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{{Greyhawk Character
{{Character
|image=
|image         = [[Image:Gord01.jpg|250px]]
|caption=
|caption       = Gord the Rogue, as depicted on the cover of ''[[Saga of Old City]]'' (1985). Art by Clyde Caldwell.
|name=Gord
|name           =
|home=[[Free City of Greyhawk]]
|truename      = Carl Quapardus
|gender=Male
|alt_spelling  =
|race=Human
|alias          = Blackcat
|class=Thief-Acrobat
|title          = Master thief
|alignment=Neutral
|occupation    = Adventurer, previously: burglar
|age=
|home           = [[Free City of Greyhawk]]
|universe=''[[World of Greyhawk]]''
|formerhome    =
|alignment      = Neutral
|gender         = Male
|race           = [[Human]]
|ethnicity      =
|class         = Thief-Acrobat
|patron deity  = [[Cat Lord]]
|languages      =
|parents        = Karal and Ataleena Carona
|spouses        =
|siblings      =
|children      =  
|age           =
|dob            =
|death          =
|raised        =  
|turned        =
|destroyed      =  
}}
}}
'''Gord the Rogue''' is a young thief who reluctantly becomes a crusader for neutrality. Gord the Rogue is also the name of the series of books written by [[Gary Gygax]] that continued the story of Gord once Gygax left TSR.


==Description==
'''Gord the Rogue''' is a young thief who reluctantly becomes a crusader for neutrality. He was also known by the appellation '''Blackcat''' while active as a burglar in the [[Free City]]—a name "coined by victims who had caught a glimpse of his inky form," though essentially no one knew the two were the same.{{cite dragon|100|28, 29, 31, 32|At Moonset Blackcat Comes}}
Gord is small for a human, a hand's breath above five feet tall, slender and wiry. His eyes are iron-gray in color. He has black hair and olive-toned skin (which allows him to fit in among the [[Rhennee]]).


==Early History==
''Gord the Rogue'' is also the name of the series of novels written by [[Gary Gygax]] which continued the story of Gord once Gygax left TSR.  
Gord was born Carl Quapardus. His father, [[Karal Quapardus|Karal]], was the grandson of the seventh son of Rexfelis, the [[Cat Lord]]. Karal, through his own merit, ascended to the status of Prince of Panthers, but he deserted the realm of the Balance for the world of [[Oerth]] for the sake of his love, [[Ataleena Carona]]. A violet-eyed human with second sight and distant elvish blood, Ataleena was the last in a long line of female seers. Betrayed by their own kin, Ataleena and Karal were slain by the forces of evil. The orphaned Carl was raised in [[Free City of Greyhawk|Greyhawk's]] Old City by a brutal woman called Leena, who renamed him Gord.


==Series overview==
== Description ==
The series follows the progress of the orphan beggar Gord, from his lowly youth to celestial heights as the avatar of the Balance. These books appealed to a largely male readership, with writing styles reminiscent of Fritz Liber's ''Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser'' series. Gord is somewhat less than heroic, but his early mentors, [[Gellor]] and [[Curley Greenleaf]], continually steer him toward honorable ends. Eventually Gord is revealed to have a kinship with the enigmatic Cat Lord.  The series also spawned a collection of short stories. The books also provide some world details otherwise missing from the first edition ''Greyhawk'' campaign [[World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting|box set]].
Gord is small for a human, a hand's breath above five feet tall, slender and wiry. His eyes are iron gray in color. He has black hair and olive-toned skin (which allows him to fit in among the [[Rhennee]]).


===Individual novels===
== Early history ==
*''Saga of Old City'' was the first novel in TSR's Greyhawk Adventures series. It starts in Gord's childhood, and ends with his triumphant return to [[Free City of Greyhawk|Greyhawk City]] as a young man and master thief. He learns his trade in the 'beggars' guild', and gets involved in the gang war touched off by the beggars encroaching on the official thieves' guild's territory. Gord travels and has a variety of swashbuckling adventures, ranging from participating in a war to liberating a young noblewoman held hostage.
Gord was born Carl Quapardus. His father, [[Karal Quapardus|Karal]], was the grandson of the seventh son of Rexfelis, the [[Cat Lord]]. Karal, through his own merit, ascended to the status of Prince of Panthers, but he deserted the realm of the Balance for the world of [[Oerth]] for the sake of his love, [[Ataleena Carona]]. A violet-eyed human with second sight and distant [[elf|elvish]] blood, Ataleena was the last in a long line of female seers. Betrayed by their own kin, Ataleena and Karal were slain by the forces of evil. The orphaned Carl was raised in [[Free City of Greyhawk|Greyhawk's]] [[Old City]] by a brutal woman called Leena, who renamed him Gord.


*''Night Arrant'' is a collection of nine short stories about Gord's adventures, in his early twenties, in the City of Greyhawk.  
== Series overview ==
The series of novels follows the progress of the orphan beggar Gord, from his lowly youth to his ascension as an avatar of [[Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)#True neutral|Balance]]. Gord begins his career with less than heroic motives, but early mentors Gellor the bard and druid Curley Greenleaf continually steer him toward honorable ends. Eventually Gord is revealed to have a kinship with an enigmatic deity named the [[Cat Lord]].


*''Artifact of Evil'' is a continuation of ''Saga of Old City''. This is the second, and final, Greyhawk Adventures novel written by Gygax that was published through TSR. An ancient artifact of world-shattering power is uncovered. It is up to Gord and his companions to try and stop this artifact of evil from falling into the wrong hands.
The series, originally designed to provide some social and descriptive details about Gygax's [[Greyhawk]] campaign world that he had not been able to fit into the limited space of either the 1980 folio edition or the 1983 boxed set, were written in a pulp "swords and sorcery" style reminiscent of [[Fritz Leiber]]'s ''[[Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser]]'' short stories. Gygax, who understood D&D appealed more to a male demographic,<ref>Gygax: As I have often said, I am a biological determinist, and there is no question that male and female brains are different. It is apparent to me that by and large females do not derive the same inner satisfaction from playing games as a hobby that males do. It isn't that females can't play games well, it is just that it isn't a compelling activity to them as is the case for males.{{Cite web  | title = Gary Gygax Q&A (Part V, page 7)  | publisher = ENWorld  | date = 2004-01-25  | url = http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/71486-gary-gygax-q-part-v-7.html  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110614222728/http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/71486-gary-gygax-q-part-v-7.html  | archive-date = 2011-06-14  | url-status = dead  }}</ref> wrote the novels for that readership.


*''Sea of Death'' has Gord traveling far afield to the [[Sea of Dust]], on a quest for a '[[Theorpart]]', hidden in a lost city. He must face rivals sent by [[demon lord]]s; the psychopathic dwarf [[Obmi]], who serves [[Zuggtmoy]], and the [[drow]] priestess [[Eclavdra]], serving [[Graz'zt]]. He meets and falls in love with [[Leda]], a clone of Eclavdra. Leda and Gord part at the end of the book as she returns to the [[Abyss]], impersonating Eclavdra in Graz'zt's service for the sake of higher ideals.
=== Novels ===
The novels are written as an episodic collection, and would be difficult to read out of order.


*''City of Hawks'' is a retelling of the events that occurred in ''Saga of Old City''. Gord's rise from simple begger to master thief are detailed as is his search for his heritage
[[File:Gord02.png|thumb|250px|Gord the Rogue depicted by Roberto Campos, ''The Return of Gord'', ''[[Dragmag|Dragon]]'' magazine #344, p46 ]]
'''''Note:''' It should be made clear only the first two novels were officially published material from the IP holder (TSR) at the time. <br />
''The remaining novels, while written by [[Gary Gygax]], were published independently by New Infinities Entertainment and are not official Greyhawk content, making them "apocrypha", and are viewed variously by fans as part of Greyhawk or not.''
==== Novels from TSR ====
* '''''[[Saga of Old City]]''''' (1985)
: The first novel in TSR's "Greyhawk Adventures" series. It details the "origin" of Gord of Greyhawk, starting in Gord's childhood and ending with his triumphant return to [[Free City of Greyhawk|Greyhawk City]] as a young man and master thief. He learns his trade in the [[Guild of Beggars|Beggars' Guild]], and gets involved in the gang war touched off by the beggars encroaching on the official thieves' guild's territory. Gord travels and has a variety of swashbuckling adventures, ranging from participating in a war to liberating a young noblewoman held hostage.
:The novel contains excellent detail on the City of Greyhawk itself, as well as additional information about the [[County of Urnst]], [[Ratik]], the [[Bandit Kingdoms]], [[Knurl]], [[Theocracy of the Pale]] and others. Gord meets up with boon companions [[Chert]], [[Gellor]] and [[Curly Greenleaf]], and together they venture into the [[Cairn Hills]], where they slay a [[cataboligne]] [[demon]] and discover a relic of great importance.


*''Come Endless Darkness'' continues where ''Sea of Death'' left off and has Gord continuing his quest to stop [[Tharizdun]] & [[Lord Entropy]] from taking over the multiverse.
* '''''[[Artifact of Evil]]''''' (1986)
: A continuation of ''Saga of Old City''. This is the second, and final, "Greyhawk Adventures" novel written by Gygax that was published through TSR. An ancient artifact of world-shattering power is uncovered. It is up to Gord and his companions to try and stop this artifact of evil from falling into the wrong hands.


*''Dance of Demons'' is the finale, in which Gord and Gellor enter the Abyss, on a mission from the world's most powerful forces of Balance, to retrieve the remaining Theorparts. The goal is nothing less than to free Tharizdun, the long-imprisoned god of ultimate evil and entropy, and to finally destroy him.
==== Novels from New Infinities Productions ====
* '''''[[Sea of Death]]''''' (1987)
: Gord travels far afield to the [[Sea of Dust]] on a quest for a '[[Theorpart]]', hidden in a lost city. He must face rivals sent by [[demon lord]]s—the psychopathic dwarf [[Obmi]], who serves [[Zuggtmoy]], and the [[drow]] priestess [[Eclavdra]], serving [[Graz'zt]]. He meets and falls in love with [[Leda]], a clone of Eclavdra. Leda and Gord part at the end of the book as she returns to the [[Abyss]], impersonating Eclavdra in Graz'zt's service for the sake of higher ideals.


===Uncollected Short Stories===
* '''''[[Night Arrant]]''''' (1987)
*"At Moonset Blackcat Comes" is an early tale of Gord and his friend [[Chert]], accepting a mission for the Cat Lord.
: A collection of nine short stories chronicling, among other things, the time period between ''Saga of Old City'' and ''Artifact of Evil'', with Gord in his early twenties, set largely in the [[Free City]].  ''Night Arrant'' provides a wide variety of outlooks on Gord's world, and features several intriguing characters and situations. The first story, "The Weird Occurance at Odd Alley," was meant for publication the newly-TSR-owned "Amazing Stories" magazine, though this failed to materialize.


*"Evening Odds," which appeared in an anthology of fiction inspired by Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion mythos, takes place some time after the events of ''Dance of Demons.'' Gord has been deposed from his position as the new Cat Lord and is traveling the alternate realities as a Champion of Balance. In the course of the story he upsets a plot by the archfiend [[Baphomet]] on modern [[Earth]].
* '''''[[City of Hawks]]''''' (1987)
: A prequel to ''Saga of Old City'', and details Gord's rise from simple beggar to master thief are detailed as is his search for his heritage.  Much of its action runs parallel to that novel. Herein, we discover clues to Gord's origin, travel to the [[Plane of Shadow|Demiplane of Shadow]] and learn of the Balance, a group of neutral-minded crusaders for the delicate balance of [[Oerth]]'s celestial power.  


*"The Return of Gord" is a caper story set during Gord's days as a master thief in the City of Greyhawk.
* '''''[[Come Endless Darkness]]''''' (1988) 
: This novel continues where ''Sea of Death'' left off. Gord becomes a Champion of the Balance and, with Gellor and Chert, he journeys to the [[Abyss]] to rescue [[Leda]], who has taken [[Eclavdra]]'s position in the clergy of [[Graz'zt]]. Their quest to stop evil and chaos from taking over the multiverse continues.  A great war is fought in the Abyss, and several well-known demons make their first (and final) appearance, here. A hugely-powerful being known as Lord Entropy throws in his lot with the Lords of Balance, though he is little trusted.


==Bibliography==
* '''''[[Dance of Demons]]''''' (1990)
*Gygax, Gary. ''Artifact of Evil''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1986.
: The finale, in which Gord (as the "Champion of Balance") and Gellor enter the [[Abyss]], on a mission from the world's most powerful forces of Balance, to retrieve the remaining [[Theorpart]]s. The goal is nothing less than to free [[Tharizdun]], the long-imprisoned god of ultimate evil and entropy, and to finally destroy him.
*-----. "At Moonset Blackcat Comes: A Tale of Gord of Greyhawk." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #100. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1985.
*-----. ''City of Hawks''. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1987.
*-----. ''Come Endless Darkness''. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1988.
*-----. ''Dance of Demons'. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1988.
*-----. "Evening Odds." ''Pawn of Chaos''. Clarkson, GA: White Wolf Publishing, 1996.
*-----. ''Night Arrant''. Delavan, WI: New Infinities,, 1987.
*-----. ''Saga of Old City''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1985.
*-----. ''Sea of Death''. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1987.


*Gygax, Gary, and K. R. Bourgoine. "The Return of Gord." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #344. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2006.
=== Uncollected short stories ===


==External links==
* "'''At Moonset Blackcat Comes'''"  (Aug 1985)
*[http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/gordmain.html Chris Siren's Gord's Greyhawk].  
: This short story is an early tale of Gord and his friend [[Chert]] accepting a mission for the [[Cat Lord]]. Published in [[dragmag|Dragon]] #100. It was the first published story of Gord and was a preview of sorts for ''Saga of Old City'' which was coming out at the same time. It takes place between ''Saga of Old City'' and ''Artifact of Evil''.  


*[http://dyx.home.tlink.de/gordnoveldescriptions.txt Txt-file with summaries by Paul Stormberg].
* "'''Evening Odds'''" (1996)
: Takes place sometime after the events of ''Dance of Demons.'' Gord has been deposed from his position as the new Cat Lord and is traveling the alternate realities as a Champion of Balance. In the course of the story he upsets a plot by the archfiend [[Baphomet]] on modern [[Earth]]. Published in ''Pawn of Chaos: Tales of the Eternal Champion'', an anthology of fiction, each inspired by the mythos created by Michael Moorcock.  


* "'''The Return of Gord'''" (June 2006)
: A caper story set during Gord's days as a master thief in the City of Greyhawk. Published in ''[[dragmag|Dragon]]'' #344.


==Publication history==
[[File:GordNovelLogo01.png|250px|thumb|The logo of the Gord the Rogue novel series by [[Gary Gygax]], c.1987.]]
Even before ''Saga of Old City'' rolled off the presses in November 1985, Gygax wrote a sequel, ''[[Artifact of Evil]]''. He also authored a short story, "At Moonset Blackcat Comes", that appeared in the special 100th issue of ''Dragon'' magazine in August 1985. This introduced Gord the Rogue to gamers just before ''Saga of Old City'' was scheduled to be released.<ref name=blackcat>{{cite magazine| last = Gygax | first = Gary | authorlink=Gary Gygax | title = At Moonset Blackcat Comes | journal = Dragon | issue = 100| pages = 22-32| publisher = TSR | location = Lake Geneva WI | date = August 1985}}</ref>
However, at the same time, various board members of TSR had different visions of the company's future, which caused a power struggle, and Gygax resigned all positions with TSR, Inc. in October 1986 and settled his disputes with TSR in December 1986.<ref name="Dragon122">Gygax, Gary 1987. "From the Sorcerer's Scroll", ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' 122:40 (Jun 1987)</ref>. By the terms of his settlement with TSR, Gygax kept the rights to Gord the Rogue as well as all D&D characters whose names were anagrams or plays on his own name (for example, [[Yrag]] and [[Zagyg]]).<ref>{{cite web | title = Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part IX, Page 91) | publisher = EN World | date = October 20, 2005 | url = http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/125997-gary-gygax-q-part-ix-91.html | access-date = March 15, 2009 | quote = Anagrams of my name are exclusively my property according to my settlement agreement with TSR, so that is how I can use Zagyg, or Zagig, as well as Yrag. | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120319233434/http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/125997-gary-gygax-q-part-ix-91.html | archive-date = March 19, 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
After Gygax left TSR in 1985, he continued to write several more ''Gord the Rogue'' novels, which were published by [[New Infinities Productions]]—''Sea of Death'' (1987), ''Night Arrant'' (1987), ''City of Hawks'' (1987), ''Come Endless Darkness'' (1988), and ''Dance of Demons'' (1988). In Gygax's absence, however, TSR moved the Greyhawk storyline in new directions and the line of ''Greyhawk Adventures'' novels (without Gord the Rogue) continued, authored by [[Rose Estes]]. In a literary declaration that he did not appreciate that direction, that his version of Oerth was over, and wanting to make a clean break with all things Greyhawk and D&D, Gygax destroyed his version of Oerth in the final Gord the Rogue novel, ''Dance of Demons''.<ref>{{cite web | title = Q&A with Gary Gygax | publisher = EN World | date = 2004-11-19 | url = https://www.enworld.org/threads/q-a-with-gary-gygax.22566/post-1864775 | accessdate = April 16, 2025 |quote='''Q:''' After you left TSR, you finished the Gord the Rogue books. At the end of the cycle, Oerth bites the bullet. Was this your way of saying that Greyhawk is dead and that fans should turn away from TSR's version with disdain?" '''Gygax''': "More my way of saying that since T$R had killed the setting with trash releases, it was time to wipe out the shame by obliterating the setting. Of course, I left a means of restoring it hidden within in the Gord story saga. }}</ref>
==Reception==
The most frequent commendation the series receives is as a source of setting material for Greyhawk.  The details of various nations and locations throughout the [[Flanaess]] are often not found elsewhere.  And especially the depiction of the [[Free City of Greyhawk]] is a very clear and unrivaled view of Gygax's take on the city and of the rest of the world.<ref name=goodreads>{{cite web |title= Saga of Old City |url=https://goodreads.com/book/show/729234.Saga_of_Old_City__Greyhawk_Adventures___1_ | format= |work=Goodreads.com |publisher= |date= |dateformat= |accessdate=20 August 2025 |postscript= }}</ref>
The series is sometimes criticized for its descriptions of female characters, and for being written in the overly complicated prose for which [[Gary Gygax]] is well-known.  As one might expect because fantasy fiction almost did not exist at the time, much of the plot feels like a depiction of an adventure or "a bunch of DnD scenarios" where one can see game rules used as narrative details and "almost pinpoint the moment after each adventure when Gord levels up," as one reviewer states it.<ref name=goodreads />
Another criticism is that Gord seems to be a "Gary Stu" (or male "Mary Sue") characters and that "it's clear that Gord is the author's Precious."<ref name=goodreads />
In a 2021 ''Io9'' series revisiting older ''Dungeons & Dragons'' novels, Rob Bricken described Gord as "a young street urchin who rises from poverty and imprisonment to become one of the greatest thieves on the planet" and goes on to say that "Gygax also revels in the misery he can inflict upon Gord".  He described Gord's adventures as "a series of ho-hum ''D&D'' game sessions" with "no overarching plot" or and "no emotional growth". Bricken felt that the novel and its plot were "all terrible, but it might be mitigated if Gord weren't so ''deeply'' unlikeable".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bricken|first=Rob|date=May 31, 2021|title=Dungeons & Dragons & Novels: Revisiting Gary Gygax's Saga of Old Town|url=https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-novels-revisiting-gary-gygaxs-sag-1846976859|access-date=2021-06-04|website=io9|language=en-us}}</ref>  Bricken commented after reading ''Artifact of Evil'' that "even in this mortal realm, where I've devoted my life to watching bad movies and reading bad books, reading more about Gord feels like a zero-sum game to me".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bricken|first=Rob|date=March 25, 2022|title=Dungeons & Dragons & Novels: Revisiting Artifact of Evil|url=https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-and-dragons-gary-gygax-greyhawk-artifact-of-ev-1848694236 |access-date=2022-04-08|website=io9|language=en-us}}</ref>
== External links ==
{{External link disclaimer}}
*<!-- OLD LINK BEFORE SITE RESTORED ON GHO [https://web.archive.org/web/20040901194923/http://home.comcast.net:80/~chris.s/gordmain.html Chris Siren's Gord's Greyhawk],  web.archive.org, Date Accessed: October 11, 2015 -->
*[https://greyhawkonline.com/gordmain/ Krista Siren's "Gord's Greyhawk"] on GreyhawkOnline.com.
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20160927045509/http://dyx.home.tlink.de:80/gordnoveldescriptions.txt Txt-file with summaries by Paul Stormberg],  web.archive.org, Date Accessed: September 27, 2016
==References==
====Citations====
<references />
====Bibliography====
* [[Gygax, Gary]]. ''Artifact of Evil''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1986.
:———. "At Moonset Blackcat Comes: A Tale of Gord of Greyhawk." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #100. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1985.
:———. ''City of ''Hawks''. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1987.
:———. ''Come Endless Darkness''. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1988.
:———. ''Dance of Demons'. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1988.
:———. "Evening Odds." ''Pawn of Chaos''. Clarkson, GA: White Wolf Publishing, 1996.
:———. ''Night Arrant''. Delavan, WI: New Infinities,, 1987.
:———. ''Saga of Old City''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1985.
:———. ''Sea of Death''. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1987.
* Gygax, Gary, and K. R. Bourgoine. "The Return of Gord." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #344. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2006.
{{index}}
{{wikipedia}}
[[Category:Human characters]]
[[Category:Rogues]]
[[Category:Thieves]]
[[Category:Characters of the City of Greyhawk]]
[[Category:Characters of the Domain of Greyhawk]]
[[Category:Novels]]
[[Category:Apocryphal sources]]
[[Category:Apocryphal sources]]
[[Category:Greyhawk characters]]

Latest revision as of 08:44, 20 August 2025

Greyhawk Character
Gord the Rogue
Gord the Rogue, as depicted on the cover of Saga of Old City (1985). Art by Clyde Caldwell.
Names and titles
True name:Carl Quapardus
Alias(es):Blackcat
Title(s):Master thief
General info
Occupation:Adventurer, previously: burglar
Home:Free City of Greyhawk
Alignment:Neutral
Gender:Male
Species:Human
Class:Thief-Acrobat
Patron deity:Cat Lord
Family
Parents:Karal and Ataleena Carona

Gord the Rogue is a young thief who reluctantly becomes a crusader for neutrality. He was also known by the appellation Blackcat while active as a burglar in the Free City—a name "coined by victims who had caught a glimpse of his inky form," though essentially no one knew the two were the same.[1]

Gord the Rogue is also the name of the series of novels written by Gary Gygax which continued the story of Gord once Gygax left TSR.

Description

Gord is small for a human, a hand's breath above five feet tall, slender and wiry. His eyes are iron gray in color. He has black hair and olive-toned skin (which allows him to fit in among the Rhennee).

Early history

Gord was born Carl Quapardus. His father, Karal, was the grandson of the seventh son of Rexfelis, the Cat Lord. Karal, through his own merit, ascended to the status of Prince of Panthers, but he deserted the realm of the Balance for the world of Oerth for the sake of his love, Ataleena Carona. A violet-eyed human with second sight and distant elvish blood, Ataleena was the last in a long line of female seers. Betrayed by their own kin, Ataleena and Karal were slain by the forces of evil. The orphaned Carl was raised in Greyhawk's Old City by a brutal woman called Leena, who renamed him Gord.

Series overview

The series of novels follows the progress of the orphan beggar Gord, from his lowly youth to his ascension as an avatar of Balance. Gord begins his career with less than heroic motives, but early mentors Gellor the bard and druid Curley Greenleaf continually steer him toward honorable ends. Eventually Gord is revealed to have a kinship with an enigmatic deity named the Cat Lord.

The series, originally designed to provide some social and descriptive details about Gygax's Greyhawk campaign world that he had not been able to fit into the limited space of either the 1980 folio edition or the 1983 boxed set, were written in a pulp "swords and sorcery" style reminiscent of Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser short stories. Gygax, who understood D&D appealed more to a male demographic,[2] wrote the novels for that readership.

Novels

The novels are written as an episodic collection, and would be difficult to read out of order.

Gord the Rogue depicted by Roberto Campos, The Return of Gord, Dragon magazine #344, p46

Note: It should be made clear only the first two novels were officially published material from the IP holder (TSR) at the time.
The remaining novels, while written by Gary Gygax, were published independently by New Infinities Entertainment and are not official Greyhawk content, making them "apocrypha", and are viewed variously by fans as part of Greyhawk or not.

Novels from TSR

The first novel in TSR's "Greyhawk Adventures" series. It details the "origin" of Gord of Greyhawk, starting in Gord's childhood and ending with his triumphant return to Greyhawk City as a young man and master thief. He learns his trade in the Beggars' Guild, and gets involved in the gang war touched off by the beggars encroaching on the official thieves' guild's territory. Gord travels and has a variety of swashbuckling adventures, ranging from participating in a war to liberating a young noblewoman held hostage.
The novel contains excellent detail on the City of Greyhawk itself, as well as additional information about the County of Urnst, Ratik, the Bandit Kingdoms, Knurl, Theocracy of the Pale and others. Gord meets up with boon companions Chert, Gellor and Curly Greenleaf, and together they venture into the Cairn Hills, where they slay a cataboligne demon and discover a relic of great importance.
A continuation of Saga of Old City. This is the second, and final, "Greyhawk Adventures" novel written by Gygax that was published through TSR. An ancient artifact of world-shattering power is uncovered. It is up to Gord and his companions to try and stop this artifact of evil from falling into the wrong hands.

Novels from New Infinities Productions

Gord travels far afield to the Sea of Dust on a quest for a 'Theorpart', hidden in a lost city. He must face rivals sent by demon lords—the psychopathic dwarf Obmi, who serves Zuggtmoy, and the drow priestess Eclavdra, serving Graz'zt. He meets and falls in love with Leda, a clone of Eclavdra. Leda and Gord part at the end of the book as she returns to the Abyss, impersonating Eclavdra in Graz'zt's service for the sake of higher ideals.
A collection of nine short stories chronicling, among other things, the time period between Saga of Old City and Artifact of Evil, with Gord in his early twenties, set largely in the Free City. Night Arrant provides a wide variety of outlooks on Gord's world, and features several intriguing characters and situations. The first story, "The Weird Occurance at Odd Alley," was meant for publication the newly-TSR-owned "Amazing Stories" magazine, though this failed to materialize.
A prequel to Saga of Old City, and details Gord's rise from simple beggar to master thief are detailed as is his search for his heritage. Much of its action runs parallel to that novel. Herein, we discover clues to Gord's origin, travel to the Demiplane of Shadow and learn of the Balance, a group of neutral-minded crusaders for the delicate balance of Oerth's celestial power.
This novel continues where Sea of Death left off. Gord becomes a Champion of the Balance and, with Gellor and Chert, he journeys to the Abyss to rescue Leda, who has taken Eclavdra's position in the clergy of Graz'zt. Their quest to stop evil and chaos from taking over the multiverse continues. A great war is fought in the Abyss, and several well-known demons make their first (and final) appearance, here. A hugely-powerful being known as Lord Entropy throws in his lot with the Lords of Balance, though he is little trusted.
The finale, in which Gord (as the "Champion of Balance") and Gellor enter the Abyss, on a mission from the world's most powerful forces of Balance, to retrieve the remaining Theorparts. The goal is nothing less than to free Tharizdun, the long-imprisoned god of ultimate evil and entropy, and to finally destroy him.

Uncollected short stories

  • "At Moonset Blackcat Comes" (Aug 1985)
This short story is an early tale of Gord and his friend Chert accepting a mission for the Cat Lord. Published in Dragon #100. It was the first published story of Gord and was a preview of sorts for Saga of Old City which was coming out at the same time. It takes place between Saga of Old City and Artifact of Evil.
  • "Evening Odds" (1996)
Takes place sometime after the events of Dance of Demons. Gord has been deposed from his position as the new Cat Lord and is traveling the alternate realities as a Champion of Balance. In the course of the story he upsets a plot by the archfiend Baphomet on modern Earth. Published in Pawn of Chaos: Tales of the Eternal Champion, an anthology of fiction, each inspired by the mythos created by Michael Moorcock.
  • "The Return of Gord" (June 2006)
A caper story set during Gord's days as a master thief in the City of Greyhawk. Published in Dragon #344.

Publication history

The logo of the Gord the Rogue novel series by Gary Gygax, c.1987.

Even before Saga of Old City rolled off the presses in November 1985, Gygax wrote a sequel, Artifact of Evil. He also authored a short story, "At Moonset Blackcat Comes", that appeared in the special 100th issue of Dragon magazine in August 1985. This introduced Gord the Rogue to gamers just before Saga of Old City was scheduled to be released.[3]

However, at the same time, various board members of TSR had different visions of the company's future, which caused a power struggle, and Gygax resigned all positions with TSR, Inc. in October 1986 and settled his disputes with TSR in December 1986.[4]. By the terms of his settlement with TSR, Gygax kept the rights to Gord the Rogue as well as all D&D characters whose names were anagrams or plays on his own name (for example, Yrag and Zagyg).[5]

After Gygax left TSR in 1985, he continued to write several more Gord the Rogue novels, which were published by New Infinities Productions—Sea of Death (1987), Night Arrant (1987), City of Hawks (1987), Come Endless Darkness (1988), and Dance of Demons (1988). In Gygax's absence, however, TSR moved the Greyhawk storyline in new directions and the line of Greyhawk Adventures novels (without Gord the Rogue) continued, authored by Rose Estes. In a literary declaration that he did not appreciate that direction, that his version of Oerth was over, and wanting to make a clean break with all things Greyhawk and D&D, Gygax destroyed his version of Oerth in the final Gord the Rogue novel, Dance of Demons.[6]

Reception

The most frequent commendation the series receives is as a source of setting material for Greyhawk. The details of various nations and locations throughout the Flanaess are often not found elsewhere. And especially the depiction of the Free City of Greyhawk is a very clear and unrivaled view of Gygax's take on the city and of the rest of the world.[7]

The series is sometimes criticized for its descriptions of female characters, and for being written in the overly complicated prose for which Gary Gygax is well-known. As one might expect because fantasy fiction almost did not exist at the time, much of the plot feels like a depiction of an adventure or "a bunch of DnD scenarios" where one can see game rules used as narrative details and "almost pinpoint the moment after each adventure when Gord levels up," as one reviewer states it.[7]

Another criticism is that Gord seems to be a "Gary Stu" (or male "Mary Sue") characters and that "it's clear that Gord is the author's Precious."[7]

In a 2021 Io9 series revisiting older Dungeons & Dragons novels, Rob Bricken described Gord as "a young street urchin who rises from poverty and imprisonment to become one of the greatest thieves on the planet" and goes on to say that "Gygax also revels in the misery he can inflict upon Gord". He described Gord's adventures as "a series of ho-hum D&D game sessions" with "no overarching plot" or and "no emotional growth". Bricken felt that the novel and its plot were "all terrible, but it might be mitigated if Gord weren't so deeply unlikeable".[8] Bricken commented after reading Artifact of Evil that "even in this mortal realm, where I've devoted my life to watching bad movies and reading bad books, reading more about Gord feels like a zero-sum game to me".[9]

Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "At Moonset Blackcat Comes".  Dragon #100 (Aug 1985), p.28, 29, 31, 32.
  2. ↑ Gygax: As I have often said, I am a biological determinist, and there is no question that male and female brains are different. It is apparent to me that by and large females do not derive the same inner satisfaction from playing games as a hobby that males do. It isn't that females can't play games well, it is just that it isn't a compelling activity to them as is the case for males.Gary Gygax Q&A (Part V, page 7). ENWorld , 2004-01-25.
  3. ↑ Gygax, Gary (August 1985). "At Moonset Blackcat Comes". Dragon. No. 100. Lake Geneva WI: TSR. pp. 22–32.
  4. ↑ Gygax, Gary 1987. "From the Sorcerer's Scroll", Dragon 122:40 (Jun 1987)
  5. ↑ Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part IX, Page 91). EN World , October 20, 2005. "Anagrams of my name are exclusively my property according to my settlement agreement with TSR, so that is how I can use Zagyg, or Zagig, as well as Yrag."
  6. ↑ Q&A with Gary Gygax. EN World , 2004-11-19. Retrieved on April 16, 2025. "Q: After you left TSR, you finished the Gord the Rogue books. At the end of the cycle, Oerth bites the bullet. Was this your way of saying that Greyhawk is dead and that fans should turn away from TSR's version with disdain?" Gygax: "More my way of saying that since T$R had killed the setting with trash releases, it was time to wipe out the shame by obliterating the setting. Of course, I left a means of restoring it hidden within in the Gord story saga."
  7. ↑ a b c Saga of Old City. Goodreads.com. Retrieved on 20 August 2025.
  8. ↑ Bricken, Rob. Dungeons & Dragons & Novels: Revisiting Gary Gygax's Saga of Old Town (in en-us). io9.
  9. ↑ Bricken, Rob. Dungeons & Dragons & Novels: Revisiting Artifact of Evil (in en-us). io9.

Bibliography

  • Gygax, Gary. Artifact of Evil. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1986.
———. "At Moonset Blackcat Comes: A Tale of Gord of Greyhawk." Dragon #100. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1985.
———. City of Hawks. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1987.
———. Come Endless Darkness. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1988.
———. Dance of Demons'. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1988.
———. "Evening Odds." Pawn of Chaos. Clarkson, GA: White Wolf Publishing, 1996.
———. Night Arrant. Delavan, WI: New Infinities,, 1987.
———. Saga of Old City. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1985.
———. Sea of Death. Delavan, WI: New Infinities, 1987.
  • Gygax, Gary, and K. R. Bourgoine. "The Return of Gord." Dragon #344. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2006.

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic Type Description Product Page/Card/Image

Blackcat {Gord the Rogue} Non-player character Reference SEE Gord the Rogue {Blackcat}
Gord the Rogue {Blackcat} Non-player character Artifact of Evil 33, 36, 274, 279
Gord the Rogue {Blackcat} Non-player character Artifact of Evil All
Gord the Rogue {Blackcat} Non-player character Come Endless Darkness All
Gord the Rogue {Blackcat} Non-player character City of Hawks All
Gord the Rogue {Blackcat} Non-player character Dance of Demons All
Gord the Rogue {Blackcat} Non-player character Dragon magazine #093 23, 24
Gord the Rogue {Blackcat} Non-player character Dragon magazine #100 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32
Gord the Rogue {Blackcat} Non-player character Dragon magazine #344 46-55
Gord the Rogue {Blackcat} Non-player character Dragon magazine #AN2 99
Gord the Rogue {Blackcat} Non-player character Night Arrant 67, 277, 278, 280-285, 287-289, 292, 294, 295, 300-302, 305
Gord the Rogue {Blackcat} Non-player character Night Arrant All
Gord the Rogue {Blackcat} Non-player character Sea of Death 58
Gord the Rogue {Blackcat} Non-player character Sea of Death All
Gord the Rogue {Blackcat} Non-player character Saga of Old City All
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