#9 The Mystara Magazine The ninth issue of Mystara's premier magazine delves beneath the crust of the Outer World into the Land of the Red Sun, featuring Icevale, Selhomar, villains, adventurers, Immortals, and much more! pandius.com thepiazza.org.uk Previous Issues Previous Issues Issues #1 to #8 of THRESHOLD - the Mystata 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 #2 #3 #4 Karameikos Vaults of Pandius The Sea of Dread Return to Dread #5 #6 #7 #8 Exploring The Northlands Exploring Warlords Davania Norwold of Norwold THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #9 Issue Contents ISSUE #9 Editorial Credits....................................................2 Editorial................................................................3 This Issue s Contributors......................................4 Call for Contributors.............................................6 Before the Hollow World......................................7 Icevale Elves........................................................11 Illaria’s Folly.......................................................28 The Lighthouse’s guide to Unknown Cultures...34 Children of Azca..................................................51 Ecology of the Megaliths and the Norns Cycle...62 Seshay-Selene, patroness of the Hollow Moon..87 Who’s Who in the Wyrmsteeth part 2.................91 Koskatep level 7 - Signs of the Universe........118 Zetacaalpa, Seer of Ages...................................142 Rahasia - a D&D 5E Adaptation........................148 Accounts of an Apprentice................................171 Artwork Sources and Credits............................191 Next Issue..........................................................198 This issue’s cover: Quetzalcoatl (by I. Calvin): Commissioned specifically for Issue 9 of Threshold, this illustration depicts the Immortal Atraughin flying high above the surface of the Hollow World. His chosen form, that of a feathered serpent, is well known to adherents and foes alike throughout the lands beneath Mystara's surface. 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 #9 Editorial Credits Editorial Credits Threshold Editorial Team: Editor-in-Chief, Issue 9: Allan Palmer (AllanP) John Calvin (Chimpman) Angel Tarragon Francesco Defferrari (Sturm) Giampaolo Agosta (Agathokles) Layout: Håvard Allan Palmer (AllanP) John Calvin (Chimpman) Joseph Setorius (Julius Cleaver) Art: Robert Nuttman (RobJN) I. Calvin Simone Neri (Zendrolion) Editors Emeriti Cartography: Francesco Defferrari (Sturm) Andrew Theisen (Cthulhudrew) Michele c. (LoZompatore) Jesper Andersen (Spellweaver) Thorfinn Tait (Thorf) Troy Terrell (CmdrCorsiken) Additional Reviewers & Proofreaders: Geoff Gander 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 #9 Editorial Beneath the Surface I was first introduced to Dungeons & for Red October), and most of all I remember Dragons during my eighth birthday. One of the cacophony of plots racing through my my friends gave me the red boxed set as a skull. gift, and while we played a few one-offs at the time, that box sat in a drawer in my Along with substantial nostalgia, the Hollow bedroom, largely forgotten, for years World has fueled a more recent pastime of afterward. At some point my brothers and I mine, a hobby I've taken to calling Fantasy began playing in earnest and the two of them Archaeology. With its early connections to chipped in and bought me GAZ 8 The Five Blackmoor, and teasing references to ancient Shires for Christmas. After that I was cultures such as Nithia and Taymora, Mystara hooked. I took every opportunity to plead has always been a world with rich history… and beg with my parents to buy yet another something that is not always immediately chunk of my beloved Mystara… but those apparent to players. In the Hollow World, occurrences were few and far between. that history came to life; it drove myself, and countless others, to explore Mystara's That situation changed drastically once I got unearthed past. A past with just as much my first part time job after school, and it is potential for adventuring as the modern era's also why I have a special place in my heart setting. Yet that is a topic for another time, for the Hollow World. I can still remember and dare I say it, a future issue of Threshold! walking into my friendly local gaming shop and seeing that boxed set for the first time. I am very proud of the work we've done in It was one of the first purchases I made with this issue of Threshold. So prepare my own hard earned cash… and it was yourselves! What lies below will refire the money well spent. imagination, for within the depths of these pages shines an ever burning light, the rays Memories of those times have not been of a Red Sun... forgotten. I remember the smell of the books, the background music I played when PCs first emerged from the Broken Lands John Calvin (Chimpman) into the great stone bowl at Atacalpa (it was Issue 9 Editor-in-Chief Kaboom!!! from the soundtrack of The Hunt 3 THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #9 This Issue s Contributors This Issue’s Contributors Argentmantle - commonly referred to as Giuliano Michelon has been playing D&D Leland, this author is a graphic and web since the late 80ies and, like many others, designer by day and an avid gamer by night. had his start with the Red Box. He soon Besides lounging in the glories of Mystara, he moved over to AD&D and divided his is also the site administrator for gaming time between his favored settings: www.strangerskies.com, the home of Calidar Mystara and Ravenloft (although playing on the web. He has written for Louis Porter more the latter). With the coming of 3e, he Jr. Designs in the past on supplements like moved fully back to the first setting, Mystara. Magic of Neo-Exodus, written for the Silven He collaborated with (and was a member of) Trumpeter magazine, and cleaned up after his the Overlord club in Padua, designing and greyhound Harmony. developing D&D tournament modules for PadCon 2001 and several editions of Even though Sturm (a.k.a. Francesco GiocaPadova. Nowadays, he concentrates Defferrari) loves any alternate world, he fully on his own gaming group, with a believes Mystara is incomparably the best for weekly D&D Mystara campaign, soon to its vibrant community endlessly delving into switch to the 5th edition of the game. ethnography, linguistics and history just to make a little sense of it. Something like the Håvard (aka Håvard Blackmoor) does real world, but with dragons. not, contrary to popular theory, have six arms. When he is not writing about Mystara Geoff Gander has been heavily involved in at The Piazza or is working on his Blackmoor the Mystaran community for longer than he Blog, he goes out raiding neighbouring cares to remember. He has since been villages like any true Norwegian. He also published by Solstice Publishing, Metahuman runs The Comeback Inn, a forum dedicated Press, AE SciFi, and Expeditious Retreat Press. to Dave Arneson's Blackmoor. He primarily writes horror and dark fantasy, but is willing to give anything a whirl. When I. "Meandrathel" Calvin enjoys drawing he isn't writing or toiling on a cube farm, fantasy, and animals that can kill. Namely Geoff spends his time reading, entertaining wolves, dragons, horses, and most large his two boys, watching British comedies, felines. Human animal hybrids are not playing roleplaying games, and travelling. Not excluded either; she often draws human at the same time. versions of her favorite animals. She does, however, despise drawing things that are unbearingly cute. It's a pretty awful thing to do. 4 THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #9 This Issue s Contributors John Calvin is fascinated by the depth of he enjoys original settings & campaigns set Mystaran history, and has always wanted to in Greyhawk, Harn, and Dark Sun. A map share that more fully with players. To that loving surveyor, his other interests include end he has been developing sub-settings like reading, hiking, and playing/teaching piano. The Hollow Moon and Mystara 2300 BC. Michele "LoZompatore" C. played BECMI Joseph Setorius (aka julius_cleaver) began for most of his life, starting way back in roleplaying in '79, & besides a few brief 1987. He most of all likes mixing and intervals is constantly involved in one matching canon and fanon material about campaign or another. Though a longtime Mystara to see how many new adventure Mystaran DM & player; including a thirteen hooks can be churned out. In the little spare year campaign throughout the eighties & time away from Mystara he helps other guys early nineties, which helped create much of in designing oil and gas pipelines around his material; he is relatively new to the the (real) world. Mystara online community. Besides Mystara 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.