Sulm

Greyhawk Realm

Sulm
Sulm, depicted in Polyhedron #157, p23, art by Craig Zipse. (2005)
General information
Region:	Old Aerdy West
Government
Ruler:	Shattados (last king)
Government:	Monarchy
Established:	-1900 CY
Demographics
Capital:	Utaa
Major towns:	Unaagh, Utaa
Provinces:	Sulm and its conquered neighbors: Ronhas, Durha, Rhugha, and Truun
Races:	Human (Flan)
Groups
Religions:	Nerull, Tharizdun, possibly Tiamat
Allies:	The Hueleneaer
Enemies:	Durha, Itar, Ronhass, Rhugha, Truun

Sulm was an ancient Flan kingdom that occupied much of the Bright Desert in the days when it was a fertile land.

History

The ancestors of the Sulmi were nomads who lived in the grasslands where the Bright Desert lies today, living in harmony with the land and worshipping spirits of earth and air. Like most of the nomads in the region, they slowly became more sophisticated under the influence of the demigod Vathris. The Kingdom of Sulm came to prominence circa -1900 CY after it was bolstered by the necromantic adepts of Caerdiralor, who taught them dark secrets and promised wealth and glory in exchange for the favor of the Sulmi royal house. Throughout its history, the kingdom spent much of its time crushing its neighbors, the rival kingdoms of Durha, Itar, Ronhass, Rhugha, and Truun. Only the Kingdom of Itar was strong enough to stand against Sulm, though it, too, would eventually fall.

After centuries of expansion, Sulm began its slow decline circa -1400 CY, some say due to the influence of Nerull and other dark powers. Kyuss was a powerful priest of Nerull during Sulm's imperial age, shortly before its destruction. He was exiled for his profane experiments on undead in the sacred mortuary city of Unaagh, and traveled with hundreds of followers to the Amedio Jungle.

Circa -700 CY the Kingdom of Sulm fell, destroyed by its last king. The king, Shattados, used the power of a dark artifact known as the Scorpion Crown in an attempt to gain perpetual dominion over his subjects. Instead, the crown turned Shattados into a gigantic scorpion and his people into manscorpions and (possibly) dune stalkers. A few became asheratis instead due to the grace of Geshtai. The land itself was even changed, transformed into a vast wasteland now known as the Bright Desert. This is known as the Curse of Shattados.

In Living Greyhawk

In the Living Greyhawk organized play campaign (2000-2008), asherati were a permitted race in the Blight on Bright Sands story arc (2005-2006).

At the precise moment of the fall of Sulm, when Shattados donned the Scorpion Crown and sand began pouring out of the "holy places and cities of Sulm", some rare few Sulmites who had not yet fallen to evil cried out for divine succor. Their pleas were heard by Geshtai, and she transformed them into asherati who were capable of living in the new ecology of the harsh and unforgiving desert.

Geshtai was fickle, however, and her gifts came only at the cost of worship. The elders of the tribes believe she is directing their people toward a glorious destiny in which they will need to be prepared for some great calamity in the Bright Desert. If any asherati were to utterly denounce Gesthtai, she returns them into nothing more than sand, but this has not occurred in generations.

References

Bibliography

• Broadhurst, Creighton. "Into the Bright Desert." Dungeon #98, (Polyhedron #157). Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2003.

———. "Mysterious Places: Dominions of the Flannae." Wizards of the Coast website. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2008. Archived from the original on 29 April 2008. Retrieved on 2 September 2025

• Broadhurst, Creighton; Paul Looby, and Stuart Kerrigan (10 August 2004). "The Brightlands". WotC. Archived from the original on 03 June 2009. Retrieved on 2 September 2025.
• Broadhurst, Creighton, Andrew Maguire, Paul Looby, and Stuart Kerrigan. "Denizens of the Bright Desert." Dungeon #103, (Polyhedron #162). Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2003.
• Broadhurst, Creighton, and Stephen Radney-MacFarland. Blight on Bright Sands Sourcebook. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online:[1]
• Decker, Jesse. "The Spire of Long Shadows." Dungeon #130. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2006.
• Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
• Mona, Erik (03 May 2002). Reflections in Silica: Sulm and Itar. Archived from the original on 01 June 2023. Retrieved on 4 December 2025.
• Pryor, Anthony. WGR3 Rary the Traitor. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992. Item code TSR9386.

• Reynolds, Sean K., Frederick Weining, and Erik Mona. "Blood of Heroes." Living Greyhawk Journal #3. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001.

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
Sulm	Kingdom		Dragon magazine #293	90
Sulm	Kingdom		Dragon magazine #294	93
Sulm	Kingdom		Living Greyhawk Journal #3	13, 15
Sulm	Kingdom		Living Greyhawk Journal #4	23
Sulm	Kingdom		Oerth Journal #01	14
Sulm	Kingdom		Oerth Journal #02	16
Sulm	Kingdom		Oerth Journal #20	21
Sulm	Kingdom		Oerth Journal #21	4,8,10
Sulm	Kingdom		Oerth Journal #22	44
Sulm	Kingdom		Oerth Journal #27	16,17,18
Sulm	Kingdom		Oerth Journal #32	8
Sulm	Kingdom		WGR3 Rary the Traitor	15, 17, 24, 27-30, 32, 33, 42, 44, 46, 60-62
Sulmish	People Group	People,	WGR3 Rary the Traitor	23, 24, 27, 30, 32, 33, 44
Sulmish Robes of Magical Enhancement	Item		WGR3 Rary the Traitor	26