I've always associated it with the psurlons for some reason. I don't have anything to back that though.
Interesting
, the Psurlons were pretty underdeveloped in the setting.One thought though: Could it maybe have anything to do with Rajaat's creation of 'the Crimson'.
One adventure had the PCs discover this and when they passed nearby all the magic was drained from the magic items they had and teleported to another Gate across Athas. They eventually discovered an address type icons on the monoliths (not unlike the Stargate type ideograms) and were able to return to the Tablelands.
I've used the Crimson Monolith as a model for an artifact called the UNTENDED GATE - these are basically teleporting grids used to transport the vast armies of the champions during the Cleansing Wars. At the dawn of the Age of Sorcerer-Kings, the Champions drained the magic from the Gates and rendered them inert... and untended.
One adventure had the PCs discover this and when they passed nearby all the magic was drained from the magic items they had and teleported to another Gate across Athas. They eventually discovered an address type icons on the monoliths (not unlike the Stargate type ideograms) and were able to return to the Tablelands.
I used a similar concept, except that it was the Rebirth races that knocked them "offline." When the Cleansing Wars reached their height, the various "impure" races used an epic spell to disrupt the teleport grid, in an attempt to hinder the human war effort.
It failed, of course, as it was Rajaat who created them, but the monoliths became so erratic of function that the Warbringer ordered their use stopped. Eventually, the sorcerer-kings overthrew Rajaat, and took various city-states for their own. The monoliths lay forgotten, and only recently have distant cultures re-discovered the monoliths' eratic magic, and begun using them to explore.
--and really, I'd shy away from extraplanar stuff, Jon, as Athas has always been the center of action NB
--and really, I'd shy away from extraplanar stuff, Jon, as Athas has always been the center of action NB
Hey the Grey, The Black, and The Elemental/Paraelemental planes are fair game :D .
Hey the Grey, The Black, and The Elemental/Paraelemental planes are fair game :D .
True, but even they ought to be sidelined by the main action of the Material Plane. Athas has never really been a world with heavy planar traffic, and I feel it ought to stay that way.
--and devils, demons and daemons ought not to even remotely appear NB
True, but even they ought to be sidelined by the main action of the Material Plane. Athas has never really been a world with heavy planar traffic, and I feel it ought to stay that way.
--and devils, demons and daemons ought not to even remotely appear NB
The thing is, the planes have interacted with Athas in several canon sources.
The thing is, the planes have interacted with Athas in several canon sources.
Case in point- the Black Spine adventure.
Case in point- the Black Spine adventure.
And Dregoth's planar gate and the pact he made with the fiends of Baator.
And Dregoth's planar gate and the pact he made with the fiends of Baator.
Touche...We acknowledge your vast and mighty wisdom Great One.
Touche...We acknowledge your vast and mighty wisdom Great One.
There are others, but I'll save those for another time ;)
(Darnit, where's the peeing-on-something smiley? I want one!)
If only it were possible I'd get rid of all outer planar mentions and replace them with appropriate elemental/Gray/Black elements instead, as well as totally close-off Athas, make the elemental planes into DS-specific versions of themselves, and maybe have some wacky Deep plane that contains all stuff like Dregoth's "demons".
If only it were possible I'd get rid of all outer planar mentions and replace them with appropriate elemental/Gray/Black elements instead, as well as totally close-off Athas, make the elemental planes into DS-specific versions of themselves, and maybe have some wacky Deep plane that contains all stuff like Dregoth's "demons".
Those would be devils. Demons hail from the Abyss ;)
Yeah, TSR's darn product placement policy was a real pain in the behind and still resonates today, even after so long.
If only it were possible I'd get rid of all outer planar mentions and replace them with appropriate elemental/Gray/Black elements instead, as well as totally close-off Athas, make the elemental planes into DS-specific versions of themselves, and maybe have some wacky Deep plane that contains all stuff like Dregoth's "demons".
Hey I like the idea of Athas having been intentional cut off from the rest of the multi-verse, possibly by the Pyreens or from the outside to prevent Defiling magic from spreading to other worlds, possibly by Rajaat to cut off the power of his enemies.
Hey I like the idea of Athas having been intentional cut off from the rest of the multi-verse, possibly by the Pyreens or from the outside to prevent Defiling magic from spreading to other worlds, possibly by Rajaat to cut off the power of his enemies.
Multiverse. Outside. What do these words mean...? ;)
Divine magic would be unable to find it IMO due to the fact that there are no divine pathways of power, and arcane magic on Athas is so vastly different from other worlds that other travelers using arcane means of planar travel might miss it.
Alot of the planar travel within Athas has been the cause of psionics- the githyanki and Big D's Planar Gate being prime examples.