Come on, don't be shy.
Adlatum is a project started by the Nexus to design a third continent for Krynn. So for those of you interested in trying out something new on the world of Krynn could do so. Well it's a huge task to design something like an entire continent. We started a year ago with a large group of people and eventually scaled it back to three with the express purpose of getting the basics down and then relasing it as a fan project (Trampas can double check me on all those specifics, heh).
Anyway the final three were Me, Trampas and Cam. Over the course of a year we made tremendous progress, but it's still not quite done. All the seperate pieces we have been working on are still not tied together and there is still work to be done. As the creation of the DLCS and Age of Mortals came around our progress declined (sharply) as we lent a hand on those projects.
To make a long story short the reigns were handed over to me so that I can tie together everything we have been working on and making something semi-cohesive. I am shooting for something like the "Guide book to Taladas" from the Time of Dragons boxed set.
We have had some discussion lately about the whole project and I want to get it done so we can introduce some new blood into the project and give it a new life for people that are interested in something like this.
Anyway it's waiting for me and once I get through my personal list of "Things To Do" Adlatum will get it's chance again.
I forgot that Cam was working on it. To be truthful, the Bestiary is much more important(in my mind at least
) than a third continent at the moment. Yes, Adlatum is going to be cool(especially considering the designers), but the Bestiary is essential...sorta.So far the only question I have is how the First Cataclysm affected the continent, if at all?
There was, however, severe earthquakes and huge tsunami-level tidal waves.
Basically, much of Adlatum sunk into the sea. Adlatum appears as a split continent, having several islands in the middle of the two large land masses.
The minotaurs of Adlatum had a huge empire prior to the Cataclysm. Their race nearly came to extinction during the Canon War (which leads up to the Cataclysm). Afterwards, only two "tribes" survived.
You can read more about the minotaurs of Adlatum by reading this:
Minotaurs of Adlatum
Enjoy!
What degree of connection does it have to Ansalon, if any? Taladas had the Minotaur League and Armach, both immigrants from Ansalon.
Thanks.
Originally posted by atlantisreborn
OK, I am confused now, I thought there already were three continents: Ansalon, Taladas, and Chorain. Or are you counting Chorain as part of Ansalon since tecnically it is connected by the Ice Wall Glacier?
I took Chorane to refer to the underground realm at Krynn's south pole. As far as I know, I don't believe it's been conclusively established that there is an actual continent beneath all that ice. However, if you've read the Icewall trilogy of novels they detail the land of Icereach near the south pole, though only a 120 mile by 120 mile swath is mapped. Could be a continent ... but who knows.
Arandur
Okay, Adlatum is to the west of Ansalon, east of Taladas. Not sure exactly on the positioning, although I believe we have it in the northern hemisphere. We're trying to keep the connections to the other continents minimal.
As for Dragon Overlords, my only suggestion in regards to Taladas is to read James O'Rance's materials. Check out his Taladas site by clicking here.
The Dragon Overlords do not have a presence on Adlatum. The dragons of Adlatum have a strong presence of their own, and have a special tie to the land.
From the Otherlands accessory(I am assuming I can post this since it is a free download anyway):
To many people on Krynn, Chorane is
a myth. Everyone knows that nothing
could possibly live in the frozen wastes
beyond the Ice Wall south of Ansalon;
Chorane is a romantic notion, to be sure,
but with no basis in reality.
Right.
Those who dismiss the possibility of
life or-even more unlikely-civilization
beneath the southern ice cap of Krynn do
not adequately understand the geology
of this very unusual planet. Nor do they
take into account the ability of Krynn's
various inhabitants to endure great hardship
and to adapt to nearly any environment.
For not only is there life beneath
the ice, but in Chorane there is a complex
civilization of many different intelligent
races, interacting in all sorts of peaceful
(and not-so-peaceful) ways.To many people on Krynn, Chorane is
a myth. Everyone knows that nothing
could possibly live in the frozen wastes
beyond the Ice Wall south of Ansalon;
Chorane is a romantic notion, to be sure,
but with no basis in reality.
Right.
Those who dismiss the possibility of
life or-even more unlikely-civilization
beneath the southern ice cap of Krynn do
not adequately understand the geology
of this very unusual planet. Nor do they
take into account the ability of Krynn's
various inhabitants to endure great hardship
and to adapt to nearly any environment.
For not only is there life beneath
the ice, but in Chorane there is a complex
civilization of many different intelligent
races, interacting in all sorts of peaceful
(and not-so-peaceful) ways....
TERRAIN
When Chorane was formed long ago,
it was a land of rock and ice. Since then,
however, millennia of steam, volcanic
heat, and hardy plants gaining tenuous
footholds have worked on the rock where
it meets the warm, humid air, forming a
shallow (three inch or so) layer of dirt in
many places. Until magic-using creatures
found Chorane, of course, it was too dark
for plants to grow (except for certain types
of fungus) anywhere but very close to direct
passages to the surface, so in the
darker recesses of Chorane-that is, most
of it-the surface is still solid rock. Since
Amesh and his followers found their buried
refuge some 700 years ago, however,
their use of magical light spells and items
has greatly extended the areas in which
fungus and plants can be grown. As a result,
more and more rocky surfaces are being
broken up. In some areas, almost one
inch of topsoil has developed.
What is not rock in Chorane is ice.
There are many chambers and corridors
in this underground kingdom that are
made entirely of ice, but very few people
inhabit them except out of necessity. A
fire or other source of heat can be built in
a rock chamber; the effects in one of ice
can be very, well, wet. In some places, ice
runs in veins through the rock. This type
of formation is rare and much prized by
the Choranians, as it provides an easily
accessible source of water.
Getting around in Chorane is fairly
easy, if you stay within one tribe's area.
(Moving from one tribe's area to another
has perils all its own, as will be explained
later.) The caverns and large chambers are
all connected by a crazy quilt of tunnels,
slides, and corridors; there are usually at
least three perfectly good ways to get
from one place to another. One of the
leading pastimes among Choranians, in
fact, is arguing over which of the many
available routes between two places is actually
the best.
So I guess technically it is the same continent of Krynn, but it is so seperated that the dragons there did not even get called during the dragon wars. Definately a good way to introduce drow to Krynn, if one was so inclined.
Just from that brief pece it's easy to imagine several potential adventures set in various points in the Minotaurs history.
I'll definitely have to check Adlatum out once it's finished, it looks and sounds as though it would be a great place to set a campaign in.
Would any of you- Kipper, Trampas, Cam mind if I utilized parts of your Minotauran history in a future campaign... I could imagine them migrating partially to Ansalon and having a substantial impact on people's beliefs of life beyond Ansalon.
Perhaps they could involve themselves somewhat with existing organizations within Ansalon such as the Knights of Neraka/Solamnia etc.
A campaign set in Ansalon involving all of that and their own personal interactions...
With your permission I'd very much be interesting in designing such a campaign?
Originally posted by talinthas
they wouldnt post it if they didnt want it used =)
Perhaps, but they may view my intended use within Ansalon as a corruption of all their hard work on the entirety of Adlatum.
In any case I thought it merely polite to ask before going ahead with such an idea.
Originally posted by RandPC
Would any of you- Kipper, Trampas, Cam mind if I utilized parts of your Minotauran history in a future campaign... I could imagine them migrating partially to Ansalon and having a substantial impact on people's beliefs of life beyond Ansalon.
Perhaps they could involve themselves somewhat with existing organizations within Ansalon such as the Knights of Neraka/Solamnia etc.
A campaign set in Ansalon involving all of that and their own personal interactions...
With your permission I'd very much be interesting in designing such a campaign?
Please go ahead and use it. What is in that article may or may not be the final cut, but if it sparks your imagination for further uses by all means do what you like with it. The whole idea of the project was to put a new spin on familiar DragonLance themes, so it's all up for grabs.
About the Cataclysm, what you have in mind is exactly what I was thinking.