Greyhawk 2000

The "New City" of Greyhawk and environs, Dragon #277

Greyhgawk 2000 is an alternate future setting for the World of Greyhawk, appearing in Dragon #277, written by Phillip Athans. All dates use the Common Year (CY) reckoning established by the Great Kingdom of Aerdy.

Description

Greyhawk 2000 inhabits one of myriads of possible futures of the Flanaess. There are some elements of common scifi settings in it, while others are left out. "The level of available technology in Greyhawk 2000 is roughly similar to real world Earth, circa 2000 AD."

The City of Greyhawk has an elevated train mass transit system.

History

1605 *Countess Belissica and Duke Karll marry, uniting the County of Urnst and the Duchy of Urnst into the United Counties of Urnst, also known as the U.C.U. Eventually this nation expands to encompass the Domain of Greyhawk, the Shield Lands, the Adri Forest, the Bright Desert, the Celadon Forest, Rel Deven, and Nyrond.

1917 The dwarven Citicar is introduced, becoming the bestselling automobile on Oerth that year and every subsequent year.

1932 The dwarven empire known as House Broadhammer joins the Southern Alliance.

- The United Counties of Urnst join the Southern Alliance.

1946 The dimensional accelerator rifle is manufactured throughout the human lands of the New Flanaess.

1969 The United Counties of Urnst leaves the Southern Alliance.

1970 House Broadhammer leaves the Southern Alliance.

1975 Gavveen of Maure publishes his A History of the Oeridian-Speaking Peoples.

1992 The Falling Plague ravaged the suburbs of Elton and Carrialle, claiming nearly four thousand lives before being brought to ground by priests of Pelor. Caused by the cult of Incabulos.

1998 A mishap with a dimensional accelerator chute results in a crash, killing 20 of the 115 people aboard.

2000 "A scientist named Gerhardt Kurmi [is] transformed into a millexium mouther (a genetically altered variant of the horrific gibbering mouther) by his partner, a modern-day necromancer named Fergus Tain."

Geography

While the physical geography of the Flanaess is generally the same as in the 590s CY, the political landscape is quite different, with many nations joining together to make something like hegemonies. It is referred to as the "New Flanaess".

"The New City of Greyhawk (or just Greyhawk, G.H., or the New City) is home to over ten million people and serves as the capital of the United Counties of Urnst."

The area of the New City known as Crossroads is a slum and ghetto which is particularly run-down; rival street gangs, homeless, tenements, abandoned cars, garbage in the streets, racist orcs, and the Crossratz, a gang of wererats in the sewers.Police corruption and bribery here is incredibly common, and patrol officers can impose fines at will. They almost always take bids between victims and criminals to decide how they enforce the "law". Lethal force is the most common response to any resistance.

Upper North Greyhawk and Diamond Lake are upper class wealthy suburbs and are well-patrolled by police in those wards. Steaming Springs is an average neighborhood, and Blackstone is only "slightly more affluent".

Exit is a frontier town at the edge of the region around the City of Greyhawk.

Dæmon Scar

This demon-haunted wasteland runs across the northern Flanaess like a black stripe. The nuclear and biochemical carpet-bombing that ended the reign of luz and sent the demigod into another dimension has left behind thousands of square miles of uninhabitable land. Elevated levels of radiation in conjunction with the powerful magic of luz melded to form an area of wild magic so dangerous that few who’ve ventured there have ever returned. Biological and chemical weapons added to the horror of the devastation.

Post-apocalyptic desert and mutated plant life.

Transportation

The Chute is long-distance mass transportation, similar in many ways to a magical subway system. It is powered by the same dimensional acceleration techonology that eventually led to the development of DiM weapons. Stations are in many, many places and are abbrieviated tunnels only 314 yards long, with a portal at the ends which can be tuned to any other destination station. It is what is present instead of train and airline travel. The Chute is considered the safest form of travel, though there have been at least two notable Chute disasters.

People

• Mutant nomads in the Dæmon Scar.
• Silvaan - a particular race of half-elves.
• Breed - a particular race of half-orcs.

Organizations

• Eighteen of Blackstone - a cabal of wealthy industrialists who fund shadowy projects in hopes of securing valuable new patents.
• Pelisso Street Swampers - a street gang in Crossroads. Their symbol is a flaming skull with diamond-shaped eye sockets.
• Skeetrz - another street gang.
• The Infidelz - an orc biker gang. They ride old "Lynnride" motorcycles, are leery of magic, and commonly carry pistols.
• The Crossratz - a wererat gang in the sewers, who consider themselves protectors of Crossroads. It’s a matter of honor to keep the plumbing in Crossroads in good order. The residents of Crossroads drop coins, food, and other goodies into sewer grates as offerings of thanks.

Population

Predominantly human. Elves have retreated into a reforested kingdom where they welcome no visitors at all. Some elves are eco-terrorists. Halflings are separatists - much-maligned and mistreated wee folk who finally got fed up with being considered silly little people of no consequence, who have developed into a closed, xenophobic society. House Broadhammer includes the last remaining gnomish enclaves.

Religion

• The Order of the Uncaring - presumably, devotees of Boccob.
• Beory, the Oerth Mother - The Church of Beory Rescendant is a nature cult favored, oddly enough, by the rich and idle of the major cities of the U.C.U. Public opinion sees this sect as faddish and shallow, and many of the traditional followers of Beory actively fight against this urban blasphemy.
• Incabulos - the cult known as The Long, Shrill Shriek in the Night. Incabulous isn't openly worshipped anywhere in the New Flanaess, and legislation was being considered to make any worship of Incabulos a felony. They created the Falling Plague of 1992.

It is notable that Greyhawk 2000 was published two years before the D20 Modern game was published. In that modern setting, other religions are present, such as Wee Jas, Pelor, Kyuss, St. Cuthbert, and Hextor. However, these religions are organizations that function markedly different than their sixth century CY counterparts.

Governments

Aircraft of the Knights of the Steel Hawk, the E98 Devil Raptor, illustrated by Wayne Reynolds, (2000)

• Dyvers - in ruins
• Furyondy
• House Broadhammer - dwarven empire which controls all the mountains from the Barrier Peaks to the north, through the Crystalmist and Sulhaut Mountains, and south into the Hellfurnaces.
• Southern Alliance
• United Counties of Urnst - Leader: Duchess Tinillia. The most stable of the nations of the New Flanaess, Congregation of the Republic. Constitution based on the "Dozen Provisions". "The New City of Greyhawk (or just Greyhawk, G.H., or the New City) is home to over ten million people and serves as the capital of the United Counties of Urnst." Leukish is still present and presumed to still be the capitol.
• Velene - fundamentalist elven nation
• Empire of the Pomarj - evolved into a progressive world power.
• Ryuujin - in the "far corners of Oerth" with "otherwise closed markets". This is where "DiM" weapons and technology for the "Chute" originated.

There is an isolated mention of a place called "Waybury" that is referred to as a destination for the Chute, but, whether it's a town, nation, or region is unknown.

Military

• Knights of the Steel Hawk - operate the E98 Devil Raptor, exclusively in the United Counties of Urnst

Economy

Currency

The "ducet" (ducat) is the base unit of currency.

Gallery

• 
  The Old City of Greyhawk in 2000CY

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Athans, Philip. "Greyhawk 2000". Dragon #277. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000. p48-54.
• ---- . "Alterations". Dungeon magazine #83. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000. p82-94.