THE GREYHAWK CAMPAIGN The GREYHAWK® campaign was surprises held by a certain "dungeon" in the Barrier Peaks, about which we the first setting designed for the will say no more here. ADVANCED DUNGEONS & Materials were scarce for a few years before the GREYHAWK Adventures DRAGONS® game, and is also the hardbound saw print in 1988, marking the start of the "second wave" of the second-oldest fantasy roleplaying campaign's life. The world was converted to the AD&D 2nd Edition game campaign. It is familiar to many rules in the wide-roving adventure WG8 Fate of lstus, and the City of thousands of gainers the world over, Greyhawk was detailed in its own boxed expansion in 1989. Carl Sargent, though the campaign world has Rik Rose, Doug Niles, Jim Ward, Dan Salas, Nigel Findley, Anne and undergone considerable change over Richard Brown, Dale "slade" Henson, and more joined the crowd of the years. It began with E. Gary Greyhawk designers and authors. Most notable in this period were the Gygax, who created and developed WGA1-3 "Falcon" adventure trilogy, set in the City of Greyhawk, and the the world as a home campaign. The notorious WGA4 Vecna Lives!, which contained probably the most shocking world took shape with the publication beginning and end of any AD&D adventure published. The campaign years of the WORLD OF GREYHAWK for these adventures were around 582 CY or shortly before. folio in 1980, which was greatly The "third wave" of publications for the official GREYHAWK campaign expanded and improved in 1983 as began in 1991 with the publication of David Cook's GREYHAWK Wars the WORLD OF GREYHAWK boxed boxed game, which detailed the cataclysmic political changes brought about set. The game year described as by the so-called Greyhawk Wars of 582-584 CY. Carl Sargent presented the current in those products was 576 CY full range of consequences of the Wars in the From the Ashes boxed set (Common Year. released the following year, and a wide assortment of adventures and Many AD&D® game adventures accessories followed thereafter covering the Empire of Iuz, the Kingdoms of were set in this realm even before the Nyrond and Furyondy, and the newly founded realm of Rary the Traitor. The world rules were published; long- "third wave" campaign year was 585 CY. The last adventures were produced time gainers fondly recall the giants- in 1993, and the campaign was supported only by magazine articles until drow-Abyss series from 1978-1980, 1998. and the brutal but thrilling Tomb of Now, the "fourth wave" has begun! The year is 591 CY and a new age Horrors (module SI, 1978). dawns across the lands. The powers of evil that had held so much of the GREYHAWK quests ran the gamut world in thrall have suffered setbacks, and a new balance has settled into from low-level tasks to save local place. The focus of this new campaign begins in the City of Greyhawk, villagers from sahuagin or evil which rules a small domain in the heart of the Flanaess, the center of the cultists up to long journeys to bizarre known world. In the aftermath of the troubles of war, the people of demiplanes (the EX1-2 "Alice" series Greyhawk and elsewhere have begun to look beyond their borders to other and WG6 Isle of the Ape). realms on their continent of Oerik, and even beyond their continent to other More materials on the parts of the world known as Oerth. This period of exploration and trade, in GREYHAWK campaign appeared in an effort to find safe havens, lands to conquer, and new resources, offers published adventures and in articles high adventure for all - but great peril, too. Many states slowly drift toward in DRAGON Magazine. A variety of war, and secret societies and fanatic religious cults prepare to strike at the authors added their talents to the heart of law and civilization, hoping to bring horrifying regimes into power. GREYHAWK pool: Robert Kuntz, The first product designed for this new GREYHAWK campaign is the Lenard Lakofka, Harold Johnson, Return of the Eight book, an adventure bridging the post- Wars campaign Jeff Leason, David "Zeb" Cook, with the new one. The product you are holding, The Adventure Begins Allen Hammack, Tom Moldvay, accessory, is also a "bridge" product, updating one and all on events that Lawrence Schick, David Sutherland, have transpired across the Flanaess since 585 CY. It also presents in detail and others. The scope of the world the core of the new campaign, the City of Greyhawk and its environs, for broadened to include the southern gaming to begin anew in this marvelous realm that so many have loved. And tropics of Hepmonaland and the look for the Player's Guide to GREYHAWK, designed to help both new and Amedio Jungle, a hidden city inside veteran players adapt their characters to life in the Flanaess. a dormant volcano, and the dreadful Welcome once more to the GREYHAWK world! The Adventure Begins REFERENCES TO EARLY Maure Castle area appears on the inside cover of this book. GREYHAWK PRODUCTS • WG6 Isle of the Ape (TSR #9153, 1985). This voyage to another bizarre In some places in this text, cross- demiplane begins at Tenser's Castle on the Nyr Dyv and includes references are made to previously information on the Crook of Rao. This quest is assumed to occur years published GREYHAWK campaign before the Greyhawk Wars. The Isle could also be reached through a gate in materials. Though almost all of these Castle Greyhawk's dungeons. products are currently out of print, • T1-4 The Temple of Elemental Evil (TSR #9147, 1985). This supermodule many Dungeon Masters own these greatly expands an earlier module, T1 The Village of Hommlet (TSR #9026, items, or are able to purchase them at 1981); it takes place in the Viscounty of Verbobonc, west of Greyhawk. It game shops, auctions, used book addresses the reappearance of a cult devoted to the Elder Elemental God, and stores, and so forth, or have access to includes details on the rivalry between St. Cuthbert and luz. This quest is them through the official TSR web assumed to have taken place prior to the Greyhawk Wars, in the mid- to late site on the Internet. The material in 570s. this book is designed so that the City • A1-4 Scourge of the Slave Lords (TSR #9167, 1986). This supermodule of Greyhawk setting can be linked collects four earlier adventures and adds new material. This far-ranging with those earlier GREYHAWK adventure picks up where T1-4 The Temple of Elemental Evil leaves off, products in a coherent and internally focusing on the fight against the Scarlet Brotherhood-backed Slave Lords of consistent campaign. the Wild Coast and the Pomarj peninsula, south of Greyhawk. This major Early Greyhawk products of greatest quest is assumed to have been completed some years prior to the Greyhawk use to a DM using The Adventure Wars. Begins are listed below with their • GREYHAWK Adventures rulebook (TSR #2023,1988). Many of the spells, stock numbers (four digits), deities, magical items, personalities, locations, and creatures appearing in designators (letter-number this volume could easily be added to a City of Greyhawk campaign. Of combinations), release dates, and particular interest is the information on Nerof Gasgal, Derider Fanshen, Org additional notes. All AD&D game Nenshen, Turin Deathstalker, Duke Karll of Urnst, Tang the Horrific, and materials produced before 1988 use Guihana Mortidus. The Pits of Azak-Zil and ruins of Zarak, southeast of AD&D 1st edition statistics and Hardby, are described here, as are the Twisted Forest and Esmerin; the latter formats. two are fairly close to the Free City. • WG8 Fate of Istus (TSR #9253, 1989). Events in this adventure occurred • C2 The Ghost Tower of Inverness between 576 and 582 CY. This booklet is most useful for its city maps. (TSR #9038, 1980). This hard-to-find Elredd, on the Wild Coast, was conquered and assumed destroyed by the adventure details the Ghost Tower, Orcish Empire in 584 CY. The city is shown here as an inland town, though which lies southeast of Hardby. it was called a seaport in earlier works; it is assumed that a port controlled by • WORLD OF GREYHAWK Fantasy Elredd existed east of the city but was captured as well. The map of Elredd Game Setting boxed set (TSR #1015, may be used to guide PCs who wish to recover lost treasures in its orc- 1983). This detailed overview of the colonized ruins. Also in this booklet are descriptions of Verbobonc, west of GREYHAWK campaign reveals Greyhawk, and Leukish, in the neighboring Duchy of Umst. (Note: A DM affairs in the Flanaess, the core should compare this description of Verbobonc with that in WGA4 Vecna campaign lands, and more, as of 576 Lives! and resolve any conflicts.) CY. • The City of Greyhawk boxed set (TSR #1043, 1989). This presents the City • EX1 Dungeonland (TSR #9072, of Greyhawk and its domain as of spring, 582 CY, nine years before the 1983); EX2 The Land Beyond the present campaign time. (Note: Disregard references to WG7 Castle Magic Miiror (TSR #9073, 1983). Greyhawk on page 21 of Greyhawk: Gem of the Flanaess; instead, use These two adventures were originally WGR1 Greyhawk Ruins, placing the castle's location as given in The connected to Castle Greyhawk (see Adventure Begins.) This set is highly recommended for its portrayal of the WGR1 Greyhawk Ruins, below), as Free City at an earlier time. The text refers to an invasion of the Shield this bizarre demiplane was reached Lands by the Horned Society and Bandit Kingdoms in 579-581 CY; this is through a gate in the dungeons below not mentioned in later works but is assumed to have ended with the those ruins.