Isles of Woe

The Isles of Woe are a now-lost archipelago in the Lake of Unknown Depths, once ruled by wizard-priests such as Yagrax.

History

The Isles of Woe are most famed for the doom they suffered when the powers of the Codex of the Infinite Planes caused them to sink beneath the waters of the Nyr Dyv. During the nation's height, the High Wizard-Priest had used the powers of the Codex to conquer the surrounding realms, and even other planes, but the same forces that brought so much power also brought much destruction and woe. It is said that at one point, the danger presented by the dominion of the Isles of Woe became so great that the sleeping hero Krovis emerged from his tomb to do battle.
The citadel of Veralos on the edge of Rift Canyon paid fealty to the Isles of Woe until the archipelago's inundation.

Geography

Depending on the tale, the number of islands in this chain varies between three and seven, but is usually said to be three. The capital of this tyrannical domain was known as Heraan. In a 900-year-old map now in the Great Library of Greyhawk, the islands are shown in the eastern region of the great lake, appearing to be extensions of the Cairn Hills. If this map is accurate, the size of the Nyr Dyv was smaller in those days. The island upon which Admundfort now sits was much larger, and two islands that do not now exist stood southeast of Scragholme Island. However, there are reasons to doubt the authenticity of this document.

People

Because Veralos was contemporaneous with ancient Flan nations such as Sulm, Itar, Ahlissa(organization), and Nuria, it seems likely that the Isles of Woe were also populated by the Flan people. Furthermore, the Isles must have sank before the Great Migrations, as Veralos itself lasted until that period.

Type

Geopolitical, Magocracy