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[Graf]

Originally Posted by Dunamin

Design Notes
I think Ea serves best as a Far Land since the intended scale of warfare is significant, so you want it distant enough that it doesn’t noticeably spill over to the proximate isles (the design principle of modularity). On the other hand, it is intended as a major source of origin for githyankis, githzerais, and other psionically flavored or gith-related creatures (incl many aberrants and red dragons), so you might want it close enough to reach by a long sea voyage and thus a Near Land.

I appreciate you taking the read the modularity section (it's kinda hard to get through) and I agree with your analysis; it would function best as a far land.

That would also allow us to make gith quite rare and give us some flexibility dealing with psionics etc. should the books be adopted.

Also, while I love this sort of thing, the whole psionic transplanar invading psionic armies thing could put off some gamers who prefer a more "traditional" world.

If we want to step up and bring Ea closer to Duanton for either a shorter period or a more extended period (maybe a mini-adventure path around paragon tier) the degree of sophistication they currently have works well. It's possible they could open portals or similar.

I also like the idea of having a powerful transplanar empire because it operates as a nice offset to the Imperium. Arcane/divine magic vs psionics; mind control vs persuasion/social controls; eladrin vs illithids works for me.

Originally Posted by Dunamin

I’ve tried to allow for the possibility of playing on a lot of githyanki, githzerai and mind flayer lore. For instance, the poisonous fields near the enclave’s seat of power is a reference to Torment’s Unbroken Circle of Zerthimon (2nd circle), while the phrase “Under One Sky” plays on the “Pronouncement of Two Skies”.
I originally envisioned the humans of Letheon as actually being the “unspoiled” descendants of the same humans who also became the gith, adding a sense of destiny that the giths are returning home in a way, and a sense of tragedy that these lands are being crushed by the war. I was planning to convey this idea through more than hints that the humans have strong willpower and resolve and are driven to overthrow their oppressors, but I didn’t want to be too overt so that DMs don’t have to use these elements if they don’t like it.
I tried to avoid IP worries by never directly naming the Liberator as Gith, never calling the ‘yanki-‘zerai feud the “War of Two Skies”, and so on, but do tell me if I’m overtly concerned.

I love Torment. Torment is the best game ever. If you've played torment it's physically painful to look at any other bioware game. They are all pale shadows.
I force people I barely know to borrow Torment from me and play.

Appreciate you thinking about the IP issues. WotC has been so weird on IP stuff oaver the past few years. Hopefully it'll be better in 4th. They are supposed to produce some sort of "fan site rules" soon. I hope it's not draconian. That would be supremely annoying.

IP thoughts

I think, actually, that using stuff like "the war of two skies" and 'zeramon is probably "better" than using wizard's pure IP. Any way you cut Bioware should have some rights there (I think). A fan derivative of a computer game based on 2nd edition DnD and a discontinued setting in the roleplaying space is less likely to be seen as a direct challenge to ther IP.

Maybe?

I dunno. The whole thing gives me a headache.

One thing about Illithids

I kinda still think there ought to be some sort of "intermediary" between Illithids and their puppets. I feel like they should be "rare masterminds". I suppose it's a question of degree/perception.

It would be easy to explain by saying that "Part of the prophesy suggests that if Illithids were to return en mass the humans of Ea would all spontanously develop psionic powers, possibily forming a massive unimind whose might could threaten the illithid collective itself.

That would explain why Illithids took humans of Ea stock before, but didn't subjegate them en mass until they were forced to by events. Exposure to psionic energy triggers their latent power, often making them difficult to control (not a problem in small groups, but it's contageous.... so if a psionic human gets free, over time they could potentially "awaken" more and more Ea)

Likewise the Gith could be looking for some way to activate the unimind. The Githyanki could be planning on triggering some sort of apocalypse and having their queen absorb the death-tinged psionic energy to acheive true godhood.
The Githzerai could be hoping to elevate the Ea as a race, developing a powerful ally that accepts their philosophy and guidance and can put down the Illithids and the Githyanki once and for all.

Its really a minor point.