[The following article is an unofficial
description of a wilderness portion of the
WORLD OF GREYHAWK® campaign. It is
presented to show the level of background
detail that an AD&D® game Dungeon
Master can add to an established campaign
setting.]

The Pomarj is famous in the lore of the
central Flanaess as a nest of humanoids,
giants, and other fell creatures. However,
few people have made a serious study of
the lands known as the Chaos Fields and
the Hills of Horror. Far from being merely
a reservation for a number of humanoid
tribes (refugees from the Hateful Wars of
498-510 CY), the Pomarj is a living and
breathing?though not exactly thriving?
region in its own right.

History
Few humans remember the time when
the Pomarj was free from the yoke of
humanoid domination. Even few of the
Short Races (dwarves, halflings, and
gnomes) can remember the day when it
was under the suzerainty of the Prince of
Ulek. But it has been all these things and
more.

The area prospered under the rule of
petty lords for two centuries. Dwarves
and gnomes then entered this region,
creating the first mines in the Drachensgrab
Hills to remove the precious stones
that lay beneath them. In 350 CY, the
whole region was absorbed into the Empire
of Keoland and set up as a march of
its own (the Poor March, a title that was
eventually shortened to the ?Pomarj?). The
region was called the Poor March because
of its distance from Niole Dra, which was
then considered the center of learning and
culture in the western Flanaess, from
whence all intellectual wealth flowed.

This situation lasted for a little more
than 110 years, with the three great towns
of the Pomarj being founded during the
time of Keolandish hegemony: Highport,
Blue, and Stoneheim. All three came into
being as a result of the near-obsessive
building programs of the Keolandish kings.

With the allegiance of the demihuman
realms of Ulek, the Pomarj was wrested
away from the domination of Keoland.
Due to the great numbers of dwarves and
gnomes already at work in the region, the
newly crowned prince of Ulek took possession
of the lands, not as absolute monarch
but as protector. Again, the wealth
flowed from the mines of the Drachensgrab
Hills, invigorating the economy and
stuffing the coffers of the prince.

Greed is often an overwhelming factor
in human behavior, however, and so is
pride. The human inhabitants of the Pomarj
began to resent the growing power
and wealth of their dwarven lords, even if
they themselves were better off than ever
before. The minor human nobles of the
area met in secret conclaves, led by the
evil mage Count Veja, an outcast from the
court of the Overking in Rauxes. The
count was the driving force behind the
revolt that ousted the dwarvish lords from
their strongholds in the Pomarj.

The prince of Ulek bore the new human
lords of the Pomarj no ill will. Indeed, he
had been toying with the idea of giving
away a piece of the Pomarj to his cousin,
the lord of the Iron Hills. The prince saw a
collection of petty human states on his
eastern border as an excellent compromise:
They were too proud to band together,
and individually they could not
threaten his position. The arrangement
seemed to benefit all concerned.

But Count Veja was not satisfied. Having
wrangled for himself the title of Overlord
of Highport, the count was determined to
conquer the rest of the Pomarj for himself
(it was only by sheer chance that he had
not done so immediately, thanks to the bite
of a venomous snake on the day after the
dwarves were driven out). He began to
amass an army of mercenaries and humanoids
from the Suss Forest, and it
seemed that nothing could stand in his
way. But on the night before the attack
was scheduled to begin, the count died. It
seems that his legendary vigor and youthful
visage was no accident. The count had
been imbibing potions of longevity for
many decades, and the last one had caught
up with him. He aged many decades in the
span of a few minutes, and that was the
end of him. No one in Highport possessed
as strong a will as the count?s, and control
of the town passed to the Guild of Merchants.
The possibility of a Kingdom of the
Pomarj passed away with Count Veja.

The lands of the Pomarj prospered for
10 years under the rule of the petty human
lords. The gold and gems of the Drachensgrab
Hills filled the pockets of the
commoners and the coffers of the nobles,
and everyone (except the dwarves) was
happy. Indeed, more gold and gems were
unearthed during this 10-year span than
had been uncovered for the Prince of Ulek
in twice that time.

Ironically, it was this wealth that had
allowed the prince to organize the highly
successful campaign to oust the marauding
humanoid tribes from the Lortmil
Mountains. A vast number of fell beings
dwelled among and beneath the Lortmils,
and they were no end of trouble to the
Ulek states, Celene, the gnomes of the
Kron Hills, and even Veluna. Each of these
states participated in the campaigns,
which lasted from 498 to 510 CY and
finally succeeded in their goal. The humanoid
tribes that had infested the Lortmil
Mountains were gone forever.

However, these humanoid tribes were
not destroyed. The wiser tribal leaders,
seeing the inevitable outcome of facing the
combined might of so many foes, fled
southeastward into the Suss Forest. Soon
they traversed its length, emerging into
the arid hills of the Pomarj. The fierce
humanoid tribes, having been tempered
into fine fighters by the Hateful Wars that
drove them from their mountain nests,
swept down upon the now-complacent
inhabitants of the area

The carnage was terrible. Thousands
upon thousands of humanoids came down
out of the forest, laying waste to dozens of
villages and mining communities. Dwarves
and gnomes were put to the sword, and
vast numbers of human slaves were taken.
Within a month, it was over. The humanoids
had firmly entrenched themselves in
the Pomarj.

Even the three great ports of the region
were seized, but in each case it was
treachery rather than force of arms or
cunning siegecraft that won the day. Each
town was besieged for several days, with
fierce fighting right at the outset of the
siege. Then the humans were set upon
from an unexpected direction: the sea.
Kopoacinths and aquatic ogres aided their
air-breathing cousins and fell on the humans,
opening the gates of the city in the
process. None of the towns stood a
chance, and much havoc was wrought.

The Prince of Ulek sought to relieve the
Pomarj, to destroy once and for all the
humanoid tribes that had caused him so
much grief over the years. A rather large
expeditionary force was sent over the
Jewel River, but it was turned back with
heavy losses before it even entered the
highlands. The Pomarj belonged to the
humanoids from then on.

The Pomarj today
There has been much reconstruction
since the humanoid invasion more than 60
years ago, mostly in the rebuilding of
fortresses and castles throughout the
region. Even the three cities are returned
to a fairly normal status; commerce takes
place, ships sail to and from their harbors,
and people walk the streets. But everywhere
are the oppressive visages of the
orc, hobgoblin, and gnoll occupation
forces.

Many humans of evil bent have flocked
to the Pomarj, seeing there the opportunity
not only to wreak mischief but also to
grab power. Under the control of so many
different humanoid tribes, the Pomarj is
more fragmented than it ever has been
before, and many an evil wizard or lord
has traveled there to make a home.

The humanoid tribes
The principle inhabitants of the Pomarj
today are the humanoid tribes that came
down from the Lortmils and conquered
the region. The majority of these humanoids
are either orcs or goblins, but there
are many hobgoblin, gnoll, and kobold
groups as well. These tribes can be divided
into two major types.

The first type of humanoid tribe found
in the Pomarj are those major tribes with
a permanent base. More often than not,
these bases are former dwarven mines or
strongholds, sometimes expanded by their
new inhabitants. These tribes are two to
three times as large as those described in
the Monstrous Compendium. They are
often led either by a powerful warlord
(half-orcs, half-ogres, and orogs are most
often in this role in orcish tribes) or by a
powerful shaman or witch doctor.
Several tribes are led by evil humans or
demihumans, but these are exceptions.
Twenty-eight of these major tribes of
various races are scattered around the
Pomarj (see Table 1)

Table 1

Tribal name	Race	Warriors*	Location**
Black Tongue	Gnolls	600	D4-104
Bleeding Moon	Gnolls	850	F4-104
Bloody Axe	Gnolls	700	V3-100
Bluebottle	Hobgoblins	500	V3-102
Blue Eye	Gnolls	900	B4-103
Cracked Skull	Orcs	800	C4-104
Crooked Claw	Orcs	700	Z3-102
Dead Rat	Kobolds	650	Y3-103
Dripping Eye	Hobgoblins	700	E4-104
Fell Ichor	Kobolds	800	Y3-102
Flaming Skull	Orcs	900	F4-103
Green Meat	Kobolds	350	A4-102
Hill Beater	Goblins	850	A4-102
Jagged Blade	Orcs	750	B4-104
Meat Eater	Hobgoblins	550	C4-104
Ochre Tooth	Kobolds	600	u3-104
Purple Squid	Hobgoblins	700	W3-104
Puss Dripper	Hobgoblins	750	C4-103
Red Fang	Orcs	950	Z3-104
Red Nails	Gnolls	800	X3-101
Rotting Kraken	Hobgoblins	700	X3-101
Saltburner	Orcs	500	V3-100
Shadowdoom	Orcs	250	V3-103
Victorious	Flinds	800	A4-103
Vile Epithet	Gnolls	650	<23>-102
WICKED Eye	Goblins	400	B4-103
Wolfbrother	Goblins	700	W3-102
Wormridden Tree	Goblins	600	F4-103

* The figure for the number of warriors does not include females or young, which 
constitute an additional 100% of 150% of the number of warriors, respectively. 
** Coordinates refer to the maps in the WORLD OF GREYHAWK setting folder set.

Minor Humanoid Tribes of the Pomarj
As noted in the text, each tribe has 10-
100 warriors. See the first footnote in
Table 1 regarding females and young.

Race	Number of Tribes
Flinds	20
Gnolls	40
Goblins	80
Hobgoblins	35
Kobolds	70
Orcs	50

The second type of tribe are lesser
tribes, having 10-100 members without
permanent homes. They are seminomadic,
settling down in one spot for a few years,
then moving on for various reasons. These
tribes make their homes in either abandoned
dwarvish tunnel complexes or in
shabby surface villages, surrounded by
wooden palisades and ditches. These
lesser tribes are often led by humanoid
warriors or evil humans or demihumans.
Many of these tribes pay tribute, including
slaves and precious items, to the more
powerful ones (see Table 2).

The Slave Lords
There is a third power group, aside
from the cities and humanoid tribes, operating
in the Pomarj. This is the group of
evildoers known as the Slave Lords, who
operate from the secret city of Suderham
(found in hex A4-104 on the WORLD OF
GREYHAWK setting map). Detailed information
concerning the Slave Lords and
their operatives can be found in AD&D
modules A1-4 (collected as the large model
A1-4 Scourge of the Slave Lords).
However, their more general
goals and tactics regarding
the Pomarj are not covered in those
m o d u l e s .

The Slave Lords operate with the eventual
goal of establishing a kingdom in the
central Flanaess, with themselves as its
rulers. Their plan is essentially threefold.
The first stage involves spreading fear and
terror throughout the Wild Coast region,
eliminating high-powered opposition and
establishing a reputation among the people
there. They are currently operating in this
stage and are about to proceed to the next,
having created a large base of wealth
through their slaving operations.

The second stage is the conquest of the
Pomarj, or at least establishing some sort
of hegemony over it. While they realize
the difficulty of bringing all of the humanoid
tribes in the region under one banner,
they are confident. Through the use of
guile and magic, rather than force of
arms, they have already secretly brought
many humanoid leaders into their fold.
Fully one-third of the tribes of the Pomarj
are secretly under the thrall of or are
allied to the Slave Lords.

Lastly, the Slave Lords seek to subjugate
the whole of the region east of the Lortmils,
starting with an invasion of the Wild
Coast by their humanoid hosts. After the
fall of Celene (which, they realize, will be a
most difficult campaign), they anticipate
seizing the City of Greyhawk as their
capital. Needless to say, these plans are far
in the future and will probably not begin
for another few years, until the Pomarj is
completely under their control.

The sleeper
According to A Guide to the WORLD OF
GREYHAWK Fantasy Setting, page 49, the
Drachensgrab hills are rumored to ?hide
the resting place of one or more powerful
creatures who may someday return to
life.? This is indeed true.

Hidden in the sandy hills of the Pomarj
lies the resting place of Krovis, a quasideity.
Krovis has been resting in a hidden
crypt for almost 2,000 years, awaiting-the
time, foretold in several ancient Flan legends,
when his presence is once more
required in the Flanaess. Krovis is close to
the deity Trithereon (?The Summoner?),
and it is his purpose to prevent the domination
of any goodly portion of the Flanaess
by a single individual or state.
Krovis?s avatar has, in the past, emerged
from his crypt to bring down several
empires that dominated the central regions
of the Flanaess, including the dominions
of the Isles of Woe and the Empire of
Lum the Mad (both of which occurred
more than 1,000 years ago). There are
whispers from those sages that know of
his existence (not many do) that the current
machinations of the Great Kingdom
and certain of the Princes of the Abyss
could potentially awaken Krovis from his
sleep

Krovis's Avatar (Quasi-Deity)
ARMOR CLASS: -4
MOVE: 14
HIT POINTS: 98
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type
SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 40%
SIZE: M (6?2? tall)
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
WORSHIPER?S ALIGNMENT: Any (but few
recognize and worship him)
SYMBOL: None
PLANE: Prime Material (the Flanaess of
Oerth)
PRIEST: Nil
WARRIOR: 15th-level ranger
MAGE: 20th-level illusionist
ROGUE: 7th-level thief/4th-level bard
S 15 D 17 C 18
I 17 W 20 Ch 25

Krovis is of pure Flan stock (bronze skin,
brown eyes, curly brown hair) and is
known as a master military strategist as
well as a skilled negotiator. His efforts in
these matters will almost always be used
toward the downfall of some empire or
whatever else threatens to dominate the
Flanaess.

Krovis lives in a secret crypt somewhere
beneath the Drachensgrab Hills, magically
hidden from detection, and his avatar
emerges only to prevent the conquest of
the Flanaess by some group. His magic
resistance (40%) applies equally to all
spells cast upon him, whatever their level.
In addition, Krovis is immune to all
enchantment/charm spells.

Whenever Krovis?s avatar awakens from
his sleep, he immediately sets about raising
an army, collecting high-level characters
to serve as lieutenants, etc. He is
usually equipped with a bastard sword
+5, a suit of bronze plate mail +3, and a
variety of miscellaneous magical items,
including such items as are useful in fighting
large battles, in scrying, or in negotiating.
He rarely fights himself, except when
it necessary to complete his often rather
intricate and complex plans. Krovis? trademark
is careful planning rather than offthe-
cuff improvisation (despite his
alignment, which applies more to his
large-scale interpretation of the multiverse
than to his short-term actions).

Krovis? disposition is usually somber and
grim, and he is often seen brooding atop
lonely castle walls during the night when
fighting a campaign. It is only after the foe
is conquered that he is jovial, but then
only for a short time. He returns to his
secret crypt 1-4 months after the successful
conclusion of his campaign.

Adventuring in the Pomarj
There is much opportunity for adventuring
in the Pomarj. Operating from bases in
either the Principality of Ulek, Celene, or
the southern Wild Coast region, a party of
adventurers could make repeated forays
into the Pomarj. It is even possible for a
party to establish a secret base in either
Highport, Blue, or Stoneheim.

The Pomarj presents an ideal situation
for the DM. The place is riddled with old
dwarven mines and towns, now inhabited
by humanoids and monsters. Providing the
players with a series of ancient dwarven
texts, giving the locations of some of these
cities, is an excellent way to keep your PCs
(and your players) occupied. The Pomarj
provides an excellent locale for humanoid
bashing.

Also, don?t forget the Slave Lords. DMs
with access to the AD&D Slave Lords
modules can expand them and turn them
into a campaign lasting years. Rather than
taking the direct route and wiping out the
Slave Lords (which shouldn?t be easy), you
can have the party counter the ambitions
of the Slave Lords over a long period of
time, eventually leading up to a climactic
battle, possibly involving the AD&D
BATTLESYSTEM? game.

With just a little bit of added detail, the
Pomarj becomes a vibrant center of activity
in the WORLD OF GREYHAWK campaign
and serves as the center of an entire
campaign. It has the welcome feature of
having a logical reason for its concentration
of humanoids and monsters, as well
as a large number, of ancient dwarven
ruins. What more could a DM ask for?