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[Let's Read] Dragonlance: War of the Lance
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<blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 7887819" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Ansalon in the Age of Despair, Part II</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Nordmaar</strong> is the most northern and tropical of Ansalon’s countries. This region was once a mere chain of small islands pre-Cataclysm but the change in climate and receding sea levels gave the region vast new tracks of land. The people of Nordmaar do not see the Cataclysm as a disaster so much as an event which gave their people new opportunity. The jungles are the most notable features, but the vast plains are home to some of Ansalon’s most famed horses and their culture is a pseudo-Aztecian society. Most Nordmaarians are organized into tribal structures based on geographic regions or central cities, and there are some remnants of Solamnic culture from the lasting friendship between the two nations.</p><p></p><p>But such good times came to an end. Their proximity to Taman Busuk and the ogre nation of Kern meant that they were the first good-aligned nation to be invaded by the Dragon Empire. Their people fought valiantly, although the razing of villages by dragonfire meant that precious few warriors had anything to return to. The nobility in the capital city of North Keep may have surrendered, but there are remnants of the Nordmaardian army who’ve taken to the jungles in hopes of whittling down the invaders’ forces guerilla warfare style.</p><p></p><p>Interesting sites and adventure hooks include an old sports arena converted to a bloodsport colosseum by the Red Dragonarmy, a rumored great beast in the jungle which if awakened could (theoretically) be turned upon the Dragonarmy, and mysteriously disappearing ruins which are believed to be moved around the mountains by a great burrowing dragon.</p><p></p><p>Some people were asking if the book’s treatment on Nordmaar in regards to portrayal of Aztec culture had anything notable. Sadly not much beyond the names of certain individuals and tribes (Cuichtalic tribe, Topotlic tribe, etc). There may be other Dragonlance sourcebooks which go into deeper detail on Nordmaar, but the War of the Lance gives us only a surface dressing.</p><p></p><p><strong>Northern Ergoth</strong> is the primary inheritor of the culture of the first human empire. Once a grand civilization spanning from Kharolis in the far south to modern-day Solamnia in northwest Ansalon, the Empire of Ergoth fell into gradual decline until the Cataclysm sunk most of its territory. Now the remnants of Ergoth are divided between two island countries off the western coast of Ansalon.</p><p></p><p>Life in Northern Ergoth is relatively good in comparison to the rest of Ansalon. It is far removed from the Dragon Empire’s depredations,* they have strong alliances with the neighboring realms of Hylo and Sikket’Hul, and most of Ergoth proper has a mild climate and fertile plains. The goblins of Sikket’Hul are unlike most of their kind in that they’re non-evil and pursue farming and academic pursuits, having gained friendship with the Ergothians for fighting alongside them against Solamnia in various ancient wars. They are considered their own country but grouped under the Ergoth entry.</p><p></p><p>*although its Emperor knows that it’s only a matter of time until the dragons fly west.</p><p></p><p>However, not all is well in the birthplace of humanity. Firstly, Northern Ergoth is very conservative: it is taught that people are born into their social class and it shall always be this way, and women are barred from earning a living in traditionally male occupations and only senators (Roman-style council members) can own land. The island’s far north is occupied by the Ackalites, a violent group of Ergothians who feel that their mainstream society has grown too soft and weak and are even more tyrannical and misogynistic. Troll clans in the northern swamps menace the kender of Hylo and are said to perform strange rites.</p><p></p><p>Interesting sites and adventure hooks include devotees of Takhisis attempting to make inroads among the goblins, the city of Lanction getting taken over by the rumored leader of the Thieves’ Guild, and the World’s Heart (which is said to have granted the first emperor the divine vision to forge a new country) being claimed by an Ackalite warband who are now forbidding entry to pilgrims.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/oql1Dhz.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>The Plains of Dust</strong> are an expanse of cold desert wasteland which stretches over south-central Ansalon. It was once home to verdant grasslands before the Cataclysm, but like so many other things after that dark day there is now hardship instead of beauty. With unpredictable weather and little in the way of arable land, most people do not choose to live here. Exiled elves and griffon-riders from Silvanesti cross the land in great numbers as they flee from their fallen kingdom. A pre-Cataclysm column-supported bridge known as the King’s Highway once connected Istaran towns across the plains, but it’s now crumbling.</p><p></p><p>The city of Tarsis is on the Plain’s far west edge, and is the closest thing the region has to a proper spot of civilization. However, it was once a thriving port city and the receding waters left it permanently landlocked. It still has large buildings of the golden age, especially the Library of Khrystann which holds tomes on all manner of subjects.</p><p></p><p>Interesting places and adventure hooks include the Hamlet of stone Rose so named for a petrified hedge mage of apparently magical origin, an abandoned settlement where a vallenwood tree holds a relic of the ancient god of wisdom Zivilyn, and an underground temple of the true gods whose healing waters bind drinkers to perform various kinds of quests.</p><p></p><p><strong>Qualinesti</strong> is one of the major elven nations, bordering Abanasinia, Kharolis, and Thorbadin. Their nation was founded by rebels in Silvanesti who sought to break away from the caste system and were exiled west. They were initially much more open-minded and tolerant, trading freely with the dwarves of Thorbadin, the wizards of Wayreth, and the human nomadic tribes. Even then, they had their cultural holdovers such as disdain for interracial marriage. When the Cataclysm came, Qualinesti’s neighbors believed that the elves came out unscathed and thus had plenty of food and money. They invaded the elven country in a series of raids and all-out wars, which ended Qualinesti’s history of openness when they ruthlessly forced all non-elves out of the country.</p><p></p><p>Nowadays there are some meager numbers of dwarves, centaur, and even humans, but in very small numbers. In fact, much of Qualinesti’s lovely cities and verdant towns are sparsely populated as a nationwide evacuation is underway due to news about the Dragon Empire’s brutality reaching them from their Silvanesti neighbors.</p><p></p><p>Arcane magic is widely embraced and used in everyday life in the elven kingdoms. Buildings are made of exotic materials such as quartz and crystal, and sweeping metallic arches swing around the capital city of Qualinost in gravity-defying architecture.</p><p></p><p>Interesting sites and adventure hooks include the keep of Pax Tharkas which is occupied by the Red Dragonarmy, the Tower of High Sorcery of Wayreth which is the seat of government for the three Orders of wizards, an overgrown ruined city whose rooms are shuffled about and rediscovered at random, and a powerful wizard who asks the PCs to enter his memories to activate a long-forgotten spell that he believes can resurrect his dead daughter.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/55F52pi.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Sancrist</strong> is an island home to the last bastion of the Knights of Solamnia. They retreated here due to a succession of rebellions in their homeland, and Castle uth Wistan is a veritable fortress hosting the Whitestone Council of free countries who working on a way to fight the Dragon Empire. Also of note is the gnome city of Mount Nevermind: built in an active volcano, the geothermal energies are harnessed to power all sorts of machines and an ever-increasing list of new experiments. The humans live in a semi-feudal system but can elect local burghers and sheriffs, while the gnomes function under a complicated bureaucracy of council members who consult with each other on specialized tasks; records are kept for every conceivable thing.</p><p></p><p>Both groups get along well; the Solamnics gave aid to the gnomes who mistakenly filled their own mountain with natural gas fumes on the Day of Rotten Eggs, while the gnomes gave aid to the humans after the Cataclysm when the former were in need of the gnomes’ medicine when divine magic no longer worked. Interesting sites and adventure hooks include a gnomish shipyard hiring the PCs to test an experimental underwater transportation device known as the Tallpeedo,* an imprisoned red dragon breaking free from an underground prison due to the gnomes digging too deep, a vapor-emitting wood-chopping engine causing people in a nearby village to get high, and...well, it seems like just about every hook involves gnomes and their wacky experiments.</p><p></p><p>*so-named for being sized for Medium creatures.</p><p></p><p><strong>Schallsea</strong> is an island located in the New Sea between Solamnia to the north, Abanasinia to the south, and Taman Busuk to the east. It is inhabited by two nomadic human tribes, one of which is indigenous long-term (the Wemitowuk) and the second was driven from Abanasinia due to losing a war against the other Plainsmen tribes (Que-Nal). Both groups established relatively positive terms and lived simple hunter-gatherer lifestyles, although all this would change when the <s>Fire Nation</s> Blue Dragonarmy attacked. The Dragon Empire met unexpected resistance as the tribes, while not being spellcasters, had made pacts with local elementals to fight for them. They also knew quite a bit about the capabilities of chromatic dragons due to the Wemitowuk having many tales of legendary dragonslayers.</p><p></p><p>Pretty much all of the interesting locations and adventure hooks involve resisting the Blue Dragonarmy occupation, such as finding the tomb of a legendary dragonslayer to resurrect and lead against the invaders, freeing captured prisoners, and a dryad protector of a village needing help in fighting draconians.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>The People Didn’t Leave the Gods, The Gods Left the People Counter:</strong> 6</p><p></p><p><strong>Silvanesti</strong> is an ancient nation on Ansalon whose society and borders have hardly changed since the First Dragon War when the elves inhabited the ancient woods. Unlike your Daddy’s elves they are strongly Lawful instead of Chaotic, meaning that they have a hard-on for everything being safe and predictable. Their lot in life is determined via inherited castes, all of their buildings are magically terraformed from rock and mineral deposits, and it is said that despite their respect for nature almost every tree and natural feature has been magically altered to be perfect. They were more than eager to live as they always did and cared nothing for what happened beyond their borders. Even the loss of divine magic did not change society overmuch; the loss of House Mystic and divine magic was felt, but they had arcane magic to preserve their old beauty.</p><p></p><p>The Dragon Empire was the notable exception; the rumors of the Dark Queen’s forces wielding divine magic was enough for even the inwards-looking aristocracy to take notice. Even the Dragon Empire was wary of the elves: Silvanesti had lost virtually none of its magical resources post-Cataclysm such as a giant thorn hedge surrounding their country. But from the elven perspective, you had these ‘barbaric’ humans, goblins, and whatnot fighting alongside mythical dragons and calling divine aid from one of the ancient gods of evil and whose territory now bordered the forest. Both sides knew that war would come eventually. The Silvanesti king Lorac signed a nonaggression pact as a stop-gap measure to covertly build up his forces, but even that was not enough. The Dragon Empire invaded Silvanesti, and the nascent nation would have its first major war with the oldest surviving civilization on Ansalon.</p><p></p><p>It went terribly for everyone; the elves had faerie allies, arcane magic, and their thick forests concealed many traps for the dragons flying overhead. But the Dragonarmies were ruthless, had healing magic, expendable draconian troops, and the terrible might of dragonfire. When they marched upon the capital of Silvanost, King Lorac in his desperation used the Dragon Orb to drive off the invaders. He succeeded, but at the cost of his people.</p><p></p><p>Today Silvanesti is a chamber of horrors: the barrier hedge now opens up in random places to close up on travelers and bleed them to death with choking thorns. Now-empty towns are inhabited by illusory murderous counterparts of their prior inhabitants. Once-benign fey have been driven insane and now torment any unfortunate survivors. And the land itself conjures nightmares based upon the inhabitants’ worst fears.</p><p></p><p>Interesting locations and adventure hooks involve rescuing those few elves still trapped, a rumored cache of Irda artifacts within the capital, and the laboratory of a House Magus wizard’s wards finally failing and leaving its contents open for the taking...if the PCs can beat some Dragonarmy* scouts to the punch!</p><p></p><p>*the Green Dragonarmy has given up on Silvanesti, having a bevy of troops at the northern border at best and too busy putting down insurrections in Khur.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/J2oolaj.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Solamnia</strong> is so big its map gets a page of its own in the sourcebook, but it is now a country in name only. During the Age of Dreams and Age of Might it was an expansive realm ruled over by benevolent, chivalrous knights. When the Cataclysm fell the Knights of Solamnia tried their best to maintain order, but a combination of failing and outdated ideals along with the popular belief that the Knights themselves could’ve prevented the Cataclysm and failed* turned much of the populace against them. Now the Knights have retreated to Sancrist, and today Solamnia is a collection of independent city-states whose governments range from communes of peasants, guildmasters combining state and profit, to warlords hardly better than the Dragonarmies occupying the eastern provinces. The Knights of Solamnia have a token presence in prosperous Palanthas, the largest city on the continent, although they mostly guard the High Clerist’s Tower which functions as the mountain pass into said city.</p><p></p><p>*This is a reference to Lord Soth, a former Knight of Solamnia tasked with ending the Kingpriest’s reign of terror but failed in his mission when he gave it up to kill his wife suspected of infidelity.</p><p></p><p>The interesting locations and adventure hooks include the High Clerist’s Tower whose grounds are sacred to the Gods of Light, the haunted realm of Nightlund whose battered militias are barely defending their communities, and a false religion known as the Believers of the Restoration who pretend to be all about peace and love on the surface but are violent and corrupt. They’re behind more than a few murders of Solamnic Knights.</p><p></p><p><strong>Southern Ergoth</strong> is hardly a nation in comparison to its northern cousin, its territory divided up between relatively isolated groups who want little to do with each other. The old capital of the Ergothian Empire, Daltigoth, is now a stronghold for ogres and hill giants that have thrown in their lot with the White Dragonarmy, while the Silvanesti and Qualinesti refugee colonies are not getting along with their native Kagonesti cousins. Zhea Harbor is the major human province who is mostly kept functioning by funds and soldiers from Northern Ergoth. But despite these divisions, Southern Ergoth is a beautiful land home to idyllic glades and scenic prairies.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Lol they had an emperor named Quisling. Interesting sites and adventure hooks include the Solamnic Knight outpost of Castle Eastwatch, the various ogre factions jockeying to claim leadership of Daltigoth, a secret underground library beneath said city which the PCs are hired to scope out and retrieve what books they can, and a transparent ghostly citadel whose ghosts are trapped in a cycle of reliving the night of the Cataclysm.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I dunno if said former cleric consciously forsworn Mishakal’s aid, but here he sounds like he’s still living by her principles.</p><p></p><p><strong>The People Didn’t Leave the Gods, The Gods Left the People Counter:</strong> 7</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Kj6WdNQ.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Taman Busuk</strong> is the name of the cold and rugged badlands and mountain ranges which dominate central Ansalon. It is home to two cities of note, Sanction and Neraka, the latter of which has given the designation “Nerakan” to its inhabitants both rural and urban. Most of the societies are tribal humans, goblinoids, gnolls, and some exiled Zhakar dwarves, but the city of Neraka is notable for being the origin and capital of the Dragon Empire with Sanction its military stronghold and only natural harbor. Society is gradually industrializing with the increasing militarization of the Dragonarmies, and all sorts of monstrous humanoids, mercenaries, and dark pilgrims of Takhisis have made Taman Busuk a melting pot of evil.</p><p></p><p>Pretty much every settlement of note counts as an interesting location due to the presence of all manner of wickedness, although even in these desolate lands there are underground freedom fighters angered at Takhisis’ dominance. An enchanted pre-Cataclysm feature known as the Ancient Road is mostly crumbled, but in some spots its magical tube-shaped force fields* still linger. Godshome is a bow-shaped depression in a mountaintop that bears an unknown power of the Gods of Good, while the Tower of Gargath’s long-dead owner was reputed to hold the Graygem but may still contain other aberrant features.</p><p></p><p>*count as Globe of Invulnerability and Wall of Force in appropriate locations.</p><p></p><p><strong>Thorbadin</strong> is one of the three dwarven nations in Ansalon and perhaps the most well-known and iconic among Dragonlance fans. Part of the Kharolis Mountain Range, it is a two-sided world. On the surface of the rugged terrain live hill dwarf communities, but beneath the ground lie countless tunnels of interconnected cities, not all of them inhabited. At the heart of these tunnels is the metropolis of Thorbadin which surrounds a gigantic stalactite known as the Life-Tree which holds entire neighborhoods. Its government is led by a Council of Thanes made up of the most powerful members of the respective dwarven clans, and the realm is hardly united on any matters due to the legendary rivalry between the mountain dwarf and dark dwarf clans. Things will only get worse when the Red Dragon Highlord Verminaard convinces the dark dwarf leaders to support him in an invasion of the kingdom in exchange for appointing them leaders above all thanes.* The hill dwarves are a people apart, ruled by their own local town councils and forbidden entry into Thorbadin.</p><p></p><p>*Spoilers: They both try to screw over each other during the Dragonlance Chronicles.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>The People Didn’t Leave the Gods, The Gods Left the People Counter:</strong> 8</p><p></p><p>Interesting locations and sites include an exiled slum-city of Theiwar (dark dwarves) who backed the wrong thane in their clan’s civil war; the main Theiwar city of Theibardin which is located beneath an underground lake and whose inhabitants are interestingly noted as “living lives much like the other dwarves” albeit with little joy; the rough and tumble city of Klarbardin* whose clan is notable for a large number of insane members and whose walls are built out of poisonous quicksilver; inter-religious warfare between Daewar over a holy icon; a nest of wyvern who took the only key able to open the Tomb of the Thanes; and insane Klar cultists who are kidnapping gully dwarves to sacrifice to a deep shaft they call the Well of Souls. In the last example they’re picking their victims because the other dwarf clans don’t care about the gully dwarves, so it’s up to the PCs to do anything about this.</p><p></p><p>*The Klar are the “working class” of the mountain dwarf clans and notable for having a higher than usual number of insane people. Even so, they are not the dark dwarf/derro clan of AD&D adventures: that belongs to the Theiwar.</p><p></p><p><strong>Throtl</strong> is a nation at war with itself. Roughly two-thirds of its population are goblins and hobgoblins, the remaining third humans. Said humans have a meager, old-fashioned feudal life where minor noble families oversee their protection* and discourage women from taking up martial occupations. They and the goblinoids have been at war for generations, and there have been attempts by Throtl’s king to petition to become part of Solamnia. This is complicated by the fact that other nobles are not keen on become subservient to a foreign power and have been able and willing to overthrow kings for this, and Solamnia has enough problems on its plate with the Blue Dragonarmy as-is.</p><p></p><p>*an ideal Throtl’s rulers have rarely lived up to, given that they’re all descended from warlords and bandits and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.</p><p></p><p>As for the goblinoids, they are much more organized and whose once-various tribes have been united under Chief Blackmaw. The warlord has a harem of female hobgoblins who are worshipers of Takhisis, granting him a magical advantage over his now-dead rival contenders.</p><p></p><p>Most of the interesting locations and adventure hooks involve the goblins as enemies, although there are some interesting variations such as a hidden dwarven waystation which can be found via a treasure map, a strange perpetual supernatural storm reaching all the way to Lemish, and even a rare animal merchant offering the PCs money for worg pelts.</p><p></p><p>Yes, an MMORPG meme is an adventure hook.</p><p></p><p><strong>Zhakar</strong> is our final entry for this chapter. Once known as the kingdom of Thoradin in pre-Cataclysm times, the place is now a den of misery and evil. The only major surface-ground sign of the dwarves is the well-guarded Zhakar Keep, from which emerge arms dealers who trade weapons to the neighboring Dragon Empire. Beneath the surface lies the true extent of their kingdom and their depravity. An omnipresent fungal disease causes the dwarves’ hair to fall out and skin to flake, forcing most of the populace to dress in black cloth from head to toe. Their culture encourages sadism and the pursuit of wealth; their prisons are dens of horror, while their large buildings and palaces are tackily-decorated with gems and artwork. The fungal disease and their own culture generates a higher than normal number of insane members who are exiled from the city or imprisoned.</p><p></p><p>Interesting locations include a surface village meant as a trading outpost with neighboring ogres who find the dwarves a bit too creepy for their tastes; a range of summit ridges haunted by undead; a network of technological chambers built to harness the energy of underground volcano vents; and a secret tunnel being dug underneath the city of Sanction. The adventure hooks include helping a traveling freak show circus evade the Zhakar chasing them down, and investigating the Cult of the Worm who believes that a massive worm-like entity sleeping beneath their kingdom will destroy the surface if awoken.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>The People Didn’t Leave the Gods, The Gods Left the People Counter:</strong> 9</p><p></p><p><strong>Thoughts So Far:</strong> The second half of the regions and countries are good, although I notice a bit of sameness in places. Although quite different in tone, Qualinesti and Silvanesti are the same conceptually as are Thorbadin and Zhakar, albeit in the sense of “this dwarven/elven nation is normally okay but in trouble, but this dwarven/elven nation is utterly screwed!” Some of the adventure hooks in places like Nordmaar, Sancrist, Schallsea, and Throtl lean too heavily on a singular problem or theme without the variation seen in the first half of this chapter. But I would not call this a bad chapter overall; the overview of Ansalon at this time provides a lot of idea material for Dragonlance games even outside of the War of the Lance.</p><p></p><p><strong>Join us next time as we take an in-depth look at the most iconic settlements and dungeons in Chapter Four: Cities, Strongholds, & Ruins!</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Libertad, post: 7887819, member: 6750502"] [center][b]Ansalon in the Age of Despair, Part II[/b][/center] [b]Nordmaar[/b] is the most northern and tropical of Ansalon’s countries. This region was once a mere chain of small islands pre-Cataclysm but the change in climate and receding sea levels gave the region vast new tracks of land. The people of Nordmaar do not see the Cataclysm as a disaster so much as an event which gave their people new opportunity. The jungles are the most notable features, but the vast plains are home to some of Ansalon’s most famed horses and their culture is a pseudo-Aztecian society. Most Nordmaarians are organized into tribal structures based on geographic regions or central cities, and there are some remnants of Solamnic culture from the lasting friendship between the two nations. But such good times came to an end. Their proximity to Taman Busuk and the ogre nation of Kern meant that they were the first good-aligned nation to be invaded by the Dragon Empire. Their people fought valiantly, although the razing of villages by dragonfire meant that precious few warriors had anything to return to. The nobility in the capital city of North Keep may have surrendered, but there are remnants of the Nordmaardian army who’ve taken to the jungles in hopes of whittling down the invaders’ forces guerilla warfare style. Interesting sites and adventure hooks include an old sports arena converted to a bloodsport colosseum by the Red Dragonarmy, a rumored great beast in the jungle which if awakened could (theoretically) be turned upon the Dragonarmy, and mysteriously disappearing ruins which are believed to be moved around the mountains by a great burrowing dragon. Some people were asking if the book’s treatment on Nordmaar in regards to portrayal of Aztec culture had anything notable. Sadly not much beyond the names of certain individuals and tribes (Cuichtalic tribe, Topotlic tribe, etc). There may be other Dragonlance sourcebooks which go into deeper detail on Nordmaar, but the War of the Lance gives us only a surface dressing. [b]Northern Ergoth[/b] is the primary inheritor of the culture of the first human empire. Once a grand civilization spanning from Kharolis in the far south to modern-day Solamnia in northwest Ansalon, the Empire of Ergoth fell into gradual decline until the Cataclysm sunk most of its territory. Now the remnants of Ergoth are divided between two island countries off the western coast of Ansalon. Life in Northern Ergoth is relatively good in comparison to the rest of Ansalon. It is far removed from the Dragon Empire’s depredations,* they have strong alliances with the neighboring realms of Hylo and Sikket’Hul, and most of Ergoth proper has a mild climate and fertile plains. The goblins of Sikket’Hul are unlike most of their kind in that they’re non-evil and pursue farming and academic pursuits, having gained friendship with the Ergothians for fighting alongside them against Solamnia in various ancient wars. They are considered their own country but grouped under the Ergoth entry. *although its Emperor knows that it’s only a matter of time until the dragons fly west. However, not all is well in the birthplace of humanity. Firstly, Northern Ergoth is very conservative: it is taught that people are born into their social class and it shall always be this way, and women are barred from earning a living in traditionally male occupations and only senators (Roman-style council members) can own land. The island’s far north is occupied by the Ackalites, a violent group of Ergothians who feel that their mainstream society has grown too soft and weak and are even more tyrannical and misogynistic. Troll clans in the northern swamps menace the kender of Hylo and are said to perform strange rites. Interesting sites and adventure hooks include devotees of Takhisis attempting to make inroads among the goblins, the city of Lanction getting taken over by the rumored leader of the Thieves’ Guild, and the World’s Heart (which is said to have granted the first emperor the divine vision to forge a new country) being claimed by an Ackalite warband who are now forbidding entry to pilgrims. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/oql1Dhz.png[/img][/center] [b]The Plains of Dust[/b] are an expanse of cold desert wasteland which stretches over south-central Ansalon. It was once home to verdant grasslands before the Cataclysm, but like so many other things after that dark day there is now hardship instead of beauty. With unpredictable weather and little in the way of arable land, most people do not choose to live here. Exiled elves and griffon-riders from Silvanesti cross the land in great numbers as they flee from their fallen kingdom. A pre-Cataclysm column-supported bridge known as the King’s Highway once connected Istaran towns across the plains, but it’s now crumbling. The city of Tarsis is on the Plain’s far west edge, and is the closest thing the region has to a proper spot of civilization. However, it was once a thriving port city and the receding waters left it permanently landlocked. It still has large buildings of the golden age, especially the Library of Khrystann which holds tomes on all manner of subjects. Interesting places and adventure hooks include the Hamlet of stone Rose so named for a petrified hedge mage of apparently magical origin, an abandoned settlement where a vallenwood tree holds a relic of the ancient god of wisdom Zivilyn, and an underground temple of the true gods whose healing waters bind drinkers to perform various kinds of quests. [b]Qualinesti[/b] is one of the major elven nations, bordering Abanasinia, Kharolis, and Thorbadin. Their nation was founded by rebels in Silvanesti who sought to break away from the caste system and were exiled west. They were initially much more open-minded and tolerant, trading freely with the dwarves of Thorbadin, the wizards of Wayreth, and the human nomadic tribes. Even then, they had their cultural holdovers such as disdain for interracial marriage. When the Cataclysm came, Qualinesti’s neighbors believed that the elves came out unscathed and thus had plenty of food and money. They invaded the elven country in a series of raids and all-out wars, which ended Qualinesti’s history of openness when they ruthlessly forced all non-elves out of the country. Nowadays there are some meager numbers of dwarves, centaur, and even humans, but in very small numbers. In fact, much of Qualinesti’s lovely cities and verdant towns are sparsely populated as a nationwide evacuation is underway due to news about the Dragon Empire’s brutality reaching them from their Silvanesti neighbors. Arcane magic is widely embraced and used in everyday life in the elven kingdoms. Buildings are made of exotic materials such as quartz and crystal, and sweeping metallic arches swing around the capital city of Qualinost in gravity-defying architecture. Interesting sites and adventure hooks include the keep of Pax Tharkas which is occupied by the Red Dragonarmy, the Tower of High Sorcery of Wayreth which is the seat of government for the three Orders of wizards, an overgrown ruined city whose rooms are shuffled about and rediscovered at random, and a powerful wizard who asks the PCs to enter his memories to activate a long-forgotten spell that he believes can resurrect his dead daughter. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/55F52pi.png[/img][/center] [b]Sancrist[/b] is an island home to the last bastion of the Knights of Solamnia. They retreated here due to a succession of rebellions in their homeland, and Castle uth Wistan is a veritable fortress hosting the Whitestone Council of free countries who working on a way to fight the Dragon Empire. Also of note is the gnome city of Mount Nevermind: built in an active volcano, the geothermal energies are harnessed to power all sorts of machines and an ever-increasing list of new experiments. The humans live in a semi-feudal system but can elect local burghers and sheriffs, while the gnomes function under a complicated bureaucracy of council members who consult with each other on specialized tasks; records are kept for every conceivable thing. Both groups get along well; the Solamnics gave aid to the gnomes who mistakenly filled their own mountain with natural gas fumes on the Day of Rotten Eggs, while the gnomes gave aid to the humans after the Cataclysm when the former were in need of the gnomes’ medicine when divine magic no longer worked. Interesting sites and adventure hooks include a gnomish shipyard hiring the PCs to test an experimental underwater transportation device known as the Tallpeedo,* an imprisoned red dragon breaking free from an underground prison due to the gnomes digging too deep, a vapor-emitting wood-chopping engine causing people in a nearby village to get high, and...well, it seems like just about every hook involves gnomes and their wacky experiments. *so-named for being sized for Medium creatures. [b]Schallsea[/b] is an island located in the New Sea between Solamnia to the north, Abanasinia to the south, and Taman Busuk to the east. It is inhabited by two nomadic human tribes, one of which is indigenous long-term (the Wemitowuk) and the second was driven from Abanasinia due to losing a war against the other Plainsmen tribes (Que-Nal). Both groups established relatively positive terms and lived simple hunter-gatherer lifestyles, although all this would change when the [s]Fire Nation[/s] Blue Dragonarmy attacked. The Dragon Empire met unexpected resistance as the tribes, while not being spellcasters, had made pacts with local elementals to fight for them. They also knew quite a bit about the capabilities of chromatic dragons due to the Wemitowuk having many tales of legendary dragonslayers. Pretty much all of the interesting locations and adventure hooks involve resisting the Blue Dragonarmy occupation, such as finding the tomb of a legendary dragonslayer to resurrect and lead against the invaders, freeing captured prisoners, and a dryad protector of a village needing help in fighting draconians. [b]The People Didn’t Leave the Gods, The Gods Left the People Counter:[/b] 6 [b]Silvanesti[/b] is an ancient nation on Ansalon whose society and borders have hardly changed since the First Dragon War when the elves inhabited the ancient woods. Unlike your Daddy’s elves they are strongly Lawful instead of Chaotic, meaning that they have a hard-on for everything being safe and predictable. Their lot in life is determined via inherited castes, all of their buildings are magically terraformed from rock and mineral deposits, and it is said that despite their respect for nature almost every tree and natural feature has been magically altered to be perfect. They were more than eager to live as they always did and cared nothing for what happened beyond their borders. Even the loss of divine magic did not change society overmuch; the loss of House Mystic and divine magic was felt, but they had arcane magic to preserve their old beauty. The Dragon Empire was the notable exception; the rumors of the Dark Queen’s forces wielding divine magic was enough for even the inwards-looking aristocracy to take notice. Even the Dragon Empire was wary of the elves: Silvanesti had lost virtually none of its magical resources post-Cataclysm such as a giant thorn hedge surrounding their country. But from the elven perspective, you had these ‘barbaric’ humans, goblins, and whatnot fighting alongside mythical dragons and calling divine aid from one of the ancient gods of evil and whose territory now bordered the forest. Both sides knew that war would come eventually. The Silvanesti king Lorac signed a nonaggression pact as a stop-gap measure to covertly build up his forces, but even that was not enough. The Dragon Empire invaded Silvanesti, and the nascent nation would have its first major war with the oldest surviving civilization on Ansalon. It went terribly for everyone; the elves had faerie allies, arcane magic, and their thick forests concealed many traps for the dragons flying overhead. But the Dragonarmies were ruthless, had healing magic, expendable draconian troops, and the terrible might of dragonfire. When they marched upon the capital of Silvanost, King Lorac in his desperation used the Dragon Orb to drive off the invaders. He succeeded, but at the cost of his people. Today Silvanesti is a chamber of horrors: the barrier hedge now opens up in random places to close up on travelers and bleed them to death with choking thorns. Now-empty towns are inhabited by illusory murderous counterparts of their prior inhabitants. Once-benign fey have been driven insane and now torment any unfortunate survivors. And the land itself conjures nightmares based upon the inhabitants’ worst fears. Interesting locations and adventure hooks involve rescuing those few elves still trapped, a rumored cache of Irda artifacts within the capital, and the laboratory of a House Magus wizard’s wards finally failing and leaving its contents open for the taking...if the PCs can beat some Dragonarmy* scouts to the punch! *the Green Dragonarmy has given up on Silvanesti, having a bevy of troops at the northern border at best and too busy putting down insurrections in Khur. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/J2oolaj.png[/img][/center] [b]Solamnia[/b] is so big its map gets a page of its own in the sourcebook, but it is now a country in name only. During the Age of Dreams and Age of Might it was an expansive realm ruled over by benevolent, chivalrous knights. When the Cataclysm fell the Knights of Solamnia tried their best to maintain order, but a combination of failing and outdated ideals along with the popular belief that the Knights themselves could’ve prevented the Cataclysm and failed* turned much of the populace against them. Now the Knights have retreated to Sancrist, and today Solamnia is a collection of independent city-states whose governments range from communes of peasants, guildmasters combining state and profit, to warlords hardly better than the Dragonarmies occupying the eastern provinces. The Knights of Solamnia have a token presence in prosperous Palanthas, the largest city on the continent, although they mostly guard the High Clerist’s Tower which functions as the mountain pass into said city. *This is a reference to Lord Soth, a former Knight of Solamnia tasked with ending the Kingpriest’s reign of terror but failed in his mission when he gave it up to kill his wife suspected of infidelity. The interesting locations and adventure hooks include the High Clerist’s Tower whose grounds are sacred to the Gods of Light, the haunted realm of Nightlund whose battered militias are barely defending their communities, and a false religion known as the Believers of the Restoration who pretend to be all about peace and love on the surface but are violent and corrupt. They’re behind more than a few murders of Solamnic Knights. [b]Southern Ergoth[/b] is hardly a nation in comparison to its northern cousin, its territory divided up between relatively isolated groups who want little to do with each other. The old capital of the Ergothian Empire, Daltigoth, is now a stronghold for ogres and hill giants that have thrown in their lot with the White Dragonarmy, while the Silvanesti and Qualinesti refugee colonies are not getting along with their native Kagonesti cousins. Zhea Harbor is the major human province who is mostly kept functioning by funds and soldiers from Northern Ergoth. But despite these divisions, Southern Ergoth is a beautiful land home to idyllic glades and scenic prairies. Lol they had an emperor named Quisling. Interesting sites and adventure hooks include the Solamnic Knight outpost of Castle Eastwatch, the various ogre factions jockeying to claim leadership of Daltigoth, a secret underground library beneath said city which the PCs are hired to scope out and retrieve what books they can, and a transparent ghostly citadel whose ghosts are trapped in a cycle of reliving the night of the Cataclysm. I dunno if said former cleric consciously forsworn Mishakal’s aid, but here he sounds like he’s still living by her principles. [b]The People Didn’t Leave the Gods, The Gods Left the People Counter:[/b] 7 [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Kj6WdNQ.png[/img][/center] [b]Taman Busuk[/b] is the name of the cold and rugged badlands and mountain ranges which dominate central Ansalon. It is home to two cities of note, Sanction and Neraka, the latter of which has given the designation “Nerakan” to its inhabitants both rural and urban. Most of the societies are tribal humans, goblinoids, gnolls, and some exiled Zhakar dwarves, but the city of Neraka is notable for being the origin and capital of the Dragon Empire with Sanction its military stronghold and only natural harbor. Society is gradually industrializing with the increasing militarization of the Dragonarmies, and all sorts of monstrous humanoids, mercenaries, and dark pilgrims of Takhisis have made Taman Busuk a melting pot of evil. Pretty much every settlement of note counts as an interesting location due to the presence of all manner of wickedness, although even in these desolate lands there are underground freedom fighters angered at Takhisis’ dominance. An enchanted pre-Cataclysm feature known as the Ancient Road is mostly crumbled, but in some spots its magical tube-shaped force fields* still linger. Godshome is a bow-shaped depression in a mountaintop that bears an unknown power of the Gods of Good, while the Tower of Gargath’s long-dead owner was reputed to hold the Graygem but may still contain other aberrant features. *count as Globe of Invulnerability and Wall of Force in appropriate locations. [b]Thorbadin[/b] is one of the three dwarven nations in Ansalon and perhaps the most well-known and iconic among Dragonlance fans. Part of the Kharolis Mountain Range, it is a two-sided world. On the surface of the rugged terrain live hill dwarf communities, but beneath the ground lie countless tunnels of interconnected cities, not all of them inhabited. At the heart of these tunnels is the metropolis of Thorbadin which surrounds a gigantic stalactite known as the Life-Tree which holds entire neighborhoods. Its government is led by a Council of Thanes made up of the most powerful members of the respective dwarven clans, and the realm is hardly united on any matters due to the legendary rivalry between the mountain dwarf and dark dwarf clans. Things will only get worse when the Red Dragon Highlord Verminaard convinces the dark dwarf leaders to support him in an invasion of the kingdom in exchange for appointing them leaders above all thanes.* The hill dwarves are a people apart, ruled by their own local town councils and forbidden entry into Thorbadin. *Spoilers: They both try to screw over each other during the Dragonlance Chronicles. [b]The People Didn’t Leave the Gods, The Gods Left the People Counter:[/b] 8 Interesting locations and sites include an exiled slum-city of Theiwar (dark dwarves) who backed the wrong thane in their clan’s civil war; the main Theiwar city of Theibardin which is located beneath an underground lake and whose inhabitants are interestingly noted as “living lives much like the other dwarves” albeit with little joy; the rough and tumble city of Klarbardin* whose clan is notable for a large number of insane members and whose walls are built out of poisonous quicksilver; inter-religious warfare between Daewar over a holy icon; a nest of wyvern who took the only key able to open the Tomb of the Thanes; and insane Klar cultists who are kidnapping gully dwarves to sacrifice to a deep shaft they call the Well of Souls. In the last example they’re picking their victims because the other dwarf clans don’t care about the gully dwarves, so it’s up to the PCs to do anything about this. *The Klar are the “working class” of the mountain dwarf clans and notable for having a higher than usual number of insane people. Even so, they are not the dark dwarf/derro clan of AD&D adventures: that belongs to the Theiwar. [b]Throtl[/b] is a nation at war with itself. Roughly two-thirds of its population are goblins and hobgoblins, the remaining third humans. Said humans have a meager, old-fashioned feudal life where minor noble families oversee their protection* and discourage women from taking up martial occupations. They and the goblinoids have been at war for generations, and there have been attempts by Throtl’s king to petition to become part of Solamnia. This is complicated by the fact that other nobles are not keen on become subservient to a foreign power and have been able and willing to overthrow kings for this, and Solamnia has enough problems on its plate with the Blue Dragonarmy as-is. *an ideal Throtl’s rulers have rarely lived up to, given that they’re all descended from warlords and bandits and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. As for the goblinoids, they are much more organized and whose once-various tribes have been united under Chief Blackmaw. The warlord has a harem of female hobgoblins who are worshipers of Takhisis, granting him a magical advantage over his now-dead rival contenders. Most of the interesting locations and adventure hooks involve the goblins as enemies, although there are some interesting variations such as a hidden dwarven waystation which can be found via a treasure map, a strange perpetual supernatural storm reaching all the way to Lemish, and even a rare animal merchant offering the PCs money for worg pelts. Yes, an MMORPG meme is an adventure hook. [b]Zhakar[/b] is our final entry for this chapter. Once known as the kingdom of Thoradin in pre-Cataclysm times, the place is now a den of misery and evil. The only major surface-ground sign of the dwarves is the well-guarded Zhakar Keep, from which emerge arms dealers who trade weapons to the neighboring Dragon Empire. Beneath the surface lies the true extent of their kingdom and their depravity. An omnipresent fungal disease causes the dwarves’ hair to fall out and skin to flake, forcing most of the populace to dress in black cloth from head to toe. Their culture encourages sadism and the pursuit of wealth; their prisons are dens of horror, while their large buildings and palaces are tackily-decorated with gems and artwork. The fungal disease and their own culture generates a higher than normal number of insane members who are exiled from the city or imprisoned. Interesting locations include a surface village meant as a trading outpost with neighboring ogres who find the dwarves a bit too creepy for their tastes; a range of summit ridges haunted by undead; a network of technological chambers built to harness the energy of underground volcano vents; and a secret tunnel being dug underneath the city of Sanction. The adventure hooks include helping a traveling freak show circus evade the Zhakar chasing them down, and investigating the Cult of the Worm who believes that a massive worm-like entity sleeping beneath their kingdom will destroy the surface if awoken. [b]The People Didn’t Leave the Gods, The Gods Left the People Counter:[/b] 9 [b]Thoughts So Far:[/b] The second half of the regions and countries are good, although I notice a bit of sameness in places. Although quite different in tone, Qualinesti and Silvanesti are the same conceptually as are Thorbadin and Zhakar, albeit in the sense of “this dwarven/elven nation is normally okay but in trouble, but this dwarven/elven nation is utterly screwed!” Some of the adventure hooks in places like Nordmaar, Sancrist, Schallsea, and Throtl lean too heavily on a singular problem or theme without the variation seen in the first half of this chapter. But I would not call this a bad chapter overall; the overview of Ansalon at this time provides a lot of idea material for Dragonlance games even outside of the War of the Lance. [b]Join us next time as we take an in-depth look at the most iconic settlements and dungeons in Chapter Four: Cities, Strongholds, & Ruins![/b] [/QUOTE]
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