# Chapter 5: Creating Campaigns *Source: Dungeon Master's Guide (2024), p. 127*  If encounters are the building blocks of a D&D adventure, then adventures are the building blocks of a D&D campaign, for a campaign is what you get when you string two or more adventures together. A campaign setting is the world in which those adventures take place—both a backdrop for your adventures and a hotbed of conflicts and personalities that can inspire and drive adventures. ## Step-by-Step Campaigns Follow these steps to create a campaign: - **Step 1.** Lay Out the Premise. Consider the core conflicts driving the campaign, and choose a setting that reinforces the themes and tone you hope to evoke. - **Step 2.** Draw In the Players. Start your campaign in a memorable way. Determine how the characters get drawn into events and how the characters' goals and ambitions might come into play. - **Step 3.** Plan Adventures. Consider the smaller conflicts that make up the larger conflicts of the campaign, and devise fun quests that help drive the story. Flesh out the antagonists, the important locations, and the elements that link the adventures together. - **Step 4.** Bring It to an End. Think about how the campaign might end and what level you expect the characters to be when the campaign wraps up. You might have noticed that these steps are similar to the ""Step-by-Step Adventures"" list at the start of "chapter 4". In many ways, a campaign is just an adventure writ large. In an ongoing campaign, one adventure flows naturally into the next. Later sections of this chapter offer inspiration and advice for each of these four steps. The chapter concludes with a campaign example. ## Your Campaign Journal At the start of any campaign, there's a buzz of excitement as you and your players look forward to creating a new world together—one full of adventure and promise. Every game session is a chance for you to show off more of the campaign setting and deepen your players' investment in it. If your campaign lasts for months or years, sustaining that high level of excitement—yours as well as your players'—takes effort. An important tool to help you keep interest in the campaign high is a campaign journal, a collection of notes from past sessions. Use your journal to refresh your memory on events that transpired early in the campaign and bring closure to unresolved conflicts and mysteries. ### Keeping a Journal A campaign journal documents the progression of your campaign, from the first game session to the last. Your journal can take whatever form works best for you. It might be a physical notebook; a binder of loose notes, maps, and tracking sheets; a wiki; or a collection of files on your computer. Journal entries are best organized by date or game session. (Some DMs prefer the term "episode" to "game session," but the terms are interchangeable.) A sample Campaign Journal page is provided. Make copies of it, or use it as inspiration for your own journal pages.  ### Using Your Journal Use your journal to plan out your next game session (see ""Preparing a Session"" in "chapter 1"). Then, when the game session is over, use the journal to capture anything else of importance that might have bearing on future sessions, such as the name of an NPC you created on the fly or a critical piece of information the characters learned. During a game session, you can use your campaign journal to quickly recall a piece of information you've forgotten (such as the name of a character's mule) or to jot down things you want to remember later (such as the name of a tavern). In this way, the journal becomes a living chronicle of the campaign in flight. #### Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is a storytelling technique that never goes out of style. Players love it when something happens in a game session that hearkens to some event from an earlier session. Foreshadowing is about planting seeds early so you can reap the rewards later. Having an up-to-date campaign journal makes foreshadowing easier because you can reread your notes from earlier game sessions and identify things that could resurface in upcoming sessions, giving past events greater weight or a bigger payoff. Consider the following example. The characters find the dead body of an unidentified halfling adventurer. A search of the body yields a cameo necklace containing the portrait of another halfling. A character decides to keep the cameo, which was intended as a bit of embellishment. You make a note of it in your journal. Months later, while planning a future session, you flip through the journal and are reminded of the cameo. It inspires you to plan a chance encounter with another halfling, whom the characters might recognize as the one depicted in the cameo. What happens if the characters return the cameo to this halfling? This halfling could be tied to a bigger plot or have information that could help the characters resolve some conflict. Suddenly, a minor trinket foreshadows bigger events to come. #### Adventure Stockpile Besides tracking each session of your campaign, keep a list of adventure ideas. Even if you don't end up using every adventure idea, having a stockpile will keep you ready for whatever your players throw at you, and you can even borrow pieces of various ideas to incorporate into future adventures. Not every adventure needs to build on earlier plots; a good stand-alone adventure tucked in the middle of a serialized campaign can be a welcome change of pace for you and your players. ## Campaign Premise Everything outlined about the story of an adventure in "chapter 4" is true of a campaign's story as well: a campaign is like a series of comics or TV shows, where each adventure (like an issue of a comic or a TV episode) tells a self-contained story that contributes to the larger story. Just like with an adventure, a campaign's story isn't predetermined, because the actions of the players' characters will influence how the story plays out. ### Campaign Characters The characters are the focus of every D&D adventure, and their players are your partners in developing their characters' epic journeys. By working with your players to understand what excites them most, you can craft stories they want to see their characters star in. You can also more effectively draw players into adventure plots (see ""Draw In the Players"" in "chapter 4") if you understand what motivates both them and their characters. #### Player Input It's not up to you to create every aspect of a D&D campaign. Players contribute through their characters' actions and by directly sharing what they want to see in a campaign. You can learn about your players' preferences in two ways: - **Direct Input.** Ask your players what they want to do in a campaign. Regularly inquire about how they think the campaign is going, what they'd like to experience more of, and what elements they'd like to explore further. After a session concludes and between sessions are great times to ask players for thoughts about the campaign. - **Indirect Input.** The choices a player makes, starting at character creation, can indicate what they want to see in the game. For example, a Rogue player likely wants opportunities for subtlety or skulduggery, while a Barbarian player likely craves combat. Take note of what encounters players are enthusiastic about, and seek ways to help the players' characters shine. #### Character Arcs Like most protagonists in film and literature, D&D adventurers face challenges and change through the experience of overcoming them. By incorporating each character's motivations into your adventures and setting higher stakes through play, you'll help characters grow in exciting ways. You can use the "DM's Character Tracker" sheet to keep track of key information about each character. See ""Getting Players Invested"" in this chapter for more ideas. ##### Character Motivations For each character, think about what motivates them to adventure. Motivations generally fall into the following categories: - **Goal.** A character's goal is a short-term reason for the character to adventure. At the start of a campaign, this might be a desire for treasure, a thirst for excitement, or some need from a character's backstory. As characters continue to adventure, they'll find different goals to pursue, such as finding a lost relic, honoring an ancestor, avenging a fallen mentor, or defeating a villain. - **Ambition.** A character's ambition is a broad, personal aspiration the character hopes to achieve through a lifetime of adventuring. A character might dream of becoming a legendary knight or bringing peace to their homeland. Ambitions might be unrelated to the character's current goal. - **Quirks and Whims.** Quirks and whims are a character's preferences, impulses, or other traits. They often emerge during play, such as a character's tendency to one-up a rude innkeeper or their oft-expressed fondness for displacer beast fur. Players often reveal their characters' motivations through play. If you're uncertain or a character's motivations seem to have changed, it's OK to ask players for clarification. ##### Family, Friends, and Foes A character's origin (species and background) implies some amount of backstory, suggesting the character's family and what the character did before becoming an adventurer. Take note of specific background characters—friends, foes, family members, and others—who might appear in the campaign. Should these background characters become important to the campaign, work with the player to develop them in detail. Revealing a character's lost sibling or childhood rival midcampaign should be handled carefully to avoid straining credulity. Make sure a player is comfortable with new developments about their character before introducing them. ##### Character-Focused Adventures Adventures should occasionally highlight character motivations or elements of their backstory. Here are a few examples of character-focused adventures: - A rival from a character's past shows up to settle a grudge. - A sneaky character puts their skills to the test by leading the rest of the party to conduct a heist. - A character learns the location of a magic item needed to save their hometown. - A spellcasting character must undertake a trial to join an exclusive group of spellcasters. Any adventure that focuses on a single character should incentivize the whole party to participate—even if just to help their companion. Avoid focusing adventures on one character too often, and look for opportunities to have character-focused adventures for each character from time to time. ##### Setting New Goals Characters can change their goals whenever they please, but you can encourage them to do so by giving them significant victories roughly every 5 levels. When characters accomplish their goals, consider the following questions: - How does completing this goal create a new challenge? - How is this victory only part of what the character wants to achieve? - Who might be upset by the character completing this goal? - What is a reward the character will be excited to receive that also moves them closer to their ambition? Use the answers to these questions to develop new character goals and to inspire further adventures. ##### Building on the Characters' Actions Sometimes it can be fun to let the players steer the campaign by having their characters' actions dictate future adventures. For example, if the characters buy a tavern using the treasure they've amassed, you can adjust the campaign so that the tavern has a role in future adventures. One adventure might involve a competitor trying to put the characters' tavern out of business. Another might use the tavern as the setting for a murder mystery.  ### Campaign Conflicts One way to ensure your campaign's longevity is to come up with three compelling conflicts you can create adventures around. Introduce these conflicts early in the campaign. As the campaign unfolds, focus adventures on different conflicts to keep the players' excitement high. Use the Campaign Conflicts tracking sheet to record your campaign's conflicts (with room to add details or notes). A conflict can be as big or as small as you like, and it's nice to have at least one conflict that can be resolved quickly. Each conflict should involve the adventurers against some antagonistic force, though you can also create conflicts between two powerful forces without necessarily knowing which force (if either) the adventurers will align themselves with. The "Flavors of Fantasy" section below provides examples of conflicts that reinforce particular themes. If a conflict reaches a satisfying end before the end of the campaign, create a new conflict to replace it. You can also replace conflicts that don't resonate with your players as well as conflicts you're having trouble building adventures around. #### Conflict Arcs In the same way you think about character arcs over the course of a campaign, think about how each conflict might manifest over the course of the campaign. How do the characters first encounter the conflict? How does the conflict develop over time? What might a climactic ending to that conflict look like? One helpful way to structure a conflict arc is to use the "tiers of play" described in "chapter 4". Levels 5, 11, and 17 represent milestones in character power and capabilities, and they can also be story milestones in the arc of your campaign. The shift from one tier to another is an ideal time to wrap up a campaign conflict and introduce a new one that has a broader reach and represents a greater threat. The threshold of a new tier can also be an opportunity for characters to realize the scale of a conflict they've been dealing with—to realize, for example, that the bandits they fought throughout their first four levels are merely puppets of an enemy nation they must confront in the second tier. The ""Greyhawk"" section in this chapter has examples of conflict arcs.  ### Flavors of Fantasy Your D&D campaign might be inspired by a particular flavor of fantasy, several of which are discussed in the sections that follow. Any of these fantastical subgenres can be informed and inspired by the cultures, myths, legends, and fantasies of any culture: an epic fantasy campaign could draw on French romances or Chinese wuxia stories, a mythic fantasy campaign could be based on Greek myth or the *Epic of Gilgamesh*, and so on. #### Heroic Fantasy Heroic fantasy features adventurers bringing magic to bear against monstrous threats—the default subgenre presented in the core D&D rulebooks. ##### Heroic Fantasy Conflicts Heroic fantasy campaigns often revolve around delving into ancient dungeons in search of treasure or to destroy monsters or villains. Consider conflicts like these to drive the action of a campaign: - **Evil Cult.** Wicked cultists infiltrate a peaceful realm to free an ancient evil entity trapped in a dungeon. Releasing the entity would surely spell the realm's doom. - **Fungal Plague.** To protect a primeval forest from the encroachment of hunters and settlers, druids unleash a fungal plague that quickly gets out of hand. - **Old Enemy.** An elusive villain who plagued the characters years ago resurfaces, giving the characters a chance to finally bring the villain to justice. #### Sword and Sorcery A sword-and-sorcery campaign features a grim world of evil spellcasters and decadent cities, where the protagonists are often motivated more by greed and self-interest than by altruistic virtue. ##### Sword-and-Sorcery Conflicts In this flavor of campaign, magic-users often symbolize the decadence and corruption of civilization, and mages are the classic villains of these settings. Magic items are therefore rare and often dangerous. Consider conflicts like these to drive the campaign: - **Evil Adventurers.** An evil band of experienced adventurers wields power and influence to oppress hapless folk. - **Evil Weapon.** A knight under the influence of a sentient, evil weapon terrorizes a peaceful realm. Cultists worship and protect this weapon, which must be seized and destroyed to end the threat. - **Forgotten Dynasty.** The long-lost seat of a forgotten dynasty rises from the sea or the desert sands, and its people launch a campaign of conquest. #### Epic Fantasy An epic fantasy campaign emphasizes the conflict between good and evil, with the adventurers on the side of good. These heroic characters are driven by a higher purpose than selfish gain or ambition. Characters might struggle with moral quandaries, fighting the evil tendencies within themselves as well as the evil that threatens the world. And the stories of these campaigns often include an element of romance: tragic affairs between star-crossed lovers, passion that transcends even death, and chaste adoration between knights and nobles.  ##### Epic Fantasy Conflicts Conflicts like these highlight the themes of an epic fantasy campaign: - **Apocalypse.** A prophecy predicts the end of the world unless the adventurers intervene. Apocalypse cultists oppose the characters at every turn. - **Dragon Tyrant.** An evil and powerful dragon moves into the region, upsetting the ecology and demanding tribute from nearby settlements. - **The Foe Time Forgot.** An evil foe believed long dead emerges from the Feywild, alive and well after being lost in time. This foe seeks revenge against the descendants of long-dead enemies. #### Mythic Fantasy A mythic fantasy campaign draws on the themes and stories of ancient myth and legend, from Gilgamesh to Cú Chulainn. Adventurers attempt mighty feats of legend, aided or hindered by the gods or their agents—and the characters might have divine ancestry themselves. The monsters and villains they face might have a similar origin. The chimera in the dungeon isn't just a random beast but the product of a divine curse. ##### Mythic Fantasy Conflicts Conflicts like these highlight the themes of a mythic fantasy campaign: - **Divine Trials.** Seeking a gift or favor from the gods, the adventurers undertake a series of trials that lead them to the realms of the gods, where the adventurers can plead their case. - **Divine Wrath.** After a temple is sacked, a vengeful god sends an escalating series of woes upon a kingdom until the temple's relics are returned. - **Giants.** An enormous castle on a cloud settles over the land. The characters can battle the giants living there or try to broker a lasting peace. #### Supernatural Horror If you want to put a horror spin on your campaign, the "Monster Manual" is full of creatures that suit a storyline of supernatural horror. An essential element of such a campaign is an atmosphere of dread, created through careful pacing and evocative description. Your players contribute too; they must be willing to embrace the mood. Whether you want to run a full-fledged horror campaign or a single creepy adventure, discuss your plans with the players ahead of time. Horror can be intense and personal, and not everyone is comfortable with such a game. (The advice on discussing limits under ""Ensuring Fun for All"" in "chapter 1" is particularly important for a horror game.) ##### Supernatural Horror Conflicts A supernatural horror campaign often features Undead or demonic foes whose evil transcends the merely mortal. Consider conflicts like these to drive the campaign: - **The Faceless Lord.** "Juiblex", the Faceless Lord, oozes out of the "Abyss" and into the "Underdark". The characters hear from subterranean folk who need help defeating the demon lord and its minions. - **School of Necromancy.** [Vampires](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/vampire-xmm.md) open a college of necromancy, attracting evil necromancers who need fresh corpses for their studies. An order of vampire hunters seeks the characters' help. - **Undying Monarch.** A venerable monarch clings to power by worshiping "Orcus" and becoming a [lich](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/lich-xmm.md). #### Intrigue Political intrigue, espionage, sabotage, and similar cloak-and-dagger activities can provide the basis for an exciting campaign. In this kind of game, the characters might care more about skill proficiencies and making friends in high places than about attack spells and magic weapons. Social interaction takes on greater importance than combat. Make sure your players know ahead of time that you want to run this kind of campaign. Otherwise, a player might create a combat-focused character, only to feel out of place among diplomats and spies. ##### Intrigue Conflicts Conflicts like these are ripe for an intrigue campaign: - **Feuding Fiefs.** Two fiefs or settlements have been feuding for years. The characters are drawn into the ongoing feud after helping one side. - **Royal Rivals.** The sudden death of a sovereign plunges a kingdom into chaos when the rightful heir is challenged and threatened by rivals. - **Scheming Adviser.** After a monarch takes an interest in the characters, they become targets of the monarch's most trusted adviser, who is scheming to become the true power in the realm. #### Mystery A mystery-themed campaign puts the characters in the role of investigators, perhaps traveling from town to town to crack tough cases that local authorities can't handle. Such a campaign emphasizes puzzles and problem-solving in addition to combat prowess. An adventure composed of nothing but puzzles can become frustrating, so be sure to mix up the kinds of encounters you present. ##### Mystery Conflicts A mystery might set the stage for the whole campaign. The characters might uncover clues to this mystery from time to time, while individual adventures might be only tangentially related to it. Consider conflicts like these for a mystery campaign: - **Criminal Syndicate.** A many-headed criminal syndicate seeks economic and political power. The syndicate has spies everywhere, including among the adventurers' families or friends. - **Shape-Shifting Assassins.** A secret association of doppelgangers or other shape-shifters slowly assassinates prominent figures one by one. - **To Catch a Thief.** An extraordinary thief steals only the most valuable jewelry and works of art. The characters might become a target of the thief when they acquire a priceless treasure.  #### Swashbuckling The swashbuckling adventures of pirates and musketeers make for a dynamic campaign in which dashing, charming heroes weave their way through palace intrigues and leap from balconies onto waiting horses to escape dogged pursuers. In a swashbuckling campaign, the characters typically spend a lot of time in cities, in royal courts, and aboard seafaring vessels. Nevertheless, the heroes might end up in classic dungeon situations, such as escaping from a prison cell block or searching storm sewers to find a villain's hidden chambers. ##### Swashbuckling Conflicts Conflicts like these highlight the themes of a swashbuckling campaign: - **Inherited Antagonists.** A character inherits a magic item from a deceased relative, unaware that this relative's enemies are after the item. - **Pirates and Privateers.** A new monarch cracks down on piracy by commissioning privateers and naval officers to hunt pirate ships. - **The Waking Deep.** A monstrous horror slumbering in the depths of the ocean stirs, driving minions such as sahuagin, [merrows](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/monstrosity/merrow-xmm.md), or [dragon turtles](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/dragon-turtle-xmm.md) to attack seafaring vessels. #### War A campaign focused on warfare centers on heroes whose actions turn the tide of battle. The characters carry out specific missions: capture a magical standard that empowers undead armies, gather reinforcements to break a siege, or cut through the enemy's flank to reach a demonic commander. The party might also support the larger army by holding a strategic location until reinforcements arrive, killing enemy scouts, or cutting off supply lines. Information-gathering and diplomatic missions can supplement combat-oriented adventures. ##### War Conflicts Conflicts like these highlight the themes and flavor of a war campaign: - **Freedom Fighters.** Poorly armed and disorganized subjects of a tyrant revolt. - **Invaders.** A militaristic nation invades its benevolent neighbors. - **Pawns in a Game.** A war rages on for decades, its original cause all but forgotten. The people caught up in it strive to find meaning and purpose in a bleak and violent world. #### Crossing the Streams Deep in D&D's roots are elements of science fiction and science fantasy as well as a wide-ranging collection of fantasy inspiration, and your campaign might draw on those sources as well. You can send your characters hurtling through a magic mirror to Lewis Carroll's Wonderland, put them aboard a ship traveling between the stars, or set your campaign in a far-future world where laser weapons (see ""Firearms and Explosives"" in "chapter 3") and [Wands of Magic Missile](Mechanics/CLI/items/wand-of-magic-missiles-xdmg.md) exist side by side. ##### Crossing the Streams Conflicts Conflicts like these create opportunities for crossing the streams: - **Beyond the Magic Mirror.** A mysterious mirror in a strange dungeon is a portal into a different world where whimsical tales unfold—or perhaps some version of the modern world. - **Gamma World.** The characters inhabit a post-apocalyptic wasteland that is largely medieval in feel, but isolated outposts still hold futuristic technology from before the cataclysm. - **Invaders from Wildspace.** Spaceships land on the characters' world and disgorge hostile creatures armed with advanced technology. ### Campaign Setting Just like an "adventure's setting" (as described in "chapter 4"), a campaign setting is an essential part of a campaign's premise, shaping the kinds of stories that unfold there. As the DM, you have two options when choosing a campaign setting: - Use a published campaign setting. - Create your own campaign setting. Whether you create your own campaign setting or use a published one, the world of your game is always your own. You can customize it to suit your tastes and those of your players. #### Using a Published Setting One advantage of using a published campaign setting is that much of the world-building is done for you. However, this means your players might know as much about the setting as you do. You can get around this by changing key aspects of the setting to better serve your needs, which has the added benefit of challenging your players' expectations. The D&D Settings table describes several established campaign settings.  #### Creating Your Own Setting One advantage of creating your own world is it can be whatever you want it to be. Your players will never know more about the world than you do, which can be both a comfort to you and a source of wonder to your players. Moreover, you don't need to memorize any source material about the campaign setting, other than what you create for yourself. Whether you create a setting from scratch or borrow elements from established settings, the result needs to resonate with your players. As you create your world, ask your players what settings and genres they enjoy, then use those sources for inspiration to create compelling locations, memorable inhabitants, exciting conflicts, and an internal logic that will resonate with your players. ##### Five Questions to Consider As you contemplate a new campaign setting, think about your answers to the following questions: - **What's Your Campaign Setting Called?.** Choose an evocative name for your setting. It can be a word or phrase that reflects the theme and tone of the game, or just a made-up name that sounds cool to you. Keep a running list of ideas as you decide on other aspects of your setting. - **What Factions and Organizations Are Prominent?.** Nations, temples, guilds, orders, secret societies, and colleges shape the social fabric of the setting. What organizations or societal groups play an important part in your setting? Which ones might be involved in the lives of player characters as patrons, allies, or enemies? What organizations can characters join, becoming part of something larger than themselves? - **How Common Is Magic?.** Spellcasters and magic item shops might be common, rare, or practically nonexistent in your world. How readily available are spells such as [Lesser Restoration](Mechanics/CLI/spells/lesser-restoration-xphb.md), [Raise Dead](Mechanics/CLI/spells/raise-dead-xphb.md), and [Teleportation Circle](Mechanics/CLI/spells/teleportation-circle-xphb.md)? Is magic so widespread that it's part of daily life, or so rare that it conjures all sorts of superstitions? - **What Mysteries Does the World Hold?.** Every campaign setting has mysteries: a fabled land across the sea, a grim forest hiding a terrible secret, restless spirits haunting a ruined keep for reasons unknown, an ancient dungeon built for a forgotten purpose, and so on. Dream up as many mysteries as you wish—you never know which ones will seize your players' imaginations and become central to the campaign—and record them in your campaign journal. - **What Roles, If Any, Do the Gods Play?.** What greater gods, lesser gods, and quasi-deities are present or worshiped in your world? If there are gods, how involved are they in the world? Are they distant and detached beings, or do they appear before their worshipers and meddle in mortal affairs? ## Campaign Start With your campaign journal in hand and the basic premise of your campaign (characters, conflicts, and setting) in mind, it's time to consider how to begin the campaign. ### Session Zero At the start of a campaign, you and your players can run a special session—called session zero because it comes before the first session of play—to establish expectations, share ideas, and discuss house rules, with the goal of ensuring the game is a fun experience for everyone involved. The ""Ensuring Fun for All"" section in "chapter 1" covers some of the most important groundwork you need to establish at the start of a new campaign. Often session zero includes building characters together. As the DM, you can help players during character creation by advising them on which options best suit the campaign. #### Character Creation When players are choosing their characters' classes and origins, you can restrict options that are unsuitable for the campaign. Encourage the players to choose different classes so that the adventuring party has a range of abilities. It's less important that the party include multiple backgrounds or species; sometimes it's fun to play an all-Dwarf party or a troupe of adventuring Entertainers. The origins the players choose define who their characters were before becoming adventurers. Think about how the characters' backgrounds might inform adventures in your campaign. For example, if a player chooses the Criminal background, help the player flesh out their character's criminal past, and use that information when building relevant storylines into the larger campaign. ##### Starting Level What level are the characters when they start? Many D&D campaigns start the characters at level 1. If you want the characters to be a bit more resilient and your players are experienced, start the campaign at level 3 instead. (See the "Player's Handbook" for rules on "starting at higher levels".) #### Bringing the Party Together During session zero, help the players come up with explanations for how their characters know each other and have some sort of history together, however brief that history might be. To get a sense of the party's relationships, here are some questions you can ask the players as they create characters: - Are any of the characters related to each other? - What keeps the characters together as a party? - What does each character like most about each member of the party? - Does the group have a patron—an individual or organization that points them toward their adventures? If the players are having trouble coming up with a story for how their characters met, you can suggest the following options. ##### Bonding Event Some bonding event (such as a wedding, a festival, or a funeral) brings the characters together, whereupon they quickly discover a shared sense of purpose. ##### Happenstance Someone puts out a call for adventurers to complete a quest, and the characters answer the call. Alternatively, all the characters could meet by accident, only to discover they're headed to the same place, or they could find themselves trapped together. ##### Mutual Acquaintance The characters are introduced to one another by a mutual NPC acquaintance whom they all trust. This shared acquaintance could serve as a patron for the party—perhaps a representative of an organization (an academy, a criminal syndicate, a guild, a military force, or a religious order), a politically powerful person (an aristocrat or even a sovereign), or a magical creature like a sphinx or a dragon. ##### Shared History The characters grew up in the same place and have known one another for years. Despite their different backgrounds and training, they're already good friends. ##### Tavern Gathering The characters meet in a tavern over mugs of ale and decide to embark on a life of adventure together—a tried and true trope! #### Setting the Stage Session zero is a great time to share basic information about the campaign with your players. Such information typically includes the following: - **Starting Location Details.** Your players need basic information about the place where the characters are starting, such as the name of the settlement, important locations in and around it, and prominent NPCs they'd know about (see "Starting Location"). - **Key Events.** Describe any current or past events that help frame the campaign. For example, the campaign might start on the heels of a great war or on the day of a festival. Describing key events helps set the mood and prepare players for upcoming adventures. - **House Rules.** If you're using any "house rules" (as discussed in "chapter 1"), or adopting any of the variant rules presented in this or any other book, let your players know about them. Remember, you'll always know more about your campaign world than the players do. Having spent all their lives in this world, though, the characters also know more than their players do. Fill in the basics of what the characters should know anytime that information matters to their adventures. ### Starting Location Begin your campaign in a location you can detail, such as a village, a neighborhood in a larger city, an outpost, or a roadside tavern. Be prepared to give players enough information about that location to help them figure out what ties, if any, their characters have to it. Once you have this campaign hub fleshed out, create one or two local attractions that might serve as adventure locations, such as a haunted house on the outskirts of town or a dungeon complex tucked in the nearby hills.  If you're using a published campaign setting, pick any location in that setting and develop it as you like. A published setting or adventure might give you all the details you need. "The Free City of Greyhawk", described later in this chapter, is an ideal starting location and illustrates the kinds of things to consider as you detail a starting location. If you're building your own setting, start small by detailing only this starting area. The rest of your setting can remain undeveloped for now. Don't spend too much time fleshing out the geopolitical landscape of your world or locations the adventurers aren't likely to visit right away; save those fun tasks for when you and your players have a better sense of where the campaign is headed. ### First Adventure If you're using a published adventure to launch your campaign, use the character hooks in that adventure to bring the characters from their starting location to the adventure's action. Many campaigns begin with a published adventure and then develop organically as the characters explore beyond the scope of the adventure. If you're creating your own adventure for the start of your campaign, refer to the advice in "chapter 4". Keep the first adventure relatively short and simple, allowing plenty of time for the characters to get to know each other as the players roleplay. What's most important is that they begin to feel like an adventuring party and get comfortable with their abilities. The full scope of the campaign can unfold to them later. ## Plan Adventures A D&D campaign is like a garden. Each new adventure plants new seeds in the garden, which requires regular tending lest it run wild. Over time, your campaign will grow and flourish in ways you expected and in ways that will surprise you. You might need to weed out elements that aren't resonating with your players while planting new elements to tantalize them. Most D&D campaigns grow organically, rather than having all their elements set in stone from the get-go. From time to time, the characters' decisions will require you to improvise and create new campaign elements on the fly. For example, a new location might need to be developed to address the needs of the unfolding story, or certain NPCs might need fleshing out at a moment's notice. Other parts of this book, such as the ""Nonplayer Characters"" and ""Settlements"" sections in "chapter 3", can help you expand your campaign quickly. ### Episodes and Serials There are two basic ways to think about how adventures fit together in your campaign: as distinct episodes or as a serialized story. If you're not sure which type of campaign to run, ask your players what they prefer. If your players have different preferences, you can intersperse episodic, stand-alone adventures among serialized adventures to break up the bigger story. #### Episodes An episodic campaign is a campaign in which the component adventures don't combine to form an overarching story. Episodic adventures are stand-alone quests, and the villains who appear in one adventure rarely resurface to trouble the characters again. If your game group plays infrequently, an episodic campaign might be ideal because the players can enjoy the current adventure even if they've forgotten the details of earlier adventures. ##### Starting a New Episode In an episodic campaign, the start of a new adventure doesn't necessarily have any connection to the end of the last one. The action might pick up immediately after the end of the previous adventure, but it might instead begin weeks, months, or years after the last adventure, allowing interim events to unfold while the characters take a break from adventuring. #### Serials A serialized campaign is one continuous story broken up into smaller parts that flow naturally from one to the next. It often has one or more overarching threats, and the outcome of one adventure can affect how the rest of the campaign unfolds. If your game group meets regularly and often, a serialized campaign allows you to keep your players guessing what will come next as the campaign builds toward a satisfying conclusion. ##### Linking Adventures In a serialized campaign, make connections between the end of one adventure and the start of the next to help it feel like a connected story. Sometimes you can simply continue the current storyline with new locations to explore and new threats to overcome. Alternatively, you can use the Adventure Connections table to inspire a link from one adventure to the next. The table suggests things you can do near the end of one adventure to lead characters into the next one.  ### Getting Players Invested To get your players excited about and invested in your campaign, create a setting that features people and places they recognize and where their characters' choices matter. The following sections suggest ways to help you create a world your players will be excited to explore. #### Recurring Elements When characters form relationships—friendships, business arrangements, or even lasting antagonism—with the people and places of your setting, those people and places stick in the players' minds. Introduce opportunities to forge these lasting relationships early and often. Consider featuring recurring elements such as these in your game: - **Community.** Introduce a small group or community the characters can think of as their people, like a village, neighborhood, guild, or crew. - **Home Base.** Give the characters a place to call home, such as a tavern, a hideout, or a ship. Bastions, as presented in "chapter 8", are ideal home bases for characters. - **Prominent Friend.** Create a supportive NPC whom the characters can trust and turn to when they need help, such as a local leader, an innkeeper, a patron, a retired adventurer, or a family member. - **Friendly Resources.** Provide experts or institutions that can assist the characters, like a temple that can provide healing or a learned sage who can help solve mysteries. - **Likable Villain.** Craft a villain who has at least one likable or redeeming quality the characters can appreciate—ideally a villain who isn't preoccupied with killing or harming the characters. As your campaign continues, introduce new people and locations, and bring back favorites from earlier in the campaign for the occasional cameo. #### Player Favorites It's often easier to describe people and places that are hostile or frightening than it is to detail a feature you want characters to love. How can you know what rustic scene will make a character associate a place with home or what personality quirk will remind a character of their favorite mentor? You can ask a character's player directly, but instead consider handing over your narrative reins and letting a player describe the perfect detail. For example, say you have a peaceful village you plan to feature across several adventures. You hope the characters will connect with the place and treat it as home. As the characters enter the community, they smell something amazing. At this point, you could describe something you think smells good or something you think a character would like. Or you can ask a player, "The smell of something amazing drifts from around the corner. What is it?" Whatever the player's answer—cinnamon rolls from a nearby baker, firework charges being prepared for a celebration, or anything else—becomes part of the village, and the player has added an important detail to the location. You can use player input whenever you want to pinpoint something meaningful to the characters and their players. Consider asking players questions like these whenever you want to describe something in an impactful way: - The tavern owner brings out your favorite dish—cooked to perfection. What's the dish, and what makes this one remarkable? - The curio shop is selling a trinket that reminds you of one of your family members. What's the trinket, and who does it remind you of? - The local children are playing a game you played in your hometown. What is it? - The young pickpocket reminds you of someone you once knew. Who? - From the animate mass of murderous dolls scrambles a figure that reminds you of your favorite childhood toy. What is it? Questions such as these don't need to draw on warm memories. Having players describe what unsettles or disgusts their characters can make menacing encounters more impactful as well. In any case, take note of interesting character details that your players share, and record them in your campaign journal, as these details might be useful inspiration for later adventures.  #### Acknowledge the Incredible Adventurers are, by their nature, remarkable. Even at level 1, they perform miraculous deeds and possess qualities that set them apart from common folk. Reinforce this in your game. NPCs don't need to gush over the characters, but the characters' reputations as heroes, problem-solvers, or wonderworkers should be cemented early and develop throughout a campaign. During every session, look for opportunities to make the characters feel like the stars of the story, and try to answer one or more of the following questions: - How are the characters the perfect people to solve a problem? - How are the characters' talents highlighted during the adventure? - What stories do NPCs know of the characters' past exploits? - How might an NPC comment on a character's abilities or recognize that they're special? #### Break Episodes It's easy to get caught up in a story with dramatic stakes, pitting characters against mounting threats. But every so often, at least once every three to five levels, give the characters a break—a low-stakes session or adventure that has nothing to do with the overarching plot or broader perils. A break episode can be an opportunity for the characters to reflect on the events of the ongoing campaign, explore the nuances of the world, and further develop the relationships between them in a more relaxed setting. Give the group space to breathe, note developments you want to highlight later, then continue with your adventures. Consider these ideas for a break episode. ##### Bastions Episode The characters take a break from adventuring to tend to their Bastions (see "chapter 8"), with players taking one or more Bastion turns and describing what happens. ##### Carnival Episode A carnival tempts the characters with magical attractions, games, and prizes. The Witchlight Carnival, described in The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, is one such carnival. ##### Creature Comedy The characters encounter monsters with a comedic flavor—such as flumphs, pixies, faerie dragons, or chatty mimics—in a situation that leads to mischief and humor rather than combat. ##### Missing Pet Episode Someone's pet is missing. The characters must search a settlement and connect with locals to help find it. ##### Shopping Episode A friendly NPC asks the characters to help shop for someone's birthday. ##### Special Event Episode The characters are invited to a sporting event, holiday celebration, fancy dinner, or ball. ##### Vacation Getaway The characters relax on a quiet beach, enjoy the comforts of a grateful noble's villa, withdraw to a serene monastery, or while away the hours in a fairy hot spring. ### Time in the Campaign Most conflicts in a D&D campaign take weeks or months of in-world time to resolve. A typical campaign concludes within a year of in-world time unless you allow the characters to enjoy lengthy periods of quiet time between adventures. If you don't want to track the passage of days, weeks, and months, you might instead track the passage of time using seasons and seasonal festivals. The answer to the question "When does this adventure take place?" can be as simple as "in the winter" or "during the fall harvest festival." #### Timed Events Extraordinary events coinciding with certain times of year make for great adventure opportunities. Perhaps a ghostly castle appears on a certain hill on the winter solstice every year, or every thirteenth full moon is blood red and fills werewolves with a particularly strong bloodlust. The appearance of a comet in the sky might portend all manner of significant events. The festivals of the gods can serve as opportunities to launch adventures, especially if the gods themselves are involved. ## Ending a Campaign A campaign's ending should conclude the last of the major conflicts and tie up most of the threads of its beginning and middle. (It's OK to leave some loose ends for characters to explore in the next campaign.) You don't have to take a campaign all the way to level 20 for it to be satisfying; wrap up the campaign whenever the story reaches its natural conclusion. Allow time near the end of your campaign for the characters to finish up any personal goals. Their stories need to end in a satisfying way, just as the campaign story does. Ideally, some of the characters' individual goals will be fulfilled by the final adventure. Give characters with unfinished goals a chance to finish them before the very end. Once your campaign has ended, a new one can begin. If you intend to run a new campaign for the same group of players in the same setting, using their previous characters' actions as the basis for legends is one way to invest your players in the new campaign. Let the new characters experience how the world has changed because of the actions or accomplishments of the previous campaign's characters. In the end, though, the new campaign is a new story with new protagonists. They shouldn't have to share the spotlight with the heroes of days gone by. ### Ending Sooner Than Expected Sometimes you run out of ideas for your campaign, or it gets so sidetracked that you have no idea how to bring it to a satisfying conclusion. You might just not feel excited about it anymore, or you might be so excited with ideas for a new campaign that you can't focus on the current one. Any of these might signal the end of your campaign. The best way forward when you want to end a campaign is to talk to your players about it. If you're not excited about the game anymore, it's quite possible they're not either, and you can change or end the campaign to everyone's satisfaction. Consider the following possibilities: - **Player Input.** If you're running out of ideas for your campaign, your players might be more than happy to supply you with some. Find out what they'd like to have happen if the campaign continues. They might give you all the inspiration you need! - **Switch DMs.** One of your players might have so many ideas about the future of the campaign that they're willing to take over as the DM. You can either take over that player's character or make a new one of your own. Let go of your plans for where the story was going, and allow the new DM to have creative control. - **Transport the Characters.** If you or another DM wants to start up a campaign in a new setting but the players don't want to make new characters, consider having the characters travel through a portal to a new world. - **Arrange a Grand Finale.** Sometimes an end to the campaign is the right answer. Look for ways to end the campaign with a bang, even if it's earlier than you originally planned. Flip through your campaign journal to see if there are forgotten elements you can resurface for one last hurrah. ## Greyhawk Greyhawk is a D&D setting you can use as the backdrop for your campaign or as a model you can reference while creating your own setting. Important aspects of Greyhawk are described herein so that you can make it your own, expanding or altering it however you wish. Greyhawk is the invention of Gary Gygax, one of the D&D game's original creators. Gary based many of D&D's earliest adventures in this home-brewed setting. The version of Greyhawk presented here is largely based on *The World of Greyhawk* gazetteer, published in 1980. > [!note] Poster Map > > Included is a poster map showing the lands of Eastern Oerik on one side (each hex on the map is equivalent to 30 miles) and the Free City of Greyhawk on the other. These locations are described in the ""Free City of Greyhawk"" and ""Greyhawk Gazetteer"" sections later in this chapter. ^poster-map ### Important Names A handful of important names are defined below: **Oerth** (pronounced *orth* or *oyth*) is the world of Greyhawk. It has four continents, four oceans, and a plethora of islands and seas. **Oerik** (pronounced *or*-ick or *oy*-rick) is one of Oerth's continents. **Eastern Oerik**, the vast region explored in this chapter, is home to many powerful nations and some of the D&D game's most famous dungeons and adventurers. **The Flanaess** (pronounced flah-*nay*-ess or *flay*-nayz) is another name for Eastern Oerik and means "land of the Flan." The region's first human settlers and their descendants are known as the Flan. **Greyhawk** is an independent city in Eastern Oerik that attracts large numbers of adventurers. Greyhawk doubles as the name of the campaign setting. ### 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 world-shattering 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.  ##### 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](Mechanics/CLI/items/eye-and-hand-of-vecna-xdmg.md) 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. ##### 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.  > [!note] 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 ten-day 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. ^your-worlds-calendar ##### 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. > [!note] 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. ^adventurers-and-organizations ##### 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. **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.  ### Free City of Greyhawk > [!gallery] >  >  Would-be heroes are drawn to the Free City of Greyhawk by promises of adventure. The city is rife with opportunities for peril and plunder. The city stands on the eastern banks of the Selintan River. The river flows south from the Nyr Dyv (the Lake of Unknown Depths) down to Woolly Bay and remains easily navigable for its entire length. Once a frontier hub of the Great Kingdom of Aerdy, Greyhawk proclaimed itself free and independent seventy-eight years ago, claiming the Selintan basin as its territory. Adventurers drawn to the nearby ruins of Castle Greyhawk have provided a steady influx of cash to the city in the years since. Throughout this section, if a creature's name appears in **bold** type, you'll find that creature's stat block in the "Monster Manual". If a creature's alignment isn't specified, you can decide what it is. #### Start Here  The City of Greyhawk is a great starting point for a D&D campaign for many reasons, as discussed in the sections that follow. ##### Adventure Hooks The city contains plenty of rumors, local legends, and quest givers, any of which could point characters to their next adventure. The "sample adventures" in "chapter 4" can all begin in the Free City of Greyhawk. ##### Bastion Friendly There are ample places within the city and on the city's outskirts where adventurers can build Bastions (see "chapter 8"). ##### Key Conflicts Two of the three central conflicts of the Greyhawk setting—the threats of Elemental Evil and Iuz—are the source of major tension and intrigue in the Free City of Greyhawk. The third conflict, involving evil dragons, is a looming threat nearby, particularly in the Mistmarsh, the hills of the Abbor-Alz, and the Bright Desert. ##### Local Hurly-Burly Greyhawk has a frontier spirit atypical for a settlement of its size. The locals are a tough and rowdy lot. Adventurers seeking action don't need to look far, as the city contains more than its fair share of troublemakers. ##### Nearby Attractions North of the city are the Cairn Hills, which are known to have tombs and dungeons hidden among them. Nearby are a forest, a swamp, and a desert. The monsters that haunt these areas tend to be weak—perfect for testing the mettle of low-level adventurers. ##### Port in the Storm The city provides a place to rest, heal, acquire information, and procure magic items. Adventurers looking to visit distant lands can book passage on ships docked at the wharf. ##### Trade Hub Adventurers can buy gear and sell their hard-won loot in the city's shops and markets. #### How to Use the City A bustling city like Greyhawk can serve the following important functions in a campaign. ##### Background Connections Use the backgrounds of the characters to connect them to people and places in the city. These connections help the players feel like Greyhawk is their characters' home—or will quickly become their new home. A character who was born and raised in Greyhawk might have known one of the city's prominent figures for many years, while someone who has just arrived in the city might have a mutual friend with that connection or might carry a letter of introduction recommending them to that person. (Each location detailed in the ""City Locations"" section includes potential connections for two character backgrounds.) ##### City Activities Greyhawk is an ideal place for activities that support adventuring. There's endless opportunity for social interaction in such a bustling place, as well as places where characters can rest and recuperate between adventures, acquire new adventuring gear, and spend their gold. ##### Home Base As a home base for characters, Greyhawk can serve as a place to live, train, and recuperate between adventures. As described under ""Getting Players Invested"" in this chapter, Greyhawk offers a host of potential friends, rivals, villains, and resources. Use the people and locations mentioned in this chapter as a starting point for fleshing out characters' connections to the city, and work with your players to develop those connections. Choose one neighborhood of the city (see ""City Neighborhoods"" below) as a focus for the characters and their activities. ##### Urban Adventures A city isn't just a place to spend time between adventures—plenty of adventures happen within the city walls. From wererats in the sewers to scheming bureaucrats in the halls of power, dangers lurk around every corner.  #### City Overview The city is yours to make your own. A few important features and locations are described in the sections that follow, but otherwise flesh out the city as you and your players see fit. ##### City Government The Free City of Greyhawk is ruled by a council called the Directing Oligarchy, made up of sixteen coequal rulers. This council elects its chief officer, the lord mayor—a position currently held by a human [Spy Master](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/spy-master-xmm.md) (Lawful Neutral) named Nerof Gasgol. The other directors include the captain-general and constable of the City Watch, several guild masters, priests of Boccob and Rao, the inspector of taxes, and a few influential magic-users with ties to politically active secret societies. Several of these directors represent criminal or unsavory interests, including Nerof Gasgol himself, who achieved his position and wealth as the owner of a notorious gambling den. ##### City Watch The City Watch is a standing garrison of some eight hundred [Guards](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/guard-xmm.md) and [Veteran Warriors](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/warrior-veteran-xmm.md). Bolstering these defenders are [Mages](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/mage-xmm.md) from the city's Guild of Wizardry, as well as [Priests](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/priest-xmm.md) from local temples. The captain-general and constable of the City Watch are stationed at the Grand Citadel (see ""City Locations""). ##### City Walls A 30-foot-high stone wall winds like a snake around the city. Two other walls, identical in height to the outer wall, separate the city into its three great sections. Access to the wall tops can be gained via lifts in each gatehouse. In addition, along the inside base of the outer wall are secret compartments at 300-foot intervals, each one containing a 30-foot-tall wooden ladder. All members of the City Watch know the locations of these secret ladders, which, in an emergency, can be pulled out and used by city defenders to quickly reach the parapets. The walls are patrolled regularly. During daytime, the typical patrol is one sentry (a [Guard](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/guard-xmm.md)) placed every 300 feet along the top of the wall. At night, the guard patrol is quadrupled, with two sentries posted together every 150 feet along the wall. Also at night, torches light the wall top at 150-foot intervals between the guards so each sentry station is 75 feet from a torch in each direction. ##### City Gates Each city gate consists of a pair of iron-reinforced wooden doors that can be barred from the inside. These heavy doors are backed by a massive portcullis of iron bars. A very small child might be able to squeeze between the bars, but not a youth or even an adult halfling. The city's portcullises are usually left open even when the gates are closed. Each gate is contained within a small gatehouse flanked by a pair of towers. The tower tops and connecting blockhouse are equipped with arrow slits and holes for pouring boiling oil straight down onto invaders. Each gatehouse tower connects to the city through a door in its base and to the wall top by a door in its side. The towers contain three platforms, beginning at the top of the wall and extending upward. Each of these can shelter and provide a firing platform for up to forty archers. Three of the city's gates typically remain open throughout the day and night: the Highway Gate (the grand entrance to the city), the Cargo Gate (used primarily by traders and merchants), and the Garden Gate (one of the city's two inner gates). The remaining gates are closed from dusk until dawn, and a visitor must produce a written message from the lord mayor of Greyhawk, the captain-general of the City Watch, or a head of state to be allowed through. In the latter case, the guards ensure the traveler is harmless before opening the gates. Those passing through open gates aren't asked to explain their business, nor are they detained or turned back unless they are recognized as known fugitives. Wagons and carts might get searched if they trigger the guards' suspicions, but most vehicles are waved through without inspection. The guards keep a daily roster of who and what pass through their gates. ##### Crime The Free City of Greyhawk is home to many thieves, vandals, charlatans, and hooligans. Crimes are divided into three categories. ###### Petty Crime Public unarmed brawling, pickpocketing, vandalism, and other crimes that cause up to 50 GP in property damage are petty crimes. The perpetrator pays a fine of `2d10` GP or works to provide restitution. ###### Minor Crime The category of minor crimes includes armed assault (defined as any nonfatal attack made with a weapon or damaging spell) and property crimes that cause between 50 and 250 GP in damages. The perpetrator must pay a fine of at least 100 GP and is sentenced to `d6` years in prison. ###### Major Crime Crimes more severe than those described above—including murder, bribery or impersonation of a city official, and magical coercion—are major crimes. The criminal faces `2d10` years of imprisonment, the death penalty, or permanent exile. A city magistrate decides which punishment is appropriate. ##### Religion The city has temples and shrines dedicated to various gods. Religious practices that are certifiably evil aren't tolerated, however. When an evil sect is discovered in the city, its wealth is confiscated, its leaders are put to death, and all other members are banished from the city for life. See the ""Gods of Greyhawk"" table for many deities worshiped by the inhabitants of the Free City. #### City Neighborhoods The Free City of Greyhawk is split into three main sections by two internal walls running west to east. The northern section is home to the High Quarter and the Garden Quarter, where the wealthiest folk of the city reside. The central section is home to the River Quarter, Clerkburg, the Artisans' Quarter, and the Foreign Quarter. The southern portion, known as the Old City, includes the poorer and rowdier neighborhoods of the Slum Quarter and the Thieves' Quarter. Brief descriptions of the city's neighborhoods are presented below: - **Artisans' Quarter.** The Artisans' Quarter is built around a large marketplace. The finest artisans live and work here, and the city's trade guilds are headquartered here. - **Clerkburg.** Clerkburg is the university district of Greyhawk, with dozens of schools and colleges and the businesses that support them. Temples line the appropriately named Street of Temples in the southeast corner of the district. - **Foreign Quarter.** The Foreign Quarter is among the most multicultural districts of the city, and it boasts fine apartments and restaurants. - **Garden Quarter.** The Garden Quarter is an extravagant neighborhood similar to the High Quarter, but the mansions aren't quite as ornate, the estates aren't as large, and it's not as gaudy. - **High Quarter.** Palaces, temples, mansions, and gardens fill the posh High Quarter. Extravagant architecture and wide-open spaces define this quarter. - **River Quarter.** The River Quarter encompasses taverns and entertainment venues, as well as the wharves along the Selintan River outside the city wall. Because it's a hub of trade, it's the most diverse, multicultural part of the city. - **Slum Quarter.** The Slum Quarter is the poorest, most desperate region within Greyhawk's walls, full of crime-ridden apartments. - **Thieves' Quarter.** The buildings of the Thieves' Quarter are slightly less run down than their Slum Quarter equivalents, and its people are marginally better off. #### City Locations The locations detailed here can serve as a good starting point for your campaign. Use them as examples when fleshing out new locations for your game. ##### Black Dragon Inn > [!note] > > This three-story, slightly run-down inn is situated in the heart of the city. A sign carved to resemble the grinning visage of a black dragon hangs over the front door. A stable is located behind the inn. ^31d The Black Dragon Inn in Clerkburg has good food and affordable rooms. The inn's stable can hold up to a dozen steeds. The inn's proprietor is Miklos Dare, a human [Warrior Veteran](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/warrior-veteran-xmm.md) (Chaotic Good) who loves to recount his heroic exploits in the Battle of Emridy Meadows seven years ago, when warriors from across the Central Flanaess united to drive the forces of wickedness from the Temple of Elemental Evil (see ""Central Flanaess"" in this chapter). A red-bearded bear of a man with a prosthetic leg, Miklos is affable and proud. His friendly rivalry with Olaf and Sivan, the proprietors of the Silver Dragon Inn just up the street, is the talk of the city. Olaf and Sivan recently hired a mage to make Miklos's black dragon sign drool acid, much to the chagrin of visitors entering and leaving the Black Dragon. Miklos is itching to pull a similar prank of his own. ###### Character Backgrounds An adventurer with the [Soldier](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/soldier-xphb.md) background might have a tie to Miklos, perhaps having fought alongside him at the Battle of Emridy Meadows. A character with the [Wayfarer](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/wayfarer-xphb.md) background might know Miklos as a generous man who gives away food and sometimes even lodging to people in need. ###### Reasons to Visit Adventurers might visit the Black Dragon Inn for one of the following reasons: - **Eavesdropper's Paradise.** Many clandestine meetings occur at the Black Dragon. Adventurers eavesdropping on private conversations might overhear tantalizing rumors or uncover valuable information. - **Information Source.** If the adventurers let Miklos tell stories of his past exploits or agree to help him play a prank on his rivals, he can steer them toward new adventure opportunities. He's also quite familiar with the nature of Elemental Evil. - **Place to Stay.** The Black Dragon is close to the city's central marketplace. A traveler can sleep in a common room for 2 SP per night or secure a private room for 5 SP per night. A luxury suite costs 2 GP per night. ##### Grand Citadel > [!note] > > A many-towered fortress looms above all quarters of the city from its position atop a low rise. Its outer walls, darkened by soot and smoke, could use a good scrubbing. ^321 The grand edifice at the northern end of the High Quarter, simply called "the Citadel" by the city's inhabitants, contains barracks for the City Watch, the offices of the captain-general, the city's treasury, and a large store of armaments for the emergency citizen militia. The Citadel also contains a prison where the city's most hardened criminals are incarcerated. The captain-general of the City Watch is Sental Nurev, a tall, human [Warrior Veteran](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/warrior-veteran-xmm.md) (Neutral Good) with thinning blond hair and a mustache. Sental is usually incorruptible, but he is under great stress. The rulers of Stoink, a fortified town in the Bandit Kingdoms, have captured Sental's brother Sarek and are forcing the captain-general to provide information about Greyhawk's defenses and local politicians. Sental gives this information to a human [Spy](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/spy-xmm.md) (Chaotic Evil) who stays at the Black Dragon Inn under the false name Skanda Drond. Sental is unaware that the bandit lords of Stoink are pawns of Iuz, whose dreams of conquest extend to the Free City of Greyhawk and far beyond. The city's constable—who serves as second-in-command to the captain-general, manager to the members of the watch, and a member of the Directing Oligarchy—is a compassionate [Priest](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/priest-xmm.md) of Pelor named Derider Fanshen (Neutral Good). Her kindness and talent for healing make her well loved among the watch, and as a former adventurer, she is sympathetic to adventurers' needs. She's unaware of Sental's compromised position. ###### Character Backgrounds Adventurers with the [Criminal](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/criminal-xphb.md) or [Guard](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/guard-xphb.md) background might have a connection to the Grand Citadel involving a past run-in with the law or past service on the watch. ###### Reasons to Visit Adventurers might be drawn to the Grand Citadel for one of the following reasons: - **Appointment.** The adventurers have an appointment to speak with Sental Nurev, perhaps because they need help freeing a companion who was arrested for a crime or because they wish to report a threat to the city. - **Break-In or Breakout.** The adventurers are hired to break into the Citadel's treasury vault or break someone out of the Citadel's prison. - **Imprisonment.** The adventurers are imprisoned in the Citadel for some heinous crime. ##### Great Library > [!note] > > The front of this building is a grand sweep of granite walls and tall columns. A wide ramp leads to a pair of massive doors flanked by stone-carved dragons. Inside, it's cool and musty. ^325 Weapons and armor aren't permitted in the Great Library. If anyone wearing armor or carrying a visible weapon tries to enter the library, or if a thief is spotted trying to leave the library with one or more stolen books, the stone-carved bronze dragons flanking the entrance animate and attack. These statues are [Stone Golems](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/construct/stone-golem-xmm.md). Abra Saghast, a crusty and irascible dragonborn sage, serves as the head librarian. Abra, an [Archmage](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/archmage-xmm.md) (Chaotic Good), has bright-green eyes, and her bronze scales are tinged with aquamarine blue. She typically wears a patchwork robe. Abra sits behind a high desk in the main hall. Six open archways lead from the main hall to wings where the bulk of the library's books are shelved, free for visitors to peruse (but not remove from the library). The library has several sages and scribes under contract to write books, mostly detailing current affairs in the city. An iron door leads to a hallway behind the head librarian's desk. Three scribes ([Mages](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/mage-xmm.md)) labor here and act as sentries, for next to their desks are three locked, iron doors to the library's vaults. [Arcane Lock](Mechanics/CLI/spells/arcane-lock-xphb.md) spells seal these doors, beyond which are repositories for the library's most valuable or scandalous works. Next to each scribe's desk is a pull cord hanging through a hole in the ceiling. A tug on any one of these cords releases a homing pigeon from a loft above the library. It takes the bird 1 minute to find and alert an [Archmage](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/archmage-xmm.md), who teleports to the main hall of the library to investigate. ###### Character Backgrounds Adventurers with the [Sage](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/sage-xphb.md) or [Scribe](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/scribe-xphb.md) background might have a connection to the Great Library and its proprietor. ###### Reasons to Visit Adventurers might visit the Great Library for one of the following reasons: - **Research.** Adventurers searching for a specific book or more information about a specific topic might find what they're looking for in the library. - **Spellbooks.** The adventurers might need to purloin one of the many spellbooks kept in the library, necessitating a carefully planned heist. - **Spell Scrolls.** Adventurers can commission the scribes to create a [Spell Scroll](Mechanics/CLI/items/spell-scroll-xdmg.md) that bears a Wizard spell of level 5 or lower. See the "Player's Handbook" for the time required to "craft a scroll"; the scribes charge double the cost shown there. ##### High Tower Inn > [!note] > > Conveniently located near the Selintan River, this inviting inn is distinguished by its tall tower, which is pointed at the top like the hat of an eccentric wizard. The clientele is notably wealthy, but the inn itself isn't at all ostentatious. ^329 The High Tower Inn's human proprietor, Erlynn Goodfellow, is a soft-spoken, middle-aged, pot-bellied [Mage](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/mage-xmm.md) (Lawful Good) with gray hair, bright-blue eyes, and platinum-rimmed spectacles. She dabbled in adventuring before realizing she had little taste for danger and her life's calling might involve more sedentary pursuits. Few guests know of Erlynn's magical abilities, as she rarely casts spells in front of strangers. The High Tower, located in the Garden Quarter, is a favorite haunt for some of the city's most famous wizards, including "Otto" and "Jallarzi". ###### Character Backgrounds Adventurers with the [Merchant](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/merchant-xphb.md) or [Noble](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/noble-xphb.md) background might have a connection to the High Tower Inn, which caters to people of means. ###### Reasons to Visit Adventurers might visit the High Tower for one of the following reasons: - **Information Source.** Erlynn knows all the local rumors. If she trusts the adventurers, Erlynn can direct them to an NPC who needs their services. - **Place to Stay.** The adventurers need a place to stay, and the High Tower boasts comfortable quarters, ample supplies of wine and ale, and spicy food. The establishment has six private sleeping chambers, each of which rents for 3 GP per night. Three of these guest rooms are in the tower, each one on its own floor. - **Spellcaster.** The adventurers might have business with a powerful spellcaster staying at the inn. ##### Silver Dragon Inn  > [!note] > > This grandiose, multistory inn sports a wooden sign bearing the words "Silver Dragon Inn" in fancy silver script, the S shaped like a silver dragon. A more modest sign next to the front door reads, "No metal armor. Shields and weapons must be checked at the door." ^32d The grand Silver Dragon Inn, located in the Foreign Quarter, is often the first place sought by new arrivals to the city. The prices are average, but the food servings are huge. The inn's menu includes spicy bean dishes, seafood delicacies of the Wild Coast, and rice and vegetable entrées. Weapons larger than daggers must be checked at the door, together with shields. Customers wearing metal armor aren't admitted. Two bouncers (Neutral [Tough Bosses](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/tough-boss-xmm.md)) stand at the door, politely enforcing the rule. The inn's married human proprietors, Olaf Al-Azul (Chaotic Good [Warrior Veteran](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/warrior-veteran-xmm.md)) and Sivan Al-Azul (Chaotic Neutral [Assassin](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/assassin-xmm.md)), speak multiple languages and use humor to raise spirits and diffuse tensions. Olaf can almost always break up a fight before it starts, generally with a round of drinks for the instigators. Sivan is quiet and introspective, but he always keeps a hilarious joke or cutting remark at the ready. ###### Character Backgrounds Adventurers with the [Artisan](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/artisan-xphb.md) or [Entertainer](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/entertainer-xphb.md) background might do business with the Silver Dragon Inn. ###### Reasons to Visit Adventurers might visit the Silver Dragon for one of the following reasons: - **Meeting with Foreign Dignitaries.** Foreign dignitaries come here to enjoy the Silver Dragon's food and accommodations. Characters who plan to visit distant lands might connect with these esteemed visitors. - **Place to Stay.** The Silver Dragon is centrally located in the city and has twenty-four guest rooms on the upper floors. A traveler can sleep in a common room for 1 SP per night, a private room for 3 SP per night, or a luxury suite for 1 GP per night. - **Security.** The Silver Dragon Inn prides itself on being a safe stop for visitors. Its proprietors and bouncers are trained to deal with trouble without the support of the City Watch. ##### Temple of the Far Horizon > [!note] > > Hidden among the city's grander temples is a quiet, modest house of worship with clay-tiled rooftops, a corner bell tower, and well-tended vegetable gardens. Sick and hungry folk gather in short lines outside as they wait for priests to attend to their needs. ^331 Situated in the Garden Quarter, this temple is dedicated to Fharlanghn, a god favored by travelers and mercenaries. The [Priests](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/priest-xmm.md) who staff the temple offer nourishment, rest, and healing to those in need, day and night. Several small rooms are maintained for guests, and simple, hot meals are free to all visitors. ###### Character Backgrounds Adventurers with the [Guide](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/guide-xphb.md) or [Sailor](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/sailor-xphb.md) background might have a connection to the temple, which offers help to travelers. ###### Reasons to Visit Adventurers might visit the temple for one of the following reasons: - **Adventurers Wanted.** The priests keep tabs on threats in the region around the city. They're paying close attention to rumors of dragon activity in the nearby Cairn Hills, and they're looking to hire adventurers to investigate these rumors. - **Healing.** Adventurers can purchase [Potions of Healing](Mechanics/CLI/items/potion-of-healing-xdmg.md) for 50 GP each, and the temple's priests have `d4` such potions in stock on any given day. The priests also have [Cure Wounds](Mechanics/CLI/spells/cure-wounds-xphb.md) and [Lesser Restoration](Mechanics/CLI/spells/lesser-restoration-xphb.md) spells prepared and customarily cast them for free. For more powerful magic, such as [Greater Restoration](Mechanics/CLI/spells/greater-restoration-xphb.md) and [Raise Dead](Mechanics/CLI/spells/raise-dead-xphb.md) spells, the priests direct the adventurers to the Temple of the Radiant Sun. - **Safe Travels.** By making a small donation to the temple, adventurers increase the likelihood of safe travel to their next destination. - **Teleportation Circle.** Though it isn't the only permanent teleportation circle in the city, the circle within the Temple of the Far Horizon is the easiest to access. The priests allow free access to the teleportation circle in either direction. For 2,000 GP, the chief priest will cast the [Teleportation Circle](Mechanics/CLI/spells/teleportation-circle-xphb.md) spell to open a connection to another permanent circle on the Material Plane. ##### Temple of the Radiant Sun > [!note] > > This copper-roofed temple has a gold-inlaid symbol of the sun above its double-door entrance. During the day, sunlight shines through high windows to illuminate the temple's interior, which is adorned with golden draperies. ^335 This temple, dedicated to serving the god Pelor in the heart of the Garden Quarter, opens at dawn and closes at dusk. In a sanctuary in the heart of the temple, [Priests](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/priest-xmm.md) conduct daily morning rites, as well as all-day observances every Godsday. Sarana, the temple's [Archpriest](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/humanoid/archpriest-xmm.md) (Neutral Good), is a middle-aged, human woman wearing a sun-shaped headdress and yellow-and-gold robes. She is never seen in public without her [Staff of Healing](Mechanics/CLI/items/staff-of-healing-xdmg.md). Sarana has straw-colored hair, green eyes, and a forgiving nature. ###### Character Backgrounds Adventurers with the [Acolyte](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/acolyte-xphb.md) background might have served in the Temple of the Radiant Sun, while those with the Farmer background might seek it out as a place for blessing. ###### Reasons to Visit Adventurers might visit the temple for one of the following reasons: - **Healing.** The temple sells [Spell Scrolls](Mechanics/CLI/items/spell-scroll-xdmg.md) of [Greater Restoration](Mechanics/CLI/spells/greater-restoration-xphb.md) for 3,200 GP apiece and [Spell Scrolls](Mechanics/CLI/items/spell-scroll-xdmg.md) of [Remove Curse](Mechanics/CLI/spells/remove-curse-xphb.md) for 300 GP apiece, and the priests have `d3` copies of each scroll in stock on any given day. The priests also have [Cure Wounds](Mechanics/CLI/spells/cure-wounds-xphb.md) and [Lesser Restoration](Mechanics/CLI/spells/lesser-restoration-xphb.md) spells prepared, which they customarily cast for free. - **Raise Dead.** Archpriest Sarana is one of a handful of people in the Free City of Greyhawk who can cast the [Raise Dead](Mechanics/CLI/spells/raise-dead-xphb.md) spell, but she needs the requisite 500 GP diamond to do so. Sarana can recommend a jeweler who sells diamonds of sufficient value. Before agreeing to cast the spell, Sarana casts [Zone of Truth](Mechanics/CLI/spells/zone-of-truth-xphb.md) and asks questions about the deceased individual to make sure she's not returning to life someone who should stay dead. - **Service to the Greater Good.** The temple might call upon the adventurers to perform good acts in the city or abroad. Sarana is particularly vigilant about the threat of Elemental Evil, since she was involved in the battle at the Temple of Elemental Evil seven years ago. In exchange for their service, the characters and their companions are entitled to a 50 percent discount on goods purchased at the temple. ##### Unearthed Arcana > [!note] > > This quaint, two-story shop has a sign depicting a white-bearded human wizard holding a staff that has a copper ball affixed to its tip. Displayed in the store's window box are various potions, scrolls, wands, and wondrous oddities. ^339  Magic items are bought and sold in Unearthed Arcana, a quaint shop in Clerkburg. Magical wards render the store's windows and doors shatterproof, and no one can use magic to enter or leave the shop without the consent of its proprietor, Morley, whose quarters take up the second floor. Morley is an [Adult Copper Dragon](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/dragon/adult-copper-dragon-xmm.md) (Chaotic Good) who spends his days shape-shifted into a talkative, alert, white-bearded human mage wearing a pointed hat, frayed robes, and pointed slippers. Only a few people in the city—including the esteemed local members of the Circle of Eight, Jallarzi Sallavarian and Otto—know Morley's true form. Morley is one of the city's secret weapons, ready to repel invaders or break a siege should the need arise. The dragon has a soft spot for adventurers who risk their lives for good causes. He occasionally loans magic items free of charge to valorous heroes who can't afford them, on the condition that the items be returned to him as soon as they're no longer needed. ###### Character Backgrounds Adventurers with the [Charlatan](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/charlatan-xphb.md) or [Hermit](Mechanics/CLI/backgrounds/hermit-xphb.md) background might have a connection to Unearthed Arcana, as Morley has a variety of unusual interests. ###### Reasons to Visit Adventurers might visit Unearthed Arcana for one of the following reasons: - **Buying and Selling Magic Items.** Morley buys and sells magic items at "standard prices" (see "chapter 7"). Although he keeps a few magic items in the shop to catch the eye, most of his inventory is stored in extradimensional vaults only he can access. The shop sells many Common, Uncommon, and Rare magic items—mainly potions, rings, rods, staffs, wands, and wondrous items. Morley has access to a few Very Rare and Legendary magic items as well. - **Free Loan.** A benefactor arranges for Morley to loan the characters a magic item to help them complete a quest. Before giving them the item, Morley asks they return it in pristine condition. - **Magic Item Identification.** Morley can cast the [Identify](Mechanics/CLI/spells/identify-xphb.md) spell at will. He charges 50 GP for each casting of the spell. #### Beyond the City Walls > [!gallery] >  >  The City of Greyhawk and Environs map shows the lands around the Free City of Greyhawk. Locations on the map are presented below as places where adventures can happen: - **Blackfair Manor.** Typical of several manor houses and keeps scattered across the Plain of Greyhawk, Blackfair Manor was founded by a distinguished cavalry commander. Its stable is the most famous source of fast, durable warhorses across the breadth of the Flanaess, drawing shrewd shoppers from Greyhawk and beyond. The manor house is surrounded by farms, extensive pastureland, and a small village with a mill, taverns, a smithy, and a saddlery. - **Blackstone.** See "Mining Towns" below. - **Blackwall Keep.** One of two new keeps built to keep an eye on the Mistmarsh, Blackwall Keep is a strong, stone tower with a horse corral surrounded by a wooden stockade. Soldiers from Greyhawk garrison the keep and venture out from it to patrol the northern edge of the swamp. - **Cairn Hills.** Hidden among the hills north and east of the city are ancient tombs and half-buried ruins that attract adventurers, bandits, cultists of Elemental Evil, and monsters. - **Castle Greyhawk.** Travelers who follow the Selintan River westward from the city come to a stone bridge. From there, they must travel several miles northeast to reach the ruins of Castle Greyhawk. Built by the archmage Zagig Yragerne and abandoned with his demise, the ruins (and the many-leveled dungeon below) are a powerful draw to adventurers who seek wealth, glory, and magical might. All manner of marvels are said to fill the ruins, including numerous portals to other planes. - **Diamond Lake.** See "Mining Towns" below. - **Elmshire.** This sleepy town with a sizable halfling population lies on the shore of the Nyr Dyv. Fishing boats crowd the wharves. The townsfolk welcome peaceful visitors—particularly adventurers who can help fend off monsters, bandits, and cults of Elemental Evil lurking in Cairn Hills. - **Ery Villages.** The villages of High Ery and Erybend are populated largely by farmers who send most of their produce for sale in Greyhawk. The two villages are both dominated by two prominent families, the Fairheights and the Witherwinns. The families have a complicated history including abundant instances of feuding and intermarriage, as well as a catalog of lesser slights and favors. - **Ford Keep.** A ferry crossing allows traffic from Greyhawk and regions to the south to cross the Selintan River at its first major bend. The lord mayor of Greyhawk built Ford Keep here to protect the crossing from bandits. - **Gorge of the Selintan.** Soaring cliffs flank the Selintan River for nearly ten miles. Spanning this gorge, 800 feet above the river, is a stone arch bridge sculpted to look like an extension of the natural bedrock. The bridge allows easy travel between Greyhawk and Grossettgrottell. As a defensive measure, the bridge's gnome architects hid an iron pin somewhere in the bridge; if this pin is removed, the entire structure collapses. - **Grossettgrottell.** An industrious community of gnome miners and foragers lives in this network of hewn tunnels and natural caverns. The gnomes trade gemstones and rare fungi in exchange for help repelling monsters from the Underdark. - **Marsh Keep.** Like Blackwall Keep, Marsh Keep is newly built and watches over the Mistmarsh. The Dwarfwalk road leads east from the tower to Greysmere, a quarrying town with a large population of dwarves. - **Mining Towns.** Blackstone, Diamond Lake, and Steaming Springs are small mining towns governed and protected by the Free City of Greyhawk. The city frequently dispatches adventurers to quell threats to the towns' miners and mining operations, which of late includes agents of Iuz intent on destabilizing the city's economy. - **Mistmarsh.** This vast swamp holds the half-sunken ruins of an ancient city that is now shrouded by fog and guarded by a family of black dragons. [Will-o'-wisps](Mechanics/CLI/bestiary/undead/will-o-wisp-xmm.md) lure prey to the ruins, where doom awaits. - **Peculiar Manor.** Like other manors in the Plain of Greyhawk, Peculiar Manor was established by a now-forgotten hero of an ancient war. However, a few years ago it was purchased by retired adventurers from Ekbir, Sanjarah and Chetna Mohsin. The Mohsins brew an extraordinary ale they call Old Peculiar, which lends its name to the manor. - **Steaming Springs.** See "Mining Towns" above. - **Stone Bridge.** A small garrison in the fort of Stone Bridge keeps careful watch over river traffic approaching Greyhawk. - **Stonefort.** A garrison of soldiers from Greyhawk watches over the southern Nyr Dyv from the high battlements of Stonefort. The fort also guards a gravel quarry. - **Tokhel Castle.** This blasted ruin stands on a rocky promontory above the Nyr Dyv. A "dead magic zone" (see ""Environmental Effects"" in "chapter 3") encompasses most of the ruin, and monsters guard whatever secrets the ancient castle and its dungeons might hold. - **Two Ford.** The small village of Two Ford relies on river trade to supply its inns, smithies, and merchants. Ore from the mining towns is also traded here, as it is easier to transport it by river than overland. ### Greyhawk Gazetteer The poster map in this book shows the entire region of the Flanaess, with the Free City of Greyhawk near the center. As characters venture beyond the confines of the city and its surrounding lands, you can use the map and the information on these pages to inspire your own adventures and world details. > [!gallery] >  >  #### The Big Picture To understand the Greyhawk of today (the year 576 in the Common Year), it is helpful to picture the Flanaess about 200 years ago. At that time, the Great Kingdom of Aerdy stretched from the Vast Swamp to the Rakers, and from the Solnor Ocean to the Yatil and Lortmil Mountains. Between the Lortmil Mountains and the Crystalmists was the Kingdom of Keoland, mimicking the Great Kingdom in its imperialist approach. To the west of the mountains, the Baklunish nations—survivors of the Invoked Devastation—stood much as they do now. And to the north, nomadic peoples (the Chakyik, the Wegwiur, the rovers of the Hunting Lands) and the North Kingdoms were, as now, independent of the politics of the south. The contraction of the two southern realms over the last two centuries is the primary force that has shaped the modern Flanaess. First, the provinces of Perrenland, Veluna, and Furyondy—far from the overking's throne in Rauxes—declared their independence from the Great Kingdom. When Nyrond joined them (in 356 CY), the stage was set for the slow disintegration of the Great Kingdom and the ongoing rebellion that dominates the eastern part of the Flanaess to this day. The beginning of Aerdy's decline marked the high-water mark of Keoland's expansionist policies, as it held sway from the Pomarj to the borders of Ket. Aided by Celene, rebels in the Ulek region strove to curb the kingdom's warlike ways, and the accession of King Tavish IV in 453 CY marked a dramatic shift in royal policy. The Yeomanry and the Ulek states were granted autonomy, the Gran March and Sterich became semi-independent while remaining loyal to the crown, and the diverse peoples of this region coexist in relative peace once again. With this big picture in mind, you can think of the Flanaess beyond the Free City of Greyhawk as five major regions, each with its own store of adventure possibilities waiting to be explored: - **Central Flanaess.** Diverse peoples clash against Iuz and the forces of Elemental Evil. - **Eastern Flanaess.** The remnants of the Great Kingdom struggle to determine the fate of the lands in the overking's wicked clutches. - **Northern Flanaess.** In vast wilderness expanses populated by indigenous folk, one's mettle is tested by the environment and roving dragons. - **Old Keoland.** The former provinces of Keoland contend against evil monsters from the western mountains, including dragons and giants. - **Western Flanaess.** The Baklunish peoples and nations navigate complex political relationships. > [!note] Living History > > Greyhawk has a long history of ancient empires and more recent wars, but the only relevant details of this history are those that feature in your adventures. Highlight significant in-world details by revealing them in the course of your adventures. Use the following techniques to share lore with your players: > > - **Echoes of the Past.** Features like a crater in the side of a mountain, a defaced statue in the town square, or a holiday celebrating a local hero provide concrete touchstones to past events. The characters might learn that a ruin they're exploring was destroyed in a catastrophic battle or natural disaster. > - **Historical Records.** Written historical details might appear anywhere in an adventure: glyphs on ancient dungeon walls, books in a library, files in a royal vault, or tapestries depicting key events. Use such set dressing to share important details. Summarize what lengthy works say, and focus on the most plot-worthy parts. > - **Scholarly Expertise.** Characters who have proficiency in the [Arcana](Mechanics/CLI/rules/skills.md#Arcana), [History](Mechanics/CLI/rules/skills.md#History), or [Religion](Mechanics/CLI/rules/skills.md#Religion) skill can be fonts of useful information. When it would be helpful for a group to know something about the setting, ask such characters to make an Intelligence check using the relevant skill, then share plot-relevant details if their roll warrants it. > - **Magical Footnotes.** Spells such as [Contact Other Plane](Mechanics/CLI/spells/contact-other-plane-xphb.md), [Legend Lore](Mechanics/CLI/spells/legend-lore-xphb.md), and [Speak with Dead](Mechanics/CLI/spells/speak-with-dead-xphb.md) allow characters to learn information while leaving you control of the particulars. > - **Primary Sources.** Personify the past through a tragic ghost, an otherworldly guardian, an artificial intelligence, an ancient sage, or another long-lived individual. Such NPCs give you a way to share relevant information and respond to questions from the party. If the characters miss an important detail, this NPC can reinforce details in a way books and recollected facts can't. > > Any one of these methods is useful for revealing a few details. You can combine them to share nuanced histories and help players feel like they're digging into a rich and realistic history. ^living-history #### Central Flanaess  The rich soil and pleasant climate of the region between the Nyr Dyv and the Yatil Mountains—combined with healthy trade relations between these realms and their neighbors to the east, south, and west—make this a strong and prosperous region.  ##### Battle of Emridy Meadows Seven years ago, knights and soldiers from Furyondy, the Archclericy of Veluna, the Viscounty of Verbobonc, and the elven kingdom of Celene formed an alliance to repel an evil horde that had gathered in the grassy fields south of the Velverdyva River. This clash of armies—arguably the greatest seen in Eastern Oerik—was called the Battle of Emridy Meadows. The forces of evil were smashed, and their remnants were driven back into the dungeons under their stronghold, the Temple of Elemental Evil. The forces of good, under the command of Prince Thrommel IV of Furyondy, besieged the temple, which fell in a fortnight. Only a few of the temple's wicked leaders escaped, and it is suspected that these individuals were responsible for the subsequent kidnapping of the prince. Prince Thrommel was engaged to marry Lady Jolene, a priest from a prominent noble family of Veluna. Their marriage would have united Furyondy and Veluna as a single entity, with the canon of Veluna ruling in matters spiritual and the king of Furyondy ruling in matters temporal. This combined state, with its powerful elf allies in Celene, could wage a steady war against the evil plaguing Eastern Oerik. The prince's disappearance has stalled these plans. ##### The Rise of Iuz Iuz is the offspring of the demon lord Graz'zt and a human archmage named Iggwilv. For ages, he ruled the lands from the Howling Hills to Lake Whyestil, naming his domain after himself. These lands are so despoiled and dangerous that the otherwise fierce nomads of the Hunting Lands and Wegwiur pass through the Cold Marshes rather than enter the merest edge of Iuz's realm. Iuz's evil reign was interrupted by a sixty-five-year imprisonment in the dungeon under Castle Greyhawk. During his absence, the Kingdom of Furyondy and its allies prospered, while the land of Iuz was overrun with evil bandits and monsters. Iuz's absence turned him into a legend and attracted a host of new followers, whose misplaced faith invested him with the power of a demigod. Upon winning his freedom, Iuz had no trouble reclaiming his homeland. He forged tenuous alliances with the leaders of the Bandit Kingdoms and the Horned Society, whom he controls through terror. With their aid, he aims to destroy his neighbors and lay waste to the Free City of Greyhawk. Since the resurgence of Iuz, the northern quarter of the Vesve Forest and the eastern part of the Howling Hills have become filled with marauders and monsters. While the Wegwiur battle Iuz's forces in the Howling Hills, scouts and troops from Furyondy join forces with Highfolk's defenders to drive out the Vesve Forest's evil inhabitants. ##### Central Flanaess Culture The culture of the Central Flanaess is a result of the long imposition of the Great Kingdom's rule over a variety of peoples living in close proximity. These peoples, by and large, share the Great Kingdom's practical, hardworking values, and they rely on the family and local community, rather than the might of nations and armies. They have a strong egalitarian streak unlike the Great Kingdom's strict social hierarchy, and (beyond the domains of Iuz and the Horned Society) they have little tolerance for would-be tyrants or aloof nobility. Amid a large number of free cities and confederations, the monarchies of Furyondy and Celene are far more democratic in practice than those in other regions. Typical dress in the Central Flanaess includes a tunic of varying length, sometimes worn with close-fitting trousers. A cape or cloak, usually featuring patterns of ovals or diamonds, completes the ensemble. The cuisine of the Central Flanaess uses rice and potatoes alongside cheese and meat that is typically boiled or roasted. ##### Central Flanaess Adventures The dual threats of Iuz and Elemental Evil present abundant opportunities for adventure in the Central Flanaess (see ""Greyhawk Conflicts"" in this chapter). This region is particularly appropriate for campaigns flavored with epic fantasy, supernatural horror, or war (see ""Flavors of Fantasy"" in this chapter). This region is also home to many of the most famous dungeons and ruins of Greyhawk, including those described in the sections that follow. ###### Ghost Tower of Inverness Ages ago, an archmage raised the mighty fortress of Inverness from the very rock of the Abbor-Alz. In the great inner tower of the keep, he hid his most prized possession: the Soul-Gem. Legend says this great white diamond fell from the sky and glowed with the brilliance of the sun, and its magic could drag mortal souls screaming from their bodies and trap them. The fortress was ruined long ago, but on foggy nights the great central tower still appears. ###### Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth The archmage "Iggwilv" is said to have acquired much of her prowess from the hidden magic she discovered within the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (pronounced SAWJ-kahn). In these caverns she conducted experiments and rituals to increase her powers. One of these rituals led to her downfall, though, when she accidentally freed the demon lord "Graz'zt" from the prison where she had bound him. Though Graz'zt fled to the "Abyss", Iggwilv was weakened and forced to abandon the caverns, but a secret cache of her treasure is said to remain. The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth are detailed in Quests from the Infinite Staircase. ###### Maure Castle Maure Castle is a forlorn and foreboding place surrounded by boggy ground and scraggly trees. Rumors suggest that a tome holding eldritch lore of unimaginable evil is held within, guarded by a powerful demon. ###### Temple of Elemental Evil The Temple of Elemental Evil, built long ago, spawned hordes of bloodthirsty monsters that ravaged the lands between Celene and Veluna. As far as anyone in the area knows, the temple is currently abandoned and has not posed a threat since the Battle of Emridy Meadows in 569 CY, but the forces of good in the region keep vigilant against any sign that the temple and its cults might arise once more. #### Eastern Flanaess Once a powerful force for order and good, the Great Kingdom of Aerdy has declined over the last century to a state of utter decadence. The reigning overking—Ivid V, patriarch of the House of Naelax—is rumored to have fiendish advisers as well as a noble court infested with evil. Ruling from the Malachite Throne in Rauxes, Ivid commands an unmatched army currently embroiled in two wars at once: one against the Kingdom of Nyrond and the Prelacy of Almor, and the other against the Iron League (consisting of Idee, Irongate, the Lordship of the Isles, Onnwal, and Sunndi). To pay for these costly wars, the overking has imposed heavy taxes on his subjects, further diminishing his popularity. Aerdiaak, Ahlissa, Medegia, and Rel Astra are provinces and fiefs of the Great Kingdom. The Sea Baronies are vassal states that provide most of the kingdom's navy.  ##### Shar Fanatical Suloise militarists called the Scarlet Order founded the Hidden Empire of Shar, which is closed to outsiders. The order controls the peninsula west of the Tilva Strait, as far north as the Vast Swamp. See ""Factions and Organizations"" in this chapter for more about the "Scarlet Order". ##### Eastern Flanaess Culture The culture of the Eastern Flanaess is largely that of the ancient Aerdi tribe of humans that conquered the region and established the Great Kingdom almost 800 years ago. The Aerdi valued common sense, hard work, and knowing one's place in a strict social order. Having claimed their position of power through conquest, they put great emphasis on military power and martial skill. These values persist throughout the region, reinforced in the Great Kingdom by strict laws and even stricter social mores. These same values persist in many of the lands resisting the overking's reign. Nyrond and Almor, in particular, share the stratified social structure of the Great Kingdom, with their king and prelate remaining distant from the common people they rule. The independent states of the Iron League are more egalitarian, sharing that trait with the peoples of the Central Flanaess. Typical clothing in the Eastern Flanaess is a tunic of varying length, often worn with trousers, with a cape or cloak. The fabrics of the east are often patterned with checks or plaids, with different patterns often relating to the wearer's lineage. Eastern cuisine pairs rice and potatoes with a variety of meats, especially seafood. ##### Eastern Flanaess and Its Neighbors The Duchy and County of Urnst bridge the regions of the Central and Eastern Flanaess. Once part of the Great Kingdom's province of Nyrond, they declared their independence from the Great Kingdom and the new Kingdom of Nyrond at the same time, achieving their separation from Nyrond with minimal bloodshed. While the people of Urnst distrust the king of Nyrond, they don't hate him like they do the overking. The proximity of the Nyr Dyv, the Cairn Hills, and the Shield Lands means the Urnst lands can't ignore the rising threat of Iuz or the politics of the Free City of Greyhawk. At the same time, Nyrond stands as a buffer between Urnst and the Great Kingdom, but the overking's threat still looms. The duke and countess of Urnst believe that a united Urnst will stand more strongly against pressures from east and west, which they hope to achieve through the marriage of Countess Belissica Gellor to Byron Lorinar, eldest son of Duke Jalken Lorinar. ##### Eastern Flanaess Adventures The story of the Eastern Flanaess is a tale of scrappy rebels—Nyrond, Almor, and the Iron League—defying the overwhelming power of a corrupt and decadent empire. This story lends itself to campaigns exploring themes of supernatural horror (in the fiend-haunted courts of the overking), swashbuckling (in the cities across the region as well as the eastern seas), and war (see ""Flavors of Fantasy"" in this chapter). ###### Havens of Unrest Those who despise and challenge the Great Kingdom's oppression—outlaws both good and bad—find refuge in borderlands just beyond the reach of the overking's soldiers. These include the woods and swamp near Rel Astra (the eastern reaches of the Grandwood Forest and the Lone Heath) and the Hestmark Highlands east of Sunndi. The outlaws in the Grandwood include significant numbers of elves and halflings as well as humans, while those in the Hestmark Highlands include dwarves and gnomes. ###### Tomb of Horrors Deep within the Vast Swamp is the sinister Tomb of Horrors—a labyrinthine crypt filled with terrible traps, strange and ferocious monsters, and rich and magical treasures. Somewhere within rests the demilich "Acererak", who ruled much of the region long ago. The demilich is said to take perverse pleasure in devouring adventurers' souls. The Tomb of Horrors is detailed in *Tales from the Yawning Portal*. ###### Troll Fens The chilly mists of the Troll Fens, located against the shoulders of the Griff Mountains and the Rakers at the head of the Yol River, cloak a place of unnameable horrors. As the name implies, the fens are infested with particularly large and vicious trolls. The Pale carefully hedges the place with watchtowers and keeps, and strong patrols ride the verges of the southern end of the Troll Fens to watch for unwelcome visits from the monsters dwelling within.  #### Northern Flanaess The northern region of the Flanaess includes three distinct areas populated by different peoples: the Baklunish horse riders of the Chakyik and the Wegwiur, the Suloise people of the North Kingdoms, and the Flan nomads of the Hunting Lands.  ##### Baklunish Nomads The Chakyik and Wegwiur—called Tiger Nomads and Wolf Nomads, respectively, by their neighbors—are horse riders of Baklunish descent who dwell on the steppes north of the Yatil Mountains and Lake Quag. The climate in the steppes and pine forests ranges from cool to frigid. Both peoples maintain scattered trading outposts that welcome visitors from neighboring and distant lands. The steppe nomads have a rich storytelling tradition that reinforces a strong sense of clan identity and family line within the clan. Their tales include stories not only of heroes within their clans, but also of heroic horses, and the nomads trace equine lineages as carefully as their own. These nomads maintain the traditions of their people, many of which can be traced back to the ancient Baklunish empire. The Baklunish nomads favor bright pastel colors in gowns and robes. When traveling or at war, though, they prefer more rugged gear of leather and hide. ##### The North Kingdoms Three kingdoms of related peoples occupy the Thillonrian Peninsula in the northeast of the Flanaess—a beautiful subarctic landscape of high mountains, coniferous forests, and deep fjords. The kingdoms are named for the three distinct tribal lines that inhabit them: the Cruski (whose name means "ice"), the Fruzti ("frost"), and the Schnai ("snow"). The Schnai are strong and numerous. When Queen Ingrid of the Schnai has a mind to raid the isles of the Sea Baronies or the coasts of Aerdiaak and the Great Kingdom, she calls upon the king of the Fruzti and the queen of the Cruski to join her army. King Hundgred of the Fruzti has no choice but to honor his oath to the Schnai, while Queen Tharla of the Cruski rarely turns down a chance to attack her enemies. At other times, the Cruski raid the Fruzti, the Schnai, or the Hold of Stonefist. As their distinct kingdoms suggest, the people of the North Kingdoms value their connection to their clan lineage. They preserve a love of learning from their distant ancestors of the Suel Imperium, and they value knowledge of the natural world as highly as they do the skills of hunting, sailing, and warfare. Their clothing includes shirts and pants made of wool, augmented with furs, capes, mittens, and warm boots. They often wear large pins, brooches, or emblems in their cloaks as a sign of wealth or accomplishment.  ##### The Hunting Lands The People of the Hunting Lands (called Rovers of the Barrens by their neighbors) have a history of raiding the outskirts of Furyondy, the Bandit Kingdoms, Tenh, and Wegwiur, which hasn't won them many allies. The nomads' legendary dominance of the north has faded, as the forces of Iuz and the Horned Society wage steady war against them while raiders from the Hold of Stonefist prey on the Hunting Lands farther east. Many of the Rovers' mightiest warriors—the Wardogs—have perished in battles against all these relentless foes. The people of the Hunting Lands value a close connection to the natural world. They view nature as an entity to be respected, not controlled, and their myths and legends teach the value of accepting nature's bounty as a gift that evokes gratitude. They wear clothes made entirely of animal skins, including belts, capes, robes, and slippers, and decorate their skin with paints and tattoos. ##### Northern Flanaess and Its Neighbors The regions of the north exist on the fringes of other regions of the Flanaess. Three realms are the primary points of intersection between the Northern Flanaess and neighboring areas. ###### Bandit Kingdoms The Bandit Kingdoms is a lawless frontier between the Hunting Lands in the north, the Horned Society and the Shield Lands in the Central Flanaess, and the Duchy of Tenh in the east. No single bandit lord is powerful enough to conquer the whole territory, and the combined strength of all is often required to defend against retaliation by neighboring states for the bandit lords' aggression. At least one of the bandit lords, Renfus the Mottled (ruler of Stoink), is wholly in the service of Iuz. ###### Ratik As a former province of the Great Kingdom, Ratik rides the boundary between the northern and eastern regions of the Flanaess. Without the protection of the Great Kingdom, Ratik has been forced to defend itself against frequent raids from the North Kingdoms and the Sea Baronies, as well as attacks from mountain-dwelling monsters. Baron Lexnol Haarkof's emissaries hope to forge an alliance with the North Kingdoms and redirect the berserkers' aggressions toward the Hold of Stonefist. ###### Wegwiur Wolf-Mother Bargra Yefkos of the Wegwiur Hordes is preoccupied with the threat of Iuz, and she meets frequently with clan leaders and Perrenlander mercenaries to strategize. The Wegwiur consider their territory to extend to the Dulsi River, so they fiercely defend the western Howling Hills from the incursion of the hideous monsters that serve Iuz. Several large battles between Wegwiur and the forces of Iuz have taken place in that area. ##### Northern Flanaess Adventures The cold north is an ideal location for a campaign featuring themes of "sword-and-sorcery fantasy" (see ""Flavors of Fantasy"" in this chapter). The peoples of the Northern Flanaess battle giants, dragons, and other horrific monsters in equally dangerous environments, while remaining suspicious of the decadence of the cities and nations of the south. #### Old Keoland United by their shared history as part of the ancient Kingdom of Keoland, the marches and fiefdoms between the Lortmil Mountains and the higher mountains to the west gather diverse populations of many different species in relative peace with each other. Even the long-standing feud between Keoland and the Hold of the Sea Princes might be drawing to an end under the leadership of Keoland's current ruler, King Kimbertos Skotti. The region enjoys a warm, mild climate but faces many threats from monstrous foes.  ##### Old Keoland Culture Old Keoland is a diverse region of the Flanaess where different cultures have mingled for many centuries. Keoish folk often garden, maintain close family ties, have a down-to-earth nature, and love storytelling. The clothes worn in Old Keoland tend toward loose-fitting shirts and wide-legged pants, voluminous cloaks for cold or wet weather, and sturdy boots. This region's cuisine represents a fusion of Central Flan dishes of rice, potato, and meat with some spices and seasonings brought from the west, creating unique flavors. ##### Old Keoland and Its Neighbors The long chain of the Lortmil Mountains forms a natural barrier between Old Keoland and the region of the Central Flanaess. The mountains contain some of the richest gem and precious metal deposits in Eastern Oerik. The humans, dragonborn, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, goblinoids, goliaths, and orcs that live in these mountains and their foothills are subjects of the realms that surround the mountain range, but they often band together to deal with greater threats on both sides of the mountains.  ##### Old Keoland Adventures One reason for the amicable relations among the nations of Old Keoland is the danger posed by dragons, giants, and other monsters found throughout the region. That makes this region particularly well suited to a heroic fantasy campaign (see ""Flavors of Fantasy"" in this chapter). The most dangerous places include those described below. ###### Barrier Peaks These forbidding highlands are home to strange monsters. "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks," an adventure in Quests from the Infinite Staircase, explores the origin of these monsters. ###### Crystalmist Mountains Giants, white dragons, and other monsters frequently descend from the Crystalmist Mountains into Geoff and Sterich, searching for food and plunder. An ancient tunnel stretches from the western end of the Yeomanry into the Sea of Dust, attracting many adventurers to explore its lengths. ###### Dim Forest Though elves inhabit the western part of the Dim Forest, the eastern part is wild and prowled by monsters, including green dragons. ###### Hellfurnaces The Hellfurnaces are a volcanically active extension of the Crystalmist Mountains populated with threats including fire giants and red dragons. Beneath the mountains are labyrinths that connect to the Underdark, wherein lie hidden cities, strongholds, and temples harboring terrible evil. ###### Jotens Hill giants, manticores, and wyverns from the Jotens regularly threaten the tranquility of both Sterich and the Yeomanry. ###### Rushmoors Hungry black dragons, otyughs, and other monsters haunt the Rushmoors. #### Western Flanaess Survivors of the Invoked Devastation that destroyed the ancient Baklunish empire settled the temperate prairies, forests, and coastal lands of the Western Flanaess about a thousand years ago. Largely separated from the rest of the Flanaess by the Yatils, the Barrier Peaks, and the Crystalmist Mountains, these realms are a stronghold of Baklunish cultures. The nations of Ekbir, Tusmit, and Zeif represent the heart of the region, and two rivers—the Blashikmund and the Tuflik—form natural borders between them. Although the nations currently enjoy peaceful relations, Tusmit profits by playing its political neighbors against each other—Ekbir against Zeif, Zeif against the Ulakandar nomads, the Ulakandar nomads against Ket, and so forth. Pasha Qharlan Sylba of Tusmit is careful to keep his name well clear of these schemes so he can avoid embroiling Tusmit in open warfare. But Tusmit's spies are currently causing discord by spreading rumors that Zeif is planning to invade Ekbir. Ekbir's sultan believes the rumors are true and is readying his army. Sultan Naxas Murad of Zeif is a reclusive man, a great philosopher, and a stern father figure to the rulers of Ekbir and Tusmit. Over the years, advisers and family members have urged Naxas to expand Zeif's borders through military conquest, but he refuses to do so, citing failed land grabs by kingdoms through history as proof that imperial expansion across the Flanaess rarely ends well.  ##### Western Flanaess Culture The culture of the Western Flanaess preserves many of the ways and traditions of the ancient Baklunish empire. Enormous value is placed on the virtues of hospitality and generosity, particularly almsgiving and pious donations to temples and clergy. Since the fall of their ancient empire, the people of the Western Flanaess have demonstrated more interest in trade—as a way of amassing power and wealth, but also as a means of connecting and coexisting with neighbors—than in imperial expansion or military domination. The clothing favored by the people of the Western Flanaess features bright patterns in vibrant colors, worn in flowing gowns, robes, and long coats worn with breeches. Their cuisine is renowned for its rich flavors and spiciness. ##### Western Flanaess and Its Neighbors Ket is the crossroads between the Western Flanaess and the rest of the continent, nestled between the Yatil Mountains and Barrier Peaks. Though it was founded by Baklunish settlers, Ket's proximity to both Bissel (and the lands of Old Keoland) and Veluna (and the Central Flanaess) makes it a vibrant, multicultural land rich from extensive trade. Its culture reflects the breadth of its trade, including sizable populations of dragonborn and tieflings and displaying a fusion of Baklunish and Oeridian influence. This mixture is visible in the title of its ruler, which is a combination of a Baklunish title (bey) and an Oeridian one (graf). The beygraf is a noble chosen by the lords of Lopolla's wealthiest, most influential families. Many of these lords also serve as generals in the Kettish military. The current beygraf, Zoltana Lhaz, is a skilled diplomat who so far has balanced the interests of different forces both inside her nation and among her neighbors. ##### Western Flanaess Adventures The political and mercantile intrigue among Ekbir, Tusmit, and Zeif provides abundant adventure opportunities for characters in the Western Flanaess. A campaign focused around intrigue or mystery (see ""Flavors of Fantasy"" in this chapter) works particularly well in this region. Of course, the Western Flanaess has its fair share of monsters, dungeons, and ruins as well. The ruins of the Baklunish Empire in the Dry Steppes, and those of the Suel Imperium in the Sea of Dust, attract plenty of adventurers as well as villains hoping to claim the magical knowledge that caused the terrible catastrophes leading to the fall of those empires. Ket and Ull, too, suffer from the depredations of the monsters in the Barrier Peaks and the Yatil Mountains, just as their eastern neighbors do.