Radiant Valley: Radiance Based Country in the Hollow World
by Håvard
Reading through the VotPA series last week, I found this mention in the letter column again where Bruce mentions the possibility of a Magic-based society in the Hollow World which might be able to draw upon the power of the radiance, at least if we tweak things a little.
From Voyage of the Princess Ark Part 24, p 50, Dragon #177, January 1992:
The F.S.S. Beagle was a starship. The Immortal’s magic was added to its reactor after it crashed on Blackmoor. The effects of the artifact do not reach the Hollow World. Should you (as the DM) decide to affect the surface of the Hollow World, the area would be located exactly six hexes north of Fort Xichu in the Azcan Empire. The effects cover a 5-hex radius. Care to populate this desolate wilderness with Hollow World wizards?
My original idea was to have a realm there called Braejr, which would be a preserved version of Glantri before the non-Flaemish settlers arrive. This land would resemble the region as described in the Dragonlord Trilogy at the time when Thelvyn Foxeyes was raised among the Flaems.
by Geoff Gander
Yep, it's fertile and cut off from the rest of the world. What sort of people would live here? I think a case could be made for wanderers finding their way to the valley, discovering the crystals (if we use that idea), and making the place their home. Over time, like-minded peoples found their way there. The main difference from the Lighthouse is that the Lighthouse comes to you, whereas you only find the Radiant Valley through word of mouth and by surviving the arduous trek.
by DJ Hartel
I took the base map you had, resized it for Gimp and added a red boundary for the range of the Radiance. I'm under the impression that there was a 5 hex radius, and I'm using the center hex as one of the hexes (If I am incorrect, let me know and I can fix it up quick).
I believe their fire elementalists would look different than the fire magic practiced by Nithia. Mostly because Nithian Fire Magic is Immortally inspired, whereas, I think the Flaem were an magically inspired nation.
I'm under the impression they have/use steel, and technologically wise would be fairly advance?
As for issues, they'd fight with the Azcans, but I think it would be kind of minor (they can't really invade the other, one side has magic within their valley, the other side has more numbers/more fanatic troops). I do think they'd be less than pleased to learn Alphatia is up floating around after AC 1010. In fact, I could see them even preparing for the worse if they bump into any Alphatians.