Erian the Able, 3rd
Grand Prince of the Kingdom of Aerdy
Born -253 CY, Died
-181 CY
Reigned -198 to -181
CY
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.
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.
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.
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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