Aerth
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 | There has never been information regarding Ærth published in official Greyhawk publications, other than the name "Aerth". Epic of Ærth (1992, GDW) is by Gary Gygax and is the source of the following material. Other than the name, the contents of this page should be considered "Apocryphal". |
Aerth (sometimes appearing as Ærth) is one of five alternate known worlds which include Oerth.
Description[edit | edit source]
Aerth is a historical-fantasy world. The surface geography is nearly identical to Earth as we know it. However, there are fantasy creatures and magic. The history is closer to real-world Earth, but there is divergence in many (mostly fantasy) regards.
History[edit | edit source]
Structure[edit | edit source]
Ærth is divided into three distinct realms:[1]
- the surface realms, called Ærth
- the middle between them is known as Subterranean Ærth—essentially, the Underoerth.
- Inner Ærth (the hollow world inside the planet).
There is also a "counter-world" or parallel, co-existent magical realm, known as Phæree—similar to the Plane of Faerie (or the Feywild) were elves, fareie, giants, ogres, etc. all come from. "Phaeree is likewise divided, and its three regions are inhabited by races we call the Seelie, Borderers, and Unseelie."[1]
Inhabitants[edit | edit source]
Languages[edit | edit source]
Much like the rest of Ærth, the majority of the languages of Ærth are very familiar to players. There are national and regional languages—many more than are found on Oerth.
Some examples include: Greek, Ægyptian and Ægyptian dialects, Atlantian, Annamese, Berberian, Brytheltic, Brytho-keltic, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cherokee Irouk, Chinese, Iberian, Deutsch, Farsi and Farsi dialect, Franco-deutsch, French and French dialects, Hindic and Hindic dialects, Keltic and Keltic dialects, , Latin, Lemurian, Phoenician, Skandian, Sumerlan, Tibetan and Tibetan dialects, and many others.
Religions[edit | edit source]
As with so many things about Ærth, the pantheons of Ærth are similar to those of Earth's history.
Pantheons of Ærth include: Ægyptian, Atlantian, Chingsunese (Chinese), Greco-Roman, Hindic, Incan, Kalevalan, Keltic, Lemurian, Manitou, Mongolian, Nipponese (Japanese), Norse, Persian, Phoenician, Slavic, Tlecan, and Vodoun pantheons. There are also many minor pantheons chiefly worshipped in uncivilized areas.
Layers[edit | edit source]
The same or similar cosmology applies on Aerth as a Prime Material as would apply elsewhere. However, Gygax does not address that cosmology in the Epic of Ærth .
Creative Origins[edit | edit source]
Ærth by Gygax[edit | edit source]
Alternate Oerths[edit | edit source]
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.—Gary Gygax" [2]
Other references to this alternate Oerth appear in the Gord the Rogue short story anthology Night Arrant as well as in Gygax's Epic of Ærth campaign setting for the Dangerous Journeys "Mythus" roleplaying game.
Cover Blurb of "Epic of Ærth"[edit | edit source]
"The world of Ærth is hauntingly familiar, yet strangely mysterious. Visit Æropa's Avillonian Isles, which include mighty Lyonnesse. See the "Dark Continent" of Afrik, travelling up the Myllo Kiver, past Ægypt's
four great pyramids, to the unexplored lands of the interior. Or cruise the long reaches of the Mare Ostrum which reaches from eastern /Eropa to the steppes of Central Azir. And then there are the Seven Lakes of distant Vargaard.... Learn about the nations of Ærth, their populations, rulers, capitols, and wonders of their great cities, their magick, intrigues, conflicts, and more.
Then read about the labyrinths which honeycomb the world's crust, Subterranean Ærth's Shallowshadow, Midqloom, and Deepdark. The races, creatures, and ecology found in this underground maze, are like none other.
You can even journey to the planet's hollow interior, where ancient life forms still dwell." [3]
Publishing History[edit | edit source]
The five parallel worlds of Oerth—Oerth, Aerth, Uerth, Yarth, and Earth—were mentioned in the third Edition adventure Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk and thus found their way into canon.[4]
See Also[edit | edit source]
See also: Earth, Oerth, Uerth, and Yarth.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
Citations
- ↑ a b Epic of Ærth (1992) , p.5.
- ↑ Gygax, Gary (Nov 1984). "Why Gargoyles Don't Have Wings but Should". Polyhedron Newszine #21 4 (6): 9. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, inc..
- ↑ Epic of Ærth (1992) , Back Cover.
- ↑ Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk (2007), p.91.
Bibliography
- Gygax, Gary. Epic of Ærth. Bloomington, IL: GDW. 1992. ISBN 1-55878-132-3
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Index is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, and his work as continued and updated by Eric Johnson, Richard DiIoia, Jason "PupickDad" Jacobson, a French fan group, and numerous other fans over the years. The wiki page for the EGI has a list of sources, full product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
| Topic | Type | Description | Product | Page/Card/Image
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerth | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Night Arrant | 62, 91 |
| Aerth | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Oerth Journal #32 | 15 |
| Zenobia of Aerth | Non-player character | Night Arrant | 62 |