Date: 2008-03-24 23:54 Subject: Rest In Peace Gary Gygax Security: Public Location: Home Mood: artistic Music: Massive Attack - Mezzaine Tags: d&d, gygax, heraldry

Gary Gygax died on March 4^th, 2008. I never met the man and for that I am poorer. Outside of my father, no man had a greater impact upon my life. His creation of the Role-Playing Game market back in the 1970’s forever changed my life.

Before Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) I was a shy, bookish kid with few if any friends. I did not relate to my peers and felt nothing but pain trying to interact with them. After I saw D&D played for the first time by my counselors while away at Camp Handcock (a science camp) in the eastern desert of Oregon at the tender age of eleven, I was hooked.

When I got back to school in the fall, I met some fellow geeks in the chess club but wanted to try something different. Gary’s game opened up a world of imagination and provided me with a safe place in which to learn how to socialize with people my own age. Don’t get me wrong, I was and still am a geek, but now I am a well socialized geek able to connect to people in a way that I couldn’t before. He also provided me and my friends with hours and hours of fun.

For a man who gave me so much I have very little to give back in return. So, I will give his family a small something to show my gratitude, an artistic rendering of the arms of Gary’s most famous character from the early days of D&D, Mordenkainen.

On the Pied Piper Publishing message boards in 2005 someone asked Gary what the coat of arms for Mordenkainen were. They had never been published for the World of Greyhawk supplement. He replied with the following:

Re: WOG Heraldry: Mordenkainen?
(09/02/05 13:52:53)

Mordenkainen:

Purpur, two lightningbolts or meeting in a V-shape.

Gary

I did slightly modify his description, I took the V shape design for the lightening and turned it into a unique heraldic device, a lightening bolt wreath. Without further ado, Mordenkainen’s arms:

 

I will be posting a special entry on my World of Greyhawk Heraldry website this Thursday in honor of Gary. While this is a tribute, the "charater" I write as for the website has no love for Mordenkainen, so please do not take what "he" writes as a slap at Gary, but a loving write up to a man who indeed created magic.

EDIT (3/27/08): Here is the direct link to Mordenkainen's coat of arms (here)

Thank you Gary,

Bryan Blumklotz
AKA Saracenus

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