Category: Audio Story

The Book of Incarum

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Flight of Fiends: Chapter 1

Thomas Kelly

The time is come that you should know my name. Or at the least, the name by which I am best known. Have you not already guessed the truth? Is my seeming so cunning?

Yes. I am called Bigby.

You have heard that name before. If not the man himself, then the work of his hands. And since this night is given to truth, and you have returned unscathed from the malice of Molag, let there be no more riddling between us. If you can abide a sober telling, I shall unfold for you the hidden cause of your perilous errand. Hear now the tale of the Flight of Fiends. Fear not. I shall be brief, for I am no minstrel, nor gleeman. Yet inasmuch as you have now set your foot upon this chessman’s board and played your stroke in the great game, it is meet and right that you should know the part appointed to you and how Istis weaves your fate in her designs.

First, hear what is written in the Word of Incarum. Therein the Bishop of Veluna showed me the whole tale in words brief and obscure. This is the bones of it.

When the gods yet walked upon Oerth, and the powers of truth and right yet strove openly against the One that Slumbers, that dread contest of wills waxed so grievous that even the blessed Rao—lover of peace and keeper of stillness—was drawn forth from his meditations and compelled to light upon the field of battle.

Continue reading “The Book of Incarum” →

Flight of Fiends

I consider the “flight of fiends” that occurs between the Greyhawk Wars and the declaration of the Great Northern Crusade to be the most significant event to occur in the Flanaess. It’s scope and implications for the world of Greyhawk are enormous. In my mind, it’s on the scale of the War of the Rings and the destruction of the One Ring, a watershed moment when the plots of Iggwilv and Graz’zt (lived vicariously though their son Iuz) and the deviltry behind Ivid’s undead fever dream of an empire all go down the dung hole at once.

It doesn’t mean the end of great adventures and heroic deeds in the struggle against evil and malice, but rather the beginning of real hope in such ventures. It’s the turning of the tide. Only after the flight of fiends does the balance tip toward hope for pushing back the foul armies of Dorakka, prevailing against the arrogance of the Hierarchs, liberating the fallen lands from the giant hordes that stormed Geoff, shaking free from the conspiracies of Scarlet brotherhood, and putting a stop to cancerous corrupting collapse of the Malachite Throne.

But the story does not begin in the Carl Sargent Era. It begins in primordial times with the gift of Rao: a simple shepherd’s staff. I’ve been collecting the lore and putting it together in my head. Now its time to start writing it down.

Greyhawk Stories Patreon members are invited to enjoy early access to an initial draft of chapter one (audio version and text) from from the new saga, Flight of Fiends. The story begins with the a tale from The Book of Incarum that describes a long-forgotten battle between Deva Incarum and the spawn of the Slumbering One.

Again, this is a rough draft version, and initial pass at the tale. There’s room for lots of improvement. I’m always eager to entertain thoughts, suggestions, and corrections. Eventually, a finished draft will make its way to the free content hosted here on Greyhawkstories, but Patreon gives me a chance to test drive the material before committing to a final form.

Thanks for reading Greyhawkstories.com

Witch Queen of Perrenland (Audio)

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The story of how Iggwilv conquered Perrenland, controlled that land from the Caverns of Tsojcanth, and ultimately fell from power is now available in audio. Using the magic of AI narration from Eleven Labs, this is the first official Greyhawk Stories audio story release, available only to Patreon Members. If you aren’t a Patreon Member, you can become one at https://www.patreon.com/cw/greyhawkstories

If you prefer to read the story yourself, you can find it as the third installment in Kirt Wackford’s series Knights of the Hart.

Click on the image before to get to the audio story.