Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 6 Aug 2004 to 7 Aug 2004 (#2004-160) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 08/08/2004, 17:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 12 messages totalling 842 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Mystara's Legendary Wizards 2. Kingdom of.... (2) 3. Mystaras Legendary Wizards (3) 4. zoomed worldmap example ... 5. The Demi-Plane of Bastion (2) 6. Pegasus Class Skyships 7. A Brief Description of Sclaras 8. A surprise for all mystara fans ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 02:09:00 -0700 From: Andrew Theisen Subject: Re: Mystara's Legendary Wizards Some followup to Havard's post. Dug out some of my old modules, and here are some famous mages I came up with: > From CM8: The Endless Stair Splecter- "A famous magus who roamed many planes in a long and colorful career as an adventurer; his magics earned him the nickname, 'Master of Beasts'..." His spells are basically related to monsters- charms, creation/summoning, etc. Najirit- "... a mysterious mage- a paranoid, oft-hidden Magus who practiced deceptions as a matter of course, and feared and distrusted all other beings (particularly other wizards)." His spells are primarily related to disguise/deception and escape/defense. Phenalon- "... who and where Phenalon was is now lost with the shiftings and failings of the passage of years." However, we do know that his spells were primarily illusions. Asztellor- "... a long-ago mage, of whom nothing is now remembered except that he led an army of skeletons into the fray (on the winning side) at the Battle of Six Kings." Necromancer. Dolzhabban "the Dread"- "... a wizard who died in magical combat some seventy winters ago, after a short but spectacular career as a 'wizardslayer,' seeking out and destroying lone Magi and taking their magic for his own." Primarily evocation spells. There is also the Cheiromar- the last guardian of the Stair, which was fashioned by the Immortal "Cheiros." Given that this module was written by Ed Greenwood, it sounds a lot like Mystara and her Chosen. > From BSolo: Ghost of Lion Castle Sargon- "... the greatest magic-user of all time..." Built Lion Castle in the Ethengar Plains, about six days from the village of Sarsdell along the river Streel, and two days north. (Of course, where Sarsdell is is unknown. I'd suggest either somewhere in Darokin or perhaps in southern Ethengar, along the border with the Broken Lands.) That's all I found, though I didn't look too hard. Strange, though, I thought there would be more... ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 16:20:40 +0300 From: Alex Subject: Re: Kingdom of.... --=======2E45D4E======= Content-Type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-710345C2; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit At 01:06 8/7/04, you wrote: > Darokin, Kingdom of Merchants > Alfheim, Kingdom of Elves > Minrothad, The Other Kingdom of Merchants Minrothad, Kingdom of the Merchant Elves. :) --=======2E45D4E=======-- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 16:04:39 -0400 From: Dan Eustace Subject: Re: Mystaras Legendary Wizards I use Zelligar the Unknown as a Mystaran Gandalf (but he has since left for the Grey Havens - ascended to Immortality). What about the Alphatians? The wizards of Sclaras? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Havard Faanes" To: Sent: Friday, August 06, 2004 11:48 AM Subject: [MYSTARA] Mystaras Legendary Wizards > This topic, I belive has been discussed in the past, > but I couldnt find anything on starflung on it. > > What I'm thinking about is making up a list of which > Wizards correspond to the Official D&D ones, like > Bigby, Nystul, Tenser and the like. > > Good candidates I suppose are the wizards of modern > day Glantri, but who would correspond to whom? And > what does it really make sense that all famous mages > are still alive? Granted, some of these wizards are > pretty old... > > Thoughts, anyone? > > Håvard > > ===== > *** > Håvard R. Faanes > www.stud.ntnu.no/~havardfa > > ______________________________________________________ > Få den nye Yahoo! Messenger på http://no.messenger.yahoo.com/ > Nye ikoner og bakgrunner, webkamera med superkvalitet og dobbelt så morsom > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 16:15:48 -0400 From: Dan Eustace Subject: Re: zoomed worldmap example ... You should use the Serraine image for Floating Ar! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bertrand Lhoyez" To: Sent: Friday, August 06, 2004 9:38 PM Subject: [MYSTARA] zoomed worldmap example ... > with fireship, seyraine and sea giant; and scale too > > > well, > > here is an example of what you'll see at (what i call) zoom level 2 : > http://blhoyez.free.fr/d&d/example.htm (img size 200 ko) (after this you > can't zoom in anymore ; next zoom level will be in fact small special maps > made to better depict specific areas) > > On this shot, you'll also better see (everything yes :-) but particularly) > special terrain type like Chasm, Steppes, Ancient forest and Forested hills, > or features like Hobbit holes and Ethengar huts for instance. > > For Ierendi and Minrothad Island, i've used vocalno with plains (and > forest). It seems to me like the dominant terrain feature of a good part of > those places. It's from what i've read, and with the choice i have ... > > Oh, we'll have all the time to discuss with those who wants, what is the > better way to represent x or y area when it will be finished. > > ah, a last detail. i've not show the grid, but to give you an idea, a square > is grosso modo the size of a big town (or a hill, or a moutain, ...). i've > bben working mainly, at the beginning, with the map "Sea of Dread region - > AC 1011" from a poor wizard almanach. So the scale of the map is roughly one > square => 72 miles > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 14:37:04 -0700 From: James Ruhland Subject: The Demi-Plane of Bastion The Demi-Plane of Bastion Bastion is a demi-plane controlled by the Empire of Thyatis. In an OD&D campaign, it has 5 dimensions. Magic works normally on Bastion, identical to that of the Prime Materiel Plane, and there are no Planar biases. The Plane itself is roughly 10 miles in diameter, not large as Planes go; it is easily large enough for the purposes to which Thyatis needs it for. The Planar boundaries glow half the =93day?and grow dark the other half, creatin= g a =93day?and =93night? The entire Plane is filled with air. Several solid masses float within the Plane, with the largest at the center. There is no gravity as such in the Plane, except within 500?of one of the floating earth masses. If you are within 500? =93down?is towards the surface of an earth mass. Beyond that, =93down?is whatever direction a creature chooses, but one does not fall. The Planar boundaries are unusual in that if one tries to push them, whatever they use will leave a slight indentation, then =93pop?back into place when the pressure is released. However, if one pushes= hard enough, they will pass through ?to emerge within the demi-Plane directly opposite their starting position. The =93pucker?left by their passing will seal behind them. One has to make a determined push to do that, however. It is possible to walk along the demi-Planar boundary without passing through ?the surface feels somewhat spongy. This boundary cannot be damaged, cut, dug, or marred or marked in any way (any marking or writing will fade within one round). Most of the earth masses that float within the boundaries of Bastion are little more than 100?in circumference, and generally only half that deep. They are all fixed in place ?they do not move within the demi-plane, and indeed cannot be moved. Each has at least one spring from which fresh water bubbles, never seeming to be exhausted but also never seeming to flood the demi-plane. The largest landmass, fixed in place at the center of the demi- plane, is 1.2 - 1.25 miles in diameter and 1,200?or so deep at the rim, forming a rough disk, and it has several such springs. It is 1,500?thick at its center, with a mound rising on both =93faces?of the disk towards the middle. This is Bastion itself. It is honeycombed with caverns and chambers, and its surface similar to that of a warm, temperate Prime Materiel planet in vegetation (indeed, not dissimilar to the climate near Thyatis City). There is one addition, though, unique to the demi-plane: a large bush that flowers every morning, the flowers ripening into fruit by nightfall, which can then be harvested and eaten to provide nourishment every day. Bastion is used by the Empire as a redoubt and arsenal. There are permanent, keyed Gates within Bastion, leading to Retebius City and the Zendrolion in Thyatis City. These Gates are magic items, and fully intelligent, with an intelligence of 18 (Genius), telepathy and ESP, (and high Sense Motive skills in 3E), and True Seeing ability. They function as the first line of defense and as guards: The Gates function only for authorized personnel, and are non-functional for others who simply pass through an area on the Prime Materiel Plane into a room, rather than being transported to Bastion, and thus may not even notice there is a Gate present. Enchantments are in place to make the Gates undetectable to detect magic spells, and the Gates are always protected as if by Mind Blank. This allows the Thyatian government to move forces to and from Bastion, but limits access to others. Bastion is laid out as a =93park? with paths and roadways interconnecting buildings and cavern entrances, all of which are of human, dwarven, and elven engineering: Thyatians of all races contributed to the architecture of this plane, blending their various styles into a uniquely Thyatian atmosphere. There are scores of dragon-caverns (especially hatcheries), sphinx & griffon lairs, roc nests, and pegasus & griffon aeries, as well as havens for even stranger creatures. This is where RAF mounts are bred. Many of the floating landmasses are used as lairs by Thyatian dragons and sphinxes. It serves as the trans-planar base and mustering point for the RAF & KoA. There is also a bath & spa, and other amenities for those stationed here. A Cohort of the Tagmata is usually on duty here, as are members of the Thyatian special services (members of their covert operations agencies, such as the Magistranoi) and elite treasury guards. One of Thyatis?Imperial Treasuries is located in a highly protected vault within Bastion, which serves as the Empire=92s emergency reserve. There is also an arsenal within Bastion, stocked with weapons, including magical items, and there are smithies and forges for the manufacture of more. Another vault contains preserved tissue samples of every flying mount & RAF or KoA member in Thyatian service, and of virtually all prominent Thyatians in government service. These tissue samples are kept preserved so that they can be Cloned in the event of their demise. Additional areas of Bastion serve as research labs, both mundane and magical, conducted by the Imperial Armed Forces, and there is a large research library and a =93Library of Thyatian Knowledge?on Bastion. Other portions are set aside for religious use, the Clerical branch being important to the welfare of the Imperium. The Foresters have an =93office?on Bastion, in a wooded grove, as do a few other select Thyatian Fighting Orders. Special training is conducted here, and secret missions launched from here. Since the war with Thothia, new laboratories and enchanting areas have been carved out ?to create Constructs and undead. The Thyatian Empire may not have originated such units, but the Emperor has vowed to never be caught short again. Thyatis, being much larger and several orders of magnitude more populous and wealthy than Thothia, it quickly rectified this difficiency once they poured resources into it. A diverse variety of constructs (though no Drolems) are created on and stored within Bastion, and experiments are being conducted for incorporating undead into regular units (mainly to absorb casualties), though most of the Thyatian military is opposed to using undead on any significant scale and since the end of the Thyatian Civil War, it is even less likely that undead will be used by Thyatis as military units. But most see constructs as a useful tool, "heavy artillery" and as a fine example of Thyatian military engineering. Most of the smaller floating earth masses in Bastion are used by dragons, sphinxes, and other intelligent creatures loyal to Thyatis as lairs, and a number of Master-level (or Epic, in 3E) Adventurers who serve Thyatis are permitted to be based from here. The Emperor also has a =93get away?villa located on Bastion itself, with a Gate connected to the Imperial Palace. Note that in extremis, all the Gates can be shut down, to prevent (or at least limit) invasion by enemies. One of the purposes of Bastion is to serve as the headquarters for a resistance and launching-point for counter- attacks should the rest of the Empire be occupied, so it is well stocked to provide everything an independent, self-contained and self-sufficient base needs. It is also used by the Empire for strategic mobility: units can move from Thyatis City or Retebius to Bastion using the Gates here, then be Gated from Bastion to elsewhere using normal spells. Background After the Spike Assault, Thincol devoted his efforts as Emperor to rebuilding the Empire and insuring that it would never be in danger of falling again. To that end, he attempted to come up with a means of insuring its survival, even a plan for reproducing his own efforts during that dark time. Institutionalizing a practice and making advanced preparations is a very Thyatian thing to do, but more to the point Thincol realized that there was a certain amount of fortune or providence involved in his victory over the Alphatians in the Spike Assault War. Thyatis may not be so fortunate as to have a Thincol the Brave on hand to organize an ad-hoc counter-offensive against its enemy in the future, but it will remember the Emperor who not only led that counter-attack but made preparations to insure its security for all time. The Empire also needed a secret base, protected from normal magical and non-= magical espionage, from which to launch covert missions and military strikes. Almost all of the bases it had at the time had long since been discovered by its enemies. Emperor Thincol had a vision of what Thyatis needed, but discarded as insufficient every option his advisors presented him with. None seemed like they would provide enough security or would be preserved in extremis. Finally, Tiella Tien-Tang reminded him of a small demi-plane they had visited back in their adventuring days. At the time, it had been inhabited by a multi-planar faction, which Thincol=92s adventuring friends had decimated and looted. But it was still dangerous, uncleared, and not entirely mapped out. For several years, the Emperor had his hands full in his efforts to rebuild the Empire and turn its fortunes around. But in 967 he started sending teams of Thyatians who had proven themselves to him during his counter-attack against the Alphatians and in his recovery efforts after that to finish clearing out and mapping the demi-plane, which the Thyatians now named Bastion. By 972, this was done, and the Thyatians began to construct their base here. The base was completed by the time of the =93Buildup?(AC 1004) that led into the Final War with Alphatia (aka =93W= rath War? AC 1005-1009). However, Bastion=92s forces suffered as much as the rest of the Empire from the enervating efforts of Valerias: troops were indolent and self-indulged with debaucheries, standards lax, and everything suffered as a result. The armories were not stocked and sufficient supplies not laied away. Deficiencies went unreported ?instead, false reports were sent to the Imperial General Staff detailing missions that never occurred and lauding efforts that were never made. Thus the Emperor thought he had a base providing a significant contribution to the war effort, but he was being misinformed. These subterfuges were uncovered late in 1006, and those responsible relieved, charged with crimes, and imprisoned. Since then, independent =93Inspector Generals?check out the status of Bastion every few months and report any deficiencies. A new commandant was appointed, who brought in his own staff and began whipping things into shape. This took several months, and Bastion wasn=92t able to make a significant contribution= to the Thyatian war effort until well into AC 1007. The one positive benefit from all this, however, was that Thyatis?enemies did not even suspect the existence of such a base. By this point Bastion=92s focus was dedicated to hosting reserve forces for the defense of mainland Thyatis, reaction forces to counter potential direct Alphatian attacks into Glantri, and strike teams that were inserted into Alphatian-held territory, even into Alphatia itself, to perform covert missions and sabotage. But it came to its own during the great naval clash of AC 1008. Members of the RAF and KoA sortied from Bastion via multiple Gates to strike Alphatian sky and sea ships by surprise, helping the Thyatians turn back the attempt to invade Thyatis. During this battle they decimated a regiment of Alphatia=92s Imperial Guard, one that had been created during the buildup to the war using aerial mounts in emulation of the RAF, which the Alphatians hoped would be the key to defeating Thyatis once and for all. > From that point to the end of the war, Bastion served as a rallying point for Thyatian reserves, and Thincol continued to see it as his =93ace in the hole?even during the Alphatian march across Thyatis later in the war, he believed it would be a key to turning the tide towards an eventual Thyatian victory, as he did in the Spike Assault War. Bastion was to be the cornerstone in the defense of Thyatis City, but ultimately Thincol decuded to quit the field, seeing that the war to defend Glantri was undoing his life=92s work, with Thyatis having little to show for its efforts and much t= o lose, doing the bulk of the fighting while its allies were shielded from the brunt of the war. By this point, however, Eriadna suspected that Thyatis had a hidden reserve of strength, and for this reason she was willing to come to peace terms with Thyatis rather than attempting to finish if off ?indeed, generous peace terms that treated Thyatis as a nation needing respect, requiring the Alphatians to withdraw from all the Thyatian territory they had conquered. Since the end of the war, Bastion has been a behind-the-scenes engine of Thyatis?revival. Within this base, Thyatian aerial forces have been regrown ?often literally, through the use of Clone spells reviving Thyatian heroes and slain mounts, all in a way that was out of sight of most observers. Indeed, oen of the main reasons why Thincol chose to place a base on another Plane is that it rendered it secure from most forms of espionage and magical divination & scrying, preferred tools of the Alphatians and many other magically-inclined foes. Bastion now serves as one of the hubs of the Thyatian Empire=92s strength, a= primary means of both defense and power projection. The Emperor allows select high-level Thyatians to base themselves here, which is not entirely ?= or even mainly ?an act of generosity on his part. Giving them this priviledge means that they are at hand to defend Bastion should it ever be attacked. As with most secrets, many nations and powerful individuals would richly reward anyone who could give them information about this base, and the Empire would do much to keep it secret ?and be unrelenting in retribution against any who disclose its existence. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 18:02:48 EDT From: Alex Benson Subject: Re: Mystaras Legendary Wizards Good idea on the old great Wizards of Mystara. It could be a nice way to introduce backlore to the setting and add a Mystaran feel to things. I am definitely in favor of making alot of the Legend Mages dead or departed from Mystara in other ways. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 14:40:09 -0700 From: James Ruhland Subject: Pegasus Class Skyships Pegasus Class Airships Background After the completion of the first Devil Ray in AC 1017, the Thyatian Senate balked at the extravagant expense and refused to fund additional models in that Class. Emperor Eusebius, using the revenues of the Duchy of Thyatis, managed to finance the construction of another Devil Ray built at the Borydos Naval Proving Grounds, but after that even he accepted that such Airships were not an efficient use of funds. While significantly less expensive than a fully fitted Alphatian Man of War (I), they were far more expensive than recruiting numerous dragons would be, for example. The Thyatian government began to remember why earlier Emperors had preferred mounted Air Cavalry to prestigious but expensive skyships in the first place. Never the less, the Imperial General Staff recognized the utility of Airships, especially in a combined arms role to enhance the effectiveness of other troops, and for strategic mobility. RAF and Knights of the Air forces had always been more mobile than many of foreign critics unfamiliar with their operational capabilities knew. With the use of Teleport Circles, Worldwalk spells, and Gates, RAF and KoA units were often able to reach distant areas quicker than an Alphatian Skyship could and be ready to fight. This, indeed, was how Thyatian aerial forces were able to quickly intercept skyships when they were detected encroaching on Imperial territories, and the danger even the depleated RAF posed after the Final War caused the skyship sent by Eriadna to contact Tredorian to steer clear of Thyatian territory, as the Thyatians were too good at destroying such costly vessels. But the Empire=92s General Staff recognized that Gates could also be used to= move skyships that were small enough, and that recruiting or breeding additional aerial mounts would take time, their not being sufficient numbers available to replace Thyatian losses as quickly as the Empire wanted, at any price. So while the Empire continued to build up its Air Cavalry forces (RAF and KoA), they also decided to design another Airship, the Pegasus, to be built at Borydos Naval Proving Grounds. Unlike the Sky Dromond and the Devil Ray, the Pegasus was not to be a =93shi= p of the line? Sky Dromonds would continue to be constructed (at Terentias and Thyatis City) to fill that role. The Pegasus, built at Borydos Naval Proving Ground, was to be different, and serve as the workhorse of the Thyatian Airship Fleet. The stipulations were that it be small, inexpensive, and capable of transporting a decade (squad) of troops. Instead of putting large numbers of troopers in one expensive vessel, they would be transported by large numbers of smaller ships. These Airships were to be capable of fighting aerial battles, but not primarily intended for such use. Likewise, they were to be able to strike ground targets, in support of land forces. Design The Pegasus is a ship-shaped vessel, approximately 10?wide at the beam and 30?long at the keel. It is enchanted with Fly (rather than Float in Air) to give it better mobility and lower crew requirements. It has two crew members, the pilot and the weapon master, who is usually armed with a Wand of Lightning Bolts and a Wand of Fireballs. The ship itself bears an automatic ballista, firing through a porthole in the prow of the ship (aimed groundward and to the fore) that can be fired by both crew members. It is capable of transporting 10 soldiers and their equipment. It consists of one =93section? Woodwall enchanted with Fly (+20%), for an enchantment cost of 26,000 gp (not including spellcaster cost). At that price, over 100 Pegasus class Airships can be built for the cost of a single Devil Ray and in the same amount of time, with the Pegasi able to transport almost ten times as many troops ?though without accommodations for mounts. It=92s size is still small enough to fit through the portal generated by a Gate spell, so it can be deployed alongside Air Cavalry and other troops moved in such a manner. There are hatches on each side of the Pegasus that can be opened to allow troops to disembark from the side, and also a drop ramp in the stern to allow them to exit there when they deploy =93dirtside? They can also fight from the ship=92s deck. While each Pegasus is fragile when compared with a large skyship, they are intended to be deployed in swarms and fight alongside other forces. It is not their mission to go toe-to-toe with skyships. Thyatis has the RAF, KoA, and now Sky Dromonds and Devil Rays for that task, and units embarked on Pegasi are usually supported by them. When fighting embarked on the ship, several troopers will fight above deck and the others below deck. More commonly, however, they are flown to battle and =93dismount?to engage the enemy, with the Pegasus being used to provide aerial mobility in a manner not too dissimilar to that of lancers mounted on real pegasi, who might fire arrows while in flight and then soar to ground level to spear their foes. Supra Pegasus A modified version, made of Ironwall instead of Woodwall and with the same modified version of the Travel (+20%) spell as was used for the Devil Ray replacing the Fly enchantment. This gives it greater independent mobility and makes it harder to hit than the normal Pegasus, but more than doubles the price, to 53,400 gp in enchanting costs. These versions are being developed as =93interceptors?and are intended for use against other skyships= , fighting in squadrons, usually alongside RAF and KoA flights and armed with a pair of automatic ballistas and will carry crews of 6, the pilot, weapon master, and 4 gunners. They are also intended for use on special missions where their attributes would be helpful, and a ballista can be removed and the normal complement of 12, two crew and ten troopers, carried. Status As of AC 1018, the Pegasus has not entered Imperial service, but vessels are under construction. It will take until AC 1020 for it to be incorporated into Imperial forces and units reorganized to employ it, with at least 100 examples of the Pegasus and 40 of the Super Pegasus on order. There are differences of opinion over how it should be used, with some arguing that they should be assigned permanently to specific units, while others propose that they be attached to units as needed. There are good arguments on both sides, with some saying permanent assignment to a unit will allow that unit to attain greater expertise in their use, but the attatchment method will allow greater flexability. Most likely they will be used to move infantry elements of Thyatian elite forcesl, but even this is as yet undetermined and experiments are also underway in using them to transport mounted units as well as infantry. __________________ The #1 Porphyrogenitus in Google "Life in Thyatis is still far better than many other chaotic or economically depressed places." - Bruce Heard, VotPA, TD 184. "The way in which you were given life has nothing to do with the way in which you live your life as a human being." - Roger Smith, The Negotiator, The Big O ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 14:42:14 -0700 From: James Ruhland Subject: A Brief Description of Sclaras Havard's comment in the "Day of Renewal" thread on Sclaras got me going, and this might be good as a separate thread. Please feel free to add any ideas you can think of. The way I look at it, each of the Estates on Sclaras is prolly akin to a "Castle Amber" - not as big, prolly ("Castle Amber" is very large, as large as, well, the Palace of Versailles upon which it is based; I doubt any of the buildings on Sclaras are that big, though many are more than two stories high), but in the sense of being unique & bizzare, with excentric mages and their excentric family members & servators, guardians, odd rooms & features, and the like. I also imagine that each Estate is somehow sectioned-off from the others, by hedgerows and/or a line of trees, probably with some sort of defenses (primarily detection stuff, to provide an "alert" when someone crosses the boundary of one estate to another). Entrances are probably gated (iron gates & fences at gaps in the hedgerows). I prefer the hedgerows thing to walls as such. The prime properties are ones along the coast, with a "beach", but the island itself rises above the sea, with cliffs on all sides (except a small low area, a few acres in size, which functions as a harbor/port for the isle, with docks, and is a "common area", a port of entry for visitors - who, of course, must be invited by one or more of the residents. This area is also where some trade is conducted. The best analogy I can think of at the moment is Skullport in Waterdeep, though not *quite* as seedy and illicit). The rest of the island is: a narrow beach, probably 30 meters/yards or so in width, forming a ring around the isle. Beyond that the island rises sharply, with chalk-white cliffs. Atop those are the estates proper. The seas around the island is riven with reefs and rocks and other things hazzardous to navigation, and the wizards aren't beyond "seeding" the waters with dangerous critters as a deterent to interlopers. This isn't done in any coordinated fashion, each wizard does whatever they want when it comes to this, and it can lead to the critters put in place by one wizard getting into bloody fights with those of another, eating each other. This is often an occasion for "sight-seeing" among the population of the island, when a particularly good "bout" starts (another expression of the Thyatian proclivity for gladiatorial combat). Strange, often enchanted, fogs surround the island beyond a few miles, limiting visibility for ships sailing to it. The area immediately around the isle is almost always clear, but there is a "donut" (or begel) of fog with the island in a "hole" in the middle. The skies are also dangerous, as all the wizards are keenly aware of the possibility of trespassers coming in via this route. Indeed, each Estate tends to be protected multi-dimensionally: surface, air, underground, and trans-planar, especially from Ethereal infiltration & observation. None of the Estates are huge, but with 160 acres (aproximately) they aren't tiny, either. The current inhabitants aren't the only Wizards who have lived here - remember, Valentia is said to have been the first Estate- holder here, almost a thousand years ago. So there has been a milenium of development and cross-development on the Island. Many Estates have not only the villa/tower/whatever-the-heck-they-want-as-an-abode of the current inhabitant, but those of previous inhabitants (when the current or some prior occupant decided not to use that one, but to build their own instead). Some of these have been torn down or are in ruins, but usually not everything has been removed. The Wizards themselves often stumble upon enchantments or dangerous areas, especially underground chambers, left abandoned and lost by previous residents. They often don't want to be bothered with "clearing" these themselves, and so will hire outside agents (Our Party of Adventurers) to do the job. The Wizards also often need specific items for their experiments & researches, and so will hire agents to procure it. Many are also involved in feuds and rivalries with their neighbors. Almost always, these are not deadly, but involve "liberating" property or "counting coup" against them in some fashion. Adventurers are hired as security against such efforts, and also to perform such feats. Some of these can be very bizzare, the rationale known only to the people involved, not to those hired by Wizard N to, say, plant a pair of neon-green bloomers in the bedchamber of Wizard X. Things can escalate to the point of fabricating research, sabotaging research, stealing this or that item, and other things intended primarily as embarassement. Assassinations, however, are almost unknown on the Island - by tacit agreement, as all the Wizards are aware (from sad experience, it must be said) of what can happen if scores of powerful Wizards engage in blood-feuds. This isn't to say there aren't (occasional) duels among the Wizards, but they tend to be kept to a minimum, and in those cases people are not hired to perform the job - they do it face-to-face. These duels are almost never to the death. Wizards being Wizards, some residents have been around since the early days of the Empire. So they have long memories and are often seen as a source of information. The Wizards aren't really patient with outsiders, though. If and when they want to meet with "the general public", they'll travel to Thyatis City (for example) or elsewhere. Visitation is by invitation only, and uninvited guests "sleep with the fishes". If you don't hear back from someone who went to Sclaras uninvited, don't bother asking anyone who lives there about their welfare and whereabouts - you won't get an answer. Some are killed outright, a possibly merciful death, while some are put to other use (they being seen as "finders keepers" property by some mages who want experiment subjects). Merciful wizards might just wipe their minds of memories of the isle and deposit them on another Plane with a warning to never return again, as they might not be treated so kindly. As for the Estates themselves, as mentioned, they are as varied as the Wizards who inhabit them. The hedges & tree-lines are used to provide privacy. Each Estate might have a "atmosphere" far different from another, and some are very artistic in establishing a "theme" for their estate. Some are dark, foreboding abodes, others are sunlit and park-like. Several are forested throughout, some being maintained in a tropical, others sub- tropical, and still others in a temperate climate. Some do not have man- made structures above-ground, others have "traditional" towers, many have villas that, from the outside at least, are not unlike those of wealthy Thyatians on Carytion or in the Duchy of Thyatis. Before the Week Without Magic, there were even some that could only be maintained magically (floating towers, parts of buildings that were connected only thinly to the ground with magic being used to support the structure, odd-shaped buildings that likewise needed magic to keep them from collapsing, and the like), but these didn't fare well on that day and for the most part haven't been rebuilt in that style. With 250 Estates, only one's imagination limits what any given Estate and its inhabitants might be like. There's also a little bit that I wrote up for Sclaras for MA 1017: http://dnd.starflung.com/sclaras.html __________________ The #1 Porphyrogenitus in Google "Life in Thyatis is still far better than many other chaotic or economically depressed places." - Bruce Heard, VotPA, TD 184. "The way in which you were given life has nothing to do with the way in which you live your life as a human being." - Roger Smith, The Negotiator, The Big O ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 18:13:31 EDT From: Alex Benson Subject: Re: A surprise for all mystara fans I haven't seen James Rhuland on the list in some time. We tended to have some distinct differences of opinions on certain matters. I see by Alex Vasileus's (nice name but no relation) message it was Civ 2. Maybe the Alex V. has contact info on James R. He may still lurk around this list, not posting or simply recieving it in digest form, I really don't know. I don't play Civ 3. I am currently hooked on Rise of Nations. Ever since, I have had a difficult time playing even Age of Empires II. I do know that Civ Editor is more expansive, and from what I can tell, offers a crisper image. Once again, nice work on the map. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2004 02:35:47 +0200 From: =?iso-8859-1?q?la=20Volpe?= Subject: Re: Mystaras Legendary Wizards > If you're looking for just some "famous" Mystaran > wizards and things, You could include most of the dead princes and nobles of Glantrian history, just take a look at the GPD (Glantrian Personnel Division)(http://www.geocities.com/principalities_of_glantri). It's a Geocities link, so maybe the xxxx Geocities will probably block the link in this mail, and you will have to copy it into the internet address instead of just clicking on to it. However, the link is right. Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis ____________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Companion - Scarica gratis la toolbar di Ricerca di Yahoo! http://companion.yahoo.it ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2004 02:37:57 +0200 From: =?iso-8859-1?q?la=20Volpe?= Subject: Re: Kingdom of.... Andrew wrote: > Minrothad, The Other Kingdom of Merchants LOL!!! Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis ____________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Companion - Scarica gratis la toolbar di Ricerca di Yahoo! http://companion.yahoo.it ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2004 02:57:36 +0200 From: =?iso-8859-1?q?la=20Volpe?= Subject: Re: The Demi-Plane of Bastion Well met again, James! Back with a bang, or what? 8-) Sort of missed a fellow thyatian, I have to admit it! This is a little too much powerful and magic for my campaign...not really my piece of meat! Although for most Mystaran campaigns I suppose it would fit well, it's inappropriate for my taste. Just think about the fact that in my campaign the Alphatian Council is made of 1000 ninth level wizards...and that about 1/3 of them are missing, presumed dead, but that until there's no proof, they are not replaced! So there are just about 600 ninth level wizards... Iulius Sergius Scaevola Captain of the XXth Cohort Port Lucinius, Thyatis ____________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Companion - Scarica gratis la toolbar di Ricerca di Yahoo! http://companion.yahoo.it ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 6 Aug 2004 to 7 Aug 2004 (#2004-160) **************************************************************