Dark Times

Empire of Iuz

Proper Name: Empire of Iuz
Ruler: Iuz the Old, lord of Evil, Lord of Pain, etc (evil demigod/cambion)
Government: Imperial theocratic dictatorship; empire directly but inconsistently ruled by an evil demigod and managed by his priesthood and other spellcasters
Capital: Dorakaa
Major Towns: Delaquenn (pop. 3,000), Dorakaa (pop. 40,000), Greenreach (pop. 3,500), Grossfort (pop. 3,500), Ixworth (pop. 3,000), Izlen (pop. 2,500), Kindell (pop. 4,000), Molag (pop. 4,000, ruined). All towns in the Bandit Kingdoms and Barrens, and in the conquered portion of the Shield Lands, are also part of this empire
Provinces: (general regions, not actual provinces) Land of Iuz, Horned Lands (ex-Horned Society), Shield Lands, Bandit Lands (ex-Bandit Kingdoms), Barren Lands (old Rover lands); actual situation is complex and detailed later
Resources: Furs, electrum, silver, foodstuffs; resources scarce, not exported
Coinage: Gold skull (gp), bright skull (ep), serpent (sp), common (ep), dullbone (bronze piece, 10 bzp = 1 ep), flat (iron piece, 10 ip = 1 bzp). Old coinage is often used (at reduced value) from the old Shield Lands, Horned Society, and various Bandit Kingdoms, with stolen coinage from Furyondy, Tenh, the County of Urnst, Wolf Nomads, etc. Some orc and hobgoblin tribes also mint their own crude and varied coinage, usually of silver, copper, or iron.
Population: 700,000—Orc 45%, Human 25% (Ofsb), Hobgoblin 10%, Halfling 5%, Half-orc 3%, Gnome 2%, Other 10%
Languages: Orc, Common, Goblin, Halfling
Alignments: CE*, NE, LE, CN
Religions: Iuz*; all others are aggressively suppressed, particularly cults of Nerull and Vecna, and any Good religions (especially St. Cuthbert, Pelor, and Heironeous)
Allies: None
Enemies: [in alphabetical order] Ahlissa, Bissel, Bone March (for tribal and religious reasons), Celene (inactive), Circle of Eight, County of Urnst, Duchy of Urnst, Dyvers, Flinty Hills, Frost/Ice/Snow Barbarians, Furyondy, Gran March, Greyhawk, Horned Society, Keoland, Ket, Knights of Holy Shielding, Knights of Luna, Knights of the Han (all branches), Knights of the Watch, Kron Hills, North Kingdom, Nyrond, Onnwal (all factions), Pale, Perrenland, Pomarj (for tribal and religious reasons), Ratik, Scarlet Brotherhood, Shield Lands, Sterich, Stonehold, Sunndi, Ulek states, various Tenh factions, Veluna, Verbobonc, Wolf Nomads, Yeomanry, and all religions of Oerth excluding Iuz's. In short, most sane beings of Oerth count Iuz as their mortal enemy; all fear and hate him.

Overview: The Greyhawk Wars began as a result of a dangerous gambit of Iuz, the so-called Old One, who has for so long dominated the north-central plains of the Flanaess. No single being can claim personal responsibility for as much bloodshed as can the Old One, a vicious, scheming creature who revels in his own debased wickedness. Though Iuz is a Power unto himself, his political might is given form by a chaotic though nonetheless effective dominion known as the Empire of Iuz.

Attempts to mark out lesser political boundaries within the empire prove difficult at best. The following general political regions are recognized by mapmakers as part of Iuz's territory, though they do not seem to be actual provinces in the empire.

Land (often Homeland) of Iuz, consisting of the region north of Whyestil Lake, south of the Cold Marshes, and between the Opicm and Dulsi Rivers. Two important conquered regions lie adjacent to the Homeland. Iuz recently dominated the Howling Hills west of the Dulsi River, a land long held as sacred ground by the Wolf Nomads. This haunted, blood-soaked region is administered by Urzun orcs from Fortress Kendragund, in the eastern hills. The second territory is the northeastern Vesve Forest, a site of continuing warfare ruled from the regional capital of Izlen.

Bandit Lands, that realm once dotted with the socalled Bandit Kingdoms, west of the Artonsamay and Zumker and partly bounded by the Bluff Hills, Fellreev Forest, and Ritensa River. These days, this area is not actually a province as such, instead being broken into huge warlord fiefs centered around four regional capitals (see Bandit Kingdoms).

Barren Lands, also called the Barrens, Barren Plains, or Northern Barrens. These cool grasslands lie south of the Wastes and the Icy Sea, and north of the Fellreev Forest. The Bluff Hills, western Griffs, and Forlorn Forest mark its eastern borders, and the Opicm River and Cold Marshes the western end. No towns lie here, except sprawling Grossfort. Iuz's human and nonhuman troops have difficulty living off the land, and frequently can be found at each other's throats. Though Iuz once thought the Barrens completely under his control from Grossfort, the situation recently grew more problematic (see Rovers of the Barrens).

Horned Lands, the region once ruled by the HornedSociety between Whyestil Lake, the Veng and Ritensa Rivers, and the Fellreev. Once the demesne of the proud and villainous Horned Society, this area has lately been divided into two fiefs, east and west, to better combat Furyondy's guards and raiders from the Bandit Kingdoms. Most of the evil humans who once lived here have fled, leaving the land to hobgoblins, orcs, and other evil nonhumans.

Shield lands, the fertile region east of the Ritensa, north of the Nyr Dyv, and southwest of the Rift Barrens. A fraction of this area around Critwall and Scragholme Island was retaken during the Great Northern Crusade by ex-Shield Landers, but most of the region remains firmly in the hands of Iuz's occupying forces (see Shield Lands).

Though the above accurately summarizes the assumed divisions of Iuz's political power, the actual situation is more complex and confusing. Since 584 CY, Iuz has designated certain towns and cities within his empire as "regional capitals," starting with Riftcrag, Rookroost, and Stoink in the old Bandit Kingdoms. However, the exact areas these capitals control were never specifically outlined by Iuz, and those placed in charge of those capitals hold only as much territory in Iuz's name as their human and nonhuman armies can conquer and intimidate.

Lately, several other regional capitals have appeared, serving as strongholds and garrisons in increasingly troubled regions. Each regional capital (other than the imperial capital, Dorakaa) is ruled by a spellcaster of Iuz's Greater Boneheart or Lesser Boneheart, or else a particularly powerful human or half-fiend. Lesser Boneheart rulers are typically chaotic evil humans who are wizards or clerics (of Iuz) of levels twelve to seventeen; a few are believed to be undead. Greater Boneheart rulers are spellcasters of levels eighteen and up.

At the start of 591 CY, Iuz's regional capitals in the Homeland, Horned Lands, and Barren Lands include the following. (Major holdings in occupied nations are covered in the individual entries of those nations.)

Delaquenn rules western Horned Lands between the Veng River and the eastern shore of Whyestil Lake, sharing a border with Furyondy along the Veng River. Many nonhuman survivors of the Great Northern Crusade live here and passionately hate Furyondy, desiring to invade it again as soon as possible. The ruler is known to be an old vampire from Aerdy named Maskaleyne (CE male vampire Wiz12), a puissant wizard once of House Naelax.

Dorakaa rules the Homeland of Iuz and north shore of Whyestil Lake. Iuz's mighty capital, Dorakaa, would not be out of place in the heart of the infernal Abyss. Even after the Flight of Fiends, demons walk the grim battlements, occasionallyleaping from their height to savage a passer-by, sometimes upon orders, but more frequently because they like the way blood feels between their fingers and teeth. The city is always overcast with black clouds in a 4-mile radius. Beyond the city's massive Iron Gates, clerics in gore-splattered robes lead armored contingents of orcs and goblinoids through a chaotic jumble of streets, past buildings in horrible disrepair, trampling the bones of the freshly dead. Though the city retains the docks that once made it one of the most lucrative stops in the Northern Reaches, no trade comes to Iuz. The Old One imports only what his armies plunder; his chief export is misery.

The Old One resides in a skull-bedecked stone palace that dominates Dorakaa's skyline, a dark edifice that also houses the Legion of Black Death, Iuz's elite orc, human, and fiend army. Not far from the palace is the demesne of the Lord of Pain's administrators, a cabal of wizards and clerics known as the Boneheart. The Boneheart Citadel and Iuz's palace are the center of the cancer that inflicts the northem Flanaess. Given the defenses of Dorakaa, little hope exists of destroying that cancer in the near future.

Grossfort rules all of Barrens except for the far eastern end. The troops ("Marauders of the North") are primarily human and made up of Grosskopf bandits who moved in from the Bluff Hills. Though sent here to fight surviving Rovers and plains centaurs, these evil bandits lately have begun adopting Rover mannerisms and tactics in the Barrens, and they often attack small groups of nonhumans from other forts. Grossfort, once a large open military camp, is now a walled town with huge horse and cattle herds and some outlying farms. The city is supposedly ruled by the archmage Jumper (CE male human Wiz19 (illusionist)) of the Greater Boneheart, but he rarely comes here of late.

Izlen rules the Iuz-controlled northeastern end of the Vesve Forest and west coast of Whyestil Lake. High Priestess Halga (CE female human Clr19 of Iuz), of Iuz's Greater Boneheart, is the ruler. Izlen's nonhuman forces, under Panshazek the Vile (CE male human Clr15 of Iuz), battle the Vesve elves and assorted forces of Philidor the Blue (NG male human? Wiz20+), a mysterious archmage who appeared in the Flanaess less than a decade ago. Philidor has been little seen since the Great Northern Crusade, but peculiar spells and magical constructs undoubtedly of his creation cause great trouble for orcs in the woodlands.

Molag rules the eastern Horned Lands to the Ritensa River. It holds the border with Furyondy, but suffered terrific damage during the Great Northern Crusade and is still attacked at irregular intervals. Molag is dominated by hobgoblins and humans. Though mostly ruined, it is still very powerful defensively; the town has an extensive system of underground tunnels. It is set on a low hill two miles east of the Veng River. The current military commander is unknown, as so many (often successful) assassination attempts are made here by Furyondians. Iuz's high priestess Althea (CE female human Clr20 of Iuz), the nominal ruler of the city and land, comes here annually despite the attempts on her life.

In the Bandit Kingdoms, the towns of Hallorn, Riftcrag, Rookroost, and Stoink are regional capitals. Hallorn rules the western Bandit Kingdoms, Riftcrag the Rift and Rift Barrens, Rookroost the region between the Rift and the Bluff Hills, and Stoink the southeastern Bandit Kingdoms. Admundfort was designated the regional capital of the Shield Lands in 587, but the island is almost completely cut off from the empire by a naval blockade.

In the core Homeland and Horned Lands, the climate is universally bleak. Some claim that Iuz himself controls the weather here, and its dark character reflects the spirit of the tyrannical demigod. Cloud cover is a constant menace, particularly during battle, as Iuz's nonhuman troops have little trouble seeing in the dark and gleefully press that advantage upon a blinded enemy. The concept of mercy is alien to the countless warriors under Iuz's banner. Exact numbers are impossible to determine, but reliable estimates place the total number of soldiers under Iuz's command at thirty thousand (mostly orcs, but some ogres, hobgoblins, humans, and assorted sentient detritus). No one knows how many demons survived the Flight of Fiends in 586 CY; few have surfaced.

The Fellreev Forest has increasingly become a center of anti-Iuz resistance. However, the factions here are mutually hostile and do not cooperate. Human, nonhuman, and undead forces of the old Nerull-worshiping Horned Society are gathered under Hierarch Nezmajen (NE male human Clr15 of Nerull) in the north-central Fellreev and across the southwestern spur, particularly around Ixworth and Kindell. A powerful alliance of Reyhu bandits and sylvan elves rules the south-central Fellreev under a Reyhu lord, Skannar Hendricks (CN male human Ftr15). Independent orc bands, groups of sylvan elves, Flan foresters, Rover refugees, and renegade bandits roam the woodland as minor groups. The eastern Fellreev, across the Cold Run, is supposedly controlled by Iuz's orcs at Fort Skagund, but they are often raided by renegade bandits, most from the old"kingdom" of Greenkeep, which followed Olidammara. A large group of sylvan elves, lately reinforced by Rover forest tribes, holds the woods just east of Lake Aqal. Finally, a rogue lich named Dahlvier (NE male human (undead) Wiz18) rules a small independent region between the western Fellreev and its southwestern spur, on the west side ("Dahlvier County").