Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 30 Sep 2007 to 25 Oct 2007 (#2007-92) From: MYSTARA-L automatic digest system Date: 26/10/2007, 18:00 To: MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There is 1 message totalling 217 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Questions on Rafiel, Atzanteotl, elven history... ******************************************************************** 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: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:14:49 +0300 From: Ville V Lahde Subject: Questions on Rafiel, Atzanteotl, elven history... I wrote a description of the shadowelf conspiracy on the MMB. Here is =20 an edited version of it. It includes some open questions and some =20 genuine queries about various topics: Atzanteotl, Schattenalfen, =20 Rafiel, elven history. If anyone is interested on commenting on those =20 questions, I'm grateful. (It's been so quiet here. Call me old-fashioned, but there is something abou= t mailing lists that boards just won't do...) --------- In our current campaign I've had to think a lot about the relationship =20 of the Shadowelf conspiracy, the cult of Rafiel and Xatapechli. "The Caravan campaign" is based on the plot by Telemon =20 and Xatapechli to start a war against Alfheim (description of the =20 campaign is in the Vaults). The intent of the war is not just to annex =20 Alfheim but to turn the Shadowelves away from the Way of Rafiel. I've always liked the complicated structure of the conspiracy, since =20 the motivations of all involved are not simplistic. (Everything =20 relates to the GAZ era.) Some ideas on the historical background: - The emnity between the Shadowelves and Alfheim began perhaps first =20 and foremost as a misinterpretation and due to misdirected bitterness =20 on the Shadowelves' part. The myth that the Shadowelves were =20 "abandoned" (first after the Great Rain, then by the Alfheimians) =20 lives on in their culture and can be used as a political weapon. On =20 the other hand, it is possible that the Alfheimians around 130 AC did =20 dismiss their cousins rather brusquely. This ambiguity of history, and =20 he long memories of the elves, offer interesting material for a =20 campaign. - I'd think that most of the Shadowelves were not aware of the first =20 attempts to use the humanoids against the Alfheimians - those attacks =20 may even have been solely orchestrated by the Feathered Serpent (see =20 below)! The invasion attempt of 560 is another matter, as it involved =20 substantial SE armies. How was that war portrayed to the SE population =20 at large? Was there a casus belli? In any case the King at the time =20 (the one previous to Telemon) must have been involved, perhaps by the =20 the machinations of the previous Feathered Serpent? - The current plot goes back as far as the 600's, to Xatapechli and =20 his later alliance with Telemon. (Xatepechli of course was working for =20 the previous Feathered Serpent, and must have been involved in earlier =20 plots. In the Caravan Campaign it was Xatapechli himself who formed =20 the pact with the House of Corun, but at the time he was only =20 following orders. Later the Coruns became his pet project.) In our =20 campaign I have written it so that they used the failure and the =20 purges of 675 to rekindle the hatred towards the Alfheimians. The =20 infiltrators were mercilessly slaughtered by the forest elves etc etc. =20 That is: during the 600's the Shadowelves in general considered the =20 surface elves their enemies, but they didn't go out of their way to =20 hate them. The invasion attempt of 560 had been a gamble. Even if the =20 shamans supported it (I haven't decided on this), the average grunt =20 didn't see it as a holy war or anything like that. One of the =20 important facets of the current plot has been to prepare the Shadowelf =20 culture for the war, feeding anger and bitterness towards the other =20 elves. History has been rewritten? The long history of the conflict aside, the motivations of the present =20 conspirators are an interesting mix. I've recently written a lot on =20 them to make the situation more fruitful for actual play. - Telemon isn't just a pawn of Xatapechli, although he isn't aware of =20 all the actions of the spy master. (In our campaign Xatapechli's =20 cronies have committed sacriledge which Telemon wouldn't have approved =20 - trafficking in soul gems. Even the disillusioned king still believes =20 in the myth of the elven souls.) Telemon is no fool, either. He =20 doesn't trust Xatapechli wholeheartedly and is wary of the power of =20 the Feathered Serpent institution (see below). His main motivation in =20 the whole endeavour has been to liberate his people from the cruel and =20 restrictive (in his view) Way of Rafiel. In the open he has stayed =20 faithful to the Way, even using interpretations of the Verses to =20 support the war effort. Still, his political and religious attitudes =20 are much more complicated than those of the earlier kings fighting =20 against Alfheim. I haven't actually decided on this yet, but perhaps =20 the earlier kings were more directly manipulated by the Feathered =20 Serpents. Telemon is too smart and complex for this to work (and =20 Kanafasti is a good advisor), so Xatapechli has had to forge a much =20 more equal alliance. --> Thus Telemon can be potentially affected by appeals to certain =20 aspects of the SE culture (souls etc.), but his militant "secularism" =20 can be a surprise to anyone who is trying to gauge his actions. =20 Historical grudges and the will of conquest are good mask for his true =20 motives. On the other hand, his realistic attitude to Xatepechli =20 offers a point of intervention. If someone can prove that Xatapechli =20 is planning to do him harm after the war, he will not hesitate to =20 strike at his ally. But it would be very difficult to turn Telemon =20 away from the war. If everything fails, he might even abdicate and try =20 to lure as many of his people with him to exile. - Kanafasti is Telemon's friend, and he has been a counterwight to =20 Xatapechli, but his motivations are still for the most part egoistic. =20 He doesn't want to go Wandering. He has no strong political or =20 theological commitments and is much more viable ot be bought or turned =20 around than Telemon. On the other hand, he is desperate enough to =20 commit acts that Telemon wouldn't consider. - The Princess and the General are much more simplistic figures, and I =20 haven't yet thought out any story-potential for them. There is one =20 thing though: if the General is so much surrounded by his mythical =20 Rafielite status (the Sleeves of Flesh), he is unlikely to be an =20 unbeliever like Telemon. Or is he just taking advantage of a good =20 opportunity? - What about the Shamans? They have been always a bit suspicious about =20 the war effort, although perhaps in the earlier centuries they were =20 more involved. Rafiel after all speaks of enemies sent to test his =20 people. But the growth of Xatepechli's power in the court, and the =20 alarming non-Rafielite policies of recruitment into the Second Shadow =20 (and from there to the Serpent's Eyes) have caused more suspicion. =20 Porphyriel knows that Xatapechli has a technically illegal network of =20 spies around the world, but its extend and actions are unknown. (The =20 description of Serpents' Eyes is interesting. It breaks the rules of =20 the Second Shadow, but I'd think that everyone knows it exists, =20 perhaps must exits, and inevitably breaks the rules. But this =20 voluntary ignorance on the part of the Kings and the Shamans has given =20 the Feathered Serpents the chance to grow a bigger and more loyal =20 organisation than anyone suspects.) - Porphyriel and the shaman council are convinced that Xatapechli is =20 the main instigator of the war, trying to increase his power and =20 independence from shaman control. And in any case, Porphyriel knows =20 that conquering Alfheim would divert the SE culture from Rafiel's main =20 goal, completion of the temple. Thus war has to be averted. (By the =20 way: I've never read WotI properly and thus may be talking out of my hole, but =20 has any explanation been offered as to why Rafiel would suddenly =20 actively encourage the invasion of Alfheim, endangering his most =20 important project? Rafiel has been an interesting concept just because =20 he is so focused on this relatively tiny group of elves, just because =20 he has a secret project of "Radiance 2.0". His change of priorities in =20 WotI never sounded convincing to me.) - Xatapehcli has been left a bit too vague in the GAZ. He is portrayed =20 as the evil influence behind the throne, a mind disturbed by the Azcan =20 cloak. I've tried to make him more interesting, which required some =20 rewriting. The whole Feathered Serpent institution is one of the eldest in the =20 Shadowelf culture, going back to the time when they weren't yet =20 Shadowelves - their life in Aengmor. At that time they were =20 worshipping Atzanteotl. This led me to think that the dark influences =20 that have affected the Feathered Serpents for over 2000 years must =20 come from Atzanteotl. In the GAZ the relationship between Atzanteotl and Rafiel has been =20 described as relatively pacific, which doesn't fit this. It is said =20 that Rafiel's portrayal of himself as a cruel deity has so far =20 pacified Atzanteotl. (But there are other kind of canon descriptions =20 also? DM's Complete List of Mystaran Immortals describes their =20 relationship very differently and uses a variety of sources.) Instead I've decided to emphasise Atzanteotl's emnity towards Rafiel =20 and his pet project the Shadowelves. Atzanteotl has been using the =20 Feathered Serpent institution to sow discord within SE culture and =20 turn them against the followers of Ilsundal. But why did Atzanteotl abandon the ancestors of the Shadowelves in the =20 first place? Their task in driving Atruazin's followers from =20 Mictlan/Aengmor, rebuilding the city and producing the Schattenalfen =20 migration was done. (Although: The canon texts give conflicting =20 origins to the HW Schattenalfen. Are they of the same stock as the =20 Shadowelves, or do they stem from the 1700BC anti-Ilsundalian =20 migration? In general, the roles of the anti-Ilsundalian fraction from =20 the Migration and the underground exodus of the pre-shadowelves are =20 confused in some texts.) Perhaps Atzanteotl had further plans for the Lost Four Clans, but that =20 upstart Rafiel grabbed them from him? Further, perhaps Atzanteotl has =20 learned of Rafiel's plans to use the soul gems, the very fragments of =20 the Blackmoorian device which destroyed his people in 1700 BC, in =20 construction of his Chamber of Spheres. This would enrage the bitter =20 Immortal to no end. So all Feathered Serpents have been influenced by Atzanteotl. The =20 repeated (and partly secret?) attempts to destroy Alfheim even before =20 the present conspiracy gain more meaning from this. But it isn't sure =20 how complete this influence is. Each Feathered Serpent may have =20 motivations of their own, not realising that they are pawns of a =20 higher power. Perhaps Xatapechli is also trying to break his people =20 from Rafiel, but he is even further disillusioned than Telemon? He has =20 been groomed by a long tradition of spymasters. Perhaps they have long ago realised that the story of the soul gems is =20 a flat out lie - and so is the practice of abandoning children, =20 casting out the old, predestination of social rank and all those main =20 structures of their culture. This disillusionment which has further =20 motivated their actions over the years. Many of these beliefs are so deep-rooted in the Shadowelven culture, =20 however, that they cannot be confronted head-on. Xatapechli believes =20 that war, contact with the surface cultures and resulting distance =20 from the shamans is needed. He is just a much more unscrupulous and =20 cruel than Telemon, Kanafasti or any of the other conspirators. And of course in the end his actions have unintended consequences - =20 intended by Atzanteotl. Xatapechli is ready to do anything, use anything, make anything a =20 weapon in this struggle, to make good on his quest. (I've been reading =20 Iain M. Banks recently.) ******************************************************************** 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 - 30 Sep 2007 to 25 Oct 2007 (#2007-92) ***************************************************************