I just got confirmation that none other than Bargle the Infamous is the Critical Threat in Dungeon #144!
Cue the moustache twirling and evil laughter. :evillaugh
Some other Mystara-related tidbits from ENWorld scoops:
The Lightless Depths
The sixth in the Savage Tide Adventure Path, the Lightless Depths takes place on and under the Isle of Dread. "Deep beneath the Isle of Dread, in a place forgotten by the world of light, and ancient, unfathomable evil festers. Within the desiccated ruin known as Golismorga, the debased kopru servants of Demogorgon work foul rites, steeping immature shadow pearls in pits of liquid insanity. None from the world above have yet fathomed what terrors lurk beneath the Isle of Dread, nor what mad scheme roils to profane life deep within the city's gangrenous corpse."
There's plenty of new/updated monsters in the issue though. Aside from the updated arcanaloth and modron, there's the non-epic version of the brain collecter (which also first appeared way back in X2: Castle Amber), and the all-new bilewretch of Holashner.
Kopru, Neh-Thalggu, and Bargle; it's a veritable cornucopia of Mystara baddies!
[Edit- just noticed another posting on the Neh-Thalggu by Raloc]
There are two new monsters in The Lightless Depths. One is called a Brain Collector (or Nehthalggu I guess), and is described as being "A hungry polyp upon twelve insectoid legs. Larger than a horse, the thing's tumid mass writhes with whipping tentacles. It has a lipless mouth heavy with protruding row of dagger-teeth, and a ridge of four bulging eyes above. A cluster of twelve knots crown the abomination's misshapen fom, the gray wrinkles of brains trapped within pressed against the semi-transparent membranes." It's a Large CR 7 aberration and can use the brains it captures to apply metamagic like effects to its spells (cast as a 6th level sorc.) without increasing their spell slot level. It can also store more spells known in the collected brains.
Hope there's an illustration to go along with it, but in any case, the Savage Tide is really gearing up the Mystara extras!
D'OH!!! Just noticed that I put Dragon instead of Dungeon as the thread title. My mistake!
I didn't even notice, I was so excited.
Not to one-up you, Drew, but I happen to know that someone's name from these very Mystara boards is mentioned by name in the byline of the article.
Yes congratulations there Andrew. And very nice article there Mike.
Thanks again, Drew!
I hope that there's positive feedback to this from the general magazine readership.
I like Julie Dillon's illustration of the guy. Almost as good as the Gaz 1 version and much more scary looking than the K:KoA illo. Me likes!
And as far as I can see, no Greyhawk references!
Congrats on the "special thanks" mention there Andrew!
Oh, and loved seeing the Brain Collector earlier in the same issue.
Now, I gotta get back to reading the article in detail.
Havard
Yeah the Brain Collector was cool, and I really dig the kopru illustration in the STAP there, too. Much better than the weird "eel" looking thing from MM2.
Agreed, the Kopru looks real nice.
I missed that on my brief skimming through right now.Back to the Bargle article, I notice some interesting things:
* Overall, very true to Mystara, including lots of Mystaran landmarks.
* The article confirms that Aleena was ressurrected after her death. Nice touch.
* Connection to Bargle's trading company, though the thing is more or less dismissed as a rumour. I like that, since I didn't care much for that concept.
* No mention of Bargle's connection to Hosadus. This is something Bruce mentioned... oh well.
* Connection to Xanthus and Blackrock were new to me. Sounds like a good idea though, plus provides something new to the continuity of the setting.
Big applause to James Jacobs for this article. Truly Mystaran. I would love to see more stuff like this!
Havard
* No mention of Bargle's connection to Hosadus. This is something Bruce mentioned... oh well.
I don't remember that bit. Was it in one of the Known World Grimoires, or on the MML?
* Connection to Xanthus and Blackrock were new to me. Sounds like a good idea though, plus provides something new to the continuity of the setting.
That one comes right from the Poor Wizard's Almanacs. 1011 and 1012, IIRC.
I don't remember that bit. Was it in one of the Known World Grimoires, or on the MML?
It was in Dragon. Either VotPA or KWG, one of those "letters" installments. Someone asked about Bargle and Bruce said he suggested Bargle had gone to hang out with the Master for a while...
Anyway, it is possible that was just a brief employment before moving to Blackrock.
That one comes right from the Poor Wizard's Almanacs. 1011 and 1012, IIRC.
Okay, cool
WOW! Sounds like the newest addition to canon to me!
Yeah, that article undoubtedly goes into the canon list.
Havard
* Connection to Bargle's trading company, though the thing is more or less dismissed as a rumour. I like that, since I didn't care much for that concept.
I don't mind the overall concept, but I'd make the "trading company" more of a black market magic items network, and lose the silly cursed items, or at least make them a very minor part of the overall operation.
* Connection to Bargle's trading company, though the thing is more or less dismissed as a rumour. I like that, since I didn't care much for that concept.
You and me both! While I like the occasional infusion of whimsy into Mystara, I thought the trading company idea was pretty hokey. And to ascribe it to Bargle, of all people? Come on...
Thus: rumor.
(And yay on it being added to canon!)
And as far as I can see, no Greyhawk references!
Nope! Wasn't gonna happen.
Greyhawk gets too much of Mystara as it is. :rolleye2:
Greyhawk gets too much of Mystara as it is. :rolleye2:
I don't know- I could easily see Bargle originating in the Slums of Greyhawk City, and going to work for someone like Prince Zeech of Redhand, or one of the rulers in the North Kingdoms.
I don't know- I could easily see Bargle originating in the Slums of Greyhawk City, and going to work for someone like Prince Zeech of Redhand, or one of the rulers in the North Kingdoms.
BLASPHEMY!
:fight!: :OMG!I don't know- I could easily see Bargle originating in the Slums of Greyhawk City, and going to work for someone like Prince Zeech of Redhand, or one of the rulers in the North Kingdoms.
:thumbsdow :thumbsdow
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=12043309#post12043309
Havard