Hawk Maiden - 'Wasted Years' & Greyhawk's ' Doom Grinder' Chaos & Law?! - An OSR Campaign Purposel

 "Wasted Years"

From the coast of gold, across the seven seas

I'm travellin' on, far and wide

But now it seems, I'm just a stranger to myself

And all the things I sometimes do, it isn't me but

Someone else

I close my eyes, and think of home

Another city goes by in the night

Ain't it funny how it is, you never miss it 'til it's

Gone away

And my heart is lying there and will be 'til my

Dying day

So understand

Don't waste your time always searching for

Those wasted years

Face up... make your stand

And realise you're living in the golden years

Too much time on my hands, I got you on my mind

Can't ease this pain, so easily

When you can't find the words to say it's hard to

Make it through another day

And it makes me wanna cry and throw my

Hands up to the sky

So understand

Don't waste your time always searching for

Those wasted years

Face up... make your stand

And realise you're living in the golden years

So understand

Don't waste your time always searching for

Those wasted years

Face up... make your stand

And realise you're living in the golden years

So understand

Don't waste your time always searching for

Those wasted years

Face up... make your stand

And realise you're living in the golden years

Iron Maiden 'Somewhere In Time' Album 1986



Somewhere out on the plane of time, an Eddie unit cruises to Oerth with the mission of making sure that it doesn't happen this time. The problem it can't remember what 'it' is?! Is it trying to kill or help the PC's!? 

The infamous Derek Riggs artwork for Wasted Years gives some clues along with the wiki entry; 

"According to artist Derek Riggs, this is because the band did not want to reveal the mascot in his new cyborg guise until the album was released a few weeks later.^[4] As with the Somewhere in Time album sleeve,^[5] the single cover also features the TARDIS from the BBC series Doctor Who.^[4] Riggs describes the illustration as "a duffer. It's a technical illustration of a keyboard of a time machine, with Eddie reflected in the window, because it was the only thing we could think of that wouldn't give Eddie away""

This Eddie crashes near the Doomgrinder & the 'The Eighties Greyhawk neon is slashed through with the high core sound of  hair metal. There is strange howling & whaling of guitars but the stone wind mill does not turn. But it does creak a bit. The Eddie unit begins to search for the PC's. The slaughter through the underworld of Greyhawk is alarming to some of the major powers especially Luz. 


The PC's have been on the track of Gord now for a few months but the evil powers of Greyhawk have hampered their efforts. The Eddie Unit is here to prevent something dire but what?! Several of Luz's gangs of heavy metal & evil grind core bands of adventurers are dispatched along his 'concert circuits while avoiding the Eddie Unit. If the PC's haven't reached Zel The Wise (now the Foolish) yet then their in real danger here. 
If  Tharizdun  or his followers get a hold of the PC's then they'll be brought one of his 'concerts' for sacrifice to the elder evil. This comes as no surprise as the elder evil's followers have come much more active after the landing of the Eddie Unit. Should one of the PC's die then things begin to swing into high action as the Doom Grinder begins to move a little bit. If a TPK happens then the wings of the doomgrinder begin to move more! 

What the doomgrinder represents & where it could take Oerth is a bit of an enemga wrapped in a mystery. But its the fact that the PC's might end up lost somewhere in time at the end of this. 
But let's pick up with our Eddie Unit in Hawk Maiden & where its forgotten marching orders might take it. 

Iron Maiden – Somewhere In Time (2013 Reissue)

Eddie represents the far future of an Oerth that sees things coming full circle & one or more of the PC's causing a very dangerous tip in the balance. Here's where things get dicey for the PC's. Luz's lawyer demons could make life a living Abyss for the PC's on Oerth now. This is where  Rafael Chandler 'The Metallic Tome' & 'The Demonic Tome' come in very handy indeed. Are the demons keeping a possible technological jump point for Oerth away from the forces of light & rock?! 



Could the Eddie Unit actually be tied to the long forgotten 'Warden Science Survey vessel?! Because anyone who knows me knows how much of a yen I have for Gary Gygax's S3 Expediation To The Barrier Peaks?! 

What if the 'Warden' wasn't as broken as it first appears in S3?! Where does the Warden take the PC's!? I've got a few adventure ideas about that coming up. 

 What really makes things easier to pull this off is the Castles & Crusades Castle Keeper's Guide with the star ship stats in them. But I don't envy the party having to clear out the 'Warden' science survey ship. 

Hawk Maiden - 'Caught Somewhere In Time' - "The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner" - An OSR Campaign Purposel

 The tough of the track
With the wind
And the rain that's beating down on
Your back
Your heart's beating loud
And goes on getting louder
And goes on even more 'til the
Sound is ringing in your head
With every step you tread
And every breath you take
Determination
Makes you run never stop
Got to win got to run 'til you drop
Keep the pace hold the race
Your mind is getting clearer
You're over half way there
But the miles they never seem to end
As if you're in a dream
Not getting anywhere
It seems so futile
"The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner"
Iron Maiden 'Somewhere In Time' Album 1986

Hawk Maiden's Oerth a world of savergy, wizardry, & hard core head banging music. But you may have to sell your soul to get it! 



This is Earth but not as you know it. The Eighties neon here is slashed through with the high core sound of Eighties hair metal. Yes there's adventurers, violent warriors, & the night is ruled by bards, conartists, & many other performers. The mythic age is long over & now the old vile villains are creeping back in.. So go here & read up on Hawk Maiden - 'Caught Somewhere In Time' - An OSR Campaign Purposel

So while everyone's enjoying their holiday, DM Steve's been quietly after me about the Hawk Maiden campaign. 'When the first adventure gonna be done' & 'What can you do with "The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner?", comes the breathy Forty Eight year old metal head meaty voice. 'Slow roll pal, I've got several adventure ideas brewing but we know that the old magick seems to creep back in when you least expect it. Cus this goes right along with The Metal Moorcockian Con Job - Some Sword & Sorcery Observations On NeoPlastic Press's 'The Metallic Tome ' By Rafael Chandler. 

The song reminds me of Zel The Wise (now the Foolish) a 7th level bard who bartered his soul to Graz'zt for a mighty instrument of Abyss.  Twenty years ago Zel The Foolish bartared his soul away for Darkness & Death +5 axe of the demon lord Verin. Zel has been playing the instrument every seven seconds between the moments of time for Graz'zt's amusment & to accompany his love making. Zel literally plays across planes each time he strums the instrument. He is quite literally chained to the guitar & has access to hundreds of dimensions.

Zel The Wise (now the Foolish) a 7th level bard is under a curse from Graz'zt. He's played with some of the top bands across reality but Graz'zt's curse prevents him him from revealing too much abou his master's plans. However he does reveal the occasional tid bit through song. He may know the whereabouts this version of Greyhawk's Gord. 



Graz'zt has a very strong hatred for Gord especially in the Gary Gygax's novels; 

"Graz'zt is known as the Ebon Lord of the Abat-Dolor, a race of demons who all look more or less like him. He ruled over the Abat-Dolor with his queen and consort, Elazalag, until he was captured by the witch queen Iggwilv." Does this mean that Greyhawk's Witch Queen is far behind?! 

 

She is the adopted daughter of Baba Yaga whose ties to the world of music industry excutives  on Hawk Maiden are well known. But her son Luz has his hands in many many pies in the arrangement of Rock & Roll acts. She was heavily opposed by the circle of Eight; "She last clashed with agents of the Circle of Eight in 585 CY when Warnes Starcoat employed a band of adventurers to recover Tenser's clone from Luna. Iggwilv currently resides in a manor in the Gray Waste of Hades. Her current plans, if any, are unknown (as of 597 CY)."

This begs the question can the players stop this vile villains before she frees Grz'zzts. And causes as much mayhem as she can? 

This is where Tharizdun comes in & because the disruption of the balance of the multiverse its the perfect opportunity for him. The multiverse is out of balance & its the perfect time to take a kingdom or two on Greyhawk. This sort of reasoning is heavily implied in C&C's Tome of The Unclean.