It’s a nation living in the ruins of their once great past. Let’s learn more about Blode and its residents. Buy Tales of the Lance: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/16961/Tales-of-the-Lance-2e?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
This kingdom is the most ancient and impressive, but it has fallen like its builders.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about Blöde in the War of the Lance Era. I would like to take a moment and thank the members of this channel, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Tales of the Lance boxed set and War of the Lance sourcebook for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!
Discussion
Blode is a complicated nation to discuss throughout history, as it was the very first civilization to be built on Krynn. They built great citadels and flourished in agriculture, trade and war. It was slavery that ultimately brought them down through the act of Igrane, but this is not a history lesson, this is a snapshot of the nation during the War of the Lance era. After the Cataclysm human warlords tried to claim the grasslands of Blode for themselves, but after nearly a hundred years of fighting, the ogres finally agreed to a pact, allowing some human tribes to remain. Many kings ruled out of the city of Vantal since the pact, through their show of force with their impressive armies, and numerous pacts with various towns and villages throughout Blodehelm.
Unlike the more tentative hold the Ogres of Kern have on their lands, the ogres of Blode have maintained a strong presence throughout their nation. From its highest peaks in the southern Khalkists of the north, to the vast prairies near New Sea to the west, and the Thon Thalas river protects them from invasion from the south. Their two primary cities of Bloten or Blode and Vantal or Blodehelm, are overcrowded and chaotic with their crumbling structures, only providing a suggestion of their former glory. Of the estimated one hundred and thirty thousand residents, seventy percent of them are ogre, twenty percent are human and the remaining are small amounts of dwarves, centaurs, giants and lizardfolk.
The climate is generally temperate in Blode. The high mountains to the west filter the balmy winds of New Sea, drying out the air. The summer’s last from Corij to Reorxmont with the winters stretching from H’rarmont to Chislmont. Most of the flora and fauna is scrubby, scabrous and stunted like the ogres of the land. While trade is a rare activity, with raiding being the primary source of new goods, the ogres are known to be shrewd with the pirates of Sanction or the nomads of Khur. Their main exports are coal, iron, slaves, and mercenaries.
At the beginning of the War of the Lance, the Dragonarmies realized they needed to transport vast supplies to their various wings, and the Giant’s Road which was controlled by the ogres of Kern and Blode, was the best choice. Most of Takhisis troops were conscripted or enslaved into service, but the Ogres were a much more shrewd crowd, possibly because they are the chosen of the Dark Queen, and carefully laid out their terms of agreement prior to service. The Green Dragonarmy quickly moved in, and with the Red Dragonarmy occupying Kern, the two ogre nations now have an uneasy alliance due to the two Dragonarmies tension.
Of all the major settlements in Blode, none match Bloten, with a population of over ten thousand. The small city rests in a dry and dusty valley overlooking the green fields below the Khalkist Mountains, tended by their slaves. The city itself is crumbling and in dire need of repair and upkeep. The city is ruled by King Vogor Stoneshaker who plans on leveraging the Dragonarmy to renegotiate with the human warlords in Blode. Vantal is the next largest city with six thousand residents. It is on the ruins of an ancient ogre city, using its still passable roads and structures, though many are built over after they have crumbled. King Wilhelm’s reputation has soured as the ruler with high taxes and his vast army, but it is imperative to maintain peace, or what peace they have. With nearly four thousand residents is Hatl. This large town is also built in the ruins of their ancestors, but it focuses uncharacteristically on the arts, both arcane and mundane. Its residents are an amalgamation of many races. Shrentak is a small city of just under four thousand. It predates the cataclysm, and boasted strong trading relationships, and in its aftermath, while a shadow of its former self, still remains that way. Goods travel down the Zakra River from the Khalkists, and Lord Kanneos, a vassal of King Wilhelm of Vantal, keeps it moving.
The walled town of Despair has under three thousand residents. It was once an outpost for Solamnia, but with the arrival of the New Sea in the Cataclysm, this former fortress fell to Ogres and is ruled by an ogre mage named Elrauth Seerheart who ensures its denizens are able to indulge in any vice they prefer. Northwest of Vantal is the independent barony of Langtree. This town has just under two thousand residents and is ruled by the Mad Baron, Ivor, named for his continued worship of Kiri-Jolith. His father was a former Knight of Solamnia refugee, and over time he built a stronghold that protects its residents. Lastly is the village of Bludgeon with under a thousand residents. It acts as the base of operations for the Dragonarmies in the Khalkists as its magical walls have never been breached since its creation in the Age of Might.
There are a few sites of note we have yet to discuss. First being the Khalkist mountain range itself. It’s the ancestral home of all Ogres on Ansalon, and they are as familiar with it as they are themselves. From this range they defend Neraka from the south, and are capable of endless hit and run tactics to thwart any invading force. The ruins of Takar are the most extensive in all of Blode. Not even Gully Dwarves remain there long, and there is speculation that this is the original location where the Dark Queen first breathed life into her creations. While once a great city, it was the site of the devastating split between the Irda and the Ogres. Lucien of the Black Wing claims it as his birthplace. Lastly is World Balance. Up in the mountains, south of Despair, is a massive carving of two powerful men, struggling to hold up a great sphere. This globe reveals faint outlines of continents. What its purpose is and who built it is as unknown as why it was built in the middle of the Khalkists.
While Blode is not a location frequented by many, its ancient ruins may yet hold artifacts from an age gone by, and it may be a nation worth exploring with some high level adventurers. You could play the human warlords off the ogres or perhaps become the ogres’ allies for a time. Just do not go into it naively, as it could be your ultimate gravesite as well.
Outro
But that is all I have to say about Blöde in the War of the Lance Era. What do you think lurks in the ancient ruins of Takar? Do the humans have any longevity in Blode with the Dragonarmies present? And finally, who do you think built the World Balance? Leave a comment below.
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I think that for me, books and stories should teach us who we should be, not show us who we are.
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