Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 8 Mar 2003 to 9 Mar 2003 (#2003-69) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 10/03/2003, 19:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 5 messages totalling 511 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Need help to find article 2. Global Interaction 3. Different Mystaras 4. Rafiel's Home Plane 5. Irenke Sessions ******************************************************************** 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, 9 Mar 2003 12:11:25 +0100 From: Jacob Skytte Subject: Re: Need help to find article Joaquin Menchaca wrote: > Hi, > =20 > I wrote this adventure idea that I cannot find in the > vaults. I was wondering if perhaps if someone might > know where it is. Try running a search at the MML archives = http://oracle.wizards.com/archives/mystara-l.html You know better than me what search criteria to use. Jacob Skytte scythe@wanadoo.dk ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 20:32:58 +0100 From: DM Subject: Re: Global Interaction At Sun, 2 Mar 2003 16:35:46 -0600, Magister Mystaros replied verbously: > Yes, indeed Alphatia was torn by centuries of civil war. You just have to > look to the map of Alphatia to see this, though it is not delved into in at > all in the histories. Why do you think there are the Randel and Haven walls, > and the Randel, Bettellyn, Theran, and Arogansa lines? Not to mention the > city of Citadel. Just about every nation on Alphatia has physical (and > perhaps magical) barriers put up against the other. Why? If it was all one > big happy country, like say, the United States, there wouldn't be any such > lines of defense. Obviously, there is an extensive history of internecine > warfare between the kingdoms. Ok, that granted (and I hope to see this flashed out in your product), let's take a step ahead and ask ourselves: if it was so fractured to be hindered in the conquest of the nearby nations, when did it manage to gain enough cohesion to become a continent-spanning empire? And following that, what kept it from conquering the whole KW once it started? Again civil wars? Should we consider Alphatia under Eriadna's rule a united empire like Thyatis is said (or portrayed) to be? Was it so during Tylion's rulership? If it's cohesive enough to be considered stable, why doesn't Eriadna use the power of its navy and spellcasting able-bodied class to crush its opponents (since we're not talking about nuclear threat here)? It's not something directed specifically at you James, but I'd like to know how you examined this in your Mystara Hackwurld. I'd also like to hear the others' opinion on this.. I'm basically asking these questions because they've always been there lingering in my mind ever since I had a full view of the Mystaran geopolitics. Such a big and powerful (or portrayed such) empire cannot lie there for CENTURIES without doing ANYTHING, content with its status quo, if it can gain more. It's called imperialism, and normally a nation labeled "empire of" should be following this philosophy. ;) > < one, because there's a big difference between the two: use of MAGIC. In this > sense, how is it possible that your Mystara won't be tampering with the > other nations of the Hackwurld (Aldrazar?)? I mean, you said that Haldemar > was the first to go out and explore the rest of the world, thus meaning that > Alphatia has never done extensive exploration of the world despite its > resources. Well, I beg to differ: it should be pretty unlikely that a nation > which possesses some 20+ flying skyships (source: WotI) has never sent any > of them on explorative missions.>> > > One word: Thyatis. When Thyatis freed itself, and took half the Empire along > with it, the Alphatians became reactionary isolationists, for the most part. Uhm, okay, but I assume the navy wasn't built in the last 50 years. So I am left wondering if and why they didn't use it in the previous decades. Or maybe you're suggesting they built the skynavy AFTER having lost THyatis, as a new and useful way of striking the enemy swiftly and regaining the lost nation without giving it time to fight back? I'm sure you understand the implications of using aerial means of transport and aerial fighting machines (like the Alphatian man-o-wars are) against cultures which have only ground troops and no aerial artillery to speak of. ;) > For all their magical power, they were still at the mercy of screaming > hordes of primitive warriors and priests, not to mention no small number of > renegade wizards. Since the crowning of the Thyatian Emperor, most Alphatian > "muscle" that could be brought together by the Empire was dedicated to > defense against or offensive actions against the Thyatians. The various > regions of the Isle of Dawn have changed hands dozens of times over the last > millennia. uhm, do you mention the constant warfare in your hacklopedia? Because I don't see any mention of these supposed skirmishes in canon products (but I don't see anything bad in having them, it's pretty logical actually). > < doesn't like the risk of losing one, once you've got them, you have to USE > them (else why building them at all?) And it doesn't seem to me that > Alphatia used the Skynavy often in the last decades before the WotI. So they > were kept in Aasla to rot, basically.>> > > Defense, defense, defense. Or, better yet, detente. Remember, the Retebius > Air Fleet came into existence shortly after the Thyatian rebellion. Would > any Alphatian emperor be foolish enough to send a skyship on a mission of > pure exploration when they were needed to defend against the flights of > dragons, pegasi, and other such creatures commanded by Thyatis? You're forgetting one thing: distances. Between eastern Thyatis and western cliffs of the Ynys Dun (Isle of Dawn as I call it ;)) there's 216 miles (source: PWAs any, KW worldmap from DotE, 3 hexes between Tameronikas and Provincia Septentriona). Dragons, pegasi or any other creature CANNOT bridge the gap of ocean between Thyatis and the Isle of Dawn in ONE FLIGHT DAY (hence they'll drown eventually), since the highest flying speed is that of the pegasus: 160' per round (about 10 miles per hour with NO strong winds - about this, don't you all think that the speed rates for all the animals and monsters are definitely BROKEN on the low side? Or maybe gravity on Mystara is much heavier...?:p). So there's really no point in fearing a Thyatian invasion from Thyatian mainland. Similarly there's no point in fearing a Thyatian invasion of the Alphatian mainland from the Isle of Dawn (distance between Trikelios and Alphatia's southwestern peninsula: 144 miles). That said, if I conceded to you that they somehow could threaten Alphatia's skies with the flying beasts, my question still stands. Since the Retebius Air Fleet came to be only after Thincol's coming to power, do you imply that the Alphatian Skynavy was built only AFTER AC 960 (hence never used to explore)? Because if it was already there before AC 960, your point is moot: no RAF to oppose, no need to stay docked in Alphatian shipyards for months. So they must have used them for exploration! Or what did they build them for (not using them in war)?! > Historically, until the Age of Exploration in our own world, countries did > their best to STOP exploration. Do you imply by saying this that Mystara has not yet reached the Age of Exploration? Look at these cultures: Blackmoorians Nithians Alphatians Thyatians They happen to have many colonies around the world at great distances. That to me is clearly the result of a policy of exploration and colonization. So, no, I don't believe too much in Alphatian isolationism. But maybe since you removed Skothar and Davania and the Savage Coast from your Hackwurld of Mystara, then with the colonies gone you are right: YOUR Known World nations are isolationists. A bit drastic way of proving your point though... :p > The last thing a king or nobles wanted was > for their people to find somewhere else to go. And, if we look at just the > canonical sources that mention Alphatian exploration and intervention, we > see that they failed every last time. Thyatis, Glantri, Ylaruam, > Minrothad... every time the Alphatians tried, they failed. Often miserably, > usually spectacularly, and always, always with some sort of "blowback," to > borrow a modern phrase. Thyatis is now the biggest threat to Alphatia. > Glantri is a minor thorn, but trouble no less. Ylaruam... no wizard can go > to Ylaruam without being scrutinized, and then probably burned at the stake. > Definitely, if he is Alphatian. An Minrothad now dominates trade between > Alphatia and the West. So the Alphatians have a wonderful history to look at > when they think about going out and conquering someone... or even just > exploring. James, err... should I point you out that time is a flow and that things change? Look at the classical empires of our times: the British Empire is no more (America and Australia were a colonies but they are big independent states, and in the first case it's the top dog in world politics nowadays) the French Empire is gone (all the African and oriental protectorates are independent nations which are sometimes fierce competitors in various fields against their former ruler) the Spanish Empire crumbled even before the other two (even though we cannot say the colonies became prominent states, they're on par with current Spain) the Portuguese and Dutch colonial empires are long forgotten too (and they weren't even major military powers: they just had a good navy and much economical influence!) Should I mention the Roman and Holy Roman Empire? Or about the Prussian empire? Or the Hapsburgs? ;) See what I mean: times change, that's endemic in the progress of history. An empire falls, another rises to power, it's also the way the world politics went ever since the early days of civilization. The nature of the world political chessboard may vary (anarchy, balance of power, absolutism, bipolarism, it depends on the number of the political gamers which got enough power to be movers and shakers of the world politics) but it's normal. > The basic thing you also have to remember about Alphatia is that it is not > an organized, unified nation, not by any means. It is a nation of chaotic, > selfish, isolationist wizards, for the most part, most of whom want to jsut > be left alone to tend to their own interests, whether development of their > magical prowess, exploitation of their slaves and lands, or simply blissing > out on zzonga. Most of them, the vast majority, see no reason for > "adventurism" in foreign lands; there are still plenty of regions on the > home islands to settle! So why did they go to (and established a military and political rule in) Norwold, Isle of Dawn, Minrothad, Thyatis, Ylaruam, Bellissaria, Skothar, the Yanifey (so inhospitable!) and the Alatian islands? As tourists? :pppp > The few efforts to go out and conquer have been at > ther hands of adventurers, sometimes with Imperial approval and support, > often not. And even when Alphatians do have some notion of conquest, it is > usually driven agains their neighbors, for previous wars and insults > ("Stinking Arogansans! They killed my uncle the last time they poured over > the Theran Line! Why invade some primitive island in the far east when we > can go show them a thing or two?") Okay, I hope you'll explain this all in your Hackwurld. I'm not putting it in my black list "by default", I will surely give it a look before judging ;) I'm ready to be convinced ;) DM Senior Editor of the Mystaran Almanac Lt. Cmdr. of U.S.S. Unicorn "You don't stop playing because you grow old: you grow old because you stop playing!" Visit Marco's Mystara Homepage at: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dungeon/2967 And Mystara Italian Homepage at: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dungeon/9940 Join the Mystara Webring at: http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dungeon/2967/mystring.html Join the Starfleet Academy at: http://gioco.net/startrek (Italian RPG PBEM) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2003 16:20:24 -0300 From: Asgor Ironfist Subject: Re: Different Mystaras Well, i didn't altered much Mystara (Savage Coast) in my game. In fact, i just altered the way that the characters sees another cultures. And, well, i changed a LOT the Yezchamenid Empire, and the Savage Baronies, City-States, Renardy and Bellayne are more like the XVI-XIX centuries (wheellock pistols and muskets are a lot more common, and heavy armors/weapows are very rare). -The City-States: Not much changes, just what i just said. In my campaign, there's also the Church of Halav, much like the Church of Traladara, but Halav is the most important Immortal, and Petra and Zirchev are something like his guardians (something like Ixion and Vanya, according to the Church of Narvaez). The Knights of Halav is more like the french musketeers, faithful to the Church of Halav and to the Margraves of the city that they live (and in Slagovich, they're the royal guard too). The Knights are an paladin order, but they use the honorbound codes too, like an honorbound company. -The Savage Baronies, Renardy and the Verdan Colonies: No great changes. In fact, i just changed two names, Três Corações (Terra Leãoça) and Boa Vista (Colônia do Chifre/Colony of the Horn), because there are two real cities with this name in Brazil. So, they're names are Três Gatos and Boa Visão. Ah, and Vilaverde and Texeiras uses that names for their coins (Real, Ouro, Médio, Dez and Centavo). -Robrenn and Eusdria: They're more barbaric and savage. They tend to be xenofobic and agressive with foreigners. In my campaign, Robrenn and Eusdria are a big dark forest, to be avoided, not visited. (that's because they a a little off of the "conquista da américa" stile). -Bellayne: In my campaign, Bellayne is even more like RW England, and there're just a few traces of the rakastan (japanese) culture. -Herath, Nimmur, Eshu and Aeryl: This four people were very influenced by the oltecs in the past (in my campaign, of course, hehehe), and now have an culture similar to the RW Mayans. Eshu are more like the Mayans and Nimmur are a little more like the Aztecs. Aeryl have an elven culture with heavy oltec cultural influence, specially their buildings and their elfic dialect. Herath is a very special case, since they have an "mayan" culture, but they started to replace it with the Ispan/Renardois culture. They know that keeping their secret will avoid the other races to start an war agains they, but nothing stops any nation to try to conquest their lands, probably seeking for legendary treasures, or to bring the word of Ixion to Herath... -Jibarú, Wallara, Shazak, Ator, Cay, Tortles and the Goblinoids: The Yazi and Phanatons are already based on real RW american indian tribes (Jibarú are based on the Tupi tribes, the others i'm not sure). In my campaign, except for the Yazak tribes, they're all like those tribes, some more advanced, and some more barbaric (Cay is probably the more advanced of they, and have a "mayan" culture like Herath used to have before start to mix their culture to the Ispan culture). The Yazak goblinoids and rakastas are more like the hulian nomads. -Hule: No changes. Hule is still the great treat to the SC, and Bozdogan is still hulian main Immortal. -The Yezchamenid Empire: Here are the most of the changes. In my campaign, this empire are formed just by the descendent of the oltecs who left the Sagave Coast and colonize this region. Despite this changes, the region names and some other things are still the same. -The Empire of Zuyevo: Not much changes, but the Zuyevo troops already have muskets and pistols, from verdan and cimarron merchants (specially from Richland). And since the Yezchamenid Empire are formed by oltecs, Dradze/Drazde (anyone know the right spelling?) region is something like the RW Alaska. _________________________________________________________________ MSN Hotmail, o maior webmail do Brasil. http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2003 17:57:41 -0800 From: John Calvin Subject: Rafiel's Home Plane Hi All, Here is a little idea I had about Rafiel and his home plane. I put this together a while back (after buying the 3E Manual of the Planes) and just thought I'd share with the list. Hope you enjoy. Reidyll – The Chamber of the Planes · Objective directional gravity – normal along sphere paths. · Normal time. · Finite size – holds 1024 Chambers along its spherical inner shell. · Divinely morphic. · No elemental or energy traits. · Strongly neutral aligned. · Limited magic. Reidyll floats through the Astral, although there are no permanent portals to that plane. Permanent portals do exist to the Material, Inner, and several of the Outer planes, although each portal is guarded by a contingent of Rafiel’s followers. The plane is shaped like a hollow sphere. There are 1024 divots in the shell, each one a potential housing for a Chamber. Most of the hubs are empty, but several dozen contain translucent spheres, each in varying degrees of construction. In the center of the spherical plane is a radiant globe that is actually a separate layer of Reidyll. Links: A dynamic portal to the Astral exists, but is rarely opened. Each of the chambers lining the inner wall of the Reidyll is also a potential portal to the associated plane. Inhabitants: The immortal Rafiel makes his home here. All other creatures that live here serve him in some shape or fashion. Most of these servitors come to this plane through one of the Chambers, so just about any race can be represented. Petitioners: There are not many petitioners in this plane. Movement and Combat: Energy pathways provide movement from the center sphere to each of the Chambers along the inner shell. Features: The Shell: The outer layer of the plane is essentially a great hub for the dimensional Chambers being built across the multiverse. Chambers are coexistent with Reidyll and their plane of construction. [Some example Chambers follow:] Chamber of the Spheres: This Chamber is built on the material plane (on Mystara) in the lands of the Shadow Elves. The Chamber of the Spheres is the most complete Chamber in the shell. The Material Plane construction is very close to completion. Chamber of Brass: This Chamber is being built by the efreet as an extension of the City of Brass. Well of Souls: This Chamber is nearing completion on some dark outer plane. The creators are evil creatures who are building the Chamber for their own personal power gain. Their creation is made from the twisted husks of creatures they have captured and tortured. Spring of Eternity: This Chamber is being constructed on the elemental plane of water. The power of the Chamber comes from ice like filaments that are mined out of some of the colder regions within the plane. These filaments are said to have been created on a battle site where creatures of Fire tried to invade the plane. Smoldering Chambers: A dozen or so Chambers lie smoldering. These are failed attempts by Rafiel’s followers to establish a stronghold. When the time is right, Rafiel will re-instigate those failed programs. The Orb: The inner layer of the plane serves several functions. The most important function is to siphon excess power from each of the Chambers that it is connected to. This power drain is what stabilizes each of the Chambers and prevents the possibility of another Great Rain of Fire from occurring. [Note: This is one of the safeguards that Rafiel has put in place. If the denizens of any chamber cease to obey and worship him, he may stop the stabilizing power drain to that chamber. This would eventually cause a great explosion (and the destruction of the offenders) and would allow Rafiel to wipe the slate clean and start again at some later date.] The outer boundary of the orb is a blaze of energy. Once the outer boundary is crossed however, a more hospitable environment is entered. Different sections of the orb are tailor made to fit the needs of Rafiel’s servants. For example, the Shadow Elf’s cave is constructed like an enormous underground cavern. In the center of the orb is the control center. This is where Rafiel makes his home. From here he can observe each of the Chambers and can create force pathways from each one to the orb. Since the Chambers are coexistant, the immortal can not prevent others from opening portals to and from them, but once inside of Reidyll travelers may be stranded in a hostile environment until the immortal or his servants choose to deal with them. Campaign Ideas: Mortal Campaign: Servants and worshippers of Rafiel may be allowed to use Reidyll as a sort of planar conduit since it is coterminous with a variety of other planes. The immortal may send his followers to other Chambers in order to solve problems or provide the local inhabitants with assistance. Those who oppose Rafiel might be charged with discovering the secrets of the Chambers and what their purpose is. Some might even undertake plans to disrupt Rafiel’s greater schemes, but they will be greatly pressed to do so. Immortal Campaign: The Chamber of Planes is being constructed by Rafiel as a great planar machine. Each operational Chamber allows the immortal to draw off a portion of that plane’s magical energies and convert them for his own uses. There could be several possible goals that Rafiel is striving for. Immortal campaigns might center around either helping or hindering Rafiel with his plans. New sites for Chambers and followers to build them will have to be found (or destroyed). · Rafiel plans to use the energy to create another elemental sphere (of Radiance) to which immortals such as himself will swear allegiance (thus breaking away from the Sphere of Fire). A side effect of his product is that more Radiance immortals are generated, and many of them will reside in his home plane to help with his research. · Rafiel intends to use the power generated by the Chamber of the Planes to become an Old One. ===== 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! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2003 19:29:04 -0800 From: Kar Ess Subject: Re: Irenke Sessions Your site does not load, is there something missing in url? KS --- Joaquin Menchaca wrote: > Hi all, > > I adapted the module T1: Village of Hommlet to be > Village of Irenke. :-) The adventurers have completed > this mission, and I documented their journals in the > following site: > > http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/ShadowTriad/voi1.html > > There might be some ideas in there that people may > like. I have one warning about running D&D3e games. > Stick to the core rules, as the other books are broken > and can unbalance the game greatly. (Exception to > this is material from Monte Cook) > > - Joaquin > > __________________________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! News - Today's headlines > http://news.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. > __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 8 Mar 2003 to 9 Mar 2003 (#2003-69) *************************************************************