Threshold Issue 19 V2
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#19 The Mystara Magazine PLANES and IMMORTALS The nineteenth issue of the Mystara Magazine, featuring the Immortals and the Planes of the Mutiverse that serve as their playground pandius.com thepiazza.org.uk Previous Issues Previous Issues Previous issues of THRESHOLD - the Mystara Also available at the same location are higher Magazine, are available for download from the resolution versions of the maps that were Vaults of Pandius website. included in the issue’s PDF, allowing greater detail to be viewed. #1 - “Karameikos” #2 - “Vaults of Pandius” #3 - “The Sea of Dread” #4 - “Return to Dread” #5 - “Exploring Davania” #6 - “The Northlands” #7 - “Exploring Norwold” #8 - “Warlordsof Norwold” #9 - “Hollow World” #10 - “Elven Realms” #11 - “Thyatis & Alphatia” #12 - “Ages Past” #13 - “A Crucible of Creatures” #14 - “the Shadowdeep” #15 - “Mystaraspace” #16 - “Dwarves, Gnomes & Hin” #17 - “Western Brun” #18 - “Savage Coast” THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #19#11 Issue Contents ISSUE #19 Editorial...............................................................................3 This Issue s Contributors.....................................................4 Call for Contributors............................................................6 Cover Art..............................................................................7 Atlas of the Elemental Planes..............................................8 Reidyll................................................................................34 Alphaks Gallery of Villains................................................50 Omen of the Old Ones.......................................................73 History of the Neathar Pantheon.....................................118 Stories of Mortals and Immortals....................................125 Savage Tide Adaptation Part 2.........................................148 The Unknown World Trail map - part VI.........................201 Dwarven Families Expanded - Part 2...............................224 Artwork Sources and Credits...........................................255 Next Issue.........................................................................264 Threshold: The Mystara Magazine is a non-commercial, fan-produced magazine. There is no intention to infringe on anyone's rights, and in particular not on those of Wizards of the Coast, which holds all rights to the original material on which the magazine is based. THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #19 Editorial Editorial Credits Threshold Editorial Team: Editor-in-Chief, Issue 19: John Calvin (Chimpman) Allan Palmer (AllanP) Giampaolo Agosta (Agathokles) Layout: John Calvin (Chimpman) Allan Palmer (AllanP) Francesco Defferrari (Sturm) Art: I. Calvin Editors Emeriti Andrew Theisen (Cthulhudrew) Ashtagon Angel Tarragon (The Angelic Dragon) Cartography: Geoff Gander (Seer of Y'hog) John Calvin (Chimpman) Håvard Francesco Defferrari (Sturm) Jesper Andersen (Spellweaver) Håvard Joseph Setorius (Julius Cleaver) Leland (Argentmantle) LoZompatore Micky Additional Reviewers & Proofreaders: Robert Nuttman (RobJN) Caroline Regina Simone Neri (Zendrolion) Troy Terrel (CmdrCorsiken) Thorfinn Tait (Thorf) Harri Mäki Troy Terrell (CmdrCorsiken) Nicola Valpiani Robin Shawn Stanley THRESHOLD logo designed by Thorf Thanks To: The Mystara Community, for your support, hard work, and dedication to Mystara. The aims of Threshold magazine: ▪ to provide a venue for community members to present material ▪ to promote the Vaults of Pandius and the material there ▪ to increase the exposure of existing and new articles ▪ to encourage authors to revisit and revitalise existing articles ▪ to motivate interest in Mystara in general 2 THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #19 Editorial WRATH of the EDITORIALS and can be used as sources of information, as party patrons, and even as the ultimate antagonists. Understanding the Immortals, and their powers and goals, can go a long way in helping DMs understand the multiverse that surrounds Mystara, and to prepare this multiverse for adventure. High level characters need not be restricted to the confines of Mystara, in fact for them, the multiverse is the limit! I hope that you will enjoy this issue of Threshold, and all of the secrets that it holds. From the Gold Box Immortal’s Rules to the Whether you play in an Immortal campaign, Wrath of the Immortals, the life of a Player or explore the world through the eyes of less Character who has “graduated” from the sturdy beings, the articles within should offer mortal coil, so to speak, has always fascinated plenty of insights and opportunities for me. It is honestly not a playstyle that I have adventure. participated in very often, and I think that experience is common among Mystaraphiles. John Calvin (Chimpman) The life of an Immortal seems suited to a Issue #19 Editor-in-Chief more collaborative style of storytelling, one where both Player and DM might actually wield a more balanced power. Despite the fact that most of us probably do not spend much time in Immortal level campaigns, there is still a plethora of “Immortal” material that we can take from those sources and use in more traditional game play. Immortals are the undisputed movers and shakers of a Mystara campaign, 3 THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #19 This Issue s Contributors This Issue’s Contributors David Keyser has run four long-term The Piazza or is working on his Blackmoor campaigns set in Mystara since the 1980s, Blog, he goes out raiding neighbouring using published adventure and support villages like any true Norwegian. He also materials as much as possible. He denies runs The Comeback Inn, a forum dedicated having any creative talent himself. It's just that to Dave Arneson's Blackmoor. if you put him with a group of friends who are willing to work with him to provide an I. “Meandrathel” Calvin enjoys drawing evening of entertainment, there's a fantasy, and animals that can kill. Namely momentary spark like the scratch of flint on wolves, dragons, horses, and most large steel...and then something magical happens. felines. Human animal hybrids are not excluded either; she often draws human Giampaolo Agosta (a.k.a. Agathokles) versions of her favorite animals. She does, agrees with Schiller that “man is only however, despise drawing things that are completely a man when he plays”. Therefore, unbearingly cute. It's a pretty awful thing to he makes a point of taking gaming seriously, do. and real life casually. Besides Mystara, his gaming interests include (among others) John Calvin is fascinated by the depth of Dark Sun, Planescape, Ravenloft, Birthright, Mystaran history, and has always wanted to Call of Cthulhu, Star Wars and Witchcraft RPG. share that more fully with players. To that end he has been developing sub-settings like Hausman Santos is an art educator and The Hollow Moon and Mystara 2300 BC. drawing professor. An enthusiast in Mystara since 1995 when he met in Brazil the AD&D Michele “LoZompatore” C. played BECMI boxed set of Karameikos. for most of his life, starting way back in He has narrated campaigns for game groups 1987. He, most of all, likes mixing and in Thyatis, Alphatia, Rockhome and Glantri matching canon and fanon material about and keeps some of these groups since 2002. Mystara to see how many new adventure He manages a page for Mystara Brazilian fans hooks can be churned out. In the little spare on the internet. Currently he has gathered time he has away from Mystara he helps much of the material that he developed into other guys in designing oil and gas pipelines game sessions with his group from projects around the (real) world. like the Mystaran Almanac and discussed with the members of the Old Almanac Team about Even though Sturm (a.k.a. Francesco the old and unfinished plotlines (around AC Defferrari) loves any alternate world, he 1016-1017) in order to resume them. believes Mystara is incomparably the best for its vibrant community endlessly delving into Håvard (aka Håvard Blackmoor) does ethnography, linguistics and history just to not, contrary to popular theory, have six make a little sense of it. Something like the arms. When he is not writing about Mystara at real world, but with dragons. 4 THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #19 This Issue s Contributors Some features in issues of Threshold carry a “From the Vaults of Pandius” tagline. As one of our stated aims is “to promote the Vaults of Pandius and the material there”, we hope you will enjoy these revised or extended treasures from that website. From the Mystara Forum at Some features in issues of Threshold carry a “From the Mystara Forum at The Piazza” tagline. Theses Discussion Boards are an active and dynamic home of creativity for the Mystara community and many other game worlds. We hope you will enjoy the articles that have arisen from that website. 5 THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #19 Call for Contributors The Threshold editorial team invites all fans Articles about other topics are still of the Mystara setting to submit welcome and the editorial team will contributions to the magazine's next issue. evaluate their publication for any We are especially looking for contributions upcoming issue, taking into account fitting the following themes: available space and the issue's theme. Issue 20 - Skothar Where ancient Blackmoor once laid, the most unknown and mysterious continent Threshold accepts and invites submissions of Mystara! of extended or revised versions of works Proposal Deadline: April 21st, 2018 having appeared on The Piazza or