Rauxes Old

The most revealing fact about Rauxes is the number of people who live here, because— unlike practically every other city in the Flanaess—the number is going down. The population of this once-illustrious city of the Great Kingdom was 41,000 at the last census, but nowadays is closer to 35,000. The decline in population is due to Overking lvidTs harsh rule. More than 1,000 people have been sentenced to death or imprisonment, and a number far exceeding this amount have fled Rauxes.

Overking Ivid—13th level magic-user: Int 17, Con 17 (originally; now down to 12 hp 43. Items carried: 3 miscellaneous magic items, 1 rod, 1 wand.

Ivid is truly insane, and it is only a matter of time before his waning constitution gives out. He has contracted a debilitating disease, overlooked by his physician, which decreases his constitution at a rate of 1 point per year; for every passing year a system shock roll must be made to see if Ivid survives. In the meantime, Ivid, his new court Wizard Karoolck, and Ivid's "Black Legion" of chaotic evil fighters rule all subject lands with an iron fist. All good beings are suspected by Ivid of being in league with his enemies (The Iron League), and are maltreated—thus the large emigrations to date.

The city rests on the plain north of the fork of the Flanmi and Imeda rivers. Surrounding lands are farmed and recently have been used to graze the many warhorses which are destined for the field of battle either in the north or south. Rauxes was once a great city, and some vestiges of its old splendor remain, but on the whole little of its past glory is in evidence today. Roads are not kept up, and many of the poor are forced—under penalty of confiscation of property—to meet a "stone tax," which requires imbedding flagstones in all roads fronting one's own establishment or dwelling. The mighty walls are also crum¬ bling, and the resources and manpower which at one time were available to alleviate this problem no longer exist.

Flooding has been a major problem in recent years. The water table has been at an all-time high for the last few years and, in combination with the swelling tributaries and the lack of resources allocated to deal with this, has contributed to a rising incidence of catastrophes (bridge washouts, wall foundations giving way, etc.). Due to the mismanagement of the sewers by inept lackeys appointed by Ivid to deal with the problem* disease has now spread throughout the city and is taking a frightful toll; the monthly birth rate is 5% lower than the death rate. At the time that "Down With the Wizard" (Adventure HI) begins, the base chance for a city resident to contract a disease is doubled (4%) and crowding and filth (in both categories) percentages are tripled (3% respectively exposure to carrier and polluted water are doubled (20% and 10% respectively). Ivid's last Minister of Engineering was beheaded for forwarding a plan to control the flooding which, to be realized, would have required gold pieces equal to the amount needed to field three horse regiments.

War has been a steady diet of the Overking's realm for several years. Allies are few, but include the Herzog of South Province, the See of Medegia, certain tribes of humanoids to the north (those crushed in actions between North Province and Bone March, etc*, and then reorganized) and certain factions of the Sea Barons, though the latter—as a whole—are quite untrustworthy. Ivid has become more obsessed with extending his lands in order to form the "Greater Aerdi Empire*' ever since his declaration of war against Almor and Nyrond. The Herzog's subsequent blunting of the armies of the Golden League (Nyrond, Almor and those countries comprising the Iron League; see Guide to the World of Greyhawk, "An Overview of Political Divisions”) has added only fresh fuel to his monomania. The aforementioned battle(s) transpired after the events detailed in Tl-4 (The Temple of Elemental Evil) and spanned two years, ending in a minor strategic victory for Ivid's field army under the leadership of the Herzog, and seeing the withdrawal of Almorian and Nyrondese armies to the west of the Harp River.

Though the Herzog failed to crush the forces opposing him, and because of this was forced to postpone indefinitely the siege of Irongate, the victory strengthened the sagging morale of his troops. However, the war has left both sides incapable of anything but reorganization. Ivid's coffers are all but stripped, and NyrondJs political machine has begun to maneuver the king toward more peaceful dealings with Ivid. On the home front, Ivid's popularity is at an all-time low despite battlefield gains. This unpopularity stems from his hard-line tactics (as mentioned) against the Great Kingdom's good factions, and continues spreading among the people, who must now recognize his newly sanctioned state worship of "Baalzy," the so-called god of prosperity. It is known in informed circles, however, that this " religion” is a front for the worship of an archfiend named BaaeL All other religions are tolerated, but are taxed so heavily that parish¬ ioners are forced by closure of their original worship places to choose new gods, or partake of services in their own homes. The latter is a violation of law if a “worship tax” is not paid. A league known as the Dawnsbreak Clan had set its sights on overthrowing Ivid, though nothing ever came of this. Ivid's cohorts have kept fear in the minds of men, expelling any thoughts of revolution. Ivid recently replaced his court wizard Xaene with a man named Karoolck, actually an archmage devoted to Baael. Xaene has vowed vengeance for his displacement, but nothing has been heard of him for over a year now. It is thought that Karoolck intends to replace the "Black Legion” with beings of his own ilk, possibly allies summoned from the Homed Society. This move toward more ordered events, albeit evil ones, has a better chance of stimulating a rebuilding of the Great Kingdom. Ivid's dependence upon Karoolck grows more pronounced as he himself weakens (see above), and it is suspected in some circles that the archmage has been guiding the Great Kingdom's internal machinery for the last six months.