Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Aug 20, 2005 16:47:30	Having not had the luxury of having read all the prism pentad, and not having had the luxury of an inpeccible memory I call upon you my fellow Athasian enthusiasts. I would like a synopsis of Athasian history. Similar to the thread in which people decribe an alternate Athas, I would like to see a chronological (not necissarilly dated) history of Athas. This would be a wondrous help in keeping cannon flowing whilst still having my PC's be integral to the changing of Athas. I know this task is daunting to say the least but I am sure that one of you if not several have it to a point of near rote. In advance I would like to thank anyone who contributes, again you cannot imagine (or perhaps you can) how much of an aid this will be to me. Alexis
#2 zombiegleemax Aug 20, 2005 17:13:56	I considered posting an edit but instead opted for a reply. I have the timeline given by oters in an older thread, but I am looking for a bit more flavorful and detailed history. As I said something similar to the ones given for the alternate histories. Again I am sorry for asking but it is indeed important to me. Alexis
#3 xlorepdarkhelm_dup Aug 20, 2005 17:32:53	I don't remember where it's at, but there is an official timeline that summarizes everything on a site. Odds are, Grummore's Silt Skimmer Website, in the links section, has that link.
#4 zombiegleemax Aug 20, 2005 18:07:40	I have the timeline Pennarin posted in a thread back on page 4. But in and of itself a timepline is nothing if not understood. As I read the thread about an Alternate Athas it dawned on me that fans of Darksun can take a boring timeline and describe the series of events that unfolded to make it memorable. As I said I know this is a daunting task to ask of my fellows and I wish that it was I who could post it, but alas, I am not that well versed. So I asked here in the hopes someone could bring a mere timeline to life with vivid recollections of events that only a fan could remember, and though I am a fan I only recently shifted my focus from my long time gaming obsession; Planescape; to the world of Athas, but everyday I find something new among fans and fiction, books, and magazines, and in its own way, DarkSun has already reached a position of rivalry with my favorite gaming setting of all time. I do so hope that someone, anyone, with a flair and penchant for words takes up this call and brings their plethora of experience to the forums, turning a 13 page time-line into a rich and vibrant history. As I said I am merely looking for the events that rocked and changed Athas. I need not know all about Rajaat and the Rhulisti, but in the events preceding and following the Prism Pentad series in which Kalak falls and the balance of power on a dying world forever shifts, in which heroes are raised up and tyrants overthrown, that time interests me greatly. The fall of several Sorcerer-Monarchs, wars between the City-States and other massive and world altering events cannot be brought to vibrant life with a mere one line. "In this year Kalak fell to be replaced by a council consisting of blah blah blah" But instead need an underlying sense of understanding to accompany them. Though I do thank you for the reply and the point to a timeline. Again with all thanks to my fellow gamers, Alexis
#5 ruhl-than_sage Aug 20, 2005 21:06:58	If you really want to know all about that series of events, it would be best if you read the prism pentad. You can get them online from a number of sources, all you need to do is do a search.
#6 Pennarin Aug 20, 2005 21:22:23	If you really want to know all about that series of events, it would be best if you read the prism pentad. You can get them online from a number of sources, all you need to do is do a search. Sources for online books can be found in Part X of the Dark Sun Forum Archive.
#7 Mulhull Aug 22, 2005 1:00:02	Having not had the luxury of having read all the prism pentad, and not having had the luxury of an inpeccible memory I call upon you my fellow Athasian enthusiasts. I would like a synopsis of Athasian history. Similar to the thread in which people decribe an alternate Athas, I would like to see a chronological (not necissarilly dated) history of Athas. This would be a wondrous help in keeping cannon flowing whilst still having my PC's be integral to the changing of Athas. I know this task is daunting to say the least but I am sure that one of you if not several have it to a point of near rote. In advance I would like to thank anyone who contributes, again you cannot imagine (or perhaps you can) how much of an aid this will be to me. Alexis what's this about an alternate history of athas, did someone go back and screw up history, kill Rajaat before he was the first sorceror or something? I know there's an "alternate" history of Krynn where Raistlin became a diety himself and killed the dark queen and every other god of Krynn, which never actually happened and was prevented.
#8 vinylvillichi_dup Aug 22, 2005 2:59:48	Is the question about the Prism Pentad (blech) or the history of Athas before that series (the fun time period to play in)? Long long ago Athas was beautiful and had only halflings. There was lots of water and metal and life was interesting. There were psionics but no magic. This was called the Blue Age, I believe. Then something weird happened. Halflings started turning into other things. (Someone else fill in the detail here, I have forgotten. Think "experiment gone wrong.") The things they turned into were humans and elves and dwarves and gnomes and pixies and wemics and trolls and ogres and giants and orcs...you get the idea. This was the beginning of the Green Age. Athas was beautiful and life was interesting. Then something weird happened. A crazy lunatic named Rajaat invented magic. (Note, I read somewhere that this is the earliest point at which time travel is possible.) He started with Preserving and gathered some students. When he found some really cool minion-types who thought the same way he did politically he taught them defiling. Their names were Kalak and Myron and Seilba and Boris and Tectucticlay and Sacha...you get the idea. This happened during the Green Age. Athas was beautiful and life was interesting. Then something weird happened. Rajaat and his flunkies cast the kick-buttenest spell they had ever seen. The flunkies began turning themselves into dragons, yada yada yada. The sun was wounded by it, but who the heck cared? The world became a desert. but not everything died, so it was ok. They were on the road to ultimate power. Athas was...well, not so beautiful, but life was interesting. Then Rajaat gave his best students a job. "Dudes, this world is overrun by moron elves and pixies and stuff. I want you to kill them. Divide them all up and figure out what you want to do. I'll give a prize to whoever kills off their assigned non-human. But hey, leave those neato halflings alone. Now go!" "Right, we're on it!" This was the Cleansing Wars. Some of them succeeded, some of them REALLY screwed up and were replaced (exit Myron, enter Hamanu) and someone (They disagree about who it was) wondered why Rajaat didn't want to attack halflings and put together that he was eventually going to turn on the humans and turn over the world to halflings. Then something weird happened. These Champions actually managed to work together (probably for the last time in a few millenia) and faught against Rajaat (and a couple of their number who didn't turn) They stashed him into the Black, because they couldn't manage to kill him. They assigned Boris to make sure Rajaat stayed stashed. The remaining Champions decided to let the surviving non-humans go ahead and live, (but probably secretly make fun of the "Champions" who couldn't manage) They take over widely spread cities and name themselves Kings (and Queens.) And Athas was NOT beautiful and life was rotten, occassionally interesting, yes, but rotten. After a few centuries Hamanu killed Sielba, (lover's spat according to "Rise and Fall of a Dragon King") and Dregoth got killed (I forget how.) And life goes on (if you're lucky) and Athas stayed ugly and the sun was dying etc... This goes on for millenia. Then something weird happens...but I hate the Prism Pentad and how it ruined Athas so much that I am ending my pseudo-history here. The End
#9 Pennarin Aug 22, 2005 4:07:29	Timeline of Athas
#10 jon_oracle_of_athas Aug 22, 2005 6:29:02	I would invest a few $ in getting the revised Dark Sun campaign setting from rpgnow.com. It has a nice history section.
#11 xlorepdarkhelm_dup Aug 22, 2005 8:19:15	Good call Jon.
#12 ruhl-than_sage Aug 22, 2005 9:10:59	Psionics didn't exsist in the Blue Age. It was created as part of the brown tide I believe. At any rate it came about with the Green Age
#13 gilliard_derosan Aug 22, 2005 22:45:28	I would invest a few $ in getting the revised Dark Sun campaign setting from rpgnow.com. It has a nice history section. Definitely. I had most of the material from my previous copy.. rules book, Psionics booklet, cloth map, and the screen, but I was missing the Wanderer's chronical (yeah, I havd the Wanderer's Journal from the original Dark Sun box set, but it wasn't as detailed), so I went online and bought the revised box set on eBay... Speaking of eBay, Here is a revised box set starting at 10 bucks. And at the time of this posting, less than a day before auction ends. Anyway, when you search for Dark Sun stuff, you need to check any mention of campaign setting, because not everyone displays it as the "revised" setting, just the one i linked does not. And I know it is not the "2400 Dark Sun Campaign Setting", 2400 is the item number I guess for the original boxed set. However, if you would just like all of the text, without the extras in the form of the maps and such, then the pdf versions online should be suitable (and probably more affordable)