Blackmoor (Greyhawk)

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In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Blackmoor, properly known as the Archbarony of Blackmoor, is a political state of the Flanaess.

1 History
2 Geography
3 People
4 Government
- 4.1 Heraldry
5 Economy
- 5.1 Resources
- 5.2 Currency
6 Transportation
7 Military
8 Creative Origins
9 Notes
10 References
11 See also

[edit] History

[edit] Geography

Modern Blackmoor is generally located in the northwestern portion of the Flanaess. It is a small and inhospitable realm lying almost completely within the boundaries of the northern reaches of the Cold Marshes. The Burneal Forest forms a western boundary of sorts, while the Land of Black Ice does the same to the north.

As of 591 CY, the most populous town is Dantredun (pop. 700) on the edge of the Burneal. Blackmoor Town, the original capital of the archbarony, was conquered and destroyed in 541 CY by the "Egg of Coot", a mysterious being with a significant amount of magical power at his disposal. The "town" that serves as the Egg's home contains a number of automata (some reports place the number as high as 200), though very few living beings (if any) reside there.

[edit] People

[edit] Population

As of 591 CY, the population of Blackmoor totaled 110,000 persons. Almost 40% of these inhabitants are humans of predominantly Flan and Oeridian stock, although some Suel and Baklunish can be found as well. Another 20% comprise orcish tribes that roam the region (some under the control of the Egg of Coot, some not). A slightly smaller percentage of halflings is also present, while elves, gnomes, half-orcs, half-elves, and other races make up the remainder of the population in increasingly smaller percentages.

[edit] Religion

There is no one significant religion or groups of religions among the inhabitants of Blackmoor. There is such a diversity of peoples, both in terms of race and nation of origin, that no form of worship holds sway.

[edit] Languages

The most widely-spoken languages in Blackmoor include Common, Flan, Orcish, Halfling, Elven, and Gnomish.

[edit] Government

The actual structure of Blackmoor's government is unknown. His Luminous Preponderancy, Archbaron Bestmo of Blackmoor claims the title of "archbaron", and with it, rule over the ten underbaronies of the region. However, Teuod Fent, formerly of the Bandit Kingdoms, has claimed Ramshorn Castle as his own, and with it the title of "baron". Nonhuman tribes also roam the area, though their allegiances are usually only to themselves.

The national capital is Dantredun (the seat of Bestmo's power).

[edit] Heraldry

Blackmoor's coat of arms is blazoned thus: Per fess gules and water proper, a tower on a hill, all sable.

[edit] Economy

[edit] Resources

Blackmoor is noted for producing walrus ivory, copper, and average-quality gems.

[edit] Currency

Blackmoor does not currently have a standard system of coinage. Explorers, however, have found many standard coinage types (gold, silver, and copper pieces) in odd shapes and sizes, and for the most part, these are used as "standard" currency throughout the realm.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Military

[edit] Creative Origins

The original Blackmoor began life in the early 1970s as the personal setting of Dave Arneson, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, first as a setting for Arneson's miniature wargames, then as an early testing ground for what would become D&D. Though published in booklet form by Tactical Studies Rules (TSR) in 1975, as the second supplement to D&D (the first being Greyhawk), Blackmoor actually predates Greyhawk as a campaign setting, a fact which Gary Gygax acknowledged in the foreword to the Blackmoor supplement.^[1]

Blackmoor as a location within the Greyhawk setting came about both as an inside-joke by Gygax, and as a way for him to acknowledge his fellow writers' creations (Len Lakofka's Lendore Isles occupy a similar position in the world). Having certain locations exist across multiple DM's campaign settings also became a convenient way to explain how player characters such as Mordenkainen (Gygax's character) and Robilar (Rob Kuntz's character) could be adventuring in Blackmoor's City of the Gods at one sitting, while exploring the dungeons of Castle Greyhawk the next.