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    Time of Trouble -- 583 CY
    Posted on Fri, October 18, 2002 by Trickster
    vladimirsusthiat writes "The events of the years leading up to the Greyhawk wars are the subject of much debate among the scholars of the Flanaess, and the truth of the matter still remain a mystery. Uncovered here is one story of that era, a prelude to the horrors of the wars.

    Author: Vladimirsusthiat


    Time of Trouble: 583 cy
    By Vladimirsusthiat acyrenaic@hotmail.com
    (Used with permission. Do not repost or redistribute without the express permission of the author.)

    Has the world gone mad? Has the very fabric of the multiverse been stretch so thin as to be torn asunder by the slightest of celestial breezes? Have the gods forsaken us and allowed us to be used as playthings of wretched Evil? So it seems.

    With every passing refugee and returning soldier, news of the Old One's horror grows. His despotism of despair and tyranny has grown to encompass almost all the northern lands, driving its frontier upon the central lands of the Flanaess. His humanoid armies whipped up by cackling demonic lords continue to strike fear into the hearts of his hapless victims. Many an unfortunate survivor of their devastating sweeps return terror struck: often babbling, catatonic shells of living people. They are the new living dead.

    Iuz the Old, Iuz the Evil: whatever his moniker, it is now only spoken in whispers, if spoken at all. Once used to scare children into good behavior, his name now often brings even courageous cavaliers to their knees. His legendary cruelty, deceit, and tyranny have implanted itself into the subconscious of every person living in the central Flanaess. Morale seeps with every passing defeat, each defeat seemingly passes with every new day. Where will he strike next? And when he strikes, what could be done?

    Flight now seems like an impossibility. Over a hundred years ago in the east, the Great Kingdom of Aeridi, whose borders stretched thousands of miles, imploded from the debauchery of the ruling class. Sages and seers generally agree that Malachite Overkings that have ruled since then have been possessed by demons or plagued by insanity. The petty estates left in its wake are often ruled no better. To the south, the secretive militaristic cult of the Scarlet Brotherhood has only recently taken a step out of the shadows. It still remains to be seen to what extent its secret agents hold influence over the southern seas and in the courts to the north. They are rumored to have the ear and throat of many a lord throughout the lands; news of the one-night assassinations of twenty-seven of the ruling nobility in the Hold of Sea Princes is just weeks old; and trade on the southern seas has been crippled. Even in the west, the expansionist minded Ketites have been galloping its famed cavalry to the borders of Veluna and the Gran March; their control of east-west trade threatens to choke off critical resources. The Velunese are breaking under the pressure of assuring its northern allies against the threat of Iuz, and keeping an eye on its westward neighbor Ket.

    You stand at the cusp of a civilization that seems destined for destruction. All is not lost however. Bolstered by the swelling ranks of talented refugees, the city of Greyhawk seems now more important than ever. The alliance of Veluna, the Highfolk, and Furyondy may be able to hold off the tides of evil from the north long enough for the rest of the world to prepare for these dangers. And then there is, of course, you. The fate of life as you know it may be well in your hands. Do you have the strength to protect it?

    Oerth has survived such calamities before. It has been just over a thousand years since the ancient civilizations of the Suel and Bakluni destroyed each other with the "Invoked Devastation" and the "Rain of Colorless Fire". Those who fled before this mutual destruction were left to create life anew in the lands that lay to their east, the lands of the Flanaess. The product of this reconstruction can be seen in the beauty of life as we have known it until recently. Some philosophers and historians claim that this rebirth was just another in a series of a cycle of generation and degeneration on a civilization wide scale. This cycle has been revolving for time immemorial. They argue that patience will see through yet another painful revolution.

    However, planeswalkers warn that re-growth after a period of destruction is not assured. They tell stories of whole worlds being sucked into the Abyss or hammered into one of the layers of Hell because their evil was left unchecked. Each dark age requires that the heroic deeds of a few stem the tide of evil and implant the seeds of renewal...

    ...each dark age requires heroes like you.
    "
     
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    Re: Time of Trouble -- 583 CY (Score: 1)
    by VladimirSusthiat (uznielzur@aol.com) on Fri, October 18, 2002
    (User Info | Send a Message)
    I wrote this some time ago and I'm not sure if this article quotes at any point from published material. Please post if you do find any.




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