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The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
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<blockquote data-quote="Dragonblade" data-source="post: 1434212" data-attributes="member: 2804"><p>Dark Sun is world that was originally ruled by halflings. There were no other major PC races. There were no gods either and Athas was a very metal poor world.</p><p></p><p>This was the Blue Age. Named for the bright blue sun and the many oceans that covered the world.</p><p></p><p>Over millenia the halflings, who had psionic abilities, developed incredible bio-organic technology. Mostly this was due to Athas being a very metal poor world.</p><p></p><p>The Halflings psionic organic biotechnology was such that they finally tapped into the power of the sun itself as an unlimited power source.</p><p></p><p>But something went wrong and the sun began to change from blue to yellow. For some reason (its not really clear why), the halflings and their bio-organic technology began to die when the sun changed. Perhaps the different levels in UV radiation were now toxic or something. Anyway, to survive the halflings used their power to change their race. The most powerful halfling elders created several subraces that could survive in this new world. These were the elves, dwarves, humans, etc. Some pockets of halfling civilization survived hidden away, but the rest of the surviving halflings descended into savagery.</p><p></p><p>Thus began the Green Age. Named for the lower sea levels and the green vegetation which began to spread across the world. The Green Age was like most fantasy worlds. There were elves in the forests, knights, etc. Although there was no arcane magic, only psionics and clerical magic discovered by priests tapping into the elements, since there were no gods.</p><p></p><p>One of the new races were called the Pyreen and they were the most perfectly evolved race the halflings created. One of these Pyreen was named Rajaat. But unlike his fellows, Rajaat was born ugly and deformed. He was outcast from his people and was shunned whereever he went.</p><p></p><p>Rajaat grew bitter and hatred for all other creatures grew in his heart. One day Rajaat discovered the ruins where the halfling elders had transformed their dying people. Some of these elders had survived in a spirit like form. They told Rajaat that over the many centuries of their desembodied state they had discovered a way in which the sun might be restored to its former blue glory. They could accomplish this through a new form of power, a power that could be obtained by channelling the life force of plants and animals. They used Rajaat's hatred and turned him into their pawn. Rajaat took this knowledge and spent centuries of research, study, and practice to develop what became known as Arcane magic.</p><p></p><p>He taught others this magic, always careful to also teach them safeguards so that they did not draw too much power and thus kill the plants that powered their spells. This was Preserver magic. Rajaat's students in turn taught others. The Green Age reached its zenith.</p><p></p><p>But Rajaat secretly recruited 13 champions from those he taught. 13 whose mastery of psionics and magic both far exceeded what most people could ever hope to learn. He also recruited them for the lust for power. A lust he exploited to his own ends to make them his champions. He secretly taught them Defiler magic. Taught them that if they imposed no limits on the power they drained from plants and animals around them, they would be unstoppable.</p><p></p><p>His champions then went forth and raised mighty armies and declared genocidal wars on the other races of the age. Rajaat did this so that the world might be cleansed of the impure races and herald the return of the halflings and so that he would have his revenge upon those who had made him an outcast. But Rajaat didn't tell them everything. He told them that humans would be the exalted race and to kill the other races so humans could rule (the champions were all human).</p><p></p><p>These wars were called the Cleansing Wars and in the aftermath of their mighty battles and unrestrained defiling magic, the world was reduced to a barren desert wasteland.</p><p></p><p>Near the end of these wars, the Champions began to question Rajaat and his goals. They didn't want to rule over a dead world. Then they learned that they were merely pawns and that Rajaat planned to destroy them as well once they had finished their work. The halflings were the master race and only they were fit to rule the world.</p><p></p><p>They turned against their former master and imprisoned him in another dimension from which he could not escape. They used powerful magic to transform one of their number into a dragon. Borys became the only dragon on Athas to ever exist and became the guardian of Rajaat's extradimensional prison. The remaining champions end their wars and retire to positions as sorcerer-kings ruling over mighty city states. The only civilization left in a barren desert world.</p><p></p><p>There is a bit more to it than that, but this is generally where the first boxed set starts. The Prism Pentad novels talk about how Rajaat breaks free from his prison and then kills half of his former champions turned sorcerer kings before he is finally put down.</p><p></p><p>This is where the revised Dark Sun boxed set comes in. In the magical aftermath, rainstorms sweep across Athas, lands beyond the main campaign are revealed to be somewhat less barren and ruled by an empire of Thri-Kreen, and bio-organic halflings begin to make more of an appearance.</p><p></p><p>The setting is drastically changed from the first boxed set. Especially the rules. I personally dislike the revised Dark Sun boxed set. Anyway, hard core Dark Sun fans may point out problems with my summary. Its very abbreviated and its been a long time since I read any Dark Sun material so my memory is hazy.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dragonblade, post: 1434212, member: 2804"] Dark Sun is world that was originally ruled by halflings. There were no other major PC races. There were no gods either and Athas was a very metal poor world. This was the Blue Age. Named for the bright blue sun and the many oceans that covered the world. Over millenia the halflings, who had psionic abilities, developed incredible bio-organic technology. Mostly this was due to Athas being a very metal poor world. The Halflings psionic organic biotechnology was such that they finally tapped into the power of the sun itself as an unlimited power source. But something went wrong and the sun began to change from blue to yellow. For some reason (its not really clear why), the halflings and their bio-organic technology began to die when the sun changed. Perhaps the different levels in UV radiation were now toxic or something. Anyway, to survive the halflings used their power to change their race. The most powerful halfling elders created several subraces that could survive in this new world. These were the elves, dwarves, humans, etc. Some pockets of halfling civilization survived hidden away, but the rest of the surviving halflings descended into savagery. Thus began the Green Age. Named for the lower sea levels and the green vegetation which began to spread across the world. The Green Age was like most fantasy worlds. There were elves in the forests, knights, etc. Although there was no arcane magic, only psionics and clerical magic discovered by priests tapping into the elements, since there were no gods. One of the new races were called the Pyreen and they were the most perfectly evolved race the halflings created. One of these Pyreen was named Rajaat. But unlike his fellows, Rajaat was born ugly and deformed. He was outcast from his people and was shunned whereever he went. Rajaat grew bitter and hatred for all other creatures grew in his heart. One day Rajaat discovered the ruins where the halfling elders had transformed their dying people. Some of these elders had survived in a spirit like form. They told Rajaat that over the many centuries of their desembodied state they had discovered a way in which the sun might be restored to its former blue glory. They could accomplish this through a new form of power, a power that could be obtained by channelling the life force of plants and animals. They used Rajaat's hatred and turned him into their pawn. Rajaat took this knowledge and spent centuries of research, study, and practice to develop what became known as Arcane magic. He taught others this magic, always careful to also teach them safeguards so that they did not draw too much power and thus kill the plants that powered their spells. This was Preserver magic. Rajaat's students in turn taught others. The Green Age reached its zenith. But Rajaat secretly recruited 13 champions from those he taught. 13 whose mastery of psionics and magic both far exceeded what most people could ever hope to learn. He also recruited them for the lust for power. A lust he exploited to his own ends to make them his champions. He secretly taught them Defiler magic. Taught them that if they imposed no limits on the power they drained from plants and animals around them, they would be unstoppable. His champions then went forth and raised mighty armies and declared genocidal wars on the other races of the age. Rajaat did this so that the world might be cleansed of the impure races and herald the return of the halflings and so that he would have his revenge upon those who had made him an outcast. But Rajaat didn't tell them everything. He told them that humans would be the exalted race and to kill the other races so humans could rule (the champions were all human). These wars were called the Cleansing Wars and in the aftermath of their mighty battles and unrestrained defiling magic, the world was reduced to a barren desert wasteland. Near the end of these wars, the Champions began to question Rajaat and his goals. They didn't want to rule over a dead world. Then they learned that they were merely pawns and that Rajaat planned to destroy them as well once they had finished their work. The halflings were the master race and only they were fit to rule the world. They turned against their former master and imprisoned him in another dimension from which he could not escape. They used powerful magic to transform one of their number into a dragon. Borys became the only dragon on Athas to ever exist and became the guardian of Rajaat's extradimensional prison. The remaining champions end their wars and retire to positions as sorcerer-kings ruling over mighty city states. The only civilization left in a barren desert world. There is a bit more to it than that, but this is generally where the first boxed set starts. The Prism Pentad novels talk about how Rajaat breaks free from his prison and then kills half of his former champions turned sorcerer kings before he is finally put down. This is where the revised Dark Sun boxed set comes in. In the magical aftermath, rainstorms sweep across Athas, lands beyond the main campaign are revealed to be somewhat less barren and ruled by an empire of Thri-Kreen, and bio-organic halflings begin to make more of an appearance. The setting is drastically changed from the first boxed set. Especially the rules. I personally dislike the revised Dark Sun boxed set. Anyway, hard core Dark Sun fans may point out problems with my summary. Its very abbreviated and its been a long time since I read any Dark Sun material so my memory is hazy. [/QUOTE]
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