Greyhawk's Premise

The year is 576 CY (Common Year). Evil is ascendant across the lands of Eastern Oerik. If something isn’t done to curtail the growing threat, Eastern Oerik will fall to tyrants, evil dragons, and monstrous hordes. Heroes are needed to bring hope to the people of the Flanaess. Even if the heroes die trying, the legends of their exploits will live on!

Adventuring parties from the Free City of Greyhawk and other settlements trek across the vast wilderness of Eastern Oerik, slaying monsters and exploring dungeons to find magic items the adventurers can use to defend their homeland and take the fight to their enemies.

Greyhawk Conflicts

Although Greyhawk lends itself well to any D&D adventure you might want to run, the default setting features conflicts with three major villainous groups: chromatic dragons, Elemental Evil cults, and Iuz and his followers. You can replace one or more of these conflicts with ones of your devising or with ones from the “Flavors of Fantasy” section earlier in this chapter.

If you use these conflicts, look for opportunities in your adventures to introduce creatures in service to the three villainous groups. Give goals to these villains that bring their operatives into conflict with the player characters.

The three major conflicts and the goals of the villainous groups are described below.

Chromatic Dragons

Evil chromatic dragons dwell in the wilds of Eastern Oerik. For years, adventurers have kept these evil dragons at bay, sometimes with the help of benevolent metallic dragons. Lately, the chromatic dragons have grown restless, their dreams invaded by the whispers of Tiamat, who is trapped in the Nine Hells. The five-headed queen of dragons believes her escape is nigh, and from the depths of her prison, she commands her kin to go forth and claim the world of Oerth for themselves. Only the greatest among them will live to become her consorts.

Goals of Chromatic Dragons. Fortify their lairs to safeguard their treasure hoards; strike out across Eastern Oerik, raiding poorly defended settlements and stealing cattle; demand tribute in the form of food or treasure; and destroy territorial rivals (draconic or otherwise).

A Chromatic Dragon Arc. The conflict between adventurers and chromatic dragons might follow this broad outline:

Levels 1–4. Consider introducing this conflict as the adventurers reach level 3 or 4, with the adventurers confronting an aggressive chromatic dragon wyrm­ling. (You can use the adventure “The Winged God” from chapter 4.)

Levels 5–10. The adventurers might face a handful of ambitious young chromatic dragons, without hinting at a more significant conflict.

Levels 11–16. It eventually becomes clear that the behavior of the adult dragons the characters face isn’t normal. The characters might get involved in one dragon’s schemes to undermine or overthrow another, or the characters might hear whispers of the dragons’ dream of liberating Tiamat.

Levels 17–20. The conflict reaches its world­shattering conclusion, with ancient dragons threatening nations and clashing with each other in devastating battles. The campaign might end with Tiamat herself appearing in the Flanaess—perhaps emerging from the Riftcanyon (see “Mysteries of Greyhawk” in this chapter) or from the depths of the Nyr Dyv.

Tiamat herself brings a campaign to a dramatic close.

Elemental Evil

“Elemental Evil” is the name given to a host of destructive, extraplanar entities—demon lords, evil elemental princes, and elder gods—who ravaged the world of Oerth long ago. Many of these entities are now trapped in dungeons, with cults and monsters seeking to free and serve them. Adventurers are the only ones equipped to keep these malign entities from escaping their subterranean prisons.

Goals of Elemental Evil. Search for a demon lord, an elemental prince, or an elder god trapped in a dungeon; build a stronghold above or near the dungeon; drive other inhabitants out of the region; and use a special magic item or ritual to free whatever is trapped in the dungeon.

An Elemental Evil Arc. Two published adventures have explored campaign arcs centered around Elemental Evil. The Temple of Elemental Evil (published in 1985) is set in the world of Greyhawk, in the Kron Hills between Verbobonc and Celene. It begins in the unremarkable village of Hommlet, with characters slowly discovering that agents of Elemental Evil have taken up residence in the nearby ruins and are working to rebuild their great temple. The rest of the adventure focuses on exploring the ruined Temple of Elemental Evil and dealing with the varied evil factions and forces within (including agents of Iuz, described below).

Princes of the Apocalypse, inspired by The Temple of Elemental Evil, presents an alternative arc for an Elemental Evil–themed campaign:

Levels 1–4. The characters discover the villainous activity of four elemental cults.

Levels 5–10. The characters strike at the four headquarters of these evil cults while investigating the cults’ activities in the surrounding region. While the characters are battling one cult in its headquarters, the other three cults might still be wreaking havoc nearby, forcing the characters to divide their attention.

Levels 11–16. Finally, the characters discover an ancient Temple of the Elder Elemental Eye deep beneath the cults’ separate temples, and they strive to contain the damage wrought by the cults’ activities and thwart the cults’ evil leaders before these leaders unleash an apocalypse.

Though this adventure is set in the world of the Forgotten Realms, it includes notes on how you might transplant it into Greyhawk or any other setting.

Iuz the Evil

North of the Free City of Greyhawk, a demigod named Iuz has reclaimed the vast tract of land he lost after being imprisoned under Castle Greyhawk by the archmage Zagig Yragerne. The newly freed Iuz aims to lay waste to the kingdoms, steadings, temples, and outposts of his rivals. To that end, Iuz’s spies are searching for powerful Artifacts they can use to ensure victory, while evil creatures spawn in Iuz’s homeland and threaten neighboring realms. Adventurers can thwart Iuz by keeping evil Artifacts out of his hands and defeating the vile creatures that serve him.

Goals of Iuz.Install loyal operatives in settlements across Eastern Oerik, search libraries and vaults for lore pertaining to ancient and powerful magic, scour dungeons for lost Artifacts and other magic items, secure such items, and use magic and monsters to conquer rival nations.

An Iuz Arc. The conflict between adventurers and Iuz might follow this broad outline:

Levels 1–4. Early in their adventuring careers, the characters might face what appear to be ordinary toughs who are disrupting mining operations near the Free City of Greyhawk (see “Beyond the City Walls” in this chapter), only to discover these toughs are agents of some greater villain. The identity of this villain remains a mystery—for now. If you use the adventure “Miner Difficulties” from chapter 4, NPCs speaking to the characters might assume the trouble in the mine is related to these toughs and their bullying.

Levels 5–10. You might use the adventure “Horns of the Beast” from chapter 4 to introduce an agent of Iuz to the characters. After their return from that expedition, they start having unpleasant encounters with the City Watch in Greyhawk. Eventually, they discover that Captain-General Sental Nurev is being manipulated by the leaders of Stoink, a petty fief in the Bandit Kingdoms. When the characters undertake an expedition into that dangerous realm to confront Stoink’s leaders and free the captain-general’s captive brother, they discover that the villains were agents of Iuz.

Levels 11–16. Iuz and the Horned Society launch an all-out invasion into the Shield Lands, overwhelming its defenses and moving toward Furyondy. The characters might have adventures to muster forces in surrounding lands and bring them to Fury­ondy’s defense or hinder Iuz’s advance.

Levels 17–20. Finally, the characters discover that Iuz’s assault is merely a cover to distract the southern realms from his true aim: retrieving the Eye and Hand of Vecna from an ancient keep on Lake Quag. The characters confront Iuz at the shores of the lake, perhaps facing a terrible choice: Will they wield the power of Vecna to stop Iuz, or will they risk Iuz wielding that awful might against them?

The Greyhawk Setting

The planet Oerth is at the very center of a Wildspace system called Greyspace. (See chapter 6 for more information about Wildspace). Oerth has two moons: Luna (a great white moon, also called the Mistress) and Celene (a smaller blue moon, also called the Handmaiden). Greyspace’s sun orbits Oerth, rather than the other way around.

The sun takes 360 days to travel once around Oerth. Luna waxes and wanes in fixed cycles of 28 days each, upon which the months are based, while Celene follows a path that has full moons only four times each year, coinciding with four lunar festivals.

Your World’s Calendar

What does your campaign’s calendar look like? The more your campaign calendar resembles the one that’s familiar to you and your players, the easier it will be to remember and use. Familiar names for months and days of the week lend your campaign a wonderful simplicity that many players will appreciate. A calendar that uses tenday weeks or names such as “Moonday” and “Coldeven” is harder for players to internalize but reminds them they’re in a fantasy world. The Greyhawk calendar has twelve months and seven-day weeks like the Gregorian calendar, but gives unique names to months and days and introduces festivals that fall outside the calendar’s months, giving it a fantastical feel.

Months and Festivals

The standard year is 360 days long and consists of twelve twenty-eight-day months (each month divided into four seven-day weeks) and four six-day lunar festivals (Needfest, Growfest, Richfest, and Brewfest). The midwinter festival of Needfest is considered the start of the year. The diagram here shows the months and festivals that make up a year.

Days of the Week

Factions and Organizations

In addition to the many political entities that dot the lands of the Flanaess and the temples of its many gods, several organizations operate across national borders in pursuit of their goals. Some of these organizations could serve as patrons or allies of adventurers in a Greyhawk campaign, while others might appear as villains. Some might even accept adventurers as members.

Circle of Eight. Some of the greatest spellcasters of the world of Greyhawk form the Circle of Eight, a group dedicated to preserving balance in the world. The group’s general aim is to prevent any single country, faction, or other organized group from becoming too powerful and overwhelming others. The membership of the Circle of Eight is secret but includes Mordenkainen (the strategist behind the group), Bigby, Jallarzi Sallavarian, Otiluke, and Otto.

Knights of the Watch. The order of the Knights of the Watch originated as a military force protecting the lands of Bissel, Gran March, Geoff, and Keoland from hostile neighbors to the north and west (particularly Ket and the Ulakandar). Though Watchers maintain strongholds along the border with Ket, most of their energy is spent defending against giants and dragons in the western mountains. The Watchers are sworn to an ascetic and disciplined code, and they train rigorously to the exclusion of personal property or other attachments.

Order of the Hart. The knights of the Order of the Hart were organized to preserve the freedom of the states of Furyondy, Veluna, and Highfolk against the threats of bandits and hostile neighbors. These nations have little centralized authority or military power, so the knights have historically served as a first line of defense against these varied threats. In recent years, they have mobilized against the rising threats of Iuz and Elemental Evil, forcing them to broaden the scope of their operations into neighboring realms where these evils are active.

Scarlet Order. The Scarlet Order is a monastic order of Suloise militarists whose spies and assassins have infiltrated many courts and castles throughout the Flanaess, ready to strike. The leader of the order is a seemingly immortal being known as the Father of Obedience, Korenth Zan. He is rumored to be a Suloise monk who walked the lands of Oerik long before the Rain of Colorless Fire destroyed the Suloise Empire. Others claim Korenth is a red dragon—a former consort of Tiamat who became trapped in human form. Whatever the true story, the Father of Obedience is revered by all who pledge their lives to the Scarlet Order. His goals—and, by extension, the order’s goals—are shrouded in mystery and could one day tilt the balance of power across the whole of Eastern Oerik.

Adventurers and Organizations

Factions and organizations aimed at player characters can connect adventurers to your world, providing ties to key NPCs and a clear agenda beyond individual gain. In the same way, villainous organizations create an ongoing sense of menace beyond the threat of solitary foes.

Having different characters tied to different factions can create interesting situations at the gaming table, as long as those factions have similar goals and don’t work in opposition to one another all the time. Adventurers representing different factions might have competing interests or priorities while they pursue the same goals.

Adventurer organizations are also a great source of special rewards beyond Experience Points and treasure. Increased standing in an organization might come with concrete benefits such as access to an organization’s information, equipment, magic, and other resources. See “Renown” in chapter 3 for rules you can use to track characters’ standing in an organization.

Magic in Greyhawk

In the world of Greyhawk, as in most D&D worlds, magic is widespread but still wondrous and sometimes frightening. People everywhere know about magic, and most people see evidence of it at some point in their lives. Magic permeates the cosmos and moves through the ancient possessions of legendary heroes, the mysterious ruins of fallen empires, those touched by the gods, creatures born with supernatural power, and individuals who study the secrets of the multiverse. Histories and fireside tales are filled with the exploits of those who wield magic.

What normal folk know of magic depends on where they live and whether they know people who practice magic. Citizens of an isolated hamlet might not have seen true magic used for generations except the strange powers of the old hermit living in the nearby woods, which they regard with suspicion and mention only in whispers.

By contrast, magic is common enough in the Free City of Greyhawk that the Guild of Wizardry teaches magic and sells spellcasting services. Extensive codes of law govern the use and abuse of magic. The law treats magical coercion as a major crime, and punishes the public use of magic in situations that could harm people or property.

Mysteries of Greyhawk

Eastern Oerik is a realm of many mysteries, several of which are described below.

White Plume Mountain is a natural wonder—and a haunt of evil.

Bat-Folk of Hepmonaland. Separated from Eastern Oerik by the Tilva Strait, Hepmonaland is a relatively small continent that few people of the Flanaess known much about. Those who have explored the north spur of Hepmonaland report dense rainforests, severe tropical storms, steamy wetlands, and a fetid swamp (called the Pelisso Swamp). Adventurers are sometimes lured into Hepmonaland’s rainforests by ancient ruins, including tombs and shrines left behind by an ancient civilization of bat-like humanoids whose history is largely forgotten.

Devastating Magic. Almost a thousand years ago, the war between the Baklunish and Suloise empires came to a horrific end. The Baklunish people who lived in what is now the Dry Steppes called down a rain of colorless fire that burned all living things, ignited the landscape, and reduced the Suloise lands to ashes, creating the Sea of Dust. In retaliation, Suloise survivors invoked their own magic to devastate the Baklunish lands. What magic was responsible for the Rain of Colorless Fire and the Invoked Devastation? What would happen if such magic fell into the wrong hands today?

A central portion of the Dry Steppes, where the seat of the Baklunish empire stood, is said to remain pleasant and rich, roamed by Baklunish nomads. The former Suloise capital, by contrast, in the heart of the Sea of Dust, is beset by howling winds, terrible dust storms, and rains of volcanic ash and cinders from the nearby Hellfurnaces.

Land of Black Ice. Those who have ventured far north of the Burneal Forest tell of a strange phenomenon. Instead of normal stark-white snow and translucent blue-white ice, there is an endless landscape of deep-blue ice partially covered in snow. Strange arctic monsters prowl these fields of dark ice. Stranger still, a verdant land is rumored to exist beyond the ice, where the sun never sets.

Riches of the Bright Desert. The Bright Desert, walled off from the rest of the Flanaess by the monster-infested hills of the Abbor-Alz and the aptly named Gnatmarsh, is supposedly filled with copper, silver, gold, and precious stones. The harsh climate, wildly varying temperatures, and hostile inhabitants discourage exploration. Expeditions have attempted to penetrate the Bright Desert and extract its riches, but none have ever returned.

Riftcanyon. Between the Bandit Kingdoms and the Shield Lands stretches a deep canyon, ten miles wide at the ends, thirty miles wide at its midsection, and 180 miles long. The Riftcanyon, which is more than a mile deep, is home to at least one blue dragon and has tunnels near its base that lead to the Underdark.

White Plume Mountain. Situated just south of the Riftcanyon, the ever-smoking White Plume Mountain has always been a subject of superstitious awe to the neighboring villagers. People still travel many miles to gaze upon this natural wonder, though few dare to approach it closely, as it is reputed to be the haunt of demons and devils. The occasional disappearance of those who stray too close to the Plume reinforces this belief.

White Plume Mountain is detailed in Tales from the Yawning Portal.

Gods of Greyhawk

The Gods of Greyhawk table shows many of the most popular deities worshiped in the Flanaess. Greater gods and demigods are marked as such; the others are lesser gods. Many other deities and demigods are also worshiped in the Flanaess, beyond those shown on the table. Some deities of Greyhawk have also transcended their origin on this world to impact the broader multiverse. Two of these, Tharizdun and Vecna, are described in appendix A.

The greater gods of Greyhawk rarely get directly involved with happenings on Oerth. Lesser gods are more likely to manifest in some form on the Material Plane and interact with their worshipers. Cuthbert, for example, is well known for appearing in mortal guise, appearing as a dirt-covered farmer, a wanderer robed in brown and green, or an elderly tinker. And of the many quasi-deities that appear on Oerth, most prominent among them is Iuz, a demigod who rules his own nation in the Flanaess.

Gods of Greyhawk

*Greater god
†Demigod