With a brand new Monster Manual on the way, it’s time to bid farewell to the 1st Edition Easter Eggs tucked away in the old one.
Easter eggs are an enduring part of any game. And D&D is no exception. The game is full of the occasional hidden or not so hidden reference in the many pages of its various books. And with a new Monster Manual on the way in a few short weeks, it seemed an apt time to revisit some classic 1st Edition Easter eggs that were hidden in the 2014 version.
Maybe they’ll still be in the new book, maybe they won’t. But regardless, we can all appreciate the nostalgia and delight they carry with them.
Bree-Yark Does NOT Mean “We Surrender”
The phrase “bree-yark” originated in the classic module Keep on the Borderlands, which you can revisit as part of Goodman Games’ ‘Original Adventures Reincarnated’ series. Keep on the Borderlands is one of the main “basic” adventures for D&D, and in addition to the titular Keep, it also features a quick lesson in goblin. Characters are told “bree-yark” is goblin for “we surrender” but what it actually means is “hey rube!”
Shouting it will summon nearby goblins to investigate. So take care when bellowing.
Hommlet and the Temple of Elemental Evil
In the entry for Marilith, we get not one but two 1st Edition Easter eggs. This note from Nelume, a young half-elf Wizard, mentions both the Temple of Elemental Evil and the nearby village of Hommlet. Both locales feature in some of D&D’s most iconic early modules (bearing the same names). And the Temple of Elemental Evil remains one of the most beloved dungeon in all of D&D.
Also, as a sort of bonus, Rufus and Burne are two of the rulers of the village of Hommlet, taken straight from the pages of the module. Notes like this don’t seem to be in the new Monster Manual, but I’d be willing to bet there’s more interconnectedness than you might think.
Names From Out Of The Past
What’s in a name? Well, a lot of things, if you’re a Pit Fiend in the Monster Manual. In the entry for pit fiend, we find a missive from one Herobaal the pit fiend. But that isn’t the first appearance of the name. In an old Dragon Magazine article, one detailing the names and personalities of the fiends of old, Herobaal makes an appearance. He’s in the service of Moloch and appears with 16 companies of bone devils.
Nycaloths And Shemeshka The Marauder
Under the entry for the Nycaloth is a note from one Shemeshka the Marauder. She’s the Arcanaloth who runs the Wheel of Fortune out of Sigil. She’s not just a fancy tavernkeep, though, she’s right up there with beings who have their thumb firmly on the scales of destiny. And thankfully, we got to learn more about her in the new Planescape book.
But, even as far back as the 2014 Monster Manual, she was keeping on as a hidden Easter egg.
Tournament Competitors Beek And Fonkin
Finally in the entry for Zombies we learn the ill-fate of an adventurer known as Beek. Although he isn’t known only as Beek. His full name is Beek Gwenders, and he was a party member along with Fonkin Hoddypeak, Gleep Wurp, Cloyer Bulse, Roarky Swerked, Frush O’Suggill, Redmond Dumple, Faffle Dwe’o-mercraft, and Flerd Trantle.
All of these were real character names taken from the pregenerated characters from one of D&D’s earliest tournament modules: G1 – Against the Giants. Tournament modules were a challenge for players that would be scored according to things they did or didn’t accomplish in the dungeon. It seems somehow fitting that this would be how Beek should come to an end.
Now to get ready for a new book with all new Easter eggs!
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