What do you think this article would have been like?
What subraces would there have been? Sea Tortles, Desert Tortoises, Snappers (ofcourse) etc?
Any ancient Tortles, only found in the Hollow World?
Which regions of Mystara would be home of Tortles? Following the lines of the Rakasta and Lupin articles, the races were expanded in scope also geographically.
Bloodlines: Dragon Tortles? Others?
What about different Tortle cultures? We already have Tortle Mystics, but they all won't be Ninja Tortles will they? I kinda liked the Aussie Surfer type Sea Turtles from Finding Nemo. Where would such Tortles be found? Alphatia?
Other Pop Culture references to Turtles that Bruce may have wanted to include?
Havard
Any ancient Tortles, only found in the Hollow World?
Possibly the civilized Tortles of Zul.
Which regions of Mystara would be home of Tortles? Following the lines of the Rakasta and Lupin articles, the races were expanded in scope also geographically.
Tortles already exist along most of the Savage Coast. It would not be too hard to imagine them present in northern Davania, Thanegioth and perhaps Ochalea.
Bloodlines: Dragon Tortles? Others?
Kla'a-Tah and Cläu-rin, possibly Kappa (though not Mystaran).
What about different Tortle cultures?
Oriental Tortles, M-mexican peasant american Tortles (Savage Baronies peones), Free Tortles of Zul.
GP
What subraces would there have been? Sea Tortles, Desert Tortoises, Snappers (ofcourse) etc?
Snappers are already sea tortles, but it would be interesting to see "good" sea tortles as well. And tortles seems to be quite of desert tortoises themselves (those beaches are quite sandy!). Still, I guess we might had two separated tortle variants, one for desertic regions.
Ah, and those small pet turtles also makes me inagine halfling-like tortles! ;)
Any ancient Tortles, only found in the Hollow World?
As Giampaolo said, it's very likely that we have Zul somewhere at the HW, probably just like Colima, a "one-city" culture, possibly among the oltecs or the makai islands...?
And pehaps prehistoric tortles as well: vicious, horned and with spiked shells, why not? ;)
Other Pop Culture references to Turtles that Bruce may have wanted to include?
Hmmm... what about Koopas? :D
And we also could expect many puns, like cartographer tortles (map turtles) ;)
And we also could expect many puns,...
Of course, the all too obvious: Adolescent Afflicted Mystic Tortles?
Tortles already exist along most of the Savage Coast. It would not be too hard to imagine them present in northern Davania, Thanegioth and perhaps Ochalea.
Also in the great northway area, the Dravish empire had them as slaves. In the Tortles of the Purple Sage adventure you escort a group of tortles to their ancient nesting ground near ther ruined city of Bylot, one of the three cities of the empire. I'm working on a history of the area, I hope to post it sometime this week, although they're still several gaps in the timeline.
Of course, the all too obvious: Adolescent Afflicted Mystic Tortles?
This one for sure, hehe :D
Kla'a-Tah and Cläu-rin
That makes me wonder the true relation between tortles/snappers and Kla'a-Tah and Cläu-rin... hm, pehaps something like helradic servants, sended by the Immortals to defend chosen tortle/snapper clans? Or pehaps they're simply a aquatic (and more powerful) tortle/snapper variant?
I guess we would have something like this for the tortles:
-Pre-historic tortles: big, horned, with spiked shell and mace-like tail, and probably akin to the Carnifex. HW (based on the Euoplocephalus dinosaurs)
-Matamata tortles: "kill kill" tortles, smaller version of the pre-historic and without the mace-like tail.
-Snake tortles: Mix of tortles and yuan-ti? :D
-Snappers: The vicious creatures we known very well ;)
-proper Tortles: Divided in many subtypes, like sea tortles, river tortles and land/desert tortles.
-Tortlings: small tortles ;)
Here is my suggested list of subraces:
Subraces
Ancestor
Giant Thanegioth Tortle (Thanegioth, Zul/Hollow World)
Horned Tortle (Hollow World)
Sea Tortle
Green Sea Tortle (Ierendi)
Leatherback (Sind, Pearl Islands)
Hawkbill (Sea of Dread)
Loggerhead (Norwold)
Spiny Softshell (Norwold)
Snake Necked (Vulcania)
Tortoise
Desert Tortle (Common Tortle) (Savage Coast)
River Tortle (Athruagin, Azca)
Mud Tortle (Davania)
Terrapin
Diamondback Terrapin Tortle (Texeiras)
Box Tortles (Ochalea, Texeiras, Skothar)
Pond Terrapin (Known World)
Snapper
Common Snapper (Brun)
Alligator Snapping Tortle (Malpheggi)
Havard
I always imagined Zul inhabited by normal tortles, though. How do you picture it, with giant (prehistoric?) tortles?
One related mud tortleise could be the musket tortles (musk turtle), that could be either more like real musk turtles or armed with smokepowder weapons ;)
One idea for the Kla'a-Tah and Cläu-rin is that they're actually "inheritor" sea tortles, that ate cinnabryl and grew size, became smarter and sometimes gained multiple legacies
That's a nice list, especially the malpheggi snappers ;)
I always imagined Zul inhabited by normal tortles, though. How do you picture it, with giant (prehistoric?) tortles?
One related mud tortleise could be the musket tortles (musk turtle), that could be either more like real musk turtles or armed with smokepowder weapons ;)
One idea for the Kla'a-Tah and Cläu-rin is that they're actually "inheritor" sea tortles, that ate cinnabryl and grew size, became smarter and sometimes gained multiple legacies
Thanks Wilhelm! BTW, even though I havent commented to every response in this thread, it doesn't mean I have discared some of the very good ideas here!
For Zul, I guess the thing was that I figured since the Zul civilization is now lost, they would have been made up by an extinct Tortle subrace. It doesn't neccesarily have to be that way though. Also, how big would a Giant Tortle be?
I love the idea of Mud Tortle Musketeers! Also, your idea about Tortle Cartographers is definately in.
Roger's "Adolescent Afflicted Mystic Tortles" would need to be included ofcourse. Also, the Koopa or something derived from those could be included.
What are Kla'a-Tah and Cläu-rin and in which book(s) are they detailed?
Havard
Also, how big would a Giant Tortle be?
As tall as an Ogre, maybe.
What are Kla'a-Tah and Cläu-rin and in which book(s) are they detailed?
They are intelligent sea turtles that protect the Tortles and Snappers.
They appear in the SC MCA.
GP
For Zul, I guess the thing was that I figured since the Zul civilization is now lost, they would have been made up by an extinct Tortle subrace.
Indeed, this could be used, and would be a nice way for including another extinct tortle breed. The problem is that Zul is quite recent (IIRC, 100 AC), and we do have a lot of common tortles just there. I guess both ideas could (and should) be used, though.
BTW, I believe that Zul is actually a nithian ruin an the tortle civilisation at there began with the tortles slaves simply continuing to do the same things they were used to do when they were slaves, even after their masters simply vanished.
Also, how big would a Giant Tortle be?
Hm, good question...
Pehaps as big as a Kla'a-Tah? ;)
I love the idea of Mud Tortle Musketeers! Also, your idea about Tortle Cartographers is definately in.
Thanks!
I guess it's funny how a misreading can led to some ideas like that musk/musket one ;)
Roger's "Adolescent Afflicted Mystic Tortles" would need to be included ofcourse.
BTW, isn't the Company of the Shell the mystaran equivalent to those pizza-eater turtles, too?
Also, the Koopa or something derived from those could be included.
Possibly a malpheggi snapper "kingdom"?
What are Kla'a-Tah and Cläu-rin and in which book(s) are they detailed?
Savage Coast Monstrous Compendium Appendix
http://pandius.com/klaatah.html
;)