Canonfire!

Tue Oct 24, 2006 5:27 pm The Ulsprue Vortex

This topic has arisen in a number of Greyhawk campaigns that I have been in, and I was wondering what your thots were. I'm assuming that many have noticed this coloring "goof' and dwelled upon it in some manner at some time.

If you are lucky enough to have the original Darlene map of the Flanaess, then you have probably noticed that two non-adjacent hexes on the map are mis-colored. For some, the term "canon" means official because it saw print, no matter how obviously a mistake, and must therefore be explained in a manner which makes sense. Hex o6 x 119 at the northern end of the Ulsprue mountains is miscolored. It is a mix of the colors of the Paynims and the Ulsprue range.

So do you just accept it as a miscoloring in your campaign or is it something more? To satisfy my gamers, it is not a cartographic mistake. Instead it is a unique feature to that area. It is a stationary storm, much like the "great red eye" of Jupiter. While they have as yet to explore it, they have called it "the Ulsprue Vortex" and have supposed it to be a temporal anomally (a gigantic, imprisoned, time-elemental lord). I'm enjoying their debate so much I thot I'd invite the folks of Canonfire to share their ideas.

What is it in your game?

FYI: The other miscolored hex is due north at p6 x 102 along the Drawmij in Zeif. It's barely noticeable. Are there others?

Tue Oct 24, 2006 6:19 pm

To be honest I never noticed it before and it has been more years than I want to count since I've last seen a copy of Darlene's work.

I think the major reason we didn't notice was because we didn't play our campaign in that region of the Flanesses. The furtherest west we traveled was Ket and that was because we were playing The ForgottenTemple of Tharizdun. Otherwise we concentrated inthe Furyondy-Veluna area.

Tue Oct 24, 2006 11:02 pm

Hmm, yes I've seen the miscolored hexes before but never pondered it till now. What a neat topic. Well if one had to be literal with that map the Ulsprue one is easy, the mixed color hex is merely a transitional terrain where the Dry Steppes becomes slightly more fertile into the Plains of the Paynims. Ideally such gradations should occur all along the adjoining terrains, but hey. Similar explanations could work for the Drawmij coast one, perhaps a lowland floodplain? Special type of beach? etc.

Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:35 am Re: The Ulsprue Vortex

Wed Oct 25, 2006 7:26 am Re: The Ulsprue Vortex

Wed Oct 25, 2006 7:28 am

I've noticed the hexes (though not the one that mortellan pointed out on the Drawmij [as least I don't think I'd noticed that one---have to go pull out my maps to look! :D ]), but also figured they were transitional terrain and/or some oasis of sorts, perhaps.

I like your idea better. Perhaps the permanent storm is related to Tovag Baragu in some way, or to the faiths of the whirling dervishes in that area, or ....
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Allan Grohe (grodog@gmail.com)
http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/greyhawk.html

Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:27 pm Re: The Ulsprue Vortex

[quote} The which?

Question

[/quote]

In the 1981 (or was it '83?) Boxed Set of the World of Greyhawk the artist who created the map was Darlene (don't know her last name).

Thu Oct 26, 2006 4:24 am Re: The Ulsprue Vortex

Thu Oct 26, 2006 5:47 pm

Both. Darlene's maps also appear in the From the Ashes box set (with new borders, IIRC).
_________________
Allan Grohe (grodog@gmail.com)
http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/greyhawk.html

Fri Oct 27, 2006 4:32 am

Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:19 pm

Darlene's surname is Pekul, also, FWIW (though I think she just goes by Darlene now, like Sting, et al).
_________________
Allan Grohe (grodog@gmail.com)
http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/greyhawk.html