View source for Oerik

[[File:Oerik02.png|thumb|400px|Oerik depicted in both the ''D&D Gazetteer'' and the ''[[LGG]]'']]
[[File:Flanaes_folio.jpg|thumb|350px|The Flanaess and Central Oerik as depicted in the 1980 [[Folio]].]]

'''Oerik''' is the largest continent on the world of [[Oerth]], where the ''Greyhawk'' campaign takes place.

Oerik is named after the [[Oeridian]]s, a human people who settled much of the continent. The best-known part of Oerik is the eastern portion, known as the [[Flanaess]], named after the first human settlers to that region, the [[Flan]].

* "Eastern Oerik" is better known as the "[[Flanaess]]", the primary subcontinent developed for the {{smallcaps|[[World of Greyhawk]]}}™ setting.
* "[[Central Oerik]]" is the area of Oerik west of the [[Flanaess]] comprised of the [[Celestial Imperium]] and the [[Low Khanate|Low-]] and [[High Khanates]] extending only to the mountain range seperating [[Western Oerik]].  Central Oerik has been developed very little in official products.
* [[Western Oerik]] is the portion of the continent of Oerik on the world of [[Oerth]] west of the [[Celestial Imperium]] and the [[Celestial Sea]]. Western Oerik featured heavily in the ''Chainmail'' miniatures game in 2001-2002.  It was a distinct subcontinent separated from the rest of Oerik by the most massive range of mountains on Oerth. It is bordered to the east by the [[Celestial Sea]], the [[Gulf of Ra]], and the [[Ocean of Storms]], to the south by the [[Sea of Thunder]], to the west by the [[Gulf of Ishtar]], the [[Oceanum Titanicum]], and the [[Mare Mysticum]], and to the north by the [[Jothumheim Sea]].

The region of [[New Empyrea]] in [[RPGA]] modules was placed across the [[Solnor Ocean]] from the Flanaess in the adventure ''Doc's Island''. This would place it somewhere in Western Oerik as well, though this was never in officially published Greyhawk material.  

==Nations==

Though few sources exist for information about nations or cultures beyond the Flanaess, the primary source is ''Dragon'' magazine Annual #1.  The article presents names of nations across the continent, though there is scant information provided about them.  Both nations and geographical features are labelled and given short descriptions of only a sentence or two.
{{quoted text|Ever wonder what the world of Oerth looked like beyond the borders of the Flanaess? Wonder no more! The TSR staff and the Greyhawk setting's original creator sketched out this map of Oerth in the early 1980s.
'My Dear Mordenkainen,
I'm glad you found my doodles enlightening! I cobbled the map together from diverse sources - mostly the recollections of some of the "old guard" I can't vouchsafe the place names; doubtless the locals have their own names for many of the areas. Enclosed are some more excerpts from my journals.'<br>
 - Heward"<ref>*[[Skip Williams|Williams, Skip]]. "Beyond the Flanaess." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' Annual #1. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996. p72-73</ref>}}

====[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]] Annual #1====
[[File:Oerik.jpg|350px|thumb|right|A map of Oerik, as depicted in ''[[Dragmag|Dragon]]'' Annual #1 (1996). Cartography by [[Dave Sutherland | Sutherland, Dave]] ]]
*[[Barbarian Seameast]] -A windswept land covered with primeval forests where fiery but convivial tribesmen dwell.
*[[Celestial Imperium]] - A vast nation peopled with a hard-working peasantry ruled by a complex bureaucracy. (Also known as the Celestial Empire of Shaofeng.<ref>John Roy, "Behind the Screen:Greyhawk". Dragon+ Issue 25. Wizards Of the Coast, p.12 [http://www.dragonmag.com/5.0/#!/article/116670/103709573 Available Online]</ref>)
*[[Celestial Sea]] - A warm shallow gulf where merchants from Erypt and the Imperium ply their trades.
*[[Elvanian Forest]] - An enclave of lofty trees clinging to foothills rising from the desert below. Elves and other wild sylvan races dwell here.
*[[Dragons Island]] - Tales from the Celestial Imperium speak of a land ruled by a dragon prince. If such a place exists, it probably lies here.
*[[Empire of Lynn]] - A sea of burning sands fill most of Oerik's western end. The fabled city of Lynn, perhaps settled by seafarers from the Flanaess, has grown rich from coastal trade and the desert's mineral wealth. (Also spelled “Lhynn” in some sources.)
*[[Erypt]] - An arid land ruled by a dynasty of priests kings.
*[[Fireland]] - A land not unlike the Hellfurnaces region of the Flanaess, Volcanoes and geysers sprout amid glaciers. A hardy folk dwells among the coastal fjords.
*[[Gigantea]] - A land populated by giants.
*[[Gulf of Ishtar]] - The privateers of Tharquish and the fleets of Ishtar vie for control here.
*[[Gulf of Ra]] - A deep body reputed to hide a kingdom of sahuagin. 
*[[High Khanate]] - An arid land peopled by two tribes of sturdy nomads. The inlanders resemble the horsemen of the Balkanlsh Basin, but on the coast they take to boats. 
*[[Hyperboria]] - [[Heward]]'s own name for an icy continent whose interior holds Oerth's north pole. A semipermanent bridge of ice connects the land to Oerik proper, but the crossing is treacherous at best. 
*[[Ishtarland]] - A land watered by southern storms and at least two great rivers. The city of Ishtar vies with the merchants of Lynn and the warlords of Tharquish for control of coastal trade.
*[[Jothunheim Sea]] - A frigid body of water littered with icebergs. Giants ply the waters in great drakkars.
*[[Kingdoms of the Marches]] - A temperate land filled with princely states. Perhaps another locale colonized by seafarers from across the Solnor.
*[[Low Khanate]] - A companion realm to the High Khanate; named more for its location in a deep vale below the mountains than for any inferior status. A hidden valley reputedly contains the tombs of khans from both realms.
*[[Mare Mysticum]] - Unknown details. 
*[[Nippon Dominion]] - A protectorate only recently conquered by the warriors of Nippon.
*[[Ocean of Storms]] - A region of gray sea lashed by endless tempests.
*[[Oceanum Titanicum]] - The eastern most extent of what you know as the Solnor ocean.
*[[Orcreich]] - A nation of orcs ruled by a tyrannical king. The orcs seem to thrive under the brutal regime.
*[[Pearl Sea]] - So named for the rich pearl beds found on Nippon's eastern shores.
*[[Polaria]] - Not a landmass at all, but a collection of islands locked in a semipermanent ice cap.
*[[Red Kingdom]] - This land is so named for the color of its rocks. It's inhabitants remain unknown.
*[[Sea of Hyperboria]] - An ice-choked stretch of deep water where the coastal tribesmen of the High Khanate hunt and fish from hide boats.
*[[Sea of the Dragon King]] - A deep arm of the Pearl Sea noted for its cobalt blue waters and teeming coral reefs.
*[[Sea of Nippon]] - A body of water made infamous by freak storms and enormous sea monsters — if the tales prove true.
*[[Sea of Thunder]] - A smaller, but no less violent, companion to the Sea of Storms, it surrounds the southern Ice cap.
*[[Red Kingdom]] - This land is so named for the color of its rocks. It's inhabitants remain unknown to me.
*[[Tarquis Dominions]] - An ancient protectorate of the Tharquish Empire.
*[[Tharquish Empire]] - An island nation of seafarers who have ambitions that extend to the neighboring continents.
*[[Tribes of Enllaves]] - A land of proud desert nomads who eke out of living on a high plateau that escapes the worst heat of the sand sea. A few tribes-men live in mud-brick towns built around central squares that contain steep-sided pyramids. I have never learned whether the pyramids serve as monuments, tombs, temples, or something else altogether.

*[[Wall of Tsian]] - A massive fortification separating the Celestial imperium from Orcreich, a formidable deterrent to anyone but the king of Orcreich, The Imperium has begun another, even grander wall farther west.
*[[Zindia]] - A tropical land where rich cities rise from steaming jungles.

==References==
=====Citations=====
<references />
=====Bibliography=====
*[[David "Zeb" Cook|Cook, David]]. "History of the Greyhawk Wars." ''[[Greyhawk Wars (game)|Wars]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1991. Available Online: [http://www.nyrond.org/turbine/page/university/greyhawkwars.html]
*[[Gygax, Gary]]. ''The World of Greyhawk''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1980.
*-----. ''[[World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.
*[[Gary Holian|Holian, Gary]], [[Erik Mona]], [[Sean K. Reynolds]], and [[Frederick Weining]]. ''[[Living Greyhawk Gazetteer]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
*[[Moore, Roger E]]. ''[[Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
*[[Carl Sargent|Sargent, Carl]]. ''[[From the Ashes]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.
*[[Skip Williams|Williams, Skip]]. "Beyond the Flanaess." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' Annual #1. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.
{{index}}

[[Category:Locations]]