The Free City of Greyhawk is an alternative starting location for the Tomb of Annihilation adventure, serving as a large settlement where the death curse can be discovered and investigated. It exists on the world of Oerth, in contrast to the default starting location of Baldur’s Gate on the Sword Coast of the Forgotten Realms.
Role in the Adventure
Greyhawk functions as one of several possible urban centers where the adventure can begin. Like other starting locations (Baldur’s Gate, Specularum, or Sharn), it provides a setting where:
- News of the death curse spreads through streets and taverns
- Characters can meet each other or gather at Syndra Silvane’s residence
- Temples and scholars struggle to explain the wasting disease affecting those who have been raised from the dead
The city serves purely as a launching point for the adventure and has no other specific role in the plot. The choice of Greyhawk versus other starting locations is intended to accommodate different campaign settings while maintaining the same narrative hook.