The Neck is a small stretch of land in southwestern corner of Blackmoor, in the Barony of the Lakes. It borders on the southern part of the Duchy of Ten. It contains the following locations:

• Tower of Midges (with garrison of 400 soldiers)
  
• Gar's Hold (with garrison of 200 soldiers)
  
• Ran's Hold (with garrison of 300 soldiers)
  

One rarely discussed settlement in the world of Blackmoor is Bartertown:

Bartertown
Population: Ca 900
This trading base is located on the Northern Edge of the Shallows. It was constructed by the Skandaharians as a market place for the fruits of piracy and raids. It is a place to randsom caprives, purchase slaves and looted goods. Merchants from Maus are sometimes seen here, not caring that what they are buying comes from the ships of their competitors. 
In some fan material, this settlement has been linked to the Frisians, another group that is mentioned in the DA modules. 

Bartertown is located need Buccaneer Bay and we can see four dirt roads leading to it from the north. 

How would you use Bartertown in your games?

-Havard

How many named Skandaharians are there?

OFFICIAL CHARACTERS

• Thorsen One-Tumb (DA1), known as the First Jarl
  
• Arn Yonson (DA1) - Not officially a Skandaharian, but his name and helmet do suggest this origin
  
• Moorkok the Slayer (DA1) - Prince of the Egg
  
• Sigurd Gustafson (DA4 p 18), captain of the Ghost Maker
  
• Marfeldt (DA1, FFC) - not officially a Skandaharian, but being a barbarian, he could be related to them?
  
• Iver Zvenzen - a Skandaharian who settled in Blackmoor and became a farmer. Father of the Great Svenny. (From the Great Svenny's backstory)
  
• The Great Svenny - Son of the Skandaharian Iver Zvenzen. (FFC, DA1, Greg's notes)
  
• Spirit of the Moon - A Skandaharian Werewolf ruling a tribe of Lycantropes in the Wolf Wood. His rival is the Prince of Wolves who also leads a tribe in the Wolf Woods (DAB p 142). In my campaign, this character's birth name is Mani Torgeirsson. 
  
• Krimmean the Wolf King - The Archdruid of Elgath, based in the Wurm Wood of Blackmoor. 
  
• War Chief Slygon (Return to the Black Moor, Foundations of Blackmoor)
  
  

• Janne the Blue - Skandaharian explorer of the Western Seas, created by James Mishler for the Mystara Blackmoor Epic.
  

Thanks to Mark C for finding this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFvbVwYuiuo

-Havard

I just realised that in the default setting of Warhammer RPG there is a location known as "the Bleak Moors" dominating the centre of the province of Ostermark... I don't think this name was picked like that by sheer chance
https://whfb.lexicanum.com/wiki/Ostermark
https://whfb.lexicanum.com/wiki/Sigmar%2...the_Empire see Chapter VI: The Grand Provinces, pg. 68-69

Blackmoor: Age of the Wolf is coming out for August 2024. The big news is that it is going to be made available for free for all fans. 



Read my full interview with designer C.A.Suleiman.

-Havard

Wheneve toads and frogs are mentioned in a Fantasy or Swords & Sorcery setting, Blackmoor fas' antennas do activate: The Altar of the Toad

In this article, I take a look at the name Arn and its origins in the history of D&D and Arneson lore. 

Arn has been referenced several times in the history of D&D

1. Most recently in the 2024 DMG Greyhawk Map
2. Arn Yonson, an NPC from DA1 Adventure in Blackmoor
3. The Coat of Arn, an artifact from OD&D's Supplement 3: Eldritch Wizardry
4. Lord of Arn, a character from the obscure Beyond This Point Be Dragons, early D&D draft document.

Are there other references that I have missed?


-Havard

Quote:WotC removes Blackmoor from Greyhawk in 2024
Wizards of the Coast has produced a new map of Greyhawk where Blackmoor has been removed. I first learned about this when I saw a post by my friend Big Mac at the Piazza the Piazza D&D Worlds forum where he discusses the lastest youtube video from Greyhawk Grognard video from Greyhawk Grognard going through the new WotC produced map.

The map in question is the Greyhawk map that is going to appear in WotC's upcoming 2024 D&D DMG. Greyhawk is from what I understand going to be used as a default setting in the new D&D core rulebooks. The new map looks somewhat reminiscent of the beloved map made by Darlene back in the days, but there are some interesting changes. Greyhawk Grognard's excellent video goes through these changes and speculates to reasons why these changes have been made and what might be possible consequences of the large and small changes.



The change that will likely be of most interest to the readers of this blog is probably the removal of Blackmoor. Removal may be a strong term. Rather, Blackmoor has been renamed Arn. Now Arn is a name that could be familiar to hard core Blackmoor fans as it also appears in several of Dave Arneson's writings.

Why has this change been made? Could it be linked to rights issues? Could it be to reduce confusion with the other Blackmoor product lines available that are less compatible with Greyhawk? Could it be linked to this map detailing a different part of Greyhawk's timeline?  Or is there another reason?

In any case, the original intent of paying homage to Dave Arneson is retained in the new name.

What do you think of this new Greyhawk map and the changes made?

Quote:About the adventure
At the very origin of Dungeons & Dragons lies Castle Blackmoor, the dungeon Dave Arneson started running in 1970. In 1980, Dave published a large portion of his campaign notes as The First Fantasy Campaign. I will be using that to take you on a short tour of the City, the Castle, and the Dungeon of Blackmoor.
Although Castle Blackmoor predates D&D, I will be using the original D&D rules (1974 ed) to run it. Play careful, because your fighters, magic-users, and clerics are dead at 0 hit points!