Canonfire!

Fri Dec 07, 2007 8:34 am Greyhawk - Far Realm connections?

I’m an old 1E/2E gamer catching up on printed Greyhawk/Paizohawk material. So I’m reading the three-part Istivin: City of Shadows adventure from Dungeon, and I run across a villain from the Far Realm. Never heard of it before, but 3E – 3.5E largely passed me by (I’m assuming that’s when it popped up?). I’ve done some preliminary online research on it, so I think I now have a very basic understanding, but now I wonder:

– are there other Greyhawk references to the Far Realms?

– At first my reaction to this Far Realm was, “Why create the thing in the first place? What game void is it really filling?” But the more I think about it, it might have some value to me. Has anyone ever toyed with the idea of making the Egg of Coot’s pad a kaorti cyst?

Jeminnab

"Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies."

Fri Dec 07, 2007 9:18 am

Whoa. Egg of Coot article just went up. Cause and effect, or just coincidence? Too weird.

Jeminnab

"Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies."

Fri Dec 07, 2007 9:36 am

You're right about the Far Realm being a 3.5e invention. Apparently, it was invented to allow Cthulhu fans to bring that genre into D&D. As far as references to the Far Realm in published literature, there isn't much to speak of except for a very small handful of Dragon magazine articles. There are various obscure references to Cthulhu-like phenomena here and there, but all of these pretty much amount to expressions of Gygax's passing interest in Lovecraft's stories. In other words, there is nothing "official" linking the Far Realm with Greyhawk.

However, I have considered the possibility of linking the Far Realm with such entities as Tharizdun and the Elder Elemental God (which, by the way, I do NOT consider to be the same being thanks to statements by Gygax himself), as well as the various other "primordial" gods of Greyhawk. I have yet to delve into this possibility in any detail. It does seem a good fit, though, no? Currently I'm considering the possibility that the Far Realm itself is Tharizdun's prison, that the other primordial gods dwell there (but are not imprisoned and can come and go as they wish), and that those creatures who come to the prime material plane from the Far Realm are either agents of the primordial gods or else "leaks" from Tharizdun's prison. Obviously, I haven't put much thought into this yet.

Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:10 pm

Actually, wasn't The Far Realm first detailed in The Gates of Firestorm Peak? I believe this came out right around the time the 2e Players Option books came out. . .
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Michael Erin Sandar Bard of Midwood

Fri Dec 07, 2007 1:06 pm

Yeah, the Far Realm was created by Bruce Cordell in The Gates of Firestorm Peak at the end of 2nd edition. It was made a part of the core cosmology from the very begining of 3.0 with its inclusion in the early adventure The Speaker in Dreams, as well as in Tome and Blood, and the Manual of the Planes. Since then its popped up many times in the rule and monster books.

In my campaign I use the Far Realm as the prison of Tharizdun since it fits nice with the god's imagery, the location of his prison outside the normal Great Wheel of the planes, and big T's Lovecraftian inspiration. If you don't want to use the Far Realm for this Dragon 353's article Multiple Dementia, implies that Tharizdun is trapped on the 'demiplane of imprisonment' a hunk of purple crystal that floats through the ethereal plane. But personally I prefer the Far Realm.

If you're thinking of using Far Realm influence for the Egg of Coot (which I think is very cool by the way) you should check out Dragon 330's article on the Far Realm. Its got insanity inducing cerebrotic magic, magic items and monsters as well as landscape mutating cysts. The Egg would be the perfect place to incorperate these unique things into your campaign. The Kaorti's bio-technology would be a good fit with the Egg as well.

Fri Dec 07, 2007 5:20 pm

There is the Shadow of Shathragut NPC at Wizard's plus the latest adventure at Wizard's feels very Far Realms although the adventure is based on using Dagon.

Fri Dec 07, 2007 7:08 pm

Wow, I really missed those references! I guess that's what I get for concentrating so much on other aspects of the sources. Apologies.

Fri Dec 07, 2007 7:13 pm

The Last Breaths of Ashenport is pretty cool with Dagon and one of the traders is listed as being from Greyhawk.