Return-Path: <owner-greytalk@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
X-Sender: grwst6@unixs1.cis.pitt.edu
Date:         Wed, 26 Mar 1997 15:25:06 -0500
Reply-To:     Gary R Welsh <grwst6+@pitt.edu>
Sender:       The GREYtalk Discussion List <GREYTALK@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
From:         Gary R Welsh <grwst6+@PITT.EDU>
Subject:      The Tenh Campaign
To:           GREYTALK@MITVMA.MIT.EDU

"THE FALL OF TENH"

A GREYHAWK CAMPAIGN

Beginning Date: Spring CY 576


This campaign begins with B1: In Search of the Unknown, set in the
northeastern Flanaess, in a wooded and mountainous region just south of
the barbarian lands. The background material in the module will be fleshed
out and made GH-specific (since B1 was not actually a "GH" module).

The second adventure takes place on the "borderlands" east of Tenh. This
is module B2: Keep on the Borderlands, and the "Realm" referred to therein
is Tenh. The Shrine of Evil Chaos is dedicated to Orcus (whose spheres of
influence are Evil, Chaos, and Un-death).

By this time, the characters will be salted veterans of 3rd level or so,
and I haven't decided where things will go from there.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've also incorporated geographical names for the northern areas, gleaned
from the FTSS articles in DRAGON #s 56 and 57:

        -Dingaverge (hex A4-54)- a small town on the edge of the Fellreev.
        -Bluefang-Kelten Pass- another name for the Hraak Pass.
        -Rockegg Pass- on "The Lands of Iuz" map in FtA, it is called
                      Thunder Pass.
        -Big Seal Bay (K2, north of the Corusks).
        -Lofthills (w. of Loftwood)- populated by gnomes.
        -Dekspoint (Z-17)- a town of evil humans who secretly supply the
                      humanoids of the Bone March.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The cultural Oerth/Earth equivalents for the northeastern Flanaess are as
follows:

        Thillonrians            Scandinavians
        Hold of Stonefist       Cossacks/Early Russians
        Tennese                 Celts
        Pale                    Spanish Inquisition (politically)/Frankish
        Ratik                   Northern Baltic (Latvian/Lithuanian)
        Bandit Kingdoms         Mix of Anglo-saxon, Germanic, Slavic,
                                Romanian, and Cossack/Early Russian

The characters hear rumours of distant lands, such as the Great Kingdom.
They hear stories about the internal conflict in that land between the
Pholtusians and the Demonologist Xaene (who leads the "Knights of Doom").

As the campaign progresses, the characters will meet and interact with
famous folk of Oerth, and their henchmen. A short list follows:

        Llewelyn ap-Owen                Nupo, Servant of the Bringer
        Tregullish Mul                  Lord Choldraf
        Olaf Blue-cheeks                Mellard-Plict
        Gutboy Barrelhouse              Plar Rostal
        Frush O'Suggill                 Seenia
        Flerd Trantle                   Hierarch Blontug
        Ataman Dyerg Keder              Ctenamir the vampire
        Marshall Iaba                   Sporragha
        Kracky the Hooded One           Laggamundo
        Farned of the Great Church      Glendor IV
        Trebbelos, Boy Magician         Beek Gwenders of Croodle
        Beska Miltar                    Gleep Wurp
        Harg of the City Afar           Webberan of the North
        Norrin the Barbarian            Furnok of Ferd

Certain "great" personages, such as Mordenkainen, Tenser, Zagyg, etc.,
will never actually be met. Friends or henchmen may be encountered, and
the "great ones" may even take note of the characters when they attain
higher levels. They may even help the characters, in limited fashions
("Mordenkainen heard of your exploits and shook his head, chuckling at
the 'rash bravery of youth,' as he put it. He told me to give you this
scroll.")

I haven't decided how I'm going to handle the other 'Classsics' modules.
Instead of actually running them as they are, I may only plunder them for
source material (NPC names, magic items, history, etc.). In this case, the
tournament characters are the 'historical' heroes who adventured in those
places. For example, Frush O'Suggill, Fonkin Hoddypeak, et al, are the
characters who (historically, to the PC's) tried to destroy the giant
conspiracy (G1-3: Against the Giants); Rhialle and co. were the first to
explore Tamoachan (C1: Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan); and so on.

This allows me to keep the flavor and reference value of the older
modules, but to get away from the predictability (and sometimes, tedium)
of running these modules as they actually are.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Climate

The events of this campaign take place between 45 and 50 degrees latitude,
at the base of the Thillonrian peninsula. Trade winds on Oerth are east to
west (reversed that of Earth). This brings equatorial winds north to the
Aerdian coast, as high as about 40 degrees latitude. The Thillonrian
peninsula, however, suffers from shrill northern blasts all year round,
with much precipitation (the winds come from the north-east).

Winters here are harsh. Summers are short, verdant and fresh.

        "The Flanaess is particularly blessed in regard to its weather.
Except in the northern latitudes, the winter temperatures seldom dip below
freezing except during the two winter months, and at night during early
spring and late autumn... the northeast and central northern regions tend
to be considerably colder, as the seas of these regions cause winter to
linger about twice as long."
                                - Guide, p. 5 (R-TSR).

The northern coast of Thillonria is almost exactly 55 degrees latitude,
and it curves to dip as low as 45 degrees on its eastern end. In Earth
equivalents, most of Thillonria is similar to coastal British Colombia,
with that southern end most alike to Oregon and Washington states
(rainfall, pine trees and all- at least that's how I'll describe it).

The center of the peninsula, the mountainous part, remains snow-bound all
year round. Rockegg Pass and Bluefang Pass are both often blocked from
Patchwall to Coldeven (a span of about six months).

Culture

I've really played up the "Celtic" feel of the Flan lands of Tenh. The
place names in FTA reflect this as well. Here is a brief list, gleaned
from "The Lands of Iuz" map:

        High Hadleigh           [Note: I know that many think the Flan
        Narleon                 should have an Amerindian flavor, but I've
        Nevond-Nevnend          chosen to ignore it for this background.
        High Pentress           EGG himself may have had such a culture in
        Dour Pentress           mind, I don't know... but Carl Sargent
                                seems to interpret them as Celt-like.]

Some the settlements to the west and to the south have an Anglo-Saxon
sound to them, which reflects the influence of the Great Kingdom (a
Germanic-like state). Here are the names of some of those:

        Oxton                   And nearby, west of Tenh proper:
        Atherstone
        Wotton                          Groucester
        Braycott                        Senningford

Also, look at some of the noble titles in nearby bandit kingdoms, and from
the Hold of Stonefist:

        Rhelt Sevvord (takes the title of Rhelt in CY 578)      Hold
        Ataman Dyerg Keder                                      Hold
        Rhelt Abbarra                                           Bandits
        Graf Venholtee                                          Bandits
        Earl Renyard                                            Bandits
        Plar Lintoff                                            Bandits
        Plar Teuod Fent                                         Bandits
        Szek Winvid                                             Bandits

Ataman is a Cossack title (so I envision the Stonefisters as similar to
those people, with some migrating into Bandit lands). Earl is distinctly
an Anglo-Saxon title. I don't know the cultural origins of 'Rhelt,' but
since the master of the Stonefisters takes it as a title, I imagine it's
also Cossack, or of ethnicity closely related to those people. I also
don't know where 'Szek' or 'Plar' come from, but I would guess Szek is a
Slavic/Romanian title, and I know there is a Plar of Veluna.

In the final analysis, I've made Tenh out to be similar to early medieval
Britain, <sans> Norman invasion, where the northern parts are heavily
Celtic (Scottish, Irish, and Welsh), and the southern parts are influenced
(culturally) by an Anglo-Saxon-like lifestyle.

Prophesy and History

Tenh is a land that is fated to die. The campaign begins in CY 576, during
the midst of Duke Ehyeh II's attempt to clear the Troll Fens and
borderlands on the west bank of the Yol river (these are the "borderlands"
of module B2). The Duke builds a considerable number of fortifications (he
began the project in CY 575, a year before the "present"), and the effort
is deemed a general success.

In CY 577, the Duke turns his attentions to the north, and begins to
fortify the southern end of Rockegg Pass, 20 leagues above Calbut. While
fighting against local Stonefisters, the Duke is killed, but his vassal,
Marshall Iaba, valiantly finishes the job he began. In Needfest, CY 578,
Ehyeh III (the son of Ehyeh II) is crowned as Duke in Nevond Nevend. In
the Spring, the new Duke immediately begins a campaign in the west against
the Bandit Kingdoms.

These plans fuel the ambition of Theocrat Ogon Tillit, the ruler of the
Pale, who has always desired to subjugate the "pagan Flannae" of Tenh
(most Tenha are of the "Old Faith"). When Ehyeh gets wind of this, he
abandons his goals in the west, and accepts the peace (and land) offered
by the fearful Bandit Lords. The Duke then turns his considerable army
southward, crosses the Yol, and at Dozenmonth, Ready'eat in Cy 578, he
camps at the edge of Phostwood. The army drives further east and winters
over in the Pale.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Campaign

When the player characters begin adventuring, the barbarian invasion of
circa CY 540 is still recent memory with the populace. That invasion was
led by three barbarian kings (atamen of the Hold of Stonefist, before it
was united under Sevvord). Down through Rockegg Pass they came, until they
were thwarted by two heroic and legendary personages: Zelligar the Unknown
and Rogahn the Fearless (see B1 background). Nothing has been heard about
these two for thirty years. They were rumored to have led an independent
campaign into northern territory, thirty years ago, at the behest of their
god (whose identity is unknown).

The characters acquire a map that leads to Quasqueton, the legendary
stronghold of Rogahn and Zelligar. According to their map, it is in the
southeastern part of the Corusk mountains, in the wilderness foothills of
the Styish Forest (3 hexes north of High Hadleigh on "The Lands of
Iuz" map). If the characters are clever, and clear out Quasqueton while
managing to keep its location a secret, they may well acquire their own
private headquarters.

Late in the summer of CY 576, or in early Spring CY 577, the characters
hear rumours of treasure and adventure to be had in the "borderlands" (the
eastern border of Tenh, where Duke Ehyeh II is conducting his campaign to
clear out the Troll Fens). Presumably, they will journey there, arriving
at the Keep and adventuring in the "Caves of Chaos" (the action of module
B2). [the Keep, on "The Lands of Iuz" map is 1 hex SE. of High Pentress]
The road west on the Wilderness Map goes west to Oxton Towne, and east to
one of Ehyeh II's recently constructed castles: High Pentress (Ehyeh II
conducts most of his campaigns from that castle-- the "Keep"  of the
module is much smaller).

When and if they meet the "Mad Hermit": he will eerily predict Ehyeh II's
death ("at the hands of bloody northmen"- which will happen in CY 578),
and the fall of Tenh ("the Old One will grind your lands under his evil,
monstrous hosts.").

The Lawful Faith at the Keep (which has a church and a 5th level chaplain
priest) will either be dedicated to St. Cuthbert or Allitur (I haven't
decided which, yet). Dedicating it to Pholtus would be wrong, as that
creates too strong of a tie to the nearby Pale (which is never on good
terms with Tenh).

The Evil priesthood in the "Shrine of Evil Chaos" is dedicated to Orcus.
The characters will not know this at first, and if they thwart the
Shrine's plans, they may have to answer for it later (possibly in a
modified version of the H1-4 series).

After this, they may be led back to Quasqueton, to participate in the the
Tenh-Stonefist altercations near Rockegg Pass (in CY 578). They will hear
of Ehyeh II's death, and this will result in much despair among the
populace.

By this time, the characters will (hopefully) be very attached to the land
to Tenh, with a vested interest in its well-being. Nothing they do,
however, will prevent its fall. This will happen in CY 582, at the very
beginning of the "Greyhawk Wars").

In any case, as the campaign proceed, things will become increasingly
grim. The successes of the characters will come to contrast the declining
situation of Tenh (although from CY 576-579, Tenh's outlook will appear
healthy and in the ascendancy). If the characters keep Quasqueton as a
base, post-Wars, they find themselves isolated deep in enemy territory, as
Iuz, the Old One of their childhood fears, comes to life and sweeps across
their homeland!

Much of the campaign from here onward could focus around the (now) mid- to
high-level characters attempting to restore Tenh, and to liberate its
enslaved folk. They may well become agents of the exiled Ehyeh III, whom
they have heard tell of for so many years!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The End...?

My ideas are very vague here. Possibly, in CY 590-600, Ehyeh III dies
(still in exile). The characters have discovered a "Lost line" of ancient
Tenha royalty, the descendants of whom operate out of the woods in Tenh,
following a "Forest King" and his band of outlaws (Outlaws to Iuz, that
is). With the help of the characters, the northeastern part of Tenh is
liberated, with a new "High King of the Flannae" established from among
the ancient royal line (the name is more from pride than from truth). The
characters are present at the coronation, which takes place at High
Hadleigh.

Most of Tenh remains in Iuz' grasp.
