They're just too cool, with their own devil-worshiping spot up there
...so Iuz will have to keep his creepy hands off for the time being.
Also, The Great Kingdom was too 'great' an idea to lose, so it still stands much as before the wars- with everyone hating/fearing it.
One thing I will keep post-warish however, are the Shield Lands- wow, someone should get extra brownie points for coming up with that idea- very, very cool.
And thou?
The SB is fighting a losing war in Hepmonaland against an alliance of Yuan-Ti cities. In Amedio, their troops looted one ruin too many and awoke a lich king-priest from the time of the Lizard Empire. The latter slaughtered the SB agents (or transformed them into minions) and is now busy awakening troops held in stasis in large caverns of the local Underdark.
Members of the Black Brotherhood have struck a deal with a nation of aboleths. In exchange for priest and wizard slaves, they'll get access to a lost temple of Tharizdun which hold many artefacts (see the Night Below boxed set)
A madman has appeared in Greyhawk City and claims to be the Prophet of Zagyg. Apparently, the mad god has finally decided that it's time for him to have clerics of his own. He is recruiting!
The giants of Fireland, finally fed up with the human explorers who were attempting to colonize their shores, attacked. The explorers were all killed and now several huge boats have landed near Bellport (Northern Kingdom) filled with vengeful Fire & Frost Giant invaders.
More importantly, nothing of what was supposed to happen according to LG has happened (yet) if it was scheduled in 586 CY (or later). I plan on using the LGG has a rough guide of "what if.." but the events of 591-595 CY will NOT happen the way they did in LG.
No undead army in Veluna, evil emperor in Nyrond, dead king of Keoland, etc.. in my campaign, no thanks!
Ditto with the giant invasion.
The SB is fighting a losing war in Hepmonaland against an alliance of Yuan-Ti cities.
I plan on running a Greyhawk campaign in the future. The Yuan-ti have always been my favorite villains since I first discovered them in Dungeon Module I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City.
I'm planning on doing something similar to what you describe above. I'm going to use the psionic Yuan-ti from the Expanded Psionics Handbook. These Yuan-ti won't be fighting an overt war against the Scarlet Brotherhood. Rather they will be manipulating the Brotherhood and its enemies into petty squabbles and open war.
I think I could play off of the whole Suel purity / superiority doctrine of the Scarlet Brotherhood by having Brotherhood spies 'discover' Yuan-ti spies amongst the Brotherhood's enemies. The Yuan-ti would purposefully NOT infiltrate the Brotherhood so as to make the Brotherhood falsely confident in their own superiority / purity. The Yuan-ti would instead rely on old fashioned methods of hiring spies or psionically dominated Brotherhood officials.
In this way, the Yuan-ti use the Brotherhood both as a buffer defense and as a means of attack against the rest of the Flanaess without getting their own scales dirty!
I'm interested to hear anymore details you have about your Yuan-ti alliance and other developments in Hepmonaland if you're willing to share them.
Well, Furyondi and Veluna have been allied through marriage for quite a while now. Some prince in ToEE got rescued or something like that.
Another generation or two, and the nations should be indistinguishable.The Giants have been pushed out of Sterich and Geoff in the last decade. The area is still recovering, and will be for quite a while, but the Crystalmists are the safest place for the giants right now.
The influence of the Old One is no longer felt in the Flanaess. Whether Iuz is dead or just absent is not known, but now-legendary adventurers massed an army that the humanoid armies refused to march against. And the fiendish support could not pierce this force of good, for they had (and wielded) the Crook of Rao. The lands of Iuz (including the Horned Society, Bandit Kingdoms, and the Shield Lands) are free of the Old One's grip, but chaos has swept through these lands.
The Sea Barons, free of the insane rule of the madman on the Malachite Throne, have begun exploration across the ocean. They have also improved their naval forces to the point of pressuring the Brotherhood and their lap dogs in Sulward. The Barons' are not the undisputed masters of the Aerdi Sea yet, but they will be.
And the Valley of the Mage has become virtually inpenetrable. Horrible creatures crazed with fear are regularly seen in the Dim Forest, and explorations into the Valley edges find more of the same. No mission into the heart of the Valley has returned, and no known magic has been able to pierce the veil that conceals something in the Valley.
Oh, and every Arch Mage that made use of his most powerful spells was cut down through "accidents" or out-and-out assassination in the last 18 months. Yes, Clones were activated and True Ressurections cast (they are Arch Mages), but the survivors remain hidden and quite justifiably paranoid. The Church of Wee Jas has taken great interest in this matter, but their investigations have only turned up scapegoats and red herrings thus far.
And that's about it. :D
I'm interested to hear anymore details you have about your Yuan-ti alliance and other developments in Hepmonaland if you're willing to share them.
Gladly,
First, a little history lesson. Thousands of years ago, non-human civilizations flourished both in Amedio and Hepmonaland. To the west, proto-lizardfolks worshipping demon princes and led by powerful king-priests. To the east, humanoid-like batfolks and serpentfolks.
The lizardfolks disappeared due to civil war while the other two races went to war driven by racism and the goading of their dark gods. Some tried to survive through undeath or by entering temporal stasis voluntarily, hoping to reawaken in a world rid of their enemies.
Enter the Olman and Touv races. While the latter colonize extensively the southern part of Hepmonaland, the former confine themselves to the dense jungle of the north where they find many decaying ruins of pre-human civilizations. They build their first cities atop those ruins and, by studying engravings on the crumbling walls, achieve a high degree of civilization (especially in divine magic, astronomy and mathematics).
Approximately -1100 CY, the Olman cities suffer from a terrible drought. Desperate scholars from the cities of Alacotla and Xapatlapo venture deeper than ever before in the pre-human catacombs beneath their cities in search of any scrap of knowledge that could save them. There, they find sealed vaults in which slumber survivors of the serpentfolk civilization. A Samat (Nyambe from Atlas Games) priest in Alacotla, and an Anathema Yuan-Ti (Fiend Folio) sorcerer in Xapatlapo. Both are very disturbed by the appearance of intelligent bipedal mammals but realize quickly they can turn the situation to their advantage. They strike a deal with the scholars. They will help them survive the drought if they become the ‘power behind the throne’ in the two cities. The Olman agree.
Both creatures know how to ‘convert’ other races into serpentfolks. The Samat does it through a combo of vile potions and divine intervention while the Anathema achieves the same result through grafts and polymorph-type magic. Slowly, the inhabitants of both cities are turned into ‘lesser serpentfolks’ (aka yuan-ti). Soon after, the Samat and the Anathema become aware of each other. There is no lost love between them (they came from rival factions of the same empire) but they are smart enough to understand they have nothing to gain by going to war. They both work toward the same goal (restoring their race), albeit by using different means. Still, old habits die hard and so they send spies to keep an eye on each other.
The Samat wants to recover certain artifacts from hidden subterranean temples where other priests could still be slumbering. The Anathema, on the other hand, works on perfecting shapechanging magic of a permanent nature and grafting snake-parts to human bodies.
Close to the end of the 2nd century (CY), the city of Ichamamna makes the fatal mistake of provoking the yuan-ti of Xapatlapo one time too many. The Anathema orders the conquest of the human city, interested in acquiring Touv test-subjects for his foul experiments. Ichamamna loses a war it couldn’t win and becomes the 3rd yuan-ti city of the northern jungle. The Samat, afraid that the Anathema is trying to tip the balance of power, develops a new potion that can turn humans into ‘tainted ones’ (Monsters of Faerun). His warriors kidnap Olman and Touv folks from neighboring cities which are forcibly transformed and then sent back home to infiltrate their society. Some humans captured that way turn out to be from another human subrace (Suel). Weirdly, they prove immune to the effect of the Samat’s brew. When they drink it, either they die or (rarely) transform into broodguards (Monsters of Faerun) but never into a tainted one.
Centuries later, when explorers from the SB venture deep in the jungle of Hepmonaland, some reach Olman cities where the Samat has spies. The latter report their presence immediately to their master. The Samat’s reaction is one of fear. More of the fair-skinned humans means an adversary that cannot be infiltrated or converted. Moreover, his spies report that those humans capture large numbers of Olman as slaves. So, not only are they depriving him of those he was trying to turn into serpentfolks but they are threatening to take control of the entire region! This cannot be tolerated.
The Samat contacts directly the Anathema for the first time in centuries (both age only very slowly) and informs him of the danger. At first, the Anathema refuses to believe but – after running some tests - quickly discovers that the Suel seem to reject his grafts and that his magic achieves only limited results when used on them.
Thanks to the SB, the Samat and the Anathema have finally achieved what none of them would have initiated on their own: cooperation. While there is still distrust between them, they keenly understand how much they stand to lose if the SB is allowed to win. Thus, for the time being, they are willing to collaborate.
Initially, the Samat wished only for the Suel to leave Hepmonaland but the Anathema convinced him that it wasn’t enough. Let the Suel prosper and they would return someday. No, far better to destroy them utterly.
In Hepmonaland itself, the plan is to take control of Cuhuetla, Xolapeqa, and Sharbakal (in that order) by transforming their inhabitants into yuan-ti. This has already been achieved to some degree thanks to the Tainted Ones of the Samat. Once these cities have become vassal states, they will be turned against the 3 Suel cities of the north (Sharba, Lerga, and Zar).
Meanwhile, tainted ones and purebloods (from Olman stock) have let themselves be captured by Suel slavers. Their goal is to discover exactly where the SB is based, if they have enemies and what their weaknesses are. Some of those spies were taught how to produce the potion that can turn a human into a tainted one and they are under strict order to use it to increase their numbers among the slaves. Suel won’t be targeted because they would turn into broodguards and thus arouse suspicion.
While the spies haven’t been able (till now) to send back the information they have gathered to their masters, they have already been able to create much trouble for the SB. The slave-revolt of the Hold of the Sea Princes is a direct consequence of their actions and the number of tainted ones in the former nation is increasing rapidly (especially since the spies discovered that while Suel were all but immune to the transformation, Flan and Oerdian weren’t!).
Notes:
1) IMC, Tlaloc and Meyanok are actually aspects of Merrshaulk
2) I didn’t like the idea of a super-strong SB after the Greyhawk Wars, so I decided to introduce two elements to reduce their strength. One is the war with the yuan-ti (and, to a lesser degree, with the lizardfolks in Amedio), the other is the advent of the Black Brotherhood.
Module I1 mentioned that the BB was helping the yuan-ti of the forgotten city. I see no reason not to include this into my plans. The way I see it, the SB lost of lot of the Suel lore about how to breed/create thralls since the days of the Empire. They are still capable of doing it but to a lesser degree and with reduced chances of success. They have agreed to collaborate with enclaves of illithids (notably the renegade Ipshizeen) in exchange for being taught the mind-flayer’s techniques to ‘reshape flesh’. The BB, now working against the SB, is desperate to acquire some of that lore. That’s partly why they struck a deal with the aboleths of Great Shaboath (Night Below boxed set). Not only do they get access to a major temple of Tharizdun but they are also taught the basics of the aboleth’s grafts.
The yuan-ti of the forgotten city are thralls of the Anathema. They were contacted by agents of the BB who – aware of the nascent war against the SB – sought to strike an alliance. The yuan-ti agreed, eager to capitalize on this apparent weakness of the SB. They told the BB that the war was simply a consequence of the slave raids of the SB and have succeeded in convincing them that they will help them take control of the SB in exchange for the promise not to invade Hepmonaland again. In truth, they are milking them for every bit of information they can.
There you go. Not exactly canon but works for my campaign
I still have my copy of I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City as well as the 2nd edition sourcebook The Scarlet Brotherhood by Sean K. Reynolds. I'll be mining those two heavily for use in my upcoming Greyhawk campaign. The maps and source material of Hepmonaland will be extremely useful. I read over on Paizo.com's boards that there will be an upcoming article in Dragon entitled "Horrors of Hepmonaland" that I'm looking forward to.
One last question, what have you used for and done with the bat-people you make reference to above. I was thinking they might be the Desmodu from the Monster Manual II and the 3rd edition adventure path module Deep Horizon. In my campaign I plan on writing the history such that they fled Hepmonaland after realizing they could not defeat the Yuan-ti. I think I'll have it such that a small remnant of their society sealed themselves in the Underoerth beneath the Glorioles Mountains. What little Desmodu survive are fearful of being discovered by the ever-delving independent dwarven kingdom there.
Ever thought of posting it on CF or another RPG - related site?
The changes I made in my Greyhawk campaigns were quite superficial:
The gnomes play a larger role than they do offically (so, a gnomish conspiracy was to turn over the king of Keoland in 589 CY).
Tharizdun and the Elder Elemental God are two different deities.
Far to north, in the Griff's an empire of fallen elves is to be discovered...
;) And that's all!
R
Great article, Mortepierre!
Ever thought of posting it on CF or another RPG - related site?
Thanks for the vote of confidence Raf but that's hardly an article. More like a campaign-log ;)
Still.. who knows what the future holds
Thanks a lot for posting that. I applaud you for the work you've put into your campaign. Nice use of Night Below in Greyhawk. I ran that box set as a campaign set in the Forgotten Realms a few years back and it was a blast.
Pleasure
One last question, what have you used for and done with the bat-people you make reference to above. I was thinking they might be the Desmodu from the Monster Manual II and the 3rd edition adventure path module Deep Horizon. In my campaign I plan on writing the history such that they fled Hepmonaland after realizing they could not defeat the Yuan-ti. I think I'll have it such that a small remnant of their society sealed themselves in the Underoerth beneath the Glorioles Mountains. What little Desmodu survive are fearful of being discovered by the ever-delving independent dwarven kingdom there.
A nice idea. I hadn't thought of that.
My own take on the subject was that they had fled to the Amedio and founded the city of Telaneteculi.
The Scarlet Brotherhood is a secret society of suel psionicists and psychic warriors. Their powers are unknown to the world at large. I'm using the variant of psionics as 'different' from magic and so most protections from magic will be ineffective, thus justifying the incredible paranoia that exposure of their powers will generate.
Iuz isn't the relatively recently birthed son of Graz'zt and Iggwilv. He's a far older, bona fide demigod with a long history of fighting against St. Cuthbert. His current incarnation on Oerth is the result of him plotting to have more terrestrial power and having himself born on Oerth via a demon/human mating (basically, he's his OWN father). That may tie his current form to the prime material, but it gives him the freedom to be there 24/7 in the grand cosmic way of things. It also explains why it makes sense to call him "Old" Iuz when he's otherwise really not that old at all.
So:
- I dislike animii so they tend not to exist, which changes the tenor of the Great Kingdom a lot
- I like the Scarlet Brotherhood being a behind-the-scenes force, so either a) I tend to not have them outed in the GH wars, or b) they were completely defeated and eradicated so that I can use a different shadowy organization (I like the 100 [a secret order of mages] from Rob Kuntz's Eight Kings, for example)
- speaking of the Maze of Zayene series, I really how Rob developed Ivid V in that set of modules, and I've often utilized the idea of an Ivid controlled/imprisoned by Xaene/Zayene
- I often tone down the olven kingdoms of myth and legend (City of the Summer Stars, etc.)
- I use lots of Melnibonean influence for the Suel (amoral and decadent vs. purely evil)
Many times, though, the specific campaign era/setting makes more demands for radical change than my general proclivities above push me toward. For example, in my 175 CY game that never quite got off the ground, the following standard gods aren't gods yet: Iuz, Vecna, Zagyg, Mayaheine, Ye'Cind, and Al'Akbar (I decide on most of the hero-/quasi-deities on a case-by-case basis). Similarly, with the Great Kingdom at the apex of its power as a bastion for good, the powers of evil are pushed more toward the far borders of the Flanaess, and the appeal of Tritherion waxes in the lands of Ferrond and Voll (moreso than the doughty Saint usually associations with those lands...).
Still.. who knows what the future holds
You know, since palying in a *short but amazing* Nyambe/Amedio campaign some years ago, I keep an eye on the region...
Second, I'll refer to a recent post I made, at http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=5527986&postcount=2. Pertinent to this thread are the points about ancient Olman traditions of monks, psions, psychic warriors, and soulknives.
IMC, I've imagined how the Olman (and the few Touv) enslaved by the Scarlet Brotherhood have attempted to resist and organize revolution--most successfully in the former Hold of the Sea Princes.
Part of the success, IMC, are the spirit shamans, druids, bards, sorcerers, and perhaps even clerics that were either enslaved or have developed within the slave population. These folks, and underground networks that provide and hide spell components enabled the predominantly Olman and Touv slaves to resist their oppressors--at least in the relatively few times where the slaves were able to act in solidarity and without becoming compromised by Scarlet Brotherhood agents.
While resistance is always local, IMC coordination between the former Grand Duchy of Berghof, the Hook of the Amedio Jungle, and the Olman Isles has begun--thanks in part to two Olman monks who were released from stasis by certain adventurers in a place called Tamoachan.
The SB is a secret society hence the word secret,within The Shar Kingdom. The Shar Kingdom has the large naval force not the Brotherhood. However the SB has alot of pull and are the true power behind the Throne of Shar. The Black Brotherhood is actually a small society of mostly minor nobles who oppose the SB in secret as well which try to subvert the SB's hold on the Kingdom of Shar. I consider the Scarlet Brotherhood to be the Spanish Inquistors of Oerth.
Yes Iuz is very much in the mix his expanding Empire has drawn the attention of his Sister Drelzna whom finds herself trapped within The hidden Caverns of Tjocanth. She has started a small cult worship of her mother Iggwilv stressing the importance of women and the strength they hold. Drelzna has come across information through one of her servants that her mother is trapped someone to the North. Iuz is ouite ware of this and it might be one of the reasons he avoided the Land of Black Ice.
The Horned Society exists in splinted cells with certain factions of the Horned Society trying to gain precedence for their patron Devil. small underground temples to these Devils are under construction in lands such as Furyondy, Dyvers and even Greyhawk. The Horned society has even tried hostile take overs of Asassin and Thieves Guilds in major cities hoping to spread themselves through the rouges of every society.
The Theocracy of the Pale, is considered almost as bad as the Lands of Iuz, and recent talks of a Nyrondian Noble taking the Faith of Pholtus and trying to ascend to the Throne of Nyrond has many of the surrounding nations on the brink of warring with all Pholtian factions.
The Great Kingdom was not hit as hard by the Whole everybody is undead idea. Hextor did not create the Animus. Instead when Ivid fell it was Nerull who granted unlife to Ivid in hopes of winning the useful Worshippers.
The church of hextor no longer has the pull it once did but local support has kept the Church a very large part of the GB. even now priests of hextor are searching for a rightful heir to the Throne so that the GB can once again be reunited under one banner and under the hold of hextor once more.
Well these are just starting points but I never like the sand castle either so it doesn't exist!
"I consider the Scarlet Brotherhood to be the Spanish Inquistors of Oerth."
That's evocative. Please elaborate this idea. It's not religious faith but racial purity that they attempt to ensure, right?
Argon wrote:
"Drelzna has come across information through one of her servants that her mother is trapped someone to the North. Iuz is ouite ware of this and it might be one of the reasons he avoided the Land of Black Ice."
What a great idea. So Iuz doesn't want his mother freed, IYC?
Argon wrote:
"The Theocracy of the Pale, is considered almost as bad as the Lands of Iuz, and recent talks of a Nyrondian Noble taking the Faith of Pholtus and trying to ascend to the Throne of Nyrond has many of the surrounding nations on the brink of warring with all Pholtian factions."
This is good. It could be connected to the Nyrond Imperium thread, and the Nyrdonal nobleman could be Sewardnt.
You are correct the Scarlet brotherhood preach racial purity however isn't it funny how many non-suel Dominated territories they are interested in. Remember that the scarlet brotherhood is a seperate entitiy from the Kingdom of Shar. But they preach racial purity and superiority, the first races on their agenda are the less civilized Olman and Touv. Think about it why chose these races. Maybe because their view of themselves as earthly bound leaders chosen by the gods themselves is an ideal easily incorporated into these societies which worship deties that are like the American Indian deities of Earth. Meaning that the common belief was that the gods would walk the earth. often a member of the Gods would come to free them from a great evil and this god would be treated as such.
So think about the advance tenology and magical mastery the Suel bring with them. it is easy to see how asorbing these races into the Empire that the Scarlet brotherhood would feel superior.
A certain kind of recruitment could easily be we where Born to lead at one time our Empire was the Greatest in the lands of Oerth. We did not mingle our blood with the other races we were pure we were the Greatest ever. It was our acceptance of other races which did us in and the gods showed us our mistake never again will we mingle with the unpure. We are of the gods blood we are of purity, non can contend with the greatness of the Suel and all that you see before you is ours. Do not cower before the lesser races for they have built their society from our Ashes, and it pales in comparsion to anything we had built before. Know the truth you are a god amongst men never let them tell you otherwise.
I don't know to many people who don't wan't to buy into themselves as superior. granted the other races most likely won't buy into this ideal however I could see camps with Sb agants demostrating their superior physical,mental and martial abilities, making captives of other races feel an inferiority complex, thus making them much more easy to subjicate.
Well Yes Iuz does not want his mother to be freed, and he does'nt want to be captured himself. Apparently their is a city of gods in the lands of Blackmoor which contain many lost powers and other wordly beings. Only mortals may enter and leave freely. However those that enter rarely get a chance to leave. Iuz might believe with his mother in check no one has claim to Perrenland and the Wolf and Tiger Nomad tribes. This is one of the reasons Iuz did not attack these lands his mother was to be granted back the Lands she once ruled in life. Iuz knows Iggwilv well and she plans on taking over full leadership of his domains as well leaving him but a vassal of hers. Why would a god fear a creature such as Iggwilv you ask?
Apparently Iggwilv has power over Iuz since she was his vessel onto Oerth. Iuz knows this and thinks his mother might be aware of this as well. His sister is Bound to the Caverns of Tsojacanth, she knows Iuz has come to power and he refuses to free her in fear that she would be able to free their mother from the Lands of Black Ice. Drelzna must rely on outside forces to do her bidding she cannot leave the Caverns or she will turn to dust forever. It is rumored that when in the caverns her body was destroyed she pleaded for her unlife to exact revenge on her enemies those that slew her. The caverns themselves or some dark power for within made her whole again. However she is immortal within the Caverns but if she takes one step outside the Caverns she will be turned to Dust.
Drelzna feels her mother could get her freed from her current state and she would gladly rule by her mother's side once again. Drelzna has begun the Cult to her mother gathering those men and women unhappy with the state of affairs currently in the Flannaes. Drelzna proclaims that a return of Iggwilv will mean the end of Iuz and a more peaceful world. Each race will have their lands and each kingdom will have it's leaders. While mostly men and some humanoids and giants have been enlisted she is actually proposing that women are the true leaders and a strong following of women have slowly begun to become ingrained in her cult.
Drelzna plans on placing women into higher ranks of position in her new world. Iggwilv will hold the highest rank she will be second and no men shall rule again. Though the men who follow Drelzna have been won by her charms (Vampires can have that effect on you). she often she the male follows on suicide missions especially when she wants it to appear that a female replacement would of acheived better results.
This has been her process of weeding out the male leaders in the cult and replacing them with female counterparts. Drelzna feels males cannot be trusted and that in order for the world to truly grow into a new age of greatness women must rule.
I hope I have elaborated enough for you!
- The common language in the central and eastern flanaess is called High Oeridian and it is a mixture of several old oeridian languages (of which there are dozens!) with additions of suel and flan. I have always considered it odd that the common language should have any strong baklunish influences since the baklunish never played any significant role in these reagions. Keolish is the common language in the south-western flanaess and of course in the baklunish countries baklunish is the most common language. In other words i abolished a common language :D
- Mayaheine, Zagyg, Ye Cind and most of the other demi, quasi and hero deities are not deities but rather saints and prophets affiliated with other deities.
- Most of the classic adventures as the A1-4 or the GDQ series haven't taken place IMC campaign yet.
- The Horned Society is a group of devil worshippers, not worshippers of Nerull as some sources say. Although they lost the lands they once ruled to Iuz the surviving Hierachs are quickly rebuilding their infernal order.
- The baklunish are culturally similar to the persia and people of central asia. They are not arabic! Of course this rather a clarification than a change to the setting.
- The Bright Desert is a barren and infertile wasteland. It is not a scorching desert which would be inappropriate for the area it is located in. Likeweise the Valley of the Mage does not have a tropical climate.
- Magic is somewhat toned down in comparison to standard D&D and it is less commonly available. Most people distrust and fear magic and there are actually only few publicly know wizards schools in the flanaess. Furthermore there are no gods of magic and magic is often referred to as 'the godforsaken art".
- Wee Jas is a goddess of death but not magic. Also she is LN in alignment and is regarded as a protector and guardian of the dead.
- Boccob is a deity of knowledge but not of magic.
- Gods in general are mostly unconcerned with anything outside their direct area of influence.
- The orcs in the pomarj are quickly becoming a major player in the central flanaess. Turrosh Mak, who is a full orc IMC, has used the cult of the Earth Dragon and the help of some powerful evil humans and demi-humans (the villains from A1-4 and Slavers who sought refuge in the pomarj for different reasons) to gain the magic backing that humanoid forces usually lack and used it to raze Safeton. The forces of the greyhawk militia have been pushed back to Narwell and Pelgaryn (which has been taken over by my PCs, who have established a stronghold there).
- I use an entirely different cosmology which does not have any of the traditional Outer Planes. Instead there are several other 'realms' like the Shadow World, the Fairie Realms, the Spirit Realms and the Fading Lands. Outsiders are living beyond the borders of the world where concepts like space, time and matter simply do not exist.
- Paladins are not affiliated with a specific god but are members of a special knightly order. They have an expanded code of behaviour which includes the worship of several good aligned gods.
- Beory, Obad-Hai and Elhonna do not have clerics and are not even deities in the common sense. Instead they are just aspects of nature as seen by the Old Faith.
- Druids are not necessarily protectors of nature but rather people who live in tune with nature and are capable of using its powers.
- Following his fallout with Mordenkainen Tenser has worked to establish a good-aligned couterpart to the Circle of Eight.
- After the arrival of an rel astran caraval in hardby that had sailed around hepmonaland several expeditions to hepmonaland have been started.
- There are no olman or suel people in hepmonaland. Instead i have introduced several african themed cultures in hepmonaland along with several other changes to this region in order to make it more diverse and more unique african in flavour.
- The realms and empires outside the flanaess will also widely differ from the semi-official ones (meaning no erypt etc). In any case they will have an oriental flavour (mixture of chinese, indian and south-east asian elements. Not sure about japanese influences though). In the near future a ship from the far west (:P) will reach Gradsul and open up political relations with the Kingdom of Keoland and the empires of the west.