Battle of Steelbone Meadows
The Battle of Steelbone Meadows is a horrific slaughter which takes place at Steelbone Meadows, in the Bandit Kingdoms, at the tail end of the Greyhawk Wars on 13 Ready'reat 584 CY.[note 1]
Description
[edit | edit source]The direct fighting of the Greyhawk Wars ends in Harvester 584 CY by a great truce (even before the treaty is signed). Ten thousand bandits celebrated the truce, once the Pact had been drafted,[4] and had gathered expecting to hear plans for "after the winter."[5]
A cleric of Iuz from Hallorn, Bernel, was gripped by mad paranoia that the bandits intended to betray him. He set orc assassins, fiends and magic upon them, slaying more than half in their sleep.[5][6][7] Men were lost from all over the different Bandit Kingdoms, but notably among them were Abbarra, Freehold, Defenders of the Greenkeep, Midlands, Warfields, and Wormhall who each suffered great losses.[8]
While this act condemned Bernel to an unpleasant existence in the dungeons of Dorakaa, the survivors of this massacre nursed a deep resentment for Iuz. Those who fell continue to walk the meadow as vengeful undead, unable to be controlled by Iuz's priests for the hatred they bear for the Old One.
Commemoration
[edit | edit source]Primarily in the Bandit Kingdoms (and among those affected by the battle), the Battle of Steelbone Meadows is commemorated annually on Ready'reat 13, and is called the Day of Treachery.[1]
References
[edit | edit source]Notes
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Though the date 13 Ready'reat is given for the battle in an earlier source (1999)[1] the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000) refers to the event occuring in "Brewfest 584 CY"[2] "after many nights of drunken Brewfest revelry."[3] No explanation is given for the previous date, nor why the armies would be expecting to be "given instrustions" whilst drunk in the middle of Brewfest.
Citations
[edit | edit source]- ↑ a b "Campaign Holidays". Dragon #A1999 (Annual 1999), p.21.
- ↑ Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000), p.25.
- ↑ Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000), p.31.
- ↑ WGR5 Iuz the Evil (1993), p.49.
- ↑ a b WGR4 The Marklands (1993), p.49.
- ↑ WGR4 The Marklands (1993), p.48-49.
- ↑ Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000), p.25-27.
- ↑ Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000), p.25-31.
Bibliography
[edit | edit source]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
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelbone Meadows | Place | Dragon magazine #AN4 | 21 | |
| Steelbone Meadows | Place | Living Greyhawk Gazetteer | 25, 26, 27, 30, 31 | |
| Steelbone Meadows | Place | WGR5 Iuz the Evil | 48, 49, 59 | |
| Steelbone Meadows, battle of | Adventure | Dragon magazine #AN4 | 21 | |
| Steelbone Meadows, battle of | Adventure | Living Greyhawk Gazetteer | 25, 26, 27, 30, 31 | |
| Steelbone Meadows, battle of | Adventure | WGR5 Iuz the Evil | 48, 49, 59 |