Trickstergod
First Post
Quite the amusing post there, Eryndel.
But, now for my own comments back towards Grumpy there and input and answers to the matter.
The moons of Scarn do not, in fact, influence the tides of Scarn. Leastways, not directly. The goddess of the sea for the setting, Manawe, has control over the tides, to do with, more or less, as she pleases.
As it so happens, though, the tides follow the lunar cycle of Belsameth's moon, as Manawe's form of honoring her half-sister, that selfsame Belsameth. So the moon sort of influences the tides...sort of.
As for the sun, big, yellow orb. It's part the general "Things taken for granted, and because they don't differ from the norm, aren't detailed." Unless a setting specifically says otherwise, well, hey, hey, I generally go with details like "What color is the sun and sky?" to be answerable by "Go look outside around noon-time, real world-wise." Perhaps you believe it should be detailed; I personally believe some things can be taken for granted without difficulty. Unless something is different, it needn't necessarily be explained. I don't find setting details like "The sun is yellow. The sky is blue" to be important.
And yes, there's a sea of blood, caused by the titan currently chained to the bottom of the ocean, impossible to kill, thus constantly bleeding out into the ocean where his heart once was.
As for Eryndel's explanation, the blood monsoon's actually to be blamed on magic...but I get the feeling you may not be one much up for that. However, if that's the case, there does tend to be an explanation for a number of the occurences within the Scarred Lands, if not always - in fact, not even often - scientific.
And no, the whole world isn't mapped out yet. Then again, it's being done one continent at a time. Besides, it's better to detail each part of the world one piece at a time rather then give a broad world map ahead of time that limits the creativity of the writers later down the road.
However, I will add that what's been mapped out thus far isn't always so great. In fact, some of the writers and map-makers could've done with maybe three minutes of poking through Google and Wikipedia to check on a few things when writing up distances or the like for things such as, say, the Blood Sea that was brought up. I was annoyed by it and I'm not even such a stickler for certain properties such as the tides as you seem to be.
But, in regards to that, you actually care for a sales pitch? Well, let's see then. Maybe this will do something. Not that it really needs to be; but, I might as well humor myself, if no one else.
The Scarred Lands is, quite possibly, the best fitting setting out there for third edition (and 3.5, not that, in this instance, that it makes much of a difference) D&D. Unlike the Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance or the like, the Scarred Lands was written with 3rd edition in mind. Sorcerers bear a place in there, the arcane and divine division is an integral part to the setting, druids being more then specialty clerics is taken into account and so on.
For that matter, the geography is, at times, a bit screwy. However, that's one of the points and premises of the setting to begin with. It's in the very name itself, for that matter - the Scarred Lands. The world suffered at the ravages and whims of the titans, creating and destroying with little regard for what they did. You might feel that to be a cop out, but it's one of the most integral parts to the setting, a foundation upon which it is built. The world is screwy and screwed up and in dire need of healing and repair. Thus, oddities that may not jive with weather patterns, geographic tendencies, fault lines, whatever, all bear some explanation as to why.
It may not be an answer that satisfies you, but it is there all the same and it's not simply an aside thrown in as a lame excuse for geography flubs that you might attribute to Greyhawk or the like. Instead, these inconsistencies are deliberately a part of the setting, part of the setting name itself.
These inconsistencies, to a degree, are merely part of the god and titan schism that exists within the setting. Although not too strongly influenced by Greek mythology, it is still there, and follows suit in some regards. Atlas doesn't hold up the world, but ideas like that - one's that obviously don't hold up to modern day knowledge, but are still a part of our past and mythology, part of the essence of fantasy. The Blood Sea is almost reminiscent of Promethus; the titan Kadum had his heart torn out, yet immortal as he is, it didn't kill him. So now he sits at the bottom of the ocean, having been bound to a great rock and tossed there, his blood ever-flowing from wounds that will not close, in constant anguish, unable to die.
Now, that's just barely brushing over the setting. It truthfully isn't for everyone. This honestly wasn't my most fervent of sales pitches. You seem well decided on the matter already and, I'll further add, I don't find many of the books that worthwhile. A good deal, however, pique my interest. So, there you have it, for the moment, at least from me.
But, now for my own comments back towards Grumpy there and input and answers to the matter.
The moons of Scarn do not, in fact, influence the tides of Scarn. Leastways, not directly. The goddess of the sea for the setting, Manawe, has control over the tides, to do with, more or less, as she pleases.
As it so happens, though, the tides follow the lunar cycle of Belsameth's moon, as Manawe's form of honoring her half-sister, that selfsame Belsameth. So the moon sort of influences the tides...sort of.
As for the sun, big, yellow orb. It's part the general "Things taken for granted, and because they don't differ from the norm, aren't detailed." Unless a setting specifically says otherwise, well, hey, hey, I generally go with details like "What color is the sun and sky?" to be answerable by "Go look outside around noon-time, real world-wise." Perhaps you believe it should be detailed; I personally believe some things can be taken for granted without difficulty. Unless something is different, it needn't necessarily be explained. I don't find setting details like "The sun is yellow. The sky is blue" to be important.
And yes, there's a sea of blood, caused by the titan currently chained to the bottom of the ocean, impossible to kill, thus constantly bleeding out into the ocean where his heart once was.
As for Eryndel's explanation, the blood monsoon's actually to be blamed on magic...but I get the feeling you may not be one much up for that. However, if that's the case, there does tend to be an explanation for a number of the occurences within the Scarred Lands, if not always - in fact, not even often - scientific.
And no, the whole world isn't mapped out yet. Then again, it's being done one continent at a time. Besides, it's better to detail each part of the world one piece at a time rather then give a broad world map ahead of time that limits the creativity of the writers later down the road.
However, I will add that what's been mapped out thus far isn't always so great. In fact, some of the writers and map-makers could've done with maybe three minutes of poking through Google and Wikipedia to check on a few things when writing up distances or the like for things such as, say, the Blood Sea that was brought up. I was annoyed by it and I'm not even such a stickler for certain properties such as the tides as you seem to be.
But, in regards to that, you actually care for a sales pitch? Well, let's see then. Maybe this will do something. Not that it really needs to be; but, I might as well humor myself, if no one else.
The Scarred Lands is, quite possibly, the best fitting setting out there for third edition (and 3.5, not that, in this instance, that it makes much of a difference) D&D. Unlike the Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance or the like, the Scarred Lands was written with 3rd edition in mind. Sorcerers bear a place in there, the arcane and divine division is an integral part to the setting, druids being more then specialty clerics is taken into account and so on.
For that matter, the geography is, at times, a bit screwy. However, that's one of the points and premises of the setting to begin with. It's in the very name itself, for that matter - the Scarred Lands. The world suffered at the ravages and whims of the titans, creating and destroying with little regard for what they did. You might feel that to be a cop out, but it's one of the most integral parts to the setting, a foundation upon which it is built. The world is screwy and screwed up and in dire need of healing and repair. Thus, oddities that may not jive with weather patterns, geographic tendencies, fault lines, whatever, all bear some explanation as to why.
It may not be an answer that satisfies you, but it is there all the same and it's not simply an aside thrown in as a lame excuse for geography flubs that you might attribute to Greyhawk or the like. Instead, these inconsistencies are deliberately a part of the setting, part of the setting name itself.
These inconsistencies, to a degree, are merely part of the god and titan schism that exists within the setting. Although not too strongly influenced by Greek mythology, it is still there, and follows suit in some regards. Atlas doesn't hold up the world, but ideas like that - one's that obviously don't hold up to modern day knowledge, but are still a part of our past and mythology, part of the essence of fantasy. The Blood Sea is almost reminiscent of Promethus; the titan Kadum had his heart torn out, yet immortal as he is, it didn't kill him. So now he sits at the bottom of the ocean, having been bound to a great rock and tossed there, his blood ever-flowing from wounds that will not close, in constant anguish, unable to die.
Now, that's just barely brushing over the setting. It truthfully isn't for everyone. This honestly wasn't my most fervent of sales pitches. You seem well decided on the matter already and, I'll further add, I don't find many of the books that worthwhile. A good deal, however, pique my interest. So, there you have it, for the moment, at least from me.
