County of Cryllor, Keoland

Governed by Count Ignas Manz

The western County of Cryllor is one of Keoland’s wealthiest and most strategically powerful provinces.The county stretches along the banks of the Javan, in a fluvial valley cut by the river between the Good Hills and the Little Hills, which border the lands of theYeomanry League. The walled city of Cryllor (pop.8,400), whose western district opens onto the banks of theJavan, is the fourth largest in the kingdom, after only Gradsul, Flen, and Niole Dra. The city and its wealthy Suel lord benefit strongly from the river traffic and trade that passes just outside his walls on the road between Niole Dra and Longspear. Additionally, riches are stilldrawn from the lower Good Hills, much of which finds its way to the markets of Cryllor, where skilled artisans are known for their metalwork. The counties of Flen and Cryllor have been rivals for centuries, but while the ruler-ship of Flen has been relatively stable over that time, the lordship of Cryllor has changed hands many times.
The current count is Lord Ignas Manz (LN male human Ftr16), a former warrior turned wealthy lord and civic magnate. His personality is often described as imperious, boorish, and unforgiving, and while Manz is often called a philistine by rivals in the Court of the Land, this calumny he ascribes to envy, for his success and power in the region are very real. Manz styles himself a merchant prince, and his relative isolation from the rest of the kingdom has bred indifference to the politics of Niole Dra. Count Manz has made himself very wealthy from the ores he draws from prodigious mines in the valley, much to the chagrin of the gnomes of Plim’s Delve, who find his methods unscrupulous. The Count is a firm believer in the concept of bread and circus, and he does not disappoint his citizens. He spreads around just enough of his coin to keep the people happy and his rivals among the lords of the county off balance. Toward this end, Ignas Manz has turned an annual sword meet held during Brewfest, called the Tocsin of Kelanen, into a festival of competition which draws participants and spectators from across the Sheldomar Valley (and no doubt considerable coin into the count’s coffers).
Count Manz has long harbored a desire to annex the rich highlands in the Little Hills, which are believed to hold unexploited mineral wealth, but has garnered no support to do so from his peers in the Court of the Land. He has made it clear to the Countess Elgarin that any alliance with Flen depends upon her support in this endeavor,which she will not give. The western half of the province of Cryllor, referred to as the Trans-javan, extends from the western bank of the river to the foothills of the Jotens and the Little Hills. Much of this land was acquired following the Greyhawk Wars, when forces of the count marched across the river, ostensibly to secure his lands from invasion from the Jotens. Interestingly, while raids have continued in Flen and the Yeomanry, Cryllor has remained relatively unscathed. Manz has further provoked theYeomanry by mining the foothills of the Littles in abrogation of long-standing treaties. There are rumors of the discovery of a vein of mithral well within Yeoman territory, but the location of this mine, if it exists, remains unknown. Its discovery would likely go greatly rewarded by the court of the Freeholder should it be revealed.

Capital: Cryllor
Other Towns: Baransford, Cryford, Eldmyn, Denlock, Gammel, Gerth, Pindangoogly
Areas of Interest: Baelefract Keep, Sentinel Keep

  Location in the Flanaess