GREENKHLAAWDAA (a.k.a. Land of the Closed Society)
Location: Continent of Brun, western side of the Endworld Line, south of Hyborea. WB
Area: 46,870 sq. mi. (121,390 sq. km.).
Population: Unknown.
Languages: Hydrax (official), Visneskayan.
Coinage: Aa (pp), ghwal (gp), hahkr (sp).
Government Type: Hierarchical monarchy.
Taxes: Unknown.
Industries: Unknown.
Important Figures: Awkaraal (King, hydrax, male).
Flora and Fauna: The cold tundra of the region, when it does not give way to arctic mountains and glaciers, is inhabited by small-sized animals, such as arctic foxes, rodents, as well as wolves, deer, and elk. In the northern part of the land some polar bears can be found. Monsters of the region include white dragons, frost giants, and frost salamanders.
Further Reading: None.
Description by Giulio diSergio-Orsini.
The Land
This territory is known to its inhabitants as Greenkhlaawdaa, but everybody outside the territory calls it the Closed Society, though nobody would say it in front of one of the hydrax who inhabit the country.
The People
The hydrax have a heavily hierarchical society, at the top of which is a supreme king. The hydrax are believed to guard two entrances to the Elemental Plane of Water, one of which is supposedly located in the capital city, whose common name is Grez (actually Grezasaaldakwerytasz). The Land of the Closed Society is nearly impossible to visit; and inside the country there is a lot of bureaucracy; lower class members of society must deal with the few foreign visitors, and ensure they do not learn too much about this nation or its inhabitants. The hydrax write on ice cubes with their claws, in an unknown writing style resembling hieroglyphics, which the hydrax will not allow foreigners to learn. No one has ever tried to rob the hydrax of their secrets. Or, if somebody has, they have not managed to escape from the Closed Society's land.
Hydrax are second in nastiness only to hresha-rhak. Although they are not ugly creatures (they are a sort of intelligent giant crabs made of a substance quite similar to ice), they are an impossibly hierarchical society. Every single action is controlled by the government, and visitors receive the same treatment. It's not that they want to be nasty, just that even the most lawful, understanding creature on Mystara would eventually go crazy here, if they tried to understand why things are done the way there are here. It is also quite disturbing to see the members of the Blue Wind move freely about the country; they seem to be freer than the hydrax themselves.
History
The hydrax have a long and detailed history of their presence on Mystara. They originally lived on Mystara at the time of the Great Rain of Fire, in a region that would later become the Sea of Dread, at the time completely covered with ice. When the Blackmoor explosion shifted the axis of the planet, the region became gradually warmer, and the hydrax found it impossible to survive, so they used their magical powers and their scientific knowledge, and calculated what would become the new polar region. They then left for that area and retired in deep caverns of the region, to fall into a magical slumber that would last until the region became cold enough for them to flourish. Even if their calculations were not completely right, since they arrived in Hyborea instead of the north pole, the region became cold enough to be hospital to the elemental race.
Their history in Hyborea is long, but few events happened in the last 3,000 years. The hydrax remained isolated, and had little contact with the Djikarti gnomes to the south, although their different philosophies led to hatred, but never to open war. When humans arrived in what is now Klagorst, the hydrax decided to make contact with them to find out if any of the newcomers would be impressionable enough to further their unknown projects, thus leading to the creation of the Blue Wind, a league whose centre is in Port Fewalskij.
Don't Miss
The only reason a fellow has to come and visit this land
could be its marvellous mountains and glaciers. The capital city of the hydrax, and the smaller ones, are built
in the glaciers, and are marvellous crystalline buildings, constructed to
resemble prisms, which then reflect light and colours in such a way as to
illuminate the area in which they stand, even when the light is dim. This can prove a blinding experience to
common human eyes when the sun is shining, but nevertheless, once in a
lifetime, an adventurer should see this!