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Scarred Lands: Ask the Sage [Nothing can stop me now!! *evil laugh*]
- Thread starter Nightfall
- Start date
Blackivarr
First Post
Has anyone played in the swamps of Kan Thet? Other than Assathi lurking around every corner I really dont know much about it. Is there a real place on earth that resembles its geography? Yeah I know....wierd question
-Blackivarr
-Blackivarr
Nightfall
Sage of the Scarred Lands
I've used the Swamps. Basically they are infested with lots of lizardfolk (and troggys) that are on the lamb or at least hiding from local Assatthi. Plus there are number of swamp hags, each with their own demese.
I'd also recommend using Wilderness and Wastelands along with Secrets of the Assatthi to give you an idea of what's in the Swamps.
I'd also recommend using Wilderness and Wastelands along with Secrets of the Assatthi to give you an idea of what's in the Swamps.
Hey, Nightfall.
I've been lurking out here and at scarn.mortality.net for a while. Reading yours and other's posts. I just started a Scarred Lands campaign. Looks like I came in when it was deciding to bow out. Oh, well. Lots of great material in-place.
Here's our site, if anyone's interested. http://danshouse.kicks-ass.net
Click on Scarred Lands.
My question is this: I've gotten some books, and have started with the Serpent Amphora cycle. My players basically bypassed the first module, never giving up the amphora to the bad guys. So, I've sent them off to Vesh, using some story that they can acutally make good time going UPriver on the Eni (glossed over some kind of boat with oars and sails that uses the wind from the Kelders and the slow flow of the Eni to achive half-way decent time up the river), rather than dealing going through the Kelders by way of the pass. (one of the players is a dark elf with no memory. I didn't want to get into all that with Burok Torn until later in the campaign.)
So, they are headed up the Eni. I threw the storm hag (from all of the modules of the cycle, it seems) at them, nearly sinking the boat, forcing them to de-bark to continue north. So, now they are on horseback, going through the Blood Steppes (which i read is nearly impossible, but I've decided to just make it slow). I've told them they have about 2 days of travel left (to get to Denev's Aquifer).
My plan is to have some kind of outpost of Vesh on the south side of Denev's Aquifer, so that they can get a boat and go across to Vesh. Some random encounters with some Scarred Lands monsters before then, but that's about it. Then I'll move on to the second module in the cycle (don't have it in front of me - Serpent in the Fold?). Any other canon that I'm not aware of that would screw with some outpost of Vesh on the south side of the aquifer, holding it's own (mostly) against the occasional monster(s) from the Blood Steppes?
Part of my concern is that I get fairly confused about traffic routes in Ghelspad. Irontooth pass is supposed to be this great contested through-way in the Kelder mountains. But, from what I can tell, it simply leads to Durrover. From Durrover, you can get to Vesh, I assume by some route past the Mourning Marshes. Well, looking at the map, maybe not even that, Durrover looks mostly surrounded. How is past/through the Mourning Marshes any safer than through the Blood Steppes? Why's the Pass so important? I mean, what, make Durrover some big naval place where you'd get a ship to Vesh pretty easy? I dunno.
The Eni river is supposed to be a nice trade route. Okay. Then, screw Irontooth pass, it doesn't GO anywhere. But, on the other hand, my impression of a river that seems to go up through the mountains, or at least very close to them, is a river that you may be able to travel DOWN, but UP? I dunno.
The Canyon of Souls is supposed to be this big place to pass through the Kelders, too. Sure, it's neat, it's got a lot of flavor, and I like what I"ve read so far, but why the heck wouldn't someone in their right mind simply go down to Denev's Aquifer, sail/row liesurely across that? Strange.
At this point my plan for this is to say that the Blood Steppes are so dangerous, you just don't travel through them for trading or invasion purposes. (but, you may if you are a small group of desparate adventurers
) There's simply no such thing as a road or even a trail anywhere. (someone will come out with a cool map, and I'll have to eat my words, I can just feel it).
And the Eni is great for trade going south, sucks time-wise going north (look at the SRD on overland travel. It's like 10 miles a day or less) And as to why Denev's Aquifer isn't a great place to get through the Kelders is because one side is on the Blood Steppes, where no-one lives long.
Good plan? Bad? Comments?
pvandyck
I've been lurking out here and at scarn.mortality.net for a while. Reading yours and other's posts. I just started a Scarred Lands campaign. Looks like I came in when it was deciding to bow out. Oh, well. Lots of great material in-place.
Here's our site, if anyone's interested. http://danshouse.kicks-ass.net
Click on Scarred Lands.
My question is this: I've gotten some books, and have started with the Serpent Amphora cycle. My players basically bypassed the first module, never giving up the amphora to the bad guys. So, I've sent them off to Vesh, using some story that they can acutally make good time going UPriver on the Eni (glossed over some kind of boat with oars and sails that uses the wind from the Kelders and the slow flow of the Eni to achive half-way decent time up the river), rather than dealing going through the Kelders by way of the pass. (one of the players is a dark elf with no memory. I didn't want to get into all that with Burok Torn until later in the campaign.)
So, they are headed up the Eni. I threw the storm hag (from all of the modules of the cycle, it seems) at them, nearly sinking the boat, forcing them to de-bark to continue north. So, now they are on horseback, going through the Blood Steppes (which i read is nearly impossible, but I've decided to just make it slow). I've told them they have about 2 days of travel left (to get to Denev's Aquifer).
My plan is to have some kind of outpost of Vesh on the south side of Denev's Aquifer, so that they can get a boat and go across to Vesh. Some random encounters with some Scarred Lands monsters before then, but that's about it. Then I'll move on to the second module in the cycle (don't have it in front of me - Serpent in the Fold?). Any other canon that I'm not aware of that would screw with some outpost of Vesh on the south side of the aquifer, holding it's own (mostly) against the occasional monster(s) from the Blood Steppes?
Part of my concern is that I get fairly confused about traffic routes in Ghelspad. Irontooth pass is supposed to be this great contested through-way in the Kelder mountains. But, from what I can tell, it simply leads to Durrover. From Durrover, you can get to Vesh, I assume by some route past the Mourning Marshes. Well, looking at the map, maybe not even that, Durrover looks mostly surrounded. How is past/through the Mourning Marshes any safer than through the Blood Steppes? Why's the Pass so important? I mean, what, make Durrover some big naval place where you'd get a ship to Vesh pretty easy? I dunno.
The Eni river is supposed to be a nice trade route. Okay. Then, screw Irontooth pass, it doesn't GO anywhere. But, on the other hand, my impression of a river that seems to go up through the mountains, or at least very close to them, is a river that you may be able to travel DOWN, but UP? I dunno.
The Canyon of Souls is supposed to be this big place to pass through the Kelders, too. Sure, it's neat, it's got a lot of flavor, and I like what I"ve read so far, but why the heck wouldn't someone in their right mind simply go down to Denev's Aquifer, sail/row liesurely across that? Strange.
At this point my plan for this is to say that the Blood Steppes are so dangerous, you just don't travel through them for trading or invasion purposes. (but, you may if you are a small group of desparate adventurers
) There's simply no such thing as a road or even a trail anywhere. (someone will come out with a cool map, and I'll have to eat my words, I can just feel it).And the Eni is great for trade going south, sucks time-wise going north (look at the SRD on overland travel. It's like 10 miles a day or less) And as to why Denev's Aquifer isn't a great place to get through the Kelders is because one side is on the Blood Steppes, where no-one lives long.
Good plan? Bad? Comments?
pvandyck
Nightfall
Sage of the Scarred Lands
The Sage understands your concern. The trade routes are somewhat of an issue. My advice to you is stick to your guts.
But regarding having an outpost on the south side of Denev's Aquafier, I don't see a problem. But it would probably be less than a shack or something.
The trouble with most trade routes is the fact there are PLENTY of caravan raiders that are just there to raid stuff. At least that's my view with most of the interior stuff near the Kelders/Blood Steppes/Mourning Marshes.
The difference is (and this isn't cannon based but my own opinion), the Blood Steppes have few if ANY passable routes as it's pretty much like trying to cross the Applican(sp) in the US. Back then it was darn hard to get a caravan (especially horse drawn) over a barely passable dirt pass. It's even worse going UP hill and down hill and especially in places where the ground gives way.
The Marshes, while marshy, still provide easily seen access in terms of being able to push a cart out of muck than out of a hole.
So that's my two cents worth. Let me know if you think i'm full of crap or something.
But regarding having an outpost on the south side of Denev's Aquafier, I don't see a problem. But it would probably be less than a shack or something.
The trouble with most trade routes is the fact there are PLENTY of caravan raiders that are just there to raid stuff. At least that's my view with most of the interior stuff near the Kelders/Blood Steppes/Mourning Marshes.
The difference is (and this isn't cannon based but my own opinion), the Blood Steppes have few if ANY passable routes as it's pretty much like trying to cross the Applican(sp) in the US. Back then it was darn hard to get a caravan (especially horse drawn) over a barely passable dirt pass. It's even worse going UP hill and down hill and especially in places where the ground gives way.
The Marshes, while marshy, still provide easily seen access in terms of being able to push a cart out of muck than out of a hole.
So that's my two cents worth. Let me know if you think i'm full of crap or something.
Blackivarr
First Post
Summon Specific Creature
I believe a spell called summon specific creature in rr1 allows any creature depending on CR. I am not sure how balanced it is, I have never used it.
-Blackivarr
I believe a spell called summon specific creature in rr1 allows any creature depending on CR. I am not sure how balanced it is, I have never used it.
-Blackivarr
Zelda Themelin
First Post
New Scarn book to come
Found this recently:
(I really love that they don't call it just Lost Tribes)
A Guide Through Strange Lands
The mythic corners of the Scarred Lands are revealed at last
Strange Lands: Lost Tribes of the Scarred Lands is about much, much more than just some folks who dwell at the very fringes of what those who dwell in the Scarred Lands might consider “civilized.” Rather, it is an exploration of lands that have, until now, been unexplored. This book paints a broad picture of three entire continents, presented in general terms to allow the GM to take any specific area and tailor it to his precise needs. Within, you will find the histories, people, culture and strange secrets of Asherak, the Dragon Lands and Fenrilik.
The Cradle of the Gods
A variety of ideas went into the creation of Asherak as it is conceptualized in Strange Lands. There has been hints about Asherak from day one of the Scarred Lands — it is mentioned in the first Creature Collection as the home to such weird beings as the Ubantu and the Exemplars of Hedrada. As time went on, however, we found other uses for Asherak — notably in the Player’s Guide to Clerics and Druids, when Asherak became the unspoken setting for the apocryphal texts that told of the discovery of the gods by mortals.
Eventually, our concept of Asherak evolved into what it is now — a once-fertile land that was the first to embrace the worship of the gods. By the time the Divine War rolled around, the titans were little regarded on Asherak save as natural disasters. The titans struck this land, which served as the source of power for the gods — for the gods drew their might from the worship of the mortals who dwelled in Asherak. The defense of this land took a terrible toll, with the gods having to resort at last to defending isolated enclaves of their most numerous worshippers while the worst of the devastation obliterated the life around them.
Now, Asherak is a desert land, literally cracked down the middle by the might of the gods and titans. Where the gods shielded their faithful, there still stand mighty theocratic city-states that survive by the beneficence of civic-minded clerics. In the wastes between these city-states roam all manner of beings, from horribly warped abominations to noble tribes of Ubantu, all with one thing in common — they have managed to find a way to survive in this blighted place.
Scarred LandsThe Land of Wyrms
The first hint of the existence of the Dragon Lands came from the history section in Scarred Lands Campaign Setting: Ghelspad. The text noted that the dragons retreated during the Divine War, after both godly and titanic forces decided that they would wipe out the dragons rather than allow them to remain neutral. Faced with such a threat, the dragons fled back to the mythical land that was their place of origin. This was a sort of homage to the Grey Havens of Tolkien, except for dragons instead of elves.
When we discussed the origins of monks in the Player’s Guide to Monks and Paladins, it seemed the ideal time to touch on the Dragon Lands again. It was conveyed as a land where the humans revered their draconic overlords as near-gods and asked the dragons to teach them how to harness the same powers that dragons themselves wielded innately. The dragons agreed to do so and the monk was born. With the Dragon Lands, we have gone for a faux-Japanese feel, using the theme of dragons for justification for many of these details. The people of the Dragon Lands seek to emulate their draconic overlords in many ways: their blades tend to be curved like the talons of a dragon, and their armor is usually made up of overlapping scale-like plates lacquered to resemble the hide of their overlord.
Ice & Savagery
Like Asherak, Fenrilik was first noted in the original Creature Collection as the environs for a creature or two. Of all of the other continents of the Scarred Lands, it has received the least attention, and likely for good reason — very little lives there, it is far from most other lands and it is quite inhospitable. It does hold secrets of interest to adventurers, however. Most notably, it is one of the last bastions of full titan worship in the Scarred Lands, a place where some of the mightiest servitors of the titans fled in the twilight of the Divine War. Fenrilik is one of the few places where even the champions of the gods were loath to follow their foes, for the land itself is a weapon.
The titanic servitors survived in this harsh realm, and the savage tribes that dwell in Fenrilik have learned their liturgies and rituals. Barbarian shamans still speak the titanic blasphemies that were last spoken on Ghelspad during the height of the Ledean Empire, and their mightiest warriors protect relics and secrets that might well damn the worship of the gods to those who found them.
Strange Lands: Lost Tribes of the Scarred Lands, a 272-page hardcover sourcebook, is scheduled for release November 29.
Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 8:51 pm Post subject: Strange Lands: Lost Tribes of the Scarred Lands Reply with quote
Article about it here: http://www.swordsorcery.com/scarredlands/index.php?line=news&articleid=82
It is now on Preorder here: http://secure1.white-wolf.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=565
Found this recently:
(I really love that they don't call it just Lost Tribes)
A Guide Through Strange Lands
The mythic corners of the Scarred Lands are revealed at last
Strange Lands: Lost Tribes of the Scarred Lands is about much, much more than just some folks who dwell at the very fringes of what those who dwell in the Scarred Lands might consider “civilized.” Rather, it is an exploration of lands that have, until now, been unexplored. This book paints a broad picture of three entire continents, presented in general terms to allow the GM to take any specific area and tailor it to his precise needs. Within, you will find the histories, people, culture and strange secrets of Asherak, the Dragon Lands and Fenrilik.
The Cradle of the Gods
A variety of ideas went into the creation of Asherak as it is conceptualized in Strange Lands. There has been hints about Asherak from day one of the Scarred Lands — it is mentioned in the first Creature Collection as the home to such weird beings as the Ubantu and the Exemplars of Hedrada. As time went on, however, we found other uses for Asherak — notably in the Player’s Guide to Clerics and Druids, when Asherak became the unspoken setting for the apocryphal texts that told of the discovery of the gods by mortals.
Eventually, our concept of Asherak evolved into what it is now — a once-fertile land that was the first to embrace the worship of the gods. By the time the Divine War rolled around, the titans were little regarded on Asherak save as natural disasters. The titans struck this land, which served as the source of power for the gods — for the gods drew their might from the worship of the mortals who dwelled in Asherak. The defense of this land took a terrible toll, with the gods having to resort at last to defending isolated enclaves of their most numerous worshippers while the worst of the devastation obliterated the life around them.
Now, Asherak is a desert land, literally cracked down the middle by the might of the gods and titans. Where the gods shielded their faithful, there still stand mighty theocratic city-states that survive by the beneficence of civic-minded clerics. In the wastes between these city-states roam all manner of beings, from horribly warped abominations to noble tribes of Ubantu, all with one thing in common — they have managed to find a way to survive in this blighted place.
Scarred LandsThe Land of Wyrms
The first hint of the existence of the Dragon Lands came from the history section in Scarred Lands Campaign Setting: Ghelspad. The text noted that the dragons retreated during the Divine War, after both godly and titanic forces decided that they would wipe out the dragons rather than allow them to remain neutral. Faced with such a threat, the dragons fled back to the mythical land that was their place of origin. This was a sort of homage to the Grey Havens of Tolkien, except for dragons instead of elves.
When we discussed the origins of monks in the Player’s Guide to Monks and Paladins, it seemed the ideal time to touch on the Dragon Lands again. It was conveyed as a land where the humans revered their draconic overlords as near-gods and asked the dragons to teach them how to harness the same powers that dragons themselves wielded innately. The dragons agreed to do so and the monk was born. With the Dragon Lands, we have gone for a faux-Japanese feel, using the theme of dragons for justification for many of these details. The people of the Dragon Lands seek to emulate their draconic overlords in many ways: their blades tend to be curved like the talons of a dragon, and their armor is usually made up of overlapping scale-like plates lacquered to resemble the hide of their overlord.
Ice & Savagery
Like Asherak, Fenrilik was first noted in the original Creature Collection as the environs for a creature or two. Of all of the other continents of the Scarred Lands, it has received the least attention, and likely for good reason — very little lives there, it is far from most other lands and it is quite inhospitable. It does hold secrets of interest to adventurers, however. Most notably, it is one of the last bastions of full titan worship in the Scarred Lands, a place where some of the mightiest servitors of the titans fled in the twilight of the Divine War. Fenrilik is one of the few places where even the champions of the gods were loath to follow their foes, for the land itself is a weapon.
The titanic servitors survived in this harsh realm, and the savage tribes that dwell in Fenrilik have learned their liturgies and rituals. Barbarian shamans still speak the titanic blasphemies that were last spoken on Ghelspad during the height of the Ledean Empire, and their mightiest warriors protect relics and secrets that might well damn the worship of the gods to those who found them.
Strange Lands: Lost Tribes of the Scarred Lands, a 272-page hardcover sourcebook, is scheduled for release November 29.
Posted: Tue Oct 19, 2004 8:51 pm Post subject: Strange Lands: Lost Tribes of the Scarred Lands Reply with quote
Article about it here: http://www.swordsorcery.com/scarredlands/index.php?line=news&articleid=82
It is now on Preorder here: http://secure1.white-wolf.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=565
Nightfall
Sage of the Scarred Lands
I saw the link and preview Zelda...but thanks for putting it here.
Yes folks it's not your imagination, Strange Lands WILL be on sale soon.
So better pre-order. I know I am.
Voadam,
At the moment the only good resource for the Summon Monster and Summon Nature's Ally is CC2. It has the listings for CC 1 and CC2 monsters but not CC3. (Something I missed when CC3 came out was that appendix but apparently there was no room for it.)
My advice is to do what Dragon recommends, base it off CR (I believe that's what they said) for other outsiders/animals.
Blackvar,
Yes summon specific IS a spell but I believe what Voad was looking for was updates for the summoning lists, especially made for a Scarred Lands campaign.
(I might just have to do this one myself...)
Yes folks it's not your imagination, Strange Lands WILL be on sale soon.
So better pre-order. I know I am.
Voadam,
At the moment the only good resource for the Summon Monster and Summon Nature's Ally is CC2. It has the listings for CC 1 and CC2 monsters but not CC3. (Something I missed when CC3 came out was that appendix but apparently there was no room for it.)
My advice is to do what Dragon recommends, base it off CR (I believe that's what they said) for other outsiders/animals.
Blackvar,
Yes summon specific IS a spell but I believe what Voad was looking for was updates for the summoning lists, especially made for a Scarred Lands campaign.
(I might just have to do this one myself...)
Last edited:
Knight Otu
First Post
Seen it as well. Also, there was a post in the forums that the SL section will be used for more news, making it sound as if several news items are to follow, not just a single one (in effect, a news item saying cancelled).
But maybe that's my optimism speaking.
But maybe that's my optimism speaking.
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