Reyhu
Proper Name: The Allied Townships of Reyhu
Population: 13,000 (60% humans, 10% goblin, 5% gnoll, 10% hobgoblin, 10% orc, 5% other.)
Ruler: The Black Quartet
Government: Dictatorship
Capital: Balmund (ST), Sarresh (ST)
Other Settlements: Sheerwatch (ST), Trallant (ST)
Resources: None
Religions: Iuz, Erythnul, Ralishaz, Oldimarra
Law: CE
The Allied Townships of Rehyu once comprised the most fertile land in the Combination of Free Lords. The once verdant fields of grain now lie fallow and barren, ignored by the ruthless masters of this land. The fierce people who once called the Allied Townships home are gone as well, fled to far-flung reaches of the Bandit Lands. These people, skilled raiders and mercenaries, were once known throughout the Flanaess, even in distant Ket. All of that is gone now. The forces of Iuz are marshaled and entrenched here as almost no where else in the Combination.
Settlements and Locations within the Great Lands of Reyhu:
Balmund
Blackwood Forest
Helestria
Mercy’s Bluff
The Plague Fields
Sarresh
Sheerwatch
Twisted Thickets
Though the city of Rookroost commonly held the distinction of the “capital” of the old Bandit Kingdoms, the Allied Townships of Reyhu (Balmund and Sarresh) controlled the most fertile land, granting them much power in this land of arid plains and sickly woods. Sworn enemies of the Shield Lands, Reyhu men became skilled raiders and defenders by necessity; tales of the prowess of the Reyhu armies were told as far west as Lopolla.
The rulers of Reyhu, a long line of self-named tyrants, curried favor in the County of Urnst, even coming to the aid of the count when Nyrondal cavalry crossed the county’s eastern border following Nyrond’s break from the Great Kingdom. Because of this, Urnst funneled much unofficial (and often illegal) trade to Reyhu through Hardwyn, across the river from Sarresh. This went on despite the wicked nature of Reyhu’s folk, many of them followers of Erythnul, as many family ties crossed the Artonsamay in this region.
The folk who ruled the Allied Townships were no paragons of virtue. In stark contrast to neighboring Artonsamay, the people here were cruel and wicked. Despite the bounty of the land, they preferred to take what they needed through banditry. Devout worshippers of Erythnul, they struck out at their neighbors with unbridled fervor. Their hatred of the Shield Lands was particularly intense. In 585 CY, tired of constant raiding by these folk and the bandits of the Rift Canyon, the armies of the Shield Lands were brought to bare on these enemies. While the western Rift Canyon proved impassible due to natural hazards and infestations of monsters, the people of Rehyu suffered plenty. This lust for revenge was sated when the Horned Society, in turn, invaded the Shield Lands in 579 CY. Thousands of Rehyu warriors flew to the banners of the Horned Ones.
Though Reyhu men invaded the Shield Lands with other Bandit Kingdoms after 579 CY, they feared Iuz and fled from his huge, eastward-moving armies in 583 CY, heading north into the Rift Canyon or the Fellreev Forest, or southeast into the County of Urnst. Reyhu men now raid their old homeland from bases in Urnst, or else hold out in the central Fellreev in alliance with sylvan elves there.
The old Reyhu region is administered by a quartet of clerics of Iuz in Balmund, who in turn report to either Riftcrag or Stoink (their orders are often confused on this point). Their incompetence does not eliminate the fact that the countryside literally crawls with orcs and their allies, and hence is well defended, if only by the sheer number of defenders. Reyhu’s celebrated fields lay fallow, its crucial resource completely ignored and turning into wilderness.
The County of Urnst enjoyed a strange relationship with the Allied Townships. The bloodlines of the County are tied to this region. This certainly saved the County from its share of troubles with Reyhu, with the exception of smuggling. Goods are regularly smuggled both ways through the Urnst town of Hardwyn. It is also suspected that crucial intelligence on the activities of Iuz, the Horned Society and Tenh, were passed to the Counts of Urnst through informants in the Allied Townships. In the days of Nyrond’s imperial regime, after winning its independence from the Great Kingdom, Reyhu came to the defense of the County of Urnst when Nyrondese cavalry invaded. They were ultimately unsuccessful in that campaign, but it sealed an unspoken alliance between the two regions from that time on.
In 583 CY, the Allied Townships offered only a token resistance as the armies of Iuz swarmed into the region. It was an uncharacteristic move that surprised the Old One’s generals, who had expected a violent battle to win the region. This surprise tactic allowed an overwhelming percentage of the population of Reyhu to survive the invasion. They fled into the Fellreev, the Rift Canyon and into the northern provinces of the County of Urnst. Others fled to the Theocracy of Dimre where they took up arms among the priests against Iuz’s encroaching armies. Those who remained behind quickly surrendered and pledged themselves to the Old One.
In recent days, the town of Balmund has become the provincial capital of Reyhu. Originally one of the dominant towns of the province, along with Sarresh, Balmund is controlled by the Black Quartet, four medial level priests who do little more than squabble for the scraps of power amongst themselves. The garrison under their direct control is poorly organized and has little to no contact with Riftcrag. Each of the four lusts for power and prestige and they spend much of the time usurping one another’s command. In Riftcrag, Cranzer has all but washed his hands of them, turning much of the military control of the region over to the warden of Trallant, Marionnen. Balmund has traditionally been ruled as a barony, and despite being stripped of any real power, that tradition continues. Baroness Alma is the latest to have inherited the post. She achieved the title through marriage to Baron Gacksees in 587 CY. She has since outlived three husbands. Her latest marriage has been to Prince Zeech, the liege of Redhand.
Sarresh, once sister to Balmund in power and influence, also houses a formidable garrison of hobgoblin soldiers. Charged with monitoring the southern border with the County of Urnst, these troops have developed ruthless tactics to defend their patrols against skirmishes with their enemies. Initially, this garrison was the charge of the Black Quartet, who saw the County of Urnst as a neutered threat after the signing of the Treaty of Greyhawk in 585 CY. The gradual rise in skirmishes and raids from across the border, instigated largely from displaced Reyhu loyalists, forced Cranzer’s hand. In 588 CY, Marionnen of Trallant was charged with oversight of the garrison. Things changed quickly after that. Companies of gnoll rangers were brought in from the western stretch of the Empire and charged with eliminating the Reyhu dissidents. Within two years, almost all border exchanges between the County of Urnst and the Empire of Iuz had ceased. Once again, the warden of Trallant had proven his military genius and won the approval of Cranzer.
The same can be said of the northern keep of Sheerwatch, where legions of orcs and goblins are stationed. Responsible for managing the southern flank of the Rift Canyon, the efforts of this stronghold suffered from the years of mismanagement by the Black Quartet. The same year that the warden of Trallent was charged with managing the garrison at Sarresh, Cranzer replaced the Commander of Sheerwatch with a promising general, Argosas. Granted a necessary degree of autonomy, Argosas proceeded to turn Sheerwatch into a vital installation. Were it not for this move, it is doubtful Cranzer would ever have convinced Plar Durand Grossman to curb his raids on the silver mines of the eastern Rift. This ongoing shift in power has not gone unnoticed by the Black Quartet, who grow uneasy with their marginalized role in the region.
Bandit Kingdoms
---------------Though the city of Rookroost commonly held the distinction of the "capital" of the old Bandit Kingdoms, the Allied Townships of Reyhu (Balmund and Sarresh) controlled the most fertile land, granting them much power in this land of arid plains and sickly woods. Sworn enemies of the Shield Lands, Reyhu men became skilled raiders and defenders by necessity; tales of the prowess of the Reyhu armies were told as far west as Lopolla. The rulers of Reyhu, a long line of self-named tyrants, curried favor in the County of Urnst, even coming to the aid of the count when Nyrondal cavalry crossed the county's eastern border following Nyrond's break from the Great Kingdom. Because of this, Urnst funnelled much unofficial (and often illegal) trade to Reyhu through Hardwyn, across the river from Sarresh. This went on despite the wicked nature of Reyhu's folk, many of them followers of Erythnul, as many family ties crossed the Artonsamay in this region.
Though Reyhu men invaded the Shield Lands with other Bandit Kingdoms after 579 CY, they feared Iuz and fled from his huge, eastward-moving armies in 583 CY, heading north into the Rift Canyon or the Fellreev, or southeast into the County of Urnst. Reyhu men now raid their old homeland from bases in Urnst, or else hold out in the central Fellreev in alliance with sylvan elves there. The old Reyhu region is administered by a quartet of clerics of Iuz in Balmund, who in turn report to either Riftcrag or Stoink (their orders are often confused on this point). Their incompetence does not eliminate the fact that the countryside literally crawls with orcs and their allies, and hence is well defended, if only by the sheer number of defenders. Reyhu's celebrated fields lay fallow, its crucial resource completely ignored and turning into wilderness.
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