Ozhdregoi Oblast

Ozhdregoi is a typical oblast within the Kingdom of Jonatela. I provide it here as an example of the sort of arena within which player heroes may start out, or even spend their careers.

Jonating Communities in HeroQuest

Like other communities in HeroQuest, Jonating communities receive ratings in five areas that define their resources. The five abilities of a Jonating community are:

•    Wealth – the community’s material resources. For some Jonating communities, this is primarily in silver coinage, but for most it represents wealth in kind, such as crop bushels or heads of sheep
•    Diplomacy – the ability to extract favours from other communities, while minimizing the cost of any reciprocal obligations
•    Morale – the community’s belief in it’s ability to achieve its goals, and its willingness to follow the direction of its boyar or other internal leader
•    Piety – the community’s faith in the power of its otherworldly guardians or patrons to protect them from others, and its willingness to follow the directions of local Church leaders
•    Magic – the collective ability of the community to harness magical energy

In theory, of course, in Jonatela owes allegiance to the Crown, but, in practice, for most people this is a remote ideal, and their main loyalty will be to those with whom they live. In addition, individuals may have obligations to all manner of other communities, many of which will possess guardian essences of their own. Such additional communities may include the local druzhina, trade guilds, and religious orders.

In practice, however, the primary loyalty of the overwhelming majority of Jonatings is to their oblast. Exceptions may include members of mercenary bands, inhabitants of religious communities, and those employed in some way by the royal household. Vagabonds and reivers are also unusual, owing allegiance to a much smaller community, which may be little more than a group of allied families. That such communities are small, and often dispersed, only emphasises the marginalisation of such people in Jonating society.

The Oblast

Ozhdregoi oblast lies in the southwestern reaches of Old Syanor, not far from the edge of the highlands, and a little south of Verink. Other oblasts surround it on three sides, although there is a disputed patch of woodland to the west. To the south, there is a region of open fell that is largely uninhabited, and not currently claimed by any boyar – although there are some Visurka oblasts beyond. The presence of this relatively wild land makes the oblast less secure than many of its neighbours to the north, whose boyars cast covetous glances towards the rich fields of its central valley. Like most oblasts, Ozhdregoi's economy is based on farming, in this case supplemented by some forestry and fur trapping.

History

Ozhdregoi takes its name from the ancient Ozedan clan, who established the first permanent settlements here in the mid fourth century. Prior to that time, there had been summer hunting camps used by storm-worshipping trappers and explorers almost since the time of the first Lightbringer Missionaries, but the area was, for the most part, forested, and wild. Earlier still, the valley had been hunting grounds for the Telmori, whose history is largely mysterious to the present inhabitants.
The Ozedan cleared away the woodland around the river, and built a temple to their earth goddess, among others. They were hunters almost as much as farmers, making sacrifice to a bear-god that they said gave them greater success in pursuing animals. They were never part of any tribe or other large association, and, while skilled with bows, lacked the strong hand-to-hand warriors of neighbouring clans. This eventually proved their downfall, for, in the early ninth century, their fertile farmlands brought the attention of Malkioni lords to the north.

Ozhdregoi fell to a band of knights led by a man named Lord Undras. The younger son of the noble house of Karanst, and therefore passed over in favour of older siblings, Undras was keen to seize territory for himself and to found his own line. The pagan folk had little defence against his knights and organised soldiers, and he soon seized control of the town, where he laid the foundation of the zamat, and proclaimed himself the first Boyar of Ozhdregoi. Resistance continued for over a generation, with tribesmen making guerrilla raids from out of the forest, but the tide had turned decisively in favour of the new Malkioni overlords, and soon, their rule was unquestioned.

Over the following centuries, Ozhdregoi continued to grow under the rule of the boyars. Farmland spread along the valley as the population rose, and the pitiful clan village became a successful market town. Initially, the boyars pledged loyalty to the Voivods of Karanst, from which their own family descended, and benefited from trade with larger towns to the north. When Jonat came, the then voivod resisted his rule, but the Boyar of Ozhdregoi was wiser, and turned on his own family, betraying them to Jonat's followers and securing himself a place in the new Kingdom. Since that time, Ozhdregoi has been an 'independent' oblast, owing fealty to none but the King himself, and the name of Karanst has long since passed into history.

Distant from the centres of power in Okarnia, Ozhdregoi has managed to avoid becoming embroiled in national politics. However, its own history has not been entirely peaceful, and, while the current noble clan claims descent all the way back to Undras himself, that lineage has been marked by infighting, and by outright assassination on more than one occasion. During the Ban, the wall of mist that separated Old Syanor from the southern highlands stretched across the fells not far from the edge of the Oblast, and, since its fall twenty years ago, Ozhdregoi has forged links with some of the southern boyars, while making enemies of others.

Locations

Ozhdregoi Oblast lies near the head of one of the many valleys of central Jonatela. It encompasses the small town of the same name, and also includes five significant villages, and a number of smaller hamlets and farms. The total population is around 2,500, including children. Most of the oblast is wild, used as pasture for cattle and sheep, and there are patches of dense woodland where pagan spirits are strong and wolves are still plentiful.

There only true road through the oblast runs along the valley, and through the town, to terminate at Verzam. The warriors use peasant work-gangs to maintain it once a year, in spring, keeping the ditches clear to ensure good drainage and repairing any damage to the surface that may have arisen through the winter – since the road is hard-packed earth, and not paved, this is hardly a skilled job. In addition to the road, there are a number of trails winding between the villages and favoured hunting spots, but these survive only through constant use, so that those which are less travelled may be partially overgrown or difficult to follow.

Ozhdregoi map

Ozhdregoi

The central town has a population of about six hundred, and dominated by the homes of the oblast's warriors. The buildings are narrow, often two stories high, and packed along the narrow streets, but are well appointed, in comparison to those in the smaller villages round about. The village has an inn, and a number of commoner caste craftsmen, including redsmiths, coopers, thatchers, and weavers. The central market square is cobbled, an unusual feature in these parts, and some of the main streets are paved with wood refreshed every spring, in imitation of larger cities elsewhere. A church to the Elmoi stands close to the market square., opposite to a more imposing church for the Nemuzhik, officially dedicated to Saint Padelnik, although all saints may be venerated there.

The town stands are the confluence of two small rivers. The larger of the two has no bridge across it, although there is a ford a short distance upstream of the town. An old hump-backed stone bridge crosses the smaller, eastern, river, beyond which stands the zamat, rearing over the town's skyline on an artificial mound. The zamat has barracks for unmarried warriors, and is also home to many of the local wizards, as well, of course, as the boyar's family.

The Villages

Outside of Ozhdregoi town, the inhabitants are mostly commoners, and general squalor of the villages reflects this, dominated as they are by single story wooden huts and muddy streets. Four of the villages – Yantok, Khrenot, Es'gorod, and Dlekim – are built around two-story stone watch posts. Each of these is the home for a family led by a senior warrior, who supervises the village on behalf of the boyar, as well as serving as a defensive bulwark in the event of bandit raids. These watch posts are reasonably secure against such minor nuisances, although not intended to defend against a determined army. The five largest villages also have churches to the Elmoi, although only that at Yantok is really distinguishable from the peasant huts around it.

The Bloodstone

Few know the exact location of the Bloodstone within the northern Lepech woodlands. No path leads to it, and the ground around it is choked in heavy bracken and thorny undergrowth. The stone itself however, is clear, even of lichen, despite being worn and pitted from centuries of weathering. A crude standing stone about eight feet in height, the Bloodstone is composed of a deep red rock of a type unknown for over a hundred miles around. Linear markings are visible on its surface, which the local wizards have claimed to be signs of ancient worship by superstitious barbarians.

The stone radiates a powerful sense of unease to most people, and animals will not approach it. However, there are a few people that have claimed to hear a siren song when they came close by, calling on them to make bloody sacrifices of animal life. In all such stories, unaffected companions have prevented the afflicted from carrying out the Bloodstone's morbid demands, yet there must surely be times when no such companions have been nearby…

The Ghost Field

In 1458, a hunting party led by the then boyar's heir and his young wife were returning home across the fields here, when a mysterious band of killers set upon then, and slew them all. The culprits were never identified, although suspicion fell on the warriors of rival boyars. Whatever the truth, the area has been haunted ever since, and no farmer dares till the land nearby nor to walk across it at night. Ghostly apparitions have been seen, at times some distance from the actual spot of the massacre, wailing into the night for vengeance against their slayers, and reaching out with a chill hand of death towards any mortals foolish enough to get too close.

Lepech

The Lepech Forest is a dense area of woodland covering much of the western part of the oblast, and stretching beyond its borders into territory claimed by no boyar. There is no true border here between Ozhdregoi and its western neighbour, and both claim hunting and coppicing rights over Lepech. However, few hunters or woodsmen choose to venture far into the forest, and physical clashes are therefore rare. There is good hunting here, but the ground is uneven in the deeper parts of the forest, making horse riding impossible. Woodsmen live in scattered huts along the forest fringes, making their living by supplying lumber, and there are also a few charcoal burners, eking a living on the edge of poverty.

The deeper parts of the forest, especially in the south, are home to a number of spirits and essences that are, at best, indifferent to mankind. Wolves prowl among the trees, nut these are merely the least and most physical of threats that lost travellers may encounter.

Mend-the-Plough

Close by the river, yet hidden from the nearby road by trees and a low grassy ridge, stands an ancient ruin, once the Earth temple for the region. Eight hundred years ago, the last of the pagan priestesses abandoned the temple, until then a major ritual site for the local clansmen. Now empty for longer than it was ever in use, little remains above ground – just a few carved stones among the heavy undergrowth. Yet the area is still strong with magic, and a nature spirit wanders the area, using petty magic to prevent any casual observers from stumbling across the one remaining entrance to the underground passages.

Those passages are no longer so decorated as they once were, yet ancient carvings still mark the heavy stone walls, and deep chambers are still redolent with the power of the Earth. When villagers believe that what they ask is beyond the ability or moral compass of the Elmoi, they come here to make offerings to an older power. There are no priestesses to guide them, and only a few elders in each generation know even a fraction of the ancient rites, but people still 'go to mend the plough' when the true Church is not enough.

Ost'on

To the south of the oblast stretch the Ost'on Fells, where once the Wall of Mist separated Old Syanor from the highlands beyond. The Fells are unclaimed, not part of any boyar's domain, although still theoretically subject to the King's laws. For the most part, they consist of open moorland, with occasional clumps of twisted krummholz trees amongst the heather and gorse. The most common visitors are fur trappers from Ozhdregoi and neighbouring oblasts, who often brave the fells in the dead of winter, when animals have the thickest and most valuable fur. The trappers have left their mark on the landscape, leaving a few tiny dry-stone-and-turf shelters among the hillsides as night-time protection against the worst of the winter weather.

The wild fells are also the occasional home for bandits and outlaws, hiding from the authorities, and surviving by taking pickings from trappers and other travellers. Most are pitiful and near starvation, but some use forbidden magic to survive, and genuine reavers sometimes travel this far from their home encampments.

Verzam Tower

With a population of just over three hundred, Verzam is easily the second largest settlement in the oblast. However, it is also one of the least secure, standing not far from the edge of the Ost'on Fells, and the possible threat of outlaws. A sizable tower stands here, guarding the upper reaches of the valley, and keeping a watch on the open southern frontier of the oblast. It has some similarity to a zamat in design, but lacks the central courtyard and luxurious apartments suitable for nobility. A dozen warriors are kept stationed here at all times, including a commander and his deputy to make their permanent homes, together their families, in the upper stories – the rest have to share barracks, and are rotated very few months, along with a single white wizard. The lack of decent accommodation makes this an unpopular posting for older Nemuzhik, who will have to leave families behind to serve here, without much in the way of reward.

Vorass

Three oblasts come together in this area of windswept moorland. A rocky cairn marks the place where the three borders meet, but, beyond that, the open nature of the terrain makes any clear boundary impossible to delineate. Farmers from all three oblasts come here to graze their sheep, and any animals deemed to have wandered over the nebulous border are considered fair game for 'confiscation'. Shepherds tend to avoid contentious areas as a result, but some are always willing to risk it – or to search for anyone else doing so in the hope of taking some extra animals. While the Nemuzhik rarely get involved in such disputes, so long as they remain small scale, it is not at all uncommon for commoners to come to blows up here.

The People

As elsewhere, the great majority of the population are farmers, tilling the land or herding livestock. Craftsmen are found in all the villages, including thatchers, brewers and timberwrights, but the more specialist professions, such as redsmiths, coopers, and tailors, are found only in Ozhdregoi itself. Tinkers travel between the villages, supplying and repairing all manner of cheap goods. Sometimes merchants visit from outside the oblast, bearing more exotic goods for consumption by the Nemuzhik, as well as raw materials mined or grown elsewhere. Beyond the borders of the oblast, and even within some of its more hidden corners, live a few settled vagabonds; woodsmen and charcoal burners, who enter the villages and farms only to barter their wares.

The Oblast is home to over three hundred Nemuzhik (including children), most of whom are warriors, belonging to the Bearhide clan, which has historically always served the local boyar. The druzhina is over a hundred strong, and is mostly based at the zamat, although most of its members have homes elsewhere. There are about sixty local wizards, all members of the Vesdanya clan, which also has branches across the wider region, and fifteen members of the noble Krenskai clan, headed by the boyar.

Membership of the Bearhide Clan (adults)
Knights	30
Dames	5
Foot soldiers	70
Equerries	35
Healers	30
Weapon smiths	10
Clan elders	15

Guardian Essences

As with any other large group of people in Glorantha, there are multiple guardian beings in the oblast. Each of the village shrines has its guardian, as do each of the three Nemuzhik clans, and smaller, individual groups may also be able to acquire their own minor guardians. However, the two most important within the oblast are listed below.

The Stone of Ozedan

Long before the coming of the Malkioni, this stone stood on one of the southern eminences of the Vorass hills, and marked the site of an open air temple to the storm god, Orlanth. The tribal chieftains would stand before the stone and recite their oath of allegiance to the land and its people, abetted by their illiterate law-speakers. When Lord Undras captured the land, founding both Ozhdregoi and the Krenskai clan, he had the stone uprooted and brought to the hall that later became the foundation for the modern zamat. For years, the wizards struggled to replace the air daimone trapped within the rock, and replace it with a more suitable essence, one tied to the power of earth. Eventually they succeeded, and the stone now rests beneath the boyar's throne in his private audience chamber, cementing his rule over the land that it symbolises.

Method: Emanation
Form: A heavy, elongated, stone, carved with swirling runes, once standing, but now lying on its side.
Communication: The stone shudders, with a deep, yet quiet, groaning sound.
Functions:
    Awareness – Sense Spiritual Ill
    Blessing – Mire in Mud
    Defence – Strengthen Walls

Rutukan

Rutukan is the mascot and guardian essence of the Ozhdregoi druzhina, separate and distinct from the Bearhide clan essence. An insubstantial being, it inhabits the body of a bear that travels tamely with the warband, and has its own home close to the stables (it does not frighten, or molest, the druzhina's horses). Whenever the physical body of the bear dies, Rutukan is greatly weakened, but is able to magically draw a new bear towards the zamat, which it can then inhabit.

Method: Manifestation
Form: An adult bear, the exact form depending on the last one to be summoned.
Communication: Rutukan communicates with the druzhina by growling and snarling.
Functions:
    Awareness – Seek Intruder
    Blessing – Rend Flesh
    Defence – Keep On Coming

Individuals of Note

Lord Vlaken Krenskai

Position: Boyar of Ozhdregoi
Magic: Adept of Saint Jonat, Syanoran Church

Lord Vlaken is the personification of law within Ozhdregoi, and takes his responsibilities seriously. Compared with many of his neighbours he is not especially cruel man, although he has a great love of order, and insists on efficiency and proper decorum from his warriors and wizards. Although he brooks no dissent from among the peasantry, he does dispense justice fairly, and no more harshly than would be expected from one of his station. As a result, he has little to fear in the way of rebellion – the serfs may not be happy with his rule, but they recognise that the alternatives are worse.

The boyar has, however, had far less success in controlling his own family, who spend much of their lives enjoying themselves at his expense, and giving back little in return. Fortunately, few seem to have the ambition to plot against him, content to reap the benefits of their caste without having to fulfil any responsibilities. Possibly the only exception is Lord Vlaken's mother, Lady Nerista, whose sharp mind belies her seventy years; the boyar dotes on her.

Lady Ersten Krenskai

Position: Lady Consort
Magic: Adept of Saint Chielka, Syanoran Church
Lord Vlaken's wife is a member of the warrior caste, born into a clan in service to one of the northern boyars. By the rules of Jonating inheritance, she retains membership of her birth caste, despite her current title and adoption by marriage into the noble Krenskai clan. An equerry in her youth, she has not carried out such duties for many years, and her membership of the Order of Saint Chielka is merely a formality – maintained through regular worship for appearance's sake.

Lady Ersten greatly enjoys her enhanced status, and is unpopular with the servants and warriors alike, since she is demanding of the former and condescending to the latter. Since she provided Lord Vlaken with a son and daughter, the two have become rather estranged, on cordial terms but with no real affection for one another.

Dobestoi Vesdanya

Position: Decan
Magic: Adept of the White College, Syanoran Church Liturgist

Dobestoi is the decan, the leader of the local white wizards. However, he sees himself as the most senior wizard of any colour within Ozhdregoi, as the younger brother of the Vesdanya clan-head, who lives in one of the neighbouring oblasts, and rarely visits. A skilled magician and powerful orator, he is actually quite popular within the clan, and he is one of the few people with the moral authority to openly question the boyar's will – although this is something he is wise enough not to do too often. He has never married, preferring to dedicate himself to the Church, but has sometimes clashed with the local bishop over interpretations of doctrine.

Pribin Vesdanya

Position: Senior Herald
Magic: Adept of the Grey Academy, Syanoran Church

Pribin is both the senior herald for Ozhdregoi, recording the lives and relationships of the local Nemuzhik, and one of Lord Vlaken's favoured advisors. However, since his attitude towards the boyar is primarily one of fawning subservience, and his attitude towards everyone else one of sneering indifference, his influence has little practical effect. He is not particularly skilled in the magical arts, although he is a knowledgeable scholar, and he walks only with the aid of a cane. Junior wizards fear his biting tongue and short temper.

Zhedana Vesdanya

Position: Niatran Purifier
Magic: Adept of the Niatran School, Syanoran Church

Zhedana is the most able black wizard in Ozhdregoi, with a natural talent for magic that outstrips some wizards twice her age. Reasonably attractive, and obviously a rising star within her School, she has a number of suitors, but her icy demeanour and insistence on almost impractical levels of cleanliness frighten away most before long. Her opinion of warrior caste healers is low, and she has no time at all for commoners.

Sir Kratosh Bearhide

Position: Battle-chief
Magic: Adept of Saint Gerlant, Syanoran Church

An experienced warrior, and past his physical prime, Sir Kratosh was recently chosen as battle-chief primarily because of his tactical knowledge, although he is also skilled at hand-to-hand combat. He has gained much of his experience in years of taking part in raids against local bandits, and in skirmishes against the druzhinas of rival boyars. He is a gruff disciplinarian, respected, but not loved, by his men.

Sir Vortem Bearhide

Position: Warrior clan head
Magic: Adept of Saint Drezedan, Syanoran Church

Sir Vortem is the hereditary head of the Bearhide clan, the leader of its internal ceremonies, and with the responsibility of settling disputes between its members short of those that would require the boyar's attention. He is an old man, physically fit for his age, but no longer able to fight in the front lines. A stickler for tradition, he firmly believes that simple martial prowess is more important to a warrior than tactical cunning. He is not fond of Sir Kratosh, who seems to feel differently, and always ready to remind the younger man of his social, though not military, superiority.

Yadken Bearhide

Position: Weapon-smith
Magic: Adept of Saint Zmes, Syanoran Church

The clan's weapon-smith is a big man, who speaks little, and gives outsiders the impression of being slow moving and slow witted. However, he is keenly observant, and highly knowledgeable about his art, able to forge fine weapons and armour the equal of anything made in the cities. Often overlooked, he has considerable knowledge of the political schemes and rivalries within the local Nemuzhik clans, but keeps much of the information to himself.

Magkoi Shersenosich

Position: Peasant elder
Magic: Initiate of Frona, Syanoran Church

When the commoners wish to settle matters among themselves, without involving the boyar, they come to Magkoi for advice. He has no legal authority, and his position as spokesman for the commoner caste is not one that is entirely safe, should the nobility consider their grievances unreasonable. Nonetheless, the local farmers respect his experience and great knowledge of agriculture and of the surrounding area. He is a reasonable and fair-minded man, and always appropriately deferential to his social superiors, at least in their presence.

Virineia Maskozhna

Position: Village Priest
Magic: Initiate of Frona, Commoner Liturgist, Syanoran Church

A middle-aged woman with many children, Virineia administers the small shrine to Frona at Ozhdregoi. Her title remains that of 'priest' rather than 'priestess', because some feel that the latter has pagan overtones, although, in reality, her position is not that different from the earth priestesses of the distant past. In addition to leading religious services and using her magic to help the peasant community, Virineia is also a skilled brewer, something that only makes her more popular with the common people. Despite officially being a part of the Church hierarchy, she has no real contact with any of the wizards who are her nominal superiors, regarding this magic as different and largely irrelevant to her own. Nonetheless, as a priest, she does represent much of the social conscience of the common folk, and her voice is very influential.

Drugkan Orgosich
Position: Woodsman
Magic: Initiate of Vilecha, Syanoran Church

Few people know more about the Lepech woodlands than Drugkan Orgosich, a woodsman living on the outskirts of the forest and travelling into town once or twice a month to sell lumber and animal pelts. He is a large and fit man for a commoner, and wields his axe like a weapon, although he has more experience using it against wolves than against people. He mistrusts Nemuzhik, but may occasionally aid them or even act as a guide if forced into it or convinced that doing so will aid his community as a whole. He lives on his own, and has never taken a wife; his semi-wild ways disturb and intrigue the local peasant women in equal measure.

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This page was last updated 24th January 2012 by Jamie Revell