​In the realm of the Baklunish West, there exist vast swaths of dry steppe and deserts. This sea of grass and sand can be deadly to travelers that find themselves lost within its depths. The threat of dying of thirst is as fatal as the wandering monsters, bandits, and Paynim warlords that can be found there. While streams, wells, and even lakes can be found in this landscape, the threat of getting turned around by the vast sameness of the landscape is a real possibility for the untrained. Even among those accustomed to living there, the chance of delusions and visions brought upon by heat exhaustion is a real threat. 

Worshipers of Geshtai, the Daughter of the Oasis, goddess of lakes, rivers, wells, and streams, have long sought to help those in need upon the dry steppe. While her Rashaws (Baklunish Cleric) are found at particular sites throughout the Baklunish West, a class of rangers more suited to the task roaming the steppe has arisen to help them. These Palins Shepherds work in tandem with the far fewer priests of Geshtai to help travelers and protect these life-giving places.

While initially derived from the faithful of Geshtai, it is not a requirement for a Plains Shepherd to worship her to be a Plains Sheperd. Regardless of the faith of the Plains Shepherd, they are treated with reverence by most people, and it is generally forbidden in the Baklunish West to harm a Plains shepherd. Those who do are shunned or staked to the ground to bake in the hot sun.

A Plains Shepherd works primarily in solitude when not leading travelers to water sources and safe-havens. Still, it is not unusual to find them in the company of a Yatama or apprentice. These students who wish to take up the profession of a Plains Shepherd will ride with them for several years, learning their ways. 

Plains Shepherd's wear flowing robes of white trimmed in blue, along with a blue tagelmust (Headscarf and turban). Sheperd's are highly trained archers and usually are armed with a tulwar and spear. Most Shepherds do not wear armor, and if they do, it is always light armor. Shepherds are also excellent riders and generally prefer to use camels over horses.

​Over the generations, many of those that found themselves persecuted by the evil Aerdy despots fled into the Adri Forest. Eventually, out of this grew small but well-organized bands of rangers, priests, and druids dedicated to protecting the forest and those that live within it.

Among these groups, one organized by the priesthood of Ehlonna, calling themselves the Warriors of the Huntress, took shape. These militant foresters believed in being aggressive and proactive against threats to the forest. They also bring the blessing and teachings of Ehlonna to all who wish it along the way.

As the reputation of these priests grew, they took on followers of like mind and faith. Chief among these followers are the rangers who aid in their crusade to keep the forest clear of the evil that ruined and broke apart the Great Kingdom.

The Warriors of the Huntress are on good terms with most in the forest, even if they are considered hotheaded by some. This lustful approach to defending the Adri has led to the warriors pursuing threats, or perceived threats, outside of the forest. Because of this, the Warriors of the Huntress have a reputation outside of the Adri. In the North Kingdom, the warriors are wanted criminals with bounties on their heads.

The Warriors of the Huntress have no real structure to their organizations and instead make decisions by committee. But the priestess Lisara Elmhern is regarded by most outside of the Warriors of the Huntress as being their unofficial leader. 

​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.