Thoughts, comments, cigarettes?
Then there is the possibility that all of the undead in the Dead Lands rise up and take revenge on those in the Tyr Region- remember there are undead there from races that no longer exist- which would make things interesting.
Kreen Invasion- blah, blah, blah...been talked to death already.
Space halflings- see comment for kreen.
How about the alternative to the Dregoth Rising adventures- suppose he succeeds in his plans to become a god- that would be an interesting shift in the course for Athas.
I would like to see something put out that would take place far outside of the Tyr Region- Like in one of the areas mapped out by you Sysane- the Sundered Region (?). Everything out of the Tablelands would be like forging a new frontier and would be really high adventure.
The initial idea came from watching too much Deep Space Nine. I want to make a shapeshifting ooze type race that owes it's creation to the Nature Benders, or have them be what some of the remaining Nature Benders turned into. Anyways, they were going to be the primary race of the region and will be worshipped by the other races that dominate the region, which they also created. I was thinking about using either the painted elves or the drow from the Eberron campaign setting as the main fighter race, and then expound from there.
I dunno, I'm just tired of the "bring back Sorcerer Monarch X" appraoch, espcially since I am doing that some as well, and wanted to go with something different, even if it isn't original. And the Thor-kreen invasion I want to run as a build up, and if they aren't stopped pretty soon in the invasion then they will be an occuping force of the Tyr region for quite some time.
Borys coming back would be an interesting event that would shake up the Tablelands.
Personally, I think Borys should stay dead. A idea would be that some powerful minion of his that survived the fall of Ur-Draxa came along to gain revenge against those responsible for their master's death. An unknown Dead Lord with a legion of Dragon Warriors in tow would be great IMO.
Then there is the possibility that all of the undead in the Dead Lands rise up and take revenge on those in the Tyr Region- remember there are undead there from races that no longer exist- which would make things interesting.
This has some merit. An undead hoard assaulting the southern portion of the Tyr Region brings forth some cool adventure hooks.
Kreen Invasion- blah, blah, blah...been talked to death already
Space halflings- see comment for kreen..
Agreed. We can find the other threads on these topics if needed.
How about the alternative to the Dregoth Rising adventures- suppose he succeeds in his plans to become a god- that would be an interesting shift in the course for Athas.
I think DA touches on this a bit, but nothing super detailed.
I would like to see something put out that would take place far outside of the Tyr Region- Like in one of the areas mapped out by you Sysane- the Sundered Region (?). Everything out of the Tablelands would be like forging a new frontier and would be really high adventure.
I really like the idea that xlore had about the Cleansing War still raging on somewhere. This would fit this beautifully.
But what if he decided for the first time, to leave Eldaarich because he learned that New Kurn exist and turn is phobia over Oronis?
OR maybe he just started to think that the merchant house are a plague to is town (or something else) and begin a spread outside his city to exterminate something. I dont know. There is sooo few thing about him and we doesnt seem to likely see the Athas.org project Lost Cities any soon... Sooo let's create stuff around him?
I really like the idea that xlore had about the Cleansing War still raging on somewhere. This would fit this beautifully.
How come they wouldnt know that Rajaat, their master is confined? How come after such time, they didnt came back for information? How come, with their greatness power, didnt they know about what's going on right now?
Hum... It could be cool, but it would have to be carefully and well prepared history to explain how this could happen.
BUT I like this, I dont want to stop someone from creating stuff!
Just a though.
Here my try
- A giant fire elemental Lord come out of the Lava rift in Northern Athas
- The elfe tribe of the west unite under an elfe who has the Silencer of Bodach (I did in my campaign)
- Guthay is in fact a big eggs ready to hatch an uber-giant monster from before the Blue age. Maybe Athas first god.
- Athas in the middle of an elemental war. Maybe Fire elemental lord coming out of Lava rift, earth elemental lord coming out of Silt sea and Air elemental lord coming from above. The PC can team up with the Water elemental lord, the weakiest of them all, but the most good of them.
I really like the idea that xlore had about the Cleansing War still raging on somewhere. This would fit this beautifully.
That would be cool- the whole war could have kinda come to a point of total stagnation- the Armies of the War-Bringer could have been winning, but due to his sudden imprisionment, communication was cut off. They would not have had SK's or dragons- all of that happened in the Tablelands. The commanders could have just been powerful underlings that the SKs forgot about after they put Rajaat in the Hollow. With the confusion, the races being cleansed could have rallied and have been holding off the War-Bringers forces for the last several thousand years. Of course there would have to be a Champion or at least a trusted aid that has immortallity that has been keeping on wth the war- OR it has been passed down through the generations- making these bad guys really fanatical sickos.
The initial idea came from watching too much Deep Space Nine. I want to make a shapeshifting ooze type race that owes it's creation to the Nature Benders, or have them be what some of the remaining Nature Benders turned into. Anyways, they were going to be the primary race of the region and will be worshipped by the other races that dominate the region, which they also created. I was thinking about using either the painted elves or the drow from the Eberron campaign setting as the main fighter race, and then expound from there.
The Dominion? Good stuff. Another source to consider is Dragon Star RPG and the Dragon Empire for ideas. They used drow as sort of a secret police.
I dunno, I'm just tired of the "bring back Sorcerer Monarch X" appraoch, espcially since I am doing that some as well, and wanted to go with something different, even if it isn't original. And the Thor-kreen invasion I want to run as a build up, and if they aren't stopped pretty soon in the invasion then they will be an occuping force of the Tyr region for quite some time.
Agreed. I'm guilty of it myself but its definitely an over used plot device.
How come they wouldnt know that Rajaat, their master is confined? How come after such time, they didnt came back for information? How come, with their greatness power, didnt they know about what's going on right now?
Hum... It could be cool, but it would have to be carefully and well prepared history to explain how this could happen.
BUT I like this, I dont want to stop someone from creating stuff!
Just a though.
It would need to be some powerful immortal lieutenant. Some of what Kal suggested previously would help asnwering these questions.
How about something really different: Nature turns against Man. For example, a powerful druid(s) have developed a means of creating acidic rain, which they use to cleanse the land of man by destroying crops, killing farmers, and destroy cities (perhaps starting with Tyr, since it doesn't have a sorcerer-king). Or maybe they develop a means of greening up areas, by turning iron into green. An attack on the iron mine cripples Tyr's economy, and begins to weaken Athas' armies. Or combine several ideas to build up to a group of druids being fanatical bad guys just as bad as any sorcerer king.
I like this. Perhaps a mad Spirit of the Land who went into a sort of hibernation during the Druid Eradication reawakens to gain revenge against the SKs?
The Dominion?
Indeed, but I will probably use a different name, heh.
Good stuff. Another source to consider is Dragon Star RPG and the Dragon Empire for ideas. They used drow as sort of a secret police.
Kewl, I will have to check that out, thanks.
Agreed. I'm guilty of it myself but its definitely an over used plot device.
Yeah, I want to bring Kalid-ma, Irikos, and Sielba back once the PCs get the world close to what Revised threw out (I'm starting before the novels take place and letting the PCs change the world if they want).
Yeah, I want to bring Kalid-ma, Irikos, and Sielba back once the PCs get the world close to what Revised threw out (I'm starting before the novels take place and letting the PCs change the world if they want).
I brought Irikos back in my own home brew of DA before it was ever released. He was key in liberating Raam from the forces of Dregoth and has now become that city-state's ruler.
I also like the idea of a stagnant Cleansing War going on somewhere. Maybe under the control of a Champion that never made the DK transition.
The only issue with it being another Champion is that its hardly credible that a high level psion/wizard wouldn't be aware that Rajaat was betrayed and the actual war had been over for centuries.
I could see it if this being knew all this but kept his armies ignorant of the truth for his own selfish purposes.
me, i think that the kreen empire has undergone a shake up recently, dead lands too with the who psionatrix event from Dragon's Crown adventure. that, cuppled with Dregoth messing with clerical magic would make anyone who is in charge of an outside nation be ready to stop these threats.
from that point of view, it seems that the majority of threats to the tablelands are because of the recklessness of the inhabitance of the tablelands. they would be left alone (mostly, there is that whole revenge for the cleansing wars minor thing). just my 2 cp's.
The only issue with it being another Champion is that its hardly credible that a high level psion/wizard wouldn't be aware that Rajaat was betrayed and the actual war had been over for centuries.
I could see it if this being knew all this but kept his armies ignorant of the truth for his own selfish purposes.
I agree. The Champion would have been aware of the betrayal but either too involved with the business of exterminating to get there in time to participate or deciding to play neutral and see what happened
They probably know their master is imprisonned, but they may have great faith in him and believe that he will bring himself out of his prison on his own. They still fight for the cause, the eradication of preservers. (The immortal mindset - remember, these defiler warlords are older than the Champions - would also help support this way of thinking: that time answers all needs, that Rajaat will free himself.)
Of those defiler warlords who didn't become Champions later on, there is only Merek the Wrong that we know of.
Me and Methvezem created a few others: Amen Thal the Devourer, Merovech the Mage-Hound, Setare the Adder, and Vaque Deathshrieker. 2 man, 2 woman.
We've had Merovech fighting during the Preserver Jihad, then fighting under Albeorn against the elves during the Cleansing Wars, and finaly be rumored to have died in the assault of an elven fortress.
Bringing Irokos back is something i wanted to do, but as an undead lord of sorts. what did you have him up to/ what was his abilities in your view?
Well, the way I brought Irikos back is an odd one. One of the campaign arcs I ran involved the PCs being blasted to the Green Age shortly before the start of the Cleansing Wars.
While in the past, the party had an encouter with Irikos and one of the PCs made a snide comment towards him in regards to how he wasn't going to be around in the future. Shortly after this, the Hand of Rajaat destroyed the party which sent them back to Athas' present (long story). The odd comment of the character peeked the warlord's curiosity about his own future. At which point he had a series of Speak with Dead spells cast (by an elemental cleric) on one of the dead characters. Though this questioning he found out about his preceived death during his campaign against Bodach and the betrayal of the Champions.
There's more but maybe thats best save for another thread or PM. One of players reads this board a lot and they don't fully understand how Irikos is back and don't want to divulge to much.
As for his stats. I don't know if I want to go there, but I believe he was an immortal epic leveled fighter/wizard (defiler) with some various levels in some PrCs.
The only issue with it being another Champion is that its hardly credible that a high level psion/wizard wouldn't be aware that Rajaat was betrayed and the actual war had been over for centuries.
I could see it if this being knew all this but kept his armies ignorant of the truth for his own selfish purposes.
I agree- it would either be a non-Champion or one who knew but was playing the Rajaat was still around- ie acting as the Voice of Rajaat like some of the SK's act as servants to 'greater powers'.
OR the Champion could have been a pretty new one, and Rajaat decided he did not like it that one of his older Champions put aside his task for a while (Dregoth) and put an Uber-Geas on him/them to not stop until their task was finished. With the power Rajaat had it would be almost impossible to throw of one of his spells, so it has lasted for the last several thusand years.
Me and Methvezem created a few others: Amen Thal the Devourer, Merovech the Mage-Hound, Setare the Adder, and Vaque Deathshrieker. 2 man, 2 woman.
We've had Merovech fighting during the Preserver Jihad, then fighting under Albeorn against the elves during the Cleansing Wars, and finaly be rumored to have died in the assault of an elven fortress.
Do not forget the ultra-powerful and damn sexy Champion known as Kalthandrix the Flayer
Korungaard comes back as an incorporeal undead bent on revenge against the Veiled Alliance who failed to protect him. And he knows who they are...
The Caller in Darkness starts spawning smaller callers in darkness who start roaming in order to increase their soul count.
The Mind Lords! They see unhappy people and it makes them sad... They decide to enforce bliss upon the Tablelands with an army of psionic obsidian spheres.
(please don't kill me)
Sorak gets mad and decides to get even with the defilers and their minions.
Here's for Dawnstealer:
The Dwelfs unite under a ruler carrying a Broken Blade. Some of them enter their ruler's mind and become a new set of personalities.
We all know that the Tyr Region faces possible invasion at the hands of the Kreens, and that Dregoth plans to become Athas' first God and what not, but what other forces are out there to possibly threaten our favorite tiny burnt world?
Thoughts, comments, cigarettes?
My usual set-up, and collection/pool of "doomsday" ideas for Dark Sun that become progressively more realized as a group reaches higher and higher levels are:
- Kreen Invasion.
- Dregoth's Godhood spell.
- Rajaat's return.
- Attack of the [twisted] Rhulisti (a.k.a.: more or less the Yuuzhon Vong from the Star Wars d20 RPG).
- The Deadlands attack.
- Kalid-Ma's return (from the orbs & Ravenloft).
- Hamanu's inevitable progression to an extreme form of Animalistic Rampage (i.e. Rajaat's "final solution").
It could be catastrophic - perhaps suddenly no Clerical magic works - not Elemental Clerics, not Templars (the Vortexes have helped suck the Planes dry), only the Druids have the last dregs still remaining in the Spirits of the Land, and even that is beginning to run dry.
Perhaps Arcane Magic also begins to fail, as ultimately it's linked to the Elemental Planes too, sucking the Elemental energy out of the land itself.
The Dragons begin to discover that their transformations are beginning to revert - or that a Dragon's body can't sustain itself without the flow of Magic.
Only Psionics remains, taking power from the inner self. But can even that last?
In the end, the only way to restore the world before it slowly freezes into the Grey Age, is for a Great Alliance - where even Sorcerer King and Avangion must work together - to rebuild the Elemental Planes.
Sounds like a threat to me.
First there was the death of Kalak, the death of the first Sorceror king since -what? Kalid-Ma? Kalidnay just fell into ruin, but Tyr became a "democracy" and a "free city." Bah! I hate the idea. Athas was rich and enjoyable with it's dark, unchanging history.
Then they just started killing off Sorceror Kings and Queens right and left: Andy gets sent to the Hollow, Borys gets killed (10x worse than slaying any Sorceror King, IMO), Tectukititlay gets crushed, and Abalach-Re gets waxed as well. Total death toll: the one and only dragon, and four Sorceror Kings.
Next, Athas starts getting regular rainstorms, the thri-kreen begin to invade from the West, all psionics stop working, etc, etc.
To me, these "world shaking" ideas just seem kinda lazy -especially when there is so much rich material to use from the setting itself.
I will admit that I really enjoyed the "City by the Silt Sea," expansion, and Pennarin's idea of the cleansing wars going on somewhere remote sounds really, really interesting. Nytcrawler's idea about a race of life-bender-mutants in the northern hemisphere sounds very cool as well.
Pennarin, I would love to hear more about your ideas involving a continuing Cleansing War. Can you fill us in, either here or somewhere else?
itf
and Pennarin's idea of the cleansing wars going on somewhere remote sounds really, really interesting.
Pennarin, I would love to hear more about your ideas involving a continuing Cleansing War. Can you fill us in, either here or somewhere else?
Errrr...Pennarin's? It was actually Xlore's which had been sort of elaborated on by many people on this thread.
They would come from the athasian Astral or the Deep, and would possess a corrupting influence and mindest, bent on assimilating everything and making it their own, starting with their agents, the Scions of the Worm (a PrC).
Coud be fun.
I would love an attempt at invading Athas by the psurlons, a bit like Eberron's daelkyrs (from a local plane of madness) or Fiend Folio's kaorti (from the Far Realm).
They would come from the athasian Astral or the Deep, and would possess a corrupting influence and mindest, bent on assimilating everything and making it their own, starting with their agents, the Scions of the Worm (a PrC).
Coud be fun.
Yeah, I think I'd breakout my old Rift Atlantis supplement and try to incorperate some of that with the psurlons. The sploogorth and the psurlons are similar and would make for a great campaign arc.
Errrr...Pennarin's? It was actually Xlore's which had been sort of elaborated on by many people on this thread.
Yes, now that I have reread the thread, I see that you mentioned it as Xlore's idea first. Pennarin comes in later with specific details from his campaign, and I got the ideas of who-invented-what juxtaposed.
I was wrong to attribute the idea to Pennarin, but please bear with me, I am new here.
itf
Yes, now that I have reread the thread, I see that you mentioned it as Xlore's idea first. Pennarin comes in later with specific details from his campaign, and I got the ideas of who-invented-what juxtaposed.
I was wrong to attribute the idea to Pennarin, but please bear with me, I am new here.
itf
No prob. Just wanted the credit given to the correct persons
Speaking of which, I was hoping xlore was going to chime in and eloborate more on the continued Cleansing War idea.Spinning off of Xlore's idea- perhaps said Champion is out ther killing all by himself having evolved into "something"- perhaps arriving at the true apex of Rajaats plans when he said that they could not even magin the potential that they, his Champions, had within them.
Possibly. I definitely would have this individual a) not be a Sorcerer-King (no templars, etc.), and b) not be a Dragon. However, it would be interesting if in making themselves Dragons, the SK's ended up missing out on Rajaat's true destiny/goal/plan for his Champions to reach.
I'd still more or less have this "rogue" Champion not really following Rajaat's plan -- after all, he's not really wiping out his designated race; he's merely herding them around and destroying anywhere that this race's refugee's flee to. It would make their arrival be almost at the very least a "bad omen" to the communities there, for the arrival of the refugees would eventually end up with the towns being destroyed. The race could also be somehow presenting themselves in such a pitiable way, that it becomes difficult for communities to push them away (or that their numbers simply are so great, that they can overwhelm a city, town, or village they arrive at).
I'm basically thinking the region would basically have that cities need to spend a bit of resources to rebuild themselves relatively regularly, as the refugees arrive, and then the Champion comes to destroy the city they are in, kill a few of the refugees, scaring off the others to a new "safe haven" (while causing more than a few casualties within the city the refugees hid in). It's a constant, endless cycle.
Another possibility would be:
In the style of the "Wraith" from Stargate: Atlantis -- the Champion has an army/legion that could be some kind of undead. They sleep/hibernate for a period of years, only to awaken, go, seek out the race the Champion is tasked to destroy, feed on this race whittling down their numbers, then the army/legion returns to their hibernation points to sleep once more. The race in question rebuilds their numbers only to have them get effectively "culled" every 80 - 160 years or so. Once again, the army could not really care if they kill/feed on members of other races while they hunt their main prey, but their primary focus is to seek out the "main course", so to speak.
Of course... that could be somewhere else on Athas, where the Cleansing Wars are still going on, in another perverse way...
I could see cullings, but no need for hibernation or such similar story devices. Take a ganter from the tale of Myron in RaFoaDK to see how easy it is to for an entire nation to be made to produce what you like to cull, and do so periodically while you keep it corraled through some means, either magic, an army, or even by artificially establishing said nation in a prison of natural barriers (like in a valley rimmed by gorges and mountains).
How come they wouldnt know that Rajaat, their master is confined? How come after such time, they didnt came back for information? How come, with their greatness power, didnt they know about what's going on right now?
Well, if the Champions were set out and tasked to do their missions, and from he looks of things didn't necessarily need to make reports, that Champion could be so focused on his little part of the Cleansing Wars, that he just hasn't bothered checking in. Or he has been not quite doing what Rajaat desired, and doesn't really want to check in.
Hum... It could be cool, but it would have to be carefully and well prepared history to explain how this could happen.
BUT I like this, I dont want to stop someone from creating stuff!
Just a though.
Yea, there's a lot of details to work out, it's more or less a rough idea I've had running in my head without any real structure put to it yet.
Did I hear the magic word Stargate?
I could see cullings, but no need for hibernation or such similar story devices. Take a ganter from the tale of Myron in RaFoaDK to see how easy it is to for an entire nation to be made to produce what you like to cull, and do so periodically while you keep it corraled through some means, either magic, an army, or even by artificially establishing said nation in a prison of natural barriers (like in a valley rimmed by gorges and mountains).
Yea, I know there's other ideas out there. I was actually thinking of the portrayal of Myron in Rise and Fall when I was coming up with the idea. Some Champion who is more or less going against Rajaat's plan, and not completely annihilating his race. One who is potentially afraid of what Rajaat would do if Rajaat found out (and might somehow believe he's just been getting away with it, or after the millenia, has come to the conclusion that he's doing right by Rajaat, since Rajaat's not punished him yet). The Champion wouldn't really be all right in the head, and would basically ontinuing his distorted rendition of his part in the Cleansing Wars, and has been for thousands of years.
I would love an attempt at invading Athas by the psurlons, a bit like Eberron's daelkyrs (from a local plane of madness) or Fiend Folio's kaorti (from the Far Realm).
They would come from the athasian Astral or the Deep, and would possess a corrupting influence and mindest, bent on assimilating everything and making it their own, starting with their agents, the Scions of the Worm (a PrC).
Coud be fun.
And they use the Crimson Monolith as the entry point to Athas. Maybe the caharcters can discover that further Crimson Monoliths exist on other regions (in the kreen empire, on the other side of the Sea of Silt, etc.), and later can learn the way to use them for teleporting between these far away points (yes, magic word Stargate again)
Finally they has to learn how to use the monoliths to travel to the Psurlon Empire and stop their meddlings from there.Yeah, I know, it's all old stuff, just brainstroming...
Honestly, I haven't really had time to work out the details, but I was thinking that if the Cleansing Wars were global, there could be a pocket area where some Champion had set up shop to be able to drag his part of the Cleansing Wars indefinitely (ala Mwhat Myron was attributed to be doing in Rise and Fall). Make it a Champion who found a way to keep the race he's huntings' population be a constant. The individual would really be out there -- deriving an endless amount of perverse pleasure in slaying this race. The methods he has done this could be that he either has a very small army, or no army at all. He might just be scaring & herding that race around vast expanses of a region, and the natives of that region have to deal with refugees fleeing from him, filling a city, then he goes and attacks that city. The entire region then could be in a state of flux
It can be set up something like the cycle displayed in Matrix: the army always push the race to extinction, but there is always a hero or heroes born who stop Rajaat's Champion, and the whole army somehow for a time, and re-build their race and culture from scratch, till the Champion wakes up again and attacking them again, but at that time there are new heroes born who stop it again...
Other idea: the Champion knows that Rajaat is imprisoned, but to keep his/her army's loyalty there is always a new target designated for 'cleansing', and Rajaat's imprisonment is a secret. Otherwise the bickering generals of the Champion would turn against each other or even against the Champion. If the Champion is not immortal, the secret is shared to the new Champion only when it enters office. So the Chapion is very much intending to capture troublemakers from the far away Tablelands, who are telling stories about Rajaat, the other Champions, etc.
So... If I get this, you're saying that the errant Champion of Rajaat is really the Dread Pirate Roberts? Better watch out, Buttercup...
As.....
You.....
Wish.....
*said spell is more then within my rights and powers as the Flayer of Halflings
Die, Die DIE!!!!
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
That is it- I unleash a chain ligntning bolt* to slay all of you. Die, Die DIE!!!!
*said spell is more then within my rights and powers as the Flayer of Halflings
I swear it will be done!
who is Paizo, what's does his version entail, and where can i find a copy?
hum? What? Did Brian said anything? :D
who is Paizo, what's does his version entail, and where can i find a copy?
Paizo is...drums...drums again...the company that owns Dragon and Dungeon magazines.
It released a 3.5 version of the setting in both magazines, set 300 years in the future, and although it held good points it also was riddled with far too many elements that ensured it held but a surface resemblance to the original Dark Sun.
It released a 3.5 version of the setting in both magazines, set 300 years in the future, and although it held good points it also was riddled with far too many elements that ensured it held but a surface resemblance to the original Dark Sun.
Translation: Basically it was crap.
:D
Ok, the Noonan (if they were actually his) defiler rules were pretty kick ass, and with a tweak here or there they are damn near perfect.
Translation: Basically it was crap.
:D
Ok, the Noonan (if they were actually his) defiler rules were pretty kick ass, and with a tweak here or there they are damn near perfect.
Like these tweaks here?
Like these tweaks here?
Exactly.
Xlorep's are good as well, in fact I'll probably be using his for now till I ponder it more.
He needs to post what he did...
Borys coming back would be an interesting event that would shake up the Tablelands..
It states in the Crimson Legion that if Borys dies, his spirit will return to the Citadel of Ebe
and inhabit a special gem, and he would be a wraith like the one that possessed Rikus.
It states in the Crimson Legion that if Borys dies, his spirit will return to the Citadel of Ebe
and inhabit a special gem, and he would be a wraith like the one that possessed Rikus.
a la the Return of the King, Dragon King that is.
The only reason I would do this is because he kinda went out like a punk and IMHO there should have been a greater fight.
It states in the Crimson Legion that if Borys dies, his spirit will return to the Citadel of Ebe
and inhabit a special gem, and he would be a wraith like the one that possessed Rikus.
Who knows if thats true though. That info came from wraiths who thought Rikus was actually Borys himself. However, I'll admit that it does open the possibility for some very interesting ideas.
a la the Return of the King, Dragon King that is.
The only reason I would do this is because he kinda went out like a punk and IMHO there should have been a greater fight.
Except that a near god-like being took his punk ass out, so it's all good there.
I wanted to bring him back at one point, and I finally just got over it and just decided to start my campaigns before the PP, heh.
He was locked away for a few thousand years by the most powerful beings on the planet, requiring the life force of several thousand people every year to maintain said inprisionment, and they (TSR) expected me to beleive that a lowly wizard of maybe 18th level was able to lock away the First Sorcerer again.
HA- I laugh with much scorn at the saps who wrote that, or I would if I would meet them.
I have been thinking of trying to design an super-epic adventure with Rajaat's return the major focal point- here is how it would break down.
All of the remaining SK's throw everything aside when they feel the War-Bringers immenent return to Athas (even the crazy and Oronis come out to play and help out). They use all of their power to try to keep the prision closed, but it will not last long.
The PC's are enlisted to travel to the four elemental planes and get the aid of the major elemental princes to have them safe guard sections of Rajaats body or aiding in constructing a new prision (water would be the hardest to convince seeing how Rajaat wants to return to the Blue Age=water=greater power for the elemental lords of water). But that could be overcome by convincing the Water Lords that a return to the Blue Age would mean no more elemental clerics and that Rajaat could find a way to sever the connections between the planes (like Dregoth kinda did).
Maybe they PC's would meet Farcluun, whom is the one responsible to helping Rajaat breat out in return for becoming his new Champion, made to kill all but the halflings and with the promise being allowed to exist with Rajaat when the Blue Age comes again.
Except that a near god-like being took his punk ass out, so it's all good there.
I wanted to bring him back at one point, and I finally just got over it and just decided to start my campaigns before the PP, heh.
He was only beat because the damn mul could not keep his sword in one piece- it was pure luck (and the writer's cerative licence).
He was only beat because the damn mul could not keep his sword in one piece- it was pure luck (and the writer's cerative licence).
Actually he broke the sword on purpose when he was attacking Borys.
I think he was meant to stay dead, only because I'm sure Troy Denning had something even worse in store for Athas.
Rajaat frees, and everybody who is there try to push him back to the Hollow. However with his first move Rajaat kills Boris and next Tectuctilay than putting Andropinis into the Hollow, just "to taste how does it feel". Tithian tries to use the Dark Lens against Rajaat, Rajaat would also try to kill him, but something goes amiss, and Tithian becomes the Cerulean Storm, which is not a happy thing either. Than Rajaat asks this simple question from the others: "who is the next to die?" And the five survivor bows down before Rajaat. He charms and sends the 3 monarch back to his/her respective cities with orders to prepare transforming Athas back to the Green, and further the Blue age. He sends the charmed Rikus and Sadira back to Tyr with similar orders. And it can be, that transforming Tithian into the Cerulean Storm is also for this goal, i.e. bring water to the planet.
After the long imprisonment Rajaat needs to catch up with all the things changed, and he also suspects that Dregoth is still lurking somewhere and he can be very dangerous on him and on his plans. So for now he makes careful steps, remains hidden, gathering information and making plans how to convert and use the remaining SKs for his ends. He can use the remains of Ur-Draxa under the Cerulean Storm as a perfect hiding place.
In the meantime the Oba and Nibenay starts working together to fulfill the order of their master and make Athas lush again, Rikus and Sadira does the same in Tyr. Hamanu however has other orders from Rajaat, so he closes Urik and start to prepare his city and army for a war. Maybe his task can be to stop the coming thri-kreen invasion, or have a powerful army to count Dregoth's. But all of them telling the story Rajaat fabricated (and Troy Denning wrote in PP -maybe he was also charmed) :D if they bother to tell it anyway. The goal all behind this is to lure out Dregoth from his hiding. What is exactly he does with attacking Raam in the Dregoth Ascending campaign...
In the meantime Andropinis finds a way to communicate with his templars from the Black, and he slowly starts to create an organisation to counter Rajaat's activites, and freeing him from the Black eventually. He tries to contact Dregoth, Oronis and Daskinor as potential allies to free the others from Rajaat's domination, than try to put the mad arch-wizard back into the prison.
I know it has some holes in it, but maybe somebody can start use it, or fleshing it out more completely.
What kind of terrible things do you have planned for the Tyr region? Rajaat can't do squat, if squat involves actually improving the world - or are you portraying Rajaat the Repentant?
But I somehow doubt that Rajaat would need to waste spells to cow these individuals into submission...
Has anyone suggested the return of the War-Bringer.
He was locked away for a few thousand years by the most powerful beings on the planet, requiring the life force of several thousand people every year to maintain said inprisionment, and they (TSR) expected me to beleive that a lowly wizard of maybe 18th level was able to lock away the First Sorcerer again.
HA- I laugh with much scorn at the saps who wrote that, or I would if I would meet them.
I have been thinking of trying to design an super-epic adventure with Rajaat's return the major focal point- here is how it would break down.
All of the remaining SK's throw everything aside when they feel the War-Bringers immenent return to Athas (even the crazy and Oronis come out to play and help out). They use all of their power to try to keep the prision closed, but it will not last long.
The PC's are enlisted to travel to the four elemental planes and get the aid of the major elemental princes to have them safe guard sections of Rajaats body or aiding in constructing a new prision (water would be the hardest to convince seeing how Rajaat wants to return to the Blue Age=water=greater power for the elemental lords of water). But that could be overcome by convincing the Water Lords that a return to the Blue Age would mean no more elemental clerics and that Rajaat could find a way to sever the connections between the planes (like Dregoth kinda did).
Maybe they PC's would meet Farcluun, whom is the one responsible to helping Rajaat breat out in return for becoming his new Champion, made to kill all but the halflings and with the promise being allowed to exist with Rajaat when the Blue Age comes again.
i've actually worked this into the overall arc of my campaign. the idea being that Dregoth's godhood spell sets off a series of collateral chain-reactions that end up freeing Rajaat from his prison. basically, when Dregoth completes the final stage of the spell, the Gray and the Black (both planes unique to Athas, and part of the reason why divine energies cannot reach it) begin to dissolve as the conduits of divine power grow in strength and size. this in turn begins to weaken the walls of Rajaat's prison and allows him to gather the divine energies from the spell to become the first true god on Athas. i'm basically playing with the idea that the godhood spell, though intended to work only for Dregoth, ended up being less specific and opening up the doorways to godhood for all powerful beings on the face of the planet...thus the players will be left with the quandries "how do we stop it? should we stop it? what will happen if we do stop it?" obviously, it's a tough call, with Rajaat out and the power of the divine bringing him closer to his original plan, and other powerful beings displaying and developing divinity, the choice will have profound ramifications throughout the multiverse...
Add in some swift retribution from 'on high', templars are optional, and just general fear and perhaps a resistance of some sort.. place it all in a remote region of athas... think maybe, aztec style pyramids amidst a jungle... in some valley with cliffs "supposedly" too steep to climb (in reality, the Champion keeps "pets" roaming those cliffs, to trap the race inside..)
Thoughts?
Oh, and I like the thought you had on the return of Rajaat there, mixing in the divine aspect.. making him more powerful than ever before.. opening up divine ranks I guess (I've never read that book, but I assume someone knows what I'm talking about, since I've heard it noised about often enough) so Rajaat, and maybe others start gaining powers... perhaps some of he PC's who are epic as well? and then a Titanic battle begins!! and at last, only as a deity, can Rajaat be destroyed... and with his distruction, or perhaps to enact his distruction, is removed the deific power base that was 'temporarily' crafted... hence, Athas returns to no Gods :P (though there could have been some out there who could receive lasting effects from it)
Oh, and the whole deal with a pact with water? why not make water side with Rajaat anyway (more believable) and have the PC's need to steal what is needed to imprison whatever part of Rajaat.. (water is probably the only one they'd have a chance with power wise, and would still provide a big nuesance for dessert originating race of PC's.. what if one of the PC's was a water cleric? internal strife )What if the Champion that is still fighting is Myron? Maybe he never died. Or maybe he is undead. After all, if there can be undead dragon kings, maybe there can be undead champions (I like this idea a lot.)
Here is another twist, perhaps Myron was the first Champion to catch wind of Rajaat's plans, and maybe that is why he was purged first. Myron could have planted a seed of dissent into the minds of all of the Champions.
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