The Blackmoor campaign setting was featured in Dragon #315's review of classic campaign settings in January, 2004.
Illustration by Bob Steinman
The article by Ari Marmell describes a branch of halflings, known as the Docrae (or "warrior-born"), who left their ancestral home of Booh to settle in the nearby peaks.
DA4 "The Duchy of Ten" includes several new NPCs, as well as a few previously described in DA1 "Adventures in Blackmoor" and DA2 "Temple of the Frog":
Captain Hieronymus Castagere
Captain Hieronymus Castegere (F10, Neutral)
captain of the BlossomDost Suwat (F7, Chaotic)Gerry Categere (T7, Neutral)Gregor Mendicamp (C12, Lawful)
Gul Hadda - the Mad Fakir
Gul Hadda - the Mad Fakir (M14, Chaotic)
Sher Yakub (F12, Chaotic)
Sir Kay Degern - Baron of Oktagern (F13, Lawful)
Stout Robin Goodfellow
Stout Robin Goodfellow (T14, Neutral)
The remaining entries cover NPCs previously described in DA1 or DA2:
Fletcher William, the Fetch (F14, Lawful; Ken Fletcher)Jallapierie (M17, Lawful)Stephan Rocklin - Saint Stephen (F10, Neutral)
Zugzul the One. Illustration by Dave Dorman.
DA4 "The Duchy of Ten" was published after the D&D Master Set (1985) and Immortals Set (1986) rules, and so refers to Zugzul as an immortal:
Though the Afridhi worship Zugzul as a god, he is in fact something less than that. At one time a mortal man, he has long since passed from the ken of lesser folk to become one of the Immortals. These superbeings are described in part in the D&D® Master Set Rules and in full in the D&D® Immortals Set Rules. If you have those rules, you may want to use the material found in them to enrich play of this adventure.
Zugzul serves the Sphere of Energy, which is closely related to the element of fire. His purpose is to create more energy and activity. Energy is highly active, dynamic, and excited. It seeks to alter and transform things, consuming Matter, slowing Time, and exciting Thought to release more Energy. Energy represents disorder, uniqueness, and the Chaotic alignment.
Given his description as an immortal, it's surprising that Zugzul was not mentioned in the Codex of the Immortals (1992) by Aaron Allston (Book One of the "Wrath of the Immortals").
The Afridhi (or, the "Children of Fire") are a tribe of savage hill-men who dwelt for centuries in the Goblin Kush, a frozen mountainous land, west of Blackmoor.
Their warrior culture was built upon the raiding and looting of the adjacent lowlands, and the indiscriminate slaughter of any who were not of their kind.
Most Afridhi men are short and square-bodied with curly black hair and long beards.
Afridhi warriors (Lance & Laser Miniatures)
Fire is venerated as a gift of their god "Zugzul the One", since it permitted the Afridhi to survive in their frozen, harsh environment.
The high priestess of Zugzul is the Afrdihi head of state, also known as "the Mistress of God" in recognition of her special relationship with Zugzul.
The worship of other gods is forbidden, as are usury, displays of public drunkenness, dancing (except on religious holidays), and secular art.
The Handmaidens of Death:
The Handmaidens of Death are an elite cadre of male soldiers, who serve as bodyguards for the Afridhi leadership as well as for key religious installations.
They are extremely ferocious and virtually incorruptible - religious fanatics who are forbidden to marry or have children until released after 20 years of service.
Handmaiden of Death, illustration by Dave Dorman.
Their oath forbids them to grow hair on their faces or cut their hair (which is usually plaited into a single long braid, coiled inside a headcloth).
They dress in long, brightly colored silk kaftans and slippers, and wear lots of jewelry (such as heavy drop earrings and thick gold necklaces).
Their "dance of death" is a combination sword dance and ritual combat in which each dancer allows himself to be wounded at least once.
The Sisters of Fire:
The Afridhi are governed by female judges, known as the Sisters of Fire, recognizable by their flame-red, hooded robes of office.
The Sisters of Fire live apart, alone or among themselves, and take vows of piety, poverty, and chastity. All possess a natural resistance to fire, a gift of their god.
The Children of Zug:
The Children of Zug are a secret society of Afridhi males, who seek to undermine the present matriarchal form of government.
They believe that the current worship of Zugzul in his "Zul" aspect ignores the dual nature of the god as both "Zug" (ice) and "Zul" (fire).
* * *
Zeitgeist Games version:
The Afridhi were modelled after fire giants in the Zeitgeist Games core campaign book (pg. 185), where they are described as:
"a dark-skinned people with flaming red hair" who are "slightly shorter than other humans, only 5 feet on average, but make up for their vertical shortcomings with great physical power."
Module DA4 "The Duchy of Ten" involves a mission into the lands west of Blackmoor, recently conquered by the Afridhi.
The lands west of Blackmoor (red box) as depicted on Map 1 "The Northlands" from DA4 "The Duchy of Ten" (1987).
The map in DA4 is the same as the map in DA1, with a few additions:
Geography of the West:
The module provides descriptions for each of the following regions:
The Duchy of Ten
The Plains of Hak*
*see also the "Riders of Hak" (2007) sourcebook, part of the Zeitgeist Games d20 series of Blackmoor supplements
The Empty Lands
The Barrens of KarshThe Barrier SwampThe Duchy of TenThe EavesThe Empty LandsThe Gargoyle HillsThe GlensThe Great Dismal Swamp/Brushy FenThe Hills of TenThe OceanThe Plains of HakThe Wilds of Ten
DA4 "The Duchy of Ten" (1987) by David Ritchie is a 48 page supplement, part D&D adventure/part campaign expansion for character levels 10-14.
Module DA4 "The Duchy of Ten" (1987) by David J. Ritchie. Cover illustration by Clyde Caldwell, from Dungeon #2 (Nov/Dec 1986)
Creative Team:
*additions to the version from DA1 were made, with a change in scale from 24 miles/hex to 12 miles/hex (as per the correction in DA2, pg. 12)
Design Origins:
As mentioned above, the Afridhi religion and culture as depicted in DA4 were conceived by Deborah Ritchie.
The Adventure:
The PCs are the only ones who can destroy a powerful artifact, the Well of Souls, to stop the Afridhi from conquering Blackmoor and altering the course of world history.
The adventure begins with a sea voyage to the town of Robinsport,* followed by an overland trek to the Forge at Tor Kurram, the location of the Well of Souls.
*a Chase Flow Chart is used for the town of Robinsport, a device previously used for the town of Akesoli in X10 "Red Arrow, Black Shield" (the chart is labeled, this time)
Geography of the West:
New Monsters:
David Cook was acknowledged with special thanks for use of the soul eater, as were other contributors to the Creature Catalog for the dolphin, dragon turtle, gakarak, gator man, lava lizard, roper, and sollux (although neither the dolphin nor dragon turtle appeared in AC9).
Rogues, Regents, and Rascals:
Prerolled Characters:
Captain Bork Reisling
Captain Bork Reisling (F10, Neutral)
captain of the Federation Survey Ship Beagle
Umra Dir (C10, Chaotic)
appears in DA4 "The Duchy of Ten"
Bosero the Drunkard (M14, Lawful; John Snider)Brother Richard, the Flying Monk (C11, Lawful; Richard Snider)Fletcher William, the Fetch (F14, Lawful; Ken Fletcher)Jallapierie (M17, Lawful)Marfeldt the Barbarian (F16, Chaotic; Marshall Hoegfeldt)The Peshwan Na Shepro, Baron of Dragonia (F13, Lawful; Ken Shepro)Robert the Bald (M19, Lawful; Bob Meyer)
Illustration from "Star Empires" (1977)
DA3 "City of the Gods" describes the existence of a Galactic Federation:
Far from the sun that gives light and life to Blackmoor, almost a third of a galaxy away, is the seat of the so-called Galactic Federation, a loose confederation of planets and peoples dedicated to the preservation of internal order and peace.
From DA3 "City of the Gods"
Within the vast bureaucracy that governs this federation is a small bureau that is a tiny part of a big department that is but a fraction of a huge secretariat. This microscopic organization, the Galactic Survey Bureau (GSB), is charged with the long-term mission of exploring and mapping the galaxy, obtaining specimens of its flora and fauna, and maintaining a comprehensive directory of known planets. One of the ways the bureau accomplishes its mission is by sending forth hundreds of Federation Survey Ships to visit and catalog the stars and their planets.
From DA3 "City of the Gods"
Star Map from "Star Probe" (1975) by John Snider
The GSB's objectives are similar to those in the game "Star Probe" (1975) by John Snider, one of the original players in Dave Arneson's Blackmoor campaign.
STAR PROBE is basically a parallel contest, where the participants, representing separate empires, seek to explore and exploit new star systems for the glory of their governments and the enrichment of their bank accounts -- interstellar colonialism indeed!
Gary Gygax, from the Forward to "Star Probe" (Sept 1, 1974)
"Star Probe" was followed by "Star Empires" (1977) with comprehensive rules for space combat:
"Star Empires" (1977) by John Snider
Snider's third game in the series was the "Star Master" RPG which was never published, but likely served as the basis for the "Star Frontiers" RPG.
(Snider also developed a game called "Mutant" which might have served as inspiration for the "Metamorphosis Alpha" and "Gamma World" RPGs.)*
*DA3 "City of the Gods" mentions a tough material named "duralloy" ("durable alloy"?) which originally appeared in these two other games
The City of the Gods is located in the Valley of the Ancients, in the Lands South of Blackmoor.
The Lands South of Blackmoor (scale 12 miles per hex) from DA3 "City of the Gods". Cartography by Dennis Kauth.
I've previously discussed the Lands South of Blackmoor in relation to the map of the Outdoor Survival board:
Southern part of the map of the Outdoor Survival board (top, label for the Valley of the Ancients is my own) in comparison to the Lands South of Blackmoor (bottom).
In DA3 "City of the Gods", the Fetch provides characters with a direct means of teleportation to Benbow's Hectare, south of Dragonia, and east of the Valley of the Ancients.
From there, the PCs can travel across the Eastern Hak to the Valley of the Ancients. The module provides descriptions for each of the following regions:
The Eastern Hak*
The Valley of the Ancients
The High Hak*
*see also the "Riders of Hak" (2007) sourcebook, part of the Zeitgeist Games d20 series of Blackmoor supplements
The Thonian Rand****see also CBI 2 "The Thonian Rand: Edge of the Empire" (2019)
Steppe (for the High Hak, the Eastern Hak, the Coombe, or the Hills of Clwydd)
Forest (for any forested area north of the Taff River)
- including the Blasted Woods, the Ringwood, the Mumblewood, Buster's Wood/Botha's Wood and the Lynton Wood/the Bracken
Dragon Hills (for the Dragon Hills, the South Dragons, or the Spine of the Dragon)
Badlands (for the Badlands, the Ash Hills, or the Blue Hills)
Kerman Peaks
Valley (for the Valley of the Ancients)
The Valley of the Ancients:
"City of the Gods" (2007) by Harley Stroh contains multiple well-conceived and challenging encounters for the Valley of the Ancients.
"City of the Gods" (2007) by Harley Stroh. Cover artwork by John Donahue.
Stroh states that his version "both contradicts and supports" module DA3.
The section detailing the Valley of the Ancients is 32 pages, representing a module in its own right, and is very much worth a look.
The City of the Gods. Illustration by Jim Holloway.
An expedition to the City of the Gods (located in the Desert south of Monson's old place) which cost several players' lives (Nelson and Gaylord) plus their holdings going evil.
About four years ago, we began to hear stories about a sky-sailing city that had come to earth in a desert called the Valley of the Ancients, south of Blackmoor. At that time, we were looking for allies in our war against Thonia. A party of us made a trip into the desert to find the city and try to form an alliance. Less than a third of the expedition returned.“What killed us? Thirst, heat, trolls, sand folk, dragons - the usual. But also other things. We got to the city, you see - got inside and tried to contact the Gods. But it was no good. All we saw were monsters and metal warriors. The metal warriors killed more of us than the dragons. In the end, we ran from there like whipped dogs and were glad for the privilege of showing our heels.
The adventure took place in 1976 at TSR's Dungeon Hobby Shop. Gary, myself and Dave Arneson were the only participants. Dave's campaign had been running for some time previous to this and many adventures into that fabled city had taken place before ours.
DA3 "City of the Gods" (1987) by Dave Arneson and David Ritchie is a 48 page D&D adventure for character levels 10-14.
Module DA3 "City of the Gods" (1987) by Dave L. Arneson and David J. Ritchie. Cover illustration by Doug Chaffee.
Creative Team:
Dave Arneson was the co-creator of D&D. He returned a decade after leaving TSR to work on the DA series, based on his original Blackmoor campaign.
Arneson's co-author, David Ritchie, worked on several projects at TSR from 1982-83 (see this thread from Dragonsfoot in 2008). He coauthored DA1-3 with Arneson, although garnered sole credit for DA4 "The Duchy of Ten" (1987).
Ritchie's wife, Deborah C. Ritchie, worked at TSR around the same time, serving as editor for B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess" (1981) and X3 "Curse of Xanathon" (1982). She is credited as editor for the entire DA series, DA1-4.
Interior illustrations are by Jim Holloway (except for a full-page illustration by Jeff Easley on pg 46 from XSOLO "Lathan's Gold" (1984)
Special thanks to Mike Mornard and Mike Bakula.
Design Origins:
Surely it was a sight. All golds and silvers, with towers and buildings of the oddest shapes and hues and sizes. Many towers seemed proportioned the same; but this in no way indicated mundanity, for surely the towers gleamed in morning's sunlight. Metal towers, and hundreds of them!
from "Robilar Remembers" (Oerth Journal #6)
The Adventure:
The PCs are commissioned to explore the City of the Gods, somewhere deep within the Valley of the Ancients, in order to initiate contact with its inhabitants, while investigating the nature of its connection to the Order of the Frog.
Robot. Illustration by Jim Holloway.
New Monsters:
Camarilla,* Cyborg, Gakarak,** Garl,*** Geonid,**** Grazer, Herex,** Hide Hunter (Human), Hook Beast (Hook Horror, Hulker),***** Robot (Dbot, Sbot, Ebot, Ubot), Quarg,****** Roper,***** Sand Folk*******
Rogues, Regents, and Rascals:
A five-page section describes several notable NPCs (some previously described in DA1 "Adventures in Blackmoor")
Prerolled Characters:
The prerolled characters included in DA1 and DA2 are given more extensive bios:
Alphidia Alkot (M10), Axel Kars (F10), Bob Silverheels (H8, from the Five Shires), Gelon Melandil (E10, exiled from Alfheim), Gillam Khandum (D10, from the mountains of northern Glantri), Ismelian Sotadis (E10, from Alfheim), Jareel Takis (C11), Kokra the Touch (T11, from Ylaruam, a near relative of the Emir Hinbul II), Newton Depoe (M11), Purda Blue (F11), Sean Boldfinger (T10), Thern Mor (C10, rumored to be from Thyatis)
DA2 "Temple of the Frog" features Stephen the Rock, or "Saint Stephen", one of the oldest villains in D&D history, conceived by Stephen Rocheford.
It is hard to believe that it is just over one year since Dave Arneson passed away. His passing was a chance to reconnect with old friends. It was interesting to see Dave in his coffin and realize that the original group, of which I was a member, is beginning to face the end of their respective journeys. This 'band of brothers' was comprised of some very unique people, the likes of which I have not found in other guises in my travels....
Dave approached me to invent an 'evil' character that would be 'different from the norm' in this world. Ergo, I thought and settled on a character that was 'not of this world' of Blackmoor. My inspiration eventually was from an old episode of the original Star Trek television series. In it, Captain Kirk found a planet of Nazi's and found the earthling, an historian, who founded it in the hope eliminating it's excesses and organizing this society for the betterment of all in the name of efficiency. I told Dave Arneson and he was delighted. He asked that I "flesh out" the character.
Standing Bishop by Belisario Corenzio ca. 1620
My character was a soldier( I was an Army Officer) who crash landed in Blackmoor with several others from a 'spaceship'. He found a village organized around a group of monks. They and the villagers thought the stranger was a very powerful wizard; in fact he was a man who used a 'phaser' and so overawed the indigenous people that he was proclaimed the "High Priest of the Monks of the Swamp". I set about to organize a theocracy based on the worship of frogs, which were in great supply in the swamp. These frogs were bred and genetically improved over time until some special breeds grew to enormous size.
A Temple was erected and an Order of Monks reorganized around this hall of worship. The High Priest had his secret chambers in which no one was allowed except his companions who filled various roles: security chief, treasurer, medical staff (for the genetics ) and so forth. In the High Priests most secret room only the security chief was allowed in as it possessed the generators to 'charge' the weapons and maintain the remnants of the computers from the crash. This allowed this small group to take over the immediate environs of the swamp and the villages.
The High Priest wore robes similar to a Roman Catholic Archbishop( I grew up Catholic), complete with staff and mitre. In the temple at the far end was a large pipe organ that ran to the roof and which the openings allowed the countryside to hear the strain of the High Priest playing THE music of this cult: Toccata and Fugue in d minor, by Bach. He played this piece at the time of weekly feedings of the frogs. Those who failed to convert were fed to the frogs, and their possessions were donated to the church.
Pipe Organ by Madame Memento, 2022
The Temple expanded to transform the original social structure found into a complete theocracy that was evil in nature and which preyed on it neighbors in raids for loot and captives but which always retreated to the swamps in which to hide. Outsiders who ventured into the swamps did not return. The myths and legends which grew were terrible as to what evil lurked in the swamp.
Eventually 'The Great Svenny' and his friends heard of this and were intrigued sufficiently enough to launch an expedition. Dave made sure we had worked out several details about this prior to him, as referee, passing on the rumors of this society in the swamps to the players. I kept my role as High Priest, per Arneson's request, secret from the others until the first actual expedition.
One of the characters was killed and his loss was a warning to the others and so set the stage for future endeavors by the group who wished revenge and to find out what happened. It was a great "what happened" set up when they finally found the the weird guy in the robes who shot an immensely powerful lightning bolt at them. Awaking later in the swamp, all that could be remembered evoked a 'riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma'. The game was on!!!
As I recall, the character and the temple emerged sometime in spring of 1973 with a basic version. It was refined a bit by 1975 (January?) and as I recall it was further refined somewhere around 1976-77 while I was stationed in Germany.
Sorry if my mind is a bit imprecise on exact dates but that was more than 35 years ago.
David and I conferred on this matter via correspondence and it was then that David announced that he had a name for the mysterious character: "Stephen the Rock"
My nickname used until I was 30 was "Rock" as my last name is pronounced 'Rockford". It had been the nickname of my older brothers in school as well. Hard to break those traditions.
I do not mind you sharing this, for what it is worth, with your Blackmoor forum. To answer your question about science fiction elements, as I recall, this was the very first time that those elements were added to the game. Dave specifically mentioned that point to me when I came up with the idea. We were sitting on the sun porch of his home on a sunny, summer afternoon when I outlined the role. This character was "totally different from the norm" as Arneson had requested, and he liked the idea.
The Temple of the Frog squats in the center of the City of the Frog upon Frog Island, within the southwest region of the Great Dismal Swamp
Portion of map from DA1 depicting the Great Dismal Swamp (scale given as 24 miles per hex in DA1, but corrected to 12 miles per hex in DA2, pg 12)
DA2 "Temple of the Frog" delineates a relatively straightforward 10-day journey to Frog Island in three legs:
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"Temple of the Frog" (2006). Cover artwork by Steve Argyle
The Great Dismal Swamp:
"Temple of the Frog" (2006) includes a mini-gazetteer of the Great Dismal Swamp, divided into descriptions of each of the four major regions within the swamp:
Isle of the Swamp Giant. Illustration by Britt Martin.
Boggy Bottom:
The small town of Boggy Bottom is described as a "haven of ill repute".
A keyed map with a description of the town's notable locations is included, together with a series of events involving the town's missing children, in which Miklos Haruska "Old Slyboots" from DA2 plays a key role.
Excerpt from Corner of the Table (Vol. 4, no. 6) c. 1972
One of the characters was killed and his loss was a warning to the others and so set the stage for future endeavors by the group who wished revenge and to find out what happened. It was a great "what happened" set up when they finally found the the weird guy in the robes who shot an immensely powerful lightning bolt at them. Awaking later in the swamp, all that could be remembered evoked a 'riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma'.
For a century it had festered in that awful stinking swamp, getting more and more eccentric and becoming gradually forgotten. And, then, someone came along who had a head for leadership, and suddenly the order got active again.
We don't really know much more. Our informers tell us that this man calls himself Saint Stephen and is some kind of foreigner. He apparently has some very powerful magic at his disposal, and the Froggies are deathly afraid of him.
Fletcher William, from DA2 "Temple of the Frog"
The PCs may consider consulting with the Great Svenny for hints or clues, before setting out for the City of the Frog, themselves.
DA2 "Temple of the Frog" (1986) by Dave Arneson and David Ritchie is a 48 page D&D adventure for character levels 10-14.
Module DA2 "Temple of the Frog" (1986) by Dave L. Arneson and David J. Ritchie. Cover illustration by Denis Beauvais.
Creative Team:
Dave Arneson was the co-creator of D&D. He returned a decade after leaving TSR to work on the DA series, based on his original Blackmoor campaign.
Arneson's co-author, David Ritchie, worked on several projects at TSR from 1982-83 (see this thread from Dragonsfoot in 2008). He coauthored DA1-3 with Arneson, although garnered sole credit for DA4 "The Duchy of Ten" (1987).
Ritchie's wife, Deborah C. Ritchie, worked at TSR around the same time, serving as editor for B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess" (1981) and X3 "Curse of Xanathon" (1982). She is credited as editor for the entire DA series, DA1-4.
Interior illustrations are by Mark Nelson.
Design Origins:
The Temple of the Frog was first published in The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures section of Supplement II: Blackmoor (1975).
The Adventure:
The PCs are tasked with rescuing the kidnapped Rissa Aleford, Baroness of the Lakes, from the dungeons beneath the Temple of the Frog, secret headquarters of the Order of the Frog, somewhere deep within the Great Dismal Swamp.
Return to the Temple of the Frog:
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"Return to the Temple of the Frog" (2006) by Ted Albert
"Return to the Temple of the Frog" (2006) was released by WotC in the 3.5 era. It is designed for four to six 10th level-characters and takes place 20 years after the events of DA2.
The past week has been Blackmoor Week, culminating in Dave Arneson Game Day on Sunday, October 1.
I've been blogging about DA1 "Adventures in Blackmoor" over the past month, and will be tackling the rest of the DA series to close out the year.
Arnecon 1
I'm hoping to be able to attend Arnecon 1 in October, but it's not clear if it's going to be possible. It's certainly shaping up to be a historic event.
Here's to Dave, one of the founders of our hobby!
Nineteen pages of DA1 "Adventures in Blackmoor" are devoted to extensive descriptions of 38 NPCs, many of whom originated as PCs in the original Blackmoor campaign (see this thread from the OD&D Discussion boards, for more details):
Alwyn Morland
Alwyn Morland (M10, Neutral)
Arn Yonson
Arn Yonson (F10, Lawful; from "Arneson"?)
Barnabas the Wanderer (F11, Lawful)
Bascom Ungulian, Baron of Glendower (F16, Lawful)
Bosero the Drunkard (M14, Lawful; John Snider)
Bram Tagus, Baron of Bramwald (F15, Lawful)
Brother Richard
Brother Richard, the Flying Monk (C11, Lawful; Richard Snider)
Fletcher William
Fletcher William, the Fetch (F14, Lawful; Ken Fletcher)
Garamond Bolitho, the Bishop of Blackmor (C18, Lawful)
The Great Svenny, Baron of Newgate (F20, Lawful)
see also GS3 "Castle Newgate Gazetteer"
Jallapierie
Jallapierie (M17, Lawful)
Uther Andahar
King Uther the Rectifier, Black Uther (F20, Lawful)
Lortz Kharnundrhum, Regent of the Mines (D12, Lawful; Stephen Lortz)
Marfeldt the Barbarian
Marfeldt the Barbarian (F16, Chaotic; Marshall Hoegfeldt)
see the OD&D Discussion boards, here and posts on Dragonsfoot, here
Mello the Halfling (H8, Lawful; Rick "Mel" Johnson)
Menander Ithamis (E10, Neutral)
Moorkok the Slayer, Prince of the Egg (F17, Chaotic)
Miklos Haruska, Old Slyboots (T12, Chaotic)
Peshwan Na Shepro
The Peshwan Na Shepro, Baron of Dragonia (F13, Lawful; Ken Shepro)
Philo Holbytyn, the Sheriff of Ramshead (H8, Lawful)
Piter Rall, Baron of Maus (F14, Lawful)
Rissa Aleford, Baroness of the Lakes (F11, Lawful)
Robert the Bald (M19, Lawful; Bob Meyer)
Ruda Malefor
Ruda Malefor (F10, Lawful)
Scotty Debelfry (T16, Neutral; Scott Belfry)
Sildonis, the Wizard of the Wood (M12, Lawful)
see "The World's First Wizard"
Sirk Am Peshwah, the Hand of the People (F14, Chaotic; Dale Nelson)
Skandros the Strangler (T14, Chaotic)
Sonia Sholako, Duchess of the Peaks (M11, Chaotic)
Taha Marcovic, the Iron Duke (F17, Lawful)
see "Tell me about the Iron Duke" at the Comeback Inn
Tamis Azkanikin, the Green Man (M14, Neutral)
Thorsen One-Thumb, the First Jarl (F18, Chaotic)
Timothy Curlytop, Shiremaster of Booh (H8, Lawful; Tim Kirkpatrick)
Toska Rusa, Mistress of God (C18, Chaotic; Deborah Nafziger)
Uberstar Khazakhum, Regent of the Mines (D12, Lawful; Walter Oberstar)
Veslo Meridan
Veslo Meridan (E10, Lawful; David Wesely)
Willem of the Heath, the Blue Rider (F13, Lawful; Bill Heaton)
see "The Blue Rider"
Wolfer Gannet, Baron of Archlis (F13, Neutral)
*illustrations by Jim Holloway, from DA1 "Adventures in Blackmoor" (1986)
DA1 "Adventures in Blackmoor" includes a section describing "The Empire & The North"
The Great Thonian Empire, as it is known throughout most of the world, is technically a republic (the Third Republic of Thonia). In theory, it is ruled by a senate that periodically selects an executive body of one to six members, called an “Imperial". In practice, an Imperial seldom consists of more than two men - and it is usually but one person, who has come to be known as the Emperor of Thonia.
From DA1 "Adventures in Blackmoor" (1986)
"Empire of Thonia: The Eastern Marshes" (2013) by Havard Fanes et al. Cover illustration by Karl Friedrich Schinkel
CBI 1 "The Eastern Marshes" (2013)*
*see also "The First Fantasy Campaign: Richard Snider's Additions"
CBI 2 "The Thonian Rand: Edge of the Empire" (2019)**
**see also the Fall of the Dwarves (2019) campaign extension
CBI 3 "Province of Bleakwood" (2020)******see also "The First Fantasy Campaign: Bleakwood"
The free pdfs are hosted on The Comeback Inn website, and are highly regarded for their incorporation of primary sources (for more on Havard's vision of Thonia, see this thread).
JG37 "The First Fantasy Campaign" (1977) describes the Egg of Coot as "an evil, telepathic entity, whose physical nature is unknown. Depopulates any area it captures, replacing the former inhabitants with "a new and very unhuman population".Bascom Ungulian, the Baron of Glendower, is described in the "Rogues, Regents, and Rascals" section of DA1 (pg 47).See also John Snider's Egg of Coot Campaign.
The Horsemen of Peshwah and the lands south of Blackmoor are described in DA3 "City of the Gods".The Peshwah are given more comprehensive treatment in the "Riders of Hak" (2007) sourcebook, part of the Zeitgeist Games d20 series of Blackmoor supplements.
"Riders of Hak" (2007) by Dave Brainard and Tad Kilgore.
Toska Rusa, the Mistress of God, and her treasure, are described in the "Rogues, Regents, and Rascals" section of DA1 (pg 62-63).
The castle of Starmorgan is briefly described in DA4 "The Duchy of Ten". Its garrison is comprised of 800 heavy foot, 1600 light foot, and 600 heavy horse.
Thorsen One-Thumb, the First Jarl, is described in the "Rogues, Regents, and Rascals" section of DA1 (pg 61-62).
Details for Skandaharian Raiders are included in DA4 "The Duchy of Ten" (pg. 39-40)
Sonia Sholako, the Duchess of the Peaks, is described in the "Rogues, Regents, and Rascals" section of DA1 (pg 60).
See also "The Duchy of the Peaks" part I, part II, part III, part IV on Havard's Blackmoor Blog
Tamis Azkanikin, the Green Man, is described in the "Rogues, Regents, and Rascals" section of DA1 (pg 61).
The Wizards' Cabal is given comprehensive treatment in the "The Wizards Cabal" (2005) sourcebook, part of the Zeitgeist Games d20 series of Blackmoor supplements.
"The Wizards Cabal" (2005). Cover illustration by Allan Alegado.
Uberstar Khazakhum, the Regent of the Mines, is described in the "Rogues, Regents, and Rascals" section of DA1 (pg 62-63).
Taha Markovic, the Iron Duke, and Skandros the Strangler are described in the "Rogues, Regents, and Rascals" section of DA1 (pg 60-61).
This would involve a series of expeditions to Blackmoor Dungeons and The Lost Dungeons of Tonisborg beneath Vestfold.
"The Dungeons of Castle Blackmoor" (2006)
See also Bartertown Deathtrap