Greyhawkery

Sea Princes #24: Swashbuckling Action?

2012-03-08T00:56:00.000-08:00

I'm still way behind on these reports, my apologies. Last time, the Bird of Prey sent five intrepid crewmen to go spring imprisoned Captain "Ironclaw" McGrath from his prison in Sasserine, so as to use him as ransom for the captured sage Lockard Meek. The men chosen were all of questionable judgement:

W.B. McGarnagle (fighter, desecration of a shrine)
Wodrick "Shank" Grubbyhill (bard, maiming an officer)
"Blonde" Barry Picaroon" (fighter, inciting a riot)
"Two-Bit" Jack Ginth (rogue, grand arson)
and Billy Palsy (rogue, jailbreaking)

With smoke at their back, weapons drawn and Cudgel watchmen closing in, the five sprung into action by....splitting up! Bill Palsy retreated through the kitchen and smoke to emerge in the rear courtyard. Still disguised in uniform, he went running for a far tower to bluff another guard into helping him evacuate all prisoners due to the fire. Blonde Barry Picaroon bull rushed his way past a couple guards at the door and got outside as well. In an attempt to blend in with the confused crowd of watchmen (and no doubt to show off his physique), Barry took his shirt off and went running to find Billy. Meanwhile, tiny Wodrick "Shank" Grubbyhill hid under a great hall table and drew his blades as two armed guards went peeking under them to find him. One got hamstringed, while another got stabbed in the voice box for getting too close. The guards were careful in moving in on the gnome, so seizing his chance, Wodrick ran out from under the tables and entered a side chamber then closed the doors and barred it with a tall candlestand before his pursuers could get the gumption to come after him.

Meanwhile, acrobatic Two-Bit Jack Ginth rode a rope up to the balcony and sent a chandelier crashing down around a group of guards. His comrade in crime, W.B. McGarnagle roughed his way and disarmed a guard to get outside after Blone Barry. McGarnagle sacrificed his sword to bar the portal temporarily and give him time to dash toward a sounding bell tower marked with the symbol of St. Cuthbert. An avowed pyromaniac, Ginth ran along the balcony knocking over lamps and lanterns and setting tapestries afire as the guards turned and ran up the stairs to head him off again. He kicked out a window however and deftly dropped down by way of a torn tapestry to the courtyard below In the distance he saw the same bell tower that McGarnagle had entered.

After Wodrick took the time to barricade himself in the west wing of the central manor, he did a quick search and found a small locked coffer in an office (chest sized to a gnome). Cackling at his luck, the crafty gnome bard hefted the container and looked for another way out...Billy Palsy and Barry Picaroon ran through a hysterical crowd following a duped guard toward the last tower in the garrison. The one holding the prison block. Once inside they ascended some stairs and were met by the loyally unmoving turnkey of the prison tower. Not a bluff from Billy nor an intimidating threat from Barry would move this man. "If the tower caught on fire, the scum in here would deserve to burn!" he declared. In a hurry, Palsy knifed the duped guard and Blonde Barry clubbed the turnkey unconscious. Taking both their uniforms off, they hurried up to the cells above to find Ironclaw McGrath.

Out of frying pan and into the fire, McGarnagle was discovered by a trio of armored Cuthbertian priests inside the chapel tower. up above another priest rang the bell to warn the city of the fire. Assuming he was the source of the mayhem, the priests raised their maces and closed in. McGarnagle had had enough and dashed toward a stained glass window depicting Cuthbert and crashed through it to make his escape through a garden. The cries of desecrator were faintly heard as he ran toward the nearest alley. Behind him in the confusion, Two-Bit had entered the same tower and rushed up the circular stairs toward the bell tower. Attempting to set fires as he went along the vicious Ginth finally reached the top and pushed an unwary bell-ringer down to his death on the chapel floor below. Standing on the ledge at the top of this turret he surveyed the city from the smoldering garrison and leapt into the night....

Blonde Barry and Billy Palsy finallt found McGrath as well as his first mate from the Hideous, Symeon Flynch. After explaining what ship they hailed from and who was breaking him out, McGrath seemed pleased with this turn of fate and the pair manacled him and freed him from the cell. Symeon Flynch was given the keys and allowed to free himself. He would willingly go anywhere his captain went even into hostage if it meant being on a ship out of Sasserine. The Bird of Prey would be in just as much trouble as them if anyone found out who freed them after all. Using rope he brought from the ship, Barry, Billy and prisoners climbed down from a parapet to the far side of the wall; from there they slipped discretly back to their waiting gondola to sneak back to their ship. Amazingly, W.B. McGarnagle was there waiting for them. He could only venture that Two-Bit and Shank were dead or captured. McGrath greeted his former crewman and said no more until they were safely onboard the Bird and sailing out to bay with streams of smoke rising behind them in the predawn sky.

Epilogue: Horses raced for safety, wagons rolled out of the gates, and concerned citizens rushed to and fro with water buckets. In the pandemonium none noticed a small silhouetted figure waddling out the front gate carrying a money laden coffer...

Game notes: That was an amazing session needless to say. Tracking the action in multiple directions was a challenge but the players were quite into the thrilling mayhem they caused. In the end they did the right thing, but in the process left the door open to play some of these troublemakers again someday.

Blackmoor, Black Ice and More Maps

2012-03-06T17:12:00.000-08:00

Anna Meyer is on a roll over at the Atlas of the Flanaess. She has recently finished a huge swathe of maps covering the areas known as the "Bitter North" or "Old Blackmoor". The links aren't updated on her site as of yet, so here is some links to the individual area maps via the Flanaess Cartographic Society. Thanks a million Anna!

Western Land of Black Ice
http://ghmaps.net/areamaps/Sq5v1.jpg
http://ghmaps.net/areamaps/Sq5v1.pdf

Northern Black Ice/ Dramidj Ocean
http://ghmaps.net/areamaps/Sq6v1.jpg
http://ghmaps.net/areamaps/Sq6v1.pdf

Eastern Black Ice/ Brink Islands
http://ghmaps.net/areamaps/Sq7v1.jpg
http://ghmaps.net/areamaps/Sq7v1.pdf

Eastern Burneal/ Western Blackmoor
http://ghmaps.net/areamaps/Sq19v1.jpg
http://ghmaps.net/areamaps/Sq19v1.pdf

Eastern Blackmoor
http://ghmaps.net/areamaps/Sq20v2.jpg
http://ghmaps.net/areamaps/Sq20v2.pdf

Northern Vesve
http://ghmaps.net/areamaps/Sq32v1.jpg
http://ghmaps.net/areamaps/Sq32v1.jpg

"Check out the Bitter North she said.
It'll be good for your health she said."

Mythos of the High Seas

2012-03-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

Recently in my high seas Sea Princes campaign I've been using alot of deities that I normally didn't care much about in campaigns past. The reason for this usually because my games tended to be set inland on the Flanaess, centered on core type deities that everyone has heard of like St Cuthbert, Vecna or Wee Jas. With a setting now centered on the coastal realms of the Azure Sea and far-flung adjacent waters like the Oljatt Sea, Vohoun Ocean, and Jeklea Bay, I can now concentrate on the dangerous and exotic gods of the sea that would only concern sailors and other denizens of the waters.

Skimming through the entries in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer one can see that coastal nations tend to worship many of the same gods whether they are Suel or Oerid in origin. I think the reason for this is their overlapping concerns. A sailor can never be certain which sea or wind god is angry and needs to be appeased. A rivalry does exist between Procan and Xerbo for instance but it's not a dichotomy we can easily understand like Hextor-Heironeous or Pelor-Nerull. In my opinion, centuries of seafaring history has mingled some of these religions into a psuedo-mythos that all sailors should pay homage to, be they from the Hold of the Sea Princes, Lordship of the Isles or the Sea Barons. With these common gods comes even more associated myths of the deep: unnatural monstrous gods, demons and legendary forces of nature that superstitious sailors must keep in mind. Adventuring around Greyhawk City might be dangerous, but adventurers on the high seas put their lives in the hands of the gods every day.

Mythos of the High Seas

Procan the Storm Lord, Sailor of the Sea and Sky (Seas, Sea Life, Salt, Weather, Navigation)
his children, known as the Velaeri: (normally agricultural deities, at sea they are sought for their favorable air currents)
Atroa the Sad Maiden (East Wind)
Sotillion the Summer Queen (South Wind)

Telchur the Icebrother (North Wind)

Wenta the Harvest Daughter (West Wind)
Velnius the Elder Breeze (Sky, Weather, oversees the four winds)

Xerbo the Sea Dragon (Sea, Sailing, Business)
and his occasional consort
Osprem the Sea Princess, Lady of the Waves (Sea Voyages, Ships, Sailors)

Eadro the Bather of Gills (Locathahs, Tritons and Merfolk)

Deep Sashelas the Lord of the Undersea (Sea Elves)

Vogan (Touv god of Storms)
Tlaloc (Olman god of Rain)

(Navigators)
Celestian the Far Wanderer (Stars)
Pholtus of the Blinding Light (Light, Moons)

(Pirates, Swashbucklers, Corsairs)

Istus the Lady of Our Fate

Kelanen the Sword Saint

Kord the Brawler
Kurell the Vengeful Knave
Norebo the God of Gambles
Rudd the Duelist
Olidammara the Laughing Rogue

(Evils to Avoid)

Blipdoolpoolp the Sea Mother (Kuo-Toa)

Sekolah the Great Shark, the Caller From the Depths (Sahuagin)

Panzuriel the Deep Old One, the Banished One (Evil aquatic creatures, Kraken)

Incabulos the Black Rider (Sickness, Nightmares, Famine)

Nerull the King of All Gloom (Death, Darkness)

Ralishaz the Unlooked For (Ill-luck, Misfortune)

Yan-C-Bin the Evil Elemental Prince of Air

Olhydra the Evil Elemental Princess of Water

Dagon the Demon Prince of the Darkened Depths

More Map of Maure

2012-03-03T12:37:00.000-08:00

Okay it's not a new map, but recently I was impressed by a simple regional map in my all-time favorite module WG5: Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure. What makes this map elegant is how it's a close-up of one 30 mile wide hex on the Darlene map. This type of map brings to mind old sand box campaigns like Keep on the Borderlands where there was plenty to do within a small area. Off the top of my head I can recall one other map like this in the Temple of Elemental Evil series, but in general this one scores high for color and design, incorporating various terrains of the area and adding a few new ones like an old rutted road overgrown by a wide region brambles or nearby fens. Like I said it's nothing new, but what with all the continental maps being worked on these days, I hope this inspires a few industrious DMs to generate their own localized hex maps. There's plenty to choose from!

click to enlarge

Sea Princes #24: With Cat Like Tread...

2012-02-29T07:41:00.001-08:00

Last episode out heroes escaped from the gassy death trap of Tamoachan only to learn the sage whom they seek had been kidnapped by Crimson Fleet pirates and taken eastward. A day behind, the crew gave chase through the jungle, while Captain Rennaud returned to the Bird of Prey and promised to swing around the Hook to pick them up. Days later, Osprem's Kiss arrived on the east coast of the jungle instead, and with both Olfon Trebus and Lord Key onboard. Where did the Bird of Prey go? That leads us to our current uh...protagonists:

W.B. McGarnagle (fighter, woman killer)
Wodrick "Shank" Grubbyhill (bard, conduct unbecoming a gnome)
"Blonde" Barry Picaroon" (fighter, assault and battery)
"Two-Bit" Jack Ginth (rogue, arson)
and Billy Palsy (rogue, impersonating an officer)

The desperation of the Cpt. Rennaud hit a new high when he learned from an exposed informant in the Seeker's camp that the Crimson Fleet had indeed taken Lockard Meek, the only man who could lead him to the Well of All Heals. Knowing his enemies, they would return to their haven of Scuttlecove and ransom the sage off, if he even survived the ordeal. Thus, for their own safety, Rennaud set Olfon and Lord Key off to Fort Blackwell to join Osprem's Kiss while he turned his ship west for Sasserine with the intent of buying or breaking out the pirate captain, "Ironclaw" McGrath whom he helped put in prison not long ago, for the purpose of trading for Lockard Meek. In Sasserine, Rennaud met with House Taskerhill and though he was on excellent terms the family would not part with this valuable hostage. That is when the "Blackguard" made another rash decision that would add to his infamy...

Limited in action by his curse, Rennaud hand picked an away team of five to sneak into the city and break out McGrath from a garrison prison in the Cudgel District. First he chose three former pirate crewmen; Jack, McGarnagle and Wodrick. The three had been itching for action, they knew what their former captain from the Hideous looked like, and lastly they were expendable if caught but if they succeeded the trio would be let out of their oaths to the Hold. To make sure the three didn't try anything mutinous, Billy Palsy was given a chance to redeem his criminal past by going and dependable Blonde Barry (actually bald) merely volunteered for the bragging rights. That night, armed with climbing gear and weapons, the five infiltrated by gondola through the waterways of Sasserine and came upon the Cudgel district. Lurking in the shadows of an alley outside the garrison, they grabbed a lone Cuthbertite guard who exited. Billy was dressed in the guard's livery and then throwing all stealth to the wind, they made to bluff their way in the front gate.

Posing as good samaritans who rescued a bloody, beaten guard (Billy was punched by McGarnagle to sell the ruse) the gate guards allowed the group to carry Billy inside to a nearby tower common hall. The three pirates laid the story on thick by implicating Barry and Billy's crewmates Salty Sal, Piper Kellin and Caine to the crime. Without warning the Hideous pirates jumped the gate guards; injury faking Billy and Barry had no choice but to join in or risk discovery. With a chance to stealth around the garrison in more guard uniforms and find the prison tower, the three pirates instead began their great diversion, burning down the garrison and with it the whole city of Sasserine. Two-Bit Jack apparently was a wanted arsonist before he joined the Crimson Fleet. Tapestries and tables were lit and the group raced outside to the stables, did the same thing then ran to hide in the shadows of the central manor to watch the mayhem ensue.

When more guards came running out of the smoking tower, horns started blaring, a loud bell tolled from the otherwisde of the courtyard and bucket brigades began to form at the wells. The five slipped into the manor through the servants' entrance and using the hysteria of the fire to their advantage they got most of the staff to exit, except one young maid who was held back by sinister W.B. McGarnagle. Of all people in the garrison to ask where the prison was, this startled girl was the last person who would know and for this she got ran through. Barry and Billy began to get nervous as their loose cannon allies started to burn the kitchens next. Once smoke filled the back chambers, the "rescuers" proceeded into the grand hall where they were met by a warily armed band of Cuthbertite guards who were not be swayed by the bluffs and lies of the five armed scalliwags in their home. More guards raced for the stairs from the gallery overlooking the hall. The five swashbucklers were hopelessly outnumbered, so naturally weapons were drawn...

(to be continued)

Game note: I thought since the PCs got picked to do all the away missions, that it would be more realistic if five different crewmen were given a job (though suicidal). Everyone enjoyed picking these pregenerated NPCs randomly and completely threw themselves into the new roles, some of which were pirates that their regular PCs had originally pressed into service. I think mutiny was brought up within the first five minutes!

S3: Barrier Peaks Art Kickstarter

2012-02-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

Pointed out to me by Allan Grohe, this project is quite interesting for those who know about and are into kickstarter projects. Jeff Dee, one of D&D and Greyhawk's classic illustrators has been reworking his own art from various AD&D products and this time he has chosen to do the genre clashing Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. Check out the video and all the pertinent details of Jeff Dee's project here. I'm keen to see what he does next!

Castle Greyhawk: Adventure Hook

2012-02-25T23:04:00.001-08:00

Greetings Greyhawk fans! This week I have for you page two in my graphic novel collaboration of Castle Greyhawk by Scott Casper. The pilot page in the series can be read here. Each episode I will strive to bring you readers along for the ride by adding some artist commentary like I used to in my own Greyhawk comics.

Read the comic and enjoy!

Commentary: It may not be readily apparent or important right now, but the tavern where young Tenser spends his time is called the Roc and Oliphant. Located in Clerkburg, the City of Greyhawk boxed set describes the Roc and Oliphant best:

"This boisterous tavern is a favorite of students, renowned for cheap drink and ample portions of tolerable food. It is bust at mealtimes, and during most evenings. Earthday evenings are the wildest, usually with music from some group of minstrels or bards. Since most colleges do not hold classes on Freeday, the carousing goes on until well past midnight.
The large building consists of a huge main room heated by a central fireplace, and several smaller rooms to each side. The kitchen is to the rear. The whole place has a distinctive odor combining wood smoke, stale beer, and human perspiration."

Just my kind of place!

4e Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl

2012-02-24T01:58:00.002-08:00

Fresh off the e-presses at Wizards is the next installment in Chris Perkin's adaptation of the Against the Giants module series: Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl. Previously we've seen Steading of the Hill Giant Chief followed by a wholly original chapter in the remake, Warrens of the Stone Giant Thane. The third part of four in this series, the Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl is of course only open to D&D Insider subscribers. While the game mechanics is 4th Edition (with 5e looming behind it), collectors of all things Greyhawk will not be disappointed in the content as this module positively adds more richness to the original story. Mention is also made of classic Gygaxian NPCs like Beek Gwenders, Flerd Trantle and Obmi. Chris Perkins takes care in his writing as this author's note attests:

"In reimagining "Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl," I made some changes to the maps and encounters to make the adventure a fun and balanced 4th Edition experience. I tried to keep the map scale on par with the original to capture the sheer immensity of the Glacial Rift, acknowledging that this scale creates some mapping challenges for Dungeon Masters with limited tabletop space. I hope that DMs with fond memories of the original read this latest incarnation and feel the same overwhelming desire to run the adventure that I felt back in 1980, when I read Gary Gygax’s adventure for the first time."

Download this module now if you have the means. I don't normally shill for Wizards, but with the news that more Greyhawk material might be written leading up to D&DNext there's probably no better reason than that for old school fans to subscribe to D&DI in 2012.

Sea Princes #23: Escape From Tamoachan

2012-02-21T12:29:00.000-08:00

Be warned reader, this episode of the Sea Princes' ongoing adventures contains spoilers for the classic module C1: The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan. Last time, the crew had fell through the ground and ended up beneath the ruins of an ancient Olman city. Unfortunately they would not have much time to explore; poisonous game permeating the whole dungeon threatened to end the lives of our protagonists:

Victor Emmitt Hammond (rogue, savage slugger)
Araxo Tydan (rogue, door destroyer)
Cuahtehmoc aka "Cuahto" (ranger, trap tripper)

Brother Pickles "of the Jar" (cleric, starfish sender)

and Henri Morgan (rogue, debris delver)

Araxo, Henri and their guide came upon the cavernous lair of a near-nude nereid named the Child of Zotzilaha. The glowing unearthly woman urged the trio to come closer so she could welcome and gift them with a kiss. The scheming lieutenant and his shipmate were wary having never been that close to a woman without paying for it. They sent their Olman guide to test her intentions. Lightly kissed, the Olman wandered off in a happy daze but alive. She then pouted that the other two were spurning her advances. Araxo gave Henri a signal and they both approached her in a flanking position together. Drawing their blackpowder pistols they intended to sneak attack her but suddenly found that up close, their will was not strong enough and she was too beautiful to harm...

Meanwhile in a large water-logged hall of pillars, Cuahto, Victor and Pickles followed trails of silver slime on the walls and waded up to a glowing object. It was exactly what they expected, a giant slug. Much like before when they met the crayfish and crab, this giant creature turned out to be sentient. Turning its eyestalks toward them it introduced itself as Tecuziztecatli the Lord of Snails. In a surprising turn Cuahto spoke to it in Olman and asked for the way out of the dungeons to which the Lord of Snails obliged by pointing them toward the lair of the Child of Zotzilaha. Nothing of value was discovered and they left down another hall just in time to hear a gun shot...

Henri struggled to fight the allure of the nereid and in doing so incurred her anger, so she spit in his face causing temporary blindness. Henri fired at her wildly missing her and Araxo luckily. The Child then surged beackward into her pool of water and sent a roaring wave to buffet all three away from her. By this time the others had hurried up toward the booming sounds to find their compatriots and the lurking woman. This time they asked for a way out, knowing the gasses would soon kill them. She agreed to allow them across her pool to a door provided they give her gifts. Without hesitation Vic gave up an earring, Cuahto and armband, and best of all Pickles, mesmerized by the aquatic beauty offered her the humble gift of a chocolate covered starfish which both confused and touched her. She vanished under the pool and the party waded over to the exit.

Eventually they came upon a hallway with huge decorative animal heads every ten to twenty feet. One of them, an eagle head had a gold braclet stuck inside its open beak of a mouth. Cuahto, ever the fearless, reached in to pull it free and had the beak snap shut on his arm. Painfully he tried to extract his arm (the others offered to cut it off), but ultimately Lt. Tydan oiled the hinge of the beak and Pickles pried it open with his freakish strength. A bit bruised but in one piece Cuahto and company continued down another narrow hall until thick, metal bound wooden doors slammed down ahead and behind them. Moments later the hiss of sand was heard from small holes cut in the walls. They were going to be buried alive...

Victor Hammond was weakest of all from the gas, he had even taken a potion to get him this far. Seeing the sand start to slowly fill their stretch of hall he became despondant and was ready to sit down and accept death. Pickles and the others couldn't lift the doors and the sand was pooling up fast. In a moment of desperate inspiration the crew assembled a small bomb from all their collective black powder horns. Placing it at the base of a door and bracing it with sand so the charge would explode toward the door, they backed all the way up to the rear door, got low and lit a trail of powder. A deafening explosion filled the corridor with black smoke, sand and splintered wood. They were free!

Just beyond this hall they came to a chamber with mounds of refuse and giant beetles that react to noise. At the top of the largest mound of trash they saw moonlight peeking through, it was the way out! Most of the group tip-toed up the mound to avoid the easily startled beetles and in an act of roguish self preservation, Vic Hammond punched out their guide T'oken. The unconscious Olman rolled down the mound, attracting every beetle where the man was feasted upon. Vic, Araxo and Pickles slipped out of the muddy cevasse into the vine covered ruin where the air was fresh at last. Cuahto and Henri stayed behind to rummage through the trash and find minor bits of treasure, but the noise was attracting the beetles so they finally retreated to the surface.

Once the five were free, they were soon happily discovered by Cpt. Rennaud, Olfon Trebus and Scar. With them was another Olman guide from the expedition that came with Lockard Meek. They had been searching the rubble for their lost crewmembers and any sign of the sage, only to find the guide hiding out. From him they learn that Lockard had been kidnapped by Crimson Fleet pirates and Amedian savages, then taken east through the jungle; the opposite way from their ship. Someone had tipped the pirates off about the expedition and Rennaud was keen to get back to the Seeker camp and tell Quintus Marius he had a traitor among his group. After a quick discussion, Araxo, Cuahto, Scar, Vic, Pikles and Morgan volunteered to strike off into the jungle to find the pirates. Rennaud and the rest headed back west to the camp for the Bird of Prey. Rennaud said he would sail around the Hook of the Amedio jungle, get Osprem's Kiss, and pick them back up hopefully by the time they reached the coast. Things would not go entirely according to plan...

(to be continued)

The Mountain King is a Polyglot

2012-02-20T06:07:00.000-08:00

Over at Hall of the Mountain King, the fine Greyhawk sage Jason Zavoda has been on quite a roll lately. First off, I really like anyone who is dedicated enough to write Greyhawk fiction and I promote it when I can find it. Zavoda has been doing this longer than most. Originally posted on the Greytalk mailing list a decade ago, Jason has been reproducing some of his episodic fiction for a new audience to read. Started back in January, there is currently the epic Nosnra's Saga and now his An Unsung Death in Geoff. Follow the links to start at the beginning and then catch up through the archived threads.

Never to be considered a slacker the Mountain King is also showing off his linguistic skills with another clever series on Languages of Oerthly Magic. In it Jason gives the translations of well-known D&D spells into the tongue of many common races found in (and under) the Flanaess. So far he has done: Affect Normal Fires, Burning Hands, and Charm Person.

Check all this and more out at your leisure; who knows what will issue from the Hall next?

Unique Greyhawk Magic Items

2012-02-16T06:58:00.000-08:00

Ut oh! Evidently the Drow
got their hands on this!

I don't know why, but these items intrigued me the other day when I came across the cards for my old copy of Greyhawk Wars. Over at the Canonfire forums, I posted a challenge to develop these unique named items that so far exist only to influence the boardgame events of Greyhawk Wars. As this boxed set should technically be canon for Greyhawk, this is a rare opportunity for someone looking for a Greyhawk topic to write about. I'd love to do it, but come on, I got enough on my plate! I'm crossposting here to see if anyone else but me remembers seeing these items before:

Bowl of Storms (game card power: apply a +2 strength bonus to one sea unit in battle)

Rary's Bulls-Eye Bow (card power: cause 1 automatic hit on an enemy at the start of battle)

Drawmij's Dagger (card power: essentially identical to Rary's Bow)

Bigby's Bottled Breath (card power: make 1 free STR 3 attack on each enemy unit before battle) !

Gloves of the Paladin (card power: heal one hit suffered by one unit)

Dura's Deadly Poison (card power: flip one hero to its activated side)

Sea Princes #22: Tumble Into Tamoachan

2012-02-13T03:29:00.000-08:00

Be warned reader, this episode of the Sea Princes' ongoing adventures contains spoilers for the classic module C1: The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan. When last we followed the crew they stood among the tangled foliage overgrowing a massive city an central temple belonging to an ancient Olman society. Traveling with a pair of local guides, Captain Rennaud, the botanist Trebus and the female guard Scar, our protagonists are:

Victor Emmitt Hammond (rogue, got chewed out)
Araxo Tydan (rogue, got lamp out)

Cuahtehmoc aka "Cuahto" (ranger, got flattened out)

Brother Pickles "of the Jar" (cleric, got washed out)
and Henri Morgan (rogue, got gassed out)

The group had just began to spread out and look for the sage Lockard Meek when they mistook the still standing and unresponsive body of the Seeker ranger Fenley of Woodwych as an enemy. Once he was discovered to have numerous blowgun darts in his back they were ready, but not for the "oerthquake" that hit. The ground swallowed up half the party and the resulting slide of rock and earth sealed them in the chamber beneath their feet. The five protgonists got back up and took a head count. One guide was with them (which they named T'oken") but his partner was buried in the rubble still clutching a torch that stuck out for the survivors to take. The captain, Scar and Trebus were missing and as Araxo lit his own lamp they found themselves in a vault of seven alcoves and a single strong door with keyholes. The guide then noticed an eerie amber glow around the lamp and the smell of gas. He immediately related to Cuahto that the air down there was poisonous and they needed to escape in haste!

Splitting up, the crewmates searched the alcoves which held mini dioramas of scenes from everyday Olman life and religion. Nothing of importance was found and the scenes were left unmarred. The seventh alcove was actually a covered basin of water and in there one of the small idols carried a metal key that Henri then used to open the large door with success. Only five minutes passed and they could feel already their lungs hurting. Escaping the vault they moved on to an even larger room built of stone blocks yet covered in a slick layer of mud and dominiating the middle was a large boulder. Before they could get far inside a rather big crayfish waddled into view, began to flail its arms threateningly and strangest of all it spoke Olman! Stunned at first the party stood there and took the insults as Cuahto translated. Brother Pickles was already working on a recipe in his head. Having had enough of the belligerent crayfish he chased it down, slipping in the mud once then picked it up. That's when the creature screamed for Kalka-Kylla...

The boulder then moved and was revealed to be a giant crab of some sentience as well. Everyone began slip-slide-running for the west exit hall including Cuahto who stuffed the chattering crayfish into his dufflebag, dreaming not of food but a talking animal companion. Only Victor stayed behind to hold off the imposing crab guardian. Keeping his balance,Vic severed one of Kalka's many legs as it tried to get to the rest of the party. Vic then took a pincer strike himself but the battle soon grew in his favor as he slashed and darted under the large creature's lumbering attacks. Eventually the crab retreated back inside its shell in defeat. Heaving with exertion in the gassy air, he left the room to catch up to the others.

The group trudged on through more muddy, slimy, rubble filled corridors and rooms to look for a way out. Eventually the hall ended at a sturdy door flanked by a huge stone statue of an native holding a tray. What caught their attention was the sparkling obsidian eyes and the sword hilt that stuck out behind it. Cuahto climbed up on the tray for a better look and felt a rattle of stone. Everyone backed up. Cuahto fully stood on the tray and took out the weapon, exclaiming that it was an obsidian toothed maca like his own. Then the statue toppled over into the hall throwing Cuahto down and exposing the hidden hallway behind it. Cuahto had managed to leap free before he was crushed under the entire weight but in falling he inadvertantly squashed his captive crayfish. A loss for the ranger, a gain for Pickles.

Stooped and single file they all took the hidden passage and emeged in a wide rubble strewn hall that stretched off into darkness, yet in front of them was a short flight of steps down that was nearly filled with brackish water. After some discussion the party inexplicably split up to find a better way out. Araxo, Henri and T'oken went east down the dry corridor, while the strong swimmers Vic, Pickles and Cuahto chose to explore the submerged room down the steps. Araxo held his lamp aloft and proceeded down the long hall until their amber light faded, the farther they went the closer they came to the sound of dripping water, or perhaps singing?

Meanwhile, the swimming trio groped blindly into a small flooded room that had but a couple inches of airspace at its ceiling. Feeling and probing in the inky dark one of them found what seemed to be a swollen stuck wooden door. Bracing together they forced the portal open and in doing so, all the bottled-up water came rushing out in a torrential current that dragged the three around helplessly down a windy corridor and then spat them out into a deeper pool of water. Coming up for air the three looked discovered they were in a huge half-submerged, pillared chamber; dimly lit by silvery streaks on the ceiling and walls with one soft glow emanating from the distant eastern wall...

Araxo and Henri came upon a chamber containing water as well. A pool cut the crumbling room in half and at the other end was the only doorway out. Reclining on the edge of the pool however was a sight for sore sailor eyes, a beautiful golden haired goddess, nude save her seaweed shawl. She smiled and beckoned for them to come closer as she hummed her unearthly song...

Game notes: Wanting to not make a slog of this dungeoncrawl I chose the original convention version of C1 where gas fills the place and a way must be found out (the module even has a competitive scoring system for how efficiently differnt players escape). To that extent I edited a few locations to fit my own schedule. My rules for the gas is every 5 game minutes (all actions were tracked) the party makes a Fortitude DC12 roll or suffer 1d3 damage( 1 damage on a successful save). Scary enough for 4th level characters with rolled stats and hit-points.

More Maps: Eric Anondson's Sheldomar Valley

2012-02-11T23:10:00.000-08:00

Attention Greyhawk loremasters and armchair heroes! There's been so much abuzz in the Greyhawk cartographic community and among the best is the resurgence of Eric Anondson. This week Mr. Anondson announced the completion of his 4-part Sheldomar Valley project:

"Celebrate!

All four parts of my Sheldomar Valley project have been completed. All the maps for this project have had updates since originally published, check them out. The Crystalmists geography-only and Barrier Peaks geography-only maps will have their updates posted soon, maybe as soon as tomorrow night.

Check them all out. There weren't many Gord-isms I found that I could confidently place somewhere, but a few showed up! Mike Bridges' Ull project served as the basis for placenames around Ull."

The maps consist of Northern Sheldomar Valley, Southern Sheldomar Valley, the Crystalmist Mountains (with the Dry Steppes), and the Barrier Peaks (with Ull). Oh yes, Eric mentioned Ull. It's personally humbling to see my tiny contribution to Greyhawk lore sharing space on a map with placenames created by many other authors from Gygax all the way through Living Greyhawk. Eric I believe is moving on to the Jeklea Bay region (sweet for my campaign) and possibly the Sea of Dust.

Again, be sure to check out Eric's entire collection of maps HERE.

New Project: Castle Greyhawk Graphic Novel

2012-02-10T22:58:00.000-08:00

Well folks, I wanted to find a new comic project to work on, it seems I had one under my nose all this time! As reported over at Scottenkainenland, In conjunction with the author, Scott Casper I am going to be attempting a graphic novelization of his Castle Greyhawk fiction. Follow the link to Scott's site for a sneak preview of the "pilot" page. I plan to have a more finished version up soon (I have alot of rust to get out). I don't know how long or how much of this we'll get through, but I am excited to be drawing something other than Greyhawk deities for once. Wish us luck! And stay tuned to our respective blogs for further installments.

Ring of Five Questions: Rob Lazzaretti

2012-02-08T00:47:00.000-08:00

Yes my friends, it's time for a new installment of the Ring of Five Questions! Last time we got to know more about long-time Greyhawk advocate Scott Casper and before that we got some insight into the ascending freelance career of Greg Vaughan. This week is a special treat however, as I delve into the artistic side of D&D and bring to the ring, one of the gaming industry's best and most prolific cartographers, Rob Lazzaretti! A fellow Illinoisan, Rob first broke into the field at Game Designers Worskshop where his maps for games such as Dangerous Journeys, Traveller and Twilight 2000 earned him a job offer from TSR. At TSR, Rob's cartographic talent was seen all over, but most importantly his maps helped define the outerplanar feel of the Planescape setting. From there, Rob stayed on as Art Director of Cartography when Wizards of the Coast bought out TSR, lending his mapping skill to games like Alternity, Dark Matter and other 3rd Edition D&D products.

Eventually Rob had to take his career freelance, and he hasn't slowed down ever since. He has seen plenty of work for other game companies like Green Ronin and especially Paizo where his maps can be found not only in countless issues of Dungeon Magazine (remember the four-part Greyhawk map in issues #118-121?), but also more recently for the hugely successful Pathfinder setting. Now that his biography is out of the way let's see how Lazz' fares in the Ring...

Q1. I'm sure you know each and every hex on the Darlene map. What part of the World of Greyhawk is your favorite?

Rob: I remember tacking the original World of Greyhawk map up on my wood paneled wall near my drawing table when i was a just a teenager. I used to spend time admiring all of the areas and imagining the vistas as they would seem in real life. I always loved The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh and the other "U" series modules. I had a small D&D group of friends back then, and we played through most of the original modules. I always have admired the old school hex maps for their beauty and definitive simplicity.

Q2. Everyone gets asked this next one. If you could be any one Greyhawk deity which would it be?

Rob: Heironeous.

Q3. Of all the maps you've worked on over the years, do you have a few that you consider your best? (Greyhawk or not)

Rob: I have drawn, so many maps in my career that it would be difficult for me to pick a favorite one. I tend to think more in what years i worked on maps and what company they were drawn for. I enjoyed working on maps for Dangerous Journeys at GDW, and creating the maps for Planescape at TSR. Alternity and Dark Matter were fun to work on as well during the TSR/WOTC era. I enjoyed working on the World of Greyhawk maps with Erik Mona. I continue to enjoy drawing maps every day of my life.

Q4. Greyhawk cartography is currently a hot topic in the online community. What tips or tools could you reccomend for an aspiring fantasy map-maker?

Rob: Draw everyday, no matter what always sketch out ideas that are running around in your head. I don't think there is a right or wrong way to go about creating something from your own imagination, as long as you enjoy the process.

Q5. Last one. I'm sure you're familiar with the Oerth world map published in 1996's Dragon Annual #1. This map continues to spark discussion and debate online. What is your professional opinion on this map's content and composition?

Rob: I do recall watching Skip Williams and Dave Sutherland working on this map, it was an odd time for TSR, well I should write a whole book about what it was like to work there and the various people I worked with over the years, it would be a fun read for many i would think. All I could think at the time was that it would be viewed as controversial. All of the maps back then were hand drawn and hand colored, in this maps' case Dr. Martins dyes were used. From what I remember Dave was told to keep the land detail minimal so he added a few monsters and a ship in the ocean to keep it looking interesting. There was always good discussion over projects between us "the cartographers" and the "writers". I think when it comes to designing a world you need to always start at the macro level and then go micro. I am sure that people will discuss this map for a long time though.

Bonus information: Rob Lazzaretti has his own cartography site where among other things, you can apparently purchase a one sheet poster of his Dungeon Magazine, World of Greyhawk map. The interesting thing is these maps can be purchased with or without a hex grid, however both versions come without any text or labels(probably copyright reasons). Despite that, a blank map of the Flanaess can still have useful applications for any campaign. If anyone buys one of these let me know how it turns out.

Sea Princes #21: Vine and Dine

2012-02-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

This is the continuing adventures of the Sea Prince vessel, Bird of Prey. In an effort to find the sage Lockard Meek and decipher his map to the fabled Well of All Heals, Captain Rennaud and his intrepid crew have ventured to the western coast of the Amedio Jungle. Meek is said to be researching ancient Olman ruins in these dark jungles. How hard could it be to find him? We shall find out:

Victor Emmitt Hammond (rogue, on the spot)

Araxo Tydan (rogue, got a knot)

Cuahtehmoc aka "Cuahto" (ranger, crack shot)

Brother Pickles (cleric, was caught)
and Henri Morgan (rogue, took a trot)

Leaving Osprem's Kiss behind in Fort Blackwell temporarily, the Bird soon followed the Amedian coast southward where, following the coordinates of Olfon Trebus, their look-out eventually located the smoke of an encampment near the beach. Those at the encampment signalled with the caravel intentions to trade and parley and soon the captain took a launch ashore with, Trebus, Scar and his main officers in tow. Initially they were met by warily armed Olman and mercenary guards and their tension was broke by a sudden, slight Oerth-tremor. The encampment belonged to the famed explorers known as the Seekers of the Arcane, and Lockard Meek was indeed part of this expedition to the jungle. The leader of the Seekers soon emerged from his pavilion tent to greet them, introducing himself as QuintusMarius. This well-spoken, noble adventurer seemed quite at ease around his visitors, offering to trade goods and info with the Prince crew. World-wise and multi-lingual, Quintus even claimed to know of Captain Rennaud and his liege, Prince Jeon II. The officers were then invited to his personal tent for a drink and a feast.

Much to the surprise (and envy) of Araxo, Cuahto and company, Quintus' tent held an extra-dimensional mansion inside; a gift from a certain wizard benefactor of his. Here Quintus treated his guests to fine liquors, extravagent food and shared important information. Hailing from the Duchy of Urnst town of Seltaren, Quintus unabashedly explained that his group was overseeing the study of some ruins and that Lockard was already at the site, a day away. Captain Rennaud explained his desparation to consult the sage about a map, a fact that the Seeker appreciated since he saw how far they had come to find the man. The hour was growing late however, so the crew was invited to stay the night in Quintus' tent until the morn when he would provide guides to the site.

Early the next morning, two Olman guides carrying spears took Rennaud, Trebus, Scar and the rest of the crew eastward into the Amedio jungle. Trebus, a botanist by trade was overjoyed by the hike, taking time to collect samples of flora never catalogued in any university. For their part, Vic, Henri and the gang kept their eyes peeled for a rare jungle plant called Tarnas whose buds reputedly could regenerate small body parts. As a lark, Araxo schemed for them to find enough Tarnas to "reverse" the damage done to the eunuchs on Osprem's Kiss. The plant proved to be extremely hard to find, and their search was soon cut short by a plant that found them...

As the group stopped to take a breather along the Olman trail, Scar was nibbling on some edible berries nearby. Unfortunately, everyone but her saw that the vines which the grape-like fruit was attached to was actually an Assassin Vine. Two of them in fact had moved into position on the trail and were now creeping to attack. Brother Pickles freaked out seeing a plant move, throwing a harpoon at it then rushing into the waiting bush with meat cleaver in hand. Cuahto pushed Scar out of the way, while the guides merely fled with Morgan hot on their tail. Araxo drew his blackpowder pistol to shoot at the assassin vine and was knocked prone by a concussive misfire. Victor Hammond swept in instantly to drag the dazed lieutenant out of the reach of the deadly vines while the captain backed away with Scar rather than risk triggering his debilitating curse. Pickles hacked away but was being constricted by vines.

Cuahto alone did not leave Pickles to the mercy of the ensnaring assassin vine. He circled around to flank the vine mass and took aim with a blackpowder gun. Another loud explosion echoed in the jungle and the ranger dropped his gun as it misfired. Cuahto's next pistol was drawn and soon he hit damaging the vine enough to go limp. Pickles freed himself and....went charging into the other assassin vine. The others had retreated to an appreciable distance and could only hear the sounds of gunfire and berserk screams. When the smoke cleared Pickles and Cuahto came marching up the path together a bit richer (bones and coins of past vine victims were found underfoot in mulch). Resuming their trek, the group arrived at Lockard Meek's ruins right before sun down. The ruins were imposing to say the least, here they stood in the remnants of a once mighty city dominated by a central ziggurat, all completely overgrown by the dense Amedio foliage. The guides named the sacred place Tamoachan.

To be continued....

Dragon Editorial By Chris Perkins

2012-02-02T01:22:00.000-08:00

This is two days in a row I've blogged about Chris Perkins. Weird. Anyhow, Wizards of the Coast has just posted a new editorial by Chris titled FR'eak for Dragon #408. Note, this article is open for the general audience to download so check it out, it's a quick read. Okay Greyhawk fans, don't get riled up, but as you may have guessed from the title, the focus of the editorial is actually about the Realms. Sure it's not my typical subject matter, but I did spot a few points that Perkins made which interested me. Let me break it down for you:

"Player’s Option: Heroes of the Elemental Chaos hits stores this month, just in time for players to create elemental-themed heroes for The Elder Elemental Eye™, the next D&D Encounters™ season."

First, I'm not entirely up on all 4e era products but I am amused that "Player's Option" has again led quickly to a new edition. I'm just saying...Also the highly successful D&D Encounters organized play seems to be moving along just fine and have once again wisely chosen a Greyhawkian source to draw inspiration from (their current storyline is Beyond the Crystal Cave). I'd be curious to hear from anyone who plays or runs D&DE how this next storyline stacks up.

"This year in the magazines, we’re taking a break from the Nentir Vale “points of light” setting to shine a light on the Forgotten Realms as well as some of our other popular worlds, past and present. You’ll see more Eberron® articles, more Dark Sun® articles, and even some content for Ravenloft®, Planescape®, and the World of Greyhawk™. But the Realms, in particular, will receive a lot of love."

Wow. In case the first sentence slipped by you in the flurry of name dropping, Chris said Dragon will be taking a break from the Nentir Vale setting (the default 4e setting) for a YEAR. This is easily because of the retro-movement going on involving D&DNext. You know what? That's great! Yes, there will be alot of Forgotten Realms articles coming down the pike, but the rest of the lineup looks promising to me too, and hey look, he didn't leave out good ol' Greyhawk! No "points of light setting" means no strip-mining for placenames too. If anyone reading is a Greyhawk fan and an aspiring writer for Wizards, now is your chance! All I ask for is some fairly new content not the usual rehash. My mouth is already watering.

"I’ve never run a Forgotten Realms campaign, but I’ve plundered a lot of FR content for my home campaigns over the years."

I will give Perkins props on plundering FR for ideas, but after reading this, what I want to know is who at Wizards DOES play Forgotten Realms? (besides Ed of course) I know this isn't the first time I've seen someone in their industry say that they don't run FR. I may be a stodgy old Greyhawk fan, but I've at least tried to run Forgotten Realms a few times since the first grey boxed set. Yes, I know running the Realms isn't a requirement to work for the company, so this is based on nothing. It's just that sometimes I get the gut feeling the folks who currently develop the Realms (yes you too Ed) are really only in it to write novels (or now make boardgames) and don't really use the setting they promote as #1. Take all that with a grain of salt though. Anyhow, I am sincerely excited to see more Forgotten Realms articles out of Perkins and Dragon if it also means more love for those old die-hard settings including our World of Greyhawk. Stay tuned, 2012 should be interesting.

New: Warrens of the Stone Giant Thane

2012-01-31T22:24:00.000-08:00

What with all the 5e talk I wouldn't be surprised to see a fall off of readership for new 4e modules in Dungeon. Maybe, maybe not. However, I have to carry on and inform you of anything Greyhawk related coming out of Wizards. As I reported back in December, Wizards' Chris Perkins has been working on a 4e version of the Against the Giants series started by Gary Gygax back in 1978 with Steading of the Hill Giant Chief. His second offering in the series is actually an original story however! Warrens of the Stone Giant Thane is a cleverly written episode that fits right in with the rest of the three giant modules. Apologies in advance, but as you know, you will need a D&DI subscription to download this lengthy, colorful module.

Mr. Perkins writes:

"The series pitted characters against hill giants, frost giants, and fire giants, but stone giants got the short end of the stick. This adventure gives stone giants their moment to shine."

Fans of Greyhawk will be comforted to know the module is set in the foothills of the Crystalmist Mountains, in an intriguing new location called Howling Crag. As you would expect, Warrens of the Giant Thane is chock full of giants, elemental monsters and plenty of minor side quests that make this anything but a simple hack and slash adventure. If you are running a Greyhawk campaign involving the old G-series it is definitely worth the download just for this unique stone giant themed storyline.

Sea Princes: Crew Profiles 4

2012-01-30T05:46:00.000-08:00

Avast me hearties! It's time for another pair of profiles from my Hold of the Sea Princes campaign. Last time I introduced the captain and first mate of the NPC companion ship, Osprem's Kiss. Today I'm featuring the last two integral members of the Kiss' female crew. Enjoy!

Sister Merci of Osprem hails from the warm southern land of the Lordship of the Isles. The youngest daughter of a wealthy Duxchan lord, Merci's early career was spent training in a coastal temple of Osprem, blessing captains, their wives and their outgoing ships. Despite their devotion, her order was normally secondary to the mercantile minded temple of Xerbo. Adventurous at heart and not content with the female roles given to her and the order, Merci pulled a favor with her father to gain a healer position with a merchant fleet. Merci rose in prominence over a decade at sea, first from her expert care and stirring funeral services, then later as a trusted counselor and diviner for most of the fleet's captains.

Two turns of fate then changed Merci's demeanor. During a routine venture to the free city of Rel Astra, Sister Merci had wandered off deep within the harbor district as she was apt to do, looking for a hedge mage to do busines with. One wrong turn and she found herself cornered by a gang of orc-blooded thugs. By Osprem's grace Merci survived and returned to her ship tattered, bloody and with a pathological hatred of orc-kin. Mere months later, politics in the Aerdi Sea had worsened and so in a chance battle with a Sea Baron privateer Merci displayed her hidden talent with a trident. Barely winning the sea battle, all the Lordship officers were slain including the captain whose last breath was to confer Merci with command of his damaged ship: Osprem's Kiss.

Upon returning to Duxchan, the newly promoted Captain Merci lost most of her crew due to injury or a reluctance to serve a woman captain. Undaunted she bought and repaired the broken vessel with her life savings and by selling family heirlooms. Turning to her order of Osprem, she then crafted a small crew of loyal sisters and other lay female members who sought to take more action for the Iron League nation. To round out her deckhands Sister Merci bought and trained a cadre of eunuch sailors who quickly embraced their new lot in life. Merci and Osprem's Kiss spent the next several years hunting pirates in the Tilva Strait and fending off attacks on Duxchan ships in the Aerdi Sea. Through it all, she has kept a personal debt, pledging to sacrifice 333 orcs to the sea gods.

Over the years Merci has added and lost various crew members, but none have changed things more than Jet Cassidy whom Merci rescued from the sea after Osprem sent her a vision. By then Merci had aged and was slower due to old injuries, so taking a chance she gave captaincy to the obviously talented Jet provided Merci could still remain aboard as master in order to finish out her blood feud with orcs. Osprem's Kiss remains a force to be reckoned with in the east seas.

Half-Pint Moira is originally from the cold marchland of Ratik. Tomboyish and bold, she stowed away on a Marner ship at a young age to see more of the world. Moira's wit and fast talking nature secured her spot on the voyage. The ships' bosun took Moira under his wing, teaching her all the lore of ropes and knots, and her nimble small frame became suited working among the rigging. It wasn't long before her bossy know-it-all attitude even had her male deckmates taking orders without realizing it. The burly Ratik sailors came to nickname her Half-Pint due to her petite size. After their successful return to Marner, Moira begged the captain to let her remain with the ship, however he only agreed as a favor to her mentor that was retiring.

The next voyage took Moira to the city of Rel Astra where she was overwhelmed with the vast urban landscape. Wanting to dispose of the mouthy stow-away girl yet keep his honor, the captain tasked a couple of his loyal men to get her drunk and leave her to the mercy of a rowdy Aerdy bar the night before they were to leave port. Half-Pint was left behind in a foreign city and with no money. She spent the first few days working off her bar debt as a common serving girl. Her mouth and rustic Ratik upbringing soon got her thrown out of the establishment without a place to stay or any money. Wandering down at the docks, she contemplated stowing away on a new ship. Perhaps by divination or merely noticing Moira's desperation, she was spotted by a trio of Osprem priestesses guarding the gang plank to the Duxchan carrack Osprem's Kiss.

Moira was ushered aboard, where the sisters fed her and heard her story. Captain Jet Cassidy also drilled Moira on her knowledge of rope use and nautical lore and was impressed enough to keep her on as an assistant to her eunuch bosun. A few years later, Moira's loyalty and hard work paid off as she was promoted to bosun of the Kiss. Moira's mouth and brazen attitude still gets her into loads of trouble much to the amusement of her sailing sisters.

Sea Princes: Crew Profiles 3

2012-01-28T00:37:00.001-08:00

Tada! Bonus material from my Sea Princes campaign! Here is a couple NPC profiles from the allied Lordship of the Isles vessel, Osprem's Kiss. I've been sitting on these drawings for a while until I had some of their character development out of the way, so without further ado, here is two of four from the Kiss. I'll present the other two later on. Enjoy.

Sara "Jet" Cassidy is originally from the Sea Prince's Fairwind Isle. She is the daughter of a Holder sea captain and an indentured Rhennee seamstress. The nickname Jet comes from the dark curly hair she inherited from her mother. Taking more after her father, who had no sons he could speak of, she learned how to handle boats from a young age but never was allowed to go on long voyages. Often stuck behind in port with her mother and betrothed to a number of sailors, she ran away at the age of 18 to join a ship bound for the Olman Isles disguised as a cabin boy. The ship would come to be attacked by the Crimson Fleet's most dreaded captain, Dev "Cutthroat" Javell of the Malady.

Capt. Javell made many of the Holder sailors walk a plank and was stunned at the last to discover a woman among them in disguise. Smitten, the crimson sashed captain kept her as his own and sailed away for adventures unknown. Within a year, Cutthroat had to kill a quarter of his crew to solidify his claim to Jet. As his viciousness in her defense increased and his attitude to her softened, she soon relented to taking his hand in marriage. The two were married by a commodore of the Crimson Fleet in Scuttlecove and against all protest she was made first mate on board the Malady as well. All was perfect until she met the Blackguard.

While harbored in the neutral port of Narisban, she happened to meet the notorious Captain Rennaud and was swept away by his noble charm and mysterious vulnerability. When Cpt. Javell was alerted to her actions, he found them in a room together and nearly slew the Blackguard who narrowly escaped out a window. Sara was taken back to the Malady and shortly out to sea the enraged captain cut her wedding ring off, finger and all. Then in his last act of anger, she was bound and made to walk the plank that he swore she should've in the first place before he was cursed by her wiles. Leaving Jet for dead Javell made it his and the Fleet's vow to capture and kill the Blackguard.

Sara somehow managed to escape her bonds and drifted in the south sea until she was rescued by the female, privateer crew of the Duxchan carrack Osprem's Kiss. Several years later through hard work and bravery, she worked her way to become the captain as Sister Merci stepped down to be master of the vengeful ship. Now that her ex-husband and her one-time paramour both know Jet still lives, fate is about to cross their paths again.

Brooding and sardonic in wit, Sasha "Dirk" hails from the Lordship of the Isles capital of Sulward. A freckled, street rat orphan since ten, she ran wild through the port town until she was pressed into useful service by the holy order of Osprem. Sasha however loved thievery more than religion and was impossible to train into their dogma. She did however take to the skills of seamanship and found herself working as a lookout for Captain Jet Cassidy on Osprem's Kiss.

Sasha was not only sharp with a knife or two, her keen eyesight helped the Kiss spot many an enemy ship from Onnwal to Dullstrand. As Sasha got older and more respected by the crew for her swashbuckling flair in combat she was soon promoted to first mate on her 20th year and was gifted a pair of throwing daggers crafted by Bigby the archmage of Scant.

On her very next voyage to Hepmonaland, Sasha was part of a trading entourage that went afoul with the natives. During the battle she was impaled through the heart by a javelin. Somehow surviving thanks to Sister Merci's aid, Sasha was thereafter dark and moody, left with a visible scar from her traumatic experience. She now claims that Nerull god of death owns half her heart and shuns any advances for her affection. Only death and pain amuse her anymore which seems to fit fine with the privateers of Osprem's Kiss.

Next time: Profiles on Half-Pint Moira and Sister Merci of Osprem.

Sea Princes #20: All Work And No Play...

2012-01-26T14:41:00.000-08:00

A week ago, the heroic privateers of the Bird of Prey got acquainted with the curse of Captain Rennaud and the true reason why he seeks the Well of All Heals, and also the female crew (led by Captain "Jet" Cassidy) of their new sister ship, Osprem's Kiss. Surely nothing bad can come of this partnership. Let's find out:

Victor Emmitt Hammond (rogue, moves quicker)

Araxo Tydan (rogue, talks slicker)

Cuahtehmoc aka "Cuahto" (ranger, high kicker)

Brother Pickles (cleric, pocket picker?)
and Henri Morgan (rogue, can't hold liquor)

guest starring Gunther Stahl (fighter, likes to bicker)

Setting their course from the Pomarj, south-by-southwest the two ships initially suffered through a few days of lagging wind and lagging workers. Bosun Hammond found one of his scurvy crewmen, Dick "Tater" sleeping on the job and hurled him into the water much to the entertainment of all (he was dragged and messed with). On another day, piloted by Sasha Dirk, Osprem's Kiss decided to test the skills of the Bird and pushed ahead of their ship at full sail. The taunts and challenges to the men ensued as they slipped alongside. Lt Tydan would have none of that and verbally lashed his crew into racing the larger carrack until it regained the lead position. Spirits were up, rum was passed around. Handsome Griff Aldagar made a bet with Henri Morgan that he could bed the wily Sasha Dirk first. A good time was had by all.

The next two days was rewarded with churling storms and high winds, and no frivolity. Lord Key stayed below deck and there his cousin Lt. Tydan began to put ideas into his head about winning some of the crew to his side instead of bullying them, that perhaps he could even take over as both master and captain if Rennaud showed any weakness. Key mulled this over as they arrived at the "Hook", the cape of the Amedio Jungle, where laid the port of Fort Blackwell. This was the crew's second time in Blackwell and as resupplying efforts were underway (Griff had to work), the officers and their friends headed for a familiar place to unwind, the Rusty Nail, ran by Araxo's prospective business partner Al Swerengen.

At the Nail, they found the brooding Sasha Dirk and the ostentatious quartermaster of Osprem's Kiss, Half Pint Moira already starting into the local spirits. Pushing two tables together, they sat with the men and began to chatter away. Moira, a Ratikan by birth, was intrigued by the Rhennee, Gunther Stahl and they talked of more temperate lands. Cuahto learned the magic dagger crafted by Bigby that he found in the eye of an orc zombie belonged to Sasha Dirk when she showed it's matching blade. She relented to let the Olman keep it for luck, finder's rights. Then Lord Key walked in. He invited himself to their party, ordered both tables an expensive bottle of Greenman Rum (10 g.p. per). His attempts to impress those present fell flat quickly, the Rum was chugged and bottles were broken. Key could not understand how Araxo could stand such uncouth louts. Brother Pickles then made a smart yet slightly inebriated move. He walked by and stole Key's money bag. Lord Key got up in a huff and gave chase with Pickles who went running out of the bar. Knowing the cleric was touched in the brain, he didn't want to infuriate him and begged for the bag back.

As they went out in came Araxo's female swordarm, Scar Medorga. She informed Araxo that the sage-botanist wanted to see him about a jungle foraging trip for new plant species. Not in any hurry Scar sat with the rest. It was learned that Captain Cassidy had lost her ring finger long ago because she had a trist with Cpt Rennaud. Evidently her jealous husband was the feared Crimson Fleet captain, Jev "Cutthroat" Harliss. Her ring was taken back, finger and all and she was made to walk the plank off the Malady. Left for the sharks Cassidy managed to untie herself and was later found adrift by Osprem's Kiss. She joined their ship and ever since had been a member of the Duxchan fleets. It was also learned during a respite that Sasha Dirk was always so grim because she had once been impaled in the heart by a Hepmonalander javelin and lived. Afterward her mood worsened and she began claiming half of her heart belonged to Nerull so she could never love anyone. Inadvertantly, in a moment of drunkeness Scar insulted Moira about her choice of sexual partners and a scuffle began on the floor, which then boiled over to the next two tables and soon a brawl began!

A still sober Cuahto got things started as he saw Vic under attack and jumped up on the table to kick in the teeth of a young well dressed sailor. Bottles, fists and even stools were thrown. Moira and Scar still rolled on the floor. Araxo sat idle and enjoyed the spectacle as the owner served him and yelled at his staff to try harder and break it up. Pickles wandered back in from donating Lord Key's money pouch to the shrine of Osprem (where most of the Kiss' crew lingered) and quickly raged out seeing a fight. He soon had an old salty sailor pinned against the bar with a bench. Victor Hammond had the most daring maneuver of the brawl, feinting his opponent by stopping to kiss an unaware Sasha before throwing a knock-out sucker punch. This of course was followed by Sasha busting a bottle over the back of Vic's head. Once the fight ended (and Pickles was told to not attack his friends), they dragged Scar off the losing Moira and made to leave. Gunther then slyly talked Moira into proving to Scar she was wrong. The next morning, a hungover and sore crew went with Trebus on his botanical hunt ( not surprisingly they found nothing useful). All except Gunther, who for his benefit and embarrassment was found by a maid still tied up in a room at the Rusty Nail Inn that morning.

Game notes: For the short amount of time I get to run, we got alot done that night. There is nothing that gets players in the spirit quicker than a bar fight. I love when I can get an equal part action and exposition done in a session. Speaking of brawls, I'm contemplating looking into adapting the old 2e pummeling/wrestling charts to 3.5e. I used to love the random moves and stuff. I think it could come in handy with this themed campaign.

Ring of Five Questions: Scott Casper

2012-01-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

Welcome back Greyhawk fans to the Ring of Five Questions! Last time, we reminisced along with freelance writing whiz Greg Vaughan. Today should be a fun read as well. Sharing his time with us is an author who not only has a published Greyhawk article to his credit, but also has been dedicated to online Greyhawk fandom for alot longer than myself. Coming straight from my very own homeland, the prairies of Illinois (or as I like to call it Ullinois), is the sagacious archivist of Greyhawk lore and fiction: Scott Casper. Scott "Scottenkainen" Casper is a longtime presence on the Greytalk mailing list, well known for his work with Canonfire, the fanzine Oerth Journal and his richly detailed article, A Treasure Trove of Tomes in Dragon Magazine #253. Not content with just that, Scott is also a prolific writer of both Greyhawk and comic book fiction. Scott maintains a couple wonderful blogs; The Greytalk Archives and Scottenkainenland for those who wish to follow his ongoing campaigns and projects. Enough background, it's time to see if Scottenkainen can answer his way out of the Ring....

Q1. I'm sure you know my lead question. What land or region of the World of Greyhawk is your favorite?

Scott: This is only going to be news for anyone who doesn't remember me from Greytalk. Fifteen years ago, I decided to replace my City of Greyhawk campaign (based on the boxed set) with South Province (or what you might know as the Kingdom of Ahlissa) for a clean slate. I ran that South Province Campaign for ten years for fourteen players (not all at the same time). Though there are other contenders, I'd have to say that was the best campaign I ever ran, and that would make South Province my favorite land.

Q2. Another easy one. If you could be any one Greyhawk deity which would it be?

Scott: Boccob, the Uncaring One. Because then I wouldn't have to care. I might still care, but at least no one would be expecting it from me.

Q3. I know how you really like Gygax's original Castle Greyhawk. How much has this megadungeon played into your campaigns and why is it such an enduring place to use?

Scott: I bet you're referring to my “Castle Greyhawk” novella that I serialized on Greytalk for a long time. At the time of my City of Greyhawk campaign, I was using a combination of WG7 Castle Greyhawk and WGR1 Greyhawk Ruins for the castle, and using it strictly for dungeon exploration. By the time I was running the South Province Campaign, I knew more about the original Greyhawk campaign. So when I included a time portal leading back to Castle Greyhawk in the recent past, the PCs were able to meet Tenser and Robilar while still adventuring there. And I used the Castle more for roleplaying with famous NPCs.

Today, more information is available about what that first Greyhawk campaign was like than ever. Message boards are dedicated to combing through every bit of lore for new information, or zooming in on photos of Gary holding up a Castle Greyhawk map, trying to read one more word that might tell us something new. Lots of people don't want to dwell in gaming's past. Gary never wanted to publish his unpolished notes for Castle Greyhawk (though Rob Kuntz has always been ready to). He wanted to move on. But for many gamers, the idea of being able to recreate (either at their gaming table or just in their mind) that gaming experience in its purest form is appealing. It's nostalgia, but for something you never experienced - sitting around that basement table with Gary, Rob, and the gang and seeing a new medium of entertainment taking shape night by night -- and only wishing you had.

Q4. Your Greyhawk-centric article in Dragon #253 was full of great material. Did you have any other projects in mind to pitch to Dragon back then?

Scott: In hindsight, I wish I had submitted more during that window of opportunity when Dragon magazine was interested in publishing Greyhawk articles. I had submitted one other article, non-Greyhawk-related, about taverns and inns that was rejected and is now on my blog. But for the most part, having already been in Dragon magazine, I focused all my energy on trying to be published in Dungeon magazine after that. I made a lot of submissions to them, all of them rejected. Some were rejected for some pretty weak reasons (“The Witch's Cottage” was rejected because it didn't promote the Complete Book of- series enough; the “witch” wasn't made using the witch kit). “Lost Shrine of the Crystalmist” was almost picked up by Christopher Perkins, but was rejected after a lengthy period of editing and re-editing because he had just bought another adventure that ended too closely to how this scenario was meant to end. It still kills me that Dungeon magazine was canceled before I got my chance to say I'd been published in both of them.

“Lost Shrine of the Crystalmist”, incidentally, almost had a second chance at life. Rob Kuntz and I were, at one point (2005, I think), going to re-write this together for his Pied Piper Publishing company, but after announcing it on his message board he decided to drop the project. I haven't done anything with it since, though part of the original version of “Lost Shrine” has been on Canonfire! for years.

Q5. You've been around the internet block. What personal contribution to online Greyhawk fandom are you most proud?

Scott: I've got a few contenders. I'm very proud of the “Castle Greyhawk” novella and think it's one of my best works of fiction ever (I finished that back in 2007; it's currently hosted on fanfiction.net). I'm also extremely proud of the “Gazeteer of Ahlissa” published in Oerth Journal #16 (also back in 2005; it's currently hosted on Canonfire!), as that was a parting gift, if you will, to my players as the South Province Campaign wrapped up. I'm also very proud of “A Treasure Trove of Tomes” because, hey, it was in Dragon!

But I'd say my most important contribution to Greyhawk fandom has been the work I've put into the Greytalk mailing list all these years. After the Greytalk Archive website disappeared years ago, people kept talking and talking about how someone needed to bring it back, but no one did. So I decided to do something about it and I made the Greytalk Archives blog back in 2008. It still only has a fraction of all the great material from Greytalk on it, but it's the only place on the 'Net right now where you can find well over 200 of the “best” posts from Greytalk all in one place.

Extra: For more fun info about Scott Casper's "Treasure Trove of Tomes" see this old Greyhawk comic from 2008.

AD&D Reprints and a D&DNext Plea

2012-01-22T00:30:00.000-08:00

I wasn't sure if I wanted to comment at all on the latest Wizards news to make the rounds in the gaming blogosphere until I recently found a certain Greyhawk point of view to address. As everyone knows has heard, Wizards is (belatedly in my opinion) reprinting the three core 1st Edition AD&D rulebooks (new premium cover same old content) in order to support the Gygax Memorial Fund. Huzzah right?

I support the cause and I'm even somewhat interested in seeing the reprints. The 1e Dungeon Masters Guide is my all time favorite rulebook after all. I even have the mini version! No one is surprised by this P.R. move as it comes on the heels of their much heralded next edition of D&D which promises to win back older gamers. That's what turned on the light bulb in my head. Now, when Mearls and company claimed D&D Next would somehow be "backwards compatible" with previous editions, this led to many online bloggers calling for Wizards to put up or shut up and bring back the sale of old books on PDF. While that hasn't happened yet, the fact that their next move was releasing three classic books in print is quite intriguing. I'm no expert here, so correct me if I'm wrong, but there is hardly any production time needed to reprint old material beyond making a new cover and sending it off to the printers. Even advertising is a breeze over the internet these days. So, if they can do this for a charitable cause, they can certainly do it, at will, for their own profit. The point I'm rambling towards is this:

There is one book that we Greyhawk fans got stiffed on way back before Wizards came along and bought D&D from TSR. It is already highly praised, fully developed, and it only needs covers. Yes folks, I am talking about Carl Sargent's unpublished Ivid the Undying. Sure we all own the PDF. It's been freely available all over the internet for years, but what true blue collector of all things Greyhawk would pass at a chance to own a real tangible hard (or soft) copy of Ivid? Not me. What is in it for Wizards is throwing a huge bone to a large segment of the Greyhawk community that they want back for their next D&D run. Indeed, publishing this "obscure" book could attract new buyers as well just out of the surge of online hysteria that would surely follow from such a monumental move. That's my dream product for D&DNext. It's not a full on rally call for them to support new Greyhawk (yet), but it could be a nice boost in the right direction...

My First Interview

2012-01-20T22:52:00.000-08:00

Real cool Greytalkin' colleague of mine, Dark Herald has recently posted a lengthy interview of yours truly on his blog Greyhawk Adventures 576CY. No one has interviewed me before, so it was kind of neat to take my time and answer some gaming related questions. I've always been rather accessible among the community and I'd love to do something like this again someday. Check it out!

Sea Princes #19: Nurses and Curses

2012-01-19T00:38:00.000-08:00

I'm still a week behind on these sessions. I hope my memory is fresh and my notes are good. When last we saw the adventurous members of the Bird of Prey, they had just defeated two orc pirate ships near the Pomarj with the help of a Duxchaner vessel named Osprem's Kiss. This ship is different than any other found on the Azure Sea in that it is commanded entirely by women! That should spice things up! Here are the protagonists:

Victor Emmitt Hammond (rogue, easily enamored)

Araxo Tydan (rogue, easily endangered)

Cuahtehmoc aka "Cuahto" (ranger, easily enemies)

Brother Pickles (cleric, easily entertained)
and Henri Morgan (rogue, easily encountered)

The slave galley Gruumsh's Fist was freed by the pirate hunting crew of Osprem's Kiss and commandeered by its former oarsmen. As the Wounded Eye sank to "Xerbo's Vault" the Bird was hailed and the two allied ships met for the first time, and everyone still on their feet crowded with excitement as it was learned...the entire commanding crew of Osprem's Kiss were women! The sleek carrack from the Lordship of the Isles, a member of the Iron League, had been protecting merchant vessels and hunting pirates for profit along the coasts. The vessel however was also a floating temple of sorts, as their primary marines consisted of nearly a score of young Suel-blooded priestesses devoted to Osprem goddess of sea voyages. These priestesses were not soft but battle-hardened; wearing decorative brass-coated breastplates and helms along with their blue vestments embroidered with dolphins and whales.

The Ospremites follow the ship's master, one Sister Merci, a trident wielding, middled aged woman with a fiery hatred of orcs. A defiantly cursing Glork Spleenstabber and a dozen other orcs from Gruumsh's Fist were soon made to walk the plank as part of a ritual sacrifice to her sea goddess. The sisters, ignoring cat-calls from the Sea Princes crew came aboard to help tend to the wounded, including poor Salty Sal Silverblade who lost an arm but lived, and a severely wounded Victor Hammond who must've thought he had died and gone to the afterlife. The cat-calls soon turned to silence once they found out (much to their surprise or chagrin) the regular deckhands on Osprem's Kiss, some forty men, were all eunuchs!

A weakened Captain Rennaud hobbled back on deck assisted by Quartermaster Rotario and along with his able-bodied officers (Lord Key among them) met with the remaining officers of Osprem's Kiss: Captain "Jet" Cassidy, a black garbed, dark haired buccaneer from Duxchan who seemed quite familiar with their Captain Rennaud as they hugged and congratulated each other. Next was the first mate, the moody, armed and deadly Sasha Dirk. Lastly came the bosun, the short of stature, but brutal "Half Pint" Moira. Everyone from both staffs immediately became concerned with the condition of Cpt. Rennaud who showed no signs of any injury, yet was too weak to stand. With all eyes on him, the "Blackguard" knew then that his quest was on the line and had to reveal his dark secret...

Sir Eduard Rennaud of Gradsul was once a youthful new member of the Kinghts of the Watch. Rennaud was assigned to a commander who was charged with patrolling the fringes of the Hool Marshes for outlaws and incursions, though in truth they were actually a corrupt knight squadron that worked with smugglers. The young, idealistic Sir Eduard objected to their illicit operation and decided to desert the company and report what he found to the order in Gran March. Discovered before he could get far, Rennaud had to fight his way out of the camp and in doing so, slew the knight commander. The other conspiring knights quickly sent word by bird and magic to the Order and told their skewed account of Sir Eduard's treachery. Once Rennaud reached civilization, he found no friendly counsel nor any who would listen to the truth. Worst of all came when Sir Eduard appealed to a high-priest of Heironeous, who not only called for his capture, but also angrily invoked a curse on the knight as he again escaped from his brothers. This curse of justice put on Sir Eduard would manifest anytime he attempted an act of heroism or bravery, so that he would be temporarily inflicted with bodily weakness, until such a time he could be redeemed in the eyes of the gods. Sir Eduard returned to his family in Gradsul whereupon he was smuggled out by ship to serve the Prince of Monmurg in exile. Since then he was branded the Blackguard- accused of many things like treason, murder, piracy and even adultery.

It became clear to all on board, that the voyage to find the Well of All Heals was really a quest for Captain Rennaud to atone to the gods and thus prove to his order that he was wronged. Feeling for her old comrade, Captain Cassidy swiftly pledged Osprem's Kiss to act as a consort on his voyage. Lord Ronaldo Key, acting master for Count Tydan was enraged however that he and his count were duped into investing in his personal quest and demanded that the Bird of Prey be taken back to Port Torvin. This stirred Victor, Cuahto, Araxo and the others to jump in to the captain's defense, as they threatened Key with bodily harm. Key backed down, but only after he cravenly reminded all present that the count would get his fair share of the prize and that he was still under the captain's protection. The search for the sage Lockard Meek and the Well would continue...

Fiction: By Steel & Spell

2012-01-16T05:58:00.000-08:00

It's been quite active since the holidays and to that end I've slacked on posting updates on new Greyhawk fiction at Canonfire! As I will be taking over duties for posting new articles there sometime this year, I need to get on the ball now. Catching back up, here is the first three episodes of a new series by prolific Canonfire member MasterArminas, entitled By Steel & Spell. This series should be of special interest to any fans of a certain realm of horror. MasterArminas writes:

"In the northern reaches of the Timberway Forest, an ancient evil is growing stronger. Old friends -- once separated -- must now come together to battle and defeat this malevolent presence . . . once and for all!"

"Journey with them now as they travel to confront the menace growing within the halls of a once-great castle; a castle now as ruined and corrupt as its inhabitants."

Catch up to the first three episodes now!
By Steel & Spell (Part 1)

By Steel & Spell (Part 2)

By Steel & Spell (Part 3)

Greyhawk Comic #315: Freeday the 13th

2012-01-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

Okay Greymaniacs, I don't normally post on Greyhawkery this frequently and I certainly haven't contemplated doing any comics since my last epic Needfest Special mainly due to laziness and a lack of good ideas. But wouldn't you know it, much to my surprise (chagrin), our good friend Mr. Klein over at Greyhawk Adventures 576CY called me out on a good subject I haven't covered before. It's short notice so I apologize for the lack of annotations. Read the comic, then read the commentary below. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE FOR THE COMIC

The relevant facts you need to know: In the World of Greyhawk, there are twelve months each with 28 days (and four week long 'fests' every three months) totalling 364 days per calendar year. There are seven days in a week, starting with Starday, then followed by Sunday, Moonday, Godsday, Waterday, Earthday and Freeday. What all this means is, unlike our Gregorian calendar with its varied length of months, days of the month in Greyhawk always fall on the same week. Thus it is impossible to have the analagous "Freeday the 13th" since it would always be Earthday the 13th. Tsk!

This isn't to say people of the Flanaess aren't still superstitious of the number 13. The number can still hold plenty of dubious connotations if applied in the right fashion. Especially if you're a worshiper of this guy.

Blackpowder Weapons in Greyhawk Part 2

2012-01-12T14:38:00.000-08:00

Welcome back! For those just tuning in, go back and check this link to read my last manifesto on why blackpowder weapons belong in Greyhawk. Before I continue I'd like to add one more reference I overlooked, that was smartly pointed out to me on the Canonfire forums by "Iron Golem" and that is the appearance of blackpowder in the 2nd edition module Greyhawk Ruins. Look it up for yourself, while I move on...

In my Sea Princes campaign I use a simple set of game rules (3.5e) governing the use of guns and cannons. The stats I use for these weapons can be found in the old 3.5e DMG and in the seafaring supplement Stormwrack. Characters do not need the obscure feat "Secret of the Firebrands" to use blackpowder but instead need it in order to create them. A character must still take an Exotic Weapon proficiency or else suffer a -4 penalty to hit. This applies to each type of blackpowder weapon be it a pistol, musket, cannon or bomb.

Another restriction on these destructive weapons is that they cannot be enchanted (see below). "Masterwork" versions of these weapons can still be made at standard price increases but beyond having a customized appearance, they only afford a minor bonus to hit. Blackpowder is considered a hazardous alchemical substance that also cannot be further modified through the use of magic. In fact, merely igniting blackpowder from any other enchanted device will almost certainly result in catastrophe (99%). The jury is still out on enchanted ammo, but due to the aforementioned volatility of blackpowder, I would say trying this should at least incur a 50% chance of a firing mishap (DM choice of effect). Mundane bullets made of rare materials (like silver or cold iron) sound acceptable for overcoming special damage resistance.

The rate of fire and shorter range increment for blackpowder weapons ensures that they are still inferior to other missile weapons like long bows and crossbows which can still be enchanted along with their ammunition. This essentially makes an item like a flintlock pistol no better than a one shot item used before switching to a main melee weapon. Until the technology progresses another 500-1000 years they're pretty much more flair than effect which is perfect for a swashbuckling game. The background for how blackpowder weapons came to be developed in the Flanaess is unique to my campaign, but it should not interfere with canon in any era of Greyhawk:

The Oerids of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy were masters of the art of war, conquering all before them in no small part to the knowledge of the clergy of Delleb who once specialized (with the urging of more militant religions) in the creation of devices such as stirrups, crossbows and the trebuchet before withdrawing to more peaceful and scholarly concerns. The greatest of these Aerdian geniuses was a female engineer named Daern whose skill at building castles and defenses in Aerdy would go unmatched until the founding of Spinecastle two centuries later. Daern "the Unshakable" met her end some time after the Battle of a Fortnight's Length (-110 CY) but before her death and rumored apotheosis, she recorded much of her unfinished ideas for her loyal acolytes to finish. Among these writings was plans for the Tower of Daern (eventually built in Irongate), designs for the creation of the extra-dimenionally folding Daern's Instant Fortress, and an overlooked tome titled Components and Reactions of Phosphorus.

Murlynd an Oeridian himself, rose to some fame for carrying his strange quasi-magical "hoglegs" in early 300's when he adventured along with Zagig Yragerne and the Company of Seven. While his strange weapons were acquired from another plane this didn't stop sages and wizards from trying to copy them, yet all their attempts failed until a series of events happened long after Murlynd's adventuring career ended. In 447CY, the Iron League was formed by a group of small nations to defend against the evil of the Aerdian Overking Ivid. During the intervening century these small states (especially the Free City of Irongate), in alliance with the dwarves and gnomes of the Iron Hills would become renowned for their manufacture of quality weapons.

By the late 570's Murlynd rose to prominence again as a small-time hero-god with followers scattered throughout the central Flanaess including parts of the Iron League where his storied weapons were not forgotten by adherents of another hero-god, Daern. The subsequent rediscovery of Daern's lost manuals on blackpowder brought these two minor clergies together in a common interest, with the goal of recreating and manufacturing lesser versions of Murlynd's artifacts to give the lawful realms of the aptly named Iron League, an edge against their enemies on land and at sea. With the explosion of innovation, certain economic and political realities would soon lead to these blackpowder weapons falling into the hands of other nations most notably the Kingdom of Nyrond, the Hold of the Sea Princes and some say the hidden Kingdom of Shar. Despite the recent proliferation of these weapons, the Iron League still remains the only good source for the blackpowder that powers them; a situation that has made the League both rich and a target for espionage.

Blackpowder Weapons in Greyhawk

2012-01-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

Recently in my swashbuckling Sea Princes campaign I have come to a new, somewhat progressive opinion on the use of guns, cannons and other things that go boom. My resolve was only strengthened after a discussion a couple weeks ago during our weekly Thursday night Canonfire! chat. Here is my "canon" proof that intentionally or not, blackpowder weapons have slowly been leaked into the World of Greyhawk and should inevitably become commonly known in the Flanaess:

1. Dragon Magazine #71/1983 Glossography: Murlynd, an original character from Gygax's own home campaign is a quasi-deity with "6-shooters" (acquired from another plane) that only function on Oerth due to his "magical aura".
2. Murlynd is promoted to hero-god of Magical Technology in 2nd edition's Slavers. He has few priests but they can take a firearms proficiency and those who gain high level may use smokepowder normally implying they acquired the same aura as Murylnd.
3. 3rd edition's Dragon Magazine #306 introduced the paladin variant, White Paladins who can take the feat "Secret of the Firebrands" which is essentially the same ability open to 2e priests of Murlynd. There is a note in the article about Murlynd struggling against St Kargoth (the main death knight in Greyhawk) over an item called the "Quannon".
4. Dragon Magazine #263: One depiction of Delleb, Oeridian god of reason and intellect is of an armored warrior on a warhorse, carrying a sabre and a "strange projectile weapon of metal and wood". Delleb is
also said to have invented the crossbow, a weapon of metal and wood that is not strange to any race of the Flanaess.
5. Daern, the Oeridian hero-deity of defenses and fortifications was sponsored to godhood by Delleb. She is known mainly for her magic item Daern's Instant Fortress,
but in Dragon Magazine #82 she is also said to have authored a book titled, "Components and Reactions of Phosporous".

6. Lastly, just for fun, the 1980 Folio/1983 Guide: Both covers of these books show the heraldry for the Feif of Ahlissa (once Flan now Oerdian) with three fuse-lit blackpowder bombs.

That is plenty of evidence, though there is many other references that have the potential to bring even higher technology to the Flanaess as well, such as City Beyond the Gate (Dragon #100), The Jungle of Lost Ships (1983 Glossography), Doomgrinder (shudder), the World Serpent Inn (Dragon #351) or Expedition to the Barrier Peaks(S3).

Now all this evidence is pointless because of some unseen power on Oerth supposedly prevents blackpowder weapons from working (Note it did not stop the more advanced weapons from Barrier Peaks from working). In order to use or even create blackpowder weapons this effect has to be overcome. In my opinion, this effect is the work of the gods trying to control pace of development for their mortal worshippers. This is key because as you've seen above, cetain deities see technology as a balance to magic and have started to leak their secrets to mortals. Murlynd's dogma says this specifically and he can easily unlock his mortal priests from the restriction. Delleb similarly wants teachers to pass on their rare knowledge to trusted students, and he does so to Daern who then writes it down in a book for her faithful to later discover. I postulate that blackpowder weapons have always worked normally but that the knowledge to safely create them is what is magically suppressed.
It is known in Greyhawk canon that the Epoch of Magic wanes by 998 CY. Perhaps it's the slow rise of blackpowder that contributes to this. What all this boils down to in a campaign sense is a pre-rennaisance level Greyhawk where blackpowder weapons can be manufactured with strong limitations to preserve the feel of the setting. More on what sort of limitations I mean next time...

Obligatory Wizards News

2012-01-09T11:11:00.000-08:00

Yeah the news is likely to be spreading like wildfire across the blogosphere by now, but Wizards has announced that development is underway for the next [5th] edition of D&D. Can't say I'm shocked or excited. At this point it's almost shrug-worthy. Time will tell as always. As I read across the various blogs I don't have much else to add or comment on except that I'll try to keep my finger on the pulse of Greyhawk related things over at Wizards be they 4th, 5th, 6th edition, etc. It's too early to get on my pro-Greyhawk pulpit so for now let's enjoy the chaos! The next couple Gencons should at least be more interesting...

Sea Princes #18: Dangerous Diversions

2012-01-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay. The following is a summary of two short game sessions. Last we saw the crew of the Sea Prince vessel, Bird of Prey, they were still in the Onnwalian captial of Scant looking for the sage Lockard Meek to help them decipher a map to the Well of All Heals. Instead they found his colleague the botanist Olfon Trebus who agreed to aid their search south in the deadly Amedio jungle. But there was still other dangers to present themselves before they'd get far. Here is our protagonists:

Victor Emmitt Hammond (rogue, swinging swordsman)

Araxo Tydan (rogue, temporarily gallant)

Cuahtehmoc aka "Cuahto" (ranger, savage shooter)

Brother Pickles (cleric, shark harpooning)
and Henri Morgan (rogue, boarding partier)

guest starring Gunther Stohl (hacks humanoids)

As he was helping round up everyone to set out of Scant, Henri Morgan overheard gossip in a tavern about a Keoish privateer called Lydia's Light that was on the lookout to capture Captain Rennaud and hang his renegade Bird of Prey crew. Armed with this news he ran back to the ship and told the captain who immediately knew the danger. Lydia's Light is a carrack led by one Captain Rynn, a learned naval veteran and rival of Rennaud's Keoish sailing family. The Sea Princes hastily left Scant bound for the "Hook" of the Amedio when sure enough waiting for them out to sea was the privateer looking for them. Caught unaware however, Lydia's Light was outpaced and after an hours long struggle the Bird of Prey crew could breath easier as they drove westward toward the Pomarj in order to lose the bigger, slower vessel. For now.

This evasion however led them into new trouble. A fog rolled in off the rocky coast and Cuahto sighted a smoking ship derelict in the water. Captain Rennaud was convinced to check it out but was wary given their haste and the area they were in. As Lt. Tydan organized his away team, their ship got closer in view enough to notice the smoldering cog was in fact an orcish pirate ship intentionally sending up smoke to lure them in. Before an order could be made to change tack another orcish pirate ship rowed out of the fog to cut them off, a galley bristling with oars and one catapult. Flaming arrows began to fly from the smaller ship and hit short of the Bird of Prey. The battle was engaged.

Everyone got to their posts except Lord Key who went below deck for his own safety. Ballistae were aimed, and two light cannon were loaded. The majority of the crew however made to turn their ship starboard in order to send a broadside volley back at the orcish cog called the Wounded Eye. Flaming arrows and ballista bolts were traded with the Wounded Eye suffering more damage due to a round of loud cannon fire. From afar the galley called Gruumsh's Fist fired its catapult at the moving caravel and missed. The galley gave chase as the Bird of Prey was ordered to go into the fog for cover. There, a boarding launch would be sent down to hopefully even the odds.

As the speedy Wounded Eye and Bird of Prey circled the stationary cog, missiles flew in all directions. In the chaos of battle Captain Rennaud seemed weakened or wounded and was carried to his quarters by Caine the surgeon while Quartermaster Skullbreaker took his post at the wheel. Just then, from the east another vessel entered the fray, a carrack called Osprem's Kiss, flying the anchor and crown flag of the Lordship of the Isles. Osprem's Kiss was armed for battle apparently and took the fight to Gruumsh's Fist allowing the Bird of Prey a chance to emerge from the fog and begin a boarding action on the Wounded Eye from two directions.

From a launch, Lt. Tydan led Cuahto, Brother Pickles, Gunther Stohl and Henri Morgan climbed over the side of the orcish cog, while swinging in from the Bird of Prey, Victor Hammond led a rag-tag band of Sea Princes from the other side. What orcs remained on the burning ship rushed to repel the boarders but were smashed through by the quick reflexes of Gunther Stohl. Behind him the Olman Cuahto pulled one orc into the water before climbing on deck. A melee broke out all over the Wounded Eye while in the distance the Osprem's Kiss had similarly started a boarding action against the orc galley. The heroes started off by firing their newly bought blackpowder weapons but found that the roiling deck and smoky conditions made it hard to hit even at close range. One orc in fact was miraculously missed three times before his gods deserted him and a fourth shot turned him into paste.

In a turn of temporary insanity, Araxo taunted and called out the captain of the orcs, Glork Spleenstabber who was all too happy to come down and stick his wicked cutlass through the pompous human. Henri Morgan took the chance to throw his poisoned dagger at the distracted captain but missed. As he himself was distracted an orcish ballista flew by his head nearly skewering him. Meanwhile, still in the launch, Pickles harpooned an orc and turned him into chum, then wrestled with the orc that had first fell into the water and got aboard their rowboat. The mad cook raged and eventually choked out the drenched orc pirate.

Defending himself, Araxo took some mean chops from the enraged orc captain and his compatriots rushed to his aid else the hapless firstmate fall. Vic dashed in to flank the foe but was already suffering from multiple wounds as was many of the other boarders (Salty Sal lost an arm). Tumbling into the middle of an orc mob, Henri retrieved his poisoned dagger and stabbed Glork who seemed indignant more than affected by the little blade affectionately called "toad". That would still be his undoing as Gunther charged in and cleaved into the side of his head with a brutal swing. Dropping to his knees, Henri knocked Glork over to the brink of death. Araxo had him bound and stabilized to use as a hostage. A few remaining orc pirates leapt into the bloody sea to their own doom. The battle was won. Not far away, victory seemed evident for Osprem's Kiss against the galley, as slave oarsmen spilled out onto deck and began cheering.

The wounded needed healing and the cog needed searching before it could completely burn and sink beneath the Azure Sea. Signals were sent to parley between the "allied" vessels. As they met, it was soon discovered much to their surprise, that the commanding crew of Osprem's Kiss were all women...

Game notes: The first session was ship to ship combat using my hybrid seafaring rules. It went fairly well as an abstract which is all I wanted to achieve. The second session was then the boarding action using normal 3.5 combat rules. My first use of black powder guns in the Sea Princes campaign went well too. Their rate of fire will assure that they aren't going to break this game. All in all a good battle scene.

Maps, Maps and More Maps

2012-01-05T15:14:00.000-08:00

As duly reported by fellow Greyhawkian Rory Klein on his blog, Anna Meyer (Atlas of the Flanaess Project) has recently released a composite map of all her Flanaess sections to date. It's a big download but trust me its worth the wait for fans of her work and the setting. Follow either link for more details.

While I'm on the subject, another Greyhawk mapping community favorite, Eric Anondson has returned and has been busily working on his stunning views of the Sheldomar Valley (SW Flanaess). You can find different variations of Mr. Anondson's newest maps and also his older classic works of Greyhawk cartography on his gallery.

But that's not all! The Greyhawk map rennaisance continues over at the Cartographer's Guild where a member named Lukc posted a commissioned map of Radigast City. I have to say, I don't know much about Radigast City in canon, but it doesn't matter. This map is stunning. Check it out. Kudos to Lukc and the Guild.

Podcast Topic: Maps

2012-01-03T22:15:00.000-08:00

As many of you know I'm involved in a gaming podcast with my friends called Gamerstable. Last week we discussed a good topic on maps (This one is for you Anna). It's a broad subject: there's the utility and art of game maps, cartography programs, sites and materials and more. Oh yeah, and we even managed to drop a few names from the Greyhawk community. Enjoy!

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Ring of Five Questions: Greg Vaughan

2012-01-02T05:44:00.000-08:00

Welcome back and Happy New Year, Greyhawk mavens to another installment of the Ring of Five Questions! In the last couple interviews we were entertained with the old school insight of Joseph Bloch and blessed by the words of the great James M. Ward. Following in these big shoes is an author who is still rising in the RPG industry, and along the way has managed to leave his mark on the World of Greyhawk setting: Greg A. Vaughan. Greg started out freelancing in Dungeon Magazine, writing a module called Tammeraut's Fate and was also partly responsible for importing the classic adventure Isle of the Dread to the Greyhawk setting for Paizo Publishing's Savage Tide Adventure Path, a series that saw his heavy involvement including the climatic adventure Prince of Demons in Dungeon #150. From this humble beginning working in the Greyhawk milieu, Mr. Vaughan catapulted into even more freelance work for both Wizards of the Coast and Paizo Publishing on their highly successful Pathfinder setting. Greg is a member of the Werecabbages, a group of freelance RPG writers and is also an instrumental member of 3rd party publisher Frog God Games. Enough background, it's time to throw Greg into the Ring of Five...

Q1. As an experienced Greyhawk fan, you should know the Darlene map by heart. What land in the World of Greyhawk is your favorite?

Greg: Phew, this is a tough one. Over the last 30 years I've had so many favorites that have shifted over time, it's hard to say. Probably my lastest favorite area would be the Bissel/Ket Gap area. There's just so much of Gary's early lore caught up in that area between the Expedition to Barrier Peaks and the Lost Caverns/Forgotten Temple stuff. Plus it's the land of Iggwilv and has this neat East-meets-West (or in this case West-meets-East) vibe between the Baklunish and Oeridian cultures. It's just a super rich environment for adventure and inspiration in my mind. In my home game I like to set Castle Ravenloft there in the lower peaks of the Yatils and run Bissel like Walachia and Ket like the Ottoman Empire and let the fur fly.
When I was a kid, though, the answer was definitely the Wild Coast/Pomarj area. I LOVED the slavelords adventures and pretty much all my home campaigns eventually got around to that area at some point.

Q2. If you could be any one Greyhawk deity which one would it be?

Greg: Zagyg

Q3. Which author inspired you the most to write adventures for Greyhawk and later Pathfinder for Paizo Publishing?

Greg: Has to be Gary (Gygax). I think I see a little bit of his stuff in just about everything I write. Or at least I try to. He's still my favorite, though there have obviously been a lot of great ones since.

Q4. You've written your fair share of Greyhawk material. Did you have any Greyhawk-themed ideas that didn't make publication?

Greg: Yes, I had a 5-part adventure series steeped in Greyhawk lore that I had pitched to Dungeon as a mini-adventure path that had the preliminary green light. But the magazines were killed before it could get past the outline and discussion stage with James Jacobs. I've thought about converting it to Golarion and pitching it as a complete adventure path to Paizo, and I think the conversion would work fairly well--there are enough parallels to make it work. But in my heart of hearts I think it's always going to be a Greyhawk adventure.

Q5. You're shipwrecked on the Isle of Dread. Which Greyhawk NPC would you take with you?

Greg: Not Tenser...only his clone would survive. Not Robilar, he'd just kill me and take my stuff. Not Rory Barbarosa, people with him tend to get eaten. Probably Will or Tom Stoutly, 'cuz those dudes can row like nobody's business and seem like the kind of guys who will do what you tell them. And if you're stuck on the Isle of Dread, having somebody that's a strong rower has got to be a plus.

Greyhawk Resolutions 2012

2011-12-31T23:15:00.000-08:00

Here I go again...
Every year I try to reassess what I want to get accomplished Greyhawk-wise and like any resolution they aren't easy to keep. I decided this time to try comparing last year to this year and see what is realistic.

2011: Maintain 2-3 posts a week, here on Greyhawkery.
2012: Maintain 2-3 posts a week on Greyhawkery and once a week on the Canonfire Crier.
Greyhawkery was a success. So riding that high I talked the guys at Canonfire into having an official blog. Based on my blog experience and the fact my role there keeps ascending it seems I'll be doling out most of the news on Crier. I just have to balance the content of both. Oh yes, and I have a full year of trying to chase down more interviews for my popular Ring of Five Questions series (some at Gencon). I can't wait.

2011: Write more articles.
2012: Write more articles.
Nothing new here. I sort of failed. Cutting back on the comic I anticipated writing more, which I did technically just not for Canonfire or Oerth Journal. I started a Sea Princes campaign which has been successful and some of my posts on Greyhawkery have been downright article-worthy. So, better luck net year. On the Ull front, I would like to finally publish my Ulakand Gaz. Of course by then I'd like to have a Kester Gaz to go with it. We shall see.

2011: Promote Greyhawk.
2012: Promote Greyhawk.
Success. I lead by example and promote any fan articles, blogs or Greyhawk related news here. That one is easy to keep up. The added benefit is that in 2011 I joined a gaming podcast with my friends called Gamerstable. I get ample opportunities to promote and reminisce about Greyhawk in that venue as well.

2011: Greyhawk Comic.
2012: Redesign the Greyhawk Comic page.
Fail. Well cutting back from a 1/week schedule didn't help out. I started out strong but by summer I downright took a permanent vacation, except at the end when I put out one last Needfest Special. At this point sadly I am going to have to accept the comic is done and work on a site design into an archive and categorize what 300+ comics I already have. Denis Tetreault deserves alot of respect for keeping me up and running in 2011. I may make comics time to time when something really funny hits me, but for now I would rather come up with something new. Someday.

2011: Greyhawk Fiction.
2012: Greyhawk Maps.
I utterly failed at this one. I have ideas, I even have outlines, but it's a matter of dedicating time to it and deciding on a format. On the bright side there has been a few authors at Canonfire who have stepped up and made some good Greyhawk fiction and I applaud them. For now I'm keen on a resurgence in Greyhawk mapping via Anna Meyer's Flanaess Cartograhic Society. Some people may also know Eric Anondson's map work from Canonfire and having him back on Greyhawk cartography has only boosted interest in the community more. Last year I did my masterpiece of mapping, the South Seas and hopefully I can modestly add something more to the movement. I'm pondering something informative like a trade route map.

(NEW) 2012: Greyhawk gaming
Speaking of the Sea Princes. My first regular Greyhawk game in years was spur of the moment and very successful in 2011. I finished one story arc 1-3rd level and hope to finish a second story arc that takes the players from 4th to 6-7th level. It's a campaign that we hope to come back to frequently over the year/s rather than run into the ground Adventure Path style.

New Article: Psychic Phenomena of the Flanaess

2011-12-30T22:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome back Greyhawkers. Up today is another Canonfire.com Postfest article involving the theme of Psionics. Our author this time is no stranger to the call for a Postfest. Kick back and read Psychic Phenomena of the Flanaess by Argon.
Argon writes:
"When we think of psychics many see mystic guru's or followers of Zuoken from the Baklunish lands. Many of us never think of haunted locales or psychic impressions left behind by those whom walked the Oerth before us. In this treatise you will be exposed to such psychic impressions and their affects on those who fall prey to them."

This article is a boon for Greyhawk DMs experienced with psionic rules, yet it can also be beneficial to those who don't normally use psionics but are looking to throw an ancient, mysterious presence at their player characters. Good luck!

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

New Article: The Order of the Illumination of the Soul

2011-12-28T23:02:00.000-08:00

Howdy Greyfolks, it is time for another Canonfire.com article Postfest! The theme of this season's postfest is Psionics. First up is a gem from MasterArminas who has recently been very active in the community writing some good Greyhawk material. His offering is entitled, The Order of the Illumination of the Soul. MasterArminas writes:

"Psionic powers and the practitioners who use them are not unknown in the World of Greyhawk. Often referred to as mind-mages by the common people there are many who view the wielders of these mental arts as heretics and witches."

This is a fully realized and useful psionic organization that has been worked into the existing history of the Flanaess. Thus dungeonmasters with psionic characters can quickly implement this Order into their own Greyhawk campaigns. Enjoy!

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

4E Steading of the Hill Giant Chief

2011-12-27T09:51:00.000-08:00

I don't know how this one almost slipped past me, but over at Wizards of the Coast there is a new adapted module in Dungeon 197 based on Gary Gygax's 1978 classic Steading of the Hill Giant Chief. As usual, you will need a D&DI subscription to download this 20+ page module. Chris Perkins the senior producer on this module is evidently a big fan of the Against the Giants series and has been wanting to adapt them since 4e started. He writes:

"In reimagining “Steading of the Hill Giant Chief,” I’ve inflicted some violence to the maps and encounters to make the adventure a fun and balanced 4th Edition experience, acknowledging that this creates some mapping challenges for Dungeon Masters with limited tabletop space. I hope that DMs with fond memories of the original read this latest incarnation and feel the same overwhelming desire to run the adventure as I felt back in 1980, when I read Gary Gygax’s adventure for the first time."

Objectively this version of the Steading is well composed. The stat blocks don't over power the rest of the content. It seems the evolution of 4e's module design process has improved. Much like the original there is plenty of places to search and discover like a good old dungeon crawl, there is fabulous loot to be had, and there is enough new twists here to even surprise someone who has played the original. The cartography by Mike Schley is top notch as well.

Written for PCs of 12th to 14th level, the module starts off with four different "hooks" called major and minor quests that PCs can try to achieve, for example freeing dwarven slaves or finding an abandoned temple. This cleverly gives PCs something to do beyond just hack and slashing their way through the Steading. Perkins has also chosen to retain one of my favorite parts of the old module, the random chart of mundane treasures found in giant's bags. Thumbs up there. I have to mention the module makes no specific reference to the World of Greyhawk not that it is necessary or relevant to an adventure that has always been iconic enough to work in any setting, but it would've been a plus. I will tease however that the module has a couple Greyhawkian easter eggs, so there is that (sorry gang, no spoilers). All in all the module is worth a look provided you have the subscription to get it. For Greyhawk completists who aren't into 4e like me, the adaptation is not too thick that it can't be retrofitted to previous editions on the fly.

As Chris Perkins mentions in the document, this is only the first of a series that will adapt all three of Against the Giants mods to 4e. So yes in Dungeon 199 there will be Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl and in Dungeon 200, Hall of the Fire Giant King. But before you call Perkins lazy, there is a new chapter preceding those that has me intrigued. Dungeon 198 will debut "Warren of the Stone Giant Thane". I can't wait to see what comes of this one, I'll keep you updated.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T22:46:00.000-08:00

To everyone in the gaming community, Happy Holidays. May you all get your heart's desire, but don't forget to sleep with one eye open because someone else in your party might steal your cut of the loot! ;)

-mortellan

Sea Princes #17: Grog and Guns

2011-12-22T22:54:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay folks, I've had plenty going on with Needfest and all that. Last time we saw the crew of the Bird of Prey they had cleared a wrecked galley of some Drowned Ones and had enough time to search for any left over goods. Nothing good can come of an orcish galley though. Here is the protagonists:

Victor Emmitt Hammond (rogue, aspiring to shoot stuff)

Araxo Tydan (rogue, aspiring to conspire stuff)

Cuahtehmoc aka "Cuahto" (ranger, aspiring for riches)

Brother Pickles (cleric, aspiring for the afterlife)
and Henri Morgan (rogue, aspiring to be captain)

Not much was found in the hold of the crashed orcish galley save a tattered flag, (dark blue field with a black skull) and several wax sealed barrels. A few of them as the crew guessed correctly, turned out to be the most revolting orc grog in the world and it was thus thrown overboard. One would swear it caused sharks to be repelled and dead sahuagin to rise to the surface. The other barrels were much more of a haul, all bore the marks of the weaponry foundries of the South Province of Aerdy. The crew was refitted with any small arms found from that cache and sail was set in haste to Scant.

During that short leg of the voyage, those with zombie bites began to show symptoms of the dreaded "shakes" (Dexterity loss). Brother Pickles, who had bit a zombie with his own mouth inexplicably was fine, but the rail thin Mr. Hammond and the wiry Olman, Cuahto were both affected. Though initially shaking and in danger of falling from the rigging, Cuahto recovered fast with the aid of the ship's surgeon Caine the Despised and soon retreated back to his crow's nest to admire his new dagger and the gems secretly recovered from the galley.

The shakes hit Victor so badly that the poor boson could not perform his duties and was kept in his hammock below deck under the less than sympathetic care of Caine. Whispers of plague circulated among the crew and young, gullible Big Tomas was nearly conned into throwing Victor overboard until Captain Rennaud stepped in and dispelled their superstitous fears. Vic would recover slowly but he had suffered so much he wished he were dead. Cuahto meanwhile, was ratted out by someone to Skullbreaker the quartermaster about finding loot aboard the galley and so for not registering the gems (the dagger was his by rights of spotting the ship) he received a dozen lashes in front of everyone. The uncoinscious Olman went back into the care of Caine.

In the lawful port of Scant, capital of the Iron League nation of Onnwal, the Bird of Prey entered the great harbor and as the crew made to resupply, the captain and his still sore and healing officers went into town to search for the sage Lockard Meek and perhaps buy some new gear. The city of Scant is known for its martial craftsmen; dwarves, gnomes, clerics of Fortubo, and adherents of Daern and Murlynd. Here to the protagonist's delight was a chance to acquire blackpowder weapons that are so storied in the southern seas. Most of them spent considerable savings in the forges of Scant including the captain who added a second light cannon to his caravel. Cuahto also consulted the artificers about his dagger found in the eye of an orc pirate. Marked with the sigil of the Iron League and stamped with a stylized "B" he found out the weapon was a magical crafting of a locally renowned wizard named Bigby. A rare treasure indeed. Now armed with these newfangled weapons, the unproficient sailors went back to the actual job of finding the sage.

The estate of Lockard Meek was located and his servants told them he was gone, on an expedition to ruins in of all places, the Amedio Jungle. A colleague named Olfon Trebus was watching over Lockard's place and happily consulted the captain and crew about their search for the maker of the strange map. It seemed deathly important to Captain Rennaud to find Meek to the point he would go to the jungle and find him. Inspired by the chance to see the jungle, Trebus, a sage of botany was pressed into coming along. The voyage would soon resume southward again....

Game notes: I know I've referenced before that I was going to for the first time break taboo on blackpowder weapons in Greyhawk. Their cost and rarity still make them inferior choices to standard D&D weapons of course. It's all for the piratey flavor of the campaign you know? FYI, I am using the stats for blackpowder weapons straight out of the 3.5 DMG. Now if they could just get their hands on a spyglass...

Greyhawk Comic #314: Needfest Special 2011

2011-12-19T05:17:00.000-08:00

Praise Pelor! Just in the time for the holidays, it's the seventh (and hopefully last) installment of my traditional Needfest Specials. Over the years it's been fun writing and putting these lengthy comics together, and every year I swear I have nothing left, but then the holiday spirit inspires me at the last minute to entertain the Greyhawk masses. If you are not familiar with the Needfest Specials try the Greyhawk Comics link at the top of the page or check out a couple of my personal favorites here:

A Needfest Story (Where Kas obsesses over getting a new magic sword for Needfest)

How the Gruumsh Stole Needfest (A classic tale of jealousy and revenge)

Lastly, I'd like to give a special Needfest thanks to Maldin's Greyhawk for hosting the entire Greyhawk Comic collection. Now without further ado....here is this year's Needfest Special! Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO READ

Ring of Five Questions: James M. Ward

2011-12-15T22:44:00.000-08:00

Welcome back Lords of Greyhawk to another installment of the Ring of Five Questions! Last time we put the wise and scholarly greysage Jospeh Bloch into the ring. This time however, I have summoned a legendary personage here to answer the five questions, Drawmij himself: James M. Ward. Mr. Ward is best known for his nearly two decades of work with TSR which included the classic sci-fi game Metamorphosis Alpha, post apocalyptic Gamma World, and the incomparable Deities & Demigods. Of course in Greyhawk circles he will forever be remembered for the excellent hardback sourcebook Greyhawk Adventures. More recently James has worked with Troll Lord Games and this year has embarked on starting his own RPG company along with Tim Kask and Frank Mentzer called Eldritch Enterprises. Okay, enough backstory, let's get James into the Ring!

Q1. I'm sure you know your way around the Darlene map. Which part of the World of Greyhawk is your favorite?

James: I have many fond memories about the city of Greyhawk and Greyhawk castle. Gary made that part of the country come alive and I had the honor of learning how to play the game working with the people and places in and around Greyhawk city.

Q2. I ask everyone this next one. If you could be any one Greyhawk deity which would it be?
James: I am a Greyhawk deity, although I won't say which one.

Q3. Your hardback sourcebook Greyhawk Adventures is a classic. Was there any content or ideas left out due to space or editing?

James: I always work from very exact outlines. Everything in that book was planned to a T and nothing was left out or not added at the last minute. I had a lot of work in its creation, but I designed the product and it came out in budget and on time.

Q4. You're well known for your scifi and post-apocalyptic games. Do you approve of Greyhawk's history of genre mixing or should have it been solidly medieval.

James: That's an excellent question. Gary could do no wrong in my eyes. If he wanted to put a buried spaceship in his game I was happy to playtest it and get almost killed several times. I was extremely lucky to be part of his play testing group as he was designing his classic adventures. While lots of gamers know me for my science fiction, I've written more fantasy products than scifi ones. I like to do both.

Q5. Which module or book do you look back on as most influential to your more recent work?

James: Over the recent years I'm extremely proud of my Troll Lords products. TAINTED LANDS is fantasy horror and OF GODS AND MONSTERS is about various pantheons of gods, heroes, and creatures. Like everything else I grow better with the more experience I get in writing products.

* Have questions of your own for James M. Ward or other old school authors? James can frequently be found on the forums for the fansite Dragonsfoot. Check it out.

Sea Princes #16: Salvaging

2011-12-13T15:46:00.000-08:00

Welcome back followers of Greyhawk, to the triumphant return of the Sea Princes Campaign! For a review of the previous 15 episodes and additional material go to the Best of Greyhawkery page. When last we saw the crew of the Bird of Prey, they were about to embark on another voyage to discover the legendary Well of All Heals. Captain Rennaud and company have been joined by the ship's acting master and representative of Count Erasmus Tydan, one Lord Ronaldo Key. What trouble his presence will bring to the ship is left to be seen. Here is our protagonists:

Victor Emmitt Hammond (rogue, boisterous bosun)

Araxo Tydan (rogue, fumbling first mate)

Cuahtehmoc aka "Cuahto" (ranger, laconic lookout)

Brother Pickles (cleric, chomping cook)
Henri Morgan (rogue, diving deckhand)

The Bird of Prey set out of Port Torvin, east by northeast, bound for Onnwal to consult the sage Lockard Meek about the cryptic map he created long ago that purportedly leads to the Well of All Heals. With moderate winds and warm weather the ship was soon out of Princes waters in two days, going with the currents towards the coastline of Ulek and the Pomarj. A stronger breeze eventually carried their vessel faster along the well travelled sea lane with little or no event. Lord Key a land-lubber, stayed out of sight, still sick and acclimating to the roiling sea. Victor dreamed of arriving at the port of Scant in Onnwal where it is said the humand and dwarven smiths of that city craft the finest innovations of war including something called a "flintlock pistol". Six days out of Torvin, the Bird of Prey skirted within view of the rocky Pomarj coast and Cuahto made his first significant sighting from the crow's nest...

A still smoldering wrecked slave galley belonging to the most inept pirates of the seas, Pomarji orcs was spotted half underwater and half beached onto the jagged rocks of it's homeland. Captain Rennaud decided to send Lt. Tydan and his picked away team to check it for any survivors or better yet, salvage. It would need to be a rush job though since these were dangerous waters to linger in. Tydan took with him Victor, Pickles, Cuahto, Morgan and his defacto female bodyguard Scar Medorga.

At the wreckage they found a gaping hole between the above-water deckboards and the bulk of the galley still below the turbulent waters. Morgan and Pickles were sent to search above by way of grapple line while the Amedio ranger and the daring Mr. Hammond took a big gulp of air to search the holds below water. Araxo and Scar of course supervised from the rowboat. On the slanting wreckage Morgan and Pickles found an orc pinned to the deck by a ballista bolt and burned to a cinder. Evidence of a sea battle not long ago. They also broke into a fixed sea chest containing a couple decent pairs of ball and chain manacles.

Below the water Victor and Cuahto would also find evidence of the galley's crew as they swam along the many rows of oar-benches where the drowned bodies of human slaves were still chained to their posts. Headed for a lower cargo deck, they would soon surface to find a pocket of air at the rear of the galley. Here waist deep in water, sat an orc drummer killed by a broken piece of the ship's deck that pinned him to the wall. In the orc's hand was clutched a small leather sack which Cuahto waded over to retrieve. Just then Hammond saw several dark forms rise up from the water next to his ranger ally; water-bloated humanoid soldiers, soggy and stinking of death. These were surely Drowned Ones of tavern tales, slain sailors raised by Nerull to terrorize coastal lands. One of the grisly pack had a masterful dagger still embedded in its eye-socket, and all of them let out a curdling groan that even Araxo heard from the rowboat not far away.

Cuahto figured the sea zombies would be slow and greedily wanted the plunged dagger, so he dove below the waist deep water and came up from behind it to grab the pommel but it wouldn't budge. Victor could only draw his weapon as the pack surged ahead faster then expected to surround them both. Outside, Araxo indicated to Morgan and Pickles that the others were in trouble below, so he signalled for them to go help. Pickles didn't hesitate and executed a perfect dive into the waterlogged breach, even with two pairs of manacles around his neck. Morgan, less encumbered dove behind him but faltered and couldn't get beneath the water as swiftly. Cuahto and Victor fought off the fists and bites of the orcish zombies, until the noise of voices and splashing attracted their attention. All but two of the drowned ones soon submerged, evaded blades and swam in the direction of the other crew members with stunning speed.

Pickles swam along the drowned oarsmen and came face to face with the zombies swimming right at him. Harpoon in hand he stuck one and was surprised to see the others bypass him for the well lit waters behind him where Morgan's feet kicked. Rising from the deep, one of the zombies bit Morgan sending him into a panic toward the rowboat where Araxo and Scar watched in disbelief with weapons in hand. They had backed off the launch just in case making his flight that much longer. Below deck Victor managed to finish off one zombie but Cuahto was being wore down by the dagger-eyed drowned one. Pickles wrestled beneath the water and was bit as well, in a fit of rage he bit it back sending water into his lungs. He wouldn't have much longer to get back to air.

Morgan scrambled back onto the ship and inadvertantly kicked Araxo's weapon from his hand and into the drink. Using Morgan's weapon, Araxo severed the arm of one that grabbed Henri, The remaining zombies were fought all around the launch, and at one point Henri stumbled back into the water with them. Victor and Cuahto took a beating but finally slew the last zombie and extracted the dagger before it floated into the dark. Pickles strained and swam back, weighted by the manacles (4 INT folks) but miraculously had the barbaric strength to get back to the surface. Swinging and stabbing with any weapon they had left, the last of the drowned ones submerged and disappeared much to Morgan's relief. Victor and Cuahto soon resurfaced after Pickles, bloodied but richer. Would they head back to their caravel and lick their wounds or go back for another search? To be continued...

Join the Flanaess Geographical Society

2011-12-10T23:13:00.000-08:00

Just a quick plug this weekend. I'm sure many of you who frequently use Facebook or know about Anna Meyer's Atlas of the Flanaess site, have by now joined her Facebook group, the Flanaess Geographical Society. This social network is better than most you'll ever join in that Anna regularly keeps up with her mapping progress here, and other Greyhawkian cartographers have begun to display, poll and discuss their own projects as well. To date the membership for the group is up to 130 members and it hasn't slowed down. So if you haven't been directed here yet, you have now. Join in on this informative mapping group!

New Article: Return of the Spider Queen, Part 2

2011-12-07T22:58:00.000-08:00

"A final confrontation awaits Aalas in the Fane of Tiamat but the awakening of a powerful evil seems inevitable whether he wins or loses......."

Over at the Greyhawk fansite, Canonfire! is the second episode by Flint in his action packed fiction series, Return of the Spider Queen. This time we pick up where we left off, Aalas and company are still dealing with hobgoblins, wraiths and worse, Azarr Kul. Read and enjoy!

READ THE PART 2 HERE

Sea Princes: Crew Profiles 2

2011-12-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

Well folks I got good news, it's finally time to raise anchor on the Sea Princes campaign again! Though I didn't get much done during my short hiatus like I hoped, I did manage to come up with character sketches of the main players characters! For a refresher, here is some of the NPC crew from the Bird of Prey that I posted a while back. I hope you enjoy the art and look forward to more high seas action in the coming weeks.

Captain Rennaud's ship the Bird of Prey is among the more progressive in the Prince's fleet, employing more than one 'savage' Olman as not only a regular deckhand but now as the primary lookout in the crow's nest. Cuahtehmoc is no slouch though, he has proven his worth time and again in both battle and exploration. With his deadly obsidian bladed weapon in hand, Cuahto is often seen at the side of first mate Araxo Tydan who enjoys a wide berth from the more surly members of the ship. Mysterious in origin, Cuahtehmoc hails from a region of the Amedio coast not seen on many maps found in the Flanaess. Whether they ever revisit his homeland again is up to fate.

Henri Morgan of Sasserine was picked up by the Bird of Prey to fill out their crew after a sea battle with a Crimson Fleet pirate ship called the Hideous. Formerly a minor guard for the weatlhy Taskerhill family, Henri proved his worth by joining in a stealth mission aboard the Hideous to rescue Anna Taskerhill from the clutches of Captain McGrath and his harpy pets. Since then Henri has shown a knack for short blades and a short temper in using them, which is why he was evidently eager to leave the comforts of Sasserine life. Whether Henri earns fame or infamy siding with the Sea Princes is still left to be seen.

Brother Pickles is an enigma. No one knows his true name. He grew up on the docks with no known family except those who would give him food or teach him a skill. As an adult, most in the town of Port Toli know him as a slow-witted, rabble rousing cook with a penchant for strange recipes and cookware weaponry. Smart sailors recognize him as an acolyte of many transient priests including the equally delirious crank of a sea cleric Father Lork of Procan. As such, Pickles doesn't profess faith in a single deity, but instead worships all the myraid gods of the sea and sky. This fact has made him valuable to Captain Rennaud on the Bird of Prey and has kept the troubled Pickles busy otherwise he would've done something crazy like commit suicide by now.

If there was ever an example of a salty, scurvy, rum-soaked, sea-dog on the Bird of Prey it is Victor Emmitt Hammond. Victor started life at sea young and has already seen many ports and many 'ladies' in other lands. His recent employ on the Bird of Prey so far has shown him the most action however. Victor's brand of swashbuckling bravado and flashy sword work has already earned him a promotion to bosun much to the rest of the crew's chagrin. Hammond however has higher aspirations to be a captain one day; and if not this ship then the perhaps the next. That is if he doesn't get himself killed first. Only time will tell.

Araxo Tydan is the adopted son of the ruler of Port Toli, Count Erasmus Tydan. As such he has never been in favor much with his greedy, plotting father. Always a foppish, pest at court, Count Tydan finally relented to sending Araxo away on a voyage with one of his ships, the Bird of Prey. As the imposed second in command on the ship, the original crew is largely wary of this brat of a noble. Slowly he is winning some of the crew over to his side through his sly generosity, weasely charisma and the hiring (or press-ganging) of new deckhands who know nothing about him or his side-dealing schemes. In addition to Cuahtehmoc the ranger lookout, Araxo is often seen with the only female on the Bird of Prey, the Scar Medorga, leading to many rumors and jokes behind his back. All the rumors are unfounded so far and if Araxo ever ascends to the captaincy there will surely be hell to pay (or a bribe).

Ring of Five Questions: Joseph Bloch

2011-12-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

Sunsebb has come to the land Greyfriends, so to warm you up for the coming season I bring to you another installment of the Ring of Five Questions! Last time we waxed nostalgic with Living Greyhawk's Paul Looby and before that the inestimable Allan Grohe. Venturing into the Ring today is another old school devotee of the Greyhawk setting that you might recognize: Joseph Bloch. Joseph is known for his influential article, See the Pomarj --and Die! way back in Dragon #167 and currently his equally astounding gaming blog Greyhawk Grognard. Joseph hasn't stopped there however, he has also earned a loyal following for his old school dungeon crawl adventure Castle of the Mad Archmage and is now hard at work developing his own D&D rules system and fantasy setting entitled Adventures Dark and Deep. Hard working indeed! Without further ado, let's summon Mr. Bloch into the Ring!

Q1. I'm sure you know every hex on the Darlene map. What part of the World of Greyhawk is your favorite?

Joseph: For RPGing, I would go with the area from the Kron Hills to Urnst. That's where most of my own Greyhawk campaigns have been based, with Hommlet and Greyhawk as the centers. However, I've always loved the idea of doing a wargames campaign in the Iron League/South Province area. Those Dragon articles in the early 1980's describing the war there have always intrigued me. That would make one hell of a miniatures campaign.

Q2. Everyone gets asked this next one. If you could be any one Greyhawk deity which would it be?

Joseph: Boccob.

Q3. Your excellent Pomarj article way back in Dragon #167 left me wanting more. Given the chance, what would have been your next article in Dragon?

Joseph: I would have loved to do a series on some of the more prominent cities of the Flanaess. What is it that makes Niole Dra distinct from Verbobonc or Chathold? Sometimes the differentiations in rpg settings are negligible, but I would really love to demonstrate through things like architecture, customs, dress, etc. that one city is really different from another.

Q4. You have an army going to war in the Flanaess. Which NPC (any class will do) would you choose as your general?

Joseph: Cobb Darg, Lord High Mayor of Irongate. He fights with his wits as well as his warriors.

Q5. You're no stranger to dungeon design. Which module (Greyhawk or not) do you look to for inspiration?

Joseph: The Village of Hommlet (TSR), The Temple of Set (Judges Guild), and of course Castle Zagyg: The Upper Works (Troll Lords Games). And it's no coincidence that two of those were written by Gygax. I know that large dungeon adventures are somewhat out of style at the moment (outside the OSR, at any rate), but I will always go back to the roots of the game to see what new twists can be put into the textbook setting.

Greyhawk Reading: Greyhawk Adventures

2011-11-30T07:47:00.000-08:00

...Now a reading from the book of Greyhawk Adventures, chapter five, page 91:

"In mid-flocktime of CY 198, the Great Kingdom was astounded by a ball of fire which appeared over the Oljatt Sea, passed over Sunndi, Idee, Ahlissa, and Onnwal, and vanished somewhere beyond the Sea of Gearnat. It was visible as far south as the Olman Isles and as far north as Eastfair and Rel Mord, and was cause for wonder and concern even in those prosperous and confident times. Selvor the Younger, after careful extrapolation to its origin in the constellations, declared the shooting star to signify “wealth, strife, and a living death.”
"The pronouncement caused a panic in certain of the larger cities, particularly Rauxes, where a number of prominent nobles took the pronouncement to be a signal for the end of the world, or at least of an era, and created several disturbances. Accordingly, when after several years the predicted events failed to make themselves evident, Selvor was banished from his post and from the court, and held by his colleagues as a laughingstock. There matters were to lie for more than 300 years, while chaos enveloped the greater part of the Flanaess and few had the time or patience to study the work of a discredited astrologer."

-The Pits of Azak-Zil

The excerpt above is purely a random topic. When it comes to Greyhawk lore there are general subjects everyone should know about since they've been rehashed and covered many times over by numerous authors. For example, locations like Greyhawk City, NPCs like Iuz or Mordenkainen, dungeons like the Tomb of Horrors, etc. This is why I take delight in highlighting obscure lore of Greyhawk. More often than not you can open a Greyhawk book to a random page and read about something you thought you knew about, but then the details turn out slightly different than you remember them and maybe sometimes much richer. This intro to the Pits of Azak-Zil by James M. Ward is one such esoterical piece. Some of you may be familiar with the mysterious place already and have used it in your campaign, but to others this might be a rediscovery worth a second look. That's the beauty of the World of Greyhawk. Old can be new.

New Article: Castle Ravenloft in Greyhawk

2011-11-25T22:02:00.000-08:00

I have another new article to report over at the Greyhawk fansite, Canonfire! This one is entitled Castle Ravenloft in Greyhawk, and it is the second article for the author masterarminas. The subject of his work is by no means new to the Greyhawk community, but here the author shows us one possible version of how Barovia can fit into the Flanaess...Masterarminas writes:

"From its founding during the height of the Great Kingdom, to the fall of Strahd, we present this adventure location in a manner that ties it into the history and timeline of the World of Greyhawk."

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Rare Greyhawk Map Part 2

2011-11-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

Okay Greyfolks, the last time I had a headline about a rare Greyhawk map I burned you all by discussing a certain despised novel with a pretty decent illustration of the Wolf Nomads-Tiger Nomads region. My apologies for that post.

Unfortunately, I need to apologize in advance this time because the rare Greyhawk map in question is not only quasi-canonical, but it is also found in another Rose Estes novel The Demon Hand. Written for TSR in 1988 this novel sports another top quality front cover by gem-loving Clyde Caldwell. Knowing nothing about Estes or her subject matter, the cover looks compelling. A Wolf nomad carrying a magic tome and the biggest gem (check) you've ever seen in his demonic hand. Of course you can't judge a book by its cover. Here is the blurb on the back cover:

"GREYHAWK...

In search of the gemstones, deep in the salt caverns of the island of Dramidja...

The wolf-shaman Mika, the enchanted princess, the faithful TamTur and the brave companions, all frozen in time...

Meanwhile...a certain little harpy and two intrepid werewolves join together in a quest to uncover the secret of their heritage, and to break the curse of the kingdom...

Return to the land of Greyhawk, where the demon Maelfesh is up to his usual unusual mischief, where magic abides and danger rules, where the beleaguered Wolf Nomad Mika must defeat yet another incredible array of other-worldly sinister forces-the deep-dwelling cavernquatch, the granite moles, the rock beasties and more..."

Fun eh? Now I've never read this book, but what is a cavernquatch (my guess is a Quaggoth?), granite mole and rock beastie? I'm not even sure who Maelfesh is or who he is analogous to in Greyhawk canon. I doubt anyone. Hey, but The Demon Hand has werewolves, they're hot property now right? I digress, the main eyepopper in this blurb is the topic of the post, the enigmatic island Kingdom of Dramidja.

Inside the book one soon sees an illustration of this island. Not bad looking eh? As it's name fits, Dramidja is in the Dramidj Ocean. Not surprisingly this place is on no other Greyhawk map as nothing Estes wrote appears in game material. However, if someone wanted to incorporate this huge island off the coast of the Baklunish lands, it wouldn't be hard. There is already a mysterious place in the Dramidj Ocean called the Pinnacles of Azor-Alq, where its peaks contain dragons and hidden wonders. Dramidja seems less like a mysterious place however and more like a whole setting of its own as it is an entire kingdom. There is no scale on this map so there is no way of knowing if its supposed to be as big as Sicily or Greenland. It is big enough to have two mountain ranges though.

Now knowing nothing about the dangers and denizens of the Great Salt Marshes, Dramidjhaven or Pyramid Lake (except from the blurb), the best way of blending the Pinnacles and this huge island in my opinion, is to sink Dramidja under the water and have just a cluster of the Cliffs of Dramidja remaining above. If anyone is brave enough to have read this novel and knows what this island contains and its Estesian version of Greyhawk history feel free to comment on how it fits.

One last tidbit (thank you for hanging in there to the end), in the back pages of The Demon Hand is an ad for a brand new novel line that also came out in 1988. I bet you read this one, it's called The Crystal Shard by R.A. Salvatore. And get this, it's a novel about a large gem, a demon and a barbaric hero (Wulfgar), all in a remote part of the main setting. I'm just saying... *shakes head*

Greyhawk Art: Kara Fruit

2011-11-19T05:49:00.000-08:00

Over at the Canonfire forums, a member by the name of suezou has posted a pic of kara fruit modelled out of clay. I must say, as Greyhawk related projects go, I'm used to maps, illustrations and so forth, but once in a great while someone does something simple yet truly creative like this, and that makes my day. Suezou apparently has plans to do clay Usk and Galda fruit too. I can't wait!

For reference on Kara fruit check out this old Greyhawk comic on the subject. Enjoy!

Recent update: Suezou didn't take long to craft an Usk and Galda. Follow the link above to see more Greyhawkian fruit.

Ring of Five Questions: Paul Looby

2011-11-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

It's time for another installment of my ongoing interview series, the Ring of Five Questions! Last time around we read some great commentary from old school advocate Allan Grohe and before that Rary plotter Creighton Broadhurst. Facing off against the Ring today is another veteran author of the Living Greyhawk Campaign and also a contributor to Canonfire, Paul "Woesinger" Looby. Paul is best known for his work on the Flanaess' Mysterious Places and his involvement in the highly successful Living Onnwal region. Now let's see how he fares in the Ring. Enjoy!

Q1. As a tried and true Greyhawk fan, you should know the Darlene map without looking. What is your personal land of choice in the World of Greyhawk?

Paul: Hmm - hard question. Somewhat controversially in the Greyhawk fan community, I'm a big fan of the Carl Sargent era. Ivid the Undying and The Marklands are two of my favourite Greyhawk source books. I especially liked what Carl did with the Darmen lands, and how that developed through Roger Moore's tenure into Living Greyhawk. Post-Wars Ahlissa is (literally) a very intriguing place to play and GM.
All that said, though, for the last 18 years (man, that's a scary number!), Nyrond has been my home as a player. I've been lucky to have played in a simply awesome campaign based in not-quite-canon Marklands-era Nyrond. We started in Coldeven 585 and we're in late summer 590 now. So after all those years, real and in-game, it's got to be Nyrond.

Q2. If you could be any one Greyhawk deity which one would it be?

Paul: Kelenan, Johydee, Mayaheine, Tritherion, Pholtus and Zilchus are some of my favourite gods - but that's not the question you asked. Which one would I be? Olidammara is too obvious an answer (and I have a national stereotype to avoid!). And while Zagyg would be a laugh too, I think it has to be Istus. There'd be something immensely satisfying about knowing how it was all going to play out. Kinda like a GM power trip, except this one goes to 11.

Q3. England was assigned the Onnwal region for the Living Greyhawk Campaign. What was the best development to come out of Onnwal during that long run?

Paul: England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland! Don't forget us Celts! We're almost like wizards in Middle-Earth - sunburned and quick to anger. From the point of view of the campaign, I think the best thing was that we got so many players really enthused by Greyhawk and by Onnwal specifically. There were a lot of sceptical people in the region when we were given Onnwal - I know; I was one of them! Then we looked at the possibilities and started to get excited. I think we were able to pass on that sense of excitement to our players - many of whom were dyed-in-the-wool Forgotten Realms players (how's you like them apples, Elminster?).
From a Canon-ista point of view, the best development for me has to be Bigby's role in the original fall of Scant and what we were saying with that about him, his relationship with Mordenkainen, and about the ways and means by which the Circle work to maintain the Balance. We wrote a scene where the PCs get to see a flashback of Bigby is standing on his tower overlooking Scant Harbour, watching the red-sailed ships of the Scarlet Brotherhood entering the port unopposed, tears running down his face. And though it means betraying his adopted home, he does nothing. A voice (Mordenkainen) behind him says, "Time to go, old friend" and Bigby teleports away.
We always thought it was weird that the Circle would have been blind-sided by the Scarlet Brotherhood's attacks on the Iron League. Yes, they had their hands full with Iuz, but even a warning to the defenders of Onnwal and Idee would have made a huge difference. But nope - not a word. We rationalised that their inaction was a gambit by Mordenkainen to draw the hitherto shadowy Scarlet (and Black) Brotherhood out where he could see them. But the price was letting Onnwal fall to the Scarlet Sign. That's a tough call to make - for Bigby at least (Mordenkainen is far more...clinical), but if you're convinced that you hold the fate of the Oerth in your hands, well, what does one city, or one country, weigh in the Balance against the entire world?

Q4. I know this one is up your alley. Fast forward Greyhawk's timeline to 998 CY. What happens to Iuz?

Paul: Iuz has to go away. The fact that there is a 998 CY and a University of Rel Mord is evidence enough of that. In the long run, Iuz is only going to get more powerful. The Oerth is his home plane and given the number of former mortals who seem to attain godhood, it's only a matter of time before he attains full godhood. Worse still, through his actions, he could become a vehicle by which Tharizdun returns. I always had the idea that the Oerth was so important because it was the keystone of Tharizdun's prison; put that keystone in Iuz's hands and, well, it's probably not going to end well.
So Iuz has to go. How? Well - the recession of magic that Pluffet Smedger mentions is a clue. My guess is that the only way to get rid of him and secure the keystone once and for all was to remake the Staff of Law and remove magic from the Oerth, or more to the point, removing the Oerth from magic. Shift the entire world from the magical Prime it exists in to a mundane Prime like ours, where magic and fantastical beings like gods, dragons, demons and olve cannot exist (or at least cannot thrive, but rather dwindle and fade).
Obviously that's far easier said than done. Such a change would condemn anything other than humans to doom or exile. Instead of good versus evil, you've got a much messier, and more interesting, final conflict. In any case, the side that wants to remove magic from the world wins, but only just (because where's the fun if you can't snatch victory from the jaws of defeat?). Those that can flee the Oerth to other dimensions; those who can't or won't, stay. Iuz, by dint of binding himself to the Oerth as part of his full apotheosis, can't flee and just as he is about to triumph in the final battle of the terrible war, the Oerth passes from the Prime and he is shorn away from the world in a suitably epic light show. So passes Iuz the Evil, but also the Age of Magic. Those fantastical beings that remain are diminished and diminish further every day thereafter, until they are but shades and stories. Is Iuz dead? Well, possibly not, but he's gone as far as the Oerth is concerned.

Q5. You're known for your work on Greyhawk's "Mysterious Places". Is there any mystery you never got around to writing?

Paul: Oh plenty - the Flanaess has no shortage. There's some great places in Aerdy that would have been fun to adorn with some more background and current whispers and rumours - the Blood Obelisk of Aerdy, Permanence, Rinloru to name but a few.
If you look back at some of the rumours and whispers we put out - there's one that hints at a wyrm-ruled isle somewhere west of the Amedio. It was a nod towards the old Beyond the Flanaess map with the various, um, "interestingly" named realms. I was picturing a militaristic kingdom the middle of the Sea of the Dragon King (which would not be called Nippon) with a culture that referenced a mix of south and south-east Asian cultures - so more kalaripayattu than kenjitsu. That would have been fun to write up.

New Article: Nitalae, the Lonely Blade

2011-11-12T22:29:00.000-08:00

There's a brand new article over at the popular Greyhawk fansite, Canonfire! This offering titled Nitalae, the Lonely Blade, is the debut article for a new community author going by the name masterarminas. The Lonely Blade is an intelligent weapon with an ego like none other, but make no mistake, Nitalae is quite powerful and ancient...Masterarminas writes:

"The Suel Imperium died under the Rain of Colorless Fire, its treasures hidden under the ever-shifting ashes of the Sea of Dust. And in one lost crypt, deep in the trackless desert, the sword Nitalae waits for the hand of a hero to grasp her hilt and wield her once more. Is she waiting for you?"

This unique magic item article is useful in a pinch for any DM looking to add a major item to their treasure beyond an ordinary weapon bit, but fair-warning, be ready to do some extra role-playing! Enjoy.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Beyond the Crystal Cave: 4e

2011-11-10T06:35:00.000-08:00

I've written about Wizards of the Coast's popular in-store campaign, D&D Encounters a few times by now, and most recently in August during Gencon they revealed their newest stroyline that now debuts on November 16th. In case you missed out, this one might sound familiar to discerning Greyhawk fans since it is called Beyond the Crystal Cave. Yessir, score another one for the World of Greyhawk. That well never runs dry!

How does this new adventure compare with the original Greyhawk module? Well luckily for me there is an excellent preview article about it over at the blog Dungeon's Master. Check it out.

In the meantime, read this blurb from Wizard's own site concerning the story-arc:

"For a year, unnatural winds and mists have battered the area around the town of Crystalbrook. Worse, bizarre blue-skinned fey creatures have emerged from the fog to pillage and murder. Townsfolk blame these misfortunes on the fey of the nearby Sildaine Forest. The fey, who also suffer, claim innocence, faulting Crystalbrook’s people for hidden black magic that has attracted the wrath of primal spirits."

If anyone has been playing these D&DE story arcs, let me know what you think about this newest one.

Sea Princes Campaign: Timeline

2011-11-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

Well it seems my Hold of the Sea Princes campaign is going to be starting back up around December so in anticipation of this, I've been going back over my notebooks and remembering alot of the side stuff I wanted to work on during the hiatus but didn't due to laziness. One of those mini-projects was putting together a grand Hold of the Sea Princes historical timeline. Sure it'll have zero bearing on the game itself, but there are so many sources for the area out there this is mostly for my own sanity.
First a note and some thanks. Events on the timeline end at 577 CY which is my current campaign date (So you'll notice a lack of Scarlet Brotherhood action-good). Those events with an asterisk are tweaked for my personal campaign and shouldn't be considered hard facts. But if someone does find some glaring errors in canon chime in, I won't mind fixing the timeline. To that end, events I've collected for this timeline come from many sources both canon and semi-canon including Savage Tide. My thanks also go out to a handful of other gamers who have provided me with Sea Princes material, especially Sam Weiss' epic timeline found over at Canonfire! Now onto the timeline, enjoy!

Timeline for the Hold of the Sea Princes (circa 577 CY)

-422 CY- Suel refugees of the Rain of Colorless Fire seeking a safe and peaceful place to start over establish the Grand Duchy of Berghof next to Lake Spendlowe.

-368 to -348 CY- Bands of Suel mercenaries and slavers establish the town and realm of Port Toli.

-246 CY- Toli slavers sack and usurp control of Jakana the grand duchy’s only port on Jeklea Bay.

-245 to -146 CY- Toli sporadically wars with Berghof but cannot advance past Alderweg Pass into the grand duchy itself despite numerous attempts.

-154 to -148 CY- The Kingdom of Keoland’s exploration and expansion south of the Javan River is resisted by the warships of Toli.

-147 to -137 CY- King Sanduchar I of Keoland leads a fleet to explore the seas beyond the Densac Gulf. Much of the coasts of the Amedio and Hepmonaland are mapped.

-124 CY- Pilgrims led by Sasserine of Wee Jas found a remote town in his name on the Amedio coast.

-121 CY- Siege of Port Toli: King Sanduchar is slain but his Royal Navy breaks the Toli presence and brings a period of relative peace to the region.

30 CY- The Prosperous port of Sasserine repels its first raid, continues to grow and successfully holds off further assaults for the next four centuries.

43 CY- King Malv the Navigator of Keoland ends the threat of a reformed Toli nation and Berghof regains control of Jakana.

47 CY- King Malv III disappears on a voyage into the Densac Gulf.

118 CY- Kayar’s Rebellion: The brother of Grand Duke Sharzol II causes an uprising on the Jeklea coast including Jakana but fails to take Berghof before dying in battle at Alderweg Keep.

291-300 CY- King Tavish the Great spreads Keoish control southward to wrest control of the lands still primarily held by their naval rivals in Port Toli.

301 CY- The port of Monmurg is founded to act as the seat of Keoish power in the region and to counter the naval might of Port Toli.

304 CY- Establishment of Westkeep by Tavish to protect his colonies from the dangers of the Hool Marshes.

306 CY- The last Toli war ends as Port Toli and the Grand Duchy of Berghof are absorbed by Keoland into the new Duchy of Monmurg.

350-434 CY- Renewal of widespread piracy on the Azure Sea as Keoish attention is focused on northward imperialism.

434-444 CY- Pirates gradually take control of the major isles of Flotsom, Jetsom and Fairwind then form the confederation of the Sea Princes, named after the flagship of a noble-blooded pirate captain.

445 CY- Port Toli is conquered by the Sea Princes.

446 CY- Monmurg is finally seized by the Sea Princes formally ending Keoish rule.

447-452 CY- Sea Princes expand inland and hold much of the land south of the Hool Marshes.

452 CY- King Tavish III of Keoland orders the eradication of the Sea Princes. The Princes answer with a challenge to battle by sea which is ignored by the monarch.

453 CY- Siege of Westkeep: King Tavish III personally leads an army through the Hool Marshes to Westkeep where he is slain and his demoralized army routed by the readied Sea Princes.

464 CY- Battle of Jetsom Island: Newly crowned King Tavish IV takes an armada to fight the fleet of the Sea Princes in their waters. The battle is a draw with both sides losing many warships, including the sinking of the legendary Sea Prince.

465 CY- Aging Sea Prince captains retire from active piracy to settle down and form a stable government centered on an elected Prince and a House of Peers.

466-486 CY- Younger captains begin to look toward legitimate trade and explore the Amedio coast, building forts and trading with natives for their abundant resources.

467 CY- Many disaffected pirate captains renounce their allegiance to the Sea Princes and sail south of the Densac Gulf to form the Crimson Fleet. The island haven of Scuttlecove quickly grows due to the fleets’ presence.*

480 CY- The tyrannical rule of Lord Mayor Orren in Sasserine is broken by a fleet from the Sea Princes sent to aid the rebels. In the chaos that follows however the Hold instead supplants Orren’s rule.

487-517 CY- Shiploads of Amedio savages are captured and brought back to the Hold to work as slave labor on vast plantations, despite objections from the neighboring Yeomanry.

517-527 CY- The Hold further expands its territory to the edge of the Hellfurnaces absorbing the willing Duchy of Berghof.

547 CY- Outpost of Narisban established to control trade through the Olman Isles.*

563 CY- Sasserine colonists start the town of Farshore on the faraway Isle of Dread.*

573 CY- Liberal-minded Prince Jeon II assumes the throne of Monmurg setting off a new round of intrigue within the House of Peers.

575 CY- Sasserine becomes a free city and signs a controversial treaty with Prince Jeon II which effectively divides the House of Peers.*

577 CY- Prince Jeon II loses more support with the House of Peers, easily failing to abolish slavery throughout the Hold of the Sea Princes.

New Article: Rary the Traitor

2011-11-04T01:09:00.000-07:00

Aww yeah, Wizards of the Coast is slowly lurching back to Greyhawk. Last time as you may recall, the History Check column of Dragon Magazine #402 was a Greyhawkian subject involving Vecna and Kas. Now in their latest "issue #405" a new History Check article is out by Sterling Hershey entitled Rary the Traitor. It should go without saying of course, you need a D&DI subscription to download the content. For those not willing to take this leap, I'll summarize the article for your enjoyment.

The narrator is a female Vistani storyteller, one Marov Zarovan of the same clan as Menodora Zarovan from last episode's Vecna story. Marov relates:

"I will tell of the rise and tragic fall of the most powerful group of wizards and sages to hold sway over the lands of Oerth and the mighty City of Greyhawk: The Circle of Eight. What, no stir at their name? Surely at least a few of you have heard of them. Those of you who dabble in the arcane arts-"

Marov plays to an audience that may or may not be of Oerth. Fitting from a person whose race originates from the Ravenloft setting. It's still important that Oerth, Greyhawk and so on are now prominently finding their way back into D&D literature. Keep it coming Marov....

“As great and powerful as the Circle of Eight was, its roots were in another company of great heroes assembled long ago by the legendary Mordenkainen at his Obsidian Citadel. Although he often openly supported the side of good, Mordenkainen strove to maintain the balance between good and evil, law and chaos. Therefore the great mage secretly worked to undermine any being, group, or nation that he deemed was gaining too much power and influence."

Wonderful! Mordy mentioned (and not as the owner of an Emporium) as well as the Balance. This concept somehow escaped the scrutiny of 4e's changed and perhaps simplified alignment system. More on Mordenkainen...

“The Citadel of Eight started with Mordenkainen and his apprentice Bigby. Together they recruited the powerful warrior Robilar, and the cleric Riggby along with his fanatical assistant Yrag. The wizard Tenser joined, despite his righteous morality that sometimes conflicted with Mordenkainen’s belief in the sacredness of balance. Tenser then convinced his friend Serten to join, despite the latter’s—how shall I put this delicately?—lack of intellectual acumen. Finally, a woodsman called Otis completed the group."

Wow. Referencing the Citadel of Eight is a huge gold star for this author (though I'd like some verification on the actual roster here). I also wasn't aware that Serten was dump statting intelligence. Hrm. By the by, Otis can be found in the Temple of Elemental Evil modules. Anyhoo, time goes by, the members die, the Citadel retires and we move on to the creation of the Circle of Eight...

“Over the next few months, Mordenkainen worked in secret to form his new Circle of Eight. Members would come and go, and not all of their names are known to this day—not even to me. Bigby returned, ever the faithful apprentice. There was Drawmij, who loved the sea, and Nystul, a master of disguise, tactics, and puns. Also found worthy, if astoundingly overdressed, was the great Otto, formerly a priest of Boccob and now wholly dedicated to the arcane arts. Rary brought his many years of knowledge, research, and sage advice to the group. Bucknard, a familiar figure in royal courts from Keoland to Nyrond, completed the Circle."

Again, I'm pleased with the thoroughness of name dropping in this article. Bucknard is a rarity and mention of Keoland and Nyrond is a nice touch. I wasn't aware that Nystul was a punster but I can go with that. Apparently the narrator hints that the Circle had other unnamed members who came and went. Clever. It'll probably take better than a DC 25 History check to learn who those were! Moving on, the make-up of the Circle changes over the years. Tenser joins, Jallarzi Sallavarian, Otiluke, then things start to go bad...

“The Circle rarely ventured forth in force, so the signs and warnings must have been dire indeed on the day when all except Mordenkainen traveled to the hills south of Verbobonc. There they found the burial mound where Halmandar the Cruel lay. When Halmandar rose from his grave to confront them, they realized too late that they were overmatched, for Halmandar bore the Hand and the Eye of the evil demigod Vecna. He slew the Eight in the blink of an eye..."

Blink of an eye! Oh Nystul would be rolling with laughter if he weren't dead! Also, it's correctly spelled Halmadar but hey I can't blame the Vistani too much for pronouncing it wrong, the guy is pretty obscure to begin with (see the module Vecna Lives!). Needless to say Mordenkainen (who was to blame for sending them to their deaths) had to pick up the pieces and clone all the Circle back in time for the Greyhawk Wars. In hindsight, perhaps not all the clones were as identical to their originals as Mordy thought...

“Most of the Circle’s members joined the fight, but soon the fractures that shattered the Citadel of Eight were beginning to appear in the Circle. Rary showed the strain most of all: He argued endlessly with Otiluke and other members, and the effort of keeping the balance began to seem fruitless to him. Finally Rary retreated to his tower in Lopolla and refused to take part in the conflict."

"...a few of the mages noticed that Rary had become brooding and distracted. It was as though his attention were fixed on some other matter."

Indeed, as the story continues, Rary turned traitor and tried to blow up the Great Signing in Greyhawk City which would end the Wars, but not before Tenser, Otiluke died stopping him. Fleeing to his tower in the Bright Desert, Rary is joined by his accomplice in treachery, the turncoat Robilar (DC 30 History check to know the true story behind that deception). Anyways, there isn't much new to point out in this well-wrought telling of Rary the Traitor, but it does come down to an interesting point:

“Now, my friends, you are among the few who know the true story of Rary the Traitor and how he betrayed the Circle of Eight. Today the spells of Tenser or Mordenkainen are easy to find, but Rary’s

remain obscure, perhaps because the mage’s contributions to magical learning fell out of favor when he turned to evil. Perhaps you would like to learn more of such spells?"

This is somewhat true in my experience even if unintentional. Despite the fact that there ARE many Rary spells out there (the 1st edition hardback Greyhawk Adventures has twelve new spells), his magic never seemed as ubiquitous as Tenser's or Bigby's when it came to player's selection. Sterling Hershey's article thus ends by directing the reader toward acquiring the two most well known Rary spells in the 4e format. Rary's Mnemonic Enhancer is in Dragon #399 and Rary's Telepathic Bond is a ritual in the book Arcane Power. So there. Lastly, the article sums up several adventure hooks involving Rary and Robilar. These will not be anything new to the seasoned Greyhawk fan, but their inclusion in this article is the perfect endcap for a well spun history lesson. Even though there is little new to be found in this article, we Greyhawk fans should at least be content that nothing was retconned or retrofitted canonwise. And that makes this Rary the Traitor at least worth a look for the collector of Greyhawk lore. With that said, I for one am looking forward to the next History Check. Let's hope that Greyhawk goes 3 for 3.

Addendum: Marov's story was nice, but for the true story of Rary the Traitor check out this old Greyhawk comic on the subject.

Ring of Five Questions: Allan Grohe

2011-11-02T23:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome back fellow greybeards to another installment of the Ring of Five Questions! Last time we got some insightful answers from Living Greyhawk's Creighton Broadhurst. Facing the Ring today is another of the Greyhawk community's finest and most knowledgeable old school fans, Allan "grodog" Grohe. Allan is best known in Greyhawk circles for his long running fansite The Grodog's Greyhawk Adventures and an incredible run of articles on the fansite Canonfire! Allan was also once fortunate to have a Greyhawk article published in Dragon Magazine #299 titled All Oerth's Artifacts. Presently, Allan is still heavily involved in the old school gaming scene and is co-founder of Black Blade Publishing. Now without further ado, let's put Mr. Grohe to the Ring of Five Questions:

Q1. As a long time Greyhawk fan, you should know the Darlene map by heart. What is your realm of choice in the World of Greyhawk?

Allan: In terms of my favorite place to run Greyhawk campaigns, I really do prefer the central Flannaess: from the Nesser River in the east to the Lortmils and Whyestil in the west, and from the Pomarj in the south to the Rift Canyon in the north. In terms of my favorite places that inspire adventures in Greyhawk, the Valley of the Mage, Rift Valley, and the Land of Black Ice have piqued my curiosity and interest since I first discovered them in the Folio. Carl Sargent's Isle of Lost Souls is equally fascinating!

Q2. If you could be one Greyhawk deity which one would it be?

Allan: Hmmm. I've always had a lot of interest in Olidammara and Phaulkon, and Kuroth once he was promoted. I found Marc Tizoc's portrayal of the priestesses of Wee Jas very compelling, too. So likely one of those four.

Q3. Greyhawk has had it's ups and downs over the decades. What do you think was the biggest mistake made in published Greyhawk?

Allan: Wow. That's a tough one---there are so many to choose from!:
- the failure of TSR to publish Castle Greyhawk and the City of Greyhawk when Gary was still in control of TSR.
- the cancellation of WG7 Shadowlands by Skip Williams, and of Steve Marsh's Starstrands planar modules.
- the publication of WG7 Greyhawk Castle by TSR after Gary's ouster.
- the failure of New Infinities to publish Castle Greyhawk and the City of Greyhawk.
- the decision to stop publishing Greyhawk and focus on the Forgotten Realms during the 2e era, despite the two product lines being nearly equal in sales.
- the "Return To..." series of products, which set the example for 3.x and 4.x's inability to produce quality new Greyhawk adventures (instead relying on the rehashing of old standbys)
- the decision to not follow-up on the popularity of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer with more published Greyhawk products.
- the decision to not publish Living Greyhawk RPGA modules.
- the decision to close the Living Greyhawk campaign at the height of its popularity.
- the decision to mine Greyhawk as a source for names in the multitudes of 3.x rulebooks (and perhaps 4.x, I'm not really in touch there).
- Gary's prioritization of Yggsburgh for Troll Lord Games over the publication of Castle Greyhawk.
The failures to publish Castle Greyhawk probably irk me the most personally, but I think that the most damaging mistake to the Greyhawk setting and fanbase was the 2e era decision to shut GH down in favor of publishing FR content: I think that set the stage for the 3.x strip-mining of Greyhawk NPC and deity names, locations, and such---so, it's a double-whammy of sorts.

Q4. Judging by your writing credits, you know your Greyhawk artifacts. Which is your favorite?

Allan: Hmmmm. That's a tough question, since I like so many different aspects of artifacts: I love the historical snippets in The Codex of the Infinite Planes and the Vecna/Kas items; the mythological and literary ties to Baba Yaga's Hut and The Silver Key of Portals; and the fun in creating new artifacts or adding to the history of others, like Druniazth or Kuroth's Quill. (In my regular column From Kuroth's Quill in Knockspell magazine, I often create new snippets of lore extracted from The Fables of Burdock, The Demonomicon of Iggwilv, and similar sources). In the end, I think that Tenser's Fortress of Unknown Depths captures the spirit of all of these qualities, and it's probably tied with Kuroth's Quill as my favorite artifact.

Q5. If you could publish a new Greyhawk megadungeon where would you place it?

Allan: If I could publish any Greyhawk mega-dungeons, my first choices would be Castles Greyhawk and El Raja Key, of course. Followed by Castle of the Mad Archmage and my own version of Castle Greyhawk. But, if I'm to be publishing a brand-new mega-dungeon, I think some sort of large ruined ice city set in and
below the dusky glaciers of The Land of Black Ice would be quite fun (although pretty remote, of course...).

New Article: The History of the Ahlissim

2011-10-31T05:32:00.000-07:00

There is still plenty of good Greyhawkian articles coming out this Fall. The latest is by Rasgon, one of Canonfire's premier scholars. His work, The History of Ahlissim is an insightful take on the origins and lore of the ancient Flan people of the Ahlissa (South Province) region of the Flanaess.

This article has everything you'd expect about this little known era including the deities Zodal, Joramy, the fabled artificer Xagy, plus of course Queen Ehlissa and her Marvelous Nightingale. DMs, there is many lost secrets to be found here to spice up your Greyhawk campaign. Enjoy!

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Oerth Journal #26 Almost Released!

2011-10-29T00:08:00.000-07:00

Greyhawk's longest running ezine Oerth Journal is back with its 26th issue! The theme of this issue is "Beyond the Flanaess." Here is a rundown of the features:

* Beyond the Flanaess: Bounds of Oerth, By Erik Mona

* Beyond the Flanaess: Creatures of the Verdured Heights- A Bestiary of the Mythical Land Of Mur, By Greg A. Vaughan

* Beyond the Flanaess: Fireland, Scar- The Isle of Razic Jewel, By Terrance "abysslin" Hunt

* Beyond the Flanaess: The Land of Blindvidr- A Guide to the Veda, The Bird People, By Heath Miller

* Shadowed Paths to Oblivion, Part 1 of 3: Dimensions Lost- Mid-Level Adventure(10th to 12th), By Rick "Duicarthan" Miller

* GreyComix: Beyond the Flanaess, By Mike "Mortellan" Bridges (that's me!)

(Update 10/30/11: OJ #26 had to go in for repairs. We apologize for the hiccup and as soon as it's back up, which shouldn't be long, new links will be up at the Canonfire Crier, the Oerth Journal blog, and here. Thank you.)

COMING SOON

OERTH JOURNAL 26

Fiction: Of Ashes and Empire

2011-10-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

Over at Canonfire there is more new Greyhawk fiction to be had, this week by Leahcim the Learned. His work, Of Ashes and Empire, is a classic tale of knights, dwarves, orcs and even darker foes, all clashing in one action packed short story. Give it a read and enjoy!

Leahcim writes:

"The Kingdom of Aerdy, once the jewel of Oerth spanning the continent falling to decadence and finally to memory. But as one wise learned man once said 'Sometimes ashes hide an ember to start a fire anew'. This is a story of one such ember..."

READ THE STORY HERE

New Article: The Secret of the Runes III

2011-10-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

The next article in Argon's "Runes series" is up at Canonfire! for your perusal. In The Secret of the Runes III, we get to see the actual effects of over thirty of these runes and more associated rune lore. Argon writes:

"Rune Lore is the formula Rune casters use in the crafting of a rune. Unlike traditional forms of magic in which a caster invokes certain ritual’s to shape the magical weave."

These articles are perfect for anyone wanting to run an alternative spellcaster from dwarven or northern cultures, particularly the barbaric northeastern (Thillonrian Peninsula) region of Greyhawk. Enjoy!

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Ring of Five Questions: Creighton Broadhurst

2011-10-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

This week begins a new column entitled the "Ring of Five Questions" in which I hunt down notable authors and fans of the World of Greyhawk, to ask them five setting specific questions of a ponderously nostalgic nature. Starting us off is one of the best authors to come out of the old Living Greyhawk Campaign, Creighton Broadhurst. Creighton is primarily known for his work with Living Greyhawk Onnwal as well as his articles and adventures about the schemes of Rary in the Brightlands. Nowadays Creighton is part of Raging Swan Press where he creates Pathfinder RPG compatible game products. Enjoy!

Q1. As a long time Greyhawk fan, you should know the Darlene map by heart. What is your realm of choice in the World of Greyhawk?

Creighton: I have a lot of good memories of Onnwal because of my time in Living Greyhawk - I made some very good friends in LG and had some great games! I'm also becoming very partial to the Great Kingdom - and its successor states; most of my recent campaigns have been set there.

Q2. If you could be one Greyhawk deity which one would it be?

Creighton: Boccob. I almost always play wizards, sorcerers and the like so it would be cool to play at being the best wizard ever!

Q3. You published alot about Rary for Living Greyhawk. What NPC/organization would have been your second choice for a major storyline?

Creighton: Rary was actually my second choice! Originally, when we were casting about for a major core plotline I got very interested in exploring the ruins of Medegia. It's an area ripe for development and we could have explored some very apocalyptic themes. I think adventures in the ruins of Pontylver would have been particularly cool. I even had an article basically ready to go for the Living Greyhawk Journal (which later saw the light of day in the Oerth Journal). Eventually, however we decided that the plot would have been too regional in focus - in that Medegia isn't exactly central in the Flanaess and its plots would have focused a lot around the Splintered Sun meta-region.

Q4. Is there any Greyhawk module that you wish you had never ran?

Creighton: No, but there are lots I wish I could run. I really, really want to run GDQ1-7. I've played it twice, but never DMed it. Sadly, my current group has a player who has just run it as a DM and thus knows it rather well. I'll have to bide my time. I'd also like to make my players forget the Temple of Elemental Evil and run that again - it's one of my all-time favourite modules, but sadly we all know it rather well.

Q5: There's a vacancy in the Circle of Eight. Which NPC wizard would you pick to fill the spot?

Creighton: I guess that depends on what year it is! Assuming it's after Return of the Eight, I'd add Graf Reydrich (from South Province [Ivid the Undying]). His write-up includes a very interesting snippet about him pleading to join the circle 15 years ago (so around 569/570), but that he was rebuffed by Mordenkainen. That really intrigues me; after all Tenser was on the Circle for some time and he wasn't exactly neutral. It would be interesting to see how Reydrich's influence would be felt in the policies of the group.

Not Greyhawk Related...

2011-10-18T00:06:00.000-07:00

Yeah, sorry folks, this isn't about Greyhawk, but I can't help but post about my second favorite pastime, baseball. This weekend the St. Louis Cardinals won the National League pennant and will face the Texas Rangers of the American League in the World Series. Why is this victory significant to me? Besides being a fan of the Redbirds all my life of course, this League Championship is historic. Just for fun, I'll try to put it in terms even a gamer can appreciate; in the realm of sports stats the Cardinal's season was improbable as the most improbable of D&D events.

To start, the Cardinals lost their ace pitcher in spring training. This would be like the DM taking away your Fighter character's best magic sword before the adventure starts. The Cardinals pushed on and by the mid point in the season (80 or so games) they were flagging behind in 3rd place behind the Brewers and the Pirates due to a terrible closing pitcher who kept blowing their wins. Imagine now your Fighter is trying to defeat say...pirates in combat (with his second best magic weapon) but he can't win because his team-mate the affable Bard can't seem to get the finishing blow. The closer was dumped, new pitchers were acquired to fill in and the Cardinals hung in there- and with the strong bat of the "comeback player of the year" they started to climb back up the standings. This was sorta like dropping the Bard, getting a new Rogue's gallery of elves, halfling and dwarves, then the old Cleric of the group suddenly acquires a Girdle of Storm Giant Strength and heals the entire party back to maximum hit points.

Despite their rise, the Cardinals still didn't win their division (damn Brewers Guild), and the wild card spot in the playoffs was 10 and half games out of reach with barely a month left to play. In D&D terms, your Fighter and Cleric are kicking ass and taking names but they are out of healing spells and the Fighter is down to his last few hit points. One more hit and he's dead. But the Cardinals didn't die. They won the wild card playoff spot on the last game of the season (162 games long mind you) partly due to their tenacity in September and partly due to one of the greatest collapses in all of sports by the team they chased, the Atlanta Braves. Yeah, so against all odds your character narrowly averts death because all the remaining monsters couldn't get a single hit despite having a better attack bonus than you while every one of your attack rolls did maximum damage. All this transpires and the party makes it to the lair of the dragon...

The Cardinals being the wild card had to play the best team in the first round, the Philadelphia Phillies. The same Phillies who won 102 games and were the best team in all baseball, all season long. Their line up is a veritable all-star team, especially in the pitching department. In comparison, your Fighter sizes up the Dragon and realizes it is not only a Great Wyrm, but it has multiple attacks per round, each doing enough damage to kill a PC in a single hit. Do the Cards back down? No! They out play and out maneuver the Phillies, taking them to the deciding final game where the Card's #2 pitcher (arguably #1) put on the game of the season, defeating the Philly's #1 pitcher in a complete game duel, ending in a 1-0 Cards win. This is like the Fighter, the Cleric, and the cast of demihumans all wounding the Dragon but falling in combat anyway. But not all is lost, the party Wizard drinks a Potion of Heroism, picks up the Fighter's magic sword-then goes toe to toe with the creature for nine rounds, eventually rolling a "natural 20" to kill it.

The Cardinals advanced to the second round to face the Milwaukee Brewers, who won their division and looked to be every bit as potent as the Phillies especially with their home field advantage and MVP players. The Dragon was slain and it was time to take the treasure home-but no! There was still the matter of getting out of the lair and defeating the evil Guild who now waited outside to steal your hard fought loot. The Cardinals from the get-go lost the first game and it sure looked bleak, but they stole the second game and from there it seemed the Brewer's confidence was shaken. They were out scored, out pitched and worst of all made way too many errors. In the end, it was the Cardinals relief pitchers who stole the show not their starters. Back in D&D, your Fighter, all levelled up from the Dragon encounter, faced the Guild's best henchmen and mercenaries. Sure they traded blows at first but then the villains started to roll an improbable string of "natural 1" fumbles sealing their own doom. The dependable demihumans jumped in and finished the Guild off with ease after that. Yes, anti-climatic compared to the Dragon's lair, but a victory nonetheless. The Cardinals, written off by most experts and even their own fans (Yeah me too) made it to the World Series! I say, what more do they have to do to win it all? Here's to hoping that Fighter gets to bring a big trophy back to his castle when this quest is over!

Update (10/28) Welp...the Fighter brought the trophy back to his castle after all! But first, he had go through an Epic Ranger who was barring his way. At first the Fighter was dishing out big damage, but then the Ranger had the upper hand with two straight rounds of punishment. Then miraculously the Cleric's young protege stepped in and TWICE healed the Fighter back up from near death at -2 hit points. The Fighter summoned up his best critical swing and killed the Epic Ranger in the seventh round. Classic!

Rare Greyhawk Map

2011-10-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

Now that I've grabbed your attention, I'm sorry to inform you this post is about the novel Master Wolf by (shudder) Rose Estes. For anyone not familiar with Rose Estes, well she is notable for writing many of the popular Endless Quest books for TSR back in the day. This of course led to her being put on fiction for the Greyhawk setting (following on the heels of Gygax's Gord series) for which she is now and forever reviled by all corners of the community. Why is her Greyhawk novels hated? I won't go into that now, but you're better off not knowing.

Now I don't advocate book burning by any means even if it has Rose's name on it, so when I found a few of her Greyhawk novels in a library book sale years ago my goal wasn't to destroy them, but they sure have collected alot of dust. It's probably more because of the Greyhawk Adventures logo that I bought them since I'm a Greyhawk hoarder. Anyhow, on a random whim I finally opened one up with no intention of reading it, but instead to look at the art. Here, might be the silver lining to this book.

The cover above is by Clyde Caldwell whose richly colored paintings can be found throughout D&D on countless covers for modules such as the classic Ravenloft, and settings such as Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Mystara and more. His style is similar to contemporary Larry Elmore, but the way to spot a Caldwell painting is easy, just look for all the freakin huge gems on his character's weapons and jewelry.

The interior art is an interesting find as well. Master Wolf contains a few black and white illustrations by a guy named Bart Sears. For those who don't read comics, he is a fairly famous comic artist primarily for his work on Justice League Europe. Surely Sears was still working his way up in the field when he got commissioned by TSR. This book came out in 1987, two years before his career boosting run on JLE. His bio mentions nothing about his work for TSR. I'd try and forget it too if it was for this novel.

You've stayed with me this long so I'm happy to tell you there is a rare Greyhawk map in this post and yes, it is in the novel Master Wolf. If you take this illustration of a tattered map out of the context of Estes' novel, it's actually quite good. This sketch of the Flanaess' northwest could be useful for any DM looking for a functional map to give their PCs on a wilderness jaunt. Just don't tell them where you got it... ;)

New Article: Gods of the Flanaess: Erythnul

2011-10-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

"How do I define ‘living life to the fullest?’ I define it as doing what I want, to who I want, when I want to, because it brings me pleasure.
-Khuludden the Bloodstained, priest of Erythnul."

I think he's smiling...

The lorekeepers at Canonfire! have yet another new article up for your consideration. Gods of the Flanaess: Erythnul, is the 91st article by the stalwart Greyhawk scribe CruelSummerLord for Canonfire and it doesn't look to be his last.
This study into the history and teachings of the god of slaughter's religion is a continuation of a long series by CSL which has included many of the most popular deities used in the World of Greyhawk setting. It is a worthy read for any DM or player who is intrigued about using this chaotic deity worshipped by both men and humanoids alike.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

New Article: The Secrets of the Runes II

2011-10-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

A new article is up at Canonfire! home of Greyhawk fans everywhere. This offering is from the prolific author Argon entitled, The Secrets of the Runes II. Argon writes:

"In Secret of the Runes, we found out about the origin of Rune Lore. In this long awaited follow up to the Postfest IV article, we will address the lost Joten magic’s and an alternate Wizard class called the Rune Caster, plus some Rune Feats."

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

GH Comic #313: Mordenkainen's Emporium

2011-10-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

I know I've harped and commented on Wizards of the Coast's 4th edition accessory, Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium for nearly two years since it was first announced at Gencon, but the book is finally out so I think I can put this one to bed. Well, not before I have one last poke at it for fun however!

For a good review of the Mordy's Emporium check out this article by Neuroglyph over at ENWorld.

In the meantime, what could possibly ruin Mordy's big opening day emporium sale? Ah, it's not what, but who....

CHECK OUT THE COMIC HERE

Greyhawk Comic Retrospect

2011-10-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

I'm being lazy and I admit it. I haven't been able to keep up a one comic a month pace since switching to the blog routine. At times I contemplate calling an end to my parody comic so I don't have to torture myself creatively, but then again I don't want to completely drop any source of content for this site either. I guess for now I'll stick with it until a better idea comes along. One idea I did have fun with was parodying the dialogue in other's fantasy art. One such series I ran a year ago was the old D&D adverts that used to run in comic books. Have a look back and in the meantime, (while I stall for a new comic to show you) I'd be happy to poll for ideas on something Greyhawk or D&D related I could lampoon on the site. Enjoy.

Coming Soon: Oerth Journal 26

2011-09-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

I don't want to jump the gun here, but I think the Oerth Journal ezine needs a friendly promotional nudge in order to get them to release their newest issue. Recently I was given a proof copy of the 26th issue and liking what I saw, I contributed comic to it (I think my last one was in issue #23). The theme for this issue as mentioned in the official Oerth Journal blog, is "Beyond the Flanaess." I think you'll all dig this issue when it comes out as it covers some exotic locations only hinted at in canon or novels, but are built upon in such a way that DMs can take the maps, monsters and hooks and run with it without mussing up their own campaigns.

I'll keep my eye out and update everyone when #26 is ready for download. Oh, and if anyone is interested in contributing to the OJ, click on the link above to the OJ blog for information. Later.

New Article: The Dolmen of Artur

2011-09-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy month over at Canonfire! as another new article has been published, this time from a frequent contributor to the site and forums named "Smillan." Smillan combines an interestingly esoteric location from old school AD&D and a hazardous area of the Vesve Forest in this piece, entitled The Dolmen of Artur:

A "dolmen" is a single-chambered tomb, usually composed of three -- or more -- large upright stones, supporting a flat capstone. This was usually covered with earth so as to create a barrow mound. So, technically, Artur’s Dolmen should be "Artur’s Barrow," but I must play the hand that Gygax dealt me. This is the brief mention -- in the 1st edition DMG, p. 164 -- which list "crushing" an artifact against Artur’s Dolmen as a suggested way of destroying it.

If you need a destination for an epic artifact quest the Dolmen of Artur might be for you. Enjoy!

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

New Article: Fighter Kits and Class Options

2011-09-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

There's a new article over at Canonfire.com by frequent contributor (and avid Greyhawkery reader) Argon, entitled Fighter Kits and Class Options Part 1. Argon has alot of new writings in store for Greyhawk fans and this is his latest effort, bringing his own spin on some classic warrior types for campaigns (3.5/Pathfinder) in the World of Greyhawk. Enjoy!

"In this treatise, you are presented with some new fighter kits and alternative fighter classes: The Rhennee Darkhagards, the Sheldomar Swordsman, the Myrmidon and the Swashbuckler."

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

Fiction: Return of the Spider Queen, part1

2011-09-21T00:08:00.000-07:00

"Aalas -- Son of Agnure of Hommlet -- begins to lead his company away from the Fane of Tiamat, but he quickly realizes that he has little choice but to return to the Fane in an attempt to free his imprisoned step-father."

New from the Greyhawk fansite, Canonfire! is an action packed fiction series created by Flint. This is not Flint's first contribution to Canonfire!, but it does follow his knack for serialized adventure narratives. In the first part of Return of the Spider Queen, we follow Aalas and company as they find trouble in the form of some quite vindictive dragons and some hobgoblins drop by as well. Why not? Read and enjoy!

READ THE STORY HERE

Maps: Ancient Greyhawk

2011-09-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling slow this week so I'm bringing out an unfinished map to an unfinished project of mine to show everyone. One of my favorite things about the World of Greyhawk is discussing obscure references and trying to piece together maps in order to recreate the cultures that preceded those seen in the starting timeline of the setting (generally 576 CY). Based on my research this is what the central Flanaess looked like during the ancient Flan kingdoms of Sulm, Itar and part of Ahlissa. For those unfamiliar, these fertile realms existed in the setting's timeline thousands of years before the founding of the City of Greyhawk and before the adjacent region was changed into the Bright Desert by a malevolent curse. See the book Rary the Traitor for more info on that. I can't say what I need this map for right now, but in the meantime comments or additions would be appreciated, so that maybe I'll finish it someday. Or even better, if someone else has been working on similar ancient Flan maps then hey, you're my new friend! Have a good day and don't forget to also download Wonders of Ull: Oldskool Edition!

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL MAP

New: Wonders of Ull (Oldskool Edition)

2011-09-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

As previously reported, long time Greyhawk fan and co-conspirator, Braggi has been working on a monster 1e/2e conversion of my anthology of editionless Ull articles, titled aptly Wonders of Ull Oldskool Edition. I may be biased, but this PDF document is top-notch in my opinion. Not only does it pull together years worth of Ull gazetteer entries, monsters, magic, NPCs and adventure hooks, it also includes an all new old school hex map of the Ull region created by Braggi. In short Wonders of Ull Oldskool Edition contains everything you need to run a full campaign in this rugged unforgiving land (pre-Greyhawk Wars no less).

Ah, but that's not all! Braggi has also provided bonus material, "reclaiming" the generic AD&D module I9: Day of Al'Akbar so that it works in the Baklunish West. Make no mistake, whatever edition you play, the gritty information in this document will be useful to any GM looking to spice up their World of Greyhawk game with an exotic Baklunish theme. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD WONDERS OF ULL (OSE) HERE

Atlas the Flanaess: Ahlissa

2011-09-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

The demi-goddess of cartographers, Anna Meyer has posted a new section of her ongoing Atlas of the Flanaess. This region depicts part of the Kingdom of Ahlissa, formerly southwestern part of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy. Download this new section and the others on the home page to enjoy the amazingly nuanced mastery of Anna's maps.