Disappointment in Lankhmar

Fog rolls in from the marshlands, up the river, and into the city - mixing with the smoke and soot from innumerable houses and forges: spread across the sprawling city. Block after block forming a veritable dungeon - rooftops, a maze over which the adept might bound and leap - the color of the town being gray out of necessity as much as decision. Thieves, cut-purses, and sell-swords lurk in the murk: and a thousand eyes watch from a thousand faces, looking away as necessary... or looking on, as it suits them.

This half-ruin, half-metropolis is Lankhmar: and the birthplace of Sword & Sorcery.

N-Spiration: Swords and Deviltry

About Swords and Deviltry

Swords and Deviltry is a collection of stories - three stories, plus an introductory piece titled Induction - authored by Appendix N great Fritz Leiber and originally published in 1970. The stories within, Induction included, were written between 1957 and 1970 and some published in Fantastic magazine prior to their inclusion in the compellation. As such, while it is not the first story to have been authored about its main protagonists, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, it is the first chronologically, in universe: providing an origin story for each of the characters and also an origin story to explain their collaboration. The characters, themselves, first appeared in print in a 1947 issue of Unknown magazine in another tale, Adept's Gambit, which would go on to be included in the published collection Swords in the Mist in 1968. More to the point, however, is the author of the collection - the esteemed Fritz Leiber: the father of Sword & Sorcery.

Literally.

In 1961, Leiber would describe his work and the work of like authors Michael Moorcock and Robert E. Howard as "sword & sorcery" in a letter to Ancalagon - coining the term, inventing the label, and giving us, if Wikipedia is to be believed, a term which "accurately describes the points of culture-level and supernatural element and also immediately distinguishes it from the cloak-and-sword (historical adventure) story."

Born in Illinois in 1910 to a married couple of Shakespearean actors, Leiber was active in authorship until his death in 1992. He is one of the last of the original pulp writers - post-dating the Weird Tales period, but being encouraged by H. P. Lovecraft in pursuit of his art - and among the most prolific: though among those tales, none are known better among the OSR and RPG community than those he authored of Fafhrd the Barbarian and the Gray Mouser.

The Snow Women

The Snow Women, the first true story presented in this collection, is awful.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest - The Snow Women is an origin story for Fafhrd: a tall, red-haired barbarian swordsman from the north. Fafhrd fills a warrior-outsider archetype and presents a classic Fighting Man in the context of OSR gaming: both in the presentation of his skills and also in the depictions of his characteristics.  

Referees - how many barbarian northmen have you seen in your games who are excessively tall (Fafhrd is said to be almost if not 7 feet in height; compared by this reviewer to Conan's 6 feet), who hail from places cold and remote, and who have at least one dead parent? Fafhrd and this origin story present these tropes to a T. 

In basic synopsis - Fafhrd travels south with his clan to an annual trading meet - after having gone a-viking with a crew of pirates a season before. He rescues a damsel in distress - twice - before fleeing south with her to the city: while at the same time (in a show of humanity: of conflicting desires and ambiguity both in morals and fidelity) abandoning several responsibilities: some he has inherited as a result of lineage and cultural expectation, some he has earned through his own actions, and some he has accepted and championed as his own prerogative. But in so painting the Fafhrd character - where the expression might be that an artist paints with a wide brush, Leiber paints with a roller. The dialog is very clunky, with exchanges feeling more like shower arguments than believable conversation. 

In particular, the presentation of dialog in a fade-to-black (or, fade-to-white, in this case) scene elicits more cringing than excitement.

Similarly, the action is stilted: as though the author is trying to subvert not the expectations of a classic hero, but the physical realities of what the hero might entail. Fafhrd is excessively tall - 7 feet, as mentioned above - and thin: "but he's super strong. This traveling merchant pushes him? And he Doesn't. Budge." - while paradoxically speaks in the voice of a tenor ("Because he practiced it that way! It's intentional as part of his tribal customs!"). Frankly, it reads like the fiction of an adolescent bluffing through his insecurities - cracking voice, gangly growth, romantic frustration... - billing them as intentional, virtuous, or covert strengths.

A great deal of world-building is accomplished in this tale. We learn a great deal about the people of the north, about their customs and their interactions, information which will explain behaviors and consequences in other places in the Leiber lexographies, in a manner consistent with the story: it does not constitute a long lore-dump: instead, providing information appropriate to the narrative at the moment and moving the story forward. While it does, however, provide these elements of background expertly, the lore is ... dumb. The women rule in the Cold Wastes - and the mechanism they use to implement their violent control is.... snowballs. (But they're more made of ice than snow so it really hurts, guys!) I could go on - but the point is made. It's known that the characters - Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser - are a nod to (if not a character model of) the author, Leiber, and his friend Harry Fischer: a fellow writer of science fiction. Perhaps these are inside jokes between them? They certainly carry the air of humor - such as in film when a scene of particular intensity is offset with a joke; or when a moment of gravity, with intent to transition to the next scene, is broken with a laugh. Perhaps. But in my lonely opinion, the joke fell on the deaf.

As such - if you read this book, skip The Snow Women.

The Unholy Grail

The Unholy Grail is much more enjoyable.

The reader may correctly surmise from The Snow Women playing origin story to Fafhrd that The Unholy Grail serves as an origin story for the Gray Mouser. It is an older story - published originally in October of 1962 - and displays more skill in terms of nabbing the imagination of the reader. The tone is much darker (which I personally tend to attribute to the more down-to-earth nature of sword and sorcery in comparison to high fantasy literature), the first paragraph grips the reader and doesn't let go - and the yarn contains swordplay, sorcery - both foul and fair - and embraces the same gray morality - painting its characters as flawed: neither good nor evil in totality. 

This is a theme through Leiber's work - that no one individual is wholly good - and at the same time, while some characters do appear to be wholly bad, the possibility is left open that this is in appearance only, in some cases, or in other cases, is the result of circumstances outside the view of the protagonists in the spotlight. 

The character Duke Janarrl, father to our female lead Ivrian, comes to mind:

...who is unwholesome in all regards presented until it becomes evident at the end that it's a coping mechanism for the repression of other experiences, other memories: thereby exploring the concept of generational abuse.

Further, regarding the technical execution of the story - Ivrian, responsible for both death of the white wizard, Glavas Rho, and for the capture of the Mouser - benefits from both a redemption arc in the role she plays in the story's climax against the Duke, to the quality of depth to her character, but also is included earlier in a foreshadowing event during a scene hunting a boar: wherein initial failure is, under duress, overturned by necessity of action.

Despite these indicators of technical talent and of thematic depth, however, the work is not without flaws. The dialog is somewhat stilted and many characters - the Mouser included - feeling one dimensional. In brief synopsis - the Gray Mouser (at this point in his career called, simply, Mouse) is an apprentice to a white wizard: one who falls victim to the prejudices Duke Janarrl against all magic. The Mouser takes his vengeance on the Duke through dark magic - initially, a voodoo doll; and then after, through an unexplained black magic poured out abstractly through the Duke's own fears and vulnerabilities. The Mouser presents the most one dimensional character of the lot - despite being a primary protagonist of the series to which this story belongs: his character is consumed with anger and with revenge: his words, his emotions, and his actions are entirely centered around that one goal.

All in all - The Unholy Grail inspired me to keep reading where The Snow Women made me want to put the book down: that said, it contains swords, sorcery, dungeons, and damsels: what more could you ask for in an Appendix N novella?

Ill Met in Lankhmar

Lastly among the tales within Swords and Deviltry one finds Ill Met in Lankhmar. 

The story opens with a heist:

...two thieves we have never met before have broken into and konked a jeweler: the lesser of whose wares they purloin, so as to "encourage him" to do better business for them to steal next time. On their return to the guild with their gains, they are ambushed by our heroes, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser: who have inadvertently chosen to ambush the thieves for fun and profit on their return trip at the same time.

Quickly coming to terms with each other as allies, the pair make quick work of the thieves and of some roughs from the guild of fighters, the Slayers' Brotherhood, hired as protection from just such an assault. After, the two slink into the night - celebrating their ill-gotten gains with their respective romantic counterparts.

Like The Snow Women, this yarn - Ill Met in Lankhmar was written in 1970: in the same year, it would go on to win the Nebula Award for "Best Novella" and, in the following, the Hugo Award for the same. It is very obvious that it was written after the fact - that is, after the characters and the work of the author was widely known: something that is evidenced best by a short exchange between the Gray Mouser and Farfhd when they initially meet regarding the pronunciation and spelling of Farfhd's name:

You know that from the opening of the Lankhmar saga in 1957 thirteen years prior to the publication of the story that readers had been incessantly writing to Leiber or to his publishers asking this exact question. After rolling ones eyes or eliciting a chuckle at this realization - the reader is obliged to note that this kind of humor perforates the text. Through their interactions - somewhat flippant despite the gravity of some of their actions - the sense of humor that the author seeks to imbue into the text makes recurrent intrusions onto the page: which leads us to the primary question the reader of this article may be asking to this point - isn't this supposed to be a review of the book's influence on my game table?

Yes, it is - and yes, it does!

While the story is on par (perhaps just a tad less) enjoyable than The Unholy Grail, regardless of that quality, the story IS a D&D game half a decade before the game came out.

The aforementioned tonal shifts between flippancy and seriousness? This occurs at the table as well as in the story. Scenes of mindless total bloodshed followed by childish jests and bar-hopping? Happens in the story. Similarly - world building: there is a place called Whore Street, where one of the thieves' guild representatives goes on vacation! This is straight out of an OSR campaign world and speaks monuments to the tone of the movement and the expectations of a referee to the game.

Swords and Deviltry, Slip-Cover
Centipede Press, 2017

Secondly, to speak to the rules itself - I mentioned in the above two guilds: one, a brotherhood of Fighting Men; the other, a brotherhood of Thieves. If you have ever played Advanced D&D and wondered at the origins of the Training rules - why do I have to seek out a mentor to get better at the thing I've been practicing on my delves - this is why. To focus on the Thieves' Guild specifically: there is a scene wherein the protagonists infiltrate the guild - seeing trainers working with apprentice thieves: showing them how to pick locks, instructing them (and testing them) on picking pockets. Without doubt - this is what Gary had in mind when he came up with the training rules: having these stories at hand, scribing down the various things that a Thief should be able to do. While - as Ringmail-enjoyers will know already - I have already made my opinions clear on what I think of guilds in your game: part of the implied setting - part of the world building of TSR D&D as produced by the rules, themselves - is evidenced in Lankhmar in the existence and the operations of the guilds referenced in this story. This, why thieves carry knives, hide in shadows, make abysmal fighters, and other influences on the D&D game - especially the AD&D game - become evident in this tale to the discerning reader.

The story takes a dark turn - ending on somewhat of a low note: reflecting the vulnerability of the protagonists that the author intended to set them (and these stories) apart from more larger-than-life characters like Howard's Conan or Moorcock's Elric - but it does end on a powerful note: and leaves the reader wanting more - whether that "more" could come from more Farfhd and the Gray Mouser or whether that "more" could come from the table is to be determined in said reader's own experience.

Further Reading

If the unique blend of low-adventure mixed with humor and horror that makes the hallmark of Fritz Leiber speaks to you - he was a prolific writer, with an extensive bibliography. His most known works are the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series - which, in omnibus form, comprises seven separate collections published between 1970 and 1988: all of which are available in print and electronically. Used copies abound - for those looking for an authentic experience - and for those without a Sword & Sorcery bent (I'm not sure, if you don't enjoy Sword & Sorcery, how you found this article: but welcome, without regard), his work is not limited to the genre whose name he coined, but also extends into the realms of science fiction and of horror.

Conclusion

Fritz Leiber - specifically, his creations Farfhd and the Gray Mouser - are called out, as Jack Vance and his Dying Earth - in the AD&D 1st Edition Appendix N. As such, I am legally required to say that they are entirely OSR. Swords and Deviltry is not art. The characters are not believably spoken; the stories do not contain a consistency of tone nor nod to particular verisimilitude; but they are stories of adventure. They are stories of passion and of desire. Of the three stories presented in Swords and Deviltry, one - I personally enjoyed; one - I was unable to force myself to finish; and one - I recognized the game I loved being played out from its pages. For that reason, I begrudgingly rate Swords and Deviltry 2: Mostly OSR.

What? How could you do Gary like that? I apologize - I apologize to Gary's ghost and to his legacy. However Leiber is no Howard; nor is Fafhrd a Skafloc nor the Gray Mouser a Cugel. The stories were - on the whole - enjoyable. I intend to give Leiber another go: potentially skipping ahead to Swords in the Mist: looking to some of the older works - written to tell the tale rather than later works, perhaps written with catering to the characters and a captive audience in mind. 

But it does no good to speculate.

I do recommend Swords and Deviltry - though I may find, looking further afield in the library of Leiber, that I recommend some of his works above it. In either case - keep gaming, thank you for reading, and delve on!

 

Swords and Deviltry, published by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc, of New York, NY, and all stories therein authored by Fritz Leiber and copyright to the Estate of Fritz Leiber. The Snow Women, cover art of Fantastic magazine, April 1970, illustrated by Jeff Jones. Cover of Fantastic magazine, October 1962, illustrated by Ed Emshwiller. Both images retrieved from Galactic Central Publications web, curated by Phil Stephensen-Payne. Slip cover for Swords and Deviltry, Centipede Press, by Tom Kidd - retrieved from Abe Books. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons & Dragons, and D&D and all imagery or references thereto related are property of Wizards of the Coast.

Clerics Wear Ringmail makes no claim of ownership of any sort to any of the aforementioned media, texts, or images and includes references to them for review purposes under Fair Use: US Code Title 17, Chapter 107. 

The slide-in of Gary... I got from a meme.

Shrew Excision Expedition

Scale: 10ft.
Click HERE for a PDF version of this adventure!

Suitable for 2nd level.

•		A little keyhole icon in a door means the door is locked.
•		A little "S" through a door means the door is secret.
•		A little "J" through a door means the door is jammed (stuck) and must be forced open.

Art generated on Craiyon.com; for expedience.

X - Entry

The circular room is walled by a slate geometric pattern – multiple tile shapes in use, each coming together in a larger picture, such that all space is bricked and mortared in a colorless mosaic. The floor is black tile – both motifs continue through the rest of the structure.

The room is empty – excepting natural cob webs hanging gently on the north-east portion of the stairwell.

N - North

N1) A statue of a stately gnome – six feet in height, four feet in width – dominates the center of this space. It is illusory, however, and characters may pass through it (or hide within, being able to see out as though within a cell of one-way glass) at leisure.

N2) Upon opening either door to this space, a thick smoke, knee to waist height, begins to billow out. It has a caustic aroma – but no harmful effects. Against the far wall are six periapts – empty, but worth 10 gp each as trinkets – hung at interval along the north wall. In addition, a pouch with 50 gold pieces and a garnet worth 100 gold pieces further can be found hidden beneath the opaque mist – lying discarded in the south-center of the room.

N3) Wedged into a nook in the wall is a shrine to the god of the gnomes. It has been neglected and no votives nor offerings sit nearby.

N4) One Giant Shrew (B42) sniffs about a pack, thrown to the ground. Inside can be found three days rations (which have drawn the shrew’s attention) in addition to 200 silver pieces. 

N5) A wayward Dwarf (B35) has locked himself in this space. Lightly wounded, he will react positively to adventurers – having been driven here by the shrew in N4. The pack is his – which he will remember after the exuberance of liberation (if the shrew has been dealt with) has worn off.

The purpose of the room is a crypt – two sealed sarcophagi, parallel to one another, taking up most of the space.

N6) Central to this room is a grave slab – running north to south and flush with the floor – on the other side of which is a small table, knee high. On the table is placed 100 silver coins and a skull coated in mother of pearl – itself worth 300 gold pieces.

The grave slab is unstable and, if party members walk across, there is a chance it will cave in – dumping the unfortunate into a 30 foot pit beneath.

N7) A single sarcophagus sits empty, broken into, with the lid smashed on the floor to the south. The small skeleton has been rummaged through unceremoniously.

W - West

W1) An octagonal rug of woven metal fibers is tethered to the floor in the center of this space. There is a slight charnel scent about it – and any character which steps into it may set off a trap wherein the rug winds up on itself, crushing whomever is inside before re-opening and resetting automatically after 1 turn has elapsed.

• If one character is caught in this mechanism, 1d3 damage is suffered.
• If two characters are caught, the damage inflicted increases to 1d6.

Characters of dwarf or halfling stature are counted as half a character for the purposes of the crushing rug. A Save may be granted to dodge the effect, eluding capture.

W2) At the far end of the north hall, two spectral hammers float facing the door, casting light as though torches, flanking the entrance to the larger space. They are magical, but have forgotten their purpose as guards. If left unmolested, they will do nothing but cast light – if a character attempts to disturb them, they will attack in unison, fighting each as 2 HD monsters, dealing 1d6 damage on a hit, which cannot be hit by normal weapons. The goal of any such attack is to drive the target from the room out the door to the north – after doing which, the hammers will resume their mindless vigil.

In the south of the room, a hoard has been secreted as follows:

• A locked chest containing 4,000ep
• A spell scroll containing five Magic User spells:
  

  Cloudkill Read Magic (x2)

  Fireball Protection from Evil (10' Radius)

• One Wand of Illusion (X49-50)

W3) Mining equipment has been stowed and neatly battened in the south and south-west of the room. It has gathered dust – having not been used for a time – but is in functioning condition.

W4) Eight gnomes argue amongst themselves in this space – two appearing to be the leaders: each who have maximum hit points for their hit die. They are following an antiquated map of the space and have entered through the secret door – of which they are aware – but seek the treasure room in W2: hoping to find artifacts therein to allow them to rid the area of shrews.

Between them, the gnomes carry 200 silver and 10 gold pieces.

E - East

E1) The eastern portion of the room is painted, small figures in robes surrounding a central figure with a golden hat. However, the space appears longer than it is and a party which seeks to walk towards the eastern wall from the west will inexplicably make very little headway. In fact, only a blind character – or one whose eyes are closed or covered – can make it to the far wall: where they will find the stone mundane.

A party seeking to return westward is not affected, departing as readily as they entered.

E2) Alcoves on each wall house the statue of a gnome-like figure; the features of the statues have been obscured with age.

E3) Three Giant Shrew (B42) are feeding upon two dead gnomes. On the gnomes’ persons can be found a potion of Cure Light Wounds.

A set of amphora adorn the west wall; in which 600 silver pieces can be found.

E4) The floor is patterned in a red and blue mosaic – depicting an abstract canvas. Along the walls are hung multiple tabards – each woven of metal fiber. They are serviceable – albeit uncomfortable – for small characters (those of dwarf or halfling size): but provide a base armor class of 6 when worn and encumber as chainmail.

N-Spiration - Zothique: The Final Cycle

He who has trod the shadows of Zothique
And looked upon the coal-red sun oblique,
Henceforth returns to no anterior land,
But haunts the latter coast
Where cities crumble in the black sea-sand
And dead Gods drink the brine.

- Clark Ashton Smith, Zothique

Zothique: The Final Cycle

About Zothique

Zothique is not a singular story nor plotline - but instead represents a collection of mixed genre works including stage play and metered rhyme: all of which illustrate and inhabit a particular world - Zothique - the last continent of Earth, formed when the sun is bloated, red, and dim in decrepitude. Like the sun, but dissimilar to the Dying Earth of Vance, there is little jocularity in it. Decay, death, and darkness run a consistent theme through the works - which, themselves, are almost memento mori for an ineluctable perishing of the world, itself. The stage is set for bronze-age savagery and for black sorcery, necromancy - in particular - taking a central role in almost all spell-casting. Control over death, yet another furtive struggle in a world bound for the endless dark, caters to the theme and tone of the works - joined together in their references, maps, and insinuated meaning - forcing the reader to contend with that which is apperceptive about its higher neurological function in addition to that which is base: that which is primal and inexpressible through cogent language.

Indeed, the author displays an incredible combination of restraint and artistry in his presentation of the obscene - able to draw carnal imagery in the mind of the reader totally without the use of vulgarities or the excessive description of gore. What is dwelt upon in modern vintage, Smith mentions but in passing or by implication only: the impact of which is made magnified by it. The urges and the instincts surrounding life and the clawing, clinging thereto by all metabolizing things feel drawn into sharp focus while perusing the great majority of the Zothique epistles.

The book pictured and recommended, which graces my shelves and now my imagination, contains 25 individual pieces of varied length - some, novellas in and of themselves, others poems that might fit on a single page. Published in various places - books and serials alike - across a span of many years (ranging from 1932's The Empire of the Necromancers to 1956's The Dead will Cuckold You), Zothique is a land of wastes and deserts: inspired in no small part by classic folk tales of the Arabian Nights. Edited by Ronald Hilger, Zothique: The Final Cycle is a new collection of the old works: its copyright dated to 2022.

About the Author

The author of the work is Clark Ashton Smith. If you have not heard that name and read nothing further of this short biopic, in attempt to sufficiently introduce him: know that his introduction to the world of weird fiction would come from a 1922 letter from H. P. Lovecraft... who was a fan of Smith's dark and strange poetry.

Smith is a character whose name arises frequently in discussions of Appendix N fantasy: typically to recommend him in apology for the original text, having insulted both the genre and wounded the imagination of the reader by his 1979 omission. Hailed as the last of the authors of Weird Tales' golden era, Smith was born in 1893, he was a visual artist and poet who lived in the small California community of Long Valley for the duration of his professional career. Indeed, poetry was his primary calling - being self-educated and self-inundated in the like of Poe and d'Aulnoy - and was said to be of remarkable intellect and memory: teaching himself multiple languages so as to work on translations of literary works in them. Using the nightmares he suffered during bouts of ill health, Smith produced the bulk of his prose fiction - over one hundred short stories - during the American Great Depression, with publications between 1929 and 1934. His fiction writing would cease - as it would seem, by result of preference - following a string of personal tragedies: the deaths of his mother in 1935, Robert E. Howard (with whom he was a fan and had been in correspondence prior) in 1936, and both his father and long-time friend H. P. Lovecraft in 1937. Though while the macabre of life would blunt his desire to write fiction and divert him back into the visual arts and sculpture, the macabre of his fiction would live on for decades to come: primarily through the intentional and occasionally unprofitable republications championed by August Derleth.

He was a single man most of his days - marrying only after suffering a heart attack at the age of 61: moving to establish his household in Pacific Grove, California with his new wife and her children. Shortly thereafter - almost as if in closing this chapter of history - the home he had been born into, where his intellect had been fostered, his works authored, and his life spent - burned to the ground in 1957: by Smith's account, an act of arson. It would seem then anapestic that Smith, on his death in 1961 from a series of strokes, was cremated - his ashes interred alongside the ashes of that Long Valley cabin.

Why Zothique?

There are numerous elements of Zothique that have verifiably made their way into the popular mythoi surrounding tabletop gaming - let alone the OSR alone. Tsathoggua - for example - an entity in the Cthulu cosmology and made most famous in the H. P. Lovecraft yarn, The Whisperer in Darkness, is actually a Clark Ashton Smith creation - having been invented in 1929 in a short story, The Tale of Satampra Zeiros: where Lovecraft and Smith were known to borrow one another's respective milieu and re-use what was borrowed in agapic homage. Similarly - any familiar with Hyperborea will be familiar with a flat world, the edge of which one might sail off of - falling with the ever-flowing waters into an abyss of space: this, too, is found in Zothique - at the end of the Black River from Necromancy in Naat (Weird Tales, 1936) an ocean current which pours like a waterfall into the void, after having dashed itself first against the jagged rocks of the island Naat, home to necromancers plying their carnal trade and cannibals, brutal and savage, cowering in fear of them.

While these two notable examples are ones I here cite, they are but the first two of countless references you'll find as you explore the last continent to rise from the teeming sea. Authors of products you have bought, played, or purchased will have read Zothique - one or all of the stories therein - and themes, spells or locales, and figures will become more clearly defined, their motives and machinations elucidated, by a shared experience in the stories.

Untitled Watercolor, Clark Ashton Smith: 1926
Sourced: EldritchDark.com

Zothique being Smith's seeming ode to mortality itself, he has a penchant for the inhuman. Ghouls and cannibalism, long-sleeping ancient powers passing as gods, and demons which offer Monkey's Paw pacts and bargains with those wanting or foolish enough to take them abound. Indeed, Smith offers a new perspective on the Monkey's Paw pact - classically, the pact-maker seeks to undo the pact-recipient as quickly as possible, turning the wish against the wisher to illustrate their own hubris: however, Smith's demons will keep to their bargain, fulfilling what was promised to the spirit - not the letter - instead allowing the basic foibles of Man to do the undoing for them. Smith's portrayal of infernal entities in this regard is one of the few places where - in D&D, the differentiation between a Devil and a Demon is in their service to Law or to Chaos: Smith is able to portray Lawful Evil in a manner which is left wanting in other re-tellings. These beings are immortal after all - they can wait! Expect - after reading this book - that you may be drawn to undeath: and that your players may, a few characters from now, inexplicably be drawn to a greater contingent of Clerics.

In addition - other monsters are handled well in the book. Some are smaller enemies - frightening, but within the realm of reason: that many would assail at once: peer to men of similar statue. Some are greater enemies - immune to attack except for that which has been blessed or ensorcelled against them. This divide portrays both - through the lens and vocabulary of the same author - two ends of the spectrum of creatures one might throw at a party: the man-like, the swarm, the flesh and blood horror - but also the supernatural: the crypt-bound or otherwise contained evil which cannot be conquered, only escaped. Within the works of Smith can be found inspiration for both. 

Lastly, to argue for Zothique as inspiration in gaming, the continent is absolutely rife with crypts, tombs, and fallen civilizations. Cities which have crumbled into dust, leaving behind only the sarcophagi of their ancestors dot the landscape and feature prominently in the prose. In particular, The Weaver in the Vault (1934) expressly presents itself as a treasure delve. Three characters - Yanur, Grotara (the youngest), and Thirlain Ludoch - are sent into the bowels of a cursed crypt, broken into almost maze-dom by time and seismic movements, in search of a magical treasure for the witch-wife of their sovereign employer.

While I will not spoil their exploits - the point of their adventure almost perfectly parallels the exploits of three Fighting Men who might descend into a tomb for luck and treasure...

...only to find an unexpected curse - an alien intelligence of an uncaring, unhuman scavenger - in its place.

An adventure writer, or a referee aspiring to both draw in his players while dooming their characters, would be well served by The Weaver in the Vault - as likewise would they be served by most of the works contained within the tome.

To Note before Reading

As mentioned in the initial biopic - the author was born in the 19th century and was educated on material from his time. His vocabulary is extensive - and his diction is evocative: a trait which a budding referee would be well served to emulate and learn - however his mannerisms and some of the ideas presented can come across as dated. Some authors are able to speak through the ages - their works being timeless either in presentation or in their appeal to the human condition: Smith achieves this in some places, but in others, it becomes very obvious that the stories can be as old as a century.

Similarly, some themes in the book - such as the open use of race - may catch the reader off-guard: especially one sensitive to the subjects broached. In particular, Zothique concerns itself heavily with life and with death... and with that which lies between or beyond. The necromancy which features prominently in the tales often crosses the lines between these two extremes - birth and death - where the carnal desires of necromancers or witches (and at times, normal folk, themselves!) are satiated using mindless or compulsory involvement of reanimated productions.

Note - it is entirely plausible (and, as I type it, likely) that these broaches of the taboo are specifically intentional, necrophiles in particular being the last brink of corporeal drive and a fundamental breach and violation of the natural order: a choice by the author to shock and disgust while drawing in the reader artfully, without a hint of pornographic intent. Indeed, the author is able to edge the erotic without engaging it - something that, in and of itself, might not be welcome to a sensitive reader, let alone at a gaming table.

So, being thus informed, the reader may decide whether or not to continue into the far future of the world's last continent.

For further reading - or for initial reading as well - it has been brought up in the comments that the full fiction of Clark Ashton Smith may be available online freely on Eldritch Dark. Thank you very much, Tamás!

Further Reading

As mentioned, Clark Ashton Smith - the author - passed in 1961: 62 years prior to this writing. A great deal of his works being published in the 1920s, a great deal of his works are now publicly available under the Public Domain. Project Gutenberg - the free online print product distribution project - has two works of poetry by the author available freely for download. Free Speculative Fiction Online, which provides access to free literature under Creative Commons, has several short stories posted by Clark Ashton Smith. In that sense, there is a fair amount of material freely available that will allow you to - without risk - assess whether Clark Ashton Smith is right for you; whether his style of writing and the material he produces will be inspirational for you and your home campaign. However, be advised - as likewise mentioned, Smith was not a one-genre artist. Not all of his works will be (as would be evidenced by the reading of the plethora mentioned) of the same tone.

Another book in my own collection, I thought a good starting point for Smith, The Door to Saturn: T Collected Fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith: Volume 2, is - to my own perspective - a mixed bag. 

It opens strongly with the title story, The Door to Saturn, which centers around...

...a vindictive priest and a fugitive sorcerer: the latter of whom flees through a mysterious "door" given to him by a passing super-terrestrial creature, a one way ticket to safety. It reads as a travelogue through an alien landscape through unfamiliar peoples - an unsurprisingly one-way journey with a humorous (and fortunate) conclusion for the protagonists.

It betrays, however, one of the weaknesses of the author - which was rejected from Weird Tails magazine for being too wistful, too fanciful - his vocabulary, while erudite and extensive, is likewise antiquated. Reading the piece, you can feel it was written 100 years ago: unlike some other authors - such as Howard or Anderson - who transcend time: writing to you as though they were flesh and blood, breathing the yarn into your face with their hot, living breath.

And this trend continues in the book - it is not exclusively fantasy: but instead encompasses science fiction (dated, the concept of a computer not having been conceived yet) - the theme oscillating and making some stories more akin to my tastes (and more or less appropriate for OSR gaming) than others.

With that in mind - the buyer may beware: but your risk is as well informed, in that sense, as might be feasible for a risky book buyer to be.

Conclusion

Zothique is, without question, a work of art. Additionally, Clark Ashton Smith - it's author - had profound impacts on other Appendix N writers - including Fritz Lieber of Swords & Deviltry fame, in addition to those already mentioned - as well as on the writers of many modern OSR supplements and settings. For this reason - for his tonal conformity to our movement in gaming (or, perhaps, due to our tonal conformity to him, knowing his writing precedes almost all of our births, let alone the beginnings of the OSR as a movement) - I rate it as 1: Very OSR.

Simply put, Clark Ashton Smith - whose name was affectionately transliterated by Lovecraft to create Klarkash-Ton, Atlantean Priest, of The Battle that Ended the Century - is the appendix that was removed. Clark Ashton Smith, as his fans among the gaming community will tell you, deserves a place among the cannon of the OSR literary background and - be it through picking up tricks in the telling of stories or in the depictions of the strange, foreign, or horrific for your players or be it through the classic feel of the works in Zothique in particular - any referee, tenured or tyro, would be well served in his or her game to brush up on Clark Ashton Smith's final continent in the cycle of the Earth.

Thank you for reading; delve on!

 

Zothique: The Final Cycle, written by Clark Ashton Smith and edited by Ronald S. Hilger, is copyright 2022 Hippocampus Press of New York, NY, and copyright 2022 Ronald S. Hilger. Cover art for Zothique: The Final Cycle by Jason Van Hollander, copyright 2022 to the same. Applicable copyrights to original Clark Ashton Smith materials held by Arkham House of Sauk City, WI. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Dungeons & Dragons, and D&D and all imagery thereto related are property of Wizards of the Coast. Portrait of the author, older, sourced from ThePulp.net; portrait of the author, younger, sourced from Wikipedia.

Clerics Wear Ringmail makes no claim of ownership of any sort to any of the aforementioned media, texts, or images and includes references to them for review purposes under Fair Use: US Code Title 17, Chapter 107. 

The slide-in of Gary... I got from a meme.

Tricks & Traps on 3d8

TL;DR

For usability, tables provided at the top. Roll 3d8 and consult the tables, in order.

Roll	Target
1	Whole Room / Whole Party
	(gas cloud, closing walls...)
2-4	Small Area / Sub-Party
	(spike pits, quicksand...)
5-7	Single Target
	(pendulum blade, poison needle...)
8	Trick!

Roll	Defense
1	No defense
2	Save vs Death or Poison
3	Save vs Wands
4	Save vs Paralysis or Petrifaction
5	Save vs Dragon's Breath
6	Save vs Spells
7	Roll vs Armor Class
8	Ability Check (Further 1d6 to see which)

Roll	Severity
1-2	Annoyance
	(time taxes, translocation, resource loss...)
3-6	Drain
	(physical damage, temporary blindness, encounter rate changes...)
7-8	Loss
	(death, permanent ability damage, teleports into danger...)

For an explanation of what these mean - read on! 

Tricks & Traps on 3d8

An essential element of the dungeon experience - from the original inspiration in pulp magazines through the numerous iterations of the game, from 1974 through to present day - is the trick or the trap: the inanimate but malicious hindrance set before the party to stop them from passing or from achieving the riches on the far side. There are dozens of products which are designed with traps in mind - and dozens more blog articles, generators, and lists with numerous ingenious traps (this blog included) - to line the halls and inlay to treasure chests, much to the chagrin of the players.

But how do you come up with a trap that will stand out? 

How do you come up with a trap, keeping the experience fresh, without over-telegraphing or repetition that makes the party think, "Ok, we'll do Room Search: Pattern Gamma for this hall, then split for Delta between the two spaces ahead" as they meander through the darkened underworld?

In recent vintage, I'd had some success with 3d6 generators - for quests and geas as well as for stocking special rooms: so why not try the same for traps, tricks, and hazards. Presented below, a brainstorming tool, an inspirational generator, designed to get your mind out of the box and into the dungeon with the assistance of three eight-sided dice: Tricks & Traps on 3d8.

Whom does it Target?

First - a trap may target a single character (the thief failing to spot a hidden needle; a strongman falling victim to a spear thrusting downwards against the lifting of a portcullis; hidden crossbows attached to touch-plates; ...) or many any once (henchmen being exposed to a cloud of acid, breaking into a tomb; a whole party locked in a space with a sinking ceiling; a swarm of stinging hornets bursting from a hidden compartment; ...). The first die rolled determines who - and how many - of the party are impacted.

Roll	Target
1	Whole Room / Whole Party
	(gas cloud, closing walls...)
2-4	Small Area / Sub-Party
	(spike pits, quicksand...)
5-7	Single Target
	(pendulum blade, poison needle...)
8	Trick!

I see "Trick" in there - what does that mean? In the original editions of the game - a trap doesn't necessarily do harm to the intruders: which sort of makes sense, in that its purpose is to deter access to an item or place. A Trick might be an illusion, a false (but obvious) trigger mechanism, or other device intended to make the players think they are in danger when they are not (or perhaps think they are not in danger when they are!)

Including "Trick" in the options reminds the stocking referee to keep it in mind, once in a while, and may introduce some interesting interactions between party and dungeon environment.

How does one Defend Against it?

Next - a character needs to know how to defend against it. While some traps may not entail a defense whatsoever (say, a room fills with water and the doors are held fast by it: you can't Save vs Drowning to breathe under water), it's generally more common that a defense of some kind could protect a hardy or fortunate character from the effect of the trap. The second die indicates how the character might benefit from this evasion.

Roll	Defense
1	No defense
2	Save vs Death or Poison
3	Save vs Wands
4	Save vs Paralysis or Petrifaction
5	Save vs Dragon's Breath
6	Save vs Spells
7	Roll vs Armor Class
8	Ability Check (Further 1d6 to see which)

"Roll vs Armor Class" - the easiest response is to - of course - make an attack roll against the target or targets. THAC0 should be considered according to dungeon level, importance of what's being protected, and referee discretion. Alternatively, however, consider 1d10 roll-over Armor Class (similar to the swimming house rule documented here, albeit potentially modified by Dexterity). This puts the onus on the player and evenly distributes risk: thus, a Plate-armored fighter will always have a 3-in-10 chance that the effect will find purchase.

Similarly, where "Ability Check" is indicated, roll 1d6 and pick, in order. 

Why isn't "mitigating circumstances" on the list? Mitigating circumstances - such as, say, bashing a door down instead of touching the contact-poison laced handle - are intrinsically reliant on the specifics of the trap or trick: as such, those should be considered as part of the brainstorming after: not necessarily as part of the prompt - which is what this tool intends to provide.

Have I heard of using Ability checks to escape danger before? You may have! I have written about it before as a mechanism to resolve non-role-playable actions without a skill system, however - in the present context - the earliest instance of checking Ability scores to avoid a hazard could be in The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun - provided Delta is to be believed - where rolling 4d6 under Dexterity is used to avoid a trap. Consider - then - in your traps: should the victim roll 1d20, as B/X suggests, or should they use a dice pool?

What is the Severity?

Last - severity: how badly will the trap hinder or hurt the party. Not every trap should cause instant death - but likewise, instant death should not be out of possibility. This may account for faulty mechanisms, lax attention on the part of the trap-setter, or perhaps imply that the "trap" is in fact an environmental hazard or other thematic element functioning mechanically as a trap.

Roll	Severity
1-2	Annoyance
	(time taxes, translocation, resource loss...)
3-6	Drain
	(physical damage, temporary blindness, encounter rate changes...)
7-8	Loss
	(death, permanent ability damage, teleports into danger...)

Does "Severity" apply to Tricks? Absolutely. Simply use the Severity result to inform how dangerous the Trick appears to be - or maybe how dangerous it is!

Oh. Cool.

Let's Compare Notes

How does the provided measure up to the example Tricks & Traps provided in B/X? The Basic booklet breaks Tricks & Traps into two categories: Room Traps and Treasure Traps. Let's pick a few of each and see what the corresponding prompt might have been:

"Poison gas: Save vs. Poison or die"

This trap is fairly straightforward. Listed as a Room trap, this implies the room fills with the gas: not just a blast to the face - so the whole of the party would be impacted. Similarly, it's save or die - so the save to use and the consequence for failure is obvious.

Result: 1-2-7

"Pit: 1d6 points of damage per 10' fallen"

Pit trap. Classic. Unlikely to hit the whole of the party - assuming it's 10 feet across - and dealing a set amount of damage. Subset of party, no defense (you fell into a pit), and it drains your hit points (or your zero-level hirelings!)

Result: 2-1-3

"Fog: Looks like Poison gas, but harmless"

Included this one not-really randomly: as this might be the trap suggestion that specifically inspired the "Trick" result on the generator being detailed. There is no mechanism to avoid it - as there really is nothing to avoid: it's just mist - and as for Severity - we can only guess: as really, this is area-denial: a spell, tools, or blind luck might get the party through it so perhaps a mere annoyance?

Result: 8-1-2?

"Chute: No damage, but slide to the next level down"

Like the pit trap - I make the assumption this will be unlikely to hit the whole of the party at once, assuming a standard marching order and B/X party size. Also like a pit trap, I assume there is no save - however, as a generous referee, you might allow a Save vs Paralysis to grab the sides.

Result: 2-1 (or 4?)-1

"Spring-fired darts: 1-6 darts hit for 1-4 points of damage each"

Listed under the Treasure Traps section - this would seem to only impact the Thief or other character opening the treasure. I've said it's "No Defense" below because it does not specify a to-hit roll, instead relying on the 1d6 to tell you how many strike home. I would - personally - allow for the 1d10 Armor Class variant presented before: but I'm a softie like that.

Result: 5-1 (or 7?)-3

"Spray: Be sprayed with an unknown liquid that attracts Wandering Monsters; double chances for 1d6 hours"

Again, listed under the Treasure Traps, I assume it to affect only the treasure-grabber. Again, no defense: but this makes sense, as its literally a mist - Chanel No B5 - which coats (and marks) the target. A generous referee might allow a Save vs Breath - but the end result is still the same: a change to the game, but one which will primarily affect resources: namely, the rate at which your resources are challenged as more and more monsters wander into you seeking the alluring (or appalling?) smell.

Result: 5-1 (or 5?)-3

So, it's not perfect - that is, it doesn't line up as well as the Special Room Generator does - but the goal is to inspire new and novel traps, and the only way to verify that is to give it a whirl.

Let's Try it Out

First throw - 8, 3, 7: or, a trick, Save vs Wands, for extensive loss. There are a couple different directions you could go, made curious by the extreme severity (and made difficult to think of by the Save vs Wands!):

• Withering Hall Across a 40' hallway, a four distinct sets of beams of light move across the floor and walls, coming from glass domes extending from the corners of the ceiling. To move past without being hit, a Save vs Wands is required - for each failure, the failing character appears to age 2d8 years: with hair graying, skin sagging, and joints beginning to pop.
  
  Key - "appears to." Upon leaving the way they came, any affected characters will return to normal - one year per dungeon turn. Upon leaving the far side into the protected space - having gone through the tunnel, wholly - all illusionary years dissipate after one.
  
  
• Translocation Disintegrator Black jets of smoke pulse at interval, blocking the entrance to an alcove. A Save vs Wands will allow a character to pass through without touching them, but if touched, the character is visibly disintegrated, starting from the place where the smoke touched, their dust becoming one with the pulsing smoke.
  
  But just visibly. In reality, the character is teleported to a matching alcove on the other side of the level: exact replica of the alcove and its contents - but nothing inside of value. They will be surprised, of course, when they find that they are no longer surrounded by colleagues - and potentially in the dark, as well.
  
  
• Pressurized Scarabs A spray of what appear to be crawling, biting insects erupts from the trapped object - the bugs burrowing into and under the skin of the affected character. A warmth and rumbling begins working its way to the chest of the character in question - at which point, after 1d4 rounds - the character falls unconscious, as though a Sleep spell had been cast. Save vs Wands to avoid - after evading, the bugs disappear into corners - a thoughtful player might note the illusion, seeing that there are no cracks or crevices into which the bugs might have retreated.
  

Let's try another:

An ability score defense! Adding in a second-thrown d6 for ability, we get 4, 8 (6), 4 - or, a trap which affects a small area or subset of the party, roll vs. Charisma to save, with a draining effect:

• The Hecklers Two statues hang from a portico in the wall. When a party enters, they begin to judge and heckle: picking 1d4 party members as their primary points of derision. Their jibes are hypnotic - and only by rolling against Charisma might one of these targets duel back, returning a jest which impresses the statues, who laugh and then freeze from view. Failure to do so results in a supernatural questioning of confidence - causing the character a -1 penalty on all d20 rolls and a -1 penalty to Armor Class until they have had a full night's sleep to wear it off.
  
  
• Narcissus' Mirror Hidden behind a sheet is a magic mirror which portrays, to those who look into it, an idealized version of themselves, one which they would long to be, if given to such thinking. Any character which can see him or herself in the mirror - which is oval, three by two feet - must roll over his or her Charisma stat - failing to do so, the character will loll, gander, and ponder for 1d3 dungeon turns; at the end of which, they may attempt the Charisma roll again. A generous referee may allow a bonus if multiple cumulative rolls are, in this manner, failed.
  
  
• Posey Pocket A spring load in an otherwise nondescript pouch launches a fair smelling incense into the air, affecting any character within 2d4 feet. For the next 2d6 turns, the character is considered perfumed - which will impose a +2 bonus on Reaction rolls to intelligent monsters during the onset of encounters ... however, if this would take the roll to 12 or above, the monster will fall horribly enamored of the character or characters, seeking without regard for health nor morale to kidnap the character and abscond to its lair therewith.
  (Not strictly a roll against Charisma, but touching Reactions, which are modified by Charisma!)
  

Decent luck so far - so we'll throw one more set:

A result of 7, 1, 8 - or, single-target, no save, instant death. Well, substantial loss - but this trap, according to the dice, should be a doozy:

• Thousand Foot Pit Not particularly well named, as surely it can't be 1,000 feet deep, can it? This shaft once served as a conduit between many levels of the complex: now, however, the carriage has been lost and all that lies beneath a camouflaged tarp, supported by bowing wooden crossbeams with a manhole-sized gap in the center, is a gap too deep to see the bottom.
  
  
• The Lock from Chaon Gacca The abandoned capitol of Tasuun is said to be cursed: a place of shadow where the darkness itself, contacting human flesh, will wither and rot instantly at a touch. Some of that shade has been kidnapped - locked away into a false hatch atop a precious cargo. Anyone opening the box without the proper safeguard - administered by a second key through a hidden keyhole in the bottom of the bronze-trimmed trunk - will free the shadow, which will pass over their working hands. Rolling 1d8, on an even number, the right hand melts before your eyes; flesh sloughing off as a leper, shriveling to dust as in reverse of papers thrown into a flame, arcing into the chimney, disappearing with no mark left on the floor to guide them. On an odd number, the left hand suffers this fate. Or, on a 1 or an 8, specifically, both hands are affected.
  
  
• Monodirectional Teleporter In ages past, this teleportation pad was connected to a deep station - leagues distant through solid rock: a quick mechanism to transport a single commander through to a hidden keep. However, in the intervening years, the destination has collapsed, leaving only damp, dark holes the size of a child. Any character - or any object - which steps into the teleporter will be translocated to this dark damp - with no way out and nothing but stone for a mile in any direction.
  

And Them's My Two Coppers

What do you think? Would this procedural inspiration technique help pique your creativity? Or did we just collectively waste half an hour or so of your time, piecing through this article? The examples herein presented a sizable challenge for me, at least - trying to fit to the theme, without deviating, changing one die for another to fit an inspiration that bounced up from the plastic hitting the tile...

But who says you can't deviate from the dice? 

If they give you a good idea - bank it! Use it! I'd love to read about your creations - and I'd love to hear about the groans of your players as they walk face first into them!

As with other generators, the intention of this piece was inspiration, not instruction: this is not a list of predetermined cool traps, this is not a prescription designed to supplant the creativity of the dungeon architect, but a mechanism by which I hope you can unlock your brain and churn out horrors at which Grimtooth himself would balk.

In either case - make sure to don your Ring of Resistance... and delve on.

Thank you for reading!

Public domain artwork retrieved from the National Gallery of Art or OldBookIllustrations.com. Attribution in alt text.