Kristian Serrano
Explorer
That's the Living Greyhawk Kingdom of Nyrond regional web site. I'm sure they have permission to post that content.Eric Anondson said:
Tell me about Greyhawk
- Thread starter Moggthegob
- Start date
Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
Ah, Greyhawk! Let me spin an old yarn ...
The grognards know the rest
The grognards know the rest
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
Man, you don't get many fantasy settings nowadays that allude to Cold World facts of life like Mutually Assured Destruction.
CruelSummerLord
First Post
GVDammerung said:I have the greatest respect for CSL's CF work; our views on some of the more exotic elements of GH differ markedly, however.
Per GH canon, Murlynd's clerics/paladins are capable of creating and using gunpowder weapons similar to Murlynd's, though less advanced.
IME, "most" GH fans readily acknowledge Expedition to the Barrier Peaks from whence spaceships and blackholes come, but most do not choose to run GH campaigns where that is involved. A difference and a distinction from pretending "that never happened."
More generally, GH does not anywhere state or imply that letting orcs, goblins and other humanoids live would be an evil act. In fact, the mini-adventure "The Born Again Ogres of the Blinding Light" in the City of Greyhawk Boxed set presents evidence that humanoids can be "redeemed" to be more or less solid citizens. I think there is one other adventure like this too, but its name escapes me at the moment. IMO, orcs more generally are D&D's Klingons waiting to happen - the "bad guys" who become "cool" not "so bad guys."
Anyhoo . . .
Oh, of course. GVD does some very fine work himself. It's all good-if you think it's evil to kill humanoids just because they're humanoids, that's an entirely legitimate belief. I just put that in as a reaction against what I perceive as an increasing "sanitization" of D&D, and a desire to darken things in a way that doesn't involve demolishing half the setting (e.g., From The Ashes).
This is the Golden Rule of Greyhawk:
Do what you want with it. If you love fantasy/sci-fi/Western crossovers, like GVD does, then feel free to go hog wild with them. If you hate some aspects of written canon, like I do, feel free to ignore them and substitute what you want in its place.
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
You're a cruel, cruel summer lord,
Leaving me here on my own.
You're a cruel, cruel summer lord,
Now you're gone.
The castle is crowded,
My party is away,
And I'm on my own.
It's too hot to handle,
So I got to get up and go.
The Sinister Secret of Bananarama was my favorite module in the 1980s.
Leaving me here on my own.
You're a cruel, cruel summer lord,
Now you're gone.
The castle is crowded,
My party is away,
And I'm on my own.
It's too hot to handle,
So I got to get up and go.
The Sinister Secret of Bananarama was my favorite module in the 1980s.
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CruelSummerLord
First Post
Whizbang Dustyboots said:
Heheheheheheh. I'm actually more of an Ace of Base fan. It was their cover of Bananarama that I stole the name from, as well as the titles for some of my old Final Fantasy RPG games back in the day.
Maldin
First Post
Bananarama and Ace of Base as RPG inspiration... who'd a thunk it?? 
Denis, aka "Maldin"
Maldin's Greyhawk http://melkot.com
Denis, aka "Maldin"
Maldin's Greyhawk http://melkot.com
Edena_of_Neith
First Post
I used Almor and Medegia as inspiration for the purposes of the destructive effects of the Solistari War, in my home game.
Of course, Geoff, Sterich, the Shield Lands, the southern Wild Coast, and the eastern half of the Principality of Ulek suffered equally massive destruction, along with other places.
War ... hmmm ... nasty concept ...
I don't think Good and Evil are really relevant in the lands of Aerdi.
Everyone's alignment instead is: Long to see the next sunrise.
Of course, Geoff, Sterich, the Shield Lands, the southern Wild Coast, and the eastern half of the Principality of Ulek suffered equally massive destruction, along with other places.
War ... hmmm ... nasty concept ...
I don't think Good and Evil are really relevant in the lands of Aerdi.
Everyone's alignment instead is: Long to see the next sunrise.
Edena_of_Neith
First Post
Greyhawk is set on the planet Oerth, on the continent of Oerik (the largest continent on the planet) in it's northeastern region.
East of the Barrier Peaks/Crystalmists/Hellfurnaces, Amedio coast, the land is actually peninsular shaped, compared to the rest of the continent.
Due to the effects of magic, what would have been the normal climate of this region, known as the Flanaess, has been suspended and artificial climates imposed.
The southern half of the continent is warm temperate to subtropical, becoming tropical off the south coast.
The northern half of the continent is subarctic or arctic, and the ocean off the north coast is choked with ice the year around.
The western lands (Zeif, Ekbir, Tusmit) are kept temperate by a strong warm current in the ocean north of them, and this climate turns to subtropical steppe further south, then to the inferno region known as the Sea of Dust. Thus, it is even warmer west of the Yatil/Barrier Peak/Crystalmist/Hellfurnaces north-south divide than it is east of there.
Once upon a time, the Flannaess was dominated by a native group of people known as the Flan. Today, this human people controls only Perrenland, but back then they contested with elves, dwarves, and others for control of the region.
West of the divide were two Arcane Age empires: the Suloise Imperium (where the Sea of Dust is) and the Baklunish Empire (where the Dry Steppes are.) The Suloise Imperium was a tropical or subtropical green land at the time (or whatever climate the wizards wanted), was dominated by the Suel humans, and was Menibonean in nature (it was decadent far beyond anything Ancient Rome had to offer.) The Baklunish Empire was temperate forest held by the Baklunish people, and although sedate and aged was a more friendly place.
A large group of barbarian peoples, known as the Oeridians, existed in misery in both places, and those that could had fled for safer pastures for thousands of years. Many passed eastward into the Flanaess, warred with the Flan and everyone else, and started creating their own nations.
Then the Suloise and Baklunish annihilated each other in the Twin Cataclysms, and those nations were no more. The modern geography and climate of those regions were established.
Oeridians who had survived fled east to supplement their kindred east of the divide.
Remnants of the Suel people fled east, but stayed south in the tropical places south of the main Flanaess. A notable exception was one group that ended up in the northeasternmost part of the Flanaess, the chilly Thillronian Peninsula.
The remnants of the Baklunish people went north and established a series of small nations along the north coast, west of the Divide. They later expanded eastward along the coast, and inland to the Divide.
The Oeridians became dominant in the Flanaess, and have been dominant since. They established such places as Keoland, Furyondy, Nyrond, and the Great Empire of Aerdi.
The Oeridians are known for their energy, their perseverence, their ingenuity, and their ruthlessness. Although they never achieved the magical might of the Suel, they made up for it with leadership, tactics, discovered artifacts and relics, and standing together against all comers.
If you look at the history of the House of Naelax and it's Great Kingdom of Aerdi, you'll see just what sort of stuff Oeridians are made out of, and how they carry on in peace and in war.
It would be well to do so. For Oeridians dominate most of the Flanaess still, and if you visit Greyhawk you're going to have to deal with them. And that's right: they don't like you. They don't like anyone, really, since everyone is out to get them (see The Greyhawk Wars.) Why should they like you ... unless you're coming with gold to appease them?
Fortunately for you, they like each other even less. So they just might let you live, if they see some use in you towards furthering their warring on their own kind, or profitting more from said warring.
East of the Barrier Peaks/Crystalmists/Hellfurnaces, Amedio coast, the land is actually peninsular shaped, compared to the rest of the continent.
Due to the effects of magic, what would have been the normal climate of this region, known as the Flanaess, has been suspended and artificial climates imposed.
The southern half of the continent is warm temperate to subtropical, becoming tropical off the south coast.
The northern half of the continent is subarctic or arctic, and the ocean off the north coast is choked with ice the year around.
The western lands (Zeif, Ekbir, Tusmit) are kept temperate by a strong warm current in the ocean north of them, and this climate turns to subtropical steppe further south, then to the inferno region known as the Sea of Dust. Thus, it is even warmer west of the Yatil/Barrier Peak/Crystalmist/Hellfurnaces north-south divide than it is east of there.
Once upon a time, the Flannaess was dominated by a native group of people known as the Flan. Today, this human people controls only Perrenland, but back then they contested with elves, dwarves, and others for control of the region.
West of the divide were two Arcane Age empires: the Suloise Imperium (where the Sea of Dust is) and the Baklunish Empire (where the Dry Steppes are.) The Suloise Imperium was a tropical or subtropical green land at the time (or whatever climate the wizards wanted), was dominated by the Suel humans, and was Menibonean in nature (it was decadent far beyond anything Ancient Rome had to offer.) The Baklunish Empire was temperate forest held by the Baklunish people, and although sedate and aged was a more friendly place.
A large group of barbarian peoples, known as the Oeridians, existed in misery in both places, and those that could had fled for safer pastures for thousands of years. Many passed eastward into the Flanaess, warred with the Flan and everyone else, and started creating their own nations.
Then the Suloise and Baklunish annihilated each other in the Twin Cataclysms, and those nations were no more. The modern geography and climate of those regions were established.
Oeridians who had survived fled east to supplement their kindred east of the divide.
Remnants of the Suel people fled east, but stayed south in the tropical places south of the main Flanaess. A notable exception was one group that ended up in the northeasternmost part of the Flanaess, the chilly Thillronian Peninsula.
The remnants of the Baklunish people went north and established a series of small nations along the north coast, west of the Divide. They later expanded eastward along the coast, and inland to the Divide.
The Oeridians became dominant in the Flanaess, and have been dominant since. They established such places as Keoland, Furyondy, Nyrond, and the Great Empire of Aerdi.
The Oeridians are known for their energy, their perseverence, their ingenuity, and their ruthlessness. Although they never achieved the magical might of the Suel, they made up for it with leadership, tactics, discovered artifacts and relics, and standing together against all comers.
If you look at the history of the House of Naelax and it's Great Kingdom of Aerdi, you'll see just what sort of stuff Oeridians are made out of, and how they carry on in peace and in war.
It would be well to do so. For Oeridians dominate most of the Flanaess still, and if you visit Greyhawk you're going to have to deal with them. And that's right: they don't like you. They don't like anyone, really, since everyone is out to get them (see The Greyhawk Wars.) Why should they like you ... unless you're coming with gold to appease them?
Fortunately for you, they like each other even less. So they just might let you live, if they see some use in you towards furthering their warring on their own kind, or profitting more from said warring.
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GVDammerung
First Post
CruelSummerLord said:
Very much agreed and you make a greater point as well. More than any other setting Greyhawk lets you make these kind of choices in a meaningful way, not in a vacume, because Greyhawk includes the seeds you need to go anywhere you want to go with your game.
Want a low magic Eberron with no warforged? Can be done. Just get ready to get no help from the setting doing it. Warforged and "magic cum technology" are hardwired into the setting as published. By contract Greyhawk hardwires in spaceships etc. but with a much less heavy hand, letting individual DMs make the call and not getting in the way of that call but fascilitating it either way. BTW, if it needs saying, this is not an attack on Eberron - Eberron has a very intentional vision and presents itself extremely well in service of that vision and intention.
Want a Realms game with no Elminster, no Chosen, no Seven Sisters, no Harpers, no Drizzt or other highly assertive doers of good? Can do! Just get ready for no help from the setting doing it. Highly assertive doers of good are hardwired into the setting as published. By contrast Greyhawk has its highly assertive doers of good too but they are all together fewer and farther between, letting DM's more easily make the call as to how assertive or prominent they want these folks to be, or not, fascilitating it either way. BTW, if it needs saying, this is not an attack on the Realms - the Realms has a very intentional vision and presents itself extremely well in service of that vision and intention, particularly, IMO, in 3X.
In other words, Greyhawk gives you pretty much everything within the setting, in canon, to work with but generally does so very lightly, making it easy to emphasize what you want without the need to undo or ignore too much of anything. IMO, Greyhawk does this better than any other setting but this can be good or bad. If you want a strong vision of how a setting "should" or most likely could be played, you might not want Greyhawk. If you want a setting that gives you every option without really emphasizing or getting in the way of any of those options, leaving the decision making (and heavy lifting!) to you to make the setting go, you might want to take a look at Greyhawk.
Eberron does what it does better than any other setting. The Realms does what it does better than any other setting. Greyhawk does what it does better than any other setting and what it is that Greyhawk does is give DMs more of a toolbox approach, leaving DMs to more decide what to build with those tools.
What CSL said and more!
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