Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 22 Jul 2009 to 23 Jul 2009 (#2009-30) From: MYSTARA-L automatic digest system Date: 24/07/2009, 17:00 To: MYSTARA-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 5 messages totalling 270 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. What is a Dervish in Mystara? (DoD vs. GAZ2 vs. etc.) (2) 2. Deserts of Desolution (ala Mystaran style) (3) ******************************************************************** 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: Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:45:14 -0700 From: Joaquin Menchaca Subject: What is a Dervish in Mystara? (DoD vs. GAZ2 vs. etc.) I was wondering fudge this, to be pure canon as possible, but bend the modu= le to a Mystara setting. I am open to suggestions on this one.=0A=0AThe de= rvish is fanatical nomad (fighter), while GAZ2 reinvents the druid and call= s it a dervish. In real world, seems they were religious practitioner that= took a vow of poverty. As they do not beg, being against their order to d= o so, it would seem they are respected in the real world, as much as friars= would in our western world. So it seems that both implementations misappr= opriated it, maybe even mis-applied a stereotype.=0A=0AThe Al-Qadim netbook= defines a dervish as a "A wandering or monastic Sufi. Also called a fakir"= .=0A=0AThoughts?=0A=0AI3-5 Deserts of Desolation=0A------------------------= ---------------------=0A"Called Dervishes, they are aliens, outcasts, and e= ven outlaws wherever they go. In fact, because they feel that their god ha= s turned away from them in reglating them to the desert, not only do tey wo= rship the old religions, but they now fanatically protect the religious fre= edoms and holy places of all peoples, whatever their practices or beliefts.= They hate robbers of graves and tombs, and protect such places from 'infi= dels,' tending to make encampments nearby. If they find a holy item or pal= ce has been looted or damaged, they will mark the vandal/thief for Bloodque= st. This means they will use their considerable tracking ability (the same= as rangers) to hunt down and destroy the one so marked. The final stroke = is carried out under the trembling, vibrating scream of any Dervishes at ha= nd, fighting to the death. This has spawned a desert proverb: "Woe be unto= him who puts blood in the eye of the Dervish" (Hickman et. al 5)=0A=0AGAZ2= EMIRATES OF YLARUAM=0A---------------------------------------------=0A"The= dervishes are holy hermits, True Believers following the Way of teh Schola= r as they live solitary lives of contemplation and physical devotion in the= desert wildernesses of the Emirates. Also known as desert druids, these h= oly men live in caves, crude shelters, or tents in remote regions. Dervish= es are revered by desert nomads, who aid in providing the holy hermits with= food adn shelter needs" (Rolston 34)=0A=0AWIKIPEDIA ENTRY (Real World)=0Ah= ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dervish=0A-------------------------------------= --------=0AA Dervish or Darvesh (from Persian =D8=AF=D8=B1=D9=88=DB=8C=D8= =B4, Darv=C4=ABsh) is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariq= ah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant fr= iars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.=0A=0ADar in Persian mea= ns "a door", so Dervish literally means "one who goes from door to door". T= he word is also related to terms for "ascetic" in some languages, as in the= Urdu phrase darwaishana thabiyath, "an unflappable or ascetic temperament"= .=0A=0AAs Sufi practitioners, Dervishes have been known as sources of wisdo= m, medicine, poetry, enlightenment, and witticisms. For example, Nasrudin b= ecame a legend in the Near East and South Asia, not only among the Muslims.= =0A=0A=0A=0A ******************************************************************** 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: Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:53:11 -0700 From: Joaquin Menchaca Subject: Re: Deserts of Desolution (ala Mystaran style) I would maybe do some sort of curse, e.g. dust storm blows over, and viola, different night sky. Still toying with the idea. Right now I have the module material and GAZ2 and I am reading through it. I'll look at Al-Qadim, Dungeon, and Dragon articles to see if there is any extra good stuffs to drop, beyond the scope (but in an effort to enhance the feel of Egyptian vs. Arabian orientation). Still reviewing the material at this moment. My write up is from vague memories of past when I was reading the material before. Interestingly, when I was reading GAZ2, they said this: ------------------------------------------------------------ "Pharoah (I3), Oasis of the White Palm (I4), and Lost Tomb of Martek (I5): Modules 1, 2, and 3 in the DESERT OF DESOLUTION series. These first-class adventures are easily adapted to a Nithian setting" (Rolston 64). ------------------------------------------------------------ I was wondering if he meant for Yalaruam (Arabian) setting, or Nithian (Egyptian) setting. Hmm... ******************************************************************** 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, 24 Jul 2009 00:00:27 -0500 From: George Hrabovsky Subject: Re: What is a Dervish in Mystara? (DoD vs. GAZ2 vs. etc.) They did not reinvent thr druid and call it a dervish, rather they call a derivish a "Desert Druid," more of a way of saying the same thing than as a technical title. They are worshippers of Al-Khalim and the Nahmeh. In return for their isolation and devotion they receive special powers not normally available. What system are you using for your game? If it is not the Rules Cyclopedia with its skills then the Dervish write up may lose a lot in translation. George P.S. Boy, has it been that long since I last posted??? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joaquin Menchaca" To: Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2009 11:45 PM Subject: [MYSTARA] What is a Dervish in Mystara? (DoD vs. GAZ2 vs. etc.) I was wondering fudge this, to be pure canon as possible, but bend the module to a Mystara setting. I am open to suggestions on this one. The dervish is fanatical nomad (fighter), while GAZ2 reinvents the druid and calls it a dervish. In real world, seems they were religious practitioner that took a vow of poverty. As they do not beg, being against their order to do so, it would seem they are respected in the real world, as much as friars would in our western world. So it seems that both implementations misappropriated it, maybe even mis-applied a stereotype. The Al-Qadim netbook defines a dervish as a "A wandering or monastic Sufi. Also called a fakir". Thoughts? I3-5 Deserts of Desolation --------------------------------------------- "Called Dervishes, they are aliens, outcasts, and even outlaws wherever they go. In fact, because they feel that their god has turned away from them in reglating them to the desert, not only do tey worship the old religions, but they now fanatically protect the religious freedoms and holy places of all peoples, whatever their practices or beliefts. They hate robbers of graves and tombs, and protect such places from 'infidels,' tending to make encampments nearby. If they find a holy item or palce has been looted or damaged, they will mark the vandal/thief for Bloodquest. This means they will use their considerable tracking ability (the same as rangers) to hunt down and destroy the one so marked. The final stroke is carried out under the trembling, vibrating scream of any Dervishes at hand, fighting to the death. This has spawned a desert proverb: "Woe be unto him who puts blood in the eye of the Dervish" (Hickman et. al 5) GAZ2 EMIRATES OF YLARUAM --------------------------------------------- "The dervishes are holy hermits, True Believers following the Way of teh Scholar as they live solitary lives of contemplation and physical devotion in the desert wildernesses of the Emirates. Also known as desert druids, these holy men live in caves, crude shelters, or tents in remote regions. Dervishes are revered by desert nomads, who aid in providing the holy hermits with food adn shelter needs" (Rolston 34) WIKIPEDIA ENTRY (Real World) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dervish --------------------------------------------- A Dervish or Darvesh (from Persian درویش, Darvīsh) is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariqah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus. Dar in Persian means "a door", so Dervish literally means "one who goes from door to door". The word is also related to terms for "ascetic" in some languages, as in the Urdu phrase darwaishana thabiyath, "an unflappable or ascetic temperament". As Sufi practitioners, Dervishes have been known as sources of wisdom, medicine, poetry, enlightenment, and witticisms. For example, Nasrudin became a legend in the Near East and South Asia, not only among the Muslims. ******************************************************************** 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: Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:02:01 -0500 From: George Hrabovsky Subject: Re: Deserts of Desolution (ala Mystaran style) Nithia is one of the Emirates of Ylaruam. It is also a nation within the Hollow World setting. George ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joaquin Menchaca" To: Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2009 11:53 PM Subject: Re: [MYSTARA] Deserts of Desolution (ala Mystaran style) > I would maybe do some sort of curse, e.g. dust storm blows over, and viola, different night sky. Still toying with the idea. Right now I have the module material and GAZ2 and I am reading through it. I'll look at Al-Qadim, Dungeon, and Dragon articles to see if there is any extra good stuffs to drop, beyond the scope (but in an effort to enhance the feel of Egyptian vs. Arabian orientation). > > Still reviewing the material at this moment. My write up is from vague memories of past when I was reading the material before. > > Interestingly, when I was reading GAZ2, they said this: > ------------------------------------------------------------ > "Pharoah (I3), Oasis of the White Palm (I4), and Lost Tomb of Martek (I5): Modules 1, 2, and 3 in the DESERT OF DESOLUTION series. These first-class adventures are easily adapted to a Nithian setting" (Rolston 64). > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > I was wondering if he meant for Yalaruam (Arabian) setting, or Nithian (Egyptian) setting. Hmm... > > > > > > ******************************************************************** > 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: Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:02:51 -0700 From: Joaquin Menchaca Subject: Re: Deserts of Desolution (ala Mystaran style) In PHASE 2, I am thinking they should be level 4-5 at that point. There should be a way to adjust the challenge depending on how the fast/slow the players level. I can also do side quests (cultural immersions) that drop clues or hints to the adventures within I3-5, rather than having a sage foretell everything, and give the players direction. The players would have to work for it. ^.^ If players dim to find out, then more quests, less XP... On a side note, one thing I love about Pazio (Dungeon and Dragon articles) was that they documented total levels required for the challenge, and new how to adjust up/down to fit the challenge. I also give NPCs (monsters, etc.) class levels, and use feats/skills, etc. to spruce them up, such as a fighting style for leader of group, etc. to make it a bit more interesting encounter, and more of a thrill when finally vanquishing the opponent. And typically I award more XP for non-combat solutions, and creative solutions in general. ******************************************************************** 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 - 22 Jul 2009 to 23 Jul 2009 (#2009-30) ***************************************************************