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Threshold Magazine #20 The Mystara Magazine SKOTHAR The twentieth issue of the Mystara Magazine, featuring the unknown and mysterious lands of Skothar that lie far to the east of the Known World 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” #19 - “Planes and Immortals” THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #20 Issue Contents Issue #20 Editorial................................................................................3 This Issue s Contributors......................................................4 Call for Contributors.............................................................6 Atlas of Mystara - Skothar - 72 miles /hex............................7 The Great History of Skothar.............................................10 The Political Maps of Skothar.............................................49 Three Nations of Skothar....................................................75 Notes on Skotharian Rakasta..............................................84 Beholders of Mystara..........................................................95 STARPORT.........................................................................109 Returned Blackmoor.........................................................131 The Tigers of Kuraman.....................................................160 Playing Zhochal in Mystara..............................................170 Artwork Sources and Credits............................................189 Next Issue..........................................................................196 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 #20 Editorial Editorial Credits Threshold Editorial Team: Editor-in-Chief, Issue 19: Francesco Defferrari (Sturm) Allan Palmer (AllanP) Giampaolo Agosta (Agathokles) Layout: John Calvin (Chimpman) Allan Palmer (AllanP) Francesco Defferrari (Sturm) Art: Aleksei-Liakh Editors Emeriti Khannea SunTzu Andrew Theisen (Cthulhudrew) Justin Pfeil [“Keeps on the Borderland”] Ashtagon Toni Roads Angel Tarragon (The Angelic Dragon) Robin Geoff Gander (Seer of Y'hog) Håvard Cartography: Jesper Andersen (Spellweaver) Thorfinn Tait Joseph Setorius (Julius Cleaver) Francesco Defferrari (Sturm) Leland (Argentmantle) Giampaolo Agosta (Agathokles) LoZompatore Christian Constantin Micky Robert Nuttman (RobJN) Additional Reviewers & Proofreaders: Simone Neri (Zendrolion) Allan Palmer (AllanP) Thorfinn Tait (Thorf) John Calvin (Chimpman) Troy Terrell (CmdrCorsiken) Harri Maki (hihama) Håvard Simone Neri Robin Robert Nuttman (RobJN) THRESHOLD logo designed by Thorf Shawn Stanley 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 #20 Editorial Skothar the Unknown Skothar has always been fascinating to me We will start with the current map of Skothar because it was the most mysterious and done by Thorfinn Tait, then with the History underdeveloped continent of Mystara. There of the continent and the historical maps I have were a few names in the original Master set made for it. You will see Thorfinn and I have map by Frank Mentzer, the Alphatian colony different takes on the shape and the extension in Esterhold introduced in the Dawn of the of Skothar and that is fine as Threshold Emperors boxed set, the descriptions of Magazine does not creates "canon" material for Jennites and Tanagoro and the mention of Mystara, but present all the different ideas fans Milenian colonists founding Minaea in the may have about the setting. Next, we will see Hollow World boxed and the Poor Wizard's three Almanac-style entries for nations of Almanac. That is about all the canon Skothar and a short description of Skotharian informations on the whole continent. But rakasta by Arnden Quartzspar. Then Robin then, there is Blackmoor. Originally will introduce us to the Beholders of Mystara developed by Dave Arneson as an and Skothar, The Real Nowhere Man will independent setting, the first one for D&D, present the Duchy of the Peaks from Blackmoor was placed in Mystara with the Blackmoor times to now, and Brian Rubinfield DA series of modules (1986-1987). The will show Blackmoor returned with all its Mystara Known World Gazetteers seemed to might in present days Skothar. assume Blackmoor was in the Known World, but later the Hollow World boxed set placed Finally, Giampaolo Agosta will lead us to an Blackmoor in Skothar. The idea is convenient adventure with humans and rakasta in the as it allows to give quite an interesting past Gulf of Tangor, inspired by the Far East to the mysterious continent. swashbuckling adventures of classic italian writer Emilio Salgari. Last but not least an As happened with all the rest of Mystara, fans article not set specifically in Skothar but did not stay idle after canon products were easily applicable to it: playing the zhochal by discontinued and several new material was Geoff Gander, a completely alien intelligent created for Skothar too, with a full project to creature from another dimension who can turn the continent into the Oriental setting take humanoid guise and could become of Mystara. This issue of Threshold present either allies or an enemies. the current status of the fan development of Skothar. You will see there is still much work Enough material in this issue to spark your to do, but also enough ideas to allow DMs to imagination and let you populate the use the continent as a fully functional setting, unknown continent of Skothar with history, fascinating and diverse as all the rest of people and places, turning it into a setting as Mystara is. alive as the rest of Mystara continues to be! Francesco Defferrari (Sturm) Issue #20 Editor-in-Chief 3 THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #20 This Issue s Contributors This Issue’s Contributors Giampaolo Agosta (a.k.a. Agathokles) Robin (at The Piazza, Robin D elsewhere) agrees with Schiller that “man is only Female from 1962, she began playing D&D completely a man when he plays£. Therefore, since its earliest days as far back as 1978, he makes a point of taking gaming seriously, soon after becoming “addicted”. Ultimately, and real life casually. Besides Mystara, his she was intimately bound to the world of gaming interests include (among others) Mystara, because of its complex diversity. A Dark Sun, Planescape, Ravenloft, Birthright, current compiler of massive materials Call of Cthulhu, Star Wars and Witchcraft RPG. available on Vaults of Pandius & her “Breath of Mystara” blog; and former Teacher of Francis Doherty Jr, (Aka Arnden Quartzspar) Biology, Ecology, Chemistry, Physics, once started playing in Mystara in 1982 at age 12, travelling all over Europe as a stage dancer with the Isle of Dread. Like Frank, Arnden including house parties. Once called "The joined the Air Force, and started to see Fletcher" at UK GenCon by Bruce Heard for remote areas of the world. When he lost his her extensive compilation in “Revenge of the homeland, he started to journal his Little Ones”. exploration on foot. Skothar caught his eye and has held his interest ever since. Brian Rubinfeld: despite never being as intense of a fan as much of the fandom, Geoff Gander has been heavily involved in Brian has had a fondness for Mystara the Mystaran community for longer than he stretching back as many eons as the stars! cares to remember. He has since been Whether coming up with zany ideas or published by Solstice Publishing, Metahuman diving into the earthiness of the setting's Press, AE SciFi, and Expeditious Retreat Press. lore, he always finds something to love He primarily writes horror and dark fantasy, about the Known World and beyond. When but is willing to give anything a whirl. When not writing for Threshold, Brian is an he isn't writing or toiling on a cube farm, amateur writer and game creator looking Geoff spends his time reading, entertaining into freelance options, as well as currently his two boys, watching British comedies, working in a pharmacy. playing roleplaying games, and travelling. Not at the same time. I'm Toni Roads. I’m a concept artist and illustrator based in Barcelona, Spain. I Justin Pfeil draws comics, is a historical always liked fantasy as a way to get away fencer in the Italian tradition, makes armor from reality so I can learn to face problems for his friends, and has played D&D since the
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