I'm a complete newbie to Dragonlance. We've only just began playing, and I've only just read the Chronicles.
Problem is; we're playing Age of Mortals, and I don't know a whole lot about it.
And I wanted to play a wizard; for which, I gather, I need to know alot about the world, it's history and it's magic.
Now, we're supposed to begin our campaign only months after the War of Souls, and I just learned today that High Magic has been gone for some, oh 40 years or so?
What happened to the High Mages? When Magic comes back, why is that? And what is the reaction of the Orders?
I need as much info as I can get, and I will use the older posts on this forum as my guide. In the meantime, I would really appreciate any clarifications (or pointers to where I can find them..)
Thanx alot, in advance
;)So, right now (what is it..45 SC or something?) there is not really any hunt on Renegades?
When the Gods returned, did High Magic re-activate immediatly?
How do the people of Ansalon see Wizards now that their Conclave has been inactive, and mages absent, for such a long period?
Oh..and I read something about a novel called; Magic of Krynn (?); would that be a useful book to read, or is it just one of the many DL novels?
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Well...in 383 AC (about 30 years after Chronicles) Ansalon (all of Krynn, most likely) was plunged into another war, the Irda accidentally let the insane god Ionthas (who calls himself "Chaos") out of the Greygem.
At the conclusion of the battle, Chaos was defeated, but at the moment when the gods were most vulnerable and distracted, Takhisis ripped Krynn from the space time continueum and moved it across the universe. In doing so, she also severed Krynn from it's River of Time, so the other 20 gods were at a loss as to what happened, and they could not find Krynn.
This act weakened Takhisis so much that she could not protect Krynn from alien attackers. Coming through the same portal that Takhisis had pulled Krynn through (thanks to the Blue dragon Skie, who had shown her the portal centuries earlier). These aliens were ginormous dragons. Dragons that began battling each other and the Ansalonians (mortals and dragons) for supremecy over the continent.
Those first few years were the worst. No magic, no gods, the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas was presumed destroyed by a strange cloaked figure, the alien dragons arrived, and most of Ansalon's heroes had been slain in the previous war...things were indeed gloom.
It eventually came to be (after about 25 years of a war called the Dragon Purge) that 5 supremely massive and powerful dragons had control over most of the continent...which they shaped to their own preferences. Malystryx the Red (Malys), arguably the most powerful, definately the largest, had control over the Dairly Plains (formerly Kendermore and the Goodlund Penninsula) in Eastern Ansalon. She transformed this area into the "Desolation" of mountains and volcanoes and earthquakes...truly an awful place. Khellendros the Blue (Kitiara's very own, Skie) claimed Northern Ansalon for himself and turned it into a Desert wasteland known as "The Blue Wastes." Onysablet the Black (Sable), claimed the land east of New Sea, and the north of the Plains of Dust and turned it into a swamp (usually referred to as "New Swamp" or "Sable's Swamp." Beryllinthranox the Green (Beryl) claimed Qualinesti and Kharolis as her realm and turned it into a enrmous and thick jungle. And Gellidus the White (Frost) claimed the Isle of Southern Ergoth as his own and turned it into a glacier.
Aside from these five Dragon Overlords, there were several lesser Dragonlords as well. They were Morhelx the Black (Pitch) and Lorrinar the Green (Fume) control areas north of the Astivar Mts. (a swamp off the Blood Sea and the Woods of Lahue respectively). Cryonisis and Fresindia (Ice and Freeze) the twin Whites control Icereach. Pyrothraxus (Pyro) the Red claimed Mt. Nevermind (much to his latter demise)...the dragon has gone quite mad thanks to the never ending chatting, poking, and prodding by the gnomes. Then there's Stenndunuus the Blue and Iyesta the Brass (Thunder and Splendor) took control of land west of Onysablet's swamp on the Plains of Dust. And finally there is Fenalysten the Red (Cinder) who took a portion of Estwild west of Neraka. Oh, and there was one sea dragonlord named Brynselldimmer, or Brine for short. He claimed lordship over the Dargonesti (or maybe it was the Dimmernesti). Oh...and Cyan Bloodbane in the guise of an elf, tricked the Silvanesti into creating a magical shield that surrouned their forrest...so essentially he was kind of a Dragonlord of Silvanesti.
Anyway...thanks to heroic figures in the 5th Age, several of these dragons are dead. Brine was killed by Dhamon Grimwulf and company (thanks mostly to a weapon known as the Fist of E'li weiled by Jasper Fireforge, Flint's nephew). They also battled the the Dragon Overlords (albeit fuitilely)...but they did allow Skie to thwart Malys' plans of becoming practically a god. Splendor was killed by a bunch of brutes working for his mortal enemy Thunder (I think). And Thunder was killed by a bronze dragon Crucible and his companion Linsha Majere (grand-daughter of Caramon and Tika). And Pyro has been missing lately...he may have gone into a deep state of madness...or perhaps he's dead. At the beginning of the War of Souls, Cyan Bloodbane was slain by the Silvanesti when he was ousted by Mina (more to come on her). Rumors abound now of a dracolich here and there that claims to be Cyan Bloodbane.
When the Gods disappeared, they took with them both Arcane magic and Clerical magic...the moons were gone and so were the familiar constellations in the sky. After time though, Goldmoon discovered a new magic...the magic of the Heart, which she called Mysticism. Palin Majere (nephew of Raistlin Majere) "discovered" a new arcane magic which he termed wild sorcery. (although really he was shown how to use it by a mysterious figure known as the Shadow Sorcerer). These two magics were really just the un-focused ambient energies used by the gods to create the world...it's been sitting there all along only accessible to creatures and beings more attuned with the world and nature (like dragons and fey creatures). But thanks to the Chaos War, the energy is more accessable, and now mere mortals can tap into that well of energy.
Well, it turns out that the Shadow Sorcerer was in actuality Takhisis. She had lost alot of her power by moving the world like she did...and she needed a way to regain that power. She found that power through spectral minions. She discovered, that with Krynn cut off from it's River of Time, the River of Souls was also closed off...so all the souls of the people who had died in the past 40 years were trapped in a sort of limbo on Krynn...unable to move on. She taught the mortals how to use this "new" magic...and then commanded the dead souls to sap that power out of the mortals as they tried to use it...promising that if they did so, she would allow the specters to continue on into the after life.
During the War of Souls, Takhisis' champion, Mina, took over the Knights of Neraka (Takhisis' answer to the Knights of Solamnia during the Chaos War) and began to conqure all the land of Ansalon in the name of the One God. Thanks to Mina the Dragon Overlords Khellendros and Malystryx were killed. For Skie, she turned his own breath weapon against him (an interesting spell where one turns an elemental attack back against the attacker but changes it from elemental to holy/unholy damage :devil
. And she fought Malys in the sky and drove a Dragonlance into her heart (which Dhamon and crew had tried years earlier, but missed any vital organs). Also, during this war, Laurana and the elves of Qualinost, the Dwarves of Thorbardin, and the local Knights of Neraka banded together to destroy the Green Peril, Berylinthranox. They did so...but at the cost of the city of Qualinost and Laurana's life...which is now known as the Lake of the Dead (it collapsed thanks to escape tunnels burried underneath the city).So, by the end of the War of Souls, only two Dragon Overlords remained alive...but several Dragonlords are still alive and kickin'.
Well...long story short (TOO LATE!) thanks to a crafty little kender (Tas) and a dead archmage (Raistlin) the gods were able to re-connect Krynn with it's River of Time...and time and the souls could flow freely once more.
As punishment for her crimes, the gods made Takhisis mortal and was almost immediately slain by Silvanoshei, the son of Alhana Starbreeze and Porthios of House Solostaran. In order to keep the balance, Paladine also gave up his godhood. He now travels the world as an elf known as Valthonis. Mina has vowed her vengance upon the fallen god...but that's to come in a different trillogy.
So, the gods have returned, clerical and wizardly magic has returned...but now they have competition with Mysticis and Sorcerers...will it be a peaceful coexistance? I doubt it...'cause Dragonlance is more effed up than our own world. ;) One god is dead, and the other is mortal. Dragon Overlords and Dragonlords still control much of Ansalon. And their destructive terraforming is still around. The Holy Order of the Stars is trying to rebuild it's strength, as is the Wizards of High Sorcery...but we don't know much about how either one is doing. (there is going to be a d20 book out in January that should give a ton of insight into what's going on with the WoHS right now). But in the meantime...we just don't know how the rebuilding of the Orders is going.
Well...that was probably more information than you needed...but I'd say most of this is probably pretty common knowledge to anyone who lives in a village and has seen any wandering bard on Ansalon.
Good luck!
Originally posted by TranquilDarkness
So, right now (what is it..45 SC or something?) there is not really any hunt on Renegades?
No, it's 39 SC (or 422 AC). As for hunting Renegades...probably not yet...they need to get their Order back in...uh, order.
As for what happens after that with Sorcerers...who knows.
Originally posted by TranquilDarkness
Oh..and I read something about a novel called; Magic of Krynn (?); would that be a useful book to read, or is it just one of the many DL novels?
No...it's just an anthology...and not really about the "magic of Krynn." It probably wouldn't help you too much.
Thanx alot; most of that is useful, if not needed info
Just pushing on with the questions;
I was planning to play a young wizard (recently passed his Test to become a White Robe) who is deeply interested and devoted to magical items (since most, if not all of Ansalon's legends have magical items to the point of revolving around them).
Was there any effect on magic items during the absence of High Magic? (Or other permanent/semi-permanent magical aura's/fields/effects?)
Like I said, I had planned for my char to have just passed his Test. Learning of the actual Timeline, I now find my plan faulty. Since I cannot see a young man become a 1st lvl Wizard, and pass his Test slightly less then 6 months later
Even with a war going on..
Options aplenty, but still some more plotting and reading to do..
Like I said, I had planned for my char to have just passed his Test. Learning of the actual Timeline, I now find my plan faulty. Since I cannot see a young man become a 1st lvl Wizard, and pass his Test slightly less then 6 months later
Wizards don't actually take the test until they can cast 2nd lvl spells (or is it 3rd
) so you don't have to worry about your char not making sense in relation to the timeline.Was there any effect on magic items during the absence of High Magic? (Or other permanent/semi-permanent magical aura's/fields/effects?)
There was no effect on magic items during the Age of Mortals, they still worked as intended. Because of this lots of these items were sought out by sorcerers and the Dragonlords. Also, some of these items were drained of their power by sorcerers when Takhisis started stealing their magic. This gave the sorcerers a temporary boost in power thet let them cast their spells.
we're starting play at 5th lvl, which would just qualify him for 1 lvl of Wizard of High Sorcery.
thanx
YES, THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE STRANGEST CHARACTERS YET! KENDER RULE! *squeak* YES, THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE STRANGEST CHARACTERS YET! KENDER RULE! *squeak*Originally posted by Cassia Riverogue
Could someone please help me find stats and stuff for a Kender Red Robe? I'm a newbie that has NO idea how she's to start this...
Ah, then you should read my article on kender wizards!
So, you want to play a kender wizard?
Note: Any kender who follows the advice of this article will not be a stereotypical one, but would be a great role-playing character.
Originally posted by Amaron Blackthorn
Dragonhelm, any ideas when the new Dragonlance products will be finally released?
Amaron, you really do need to lift the needle on that stuck record somewhat. As soon as any new updates or release information is available, the good folks at Sovereign Press will let Trampas and the rest of us Whitestone Council folks know so that news reports can be posted.
Cheers,
Cam
Originally posted by Amaron Blackthorn
Dragonhelm, any ideas when the new Dragonlance products will be finally released?
I've recently heard that the DL DM Screen will be Dec. 15 now. I'm not sure how true this is.
I'll let you guys know when I have something concrete.