[Dark Sun] [Spoilertastic] Sorcerer Kings

[Krensky]

The history was fine, especially since - at least in what I got from the books - was only superficially a traditional D&D world. Partly because there was no magic, and partly because it was so, so far in advance of the technology curve by the time the wars broke out. It wasn't a stock fantasy world, the Green Age has ubiquitous psionics, golem (sorta) armies, airships, floating cities, flying cars, the works.

It also provides a far more interesting element to the nature of the sorcerer-kings. They're evil people who have committed horrible, unimaginable, crimes that push right through the statistic classification to loop right back to tragedy and on to atrocity again. They're also dupes. Fools manipulated by someone even more evil and insane.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I mean, who comes up with their own nicknames, anyways?

Who named you Deverash?

 

[Obryn]

RAJAAT: WYAN, IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO SPEAK WITH ME. TELL ME, WHICH SENTIENT SPECIES SHALL YOU ERADICATE FROM ATHAS?

WYAN: First, Lord, I'd like to renew my objection to this whole "alphabetical order" thing...

R: QUIT YOUR WHINING, CHAMPION!

W: Fine. In that case, I'll pick ... well, surely nobody picked Wemics yet, right?

R: TECTUKTITLAY CALLED DIBS.

W: That ass. Well, okay, what's left?

R: PIXIES.

W: No, really. What's left?

R: PIXIES. OH, AND GRIGS.

W: What the hell is a grig?

R: LIKE A PIXIE, BUT SMALLER. AND WITH GRASSHOPPER LEGS.

W: You're making that up. Come on. I am an esteemed Champion, and I won't lower myself to killing fairies. What, could you really call me something like, "Pixie Annihilator" with a straight face?

R: ANNIHILATOR'S TAKEN. TECTUKTITLAY.

W: Again?! Fine. Come on, could we just make up a species then? Pretend I've done it?

R: I THINK KALID-MA ALREADY DID THAT. SHE SAID, "I'D KILL ALL THE TARI!" I WAS WATCHING "GRAY ANATOMY" AND WASN'T PAYING ATTENTION. FOR ALL I KNOW, SHE'S LOUNGING AROUND CATCHING SOME SUN RIGHT AS WE SPEAK.

W: Whatever. Fine. I'll kill all the pixies. Come up with a good title, though. Nothing lame like, "Pixie Blight."

R: ROFLOMG. PIXIE BLIGHT IT IS! ARISE, WYAN OF BODACH, THE (snicker) PIXIE BLIGHT!

W: Oh, just behead me now...

-O

 

[Obryn]

The history was fine, especially since - at least in what I got from the books - was only superficially a traditional D&D world. Partly because there was no magic, and partly because it was so, so far in advance of the technology curve by the time the wars broke out. It wasn't a stock fantasy world, the Green Age has ubiquitous psionics, golem (sorta) armies, airships, floating cities, flying cars, the works.

It also provides a far more interesting element to the nature of the sorcerer-kings. They're evil people who have committed horrible, unimaginable, crimes that push right through the statistic classification to loop right back to tragedy and on to atrocity again. They're also dupes. Fools manipulated by someone even more evil and insane.

In all seriousness, I think, "This world used to be a paradise," is all the information I need. I don't need the details of how there were ever-present psionics and airships. Given the population's illiteracy, I think that's all I need as a DM to build off of. Honestly, the fewer details I have, the better - show me what it's like now, give me a sense of mystery, and let me fill in the blanks for my campaign.

I also don't think the whole "mass genocide" thing was even necessary for the setting. It's a harsh desert, survival of the fittest. No need to have a couple dozen fantasy Human Supremacists do the dirty work; it's more reasonable to me that the other species just died out due to bitter hardship and natural selection.

YMMV, of course.

-O

 

[Love of Awesome]

RAJAAT: WYAN, IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO SPEAK WITH ME. TELL ME, WHICH SENTIENT SPECIES SHALL YOU ERADICATE FROM ATHAS?

WYAN: First, Lord, I'd like to renew my objection to this whole "alphabetical order" thing...

R: QUIT YOUR WHINING, CHAMPION!

W: Fine. In that case, I'll pick ... well, surely nobody picked Wemics yet, right?

R: TECTUKTITLAY CALLED DIBS.

W: That ass. Well, okay, what's left?

R: PIXIES.

W: No, really. What's left?

R: PIXIES. OH, AND GRIGS.

W: What the hell is a grig?

R: LIKE A PIXIE, BUT SMALLER. AND WITH GRASSHOPPER LEGS.

W: You're making that up. Come on. I am an esteemed Champion, and I won't lower myself to killing fairies. What, could you really call me something like, "Pixie Annihilator" with a straight face?

R: ANNIHILATOR'S TAKEN. TECTUKTITLAY.

W: Again?! Fine. Come on, could we just make up a species then? Pretend I've done it?

R: I THINK KALID-MA ALREADY DID THAT. SHE SAID, "I'D KILL ALL THE TARI!" I WAS WATCHING "GRAY ANATOMY" AND WASN'T PAYING ATTENTION. FOR ALL I KNOW, SHE'S LOUNGING AROUND CATCHING SOME SUN RIGHT AS WE SPEAK.

W: Whatever. Fine. I'll kill all the pixies. Come up with a good title, though. Nothing lame like, "Pixie Blight."

R: ROFLOMG. PIXIE BLIGHT IT IS! ARISE, WYAN OF BODACH, THE (snicker) PIXIE BLIGHT!

W: Oh, just behead me now...

-O

This success is superb! may i quote this in a spoiler in my sig if i give you credit, please?

Also forgive my stupidity (I"m coming from the 3.5 edition update that Athas.org did), but how could a sorcerer king get sucked into ravenloft, if extraplanar travel is impossible because of the gray?

Personally, the whole genocide and blasted world aspect was one of the things I liked with how the setting developed in the original game. It really highlighted just how far the world had fallen, and how horrific were the events perpetrated by the still-living sorcerer kings. These guys weren't simply long lived wizards. They were psychopathic, tyrannical, genocidal madmen, who utterly ruined a living world through pursuit of their goals, refused to make amends for their actions, used dark magic to grant themselves virtual immortality, and basically erased history, and any memory of the great evil they carried out. I mean, how vile can they get? They were the ultimate definition of criminals who never paid for their crimes. And they redefined the shape of their entire world, and rewrote the history books. No death could do these villains justice for what they had done.

Banshee

I don't disagree with you, but what about Oronis (once again, coming from the 3rd edition update from Athas.org)? I rather like the guy personally. He did wipe out the lizardfolk (I'm assuiming the term lizard men applies to lizardfolk), but he regretted it after, and for the past however many centuries, he's been trying to fix things....

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Also forgive my stupidity (I"m coming from the 3.5 edition update that Athas.org did), but how could a sorcerer king get sucked into ravenloft, if extraplanar travel is impossible because of the gray?

It's not completely cut off. It's just nearly impossible to cross if you're living. In 2e terms it would inflict cumulative lost levels/Hit Dice on you. It doesn't help that very few people on Athas know the cosmology, so getting lost is another hazard.

Dregoth, the undead dragon king, crossed often, and brought back tidbits, even a few living creatures. The Black Spine adventure used that "trope" too.

 

[Stormonu]

I think I'd change Wyan of Bodach to "Reaper of Fey" or somesuch...

 

[Banshee16]

I don't disagree with you, but what about Oronis (once again, coming from the 3rd edition update from Athas.org)? I rather like the guy personally. He did wipe out the lizardfolk (I'm assuiming the term lizard men applies to lizardfolk), but he regretted it after, and for the past however many centuries, he's been trying to fix things....

I forgot about Oronis.......but I didn't forget that the lizardmen weren't wiped out. There are survivors...

It's a good question. Does saying "I'm sorry" make up for committing 98% of a genocide? In the Dark Sun verse, it must, at least to a degree, given that he's becoming something much greater than a Dragon. Maybe Oronis' punishment is that it's too late to redeem himself. He's the tragic hero who's doomed to fail...and he has eternity to do so, thanks to his immortality.

I thought he was an interesting character....but unfortunately, he was brought in right before the setting was put on hold.....so we never learned much about him.

As to Pixie Blight, it always seemed kind of silly to me. Now, given 4E's changes to the setting, yes, he could be Faerie Blight or Fay Blight, or Eladrin Death or something like that.

Banshee

 

[Love of Awesome]

I forgot about Oronis.......but I didn't forget that the lizardmen weren't wiped out. There are survivors...

It's a good question. Does saying "I'm sorry" make up for committing 98% of a genocide? In the Dark Sun verse, it must, at least to a degree, given that he's becoming something much greater than a Dragon. Maybe Oronis' punishment is that it's too late to redeem himself. He's the tragic hero who's doomed to fail...and he has eternity to do so, thanks to his immortality.

I thought he was an interesting character....but unfortunately, he was brought in right before the setting was put on hold.....so we never learned much about him.

As to Pixie Blight, it always seemed kind of silly to me. Now, given 4E's changes to the setting, yes, he could be Faerie Blight or Fay Blight, or Eladrin Death or something like that.

Banshee

Yeah, i wiki'd it. Some lizardfolk were preserved.

And also, the term "Bringer of the Fey's Eradication" has a rather delightfully pretentious ring to it.

 

[Saeviomagy]

This success is superb! may i quote this in a spoiler in my sig if i give you credit, please?

Also forgive my stupidity (I"m coming from the 3.5 edition update that Athas.org did), but how could a sorcerer king get sucked into ravenloft, if extraplanar travel is impossible because of the gray?

Because it's spoooOOOooookyyyyy! WopooOOoooooooOOOoo!

Seriously: the in-game reasons for anything ravenloft are "because". The out-of-game ones are usually "the designers had an agenda/argument".