Frisland: The Grand Duchy of Frisia

Continued from "The Alphatian Province of Frisland"

Political center of Greater Frisland and an island of population largely cut off from the rest of the kingdom, the grand duchy embodies Frislandic paradigms. Edjer the Twisted, King and Grand Duke by Imperial Right, rules the troublesome realm in a game that carefully balances the mission imposed upon him by Sundsvall, and his own perfidious schemes to enrich himself while maintaining control over his vassals.

Grand Duchy of Frisia -- Map Scale: 1 Hex equals 8 Miles

This grand duchy includes the plains stretching westward from Lake Shiell. More than 300 miles of foothills at the edge of the Kerothar Mountains mark the opposite border. The province skirts the dark realm of Blackheart, with mutual borders more than 500 miles long lying mostly along the turbid, monster-infested Rainbow River. Two other major rivers cross the dominion: the Baalti, flowing northward into Orzafeth, and the Shiell River. Roads and waterways, as dangerous as they are, channel population growth. Frisian immigration sees Neo-Orzafethians and Wyllarethians moving from the north along the Baalti, especially in the Witival area. These include people of Yanifey, Bellissarian, and Esterhold ancestry. Ethnic Alphatians generally sail in across Lake Shiell from Foresthome. Between these two groups of people lie the Creeping Woods, a large forest at the center of the open plains which marks the limit of settled areas spreading from Lake Shiell’s western bank. Farther west stand the strongholds of Zulaht, in the vast Zolantha Grasslands, and Alinoor on the Rainbow River. These two outposts are tasked with the challenging mission to patrol the foothills and watch for Ogam encroachment, especially the Barbazi Hills. At the extreme south lie the Hills of Orzaal, which are claimed "on paper" by the kingdom but remain largely uncontrolled.

The Alphatian Province of Frisland

Continued from "Ambur: the County of Stargaze"

This kingdom at the northwestern tip of the Wizards’ Empire stands amongst the largest in mainland Alphatia and bears a most tumultuous history. Despite its harsh climate and inhospitable land, Frisland became a battleground for races, cultures, and faiths. A legacy of horror and of ancient evils still imbues the region, which to this day survives Alphatia’s efforts to scour the province of its troublesome heritage.

Kingdom of Greater Frisland (AC 1000) -- Map Scale: 8 Miles per Hex

Frisland’s Origins: In its very distant past, Frisland became a refuge for three races, all of them fleeing greater scourges. The Yanifey came first, a copper-skinned race of ancient Neathar stock more prevalent in the island-continent’s east and south. Reeling from the advance of Alphatian forces after their recent landfall on Mystara, the original Yan folk mixed with fey people before retreating into the cold northwestern reaches, on the oriental side of the Kerothar Mountains. The Ogam, slaves of an evil race now extinct, escaped from the Isle of Dawn and reached the shores of Frisland, before finding solace in hidden valleys, deep amid the Kerothar Mountains. At about the same time, Antalians from Brun fled before King Loark’s onslaught, abandoning their ancestral lands to the goblin hordes. These Antalians, a people of fair complexion, sailed from the west, settling the island of Qeodhar first and Frisland’s western shores thereafter.