Greyhawk Fans! Gary Con 2022 - See You There!

Psst! I will be at Gary Con 2022 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin from March 24-26. There is two Greyhawk themed seminars on Thursday, March 24th. One is the 2nd Greyhawk Fandom Renaissance put on by Kristoph Nolen of Greyhawk Online, the other is a live show of Legends & Lore with me, Jay Scott and Anna Meyer. Exciting stuff. See you there! 

1000th Greyhawkery Post!

Cold iron avail you! Welcome Greyhawkery readers new and old. When I set out to do a Greyhawk themed blog 11 years ago, I was already nearing the end of a long 5-year run doing Greyhawk themed comic strips. The commentary on my comic strips had evolved into such long winded affairs, that I realized a full Greyhawk blog made more sense. In the decade or more of doing Greyhawkery, I've created more comics (Castle Greyhawk), as well as talked about D&D news, nostalgia, the fan community, and my own home campaigns set in places like the Sea Princes and the Greyhawk Wars. One thousand blog posts is a lot of words to pour out onto a screen. I've covered everything imaginable about the World of Greyhawk, from nations to geography to mysterious places, and everything in-between. I had a couple close calls along the way, where I despaired and contemplated ending the blog, but the community has always been there to push me, inspiring me to keep going and write more. I'm grateful for everyone that has read my blog. One thousand blog posts was a milestone I wanted to reach as a challenge to myself, because this time I really am putting the blog on hiatus. 

I am reluctant to say I am ending the blog because there is always more to write about, or new editions of D&D to come out, and perhaps someday when I'm 70, a newly published Greyhawk setting to meticulously pick over. For now though, I really have hit a wall creatively and it seems better to me to press the pause button than to stress myself trying to come up with content twice a week, in order to keep up an arbitrary pace I set a decade ago, back when my ideas were fresh and indeed I had more time and energy. The other dynamic at play, and this is not a bad thing, is that there is a lot more going on in the Greyhawk community. Indeed the most I've seen since the 2000s when Living Greyhawk hit the scene. When I started Greyhawkery, Paizo had already lost their Dragon/Dungeon magazine license, Living Greyhawk was done, and it was more or less just Greyhawk Grognard and me, plus the hold-out fan sites, fan forums and fanzines when it came to dedicated Greyhawk content. Fast forward to 2021 and there is SO MUCH MORE fan content being produced that I feel I can take a sabbatical! 

That's right folks, I'm doing fine and I'm not technically going anywhere. I'm still going to write and draw at my leisure (more Ull?). If something seems particularly good I might even post it on Greyhawkery, or submit it to one of our other excellent fan content outlets. I plan on reading more (I'm terrible at that), continuing to stream (or chat in streams), and hopefully run or play in more Greyhawk rather than just talk about it. I also need to go back through these 1000 posts and fix some dead links, organize my "best of" section, and finish some primer stuff on the home page. One more thing (since this post is written at the tail end of the COVID pandemic), ideally I'd love to get back to a physical convention someday to meet all the Greyhawk friends I've made. 

In the meantime, I'd like to acknowledge and direct you to all the fabulous content creators out there that I follow or collaborate with occasionally. These people will keep us all entertained in the years to come, and who knows someday maybe they'll inspire me to regularly blog again. Enjoy!

Joseph Bloch is my original inspiration to blog and write articles. At his blog Greyhawk Grognard, Joe continues to create content such as maps and gazetteers Beyond the Flanaess, and he even finds time to make fun YouTube videos revisiting classic D&D products. I met and hung out with Joe a couple times at Gary Con, and its been a pleasure. Please follow Greyhawk Grognard if you are new to this community, there is a wealth of content to be found on his blog.

Carlos Lising is always foremost on my mind when I discuss Greyhawk with people. Ever since those long Thursday night Greytalks, I could tell this guy was in a whole different league than me (not the NHL though). Now he runs CaslEntertainment where he has published dozens of modules with an old-school flair, all play tested at conventions so you know they are good (I can attest to his DM skill from meeting at Gary Con). To go with his publishing efforts, Carlos has a stream on Twitch, he does charity events, and he still finds time to collaborate on other Greyhawk projects. You must check out Carlos' work if you haven't already!

David Leonard has the blog Greyhawk Musings where he has been putting out the best deep dives on Greyhawk history. David also has an associated Facebook group, and is also a recurring guest on the Lord Gosumba Twitch streams. His research and commentary is always top-notch, which is why his blog posts are among my favorites.

Tommy Kelly also runs an inspired blog called Greyhawk Stories, where he showcases a variety of fiction for Greyhawk, and does author interviews. His serialized novel the Hateful Wars has been a saga unlike any told in the Greyhawk community. If you have fiction of any kind set in the World of Greyhawk that you want to share with a wider audience, Tommy is the person you should talk to!

Anna B. Meyer should need no introduction. She is of course the pre-eminent cartographer in the Greyhawk community, if not the entire RPG industry. Anna is definitely among the top people who have influenced me to create and share stuff for the community. I've been streaming and hanging out with Anna at conventions for quite a long time now, and she is always gaming, chatting, and developing new projects. Anna never rests. If you are aspiring to make custom maps, or do any sort of content for Greyhawk, talking to Anna will motivate you! Check out her website for downloads of the best maps on the internet, and for updates on her future work. She also has the Flanaess Geographical Society on Facebook.

 

Jay Scott is a relatively recent, but strong influence on me and the entire Greyhawk community. His time put into his campaign, his drive to stream, and his talent at community-building is truly awe-inspiring. Jay does old school 1e/2e AD&D, with elaborate miniature and terrain set-ups, all streamed on his LordGosumba channel on Twitch. Jay is always active online, running games for his home group, or mixing in guest players from the community like Anna. His organizational efforts have now given us an annual Virtual GreyhawkCon, and has lifted up Virtual GaryCon during the pandemic. Jay has an amazing "Gabbin" talk show on his channel with Anna every week where they bring on creative guests from our community and often from the D&D industry (past and present). Jay has incredible sponsors for his channel, and is always hosting prize giveaways to his viewers. That alone is worth looking into his channel if you haven't already. Oh yes, and every Wednesday you can watch Jay, Anna and myself on Legends & Lore yakking about Greyhawk topics until we drop. The content never ends at Lord Gosumba.

Casey Brown incidentally is a huge asset to the Greyhawk community. His (Unofficial Living Greyhawk) Bandit Kingdoms Summary continues to be a legendary publication, the only one of its kind. If only we had more books like his. More recently, Casey has been the go-to contact for former Living Greyhawk writers to be interviewed on the Lord Gosumba channel, thus allowing more fans to reengage with the active Greyhawk fanbase.

Speaking of the community, here is a bunch more of my creative friends!

Bryan Blumklotz is a devoted loremaster and creator of the finest Greyhawk heraldry in the community. I've had the pleasure to meet Bryan at Garycon, and be on a panel with him. I hope to do so again someday. Besides his work on Canonfire! Bryan runs the Facebook group Greyhawk Resources where you can see some of the best discussion and content from the past and present posted on a near daily basis! 

Denis Tetreault is the mad mind behind Maldin's Greyhawk, which I'm positive is the longest running Greyhawk fan site on the internet. You might remember Maldin from his work on Melkot and Irongate, plus the amazing print revision of the City of Greyhawk maps in the pages of Living Greyhawk Journal. You can still find those digital maps, and much much more on his website. Denis is a very good friend of mine, going back to the late night Greytalk chats. More recently Denis has been on our Greyhawk streams, and he has been hosting my old Greyhawk Comic strip for several years now. Oh and he has a Facebook group, Greyhawk Adventures. I'm looking forward to whatever new stuff ol' Maldin will put on his website in the future.

Jason Zavoda of the blog Hall of the Mountain King has put out unique Greyhawk content at a prolific pace. Jason is a very knowledgeable guy that I have enjoyed talking to in chats and on stream, in fact you might know him best from his Greyhawk index.

Scott Casper is a self-published game designer and fiction writer. His Castle Greyhawk graphic novel and webcomic has been the best collaboration of my Greyhawk career. It's unreal to think that for several years I illustrated the adventures of Tenser, Yrag, and Robilar. Scott is above all things an old school gamer who is always involved in running or playing at conventions. To see what Scott is up to check out his blog Scottenkainenland.

Allan Grohe of the blog From Kuroth's Quill, also owns one of the oldest Greyhawk fansites on the web, Grodog's Greyhawk. For longer than I can remember, Allan has been a highly respected member of the Greyhawk community. You can usually find him at game conventions either working a booth or running old school games such as his long running Castle Greyhawk campaign based on Gygax's original maps.

Scott McMillan and his Aerdi History blog is one you need to add to your reading list. I've known Scott a long time from forums and chats. I put Scott's research and commentary on Greyhawk lore up there with the best in the community. 

Charles Akins has the blog Dragons Never Forget. (formerly Dyvers) He is a humorous guy that I've interacted with for several years now. Charles is also author of the annual Great Blog Roll Call, so he knows the gaming community quite well.

I haven't mentioned enough Greyhawk streaming and video creators yet, here are some favorites...

John Burchfield runs the incredible Twitch stream Blue Box RPG. John is a master of his DM craft, he runs live game sessions with a very talented squad of players. He also hosts a talk show on his channel called the Loremaster's Arcanum which can often be seen live ahead of my own Legends & Lore. John and the folks at BlueBox have an insanely devoted fan following (shout out Mad Chatters!), which have only added to the growing Greyhawk community. I hope to some day get on BlueBox now that I have the free time. If you haven't watched or heard of BlueBox yet then I only have one question for you, "What Are You Doing?!"

DMWill is one of the hardest working, most fun people in the gaming community. He has a blog called the Greyhawk Companion where he posts original game material for 5E. Of course Will also has a gaming stream WickedStudiosLLC where he does a variety of games. Be sure to follow Will!

WuTangPiglet carries on the tradition of Greyhawk Channel as he brings the action on Greyhawk Tales. Wu is a riveting DM, and has a fun group of players. They are always looking to add someone to the table too, so stop by and have a look!

WilyHobbit is running Greyhawk 5E with his Greyhawk Lives episodes. Wily has always been a devoted fan of the streaming community and now he is actively contributing with his own hosted games. Please give WilyHobbit a follow.

Oronir is all the way from Belgium and he is the creator of the Grey League a unique and educational Youtube series. Oronir really does his research and is only getting better with each episode on his channel. I say it a lot, but if you haven't seen the Grey League yet, go there now.

DMGalger has an up and coming stream on his channel, SorrowsTale. You should check out his ongoing game, it's a 5E Greyhawk campaign called "We of Oerik". 

There is so many people creating and sharing content online, I'm struggling to remember them all!

The folks at the fan site Dragonsfoot have always run with the old school Greyhawk crowd. This top-notch community is where the late Len Lakofka and other fans that I know continue to chat and work on projects such as the Footprints ezine. 

Big Mac is a superfan from the UK, and I know him best from The Piazza forums where one can interact with the Greyhawk, Spelljammer, or just about any D&D fanbase. Big Mac can be found on just about any stream or chat these days. I look forward to discussing more with him in the future.

Dave Guerreri and the Greyhawk Reborn staff have continued to write and DM new Greyhawk adventures at conventions since the end of LG. Check out their Facebook group and website for more info. This group knows their craft and always have a bunch of games offered at each event. I met Dave and some of his co-creators many years ago at Gen Con. They have been carrying the torch for a long time now, so give them some love.

Scott Agnew is an amazing entrant to the content creator club. He has a Patreon for a completely converted 5E Greyhawk Rebooted. Check out this stuff, it's quite amazing. If you see him on Facebook give him some feedback.

Last, but not least!

None, I repeat NONE of my Greyhawk contributions would've been possible without the fansite Canonfire! and the esteemed author Gary Holian. His site is where in 2002, I first started sharing articles, replying to forum posts, and taking part in late night Greytalks. It is here I made dozens and dozens of friends in the Greyhawk community. Time flies! I credit Gary "PluffetSmedger" for keeping Canonfire going for so long, even when it's seemed near dead, but now from what I've seen it's getting vibrant again with a new Post Fest and other popular fan projects. Gary has always been accessible to the community, including to collaborate on content (albeit at a glacial pace), but in the present he is way more active. You can find him on the Canonfire Discord, or on Lord Gosumba stream either trolling us from chat or participating as a guest.

Speaking of Canonfire, there is so many contributors on that site I cannot list them all, you will just have to get involved in sharing Greyhawk content, meet these fellow creators on the forum or discord, then feel welcomed into the greater community. There are a few notable people active on the site that I can praise though. If I miss anyone don't worry I'll thank you in person eventually.

Rasgon aka Ripvanwormer is probably the smartest loremaster in the entire Greyhawk community, but modesty keeps him out of the spotlight. Rasgon can still be found on the forums though ready to answer your questions in extreme detail.

CruelSummerLord is one of the most prolific writers of articles and fiction on CF. CSL is the example for those who have a lot of content they want to share and how to serialize it over a long span. He's a legend.

 

Rich DiIoia has been a huge contributor to CF for a long time as well. Known as "Longetalos" he currently is very involved in the community, heading projects on Canonfire like Touring the Flanaess. He is a fixture in chats and on discords. Rich is also a helluva DM I hear. ;)

Cebrion has been an author, editor, and forum moderator on Canonfire for many years. Though I would say I'm not actively staff on CF anymore, I have always valued spending time with LordCeb the most on the Greyhawk forums and the old Thursday night chats. Waaaagh!

Brian Dougherty is another amazing author who has graced Canonfire and my blog. "Braggi" on the forums, Brian went as far as to do an insanely cool conversion of my Wonders of Ull: Old Skool Edition. He is also a master at heraldry and much more. I hope Brian keeps producing more Greyhawk content!

Finally, and just as important, much of our Greyhawk community is tied together and curated by the skillful dedication of Kristoph Nolen. He runs the resurgent Greyhawk Online. which has been around for years, but now it facilitates even more online Greyhawk content than ever. GHO hosts not only my first Greyhawk Comic, but many other classic fan websites, and archived Living Greyhawk websites. GHO also hosts a Discord, and has the BEST Greyhawk Wiki you'll ever find (kudos to the Wiki team, I know you guys and appreciate your work). Kristoph of course is the editor in chief Oerth Journal our longest running and most important fan project, now almost on its 35th issue as of this post. Under Kristoph he has brought the OJ to print with the help of Patreon. I was fortunate enough to have met him (and many other Greyhawkers mentioned above) and contributed to the first print issue ever, given out at GaryCon XI. The Oerth Journal team is always looking for more authors, artists, and editors. If you want to get involved in the Greyhawk community and make a name for yourself, this is your opportunity. Kudos to all those authors and artists, too many to name, that have been instrumental in creating the Oerth Journal.

That's enough I think. Now let me see what Greyhawk stuff you can create. I can't wait to read, comment and discuss more Greyhawk content in the future. Until next time!

Oerth Journal #34 Available

Greetings Greyhawkers! Today I'm promoting the release of Oerth Journal #34! Head on over to GreyhawkOnline to download the latest issue. Again, the exquisite cover depicting Iggwilv in the Baklunish West is done by the sublime artist LadyLoth. This issue is packed with all kinds of Greyhawk goodness by a host of authors who are active in the community, check it out:

● Librarian's Chronicle: Letter from the Editor - by Kristoph Nolen
● St. Benedor - by Gary Holian
● Lore of the Phost Tree - by Lance Hawvermale
● Omnipotent View: Forging of a Man - by Richard DiIoia
● Reimagining Yrag the Lord - by Amy "Theala" Crittenden
● The Pentegram: A Spelljamming Ship - by Denis "Maldin" Tetreault and Rick Esch
● Exploring the Dry Steppes: Journal of Zabin Al-Xin - by John Burchfield
● Ecology of the Thri-kreen - Kristoph Nolen

● A Fistful of Baubles - by David Leonard

● Inauguration of an Apprentice - by Robert M. Guy III
● Fergus Matremand: Capt. of the Greenjerkins - by Paul Herridge

● Vault of Daoud - by Thomas Kelly
● Secret Legacies of the Flan - by Les "Oblivion Seeker" Reno

Special kudos to Gary Holian of Canonfire! for his development on St. Benedor. No one is more an authority on the saints and death knights of the Flanaess than Gary. Also very pleased to see John Burchfield of Blue Box RPG in the Journal now! It's also quite humorous and overdue to see a Denis Tetreault Spelljammer article here. Maldin knows his stuff! I could gush on about all the authors and their works and projects. Richard DiIoia, Amy Crittenden, Thomas Kelly (his Daoud story is the cover of the issue), David Leonard, Les Reno and so on. A great line-up of authors all around! Oh yes, and someone I know might have a couple comics in this issue. I can't wait to see what the gang comes up with in OJ 35!

Ring of Five Questions: Round 10

Well met, Greyhawkers! If you've been following this blog recently, this is the tenth round of my ongoing Return of the Ring of Five Questions column! If you're seeing the column for the first time this is a community participation feature of Greyhawkery. Search back and read the previous installments then email me at mortellan@gmail.com with your own five responses. Remember, you can be as short or wordy as you like in these responses. Also, I will keep taking entries until the end of 2020 so hang in there, I will get your answers posted in a timely manner!

Today is another special round inside the Ring This time I have two good friends of the community squaring off. Who will win in this face-to-face showdown? I don't know because I'm not keeping track! Please welcome first, David "snafu" Leonard, loremaster extraordinaire of the blog Greyhawk Musings. If you like World of Greyhawk lore and have not read David's deep dives into Flanaess history and adventures then look no further! This is where you start (followed by Greyhawkery of course). Mr. Leonard is an active author on Oerth Journal, he runs a Facebook group for his blog and is a frequent flyer on the Lord Gosumba channel on Twitch. Join up or stop by a stream and say hi to him. Not to be outdone ever is Casey "aurdraco" Brown, also a frequent contributor to LordGosumba channel, and can found everywhere from Canonfire to Oerth Journal, but most notably he is a former Living Greyhawk: Bandit Kingdoms writer who compiled years worth of BK stories into a published book that you too can own, the Unofficial Living Greyhawk Bandit Kingdoms Summary. (Cha-ching) Enough accolades, let's throw the pair into the Ring and see what they really think of Greyhawk!

Q1. What is your favorite realm or region in the World of Greyhawk setting?

 

David: It should come to no surprise that I choose Ratik. What's not to love? It's a narrow nation, beset with enemies and dubious allies on all sides. Adventure and mystery abound: Mountains, ancient forests, hidden feylands, a trackless sea, the bitter north, and the prospect of searching out and exploring the lost ancient city Tostenhca; and maybe finding clues to what Keraptis and those decidedly cruel Ur-Flan were up to. Orcs and ogres and giants and dragons, oh my! My preference is the northern half (I'll cede the southern portion to Carlos Lising), only because I happen to love the Hold of Stonefist (I may be in the minority in this) and its endless sparring with the Rhizians and Ratik, as well, that dour land being my runner-up by a narrow margin. I'm really not a knight in shining armor aficionado. Give me druids and rangers and barbarians and thieves any day.

Casey: Bandit Kingdoms, naturally. 

Soft ball question to start, and Casey does not deviate from his home region. If you have not been lucky enough to hear his LG Bandit Kingdom stories, you would find that the player characters of the Iuz occupied Bandit Lands are just as vicious as you'd expect. They will also steal everything but the kitchen sink. Also true to form, David jumps in there and expounds upon the virtues of the quaint realm of Ratik. I have mentioned this before, but what makes Ratik so popular in the Greyhawk community? I think David has made the best explanation I've ever seen. Also, our good friend Carlos might be happy that you ceded southern Ratik to him, however he loves Perrenland in truth. Moving on...

 

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

David: Tough question. As a northerner, I think I'll go with Telchur. He packs a whole lot into his supposedly lesser god status. I expect more than a few utter a pray to appease him and plead for mercy when the north wind sweeps down from the north in Patchfall. Techur is depicted as a dark-eyed, gaunt man with a long beard of icicles. How cool is that? Vatun, eat your heart out.

Runner-up: Xan Yae, the goddess of Twilight, Shadows, Stealth, and Mental Powers. I've always loved the sly and crafty classes. Let the heroic types take the brunt of the damage. That said, I've always whispered a little prayer before attempting to find or disarm a trap.

 Casey: Aasterinian. What's better than being a dragon? Being a dragon god!

David as Telchur. I did not see that coming. In one sentence he turns the entire Thillonrian peninsula against him. Do they like Telchur in Ratik? In truth, I dig Telchur, he is woefully underused in lore, and is rather cool looking. Check out Dragon #265 for more on him. Casey meanwhile is a draconic god. Most people would say Bahamut or Tiamat, but Casey goes for it and becomes Aasterinian the messenger of Io the dragon overgod. Wow! I'm not very familiar with what this deity can do, but I do know Greyhawk legend, Carl Sargent likely created Aasterinian in the book Monster Mythology. So well done fellas, you both were thinking outside the box!

Q3. You have one wish. Which Greyhawk module or accessory would you do over or fix?

David: Dare I say it? The A-series. Or Scourge of the Slave Lords, specifically. I would eliminate the lunacy of railroading the PCs into slavery, and I would have probably completely rewritten them, and remapped them, stripping them of their obvious "tournament" format (even the surface buildings look like dungeons!), and allowing for a greater story arc, utilizing the villains more effectively. 

 Casey: Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, I'd make the regional population figures make sense when compared to older canon sources. Sorry, Gary.

Casey throws down the gauntlet and changes a small but heavily debated aspect of the LGG which he adhered to for so long in convention play. I applauded the bump in populations for some nations, scratched my head at ones that weren't changed and then winced at the 3.5E demographic breakdowns that led to an abundance of demihumans and humanoids. David on the other hand is less on target and joins those who would like to rework the classic A-series. Or would that be re-reworked? Oh yeah there's also Slavers by Sean Reynolds. So, re-re-reworked? At any rate, it's his wish! One more thing before we get to Q4, which Gary is Casey apologizing to, Holian or Gygax, or both?

Q4: You're putting together an all-star Greyhawk NPC group. Who is your number one pick?

David: No question. Grenell. Without a doubt. Not the cleric of latter editions (that's just revisionist BS, bowing to the Satanic Panic), but the master assassin of the first. Who wouldn't want a stealthy killing machine along for the ride? Now, if you want to add a few clerical levels prior to his finding his true path, so be it; I'll take them.

Otherwise: Duchess and Candella, my favourite NPCs. Adventuresome, potential additions to the party, potential love interests, obvious foils to PC greed (as their prized OP items go missing (forever), along with the dynamic duo for a time, until they return, again and again.

 

Casey: Morginstaler. Mature adult red dragon with class levels and magic items? Yes, please! I debated picking Boneheart Cranzer here but I think I trust Morgy a bit more than I would trust Cranzer. You keep Morgy happy, he doesn't eat your face. You keep Cranzer happy, he makes a simulacrum of you before killing you.

David really spiked my memory with his #1 pick. I had totally forgot Grenell is an assassin in the Glossography. Very sneaky choice as it also puts his team in position to claim the Malachite Throne and all the might and magic of the Great Kingdom. I mean, the North Province is okay, but I see what you did there! Also, your lesser picks are charming. I had no idea Duchess and Candella was a thing. Mr. Leonard is a font of knowledge. *turns to aurdraco* Now this is where Casey's competitive spirit kicks in and we see a pattern emerge. Dude likes dragons and he will exploit them to his advantage! Better give Grenell those extra cleric levels, David, cause apparently Morginstaler the Red Dragon of the Rift  is not just a dragon he is a barbarian and a cleric too (gotta love 3e). It's amusing that Casey almost picked Iuz's crony Cranzer. He is devious, but definitely not a #1 pick in my opinion. I always imagined him to be like the Sicilian from the Princess Bride. My follow up to both guys and their heavy hitting teams: who would be your top 5 to follow Morgy and Grenell?

Q5. If you could possess one artifact or relic from Greyhawk lore, which would it be?

David: Johydee's Mask. I prefer a more a subtle application of magic rather than something to beat 'em over the head with. The mask protects from gaze attacks, bestows immunity to assaults of the mind, and disguises the wearer. Those are some terrific powers that enhance role playing and can really add to the campaign experience. I'd much rather see beautiful, graceful items, than moldering mummified corpse appendages. But that's just me.

Casey: Orb of Dragonkind. A) See #4, you're going to need some help persuading Morginstaler not to eat your face. B) If we are on Earth, I'd use it to summon some dragons (but probably not Morgy, probably some good-aligned dragons that would take pity on us. Might as well end 2020 with dragons, right?

Casey keeps the dragon theme rolling with the Orb of Dragonkind. And yes, he is right, you'd need an orb to keep Morgy in line. Although if you were actually Aasterinian I think the red would have to behave a little even without an orb! Otherwise, yes, 2020 needs to end in dragon-fire. David ends this excellent round of the Ring with Johydee's Mask. This item came up in a recent round, but this time David again explains artfully why the Mask is a desirable artifact to own. Especially IRL! And agreed, mummified corpse appendages never end well. Of course, if someone wore Johydee's Mask and also had the Eye of Vecna would we ever know? *watches David closely*

Thanks to David and Casey for participating in this thrilling round of the Ring. I have a few more heading your way, but please send in some answers if you want to keep seeing me make fun of them. The year is almost out and I need to get them posted before Aasterinian, Morginstaler and a bunch of mind-controlled metallic dragons end the world in fire. Later!

Greyhawk A-Z: Cities & Towns

Howdy Greyhawkers! I. As usual I need something to write about this week. I miss an opportunity when we recently talked about artifacts on Legends & Lore, and there is so much being put out in the community I don't know where to start sometimes. So instead I'll do one of my regular columns. If you have seen my A to Z column before just go to the Best of Greyhawkery and follow the links. This week I'm going to muse over various towns and cities of the Flanaess. Let's get to it!

Admundfort: Capital of the Shield Lands. I always pictured this place as an impenetrable fortress-city on a rocky island many miles out in the Lake of Unknown Depths. How could Iuz really take it over, expect by magic or flying? Otherwise, it's the perfect place to defend if you're a Knight of Holy Shielding. Although, if your primary mode of combat is horseback, it must be a pain to travel to shore and back. I imagine the knights hate being called back to see the earl.

Beetu: B-2...Bingo! Joking aside, this Nyrond city of 11,000 is featured in the Marklands, an indispensable source book. Get it! Beetu is a medieval town oppressed by a local count. It's near the Celadon Forest as well, so it's the perfect place to set a Robin Hood style campaign.

Courwood: I always loved the name of this town. I also thought it was part of Celene. I know I'm not the only one, it's got "wood" in the name for Corellon's sake! The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer disagrees. It belongs to the County of Ulek. Boo. What is Courwood's deal? I don't know!

Dorakaa: Capital of the Empire of Iuz. There is no place on Oerth more evil than this city. If you want a taste, get the 2E module City of Skulls. You want an aerial view, check out this map by me.

Exag: Have you heard of the Seeds of Seehan mini-AP? Written by Matthew Conklin and Tom Ganz, this 3-part adventure started in Dungeon #145 and features a write up on the old town of Exag in Perrenland. It's quite an exotic locale. If you can find this article, enjoy!

Fax: Town in the Wild Coast. Short name. Silly name. Maybe it's only silly because it's the shortened form of Facsimile.  I hate fax machines, maybe that's why I can't take the town seriously. There's a town in Wisconsin named Colfax. Gygax tended to use anagrams of people and places close to where he lived in Greyhawk. That's the best I got.

Glot: At a mere 5100 people, the reason Glot is capital of the Ice Barbarians has to be due to the fact it's the least icy part of the Cruskii lands.

Hochoch: The Grand Duchy of Geoff is one land that I've rarely used. I don't know why, it's got so much going on with giants and so forth. Hochoch pre-Giant Troubles is totally unknown to me unless I pick up a copy of AtG:Liberation of Geoff. Also if you're intrigued by Hochoch like me, get this awesome map by Mike Schley.

Irongate: This city in my opinion would be the best place to base an urban campaign in the east. There is alot going on here; dwarves, wizards, Iron League, Aerdian conflict, Scarlet Brotherhood, pirates, etc. It's the Minas Tirith of the Flanaess. If you want to know more check out Denis Tetreault's site Melkot, and the old Irongate Project. There is also an article on the city by Denis and Gary Holian in Dragon #351. Maybe this city project can be resurrected!

Jurnre: Found in the County of Ulek, Jurnre I believe is one of, if not the oldest city founded after the migrations. This, not Courwood, ahem, is the capital of this demihuman realm. There is actually a pretty good write-up with map of Jurnre in Fate of Istus. Don't run the adventure, just use this book as a source for all the wonderful cities in it.

Krakenheim: Capital of the Frost Barbarians. The Thillonrian peninsula (Rhizia) is so underdeveloped, but tiny Krakenheim is the most bad ass city name on the map. You just know those seafaring warriors once fought a kraken on the Grendep Bay. It used to be a great town I gather, but in 576 CY Gygax writes that the Fruztii have never recovered from the Battle of Shamblefield and they are technically under the rule of the Snow Barbarians. A shame.

Leukish: Capital of the Duchy of Urnst. I don't know what Living Greyhawk did with Leukish, but I think it's an excellent place to start if you are running Ghost Tower of Inverness (the Seer and the Soul Gem quest).as well as Maure Castle/ Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure. It's on the Nyr Dyv coast. You can do a lot with this city.

Magepoint: This village of 130 souls is in the module Return of the Eight. Spoilers, this village is comprised entirely of veteran infantry who work for Tenser, whose castle is off the shore from here. I like the idea of a garrison in disguise. Perfect for a wizard domain.

Nevond Nevnend: Capital of the Duchy of Tenh. I like this choice because it's a double-N entry. What little I know about Nevond is found in the book WGR5: Iuz the Evil. I recommend alot of Greyhawk books in this post, but Iuz the Evil by Carl Sargent is the only one that is a MUST HAVE. It covers so much ground. From Vesve Forest to Nevond Nevnend? That's half the map in one book. Get this now. Now this Duchy of Tenh bears no resemblance to DA4: The Duchy of Ten from the original Arneson Blackmoor campaign. There is no Nevond Nevnend, no Flannae, no Bandit Kingdoms next door and definitely no Stonefist. In fact, it's just across a river from Blackmoor! The capital is called Stargmorgan. Owning this book, I can say, while it is impossible to retrofit into the Flanaess, this Ten is much better detailed than what we get from Sargent.

Ogburg: This city of 17k is in the Theocracy of the Pale. I don't know much about it, but given the Pale's reputation of being a bit over-zealous, Ogburg probably makes Beetu look like a nice place to live.

Port Toli: I love this city. In my current Hold of the Sea Princes campaign, it's the home port of the Toli Armada. This faction contends with Monmurg in political intrigue. Port Toli is my version of Casterly Rock in Game of Thrones. Like the Lannisters, the nobles of Port Toli are rich and like to bully around others. I have grand ideas someday write-up this city. So far it's all head-canon though. If you want to know more about my vision of the Sea Princes and the Toli Armada, go download a copy of Oerth Journal #32, there is an article by me on the Unconquered Hold of the Sea Princes.

Quaalsten: This Highvale town is found in Marklands as well and yes, it's named after Quaal of feather token fame. I like this concept a lot. There should be more towns and villages named after heroes; Tenserton, Mordenkainenshire, Gordville, Leomundia, Okay this is harder than I thought.

Rel Astra: If you've been around Greyhawk you probably know Rel Astra is the biggest city in the Great Kingdom, albeit a free city with its own ruler (Drax) and intrigues. This city is possibly the biggest in the Flanaess. Greyhawk is 59,000+ and I think Astra is 61k. The only problem with Rel Astra is it's location. It's on the east coast of the map and there just isn't much for Astrans to do here unless they go around the Scarlet Brotherhood or travel overland through thousands of miles of Flanaess. If Rel Astra was in the South Province it would make a lot more sense. Ah well. I had dreamed of doing a Rel Astra campaign once, with thieves guilds and wizards, then realized it's too much like Greyhawk City, just more evil. Maybe someday I'll revisit the idea.

Spinecastle: This is a minor Furyondian fort in on the front lines of war with Iuz. Nah, just kidding. The REAL Spinecastle out near the North Province and Ratik, is what the Frost Barbarians got slaughtered over long ago. Spinecastle may be the second roughest place to visit besides Dorakaa. If you'd like to know more about this Bone March citadel, go find a copy of Dungeon #148, Gary Holian and Steven Greer's In the Shadows of Spinecastle has you covered.

Tringlee: Capital of the elven ruled Duchy of Ulek. Courwood would've been a cooler name. that's all I got on this one.

Ulakand: What? You've never heard of Ulakand? It's the capital of the toughest nomad nation in the western quarter of the Darlene map! If you want to know more, check out this map and article on Ulakand by me!

Vlekstaad: So you want a remote, rough and tumble place that isn't really like the standard medieval cities in the Flanaess? Vlekstaad and the terrible Fists of Sevvord Redbeard could be a good candidate. This place is like the Ull of the north. Vlekstaad on the coast of the Icy Sea is an interesting base to do some in-depth wilderness adventures. You got frozen waters, imposing mountains, vast tundra and a couple huge forests that look like they've hardly been explored. It's worth a try.

Womtham: A major city in Nyrond near the Duntide River. What do I know about Womtham? Not much, but I do know it's an anagram of old school game designer Tom Wham. Wham's minigames like Elefant Hunt were one of my favorite treats in Dragon Magazine back in the day. You're welcome.

Xia Ulos: I had to pull this one out of The Scarlet Brotherhood. This obscure little town is a redundant port is mainly used by the brotherhood to do maintenance on ships that can't make it back to a bigger port.

Yecha: Capital of the Tiger Nomads. I've never used it, and I'm fairly sure 90% of Greyhawk DMs haven't either. Fortunately for us all, fellow Greyhawker Blake Ryan did a write up on this town last year on Tribality.

Zeif: I love this city. It conjures pictures in my head of an Arabian Nights type story. Grab a copy of Al-Qadim and you can run some fantastic stuff here. Oh, did you know Zeif had a Living Greyhawk group for a few years (Canada)? Check out this old L&L show we did with some of Living Greyhawk: Zeif's principle members. Good times!

That's all for now. Greyhawk has thousands of cities, towns and villages. I could do this same A-Z many times over. But, eh, no thanks! See you all next time.

New Greyhawk Stuff to See

Well met Greyhawkers! Fresh off our Virtual Gary Con seminar on Twitch, I have a few links to share for more creative stuff to read on the internet. Those who were present that day probably have already been to these sites, but I gotta keep plugging away. Let's get to it!

Joe Bloch over at Greyhawk Grognard does it again, this time he has a new must have download titled T5: Beneath the Temple of Elemental Evil. What is T5 all about? Joe writes:

"The first in my series of expansions/addenda/replacements for the classic T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil, and the GDQ Giants/Drow modules is finally here. 
Based on literally years of research and speculation here on the blog, this first module is an expansion to the Temple of Elemental Evil, detailing a (real) shrine to the Elder Elemental God far below the Temple dungeons..."

If you are a fan of the classic Temple you will have to see what Joe has in store with this publication and what surely is left to come. No one ponders and improves on the classics like Greyhawk Grognard!

Next up, as promised is the newest issue, Oerth Journal #32 now available for download over at Greyhawk Online. This issue the theme is "Infinite Oerths" and here is the line up of authors and articles:

•  Making Greyhawk Your Own by Amy G. Crittenden
•  Gord's Greyhawk by Cal Scrivener
•  Ravilla: the Sundered Dragon Empire by Kristoph Nolen
•  The Many Castles Greyhawk by Joe "Greyhawk Grognard" Bloch
•  Going to the Source by Jason Zavoda
•  If It Smells Like a Viking by Jason Zavoda
•  A Reign of Death by Gary Holian
•  A Decidedly Disastrous Day by David Leonard
•  The Howl From the North by William "Giantstomp" Dvorak
•  Unconquered Hold of the Sea Princes by Michael Bridges
•  Diadem of Zosiel by Thom "Oronir" Vandevenne
•  History of the Wild Coast by Aaron Froke
•  Legendary Axes of Varnifane by Jay L. "Lord Gosumba" Scott

Lastly, head over to Greyhawk Stories to read Thomas Kelly's incredible interview with Paul Kidd the author of a trilogy of Greyhawk novels starring his unique character, the Justicar. If anyone had a chance to get a Greyhawk novel line going post-Gygax it was Kidd. Go over and check this article out, you'll want go out and find a copy of White Plume Mountain or Queen of the Demonweb Pits! 

Kudos to Mr. Kelly on this coup of an interview!

900th Greyhawk Post!

Welcome friends and fans of Greyhawk! Today's post is extra special because it's my 900th doing Greyhawkery, I've always kept a modest posting schedule, like 2-3 a week so getting to this point has been a marathon instead of a race for me. What to do to celebrate 900? Well, I wish it had been Gary Con 12, but since it got cancelled due to COVID-19, instead let's start by throwing out these ads for Virtual Gary Con!

Yes indeed, Gary Con carries on! These dual streams will include myself, Anna Meyer and Jay Scott, plus all our Greyhawk friends and colleagues as originally planned. Should be a good time. Please stop in and watch or at least throw us some follows on these dates. Also keep an eye out for the release of Oerth Journal #32 on Greyhawk Online!

Now that the present is taken care of, let's get nostalgic. In 900 posts I've done a TON of Greyhawk themed subjects. If you check the tabs at the top of the page you can see some of my "best" articles as well as links to many comics I've featured on Greyhawkery. Speaking of comics, the graphic novel Castle Greyhawk by Scott Casper and drawn by me, has been a central reason why my blog has lasted this long! The comic (ending in 2019) can still be found here, and I hope in the future Scott can make the print version available to more fans online through Patreon or some other way. My gratitude to Scott for his writing and art direction on this project is boundless. Though I've not hardly done any art (besides maps) since the end of Castle Greyhawk, I did manage to draw this piece to dedicate to Scott. Hey buddy, go ahead and use this graphic if you'd like, it's all for you!
For those who haven't read the comic, these three were among the main characters of the story: top to bottom is Tenser (mage of course), Ehlissa (also mage) and Yrag (fighter). What is in store for me artwise? Well I still do an occasional Cultist of Tharizdun comic strip for Oerth Journal. If you want to see me at my most maniacal and trivial, then read the entire Cultist run.

I have done many maps, interviews, scholarly studies, lists, I've featured my Ull and Sea Princes campaign material here for several years and of course I've promoted the works of many other content creators in the community. In this time I've also had some lulls and thoughts of hanging up the blog, but I always kept going for you, my readers. So if Greyhawkery is new to you, spend some time looking around, I GUARANTEE there is something you'll find that's useful for your games or a tidbit of lore you never knew, or just something nonsensical to amuse you. For now I'll try to keep it going until post #1000! Enjoy!

Update 06/27/2021: 1000 posts. Mission accomplished.

Support Greyhawk Content Creators

Welcome again Greyhawkers! In light of Gary Con's cancellation, let's give some shout outs to some good friends of the community who are putting out some amazing Greyhawk content on the net. They need your support, please try all the links below!

Greyhawk Grognard is releasing a lot of good 5E conversions of Greyhawk material. His latest offering is Magic Items of the Flanaess. It's like Greyhawk Adventures and much more. Please support Joe Bloch's tireless effort by joining his Patreon.

My Legends & Lore compadre, Anna Meyer is still killing it with her cartography, especially her recent 576 CY Greyhawk map. When not on Twitch with me or Jay she is doing freelance work for game companies and making content for her Patreon subscribers. Please join Anna!

Speaking of Jay Scott, the LordGosumba channel is going strong on Twitch. I am sure he won't be daunted by the cancellation of Gary Con, with shows streaming three days a week. Be sure to tune in and chat with Jay and his crew. You never know who he will have guesting on his shows as well! Please follow and subscribe to LordGosumba. It's definitely for the community as he does charity streams and has regular giveaways from sponsors.

Speaking of sponsoring, have you seen the fantasy art of Lady Loth? You MUST check out Lady Loth's work right NOW. She is a major fan of all things D&D including the World of Greyhawk. And as luck would have it, Lady Loth now has a Patreon. Please support her excellent work for the community.

Last but not least Greyhawk Online is eager to release the newest issue, Oerth Journal #32 to the public. Not only will it be free to download very soon, there is a new Patreon for supporters of the fanzine which will give you an opportunity to own a PRINT version of issue #32 and every issue that comes out after that. These print copies were originally going to be available only at Gary Con until its untimely cancellation. Please support GHO and keep this invaluable source of new content going!