Rod of Seven Parts, Lolth, & Sunndi

[Roger Bert]

Greetings.

First, thanks for the answer about the Lloth spelling. :)

I am going to be starting a new Greyhawk home campaign and been going
through lots of ideas and checking things in my books and on the Internet.
Been basically searching for good ideas and trying to inspire myself to do
something different. The Rod of Seven Parts came to mind as something no one
in my home gaming group had ever dealt with before. I started digging
through my stuff and found some information in both the original DMG, the 2E
Book of Artifacts, and I also took a look through the boxed set for 2E of
the same name. I checked through Third Edition and found a write-up for the
item in the Arms and Equipment Guide. I kind of like the setup of the
artifact but don't care for the history of it. The Book of Artifacts says it
came from the World of Greyhawk setting yet there is no information to
support this. Glancing through the material talks of the super elite Wind
Dukes (aka Vaati) fighting some kind of eternal war with the Queen of Chaos.
Not very much is said about the Queen of Chaos outside of a few tidbits
about her wanting to destroy the universe or some such nonsense.

So where is this Aaqa that the Wind Dukes are from? Is this another plane
(it seems so)? Do these Wind Dukes/Vaati actually live on Oerth at all?
Where did this Battle of Pesh take place? Obviously Pesh but is it an
alternative prime material plane or some outer plane? This general Miska the
Wolf-Spider seems to be a powerful Demon Lord that served the Queen of
Chaos. Is Miska related at all to Oerth?

I don't care much for the setup up of the Boxed Set edition adventure but it
does have lots of material I can repurpose. One of the data cards has a nice
heraldic device on it with a spider and some Latin phrases. It got me
thinking of Lolth. Another idea I was toying around with was to do something
with drow but I just didn't want a "fight the drow campaign". I have been
thinking of retooling the story of the Rod of Seven Parts to deal with the
Queen of Spiders instead of the Queen of Chaos. The scenarios have tons of
these spider demons in them and it could jive together well.

So let me hear your opinions please. I need lots of ideas. :)

Should I replace the Wind Dukes as creator of the artifact with perhaps some
Eladrins (celestial elves) or perhaps Correlon worshipers? If I keep the
Miska the Wolf-Spider character around do I make this a former lover of
Lolth? Perhaps the drider like appearance or the wolf heads on him was from
some curse Lolth placed on him? Some mark of servitude? The Rod was designed
apparently to kill Miska the Wolf-Spider and was broken into the seven parts
when it was used against him. It failed to kill him and the Boxed Set
adventure was about collecting the rod so the Queen of Chaos couldn't 'heal'
him with it. I don't see Lolth as such a caring individual. I suppose some
drow forces might want to collect the rod to rival Lolth's forces (perhaps
some of the Elder Elemental Eye cult) or maybe Lolth would want to free
Miska for servitude.

I am also looking for a fresh area to start the game in. Typically I have
used the Verbobonc area heavy as well as started many games in Furyondy or
Veluna. Think I am going to start them in Sunndi. One of the players decided
his character was from Sunndi when he was brain storming on concepts. I
mined the Sunndi LG site for some good information but it all seems a few
years old. Is there much going on in Sunndi circa 598 to 600 CY?

Thanks.
-Roger

[Thor Thunderer]

Post by Roger Bert
I checked through Third Edition and found a
write-up for the
item in the Arms and Equipment Guide. I kind of like the
setup of the
artifact but don't care for the history of it. The Book
of Artifacts says it
came from the World of Greyhawk setting yet there is no
information to
support this.

By this, all they mean is that the Rod's first mention was in reference
to that setting, not so much that it originated in the Flanaess.

Post by Roger Bert
Glancing through the material talks of the
super elite Wind
Dukes (aka Vaati) fighting some kind of eternal war with
the Queen of Chaos.
Not very much is said about the Queen of Chaos outside of a
few tidbits
about her wanting to destroy the universe or some such
nonsense.

The Vaati, by the way, are statted up in a web enhancement for 3rd
Edition for Oriental Adventures, for what that's worth. The Queen's
demonic minions were also updated for 3.5 at the Creature Catalog
website, by the guy that did the Tome of Horrors. Reasonably good stuff.

Post by Roger Bert
So where is this Aaqa that the Wind Dukes are from? Is this
another plane (it seems so)?

Specifically, the plane of Elemental Air, as the boxed set explains.

Post by Roger Bert
Do these Wind Dukes/Vaati actually live on Oerth at all?

Some do, having infiltrated human society to keep the Queen of Chaos
from regaining the Rod, and to find its pieces themselves so they can
use it again. MOST live at home at Aaqa, however.

Post by Roger Bert
Where did this Battle of Pesh take place? Obviously Pesh
but is it an
alternative prime material plane or some outer plane? This
general Miska the
Wolf-Spider seems to be a powerful Demon Lord that served
the Queen of
Chaos. Is Miska related at all to Oerth?

The boxed set is completely and intentionally unclear on this. I,
personally, have assumed that Pesh is meant to be an Asian-flavored
area, due to the presence of the Vaati in Oriental Adventures, or an
African-influenced one like Hepmonaland, due to the similarity of the
name to Robert E. Howard's African areas in Conan. Miska, of course,
hails from the Abyss, and could very well have popped up in Oerth in the
past. Since he's been (mostly) dead since the Battle of Pesh, however,
his influence within living memory would be very, very slight.

Post by Roger Bert
I don't care much for the setup up of the Boxed Set
edition adventure but it
does have lots of material I can repurpose.

I rather liked the Queen's lair, and the Bronze Dragon that was willing
to trade, but otherwise, I agree. My party was not overly fond of this
one, and they lost the rod at least twice before completion.

Post by Roger Bert
One of the data cards has a nice
heraldic device on it with a spider and some Latin phrases.
It got me
thinking of Lolth. Another idea I was toying around with
was to do something
with drow but I just didn't want a "fight the drow
campaign". I have been
thinking of retooling the story of the Rod of Seven Parts
to deal with the
Queen of Spiders instead of the Queen of Chaos. The
scenarios have tons of
these spider demons in them and it could jive together
well.

I agree. Strangely, the Paul Kemp Justicar novels state that Lolth was
once a servant of the Queen of Chaos.

Post by Roger Bert
Should I replace the Wind Dukes as creator of the artifact
with perhaps some
Eladrins (celestial elves) or perhaps Correlon worshipers?

Personally, I like the Vaati as they are. You see Elemental races so
very rarely, they add flavor.

Post by Roger Bert
If I keep the
Miska the Wolf-Spider character around do I make this a
former lover of
Lolth? Perhaps the drider like appearance or the wolf heads
on him was from
some curse Lolth placed on him? Some mark of servitude?

Definitely a good idea. If you replace the Queen with Lolth anyway,
making his spider-like appearance a sign of her favor a good idea.

Post by Roger Bert
The Rod was designed apparently to kill Miska the Wolf-Spider and
was broken
into the seven parts
when it was used against him. It failed to kill him and the
Boxed Set
adventure was about collecting the rod so the Queen of
Chaos couldn't 'heal'
him with it. I don't see Lolth as such a caring
individual. I suppose some
drow forces might want to collect the rod to rival
Lolth's forces (perhaps
some of the Elder Elemental Eye cult) or maybe Lolth would
want to free
Miska for servitude.

The fact that he'd absorbed some of the essence of the Rod, and, as
such, is basically the only demon who could use its power for her, makes
healing him a pretty good idea, from a pragmatic standpoint. Even for
Lolth.

Post by Roger Bert
I am also looking for a fresh area to start the game in.
Typically I have
used the Verbobonc area heavy as well as started many games
in Furyondy or
Veluna. Think I am going to start them in Sunndi. One of
the players decided
his character was from Sunndi when he was brain storming on
concepts. I
mined the Sunndi LG site for some good information but it
all seems a few
years old. Is there much going on in Sunndi circa 598 to
600 CY?

Didn't Sunndi have an entire writeup in Dragon Magazine in one of those
flashback months during this era?


TJB

[Justin Hilyard]

Not anymore. Since the Age of Worms adventure path, the Rod's actually
been placed as having been left on Oerth (and retroactively, the Rod of
Seven Parts adventure as set there), though long before even the
Baklunish and Suloise were around. The war between the Wind Dukes and
the Queen of Chaos was rolled up into the ancient wars between the
forces of Law and Chaos that led to the fall of the Obyriths and the
rise of the Tanar'ri as the lords of the Abyss.

Post by Thor Thunderer
By this, all they mean is that the Rod's first mention was in
reference to that setting, not so much that it originated in
the Flanaess.

[Roger Bert]

So it seems that a Dungeon Magazine adventure path was written that tied up
a lot of the loose ends of the 2nd Edition boxed set. I don't believe I have
these issues but I will have to look in my closet to be sure. Was this
adventure a new take on the Rod of Seven Parts or just related to it?
Outside of this Dungeon Magazine series of adventures then I just have the
boxed set for answers?

Thanks.
-Roger

[Vest III, Robert W]

See my responses below:

-----Original Message-----
From: Roger Bert [mailto:***@ameritech.net]
"The Book of Artifacts says it came from the World of Greyhawk setting yet
there is no information to support this. Glancing through the material talk
s of the super elite Wind Dukes (aka Vaati) fighting some kind of eternal war with the Queen of Chaos.
Not very much is said about the Queen of Chaos outside of a few tidbits abo
ut her wanting to destroy the universe or some such nonsense."

First of all, let me direct you to Canonfire's very own Greyhawk wiki:
http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page Be sure to check the
"Bibliography" sections of each article for further reading.

Ro7P: http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=Rod_of_Seven_Parts
Wind Dukes: http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=Wind_Dukes_of_Aaqa
QoC: http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=Queen_of_Chaos

"So where is this Aaqa that the Wind Dukes are from? Is this another plane
(it seems so)?"

The Plane of Air: "The Vale of Aaqa is a secluded realm surrounded by prote
ctive mountains. It cannot be entered by any means except flight; even tele
portation is cut off," per http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=Wind_Dukes_of_Aaqa


"Where did this Battle of Pesh take place? Obviously Pesh but is it an alte
rnative prime material plane or some outer plane?"

Thanks to the AoW AP, Pesh has been placed north of the Nyr Dyv. Rift Canyo
n was formed when the Rod of Law was used on Miska the Wolf Spider.

"This general Miska the Wolf-Spider seems to be a powerful Demon Lord that
served the Queen of Chaos. Is Miska related at all to Oerth?

http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/index.php?title=Miska_the_Wolf-Spider