Empire of Lynn
| Empire of Lynn | |
|---|---|
 A map of Oerik showing the Empire of Lynn, as depicted in Dragon Annual #1 (1996). Cartography by Sutherland, Dave | |
| General information | |
| Region: | Western Oerik |
| Government | |
| Ruler: | Unknown Emperor |
| Government: | Imperial |
| Demographics | |
| Capital: | Lynn |
| Races: | Predominantly human |
Empire of Lynn is a once-massive nation on the far shores of Western Oerik whose capitol city, Lynn, is surrounded by myth and legend.
Description
The Empire of Lynn (also seen as Lhynn) is an ancient realm, depicted in maps as being contemporary to the Suel and Baklunish Empires.
The nation once spanned most of central Western Oerik, and was a major influence on the geopolitical environment there. In later, more contemporary years the Empire of Lynn was reduced to a much, much smaller area, perhaps little more than it's capitol city. After the coming of the Dragon Empire, and the founding of the kingdom of Ravilla to protect the Abyssal Gateways after the Demon War, Lynn fell into decline.
The timeline isn't clear on what happened to the Empire or when, but, it is known that other nations supplanted it. Lynn was located on the western shores of Oerik. It is not even truly certain whether the capitol is still there, though it was at the time of Robilar's visit. If it is, it is presumed to be in the region known as the Free States where mercenaries are often found.
Geography
Because a large part of Western Oerik is composed of deserts, "the fabled city of Lynn, perhaps settled by seafarers from the Flanaess, has grown rich from coastal trade and the desert's mineral wealth."[1] According to Dragon Annual #1 (1996), the Empire of Lynn once spanned a significant portion of Western Oerik and once rivalled the size of the former nations of the Great Kingdom, Suel Imperium, and Baklunish Empire.
The location given by François Froideval for the Empire of Lynnn in his later works would suggest the capital city of Lhynn being in the region now known as the Free States. Most of what remains of it would be restricted to what Froideval called the "Lands of the Emperor" in his version, or just the lands surrounding the capitol itself. Its army would consist of approximately 10,000 troops[2], which would suggest it is small by the standards of the factions of Western Oerik (possibly the size of the Empire of Iuz) and would easily fit within the Free States.
People
Dragonmasters
Lord Robilar once visited the Empire of Lynn[3], and "...consorted with the [Mirrormasters, Dragonmasters and Dragonpriests of Lynn], at which time they granted him an honorary status in their order due to his intimate knowledge of dragons." [4]
Little is known of this sequestered, legendary order. It is known, however, the Dragonmasters' realm that once was in the mountainous region near the Tribes of the Ellaves and was either allied with or once was inside the Empire of Lynn is no longer inside its borders.
The Dragonmasters are described in Dungeon magazine #124, thus:
… large humans in ornately crafted plate armor. Each set of armor is lacquered and filigreed with gold or silver and studded with gems that depict dragons in special and extraordinary ways,such as circling the length and breadth of the suit like a body-length tattoo. The armor is as much a status symbol as it is protection. Dragonmasters begin training from birth, and are weaned from the strongest fighters and highest nobility of Lynn. They are trained at a remote mountainous retreat, secret to all save those of the order. Every day they are fed poisons in minuscule amounts to heighten their resistances to the many poisonous creatures that they deal with (drakes, wyrms, serpents and the like) and are said to have staring contests with the more intelligent dragons, wherein they gain insight into the beguiling natures of these creatures - thus their resistances to mind influencing spells and powers.[5]
The precise year Lord Robilar visited the Empire is unknown and it is unknown how large it was at the time of his foray there. Contemporarily, it seems to have fallen and become much, much smaller - considering the modern arrangement of factions. All that is known now is that the order of Dragonmasters had still survived into Lord Robilar's time (post-570 CY) regardless of what else had happened to the rest of the Empire.
Religion
Publishing History
Black Moon Chronicles
The names of the nations on the Dragon Annual #1 map (shown above) were from the Greyhawk campaign run by a very close friend of Gary Gygax's (and TSR staffer) who lived with him for a time[6], a French gentleman named François Marcela-Froideval. He ran games with Gygax in his campaign, and Robilar (played by Robert J. Kuntz even visited there once. Those names were canonized on that map, though very little more was ever done with them in officially published sources, for the most part. Those names included the Empire of Lynn.
In later years, Froideval would return to France, and would write an enormously popular graphic novel series, Chroniques de la Lune Noire or "Black Moon Chronicles" using the same names of the regions published in the World of Greyhawk and others of his own invention. According to Gygax, in his home game what he'd "planned to do was incorporate Francois' ... maps with Oerik".[7]
References
Citations
- ↑ Dragon magazine Annual #1, p72,
- ↑ Froideval François. L'empire De La Négation. Chroniques de la Lune Noire. Vol. HC. Paris: Dargaud, 2013. p14-16.
- ↑ Robert Kuntz, Oerth Jounrnal #7, p41
- ↑ Dungeon magazine #124, p85.
- ↑ Dragon magazine #124. Chamber of Antiquities. P85-86.
- ↑ Guiserix, Didier (2011). Casus Belli #1. Entretien - Froideval: Gygax et Moi [Interview - Froideval: Gygax and Me]. Lyon, France: Black Book Editions. p.242-245
- ↑ ENWorld Q&A with Gary Gygax.
Bibliography
- Kuntz, Robert J. Chamber of Antiquities. Dungeon Magazine #124. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast. 2005
- ---- Robilar Remembered: Lord Robilar and Co.. Oerth Journal issue #7. 1998
- Williams, Skip. "Beyond the Flanaess." Dragon Annual #1. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index Entry
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| Topic | Type | Product | Page/Card/Image
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Lynn | Settlement | Dragon magazine #AN1 | 72 |
| Lynn, Empire of | Kingdom | Dragon magazine #AN1 | 72, 73 |
| Lynn, Empire of | Kingdom | Oerth Journal #07 | 43 |
| Lynn, Empire of | Kingdom | Oerth Journal #23 | 9 |
| Lynn, Empire of | Kingdom | Oerth Journal #29 | 9 |
| Lynnara | Non-player character | Dungeon magazine #147 | 73-74, 75, 76 |
| Lynnara | Non-player character | Reference | SEE ALSO Nurt Bilgeflower |