Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 2 Sep 2003 to 3 Sep 2003 (#2003-215) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 04/09/2003, 17:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 10 messages totalling 368 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Mystara's Mystics/Monks (6) 2. Mystics & Monks 3. Years of Fire Campaign Setting (Long) (2) 4. Tourney Events ******************************************************************** 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: Wed, 3 Sep 2003 06:14:31 -0700 From: Ramses Ramirez Subject: Re: Mystara's Mystics/Monks I like it a lot Chris but where can I find information about what you talk about here- Mythraism and Cypricism?Is this canon? I can't find it in DotE am I missing it somewhere else? But I just want to say thanks everybody! As now I have been able to find the small mystical order in Minrothad, and the Thothians on the Isle of Dawn.. Oddly, I still can't find anything on Glantri monks in the mountains in the Glantri GAZ. As for the Thothians.. DotE does not specifically state that they worship "The Spider." It just says plainly that the Thothian mystics have their own strange beliefs about man's relationship with the forces of nature and the planes of existence. Unfortunately, it does not go on saying more about them than that. Lancer Chris Cherrington wrote: A Brief Overview of Mystaran Mystical Orders. Many of the ancient beliefs of the monastic orders of mysticism can be based from 2 families of thought, Mythraism and Cypricism. The latter being the most popular in Eastern trains of thought, both in Ochalea, and on the Isle of Dawn. Before the fall of the Ancient Empire of Alphatia, they had conquered the nearby civilization of the Cypric peoples. For many years the Cypric peoples were not allowed to bear arms, nor did they show any aptitude for magic. A philosophic race of people, they turned inward on their beliefs and created the first monastic orders of mystics. These orders learned the use of turning normal everyday items into deadly weapons, and advanced orders actually turned their bodies into lethal weapons. Many of the first orders disguised themselves as clerical centers and as they advanced in thought, many of these first orders did gain immortal or outer being sponsorship. At the fall of Ancient Alphatia, many of the Cypric orders of mysticism settled in Ochalea. Here the orders advanced in peaceful clerical orders, and boast a huge variety of fighting styles, techniques, and unique weapon masteries. The orders influenced by the outer beings rapidly diminished, as the unique properties inher ent to Mystara severed the ties of mysticism with the outer beings. The only orders of these types that survived usually will have a dark secret hidden well from the prying eyes of outsiders. The Mystics of Thothia, with their spider worship are one such group that mixed well with the Thothian populace and nobility. The Mythraism branch of mysticism has 3 major sub-groups. All seem to stem out from the Sindhi branch. The fighting orders of mystics in Sind tend to belief in thousands of separate incarnations of the immortals, and as such will have many such orders tending to each of the incarnations’ train of thought. The eastern branch of this belief has only survived in Ethengarian lore as spirit worship and the spirit world; but it can also be assumed that much of the original beliefs could have been brought over by humanoid raids on earlier Ethengarians and brought westward to Sind, where spirit worship advanced into immortal incarnations. While early contact with Sindhi travelers and Traladaran merchants brought over a form of wrestling that endured with the Thyatian tradition of gladiatorial combat. Although in Thyatis, only a very few of the core beliefs of Sindhi Mysticism exists, and many new and modern philosophies abound, especially with a recent influx of Cypric/Ochalean core values of weapon combat. Most modern day Thyatian Mystics will align to one core thought and not mix in the beliefs of spirits, immortals, or incarnations. ******************************************************************** 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. --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2003 16:17:58 +0200 From: Thibault SARLAT Subject: Mystics & Monks well mystics were a late addition to OD&D, so this is not surprising that you can't find many mention of them in the canon products. and we must also keep in mind that any abbey is not a mystic order and can be just a monk abbey, without any mystic. most monks IMC were just would-be clerics. I 've always believed that only monks worshipping warlike immortals were allowed to practice martial arts. thib ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2003 18:23:30 +0200 From: =?iso-8859-1?q?Havard=20Faanes?= Subject: Re: Years of Fire Campaign Setting (Long) --- Geoff Gander wrote: > This is *very* good - an interesting twist on what > can be an overdone > genre (post-apolcalyptic scenarios). In fact, an > entire campaign could be > developed - one between a faction of the survivors > who might try to > rebuild civilisation, and another that tries to > start over again. It's up > to the PCs to decide which side they want to back, > but perhaps the > followers of newly-resurgent Immortals might try to > inspire the PCs - one > way of the other. Thanks! I like your idea for a campaign dealing with these different factions. Which Immortals would be more active in this just post BM period? > Speaking of cults, another group that might be > resurgent in such an > unsettled time would be followers of the Outer > Beings. During the time of > Blackmoor's heyday, most such cults would be hidden, > and prey upon those > who live outside of society (remote regions, > homeless folk, etc.), or they > might attract the attention of the truly jaded. By > the latter case, I > mean those who are so decadent, and whose senses are > so dulled by drugs > and whatnot, that they seek whatever thrills they > can find - even if it > means committing unspeakable acts. This is very appropriate. Several Dark Things may have been awakened during the GRoF, ready spreading their madness to frightened souls out there, ready to worship anything. > With everything in ruin following the GRoF, however, > some maddened > cultists who survived the destruction might think > that the current period > of misery is the appointed time to try to release > their masters. Just a > thought. Definately! Havard ______________________________________________________ Få den nye Yahoo! Messenger på http://no.messenger.yahoo.com/ Nye ikoner og bakgrunner, webkamera med superkvalitet og dobbelt så morsom ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2003 09:35:46 -0700 From: Joaquin Menchaca Subject: Re: Mystara's Mystics/Monks > Mystic orders are found on the Isle of Dawn, these > spider worshipping Thothian mystics could also be > Araena or a good introduction to a form of spider > lycanthropy. OK. This sounds really cool. I want to know more. Where is this material from? __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2003 12:40:43 -0400 From: Chris Cherrington Subject: Re: Mystara's Mystics/Monks > > From: Ramses Ramirez > > I like it a lot Chris but where can I find information about what you talk about here- Mythraism and Cypricism?Is this canon? I can't find it in DotE am I missing it somewhere else? > The only mention of the Cypric thought was many Alphatians got cought up in Cypric self absorbtion. I used other listers thoughts on the Mythriac process, so other than DotE mention of Alphatia conquering the Cypric Civilization, none of that bit is "canon". Mostly I use it to explain the Ochaleans' alien thought process from Thyatian and Alphatian views. > > As for the Thothians.. DotE does not specifically state that they worship "The Spider." It just says plainly that the Thothian mystics have their own strange beliefs about man's relationship with the forces of nature and the planes of existence. Unfortunately, it does not go on saying more about them than that. > You can find more on that in the M series modules, I believe "5 Coins for a Kingdom"? I incorporated this bit to give an example of introducing more baddies in the future. If an araena can manipulate a nation like Thothia for hundreds of years, what about other more devious outer planar creatures? ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2003 10:06:58 -0700 From: John Calvin Subject: Re: Years of Fire Campaign Setting (Long) >> > This is *very* good - an interesting twist on what > can be an overdone > genre (post-apolcalyptic scenarios). << I'll second that. I'm curious as to exactly what time period you are placing this in? It sounds like directly after the GroF (which would place it around 3000 BC)? At one time I was toying with a campaign idea for Mystara BC 2300 (inspired by previous work done by MML members) - with necromantic Taymorians, Mordrigswerg, savage (pre-empire) Nithians, Lizardmen, Giants, and immigrating Elves. After giving some timelines a quick pass over I notice that Kagyar doesn't actually create 'Modern Dwarves' until 1800 BC, so your world would probably still contain dwarves. For my campaign (in 2300 BC) I made them a corrupted and dying race... but still around. They have to survive for nearly 1200 years before Kagyar finally takes notice of them. >> I like your idea for a campaign dealing with these different factions. Which Immortals would be more active in this just post BM period? << Well, I'm doing this without any reference at the moment, but let's see: The old ones are definately players: Ixion, Ka, Ordana?, Djaea, old entropics. No Nithian immortals. They're not around yet. Few to no elven immortals. They're either not around or very young. Khoronus and Asterius are IIRC both Blackmoorians who achieved immortality before the GRoF. Rafiel is out of the picture for now. The Asgardians are probably around. I know there are more, but I'm drawing a blank right now. Taking a hint from WotI I can see Ixion gathering a group of immortals that want to stamp out any surviving Blackmoorian remnants. Here is a thought... It might even be found out that Ixion caused the GRoF. Perhaps he sees use of the radiance as a direct threat to his rulership of the Sphere of Energy. To pre-empt that use he decieded to destroy Blackmoor. He could then use the resulting catastrophe to gather support to his cause and wipe out all traces of the Radiance Practitioners. We know that Khoronus, on the other hand, actually preserved some of the Blackmoorians on his home plane. He might be Ixion's main rival. I can see Khoronus trying to preserve some remanant of his old culture on Mystara (ultimately we know he fails - perhaps he does as well, but he might still attempt it). >> > Speaking of cults, another group that might be > resurgent in such an > unsettled time would be followers of the Outer > Beings. This is very appropriate. Several Dark Things may have been awakened during the GRoF, ready spreading their madness to frightened souls out there, ready to worship anything. << This is something I never thought about, but it does seem very appropriate. I'm going to have to 'borrow' that idea for my own campaign as well. Perhaps ne of the reasons that the Mordrigswerg are so shunned today is that they retain some practices of Outer Being worship... -John ===== Rule #85. I will not use any plan in which the final step is horribly complicated, e.g. "Align the 12 Stones of Power on the sacred altar then activate the medallion at the moment of total eclipse." Instead it will be more along the lines of "Push the button." from "A Guide to Becoming an Evil Overlord" by Peter Anspach __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2003 13:25:39 -0400 From: Chris Cherrington Subject: Re: Mystara's Mystics/Monks > > From: Joaquin Menchaca > OK. > > This sounds really cool. I want to know more. Where > is this material from? > > Thanks, I will have to dig up my old homespun Thothian Gazeteer. I used the DotE, Hollow World, and different M series modules to come up with a timeline, list of Dynastic rulers, and several periods of rebelious rulers. Several NPC baddies are a Mummified Lich, The Dark Queen (the Spider), and a group of zealous clerics that have a form of jackel lycanthropy. Several Nithian artifacts, magical devices, Nithian Ley Lines that flesh out the plateau, and prophecies ready to come true are included also. The Thothians were full blooded Nithians, after the immortals removed the Nithians, they left the Thothians with no memories. One of the first to exploit them was the araena from another plane, and IMC a group of Cypric Mystic followers that brought her to Mystara. If my memory serves me well, I thought some of her followers could turn others into giant crab spiders. This can be utilized to create some form of outer planar lycanthropy that would be alien to Mystara's moon. The modules called them mystics, but their stats were not for Mystics, but normal clerics or fighters. Since I had the Master's series, I quickly addapted them as acrobatic araena Mystics. Hmm... acrobatic dryder type lycanthropy based upon outer planar phases... I'll have to revamp my gazeteer and post... ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2003 14:11:31 -0400 From: Chris Cherrington Subject: Re: Mystara's Mystics/Monks Use this link also for more Thothian stuff, untill I get back on my gazeteer http://dnd.starflung.com/isledawn.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2003 19:24:10 +0100 From: Phil Subject: Re: Tourney Events ----- Original Message ----- From: "Colin Davidson" To: Sent: Monday, September 01, 2003 12:36 PM Subject: Re: [MYSTARA] Tourney Events > This really depends on the culture of the people having the tourney. > Thinking about it, there have been races (clothed and unclothed, with or > without horses or chariots, some even being in full armour), tonnet fights > (wearing specially tough armour and standing on the opposite side of a > barrier to ones foe, taking it in turns to hit each other and being scored > on how good the blows are), boxing (anything from Marquess of Queensbury > rules right through to bare knuckled prize fights resulting in inevitable > unconsciousness), poetry contests, singing, contests to see who can grow the > larges marrow or leek, who makes the best wine, who has the best cow and > calf, and anything else that might go on at an English 'village show'. You > could have highland games like tossing the caber, hammer thowing, even silly > things like hurling haggis. Or you might have a game of 'bladder', the > ancestral game of football (alarming called 'soccer' by our strange cousins > on the wrong side of the Atlantic :-) that has different rules depending on > where it's played. There could be fights between teams of fighters and > monsters/animals, there could be conjuring contests, in fact there could be > pretty much anything that fits in with your campaign. May I ask, where is > your game set? Thanks for all the input everyone, I've got a decent list of games to put in to my tourney now, and its going to be a right laugh running it, I can assure you. :D P.S. My campaign is set in Karamiekos pre-WotI, and the tourney is going to be set in Luln, to celebrate the founding of Luln and its inhabitants freedom of the oppression from the Black Baron. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2003 21:12:01 +0200 From: Jacob Skytte Subject: Re: Mystara's Mystics/Monks From: Chris Cherrington > > From: Ramses Ramirez > > As for the Thothians.. DotE does not specifically state that they = worship "The Spider." It just says plainly that the Thothian mystics = have their own strange beliefs about man's relationship with the forces = of nature and the planes of existence. Unfortunately, it does not go on = saying more about them than that. > > > =20 > You can find more on that in the M series modules, I believe "5 Coins = for a Kingdom"? I incorporated this bit to give an example of = introducing more baddies in the future. If an araena can manipulate a = nation like Thothia for hundreds of years, what about other more devious = outer planar creatures? It's M5, Talons of Night. Only one of the best adventure modules ever = written, IMHO. Jacob Skytte scythe@wanadoo.dk ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 2 Sep 2003 to 3 Sep 2003 (#2003-215) **************************************************************