Bright Desert
Encyclopedia
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting
for the Dungeons & Dragons
roleplaying game, the Bright Desert is a fictional desert
located in the central Flanaess
. The Bright Desert is independent of the control of any external nation, and has been significantly organized under the control of Rary the Traitor
, though its enemies (among whom it counts The Free City of Greyhawk
, The Duchy of Urnst
, and The Circle of Eight) do not acknowledge it as a nation.
The desert itself gives way to scrub near the Abbor-Alz.
Temperatures in the desert can reach 120°F and can dip into the low 30s during the night. Sandstorms are not uncommon.
It contains only one major geographical feature, the Brass Hills in its south-western region.
and Suel
) tribesmen, as well as centaurs
, manscorpions, and dune stalkers.
Ulbakak, a neutral oasis and trade village, lies in the west.
, and his people into manscorpions and dune stalkers. The land itself was even changed, transformed into a vast wasteland now known as the Bright Desert.
In the 1983, A Guide to the World of Greyhawk booklet in the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting
boxed set, Gary Gygax
writes only that the Bright Desert is the land that lies beyond the Abbor-Alz, and that its peoples are unfriendly. This note corresponds to 576 CY.
at the Day of the Great Signing in Greyhawk, which marked the end of the Greyhawk Wars
. When his attempt to disrupt the signing failed, he fled into the Bright Desert with his co-conspirator, Robilar
, and marshaled the local tribes and began to create their own nation-state. Robilar went on foot with those troops that followed Rary while Rary transported his tower in Ket
to the middle of the Bright Desert.
This new kingdom, The Empire of the Bright Lands (or simply Bright Lands), is held under the tyrannical control of Rary and Robilar who have systematically used their small army and mercenary soldiers to defeat tribes of local nomads and subjugate them under his rule. His armies are now large and powerful enough to defend this young nation. Rumors continue to spread that he seeks some artifact in the desert ruins.
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
roleplaying game, the Bright Desert is a fictional desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
located in the central Flanaess
Flanaess
The Flanaess is the eastern part of the continent of Oerik, one of the four continents of the fictional world of Oerth in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. The Flanaess has been the setting of dozens of adventures published between the 1970s...
. The Bright Desert is independent of the control of any external nation, and has been significantly organized under the control of Rary the Traitor
Rary
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Rary of Ket is a powerful archmage and ruler of the Bright Lands, also known as Rary the Traitor....
, though its enemies (among whom it counts The Free City of Greyhawk
Free City of Greyhawk
The Free City of Greyhawk, also known as Greyhawk City and the "Gem of the Flanaess," is a fictional city-state in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
, The Duchy of Urnst
Duchy of Urnst
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the Duchy of Urnst, properly known as the Duchy Palatine of Urnst, is a political state of the Flanaess.-Geography:...
, and The Circle of Eight) do not acknowledge it as a nation.
Ecology
The Bright Desert extends from the Abbor-Alz (a rugged range of hills) to the north and east to the Woolly Bay to the west, and to the Sea of Gearnat to the south.The desert itself gives way to scrub near the Abbor-Alz.
Temperatures in the desert can reach 120°F and can dip into the low 30s during the night. Sandstorms are not uncommon.
It contains only one major geographical feature, the Brass Hills in its south-western region.
Inhabitants
The Bright Desert is inhabited by FlanFlan (Greyhawk)
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the Flan are a race of humans living in the Flanaess. The Flan peoples were the first humans known to have settled the eastern portion of the continent of Oerik, the Flanaess, which is named for them...
and Suel
Suel
Suel may refer to:*Suel, ancient name for Fuengirola, Spain*Suloise, a fictitious human race in Dungeons & Dragons...
) tribesmen, as well as centaurs
Centaur (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the centaur is a large monstrous humanoid. Based upon the Centaurs of Greek myth, they resemble humans with the lower body of a horse.-Publication history:...
, manscorpions, and dune stalkers.
Features and settlements
The Bright Desert contains only one major geographical feature, the Brass Hills in its south-western region.Ulbakak, a neutral oasis and trade village, lies in the west.
History
The Bright Desert was once a fertile land occupied by a number of nations, the most powerful being Sulm and Itar. In -700 CY, the Kingdom of Sulm was destroyed by its last king, Shattados, who used the power of a dark artifact known as the Scorpion Crown in an attempt to gain perpetual dominion over his subjects. Instead, the crown turned Shattados into a gigantic scorpionScorpion
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
, and his people into manscorpions and dune stalkers. The land itself was even changed, transformed into a vast wasteland now known as the Bright Desert.
In the 1983, A Guide to the World of Greyhawk booklet in the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting
World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting
The World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting and the World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting are two closely related publications from TSR, Inc. that detail the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
boxed set, Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
writes only that the Bright Desert is the land that lies beyond the Abbor-Alz, and that its peoples are unfriendly. This note corresponds to 576 CY.
The Bright Lands
In 584 CY, Rary betrayed the Circle of EightCircle of Eight
The Circle of Eight is a fictional group of wizards in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. The Circle was originally created by Gary Gygax around 1975 as an alliance of most of his Dungeons & Dragons characters...
at the Day of the Great Signing in Greyhawk, which marked the end of the Greyhawk Wars
Greyhawk Wars
In the Dungeons & Dragons World of Greyhawk campaign setting, the Greyhawk Wars raged across the whole of the Flanaess from 582-584 CY.-History:...
. When his attempt to disrupt the signing failed, he fled into the Bright Desert with his co-conspirator, Robilar
Robilar
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Robilar is a powerful warrior who serves as commander of Rary's forces in the Empire of the Bright Lands...
, and marshaled the local tribes and began to create their own nation-state. Robilar went on foot with those troops that followed Rary while Rary transported his tower in Ket
Ket (Greyhawk)
Ket is a political state in the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Because it lies in the only gap in the north-south spine of mountains that divides the eastern Flanaess from the western Baklunish Basin, Ket is a nexus of important trade...
to the middle of the Bright Desert.
This new kingdom, The Empire of the Bright Lands (or simply Bright Lands), is held under the tyrannical control of Rary and Robilar who have systematically used their small army and mercenary soldiers to defeat tribes of local nomads and subjugate them under his rule. His armies are now large and powerful enough to defend this young nation. Rumors continue to spread that he seeks some artifact in the desert ruins.