“A man might desire something for a moment, while a
larger part of him rejects it. You'll need to learn to judge people by their
actions, not their thoughts.”
― The Golem and the
Jinni
 |
| Tenser |
He surely was
then, once. Did he continue to be an adventurer after becoming a member of the
Circle of Eight? One assumes as much, but that’s a point of discussion. He must
have been, though, of a sort; his Art became more powerful as time passed, and
he, being who he is, could hardly have done so by research and experimentation
alone. That he achieved greatness has never been in doubt.
Still other mortal wizards, villains, thieves and
heroes have had such an impact that in a hundred universes great spells and
magical devices bear their names: Mordenkainen, Iuz, Bigby, Drawmij, Heward, Iggwilv,
Tenser, Acererak, Nystul, Tuerny, Ehlisra, Otiluke, Serten, Bucknard, Sustarre.
These people made the Flanaess the greatest of legendary lands. [PGtG – 18]
Tenser kept company with a great many of those noted.
Proof of it was in his correspondence, and in the memorabilia scattered about
his citadel.
GREAT KEEP: SECOND FLOOR
C14. Hall of the Great.
This hallway’s blue walls are hung with portraits of
adventurers Tenser knew in the past. One interesting picture shows a grinning
man with a short haircut, a blue tunic buttoned down the front, worn blue pants
and a strange metal device in his hand […]; a brass plate identifies the
subject as “Murlynd.” A life-sized bronze statue in the hall’s center is of
Bigby as a young, clean-shaven man. [Rot8 – 32]
Was his familiarity with them a matter of coincidence? I
doubt that. The great and powerful tend to find orbit around one another.
One wonders, though, whether Tenser was anything like
those he kept company with.
Before his death in 584 CY, this wizard was the
strongest advocate for law and good in the Eight, and often found himself at
loggerheads with those members who prized balance above all. [PGtG – 23]
He is the
strongest proponent for the causes of Law and Good within the Circle of Eight. [COG:FFF - 24]
That said, his
“means to an end” was not always the most virtuous or forthright, to my mind.
He is known
to be slightly disrespectful of the rights of others in such matters, being
quite ready to use the geas spell to force others into serving those causes
dear to his heart. [COG:FFF
- 24]
He will sometimes enspell good magic-users to go on
dangerous missions to aid the cause of good. [Rogues Gallery – 47]
I expect all the
Eight were guilty of that sort of thing, employing others to pursue their ends—and
do their dirty work, from time to time—and that they all enspelled a few of
those, from time to time, with geas to ensure those ends were pursued
vigorously. Most are Neutral, after all, and I have no doubt that none of them would
not have batted an eye about the morality of doing such.
Tenser, of
course, only employed geas in the pursuit of Law and the Greater Good. He probably
didn’t need to, though, in most cases: There were and are plenty of applicants
in such causes, to say nothing of those wishing bragging rights for having been
in the employ of one of the greatest wizards the Flanaess had ever seen.
You stand before a great throne of lapis lazuli. The
massive chamber in which it rests is also blue. Even the air has an indigo
quality-perhaps from the weirdly convoluted coils of smoke rising from braziers
of azure metal. The youngish figure encompassed by the great chair is a
personage, a man whose presence inspires awe, Tenser the Arch-Mage. [WG6 – 6]
 |
| Tenser |
Tenser is, if
anything, charismatic. He’s charming. He’s persuasive. And he’s not adverse to
dropping a name or two to impress.
“Most of you are familiar with the name Robilar, and
perhaps a few have knowledge of his brother, Terik. It was in this company, and
with Merlynd as well, that I first ventured to the Isle of the Ape...” [WG6 – 6]
Not that he
should need to. After all, who in the service of the cause of Law and the
Greater Good would deny him a service asked for? Not that I believe Tenser
would abuse the privilege of their service. I think it is safe to say that
Tenser would never send those souls he employed into situations he did not
believe they could handle. Nor would he ever send those in his service into any
danger he would not face himself, and he likely would have, if he could be in
two places at once, because if anyone can have claim to have been the moral
compass of the Circle of Eight it would be Tenser.
Tenser’s
concern for thwarting the plans of Evil is indicated by his contacts in the
courts of Furyondy, Urnst, and Nyrond, and by his very strong friendship with
the High Patriarch of Rao in Mitrik, none other than the Hazen, priestly ruler
of that bastion of righteousness.
While
Mordenkainen and the others feign boredom with Tenser’s continual warnings
concerning the ambitions of Evil, there is no doubt he is often right in his
claims, and his desire to shift the balance of power towards Law and Good is
tolerated by other Circle members at least in part because of the extensive
intelligence network he has. [COG:FFF
- 22]
The others might
feign boredom, but I suspect they always paid heed to his concerns. Even if
they did not always follow his lead.
[Tenser] is something of an alarmist, always decrying
the threat of evil in this quarter or that. [WGA4 – 89]
Although they
should have. Always.
How did Tenser
become the notable he is? Like many adventurer, it would seem; by leaps and
bounds, and by the road of great risk.
525 CY
Tenser is born.
Legendary natives of the Wild
Coast include such persons as Mordenkainen, Robilar, and Tenser, to name but a
few. [WoGA – 42]
Tenser does
not discuss his origins, but he seems to have been born in 525 CY, probably in
the city of Fax. [Rot8 – 58]
Fax (approx. pop. 2,000) [LGG – 86]
Until recently, the only armed warships on Woolly Bay
were privateers, paid by coastal tom to protect their own ships while raiding
others. Safeton, Fax, Elredd, Highport, Blue, and even Scant of Onnwal took part
in such part -time piracy, with Highport the worst offender. [Slavers – 38]
It is unlikely that his ancestry was gentry, landed or
otherwise. Indeed, it is unlikely his people were anything but pirates.
Mid-500s CY
Whatever his origin, Tenser must have abhorred Faxians’
“adventurous” leanings.
AL: LG [Rogues Gallery – 47]
The misery and strife their pursuits caused kept him from
pursuing a life “at sea,” as they would have called it. That said, he coveted
the fine things those piratical ships returned laden with, things he could
never hope to afford should he remain in Fax, were he not to take up their
trade. How might he then? He realised that a bright lad, such as he, could earn
as much wealth as the pirates did, perhaps more, were he to take to the road,
as they said adventurers did. After all, the adventurers who’d passed through
Fax always seemed fat with coin. They had better armour, better steel, and they
didn’t have to brave the capricious sea. Theirs looked like a romantic pursuit
to his young eyes; especially those berobed few who never seemed to have to
carry as much as the armoured ones… He thought he just might be bright enough
to do what they did.
Int.17 [Rogues Gallery – 47]
 |
| The School of Magical Arts |
The [Greyhawk
University of Magical Arts] is known for its harsh academic life and intense, focused studies;
Mordenkainen, Bigby, and Tenser of the Circle of Eight learned their craft here
decades ago. [TAB – 6]
Where he
excelled. And after years of study, he too “took to the road.”
Here the Arch-Mage pauses to adjust his flowing robes
of midnight blue. [WG6 – 6]
In his adventurous youth, he traveled throughout the
Flanaess and beyond and met Mordenkainen, Riggby, Merlynd (now the quasi-diety
Murlynd), Robilar, Bigby and other now-famous personages. [Rot8 – 58]
To the average man of the modern era, the Crook [of
Rao] existed only in scripture and hymn. In the mid-sixth century CY, however,
the adventurers Tenser, Terik, Merlynd, and Robilar discovered the artifact in
the depths of Castle Greyhawk, only to lose it again in a bizarre demiplane
known as the Isle of the Ape. [Dragon #294 – 95]
The hermit of Wavenair was a 13th-level
druid from the Gamboge forest. Tenser visited him to learn about elemental
water magic. [Dragon #191 – 67]
Despite his
bookish study, he never did divest himself of the romance of the hero plunging
into danger, wielding his sword.
Tenser
 |
| Aggressive when Roused |
S10, I16,
W11, D16, C16, Ch16
[Rogues Gallery –
47]
He is
aggressive when roused, and uses offensive spells in combats immediately when
this is feasible. [COG:FFF
- 24]
Contrary to most magic-users, Tenser has always been a
lover of battle. Occasionally he will seemingly forget his spells and charge
into melee with his staff, depending on his magical protections to preserve
him. In many ways, it is felt that his temperament was better suited to be a
fighter.
At the same time, Tenser is no fool. He has no
aversion to using magic and generally will chose it first. […]
Tenser has dust of disappearance, a wand of negation,
a staff of the magi, a ring of protection +3, a displacer cloak, a ring of
human influence, a wand of metal and mineral detection, a potion of protection
from dragon’s breath […], and dust of dispelling air elementals [….] [Rogues Gallery – 47]
However successful Tenser became, no matter how famous
his exploits were, his were always eclipsed by another mage who hailed from the
Wild Coast.
When
Mordenkainen had gathered his initial band of follows, henchman, and followers
numbering a score or two, keeping them became a problem. It wasn’t a matter of
loyalty or what to do with them. The sheer cost of paying upkeep and wages was
quite staggering. The rewards for dungeon exploration were sufficient to
maintain the group in modest fashion, but certainly a mage with vision needed
more than such a small company to achieve his goals. […] [Dragon #299 – 18]
It was only a
matter of time before these two talented mages would cross paths.
 |
| Mordenkainen |
Mordenkainen lives in his Obsidian Citadel in the
Yatils [.] The Citadel houses Mordenkainen’s unequaled library which is said to
contain spellbooks of every known spell (except those designed by individual
wizards), intelligence reports across the continent, and a detailed and continuously
updated history of the Flanaess. Only Bigby and Tenser know of his home’s
precise location. [PGtG – 22]
Tenser might have had converse with Mordenkainen, but his
world view coincided more closely with that of the great mage’s apprentice,
Bigby; and it was with him that Tenser became fast friends.
A few of the members of the Circle of Eight have been
publicly named, such as Bigby and Tenser. The latter was already a
semi-resident of the Domain of Greyhawk, as he had taken control of an ancient
castle on the southern shore of the Nyr Dyv near the city. [TAB – 60]
Magepoint is a small town at the foot of a land bridge
that thrusts half a mile into the Nyr Dyv. At the end of the peninsula is
Tenser’s Castle [.] [Rot8 – 2]
Tenser, it would seem, was not as eclipsed by
Mordenkainen as some might believe. Mordenkainen had his citadel, and so too
did Tenser have his.
TENSER'S TOWER (Fortress of Unknown Depths, The Hidden Fortress)
 |
| Tenser's Tower |
Tenser’s castle is several days’ travel from the city,
set on a huge rock in the Nyr Dyv, connected to the shore by a promontory [.] [Rot8
– 18,19]
This lonely
edifice, standing proudly on its rocky promontory and nearly surrounded by the
waters of the Nyr Dyv, is visible for miles in all directions.
The
promontory juts into the water of the lake for nearly half a mile. And for most
of its length is barely two or three paces wide across its top. The surface is
broken rock, so rough that a person must slow his pace to a crawl in order to
walk here. [COG:GOTF – 21]
Tenser's castle, dominated by its Great Tower, stands
on a rocky outcrop overlooking Midbay. High-walled, with a magically reinforced
gatehouse, drawbridge, and portcullis, it is nigh on impossible to raid.
Magical illusions and distortions mask its traps and defenses, and a network of
permanent wizard eye globes allowed Tenser to scry any part of his home with
complete accuracy whenever he wished. [FtAC – 30]
Many locals know it as the Fortress of Unknown Depths.
The castle is pale blue. While no one knows much about its defenses, everyone
agrees that they must be impressive, and involve walls, towers, magic and
monsters. [Rot8 – 18,19]
Tenser had many aquatic friends [.] For a time, a mist
dragon aided him; when it left, Tenser studied the lake’s fauna until he
discovered a beast that he magically forced into service as a guardian. The
monster was a verme, a gigantic foul fish. [Rot8 – 22]
Some of the defenses are golems of his own creation.
Strange, golem-like figures of silver with eyes that
shine with a lambent blue radiance seem to appear from nowhere. [WG6 – 6]
Tenser does like
to tinker. Indeed, he does….
On a shelf over the stacked books is what appears to
be a marvelously detailed toy or model of a fantastic sailing ship, only I foot
long. This is Tenser’s ethereal transport in miniaturized form, capable of
carrying up to 40 people on its journeys. […] . It shrinks and grows on command
[.] On another command, it enters the foggy Ethereal Plane over a one-turn period,
glowing sapphire as it does. The ship sails through the Ethereal Plane until it
reaches a portal to another plane or demiplane; this portal can be opened by a
spellcaster on the ship, and the passengers on the ship can cross over to that
new plane. [Rot8 – 42]
One wonders why Tenser chose to live where he does. And why
others did before him….
Tenser knew about the Endless Well long before he
claimed the castle. The Well was the reason he wanted the castle in the first
place, though he did like its blue color. However, for years he was unable to
get the machinery to function. [Rot8 – 47]
Oerthblood
seeps into The Endless Well from deep within the Fortress of Unknown Depths,
the dwelling place of the archmage Tenser. His ancient keep was built by migrating
Oeridians to guard and harvest this rich magical ore. Few know Oerthblood
exists—Tenser has been studying the substance in seclusion for decades—and no
one knows exactly what it is. [Dragon #294 – 93]
 |
| Iggwilv |
When Tenser first moved to the Fortress of Unknown
Depths, he was astonished to discover a gate leading from a storage closet in
the keep. […]
The other end of the gate exited in a small stone hut,
apparently centuries old. When Tenser stepped outside the hut, it was plain
that the gate opened onto the rain-soaked surface of Luna, Oerth‘s larger moon.
[…]
Tenser discovered the overgrown ruins of a
human-scaled village a few hours’ walk from the hut. These ruins had been built
barely a century ago. In the central building, Tenser found an extensive
alchemical laboratory and evidence that the village had been built for the
archmage Iggwilv, mother of Iuz. He immediately abandoned his explorations and
removed all traces of his presence before returning and closing the gate.
[Rot8 – 20]
560 CY
Events of WG5 Mordenkainen’s Fantastic Adventure
The adventure is assumed to take place before 570 CY,
perhaps as early as 560, because of the lower levels listed for Mordenkainen
and Bigby. [TAB – 3]
 |
| Yrag, Mordenkainen, Bigby, and Riggby |
Adventuring, while well and good, was not enough for
Mordenkainen anymore. He wished to affect the Flanaess at large—to keep it
safe, as it were—and he needed others to help him.
 |
| Bigby |
That group of
like-minded individuals became the Citadel of Eight.
Within months, Mordenkainen
had brought the renowned warrior Robilar to his cause, as well as the cleric
Riggby, and his zealous assistant, Yrag. From the shores of the Nyr Dyv,
Mordenkainen recruited the righteous Tenser, who in turn introduced the
dim-witted though well-meaning Serten to the assembly. Finally, the young
woodsman, Otis, rounded out the group. [LGJ#0 – 5]
[Otis is] a
ranger knight (Level 10), an agent of the King of Furyondy, a Knight Bachelor
of Veluna [.] [T1-4 – 34]
Tenser is 35.
 |
| Riggby |
[T]he Citadel of Eight, was a known opponent of darkness in its many guises. Its members stood, and fell, protecting the balance and defending Oerth from the influence of malign beings and, rarely, benevolent interlopers, as well. [LGJ#0 – 4]
In the years of their companionship, both Robilar and
Yrag were ennobled by Greyhawk, and Riggby was promoted speedily within the
church of Boccob in Verbobonc. Tenser, Bigby, and Mordenkainen likewise
advanced in their own wizardly ways, gaining arcane knowledge and power. [LGJ#0 – 5]
569 CY
Their aim was
true. And noble.
But their
Fellowship was not to last. Some of them were not as dedicated to their cause
as others.
Hommlet,
Nulb, the Temple—all are vital parts of Greyhawk. […] Many veterans […], as
well as many newcomers, began adventuring in and around Hommlet about ten years
ago. From these […] rose Burne and Rufus, Jaroo, Terjon, Otis, Y'dey, and the
rest. After clearing out all of the Temple's agents in the Hommlet area,
various characters banded together to assault the Temple itself. [T1-4 – 28]
Robilar's
ravages were followed by the army of enraged Good folk, led by Tenser and
associates—including Otis, Burne, Rufus, et al. [T1-4 – 28]
Robilar never
quite bought into Mordenkainen’s philosophy, and he and Tenser often bickered
over matters of morality. Serten, though seen as useful, was never truly
respected and Otis, tired of underground excursions and forays into urban
territories, left the group, decrying his friends as cave-delvers and treasure
seekers blind to the real problems of the world. [LGJ#0
– 5]
Alas, the Citadel was to have dissolved at
just the time the Flanaess needed their vigilance the most.
Battle of
Emridy Meadows
Nearly a decade after the
Citadel's formation, Otis' critical words took on the air of prophecy. In 569
CY, when the first arrow flew at Emridy Meadows, the Citadel was noticeably
absent. Whether investigating magical secrets far to the west or unearthing
lost passages in Urnst's Maure Castle, these self-absorbed celebrities were too
preoccupied to influence one of the century's most critical battles. All were
absent save Serten, who fought valiantly at the side of Prince Thrommel against
the hordes of Elemental Evil. When Serten fell, none of his friends stood at
his side. [LGJ#0 – 5]
Tenser blamed
Mordenkainen for the death of his friend, and retired inward to his castle.
Terik and Yrag vanished, some said to the anonymity of the Bandit Kingdoms.
Even the loyal Bigby left the side of his one-time master and returned to
Oldridge, where he adventured for a time with a band of boyhood friends.
Mordenkainen, the man who had brought the Citadel together, simply shrugged and
returned, with cold eyes, to his studies. [LGJ#0 – 5]
Tenser is 44.
570 CY
Tenser remained true to his beliefs and the Citadel’s
aim, even if the others had lapsed in that regard.
Robilar … not so much.
In the course of one of these adventures, he earned
Iuz’s enmity. [Rot8 – 58]
[Iuz] had been trapped for decades in a chamber
beneath Greyhawk Castle by the mad archmage Zagyg. [WGA1 – 46]
 |
| Robilar |
The archmages Bigby and Tenser arrived, intending to
kill [Iuz], but during Iuz's incarceration the half-demon had transformed, and
he emerged a demigod and escaped. [PGtG – 24]
That was fortuitous. Did Tenser distrust Robilar? Have
him followed? Did he scry his old ally? No matter the means, what is curious is
that Tenser should have suspected Robilar’s plan at all; unless he was keeping
watch on him. That Tenser was too late to prevent Robilar was unfortunate. It
is also unfortunate that Tenser and Bigby weren’t able to put an end to Iuz,
once and for all.
Iuz was very nearly destroyed in that conflict,
escaping to the Abyss just before Bigby would have destroyed him with his
infamous crushing hand spell. He left behind him a backwash of chaotic evil
magic which altered the alignment of Retnar, left Riggby catatonic for days,
and caved in a large part of Castle Greyhawk's deepest dungeon complexes. Since
that time, Iuz has always protected himself with a carefully secreted soul gem
hidden on an unknown, unbelievably well-guarded Abyssal plane. He can be killed
on the Prime Material, but unless the soul gem is destroyed beforehand, he
cannot be destroyed forever.
Iuz's most burning desire is to have revenge on those
who freed and tried to slay him. [WGR5 – 5]
luz has vowed to bring ruin upon Tenser the Archmage
and Lord Robilar and the others who tried to slay him when his prison was
sprung. [WoGA – 27]
Since that fateful brush with extinction, Iuz has
schemed to destroy those six. [WGR5 – 5]
He dreams of destroying the Free City of Greyhawk and
those who nearly killed him when he was released. [PGtG – 24]
Tenser realised then that if he were to affect the course
of the Flanaess then he had better create a network of like-minded soils who
could and would help him. Some might know what that mission was, others not;
but all would aide him in his realising it.
He has gathered about him a firm power base for law
and good and will readily use it if necessary. […] He is reported to have
alliances with various non-human races and even some that are considered
monsters. [Rogues Gallery – 47]
It was they who
worked tirelessly at mapping out the demesnes of Flanaess for him, and all
those within it they thought deserving Tenser’s attention.
The walls of this large room are lined with deep
shelves only a few inches apart, of the sort used for storing flat papers. […]
The maps depict the lands around the Nyr Dyv. [Rot8 – 32]
No stone was left unturned.
While many of the books in the castle have been
removed, for some reason the shelves here are still filled with books and
documents tracing family lines in the central Flanaess, especially around the
Wild Coast. [Rot8 – 32]
[T]hese books […] reveal much about a PCs family
background – criminal records, court proceedings, claims of treasures found or
lost, back taxes owed and land grants that were lost or forcibly taken away
[etc.] [Rot8 – 32]
Where was Mordenkainen when his fast friend Robilar was
unleashing dire Iuz upon the Flanaess? Had Mordenkainen turned a blind eye…to
preserve the Balance? Or was there a greater threat looming that required his
attention? Mordenkainen is mum on the subject.
Wherever he might have been, Iuz’s release certainly drew
his attention.
Had he been lax in his self-appointed purpose, he
wondered? Need he be more attentive, more vigilant, as Tenser was becoming?
The chaos surrounding the return to power of the demigod,
luz, in CY 570 prompted Mordenkainen to consider a new paradigm. [LGJ #0 – 6]
Mordenkainen the archmage […] formed the Circle of
Eight as a tool to manipulate political factions of the Flanaess, preserving
the delicate balance of power in hopes of maintaining stability and sanity in
the region. Mordenkainen's view of "enforced neutrality" is not
tit-for-tat equality, but rather a detailed theoretical philosophy derived from
decades of arcane research. He has fought ardently for the forces of Good, most
recently during the Greyhawk Wars, but just as often has worked on darker plots
to achieve his ends. In all things, the Circle of Eight prefers to work behind
the scenes, subtly manipulating events to ensure that no one faction gains the
upper hand. [LGG – 156]
Mordenkainen invited some of the most prominent magi
in the Flanaess to join him. [LGJ #0 – 6]
It took years to collect the mages he thought worthy.
Did he ask Tenser to join his new Circle? He did not. Was
it because he thought Tenser would not accept his invitation; or might it be
that he believed that Tenser would not labour towards Balance, but towards the Greater
Good, and the Rule of Law?
The majority
of the members of the Circle of Eight are of pure neutral alignment, and do not
revere one diety to the exclusion of others. [CoG:GotF – 21]
571 CY
Indeed, a year
on, Mordenkain had still not included Tenser in his gathering of magi.
By the first month of 571 CY, he had gathered eight
mages to his cause, among them Bigby, Otto, Rary, Nystul, Drawmij, and the
affable Bucknard. [LGJ #0 – 6]
Who were the other two? Who can say? Did they perish in
Mordenkainen’s pursuit of Balance?
574 CY
It was three years before Tenser’s inclusion in the
Circle came to fruition.
And it was by Tenser’s initiation. Not Mordenkainen’s.
Tenser: “As my power grew, so did my determination to
aid those seeking to maintain equilibrium. In due course I sought the Circle of
Eight, and in time I was accepted in their ranks. Now I sit as one of the Eight
Magi and am charged with overseeing the whole of the territory roundabout.
[WG6 – 6]
The membership of the Circle changed little in the
years between its inception and 574 CY, when Tenser, still bitter over the
dissolution of the Citadel, sought membership. After one of the founding mages
of the group abandoned Oerth to explore other planes of existence, the petition
was granted, and Tenser brought his unique, if less-than-subtle, ambition to
the ideology of the group. [LGJ#0 – 6]
Of course Mordenkainen accepted Tenser. Tenser was as
powerful as he; and Tenser’s list of allies and network of spies were as
extensive as his own.
Tenser has many allies that include court contacts in
Furyondy, the Urnst states and Nvrond; rangers and clerics: demihuman
communities and noble houses; so-called monsters such as firbolg, centaurs,
sirines, nixies, werebears, brownies, sprites and galeb duhr. The contacts in
his intelligence network can soon be reassembled. [Rot8 – 57]
Tenser is 49.
576 CY
 |
| Jallarzi Sallavarian |
Jallarzi Sallavarian
moves to the Free City of Greyhawk in 576 CY at 27 years of age. [Conjecture]
Later travels brought her to Greyhawk. There, under
the tutelage of Tenser, she became the youngest mage ever inducted into the
Society of Magi. [LGJ #0 – 8]
Tenser recognised talent when he saw it. And potential. And maybe more. I don't mean romantically. Jallarzi was his apprentice, and I expect that over time he developed a rather paternal relationship with her.
Besides, I believe she had eyes for another. Through Tenser Jallarzi became acquainted with Bucknard, and was enamoured by his affability…. You get the picture.
9 months later,
Skye “the Lion” is born.
[Skye the “Lioness”] is 9-year[s]-old [.] [Rot8 –
14]
If Skye is 9 years old in 585 CY, then she was born in
576 CY, before Bucknard disappears.
Why would I suggest this possibility? Because Bucknard’s
tapestry is pretty thin and needs a few threads to reveal the pattern within.
I digress. It’s
just a suggestion; do with it what you will.
c. 576 – 579
Tenser might be a member of the Circle of Eight, but he was
his own man, of course. He would not be directed in his own pursuit of “The
Balance.” He preferred to pursue that end as he pleased.
While
Mordenkainen might be the “leader” of this group, it is not a hierarchy, but a
close group of wizards with similar concerns. [CoG:GotF – 21]
He also knew that the pursuit of his purpose had drawn
the attention of powerful enemies. It seemed prudent that he protect the walls
of his citadel on the inland sea.
 |
| Tenser in His Tower |
Armored Infantry: 50 (Guards)
Heavy Infantry: 100 (Regulars)
Light Infantry: 100 (Levied)
Heavy Archers: 50 (Regulars)
Light Archers: 50 (Levied)
Tenser is accompanied by a high-level cleric and
various other figures of relatively high level, some reported to be demi-human.
Some say that the ranger, Otis, is with him. The force is Good in alignment,
but its exact disposition is unknown. It is suspected that troops from the
surrounding area will join with Tenser in time of need. [Dragon #37 – 11,30]
578 CY
 |
| Tenser |
This quest is assumed to occur years before the
Greyhawk Wars. [TAB – 3]
Tenser always suspected that Iggwilv would reappear one
day. He was tireless in his preparation for her return.
Indeed, Tenser had a number of irons in the fire, so to
speak. Artifacts, good and evil, sought; agents and allies to be courted; correspondences
to be kept, however banal. All these needs be attended to, then and always:
The secret drawer conceals a handful of loose papers
including the following:
· An unfinished letter to Canon Hazen, ruler of the Archclericy of Veluna, inquiring about the whereabouts of the Crook of Rao [….]· A letter from Jallarzi Sallavarian, asking for information on the now-destroyed Slave Lords of the Pomarj. She has come across curious rumors in the underworld of the City of Greyhawk indicating that one or more Slave Lords have resurfaced within Turrosh Mak’s Orc Empire of the Pomarj.· A brief note from Otto [.] This is a “bread-and-butter’’ note, expressing thanks for an enjoyable visit to Tenser’s castle and looking forward to meeting Tenser at the upcoming signing ceremony.· An unsent letter to Mordenkainen, thanking him for letting Tenser know that an old book with information on Tenser’s castle exists within the Great Kingdom, in a landholding called Errantkeep. The tome is a century old, but an unknown person has recently added marginal notes on its defenses and staff. Tenser writes that he is preparing to get the volume himself. The letter is dated the 1st of Harvester, 584 CY, just before Tenser died."· A scrap of paper that says simply, “Give Cymria the doorknob.”
[Rot8 – 32]
Some more
important than others; some secrets and artifacts needing to be secreted away,
some hopefully to never again see the light of day.
· A captured evil artifact, such as the Scepter of Might, part of the Regalia of Might […] Tenser found and locked away this item to keep it from falling into wicked hands. [Rot8 – 43]· A burned and battered platinum signet ring missing its gemstone. The signet ring’s coat of arm matches that of Prince Thrommel of Furyondy. Just before his marriage a decade ago, the prince was kidnapped and his whereabouts cannot be determined. […] Tenser learned that this ring once held a magic jewel to which the prince’s soul fled when his mortal body was destroyed. The damaged ring rests on an old parchment, a forgotten prophecy made to the first King of Furyondy, Thrommel I, that provides clues to rescuing the prince. [Rot8 – 43]· A chicken leg wrapped in a filthy old red cloth. If taken outdoors and tossed on the ground, the chicken leg begins to grow, until […] it has changed into the Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga. [Rot8 – 43]
But was Iggwilv’s eventual return that haunted him and possessed
his greatest attention. Deservedly so.
Iggwilv reappeared in the late 570s, after the Lost
Caverns of Tsojcanth were rediscovered and her vampire-warrior daughter Drelzna
was destroyed. Iggwilv, who had apparently regained her old powers – and then
some – on other planes or worlds, attempted to attack the Flanaess with a vast
army of fiends and monsters. [Rot8 – 55]
 |
| Iggwilv |
She was thwarted by Tenser, who sent heroes to recover
a lost artifact (the Crook of Rao) that blocked her extraplanar forces from
entering the Prime Material Plane on Oerth. [Rot8 – 55]
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. [Dragon #225 – 52]
The artifact’s
subsequent rescue by a group of adventurers led by the redoubtable Warnes
Starcoat of Urnst is not a popular tale with bards throughout the Central
Flanaess. [Dragon #294 – 95]
One would think
that Tenser would have retrieved the crook himself; but he did not. He had other things to attend to, safeguarding Iggwilv’s gate into his
citadel being one of them.
[Tenser] was finally able to get the golems
and machinery to tap a vein of molten oerthblood eight years ago, in 578 CY,
but it was six years before he could bring up a useable sample [.] [Rot8 –
47]
It was crucial that the oerthblood should not fall into
her possession.
579 CY
 |
| Bucknard |
In 581 CY Jalarzi Sallavarian replaced the powerful
wizard Bucknard, who vanished in 579 CY while exploring an unknown demiplane.
His fate is not known. Bucknard was fairly young when he disappeared but he was
rumored to have become an archmage and was well-known in royal courts from
Keoland to Nyrond. [PGtG – 23]
580 CY
 |
| Tenser |
20th-Level Mage
Lawful Good (Neutral tendencies)
S10, I17, W11, D16, C16, Ch16
AL LG (N)
Spells: 5-1st,
5-2nd, 5-3rd, 5-4th, 5-5th, 4-6th,
3-7th, 3-8th, and 2-9th
Tenser’s Traveling Spell Book:
1st Level (5): Cantrip,
Change Self, Chill Tough, Comprehend Languages, Dekect Undead, Feather Fall,
Grease, Jump, Read Magic, Spook, Taunt, Tenser’s Eye of the Tiger*, Tenser’s
Floating Disc, Tenser’s Steady Aim*
2nd Level (5): Blur, Detect
Invisibility, Forget, Hypnotic Pattern, Knock, Melf’s Acid Arrow, Protection
from Cantrips, Pyrotecnics, Spectral Hand, Tenser’s Brawl*, Tenser’s Hunting
Hawk*, Web, Wizard Lock
3rd Level (5): Clairvoyance,
Fireball, Flame Arrow, Gust of Wind, Haste, Hold Person, Invisibility 10‘ r.,
Leomund’s Tiny Hut, Protection from Evil, 10’ r., Tenser’s Deadly Strike*,
Tenser’s Eye of the Eagle*, Vampiric Touch
4th Level (5): Contagion,
Emotion, Evard’s Black Tentacles, Hallucinatory Terrain, Minor Creation, Rary’s
Mnemonic Enhancer, Shout, Tenser’s Flaming Blade *, Tenser’s Giant Strength*,
Tenser’s Running Warrior*, Tenser’s Staff of Smiting*
5th Level (5): Bigby’s
Interposing Hand, Chaos, Demi-Shadow Monsters, Major Creation, Sending, Summon
Shadow
6th Level (4): Chain
Lightning, Death Fog, Death Spell, Eyebite, Reincarnation, Shades, Tenser’s Transformation
7th Level (3): Banishment,
Charm Plants, Delayed Blast Fireball, Limited Wish, Mordenkainen’s Sword, Power
Word Stun, Prismatic Spray, Shadow Walk, Statue, Teleport Without Error
8th Level (3): Bigby’s
Clenched Fist, Incendiary Cloud, Mass Charm, Maze, Mind Blank, Monster
Summoning VI, Polymorph Any Object, Power Word, Blind
9th Level (2): Meteor Swarm,
Power Word Kill, Weird, Wish
Magical Items: Ring of protection + 3,
cloak of displacement, staff of thunder and lightning, amulet of proof against
detection and location, dust of disappearance, pearl of the sirines, ring of
fire resistance, wand of enemy detection, Zagyg’s spell component case
Tenser is 57
(47), 5’ 10” tall, 157 lbs., with dark brown hair and eyes and a prominent
aquiline nose. He always dresses in blue garments, light predominating over
dark, and his home is decorated in the same way. He is polite, quick-witted,
and gregarious; he enjoys intelligent conversation and likes entertaining
guests in his home. [COG:FFF
- 22]
Tenser was as
affable as Bucknard, regardless his alarmist reputation.
The Golden
Phoenix
Lady
Valderesse Sharn, Tenser, Otto, Jallarzi Sallavarian (sometimes looking for
Edwina, who is friendly with the pastry chef here and may be too fat to fly
home), Nerof Gasgal, and Org Nenshen are all among the [Golden Phoenix’s]
regular patrons, so this is an ideal place to [meet personages] of the highest
levels of political involvement—or even members of the Circle of Eight! [CoG:FFF – 63]
High Tower
Tavern and Hostelry
This is the
favorite gathering place of the powerful wizards of the Council of Eight, when
one or more of them are in Greyhawk. On most occasions, these wizards disguise
themselves before venturing out in public. Otto, Tenser, and Nystul are the
three wizards most commonly encountered here. [COG:GOTF – 63,64]
There is no
doubt that Tenser was fast friends with Serten, and Bigby, and with Otto and
Jallarzi.
Tenser is a
not-infrequent visitor to Greyhawk City, coming out of curiosity, concern, or
simple sociability. Any sniff of excellent imported rich fabrics (Tenser is
slightly vain), unique ornaments and decorations which he could buy for his
home, or rare magical items he could purchase or barter for will bring him to
the city. He usually stays either at the house of his good friend Otto […],
with Jallarzi […], or treats himself to a little luxury at The Golden Phoenix
[….] The Wizard’s Hut Inn […] is another hangout of his. [COG:FFF – 22]
Otto is
well-liked among the rulers of Almor, and has a large town house there. If he
needs to carry out magical research, he uses the resources of the Wizards’
Guild of Chathold, or those at Tenser’s fortress. […]
Otto is a frequent
visitor to the Free City of Greyhawk and keeps a well-appointed town house
there [….] He visits to see Tenser, to trade, but mostly to attend major
cultural events in Greyhawk, especially the opera. [CoG:FFF – 23]
If he is not
fast friends with Nystul, he certainly trusts the Tehna as much as he does
Bigby, enough to allow him continuous and instant access to his secretive
citadel on the Nyr Dyv sea.
Bigby is
never without a teleport without error spell which can take him to Mordenkainen
or Tenser should he become trapped in these tunnels. [COG:FFF – 23]
Nystul visits
Greyhawk on occasion, seeking magical items or new spells which fill his
ever-expanding shelves in the inconspicuous house he maintains in Redspan. He
travels using a teleport without error spell to Tenser’s fortress, and makes
his way on from there. [COG:FFF
– 24,25]
580s CY
 |
| Jallarzi Sallavarian |
[Mordenkainen:] “We do not need another agent in
Greyhawk. Otiluke is our eyes and ears there, and we learn all that transpires
at the Oligarch’s councils.”
[Tenser:] “So? Jallarzi is friendly with Derider
Fanshen, and learns much more of the seamier side of the city. Many travel there
and conduct business in disguise which the Oligarchs do not hear of. She is
wise, Mordenkainen, she sees what others do not. And she is related to the
Palatine Duke, and is close to the councils of Urnst. She has advanced far in
so few years. She would strengthen our hand, and return us to full circle
again.” [COG:FFF – 27]
But Mordenkainan
was not yet convinced.
We are
already down one member,
Tenser argued. What if something should happen to another one of us, he added.
Tenser had
reason to argue that point.
Mordenkainen
thought on Tenser’s reasoning. His visits with another famous mage brought Tenser’s
argument to the fore.
The Mage of Greyhawk looked thoughtful. […] “Tenser
and Bigby have both been attacked by
magic, worked by someone strong enough to conceal his, her, or its identity;
someone of Oerth, or who has studied our ways.” […]
“Tenser, at least, is shrewd enough in the ways of
adventurers to smell out any ruse. If one such was trying to make his attacks
look like those of a mage of Oerth, he would see through it.”
[Dragon #185 – 58]
[Readers familiar with events on Oerth will note that
this meeting of archmages {Mordenkainen and Elminster} took place before the
events of module WGA4 Vecna Lives or the GREYHAWK® Wars boxed set. {Dragon #185
– 62}]
Mordenkainen
relented, finally, to Tenser’s insistence.
Jallarzi, at 42, is the Circles youngest member, and
its only female. Born into minor nobility in the Duchy of Urnst, she studied
magic as a teen under the mysterious Seer of Urnst and the redoubtable Warnes
Starcoat. Later travels brought her to Greyhawk. There, under the tutelage of
Tenser, she became the youngest mage ever inducted into the Society of Magi.
[LGJ#0 – 8]
In the early 580s, the Circle of Eight included Bigby,
Drawmij, Jallarzi Sallavarian, Nystul, Otiluke, Otto, Rary of Ket and the
archmage Tenser. [PGtG – 21]
581 CY
 |
| Tenser |
Was Mordenkainen pressed into doing so? The Circle of Eight sensed a great danger afoot, but somehow their divinations were blocked. All evidence pointed to the Cult of Vecna, whatever their intent. Mordenkainen sent the others of the Circle to investigate.
Their quest did
not turn out as planned.
Alerted to a rising evil in the Flanaess, the Circle
hastily gathered for a nearly unprecedented field operation in 581 CY. A new
power sought to join Oerth’s vast pantheon, and its efforts threatened to
corrupt the magical order of the known world.
The Circle traveled to the hills south of Verbobonc,
where they investigated the tomb of a long-dead Oeridian tyrant who was thought
to have possessed the awesome artifacts known as the Hand and Eye of Vecna.
Finding the tyrant alive, after a fashion, and completely controlled by the
Whispered One, the ill-prepared Circle of Eight panicked, and was defeated. [LGJ#0
– 6]
Tenser was dead. Indeed, the whole of the Circle, with the exception of
Mordenkainen, were dead!
“This is
worse than a calamity,” he said dryly. “It's getting to be a nuisance.”
― Family in the
Wind
One must always give credit where credit is due. This piece
is made possible primarily by the Imaginings of Gary Gygax and his Old Guard,
Lenard Lakofka among them, and the new old guards, Carl Sargant, 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:
Tenser, Greyhawk Trading Card #213, 1992
Tenser detail, by Gary Williams, from WG6 Isle of the Ape, 1985
Cover art, from WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure, 1984
Flying Carpet, by Jeff Easley, from WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure, 1984
Bigby, by Jeff Easley, from WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure, 1984
Riggby, by Jeff Easley, from WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure, 1984
Robilar, by Jeff Easley, from WGR3 Rary the Traitor, 1992
Tenser detail, by Gary Williams, from WG6 Isle of the Ape, 1985
Iggwilv, by James Ryman, from Dungeon #149, 2007
Jallarzi Sallavarian, by Sam Wood, from Living Greyhawk Journal #0, 2000
Tenser detail, by Sam Wood, from From the Ashes Boxed Set Ref card #13, 1992
Sources:
1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed
Set, 1983
1043 The City of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1989
1064 From the Ashes Boxed
Set, 1992
9025 World of Greyhawk
Folio, 1980
9031 The Rogues Gallery, 1980
9112 WG5 Mordenkainen’s Fantastic Adventure, 1984
9153 WG6 Isle of the Ape, 1985
9309 WGA4 Vecna Lives! 1990
9576 Return of the Eight,
1998
9577 The Adventure Begins,
1998
9578 Player’s Guide to
Greyhawk, 1998
11621 Slavers, 2000
11743 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer,
2000
Dragon Magazine #185, 191, 294,
299
Living Greyhawk Journal #0
Greyhawkania, Jason Zavoda
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