03-26-2013, 06:28 PM
Havard Wrote:Excellent!
This timeline is a great starting point.
Reconciling things could be difficult, but it would also be interesting to build a timeline beyond this point where the information about Blackmoor in other parts of Greyhawk is simply based on false rumours and legends?
-Havard
Sure, and keep in mind that the whole business with the Lich of Glendour ruling for three decades is only in the Oerth Journal, not in any "canonical" source, so it's apocryphal at best. From the scanty details available in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, all we know is that a lich-lord appeared in the confusion of the era, but we don't know what happened to it. It could have been defeated early on and Uther and his descendants could have ruled a peaceful and united Blackmoor for centuries to come (until fifty years ago, when Blackmoor Town was sacked by the armies of the Egg).
I also had another possibility in mind, but I hadn't gotten around to posting in this thread yet because it required a lot more research and fiddling with dates. With that introduction, here's an alternate scheme for fitting the Uther era into Greyhawk.
An alternate scheme
I picked 320 CY because it's approximately when Blackmoor became independent from the Great Kingdom and because, what with the invading horde of nomads and the rise of an evil lich-king, there's a lot going on in that period in the Blackmoor region.
However, in other threads I've described Iuz as roughly the equivalent of Zugzul (both are responsible for the sacking of Ten/Tenh, and both are patrons of evil expansionist nations). You could sync things up in what is roughly the present day, too. Somewhat arbitrarily, then, let's assume that Ten/Tenh was invaded at the same time on both worlds (582 CY and 1005 in the Thonian calendar). The big 50-year gap where Blackmoor Town is sacked and orc-ruled could be in the past, with a more productive Blackmoor in the future.
The biggest discontinuity I have with that is that Archbaron Bestmo is supposed to still be ruler of Blackmoor in 591 CY (the date the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer takes place in), but if we synchronize the Greyhawk Wars with the Afridhi invasion then Bestmo should be gone by then, replaced with Uther. Well, okay, so in the interests of fidelity to published Greyhawk sources I moved the death of Bestmo a few years ahead to 591 CY and went on from there.
So here's an alternate timeline, with a few details added as needed:
541 CY: A siege of Blackmoor by the Egg of Coot. Most of the castle's leadership flees into the Comeback Inn and the castle falls within a week.
The orc-king Funk I, with his army, controls Blackmoor Castle.
542 CY: The archbaron's wife, who has escaped to Dantredun, gives birth to the archbaron's son, Bestmo Andahar. The lord of Dantredun adopts Bestmo as his heir, but passes away soon thereafter.
562 CY (Approximate): Bestmo's wife gives birth to a boy, whom they name Uther.
571 CY: Funk I dies of extreme old age. He is succeeded by his grandson, Funk II.
578 CY: Funk II is succeeded by Funk III.
580 CY: Elven adventurers successfully take Blackmoor Castle. The orcs are driven to the tenth level of the dungeon. The Great Svenny slays Funk III. Svenny later rebuilds his Freehold.
581 CY: Marfeldt loots the town of Mosshold.
582 CY: A leader of great power and charisma rises among the northern barbarians. He calls himself Vatun, Great God of the North. The kings of the Fruztii, Cruski, and Schnai pledge obeisance and loyalty to him. Vatun defeats the Fists of Stonefist and their ruler, Sevvord Redbeard, pledges allegiance to Vatun and the other barbarian hordes. The Fists, with demonic assistance from Iuz, invade the Duchy of Tenh through Thunder Pass, besieging the town of Calbut, slaughtering every man within and enslaving the women and children. Five days later, the capital city of Nevnond Nevend falls to Sevvord and his troops. The alliance between Vatun and the Suel barbarians collapses when the barbarians refuse to invade Ratik, but Stonefist remains firmly wedded to the cause of Vatun, who is revealed to be a guise of the cambion Iuz the Old.
583 CY: Iuz returns to his capital of Dorakaa. In the month of Coldeven his demonic minions slaughter the Hierarchs of the Horned Society and Iuz adds their lands to his growing empire. Iuz conquers the Bandit Kingdoms and the Shield Lands. Battle of Critwall Bridge results in victory for Furyondy, securing the eastern borders of the realm against Iuz. Soon after, Furyondy's northern border collapses under an assault from Iuz-allied humanoids attacking from the Vesve Forest. Crockport falls, and Chendl, Furyondy's capital, is placed under siege. Sildonis becomes the new Wizard of the Wood.
584 CY: Ket allies with Iuz, and promptly attacks Bissel. The Wars end with a general peace treaty, the Pact of Greyhawk, in the month of Harvester. Teuod Fent arrives with 300 expatriate Tenha in the ruins of Ramshorn Castle in Blackmoor and they begin to rebuild it, using it as a base to raid the slave-trains of Iuz.
591 CY: Archbaron Bestmo is killed in battle against the Zeai and his son Uther becomes Archbaron of Blackmoor. Iuz launches an orcish invasion force against Blackmoor, but it is defeated by Uther.
592 CY: Blackmoor Castle is subdued enough so that Uther can live in it again. The Baronial Council is freed from the Comeback Inn and the ten baronies of Blackmoor are restored.
593 CY: The Egg of Coot invades Blackmoor again and is repelled by Uther.
599 CY: Dwarves complete construction of the Steam Bore.
600 CY: Uther declares Blackmoor an independent kingdom. A large contingent of Docrae escape slavery in Iuz and head north to Blackmoor. Battle of Glendour against the Egg. The Flying Monk burns forest.
601 CY: Battle of the Downs; Zeai barbarians beaten. Battle of Blackmoor; an invasion by Iuz is beaten back again.
602 CY: The Docrae settle in Booh.