Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 spyyder976 Aug 14, 2006 1:18:53	Hey guys, I'm reading up a storm trying to read about Mystara in 3276 BC, in the area of the Isle of Bellisaria for a campaign I'm running. In my game, there are rare portals hidden in worlds which transport PC's to different worlds, times, etc. They have little control over these portals without the 12 keys which pinpoint when and where you are going. They are about to jump into their first one from a homebrew world, and it is taking them to the world of Mystara, in the area of Bellisaria, -3276 BC. I've looked at timelines and tons of maps (still haven't found one of Bellisaria, but I see it is SE of Alphatia and SW of Skothab. (They have 1 key, and chose the Northern hemisphere of the planet over the Southern, and I rolled for the rest; they got the NE section of the planet, and the SW quarter of that section. To be specific, they are landing in a civilized village in a mountainous region-now to decide where exactly that will be!) I am wading through tons of info here and elsewhere to find all info I can on this area in this time period so I can decide on appropriate adventures in the area. Any help would be infinitely appreciated, as I'm still looking through mountains of info. as it is, for bits and pieces here and there that are useful. Thanks!
#2 Cthulhudrew Aug 14, 2006 10:42:45	I've looked at timelines and tons of maps (still haven't found one of Bellisaria, but I see it is SE of Alphatia and SW of Skothab. You should check out the Vaults of Pandius if you haven't already. There are a bunch of things that you might be able to use there. Notably, there is LoZompatore's map of Bellissaria, which is also the subject of a recent thread here on the boards. A couple of articles about Bellissaria, and a timeline of the era you are referring to. Also, Havard has created a really good Precataclysmic map that should give you a good idea of what was going on in the region c. 3276 BC. There is also James Mishler's History of Blackmoor that might give you some ideas. In any event, there doesn't seem to be much going on at that time in Bellissaria that has been reported. The Alphatians haven't landed yet (and won't for another 2000 years), so they aren't in the region. The Great Rain of Fire hasn't happened yet, so the Empire of Thonia and Blackmoor are the major powers in the world presumably (Thonia an empire in steady decline, Blackmoor on the rise). The Bellissarian isles are probably populated by either Yanifey from the Alphatian mainland, Tanagoro from Skothar, or possibly Oltecs. Or it may be uninhabited by human races completely (maybe just some unique demihuman races or monsters or something). Bellissaria is pretty far off the map from the Blackmoor/Thonia regions. I could possibly see it being the site of choice for slavers capturing thralls to sell in imperial markets, although the Tangor area seems a closer choice for something like that.
#3 jakob_pawlowicz Aug 14, 2006 10:50:58	http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=674762 in the year 1000 AC, 4276 years after. There is just one very big problem with your timing. In 3000 BC the Blackmoor civilization goes nuclear, which results in The Great Rain of Fire, that changed the surface of Mystara (continents moving, starting an ice age ect. ect.). So it might be a tad difficult to find presice info regarding Bellisaria that year/period. My advice would be to set the time to around 1000 AC. As most published material is set in/around this period.
#4 zombiegleemax Aug 14, 2006 12:59:32	Echoing a bit of what Andrew said, there really isn't that much to go on, in the official sense, if you want to work out what Bellissaria was like back then. Of course, this means you can do whatever you want, given that any culture that existed there was more than likely wiped out by the Great Rain of Fire, or during the chaos shortly thereafter. With that in mind, I thought I'd whip together an idea of what might have been on Bellissaria around 3276 BC - feel free to use, abuse, ignore, as you see fit. Please note that this is all off-the-cuff, too: Bahldaraat-Khor Background: The Harmonious Realms of Bahldaraat-Khor have stretched across the breadth of Bellissaria for centuries. Although seen by outsiders as a monolithic entity, Bahldaraat-Khor is actually comprised of 21 independent realms united by a common faith and guiding philosophy. Some of the realms are kingdoms, others theocracies, bizarre communes, or various forms of simple democracies. One would think the sub-continent would be awash in conflict, but this is not so; the high priesthood of Khor, from their thrones in the island city of Orond, provide guidance to the various rulers, balancing their competing goals with the good of the land. Bahldaraat-Khor traded sporadically with its neighbours, with the exception of the Yanifey (with whom they occasionally warred). Thonia, Blackmoor, and other realms bought Bahldaraan spices and dyes – said to be of the finest quality – and a few learned folk ventured to the insular realm to learn from its distinguished thinkers. Bahldaraat-Khor fell on hard times in the years leading up to the Great Rain of Fire. Relations with the Yanifey, tense at the best of times, erupted into open warfare once it became known that Thonia’s demand for slaves was on the rise, and its people did not care from whence they came. The Yanifey sought to make themselves into middlemen for the Thonians, and claimed to act with their blessings when they invaded Bahldaraat-Khor. Much of the north and west was taken, and those who did not flee the Yanifey were enslaved, and sold to Thonian traders. In their place, thousands of Yanifey settlers descended on the shores and founded their own colonies. Before long, the Yanifey began to spread inland, and more realms fell, until only one-third of Bellissaria remained free. All this came to an end when Blackmoor was destroyed, and the world shifted. Other Thoughts: The holy city of Orond was located on an island in the middle of what is now Blueside Lake. It was said to be a great place of learning, and the great temple of Khor, the patron Immortal of the Bahldaraans, was located there. This island sank during the Great Rain of Fire, but ruins might still exist. The neck of land connecting Bellissaria to Skothar was guarded by fortifications of immense proportions, which forced travellers to go through a narrow, heavily guarded pass. It was obvious that the Bahldaraans could not have built it, and the only thing they ever said about it was that the fortifications were there when they first came to their land. This could be very similar to the great wall limiting access to the interior of the Isle of Dread. The Bahldaraans practiced a form of magic that was almost druidic in nature, relying on the land’s bounty. Certain spells were more effective at certain times of the year, or when certain weather conditions were prevalent. Geoff
#5 olddawg Aug 14, 2006 15:15:17	My meta-timeline (based in part on the Blackmoor timeline) would have a nation known as Lumbrai serving as a Numedian-like ally to Thonia. occupied what is now eastern Bellisaria. If you aren't hard-committed to 3276 BC, I'd suggest dropping back a few decades to get a rich adventure period between 3350 and 3330: 3400 BC: Oltec slave trade began with Lumbrai serving as a major hub. 3350 BC: After the discovery of Evergrun, Blackmoor and the elves fought in the Second Elven War (the Great War). Bellisarian elves warred against the slavers of Lumbrai. Blackmoorian forces where also engaged in the Thonian Wars at this time. 3330 BC: The Concordance of Mohacs ended the Second Elven War and the Thonian Wars. It established the 4th Republic of Thonia under Blackmoor, established colonization limits between Blackmoor and the elves, and ended the Oltec slave trade. So between 3350 and 3330, you have three war fronts, slave revolts and all other sorts of plot points to make for an exciting time. -OldDawg
#6 zombiegleemax Aug 14, 2006 16:26:00	The neck of land connecting Bellissaria to Skothar was guarded by fortifications of immense proportions, which forced travellers to go through a narrow, heavily guarded pass. It was obvious that the Bahldaraans could not have built it, and the only thing they ever said about it was that the fortifications were there when they first came to their land. Ooh...I like the idea of a cyclopean wall. Geoff, do you have any idea what Real World or Cthulhu Mythos locales the Harmonious Realms of Bahldaraat-Khor evoke? Shane
#7 zombiegleemax Aug 15, 2006 8:10:10	Ooh...I like the idea of a cyclopean wall. Geoff, do you have any idea what Real World or Cthulhu Mythos locales the Harmonious Realms of Bahldaraat-Khor evoke? Hi Shane! That's a good question. I must admit I was thinking more of L. Rider Haggard (i.e., "King Solomon's Mines", "She") and Edgar Rice Burroughs. IIRC, Ayesha's realm in "She" was named Khôr, and it, too, had grand structures that the current inhabitants could not have built - but in that case I think the cause was cultural decline and general decadence. The overall impression I wanted to give was that the region occupied by Bahldaraat-Khor was a very old land - one that had been tamed ages ago, and occupied by a succession of peoples; not all of them human, certainly. Each civilisation that occupied the region coexisted with the ruins and remnants of those who had lived there before. Ancient cities would have been buried or stripped clean of useable building materials, but some things (such as the great wall) withstood the ravages of time, and defied any attempt to destroy them. So, all that said, a RW analogy to the ancient structures of Bahldaraat-Khor would be Nan Madol, a series of artificial islands in Ponape (or Pohnpei). No one is quite sure how the inhabitants were able to transport the stone used to construct the islands - some Pohnpeians believe that black magic was used to fly them over - even though dropped stones have been found underwater. Interestingly, Nan Madol was used by Lovecraft in several of his stories - particularly those related to Innsmouth and the Deep Ones - as a possible site of an ancient cyclopean city, the remnants of which poke above the water. He never named it, IIRC, but it was obvious that the site served as an inspiration. The city of Orondo could have been constructed in the same fashion as Nan Madol, too, possibly by earlier inhabitants of Bellissaria. Here is a relevant link. Geoff