The Kingdom of Littonia
An Unofficial Game Accessory
“To arms! To arms! The giants are coming from the north!” cried the runner. The frost giants of Frosthaven had set forth on their annual raid and returned to the eastern shore. A malicious smile marred the face of Gintautas the Miller.
The Lietuvan turned to his son. “Fetch my sword, Tanas, for today the wrath of Namejs shall be replayed.”
This is the sixth installment in a series of unofficial Gazetteer gaming aids for enthusiasts of the world of Mystara. This work covers the Kingdom of Littonia, a remote nation on Norwold’s frigid coast. It is a place where the twin populations, Litoniesu and Lietuvan, are united by a common history against the frost giants and other foes – and sometimes little else.
“The Kingdom of Littonia” provides descriptions of the history, geography, society, and personalities of a nation at a crossroads. King Uldis VI and his people must choose their path as the great empires again turn to Norwold, as does an ancient, unknown evil.
This product contains both a Referee and a Player Manual. It also provides guidelines for playing amber mages – a class that taps into the strange energy that infuses the land.
You may find the pdf here
Hope everyone enjoy's Geoff's work (and I hope he doesn't mind the edits ;)
-OldDawg
Starting to read, nice as always. A map which puts Littonia in the larger context of Norwold as a whole would be nice, though, as we hardly see enough for me to successfully place it in my head on the map you have there.
Look at the cover. It shows exactly where Littonia is located. A brilliant way of getting around that IMO.
Looking good OldDawg and Geoff! I'm looking forward to reading more about Littonia, Amber magic etc etc.
I like the cover, especially the cute wooly mamoth in the corner! Layout-wise the gaz also looks good. The orange background tables inserted at some places in the gaz work very well IMO.
Havard
I can't believe its number six already. Thanks a bunch OldDawg (and all who help out)!
Stunning. No other words come to mind right now.
You've taken the draft I provided, and turned it into something beyond my imagination.
Geoff
There is some discrepancy in coastline with the "official" 24mph coastline, but it is on the order of 2 miles - very small, considering.
Also, the actual scale is 8 miles edge to edge, not corner to corner.
I'll freely take any layout credits :D and artistic criticisms :P but contentwise, this was Geoff's baby.
My meager content contributions consisted of alterations to up portions of the timeline and bring the amber mage and its spells more in line with ODD standard spells. I also added half to two-third's of the "Other Adventures," Tarn Oakleaf's view of Littonia, and the jacket blurb.
The great editing bugbear was margin setting. I used three different computers during the process, and each had its own printer systems which affected the shown layout.
With the last computer (the one used to make the pdf), I had to reset margins to 1.1" and 1.2" to maintain proper pagination. [Actually there was a fourth computer, but someone had fiddled with it so that typing was for Asian characters
]The castle borders have been something that I've wanted to add for a while. Wayback when Wendar came out, Thorf sent me an Illustrator file that he had created to do the castles, but my version had always refused to open it. I finally had to create the thing from scratch. creating an art brush proved unworkable because there was always a break line between wall segments.
I finally ended up with a series of wall lengths (of progressively doubling size) and a corner piece that I could flip or rotate. The upper castle, lower castle, and box castle are all now maintained as separate layers, so I can reproduce in any color desired with minimal headache.
I hope to start adding the castles on future maps.
-OldDawg
Geoff
..don't forget the pygmy mammoths!
Are they as tasty as jumbo shrimp? :D
--Ray.
Geoff
PS - Incidentally, Balzams really does exist - pretty much as described (taste- and texture-wise) in the book.
Are they as tasty as jumbo shrimp? :D
--Ray.
:heehee
At least according to some sources, and not to be confused with dwarf mammoths [which would never let a goblin ride them :D ]I had forgotten that I was the one who replaced the standard wolf-mounts with small woolly mammoths. I saw a rather inspiring drawing of a moenitherium (early proboscid) with a white coat that looked liked a worg
Now every indication is that moen's were swamp/river dwellers, but cool picture none-the-less.Our Mystaran pygmy mammoth could be a woolly pygmy mammoth, or a woolly version of a gomphotherium, paleomastadon, large moenitherium, or even trilophodon. Tusk design (some with upper and lower pairs) differ among these guys.
-OldDawg
Thus, we could have something like this:
Littonian Pygmy Mammoth*
AC: 6
HD: 5* (M)
Move: 120' (40')
Attacks: 2 tusks or 1 trample
Damage: 1d6/1d6 or 2d8
No. Appearing: 1d4 (2d6)
Save As: F3
Morale: 8
Treasure Type: See below
Intelligence: 4
Alignment: Neutral
XP Value: 300
This diminutive member of the mammoth family averages 4-6 feet in height at the shoulder, and sports long, shaggy brown, tan, or black hair. In their native habitat, they congregate in families of up to 12 adults and half as many young (AC 8, HD 2*), who will not fight.
Pygmy mammoths are herbivores, spending much of their time ranging far and wide over the Noskumis and Sarkans Plains in search of lusher grasses and the occasional succulent berry. Although they tend to give potential predators a wide berth, pygmy mammoths may be incited into rage if their young are threatened. Some families have been known to gang up small white dragons, and dire wolf packs, in order to drive them away.
In combat, wild pygmy mammoths will charge wildly, seeking to trample their opponents. If the opponent still stands, they will strike with their tusks (80%) or trample again (20%).
Domesticated pygmy mammoths have been bred for obedience, and are capable of following simple commands and fighting in formation.
Their tusks average 2-3 feet in length, and the ivory would be worth 100-300 gp per tusk.
Load: 4,500 cn at full speed; 9,000 cn at half speed.
Barding Multiplier: x3, provides AC 4 protection
*size is loosely based on Wikipedia information on the Pygmy Mammoth (Channel Islands Mammoth)
Our Mystaran pygmy mammoth could be a woolly pygmy mammoth, or a woolly version of a gomphotherium, paleomastadon, large moenitherium, or even trilophodon. Tusk design (some with upper and lower pairs) differ among these guys.
Some of these look quite different from the typical elephant or mammoth, so a dwarf version of the Elephas or Mammuthus species would probably be more appropriate (both existed, the first in the Mediterranean islands and the latter in California and Siberia, according to Wikipedia).
Noskumis Plain: This variety tends to have thicker and coarser hair, which is almost invariably black in colour. These mammoths tend also to have a stockier build (they tend to have more fat, due to the harsher climate), and average 5-6 feet in height at the shoulder.
Sarkans Plain: This variety tends to be smaller (4-5 feet at the shoulder is the norm), and their hair tends to be brown or tan; although ginger-coloured hair is not unknown.
Geoff
Thus, we could have something like this:
Littonian Pygmy Mammoth*
Ooohhh! goody! A web enhancement
Regards
Gary
Geoff
Just so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle...