Other Locations

Bandit Kingdoms: The Bandit Kingdoms are a collection of petty holdings which were founded sometime around 300-350 CY, spurring the formation of the Shield Lands in defense. This collection of small territories stretches from the southern Shield Lands to the Bluff Hills and northern verges of the Fellreev Forest, from the Ritensa River in the west to the Artonsamay River in the east.
Each little kingdom is ruled by a robber chieftain claiming a title such as Baron, Boss, Duke, Plar, General, Tyrant, Earl, Master, and even King. The territorial boundaries of the holdings of these kinglets are subject to rapid change due to sudden warfare and defeat or victory. In all, there are currently sixteen states within the confines of the area, ruled by four to six powerful lords, with the rest attempting either to become leading rulers or simply to survive. The relationship persists because no single bandit lord is strong enough to conquer the whole territory, and the combined strength of all is often required to defend against neighboring states' retributive expeditions. So brigand and warlord band together in self interest, and no kinglet, regardless of ambition, has seriously attempted to rule the whole, for fear that threatened lords would turn to neighboring states in spite, or even at the risk of destruction by the summoned "ally". Thus the combined kinglets continue to stand more or less together.
The total military strength of all territories is quite considerable due to the fact that each ruler maintains a large force with which to raid and pillage. There probably are some 10,000 troops in total, if recent intelligence is to be trusted.

County of Urnst: The County of Urnst, ruled by Her Noble Brilliancy, the Countess Belissica of House Gellor, has held its current borders for centuries. Nestled along the pleasant eastern coast of the Nyr Dyv, much of the nation's economy comes from mercantile pursuits. Urnst's eastern border, along the Stone Road and Franz River, was once heavily garrisoned against threat of invasion from the Kingdom of Nyrond, but relative peace now reigns between those two nations.
The great plains of Urnst account for its staggering production of foodstuffs in every part of the nation. Though small forests and woodlands dot the plains, Urnst is not known for its wilderness. The great towns and villages of the County of Urnst are connected by a brilliantly designed and well-cared-for series of roads, fashioned in the style of the famed daerwain of the old Great Kingdom. Indeed, much of the great architecture and infrastructure of Urnst can be traced to the Aerdy occupation, a fact that does not go unappreciated despite the distrust most Urnstmen feel toward nations to the east.
The County of Urnst maintains a small but efficient squadron of warships on the Nyr Dyv, stationed in the town of High Mardreth. The barons of the hostile northern border maintain strong castles, and forces that combined equal about a thousand horse and footmen. Noble levies can raise ten times that number in a week or two for the nation.

Nyr Dyv: The "Lake of Unknown Depths," is the largest freshwater lake in the Flanaess. The surrounding states and nations along its great rivers have turned it into a veritable highway of trade, with vessels using several navigable inlets (the Artonsamay, Veng, and Velverdyva Rivers) and outlets (the Nesser and the Selintan Rivers). Cities such as Dyvers, Leukish, Greyhawk, and Radigast (the latter situated in a deep river delta off the northeast shores of the lake) owe much of their wealth to lake traffic.
The legendary dangers of the Nyr Dyv, ferocious storms and creatures no less friendly, have not diminished, though humans are now better equipped to handle them. Few ships brave the allegedly bottomless open waters, preferring to hug the coasts. Most ships plying the waters of the Nyr Dyv are equipped with harpoons, pikes, and ballistae, to repel creatures of the deep. Patrol ships from Greyhawk, Dyvers, Furyondy, the Shield Lands, and the Urnst states prevent organized piracy here, but waterborne banditry is cause for alarm.
Despite the dangers, a singular group of humans, the Rhennee, make their homes on this lake, gathering in secluded coves and near the river mouths. The Rhennee keep to themselves for the most part, though outcasts often rent themselves out to lake captains in search of a knowledgeable guide.
Rumors abound that the lake holds the sunken remains of an ancient pre-Migration civilization known as the Isles of Woe, though many have explored its waters to no avail. Occasionally, strange silver coins and jewelry and even stranger obsidian carvings, found by lucky divers, make their way to market, but many of these are discounted as forgeries.

The Shield Lands: When the Bandit Kingdoms began to grow powerful, the semi-autonomous, petty nobles of the north shore of the Nyr Dyv banded together to form a confederation for their mutual defense. The Earldom of Walworth had the advantage of possessing a sizeable island upon which was built the only sizeable city in the area, so its lord was chosen as the Knight Commander of the combined forces of the nobles. A charter was granted to a holy order of Heironean knights to establish themselves for the defense of those lands, and second sons of knightly families from all over the Flanaess were drawn there to join. The rise of Iuz and, after his disappearance, the successor state of the Horned Society shifted resources to the northwest border and brought a closer friendship with Furyondy, but despite this, the goals of the  Shield Lands remain relatively unchanged from the days of its founding. The confederation consists of almost two dozen provinces of various size, stretching from the Ritensa River in the south to the Vigilant Highway, from Plague Fields to Redhand. The northern border has shifted throughout the centuries, but it was generally defined by the southern margins of the Rift Barrens. The Shield Lands have established perhaps the most modern and well-cared-for system of roadways in the Flanaess, speeding trade as well as armies throughout the land.