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Rary Closure?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Cthulhudrew
Jan 29, 2008 10:26:40 Just out of curiosity, has anything yet been done to explain the "sudden but inevitable betrayal" of Rary and Robilar at the end of the Greyhawk Wars? I recall seeing in a couple of places (Dragonsfoot or Pied Piper forums, at least) Rob Kuntz mentioning he had some ideas and wanting to do something to bring that whole story to some kind of appropriate closure, but I haven't seen anything solid.
#2
mortellan
Jan 29, 2008 16:02:12 Kuntz's Robilar is supposedly redeemed or set on the road to redemption in last summer's Expedition to Greyhawk Ruins.

I chatted to Creighton Broadhurst last Thursday and he said Living Greyhawk is doing one last Rary themed storyline that hopefully will bring some closure to their long running and well received Bright Lands Core story arcs.
#3
extempus
Jan 29, 2008 18:03:28
Just out of curiosity, has anything yet been done to explain the "sudden but inevitable betrayal" of Rary and Robilar at the end of the Greyhawk Wars? I recall seeing in a couple of places (Dragonsfoot or Pied Piper forums, at least) Rob Kuntz mentioning he had some ideas and wanting to do something to bring that whole story to some kind of appropriate closure, but I haven't seen anything solid.

Rary's betrayal was hardly "sudden and inevitable," but was something that slowly occurred over a long and indeterminate period of time, as recounted in WGR3, Rary the Traitor, pp. 6-7. It goes back rather a long ways:

During a particularly unproductive session of the Circle, Rary quietly withdrew in the face of Otiluke's bluster and returned to his tower in Ket. There, brooding upon his decades of ceaseless toil and frustration and his lack of success in the path of neutrality, Rary finally and irrevocably fell under evil's sway.

It is interesting to note that Rary, along with the rest of the Circle of Eight (except Mordenkainen), were all killed at the beginning of WGA4, Vecna Lives!, which means that the Rary who betrayed the Circle and the Flanaess was really a clone. It's always possible that something went wrong while the clone grew...
#4
Greyson
Jan 29, 2008 23:57:24
... Living Greyhawk is doing one last Rary themed storyline that hopefully will bring some closure to their long running and well received Bright Lands Core story arcs.

The Blight on Bright Sands saga ended with Year Six adventure Dominion Over Bright Sands. Some folks were disappointed with the "ending" of the story arc. I shall not give it away, as Year Six adventures did not retire. So, it shall continue in Rise of the Ancients, where it looks like Rary seeks revenge against those who thwarted his efforts to unmake the scorpion crown.

I always thought, and I still do, that Rary was and still is misunderstood. In Blight on Bright sands, Rary sought items that would allow him to unmake the crown. It is believed that unmaking the crown would undo the blight caused by Shattados that destroyed Sulm and turned it into a desert wasteland. What was wrong with restoring the region of the Bright Desert to a lush realm of abundance like ancient Sulm was? Some suggest that lifting the curse by destroying the crown will shift the regions manscorpions and asherati back into the Flannish people they were in antiquity. What's wrong with that? It is argued that they'll become loyal to Rary and he'll have an instant army - quadrupling the size of his existing forces. Then, he'll use the resources of a restored Sulm to build a war machine to challenge Greyhawk, the Urnst states and Nyrond.

So, to answer the OP's question - Living Greyhawk did not delve into the reasons for Rary's "betryal." But, his efforts to establish a traditional realm with a normal economy were thwarted in the campaign. Rary is still very much alive and still very active in his region of the Flanaess.
#5
mortellan
Jan 30, 2008 1:56:21 Damn, that sounds like a paranoid anti-hero angle for a quest. What Rary is doing is certainly altruistic in that noone off the top of my head has EVER tried to undo any of the regional cataclysms that have marred the Flanaess. (I don't know much about the Ether Threat in Tenh that might be one)
#6
pauln6
Jan 30, 2008 3:16:45 Pleeease tell me that once the mods retire somebody will post an update so that those of us who can't playin LG can see how the plot was developed and concluded!
#7
Greyson
Jan 30, 2008 13:16:44
Pleeease tell me that once the mods retire somebody will post an update so that those of us who can't playin LG can see how the plot was developed and concluded!

The Year Five adventures retired. So, here is a short summary of their events. It is 595 CY. Rary and Robilar are enjoying success at bringing the inhabitants of the Bright Desert under their control - usually by force of arms and demonstrations of might. Only a few Flannish nomads in the north and the desert centaurs resist Rary's rule.

The PCs come under the employ of Lady Karistyne in COR5-06 Blood on Bright Sands, who serves as the PCs benefactor for the rest of the series. Adventurers make a scouting foray to Dagger Rock. They learn that Rary has firmly established himself as supreme ruler of the desert. Evidence indicates he uses evil outsiders in his armies.

Intra party conflict that persists throughout the story arc begins in COR5-09 Gateway to Bright Sands. This adventure gives details of the different factions involved in Rary-related politics. Hardby sits firmly in the center of such discussions at the major metropolis between the Bright Desert and Greyhawk. The adventure also briefly touches on the matter of succession when Despotrix Ilena passes away. There are far too many interests and factions to detail here. But, notable personalities are Deidre Longland, Ilena Norbelos, Tenser, Rary, Perav Hulvir and Wilbren Carister.

The PCs return to Dagger Rock in COR5-11 Dark Deceit on Bright Sands. This time, they enter the pinnacle's higher caves and encounter blue-colored kobolds who guard the lair of a slain blue dragon. The PCs also find a fragment of skin from a gold dragon, upon which is written the materials required to unmake the scorpion crown. The ceremony for the unmaking, however, remains unknown. This adventure gives rise to the notion that Rary seeks the crown's undoing to gain some kind of advantage over the surrounding lands and their peoples (according to Karistyne). The race to find the materials begins, regardless of the motivations.

The first leg of the race begins in COR5-17 Time's Tide on Bright Sands. It takes the PCs back in time to recover the "Last Flower of Sulm." The PCs enter Shattado's palace moments before he dons the scorpion crown. They recover the "Last Flower of Sulm", which happens to be possessed by Shattados's daughter, Princess Ulma. The PCs escape as the crown's malign power utterly destroys the region and transforms its people into monsters. The princess safely abides with the Flower in an edifice that floats through time called the Tower of Sleep The Flower is the last rose to bloom in Sulm, which was plucked by Shattados and given to Ulma before he set the crown upon his head.

In CORS-02 Mines of the Eye, Lady Karistyne relates that she has discovered a connection between Rary and someone called "Father Eye" in the southwestern Abor-Alz. Sudden Duergar and hillmen restlessness prompts the lady paladin to send PCs to investigate the Mines of the Eye and try to determine the relationship between Rary and Father Eye. It turns out that Rary asked Father Eye to send forces to occupy the Pits of Azak-Zil - apparently Rary wants something in the Pits protected, or recovered, or both. Of course, the PCs' intervention destroys Father Eye and scatters the Duergar, preventing them from organizing and moving to the Pits.

Lady Karistyne discovers that Rary wants star metals in the Pits of Azak-Zil. The Dwarves of clan Highforge do not cooperate with her when she asked them for help in finding Zarak and the Pits. So, the PCs are sent to find both locations in COR5-20 Phantoms on Bright Sands. The effort results in the discovery of Zarak and a route to the Pits. Of course, Rary's agents are also on the trail.

So, there ya go. The story continues in CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil and others in Year Six, concluding in the above noted COR6-16 Dominion Over Bright Sands. Year Six Core adventures were suppose to retire last month. But, they were kept in play to give Living Greyhawk players the maximum amount of play given the end of the campaign. I hope this helps a little bit.
#8
Cthulhudrew
Jan 30, 2008 14:19:10
Rary's betrayal was hardly "sudden and inevitable,"

I was just making a joke with the "sudden and inevitable betrayal" comment. Firefly reference.

I do like the clone-gone-awry idea, though. Hadn't thought about that one, despite owning Vecna Lives!
#9
pauln6
Jan 31, 2008 8:10:43
Year Six Core adventures were suppose to retire last month. But, they were kept in play to give Living Greyhawk players the maximum amount of play given the end of the campaign. I hope this helps a little bit.

Cooool! Thanks for that!

I knew that Bellissica of Urnst had died, as did her successor a few years later. I was surprised that they kept appointing women since I'd have thought that Oeridian women stood a less than equal chance of succeeding so 3 on the trot seems a bit odd, particuarly as none of the major provincial rulers in the County seemed to be women.

I knew that Kimbertos Skotti of Keoland was killed by Black Razor and later brought back. His daughter succeeded as Regent but only until another king could be chosen.

I knew that Owen of Geoff had died but was somehow brought back somehow because he had fey heritage.

But I had no idea that Ilena was dead too! Who succeeded her in the end?

And are there any other major deaths I've missed?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Cthulhudrew Jan 29, 2008 10:26:40	Just out of curiosity, has anything yet been done to explain the "sudden but inevitable betrayal" of Rary and Robilar at the end of the Greyhawk Wars? I recall seeing in a couple of places (Dragonsfoot or Pied Piper forums, at least) Rob Kuntz mentioning he had some ideas and wanting to do something to bring that whole story to some kind of appropriate closure, but I haven't seen anything solid.
#2 mortellan Jan 29, 2008 16:02:12	Kuntz's Robilar is supposedly redeemed or set on the road to redemption in last summer's Expedition to Greyhawk Ruins. I chatted to Creighton Broadhurst last Thursday and he said Living Greyhawk is doing one last Rary themed storyline that hopefully will bring some closure to their long running and well received Bright Lands Core story arcs.
#3 extempus Jan 29, 2008 18:03:28	Just out of curiosity, has anything yet been done to explain the "sudden but inevitable betrayal" of Rary and Robilar at the end of the Greyhawk Wars? I recall seeing in a couple of places (Dragonsfoot or Pied Piper forums, at least) Rob Kuntz mentioning he had some ideas and wanting to do something to bring that whole story to some kind of appropriate closure, but I haven't seen anything solid. Rary's betrayal was hardly "sudden and inevitable," but was something that slowly occurred over a long and indeterminate period of time, as recounted in WGR3, Rary the Traitor, pp. 6-7. It goes back rather a long ways: During a particularly unproductive session of the Circle, Rary quietly withdrew in the face of Otiluke's bluster and returned to his tower in Ket. There, brooding upon his decades of ceaseless toil and frustration and his lack of success in the path of neutrality, Rary finally and irrevocably fell under evil's sway. It is interesting to note that Rary, along with the rest of the Circle of Eight (except Mordenkainen), were all killed at the beginning of WGA4, Vecna Lives!, which means that the Rary who betrayed the Circle and the Flanaess was really a clone. It's always possible that something went wrong while the clone grew...
#4 Greyson Jan 29, 2008 23:57:24	... Living Greyhawk is doing one last Rary themed storyline that hopefully will bring some closure to their long running and well received Bright Lands Core story arcs. The Blight on Bright Sands saga ended with Year Six adventure Dominion Over Bright Sands. Some folks were disappointed with the "ending" of the story arc. I shall not give it away, as Year Six adventures did not retire. So, it shall continue in Rise of the Ancients, where it looks like Rary seeks revenge against those who thwarted his efforts to unmake the scorpion crown. I always thought, and I still do, that Rary was and still is misunderstood. In Blight on Bright sands, Rary sought items that would allow him to unmake the crown. It is believed that unmaking the crown would undo the blight caused by Shattados that destroyed Sulm and turned it into a desert wasteland. What was wrong with restoring the region of the Bright Desert to a lush realm of abundance like ancient Sulm was? Some suggest that lifting the curse by destroying the crown will shift the regions manscorpions and asherati back into the Flannish people they were in antiquity. What's wrong with that? It is argued that they'll become loyal to Rary and he'll have an instant army - quadrupling the size of his existing forces. Then, he'll use the resources of a restored Sulm to build a war machine to challenge Greyhawk, the Urnst states and Nyrond. So, to answer the OP's question - Living Greyhawk did not delve into the reasons for Rary's "betryal." But, his efforts to establish a traditional realm with a normal economy were thwarted in the campaign. Rary is still very much alive and still very active in his region of the Flanaess.
#5 mortellan Jan 30, 2008 1:56:21	Damn, that sounds like a paranoid anti-hero angle for a quest. What Rary is doing is certainly altruistic in that noone off the top of my head has EVER tried to undo any of the regional cataclysms that have marred the Flanaess. (I don't know much about the Ether Threat in Tenh that might be one)
#6 pauln6 Jan 30, 2008 3:16:45	Pleeease tell me that once the mods retire somebody will post an update so that those of us who can't playin LG can see how the plot was developed and concluded!
#7 Greyson Jan 30, 2008 13:16:44	Pleeease tell me that once the mods retire somebody will post an update so that those of us who can't playin LG can see how the plot was developed and concluded! The Year Five adventures retired. So, here is a short summary of their events. It is 595 CY. Rary and Robilar are enjoying success at bringing the inhabitants of the Bright Desert under their control - usually by force of arms and demonstrations of might. Only a few Flannish nomads in the north and the desert centaurs resist Rary's rule. The PCs come under the employ of Lady Karistyne in COR5-06 Blood on Bright Sands, who serves as the PCs benefactor for the rest of the series. Adventurers make a scouting foray to Dagger Rock. They learn that Rary has firmly established himself as supreme ruler of the desert. Evidence indicates he uses evil outsiders in his armies. Intra party conflict that persists throughout the story arc begins in COR5-09 Gateway to Bright Sands. This adventure gives details of the different factions involved in Rary-related politics. Hardby sits firmly in the center of such discussions at the major metropolis between the Bright Desert and Greyhawk. The adventure also briefly touches on the matter of succession when Despotrix Ilena passes away. There are far too many interests and factions to detail here. But, notable personalities are Deidre Longland, Ilena Norbelos, Tenser, Rary, Perav Hulvir and Wilbren Carister. The PCs return to Dagger Rock in COR5-11 Dark Deceit on Bright Sands. This time, they enter the pinnacle's higher caves and encounter blue-colored kobolds who guard the lair of a slain blue dragon. The PCs also find a fragment of skin from a gold dragon, upon which is written the materials required to unmake the scorpion crown. The ceremony for the unmaking, however, remains unknown. This adventure gives rise to the notion that Rary seeks the crown's undoing to gain some kind of advantage over the surrounding lands and their peoples (according to Karistyne). The race to find the materials begins, regardless of the motivations. The first leg of the race begins in COR5-17 Time's Tide on Bright Sands. It takes the PCs back in time to recover the "Last Flower of Sulm." The PCs enter Shattado's palace moments before he dons the scorpion crown. They recover the "Last Flower of Sulm", which happens to be possessed by Shattados's daughter, Princess Ulma. The PCs escape as the crown's malign power utterly destroys the region and transforms its people into monsters. The princess safely abides with the Flower in an edifice that floats through time called the Tower of Sleep The Flower is the last rose to bloom in Sulm, which was plucked by Shattados and given to Ulma before he set the crown upon his head. In CORS-02 Mines of the Eye, Lady Karistyne relates that she has discovered a connection between Rary and someone called "Father Eye" in the southwestern Abor-Alz. Sudden Duergar and hillmen restlessness prompts the lady paladin to send PCs to investigate the Mines of the Eye and try to determine the relationship between Rary and Father Eye. It turns out that Rary asked Father Eye to send forces to occupy the Pits of Azak-Zil - apparently Rary wants something in the Pits protected, or recovered, or both. Of course, the PCs' intervention destroys Father Eye and scatters the Duergar, preventing them from organizing and moving to the Pits. Lady Karistyne discovers that Rary wants star metals in the Pits of Azak-Zil. The Dwarves of clan Highforge do not cooperate with her when she asked them for help in finding Zarak and the Pits. So, the PCs are sent to find both locations in COR5-20 Phantoms on Bright Sands. The effort results in the discovery of Zarak and a route to the Pits. Of course, Rary's agents are also on the trail. So, there ya go. The story continues in CORS6-02 Pits of Azak-Zil and others in Year Six, concluding in the above noted COR6-16 Dominion Over Bright Sands. Year Six Core adventures were suppose to retire last month. But, they were kept in play to give Living Greyhawk players the maximum amount of play given the end of the campaign. I hope this helps a little bit.
#8 Cthulhudrew Jan 30, 2008 14:19:10	Rary's betrayal was hardly "sudden and inevitable," I was just making a joke with the "sudden and inevitable betrayal" comment. Firefly reference. I do like the clone-gone-awry idea, though. Hadn't thought about that one, despite owning Vecna Lives!
#9 pauln6 Jan 31, 2008 8:10:43	Year Six Core adventures were suppose to retire last month. But, they were kept in play to give Living Greyhawk players the maximum amount of play given the end of the campaign. I hope this helps a little bit. Cooool! Thanks for that! I knew that Bellissica of Urnst had died, as did her successor a few years later. I was surprised that they kept appointing women since I'd have thought that Oeridian women stood a less than equal chance of succeeding so 3 on the trot seems a bit odd, particuarly as none of the major provincial rulers in the County seemed to be women. I knew that Kimbertos Skotti of Keoland was killed by Black Razor and later brought back. His daughter succeeded as Regent but only until another king could be chosen. I knew that Owen of Geoff had died but was somehow brought back somehow because he had fey heritage. But I had no idea that Ilena was dead too! Who succeeded her in the end? And are there any other major deaths I've missed?