The commonly understood history of the Flanaess begins just over one thousand years ago, when the great conflict between the ancient Suloise and Baklunish empires forced massive migrations eastward across, around, and even under the western mountain ranges. This resulted in the mixture of races and cultures that defines the modern Flanaess.

Histories of the early years of the migrations are unclear on many points. The Oeridian tribal realm of Thalland was so thoroughly absorbed by the kingdom of Aerdy that it survives only in name as the Thelly River. The ancient kingdom of Ahlissa, ruled by the Flan and easily conquered by Aerdy, is known today only for its founding wizard-queen, Ehlissa the Enchantress, and a magical nightingale she made. So it goes for much of recorded time.

The root cause of the animosity between the Suel Imperium and the Baklunish Empire is lost in time, but the end result of their final war haunts even the modern day. After decades of conflict, the Suloise Mages of Power called down the Invoked Devastation upon the Baklunish, resulting in an apocalypse so complete that its true form remains unknown.

In retaliation, a cadre of Baklunish wizard-clerics brought the Rain of Colorless fire upon their hated enemies. The skies above the Suel Imperium opened, and all beings and things beneath this shining rift in the heavens were burned to ash. So terribly did these attacks plague the world that they have come to be called the Twin Cataclysms, a term understood by nearly every resident of the Flanaess.

Thousands of Suel and Baklunish fled east to escape the wars across the Crystalmist Mountains. The Oeridians, a confederation of barbaric tribes in close proximity to the warring empires, took the wars as a sign to migrate eastward as well.

The most successful union of Suel and Oeridian came in the Sheldomar Valley, where Keoland was founded eighty years after the Twin Cataclysms. Farther east, the most powerful of all Oeridian tribes, the Aerdi, reached the Flanmi River. From there they spread outward again, conquering indigenous peoples and fellow migrants alike. In time, the kingdom of Aerdy ruled the whole of the eastern Flanaess and moved its borders westward.

The Aerdi overkings grew lax, caring more for local prestige and wealth than for the affairs of their distant vassals. As each sovereign passed, he was replaced with a more dimwitted and less competent successor, until the outer dependencies of Aerdy declared their independence.

The Kingdom of Keoland awoke from a long slumber in the third century, expanding to dominate its neighbors. This short-lived Keoish Empire lasted almost two centuries before far-flung wars and internal strife laid it low. The outer dependencies declared their autonomy, and Keoland resumed its peaceful isolation.

The darkest chapter in the history of Aerdy began when the upstart House Naelax murdered the Rax overking, inaugurating a series of gruesome civil wars called the Turmoil Between the Crowns. Within a decade, Ivid I of Naelax was recognized as the undisputed overking of all Aerdy. As Ivid was rumored to be in league with powerful evil Outsiders, the Malachite Throne of the Great Kingdom became known as the Fiend-Seeing Throne, and the once mighty and upright empire became a bastion of evil and cruelty.

The lands of the Flanaess soon became acquainted with an altogether less subtle form of evil with the rise of Iuz. A minor depot in the Howling Hills left his domain to his “son,” a being known as Iuz. Within a handful of years, Iuz had conquered his neighbors, setting up a small realm for himself. Tales told by refugees spoke of unmitigated evil: Iuz was building a road of human skulls from the Howling Hills to his capital, Dorakaa. Worse divinations and rumors marked Iuz as the offspring of an unholy union between necromancer and demon.

Surprisingly, Iuz appeared to vanish from Oerth for a time. In truth Iuz was imprisoned beneath Castle Greyhawk by the Mad Archmage Zagig Yragerne. In Iuz’s absense, orc tribes and disloyal former subjects squabbled for control of his lands, allowing the forces of weal to rest for a time.

The years from Iuz’s return to the Greyhawk Wars are often seen in retrospect to be the prelude to later conflict. Several destabilizing forces came into play, upsetting the old balance of power in the Flanaess. The most insidious of these powers was the Scarlet Brotherhood, a secretive monastic order.

Many battles raged throughout the Flanaess during this time, with Iuz expanding his holdings in the north, the Great Kingdom retaking many of its former holdings and the non-human tribes of the Pomarj invading the Wild Coast.

At the same time, decade-old paranoia regarding the Scarlet Brotherhood came true, as advisers in courts throughout the Flanaess were found to be Brotherhood agents. Several nations fell under the influence of the Scarlet Sign, from treachery or invasion. The Brotherhood was revealed as an evil, racist order dedicated to preserving the culture and purity of the ancient Suel Imperium, without regard to the lives of others.

Numerous events tossed the Flanaess into turnmoil, with many Aerdy provinces once again declaring their independence, and court intrigues abounding throughout. The Flanaess today stands on the verge of a dynamic new age. The last decade has seen terrible wars, refugee migrations, and the rise and fall of whole nations. The exploration of foreign lands is on the rise, trade is surging upward once more, and opportunities for heroism (and profits) are unlimited. The Flanaess awaits those who would seize its adventures and shape its future.

Misc.