TEXT: Foreign Relations 
   
  Prynhawn da.  I am Gwydion of the Twained Elm, Bard of the Old Lore and Gyruff’s 
  Ambassador to Keoland.  So, Morweena has sent you to me to learn about Gyruff’s 
  relations with her neighbors, eh?  Given Gyruff’s history, and certain recent events, these 
  “relations” have not always been civil.   But it is the job of diplomats such as myself to 
  try to keep them so.  Sit, sit, take some sieder.  After we have finished, you can draw your 
  own conclusions as to Gyruff’s relations with her neighbors. 
   
  Gyruff, like other nations of the Flanaess has “foreign” nations both within and outside 
  her borders.  As every Brenin has found, Owen perhaps more so than others in recent 
  memory, this situation requires a subtle mixture of diplomacy, secrecy and war, not 
  unlike the art of the Old Lore Bards.  While the prydythi have tried to remain 
  independent of these dealings in order to record an unbiased history of Gyruff, for many 
  an Old Lore Bard these subtleties are the food and drink of nation building.  
   
  Naturally, while the individual Gyri may hold a particular view regarding his neighbors, 
  Gyruff, at least as represented by its various warlords centuries ago and the Brenins 
  following Iowerth, has often had to a take a more conciliatory approach.  Indeed, since 
  Gyruff’s fall and continuing through the current war of reclamation, many Gyri have put 
  aside their distrust of the Gran March and the Knights of the Watch because of the 
  contribution these foreigners have made in liberating Gyruff.  Some negative feelings 
  have resurfaced in light of Commandant Vrianian’s annexation of Arweth.   
   
  In the end, Gyruff is the land and the land is Gyruff.  The land can absorb a rainstorm and 
  turn it into a field of grass.  That field of grass can be scorched by wild fire and yet 
  produce an oak from an acorn left by a fleeing squirrel.  That oak will bend in a wind 
  storm and return to its true form when the storm passes.  The Gyri too have absorbed, 
  adapted and bent to deal with the nations in and around her.  Often the Gyri have, like the 
  Greenman, lain dormant until the moment is right to emerge.  Each time, Gyruff returns 
  to its true form when the storm passes.  
   
  Given the Gyri’s affinity for the land, it is not surprising that the people of Gyruff have 
  cooperated more closely with the demi-human inhabitants of the land than with their own 
  human brethren.  Perhaps this is because of the longer lives of the non-humans and their 
  greater affinity for nature.  In any event, long before adventurers began swilling sieder 
  and exchanging tales in the Boar’s Other Knuckle, the Gyri met, established trade and 
  shared defenses with the dwarves, gnomes and elves of the region.   
   
  The fruit of these cultivated relationships is present in the current culture of the Gyri in 
  both visible and less intangible ways.  For instance, nearly one thousand years ago (1842 
  Flan Tracking), the sylvan elves of the forests and the gnomes helped build Gorna.     
  Were it not for the giants’ desecration of this great city, you would be able to see 
  evidence of this construction in the clean, open streets and parks and the gnomish gardens 
  in the hills above the city.  After Gorna is retaken, I would recommend a tour of the city.  
  You will not likely see such architecture in many of the other cities of the Flanaess.  The 
  
  elves and the gnomes also sheltered the Gryri Flan from the violence of the early clashes 
  between Oerdian and Suel for dominance in the Sheldomar Valley.  After the giant 
  invasion, things changed.  The elves, those that survived, became more reclusive and 
  hostile to non-elves, vigorously defending sheltered portions of their regal woods.  The 
  gnomes disappeared into the Stark Mounds and avoided contact with anyone.  Recently, 
  even these relationships have begun to improve and we have seen Gyri, elf and gnome 
  working together to rid all of Gyruff of the giants and their kin. 
   
  Any questions so far?  No.  The Scops have trained you well. Good.  Now let me tell you 
  about each of Gyri’s neighbors.  Please interrupt me if you have any questions.   
   
   
  Gran March 
  Keoland 
  Other Human Nations of the Sheldomar 
  Elves 
  Dwarves 
  Gnomes 
   
  That just about completes my lesson on Gyruff’s relations with her neighbors.  Are there 
  any questions?  Yes, you there in the back.  Speak up. 
   
  Ah, yes.  What of the Fey?   To tell you of the Fey and their interaction with the Gyri 
  would take many more hours.  I have many stories of the Fey I can share with you, but 
  one must be careful when talking about Them.  Perhaps that discussion is best left for 
  another day.  You must take time now to think on what I have told you and determine 
  how you can work to improve the Gyri’s standing with other nations. 
   
  Gwydion of the Twained Elm 
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Living Greyhawk/Metaorg Material/Geoff/History and Geography/Foreign Relations-Intro.pdf