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| {{multiple issues| | | {{Person |
| {{refimprove|date=March 2013}}
| | | image = Rary.jpg |
| {{More footnotes|date=February 2008}}
| | | caption = Rary of Ket |
| }} | | | name = Rary |
| | | true name = Rary of Ket |
| | | alt_spelling = |
| | | titles = |
| | | aliases = Rary the Traitor |
| | | nicknames = Rary the Traitor |
| | | home = [[Bright Lands]] |
| | | formerhomes = [[Ket]] |
| | | gender = Male |
| | | race = [[Human]] ([[Baklunish]]) |
| | | occupation = |
| | | age = 86 (born 511 CY) |
| | | patron deity = |
| | | languages = |
| | | reckoning = |
| | | dob = |
| | | dobnotes = |
| | | turned = |
| | | turnednotes = |
| | | death = |
| | | deathnotes = |
| | | destroyed = |
| | | destroyednotes = |
| | | class2e = |
| | | alignment2e = Neutral Evil |
| | }} '''Rary of Ket''' is a powerful archmage and ruler of the Bright Lands, also known as Rary the Traitor. Rary was a member of the Circle of Eight but betrayed the Circle at the end of the Greyhawk Wars and was responsible for the deaths of Circle members Otiluke and Tenser. After his betrayal, Rary fled with his ally Lord Robilar to the Bright Desert, where he established the Empire of the Bright Lands. |
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| {{Greyhawk Character
| | ===Description=== |
| |image= [[Image:RaryTraitorCover.jpg|200px]]
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| |caption= Rary (right), depicted on the cover of ''[[Rary the Traitor]]'' ([[TSR, Inc.]], 1992)
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| |name=Rary
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| |home=[[Bright Lands]] (formerly [[Ket (Greyhawk)|Ket]])
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| |gender=Male
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| |race=Human (Baklunish)
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| |class=Wizard
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| |alignment= Neutral Evil
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| |age=86 (born 511 [[Common Year (Greyhawk)|CY]])
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| |universe=''[[World of Greyhawk]]''
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| }}
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| In the ''[[World of Greyhawk]]'' [[campaign setting]] for the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' [[roleplaying game]], '''Rary of Ket''' is a powerful archmage and ruler of the [[Bright Lands]], also known as ''Rary the Traitor''.
| | Rary is a man of mixed Baklunish and Suel stock, six feet tall, 170 lbs, with auburn hair, bright green eyes, and a tanned complexion who favors tan robes with intricate gold patterns. Rary is looking like a man in his fifties, having somehow reversed his aging by 30 years. The explanation was that this was not for reasons of vanity, but because Rary knows his current plans may take many decades to come to fruition and is prepared for every eventuality. |
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| In a storyline developed by [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]] for a resetting of the Greyhawk campaign in 1991, Rary, a member of the [[Circle of Eight]], betrayed the Circle at the end of the [[Greyhawk Wars]] and was responsible for the deaths of Circle members [[Otiluke]] and [[Tenser]]. After his betrayal, Rary fled with his ally [[Robilar|Lord Robilar]] to the [[Bright Desert]], where he established the [[Bright Lands|Empire of the Bright Lands]].
| | Rary's personality is given as thoughtfully contemplative. Apparently he dislikes those who acted foolishly or rashly, and Otiluke was a particular target of his scorn, though even Mordenkainen is characterized as too volatile for Rary's tastes. |
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| ==Development== | | ===History=== |
| [[Gary Gygax]], co-creator of the Dungeons & Dragon fantasy game, created a home campaign based in the [[World of Greyhawk]] in order to test new rules. His playtesters were friends and acquaintances, one of whom was [[Brian Blume]], co-owner with Gygax of the nascent game company [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]]. Rary was a low-level wizard created by Blume for play in Gygax's home campaign. However, Blume was not interested in developing the character into a high-powered wizard; he only played Rary until the wizard character reached 3rd-level and then retired him, having reached his objective, which was to be able to introduce the character as "Medium Rary".<ref>Gygax: "[Rary] was one that Brian Blume created early in the D&D cycle, a magic-user that Brian wanted to work up to 3rd level so as to introduce him as 'Medium Rary.' When he gained that level Brian quit playing that PC, pretty much dropped out of regularly playing D&D in fact."{{cite web | title = Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part X, Page 7) | publisher = EN World | date = 2006-05-29 | url = http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/161566-gary-gygax-q-part-x-7.html | accessdate = 2009-03-15}}</ref> Gygax borrowed the name "Rary" for the spells ''Rary's mnemonic enhancer'' and ''Rary's telepathic bond''. Ironically, the original Rary was never powerful enough to cast either of "his" spells.
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| Rary was not a member of Gygax's original [[Circle of Eight]], which was made up of eight of Gygax's own characters that he had developed during solo play, when his friend [[Robert J. Kuntz|Rob Kuntz]] acted as [[Dungeon Master]].<ref>Gygax: "The original [Circle of Eight] was composed of my PCs--Mordenkainen, Bigby, Yrag, Rigby, Felnorith, Zigby, Vram & Vin. In the novel version the Circle was expanded to encompass other PCs in my campaign such as Tenser. It came into being because Mordenkainen and Associates had a lot of wealth stored up from successful adventuring, located a place for a stronghold deep in enemy territory to assure plenty of action, and then went to work building the citadel." {{cite web | title = Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part IV, Page 9) | publisher = EN World | date = 2003-11-01 | url = http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/57832-gary-gygax-q-part-iv-9.html | accessdate = 2009-03-15}}</ref> However, after Gygax was ousted from TSR in 1985, the company took over creative control of the published Greyhawk setting, and took it in directions Gygax had not envisioned,<ref>Gygax: "Later TSR and [Wizards of the Coast] approaches to and treatment of the Greyhawk setting was quite contrary to the purpose for which I intended it when it was created."{{cite web | title = Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part XIII, Page 9) | publisher = EN World | date = 2007-04-25 | url = http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/193204-gary-gygax-q-part-xiii-9.html | accessdate = 2009-03-15}}</ref> including remaking Rary into a major Greyhawk personality.
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| In 1988, Rary's spells were included in the hard-cover ''[[Greyhawk Adventures]]''.<ref name="Dragon #143">{{cite journal| last = Bambra| first = Jim| authorlink = Jim Bambra| title = Role-playing Reviews| journal = [[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]| issue = #143| pages = 71–72| publisher = [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]]| location = [[Lake Geneva, Wisconsin]]|date=March 1989}}</ref> In 1989, in ''[[The City of Greyhawk]]'' boxed set, [[Carl Sargent]] and [[Douglas Niles]] took Gygax's original Circle of Eight and re-purposed the concept as a powerful collection of wizards dedicated to the proposition that no group or entity, no matter how good (or evil), should dominate the [[Flanaess]]. Gygax's own wizard, Mordenkainen, became the head of the Circle, while eight wizards from the Greyhawk campaign, made famous from their spells published in the original ''[[Players Handbook]]'', became the actual Circle.<ref>[[Douglas Niles|Niles, Douglas]], and [[Carl Sargent]]. ''The City of Greyhawk'' (TSR, 1989)</ref> Several of the wizards, including Rary, had not been particularly powerful characters in Gygax's home campaign, but in the new Greyhawk storyline, all of the Circle were dominant spell casters.
| | '''Early history''' |
| | Born around 511 CY in Ket, Rary was known as a quiet, dignified scholar and a skilled mediator and peacemaker. He was a living legend in his homeland, and held in the greatest respect by the Paynims, and would confer with their shamans and wise men, telling them tales of their past. The frequency of Paynim raids into Ket decreased dramatically because of his influence. He was apparently invited to join the Circle of Eight in or around 575 CY. |
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| ==Description==
| | '''Rary betrays the Circle''' |
| In material developed by Wizards of the Coast (WotC) in 1998 as a further update to the Greyhawk storyline, Rary was described as a man of mixed [[Baklunish]] and [[Suloise|Suel]] stock, six feet tall, 170 lbs, with auburn hair, bright green eyes, and a tanned complexion who favors tan robes with intricate gold patterns. Although originally described in TSR material as a man in his eighties, the new WotC storyline had Rary looking like a man in his fifties, having somehow reversed his aging by 30 years. The explanation was that this was not for reasons of vanity, but because Rary knows his current plans may take many decades to come to fruition and is prepared for every eventuality.
| | After a decade's careful deliberation, Rary decided that the Circle of Eight was too quarrelsome to ever be effective in its goals. On the day of the signing of the Treaty of Greyhawk, he tried to eliminate the Circle but only succeeded in killing Tenser and Otiluke. Simultaneously, Robilar besieged the castle of Tenser, sacking its treasures and destroying all of Tenser's known clones. Having largely failed in their quest to destroy the Circle, the two conspirators fled to the Bright Desert, where they founded a kingdom. |
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| Rary's personality is given as thoughtfully contemplative. Apparently he dislikes those who acted foolishly or rashly, and Otiluke was a particular target of his scorn, though even [[Mordenkainen]] is characterized as too volatile for Rary's tastes. | | '''Further plans''' |
| | Rary desire to recreate the ancient kingdom of Sulm by recovering an artifact known as the Scorpion Crown. |
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| ==History== | | ==Magic== |
| The following information is outlined in material developed for the Greyhawk campaign world by TSR and WotC between 1988 and 2008.
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| ===Origins===
| | Rary's spells usually involves psychic or mental powers |
| Born around 511 CY in [[Ket (Greyhawk)|Ket]], Rary was known as a quiet, dignified scholar and a skilled mediator and peacemaker. He was a living legend in his homeland, and held in the greatest respect by the [[Plains of the Paynims|Paynims]], and would confer with their shamans and wise men, telling them tales of their past. The frequency of Paynim raids into Ket decreased dramatically because of his influence. He was apparently invited to join the Circle of Eight in or around 575 [[Common Year (Greyhawk)|CY]].
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| ===Rary betrays the Circle===
| | * Rary's aptitude appropriator |
| After a decade's careful deliberation, Rary decided that the Circle of Eight was too quarrelsome to ever be effective in its goals. On the day of the signing of the [[Treaty of Greyhawk]], he tried to eliminate the Circle but only succeeded in killing Tenser and Otiluke. Simultaneously, [[Robilar]] besieged the castle of Tenser, sacking its treasures and destroying all of [[Tenser]]'s known clones. Having largely failed in their quest to destroy the Circle, the two conspirators fled to the Bright Desert, where they founded a kingdom.
| | * Rary's arcane conversion |
| | * Rary's empathic perception |
| | * Rary's interplanar telepathic bond |
| | * Rary's memory alteration |
| | * Rary's mind scan |
| | * Rary's mind shield |
| | * Rary's mnemonic enhancer |
| | * Rary's plane truth |
| | * Rary's protection from scrying |
| | * Rary's replay of the past |
| | * Rary's spell enhancer |
| | * Rary's superior spell enhancer |
| | * Rary's telepathic bond |
| | * Rary's urgent utterance |
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| ===Further plans=== | | ===Writings=== |
| In the ''[[Living Greyhawk]]'' campaign, Rary desired to recreate the ancient kingdom of [[Sulm (Greyhawk)|Sulm]] by recovering an artifact known as the Scorpion Crown. (Players of the campaign were often unwittingly employed as agents of Rary to help fulfill his goal.).<ref>{{cite book|author= Creighton Broadhurst |title=COR8-11 Restoration and Empire |publisher= Wizards of the Coast|date=June 2008}}</ref>
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| ==Spells==
| | Rary is responsible for authoring the following works: |
| When Gary Gygax developed new spells for Dungeons & Dragons, he often borrowed wizards' names to give the spell names more verisimilitude. He borrowed the name of Brian Blume's retired wizard for the spells ''Rary's mnemonic enhancer'', and ''Rary's telepathic bond'', which appeared in the original Dungeons & Dragons ''Players Handbook''.
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| Because Rary's two original spells seemed to involve psychic or mental powers, whenever a new spell was developed that involved these powers, authors often attributed them to Rary:
| | * Arcane Puissance of the Memory |
| *''Rary's aptitude appropriator''
| | * The Lost Spellbook of Rary the Traitor[7] |
| *''Rary's arcane conversion''
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| *''Rary's empathic perception''
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| *''Rary's interplanar telepathic bond''
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| *''Rary's memory alteration'' | |
| *''Rary's mind scan''
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| *''Rary's mind shield''
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| *''Rary's plane truth''
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| *''Rary's protection from scrying''
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| *''Rary's replay of the past''
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| *''Rary's spell enhancer'' | |
| *''Rary's superior spell enhancer''
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| *''Rary's urgent utterance''
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| ==Writings==
| | '''References''' |
| In a similar fashion, further background material on Rary has given him credit for authoring the following works:
| | <references /> |
| *''Arcane Puissance of the Memory''
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| *''The Lost Spellbook of Rary the Traitor''<ref>{{Citation | last = Bonny | first = Ed | title = Arcane Lore: The Lost Spellbook of Rary the Traitor | journal = Dragon | volume = #249 | year = 1998}}</ref>
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| ==Living Greyhawk campaign==
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| During the [[Living Greyhawk]] campaign, several adventures set in Rary's home region of [[Ket (Greyhawk)|Ket]] referred to him as ''Rary the Patriot'', and Ketite characters in these adventures sometimes tried to convince players that Rary was not evil, merely misunderstood.<ref>{{cite book | author= Stephen Baker | title= KET6-07 The Empty Post | publisher= Wizards of the Coast | date= November 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author= Lisa Liscoumb |title=KETINTRO5-01 Best Man for the Job |publisher= Wizards of the Coast|date=February 2005}}</ref>
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| ==References==
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| {{reflist}}
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| ==Further reading==
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| *Broadhurst, Creighton. "Into the Bright Desert." ''[[Dungeon (magazine)|Dungeon]]'' #98 ([[Paizo Publishing]], 2003).
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| *Broadhurst, Creighton, Paul Looby, and Stuart Kerrigan. "Mysterious Places: The Brightlands." Wizards of the Coast, 2004. Available online: [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=lg/lgmp/20040810a]
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| *[[David Cook (game designer)|Cook, David]]. "History of the Greyhawk Wars." ''[[Greyhawk Wars (game)|Wars]]'' (TSR, 1991). Available Online: [https://web.archive.org/web/20060206031911/http://www.nyrond.org/turbine/page/university/greyhawkwars.html]
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| **[[David Cook (game designer)|Cook, David]]. ''[[Vecna Lives!]]'' ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1990).
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| *[[Bruce Heard|Heard, Bruce]]. "Spells Between the Covers." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #82 (TSR, 1984).
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| *[[Gary Holian|Holian, Gary]], [[Erik Mona]], [[Sean K Reynolds]], and [[Frederick Weining]]. ''[[Living Greyhawk Gazetteer]]'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2000).
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| *[[Erik Mona|Mona, Erik]], and [[Gary Holian]]. "Wheels within Wheels: Greyhawk's Circle of Eight." ''[[Living Greyhawk Journal]]'' #0 (August 2000). Available online: [http://www.wizards.com/rpga/downloads/LGJcircleof8pdf.zip]
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| *[[Roger E. Moore|Moore, Roger E]]. ''[[Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins]]'' (TSR, 1998).
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| **Moore, Roger. ''[[Return of the Eight]]'' (TSR, 1998).
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| *[[Anthony Pryor|Pryor, Anthony]]. ''[[Rary the Traitor]]'' (TSR, 1992).
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| *[[Carl Sargent|Sargent, Carl]]. ''[[From the Ashes (Greyhawk)|From the Ashes]]'' (TSR, 1993).
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| *[[Jim Ward (game designer)|Ward, James M]]. ''[[Greyhawk Adventures]]'' (TSR, 1988).
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| *[[Skip Williams|Williams, Skip]], Penny Williams, [[Ari Marmell]], Kolja Raven Liquette. ''Complete Mage'' ([[Wizards of the Coast]], 2006).
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| {{D&D topics}}
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| [[Category:Fictional arcane spellcasters (Dungeons & Dragons)]]
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Template:Person Rary of Ket is a powerful archmage and ruler of the Bright Lands, also known as Rary the Traitor. Rary was a member of the Circle of Eight but betrayed the Circle at the end of the Greyhawk Wars and was responsible for the deaths of Circle members Otiluke and Tenser. After his betrayal, Rary fled with his ally Lord Robilar to the Bright Desert, where he established the Empire of the Bright Lands.
Description
Rary is a man of mixed Baklunish and Suel stock, six feet tall, 170 lbs, with auburn hair, bright green eyes, and a tanned complexion who favors tan robes with intricate gold patterns. Rary is looking like a man in his fifties, having somehow reversed his aging by 30 years. The explanation was that this was not for reasons of vanity, but because Rary knows his current plans may take many decades to come to fruition and is prepared for every eventuality.
Rary's personality is given as thoughtfully contemplative. Apparently he dislikes those who acted foolishly or rashly, and Otiluke was a particular target of his scorn, though even Mordenkainen is characterized as too volatile for Rary's tastes.
History
Early history
Born around 511 CY in Ket, Rary was known as a quiet, dignified scholar and a skilled mediator and peacemaker. He was a living legend in his homeland, and held in the greatest respect by the Paynims, and would confer with their shamans and wise men, telling them tales of their past. The frequency of Paynim raids into Ket decreased dramatically because of his influence. He was apparently invited to join the Circle of Eight in or around 575 CY.
Rary betrays the Circle
After a decade's careful deliberation, Rary decided that the Circle of Eight was too quarrelsome to ever be effective in its goals. On the day of the signing of the Treaty of Greyhawk, he tried to eliminate the Circle but only succeeded in killing Tenser and Otiluke. Simultaneously, Robilar besieged the castle of Tenser, sacking its treasures and destroying all of Tenser's known clones. Having largely failed in their quest to destroy the Circle, the two conspirators fled to the Bright Desert, where they founded a kingdom.
Further plans
Rary desire to recreate the ancient kingdom of Sulm by recovering an artifact known as the Scorpion Crown.
Magic
Rary's spells usually involves psychic or mental powers
- Rary's aptitude appropriator
- Rary's arcane conversion
- Rary's empathic perception
- Rary's interplanar telepathic bond
- Rary's memory alteration
- Rary's mind scan
- Rary's mind shield
- Rary's mnemonic enhancer
- Rary's plane truth
- Rary's protection from scrying
- Rary's replay of the past
- Rary's spell enhancer
- Rary's superior spell enhancer
- Rary's telepathic bond
- Rary's urgent utterance
Writings
Rary is responsible for authoring the following works:
- Arcane Puissance of the Memory
- The Lost Spellbook of Rary the Traitor[7]
References