Greyhawk Channel: Sea of Dust Redux

Hail Greyhawkers! Today I'm reposting some old Greyhawkery stuff I did on the Sea of Dust, a topic I recently covered with Anna Meyer and our loyal viewers, on the Greyhawk Channel show, Legends and Lore. These are from a way back, say, 2011! I also have some additional links to some other fan-stuff if you are interested in really kicking your Sea of Dust game up a notch. Enjoy!

Greyhawk Reading: Sea of Death (Covering Gary Gygax's novel and how this non-canonical material can still do wonders for the official setting)

Greyhawk Reading: Sea of Death Notes (Okay this one is about Ull actually, but its from the same novel).

Sea of Accumulated Dust (A document on all canon references to the Sea of Dust, get it while you can, thanks Casey Brown for sharing)

Suel Imperium: Age of Glory (How about some time travel for your Sea of Dust? This is mainly by Randy Richards from the 2E era.)

Theocracies of Greyhawk

Greetings Greyfans! Today I'm gonna run down a subject regarding the nation-states of the Flanaess, namely which are theocracies or in other words, realms governed by a (usually) single religion. The aim of this post is to help players and DMs locate a suitable homeland for their devout characters.

The World of Greyhawk is polytheistic overall so there is hundreds of gods and churches everywhere, even Ull. However, some are absolutely ruled by the dominant religion of its populace. For brevity's sake I am not including the jungles of the south or the steppes of the west. These places are certainly inhabited by a pious culture in their own right, but for now we are dealing with the Flanaess proper. Also for ease, I am also going to view these nations as they were in CY 576, the base time of the World of Greyhawk boxed set. Let's have a look:


Theocracy of the Pale (Ruler: Supreme Prelate Ogon Tillit, Cleric 14th of Pholtus) This is the easiest country to spot of course, it has theocracy right there in the name. Nestled in the northeast between mountains and the secular Kingdom of Nyrond, this nation is supremely ruled by the religion of Pholtus, god of light, law, order and the moons. Really, Pholtus wants to be it all and here, from the capital of Wintershiven, the Blinding One is the one and only deity that is real. This is humorous because when Gary Gygax first created D&D he had no established pantheons, but after a while one of the first gods he did name for Greyhawk was indeed, Pholtus. The Pale is a lawful land, nominally lawful neutral to the point of puritanical rule. They hate heretics and don't mind using fire. Your cleric or paladin of Pholtus would do well to start in the Theocracy of the Pale and adventure out to spread the faith with their hymn, "O' Blinding Light".

Grand Theocracy of of Dimre (Bandit Kingdoms) (Ruler: Szek Winvid, Cleric 10th of Pholtus) Oh was one Pholtus theocracy not enough for you? Well then, check out Dimre, an eastern sliver of the "bandit kingdoms" bordering on the Artonsomay River and Phostwood. Dimre was founded by a heretical splinter faction from the Pale whom believe that to understand the light one must walk in the darkness as well. Shady indeed. Needless to say Ogon Tillit hates this domain, as does the folk of Tenh and Nyrond which get raided by the holier than thou bandits. The Theocracy of the Pale has gone as far as sending its own raids into Dimre, but this effort so far has been a stalemate. Players interested in playing a even grittier version of a Pholtus cleric could come from Dimre, if his adventuring mates can stand it.

Prelacy of Almor (Ruler: Prelate Kevont, Cleric 12th of Heironeous) This used to be the western cleric fief of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy. What happened was, while the Great Kingdom got lazy and decadent, Almor prospered under the guidance of Heironeous, god of justice and thus became independent. Having the Kingdom of Nyrond to back you up isn't bad either of course. It's a good, peaceful, pious land, buffering the evil of Aerdy from the west with its noble knights and cavalry. What could go wrong? Players who want a sort of rural, idyllic, free nation to hail from might choose Almor. Oh, and be prepared to defend it.

Caliphate of Ekbir (Ruler: Caliph Xargun, Cleric 16th of Al'Akbar) What survey of theocracies would be complete without a Baklunish nation? The Caliphate of Ekbir on the shores of the Dramidj Ocean is arguably the most holy and good aligned realm in all the World of Greyhawk setting. It is a destination for pilgrims all throughout the west. Ekbir grew from a village of survivors of the Invoked Devastation into a thriving port city, rivaling their ahem less-pious neighbor, the Sultanate of Zeif. While the religion of Al'Akbar, demigod of faith and duty is predominant here, many other deities are openly revered here. Devout to the core, Ekbir is also known for its glorious heavy infantry and impressive war-fleet. If you are looking to make a lawful cleric or paladin from an exotic, "arabian nights" culture, Ekbir is always the best option.

Archclericy of Veluna (Ruler: Canon Hazen, Cleric 19th of Rao) Alright, so if Ekbir or Almor isn't serene enough for your character's background, check out Veluna. This archclericy broke from the vile Great Kingdom long ago with it's much bigger ally, the Kingdom of Furyondy. Veluna is sublimely safe, nestled between good aligned Furyondy, the elves of Highfolk and the gnomes of the Kron Hills. Ruled by the religion of Rao, god of peace and serenity, Veluna has in fact only seen war twice in its 250-year history, once during the Short War and in the famously heroic Battle of Emridy Meadows. Despite the placid, sagely nature of Veluna, Canon Hazen is quite possibly the most powerful cleric in all the Flanaess. Players wanting to serve a high priest representing good morals and not just murder hoboing everything against their god would be advised to consider coming from Veluna.

See of Medegia (Ruler: Holy Censor Spidasa, Cleric 15th of Hextor) Then there is Medegia. The Holy See is the eastern clerical holding of the ever-fracturing Great Kingdom. In the oppressive realm of Medegia, Spidasa and the church of Hextor, god of war is absolute. While this clerical fief has grown rich and autonomous like its good twin, Almor, the Holy Censor still has the ear of the Overking in Rauxes and thus has free reign to do what Hextorians do best, kill stuff. The raiding forces of the See are not well liked among the civilized races of the Grandwood Forest or the Hestmark Highlands. Players wanting to play a grim-dark cleric who serves a sinister, scheming high priest could not do more evil than the See of Medegia.

Iuz (Ruler: Iuz, god of evil, pain, oppression) I was kidding, you can always do more evil in Greyhawk. Should we count the self-titled land of Iuz the Evil as a theocracy? I'm certain it seems to fit. Here we have a literal demigod who is both the absolute ruler and the sole object of worship by his people. This is no mere dictatorial cult of personality, Iuz can back up his claims of godhood with magic and demons summoned from the after-life. His bloody cult is involved in the inner-circle or "government", acting and speaking in his name abroad. So yes, I think the land of Iuz qualifies, even though the numerous humanoids, demons or whatever creatures that inhabit his realm have their own profane patrons. While Iuz is still in power and walks the Oerth his divinity is unchallenged here. Adventurers take note!
What more do you need to know about Iuz and it's cruel, blighted capital, Dorakaa? Well just imagine Mordor from Lord of the Rings with open borders and a lot more magic. Players twisted enough and DMs crazy enough to allow clerics to come from Iuz will undoubtedly be fun to play, if not short lived.

Honorable Mentions. These are not technically theocracies, but they have a pious slant to their culture.

The Shield Lands (Ruler: Holmer of Heironeous, Cleric 7th/Fighter 10th) The valiant, albeit foolhardy Knights of Holy Shielding follow the god of chivalry and justice, acting as the vanguard of good against the evils of Iuz, the Horned Society and the Bandit Kingdoms.

Ket (Ruler: Beygraf Zoltan, Cleric 3rd/Fighter 14th) This Baklunish nation is at a crossroads of many cultures and religions. Indeed, the beygraf is the defender of the "True Faith" and is a cleric in addition to a formidable warrior.

Spindrift Isles (Ruler: Council of Five (elves) and Council of Seven (humans)) There is not much known about these isles saved that the southern isle is exclusively of Suel descent and religion while the northern isles are entirely elven, leaning toward the worship of Sehanine. Trouble is brewing.

Legends & Lore Returns

Hello Greyhawkers! Last week, the premier episode of me and Anna Meyer's Greyhawk Channel show, Legends & Lore went very well. If you missed out, it can still be seen on Twitch. Be sure to check in and share your Greyhawk knowledge with us every Thursday at 8pm EST.

Once I get my act together I also plan to put additional content or perhaps even take questions for the show, here on Greyhawkery if you readers are so inclined. Old school and new Greyhawk fans alike, see you there!

Update 06/24/2021: Changed link to YouTube archive of GHC videos. Nowadays  new L&L episodes can be found on LordGosumba channel though.

Legends & Lore Premiers!

Welcome back Flanaess faithful! Today is the day. Anna Meyer and myself will be discussing all things Greyhawk tonight (and every Thursday) at 8:00 pm EST. On our new The Greyhawk Channel show titled Legends & Lore. What topic will we talk about? You got me, stop in and find out. Join in with the viewers in chat and we might talk about anything really! If you miss the show though, there are videos saved on Twitch and on Youtube. See you later and enjoy!

Update 06/24/2021: Well, this is fun. Anna and me are still streaming two and half years later, but now on LordGosumba channel.

Greyhawk Channel Fall Schedule

Greetings Greyhawkers! Today I'm promoting the fantastic line-up of shows this fall fro the Greyhawk Channel. This season is a nice mix of ongoing campaigns and new ones. Check it out below:

Ongoing series:

The Dying Kingdom See more thrills and chills and heavy drama in the vile Great Kingdom with the wonderful Dani Neary.

Secrets of Castle Greyhawk The amazingly talented Sean (PowerscoreRPG) continues his story, exploring the dungeons and lore surrounding this fabled ruin.

Return to Greyhawk and Mordenkainen's Path of the Planes. Head honcho, DMShane marches on with his main story lines and playing groups. Where will the heroes venture next? Possibly into the mists of a new plane?

Fortune and Glory continues, also ran by DMShane. I have no idea what fortunes and glory has been found so far, but this show has been a boon to the most loyal Greyhawk followers who get to play with this channel.

Queen of Spiders The fine folks of this show, creep on through the Underdark lead by the bad boy of DMing of Grant Ellis.

New comers:

Birthright of the Pomarj This story rages on from the orcish POV. Half-orc warlord Turrosh Mak is a name no one will forget. Little Red Dot has the wit and enthusiasm to tell this tale of honor and war!

Orchard Unsure of this one, I believe its a story involving feywild. I need to check in on it because it is DMed by the smooth stylings of ProRestarter.

Savage Tide Adaptation of the popular high seas, demon-fighting AP from Dungeon Magazine. DM Eric Vulgaris is more than up to the task.

Uprising in the Perrenlands A rollicking adventure set in an under-appreciated part of the Flanaess, the mercenary land of Perrenland. Scratticus is a genius for setting up and DMing this one.

Rise of the Temple of Elemental Evil Ran by saevrick.is sure to be an amazing re-visitation of the classic adventure set in the World of Greyhawk. I'm excited for this one.

Legends & Lore Saving the best for last is a show co-hosted by map making pro Anna Meyer and me! Come see us as we talk Greyhawk lore, maps, Greyhawk Channel stuff and more. It's a casual interactive stream to support all the fine folks above. Tune in next week!

Update 06/24/2021: Wow Shane had an insane amount of talent running on his Twitch channel. Me and Anna even got swept into the love, and long story short, everyone has moved on to other things. Even me and Anna haha.

New Greyhawk Map Gift

Hola Greyhawkers! Things are humming along nicely this Harvester season. Hopefully by Brewfest I'll have more exciting Greyhawk news to bring you regarding the Greyhawk Channel, it's new shows and where it's going in the future. For now I have an amazing gift to show off. A good friend of mine, Nicholas found this hand-drawn map of the Flanaess at a ren-faire in upstate Illinois and knew I had to have it. Now, I've never seen this particular map design floating out there before, so I don't know if it's original or copied/stolen artwork, hard to tell with these kind of events. It does seem to be a print, so I certainly cant be the only one with this map. Needless to say I'm thrilled to own it just out of rarity.

The detail in this map's terrain and labels is exhaustive. Whoever the artist might be (it is not signed), this person is not some hack, but a knowledgeable gamer, in my opinion. Give me a comment if you own this same map or know who drew it, I'd like to compliment them. Otherwise, thank you again Nicholas and until next time, happy gaming all!

Rumors of the Barrier Peaks

Hey Greyhawkers! Today I'm pointing you toward a rare opportunity to create something for the Greyhawk and D&D at large. Over at Wizards they are taking submissions for rumors to be included in a special Dragon+ adventure based on the classic module Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. Go check it out, you have until Sept 26th to add your custom rumor, I've already made mine!

"In prior community polls, we’ve asked for your thoughts on elemental trinkets, things carried in a giant’s bag, and unusual lich phylacteries. This time, we’re asking for rumors regarding the famed Barrier Peaks. Who can say what’s true or false, but what strange rumors circulate around local taverns about these mysterious mountains (in 150 words or less)?"

Good luck, and until next time!

Update 06/24/2021: Removed link. This contest is long over.