Wastri
Encyclopedia
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting
for the Dungeons & Dragons
role-playing game
, Wastri is the Suloise
god of Amphibians, Bigotry, and Self-Deception. His symbol is a gray toad.
in Dragon
#71 (1983). Wastri was subsequently detailed in the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting
(1983).
Wastri is further detailed in The Scarlet Brotherhood (1999).
(2000).
(2004).
, who once imprisoned him beneath Castle Greyhawk
with eight other demigods. He despises the gods of the elves
, dwarves
, gnomes
, and halfling
s.
Wastri's relationship with the bullywug
deity Ramenos
, who also has large numbers of bullywug followers, is unknown.
In The Scarlet Brotherhood
by Sean K. Reynolds
, Wastri's base in the Vast Swamp is called the Temple of the Prophet. It is described as a motley collection of huts surrounding a stone ruin. His servants are noted to include bullywugs, grung, and other amphibious creatures. Wastri preaches to his followers, increasing their wrath over the iniquity of elves
, dwarves
, halfling
s, and gnomes
. Those humans who come to the Temple are dragged into the ruin and emerge months later with toadlike features and sometimes supernatural powers. "False humans" are impaled. Within a mile of the ruin, all amphibious creatures or creatures made amphibious by the ruin's power regenerate one hp per turn.
, orcs, and bullywug
s are fit to serve humanity as slaves; other races, like dwarves, elves, gnomes, and halflings, must be exterminated.
Wastri believes that amphibious living things are worthy of respect because of their ability to escape to water when the land is dangerous, and vice versa. The demigod admires this resourcefulness and urges his followers to emulate them by maintaining multiple refuges.
The Hopping Prophet's faith is an orderly one. His clerics stress the exaction of the rights and duties of each follower.
In the Sacred Polystery his cultists are divided into Hopefuls (those hoping to become clerics) and his Lesser Servants, who are clerics of various levels. Wastri's current high priest is Baranabas, who dwells within the Temple of the Prophet and guards it against intruders while his master is away.
. The one known as Wastri and one other were thought killed when the party entered a stone ruin half-buried in the muck, and nothing was heard from either student until the demigod Wastri revealed himself in 216 CY. The Brotherhood, disgusted by the demigod's amphibious, no-longer-human nature, privately declared him impure and never cooperated with his followers closely. In 505 CY, Wastri was captured and imprisoned in the Godtrap beneath Castle Greyhawk
by the mad archmage, Zagig Yragerne, and did not escape until decades later.
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...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, Wastri is the Suloise
Suloise
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the Suloise, also known as the "Suel," are one of the major races of humans inhabiting the Flanaess....
god of Amphibians, Bigotry, and Self-Deception. His symbol is a gray toad.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
Wastri was first detailed for the Dungeons & Dragons game in "The Deities and Demigods of the World of Greyhawk" by Gary GygaxGary 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....
in Dragon
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...
#71 (1983). Wastri was subsequently detailed 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...
(1983).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
Wastri was one of the deities described in the From the Ashes set (1992), for the Greyhawk campaign.Wastri is further detailed in The Scarlet Brotherhood (1999).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
Wastri's role in the 3rd edition Greyhawk setting was defined in the Living Greyhawk GazetteerLiving Greyhawk Gazetteer
The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is a sourcebook for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Despite the title, the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer is not exclusive to the Living Greyhawk Campaign...
(2000).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)
His priesthood is detailed for this edition in Complete DivineComplete Divine
Complete Divine is a supplemental rulebook for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game published by Wizards of the Coast...
(2004).
Description
Wastri appears as a human with froglike features, dressed in clothes of gray and yellow and wielding a glave-guisarme called Skewer of the Impure.Relationships
Wastri is amicable toward all human deities other than ZagygZagyg
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Zagyg is the god of Humor, Eccentricity, Occult Lore, and Unpredictability...
, who once imprisoned him beneath Castle Greyhawk
Castle Greyhawk
Castle Greyhawk is one of the central dungeon settings in the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. The Castle was originally developed by Gary Gygax for his own campaign and later detailed for publication...
with eight other demigods. He despises the gods of the elves
Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
, dwarves
Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for play as player characters...
, gnomes
Gnome (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, gnomes are one of the core races available for play as player characters. Some speculate that they are closely related to dwarves; however, gnomes are more tolerant of other races and of magic, and are skilled with illusions...
, and halfling
Halfling
Halfling is another name for J. R. R. Tolkien's Hobbit which can be a fictional race sometimes found in fantasy novels and games. In many settings, they are similar to humans except about half the size. Dungeons & Dragons began using the name halfling as an alternative to hobbit for legal reasons...
s.
Wastri's relationship with the bullywug
Bullywug
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the bullywug is a type of fictional monster for player characters to encounter. The bullywugs are portrayed as a violent race of marsh-dwelling frog-like humanoids. The bullywug was introduced in the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons...
deity Ramenos
Ramenos
In many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Ramenos is the bullywug deity of somnolence, intoxication, and decay.-Publication history:...
, who also has large numbers of bullywug followers, is unknown.
Realm
Wastri is said to dwell deep in the Vast Swamp, where he is served by bullywugs and warped humans in a fortress-temple called the Sacred Polystery. There, they breed frogs to look more human, and humans to look more like frogs.In The Scarlet Brotherhood
The Scarlet Brotherhood
The Scarlet Brotherhood is a regional sourcebook for the Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The sourcebook was written by Sean K. Reynolds, and published by TSR in 1999 for 2nd edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons...
by Sean K. Reynolds
Sean K. Reynolds
Sean K Reynolds is a professional game designer who has worked on and co-written a number of D&D supplements for Wizards of the Coast, as well as material for other companies. He does not put a period after his middle initial.-Background:...
, Wastri's base in the Vast Swamp is called the Temple of the Prophet. It is described as a motley collection of huts surrounding a stone ruin. His servants are noted to include bullywugs, grung, and other amphibious creatures. Wastri preaches to his followers, increasing their wrath over the iniquity of elves
Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
, dwarves
Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for play as player characters...
, halfling
Halfling
Halfling is another name for J. R. R. Tolkien's Hobbit which can be a fictional race sometimes found in fantasy novels and games. In many settings, they are similar to humans except about half the size. Dungeons & Dragons began using the name halfling as an alternative to hobbit for legal reasons...
s, and gnomes
Gnome (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, gnomes are one of the core races available for play as player characters. Some speculate that they are closely related to dwarves; however, gnomes are more tolerant of other races and of magic, and are skilled with illusions...
. Those humans who come to the Temple are dragged into the ruin and emerge months later with toadlike features and sometimes supernatural powers. "False humans" are impaled. Within a mile of the ruin, all amphibious creatures or creatures made amphibious by the ruin's power regenerate one hp per turn.
Dogma
Wastri teaches his worshippers that humans are superior to all other races. Some humanoid races such as goblinsGoblin (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, goblins are a very common and fairly weak race of evil humanoid monsters. Goblins and Kobolds are commonly non-human monsters that low-level player characters will face in combat. In D&D, goblins aren't smaller cousins of orcs, but are a part of...
, orcs, and bullywug
Bullywug
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the bullywug is a type of fictional monster for player characters to encounter. The bullywugs are portrayed as a violent race of marsh-dwelling frog-like humanoids. The bullywug was introduced in the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons...
s are fit to serve humanity as slaves; other races, like dwarves, elves, gnomes, and halflings, must be exterminated.
Wastri believes that amphibious living things are worthy of respect because of their ability to escape to water when the land is dangerous, and vice versa. The demigod admires this resourcefulness and urges his followers to emulate them by maintaining multiple refuges.
The Hopping Prophet's faith is an orderly one. His clerics stress the exaction of the rights and duties of each follower.
Worshippers
Wastri's faith is based from his lair in the Vast Swamp, though his followers have been found as far as the Hool Marshes, the Cold Marshes, and even in Greyhawk City. Old Wastrian temples have also been found within the Troll Fens.Clergy
The Hopping Prophet's followers are often cleric/monks who leap into battle with poisoned weapons. Wastri himself is accompanied by the Immaculate Image (his monk/high priest), a group of clerics called the Greater Servants, and a pair of huge toads.In the Sacred Polystery his cultists are divided into Hopefuls (those hoping to become clerics) and his Lesser Servants, who are clerics of various levels. Wastri's current high priest is Baranabas, who dwells within the Temple of the Prophet and guards it against intruders while his master is away.
Rituals
Wastri's ceremonies involve croaking chants, strange musical instruments, and ritual sacrifice.History
Wastri is rumored to have once been a mortal human. "Wastri" had been the name of a student of Kevelli Mauk, the founder of the Scarlet Brotherhood. In -418 CY, three years after the Rain of Colorless Fire, Mauk, with his students and slaves, was hiding in the Vast Swamp, on the run from OeridiansOeridians
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the Oeridians are a race of humans living in the Flanaess...
. The one known as Wastri and one other were thought killed when the party entered a stone ruin half-buried in the muck, and nothing was heard from either student until the demigod Wastri revealed himself in 216 CY. The Brotherhood, disgusted by the demigod's amphibious, no-longer-human nature, privately declared him impure and never cooperated with his followers closely. In 505 CY, Wastri was captured and imprisoned in the Godtrap beneath Castle Greyhawk
Castle Greyhawk
Castle Greyhawk is one of the central dungeon settings in the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. The Castle was originally developed by Gary Gygax for his own campaign and later detailed for publication...
by the mad archmage, Zagig Yragerne, and did not escape until decades later.
Additional reading
- Brown, Anne. Player's Guide to Greyhawk (TSR, 1998).
- Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online: http://www.wizards.com/rpga/downloads/LG_Deities.zip
- Gygax, GaryGary GygaxErnest 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....
, and Frank MentzerFrank MentzerJacob Franklin "Frank" Mentzer III , is an American fantasy author and game designer best known for his work on early materials for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He was a performing folk musician from 1968 to 1975, and played one concert at the White House during the...
. The Temple of Elemental Evil (TSRTSR, 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....
, 1985). - Living Greyhawk Journal no. 3 - "Gods of Oerth"