@nd REPOST 2nd THREAD>>>>>>
If a Kender lived
in Greyhawk
I started thinking about what things we might hear a kender say if he/she found himself/herself in the Greyhawk campaign. Here's some quips I came up with:
Taunts about the major personages:
Mordenkainen, wizard extraordinare: Time for a "Create hair" spell or something my man!
Iuz, demigod and evil emperor: Looking at you, I guess "cambion" must be a fancy word for "really ugly" huh?
Halga, high priestess of Iuz: Iuz's high priestess my arse, we all know what what it's like between you and him. *wink, wink*
Vecna, supreme lich and god of secrets: Gee, I guess losing your hand hurt you in more ways than one. Now you can't do any more, uh, never mind.
Nerof Gasgal, lord mayor of the City of Greyhawk: See everyone! If the bastard son of a half-orc and a 2-copper whore can become mayor of the City of Greyhawk, imagine what you can do!
Glodreddi Bakkanin, inspector of taxes for the City of Greyhawk, a dwarf with a bad attitude: Look, an ugly halfling!
Taunts about the power groups:
Circle of Eight: You guys call yourselves the greatest wizards on Oerth, but look at you, you can't even count! There's 9 of you! Hello!
The Horned Socitey: You know, if you guys just changed your name to "The Horny Society," your popularity would soar!
Knights of the Hart: What kind of a name is that? Judging from that name, you guys must go off to fight evil wearing miniskirts instead of armor.
People of the Testing: Hmm, is the test multiple choice?
Scarlet Brotherhood: What do you call a blond whore with her robe still on?...A Scarlet Brotherhood monk.
Taunts about religions
Beltar, goddess of caves: you guys must like dark, empty spaces a lot. Look inside your heads for example.
Beory, goddess of the world: Spinning 'round and 'round and moving through an empty space. I'm talking about a thought in one of your heads, not the planet.
Boccob, god of magic: No wonder they call you guys uncaring, have you smelled yourselves lately?
Bralm, goddess of insects: Excuse me, Mr. Bug Priest! I think you'd better arrange a funeral. (points to squashed bug on sole of boot) I just squashed your mom with my boot!
Erythnul, god of slaughter: If I had a face as ugly as yours, I'd want to go out and kick someone's ass too!
Incabulos, goddess of diesase: Well, if you people don't bathe yourselves, of course you're gonna get sick!
Kord, god of strength: Wow! You guys really are strong! But smell isn't everything.
Nerull, god of death: you can put the scythe down, sir, I imagine your breath will be enough to do me in.
Olidammara, god of rogues: If I had a face like yours, I'd wear a mask too. But I think it'd be a mask of tragedy, not comedy.
Pholtus, god of law: You're wrong! Ha!
Wee Jas, goddess of death and magic: (on entering a temple) I wasn't looking for the red-light district, but as long as I'm here...
I tried looking up the term "Priest of Wee Jas" in the dictionary. It said, "See 'Whore'".
Wenta, goddess of ale: Goin' a little heavy on the sauce, aren't you pal?
You call this ale? Elves drink stronger stuff than this!
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I got bored and started digging up some greyhawk stuff.... well here you got some. There are some artifact knowhows anabstercorian diggs so much. SOmething about your factions, hostory and alot of stuff. Wanna know more about your regions? CHeck the links listed below!
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The Crook of Rao
The Crook of Rao appears as a short bronzewood staff, approximately four feet in length. It is capped in mithral at both ends and studded with carven gemstones along its entire length. The gemstones alone are worth over 50,000 gp, although none can be removed, damaged, or destroyed.
[The powerful relic known as the Crook of Rao was described by Tenser as "a small mace, albeit one fashioned of iron and silver and encrusted with carven gemstones". 1 Canon Hazen of Veluna has described it as "a crooked stave". 2 It may be that the artifact can change form. However, given its name, it is probably best seen as a staff rather than a mace.]
History
Rao, the serene, detached god of reason, does not act on the Prime Material Plane directly, but he is known to have created several powerful magical artifacts which are highly potent against evil, possibly with the aid of Boccob.
The Crook of Rao appears very early in the annals of the known history of the Flanaess, and may have existed since the creation of Oerth. Much of its history has been lost, even by the priests of Rao. In the Word of Incarum, a holy text of the followers of Rao revealed by a movanic deva, it is claimed that the deva, bearing the Crook of Rao, led the faithful to drive out the hordes of Tharizdun prior to the Dark God's banishment.
[Although it is not completely "official", the adventure "Hopeful Dawn", which appeared in the pages of Dungeon magazine #41 has additional insight into the faith of Rao. 3 This material is kept consistent with that source as well.]
The Crook was borne by a party of powerful adventurers, including Tenser the Arch-Mage, Lord Robilar, his brother Terik, and the quasi-power Merlynd during their adventures beneath the ruins of Castle Greyhawk circa 569 CY. It is likely that they found the Crook in the dungeons of Zagig Yragerne, although that is not known for sure. Tenser is now dead, Merlynd on other planes, Terik disappeared, and Robilar presumed to have fled to the Bright Desert, so sages may never know where the band acquired the relic.
[The introduction of 1 is unclear on where the band acquired the Crook of Rao or when they lost it on the Isle of the Ape. The date is approximate, corresponding to the year when the adventurers were known to have explored the ruins of Castle Greyhawk and released Iuz.]
All that is know for sure is they bore the Crook of Rao while exploring a great, oddly convoluted tunnel, in the dungeons of Castle Greyhawk. They were instantly transported to a demi-plane created by Zagyg, home to a land known as the Isle of the Ape. After many adventures in the steaming jungles battling gargantuan apes, they despaired of ever returning to Oerth, and they employed a powerful item of magic known as an Amulet of Zagyg to return to the dungeons where they had left. An unfortunate and unanticipated side effect of this transport was that all of their magic and possessions where left behind.
[This tale is summarized in 1 by Tenser.]
The Crook of Rao languished in this demi-plane for many years, before it was retrieved by agents of the Circle of Eight in preparation for an upcoming battle with Iggwilv, following the destruction of her daughter, Drelnza. The Circle feared the hordes of yugoloths and tanar'ri that Iggwilv had at her command, and sought the Crook of Rao to weaken her in the coming confrontation.
[The introduction of 1 mentions the recent destruction of Iggwilv's daughter, a vampire warrior laying in stasis in the lost caverns of Tsojcanth 4 as the justification for Iggwilv's expected attack. This implies that agents of the Circle of Eight were responsible for her destruction.]
The agents who retrieved the Crook included Agath of Thrunch, high priest of Celestian; Reynard Yargrove, Great Druidess of Obad-Hai in Keoland; Baron Franz Torkeep, Knight Banner of the Shield Lands and Follower of Heironeous; Rowena of the Silverbrow, Lady Marshal of the Vesve Forest; Warnes Starcoat, Arch-Mage of Urnst; and Rakehell Chert, Thieves' Guildmaster of Scant. The group of six adventurers retrieved the Crook of Rao from the lair of Oonga, king of the gargantuan apes. They were nearly deceived by a trap laid by Iggwilv, and had to battle the arcanaloth Tu-oc-luc and his mezzoloth minions ere they returned to the Flanaess. It is believed that they managed to summon a type of aasimon known as a solar during the battle, allowing them to prevail.
[The adventurers named are the pregenerated characters detailed in 1.The ending outlined is one of several possibilities given in the module. The arrival of the solar is accounted for in the powers of the relic detailed below.]
The Crook of Rao was apparently used by the Circle of Eight after its retrieval by the six adventurers in the confrontation with Iggwilv. Little is known about this battle, as much of it occurred on other planes, but the evil sorceress was eventually defeated, although not destroyed, at great cost by the Circle.
[This is pure speculation. No other sources detail this war.]
The Crook of Rao then passed from view for a time, until it resurfaced in the Great Kingdom following the Greyhawk Wars in the hands of the LordProtector of Rel Astra, an animus known as Drax the Invulnerable. How he acquired it is unknown, but some speculate it was lost by an agent of the Circle of Eight seeking to relieve the forces of Commandant Osson of Almor before their destruction in Medegia.
[This is pure speculation. It seems likely that someone would have tried to rescue Commandant Osson. It's also unlikely that the Circle of Eight would have given the Crook of Rao to an animus of the Great Kingdom, and it resurfaces following the war. The hindrances detailed below might provide justification as to why Drax was so quick to rid himself of the relic.]
Drax offered the Crook of Rao in trade to Canon Hazen of Veluna in exchange for a pair of magical blades, and a few wands and staves which he felt would be more useful to the city's defense.
[This is according to the "Crook of Rao", "Tales of the Year of Peace". 2]
A band of adventurers were employed to guard Patriarch Lemuel, Hazen's second-in-command, on the trip to Rel Astra. They were successful, despite numerous attacks by agents of Iuz, minions of the Overking, and the clergy of Hextor during the trip. Upon their arrival, Lemuel took the Crook of Rao in trade for the magic items promised. He then uttered a "word of recall" and vanished.
[This is speculation based on the adventure outlined in 2.]
Lemuel never arrived in Mitrik, and the Crook of Rao is again lost. Some speculate treachery on the part of Drax, while others claim that Lemuel had already been replaced by an agent of Iuz. The truth may never be known,but unless the Crook of Rao is retrieved, the forces of good in the Flanaess may fall to the armies of evil.
[This is pure speculation designed to encourage further adventures searching for the Crook of Rao. If Canon Hazen ever retrieves the Crook, the relic will be effectively out of play for most campaigns set in the Post-Ashes setting.]
Campaign Use
The Crook of Rao has appeared in one published module 1, and one published adventure outline 2. In the right time frame, it could be employed in either situation, with modifications to the history outlined above.
Alternatively, the Crook of Rao is now lost again. It would be of great use to Furyondy and Veluna, and of even more use to relieve the desperate straits Nyrond finds itself in. Many adventures could be run as the PCs seek to locate and then recover the Crook of Rao. Did Drax ever really have the Crook? Did Lemuel turn traitor? Was Lemuel replaced by an agent of Iuz or the Overking? Did Iggwilv somehow warp the magic of his "word of recall"?
There is a strong suggestion in 5, in the section detailing the Spikerift cavern system of the Grandwood, that the Crook of Rao has been used as a component of a powerful ward constructed by priests of Hextor to imprison a rival priest of Nerull. If this rumor is true, and the Crook of Rao was used as part of the ward, the DM must determine how it got there, and the obstacles that need to be overcome to obtain it.
Powers
The Crook of Rao is an extremely powerful relic. Although not as powerful in combat as some more common magical weapons, it's powers can have a huge impact on a campaign, and it should be used with great caution.
The Crook of Rao is lawful good in alignment. It can be wielded without penalty by any priest or worshipper of Rao, or anyone of LG alignment. Anyone who is not of lawful good alignment will suffer the penalties and drawbacks detailed below. In addition to these penalties, anyone of evil alignment will sustain 20 points of damage every time (or for every round) they deliberately touch any portion of the weapon. (This includes touching the Crook through clothing, such as gloves or metal gauntlets, but not through a container. It also does not include being struck by the Crook in combat).
In combat, the Crook of Rao serves as a quarterstaff +3. This magical bonus to hit and damage remains the same on any plane of existence.
The Crook of Rao has numerous other magical powers and effects as well.
Spell-like effects of the Crook function at the 18th level of magic use.
While wielding the Crook of Rao, a character may "dispel evil" at will, as the 5th priest spell of the same name. No material components are required, but extraplanar creatures to be dispelled must be hit by the Crook of Rao itself. Such creatures do suffer a penalty to hit the wielder of the Crook of Rao, as per the spell description.
Over the eons, the Crook of Rao has been used in particular to battle armies of Yugoloths. As a result, if the Crook of Rao is held forth in the name of good by any non-evil character, he may attempt to "turn" 2d6 yugoloths, as a priest of Rao of 18th level. (Use Table 47 in the DMG. There is no saving throw. Magic resistance and bonuses to saving throws do not apply. This power functions regardless of any magical protections which normally prevent turning of undead or banishment of fiends. Almost all known yugoloths have seven or more hit dice, save for least guardian yugoloths. If used against a yugoloth with six or less hit dice, it would be permanently destroyed, regardless of whether or not it was on its home plane. Also an additional 2d4 yugoloths would be affected, if of 5 HD or less.
The Crook of Rao serves as a channel for Rao's power in mortal realms. Hence any priest of Rao on the same plane or in the same crystal sphere as the Crook of Rao can pray for and receive spells of up to seventh level, even if Rao normally has no influence in that realm. (Normally a priest of Rao visiting the Forgotten Realms could not receive spells beyond second level. If he brought the Crook of Rao with him, however, he would have no such difficulties, even if he was on the other side of Realmspace from the Crook. However if the Crook was then returned to Greyspace, any priest of Rao remaining behind would no longer be able to receive spells of third level and higher.)
The Crook of Rao has several additional powers in the hands of a priest of Rao in good standing.
While wielding the Crook of Rao, a priest of Rao can cast the second level priest spell "withdraw" at will.
Once per month, a priest of Rao can cast the fifth level priest spell "commune".
While in contact with the Crook of Rao, a priest of Rao has an effective wisdom of his normal wisdom plus his level, to a maximum of 19. Extra bonus spells for this higher wisdom may be acquired normally if prayed for while in contact with the Crook. These bonus spells due to increased wisdom may be retained for up to 24 hours beyond a priest's last physical contact with the Crook.
While in physical contact with the Crook of Rao, a priest of Rao does not physically age. This protects him against magical aging effects as well such as the unwanted side effect of the third level wizard spell 'haste' and the attack of a ghost. When not in contact with the Crook, a priest of Rao resumes aging normally.
In the hands of a priest of Rao of ninth level or higher, the Crook acts somewhat like a 'ring of wizardry,' doubling the number of bonus spells received for high wisdom. (Combined with the increased wisdom detailed above, this can grant a large increase in the number of spells a priest of Rao can receive.)
In the hands of priest of Rao of fifteenth level or higher, the Crook can summon an aasimon once per twenty-four hour period. There is a 99% chance this will be a movanic deva of maximum hit points named Incarum. (Incarum may have additional powers as well, as the DM wishes.) The remaining 1% of the time it will be the solar Pelrao who appeared in the final battle on the Isle of the Ape. (Pelrao may have additional powers as well, as the DM wishes.)
[The name "Incarum" is taken from the lore of 3. The name "Pelrao" is fabricated from the name of the two gods he serves - Pelor and Rao.]
The Crook of Rao has several penalties associated with using it or owning it as well.
Any priest, ranger, or paladin cannot receive spells from other deities while within 100 yards of the Crook of Rao. Serving as a focus for the god of reason, the Crook overwhelms other deities influence in its area of effect.
Many evil artifacts, such as the 'Hand' and 'Eye of Vecna,' automatically shift a bearer's alignment to evil. The Crook of Rao has no direct effect on its bearer's alignment. However, in any situation, the course of action most true to the lawful good alignment and the belief's of Rao will occur to the bearer. Over time, this is likely to shift its bearer's alignment to lawful good, unless they are a divine minion of some other creed, as adjudicated by the DM. This may be why the animus Drax was so willing to rid himself of the Crook.
As Rao is a god of reason, a bearer of the Crook of Rao will find himself more and more prone to contemplation and slower and slower to takedirect action. This will manifest itself in a variety of ways. In particular, for every year the Crook of Rao is borne by a character (in frequent physical contact with the Crook), the character will suffer a -1 penalty to initiative, to a maximum penalty of -5, except when battling fiends and the avatars of evil deities. After the first such year, 'haste' spells will no longer have any effect on the character, even if he later gives up the Crook.
Finally, as Rao influences the Prime Material Plane primarily through numerous relics he has placed there, his attention is particularly focused on any bearer of such a relic, particularly the Crook of Rao. As a result, anyone bearing the Crook of Rao will find himself held to a near-divine standard of purity and perfection. This standard is nearly impossible to meet by a mortal, and as a result frequent quests of atonement are likely to be required by Rao. The strain of meeting such a standard will eventually force a wielder of the Crook to pass it on to another being they feel is more worthy, as instructed by the deity. The timing will, of course, be affected by need and circumstance. For example, the bearer of the Crook will not give it up while combating a horde of yugoloths summoned by Iggwilv, unless there is a more appropriate follower of Rao available to wield the stave in their stead.
Suggested Means of Destruction
* The Crook must be buried in the Cauldron of Night. The Cauldron of Night is located on Asperd Isle in the domain of the Sea Barons, beneath Tar Hill. It was from this mass that the great chunk of crystal from which the Malachite Throne was crafted was taken .
* The Crook must be fed to Kezef the Chaos Hound. Kezef was recently loosed by the god Cyric of the Realms during the events detailed in the novel "Prince of Lies". The ravening beast now roams the Grey Wastes hunting Mask, Patron of Thieves.
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In Dragon #155 there is an article entitled "In the Frost and the Snow". Therein is detailed a reclusive sub-race of elves called Snow Elves. They reside in the Crystalmist Mountains. They are very much different from their low-land cousins in many ways. Some examples are: they abhor fire and heat, they have an affinity for using spears and javelins just as other elves have for bows and swords, and they are very tall with some snow elves reaching 7ft in height.
Also in the article is mentioned that the snow elf druids are holders of a secret process used to produce high quality armor made from the hide of white dragons. This armor is as cherished and rare as elven chainmail--something snow elves cannot make given their abhorrence of fire nor do they like due to the frigid nature of their environment. Snow elves hate fire and heat, therefore they lack the ability to forge metal items be they weapons, tools, or extraneous mundane items. To acquire what metal items they need, the snow elves sometimes trade with the valley elves. This is something that struck me as uncanny. Why haven’t the snow elves developed items from materials other than metal to fill the metal-void? To me, this reliance on the valley elves for metallic items is simply not in the spirit of the elven race. So, to add credence to those words and taking into consideration the +1 to hit bonus snow elves receive with spears and javelins, I developed a new weapon for the snow elves and a fighting style built around its use. The process with which this weapon is created is a druidical secret, much like the armor, and does not involve heat, fire, or metal only the skills of a bone-sculptor and a lapidary and of course the Druids.
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Vecna's Ineffable Variorum
Appearance
This tome measures 28 long, 189 wide, and 49 thick. The covers and spine are constructed of bones and bone fragments from numerous creatures, which are magically fused to form solid surfaces. Jointed bones of unknown origin are placed along the edges between the spine and covers, giving the impression of hinges, though the actual hinges are cleverly hidden within the joint-bones themselves. There is no clasp or lock of the usual sort, rather; a small, intact skeletal hand is attached to either cover, the fingers interlocking when the book is closed. A command word causes the hands to clench, holding the book closed against all magic short of a limited wish. A second command word releases the skeletal grip.
The pages of the book are sewn together and attached to the spine via braided hair. Each page is a sheet of parchment made from the flesh of a different species of creature.
History
Though no one has ever been able to say for certain, many sages believe Vecna's origins lie far to the west, across the Hellfurnaces, in the blasted lands once called the Suel Empire. In fact, Vecna's penchant for brutality and his obsession for world domination practically brands him as Suloise - after all, the ancient Suel people were (and still are, in some places) noted for their cruelty and policy of conquest. Then, of course, there is Vecna's unequalled skill in magic, leading those same studious observers to believe he may have once been a Mage of Power, one of the legendary Suloise wizards responsible for the Invoked Devastation. All of this is conjecture, of course, but it is not beyond reason.
Nonetheless, some of that speculation is based on information regarding Vecna's Ineffable Variorum. Some 400 years ago, a band of adventures sold an ancient Suel text to a book dealer in Niole Dra, claiming to have recovered it from a ruined city in the Sea of Dust. The tome, though untitled, contained the dates of a great many events and happenings, the most recent of which preceded the Invoked Devastation by nearly 200 years. What makes this book so relevant, however, is that it describes what many scholars regard as the finest and most accurate description of Vecna's Ineffable Variorum. This fact alone places the Variorum and, by extension, Vecna himself in the Suel lands prior to the Empire's demise.
The Variorum has managed to evade inclusion in most historical records of the current millennium, for even vague reports of its whereabouts are few and far between. So far, only a mere handful have been confirmed. Even Uhas of Neheli's famed Chronicle of Secret Times, which places Vecna in the Sheldomar Valley when the Kingdom of Keoland was still very young, makes no mention of the Variorum, thus implying that the tome may have been destroyed along with the Suel Empire.
Perhaps the most conclusive record that the Variorum survived the Invoked Devastation can be found in the journals of Eldarath Allythyr, a drow wizard from the drow capital city Erelhei-Cinclu. These journals relate the tale of how Eldarath came into possession of "a strange tome of flesh and bones," and his use of a spell that "repels enemies in a wave of force and fire." The journals were captured in CY 517, when Eldarath fell in the Stark Mounds to a circle of wizards from Geoff's Society of the Magivestre, but when his body was searched, the Variorum was not among his possessions. It is difficult to authenticate this particular record, however, for comparative drow works are often as hard to come by as pre-Devastation Suel manuscripts.
In CY 581, mere months before the opening stages of the Greyhawk Wars, Vecna returned to Oerth intent on placing himself as master of both the world and the deities who watch over it. While it is uncertain if Vecna possessed his Variorum during this bid to overthrow Oerth's immortals, the archmage Mordenkainen (who is rumored to have been the guiding force behind Vecna's eventual failure and subsequent disappearance) insists, "If Vecna did have the Variorum at the time, the result of the battle against him would not have been favorable for the people of the Flanaess."
Maybe the book was destroyed during the Invoked Devastation, or perhaps Vecna simply wrote it off as unimportant in fulfilling his ends. Whatever the case, Vecna's Ineffable Variorum has yet to surface, and undoubtedly it is better this way.
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Iggwilv's Nethertome
Appearance
Like many of the arcane texts attributed to Iggwilv (the Fiendomicon of Iggwilv, to be precise), the Nethertome's covers are made of ebony, as is the spine, over which is stretched a single piece of black tanar'ri hide. The hide is secured to the covers with brass corner-pieces and edging, and a brass clasp holds it shut when not in use, though it has no lock. The brasswork retains a continuous sheen, resisting corrosion, tarnish, and similar conditions - obviously a magical embellishment.
Unlike Iggwilv's other known works, the Nethertome forms a complete and perfect square, each side measuring 209, and its 29 thickness belies the vast amount of information it contains; the pages are composed of an uncharacteristically delicate, almost transparent parchment, and the lettering is small and somewhat cramped.
History
The Archmage Iggwilv first made her presence known circa CY 460. Shortly thereafter, she conquered the fledgling nation of Perrenland, ruling it for a decade from her secret lair in the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth.
It is often said that much of Iggwilv's power came as a result of her discovery of that fell place and the treasures it contained. Nonetheless, power is what she had, and she used it well. Oddly, some learned historians claim that Iggwilv was an accomplished necromancer, even a specialist in that field. How these noted scholars substantiated such a theory is a mystery, for Iggwilv had long borne the reputation of one who associated with fiends, and such creatures were heavy among the ranks of her servants. The very fact that she managed to summon and bind Graz'zt himself would seem to suggest that conjuration, rather than necromancy, was her forte.
Iggwilv's reliance on fiends to increase her power eventually caused her downfall. During the course of one of her malevolent rituals, she made a critical mistake that accidentally freed Graz'zt from his captivity, and a spectacular battle ensued. In the end, Iggwilv was triumphant, forcing Graz'zt to flee to his Abyssal home, but she paid a dear price for that victory. The wounds she suffered reached far beyond merely the physical, damaging her psyche to such a degree that much of her personal power was torn from her.
When the news of Iggwilv's condition reached her oppressed subjects, they immediately took up arms and marched on her secluded abode. Her minions, realizing that the reign of their queen was ended, scattered before the oncoming armies and took with them the bulk of her amassed fortune. Among the items stolen by her former servants was the Nethertome.
For about 60 years, the Nethertome was absent from recorded history, its whereabouts and owner unknown. Then, in CY 521, it turned up in the library of Thillion "Flamefingers" Dern, an aged Bisselite mage who died without an heir. During the auction of Thillion's belongings, the tome was sold to one Gelvin Torlar, a mage who, at the time he bought it, did not have the magical wherewithal to employ its secrets.
Surprisingly, Gelvin held the book against all comers, even in those early years when his personal might was lacking and those who wished to seize the tome for themselves assailed him on what seemed a weekly basis. By the end of the decade, however, the constant battle to hold the tome had exhausted Gelvin's funds and magical resources, and he was forced to sell the Nethertome for a mere pittance, else starve or be slain in a spell duel. Although Gelvin made it known that the Nethertome had been sold, the actual transaction took place secretly. Thus, the buyer's identity was never learned, and the Nethertome vanished once again.
Perhaps the most astounding moment in the Nethertome's history came in the years just prior to the Greyhawk Wars. Iggwilv had returned, and with her was the Nethertome, though how she came into its possession is not clear (some believe it was she who purchased it from Gelvin). Worse still, she managed to recover most (if not all) of the power she lost in her battle with Graz'zt all those years ago, and she threw her lot in with Iuz.
Upon her reappearance, the Archmage Tenser set in motion a series of events that would see to the recovery of the Crook of Rao, which Tenser himself unwittingly carried into one of Zagyg's demiplanes, where he lost it. A band of adventurers was charged with recovering the Crook, and was able to do so and turn it over to Tenser, despite Iggwilv's attempts to stop them.
Iggwilv was not so easily put off, and she renewed her practice of summoning fiends and binding them to her will. Why the Crook of Rao was not used to stop her (for such was the purpose for its recovery) is uncertain, though some whispers hint that whoever obtained the artifact from Tenser lost it thereafter (which would explain the recent tales that suggest the Crook of Rao is in the possession of Drax the Invulnerable, Lord Protector of Rel Astra). By the time the Greyhawk Wars rolled around, Iggwilv had a sizeable force under her control, which she put at the disposal of Iuz.
Fortunately, Iggwilv had not learned from her old mistakes. Early in the Wars, she attempted to summon and bind Graz'zt once more, but Graz'zt, who had not forgotten Iggwilv's previous transgression against him, was prepared. When he stepped through Iggwilv's gate, he produced a unique magical device which sundered her protective circles and binding magic. It was here that Graz'zt captured and imprisoned his former consort, and despite the objections of Iuz, Graz'zt confined Iggwilv in the Abyss, where she remains to this very day.
Nonetheless, it is known that the Nethertome did not accompany her on the journey to her Abyssal prison, but the current whereabouts of the book cannot be confirmed. It is generally believed that Iuz turned it over to one of his Boneheart wizards, and most fingers point to Jumper or Null, as the Nethertome would be most useful to them in their work at Fleichshriver.
Contents
The Nethertome is divided into several chapters. Like Iggwilv's Fiendomicon, most of it deals with the lower planes (and the tanar'ri in particular). The beginning chapters give a highly detailed and surprisingly accurate treatise on the Blood War, though it has an obvious bias favoring the Abyssal fiends.
The next handful of chapters describe the chaotic nature of the Abyss, methods of "safe" travel through its infinite layers, and most importantly, areas that should be avoided by mortals.
Several more chapters describe the denizens of the Abyss, the tanar'ri in particular. These chapters describe their politics, psychology, and general behavior with astounding clarity, almost as if it had actully been written by a tanar'ri. In many places, individual tanar'ri are named. The most notable, and most oft referred to, is Graz'zt, of course.
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Acererak's Libram
Appearance
This smallish book measures precisely 129 long, 99 wide, and 29 thick. The covers and spine are meticulously cut sheets black adamantite, held together with a series of small, interlocking hinges which run the entire length of the spine's long edges. Acererak's personal symbol, an encircled capital "A" entwined with serpents, is stamped into the center of the front cover and inlaid with mithril.
Another strip of black adamantite is connected to the inner surface of the spine, to which are attached 12 rings of the same metal. The Libram's pages, each a carefully fashioned sheet of mithril, stamped with perfectly symmetrical runes and glyphs, are held in place by these rings.
History
Little is known concerning the being called Acererak, for the name was ancient when eastern Oerik was still ruled by the Flan peoples, and the frightening tales of the Tome of Horrors had long been a part of the folklore throughout the Flanaess when the Kingdom of Aerdy was but an idea posed by an Oeridian chieftain. What can be said, however, is that if Vecna was the most powerful lich ever to walk the face of Oerth, Acererak was a close second, for only a being of great might could strike so much fear into the hearts of men yet remain mostly absent from the eyes of history.
In CY 446, the same year which saw the founding of the Iron League, a Sunndi wizard named Lindaer entered the Vast Swamp with a small yet powerful band of companions. A month or so later, Lindaer and a single comrade returned to civilized lands, claiming to have located Acererak's Tomb. The pair would not discuss what occurred within that grim place, but to quell disbelievers they regularly displayed their greatest prize: Acererak's Libram.
Perhaps they revealed the Libram once too often, for during a journey to the city of Greyhawk, where they hoped to assess its value, they were set upon by a large bandit force in the Cairn Hills. Though both Lindaer and his companion survived, it was quite obvious that the bandits had been interested only in the Libram, for that is all they wanted, having left the pair with the balance of their valuables. To his dying day, Lindaer believed the bandits were hired to steal the book - probably by a mage - for it would have had little value to such miscreants otherwise. No one ever claimed responsibility for the attack, however, and even the usual finger-pointing was strangely lacking.
Nevertheless, it is known that for the next 80 years, the Libram exchanged hands at a fervent pace, with no single owner holding it long enough to demand historical commentary. But in CY 532, Acererak's Libram came into the possession of one Shanadar Vantros, a wizard of some repute operating in the Great Kingdom.
Shanadar was noted for his zealous obsession with the elimination of his rivals, and his regular use of the spell Acererak's blackstone (detailed below) suggests that he owned the book for quite a few years. It is also said that Shanadar's flagrant use of the blackstone spell ended in his demise, for one of his own blackstones was used against him. It seems that Shanadar sent a blackstone "gift" to a rival (hinted to be another mage, who was later banished from the Great Kingdom for attempting to usurp the throne, but records are vague on this), but the rival, having learned how Shanadar managed so effectively to dispose of his opponents, carefully avoided exposing the blackstone to magic. Then, when Shanadar was away on personal business, the rival penetrated the wizard's tower, using the blackstone itself to bypass the tower's magical defenses. Once inside, the rival hid the blackstone and placed numerous triggering spells in the chamber. When Shanadar returned, he triggered the spells set by his rival, which subsequently detonated the blackstone, destroying Shanadar and most of his tower. The Libram was nowhere to be found in the rubble.
So it was until CY 585, the Year of Peace. In a meeting of the senior members of Greyhawk City's Guild of Wizardry, Jallarzi Sallivarian informed those present that, while magically disguised, she overheard an aged dwarf give an exact description of the Libram to a group of his fellows. Through her eavesdropping, she also learned that the tome was being held in one of the three dwarven enclaves in and around the northern Abbor-Alz, either Dumadan, Greysmere, or Karakast. How the dwarves came to possess Acererak's Libram is a mystery, but this is unimportant in light of what the dwarves intend to do with it. If Jallarzi's information is correct, the dwarves plan to dismantle the Libram and use its valuable metals to construct more "useful" items like tools and weapons. The Wizards' Guild plans to recover the book before the dwarves destroy it, but to date, they have yet to learn which enclave has it; the dwarves are not talking.
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Walls of Iron - Making City Walls and Castles a practicality...
In a world of elementals, fly spells and earthquakes, it’s difficult to understand why most civilisations build their great cities and fortifications above ground. How do you protect a city or fortress from heavy magical attack? Clearly a fortress has advantages over a dungeon - you can see your enemies from further away, you can fire at them safely while they have to cross dangerous ground and you can deploy your troops more quickly and efficiently. You also have room to build without the danger of the roof caving in on your head!
Unfortunately, you are also subject to magical invasion from below, flying war parties, and sieges by giants, wizards and the like. How do you protect yourself?
Well there are a group of abjurations that make cities and castles a practicality. They are not ordinary spells, rather they are rituals - spells which depend on resources, preparation and repetition to be effective. This group of rituals are known as iron abjurations, and are based on the dampening effects of iron on magic.
Iron Theory
Iron Theory and indeed the theory of how iron affects magic and magical creatures in general was first described by the abjurer Borrillian of Rel Mord in his masterwork of 463 CY, “Iron - Ye Defensif Use”. Borrillian based his work on the antipathy many magical creatures showed when confronted with cold steel. He proposed that iron did not actually hinder magic as was then widely believed, but rather it was itself highly magical - so much so that it attracted further magics in to its mass, often causing great pain to magical creatures in the process.
Borrillian noted that places rich in lodestone, a source of iron, were often associated with magical protections and enchantments. Druid’s circles, for example, were places of power and protection and many of these were of lodestone.
Of most interest, Borrillian said, was the civilising effects of roads when cut with iron picks and shovels - travel is demonstrably faster over such roads and many magical creatures are known to avoid places tainted by iron tools. Indeed, many daily activities associated with iron tools were, Borrillian claimed, actually rituals of a low grade magical nature, inimical to fairy or magical creatures because they bound magic to specific ends, leaving it unavailable for general use. Any large mass of iron had the potential for this dampening effect, Borrillian said and hence mages could not cast in contact with large amounts of cold iron. Even the increased yield from fields turned with a steel plough was used as a proof of the magical nature of iron.
Over the years Borrillian further refined his theory, reasoning that most human settlements were free of magical creatures due to the long-term effects of iron binding magic away from general use. A peasant’s harvest song, for example, not only sped up work, it directed the magic of the environment into the peasant's tools, improving his efficiency, and starving many magical creatures of the energies they required to survive. Left unchecked, Elves, drow and other magical creatures might find it increasingly difficult to survive in such “civilised” iron-tainted regions. Magic would not completely disappear, but it become steadily less fey and more directed in its nature and application. Finally, Borrillian argued, the rise of the great human civilisations had come about because of the advantage iron had given humans over their more magically adept neighbours.
(NB: this also explains the survival of dwarfs and other races poor in magical expertise).
Iron Abjurations
Using these ideas, Borrillian designed several iron based magics specifically for human abjurers tasked with protecting human settlements or castles - no other races are said to be able to use the magics contained within his tomes, though it is suspected that dwarves may have developed weaker clerical equivalents based on Borrillian’s works.
All of the rituals given below were designed to protect fortresses and cities from magical sieges, especially sieges lead by the races of the Underdark, the undead, or necromancers and summoners. Indeed, so effective are his abjurations that enchantments cast under the radiations of the Underdark, or items manufactured with the aid of those fey glimmerings, fail utterly in the presence of even the simplest of his spells. This makes the races of the Underdark wary of surface dwellers, especially those who use iron widely and of human abjurers in particular. The reason for the weakness of such races in the face of Borrillian’s iron abjurations is said to be covered in his second major work “Iron, Ye Deep Races”. This work also covers the relationship of the Underdark races to sunlight and the interactions of light and iron in particular. Needless to say the Abjurer of Rel Mord was also unpopular with many surface magicians as well, especially those of evil alignments or those who used conjured and summoned creatures regularly. Fortunately many of Borrillian’s abjurations are episodic in nature – passive until they activated by a defender, using the time between activations to gather strength to resist a siege or encirclement. This has led to what some rulers call the adventurer syndrome: its better to employ a few specialists – adventurers – to accomplish things a larger army might not be able to.
DM Notes...
In their original form, the casting of Borrillian’s iron abjurations took a considerable period of time. The shortest ritual to cast - fortify, took a week to cast; and others like conjure sour, could take several months. Since the original publication of his work however, several shorter variations of Borrillian’s spells have been developed. For this reason two casting times, areas of effects and costs are given for each ritual.
The first covers the full casting of an iron abjuration and is usually used while building a fortress, castle or city wall. The second assumes the abjurer is short of time and must defend an area quickly. When an abjurer learns the full version of each ritual, he automatically learns the shorter version as well – both versions count as but a single spell.
To fully protect a keep or castle with the abjurations listed would take an abjurer at least two year's work and consume considerable resources. While the costs might seem high, they are low compared to that of actually building and maintaining a castle or city wall.
The Abjurations
All iron abjurations are based around the use of a specially prepared piece of iron or lodestone known as a Key. Theft of this Key, or a copy of it, may allow an invader or thief to literally steal the Keys to a city and bypass the wards set to protect it.
Consequently most Keys will be well hidden and guarded. Many iron abjurations lis t other spells as components of their casting and several of these spells lie outside the scope of a specialist abjurer eg. strength or wall of iron. The spells listed are tailored versions of the normal spells, useful only while casting of an iron based ward. They are learnt as part of each ritual and do not count as separate spells for the purposes of numbers of spells learnt. If an abjurer does not wish to learn these spells (or cannot), he may use an ordinary version of the spell from a scroll or item, or have it cast by another mage.
Finally, when the long version of each ritual requires renewing, the time between renewals may be doubled by including a limited wish and extension spell as part of the original casting, or quadrupled by using a wish. Casting permanency on any iron abjuration always cost a point of constitution. The shortened versions of each ritual cannot be extended beyond their given durations except as noted.
Create Key
(Abjuration)
Level: 5
Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Duration: 3 years per level of the caster (One week per level – short version)
Casting Time: Three weeks (One turn - short version)
Area of effect: One pound of lodestone or iron per level
Saving Throw: None
This spell is used to create a Master Key, a Key used to cast or maintain other iron abjurations. A specially prepared lodestone or iron billet is cut or cast in the shape of a Key. The abjurer himself need not cut the Key, but the work must be of high quality - at least 500 GP worth of work. The abjurer then exp oses the Key to grounding elements while casting the spell. At least 100 GP’s worth of such elements must be expended for each pound of iron or lodestone enchanted.
Typical grounding elements include lead, iron, basalt, granite, obsidian and nickel. Grounding gems are usually jet, catseyes, chrysolite, haematite, olivine and peridot. Additionally (full version only), the abjurer must cast dispel magic, knock, wizard lock and wall of iron on the Key during each day that the Key is being enchanted.
With both versions of the ritual the abjurer may make two copies of the original Key for each pound of iron enchanted. These copies weigh but two ounces are in the shape of an actual door key and have the same life span as the Master Key. Making a Copy Key requires the use of the Master Key and takes but a single round to create. If lodestone is used to create a Master Key instead of iron, three copies may be made for each pound of lodestone enchanted.
More than one abjurer may cooperate in casting this ritual. If more than one mage participates, combine the levels of the casters to discover how many pounds of iron or lodestone may be enchanted and how long the Key lasts.
If a Master Key is due to fail, re-casting the create key spell on the Master will renew the spell on the Master as well as on all the copies made from it. A Key may have permanency cast on it. A Key is not subject to dispel magic.
Fortify
(Abjuration)
Level: 5
Range: 1 yard per level
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Three years plus special (Or two hours per level – short version)
Casting Time: One week (Or one turn – short version)
Area of effect: One 40’ cube per level of the caster (or one 20’ cube per level – short version)
Saving Throw: None
This spell is usually the first of the iron abjurations to be cast. For the full version, the spell requires a 20lb pig of iron for every 40ft cube to be protected and the services of a master mason or engineer. The shortened version requires but a single iron billet of five pounds weight and no artisan is required.
During a full fortify ritual, the artisan bolts an iron pig to each section of wall or foundation to be protected while explaining to the abjurer the deficits and weaknesses of the area being fortified. A typical 30-foot high wall section might have three such pigs attached - one set in the foundation, one within the wall itself and one to protect the area atop the wall. As each pig is attached, it is touched by the abjurer with a Master Key or Copy. At the end of the casting, the abjurer casts dispel magic, shield, wall of iron and strength over the area being fortified. These spells are not required for the quick version of the spell. When either version of the ritual is completed, the billet(s) merge with the stonework, increasing its resistance to damage and doubling the defensive value of the work vs. siege engines, giant boulders etc. Additionally, fortify enhances a wall’s resistance to disintegrate, passwall, rock to mud, earthquake and other structure altering spells. The wall gains a +2 save vs. these spells or is allowed a saving throw if a saving throw is not normally allowed. If the full ritual of fortify is cast, it may be renewed every three years by an engineer or mason ritually tapping the surface of the wall with an active Key or copy. Fortify fails if this ritual is neglected. Areas repaired after combat still benefit from this spell provided at least 50% of the original structure remains.
If a Copy or Key is built into a tower, gatehouse, or similar work during either version of the ritual, the siege value of that section is tripled, the duration of the fortify is doubled, and disintegrate, passwall and similar magics cast against the area have their effective volumes halved in addition to the saving throw bonus. Using a Key or Copy in this fashion destroys the Key or Copy used (so Copy Keys are usually used).
If permanency is cast on a fortify area (full version only), no Key or regular maintenance is required. No more than one fortify spell may be in place over an area at a time - the oldest effect applies. Fortify is not subject to dispel magic.
Wall Guard
(Abjuration)
Level: 5
Range: One yard per level
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Three years plus special (or two hours per level – short version)
Casting Time: Two weeks (or two turns – short version)
Area of effect: One 40’ cube per level of the caster (or one 20’ cube per level – short version)
Saving Throw: None
Full Version: An iron bar 2ft long and 1/2 inch in diameter is hammered into each 40ft cube to be protected by a wall guard ritual. A typical 30-foot high wall section might have three such bars within itself - one bar set in the foundations, one within the wall itself and one to protect the area atop the wall. The shortened version of the ritual requires but a single iron billet of five pounds weight and a diamond of at least 500 GP value (which is consumed in the casting).
When the ritual(s) are cast, nothing at first seems to happen. Over time however, each bar gains a slight magical charge from the volume it protects. This charge acts to draw magic towards itself, draining off a great deal of an attacking spell’s power. For example, a disintegrate spell cast against a protected wall might result in only a few chips of stone coming loose. A fireball cast at guards atop a tower might see a fireball appear, but result in no actual damage.
To remain effective, each volume protected by the full version of the spell must be re-touched by an active Key or Copy once every three years. This re-touch may be performed by anybody (no mage is required) and the actual bars buried in the structure need not be touched. If the ritual is repeated regularly, each 40’ volume may eventually absorb as many spell levels as the abjurer who cast the ward, plus an extra level’s worth of energy for every year that passes.
Every three years that pass without a re-touch results in the loss of a year’s absorption ability until the dweomer fades.
Short Version: each 20ft cube section may absorb one spell level for every two levels of the caster, rounded up.
Conditions of Absorption: Wall guard has no effect on magical items used within its volume (except those enchanted in the Underdark - these simply fail); spells cast from within the protected volume outwards, spells existing in the area prior to wall guard being cast, or spells cast by someone with a Key or Copy.
In the full version of the spell, removal of an iron bar dissipates the effects of the ritual in that volume only. This is sometimes done to allow the creation of secret passages.
Wall guard rituals are not subject to dispel magic, indeed dispel magic cast against a wall guard acts to re-charge the absorption capacity of the section affected, (subject to the wall guard’s current capacity). Importantly, wall guard rituals neutralise spell levels but are recharged by caster level. This means that a defender may be able to ward off more powerful magical attackers, at least for a time. If a spell like disintegrate is cast directly at a wall or structure protected by a wall guard ritual, a saving throw for the wall or structure is made first, before any charges of wall guard spell are used up. If the saving throw is made, no charges are used.
No more than one wall guard spell may be in place at any one time and neither version may be made permanent. A wall guard spell may be made inactive by touching a protected area with the correct Key or Copy. This is often done to prevent accidental discharge of the spell in times other than war, and to allow a wall to regain its protective charges.
Notes: As little as one spell level’s worth of absorption is often enough to disrupt a more powerful spell. In cases where there is less spell absorbing ability left than the level of the spell cast, the DM should adjudicate in favour of the defenders, or reduce the effect of the attack. Additionally, areas protected by this spell are inimical to creatures affected by cold iron and to the undead. Such creatures entering the area must save vs spells or suffer a -1 penalty on to hit rolls and saving throws. A typical fortress may have different sections subject to different Keys, with Copies held by different officers.
Conjure Sour
(Abjuration)
Level: 7
Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Two years plus special (or one hour per level – short version)
Casting Time: Three months (or two turns – short version)
Area of effect: 50ft radius per one hundred pounds of iron enchanted (or 10ft radius per level of caster(s) – short version)
Saving Throw: Special
Full Version: Large wrought iron pigs, each of at least 100 pounds weight and 500 GP value, are buried in the earth following three months of special preparations and castings. Up to 100 pounds of iron per level of the caster may be sensitized by a conjure sour spell. During the casting of conjure sour, the abjurer must cast dispel magic, avoidance, enchant an item, protection from evil and conjure elemental on the pigs, as well as exposing the iron to other conjuration, phantasm or summoning magics the abjurer wishes to protect against.
For example, if a pig used in conjure sour had monster summoning I cast on it as part of its attunement, or a demi-shadow monsters spell, it would work vs. these spells. Equally if it were not exposed to an invisible stalker spell it would have no effect vs. a conjured stalker.
The abjurer need only cast the dispel magic, avoidance, protection from evil, enchant an item and conjure elemental spells himself - other practitioners including clerics, may cast the other spells to be “soured”. Unlike normal castings of these spells, no actual creatures are summoned and the mage is not weakened by the enchant an item spell.
As the final step in the ceremony the pigs are taken to their burial site and interred as a group. Burial must occur within eight hours of the end of casting of conjure sour or the dweomer fades. The pigs are now attuned to disturb the magics used to control elementals, conjured or summoned creatures, shadow and demi-shadow monsters and phantasmal killers. A Key or Copy must remain in contact with the pigs for the three months during which the full conjure sour ritual is being cast.
Short Version: A small 50gp iron statuette of each type of summoned or conjured creature to be “soured” is required e.g. an elemental, elf, orc, skeleton, human, brownie etc. Alternatively a 500 gp billet of iron marked with ruins of disruption and exclusion may be used and have the spells to be soured cast upon it as part of the ritual. The statuettes or billet must be buried and are consumed when the spell is ended or the duration expires. The spell is not mobile and issues from the point of burial.
Effects: conjure sour works by increasing the chance of an elemental or other creature escaping the control of its summoner. The round by round chance of an elemental breaking control is increased by a percentage equal to the level of the caster of the conjure sour spell. The chance of the summoner dismissing the same elemental is decreased by a like amount.
Other created, conjured or summoned creatures receive a save vs. paralysis at +2 to escape their controller as soon as they enter the area of effect. Creatures who escape control remain for their normal durations but are now free willed and hostile to their summoner or creator.
To maintain a full conjure sour casting, the ritual must be renewed every two years by exposing the pigs to the four elements. The surface of the pigs is re-exposed to the air, a bonfire is lit atop them and later extinguished by pure water. The pigs are then touched with their Master Key or a Copy and reburied. No mage is required for this ceremony. This ritual often takes place at mid-summer when the life energies of the land are at their greatest.
Conjure sour may also be cast on lodestone obtained from a druid’s grove. If lodestone is used instead of iron, the radius of the spell is increased by 20%, but natural animals summoned or conjured are not affected by the spell
More than one mage may participate in preparing a conjure sour, but if they do so all must participate in the casting for the full casting time(s) of the spell. For the full version of the ritual, multiple abjurers may enchant as many hundreds of pounds of iron as their combined levels. In the shortened version of the ritual, add the levels of the mages together to work out the radius of effect.
Creatures saving vs. paralysis gain an additional +2 to their saving throw for every extra abjurer who helped cast the conjure sour, up to a maximum of +6. The chance of ruining control of a summoned elemental is that of the highest level mage participating, plus 10% for every additional abjurer.
Conjure sour may be made activate or inactivate by a touch of the correct Master Key or Copy to the pigs, billet or statuettes. Additionally, possession of a Key or Copy allows normal casting within the area of effect without the dangers of losing control. The radius of a conjure sour includes the ground deep beneath the area being protected, as well as the air above it, so turning the spell on and off may ambush an unwary caster. Conjure sour is unaffected by dispel magic and it may not have permanency cast on it. A fully cast conjure sour ritual is usually left inactive except in times of war. Removal of the buried pigs more than fifty feet from their burial point disrupts the spell as does destruction or theft of the statuettes or billet.
Notes: Notes in Borrillian’s work indicate that a poorly cast conjure sour ritual is not safe – its area of effect may change wildly, or the spell can wander along ley lines or water flows, creating magical hazards as it goes. The ritual is then said to prove dangerous even if a Key is in hand.
Grounding
(Abjuation)
Level: 7
Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Two years plus special (or two hours per level – short version)
Casting Time: Three months (two turns – short version)
Area of effect: A column, 50-foot radius per level of the caster (or 20-foot radius per level– short version)
Saving Throw: Negates
Full Version: The full version of the ritual requires a vast mass of iron - at least 1,200 pounds in weight and cast in the shape of an anchor. This mass is then buried at the centre of the area to be protected usually a major fortress or city. During the casting of a grounding ritual, gems of an earth nature, especially haematite, beryl, chrysolite and malachite, must be crushed over the anchor. The value of the gems and iron used must total no less than 20,000 GP.
At the end of a full casting, attraction, fly, levitation, enchant an item, anti-magic shell and dispel magic are cast on the anchor.
The shortened version simply requires an iron spike of five pounds weight be driven in to the ground while a Key or Copy is held in hand.
Grounding has but one purpose - to prevent the use of fly, feather fall, levitate, reverse gravity and similar magics or abilities within its volume. Any non-avian that enters the area of effect is immediately subject to a grounding attack and each attack may neutralise one spell, spell-like effect or device - save at -6 and -30% magic resistance to negate. Apart from storing charges (see below) an area protected by a full grounding ritual may make twice as many attacks per day as the level of the caster(s) of the ritual.
The shortened version allows as many attacks as the caster has levels or until the duration of the spell has ended, whichever comes first.
If the full version of the ritual is used, each week that passes without the use of a grounding charge stores an additional free attack from the ambient magic of the area. While this may seem a great many charges, it should be remembered that a single pass of airborne attackers will neutralise many charges - an active grounding will attack targets round after round until they are grounded, leave the area of effect, or the ritual runs out of charges or attacks.
Any device, spell or spell like ability affected by grounding remains inactive for as long as it remains within the area of effect (and the grounding is active). Moving out of the area allows the spell, effect, ability or device to resume working.
More than one abjurer may participate in casting a grounding spell - add together their combined levels to work out the radius affected and number of grounding attacks possible. If lodestone is enchanted instead of iron, the radius of effect increases by 20% and all flying creatures not born or raised in the area of the ritual lose one class of maneuvrability. This may allow defenders to ride griffons, hippogriffs and the like which are more maneuvrable than those of their attackers.
A full casting of grounding must be renewed every two years by exposing the anchor to the air while crushing an appropriate gem of at least 500 gp value over it. Failure to maintain the spell results in a loss of grounding charges at the rate of one per month and no further charges are absorbed. Grounding may be made activate or inactivate by the touch of an appropriate Key and is unaffected by dispel magic. Possession of a Key or Copy allows the use of fly and related spells while a grounding is still active. Grounding may be made permanent and like reverse gravity, may affect creatures many thousands of feet in the air.
Notes: Grounding is usually inactive except in times of war. This not only allows charges to accumulate, but it can prove embarrassing if ones guests or messengers crash to the ground. Accidents and the occasional reverse effect - hurling creatures in to the air - are said to occur if the full value of the spell is not paid. Borrillian is rumoured to have created two further versions of this spell, one required the participation of an alteration specialist capable of casting reverse gravity, the other the services of an air elementalist. The first version allegedly slams an entity in to the ground at twice their normal speed and damage. The second peppers them with 6d6 bolts of lightning along with the grounding attacks. Both versions work with either variant of the ritual.
Some metallic dragons are said to be immune to the effects of grounding; iron and steel dragons have been known to pay an abjurer handsomely who can cast these spells. What they gain from these magics is unknown.
Iron Awe
(Abjuration)
Level: 7
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Five years plus special (one turn per level - short version)
Casting Time: Three months (one turn – short version)
Area of effect: one mile radius per level from the point of forging. (one hundred yard radius per level – short version)
Saving Throw: None
Full Version: The full version of the spell requires the preparation of a special forge, anvil and tools suitable for the use of a master craftsman. The anvil must weight at least 200 lbs. and the value of the iron and tools must exceed 1,000 gp. At the start of the ceremony, a master armorer or weaponsmith crushes a 5000 gp diamond on the anvil. The anvil is then chained or moored to the area it will be used in. The abjurer requires the presence of either of these parties (or both) for the full duration of the ritual.
Each morning during a full casting, the abjurer casts enchant an item and enchanted weapon on the anvil while the armorer or smith are at work. Unlike normal castings of enchant an item, the abjurer is not tired by the dweomer, but he must carry the Master Key or a Copy on him at all times. At the end of three months a Copy Key is welded to the anvil and the enchantment is complete.
Depending on who aided the abjurer, a master armourer or a master weapon smith, the anvil may produce one quality weapon, shield, or a dozen arrows heads per month. These weapons carry a +1 magical charge provided both they and the anvil remain within the area affected by the ritual at all times. These weapons are not permanently enchanted however, and use up this charge when actual fighting occurs. Once activated, a charge lasts five days per level of the abjurer(s) who cast the original iron awe spell. At the end of this period the charge is expended and the weapon loses its bonus. For this reason weapons subject to iron awe are often locked in armories for use only during sieges; additionally the bonus on the weapons may grow to +2 if weapon and anvil remain within the area of the iron awe ritual for five years or more.
The weakness of iron awe is its anvil - should the anvil be stolen or moved beyond the range of the spell, all weapons forged on the anvil lose their bonuses until the anvil is recovered. If the stolen anvil is not returned to its enchantment point within one day per level of the iron awe’s caster(s), the enchantment permanently fails and the bonuses of all weapons made likewise disappear. If the anvil is destroyed, weapons enchanted under iron awe lose their bonuses immediately. Weapons moved beyond the radius of the ritual also lose their bonus, even when returned to the area of effect. Dispel magic cast against the anvil has no effect but works normally against weapons made under the spell.
Notes: The area subject to iron awe may be increased if more than one abjurer participates in casting the ritual. Iron awe cannot be made permanent and only one such spell may affect an area at one time – the oldest dweomer applies. The radius of iron awe is usually sufficient to allow sallies from most castles or keeps.
Short Version: A five pound iron hammer, a Key or a Copy and a 500 gp diamond are consumed in the casting. Additionally the mage must have acquired either the armorer or weaponsmith proficiencies, or be in the presence of someone who has these skills. The mage uses the hammer to drive an iron peg in to the ground, which serves as the centre of the spell. The mage may then enchant up two weapons per level with a +1 magical charge. The charge disappears at the end of the duration of the spell, if the weapons move beyond the spells radius, or after five rounds per level of fighting, which ever comes first.
Iron Demesne
(Abjuration)
Level: 7
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: special
Casting Time: One month
Area of effect: One mile radius per level of caster from the point of forging
Saving Throw: None
This spell is also known as oath of iron, and there is no short version. A ceremonial sword (or other weapon) of at least 5,000 gp value must be forged on an anvil subject to a full iron awe ritual. This sword represents the fealty that will be given to a city, castle or keep by the garrison protecting it. The area covered by the ritual is called an iron demesne and weapon created is called a demesne sword.
The demesne sword is prepared by casting shield, protection from evil 10’ radius, detect invisibility, detect evil, emotion (Courage and Hope), enchant an item, and strength on the weapon. Additionally the abjurer must maintain a constant litany to the weapon of the importance of honor, duty and obedience in a Lawful alignment tongue. A Copy Key is then soldered or welded to the sword to complete the full ritual.
To gain the benefits of iron demesne, a member of a garrison must swear fealty to the sword’s owner (or a Key or Copy holder like a castellan or seneschal). A garrison member is defined as anyone who spends at least nine months of the year serving at a particular location in a military capacity. If the oath is accepted, the oath taker gains the following benefits within the area of the demesne.
+1 on any saving throw or damage roll for as many times per season as years they have given oath.
+1 to morale
+1 to movement within the area of effect.
+1 or + 5% to detecting intruders within the area of effect, including invisible intruders.
An oath given under an iron demesne is not necessarily an oath kept, hence spies can benefit from this spell provided they form part of the garrison. Additional benefits apply however, to garrison members who keep the spirit of their oath.
Additional Benefits: If a faithful oath giver bleeds defending the ground covered by his iron demesne, a mystical bond forms between the demesne and the oath giver - he may then permanently gain one hit point. No more than one hit point may be acquired in this fashion in any one year and no more than four hit points in total.
If an oath giver keeps the spirit of their oath for seven years, they gain the benefit of a protection from evil or shield spell once per season within the range of the iron demesne.
Unlike other weapons forged under iron awe, a demesne sword does not automatically lose its dweomer if the anvil it was forged on is destroyed, or sword or anvil leave the area of effect - a demesne sword may leave its iron demesne for up to six months before the iron demesne fails.
A demesne sword may also have permanency cast upon it and if made permanent, it acts to maintain the iron demesne regardless of the existence or location of the anvil, or the location of the demesne sword. It is not uncommon for a ruler to set his demesne sword in stone (to prevent theft), to incorporate it in his throne, or to wear it on him at all times. Only one demesne sword may be forged from any anvil and multiple iron demesnes may not exist in the same area - the oldest active dweomer applies.
This may result in attempts by usurpers to steal or destroy the sword of a rightful demesne holder or to locate a lost or mythical weapon.
A demesne sword has other benefits. The weapon now acts as a Master Key and may be used to make as many Copy Keys as the original Key simply by touch. In any contest between Master Keys the sword has primacy, as do Copy Keys made from the demesne sword.
Iron demesne is not subject to dispel magic - the demesne sword must be beyond the demesne for at least six months (or destroyed if the weapon has permanency cast upon it) before the ritual will fail. For this reason many nobles are reluctant to provide services outside their demesne for more than a few months at a time. A fee called scutage is often paid instead of armed service.
Notes: In a commentary on Borrillian’s works, it is claimed that very old demesne swords acquire peculiar properties, bonding to particular bloodlines, increasing in area of effect, acquiring permanent magical abilities and in some cases coming to truly represent the land they have dominion over. It is said that if a druid participates in casting an iron demesne, the very land herself will aid the sword’s wielder, if they are defending the land from harm.
Tower of Iron Will
(Abjuration)
Level: 8
Range: touch
Casting Time: Six months (two hours – short version)
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Ten years plus special (one day per level – short version)
Area of effect: One structure 10ft on a side per level
Saving Throw: None
Full Version: This spell is cast on a structure previously subject to both fortify and wall guard rituals and requires the aid of a master engineer. It is extremely expensive to cast and consumes four Copy Keys, ten tons of iron and four diamonds of at least 5,000 gp value each. During casting, the iron and Keys are bolted to the structure and the diamonds crushed and sprinkled over the mass. All are consumed when the ritual is completed.
As part of the ritual, the abjurer casts wall of iron, mind blank, shield, wall of force, protection from evil, avoidance, strength, globe of invulnerability, emotion (hope and courage), and anti-magic shell over the structure to be protected. Tower of iron will also requires the blood of a psionic entity or that a psionist be present during the casting.
On completion, the defensive value of the structure vs. siege engines and giant boulders etc. increases by six times. Tower of iron will also enhances a structure’s resistance to disintegrate, passwall, earthquake and similar spells. The structure gains a +6 save vs these spells and from any other attack that might breach the building’s integrity. “Attack” includes scrying, attempts to penetrate or damage the structure by elementals, xorn and other creatures capable of moving through the earth; teleport, dimension door, plane shift, phase door and similar spells or effects; and the use of natural spell-like abilities like innate light or darkness, to overload the tower’s spell absorption capability.
If an entity fails to successfully attack a tower by a natural ability, it cannot try to re-enter or attack the tower by the same method for at least two hours per level of the caster(s) of the tower of iron will.
Possession of a correct Key or Copy always allows entry.
Other benefits: Creatures within the tower gain a +4 save vs all effects that influence the mind and that originate from outside the tower. If creatures subject to charm, possession, domination or similar effects enter the tower, they immediately gain a free saving throw, even if they have failed all previous attempts to free themselves.
The capacity of the wall guard spell within the structure is also enhanced. The tower may absorb twice as many spell levels per day as the combined levels of abjurer(s) who cast the original spell. This daily capacity increases by an additional two points for every year that goes by without the tower being subject to magical or mental attack
Maintenance of a tower of iron will spell must occur every ten years and requires an inspection of the structure by a master engineer carrying an active Key or Copy. Any faults or damage found by the engineer must be fully repaired during the season the inspection takes place and all repair work must be directed by the engineer bearing the Copy. Failure to maintain the spell results in the structure weakening at the rate of one extra level of structural strength per year. Bonuses vs. spells or intrusion fade at the same rate, as does the weekly spell absorption ability.
A full casting of tower of iron will may be made permanent, but this requires two separate castings of permanency - one for each pair of Keys used in the construction. If the ritual is made permanent, the spell absorbing capacity of the tower is fixed at the level when the ritual was first cast. Areas of a tower of iron will damaged in combat may be repaired provided at least 50% of the structure remains, but require the repair work be overseen by a master mason or engineer bearing a Key or Copy. Tower of iron will has no effect on magical items used within its structure (except those from the Underdark – these simply fail), spells cast within the tower, spells exiting the tower, spells existing prior to the tower of iron will being present, or any other iron abjuration.
Tower of iron will is not subject to dispel magic. A dispel magic, wall of iron, minor globe of invulnerability, globe of invulnerability or anti-magic shell spell cast against a tower of iron will acts to re-charge the tower’s spell absorption ability. Like wall guard, tower of iron will neutralises spell levels but is recharged by caster level. This means that a caster inside a tower may be able to ward off more powerful magical attackers, at least for a time.
No more than one tower of iron will may exist within the area of an iron demesne, unless the tower existed prior to the creation of the iron demesne, or the same Copy or Master Key as the demesne is used in its construction.
Like all other iron abjurations, the tower’s benefits may be made active or inactive by the touch of the correct Key or Copy. Except in time of war a tower is often left “inactive’ to allow its wall guard spell to absorb energy without interruption, and to allow those living in the tower to use other magics more easily e.g teleporting and scrying without needing a Key. Short Version: The short version consumes a diamond of at least 5,000 gp value, requires four iron statuettes of a humanoid on guard and consumes a copy key.
A shortened ritual of tower of iron will increases the defensive value of a structure by three times, allows a volume to absorb up to twice the caster’s level in spells per day and provides an automatic +2 saving throw vs all charm, domination or similar effects, even if such an effect is not normally allowed. The protected structure is resistant to all attempts at intrusion by magical means or ability – a save vs. spells at –2 is required. Failure denies entry via the same method for one hour per level of the caster. For the reduced version of the ritual, only a dispel magic, wall of iron, or minor globe of invulnerability, acts to re-charge the tower’s spell absorption ability.
Torus of Disjunction
(Abjuration)
Level: 8
Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Two years plus special (one hour per level – short version)
Casting Time: Five months (three turns – short version)
Area of effect: 40ft radius volume per level of the caster(s) (10ft radius volume per level - short version)
Saving Throw: Special
Full Version: Two great rings of iron are cast and mounted opposite each other in the floor and ceiling or a castle or keep. Both rings must be extensively carved with runes relating to conjuration, summoning, pursuit, movement, banishment and other planes of existence. The rings must be at least twenty feet in diameter, at least one foot in thickness and cost a minimum of 30,000 gp each.
The following spells form part of the full ritual used in casting a torus of disjunction: banishment, duo-dimension, shadow door, dispel magic, polymorph other, sequester, repulsion, plane shift, shadow walk, prismatic wall, protection from evil, 10' radius, teleport without error, dimension door, distance distortion, and maze. The spells are cast at different rings on alternate weeks and then repeated in reverse order. The costs of the individual spells used in casting a torus of disjunction are paid for as part of the forging costs of the rings.
Torus of disjunction exists to twist and distort the boundaries where the Prime Material touches other planes, making materialisation difficult or dangerous. To materialise in an area protected by a torus requires a save vs. spells at –4, with failure meaning the creature stays in its own plane of existence.
If entry is via plane shift, shadow door, shadow walking, teleport, teleport without error, astral travel, dimension door or similar spells or abilities, failure also leaves the victim stunned and helpless in the Astral or Ethereal planes. Each additional abjurer who helps cast the torus of disjunction results in a further -1 penalty on this saving throw, to a maximum of -6. Creatures do not receive magic resistance checks to avoid the effects of a torus of disjunction, because the actual environment the creature is crossing is warped, it is not an attack on the entity per se. In addition to stunning, failure to save vs. Spells means the creature must wait at least a week before another entry attempt can be made.
Successfully materialising may be even more dangerous than rejection. Entities find their arrival point warped and moving in a random direction by a number of yards equal to the level(s) of the abjurer(s) who cast the torus. A being entering an area subject to a torus of disjunction, can quite literally appear in a ceiling and be killed instantly; or find themselves flung in to a wall at bone breaking speed. Damage to a creature flung about by torus of disjunction is at least 12d6 and may be higher. Roll % dice and consult the teleport table to see if an arrival is high or low.
Torus of disjunction also exerts magical pressure on polymorphed creatures as they enter its area of effect. A spinning torus of disjunction may twist a creature back to its true form, but this form may be elongated or warped by the distortion of space around them. If a save vs. polymorph at -4 isn’t made, assume that torus of disjunction warps the entity for d6 points of damage per level of the most powerful abjurer who helped create the torus. If more than one abjurer helped cast the torus, a -1 penalty applies to the save, up to a maximum of -6. If the saving throw is failed by more than 4, the creature must save once again vs. polymorph or be afflicted with a major deformity, with one in ten deformities being instantly fatal. Once again magic resistance doesn’t apply, as its the space the creature is trying to occupy that is being twisted - this is not an attack on the entity per se.
Torus of disjunction is also effective against users of gaseous form, shadow form, statue, duo-dimension, enlarge, shrink and similar magics or abilities that alter shape or form – use the same rules as for a polymorph spell to see what the effects are.
Like other iron abjurations, torus of disjunction may be activated or deactivated by the correct Key or Copy. A torus may be activate for twice as many days per year as the highest level abjurer who helped cast the spell. Additionally, for every season that goes by without use, an additional free day's spinning is allowed. These free days are used like charges and can only be replaced during periods of inactivity.
A torus is maintained by regular polishing of the rings with substances inimical to extra planar creatures e.g. silver or iron, with substances difficult to penetrate e.g. lead; and with copper, amber and other charge inducing materials. Typically the lower ring will be rubbed with one substance while the upper ring is rubbed with its opposite. Maintaining a torus of disjunction costs about 200gp per year - a torus of disjunction that is not maintained loses two days of spinning for every year that goes by. When all charges are gone the dweomer fades.
A Key or copy allows safe arrival in an area protected by an active torus of disjunction with the Key holder appears in the eye of the torus. A Key is not required for a quick escape.
Short Version: The shorter version of this ritual requires a spinning iron top marked with gemmed runes of exclusion, repulsion and denial and of at least 1000gp value. As long as the top is spinning, the effect will remain until the duration of the spell ends. Unlike the full version of the ritual, creatures denied entry are not left stunned in the Astral or Ethereal, they maintain their wits and may attempt re-entry an hour or so later. Equally the distortion on entry is less severe, being only 1 foot per level of the caster. Damage is also reduced to 6d6 if impact with a surface occurs (but the teleport table still needs consulting and may result in death). The shortened version of the ritual still affects polymorphed creatures, but without the saving throw penalties. It has no affect on those subject to enlarge or shrink spells.
Borrillian’s Notes: I have found this spell to be despised by necromancers, those who make use of undead troops, creatures from other planes and the intelligent undead. A side effect of the warping process is to interfere with the undead’s connection to the Negative Material Plane. This can result in their weakening until they are slain or forced from the Prime Material - lesser undead like skeletons and zombies lose 1 HP per day until destroyed and greater undead like Vampires may lose up to half their hit points and their powers are weakened - all saving throws vs their powers. are at +2. Other extra-planar creatures may be similarly affected.
I have also found that an alternative to a building a torus is to use an druid’s lodestone circle. While this is often cheaper, the results are not always what is intended - creatures may be drawn to this plane instead of being excluded from it. It should be remembered that bags of holding and portable holes tend to malfunction near an active torus of disjunction and creatures with gating abilities may find them difficult or dangerous to use.
Lycanthropes and creatures with more than one form often fall ill and become sickly in the presence of a working torus, as do elves, humanoids and all Underdark races (similar claims are made for conjure sour). Conversely, dwarves, halflings, gnomes and humans often claim to feel invigorated in the presence of a spinning torus. I believe the reason for this elvish reaction is the thinness of their blood and their known aversion to iron. I have seen both drow and duergar fall vomiting to the floor as soon as a torus was activated in their presence. The radius protected by a torus includes the ground under the structure. It is not subject to dispel magic.
This ritual is used to mold an existing iron abjuration in to a form suitable to protect a city or large complex.
Mold Iron Abjuration
(Abjuration)
Level: 9
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: special
Casting Time: special (four hours – short version)
Area of effect: special
Saving Throw: None
Full Version: This spell is used to mold an existing iron abjuration in to a form suitable to protect a city wall or large defensive complex. Mold iron abjuration requires the use of a Master Key or Copy, a Master Surveyor, a Master Engineer, and a fighter, ranger or paladin of at least 9th level. The abjurer, surveyor, fighter and engineer must each walk a Key or Copy around the area to be protected, tracing out the line the spell will follow. Every one hundred feet or so, an iron billet of ten pounds weight and tipped with a 500GP gemstone is buried in the ground. If a demesne sword is used to trace out the protected area, the volume of metal used in the spell may be halved or the distance between billets doubled. If an area of water like a harbour is to be protected by this spell, it may be crossed by boat and the billets moored in place or the billet touched with a key and lowered over the side.
Mold iron abjuration can take several years to cast but doesn’t require the concentration of the other spells - provided the abjurer spends two or three days per week at the project, the casting will be completed in five or six years. Additionally the abjurer may delegate portions of the ritual to ordinary mages, provided they are of at least 12th level. With this approach, a dedicated abjurer and a team of four to six mages can protect a city in as little as six months.
Effects: An existing iron abjuration may be extended by mold iron abjuration, to include a volume as far out as twelve times the original radius of the spell. This means a conjure sour spell with a 700 foot radius, could be extended to follow a line of city walls within about a mile and a half of the spells centre.
Mold iron abjuration does not require upkeep, but the rituals being molded still require their normal maintenance (if any). Mold iron abjuration may be used to alter more than one iron abjuration at a time and may mold conjure sour, torus of disjunction, fortify, wall guard and grounding. It does not work with create key, or tower of iron will.
A variant of mold iron abjuration is used with iron awe and iron demesne and will only work if both rituals are present. Large iron stele of 500-lbs. weight must be erected every two miles around the area to be claimed and marked with runes of protection, guardianship and ruling. The border must then be ridden, walked or rowed with the demesne sword in hands of its current owner. The abjurer and ruler of the demesne then ride to the centre of the demesne, where the ruler ritually cuts him or herself with the demesne sword. This blood is then dabbed on each of the stele.
If the ruler is a follower of a fertility or druidic power, or of good alignment they may mark the stele with wine or grain as an alternative to the use of blood. The marking of the stele must occur at the height of Summer or on the first day of Spring, times when oaths and fealty are traditionally renewed. At the completion of the rituals the iron rusts away as the magic is absorbed by the land. An abjurer who casts this version of mold iron abjuration spell may cast no more magic for at least a season and is aged five years. It is said that ley lines can sometimes result from this spell.
Molded iron awe and iron demesne rituals must have a minimum width or breadth of at least one mile.
Short Version: The shorter version of this spell acts as a temporary extension spell, increasing the duration and radius of the other rituals by 50%. The material components are a drop of the caster’s blood, an emerald of at least 500 gp value and an iron billet cast in the form of a ring.
Other Iron Abjurations
Other iron abjurations attributed to Borrillian include: blood, iron and war, a spell used by human defenders to enhance siege weapons within an iron demesne; create quan (heart) iron, iron with a moral charge used to make swords of good alignments; create true iron, an iron said to be harder than adamantium and lethal to demons (Borrillian is alleged to have made a silver variant for devils); milestone, an abjuration that helps preserve roads; bands of steel, an imprisonment spell; monopole, a defensive spell vs. siege missiles and giant boulders; irony of war, which hardens ground, making tunnelling difficult without a Key and improving the foundations of castles or keeps; iron legion, an iron-based ritual for human armies on the march or those who require protection from humanoids; and nail, a small non-mage ritual said to have been invented for peasants to stop the entry of spirits.
The whereabouts of Borrillian of Rel Mord are unknown as he disappeared over one hundred years ago. It is said that an iron golem answering to his name currently guards the entrance to the Church of Rao in Greyhawk city.
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Scrolls of the Shadow Lord
by Scott Seeber
Introduction
564 CY
Perched atop a hill overlooking the town of Safeton sits the College of Shadow Mastery.
Within these walls the Shadow Magic Specialty is being pushed to new heights, with the graduation of well trained Shadow Mages and the creation of several new spells to bolster their asernals.
The School’s founder and first Chancellor, Belodrim Willomere, was a Shadow Mage who made a name for himself as a member of an adventuring party that traveled the Wild Coast. Many of the unique spells listed below are believed to have been created by Belodrim himself, who was also known as the "Shadow Lord".
578 CY
Belodrim, who had become active in the politics and diplomacy of the Wild Coast, mysteriously disappears. He no longer shows for any official functions, and a representative from the College of Shadowy Mastery confirms they have lost all contact with him as well. No explanations are given.
579 CY
One Month after Belodrim’s disappearance, a new Chancellor is elected from within the ranks of the College’s Staff, and life at the College returns to its normal routine…for a time. Nine months later, something within the walls of the School would go horribly wrong. Officials within Safeton began to realize something was amiss when no contact had been made with the School for 3 weeks. Though by no means open to the public, the Town of Safeton enjoyed a healthy relationship with the School, and representative from Safeton were often on hand within the College. Students and staff often frequented local establishments within the town. In the past three weeks, not a soul had been spotted in Safeton from the School. After some brief discussions, the authorities within Safeton dispatched a small contingent of town guard and 2 officials to head to the School to see what was amiss.
Upon their arrival, they saw no signs of life or movement on the normally patrolled walls of the College, which was built much like a large triangular Keep. They entered with no resistance, not even a locked door …and found the halls, classrooms and living quarters littered with the dead bodies of every inhabitant. All of the bodies, from the weakest student to the new Chancellor lay dead inside, their bodies shriveled and decaying, as if sucked of all life by some powerful force or creature. Several of the walls and items within the School were marred and marked, sign that clearly the large contingent of Mages loosed many spells at whomever - or whatever- their slayer was. Also found all about the School was a pasty, dark ichor of unknown origin, dripping from many of the walls and splattered about the floors. Truly, a bizarre and horrific scene, as indeed anything that could do what had happened here was a powerful force, and a potential threat to the safety of Safeton.
However, time went by and no threat ever materialized. Safeton officials seized may items and possessions from within the College, and amongst these would be born the "Scrolls of the Shadow Lord", a conglomeration of new Shadow Magic spells from within the Tomes and Scrolls found within.
The School was abandoned, and by law was never to be dwelt in again. They were fearful of simply destroying the structure, unsure of what magical protections they may face, so it currently sits relatively intact. Many theories sprang up as to what must have happened, including those who felt Belodrim had returned, now gone mad, and killed his ex-colleagues. Another rumor was that a powerful spell was being researched by the Staff of the College, and that something when wrong in the research, perhaps loosing some powerful creatures from the Plane of Shadow. This theory had its backing in the fact that a group of Sages and Wizards within Safeton identified an as of yet uncompleted powerful spell, original research begun by Belodrim and left for completion by the Staff, called Shadow War (detailed below), and their own notes listed it as "highly volatile" in nature. However, these and others are just rumors and theories, and nothing concrete has ever been proven.
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A Brief Overview of Hyperboria
by Jim Lanter
The northern continent of Hyperboria is a harsh environment. The weather is never truly warm and can be cold enough to freeze a person in minutes during the deepest part of evernight (as the time without sun is known). Geography of this northern land is bizarre. Along the coast, in a some places are icy beaches where during the warmer months, the landscape thaws and becomes a verdant tundra, a serengeti of sorts. More than half of the coastline consists of treacherous cliffs where the glaciers of the interior meet the ocean. Most of the interior is locked in the grip of an ice age and is a vast sea of rolling snow dunes. Winds here can top 100 miles per hour in the dead of winter, for in the center of the continent, at the north pole of Oerth, is Vinterhuld, the abode of the North Wind. This vast sea of snow and ice is pierced in many places by mountain-cloaked valleys known as the rifts. These can range in size from only a few miles in length and half a mile wide to broad areas equal in size to some of the countries of the eastern Flanaess.
Coastal Plains
As noted above, these wind-swept icy expanses become the bread-basket of the continent during the "summer" months. These areas hold the largest forests and the widest grasslands on the continent. Consequently, in the warm times, large numbers of animals wander the territories, feeding and being fed upon.
It should be noted that these are not the creatures found in most of Oerth, but rather throwbacks to a previous epoch, a time before humanity had awakened and the elves were young. As such, beasts long extinct in most of the world that dwarf their modern day descendants such as woolly mammoths and mastodons, giant sloths and gargantuan hairy rhinos can be found in abundance. Let the curious and adventuresome be warned that their ancient predators like cave bears, hyenadons and saber-toothed tigers also abound. In the winter, some of these predators and a majority of their prey hibernate; the remaining beasts are driven by hunger to attack anything edible (in game terms, morale = 16-18).
The plains are really the only places visited by neighboring lands of the Oerik Continent and Fireland. Even these excursions are infrequent; in the winter, the place is inhospitable and stalked by desperate predators. With the warming comes a great increase in the number of icebergs, even the smallest of which can grind a ship to tinder.
The Interior
The Ice Sea as the interior known is a challenging milieu. Nevertheless, this harsh landscape is far from lifeless. During the period of the midnight sun, herds of the ice divers comb in a whale-like manner the vast fields of algae and micro-organisms that thrive under the unrelenting light. When the sun is at its apex, hibernating groups of fish known as shiversides (similar to the lungfish of Earth) awaken to feed and reproduce. Groups of larger herbivores occasionally emerge from the rifts to browse the short-lived fields of highsun roses and slow root that blossom during this period. Birds migrate from the south to take advantage of both the abundant flora and fauna. However, only the ice divers forage the equally numerous fields of fungi that prefer the darkness of evernight. As ever-present as the 'divers are the muklings, rodent scavengers who build large, termite-like complexes in the Snow sea. A wide variety of predators cull the herbivore population including saber tooth cats, inland polar bears and winter wolves.
In the icy badlands, few sentient creatures are known to dwell. Among them are the legendary uldra, gnomish servants of the Wind and their companions and mounts, gargantuan Arctic deer. Somewhere in the icy wastes is said to lie the homeland of the Snur Olve, the reclusive Snow Elves. Contact with these fey beings is a perilous proposition for they are the masters of their harsh environment and, with the exception of the Uldra, have little love for other children of Oerth. The greatest peril of this gods-forsaken region are the marauding bands of Durkloks, twisted part-humans who offered themselves into the service of the Dark One, Tharizdun and forever forfeited their souls. They are the masters of stealth and hate all who do not share their damnation, slinking about in the dead of night, searching for victims back to drag back to their subterranean lairs for a cannibalistic orgy.
The Rifts
These regions actually reach the ocean shores, but are cut off from the outside world by glacial floes. The climate here is more clement, being mediated by the proximity to the ocean and a small amount of geothermal activity and these valleys support a wide variety of plant and animal life.
Plants in these regions range from "normal" vegetation to weird plant-fungus symbiotes and carnivorous menaces. Like the coastal plains, much of the indigenous fauna are from a bygone era (see above) and "normal" animals such as deer, antelope, badgers, etc. are rare.
Some realms have found a tenuous hold among the rifts. Communication and trade between these holdings is limited and relies on roving bands of Uldra whose deer-drawn sleds are the only vehicles able to withstand the difficult conditions "topside". During the months of darkness, in addition to diminished food supplies, these communities are subject to raids from desperate predators and marauding Durkloks. Life is indeed difficult for the cultures that have sprung up in these isolated areas and those that dwell here are among the toughest, most self-sufficient in all Oerth.
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Everyone who wants to know where it came from or wants to look at more stuff for themselves check out :
http://www.greyhawk-codex.com/
And more at:
http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze33gpz/gordmain.html
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That's all of the good stuff for now folks! Hope some got something out of this. ( like I didn't know hyperborea was full of crazy Tharzidun worshippers, bet Rhialto didn't know that as well )
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