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I've been looking into the folklore origins of several creatures, and I've drawn a blank at several well known Celtic monsters. Does anyone know of pre-19th references to the following: Fachan/Athach: Their physical description resembles certain Fomorians, but I cannot find either more recent...

Don't know if it was ever a rule, but a common way of warding an area off from plane shifting was enclose it in something living. A prison covered in vines or walls covered in mould for example. Alternatively, rule that certain metals (such as lead) are impenetrable, then stick lead panelling...

Ggantija in Malta is claimed to be the oldest free-standing structure in the world. It's over five millenia old and still in pretty good shape. On the other hand, ancient monuments in South East Asia and Indonesia (such as Angkor Wat) a mere millenium old are crumbling away from a mixture of...

Goes well with grilled chicken or steak. Also with sautéd potatoes - but you said you wanted something healthy, so they're out.

Let me guess: Battle of Salamis with Xerxes commanding legions of sea monsters and Greek warriors shouting "THIS. IS. SALAMI!"

Doesn't bother me. High fantasy has always been multi-ethnic. Think Earthsea, Lankhmar, Middle Earth, etc. Go back even further, many of Shakespeare's plays feature international casts. Also think of various iconic fantasy films with mixed casts, such as Conan and Beastmaster.

I've had since it came out, from new. So sorry, I don't know of any recent sales.

Beast Enterprise's "Complete Dungeonmaster?" There were six IIRC. Dark Tower. Golden Heroes.

I thought book 6 was the rare one. I do have book 5. The new class is a but iffy, especially at low levels, but the adventure which is included is very good. Book 6 is probably the best. It's also the most useful to anyone not planning on running the game, since it is largely fluff.

Valetta. Capital of Malta, and a bloody great fortress. Yellowstone Park. Lake Toba. What Yellowstone Park will end up looking like if it ever erupts. Gaping Gill cave. The Casiquiare Canal. A natural canal which connects the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. See, even nature produces rivers which...

This is why many companies and individuals try to patent their play mechanics. Examples: WotC have essentially patented "tapping a card" and "playing one land a turn" (i.e. two core mechanics of M:tG). Many chess variants have patented piece moves. Many board games will have patented...

And after they surrendered, Genghis had the royal family executed and Xixia completely incorporated into the Mongol empire. Nonetheless, Xixia ceased to exist as an independent civilisation. There are alternative theories that Genghis had set up the whole incident to provide an excuse to...

You're kidding right? He makes Hitler look like Gandhi. This is the guy who destroyed two civilisations (Xixia and Khorezmia), raped so many women that a quarter of Asia are now descended from him, and gave orders that on his death, everyone who knew where his tomb was or even saw the funeral...

But there you've got MRT weirdoes :D

I'm wandering slightly off topic here. Sanskrit is a satem language, so the "c" in Orcus would be rendered "s", assuming a common root. An etymologically authentic name would be something like "Arsa" (or "Bharsa" if Orcus came from Celtic - the Greek is "Phorcis" IIRC). With that bit of idle...

Is that hydra thing meant to be Azi Dahak (the basis of Ghidorah for you Kaiju fans)? Anyway, looks good from the trailer.

Great. You've just given me a mental image of Orcus, dressed as Elvis, in a Phil Foglio style.

Yama is the Indian equivalent. If the name is too familiar, here is what he's known as amongst the neighbours: China: Yen Wang Tibet: Phyi sgrub Japan: Emma O Bali: Yama Raja Most of these translate as "King Yama". So, you could have everyone refer in fearful terms to "the King", without...

Fair enough. The details of the story (mountainous kingdom, veiled women, Jewish merchants) point to somewhere in central Asia, with northern Afghanistan being the best match. Of course, there're other details and anachronisms that point to Antoine Galland probably having made the whole story up :D

Afghan, actually. If you want someone historically based, have them meet Ibn Battuta - Africa's answer to Marco Polo. Now he would make an ideal guide and translator.