Northern Ergoth is all that’s left of a once mighty empire. Let’s learn about the island in the War of the Lance era. Buy the War of the Lance sourcebook: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/3164/war-of-the-lance-3-5?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
This once mighty empire, degraded over time, is now only a few islands fighting for survival.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about Northern Ergoth in the War of the Lance Era. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, 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 Atlas of the Dragonlance World, Tales of the Lance boxed set, and the War of the Lance sourcebook for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!
Discussion
You have to travel west of mainland Ansalon to find Northern Ergoth. It features a massive mountain range which runs northwest to southeast dividing the island in half, but there are five distinct realms herein. To the west is what remains of the mighty empire of Ergoth. It features grassy plains which run up against the mountains. To the north is the lands of Ogaral, with its poor drainage and muddy fields and bogs. It’s believed to be the home to many tribes of roll. The far north is the realm of the sea barbarians, known as Ackalites, who have long ago deforested the territory. The east is the Kender nation of Hylo, covered in lush forests featuring a wide variety of food and medicinal plants. These are some of the oldest forests in all of Ansalon. To the south of the island you will find hilly deserts with scrub and sage. It is the realm of goblins who live a surprisingly peaceful existence here . This area is avoided by humans and Kender primarily, even though there are old human settlements and ruins buried beneath its sands.
Northern Ergoth has relatively mild summers lasting from Corij to Reorxmont and its winter season runs from Phoenix to Chistlemont. It’s the currents which run from the Southern Sirrion Sea which cool the island throughout the summer months and ultimately moderate the worst winter weather. The sea itself brings in heavy vernal thundershowers and seasonally thick snowfall. The only exception is the southern area of the island which is protected largely from the ocean’s breezes, hence the land being green and lush.
In this War of the Lance era, Northern Ergoth is ruled by Emperor Mercadior, a position that is a holdover from Ergoth’s dynastic glory days before the third dragon war. He oversees Ergoth’s senate which governs the empire. The history of the decline of the empire deserves focus unto itself, but between the Solamnic Revolt, the slow decline of Ergoth and Rise of Istar, then the Cataclysm, it’s a wonder there is any empire to rule over. The emperor encourages salvage and search missions where the majority of the old empire’s relics now dwell, deep beneath the waves of the surrounding sea. The emperor is pursuing a treaty with Qualinesti to out flank Southern Ergoth and eventually rebuild itself to its former glory. It has an estimated population of two hundred and fifteen thousand residents, with approximately ninety percent being human, ten percent being goblins, and a smattering of other races. Life on this island is very traditional where you are born into your station and women have few if any rights.
Northern Ergoth specializes in trading copper, brass, steel tools, relics, and cut stones. They have open trade with Solamnia, Sancrist and Hylo. They receive food from Solamnia, precious metals from Sancrist, wood carvings from Hylo and fruits and leather from Qualinesti.
Some of its major settlements include its capital Gwynned with nearly seventeen thousand residents. It features gladiatorial arenas, opera houses, imperial universities and is a center for artistic and academic pursuits. Its grand palace overlooks the city of shining marble. It is truly a den of iniquity as well, where any service or pleasure can be found for the right price. Lancton city is the next largest with just over seven thousand residents. It is fortified, standing at the only fordable section of the Dermount River. It features the renowned bard college of Ergoth, and is a center of trade. There are rumors that the headquarters of the Ergothian Thieves Guild resides here as well. Gulfport with its over four thousand residents lies north of Gwynned along the coast. It is the largest merchant center on the island where the bulk of the imperial fleet resides. It’s also known to be where one may find the finest metalworkers and weapon smiths. The small town of Manic has over a thousand residents. It is located on the southern coast and is the capital of Sikk’et Hul. It was gifted to the goblins by the empire for their service against the Solamnics. It may be the only location where you will find civilized goblins. It’s also a favorite port for merchants and kender who prefer to avoid the pretentious Ergothians.
Hillfall is a village north of Gulfport. It has over five hundred residents. Its primary purpose is to house the northern Ergothian legion. Their mission is to protect Ergoth from the Ackalites to the north. The village of Ker-Vakt has just under five hundred residents. This massive fortress was built in response to Hillfall by the bloodthirsty Ackal barbarians. It’s located a half a day ride from the Alunatal River banks and is surrounded by multiple moats and traps. Surrounding those are small towns and underground passages. Dupre is a hamlet of over three hundred residents. It is located in the southern spur of the Sentinel Mountains. The goblins here mine for metal ore to trade with the Ackalites and Manic. The hamlet of Beacon has just over three hundred residents. Originally built as a way station for vessels from Saifhum, it has been abandoned to the Ackalites due to their rigid social norms. And lastly the hamlet of Lusid had just under three hundred residents. This is a small goblin fishing and farming village. It’s currently going through a bit of a crisis as a Kender has been vying to become the mayor but the current goblin ruler refuses to give up his post.
There are a couple important sites of note as well. The Moon Steps lie along the southern border of Ackal. This is the site of another one of Krynn’s celestial ladders. It twists with steps suspended in mid-air. If one dares to ascend them, they may return with either knowledge of the gods, or be cursed in some horrible way. Before the Cataclysm it was the site of an academy of High Sorcery, but it has since been ransacked by the Ackalites and abandoned. And then there is World’s Heart. This massive stone is located in the northern Sentinel Mountains within ancient ogre ruins. It’s believed to be the location where Ackal Ergot received his vision of building the glorious empire of Ergoth. It resides in an ancient arena and glows with a steady rhythm much like a heartbeat. It is immune to erosion and remains as pure as when it was first touched by Ackal. Pilgrims have visited this location for generations, but the Ackalites put an end to all that. It is now used as a place for intertribal meetings.
Northern Ergoth is a place of great history. You may visit ancient ogre ruins, ancient Ergothian sites, dive deep into ist surrounding oceans for treasure, or delve into its underground catacombs. Because it’s separated from the mainland, it is saved from the brunt of the war efforts and ripe for your home campaign to explore.
Outro
And that is all I have to say about Northern Ergoth in the War of the Lance Era. What do you think of the Empire of Ergoth? How about the fundamentalist Ackalites? And would you ever visit the goblin cities of Sikk’et Hul? Leave a comment below.
I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember:
I have sinned enough against the world. Teaching magic to a kender would ensure my damnation.
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