I am wondering what the current status of vlekstaad is, I would like to use it in my campaign, from what I understand in 590 it was burned to the ground? Is there anywhere I can find more info? _________________ TTFN
"I'm spending a year dead for tax reasons" - Douglas Adams
Population was about 2,200 until it was attacked and burned to the ground in 588 by a horde of Rovers of the Barrens. It is slowly being rebuilt, depending on when your timeline is would influence how far along in the process it is. By 590 it would have maybe 500 residents maybe back up to almost a thousand by the year 600.
I’d recommend that when you design/describe the town that it is mostly unorganized yurts and semi-permanent tents with a few stone buildings constructed of stones obviously salvaged from structures destroyed in the fire. (the stones being blackened or even cracked from the flames). Wood might be avoided in construction (memories of the fire) or may actually be fairly prevalent as they are forced to use whatever they can get their hands on as building materials, but what lumber they do use would be green or poorly cured.
The new citizens may have an eye towards rebuilding but it has to be a secondary concern to just surviving in the harsh climate. Part of the rebuilding would also be a concern about defense. The raid happened because the town was an easy target. Perhaps when your players arrive the town is just starting to mark out where they are going to build a wooden palisade. Perhaps even a few dozen meters of a palisade have been erected.
Possible plot hook there if they are building a palisade. I imagine gathering lumber for the palisade is dangerous business in that area. Rumors of loggers disappearing or being attacked by monsters. The town may ask the adventures to help out in protecting logging expeditions.
As far as I'm aware, the last reference in a product line to Vlekstaad came from a LGJ published in 2001 in its "news from around the Flanaess" section which described a mob of warriors randomly slaughtering inhabitants of the ruined town at the behest of a crazed priest of Erythnul, who was in turn slaughtered by Sevvord, probably not because the Rhelt found the murders disagreeable, but because he hadn't authorized it.
IME, Stonehold isn't a place to visit as much as it's a huge outdoor encounter area, in which the inhabitants, whose day to day existence seem to reflect the kind of horrors found in a book by Dostoevsky, find relief from the tedium of survival by murdering others for their oerthly possessions.
Here are entries for Stonehold from the 2003 version of Jason Zavoda's index.
Fist (Holder, Stonefister, Stoneholder)[People]
Dragon Magazine No. 56 Pg. 21
Dragon Magazine No. 57 Pg. 13
Dragon Magazine No. 297 Pg. 92
From the Ashes: Atlas of the Flanaess Pg. 6, 7, 37-39, 55, 63, 78
From the Ashes: Campaign Book Pg. 76
Greyhawk Wars: Adventures Pg. 7, 8, 10, 11, 20, 27
Living Greyhawk Gazetteer Pg. 5, 78, 95, 109, 112, 113, 114, 124
Players Guide to Greyhawk Pg. 10, 16
The Return of the Eight Pg. 59
The Adventure Begins Pg. 19, 22
World of Greyhawk Gazetteer Pg. 10
WGR4 The Marklands Pg. 59, 62, 78, 81, 89, 92
WGR5 Iuz the Evil Pg. 3, 4, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 93
WGS1 The Five Shall Be One Pg. 27
World of Greyhawk Boxed Set: A guide to Pg. 21, 37
Stonefist (Vlek)(Vlad)[NPC]
Artifact of Evil Pg. 343
Dragon Magazine No. 57 Pg. 13, 14
From the Ashes: Atlas of the Flanaess Pg. 38
From the Ashes: References Card No. 2
From the Ashes: References Card No. 9
Greyhawk Adventures Pg. 87
Living Greyhawk Gazetteer Pg. 109
Living Greyhawk Journal No. 4 Pg. 7
World of Greyhawk Gazetteer Pg. 16
World of Greyhawk Boxed Set: A guide to Pg. 36, 37, 54, 59
Stonefist, Hold of (Pop 60,000+)[Castle/Fort/Camp][Kingdom]
Come Endless Darkness Pg. 38
Dragon Magazine No. 52 Pg. 20
Dragon Magazine No. 55 Pg. 18
Dragon Magazine No. 56 Pg. 22
Dragon Magazine No. 63 Pg. 11
Dragon Magazine No. 191 Pg. 66, 68
From the Ashes: Atlas of the Flanaess Pg. 6, 9, 10, 25, 28, 35, 38, 39, 49, 73
Greyhawk Adventures Pg. 87, 97
Greyhawk Wars: Adventures Pg. 1, 6, 9, 17, 29, 30, 31, 32
Living Greyhawk Gazetteer Pg. 15, 16, 17, 25, 26, 27, 44, 54, 55, 59, 65, 81, 94, 95, 105, 106, 108, 109, 110, 112, 113, 114, 141, 143, 147, 148, 150, 152, 153, 162, 163, IBC
Living Greyhawk Journal No. 0 Pg. 6
Living Greyhawk Journal No. 1 Pg. 22
Living Greyhawk Journal No. 3 Pg. 30
Players Guide to Greyhawk Pg. 6, 7, 10, 12, 16, 26, 34, 43, 48
Sea of Death Pg. 14
The Adventure Begins Pg. 17, 19, 22, 23
Unearthed Arcana Pg. 20
World of Greyhawk Gazetteer Pg. IC, 2, 7, 10, 11, 15, 16, 24, 25
WGR4 The Marklands Pg. 58, 59, 66, 67
WGR5 Iuz the Evil Pg. 3, 5, 48, 52, 61, 63, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 75
WGS1 The Five Shall Be One Pg. IBC, 4, 18, 23, 29, 31, 32, 37
WGS2 Howl From the North Pg. 6, 15, 16, 18, 24-26, 29-32, 36-38, 43, 44, 46, 55, 56
World of Greyhawk Boxed Set: A guide to Pg. 13, 21, 26, 35, 36, 52, IBC
World of Greyhawk Boxed Set: Glossography Pg. 11, 12, 17
Vlekstaad (Pop 2,100)(Pop 2,200)(Pop 700)[Town][Capitol]
Dragon Magazine No. 57 Pg. 14
From the Ashes: Atlas of the Flanaess Pg. 38
From the Ashes: References Card No. 2
From the Ashes: References Card No. 3
Living Greyhawk Gazetteer Pg. 55, 95, 108, 109, 110
Living Greyhawk Journal No. 3 Pg. 30
The Adventure Begins Pg. 23
World of Greyhawk Gazetteer Pg. 16
WGR5 Iuz the Evil Pg. 69
WGS1 The Five Shall Be One Pg. IBC, 27, 29
WGS2 Howl From the North Pg. 30
World of Greyhawk Boxed Set: A guide to Pg. 36
World of Greyhawk Boxed Set: Glossography Pg. IBC
Sevvord believes the eastern barabarians burned Vlekstaad Not the Rovers so the PCs could be sent east chasing this "red herring" as a means to explore the Thillonrian Peninsula. Perhaps the players learn the truth or have them chase there tails hunting down barbarian raiders that don't exist. No one says the PCs have to be smarter then Sevvord
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