Naerie, Principality of

The Principality of Naerie sprawls along the coast of the Azure Sea, south of the Iron Hills and west of the Hollow Highlands. Majority of the land consists of gently rolling hills and flat plains. This troubled nation has been known by many names. Before the Greyhawk Wars it was known as the County of Idee, and was a member of the Iron League. Nowadays it is an independent country and part of the Obsidian Confederacy. It is ruled by House Zelrad, a noble house thought extinct until they reappeared on the Tilvanot Peninsula and whose fortunes have soared after the Greyhawk Wars. It's head, Prince Sellanus Zelrad II is an efficient, ruthless and unemotional leader who takes his task of protecting these lands very seriously.

History

Ancient History

Many years after the Rain of Colorless Fire that destroyed the Ancient Suel empire, Suel from the house Zelrad arrive to an area which would later become the South Province of Great Kingdom. Having established a peaceful contact with the Flan Kingdom of Ehlissa, the Zelrads build their first settlements and slowly expand into present day Naerie. The Zelrads were surprised to find other Suel already living in these lands.

These Suel had fled their empire decades earlier, yet had no trouble in allying with Zelrads. Over the centuries the Zelrads expanded their areas, conquered all other Suel settlements of the coast and even asserted vast control over Ehlissa during its decline. However, their success would not survive the coming of the Aerdy.

After a series of skirmishes and wars, collectively known as the "Zelrad Wars", Azharadian the Great conquered all lands of present-day Naerie. The last stronghold of Zelrad in Karnosa, located in the Iron Hills, resisted until -60 CY before falling to the Aerdy, thus signaling the end of the Zelrad Kingdoms. Some say that Zelrad mages experimented with Oerthblood magics in Iron Hills and enabled the relatively small settlement to resist the might of Aerdy for a long time.

Eventually these lands became part of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy and prospered greatly. The land was rich and easily farmed, and the surrounding lands were at peace. Aside from a few internal turmoils, Idee was at peace until the Great Kingdom went into decline.

County of Idee

When the Great Kingdom started its long decline, many countries of the south started to resist the rulers of Rauxes. In 447 CY Idee broke away from the Great Kingdom with some other southern states, forming the Iron League. While the Iron Hills offered a formidable natural barrier, Idee was the state that bore the brunt of the Great Kingdom’s aggression, and many battles were fought on the northern border. This eventually led to the completion of Eddri Line, a series of fortifications that protected Idee from northern attackers. Continuous warfare ultimately changed Ideean military doctrine to favor defense and concentration of forces on the north.

When the Great Kingdom entered its death throes, this doctrine proved a weakness. Over the years the Obsidian Confederacy had sent its own men to infiltrate the Ideean armies. With many of their own men in positions of power, collapse of the Ideean armies was ensured. Vital coastal areas were defended by second grade troops or local peasant militias. They had no hope against the savage Hepmonalander warriors, and hobgoblin troops. Internal sabotage, assassinations and false orders decimated the elite Ideean troops in the north. Almost every local noble was killed with one notable exception being Coriell Eddri. He was saved by his bodyguards and managed to flee to Irongate, along with a large militia contingent. A few scattered military units and refugee columns also managed to flee to the surrounding lands. Having won a decisive victory, the Obsidian Confederacy put its own agents to rule the baronies and started to establish their doctrine of Suel Supremacy.

Birth of Ahlissa

Meanwhile, the South Province of the Great Kingdom had avoided much of the chaos that engulfed the Great Kingdom. Its ruler, Graf Reydrich, was intelligent, ruthless and pragmatic, something the Overkings of the Great Kingdom had not been for a long time. He knew he possessed some of the greatest fighting forces in the Eastern Flanaess, and he was not about to leave them unused.

While the Confederacy fortified its hold on the south, Graf Reydrich looked to Idee as a way to expand his territory and turn his lands into a true empire. Reydrich launched his own spies and assassins against the Confederacy in Onnwal and Idee, eliminating scores of their agents. Some argue that Reydrich’s actions were the reason why the Brewfest rebellion in Onnwal in 586 CY was so successful. That same year, the armies of South Province marched into Idee, quickly conquering the northern half and putting the Confederacy troops to the sword. Most of the captured Confederacy troops were killed in mass executions organized in Foelt, but hundreds were kept in captivity and used as slave labor to rebuild areas devastated by the occupation.

Reydrich had planned to move into Onnwal as well but heavy fighting and bad weather delayed his plans. Pleased nonetheless, Reydrich told one of his generals to be prepared to march into the Tilvanot Peninsula by the year’s end over the bodies of the Obsidian Confederacy’s finest assassins, spies and savages. The general returned to Reydrich’s quarters later that day to find the archmage dead, apparently slain during the act of casting another spell against the Obisidian Confederacy’s leaders. The general fled to Nyrond where his story was made public for all to hear. Into this power vacuum stepped a coalition of military officers and nobles who briefly attempted to establish a realm of their own, renaming South Province the Kingdom of Ahlissa. Several members of this Oligarchy were slain by Confederacy agents in 586-587 CY, with the remainder fleeing to Nyrond as well. A man claiming to be a long lost Zelrad heir appeared from the Tilvanot Peninsula and proclaimed himself Prince Sellanus Zelrad II. He went on to declare the territory the Principality of Naerie, as remaining opposition disappeared, fled, or was killed.

Naerie Coat of Arms

by Anna B. Meyers

Ruler:
Prince Sellanus Zelrad II
Government:
Feudal monarchy
Capital:
Naerie City
Major Towns:
Naerie City (pop. 5,100), Ekehold (pop. 6,000)
Provinces:
Six Baronies
Resources:
Foodstuffs, Copper, Gold, Sugar
Currency:
Keoland Standard Griffon (pp), Lion (gp), Eagle (ep), Hawk (sp), Sparrow (cp)
Population:
85,000 — Human 80%, Halfling 8%, Elves 5%, Orc/Half-Orc 4%, Dwur 2%, Gnome 1%
Languages:
Common, Old Oeridian, Rasol, Ancient Suel, Suloise
Alignments:
LE, NE, LN
Religions:
Pyremius, Syrul, Wee Jas, Bralm, Other Suel Deities, Nerull
Allies:
Obsidian Brotherhood
Enemies:
Ahlissa, Iron Hills, Irongate, Onwall, Sunndi