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{{Infobox book series
| name            =
| image            =
| image_caption    = Cover of ''[[Saga of Old City]]'', the first ''Greyhawk Adventures'' novel, and the first featuring "Gord the Rogue".
| books            = {{plainlist|
* [[Saga of Old City]] (1985)
* [[Artifact of Evil]] (1986)
* Sea of Death (1987)
* Night Arrant (1987, short stories)
* City of Hawks (1987)
* Come Endless Darkness (1988)
* Dance of Demons (1988)
}}
| author          = [[Gary Gygax]]
| editors          =
| title_orig      =
| translator      =
| illustrator      =
| cover_artist    = [[Clyde Caldwell]]
| country          = USA
| language        = English
| discipline      = <!-- or |genre= -->
| publisher        = [[TSR, Inc.]], [[New Infinities Productions]]
| pub_date        = 1985 - 1988
| english_pub_date =
| media_type      =
| number_of_books  =
| list_books      =
| oclc            =
| preceded by      =
| followed by      =
| website          =
}}
{{Greyhawk Character
{{Greyhawk Character
|image=  
|image=[[Image:Gord01.jpg]]
|caption=
|caption=Gord the Rogue, as depicted on the cover of ''[[Saga of Old City]]'' (1985). Art by Clyde Caldwell.
|name=Gord the Rogue
|name=Gord
|home=[[Free City of Greyhawk]]
|home=[[Free City of Greyhawk]]
|gender=Male
|gender=Male
|race=Human
|race=Human
|class=[[Thief-acrobat|Thief-Acrobat]]
|class=Thief-Acrobat
|alignment=Neutral
|alignment=Neutral
|age=
|age=
|universe=''[[World of Greyhawk]]''
|universe=''[[World of Greyhawk]]''
}}
}}
'''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.


'''Gord the Rogue''' is the protagonist in a series of fantasy novels and short stories written by [[Gary Gygax]]. Gygax originally wrote the novels and short stories to promote his ''[[World of Greyhawk]]'' [[campaign setting]] for the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' [[role-playing game]]. After he left [[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], Gygax continued to write ''Gord the Rogue'' novels for several years. In all of these works, the plot revolves around the adventures of a young man named Gord who rises from humble origins in the slums of a large city on the planet [[Oerth]] to become a powerful force trying to stave off the takeover of Oerth by demons.
==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]]).


==Publication history==
==Early History==
One of the factors that contributed to the success of the ''[[Dragonlance]]'' setting when it was published in 1984 was a popular series of concurrent novels by [[Tracy Hickman]] and [[Margaret Weis]]. Gary Gygax, the developer of the [[World of Greyhawk]] campaign setting, realized that novels set in Greyhawk could have a similar benefit for his recently published ''World of Greyhawk'' boxed set, so he wrote ''[[Saga of Old City]]'', the first in a series of novels that would be published under the banner ''Greyhawk Adventures''. The protagonist was Gord the Rogue, and this first novel told of his rise from the Slum Quarter of the city of Greyhawk to become world traveller and thief extraordinaire. The novel was designed to promote sales of the boxed set by providing colourful details about the social customs and peoples of various cities and countries in a region called the [[Flanaess]].
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.
 
Even before ''Saga of Old City'' rolled off the presses in November 1985, Gygax wrote a sequel, ''[[Artifact of Evil]]''. He also wrote 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>{{cite journal | last = Gygax | first = Gary | authorlink=Gary Gygax | title = At Moonset Blackcat Comes | journal = Dragon | issue = 100| page = 22| publisher = TSR | location = Lake Geneva WI | date = August 1985}}]</ref>
 
However, at the same time, various factions within TSR with different visions of the company's future caused a power struggle, and Gygax was forced out on December 31, 1985. 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>Gygax: "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."{{cite web | title = Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part IX, Page 91) | publisher = EN World | date = 2005-10-20 | url = http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/125997-gary-gygax-q-part-ix-91.html | accessdate = 2009-03-15}}</ref>
 
After Gygax left TSR in 1985, he continued to write a few 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 that Gygax didn't appreciate, and the line of ''Greyhawk Adventures'' novels (without Gord the Rogue) continued to be written by [[Rose Estes]]. In a literary declaration that his old world of Oerth was dead, 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>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."{{cite web | title = Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part VII, page 2) | publisher = EN World | date = 2004-11-19 | url = http://www.enworld.org/forum/archive-threads/104817-gary-gygax-q-part-vii-2.html | accessdate = 2009-03-15}}</ref>


==Series overview==
==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)#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 Catlord.
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]].
 
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 believed D&D would always only appeal 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  | accessdate = }}</ref> wrote the novels for that readership.


===Individual novels===
===Individual novels===
''[[Saga of Old City]]'' was the first novel in [[TSR, Inc.|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. He travels and has a variety of swashbuckling adventures, ranging from participating in a war to liberating a young noblewoman held hostage.
*''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.


''[[Artifact of Evil]]'' is a continuation of ''Saga of Old City''. This was the final novel under TSR's ''Greyhawk Adventures'' banner that was written by Gygax. An ancient artifact is uncovered, whose power could destroy their world. It is up to Gord and his companions to try to stop this artifact of evil from falling into the wrong hands.
*''Night Arrant'' is a collection of nine short stories about Gord's adventures, in his early twenties, in the City of Greyhawk.  


''Sea of Death'', the first of the series published by [[New Infinities Productions, Inc.]], has Gord traveling far afield to the [[Sea of Dust (Greyhawk)|Sea of Dust]], on a quest for a "[[Theorpart]]", hidden in a lost city. He must face rivals sent by [[Demon lord (Dungeons & Dragons)|demon lords]]: the psychopathic dwarf [[Obmi]], who serves [[Zuggtmoy]], and the [[Drow (Dungeons & Dragons)|drow]] priestess [[Eclavdra]], serving [[Graz'zt]]. He meets and falls in love with [[Leda (Greyhawk)|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.
*''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.


''Night Arrant'' is a collection of nine short stories about Gord's adventures, in his early twenties, in the City of Greyhawk.
*''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.


''City of Hawks'' is a retelling of the events that occurred in ''Saga of Old City''. Gord's rise from simple beggar to master thief are detailed, as is his search for his true heritage.
*''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


''Come Endless Darkness'' continues where ''Sea of Death'' left off and has Gord continue his quest to stop [[Tharizdun]] and [[Ygorl|Lord Entropy]] from taking over the [[Parallel universe (fiction)|Multiverse]].
*''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.


''Dance of Demons'' is the finale, in which Gord and Gellor enter the [[Abyss (Dungeons & Dragons)|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. The novel ends with the complete destruction of Oerth, and the unveiling of a new and better world.
*''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.


===Uncollected short stories===
===Uncollected Short Stories===
"At Moonset Blackcat Comes" is an early tale of Gord and his friend Chert the barbarian, in which Gord accepts a mission for the Catlord.
*"At Moonset Blackcat Comes" is an early tale of Gord and his friend [[Chert]], accepting a mission for the Cat Lord.


"Evening Odds" appears as story 14 in ''Pawn of Chaos: Tales of the Eternal Champion'', an anthology of fiction inspired by [[Michael Moorcock]]'s [[The Eternal Champion (novel)|Eternal Champion]] mythos.  The story takes place some time after the events of ''Dance of Demons.'' Gord has apparently been deposed from his position as the new Catlord 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 (Dungeons & Dragons)|Baphomet]] on modern [[Earth]].
*"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]].


"The Return of Gord" is a caper story set during Gord's days as a master thief in the City of Greyhawk, and "A Wizard's Thief" is another caper story, involving Gord and Chert, and set in an unnamed city.
*"The Return of Gord" is a caper story set during Gord's days as a master thief in the City of Greyhawk.


==Description==
==Bibliography==
Gord is described as being small for a human, five and a half feet tall,<ref>{{cite book|last=Gygax|first=Gary|title=[[Saga of Old City]]|year=1985|publisher=TSR|location=Ch 9}}</ref> 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]]).
*[[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.


==List of "Gord the Rogue" novels and short stories==
*Gygax, Gary, and K. R. Bourgoine. "The Return of Gord." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #344. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2006.
* Gygax, Gary. "At Moonset Blackcat Comes: A Tale of Gord of Greyhawk." ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' #100 ([[TSR, Inc.|TSR]], 1985)
* Gygax, Gary. ''[[Saga of Old City]]'' (TSR, 1985)
* Gygax, Gary. ''[[Artifact of Evil]]'' (TSR, 1986)
* Gygax, Gary. ''Sea of Death'' ([[New Infinities]], 1987)
* Gygax, Gary. ''Night Arrant'' (New Infinities, 1987)
* Gygax, Gary. ''City of Hawks'' (New Infinities, 1987)
* Gygax, Gary. ''Come Endless Darkness'' (New Infinities, 1988)
* Gygax, Gary. ''Dance of Demons'' (New Infinities, 1988)
* Gygax, Gary. "Evening Odds." ''Pawn of Chaos: Tales of the Eternal Champion'' (White Wolf Publishing, Clarkson, Ga. 1996)
* Gygax, Gary and Bourgoine, K.R. "The Return of Gord." ''Dragon'' #344 (Paizo Publishing, 2006)
* Gygax, Gary and Bourgoine, K.R. "A Wizard's Thief." ''Of Dice & Pen'' (Game Day Fiction, an imprint of Flying Pen Press, Denver, Co. 2008)


==References==
==External links==
{{reflist}}
*[http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/gordmain.html Chris Siren's Gord's Greyhawk].


==External links==
*[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
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20151002111034/http://home.comcast.net/~chris.s/greyhawk.html Gord's Greyhawk: A list of geographical places of Greyhawk featured in "Gord the Rogue" publications]
*[http://dyx.home.tlink.de/gordnoveldescriptions.txt Summaries of "Gord the Rogue" publications]


{{D&D topics}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Gord The Rogue}}
[[Category:Apocryphal sources]]
[[Category:Fictional orphans]]
[[Category:Characters of Greyhawk]]
[[Category:Greyhawk characters]]
[[Category:Human characters]]
[[Category:Rogues]]

Revision as of 13:20, 30 December 2018

Greyhawk Character
Gord
Gord the Rogue, as depicted on the cover of Saga of Old City (1985). Art by Clyde Caldwell.
General info
Home:Free City of Greyhawk
Alignment:Neutral
Gender:Male
Species:Human
Class:Thief-Acrobat

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 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 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 box set.

Individual novels

  • 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 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.
  • Night Arrant is a collection of nine short stories about Gord's adventures, in his early twenties, in the City of Greyhawk.
  • 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.
  • 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 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.
  • 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
  • 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.
  • 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.

Uncollected Short Stories

  • "At Moonset Blackcat Comes" is an early tale of Gord and his friend Chert, accepting a mission for the Cat Lord.
  • "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.
  • "The Return of Gord" is a caper story set during Gord's days as a master thief in the City of Greyhawk.

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.
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