They can't be seriously harmed, and can't effect the timeline in any way; it's more like they are in a temporary "copy" of what the world was like at that time. Still, I thought it would be interesting to have them live through some of the famous events of the past.
What are some of the "iconic" events that jump out to you immediately when you think of Greyhawk? I was thinking of things like the Rain of Colorless Fire, or the battle between Vecna and Kas.
What things jump out at you immediately?
pvandyck
2. Iggwilv conquering Perrenland, Iuz by her side. This would be fun to play through.
3. Zagig Yragerne imprisoning the demigods in the first place. Despite their greater power and experience, he tricked each one, one at a time. Maybe the PCs could help - or even unwittingly do it all for him.
4. The initial invasion of the Wolf and Tiger nomads, cutting off Blackmoor from Ferrond's Northern Reaches. That was a pretty world-changing event.
5. The Battle of Emridy Meadows, imprisoning Zuggtmoy beneath the Temple of Elemental Evil. Again, it seems strange to let that happen offstage.
6. The razing of Blackmoor Town by the Egg of Coot.
7. The catastrophe that was the Fall of Rauxes. Another thing that shouldn't happen offscreen.
6. The Fall of the City of Summer Stars.
7. The elven conquest of Lendore. It'd be interesting to play elves planning that out, or Spindrift islanders trying to fight them off.
8. The Hateful Wars. I always wanted to start out a campaign in the Pomarj, before the orcish conquest.
There are other moments that might be interesting - the decision of the Oeridians to migrate, the opening of Slerotin's tunnel - but I don't see as much opportunity for the PCs to make a difference.
I always wondered at the strangeness of the Suel empire worshipping a god of "the Northern Barbarians." So I thought up an idea where the three tribes who first fled the empire were being led by a follower of Llerg, named Vatun. Vatun led the tribes to the tip of the Thillonrian Peninsula at Ustula. There he laid out the traditions that the Suelli follow today. His people then went out to conquer the peninsula. Llerg would have sponsored Vatun to demigodhood, and Vatun quickly rose in status until Telchur imprisoned him.
Playing through such an era would have been interesting to say the least.
2. Queen Yolande of Celene ordering the closing of Celene's borders.
3. The Battle of Celene Pass.
2, The banishment of the fiends by Hazen with the Crook of Rao
3, The destruction of Tenser, Otto, and Otiluke in the ending of the Gryehawk wars.
4, the negotiation of the peace treaty at the end of the wars.
5, the destruction of admunfort.
6, Iuz realizing he is a god on his emergence from under castle greyhawk.
7, Iuz being born
8, Acerack becoming a demi-lich
9, vecna getting pushed through the portals at tovag bagru
10, the founding of the great kingdom.
11, the creation of the Malachite throne
12, St Cuthbert facing down Iuz in the temple of elemental evil
Do they have to be catostrophic in nature? How about the founding of Greyhawk City? Was it a simple river village or did some Lord come along and start erecting fortifications? Or was it Zagyg himself? I really don't know but I'm sure someone around here does.
The story is in the Adventure Begins. It was a humble river village until the first Landgraf (whose name escapes me at the moment) wandered along and planted the flag of the Great Kingdom. He was an ancestor of Zagyg, whose son (Ganz?) married the daughter of the Gynarch of Hardby.
As to Vatun. That's a pretty good theogeny. It's possible that he might have existed in another form in the old Imperium - god of winter or the north wind or the snow peaks, but I like the idea he's an ascended mortal.
Great events.
The fall of the City of Summer Stars.
The Creation of the Bright Desert and the fall of Sulm when Shattados dons the Scopion Crown.
The Battle of the Fields of Padyr (where legions of the Suel Imperium first clashed with the sipahis of the Bakluni Padishah)
The revelation of the Prophecy of the Hidden Empress (Joyhdee reveals the great destiny of the Oerids to the gathered tribes and tells them to go east and see the sea wheere the sun is born).
The calling down of the Rain of the Colourless Fire by the Bakluni Hierarchs at Tovag Baragu as the Invoked Devestation swirls around them, and the scene on the streets of the Suel capital when the Rain starts to fall.
The creation of the Passage of Slerotin and the passage of Keavali Mauk over the Kendeen Pass, having looked back at the destruction of the Imperium.
The destruction of Vecna and Kas
The departure of Zellif Ad Zol from Shar into the north
The forging of Keoland.
The Coronation of the first King of Aerdy, Mikar the Ill-Fated, and his death, along with most of his army in the river that would bear his name at the hands of Tuerny the Merciless.
The Battle of a Fortnight's Length
The Coronation of Nasran Cranden as First Overking of the Great Kingdom.
The Presentation of the Code of Laws by the aged Schandor Lawgiver in the Court of Essence in Rauxes.
The coronation of Zelcor (?), the first overking to buy his way onto the Throne of Aerdy and the eclipse that fortold the doom of Aerdy.
The proclaimation of the Kingdom of Furyondy by Thrommel I
The coronation of Tavish I
The proclaimation of the Kingdom of Nyrond by Medven I
The birth of Iuz the Old
The assassination of Nalif of Rax.
The Battle of a Thousand Banners and the proclaimation of the Covenent of Irongate and the creation of the Iron League.
The coronation of Ivid I on the Malachite Throne.
The death of Tavish VI (?) at Westkeep.
The creation of the Citadel of Eight or, more subtly, the meeting of two Cranden cousins - Mordenkainen and Bigby.
The release of Iuz by Robilar.
The fall of Calbut.
The Day of Dust.
The Day of the Great Signing.
The Fall of Rauxes.
The coronation of Overking Xavener I of Ahlissa.
P.
I'm trying to think of TV shows and movies in which the characters witness hostorical events, Quantum Leap, Voyagers etc.
Oh, and Doctor Who baby! I'm extremely thankful for the advent of BitTorrent, being in the U.S. and no access to BBC I'm getting my fill of the new Doctor Who that is airing right now. . . but that's quite off topic from Greyhawk.
Regards,
Eric Anondson (And curses to Chris Eccleston for quiting after a single series!)
the Neheli "agreement" with Vecna
the destruction of the Malhel and its aftermath
the election of Mandros as King, the first and only Oeridian King of Keoland
the Insurrection of the Yaheetes (first appearance of the Hand and Eye of Vecna)
the death of Sanduchar at Toli (preventing the conquest of Toli)
the election of Senestal II as King, and the War with Tyrus (second appearance of the Hand and Eye of Vecna)
the disappearance of Malv III (preventing the conquest of Toli again) and the beginning of The Slumbering
the reign of Gillum the Mad and the end of the Slumbering
the election of Tavish II and the start of the collapse of the empire
the election of Nemonhas, the Spurning, and the election of Luschan IV, the near salvation of the empire
the death of Luschan IV and the election of Tavish III who destroyed the empire
the "disappearance" of Luschan V (heh, heh)
the Battle of Gorna and the death of Luschan VI who could have redeemed the empire
the Battle of Jetsom Island and the death of the "Sea Prince" (double heh, heh)
the election of Kimbertos
(Woesinger: Tavish III died at Westkeep.)
Oh, and Doctor Who baby! I'm extremely thankful for the advent of BitTorrent, being in the U.S. and no access to BBC I'm getting my fill of the new Doctor Who that is airing right now. . . but that's quite off topic from Greyhawk.
Regards,
Eric Anondson (And curses to Chris Eccleston for quiting after a single series!)
Calm down Eric. My understanding was that he had only agreed to do one season, the studio got nervous when the new Who got big and decided to shift the blame on Eccleston and concocted that whole thing.
I can't say I've seen it myself and I never was impressed with the original. I was just a kid when they were on (PBS) and I expected the special effects to be as good as Star Wars. I was hard to please, although they were good for a laugh now and then.
Calm down Eric. My understanding was that he had only agreed to do one season, the studio got nervous when the new Who got big and decided to shift the blame on Eccleston and concocted that whole thing.
If that's true, then I take it back. In fact it makes more sense, the Beeb has a long history of misunderstanding the Doctor Who franchise.
And the Doctor Who of old DID have some of the worst effects imaginable. This new one is light years better... but certainly not to the level the Sci-Fi channel puts into its franchises.
It is why I became a fan...
What are some of the "iconic" events that jump out to you immediately when you think of Greyhawk?
Hm, the Day of the Great Signing - and the resultant battle that split Rary from the Circle of Eight for good.
The schism between the good and evil elves - that's a nice one, particularly if your players are drowiphilic (to coin a term).
The "Day of Universal Peace" (i.e. the first day of the year 1 CY) - no, on second thought, that one only seemed important to the self-righteous Aerdian kings. ;)
I'd say Vecna's re-animation counts as a significant event, except that my personal dislike for Vecna Lives! is causing the gorge to rise in my throat as I say it.
The establishment of negotiations between the drow and the giants (i.e. the events which eventually would lead to Against the Giants) would be a fun bit of backstory to visit...
The eruption of Mt. Suderham (is that the name?) at the culmination of the Slavers modules...
The day when Zagyg signed into law the edict which made it illegal to fondle a duck on the Greyhawk Processional.
Iggwilv first summoning and binding the demon lord Graz'zt back in the fifth century CY (now there's an event which had LOTS of later consequences...)
There are several 'unnatural' events/objects whose creation would be marvelous to witness, but which might give away too much of the pre-history of Greyhawk for your tastes. A character who beholds the creation of Tovag Baragu, the Land of Black Ice, or the Great Rift is probably the only person to know the truth behind that particular phenomenon. (At least the cause of the Sea of Dust is well-documented! ;) )
The day when Zagyg signed into law the edict which made it illegal to fondle a duck on the Greyhawk Processional.
Now we are talking, I have got to know...why and how this came about?
WAIT....It could be a devious trick.
Perhaps it is best some riddles remain unanswered, it could drive lesser minds insane, some things mortals are not suppose to know.
Zagyg is so good at his mind games.
Looking at the lists, it was interesting the number of them that correllate to modules that many of my group have actually been through. I think we did all of them, way back. I think the Against the Giants sequence was one of the only ones we missed. Not all with the same characters, mind you. (yes, we even did all the Vecna modules except the Ravenloft one - I made it work. It was the only Vecna material that was available that wouldn't have been out of my butt. It was better than nothing.)
I was planning a couple of these scenes that this new party will be visiting would be nostalgic, and they'd be seeing their old characters doing the stuff they did - as I remember it. It's been 15 years for some of that. But, I also wanted to cover some history and have it be a mini-history lesson, too.
As I said, they won't actually be IN these time periods, just in a "copy" of the world, where they are inserted kinda quantum-leap style to experience what is going on, but the only danger is loosing some XP if they get killed. If they survive and make it to the "goal" object, they don't lose XP. The activity around them is just ambiance/history lesson.
I'll let you know what ones I'm using....
pvandyck
One thing their chronomancer told them was that they were not CAPABLE of changing time. No matter what they did, it had already happened. They were already a part of the timeline and could not do anything to damage it. No one could. It was simply impossible.
They even got a very "Doctor Who" entrance to the place. When the time machine arrived, the thief forgot to check for traps on a door of the warehouse they'd appeared within. It set off a mechanical alarm and they found themselves running willy-nilly out of the warehouse to lose themselves in the streets.
In the end, they drove off the marauder only a day before the armada arrived and fled before it got there knowing everyone they'd dealt with was going to die. Still, they had a good time.
At least half is in the older products I think.
Another fourth of what I wrote is in the LGG.
Most of the remained is in the LGJ Keoland article.
And a small amount is a result of discussing a few added specifics with the author of the Keoland material in the LGG and LGJ.
The problem is, finding it, both lost in the mass of material, as well as in the subtext of various entries. I did it by building a timeline of every single event i could find relevant to the Sheldomar Valley, and then looking at them in a grand set sequence. Doing it that way, a lot of little things suddenly reveal themselves. Seeing fifty different dates in forty different entries doesn't really help make things click. You have to put them together, then you can see where they connect and cross-over. Like noticing that the end of the Keoish offensive into and through Ket corresponds exactly to the date the Yeomanry pulls out. Or that counting back on the withdrawal from Ket shows it began after the death of Tavish III and the ascension of Luschan IV. This doesn't come through in the separate entries, only through considering them all.
(Woesinger: Tavish III died at Westkeep.)
Bah - the ragged lineages of darkling kingdoms that remained uniluminated by the civilising light of the Sun of Aerdy were never my strong point. :P
P.
Bah - the ragged lineages of darkling kingdoms that remained uniluminated by the civilising light of the Sun of Aerdy were never my strong point. :P
P.
Of course.
But given that there were only 4 Tavishes overall . . .
Off to miscount planets in the Ceti Alpha system next? :D
Still, I suppose that is understandable, what with the "Sun" of Aerdy being so eclipsed the past half a millenium. Must be too dark to read over there. :P
I'd say Vecna's re-animation counts as a significant event, except that my personal dislike for Vecna Lives! is causing the gorge to rise in my throat as I say it.
Even if you do hate Vecna Lives the death of the entire Circle prevented Mordenkainen from focusing on the unbalancing of Oerth that led to the Greyhawk Wars. Instead, he was spending his time recovering the bodies or genetic material of the Circle in order to recreate them. This would also drain him of needed mystical energy (or EXP for you metagamers) and weaken him from the exertion. This poor experience is also what led to his decision not to use revivative magic after the events of Rary the Traitor, which greatly angered Tenser upon his return and cause him to leave the Circle and retire to his citadel.
So even if it gets your bile up it still led to a chain of events that has long-lasting effects on the WoG.
So my historic event that I would like to visit in the WoG is to find out whatever influenced Rary and Robilar to turn on the Circle and the flee to the Bright Desert.
I personally don't think the current Rary and Robilar are the real thing. Maybe they're having tea with Zuoken
Still, I suppose that is understandable, what with the "Sun" of Aerdy being so eclipsed the past half a millenium. Must be too dark to read over there. :P
Why do you think undead is the new black over here?
When the shining lights of civilisation fail, darkvision is your friend.
:D
Even if you do hate Vecna Lives the death of the entire Circle prevented Mordenkainen from focusing on the unbalancing of Oerth that led to the Greyhawk Wars. Instead, he was spending his time recovering the bodies or genetic material of the Circle in order to recreate them.
Well, that's one interpretation alright...
More cynical types might wonder at how very convenient it was that Mordenkainen happened to be home alone, nursing tissue samples of his 8 buddies/minions when said minions were wiped out to an archmage on the eve of the most cataclysmic period of war in the Flanaess since the middle 400's CY.
This poor experience is also what led to his decision not to use revivative magic after the events of Rary the Traitor, which greatly angered Tenser upon his return and cause him to leave the Circle and retire to his citadel.
Well - if you believe the offical line - there was no clone samples to work on to revive Otiluke and Tenser.
I personally don't think the current Rary and Robilar are the real thing. Maybe they're having tea with Zuoken
Given Robilar's charge sheet (releasing Iuz from Castle Greyhawk, albeit apparently inadvertantly - at least on his part), I don't see why he's not the same old Robilar.
As for Rary...well, let's just say I have my theories (and being influenced by a malign artifact isn't one of them).
P.
Why do you think undead is the new black over here?
When the shining lights of civilisation fail, darkvision is your friend.
:D
See, that's your problem. Let those undesirable types in and everything goes to pot. That's why the oldest nation in the Flanaess is still the best. As everybody knows,
There are NO undead in Keoland!
