Greyhawkery #1067

Happy Needfest! Good luck in 2024 Greyhawkers! I'll see you at Gary Con, on Legends & Lore or on Canonfire (mortellan) and Discord (greyhawkmike)

 

Greyhawk City: Champion's Games

Welcome back Greyhawk faithful. On a recent Legends & Lore stream we talked about mercenaries and adventuring parties. One of the things we discussed was the Dungeon #128 adventure from Age of Worms titled The Champion's Belt by Tito Leati. In this chapter, as the PCs search for answers involving a retired gladiator named Loris Raknian, they must enter a gladiatorial event hosted by the "Free City" Arena where groups of compete for the coveted Champion's Belt. The meta plot involving a cult of Kyuss aside, I love the idea of an annual Champions Games held in the City of Greyhawk. I highly recommend this issue for anyone running an urban campaign. In the Champion's Belt, there is a huge list of NPC "gladiator" groups (these are not traditional gladiators, they seem more like rival adventuring groups), some detailed as opponents for the PCs, but most are left for DMs to flesh out. The focus of this post is to show the brief descriptive backgrounds I gave these Champion's Belt teams for my own Age of Worms campaign. But first here is some background rules on the Champion's Games. Enjoy!

"The Champion's Games is a five-day-long gladiatorial tournament that takes place annually in the Free City Arena. The games themselves consist of a massive four-round elimination event, interspersed with spectacle fights that pit gladiators against exotic monsters and other unique foes. A single team can consist of no more than eight members. Familiars do not count as members, but larger animal companions, mounts, and cohorts do. Finally, each team of gladiators must identify itself with a name and designate a leader."

• The tournament is fought in four successive rounds of elimination. The first round consists of six battles of free-for-all combat between four teams (24 teams total). The six winners of the first round of battles are paired off into three team-versus-team battles. The next round, two of the three remaining teams fight each other, while the third team fights a special exotic monster. The final round is a face-to-face battle between the two remaining teams. The winners of each round is awarded a generous prize (trophy plus 2000-10,000 gp). The winner of the Champion's Games wins the right to wear the Champion's Belt (worth 2000 gp) for a year, along with a cash payout of 20,000 gp.
• All battles are potentially lethal, but a gladiator always has the option of surrender. To surrender, a gladiator must drop his weapons, kneel, and hold both hands in the air. A gladiator who attacks a surrendering foe is disqualified (and likely arrested for assault or murder). A gladiator who surrenders and then attacks anothr foe is also disqualified.
• Gladiators that can fly or levitate may do so up to a height of 40 feet. A gladiator that flues any higher is disqualified. Burrowing into the arena's floor is forbidden.
• A match persists until one team is victorious, either through the death or the surrender of all opposing teams.
• Winning gladiators have no right to the spoils of the fallen. A defeated foe keeps his gear, or in the case of death, ownership of gear reverts to his team.
• Any tactic that endangers spectators is grounds for immediate disqualification and possible legal action.
• A disqualified gladiator must cease fighting at once and must move to the edge of the field of battle. Failure to comply results in the disqualification of the entire team. Once a gladiator is disqualified, he may no longer take part in any remaining battles.

The Competition:

These teams are given a short description by me, and are open to further development by a DM. The module does give an "Encounter Level" for each NPC team which helps. Teams marked with an asterisk are fully detailed in Dungeon #128.

Arcane Auriga* EL 10 

4 elven female archers, exiles from Celene. Led by Rennida Auriga (arcane archer), her daughter Krinasa and two cousins, Eelyssa and Anetah.

Auric's Warband* (defending champion) EL 12

Auric (F10), Khellek (W10) and 3 controlled flesh golems.

Badlands Revenge* EL 9

3 gnoll warriors led by a human druid/barbarian named Joren and his dire badger companion.

Chuko's Ravens EL 7

3 kenku rogues led by a druid named Chuko.

Draconic Brood EL 11

4 half-dragon adventurers (or dragonborn if 5E) including a pseudo-dragon familiar.

Drunken Devilry EL 6

6 drunken students from the fraternal Gnarly House in Greyhawk City.

Final Phoenix EL 7

4 mounted lancers from the Bright Lands.

Guttuggers EL 8

4 half-orc mercenary veterans from Greyhawk City.

Iron (Cairn) Hill Monkeys EL 5

3 monks from Twilight Monastery. 

Night Owls EL 4

2 rogue knife-fighters from Dyvers.

One of Us EL 4

3 human adventurers (triplets) form the Duchy of Urnst. Might be dopplegangers?

Pitch Blade* EL 12

2 dwarven killers (barb 10) named Drusfan and Pharbol.

Rauth's Dragoons EL 6

4 veteran mercenary cavalry from Perrenland managed by Captain Rauth.

Sapphire Squad* EL 9

2 mercenary mounted archers led a jann swashbuckler named Korush.

Snow Leopards EL 9

A half-elf mage and a half-elf ranger with two leopard animal companions from the Lortmils .

Teeth of Kord EL 5

3 clerics led by specialty priest of Kord from Rhizia.

The Crazy Eight EL 6

8 minor gladiators from the Pit in the Foreign Quarter.

The Fisthammers EL 8

4 dwarven warriors from Karakast.

The Gravediggers EL 8

3 of the meanest members of the Gravedigger Union in GHC.

The Skull of Murq EL 9

A mysterious wizard and 4 human bodyguards.

The Unhumans EL 7

A half-orc, an ogre, a lizard man, and a bugbear.

The Woodchuckers EL 3

4 spunky gnomes from Grossetgrottel.

Varmint Patrol EL 5

8 halfling slingers from Elmshire.

Aerial Items of Greyhawk

Welcome again Greyhawk enthusiasts! I recently had a fun discussion on Legends & Lore stream about aerial related things in Greyhawk (or D&D in general). After talking about cloud castles, playable flying races and our rules preferences for flight, I had some left-over material about magic items related to flying. Let's have a look. Enjoy!

Wings of Flying (DMG) The prototypical D&D flying magic item. This cape flies for a couple hours per day and can carry 500 lbs weight!

Wings of the Rakers (Greyhawk Adventure) This is one of the first items I think of when it comes to flight thanks to the good ol' Greyhawk Adventures hardback source book. This white cloak was made by a wizard who was friends of the aarakocra of the Rakers. It acts like normal wings of flying, except the wearer appears to have sea gull wings. The Wings also allow the user to speak and understand aarakocra language and to dive attack like a member of that race. Love that flavor!

Winged Boots (Unearthed Arcana) This item was always a player favorite in my campaigns. Little wings sprout from your heel (kind of like Hermes) and they impart the ability to fly for 2 hrs without concentration. They come in four different speed and maneuverability types as well.

Cloak of the Bat (Unearthed Arcana) Another fun piece of apparel. This one works in darkness making the wearer virtually invisible and allows you to hang upside down like a bat! In darkness the wearer can fly of course or polymorph into a regular bat! This makes a pretty good villain item and can trick players into thinking they're a vampire!

Cloak of the Couatl (The Scarlet Brotherhood) A bat not good enough for you? Okay try this feathered cloak from Hepmonaland and Amedio. Wings spread out from the wearer and allow flight for two hours. The cloak also can make its wearer invisible while flying but it cuts the time in half. Now if this cloak turned its owner into a couatl it'd be amazing, but alas it's not that powerful.

Gargoyle Cloak (Temple of Elemental Evil) I guess while I'm talking about cloaks that give the user flight, I'll mention this one. This time the cloak does polymorph the wearer. As a gargoyle, the wearer has all the abilities of this creature, including flight, but each turn (10 minute) there is a cumulative chance your mind is permanently changed into a gargoyle's. Not cool!

Broom of Flying (DMG) Back in the day, I would have never handed one of these out in my games. However, since the popularity of Harry Potter, I'm rethinking this item's usefulness. It allows unlimited fly power. Carries just 200 lbs though, so yeah not for the armored fighter. Neat part is you can call it to your hand from 300 yds out. That could lead to some fun escape scenarios!

Book of the Griffon (From the Ashes) This magic tome is intentionally left for the DM to tailor for their campaign, but its suggested powers are: summon a group of "magical" griffons once a day. Charm natural griffons, plus spells of flight, elemental air and magical mounts. The book has a price tag of 60,000+ gp so this is a nice diamond in the rough.

Ring of the Wind Dukes (Dungeon #129) This ring comes from the Age of Worms adventure A Gathering of Winds. As expected, this ring belonged to one of the Wind Dukes of Aaqa from Greyhawk prehistory. Among its aerial powers are an immunity to strong winds and the ability to charm monster on Air subtype creatures, so it opens the possibility of riding an aerial mount. Its other offensive powers make this nearly artifact level in rarity. Check out this issue!

Ring of Elemental Metamorphosis (Tome of Magic) Hey speaking of wind themed rings, this item (in our case Air type) can polymorph the wearer into an elemental once a day. As you would expect the wearer gets the form and physical abilities and defenses of an air elemental (so flight). It doesn't screw with the wearer's mind luckily!

Ring of Elemental Command (DMG) Possibly better than the previous rings, the Air subtype here has loads of powers. Among them is communication with elementals, the fly spell, invisibility and control winds. 

Flying Carpets (DMG) Probably my favorite aerial themed magic item of all time. I mean who didn't grow up with stories of Aladdin on his flying carpet? In Greyhawk, Mordy and company ride one in Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure. In the DMG, they come in four various sizes and speeds. The smaller the carpet, the faster it is, but it also carries less weight. For a fun idea, I once created a flying carpet that also teleported randomly when fed expensive gems.  

Ebony Fly (DMG) Figurines of Wondrous Power are classic magic items. The ebony fly however is one I don't think I ever used. It grows to the size of a pony, flies for 12 hours straight and can carry up to 350 lbs. Seeing a hero riding on a giant house fly would be quite a sight! 

Bronze Griffon (3.0 DMG) This is a new type of figurine found in 3rd edition. Naturally it grows into a magical griffon that can be rode for 6 hours at a time, twice a week.

Saddle of Flying (Tome of Magic) Okay I knew this item had to exist and I finally found it. When secured to a horse, this saddle causes the mount to sprout wings and the ability to fly at its normal movement rate for one hour per day. Not bad if you're a paladin or cavalier who wants to ride a cheap Pegasus into combat!

Coruskian Stone (Greyhawk Adventures) Another hidden gem from GHA. This greenish stone set in a gold necklace gives the wearer the ability to charm griffons into being aerial mounts. The stone however does not impart any special skill in riding griffons, so combat will be dicey. 

Headband of the Corusk Mountains (Greyhawk Adventures) Okay one more from GHA, this one is even better. There is something about the Thillonrian Peninsula that screams the need for flying items, I guess. This headband is fun, because it's made from the skull of a white dragon! Its purpose is to charm white dragons into being a mount and yes, the item imparts the ability to ride aerial creatures.  What's more, the headband makes the wearer immune to cold attacks. Very cool!

Travel Guide to Inns of Greyhawk

Greetings fellow Greyhawk travelers! This post is being made in conjunction with the Legends & Lore stream. I'm rather shocked I haven't attempted this topic before, and now that we've broached the subject, I'm eyeballs deep into research on Inns and Taverns of Greyhawk. My obsession with this topic of course is because I'm a 20th-level former innkeeper. This is knowledge you can't unlearn. Any time I've ever ran a scene at an inn for D&D my professional experience has always crept into the game. Well, I'm not going overboard with this post I promise, but what I am doing for fun is highlighting as many published source inns, hotels, and hostels in the Flanaess as I can find (this list is in no way exhaustive). Using my vast insights on inns and hotels I will be using a scale of 💀 to 💀💀💀💀 skulls for my travel guide. One other caveat, I'm only featuring establishments that have a shred of business information about them in a module (no spoilers but will cite the sources). What that means is I won't be using the dozens of taverns and inns marked on various city maps that only have a name to go on. It also means that most of these inns will be from the City of Greyhawk. Oh well! Read on and enjoy your stay!

Free City of Greyhawk

The Green Dragon Inn. 💀💀 The favorite haunt of adventurers and other rough types in the River Quarter. Offers mundane fare, but in copious quantities. Weapons and armor are allowed here. 

(City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins, Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk)

The Blue Dragon Inn. 💀💀 This establishment is a poor imitation of the Silver Dragon Inn next door. Everything found at the Silver Dragon including their prices is copied here, but the place is lesser quality. Noticeable lack of customers. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

The Silver Dragon Inn. 💀💀💀 A grand inn in the Foreign Quarter. Prices are average and servings are huge. Menu items range from all across the Flanaess. Rooms vary from single private rooms to large bunk rooms. Costs are reasonable but not cheap. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

The Gold Dragon Inn. 💀💀💀💀 A place of splendor and snobbery and exorbitant prices. Even nobles may have a two hour wait to get in this place. The food is good but not the best, all prices are at 125% the cost of other upper-class establishments in the city. Rooms are high ceilinged with elaborately carved beams. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins) 

The Brass Dragon Inn. 💀💀 The first building many travelers see entering the city, this grand-looking establishment is a maze of wings, towers, sleeping and dining rooms, quiet lounges and noisy beer halls. Prices are high for the Old City, 1 gp/night for an average room and their food is very bland. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins) 

The Black Dragon Inn. 💀💀 The largest inn in Clerkburg. Good food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Rooms range from common room straw pallet for 2 sp/night to good private room 5 sp/night, or luxury room 2 gp/night. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

 

The Nymph and Satyr. 💀💀💀 Reputedly has the most exotic collection of alcohol in the city. Reasonable costs for food and drink. Rooms are relatively cheap and plain. Place has a bawdy reputation and is avoided by more respectable citizens. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

High Tower Tavern and Hostelry. 💀💀💀 A favorite of the upper class, unpretentious and not as expensive as neighboring establishments. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

The Golden Phoenix. 💀💀💀💀 Do not come here unless you have plenty of gold and can afford to put on weight. This glorious establishment in the Garden Quarter has 30 rooms and two fine dining restaurants, the Velunese Grill and the Celene Feast Hall each with their own unique dishes. Meals cost from 10 to 50 gp. Rooms are exquisitely furnished with 24-hour room service. Prices range from 10 gp/night to 15 gp/night. Only persons of refinement, good manners and sound dress habits allowed. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

The Wizard's Hat Inn. 💀💀💀💀 This excellent hostelry is one of the best kept secrets in the city. Rooms are reasonably priced, but weapons must be checked at the door. Superb food (signature roast venison is the best meat in the city), drink and hospitality. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

The Low Seas Tavern. 💀💀💀 Favorite inn of wealthier Rhennee bargefolk. Good food in small portions served here, as well as expensive, high-quality drink. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

The River Rat. 💀 Central gathering place for Rhennee of the city. The inn is a smelly dive. Food, drink and rooms are cheap. Any damages to the inn are often charged in the morning. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

The Barge Inn. 💀💀 Favorite location for dwarven visitors. The largest inn in the River Quarter, it is also one of the busiest and rowdiest in the city. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

The Whistling Fish. 💀💀 This two-story inn is unusually tall, with oversized windows and doors. The inn is owned by a short, good tempered hill giant. Prices are reasonable and the food is good. (The Adventure Begins, Falcon's Revenge)

The Whitehorse Inn. 💀💀 The grand old inn of the Old City. Ideal stop for caravans, has a large stable and corral. Rooms are clean and cheap; food is plain but in large portions. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

The Gold Digger Tavern. 💀💀 A raucous establishment that is the primary gathering place for dwarves in the Old City. Only dwarves are allowed weapons here. Cheap drink, rooms and meals. The longest bed in the place is not quite five feet long. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

Madame Zaccaruso's Rooms for Rent. 💀💀 This grand boarding house charges 4 sp/week which includes daily breakfast. Madame Z is rumored to be a witch, but the rooms are clean, and the house is quiet. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins) 

Black Orchid Boarding House. 💀💀 This small house is hard to find. It has no signage, and it only takes customers by referral. The privacy of boarders is kept without question. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

Phoenix Boarding House. 💀💀 This new building replaces the Black Orchid in 584 CY. It is three-stories and has a bright yellow roof. Mainly attracts immigrants with a bit of money. (The Adventure Begins)

The Hanged Man Inn. 💀 A grand inn that services the low life of the Thieves' Quarter. The outside is kept in repair, but the interior is a run-down dive. The inn is rumored to be Thieves Guild controlled; thus, it is a safe place to visit due to its unwritten rules against thievery and fighting. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins) 

Mama Esther's Bakery and Boarding House. 💀 Shabby little building with a wonderful aroma. There is four single rooms for rent at 1 sp/week. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

The Left Hand Inn. 💀 Non-descript inn with cheap food, drink, and lodgings. The place is usually fairly empty and quiet. Drinks and food are free to anyone who can hit a bullseye target using their left hand. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

The Broken Staff. 💀💀 This Artisan Quarter inn caters to wizards, sages, and academics. The tavern is well-maintained, and service is good though understaffed at times. Entertainment often involves displays of magic. (Living Greyhawk Journal #2)

The Dragon Turtle Tavern. 💀 This small Slum Quarter inn is the cheapest tavern in the city. Lice-infested straw beds, warm ale, but delicious food in small portions. (City of Greyhawk Box, The Adventure Begins)

Viscounty of Verbobonc

The Rock Powder Inn. 💀 Small country inn, set near an old quarry outside Verbobonc. Not a dive but has seen better times. (Vecna Lives!)

Kron Hall. 💀💀 Located in the Gnomeburg district of Verbobonc, it is the only establishment that is built to cater to small and big folk. (Vecna Lives!)

Village of Hommlet

The Inn of the Welcome Wench. 💀💀💀💀 The only inn for many miles, higher than normal food and drink costs. Renowned for its good food and collection of ales and wines from all over the Flanaess. Rooms are warm, clean and have a variety of furnishings. Prices range from 1 sp/night to 5 ep/night. (Temple of Elemental Evil)

Village of Nulb

The Waterside Hostel. 💀 A scurvy place. Rich guests have been known to disappear. Prices are low, about half those of the Inn of the Welcome Wench. (Temple of Elemental Evil)

Village of Orlane (Gran March)

The Golden Grain Inn. 💀 Large wooden inn with a stable and corral. Food and drink quality is poor and prices are outrageous, from 1 sp to 1 gp per pint. Rooms are poor going from 12 sp to 4 gp/night. Rooms and drinks are sometimes discounted however to attract business. (Against the Cult of the Reptile God)

Inn of the Slumbering Serpent. 💀💀 An old, small inn with sign of a sleeping dragon out front. Prices are reasonable compared to the Golden Grain Inn, plus the food and drink is good. Keoish brandy is on stock here. Rooms are clean and well-furnished from 6 sp to 4 gp/night. (Against the Cult of the Reptile God)

Town of Elredd (Wild Coast)

The Captain's Haven. 💀💀 Caters to visiting merchants and sea captains. Offers breakfast at 3 sp and dinner for 6 sp. The rooms at 1 gp/night are well appointed and decorated with a nautical motif. Hot baths are available for 1 sp. (Slavers)

The Lady of the Sea. 💀 Sailor's tavern that has cheap grog and cheaper furniture. The second floor "drunk tank" is a large common room where patrons can sleep on the floor for 3 cp. (Slavers)

The Rest in Peace. 💀 An inn that caters to those slightly better off. Common room beds cost 5 cp/night, while private rooms are available for 4 sp/night. Breakfast costs another 1 sp. (Slavers)

City of Hardby (Greyhawk Domain)

The Mistress of the Coach. 💀💀💀💀 Possibly the best inn in Hardby. An expensive place with formal dress code that prohibits armor and weapons. (Slavers)

Berei's Bounty. 💀💀 A sturdy inn decorated with shafts of wheat. Low-priced, run by a former priestess of Berei. (Slavers)

The Spotted Cow Inn. 💀💀 One of the more famous establishments in the Dock District. Nothing out of the ordinary about this place, just has good word-of-mouth advertising. (Slavers, Polyhedron #92)

Town of Restenford (Lendor Isle)

Falco's Tavern. 💀 This hostelry has four rooms to rent at 11 sp/night. The bar has ale, beer, mead and hard liquors. (Secret of Bone Hill)

Inn of the Dying Minotaur. 💀💀💀 Minotaur head mounted above bar. Good drink and meals ranging from 6 to 15 sp. There are 18 various rooms available at 13 to 24 sp/night. (Secret of Bone Hill)

The Tavern of the West Wind. 💀💀 Sells beer and liquor only. Has six rooms going for 12 sp/night. (Secret of Bone Hill)

Village of Garroten (Lendor Isle)

The House of Abraham. 💀💀 Rooms go for 6 to 12 sp/night. Weekly rates give a 20% discount. Meals run from 6-20 sp. Ale, beer, mead and wine is served here. (Assassin's Knot)

Town of Heldarn (Furyondy)

The Heroes' Return. 💀💀 Small hostelry. Has four single-rooms, two doubles, and a common room that holds up to eight. 25% discount on food and drink to those fighting on the front against Iuz. 

(Marklands)

City of Chendl (Furyondy)

The Heroes' Rest Inn. 💀💀 Above average quality service. Visitors are more likely to find rooms available here. During the war with Iuz, prices are triple cost here. (Fate of Istus, Marklands)

King's Arms Tavern. 💀💀 Better than average quality inn. During the war with Iuz, prices are triple cost here. (Fate of Istus, Marklands)

The Weatherhaven Inn. 💀💀💀 The best place to meet war veterans and officers. During the war with Iuz, prices are triple cost here. (Fate of Istus, Marklands)

The Wyrm. 💀💀💀 The best inn in Chendl. Tastefully appointed bar and dining room. Rooms are quite luxurious. During the war with Iuz, prices are triple cost here. (Fate of Istus, Marklands)

City of Willip (Furyondy)

The Billet. 💀💀 A hostelry and gaming house where many exiled Shield Land nobles drown their sorrows. (Marklands)

City of Monmurg (Sea Princes)

The Weary Traveler. 💀💀 A place of constant merriment, it is the best inn in the dock district. (Treasures of Greyhawk)

 

Jetsom Island (Sea Princes)

The Captain. 💀💀 A respectable inn (at least compared to a dock district tavern called the Warship). (Treasures of Greyhawk)

Free City of Dyvers

The Diamond Dagger. 💀💀💀 Good quality. Large bed, closet, dresser, desk, large fireplace. Food and lodging 2gp/night. (Puppets)

The Come On Inn. 💀💀 Average quality. Bed, closet, small fireplace. Food and lodging 1 gp/night. (Puppets)

The Sleepy Dragon. 💀💀 Average quality. Bed, closet, small fireplace. Food and lodging 8 sp/night. (Puppets)

The King's Arms. 💀💀💀💀 Excellent quality. Large bed, closet, dresser, desk, large fireplace, bearskin rug. Food and lodging 5 gp/night. (Puppets)

Town of Tristor (Theocracy of the Pale)

The Sogenford Inn. 💀💀 Three story building just inside the town gates. Average food, drink and lodging. Horses can be stabled for 1 cp/night. (The Fright at Tristor)

Rookroost (City of)
The Drunken Dragon. 💀💀 Moderate accommodations. Hostelry and tavern. What arms trades are not happening at the Temple of Zilchus may be happening here between the Bandit Kingdoms and the Frost, Snow, and Ice Barbarians.

(Five Shall Be One)

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!

Greyhawkery Pause

 

Welcome back Greyfolk, and thank you for continuing to read Greyhawkery. This post is a short announcement that I'm hitting the pause button for March leading into Gary Con 2023. Maybe interacting with some of my favorite people in the community will inspire me to do some new content. I'll still be chatting Greyhawk Wednesdays on Legends & Lore stream and gaming 1d3 times a week. While you are waiting for me to write something clever, please check out some of my friends' Greyhawk blogs:

David Leonard's Greyhawk Musings

Joe Bloch's Greyhawk Grognard

Thomas Kelly's Greyhawk Stories

Fantasy Maps by Anna Meyer

Extra-Planar Influences on Greyhawk

Welcome again Greyhawk fans! Over on Legends & Lore stream we were discussing how examples of extra-planar influences on the World of Greyhawk setting are abundant and often drive Oerth's history, pre-history, and current timeline meta-plots. By extra-planar we mean the inner (elemental), outer (heaven and hell) or in-between places (ethereal, astral). Whatever arrangement of D&D cosmology you follow, it's true that archdevils, demon-princes, archomentals, and other entities are always either directly involved or a step removed from the action in published material. For instance, the Temple of Elemental Evil famously involves both elemental and demonic influences, and the demiplane of dread, Ravenloft within the deep ethereal has netted a few Greyhawk denizens in the past. I had a couple leftover examples to share, so let's have a look: 

One of my favorite overlooked examples is from the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. In the section on the Plains of the Paynims it related a story of how a marid (genies from the Elemental Plane of Water) influenced the future of the whole Baklunish West.

"The first group of traders to make a complete circuit of the Paynims lands returned to Zeif with little material wealth, but possessing a great store of information. The mighty works and monuments of the empire were gone, except for scattered, fragmentary ruins. Only the stone circles of Tovag Baragu stood unmarred, by the waters of Lake Udrukankar. Within the lake itself, the Shah of the Waters appeared and asked the merchants for the name of the new emperor. At first they made no response, but finally they gave the name of the sultan rather than earn the ire of the mighty marid of Udrukankar. They reported that the marid granted his blessing t the great sultan and departed.

The Paynims remember the tale differently, saying that the marid shah gave, in addition to his blessing, a rare and legendary jacinth. It would identify the sultan as the heir to the imperial Baklunish line. Had the sultan returned with it to Udrukankar, the Paynims allege, he would have become the new emperor and founder of the 12th Dynasty of the Baklunish. Yet, only merchants returned in the years that followed, for the jacinth was lost and with it the imperial inheritance." 

The Baklunish have a history of dealing with the elemental planes. The culture is patterned in part off Arabian Nights tales where genie-kind have a hand in affairs. Here, a marid who rules over the only remaining body of water in the old empire has set a test on the sultan to verify his inheritance to the throne. Yet Istus intervenes and the jacinth is lost. As an aside, I can't fathom that the author didn't intend for this "jacinth" to be anything other than the Jacinth of Inestimable Beauty from AD&D artifact lore. As quests go, having the sultan hire PCs to find this particular jacinth so he can claim rulership of the entire west is a huge meta-plot. Thank the marids for that one.

Greyhawk is well known for its overuse of demons. The lower planes are constantly influencing events in the Flanaess be it Graz'zt and Iggwilv bringing Iuz into the world, or Demogorgon creating the Death Knights and thus wrecking what nobility was left in the Great Kingdom. One of my favorite demon-princes is Pazrael (aka Pazuzu from MM2). According to Iuz the Evil, he has a lot going on:

"Pazrael has an alliance with Iuz for several reasons. First, he is wary of Graz'zt and feels Graz'zt may have designs on his Abyssal plane, so one way of keeping tabs on what Graz'zt is doing is by having his own fiends in Iuz's domain. Second, his nabassu grow strong marauding within Iuz's realm. Third, Pazrael has a long term goal of supplanting Iuz on (Oerth), a goal he realizes will take decades to achieve..."

But that's not all this avian demon-prince is up to in the Flanaess...

"Duke Szeffrin, ruler of the Almorian lands, is the other main power player with a firm alliance with a fiend of great power. The Abyssal Lord Pazrael lends strength and magic to Szeffrin. Plus, tanar-ri (demons) in his service us the gate at Onyxgate to enter Prime Material Plane. What Pazrael is doing in Szeffrin's domain is simple, his is testing magical strength on a scale which he doesn't want to offer to Iuz. Pazrael wants to see how his most mighty magics work in Almor, to "field test" them for the day when he can act against Iuz."

That double-dealing Pazrael! He's a true prince of demons. Even though in later publications the Crook of Rao and the Flight of Fiends kind of ruins this meta-plot, think of the implications if Pazrael's plans do go ahead as planned. If heroes learn of Pazrael's scheme, do they stop him and thus aid Iuz or do they inadvertently help a demon lord to eventually replace the demigod of evil? Outside a few Greater Boneheart NPCs I don't know who else has the power and resources to seriously fill a void left by Iuz. It's an epic level plot for DMs to consider.

Using extra-planar driven villains and plots in Greyhawk tends to be a high-level affair. However, what is more fantastic and magical than bringing in bizarre encounters from these alien places. Next time you use faeries, or shadow dragons, or astral born githyanki in your campaign, consider for a second what their reason for being on Oerth might be, it could lead to even more adventure.

Greyhawk Lore: The Great Embarkation

Welcome Greyhawkers! Having recently watched the new series Rings of Power, and in conjunction with Legends & Lore, I have elves and scaly races on my mind. One of the apocryphal sources that usually sticks in my brain is found in The Great Embarkation by Erik "Iquander" Mona which is posted on Canonfire! back in 2002. This article is not official Greyhawk but I believe it was written around the same time Mona worked on the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, so I'd consider it pseudo-official lore given his and Paizo's publishing cred. Let's have a look at this article and see how it stands up. Enoy! 

"Myths tell of a time in the distant past when the elves were newcomers to the Flanaess, and great wars which raged across the landscape between the olvenfolk and those lizard-like species which lived here before them. During the final days of these wars, it is sometimes told of how the kuo-toa were driven from the land into the oceans about the subcontinent. Some of these tales go on to tell of elvish pleas to their gods to let them follow the kuo-toa into the watery depths to exterminate their enemies. Few even among the elves know the truth of these ancient tales, and they know better than to speak of them, especially to strangers. And yet, the tales still spread. Maybe they are true..."

    The elves definitely do not want to speak of these tales, because they are the bad guys! Mona was once an avid scholar of ancient Greyhawk lore. Here he is dialing the timeline far into the past, way before the human histories like the Suloise and Baklunish Wars which most players are familiar. I presume this is the mythic era of the Wind Dukes of Aaqa and the Battle of Pesh. (another pet topic Mona covered in the Age of Worms AP for 3.5E Dungeon Magazine)

The Great Embarkation

"Elven legends tell that, prior to the coming of their race, the lands of the Flanaess were overrun by the scaly races and their amphibious brethren. The elves viewed these creatures as abominations, leftovers of an ancient era in which the aboleth created foul spawn to take their evils from the seas and the underdark to the realm above. Whether fittingly or not, the elves saw many of the world’s oldest beings as servitors of the aboleth, and marked them for extermination. In this manner, the elves gained the enmity of dozens of races, including troglodytes, lizard men, grung, grippli, skum, bullywugs, firenewts, ingundi, blindheim, muckdwellers and kou-toa. These last were seen by the olvenfolk as the very worst of their kind – ambitious, industrious, fecund and supported by at least one god who sponsored potentially powerful clerics. For these reasons and more, the elves named the fish men their primary target."

    To borrow a Tolkien analogy, our "First Age" elves in the Flanaess are not beset by a known enemy, they intentionally migrated to the continent (from over the Solnor Ocean?), discovered hideous scaly folk were indigenous there, and straight up went genocidal. I love the comprehensive list here; Trogs and Lizardmen (classic D&D creatures), Igundi, Grung, Muckdwellers, and Grippli (who did they ever offend?), Skum and Kuo-Toa (definitely aboleth friendly), Bullywugs (my favorites from the D&D Cartoon), Firenewts and Blindheim (hey more Fiend Folio!). Of all these baddies, Kuo-toa end up as the main adversaries for the almighty elves? Right, let's continue...

"Few records remain of the centuries of warfare between the two races. If the kuo-toa had any relations with the gloomy aboleth, nothing came of them during the conflict. Evil to their cores, they had enslaved or killed all races they had contacted in the early aeons, and thus enjoyed no allies. The olve, on the other hand, recruited many to their cause. Unable to rouse the dwarves from their underground lairs, they nonetheless enlisted many gnomes, as well as extremely early Flan and the dying race of the Rujari, primitive antecedents of human beings. These latter folk coined the name "gogglers" for the kuo-toa, an appellation that remains popular to this day."

    The aboleth are indeed evil schemers bent on domination, but by then they are out of the picture it seems. Even more amazing is the Kuo-toa are so reviled in this era they are apparently dominant in the Flanaess, enslaving other amphibious races? Needless to say, the elves aren't teaming up with lizardmen or bullywug filth. What's funny is now we see dwarves are here too? Why are they not itching for a fight, but the gnomes are? Yeah, stereotypically dwarves and elves don't get along, that is evidently until many millennia later in the Hateful Wars where they battle orcs, goblins, and such out of the Lortmils. Elves will eventually shun everyone, ask Queen Yolande. I also like the reference to "extremely early" Flan. Maybe these are the ancestors of Sulm or the Isles of Woe in the central Flanaess? One more thing, the Rujari people is also a super obscure reference, and amazingly I remember asking Erik Mona about them in a forum discussion ages ago:

Mortellan (me): how about the Rujari? I can't recall where I heard that one but I think it was in some writing you or Gary Holian did.

Erik: "Rujari," incidentally, is my name for the primitive humans (think non-Homo Sapiens) who were around before the rise of the Flan, and who still exist in very small numbers in remote mountain caves. I don't think they've made their way into the "official" Greyhawk, but I will attempt to fit them into this current project.

Kirk: So the Rujari are like Flores Man perhaps?

Erik Mona: More like Neanderthals, but you get the idea.

    Very cool, so all those entries for "Cave Men" on the World of Greyhawk Glossography encounter charts are Rujari! Back to the article.

"Only one race of note defied the elves, the strange furred folk known as quaggoths. These creatures had profited much from their relations with the kuo-toa, and saw themselves as masters of the northern forests, near which most of the fighting in the final years of the War of Extermination took place. When the olve arrived, and claimed much the same territory, the quaggoths rebelled, attacking an elven encampment. The minor skirmish ended with the death of Amaranthe, a great olven princess thought to be more than 2000 years old. Her death is still heralded as the major loss of the war, and the violent retribution against the quaggoths defied both the elven reputation of goodness and all perceptions of scale. Thousands of quaggoths were put to death for each member of Amaranthe’s slain party. Though far fewer in number today than in those ancient times, the quaggoths of the Forlorn Forest remember still this slaughter at the hands of the olve, and they take every opportunity to return the favor in kind."

    Quaggoth enter the fray and interestingly Fiend Folio says they hate surface elves and will ally with Drow to fight surface elves. Again, the elves push out the native folk, this time in the northern forests. Apparently, those sentient races who were not scaly or amphibious had to pick a side? Geez, elves are the worst. The poor furred folk lose their lands, then in retribution slay -one- elven princess and this practically turns olvendom chaotic evil as a result! Maybe this event is why Valley Elves don't play with the rest of their kin anymore. Side note, Amaranthe has to be one of the oldest elves in Greyhawk lore that I know. I'm getting Silmarillion elf vibes, but I digress. Continuing on...

"Eventually, the elven alliance defeated the kuo-toa, laying waste to their cities and culture and destroying vast hatcheries of kuo-toan young. Finally admitting defeat, the gogglers pulled back to the shores and took to the waters. Though the tide had been for the elves all along, losses numbered in the hundreds of thousands – unacceptable to the olvenfolk rulers. At a great war council near the front of the final battles, the elves entreated their gods, the Seldarine, for a means by which to follow the kuo-toa to the seas, and exact their vengeance upon them completely. Their mournful pleas found purchase in the ears and hearts of their gods, who instructed a fifth of all elves in the Flanaess to take to the ocean."

    The more I read about this, the more it does start to sound like myth instead of history. Like, can you imagine mass combat on land between kuo-toa and elves? Hundreds of thousands of elves die? So, I'm assuming millions of fishmen are slain in this war. Also, can you picture the coasts of the Flanaess hosting great kuo-toan cities and vast hatcheries? Where would those exist in present day? Guess it doesn't matter, the elves wiped them out of existence! Anyhow, the elves aren't satisfied with conquering the Flanaess, nope, now they want to take the war underwater...

"This event, known as the Great Embarkation, saw thousands of elves simply walk into the sea. These chosen olve found their hands and feet webbed, their necks marked by fully-functioning gills. Accepting this gift with great happiness, the newborn race of aquatic elves took to their task immediately. Within four centuries, every kuo-toa who had fled to the seas had been hunted down and destroyed. Within a millennia, the sea elves had spread to all the oceans bordering the Flanaess."

    Fantastic! So, this myth becomes the origin story of the sea elves. The elven War of Extermination which raged for untold centuries, continued unabated beneath the seas for four more centuries, and in the end the scaly folk are wiped out (I wonder when Sahuagin come on the scene though?). Side question, when does the Drow-Elf schism happen? Before or after this story? If it's afterwards, were some elves changed into drow and sent to the underdark to hunt the other kuo-toa? (but they rebelled instead)

"Today, the sea elves are as numerous as any of their kind, and can be found around the entire globe. Though the gogglers of the ocean were destroyed, those who fled underground survived, where they yet plot a return to their place in the surface world. The tale of the Great Embarkation remains a tightly guarded secret among the elves. Some decry it as myth. Others deny it completely, citing the brutality of the olvenfolk as an example of an attempt to make the race look much more violent than they actually are. The oral tradition of the quaggoths does not equivocate on the matter."

    Aha the awful Kuo-toa of the D-series modules are the underground remnant of this great ancient culture slaughtered by the elves. I like that Mona acknowledges the mythic history is not flattering for the elves and that they go to great lengths to never speak of this age. This provides a good reason why there's very little lore on elven history outside recent Flanaess timelines. And the quaggoths? Oh, they remember. The Great Embarkation is a great bit of lore that a DM can use to turn otherwise "good" elves into antagonists as they struggle to keep players from discovering the secret and letting it get out. 

More Obscure Greyhawk Lore

Heya Greyhawkers! In conjunction with our weekly stream Legends & Lore, here is some super obscure lore about the World of Greyhawk setting. If you already heard me share these factoids, then go back and read some of my previous posts on this topic. Enjoy!

Living Greyhawk Gazetteer and From the Ashes on Philidor the Blue:

Does it get more obscure than Philidor? Philidor the Blue was created in the From the Ashes era by Carl Sargent as a mysterious Gandalfian benefactor for the troubled forces of good, in particular the Vesve Forest in their fight against the demigod Iuz. He evidently appeared in the Greyhawk City one year BEFORE the Wars ended and despite never having lived there before, or belonging to the Wizards Guild, or being an ambassador, he has a house there! Phil appears as a blue human in Greyhawk, or a blue elf in the Vesve. I wouldn't doubt he'd appear as a blue dwarf if he visited Irongate. He warns Good folk of impending disasters and has set up floating globes to monitor the forest boundaries. Sargent teases in FtA that he is an enigma yet at the end of his entry tells DMs to keep him a mystery, maybe we'll tell you more about him later...

Of course, that doesn't happen. Fan sentiment was rather bad for this character and later authors swept him under the rug despite hints he had a long-term plan in mind in Marklands. The LGG mentions him twice, one that he hasn't been seen much since the Great North Crusade, but his agents and items still operate in the Vesve, and two, the last claimed sighting of Philidor was at the entrance to the Valley of the Mage. This throw-away rumor completely disentangles the wizard from all his previous lore and implies he is either allied with the Mage of the Valley or seeks to replace him. Whatever the case, Phil is gone. Everyone has their theories on who or what Philidor was, but mine is Carl Sargent was inspired by a famous French chess master, who has a defensive opening named after him. How apropos. Check it out.

The Scarlet Brotherhood on the "Tall Walkers"

Here is a bit of obscure lore. In the fine accessory written by Sean K Reynolds there is extensive, yet undeveloped lore on the southern lands of the Hepmonaland continent. A particular nation of the Touv called Byanbo references a people called the Tall Walkers. There are only two references, and one is a bit misleading. 

"The Scarlet Brotherhood landed once at the city port (Byanbo) and offered gifts to the king; a small group remained behind to study the language and advise the prince. Reports surface from time to time of unusual ships on Byanbo's shores piloted by beings the locals call "The Tall Walkers".

Reading this from start to finish can almost imply the Suel blooded visitors are the ones with strange ships called the Tall Walkers. An earlier section of TBS on the Touv says they are typically shorter than other cultures of the Flanaess. So indeed, the Brotherhood could be "tall walkers" here, but then the second references clouds things:

(Yano Desert) "...an oddly constructed ruin near the hills is said to have been built by an ancient race of people that predate the Touv, possibly the ones the people of Byanbo call "The Tall Walkers".

Here it suggests the Tall Walkers were around southern Hepmonaland a long time before the Brotherhood ever visited. Whoever this race was obviously died out, or move on? There are no giants on the encounter charts of TSB except Fire Giants in the Ino Hills near Byanbo. Perhaps a connection? Or most likely the local Touv are greatly mistaken and have conflated two stories about beings who are generally taller than them. Part of me wishes the Tall Walkers are indeed a new ancient culture to throw into our Greyhawk lore. That's up to us fans!

Living Greyhawk Journal #4 on Lotakal the Caretaker

The Silent Ones of Keoland were written for LGJ #4 by Gary Holian. One of the most intriguing characters to come out of this article is Lotakal the Caretaker, a Bard 10/ Silent One 5. Lotakal is woman who graces the cover of the issue, flanked by strange fey looking creatures. In fact, her unique role in the Silent Ones is to maintain an orphanage for extra-planar creatures and created homonculi called the Wretchery. Mind you they are orphaned familiars because the Silent Ones probably kill wizards they don't like. Kind-hearted Lotakal is different however, she knows what she is doing when it comes to forest and sylvan lore, having spent six years among the fey of the Dreadwood as a child. As an adult Silent One, the Caretaker is such an interesting NPC for players to meet and her Wretchery seems like a whimsically fun place to visit on an interlude through Keoland.

Greyhawk Players Guide on The Wandering Caravan

The 2E Players Guide by Anne Brown is an underrated accessory. If you don't have this book, get it, because its full of neat lore tidbits and Greyhawk observations you won't find elsewhere. Anne knows her stuff. One item in this book is an utter mystery and as far as I know it only appears in this book. The ghostly Wandering Caravan is a great hook for a DM to develop:

"Several times a year, a phantom caravan of merchants and guards appears on the roads circling the Nyr Dyv. The caravan - three wagons with blue-and-black-striped awnings (each pulled by four horses), six peripheral riders and horses, six teamsters and six guards - has appeared to assist stranded travelers, fight off bandit attacks on other caravans, and spoil ambushes that might cause loss of life or property. No one is certain who the members of the caravan are or when their appearances began. Some witnesses profess the entourage to be entirely ghostly, while others insist that the caravan's members are in a weird form of stasis, victims of a curse that forces them to ride the roads around the Nyr Dyv until they fulfill some goal or correct and old misdeed. Their intentions seem to be honorable, and they can be recognized by the complete lack of sound made by the horses and wagons."

So yes, the Wandering Caravan is beneficial though spooky. It sounds like they can be interacted with at times, or others they are just incorporeal. Where are they from originally? Are they related to the Rhennee (the Attloi)? This is quite a special encounter and it's in a high traffic area! They could be going through peaceful Urnst land or even through war torn Bandit Lands. It's all for DMs to expand upon.

Planescape, Sigil and Beyond on Duke Rowan Darkwood

Anything Planescape can usually be counted as lore for any setting, but one NPC from Sigil in particular has a strong Greyhawk connection. Duke Rowan Darkwood is the Factol of the Fated faction (R19/P20) and he is considered one of the two most influential residents of Sigil. The Fated (also known as the Takers and the Heartless) believe that the multiverse belongs to those who can hold it. Each makes their own fate, everyone has potential to be great, but it doesn't mean it will happen. His background certainly lends to his destined fame as he claims to be a former hero of Vaasa in the Forgotten Realms, but he is in truth from Oerth! Duke Rowan was the third son a minor noble (it doesn't say where) so with no prospects he turned to being a ranger. He ran afoul of a major devil after a "magical mishap" with a deck of cards (hmmm). Rowan was missing for ten years before he returned to Oerth, and by then everything had changed. He had got a taste of the outerplanes however, and so he followed his destiny on went on more adventures to Faerun and beyond, eventually ending up in the Sigil.

Duke Rowan may not be very significant in Greyhawk history, but he certainly would be remembered in ranger circles, if not in the annals of some noble family tree. I'd like to think he was from Keoland given its ruler is also a ranger, plus Rowan carries a giant slaying sword which he perhaps acquired back in the day fighting in the Crystalmists. Greyhawk adventurers who journey to Sigil would certainly be shocked to see one of its rulers is familiar with their world. It's good to see Mordenkainen isn't the only high-level plane-hopping adventurer from Oerth!

 Dungeon #112: Maure Castle on The Chapel of Kerzit

Anyone who owns Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure and the Maure Castle sequel in Dungeon #112 will recognize the covers with archmage Mordy on one and the evil Eli Tomorast on the other respectively. What they have in common is the chamber that they both stand in is part of the dungeon! In MFA, the Chapel of Kerzit is merely a non-descript chapel with a granite altar for sacrifices. Dungeon #112 expands on the Chapel giving it the gravitas it deserves for being the backdrop of both adventures (spoilers ahead). 

"At the back of the raised area, a semi-circular archway is set into the wall. A wolf-like head...is carved into each of the archway's sides...The space beyond the archway seethes and roils, a misty cloud of vapor and liquescent fumes that unsettles the stomach to look at for too long."

"The strange archway filled with swirling mist...radiates strong conjuration magic. This is a portal that leads to a layer of the Abyss ruled by no demon prince but contested by many...Details of the realm on the other side of the portal are left to you to decide."

Kerzit is the main guardian demon of the module, summoned by Eli Tomorast by use of the Tome of the Blackheart. This chamber portal, and indeed the plane it is attached to must be Kerzit's home. The wolf head designs are kind of a giveaway...

That's all for now. Until next time!