I saw the sample map of it somwhere. It was a nice start.
-introneurotic
Kaldinay is a very interesting ruins down below Tyr.
Er, that would be Under Tyr, not Kalidnay. ;)
My bad for not catching that earlier.
At the end of it, Thakok-An's death woke Kalid-Ma. She fled into the catacombs beneath the city to finish her dragon transformation and left her loyal templars in charge of the city until her return. The PCs stuck around for awhile and then moved on.
But Nibenay shags his templars!!! And has offspring!
Same with Abalach-Re. Or, for that matter, even worse. She does not stick just to their templars for entertainment. And she has children by the bucketful.
an·drog·y·nous
adj.
1. Biology. Having both female and male characteristics; hermaphroditic.
2. Being neither distinguishably masculine nor feminine, as in dress, appearance, or behavior.
Essentially, a dragon on Athas is whatever they want to be - they aren't human any more and they only maintain their shape through polymorph or illusion.
Now a days we would say "The sorcerer-kings and queens of Athas are ...", but a century ago we would have said "The sorcerer-kings of Athas are ...", even though females are part of the group. Since all TSR books have been written in the poetic way of old, gender issues are treated the same, to give texts this "ancient" feel.
If you prefer you can say Sorcerer-Monarchs.
Its like "man" and "human", synonymous yet one is gender-specific.
I painted Kalidnay as a culture reminiscent of the ancient India; you know, thugee cultists and the likes (and blatantly ripped from Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom ... muahhahhahahaa). Otherwise, I left the city pretty much in ruins, populated by ratlings I stole from Rokugan (resembled the tari just fine to me). It's still a bit open on the topic of what the H*** they are doing in there, but perhaps I'll sort it out in time before my group gets there. (E.g. how do they react to Tethrades and his Shom cronies scurryinmg about with their biological weapon laboratories?)
And, BTW, I always thought of Kalid-Ma as female ... although the revised DS setting describes the monarch of Kalidnay as male.
Here a region map right before the great disaster.
Here's a city shot of a statue of Kalidma.
And write a poem for a website about Kalidnay I have yet to finish.
http://www.geocities.com/marcusmagnusdod/KalidIntro.html
Tari Time Line:
-14,014
● The first tari emerge from the Pristine Tower along side the other Rebirth races to find their place in the new world.
-13,968
● After roaming the Tyr region for several decades the tari settle to the lands south of the future site of Kalidnay.
-13, 954
● Not long after settling in southern portion of the Tyr region the tari find and domesticate the now extinct beasts called rel-vorn. They appear to look similar to the modern day nightmare beast but are half their size with none of that creature’s innate powers and aggression. The tari begin to use the rel-vorn as riding and pack animals to help shape their civilization.
-13,946
● The tari contract a rare and mysterious disease. An epidemic soon arises and many tari are wiped out due to plague.
-13,939
● After many years of research tari scholars find the cure for disease saving their race from extinction. However, the cure only prevents the tari from suffering its debilitating effects. They are forever carriers of this disease and is passed along to future generations. Through their research the tari unlock the arts of herbal medicine and healing.
-13,929
● The maze city of Ythri is founded and becomes known as the hub of medical knowledge and one of the greatest exporters of herbal curatives and vaccines of the Green Age.
-13, 926
● Even though not adept as some of the Rebirth races, the tari learn the basics of the Will and the Unseen Way.
-13,725
● A dark time in Ythri’s history. Several tari psions experiment and create medicines which heighten their already formidable mental powers for short periods of time against the city’s ruler’s, the High Physician, wishes. Soon civil war erupts within the walls of the tari city as drug addled tari psions and followers seek to usurp control of Ythri. So begins the Mind Blight Conflict.
-13,703
● After 12 years of internal strife the Mind Blight Conflict is brought to an end with the capture and execution of the tari psions responsible.
-12,472
● In an attempt to cure a rare psionic ailment, tari scholars accidentally mutate the disease into cerebral parasites. A short outbreak arises but is quickly contained. The tari gather the remaining parasites locking them deep within the vaults beneath Ythri.
-10,741
● Tari of questionable character leave Ythri to peddle herbal toxins of lethal nature to the races of the Tyr region. These rogue tari eventually begin teaching the art of crafting poison in underground schools to the other Rebirth races.
-8,623
● The current High Physician of Ythri dies of mysterious causes. Some fear foul play. The new High Physician, Skerrit, demands an investigation fearing for his life. The investigation soon erupts into an inquisition due to the paranoid delusions of the tari ruler. Many tari and non-tari alike are unjustly tried and executed within the walls of Ythri. At the height of the inquisition, the now mad High Physician sentences his own family to death and is soon removed from office shortly ther after. Skerrit is later tried for his Phantom Conspiracy but “apparently” takes his own life before his sentence.
-6,902
● Tari druids leave Ythri after receiving visions of the city’s destruction. They begin prophesying the fall of the great tari city and are soon driven out of Ythri by proclamation of the High Physician. The druids attract a small following of tari citizens and travel to the lands south of Ythri.
-5,006
● Dozens of tari flock to Rajaat to learn the never before seen magic along with the other races of Athas.
-3,732
● Near by wemics begin to encroach on the tari lands by raiding Ythri trade caravans. The tari's ruler, the High Physician, personally seeks out the wemics to negotiate. In return for ceasing all hostility he vowed that the tari would aid the wemics in their greatest hour of need. Moved by the lone tari's decree the wemics stop all aggressions.
-3,529
● Kalium’s, an aspiring wizard, child becomes ill and he seeks the tari of Ythri to help cure his beloved son. The greatest of the tari’s medical scholars stave off the illness briefly but the boy relapses and soon sub comes to the ravages of disease. Kalium, devastated by the loss of his child, swears vengeance against the tari people for their failure and incompetence. Kaium redoubles his efforts in studying magic.
-3,542
● Kalium is charged with eradicating one of the Rebirth races and becomes the Warbringer's 15th Champion. He is knighted Kalid- Ma the Tari Killer.
-3,482
● Kalid-Ma begins experiments on captured rel-vor in the hopes of using the beasts against their tari masters in the up coming war. He finds the creatures highly malleable to magic. Soon he develops the process of changing the genital rel-vor into the horrific Nightmare Beasts. Only a dozen are created due to the rigorous process and the low survivability rate of the tel-vor that under go this metamorphosis.
-3,325
● Kalid-Ma gleefully begins marching his forces across Athas slowly making his way toward Ythri. Along the way slaying any and all tari settlements that happen upon his path before attempting to crush their capital.
-2,839
● One of several tribes of wemics reach the gates of Ythri. Having their lands razed by the Wemic Annihilator, Tectuktitlay, they seek sanctuary. The tari welcome the wounded wemics honoring their ancestors' pledge made centuries before.
-2,825
● Fearing the approaching Kalid-Ma the tari plan to flee their city. The wemics offer to bide the gentle tari time as repayment for their kindness. Tari and wemic psions and artisans forge the blade Del-gen in hopes of having a weapon to fend off the Tari Killers forces and to ultimately slay the Champion himself.
-2,823
● Kalid-Ma reaches the gates of Ythri and lays siege on the tari city. Many tari have been slain on his journey and those that haven’t flee to their capital city for protection. Tari and wemic fight side by side to fend off the armies of the Tari Killer. In the mean time, scores of tari flee through the sewers to the expanding wastes of Athas. The chief of the wemic tribe wielding Del-gen wades through the forces of Kalid-Ma cutting a bloody swath to reach the Tari Killer himself. The wemic chief lands a single mighty blow against the 15th Champion only to be dispatched by his mastery of the Way and magic. Ythri is soon left in ruins and the remaining tari scatter to the far reaches of the Tyr region.
Beyond the fall of Ythri
● Kalid-Ma continues to hunt down the remaining tari till the 164th King’s Age. Eradicating every known civilized tari settlement. Though successful in evading the Tari Killer and extinction, the tari become nothing more than vagrants over the following centuries. Losing any and all knowledge of their past and once great civilization. Once Kalid-Ma and the other Champions betray Rajaat and imprison him within the Black, the Tari Killer ceases his war and turns his attention to other matters. Satisfied that he has taken his rightful vengeance against the tari.
Yeah, but the SKs don't strike me as the cross-dressing type.
No, but they remind me alot of ancient rulers, some of the Caesars and such of thoe days, and most of them floated both ways if you know what I mean.
Mainly because they had the power to do so.
Well, I did do some work in regards to ancient Kalidnay.
Here a region map right before the great disaster.
Here's a city shot of a statue of Kalidma.
And write a poem for a website about Kalidnay I have yet to finish.
http://www.geocities.com/marcusmagnusdod/KalidIntro.html
Nice!
Especially the second image.
What program did you use to create the second image?
I used SLPs from Age of Kings (Structures), Rise of Nation (statue and street) and Star War: Galactic Battlegrounds for the trees.
I can make some really cool stuff, I just need the inspiration.