Stinvri was the last Viceroy of Ferrond and died in 254.
The only kings mentioned that I know of are as follows -
Thrommel I, heir of Viceroy Stinvri, crowned as first King of Furyondy in 254. He is named as having had the title of "count" in "Slavers."
Avras I, who reigned during the Keoish invasion of Veluna in 350.
Hugh III, who reigned at least by 477 and granted Bissel palatine status.
Avras III, who reigned during the rise of Iuz, probably around the 480's, so we can guess that he was Hugh III's heir. He ruled until 522.
Belvor III, who is named as Avras III's son. Reigned from 522-537. He died in his sleep, and though the death was ruled natural, despite the suspicions of some, the Horned Society claimed responsibility. During his reign there was much political turmoil. He had united the kingdom enough by the end of his reign to leave a fairly stable realm for his son, Belvor IV, whose rule was maintained by Regent of the Realm, Lord Throstin. Belvor III's reign is where it gets confusing because Belvor IV is named as his heir, but we also have -
Thrommel II, who ruled in 526 (During the middle of what is given as Belvor III's reign) when Dyvers was granted independence. Several sources back this up so it can't really be ignored. One way around this might be to say that Belvor III was briefly usurped by an uncle or cousin who reigned as Thrommel II, supported by the Great Lords of the south. There was much domestic turmoil in this period and this almost makes sense in that the usurper Thrommel II would have been so desperate to retain power that he would allow Dyvers their independence. This would mean he didn't have to fight them and he retained their tax base to fund much needed foreign mercenaries, as well as having their political support. The Greychrondex has Thrommel II reigning in 530, but I checked the references and they don't seem to support this.
Regent of the Realm, Lord Throstin, ruled for Belvor IV in his minority. He is the leader of the Knights of the Hart (Furyondy), and has become disgruntled with Belvor IV's policies, since the king assumed the throne.
Belvor IV, the current king. Son of Belvor III.
Thrommel III. "Fate of Istus" names him as the builder of Chendl in 283, but this is believed to be a typo referring to Thrommel I since this conflicts with the reference to Thrommel II ruling in 526, which is backed up by multiple sources.
We can assume there was a Hugh I and Hugh II sometime between 283 and 476. Likewise, we can assume the existence of an Avras I and Avras II, who can be placed after 350 at least up until Avras III was on the throne around the 480's. This leads us to there being a Belvor I and Belvor II who could have ruled sometime from the reign of Thrommel I up to the reign of Avras III.
I think I got that right. If I didn't I'm sure Rasgon will be along shortly to put me in my place.
Last edited by smillan_31 on Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:33 pm; edited 1 time in total
The link above is to Part I of my Knights of the Hart series.
Here's a footnote from Part III:
(23) The identity of the royal line of Furyondy is in a sorry state of affairs in Greyhawk canon. The King during the period of the first appearance of Iuz is alternately called “Hugh III” (A Guide to the World of Greyhawk, p. 19), “Avras III” (Greyhawk Wars, Iuz the Evil Section), “Avras” (From the Ashes p. 5 and Iuz the Evil p. 3), and “Belvor II” (The Marklands p. 3), with the last two names coming from the same author! Similarly, a previous King reigning in CY 526 is variously called “Thrommel II” (A Guide to the World of Greyhawk p. 21) and “Belvor III” (Greyhawk Wars, footnote 7). _________________ My campaigns are multilayered tapestries upon which I texture themes and subject matter which, quite frankly, would simply be too strong for your hobbyist gamer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Mp7Ikko8SI
Thank you Kirt! _________________ "La mia gioia è profonda<br />per i forti castelli assediati,<br />per le mura divelte e sfondate,<br />se il nemico esercito è sulla sponda<br />recinta intorno da fossati<br />e coronata da po
Ah, I missed Belvor II, who the text gives as being king when Iuz disappeared in 503 CY. He possibly could have been an older son of Avras III with Belvor III as his heir. I believe the date of 522 for the end of Avras III's reign was assumed, so there doesn't appear to be any conflict there.
Speaking of "Marklands" again, there is also the problem of its misidentification of Belvor IV's son as Prince Avras instead of Thrommel. I believe that particular mistake has been discussed in some previous threads.
I felt a bit rushed in doing my Knights of the Hart article and didn't put as much time into the introductory background information as I would have liked to. My version doesn't preclude the initial secrecy of the orders, and the reason for the formation of the orders(to guard against outside threats) does coincide with what else is written, though I certainly didn't get into any particulars about that. Kirt's article does a good job of that though.
The Marklands could have done so much more with regard to detailing the lands it covers, including Furyondy. Though a list of a land's historical rulers is not really all that important for game play, it does add a little bit of history to the mix. A not too complex timeline would have served this purpose, as well as introducing some other historical facts in a nice, easy to reference format. The Marklands makes a good effort to cover the hot zones, but doesn't really do any of them justice in the way that a more focused and larger page count sourcebook could have. It still has lots of good information though. _________________ - Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -
I guess the rulers of Ferrond are chosen by Malachite Throne. So could a past Viceroy be tied with Celestial Houses? How? And the seven families of Furyondy? Maybe were they noblemen close to Viceroy?
Thanks in advance. _________________ "La mia gioia è profonda<br />per i forti castelli assediati,<br />per le mura divelte e sfondate,<br />se il nemico esercito è sulla sponda<br />recinta intorno da fossati<br />e coronata da po
I seem to remember a thread discussing the relation of the viceroys to the Celestial Houses though I can't seem to find it. For my part I think there are probably points to argue that the Viceroys of Ferrond were related to the Celestial Houses, since the viceroys of North and South provinces were drawn from those houses. On the other hand the historical relationship of those two provinces IMO is considerably different than that with the lands that made up Ferrond. Also the Viceroys of North and South provinces were of grand prince/herzog noble rank and no such rank is ever mentioned having been conferred on the Viceroy of Ferrond.
My feeling is that the Viceroy would have been of an Aerdian family of considerable noble rank though probably not of the status of a Celestial House. The seven families are probably a mix of native Furyondian nobles and families descended from Aerdian emigres who were granted or otherwise acquired lands in Ferrond.
Hope this helps. Either way I say go with what feels right to you.
At the time of the Vice royalty Ferrond would have been the frontier. So anyone given land there would have been someone you wanted out of the capital. So unless your celestial house was very out of favor or you personally were, it was probably a secondary house that they sent out there to either shut them up or get them out of the main part of the empire to prevent their meddling.
I guess the rulers of Ferrond are chosen by Malachite Throne. So could a past Viceroy be tied with Celestial Houses? How? And the seven families of Furyondy? Maybe were they noblemen close to Viceroy?
Thanks in advance.
The viceroyalty of Ferrond was made hereditary during the reign of incompetent Overkings.
The Viceroy needn't be a member of any Celestial House, but merely be somebody who is trustworthy. First off, you don't send somebody you want out of the captiol(i.e. somebody you really don't trust) to handle a huge swathe of territory like Ferrond. Second, you want to send somebody there who you can count on actually sending *most* of the taxes back to the Imperial capitol.
The first Viceroy would therfore most likely be somebody who was heavily allied to the throne, but probably not so close to it in noble rank that they could build power and lay legal claim to it. Or the Viceroy could have been a loyal servant who was enobled and given Ferrond to oversee. Other options make little or no sense when one considers the value of Ferrond to the empire.
This is of course yet another thing that could have been covered in The Marklands. _________________ - Moderator/Admin (in some areas)/Member -
Last edited by Cebrion on Sun Mar 30, 2008 5:41 pm; edited 1 time in total
Consider as well that Ferrond was, relatively speaking, "the frontier" and hence somewhat "wild." Military acumen would have been a big plus. Also a big plus would have been administrative skill as the Vice Royalty was operating "live without a net" far from the well spring of Aerdi power in the valley of the Flanme. A) Distance from the capital in Rauxes, B) the need to be militarily skilled in more than a personal combat/knightly sense and C) the need to be administratively/bureaucratically able in a rough and tumble environment, while not precluding some relation to a Celestial House, would make any such connection slight, IMV.
Moreover, the Vice Royalty was potentially a HUGE power base, if one could marshal it as such. In consequence, giving the post to an able civil servant with no base of political power other the appointing authority, the Overking, would make paranoid and not-so-paranoid political sense. Giving the post to a scion of a Celectial House would be courting the possibility of the rise a potential rival for the Malachite Throne.
Some connection would not be out of the question, IMO, but a strong connection would be contra-indicated, IMV. _________________ GVD
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