The Poles of Athas??? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

The Poles of Athas???

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Aug 13, 2007 13:50:03 I am currently running a Dark Sun Campaign that I plan on taking into epic levels
(the plotline already involves the return of Dregoth, A Pyreen, and the begings of a Kreen Imperial Invasion. (the Order, Nibenay, Elemental Lords and good old Rajaat will al eventually involved). My party is now at mid-levels and I want to send them on a huge quest (past the ringing mountains into the crimson savanna, the jagged clifts, the last sea, etc.) I finially want them to arrive at the North Pole of Athas. What do you guys think would be there? Would it be covered by Ice. Any ideas would be appericiated.
#2
terminus_vortexa
Aug 13, 2007 14:11:52 Actually, (and there are those who consider this heresy) , if you look at the picture of Athas orbiting its sun on the cover of every old DS product, most of Athas is verdant and the poles themselves are very small. Probably extremely cold, but small. But, a small pole is still a vast tract of land. The Athasian poles are something not many have given much thought to, and that's a shame. The Athasian poles should be a most interesting locale! I imagine it would have gigantic mountainous glaciers, riddles with caverns and ravines. Lots of tunnels and caves in the ice, and a plethora of specially adapted life forms, possibly based on aquatic life that was isolated there at the end of the Green Age. Somehow, I don't see walruses and penguins and the like on the north pole of Athas. Maybe some type of ice-adapted silt horror (Ice horror?), giant ice crabs, and so forth. I think the possibility of an arctic sea exists, as well, hosting even more bizarre life-forms.
#3
jon_oracle_of_athas
Aug 13, 2007 15:26:52 Not even evil ninja penguins with antimatter rifles? :P
#4
Oninotaki
Aug 13, 2007 16:00:07
Not even evil ninja penguins with antimatter rifles? :P

do they ride giant arctic space hamsters?
#5
Oninotaki
Aug 13, 2007 16:03:35
Actually, (and there are those who consider this heresy) , if you look at the picture of Athas orbiting its sun on the cover of every old DS product, most of Athas is verdant and the poles themselves are very small.

I always thought that was one of athas's moons, but I guess it does make more sense for it to be athas itself.
#6
greyorm
Aug 13, 2007 18:13:40 What's there?

A thieving, over-fed sorcerer in red who is served by vicious, flying, antlered creatures and has enslaved a tribe of elves to mine the firestone that power his aerial war-machines. Or maybe that's just the propaganda of the Sorcerer-Kings!

This, of course, lies beyond the land of the In-you'it (the "snow people"), who really like fish and snow an the occasional whale and play a horrible game of tag all day, and the kingdom of X'anada...whose cruel masters provide FREE HEALTH CARE to all so they can EXPERIMENT on their citizens!

Or so it is said...
#7
zombiegleemax
Aug 13, 2007 19:05:19 I would prefer something like Dune instead.

Maybe a place with Coriolis Storms when there's no life at all

To be honest i don't like the idea of Ice in Athas.. but that's just me..
#8
terminus_vortexa
Aug 13, 2007 19:18:21 I've incorporated Dune into my campaigns quite heavily. I have an entire region called Arrakis on a continent on the other side of the Sea of Silt, and it is indeed populated by Fremen. In my campaign, the Fremen became Elans by consuming the Spice(yes, produced by dune worms (Shai-Hulud!), and thus became the ultimate desert survivors, given the Elans' ability to provide all of their own nutritional and water needs by paying a lousy power point). They've been isolationist in the extreme, and fiercely defend their borders. But change is on the horizon, because a certain son of a noble house arrived in their midst, after his family was decimated by rivals with the backing of Daskinor. Obviously, this is Muad'Dib. I have him at the verge of advancing into the specialized Erudite AB class i've been designing (the one that heavily incorporates the Erudite ability to convert spells to psionic powers, which I've named the Invictus), and as soon as he's ready, they're going to launch an all out assault on Eldaarich, complete with using Dune worms to cross the Sea of Silt. They have some bases in the Polar region, but I never filled in the details of them too much. I pretty much just adapted the Dune story to fit a niche on Athas.
#9
zombiegleemax
Aug 14, 2007 10:28:26 the athasian cartographer's guild has a basic map of the north pole and other areas beyond the tyr region...i know, shameless plug...

would love to see what you could come up with for that region...using the tools to flesh out your own map, or just using the one on the site.
#10
zombiegleemax
Aug 17, 2007 4:03:49
I am currently running a Dark Sun Campaign that I plan on taking into epic levels
(the plotline already involves the return of Dregoth, A Pyreen, and the begings of a Kreen Imperial Invasion. (the Order, Nibenay, Elemental Lords and good old Rajaat will al eventually involved). My party is now at mid-levels and I want to send them on a huge quest (past the ringing mountains into the crimson savanna, the jagged clifts, the last sea, etc.) I finially want them to arrive at the North Pole of Athas. What do you guys think would be there? Would it be covered by Ice. Any ideas would be appericiated.

Actually since Water is the Element most associated wth life it was likely turned to defiric silt like the rest of the "live gigving" properties of the world so all those pictures of Athas' poles are probably Silt remains not to unlike the Silt Seas.
#11
zombiegleemax
Aug 17, 2007 14:20:38 They might be like Antarctica during the age of Dinosaurs. Lush and green with creatures migrating for the summer and leaving for winter, when it gets near freezing and zero sunlight.

I doubt there's any ice on the north pole given the fact the Dark Sun is a red giant.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Aug 13, 2007 13:50:03	I am currently running a Dark Sun Campaign that I plan on taking into epic levels (the plotline already involves the return of Dregoth, A Pyreen, and the begings of a Kreen Imperial Invasion. (the Order, Nibenay, Elemental Lords and good old Rajaat will al eventually involved). My party is now at mid-levels and I want to send them on a huge quest (past the ringing mountains into the crimson savanna, the jagged clifts, the last sea, etc.) I finially want them to arrive at the North Pole of Athas. What do you guys think would be there? Would it be covered by Ice. Any ideas would be appericiated.
#2 terminus_vortexa Aug 13, 2007 14:11:52	Actually, (and there are those who consider this heresy) , if you look at the picture of Athas orbiting its sun on the cover of every old DS product, most of Athas is verdant and the poles themselves are very small. Probably extremely cold, but small. But, a small pole is still a vast tract of land. The Athasian poles are something not many have given much thought to, and that's a shame. The Athasian poles should be a most interesting locale! I imagine it would have gigantic mountainous glaciers, riddles with caverns and ravines. Lots of tunnels and caves in the ice, and a plethora of specially adapted life forms, possibly based on aquatic life that was isolated there at the end of the Green Age. Somehow, I don't see walruses and penguins and the like on the north pole of Athas. Maybe some type of ice-adapted silt horror (Ice horror?), giant ice crabs, and so forth. I think the possibility of an arctic sea exists, as well, hosting even more bizarre life-forms.
#3 jon_oracle_of_athas Aug 13, 2007 15:26:52	Not even evil ninja penguins with antimatter rifles? :P
#4 Oninotaki Aug 13, 2007 16:00:07	Not even evil ninja penguins with antimatter rifles? :P do they ride giant arctic space hamsters?
#5 Oninotaki Aug 13, 2007 16:03:35	Actually, (and there are those who consider this heresy) , if you look at the picture of Athas orbiting its sun on the cover of every old DS product, most of Athas is verdant and the poles themselves are very small. I always thought that was one of athas's moons, but I guess it does make more sense for it to be athas itself.
#6 greyorm Aug 13, 2007 18:13:40	What's there? A thieving, over-fed sorcerer in red who is served by vicious, flying, antlered creatures and has enslaved a tribe of elves to mine the firestone that power his aerial war-machines. Or maybe that's just the propaganda of the Sorcerer-Kings! This, of course, lies beyond the land of the In-you'it (the "snow people"), who really like fish and snow an the occasional whale and play a horrible game of tag all day, and the kingdom of X'anada...whose cruel masters provide FREE HEALTH CARE to all so they can EXPERIMENT on their citizens! Or so it is said...
#7 zombiegleemax Aug 13, 2007 19:05:19	I would prefer something like Dune instead. Maybe a place with Coriolis Storms when there's no life at all To be honest i don't like the idea of Ice in Athas.. but that's just me..
#8 terminus_vortexa Aug 13, 2007 19:18:21	I've incorporated Dune into my campaigns quite heavily. I have an entire region called Arrakis on a continent on the other side of the Sea of Silt, and it is indeed populated by Fremen. In my campaign, the Fremen became Elans by consuming the Spice(yes, produced by dune worms (Shai-Hulud!), and thus became the ultimate desert survivors, given the Elans' ability to provide all of their own nutritional and water needs by paying a lousy power point). They've been isolationist in the extreme, and fiercely defend their borders. But change is on the horizon, because a certain son of a noble house arrived in their midst, after his family was decimated by rivals with the backing of Daskinor. Obviously, this is Muad'Dib. I have him at the verge of advancing into the specialized Erudite AB class i've been designing (the one that heavily incorporates the Erudite ability to convert spells to psionic powers, which I've named the Invictus), and as soon as he's ready, they're going to launch an all out assault on Eldaarich, complete with using Dune worms to cross the Sea of Silt. They have some bases in the Polar region, but I never filled in the details of them too much. I pretty much just adapted the Dune story to fit a niche on Athas.
#9 zombiegleemax Aug 14, 2007 10:28:26	the athasian cartographer's guild has a basic map of the north pole and other areas beyond the tyr region...i know, shameless plug... would love to see what you could come up with for that region...using the tools to flesh out your own map, or just using the one on the site.
#10 zombiegleemax Aug 17, 2007 4:03:49	I am currently running a Dark Sun Campaign that I plan on taking into epic levels (the plotline already involves the return of Dregoth, A Pyreen, and the begings of a Kreen Imperial Invasion. (the Order, Nibenay, Elemental Lords and good old Rajaat will al eventually involved). My party is now at mid-levels and I want to send them on a huge quest (past the ringing mountains into the crimson savanna, the jagged clifts, the last sea, etc.) I finially want them to arrive at the North Pole of Athas. What do you guys think would be there? Would it be covered by Ice. Any ideas would be appericiated. Actually since Water is the Element most associated wth life it was likely turned to defiric silt like the rest of the "live gigving" properties of the world so all those pictures of Athas' poles are probably Silt remains not to unlike the Silt Seas.
#11 zombiegleemax Aug 17, 2007 14:20:38	They might be like Antarctica during the age of Dinosaurs. Lush and green with creatures migrating for the summer and leaving for winter, when it gets near freezing and zero sunlight. I doubt there's any ice on the north pole given the fact the Dark Sun is a red giant.