| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 20 Jul 2014 : 20:34:14
This thread was originally for the creation of the Maztica Campaign Guide, but I am editing it so that this first post contains all netbooks that have been or will be created (hopefully) in the future. There will also be the latest version of each working draft for books that are in progress. I would like to include a description for each as well to distinguish whats here from my signature.
Third Edition
Monster of the True World - Maztica and Lopango
This netbook contains dozens of monsters specifically designed and updated for the Maztica setting and creatures from Lopango and local islands as well.
The Great Skyhome - Maztica and Spelljammer
Throughout Maztica's long history, contact has been made with "The Great Skyhome" many times. This netbook describes the history of Maztica and highlights the numerous connections it has made to the Spelljammer setting in the past.
Lopango - Land of the Sacred Sun
Lopango is the Inca-based setting just to the south of Maztica. This book contains everything needed to run a campaign within this part of the True World.
Claw and Sting - Scorpionfolk of the True World
The Maztican underdark is the demesne of the dreaded scorpionfolk. This sourcebook describes their cities, culture, gods and introduces many new creatures and subspecies never before seen.
Itla Tlayohua - Something Dark: A Maztican Compilation
Itla Tlayohua means "Something Dark" in Nexalan, and this is a fitting title for this collection of legends and adventures.
Fifth Edition
TWC1-The Maztica Campaign Guide
The first in a series of books that will bring the entirety of the True World into 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons and the Forgotten Realm. This book is a fanon equivalent of the Player's Handbook for Maztica.
TWN1-Azure Skies (DRAFT)
A Maztican novel which describes the transition of the True World continent from Abeir back to Toril, and the repercussions therein.
TWA1-The Curse of Zarzumotl (DRAFT)
The first adventure for the new Maztica Campaign. In the desert of the House of Tezca a great fire has destroyed much of the young city of Tukan's stores for the year. Starvation now faces the survivors of the fire unless a brave party of adventurers can broker a trade agreement with the merchant lord of distant Kolan. The trip takes a desperate turn to an underground city that most others do not even know exists! [Netbook is being completed in collaboration with SJS from the Dragonsfoot community] |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 14 Jan 2024 : 23:35:56
New project up on the blog. More monsters with some to share already. I updated one or two from Ed’s old Dragon’s Bestiary entries.
https://mazticaalive.blogspot.com/2024/01/workshop-pss2-monsters-of-spirit-world.html |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 09 Jan 2024 : 14:27:12
So far, I saw the video on Saturday evening, thought about it Sunday, and wrote this thread yesterday. My main concerns for the other person's development was the strength of the end dragon. My personal preference is that the corrupted dragon be weaker, so as to make it easier for the hags to control it. This may be why they try their first one being an amber dragon, since the amber dragons that I developed are a lot weaker than most other dragons (and smaller). I also prefer them as being weaker physically just because in my view hag magics should make for a more "sickly" creature, and I like the idea that if another dragon comes across them they might be sickened by it and want to kill it just because "it shouldn't be allowed to reproduce" because they don't intrinsically understand it's nature. That being said, having draconians created is another interesting option.
Like you, I was thinking that it might be interesting to make an adventure of it... problem being time, which not sure if I can make around work... if they are contacted by an Abeil councilor to rescue some Abeil "princess"... (i.e. hasn't become a queen yet, but is a female child being groomed)... over in the Adusgi from an amber dragon that invaded a small outlying hive. Then, when they prove themselves, they get contacted by a turquoise dragon who explains that her eggs have been stolen and she needs help finding who stole them... which then leads to finding the hags, who have already maybe corrupted one egg. The mother maybe helps them capture rather than kill the corrupted one (or provides them some magic so that they can do it themselves).... and she then basically sends them to find turquoise man so that he can cleanse the corruption. This latter quest results in the party finding the village of turquoise dragonborn (a type of dragonborn that are dragonborn who CHOOSE to undergo a ritual as an adult to become a turquoise dragonborn), and they offer to do a cleansing ritual that summons turquoise man... but the party needs to go get some ingredients from some other place that's dangerous. |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 09 Jan 2024 : 00:18:13
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
I was recently at a friend's/player's house ... and while he hasn't played in nearly 15 years, he's always enjoyed the memories of the campaigns I ran for them in the early 2000's. My buddy always enjoyed the games, but he was never one to pick up the game books and read overmuch and just enjoyed playing his fighter-type classes. His son as well grew up hearing us talk, and that same son is now in his early twenties. When his son went to college, he caught the gaming bug, and so he's been playing D&D now for 4 or 5 years. So, he was showing me things he found, and one was this guy who puts up a youtube channel and calls himself "Dungeon Dad" .... and he came up with a concept that I just love, though his implementation I feel needs work personally for if I were going to use it.
So, what am I talking about? I'm talking about "hag dragons" ... and below is the link to give his idea in detail .... but in short, hags take a dragon egg and corrupt it to create a servant being.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvAh33-Filc
So, it occurred to me that what he wrote up could be spun a lot of ways.... and just like liches, there may not be a single way to "corrupt" a dragon egg by hags. He even acknowledges that his dragons will look different based on the base dragon that gets corrupted. It might also vary based on the type of hag that corrupts it. (By the way, this topic also makes me want to make dragons changed by other beings like the aearee).
So, since one of the things I did for the Anchorome campaign was focus a sourcebook on the Amber Dragons ( a sap eating form of dragon that lives in forests and generally keeps to themselves) .... it hit me, what if some hags captured an amber dragon egg and made a unique dragon that's a threat to nature?
So, since we're talking Anchorome, I figured make it a coven of hags, including a "Hisshishtawia" or red woman, a green hag, and maybe a night hag which has come to the material plane. What kind of corruption for the amber dragon? Maybe it needs to drink the sap/blood of living trees (treants, dryads, etc...) and/or magical trees in order to age. Maybe it can also drink the honey of the Abeil if its mixed with the blood of an Abeil Queen...
Along this same line... it occurred to me that these hags might also try to corrupt a turquoise dragon, and that the Great Spirit known as Turquoise Man would absolutely be livid about it.
At present, just throwing out the idea to muse over. What do you think?
Absolutely love it.
Just as a quick brainstorm, there are a couple of things you could do with this. I’m not sure if you’ve put together a written adventure yet but this would be an ideal one. Basically, the hag coven has done it before and are trying to do it again. Hli’Akwa himself could contact the PCs with concern over the disappearance of turquoise dragon eggs that have yet to hatch.
You could also use draconian stats as your basis for what comes out of these eggs as an adjustment to what’s detailed in the video.
It’s a heck of a concept. Let me know if you need any help even if you go another route. Also sent an email. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 08 Jan 2024 : 20:33:51
I was recently at a friend's/player's house ... and while he hasn't played in nearly 15 years, he's always enjoyed the memories of the campaigns I ran for them in the early 2000's. My buddy always enjoyed the games, but he was never one to pick up the game books and read overmuch and just enjoyed playing his fighter-type classes. His son as well grew up hearing us talk, and that same son is now in his early twenties. When his son went to college, he caught the gaming bug, and so he's been playing D&D now for 4 or 5 years. So, he was showing me things he found, and one was this guy who puts up a youtube channel and calls himself "Dungeon Dad" .... and he came up with a concept that I just love, though his implementation I feel needs work personally for if I were going to use it.
So, what am I talking about? I'm talking about "hag dragons" ... and below is the link to give his idea in detail .... but in short, hags take a dragon egg and corrupt it to create a servant being.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvAh33-Filc
So, it occurred to me that what he wrote up could be spun a lot of ways.... and just like liches, there may not be a single way to "corrupt" a dragon egg by hags. He even acknowledges that his dragons will look different based on the base dragon that gets corrupted. It might also vary based on the type of hag that corrupts it. (By the way, this topic also makes me want to make dragons changed by other beings like the aearee).
So, since one of the things I did for the Anchorome campaign was focus a sourcebook on the Amber Dragons ( a sap eating form of dragon that lives in forests and generally keeps to themselves) .... it hit me, what if some hags captured an amber dragon egg and made a unique dragon that's a threat to nature?
So, since we're talking Anchorome, I figured make it a coven of hags, including a "Hisshishtawia" or red woman, a green hag, and maybe a night hag which has come to the material plane. What kind of corruption for the amber dragon? Maybe it needs to drink the sap/blood of living trees (treants, dryads, etc...) and/or magical trees in order to age. Maybe it can also drink the honey of the Abeil if its mixed with the blood of an Abeil Queen...
Along this same line... it occurred to me that these hags might also try to corrupt a turquoise dragon, and that the Great Spirit known as Turquoise Man would absolutely be livid about it.
At present, just throwing out the idea to muse over. What do you think? |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 07 Jan 2024 : 07:56:50
Started a blog for Maztica Alive! It’s where I will consolidate pretty much everything going on.
https://mazticaalive.blogspot.com/?m=1 |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 29 Dec 2023 : 17:33:33
quote:
Originally posted by AshFlexum
Hey there, just wanted to say thank you to everyone for keeping all of these stories going and the new adventures. I wanted to share a mini campaign I ran with a western theme based around a rebuilt "Old" New Waterdeep on the mainland. It was heavily influenced by a Fistful of Dollars, and I called the campaign: a Fistful of Gold. I'm hoping to get feedback on areas to improve in all areas whether it's accuracy to the lore, structure, etc. For example, I had wanted to include the Dog people, Desert Dwarves or the ancient ruins in the Sand of Itzcala but could find a place.
Hopefully this is ok to post here and sorry for the formatting. I was thinking down the road if it is playtested enough, to create a free pdf of this adventure on DMs Guild.
Very curious how this campaign turned out. I had taken a break for a long time and am trying to catch up. Did you ever produce your adventure for DMsGuild? |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 29 Dec 2023 : 17:30:27
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by Seethyr
It has been a while since I have posted here, but I am attempting to return a bit to writing. I have been working my way through a megadungeon detailing literally every room on the way and trying to make them all interesting instead of just "there's a wraith here" with an overarching backstory. It is called Hatunallpa and here are the first 35 out of 153 rooms that will eventually be detailed. If you are running any underground campaign in a "dungeon" perhaps you can at least find use out of some of the room ideas. I will be updating here and on the Piazza periodically.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vjFp3ijh67uDpr9sidC314rinARy5OeV/view?usp=drive_link
Scrolling through this
Love Kamaq and his magical paints.
I'm glad you like it. Part of my New Years resolution is to finish a bunch of projects I have left standing for too long. The Giant-King Lopango project has also been released along with a book or two I am working on for Planescape and Spelljammer. I always try to connect the latter to Maztica, Anchorome or Lopango in some small way.
|
| sleyvas |
Posted - 29 Dec 2023 : 15:32:38
quote:
Originally posted by Seethyr
It has been a while since I have posted here, but I am attempting to return a bit to writing. I have been working my way through a megadungeon detailing literally every room on the way and trying to make them all interesting instead of just "there's a wraith here" with an overarching backstory. It is called Hatunallpa and here are the first 35 out of 153 rooms that will eventually be detailed. If you are running any underground campaign in a "dungeon" perhaps you can at least find use out of some of the room ideas. I will be updating here and on the Piazza periodically.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vjFp3ijh67uDpr9sidC314rinARy5OeV/view?usp=drive_link
Scrolling through this
Love Kamaq and his magical paints. |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 26 Dec 2023 : 23:30:48
It has been a while since I have posted here, but I am attempting to return a bit to writing. I have been working my way through a megadungeon detailing literally every room on the way and trying to make them all interesting instead of just "there's a wraith here" with an overarching backstory. It is called Hatunallpa and here are the first 35 out of 153 rooms that will eventually be detailed. If you are running any underground campaign in a "dungeon" perhaps you can at least find use out of some of the room ideas. I will be updating here and on the Piazza periodically.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vjFp3ijh67uDpr9sidC314rinARy5OeV/view?usp=drive_link |
| AshFlexum |
Posted - 31 Aug 2023 : 13:08:37
Hey there, just wanted to say thank you to everyone for keeping all of these stories going and the new adventures. I wanted to share a mini campaign I ran with a western theme based around a rebuilt "Old" New Waterdeep on the mainland. It was heavily influenced by a Fistful of Dollars, and I called the campaign: a Fistful of Gold. I'm hoping to get feedback on areas to improve in all areas whether it's accuracy to the lore, structure, etc. For example, I had wanted to include the Dog people, Desert Dwarves or the ancient ruins in the Sand of Itzcala but could find a place.
Hopefully this is ok to post here and sorry for the formatting. I was thinking down the road if it is playtested enough, to create a free pdf of this adventure on DMs Guild.
Summary:
The party is hired by Hugo, a caravaneer and Cielo a griffon knight of Waterdeep to escort a caravan full of gold and a treasure chest containing a relic of Pluma Magic from the resettled New Waterdeep on the Maztica mainland to the Northwest mining town of Zaragoza near the Sands of Itzcala edge. In Zaragoza is an Obsidian Mine that is run by the Condor Gang and they have agreed to sell the rare obsidian ore to Waterdeep for the exorbitant amount of treasure that the party is escorting. The caravan is waylaid by the Condor Gang disguised as a rival gang called the Desert Mambas using the powers of one of Cuervo, a agent of the Obsidian Butterfly welding dark magic and second in command of the Condor Gang. He uses a ritual to temporarily blot out the sun and summon a Tzitzimitl. The gold and/or Pluma relic are stolen and the Waterdeep Griffon Knight is most likely slain. The players are framed as being implicit in the ambush and must now clear their name alongside Hugo and ultimately, thwart the plan of Cuervo to blot out the sun and sacrifice the settlers of Zaragoza and New Waterdeep to the Obsidian Butterfly.
Background: the Mainland New Waterdeep has been moderately resettled and a nearby village called Zaragoza, on the edge of the Sands of Itzcala has been formed around a lucrative Obsidian Mine. The region is virtually lawless and 2 criminal factions subjugate and terrorize the small village: The Desert Mambas and the Condor Gang. The Condor Gang is based in Zaragoza's Obsidian Mine and acts as a private militia for their leader Gabriela Alacran and her number 2 in command, Cuervo.
The villagers of Zaragoza are mostly made of second to third generation Kultakans who were born in Faerun when their families were stranded their because of the Spellplague. They had returned back to previous colonized areas of Maztica to reclaim their roots alongside other Faerunians, traveling there. There are also those who remained in Maztica and over years in Abeir merged Amnian practices and speech with their own lifestyles. Also living there are a few new settlers from Faerun.The village founded the obsidian mine but its operations were quickly taken note of and taken over by the leader of the Condor Gang, Gabriela Alacran, a tiefling descendant of Kultakans people in Faerun who established a criminal empire and prominent social status through influence, fear and blackmail (think Maven Blackbriar from Riften).
Condor Gang- At Gabriela's side in her venture in around New Waterdeep and Zaragoza is her right hand man Cuervo, a shrouded figure who is actually a humanoid mass of black butterflies and agent of THE Obsidian Butterfly herself. Together they force villagers into servitude in the mines while taking most profit for themselves. Cuervo has convinced Gabriela that the Pluma relic can help to clear out the lava deep within the obsidian mine and give her access to the obsidian ore and precious gems to be found within. She sets up the ambush of the caravan the party's are escorting to take the gold and relic without giving up her Obsidian and then aims to demand Waterdeep to double the payment while blaming the loss of the previous payload on the Mambas. She hopes this will draw the ire of Waterdeep and mobilize then to destroy the Mambas while making herself twice as much gold, obtain the Pluma relic and generate even more money from the Obsidian Mine using it.
In reality Cuervo plans to use the Pluma relic to initiate an eruption within the obsidian mines lava channels that will blot out the sun, kill all within a vast area, harvest their souls to create more Tzitzimime while allowing them to roam free across the land.
The Desert Mambas- are a group of bandits who have take cherrypicked teachings of the cult of Zaltec to justify their marauding with the exception that their code of honor requires that they do not physically harm those that cannot defend themselves. They are led by their hulking leader, Rodrigo (who I made a half-orc). Rodrigo has been known to show mercy by taking in villagers who have fled the Condors influence in Zaragoza. They frequently clash with the Condors.
Hugo-
And his son were killed by Rodrigo years ago in one of his raids but his soul was collected and implanted into the body of a Bullywog. He swore allegiance to the Condors in order to get revenge on Rodrigo one day. His wife who believes he is dead runs the cantina in Zaragoza. Hugo sets up the party to be framed for the ambush although wouldn't have wanted anyone to die. He would still earnestly support the party with his true goal being only to kill Rodrigo and hopes that the players would believe the Mambas were actually responsible so he can use them for his revenge. In the end he is inclined to do the right thing if pushed to far and would not willingly sacrifice anyone for his revenge. He hopes to one day present himself to his wife and let her know he is alive but believes he must avenge their son first.
In the end there was about 4 sessions to complete the story, so it was a mini campaign. More could have been added to expand on the setting and I wish I could have incorporated It roughly went like:
Session 1
-Meet Hugo and Griffon Knight and learn about the 2 factions of Zaragoza
-Ambush on the road by the "Mambas" (the disguised Condors)
-Tzitzimitl is summoned to kill Griffon Knight at moment of ambush (could be prevented though if players are vigilant)
Session 2
-Arrive in Zaragoza and investigate for clue on the Mambas or Condors (they chose Mambas).
-Hugos wife Alitzia is the cantina owner and has information
-They met Gabriela, the Condor Leader and her entourage who implore the party to enact "justice" on the Mambas.
-Montage journey to Mamba hideout in the desert where a battle ensues, they learn the truth from Rodrigo about the Mambas not being responsible.
Session 3
-Rodrigo reveals the Mambas intercepted some the Condors after the ambush and ended up with the Pluma Relic and gold in their possession. They also have a captive of the Condors who would reveal Hugo's part in the scheme.
-Hugo tries to convince the party of Rodrigo's evil and to help him to kill Rodrigo.
-Cuervio and the Condors appear to reclaim the gold and Pluma relic but Rodrigo is aware of what Cuervo is, and warns the party of his intentions. They engage in battle and Cuervo uses his magic to temporarily blot out the sun and summon more Tzitzimime to try to snatche the Pluma Relic. In my campaign the party stopped this from happening and Cuervo warns the party before teleporting away that they will take villagers hostage and kill them if the Pluma Relic is not brought to the Obsidian Mine and turned over.
Either way it leads to a race to get to the Obsidian Mine to either rescue villagers or thwart Cuervo from his plan.
Session 4
-Hugo attempts to repent to the party and wants to help with stopping Cuervo or saving villagers. Rodrigo, if still alive (he was for our group) mobilizes the Mambas to storm the Obsidian Mine too
-The party decided how the storming of the mine would go and who would do what
-The confront the Condor Gang and defeat them, including Gabriela. Cuervo summons one final ancient Tzitzimitl in an attempt to destroy the party but cannot control it and was killed alongside Rodrigo. The party slay the Tzitzimitl. Control of the mine is returned to the villagers and the Mambas begin a journey to Nexal to learn more about Zaltec.
|
| sleyvas |
Posted - 15 May 2023 : 19:01:53
quote:
Originally posted by Seethyr
I haven’t thought about a tactile angle yet - that’s interesting. I’ve used a necessity of untying the knots to unlock the magic. Therefore the process is more kike taking an action to drink a potion than it is to read a book. I think both concepts could work well, particularly with quipu you want to be reusable.
FYI I’m doing a lot of reading on Peruvian cultures from the time of the Inca and previous civilizations as well. There’s a goldmine out there. Not as much as I was able to find with Aztec and Mayan but wonderful and plentiful nevertheless. I’m looking into some magical gardens now that take the form of terraced farming - a technique that is definitively pre Inca.
That works for a one shot type magic item (if a quipu is meant to work like a scroll for instance as you note). However, as you note, if the quipu is meant to work like a spellbook (or elven gemstone kiira), then untying it destroys it. Just to quickly throw out there some possible uses for something like this as a reusable medium (and again, it would be more like an elvek kiira).
you can get a visual representation of a site (a map) by touching a quipu, and it puts imagery in your head of someone walking through the site prior to it devolving into its current state.
you can memorize a spell like a spellbook using a quipu
you can use a quipu periodically to cast a spell much like a staff or wand, and reading it by touch places the necessary words and images of how to cast the spell into your mind (in some ways like old rules of reading a spell from a spellbook to cast a spell directly instead of memorizing)
A quipu can be held by someone to implant an image of a person from their mind into it, then passed to others so that they can "see" the image. Think "wanted poster" in some instances, but also "bank safety deposit" as a method to control who can access a certain box.
What's some other ideas?
Oh, and I really like this idea when combined with multiple mediums (i.e. not just ropes). I think this make for a really great form of pluma magic as well when worked with feathers that might be knotted together, etc... |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 13 May 2023 : 02:16:12
I haven’t thought about a tactile angle yet - that’s interesting. I’ve used a necessity of untying the knots to unlock the magic. Therefore the process is more kike taking an action to drink a potion than it is to read a book. I think both concepts could work well, particularly with quipu you want to be reusable.
FYI I’m doing a lot of reading on Peruvian cultures from the time of the Inca and previous civilizations as well. There’s a goldmine out there. Not as much as I was able to find with Aztec and Mayan but wonderful and plentiful nevertheless. I’m looking into some magical gardens now that take the form of terraced farming - a technique that is definitively pre Inca. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 12 May 2023 : 19:08:05
Ok, you got my interest. I'll grab it later to look. When applied with magic, I definitely could see something where there might be incredibly detailed knotwork using individual threads.... things that tactilely you might not be able to read by touch... but that information could be relayed magically because you touched it. I'm not sure if this is where you took it yet, and maybe you don't go into the "how" so much as just go into the game mechanics. The knotwork might also be dependent on the material (for instance, using individual vanes from feathers of certain birds used in knotwork might convey entirely different messages with the same methods of knotting). In other words, using vanes from the feathers of a peacock knotted in the same ways as vanes from the feathers of a chicken might convey a totally different message. Both of thoses might be entirely different from knots made with cotton, leather, etc.... |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 10 May 2023 : 22:33:29
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by Seethyr
Updates on the True World Campaign:
A few new books have been released on DMsGuild in the past few months that specifically deal with Lopango.
These include:
1. Monsters of Lopango
2. The Book of Lopangan Lairs
3. Mystical Quipus
4. Flamelords of Kuntur Rapa
Along with the original campaign guide, two small articles (called Karaikarai and Trenntrenn, and Qhaix Xok), that constitutes the whole Lopango line of pdfs.
Currently, I am working on a book I placed in Lopango, but only in location and not much in feel. I loved the concept of Ythryn in Rime of the Frostmaiden and have been in the process of homebrewing a similar crashed floating enclave. Here is the current WIP which you might get use out of.
I had not noticed these. This mystical quipus one... so its based on a culture that "writes" using knots? There is an actual basis of that in South American culture? I saw something exactly like that in the apple tv series SEE where the blind people were using knots to record things, and I couldn't picture it actually working. I'd be intrigued to know more about that.
Yes, quipus were very much a real thing and like you, I found them super interesting. I don't think in the real world they could convey as much as writing, but there was definitely loads of data and information that could be "recorded" within them.
In Lopango, of course, I am taking this to an extreme, using it as a means for them to record mystical concepts such as what we might find on spell scrolls. The article has a whole collection of magical items based on quipus.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quipu |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 10 May 2023 : 22:17:14
quote:
Originally posted by Seethyr
Updates on the True World Campaign:
A few new books have been released on DMsGuild in the past few months that specifically deal with Lopango.
These include:
1. Monsters of Lopango
2. The Book of Lopangan Lairs
3. Mystical Quipus
4. Flamelords of Kuntur Rapa
Along with the original campaign guide, two small articles (called Karaikarai and Trenntrenn, and Qhaix Xok), that constitutes the whole Lopango line of pdfs.
Currently, I am working on a book I placed in Lopango, but only in location and not much in feel. I loved the concept of Ythryn in Rime of the Frostmaiden and have been in the process of homebrewing a similar crashed floating enclave. Here is the current WIP which you might get use out of.
I had not noticed these. This mystical quipus one... so its based on a culture that "writes" using knots? There is an actual basis of that in South American culture? I saw something exactly like that in the apple tv series SEE where the blind people were using knots to record things, and I couldn't picture it actually working. I'd be intrigued to know more about that. |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 10 May 2023 : 04:38:39
It’s been a while since I’ve worked on anything Maztica/Anchorome/Lopango related but here is a WIP of an adventure that starts in Lopango and ends up as a bit of a planar adventure before returning. It’s already 22 pages in with a bunch of updated monsters that you might at least get some use out of.
[url=“https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nq78GTBpkw2f7pjVuxM-fmhrvPdEUwLw/view?usp=drivesdk”]Halcyon Days WIP 5-09-23[/url]
Also, the book from the previous post is in fact now done. It’s called Krin Dolan and is up on DMsGuild |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 16 Jan 2023 : 04:23:25
Updates on the True World Campaign:
A few new books have been released on DMsGuild in the past few months that specifically deal with Lopango.
These include:
1. Monsters of Lopango
2. The Book of Lopangan Lairs
3. Mystical Quipus
4. Flamelords of Kuntur Rapa
Along with the original campaign guide, two small articles (called Karaikarai and Trenntrenn, and Qhaix Xok), that constitutes the whole Lopango line of pdfs.
Currently, I am working on a book I placed in Lopango, but only in location and not much in feel. I loved the concept of Ythryn in Rime of the Frostmaiden and have been in the process of homebrewing a similar crashed floating enclave. Here is the current WIP which you might get use out of.
|
| sleyvas |
Posted - 30 Nov 2022 : 18:14:08
I watched it, and a lot of it is somewhat like things we've discussed here. The big thing I see is that he's positing that there was possibly a great human civilization HERE prior to the ice age that got wiped out around the ice age suddenly. He ultimately leads into a concept that he believes that there may have been not a single comet hit, but possible tens or hundreds of hits of fairly large debris falls over a relatively short span of time. The idea is that the ice caps were hit by very hot small impacting items, such that geologically there wouldn't necessarily be "craters" left behind. This creates a flash flood effect in various areas as the super heated water then starts pouring into other lands and ultimately raising the oceans. When the oceans rise, those cultures living NEAR the oceans suddenly find themselves under water and they die out spectacularly fast (they show how there a portions of Asia that are now islands that would have been a contiguous land mass, same with Bermuda, same with areas near Italy, etc...). Part of it is also that we find a bunch of kinda like step pyramid structures in high ground areas in relatively recent decades that have all of these chambers built down inside of them that seem to hint that people went under the earth to survive a catastrophe, and they may have all been created around the same time (the younger dryas period for those that want to look that up). There's also some wonder if Antartica might not have been totally frozen over as much as it is today based on several maps from just a few centuries back.
I found the series interesting as you say. He specifically does not call himself an archaeologist and notes that that industry has a problem of infighting that makes people hesitant to buck "established theories".... which I can totally buy, given what we saw with the wars of science and religion just a few centuries back... or the hatred that teaching Darwinism invoked just last century. Even moreso, look at the fervor of some realms historians about making changes to the history of basically a world that's make believe, and one can see how real life historians might be extremely fickle. He points out that there's some things that people see that people just refute without actually coming out to take a look, and he seems to be trying to connect the dots of a lot of other people who are focused on a region they're studying that archaeologists are having issues with (some of which they've turned around in recent decades and given in).
So, I definitely see why you want to discuss how this might be related to Maztica/Anchorome. I would say that these multiple stories all over Anchorome of the people "coming out of the caves" could definitely hint that they went below the earth due to a cataclym of some sort. Many of the storylines have cultures coming to Anchorome via underdark tunnels under the ocean from Faerun or Kara-Tur, but it may just be that they were reemerging after having gone under the earth to survive an apocalypse. Also, since the story of Quetzocoatl and Quotal are near identical (i.e. he brings civilization and then is forced to leave, promising to one day return, etc...), there's obvious symmetry to our own world. I would definitely try to skew away from having Anchorome/Maztica being a "copy" of earth being sent to Toril though.
So, without committing ourselves to any specific idea, let's spitball some things.... because that's what is fun... the one thing I want to try and stay away from too much is possibly directly copying concepts that I saw in Mystara (i.e. hollow world, etc...). I also want to steer away from invalidating some of the things that the two of us have developed.
Ed says that "Anchorome" is a collection of islands, but TSR canon would have it that Anchorome is a continent. What if BOTH of these are true? By that I mean, what if when the ice melts on the continents north of Anchorome, much of it becomes flooded, resulting in the high points that are islands.
So, if that's the truth, what happened that now its not covered by water? Why is Evermeet not aware of this humongous continent off its shores, nor of the elves that live there? Why did Faerun only discover this continent RIGHT after the Time of Troubles?
Well, what if the elves are not the only ones who have dealt with magics that reshaped the world (i.e. the Elven Sundering) and which "reached forward and backward in time". What if the human creator race existed prior to the ice age? What if the spellweavers work also might have had some effects? What if the Netherese (who apparently knew about some black obelisks that can change time) got involved with some time magics.
What am I leading into with this? Well, what if the Maztica/Anchorome we see in 2e is pulled from another time stream. What if the underdark tunnels that suddenly erupted with lava in the rockfire disaster and led to dark elves and dwarves coming to Maztica were the result of a displacement in time of Anchorome in the past to move forward in time.... in other words, could the rockfire disaster be tied to the creation of the ice age in the past, and then SOMETHING picked up the continent and hurled it forward in time to "rescue" it.
For that matter, what if Abeir isn't another "plane" but another "time stream" and the rules we know of in chronomancy are just plain wrong. Maybe you CAN cause changes that ripple forward in time, and maybe you CAN ALSO cause changes that spin off an entirely new time stream. Essentially just like eventually someone can "double their lifeline" in chronomancy, maybe one could also "twin a timestream".
Along these same lines of a "flooded" Anchorome, we had been discussing the idea that Katashaka and Lopango had previously been connected along with the story of the Gold Clad Giant Kings, and I had also been discussing the idea that Katashaka and the large island directly to its east may have been connected. So maybe there's buried cities beneath the oceans there.
Now the question that comes with all of this... if Anchorome should be flooded and a portion of it was sent forward in time and isn't flooded.... where'd the water go? Did Auril gain in power? Did the ice caps grow and absorb water? When this ice age transfer forward occurred, was that what increased Auril's power? Ed does say that the Auril that was active after the spellplague may not be the Auril that we know. |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 29 Nov 2022 : 02:31:23
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by Seethyr
Watching a show called “Ancient Apocalypse” on Netflix which posits a civilization that existed long before the Aztecs, Egyptians, Babylonians, etc. The real world speculation is dubious at best but I can imagine how this applies to Maztica and the True World. Any thoughts?
hmmm, will have to search that
The concepts became repetitive after a while and the host has some bizarre “war” with the entire community of archaeologists going on, but it is interesting nevertheless and he makes some wonderful points. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 28 Nov 2022 : 17:45:22
quote:
Originally posted by Seethyr
Watching a show called “Ancient Apocalypse” on Netflix which posits a civilization that existed long before the Aztecs, Egyptians, Babylonians, etc. The real world speculation is dubious at best but I can imagine how this applies to Maztica and the True World. Any thoughts?
hmmm, will have to search that |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 26 Nov 2022 : 04:01:57
Watching a show called “Ancient Apocalypse” on Netflix which posits a civilization that existed long before the Aztecs, Egyptians, Babylonians, etc. The real world speculation is dubious at best but I can imagine how this applies to Maztica and the True World. Any thoughts? |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 02 Apr 2022 : 22:08:38
Dragonglass is up on DMsGuild
https://www.dmsguild.com/product/392374/MZA7-Dragonglass |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 11 Mar 2022 : 02:05:08
Progress!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pO0I4nu4Dnz01zd-e6n3l5GH9xVZHnPs/view?usp=sharing |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 04 Mar 2022 : 23:09:38
quote:
Originally posted by louis_bowwow
This looks pretty cool. Can’t wait to see where it goes and what it does to the True World.
Thanks for bringing attention to the Minds Eye articles. I had never really looked into them, but now I am really intrigued by the lore. I probably would have never known they existed. Good stuff from what I have read so far. I particularly like the article on the vestiges.
Oh vestiges! How I miss the Binder class! I think they were killed by the warlock - too much concept overlap.
Anyway, I will try to continue to update those articles to 5e. My next goal is to see if I can contact the original authors while I continue the adventure.
|
| louis_bowwow |
Posted - 04 Mar 2022 : 05:53:53
This looks pretty cool. Can’t wait to see where it goes and what it does to the True World.
Thanks for bringing attention to the Minds Eye articles. I had never really looked into them, but now I am really intrigued by the lore. I probably would have never known they existed. Good stuff from what I have read so far. I particularly like the article on the vestiges. |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 01 Mar 2022 : 21:00:49
Maztica has no high level adventures and part of that is because I’ve had no clue how to write one. Levels 17-20 has always been quite the challenge for me because I always felt the encounters wouldn’t be realistic when you are trying to challenge players in god mode.
Well, I’ll do my best.
I’ve written the first act (out of two) for an adventure I am calling Dragonglass for those levels and here’s a little summary.
Prologue - PCs start wherever you want them to (nominally Waterdeep) and are approached by a gem dragonborn who tries to get them involved in the adventure. With a teleportation circle they end up near Tukan in Maztica in the desert. The PCs travel through the desert to a lonely mountain where there is believed to be a portal after finding some hints.
Note that the adventure borrows heavily from the old Mind’s Eye articles on the WotC website. This will include the articles on the banished obsidian dragon thane of Sardior named Seradess, the three headed gem dragon Blithen, the Demiplane of Ectoplasm, the Aleithian Dwarves, ectoplasmic dragons and a few other monsters.
Act 1 - The PCs encounter aleithian dwarves who guide them through a portal to the Demiplane, where they meet Blithen who informs them of Seradess’ evil plans.
Act 2 - Using Blithen’s assistance, the PCs head towards the hidden ruin known as Tewahca, the City of the Gods. It is here that Seradess has come to use the source behind the power of plumastone (what she and others call dragonglass) in order to ascend to the status of Greatwyrm once again. Up until this point she was reborn after Sardior destroyed her and has been combining with her echoes across the Prime.
So really what this adventure does is combines all the Mind’s Eye material (updating so much of it), factors in a ton of Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons, and has monumental repercussions for the True World to boot.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SKADtwTO6Lptc8JxR6E50ocaFZqOYPth/view?usp=drivesdk |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 26 Feb 2022 : 21:11:25
quote:
Originally posted by Seethyr
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by Seethyr
Certainly. Do you just mean a stat bar or to use within the lore?
Just a rumor/name drop maybe in the lore. Not doing much with it other than to reference this giant king who may have a beef with the tharch of Lopango (and the tharch of the Western Pridelands).... storyline will essentially be that "The Daeronness" Shenandra Tarsorek of Thoros helped recover Thoros' hammer by pretending to be "the goddess Eldunna". The hammer gets brought back to the city of New Kensten in Lopango. The gods tell the Metahel (and Rashemi, many of whom have converted to Metahel gods) to sacrifice at the altar of Thoros and his children (with things like rune carved horn daggers, rune carved spears, rune carved metal weapons, gems, etc...). The priests are directed to bring these items around their settlement. As they do, magic stabilizes locally... at first for divine magic, and then for arcane.
Later, those metahel, rashemi, and some mulans (and some azerborn) decide to leave Lopango to form a settlement in Katashaka. They go to the western pridelands. Just a handful of years later, the idea of forming the united tharchs is put forth. Some rashemi and metahel would prefer NOT to be in a magocracy (roughly half), as well as most of the azerborn. They go to some islands off the coast nearby. The western pridelands tharch is formed, but its definitely different as it values physical prowess in addition to magic, worships metahel gods almost exclusively, etc...
Ok will do, likely in Kuntur Rapa. I wonder if the new That supplement will tie in well with your tharchs . I’m looking forward to getting that delivery.
Yeah, I finally feel up to writing about them enough to make each tharch fairly different with at least a small focus on the major cities of each tharch. I also played with some high level (beyond 20) rules to play with making NPC's, and I've been revamping a lot of the early release 5e rules I had done. I also kind of got sidetracked for a week or two on a races book for katashaka. Wish I could devote the time I could when I was younger to this type of stuff, but it is fun to write, even if its more for myself than anything. |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 26 Feb 2022 : 17:57:17
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by Seethyr
Certainly. Do you just mean a stat bar or to use within the lore?
Just a rumor/name drop maybe in the lore. Not doing much with it other than to reference this giant king who may have a beef with the tharch of Lopango (and the tharch of the Western Pridelands).... storyline will essentially be that "The Daeronness" Shenandra Tarsorek of Thoros helped recover Thoros' hammer by pretending to be "the goddess Eldunna". The hammer gets brought back to the city of New Kensten in Lopango. The gods tell the Metahel (and Rashemi, many of whom have converted to Metahel gods) to sacrifice at the altar of Thoros and his children (with things like rune carved horn daggers, rune carved spears, rune carved metal weapons, gems, etc...). The priests are directed to bring these items around their settlement. As they do, magic stabilizes locally... at first for divine magic, and then for arcane.
Later, those metahel, rashemi, and some mulans (and some azerborn) decide to leave Lopango to form a settlement in Katashaka. They go to the western pridelands. Just a handful of years later, the idea of forming the united tharchs is put forth. Some rashemi and metahel would prefer NOT to be in a magocracy (roughly half), as well as most of the azerborn. They go to some islands off the coast nearby. The western pridelands tharch is formed, but its definitely different as it values physical prowess in addition to magic, worships metahel gods almost exclusively, etc...
Ok will do, likely in Kuntur Rapa. I wonder if the new That supplement will tie in well with your tharchs . I’m looking forward to getting that delivery. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 26 Feb 2022 : 17:20:25
quote:
Originally posted by Seethyr
Certainly. Do you just mean a stat bar or to use within the lore?
Just a rumor/name drop maybe in the lore. Not doing much with it other than to reference this giant king who may have a beef with the tharch of Lopango (and the tharch of the Western Pridelands).... storyline will essentially be that "The Daeronness" Shenandra Tarsorek of Thoros helped recover Thoros' hammer by pretending to be "the goddess Eldunna". The hammer gets brought back to the city of New Kensten in Lopango. The gods tell the Metahel (and Rashemi, many of whom have converted to Metahel gods) to sacrifice at the altar of Thoros and his children (with things like rune carved horn daggers, rune carved spears, rune carved metal weapons, gems, etc...). The priests are directed to bring these items around their settlement. As they do, magic stabilizes locally... at first for divine magic, and then for arcane.
Later, those metahel, rashemi, and some mulans (and some azerborn) decide to leave Lopango to form a settlement in Katashaka. They go to the western pridelands. Just a handful of years later, the idea of forming the united tharchs is put forth. Some rashemi and metahel would prefer NOT to be in a magocracy (roughly half), as well as most of the azerborn. They go to some islands off the coast nearby. The western pridelands tharch is formed, but its definitely different as it values physical prowess in addition to magic, worships metahel gods almost exclusively, etc... |
| Seethyr |
Posted - 26 Feb 2022 : 00:28:54
Certainly. Do you just mean a stat bar or to use within the lore? |
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