Greyhawk Project List

Sometimes I have so many ideas for projects swirling in my head that the only way to get anything done is to first, procrastinate and do none of them! That is what this post is all about. I figure typing out my thoughts will help me focus my time better by giving me a place to reference them and with any luck get some feedback. I had a good run in the last calendar year, finishing my Cultist Saga, starting this blog Greyhawkery, producing a gorgeous Greyhawk map and beginning an incredible Sea Princes campaign. Here is what I got planned going forward:

More Greyhawk comics (Naturally, though a new original idea would be keen, even if not GH related).
Gazetteer of Kester (I did one for Ulakand that is unpublished, Kester would be my masterpiece of Ull writing)
Mysteries of the World of Greyhawk: Revealed 2 (The first one was my creation myth, the topic of this one would be the afterlife).
NPC sketches from my Sea Princes campaign (I used to do this alot, but I've got away from it over the years. There is so many NPCs in a sea-based campaign that visual aides tend to help players).
Gencon Special (Doesn't look like I'm going to be motivated to do anything special this year. I'm not even going to the con. Maybe next year.)
Battles of Greyhawk (Man I'd really like to get back on this article series idea. I did Emridy Meadows long ago and then did some stat research on many others, but never pulled the trigger on a 2nd article).
Pirate Flags of Greyhawk (For my Sea Princes game, I'd like to have some heraldic flags for different pirate/naval groups, such as the Crimson Fleet and so on. This is a wish list item and not a high priority for me yet).
Caption Contests (I ran those in my comic, they would be a good fit for the blog).
Postfest Article (Canonfire has article rushes time to time. I skipped the last one on Side Treks, too bad cause I had a groovy idea).
Oerth Journal Article (Once I see something more on the progress of the new OJ staff, I may contribute something again. I got faith in you guys!).
Greyhawk Literature (I'd like to get back to my dormant idea for a novel, but poetry has been easier on the brain lately).

The sad thing is I won't get to half of these in the next year, or even two, but in the meantime I'll most likely succeed at other projects that I haven't even thought up yet! Ah well!

Greyhawk Poetry Corner

Lirr is the Oeridian goddess of Prose, Poetry, Literature and Art. Of all the deities in the World of Greyhawk, she might be the most highly underrated. Indeed, what would Greyhawk be like without her muse-like inspiration guiding its classic artists and authors? To honor this forgotten goddess of the Flanaess, today's post is the first of a series of poetry gleaned from the four corners of the map. I think you'll find the styles familiar and themes quite Greyhawkian. Enjoy!

"Bitter North"

Black Ice and Cold Marsh;

Telchur's laugh freezes the Sea.

Bleak landscape confines.

"Zoltan"

There once was a beygraf from Ket,
Who took over Bissel, no sweat.
The mullahs were insulted,
That they weren't first consulted,
So they threw him off a minaret.

"Thingizzard"

I met an old crone named Thingizzard,

Who had the powers of a wizard.

When I spurned her affections,

She gave me bad directions,

To the cave of an undead lizard.

Sea Princes #12: Hard Night in Port Torvin

The Sea Prince vessel, Bird of Prey is finally back at it's starting point of Torvin after a wild voyage and a lengthy stay in Sasserine. But before their cargo could be unloaded or the crew allowed to disembark, the captain called Mr. Hammond into his private chambers on some serious business...

 

This session's protagonists:

Victor Emmitt Hammond (fighter, spy caught)

Araxo Tydan (rogue, brothel bought)
Henri Morgan (rogue, thugs fought)

 

Captain Rennaud and his officers met with Hammond to offer him the position of bosun. Old Man Cassen, Rennaud's bosun for several years decided to finally retire in Torvin, leaving the spot open. Mr. Hammond graciously accepted, moving him down from the crow's nest to the deck where he is still responsible for looking over everyone's shoulders. After this, they all came out on deck to face the assembled crew and Cassen's departure and Hammond's promotion was announced to much revelry. Then they were barked at to get back to work unloading the ship...

 

Later that night, the characters were about Port Torvin celebrating at various locales (What Cuahto and Pickles were up to no one is for sure). Araxo took Mr. Morgan into town and showed him around his home port (recall his step-father is the Count of Torvin), in particular the "Lighthouse" an old tower turned into a seedy brothel. Araxo felt it important to show the former Cuthbertine guard what the sinful side of life was like. In there, they met Madame Rose who welcomed them courteously as any noble. Araxo knew that his father owned half of the establishment, as he did with most businesses in Port Torvin, but he gleaned upon an idea to start some of his blackmarket activities in seaport brothels such as the Lighthouse. All he needed to do was see Rose first then his father to buy out his interest in the place.

 

While Araxo spoke with Rose, a few girls were keeping Henri occupied, but this infuriated a local "swamp ranger" named Melvik Grunge, who had been waiting patiently for his turn and now was being stepped over by some VIP. Swamp rangers make a living hunting for dangerous creatures in the nearby Hool Marshes and are thus uncouth and scuzzy in appearance. Confronting Henri on the stairs, Grunge got rough with Henri to the point of throwing a good punch, yet before he knew it Araxo had dashed up the stairs to knife him in the back at the same time Henri drew a blade and sneak attacked him from the front. Grunge yelled in pain and rolled down the stairs and laid there alive but bleeding. Then his friends came out of their rooms upstairs to see what was amiss...

 

Henri and Araxo faced down three more half-naked swamp rangers. One broke a bottle to improvise a knife and the others seemed unarmed. Araxo intimidated one ranger back into his room by announcing he was a Tydan and bluffing he had more followers with him, but the other two weren't deterred, seeing their friend laying on the floor below. Henri acrobatically went past the broken bottle ranger and knifed him down, while the other combative ranger was tackled from behind by the whore he was roomed with earlier. Order was eventually restored and port guard called to clean up the rabble. The night then progressed as originally expected.

 

Meanwhile, the captain took his other officers and crew to the Hammerhead tavern to celebrate Cassen's retirement. Piper Kellin performed tales for the crowd about the Bird of Prey's recent battle with the Hideous and also another inappropriate song about men dying too soon after retirement...Hammond worked the room and at one point noticed a couple cloaked strangers eavesdropping on his captain as he talked about his idea for the next voyage, some undetailed venture with Count Tydan to begin in a week. Seeing that they were spotted by Vic, the two cloaked men got up and tried to exit the Hammerhead discreetly. Vic would have none of it and threw himself like a human missile to tackle both to the ground. He then announced to the stunned quiet crowd that the men on the floor were spying on the captain, causing several of the nearest Prey crewmates to get up and take down one of them while the second barely managed to scamper out of the bar. Even though a few gave him chase, they came back empty-handed. 

 

Captain Rennaud and Vic took the captured spy into a back room and interrogated him. Surprisingly he did not give much resistance. The man admitted he was an informant from House Toli (the main house rival of Prince Jeon and his allies like Count Tydan) who was working on behalf of a client from the Kingdom of Keoland to follow the comings and goings of the expatriate captain known as the "Blackguard". This proves to be a scandalous intrigue in the future!

 

Speaking of House Tydan, Araxo went to see his father the next day. Unfortunately he was rudely, and likely intentionally made to wait a couple hours before gaining an audience. Once there, Araxo intimated his desire to buy the Count's half of the Lighthouse, a prospect that mildly amused his step-father. What did he care if his step-son wanted to play at whorehouses in his free time? It was but one of many petty investments he had and at least it was staying in the house of Tydan. He graciously accepted the buyout, subtly intrigued that his wayward son had accumulated a decent fortune from his first voyage. But what Araxo didn't know yet was he would soon be entering into another investment for House Tydan.

 

Game notes: The PCs are 3rd level and we're starting on the second voyage next session. I haven't been tracking experience as normal for D&D. Instead I've taken to the method I used successfully from Mutants and Masterminds by awarding levels only after certain points in a storyline. It keeps bookkeeping at a minimum and the players can pursue whatever goals they want without worrying about missing out on sessions. I'm toying with levelling some of the NPC crew along with the PCs.

Fiction: Origins of the Silver Wolf

“Time is what we already have plenty of,” Revafour pointed out. “What I’d be interested in having is knowledge, unless Luna and Seline have asked you not to speak of it…”

“Perish the thought,” Weimar said in mock horror. “Far be it for me to betray their confidences-they simply haven’t mentioned it. They wouldn’t mind at all…”

From the pen of Canonfire's prolific author CruelSummerLord is a new piece of fiction, Origins of the Silver Wolf: Many Paths Become One. The tale begins with the adventuring companions Revafour and Weimer Glendowyr up late at the Red Lion Inn, recounting tales of their past. I have to point out, the part with the gorgons and minotaurs is worth a glance at this story in the very least. I won't think of those monsters the same ever again. CruelSummerLord's characters actually first appeared on Canonfire way back in 2002 with A Tale of the Companions of the Silver Wolf and in 2007, Trail of Dreams: The Silver Wolf.

READ THE STORY HERE

Gygax Statue

I'm not sure anyone else has been discussing this in the gaming blog-scene, so here it goes. About a week ago I seen some new rumblings about the Gary Gygax memorial project in Lake Geneva. Looks like it is going strong with the recent approval for a plot of parkland. Now it's on to crafting the statue itself. In the article Mrs. Gygax describes design ideas for the statue that Gary and her discussed before his death. I can't wait to see the finished product!

Update 4/17/2021: Had to remove broken link to an article about the memorial. Not sure if this  memorial ever got finished. If anyone knows, please chime in on the comments.

Sea Princes #11: Banquets and Booty

Welcome back to another session of my Sea Princes campaign. When last we watched the daunting crew of  Bird of Prey they had met with the Crimson Fleet's Hideous to pay ransom for the kidnapped Anna Taskerhill. Cpt. Rennaud had other plans however and sent some of his men into the Hideous during negotiations and they successfully rescued her during an all out melee. Let's see what happened when the smoke cleared. Our dramatis personae for this session...

Victor Emmitt Hammond (fighter, got first pick)

Araxo Tydan (rogue, arrogant prick)
Brother Pickles (cleric, made men sick)

Having returned to the Bird of Prey, the heroes (along with Scar Medorga and Cpl. Morgan of Sasserine) found that they had defeated the Crimson Fleet's Hideous in a pitched boarding action. The notorious pirate captain Ironclaw McGrath surrendered to Cpt. Rennaud in single combat, as did his first mate, Symeon Flynch (who the crew met in Narisban). Only one of the Hideous crew escaped, carried aloft by a trio of retreating harpies; a mysterious pirate wearing a gold headband named Sinister Silas. Casualties were had on both sides, three harpies and ten crimson pirates slain and only three of the Bird of Prey: Zeebo of Garl (a human raised to be a gnome), Hilgarde of Hokar (Rennaud's chronicler mercilessly cut down) and Megaron the Bold (Cuahto's nemesis, he fought valiantly and will have songs sung of him by Piper Kellin). Poor Charlie Duffle, a young deckhand from Berghof, was severely wounded and lost a left arm.

As required, the pirate officers were given into the custody of Major Trowton of the Taskerhill guard (who fought well beside the Blackguard). Of the remaining pirate crew, Rennaud pressed three of them into his service that he judged were the most redeemable. All three accepted their new ship and swore on the Prince's Articles. They are named Two-Bit Jack, Shank (an actual gnome) and the nervous W.B. McGarnagle. The Hideous was piloted back to Sasserine under the major's command with an escort of the Bird of Prey and the Bevenin family's Pearly Eye (which was no help). The Taskerhills graciously offered to buy the pirate's caravel from the Blackguard, in addition to Lord Taskerhill's generous rewards for bringing back his daughter, Anna.

In port Quartermaster Skullbreaker Rotario divided out the shares to the surviving crew with Lt. Tydan and Brother Pickles each getting one and a quarter share, and Charlie Duffle getting a bonus 500gp for his missing arm! A large harpy cage was taken by the captain for future use as well as some clay pot grenades, and a hold full of rum and food. Victor having spotted the pirate ship first, got his choice of the plundered weapons by law. He chose Captain McGrath's own cutlass (etched with a talon clutching a real bloodstone). Brother Pickles however made his own discovery on the Hideous, Mr. Flynch's hidden "spice rack" (gotta love a 4 intelligence). That evening Pickles cooked up a hot celebratory meal for the crew, innocently laced with baccaran (a potent hallucinogenic) and devilweed (a commonly smoked drug). Needlessly to say everyone was roaringly happy with the meal.

Once the crew cleared up the next morning, the captain and his select entourage were invited to Taskerhill manor for another fine celebratory feast. Five courses of noblese food, including frumenty, roasted boar, poached fish and capon pasties.  Piper Kellin provided some of his usual inappropriately timed musical entertainment, Anna sang an old family song for her father and Victor Hammond unabashedly moved on, sneaking out half way through the feast with a flirting serving girl.

After spending their hard earned money in port for a few days, the Bird of Prey was ready to set out again for its home, Port Torvin. The trip there through Hold waters, was uneventful except for one incident. Stowing away on the ship was Cpl. Henri Morgan of the Taskerhill guard, who decided it was better paying and more adventurous to be with the Blackguard than in Sasserine. He was allowed to stay on but only due to his valorous action. His loyalty to the Bird of Prey will surely be tested on their second voyage from Torvin...

Game notes: The effects for the drugs baccaran and devilweed can be found in one of my favorite accessories, the Book of Vile Darkness (3e). The food and events of Lord Taskerhill's feast were randomly rolled from charts adapted from the classic RPG Pendragon. This ends the first tour of the campaign. There may be a short summer break due to vacations and work, but a new voyage will soon unfurl!

Fiction: That Infamous Key Part 6

A brand new episode of Mystic Scholar's Greyhawkian fiction series: That Infamous Key (based on the adventure Mad God's Key) is up for your reading pleasure. For those of you who have just arrived, there are links to the previous episodes at Canonfire.com. Mystic, Eileen and company get into a prickly situation, they cure some ill thieves and in the process get some more answers in their search for a certain key...

READ THE EPISODE HERE