as with all settings, there is a sort of stasis in each campaign setting, a present tense, with events past, with adventures to be had, and things that come to pass. dark sun has a uniqe look though, with its revised campaign setting, a result of the evolution of the world over 6 years of development.
and though there are hints of future events, and a stage now for events to come...whats the far future of athas? it was set in the future already...its present is the post apocalypse of a magnificent era, after all.
i mean beyond all published materials and any extensions of present adventures or potential outcomes. i mean true future, decades or centuries down the line.
dregoth ascending, the comet's return (and the defeat of mars attacksian- halfing invaders ;)), long after the return of the evil psionic Dolphins to their rightful place at the seats of power...
what do you see in the future of athas, say 100 years. the king/queens dead alive (ressurected?), etc. the balance of power in the region cant last forever, after all
awwww if the world's going back to the green, its not really dark sun.
the whole imbalance of power's always been an element of design. think when the party kills (well...somehow were involved/did the bloody thing/watched from a safe distance) kalak..how it interupts the 1000 slave tribute.
when the party takes out Borys (did i just say that???) they have to contend with Rajaat being freed...
even doing all that, the Kreen come out and about due to the events of prism pentad.
i see world imbalanced by acts of power, not redeemed. although the space halfing invaders seem like they will make an impact (no pun intended)...the world has seen too much to come back from the brink. unless you want to take the heroic way out :P
I see Urik becoming lush and verdant under the wise guidance of the Spirit of the Land that is substituting for Hamanu. I think that New Kurn will be an absolute Blue Age Paradise, and the Mind Lords will keep their territory intact as well. The Crescent Forest will grow, under the protection of Nibenay and Lalali-Puy, even as Nibenay completes his dragon metamorphosis while circumventing the Rages. The Halflings from the Messenger will work to restore the rest of the world as well. And there will be huge wars against the Kreen Empire. But I really believe that when the story line was discontinued, Athas was well on the road to recovery, and there is a yellow or blue sun in its future.
Its only fun to restore Athas if the PCs have a hand in doing it.
I like to think of Dark Sun in longer terms than a mere 100 years.
Athas is slowly dying. In the past, there were far more people and more city-states that have vanished. True the dragon is gone. The Defilers are being reduced in numbers. Can druids and preservers tip the balance.
In a thousand years or two thousand, I see the SK of Nibenay and Gulg uniting, marrying and eventually becoming dragons to rule a kingdom in the center of the Tyr region. Whereas it will probably not be called the Tyr region for the City of Tyr will no longer have the influence it once had. Perhaps they will conquer the remaining free cities while Dregor does the same. With Borys gone, the SK are free to conquer and increase their domains. The Tyr region will be dominated by one SK eventually.
Kurn will become an Avagion Kingdom.
however, athas' theme, the core concept behind it and most fictional heroics for that matter, is about scale. the lower on the totem the world goes fantasy wise (once it was rajaat, then the dragon, then the SKs...), the field shifts and finds new balance.
but there aer still powerful immortal elements in the setting. most notably the remaining sorceror kings, and i believe their very existence is tied into the imbalance of the world. for example any movement to significantly unite or pacify athas is going to meet the iron resistance of the SKs to any challenge of their authority... while there is the 'lesser of two evils' thing going on, and their is still oronis, and the forest-preserving pact... people seem to forget waaay to quickly these are self-centered megalomaniacal snake men (and woman)!!! there very existence is enmity to the idea of a green future. after all, it was they who directly made it what it is today...
just something to chew on. i like the golden future too...in any other world, it might be something more than a mirage on a hot day with less than your full ration of brackish water
Further, if Ceruleans gain power, Tithian can subtly influence them to enact his release from the Cerulean storm. It's just a matter of time and failed will saves...
Would Athas really be in a worse predicament if Tithian was released? He was a spell-less templar. He was no Rajaat or SK.
Would Athas really be in a worse predicament if Tithian was released? He was a spell-less templar. He was no Rajaat or SK.
Assuming he doesn't retain some connection with the storm, and can wield its power. Or that he isn't also picking up some skills while plotting his release. Or he isn't simply really p.o.ed and decide he'd rather have Rajaat running around to gain vengence for him.
Assuming he doesn't retain some connection with the storm, and can wield its power. Or that he isn't also picking up some skills while plotting his release. Or he isn't simply really p.o.ed and decide he'd rather have Rajaat running around to gain vengence for him.
It would have to be that he had control over the storms or was acting a minion of Rajaat as you stated. If Tithian just came out as his old spell-less templar self the SKs would more than likely crush him like a bug.
but the real danger is Rajaat being freed. Tithian is well...caught in & of the webs that bind the first sorceror, even as he is caged in his prison. a lesser no doubt, but still an evil to contend with (tithian i mean :P )I'd say the extent of his might is to bore you to death with telepathic messages or roast you to a crisp if you come within range of his storm's lighting bolts.
Heh heh!
"Worship me as a god or I shall yell at you some more!"
Don't underestimate the power of nagging. It can drive even the strongest and wisest of men insane.
what's the cerulean storm in 100 years? Sadira put all sorts of fancy wards on the dark lens...but even she is not immortal (...yet? ;) ), if she had the foresight, i'd think she would put it in someplace very protected, or at least act on the best benefit of the future. or she could meet up with an ill tempered inix on a really improbable day and end up dead, in which case the dark lens is sort of up for grabs...as well as tithian's fate and the ultimate situation of rajaat with it.
People seem to see Tithian as a powerful individual, in control of the storm, while I see him as no more than what is described in the novels: a disembodied spirit imprinted over the storm, which is afixed over the VoDaF.
I'd say the extent of his might is to bore you to death with telepathic messages or roast you to a crisp if you come within range of his storm's lighting bolts.
However, he can influence Ceruleans, which means that he has some sort of power over the storm or is channeling some power he has gained through the storm -- there really can be no other explination, even if it means he has become a pawn of Rajaat. It isn't difficult to see Tithian developing power over the Cerulean Storm (it's not like he has much eles to do), but in any case can be a willing or unwitting pawn of Rajaat, if nothing else. It isn't difficult to see Rajaat using Tithian of an avatar of sorts, working to free the comparably less caged ex-Templar as a stepping stone towards ultimate freedom before leaving Tithian high and dry.
HOWEVER: The cerulean wizards are tapping directly into Tithian's power, with their arcane lenses. Thus, he can influence them, albeit only slowly and carefully. Thus, it's in his best interests to help cerulean magic spread, and to do so, he must send Tyr-storms out into the Tyr Region as often as possible!
--Tithian hopes to rule Athas indirectly, in the hopes that such a cerulean mage would become a dragon NB