Murlynd

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Greyhawk Deity
Murlynd
Murlynd03 HolySymbol.png
A holy symbol of Murlynd, Slavers, p128. Art by Sam Wood.
Title: the White Paladin
Alias(es): Dr. D.R. Murlynd
Home plane: Special; see below
Power level: Hero-deity
Race: Human (Oeridian)
Gender: Male
Class: Paladin 12/magic-user 12/illusionist 12 (18th level magic-user in EX2)
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Magical technology
Domains: Good, Knowledge, Law, Nobility
Symbol: Six-pointed star with rounded points (see below)
Superior: Heironeous

Murlynd (MURR-lind) is the Oeridian hero-god of Magical Technology. Murlynd's symbol is a solid, six-pointed star with rounded points.

Description[edit]

Murlynd is a handsome Oeridian man with deep, penetrating eyes[1] and weathered features.[2] He is a well-built man with a "broad, muscular frame".[1] He is clothed in worn leather and wears a light-colored hat of a type unfamiliar to the Flanaess.[2] Murlynd is aloof and taciturn, though he is quite personable among his allies. Murlynd is dangerous only when provoked by evil beings. He is known to wield the longsword, battle axe, and crossbow, as well as weapons of more unusual make. Murlynd is especially fond of a pair of strange, hand-held weapons that emit powerful projectiles. He has referred to these weapons variously as "45's," "six shooters," and "hog legs."[1]

Murlynd dwells in a variety of unusual planes and demiplanes, moving between his various abodes as suits his mood. He has a house in the Land Beyond the Magic Mirror.

Abilities[edit]

Prior to his apotheosis, Murlynd's ability scores were given in Land Beyond the Magic Mirror:[3]

Str 13, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 19, Wis 8, Cha 15

Murlynd has psionic abilities, though these are sometimes unreliable.[1]

Possessions[edit]

Perhaps Murlynd's most famous items are his "six-shooters". They are various described as strange wands which launch arcane projectiles, "a strange hand crossbow with a pipe in place of the bow",[4]. It is his "special aura"[1] that makes the exception to fact that gunpowder or "smoke powder[4]" doesn't normally work on Oerth.

Murlynd is noted for using distinct items which are called "technological" and his spell effects create similar effects, though these are not necessarily futuristic or even modern. It is noted his priests are blacksmiths[4] and they "build, repair, and improve mills, forges, and other sorts of medieval tools and machinery."[4]

Murlynd also has a dancing longsword.[1]

Relationships[edit]

Murlynd was sponsored to godhood by Heironeous. He is also known to be an ally of Celestian, Phaulkon, Zagyg, Keoghtom, Mordenkainen, and Heward. Iuz is one of his most fierce enemies. He was once a member of Zagyg's Company of Seven. Later, he adventured in disguise with members of the Citadel of Eight.

Murlynd contended with Saint Kargoth on another plane (c. 593 CY) over a weapon known as the Quannon.[5]

Worship[edit]

Dogma[edit]

Murlynd encourages others to learn from the advancements of civilized races to improve the lives of the common folk. His followers will not use inferior items if superior ones are available to them; they are commanded to protect the weak and innocent and to act with honor. They are always to consider Heironeous's followers their allies and Hextor's followers their enemies.[6]

Scriptures[edit]

Murlynd's holy book, which often bears his symbol, is titled Murlynd's Early Adventures & Subsequent Ventures.[7][8]

Worshipers[edit]

Murlynd02.jpg

Clergy[edit]

Murlynd's priests strive to uphold the virtues of law and good, and often work with the clergy of Heironeous toward this end. They use their knowledge of technology to aid the common man, and are encouraged to invent new devices and improve upon old ones. They work to destroy extremely dangerous magical or technological devices, and often find themselves working toward this end with followers of Phaulkon.

Spells cast by clerics of Murlynd look different from standard divine magic, adding elements of a technological nature as Murlynd's own spells do.

Paladins[edit]

Paladins dedicated to Murlynd are called the White Paladins. They are an extremely rare sect of the church of Heironeous rather than an independent faith.[9] They share Murlynd's fascination with otherworldly weapons and technology, seeking to use such items in their crusade against Evil. They can usually be recognized by their eccentric hodgepodge armor and clothing, much of it created themselves. They jealously guard the secrets of firebrands—strange devices that can fire metallic balls at high speeds. They travel in search of exotic new equipment.[10]

Their motto is Technology is an instrument of Justice so long as the hand that wields it is True.[9]

Murlynd grants his paladins and others who have Divine Grace the ability to "make and use firearms",[5] since they do not normally work on Oerth, similar to his "special aura" which enables him to do the same.[1]

The ability to "make and use firearms" in third edition is mechanically conferred by selecting the "Secret of the Firebrands" feat.[5] The prerequisite of this feat is the Divine Grace class feature which is a Second level ability of the paladin class and of some prestige classes, such as the Holy Liberator.

Relics[edit]

Murlynd's spoon is a typical-looking spoon. When placed in an empty bowl, cup, or dish, the vessel fills with a thick, pasty gruel that tastes like wet cardboard, but nourishes a creature as much as a full meal.

Other magical items created by Murlynd include Murlynd's Hat and Murlynd's Rattlesnake Whip.[11]

History[edit]

Murlynd's origins are unknown, other than his ethnic background. In his mortal life, he was a paladin of Heironeous and a member of the Company of Seven. He aided Zagyg in imprisoning Iuz beneath Castle Greyhawk, which has earned him the enmity of the Old One for life. At some point, Murlynd was sponsored to godhood by Heironeous. Though the date of the ascension is unknown, he gained the ability to grant spells to his followers independently on his own c.590 CY.[4]

In disguise, he adventured for a time with members of the Citadel of Eight, including Tenser, Robilar, and Terik.[5]

Spells[edit]

The following arcane spells are attributed to Murlynd:

Creative origins[edit]

Murlynd began as a player character created by Gary Gygax's closest friend Don Kaye in 1972 for the second-ever session of the game that would become D&D. Kaye continued to play Murlynd in Gygax's nascent Greyhawk campaign, developing him as a crossover between "swords & sorcery" D&D and the Old West. After Kaye's unexpected death in 1975, Gygax subsequently created a tribute to his friend by highlighting Murlynd as one of the unique characters of the world of Greyhawk. In later editions of D&D, Murlynd was elevated to deityhood, becoming the Oeridian deity of Magical Technology.

Gary Gygax's childhood friend Don Kaye created Murlynd for the second-ever session of Gygax's World of Greyhawk™ campaign in 1972, rolled up on Gygax's kitchen table at the same time as Rob Kuntz's Robilar and Terry Kuntz's Terik.[14] Gygax later recalled that, in those early days when most players including Gygax himself simply used their own name as a basis for their character's name — Tenser/Ernest, Yrag/Gary — "Murlynd" was the first attempt by a player to make a creative name for a character.[15] Don Kaye was a fan of the Western genre,[16] and at one point during the early days of the Greyhawk campaign, Gygax had Murlynd transported to an alternate universe set in the Old West. When Murlynd was eventually transported back the Greyhawk setting, he sported the hat, boots, Colt revolvers, and stereotypical outfit of a cowboy. Although Gygax did not allow the use of gunpowder in his Greyhawk setting, he made a loophole for Kaye by ruling that Murlynd actually carried two "magical wands" that made loud noises and delivered small but deadly missiles.[17] Many years later, Gygax created a similar item called "Kaydon's Thunderous Bolters" for the Lejendary Adventures role-playing system. Gygax made it clear that these items fired their six charges using magic, not gunpowder.)[18]

The game Kaye and Gygax were playing would become D&D, and Kaye would go on to help Gygax start up TSR. In late 1974, Kaye also helped develop the rules for a Western-genre game called Boot Hill. However, Kaye died unexpectedly in 1975. As a tribute to his friend, Gygax published Boot Hill in 1975 in memory of Kaye. In 1983, Gygax would pay additional tribute to Kaye's memory by referencing Murlynd in the published version of EX2 The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror, which also included the spells Murlynd's ogre and Murlynd's void,[19] and further highlighted Murlynd in the March 1983 issue of Dragon magazine.[1] The following year, Gygax paid further tribute to Kaye when he borrowed Murlynd's name for Murlynd's spoon, a magical spoon described in Unearthed Arcana that created a bad-tasting but nutritious gruel when placed in an empty bowl.[20]

Publishing history[edit]

First edition[edit]

In Gygax's Dragon article,[1] a pencil illustration shows a stereotypical cowboy of the Old West genre, wearing a cowboy hat, and holding a revolver. (See Gallery image below.) Murlynd wields his "weapons of technology" (revolver pistols) in both hands simultaneously. His personality is described as aloof and taciturn, though he is quite personable among his allies. Murlynd is described as dangerous only when provoked by evil beings. In addition to his pistols, which are simply described as a pair of wands in the shape of six shooters that shoot projectiles, Gygax notes that he is also proficient with longsword, battle axe, and crossbow.[1] Additionally, Gygax describes Murlynd's origins as unknown.

Second edition[edit]

After Gygax left TSR in 1985, Murlynd was subsequently only briefly referenced eight years later in the 1993 sourcebook Iuz the Evil as one of those who imprisoned Iuz.[21][22] Murlynd was also mentioned in passing in Carl Sargent's sourcebook Ivid the Undying, but TSR cancelled that project just before it went to print, later publishing it online.[23]

It was not until Wizards of the Coast bought TSR and wrote a new storyline for Greyhawk, that Murlynd made a dramatic reappearance in Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins (1998) as the Oeridian god of magical technology,[24] and also had a full write-up in the adventure sourcebook Slavers (2000).[25]

Third edition[edit]

In third edition, Murlynd retained the same role as deity of magical technology he'd had in Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins. With the introduction of the RPGA's massively shared, national Living Greyhawk campaign which ran from 2000–2008, Murlynd was included with domains and a portfolio again.[26][27]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. a b c d e f g h i j Gygax, Gary (March 1983). "Greyhawk's World: Four Uncharacteristic Characters". Dragon vol. VII, No. 9 (71): 19–22. Lake Geneva WI: TSR.
  2. a b Living Greyhawk Journal #3 (Feb 2001), p.13.  
  3. EX2 The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror (1983), p.8.
  4. a b c d e Slavers (2000), p.128.
  5. a b c d Living Greyhawk Journal #20 (Apr 2003), p.98.  
  6. Living Greyhawk Journal #3 (Feb 2001), p.13-14.  
  7. EX2 Land Beyond the Magic Mirror (1983) , p.6.
  8. "Blood of Heroes".  Living Greyhawk Journal #3 (Feb 2001), p.13.  
  9. a b Living Greyhawk Journal #20 (Apr 2003), p.97.  
  10. Living Greyhawk Journal #20 (Apr 2003), p.97-98.  
  11. "Treasures of Greyhawk".  Dragon #359 (Sep 2007), p.73-74.
  12. a b EX2 Land Beyond the Magic Mirror (1983) , p.31.
  13. a b Wizard's Spell Compendium, vol.3(1995) , p.605.
  14. Gygax: The next day they played, and with their PCs were two new ones, that of Rob Kuntz and Don Kaye's Murlynd." Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part VI, Page 9). EN World , 2004-03-26. Retrieved on 2009-03-15.
  15. Gygax: "In general most of the players, myself included when initially adventuring and not DMing, thought little of the PC's name, but more about what thrilling things would transpire. Thus, my first character was named Yrag, and some of the younger fellows in the group didn't even name their PC. Don Kaye was a semi-exception with Murlynd. As I became a bit more engaged in the broader possibility spectrum of the game, I did a more seriously considered PC Mordenkainen... That became common with most of the veterans in our group around that time."Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part X, Page 14). EN World , 2006-06-15. Retrieved on 2009-03-15.
  16. Kuntz: "Don was a great fan of the Western and an avid supporter of the Boot Hill rules." Robilar Remembers: Murlynd. Pied Piper Publishing , 2004-10-18. Retrieved on 2009-09-16.
  17. Gygax: "The strange wands that Murlynd used made a loud noise and delivered a damaging missile, but neither effect was due to gunpowder. These were very rare magic items devised by Murlynd's arcane understanding of technology and how to make it function magically." Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part IV, Page 13). EN World , 2003-11-25. Retrieved on 2009-03-15.
  18. Gygax: "The Lejendary Adventures game has an Extraordinary Item known as Kaydon's Thunderous Bolters, each weapon having six charges that renew after a relatively long period of time. They are not gunpowder weapons..." Gary Gygax: Q & A (Part IV, Page 13). EN World , 2003-11-25. Retrieved on 2009-03-15.
  19. Gygax, Gary. EX2 The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror (TSR, 1983)
  20. Gygax, Gary. Unearthed Arcana (TSR, 1985)
  21. WGR5 Iuz the Evil (1993), p.5.
  22. Sargent, Carl (1993) Iuz the Evil, Lake Geneva WI⧼colon⧽ TSR, Inc ISBN: 978-1560765844.
  23. Sargent, Carl; Jean Rabe; William Allman, eds.. Ivid the Undying (PDF). Wizards.com 163. WotC, 1995. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved on 12 November 2022.
  24. Moore, Roger E,Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins (TSR, 1998)
  25. Reynolds, Sean K., and Chris Pramas. Slavers (TSR, 2000)
  26. Divine Order: Living Greyhawk Deities Sort Table (searchable table). Wizards.com. WotC. Archived from the original on 21 May 2003. Retrieved on 11 November 2022.
  27. Conforti, Steve (2005) Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0, Wizards of the Coast

Bibliography[edit]

———. The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.
———. Unearthed Arcana. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1985.
———. World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.
———. Return of the Eight. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.
———. "Gods of Oerth". Living Greyhawk Journal #3. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001.
———. WGR5 Iuz the Evil. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1993. Item code TSR9399. ISBN 978-1560765844

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

Firebrand (Pistol) (Murlynd) Item Dragon magazine #306 98
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Bastion of Faith 41
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Dragon magazine #071 19, 20, 21
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Dragon magazine #293 90
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Dragon magazine #294 95
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Dragon magazine #306 97, 98
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Dragon magazine #351 42
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Dragon magazine #359 70, 71, 73
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Dragon magazine #AN2 96
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, EX2 The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror 4, 5, 6, 8, 26
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Ivid the Undying 157
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Living Greyhawk Journal #0 5
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Living Greyhawk Journal #2 8
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Living Greyhawk Journal #3 13, 19
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Player's Guide to Greyhawk 16, 18, 20, 26
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Polyhedron magazine #163 106, 108
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Return of the Eight 32, 58
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Slavers, AD&D 2e 66, 128
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, The Adventure Begins 125
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, Unearthed Arcana, AD&D 1e 101
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, WG6 Isle of the Ape 6
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, WGR5 Iuz the Evil 5
Murlynd {Merlund, Merlynd} Deity Male, Human, Mu18, The White Paladin, World of Greyhawk boxed set (1983) 33-36
Murlynd's Early Adventures & Subsequent Ventures Item Book, EX2 The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror 6
Murlynd's Early Adventures & Subsequent Ventures Item Book, Living Greyhawk Journal #3 13
Murlynd's Hat Item Dragon magazine #359 73-74
Murlynd's Ogre (LVL4) Spell Spell (Magic User), EX2 The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror 6, 31
Murlynd's Ogre (LVL4) Spell Spell (Magic User), Wizard's Spell Compendium - Volume III 605
Murlynd's Rattlesnake Whip Item Dragon magazine #359 74
Murlynd's Spoon Item Artifact, CGR1 The Complete Spacefarer's Handbook 121
Murlynd's Spoon Item Artifact, LT2 Crypt of Lyzandred the Mad 7
Murlynd's Spoon Item Artifact, Dungeon Masters Guide, AD&D 2e 138, 175
Murlynd's Spoon Item Artifact, Encyclopedia Magica - Volume IV 1467, 1585, 1634, 1652
Murlynd's Spoon Item Artifact, Unearthed Arcana, AD&D 1e 88, 101
Murlynd's Spoon Item Artifact, Unearthed Arcana, AD&D 1e (Premium Edition) 88, 101
Murlynd's Void (LVL6) Spell Spell (Magic User), EX2 The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror 6, 31
Murlynd's Void (LVL6) Spell Spell (Magic User), Wizard's Spell Compendium - Volume III 605
Paladin of Murlynd {The White Paladins} People Group Religious order, Dragon magazine #306 97, 98
Secret of the Firebrands (Murlynd) Rules Feat/Proficiency/Skill, Dragon magazine #306 98
Specialty Priest of Murlynd People Group Religious order, Slavers, AD&D 2e 128
Spoon, Murlynd's Item Reference SEE Murlynd's Spoon
Technology is an instrument of justice so long as the hand that wields it is True (Murlynd) Verbal communication Philosophy/Belief, Dragon magazine #306 97