Campaigning in South Province

This is the longer version of the write-up about South Province that I wrote for Canonfire, and you can read here: http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=9224

Campaigning in South Province is for the DM who wants to downplay dungeon crawling in favor of political intrigue and military campaigning. More properly called the South Province of the Great Kingdom until 587 CY, and thereafter known as the United Kingdom of Ahlissa, the South Province is one of the most population-dense areass in the Flanaess, which means it is relatively safe of dangers such as roving bands of monsters, dragons, giants, etc. That is not to say the South Province is safe -- the Herzog of South Province extensively used humanoid troops and now there are many orcs and hobgoblins still in positions of authority throughout the kingdom. The warmongering followers of Hextor are everywhere and they are displeased with a stable, peaceful Kingdom of Ahlissa. The former capital of Zelradton is a hotbed of devil worship, so bad that to avoid their influence the capital was moved to Kalstrand, a city only annexed to the kingdom post-Greyhawk Wars.

The United Kingdom of Ahlissa is much larger than the former South Province, now including the lost Prelacy of Almor and much of what was known in recent memory as the Great Kingdom. However, these areas are not covered in this entry and should be covered separately.

The South Province is in the southeast Flannaess, south of Relmor Bay, bordered to the east by the Thelly River, to the south by the Greyflood River and the Iron Hills, and Dunhead Bay to the west. Its latitude and geography suggest a climate like Earth’s Egypt. While there are no interior rivers within the province, the population density suggests there is no shortage of water, so there must be ample streams and springs, as well as well-fed water. This is supported by the abundance of food prepared in South Province, one of the chief staples of the economy, even though copper, silver, and gold are all mined around the perimeter of the province. In this wet, hot clime, rice is likely a staple of local diets.

The culture, largely Oeridian, is here more like a mixture of Germanic and Slavic. The original Flan inhabitants were decimated by the migrating Oerdians and this long ago act of evil has cast a lingering presence over the Province ever since. Corruption is rampant and the standing army is little more than bandits, brigands, and monstrous races (including a significant number of ogrillons). Much of the history of its Flan inhabitants is now lost, though the Flan name for this land, Ahlissa, suggests some kinship with the legendary Queen Ehlissa of antiquity.  

The “natural enemies” of South Province are the states of the Iron League to the south. Idee, the Iron Hills, the Hollow Highlands, and Sunndi resisted generations of herzogs who ruled South Province before the current Overking, and the unattainable goal of finally reabsorbing those lands, long ago lost to the Great Kingdom, have not been forgotten.   

Country specific resources:

“Developments from Stonefist to South Province” (Dragon #57)

Ivid the Undying (the unpublished Sargent-era supplement)

Adventures in this country include:

lCity/naval adventures along the coastlines, fending off Scarlet Brotherhood-backed pirates.

lPerform a quest for the druids to restore the Bonewood.

lDefend Trennenport from a Sahuagin invasion.

lExplore Icespire, a cursed area on the Dunhead Coast where it is eternal winter.

lExplore the Undercity of Prymp, with its watery caves of deadly monsters and connection to the Underdark.

lAid (or put down?) an insurrection of the slave population.

lOppose the machinations of the Church of Hextor without openly fighting them (since they are inexorably bound to the power structure of the kingdom).

lPolitical intrigue between backstabbing political factions willing to take any steps against each other, up to assassinations.

lQuest for Queen Ehlissa’s Marvelous Nightingale, hidden somewhere in her ancestral lands.

lSolve the mystery of the callings from the Calling Mines.

lTransform the system from within, gradually lessening the hold of Lawful Evil over the kingdom and backing leaders who can change it to Good.

lAfter 400 years, the Yuan-Ti (represented by Graf Reydrich’s ancestor, Reynevar the Snakeheaded) return to Ahlissa. But for what purpose? Do they also seek the Nightingale?

Adventures in nearby areas include:

lCement the tenuous alliance between the Iron Hills and Ahlissa through diplomacy.

lEstablish peace with the Kingdom of Nyrond (and stop their raids!).

Fan-made Resources:

“The Principality of Ahlissa” (Oerth Journal #16)

“Trennenport” (Oerth Journal #21)

“Zelradton: City of Steel” (Oerth Journal #18)