OSR Commentary On Sabre River (CM3) By Douglas Niles Along With Bruce Nesmith & Adventurer Conqueror, King 1st edition Rpg

 "You are a guest of the count, one of your allies and the strongest man in the region. Your sojourn has been pleasant, a nice change after weeks of battle. Suddenly the courtyard below your window is filled with the noise of galloping horses. More guests?"

"You yawn as you look out. But these people arriving look more like tax collectors than guests. You decide to give your attention to something more interesting, like dinner."

"Relax while you can, friend, because these new arrivals are about to lead you to a crimson sailor, a cozy Tower of Terror, and a river with an aching heart."

Sabre River (CM3) By Douglas Niles Along With  Bruce Nesmith hit the stands in Eighty Four. And there's something interesting going on with CM3 that makes it perfect for Adventurer,Conqueror, King Rpg. Especially given the fact that this module has something something that not only ties in with the dungeon crawls of this module but makes it incredibly necessary. And that's the horrible 'Curse of Sabre River.' 
CM3 Sabre River is a high level module with Conqueror to King level encounters we're talking table X (10) encounters. And the then there's the fact that the players can be challenged  to high level  wrastling matches. And there's a good chance that one or more of the party will die. And did I mention the dungeon crawls are cleverly woven into this one. 
If there was ever a module that cleverly worked it's Mystara and high level end encounters it's CM3. 

And if there's a single adventure that could benefit from the Adventurer, Conqueror, King Heroic Fantasy Handbook Sabre River CM3 is it! From the adventure setting curse, to the wrastling encouters, to the meaty NPC villagers, to higher caliber monsters CM3 is ripe for the Heroic Fantasy Handbook treatment. The player's PCs definitely have the chance to carve out thier own legendary domains while threading through the epic upper levels 18-22 of PC's. This is base level of eight and above for ACK's. 

CM3 if picked up and taken place right after the events of CM1 which we cover here on the blog. Allows the PCs to carve out thier own little piece of Mystara and expand thier influence all of the while solving a supernatural dilema that affects the whole region and looking like heroes while they do it. That is if they survive the experience. 

OSR Commentary On CM2 Death's Ride By Garry Spiegle & Adventurer Conqueror, King 1st edition Rpg

 "A cloud of death hangs over the land, as an unlikely trio of evildoers orchestrates a reign of terror over the tiny Barony of Twolakes Vale. Because of these fiends' actions, hordes of undead have escaped through a gateway from the Sphere of Death, laying the peaceful lands of the barony to waste and terrorizing its citizens. Can the undead be stopped?"

Right so let's pick this  right where we left off from yesterday with CM2 Death's Ride by Garry Spiegle, with cover and interior art by Jeff Easley. Let's get some history on this one from the CM2 Wiki entry;"Death's Ride (ISBN 978-0-88038-117-8) is a 1984 adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Its associated code is CM2. The module was designed by Garry Spiegle, with cover and interior art by Jeff Easley." The main reason that we got involved with CM2 Death's Ride is because of the incredibly iconic Jeff Easiey cover. But the module has solid footing as the PC's pick right up from CM1; "The barony, which is ruled by Baron Sir Maltus Fharo, has sent no taxes, caravans, or messages in several months. A small body of troops sent by the king to investigate has not returned. At this time, Ericall doesn't have the resources to send a large body of troops, so he is asking the characters to go to the barony, find out what's wrong, and if possible, restore contact. The king gives the characters a royal warrant and permission to act in his name." 
Right so the situation is far worse then the king even remotely suspects with three NPC  villains combining thier strengths; "Wazor an "Atlantean Mage", Ulslime a cleric of "Death" and  Korbundar the huge blue dragon who have opened a gateway into the literal sphere of Death'.  There is a huge horde of undead bearing down on the PC's. If we look at CM2's plot from the perspective of the Wiki entry here's the PC's break adventure plot breakdown;"A strange black cloud hangs over the Norworld barony of Two Lake Vale, which is cut off from the rest of the world. As the player characters move to investigate, they encounter armies of the living dead and other vile creatures besieging the last pockets of human resistance. The only relief is to find and destroy the dreadful Deathstone, which is responsible for the black cloud, thereby facing the united forces of an evil sorcerer, a powerful priest, and a mighty dragon' 
CM2 Death's Ride by Garry Spiegle is a perfect module to couple with the  Adventurer,Conqueror, King rpg! This is especially true for an epic or heroic level mini campaign. 

For Adventurer, Conqureor, King rpg CM2 is going to be run with PC's on the Conqueror's level. And that is from 7th level and up. And I'd say on the upperside of the ACK's level because this is such an epic module. CM2 for ACK's is one that could be run using ACK's Heroic Fantasy Handbook. All of the adventure elements are here within CM2 Death's Ride. From the kingdom details of the  Barony of Twolakes Vale, to the external threat presented by the undead horde and the three vile villains responsible.What is there within CM2 for the ACK's player's PC in CM2? Well besides an entire kingdom up for grabs and hordes of literal undead. There's plenty of twists and turns to keep the PC's interested. And besides t the Barony of Twolakes Vale is a perfect spot for the PC's to take over. 

OSR Commentary On CM1 Test of the Warlords by Douglas Niles & Adventurer Conqueror, King 1st edition Rpg

 "The king requests your presence in the honorable kingdom of Norwold. If you're worthy, you may be appointed lord of a dominion filled with friendly villages, sturdy fortresses, and raging band of monsters."

"Raging bands of monsters?

Well, yes, and you may have to lead your forces into a war or two. But you'll be ready for the challenge. You'll be ready for treacherous spies who conspire to steal you land. You'll be ready for a foul band of giants that raids your dominions. And you'll be ready for the inevitable clash of empires, the outcome of which may alter the fate of millions. You'll be ready! Won't you?'

CM1 Test of the Warlords by Douglas Niles takes the PC's from 15th and above PC levels into the world of managing kingoms, retaking lands, and literally magaging a whole cloth domain.And it's even in the module's set up; "With the fall of the Black Eagle Barony and its allied forces, the settled lands of the continent are now peaceful. Most of the land's dungeons have been plundered, and monsters have been driven from all but a few of the civilized dominions. Prosperity reigns throughout the land now, which is just how the rulers want it. The government is stable, and day-to-day life is routine. Prospects for adventure, however, are minimal. Then comes word from the north: the empire of Alphatia has claimed the vast lands of Norwold, and has appointed a king to rule over those lands. This monarch is in need of steadfast characters to administer the many dominions that may be carved from the wilderness of Norwold!" Anyone worth thier salt knows that this is BECMI's fabled Mystara. But how could CM1 Test of the Warlords by Douglas Niles be used with the modern clones such as Adventurer,Conqueror, King rpg?!Because CM1 was written for the Dungeons & Dragons Champion Box set then we're fading into ACK's Conqueror phase of PC level requirements. 

 This basically means that the forces of  the empire of Alphatia & all of it's allies are going to be on the middle end of the ACK's scale so between 7th level and upward. The PC's are going to have to deal with all of the problems that surround the world of the wilderness of Norwold! And that's no joke. The encounters of CM1 Test of the Warlords by Douglas Niles are going to test and could easily kill a party of ACK's PC's. This is especially true in the 'Conqueror' phase of an ACK's campaign. Mystara in CM1 is an untamed land & the the empire of Alphatia are seriously expanding it's borders. 

And there's are five reasons why CM1 Test of the Warlords works: 

1. The CM1 campaign module allows the DM to show and demonstrate through actual play how to run and maintain a domain against external and internal threats.
2. CM1 takes the player's PC's through actual dangerous encounters where PC death is an all too real reality. 
3. The Test of the Warlords tasks the PC's to become royal vassels and to have them bare the burden of leadership. 
4. CM1 introduces another aspect of Mystara into the world of Dungeons & Dragons and it can do the same for ACK's. 
5. The module is a classic from another era before WoTC. 

OSR Commentary - Weird Tales Judges Guild Wilderlands of High Fantasy - CM1: "Test of the Warlords" (1984), by Douglas Niles & More

 "The king requests your presence in the honorable kingdom of Norwold. If you're worthy, you may be appointed lord of a dominion filled with friendly villages, sturdy fortresses, and raging band of monsters.

Raging bands of monsters?

Well, yes, and you may have to lead your forces into a war or two. But you'll be ready for the challenge. You'll be ready for treacherous spies who conspire to steal you land. You'll be ready for a foul band of giants that raids your dominions. And you'll be ready for the inevitable clash of empires, the outcome of which may alter the fate of millions. You'll be ready! Won't you?"

If you've been following the many Astonishing Swordmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea blog entries on this blog then you know all about the backroom prattle that's been going at our table top. The idea here being using the AS&SH rpg to run Judge's Guilds Wilderlands of High Fantasy campaign setting. But wait why is a Douglas Niles high level module written in Eighty four here?! And why CM1 'Test of the Warlords'?! Well besides the fact that module takes place in a Norwald setting there's a wee little tid bit that got mentioned in the Wizbro's Drivethrurpg entry for CM1 'Test of the Warlords'; "

Mark Bertenshaw notes that some of these primordial details of Alphatia and Thyatis that are found in this adventure are later contradicted by Dawn of the Emperors, including the age of the two countries. "Test of the Warlords" also claims that Alphatia is secretly the empire of Atlantis, something that's repeated nowhere else in the literature on the Known World."  Well that's merely an interesting foot note in BECMI history.. Umm yes & no. First the product history;" CM1: "Test of the Warlords" (1984), by Douglas Niles, was the first of nine Companion-level adventures for Basic D&D. It was published early in 1984." 
If we examine the fact that perhaps Alphatia is secretly the empire of Atlantis's remains within the Wilderlands of High Fantasy. Then it makes a bit more sense that Atlantis's barbarian remains are scattered across the Wilderlands. I'm not talking about the whole of Mystara being a part of the Wilderlands far from it. Instead that the Dawn of the Emperors campaign setting  in the world of the GAZ series is another country in the greater part of the Wilderlands. 

This gives a Roman like empire right on the heels of the Wilderland's next door neighbors. And a possible set of nasty trade partners for The City State of the Invincible Overlord. And it means a Frazetta style world with a nasty Roman Empire mini empire right in the back pocket.

So what does this mean for  CM1 'Test of the Warlords'?! It means that the vast  hordes of humanoids breathing down the neck of the frontier are going to be very dangerous to handle. It also give the PC's the chance to go from mercenary company to full fledged royals in one shot. 
You get Frazetta style Sword & Sorcery adventuring with Roman empire shadow play all within the context of a possible style simple Chess meneuver adventure. 
And what about the City State of the Invincible Overlord itself?! 

And what is it they say?! Higher levels higher troubles?! Remember we're talking about AS&SH which means that the savage swords & super science is turned up to eleven. Then it breaks the knob off. CM1: "Test of the Warlords" (1984), by Douglas Niles is empire building pure & simple. But there are still legendary savage swords & super science   artifacts within the Wilderlands. These are not going to be easy to recover for use in warfare. Countries & mini empires could go to war over these items. 

Higher levels means higher level problems & this also applies to Hyperborea where the events of CM1: "Test of the Warlords" (1984), by Douglas Niles could theoretically kick off some rumbles of rebellion among Hyperborea's human &  humanoid tribes. Nothing happens in isolation. Control of artifacts might also mean control of the Wilderlands Nexus Gates & this could theoretically kick off another Nexus Gate War.  CM1: "Test of the Warlords" could become the opening salvo in a royal war of epic proporations. Those royal titles within CM1: "Test of the Warlords" could come with far more responisibility then the PC's might know. Imagine that all of this aligns  with the events of the  English Civil War of  England Upturn'd for Lamentations of the Flame Princess?! Well the fires of war are truly stoked. 

How?! Well what if the powers of the Chaos Lords decide that its time for a little game of 'war' & their actually the reason for the humanoid horde push & the little occult goings on in England Upturn'd. But why would the powers of Chaos do this?! Short answer?! Because they can! The powers of Chaos in Michael Moorcock's fiction don't play favorites except when it comes to the agenda of extinction in the sagas.  

Fang & Poison - Hammer's 1966 'The Reptile' & Classic AD&D's N1: "Against The Cult of the Reptile God" (1982), by Douglas Niles

Last night I got caught up with one of the family's all time favorite Hammer films the 1966 film 'The Reptile'. This sixty six production has a bit of everything for the connisueur of the serpent men. You've got snake cults luring in the background, strange black magick curses, and more. But the 'The Reptile' while well known in Hammer horror fan circles doesn't have that much of an audience among the D&D minded. 
Here's the low down according to the wiki page; "The Reptile is a 1966 horror film made by Hammer Film Productions. It was directed by John Gilling, and starred Noel Willman, Jacqueline Pearce, Ray Barrett, Jennifer Daniel, and Michael Ripper."

The plot is straight outta of the classic Hammer horror bag & its not surprising because this film is from the golden age of grand production house of Gothic horror; "At the turn of the 20th century in the fictional village of Clagmoor Heath in Cornwall several locals are dying from what is deemed to be the "Black Death". Harry Spalding (Ray Barrett) inherits his late brother's cottage and arrives with his new bride, Valerie (Jennifer Daniel) . The inhabitants of the village keep clear of the newly arrived couple and only the publican, Tom Bailey (Michael Ripper), befriends them. Bailey explains that the hostility exhibited by the townspeople is the result of many mysterious deaths in the community.

The sinister Dr. Franklyn (Noel Willman), the owner of the nearby Well House, is the only resident in the vicinity of the cottage and he lives with his daughter Anna (Jacqueline Pearce). The Doctor treats his daughter with cruel contempt and she is attended by a silent Malay servant (Marne Maitland).

Hoping to learn something of the deaths, Harry invites the local eccentric, Mad Peter (John Laurie), home for dinner. After warning them that their lives are in danger, Mad Peter quickly departs only to return later that evening foaming at the mouth, with his face blackened and swollen. He dies within a few minutes. The Spaldings attempt to alert Dr. Franklyn, but Franklyn arrogantly states that Peter's death is not his concern, explaining that he is a Doctor of Divinity, not a surgeon.

In an attempt to help Harry clear up the mystery, Tom Bailey illegally unearths Mad Peter's corpse and discovers a strange neck wound like a snake bite. Harry and Tom dig up the coffin of Harry's dead brother, Charles, and find that corpse also has those same strange marks. Realizing that they are threatened by something far worse than they had ever imagined, Harry is quick to answer an urgent message from the Well House. There he is bitten by a mysterious reptilian creature, but he still manages to return to his home and recover from the bite.

Meanwhile, at the eerie abode, Valerie witnesses Dr. Franklyn's attempt to kill his own cursed daughter (who was changed into the reptile creature after being abducted by a Malay snake cult that included the doctor's own servant). She also witnesses a fierce struggle between the doctor and the deranged Malay servant. During the battle, a lantern is overturned and Dr. Franklyn is bitten by the venomous fangs of his reptilian daughter. Both the doctor and the reptile die in the fire and the Well House crumbles in flames, with Harry and Valerie fleeing for their lives."


There are so many questions about 'The Reptile' but let's take it up with  the fictional village of Clagmoor Heath in Cornwall. Why would the Malay serpent men cultists be drawn to this dreary location in the middle of a Nineteenth century England. That I can answer right away with Robert E. Howard's 1932 novella 'The Worms of the Earth'. Personally I think that the village might be one of the last remains of the serpent men's seats of power;"The seat of the First Empire of the Serpent People, during the Paleozoic era, is Valusia. Valusia is a fictional country in the Kull stories of Robert E. Howard and his stories tell, among other things, of the Serpent Men trying to conquer the world once again, around 20,000 years ago, where Kull from Atlantis reigned over the Valusia Kingdom, located on the west coast of the main continent of Thuria." 

The worms of the Earth might be related to an earlier modern descendants of the Serpent People from  Robert E. Howard's Children of the Night. These things are described in the story thus;"

As Aryara, O'Donnel describes the Children of the Night as:

Humans they were, of a sort, though I did not consider them so. They were short and stocky, with broad heads too large for their scrawny bodies. Their hair was snaky and stringy, their faces broad and square, with flat noses, hideously slanted eyes, a thin gash for a mouth, and pointed ears. They wore the skins of beasts, as did I, but these hides were but crudely dressed. They bore small bows and flint-tipped arrows, flint knives and cudgels. And they conversed in a speech as hideous as themselves, a hissing, reptilian speech that filled me with dread and loathing.

They are frequently described as snakes or having snake-like qualities. The Aryan legends say that the Children—none of the Aryans know what they call themselves—used to own the land in an ancient "outworn age" until they were hunted and driven underground by the Picts."

The connection to Arthur Machen's The Novel of the Black Seal is obvious for any Appendix N aficionado..Going into the Xoth D20 Conan & Kiss of the Spider God's site I found this  Miller and Clark's map showing the world of Hyboria superimposed over the continent of modern Europe.

If the Picts in Howard's works are the survivors of Atlantis then they have racial memories of Kull's time. The human villager's  reaction of utter disgust from 'The Reptile' bares this out. What was the plan of the Malay serpent men cultists in 'The Reptile'?! That's easy it was re population of true serpent people by the transplanting of the soul of a serpent men queen into the body of Dr. Franklyn's daughter. Kill off the villagers, lay eggs, & replace the villagers right in the seat of the once mighty empire of their enemies The Picts. 

The ties to both I1: "Dwellers of the Forbidden City" (1981), by David "Zeb" Cook & N1: "Against The Cult of the Reptile God" (1982), by Douglas Niles are both obvious & make the 1966 'Reptile' easily adaptable. 

In fact change the lizard men for serpent men & swap out the locations of 'The Reptile'  & add in a Peter Cushing style character plus the party of adventurers. 'The Reptile' could become a Robert E. Howard side quest for an English style OSR Hammer horror campaign. The Doctor & his cursed daughter might live.  "Against The Cult of the Reptile God" (1982), by Douglas Niles could become the first salvo in the planned return of a full on serpent men invasion. But we'll get into that coming up. 

Foul Deals in N1: "Against The Cult of the Reptile God" By Douglas Niles - An Alternative Timeline Adventure Set Up For Using The Siege Engine System

"Terror by night! The village of Orlane is dying. Once a small and thriving community, Orlane has become a maze of locked doors and frightened faces. Strangers are shunned, trade has withered. Rumors flourish, growing wilder with each retelling. Terrified peasants flee their homes, abandoning their farms with no explanation. Others simply disappear. . .

No one seems to know the cause of the decay -- why are there no clues? Who skulks through the twisted shadows of the night? Who or what is behind the doom that has overtaken the village? It will take a brave and skillful band of adventurers to solve the dark riddle of Orlane!"




German agents have been messing around on the coast of Spain in the village of Orlane. Back in '82 the N1: "Against The Cult of the Reptile God" was perfectly suited for mid level adventures but everyone knows this history; 
"N1: "Against The Cult of the Reptile God" (1982), by Douglas Niles, is the first adventure in a novice-level series for AD&D. It was written in February 1982, so it was probably published in the first half of the year." But for my alternative World War one campaign which takes place in a world where the Martian invasion of 1897 marked official end of super human kind among most normal human society.




 In  N1: "Against The Cult of the Reptile God" the German government has sent agents to Orlane to track down the ruins of a serpent men cult. They got far more then they bargained for with them becoming the brain washed foundation of a part of the reptile cult. I chose Spain for a good reason because of their position of neutrality;

"Spain remained neutral throughout World War I between 28 July 1914 and 11 November 1918, and despite domestic economic difficulties,^[1] it was considered "one of the most important neutral countries in Europe by 1915".^[2] Spain had enjoyed neutrality during the political difficulties of pre-war Europe, and continued its neutrality after the war until the Spanish Civil War began in 1936.^[2] While there was no direct military involvement in the war, German forces were interned in Spanish Guinea in late 1915.

The Spanish prime minister, Eduardo Dato, a Conservative, declared neutrality by Royal Decree on 7 August 1914:^[3]

"Existent, sadly, the state of war between Austria, Hungary and Serbia [...] the Government of His Majesty believes in the duty to order the strictest neutrality to Spanish subjects."

Dato was applauded for this in the Cortes when they reconvened on 30 October. Opinion among the public was divided. The upper classes (the aristocracy and the rich bourgeoisie), the Catholic Church and the Spanish Army generally favoured the Central Powers, usually identified with Germany. Among political parties, the Germanophile tendency was represented among the reactionary Carlists and the conservative Mauristas, followers of Antonio Maura, who himself favoured closer ties with the Allies because of Spain's 1907 pact with Britain and France, which was designed to head off German colonialism in north Africa. Pro-Allied sentiment, which was generally Francophile, was most common among the middle and professional classes and intellectuals. It was common among Catalan nationalists, Republicans and Socialists. A few Liberals, including Álvaro de Figueroa, leader of the opposition in the Cortes, were also pro-Allied."

There are other worldly visitors from across  following the trail of some of the artifacts that were smuggled to the hands of German agents. But there are other mechanisms that the Germans are targeting. The Reptile cult has other plans for humanity around them.



There's definitely some real potential to add in a fair bit of Robert E.Howard Conan story 'The God In Bowl' into this version of  the N1: "Against The Cult of the Reptile God". We get a whole low down on the serpent men in their wiki entry;"The seat of the First Empire of the Serpent People, during the Paleozoic era, is Valusia. Valusia is a fictional country in the Kull stories of Robert E. Howard and his stories tell, among other things, of the Serpent Men trying to conquer the world once again, around 20,000 years ago, where Kull from Atlantis reigned over the Valusia Kingdom, located on the west coast of the main continent of Thuria. The ancient Serpent Empire was based on sorcery and alchemy, but collapsed with the rise of the dinosaurs about 225 million years ago during the Triassic era. The Serpent Men originally ruled over humans in Valusia, but were defeated and almost wiped out in humanity's battle for survival against the "elder things", which predated even them. Over time, humans dominated Valusia and the Serpent Men became a legend. The Serpent Men, one of the few surviving "elder things", infiltrated human society and ruled from behind the scenes for a time, but were again discovered, defeated, and cast out in a secret war. However, they later repeated this tactic. Soon, they added the front of a Snake Cult religion, which gained power and influence within Valusia while the Serpent Men used their abilities of disguise to murder or replace each reigning monarch. Their power is eventually broken by King Kull, formerly an Atlantean barbarian who had recently conquered Valusia, and the Pict Brule the Spear-Slayer, whose society was aware of the Serpent Men's infiltration."



Now the question becomes were do I take role of the serpent men in the midst of WWI? There some clear stats for these entities in the  Amazing Adventures Manual of Monsters, but its where do I take  N1: "Against The Cult of the Reptile God" from here?! We'll have to simply wait for my players from here.  Here's where the Castle Keeper's Guide comes in handy for dealing with multiple genres & systems.

I'm not sure yet if I'll be using my own home brew Swords & Sorcery fantasy campaign setting or Greyhawk from here. But the fill in will be interesting. What secrets are the Germans after?! 

From Hyperborea I Can See Oerth - Sword & Sorcery Greyhawk Being Run With The Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers Of Hyperborea Rpg System - Thoughts on The Free City Of Greyhawk Box Set

"Greyhawk -- City of High Culture and Low Life! From the high towers of its grand universities to the rancid alleys of its darkest slums, the City of Greyhawk awaits you. Center of magic and learning in the Flanaess, Greyhawk is also the home of powerful thieves, mighty warriors, traitorous ambassadors, and honest craftsmen."

1989 ... Douglas Niles & Carl Sargent ... TSR 1043 ... ISBN 0880387319"



So what are the ramifications of the Free City of Greyhawk in a solar system where Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea floats near Saturn & Greyhawk sits next to the star Jupiter? I began to think about this far future solar system of mine millions of years in the future  where Jupiter is a small star. Greyhawk orbits around it & Hyperborea is near one of the sixty two (sixty three?) moons of Saturn. Greyhawk's golden age might have been in fact much more marked by the passage of Ragnarok. Humanity was led to the safety of Greyhawk because of the sacrifice of the deities of Old Earth. This has been a part of an irregular series of blog posts that started here.



Passage between the two worlds is highly parlous & extremely dangerous fraught with all kinds of soul draining horror.  Maybe the occasional party in the capital city but not likely. It would be extremely rare. I'm talking 'The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad' film rare. The Free City of Greyhawk is the focus of a place of incredible Sword & Sorcery ancient learning like the Library of Alexandria. 
This is the setting where the  Xian wizards would sell their black hearted souls to go. The Free City of Greyhawk still boasts pieces of learning from before the Great Rain of Colorless fire & the Green Death.



The Scarlet Brotherhood is focused much more along the lines of  "the Dreaming Isle of Melnibone, its Suloise monks and wizards the modern descendants of the twisted demon-sworn conquerors of a dead age" but they have their tendrils throughout the Free City. Few release the horrors that the Elemental Evil cult brought to Greyhawk but its not dead only dreaming at the moment;

"The Wizards of the Coast provided the following introduction to Elemental Evil:

“

Four apocalyptic cults of Elemental Evil are building secret sanctuaries and outposts throughout the North, bringing terror and destruction to the Forgotten Realms. Each cult is devoted to one of the Princes of Elemental Evil (godlike entities embodying air, earth, fire, and water) and is led by a nihilistic prophet, corrupted by power. The cruel elf princess Aerisi Kalinoth speaks for the air Cult of the Howling Hatred, while Marlos Urnrayle, a fierce male medusa, leads the Cult of the Black Earth. The Cult of the Eternal Flame scars its followers at the behest of the beautiful and deadly tiefling Vanifer, and the mutilated sailor Gar Shatterkeel plots to drown the world with his Cult of the Crushing Wave. The cults use devastation orbs, forged of raw elemental power, to ravage Faerûn with horrifying earthquakes, typhoons, tornados, and other disasters. Independently, the cults are terrible adversaries, but now they have secretly begun transforming a long-lost dungeon into a huge subterranean temple dedicated to an alien entity known as the Elder Elemental Eye. To prevent this union of the Elemental Evils into one catastrophic force, heroes must expose the prophets' true agenda. The cults' agents are everywhere and their power is immense. When you don’t know whom to trust, knowledge is your only weapon. Unearth the Deception." There are mages & wizards on the wizard's council in the Free City of Greyhawk who know the danger & connection of the T1 -4 Temple of Elemental Evil with the Ashen Worm. Here's where a Greyhawk or Hyperborean party of adventurers comes in. The occult horrors presented by the Elemental Evil cult comes into focus on both Hyperborea & Greyhawk through the Free City of Greyhawk rulers & councils. These are not going to sit idly by as these cults begin rising across Greyhawk. These events are gonna start with S4 The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth by Gary Gygax ;" In the Yatil Mountains south of Perrenland there is rumored to be a magical hoard of unsurpassed value, a treasure of such fame that scores f adventurers have perished in search of it. Find the perilous Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth and you may gain the hidden wealth of the long-dead arch-mage -- if you live! " Why?! Because of the fact that  Bodaks, derros, marlgoyles, xag-ya/xeg-yi, and more. Also various demons, minor, major, and demon princes like Graz'zt are also tied right into the events surrounding T1-4 Temple of Elemental Evil. The village of Homlet becomes the home base for the PC's and then everything rolves around the Free City of Greyhawk. Think of this as almost a film like campaign where the PC's are the heroes if they survive the experience.