Setting: Greyhawk

Created by Gary Gygax in the 1980s, Greyhawk was the main setting for D&D for many years. In the 2024 edition, it has resurfaced, with some alterations to the map itself. When I decided to make use of it, I made further changes, extending upon the setting with homestyle content. The "inner core" is a homestyle world.

There are some things that your character is well aware of, like the barrier around a newly found landmass; 4 years ago, your character heard of sailors who encountered a strange magical barrier around an archipelago in the Azure Sea; some never returned.

• Barrier in the Azure — In 564 CY, a group of sailors discovered a mysterious circular barrier in the Azure Sea, north of the Olman Islands. Many speculated that it was somehow controlled from the Amedio Jungle, but the western side of the barrier was too distant to confirm. Over the next six years, numerous attempts were made to cross the barrier, but many who tried ever returned.
• Barrier in the Azure - The barrier was deemed a peril to all who encountered it, with high winds often tearing ships apart. Survivors who made it to Fort Easthook reported that the inner seas were home to Krakens and other monsters. As a result, many sailors refused to venture into the heart of the Azure Sea. Despite the danger, however, some sailors persisted and managed to return with treasures.

The campaign is centred around the Azure Sea and Amedio Jungle, located to the south of Gryrax. Like Ghosts of Saltmarsh, you will be going out to sea. You will find a lot of information online associated with Greyhawk, including Anna Meyer's Maps, as found at Greyhawk Online. The background that you come up with should be associated with this Flanaess region of Oerth.

As of late, items of great power and signs of great wealth were flowing into Gryrax from the southern areas. Perhaps Jarvik was onto something; “Get rich quick,” he always said. “I hope you are all doing well, and are staying out of trouble. As I always said, heading out to sea has its own particular challenges. Enjoy your stay in Gryrax. May you all experience safe travels after departing Gryrax!”

Significant Events

• 564 CY — Treasure & Slaves from the south arrived in the Flanaess. The party meets for the first time at a friend's wedding.
• 568 CY (February) - In February, your mutual friend, Jarvik, headed southward in search of "treasure." Who would be crazy enough to risk such a journey southward in February in 568 CY? Answer: Your Mutual Friend, Jarvis. Was he on to something regarding the Azure Sea? What was so important about the Valarian Empire?
• 568 CY (April) - You set off on your first adventure together, southward, like your mutual friend. Aware of the dangers ahead, you knew Jarvik’s proposed journey wouldn't be easy. Nevertheless, you all marched onwards. "In Gryrax, seek out Barliman Azimar. He'll provide you with funding."

Initial Storyline

You all met in 564 CY at the wedding of a mutual friend, Jarvik Hatzinger, in the Free City of Greyhawk. At the time, none of you imagined that the bond formed over wine, music, and laughter would lead to an expedition into the Amedio Jungle four years later. Back then, you were just travellers, mercenaries, scholars, or wanderers—drawn to Greyhawk for different reasons, but brought together by circumstance and one eccentric groom who couldn’t stop rambling about lost empires & ancient secrets. Jarvik, ever the dreamer, fancied himself the Indiana Jones of the Flanaess. His enthusiasm was infectious, and his charisma kept you loosely connected, even as you each pursued your own paths. Starting with his wedding in 564 CY, Jarvis brought you all together.

Over the years, you all crossed paths again and again, whether in taverns, trade routes, distant battlefields or back-alley dealings. You sought out opportunities wherever they arose, often doing whatever it took to get ahead; some of you even resorted to theft. Whatever your reasons, each of you became adventurers — driven not just by coin, but by something deeper: purpose, pride or the simple desire to see what lay beyond the next hill. Jarvis was always in the back of your mind; the 20 day, 560 mile voyage to Fort Blackwell was acceptable to each of you.

The jungle to the south, once dismissed as deadly and impenetrable, was now a beacon for treasure-hunters, backed by wealthy sponsors and reckless ambitions; many expeditions departed weekly. The allure of the southern region proved irresistible and was often the subject of gossip. The question was who would reach it first.

In February of 568 CY, Jarvik vanished into that unknown. He had received word from one of his students about a newly discovered ruin hidden in the Amedio Jungle — a structure tied to the long-forgotten Valarian Empire, an ancient seafaring civilization believed to have ruled the Azure Sea nearly 10,000 years ago. Jarvik believed this temple, referred to as the "Temple of Amiritza,” was part of that lost world. While most sane folk wouldn’t venture southward in the dead of winter, he couldn’t be stopped. He left his wife and children behind and boarded a ship bound for Fort Blackwell, a remote outpost at the edge of the Hook Peninsula.

By March, another message arrived, delivered by a black raven to the post office box in Greyhawk that you all checked into occasionally, out of nostalgia. The scroll was sealed in wax and written in Jarvik’s familiar, hurried hand:

Jarvik always had a flair for the dramatic. You remembered how he exaggerated stories at his wedding: treasures tenfold, dragons the size of mountains, and magical tomes buried beneath pyramids. But even so, something about this felt different. Maybe it was the specifics: the name of the temple, the inclusion of a guide, the mention of an empire thought to be myth. Or maybe it was just the look in his eyes the last time you saw him: focused, serious and more driven than you’d ever seen before.

Where exactly did he venture off to?

Bound for Gryrax, near the Azure Sea, for many of you, this would be the furthest south you have gone. Even knowing the dangers, you were all ready to head out to sea. Jarvik had never let you down before — and despite his habit of embellishment, he’d always delivered something worthwhile. Perhaps this temple was filled with riches. Perhaps the Valarians had left behind secrets worth uncovering.

What could possibly go wrong?