What if Rajaat was actually Athas' Savior - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

What if Rajaat was actually Athas' Savior

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Apr 24, 2007 22:40:16 While doing some casual reading on star's and their life cycles, I got to thinking about Athas. What if Rajaat was really the savior of Athas after all, just not how he thought he'd be.

This is my pseudo-scientific/fantasy reasoning.

From what I remember reading the Athasian sun was originally a typical, main-sequence, G2 star, much like our own. And then Rajaat, in his endevor to create his champions, turned it red via the black lens.

Now, if I'm correct, Athas was already falling into a deteriorating state prior to the champions being created as well.

Now, lets look at the two changes that occured. The G2, Main - Sequence star changed its color to red, and the planets plant life was decimated and the climate changed, turning warmer and warmer. (the climate change is assumed).

What could cause these two changes? Easy, the Main-Sequence star used up it's source of hydrogen and matured into a non-main-sequence Red Giant.

Now, this would typically destroy any planet involved that sustained life as first the star would raise in tempeture gradually to the point that the ocean's themselves would be boiled away and the atmosphere destroyed as well. And then the star would go into it's Red Giant stage. So now, this is were the sci-fi/magic element comes in.

What if Rajaat, despite his madness to destroy all non-halfling life, actually SAVED Athas when he created the champions.

The story goes that Rajaat used the power of the sun to create the champions. What if, what he did was drain excess energy off of the star that Athas orbits. This allowed Athas to survive as it drifted out further from the star just prior to it going into Red Giant stage. It was not sufficient to divert all the extra solar energies, as evidenced by the wasteland Athas is now, but it did give it a chance to live. Once the star stablized into its Red Giant stage, Athas continued to exist in it's new, further out (from were it used to be) orbit. Most likely, based on the descriptions of Rajaat creating the champions, he also hastened the final legs of the transformation.

Now, I know that this is probley full of so many actual scientific holes and what not, but still, I thought I'd share my ramblings and musings that perhaps, one of Athas greatest villians, was in fact it's savior.
#2
Zardnaar
Apr 24, 2007 22:59:47 It could have been severl billion years bfore Athas sun was supposed to become a red giant.

Now its similar to a red giant, Athas continues to die and hell it might even go supernova at some point soonish (astrological years give or take a million).
#3
zombiegleemax
Apr 24, 2007 23:18:54
It could have been severl billion years bfore Athas sun was supposed to become a red giant.

Now its similar to a red giant, Athas continues to die and hell it might even go supernova at some point soonish (astrological years give or take a million).

I'd figure that it would have to have been 1 to 2 billion years premature, but even so, leaving it alone would have resulted in Athas' destruction before the star ever went into it's Red Giant stage.
#4
ruhl-than_sage
Apr 25, 2007 14:56:22 If it started out as a Blue Star then it would have been one of the much shorter lived variety possibly only having a lifespan in the 10s of millions of years rather than in the Billions.
#5
zombiegleemax
Apr 25, 2007 21:03:35
If it started out as a Blue Star then it would have been one of the much shorter lived variety possibly only having a lifespan in the 10s of millions of years rather than in the Billions.

However I distinctly remember reading somewere that the star was originally a yellow sun, much like our own.
#6
terminus_vortexa
Apr 25, 2007 23:31:00 The sun was blue during the Blue Age, yellow during the Green Age, and red during the Brown Age.
#7
Mulhull
Apr 26, 2007 19:50:29
The sun was blue during the Blue Age, yellow during the Green Age, and red during the Brown Age.

What's strange also is Rajaat reinstates the blue sun in the Cerulean storm, then after he is re-imprisoned it is crimson again. Perhaps the blue sun was an illusion or the atmosphere was altered to make it seem to change colors.
#8
terminus_vortexa
Apr 27, 2007 2:34:59 Could have been a temporary transformation, held in place by the will of Rajaat alone.
#9
zombiegleemax
Apr 29, 2007 22:08:59 I have always assumed that the halflings, while attempting to destroy the brown tide using the pristine tower, cause the sun to use up much of its fuel/weaken it's connection to the plane of radiance/sun and become a yellow star. Rajaat did pretty much the same thing again when he tapped the sun's power to create the Champions, draining more of it's power, turning the sun into a red giant.

By the time Rajaat was freed, he had such a mastery over inner-planar/elemental powers, that he could restore the sun to it's former glory simply by widening the vortice to the plane of radiance(aka sun) that is at it's heart, filling the star with new energy

That's the explanation I used anyway. It fit in well with the planar cosmology of the time.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Apr 24, 2007 22:40:16	While doing some casual reading on star's and their life cycles, I got to thinking about Athas. What if Rajaat was really the savior of Athas after all, just not how he thought he'd be. This is my pseudo-scientific/fantasy reasoning. From what I remember reading the Athasian sun was originally a typical, main-sequence, G2 star, much like our own. And then Rajaat, in his endevor to create his champions, turned it red via the black lens. Now, if I'm correct, Athas was already falling into a deteriorating state prior to the champions being created as well. Now, lets look at the two changes that occured. The G2, Main - Sequence star changed its color to red, and the planets plant life was decimated and the climate changed, turning warmer and warmer. (the climate change is assumed). What could cause these two changes? Easy, the Main-Sequence star used up it's source of hydrogen and matured into a non-main-sequence Red Giant. Now, this would typically destroy any planet involved that sustained life as first the star would raise in tempeture gradually to the point that the ocean's themselves would be boiled away and the atmosphere destroyed as well. And then the star would go into it's Red Giant stage. So now, this is were the sci-fi/magic element comes in. What if Rajaat, despite his madness to destroy all non-halfling life, actually SAVED Athas when he created the champions. The story goes that Rajaat used the power of the sun to create the champions. What if, what he did was drain excess energy off of the star that Athas orbits. This allowed Athas to survive as it drifted out further from the star just prior to it going into Red Giant stage. It was not sufficient to divert all the extra solar energies, as evidenced by the wasteland Athas is now, but it did give it a chance to live. Once the star stablized into its Red Giant stage, Athas continued to exist in it's new, further out (from were it used to be) orbit. Most likely, based on the descriptions of Rajaat creating the champions, he also hastened the final legs of the transformation. Now, I know that this is probley full of so many actual scientific holes and what not, but still, I thought I'd share my ramblings and musings that perhaps, one of Athas greatest villians, was in fact it's savior.
#2 Zardnaar Apr 24, 2007 22:59:47	It could have been severl billion years bfore Athas sun was supposed to become a red giant. Now its similar to a red giant, Athas continues to die and hell it might even go supernova at some point soonish (astrological years give or take a million).
#3 zombiegleemax Apr 24, 2007 23:18:54	It could have been severl billion years bfore Athas sun was supposed to become a red giant. Now its similar to a red giant, Athas continues to die and hell it might even go supernova at some point soonish (astrological years give or take a million). I'd figure that it would have to have been 1 to 2 billion years premature, but even so, leaving it alone would have resulted in Athas' destruction before the star ever went into it's Red Giant stage.
#4 ruhl-than_sage Apr 25, 2007 14:56:22	If it started out as a Blue Star then it would have been one of the much shorter lived variety possibly only having a lifespan in the 10s of millions of years rather than in the Billions.
#5 zombiegleemax Apr 25, 2007 21:03:35	If it started out as a Blue Star then it would have been one of the much shorter lived variety possibly only having a lifespan in the 10s of millions of years rather than in the Billions. However I distinctly remember reading somewere that the star was originally a yellow sun, much like our own.
#6 terminus_vortexa Apr 25, 2007 23:31:00	The sun was blue during the Blue Age, yellow during the Green Age, and red during the Brown Age.
#7 Mulhull Apr 26, 2007 19:50:29	The sun was blue during the Blue Age, yellow during the Green Age, and red during the Brown Age. What's strange also is Rajaat reinstates the blue sun in the Cerulean storm, then after he is re-imprisoned it is crimson again. Perhaps the blue sun was an illusion or the atmosphere was altered to make it seem to change colors.
#8 terminus_vortexa Apr 27, 2007 2:34:59	Could have been a temporary transformation, held in place by the will of Rajaat alone.
#9 zombiegleemax Apr 29, 2007 22:08:59	I have always assumed that the halflings, while attempting to destroy the brown tide using the pristine tower, cause the sun to use up much of its fuel/weaken it's connection to the plane of radiance/sun and become a yellow star. Rajaat did pretty much the same thing again when he tapped the sun's power to create the Champions, draining more of it's power, turning the sun into a red giant. By the time Rajaat was freed, he had such a mastery over inner-planar/elemental powers, that he could restore the sun to it's former glory simply by widening the vortice to the plane of radiance(aka sun) that is at it's heart, filling the star with new energy That's the explanation I used anyway. It fit in well with the planar cosmology of the time.