Great Kingdom The Kingdom of Aerdy
His Celestial Transcendency, the Overking of Aerdy, Grand Prince Ivid V of the North; Archduke of Ahlissa, Idee, and Sunndi; Suzerain of Medegia; Commander of the Bone March; Lord of the Sea Barons; Protector of Almor and Onnwal; Hetman of all the Aerdi; etc., etc.
Capital: Rauxes (pop. 41,000 )
Population: 5,000,000 (includes N. and S. Province and Medegia)
Demi-humans: Some (scattered on fringes of kingdom)
Humanoids: Some (mixture)
Resources: foodstuffs, cloth, copper, silver, gold, gems (IV)
The history of the Great Kingdom is too well known to dwell upon here. Once the most powerful force for order and good, the Aerdians have declined over the last century to an unspeakable state of decadency. After a millenium of leadership, its rulers and nobles turned to evil and irrationality. Its current monarch, Ivid V of the royal house of Naelax, is reported to be quite mad, but crafty and deviously capable nonetheless. His writ extends to the Royal Demesne surrounding the capital, the Grandwood, and further only by threat and persuasion of the Peers whose fiefs comprise the balance of the realm. The Overking's Companion Guard consists of 10 select companies of various arms (heavy, medium, and light cavalry, crossbowmen, archers, and five companies of pole armed foot) Noble contingents allow the Overking to field an army numbering over 15,000 troops in a relatively short time, and if necessary a force of four or five times that can be called up.
Both the North and South Provinces are under the suzerainty of Aerdi royal houses and are ruled almost as independent states. The troubles in the Bone March have caused the Herzog of the North to fall into line, as the difficulties with the Iron League brought his southern counterpart into closer cooperation with the Malachite Throne (see North Province, South Province, and also See of Medegia.) The Sea Barons pay a token tribute to the Overking and conduct their piratical operations under letters of marque bearing the Overking's Seal.
The Living Greyhawk Gazetter (LGG) is a sourcebook for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Setting is 591CYRuler: (in name only) His Celestial Transcendency, Overking of Aerdy, Archduke of Ahlissa, Idee, and Sunndi; Suzerain of Medegia; Com mander of the Bone March; Lord of the Sea Barons; Protector of Almor and Onnwal; Het man of all the Aerdi (etc., etc.), Grand Prince Ivid V
Capital: (in name only) Rauxes (pop. 22,200)
The history of the Great Kingdom has been exhaustively detailed in the History section. Now the Great Kingdom exists only in name. The title is still used by two groups: outsiders, to refer to the whole group of fragmented lands that comprise the former Kingdom; and Ivid's pathetic retinue who pretend that, in some sense, it still exists. The brief summary that follows can sketch only the most general picture of these lands.
In Rauxes, Ivid V (now referred to as the Undying One) is able to extend control over but a few hundred square miles. His courtiers are mostly animus (undead) creatures or pitiful sycophants who cater to his demented delusions of omnipotence. Daily, the Overking orders dozens of new executions of enemies real and imagined. The common people cower in their homes for fear of arbitrary punishments or the pillaging of the largely autonomous Companion Guard, the once superbly-disciplined army which was the fear of the Flanaess. It is said that fiends openly stalk Ivid's court, but their motivations remain inscrutable, and their relations with the domi nant priesthood of Hextor are uncertain.
Outside of the Overking's own domain are many holdings governed by petty nobles, both alive and undead. They are absorbed in internal conflicts, scheming against the Overking, fending off attacks from outside, and their own petty politics. Of these many areas, the following are the most important.
North Province: Governed by Herzog Grace Grenell (who is alive and not yet undead), this is the largest and most powerful land within the former Great Kingdom. Grenell is an unscrupulous, utterly evil man who has an alliance with the humanoids of the Bone March. This unlikely military cooperation allowed the North Province to fend off the incursions of Nyrond, but now Grenell is obliged to aid the humanoids in their persecution of Ratik. He will almost certainly welch on this agreement. The capital of North Province is Eastfair (pop. 26,000), which is infamous for its debaucheries at court. Grenell's nobles support their Herzog simply because they consider the alternatives too unpredictable, but they have no spirit of loyalty toward him.
South Province (Ahlissa): Ivid executed the old ruler, Herzog Chelor, as is traditional among Naerax cousins. The pretext was Commander Osson's triumphant fooling of Ahlissa and embarassing toying with its armies. The new ruler is Graf Reydrich, reputed to be an archmage, who simply slew rival candidates to the rulership. Reydrich has control over a fine cavalry which was not greatly reduced in strength by the Wars, and if he seeks to subjugate his neighbors, there is not much to stop him. Reydrich is certainly not an animus, although it is said that he traffics with evil creatures from the outer planes. Reydrich is known to loathe the Scarlet Brotherhood, and to covet both Irongate and Onnwal.
Almor, Prelacy of: Almor has passed from the map of the Flanaess. Weakened and embarassed by Osson's exploits, it was invaded by Ivid in 584 CY and its old capital, Chathold, utterly decimated by the Overking's mages and priests. The animus Duke Szeffrin now rules half of the old Almorian lands, and this creature, formerly a greatly favored general in Ivid's armies, is reputedly one of the cruellest of the animus nobles now holding sway over so much of Aerdy.
Medegia, See of: Just as Almor is no more, so has Medegia passed into history. When Osson veered into Medegia and conquered large swaths of that land, the Holy Censor made the desper ate mistake of heading for Rauxes in exile. Ivid's judgment was swift; the Censor received the delights of the Endless Death (being perpetually tortured while wearing a ring of regeneration), which he still endures. When Ivid's armies finally crushed Osson's troops in this land, the Overking ordered an orgy of brutality and destruction inflicted on it and its inhabitants. Rape, pillage, torture, and the suffering of every man and wom an in Medegia were what Ivid ordered, and his army was pleased to obey. Medegia was utterly despoiled, and what remains of it is barren and underpopulated. Its few surviving inhabitants are bitter, twisted, and half-mad people tormented by fiends and petty despots.
Throughout the remains of the Great King dom, the ordinary people are wretched, desperate, and embroiled in chaos and madness. The rich resources of the lands are utterly neglected, despoiled, or ignored. Mutual trust is virtually nonexistent, even within the ties of blood and family in many instances. Aerdy is in utter tur moil, and perhaps even Istus herself knows not the fate of these lands in such times.
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