Chapter 14, The Reign of Erian: Part 2

Erian the Able, 3rd Grand Prince of the Kingdom of Aerdy

Born -253 CY, Died -181 CY

Reigned -198 to -181 CY

Uerri the Wise, King of the
Iron Hills 232 CY
Art by Arthur Bozonnet

The beginning of -197 CY saw Erian firmly ensconced as grand Prince of the Kingdom of Aerdy. Ascending from his position as chancellor to Grand Prince required no real change in power as he bent to the tasks of maintaining the peace and expanding trade and establishing foreign relations. The clearest foreign threats to Aerdy were to the southwest, in the Suloise-dominated Union of Ehlissa and Zelrad, and to the northwest in the Oeridian Kingdom of Nehron which continued to cultivate relations with the Flan Kingdom of Lathu. Urnst exchanged emissaries with Aerdy but preferred to trade with the Oeridian nations closer to their borders. Many in that nation still regarded the Aerdy as little more civilized than their barbarian ancestors who had served as mercenaries for the Urnsti in their war against Lum the Mad centuries before. A Darmen-brokered trade agreement with the Kingdoms of the Iron Hills and Glorvardum in the Glorioles brought a steady supply of dwarven-made goods into Aerdy in exchange for agricultural products. Relations with the elves of the Rieuwood proved more elusive. The king of that long-lived folk trusted few of the lords of humankind and then only among those in the land of Sunndi to the south. The new Grand Prince’s emissaries to the elves were rebuffed and he was not willing to test Aerdy’s might against that unknown power. Minor trade with the mainly Flannish chieftains of the islands off the Solnor coast continued, but the seat of Aerdy’s maritime trade lay in the west in the city of Chathold. From there ships plied the waters of Relmor Bay although the threat of the pirate lords of Onnwal stymied further expansion.

The death of Ehlyra, formerly known
 as Ehlissa XVI, last Queen of Ehlissa
-197 CY
Yetide Badaki in American Gods (2017)

To the southwest, in -197 CY a rebellion began against Fasstal Landrav of Ehlissa-Zelrad among his Flannish subjects in what remained of the Queendom of Ehlissa. A prophet had arisen among the independent clans of the Headlands and their preaching had spread into Ehlissa. The particulars of their teachings are not known but they enraged the peasantry against the foreign Suloise and remnants of the Ehlissan nobility who collaborated with the occupiers, raising mob-like armies that soon pushed their enemies into the city of Karnosa from which Landrav ruled the two realms. Within weeks the Zelrad were forced to withdraw even from Karnosa with Landrav retreating by ship to the city of Poelitz in the province of Okalasna (modern day Foelt). His consort Ehlyra had refused to follow him, convinced that her people would never turn on her. She found out how wrong she was as the rabble forced its way into the Garnet Palace and slaughtered her Hradikar guards. As she was stripped of her royal robes and jewels she appealed to the gods of her ancestors. But they refused to answer and she was stoned to death in her own throne-room. Her body was dragged out into the streets and left for the dogs to eat; so ended the ancient line of Ehlissa the Enchantress. Her husband would not fare much better as his Suloise vassals took his defeat as the signal to rise in rebellion. All the lords of Okalasna united against Landrav, laying siege to Poelitz. His fate would be eerily similar to that of his wife; beaten to death by a mob and tossed off the battlements into the sea. In Ingmalt, Salneh, Landrav’s younger brother and rightful successor forsook the title of fasstal and dissolved the union of Ehlissa-Zelrad, declaring himself first King of the Kingdom of Zelrad. Okalasna elected their most prominent noble, who had led the rebellion, as their king. Schwente, Menst and Idee (modern day Derevendt) followed, each naming a king from among their nobles. Monme also proclaimed their independence but forswore any monarch, reverting as Urnst had done at its founding to the ancient Suloise institution of electing a senate from among the nobility, headed by a diarchy composed of an elected war-leader and the zhalzaruna, the high priestess of the cult of Lendor. By the end of summer Schwente and Menst had been conquered by Salneh and absorbed into the Kingdom of Zelrad(1). Facing an alliance of Okalasna, Idee and Monme, and with winter on its way, Salneh signed a peace treaty with them but swore in secret that he would conquer them all and one day be king of all the Suloise. In -195 CY Okalasna conquered the weak nation of Ehlissa, which since the rebellion against Landrav had been wracked by interclan feuding, unable to choose a new queen. Anticipating the capture of the rich city of Karnosa, the king of Okalasna found his victory hollow, as that once great metropolis was a shattered version of its former self, deserted and haunted by ghosts. Still, Okalasna’s capture of land that he still claimed moved Salneh to declare war, even though his kingdom was not ready and his actions provoked Idee to attack(2). Monme attempted to remain neutral. The resulting war would drag on until the end of the decade(3).

Illumination from the Tactico of
Overking Manshen, Chapter XIX
“On Naval Warfare” 105 CY
 Pseudo-Oppian's Cynegetica, 11th century

Meanwhile in Aerdy, in response to Onnwal’s aggression Erian poured the wealth of the treasury into building a fleet at Chathold. He was determined to turn the Sea of Gearnat into an Aerdi lake and expand his kingdom’s maritime trade into the Azure Sea. It was also meant to prove a deterrent to the naval power of Nehron. The scattered small forests of Chathold were felled in this undertaking and by -196 CY Erian felt his fleet to be ready. Fortune had fallen to him in the year before when a Nehronish armada had met the navy of Onnwal off of Claw Point, east of the Nesser Delta. The Nehronish had been savaged in the action, not sinking one Onnwalish ship. But a storm in the aftermath had forced much of the victorious fleet into Dunhead Bay where many ships had been lost in the notorious shoals and reefs of those waters. With Onnwal’s numbers reduced, in Planting of -196 the Aerdy fleet sailed from Chathold with the goal of sacking Sornhill, Onnwal’s largest city at the time. Predictably the sailing of such a large fleet could not be concealed from the Onnwalish and the Aerdi were met by two chains of ships blocking the harbor of Sornhill. Why the Onnwalish chose such an unwise position is not recorded. The strength of Onnwal had always been in the maneuverability of their naval forces. Possibly their leader, Szek Safrac was confident in his force’s ability to fight in a melee on a relatively stable platform and that their experience of shipboard combat would see them through. He may have also been relying on his superior number of vessels, still outnumbering the Aerdi by almost a third. There is evidence that his plan was for the wings of the Onnwalish formation to unchain and envelope the Aerdian fleet wherever they attacked. Unfortunately for him this did not happen. The weather was relatively calm and the Aerdy were able to anchor less than a mile away in the relatively shallow waters of a bank that lay to the northeast of the harbor entrance. Night fell and with it the Aerdy executed a plan that led to the Szek’s discovery in the early hours of the 26th of Patchwall that his flagship was sinking (see art note). Panic spread through the fleet as ships alongside broke formation. At the same time the Aerdi raised anchor and using spell-summoned winds were quickly upon the Onnwalish lines. Aeridan scorpions throwing flaming pots of pitch were directed at the wings of the Suloise fleet, setting many afire and spreading panic further. The lead Aerdy ships crashed into the disorganized center of the Onnwalish front line and boarded, beginning desperate melee actions. Many ships on the Onnwal wings fled the battle for open waters. Within five hours over half Onnwal’s fleet had been captured and the way to the city was open. Panic seized those on shore and they flooded the streets further hindering the Onnwalish militia who rushed to defend the docks. The Aerdy were able to land, and led by Grand Prince Erian stormed through the lower town. By nightfall the gates of the High Town had been forced and the sacking of the city began. When the Aerdy departed after two days of looting they set the city ablaze.

Aulina, Duchess of Chathold
-185 CY
Jane Asher in Tirant lo Blanc (2006)

With the fangs of the Onnwalish sea-wolves pulled, Aerdy’s maritime trade expanded rapidly. Merchant ships from Chathold called on ports in the independent towns of Woolly Bay and the Pomarj, and in the coastal cities of the thriving Kingdom of Keoland. Aerdian goods and commodities flowed into those markets; cotton cloth from Medegia, silver, olive oil and wine from Ahlissa, copper ingots from the Gull Cliffs, and rubies and sapphires from Nulbish. Likewise the products of the Western Flanaess were introduced to consumers in Aerdy and from there into the markets of Nehron, Urnst, the Zelrad Kingdoms, Sunndi, and even their recent enemy, Onnwal; woolens and linens, rice, tin, glass, black salt, citrus fruits, exotic animals, pearls, and semi-precious gemstones. Along with these were luxury goods that came into the Sheldomar from the Baklunish lands; silk, spices, perfumes, and gems unseen in the Eastern Flanaess. Despite lamentations written by some scholars of time over the “imbalance in trade” produced by the demands of “…Aerdy womankind’s ever more shrill demands to be draped in Western silks and pearls,” the Kingdom’s merchants and the nobility and temples that bankrolled their ventures prospered. Foremost among the temples, the cult of Zilchus, whose portfolio had been focused more on his aspect as a judge of the dead, and secondarily as a god of the wealth of the oerth, became more associated with the latter. This was the beginning of his firm association with merchants that would be well-established within a few generations and lead to his cult being the primary vehicle of banking throughout the Flanaess, and the grant of monopolies in the minting of coinage in many nations. This action in turn began spread through the temples of the cults of the various gods of the Kingdom of Aerdy, more closely unifying them.

Next Chapter -- The Reign of Erian, Part 3

Art Notes:

Uerri the Wise, King of the Iron Hills 232 CY The longest ruling of the Kings of the Iron Hills, Uri the Wise plotted a course for his dwarven kingdom that maintained the wealth and freedom of his people throughout his lifetime and kept them on the course that has seen them independent to this day. He lived to the incredible age of 521 years old, and only ever saw war once in his reign; that being in -268 CY during the short-lived part the Iron Hills played in the broad alliance opposing Tuerny the Merciless. He is shown here the year before his death in 198 CY, just before the appearance of the shooting star that Selvor the Younger declared an omen of "wealth, strife and a living death" (Greyhawk Adventures, p. 91). The throne he is seated on incorporates the lower jaw of the red dragon slain by his ancestor Bruenni Wyrmslayer when he led his people east after long wandering following the dissolution of the Kingdom of Damgarath in the Yatils roughly 1000 years after the fall of the Flan kingdom of Caerdiralor on the Dragonshead Peninsula(4).

The death of Ehlyra, formerly known as Ehlissa XVI, last Queen of Ehlissa -197 CY In her last moments on Oerth, Ehlyra, stripped naked by the mob of her own people beseeches the gods for aid just before she is stoned to death. The scene takes place within what was named the Garnet Palace, one of the small pleasure palaces within the Royal Complex of Karnosa. It was named so for the tall red glass windows which illuminated its rooms. Karnosa is no more, most of the carved stone of its ruins having been carted off to build the city of Irongate in the first century CY. Only on a small marshy islet in the middle of the Khanahillar River is the remnant of a structure said to be the main temple of the Royal Complex. Few venture there today as it is known to be haunted by foul undead spirits.

Illumination from the Tactico of Overking Manshen, Chapter XIX “On Naval Warfare” 105 CY The illuminted manuscript known as the Tactico of Overking Manshen outlined the corpus of military knowledge and history up to the time of the Overking for whom it is named. The particular illumination shown here refers to the story from the Battle of Sornhill of a cabin-boy on the flagship of the Aerdy admiral. The youth devised a plan where he swam into the line of Onnwali ships and bore holes in the hull of that fleet’s flagship. In the confusion created by the enemy discovering that their flagship was sinking, the Aerdy fleet drove at their line, and overwhelmed them, winning the battle. The cabin-boy, named Gilyelmo, was rewarded with a title and captaincy and went on to found a famous noble family of Chathold, the house of Arromo. This story is believed to be the origin of the contemporary sea shanty popular all around the Azure Sea, “Golden Willem”. The title of the song is most likely due to a mistranslation by the Keoish bard believed to have written it, of the surname of Gilyelmo (Willem in the Sheldomar region), Arromo, as the Old Oeridian word for golden, “auromo”. In the song, Golden Willem relays the plan to the admiral for the promise of his daughter’s hand in marriage. After Willem sinks the enemy ship the admiral attempts to renege on the agreement. In revenge the cabin-boy sinks his ship, rescuing his intended and living happily ever after with her.

My inspiration for this note is the real world sea shanty, “The Sweet Trinity", aka "The Golden Vanity" or "The Golden Willow Tree".

Aulina, Duchess of Chathold -185 CY The elaborate overly-decorated headdress and silk robes of Aulina, Duchess Consort of Duke Corados Rax of Chathold is typical of the dress and jewelry excoriated by scholars of the time such as Sessina the Elder who complained of the typical dresses made from the foreign material that –

“I can see clothes of silk, if materials that do not hide the body, nor even one's decency, can be called clothes ... Wretched flocks of maids labour so that the adulteress may be visible through her thin dress, so that her husband has no more acquaintance than any outsider or foreigner with his wife's body.”

The gown worn by Aulina is far more modest than what is described by Sessina.

I’ve repeated in this note verbatim the words of 1^st century BC Roman writer, Seneca the Elder, complaining of the lack of modesty of the gowns made from silk imported into the Roman Empire from East Asia. Pliny the elder did also complain of the expense of imports of silk in nearly the same terms I describe.

End Notes:

1. Living Naerie Gazetteer (LNG), p. 9 “-197 CY: The lands of Naerie rise in rebellion against Fasstal Landrav. Salneh I, called the Founder, proclaims the Suel Kingdom of Zelrad in modern day Ingmalt, Menst and Schwente with parts of Ehlissa. The rival kingdoms of Idee and Okalasna spring up in modern day Derevendt & Foelt.”

2. Living Naerie Gazetteer (LNG), p. 9 “-195 CY: Zelred declares itself ruler of all Suel peoples. Idee and Okalasna unite to fight against them.”

3. Living Naerie Gazetteer (LNG), p. 9 “-190 CY: Zelrad defeats its rivals and establishes dominance over the entire coastal area of Naerie.”

4. Races of Greyhawk. "Duegan, Son of Durin, leads his people to the north in the Yatils where he founds the kingdom of DAMGARATH, THE LAND OF STONES. His capital is Gartelem (hex O5-88), the Iron City, lost in the heart of the highest mountains."
"-2973 Finally, the gates of the Iron City open. Duegan IV dies from the hands of King Dvalin. The followers of Duegan are hunted even in the darkest of their own mines. The few who have the fortune to escape the just wrath of Dvalin find shelter and protection in the hostile vastness of the Underdark. From then, they are referred as duergars, which translates loosely as Duegan's bastards or Duegan's guys. The Kingdom of Damgarath is given a new name and Gartelem is abandoned in ruins. The 'Traitors' are given a new clan name, Lyrkeram (renewal), but lacking a farduïn, this Clan would not have the political power of once Damgarath at the Great Council of Clans. Understanding this, numerous dwurs depart their homeland and head east in search of new land to found independent and free kingdoms."