The World of Oerth
The world on which the City of Greyhawk stands has not been extensively explored. The majority of the world hasn't been visited at all by adventurers from the Flanaess, and what little broad knowledge exists is superficial and misleading. Several reasonably accurate descriptions of the world follow, from the accounts of learned ones.
As is natural and proper, all other worlds revolve around our own planet Oerth, from the least rock to the vast burning sun itself. Little ts known of these worlds, though a set of magnifying lenses or magical cusps reveals their curious shapes and colors, and their motions across the sky are well charted. As any rational individual knows, these “wandering stars” influence the lives of all beings on Oerth, and their positions against the vault of night give hints to learned astrologers about events yet to come, revealing secrets fearful and sublime.
Oerth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours. The sun travels the sky from east to west, revolving clockwise in its orbit around Oerth to make a full circuit of the heavens every 364 days, following a fixed path through the Twelve Lairs of the Zodiac. Through the Zodiac of the night sky also pass the Great Moon of Oerth, known as Luna, and the Lesser Moon, Celene, also called the Handmaiden. Ghost-white Luna waxes and wanes in a fixed cycle of 28 days, reaching fullness 13 times each year. Aquamarine Celene passes through its phases more slowly, taking 91 days for a full cycle and reaching fullness only four times a year. These natural rhythms are reflected in the calendar used by civilized inhabitants of our land.
It is known that when both Luna and Celene are either full or new, and the wandering stars have themselves achieved positions of power within the Zodiac, events of great portent are likely to occur on our world. The fate of civilization may be in the balance, and the involvement of great magic Is almost certain. The appearance of a falling star has further significance, and a great pale comet or bright exploding star hovering in the darkness is a harbinger of cataclysm.
More will be said about the place of our grand world in the hierarchy of the heavens, but we first turn to an analysis of the Zodiac and the special influence of its lairs on our Oerth, first described by Baklunish astrologers two millennia ago....
— Agath of Thrunch from Understanding the Handiwork of Celestian
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