Blackmoor
His Luminous Preponderancy, archbaron Bestmo of Blackmoor
Capital: Dantredun (pop. 666)
Population: 20,000 to 30,000+/-
Demi-humans: Unlikely
Humanoids: Considerable numbers
Resources: ivory, copper, gems (II)
This little-known territory exists between the fierce nomads to the south and the terrible Land of Black Ice to the north, protected by the cold marshes and the dangerous Icy Sea, as well as the vast stretches of the Burneal Forest. It is reported that hot springs and volcanism keep the area habitable, and that monsters teem in its wildernesses of brush and marsh. The original capital, Blackmoor, and its castle were sacked and ruined some years ago, but extensive labyrinths are supposed to exist under these ruins. There also is purported to be a strange "City of the Gods" somewhere within the Archbarony. Inhabitants of the area employ slings, bows (short), and spears. Cavalry is uncommon, except in the force of the ruler.
The Living Greyhawk Gazetter (LGG) is a sourcebook for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Setting is 591CYProper Name: Archbarony of Blackmoor
Ruler: His Luminous Preponderancy, Archbaron Bestmo of Blackmoor (NE male human Ftr11/Wiz4)
Government: Actual government structure unknown; numerous nonhuman tribal leaders in area
Capital: Dantredun
Major Towns: Dantredun (pop. 700), Blackmoor Town (ruined), Egg of Coot (pop. 180?; many automata)
Provinces: Ten underbaronies (four ruined)
Resources: Walrus ivory, copper, gems (II)
Coinage: Currently none; old coins found in many ruins (standard types in odd shapes)
Population: 110,000—Human 37% (FOsb), Orc 20%, Halfling 18%, Elf 10%, Gnome 7%, Half-orc 5% Half-elf 2%, Other 1%
Languages: Common, Flan, Orc, Halfling, Elven, Gnome
Alignments: LN, LE, NE*, CE
Religions: Unknown
Allies: None
Enemies: Iuz, Wolf Nomads (sometimes)
This little-known land somehow escapes the eyes of both the Wolf Nomads and even Iuz. Its original capital, from which the land takes its name, is said to have been sacked and ruined many years ago, but below the ruins, extensive labyrinths still exist where men may find great treasures, magics, or madness and death. Neither the exact location of this city, nor that of a reputed "City of the Gods," which is said to exist in Blackmoor, is known.
The sparse population of the land is known to be fierce in combat and sometimes aided by monsters, which are plentiful in Blackmoor (some say that hot springs and volcanos make this land habitable and create fecundity in the monsters which maraud the land).
The expedition of Archmage Marinian of Willip was lost here without trace in 577 CY. While the dangers of Blackmoor, both magical and mundane, may be great in superstition and trav elers' tales, the fact that not even Iuz seeks dominion here is telling indeed.
Overview:The Archbarony of Blackmoor is possibly the most remote realm in all the Flanaess, situated between the western shores of the Icy Sea and the eastern edge of the Burneal Forest. The land of Blackmoor also includes the northern fringe of the Cold Marshes, and fully encompasses the Gloomfens, as the locals call the northern arm of the marshes. The northern border is vague, but few settlements lie within sight of the ominous Land of Black Ice.
Little is known for certain of the government of the archbaron; his court has no relations with those of the sovereigns of other lands. The militias of the small underbaronies are typically leather-armored villagers, wielding shortspears, longbows, or slings. The archbaron's personal guard includes perhaps three score "knights" (heavy cavalry of offensive mien), and heavy and medium infantry made up of several hundred human and half-orc soldiers. All are located in the town of Dantredun, now the capital of Blackmoor. Many more nonhuman soldiers can be called up from the surrounding area.
Dantredun is a stonewalled city with rotting wooden gates that stand open day and night. Few invaders have ever bothered to threaten the city, though kobolds from the Burneal Forest are a constant nuisance. Many small villages and forts dot Blackmoor's lands, often built near volcanic vents or hot springs. The occasional sharp tremor or emission of poison vapors is a common hazard in this northern land.
The former capital of the archbarony, called Blackmoor Town, now lies in ruins that overlook Blackmoor Bay. Atop its highest hill are the fabled remains of Blackmoor Castle. An orc "king" holds court at the Castle, claiming to rule the town in the name of the Egg of Coot, whose forces conquered the town fifty years ago. It is unknown who or what the Egg of Coot is, though he (it?) seems to possess magical ability of the highest order and is responsible for creating the nonhuman "automata" that populate the land immediately around his home. The lands of Blackmoor are steeped in magic, often called Oerthmagic, the source of which has not yet been identified. Legend says that the numerous mounds and standing stones throughout the archbarony were created by the Northern Adepts of Old Blackmoor (presumably a cabal of Ur-Flan sorcerers) to constrain the encroaching Black Ice. If so, perhaps the stones also hold power against the demigod Iuz, for he clearly avoids the land.
History:Before the time of the Great Migrations, the moors north of the Cold Marshes were inhabited by Flan tribes who dwelt in stockade-like hillforts near the numerous hot springs throughout the region. These remote tribesmen were little troubled by the events in the southern lands, though their own tales say that the Black Ice had already filled the northern valleys. It is not known what, if any, civilization existed in the far northern land before the Ice claimed it, but the rumor of evil in the north was old even when the Oeridians and Suel were new to the Flanaess.
The Suel were in fact the first outsiders to have a significant effect on the lives of the native Flan, Cousins of the Ice Barbarians calling themselves Zeai, or Sea Barbarians, colonized the Tusking Strand and Brink Islands north of Blackmoor. They raided the native villages, though this was little enough to the Flan, who raided each other constantly. The Zeai learned also of the City of the Gods and the Egg of Coot, and stood in awe at the looming menace of the Black Ice. Soon other peoples learned of these wonders as well.
Oeridians and some Suloise from the southern lands appeared in Blackmoor, usually in small bands, seeking treasure and magic. On their trail came more substantial groups, outcasts of other lands who wished to create their own domains. These minor barons built the first castles, and brought a new kind of warfare to the moorlands. The natives were driven from the most habitable regions, and were forced to take shelter in the bogs. Here they encountered the Hopping Prophet, and many joined his growing band of followers. Elsewhere in Blackmoor, the lichlord Ranial the Gaunt organized resistance to the Aerdi, creating the Crown of Blackmoor in an attempt to wield the Oerthmagic against the invading armies, He ultimately failed, and the Great Kingdom made even this distant land a subject state, which they titled an archbarony.
Viceroys of Ferrond administered the archbarony, but they took little interest in Blackmoor apart from occasional punitive actions. They did build the Stornawain Road through the Cold Marshes, linking the Northern Reaches with the archbarony, but the route was never maintained by the local lords and barons. Eventually, Blackmoor was released from the grasp of Furyondy and the Great Kingdom, unwanted and forgotten. Rumors of another lich-lord rising to power in Blackmoor were lost amid the general upheaval of the early 300s CY, as the Relentless Horde swept across the northlands and completely cut off the archbarony from the southern realms. Adventurers still traveled to Blackmoor, searching for the legendary City of the Gods or testing their mettle in the dungeons of Castle Blackmoor. This was fortunate for the archbaron, for the Dungeoneers' Tax was one of his few sources of income. Even this trade came to an end when the Egg of Coot conquered the capital, Blackmoor Town, and destroyed both town and castle. His orc army made the castle and upper dungeon levels their stronghold, but his elite nonhuman shock troops continued to do battle even after their enemies were gone. This race, called (qullan in the Nomad dialect (after their mottled appearance), remains a hazard from Blackmoor to the Barrens to this day.
The Greyhawk Wars did not touch Blackmoor directly, but new immigrants have arrived in the aftermath, all fleeing from the evil of Iuz. Teuod Pent (N male human Wiz15 (illusionist)), a former Bandit King, now styles himself baron of Ramshorn. His successful raids on the slave-trains of Iuz have brought many former Tenha, bandits, and even Shield Landers into Blackmoor. Archbaron Bestmo has as yet taken no direct action against this possible threat to his authority. Iuz, meanwhile, does no more than send the occasional nonhuman contingent into Blackmoor, and a number of these have already deserted. The Egg of Coot has taken no action yet, either; his goals, as always, are inscrutable.
Conflicts and Intrigues:Archbaron Bestmo is said to be searching for the fabled Crown of Blackmoor. Wolf Nomads have spotted forces of Iuz roaming the Cold Marshes, avoiding Blackmoor proper. The Wolf Nomads propose an alliance with local enemies of Iuz, coordinating raids from the north and west.
Maps
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Blackmoor
Blackmoor One day, a little over thirty years ago, I discovered that I was bored. Faced with a long weekend without gaming, I turned to the television. I tried to occupy my time sitting on a couch watching cheesy 50’s monster movies and reading “fantasy hero” novels until I could find something better to do. I noted that the hero in the movie I was watching had again failed to pick up the gun and blast the monster. Even if such a puny weapon did not stop the critter it would probably slow it down. Why didn’t the heroes make better decisions? The fantasy hero in my novel had once again dodged the magic spell and solved his problems with a sword. All this in the face of clear indicators that told him, and the reader, exactly what he must do to destroy the evil menace through an easier route! Even I could write better junk than this! I began to reflect on the latest bad translation quoted from an obscure historical tome that would call for major rule changes in the Napoleonic miniatures campaign. The campaign that I was running had become a drag. It was consumed with these long tedious battles and constant bickering over historical details. These most recently uncovered details would mess up next week’s battle. Curses on all such books! Why not just use one source and be done with it? CLICK! Graph paper, pencil, the old 20-sided dice we never used, some really poorly sculpted plastic monsters…I began to imagine a dungeon. My mind raced…I began to draw. Maybe I can fill it with critters and gold! This dungeon needs a name? Hmm, it’s a dark place in the wilds of wherever. Ahh! Blackmoor! By Sunday night the first six levels of the dungeon were done and the gaming table in the basement had been transformed into a small medieval town with a castle. A dungeon seemed like a good idea since it would keep the players from running all over the place. We still needed some more details… Ah! I drew a map of the town and the country around it. These last details took me most of the rest of the week to complete. I was really excited about this idea. Now everyone could be a hero like in a book but without a tight (and often dumb!) plot. They could do just about anything that they wanted to do, for better or for worse. In that short time, Blackmoor was born. I had a few rules and no plans for anything beneath the 6th level in the dungeon, or beyond the tabletop boundaries into a greater world. With the basic idea laid out, there were still questions to answer. Where did the players meet? Inns were popular in a lot of books and it was logical that the guys would meet in a public establishment. And there had been this neat medieval restaurant in Chicago called The Comeback Inn. What was their goal? Why, money, of course. They sought great treasure and cool magic items. These were quite popular quests in fantasy novels and movies. Maybe they will quest after the “Magic McGuffin Amulet!” The campaign setting now known as Blackmoor was done within the month with additional details added as needed. Both the setting and the rules continued to grow over the weeks. Most, but alas not all, the guys liked the game and wanted to keep playing. So the next few weeks were spent fleshing things out and trying to maintain the structure. In a very real way I have continued to “flesh things out” over the last thirty years. Major combat changed from rolling a pair of dice that resulted in victory or death to one where the hero could fight on beyond the first swing just like in the movies! Killing critters in one blow was fine but not when it meant getting your character killed. Within the first month the players were getting quite attached to their characters. Then came the next big questions…”Shouldn’t we be getting better at killing stuff like experienced troops on our Napoleonic campaign?” OK, lets work something out. Many major adventure quests were planned out into new areas of the map such as the Temple Of The Frog, City Of The Gods, The Quacking Dragons, etc. Complement these adventures with invasions by evil forces and migrating hordes and you have a good amount of fun on your hands, Some things worked and others didn’t go so well. The Frogs were supposed to be a one shot adventure that everyone loved so much that I did sequel adventures for them. Nefarious enemies like The Egg of Coot weren’t popular opponents at first. The Egg was OK while it stayed out of the mainstream, but no one liked adventuring near it. Some new weapons were added as the same Napoleonic guys that had hassled me before about assorted minutia came around with tomes on medieval weapons! “So, Dave, what can this device do?” I thought that I had escaped that stuff! There was no master plan at the start, and portions of the campaign have had to be updated over the years. At least once a year many of the old players get together and journey again through the land of Blackmoor. I continue to run the Blackmoor campaign in the games I judge at conventions and in my classroom. Over the years some 5,000+ people have adventured in Blackmoor in excess of 1,500 game sessions. The roads are well traveled but the adventures never end. Dave Arneson Orlando, Florida 2004
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