Author: CruelSummerLord

Goodmonth 2, CY 592

Respected Iquander,

I have read with interest your writings on the residents of Western Oerik, and I commend you for your insightful work, even if it detailed only the human cultures of the realm, and nothing of the demihumans or humanoids. Likely this is due to the people of the west being even more "humanocentric" than scholars in the Flanaess.

With the casting of Jevedran's Dream Journey from the scrolls of Sir Montand, I have begun to realize a spectacular realm the likes of which we can see only in the Fading Lands...

Far to the east, in the Solnor Ocean, north of the continent known only as Anakeris, there exists a single large island with a great mountain pointing out of the top. This mountain is supposedly riddled with caves that lead into a labyrinth descending into the oerth, which in turn lead to some bizarre realms...

...I dreamt of a vast kingdom of dwur folk, many more than could ever have lived in the Flanaess. Whether they keep in contact with the Emerald's Home in Orannia is unknown, but I envisioned them with a society not unlike that of the Flaness, only divided among clan lines instead of "national" lines. Each clan has their own kingdom, which trades and wars with the others much like the men of the Flanaess.

They also trade and raid with a nation of ho-jebline (with whom they often ally to battle the armies of a drow city, purpoted to rival in population even Greyhawk City or Rauxes at its height). Also, Derro and Duergar have their own small states here. It is a strange mirror of the Flanaess, with the dwur enjoying the same power as men, and the duergar, derro and drow acting as humanoid races. The noniz and humans "act" as the demihumans in this underground realm.

The humans are the most alien of the cultures, ironically enough. Blind albinos, they live over a vast canyon from which emanates that bizarre radiation that scholars of Toril name faerzress. Using strange magicks they focus this radiation and use it to power the floating platforms that they use to fly between giant hollowed stalactites, which serve as dwellings. Their other buildings are similarly carved into these stalactites, and their weapons and armor are said to be similar to those the drow use.

The drow themselves are another matter. Some sages posit that these drow may migrated through realms beneath the Ocean Tor through unknown means -- perhaps the same portals that transported the Suel to Orannia during the Twin Cataclysms?

Whatever the reason, the worship of Orcus, Prince of the Undead, predominates and dominates that of Lolth. As a result, instead of spiders, the drow preside over vast legions of pathetic undead, creating a ghoulish semi-necropolis where the undead act as mindless slaves to serve the drows' whims.

With the dwur acting in a feudal culture, the duergar acting almost as humanoids, and the humans practicing an alien culture, what of the gnomes? They seem much like their kin in the Flanaess, ironically enough. The derro seem to have the same savant-based culture, although to a greater extreme -- as a pedocracy, only the learned and educated may govern the affairs of the derro. Those who do not have the intellect or the capability to be savants are enslaved.

Apart from the nation of ho-jebline mentioned earlier, there are many roving bands of jebline and celbit, ruled by eiger chiefs. However, these nomads do not seem to pose a threat in the grand scale.

While there are ongoing rumors in Greyhawk City of people setting flame to works of canon, I send this letter to you in hopes that it will be added to your archives at the Great Library.

With Respect,

The Brother of the Cruel Summer