Having played in the World of Greyhawk for about 30 years, I was not ready to see it go the way of VHS tapes. There was a new edition coming though, and it had a neat setting concept. How do I continue to create games for the world I most enjoy without having a great cataclysm that would do more damage than the Twins from days gone by? How can I participate in the cool new concept if there are kingdoms everywhere that characters over three decades have influenced (and I'm not about to undo their hard work!)?The answer, for me, lay just across the Hellfurnaces, a cozy little corner known as the Sea of Dust.
A snippet of history added to the front end of the established story should give me just what I need to include the "new races" and not mess with the whole of the World of Greyhawk; a few tweaks in MS Paint should give me a map; a bit backstory should put the world right for a Points of Light game in the Greyhawk environs.
I have been working on the setting in a wiki where I keep my games organized, and figured I should be sharing the results with those of us who are interested in keeping the WoG intact. Here goes!
A Brief History:
Ages and ages ago, the area north of the Opferbergs was the home to the Suhal, a particularly depraved bunch of Humans who made pacts with otherworldly evils. These pacts eventually led to a division in races, with the Pure-strain Humans calling themselves "Suel", and the Suhal, whom the Dwarves and Elves of old termed "Tieflings". South of the Opferbergs lived the Dragonborn, who had built their empire with the help of the newly freed Dwarves and the Elves who populated the area prior to the reptilians. The Suhal became set on conquest and a terrible war raged, leaving the Dragonborn scattered into small tribes and the Suhal decimated. The Suel took the opportunity to attack both groups and take the entire region as the Suel Empire. The empirial spirit of the Suel did not stop with their own region, and soon war parties were traveling north of the Sulhaut Mountains where the Backlunish peoples lived. We all know how THAT turned out! Since the Rain of Colorless Fire, the region has finally regrown into an inhabitable place. The Dwarves are begining to come out of their cavernous cities below the Opferbergs, the Dragonborn are begining to regroup, the Eladrin have returned to help the Elves regrow the woodlands, and the other "goodly" races (Tieflings included) are trickling in to set up towns and explore this region.
More to come soon!
(This is a copy/paste from the wiki page mentioned earlier)
The Dragonborn
The Dragonborn were a noble race, and had long lived in the region they called Zind. They traded with both the Elves and Eladrin and with the Dwarves as well. Their kingdom came to an end when the Suhal decimated their armies and scattered their people. Now, they gather in small clans scattered throughout the Sea of Dust.
The Dwarves
The Dwarves have lived in the Opferbergs for thousands of years. They were initally brought to the region by the giants to whom they were slaves. An uprising brought an end to the giants' lording over the Dwarves, and the larger race moved eastward into the Hellfurnaces and the Crystalmists. When the Rain of Colorless Fire came, the Dwarves sealed themselves in their cities beneath the hills and waited it out. Recently, the Dwarves have been exploring the areas near their homes and finding the region reborn. The forges have been fired up and mining is in full swing.
The Elves and Eladrin
Most of the area north of the Opferbergs was forested, and made a great home for the Elves and Eladrin. The Eladrin moved east into the Flanaess when the Tiefling/Dragonborn war began, and most of the Elves retreated deep into the woods. When the Rain of Colorless Fire came, everything was destroyed, the forests, the Elves, everything. Since the rebirth of the region, the Elves and Eladrin have returned, enjoying a place not so overrun with Humans and their hurried lifestyles.
The Halflings
These opportunists are doing pretty well for themselves. They were among the first to start exploring the region, by way of the rivers, and have begun establishing trade routes between the Elves, Dwarves, and small Human colonies that have sprung up. It is rumored that the Halflings have a city of their own in the Zindian Desert, but few are hearty enough to try to discover if this is true. The Halflings are a source of wondrous tales and news from the darkness that lies just outside each Point of Light, and their arrival in a town is usually cause for celebration.
The Humans
Humans, the hearty race that they are, have somewhat recently shrugged off the rumor fueled fear that used to permeate tales of the Sea of Dust. From all over Oerik they've come, Nippon, Flanaess, Hepmonaland, Arypt, and Tharquish all are represented in the Humans of the Sea of Dust. Though currently few in number in the region, the Humans seemed destined to eventually take the Sea as they have taken all other corners of the world.
The Suhal (Tieflings)
The Suhal's pacts with outsiders eventually split them into two separate races, the Pure-strain Humans (who began calling themselves the Suel), and the Suhal (whom the Elves and Dwarves termed Tieflings). It is rumored that this division is the reasoning behind the Suel people's racial "purity" issues. The Suhal, believing that they were now perfected as a race, sought to cleanse the region, begining with their age old enemies, the Dragonborn.
More to come soon!
Great Gaming
Be well in all things!
Rave
Actually, I'm planning on keeping genasi as a magical 'race' affiliated to the Zashassir and Red Talisman in Ekbir & Zeif, although given the Ancient Suel's history with binding genies, plopping a few in the Sea of Dust would still fit.
Great Gaming!
Be well in all things,
Rave
I've been brainstorming a bit on what else the Sea of Dust would need to be a fun place to play in, as well as a breeding ground for tales of heroism. The Player Races have their stories worked in, but there are some other things that I want to include to make this region more interesting for myself. I like a few of the monsters well enough to want to include them in the region, so I figured I'd give them kingdoms of their own. The Yuan-ti, Neogi, and Minotaurs have been long time favorites of mine, and I want to insure that they each have their place in the world and storyline I've been nuturing for some months now. So we don't yet have stats for all of these... True enough, but I'd like to think I'm at least a tiny bit creative, and can come up with ways to make the missing critters and keep them true to the feel of the older write ups. I have ideas for the placements of these kingdoms, but will refrain from posting them here (at least for now) to keep the players from finding out too much too soon.
As these ideas get fleshed out, I will post more here. If you have any ideas on getting them fleshed out, or other input for that matter, feel free to post.
Great Gaming!
Be well in all things,
Rave
So the campaign is coming along nicely. We now have a Swordmage (Realms), a Druid (thanks, Saric), and some PHB guys all running around the Nentir Vale kicking much baddie butt. I'm using H-1 as a starting point and working in the story arc a bit at a time while I flesh out the areas of interest the PC are likely to get hooked into visiting. Drow are not being included in the Sea of Dust (DM choice). A player had been asking for about a year to make a race that fit a certain mold, and in the Monster Manual, that race was found in the Shadar-Kai. Since there's not much point in having two emo races populating such a small region, the Drow got replaced. Here's the Shadar-Kai info as it stands just now (pending more playtesting, of course):
The Shadar-Kai have replaced the Drow. Though the drow are originally Greyhawk monsters, their (over)use in the Realms has left me weary of them. They work out great as a villainous bunch who are the only race to know the ancient name of the Raven Queen. Back when the Sea of Dust was still the Suel Empire, the evil death goddess Mordha was revered by the twisted humans. When the signs showed that the Cataclysm was coming, many called out to the dark goddess and she took them into the Shadowfell. After several dozen centuries of being exposed to the nature of the Shadowfell, they became the race now known as the Shadar-Kai. With the old goddess trapped outside of space/time/plane, she is now gathering power to try to free herself. The Shadar-Kai are coming through portals into the natural world to find followers in the many guises used by Mordha these days. Orcus, a mere demon lord (and no god who can grant powers to priests!), was quickly taken under her wing. Orcus gains power from his worshipers, and Mordha gains power from Orcus. In turn, she grants powers to Orcus' priests to further the efforts of his cults (and her own, naturally). Not all beings, however, would want to see an ancient evil goddess return to the natural plane. To hide her true designs, she shows others the face known as the Raven Queen. From this aspect, she can gain power from the people she most despises and revels in the idea of conquering them upon her return. The Shadar-Kai are gathering followers into both groups, evil and unaligned, to further the goals of the goddess who saved them.
Shadar-Kai
A bleak, humanlike people who inhabit the Shadowfell.
RACIAL TRAITS
Average Height: 5’5” – 6’2”
Average Weight: 135 – 220 lbs.
Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom
Size: Medium
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Normal
Languages: Common, Choice of one other
Skill Bonuses: +2 Insight, +2 Stealth
Hurry To Meet Death: You gain a +2 racial bonus to Initiative rolls.
Quell the Weak: You gain a +1 racial bonus to Attack rolls against Bloodied foes.
Shadow Jaunt: You can use Shadow Jaunt as an Encounter Power.
Shadow Origin: Your ancestors were native to the Shadowfell, so you are considered a Shadow creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.
Physical Qualities
A Shadar-Kai resembles a human, but has gray skin and eyes that are lustrous black orbs, like a raven’s. The shadows around it seem to deepen as it moves. A Shadar-Kai prefers loose dark garments, often with complex but subtle designs. Hair is worn long, sometimes loose, other times elaborately shaved, styled, and/or braided. A Shadar-Kai’s skin always has patterns of tattoos and scarifications, as well as many piercings. Shadar-Kai prefer light, exotically shaped weapons.
Playing a Shadar-Kai
Shadar-Kai settlements can be found throughout the Shadowfell. Shadar-Kai villages, towns, and cities are grim places populated by coldhearted, pitiless people who crave power and do not fear death. In fact, most Shadar-Kai embrace death, trusting that the Raven Queen will keep their souls safe long after they’ve passed.
Shadar-Kai society is meritocratic. Personal achievement and glory defines a Shadar-kai more than family. A Shadar-Kai can gain a lot of power and pretige by murdering rivals, slaying powerful beasts in the name of Raven Queen, or wreaking havoc in the Natural World.
Hope you guys enjoy the posts (both of you who actually read this drivel! LOL)
Great gaming!
Be well in all things,
Rave
Just looking at the map of Oerik -
The Olman could have island hopped between Hepmonaland and Zindia. Maybe they came from Sea of Nippon area originally and went east during the Tiefling/Dragonborn war.
I think Genasi and Deva would fit in well with a chinese empire based Celestial Imperium.
Maybe Shifters were gathering numbers and strength in the Nippon Dominion, where they call them Hengeyokai?
The Yuan-ti, Neogi, and Minotaurs - all awesome choices as they are often under-used.
Neogi could be in league with your Shadar-Kai, in Underdark and Feydark.
Yuan-ti could be a large (but nasty) part of the Celestial Imperium and raiding the western areas of your kingdoms.
Not sure Boccob and Wee Jas would like this Mordha god, but then they may have few or even no worshippers in your kingdoms.
You could use the chance to beef up the status of certain gods like Celestian, Xan Yae and Erythnul who are rarely mentioned in the normal Flanaess areas. Give them a major church/cult following in several states or kingdoms.
Come to think of it Xan Yae could be another aspect of your Mordha.