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    Canonfire :: View topic - Great Kingdom, Post Greyhawk Wars
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    Great Kingdom, Post Greyhawk Wars
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    Apprentice Greytalker

    Joined: Apr 22, 2009
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    Mon May 09, 2011 5:50 am  
    Great Kingdom, Post Greyhawk Wars

    Just wanted peoples thoughts -

    590 CY - The current game consists of a group of mercenaries/musicians travelling around Ahlissia and Northern Aerdy, using skills and magic to weaken the influence of corrupt noble houses, and the cults of Hextor, Zilchus and Nerull. They are secretly employed by the king of Nyrond.

    So far they have done well in setting the 3 churches against eachother and sabotaguing Northern Aerdy smelting pots for war preparation etc.

    Side note - I'm also weaving in Shackled City plotline with Cauldron in the Flinty Hills and replaced Dark Creepers/Dark Stalkers with Duergar for an ongoing foe.

    But I was thinking what do I want to happy to the former Great Kingdom?

    One idea was to have the PCs go into Rauxes, remove some portals to hell and the devils in the area.

    After this Mordekainen, the Valley Mage or some other uber wizard could rock up and declare Rauxes an independant city under their protection. Trade and non aggression pacts with Ahlissa and Nyrond already agreed upon, and magic/consorting with fiends/undead in the citys domain is punishable by death. Sortof 'Rauxes-Free City of the Magi' with large Boccob and Wee Jas temples along side the magical academy.

    Why Mordekainien? well he is house Cramden. Why Valley mage? I like a twist to shake things up.

    In this scenario Rel Astra still has fiend allies and Northern Aerdy still has all sorts of fiends and Humanoids, but it puts a tough neutral place in the middle of a melting pot.

    At the same time as this happens Ahlissia annexes Medegia.

    Thoughts? suggestions? Key NPC/Group replacements?
    Apprentice Greytalker

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    Mon May 09, 2011 7:40 am  

    Not sure about a “free” Rauxes, at least for very long. Possession of the historical capital of the Great Kingdom would be too important politically to any successor/would-be successor state to simply leave it alone. The likely anarchy and/or lack of military organization in the ashes of what is likely left in the city post-devils would never be able to hold off a reasonably competent invader.
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    GreySage

    Joined: Jul 26, 2010
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    From: LG Dyvers

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    Mon May 09, 2011 12:58 pm  

    Jeminnab wrote:
    Not sure about a “free” Rauxes, at least for very long. Possession of the historical capital of the Great Kingdom would be too important politically to any successor/would-be successor state to simply leave it alone. The likely anarchy and/or lack of military organization in the ashes of what is likely left in the city post-devils would never be able to hold off a reasonably competent invader.


    Well, honestly, that would be a job for epic-level heroes: maintaining the neutrality/freedom of a city coveted by both the north and the south and located on their shared border. It would require the heroes to involve themselves in political adventures as well as battlefield adventures. There would be as many potential allies as there are powers in the Flaness that do not want to see the rise of another Great Kingdom (Nyrond, the Iron League states, the free cities of the Solnor coast, the goodly denizens of the Granwood and the Adri forests, an even powers farther afield like the northern barbarians, the Urnst states, and even Greyhawk. No need for a Mordenkainen-like figure to guarantee the cities protection. Let the PCs do it.

    SirXaris
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    Mon May 09, 2011 2:09 pm  

    I figure Rauxes would largely be ruins after 3-5 years of mostly undead and/or fiends there.

    I have not yet found anything about Rauxes past 'but the city itself was soon engulfed in a strange magical field. Few willingly approach Rauxes now, given the bizarre eldritch forces that prevail where the ruined city stands.'
    from Greyhawk Gazetter.

    The main goal I guess is to start something new but knowing it will be a long and hard road to get back to a decent nation. Plus I figured Magi rule since evil religion bought about it's downfall.
    Grandmaster Greytalker

    Joined: Jul 10, 2003
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    Mon May 09, 2011 9:23 pm  

    Like the idea of Nyrond and surrounding countries preventing the North or South Provinces from gaining control of Rauxes.

    I don't like the Valley of the Mage or any other uber Wizard taking control of the city. Unless you have the circle break up and each vies for control of certain countries producing yet another Greyhawk War.

    Prefer to have PC's actions determine the outcome. Do they side with the North or the South or take control for themselves good luck holding it though.
    Journeyman Greytalker

    Joined: Jun 13, 2008
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    Tue May 10, 2011 1:16 pm  

    I ran a campaign a little over a year ago that resulted in the party being stranded on an uncharted island. The background preceding that however had to do with an otherworldly invasion plot from an alien race that I got out of the Fiend Folio (3rd ed) and the political ramification of the disintegration of power in Rauxes following the war.

    In that campaign the primary forces behind the political conflict were Ivid, an order of Knights from the Pale who had been subverted by the aliens, and a secret society of powerful merchants and scholars that was actually a cover for a cult worshiping Vecna.

    Officially I know Ivid is no longer an issue in the published campaign world but I'm not the type who'd let some publishing company take away my favorite boogyman on a whim.

    Anyway, the people with the biggest interest in what happens to Rauxes and the surrounding countryside for that matter are going to be the bankers and merchants of the area that became wealthy during the wars. They would see the whole death/disappearance of Ivid as opportunity knocking. I would look into the writings of Machiavelli for inspiration as he was political rivals of the Medici family a family of merchant princes that control Italy for the better part of 400 years.

    You don't have to involve the Circle either unless you absolutely wanted to. Personally I think that the Valley Mage would be a far better substitute because he already has ties to the region. If I remember correctly he settle in the Valley after being exiled from the Great Kingdom in the first place.

    The cool thing about doing that is that you have a new Great Kingdom in the making if you use that plotline and because his base of operations is on the other side of the map and he is himself a powerful wizard more then likely capable of creating all sorts of nuisances he would be a very difficult enemy for a military to defeat. I mean think about it, it took ten years to track down and kill Bin Laudin after 9/11, imagine how tough it would have been if he could teleport and summon demons as well. Your players could have their very own "War on Necromancy".
    Apprentice Greytalker

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    Wed May 11, 2011 4:49 am  

    Why can we never cease with the hatred against undead Americans?:(

    Pardon, undead Oeridians.
    Journeyman Greytalker

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    Wed May 11, 2011 6:10 am  

    In LG, Rauxes became a planar rift linked to Acheron (whatever that means Smile ). The module COR 5-14 All Roads Lead to Rauxes has some details of what lies within the city if you can track it down.
    Apprentice Greytalker

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    Mon May 16, 2011 4:40 pm  

    Before COR5-14 came out (and I haven't read it, so I don't know if it made our plans unworkable) I vaguely remember we UK LGers mooted doing a Core Special set in Rauxes. We were even going to name it after the tie-in module for Ivid the Undying that Carl Sargent had once considered writing.

    Paul Looby had an excellent idea that within Rauxes field was literally hell on Oerth as Ivid and his enemies fought their battle for Rauxes in an endless cycle of war into which occassionally innocents were dragged. The participants in the fight were constantly resurrected over and over again (a little like Star Trek's Day of the Dove).

    Hence in our article...

    "In Brewfest 593 CY, the bard Finnadrel of Delaric (CN male human Brd6) was pulled half-drowned from the Flamni near Orred. He claimed to have escaped what he called the, “War Without End,” raging within the ruins of Rauxes. Though the bard painted a dramatic picture, doubt was cast on his account when it was discovered he was wanted in Delaric for defrauding investors in his last theatrical production in 591 CY. Nonetheless, reports that the Ahlissan soldiers warding the margins of the Forsaken City have been assailed by all manner of strange otherworldly creatures emerging from the Shimmering Wall have convinced some of the truth of Finnadrel’s tale."
    Apprentice Greytalker

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    Thu May 19, 2011 6:34 am  

    WavesCrest wrote:
    Paul Looby had an excellent idea that within Rauxes field was literally hell on Oerth as Ivid and his enemies fought their battle for Rauxes in an endless cycle of war into which occassionally innocents were dragged. The participants in the fight were constantly resurrected over and over again (a little like Star Trek's Day of the Dove).


    Very cool idea. Although I suspect that innocents would be dragged into the war more than occasionally. Probably dying left and right. and not just as collateral damage: in an urban war like that, and with Ivid being Ivid, it's not hard to imagine press gangs killing whole neighborhoods and then raising them as undead for more troops.

    In a war over a relatively small piece of land (a single, albeit large city), I wonder what the endgame is. It can't last forever, and probably wouldn't last more than a couple of years. Outer-planar beings can always be replenished, provided the planar connection(s) remain, but with the shimmering wall-shield-thing, there are only a finite number of "Oerthlings" that can participate. Even with resurrecting a select few and raising the rest of the fallen as lesser undead, rapid decimation is inevitable.

    I also wonder how long the structural components (buildings, etc.) would hold up. Do the outer-planar dudes attempt to rule and administrate Rauxes, or just tear the whole thing up? And if the latter, how long would it be until the city resembles WWII Dresden, with nothing really left for opposing sides to fight over?
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    Apprentice Greytalker

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    Thu May 19, 2011 11:40 am  

    By innocents I meant innocent travellers outside the radius of Rauxes magical fields.

    I also imagine the Fiends, or some entity would be feeding off the pain, fear, suffering etc. and wants no clean winner or endgame. Or perhaps that's just too much like the Star Trek episode. :D

    As to the structures, I imagine the city was damaged by an initial conflaguration and over time it too regenerates itself, never quite completely, but ensuring there is still a city for the PCs and chums to explore rather than a massive crater.

    As a LG special event I imagined a deluge of reasons for the PCs to be sent to Rauxes. Low-level PCs would explore the Viper Tenements to rescue the Pholtan priest and innocent civilians to take them out of the magical field (thus preventing your gangs from slaughtering and raising them as undead during the next iteration of the fighting), mid-levels might explore Rilikandren's ruined tower and high-levelers would face various fiends personages in the war, including Xaene and the like, and ultimately Ivid himself. I had a vague idea of Rilikandren sending multiple waves of the PCs to kill various participants in the battle at once.

    Knowing Paul he'd also want to involve Prince Strychan of Dustbridge as that character vanished in the annals of canon post-Ivid the Undying. He'd probably escape in the course of the event.
    Apprentice Greytalker

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    Sat May 28, 2011 6:45 pm  

    I have a new idea for Great Kingdom post War.

    Why The Knight Protectors of the Great Kingdom could not return and try to bring new hope in this country ?

    I've wrote a story about that...My adventure was too complicated to explain here (and English it's not my first language so..).

    Just to show you what is my non complete very old adventure:

    Gods: Vecna, Tharizdun (as the Serpent Entity, unknown to Vecna himself) Istus, Heroneous and The Lady of Pain (as a forgotten Great Flan God)

    Magical Objets: Orb of Sun, Soul Cube (artefact), Great Sword of Spirit

    Character: St-Benedor, all first Deadknight (and at first Sir Oslan Knarren) , my group of PC ..etc..

    Time: Past years 202cy, 578cy and present time 592cy

    Plane : material, Ravenloft

    and so on ..you know now what I mean when I say it's too complicated :)

    But to resume this...

    The orb of Sun was retrieve by a group of adventurer. This object have the power to convert Dark in Light or Evil in Good, a cursed person if this person desire to change...in his heart at first..I think we call that atonement or something like that

    The only person who can form up again and lead the new group of Knight Protector of Great Kingdom is Sir Oslan Knarren because is the only member convert in Deadn Knight without his consent , and who hate this new undead form. For Him it's the ultime Cursed. Even cursed, He never comit evil act but try to help (with the best that he can make, go unnoticed to not afraid, always wandering unnoticed) the peoples by destroyed the evils...In his heart there is always a flame of divine light (like Dark Vader) ;)..

    It's a brief story...just to bring a new idea..

    ...I had to use Goggle to translate..sorry if not clear !
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