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Rebirth Notes

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Zardnaar
Oct 25, 2007 19:29:42 THought I would share some of my notes with you guys. Feel free to rip me a new one.

Thousands of years ago the Halfling nature masters initiated the event later called “The Rebirth. Such an innocent sounding name although this was the name the new races called it. For the surviving Halflings of the Blue Age driven by desperation it would probably be more accurate to call it the Apocalypse,Cataclysm Holocaust etc. The Rebirth essentially destroyed the ancient Halfling civilization and caused massive disruption across Athas. Once the ancient Halflngs unleashed the power of the Pristine Tower to destroy the brown tide sea levels dropped dramatically over the following year or two revealing true landmass instead of small islands. At first it would have been more accurate to call the Green Age the Gray Age for most of the world was still covered by the oceans and seas of Athas with the newly emerged land covered in mud with islands of greenery scattered about. Thousands of Halflings died due to starvation as the food sources for the Halfling Civilization collapsed.

Surviving Halflings sought refuge in the forested mountains or fled underground into caverns carved out decades and centuries before. The surviving Nature Masters in the region of the Pristine Tower initiated the Rebirth as they knew they Halflings weren't prepared for the coming age. Using their knowledge of life shaping they mutated into the races that would later inherit Athas. While the Rebirth itself is generally assumed to have only lasted a century or so but some speculate that it has never truly ended. Even in modern Athas theres always some new race crawling out of the desert but such creatures tend to be individuals and rarely are any two alike and they die out within a generation.

Sometime during the early Green Age the Thri Kreen encountered the other sentient races of Athas. While the ancient Nature Masters regarded themselves as the only intelligent race on Athas the primitive Kreen were sentient although their racial memories don't reach this far back or have deteriorated to extent they can't remember except as vague racial tales of a blue sun. It is likely the Kreen were headed towards extinction as they were adapted for the islands of the Blue Age and had wings to fly from island to island. Most likely some of the winged Kreen flew to close to the Pristine Tower and slowly mutated into the modern Kreen you see on Athas today. The winged Kreen probably all died out but perhaps some survived in a remote corner of Athas.

It is hard to say what races were created first but it is likely the Pyreen were the last created combining features form numerous races that came before them. The Yuan Ti* also date from the rebirth as some early human bloodlines were contaminated by snake blood as the Nature Masters may not have had complete control over the energy radiating from the tower. Once the Rebirth was complete the few surviving Nature Masters left the tower although a few stayed behind in the vicinity of the tower to learn its secrets. These Halflings would later become the Shadow Giants until they were eliminated for the tower by Dregoth.

*If Serpent Kings form Forgotten Realms is used you may wish to use the Sarrukh from that book. In that case the Sarrukh came from the tower and created the Yuan Ti later.
#2
Sysane
Oct 26, 2007 7:56:20 Pretty good Z. Its got my creative juices following on ideas regarding the Rebirth.
#3
Zardnaar
Oct 26, 2007 16:41:39
Pretty good Z. Its got my creative juices following on ideas regarding the Rebirth.

Yeah I'm going to tidy it up and add it to my other notes. I had the cleansing wars floating around as well so eventually I'l have a "complete" history of Athas.
#4
cnahumck
Oct 26, 2007 17:17:38 I have plans and machinations for the CW.
#5
--agares--
Oct 26, 2007 18:47:40 Very good version of the Rebith, from the Rhulisti point of view.

Since the nature master created it intentionally, I think that a name like "The Sacrifice" can be more adeguate. Destruction of the aincent Rhulisti civility, but to save and make possible a future for Athas.

Maybe, in the far corners of Athas (I think about region like C1 or D2 from the "Athas Planetary and Cosmological View..." thread), there can be winged Kreen even in the odiern age. They wouldn't be attacked by Champions, so I think that it can be a good chance that some of them may have survived. But their greatest threat is the extreme climate change...
#6
phoenix_m
Oct 26, 2007 23:41:07 I could also see your pre-historic kreen being around C3 or maybe Greenhaven Isle down on G7
#7
Sysane
Oct 30, 2007 8:31:32 I read this a bit more in depth and feel that it has merit. Perhaps the rhulisti initiated the Rebirth not out of a noble self sacrifice but out of sheer survival. It could be that the nature masters feared that halfling physiology wouldn’t prosper in the new age and in order to survive they needed to adapt their form to better suit the environment.

Each race would have been created to preform and excell at a special task to ensure the welfare of all and continue the rhulisti utopia. Elves could have been made to harvest the forests for food, dwarves to mine the earth for needed metals, orcs to defend from unseen predators, and so on. However, the rhulisti's plans didn't run as smoothly as they would have liked.

Due to an oversight of the nature masters (or the munitions of a vengeful nature bender) the rhulisti altered into these new forms were flawed to slowly lose their memories and sense of self. After a century or so the new races would have lost complete knowledge of who and what they once were. Confusion, paranoia, and prejudice would have caused the Rebirth races to branch out and segregate based on their appearance.
#8
Pennarin
Oct 31, 2007 10:55:05
Perhaps the rhulisti initiated the Rebirth not out of a noble self sacrifice but out of sheer survival. It could be that the nature masters feared that halfling physiology wouldn’t prosper in the new age and in order to survive they needed to adapt their form to better suit the environment.

Has anyone noticed that the Rebirth is the greatest act of nature-bending ever? Done by the victorious nature-masters...

As Sysane mentions, a desire to survive could have pushed even these wizened folks to do what they despised so much: modify people. Sure, the people to be transformed were willing, but philosophy is not always rational.
#9
Sysane
Oct 31, 2007 12:43:16
Has anyone noticed that the Rebirth is the greatest act of nature-bending ever? Done by the victorious nature-masters...

As Sysane mentions, a desire to survive could have pushed even these wizened folks to do what they despised so much: modify people. Sure, the people to be transformed were willing, but philosophy is not always rational.

I've noticed that as well. Out of desperation they apparently resorted to life-bending in order to survive but not with the results they had hoped for.
#10
Zardnaar
Nov 09, 2007 20:53:12
Has anyone noticed that the Rebirth is the greatest act of nature-bending ever? Done by the victorious nature-masters...

As Sysane mentions, a desire to survive could have pushed even these wizened folks to do what they despised so much: modify people. Sure, the people to be transformed were willing, but philosophy is not always rational.

To be fair we don't actually know the difference between life bending and shaping- it wsn't really relevent in 2nd ed.

I suspect enhancing and changing form is fine (halfling 2 anither humanoid) but halfling to aberration for exmple would be life bending.
#11
Sysane
Nov 10, 2007 7:46:38
To be fair we don't actually know the difference between life bending and shaping- it wsn't really relevent in 2nd ed.

I suspect enhancing and changing form is fine (halfling 2 anither humanoid) but halfling to aberration for exmple would be life bending.

Interesting point. Keeping within ones original creature type may have been acceptible but changing into entirely different type would be bending.

I don't believe this to be the case, but still felt that Zard's take should be noted.
#12
Zardnaar
Nov 10, 2007 8:58:29
Interesting point. Keeping within ones original creature type may have been acceptible but changing into entirely different type would be bending.

I don't believe this to be the case, but still felt that Zard's take should be noted.

I actually think the difference between life shaping and beinding was the use it was put to rather than the methood used and at times the lines would be blurry. Murder is evil for example but killing in self defence is acceptable but in bith cases someones dead. I suppose the intent would matter or the life benders were the equivilent of mad scientists.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Zardnaar Oct 25, 2007 19:29:42	THought I would share some of my notes with you guys. Feel free to rip me a new one. Thousands of years ago the Halfling nature masters initiated the event later called “The Rebirth. Such an innocent sounding name although this was the name the new races called it. For the surviving Halflings of the Blue Age driven by desperation it would probably be more accurate to call it the Apocalypse,Cataclysm Holocaust etc. The Rebirth essentially destroyed the ancient Halfling civilization and caused massive disruption across Athas. Once the ancient Halflngs unleashed the power of the Pristine Tower to destroy the brown tide sea levels dropped dramatically over the following year or two revealing true landmass instead of small islands. At first it would have been more accurate to call the Green Age the Gray Age for most of the world was still covered by the oceans and seas of Athas with the newly emerged land covered in mud with islands of greenery scattered about. Thousands of Halflings died due to starvation as the food sources for the Halfling Civilization collapsed. Surviving Halflings sought refuge in the forested mountains or fled underground into caverns carved out decades and centuries before. The surviving Nature Masters in the region of the Pristine Tower initiated the Rebirth as they knew they Halflings weren't prepared for the coming age. Using their knowledge of life shaping they mutated into the races that would later inherit Athas. While the Rebirth itself is generally assumed to have only lasted a century or so but some speculate that it has never truly ended. Even in modern Athas theres always some new race crawling out of the desert but such creatures tend to be individuals and rarely are any two alike and they die out within a generation. Sometime during the early Green Age the Thri Kreen encountered the other sentient races of Athas. While the ancient Nature Masters regarded themselves as the only intelligent race on Athas the primitive Kreen were sentient although their racial memories don't reach this far back or have deteriorated to extent they can't remember except as vague racial tales of a blue sun. It is likely the Kreen were headed towards extinction as they were adapted for the islands of the Blue Age and had wings to fly from island to island. Most likely some of the winged Kreen flew to close to the Pristine Tower and slowly mutated into the modern Kreen you see on Athas today. The winged Kreen probably all died out but perhaps some survived in a remote corner of Athas. It is hard to say what races were created first but it is likely the Pyreen were the last created combining features form numerous races that came before them. The Yuan Ti* also date from the rebirth as some early human bloodlines were contaminated by snake blood as the Nature Masters may not have had complete control over the energy radiating from the tower. Once the Rebirth was complete the few surviving Nature Masters left the tower although a few stayed behind in the vicinity of the tower to learn its secrets. These Halflings would later become the Shadow Giants until they were eliminated for the tower by Dregoth. *If Serpent Kings form Forgotten Realms is used you may wish to use the Sarrukh from that book. In that case the Sarrukh came from the tower and created the Yuan Ti later.
#2 Sysane Oct 26, 2007 7:56:20	Pretty good Z. Its got my creative juices following on ideas regarding the Rebirth.
#3 Zardnaar Oct 26, 2007 16:41:39	Pretty good Z. Its got my creative juices following on ideas regarding the Rebirth. Yeah I'm going to tidy it up and add it to my other notes. I had the cleansing wars floating around as well so eventually I'l have a "complete" history of Athas.
#4 cnahumck Oct 26, 2007 17:17:38	I have plans and machinations for the CW.
#5 --agares-- Oct 26, 2007 18:47:40	Very good version of the Rebith, from the Rhulisti point of view. Since the nature master created it intentionally, I think that a name like "The Sacrifice" can be more adeguate. Destruction of the aincent Rhulisti civility, but to save and make possible a future for Athas. Maybe, in the far corners of Athas (I think about region like C1 or D2 from the "Athas Planetary and Cosmological View..." thread), there can be winged Kreen even in the odiern age. They wouldn't be attacked by Champions, so I think that it can be a good chance that some of them may have survived. But their greatest threat is the extreme climate change...
#6 phoenix_m Oct 26, 2007 23:41:07	I could also see your pre-historic kreen being around C3 or maybe Greenhaven Isle down on G7
#7 Sysane Oct 30, 2007 8:31:32	I read this a bit more in depth and feel that it has merit. Perhaps the rhulisti initiated the Rebirth not out of a noble self sacrifice but out of sheer survival. It could be that the nature masters feared that halfling physiology wouldn’t prosper in the new age and in order to survive they needed to adapt their form to better suit the environment. Each race would have been created to preform and excell at a special task to ensure the welfare of all and continue the rhulisti utopia. Elves could have been made to harvest the forests for food, dwarves to mine the earth for needed metals, orcs to defend from unseen predators, and so on. However, the rhulisti's plans didn't run as smoothly as they would have liked. Due to an oversight of the nature masters (or the munitions of a vengeful nature bender) the rhulisti altered into these new forms were flawed to slowly lose their memories and sense of self. After a century or so the new races would have lost complete knowledge of who and what they once were. Confusion, paranoia, and prejudice would have caused the Rebirth races to branch out and segregate based on their appearance.
#8 Pennarin Oct 31, 2007 10:55:05	Perhaps the rhulisti initiated the Rebirth not out of a noble self sacrifice but out of sheer survival. It could be that the nature masters feared that halfling physiology wouldn’t prosper in the new age and in order to survive they needed to adapt their form to better suit the environment. Has anyone noticed that the Rebirth is the greatest act of nature-bending ever? Done by the victorious nature-masters... As Sysane mentions, a desire to survive could have pushed even these wizened folks to do what they despised so much: modify people. Sure, the people to be transformed were willing, but philosophy is not always rational.
#9 Sysane Oct 31, 2007 12:43:16	Has anyone noticed that the Rebirth is the greatest act of nature-bending ever? Done by the victorious nature-masters... As Sysane mentions, a desire to survive could have pushed even these wizened folks to do what they despised so much: modify people. Sure, the people to be transformed were willing, but philosophy is not always rational. I've noticed that as well. Out of desperation they apparently resorted to life-bending in order to survive but not with the results they had hoped for.
#10 Zardnaar Nov 09, 2007 20:53:12	Has anyone noticed that the Rebirth is the greatest act of nature-bending ever? Done by the victorious nature-masters... As Sysane mentions, a desire to survive could have pushed even these wizened folks to do what they despised so much: modify people. Sure, the people to be transformed were willing, but philosophy is not always rational. To be fair we don't actually know the difference between life bending and shaping- it wsn't really relevent in 2nd ed. I suspect enhancing and changing form is fine (halfling 2 anither humanoid) but halfling to aberration for exmple would be life bending.
#11 Sysane Nov 10, 2007 7:46:38	To be fair we don't actually know the difference between life bending and shaping- it wsn't really relevent in 2nd ed. I suspect enhancing and changing form is fine (halfling 2 anither humanoid) but halfling to aberration for exmple would be life bending. Interesting point. Keeping within ones original creature type may have been acceptible but changing into entirely different type would be bending. I don't believe this to be the case, but still felt that Zard's take should be noted.
#12 Zardnaar Nov 10, 2007 8:58:29	Interesting point. Keeping within ones original creature type may have been acceptible but changing into entirely different type would be bending. I don't believe this to be the case, but still felt that Zard's take should be noted. I actually think the difference between life shaping and beinding was the use it was put to rather than the methood used and at times the lines would be blurry. Murder is evil for example but killing in self defence is acceptable but in bith cases someones dead. I suppose the intent would matter or the life benders were the equivilent of mad scientists.