Campaign of the Month: January 2014
Greyhawk 937 CY: The Age of Steam
The Isle of Pearls
The Isle Pearls
The Domain of The Ever Present Sun
Ruled by His Ever Shining Radiance The Grandson of The Sun; an emperor who is perpetually of the bloodline of the Sun goddess/god. The current ruler, nearing the end of his reign, is Emperor Akhiro. He has lived longer than any other emperor because he has had to unite with his semi-divine powers more often to help both the Heroes of the Key and Codex. This has extended his life.
The pantheon with focus on Pelor in his manifestation as Amaterasu. There is also a strong vein of ancestor worship in the isles and ruled lands.
The Isle of Pearls, as a nation, is not only an Island, although most on the eastern end of Oerth think it is. The Isles is actually the ruling area of an empire that includes a sizeable land mass that contains various ethnic groups. The rule of the Isles is by acclimation of the member territories. Should anything ever happen to the emperor or his line, that would end.
Hansei- Capital city on the island itself
City Of Breaking Waves- Main coastal Trade city on the Island
Gen Tian- Sea port, main trade and business city on the mainland
The Celestial City- One of the spiritual hearts of the empire and the “capital of the mainland”
Gado- The City that guards the pass into the realm of the Despotic Giant King
New Years (Needfest to first day of Fireseek)
The New Year festival is a time of cleaning, renewal and oaths. It is in this time that all oaths of loyalty are renewed. Everyone cleans their homes and neighborhoods. The winter here is usually mild at this point, even though the nights are dark, and it is like a cold spring cleaning. Everyone takes ritual baths in the days leading up to it and wears new clothes on the day.
There is a massive fireworks display in the evening and a family meal. Gifts of small amounts of money are given and each family reaffirms the roles of the people within it at this time in an elaborate ritual. The New Years officially starts at sunrise when the nation is led by the emperor as he reaffirms his duty to the world. It is also the time when the whole population takes the oath to oppose the Void and hold the door closed on the prison of the Mad God.
The Star Festivals (Coldeven 15-21 and Richfest)
The first star festival is a time of both academic interest in the night sky and philosophical pondering of the vastness of creation. The winter star festival can be a time of deep thought with some joy. Special meals are made, there is a clear meteor shower every year and there is a winter dance to celebrate the cleansing nature of cold and the lights in the darkness. It is a time when people remember that there is a line in how far one can go with pride before being humbled by the universe. It is also a holy time for the evil clerics of Mikaboshi.
The second star festival in Spring is a time of joy and life. When the night sky is clear, and like the winter there are special dishes and another large meteor shower. But the dominate constellation is the love of the Sun for the world. It is a time for lovers to marry, woo each other and exchange promises. There are poetry contests and life itself is celebrated. Stargazing late night picnics take advantage of the weather.
Paper Festival (first week of Flocktime: Low Summer)
This festival celebrates writing, books, crafts, knowledge and family. There are paper folding competitions, paper craft exhibitions, poetry, play debuts and book readings and the celebration of the Great Library of The Sun, often only called The Library. Citizens are given tours, plays celebrate it’s history and the head of the family recites the lineage of the emperor. All libraries, public and private are celebrated and blessed on the middle day of the festival, with the main events at The Library taking place on the next to last day. The last day is the day of the national Tea, where higher things and family are contemplated and celebrated.
The Week of Flowers (Growfest)
Held when all flowers, in particular the Cherry Blossoms are in full bloom, the week of flowers is a time to celebrate beauty in its’ permanence and its passing nature. It is the high artistic week of the Isles. Any plays that did not debut in the Paper Festival are debuted now. New songs are released and there is a massive music festival mid week. Flowers and flower crafts are showcased and there is the perfume competition at the palace. Many marriages take place and if new lovers did not declare their intent during the second Star Festival they do so now.
Doll Festival (First week of Goodmonth: High Summer)
This has become a festival for all wooden crafts. But above all dolls, puppets and the like are the unrivaled stars. New dolls debut and people vie for the attention of children. It has grown beyond simply a young girl festival with young boys and girls making and getting heroic action figuers and statues of patron heroes. Puppet shows are all over the place retelling the important events in the history of the Isles.
Days of Remembrance (Floating Lanterns) (Brewfest)
This is the week where winter is coming, the color of the trees are changing and people remember what has been lost. It is the time to remember dead loved ones but also to remember past failures and try to repair the damage done. The past is celebrated and the week culminates in the festival of lanterns where people release lit lanterns into the air or onto the rivers to symbolize those they have lost or regrets they are fixing or letting go of in preparation for New Years. Many stories and songs of the dead are told and mid week there is the day of Ghosts where the ghosts of ancestors can return.
Arguably the country on Oerth with the longest continuous government. The Grandson of the Sun has ruled the Isles for as long as anyone can remember. The first emperor was born at the end of the god war and aided the gods in defeating the mad god, or at least that is what the history of the Isles says. Some credence is given to that in some form since the entryway and guard post to the prison of the mad god is in the Isles.
According to the lore of the Isles, after the first emperor rested from aiding the gods he made pacts with the Kami and other spirits (In particular the Great Spirit Dragons) to help in forming the Isles into a place that would be even more welcoming to the people who would be made. He then stood against the ancient Oni who dwelt in a plane near the Abyss and Hells and made the land safe for habitation. When the human gods made life, he led the life in the Isles into the first human civilization on that side of the continent. After a few centuries the following emperors explored the continent nearby. They helped the other nations grow and tried to keep them from conflict. But over time they fell into war with each other and called on the Isles to join one side or another. Repeatedly the Isles refused.
A time came 3000 years ago when the nations of the continent, led by The Celestial Kingdom of Shaofeng tried to take the Isles by force. In a war lasting 30 years the Isles conquered the nations of the mainland. The emperor at the time consulted The Ever Present Light (Amaterasu) and decided to offer the nations a kind of confederacy where they could swear loyalty to the Isles for trade and protection. They would generally follow the Isles but each would maintain their own governments and not make war on each other. They would follow the guidance and leadership of the Emperor in all things. This confederacy (or empire depending on who you talk to) has existed for 3000 years.
The Isles helped maintain peace but occasionally has problems with the Realm of The Despotic Giant King on the northwest continental border. This hostile nation, led by a vicious line of giants meeting no known classification has been an issue for centuries. All known giant types live there, even the normally good ones in league with the evil unclassifiable leaders. 1,500 years ago the nation made war on the continent and it was only the intervention of the Emperor, engaging the Wizard King of the Giants in combat, that ended the war and pushed back the armies. For the last 300 years the Embassy of Geoff has worked closely with the armies of the Isles, lending their own expertise in giants to aid in understanding this odd realm.
One other incident in history bears mentioning. Throughout time the Isles have been opposed on the continent by a group of dark magicians who want to destroy all that is good. These beings have an agenda focused on evil and will do anything to harm what is right. They will bargain or worship any and all manner of evil gods, demons and devils to get what they want. Their true purpose is the rule of powerful magic over all other things and to be free to rule as they see fit. This group, The Lost Empire of Masks, is still very active in the world.
The people of the Isles still guard the shadowlands between the prison of the mad god and the world. The door to the prison exists as a physical reality near the palace and the area around it astrally is filled with all manner of demons and monsters. At times they try to cross between the worlds.
(An * indicates that this is a new nation and not in the normal GH cannon except perhaps in the chainmail game. Players are not generally expected to know anything about them and will find out during the game.)
The Radiance-Gold Piece
The Moon Disk- Silver
The Sword- Copper
The Free City of Greyhawk
Geoff and the Empire of The Flan
Zief and Associated States
The Realm of Fallen Leaves*
All Gnomish Nations
The Realm of The Despotic Giant King*
The Scarlet Brotherhood
The Talons of The Mother
The Lost Empire of Masks
Neutral But Friendly Relations
The Draconic Impergium
The rest of Eastern Oerth
The rest of Western Oerth
Birth Sign Years
909-Rat (Age 28)
910-Ox (Age 27)
911-Tiger (Age 26)
912-Rabbit (Age 25)
913-Dragon (Age 24)
914-Snake (Age 23)
915-Horse (Age 22)
916-Goat (Age 21)
917-Monkey (Age 20)
918-Rooster (Age 19)
919-Dog (Age 18)
920-Pig (Age 17)
921-Rat (Age 16)
922- Ox (Age 15)