Coming Soon From Dragon

Much like my recent update of Wizards' Dungeon ezine, this month's issue, Dragon #424 is not the focus of this post. This despite some interesting article topics on dragons and the Martek/Desert of Desolation mods. No, I'm here to tell you again that next month's issue will be somewhat Greycentric. There is a couple previews to note...

The Anatomy of Elemental Evil by Thomas Reid

"What is the essence of Elemental Evil? How did something so basic and fundamental as elemental worship become twisted into the insidious cult made famous by its iconic temple? What is the relationship between Zuggtmoy, Iuz, Tharizdun and Lolth? We deftly slice this Gordion knot so anyone can understand the dark, twisted force that is Elemental Evil."

History Check: The Temple of Elemental Evil by Skip Williams

"The Temple of Elemental Evil, a deliciously infamous place, looms large in the memories of thousands of roleplayers. Legions of heroic alter egos began their careers on the dusty streets of Hommlet and persevered until they had plumbed the mysteries of the last accursed elemental node in the temple's forbidden depths. The temple's rise and fall are fully documented here for the first time."

Stay tuned for more on these articles and yes readers, you will need a subscription to read these issues.

Desolation of Smaug Trailer

Aww yeaaaah! This trailer has got me excited for the next episode of the Hobbit series (as silly as that sounds). I could use a lot less peripheral characters however, though they are what fills in the time I guess. I don't care really, just seeing Smaug is going to be worth the price of admission.

On the Shores of Lake Quag

I've recently been reading a series of posts by Christian over at the blog destination uknown. He has been posting bits of an old campaign "On the Shoes of Lake Quag" since last October and they are worth sharing. He creatively provides well written game content along with pics, stats and so forth. Things like Gaunt Willow and Iuz Carrion Birds should whet your appetite. Go on over and have a see.

Two New Sea Princes Campaigns

Yes, I am out of my mind. So, those who have breezed through Greyhawkery before know that I have a long running high seas campaign set in and around the Hold of the Sea Princes. It was wildly successful with my game group and it generated a lot of enthusiasm by me to create more Greyhawk stuff such as my own hybrid sailing system, character portrait art and my favorite the South Seas Map. So successful was the first run that I've started two "spin-offs" with two different groups on two different nights. Pray to Pelor for me.
Anyway, I have to say straight up to my players that I won't be serializing these spin-offs in detail like I did for my original group. That's a lot of work that I don't have the patience for. What I will do however is try and publicize some of the good ideas and content that comes out of these two Sea Princes campaigns. We'll see how it goes. For a sneak peak I'll give a summary of my Sea Princes spin-offs:

The Mines of Hokar
In the city of Hokar the Hold once minted their own coinage using slave and prison labor to mine for scarce metal deposits. From his dungeon workshop and vaults the Marquis of Hokar crafted a rare set of golden coins called the Toli Captains. Twenty years ago, two slaves, one a cleric of Ralishaz and a dark druid of the Amedio rose up and threw the mines into disarray. Suddenly the Oerth quaked and monsters sprang from exposed tunnels slaying all in their path. Meanwhile the cackling servant of Ralishaz breached the vault and scattered the treasures of Hokar to the Underdark, including the Marquis' prized gold coins. Though the forces of Hokar managed to seal the dungeons, the two slaves were never seen again.
Now it is 577 CY and the Marquis' son seeks to regain his family's fortune. He hires down on their luck "dungeoneers" to plumb the depths of the old mines and slay every creature they can while recovering anything of value that may have belonged to the nobility, especially the lost Toli Captains.

The Hideous Adventures
On the far side of Jeklea Bay is the former Sea Princes colony of Sasserine. Here at the edge of the ominous Amedio Jungle, the crew of the Sea Cudgel is abused and berated by their superiors working for Thunder River Lumber. Almost at a breaking point after a hard day of work, the crew is surprised when several dock-workers draw weapons and force the surrender of the Cudgel's officers. The hijacked vessel is actually the renamed Hideous formerly of the piratical Crimson Fleet and it's true owner is none other than the dreaded Captain Ironclaw McGrath. Ironclaw was captured, escaped prison and fought many leagues to get back. On the deck of his lost ship at last, Captain McGrath gave the mistreated crew a choice and those who wisely sided with the pirates are now part of the Hideous, bound for far-off ports to trade and find adventure.

Coming Soon From Dungeon #215

Howdy Greyhawk aficionados. Today I'm going to pass over a review of Wizards' Dungeon #214 and go straight to the teaser ad for next issue cause there will be an interesting Greyhawk adventure in it to coincide with the upcoming reprint of the A-series hardback. Check it out:

The Last Slave Lord

by Robert J. Schwalb

The Slave Lords are dead, yet one survives! Journey to a lost monastery to end the vile threat once and for all. This 1st Edition AD&D™ adventure for characters of levels 6–9 can be run as a standalone scenario or as a sequel to the classic “A” series adventures. It also includes 4th Edition conversion notes.

Yeah you read that right, a new 1st Edition module. Having played the 2nd Edition Slavers, (Already a sequel to the original A series) I'm curious to see how The Last Slave Lord fits into Greyhawk continuity. And most importantly, which Slave Lord is it? Stay tuned.

Update 05/21/2021: Updated link from Wizards to DMsGuild.

Castle Greyhawk: End of Chapter

Welcome back Greyhawk fans! It's been a great story and we've finally arrived at the last page of  our Castle Greyhawk graphic novel. Specially congratulations go out to Scott Casper for writing and directing this first chapter. You can also view this next to last episode HERE, courtesy of Maldin's Greyhawk.

Artist's Commentary: Drawing the whole castle from a distance was quite a blast. I can now proudly claim I've illustrated both the old school Gygaxian castle and the more recent three tower version of Greyhawk Ruins. I'm now looking forward to Scott's next chapter. My only teaser is the next chapter will continue to build upon our protagonist's careers and will introduce a new character or two along the way. Vague enough? Good.

A Couple Greyhawk Articles

There's only been a couple new articles over at Canonfire! this May and both are by the sagacious Rasgon who is known for his scholarly Greyhawk work as well as his outerplanar knowledge at Planewalker. Rasgon's two most recent additions are both religious topics.

The first is serious study of A History of Religion in the Flanaess. Rasgon writes:

"Being a survey of the development of religious traditions and holy texts among the Flan, Oeridian, Suloise, and Baklunish peoples."

Second, is a whimsical narrative myth concerning Ralishaz and the Creator. Rasgon writes:

"This is a near-universal myth found in the stories of countless races and peoples, for all that it is often banned as blasphemous (for example, the penalty for retelling it in the Pale is ten lashings). The identity of the Creator varies depending on the faith of the teller - it has been, in various versions, Lendor, Istus, Rao, Corellon Larethian, Gruumsh, Moradin, Annam, Io, and Pholtus. Sometimes the Creator is nameless, or referred to by a title such as the Nameless One, the Maker, or the First Cause. Many in the Flanaess profess agnosticism on the question of who originally made all things; there are so many conflicting tales on the subject that this often seems the safest path. The identity of Ralishaz never varies, though his appearance often does."

Check these two articles out and more from Rasgon.