GreyHawk History Lesson 101: Mordenkainen

Mordenkainen's AD&D statistics were first published in The Rogues Gallery (1980). His statistics were updated in Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure (1984), The City of Greyhawk (1989), and Epic Level Handbook (2002).

GreyHawk History Lesson 101: Mordenkainen SO Who is Mordenkainen and why does he have all these spells with his name on them? Well, keep reading my friend. After doing tons of research, and re-reading some books I have in my collection I have found the following information out about Mordenkainen:

1. He is one of the most powerful archmagi of the Flanaess.

2. The shadow-leader of the Circle of Eight, a cabal of eight magi.

3. Born 509 CY (Common Year).

4. Mordenkainen's fortress, the Obsidian Citadel, is a symmetrical castle in the Yatil Mountains.

5. Bigby was at one point his apprentice.

He is a man that looks to be in his mid-40's but apparently is quite a bit older then he looks. He is tall, of medium build and often depicted wearing black, blue, or grey.  He wears a Van Dyck beard with two grey streaks, that has been his signature look since day one in GreyHawk History.

He is a stubborn man, and does not deal with stupid heroes that make foolish decisions. Mordenkainen is a man of few words, as he is known not to say much but sit and listen. When he does speak, he is so well respected that his advice is well taken, and often never questioned at all.

His role in GreyHawk Adventures is one that leads to many debates, as he could be considered a hero or an Anti-hero. His primary responsibility is a peacekeeper, staying on the neutral side of things, making sure neither good or evil has the upper hand on one another. Most of the time his goals are unclear as people claim they have been manipulated by him to do what he needs to get done at the time.

Mordenkainen's AD&D statistics were first published in The Rogues Gallery (1980). His statistics were updated in Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure (1984), The City of Greyhawk (1989), and Epic Level Handbook (2002).

Mordenkainen is responsible for developing such commonly known spells as:

• Mordenkainen's Disjunction

• Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound

• Mordenkainen's Lucubration

• Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion

• Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum

• Mordenkainen's Sword

Mordenkainen has also developed the following additional spells:

• Mordenkainen's Buzzing Bee

• Mordenkainen's Capable Caravel

• Mordenkainen's Celerity

• Mordenkainen's Defense Against Lycanthropes

• Mordenkainen's Defense Against Nonmagical Reptiles and Amphibians

• Mordenkainen's Electric Arc

• Mordenkainen's Encompassing Vision

• Mordenkainen's Faithful Phantom Defenders

• Mordenkainen's Faithful Phantom Guardian

• Mordenkainen's Faithful Phantom Shield-Maidens

• Mordenkainen's Force Missiles

• Mordenkainen's Involuntary Wizardry

• Mordenkainen's Penultimate Cogitation

• Mordenkainen's Protection From Avians

• Mordenkainen's Protection From Insects and Arachnids

• Mordenkainen's Protection From Slime

• Mordenkainen's Trusted Bloodhound

For further reading on Mordenkainen, see the following sources Researched from WOTC, TSR 2023 GreyHawk Adventures and Wikipedia.