“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe
what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”
―
 |
| Much Maligned Medegia |
Pshaw!
Rumours!
Exaggerations!
Much maligned
Medegia. Such rumours could not be further from the truth. Could they? Sure,
Medegia has had a wee unlucky spell, of late; but overrun by devils? Surely
that can’t be true.
What might be,
then? What exactly is the See of Medegia? Or what was it?
It was, quite
possibly, the soul of the Great Kingdom. It was rich. Fertile. Cultured.
Opulent. One imagines tall towers, towering temples, frescoed gates, vast
estates, quixotic manors boasting manicured gardens. Pampered gentry and gilded
ladies promenading wide boulevards. It was all that, once, and more. Then.
Before the wars.
But it was a lot
of things, once. It was old, older than the Great Kingdom. Older than even that.
It was ancient, in fact. Indeed, it was once Flan. But I suppose that can be
said of the whole of the Flanaess.
They once had settled nations. One expects that was
surely the case here, as it has such a mild clime, in a corner of the Oerth
where all a culture’s worldly needs would be met. Where a culture would surely
thrive. But that was long ago, surely.
The Flan had been a nomadic people for many centuries
when they were displaced by Suloise and Oeridian invaders. [LGG – 5]
The Flan were a gentle people. Not terribly
sophisticated. Not even civilised, if what we’re told is true.
The Flan tribesmen were hardy and capable hunters but
not particularly warlike, and their small and scattered groups made no
appreciable civilizing effect. [Folio – 5]
The Flan have always been strongly tied to the natural
world, as they were nomadic hunter-gatherers for so long. [LGG – 5]
Is that then
true. Yes and no. They once had settled nations. Sulm, Caerdiralor, Veralos,
Tostenhca, and the Tyrants of Trask, and many more. Perhaps the greatest of all
was Queen Ehlissa’s Kingdom of Ahlissa.
Before that, who
can say. History hides from all but the most skilled. It is buried, eroded,
forgotten, and sometimes erased.
c. -1932 CY
How long has
this bucolic land been settled, then? Who can say?
The first reports of strange cities to the south
worshipping strange gods are reported by the Flanae. These people (according to
Flan sources) call themselves Almeks (Olmec in the Common tongue). (3584
SD/-1932 CY) [OJ#1 – 13]
If the Almek
(the Olman, likely) could have found their way as far west as the Keoland coast
from their steaming shores of Hepmonaland then the relatively short sail from
the Dark Continent to Medegias shore must have been an easy trek indeed. If
they did, though, they left no evidence of it. Then again, wood huts and
furrowed fields never stand the test of time, do they. Unless one has a most
learned and discriminating eye; and that eye endeavours to look.
-1200 CY
 |
| Aeons ago... |
Aeons ago,
the world was ruled by an evil and quarrelsome race of demon-worshipping
reptilian humanoids similar to troglodytes. […] [T]he troglodytes made contact
with a large human tribe that lived in the area and forced them to pay tribute.
These humans,
a race called the Flan, accepted the reptiles’ price for staving off storms and
preventing drought, offering up their livestock and children to the trogs for
demonic sacrifices and meanwhile praying to Pelor for help. The Flan of these
highlands tolerated the demon-trogs’ cruelty for nearly a hundred years until
the rise of a human kingdom to the north challenged the reptiles’ rule. This
new land came to be known for its inestimable monarch, Queen Ehlissa. [Dungeon #120 – 66]
Or so tales say.
If one believes them. The elves might know, if anyone thought to ask them. If
even they remember.
-1145 CY
Had anyone
thought to ask, they might have been told that Ehlissa’s realm could have
spanned the width and breadth of the plains south of Adri Forest, presumably
larger than it exists today, before the axe began to fall.
At the heart of what is now the Coldwood, a great and
majestic elven city once stood. Crafted from living woods, marble, silver, and
even ice, the City of the Summer Stars was home to perhaps 2,000 gray elves. [Dragon #208 – 54/Ivid – 74]
Before the
Ur-Flan came with their fell necrotic arts.
 |
| The Ur-Flan |
And were
defeated by Sharafere’s son Darnakurian.
Darnakurian slew thousands in a matter of hours. The
circle of destruction his sword emanated cut a great swathe of horrific deaths
before him as he charged the Ur-Flannae and drove them in terror from the
forest. Finally, the elf-prince took himself back to the city. So weak was he
by now that the sword controlled him utterly, and it drove him to slay his own
people in the hundreds. Every gray elf alive in the City of Summer Stars either
fled, never to return, or perished in that single day. [Dragon #208 – 54/Ivid – 74]
I presume that
those Ur-Flan wizards were Vecna’s as he was engaged in his war with the Grey
Elves at this time.
The City of Summer Stars defends itself from Vecna's
incursions. But the city is abandoned after Prince Darnakurian turns to
darkness. Queen Sharafere and the remnant of her people head to the islands in
the south. [OJ #1 – 10] (4371 SD/-1145 CY/3318 OC)
When exactly did
Elhissa’s new land arise? Surely long before then if they were powerful enough
to have challenged these demon-trogs and to have held Vecan’s armies at arms’
length.
c. -1125 CY
 |
| Queen Ehlissa |
Was Ehlissa truly its founding monarch? Unlikely. But she
will forever be its most celebrated myth.
Last in a line of benevolent rulers, Queen Ehlissa
treated everyone in her domain fairly, and no one lived in poverty or want.
Having no family, Queen Ehlissa raised song birds, her favorite being a
nightingale that she loved dearly. Each night she would sit and listen for
hours as her beloved bird would sing the most beautiful songs. Sadly, the
nightingale died, on her birthday no less. Devastated, Queen Ehlissa went into
mourning. Her subjects, fearing for their beloved queen, sent for their
greatest artisans, bards, mages, and craftsmen. For one year they labored, and
on Ehlissa's next birthday, they gave her the mechanical Nightingale. The music
that came forth was so pure and lovely that it soothed the queen and her sorrow
melted away. [Book of Artifacts 2e – 78]
Queen Ehlissa's Marvelous Nightingale:
Singing mechanical bird created by Xagy and Joramy,
goddess of wrath and quarrels [Dragon #299 – 103]
The origin of this artifact is unknown, although the
Mage Mordenkainen is reported to have asserted that the Nightingale was made by
Xagy and the goddess of volcanic activity, Joramy, some 17 centuries ago. Queen
Ehlissa bent all to her will with the enchantments of the device, and
throughout her reign of several centuries the Nightingale never escaped its
confinement. This bejeweled songbird seems to actually spring to life when its
mechanism is activated. The creature is held within a fine mesh of golden wires,
much like the cage of a real bird, and when set in motion the Nightingale opens
its glittering wings, hops to the highest perch in the cage and performs. It is
rumored that the eyes of this artifact can shoot forth scintillating rays of
brilliant color, each color having a different effect; its songs likewise are
able to work magical wonders, and if the rays and songs are directed in
combination highly powerful spells are supposedly woven. It is known that the
device throws forth a protective sphere, preventing detection or magical (or
psionic) intrusion in a 30' radius. Those within this sphere are reported to
neither hunger nor thirst as long as they remain within. [DMG 1e – 160]
Whomever created it, and however long ago, its legend has
been exceedingly long-lived.
QUEEN EHLISSA’S MARVELOUS NIGHTINGALE
 |
| Queen Ehlissa's Marvelous Nightingale |
Was Ehlissa a
good and benevolent queen? She might not have been, given she was powerful
enough to have defeated legions of demon-trogs, and in that her famous toy
Nightingale might have sought to escape her.
[The Nightingale] is partially named after the most
notorious owner of the item, Queen Ehlissa, who ruled with an iron fist for
many centuries with the help of this item. Its powers are a direct link to the
numerous aspects of Joramy and reflect this in its functions. The artifact has
been lost for many centuries and would be a prize that any follower of Joramy
would gladly kill for. [OJ #11 – 5]
How large was Ehlissa’s Kingdom of Ahlissa? I’ve no idea.
It’s presumably the extent of it is what would be eventually called South
Province; but there is no evidence to that. It may have been smaller. It might
have been vast. I assume it eventually reached Medegia’s coast, as she defeated
the demon-trogs to the south of her. Trogs being reptilian, I presume they
enjoyed a hot, moist climate, and not the rocky windswept heights of the Glorioles
or Hestland Highlands. [One could suggest the demon-trogs terrorized the Flan
from Relmor Bay and that Ehlissa descended on them from Almor but I rather
prefer to place them further south to the more tropical shores of the See.]
One wonders who
Xagy and Joramy might have created their marvelous nightingale for? For their
own amusement? Might they have actually forged it 17 centuries ago; or might
that only be a tall tale told about an era too distant to be recalled with
clarity? Might its creation be more contemporary? As early as during the age of
Queen Ehlissa, perhaps?
Oerthblooded
iron, so-called “blood-iron,” is an exceedingly rare and precious material,
created from an amalgam of iron and oerthblood. Discovered as early as the age
of Queen Ehlissa, oerthblood is a highly magical element found only on Oerth
and thought by some to be the residue of creation. Oerthblood is extremely rare
even on Oerth, and Irongate is one of the few locations where it can be found
and forged. [Dragon #351 –
45]
Whenever its
artifice occurred, it must have been created by a truly talented mage of
exceptional power and skill. Were there such magi in existence then before
there were Suel and Bakluni and Oerid historians about to inform us that they
were the only great cultures capable of such things?
There were.
There was Ehlissa, surely. And Vecna. And Keraptis. And Acererak.
-676 CY
[The Society
of the Serpent] was actually founded a little over 1,200 years ago by the
half-Suloise, half-Flan archmage Krritarius, a Mage of the empire who traveled
extensively in the Flanaess. In his travels, he stumbled upon the symbol of
Keraptis (in the Rakers) and was intrigued by it. When he created the Society
of the Serpent in 4840 SD after returning to the Suel Empire, he researched the
serpent motif and used it as a symbol of the society. Later, it was claimed
that Keraptis (and even later Acererak) had been members of the society. What,
if any, actual connection there was between Keraptis and Acererak remains
unknown. [Dragon #256 – 46]
 |
| Acererak |
Little is known concerning the being called Acererak,
for the name was ancient when eastern Oerik was still ruled by the Flan
peoples, and the frightening tales of the Tome of Horrors had long been a part
of the folklore throughout the Flanaess when the Kingdom of Aerdy was but an
idea posed by an Oeridian chieftain. What can be said, however, is that if
Vecna was the most powerful lich ever to walk the face of Oerth, Acererak was a
close second, for only a being of great might could strike so much fear into
the hearts of men yet remain mostly absent from the eyes of history. [Dragon #225 – 53]
Did Acererak
rule in what we call Sunndi now. And if he did, did he and Keraptis collude?
The Pyronomicon
Stamped into the center of the front cover and inlaid
with red-tinged glassteel is Keraptis’ personal symbol: an encircled and
snake-entwined capital letter K. […]
This symbol poses an interesting correlation between
Keraptis and the lich Acererak, a connection that suggests the two mages may
have been acquainted, for with the exception of the initials they used, their
symbols are identical down to the last detail. This seems to imply that they
were influenced by a mutual experience, as the symbols are too similar to be
dismissed as coincidence. Perhaps they were part of a forgotten wizard society
whose members all used the same serpentine configuration in their personal
symbols, or maybe both wizards received magical instruction from the same
teacher. [Dragon #241 – 79]
If they did,
they did so with Queen Ehlissa’s kingdom between them, to say nothing of what remained
of the Grey Elves’ City of Summer Stars.
At the heart of the Coldwood the old City of the
Summer Stars has simply disappeared. The magic of the elves has faded, and the
city with it. Some say that its ruins can be found within the Fading Grounds,
but the portal to it within the Coldwood is unknown. All of the city is gone
from Oerth—save Darnakurian's own keep. The elves named this Bitterness
[….]
No living man has ever entered Bitterness. Within it,
Darnakurian's form is still alive—in some sense. […]
No living man (or other sentient creature) is going to
get anywhere near Bitterness if the guardians who prowl the margins of the
Coldwood have their way. These gray elves are known as the Sentinels. [Ivid
– 74,75]
If Keraptis and Acererak did collude, Ehlissa’s Ahlissa
had to exist betwixt them.
What’s more,
Ehlissa’s Ahlissa had to exist when a great many archmagi roamed the Oerth: In
addition to those already mentioned, other notables were Galap-Dreidel, Tzunk,
and Lyzandred the Mad.
 |
| Lyzandred the Mad |
Lyzandred the Mad
Most people in the Flanaess have heard of Lyzandred
the Mad – a bogeyman, a never-seen threat, an undead wizard trapped in his own
dungeon while he was still alive. [LT2
Crypt of Lazandred the Mad – 2]
What has Lyzandred to do with Medegia? Nothing, really. Not
much, anyway. He was born quite a long time ago, before the Twin Cataclysms,
actually.
Lyzandred was born in a small town in the ancient
Baklunish lands in the year 2066 BH (approximately -594 CY). [LT2 – 2]
-535 CY
He had even already removed himself from the world as we
know it, as well.
The wizard‘s studies were successful - in 2126 BH
(-535 CY) the last of his natural life force was stripped away and he rose as a
vessel powered by negative energy. [LT2
– 2]
[T]he puzzle-loving wizard Lyzandred the Mad [then]
locked himself away in a trap-filled vault of his own creation several hundred
years ago. [LT1 The Sar Cairns – 4]
No longer hindered by a mortal lifespan, he scaled
back his frantic work on Oerth and devoted more attention to his otherworldly
home. [LT2 – 2]
So, what of him?
Why even mention Lyzandred? Because powerful magi have a habit of influencing
all those around them. You see, Lyzandred excavated a tomb at Alzak-Zil that might have inspired another wizard to
do the very same elsewhere, centuries later.
Why did he do so
so far from his home? Perhaps he liked how removed it was from the hustle and
bustle of the civilised far-west. The East was empty then, wasn’t it?
-458 CY
Of course it
wasn’t. It was settled by a people of little culture or concern.
The [Oeridian] tribes entered the Flanaess through the
Fals Gap, where they first encountered the Flan. [LGG – 23]
Migrating bands began settling the eastern portion of
the Oerik Continent, Flanaess, over a millenium ago. [Folio – 5]
Prior to this, we must assume that the human history of
the Flanaess must be, well, Flan. No other “racial” or cultural group is much
mentioned. The Olman perhaps made some exploration along the southern coasts
(Medegia’s included), but their history is an altogether southern one, somewhat
restricted to Hepmonaland, the Amedio, and the tropical archipelagos.
This would be a simplification, to my mind. I expect that
the Suel had already explored the coasts of the southern seas, as well, and
were well aware of the Amedio, Onnwal and the Tivenot. But it was not until
after the Twin Devastations that they made appreciable inroads inland.
c. -450 CY
I presume that
Ehlissa had long since passed into legend at this point, for Ahlissa no longer
thrived as it once had. It merely existed. And endured.
After an
arduous journey across the Flanaess, the Seul of House Zelrad were welcomed
into the ancient and decaying Kingdom of Queen Ehlissa, which was later
conquered by the Aerdy to become the South Province of the Great Kingdom. [LGJ#4 – 17]
It would not for
much longer. It waned and became a shadow of its past self. Ripe for reaping.
3rd
Century BCY
And the scythe
was not long in coming.
The fierce Oeridian tribes likewise moved east,
thrusting aside Flan and Suloise in their path. [Folio – 5]
-420 CY
Could the conquest of Ahlissa have occurred without
Leuk-O, or Lum the Mad, and their Mighty Servant and Machine? Or without the
Orbs of Power they wielded? Who can say? All one can is that those two had
taken a hand in the Oeridian conquest of the East. Then they faded away. But
not before leaving wonders and terrors in their wake, for all great powers
leave such things with their passing.
 |
| Oeridian |
Some say that the Flan quasi-hero Krovis had risen to
protect his people in their time of need; if he had, there is no evidence, for
the Oeridians battled the Flan and Ur-Flan for centuries, and the Flan were
defeated in the end whether Krovis had risen or not.
Krovis’ avatar has, in the past, emerged from his
crypt to bring down several empires that dominated the central regions of the
Flanaess, including the dominions of the Isles of Woe and the Empire of Lum the
Mad (both of which occurred more than 1,000 years ago). [Dragon #167 – 13]
Baron Lum’s was not the only Oeridian “empire,” in those
early days. Leuk-O had preceded the houses of Aerdi to that far eastern coast,
where he delved into magics that he ought to have left well enough alone.
It was around this time that the last contact between the
inhabitants of the Belching Vortex of Leuk-O and the hill folk of what are now
called the Hestmark Highlands occurred.
HESTMARK-GLORIOLES RANGE
Most correctly, the Glorioles would be termed
mountains, while the Hestmark Highlands are hilly plateau land, but the two
blend into each other almost imperceptibly. [FtAA – 58]
The Highlands themselves are very barren, with a
thick, brackenlike plant choking all other fauna in many places, and polluting
drinking water in the bargain. The traveler here is well advised to bring many
waterskins and a tarpaulin for collecting dew and rainfall. [FtAA – 58]
The folk of the Hestland
Highlands hold many secrets, but perhaps none so enigmatic as the great portal
known colloquially as the Belching Vortex of Leuk-O. Named for an ancient
Oeridian general who is said to have entered the place and emerged with unheard
of treasure. The Vortex appears as an undulating black, leprous membrane set
against a sheer cliff face on the mountain known as Vashal-Tul in the language
of the dwarves who once made their homes in the craggy hillsides nearby. In the
days before the Kingdom of Aerdy, a small band of hill folk established a small
colony at the foot of the membrane, which ancient texts refer to as a smooth
opalescent barrier, soft to the touch but impenetrable even by magic. At some
point, however, the gateway degraded, as did the village. Now, little more than
eroded foundations can be found at the site, along with the time-buried remains
of a people set upon by a terrible wasting disease. Leuk-O is said to have
fallen victim to this illness, which caused his skin to turn sallow and his
hair to fall from its roots. Those who
have visited the Vortex […] report a wasteland bereft of animal of plant life.
Occasionally, it is said, the black membrane opens suddenly, expelling an
invisible gas that can strip flesh from a man’s bones. [LGJ #1 – 6]
The Belching
Vortex is actually a remnant from another time and place, a portal to an
ancient outpost of explorers from one of the many worlds along Oerth’s
metaphysical axis. [LGJ #1 – 6]
Restless and driven, great pre-Aerdy commanders of
warfare such as Andorann, Leuk-O, with his massive magical juggernaut, and
Tuerny the Merciless conquered vast swathes of land because this was what they
had to do. No matter how rich and fertile any particular land might be, there
was always an imperative to expand further, to head beyond, to conquer the
vastness of the Flanaess and gain the longed-for glory of triumph and
rulership.
Other races did not possess this burning fire.
The Flan were a simple people; nomads do not have such
territorial imperatives, and they did not have the technology nor the desire to
build great castles and fortifications to defend the lands they originally
held. The Bakluni were too given to contemplation, mysticism, and hampered by a
fatalism which the reverence of Istus brings. The Suel were simply too cruel,
too mean of heart and spirit. Oeridian soldiers were fully prepared to die for
the greatness of their people. The Suel were too selfish, too limited in their
world view, to die for anything. And so, the Oeridians triumphed. [Ivid –
6,7]
The Oeridians brought a handful of magical artifacts
of extraordinary antiquity with them.
Until its rumored destruction by the earth elementals
of Al-Fasrallah, the Mighty Servant of Leuk-O—a huge war machine/juggernaut
resistant to damage from weapons and magic—and the similar machine of Lum the
Mad wreaked havoc on opposing armies. [Ivid – 7]
Who were these
Oeridians that brought such destruction with them?
Lum the Mad
 |
| Lum the Mad |
The recorded history of the device begins long ago
with the infamous tyrant from whom it draws its name, Baron Lum. Lum was a
power-hungry general who happened upon the device during one of his conquests.
Prior to his acquisition of the thing, Lum was a petty warlord whose legacy
would certainly have been lost. With the aid of the Machine, however, he wrote
himself a bloody chapter of wars and brutality into mankind's history.
By all accounts, Lum was something of an artificer
himself. While the creation of the machine was certainly beyond his skills, he
was apparently able to learn more about its functioning than even the wisest
sage might hope to. It may be that the study of the basic workings of the
machine (which combines magic and technology in ways the two were never meant
to be merged, by techniques and secrets long [and best] forgotten) drove Lum to
madness. It is said that Lum unleashed no fewer than 50 new species of monsters
on the world in his quest to master the Machine. At one point, it is said, Lum
used the settings of the Machine to call down a barrage of fire that decimated
an army besieging his stronghold. In so doing, of course, he annihilated a
large number of his own troops. However, he carried the day and, as such, he
judged the event a great victory.
Lum's chapter in the history of the Machine ends with
both the warlord and his device being consumed by a cloud of vapor which
billowed forth from nothing and left nothing when it faded. It would be easy to
assume that the machine was forever destroyed, were it not for persistent
though garbled reports of its existence in a distant and dreadful land.
[Book of Artifacts 2e – 53]
Druniazth
Maddening sword of Tharizdun once owned by Lum the Mad
[Dragon#299 – 101]
The sword
[Druniazth] first appeared more than eight hundred years ago in the hands of
Baron Lum (years before he discovered his infamous Machine). He wielded the
blade in combat […] against Ur-Flan sorcerers near what’s now the Bonewood, but
he lost it during the fray. He spent his remaining years trying to recover the
sword, and the search drove him slowly mad. [Dragon#294 – 96]
 |
| Machine of Lum the Mad |
Unusual
technological machine now housed in the fortress Rifter, near Rauxes. [Dragon#299 – 103]
Perhaps this strange device was built by gods long
forgotten and survived the eons since their passing, for it is incredibly
ancient and of workmanship unlike anything known today. The Machine was used by
Baron Lum to build an empire, but what has since become of this ponderous
mechanism none can say. Legends report that it has 60 levers, 40 dials, and 20
switches (but only about one-half still function). Singly or in combination,
these controls will generate all sorts of powers and effects. [DMG 1e –
159]
THE MACHINE OF LUM THE MAD
This gigantic piece of intricate machinery is far too
heavy and bulky to move by hand. It may be teleported or dimension doored, but
other means of transportation will probably result in the destruction of the
machine’s delicate workings. If the machine is dropped after a teleport, etc.,
it will lose at least one function and, if it falls far enough, be destroyed.
It is far too complex to be repaired. The machine has 70 levers and 30 dials.
It also has a type of booth large enough for four people to stand inside. If a
person or item is inside the booth, and a lever is pulled or a dial turned
there may be an effect on the person or object inside. Of the 70 levers and 30
dials, 20 are no longer functioning due to the extreme age of the machine.
[Eldritch Wizardry – 46]
“The Minds of The Unknown” by Lum
(feeblemind, mind blank, dismind, forget)
[Dragon#82 – 58]
 |
| Leuk-O |
The Mighty Servant of Leuk-o is believed to be a
construct of the same ancient and mysterious race that built the dreaded
Machine of Lum the Mad. The workmanship and materials evidenced by the Mighty
Servant are unlike any found in the recorded histories of men, making it
impossible to state just what their nature might have been. Some sages, citing
the craftsmanship and appearance of the thing, speculate that it is the
handiwork of a now-extinct branch of the dwarves. Dwarf sages note (with some
reluctance, it must be said) that never in their race's extensive histories has
anyone ever found a reference to this machine.
All accounts of the Mighty Servant begin with its
discovery by the infamous General Leuk-o. Leuk-o was a follower of the warlord
Lum, but turned against his master when he came into possession of this
instrument of destruction.
With the power of the Mighty Servant to back him,
Leuk-o forged an army that rivalled even Lum's. The two forces clashed many
times, always ending in stalemate. At last, the two forces met in a final
battle. Lum and Leuk-o faced each other, their mighty artifacts unleashing
powers greater than any since harnessed. It is said that their battle laid
waste to a great kingdom and left a scorched desert in its wake.
The Mighty Servant is believed by many to have been
destroyed in this final battle, although others believe it plunged through a
dimensional rift opened in that great conflict. [Book of Artifacts 2e – 58]
 |
| Mighty Servant of Leuk-O |
Towering crystal automaton once owned by the Oeridian
general Leuk-O. Of similar manufacture to the Machine of Lum the Mad. [Dragon#299 – 103]
Those who are most knowledgeable regarding ancient
artifacts believe that this device is of the same manufacture as the Machine of
Lum. The Mighty Servant of the famous General Leuk-0 IS a towering automaton of
crystal, unknown metals, and strange fibrous material. It is over 9’ tall, 6’
deep, and some 4%’ wide. [DMG 1e – 159]
THE MIGHTY SERVANT OF LEUK-O
This relic of a visiting race of space travelers is a
towering automaton of metal, crystal and some fibrous material of unknown
origins. Given the proper commands it can perform as a fighting machine, mode
of transportation or method of magical attack. It is nine feet tall, six feet
wide and four feet thick [.] Heat, cold, acid and various other conditions have
no effect on it, but lightning will [.] [Eldritch Wizardry – 46]
“Science of Temporal Waves” by
Leuk-0
(haste, slow, extension I - III, permanency)
[Dragon#82 – 58]
Tuerny the Merciless
 |
| Tuerny the Merciless |
Tuerny was born over nine hundred years ago [,] in
the region now called Ahlissa. [Rot8 –
9,56]
Tuerny was
once a human wizard, one of the greatest in all history, and a feared personage
in the ancient Kingdom of Aerdy. [Rot8 – 56]
In all human history only one man has epitomized the
essence of pure evil, Tuerny the Merciless. Tuerny was a powerful mage who
served as counselor to the king of a small country. Feeling that the king was a
weak and foolish ruler, Tuerny and his agents murdered the royal family as they
slept and he seized the crown for himself. Using his vast magical powers,
Tuerny charmed or enslaved most of the army. He was able to summon foul
tanar'ri and set them loose on the helpless people, but had little control over
them, so Tuerny began expending vast amounts of energy to craft a device
capable of bending them to his will. [Book of Artifacts 2e – 45]
When he was about fifty, he created the Iron Flask that
bears his name [.] [Rot8 – 56]
With all in readiness, he summoned forth a great
tanar'ri, took control over the beast, and imprisoned it in the flask. [Book
of Artifacts 2e – 45]
Graz’zt […] was forced to ravage the armies and
holdings of Tuerny’s enemies. [Rot8 – 56]
Meanwhile, news of Tuerny's atrocities reached
neighboring kingdoms. They raised great armies to crush Tuerny and his foul
minions. These devastating wars lasted years but resolved nothing. Finally
Tuerny opened the bottle—only to have the released creature grab him. A
blood-curdling scream filled the air as Tuerny transformed into a foul and
hideous monster and vanished, along with the flask and the creature. [Book
of Artifacts 2e – 45]
[A] demon […] trapped him in [his] Iron Flask [but]
could not keep him [.] Tuerny [eventually escaped imprisonment and] has been
free in the Abyss for centuries, where he made many friends and enemies. [Rot8 – 9,10]
Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless
 |
| Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless |
This artifact is reported to be a small and heavy urn,
easily carried in o pack or by hand despite its weight. The Flask is stoppered
with a turnip-shaped plug, engraved and embossed with sigils, glyphs, and runes
of power so as to contain the spirit therein. The possessor need but know 3
words to have the Flask function properly, i.e. the word of OPENING, the word
of COMMAND, the word of CLOSING AND SEALING. Tuerny's Flask is rumored to
imprison one of the following:
a greater devila groaning spirita major demona night hag a nycadaemon
It is generally conceded that the Servant of the Flask
can be loosed only to perform evil deeds, and it must always kill before it can
be commanded to return to its prison.
[DMG 1e – 158]
IRON FLASK OF TUERNY THE MERCILESS
This heavy metal urn is small enough to be carried
easily despite its weight. It is closed with a turnip-shaped stopper covered
with mighty runes, for it contains the Groaning Spirit. This is either a devil
or demon of some small power, and it can be loosed and sent forth to perform
evil errands. The one who possesses this artifact must know the word of opening
the stopper, the spell which commands the slave of the flask, and the word of
closure which insures that the creature cannot escape until called forth.
[Eldritch Wizardry – 45]
One wonders
whether the Iron Flask was the only trinket Tuerny created….
Medegian Bracelet of Lost Ships: This
silver disk contains a zircon stone that was enchanted by a greedy wizard who
used it to attain great wealth before he was captured and hung by pirates.
The stone in the bracelet glows red on the side that
faces the nearest sunken ship within 1 mile. When the gem enters within 50’ of
horizontal (not vertical) distance from a sunken ship, the stone glows blue.
When the command word is spoken, the bracelet causes the sunken ship to rise to
the surface [.] [GA – 82]
Not all were
malign. One, specifically, was and remains an enigma. I refer to The
Walker.
Oeridian legends concerning The Walker have existed
since before the Great Kingdom came into being. […] The truth is that he has
always existed and always will, though in what form, perhaps even he does not
know. […]
The Walker is often said to be a being verging on
demipower status, perhaps a human who is undergoing divine ascension and in the
last stages of a sublime enlightenment. Some say he is an aspect of Fharlanghn,
but this is surely only a partial truth at best.
He is one of Johydee's Children. […]
The Walker always shuns human company, though he is
polite enough to any whom he meets on the road. He speaks very little and then
always in riddles. But he is unfailingly good-humored and never shows anger nor
gives offense to any he meets. […]
The Walker is enigmatic. No one knows who he is, or
where he comes from, or where he is going. He seems to be undergoing some
endless journey. [Ivid – 106,107]
-217 CY
In their wake came the Aerdi, the fiercest of those
mighty peoples. If they were not fierce enough.
The strongest tribe of the Oeridians, the Aerdi,
settled the rich fields east of the Nyr Dyv and there founded the Kingdom of
Aerdy, eventually to be renamed the Great Kingdom. [Folio – 5]
 |
| The Eastern Coast |
They named that vast ocean the Solnor (literally,
"the birthplace of the sun"), and along its shores they founded a
series of small states. [LGG – 23]
Their first permanent settlements were soon founded
along the coast of the Aerdi Sea, between Pontylver at the mouth of the Flanmi
and the Gull Cliffs in the north. [LGG – 93]
These were largely tracts settled by individual noble
houses of the Aerdi, such as the mystic Garasteth, the noble Cranden, the
mercantile Darmen, the calculating Rax, and the militaristic Naelax. These
small principalities accomplished little under their loose confederation, as
they were individually unable to take on the Ur-Flan and Suel, so they quickly
gathered under a single banner. [LGG – 23]
After decades of battle with the native Flan and
treacherous Suel, the Aerdi noble houses sought a place to call their own, and
these places included settlements at Roland, Ountsy, and the largest of all at
Rel Astra, the site of a small abandoned Suel settlement. [LGG – 93]
-216 CY
In 428 OR (-216 CY), the scion of House Garasteth,
Lord Mikar, became the first grand prince (equal to a king). He ruled a land
now called the kingdom of Aerdy ("aer" meaning "sky" in Old
Oeridian). [LGG – 23]
Were the Flan of
Ahlissa aware of the Oerid’s arrival? How could they not be? Lum and Leuk-O and
Tuerny had wreaked havoc across their lands already, perhaps destroying
themselves while at it. The loose confederation of principalities would have
only further displaced them from the lands they had inhabited for centuries.
In 428 OR (-216 CY), these small states finally united
under a single banner, and the kingdom of Aerdy was born. Rel Astra was chosen
as its capital. The scion of Garasteth was the grand prince of the Aerdi at the
time, and he set about building an impressive seat of government. A grand
palace was constructed in the heart of the city and heavy walls were erected to
enclose what is known today as the Old City. A large keep adjacent to the shore
housed the admiralty of the kingdom, though the interest of the Aerdy turned
decidedly west over the next few centuries. [LGG – 93]
It was only a
matter of time before even the once great Kingdom of Ahlissa fell to the Aerdi.
2nd Century BCY
 |
| Conquest |
The old Kingdom of Ahlissa became the Principality of
Ahlissa, whose capital remained at Zelradton; the title was a concession to the
noble houses there who wished to honor Queen Ehlissa the Enchanter, who long
ago ruled the area and for whom the fief was named. [TAB – 26]
Zelradton was
once a Flan city. The Aerdi would not have waited long to strip it of what
cultural significance it once had, rewriting what was written there, as it
were: Flan friezes chiselled away, Flan statuary tumbled from their pedestals,
Oeridian gods erected in their place, Flan names erased from all but the most
lasting memories.
-200 to -109
CY
The Aerdi made their capital in Rel Astra, and spent
the next few decades conquering the neighboring Flan and driving the Suel to
the south. Due to the cooperative effort of the various Aerdi tribes
settling in the Flanmi basin, they expanded quickly. First they conquered the
Flan's crumbling kingdom of Ahlissa in the southwest, then swept north to
contend with other Oeridian tribes who had settled the Flanaess behind them.
[LGG – 23]
-107 CY
But with great
wealth comes great greed. And corruption.
[M]any […] knighthoods in the kingdom […] were known
to come cheaply (for example, the knights of Medegia). [LGG – 157,158]
[T]he Knight Protectors of the Great Kingdom are
exceedingly formidable, while those of Medegia are looked upon with near
contempt, as it is well known that the title is offered for sale. [WoGA –
79]
That corruption sowed the seed of what was to come.
1st Century BCY
The Aerdi would soon consolidate their gains.
After the Aerdi first conquered the lands surrounding the lower Flanmi and founded the kernel of their empire along the Solnor Coast, their ambitions soon turned to the southwest, where great riches awaited. […] The lands farther south were controlled by the Suel, but a series a brutal wars brought regions such as Idee and Sunndi into the burgeoning Aerdi kingdom (as part of South Province) over the next century. [LGG – 80]
The following describes the region of Ahlissa, but it can, and does, apply to Medegia.
These lands center around the vast, temperate plains formed by the Flanmi, Mikar, and Thelly river systems of the eastern Flanaess, which have for centuries nourished the Great Kingdom and its predecessor states. Most native predators were long ago exterminated by the Aerdi, though some survive on the wild plains far from the river valleys, where the majority of Ahlissa's cultivated lands are found. [LGG – 21]
Pastoral and fertile, with plentiful banks offshore, Medegia was rich beyond dreams. It was also blessed with a polished blue marble [LOG – 77] that the whole of the Kingdom of Aerdy coveted.
Before too long, the Aerdi had conquered the whole of the East…
1 CY
… bestowing their
benevolence upon the Flan. Or so they tell us.
The Great Kingdom became a potent force for order and
good in the Flanaess. In the year 645 OR (1 CY), Grand Prince Nasran declared
universal peace in the empire, taking the new title of overking. Nasran was by
all accounts a wise and dutiful ruler, and few openly begrudged him his claim.
[LGG – 23]
The Flan were lacking in civilisation, after all. The
coming of the Aerdi could only improve their lot.
One would only surmise that the seed they sowed was one of peace and prosperity.
Great Kingdom: OS [Dragon#55 – 18]
Rel Astra: Os [Dragon#55 – 18]
Oeridians: The Oeridians have skin tones ranging from tan to olive. They have hair which runs the gamut of color from honey-blonde to black, although brown and reddish brown are most common. Likewise, eye coloration is highly variable, although brown and gray are frequently seen in individuals: Unmixed Oeridians, despite claims of the Great Kingdom, are most common in Furyondy, Perrenland, the Shield Lands, and in the east and south in North Province, Medegia, and Onnwal and Sunndi. [Dragon#55 – 18]
Nasran founded the See of Medegia and granted it to the faith of Pholtus. [LGG – 23]
And the first of its towering temples pierced the sky.
[T]he church of Pholtus had the appointed task of administering the courts for the realm on behalf of the overking and the Celestial Houses. Its highest ranking member was given the title of Holy Censor and granted a fief to administer from the old city of Mentrey in Medegia, where judges of the law from all faiths were trained and appointed. [LGG – 81]
Pholtus (of the Blinding Light)
Lesser God, LG(N) – Light, Resolution, Law, Order, Inflexibility, Sun, Moon
It is said the regularity of sunrise and sunset, the cycles of the moon, are as fixed as the resolve of Pholtus to show all creatures the One True Way, a strict path which allows no deviation but gives absolute assurance of rightness. […]
Following the inflexible example of their deity, the clerics of Pholtus continually seek to reveal the light to unbelievers. They will brook no argument, of course, and resisters will be shown the way of the Blinding Light. [WoGA – 73]
OC [WoGA – 64]
For many years, Medegia existed in a perilous semi-independent manner, with the censor being the chief cleric to the overking. It later established firmer independence from Rauxes while still paying tribute to the imperial capital. [Ivid – 104]
“The One True Way is a strict path, but guarantees rightness. Show no tolerance for those who do not give all for the cause of Law, Fanaticism in the name of the Blinding Light is praiseworthy, and Law's champions shall be rewarded in the era when chaos has been vanquished.” [LGG – 179]
Whether the See was the soul of the Great Kingdom or merely its mirror is in doubt, but as the censor [was] the chief cleric to the overking one expects the two were two sides of the same coin. Indeed, a rising sun shone brightly upon the Great Kingdom for all the world to see.
But even as the Great Kingdom was declared, it began its slow decline. It was too vast. Too diverse. And too decentralised.
The Great Kingdom was quickly becoming too vast to effectively control from Rauxes, so the overkings appointed viceroys to rule the major provinces. The viceroys had near total autonomy within their realms to efficiently deal with local problems, answering only to the Malachite Throne. [LGG – 23]
The See of Medegia was no different.
It later established firmer independence from Rauxes while still paying tribute to the imperial capital.
Being close to Rauxes caused a strained relationship. [Ivid – 104]
108 CY
Decentralised and
as vast as it was, the Great Kingdom was nearly indefensible. It could not hope
to safeguard its coasts. Nor patrol the whole of its sea lanes.
The barbarians raided farther south, all the way to
Medegia, and fought many battles with the Sea Barons as they passed through
their waters. [LGG – 106]
It was beset with raids from both north and south.
None of these maritime powers and their natives were
more powerful than the Duxchaners of the Oljatt Sea. These pirates and
buccaneers were the terror of the south, holding a near stranglehold over
traffic through the southern straits and raiding the southern coastal cities
with ease. [LGG – 71]
So it remained for decades.
166 CY
Until one day these pirates and buccaneers went to far.
Following a particularly terrible attack on Pontylver,
during which the shipyards were set ablaze, Overking Erhart II was determined
to put an end to the marauding. In 166 CY, he committed the combined
navies of the Great Kingdom to breaking the power of the Duxchaners. [LGG –
71]
168 CY
With the naval power of the Sea Barons at the fore,
the Aerdi captured the Lordship of the Isles in 168 CY by defeating the Suel of
Duxchan. [LGG – 100]
With their defeat, the whole of the eastern Flanaess was Aerdi. Its past, its present, and the whole of its future.
c. 200 CY
Not all Flan history could be so easily erased, though. Some names can never be forgotten.
 |
| Acererak |
There are many tales and legends concerning this area, especially in old times before the swamp was as extensive as it is now. The most oft-told one is that of the demilich Acererak, who is said to have ruled the swamp in the distant past and now has his burial place somewhere within its confines. [FtAA – 61]
While alive, Acererak built an unholy temple in the name of a now deceased power. When the project neared completion, he slew every worker, excavator, and consecrating priest who had assisted in the temple's construction. The murderer instructed his few remaining servants to place the dead and their effects into the lower catacomb level of the temple, which was sealed off and paved over, consigning the mass grave to memory. Eventually, Acererak succumbed to the lure of lichdom, refusing to allow age and infirmity to end his existence. [Dragon #249 – 38]
The traps found in the Undertomb are creations of the undead architect Moghadam […] who still roams these dis mal depths filled with never-ending anguish over Acererak's betrayal. The architect believes that he was murdered because his designs did not please his evil lord, so in undeath he labors yet (in vain) to create traps and spells within the Undertomb that might impress even the Devourer. [Dragon #249 – 39]
Moghadam was inspired by another, it would seem.
Lyzandred the Mad
 |
| Lyzandred the Mad |
Wouldn’t you be, after all?
Even archmagi are not averse to flattery or theft of a good idea, it would appear.
Acererak ordered the excavation of the Undertomb ahead of time, always planning to use it to "discard" the builders of his secret stronghold. As such, there was never any plan for animate residents within the catacomb-realm, but the mass grave of the sealed Undertomb provided ideal fodder for undead stirrings, especially with the impetus of Acererak's later experiments into the realm of undeath; as above, so below. [Dragon #249 – 41]
The Scarlet Brotherhood were not so flattered, however, that Acererak chose to excavate his tomb as close to their domain as he did.
Rumors of a powerful lich, Acererak, building a stronghold in the Vast Swamp caused some alarm, as the Brotherhood feared another magical war with possible cataclysmic consequences – especially as the undead mage was presumably unconcerned about any potential damage to the local ecology.
Acererak later entombed himself after killing all of his slaves; this did much to assuage the Brotherhood’s fears. [SB – 4] (5516 SD + approx. 200 years)
They had surely known that he had once ruled a vast realm south of the Glorioles. Hadn’t they?
Perhaps they breathed a sigh of relief that he had long since abandoned it however long ago for whatever reasons he had….
But he had returned. Luckily, he either flooded the basin, or greatly expanded the already vast Vast Swamp, indicating that he wished to be left alone.
Other legends tell of the lost tomb of a demilich called Acererak, believed to be somewhere near the heart of the swamp. [LGG – 154]
If only others had heeded the same message the Brotherhood only too clearly understood.
Acererak, the demilich whose "Tomb of Horrors" has destroyed hundreds of adventurers [.] [PGtG – 27]
200s CY
Old habits do
die hard, don’t they? But they can.
The Duxchaners of the duchy of Ansabo, the second
largest isle in this chain, were viewed as little more than pirates by most,
but they were kept in check; they learned to prefer trade and fought only
occasionally with the Sea Barons. [LGG – 71]
Medegia could have only benefitted from the Duxchaners’
new preference for trade.
213 CY
With none left to conquer, it was only a matter of time
before the Great Kingdom, having grown fat, became increasingly decadent. And
inattentive. Before long, their possessions dreamed dreams of
self-determination.
From 213 CY on, the Aerdi overkings grew lax, caring
more for local prestige and wealth than for the affairs of their vassals in
distant lands. This period was called the Age of Great Sorrow. [LGG – 14]
The sun no
longer shone as brightly on the Great Kingdom. Greed and gain by then reigned
supreme.
The Great Kingdom reached its height over the next
century under House Rax, with ambitious rulers such as the lines of Erhart and
Toran. However, with the death in the spring of 213 CY of the Overking Jiranen,
a sovereign who had reigned many years, succession became a matter of intrigue.
His fatuous son Malev was uninterested in the office and proceeded to secretly
auction it off to the highest bidder among his relatives. [LGG – 23]
Pholtus’
blinding light had set.
252 CY
The House of Rax
began to doubt whether Pholtus’ self-righteous single-mindedness truly mirrored
the soul of the realm, given the tenuous balancing act required to govern so
vast a realm. Negotiation and trade bound the realm together, after all, not
blind devotion to any One True Way, however righteous. A little coin pressed
into the right palms helped tip the scales in Zilchus’s favour.
When the order of Pholtus fell out of favor with the
overkings of House Rax in the mid-third century CY, it was largely due to the
perception that its leaders were attempting to impose their doctrine on the
kingdom and create a theocracy through their control of the courts. While this
may have been true of some its more outspoken leaders, the accusation
undoubtedly owed more to the apathy of the Pholtans to the evolving politics at
court. So it was with the near concurrence of all other sects, that its highest
ranking cleric was removed from the Holy Censoriate by Overking Toran II in 252
CY and replaced with the priesthood of Zilchus, which was then closely allied
with the Houses of Rax and Darmen. This was considered a reasonable compromise,
as no consensus could ever be achieved between the faiths of Heironeous and
Hextor, the most individually powerful sects of the Great Kingdom at the time. [LGG
– 81]
This was considered business as usual by then. High
ideals did not balance the books or pay to troops, after all.
[T]he Zilchans who had held [the See] for nearly two
centuries after they had supplanted the Pholtans. [LGG – 24]
Zilchus
 |
| Zilchus symbol |
(The Great Guildmaster, the Money Counter), LN
intermediate god of Power, Prestige, Money, Business, and Influence)
A busy god, he has little time for frivolous pursuits,
but is knowledgeable in such things because it allows him to influence others.
[LGG – 189]
Pholtus did not understand how the world worked. Zilchus
did.
“In the world of men, the desire for money can be
overwhelming. Control that desire in yourself and exploit it in others—that is
the key to success and power. Anything done in the world can be done better for
a profit, and those who recognize these opportunities are one step ahead of any
competition. Politics and war are simply two other forms of trade, one using a
currency of words and the other lives; the trick is to spend yours more
efficiently than your opponent.” [LGG – 189]
252 to 254 CY
When the order of Pholtus fell out of favor with the
overkings of House Rax in the mid-third century CY, it was largely due to the
perception that its leaders were attempting to impose their doctrine on the
kingdom and create a theocracy through their control of the courts. [LGG –
81]
In the aftermath of this episode, many of the most
zealous members of the faith of Pholtus began abandoning the heartlands of
Aerdy, citing religious persecution and rising decadence in the empire, accelerated
by the withdrawal of Ferrond in 254 CY. [LGG – 81,82]
The more moderate elements of Medegia could not be more
pleased. Especially those lords of the port of Pontylver. Religious extremism
was not good for business.
400s CY
The lords of
Pontylver would agree that the See’s newfound devotion to Zilchus was very good for
business.
Duxchan rivals gained authority from the overking over
the southern seas and the rich trade proceeding from Hepmonaland. However, as
the purveyors of trade from distant parts of the kingdom to the large markets,
primarily in Rel Astra and Pontylver, the Sea Barons still profited greatly.
[LGG – 100]
430s CY
The northwest had
been nothing but a nuisance, as far as Medegia was concerned. They were too far
away, too recalcitrant, too costly to maintain. And honestly, what good was it.
It was little more than belligerent barbarians who always threatened sedition
and paid too few taxes. Who cared if the Kingdom were rid of them.
Perranders, Velunians, Furyondians, and Tenhas
achieved success, establishing independent status one after the other in a
series of minor but bloody wars. [Folio – 6]
One good thing came of northern sedition; Rauxes had
little choice but to realise how important the core truly was.
House Rax degenerated. The failure to crush separatist
movements in Ferrond and Nyrond had castrated the Rax overkings, who now seemed
to exist only to appease the increasingly independent palatine states of
Medegia, North Province, Bone March, and Ahlissa. [LGG – 77]
437 CY
The sun had
already set on the Great Kingdom, even if no one saw the truth of it.
The darkest chapter in the history of Aerdy began in
437 CY. [LGG – 14]
By 437 CY, tensions within the Great Kingdom
threatened to tear it apart. [LGG – 93]
Decades of court
intrigue had come to a head.
 |
| Hextor |
House Naelax did not believe as Rax did, that everything
had its price. House Naelax believed that the strong took what they wanted.
House Naelax believed this because they had very strong ties with the Temple of
Hextor, and Hextor believed that [t]he world is a dark and bloody place
where the strong rule the weak, and power is the only reward. It is often
necessary to be cruel and merciless in the pursuit of ones goals, and achieving
those goals can have harsh consequences. Order must be forged out of chaos and
law out of anarchy. The forces of tyranny must be obeyed and dissenters must be
oppressed or destroyed. [LGG – 172]
The Great Kingdom was about to become a very cruel and merciless
place, indeed.
“Pointing to another world will never stop vice among
us; shedding light over this world can alone help us.”
―
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 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:
The Ancient Flannae, by David A. Roach, from The Adventure Begins, 1998
Queen Ehlissa's Marvelous Nightingale, by Daniel Frazier, from Book of Artifacts 2e, 1993
Lum the Mad, by Hannibal King, from The Vortex of Madness, 2000
Machine of Lum the Mad, by Kevin Martins, from Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal. Black Isle Studios
Mighty Servant of Leuk-O, by Daniel Frazier, from Book of Artifacts 2e, 1993
Iron Flask of Tuerny the Merciless, by Daniel Frazier, from Book of Artifacts 2e, 1993
Map detail, by Darlene, from World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
Pholtus, by Anthony Granato, from Dragon #294, 2002
Acererak detail, by Ben Oliver, from Tomb of Annihilation, 2017
Zilchus symbol, from Greyhawk wiki
Hextor, by Adrian Smith, from Miniatures Handbook, 2003
Sources:
1015
World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983
1068
Greyhawk Wars Boxed Set, 1991
1064
From the Ashes Boxed Set, 1992
1162
Return to the Tomb of Horrors, 1998
2011A
Dungeon Masters Guide 1e, 1979
2023
Greyhawk Adventures Hardback, 1988
2123
Book of Artifacts, 1993
9025
World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
9576
Return of the Eight, 1998
9577
The Adventure Begins, 1998
9578
Player’s Guide to Greyhawk, 1998
11412
Bastion of Faith, 1999
11743
Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
OD&D
Supplement 3 Eldritch Wizardry, 1976
WGR7
Ivid the Undying, 1995
Dragon
Magazine #82,55,167,208,225,241,249,256,294,299,351
Dungeon Magazine #120
Living
Greyhawk Journal, #1,4
Oerth
Journal #1,11
Greyhawkania,
Jason Zavoda
The
map of Anna B. Meyer