We all know the Ancient Suel Imperium conjured up the Invoked Devastation, which wrecked havoc on the Baklunish Empire... Then the Baklunish Empire along with the aid of a Baklunish Deity retaliated by summoning up the Rain of Colorless Fire upon the treacherous Suel Imperium. What if the Baklunish were never able to summon up the energies to bring-forth the Rain of Colorless Fire?
The Invoked Devastation only weakened the Baklunish Empire as their lands were retained. Though massive damage and fatalities were numerous. Would a certain area of the Baklunish lands become a demilitarized zone? Would the Oeridians and Baklunish have intermingled more influencing the makeup of the Baklunish Basin? Would the Great Kingdom ever come to fruition? If so how far west would the Suel Imperium have grown? Would the Suel have expanded their territory in the east?
All of this is merely food for thought. However, what do you think would have been the most likely outcome? If the Rain of Colorless Fire never occurred?
Later
Argon
The Invoked Devastation only weakened the Baklunish Empire as their lands were retained. Though massive damage and fatalities were numerous. Would a certain area of the Baklunish lands become a demilitarized zone? Would the Oeridians and Baklunish have intermingled more influencing the makeup of the Baklunish Basin? Would the Great Kingdom ever come to fruition? If so how far west would the Suel Imperium have grown? Would the Suel have expanded their territory in the east?
All of this is merely food for thought. However, what do you think would have been the most likely outcome? If the Rain of Colorless Fire never occurred?
Later
Argon
I'm guessing that the Sueloise would not have ended up losing the war. Because, hey, they did!
ReplyDeleteNot only that, but it significantly changes the makeup of the Flanaess. The Oerids still dominate yes, the peripheral regions would not be regressive Suel. There'd be more Flannae cultures around I'd wager. The Bakluns would also be more vindictive to get back at the Suel basin, unlike presently where the Baklun and suel cultures have little ocntact anymore aside from Keoland vs Ket.
ReplyDelete"If so how far west would the Suel Imperium have grown?"
ReplyDeleteProbably not very far. At the time of the cataclysms, the Suel were pushing into the Amedio Jungle, for it's resources. The "conquest" of the Amedio would not have happened over night. I could easily see the Imperium's attention being concentrated there for several hundred years.
And with all their attention devoted to that area, their previously established settlements in The Yeomanry and Hold of the Sea Princes could very well have grown into Independent, or semi-Independent, Kingdoms.
With the need to "tame" the Amedio and two "rebellious" territories on their hands, not to mention the constant Baklunish "raids" alluded to by Mortellan, the Imperium would have been "too busy" in the North and East to have moved any great distance to the West.
The Twin Cataclysms seem to balance one another in effectively causing Imperial collapse for both the Baklunish and Suloise. I'd think that the Oeridian conquest wouldn't have been nearly as pervasive.
ReplyDeleteEventually, though, the Suel would have collapsed under their own evilness. In my humble opinion
Bugsy
Well, in my last Greyhawk campaign a twisty bit of time travel dropped the party at Tovag Baragu minutes BEFORE the final ritual... My ever trusted player, the 'go to guy' to ensure everything goes sideways gets frisky with his bow and pulls a twenty out killing the lead priest. BOOM no rain of colorless fire. Well having not PLANNED this I just went with it and had the Dominion everywhere... They finally got things straightened out but it was fun.
ReplyDeleteMystic,
ReplyDeleteThe expansion into the Amedio could push the Suel Imperiums'treasury to its limit. This may have caused the Suel to finish off the baklunish by invading the north. They could of travelled east or further south as well. It is nice to think of the possibilities for Greyhawk when certain things happen.
Later
Argon
Centuries after the wars, the Suel Imperium grows decadent and soft. Savage bands of Oerdii press down from the north. For centuries the weakening Imperium buys them off or uses them as mercenaries to fight other Oerdii, but eventually the border collapses and Oerdii spill into the dying Imperium, creating numerous successor-states...
ReplyDeleteOr perhaps there is a religious conquest, like the fall of Sassanid Persia to the Muslim Arabs.
It all sounds good to me.
ReplyDeleteStretching their resources to the limit trying to tame the Amedio and two rebellious territories. Pressure from the Bakluni and the Oeridians.
Finally, it's own decadence. Yep!
Sounds just like . . . Rome. LOL