Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 15 Nov 2001 to 16 Nov 2001 (#2001-315) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 17/11/2001, 19:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 4 messages totalling 187 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Firelord Saga - part I 2. Here are the newsletter lists (2) 3. Good and Evil ******************************************************************** 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, 16 Nov 2001 11:00:12 +0200 From: Ville V Lahde Subject: Re: Firelord Saga - part I > Can you describe the practical effects on Mystara if the Ascension were > successful? The problem here is that the Ascension has never been successful (unless you follow John's suggestion about the Great "Reign" of Fire). So most ideas about the effects of the Ascension come from the scriptures of the cult of Rathanos - not excatly an unbiased source. The latter sections of the campaign scheme will describe the motives of the second Firelord, mainly his fervent anti-colonialism. In his case the Ascension would mean much trouble for the two Empires. (Actually he's up to mischief even before the Ritual, which may be one lead for the PCs.) Generally, I think that a successful Ascension would mean that active contacts between the prime plane and the elemental plane of fire would be created. Rathanos is much revered in the plane of fire. (If it weren't established somewhere that the only new Immortals come from the prime plane, one might suspect that Rathanos might have originated there... Then again, the DM can always change the metaphysic to suit her/his taste.) The Nexus might be able to gain the help of virtual horder of elemental creatures without needing the precarious controlling magics. He/she might even be able to create magicially protected safe havens within the plane of fire, enabling temporary wormholes as invasion tools. The Nexus might even have some power over the larger manifestations of Fire in the Prime Plane, such as volcanoes. Another idea I entertained when writing the original Firelord campaign IMC. After the Ascension a new star will be lit in the constellation of the Starfire Sphere - this will mean also, that the powers of the Sphere will have better access to Mystara. After this the influence of Rathanos will increase much more. You might say that this is a back door, a detour to pass the inconvenient Immortal restrictions. Rathanos would have a chance to effects great changes in the world. Perhaps he/she/it (?) might try to destroy the great artefact beneath Surra-Man-Raa, and start building the Empire of Nithia all over again. But this time without the troublesome interference of Thanatos. > The campaign seems to be geared at stopping the cult. What if, instead the > PCs were followers of Rathanos? One of them could even be the Fire-Lord, > and this could be something of a quest for Immortality. > IMC I gave the PCs several chances to rethink their attitude towards the Firelord Daricus (more about him in later sections). The extent of his Ascension plan was revealed to them little by little, and in the early stages he just seemed to be a powerful individual who wished to extract (just?) revenge on the two Empires. But in the end the PCs chose to take the side of the Thanegioth groups under attack by the Firelord: the seagoing elves, the rakasta, and the sea dragons. (Actually, a few years later, one of the PCs returned to the islands to drive away the Thyatian colonisers. Just those, for whom he and his friends has cleared the way. In the last section of the campaign scheme I'll include various alternative ways for using it. But admittedly, the scheme IS written mainly for stopping the Ascension. I must include some ideas for the "allies of the Firelord" option. Thanks, Ville ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 17:28:27 -0800 From: Joe Kelly Subject: Here are the newsletter lists Well here they are, for any of those of you that are interested. It is = important to note that I have found most of the sites have approx. 12-18 = newsletters for their gaming groups who are usually on line, but the stuff = in these are very good resources for DMs. So I hope those who check these = out find them useful. They are for the various campaign worlds, none are = outside the AD&D stuff, though some is generic. (I would also be interested= how any of you use this stuff. As in do you take the story on its own or = do you cross it with other articles, which I have done)That said let's = commence with the lists.=20 The first stops are of course from the Archmage's Tower. Mystara related: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Fortress/2198/MBirthright/pbemnews.htm= l and the older newsletters: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Fortress/2198/MBirthright/newsarch.htm= l and of course his Birthright Newsletters: Rumors from Traveling Merchants: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Fortress/2198/EBR/News/news.html His Anuirean Gazette: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Fortress/2198/LOA/News/news.html and finally His Golden Sea Scrolls(Good for Yluarum type campaigns): http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Fortress/2198/Khinasi/News/news.html >> From Spelljammer, The Crystal Ball: http://jammers.s5.com/ Then there is Fantasy News Network: http://members.tripod.com/~elmair/fnnmain.html Here, from Dragonlance is the Solamnic Times: http://pathways.vectorstar.net/thetimes.shtml here is the Avalon On line newsletters (scroll down on the site) http://www.avalon-larp.com/avalon-larp/newsletters/newsletter.htm here is the Raven's Bluff Trumpeter: http://www.rpga.org/LC/trumpeters/trumpeterindex.html here is a rumors page for Waterdeep and Skullport: http://www.alandfaraway.net/rumors.shtml this is Tavin's Nuggets of Joy index (again scroll down) http://www.dragonlanceunderground.com/nuggets/index.html this is the newsletter from the Black Company Site:(its after the Chapters = Index) The Daily Trumpet http://members.ozemail.com.au/~bowley/mercs/index.html and finally here is one for Waterdeep the city:The Waterdeep Herald http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Castle/2566/waterdeep-herald.htm So all in all, a total of 14 Newsletters. I hope I have added something to = your campaigns. I find them very useful, some my players see the news = story's ending or beginning, or sometimes they are part of it. It gives = them a real sense of the world they are in.=20 :) JK Wolf ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 19:03:41 -0800 From: Joe Kelly Subject: Re: Here are the newsletter lists Me again :0! here is one more just found: Forgotten Realms Chronicles:=20 http://www.geocities.com/quetl/chron/index.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Nov 2001 23:31:10 +0000 From: Mike Harvey Subject: Good and Evil Angelo Bertolli wrote: > I don't know how helpful this is, but I always saw Morphail and MacGregor as > sort of evil... !!!??? Does anyone see either of these two as NOT evil? I tend to see most NPCs as a fuzzy neutral, but even I would have admitted that Morphail and MacGregor are definitely evil. A related question: Would it make any difference in Mystara if Detect Good and Detect Evil spells existed and could identify alignments? Would this have any impact on the setting? I tend to think it would, but I have to say it is hard to think of concrete examples. Are there any plots or schemes that rely on ambiguity? Mike ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Harvey gm@dsl-only.net (formerly bing@iccom.com) http://members.dsl-only.net/~bing/ ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 15 Nov 2001 to 16 Nov 2001 (#2001-315) ****************************************************************