Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:50 pm  
Shield lands

by "Zarathon"

As with many places in the Flanaess, depending on the timeframe you want to set your campaign in, Shield Lands is a very different land to adventure in, probably moreso than the other countries.

In the classical timeline (CY 576 aka Pre-Wars) the Shield Lands is an agricultural land that only has a few small towns. When the Bandit Kingdoms around them were on the rise, the petty nobles of the land banded together for mutual protection, with the Earl of Walworth their leader, designated as Knight Commander. Menaces from the Horned Society, Bandit Kingdoms, abound, but that's why it's called the Shield Lands.

In the years running up to and including the Greyhawk Wars (CY 579-582) the realm was invaded by the Horned Society, who in turn was invaded by Iuz, who then in 582, devastated the Shield Lands while their leader, Knight Protector Holmer was too busy looking over his shoulder at Furyondy, fearing annexation. The Shield Landers have gone from being a proud people, to a grim, but determined lot.

Campaigns set in the “From the Ashes" era and beyond (CY 585), find a devastated land overrun by fiends and humanoids from Iuz. Evil is everywhere and the forces of good fight an almost hopeless fight where success doesn’t come easy. This provides for a dark and gritty campaign. An adventuring party may consist of freedom fighters being hunted down by the chaotic occupiers, or agents operating on behalf of the vestiges of the realm. Others still could just be trying to cut out a swatch of fertile land for themselves against the well-entrenched forces left to occupy.

Campaigns set later (CY 591), Admundfort and Walworth Isle fall to good aligned insurgents and Vayne, the leader of Iuz's forces in the Shield Lands, flees.

Country specific resources:
- Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk (for the reference to Vayne fleeing the retaking of Admundfort)

Adventures in this area include:
- Espionage and Counter-espionage (any time)
- Being or fighting against pirates on the Nyr Dyv lake (any time)
- Fighting off bandit incursions (any time, but more likely pre-wars)
- Doing battle against any of the various Iuzian forces (wars/post wars)
- Rescuing refugees or slaves
- Help the destroyed nation be better off than the horrible day before (wars/post wars)
- Stopping shipments back to Iuz (a lot of the wealth of the nation continues to be shipped North), which could include some sort of artifact or relic of the Knights

Adventures in the nearby areas include:
- Explore the dungeon at White Plume Mountain and Return to White Plume Mountain within the Bandit Kingdom
- Interact and visit with the Bandit Kingdoms such as Redhand and Reyhu
- Obviously complicated plots with the Horned Society, which is also in shambles, and include the Free Reavers' Lands with Smokewall Castle
- Water based adventures on the surface of or below the surface of the Nyr Dyv
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Richard Di Ioia (aka Longetalos)