“…machinations, hollowness, treachery,
and all ruinous disorders,
follow us disquietly to our graves…”
― William Shakespeare, King Lear
The Circle of Eight had been betrayed, by one of their
own, no less. Rary of Ket, the once patient peacekeeper, had murdered Tenser
and Otiluke. He and his co-conspirator, Lord Robilar, himself once a famed and
celebrated member of Mordenkainen’s Citadel, had failed in their attempt to
usurp the Circle and destabilise the Nations of Weal.
In the agonizing aftermath of the Greyhawk wars, when
conflict touched virtually every corner of the continent, few gained more
infamy than Rary of the Circle of Eight. Once considered a quiet, peaceful man
with few ambitions, the great mage instead was corrupted to the ways of evil
[.] [WGR3 Rary the Traitor – 4]
Inconceivable! But true!
[B]rooding upon his decades of ceaseless toil and
frustration and his lack of success in the path of neutrality, Rary finally and
irrevocably fell under evil's sway. Returning to Greyhawk, Rary enlisted the
aid of Lord Robilar, a powerful if somewhat unstable nobleman with a
substantial household guard, and together the two formulated a plan to put
themselves into a position of power in the Flanaess. [WGR3 – 7]
To what end? There were more questions than answers.
Magical scrying and the strenuous efforts of sages
have not availed to give the full story of what happened that day. [FtAA – 9]
Truly, all that
can be said is that Rary's treachery that day […] gained the Archmage
of Ket everlasting infamy. [LGJ#0 – 7]
584 CY
 |
| Rary's Betrayal |
All that is known for sure is that, within the Grand
Hall where the treaty was to be signed, a fierce magical battle erupted and
spread havoc through the Old City. [FtAA – 9]
Rary, turned traitor on the city, […] immolating
several blocks of the city in magical fire. [LGJ#5 – 8]
Afterwards, two members of the famed Circle of Eight,
the great mages of Greyhawk, lay dead; Otiluke and Tenser were no more. [FtAA
– 9]
One would expect that they would have “survived” their
ordeal, though. Right? Steps had been taken, in that regard. Right?
Following a near-tragedy at the hands of Vecna’s
followers, all members of the Eight kept a number of active clones. [PGtG – 23]
But Rary’s
treachery was deep, deeper than anyone could have imagined. It would seem that
he had planned to murder them … for all time.
In the ensuing confusion and shock, Lord Robilar's own
troops struck, destroying every one of the dead wizards' hidden clones,
assuring the permanent death of both Tenser and Otiluke. [WGR3 – 7]
Their magical clones likewise shrivelled and perished,
and their own bodies could not be resurrected. It is also known that Rary of
Ket, another Circle member, was last seen fleeing with Lord Robilar into the
Bright Desert, and that Rary had turned traitor and had slain his old friends.
[FtAA – 9]
The motive behind Rary’s treachery remains clouded.
According to many who knew him, the wizard probably saw an opportunity to seize
power and land in the confusion that would follow the assassinations. Others
suggest Rary was a pawn of the Scarlet Brotherhood. [Wars – 24]
Many suspected that Rary wished to hold the
ambassadors hostage, but instead, he fled to the Bright Desert to form his own
kingdom. [WGG 3e – 4]
The Eight were now Five:
In the last two decades, the Circle has seen members
come and go, but its dedication to Mordenkainen's goals and methods remains
steadfast. Current members include Bigby of Mitrik (N male human Wiz19), once
Mordenkainen's apprentice and now an archmage in his own right; the rotund and
jovial Otto (N male human Wiz15/Clr3 of Boccob), who favors the kitchen over
the laboratory; Jallarzi Sallavarian of Greyhawk (NG female human Wiz15), one
of the most dynamic wizards in a city of mages; the reclusive Drawmij (N male
human Wiz18), who oversees Keoland and the south from his undersea lair near
Gradsul; and Nystul (N male human Wiz17), a Tenha expatriate who wishes to
expand the Circle, beyond eight if need be, to combat the growing threats
presented by Iuz, Turrosh Mak, and the consolidating factions of the former
Great Kingdom. [LGG – 156]
Need less to
say, the surviving members of the Circle were shocked.
The treachery left the Eight (now Five: Bigby,
Drawmij, Jallarzi Sallavarian, Nystul and Otto) reeling. [Rot8 – 2]
Never did the view of those scrying crystals turn
inward, however, toward the plans of the single individual who could do the
most harm to the delegates' cause. [LGJ#0
– 7]
Their reactions
were mixed, to say the least:
Once timid and cautious, Bigby now acts as an
ambassador for the Circle, traveling the Flanaess in search of new contacts or
information. [LGJ#0 – 8]
Drawmij met the news of the treachery of Rary with
classic dispassion. Indeed, the nascent archmage appears to have been the
Circle member least affected by the events of the Greyhawk Wars and
Reconstruction. [LGJ#0 – 8]
[Drawmij] is affable, and given his profession, little
attention is paid to what Rary once termed "troubling
inconsistencies." [LGJ#0 – 8]
Jallarzi Sallavarian] has sworn vengeance against
Rary, though she has not taken any public action against her one-time comrade.
[LGJ#0 – 8]
She wasn’t the only one filled
with rage. Or in need for revenge. Tenser had many friends and allies. And a
vast network of confidants and collaborators.
Schinus Balint, Commander of the Cairn Hills Force
Schinus has a secret ambition: he wants to hunt down
Robilar and Rary and kill them. Schinus had his own life saved from a dragon
turtle by Tenser, and has been an escort to Jallarzi Sallavarian, and he hopes
to track down the renegades, revenge his old friend Tenser, and present himself
covered in glory to Jallarzi, whom he admires and desires greatly. [FtAC – 30]
Otto’s views on
the betrayal have never been made public.
Nor
Mordenkainen’s. He appears to have paid far closer attention to “his work” than
he had prior, though.
In the years since the close of the Greyhawk Wars,
much has been done to restabalize the Flanaess' balance of power. Much work
remains, however, and Mordenkainen and the Circle have resolved to ensure that
it is completed. [LGJ#0 – 7]
Most curious is
Nystul’s response:
It has been suggested that all is not as it seems
here. Rary was renowned for his complex plotting in the Circle of Eight, and
some of his former associates refuse to believe that he has turned to evil of
his own accord. [LGG – 38]
Alone among the other members of the Circle of Eight,
Nystul holds the belief that Rary's so-called traitorship is nothing but a ruse
perpetrated either by the Archmage of Ket himself or some greater enemy of the
Circle, with the archmage as a dupe. [LGJ#0 – 10]
Rary may have turned evil on
his own, through tampering with an evil artifact, or he may be possessed by
fiends, a clone of the original, charmed, and so on. He may wish to attack the
Circle of Eight, the City of Greyhawk, the Duchy of Urnst, or some other state
or power. [TAB – 38]
To this end, he has contacted Rary's old companion,
Torik Redaxesson of Highfolk, who has been pushing for an investigation into
the cause of the archmage's alleged corruption. [LGJ#0 – 10]
If there ever
was a soul who could doubt that Rary could succumb to Evil it was Torik.
Torik
Redaxesson of Highfolk
[C12][NPC]
Torik [was] a companion to the venerable mage Rary.
Rary often stopp[ed] by for news of the Vesve Forest or share[ed] what he [knew]
of events in the Yatil Mountains or Ket. More than once Torik [had] gone
adventuring on some special mission for the old mage. [WGA4 Vecna Lives! – 94]
Nystul and Torik
were not alone in their incredulity.
Torik’s investigations have raised curious questions, in
that regard, concerning a curious tome penned by an even more curious and malevolent
mage, the Murq’s Magica.
[W]hile the
tome’s whereabouts remain unknown as of the past year, frightened whisperings
have begun to surface, and they speak one infamous name: Rary the Traitor. [Dragon #269 – 65]
Since his
brother betrayed the Circle of Eight and the City of Greyhawk and fled into the
Bright Desert, Arkalan [Sammal of Ket] has fallen into despair. He publicly
disowned his brother in 584 CY, but is still suspected of being in league with
Rary by less informed and less forgiving persons in the city. [TAB –
97]
Poor Arkalan. This distrust would drive him to drink,
eroding whatever confidence those who refused to believe he was in league with
his treacherous brother might still have had in the hapless sibling.
So, what exactly
did happen to Rary and Robilar in the wake of their failed bid for power?
Spurned from his family by his brother and banned from
Greyhawk itself by Mordenkainen, Rary fled to the Bright Desert, to uncover its
secrets and inaugurate an empire. [LGJ #0 – 7]
But not before
engaging in what can only be described as a bit of petty thievery.
When Robilar's troops sacked Otiluke's and Tenser's
citadels, they carried off several of the dead mages' magical items [.] [WGR3 – 11]
Quij was once
a henchman of the notorious Lord Robilar[.] Quij took part in the sacking of
the castle of the slain Archmage Tenser, but the orc became separated from his
comrades after the raid.
[TAB – 98]
Quij has deserted his master and Iuz cannot see him
either. Perhaps he has become part of Turrosh Mak's Pomarj armies, or fled to
the Bone March or even farther afield. [WGR5 Iuz the Evil – 5]
The search was on for the two turncoats even as the smoke
was clearing and the dust yet to settle!
In the weeks that followed. as Greyhawk slowly
recovered from its shock. Rary was condemned from every quarter. Expeditions
scoured the vicinity of the city. searching for Rary and his co-conspirator. [WGR3
– 7]
Robilar’s manor was burned and his lands are becoming
wilderness; few go here for any reason, though it is said the dungeons below
the manor were sealed without being explored. [TAB – 76]
A diplomatic mission to Ket returned with the
astonishing news that not only was Rary missing, but his entire tower, which
had so long graced Lopolla's skyline, had abruptly and inexplicably vanished
overnight. Rumors began to circulate that Rary had fled the Flanaess and
possibly Oerth altogether. [WGR3 – 7]
Months later, the duo and the tower surfaced in the
Bright Desert. [LGG – 38]
The Abbor Alz barbarians, who sometimes traded with
the desert nomads, reported that a mysterious tower had appeared in the Brass
Hills in the heart of the desert, and that the master of this tower had
proclaimed himself "Monarch of the Bright Lands." [WGR3 – 7]
Abbor-Alz: The rocky, granitic hills
that ring the Bright Desert are known as the Abbor-Alz. In the west, the
highlands are actually a small mountain range joining the Cairn Hills to their
north. Enclaves of dwarves and gnomes remain in the west, many having shifted from
a life of mining to the perfection of craftwork. The hills of southern Urnst
are rich with gems and mineral wealth, as well as bandits, manticores, wyverns,
and worse in abundance. The hillfolk of the region surrounding the Bright
Desert repel all attempts to learn more about them; the rare giants and ogres
here are barely more dangerous. It is known that the hillmen abhor Rary […] and
actively hunt down and slay his agents. [LGG – 143]
And it would appear that Rary and Robilar were settling
in for good.
Many nomads, it was reported, had fallen under his
sway, and those who had not were swiftly persecuted and pressured to do so. The
desert centaurs, previously known only by rumor and second-hand reports, were
said to be resisting the new rulers, but their struggle seemed doomed. The new
king was said to be a mage of unsurpassed skill, and had a host of strange
(some said unearthly) warriors at his command. Clearly, Rary the traitor had at
last appeared.
But finding Rary and bringing him to justice were two
entirely different matters. Long unexplored and treated by many with suspicious
dread, the Bright Desert, or the “Bright Lands” as Rary now called his new
domain, was considered a place of savage tribesmen, harsh conditions, and dangerous
creatures. Now it was home to Rary the Traitor, and neither Greyhawk nor any
surrounding power had the strength or the inclination to venture into the
desert and dig him out of his hiding place. Many favoured simply leaving him to
rot in self-imposed exile. [WGR3 – 7]
Mordenkainen
and Bigby, who had been wounded by the renegade, did not agree. [WGR3 – 8]
Rary and Robilar must pay for their crimes!
But Rary and Robilar remained impervious to scrying. And
not just to Mordenkainen:
In the Bright Desert, Robilar is over a thousand miles
from Iuz and cloaked by magic which prevents his scrying. Since Iuz has no
spies there to report to him, information on Robilar is scant. [WGR5 – 5]
585 CY
Rary and Robilar were carving out their own little
empire, it would seem.
WGR3 Rary the Traitor (TSR #9386, 1992). This presents
the current status of the archmage Rary, his evil henchman Robilar, and their
realm in the Bright Desert about 585 CY. [TAB – 4]
[F]leeing south with his
co-conspirator and their loyal troops, he has carved out an empire in the
wilderness, and threatens to inflict more harm and chaos on a world long grown
weary of war and strife. [WGR3 – 4]
Robilar led his fanatically loyal men from desert
village to desert village, systematically defeating the local warlords and
incorporating their warriors into an ever-growing army. Rary, too, had
transported several bands of Paynim horsemen from the west, who promised
glorious death in service to the mage they called "The Rider." Early
victories against nonhumans and the Tukim, the most powerful human tribe in the
desert, bolstered the armies. Few openly defied this powerful force. [LGG –
38]
Next to nothing is known of his activities and domain,
though some say he has a fortress in the Brass Hills in the desert’s center,
where he and his treacherous partner, Lord Robilar, are forging an empire with
aid from native folk. [TAB – 37]
Wherever the armies went, so too ventured immoral
adventurers in Rary's employ. These humans, mostly sages and enchanters,
scoured the desert, paying particular attention to local ancient ruins. Rary
seldom left his tower, but all knew that he sought some object rumored to be
terrible and powerful. [LGG – 38]
“The Empire of the Bright Lands” is Rary of Ket’s name
for his new-found realm, hidden in the Brass Hills of the Bright Desert. After
his betrayal of the Circle of Eight, his castle was magically moved from its
location in Ket to its new position here. Now it serves as a local power base
for evil. Officials of the City of Greyhawk are concerned that this new
“empire” might choose to attack the Domain at some point. [PGtG – 51]
Bright Lands
Proper Name: Empire of the Bright Lands
Ruler: His Percipient Magnificence, the Archmage Rary,
Monarch of the Bright Lands (NE male human Wiz20*)
Government: Dictatorship; realm functions as a minor
city-state surrounded by barbaric nomad tribes
Capital: No capital; "empire" administered
from Rary's tower in the Brass Hills and through military leaders at outposts
throughout the Bright Desert [LGG – 37]
Brass Hills: Little is known of the
massif at the center of the Bright Desert, for ages called the Brass Hills. The
region's current inhabitant, Rary of Ket […], seems to have chosen the site for
the excellent overview of the desert provided from its heights, rather than
some inherent quality of the hills themselves. Rary has cleansed the hills of
any dangers other than his own men and (if rumors are to be believed) fiendish
servants. [LGG – 144]
Rary and Robilar were unsuccessful in their cleansing.
They remained harried by centaur and nomad alike and would be for years to come.
The rebels will never surrender; this is their land, and ever shall be.
Varthis (the
Transfixed) hero god of Anguish, Lost Causes, and Revenge.
The Flan
dervishes [of the Bright Desert] who worship Varthris are broken into two
factions. […] The more militant dervishes, often warrior priests, venerate
Varthis as the Great Talion who writes wrongs perpetrated upon the tribes by
local monsters, northerners from Urnst, and (increasingly) the forces of Rary
of Ket. [LGJ#3 – 15]
 |
| Mordenkainen |
Mordenkainen did
not tire in his pursuit of revenge, or “Balance” as he continued to call it.
But he was rarely seen; and when he was, his motives were as shadowed as his
eyes were, from that fateful day on, clouded by guarded intent.
In all things, Mordenkainen prefers to maneuver behind
the scenes, subtly manipulating events to ensure that no side gains the upper
hand. As a result, the archmage is trusted little, even among the
likewise-neutral Hierophants of the Cabal, who find his vision of Balance
wholly self-centered and somewhat arbitrary.
This philosophy has gained the archmage a virtual army
of enemies, not a few of whom once considered him a good friend. Among these
last can be counted Evard the Black, Terik and, of course, Rary. [LGJ#0 – 9]
There were
enemies everywhere, Mordenkainen realised. Thus, the Circle must be whole
again, he decreed.
3rd
week of Goodmonth
Events of
Return of the Eight
Tenser was returned to life in 585 CY […], but chose
not to return to the Circle of Eight. [PGtG – 21]
Tenser, chafing at Mordenkainen's agenda, left the
group in disgust after his rescue. [LGG – 156]
Otiluke is still dead. Three new members were
appointed in 585 CY: Alhamazad the Wise, Theodain Eriason and Warnes Starcoat.
[…] [PGtG – 21]
“The Circle has long been weakened by Rary’s evil, at
a time when we need all our powers to maintain balance in the Flanaess. And so
I have rebuilt the Circle of Eight.” – Mordenkainen [Rot8 – 53]
[Tenser’s]
next goal is the complete destruction of Rary and Robilar, if this has not
already been accomplished [.] [Rot8
– 54]
Tenser will fight to the death without quarter against
his most hated enemies: Iuz and his followers and Rary the Traitor. [Rot8 – 58]
Rary was no
fool. He already knew he had powerful enemies, each as eager as the next to
extract revenge on him, for whatever reasons. What was one more?
586 CY
Rary’s betrayal of the Circle and Free City took its toll,
though. He lived in exile, cloaked, shielded, surrounded by his Paynims and
nomads. But he was not the only one living under the shadow of reproach and
recrimination.
The Directing Oligarchy believes Arkalan is
trustworthy and has hired his services a number of times, but he lost his
teaching position at Grey College and now works on commission for adventurers
(a task he feels is as degrading as cleaning sewers or slavery). Arkalan is an
alcoholic and is deteriorating physically, though bis mind is d shup. He knows
he can do nothing abut his fate and that his brother is beyond redemption, and
he knows Rary could turn against him in a vicious way. Still, he hopes to find
someone who can restore his brother to his former self, as the two had been
very close before Rary's treachery. [TAB – 97]
The Flanaess had suffered the presence of fiends for far
too long, the Powers proclaimed. Iuz had armies of them. The Malachite Throne
took council from them; indeed, devils walked Rauxes’ boulevards as honoured
citizens. And Rary, too, it would seem, had gathered them to his bosom.
Still, rumors that the former Archmage of Ket now
consorts with fiends have caused most of his family and friends to brand [Rary]
a traitor forevermore. [LGG – 38]
We must be rid of this scourge, the Hazen declared.
In Coldeven 586, Canon Hazen of Veluna employed the
Crook of Rao, a powerful artifact, in a special ceremony that purged the
Flanaess of nearly all fiends inhabiting it. [LGG – 16]
Canon Hazen
of Mitrik used the Crook to stunning effect, banishing thousands of demons,
devils, yugoloths, and other outsiders from all parts of the Flanaess [.] The
assistance of nearly every priest of Rao in Mitrik as wall as the aid (some say
manipulation) of the archmage Bigby, certainly played an important role in the
effort’s success. [Dragon
#294 – 93,95]
Others aided:
Tenser, the Despotrix of Hardby…
[Despotrix of
Hardby] Ilena [Norbelos]’s illness began after the Striking of the Crook, and
extensive ritual led by the priests of Rao in Mitrik which resulted in the
Flight of Fiends. She had been persuaded by Tenser (despite warnings sent to
her from the archmage Rary) to join in an arcane conjunction intended to
augment the ritual. Unfortunately, many of the participants in Tenser’s rites
have since suffered illness or other misfortune – with the notable exception of
Tenser himself. [LGJ#1 – 27]
What warnings?
Did Rary threaten “do this and die,” or did the once aged and wise sage try to
tell her that use of the Crook might have some dire price that required payment?
Or penance?
Fiends or no
fiends, Rary’s Bright Empire persisted. And flourished.
While few overt threats presented themselves in the
aftermath of war, the emergence of Rary the Traitor, in the Bright Desert, is a
cause of great concern. [LGG – 126]
Rary's forces have grown significantly since 584 CY. [LGG
– 38]
In the Bright Desert, Rary the Traitor and Robilar are
said to be subduing the savages and raising a force which might yet beset the
Free City of Greyhawk. [FtAA – 10]
More than ninety percent of the desert nomads now
swear fealty to the Monarch of the Bright Lands. [LGG – 38]
 |
| Warnes Starcoat |
His neighbours were growing concerned.
Warnes Starcoat, Chief Mage to the Joint Courts of
Urnst and a member of the Circle of Eight, warns that Rary's diabolical plans
could soon lead him to covet the ancient knowledge of House Maure. Lord Robilar
once spent his summers in Pontyrel, in Urnst's Maure Lands, and many suspect
that it is only a matter of time before his soldiers cross the Knife's Edge
Pass, making their way to Maure Castle. In anticipation of this event, the
village of Kelefane, near the Knife's Edge, has become a prominent military
outpost, and is personally administered by Karll's nephew, Ellis […], a bitter
man who looks for enemies at every corner. [LGG – 126]
Sparse traffic from Urnst arrives through Knife's Edge
Pass, though the duke has forbidden all trade with those who fly the banner of [Rary]
the archmage. [LGG – 37]
The Despotrix did not share Warnes’ concern, it would
seem.
Hardby, however, is not so moralistic. Despite strict
instructions from Greyhawk, the despotrix of Hardby personally (though
secretly) authorizes trade with Rary's go-betweens in the neutral village of Ul
Bakak, on the eastern end of Hardby Pass. [LGG – 37]
Why might that be? Remembrance of his prior warning?
Gratitude? Or might it be something as simple as the Bright Desert held
sundries worth trading for, regardless the peril of the Free City’s and the
Circle’s potential retaliation and ceinture?
589 CY
Rary and
Robilar never tired in their desire to “cleanse” their desert.
Despite the centaur attacks and certain stubborn
native tribes, Rary's searches continue, often with frustrating consequences. [LGG
– 38]
{P]atrols of Rary’s soldiers [:]
Light horsemen (2d6): AC 7 (studded leather); MV 24;
HD 1; hp 6; THACO 20; #AT 1; Dmg 1 d6 (light lance) or 1 d6 (short bow); SZ M
(5‘6’ tall); ML 12; AL N(E); XP 15. [LT1
The Star Cairns – 38]
Sometimes they were “successful.”
In 589 CY, Chief Strongbow, an influential leader and
strong proponent of balancing the nomads against Rary and staying out of the
conflict, was found murdered in his quarters. Though there was very little
proof, the young bucks among the centaurs called for a guerilla war against the
westerners—a plan that has met with some success. [LGG – 38]
Sometimes not.
The native desert centaurs, who remained neutral
immediately after Rary's arrival, now bitterly oppose Robilar's armies. [LGG
– 38]
One wonders what lurks in their Bright Desert, doesn’t
one? Besides centaurs and nomads and all manner of things adapted to its
perplexing brightness…
 |
| Manscorpion |
Desert centaurs are a warlike but surprisingly
civilized variant of the familiar sylvan centaur. They have inhabited the Bright Desert of the Flanaess for
centuries, and survive today as fiercely independent nation-tribes. [WGR3 –
63]
Manscorpions are a horrific race created by an ancient
curse. The scourge of the Bright Desert, manscorpions possess a deep hatred of
other living things, and attempt to slay anyone they encounter. They fight
constantly with the human and centaur nomads of the desert, and are a major
thorn in the side of Rary the Traitor’s soldiers. [WGR3 – 65]
A small group of doppelgangers, fleeing the so-called
“Empire of the Bright Lands” of the archmage Rary, recently came across one of
the legendary Star Cairns. [LT1 The
Star Cairns – 5]
590 CY
Rary still covets “new” magic: I imagine he always will.
He is always on the lookout for relics and artifacts, for books, rods, rings,
and stones … the older the better.
Rary has become especially interested in the powerful
magical energies found in ioun stones after he stole Otiluke’s pale green stone from the dead arch-mage’s smoking robes. [Dragon #249
– 93]
The Horned Lands are unique in having very rare
deposits of a unique magical gem: dweornite. […] These are similar to the
dweomer-stones of the Cairn Hills, and some sages suggest a common origin for
both these and the reputed ioun stones Ray seeks in the Bright Desert. [WGR5 – 37]
This comes as no surprise, as [i]n all of Oerth, it
may be that there has never been a wizard alive who could rival Rary’s passion and love for enchanted items. [Dragon #249 – 90]
But with the world in pursuit of justice, his prospects of
requiring them had been somewhat curtailed. It should come to no surprise that
Rary chose his new home where he did: There was a great deal to be discovered
beneath the shifting sands of long-buried Sulm…
In late 590, an entire company of Robilar's best
Paynim and nomad guards vanished while investigating an abandoned necropolis.
Rary's response, ordering Lord Robilar's own personal guard after the lost
soldiers, so enraged the warrior that he left his post for a week, not
returning until he single-handedly slew an old blue dragon that had been
considering an alliance with the archmage. The two have patched up their
differences, but tensions between them remain strong. [LGG – 38]
But long-lost Sulm was only a taste of what was out
there.
Having
adventured across the Flanaess as a young mage, Rary knows the most fantastic
of magic items are often found in the possession of seasoned adventurers. [Dragon #249 – 90]
To that end,
Rary knew that if he could not go out often into the wide world, the world must
then come to him.
 |
| Rary and his Spellbook |
[Rary] created a powerful agent that would pass from
adventurer to adventurer in the simple guise of a spellbook, plucking magical
items from their current owners and teleporting them back to Rary in the Bright
Desert. [Dragon #249 – 90]
Every three or four months, the Lost Spellbook
teleports itself back to Rary’s Tower.
There it meets with its creator to pass along any pertinent information it has
learned and to receive new instructions should the wizard have any. After these
brief meetings, the Lost Spellbook leaves Rary’s
Tower via vanish, appearing in another part of the Flanaess to continue its
quest for magical items. [Dragon #249 – 93]
It was only a
matter of time, though, that Mordenkainen and the Circle would become aware of
Rary’s bid to acquire his greatest desire, and might take steps to use his
little lure against him.
A hero in possession of the Lost Spellbook of Rary
might find herself in a dangerous situation politically. A wary hero having the
tome might want to keep the knowledge of it to herself. The recently reformed
Circle of Eight […] would be but one group among many on Greyhawk who would
actively work to acquire one of Rary’s Spellbooks. Should the owner decide to
keep the book for herself, she might soon expect a personal visit from Bigby,
Otto, or one of the other members of the Circle. [Dragon #249 – 93]
Not all are as “high-minded”
in their quest to get their hands on Rary’s little toy, though.
Ket leaders, Paynim raiders, and loyalists to Rary
learning of the book’s existence
might seek to return the Lost Spellbook to the archmage to curry favor with
him. After all, they would believe that the book had been stolen from Rary.
[Dragon #249 – 93]
592 CY
One imagines
that the Bright Desert is a very small space, indeed, for two such titanic
personages as Rary and Robilar. One expects that they would have parted ways,
soon afterwards, if not for the Circle’s pursuit and vigilance; one even
expects they might have parted ways, despite the Circle’s desire for vengence –
the Circle are but eight, a paltry number to surveil the entire length and
breadth of the Flaneass, let alone the whole of Oerik, endlessly. Alas,
[Robilar]
still serves Rary, using a wide variety of magical weapons and devices such as
an artificial silver horse. [PGtG – 26]
Rary's armies are commanded by the doughty Lord
Robilar (NE male human Ftr20). They range far and wide, seeking out enemies of
the state, protecting emissaries to enclaves in the Abbor-Alz, or causing
trouble for local tribes and desert centaurs, who resent claims of empire upon
their sovereign homelands. The independent and reclusive dwarves of the
Abbor-Alz have not yet been troubled by Rary or Robilar's forces. [LGG –
37]
While Robilar
fights all comers, Rary appears content to sift the sands of the desert and
explore the nearby caves of Abbor-Alz, though he will never divulge to what end.
To this day, the archmage eagerly acquires and
examines all manner of scrolls, rings, amulets, bracers, and blades hoping to
unlock a forgotten piece of arcane lore or to discover a long-lost artifact.
His army scours the Brass Hills and surrounding Bright Desert for magical items
for their lord. [Dragon #249 – 90]
Thousands of desert folk have suffered under Rary's
armies. Many fear that he is close to achieving or finding that for which he
searches; few believe the result will benefit anyone but him. Robilar, though a
villain, has a soft spot for adventurers, and he is tired of playing catch-up
with Rary's schemes. [LGG – 38]
Regardless their presumed lack of love for one another,
they remain steadfast, keeping one and all from their shores of their tiny
patch of the Flanaess.
Within the
past month, no fewer than five ships have come to grief on the notoriously
treacherous southern coast of the Bright Desert. […] The attacks have led many
to fear that Rary the Traitor has allied himself with a powerful druid using
weather magic to accumulate wealth and life energy from these grim harvests. [LGJ#3 – 26]
But every now
and again, the inexplicable happens on and off their bright and decidedly
inhospitable shores.
Jian Destron
was the only son and heir of Szek Ewerd Destron. […] He was raised a
professional sailor, and from a young age served in Onnwal’s navy. [Dragon #299 – 98]
On the Night
of Scarlet Knives, when Onnwal fell to the Brotherhood [,] [Dragon #299 – 98] the Brotherhood closed
in on young Jian’s ship.
Few can
explain the strange mist that hid Jian’s vessel from its pursuers and enabled
the loyal Onnwalons to subdue the traitors and reach the relative safety of
Nyrond.
The credit
for Jian's escape was claimed by a mysterious visitor of Baklunish extraction,
who appeared during a court at Sornhill in early 592 CY. This man was a
representative of the Empire of the Bright Desert who said that his unnamed
master (doubtless Rary the Traitor) would someday require a favor in return. [Dragon #299 – 99]
Ought Jian
Destron to worry? Or might this be a clue to Rary’s true self?
One wonders.
Nystul does. So too Torik Redaxesson of Highfolk.
And I wonder if
I do not, as well.
One would never
wonder whether Rary was prolific. Or esoteric. He was. And most certainly is,
still.
Arcane Puissance
of the Memory” by
Rary [BK]
(Rary’s mnemonic enhancer, forget, mind blank,
hypnotic pattern)
[Dragon #82 – 58]
We can only
wonder, though, what else he might have written while in exile, besides his
most infamous and perfidious spellbook, that is.
Lost
Spellbook of Rary the Traitor [BK]
The Lost Spellbook of Rary contains the following
spells: Rary’s empathic perception*, unseen
servant, invisibility, Rary’s mind scan*,
Rary’s mnemonic enhancer, wizard eye,
Rary’s hesitation*, telekinesis, Rary’s
protection from scrying*, Rary’s urgent
utterance*, true seeing, vanish, Rary’s
vicious missiles*.
[Dragon #249 -
90,91,93,94,95,96]
He has, like most of the Circle, penned a spell or two in
his time:
Level One
Rary’s Empathic Perception
Level Two
Rary’s Aptitude Appropriater
Level Three
None
Rary’s Memory Alteration
Rary’s Mind Scan
Rary's Mnemonic Enhancer
Rary’s Spell Enhancer
Level Five
Rary’s Hesitation
Rary’s Mind Shield
Rary’s Replay of the Past
Rary’s Superior Spell Enhancer
Rary’s Telepathic Bond
Level Six
Rary’s Protection From Scrying
Rary’s Urgent Utterance
Level Seven
Rary’s Plane Truth
Level Eight
Rary’s Viscous Missiles
[PHB 1e – 78/ GA
– 128/ Dragon # 249 – 92,93]
A great many of Rary’s spells relate to the mind, it
would seem.
One can only wonder, then, if Rary had had this trinket
on him on that fateful day, whether he would have had need to flee into the
Desert on that fateful day.
Ray's Ring of Memories:
This tarnished silver ring was enchanted by the
archmage Rary, but lost when his tower was sacked after he attacked the Circle
of Eight. The ring gives the wearer the ability to cast Ray's memory alteration
three times per day. It also grants a +4 bonus to saving throws vs effects that
target memories (such as a forget spell) and a +1 bonus to saving throws
against any Enchantment/ Charm spells. (Ray’s memory alteration can be found in
TSR2175, Wizard’s Spell Compendium Volume 3.)
[Slavers – 127]
What have we learned?
We’ve, or I’ve, learned that Rary, as written, is a
Traitor. He killed Otiluke and Tenser. And he most certainly intended to kill a
great many of the leaders and delegates of the world at the Greyhawk Peace
Conference that ended the Great War, thereafter referred to as the Greyhawk
Wars.
But we also learned that Rary was, is, curious, perhaps
to a fault. And it may be that his insatiable curiosity was his downfall.
Moreover, we learned that Rary was kind, and patient, a
peacekeeper and peacemaker, respected by all, prior to his fall. He may have
been the most independent of the original Circle of Eight; that stands to
reason, as he was the only archmage not entirely of the Flanaess: He was, is,
Kettite, a Westerner, not an Easterner. Indeed, his only real connection to the
East and the Free City was, and is, his brother, poor besotted Arkalan, who
bears the mantle of guilt for his elder brother’s murderous betrayal.
So, is Rary a traitor? Is Rary evil? He is as written.
But is he irredeemable? Perhaps not. Perhaps Rary is only a victim of his own
arrogance, and should he be rid of Murq’s mysteriously malicious tome, Rary would
be cured of his evil ways and brought back to “balance.”
Should he be rid if it, could, should, justice be meted
out upon “The Traitor,” if he were not responsible for his forced conversion? Early
D&D was replete with such legerdemain, so such things must have occurred from
time to time. Who, then, would be his judge? His executioner? Mordenkainen? Bigby?
Tenser? Could they be unbiased? Prejudice is unreasoning, hatred blind, vengeance
deaf. I might ask: Are their hands so clean? Are they without sin, they who’ve
tasked others to do their bidding in pursuit of undisclosed ends, sometimes unto
death, without their ever having divulged the reason why?
“Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard
Some do it with a bitter look
Some with a flattering word
The coward does it with a kiss
The brave man with a sword”
― Oscar Wilde, The Ballad of Reading
Gaol
“Betrayal is the only truth that sticks.”
― Arthur Miller
One must always give credit where credit is due. This History is made
possible primarily by the Imaginings of Gary Gygax and his Old Guard, Lenard
Lakofka among them, and the new old guards, Carl Sargent, James Ward, Roger E.
Moore. And Erik Mona, Gary Holian, Sean Reynolds, Frederick Weining.
The list is interminable.
Special thanks to Jason Zavoda for his
compiled index, “Greyhawkania,” an invaluable research tool.
The Art:
Rary the Traitor, by Ben Wooten, 2011
Bright Desert map, by Steve Beck, from WGR3 Rary the Traitor, 1992
Mordenkainen, by Michael Komarck, from Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk, 2007
Warnes Starcoat, by Gary Williams, from WG6 Isle of the Ape, 1985
Manscorpion, by Ken Frank, from WGR3 Rary the Traitor, 1992
Rary and his Spellbook, from Greyhawk Adventures, 1988
Sage, from Dungeon Masters Guide 1e, 1979
Sources:
1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed
Set, 1983
1068 Greyhawk Wars Boxed Set, 1991
Greyhawk Wars Boxed Set, 1991
2011 Players Handbook 1e, 1978
2011A Dungeon Masters Guide,
1st Ed., 1979
2023 Greyhawk Adventures, 1988
9025 World of Greyhawk
Folio, 1981
9309 WGA4 Vecna Lives! 1990
9386 WGR3 Rary the Traitor,
1992
9576 Return of the Eight,
1998
9577 The Adventure Begins,
1998
9578 Player’s Guide to
Greyhawk, 1998
9579 LT1 The Star Cairns, 1998
11621 Slavers, 2000
11742 World of Greyhawk Gazetteer 3e, 2000
11743 Living Greyhawk
Gazetteer, 2000
Living Onnwal Gazetteer
Dragon Magazine #82, 249, 269, 294, 299
OJ Oerth Journal, appearing
on Greyhawk Online
LGJ #1,1,3
Greyhawkania, Jason Zavoda
