Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 3 Feb 2006 to 6 Feb 2006 (#2006-21) From: MYSTARA-L automatic digest system Date: 07/02/2006, 19:00 To: MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 4 messages totalling 304 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Alphaks in M1 (4) ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2006 13:26:57 -0400 From: Steven Carter Subject: Re: Alphaks in M1 It's been written that Alphaks isn't subtle. What if Alphaks is subtle? What if his rages are calculated? What if they are partly to draw attention away from his more dastardly plot= s? Sacrifice a knight to capture a bishop and a rook? Just a thought. On 03/02/06, Ville V Lahde wrote: > > Thanks for finding that. It's what I was thinking when I wrote my > > take on Alphaks but couldn't recall where I formed my opinion. > > Well, my description is of course also an opinion, and one that > deviates too from the official material. Looking at the description of > Alphaks in, say, Wrath of the Immortals Codex, one can see that Alphaks > is made to be evil pretty pure and simple. The imperial history is > there, but still Alhaks seems to be "evil for evil's sake". > > So there is a basis for both descriptions in the published material. I > just find the psychologically complex Alphaks more interesting. > > Still, your idea of Alphaks the Emperor secretly pushing Old Alphatia > to destruction as part of a quest to Immortality is intriguing. It > paints a nice contradiction to the majesty of the Alphatian > civilization, as it becomes merely a tool. > > Ville > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.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.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2006 12:34:35 -0500 From: John Hofmann Subject: Re: Alphaks in M1 I would give that idea some credence, but if "sacrificing a knight" is the same as "throwing a giant meteor that decimates hundreds of thousands of people when specifically told by your 'team' not to do anything like that", then I want to play chess with you one day. It's often said that actions speak louder than words, and if you read through the Wrath of the Immortals adventure, you'll see that Alphaks is impatient and about as subtle as a streaker at a papal mass. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steven Carter" To: Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 12:26 PM Subject: Re: [MYSTARA] Alphaks in M1 It's been written that Alphaks isn't subtle. What if Alphaks is subtle? What if his rages are calculated? What if they are partly to draw attention away from his more dastardly plots? Sacrifice a knight to capture a bishop and a rook? Just a thought. On 03/02/06, Ville V Lahde wrote: > > Thanks for finding that. It's what I was thinking when I wrote my > > take on Alphaks but couldn't recall where I formed my opinion. > > Well, my description is of course also an opinion, and one that > deviates too from the official material. Looking at the description of > Alphaks in, say, Wrath of the Immortals Codex, one can see that Alphaks > is made to be evil pretty pure and simple. The imperial history is > there, but still Alhaks seems to be "evil for evil's sake". > > So there is a basis for both descriptions in the published material. I > just find the psychologically complex Alphaks more interesting. > > Still, your idea of Alphaks the Emperor secretly pushing Old Alphatia > to destruction as part of a quest to Immortality is intriguing. It > paints a nice contradiction to the majesty of the Alphatian > civilization, as it becomes merely a tool. > > Ville > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.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.pandius.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.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2006 19:05:32 +0100 From: Havard Faanes Subject: Re: Alphaks in M1 Keep in mind that these are immortals we are talking about. Anyone capable of reaching immortality has a bit between the ears. He might not be able to outwit his fellow Immortals, but there certainly should be more to him than just random rage and destruction. What do you have in mind for him Steven? Håvard --- Steven Carter skrev: > It's been written that Alphaks isn't subtle. > > What if Alphaks is subtle? What if his rages are > calculated? > > What if they are partly to draw attention away from > his more dastardly plots? > > Sacrifice a knight to capture a bishop and a rook? > > Just a thought. > > On 03/02/06, Ville V Lahde > wrote: > > > Thanks for finding that. It's what I was > thinking when I wrote my > > > take on Alphaks but couldn't recall where I > formed my opinion. > > > > Well, my description is of course also an opinion, > and one that > > deviates too from the official material. Looking > at the description of > > Alphaks in, say, Wrath of the Immortals Codex, one > can see that Alphaks > > is made to be evil pretty pure and simple. The > imperial history is > > there, but still Alhaks seems to be "evil for > evil's sake". > > > > So there is a basis for both descriptions in the > published material. I > > just find the psychologically complex Alphaks more > interesting. > > > > Still, your idea of Alphaks the Emperor secretly > pushing Old Alphatia > > to destruction as part of a quest to Immortality > is intriguing. It > > paints a nice contradiction to the majesty of the > Alphatian > > civilization, as it becomes merely a tool. > > > > Ville > > > > > ******************************************************************** > > The Other Worlds Homepage: > http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.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.pandius.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.pandius.com To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2006 22:16:43 -0400 From: Steve Carter Subject: Re: Alphaks in M1 Well, most historical gods and goddesses that I'm aware of have more than one "nature". I don't see any reason why Immortals have to be different. Maybe Alphaks goes through centuries of being slowly patient then loses his patience and does something catastrophic. Before I say anything I'll need to read more on him. As I've been weaving Ochalean material together I've resigned myself to major Alphatian cultural sources but I wanted to deal with the strange cultural identity of Ochalea. Of course there are the non-human influences but is there any Alphatian culture left on Ochalea... with non-human influences, native Mystara influences and 1000 years of Thyatian domination? If Ochalea is not Alphatian but also is Alphatian (in appearance only), then Alphaks has indeed succeeded in destroying part of Alphatia. So, why would the Alphatio-Ochalean people hold special interest to Alphaks? As was discussed maybe they are the source of the Air faction's (I've been calling them Aerians in my head) means of escape. Thus thwarting Alphak's master plan of sacrificing his world on the pyre of armageddon. Or was there something personal between him and the leader of Alphati-Ochalea. My opinion is that Alphati-Ochalea was not water, earth, fire or air - but wood, as in one of the Chinese primary elements which is more-or-less the harmonious combination of water and earth. So, about that meteor thing. Like I said, perhaps it was the distraction. The Pearl Islands and Ochalea were withdrawn from the war. Sorry, but I've only read Wrath twice several months ago. I don't know whose plot that was. But Mystara is a big planet. I'd like to think that Alphaks had another plot or more active somewhere else. But I have to read more. And I have to order a few issues of Dragon to get the background material. And, as usual, I'm rambling. Havard Faanes wrote: > Keep in mind that these are immortals we are talking > about. Anyone capable of reaching immortality has a > bit between the ears. He might not be able to outwit > his fellow Immortals, but there certainly should be > more to him than just random rage and destruction. > > What do you have in mind for him Steven? > > Håvard > > > --- Steven Carter skrev: > > >> It's been written that Alphaks isn't subtle. >> >> What if Alphaks is subtle? What if his rages are >> calculated? >> >> What if they are partly to draw attention away from >> his more dastardly plots? >> >> Sacrifice a knight to capture a bishop and a rook? >> >> Just a thought. >> >> On 03/02/06, Ville V Lahde >> wrote: >> ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.pandius.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 - 3 Feb 2006 to 6 Feb 2006 (#2006-21) *************************************************************