The Forgotten Beasts of Eld (Patricia A. McKillip) - Appendix N and Beyond!

Title: The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
Author: Patricia A. McKillip
Appendix N Status: Should have been on the list . . .

     A really good story told with a simple and direct style which I envy and to which I aspire. Published in 1974, this could have been on the original Appendix N, but wasn't. I'm not sure if Gygax never read it, didn't like it, or simply didn't consider it formative, but it's exactly the kind of fantasy that was so fundamental for early D&D. The main protagonist is Sybel, descended from a wizard's bloodline, who wields power over minds and wills of others through their names (similar in some ways to the "Earthsea" books of Ursula K. LeGuin). Sybel summons forgotten magical beasts and keeps them at her home on Mount Eld. She gets drawn back into the world of mundane humans because of a more mundane relations of hers.

Fantasy RPG Elements: The powers of Sybel could be those of a Conjurer, an Enchanter, a Druid, a Psionicist/Occult character, or perhaps a Pathfinder Summoner. The unique monsters - the "forgotten beasts" of the title - could all be RPG monsters, maybe unique , maybe not.

     I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes classic fantasy RPGs. Very cool stuff!

Great Quote from "The Many Deaths of the Black Company"

A great quote from The Many Deaths of the Black Company by Glen Cook, spoken by the narrator, Sleepy:

"A law as ancient as coinage itself says bad money will drive out good. The same is true of principles, ethics, and rules of conduct. If you always do the easier thing, then you cannot possibly remain steadfast when it becomes necessary to take a difficult stand. You must do what you know to be right. And you do know. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred you do know and you are just making excuses because the right thing is so hard, or just inconvenient."

Sign of the Labrys (Margaret St. Clair) - Appendix N and Beyond!

Title: Sign of the Labrys
Author: Margaret St. Clair
Appendix N Status: Part of the original Appenix N list by Gary Gygax

     One of the books that was part of Gary Gygax's (in)famous "Apppendix N" in the original Dungeon Master's Guide, this book is more what they call "weird fiction" than anything else. It is unfortunately not nearly so good as The Shadow People, the other Margaret St. Clair book mentioned in the appendix. 

     Set after a biological apocalypse (caused by "yeasts" that wiped out more than 90% of the population), this book follows a character named Sam Sewell as he quests through an underground world (partly natural caverns and part bunkers built for the nuclear war that never came) in search of a witch named Despoina, and slowly realizes that he is himself a hereditary witch of a sort. There is a weird mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and both Wiccan imagery (St. Clair was, in fact, connected to the early Wicca movement, and was apparently an initiated Gardnerian witch) and ancient Minoan and Greek imagery (hence the name "Despoina," Greek for "Lady," and the title's reference to the sign of the "labrys" (the double-bladed axe of Minoan iconography). 

     Some of the D&D elements I found in the book were:

* Dungeons and Dungeon Levels - The "dungeons" are part of a bunker complex built for a nuclear war, and most of the "monsters" in it are either experiments gone wrong, human enemies, or hallucinations, but still, the elements are there, as well as strange portals and traps and such. There is even something particularly D&D-like about the way each dungeon level has its own unique flavor, and they talk about the way things are on one level or another. This theme of exploring a weird underground world was also strongly present in The Shadow People. 
* Mythological elements connected to Minoan/Cretan myth and Greek mythology
* Magic is present, and strange, the adventurers possessing unique magic through the power of Wicca, though their enemies possess adaptations of "some of [their] techniques."
* There is a sort of rugged survivalist element to the tale, the heroes forced to endure the strange elements of its underground Otherworld, which seems to be a pretty common element in D&D campaigns. 

     All-in-all, it was fairly enjoyable, but not nearly so much so as The Shadow People. Still, a good read for fans of Appendix-N-type literature. 

Hiero's Journey (Sterling E. Lanier) - Appendix N and Beyond!

Title: Hiero's Journey
Author: Sterling E. Lanier
Appendix N Status: Part of the original Appenix N list by Gary Gygax

     One of the books that was part of Gary Gygax's (in)famous "Apppendix N" in the original Dungeon Master's Guide, this book is not so much fantasy as sci-fi, or as the book itself proclaims, "A Romance of the Future." The story is set about 5000 years after a nuclear holocaust (which was probably supposed to have taken place in the late 20th century), in the northern parts of central and eastern North America that were once Canada (now "Kanda") and the United States. The protagonist (dare I say "hero?") of the tale is Hiero, a priest of the "Universal Church" (based on a survival of the Catholic Church, but having jettisoned celibacy) and a sort of ranger. Hiero is sent on a mission into the unknown wilderness on a mission for his church, accompanied by a sort of moose-horse mount called a morse (named "Klootz"). It may sound silly, but it is not.

     There are lots of great fantasy elements here that clearly informed early D&D - the hero, his mission into the wilds, exploration of dangerous wilderness and "dungeons" (ruins from before the nuclear holocaust known as "the Death"), dangerous monsters (mostly mutations spawned by radiation, including some sentient species), and so forth. Other particularly D&D type elements include:

* Psionics - not referred to as "psionics," but that is clearly what these mental disciplines are. And many of the descriptions of psionic combat sound like they informed D&D psionics.
* "Points of Light" - an old D&D element revived as a major theme in 4th edition D&D, the idea of civilization being rare, that civilized settlements are "points of light" in a vast wilderness of darkness.
* Ancient Wonders - one of the great themes of D&D is the exploration of "dungeons" and other ruins in search of ancient wonders and treasures, which necessitates an older time of civilization and glory that left behind such wonders. The post-apocalypse setting of this book provides a built-in justification for ancient wonders, of technology rather than magic.

      There are also some lesser possible influences, like the sentient psionic fungus realm of "the House," which reminded me strongly of some fungal menaces in D&D and of the demonic Zuggtmoy in the Temple of Elemental Evil.

     Overall, I found Hiero's Journey exceptionally readable and surprisingly enjoyable, and recommend it to all gamers, Old School or not, seeking inspiration in Appendix N. Enjoy!

The White Rose (Book 3 of the Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook) - Appendix N and Beyond

Title: The White Rose
Author: Glen Cook
Appendix N Status: Should have been . . .

     The third book of the Chronicles of the Black Company as narrated by the Annalist known as Croaker. This one ups the weird factor, perfect Appendix N stuff (if published a bit too late), set in a desert known as the Plain of Fear inhabited by strange sentient species, such as talking stone menhirs, flying whales and manta rays, walking trees, and more. The Black Company is hiding out on the plain, which centers on an ancient tree they call Father Tree, using the White Rose's power to nullify magic to stay hidden from the Lady and the Taken. Meanwhile, we also get the story of how that Lady was awakened from her ancient slumber, and how the ancient evil known as the Dominator was stirring, and so much more . . .

     I can't recommend the series enough for those who enjoy the kind of stories found in Appendix N. The Black Company books were published too late to make Gygax's original list, but the inspirational stuff found in these books is truly extraordinary.

 

Shadows Linger (Book 2 of The Black Company by Glen Cook) - Appendix N and Beyond

Title: Shadows Linger
Author: Glen Cook
Appendix N Status: Should have been . . .

     The second chronicle of the Black Company continues the story told by the Annalist known as Croaker, but also tells the story of a growing evil in the northern city of Juniper. Once again, though the Chronicles of the Black Company were published too late to be in the original Appendix N, I feel that they would have been worthy. There are some truly wonderful and creepy fantasy elements here, like a seed that grows into a black castle, a black castle that seems to grow by feeding on corpses, and when it gets big enough, it is going to form a gateway to unleash an ancient evil . . . great stuff for a fantasy RPG campaign!

The Black Company (Glen Cook) - Appendix N and Beyond

Title: The Black Company
Author: Glen Cook
Appendix N Status: Should have been . . .

     The second installment in my series of blog posts for "Appendix N and Beyond," my take on Appendix N books that were part of shaping D&D and the RPG hobby generally . . . or those that should have been. This is one of the "should have beens" . . . a book that was not an influence on Gygax nor listen in his Appendix N, but ought to have been (hence the " . . . and Beyond"). The only reason this book was not on the list, I am convinced, is because it was published too late . . . first published in 1984.

     The Black Company is a mercenary company, "last of the free companies of Khatovar" (though we are not told, initially, what exactly the significance of this phrase is), finding service where it can. The narrator of this first book is nicknamed "Croaker," the annalist of the Black Company as well as a medic (hence the name - most of the company members use some kind of nickname or code-name). The overall plot is about how the Black Company came into the service of an ancient power called The Lady, and her servants/allies called the Taken.

     Most of the story is very gritty, low fantasy, sword-and-sorcery-style fiction. There certainly is some high magic and high fantasy elements (The Lady, the Taken, and the ancient evil known only as the Dominator surely qualify as powerful magical elements), but the perspective is that of Croaker and the other common mercenary soldiers.

      Many of the aspects of the story seem similar to D&D and other fantasy RPGs - a world with swords and sorcery, a world in which warriors join a mercenary company to win gold and glory in service to great powers and patrons. These ideas would be right at home in the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG - regular folk leaving their ordinary lives behind to join a company (like an adventuring party), seeking gold and glory, and even the patrons (the Lady and the Taken would make excellent DCC RPG patrons) fit perfectly. There are even monsters, of a sort, though most of the adversaries seem human.

     I highly recommend The Black Company for those seeking gritty military sword-and-sorcery fantasy. The first several books, including The Black Company, are contained in a collection, The Chronicles of the Black Company. 

The Shadow People (Margaret St.Clair) - Appendix N and Beyond

     In Gary Gygax's The Dungeon Master's Guide, one of the core rule books of the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game (now generally referred to as 1st edition D&D), there was an appendix, Appendix N to be precise, which listed inspirational authors and books - that is, authors and books that were cited as direct inspirations to the Dungeons and Dragons game.

     Appendix N was a fascinating list, in many ways. It was reflective of the zeigeist of the 1970s and was far more reflective of so-called "weird fiction" than pure fantasy. I mean, yes, Tolkien is on the list, but so was H.P. Lovecraft. When people think of D&D today, they think, "Oh, like that Tolkien stuff!" They do not necessarily think of Lovecraft. Or Margaret St.Clair. For that reason (among many others), a lot of "old school" players of D&D (and related games) feel that the game has lost its way.

     Another interesting phenomenon is what is being called the "Old School Renaissance" - a rebirth of interest in the origins of the hobby. A lot of people are going "back to basics," and in many cases, that means an exploration of the Appendix N materials. Probably the single best outgrowth of this movement, in my view, is the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role-Playing Game (DCC RPG). The creators of the DCC RPG really do have the sensibilities of the Appendix N literature deeply ingrained in them, and let those sensibilities drip from every page of their materials. It is good stuff, entertaining stuff, weird stuff . . . and I highly recommend it!

     I have been trying to get back to reading the Appendix N texts (and other texts with the same kind of flavor or resonance). This is not an easy hobby to undertake; many of the materials are now out of print or difficult to find. But I want to explore these kinds of books and write a bit about them in a project I am calling "Appendix N and Beyond" (because although my goal was inspired by Appendix N, I intend to go beyond the original list to look at books that did not exist at the time, but that I believe would be on the list if it were made today - like the "Black Company" books by Glen Cook).

     I started with Margaret St.Clair's 1969 novel The Shadow People. It is an odd work of weird fiction - part science fiction, part fantasy, an odd blend of ideas. It seems to be out of print, but I was able to find an old used copy that was in decent shape on Amazon. The Shadow People features a world not so different from the world in which it was written (the United States of America of 1969), though a bit darker and dystopian, and features extensive adventures in a secret underground world (referred to by the term "Underearth"), apparently a forerunner of the concept of the "Underdark" in Dungeons and Dragons lore.

     At this point I should mention that I have already found my project causes a bit of mental recursion. I am reading the books that inspired the oldest iterations of the game, and see the ideas reflected in the game concepts they inspired, which therefore become the ideas that most attract my notice, which causes me to focus on the game concepts they inspired, and so on . . .

So here are some of the ideas I find in The Shadow People that I find relevant to the RPG hobby:
* The Underdark (the "Underearth" in the novel)
* The Dark Elves (Drow) - there are people living in the "Underearth" - they are referred to as "elves," and behave much like drow in some respects. They once interbred with humans, and raid the surface for humans to consume as food (much like D&D drow raid for slaves). They have creatures referred to as 'orcs" and "ettins," though these are not directly seen in the novel
* An underground race of people living a life of constant hallucination (at least in part from consuming corn meal tainted with hallucinogenic fungus, called "atter-corn" in the novel) - this is essentially the plot of the module B4 - The Lost City, with its population of Cynideceans living underground in a constant dreamlike state of hallucinations.

* A long journey into the Underdark/"Underearth" which seems like it must have at least partially inspired modules D1-2 - Descent into the Depths of the Earth

* There is the idea of other planes of existence - called the "Macrocosmos" or "Overworld" in the novel - that seems to prefigure certain concepts of the planes in D&D
* There is an intelligent sword - referred to as the "Sword of Merlin" in the book - that seems to prefigure some of the rules for intelligent weapons in D&D

     There was probably more that I am not remembering or considering right now, but to me those were the salient influences. Anyway, if you're a fan of old-school D&D, and are looking for some enjoyable Appendix N reading, I definitely recommend it, especially if you don't insist on pure medieval fantasy. It has a very readable (and, I think, enjoyable) prose style, and is both a quick and easy read . . . if you can find it. Why is this no longer in print? Anyway, good luck, and happy gaming!