Throt was once a nation of hard working, honest farmers, until the War of the Lance. Now it is besieged by Hobgoblin tribes. Let’s learn more about the nation of Throt. Buy the Tales of the Lance boxed Set: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/16961/tales-of-the-lance-2e?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
This is not a nation you want to vacation in.
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about Throt 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
The history of this region doesn’t extend past the Cataclysm. Among the many warlords who raided Ansalon after the devastation wrought by the gods, Khara Warbringer was one of the most powerful. After years of campaigning, he finally decided to settle down in a stormy vale. Khara believed the weather to reflect his temperament, and he named the village Throtl. This was also an extension of the weather as its violent storms would throttle the village and land. This constant barrage hardened the residents, and because of its obscurity, it was relatively safe from the chaos outside its borders. After nearly a century of raiding neighboring territories for slaves and resources, the neighboring lords gathered their strength and wiped out the evil leadership of Throtl, claiming it as part of their growing lands. In its second century of existence, Solamnia recognized it as a sovereign nation. In this war of the lance era Throt has been besieged by hobgoblin tribes which have breached Instan’s Wall in the west, and goblins have overrun the moors. As refugees from Throt fled west to Solamnia, this nation is now overrun.
Throt is a land of vast grassy plains, which are battered throughout the year with rain. There is little drainage in this land so it is inundated with patches of heath and peat bogs. This water is redirected through irrigation canals by its residents for their farmlands close to the capital of Throtl. Any excess water is redirected through these channels to the Vingaard River basin. Summers begin in Corij and last until early Reorxmont, with winters setting in during Phoenix and lasting until Chistlemon. The storms are due to the warm, humid air from the heartland of Solamnia, colliding with the cold winds from the peaks of the Dargaard Mountains. While the forest endures less rains, the fierce storms batter it even harder. Lightning riddles the forests from spring to fall, with blizzards in the winter. This is juxtaposed with the Throtl Gap, which is often dry and uneventful.
The capital is cradled in the northern edge of the region, between the northern Dargard Mountains and the Stormshire forest to the south. Northwest of this nation is the region of Nightlund, but one would be foolish to explore its lands. As Lord Soth and his undead companions are known to reside therein. To the west the nation of Solamnia borders Throt, and to the south it’s the lands of Lemish. The east is riddled with denser bogs and marshes as they cross into Estwilde. The Throtl Gap has long been known as a buffer from the evil races to the east, but in this era, that buffer is ostensibly gone.
The population of Throt is over seventy-six thousand, with over fifty percent being hobgoblin, under forty percent human, and about ten percent goblin. In contrast to its founding, the humans of Throtl are industrious and overwhelmingly good at heart. Their heritage is a mixture of Istarian and Solamnic, and they have done well with what little they have in this harsh land. Culturally they are much more traditional with the women taking care of the home and the men defending and working the land. Historically the goblin incursions have been turned away by the Riders on the Moors, while Lord Borlin Galuvere is secretly trying to negotiate with Solamnia to make Throt a province of its great nation.
The vicious Hobgoblin ruler Crod Blackmaw has unified the disparate hobgoblin tribes into a single army with its eyes set on Throt. With him is his harem of hobgoblin females who worship Mwarg, the Dark Queen. Crod has petitioned the Blue Dragonarmy to protect its western border from Solamnia as they gain control of the nation. While their motives and loyalties are unknown, the dragons have quietly agreed to this accord.
There are only a couple major settlements in this nation. The largest of which is the capital Throtl. It has a population of just under four thousand. This humble capital was founded by warlords but it’s been refurbished by craftsmen. Its forty to fifty buildings are connected by dirt roads. The guards stand watch along its wall, which struggles to keep the hobgoblins at bay. East Keep is a hamlet of just over two hundred. It is located on a rise above Instan’s Wall. This is the central command for the Riders on the Moors, whose role it is to protect the land. In this era the Hobgoblins are actively enslaving its warriors and tearing down Instan’s Wall.
There are a few important sites of note. First of which is Instan’s Wall. It lies on the eastern border of Throt. It’s meant to act as a border to the wild lands, and is historically patrolled by the Riders on the Moors. Stormshire forest is a dense forest with no paths that run throughout. Those brave hunters who have entered and exited its borders speak of unnatural horrors that lie within. It is dotted with twisted trees, the remnants of lightning strikes, which add to its eerie atmosphere. And finally Throtl Gap is located between the Northern and Southern Dargaard Mountains. It is the largest pass from Solamnia to Estwilde. Unlike the rest of Throt, it is not beset by storms, but its stony outcroppings and jagged drop offs make the route difficult to navigate on the best of days. The moors and bogs extend for nearly thirty miles east and west, after you have survived the gap.
Outro
And that is all I have to say about Throt in the War of the Lance Era. Would you ever explore the Stormshire forest? How about joining up with a Solamnic resistance group and trying to drive the Hobgoblin tribes from Throt? And finally, will the Dragonarmy abandon them after the war, leaving the Hobgoblins to defend themselves? Leave a comment below.
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