Best of Greyhawk VII - Le Monde de Greyhawk

GEM OF THE FLANAESS: MONSTERS OF THE CITYOF GREYHAWKBy QsamanthaSubj: A Monstrous CompendiumFrom: QSamanthaDate: 95-09-29 09:06:26 ESTA Monstrous CompendiumOnce upon a time when TSR decided that three hole punched folders were the best thing since dice, theyreissued the Monster Manual as the Monstrous Compendium in loose leaf format. They also segregated themonsters by setting.I always thought this was colossally dumb idea and I never restricted myself to *Greyhawk* monsters or toavoiding *XTY* monsters merely because the cover didn't say *Greyhawk*. All the same, Iquander would no doubtconsider the Greyhawk Monstrous Compendium as some species of *canon.* I guess I might agree to the extent thatmaybe the monsters in the Greyhawk Monstrous Compendium are more common in Greyhawk.Trying to get some use of the otherwise undistinguished Greyhawk Monstrous Compendium, I've workedsome of the better monsters into my campaign, particularly around the City of Greyhawk. This is what follows. I amusing these monsters as foreshadowings, mixed in with Red Herrings.QSamanthaPS - I have left some questions associated with particular monsters unresolved on purpose. I don't want toreveal what is going on until I have time to fully explain. As it stands, each monster can be used as a mini-adventureif so desired.The GrellThe Great Fire had the unintentional side effect of laying bare much of Greyhawk's foundations, releasingcreatures that had previously been confined to the sewers or below. In addition, the great heating of the earth thatoccurred attracted some of these creatures to the surface. One such creature is the Grell.Believed to have been originally kept by Mindflayers as hunting creatures, the Grell escaped captivity andhave become a minor danger in their own right. This danger has grown in the City of Greyhawk. The Grell populationhas made its way to the surface in the wake of the Fire. More troubling, these Grell appear to have developed somegreater degree of intelligence. Reports of Grell using psionic disciplines have been hushed up by the temples thatconsider psionics heresy but the rumors persist. Among the poorer classes, reports of human sacrifices to Grell tokeep them at bay have shocked the city. Curiously, Tenha Town alone remains untroubled by the Grell. Attempts toroot out these foul creatures have so far produced little in the way of tangible results. Somehow the Grell are evadingdestruction.GremlinsThe City of Greyhawk has a new mascot - Gremlins. The City is infested with them. So much so, that theyhave become taken for granted. The trouble they cause is just not sufficient to waste valuable magical resources toget rid of them. Were the Circle of Eight still intact doubtless one of its members would have rid the city of thesepests. With the remaining members of the Circle occupied with weightier matters, the Gremlins go unmolested -almost.The Greyhawk Dragons of the City have taken it upon themselves to fight this scourge. Exactly whyremains uncertain. Perhaps, they are annoyed by them. Certainly, those known Greyhawk Dragons seem irritated ifthe topic is brought up.The Hounds of the HillsThe Cairn Hills, always a ready source of adventure, have become more adventurous than many might carefor. Among the Cairns walks a mysterious figure cloaked in black, most commonly seen near the Doom Grinder. Whothe figure is, none can say, for he or she avoids all contact.Seemingly connected with the appearance of this figure is the presence of a pack of Yeth Hounds that havetaken to haunting the hills. Travel by night among the cairns has become very dangerous. Mist wolves have alsocome down from the mountains near Castle Maure. Strangers set upon by the either the Wolves or the Hounds haveon occasion reported that the other animals have appeared to save them, attacking their attackers.