hawk Wars saw the duchy join its Keoish neighbors baron, etc.
aron, etc.), but fiefs are all called "provinces"
and others, under the Treaty of Niole Dra. A com­
bined army traveled north to aid Furyondy in its
defense against Iuz, unwittingly leaving the Lortmil
highlands exposed to invasion by the orcs of the
Pomarj. Only a token force led by a dwarven com­
mander from the Principality of Ulek stood between
the orcs and their control of the mountain passes.
His determined defense of the highland routes was
ultimately successful, after the arrival of relief forces
from the duchy and county; when news of the inva­
sion reached the duke, he pulled half of the com­
bined duchy and county army back from Furyondy
to hold the Lortmil territory. The fact that he
received no support from Celene was a bitter drink to
take, yet after the conclusion of hostilities in the
north, the duke continued to favor diplomacy with
his supposed ally.
The duke has remained committed to diplomacy
with Celene, but he has also been strongly supportive
of the Principality of Ulek in its conflict with the
nonhumans of the Pomarj. His support of the cam­
paign in Sterich has already been rewarded, and he
wishes to see his ally, the Prince of Ulek, regain all of
his lost territory as well. To this end, the duke allows
some of his troops to serve in the Principality, absorb­
ing all expenses for these units. He also helps support
many Celenese troops, including units under the
command of the Knights of Luna, in the same
manner. At present, he has not supported any action
against Celene or its monarch, but several of his most
powerful nobles wish him to do so.
Conflicts and Intrigues: Knights of Luna are gain­
ing influence among the duchy's nobles. A blight of
tree-killing worms in the Silverwood is destroying
elven tree-shelters, and many wood elves are falling
ill from a related affliction.
Ulek, Principality of
Proper Name: Principality of Ulek
Ruler; His Serene Highness, Prince Olinstaad
Corond of Ulek, Lord of the Peaks of Haven (LG
male dwarf Rog12/Ftr3)
Government: Independent feudal monarchy with
hereditary rulership, in which the royal and noble
houses are all dwarven; royal family (House Corond)
owns Gryrax and closely administers affairs of the
realm, including some internal affairs of the noble
realms
Capital: Gryrax
Major Towns: Eastpass (pop. 15,500), Cryrax (pop.
27,300), Havenhill (pop. 32,100), Thunderstrike (pop.
17,400)
Provinces: Twelve provinces, five of which (in east)
are currently occupied by Pomarj forces; nobles in
charge of provinces have various titles (count, duke,
nonetheless
Resources: Foodstuffs, silver, gems (II-IV)
Coinage: High crown (pp), forge (gp), anvil (ep),
hammer (sp), common (cp)
Population: 538,400—Human 53% (SO), Dwarf 30%
(hill 65%, mountain 35%), Halfling 10% (stout 60%,
lightfoot 40%), Elf 3%, Gnome 2%, Half-elf 1%, Other 1%
Languages: Common, Dwarven, Keolandish,
Halfling, Gnome
Alignments: LG*, LN, N
Religions: Ulaa, dwarf pantheon, St. Cuthbert,
Lydia, Phyton, Fharlanghn, Osprem, Ehlonna, Oli­
dammara, Norebo
Allies: Ulek states, Keoland, Gran March, Ver­
bobonc, Dyvers, Greyhawk, Knights of Luna,
Knights of the Watch (weak), Celene (in theory, now
hated for isolationism)
Enemies: Pomarj, Iuz, Scarlet Brotherhood
Overview: The Principality of Ulek is the southern­
most of the three independent Ulek States. It is
likely the largest mixed dwarven and human realm
in the Flanaess, and one of few that is both possessed
and administered by the dwur themselves. The prin­
cipality sits in the western Flanaess along the coast of
the Azure Sea, bordered by Keoland to the west and
the Pomarj peninsula to the east, between the Shel­
domar and Jewel Rivers, respectively. Its northern
border with the County of Ulek has traditionally
been observed as the Old River, from its source at the
southern tip of the Lortmil Mountains to where the
river flows into the Sheldomar. Some logging has
been conducted in the northeastern corner of the
realm, where the Suss verges across the Jewel, but the
most dominant feature of the principality is the
broad set of lofty hills that dominate the central fast­
ness of the realm, separating it into two distinct
regions all the way south to the sea.
The Principality of Ulek is easily the most cosmo­
politan of the three Ulek States. Its large and busy
port at Gryrax is second only in size to the great cities
of Gradsul and Irongate on the Azure Sea. It prospers
tremendously from the trade that passes through its
markets, including goods from as far north as Celene
and the Duchy of Ulek. Traditionally dominated by
nonhumans since ancient times, the Ulek states are
notoriously provincial, but the prince and his court
conducts foreign policy and engages in trade and
commerce with his neighbors as would any human
lord. Taken together, halflings and dwarves outnum­
ber humanity in all of the provinces but the city of
Gryrax. This breakdown carries over to the military
forces of the realm, highlighted by the elite heavy
dwarven infantry armed with battleaxes and dressed in
adamantine chainmail. Halflings are used frequently as
scouts and slingers. The principality maintains a strong
Princes Corond and Brightftame on the Pomarj battlefront
naval presence on the Azure Sea to both patrol the
southern coast and keep shipping lanes secure from
pirates. These vessels are mostly crewed by humans
in the service of the prince, but they are frequently
staffed with dwarven marines of unusual discipline
and courage.
Mining and metalwork are the primary industries
of the Principality of Ulek, and competition with
Irongate for supplying such goods to other nations in
the Flanaess has been fierce for centuries. The dwar­
ven-fashioned city of Havenhill, more than a day's
march north of Gryrax, is the center of this trade. The
surrounding hills are honeycombed with warrens
and deep excavations, with some dwarves still prefer­
ring these tunnels to the surface. Human farms and
steadings are most common in the provinces west of
the hills, especially as one approaches the eastern
bank of the Sheldomar. The humans are primarily a
Suel-Oeridian mix, like their brethren in Keoland.
All citizens owe fealty to the prince, the hereditary
lord of the realm who maintains a palace in the hills
north of Gryrax.
History: Dwarves have lived in these hills since well
before the Great Migrations a millennium ago.
Treated as an extension of the legendary dwarven
kingdoms of the Lortmils at their height, there has
been a dwur prince in these foothills long before
there ever was a human king in Niole Dra. These
dwarven lords protected the wealth and resources of
the southern Ulek hills for ages, establishing their
lonely halls in the earth and interacting little with
the native Flan who inhabited the flatlands. This
remained true until the Suel and Oeridians came
together in the central valleys to found Keoland.
These newcomers treated well with the nonhumans
at the fringes of their kingdom, reaching out to them
in friendship and alliance. When the other Ulek
states were incorporated as provinces of the expand­
ing nation, the dwarven prince followed suit and
founded a nation, accepting a seat in council in Niole
Dra and settlers from Keoland to administer on
behalf of the realm.
The principality and its lords dealt with its Keoish
neighbor well, if somewhat indifferently, until the
coronation of Prince Olinstaad Corond in 281 CY.
This dynamic young lord of the dwur moved his capi­
tal from the ancient city of Havenhill to his birth­
place south in the city of Gryrax. When Tavish I of
Gradsul took the throne of Keoland in 286 CY, the
dwarven prince found in the new king a like-minded
individual. Within a handful of years, an alliance
between the two sovereigns produced an invasion
and conquering of the Pomarj, which was granted to
Corond as a subfief to administer for the throne.
From Olinstaad, Tavish gained the use of Ulek's
heavy elite infantry, which he employed in the
the region. Some humans in the western lowlands
wish to rejoin Keoland."
southern campaign to annex the region between the
Hool Marshes and Jeklea Bay; the latter eventually
became the Hold of the Sea Princes.
It was no secret that Prince Corond, alone among
the Ulek lords, was an enthusiastic supporter of the
Keoish throne and its imperial ambitions. When
Corond refused to disavow the Wealsun Proclama­
tion of Tavish II, his relationship with the other Ulek
states soured. This state continued until the incom­
petence of Tavish's successors forced him to
acknowledge the collapse of the empire and with­
draw his support.
After the Pomarj fell to the nonhumans in the after­
math of the Hateful Wars a few decades later, the
prince made every effort to succor his former subjects
and liegemen in the Pomarj. While he rescued thou­
sands of refugees by engaging his eastern border
across the Jewel River, he could not conquer and hold
any of the old baronies of the Pomarj from the
invaders for very long. A status quo developed over
the last century, with the Principality of Ulek main­
taining the frontline against the hosts of the Pomarj,
receiving aid and support from its northern neigh­
bors in the County of Ulek and Celene. The rise of
Turrosh Mak upset that balance, and the Principality
suffered the brunt of the attack when the half-orc and
his forces crossed the Jewel and pushed back
Corond's forces nearly to the eastern edge of the hills,
almost threatening Havenhill until the onslaught was
stanched in 585 CY.
The prince has ruled for more than three cen­
turies and is an aging but able sovereign. He has
seen the rise and fall of Keoland's brief empire and
has survived the bloody Hateful Wars with the orcs
of the Pomarj in the last century. The Orcish
Empire of the Pomarj now holds a large portion of
the open land to the east between the hills and the
Jewel River. This ground is in active contention by
the principality and is by no means conceded to the
invaders, but Prince Corond has been desperate for
an edge to help him defeat the orcs and goblins of
the Pomarj. In 586 CY, an alliance with the Knights
of Luna produced a counteroffensive that recovered
some of this land.
It is rumored that Corond recently reached out to
the Lordship of the Isles for assistance in the form of
trade, which great consternation in Gradsul and Iron­
gate. Ships flying the colors of the Lordship of the
Isles visited Gryrax during most of 591 CY; such
trade is expected to greatly increase this year.
Conflicts and Intrigues: An ambassador from the
Lordship of the Isles counsels peace with Turrosh
Mak, but no one listens. The prince asked Grey­
hawk and Keoland for help in the current war effort;
he also sent parties into the Suss Forest to uncover
the reason for Turrosh Mak's recent obsession with