Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 31 Aug 2002 to 1 Sep 2002 (#2002-228) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 02/09/2002, 17:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 8 messages totalling 822 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Taymoran Pantheon 2. Read this! 3. Various Blackmoor Questions (3) 4. History of the Dwarven Race 5. Languages? (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: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 08:18:36 +0000 From: Agathokles Subject: Taymoran Pantheon Here is an attempt at detailing a pantheon for the Taymoran civilization. It is known that Taymorans worshipped Nyx as their primary patroness, and Thanatos in opposition to Nyx. Other Immortals are not known, but I'd guess that the sea, trade and the bronzeworking techniques were the focus of their life, so I've added appropriate Immortal patrons. Comments are welcome, as always. The Taymoran Pantheon --------------------- Name A.K.A. Portfolio -------------------------------------------------------- Tanyt Nyx Night Mother, Creation Sarrattalu Thanatos Death, the Otherworld Melq-Ashtir Asterius Trade, Sailors, War Qorun Khoronus The Sea, Rulership Urtni Ordana Elves, Women, Forests Sethlanis Wayland Metalsmithing, Volcanoes Tanyt (Nyx) CAL Any N; WAL Any; HS A miniature of a woman. Tanyt is the primary Immortal in the Taymoran Pantheon. She is the creator of life, and the patroness of Night, who saved the Taymoran from the Longest Day, when fire rained from the sky. She is strongest in winter, and her most holy celebrations are held during the longest night of the year and at the autumn equinox. She is also the main patron of the ruling caste. Tanyt is represented as a pale, beautiful woman with long tresses, either naked or wearing an ankle-long tunic and a large necklace. Sarrattalu (Thanatos) CAL Any E; WAL Any; HS Eclipsed sun. This Immortal is the personification of Death in the Taymoran religion. His name means literally King of Darkness, and he is percieved as the ruler of the Otherworld. The commoners of the Taymoran City-State worship this evil god in an attempt to escape his wrath, and postpone the day of their demise. Only the Nosferatu nobles do not worship Sarrattalu, for they have been blessed by the Night Mother with the Water-of-Life, the blood which supports their eternal unlife. Sarrattalu is never represented. His temples hold a giant size, empty throne of black volcanic rock. Melq-Ashtir (Asterius) CAL N or NG; WAL Any; HS An ingot in form of a stretched animal skin. An aggressive, expansionistic Immortal, Melq-Ashtir is patron of Trade and Travellers, as well as a patron of warfare and conquest. He is worshipped by all castes, but especially by the upper-middle class, merchants, weaponsmiths, and warriors. Temples of Melq-Ashtir serve as business centers, and offer arbitration, measurement, storage, and primitive banking services. Melq-Ashtir is potrayed as a well-muscled, handsome man in his thirties, wearing only an animal skin wrapped around his hips. Qorun (Khoronus) CAL N or LN; WAL Any; HS A man's head covered by a feather headdress. The Taymor Father, Qorun is the mythical progenitor of the Taymoran gods. He is represented as a middle age, bearded man wearing a crown with a conical feather headdress inside and a long tunic. An Immortal Patron of rulership, he is revered mostly by the noble class, including the Nosferatu rulers, who see him as the first of the Undying Kings. Also the merchants worship Qorun, in his role of God of the Sea. Urtni (Ordana) CAL N or NG; WAL Any non-E; HS A tree with a short trunk and many branches. This Immortal is a patroness of the Shelash, the Sheyallia Elves who have obtained from the Undying King of Temuraz the right to live in the Eastern Borderlands. She is a nature goddess, but represents a solemn, ritualistic, rather than wild or untamed, aspect of nature. Sethlanis (Wayland) CAL LN; WAL Any; HS A forge, or a volcano, or any red-hot metal. The Immortal patron of metalsmithing. It is not known how Nyx convinced him to teach the Taymorans his secret techniques, but it is certain that he doesn't like them very much. The Taymorans try and appease him with many donations and sacrifices, but his volcanoes are always ready to unleash their deadly fluids over the miners. Sethlanis is a patron of the Foimorian giants, and his represented as a muscle-bound giant with many tentacles instead of the lower legs, each tentacle ending in a fire-breathing snake head. -- Giampaolo Agosta agathokles@libero.it agosta@elet.polimi.it http://digilander.iol.it/agathokles ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 10:29:04 +0200 From: Ciro Alessandro Sacco Subject: Read this! Zeitgeist Games announces return of Blackmoor FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Dustin Clingman Zeitgeist Games Phone: 407-380-2540 Email: dustin@zeitgeistgames.com Web Site: www.zeitgeistgames.com Zeitgeist Games announces the Blackmoor line of d20 products. Orlando, Fl - August, 30, 2002 Zeitgeist Games today announced the production of their Blackmoor line of gaming products. The line is based on the original Blackmoor campaign of Dave Arneson. Arneson is the co-creator of the original Dungeons & Dragons role playing system. The famous Blackmoor campaign was the nexus and inspiration for the combination of role playing with miniatures and served as a foundation for what the RPG industry has become today. Dave Arneson, creator of Blackmoor and co-founder of Zeitgeist Games commented on the announcement of the Blackmoor line by adding “For too long the game industry has been mired in mediocrity, Blackmoor will burn a new path in creativity and ingenuity as it did when it served as the origin of role playing games.” Dustin Clingman, co- founder of Zeitgeist Games commented on the announcement by saying “The return to Blackmoor is sure to be an exciting trek for veteran Role players as well as a new generation of players who are just beginning to see the kind of fun a traditional role-playing game can be.” The Blackmoor line will begin with the world sourcebook for the d20 system and will be followed by a number of additional materials including modules and miniatures. Much of the original source material has been brought back including some of the more infamous villains of Blackmoor’s past. Dungeons & Dragons™ and d20™ are Trademarks of Wizards of the Coast ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 05:47:21 -0700 From: Andrew Theisen Subject: Re: Various Blackmoor Questions At 02:56 PM 8/30/02 -0400, you wrote: > >> 4) In the Ethengar Gaz there is a brief blurb about the Ethie being one of >> the old races. I recall discussion of this on the MML ages ago. I cannot >> remember who had the info (Geoff, Marco?) > > I can't remember either, but I seem to recall someone (possibly me) > theorising that the Ethies are descended from the Peshwah horse warriors. > It seemed to be a natural fit, anyway. I agree. In fact, I've been attempting to tie in the original Ochalean (pre-Alphatian) race- which has long been theorized- with the Ethengars. Both are remnants of the Pexuan culture (called and spelled "Peshwan" by foreigners), which left its hunting grounds in the High Hak around Blackmoor due to pressures by the invading Afridhi tribesmen (and later, the encroaching expansion of 'civilization'). They emigrated (as I have it) to the Isle of Dawn region, and spread around there, adopting a more sedentary lifestyle. When the Great Rain of Fire hit, they were separated. Those stranded in the northern neck of the Isle of Dawn migrated westwards over the Helskir landbridge, and returned to a nomadic lifestyle, following the horse (and later, adopted the ranks and trappings of their barbaric humanoid overlords under the command of Akilla-Khan; ranks and tribal designations they maintain to this day, as the Ethengarian warriors). Of those that remained on the Isle of Dawn, one group (the larger) was eventually cut off from the mainland when the Ochalean landbridge collapsed. These were the forebears of the original Ochaleans, and made massive strides in attaining a modern civilization (despite the many outland invasions- first of barbaric rakasta living on the continent- the ancestors of the Myoshimans- then the Alphatians- during which time the original Ochalean/Pexuan peoples were largely assimilated, killed, or transplanted to Skothar- and finally, the Thyatians.) The last group survives only in very small numbers in the southern portion of the Isle of Dawn, their way of life largely forgotten, their peoples largely assimilated by the newest invaders of that land. Anyway, that is mostly the idea behind my work. A more comprehensive overview of the history of the Pexuan is still in the works- I am currently trying to tie together James 'Mystaros' Mishler's massive Isle of Dawn timeline with my own theories on the Pexuan, as well as a history of Ochalea. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 10:53:37 -0400 From: Geoff Gander Subject: Re: Various Blackmoor Questions Andrew wrote: > Anyway, that is mostly the idea behind my work. A more comprehensive > overview of the history of the Pexuan is still in the works- I am currently > trying to tie together James 'Mystaros' Mishler's massive Isle of Dawn > timeline with my own theories on the Pexuan, as well as a history of Ochalea. I think this is what some people have been waiting for for quite some time - the whole issue of the origins of the Ochaleans is another one of those unresolved historical issues for Mystara. Geoff -- Geoff Gander, BA 97, MPA 02 Carnifex Loremaster/Mad Roleplayer Master of the Elemental Plane of Bureaucracy au998@freenet.carleton.ca : www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Realm/2091 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 17:57:51 +0200 From: =?iso-8859-1?q?la=20Volpe?= Subject: History of the Dwarven Race HISTORY OF THE DWARVEN RACE by Giulio N. Caroletti and Jacob Skytte (with thanks to various MML members for ideas) PREHISTORY Evolution of the hominoid races. >> From the pythecantropon descend the homo minuscolus (proto-halfling), homo erectus (proto-human) and homo parvus (proto-dwarf). The hominoid races become humans, Brute-Men, dwarves, and halflings. Elves are later created by Ordana. 3000 BC Blackmoor's Great Rain of Fire. With the planet's shift in axis the dwarves find their homelands increasingly surrounded by ice. This drives the dwarves to spend less and less time on the surface, and consequently they expand their cavern complexes, growing fond of their underground creations. Garal, who, along with Kagyar, is one of the chief Immortals of the dwarven pantheon, takes two dwarven clans away from the regions which have been destroyed by the Great Rain of Fire. Garal starts to modify them genetically, until, around 2900 BC, they have become the first of a new race known as gnomes. One of the clans is placed in the wilderness regions of the Rockhome area, while the other, more nomadic clan is taught to build crazy machineries that allow them to reach Vulcania. 2500 BC Gnomes living in the Rockhome area explore the neighbouring sites. As the ice begins to recede, some of them settle in the area that will later be known as the Northern Reaches. They build dwellings both aboveground, close to the sea, and underground, in the Falun Caverns. The new settlers make contact with the dwarves already living in the area, and the two races become fast allies. The gnomes learn much about living underground from the dwarves, and both races benefit from trade with each other. 2500 - 1800 BC Like the Brute-Men long before them, the dwarven race is becoming less and less suited to the environment and seem destined to ultimate extinction. Over the centuries they tend to become sterile, to bear fewer children, and to suffer from high child mortality. Dwarves become increasingly reclusive and worried by the inevitable decline of their race, which they are unable to slow. By 2000 BC the dwarves of the Northern Reaches have become extremely isolated, having nearly no contact with the outer world, except through their gnome allies. At this point in history, dwarves are perfectly able to learn arcane magic, but it is considered generally evil by their society, and studying arcane magic is greatly discouraged by the dwarven priests. Magic-using dwarves exist mostly as reclusive exiles, who live far from the settlements, often outside the mountains. The exceptions to this rule are extremely few, and the magic-users who still live among the dwarves hide their skills with great care. Among the few wizards still hidden among the dwarves is the ruling family of the Hrukats clan. Desperate at the decline of the dwarven race, which has hit that particular clan the hardest, they contact the so-called "Dark Elves", who inhabit the far northern regions of the Northern Reaches. The Dark Elves are servitors of Loki in his aspect of the Father of Demons (in this case "demons" must not be taken literally; he is called so because, soon after gaining Immortality, he is said to have coupled with Hel to become father of the worst monsters, or "demons", that the Dark Elves know: Fenris the wolf, Garm the bloody-chested hound, and the great Worm of Midgard. These monsters will later become an integral part of the mythology of the Northern Reaches). The Dark Elves teach the wizards of the Hrukats clan necromantic magic, and they are able to research ways to slow the decline of their race by magical means. After some time, the Hrukats clan experiences fewer stillborn children, their mortality decreases and their sterility fades. However, the clan begins to isolate itself from the other dwarves under the guidance of their leaders, who have effectively become Loki-worshipping dwarven wizards. 1800 BC The Hrukats clan has cut almost all ties with their brethren, isolating themselves in the deepest caverns of the Northern Reaches. Many of them start developing psychoses as they grow older, due to the taint of the necromantic magic that is now an inherent part of them. During the decline, the vast majority of the population have become apathetic and ceased caring about the Immortals. Only a minority, mainly their leaders, actively worship the Father of Demons (in secret). Having abandoned the dwarven cults, the Hrukats are considered outlaws by the other dwarves. The other clans decide to expel them because of their impious behaviour, removing any trace of their name from the dwarven chronicles. Instead they begin calling them Morkwarf ("Rotten Dwarves") because of their mental and moral degeneration. The decline of the dwarven race has become so apparent that the two main divinities of the dwarven pantheon, Garal and Kagyar, decide to take action. They remove all remaining dwarves from the Known World, transplanting half of them to the Hollow World, and reshaping the other half into a new dwarven race, which is planted in the Rockhome region. The new dwarves are given false memories and believe that the Morkwarf also originally lived in the Rockhome lands. Garal and Kagyar decide to split among them the duties of caring for the dwarven races: Kogolor dwarves will be followers of Garal, while the Rockhome ones will follow Kagyar. Kagyar and Garal also confront Loki. Kagyar is especially furious and he basically bullies the Entropic Immortal to remove the leaders of the Morkwarf clan, otherwise he will have the new dwarves destroy the clan entirely. Kagyar is upset that the former Hrukats clan gave up his worship, but he wants to give them the chance to return to him and doesn't think it's possible with their leaders actively worshipping Loki. The three Immortals come to an agreement: the wizard-priests of the Father of Demons will be removed from the Morkwarf and brought to the Hollow World, along with some of their apathetic followers. They are placed far away from the dwarves of Kogolor, on the continent of Suridal. The remaining Morkwarf will remain untouched, apart from giving them false memories of having been exiled from Rockhome by the other dwarves, because of their leaders making an unholy alliance with the Dark Elves. They are supposedly left alone by the three Immortals, free to choose the path to pursue in their future. Kagyar's hope is that they will return to his worship (without any active encouragement) and repent their sins, otherwise he is willing to let them fall into decay and eventual slumber. However, Loki goes behind the others' backs, and plant ideas that convince the Morkwarf that the Immortals don't really care for the fate of mortals. They come to believe that Kagyar and Garal have refused to involve themselves for centuries, allowing the dwarves to suffer and decline. The Immortals who do involve themselves only play with mortals for their own amusement, as they could see that the Father of Demons (in fact Loki himself!) did, by tricking them into madness and destruction. The Morkwarf become frustrated and isolate themselves, both from outsiders and from each other. Although they are not really evil, they are prone to unpredictable psychotic episodes, which drive them further apart. The necromantic arts the Morkwarf had learned from the Dark Elves are still practiced to some extent in the form of their ability to forge soul-binding magical items. Contrary to Rockhome dwarves, who are re-shaped to be unable to wield arcane magic, the Morkwarf can learn, although with some difficulties. However, only a rare few actually manage to learn, and madness seems to hit these magic-users sooner and more fiercely than their brethren. Much later, the Morkwarf clan will become known to human Antalian settlers of the Northern Reaches through ancient dwarven legends and direct contact with the dwarves. The word "Morkwarf" (Rotten Dwarves) is corrupted by the Antalians into "Modrigswerg." This term will eventually be adopted by the dwarves in turn. The dwarves transplanted to the Hollow World, who become known as the Kogolor clans, thrive in their new lands. They have been placed in the eastern mountains of the continent Iciria, just north of the great equatorial mountain range, fairly distant from other sentient races. They have occasional contact with the Neathar tribes to the north and west, but are largely left to their own devices. They too have been reshaped by Garal, to be more like the original dwarves, less sour and not averse to dwelling on the surface, like they had become during their decline. 1800 - 1400 BC Kagyar creates the dwarven golem Denwarf to assist the new Rockhome dwarves in the forging of their kingdom. Denwarf is the first King of Rockhome. He rules the dwarves for four centuries, during which the population rises from an original of 5'000 to 125'000 units. Around 1400 BC Denwarf discovers the caves of Dengar, where the dwarves will begin to build their capital, then he leaves them, disappearing into the caves beneath Dengar. To replace him as king, Denwarf appoints Everast I. 1397 BC A colonising party of Shadow Elves, mostly Schattenalf followers of Atzanteotl are driven out of Aengmor (by the will of their patron). Retracing an earlier lost expedition's path to the Hollow World, they emerge just north of the great equatorial mountain range, right in the middle of the Kogolor Dwarf territory. They immediately begin a war against the dwarves, whose lands they want. The Immortal Kagyar causes Denwarf, the former leader of the Outer World's dwarves, to help the Kogolors against the Shadow Elves. 1395 BC The Schattenalfen are badly beaten by the Kogolor dwarves and must break off the war. They continue travelling west, to an area not infested with dwarves, and settle there. Kagyar places Denwarf in a state of suspended animation, transferring him to a cavern deep beneath the Dengar caverns of Rockhome. 1000 - 500 BC The Broken Lands are overpopulated. Broken Lands orcs, ogres, trolls, gnolls, and goblins migrate outward, especially southward, displacing other humanoid tribes before them. All forces join and raid Rockhome; they are defeated by the eleventh dwarven king, Blystar III. It is the start of centuries of war between dwarven clans and humanoid tribes, that go on for 500 years. Dwarves and orcs develop a complete hatred of each other. During this time the dwarves remain mostly isolationists. No contact will ever be made with the Nithian culture that is rising in the eastern lands. The only exception is the dwarven intervention in the Five Shires. 492 BC Battle of Sardal Pass. Year 0 of the dwarven calendar. The Great Horde of Queen Ubdala of the Broken Lands is routed, the orcs utterly massacred. Ubdala dies. Hordes are routed south and west, crowding Cruth mountains and Altan Tepes. 490 BC Kobold clans are driven into the uplands of the Northern Reaches from the west. They overrun and exterminate the gnomes of the Falun Caverns, and occupy their subterranean kingdoms. Gnomes continue thriving in other regions of the Known World, like Highforge in the Traldar lands. 500 - 100 BC Finally free of the humanoid problem, dwarves begin exploration and colonisation of neighbouring territories. Among the first dwarven communities abroad are the Stronghollow clan, that settles in Highforge with the gnomes (475 BC) and the adventuring pioneers that leave for the west and build colonies in the Savage Coast (450 BC). 98 BC Rebellion against the corrupt King Bollo of Rockhome - the Rockhome Senate is established. 0 AC A dwarven community settles in Thyatis to build the fabled Imperial Palace. 12 AC Dwarves who had had helped Thyatis in the war with Alphatia and worked on building projects for Zendrolion are granted a domain in the Altan Tepes, and found the town of Makrast. This later becomes the Barony of Buhrohur. It is the first dwarven settlement in human territory. 0 - 800 AC After the beginning of relationships with the Thyatian lands, Rockhome dwarves begin to trade with the humans. Around 200 AC they have begin colonising into outside lands; they are usually welcomed into human communities. 802 AC A gold rush in the Flaemish lands (an Alphatian dominion that will eventually become the nation of Glantri) brings many Rockhome dwarves into that nation. A plague sent by the orcish Immortal Yagrai spreads into the land, and the natives are convinced that the dwarves are responsible, resulting in a vicious war on the dwarves by the locals. Lycanthropes seem peculiarly susceptible to the plague - few werecreatures survive. 803 AC Clan Wyrwarf is formed. 805 AC Dwarves fleeing the anti-dwarf policies of the Flaemish lands establish small communities in the mountains of Nagpuri, Gunjab, and Peshmir. 828 AC Lord Alexander Glantri, of Thyatian descent, captures Halzunthram in the Flaemish lands and confirms the land's independence from Alphatia. The population names the land Glantri in his honour. The new Republic of Glantri expels all dwarves, some of whom migrate to Darokin. Others depart on Minrothad ships to join the craftsmen of the Minrothad Isles; they settle on Fortress Island. 841 AC The dwarven port of Stronghold is established on Fortress Island in Minrothad. 900 AC A new wave of colonists begins to reach the eastern Savage Coast, including people from Ylaruam, Yavdlom, and the Thyatian Empire. They bring feudalism and class structure. Adventurers begin to establish domains that eventually develop into the Savage Baronies, and absorb the elven, dwarven, and human cultures already in the region. Settlers discover the Red Curse, but decide to stay anyway. A few halflings also begin to arrive on the Savage Coast, and are absorbed into local cultures. 1000 ______________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Musica: notizie, recensioni, classifiche, speciali multimediali http://it.yahoo.com/mail_it/foot/?http://it.music.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 12:49:10 -0700 From: Jenni Merrifield Subject: Re: Languages? > From: Mystara RPG Discussion [mailto:MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM] On > Behalf Of Eyal Fleminger > > I put the list up at my website (http://fleminge0.tripod.com); you can > find it under "Languages of Mystara" Is your language list generally based on information found in "baseline" material? (Some people would say "core" material, but that term is far too loaded for my taste). That is, did you make up any of the details regarding which language was spoken where, or what the languages were called, or did you base it on information from Mystaran Gazetteers, boxed sets, official magazine articles (Dragon, Dungeon, Polyhedron), etc? Thanks, Jenni -- Jenni A.M. Merrifield (strawberry @ jamm.com) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons.... for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 23:07:02 +0300 From: Eyal Fleminger Subject: Re: Languages? I composed the list only from published sources (which is why, for example, there are languages listed only for some species of giants and dragons) - primarily the PWAs and the PC series. > > I put the list up at my website (http://fleminge0.tripod.com); you can > > find it under "Languages of Mystara" > > Is your language list generally based on information found in > "baseline" material? (Some people would say "core" material, but that > term is far too loaded for my taste). That is, did you make up any of > the details regarding which language was spoken where, or what the > languages were called, or did you base it on information from Mystaran > Gazetteers, boxed sets, official magazine articles (Dragon, Dungeon, > Polyhedron), etc? > > Thanks, > Jenni > _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 16:14:09 EDT From: Alex Benson Subject: Re: Various Blackmoor Questions Andrew, Sounds interesting. Coincidentally, I will have need of some Och/Pearl Isle ancient history for my M-Vamp Project. The asiatic based populace is the base for one of the vampire clans. I would say that they would be linked to the Ethie or the prot-Ethie in some manner. That would just adhere to the asiatic traits. My biggest immediate problem is making a oriental people within the Blackmoor period. I'll probably base them off of the Afridhi. This need is actually more centered towards the planned artwork than the actual material. Plus, I want some racial diversity. That's another aspect I want to demonstrate in the Blackmoor era materials; that the rise of Blackmoor had a wide reaching affect upon many peoples. ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 31 Aug 2002 to 1 Sep 2002 (#2002-228) ***************************************************************