Bright Lands
| Bright Lands | |
|---|---|
 The arms of the Empire of the Bright Lands, as depicted in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000). | |
| General information | |
| Motto: | Central Flanaess |
| Government | |
| Ruler: | His Percipient Magnificence, the Archmage Rary, Monarch of the Bright Lands |
| Government: | Dictatorship |
| Alignments: | NE*, CN, N, CE |
| Demographics | |
| Population: | 26,500 |
| Races: | Human 79% (Fsob), Dwarf 20% (hill), Other 1% (mostly centaurs) |
| Languages: | Flan (native tribesmen),Ancient Suloise (native tribesmen), various Baklunish dialects (Paynims) |
| Groups | |
| Religions: | Beory, Obad-Hai, Pelor (tribesmen); Geshtai, Istus (Paynims); Maglubiyet and various goblin gods (goblinoids) |
| Enemies: | Free City of Greyhawk, Duchy of Urnst, Circle of Eight |
The Bright Lands, properly known as the Empire of the Bright Lands, is a dictatorial political state of the Flanaess, located within the Bright Desert.
History
In 584 CY, Rary betrayed the Circle of Eight at the Day of the Great Signing in Greyhawk, which marked the end of the Greyhawk Wars. When his attempt to disrupt the signing failed, he fled into the Bright Desert with his co-conspirator, Robilar, and marshalled the local tribes to create a nation-state (Cook, Wars). Robilar went on foot with those troops that followed Rary while Rary transported his tower in Ket to the middle of the Bright Desert (Pryor, Rary the Traitor).
The roots of evil in the Bright Desert grow deep within the ground, beneath the shifting, windswept sand to the unhallowed ruins of an ancient civilization. The remnants of that fallen land's people, primarily Flan nomads, have populated the desert for ages. In the more than two thousand years since cities last flourished here, few nomads had conquered enough territory, or gathered enough pretense, to claim anything approaching statehood. That changed in Harvester 584 CY, thanks to disastrous events in the city of Greyhawk. The Day of Great Signing was to have been a celebration of the end of three years of brutal conflict that touched nearly every nation in the Flanaess. Instead, the day ended prematurely in a brilliant display of destructive magical fire that swallowed the building where the event was to have taken place only hours later. When the smoke cleared, two archmages, Tenser and Otiluke, lay dead. A badly wounded third, Bigby of Scant, claimed that their assailant had been their one-time ally, Rary, member of the Circle of Eight. Rary and his co-conspirator, the wily Lord Robilar, were nowhere to be found, and Rary's tower, in Lopolla, also vanished. Months later, the duo and the tower surfaced in the Bright Desert. Robilar led his fanatically loyal men from desert village to desert village, systematically defeating the local warlords and incorporating their warriors into an ever-growing army. Rary, too, had transported several bands of Paynim horsemen from the west, who promised glorious death in service to the mage they called "The Rider." Early victories against nonhumans and the Tukim, the most powerful human tribe in the desert, bolstered the armies. Few openly defied this powerful force. Wherever the armies went, so too ventured immoral adventurers in Rary's employ. These humans, mostly sages and enchanters, scoured the desert, paying particular attention to local ancient ruins. Rary seldom left his tower, but all knew that he sought some object rumored to be terrible and powerful.
Rary's forces have grown significantly since 584 CY. More than ninety percent of the desert nomads now swear fealty to the Monarch of the Bright Lands. The native desert centaurs, who remained neutral immediately after Rary's arrival, now bitterly oppose Robilar's armies. In 589 CY, Chief Strongbow, an influential leader and strong proponent of balancing the nomads against Rary and staying out of the conflict, was found murdered in his quarters. Though there was very little proof, the young bucks among the centaurs called for a guerilla war against the westerners-a plan that has met with some success. Despite the centaur attacks and certain stubborn native tribes, Rary's searches continue, often with frustrating consequences. In late 590, an entire company of Robilar's best Paynim and nomad guards vanished while investigating an abandoned necropolis. Rary's response, ordering Lord Robilar's own personal guard after the lost soldiers, so enraged the warrior that he left his post for a week, not returning until he single-handedly slew an old blue dragon that had been considering an alliance with the archmage. The two have patched up their differences, but tensions between them remain strong. It has been suggested that all is not as it seems here. Rary was renowned for his complex plotting in the Circle of Eight, and some of his former associates refuse to believe that he has turned to evil of his own accord. Still, rumors that the former Archmage of Ket now consorts with fiends have caused most of his family and friends to brand him a traitor forevermore. In the midst of the Bright Desert, atop the craggy peaks of the Brass Hills, a single tower stands proud, defying the harsh, arid winds. Unlike the hide and cloth tents of the desert's villages and oasis settlements, this tower is finely crafted of stone, topped by an onion dome common to the Baklunish West. It is the tower of Rary the Traitor. From this tower, the archmage claims the entire Bright Desert as his personal demesne. From the feet of the Abbor-Alz to the rocky shores of Woolly Bay, armies of desert nomads, goblinoids, and mercenaries ride, enforcing the will of their liege upon the simple folk of the desert, proclaiming every oasis for their reclusive ruler.
Geography and Climate
The boundaries of the Bright Lands are contained entirely within the bounds of the Bright Desert. The Abbor-Alz form the northern and eastern borders, while Woolly Bay and the Sea of Gearnat form natural boundaries to the country's west and south. The desert boasts only one major geographical feature, the Brass Hills in its south-western region.
The desert itself gives way to scrub near the Abbor-Alz.
Temperatures in the desert can reach 120°F and can dip into the low 30s during the night. Sandstorms are not uncommon (Pryor, Rary the Traitor).
As befits its name, the Bright Desert offers an oppressively unpleasant climate, with high summer days hot enough to cook food without fire. Evenings bring cool temperatures. Temperatures in the desert can reach 120 °F and can dip into the low 30s°F during the night. Sandstorms are not uncommon.Colorful desert plant life exists, if not thrives, in the more temperate regions near the coast, and along the northern hills, where sickly bushes and centuries-old pine trees live a meager, pathetic existence.
No roads cross the Bright Desert. Land closer to the Abbor-Alz tends to be rocky and less sandy than the desert proper, so most caravan routes avoid the heart of Rary's lands altogether. Sparse traffic from Urnst arrives through Knife's Edge Pass, though the duke has forbidden all trade with those who fly the banner of the archmage. Hardby, however, is not so moralistic. Despite strict instructions from Greyhawk, the despotrix of Hardby personally (though secretly) authorizes trade with Rary's go-betweens in the neutral village of Ul Bakak, on the eastern end of Hardby Pass.
Population
As of 591 CY, the population of the Bright Lands totaled 26,500 persons, the vast majority (almost 80%) being humans of mainly Flan descent. Dwarves account for the next largest group, with the remainder of the population (barely 1%) consisting of mostly centaurs.
Religion
There is no state sponsored religion within the country. Among the Flan tribesmen, worship of Beory, Obad-Hai, and Pelor is most common. Geshtai and Istus are most popular with the few Paynims in the region, while a few scattered goblin tribes worship Maglubiyet and other deities of the goblin pantheon.
Languages
The most widely-spoken languages in the Bright Lands are Flan and Ancient Suloise (by the native tribesmen), and various Baklunish dialects (by the Paynims).
Government
The Empire of the Bright Lands is a dictatorship with Rary of Ket as the head of state. The realm functions as a minor city-state administered from Rary's tower in the Brass Hills. Rary maintains his power with the assistance of Robilar, a powerful warrior who serves as commander of Rary's forces in the Empire.
Heraldry
The state's coat of arms is blazoned thus: Gules, a gauntlet proper gripping a crescent or; on a chief azure three mullets argent.
Economy
Resources
Currency
The Bright Lands does not currently produce its own coinage.
Transportation
Military
Defenses
Rary's armies are commanded by the doughty Lord Robilar. They range far and wide, seeking out enemies of the state, protecting emissaries to enclaves in the Abbor-Alz, or causing trouble for local tribes and desert centaurs, who resent claims of empire upon their sovereign homelands. The independent and reclusive dwarves of the Abbor-Alz have not yet been troubled by Rary or Robilar's forces.
Notable Locations
References
Citations
Bibliography
- Broadhurst, Creighton. "Into the Bright Desert." Dungeon #98. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2003.
- Broadhurst, Creighton, Paul Looby, and Stuart Kerrigan. "Mysterious Places: The Brightlands." Wizards of the Coast. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2004. Available online:[1]
- Brown, Anne. Player's Guide. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
- Cook, David. "History of the Greyhawk Wars." Wars. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1991. Available online:[2]
- Gygax, Gary. World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.
- Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K. Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
- Howery, David. "Ghazal." Dungeon #30. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1991.
- Mona, Erik. "Reflections in Silica: Sulm and Itar." Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, unpublished. Available online: [3]
- Mona, Erik, and Gary Holian. "Wheels Within Wheels: Greyhawk's Circle of Eight." Living Greyhawk Journal #0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000. Available online:[4]
- Moore, Roger E. The Adventure Begins. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
- ———. Return of the Eight. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
- Pryor, Anthony. Rary the Traitor. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.
- Sargent, Carl. Ivid the Undying. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995. Published online. PDF by William Allman with maps. Original RTF archived:Wizards.com. WGR7 or WGRx
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
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bright Lands, Empire of | Kingdom | (591 pop: 26500), | Dragon magazine #315 | 51, 54 |
| Bright Lands, Empire of | Kingdom | (591 pop: 26500), | Living Greyhawk Gazetteer | IC, 37, 51, 124, 143, 144, 154 |
| Bright Lands, Empire of | Kingdom | (591 pop: 26500), | Living Greyhawk Journal #1 | 26 |
| Bright Lands, Empire of | Kingdom | (591 pop: 26500), | Living Greyhawk Journal #3 | 26 |
| Bright Lands, Empire of | Kingdom | (591 pop: 26500), | Player's Guide to Greyhawk | 51 |
| Bright Lands, Empire of | Kingdom | (591 pop: 26500), | LT1 The Star Cairns | 5 |
| Bright Lands, Empire of | Kingdom | (591 pop: 26500), | WGR3 Rary the Traitor | 8-10, 12, 22, 23, 31, 32, 34, 41, 48, 51-54, 57, 61 |