Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 6 Nov 2001 to 8 Nov 2001 (#2001-307) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 09/11/2001, 19:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 20 messages totalling 1096 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Treatise on Lycanthropy - Mythic Lycanthropy (2) 2. Treatise on Lycanthropy - Ancient and Modern Lycanthropy (2) 3. Treatise on Lycanthropy - Other Strains of Lycanthropy (3) 4. A Preview 5. Anybody got a clue on hexes? (10) 6. Treatise on Lycanthropy - Ancient and ModernLycanthropy (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: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 07:38:53 -0800 From: John Calvin Subject: Treatise on Lycanthropy - Mythic Lycanthropy Hi all, The list seems a bit dead, so I thought I would post some material that I submitted to the Tome of Mystara a while back. I'm intending on going through it and updating for 3E (providing templates and perhaps a few prestige classes), but I'd like to get some feedback from the list before I do so. I've broken the article into 3 sections for distribution to the list: 1) Forward and Mythic Lycanthropy 2) Ancient and Modern Lycanthropy 3) Other strains of Lycanthropy I hope you enjoy. *be warned - although most of the following work is a creation of my own devising, all of it is based on material taken from other Mystaran resources. Spoilers may be contained throughout. Forward by the Author One of a fantasy setting’s biggest advantages is its great diversity. If used properly this can greatly add to the flavor of any campaign. Unfortunately great diversity in a setting can also be a hindrance if little or no thought is put in as to why the setting is so diverse. Mystara has an abundance of diversity, sometimes well thought out, and sometimes not. I have never felt comfortable with the curse of lycanthropy being blamed upon Alphatian mages. This course just seemed too easy. It is a cop out just to say that since lycanthropy is a magical disease, and since the Alphatians are magical people, that the Alphatians must have created lycanthropy. After reading some of James Mishler’s work on the Taymoran empire, I was inspired to add my own take to the events of those times, one of which was the creation of lycanthropy. Thanks go to James, and to all of the others who keep working on the land of Mystara. [To those that read on...beware, some spoilers may follow.] A Treatise on the History of Lycanthropy in the Known World Lycanthropy is a bane upon our world. Like a disease it spreads through families, villages, cities, and nations. The lucky ones are the ones who do not survive, for lycanthropy is a dreadful curse. It twists the body, and the mind, into fearful bestial forms. Often those who are infected will not remember the atrocities that they commit on friends and loved ones. Brought upon by the tides of the moon, the transformation is unavoidable. As with most things that people do not understand, most things magical, the curse of lycanthropy is blamed upon Alphatians and their infernal sorcery. 600 years ago a virtual plague swept across the Known World from that nation leaving death and despair in its wake. Some say that the Alphatians made a terrible mistake. Others believe that those wizards created lycanthropy with a purpose in mind, to subjugate the world. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Lycanthropy was not developed by Alphatian wizards 600 years ago. It has been on Mystara for far longer than that. Neither has it always been as tame as it is now. Long ago it was by far a worse curse than it is now. BC 2500 - Mythic Lycanthropy Fleeing the destruction of Blackmoor, a group of people made their way to the southern shores of Brun. These were the Taymorans. Still possessing some of their former magical might, the Taymorans quickly established a mighty empire in this sparsely populated land. Taymora however was not untouched by trials. Many of the people suffered from destructive forces unleashed by Blackmoor, forces which caused them to slowly rot and die. To combat this disease many of the most powerful and influential mages turned toward the powers of undeath. Taymora soon became a land ruled by Necromancer Kings and undead creatures. Of these, the Vampire Kings were among the most feared. They sought out the living, to use as fodder in their wars, as slaves for their industries, and as food for their appetites. Many in the populace hated and feared their rulers, and actively sought ways to overthrow them. Thus Mythic Lycanthropy was born. The Vampire Kings, desperate to keep their minions subjugated, devised a magical disease which would impart more bestial aspects onto its victims. The vampires believed, and rightly so, that if they could impart the traits of those animals which they already had an uncanny ability to call upon and command onto their human subjects, that those subjects would be more able, and willing, to serve them. Mixing their own undead blood with that of wolves, rats, and bats, the Vampire Kings created a curse that would plague Mystarans for millennia to come. Mythic Lycanthropy transforms its victim into a creature with traits of both beast and man. Roughly humanoid in shape, the cursed being acquires the claws, fangs, and appetite of its were type. Although it retains its former intelligence, the creature is strongly driven by animal instincts. The transformation is brought upon by the coming of nightfall. Some hardy individuals can prevent their transformation, but not forever. Each night painful surges wrack the victim’s body. Those that give into the pain assume their were-form. Once transformed into a best man, the afflicted individual loses all of the memories and personality of his former self. The beast form is a completely new entity, most often cruel and violent. After months of succumbing to the disease 50% of those infected die. Of those that remain, a full three quarters are stuck in their beast man form forever. After a years time 90% of those remaining will die. While in beast man form a person infected with Mythic Lycanthropy is susceptible to the call and compulsion of vampires. The Vampire Kings created strains of the disease with their own blood resulting in clans of were-creatures who were attuned to a specific vampire. As the disease developed, and several strains intermingled, it became difficult for any one vampire to retain control over an individual creature. Summoning and compelling the lycanthropes was not a problem, keeping another vampire from doing the same thing was. Using lycanthropes as shock troops in battles was a favorite tactic of the Vampire Kings during the height of Taymoran civilization. Their control over the creatures gave them a distinct advantage over Necromancer and Lich Kings. It was during the Taymoran civil war, when various factions of vampires were fighting amongst themselves, that a small cult of anti-vampire sentiment grew within the ranks of the lycanthropes. Those few who survived their terrible first year were becoming more populace, and began to dislike how their kings used them. Gathering numbers in the heart of the vampire’s territory, they planned to attack their masters. It was then that Taymora sunk beneath the waves. ===== Rule #53. If the beautiful princess that I capture says "I'll never marry you! Never, do you hear me, NEVER!!!", I will say "Oh well" and kill her. from "A Guide to Becoming an Evil Overlord" by Peter Anspach __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Find a job, post your resume. http://careers.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 07:39:47 -0800 From: John Calvin Subject: Treatise on Lycanthropy - Ancient and Modern Lycanthropy Here is part II: BC 2000 - Ancient Lycanthropy The Taymorans once again fled the destruction of their civilization. Moving further inland on the continent of Brun, they encountered the blossoming Nithian civilization. Still in its infancy, Nithia promised to be a powerful nation one day, both in physical arms and magical skill. Several Taymoran vampires and their lycanthrope minions began to conquer the Nithian people. Mythic Lycanthropy spread throughout the native population like wildfire, but the Nithians were not defenseless against the curse. Armed with knowledge from a group of Taymoran sympathizers, and already strong in the use of magic, they began to alter the disease, trying to lessen and remove its worst effects. Over several decades they were successful in this endeavor. The first attempt that the Nithians made was designed to remove the curse entirely. They only partially succeeded. Those infected no longer transformed into a hideous beast man. Instead they took on the entire animal shape of their were-type. This made those suffering under the curse slightly less dangerous and more manageable, however the curse continued to spread, and thousands still died each year. After their first attempt to eradicate lycanthropy failed, the Nithians attacked the problem from another angle. Instead of trying to lift the curse, they sought ways to make it easier to live with. Through arcane rituals and ancient secrets, the Nithians bound the curse with the forces emanating from the moon. This reduced the nightly transformations down to monthly transformations. Inflicted individuals would assume their were-form four times a month, once for each phase of the moon (new, half full, full, half dark). This ended many of the deaths that resulted from the strain of constant transformations, but the curse was still not cured. None of the Nithian’s magic could remedy the loss of memory and personality from victims of the curse. For decades they toiled over the problem to no avail. Many wizards forsook their arcane arts and turned toward the immortals for guidance. After years of devout service, and a sincere concern for the fate of their charges, the immortals granted those new Nithian clerics the solution to their troubles. With guidance from their immortal patrons, those clerics, who would go on to become the first Nithian pharaohs, crafted holy relics designed to prevent the curse from stealing the memories of a transformed lycanthrope. By distributing those relics to the infected population, the spread of the disease was effectively contained. Once lycanthropes were able to retain their memories, the controlling influences of the Vampire Kings were broken forever. This gave those who were infected by Ancient Lycanthropy a distinct advantage over those who were infected by the Mythic version. The Nithians acted quickly to remove the Taymoran threat from their lands once and for all, and by BC 1100 all traces of Mythic Lycanthropy were erased from their nation. The Nithians weren’t satisfied with that result. Individuals were able to retain their own memories and personalities, as well as gain abilities that no other human had. With concentration and practice some lycanthropes were able to assume were-form at will. With the protection of their immortals, lycanthropy seemed more like a blessing than a curse. Combining their clerical and magical powers, the Nithians created new strains of the disease. Were-foxes, and jackals were created along with were-hawks and several forms of were-cats. The Nithians controlled the lycanthropic population with strict regulations. Only those who were deemed worthy enough were infected with the disease. Several martial and religious orders formed around the different clans of were-creatures, and members made it their honor and duty to uphold the laws and traditions of Nithia. BC 500 - Modern Lycanthropy In BC 1000 the Nithians invited the Alphatian people to make a new home on Mystara. The two nations had long histories of talent in the magical arts, and so their peoples had much in common. The Alphatians immediately adopted the Nithian custom of lycanthropic Orders. For them it was the latest fad. Not being shy about performing magical experiments, the Alphatians soon added their own distinct mark to lycanthropy. By strengthening the curse’s bond with the tidal forces of the moon the Alphatians were able to accomplish several things. First they reduced the number of involuntary transformations from four per month down to one time per month. The involuntary transformation only took place on the night of the full moon. A side effect of this was that concentrating the moon’s interaction with the disease allowed lycanthropes to assume their were-shape at will. Those lycanthropes who could assume a beast man form, found that now it was easier to do so. Many who could not do so before could after the moon’s bond was strengthened. The Nithians entered a new age of enlightenment with the help of their Alphatian allies. Such things however, never last. Dark immortals grew furious that a thing of entropy could be turned into such a boon for society. Something that once tore communities apart was now one of the very things that held it together. Those immortals conspired to bring about the downfall of Nithia and once again unleash a lycanthropic curse upon the world. What the Taymoran kings could not do through force of conquest, the Taymoran gods did through treachery and deceit. Poisoning the Nithian pharaohs, the dark immortals were able to cause brother to make war against brother. Soon all of Nithia was locked in a devastating civil war. The destruction was on a level near to that of the destruction of Blackmoor. The other immortals had to intervene. Blackmoor’s demise was still too fresh in their memories, and they did not want to risk having another Great Rain of Fire. Banding together the immortals wiped Nithia from the face of Mystara. That was not enough however. There were whispers in the immortal ranks that spoke of a disaster yet to come. The Alphatians were Nithia’s allies. They too are great in the use of magic. Could they not one day rival Nithian glory? With their intimate knowledge of Nithian magic could they not also cause a Great Rain of Fire? After all they fled to Mystara after destroying their own home world. Many immortals were hesitant about removing a nation which had as yet, done no harm. Others did not want to take the chance that these Alphatians could use Nithian magic to destroy this world. A compromise was proposed. All memory of the Nithians must be removed from Mystara for all time. This way the Alphatians could not use Nithian magic to wreak havoc. The immortals were in agreement, and so together they cast the Spell of Oblivion, which erased memory of Nithia forever. Unfortunately, the knowledge for turning lycanthropy from a curse to a blessing was so intertwined with Nithia, that it too was erased from the memories of mortals. The dark immortals congratulated themselves. Not only did they succeed in destroying Nithia, but they also manipulated the other immortals into once again unleashing the curse of lycanthropy into the world. Without memories of Nithia, or of how to control lycanthropy, Alphatia was beset with a horrible crisis. A terrible disease was infecting some of their most respected and influential citizens. The Alphatians tried their best to keep the disease contained, but it spread quickly throughout their lands and spilled over into the lands of other nations. Of course the Alphatians had no way of knowing that the Nithians had already spread lycanthropy throughout most of Mystara. The rest of the world had no way of knowing this either, so when a rash of lycanthropy exploded in AD 400 everybody blamed the magic wielding Alphatians for the disease. ===== Rule #53. If the beautiful princess that I capture says "I'll never marry you! Never, do you hear me, NEVER!!!", I will say "Oh well" and kill her. from "A Guide to Becoming an Evil Overlord" by Peter Anspach __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Find a job, post your resume. http://careers.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 07:40:46 -0800 From: John Calvin Subject: Treatise on Lycanthropy - Other Strains of Lycanthropy Here is part III: Other Strains There are several other strains of lycanthropy in the world. It is beyond the scope of this treatise to cover them in full detail, but we will go over then in brief. BC 2000 - Herathean Lycanthropy After the fall of Taymora several refugees, including some victims of Mythic Lycanthropy, fled to the west and ended up in what is now present day Herath. The Aranea who lived there at the time were starting to feel persecuted by the other races around them. Sensing their own demise they mutated the Mythic strain for their own purposes. By purposefully infecting themselves with the disease, the Heratheans had devised the perfect cover. They showed only their were-form to the outside world, in their case a humanoid form. Unfortunately they could not escape all of the side effects of Mythic Lycanthropy, and many of them suffered from either temporary, or permanent loss of memory and personality. BC 2000 – Undersea Lycanthropy The sinking of Taymora caused as much havoc below the waves as it did above. Several tritons and merrow exploring the ruins became infected with a nasty strain of Mythic Lycanthropy. It is unclear exactly how this happened. Some believe that it was merely inevitable that the disease would spread in such an environment, while others suspect that some vampire lord survived the sinking and was trying to rebuild his empire from below the depths. BC 1700 – Radiant Lycanthropy This violent strain of lycanthropy was created from mixtures of both Mythic and Ancient strains when an elven population on Brun discovered an ancient Blackmoorian device and triggered an explosion. Radiant Lycanthropy affects only elves and half elves, and will kill most humans and other humans who contract it. Involuntary transformation is brought upon by exposure to the radiance in one form or another. The transformation actually consumes all traces of the radiance in the victim’s body. Once enough radiance builds up again, the victim will undergo another involuntary transformation. Radiant Lycanthropes who avoid contact with the radiance slowly die of a strange rotting disease. Shadow elven “soul crystals” do produce enough radiance for populations of these lycanthropes to survive. BC 1496 – Viper’s Lycanthropy Taymora, along with populations of Mythic Lycanthropes, was sent to the Hollow World just after it sunk beneath the wave. In 1496 Atzanteotl guided a small number of those lycanthropes through the forest to the city of Chitlacan. Once there, the lycanthropes spread their disease to nearly three quarters of the population. Two thirds of the population died as a result. The others fled into the forest and became what are presently referred to as were-jaguars. These poor souls must assume their form to eat. If their hunger is not satisfied in this way, they may transform involuntarily. BC 1000 – Draconic Lycanthropy Unfortunately this strain of lycanthropy proved to be fatal to 99 percent of the population it infected. Fortunately for humans, the disease infected only lizardmen and a few other reptilian species. When the Nithians unknowingly brought this disease with them to their colony lands, most of the resident population of lizardmen was killed. Unlike most strains of lycanthropy the draconic version is not passed directly from one host to another, but instead spreads through an intermediary. Small parasitic ticks serve this function. Those lizardmen that survived the infection did so only in the most figurative respect. They were transformed into a quasi-undead, desiccated, mummy like state. BC 500 – Red Lycanthropy The creation of the Red Curse also effected lycanthropes in the general area, changing their affliction into something new. Most lycanthropes on the Savage Coast were Nithian, and so were infected with Ancient Lycanthropy. Their transformation occurs four times per month, just as it does for other Ancient Lycanthropes. However, Red Lycanthropes will also undergo an involuntary change at other times, if Cinnabryl is not worn. It takes two days for a Cinnabryl dependent transformation to take place. This process can be reversed at any time by wearing the red metal. A transformation on one of the four nights corresponding to the phases of the moon will deplete any Cinnabryl currently being worn. A red lycanthrope always resumes its natural form after one of these four involuntary transformations, however if Cinnabryl is not worn, it once again begins its two day change back into were-form. Red Lycanthropes cannot acquire Legacies, and if they possessed them before infection, those Legacies are lost. AC 730 – Dwarvish Lycanthropy Elves settling Glantri, some of which were descendants of those elves who discovered a Blackmoorian artifact in BC 1700, unknowingly brought Radiant Lycanthropy into close proximity of the Nucleus of the Spheres. Just as the absence of radiance will cause Radiant Lycanthropes to rot and die, so too will an overabundance or it. The strain mutates violently during this brief period of time and jumps into an unknown secondary carrier population - dwarves. This strain, like its predecessor, is still fatal to humans, and many die as a result of a parasitic carrier (possible a tick like creature as was the case for Draconic Lycanthropy). Fortunately for the dwarves their strong magical immunities prevent them from being infected by the disease, unfortunately for them they are blamed as the cause of infection. ===== Rule #53. If the beautiful princess that I capture says "I'll never marry you! Never, do you hear me, NEVER!!!", I will say "Oh well" and kill her. from "A Guide to Becoming an Evil Overlord" by Peter Anspach __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Find a job, post your resume. http://careers.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 20:20:52 +0100 From: la Volpe Subject: Re: Treatise on Lycanthropy - Mythic Lycanthropy > > It was then that Taymora sunk beneath the waves. I assume this comes mostly from James Mishler's work, doesn't it? Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 20:28:07 +0100 From: la Volpe Subject: Re: Treatise on Lycanthropy - Ancient and Modern Lycanthropy > > Unfortunately, the knowledge for turning lycanthropy from a curse to a blessing > was so intertwined with Nithia, that it too was erased from the memories of > mortals. The dark immortals congratulated themselves. Heh heh heh. Good twist to the story. Well, I don't know wheter I'll agree with this version or stay with the original. Anyway it's not a part of the setting on which I am working, so I can relax and read without re-thinking everything, connecting canon sources and see wheter this could make it into my campaign with/without modifications. 8-) Good work, anyway. Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 20:38:11 +0100 From: la Volpe Subject: Re: Treatise on Lycanthropy - Other Strains of Lycanthropy John Calvin wrote: > Here is part III: > This is the most interesting bit, but isn't it too exaggerated to blame all catastrophes in Mystara onto lycantrhopy? Anyway, to use a couple of these examples (like the Dwarven lycanthropy) in a setting would be really tricky...8-) > BC 1700 – Radiant Lycanthropy > This violent strain of lycanthropy was created from mixtures of both Mythic > and Ancient strains when an elven population on Brun discovered an ancient > Blackmoorian device and triggered an explosion. Radiant Lycanthropy affects > only elves and half elves, and will kill most humans and other humans who > contract it. Involuntary transformation is brought upon by exposure to the > radiance in one form or another. The transformation actually consumes all > traces of the radiance in the victim’s body. Once enough radiance builds up > again, the victim will undergo another involuntary transformation. Radiant > Lycanthropes who avoid contact with the radiance slowly die of a strange > rotting disease. Shadow elven “soul crystals” do produce enough radiance for > populations of these lycanthropes to survive. I'm not sure I understand all of this bit. Probably I haven't read so much in Gaz13 that could allow me to understand this...or did you create this idea totally from naught? Could you explain the historical event that has been the basis for this, if there is one? > BC 1496 – Viper’s Lycanthropy > Taymora, along with populations of Mythic Lycanthropes, was sent to the Hollow > World just after it sunk beneath the wave. Ah, so the Immortlas have saved those Lycanthropes anyway. How can they pass the curse on if there is the Spell of Preservation? Uhm uhm, this would really be a good start for a campaign idea/ region to develope. > Those lizardmen that survived the infection did so only in the most figurative > respect. They were transformed into a quasi-undead, desiccated, mummy like > state. What would this mean, exactly? Is there a reference I don't see? Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 20:40:55 +0100 From: la Volpe Subject: Re: A Preview Ville V Lahde wrote: > I started writing down another campaign scheme, this time centering on the > Thanegioth Archipelago. Here's a little preview. If you wish to get info > on some specific topics on the list, I'm open to suggestions. Well, this preview doesn't tell me much, but I'm waiting to see what you can come up with! Probably I SHOULD take a look at the Twin Campaings files at Shawn's... Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 21:07:19 +0100 From: la Volpe Subject: Anybody got a clue on hexes? A question mainly for the mappers: is there anybody who knows what the area for a 8-miles hex should be? I know how to calculate an area for an hexagon, but the problem is to decide what "8 miles" mean. Is it a side? Is it from one point to the opposite? Any clue? Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 12:22:17 -0800 From: Joe Kelly Subject: Re: Anybody got a clue on hexes? I believe it means from one side of the hex to the other. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 21:36:30 +0100 From: Agathokles Subject: Re: Treatise on Lycanthropy - Ancient and ModernLycanthropy la Volpe wrote: > > > Unfortunately, the knowledge for turning lycanthropy from a curse to a blessing > > was so intertwined with Nithia, that it too was erased from the memories of > > mortals. The dark immortals congratulated themselves. > > Heh heh heh. Good twist to the story. Not only, it gives also another reason to explain why Thanatos & Co. pushed the confrontation with the other Immortals to the point that the non-entropics destroyed Nithia. Since this was a mostly dark point, I think it makes for a valuable addition to the Nithian history. -- Giampaolo Agosta agathokles@libero.it agosta@elet.polimi.it http://digilander.iol.it/agathokles ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 21:40:09 +0000 From: Gilles Leblanc Subject: Re: Anybody got a clue on hexes? > I believe it means from one side of the hex to the other. > This is what I always beleived. Usually when my party is traveling I add 8 miles per 8 miles hexagon they cross. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 14:05:07 -0800 From: John Calvin Subject: Re: Treatise on Lycanthropy - Other Strains of Lycanthropy >> > Here is part III: > This is the most interesting bit, but isn't it too exaggerated to blame all catastrophes in Mystara onto lycantrhopy? Anyway, to use a couple of these examples (like the Dwarven lycanthropy) in a setting would be really tricky...8-) << You may be right for most normal campaigns... but if the entire campaign centers around lycanthropy then perhaps this isn't too bad. Anyway I presented this section as a kind of list of all the "possible" lycanthropic curses that could exist. Individual DMs should pick and choose which fit best for their campaigns. >> > BC 1700 – Radiant Lycanthropy > This violent strain of lycanthropy was created from mixtures of both Mythic > and Ancient strains when an elven population on Brun discovered an ancient > Blackmoorian device and triggered an explosion. Radiant Lycanthropy affects > only elves and half elves, and will kill most humans and other humans who > contract it. Involuntary transformation is brought upon by exposure to the > radiance in one form or another. The transformation actually consumes all > traces of the radiance in the victim’s body. Once enough radiance builds up > again, the victim will undergo another involuntary transformation. Radiant > Lycanthropes who avoid contact with the radiance slowly die of a strange > rotting disease. Shadow elven “soul crystals” do produce enough radiance for > populations of these lycanthropes to survive. I'm not sure I understand all of this bit. Probably I haven't read so much in Gaz13 that could allow me to understand this...or did you create this idea totally from naught? Could you explain the historical event that has been the basis for this, if there is one? << The canon reference would be the event in BC 1700 where a group of elves manage to explode a Blackmoorian artifact. That part is in just about all the Gaz histories out there. The lycanthropic part is something I created out of whole cloth. I just like the idea of Shadow Elf lycanthropes, but I couldn't figure out a decent trigger event for the curse. Having them be affected by the moon just didn't seem like a very fun idea. But having them be affected by radiation on the other hand, seemed much more appropriate. So what I did was have the BC 1700 catastrophie mutate lycanthropy so that it would affect the elven population instead of the human pop. (Remember in Mystara lycanthropy usually results in death for demihumans). >> > BC 1496 – Viper’s Lycanthropy > Taymora, along with populations of Mythic Lycanthropes, was sent to the Hollow > World just after it sunk beneath the wave. Ah, so the Immortlas have saved those Lycanthropes anyway. How can they pass the curse on if there is the Spell of Preservation? Uhm uhm, this would really be a good start for a campaign idea/ region to develope. << I agree. I've always been intrigued by James Mishler's work on Taymora. He even suggests an area in the HW for their placement (the Shadow Mts IIRC, near the southern polar opening). Those mts are essentially large floating continents that are anchored into place in order to provide a world of complete darkness in the land of the eternal sun. A perfect place for the undead of Taymora. Anyway I've never much developed this idea although I've always wanted to... perhaps some day ;) >> > Those lizardmen that survived the infection did so only in the most figurative > respect. They were transformed into a quasi-undead, desiccated, mummy like > state. What would this mean, exactly? Is there a reference I don't see? << The reference is one to Gaz2 (Ylari). In that gaz there is an adventure or two that deals with ancient mummified lizardmen (in a region that would have been controlled by the Nithians at one point). THe gaz states that the lizardman civilization would have been around 4000 years ago (IIRC or even longer) - far before the rise of Nithia, but IMC the descendants of those lizardmen were a main antagonist for the Nithian people. At one point they dominated the Malpheggi area, as well as the southern islands of what used to be Taymora (Minrothad and Irendi). At some point in Nithian history the current strain of lycanthropy mutated enough to affect the lizardman population. It proved to be mostly fatal (hence the HW Malpheggi's hatred of Nithians), but some that did not die from the curse were preserved in a state of undeath (remember IMC, I tie lycanthropy into vampirism and undeath). Thanks for the coments and questions Captain! I hope I answered most of them. -John ===== Rule #53. If the beautiful princess that I capture says "I'll never marry you! Never, do you hear me, NEVER!!!", I will say "Oh well" and kill her. from "A Guide to Becoming an Evil Overlord" by Peter Anspach __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Find a job, post your resume. http://careers.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 14:08:01 -0800 From: Chris Furneaux Subject: Re: Anybody got a clue on hexes? --- la Volpe wrote: > A question mainly for the mappers: > is there anybody who knows what the area for a > 8-miles hex should be? I know how to calculate an > area for an hexagon, but the problem is to decide > what "8 miles" mean. Is it a side? Is it from one > point to the opposite? > > Any clue? I'd say 8 miles is the width. There is one way to be sure however, add up the total area in a country bassed on the hexes and compare it to the sq. area in the PWA's for that country. The only point is that hexes do not use a projection system, or they don't tell us what it is, so is an 8 mile hex always the same size? Chris. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Find a job, post your resume. http://careers.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 14:34:21 -0800 From: John Calvin Subject: Re: Treatise on Lycanthropy - Ancient and ModernLycanthropy >> la Volpe wrote: > > > Unfortunately, the knowledge for turning lycanthropy from a curse to a blessing > > was so intertwined with Nithia, that it too was erased from the memories of > > mortals. The dark immortals congratulated themselves. > > Heh heh heh. Good twist to the story. Not only, it gives also another reason to explain why Thanatos & Co. pushed the confrontation with the other Immortals to the point that the non-entropics destroyed Nithia. Since this was a mostly dark point, I think it makes for a valuable addition to the Nithian history. << Thanks. I'm particularly proud of this little twist of fate... ;) I'll post another article shortly... my write-up on the Chalice of the Moon, the ancient artifact that the Nithian Pharaohs used to transform Mythic Lycanthropy into Ancient Lycanthropy. More entropic plotting surrounds this powerful item, for if it can be found and destroyed then lycanthropes will lose their bond to the moon, and Mythic Lycanthropy will return to plague Mystara. -John ===== Rule #53. If the beautiful princess that I capture says "I'll never marry you! Never, do you hear me, NEVER!!!", I will say "Oh well" and kill her. from "A Guide to Becoming an Evil Overlord" by Peter Anspach __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Find a job, post your resume. http://careers.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 14:35:49 -0800 From: larry lamb Subject: Re: Anybody got a clue on hexes? In old school its the milage across from one side to the other, not eatch line of the hex. --- Joe Kelly wrote: > I believe it means from one side of the hex to the > other. > > ******************************************************************** > 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. > ===== The "Fighting Bunnys" main site: http://www.angelfire.com/me4/jedthocen/robotech_game.html "Happy Hunting!" __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Find a job, post your resume. http://careers.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 23:40:53 +0100 From: thibault sarlat Subject: Re: Anybody got a clue on hexes? well let's say that it's 8 miles from one angle to the opposite one. that way the distance can be less (from the middle of one side to the opposite middle side) but cannot be more. Thibault Sarlat. ICQ 16622177. homepage http://www.mystara.fr.st Join me at: thibsylv@club-internet.fr or at clenarius@hotmail.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Furneaux" To: Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2001 11:08 PM Subject: Re: [MYSTARA] Anybody got a clue on hexes? > --- la Volpe wrote: > > A question mainly for the mappers: > > is there anybody who knows what the area for a > > 8-miles hex should be? I know how to calculate an > > area for an hexagon, but the problem is to decide > > what "8 miles" mean. Is it a side? Is it from one > > point to the opposite? > > > > Any clue? > > I'd say 8 miles is the width. There is one way to be > sure however, add up the total area in a country > bassed on the hexes and compare it to the sq. area in > the PWA's for that country. The only point is that > hexes do not use a projection system, or they don't > tell us what it is, so is an 8 mile hex always the > same size? > > Chris. > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Find a job, post your resume. > http://careers.yahoo.com > > ******************************************************************** > 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: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 20:40:33 -0500 From: Dan Eustace Subject: Re: Anybody got a clue on hexes? It is the distance across the hex, from one flat face to the one across from it. The area for a 24 mile hex is 480-500 sq. miles, I forget the exact number. What's the formula for calculated the area? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 19:21:52 -0800 From: Tony Randall Subject: Re: Anybody got a clue on hexes? It's been a long time since geometry, but I'll give it a try. If the center of one hex to the center of another is 24 miles, then the length from the center of the hex to its edge is 12 miles, with the resulting angle at the edge being a right angle. Since each outside angle of the hexagon is 60 degress, bisecting it will be 30 degrees. 30-60-90 triangles are a blessing, with a ratio of 1, sqrt(3), and 2 on opposite sides of those respective angles. Hence you have along the sides bordering the right angle, lengths of 12 and 6.9282.... (= 12 / sqrt(3)) Now, area equals 1/2 l * h, so .5 * 12 * 6.9282 = 41.57... Since there are 12 of these triangles in the hexagon, you end up with 498.84 square miles. Will that do? Tony _______________________________________________________ Send a cool gift with your E-Card http://www.bluemountain.com/giftcenter/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2001 21:31:34 -0800 From: Brendan Johnson Subject: Re: Anybody got a clue on hexes? > It's been a long time since geometry, but I'll give it a try. > > If the center of one hex to the center of another is 24 miles, then the > length from the center of the hex to its edge is 12 miles, with the > resulting angle at the edge being a right angle. > > Since each outside angle of the hexagon is 60 degress, bisecting it will be > 30 degrees. > > 30-60-90 triangles are a blessing, with a ratio of 1, sqrt(3), and 2 on > opposite sides of those respective angles. > > Hence you have along the sides bordering the right angle, lengths of 12 and > 6.9282.... (= 12 / sqrt(3)) > > Now, area equals 1/2 l * h, so .5 * 12 * 6.9282 = 41.57... > > Since there are 12 of these triangles in the hexagon, you end up with 498.84 > square miles. > > Will that do? >> From a High School Geometry Teacher who is a fan of Mystara ... A+ Tony You are correct. The area of the hexagon is 498.84 measuring from side to side. The formula is: .5 * apothem * length of the side * the number of sides. The apothem being the length from the center of the hexagon to the center of the side. If you are measuring from corner to corner of the hexagon the area is: .5 * (12 * Sqrt 3)* 12 * 6 or 748.25 sq. miles. Hope this helps. Brendan _______________________________________________________ Send a cool gift with your E-Card http://www.bluemountain.com/giftcenter/ ******************************************************************** 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, 9 Nov 2001 08:12:26 +0100 From: thibault sarlat Subject: Re: Anybody got a clue on hexes? i bow low to you Tony and I must agree.... "as you wish , my master!!!" (Darth Vador Voice) Thibault Sarlat. ICQ 16622177. homepage http://www.mystara.fr.st Join me at: thibsylv@club-internet.fr or at clenarius@hotmail.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brendan Johnson" To: Sent: Friday, November 09, 2001 6:31 AM Subject: Re: [MYSTARA] Anybody got a clue on hexes? > >It's been a long time since geometry, but I'll give it a try. > > > >If the center of one hex to the center of another is 24 miles, then the > >length from the center of the hex to its edge is 12 miles, with the > >resulting angle at the edge being a right angle. > > > >Since each outside angle of the hexagon is 60 degress, bisecting it will be > >30 degrees. > > > >30-60-90 triangles are a blessing, with a ratio of 1, sqrt(3), and 2 on > >opposite sides of those respective angles. > > > >Hence you have along the sides bordering the right angle, lengths of 12 and > >6.9282.... (= 12 / sqrt(3)) > > > >Now, area equals 1/2 l * h, so .5 * 12 * 6.9282 = 41.57... > > > >Since there are 12 of these triangles in the hexagon, you end up with > 498.84 > >square miles. > > > >Will that do? > > >From a High School Geometry Teacher who is a fan of Mystara ... > > A+ Tony > > You are correct. The area of the hexagon is 498.84 measuring from side to > side. > > The formula is: .5 * apothem * length of the side * the number of sides. > The apothem being the length from the center of the hexagon to the center of > the side. > > If you are measuring from corner to corner of the hexagon the area is: > > .5 * (12 * Sqrt 3)* 12 * 6 > > or 748.25 sq. miles. > > Hope this helps. > > Brendan > > > > > _______________________________________________________ > Send a cool gift with your E-Card > http://www.bluemountain.com/giftcenter/ > > ******************************************************************** > 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. > > ******************************************************************** > 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. > ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 6 Nov 2001 to 8 Nov 2001 (#2001-307) **************************************************************