Greyhawk Adventures book 1: Saga of the Old City

As I'm re-visiting my adolescent love of Dungeons and Dragons, and running the adbetures in the World of Greyhawk, it seemed appropriate to read the books that Gary Gygax, Godfather of DnD, and latterly Rose Etes, wrote. From the outset it's fair to say that this particular book is probably only of interest to those with a background or curiosity about the hobby. Even compared to other DnD books (Paul Kidd's DnD classic module offerings, and Salvatore's dark elf books) it's not the best of the bunch. But to a fan of Gygax, and the magic he created with Dungeons and Dragons, whether the manuals, the modules, or the world of Greyhawk, it's fun reading.

The hero is Gord the Rogue, a solid adventuring thief who we follow from humble beginnings as a cutpurse and beggar-thief in the sprawling City of Greyhawk. The first section of the book takes us along his early encounters, fleshing out the City vividly, and Gord's involvement in a 'turf war.' Gord comes across as a likeable character, with a suitable charm and wit, and his tricks and scams make easy reading.

The middle third of the book then takes us on a tour of Gygax's world, with Gord adventuring, romancing, and scrapping his way from Greyhawk City, across the vast Nyr Dyv, and then around the Bandit Lands, Urnst, the Theocracy of the Pale, Nyrond, and ultimately to the edge of the Great Kingdom. Now to me as a gamer currently reading the source material of the Flanaess, and Greyhawk, this was a great tour—the depth and detail to each area is a real bonus. But for a more casual reader the lack of a central driving plot beyond a series of vaguely related encounters could be frustrating. The plot through this stage feels half way between a bunch of DnD scenarios and a travelogue. We do get some development of him as a character, but rarely a decent in depth insight into him that a book this length should provide.

In fact the lack of a real purpose beyond Gord getting some cool weapons, picking up skills, and ducking/diving, is a real weakness. The book has a patched together episodic feel, which I suppose in some ways emulates the pulp fantasy that inspired Gygax's original DnD game (Robert E Howard, Fritz Leiber, Moorcock). I could just imagine reading  it serialised in Dragon magazine.

In the last third of the novel Gord links up with some more substantial characters: Gellor, a mysterious spy/bard; Chert, a barbarian (reminiscent of Fafhrd, from Lankhmar); and Curly, a plump bald druid-ranger (my favourite). We then get a trip out to a dungeon, and a suitably nasty demon to sort out. This part of the book at least had the right balance of action, purpose, characters and humour. It felt as if Gygax had got into the swing of things, and as I recall from Book 2, he continued this momentum and developed a fairly solid plotline.

So much in the way that superhero origin films never feel all that good, as they establish a history and a setting, this book is very much an intro, both to the world and to the character who ultimately sees us through five or so books (as Gygax departed TSR). It's a 4 star for fans, probably a 3 star for those DnD-naïve.

U2: Danger at Dunwater

And the adventure continues with the kids' party of six:

Loren: half-elf Paladin of Pelor (a Crusader) from Celene
Loki: human ranger from Duchy of Geoff
Emelia: half-elf thief-magic user from County of Ulek
Vicdak: half-Orc fighter-cleric of We Jas. His mother was Suel, hailing from the Wild Coast
Crue: elf Magic-user, from County of Ulek
Elangos: half-elf drow assassin (Flan origins on human side, from Duchy of Tenh, then onto Greyhawk city)

Having trained now to second level (and in some cases, third) the refreshed characters and their mentor, Gideon, are sent by the Council of Saltmarsh to investigate the Lizardmen threat gathering at the swampy mouth of the Dunwater River. The smugglers in U1 (Secret of Saltmarsh) were found to be running quality arms to these Lizardmen, and naturally the Council are scared about attack. It seems swifter to send the characters than lobby the King for aid, especially given that Saltmarsh is on the fringes of Keoland, and very close to the border of the Hold of the Sea Princes.

Taking a small boat, the players sail along the coast and land in the swamp. They have gained some very useful assistance in the form of Pseudo-dragon familiars, and this allows several of their number (most usefully Emelia the theif-mage) to become camouflaged. The gang enter the Lizardmen lair via the main entrance, immediately scrapping with the guards. They beat them fairly convincingly, then tackled the second wave from the adjacent room.

With a swift bit of healing they continued into the lair--moving first into a Banqueting Hall, where they encountered some of the Lizard females. Crue sent them off to sleep with a spell, and the party tied them up with rope and gags. Exiting the Hall, they then came into the Throne Room where two kids were playing. Deciding that they (a) would loose a ton of XP for bumping off the kids, and (b) didn't want the kids stalking them, they grabbed them, tied them up and bunged them in the Hall with the mums.

Back into the corridors, Emelia scouted ahead and found more lizard women cooking in the kitchens. The bloodthirsty adventurers were tiring of these non-combatants! Back into the corridors, the party move around to the east and come into the barracks, wherein they find nine warriors and a shaman. An almighty scrap ensues, driven by the shaman's fervent hatred of humans/ elves as heretics and infidels. Emelia disables one of the warriors with a sleep, and when the battle ends, they question him. At this point they learn that the Lizardmen are actually living in exile from their prior home, and that there is argument between clergy and the Minister about humans and whether they are enemies or not.

It's at this point the adventurers realise that the Lizardmen aren't the big enemy. Given the trail of green blood and orphans they've just left behind, it is with some trepidation they go to make peace with the Chieftain. A big discussion ensues, and ultimately the party accept that to recompense the Lizardmen (a weregild) they must perform a task: to slay a Giant Crocodile that the Lizardmen can't tackle due to religious reasons.

So, out into the swamps and what begins as a battle against a huge crocodile is soon joined by an Oriental Dragon. It's a close battle (see Hidden Dragon ), but the characters prevail and return to Saltmarch with cash, a few choice items ( a periapt of proof against poison, a magic sword, and some potions). And the conclusion to the adventure awaits, in The Final Enemy.

The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (U1): the adventure begins.

One of the coolest things about Stranger Things is that it's rekindled my kids' interest in DnD, and ever the opportunist I've planned out a campaign from level 1 to 12, squeezing in all the classic modules in the Greyhawk setting. And what better place to begin than U1- The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh.

The characters, 6 in total are:
Loren: half-elf Paladin of Pelor (a Crusader) from Celene
Loki: human ranger from Duchy of Geoff
Emelia: half-elf thief-magic user from County of Ulek
Vicdak: half-Orc fighter-cleric of We Jas. His mother was Suel, hailing from the Wild Coast
Crue: elf Magic-user, from County of Ulek
Elangos: half-elf drow assassin (Flan origins on human side, from Duchy of Tenh, then onto Greyhawk city)

A rather bizarre group, with Elangos obviously masquerading as a fighter-thief type, with the dark Flan skin hiding his shameful Drow connection. Plenty of fun stored up for later in the campaign there (especially when they get to D1-3).

So the premise is that they are accompanying a cleric of Pelor called Gideon, who is delivering a secret message from the church in Ulek to some merchants in Hold of the Sea Princes, at Bale Keep. The first five are comrades, with Elangos employed by the Sea Prince merchants to guard the message. Gideon leads them overland through Keoland, via Dreadwood, to the marshy land on the edge of the Azure Sea.

The camp is disturbed by (apparent) bandits whom the party defeat but the horses scatter. Gideon's message is taken by a dark garbed figure, who calls an illusion of a stone dragon to cover his escape. Then he disappears into thin air!

Irritated by this Scooby-Doo style villain, the gang descend into the fishing town of Saltmarsh. Initially staying with the Blacksmith and his family, they sneak around and spy on a council meeting hearing an old sailor rattling on about ghosts and flashing lights at t'old manor. Eager to question him, Elangos and Emelia kick off a tavern brawl so as to snatch the sailor. He reveals the mysterious going on up at t'manor. The local constabulary give chase, and the pair do a runner over the rooftops.

Next day the fuzz turn up where they're staying, and after some Paladin sweet talking, go to the Council. They argue a fair bit, but ultimately offer to fund the characters to nose around the Haunted House. And so into the adventure!

It's soon apparent there's more going on than simple Scooby-Doo, and giant spiders and bugs. They go to the cellar pretty quick, find a secret passage into rooms used by smugglers. The legacy of the alchemist, a bunch of skeletons, and some golden apples. Then they find a passage and stairs to the hidden caves wherein an illusionist (the dude from earlier), with two gnolls, and a bunch of smugglers are laying in wait...

A great scrap ensues, with the characters victorious and they retrieve their message as well as clues about the Sea Ghost, the smugglers ship. The Council pay them to seek out the smugglers, and on the night the boat arrives they arrange signalling from the house whilst they row out. Gideon uses silence o mask their covert approach, and they board the ship via portholes. Sneaking through the rear of the ship, they tackle a bunch of crew in the hold, and then storm the deck. The battle is pretty close up above, but helped by a Sea Elf Oceanus. Just when the battle is almost won, three lizardmen burst out, and they win by a slim margin, but with no deaths on their side.

The adventure ends with a victorious return to Saltmarsh and a bundle of cargo to sell. And, of course, curious information about the  lizardmen and their purchase of weapons from the smugglers. Which leads neatly into the next module in the series, U2- Danger at Dunwater.

All in all a totally great time with old school AD&D, and one we hopefully will continue through until the Giants-Descent-Drow modules!

Redemption and resolution

Six years ago, whilst Amanda was pregnant with Henry, I began writing a fantasy book. At the time I had an idea in my brain of a heroine who would find mysterious powers of magic and use these powers to flee her slavery and join two wily thieves on a quest for some magic crystals.

 The concept evolved, far broader than I'd planned as these things often do, and what was once a two book series expanded into three and then after splitting the first meaty tome in twain, into a six book series (despite the 'trilogy' title on the FB page... LOL).

And, six years after I put digit to keyboard, bringing to life scribbles in notepads, and over half a million words later, book six is almost here. In the last throes of proof-reading, I have the distinct pleasure to reveal the incredible new cover for the book.

One of the great relationships I have enjoyed from the early bizarre days of FIBP and through the growth of the mighty Myrddin Publishing Group is the one I have with Ceri Clark. As well as her skills as an author, and writer of internet guides, Ceri has a real talent for book cover design. This has worked in synergy with ideas I have had regarding images, and she can take the raw substance and create some remarkable work. As you'll see below, Ceri's six book covers in my Darkness Rising series, form a great set.

The latest cover was a real challenge. Thus far we have had representations of Emelia (bk1-2), Hunor (bk3), Orla (bk4) and Kervin (bk5). For Book 6 I had always planned for Jem, who is perhaps the other key character in the series (along with Vildor and Aldred). Yet from an early stage I had such a strong image of Jem in my mind that nothing could replace it (if you are interested, I visualise him as David Thewlis as Professor Lupin).

So the image on book six is a representation of one of my series favorites, Ekris, the thespian assassin whose journey with Aldred was driven by his need for vengeance towards Hunor. Book five's finale saw the long awaited fight between the two master-swordsmen, and Book six takes Ekris into some strange uncharted territory in a way you simply won't believe. The hooded assassin, bearing a passing likeness to Ezio from Assassin's Creed, is stood in the ruins of a once great city--the finale location of the series, Erturia.

In a lot of ways, Ekris has changed the most as a character through the books. In the outset he was manipulative and murderous, throwing wit into his killing with panache and style. He borrows from Tarantino-esque hitmen, with a professional pride in the cleanliness of his kills. Yet it is the unabashed friendship from Aldred that chips away at his cold stone soul, and by book four he struggles to leave this one friend he has gained. Ekris wears many faces, and in that he has lost who he is, and so it is with a certain irony that he becomes the minion of the theatrical ghast, Tonrik, whose warped mind embellishes eternal life with drama and self-indulgence. Tonrik's hold on him becomes ever stronger, and we were left at the end of book five with no idea how Ekris would resolve this domination, and atone for the demons of his own past.

So... let's finish with the blurb, and the promise that the book is almost almost here.....



'There's no change without loss. No gain without sacrifice. Redemption is rarely painless.'

War has ripped apart Artoria as the dark forces of Vildor prepare for the final battle. Flying north to battle, Lady Orla forms an uneasy alliance with the Artorians. Yet her heart remains heavy with the guilt of recent betrayal.

In the wilderness of the Wastes, Emelia has succumbed to Vildor's black charm and watches
helplessly as his schemes come to their terrible conclusion. Separated from his partner, Hunor, the Wild-Mage Jem races across Artoria to save Emelia. But more than just Vildor stands in his way as the terrors of the past seek to steal the might of the crystals from his grasp, and with them all hope of salvation.

OOOHH... getting excited now :-D

* If you want to check Ceri Clark's website and work out, then click here

Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson

Midnight Tides is the fifth book, and thus the half-way point, in the Malazan series of epic fantasy novels. It is also unusual in the series in that it is set before the first four novels, and focuses on a new continent and a new conflict. Given that Erikson’s first book, Gardens of the Moon, jumps in part of the way through the story of the Empire, I suppose we shouldn’t be too surprised!

Midnight Tides gives us the back story to the Tiste Edur, one of the three Tiste races we have been gradually introduced to over the last four books. The Edur, unlike their more sophisticated Andii and Liosan cousins, live a more tribal life in the cold north of the continent of Lether. We’d met them previously as washed up bodies in Memories of Ice, and in more detail in House of Chains both through Trull Sengar and also during the attempt to reclaim the Throne of Shadow from the mobile island, Drift Avali.

Trull Sengar by Slaine69

At the start of House of Chains, Trull Sengar was ‘shorn’, exiled from his race in the fragment warren The Nascent, by his brothers. One of the key plot threads in Midnight Tides tells of Trull’s background and his relationship with his three brothers, all of which pop up live and dead in the rest of the series. Trull is a likable character, more pensive and ethical than most of his kin, and an uneasy participant in the escalation of war between the Edur and their capitalist neighbors, the Letheri. The Edur become ruled by Trull’s brother following a mission to retrieve a mystical sword forged by the Crippled God. Rhulad is a fabulous creation, an impetuous youth corrupted by sorcery and ultimately insanity—and the image of him with gold coins soldered to his flesh is one of the most evocative in the book.

 Rhulad by artist Puck

Running parallel to the Edur story line we have several others. Amongst the Letheri we have three brothers who provide the opposite viewpoint on both the war and the Letheri Empire. That at least two are seeking its ruin gives us an idea about its inevitable decline. I loved the detail that Erikson throws into the society, almost as a caricature of the materialist nature of the First World. The Letheri measure value by debt, and that debt may be inherited for generations creating strata within their greed dominated culture.  The most fascinating of the characters is Tehol, a business genius with deep running morality, and a very  amusing man-servant, Bugg.  The interplay between the pair provides the main comedy in a book deep in tragedy.

Naturally, as is Erikson’s style, the main plotline (of war between Edur and Letheri, creation of an Empire, the machinations of the Crippled God, and the effects on two sets of brothers) is underpinned by other racial sub-plots and more fleshing out of his intricate milieu. It can become distracting, not least during the often confused finales to his books but afterwards I often reflect upon the richness and complexity. So in Midnight Tides we have ascendants trapped from ancient days trying to get free, demons and tribal gods, another Forkrul Assail popping up (as one did in House of Chains), and the mention of Holds—a precursor version of Houses.

Art by Laurent Saint Onge

It all creates a very readable story with strong bold characterisation in places. The downside of Erikson is that the characters often feel diluted by their number, and although I loved the key characters of Trull, Rhulad, Tehol and Bugg, they came at the expense of a number of others. Some of the supporting characters were fun, notably the undead Shurq, Udinaas  the possessed slave, and both the Crimson Guard and the Ratchatchers’ Guild. But with such a vast selection the inevitable fatalities at the end of the novel don’t seem to carry the same weight.

Art by Laurent Saint Onge

Finally, and this is a minor quibble, Erikson has a bit of a habit of sneaking gods amongst men. In the earlier books, where the Ascendants were characters (like Anomander Rake, or Caladan Brood, Shadowthrone etc) it felt okay. But in this book we have a few gods sneaking around as humans and abruptly revealing powers at opportune moments. As funny as it seems, I do worry it is a little lazy and hope he doesn’t overuse the tool through the rest of the series.

Art by Laurent Saint Onge

So, all in all, a good book in an excellent series and I look forward to getting back to the main plot with book 6, the Bonehunters.

Ministry of Pandemonium

The Ministry of Pandemonium was written a few years ago now, and I found it by chance in the local library as I was randomly choosing YA books to get my head around the style and language of the genre.

It's a curious take on the rather saturated paranormal genre in the way that its main protagonist is a lad, there's no sexy vampires/Angels/demons/

fairies/witches. In fact the mentor role is filled by a face-changing 'agent' called Mr October (gave me a real Sapphire and Steel vibe oddly) who meets our troubled Teen, Ben, in a graveyard.

Gradually Ben is introduced to an unseen parallel world of spirits and demons. October teaches Ben about finding and guiding the recently deceased safely to the afterworld, in opposition to demons who seek to capture souls to feast on them. A pretty good premise, that feels a little clunky in places as Ben and colleagues from the Ministry (who work to organise said spiritual guidance) utilise special magical powers in their missions. Ben's abilities manifest through the book, and seem a little too much like superpowers. 

What's good? Well, Ben and his back story with his Mum is nicely handled. Their relationship is pivotal and poignant in many places. The supporting characters are good: Becky, the female lead, and Mr October are enjoyable. 

Less good, is the plot seems to meander in places despite the punchy writing style, and the book very much felt like a superhero origin story, jamming in as much info and subplot as possible, leaving a mountain of plot threads for sequels. That's not a bad thing, as there is a sequel, but I could see how being obliged to read it to resolve plot strands might irritate some. Specifically the repercussions of Ben's actions at the end feel utterly unresolved by the last chapter.

So worth a read, if you like slightly disturbing YA paranormal fiction, and the potential for a good series. I certainly got a televisual vibe out of it- perhaps like Supernatural or Grimm, or even a graphic novel would fit the narrative well.