Chapter 15, The Reign of Erian: Part 3

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

Born -253 CY, Died -181 CY

Reigned -198 to -181 CY

A Flan druid of the Northern Tribes
in a trance 5th century OR

Art by E
ven Amundsen
To understand the next phase of Erian’s reign it is necessary to discuss the mysterious Ur-Flan, for they would be at the core of the resistance to the expansion of the Kingdom of Aerdi in the north for roughly the next two centuries(1). It is known that the Flan tribes of the north were related to the Flan tribes who originally had lived in the alluvial plains of the central lands of Aerdy. The latter had been conquered and displaced first by the Suloise and then the Oeridian tribes who had pushed into those lands  ahead of the Aerdi, in the early 3rd century OR. The only written records that existed describing them were from the Suloise who the Aerdi later conquered. From the Zelrad we know that many of these Flan tribes were being pushed into Ehlissa by the conquests of Lum the Mad and were absorbed into that nation as something like serfs, or fled south into Sunndi. From the Suel of the coastal regions who were absorbed by the Medegi, Naelax, and Garasteth Aeerdi we have rumors of Lum’s lieutenant, Leuk-O having encountered Flan people in the Hestmark Highlands. This was where he found the magical war-engine known as the Mighty Servant, in a cursed place known as the Belching Vortex. The small tribe living closest to the Vortex are said to have interbred with an alien people who inhabited the caves beyond the portal and were not typical of the hill tribes that surrounded them. But of that people we know nothing more for they died out around a decade before the founding of the Great Kingdom(2). Of the tribes conquered by the Suloise who recorded those rumors, we know that they were similar in culture to others of the east although the majority were driven off, most to the north beyond the Imeda River, with others joining the tribes of the Hestmarks in the south. The last remnants in the conquered lands dwelt in the heights of the Gull Cliffs and were extremely hostile to outsiders. The Torquann, pushed north along the Flanmi Valley and through the Grandwood by the Cranden, were the first Aerdi to encounter the Flan tribes of the north lands. They conquered the southernmost of those tribes and set them to work the land as serfs, although some intermarriage did occur. Those Flan and their unconquered neighbors were farmers for the most part and were not exceedingly warlike, but were capable of defending themselves and used to allying in times of threat. Despite this the Torquann made steady headway in vanquishing many of them, first up the Imeda Valley toward the Gull Cliffs and into those hills where they came into competition with the Garasteth. To the northwest of the Torquann, in the lands on the west bank of the Flanmi was a strong confederation of tribes that resisted them until -220 CY. In -214 CY the Torquann founded the town of Tostponsa(3) to anchor their conquests and continue their march northward. But the Flan tribes to the north and northeast of the Nallid River were another matter.

Ur-Flan stronghold c. -200 CY
Art by Alexander Sebag
It was from the conquered lowland Flan tribes that the Torquann first heard rumors of the groups that came to be known as the Ur-Flan. The Flan tribes of the lowlands feared them greatly(4). They were vile sorcerers and witches who trafficked with demons and forced the tribes they enslaved to worship their fiendish masters(5). These enslaved tribes lived in the upland country to the northwest and the coast. By compiling the scant writings that survive about them a clearer picture may be gained of the Ur-Flan. The majority of an Ur-Flan tribe was made up of peasant clans, dominated by an Ur-Flan caste which made up a clan of its own. The majority existed in a state somewhere between that of the most degraded serfs and chattel slaves. They subsisted on a combination of herding and hard-scrabble agriculture in the rocky terrain where they lived. The Ur-Flan clan which dominated the tribe lived in a separate community, usually in a fortified location. While the Ur-Flan clan proper was composed of the sorcerer class, they maintained their rule, not as much by the arcane powers they wielded as by the warrior caste that dwelt with them. Not only did the degraded majority of the tribe provide their masters with food and goods but a tribute in children was also extracted. Of those the majority went to compose the next generation of warriors whose ranks were constantly being reduced through intertribal warfare and raids on the free lowland Flan tribes. Another peculiarity of this warrior caste is that their masters forbade them to produce children. Any babe unlucky enough to be born among them was subject to infanticide. It is believed that this was done to prevent any development of a sense of loyalty among them to anyone other than their Ur-Flan masters, but it was also representative of the brutal treatment meted out by the warriors to the children trainees recruited into their ranks. Its purpose was to turn them into fearless and unflinching soldiers who would gladly die for their masters. Another means of achieving this goal was the steady diet of a certain variety of mushroom provided to them, from the newest child recruits to the most experienced warriors, which kept them in an almost constant euphoric, frenzied state. After loyalty to the Ur-Flan caste, warriors were encouraged in their loyalty to each other. This was to further widen the gap between them and the regular members of the tribe from whom they had originally come. As well as raiding neighboring tribes the warriors were also given leave to brutalize and steal from the peasant clans of their own tribe. This served the dual purpose of keeping that class cowed and fearful as well as reducing the ranks of those who might resent their state; those who protested at this treatment were typically tortured to death as an example to their fellows.

Ur-Flan witch cursing an enemy 
c. -200 CY
 
Art by Rodrigo Ramos
The Ur-Flan themselves were subject to certain peculiar customs; mainly that they breed only among themselves so as to maintain the bloodlines that provided them with their arcane powers. Unsurprisingly, this inbreeding resulted in a high incidence of infant mortality. Deformities were common among those Ur-Flan who survived to adulthood. As well as suffering from inherited blindness, deafness, albinism, limb and facial malformations, and madness the Ur-Flan also maintained an addiction to certain potions and inhalants that produced a heightened awareness and supposedly enhanced their arcane abilities. Occasional fresh blood would be introduced into the Ur-Flan clan from among the children taken as tribute if any of them were found to possess a talent for magic. Besides the mystical powers springing from their sorcerous bloodlines, the Ur-Flan obtained other magic through cultivating pacts with demonic and other potent and sinister supernatural beings. Chief among the demons known to claim their questionable loyalty was Ahmon-Ibor the Sibilant Beast, who we know as Demogorgon, Prince of Demons. Another power spoken of but not known by name took the form of a great draconic being. Different theories as to the identity of this being have been formulated. One says it may have been may have been the fiendish mother of dragons, Tiamat. Another is that it was the being known as Mok'slyk the Serpent(6) to the Flan of the western Flanaess. The last is that it was an evil spirit of nature similar to the Earth Dragon of the Pomarj. Weight is given to the last theory in the depictions of the entity among the Ur-Flan. It is described as somewhere in between a serpent and a dragon, similar to those members of the draconic family known as linnorms, who make their lairs in the faraway lands of the Northern Barbarians. In earlier times those creatures ranged further south. Indeed it is known that at least one made its home in the northern lands around the Blemu Uplands even up to the final conquest of what became North Province. It is possible that an evil spirit of the land may have taken such a form or even an ancient linnorm may have ascended to the status of a lesser god. No one knows for sure as almost all records relating to its worship have been obliterated.

Torquann troops sacking an
Ur-Flan village c. -200 CY

Art by Angus McBride
It was against the threat of the Ur-Flan led tribes that the Torquann and Grand Prince Mikar had campaigned from -212 to -210 CY. The Ur-Flan raiding of the Torquann lands had increased in frequency and ferocity, burning villages and destroying cropland. Possibly this was initiated by the unification of the Aerdi or maybe it was just some whim of the mad sorcerers. The planned response of the Grand Prince and Torquann was ambitious, meant to finally bring these barbarian tribes to heel and expand Aerdy’s lands north. This was not to be though as Aerdy’s raids were met by ambushes and counterattacks. The best that could be hoped for in the end was to destroy the clans who provided the Ur-Flan with food and new warriors. By -210 CY a kind of no man’s land had been established between the settled lands of the Torquann and the Ur-Flan tribes, stretching about 50 miles into the uplands. Hostile Flan tribes still lived in the lowlands on each bank of the Flanmi to the north of Dustbridge but they were learning to band together to resist the Aerdi. Unfortunately for the Torquann, Mikar’s wars against the remnant of the Kingdom of Thalland took precedence for the next few years. But when the entrance of the Lathu into that war resulted in an alliance between that Flan kingdom and the tribes of the Adri that saw Dustbridge destroyed, the Torquann could not be stopped from turning their attention back to the Flan. Despite the defeat of the Lathu, the destruction of Dustbridge was seen as a signal for the Ur-Flan of the uplands to resume their raids on the Torquann lands. Even with the defeat of Thalland and a period of relative peace the crown of Aerdy still found its attention directed to the south. The assassination of Mikar in -206 CY allowed the Torquann to prove their loyalty in the re-taking of the city of Roland. In the years afterward Erian, now regent for the young Gilbra, joined the fight against the Ur-Flan during the campaigning seasons and the no man’s land was re-established. Erian’s ventures in the south from -201 to -198 CY meant the Torquann were again alone in fighting the Flan. Some progress was made as they established castles at Delaric, Rimzenstone, and Mansbridge, protecting access to the Torquann possession of Winetha. In -198 CY the Torquann Prince, Onesto moved his court from Orred, on the Imeda River to Winetha. The loss in importance of Orred moved a young, lower ranking Torquann knight to establish his estate on some land he had inherited at the confluence of the Imeda and Flanmi Rivers; an estate that he named after his family, Rauxes Hall.

Next Chapter -- The Reign of Erian, Part 4

Art Notes:

A Flan druid of the Northern Tribes in a trance 5th century OR Like other Flan throughout the Flanaess, the tribes north of the Kingdom of Aerdy who were not dominated by Ur-Flan clans practiced what we today refer to as the Old Faith, worshiping nature as personified in a set of gods centered on the Oerth Mother, Beory, with lesser roles being filled by her husband, Pelor, the Sun Father, and their children, Obad Hai, Berei, and Myhriss. It is a nature focused religion and in modern times has been adopted by Oeridian and even Suel-descended populations, absorbing some of their gods into it. Though the Old Faith was suppressed among the Flan tribes conquered by the Aerdi, that religion did have one influence on the Aerdi Pantheon. Among the Oeridians, the cult of the Sun God, Sol had diminished, displaced by Procan, Velnius, the other Velaeri, Stern Alia and her sons, Heironeous and Hextor. Sol was a primal god, not widely worshipped and invoked primarily on ceremonial occasions. With the mixing of Flan and Oeridians in the peasant class, the fusion of Pelor with Sol began, escaping from the bounds of the Old Faith. There he was integrated into the Aerdi Pantheon as the patron of the common folk, especially farmers, until eventually evolving into the cult of Pelor we recognize today.

Ur-Flan stronghold c. -200 CY This fortified village of an Ur-Flan clan was located overlooking the lake which is the source of the River Man, and was typical of its type. It was burned down in -199 CY as part of the campaign against the Ur-Flan of the area carried out by the Torquann Prince, Onesto and Duke Erian, who was still acting in his capacity as the chancellor for Grand Prince Gilbra at the time. Its ruins lie about 15 miles east of the fortified village of Mansbridge. Among the tumbled stones that remain there is a carving of a figure easily recognizable as the Prince of Demons, Demogorgon. The place is said to be cursed, avoided even to today by most, and few passing on the road below toward Roland or Winetha will stay the night in the area.

Ur-Flan witch cursing an enemy c. -200 CY This witch is representative of the Ur-Flan, having inherited albinism as part of her descent from an inbred sorcerous bloodline. Her state of undress is purely for ritual although descriptions of the Ur-Flan say that they did purposefully cultivate an appearance meant to shock and instill fear. The object worn on her hip is a charm meant to prevent scrying spells being used against her. Her arms and legs are covered in a mix of scarification and tattoos. She is using a poppet as the focus of her curse spell, driving needles into the head of the doll to inflict injury on her target. Her headdress is made from the skull of a type of wild goat that was native to the Gull Cliffs and hills of eastern North Province until the 4th century CY when they were hunted into extinction.

Torquann troops sacking an Ur-Flan village c. -200 CY The knight leading the group is wearing an older fashioned helmet than is typical for this period being composed of overlapping plates. The aventail and mail coat are fairly up to date for the time as is the windsock standard which came into vogue in the Kingdom of Aerdy and lasted through the first decades of the Great Kingdom. His sword shows the continued evolution of that weapon, with the blade beginning to taper further from the point and the guard of the hilt increasing in size and coverage of the hand. The leather and felt armor on his horse shows the beginnings of barding being used. The sword of the levee archer in the foreground is of an older style. The figure in the background with the unusual hair style uses a style of axe still seen among the woodsmen of the Adri Forest and Grandwood, and he may be a hired scout drawn from that population, which was already becoming established at this time. Woodsmen were frequently employed by Aerdi armies for their skills in stealth and spying. The man-powered mangonel behind them all shows that the Flan were not as primitive and barbaric as they are frequently thought of.

End Notes:

1. The last major action fought against the northern Flan tribes was in 11 CY. Ivid the Undying (IVID), p. 50 “This village (Arrowstrand) of 650 folk, together with a walled pair of fortified mansion houses and a small tower, is located at the site of a major battle against the Flan tribes in 11 CY.”

2. “Places of Mystery” Living Greyhawk Journal (LGJ) #1, p. 6 “The indigenous hill folk who were thought to have mixed with the inhabitants of the Vortex last encountered civilized Oeridians more than 600 years ago, after which they mysteriously disappeared.

3. Tostponsa was the original name in the Aerdi dialect of Old Oeridian, named for the bridge (ponso in Old Oeridian) over the Tost River, which was the name used by the local Flan. Though the tongues spoken by the native Flan of the Aerdy lands do not survive except in a few place names, it is believed to be closely related to the language of Tenh. 'Tost' may possibly be related to the Tenh name Tostenhca, which in that Flan language means ‘Golden City’. This could have possibly referred to the color of the waters of what is now called the Dust River. The areas upriver were once known for the rich stands of deklo trees whose fall leaves are known to dye  waters in which they collect a rich golden-brown color. Unfortunately those groves were logged long ago and the waters of the Dust are like other surrounding rivers and streams. Many words in the Suloise-descended Ahlissan language found their way into the MIddle Common language and replaced Old Oeridian words as well as influencing shifts in pronunciation. The name of the river became the Dust due to a shift in pronunciation, while having no relation with the Common word ‘dust’ which is derived from the Suloise word ‘dusta’. In Middle Common ‘ponso’ was replaced by the Ahlissan word ‘breegh’. That word is descended from ‘briaghe’ which is actually one of the few examples of a Flan word having entered Common. The Zelrad adopted the word into the Ahlissan tongue from Ehlissan, which was itself descended from the Flan languages of the Sheldomar Valley. In the modern Gyric language of the Archduchy of Geoff, the word for bridge is ‘briuag’. 

4. IVID, p. 8 “…the Ur-Flannae, the rare mystics of the Flan people (feared by the Flan far more than by the Aerdi)”

5. Living Greyhawk: Power Groups, Druids of the Old Faith “When the Aerdi, the largest of the migrating Oeridian tribes, arrived in the eastern Flanaess, they encountered decadent Flan tribes who had forsaken the Old Faith and had embraced the worship of Ahmon-Ibor the Sibilant Beast (who would later be known as Demogorgon the Prince of Demons.) Not every tribe was in the thrall of demons, but the Aerdi made no distinction in their destruction between the Old Faith and demonic cults,” and “The Ur-Flan were a mysterious group among the Flannae about whom little is known for sure. It is known that several of their number, Vecna and Keraptis among them, made themselves overlords of pre-cataclysm empires and these Ur-Flan empires were quite evil. The druids did not concern themselves with the Ur-Flan as long as they were not a threat to the Balance or the Eternal Cycle. This passive acceptance allowed Vecna and others like him to flourish, and some held whole tribes in bondage to their evil.”

6. Die Vecna Die! (DVD), p. 57 “When luz launched what he hoped would be the final strike against Vecna, an ancient ally of the Whispered One -- a supernatural beyond even human understanding -- stirred. Known to Vecna as the Serpent, this being revealed luz's secret plan to Vecna, as it had revealed so many other secrets to him.”

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