Friday 10 May 2024

On Mordenkainen, Part 4

 

“He had an idea that even when beaten he could steal a little victory by laughing at defeat.”
― John Steinbeck, East of Eden


Mordenkainen
Had Mordenkainen’s ultimate goal of Balance failed? All outward appearance would indicate just that. His Citadel of Eight had long since disbanded, mostly by members’ indifference. His Circle of Eight now lay in ruins, its entire membership dead, haphazardly lured into a trap that laid it low. Was that done by design? One imagines not; but Istus is a fickle bitch. None can divine her plans for the multiverse. Not even Mordenkainen.
Not that he hasn’t tried. He’d gathered the greatest web of informants ever amassed. The greatest of magi. He’d also gathered to him the largest collection of evil tomes and artifacts ever collected, to my knowledge. He’d scryed the minds of the highest Good and the vilest Evil. Little escaped his eye or scrutiny.
But he may have gazed too deeply. It had left a dark mark upon his visage.
His most impressive physical features are his penetrating eyes. It is said that they hold hints of genius tinged with madness, a volatile combination that usually gets Mordenkainen what he wants from the easily persuaded. [LGJ#0 – 9]
But however vast his net might be, and however vigilant he endeavoured to be, he could not be everywhere, could not see everything, nor foresee every eventuality. Sooner or later, something, or someone, lurking in the shadows, would rise unseen, unexpected.

581 CY
And one finally did.
An important though seldom noticed event took place in 581 CY, when an agent of Vecna, the Whispered One of ancient Flan legend, struck down the entire Circle of Eight […]. The Circle had acted subtly as a balancing agent for years, preventing any one power from dominating too much of the Flanaess. [LGG – 15]
The recent deaths of the members of the Circle of Eight was the prelude to an attempt by the evil Vecna to overthrow the entire pantheon of Greyhawk’s deities and install himself as absolute ruler of the gods.
[WGR2 Treasures of Greyhawk – 32]
One imagines this must surely have devastated Mordenkainen. Surely it must have! His closest friends had been killed! One imagines that he would have torn the very Oerth asunder to avenge their deaths, then and there. But he did not.
Which brings us to the second meeting of Mordenkainen and Elminster, this time with the Head of the Order of Black Robes, one of the most powerful sorcerers on all Krynnthe Fell One, Dalamar the Dark. [Dragon #188 – 27]
Readers familiar with events in Oerth will note that this evening occurs shortly after the events of module WGA4 Vecna Lives, and well after the War of the Lance and the subsequent disappearance of Raistlin, in Krynn. [Dragon #188 – 32]

The Wizards Three
So, was he? Devastated? We shall see….
Mordenkainen’s arrives at this meeting, described as bearing a dark expression [.] [Dragon #188 – 27]
We know why. So does Elminster, it would seem.
You know what has befallen. It was a statement, not a question.
Elminster nodded. Will the Circle form again, in years to come?”
Mordenkainen shrugged and said grimly, They all had clones in preparation, I have heard. They wisely confided little to anyone, though perhaps a little more in me. Ask me in years to come, I suppose.” [Dragon #188 – 27]
He stared unseeing at the far wall for a moment, then said slowly, “They were my oldest, dearest friends, El. Fellows in magic – comrade-mages I could trust, and you know how rare those are.” [Dragon #188 – 27]
Dalamar arrives, with as much pomposity as did Mordenkainen.
Elminster was calmly pointing, with the stem of his pipe, at the empty chair between them. A darkness had gathered above it, a gloom that was darkening swiftly and steadily. It was a listening darkness that had grown eyes. [Dragon #188 – 27]
He arrives with a chip on his shoulder, for which Elminster chastises him, and Mordenkainen all but threatens him, saying: “[I]t’s doubtful that Im the most powerful mage of Oerth, highly doubtful – yet if it came to a test of magic between us, I know who would prevail. [Dragon #188 – 28]

A New Friend?
Much posturing follows, followed by the consumption of cheese and turkey sandwiches, and chocolates and ice-cream, while supposedly distrustful archmagi trade spells and reveal secrets about themselves they would probably never disclose to their mothers:
“The ‘ring of ESP’?” Mordenkainen raised a finger to show a light patch. “I wear one myself – except when meeting wizards, when it might be considered impolite.” [Dragon #188 – 29]
That is neither here nor there here.
What matters is their discussion about the state of their worlds, and their agreed cooperation.
Mordenkainen declares: “Elminster and I came to agree that sharing lore about the magic we wield, and the doings of all who work it in our various worlds, would be of common benefit – and even entertainment. After what has befallen the Circle, I see the need for the former more, and feel a strong present need for the latter. [Dragon #188 – 28]
That’s quite a confession he makes to an evil archmage he’d just met. I suppose we’re to understand that they must trust their invitee if he’s to trust them. More important to our purpose here is their dialogue concerning those wizards that might prove a clear and present danger to their mutual corners of the multiverse.
Mordenkainen: There is a certain wizard who mastered the ways between the worlds, and the art of shape-shifting, while I was still an apprentice. […] These days, he goes by the name of Daunskul, though I knew him long ago as Iliphar Firemaster, and before that as Ilighar of Teflamm. […] He is evil, and he does as his magical might allows him. […] A renegade wizard, tis best to call him. […] This Daunskul, whatever his nature, has in recent days taken to calling himself the Lord High Necromancer.” [Dragon #188 – 28,29]
Elminster
What might affect Toril and Faerûn need not be mentioned here, seeing that the machinations of the elders of Paladine and the Zhentarim never creep into the lore of Greyhawk outside these missives.
Their discourse at an end after a great deal of rolling chuckles [Dragon #188 – 29], they depart, presumably agreeing when to meet again.
Elminster’s fingers circled in the air, leaving trails of flames in their wake. Mordenkainen joined in, and Dalamar looked startled for an instant, then frowned a little and moved his own fingers. [T]he three archmages appeared to be engaged in a brief flurry of silent signing that looked rather like children playing Scissors, Paper, Stone. Suddenly they all nodded, together. “Until next, then,” said Dalamar.
A moment later, the study was empty [.] [Dragon #188 – 29]

Stripping away the turkey sandwiches and chuckles, and ignoring the swapping of spells, one might glean the true reason why these powerful archmagi have met: There’s something rotten in Denmark; or in this case the Realms, Greyhawk, and Krynn – indeed, in the whole of the multiverse. Why else would they risk sharing the same space? They may express their concern about certain wizards and priests who might stir up shit in their respective backyards, but their true concern might be in what is undisclosed in what is reported. What might affect all their respective worlds? Wild magic. Unpredictable magic. Dying magic. I may opine that only a god might have that sort of effect. That god could only be of unspeakably malign purpose, one imagines.
I might table a possibility, the one I imagine, in any case. Who is perhaps the most fearsome deity in all Greyhawk lore? Tharizdun? Tharizdun might indeed be a great enough threat to draw together the 3 most powerful magi in all their collected worlds.
Mordenkainen is 72 years old.

582 CY
Let’s return to Greyhawk, proper, shall we?
Where did we leave off?
Vecna
Vecna destroyed the entire Circle, save Mordenkainen [.]
[LGJ#0 – 6]
Mordenkainen may not have torn the Oerth asunder in the aftermath, but he did not do nothing, either.
When news reached the archmage, he mobilized the Circle's allies, and a small cadre of apprentice wizards, former companions, and long-time confidantes embarked on a nearly hopeless bid to thwart Vecna's apotheosis [.] [LGJ#0 – 6]
Mordenkainen wants the [allied adventurers] to discover the fate of the Circle of Eight. [WGA4 – 18]
[S]ecrecy is vital. Mordenkainen and the other wizards in Greyhawk are already having difficulty keeping the affair to themselves. [WGA4 – 8]
Meanwhile, he will be spending his time investigating the divination failure with his spells and library resources. [WGA4 – 18]
[Mordenkainen] elected to remain in Greyhawk as a safeguard against just such an occurrence. [WGA4 – 17]
Why did Mordenkainen not go, himself? They are his friends, after all! His colleagues! One might opine that Mordenkainen did not go for the reasons given, but that would be unfair, to my mind. None knew exactly what had happened, just then, after all. What occurred was all a blur in the immediate aftermath, with little time to sort through the mess, if the whole of the Oerth were under attack. Indeed, he did have to safeguard against further possible tasks; and he did need to know why his divinations had failed – what if someone, or something, was blinding him to their machinations. One might also imagine that Mordenkainen dispatched more than one adventuring group on various other desperate missions and needed to be on hand to coordinate and lend aid to them. [I’m being generous. Of course he did not go. WGA4 Vecna Lives! is railroad for pregenerated characters, and Mordenkainen was not detailed among them.]

Iuz the Evil
Long story short, the Circle’s allies saved the day, with a “little” “help” from Iuz.
Somehow (it is whispered that they employed the aid of luz, who stood to lose much under the deification of the Lich Lord), the intrepid adventurers managed to banish the Maimed God at the strange stone circles known as the Tovag Baragu, and Oerth returned to relative normalcy, save for the absence of the Circle of Eight. [LGJ#0 – 6]
Thankfully, the Circle’s allies did not have to contend with Iuz in the aftermath. Those two dark ones took care of one another.
[T]he two [Vecna and Iuz] plunge into the darkness, howling and tearing at each other. A great gout of flame rushes up and bursts out of the gate, sending a fiery blast 40 feet long and ten feet wide. [WGA4 – 67]
Were they gone for good? Any fool would realise that their absence could only be a temporary reprieve, at best.
Longer story shorter:
All hope was not lost: Tenser, Bigby, and all the others […] took the precaution of leaving a little bit if [their selves] to be cloned. [WGA4 – 13]
Mordenkainen addressed this absence by recovering what was left of his fallen comrades and cloning them. [LGJ#0 – 6]
As he should!
The Circle had acted subtly as a balancing agent for years, preventing any one power from dominating too much of the Flanaess. [LGG – 15]
One imagines that the Cult of Vecna thence rose to the top of their list of public enemies No.1.
The entire Circle of Eight was slain by an agent of Vecna, and so would fear and hate this cult greatly. [TAB – 3]

That list was long, indeed.
Overking Ivid V
Mad Ivid V was increasingly becoming a concern.
In the mid-sixth century, Ivid V ascended the Malachite Throne. A series of subsequent unsuccessful skirmishes against Nyrond, the Iron League, and other adjoining states did not suggest to the distant Furyondians or Keolanders that the Great Kingdom offered much threat to anyone. But Nyrond knew better. [FtAA – 5]
The location of only one orb [of Dragonkind] is known for certain to our cozy group of the Eight: The Orb of the Hatchling is unquestionably held in Rauxes, as Mordenkainen himself was able to demonstrate to our satisfaction last year. [Dragon #230 – 13]
To the south, the existence of the highly secretive and paranoiac Scarlet Brotherhood was first confirmed by returning travelers in 573 CY. It seems incredible that this monastic sect of religious militarists could have escaped notice for so long, even given their isolation in the closed city of Kro Terlep and the remote plateau south of it. But while the secret of this land became more widely known, the existence of a veritable army of spies and assassins in the imperial courts of the Flanaess was not. [FtAA – 5]
To the north, the Horned Society menaced all nations bordering them, combin[ing] the masses of humanoid troops with the organization and powers of humans. Deviltry is the religion of the Society [.] [Folio – 11]
Indeed, the years preceding the Greyhawk Wars saw the Shield Lands fall in humiliating defeat to the Horned Society and Bandit Kingdoms. [LGG – 159]
Then there is the enigmatic Valley of the Mage.
[T]he vale is ruled by a powerful wizard who goes by the names of the Black One, the Exalted One, and the Mage of the Vale. […] Although area rulers fear the supposed power of the mage, believed to be as evil as is possible for a man to be, they have left him alone. [WG12 Vale of the Mage – 2]
Were that not enough!
Increasingly Giants have been raiding the lands of men in large bands, with giants of different sorts in these marauding groups. [G123 Against the Giants – 2]
The Drow
These giants led to the discovery of an even greater threat, the Drow.
Somewhere deep beneath the earth there are rumored to be vast caverns which house whole cities of these creatures, cities of natural and carven stone and minerals, places of weird and fantastic beauty, metropolises of the Dark Elves [.] [T]hese delicate crystalline cities are also said to be the haunt of such monsters as the dreaded mind flayer and other subterranean horrors. It is told that demons walk freely amongst the Drow, for the Dark Elves regard them as benefactors and friends and so actually consort with them gladly. [G123 – 30]
To say nothing of all manner of under-oerthly beings of interest, of which little was then known.
The Derro
Like the Derro.
My dear Mordenkainen,
Your inquiries into the origins of the derro following the recent discovery of them beneath our city streets will be satisfied in part by the account herein, taken from my personal investigations. The heroes who last month saw to the defeat of the serpentine Falcon and her derro followers saved us all from an unspeakable fate.
Excerpt—letter from Otto to Mordenkainen [following] the defeat of the Falcon, 22nd of Reaping, 582 C.Y [Dragon #241 – 40]
The Lerara
And the Lerara.
Mordenkainen of the Circle, greetings.
It has been too long since I lust heard from you. Your query is not unwelcome, but events of late leave me little time to reminisce about my childhood, Still, here is a brief sketch of my origins and people.
Excerpt—letter from Otto to Mordenkainen following the defeat of the Falcon, 22nd of Reaping, 582 C.Y [Dragon #241 –  43]
The list is too long to detail here.
All these concerns and threats paled, however, to that posed by Iuz.
After his release, Iuz was filled with a desire for vengeance and conquest. Sixty-five years of banishment had concentrated his mind wonderfully. With a savagery and cruelty allied to plans formed over many long years of thought, Iuz acted to gather together the warring bandits and humanoids of his land with an iron grip. He drew together his Boneheart, a Greater and Lesser circle of spellcasters, six in each echelon. His agents began to scour the Flanaess, seeking arcane evils and relics. Iuz readied his forces for a great war. [WGR5 Iuz the Evil – 3]

Which were Mordenkainen’s renewed Circle to tackle first? Much discussion, and argument, was had concerning this.
[Mordenkainen] revels in the art of debate, though his emotions can overcome him if he fears defeat. Luckily for him, this is a rare occurrence (though allegedly the spike that tore a rift in his once-strong friendship with Rary). [LGJ#0 – 9]
Mordenkainen was convinced that Iuz was the greatest present threat. Not all were as convinced, but Mordenkainen would brook argument.
Rary of Ket
During a particularly unproductive session of the Circle. Rary quietly withdrew in the face of Otiluke's bluster and returned to his tower in Ket. There, brooding upon his decades of ceaseless toil and frustration and his lack of success in the path of neutrality.
[WGR3 Rary the Traitor – 7]
The others held their peace. But they would also not bow to Mordenkainen’s considerable will, either. Each fled to their own corner of the Flanaess, each hoping to stem the tide of the hostilities they divined were brewing under a façade of peace.
Though the Circle's leader, Mordenkainen, returned his colleagues to life using powerful magic, the group was in disarray when war again erupted in the distant north in 582. [LGG – 15]
This endeavor consumed time that otherwise might have seen him addressing the reports of the Circle's allies in the North, who warned of alarming developments in Stonefist and the Barbarian Lands. When those events spiraled into the first conflicts of the Greyhawk Wars, the Circle's clones remained undeveloped and half-aware. By the time the clones reached full maturation, the Circle of Eight had been forced to take a reactive stance to the tumultuous events unfolding before them. [LGJ#0 – 6]

Dalamar?
Where was Mordenkainen when war broke out? Away, meeting with Elminster and Dalamar the Dark.
Readers familiar with Oerth will deduce that this evening took place shortly after the beginning of the events detailed in the GREYHAWK® Wars boxed set. [Dragon #196 – 88]
What did they do? Drink cider and trade spells. I’m being glib. Mordenkainen was very much concerned about this war.
“I’m on blade’s edge these days [,” he said. “] A great war rages in my world.
Elminster and Dalamar raised eyebrows in unison. The dark elf spoke first, choosing his words carefully so they did not sound as stinging as they might have. “Isn’t there always war somewhere on Oerth? It seems almost sport to some folk of your world.
Mordenkainen nodded. “This . . . is different. Whole kingdoms march and fall, led by…” He waved a hand, as if to clear away such matters. “But enough. It seems I bring gloom with me whenever we three meet. I’d like a chance to smile from time to time.” He regarded the bottle in his hand thoughtfully. It seemed to have emptied itself. [Dragon #196 – 88]
Did he smile, though? I expect he – they – did not. In keeping with my earlier thoughts on these meetings, they had graver concerns to speak on that mere war on the Flanaess, however great it may be.
Cue discussion on the state of magic and the Cult of Tharizdun….

582-584 CY
Mordenkainen & Bigby
The Circle did their bit however “ineffectual” (to my mind) their actions may have been.
During the Greyhawk Wars, their attention focused on three major threats: Iuz the Old‘s growing empire; mad Ivid V the Undying and the military might of his Great Kingdom; and the subtler treacheries of the mysterious Scarlet Brotherhood. [Rot8 – 2]
Though the Circle never acted concertedly during the Greyhawk Wars, certain "hotspots" received a good deal of their attention. Mordenkainen [,] Bigby and Otto fought against the Old One's army at the infamous Battle of Critwall Bridge, and Drawmij was instrumental in organizing the flood of refugees from the Lost Lands to fastnesses in the Good Hills. Nystul worked primarily alone in besieged Tenh, while Otto and Bigby left Mordenkainen in the Vesve Forest to do what they could for the Iron League. Citing pressing personal needs, Rary retreated to his tower in Lopolla and refused to come to the aid of his companions. [LGJ#0 – 5,6]

While the War Waged
However harried Mordenkainen was, he still found time to meet with Elminster and Dalamar the Dark again – with an appearance by a certain Simbul – at the height of the Greyhawk Wars.
Mordenkainen arrived “With the stink of spell-battle all over you, I notice”, Dalamar said.
[…]
“Gloomy times on Oerth, it seems,” Elminster said [.] […]
Mordenkainen: “I watch and wait, as always.”
“While men and orcs carve each other all over Oerik, as always,” Elminster added.
Mordenkainen gave him a long, expressionless look. Then, slowly, he nodded. “I see no end to war on Oerth, even with so much death this last time. It’s a matter of betting among my more cynical colleagues, just how soon the swords’ll be swung again.”
[Dragon #200 – 22]

Why then did they meet? One imagines they must have been greater need than to drink coffee and eat cold lasagna, considering the events occurring on Oerth. What was occurring on Faerûn and Toril? Ask other scholars; I’ve no notion what might be, so I’ll keep silent on what that might be. In keeping with Greyhawk, one wonders what the Cults of Vecna and Tharizdun were up to just then?

However effective the Circle might have been during the war, their contribution was not as sung as was Osson’s of Almor.
[I]n late 583 of Almor's Commandant Osson, who had led most of Ivid's army on a distracting chase throughout much of the southlands, away from Chathold. […] Ultimately, Osson's army was put to the sword, its few survivors returning to the villages of Sunndi that supported them. [LGG – 111]
Should the Circle have moved to support Osson’s raid. Surely they should have; but one imagines they were still reeling from the Vecna affair and the sudden conflagration of war across the whole of the Flanaess.
Where Mordenkainen presumably could not capitalise on Osson’s dishevelling of the southern Great Kingdom, his old adversary Reydrich was not so unprepared to act.
At the height of Osson's invasion, Chelor begged aid from his cousin [, Ivid V]. [Ivid – 128]
That was a mistake.
The Herzog and most of his senior advisers were brought to Ivid and summary justice was dispensed. [Ivid – 128]
Reydrich
Reydrich was pronounced ruler of the province. If this seems an extraordinary happening, one has to remember that Ivid is insane. Reydrich seemed the only major Ahlissan noble who was not obviously conspiring against him.
[Ivid – 128]
[M]ost nobles readily accepted that Reydrich was clearly favored by Ivid. That gave Reydrich enough time to make sure he had Ahlissa secure as his own fief. [Ivid – 128]
This could not have passed Mordenkainen’s notice. One wonders what Mordenkainen thought of Reydrich’s sudden rise to power. I expect he was secretly pleased. Not only was Reydrich occupied with the reigns of power, but he was also betwixt mad Ivid to the north and the Scarlet Brotherhood to the south. Let them occupy each other, Mordenkainen, must have thought, thinking each then a lesser threat in the grand scheme of things.
Who then was that greater threat? Who else? The Old One. Iggwilv. And that unmentioned threat to the whole of the multiverse.
Oddly enough, Iuz did more for the cause of Good than the Circle never could: he removed the Horned Society from the equation, supposedly once and for all.
When Iuz deposed the Hierarchs, he simply made their dissimulation a reality. With the aid of the tanar'ri Lord Pazrael, Iuz struck by magically transporting over two hundred fiends and elite phalanxes from his Legion of Black Death into the palaces of Molag. The Hierarchs there never had a chance of escape. [WGR5 – 35]
One wonders about that, truth be told.

584 CY
All wars end. Usually due to exhaustion and bankruptcy. Who gained what was plain to see in the aftermath; how long the “victors” would hang onto those gains is up for debate. Time will tell. For some, though, the end came too late.
Almor presents the greatest tragedy in all the Flanaess in some ways. [Ivid – 146]
Already, more than 50,000 Almorians have perished, and many more die by the day. [Ivid – 146]
(17 Goodmonth)
On the 17th day of Goodmonth, 584 CY, mages and priests in Ivid's armies razed Chathold by fire, lightning, acid, earthquake, poisonous gas, and more. The Day of Dust, as it is now known, saw the nation of Almor disappear from the maps of the Flanaess, probably forever. [Ivid – 145]
Nystul
Not even a member of the Circle could have prevented what followed.
The famed mage Nystul, of the Circle of [Eight*], was caught up in the exodus from Almor when Szeffrin was cementing his hold on the land. This normally humorous and flippant man was almost speechless when he fled to Mordenkainen and Bigby, and he shook with rage recounting what he had seen here. He has vowed to destroy Szeffrin, and, while the Circle's current ethos is strongly against direct action and for careful watching and learning, it may be hard even for Mordenkainen and the ever-cautious Bigby to prevent him from trying. [Ivid – 146] [*The test says Circle of Five, not Eight, but as the tragedy to follow had not yet happened, I have edited the above passage.]

Regardless of what befell Almor, exhausted Flanaess was ripe for peace. How it came about is up for debate; suffice it to say that Mordenkainen and his Circle were not instrumental in its arrival.
Nor were they untouched by it, either.
(Harvester)
Then, at the very end of the wars, on the eve of the Day of Great Signing in the City of Greyhawk, treachery nearly destroyed the Circle of Eight. [EttRoG – 9]
When the political rumblings that signaled the end to the conflict reached the Free City of Greyhawk, the entire Circle was on hand to ensure a favorable outcome. [LGJ#0 – 6]

Betrayal!
The archmage Rary, the only member of the Circle whose magical prowess matched that of Mordenkainen, then emerged from the shadows to congratulate his allies on their foresight. His schemes thwarted, Rary lashed out at his friends, slaying Tenser and Otiluke and gravely wounding Bigby.
[EttRoG – 9]
Rary had changed in his absence. And not for the better.
Rary (NE) [WGR3 Rary the Traitor – 12]
During the Greyhawk Wars, two members of the Eight, Tenser and Otiluke, were killed as a result of the actions of Rary of Ket, now known as Rary the Traitor. [PGtG – 21]
Rary's treachery that day killed Tenser and Otiluke, and gained the Archmage of Ket everlasting infamy. [LGJ#0 – 6]

Even today a haze obscures the details: apparently someone plotted to annihilate the entire diplomatic corps in attendance, but the scheme misfired. A blazing explosion destroyed a good part of the Grand Hall only minutes before the ambassadors assembled for the day. A fierce magical battle immediately ensued, spreading havoc through much of the old city. When the fire and dust cleared, constables discovered smoldering robes belonging to two powerful members of the mysterious Circle of Eight—Otiluke and Tenser. The murderer of these wizards, undeniably a powerful mage, was discovered to be a third member of the Circle of Eight—Rary. Using secrets gained in confidence, Rary not only vaporized his two fellows but also tracked down and destroyed every clone the pair held in preparation. [Wars – 24]
His Greatest Friend
Worse, Mordenkainen soon received word that his greatest friend, the fighter Lord Robilar, had sacked the slain wizards’ strongholds and destroyed their clones and soul objects, preventing their return to life. Mordenkainen could understand Rary’s actions, grudgingly, but Robilar’s betrayal has always seemed incongruous to him. As his former companions gather in the City of Greyhawk to remember one of their own, Mordenkainen has just begun to piece together why Robilar acted as he did. [EttRoG – 9,10]

With the plot discovered, though, Rary and his co-conspirator Lord Robilar fled the city. Unable to return to Robilar’s castle, which was immediately seized by the troops of Greyhawk, the pair escaped into the Bright Desert. There they conquered the savages and established a kingdom of their own. Though small and mysterious, this growing state could someday threaten the very borders of Greyhawk. [Wars – 24]
Spurned from his family by his brother and banned from Greyhawk itself by Mordenkainen, Rary fled to the Bright Desert, to uncover its secrets and inaugurate an empire. [LGJ#0 – 6]

Lord Robilar
The motive behind Rary’s treachery remains clouded. According to many who knew him, the wizard probably saw an opportunity to seize power and land in the confusion that would follow the assassinations. Others suggest Rary was a pawn of the Scarlet Brotherhood.
[Wars – 24]
Many suspected that the former Archmage of Ket had hoped to hold the ambassadors hostage, perhaps capturing Greyhawk itself in the process. Instead, he and his cohort, Lord Robilar, went to the Bright Desert to form their own kingdom. Fearing further disruptions, the delegates hurriedly signed the Pact of Greyhawk. Ironically, because of the site of the treaty signing, the great conflicts soon became known as the Greyhawk Wars. [LGG – 16]
Regardless how important this betrayal was to Mordenkainen and his Circle, it was small beer in the grand scheme of things – as Mordenkainen surely understood it to be.
Indeed, so too was the war…. It was over and done with, for the time being, after all.

The nations of the Flanaess were spent. There would be no more war – or so a great many believed, in its wake – but wars persist. They never end. The Hot War became a Cold one.
The Greyhawk Wars were only part one of the great struggle. The Great Kingdom is virtually certain to disintegrate. Iuz will wage war on Furyondy again, and nations such as Veluna and the Ulek states will have their fates decided by what happens in Furyondy. The Scarlet Brotherhood will strike again to conquer nations, because there is no power to stop it doing so. The Flanaess will be plunged into war again, and what happens during that war will be decisive. There will be no stalemate next time around. [Ivid – 156,157]
Is there no hope? Will Evil win? Time will tell.
But there is hope. There is always hope.
Canon Hazen
The final element in this strategic equation is the fate of certain powerful individuals who have the ability to prevent evil from becoming fully triumphant. The vital forces here are: Mordenkainen and the Circle of Five; Archmage Philidor; Gwydiesin; The Walker; The Spectre; the priesthood of Rao in Veluna; the quasipowers Heward, Murlynd, Kelanen, and Keoghtem; Mayaheine, Oerth's new demipower; and a handful of similar beings in lands such as Celene, Ulek, and Keoland. In the grand strategic picture, the unity of action of such mighty individuals will likely determine the fate of the Flanaess. Don't forget that these people are highly diverse and by no means agree on goals and procedures. Canon Hazen of Veluna City is powerfully Lawful Good; Mordenkainen is as Neutral as they come. There are also some unpredictable elements in the equation of Evil, most notably Vecna and Xaene, whose actions are unknown. Also, there are many other non-evil NPCs who have dealings with these pivotal figures (for example, Kieren Jalucian, the elves of the Timeless Tree in the Vesve forest, and many others) whose support of and flow of information to these luminaries will make an important difference.
[Ivid – 15]
Mordenkainen is 75 years old.

At the End of the War
Let’s pause to take stock, shall we?
Tenser
Mordenkainen’s divination revealed that Tenser was truly dead and could not be resurrected by any means.
[Rot8 – 3]
Using secrets gained in confidence, Rary not only vaporized his two fellows but had every magical clone of the pair destroyed, barring their return. [PGtG – 11]
The treachery of Rary in 584 CY saw the destruction of Tenser and Otiluke, leaving the Circle at five. [LGG – 156]
The treachery left the Eight (now Five: Bigby, Drawmij, Jallarzi Sallavarain, Nystul and Otto) reeling. [Rot8 – 3]
Who were left?
Current members include Bigby of Mitrik (N male human Wiz19), once Mordenkainen's apprentice and now an archmage in his own right; the rotund and jovial Otto (N male human Wiz15/Clr3 of Boccob), who favors the kitchen over the laboratory; Jallarzi Sallavarian of Greyhawk (NG female human Wiz15), one of the most dynamic wizards in a city of mages; the reclusive Drawmij (N male human Wiz18), who oversees Keoland and the south from his undersea lair near Gradsul; and Nystul (N male human Wiz17), a Tenha expatriate who wishes to expand the Circle, beyond eight if need be, to combat the growing threats presented by Iuz, Turrosh Mak, and the consolidating factions of the former Great Kingdom. [LGG – 156]

Mordenkainen
One might wonder how Mordenkainen could carry on. In short years he had experienced such blows that would have floored a lesser man: In 581 he had witnessed the utter destruction of his Circle of Eight, its entire membership “laid to rest” by a renascent Vecna. He was able to recover from that shock, somewhat, by cloning the lost. But cloning the Circle could not prevent the great war he had little recourse than to weather. Then, just as the worst appeared to be behind him, Rary’s and Robilar’s betrayal dealt a blow far greater than any “mere” war could inflict. Not only had they struck a blow to the Circle, they had also struck it against him, personally! Indeed, he would never, not in a million years, have thought them capable of such treachery.
Never did the view of those scrying crystals turn inward, however, toward the plans of the single individual who could do the most harm to the delegates' cause. [LGJ#0 – 7]
What had possessed them to? They were his friends! Now, it appeared, they would be his enemies, forevermore.


“Real courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird





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:
Mordenkainen, by Wayne Reynolds, from Players Handbook 5e, 2014
The Circle of Eight, by Ken Frank, from FtA Reference Card #13, 1992
The Wizards Three, by Dan Burr, from Dragon #188, 1992
Dalamar the Dark detail, by Larry Elmore, from The Art of the Dragonlance Saga, 1987
Elminster detail, by Tyler Jacobson, from The Herald, 2014 (also in Dragon+ #2)
Vecna, by D. Cramer & B. Snoddy w/J. Norman, from Deities and Demigods 3e, 2002
Iuz, from Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk, 2007
Ivid V, from Players Guide to Greyhawk, 1998
The Drow, by Bill Willingham, from D1-2 Descent into the Depths of the Earth, 1981
The Derro, by R.K. Post, from Dragon #241, 1997
Elayne Mystica, by Valerie Valusek, from Dragon #139, 1988
Rary detailby Valerie Valusek, from WGR3 Rary the Traitor, 1992
Three Wizards Too Many, by Dan Burr, from Dragon #196, 1992
Mordenkainen and Bigby, by James Ryman, from Dungeon #112, 2004
The Wizards Three-Once more the three, by Dan Burr, from Dragon #200, 1993
Rary the Traitor, by Ben Wooten, from Dragon #405, 2011
Robilar, from Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk, 2007
Lord Robilar, by Ken Frank, from WGR3 Rary the Traitor, 1992
Canon Hazen, from Living Greyhawk Journal #10
Tenser, Greyhawk Trading Card #213, 1992
Mordenkainen, by Jeff Easley, from WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure, 1985


Sources:
1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983
1064 From the Ashes Boxed Set, 1992
1068 Greyhawk Wars Boxed Set, 1991
9025 World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
9058 G123 Against the Giants, 1978,1981
9309 WGA4 Vecna Lives!, 1990
9360 WGR2 Treasures of Greyhawk, 1992
9386 WGR3 Rary the Traitor, 1992
9399 WGR5 Iuz the Evil, 1993
WGR7 Ivid the Undying, 1998
9576 Return of the Eight, 1998
9577 The Adventure Begins, 1998
9578 Player’s Guide to Greyhawk, 1998
11743 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk, 2007
Dragon Magazine #188, 196, 200, 230, 241
Living Greyhawk Journal #0
Greyhawkania, Jason Zavoda

1 comment:

  1. As always I like how you've wound the Wizards Three into Mordys' ongoing timeline. It's alot to digest but your narrative is bringing it closer to present day. Seeing all this makes me wonder, is Mordenkainen the "main character" of the World of GH? Every one else is merely NPCs in his story! Good stuff. Ready for part 5.

    ReplyDelete