Campaign Idea: Secret Mystaran Invasion of LaTerre
by HåvardOne thing that always bothered me was that if LaTerre is just Earth with magic and some mythological monsters, that doesn't really make it all that interesting. Even if we include Thulhu-esque Outer Beings or the Red Death (from Masque of Red Death), it still feels like this setting is missing something.
So if LaTerrans have moved to Mystara, why not have some Mystarans secretly move the other way? Perhaps some of them are even working to fight some of the dark forces of LaTerre in some organized fashion?
Western Europe - The Radiant Brotherhood of Bavaria
- Rad has established this secret society which is active in most parts of Western Europe. He is working to protect magic-users and promote science. Unfortunately, their anti-Clerical views have made it difficult for them to work with other Mystarans.
Southern Europe - Sons of Hercules
- Halav visited Greece during his Quest for Immortality. He has left behind several gates between Mystara and LaTerre, known only to his followers. The secret group called Sons of Hercules are actually Clerics of the Traladaran Three. They operate across the Byzantine Empire and the Italian City States.
Scandinavia & The British Isles - Order of Thule
- The Northmen of Mystara have always known Midgard, which is their name for LaTerre. Followers of Odin and Thor are able to use Yggdrasil and the Bifrost to travel between the Northern Reaches and Laterre's Scandinavia. The Order of Thule operates all over Scandinavia, Iceland, Greenland and the British Isles. While the corrupted Clerics nominally of the Roman Pantheon is now the dominant religion even in these lands, follower of the Norse Immortals work in secret. They have an uneasy alliance with the Fey of the British Isles.
Arabia - Desert Garden
- In my version of LaTerre, Islam, Christianity and Judaism never appeared. In the Middle-east, most desert dwellers live under the protection of the Djinn. The "Crusades" (maybe I need another term for what happened, but people always find an excuse for war) were an attempt to reconquer parts of the Roman Empire. European Clerics and Nobles see worship of Djinn as reason for persecution just like they persecute Magic-users at home. These wars hurt the peoples of the Arabian lands terribly and many fell under the sway of Efreeti and Outer Beings. A new Empire has now been formed and dominates the region, covering north Africa and the Middle-east. The Arabian Empire has lost most of the Iberian Peninsula, but are moving towards the Byzantine Empire. Clerics of Al-Kalim and Sinbad secretly work to remove those among the leadership who have been corrupted by the Outer Beings.
Russia - Realm of the Baba Yaga
Beyond the European Kingdoms, to the east, lies a wilderness dominated by Fey and Russian Sorcerers. It is believed to be a safehaven for magic-users, but many european spellcasters fear entereing the domain of the Baba Yaga. This region is outside the influence of known Mystaran agents.
Oards
- Unknown to the other groups, Mystaran Oards have also made their way into LaTerre. DM Note: This can be a way to incorporate different eras of LaTerre into your adventures, making use of Ravenloft's Gothic Earth
What do you think? Could this make for an interesting campaign?