Humans in the Bandit Lands

Before the wars, nearly a hundred thousand humans lived in these lands. Now there are not many more than half that number. Many have fled to the Fellreev, Tangles, Rift Canyon or abroad to escape the invaders from the west. For those who remain, understanding their current lives can only be done by understanding how they lived previously.

Most outsiders thought of the people from the Bandit Kingdoms as marauding raiders and pillagers who rode across their lands taking whatever they could by banditry. However, it is obvious that 100,000 people could not survive in such a manner within their own land. While there were raiding horsemen aplenty, there were also many thousands who lived a semi-nomadic life, traveling with large herds of livestock who foraged on the generally poor grazing. To be sure, they would take to arms if their chieftain commanded, if their honor was impugned, or if they saw a chance for an opportunistic strike, but the bandits were certainly not all blood-crazed, parasitic pillagers. The Bandit Kingdoms had cities, and within them artisans and craftsmen could be found. Even if sages and men of learning weren't exactly common, mages were. Magic gives a keen advantage in strife and struggle, and no few foreign mages found that bandits respected wizardry and hold a healthy fear of it. As a result, settling here and budding a tower or stronghold was attractive to them.

In the last two to three years, Iuz's forces first drew bandits to their service to swell the armies striking into the Horned Society and Shield Lands. This was quite to the taste of the bandits, especially in the latter case, since the Shield Lands nobles were great enemies of the more powerful bandit groups. Some bandits still serve in Iuz's occupation forces in those western lands. However Iuz's forces began progressively to exert control over the Bandit Kingdoms themselves, securing the vital silver mines of the Rift Canyon, establishing bases to pursue escaping men in the Fellreev Forest, and taking control of the cities. In a piecemeal way, the bandits had to come to terms with this.

As noted, some bandits have become part of Iuz's armies within the Bandit Lands. This often allows them to even up old grudges against other bandit groups who have not allied with Iuz. Some bandits have come to an understanding of sorts with Iuz's leaders. This is especially common in the eastern lands, where bandits raid into Urnst, Nyrond, the Pale and Tenh with the full consent of Iuz's priests, who then feign to those other nations through Iuz's ambassador in Greyhawk that such actions are due to rogue elements beyond their control. In return, the raiding bandits do not raid Iuz's cities, camps, or supplies. Sometimes, even Iuz's forces must respect the strength of those they seek to subjugate by force. The events of Hellstone are fresh in the minds of many still.

A few bandits are dispatched abroad as spies. Because they cannot be fully trusted, they are often deliberately given false information by Iuz's taskmasters so that if they turn traitor, those they inform will be misled; Finally, around 3,000 Grosskopf bandits have been assembled into the grandiosely-styled "Marauders of the North" and set loose upon the Rovers of the Barrens.

Thus, the bandits have made their peace with Iuz one way or another in most cases, but by no means all. There are some 20,000 exiles who have fled across the Flanaess to avoid Iuz. Many of them have taken to raiding in the lands they now live in, everywhere from the fringes of the Hold of Stonefist to Urnst and even as far east as the fringes of old Aerdi. However, a fair few look to the day when they may return to their homeland. Others fled to the forests and the Rift. Some still roam the lands themselves, actively seeking to strike at Iuz. This is most true in the western lands, where few forget the atrocities of Iuz's troops at Steelbone Meadows.