“Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe.”
― William Shakespeare, Romeo and
Juliet
What makes the
measure of a man? Certainly not height. Some men, though short and slight, are
a force to be reckoned with. Otiluke, for instance. Otiluke never cut the
figure of a hero, or even a man of note, for that matter. He could never be
what one might say imposing.
Otiluke is 39
years old [in 581 CY {born Patchwall 542; calculated from 580, the date I chose
for the City of Greyhawk Boxed Set, set after 579, the last Dragon Magazine
timeline updates, but before the events of Vecna Lives}], 5’1” tall, 102 lbs.,
with short cropped black hair and thin beard and brown-hazel eyes. [CoG:FFF – 25]
He dressed well in a variety of clothing, but the
thinness of his arms and legs was often secretly remarked upon by those who saw
him. [OJ#7 – 19]
His long
hands are always active, gesturing and emphasizing. [CoG:FFF – 25]
Might the
measure of a man be character? His skill?
It is surely
Otiluke’s small size and physical puniness […] which have made him compensate
by becoming an aggressive and abrasive personality. Otiluke specializes in, and
loves studying, area-effect spells which cause physical damage in a wide
variety of ways, and he is always interested in bartering or buying offensive
magical items.
Otiluke’s
ioun stone is an interesting indicator of his mood; he has possessed it for
many years, and it has become attuned to him. The mage is easily animated and
irritated in discussions, and the more aggressive he feels, the faster the
stone whirls around his head. [CoG:FFF – 25]
Or might it be
the legacy he leaves?
Still other mortal wizards, villains, thieves and
heroes have had such an impact that in a hundred universes great spells and
magical devices bear their names: Mordenkainen, Iuz, Bigby, Drawmij, Heward,
Iggwilv, Tenser, Acererak, Nystul, Tuerny, Ehlisra, Otiluke, Serten, Bucknard,
Sustarre. These people made the Flanaess the greatest of legendary lands.
[PGtG – 18]
Otiluke was
President of the Society of Magi, a member of the Directing Oligarchy, and
secretly a member of the Circle of Eight. [TAB – 110,111]
Otiluke was without
doubt powerful. And he was a truly a force to be reckoned with, even more so
when considering his temper, and temperament.
Young, short, and puny, Otiluke has overcompensated
for his drawbacks by being overly aggressive and abrasive. Unlike the older and
contemplative members of the Circle, Otiluke believes in the use of offensive
firepower. Uncertain of his standing in the Circle, he wonders if it is only
his political role as an Oligarch of Greyhawk that causes the others to
tolerate him. [WGA4 - Vecna Lives!
– 86]
16th-Level Mage
Neutral
Hit Points: 39
Str 5* Int 17 Dex 17 Wis 8 Con 10 Cha 11
Spells*: 5 1st, 5 2nd, 3 3rd,
5 4th, 5 5th, 1 6th, 2 7th, 1 8th
[CoG:FFF – 25]
Otiluke’s Traveling Spell Book:
(spell/day)
1st Level (5): Affect normal fires,
audible glamer, burning hands, cantrip, charm person, color spray, feather
fall, grease, jump, Otiluke’s bubbling buoyancy*, Otiluke’s smoky sphere*, read
magic, spider climb, spook
2nd Level (5): Alter self, blur,
deep-pockets, detect invisibility, ESP, fog cloud, forget, hypnotic pattern,
invisibility; irritation, knock, locate object, pyrotechnics, Otiluke’s
boiling oil bath*
3rd Level (5): Blink, clairvoyance,
delude, fireball, fly, gust of wind, hold person, hold undead, non-detection,
Otiluke's acid cloud*, Otiluke’s force umbrella*, spectral force, suggestion, wraith
form
4th Level (5): Charm monster, dimension
door, emotion, Evard’s black tentacles, fire charm, ice storm, Leomund’s secure
shelter, monster summoning II, Otiluke’s resilient sphere, Otiluke’s steaming
sphere*, phantasmal killer, polymorph other, rainbow pattern, wall of ice
5th Level (5): Animate dead, cloudkill,
domination, hold monster, Otiluke’s dispelling screen*, Otiluke’s electrical
screen*, Otiluke’s polar screen, Otiluke’s radiant screen*, seeming, shadow
magic, summon shadow, wall of force, wall of stone
6th Level (3): Chain lightning, globe of
invulnerability; lower water, mass suggestion, monster summoning IV, Otiluke’s
diamond screen*, Otiluke’s excruciating screen*, Otiluke’s freezing sphere,
part water, programmed illusion, shades
7th Level (2): Finger of death, limited
wish, monster summoning V Otiluke’s death screen*, Otiluke’s fire and ice*,
power word stun, prismatic spray; reverse gravity; shadow walk, vanish
8th Level (1): Maze, Otiluke’s
telekinetic sphere, polymorph any object
Magical
Items: cloak of
protection +4, dagger +2, gauntlets of kobold power (increase Str to 9), horn of blasting, ioun stone (*pale green;
adds 1 level of experience and additional spells accordingly: increases
level by 1 to 16), necklace of
missiles (1 of 8DH, 2 of 6HD, 3 of 4HD), periapt of proof against poison +2,
ring of spell turning, wand of fire, and wand of frost. [CoG:FFF – 25] [WGA4 – 86]
I would not say
that he was particularly amiable.
Otiluke was not only a government member but volatile,
vengeful, and dangerous in the extreme. [OJ#7 – 18]
If anything, he was irascible, and argumentative.
How did be become thus? Was he bullied? Did he have a
deep desire to avenge earlier abuses done to him? We will never know, as he
never spoke of his past.
542 CY
Otiluke is born.
He was slain only a month before his 42nd birthday,
which fell in early Patchwall. (He was born in 542.) [OJ#7 -18]
Otiluke is 39
years old [in 580 CY {see above}.] [CoG:FFF – 25]
It is very
likely that he was born in the Free City of Greyhawk.
[It] is possible that he was born here and merely
moved back after long years of adventuring [.] [OJ#7 -18]
Where and with whom this adventuring took place is
anyone’s guess. None boast earlier camaraderie with the mage; but knowing what
we do of the irascible fellow, none might wish to.
Mid-500s CY
While he was
adventuring, events were apace that would ultimately seal his fate.
In the mid-500’s, a Wild Coast wizard named
Mordenkainen quietly began to confer with several sorcerers in the Greyhawk
area about the possibility of forming a group dedicated to the preservation of
the Flanaess from external threats. This group became known as the Circle of
Eight, an outgrowth of an earlier group of eight powerful individuals formed by
Mordenkainen known as the Citadel of Eight, said to be headquartered in the
Yatil Mountains at Mordenkainen’s retreat. A few of the members of the Circle
of Eight have been publicly named, such as Bigby and Tenser. The latter was
already a semi-resident of the Domain of Greyhawk, as he had taken control of
an ancient castle on the southern shore of the Nyr Dyv near the city. [TAB – 60]
570 CY
 |
| Mordenkainen |
The chaos surrounding the return to power of the
demigod, luz, in CY 570 prompted Mordenkainen to consider a new paradigm.
Though the Old One worked to check the growing power of the Horned Society, and
kept Furyondy's eyes on its northern borders, Mordenkainen knew well that the
situation would not last. The dissolution of the Citadel left Mordenkainen
without a tool to shape events as he would and though he hardly admitted it to
himself, he longed return to a life of adventure.The Citadel's primary failure, he surmised, had been
its inclusive philosophy. As its founding concept had been arcane, he had been
foolish to assume that men like Robilar or Riggby would rally to his cause
without subtly working against it for reasons personal, spiritual or political.
Men of intellect and sorcerous skill, whose primary interests were more than
material, would replace them. Thus was born the Circle of Eight. [LGJ#0 – 6]
571 CY
Over the next year, Mordenkainen invited some of the
most prominent magi in the Flanaess to join him. [LGJ#0 – 6]
Mordenkainen the archmage (N male human Wiz20+) formed
the Circle of Eight as a tool to manipulate political factions of the Flanaess,
preserving the delicate balance of power in hopes of maintaining stability and
sanity in the region. Mordenkainen's view of "enforced neutrality" is
not tit-for-tat equality, but rather a detailed theoretical philosophy derived
from decades of arcane research. He has fought ardently for the forces of Good,
most recently during the Greyhawk Wars, but just as often has worked on darker
plots to achieve his ends. In all things, the Circle of Eight prefers to work
behind the scenes, subtly manipulating events to ensure that no one faction
gains the upper hand. [LGG – 156]
573 CY
Where one might
speculate upon Otiluke’s past, 573 CY is without question when he arrived at,
or returned to, the city that would forever more be his home.
[A] retired brewer [..] sold the residence [the house
on Summoner Court] to Otiluke in 573 for an undisclosed sum. (The papers are
marked "based on separate agreement" here.) Otiluke is noted as
having moved to the City of Greyhawk from an unknown location in that year; it
is possible that he was born here and merely moved back after long years of
adventuring, but this is not clear. [OJ#7 – 18]
Otiluke purchased his home here in mid-573. (The date
given may vary by up to 5 years, depending on the speaker's memory.) The wizard
claimed at the time to be almost 30. He lived there with a few minor servants
(the numbers varied from three to six) [.] [OJ#7 – 19]
Otiluke turned 31 in Patchwall 573.
574 CY
The membership of the Circle changed little in the years
between its inception and 574 CY, when Tenser, still bitter over the
dissolution of the Citadel, sought membership. After one of the founding mages
of the group abandoned Oerth to explore other planes of existence, the petition
was granted, and Tenser brought his unique, if less-than-subtle, ambition to
the ideology of the group. [LGJ#0 –
6]
There were those
who Mordenkainan ought to have invited into his select group, but did not,
opting for a decidedly NEUTRAL world view.
Kieren [Jalucian,
Master of the Guild of Wizardry, Principle of Greyhawk University of Magic
Arts,] cultivates and almost frivolous attitude to his work, which belie the
seriousness which he undertakes it. […] Kieren is also highly amused by the
serious politicking of his fellow members of the directing Oligarchy and
refuses to get involved in what he sees as their petty rivalries. Kieren has satisfied
what lust for power he ever possessed and intends to enjoy it, using it for the
common Good rather than abusing it. [CoG:FFF – 16]
Kieran
[Jalucian] was considered unacceptable to join the Circle by virtue of
alignment [.] [CoG:FFF – 27]
This is not to
say that Kieren is not an influence upon that influential group.
576 CY
Two other mages known to have joined the Circle were
Bucknard (who vanished in 579 CY and was later replaced by Jallarzi) and the
ancient mage Leomund, an immigrant from the east who retired from the Circle in
576 CY and has been little seen since. Otiluke replaced him later that year. [TAB – 60]
Why might such a
man as Otiluke be chosen for the Circle? Are not the members cool and
calculating? And manipulative? Might not Otiluke have been manoeuvered into his
position?
He was
maneuvered into his position [as President of the Society of Magi] by Kieren
Jalucian […]; the Circle knew they needed a member permanently in residence in
the Free City—and who better than an Oligarch? [CoG:FFF – 25,27]
Otiluke would
have been flattered, why ever their reason. Finally, he would think,
recognition of his power and worth!
Otiluke’s
position in Greyhawk is of major importance. As President of the Society of
Magi, he is one of the ruling Oligarchs. As President of the Society of Magi,
he is one of the ruling Oligarchs. [CoG:FFF – 25,27]
Kieran
[Jalucian] was considered unacceptable to join the Circle by virtue of
alignment […], so Otiluke was approached. He enthusiastically accepted the
invitation from Otto and Tenser. Otiluke’s membership in the Circle is a
complete secret within Greyhawk, and he is often under some strain because of
the need to maintain total secrecy in this matter. Otiluke is a direct
(one-way) line between the city rulers and the Circle of Eight. [CoG:FFF – 27]
Otiluke is 34 years of age.
[W]ith the addition of the mage Otiluke, the Circle
solidified its reputation as a political power in the Central Flanaess. As
president of the Society of Magi, Otiluke brought with him a seat on Greyhawk's
Directing Oligarchy, and the group initiated its long-anticipated drive to
influence the policies of temporal leaders throughout the Marklands. [LGJ#0 – 6]
576 - 580s CY
The Circle has never been a static group. Members come
and go.
Two other mages known to have joined the Circle were
Bucknard (who vanished in 579 CY and was later replaced by Jallarzi) and the ancient
mage Leomund, an immigrant from the east who retired from the Circle in 576 CY
and has been little seen since. Otiluke replaced him later that year. [TAB
– 60]
In the early 580s, the Circle of Eight included Bigby,
Drawrnij, Jallarzi Sallavarian, Nystul, Otiluke, Otto, Rary of Ket and the
archmage Tenser. [PGtG – 21]
580 CY
Otiluke is 39.
Otiluke has
been a member of the Circle of Eight for only some five years, and some within
the Circle were unsure of the value of the impulsive, aggressive wizard. [CoG:FFF – 25,27]
[Rary {70
years old}] would, in any event, have found it hard to deal with the aggression
of Otiluke, and regularly expresses irritation at the younger mage’s
intemperance. [CoG:FFF – 25]
Ravel
[Dasinder, Patriarch of Boccob in the Free City of Greyhawk] is a member of the
Directing Oligarchy, elected precisely because he virtually never interferes in
the affairs of the city. Rabel knows much and says almost nothing. He is only
truly concerned with the safety of Greyhawk, and cares little about the day-to-day
minutiae of politics. […] The High Patriarch has unequal knowledge of future
events, and it is this that makes him a valued contact of Mordenkainen. […]
 |
| R15 Otiluke's River Quarter |
Ravel
Dasinder has a great dislike of intemperate people. Cunning, deviousness and
downright dishonesty are acceptable—he finds Nerof Gasgal [Mayor of Greyhawk]
amusing on this score—but aggressiveness is not. Thus, he strongly dislikes
Otiluke, and is currently trying to get him removed from the Oligarchy, making
representations to an amused (but concerned) Kieren Jalucian on this score. [CoG:FFF – 28]
One thing is for
sure, it was useful that one of their number always remain in the Free City.
Otiluke is in
the Free City some 90% of the time. His own home is at location R15, and he may
be found in any of the following places at certain times: at Otto’s home
(location G2), Jallarzi Sallavarian’s home (location H16), or at any reputable
hostelry, often in the company of the noted mages [.] [CoG:FFF – 27]
One wonders if
they thought it prudent that someone keep an eye on Otiluke, just the same….
R15: House
of the Mage Otiluke
[Otiluke’s]
house is a simple dwelling that he shares with a young apprentice/concubine
named Glorial, and several servants. Glorial: AC 8
(ring of protection +2) […] M5; hp 17; […] Spell: 4 1st, 1 2nd,
and 1 3rd.
Otiluke has
numerous art objects and valuable trinkets about, mostly reflective in nature
as he greatly admires his own looks. His collection might be worth as much as
25,000 gp.
Aside from
the lock on his door, Otiluke maintains no sort of security system for his
belongings. Instead, he has studied each one to the most minute detail.
In the event
anything is removed, he notices immediately. Using a locate object spell, he
simply goes to the object, finds the thief, uses a polymorph spell on the
thief—or meteor storm or other bombardment if the thief is part of a gang—and
returns the stolen object to his collection. [CoG:GotF – 83]
[F]rom 580 on, a young female human apprentice named
Glorial, who simply moved in one day with almost no possessions. [OJ#7 –
19]
Glorial, Otiluke's apprentice, is thought to have
moved to Greyhawk from Dyvers. She was very short, under 5 feet tall, a little
on the heavy side, with green eyes and long dirty blonde hair generally
described as wavy, frizzy, or thick. Reasonably attractive and cheerful, she
was widely believed to be much more than a mere apprentice to Otiluke. Several
neighbors recall that she was rumored to have been his lover; it appears that
several of Otiluke's servants, with some discomfort, admitted such a
relationship existed between the two wizards. Glorial was often heard to
complain to friends and acquaintances about how little money she had, and the
public supposition was that she managed to find "other ways" to pay for
her tutoring in magic. The relationship was widely believed loveless. Glorial
appeared subservient in Otiluke's presence, and he was sometimes seen shouting
at her about one matter or another in public, usually involving her magical
lessons. Though verbally abusive, he was never seen to strike her. She appeared
eager to please him, but he offered her no visible affection. This further
lessened his image in the eyes of the neighbors; there was talk about quietly
complaining to someone in authority about his behavior, but nothing was done.
Who complains about such a powerful wizard who is part of the government?
Besides, Glorial was a wizard, too, and she should take care of her own life,
it was thought. [OJ#7 – 19]
581 CY
Otiluke loved
his city and all it availed him: culture, entertainment, influence, power.
But he was once
an adventurer. Every so often he pined for more than the sedentary influence he
held. He wanted action. He wanted excitement. Weren’t the other members
galivanting across the Flanaess, doing their bit?
Mordenkainen
reminded Otiluke that he was a secret member, and that should be out and about,
in the company of the other seven, his membership might not be so secret
anymore, and that his usefulness might be less than it once was.
Otiluke
persisted. Mordenkainen relented.
There were
rumours about some doings in the north, and might Otiluke consider looking into
it?
He did.
C1 Grey College
This highly respected school […] has a
number of small and highly specialized libraries, each serving a different
department. The libraries are scattered throughout the complex of buildings.
Visiting each library takes a minimum of two hours, not including the time
spent studying any books found there. [WGA4 – 20]
Several visits by Otto and Otiluke are noted within
the past few months. The texts consulted are the Gnomicspheris, Imaginary
Landscapes, and The True Relation of the Nyr Dyv and the Lands Surrounding.
[WGA4 – 20,21]
The Great
Library of Greyhawk
The books
consulted at the Great Library were few. Otiluke used the Poems of Thalac Jiwo
and The Book of Stone. [WGA4 – 21]
[Gnomicspheris] tells how a group of Humans arrived
about a century ago and hired the gnomes to construct a special tomb. The
gnomish builders thought it odd, because the tomb was built more to hold
something in than to keep grave-robbers out. [WGA4 – 22]
Imaginary Landscapes contained a tale in which a hero
discusses the death of Magic with the Incomplete Man—a character whose body is
constantly dividing and reassembling during the course of the conversation. The
Incomplete Man takes credit for the death of Magic, which he brought about to
make himself whole. [WGA4 – 22]
One of the last poems of the [Poems of Thalac Jiwo] is suggestive
of current events. In it, Thalac writes of a time when sight pales, the key
will turn in the locked gates of Time, and the halls of heaven will hail a new
king. In general, Thalac’s description does not sound good. [WGA4 – 24]
In The
True Relation of the Nyr Dyv…, the Historian
repeats the tales of Halmadar the Cruel […] and fixes the location of Osnabrolt
on the shores of Midbay. He even tentatively locates the Tomb of Halmadar with
a simple sketch map. […] Finally, he suggests that the Cult of Vecna may still
be active in parts of the Kron Hills and the lands farther to the northwest. [WGA4 – 24,25]
The Cult of Vecna?
What might they be up to, Otiluke wondered? He was concerned. And excited! What
treasures might they find in this Halmadar’s Tomb?
The Eight set
out to foil the Cult of Vecna, whatever their intent.
Their quest did
not turn out as planned.
A truly important, though seldom noticed, event
occurred when an avatar of Vecna, the Whispered Lich of legend, struck down the
entire Circle of Eight, a collection of archmages that included such respected
names as Bigby, Tenser, and Otiluke. The Circle had acted subtly as a balancing
agent for years, preventing any one power from dominating the Flanaess. Though
the Circle’s leader, Mordenkainen, returned his colleagues to life, the Circle
was weakened when the Greyhawk Wars finally erupted. [WGG 3e – 4]
Most of the Circle are powerful. Most are resourceful.
They are certainly all capable.
But they are not invincible, no matter people might believe,
no matter what tales are told of them.
Alerted to a rising evil in the Flanaess, the Circle
hastily gathered for a nearly unprecedented field operation in 581 CY. A new
power sought to join Oerth’s vast pantheon, and its efforts threatened to corrupt
the magical order of the known world. The Circle traveled to the hills south of Verbobonc,
where they investigated the tomb of a long-dead Oeridian tyrant who was thought
to have possessed the awesome artifacts known as the Hand and Eye of Vecna.
Finding the tyrant alive, after a fashion, and completely controlled by the
Whispered One, the ill-prepared Circle of Eight panicked, and was defeated.
Vecna destroyed the entire Circle, save Mordenkainen,
who had elected to remain in Greyhawk as a safeguard against just such an
occurrence. 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 [.]
Otiluke’s henchman, Imiric von Suss-Varren, a powerful
count from the Principality of Ulek [OJ#7 – 19] was among those gathered.
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]
Otiluke vanished for a few months a few years ago
around 581-582, when some of the other great wizards of Greyhawk were rumored
to have been slain by a dangerous being (Vecna himself, it is said in low
whispers). [OJ#7 – 19]
Even in his absence, Otiluke’s presence was felt.
 |
| Greyhawk's River Quarter |
Everyone had heard of Otiluke's habit of tracking down
and destroying any thief who dared steal from his home, which had only a lock
on the front door to protect the valuables scattered on shelves and tables
around the first floor. (He often bragged of this, too.) The last time such a
thing had happened was about 581, when a half-elf is rumored to have been
frozen to death by Otiluke's spells outside the city walls for stealing a
jeweled cup. Some neighbors suspect that Otiluke actually hoped for a theft,
daring others to give him an excuse to attack them with some new spell he'd
invented. There is no proof of this, of course, but the suspicion is strong.
[OJ#7 – 19]
Their loss was quite a blow.
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 – 14]
What happened next may shine a light on how great a blow
it was.
582 CY
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. Only the bravery and fortitude of a brave handful of adventurers was able
to thwart Vecna’s machinations and put an end to his plans. [WGR2 Treasures of Greyhawk – 32]
The Flanaess was
in shock. The Circle of Eight was gone? Dead? Was that possible? Surely it was
a lie!
But it wasn’t.
They were dead.
Truly dead.
But Death is not
always the end, is it? There is always hope. Especially where archmagi are
concerned.
Mordenkainen addressed this absence by recovering what
was left of his fallen comrades and cloning them. 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]
He was not known then to have been a member of the
Circle of Eight, though this news is known to many now following his death in
Harvester of last year. It is thought that Otiluke was himself slain at this
time; Glorial shut herself in the house for two weeks, and suddenly Otiluke was
back. The earliest memory anyone has of his reappearance is that he simply
walked out of the house with Glorial and left, as if nothing had happened. The
neighbors thought he had managed somehow to bring himself back from the dead,
and they were suitably impressed. (Cloning and time travel are the means
usually mentioned for his "revivification" by more intellectual
sorts, who have no evidence on which to base their theories.) Otiluke's temper
improved for a while during this time, then worsened again to his former state.
[OJ#7 – 19]
Imiric von Suss-Varren, a powerful count from the
Principality of Ulek and until recently a henchman of Otiluke […] retired from
Otiluke's service shortly after the Vecna affair. [OJ#7 – 19]
The entire Circle of Eight was slain by an agent of
Vecna, and so would fear and hate this cult greatly. [TAB – 3]
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 – 14]
582 - 584 CY
Mordenkainen and
the Circle can be forgiven for not noticing what was transpiring while they
were occupied during this trying time.
Rary’s
admiration of Iuz and the Brotherhood grey during the war. As other members of
the Circle worked frantically behind the scenes to head off the conflict and
preserve what civilization remained in Greyhawk, Rary’s mind turned more and
more to thoughts of evil. He researched long-forbidden spells, studied the
histories of ancient conquerors, and learned more from his Payim friends as
corruption and wickedness slowly crept into his heart. [WGR3 Rary the Traitor – 6]
583 CY
 |
| Otiluke (I hate this picture) |
No one noticed
Rary’s change. He was as irascible as Otiluke, and as those two were ever at
odds, it came to no surprise that their dislike of one another mounted.
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. Rary finally and
irrevocably fell under evil's sway. Returning to Greyhawk. Rary enlisted the
aid of Lord Robilar. a powerful if somewhat unstable nobleman with a
substantial household guard. and together the two formulated a plan to put
themselves into a position of power in the Flanaess. [WGR3 – 7]
584 CY
No one could have foreseen what was to happen. Perhaps
someone might have, if they had looked for the signs. But none did.
Autumn of 584 CY saw the signing of the Pact of
Greyhawk, an event that would close various hostilities plaguing the continent.
[WGG 3e – 4]
Diplomats and high officials from all across the
continent would soon arrive in Greyhawk for the Great Signing. Using his access
to the Great Hall. Rary planned a series of magical traps which would destroy
everyone in the building, including diplomats, nobles, the Lord Mayor and his
staff, several guildmasters, at least half of the Circle of Eight, and the
detested Otiluke. That done, Rary would assume control of the Circle. As an
emergency measure, Rary would dispatch agents to those countries whose
diplomats had been slain. These diplomats would gain the confidence of kings
and chieftains, eventually giving Rary access to and control over numerous
nations. The killings themselves would be conveniently blamed on the Scarlet
Brotherhood, which had made itself unpopular during the war. [WGR3 – 7]
Unfortunately for Rary and Robilar, as Rary finished
setting his magical traps, several members of the Circle entered the hall for a
last-minute inspection of the site before the signing. Caught red-handed, Rary
first attempted to flee. Forced at last into open conflict, he attacked with a
fury born of years of pent-up anger. He set off the still-incomplete magical
traps. Tenser fell first, caught by surprise. Otiluke struck back savagely,
wounding Rary and forcing him back. Instead of counter-attacking Otiluke directly. Rary
set off several more traps, injuring Bigby, who had just joined the fight.
Overcome with concern for his friend. Otiluke's concentration broke, and
suddenly Rary's spells had him, rending and burning him at once. [WGR3 – 7]
Rary’s Vicious Missiles
A particularly nasty variant of magic missile, this spell
is believed largely responsible for laying low Otiluke (if not also Tenser) in
that fateful battle in the Great Hall. Rary jokes badly with Lord Robilar about
renaming this spell “Otiluke’s last tickle.” [Dragon#249 – 92]
Abruptly all the remaining traps went off, plunging
the hall into noise, fire, smoke, and the lambent glow of magic. As the smoke
cleared, amid the crash of falling masonry and the tinkle of broken glass,
Bigby, himself badly wounded, crawled over to see to his friends, only to find both
of them slain beyond hope of resurrection, and Rary had vanished without a
trace. [WGR3 – 7]
[Otiluke] was slain only a month before his 42nd
birthday, which fell in early Patchwall. (He was born in 542.) [OJ#7 – 19]
On the day that Otiluke was murdered, a large squad of
men in medium armor (chain mail) rode up to Otiluke's home from Marsh Street,
having assembled at some point in the northern end of the River Quarter. […]
The men spoke a foreign language that one onlooker, a baker, recognized as Baklunish,
though they wore armor and clothing typical of the city of Greyhawk. […] The
five servants (three male, two female) who worked for Otiluke at the time were
all slain by the men who looted his home. They were local people, all elderly.
Their bodies have long since been buried. Glorial, his apprentice, was
at home that morning. From her words to neighbors later, she had been upstairs
when the men attacked. She had snatched up a dagger to defend herself, as she
was magically unprepared and her spells for the day were not offensive in
nature. (She was studying divination spells and had not finished learning her
full range of spells for the day, as she had not planned to leave the house.)
In the ensuing melee, she killed one attacker and wounded two others, driving
the men from the second floor, though one man (the one she later slew) managed
to throw a device into Otiluke's workroom that detonated and destroyed his
workshop. [OJ#7 – 20]
When Robilar's troops sacked Otiluke's and Tenser's citadels,
they carried off several of the dead mages' magical items, including Otiluke's
horn of blasting, which Robilar now carries. [WGR3 – 11]
Before escaping from Greyhawk, Rary also managed to
steal Otiluke's celebrated green ioun stone. He uses it to artificially boost
his experience level. He has since become interested in ioun stones, their
nature, powers, and origin. One of his own pet theories is that the Bright
Desert is a potential source of natural ioun stones, but so far his attempts to
prove this theory, and gain unthinkable power for himself, have proved
fruitless. [WGR3 – 12]
 |
| Help Arrives |
When the fire and dust cleared, constables discovered
smoldering robes belonging to two powerful members of the mysterious Circle of
Eight, Otiluke and Tenser. [LGG –
38]
Nothing was left of their bodies to allow revival by
clone, resurrection or any other spell. [Rot8 – 2]
A badly wounded third, Bigby of Scant, claimed that
their assailant had been their one-time ally, Rary, member of the Circle of
Eight. [LGG – 38]
The murderer of these wizards, undeniably a powerful
mage, was Rary, a third member of the Circle of Eight. [WGR3 – 4]
Glorial was battered and wounded herself in the fight,
but was treated by several minor clerics of Trithereon who arrived on the scene
as the men were escaping. [OJ#7 – 20]
 |
| R15 Otiluke's River Quarter |
Glorial moved out of the area that evening, staying at
a guarded inn elsewhere in the city for weeks afterward. She refused to speak
to anyone about the event, except for official investigators and a few trusted
neighbors. The Guild of Wizardry issued a statement that completely cleared her
of any complicity in the attack on Otiluke's home, the guild going so far as to
commend her for her courage in resisting the attack, reflecting that she
resisted three armed men and killed one while armed only with a common dagger
and no spells. [OJ#7 – 20]
Otiluke's membership in the Circle of Eight was
revealed immediately after the raid on his home by his apprentice, Glorial, in
speaking with the investigators on the scene. This revelation, combined with
the already common knowledge of Otiluke's position as an Oligarch and President
of the Society of Magi, caused a lid of secrecy to be clamped down over the
investigation into the raid. Imiric von Suss-Varren, the famed count of the
Principality of Ulek, also confirmed Otiluke's secret. [OJ#7 – 21]
Within hours, Greyhawk warriors had occupied Robilar's
citadel and began to search for the pair, but it was too late. Faced with the
collapse of their plot, Rary and Robilar fled, along with those troops loyal to
them, and no one knew where. [WGR3
– 7]
Using secrets gained in confidence, Rary not only
destroyed his two fellows, but also tracked down and destroyed every clone the
pair held in preparation. [WGR3 –
4]
In the ensuing confusion and shock, Lord Robilar's own
troops struck, destroying every one of the dead wizards' hidden clones,
assuring the permanent death of both Tenser and Otiluke. [WGR3 – 7]
Their magical clones likewise shrivelled and perished,
and their own bodies could not be resurrected. [FtAA – 9]
Magical scrying and the strenuous efforts of sages
have not availed to give the full story of what happened that day. [FtAA – 9]
The treaty to end the war was to be ratified in the
Grand Hall of Greyhawk, but brief moments before the signing ceremony, an
explosion destroyed the area [.] [WGG
3e – 4]
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. [WGR3 – 4]
The assassin was, incredibly, another member of the
Circle, Rary of Ket. [WGG 3e – 4]
Rary, one of the Circle of Eight, destroyed his
companions, Tenser and Otiluke, in a great magical battle. [WGG 3e – 4]
Rary, turned traitor on the city, killing fellow
wizards Tenser and Otiluke and immolating several blocks of the city in magical
fire. [LGJ#5 – 8]
The treachery left the Eight (now Five: Bigby,
Drawmij, Jallarzi Sallavarian, Nystul and Otto) reeling. [Rot8 – 2]
The motive behind Rary’s treachery remains clouded.
According to many who knew him, the wizard probably saw an opportunity to seize
power and land in the confusion that would follow the assassinations. Others
suggest Rary was a pawn of the Scarlet Brotherhood. [Wars – 24]
Many suspected that Rary wished to hold the ambassadors
hostage, but instead, he fled to the Bright Desert to form his own kingdom.
Fearing further disruptions, the delegates hurriedly signed the pact.
Ironically, due to the site of the treaty signing, the conflicts soon became
known as the “Greyhawk Wars.” [WGG
3e – 4]
[Otiluke’s] place as President of the Society of Magi
has been taken by Kieren Jalucian. [FtAC
– 8]
Three factors have changed the internal politics of
the Guild of Wizardry. First is the destruction of Otiluke, previously the
President of the Society of Magi. Kieren Jalucian has been forced to take on
this role, in addition to his duties as Guildmaster. This is against his will,
but an alternative acceptable candidate really couldn't be found. [FtAC – 8]
What happened to
Rary and Robilar?
Rary and his co-conspirator, the wily Lord Robilar,
were nowhere to be found, and Rary's tower, in Lopolla, also vanished. Months
later, the duo and the tower surfaced in the Bright Desert. [LGG – 38]
Rary has become especially interested in the powerful
magical energies found in ioun stones after he stole Otiluke’s pale green stone from the dead arch-mage’s smoking robes. Dragon#249
– 93]
585 CY+
Tenser was returned to life in 585 CY [,] but chose
not to return to the Circle of Eight. Otiluke is still dead. Three new members
were appointed in 585 CY: Alhamazad the Wise, Theodain Eriason and Warnes
Starcoat. The three former members are listed here. following the members of
the Eight in 591 CY. [PGtG – 21]
Rumors tell that Kieren was invited to join that
august order after the destruction of Otiluke and Tenser, but that he refused
due to his duties as master of the Guild of Wizardry (on top of his position
with the university). Now that he has passed on his role in the guild to
another, it may only be a matter of time before he opts to join Bigby, Otto,
and the others. That is, if Mordenkainen, who has openly derided Jalucian as a
"hopeless idealist," will have him. [LGJ#5 – 6]
R15:
Fallen Mage Townhouse
 |
| The River Quarter |
This
two-story townhouse was formerly owned by Otiluke, a wizard slain in 584 CY by
Rary the Traitor.[…] The
townhouse has been sold or rented several times since his death, but no one
stays long. The place is locally known as the fallen Mage Townhouse, though it
has no other name. It is coming up for sale again soon. Apparently, Otiluke had
many enemies and keep visiting the place to look for him, driving the
inhabitants off. [TAB – 110]
No information on the house can be gained from the
Thieves' Guild, either, though it seems obvious that the guild had nothing to
gain by trying to rob someone in the city's government. All thieves were
encouraged to avoid the place at all costs, as Otiluke was not only a
government member but volatile, vengeful, and dangerous in the extreme. [OJ#7
– 18]
T8: Gold
Digger Tavern
A famed gnome
noble from Ulek often visits this tavern, and he hires adventurers to strike
into the [Pomarj] on various missions to break the back of the humanoid army
occupying the eastern half of the principality. The 110-year-old gnome, often
remembered for his actions when the dreadful Cult of Vena arose in 581 CY in
Greyhawk is Count Imiric von Suss-Varren [LG gm F11/W11 (illusionist)].
He knows most of the Circle of Eight personally, as he was once the henchman of
the now-dead wizard Otiluke. [TAB – 119]
He is about 100 years old. His face is wrinkled and
his neatly trimmed beard and hair are starting to go white. Of late he has been
considering that it is time to settle down and retire from the dangerous life
of adventuring. [WGA4 – 91]
Although born into nobility, Imiric is no fop or
pampered aristocrat. He has earned his titles and offices through hard work and
cunning. Most of his adventuring has come while defending the Suss Marches
against raiders from the Wild Coast and the Pomarj. He has led several
expeditions into these lands, sometimes punitive and sometimes to recover
treasures lost when the Pomarj was overrun. It was during these expeditions
that Imiric met and befriended the wizard Otiluke. Imiric owes the mage his
life for more than one timely rescue. [WGA4 – 91]
As noted above, Otiluke was a bookish sort. A
bibliophile, as it were.
It comes as no surprise that he liked to write, as well
as read.
Gazette on
the Norse Climates, by
Otiluke
Gust of wind, ice storm, control weather, Otiluke’s
freezing sphere, cone of cold, wall of ice [Dragon#82 – 58]
Otiluke’s
Practical Gardening, by
Otiluke
On the floor, lying face-down but otherwise undamaged,
is a book titled “Otiluke’s Practical Gardening,” a treatise on cultivating flowers
and herbs by the celebrated mage of the Circle of Eight. Anyone reading the
book will automatically gain the Agriculture proficiency (with a check modifier
of + 1 when dealing with raising flowers and herbs in a small garden, - 2 on
matters of greater scope such as crop rotation and large-scale farming. [WGQ1 Patriots of Ulek – 19]
Spherogenesis
of the Multiverses, by
Otiluke
Otiluke’s resilient
sphere, Otiluke’s telekinetic sphere , Otiluke’s freezing sphere, globe of invulnerability, flaming sphere,
prismatic sphere [Dragon#82 – 58]
Otiluke was also
prolific in creating spells:
Level One
Otiluke’s Bubbling Buoyancy
Otiluke’s Smoky Sphere
Level Two
Otiluke’s Boiling Oil Bath
Level Three
Otiluke’s Acid Cloud
Level Four
Otiluke’s Force Umbrella
Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere
Otiluke’s Steaming Sphere
Level Five
Otiluke’s Dispelling Screen
Otiluke’s Electrical Screen
Otiluke’s Polar Screen
Otiluke’s Radiant Screen
Level Six
Otiluke’s Diamond Screen
Otiluke’s Excruciating Screen
Otiluke's Freezing Sphere
Otiluke’s Orb of Containment
Level Seven
Otiluke’s Death Screen
Otiluke’s Fire and Ice
Otiluke’s Siege Sphere
Level Eight
Otiluke’s Telekinetic Sphere
[PHB 1e – 85] [UA – 57] [GA – 128] [UA – 57/ Dragon #68 – 24]
Was Otiluke
always so irascible?
I don’t know. I once heard tell that Otiluke was Brian Blume’s character, but when I posed the
question whether that was true of Allan Grohe and Luke Gygax, I was relieved of
that notion by both. Otiluke was and always had been an NPC, which seems
obvious, considering Gary Gygax’s love on word and letter play, finding clever
ways of slipping both his and his sons’ names into the setting. Why then was he
made so difficult by latter setting contributors to the setting? I’ve no clue
as to why. But I’m thankful that each of the Circle have distinct
personalities. But with a little imagination, Otiluke’s intemperate nature
might be explained: as I hinted at, perhaps he was bullied as a child; perhaps
he, being as slight as he was, found the need to prove himself to any who might
dismiss him; and perhaps he discovered that he was a pawn in the Circle’s
machinations, and took offence.
Do I like
Otiluke? Not as written. He would be hard to like. But there are redeemable
aspects to his character. He is dogged. He is tenacious. He is prolific. And
even if I painted his apprentice/concubine as a potential nursemaid and spy set
upon him by the Circle, one could also take another tack, and consider their
relationship as bonified and loving, and that Otilule’s “abusive” treatment of
her just might have been Roger Moore’s venting his personal dislike of how
Otiluke did not have a “region of influence,” or ready-made adventurous
background. Tis of no matter; I’ve no idea why, and am only drawing at straws
here.
However you see
Otiluke, he was an archmage, he did venture north with the rest of the Circle,
despite his “secret” inclusion in the Eight, and he did perish in defence of
his city, in a bid to foil the planned assassination of the Flanaess’ delegates
at the end of the War.
So, yes, he died
a hero.
That should mean
something.
“The fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I knew
myself no longer. My original soul seemed, at once, to take its flight from my
body; and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fibre
of my frame.”
― Edgar Allan Poe, The Black Cat -
an Edgar Allan Poe Short Story
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.
And too Roger E. Moore for his
article, The House on Summoner Court, in Oerth Journal #7.
The Art:
WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure cover detail, by Clyde Caldwell, 1984
Greyhawk City map detail, by Diesel, from The City of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1989
The River Quarter, by Sam Wood, from The Adventure Begins, 1998
The River Quarter, by Valarie Valusek, from City of Greyhawk Boxed Set, Gem of the Flanaess, 1989
Otiluke detail, by Ken Frank, from From the Ashes Reference Card #13 (the only canonical picture of Otiluke)
The City Watch, by Valarie Valusek, from City of Greyhawk Boxed Set, Gem of the Flanaess, 1989
City of Greyhawk map detail, by Sam Wood, from The Adventure Begins, 1998
The Free City Wall, by Valarie Valusek, from City of Greyhawk Boxed Set, Folks Feuds and Factions, 1989
Sources:
1015
World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983
1064
From the Ashes Boxed Set, 1992
1043 The City of Greyhawk
Boxed Set, 1989
1068 Greyhawk Wars Boxed
Set, 1991
2017 Unearthed Arcana 1e,
1985
2023 Greyhawk Adventures
Hardback, 1988
1064
From the Ashes Boxed Set, 1992
9309
WGA4 Vecna Lives, 1990
9360
WGR2 Treasures of Greyhawk, 1992
9385
WGQ1 Patriots of Ulek, 1992
9386
WGR3 Rary the Traitor, 1992
9576
Return of the Eight, 1998
9577
The Adventure Begins, 1998
9578
Player’s Guide to Greyhawk, 1998
11742
World of Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
11743
Living Greyhawk Gazeteer, 2000
Dragon
Magazine 68,82,249
Oerth
Journal #7
LGJ et. al.
Greyhawkania,
Jason Zavoda
