Several questions about athas. - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Several questions about athas.

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Sep 30, 2003 2:01:57 1) In tyr region map there is a city named "ablath", however, i found no information about it.

2) What are the pyreen exactly, and where are they live now (if at all)?

3) Why Hamanu close the trading lines with all cities except tyr?! if he wants to avoid the revolutionary ideas, than he should close the trading line with tyr especially. think about it - Hamanu needs the iron for the obsidian mines, but if exports are decreased, then they don't need a lot of iron - on the contrary - let the urik citizens be occupied by handling the current reserve of iron, instead of making contact with the revolutionary try citizens.

4) Why priest magic is legitimate and the city-states? in the novels, the character can't distinguish between the templar spells, the wizards spells, and the cleric spells (until the "sun" priest explicitly explained them).
why does magic is prohibited in the city-states? not because it's defiling, but because it's a source of power that the sorcerer-monarchs afraid of! thus - why the heck clerics, who both hold power similar to those of the templars and challenge the sorcerer-monarch deity, should be allowed inside the walls?

5) How the non-magical halflings made the magic-spear (and magic-rod) that hurt Kalak?
(in "the verdant passage" novel, the halflings even cast spells, but we can blame the 1st edition rules that somehow decide, against the common sense, that there are specialists in athas, and that halfling could become illusionist).
#2
zombiegleemax
Sep 30, 2003 5:20:05 1. As far as I know (though I'm a little foggy on this and no books in sight), Ablath is a trade village of the merchant house of Tsalaxa, which is HQ'd in Draj. About 500 people.

2. The pyreen were created by the Rebirth, but they were different. They are said to be a combination of the best of all the other Rebirth races (dwarves, elves, gnomes, etc). They act in many different individual roles, from protectors of the land, guardians of the Rhul-Than halflings of the Jagged Cliffs, and general do gooders who should just be skewered on a pike and left to rot, err . . . nevermind.

3. No City state is 100% self sufficient. They each require trade not to prosper, but simply to survive. That Urik trades only with Tyr means that it is keeping the valuable iron trade flowing. Likely, traders are not allowed with a few miles of the city, which not only gives Hammanu greater control over trade itself, but also over the spread of information, rumors, and such.

4. Good point, and one not readily explained. Technically, it seems out of character for the SKs, who fear any threats to their power, to allow priests to reside and practice within their city. The only explanation I can think of is that they, unlike wizards, are capable of serving a valuable role in society in general. Of course, this leniency probably only goes so far. Should a priest overstep his boundaries within a city, he's probably in just as much danger as a wizard, and he's likely been watched far more closely over the years. The SKs are still quite intelligent, enough to know who to keep tabs on.

5. Its never fully explained. Some theories though could range from clerical or psionic enchantments, leftover artifacts (The Great, or was it Last Tree? being an artifact that itself produced the heartwood spear), to some last remnant of lifeshaping knowledge. Your guess is as good as mine on that one though.
#3
jon_oracle_of_athas
Sep 30, 2003 7:38:03 In the original Dark Sun Boxed set halflings could be preserver Illusionists. Also, there was nothing to prevent a priest from creating a magical item under AD&D 2nd edition rules. In fact, they had a lot of an easier time doing so than wizards.
#4
Kamelion
Oct 01, 2003 2:06:57 IIRC, the Heartwood Spear was something of a gift from the Last Tree to the halflings of the Forst Ridge. It budded forth from the heartwood of the Tree and was allegedly taken by Nok. Also possible that Ktandeo had a hand in its manufacture as he and Nok worked together on the construction of his cane.

Pretty sure I spotted something on Ablath in the books (also don't have them here) but will check and get back to you...
#5
overelemental
Oct 01, 2003 6:35:27 Isn't Ablath located between Silver Spring and Altaruk?

I think you can find some info about it in Dune Trader. Maybe the Wanderer's Chronichle as well.
#6
Kamelion
Oct 01, 2003 14:04:11 ... and Ablath is in the Dune Trader supplement, p26. Mach pretty much covered it, but the supplement notes that it is Tsalaxa's main point of contact with the folk of the Tablelands and is a stopover point for caravans to/from Altaruk. There's only a single paragraph...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Sep 30, 2003 2:01:57	1) In tyr region map there is a city named "ablath", however, i found no information about it. 2) What are the pyreen exactly, and where are they live now (if at all)? 3) Why Hamanu close the trading lines with all cities except tyr?! if he wants to avoid the revolutionary ideas, than he should close the trading line with tyr especially. think about it - Hamanu needs the iron for the obsidian mines, but if exports are decreased, then they don't need a lot of iron - on the contrary - let the urik citizens be occupied by handling the current reserve of iron, instead of making contact with the revolutionary try citizens. 4) Why priest magic is legitimate and the city-states? in the novels, the character can't distinguish between the templar spells, the wizards spells, and the cleric spells (until the "sun" priest explicitly explained them). why does magic is prohibited in the city-states? not because it's defiling, but because it's a source of power that the sorcerer-monarchs afraid of! thus - why the heck clerics, who both hold power similar to those of the templars and challenge the sorcerer-monarch deity, should be allowed inside the walls? 5) How the non-magical halflings made the magic-spear (and magic-rod) that hurt Kalak? (in "the verdant passage" novel, the halflings even cast spells, but we can blame the 1st edition rules that somehow decide, against the common sense, that there are specialists in athas, and that halfling could become illusionist).
#2 zombiegleemax Sep 30, 2003 5:20:05	1. As far as I know (though I'm a little foggy on this and no books in sight), Ablath is a trade village of the merchant house of Tsalaxa, which is HQ'd in Draj. About 500 people. 2. The pyreen were created by the Rebirth, but they were different. They are said to be a combination of the best of all the other Rebirth races (dwarves, elves, gnomes, etc). They act in many different individual roles, from protectors of the land, guardians of the Rhul-Than halflings of the Jagged Cliffs, and general do gooders who should just be skewered on a pike and left to rot, err . . . nevermind. 3. No City state is 100% self sufficient. They each require trade not to prosper, but simply to survive. That Urik trades only with Tyr means that it is keeping the valuable iron trade flowing. Likely, traders are not allowed with a few miles of the city, which not only gives Hammanu greater control over trade itself, but also over the spread of information, rumors, and such. 4. Good point, and one not readily explained. Technically, it seems out of character for the SKs, who fear any threats to their power, to allow priests to reside and practice within their city. The only explanation I can think of is that they, unlike wizards, are capable of serving a valuable role in society in general. Of course, this leniency probably only goes so far. Should a priest overstep his boundaries within a city, he's probably in just as much danger as a wizard, and he's likely been watched far more closely over the years. The SKs are still quite intelligent, enough to know who to keep tabs on. 5. Its never fully explained. Some theories though could range from clerical or psionic enchantments, leftover artifacts (The Great, or was it Last Tree? being an artifact that itself produced the heartwood spear), to some last remnant of lifeshaping knowledge. Your guess is as good as mine on that one though.
#3 jon_oracle_of_athas Sep 30, 2003 7:38:03	In the original Dark Sun Boxed set halflings could be preserver Illusionists. Also, there was nothing to prevent a priest from creating a magical item under AD&D 2nd edition rules. In fact, they had a lot of an easier time doing so than wizards.
#4 Kamelion Oct 01, 2003 2:06:57	IIRC, the Heartwood Spear was something of a gift from the Last Tree to the halflings of the Forst Ridge. It budded forth from the heartwood of the Tree and was allegedly taken by Nok. Also possible that Ktandeo had a hand in its manufacture as he and Nok worked together on the construction of his cane. Pretty sure I spotted something on Ablath in the books (also don't have them here) but will check and get back to you...
#5 overelemental Oct 01, 2003 6:35:27	Isn't Ablath located between Silver Spring and Altaruk? I think you can find some info about it in Dune Trader. Maybe the Wanderer's Chronichle as well.
#6 Kamelion Oct 01, 2003 14:04:11	... and Ablath is in the Dune Trader supplement, p26. Mach pretty much covered it, but the supplement notes that it is Tsalaxa's main point of contact with the folk of the Tablelands and is a stopover point for caravans to/from Altaruk. There's only a single paragraph...