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Messages - Delbareth

#1
In fact, even with Karrym and Drellis, I very often say "the sun" and never "the suns" or "the stars". So There won't be any problem for that I guess.

- A real problem could have been the lack of Drellis effect, but the scene takes place the first week of July during a would-be balanced phase.
- I already though about changing names of countries or languages ("-PC : Hey DM, you didn't told us the name of the empire we live in ! - DM : Uhhhh...).
- They could ask me in which year they live, but last time I played in Carrikos around 2500 C.C they didn't ask... Anyway, I will say their country have set its own calendar, and they live in the 470th year.
Please, tell me what else could be a clue for you to discover the truth.

The main issue of this adventure idea is that these events are very cool to describe, but not necessarily interesting to play. It's a kind of survival adventure, not at all what I want. I want to show the Assembly Hall, but there is nothing some PCs can do there. Mage-lords are extremely powerful and can solve every problem without help. So I imagined two things :
- a Traxx commando attack, shielded with the most potent traxxian anti-magic. A situation where quickly-reacting warriors can have a role, before mage-lords can understand and adapt to the situation (and kill the commado).
- a false adventure: to make it simple, their mage-lord master thinks there is a treator among the other mage-lords, who plots to overcome his own position. In fact it's only the pre-Sundering disturbances which destroy some of their cosmology spells. PCs are sent in the Assembly Hall to find the treator (they have clues he can be there at this very moment).
When they come back in Tosche, and when the Sundering happens, my goal is to make them think as long as possible it's "only" this treator assaulting their master mansion. Tower explosion, OK. First earthquake, OK because they don't know it is a continent-wide earthquake. Burning light, why not. End of magic, OK he can be very strong in metamagic. Dust clouds and storms, easy. 15 minutes long meteor shower, uuh ?. As the time goes on, it will appear more and more unlikely a single mage-lord (or even few of them) could or will destroy an entire region just for them. Few days later, after numerous replica, and a completely ruined city, a piece of cloudless sky will reveal the truth: two distinct stars in a giant shell of ejected gas. Angry mob will then assault the mage-lord mansion to kill him.

This is a quite psychologic adventure. Players will be gradually stripped from their power (all the magical weapons and tools which behave eratically), from their mission (this treator issue was nothing but thin air), from their confort (everything is destroyed around them, lot of dead friends/collegues) and finally from their loyalty or their live (without magic and greatly overnumbered, their only chance is to abandon their master ; it will be an individual decision and I don't know who (if any) will choose to do that).

I want them to FEEL how the sundering destroyed everything of the former world.
#2
Thanks for your answer.
Obviously I can always adapt the Khoras Canon, but I prefer to stay in it (or argue to change it if I have arguements).
I even think it's better to imagine a worldwide known Focusing, as every one on Khoras known WHO is responsible of this disaster. It's easier to explain the Mage Lord hunting, and it's a better "humility lesson" from gods. Nevertheless, it does not mean tat every commoner, even in Aden, know exactly how it works and what is the Focusing schedule. But I guess everyone there know the final goal of the Mages.


My players are not used to read the website. I did not forbid them nor encourage them to read it, but they know that it would somewhat "kill the mystery". They know what their character knows and that's fine. However, it seems to me that one of them did read some part of the website. Anyway, they all know the principle of the Sundering, the Alliance Mage Lords and the Thullian Empire.

I think I will be obliged to use some tricks :
- replace names with former names : the Thullian Empire and Traxx Legion will be called the Miratz Empire and Kingdom of Gekron.
- present a different type of Focusing spell : something to change the magic in the Empire (why not a magical protection for the whole empire, a way to change the magical field, etc...)
- place the event in a neutral period (and say it clear) to avoid questions about Drellis
I have already presented them they will play on a different continent (hey, Ithria was very different at this time, wasn't it ?), with an organisation of very potent arch-mages. I guess they imagine playing on a fourth continent (we have already played on Queshi and Agraddar), kept secret because quite far or different. So a very powerful mage organisation in 2700 C.C on a remote continent is a reasonnable assumption for them.  ;D
The adventure will take place partially in the Assembly Hall, but is not focused on the spell itself, so I guess the trick will work. As soon as they will understand what is happening, I will reveal the truth.


I will change some things on the Focusing/Sundering events, and I have arguments for it.
It is usually admit the magic does not travel very well through matter. Tens ot hundreds of meters of matter are enough to stop most spells. Even if Alliance Mage Lords were able to enhance the spell penetration through matter, it is impossible to be enough to reach the inner layer of a star (thousand of time the "thickness" of a whole planet). So I prefer to imagine they send the magical energy with an interdimensionnal portal directly inside Drellikar, rather than letting the magical energy travelling through space and drilling through the star.
When the Sundering begun, a portal was open to send magical energy (to try to reverse what appeared to be an immense mistake). A tiny part of the huge sundering energy overcame the portal protection, and Drellikar energy came directly on Khoras surface, wiping out the Aden entire region. Only 8-9 minutes later came the brillant flash and so on.
As the players came back to Tosche, via a small scale portal, they are safe from the Aden events. But the energy also goes through this second portal to make the mage tower explode. Few minutes later, the shock wave of the Aden region reach Tosch and make violent earthquakes. Then come the flash which severly burn every square meter exposed to the direct light. Magic is gone, giant dust storms, eartquakes again, burning rocks falling from the sky (from Aden)... Exciting program !  ;D
I will post a description of the sundering events after the game.
#3
Quote from: David Roomes on September 24, 2018, 08:23:30 PM
3. The general population knew very little about what was going on in North Aden. The commoners knew that a powerful and secretive order of wizards was working in a great castle and there were tavern talk and rumors and gossip, but nothing solid. Very few people, mostly kings and arch wizards and heads of powerful organizations, knew that the Alliance was working on a vast and powerful project of sorcery. Even few knew exactly what it was.
It was fine for me, until I re-read some pages and found some things I missed last time :

  • On the Focusing page, we can find : "In the autumn of 451 TIC, in a large and elaborate ceremony held in the Emperor's court, Alrem proposed his radical ideas for a second time. This time to the Alliance and the world : Alrem proposed that the greatest wizards of the Alliance unite their strength in concert for a single extra planetary spell."

    and also "During this time, word had spread far and wide about the empire's grand scheme to command the very sun. The Traxx Legion did not believe that a spell of such magnitude was possible and, for the most part, did not concern themselves with the Focusing. The Irenni League, however, after sending ambassadors to the empire, studied what little information the Alliance was revealing about the Focusing."



  • On the Assembly Hall page, there is: "The Assembly Hall was home to about 250 Mage Lords at the time of the Sundering, although the exact number varied from week to week during the years leading up to the Sundering. In addition, a population of almost 600 servants, slaves, laborers, apprentices, craftsmen and nobles served the Mage Lords."

It just appear impossible that the goal of the Focusing and the Assembly Hall were secret. It's not a good news for me, since I need to find a way to avoid my player realize when their characters are living  :-[
#4
General Discussion and Questions / Re: Alliance mage Lords
September 19, 2018, 09:17:39 AM
I add a new question :
It is said that Mandacas was kill during the fall of Bekaï in 89 CC. Was he an very old Mage-lord (kept young by magic), or did the Alliance continue to form new mages ? (did the Alliance even existed still after the Sundering ? I bet no)
#5
General Discussion and Questions / Re: Alliance mage Lords
September 18, 2018, 02:03:31 AM
I have another question regarding the Focusing.

What was known of this experiment by the common population. I guess in North Aden they were quite aware of a this spell. But was it known that Alliance wanted to change something in the star ? (by official speech or rumors...)
#6
General Discussion and Questions / Re: Alliance mage Lords
September 14, 2018, 05:46:57 AM
OK so the next question is : when this new technic appeared ?
In the History section, it is only said that Ozryk was a very talented sorcerer and that is formed the Alliance with 12 of his friends. And "Despite its growing size, true power eluded the group until Thull X, the Emperor's son, joined." It seems to imply point #3 only.

Well, I guess we can suppose that such very talented mage started to discover a new way to do magic, and were searching funds to do their researches. And when they had, their strengh grew considerably. We can also guess they protected their secrets by creating Huridian, in order non-Alliance mages (I suppose there were a lot of second class mages who didn't belong to the Alliance) cannot have the same power.

It would be quite consistent. I like it !


In my next game, I want to make the character go to the Assembly Hall few days before the Sundering. At this time, I'm sure a lot of trouble with Drellikar were noticed y Alliance, Traxx and League. Alliance were "working on it", trying to brain-storm of the potential consequences and correctives actions to do. On the other hand, Traxx sent a suicid commando team to sabotage the spell. And I was wondering what Traxx mages can do to make the commando sneak in the Assembly. I though of very potent anti-magic spells, just to give the squad time to reach the core.
Of course it will fail (anyway, even if it succeed, it's too late and the Traxx mission success would have been kept secret by the Alliance the following days), and the Sundering will happen. Back in their home city before the sundering, PC will then have survive the chaos and protect their Mage-lord master.

What will be tricky for me as a GM is to avoid the player realize they live during the Sundering events. They all know the general history of the world (event if they lack details), and I have to prevent me pronouncing some words like "Thull", "Alliance mage-lord", "Focusing", etc...
#7
General Discussion and Questions / Alliance mage Lords
September 13, 2018, 07:57:25 AM
Hi !

I'm currently preparing a session for a WE of RPG. The scene will take place just before (and after) the Sundering.

I have a question about the Alliand Mage Lords. They were incredibly powerful, but why ? I see several possibilities, but I would like to have your thoughts about that :

  • they discovered a new way to do magic, much more powerful than standard magic performed in the other countries
  • the lack of Drellis simply made mage of that time much more powerful
  • the Alliance was funded heavily and it directly led to skilled mages
  • the Alliance true idea was the cooperation between its members : by cooperating instead of competing, mages were able to learn and progress in skill much much quicker than traditionnal mages
  • other ?
Of course the issue is to explain how they were so powerful, but also how it completely disappeared after the Sundering.

(in fact some Mage Lords were still alive after, like Karnus for instance, and were able to do quite good spells. So option n°2 is discarded)
#8
General Discussion and Questions / Re: Roads and Dragons
September 13, 2018, 07:49:12 AM
Hi David !

It's a long time I've not been here, even if I play on Khoras on a weekly basis.
First, congratulation for your map. It's a great work !

For your question, I have the same opinion than Laurent (a French bias ?). I would like to have as much information as possible as canon. Everybody is free to change anything if they want.
#9
General Discussion and Questions / The Citadel
November 06, 2015, 12:58:26 AM
Hi

My friends and I were wondering some technical points about the Citadel. That's not really important questions for RPG, it's rather for consistency and completeness of the world. And also because we love to investigate such technical points. :D

The questions concern the heat in the Citadel:
- is there a fireplace in each room ?
- is there a common heating system ?
- is the Citadel rather cold, rather hot, rather wet, with moisture ? ???

First I have perhaps to remind that the underground temperature is quite constant (day/night cycle is averaged quite quickly, and summer/winter cycle is averaged after few meters of rocks). So the sub-surface temperature is around the year average, around 15?C on Earth (I don't know how much in Farenheit), probably a little bit colder in the Citadel. This is why in summer (30?C outside) when we visit a cave we find it quite cold. Anyway 15?C (or worse 12?C) is not a temperature I would like to have in my house all the year.

I started wondering about that when I wanted to draw the players' room and place a fireplace. If there is a fireplace, there should be a chimney associated to it. And this chimney has to go through all levels up to the "roof" of the Citadel. Even if you imagine that several chimneys are mutualized between differents room and between differents levels, there still should be a quite large amount of such channels traveling vertically through the entire Citadel. :o
Another solution could be to have a common heating system: big fires in the lower levels, with again great vertical shafts. But this time, these chimney would redistribute the heat in each level and each Citadel section by a clever heating system (I remember that some roman villa had a heating system in the floor channeled through special hollow bricks).
This is probably technically possible but it leads to another linked question. Perhaps, the builders of the Citadel were gifted craftmen and architects. But I don't think generations of ogres and orcs have the ability and the will to maintain such a complex system.

Nowadays, perhaps a magical solution is used. It should be ok for a Black Sorcerer to produce a very small amount of heat in each cubic meter of the whole Citadel volume. Personnally I'm not fond of this solution, because I think there should a found a more "permanent" solution. But perhaps I'm wrong and they just don't care and everybody wear more clothes.

It leads to the last question: is the Citadel cold/hot/wet/dry ? I've always imagined the Citadel as a quite warm place, but that's probably anthropocentric. Perhaps it's a quite cold place. Perhaps a heating system is working in some part, and never repeared in others. Perhaps everybody light fires in its room without systematic chimney, and smoke evades in the corridors...

So, what is your vision of the Citadel ?
#10
Quote from: David Roomes on October 18, 2015, 10:31:50 PM
and the church probably finds it to be advantageous to have at least a couple of "out in the open" public establishments, even if they do sometimes have to restrain their faithful.

I think it is the main point I missed. It says 2 things :
- on a large scale, Belhelizar church has an interest in having an official cult somewhere
- on a local scale, they adapt their speech to fit this situation
I had difficulties to imagine the day-to-day life a Belhelizar followers: you participate to a "mass", where a priest told you how laws, order, civilization is evil. And then they go out of the temple, and are obliged to follow rules, to respect laws, etc... And they have to, not only for thelmselves (like in any country) but because their priest told them to do so. I found that strange.

But now I accept a "corrupt" version of the priest speech: Duthelm law is not the true enemy.
It's lot clearer, and I'm going to start "annoying" my players with Belhelizar followers and priests.
#11
Hi everybody !
I have been quite quiet on this topic for a very long time, but I really want to say that Dave you have made an amazing work! There is a clear leap in the quality, consistency, details of this section ! Really fantastic !

For your question, I think you're right. Old gods which are no more worshiped are not very interesting. And as you point out there are many other gods in the same situation which are not detailled.

I take the opportunity I'm awaken to ask a question about Belhelizar and specially its cult.
I have no problem with its philosophy "Law and order only serve to limit and restrict life and joy.", but I can't understand how this cult can be OFFICIALLY present in a nation (for instance Duthelm).
I understand that Duthelm also fight the law and order of the Rukemian Empire. So we could see a convergence of their interests. But there are also strict laws in Duthelm, and a form of strict order also. The Cult rules, and I think anyone proclaming that only chaos should rule cannot really be considerer as an ally.
So I have problem to imagine a temple in The Citadel (or elsewhere), with worshippers who proclaim the law of chaos, but follow the strict rules of city where they live...
#12
Miscellaneous / Re: the hobbit
January 05, 2015, 05:52:42 AM
Hi!
I've also seen it but will be slightly less positive than David.
Of course the film is quite good, will good battle scenes and for once diversity in the evil side (orcs, goblins, giants, hybrids...). I know that some parts were added to bring some color to the movie (love with the Tauriel-Kili story for instance).

But I didn't liked 2 things :
- the scene in Dol Guldur : the fight between Galadriel and Sauron, neither from an aestetic point of view, nor for its correctness/balance. It seems Galadriel (because of her ring or the Earendil's light) is far stronger than an Istari (and Sarouman is the best one). Plus the fight between the Nazgul and Elrond/Sarouman was in complete contradiction with their power in the Lord of the Ring movies. Never Aragorn would have win with such ninja-spectra.

- the fact that Middle Earth looks like a small village. You are in Dol Guldur but just need to ride a bit to join Erebor. Just walk from here and you reach Angmar (in the North???) and come back to Erebor the same day...

Eventually, I definively think that armies were far too small. If I remember it is written about horde of orcs, not just few thousands...

#13
Announcements and News / Re: Work on Khoras suspended.
September 02, 2014, 12:34:25 PM
Very good news for your friend. It's a pity to spent so much time, effort and probably money when you have to fight the blind justice.

I also noticed the big amount of stuff you posted. It is really a very good job, and I want to congratulate you.
You're going through this religion overhaul like a bulldozer!
#14
Completed / Re: A Big One!
August 23, 2014, 11:32:21 PM
Hi there!
I just realized that Kepler's law allow us to know the orbit of the three moons of Khoras. It gives:
- Mektor 480 000 km
- Thrykar 230 000 km
- Night's Jewel 180 000 km
It can be compared to the Moon with its 380 000 km.
I don't know if you find it useful but a geek like me find it very cool.  8)
#15
Hey! I didn't notice
You have already made an amazing work!
I've only red the overview and Imarus, but it's clearly much more rich and subtle than what it used to be.
Congratulations!