D&D General Greyhawk did what? A partial list of Greyhawk Personalities

[Snarf Zagyg]

After looking at the two threads involving Greyhawk, I realized that there are many people who don't realize certain things are Greyhawk; either they think it's just "general D&D," or it's something that the Realms has tried to swallow up, or something else. So I thought I'd do a short post to ALPHABETICALLY introduce new readers to some of the key players and concepts of Greyhawk that they probably already know!

PERSONAGES OF NOTE

Acererak Yes, everyone's favorite lich, is a Greyhawk lich.

Azalin Rex Greyhawk loves the liches!

Bibgy Give that wizard a hand.

Bucknard Oh, to be a wizard, and only known for a purse.

Dragotha Greyhawk loves liches so much, they even liched the Dragons.

Drawmij A Jim Ward specialty. I'll let it sink in.

Eclavdra The ur-drow priestess is, of course, quintessential Greyhawk.

Evard I hear that tentacles are big in anime?

Gord a/k/a/ the Gord Mouser

Graz'zt Why is Graz'zt here? Because of Iggwilv and Iuz, of course. He has always been entwined with Greyhawk.

Heward Bards love alliteration. But he started as a Bard, and for his Bard sins, became a God.

Iuz The demon who walks the land.

Kas I did all this stuff, and people keep asking about my sword!

Keraptis Yep, a Greyhawk wizard.

Leomund I'd love to talk to the guy, but he never comes out of his hut.

Lum & Leuk-O I kill countless people with my machine and they call me mad?

Melf My minute meteors are not overcompensation for anything. Promise.

Mordenkainen I'm just like Elminster, except I don't care, I won't help you, and go away.

Murlynd The original six-shooter.

Nolzur Come for the illusions, stay for the paints.

Nystul So, uh, I'm famous for making people think something is magic that's not really magic. How you doin'? Wait, where are you going?

Otiluke Big, big fan of spheres.

Otto Otiluke can have his sphere. I JUST WANT TO DANCE!

Quaal Feather fetishes are such a Ranger thing.

Rary I like my memory enhanced and my steak medium rary.

Rexfelis The Cat Lord, and other Animal Lords, are Greyhawk.

Robilar You got through Tomb of Horrors? Cool story, bro. I did it by myself before it was published.

Snurre How many giant names resonate through history?

Tasha/Iggwilv Not gonna touch this debate.

Tenser I'm not .... serten ... about that floating disk.

Vecna Vecna is Greyhawk.

Zagig Yragerne Former lord mayor of Greyhawk, not to be confused with Zagyg (the god he becomes), Xagyg (alternate spelling) or Xagig (yet another spelling).

Now, this is just a partial list; Greyhawk could claim others that you'd know, but a lot of these names should be at least somewhat familiar. And while I listed a few individuals that are now "gods" or close to it (Vecna, Iuz, Graz'zt, Zagyg, Heward), I didn't bother including the many deities (such as Kyuss) that were appropriated to other settings.


Looking through this list, I did realize one thing- the story of Greyhawk is one of contradictions. It is often considered a gritty and political setting, yet (unlike the Forgotten Realms) it has a lot of gonzo weirdness to it as well (Barrier Peaks, Wonderland). And while the setting is harsh, it is also one where the adventurers, should they survive long enough, can truly make an impact; whether it is to become a landed Lord of the Realm or to even ascend to a higher status (whether due to power, like Zagig, or because a Greyhawk with one less Bard is a good thing, like Heward).

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I would add that many artifacts (Axe of the Dwarvish Lords, Rod of Seven Parts, Baba Yaga's Hut, Orbs of Dragonkind, Body Parts of Vecna and the Sword of Kas that cut them off, etc.) are also ... Greyhawk Artifacts.

But real players are all about the relics. You're nothing until you've started putting the Teeth of Dahlev-Nar into your mouth. That's some serious Cronenbergian body horror!

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

And... THE DUNGEONS!

The Temple of Elemental Evil
The Lost Caves of Tsojcanth
The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun
White Plume Mountain
The Shrine of the Kuo-Toa
The Vault of the Drow
The Ghost Tower of Inverness
Bone Hill
Castle Zagyg/The Ruins of Greyhawk
The Star Cairns
The Crypt of Lyzandred the Mad
The Doomgrinder
THE FREAKING TOMB OF HORRORS!!!

And I'm sure there are a whole bunch I'm forgetting!

Greyhawk is all about the Dungeons, man. All about the Dungeons.

 

[Quartz]

Slerotin = the original epic mage who passed into legend.
The Gynarch of Hardby.

You're nothing until you've started putting the Teeth of Dahlev-Nar into your mouth.

I considered putting them in long, long ago. But not as teeth you put into your mouth: the safer way to use them was to string them on a necklace, and even safer if it was the Necklace of Dahlver-Nah.

Another idea I had was that they were to be embedded in a club, Dahlver-Nar being an ancient shaman of Erythnul.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I considered putting them in long, long ago. But not as teeth you put into your mouth: the safer way to use them was to string them on a necklace, and even safer if it was the Necklace of Dahlver-Nah.

You might be able to do something with high-level magic, but ...
Each of the Teeth has some power, and if one character manages to gain a full quarter, half, or all of them, other grand benefits accrue. In order to gain the power of one of these teeth, however, the character must place it into his or her mouth, where it will graft itself in the place of a like missing tooth. The teeth can never be removed once so emplaced. short of the demise of the possessor.

DMG p. 161.

Which usually meant both getting them, and using them, was a grisly process.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

While Greyhawk undoubtedly is home to many storied personages, I don't think Azalin can be listed amongst them. He first appeared in I10, which was set in Mordentshire. His Greyhawk origin story came much after his introduction, after even the 2e Ravenloft boxed set. No, Azalin Rex belongs to Ravenloft.

But I can also add one to the list:

St. Kargoth the Betrayer - the first named Death Knight, predating even the most famous one, Lord Soth.

 

[Quartz]

You might be able to do something with high-level magic, but ...
Each of the Teeth has some power, and if one character manages to gain a full quarter, half, or all of them, other grand benefits accrue. In order to gain the power of one of these teeth, however, the character must place it into his or her mouth, where it will graft itself in the place of a like missing tooth. The teeth can never be removed once so emplaced. short of the demise of the possessor.

So the stories are wrong for my campaign. Who'da' thunk it? It never happened anyway as I never got around to it.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

While Greyhawk undoubtedly is home to many storied personages, I don't think Azalin can be listed amongst them. He first appeared in I10, which was set in Mordentshire. His Greyhawk origin story came much after his introduction, after even the 2e Ravenloft boxed set. No, Azalin Rex belongs to Ravenloft.

But I can also add one to the list:

St. Kargoth the Betrayer - the first named Death Knight, predating even the most famous one, Lord Soth.

I10 was published in 1986, prior to introduction of the Ravenloft boxed set / Realms of Terror (second edition, 1990). I excluded a lot of characters that were later retconned into Greyhawk, but I think with the timeline/history (and Greyhawk's love of all things Lich) Azalin is a fair inclusion.

I did debate it, and I ended up excluding others (like Kargoth and Warduke) for similar reasons.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

So the stories are wrong for my campaign. Who'da' thunk it? It never happened anyway as I never got around to it.

Ha!

You know, it's funny. Everyone today talks about how D&D today is so much more freeing, and there are so many more options.

...and yet, whether it's because of the 3e+ fidelity to the rules, or the standardization and homogenization that comes with the internet, I think that that D&D today is much less weird than it was. The sheer amount of table variance (especially in terms of rules) is more constrained today, from what I've seen.

 

[Minigiant]

Greyhawk
Get Epic or Die Trying the Setting

There is the "retire on your stacks of cash" option but what fun is that?

 

[Voadam]

Rexfelis The Cat Lord, and other Animal Lords, are Greyhawk.

Cat Lord is the only Greyhawk one I am really familiar with, connected with Greyhawk from Gord the Rogue and showing up in the MMII (I do not know if there is an earlier version). The earlier Deities and Demigods gave us the ones from Moorcock, and Greenwood picked those up for FR turning his lion lord into Aslan then into Nobanion. OA has a couple as well IIRC and that was hinted at as Greyhawk until the second product in the line placed it firmly into the Forgotten Realms.

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

You know, it's funny. Everyone today talks about how D&D today is so much more freeing, and there are so many more options.

...and yet, whether it's because of the 3e+ fidelity to the rules, or the standardization and homogenization that comes with the internet, I think that that D&D today is much less weird than it was. The sheer amount of table variance (especially in terms of rules) is more constrained today, from what I've seen.

A roleplaying group used to often be a gamemaster's own little cult; given how few people were in the hobby (at least after a certain age), they might often literally be "the only game in town".

Now it's become a phenomenon, and thus more standardized, as people flit between groups and are generally expected to have more of a shared language than us old grognards are used to!

 

[Orius]

I would add that many artifacts (Axe of the Dwarvish Lords, Rod of Seven Parts, Baba Yaga's Hut, Orbs of Dragonkind, Body Parts of Vecna and the Sword of Kas that cut them off, etc.) are also ... Greyhawk Artifacts.

But real players are all about the relics. You're nothing until you've started putting the Teeth of Dahlev-Nar into your mouth. That's some serious Cronenbergian body horror!

Greyhawk actually appropriated Baba Yaga and her hut from Slavic folklore:

Baba Yaga - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Greyhawk actually appropriated Baba Yaga and her hut from Slavic folklore:

Isn’t that common knowledge?

Along the lines of, “Hey, did you ever notice there might be a resemblance between the hammer/belt/girdle combo and certain Norse myths?”

 

[MNblockhead]

Isn’t that common knowledge?

Along the lines of, “Hey, did you ever notice there might be a resemblance between the hammer/belt/girdle combo and certain Norse myths?”

Well, sure, but I think @Orius's point was that it is not Greyhawk specific.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Well, sure, but I think @Orius's point was that it is not Greyhawk specific.

But isn’t the artifact?

it dates to Eldritch Wizardry, and while the appropriation is obvious, that doesn’t make it less “first in Greyhawk.”

 

[MNblockhead]

But isn’t the artifact?

it dates to Eldritch Wizardry, and while the appropriation is obvious, that doesn’t make it less “first in Greyhawk.”

I don't know. I guess I'm not ready to give any setting credit for being first to use a figure from history or fable. It would seem weird and vaguely inappropriate to me if someone were to claim "first" for, say, using Norse gods in their setting. Same thing with Baba Yaga and her walking hut. Greyhawk didn't create Baba Yaga or her walking hut and it feels inappropriate or incorrect to state that they are Greyhawk.

 

[Raduin711]

Of course there is St. Cuthbert, who ascended to godhood and hid his holy mace in... a museum in London, England.

 

[Coroc]

After looking at the two threads involving Greyhawk, I realized that there are many people who don't realize certain things are Greyhawk; either they think it's just "general D&D," or it's something that the Realms has tried to swallow up, or something else. So I thought I'd do a short post to ALPHABETICALLY introduce new readers to some of the key players and concepts of Greyhawk that they probably already know!

PERSONAGES OF NOTE

Acererak Yes, everyone's favorite lich, is a Greyhawk lich.

Azalin Rex Greyhawk loves the liches!

Bibgy Give that wizard a hand.

Bucknard Oh, to be a wizard, and only known for a purse.

Dragotha Greyhawk loves liches so much, they even liched the Dragons.

Drawmij A Jim Ward specialty. I'll let it sink in.

Eclavdra The ur-drow priestess is, of course, quintessential Greyhawk.

Evard I hear that tentacles are big in anime?

Gord a/k/a/ the Gord Mouser

Graz'zt Why is Graz'zt here? Because of Iggwilv and Iuz, of course. He has always been entwined with Greyhawk.

Heward Bards love alliteration. But he started as a Bard, and for his Bard sins, became a God.

Iuz The demon who walks the land.

Kas I did all this stuff, and people keep asking about my sword!

Keraptis Yep, a Greyhawk wizard.

Leomund I'd love to talk to the guy, but he never comes out of his hut.

Lum & Leuk-O I kill countless people with my machine and they call me mad?

Melf My minute meteors are not overcompensation for anything. Promise.

Mordenkainen I'm just like Elminster, except I don't care, I won't help you, and go away.

Murlynd The original six-shooter.

Nolzur Come for the illusions, stay for the paints.

Nystul So, uh, I'm famous for making people think something is magic that's not really magic. How you doin'? Wait, where are you going?

Otiluke Big, big fan of spheres.

Otto Otiluke can have his sphere. I JUST WANT TO DANCE!

Quaal Feather fetishes are such a Ranger thing.

Rary I like my memory enhanced and my steak medium rary.

Rexfelis The Cat Lord, and other Animal Lords, are Greyhawk.

Robilar You got through Tomb of Horrors? Cool story, bro. I did it by myself before it was published.

Snurre How many giant names resonate through history?

Tasha/Iggwilv Not gonna touch this debate.

Tenser I'm not .... serten ... about that floating disk.

Vecna Vecna is Greyhawk.

Zagig Yragerne Former lord mayor of Greyhawk, not to be confused with Zagyg (the god he becomes), Xagyg (alternate spelling) or Xagig (yet another spelling).

Now, this is just a partial list; Greyhawk could claim others that you'd know, but a lot of these names should be at least somewhat familiar. And while I listed a few individuals that are now "gods" or close to it (Vecna, Iuz, Graz'zt, Zagyg, Heward), I didn't bother including the many deities (such as Kyuss) that were appropriated to other settings.


Looking through this list, I did realize one thing- the story of Greyhawk is one of contradictions. It is often considered a gritty and political setting, yet (unlike the Forgotten Realms) it has a lot of gonzo weirdness to it as well (Barrier Peaks, Wonderland). And while the setting is harsh, it is also one where the adventurers, should they survive long enough, can truly make an impact; whether it is to become a landed Lord of the Realm or to even ascend to a higher status (whether due to power, like Zagig, or because a Greyhawk with one less Bard is a good thing, like Heward).

?Phillidor? aka the blue wizard (I hope I got the name right from my memory )

Also there was this other vampire lord who migrated for ravenloft for his own domain, an elf I think.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I don't know. I guess I'm not ready to give any setting credit for being first to use a figure from history or fable. It would seem weird and vaguely inappropriate to me if someone were to claim "first" for, say, using Norse gods in their setting. Same thing with Baba Yaga and her walking hut. Greyhawk didn't create Baba Yaga or her walking hut and it feels inappropriate or incorrect to state that they are Greyhawk.

Not sure how to address this? Vaguely inappropriate?

The original post only listed some of the artifacts that originally were listed from Greyhawk. In other words, they were "first" in Greyhawk. I could've listed the Wand of Orcus.

Baba Yaga was always acknowledge to be the version we are familiar with here, but as a plane traveler. See, e.g., Dragon 76 (a cannibalistic ogre witch who dwelled in old Russia; Dragon 70 (plane walker); Dragon 83 (Baba Yaga appears across dozens of prime material planes).

The artifacts that I listed, whether's Baba Yaga's Hut, or the Axe of the Dwarvish Lord, or the Rod of Seven Parts, were first in Greyhawk. That's not an exclusive thing! That's before even getting into issues like St. Cuthbert (of the cudgel, of the mace, and of the Greyhawk pantheon) and his historical antecedent, and why Greyhawk is using "Saint" as an antecedent honorific.

IMO, it ties into the earlier conception of the multiple primes that was so prevalent then, and the whole Oerth/Yrth/Urth/Aerth/Earth thing. I mean, we are all just shadows on the cave.