabited the lands of the Sheldomar and Javan Valleys and in between. The Ehlissans had migrated with their namesake Queen by sea from what is now the Hold of the Sea Princes around -1,100 CY. Tradition holds this was soon after the creation of the Marvelous Nightingale by the first Ehlissa with the aid of the mysterious wizard Xagy and Joramy, the goddess of Fire, Wrath, Anger, and Quarrels(4). In these new lands they had carved out a nation through war and intermarriage with the descendants of survivors of the Kingdom of Caerdiralor(5). The Flan of that nation were also of the same broad ethnic group as the Ehlissans, though more closely related to the kingdoms of the ancient Pomarj from which Krovis came. Because of these differences there had long been conflict between the Ehlissans and the eastern Flan tribes, although open warfare was rare up to that time.

Queen Ehlissa VIII granted the Zelrad the sparsely populated eastern marchlands of her queendom to settle. Much credit is due to the budding friendship between the two peoples, but a major incursion by Eastern Flan tribes from the other side of the Thelly, fleeing the armies of Lum the Mad which had been advancing south, also played a large factor. Despite losses to their numbers during their flight the Zelrad still brought a considerable force of well-armed, experienced warriors to Ehlissa’s armies. Anwilya and her people stemmed the tide of the invasion and brought some of the enemy tribespeople into service if they swore allegiance to the Queen. This would be the first of several waves of Eastern Flan invasions. Within the year Nyfain ascended to the throne as Ehlissa IX and her trusted friend Anwilya was granted a holding within the central lands of the queendom, nearer to the monarch’s summer palace at the northern mouth of the Azhdunt Valley. Anwilya named the castle and town that grew up around it Zelradton.

With the last wave of Eastern Flan attacks came the threat that would dominate Ehlissa’s attention for decades to come; the Empire of Lum the Mad. As told in the heroic Lay of Anwilya and Nyfain, believed to have been written by a Zelrad troubadour around -175 CY, direct conflict with Lum was the catalyst for the awakening of the ancient Flan hero Krovis in his tomb in the Drachensgrab Hills of the Pomarj. In the poem, Anwilya and Nyfain (Ehlissa IX) were lovers until Krovis appeared, replacing Anwilya in the Queen’s bed. Krovis’s appearance and leadership of the Ehlissan armies did indeed turn the tide of the war, seeing Lum’s army thrown back across the Thelly River. In the closing narration of the poem, Nyfain mourns the death of Anwilya at the hands of Lum himself, in a duel which resulted in the loss of Lum’s sword Druniazth and the retreat of his forces. This is unlikely to be a real event though, rather being a conflation of the war with the better attested story that Lum lost that blade battling Ur-Flan sorcerers near the Thelwood(6). Regardless of the veracity of the lay, Anwilya died around this time. At her youngest, she would have been in her late 50s, so who can say what was the cause of her demise. This would not be the end of the conflict with Lum though, as he would go on to gain his famed enchanted war machine within the decade, turning the tide of war again and devastating Ehlissa. It was only the betrayal of Lum’s general, Leuk-o, in the civil war between them, an alliance with the Urnst, and the arrival of the Aerdi that finally allowed an end to be made of the mad tyrant(7). With his defeat Krovis disappeared and the tales say Ehlissa IX faded and died of sorrow. With her death multiple relatives claimed the throne and civil war erupted.

Ehlissan Zelrad Fasstal, Amalfrid
accepts the fealty of a refugee
Cranden noble, c. -325 CY
art by Angus McBride

Many of the Zelrad, drawn by the desire to rule their own lands went south into what is now Idee, conquering Suloise refugees who had preceded them and building a patchwork of petty kingdoms. Of the house of Zelrad who remained in Ehlissa, Anwilya’s nephew, Amalfrid became fasstal, as a vassal of the queen. In reality though, left much to his own devices by the civil war taking place in the western half of Ehlissa, he practically ruled over the entire eastern half of the country independently. He nervously watched as the Aerdi settled in the lands east of the Thelly, though peace held between them and commerce began to grow. Around -325 CY, warfare between the Cranden Principality and the young Kingdom of Thalland resulted in the Cranden having to flee, with most going east across the Flanmi. A few though, with closer ties to Ehlissa, went east into the Zelrad lands where they were welcomed by Amalfrid. Few suspected that from these poor refugees would spring the next dire threat to the eastern Flanaess.

Next Chapter -- The Pre-Aerdy Period: The Rise and Fall of Tuerny the Merciless

Art Notes:

Zelrad Suel land in Ehlissa, c. -400 CY This Zelrad Suel lord and his Oeridian mercenary retainer carry old-style ango javelins, a weapon left over from the armies of the Suloise Empire. That weapon consisted of a barbed head and long narrow shaft made of iron ending in a socket mounted on a wooden haft. The lord wears a chainmail hauberk that is typical of Suloise armor of this period, but the mercenary’s lamellar armor is distinctly Oeridian, as are both of their helms and shields. These alien influences were doubtless introduced through contact with the Rhola and Neheli who had already started introducing Oeridian elements into their society. Their swords are Suloise in style though the pommel on the mercenary’s sword shows Oeridian influence, indicative of an early form of the hybrid style which would soon come to dominate throughout the eastern Flanaess.

Anwilya, Fasstal of the House of Zelrad, c. -400 CY Anwilya bears the scar she received from the axe of a Flan Hillman of the Abbor Alz. The scar does not do justice to the life-threatening injury she sustained that was only healed through means of divine magic. Her broach shows the ancient sigil of House Zelrad, which curiously, survives today in the arms of the Wild Coast state of Fax. In the 1st century CY an exiled member of the house of Zelrad took over that town and his descendants still rule to this day. Interestingly, the old style of Suloise shield seen in the shape of the broach made a resurgence in the late 1st century CY in the heater style shield alongside the more common kite shield. The heater gained popularity in the 3rd century as it became more common for knights to fight on foot and it is now predominant throughout the Flanaess.

Ehlissan Zelrad Fasstal, Amalfrid accepts the fealty of a refugee Cranden noble, c. -325 CY This scene shows the hybridization of Suloise and Aerdi culture that was becoming dominant in this period. The Cranden noble still wears a cloak with the plaid patterning favored by Oeridians but in all other respects his appearance is more that of a Suloise lord. Gone are the tattoos and long hair of the nomadic horsemen who conquered the eastern lands just a quarter of a century before. His tunic is decidedly Suloise in its decoration, as is the sword he has handed to the fasstal as a sign of his obedience and loyalty. Fasstal Amalfrid's guardsmen are entirely Suloise in dress and manner. Likewise so are the Cranden's guards, except for their Flan spears and round Oeridian shields. In all present except for Amalfrid we can see the beginnings of the mixing of Suel and Aerdi bloodlines.

End notes:

1. As always the Flanaess Online Map of Anna B. Meyer were indispensible in plotting the course of the Zelrad refugees to their final home in Ehlissa. Hail Anna!

2. Living Naerie Gazetteer (LNG) p. 9 “-447 CY: The first Suel settlers, followers of Zellif Ad-Zol (heir to the Suel Imperium), arrive in present day Naerie. Most continue towards the Pawluck Valley (now Sunndi) but some stay behind and build settlements.”

3. LNG p. 9 “-419 CY: Kevelli Mauk and followers settle in the Tilvanot Peninsula. The Onnwi arrive on the Dragonshead from the Pomarj and set about conquering the native Flan tribes or driving them into the Headlands. The Kingdom of Onnwal is declared.”

4. LNG p. 9 “Ca. -1,100 CY: The Marvelous Nightingale of Queen Ehlissa the Enchanter is created. The Kingdom of Ehlissa is assumed to have been founded or to be existent about this time.”
1st Edition Dungeon Master's Guide (1eDMG) p. 160 "The origin of this artifact is unknown, although the Mage Mordenkainen is reported to have asserted that the Nightingale was made by Xagy and the goddess of volcanic activity, Joramy, some 17 centuries ago. Queen Ehlissa bent all to her will with the enchantments of the device, and throughout her reign of several centuries the Nightingale never escaped its confinement."

5. Mysterious Places: Dominions of the Flannae “Forty centuries before the golden sun of the Aerdi rose in the east and the rampant lion of the Rhola and Neheli crushed Vecna’s undead legions, a twisted civilization rose and fell upon the fertile plains of the Dragonshead Peninsula. Caerdiralor was a fell land dominated by Tiamat-worshipping priests and mystics. Obsessed with eradicating the dwarves and gnomes of the Headlands, the masters of Caerdiralor waged terrible war on them, giving no quarter. However, at the struggle’s climax Caerdiralor’s capital, Myrsyrna, was overtaken by a sudden and devastating catastrophe that all but wiped the city and the realm’s ruling elite from the face of the Oerth. A few priests and their adepts survived the devastation, however, and fled to the west across the Sea of Gearnat, carrying certain relics and holy texts of ancient provenance.”

6. Living Greyhawk Journal (LGJ) #10/Dragon (DRG) #294 “He (Lum) wielded a blade in combat described in the same manner as Druniazth against Ur-Flan sorcerers near what’s now the Bonewood, but he lost it during the fray."

7. For more on Krovis, Ehlissa IX and the war against Lum the Mad, see Chapter 1, The Pre-Aerdy Period: Lum the Mad and Leuk-o and the Rise of the Kingdom of Thalland and the Medegian Bladelands.