Warduke
Encyclopedia
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting
for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
roleplaying game, Warduke is a powerful human warrior
and a Hierarch of the Horned Society
. He sometimes works as a bounty hunter and assassin, and is heartless, cruel and short-tempered.
, a half-suit of blue chainmail
, and most notably, a helmet complete with "bat wing"-like ridges. His favored weapon is Nightwind (which is, in D&D 3rd edition, a +3 anarchic flaming burst human bane bastard sword). He also bears a fearsome eye fiendish graft.
may know each other. In 1983's The Shady Dragon Inn, Warduke is mentioned as being a member of the same adventuring party as an elf named "Peralay," both of whom had action figures for TSR's 1983 toy line. The fact that the Peralay figure was originally released under the name "Melf" and Warduke's retcon into Greyhawk
continuity provide a topic of apocryphal interest.
, until Warduke's descent into evil forced them to become fierce enemies.
Warduke came to prominence after the Greyhawk Wars
, spreading terror among the soldiers, fighting societies, and mercenaries of the Flanaess
, from the Solnor Ocean to the Barrier Peaks. Warduke was quickly recruited by the Unnameable Hierarch to aid in rebuilding the Horned Society
, and was eventually made a Hierarch himself.
It is worth noting, however, that a (unnamed) figure with Warduke's distinctive headgear appears on the cover of Dragon Magazine
#17, published by TSR
in 1978.
Warduke often was seen teamed with the villainous sorcerer Kelek, and even once appeared on the Dungeons & Dragons
animated TV series. In 2003, the staff of Dungeon magazine retcon
ned Warduke into Greyhawk
continuity.
.
Originally a close friend of Strongheart the paladin, the two became mortal enemies when exposed to a magical item called the Heartstone
, which brought Warduke's cruel nature to the fore. He is a close ally of a woman named Skylla, an evil wizard. Warduke is loved by one woman, a formerly good cleric named Raven, and hated by another, a good cleric named Mercion.
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...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
roleplaying game, Warduke is a powerful human warrior
Fighter (Dungeons & Dragons)
The fighter is one of the standard playable character classes in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A fighter is a versatile, weapons-oriented warrior who fights using skill, strategy and tactics....
and a Hierarch of the Horned Society
Horned Society
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Horned Society is a secret society devoted to evil and Devil worship...
. He sometimes works as a bounty hunter and assassin, and is heartless, cruel and short-tempered.
Description
Warduke is a muscular human, equipped with a skull-motif shieldShield
A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
, a half-suit of blue chainmail
Chainmail
Mail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh.-History:Mail was a highly successful type of armour and was used by nearly every metalworking culture....
, and most notably, a helmet complete with "bat wing"-like ridges. His favored weapon is Nightwind (which is, in D&D 3rd edition, a +3 anarchic flaming burst human bane bastard sword). He also bears a fearsome eye fiendish graft.
Relationships
There is some apocryphal evidence that Warduke and MelfMelf
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Melf, also known as Prince Brightflame, is a grey elven archmage, and was originally a player character of Lucion Paul Gygax in Gary Gygax's home campaign...
may know each other. In 1983's The Shady Dragon Inn, Warduke is mentioned as being a member of the same adventuring party as an elf named "Peralay," both of whom had action figures for TSR's 1983 toy line. The fact that the Peralay figure was originally released under the name "Melf" and Warduke's retcon into Greyhawk
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
continuity provide a topic of apocryphal interest.
History
Warduke's early life is unknown, as is his true identity, though rumors abound. One states that he was once firm friends with a noble paladinPaladin (Dungeons & Dragons)
The paladin is one of the standard playable character classes in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The paladin is a holy knight, crusading in the name of good and order, and is a divine spellcaster...
, until Warduke's descent into evil forced them to become fierce enemies.
Warduke came to prominence after 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:...
, spreading terror among the soldiers, fighting societies, and mercenaries of the 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...
, from the Solnor Ocean to the Barrier Peaks. Warduke was quickly recruited by the Unnameable Hierarch to aid in rebuilding the Horned Society
Horned Society
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Horned Society is a secret society devoted to evil and Devil worship...
, and was eventually made a Hierarch himself.
Creative origins
Warduke originated as a character for the Dungeons & Dragons toy line in the 1980s. Warduke originally appeared as a D&D action figure along with such other characters as Strongheart the paladin, Elkhorn the dwarf fighter, and Zarak the half-orc assassin. In a module featuring many of the characters from the toy line, Warduke and Strongheart were depicted as once having been good friends, until Warduke turned to evil.It is worth noting, however, that a (unnamed) figure with Warduke's distinctive headgear appears on the cover of Dragon Magazine
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#17, published by TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
in 1978.
Warduke often was seen teamed with the villainous sorcerer Kelek, and even once appeared on the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons (TV series)
Dungeons & Dragons is an American fantasy animated television series based on TSR's Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A co-production of Marvel Productions and TSR, the show originally ran from 1985 through 1987 for three seasons on CBS for a total of twenty seven episodes.The show focused on a...
animated TV series. In 2003, the staff of Dungeon magazine retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
ned Warduke into Greyhawk
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
continuity.
The Shady Dragon Inn
The Dungeons & Dragons accessory, The Shady Dragon Inn, provides a number of details on Warduke and other characters in the D&D and AD&D toy lines. However, as this accessory was published long before the character's retcon into Greyhawk, it is uncertain how accurate this information is in regards to canonCanon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
.
Originally a close friend of Strongheart the paladin, the two became mortal enemies when exposed to a magical item called the Heartstone
Heartstone
A heartstone is a fictional artifact common in dragon-related stories of high fantasy. It is a crystal of concentrated magic, and can be extracted from the heart of a slain dragon. It is believed that the heartstone is the source of a dragon's magic power, but this has never been proven definitively...
, which brought Warduke's cruel nature to the fore. He is a close ally of a woman named Skylla, an evil wizard. Warduke is loved by one woman, a formerly good cleric named Raven, and hated by another, a good cleric named Mercion.
Collectibles
Warduke collectibles include:- First series AD&D action figure (1983)
- Second series AD&D action figure, with "battle mattic" action (1984)
- A miniature unarticulated figure
- "Nightmare," Warduke's steed (1983)
- Warduke pencil sharpener, never released, though prototypes have turned up
- Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Coloring Books: The Lost Wand and Crown of Rulership (both 1983), featuring Warduke on the cover; Warduke also appears in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Coloring Books: Characters Coloring Book and The Rescue of Ringlerun (both 1983), though he is not on the cover
- Warduke Halloween costume
- Dungeons & Dragons Lazer Blazers, the "Warduke Collection," 3-D holographic stickers (1985)
- Dungeons & Dragons ColorformsColorformsColorforms, invented by Harry and Patricia Kislevitz, refer to a general type of vinyl adhesive toy set produced under the Colorforms brand.-Definition:...
Adventure Set - An AD&D "puffy sticker" featuring Warduke
- Dungeons & Dragons Puzzleforms
- Dungeons & Dragons Shrinky Dinks
- A Warduke Paint Master sculpture
- A Paint by Number set featuring Warduke
- In March 2006 a 'Warduke' miniature figurine was released in the War Drums set of the collectable miniatures game Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures.