Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 1 Nov 2001 to 2 Nov 2001 (#2001-302) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 03/11/2001, 19:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 13 messages totalling 560 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Sentient Races of Mystara - L (3) 2. A question about some of the new ESDs (2) 3. Arcana Mystara: Astronomy and Astrology (1/4) (2) 4. Arcana Mystara: Astronomy and Astrology (2/4) 5. The Division of the Five - Part IV (2) 6. Rob Kuntz almost got an entry into the D&D/Mystara world 7. WoC site (2) ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 11:57:39 +0100 From: Agathokles Subject: Re: Sentient Races of Mystara - L Andrew Theisen wrote: > > >Leprechaun > They do have their own kingdom, though, called Faylinn [..] Thanks, I completely overlooked this--too long since I last red the PC1. > >Lich > > There is also Haptuthep, a former Thothian monarch, who makes his home on > the Great Escarpment on the IoD (Dragon magazine #?- 168? 169?- the > Princess Ark visits Thothia). Of course, I just wrapped it up with the other Nithians :) > > Cayma > > There is a society of Cayma in Karameikos (see the adventure "Treasure of > the Hideous One" in AC?- the DM's Screen Accessory). That would be in the swamp north of Halag, I suppose. Any details about this society? > > Gator-man/Gurrash > I like this- it keeps both the DA series reference, and provides a reason > for their later "creation". I can just see Herathian archaeologists > discovering skeletons of the "ancient" Gator man race and deciding to > create a new race based on their finds... Sort of like Jurassic Park, where > scientists discover that creating a race and controlling it are two very > different prospects... Thank you. I'd liked to explain the discrepancies between the Savage Coast material (where the Lizard-Kin are essentially creations of the Herathian wizards), and older material, which spreads the Lizard-Kin (also the Chameleon-Men and, as you remarked, the Cayma) over the whole world. This is possible (even easy) with the Gurrash and Shazak, but not with the other two. -- Giampaolo Agosta agathokles@libero.it agosta@elet.polimi.it http://digilander.iol.it/agathokles ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 11:59:45 +0100 From: Agathokles Subject: Re: Sentient Races of Mystara - L Gilles Leblanc wrote: > > >Lycanthropes > > Altough you did a great job and I feel very shameful for nitpicking, you > could also mention that there is a major were-rat "kingdom/city" under > Thyatis. "harri mäki" wrote: > > I think there were also werejaguars in Hollow World, but then again you could say that they are only a subspecies of weretigers. Argh! I completely forgot about wererats and werejaguars! Thank you for righting this for me. -- Giampaolo Agosta agathokles@libero.it agosta@elet.polimi.it http://digilander.iol.it/agathokles ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 12:38:23 +0100 From: Agathokles Subject: Re: A question about some of the new ESDs Stone Marshall wrote: > > LOL ;-) I bought AC10 Bestiary of Dragons and Giants back in 1989. It amuses > me when I find out Mystara players have never played this gem. Eh, I started my gaming career in 1988 or 89. At that time, in Italy we could find almost only the boxed sets (which got out in Italian translation one a year in the 88-92 years, IIRC) and the B1-4 adventures. The old lines went out of production well before we could get products like AC10 (or any other AC series). -- Giampaolo Agosta agathokles@libero.it agosta@elet.polimi.it http://digilander.iol.it/agathokles ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 20:01:35 +0100 From: la Volpe Subject: Re: Arcana Mystara: Astronomy and Astrology (1/4) > > Arcana Mystara: Mystaran Astronomy > > > The Destruction of Asterius Is Asterius the doomed "Damocles" from earlier Agathokles' works? > > Another great disaster hit Mystara: the sinking of the Alphatian continent. > The destruction of the entire Empire, including Starpiont, meant the loss of > the finest astronomers of the Known World and thousands of years of arcane > knowledge about the universe. At present, the Karameikan School of > Magecraft, under the leadership of the Alphatian archwizard, Master Terari, > maintains leadership in the study of astronomy, with their rivals at the > Great School of Magic in the Principalities of Glantri, contesting their > claim. Uhm. I rather doubt that the Karameikan School of Magecraft would even have a clue about Astronomy unless Terari himself is a great astronomer. I don't understand why the KSoM should be so immensively powerful in all its expressions, even to rival with Glantri, when Glantri's school of magic was able to compare itself to the Alphatian one. Karameikos wouldn't stand a chance in the present; maybe in the future...but for now, I wonder even if it should be considered superior (in general, not on this specific topic) to other schools of magic in the Known World (like Minrothad's Sea Princes, Darokin, Thyatis, Shadow Elves, to name possible examples). Now, in fact this comment is not directed to the excellent work done by Kit, but to a generally accepted feeling that I don't agree with. I hope this didn't sound harsh or offensive - forgive this poor Italian for his poor English...8-) Back to comment on Kit's work soon, Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 20:01:40 +0100 From: la Volpe Subject: Re: Arcana Mystara: Astronomy and Astrology (2/4) > Astronomers believe that a > breed of salamanders, which can shift natures from fire to frost and back > again, inhabit this planet of opposite extremes. Is this your invention? If it is, one day or another someone should do a writeup of this race...there is really room for an interesting creature!!!! About Donar, what do you phisically mean by "ball of lightning"? How can there be a "ball of lightning"?? Ok, this is a magical world, but maybe I simply didn't understand what you were saying...or is there an explanation? Or is it simply a "false conjecture" from an astronomer? Or will we never know? 8-) > Ordana was named after the Forest Mother, because of its green hue, which > sages believe is from the lush vegetation that grows on it. Although it lies > 19 times further from the sun than Mystara, Ordana has a crystalline > skyshield that magnifies the life-giving energy of the sun and contains it > like a greenhouse. Cool idea. 8-) > Protius > The second of the Outer Planets is named Protius, after the Old Man of the > Sea. It is blue is color and is said to be made most, if not entirely, of > water. Sages surmise it is inhabited by water-dwelling creatures similar to > those found on Mystara, and that its core has a gate that opens into the > Elemental Plane of Water. Eh eh eh. You are opening so much room for developing...there is so much room for new ideas... > numerous disasters throughout history, such as the destruction of Nithia, > the arrival of the d'Ambrevilles, and recently, the Wrath of the Immortals > War. > Hel's Comet is a ball of spinning gas and particles, sometimes burning > brightly and sometimes burnt out and dark. It takes about 76 years for it to > travel around its elliptical orbit around the sun. Its orbit is not on the > same plane as the other planets, and thus, its collision with the planet > Asterius was a highly improbable, unfortunately tragic, possibility. So has it been destroyed or not? Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 20:01:45 +0100 From: la Volpe Subject: Re: The Division of the Five - Part IV > Then, with a ground-shaking > tremor, a ghastly thing burst out from some forgotten vault: a huge carrion bird > made entirely of the bones of elves/infants/deformed animals/those dead in > battle (take your pick). A desperate battle ensued, resulting in the death of > the PCs, some screaming (This is unfair! We haven't got a chance!)… and ended > with the PCs waking up in the night, screaming and sweaty. Their actual approach > to the Keep was a bit edgy. If you haven't done anything like this before, I > strongly recommend it.) Well, I don't know why...I think every DM has played one of these "dream situations" in the past. Personally I never did, I don't like this sort of things. Or if I did I don't remember of it, anyway. Well, maybe I did when I played CM3 "Sabre River". Hmm. > 7) The werewolves of Riverfork > As PCs travel to higher experience levels, the shock value of lycantropes seems > to diminish a little. So why not introduce a whole tribe of them? > The lycantropic allies of Hazar can be made into tough adversaries. Well, the easier way to make them tough is to create some leaders with the rules from PC4 "Night Howlers". 8-) > (I actually named the > werebear Pooh…) Gaaaaaaaah! And maybe he had a Weretiger as friend? 8-) By the way, you really did a good job. Nearly every facet of the Karameikan society and history has been used to provide the background and depthness of the plot and the adventure. Really a good job, but this adventure is more a whole "campaign" than an adventure...8-) > The ancient tower of Zirchev, where the werewolves are living, Hmm. Do you think that an Immortal would allow a group of lycanthropes to settle down in a holy place like this? > Undead topis, crafted from halflings instead of the > usual shrinking procedure Eh eh eh. This is the destiny that awaits all halflings. Muhahahahaha. (Hey, Beau, stop throwing halflings in my room from that window... ...wait, small bastards, what are you doing? hey, stop immediatehrharhkhkarfb... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This letter will be completed when the old Captain will be able, and this may be not too soon in the future. We hope that Mr. Lähde will excuse the Captain and wait for the final part of his answers to the wondeful "Division of the Five" idea. Lol Bigboots, Member of the Halfling Protection Society on behalf of Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 20:01:49 +0100 From: la Volpe Subject: Re: The Division of the Five - Part IV > be on the "things to do-list" sooner or later. Thus it is even possible that the > undead troops will turn on their "allies" if the battle goes too well for the > Black Eagle side. Interesting twist. > The Macabre High-Fantasy Splatter Climax Option: Heh heh heh. > After being banished from the possessed bodies, the Five spirits shall hover > over the battlefield, coolly gazing over the blood and mayhem. Then, joining in > a unison invocation, they cause every single body on the field to explode, > scattering hundreds of bones in the air. The spirits merge into one towering > Avatar of the undead god, constructing its body from the bones, joined by guts > and tendons of the fallen - and claws and teeth of the countless fallen weapons. Heh heh heh heh... > Or: The PCs can be totally oblivious to the fact that anyone has been possessed. > They may just decide to travel to Hazar's fortress to kill the lich. Finding the > caged souls of five compatriots will be a shock - imagine their faces when they > realise who is going to lead the Karameikan armies "in just a few days! How the > heck are we going to get there in time? Where on Mystara are we going to get > enough clerics to dispel those spirits? I wish I never started this adventuring > business, I always wanted to be a lumberjack, leaping from…" Well, I must say this has been really a pleasant read. And if I ever have to start a campaign from naught, I could think to do just this mega-adventure, of course provided I find the time to prepare all the needed details... Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 11:39:01 -0800 From: Dave Keyser Subject: Rob Kuntz almost got an entry into the D&D/Mystara world You can find the full account of Rob Kuntz's unpublished works at www.necromancergames.com, but here was something of interest- The Hold of Nar, 1978. Unpublished massive outdoor/dungeon expedition tentatively placed in the Kron Hills. 8 maps, extensive encounters, new monsters and items. When WoG was on the decline in 1987 I took this to TSR where it was reviewed by Bruce Heard and Harold Johnson for possible inclusion as a Dungeons & Dragons Expert level adventure, but I believe that they didn't have the resources to publish it. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 18:09:44 -0600 From: Stone Marshall Subject: Re: A question about some of the new ESDs Well, if your an avid collector of things Mystara (like me) then I would get it now. I am on a hunt to have ALL of the old Dungeons & Dragons stuff. Once I searched old game shops across Texas all the way to California! Now I'm waiting for esd's of the rest that I don't have. I figure that the books I have esd's for will only get worse when I use them but printing the pages out and having them on hand to draw and change will make adventures go faster...now if only I could afford all the ink !!!!!!!! :-) Multizar the Mage > From: Agathokles > Reply-To: Mystara RPG Discussion > To: MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > Subject: Re: [MYSTARA] A question about some of the new ESDs > Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 12:38:23 +0100 > > Stone Marshall wrote: > > > > LOL ;-) I bought AC10 Bestiary of Dragons and Giants back in 1989. It > amuses > > me when I find out Mystara players have never played this gem. > > Eh, I started my gaming career in 1988 or 89. At that time, in Italy we > could find almost only the boxed sets (which got out in Italian > translation one a year in the 88-92 years, IIRC) and the B1-4 > adventures. The old lines went out of production well before we could > get products like AC10 (or any other AC series). > -- > > > Giampaolo Agosta > > > agathokles@libero.it > agosta@elet.polimi.it > http://digilander.iol.it/agathokles > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2001 09:07:39 +0800 From: "Francisco V. Navarro V" Subject: Re: Sentient Races of Mystara - L > > From: "Agathokles" > > > > Lamara (Lamia Noble) > > I don't think this is a canon Monster, and I can't think of any > > appropriate setting for Lamia in general. Perhaps the Milenian lands > > could go (the Lamia is a monster of Greek folklore, IIRC) > From: "David Knott" > The Lamara is first described in the Creature Catalog and thus is > presumed to be Mystaran. However, I don't know of any adventure > that places this creature in any specific Mystaran location. Well, I know of the existence of at least one lamara hiding in the Known World... But I'm not revealing where... Oh, all right! A hint: The lamara's wilderness lair was suddenly expanded by a big hole in the ground... Now *she* has decided to make it big by posing as the daughter of a lost noble family... >:) Keep your eyes peeled... She already has slain a couple of handsome young men, including some poor fop named Giampaolo... Kit Navarro Intriguer Extraordinaire www.geocities.com/paparazzi_glantri ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2001 09:28:24 +0800 From: "Francisco V. Navarro V" Subject: Re: Arcana Mystara: Astronomy and Astrology (1/4) Hail Mystarans, particularly the great Thyatian Captain Iulius Sergius Scaevola! 1. Fact vs. Conjecture As I've explained, what is presented are not so much facts, but conjectures on how Mystarans understand the facts. This goes for the fire-ice salamanders (My idea! Thank you!), the ball lightning moon Donar, the greenhouse world of Ordana, the water world of Protius. For all we know, these are all untrue, and the rest of the Mystaran solar system are as ordinary and mundane as our own (which, if you have the slightest knowledge of astronomy, you would know is far from mundane or ordinary!) Will we ever know? Maybe not... 2. Asterius/Damocles > Is Asterius the doomed "Damocles" from earlier Agathokles' works? Yes, what the Damoclites know as, well, Damocles, the Mystarans know as Asterius. They generally do not know of each other, so they have separate names. Was it destroyed by the comet Hel? For that matter, how was Asterius/Damocles destroyed? I don't know. And, my writing does not attempt to answer that directly. The hypothesis of Hel colliding into Asterius is how many astronomers and astrologers understand it--although there is no proof. Even the date of its destruction isn't clear. Will we ever know? Maybe not... I chose to leave it at that. 3. The New Center of Modern Astronomy/Astrology I must admit, I myself am not totally sold at the idea that Master Terari is making the KSoM the new center for astronomy and astrologer. It is plausible, yes, but I think it is more likely that he has Alphatian allies---not he himself--who are the expert astronomers and astologers. Does anyone have any ideas on this? Are there other schools/centers of magic that would be leading proponents in astronomy/astrology? ---------- Thank you for the comments, Captain Scaevola! They were well received and very welcome. If you, or anyone else, for that matter have any other comments and suggestions, I am willing to entertain them, before I write a final version. Kit Navarro ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 20:33:36 -0700 From: Angelo Bertolli Subject: WoC site What's the site for the WoC re-release of old D&D material (electronic format)? I find the site somewhat confusing to navigate. - Angelo - http://members.fortunecity.com/abertoll/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 22:52:30 -0600 From: Stone Marshall Subject: Re: WoC site http://store.wizards.com/Product.asp?ProductId=7110 this is the link to B5 - Horror on the Hill. Its easy to look for more basic downloads from here :-) Multizar the Mage > From: Angelo Bertolli > Reply-To: Mystara RPG Discussion > To: MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > Subject: [MYSTARA] WoC site > Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 20:33:36 -0700 > > What's the site for the WoC re-release of old D&D material (electronic > format)? I find the site somewhat confusing to navigate. > > - Angelo - > http://members.fortunecity.com/abertoll/ > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 1 Nov 2001 to 2 Nov 2001 (#2001-302) **************************************************************