Sorry, yes it probably is halflings, I'm reading the timeline now and I see it. What races were the nature benders? I know halflings weren't the only ones.
They were halflings as well, but the were refered to as the Rhistuli (sp). The Thri-kreen (Zic chil) were also able to alter there forms through a prossess similar to nature benders.
Originally posted by Sysane
They were halflings as well, but the were refered to as the Rhistuli (sp). The Thri-kreen (Zic chil) were also able to alter there forms through a prossess similar to nature benders.
Bear in mind - the theory that the Zik-Chil (Priests of Change) being the Nature Benders is not based on any specific reference in a book. The idea is that the Sik-Chil are...well....different than the rest of the Kreen. Basically - they were once Rhulisti (the nature-benders) that were exhiled from the rest of Rhulisti society, found the kreen species - a large mantis-like, and ferocious creature (but unintelligent) and then began altering the Kreen to becoming their army, as they prepared to retake the lands they were exhiled from. They became so intrigued by the racial genetic memory, and other advantages that the Kreen had, that the nature-benders altered themselves and became the Zik-Chil. This constant development for assaulting the Rhulisti nations they were exhiled from developed in the species overall as an expansionistic mentality, and the Zik-Chil, along with the Tohr-Kreen Empire have since forgotten their original purpose, with it getting mangled up in genetic memory. The Thri-Kreen of the Tablelands are basically the decendants of a group of Kreen who rebelled against the Zik-Chil and the Tohr-Kreen Empire, and were lead by a charismatic Thri-Kreen and an Avangion (which I believe to be Oronis, but that's another story), settled up in the Tablelands region, and then their little nation was attacked and destroyed by the Dragon and Sorcerer-Kings, the Thri-Kreen were scattered, and have been nomadic ever since.
Once again - there's really no evidence of this in 2e books - it's all conjecture, derived from things from the 2e books, but still conjecture all the same.
at the beginning. Right before the sea turned into dust.
Just realised that no one has given you all that much insight yet. You say 'at the begining', so of course everyone assumed you meant during the Blue Age. Give a read through of the timeline though. Athas' degeneration from a water planet to a desert one was actually a little more gradual. See, as far as can be gleaned, Borys', once transformed into the Dragon, is mostly to blame for the Sea of Silt (assuming of course that its a self contained sea). This occured somewhat recently in Athas' history (after the Clensing Wars had ended and the Champions turned on Rajaat). So, you have a few different points in history to start your campaign setting in. The Blue Age, which is when Athas was a water planet and only halflings and kreen were around. Then there's the Green Age (which is the Age that sounds more like what you may have been thinking of). This is after the rhulisti (ancient halflings) began the Rebirth. This is where elves and dwarves and humans came about, building their little kingdoms and empires. This is the Age before things got really messed up by Rajaat and the Clensing Wars.
What is "nature-bending" and could it stand up against preserver/defiling Magic?
There's no canon answers for the first part of the question. All that we know is that there were the Nature Masters (who its presumed used life-shaping just like the Rhual-Than of the Jagged Cliffs), and then there was a splinter group called Nature Benders. Digging into the context, nature benders were still just life-shapers, but perhaps they had less morality to them and their practice. Basically, your comparing a group of people who create and build organic tools, items, and weapons with a group of spellcasters. The lifeshaped tools are what you should be comparing.
Originally posted by Mach2.5
There's no canon answers for the first part of the question. All that we know is that there were the Nature Masters (who its presumed used life-shaping just like the Rhual-Than of the Jagged Cliffs), and then there was a splinter group called Nature Benders. Digging into the context, nature benders were still just life-shapers, but perhaps they had less morality to them and their practice. Basically, your comparing a group of people who create and build organic tools, items, and weapons with a group of spellcasters. The lifeshaped tools are what you should be comparing.
Well, I believe the Nature-Masters were able to actually produce new life-forms, while the Nature-Benders were only able to alter/adapt pre-existing ones. The Nature-Benders used their abilities to do something really bad, and were kicked out - presumably because they were going to use their real bad things to force the Nature-Masters to reveal how to produce new creatures, something they couldn't do. I also think that the Nature-Benders are directly responsible for the Brown Tide that destroyed the oceans.
But, for the most part, life-shaping, in either capacity, has been long lost. The Zik-Chil still can alter Kreen into Zik-Trin, which they use as sort of Shock Troops of the Tohr-Kreen Empire. The Rhul-Thaun halflings of the Jagged Cliffs still use life-shaped devices, and can create more, they just forgot how to make anything new - they've pretty much degraded it to the point of being nothing but traditions, no real comprehension of the science or mechanics of life-shaping, just that if they do certian things, life-shaped creatures result from it.
Life-shaped things are basically biotechnology. It's not magic or psionics - personally, I see it as basically a sci-fi aspect.
Sorry about the short, blunt, inpolite post, But I'm sleepy and this reely interests me.
What types of life shaped things to the modern halflings have/create and how?
There really isn't a mechanic on how they create them. From the sounds of it they more or less "breed" life shape items.
The life shaped items varried. From weapons. armor, climbing tools, flying devices, etc.....
They into detail on the actual itemsl in the 2e supplement Artifacts of Athas.
They were in Spelljammer Setting also (called Xixchil there, but incredibly similar
). According to the Spacefares Handbook they were able to alter their forms by surgical modifications, often implanting gems, jeweles or even replacing (or adding) entire limbs or increasing ability scores.Perhaps Dark Sun and Spelljammer have a lot in common.
Here's a picture of one Xixchil
Originally posted by Donblas, the Justice Maker
Refering to the Zik-Chil:
They were in Spelljammer Setting also (called Xixchil there, but incredibly similar :rolleyes. According to the Spacefares Handbook they were able to alter their forms by surgical modifications, often implanting gems, jeweles or even replacing (or adding) entire limbs or increasing ability scores.
Perhaps Dark Sun and Spelljammer have a lot in common.
Here's a picture of one Xixchil
That makes me think it's just a conincidence. Possibly the idea came from Spelljammer, but - the Xixchil picture there doesn't look anything like a Zik-Chil. The Zik-Chil are smallish, have a pale (sickly?) green color to them, and their upper arms have very dexterious and manipulable five-fingered hands.
What types of life shaped things to the modern halflings have/create and how
Check out Windriders of the Jagged Cliffs which details the modern society of the decendants of the ancient rhulisti lifeshapers. Basically lifeshaping is their only major source of creation, and is broad enough to serve to make their buildings (organically grown), weapons (mostly blunt weapons, but a few strange ones like net hurling gun-like things), armor (living symbiotic armor that also regulates the wearer's body temp and such), transportation (like giant living zepplins and living backpack like things with extra arms to aid in climbing), symbiotic organisms that attatch to the user (most of which duplicate somewhat the effects of magic items in some way, but in a logical organic sense; instead of a ring of dex +1 it would be a mass of tendon-like organisms that attatch to the users legs and aid in speed and agility confering a +1 dex). I must say that the list of lifeshaped items is rather extensive and fairly original. Its said that the Rhual-Than (the rhulisti decendants living in the Jagged Cliffs) have forgotten much of the ancient lore of the life-shapers of old, so much so that they are unable to create new items due to a lack of real understanding about the process of lifeshaping.