Mystara solar system
by James MishlerI continue to go with a modified solar system as originally devised by Frank Mentzer;
Planets, in order, with real world equivalents:
Earth Mystara
Sun Solarios
Mercury (Does not Exist)
Venus Valerias (inhabited by Saurial beings)
Earth Mystara (inhabited by many beings)
Luna Matera (sub-lunar dwellings and pocket-dimensions; otherwise dead)
(------) Myoshima (inhabited by felinoids)
Mars Ares (inhabited by unusual creatures and barbarian human tribes)
Asteroids Vanya (Damocles) (inhabited by an advanced inhuman race)
Jupiter Viudan (some moons are inhabited)
Saturn Khoronus (home to a large draconic empire and many kingdoms)
Uranus Protius (inhabited by sea creatures)
Neptune (Razud) --- Generally known only to the Alphatians...
Pluto (Does not Exist)
Charon (Thanatos) --- Again, generally known only to the Alphatians...
Also note that I NEVER converted Mystara to the Spelljammer "Crystal Spheres" cosmology, nor do I use the Planescape "Wheel" planar configuration. I continue to use a combination of the systems from the Immortals boxed set and the WotI boxed set... Crystal Spheres? Why, as Joshuan would say... "Humbug!"...
Also, re: Elder Alphatia; in my campaign it is a nebula several hundred LY away; the Beagle and the Federation existed far across the Galaxy, in another arm; the Beagle fell through a "Wormhole" and crashed on Mystara...
The basic information concerning the nature of the Mystaran Solar System is found in the original "DM's Guide to Immortals" on pgs 5+6; I added the Mystaran names myself (for my own campaign; they're not "Official" in any way, shape or form). As to the Ares/Vanya issue, I will cover that more in a later post on Religious Schisms; basically, the existence of Ares in my Mystara campaign is due to the fact that I could never work out how the Hattians, a racist and misogynist culture could ever worship a FEMALE Immortal (Vanya), so in my campaign Ares took the place of Vanya in the Hattian faith; the Heldannic Knights still revere Vanya; this was the crux of the Schism that occurred in the Hattian Temple of War that came to a head back in the 30's (and was the impetus for the foundation of the Heldannic Territories by the Hattian Knights of Vanya).
Anyway, Ares is actually another name for Orcus, who I felt was perfect for the part of a vile, nasty, brutish Immortal worshipped by the Hattians. Bemarris doesn't come into the picture at all, though I had briefly considered him for the part, I felt he wasn't quite evil enough.
Ares/Orcus, by the way, was a Devil Swine who attained immortality during the Heroic Age of the Traldar; he was a Traldar King of a client-state (much like ancient Cynidicea of module B 4). Tales of his evil reign remain today in myths among the Alasiyani, and are the reason that the flesh of swine are forbidden to all who follow the Way of the Eternal Truth...
More about Vanya and Ares in a later post (gotta go to work)...