My GaryCon XV Recap

Greetings Greyhawk friends! I am back and with a quick report of my time at GaryCon XV at Lake Geneva, WI. This is my 5th time going in person, COVID notwithstanding. Last year we were still coming out of the pandemic, masks were a must, but now we've moved on and the con is stronger than ever. Let's get into it...

Me and my best buddies Jayson and Eric (who I've gamed with for nearly 40 years) headed upstate on Wednesday evening. We rolled in too late to hit the con proper and get badges though, so we slept early. Lesson #1 for those going for the first time, the con doesn't officially start until Thursday, but you can pick up badges the day before if you get there early. It saves some time standing in line. The weather was quite nice overall. 

On Thursday we got to our actual hotel and took the trolley to the Grand Geneva. Lesson #2 for those aspiring to go to Gary Con, pay for the gold badge because you get a week head start to get closer accommodations and sign up for games. Or you can do what a lot of my Greyhawk colleagues like Anna Meyer do, and volunteer to work the con, this will get you there early and better chance of closer hotel rooms. Anyhoo, as I am neither there to work on my vacation, nor worried about getting in exclusive games, I arrive later than normal. Kudos to all my friends who do put in the time to make Gary Con a wonderful time for all us slackers! We ran to the vendor hall for a bit, and first place I like to hit up is Black Blade Publishing and talk to Allan "Grodog" Grohe. I bought some new larger hex paper from him, so expect some wild maps from me in the coming months. (more on that later). I also got to give a shout out to this advertisement at Allan's booth. It is Hounds of Oerth by the inimitable Carlos Lising and various authors for his latest charity effort. Be sure to go to Casl Entertainment, download Hounds of Oerth and please donate to this worthy cause.

As a side note, Gary Con had a deal worked out to screen the new D&D Movie Honor Among Thieves, once a day. I did not take part in this exclusive event, because me and the guys already had an early showing of it back home. My short move review is that it is major fun, and worthy of a sequel. I had lowered my expectations after the last movie 20 years ago, but this time they made one with some heart. I can't wait to see it at home so I can try to hunt for movie easter eggs. Good times.

Another astounding thing about Gary Con XV was the number of celebrities keeps growing each year. This year, I either spoke to or saw Vince Vaughn, Todd Stashwick, Tom Morello, Paul White aka Big Show, and of course Joe Manganiello. Then there is all the author and artist celebs that I geek over, such as Jeff Easley, Larry Elmore, Margaret Weis, Zeb Cook, Darlene, and Erol Otus. I also made sure to get a picture with the legendary Ed Greenwood who has always been fun to interact with in the past and now is incredibly a regular among the Greyhawk community, often featuring on Lord Gosumba streams. I've been to several Gen Cons over the years and never saw this many cool celebs all at once and in such proximity. Gary Con is small and intimate, but not a place where it's overly mobbed with people. I can't wait to see who else shows next year!

Thursday afternoon I was fashionably late to the 2nd annual Legends & Lore stream from Gary Con. Anna, Jay Scott and myself showed off a lot of upcoming projects in the Greyhawk community. We took a wild variety of questions from the audience, many who were new to the show, but no less enthusiastic to banter about all things Greyhawk. Special shout out to Eric Menge and Roger Moore for attending and lending their expert commentary as well! At the end of the seminar, I handed out print copies of a new Sea Princes map I created for this con. It's a partially "burned" map that one might find in a chest or on a pirate ship. Download this map at this link for the full-size version and put it to good use!

On Thursday night me and my pals got invited to a pick-up game of 5E Ravenloft ran by the amazing DM Dave from the Twitch stream Guild Superior. This game was incredible in that he hosted over ten of us through his rendition of Curse of Strahd, starting as 0-level Barovian kids, to 5th level seasoned adventurers, and fast forwarding to 9th level heroes. It was quite the concept for a one-shot adventure and those of us who hung in there until 2am fighting Strahd did not leave disappointed (no help from me as I could not roll over a 10 to save my life). 

Kudos to Dave for putting on such a good game, and a shout out to my Barovian childhood friends, Anna, Scott, Jayson, Eric, Chris, Rob, Karl, Bob, Josh, and Chad. 

Friday morning, I played some Dungeon Crawl Classics and only lost 3 out of my 4 characters! I later caught Anna Meyer and Alysa Faden's mapping seminar. Jay as always was manning the controls so the two could regale us with their mapping projects past and present. I regret however that I didn't catch their party with Troll Lord Games to announce the Free City of Altimira Boxed Set project. There's just so much to do at Gary Con and so little time.

Friday evening me and my crew took part in our second Legends of Roleplaying D&D tourney. Last year we finished top 5 out of over a dozen tables, this year the theme was a return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, and well, we didn't do so hot finishing 9th overall. I was no help in that my elven thief got blown up by explosive runes. Timed games can make you do foolish things. This brings to mind lesson #3, crowded gaming halls are LOUD. So, get there early and sit close to the GM! At any rate, congrats to the winners of this tournament, I heard after the fact there is a trophy that is being passed on each, kinda like the Stanley Cup. I was dismayed after our game, but now I'm back on the horse! 

Saturday morning started out iffy for me. Up to this point Wisconsin weather was being pleasant but then BOOM we had six inches of snow overnight! I was up early and was cleaning the car off like I was in a hurry to get to work or something. Luckily my friends didn't panic like me, and we stayed long enough to see it melt down later that afternoon as we finished with a game of Mutant Crawl Classic by Goodman Games. Fun stuff, it reminds me of old school Gamma World. That was all we had scheduled for Gary Con however since we planned to leave afterward. We made one more run through the con, dealer room and halls, then the most important thing before heading back to Illinois, we got Wisconsin cheese! Accept no substitutes. So yes, I missed a good 1.5 days of convention time, but really it was the best con I ever attended. I did everything I set out to do. There were so many people I met from streams and the community, and I got to game with so many people for the first time. If I missed anyone, I will catch you in 2024!

In Memory of Two Greyhawk Sages

Welcome back readers of Greyhawkery. Yes, this is my 1002nd post overall, and my second since going on hiatus last year. If you are new to the blog, well, thank you for joining in. You have a lot to catch up on! If you are reading this as it's posted, thank you for keeping on top of my activity in the Greyhawk community. I haven't gone anywhere, and I appreciate those who encourage me to get back to blogging. 

This post is special however, so no promises. As many in the Greyhawk community know, we lost two friends over December 2021. It took me a while to process the loss, to decide if I wanted to blog about them, or leave it at sharing kind words on Legends & Lore stream. Well folks, I'm finally in the frame of mind to do a post. 

Michael, or Leahcim the Learned, was a kind soul, witty and quick with a bit of Greyhawk lore. Michael was a fixture in the Greyhawk community and on streams. I remember first meeting him through the Greyhawk Channel, as he was quick to educate the new players in Greyhawk lore through the chat window, and later he got involved through Lord Gosumba channel and the community Discords. I was lucky enough to play some Greyhawk with Michael before he died, and I could tell he relished every session playing a Suel wizard. Michael was also a contributor to Canonfire, Oerth Journal, and I'm sure more if only he had more time. I wish I had got to know more about the man behind Leahcim, maybe at a convention, or guesting on a stream. Now he'll just have to remain a legend, along with the pantheon of other learned Greyhawk deities.

Jason Zavoda by contrast, needed no introduction in our community. Or if you didn't know him, one only had to point out his body of Greyhawk work. If I was to sum Jason up in on word I'd say "prolific". He is first and foremost known for his Zavoda Index a tool that has no equal in the D&D community. There is no one writing in fandom who hasn't used his index for reference. If that was all JZ did, he'd still be a legend to me. But no, he also started a blog Hall of the Mountain King which in his words, was inspired by Greyhawkery. That's an honor. Of course, Jason grew tired of Blogger. Yeah it's not the best, I agree. Well, he moved his posts to Canonfire Journal: Hall of the Mountain King where Jason had already been a long-time member of Canonfire. In fact, Jason used to post Greyhawk fiction there such as Nosnra's Saga

Speaking of fiction, I don't know anyone who loved Gary Gygax's Gord novels more than Jason Zavoda. Anytime Jason would guest on Legends & Lore or Gabbin' streams, he was ready to dispense sagely lore about these books. His love of these novels led him to another innovative idea: Jason Zavoda Presents: Reading and Annotating the Gord Novels, with Chris (Cthaeh). Audio readings of Greyhawk novels (or any D&D book for that matter), is an incredible idea, and with annotations makes it even more fun to experience. I hope Chris and someone else can take up where Jason left off and finish this project. And I think that's what drove Jason to be so prolific. We all knew his health wasn't the best (nor was Michael's) and he was posting blogs, reading books, and talking in streams and voice chats daily. He knew his time was limited and was making the most of it. Now, Jason can kick back and have a drink with Gygax, Arneson, and all the other legends of the game.

Let these two guys be your motivation to contribute your fan work with the Greyhawk community (or any D&D community). You may start small, but if you are consistent and your body of work grows, people will be inspired by you in turn, and that's a fitting reward for being a part of this community.  

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!

Greyhawk Books: James Ward & Rose Estes

Hail Greyhawkers! I love going back through old Dragon Magazine issues and reading stuff that I may have overlooked back then. I don't know about you, but my Dragon reading was sporadic if not targeted. If it wasn't the Comics section, Forum/Letters, a Greyhawk article like Suel deities by Len Lakofka or some new D&D content like spells by Ed Greenwood, then I was skimming by it. What did I miss in 1988's Dragon #135? Well, with the benefit of 33 years of hindsight I missed some quite interesting stuff. James Ward, Rose Estes, and R.A. Salvatore. Check this out:

The Game Wizards by James Ward

Readers speak out on GREYHAWK® Adventures 

"I asked for feedback in The Game Wizards column in DRAGON® issue #129. So, what happens when 511 letters come to my office, all filled with great and not-so great ideas on what should get into the GREYHAWK® Adventures hardbound book? I read every one of them. Let me tell you, most of the handwritten ones, especially the ones with horrible penmanship, were a real chore, but every one was read and some of them had ideas that are being put into the design of the book. Let me fill you in on the best of these."

Okay, gotta interrupt here. Anna Meyer and Jay Scott had James Ward on stream several months ago and his insights on the creation of Greyhawk Adventures were fun. I don't believe he mentioned Dragon Magazine feedback in the book's creation. 511 letters from fans? I don't think I've ever heard anyone in the community tell me "yeah I wrote a letter to TSR on what should go in GHA and my specific idea got picked!" It sounds like mostly generalizations here, but clearly some people got rewarded for their effort. Back to the article...

"Many people wanted zero-level PCs. Adventurers are not hatched ready to go; they undergo a bit of training in several areas before they find their niches. The rules on this character-creation system will cover experimenting with different classes and even keeping some powers from other classes (at a penalty of losing experience points on adventures).

A good many people wanted to know about some of the more unusual geographic features of the planet Oerth. There is now going to be an entire section in the book on this topic. Oerth has islands that float with the currents of the sea. Each of these places has become the lair of fierce monsters that need the islands traveling ability to enter new feeding grounds during the year. These monsters also have unusually large treasure hoards. Imagine, too, a strange magical pillar that greatly heightens the powers of any magic-user who touches it but the more spellcasters who touch the pillar, the less power the artifact gives to each. Naturally, one person seeks to have all the power; rivals must be eliminated!"

This I can believe. My favorite stuff in that book is the mysterious geographical locations. I'm having a hard time recalling what pillar he is referring to though, anyone else?

"I was very surprised to see that hundreds of you wanted adventures in the book. Several sections will now have adventures patterned after REF3 The Book of Lairs; these adventures range from zero-level, easy-looking things like loading a hay wagon to high-level adventures for only the toughest of heroes. Each one is designed to provide hours of fun for PCs and DMs alike. Some letters confirmed my suspicion that several sections scheduled to be put into the hardbound would indeed be popular. There was a clear majority in favor of putting in new monsters from the WORLD OF GREYHAWK fantasy setting; the same went for characters and spells. I would be in trouble, too, if I didn't put in magic items especially designed for the WORLD OF GREYHAWK setting."

I never owned the Book of Lairs. I'd like to compare this now. Monsters, spells and magic items of course are faves of the book today. James wraps it up...

"I'll close out this section by saying that I appreciated the thought and effort that went into all those letters from you, the readers. My eyes especially appreciated the typed letters that came in. Yes, I will send out free copies of the book to those whose ideas I liked and used. No, I don't need any more ideas on this project, but I will still read your letters not because I can use the ideas, but because I think your effort merits a little work on my part."

James had told us on stream, this book had a VERY fast product time. And there you have it, somewhere out there Greyhawk fans have free copies of GHA. Jealous! Let's move on now to another section of issue #135. This one blew my mind. I almost NEVER read the novel reviews and video game reviews. In this issue we are treated to a head-to-head review of a Greyhawk novel and a relatively new author's humble Forgotten Realms novel.

The Role of Books by John C. Bunnell

THE DEMON HAND (Rose Estes)

THE CRYSTAL SHARD (R.A. Salvatore) 

"Rose Estes' third GREYHAWK® Adventures novel and R.A. Salvatore's first tale of the FORGOTTEN REALMS setting share more than common ancestry in the worlds of gaming. Both focus on multiple rather than single protagonists, and comparing the two authors' craftsmanship offers practical insight into the process of developing successful characters."

I'm already cringing that they are being compared. No, like most Greyhawk fans, I'm not a fan of Estes' novels. It's scary to think she was on her third book before FR really got going. Back to the review...

"The Demon Hand is the third book in a trilogy about Mika, a Wolf Nomad drawn by accident into an intricate web of demonic intrigue. That's fine except that Mika is out of action for most of the book, caught in a snare he cannot bypass. Estes instead builds the body of her tale around his harpy daughter, Chewppa, and TamSen, the son of TamTur, Mika's wolf companion. (The mind boggles at the genetic possibilities for the next generation.) Unfortunately, none of these would-be heroes will win much sympathy from readers. Mika, as in earlier books, is too much a victim of fate to be heroic. Chewppa suffers from a comparatively small role in the plot and a serious language barrier. And TamSen, who is really the star of this book, must compete for center stage with Mika and Chewppa as well as with his twin sister, TamLis, who abruptly changes roles at the novel's close. Estes has written this tale with a strong narrative presence. Description generally prevails over dialogue, and the texture of the writing is that of a historian, not a poet. The result is a sense of distance between the story and the audience a real problem in the absence of a strong central figure."

Brutal. How about Mr. Salvatore?

"R.A. Salvatore takes a different approach with The Crystal Shard, a novel with an equally generous cast. His narration stays closer to the events it describes, rather than stepping backward to comment on larger contexts. More significantly, Salvatore deals with his characters in twos and threes rather than by themselves, so that dialogue and action, not description, convey the heroes' personalities. Though the barbarian Wulfgar is initially a reluctant captive in the relative civilization of Ten-Towns, hard work and maturation forge him into a warrior strong enough to slay a legendary dragon (in a nicely crafted scenario, at that) and restore his own tribe's honor. Regis the halfling owes more to the AD&D game than to Tolkien, but his slightly unsavory sense of larceny makes his eventual part in saving Ten-Towns all the more entertaining. And Drizzt, the exiled drow, is handled with uncommon finesse and care. (Salvatore may be the first novelist to find a practical use for the traditional AD&D game alignment system.) These are individuals that readers will enjoy meeting and getting to know."

Yup, I definitely want to read Crystal Shard more than Demon Hand now. Note the part about Salvatore being innovative with Drizzt and alignment. Yes indeed, readers will get to know Drizzt. Alot.

"One other comparison is worth making. Both novels rely on demons from the Abyss for much of their villainy, and in this regard, Salvatore's Errtu is a much deadlier adversary. Errtu is diabolical in action as well as origin, where the blustering Maelfesh of The Demon Hand is little more than a major-league killing machine. (It's also unsettling that Maelfesh is supposed to be several times more powerful than the semi-legendary Iuz, whom Estes casually swept aside a couple of books back.)"

GROAN! Why Rose? Why?

"The Crystal Shard occasionally has rough qualities typical of a first novel (which it is), notably where the shard itself is concerned. Salvatore's writing loses confidence as he tries to get inside his villains' minds, but it is more absorbing by far than Estes' latest work. Estes is capable of better writing (see DRAGON® issue #105 concerning her Children of the Dragon); the Mika trilogy suffers more from carelessness than from true lack of skill. As the AD&D game's original homeworld, the world of Greyhawk deserves more consideration."

Well said sir! If only R.A. Salvatore had been moved over to save the Greyhawk novel line. But no, Drizzt took off and 33 years later, he is still writing. I'll leave you all with this ad from the same issue #135 for Rose's next Greyhawk novel The Name of the Game. Cringe. Oh boy, I need to dig this book review up next! Until then, thanks for going down memory lane with me!

Greyhawk Stuff on the Net

Hola, Greyhawkers! It's Labor Day weekend in the states, so I figured, let's let someone else do the work on this post! Just kidding. There is alot of great contributors in the Greyhawk community and I'm pleased to feature a few in case you missed out. Enjoy!

Over at the blog Greyhawk Musings, David Leonard has a new article, On Vlek Col Vlekzed. It's another one of his amazing deep dives into the history and people of the Flanaess, in this case the Hold of Stonefist and its cruel leader. This article is well timed because David was recently on Legends & Lore with me and Anna Meyer to provide his sharp insight about this very subject, among other northern barbarians. Be sure to check out Greyhawk Musings for a wealth of historical material for your Greyhawk campaign.

Over at the stalwart blog Greyhawk Grognard, superfan Joe Bloch is always trying out new ideas and approaches to our collective hobby. This time he has really hit a homerun with his "unboxing video": Reading the World of Greyhawk, Part 1. Not only did Joe start his own Youtube channel, but he is showcasing the iconic boxed set and maps that I'm sure we all take for granted. When describing Greyhawk or Greyhawk books to new gamers, it never occurred to me that actually showing them what it's like to open the 1983 box and go through the contents for the first time, would be a fun way of doing it. Kudos again to Joe for this new outlet for his site. I'm looking forward to Part 2. 

Finally, I am overdue in promoting a new fan site The Greyhawk Companion by William Henry Dvorak. This site has an eclectic collection of campaign original material like his Rookroost series, and great stuff for 5E players such as new deity specific Warlock Patrons. Will runs his own Twitch RPG stream as well, WickedStudiosLLC. Check out the link for his stream schedule and stop in to see him in action! 

Wow. Being in the same community as creative people like Will, Joe and David is making me feel quite confident that the community is strong and has more outlets than ever to share content and just hang out.

 

 

Greyhawk: Barbarians Campaigns and Adventures

Greetings Greyhawkers! As I go into another week of Legends & Lore on Twitch, we are about to discuss the topic of Barbarians in the Flanaess. Luckily for me I did a post on this back in 2016. It's not much really, but the barbarian north in particular has always been a favorite of mine. 

One of my best, longest running campaigns during 2E was set in the Thillonrian Peninsula and was built off the 1983 boxed set and the Five Shall Be One story line to some degree. You may have even recently read about some of my war accounts out of the barbarian lands. In-between those huge meta-plots was some good campaign development by me and my players including custom hex maps of the Cruski and parts of Schnai and Fruz lands (will probably feature those another day) and a ton of NPC rules, heroes and henchmen. I bring all this up because I've coincidentally started to run my game group in the Thillonrian Peninsula again for 5E. As such, I'm dusting off my maps, looking at my old notes and even going over fan community resources, like these links to barbarian articles on Canonfire. 

Another amazing resource I rediscovered is a 3.5E adventure from Dungeon #133 titled Ill Made Graves. Written in 2006 by Kevin Carter (art by Steve Ellis and map by Rob Lazzaretti), this work almost slipped by me, I'm assuming because it was in the same issue as the ongoing AP Age of Worms. When not hyping their APs, Paizo used to do a lot of fringe Greyhawk modules during 3.5E like Maure Castle, it's extended levels, the Sehan and Istivin mini-series, and so forth. Ill Made Graves however wasn't afforded a tag saying its Greyhawk, instead it's promoted as a D&D adventure for any setting. True enough, but once you read the opening boxed texts you find its firmly set in the Ice Barbarians with Cruskii NPCs and plot to boot.

The module is adapted from the story of Beowulf as Bowenwar, the shield bearer of deceased King Lolgoff Bearhear tells the tale of the red dragon Oroshar (Dawn-Scorcher in Fruz) who came to lair in a sea cave on the Icy Sea. When the dragon went on a rampage, it is King Lolgoff who slays the beast at the cost of his own life. As the Cruskii prepare for a hero's funeral pyre, they learn the Frost Barbarians are preparing to invade since the Cruskii are weakened and a dragons' unguarded treasure hoard to plunder. There is a complication and Oroshar's lair must be visited again, this time by the PCs in order to save the Ice Barbarians.

One hook listed here mentions "a southern kingdom" that fears the power vacuum left by the kings death will result in the unification of the barbarians which in turn will lead to more raids on them. The PCs are sent to make sure the Cruskii remain independent and to spy on the situation. This is clearly the Great Kingdom, and fun because the events of Five Shall Be One/Howl From the North teased the barbarian unification as well, and of course failed to follow through. Now its uniting the barbarians through regular internal strife. 

The adventure involves an awesome funeral scene set in Lolgoff's "birth-city" of Jotsplat, some cold forest overland travel and a dungeon crawl, leaving an impending war up to the DM which is okay. Now in hindsight of fourteen years, I wonder why Graves was not given Greyhawk recognition? It's clearly well-written and designed. It lacks any Greyhawk map reference, no Thillonria (see below), nor Jotsplat, only a serviceable lair map. This shouldn't be surprising since as I mentioned earlier, the bulk of Paizo's effort was their Age of Worms AP cartography. Having a map would've helped a reader understand where and how the Frost Barbarians will attack the Ice for instance. And the module says the PCs cover 100 miles of forest to the dragons lair. That seems accurate going from Jotsplat the the Icy Sea, though the closest actual forest is the Sable Wood.

At any rate, Ill Made Grave's other curious snub was that it didn't interfere with published Greyhawk continuity. The Living Greyhawk campaign was still alive at that point, but the barbarian lands were not a playable region. Also head-honchos Mona and Jacobs would surely not have overlooked the content of this module when publishing it. Given they did green light this, they must not have had any short term plans for the barbarians since their next AP was Savage Tide set in the south. Now according to the LGG which is set in 591 CY, Lolgoff is still king of the Cruskii, so I must assume Mr. Carter's story of dragons, heroic death and a pending barbarian war, unfolds in the post LGG timeline. I would love to ask Mona or Jacobs why this module wasn't given a Greyhawk stamp of approval. Was killing off a big name ruler and starting a war too much timeline meddling for a simple module? Well at least, the content was left as the author intended. 

That's all for now. I may post more of my own home campaign material set in the Thillonrian Peninsula in the coming months. Until then, let me know if there is any other good sources I missed?

New Greyhawk Magic Item Ideas

 

Hail Greyhawkers! Before I get into today's subject, if you haven't already, be sure to check out and sign up for Virtual Greyhawk Con coming October 2-4, 2020. It's meant to bring the Greyhawk community together young and old and it's for charity. Win win. See you then!

As I work on a couple side Greyhawk projects I find my blog i being neglected. So today I'm just going to brain storm some magic item names to work on later using 5E rules. Or hey, maybe one of my readers can take up the reigns and design these items for me using your preferred edition. Either way, that's what we do in the Greyhawk community. So, everyone has heard of magic items named after Greyhawk gods and quasi-deities like the Quiver of Ehlonna, Heward's Handy Haversack and Keoghtom's Ointment. There is also the less well known Shoes of Fharlanghn, Mantle of Celestian, Zagyg's Flowing Flagon and Boccob's Blessed Book. Surely there is more magic items out there named for other deities great and small? Not artifact level stuff mind you, just wondrous items you could find in the hands of worshipers of any class for example. Here is my brainstormed list of name ideas. I sort of have an idea in my head what they do, but I don't have time to flesh them out. If you have power suggestions throw them my way. Enjoy! 

Berei's Plentiful Pouch

Lenses of Delleb 

Talisman of Joramy 

Torc of Kord 

Gloves of Kurell 

Llerg's Barbarous Belt

Lydia's Lyrical Lyre 

Scabbard of Mayaheine 

Myhriss' Mesmerizing Mirror

Rudd's Lucky Charm

Trithereon's Scouting Signal

Mask of Wastri

Xan Yae's Meditation Mat

Greyhawk Stuff on the Net

Hail Greyhawk gluttons! I've been taking a mental break from my 2E Greyhawk Wars series, so this post we will promote some of the other cool bloggers and authors in the community.

Let's start with the blog Greyhawk Musings and David Leonard as he continues to examine the collective cited sources of Greyhawk history. His latest installment continues the deeply rich background of the Great Kingdom from 300 CY through the Turmoil Between Crowns. This is the era of Zagig, Death Knights and a lot of political intrigue in the east. I've said before, my dream "period piece" of the Flanaess would be a sourcebook on 300-400 CY World of Greyhawk (the other being the Suel-Baklunish Wars). Check out this article HERE.

Next up is the tireless creativity of Joe Bloch over at Greyhawk Grognard. Joe and me have been on the same wavelength it seems, talking about the Pomarj on stream and writing pieces on warfare involving the Iron League. Where we differ is Joe is a fan of miniature gaming rules (he is exploring the Triumph! ruleset), whereas I tend to be lazy and use counter/card abstracts for my campaigns (Warmachine, Greyhawk Wars, Birthright). Joe is very adept at adapting Greyhawk armies to mass combat rules. Check out his article on the Army of Idee. He does his homework when crafting these armies, immersing them in the lore of Greyhawk. Joe is a true wargaming legacy of Gary Gygax.

Over at the blog, From Kuroth's Quill, my friend Allan Grohe is musing on his current Greyhawk campaign and its planar-gate connections. Grodog, who I associate with old school Castle Greyhawk normally, gives a good run down and some graphics on what other worlds and planes he is tying together. It's all quite fascinating world building stuff. We all like to reach beyond the game-world we use. I know I used to do a lot of Planescape and Norse mythical adventures, but Greyhawk was always the core setting. I will be keeping an eye on his campaign moving forward.

Finally, Thomas Kelly over at Greyhawk Stories continues his epic tale of the Hateful Wars with Chapter Fourteen: A Voice in the Dark. If you think a mimic is in this part, you are only partially right. Follow Kristryd and company as the action gets very deadly in the dark tunnels beneath the Lortmil Mountains. Enjoy the latest chapter or if you are just now finding out about the Hateful Wars, go back and read from the beginning. Enjoy!

Two D&D Announcements

Heya Greyhawk enthusiasts! Quick post today. If you followed Legends & Lore yesterday you'll know a virtual con was announced for the Greyhawk community! Check it out:

I really don't have any details on this even yet, but it's in the works. When I know more I'll be sure to promote it! And for those who worry, will Wizards be concerned a con is being put on with the Greyhawk name? I think it's extremely doubtful. Why? Because of this bit of news from Wizards reported today on ENWorld:

"Early this week, WotC announced on Twitter that today there would be some kind of announcement on their Twitch channel. Those who tuned in were treated to an an announcement that the new storyline will be announced at a live event in June.

The press release announcing the impending announcement also mentions a new setting, as well as the storyline, so it sounds like it won't be set in the Forgotten Realms. Recently, they've released a bunch of settings: Eberron, Ravnica, Wildemount, and the upcoming Theros.

The new storyline specifically will be revealed at 12pm PST (8pm GMT) on Thursday, June 18th."

So a celebrity D&D charity stream will announce the next big story line (always a hyped event) and this one will include a new setting? My my, with all these game worlds being thrown around it suddenly feels like 2nd Edition era again! 

No need to speculate on what this world will be like, though if Chris Perkins is involved it'll have Greyhawk DNA. Cynically, this news puts even more distance between the fan community and the current powers that be in D&D. So yeah, by October Virtual Greyhawk Convention should be good to go!

Greyhawk News and Links

Howdy Greyhawk maniacs. It's that time of the week I throw out a few links to help promote Greyhawk content in the community. I'm sure you've seen most of these items already, but help me by boosting the signal. We need to keep awareness of the setting high in this new golden age of D&D fandom.

First and foremost is the exciting news that old-school publisher Goodman Games gets to do another 5E adaptation of a Greyhawk classic in OAR#6: The Temple of Elemental Evil. This is not an homage, or a mere reprint, but in the spirit of previous releases like Expedition to the Barrier Peaks and the Into the Borderlands, this is a full 5E adaptation alongside a reprint of the original AD&D super-module T1-T4. These books end up pretty weighty, but in my opinion it's a must have. Goodman's press release says this will be out late 2020 or early 2021. I'm guessing it'll be in time for Gary Con 2021, which is where I will snag a copy!

Next, over at the blog Hall of the Mountain King, my fellow Legends & Lore historian, Jason Zavoda has been putting out posts galore. Zavoda is famous for his Greyhawk Index of course, but when he stopped indexing years ago, the content didn't stop. Since he has been more active in the community, Jason has been indexing Greyhawk references in both recent products like the Saltmarsh Encounters and relatively older ones like Dungeon Magazine #148 which featured Spinecastle.

Jason has also tirelessly been posting regular updates on his Blackmoor, Land of a Thousand Witches, a campaign in this region unlike any you've seen before and the final chapter in his ongoing fiction The Hill Giant's Chief: Nosnra's Saga. Tune in daily to see what tidbit JZ posts next on his blog!

Lastly, speaking of Legends & Lore, this Wednesday, Jay Scott, Anna Meyer and myself will be hosting special guests from former Living Greyhawk's Sultanate of Zeif region. Even after having many members of Living Greyhawk on the show previously, I cannot wait to hear how there people played and developed their stories in the Baklunish lands. Also, I cannot wait to mercilessly taunt them about my homeland of Ull! See you there, or if you can't make the live show see the replay through LordGosumba's regular channel.

Custom Greyhawk Dicebag

Howdy Greyhawkers! Today I'm showing off a wonderful present I got from my good friend and regular Greyhawk players, Brandi. You guys think I'm creative? She is multi-talented at music, athletics, gaming, art, crafting, cosplay, streaming, etc. Oh yes, and she currently works in the senior health care field, so she is very essential as a worker too. Because I'm her favorite DM (or so I imagine), Brandi recently customized this amazing dice bag for me and I must say, I have a lot of dice bags, but I don't have one that says Greyhawk on it, much less "Greyhawk Grognard" (sorry Joe you can't have it). She knows me well, even remembering that I started playing Greyhawk in 1982. Good times! 

While we are all homebound during these crazy times, check out and follow Brandi's stream (twice a week) on Twitch. If you are into variety video gaming, chill chats and occasionally music, this is the place you can find me online when I'm not doing my own Greyhawk streaming. Until next time!

Greyhawk Thoughts: The Flight of Fiends

Hail Greyhawkers! Today's topic was recently brought up in discussion on our Twitch show Legends & Lore, but it's something I haven't researched much, and certainly have never referenced in my own campaign. I'm talking about the Flight of Fiends. If you haven't heard of the Flight, it's probably one of the most significant events in all of published World of Greyhawk. The short of it is that the most powerful cleric in the world used the artifact, Crook of Rao to mass-banish all demons and devils from the Flanaess. Let's analyze the Flight of Fiends and see if it is truly as momentous as it would seem:

Here is a few other events to put the Flight into perspective:


1. The "Greyhawk Wars" raged from 582-584 CY. Much of Iuz and Ivid V's might was due to the influence of many demons and devils summoned by way of gates.

"The Blackspear Chamber is Iuz's gate to the Abyss. Fiends are summoned through it and upon their return to the Abyss, the powerful nexus strengthens them..."
-Iuz the Evil

"Baalzephon guided Ivenzen's men to the Cauldron of Night and instructed the priests and wizards how to fashion the malachite throne. The baatezu offered diabolic aid in the form of spinagon and barbazu troops for the House of Naelax. Further, it gave the House of Naelax dark magical artifacts which the overking and his mages hold to this day...In return, Baalzephon asked for two things. First, the House of Naelax had to agree to cease all dealings with tanar'ri—except for enslaving them and banishing them. Second, Baalzephon graciously demanded the souls of Ivenzen's heirs and descendants for 888 years—should they rule from the malachite throne."
-Ivid the Undying

"Ivid's own throne room is a 40-yard diameter circular chamber with the great malachite throne set into the north wall...Once per week, if the correct command word is uttered, the throne can be used to open a gate to the uppermost of the Nine Hells."
-Ivid the Undying 

2. Delegates sign the Pact of Greyhawk ending the Greyhawk Wars in Harvester 584 CY. Rary "the Traitor" tries to subvert the Great Signing, killing Tenser and Otiluke in the process. When Rary fails to stop the signing, he flees to the Bright Desert and sets up his own realm with some planar aid.

"He summoned yugoloth and other creatures from the planes, and ordered them to transport Rary' Tower, as well as Robilar and his army, into the Bright Desert. There he ordered the yugoloth to construct a fortress for his new headquarters."
-Rary the Traitor

3. Circa 576 CY, at the behest of the Circle of Eight, a band of heroes liberate the Crook of Rao in the adventure Isle of the Ape, thus foiling the Witch Queen Iggwilv and her demonic allies. After this event, the Crook goes out of sight until it seemingly comes to Rel Astra post-wars.

"The Crook of Rao then passed from view for a time, until it resurfaced in the Great Kingdom following the Greyhawk Wars in the hands of the LordProtector of Rel Astra, an animus known as Drax the Invulnerable. How he acquired it is unknown, but some speculate it was lost by an agent of the Circle of Eight seeking to relieve the forces of Commandant Osson of Almor before their destruction in Medegia."
-The Crook of Rao, Oerth Journal #3 by Eric L. Boyd

"Rumors abound that the Lord Protector of Rel Astra. Drax the Invulnerable, has made known he has acquired a powerful artifact of Good. sacred in the Power Rao. He has offered this to the rulers of Veluna in trade for magical items more useful to the forces of Rel Astra. Veluna's Canon Hazen is depserate to have the artifact and is said to looking for powerful adventurers to travel to Rel Astra and back."
"This mission is important enough that Hazen's second-in-command, Patriarch Lemuel will accompany the PCs."
"Chaotic evil enemies of Veluna will not be pleased to see a mighty artifact of lawful good retrieved (Iuz is the obvious case)."
-From the Ashes, Atlas of the Flanaess

The Flight of Fiends and its Aftermath: 

Indeed, the Flight of Fiends was made possible not because of the wisdom of the Circle of Eight, but due to their misguidance or carelessness and of course the greed of Drax, who likely didn't know what the Crook could really do. Using the Crook of Rao was no small matter.

"In Coldeven 586, Canon Hazen of Veluna employed the Crook of Rao, a powerful artifact, in a special ceremony that purged the Flanaess of nearly all fiends inhabiting it. Outsiders summoned by Iuz, Ivid, or independent evils fell victim to this magical assault, which became known as the Flight of Fiends."

"In a stirring private ceremony attended by the entire College of Bishops, Canon Hazen (along, it is said, with the help from the archmage Bigby of Mitrik) employed the fabulous artifact to trigger the Flight of Fiends."

-Living Greyhawk Gazetteer

Whatever the Circle of Eight's internal politics was during the Greyhawk Wars, at least Bigby redeemed himself by helping with the Flight as well as assisting Veluna in pursuing Iuz afterward:

"...word spread through Furyondy of an extraordinary event. The great fiends that had patrolled and ravaged the many lands seized by Iuz were no longer in sight."
"...the artifact known as the Crook of Rao had been recovered, and it had been used by His Venerable Reverence, Canon Hazen, aided by many lesser priests and the archmage Bigby, to rid the Flanaess of the fiends' presence. Reports confirming the absence of those monstrosities conflicted with later news that a few fiends in scattered locations had withstood the Crook's effect and remained at large. Still, a majority of these demons had been cast from the Oerth, back into the depths of their home planes."
-Greyhawk, the Adventure Begins 

"Without his support structure of fiendish officers, Iuz's armies lost much of their striking power and organization. Belvor knew well that this chaos would not last forever. Furyondy's plight demanded action. At great cost to his own power and holdings, King Belvor IV initiated the Great Northern Crusade."

"Bereft of their powerful masters, many lesser nonhumans and ambitious human generals attempted to stage coups throughout the occupied lands, even as rebel bandits and indigenous populations took advantage of the Flight of Fiends to strike back at their oppressors."
-Living Greyhawk Gazetteer

Meanwhile, in the Great Kingdom, things weren't so hot for mad overking Ivid either:

"Immediately after the Flight of Fiends, it was announced in Rauxes that Ivid V was no longer overking, though it is unclear if he had actually died. Conflict engulfed the capital in a matter of hours as many of Ivid's generals and nobles, filled with rage and ambition, marched upon Rauxes. No one can explain the events that followed, but the city itself was soon engulfed in a strange magical field. Few willingly approach Rauxes now, given the bizarre eldritch forces that prevail where the ruined city stands." 
-Living Greyhawk Gazetteer

Did the Flight of Fiends have any lasting impact? Certainly the Great Kingdom was already smashed apart before then. The Flight of Fiends removed Ivid's last, best means to keep his very powerful rivals (wizard, animus, death knight, etc) in check. With Ivid gone, the east was up for grabs. Back in the west, the Great North Crusade in just three years, resulted in reversing many of the losses that Furyondy and the Shield Lands suffered in the Greyhawk Wars, the main victory coming in the Battle of Crockport (with Bigby's help). Some of the Bandit Lands and Stonehold also shook free of the yoke of Iuz's evil for now. Unfortunately, Iuz the Old still managed to bring the fighting to a stalemate despite the "permanent and unalterable state of war" declared by Belvor.

By 591 CY, as Belvor predicted it seems, Iuz either started summoning demons again or perhaps the proximity of his permanent Abyssal gate in Dorakaa protected some of them.

"Even after the Flight of Fiends, demons walk the grim battlements..."

"No one knows how many demons survived the Flight of Fiends in 586 CY; few have surfaced."
-Living Greyhawk Gazetteer

Post-Flight it's said Hazen, who was already old, was too weak to get out except in special occasions, like announcing the Great Northern Crusade. The Crook of Rao like Hazen, was kept out of sight during the intervening years. This is the only snippet I could find on what happened in Living Greyhawk play concerning Hazen and the Crook:

"In events that take place in the Living Greyhawk campaign, it is revealed that three Raoan priests were tricked into betraying Canon Hazen by accepting magical curses which transcribed the true names of 101 demons onto their skin in the forms of magical tattoos. These 303 demons were not banished. It is further revealed that most of the powerful demons left of their own accord to make the ceremony appear more successful than it truly was. In the aftermath, the Canon has rarely been seen due to his weakened condition and the Crook has lost most of its power."

-The Crook in Living Greyhawk

My Speculation and Conclusions:

1. It's glaringly important to ask, why did the Crook become lost soon after it was recovered by heroes in Isle of the Ape? Eric Boyd's war-focused theory is pretty solid for why it ended up in the Great Kingdom. A more scandalous reason however, is that Mordenkainen (who is not only obsessed with the Blood War between fiends, but also the Balance) wanted the wars to continue and dropped the Crook off in Rel Astra for his own twisted ends.

2. Did the Flight of Fiends directly affect Rauxes or the Malachite Throne? It's not known for sure how the capital of the Great kingdom fell to magical ruin, but Ivid or another wizard trying to use a broken Malachite Throne to summon more devils and accidentally destroying the city would make a pretty cinematic scene.

3. Did all of Rary the Traitor's yugoloth minions get unsummoned during the Flight or were they already released from service after constructing his fortress? This would have to be addressed for any campaign that uses this area in post-586 CY.

4. Can the Crook be used again to abjure evil on a grand scale? Not likely according to LG sources, but author Roger Moore in The Adventure Begins leaves the door open for it to be used again in some fashion. Due to his great age, Hazen would surely be replaced in anyone's campaign at some point. Perhaps a promoted Patriarch Lemuel would be strong enough to power the artifact again.

5. The ascendancy of evil was set up by Carl Sargent in the Greyhawk Wars/From the Ashes era. The Crook of Rao and Canon Hazen, in the Tales of the Year of Peace, was one of the suggested events that Sargent seeded for the next timeline advance that eventually came in the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. In my opinion, the Flight of Fiends should have ultimately led to Iuz's defeat in Greyhawk publication if not at least in living campaign play. Sure Ivid V was removed from the chess board, but was he ever really an existential threat except in wartime? Vecna was arguably more a threat than Ivid the Undying in the same time frame. The Great North Crusade, billed as the push to end Iuz once and for all, was one backdrop for the Living Greyhawk campaign that played out over several more real life and in-game years. As far as I know, by the end of LG play and official Greyhawk publication (Paizo or WotC), Iuz still remained the defacto main villain.
Now, I understand there is a thematic reason to always have a Big Bad Evil Guy like Iuz at the center of the World of Greyhawk setting. I just think in hindsight, Iuz's ever-present, unbeatable evil made the Flight of Fiends less spectacular, especially once the demons started to inevitably creep back in (see Paizo's Savage Tide). The retrieval of the Crook of Rao and the Flight of Fiends should have been the Greyhawk equivalent of blowing up the Death Star in New Hope which led to the defeat of Emperor Palpatine in Return of the Jedi.

6. The Flight of Fiends was meant to turn the tide for Good. Rather than someday using the Crook for Flight of Fiends 2.0, future Greyhawk authors should look to build on the Flight and Crusade by chipping away at the Old One even more. Develop the Soul Husk Caverns or have the REAL Vatun unite the north this time. Or hell have Mayaheine actually do something; wasn't she physically brought to Oerth to help Furyondy fight Iuz? There's plenty of work left to be done, Iuz must be vanquished. The Flight of Fiends should not go to waste.