Greyspace
Greyspace is the common name given to the planetary system of Oerth.
Unlike most planetary systems, Greyspace is geocentric; a terrestrial body—in this case, Oerth—is the center of the system, about which other celestial bodies orbit.
Physical characteristics[edit]
The crystal sphere[edit]
Greyspace, like all planetary systems in the Spelljammer universe, is encased in a vast sphere of an indestructible substance. At 16 billion miles across, Greyspace's sphere is one of the largest known. From the outside it is as reflective as polished steel, and from a distance beautiful colors, like the iridescent hues in mother-of-pearl, can be discerned. From the inside it is night-black and completely nonreflective. It is, in fact, the night sky itself. It cannot be touched, exactly; it is perceivable only as a barrier beyond which nothing can go, except through portals opened magically into the chaos outside.
The "stars" that can be seen on clear nights are actually titanic gemstones somehow buried in the surface of the sphere. It has been surmised that they contain portals within them to the Positive Energy Plane or the Quasielemental Plane of Radiance, or that they were mined from the gods from the stuff of the Positive Energy Plane. The heat from them can only be felt from less than a hundred feet away (where it is deadly), but their light can be seen (obviously) for billions of miles. The constellations are described as occupying the midpoint between Law and Chaos; patterns can be discerned, but the greater order behind them, if any, seems elusive. Oerthly sages identify 12 Lairs of the Zodiac and have given names to many other constellations as well, such as the Druid, the Dancer of Swords, and the Swan.
Wildspace[edit]
The vacuum of space between the worlds and stars of Greyspace is cooler than that of Realmspace, but not as frigid as Krynnspace. It is almost always 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit, except close to the sun.
Celestial bodies[edit]
The major celestial bodies of Greyspace, from the center out, include:
- Oerth: Terrestrial planet and home to the Greyhawk campaign setting.
- Kule, also known as Celene: Tidally-locked terrestrial body. Covered with the ruins of a humanoid civilization, but lacking any air whatsoever. A magical cataclysm is suspected to have caused the depopulation. It is one of Oerth's moons.
- Raenei, also known as Luna: Terrestrial planet, covered with earthlike features, including animals and monsters, but no sentient life. It is one of Oerth's moons.
- Liga, the Sun: Fire body. Has many small lakes of elemental water to keep it from burning too hot. Larger than Oerth.
- The Grinder: Spherical asteroid belt.
- Edill: Gas giant, populated primarily by dragons.
- Gnibile: Dark-red gas giant, with blobs of lava and shards of ice in the interior. Contains a gate to the Negative Material Plane. Populated primarily by undead.
- Conatha: Elliptical water world with two solid cores that orbit around each other. Populated by many piscine creatures, including merfolk and sahuagin.
- Ginsel: Crescent-shaped world that resembles a sphere with a giant bite taken out of it. Has an atmosphere on the inside of the crescent. Basic civilized fantasy world.
- Borka: Spherical asteroid cluster with a common atmosphere. Formerly a planet inhabited by orcs, goblins and other humanoids, it was devastated by the magic of the elves.
- Greela: Another spherical asteroid cluster with a common atmosphere, although many of the asteroids bear huge forests. Home to elves.
- The Spectre: A flat, circular disc of rock that appears to vanish and re-appear as it is seen edgewise, then rotates to show its full face. Also called The Wink. Has an atmosphere and water, but no life.
Other features of Greyspace[edit]
- The Sisters: A constellation of nine star-like objects, resembling a single bright star from Oerth. They are surrounded by a region of reverse gravity and dead magic. Those who pass between them end up far removed in space or time.
- The Great Sargasso: A region of dead magic a million miles in diameter.
- The Habitat: A mile-long ellipsoid of some dark blue-gray metal (perhaps superficially resembling the far smaller artifact in the Pits of Azak-Zil).
- Dark Stars: At least three objects similar to Spheres of Annihilation, but several miles in diameter.
Other possible features of Greyspace[edit]
- Atropus, the World Born Dead, is a small moonlet that travels through space, erasing all life it encounters.
- The Dragon's Tear comet, which appears in the sky every 27 years, opening the Vast Gate to the Far Realm with the enormous reserve of potential magical energy it builds up during its long interplanetary journey.
- A fiery red comet heralds the approach of Ragnorra.
- The Rock of Bral, a vast city-state located on a huge asteroid, is (optionally) located in The Grinder.
- The floating castle of Sardior, which stays forever on the night side of the world away from the sun. On the nights it can be seen, it has been mistaken for a small red moon. Periodically it moves between planes.
Gallery[edit]
Greyspace, as conceived by Spelljammer.org
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.
- "The 12 Constellations of the Greyhawk Zodiac" on the Canonfire! forums.
- "Comets and Astrology" on the Canonfire! forums.
Constellations article series:
- Miller, Andy. "The Good Oerth: Constellations of Greyhawk." Oerth Journal #22. Council of Greyhawk, 2007. Available online: [1]
- ———. "The Good Oerth: Constellations of Greyhawk: Veneficus et Milés". Oerth Journal #31, Greyhawk Online, Winter 2019. Available online: [2]
- ———. "The Good Oerth: Constellations of Greyhawk: Growfest" . Oerth Journal #35. Greyhawk Online, Winter 2020 Available online: [3]
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
- Cordell, Bruce. The Gates of Firestorm Peak. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.
- Grubb, Jeff. Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.
- Findley, Nigel. Greyspace. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, December 1992.
- Henson, Dale "Slade." The War Captain's Companion. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, May 1992.
- Miller, Andy. "The Good Oerth: Constellations of Greyhawk." Oerth Journal #22. Council of Greyhawk, 2007. Available online: [4]
- Moore, Roger E. "Gates in the World of Greyhawk." Available online:[5]
- Schwalb, Robert J. Elder Evils. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007.
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
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Blackdog's Frigate Infirmary (Greyspace) | Building | Shop, | War Captain's Companion Boxed Set: Book 1 | 4, 38-40 |
Blackdog's Frigate Infirmary (Greyspace) | Building | Shop, | War Captain's Companion Boxed Set: Book 2 | 61 |
Borka (Asteroid Cluster) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Concordance of Arcane Space | 78, 80, 91 |
Borka (Asteroid Cluster) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Lorebook of the Void | 91 |
Borka (Asteroid Cluster) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Planetary Display Map (Poster) | Poster |
Borka (Asteroid Cluster) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | SJR6 Greyspace | 2, 7, 8, 10, 17, 23, 27, 33, 39, 43, 48, 54-59, 60, 61, 65, 66, 83, 84, 85, 90, 91, Back Cover |
Borka (Asteroid Cluster) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | War Captain's Companion Boxed Set: Book 1 | 20 |
Conatha (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Concordance of Arcane Space | 78, 80, 91 |
Conatha (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Lorebook of the Void | 91 |
Conatha (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Planetary Display Map (Poster) | Poster |
Conatha (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | SJR6 Greyspace | 7, 10, 17, 23, 27, 33, 39, 43-47, 48, 54, 60, 66 |
Edill (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Concordance of Arcane Space | 78, 80, 91 |
Edill (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Lorebook of the Void | 91 |
Edill (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Planetary Display Map (Poster) | Poster |
Edill (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | SJR6 Greyspace | 7, 10, 17, 23, 27, 33-38, 39, 40, 43, 48, 54, 60, 66, 85, 87, 92, 96, Back Cover |
Ginsel (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook | 117 |
Ginsel (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Concordance of Arcane Space | 78, 80, 91 |
Ginsel (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Lorebook of the Void | 91 |
Ginsel (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Planetary Display Map (Poster) | Poster |
Ginsel (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | SJR6 Greyspace | 6, 7, 10, 17, 23, 27, 33, 39, 43, 48-53, 54, 60, 66, 90 |
Gnibile (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Concordance of Arcane Space | 78, 80, 91 |
Gnibile (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Lorebook of the Void | 91 |
Gnibile (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Planetary Display Map (Poster) | Poster |
Gnibile (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | SJR6 Greyspace | 2, 7, 10, 17, 23, 27, 33, 39-42, 43, 48, 54, 60, 66, 95, Back Cover |
Greela (Asteroid Cluster) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook | 9, 90 |
Greela (Asteroid Cluster) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Concordance of Arcane Space | 78, 80, 91 |
Greela (Asteroid Cluster) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Lorebook of the Void | 92 |
Greela (Asteroid Cluster) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Planetary Display Map (Poster) | Poster |
Greela (Asteroid Cluster) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | SJR6 Greyspace | 7, 10, 17, 23, 27, 30, 33, 39, 43, 48, 54, 58, 60-65, 66, 68, 80, 85, 89, 90, 91 |
Greyspace | Geographical feature | Crystal sphere, | CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook | 9-10, 13, 40, 53, 81, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90, 91, 117 |
Greyspace | Geographical feature | Crystal sphere, | Return of the Eight | 35 |
Greyspace | Geographical feature | Crystal sphere, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Concordance of Arcane Space | 78, 80, 86, 88, 91 |
Greyspace | Geographical feature | Crystal sphere, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Lorebook of the Void | 59, 78, 89-92 |
Greyspace | Geographical feature | Crystal sphere, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Planetary Display Map (Poster) | Poster |
Greyspace | Geographical feature | Crystal sphere, | SJR6 Greyspace | All |
Greyspace | Geographical feature | Crystal sphere, | War Captain's Companion Boxed Set: Book 1 | 4, 20, 21, 35, 38, 39 |
Greyspace | Geographical feature | Crystal sphere, | War Captain's Companion Boxed Set: Book 3 | 27 |
Greyspace | Geographical feature | Crystal sphere, | WGR2 Treasures of Greyhawk | 13, 15 |
Greyspace | Place | Crystal sphere, | Oerth Journal #03 | 20 |
Greyspace | Place | Crystal sphere, | Oerth Journal #07 | 33 |
Greyspace | Place | Crystal sphere, | Oerth Journal #27 | 9 |
Greyspace | Place | Crystal sphere, | The Adventure Begins | 77 |
Grinder, The (Asteroid Belt) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Asteroid Belt, | CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook | 9, 88, 91 |
Grinder, The (Asteroid Belt) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Asteroid Belt, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Concordance of Arcane Space | 78, 80, 91 |
Grinder, The (Asteroid Belt) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Asteroid Belt, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Lorebook of the Void | 90, 91 |
Grinder, The (Asteroid Belt) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Asteroid Belt, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Planetary Display Map (Poster) | Poster |
Grinder, The (Asteroid Belt) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Asteroid Belt, | SJR6 Greyspace | 7, 10, 17, 23, 26, 27-32, 33, 39, 43, 48, 54, 60, 66, 80, 82, 88, 90, 91, 92, 93 |
Grinder, The (Asteroid Belt) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Asteroid Belt, | War Captain's Companion Boxed Set: Book 1 | 20, 21, 27, 40 |
Liga {The Sun} (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Sun, | Dragon magazine #AN4 | 20 |
Liga {The Sun} (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Sun, | Dungeon magazine #077 | 36 |
Liga {The Sun} (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Sun, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Concordance of Arcane Space | 78, 80, 91 |
Liga {The Sun} (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Sun, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Lorebook of the Void | 89, 90 |
Liga {The Sun} (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Sun, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Planetary Display Map (Poster) | Poster |
Liga {The Sun} (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Sun, | SJR6 Greyspace | 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 17, 23-26, 27, 33, 39, 43, 48, 54, 55, 60, 66, 76, 77, 91 |
Moth, The (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Asteroid, | SJR6 Greyspace | 23, 25-26 |
Reaper (The Graveyard, Charnelhouse) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Asteroid, | SJR6 Greyspace | 30 |
SJR6 Greyspace | Adventure | CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook | 10 | |
SJR6 Greyspace | Adventure | CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook | 10 | |
SJR6 Greyspace | Adventure | Living Greyhawk, Living Onnwal Gazetteer, D&D 3.5e | 5 | |
SJR6 Greyspace | Adventure | Return of the Eight | 35 | |
SJR6 Greyspace | Adventure | The Adventure Begins | 77 | |
SJR6 Greyspace | Adventure | War Captain's Companion Boxed Set: Book 1 | 94 | |
Spectre, The (The Wink) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook | 9 |
Spectre, The (The Wink) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Concordance of Arcane Space | 78, 80, 91 |
Spectre, The (The Wink) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Lorebook of the Void | 92 |
Spectre, The (The Wink) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | Spelljammer Boxed Set: Planetary Display Map (Poster) | Poster |
Spectre, The (The Wink) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | SJR6 Greyspace | 3, 6, 7, 10, 17, 23, 27, 33, 39, 43, 48, 54, 60, 66-70, 74, 76, 78, 79, 80, 91, 92 |
Spectre, The (The Wink) (Greyspace) | Geographical feature | Planet, | War Captain's Companion Boxed Set: Book 1 | 21, 23, 40 |