[Adventure] [9386] Rary the Traitor.pdf

Rary the Traiter

Traiter

Credits

Table of Contents

Design: Anthony Pryor

Editing: Anne MeCready

Interior Art: Ken Frank

Cover Art: Valerie Valusek

Cartography: Steve Beck

Typography: Gaye O'Keefe

Production: Sarah Feggestad

e-Version: Philidor the Blue

Introduction ..........................

Chapter 1: Rary's Tale ..................

The Nation's Arms ..................

Rary and Robilar ....................

Chapter 2: The Bright Desert and Environs . ..

Geography and Climate ...............

Survival in the Desert ................

Flora and Fauna ....................

History ...........................

The Inhabitants .....................

Getting to the Desert .................

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, and GREYHAWK are

registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc, The TSR logo and BATTLESYSTEM

are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.

Encounters ........................

Description of Encounters .............

Chapter 3: People, Places, and Things .......

Places ...........................

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This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of

America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork

contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of TSR, Inc.

People ...........................

Enchanted Items ....................

Chapter 4: Special Places ................

The Mines ........................

Shattados's Palace ...................

Rary's Headquarters ..................

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Centaur, Desert ........................

Manscorpion ..........................

Monarch Scorpion ......................

Rary the

Rary The Traiter

Introduction

the infamy of that day, he shall be known only as Rary the

Traitor!"

Mordenkainen the Mage, in a speech to the

surviving members of the Council

"While I find it hard to believe that my beloved sibling is

responsible for such evil deeds, the evidence against him

is overwhelming. To him I say, 'Your crimes are

unforgivable. I join with those who call you traitor, and

disavow any affection I may once have felt. Brother you

may have been, Rary, but brother you are no longer. You

are an outcast and a stranger to me'."

Arkalan Sammai, sage of Greyhawk and brother

of Rary

"It has become clear that something evil is growing in the

depths of the Bright Desert. They call him Rary the

Traitor now, but in days to come they may call him far

worse things. Rary has stirred up something best left

alone, and I fear that all of the Flanaess may suffer for it,

as if the land has not suffered enough already!"

Eritai Kaan-Ipzirel, high priestess of St. Cuthbert

in Greyhawk

In the agonizing aftermath of the Greyhawk wars, when

conflict touched virtually every corner of the continent,

few gained more infamy than Rary of the Circle of Eight.

Once considered a quiet, peaceful man with few

ambitions, the great mage instead was corrupted to the

ways of evil, and in the process slew two of the wisest and

most powerful wizards of the Flanaess. Now, fleeing

south with his co-conspirator and their loyal troops, he

has carved out an empire in the wilderness, and threatens

to inflict more harm and chaos on a world long grown

weary of war and strife.

Rary the Traitor is a supplement for the ADVANCED

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® 2nd Edition game, in the

GREYHAWK® campaign setting. It describes important

current events and involves characters in adventures that

will affect the future of the entire region. This supplement

is intended for adventurers of all different levels.

However, the major areas described later in this book,

especially Rary's fortress in the Brass Hills, are intended

for

The final act of the immense drama of war occurred on

the Day of the Great Signing. A pact had been resolved

and nearly all the nations had agreed to sign it. As this

solemn ceremony began, however, a tumultuous event

occurred.

Even today a haze obscures the details. Apparently

someone plotted to annihilate the entire diplomatic corps

in attendance, but the scheme misfired. A blazing

explosion destroyed a good part of the Grand Hall only

minutes before the ambassadors assembled for the day. A

fierce magical battle immediately ensued, spreading

havoc through much of the old city. When the fire and

dust cleared, constables discovered smoldering robes

belonging to two powerful members of the mysterious

Circle of Eight, Otiluke and Tenser. The murderer of

these wizards, undeniably a powerful mage, was Rary, a

third member of the Circle of Eight. Using secrets gained

in confidence, Rary not only destroyed his two fellows,

but also tracked down and destroyed every clone the pair

held in preparation.

The motive behind Rary's treachery remains clouded.

According to many who knew him, the wizard probably

saw an opportunity to seize power and land in the

confusion that would follow the assassinations. Others

suggest Rary was a pawn of the Scarlet Brotherhood.

With the plot discovered, though, Rary and his

co-conspirator Lord Robilar fled the city. The two were

unable to return to Robilar's castle because it was

immediately seized by the troops of Greyhawk, so they

escaped into the Bright Desert. There they conquered the

savages and established a kingdom of their own. Though

small and mysterious, this growing state could someday

threaten the very borders of Greyhawk.

From Greyhawk Wars

"This unspeakable crime was visited upon us by one

whom we trusted implicitly, one whom we all knew and

respected, and one whom we would never suspect of

treachery. Rary the Mage he was known to us, but after

parties

8th

level

higher.

Rary The Traiter

Rary The Traiter

Chapter 1: Rary's Tale

he realized, were individuals who knew the value of force,

who shunned the pointless squabbling of the Circle of

Eight and other lesser powers. Of course, Rary knew

mistakes were sometimes made. The Overkings were now

hopelessly mad and mired in decadence, Iuz's violence

had little direction or purpose except his own

aggrandizement, and the Scarlet Brotherhood's obsession

with secrecy did little to advance its cause.

Still, Rary realized there were things to be learned from

these individuals. If he could control the base urges and

character flaws that had led these others astray, perhaps

he could achieve greatness, and even surpass the exploits

of those in the past. With the Flanaess, or at least a large

portion of it, under his control, he could bring change and

overcome the meaningless bickering of the Circle of

Eight. This enormous change in Rary's temperament took

place slowly. The great mage's outward calm and good

nature belied a storm growing in the depths of his soul.

Rary the Mage did not initially seem the sort of individual

who would betray his friends and become one of the most

reviled men on the continent. He was once described as

"quiet, dignified.., a skilled mediator and peacemaker,''

and a man whose gentle nature prevented him from

leading the Circle of Eight, or even challenging its other

members, so Rary's descent into the realm of evil was

indeed puzzling.

The Dignified Mage

Although well into his seventies at the beginning of the

Greyhawk conflict, Rary retained a youthful outlook and

energy, and his primary motivation seemed to be learning,

rather than the pursuit of power. Archmage of Ket, Rary

was well-known for his skill at resolving conflicts in the

complex atmosphere of the Ketish court. His friendship

with the Paynim nomads, while considered something of

an eccentricity within Ket, actually helped the mage

prevent Paynim raids into Ket, or at least helped reduce

their severity.

One of the most baffling aspects of Rary's treachery is that

at the time the war broke out, he was largely retired from

the Circle of Eight, content to dwell quietly in his tower at

Lopolla, pursuing his hobbies and avoiding confrontation.

Rary attended meetings only when issues of special

importance were discussed, and even then seemed

reluctant to directly confront such volatile individuals as

Mordenkainen and especially Otiluke, who is said to have

harbored a special dislike for the Ketite.

In truth, Rary's retirement was more a result of his

frustration with the Circle of Eight and its contentious

ways than a genuine desire for retirement. As time passed

and Rary's gentle approach worked less and less, he began

to spend more time in his tower or wandering the plains

mounted on his magical destrier. In this guise, he was

known to the Paynims as only "The Rider." As he

travelled among them he learned many things from their

shamans and chieftains, and his gentle nature began to

change.

Surely, Rary maintained his calm, reasoned exterior at

those meetings which he did attend (further infuriating

Otiluke in the process), and his peacemaking efforts in

Ket continued unabated. But the process of Rary's

conversion had begun, fuelled by the twin fires of his own

frustration and the violent influence of the Paynims.

The change in Rary's nature was not a malevolent one. He

could just as easily have continued as a powerful advocate

for balance and neutrality or even good, had he not begun

to study the histories of the demigod Iuz, the Scarlet

Brotherhood, and the Overkings of Aerdi. As more time

passed, Rary's admiration of these evil forces grew. Here,

War and Treachery

Rary's admiration for Iuz and the Brotherhood grew

during the war. As other members of the Circle worked

frantically behind the scenes to head off the conflict and

preserve what civilization remained in Greyhawk, Rary's

mind turned more and more to thoughts of evil. He

researched long-forbidden spells, studied the histories of

ancient conquerors, and learned more from his Paynim

friends as corruption and wickedness slowly crept into his

heart.

During a particularly unproductive session of the Circle,

Rary quietly withdrew in the face of Otiluke's bluster and

returned to his tower in Ket. There, brooding upon his

decades of ceaseless toil and frustration and his lack of

success in the path of neutrality, Rary finally and

irrevocably fell under evil's sway. Returning to Greyhawk,

Rary enlisted the aid of Lord Robilar, a powerful if

somewhat unstable nobleman with a substantial

household guard, and together the two formulated a plan

to put themselves into a position of power in the Flanaess.

Diplomats and high officials from all across the continent

would soon arrive in Greyhawk for the Great Signing.

Using his access to the Great Hall, Rary planned a series

of magical traps which would destroy everyone in the

building, including diplomats, nobles, the Lord Mayor

and his staff, several guildmasters, at least half of the

Circle of Eight, and the detested Otiluke. That done, Rary

would assume control of the Circle. As an emergency

measure, Rary would dispatch agents to those countries

whose diplomats had been slain. These diplomats would

gain the confidence of kings and chieftains, eventually

giving Rary access to and control over numerous nations.

The killings themselves would be conveniently blamed on

the Scarlet Brotherhood, which had made itself unpopular

during the war.

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