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A Geographical and Historical Survey of the Duchy of Berghof |
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| Posted on Tue, September 19, 2006 by Dongul |
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woesinger writes "This article comprises material cut from the Mysterious Places: The Duchy of Berghof article featured on the Living Greyhawk website. It also incorporates details from Samwise's The Rhola and the Toli: the Battle for Jeklea Bay, and thus owes a debt to that work, as well as the classic AD&D modules UK 2 The Sentinel and UK3 The Gauntlet, both by Graeme Morris.
A Geographical and Historical Survey of the Duchy of Berghof
By: Woesinger
The Duchy of
Berghof lies in a broad, high vale embraced by the Hellfurnaces to the west and
the peaks of the Kamph Mountains to east. A minor spur of the Hellfurnace Range, the
Kamphs march north and east along the shores of Jeklea Bay, petering
out into low coastal hills about 20 leagues west of Port Toli. Unlike their
towering parents, the mountains are relatively low and untroubled by volcanic
activity. Lush subtropical forests clothe the lower east-facing slopes, a
reminder of the proximity of the pestilent jungles of the Amedio. Higher up,
cloud forests of conifers, oak and brightly-flowering rhododendrons decked with
hanging mosses, cover the low peaks, giving way only on the loftier mountains
to grassy heaths, which are often shrouded in mist and low lying cloud. Snow
persists only on a handful of the highest summits, though rainfall is heavy on
the eastern slopes during the summer and autumn months.
Though the Vale of Berghof is well watered, the encircling mountains
shelter it from the worst of the seasonal rains. Its relatively high elevation
ensures that the temperatures here are moderate, a welcome relief from the
sweltering summer heat in the rest of the Hold. The cool, clear waters of Lake Spendlowe lie
at the heart of the Vale. Marodin inhabit the black depths of the lake, though
they have little traffic with Berghof’s human inhabitants. The land rises
gently from the lakeshore, sloping up in meadows and cleared fields to the
wooded foothills and the steeper mountains slopes. Conifers, evergreen oak,
rhododendron, kara and camphor trees predominate here.
The ring of mountains is broken in only two places. To the north,
the fast-flowing upper Hool cuts a broad gap as it tumbles towards the plains
in a series of spectacular cataracts. In the southeast, the Pass of Adlerweg winds
along the upper reaches of the Gann River, through
the Kamphs and down to the shores of Jeklea Bay. The Gann
is only one of several fast-flowing torrents that pour into Lake Spendlowe. Fed
by rains and spring melt waters, most can only be crossed at a handful of fords
and bridges.
Fishing, farming and forestry are the main staples of Berghof’s
populace. The forests of Berghof have long provided timber for the fleets of
the Sea Prince, while Lake Spendlowe is known for its large brown trout and the giant pike that prey on
them. The cleared land of the Vale is mainly used for goat and sheep herding,
though small fields of barley, grain and corn thrive on the fertile fields
along the lake shore. Some south-facing slopes boast small vineyards, though only
the locals savour the dry white wine produced here.
* ** *
Suel refugees,
fleeing the destruction of their homeland in the Rain of Colourless Fire, first
settled Berghof over a millennium ago. Compared to the sweltering plains and
swamps of the Hool basin, the cool climate around Lake Spendlowe must
have come as a relief to the first bedraggled settlers. They founded the
settlement of Kusnir on the shores of the lake and somewhat grandiosely
proclaimed their leader as the first Grand Duke of Berghof.
In those days, so soon after the fall of the Suel Imperium, the
Hellfurnaces had not yet become as perilous as they are today. Instead the
mountains provided security, insulating the nascent realm from the chaos and
warfare that consumed much of the rest of the Flanaess. The promise of safety
brought an influx of refugees – Suel and Oerid alike – and Berghof’s population
and power slowly grew. At the behest of the grand dukes, the narrow strip of
land along the shores of Jeklea Bay at the southern end of the Pass of Adlerweg was
settled and a port built at Jakana. From there, ships set off, hugging the
coasts to trade with Keoland, the Suel of Sasserine and the slavers of Port
Toli.
Relations with the Toli soon soured, however. A Toli fleet sacked
Jakana in -246 CY, beginning over a century of sporadic warfare between the
slavers and Berghof. Toli armies attempted to force the Pass of Adlerweg on
three occasions, leading the grand dukes to bar the pass with a stout keep.
Attempts were also made on the northern gates of the Vale. However, the bard’s
songs relate how the Sleros the Cunning used ancient dweomers to bend the
waters of Lake Spendlowe to his will. Whipping the lake into a fury, he sent an enormous
flood down the cataracts of the Hool, sweeping the advancing Toli army to its
doom. Peace came only when King Sanduchar II of Keoland broke the Toli in -121
CY. The grand dukes rebuilt Jakana, which had been burnt by the vengeful Keoish
fleet, and peace and prosperity returned for a time.
It was not to last. While Keoland was distracted elsewhere, the Toli rebuilt their
power. Again they captured Jakana, renewing their fruitless attempts to force
the passes into Berghof. Again, the men of Berghof manned the battlements of
Adlerweg and the towers overlooking the Cataracts of the Hool. And again, peace
came only when a Keoish king, this time Malv the Navigator, threw down the Toli
in 43 CY. On hearing the tidings from the lowlands, the men of Berghof
descended from Adlerweg Keep and slaughtered the isolated Toli garrison holding
Jakana to a man.
The next threat to Berghof’s tranquillity came not from without, but from within. In
118 CY, Kayar, the younger brother of Grand Duke Sharzol II, attempted to usurp
the throne. His coup failed, but the young mage managed to flee with a small
band of followers across the Pass of Adlerweg to Jekana. Kayar quickly seized control of the port and raised the
entire Jeklea coast in rebellion against his brother. In so doing, he founded a
dynasty of pirate barons that would plague the Azure Sea for
generations. Several pitched battles were fought in the Pass of Adlerweg, with
the men of Berghof standing their ground against their erstwhile brethren
behind the stalwart battlements of Adlerweg Keep. Kayar is said to have died
cursing the stones of the fortress, saying they had denied him his birthright.
When the grand duchy was absorbed into greater Keoland in 306 CY, the
Keoish fleet decisively ended the long festering conflict with Jekana by razing
the port to the ground. The port remains a tumbled and haunted ruin to this
day.
As the power of Keoland grew, however, so too did the perils of the
mountains. Giant raids became more frequent and Berghof’s long slow slide into
obscurity began as people fled to safety and prosperity of the cities of the
north. As if to add insult to injury, three-quarters of old Kusnir slid into Lake Spendlowe
during an earthquake in 412 CY.
When the Sea Princes was carved the Hold out of the crumbling Keoish
Empire, the duke of Berghof was quick to join their ranks. He was even quicker
to follow the example of many of his subjects and relocate himself to extensive
estates on the coast just south of Port Toli, overseeing Berghof via a local reeve.
With its duke absent, Berghof became a backwater, troubled only by intermittent giant and humanoid raids from the mountains. It was to remain so until the Greyhawk Wars and their aftermath brought new bloodshed to the Vale of Berghof…
"
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