Flinty Hills

The Marklands (1993), 585 CY, by John Knecht.

The Flinty Hills is a broad, deep band of hills ostensibly part of or at least allied with Nyrond, but the subject of armed conflict with parts under the control of the Bone March and Ahlissa.

Geography

The Flinty Hills is a broad and deep band of hills at the southern end of the Rakers. The far western part of the Hills lies within the Gamboge Forest. To the east lies the Bone March, the Blemu Hills and Knurl, and to the south east and south lies the Adri Forest.

The head waters of the Duntide River form in the Flinty Hills, and then flow west through Nyrond.

The eastern shoulder, and an arm which projects southward for many leagues, forms a natural lower boundary for the Bone March and the easternmost territory of Nyrond (and previously Almor). A portion on the western side of the Harp River is covered by the Adri Forest (and previously was Almorish but is now Ahlissan).

The Flinty Hills are higher and more undulating in the north, declining to plateau and broad, fertile slopes to the south and west. The northwestern edge of the hills lies within the Gamboge Forest, and has fair stocks of deer, game birds, herons, rabbits, and the like.

Political divisions

The Flinty Hills can be divided into 4 broad areas:

• The western area within Nyrond;
• The central area where the gnomes are essentially autonomous and control. These gnomes are a loose confederation of underground strongholds under the rule of banner of Gnomeking Warren ap'Hiller;
• The eastern area where the gnomes and the goblinoids of the Bone March are constantly battling for control. However, raiding parties from the Bone March may penetrate into almost any part of the hills;
• The southern area near Innspa and the Adri Forest under the control of Ahlissa.

History

To the east, the Flinty Hills once marked the boundary of the Bone March, although the humanoids of that land hold sway over the eastern fringes of the hills, including Glandeven, after the Greyhawk Wars. From there, they continue their assaults on the halflings, gnomes, and dwarves who cling to their livelihoods. Ahlissa controls the southern eastern portion of the hills. Nyrond has little ability to reverse these matters while recovering from the Wars. To the north, beyond the end of the Rakers, the Theocracy of the Pale regards demi-human religion as heresy, so these brave folk stand almost alone, save for such support the folk of Adri Forest can sometimes provide. While the area has fair mineral deposits, it is not rich, and the Flintfolk can afford little in the way of mercenaries.

Following the fall of the Bone March to humanoids in 563 CY the humanoids then raided further into the Theocracy of the Pale, Ratik, and even Nyrond. However, any movement through the Flinty Hills was at great peril due to the gnomes still holding out in the independent areas there not under the direct control and protection of Nyrond.

Following the Greyhawk Wars the folk of the Flinty Hills were divided between supporting Nyrond and wishing to remain independent. Nyrondese armies had fought the Bone March humanoids and North Province armies in the hills to hold them back, and the folk remained grateful for that aid.

Inhabitants

In 576 CY the southern parts of the hills were inhabited by numerous halflings, and gnomes dwelled in the north.

In 585 CY the western Flinty Hills within Nyrond were home to some 7,000 gnomes, 1,000 hill dwarves and a few hundred halflings (predominantly Stouts), the latter in the wooded lands. The autonomous eastern area of Flinty Hills contain a further 9,000 gnomes, 1,500 dwarves and a few dozen halflings. The demihumans get on well with each other and help each other defending the Hills. About 3,000 human hillfolk are scattered through the entire Hills, herding, foraging and gathering. Many hillfolk are friendly with the demihumans, but some are simply bandits or opportunists.

By 591 CY the gnomes were estimated at about 20,000 in both Nyrond and in the eastern hills, with about 4,000 "free" hill folk, and smaller numbers of dwarves and halflings.

In addition to goblinoids raiding from the Bone March, there are indigenous goblinoids, gnolls, hill giants, ogres and northern trolls.

Resources

The area of the hills is well endowed with minerals. Nyrond draws much of its mineral wealth from the mines in the Hills which are connected by road to Womtham. The silver and the few fine gems to be extracted in Nyrond are mined by the gnomes of the Flinties. The dwarves mine some silver, as well as iron and a little lead, which are extracted in the northern mines close to the Rakers with some difficulty.

Features and settlements

Settlements include:

• Schukendale.
• Mistwatch.
• Glandeven.
• Stone Canyon Quarry.
• Breakrock Monastery.
• Pelleur Keep.

Notable features and locations include:

• Ogrebolt Pass.
• Snake Pass.
• Fharlanghn's Cave.

References

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
Flint Hills	Geographical feature		Reference	SEE Flinty {Flint} Hills
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	The City of Greyhawk: Gem of the Flanaess	19
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	Dragon magazine #052	19
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	Dragon magazine #057	15
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	Dragon magazine #088	11
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	Dragon magazine #092	25
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	Dragon magazine #191	67, 68
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	Dragon magazine #191	67, 68
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	Dragon magazine #208	48, 49, 52, 56, 57, 58
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	Dragon magazine #241	78
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	From the Ashes: Atlas of the Flanaess	8, 24, 32, 52, 57, 58, 63, 92
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	From the Ashes: Campaign Book	82
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	From the Ashes: References Card	#12
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	Greyhawk Wars: Adventurer's Book	19, 21
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	Ivid the Undying	69, 72, 76, 77, 146, 150, 159, 162
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	Living Greyhawk Gazetteer	9, 35, 36, 75, 77, 89, 123, 143, 145, 151
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	Night Arrant	41
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	Player's Guide to Greyhawk	38
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	Saga of Old City	7, 125, 152, 202-204, 214, 238, 240, 250, 251, 258, 280, 281
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	The Adventure Begins	23, 24, 27, 31, 36
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	WG8 Fate of Istus	14, 17, 122
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	WGA4 Vecna Lives!	89
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	The World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting (Folio)	13
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	The World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting (Folio)	9, 21, 22, 24, 25
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	WGR4 The Marklands	58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 66, 67, 76, 79, 82, 83, 84, 89, 92
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	WGS1 Five Shall Be One	IBC
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	World of Greyhawk boxed set (1983)	29
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	World of Greyhawk boxed set (1983)	20, 49, 50, 53, 54, 57
Flinty {Flint, Flinties} Hills	Geographical feature	Hills,	World of Greyhawk boxed set (1983)	14