Strandkeep

Greyhawk Settlement

Strandkeep Castle
General information
Realm:	Orcish Empire of the Pomarj
Size:	Castle
Demographics
Races:	Humans, orcs, gnolls, trolls, ogres
Languages:	Common
Groups
Organizations:	Scarlet Brotherhood
Allies:	Scarlet Brotherhood
Enemies:	Principality of Ulek

Description

Strandkeep is a Pomarj castle fortress located near the border of the Principality of Ulek and the Pomarj, with the Drachensgrab Hills to the north and east.

It was presumably built by one of the barons that ruled the local area prior to the Pomarj being invaded by humanoid forces in 513 CY following the end of the Hateful Wars in the Lortmils.

The castle has an inner bailey, wall, outer yard sloped up to curving strong point on the outer wall. 20′ tall crenellated battlements splayed at bottom. A 10′ high curve of packed earth, and along the curve at man height, every 6′ pierced with arrow embrasures. It has a 6′ wide walkway on top of wall. A deserted warren of passages, cells, and chambers beneath. The castle has a main stairwell, a tower at the core, and a bronzewood door (Chris Siren article below)

The castle in only referred to in the Gord the Rogue novel article Artifact of Evil, and thus might not be regarded as canon at least in part. The castle was attacked by forces invading from the Principality of Ulek in about 579 CY, which does not appear to have taken place in the “main” Greyhawk timeline.

Military

During the siege of the castle by the forces of Ulek in about 579 CY the military forces involved included:

• Spellcasters.
• Hordes of Orcs.
• 500+ gnolls.
• 20+ Trolls.
• 70+ Ogres – mailed, carrying morning stars and 6′ long swords.

However, this was presumably not the usual standing garrison, and it had been reinforced to try to defeat the attack.

Notable Persons

In about 579 CY during the siege by Ulek forces:

• The Elder Brother of Strandkeep is a high priest of Tharizdun.
• Horual Crook-finger - mage allied with the Scarlet Brotherhood at the siege of Strandkeep Castle.
• Lester - member of the Scarlet Brotherhood.

External links

• Strandkeep on Gord's Greyhawk - details Greyhawk in the Gord the Rogue novels, Chris Siren, 1998.

References

Bibliography

• Gygax, Gary. Artifact of Evil. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1986.

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic	Type	Description	Product	Page/Card/Image
Strandkeep Castle	Settlement	Defensive Structure,	Artifact of Evil	19-21, 29, 30, 37, 58