“The man of knowledge must be able not only to love
his enemies but also to hate his friends.”
―
 |
| Evard the Black |
There are those, however, are ambiguous in their evil:
The Seer of Urnst, for instance; Rary of Ket; Drax. And Evard the Black.
Are you even aware of Evard? Perhaps you are. Perhaps
not. If you aren’t, don’t be humbled by your ignorance: he’d be easy to miss,
considering the shortage of lore concerning him. Perhaps he ought to be better
known; he’s been around for quite a long time.
Evard [was an] NPC […] of the Greyhawk Campaign [.] [Dragon #68 – 24]
That would be
Gary Gygax’s Greyhawk campaign.
Evard was once only
known for his eponymous spell, Evard’s black tentacles, first introduced
in Dragon #67, and included in Unearthed Arcana [1e]. Little more was
ever written concerning him. Most of what has been saw the light of day in
Dungeon #107; the rest is rather oblique – rather fitting, considering what was
written.
I assume he was a villain in Gary’s game, because he’s
been a villain ever since, however enigmatic or quixotic.
Evard, Male Human Conjurer 16th-level
S10, Int 23, Wis 8, Dex 13, Con 16, Cha 13
AL: NE
[Dungeon #107 – 37]
Was he always evil? I suppose so. He begins as merely
curious and ambitious. Ambition does not always lead to wickedness, but
actively pursuing “dangerous” knowledge does not bode benevolence.
Evard’s deep ambition shines through in his
willingness to betray even his closest allies, all in an effort to force his
inferiors to rely upon and fear him. [Dungeon #107 – 36]
His willingness to betray does nail down his wickedness,
doesn’t it?
Wicked or not, he’s charming.
He’s charming enough to defuse heated discussions, but
often asks pressing questions of those who come to him for knowledge.
[Dungeon #107 – 37]
And appears to peddle all manner of… knowledge. What sort
of knowledge might that be? Secrets, perchance? Likely.
He has agents in most major cities of the western
Flanaess, and is only too happy to sell out former allies if the price is right
and if he feels doing so adds to his mystique and reputation for ruthless
self-interest. [Dungeon #107 – 37]
Selling out allies presumes evil intent, doesn’t it?
He must sell out allies often; he appears to prepare for
the worst for any encounter:
Contingency: If Evard is incapacitated
[…], a magic jar activates and allows him to attempt to possess nearby
creatures.
Permanent Spells: […] arcane sight,
darkvision, greater magic fang +5, resistance, and tongues
[Dungeon #107 – 37]
So, when exactly is Evard active? Good Question!
And what might
his world have been like? That’s another good question. Born in Bissel, and to
minor nobility, his world must have been turbulent, indeed.
499 CY
His family’s
world was one of conflict.
 |
| The Siege of Thornward |
The lure of fighting, political instability, and
wealthy merchant lords led to an influx in adventurers, spies and mercenaries.
[LGG – 33]
I’m not saying that Evard experienced these events
firsthand. He surely did not. 499 was 77 years before the Folio’s date. Even
were he 30 or 40 years old in 576 he would not be born yet. His parents could
not have been born yet. His grandparents, though…. With an abundance of spies
and mercenaries, secrets and intel must have brought a high price. One wonders:
were secrets the family business? That would definitely explain why Evard
turned out as he did.
He must have been active pre-576 CY if he was an NPC in
Gary’s game.
So, in that vein:
Let’s assume:
541 CY
Evard is born in 541 CY. That would make him 35 in 576 CY.
576 CY
 |
| Young Evard |
Evard’s primary weapon is information. His knowledge
of arcane and historical matters rivals that of most sages (many of whom send
him reports in exchange for answers to vexing questions of their own), and he
offers his services to good and evil patrons alike. If he doesn’t know
something, someone in his network usually does. [Dungeon #107 – 36]
He must have already been a wizard of some repute, having
already penned “his spell.”
“Legendry of Phantoms and Ghosts” by Evard
(phantom armor¹, phantom steed¹, phantom wind¹, Evard’s
black tentacle², wraithform¹)
1: Official illusionist spells from issue #66 [&
Unearthed Arcana]
2: Official magic-user spells from issue #67 [&
Unearthed Arcana]
[Dragon #82 – 57]
There being both
illusionist and magic-user spells within is nothing if not perplexing.
That would become
a moot point in later editions, though.
Legendary
of Phantoms and Ghosts
This
spellbook was written by Evard. It contains the following spells: phantom
armor, phantom steed, phantom wind, Evard’s black tentacles, and wraithform.
[Encyclopedia Magica - Volume III – 1191]
Was Evard ever an adventurer? I would hazard the guess
that he was not. He is/was a minor noble, and if his business (indeed, his
family’s business) is unearthing and selling lore and secrets – esoteric,
historic, dirty, what have you… – then risking life and limb would not be in
his best interest. In fact, protecting life and limb – his own – would be nearer
and dearer to his heart.
Although Evard isn’t completely helpless in melee
combat, he does his best to avoid being caught in situations where he’s forced
to use his unarmed attacks. He prefers using multiple castings of his signature
spell, Evard’s black tentacles, to hold enemies in place, after which he sends
in summoned monsters and uses ranged spells to finish off his victims. [Dungeon
#107 – 36]
Evard’s Black Tentacles (Conjuration/Summoning)
Level: 4
Components: V, S, M
Range: 3”
Casting Time: 8 segments
Saving Throw: Neg.
Duration: 1 round/level
Area of Effect: 1 tentacle/level of the caster in a 10’
r.
 |
| Evard’s Black Tentacles |
[Dragon #67 – 56]
Other Evard
spells seem to corroborate this opinion, in my opinion:
Evard's Menacing Tentacles (Transmutation)
 |
| Evard’s Menacing Tentacles |
Components: V, S, M
Range: Personal
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Duration: 1 round/level
Target: You
Explanation/Description: Two black tentacles sprout
from your shoulder blades and arch over your shoulders. The tentacles have
10-foot reach and are animate. Each round as a free action, starting on the
turn when you cast the spell, you can direct each tentacle to attack one
opponent within reach. The tentacles use your base attack bonus and Strength
score, and each deals bludgeoning damage equal to 1d8 points + your Str
modifier. The tentacles threaten the area within their reach, and each can make
one attack of opportunity per round. The tentacles also grant you a +4 bonus on
Climb checks. Material Component: A piece of octopus, squid, or carrion crawler
tentacle.
[Players Handbook II 3.5 – 113]
Evard's All-seeing Worm (Conjuration {Evocation})
Level :Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S, M
Range: 0 ft
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration : 1 day/level
Effect: One two-inch worm
Saving Throw: Negates
Spell Resistance: No
Explanation/Description: Evard researched this unusual
spell to serve as a method to aid his allies or to “help” those who pay for his
services, and to further his own ability to learn possible dangerous material
without directly placing himself in harm’s way. When cast, this spell created a
small writhing black worm in the caster’s hand. The worm can live for up to one
round per caster level before it dies and the spell’s effects are wasted.
 |
| Evard’s All-seeing Worm |
More importantly, the caster of the spell is
constantly aware of that creature’s location and condition [.] The caster can
sense the creature’s surroundings via its sensory organs by concentrating. […]
The spell […] can be ended early by reomve disease or
heal, but creatures immune to diseases are not immune to this spell’s effect.
The spell cannot be dispelled [.] If allowed to run its full duration […], the
worm crawls out of the creature’s brain and its mouth, dealing a point of
damage an[d] nauseating the victim for 1d6 rounds.
Material Component: A potion of fax’s cunning.
[Dungeon
#107 – 37]
[N]ew spells for […] Evard appear on Canonfire! at:
Evards' Brightblight, Evard's Enforced Incorporation, and Evard's Decaying Darkness.
None of his
spells appear particularly benign.
Nor was any
artifact he artifaced.
Rod of Tentacles
This disturbing looking rod looks as though it is made
out of a coiled mass of tentacles. It is warm and rubbery to the touch and
wiggles slightly when held. If used in melee combat, the rod of tentacles acts
as a +1 heavy mace. The rod of tentacles allows the wielder to cast Evard's Black Tentacles up to three times a day as if cast by a 15th- level
wizard. Once per day, the rod can be turned into a bizarre creature that
Follows the commands of the wielder. When hurled to the ground and a command
word is spoken, the rod turns into a mass of writhing, slimy tentacles. […] It
has the following statistics and abilities:
[…]
Constrict […]
Improved Grab […]
Immune to mind-influencing effects (charms,
compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), and to poison, sleep,
paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, necromantic effects, and any
effect that require- - Fortitude save unless il also works un objects; cannot
heal damage; not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage,
ability drain, or energy drain; not at risk of death from massive damage, but
destroyed when reduced to o hit points or less; cannot be raised or
resurrected; darkvision 60 ft.
If the tentacle beast is killed, it immediately
reverts back into the rod form and cannot be used for a full 24 hours. If the
tentacle beast is destroyed through use of a disintegrate, limited wish,
miracle, or wish spell, the rod is completely destroyed.
[Dragon #298 –
48,50]
Evard, like a
great many wizards, had an apprentice. And possibly an accomplice.
Fastona once apprenticed under the infamous conjurer,
Evard the black. [OJ#22 – 19]
Fastona Abreil
Male human wizard (conjurer) 11 [OJ#22 – 19]
 |
| Evard the Black |
580 CY
Evard is disgraced.
An attempted insurrection by necromancers in 580 CY,
possibly tied to the plight of a disgraced, evil wizard-lord known as Evard,
led to harsh suppression of fringe groups and zealous punishment of treason and
sedition. A general sense of distrust and self-defeatism emerged in Bissel, no
doubt encouraged by certain powers that wished to see the nation fall. [LGG – 33]
[This is the first, and only, concrete date in which
Evard is actually named that I am aware of.]
Was Evard involved in said insurrection? Evard is a
Conjurer [3e, Dungeon #107 – 37] and not a Necromancer. That said, members of nobility
are notorious social-climbers, noted throughout history for their plots and
schemes and insurrections; so, Evard leading – or involved in (he is infamous
for his “dangerous knowledge”) – is not without precedent, or possibility;
besides, common folk could hardly be expected to recognise the difference
between Conjurors and Necromancers when they might be in league with one
another.
Evard is 39.
c. 582 CY
 |
| Evard's Manor |
Evard lived for a time near the village of Duponde,
where he constructed a manor that existed both in the world and in the
Shadowfell. [Dungeon #192 –22]
Where is Duponde? The adventure modules in which it’s
featured never says; but given Evard’s connection to Bissel, placing it there
is as good a locale as any other.
Duponde is a town of about 1,000 inhabitants on the
banks of the White River. Many buildings within the town’s crumbling walls have
been abandoned in the last hundred years, especially in the southern half of
town. Heavy brush and trees grow in and among the dilapidated houses, including
those that are in still-occupied areas. [Dungeon #219 – 32]
Duponde, the town featured in Dark Legacy of Evard, is
the logical jumping-off point for any expedition to Evard’s manse. A small town
of about 1,000, it is the settlement closest to the mansion and sits at the
crossroads of several major thoroughfares. The townsfolk are pleasant, and the
town’s general store sells mundane adventuring gear and common magic items.
The inhabitants know of the abandoned mansion and are
willing to provide directions to it, but they make it clear that they believe
the mansion is haunted and should be avoided. [Dungeon #192 – 22] [Why 582?
Because the next mention of Evard also references the Greyhawk Wars.]
584 CY
Was the
insurrection when Mordenkainen first clashed?
 |
| Mordenkainen |
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. luz and his
underlings, particularly Kermin Mind-Bender, have hated Mordenkainen from their
first meeting. [LGJ#0 – 9]
 |
| Kermin Mind-Bender |
Mordenkainen has made many enemies over his lifetime,
among them are Iggwilv, Tuerny the Merciless, Evard the Black, the demigod Iuz,
Kermin Mind-Bender, Rary of Ket (aka the Traitor), Terik (Lord Robilar’s
brother), and Bilarro (Lord Robilar from a mirror world). [OJ#25 – 15]
Evard’s
apprentice was certainly stirring up the local giantkind.
The giants have held the lowlands and the income loss
from the dormant mines is starting to take a toll on the ability of Keoland and
Gran March to fund further action. During the most recent invasion, a group of
two enterprising individuals traveled to the abode of the fire giants to
instruct them on the fighting tactics of humans. Harriston crafted
mighty composite bows for the giants. Fastonaa [sic] created magical armors to
foil invisibility. [OJ#22 – 19]
[Placed to
coincide with the giants invading Geoff and Sterich.]
This would
suggest that Evard did indeed aid Iuz during the Greyhawk Wars.
[This is also
the last somewhat concrete date concerning Evard that can be sourced. What
follows is purely speculative.]
c. 585 CY
Every good Evil
wizard must have a rival!
Vontarin, once Evard’s rival. [Dungeon #219 – 31]
Evard destroyed Vontarin in a duel almost fifty years
ago. Seeing an opportunity to throw other enemies off his trail, Evard allowed
the terrified townspeople to believe that he had died, not Vontarin. After
arranging for the remains to be interred under a marker with his name on it,
Evard wove wards of umbral magic over Vontarin’s resting place. The master of
shadows then left Duponde. [Dungeon
#219 – 31]
Evard is 44 years
old.
 |
| The Dark Legacy of Evard |
Over the years, the citizens came to believe that
Vontarin left after defeating Evard, since neither wizard has since been seen
in Duponde. [Dungeon #219 – 31]
During the many years since the wizard last visited
the mansion, its decaying reflection has imprisoned his shadow, a dangerous
creature given life during a failed experiment with the stuff of pure darkness.
Long years of captivity with no company but a ragged band of Evard’s former
servants, coupled with the fragmented memories inherited at its creation, have
convinced the maddened shadow that it is Evard and have fostered within it an
abiding hatred of those who remain free. It plans to gain its freedom and its
revenge in a single grand gambit: By corrupting Evard’s neglected wards, it
will force a shadowfall that will plunge the lands around the manor into the
chill embrace of the Shadowfell. [Dungeon
#195 – 84]
c. 625 CY
Evard, master of shadow magic, is dead—or is he?
Evard is a famous wizard who was active several
decades ago. He is renowned for his mastery of shadow magic; his most famous
spell is Evard’s Black Tentacles. He was ambitious and cunning, and although
rumors of his death have circulated, none have ever been confirmed. He had many
enemies, the most powerful of which was the wizard Mordenkainen. [Dungeon #219 – 35]
[Evard would be
84 years old.]
“Forty, fifty years back, a wizard named Vontarin
lived here in Duponde. A rival, Evard—a notorious fellow, as wizards go—came to
Duponde to destroy him. They fought one night with black magic and left the old
monastery in ruins with their spells. Vontarin was never seen again after that
night, but the friars found Evard dead in the wreckage and buried him in the
town graveyard.” [Dungeon #219 –
35]
 |
| Evard’s Tomb |
Unfortunately for Nathaire, Evard is not buried in
Evard’s Tomb. [Dungeon #219 – 31]
Nathaire attempts a shadow-magic ritual at Evard’s
Tomb in the middle of the night. The ritual goes wrong, and Vontarin—the wizard
buried in Evard’s Tomb—possesses Nathaire. [Dungeon #219 – 36]
Evard’s Tomb has been opened, but the skeleton is
still in its coffin, and no sign of Nathaire can be found. [Dungeon #219 – 31]
A sinister force has the citizens of Duponde in its clutches
and threatens to drag the entire town into the Shadowfell. [Dungeon #219 – 2]
Are you Nathaire? Or Vontarin?
“This body is Nathaire’s, but I am its master now. I
am Vontarin, sometimes called the Gray Hand. I am a student of the necromantic
arts, which allowed me to preserve my existence—after a fashion—when Evard
defeated me.”
You attacked Duponde!
“The Shadowfell is full of monsters. I have no doubt
some of them wander into Duponde when the town transitions to the plane of
shadow. That, of course, is Evard’s curse and is not my doing. If you’re
referring to the good friars of Saint Avarthil’s, well, it seemed wise to make
sure the folk of Duponde fear me enough not to interfere with my plans.
Consider it a sharp warning to stay out of my path. I’ll be finished with this
place soon enough.” [Dungeon #219
– 84]
 |
| Evard, A Veritable Moriarty |
“I could not rest, Watson, I could not sit quiet in my
chair, if I thought that such a man as Professor Moriarty were walking the
streets of London unchallenged.”
―
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:
Evard the Black detail, by Udon Studios, from Dungeon Magazine #107, 2004
Bissel map detail, by Darlene, for World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
Evard (?), from Dark Legacy of Evard, in Dungeon Magazine #219, 2013
Shadewing Laureate, by Igor Kieryluk, from Magic the Gathering, 2021
Promising Duskmage, by Johan Grenier, from Magic the Gathering, 2021
Evard the Black, by Udon Studios, from Dungeon Magazine #107, 2004
Evard's Manor, by Chris Johnson, from Dungeon Magazine #192, 2011
Mordenkainen, by James Zhang, from Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk, 2007
Kermin Mind-Bender, by Sam Wood, from Dragon #290/LGJ#6, 2001
The Dark Legacy of Evard, from Dark Legacy of Evard, in Dungeon Magazine #219, 2013
Evard’s Tomb, from Dark Legacy of Evard, in Dungeon Magazine #219, 2013
Sources:
1015
World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983
2011
Players Handbook 1e, 1978
2011A
Dungeon Masters Guide, 1st Ed., 1979
2017
Unearthed Arcana, 1985
2159
Players Handbook Revised 2e, 1989
9025
World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
11743
Living Greyhawk Gazeteer, 2000
Players
Handbook II 3e, 2006
Dragon
Magazine #66, 67, 68, 82, 107, 298
Dungeon
#192 (Dark Legacy of Evard), 219 (Evard’s Shadow)
OJ
#22, 25
LGJ
#0
Greychrondex,
Wilson, Steven B.
Greyhawkania,
Jason Zavoda
The
map of Anna B. Meyer
Neat
ReplyDelete