​Deep within the depths of the Burneal, a cold primordial northern forest,  live the aboriginal Uirtag flan. These forest dwellers who once lived upon the fringes of the Burneal withdrew into its depths at the onset of the Great Migrations to avoid these conquerors. Well aware of the dangers that dwelt deep within the forest's interior, the Uirtag relied heavily upon their rangers for guidance and help in adjusting to this new isolated form of living amongst the trees. Fortunately for the Uritag the Mist Wolves of the Burneal were there to help them.

The relationship between the Uirtag and the Mist Wolves had already been a strong one of mutual respect. Still, it quickly evolved into a mutual existence that has grown well beyond a partnership into a close bond between the two. From the Uirtag the Mist Wolves gained a valuable ally in their constant crusade against the evils of the Burneal, and from the Mist Wolves the Uritag tribes that adopted them learned an good and orderly view of life within the forest.

From this bond grew a new warden of the Burneal, the Mist Walkers. These rangers live alongside the Mist Wolves and have joined them in their never ending quest to keep the dangers of the Burneal at bay.

​Prominent among the loosely knit organization of the Gnarley forest is its seven Ranger Knights. While there is no recognized hierarchy amongst the rangers of the Gnarley, the knights unofficially serve that role. Each of the knights watches over a section of the forest and trains a number of followers in the ways of the Ranger Knights. 

The history of the Ranger Knights can be traced back to the 400's CY when a disgraced knight made his way into the forest to hide out from those seeking his head. Who he was before entering the Gnarley is unknown, but this knight became known as the Knight of the Gnarley Forest soon after. Called Tedric by his friends, the Knight of the Gnarley soon found and became fast friends with one of the Gnarley's rangers, Drikel Zondwin. 

Secretly looking to redeem himself for whatever his past transgressions were, Tedric began a campaign against the evils that dwelt in the Gnarley and preyed against its inhabitants. In this endeavor, his trusted friend Drikel accompanied him and taught him the ways of the forest, making him the first Ranger Knight of the forest.

Tedric's party of close companions grew to seven in total. Each one an experienced ranger in their own right, but Tedric began teaching them the ways of knightly virtue and courage. In turn, he knighted each one and appointed them as the official Ranger Knights of the Gnarley forest. Even though the knights have no written charter or bylaws, or a lord liege they serve, the Ranger Knights follow the example of chivalric duty as shown to them by Sir Tedric. They swear to protect the weak and the innocent of the Gnarley with unto their last breath.

Today there are still seven Ranger Knights of the Gnarley, a number they hold as a sacred symbol of their order. Unlike in the days of Sir Tedric, the knights have their sections of the forest they oversee and protect instead of roaming around altogether. Each knight, in turn, trains a group of followers in the ways of the Ranger Knights. These squires are instructed in the ways of living and surviving in the forest and the virtues of being a knight. While they do not fit the typical image of knights in their worn leathers and sporting bows, falchions, and axes, they act with as much virtue and grace as any other courtly knight from around the flanaess. 

Every two to three months, the knights travel to the town of Corustaith, where they exchange information about what is happening in their forest sectors. If threats are deemed concerning enough, the knights band together and will assault the problem with all of their numbers, but this is rare.

​As the Wolf Nomads or Wegwiur as they call themselves settled down into their new homeland in the northern Flanaess, the elite outriders of the Relentless Horde found themselves without purpose. Under the guidance of the late Kha-Khan, they scouted ahead for plunder and grazing lands. Still, they now found themselves simply wandering their new homeland without purpose. They found occasional purpose in killing the rare monster or leading raids against their former allies, the Tiger Nomads, or into Perrenland. Still, those callings were few, so their numbers dwindled. They might have even faded into legends had it not been for the rise of Iuz, and the threat of a new foe to fight.

With the coming of Iuz, these once outriders evolved into the Wolf Sentinels, ranging the lands between their's and that of the forces of the Great Old One. They took prominent roles in the battles that soon followed Iuz's return and leaders in the continuous skirmishes and raids along their borders with Iuz's empire.

Within the rigid structure of Wolf Nomad society, Wolf Sentinels answer only to their tribal tarkhan. When donning the ceremonial red wolves head of their station, they sever all ties to their families and clans to remain uninfluenced by clan rivalries. Wolf Sentinels take no wives and have no children so long as they remain a Wolf Sentinel. They may retire from their station if they wish and live a family life, but this usually only happens if the Sentinel has lingering injuries that keep them from performing the tasks of a Wolf Sentinel. Even when they set aside the red wolf head helm, they are still without their original family.

A Wolf Sentinels are solitary figures conducting their duties alone or in the company of a personal pack of wolves that they keep. They follow the tribes they are originally from when not raiding or in a war party but always make their camps a few miles from that of the tribe. They often join or form raiding and war parties to strike against their enemies despite their isolated existence. Wolf Sentinels are a common sight in and around Ungra Balan. They travel there to meet with others of their kind, exchange information, and speak with other tribal tarkhans.

​Among the Rhenee, there exists an elite society of specially trained seamen known as Sea Rovers. These Rovers are one part monster hunters and one part Rhennee lawmen, and a number of their ranks have been recruited from the Dharkagard. Rovers specialize in hunting down and slaying sea monsters that harras their barge fleets and are masters of the Dharka, a type of double-pronged harpoon-like spear. They also hunt down Rhennee pirates and bandits that bring a bad name to their people through their actions. The Rhennee are mistrusted by most already, and because of this, they do not want any of their kind helping to perpetuate these stereotypes. The Rhenee also do not believe that most other nations in the Flanaess will give their kind, fair judgment and prefer if their Rovers did so instead. 

Rovers are not assigned to anyone particular fleet of barges but instead float around to where they are needed the most. It is not uncommon, though, to find one or maybe even two of them anytime that a particularly large gathering of barges occurs. 

The Rovers work with the Vetha, or Rhennee wise-women who act as cultural figureheads for their communities, to prevent disasters that they can predict through their fortunetelling. Because of this, the Rovers will always check in with the closest Vetha after completing a mission. The Rovers also bring the Vetha many trophies and components from the monsters they slay. From these, the Vetha make special potions and even some minor magical items to help the Rovers in their duties.

​As the Greyhawk Wars began and Iuz's armies of humanoids, fiends, and evil humans marched into neighboring kingdoms, the lack of proper reconnaissance became apparent immediately.  With their superior numbers supported by fiends and demons, they still won but took needless losses. After the first year of the war drew to a close, Iuz was convinced of the need for adequately trained scouts to accompany his armies by members of his Boneshadow spies. Sunifarel Brightrobe volunteered one of his most effective agents, an elven ranger named Noirian Zieros, to organize it.
 
Iuz ordered Noirian to find individuals amongst his subjects that could be turned into scouts for his armies. Sunifarel provided Noirian a list of potential candidates, and he quickly brought them aboard as the first recruits and then began scouring the ranks of Iuz's armies for more. Within a month, Noirian had units of scouts attached to many of Iuz's armies, providing them with valuable scouting and reconnaissance.

As the war dragged on, these units of scouts also became valuable hit squads for the generals. In addition to providing valuable battlefield intel, the scouts undertook infiltration missions to assassinate enemy officers and disrupt supply chains behind enemy lines. Because of their need to infiltrate into mostly human lands, a disproportionate number of the scouts recruited were human or demi-human. These scouts also took the name of Iuz's Huntsmen.

As the Greyhawk Wars ended, the Huntsmen became invaluable as the hot war turned into a cold one. The need for covert troops to infiltrate enemy lands and assassinate or gather valuable information was necessary. The Huntsmen were assigned these tasks as their longevity within the Iuz's empire became permanent. 

Noirian Zieros, relishes his position as the head of the Huntsmen and has remained an ally of Sunifarel Brightrobe. Noirian realizes he owes his new position to Sunifarel, and having an ally, especially an elven one, in the Boneshadow benefits him tremendously. 

Forest giants can be found in deep and primordial woods. They range in height from 12 to 14 feet tall, and their skin tone goes from a rich earth tone to a tan. Their hair is wild, unkempt, and usually shot through with leaves, twigs, and other forest debris. They wear the skins of animals they have slain and eaten and fashion trunks of small trees into warclubs. Forest giants will also have a thick growth of gray-green moss covering most of their bodies and gear. They are proud of their moss covering and grooming it as it helps in their natural ability to camouflage themselves. Forest giants are not stupid and have average intelligence. They construct traps, blinds, and funnels for hunting game and ambushing those entering their territory. 

While not chaotic in nature, forest giants tend to be cruel and show no mercy to any creatures they come across. Creatures they capture are tortured for entertainment before eating them. Due to their voracious appetites, forest giants do not tend to stay long in any area and constantly roam between a handful of favored hunting grounds found throughout the forest where they live. They are omnivores but prefer fresh meat. 

Forest giants are solitary creatures but can be found in mated pairs. They rear their young for roughly one year before driving them off to find their way in life. Forest giants at this young age are as large as adult male humans and aggressively targeted by other predators within the forest to prevent them from growing into adults.

Combat
Too large to be effective hunters that stalk their prey, forest giants have become masters of ambush and can remain motionless for hours on end. When confronted with a foe they feel might be stronger than themselves, the forest giant will use their natural ability to blend into their surroundings to hide. ​

In combat, a forest giant uses their club and pushes over trees onto enemies to pin them down. This tactic is a favorite when confronted by a pack of animals or a group of adventurers. They usually prep several trees around their ambush site by loosening the soil around the tree's roots. If they feel the need to flee, they might topple over trees to bar the way of their pursuers.

Size/Type: Large Giant
Hit Dice:  14d8+50 (106 hp)
Initiative: –1
Speed: base speed 40 ft.
Armor Class: 20 (–1 size, +13 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+20
Attack: Greatclub +16 melee (2d8+10) or slam +15 melee (1d4+7) or rock +8 ranged (2d6+7)
Full Attack: Greatclub +16/+11 melee (2d8+10) or 2 slams +15 melee (1d4+7) or rock +8 ranged (2d6+7)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: See Below
Special Qualities: Low-light vision
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +3, Will +4
Abilities: Str 25, Dex 10, Con 19, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 7
Skills: Climb +7, Hide +8, Jump +7, Listen +3, Spot +6
Feats: Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, Improved Sunder, Weapon Focus (greatclub)
Environment: Temperate forests
Organization: Solitary (1-2) or a mated pair
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Often neutral evil

Special Attack: Instead of attacking with their club, a forest giant can topple a tree upon unsuspecting opponents. The attack forces all creatures in a straight line for 30ft, starting from the base of the trunk in the direction the Forest Giant pushes it, to make a DC 12 Reflex save or take 2d6 bludgeoning damage. Those who fail their saving throw by more than half are also pinned under the tree and must spend a full round to climb out from under the tree.
Natural Ambusher: The DC to spot a Forest Giant lying in wait to ambush a foe is DC20.

Here is the sampler PDF for the Wicked Studios upcoming release of our Ravensrook supplement based off of the city of Rookroost from Greyhawk. Click on the link and check it out. We are aming at a February 2022 Kickstarter campaign for the book. We have the book done except for the layout and we are looking to commission a full wraparound cover for it.