Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk
Encyclopedia
Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk is an adventure book
for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy role-playing game
. The adventure is set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting
, specifically in and around Castle Greyhawk
and its dungeons. As such, it is an update to the 1990 adventure module WGR1 - Greyhawk Ruins
. The adventure also provides updates on a number of important Greyhawk personages as well as encounters in the Free City of Greyhawk
itself.
- the half-fiend son of the demon lord Graz'zt
and the evil archmage Iggwilv
. Iuz built a sinister empire that once held the northern lands of the Flanaess in fear and constantly threatened the surrounding kingdoms in an attempt to rule the entire world of Oerth
.
Iuz's empire fell apart 200 years earlier after Iuz was captured by the Free City's founding wizard, the mad Zagig Yragerne, who imprisoned Iuz in a device called the "godtrap" as part of a bizarre experiment to achieve divinity for himself. Decades after Zagig (now the Archmage Demigod called Zagyg
) achieved his godhood, a powerful mage from the Free City named Mordenkainen
, led an expedition into the depths of Castle Greyhawk.
There, two of Mordenkainen's allies, the warrior Lord Robilar
, and Boccob
ite cleric Riggby, found the imprisoned Iuz and through Mordenkainen's manipulation, released the half-demon believing they could just kill him outright once and for all. Iuz however, managed to escape the battle and fled back to his kingdom where he could recover his power and plot his revenge against his enemies. Afterward, Robilar, along with the archmage Rary
, betrayed Mordenkainen and the Circle of Eight (a committee of wizards), by killing the great wizards Tenser
, and Otiluke
, and leaving Bigby
clinging to life. Mordenkainen expected Rary to betray him sooner or later, but not Robilar who was his trusted ally for decades.
Forty years later, in the Greyhawk realm's Common Year of 597, the player characters take on the role of adventurers who arrive at the Free City to explore the Ruins of Greyhawk looking for riches and glory. Under an oath with Zagig, Mordenkainen vowed never to enter the depths of Castle Greyhawk, but through researching Zagig's tomes, Mordenkainen only recently found a possible clue to Robliar's betrayal hidden deep inside the ruins. Mordenkainen, barred by oath from entering the dungeons, recruits the band of adventurers to go into the chambers for him and find the secret behind Robilar's treachery. Little do they realize they have stumbled upon an epic situation where failure could mean the destruction of the world.
(WotC) in August 2007 for the 3.5 edition Dungeons & Dragons rules. The work was authored by Jason Bulmahn
, James Jacobs, and Erik Mona
and is the first significant WotC release of new Greyhawk material since 2002.
for Best Adventure.
Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, an adventure or module is a pre-packaged book or box set that helps the Dungeon Master manage the plot or story of a game...
for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
. The adventure is set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
, specifically in and around Castle Greyhawk
Castle Greyhawk
Castle Greyhawk is one of the central dungeon settings in the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. The Castle was originally developed by Gary Gygax for his own campaign and later detailed for publication...
and its dungeons. As such, it is an update to the 1990 adventure module WGR1 - Greyhawk Ruins
Greyhawk Ruins
Greyhawk Ruins is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was published in 1990 by TSR, Inc...
. The adventure also provides updates on a number of important Greyhawk personages as well as encounters in the Free City of Greyhawk
Free City of Greyhawk
The Free City of Greyhawk, also known as Greyhawk City and the "Gem of the Flanaess," is a fictional city-state in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
itself.
Overview
The Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk adventure puts the adventuring party on a quest into the depths of the Ruins of Castle Greyhawk to save the Free City from the forces of the foul demigod Iuz the EvilIuz
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Iuz is the chaotic evil demigod of Deceit, Evil, Oppression, Pain, and Wickedness. Iuz is variously called "The Old One" and "Old Wicked," among other titles. Unlike most Greyhawk deities, Iuz makes his home on...
- the half-fiend son of the demon lord Graz'zt
Graz'zt
Graz'zt is a demon lord in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, and one of the most powerful demons in the Abyss. Graz'zt, one of the earliest and most famous demons created for Dungeons and Dragons, was named as one of the greatest villains in D&D history by the final print issue of...
and the evil archmage Iggwilv
Iggwilv
Iggwilv is a fictional wizard from the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. She was created by Gary Gygax and was named one of the greatest villains in D&D history in the final issue of Dragon....
. Iuz built a sinister empire that once held the northern lands of the Flanaess in fear and constantly threatened the surrounding kingdoms in an attempt to rule the entire world of Oerth
Oerth
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Oerth, pronounced as "Orth" or "oyth", is the name of the fictional planet on which one of the earliest campaign settings, the World of Greyhawk, is located...
.
Iuz's empire fell apart 200 years earlier after Iuz was captured by the Free City's founding wizard, the mad Zagig Yragerne, who imprisoned Iuz in a device called the "godtrap" as part of a bizarre experiment to achieve divinity for himself. Decades after Zagig (now the Archmage Demigod called Zagyg
Zagyg
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Zagyg is the god of Humor, Eccentricity, Occult Lore, and Unpredictability...
) achieved his godhood, a powerful mage from the Free City named Mordenkainen
Mordenkainen
Mordenkainen is a fictional wizard from the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. He was created by Gary Gygax as a player character and is one of the oldest characters in roleplaying fiction...
, led an expedition into the depths of Castle Greyhawk.
There, two of Mordenkainen's allies, the warrior Lord Robilar
Robilar
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Robilar is a powerful warrior who serves as commander of Rary's forces in the Empire of the Bright Lands...
, and Boccob
Boccob
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting and the default pantheon for the third edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Boccob is the god of magic, arcane knowledge, balance, and foresight. He is known as the Uncaring, the Lord of All Magic, and the Archmage of the Deities...
ite cleric Riggby, found the imprisoned Iuz and through Mordenkainen's manipulation, released the half-demon believing they could just kill him outright once and for all. Iuz however, managed to escape the battle and fled back to his kingdom where he could recover his power and plot his revenge against his enemies. Afterward, Robilar, along with the archmage Rary
Rary
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Rary of Ket is a powerful archmage and ruler of the Bright Lands, also known as Rary the Traitor....
, betrayed Mordenkainen and the Circle of Eight (a committee of wizards), by killing the great wizards Tenser
Tenser
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Tenser is an archmage who actively seeks to rid the Flanaess of evil...
, and Otiluke
Otiluke
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Otiluke was an archmage. He was slain by Rary in Harvester 584 CY, at the close of the Greyhawk Wars.-Publication history:...
, and leaving Bigby
Bigby (Greyhawk)
Bigby is an archmage in the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. Before the Greyhawk Wars, Bigby made his home in Scant, capital of Onnwal. Nowadays, he can often be found in Mitrik, Veluna...
clinging to life. Mordenkainen expected Rary to betray him sooner or later, but not Robilar who was his trusted ally for decades.
Forty years later, in the Greyhawk realm's Common Year of 597, the player characters take on the role of adventurers who arrive at the Free City to explore the Ruins of Greyhawk looking for riches and glory. Under an oath with Zagig, Mordenkainen vowed never to enter the depths of Castle Greyhawk, but through researching Zagig's tomes, Mordenkainen only recently found a possible clue to Robliar's betrayal hidden deep inside the ruins. Mordenkainen, barred by oath from entering the dungeons, recruits the band of adventurers to go into the chambers for him and find the secret behind Robilar's treachery. Little do they realize they have stumbled upon an epic situation where failure could mean the destruction of the world.
Contents
Unlike most published adventure modules, the Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk is technically an incomplete "open ended" adventure. Rather than detailing every single room of the dungeons below the ruins, only key areas that affect the main plot of the adventure are detailed. In fact, entire dungeon levels are left unmapped and the DM is encouraged to improvise their own encounters to fill in areas not covered by the game with their own content. The game provides a list of random encounters for each dungeon level, generic dungeon maps left clear of content, and numerous side quests to help the DM along the way and keep the adventure flowing.- Introduction - The Introduction reviews the background history leading up to this adventure and introduces the major NPCs such as the Mad Wizard Zagig, Iuz the Evil, and the Archmage Mordenkainen.
- Chapter 1: Welcome to Greyhawk - This chapter contains the initial set up encounter that hooks the player characters into the adventure. The rest is a guide to the Free City of Greyhawk and contains numerous side quests the PCs can conduct while not directly exploring the dungeons below the ruins. There is a detailed overview map of the city here as well which is based on the original map published by TSR in 1989.
- Chapter 2: Castle and Dungeon - This chapter contains more background history for the ruins and has a detailed overview map to all the dungeons below the ruins and the structures on the surface level. The adventure leaves many levels of the dungeon unmapped, creating gaps in the main storyline that the Dungeon Master can fill in with their own material. Provided in this chapter are a list of random encounters for each level, and four generic dungeon maps that the DM can place anywhere in the dungeon to fill in these gaps in the action.
- Chapter 3: The Tower of War - This chapter details one of the three towers that make up the Ruins of Greyhawk and is the initial entry point to the dungeon as the characters will find access to the other towers barred until they uncover how to get into them.
- Chapter 4: The City of Thieves - This chapter brings the party back to the city after their first major delve into the dungeons. Here they can wrap up any side quests they started in Chapter 1, as well as get involved in more predicaments as the plot of the story thickens.
- Chapter 5: Wrath of Iuz - This chapter begins with the PCs the target of Iuz's forces who now know of the party's activities to stop their master's plans. The party must return to the dungeons via the Tower of Magic – another tower of the ruins which was previously barred to them and uncover the secrets below.
- Chapter 6: In Zagig's Shadow - This chapter contains the climactic showdown between the party of heroes and the forces of darkness that linger in the depths of the ruins including a surprise plot twist where the PCs end up facing a new enemy that could be worse than Iuz.
- Appendix: Monsters and Mythology – The appendix introduces two new monsters for D&D 3.5 edition – the aurumvoraxAurumvoraxIn the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the aurumvorax , or "golden gorger," is a magical beast.-Publication history:...
(a badger-like magical beast whose pelt can be melted into pure gold. This beast originally appeared in the first edition module Expedition to the Barrier PeaksExpedition to the Barrier PeaksExpedition to the Barrier Peaks is a 1980 adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game written by Gary Gygax. While Dungeons & Dragons is typically a fantasy game, the adventure includes elements of science fiction, and thus belongs to the science fantasy genre...
), and the Cataboligne Demon (an Abyssal creature that can appear as a beautiful maiden and lure victims closer with its captivating voice). This section also provides information on the demigods Iuz, Zagyg, and ZuokenZuokenIn the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Zuoken is the Baklunish god of Physical and Mental Mastery...
, and a few new magic items such as the blade of chaos, and the bonewand.
Publication history
The 224-page adventure was published by Wizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
(WotC) in August 2007 for the 3.5 edition Dungeons & Dragons rules. The work was authored by Jason Bulmahn
Jason Bulmahn
-Career:Jason Bulmahn became the managing editor of Dragon in 2004 and is now the lead designer of Paizo Publishing and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. The Beta version of the Pathfinder RPG received the gold ENnie award for "best free product or web enhancement" in 2008...
, James Jacobs, and Erik Mona
Erik Mona
-Career:Erik Mona served as the editor-in-chief of Dragon magazine since 2004 and Dungeon magazine from 2004 to 2006; at the time, both magazines were published by Paizo Publishing, until the license through Wizards of the Coast expired in September 2007...
and is the first significant WotC release of new Greyhawk material since 2002.
Reception
Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk received the silver ENnie AwardENnies
The Annual Gen Con EN World RPG Awards are annual, fan-based awards for role-playing game products and publishers hosted at Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana...
for Best Adventure.