Yarth
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Yarth is a parallel Material Plane world to Oerth.[1]
Description
Yarth is less magical than Oerth or Aerth, with only a "sprinkling of things magical," but more magical than Uerth or Earth.[2]
History
In 584 CY, an experiment involving "extremely powerful magic" and "a delicate incantation" was miscast by a member of the University of Magical Arts on the uppermost level of the pyramid. It caused a slight out-of-phase planar shift, and apparitions of people from an alternate Material Plane began appearing in the pyramid. Later, in Spring of 590 CY, an "elderly human wizard with an all-too-familiar face appeared ... claiming to have come from a world known as Yarth. ... [The Senior Tutor Abrazaldin] Hosk caught the archmage unawares and imprisoned him upon his private demiplane, but not before the strange visitor had a chance to introduce himself as Xagig Yragurne, Lord Mayor of the City of Greyhawk."[3] (as opposed to "Zagig Yragerne" of Oerth.)
Creative Origins
Alternate Oerths
In a 1984 article for Polyhedron Newszine, Gary Gygax revealed several "alternate Oerths" while explaining the setting for his Heroes Challenge game books, co-written with author Flint Dille and published under the aegis of the Dungeons & Dragons Entertainment Corporation by the Wanderer Book division of Simon & Schuster.
""... [the] action takes place on Yarth, a place somewhat similar to Oerth, the setting of Greyhawk, et al. It has fewer magical properties than Oerth but more than Earth. It is not impossible that additional works will be contracted for in months to come, action being set on Yarth or perhaps another alternate world, Aerth. On Earth, magic is virtually non-existent. On Uerth, dweomers are weak, chancy things. Yarth has a sprinkling of things magical, and Oerth is pure magic."[4]"
Other references to this alternate Oerth appear in the Gord the Rogue short story anthology Night Arrant.
In Gygax's Gord the Rogue novel Dance of Demons, Oerth was destroyed and replaced by Yarth.[5]
Publishing History
The five parallel worlds of Oerth—Oerth, Aerth, Uerth, Yarth, and Earth—were mentioned in the 3rd Edition adventure Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk and thus found their way into canon.[1]
See Also
See also: Aerth, Earth, Oerth, and Uerth.
References
Notes
Citations
- ↑ a b Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk (2007), p.91.
- ↑ Polyhedron #21 (1984), p.9.
- ↑ "Gem of the Flanaess: Clerkberg, pt2.". Living Greyhawk Journal #5 (Jul 2001, published March 2002), p.6.
- ↑ Gygax, Gary (Nov 1984). "Why Gargoyles Don't Have Wings but Should". Polyhedron Newszine #21 4 (6): 9. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, inc..
- ↑ Designers & Dragons: The '70s (2014), p.40
Bibliography
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
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yarth | Geographical feature | Planet, | Living Greyhawk Journal #5 | 6 |
| Yarth | Geographical feature | Planet, | Night Arrant | 91 |