Bright Desert

The Bright Desert and environs, as depicted on the Lazzaretti map (2005).

The Bright Desert is a desert located in the central Flanaess. The Bright Desert is independent of the control of any external nation, but in later years is significantly organized under the control of Rary the Traitor,

Ecology

The Bright Desert extends from the Abbor-Alz 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.

Prominent flora include the vampire cactus.

Inhabitants

The Bright Desert is inhabited by Flan and Suel tribesmen, as well as hueleneaer centaurs, manscorpions, and dune stalkers.

Features and settlements

The Bright Desert contains only one major geographical feature, the Brass Hills in its south-western region.

Ul Bakak, 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 nations 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 scorpion, 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, set in 576 CY, Gary Gygax writes only that the Bright Desert is the land that lies beyond the Abbor-Alz, and that its peoples are unfriendly.

The Bright Lands

In 584 CY, Rary betrayed the Circle of Eight at the Day of 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 marshalled the local tribes to create a nation-state (Cook, Wars). 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. 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. Rumors continue to spread that Rary seeks some artifact in the desert ruins.

External links

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.

• Canonfire

References

Bibliography

• Broadhurst, Creighton. "Into the Bright Desert." Dungeon #98. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2003.
• Broadhurst, Creighton, Paul Looby, and Stuart Kerrigan. "Mysterious Places: The Brightlands." Wizards of the Coast. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2004. Available online:[1]
• Brown, Anne. Player's Guide. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
• Cook, David. "History of the Greyhawk Wars." Wars. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1991. Available online:[2]
• Gygax, Gary. World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.
• Hammack, Allen. The Ghost Tower of Inverness. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1980.
• Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
• Howery, David. "Ghazal." Dungeon #30. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1991.
• Mona, Erik. "Reflections in Silica: Sulm and Itar." Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, unpublished. Available online: [3]
• Moore, Roger E. The Adventure Begins. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.

———. Return of the Eight. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.

• Niles, Douglas, and Carl Sargent. The City of Greyhawk. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.
• Pryor, Anthony. Rary the Traitor. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.
• Reynolds, Sean K. The Star Cairns. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
• Reynolds, Sean K, and Chris Pramas. Slavers. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
• Sargent, Carl. Ivid the Undying. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995. Published online. PDF by William Allman with maps. Original RTF archived:Wizards.com. WGR7 or WGRx
• Ward, James M. Greyhawk Adventures. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1988.

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
Bright Desert	Region		C2 the Ghost Tower of Inverness	2
Bright Desert	Region		The City of Greyhawk: Adventure Cards	8, 9
Bright Desert	Region		The City of Greyhawk: Gem of the Flanaess	19
Bright Desert	Region		Dragon magazine #057	13
Bright Desert	Region		Dragon magazine #191	68
Bright Desert	Region		Dragon magazine #209	11
Bright Desert	Region		Dragon magazine #249	90, 91, 94
Bright Desert	Region		Dragon magazine #290	98
Bright Desert	Region		Dragon magazine #293	90
Bright Desert	Region		Dragon magazine #299	99
Bright Desert	Region		Dungeon magazine #030	22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28
Bright Desert	Region		From the Ashes: Atlas of the Flanaess	9, 10, 61
Bright Desert	Region		From the Ashes: Campaign Book	11, 13, 31, 32, 37, 85
Bright Desert	Region		From the Ashes: References Card	#14
Bright Desert	Region		Greyhawk Adventures	22, 74, 80, 91, 92
Bright Desert	Region		Greyhawk Wars: Adventurer's Book	17, 24
Bright Desert	Region		TSR Jam 1999	12
Bright Desert	Region		Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e	71
Bright Desert	Region		Living Greyhawk Gazetteer	13, 16, 17, 38, 51, 125, 126, 143, 144, 154, 157
Bright Desert	Region		Living Greyhawk Journal #0	7
Bright Desert	Region		Living Greyhawk Journal #3	13, 15, 26
Bright Desert	Region		Living Greyhawk Journal #4	1, 23
Bright Desert	Region		Player's Guide to Greyhawk	9, 11, 23, 51
Bright Desert	Region		Return of the Eight	59
Bright Desert	Region		S1 Tomb of Horrors	2
Bright Desert	Region		S1-4 Realms of Horror, Adventure Booklet	6
Bright Desert	Region		Slavers, AD&D 2e	2, 7, 37, 38, 43, 45, 60
Bright Desert	Region		Saga of Old City	6, 288
Bright Desert	Region		The Adventure Begins	4, 6, 37, 48, 49, 51, 55, 97
Bright Desert	Region		The Adventure Begins: Adventure Maps	2, 4, 5, 13
Bright Desert	Region		Tomb of Horrors (Revised), D&D 3.5e	2
Bright Desert	Region		LT1 The Star Cairns	IC, 2, 4, 13, 38
Bright Desert	Region		WG5 Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure	24
Bright Desert	Region		WGA4 Vecna Lives!	6
Bright Desert	Region		The World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting (Folio)	20, 21
Bright Desert	Region		WGR3 Rary the Traitor	2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 12-17, 21, 23, 27, 30-33, 60, 62, 63
Bright Desert	Region		WGR4 The Marklands	35
Bright Desert	Region		WGR5 Iuz the Evil	5, 37
Bright Desert	Region		World of Greyhawk boxed set (1983)	48, 60
Bright Desert	Region		World of Greyhawk boxed set (1983)	15
Ghazal (Bright Desert)	Settlement	Defensive Structure,	Dungeon magazine #030	22-30
Holy Star of the Bright Desert	Item		Greyhawk Adventures	80