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+--- Thread: Making sense of the Mage Wars (Again) (/showthread.php?tid=344)
Making sense of the Mage Wars (Again) - Havard - 03-23-2010
I've been reading up a bit on the Mage Wars as detailed in the Wizard's Cabal. While interesting, the descriptions there are fairly vague on many details which would have been helpful.
Kargas Dolmut: He discovered the raw magical power available in Blackmoor. This must have been in the early 800s or late 700s. He witnessed the destruction of a village called Gryssburgh. Where was Gryssburgh? I guess it doesn't matter, but making it the same location as say the Blasted Woods might have been interesting.
Raddan Goss: A Half-Elf, being the ruler of a "semi-Autonomous barony". Where might this be? I guess it could be anywhere, but why not make it Blackmoor? I think that would make the most sense.
Surrinya Vadaley: She ruled a realm "many leagues away". Could this have been the Duchy of the Peaks? Elliere Vadaley, her daughter, took over her rule, destroying Archlis to punish Skelfer, before Skelfer in turn killed her.
Skelfer Ard: We know he hails from Archlis, so that is good. He had a hideaway in the Dragon Hills
I am trying to picture what the North was like during the Mage Wars. The way I see it, there weren't that many baronies in the North at this time. The Duchy of Ten had not yet been founded, although there were already settlements at that side of the Misauga (Maiden's Timeline differs slightly here). Lake Gloomy and the other settlements in the swamps were probably not founded yet. Erak, Bramwald and Maus may already have been around at this time, but Dragonia is much more recent. Vestfold is mentioned in the descriptions, but I am guessing it was a much less prominent place.
Havard
- Havard - 03-23-2010
I've split the Moderator's squabble into a separate thread and moved it to the Garbage Pits.
Let's keep this one on topic. If you play in the PL this might ruin your fun so better not read.
Havard
- Rafael - 05-21-2010
You can discuss things now. :twisted:
- aldarron - 05-22-2010
Where/ what is archlis? Could Vadeley be the name of the realm Surrinya and Elliewre ruled?
- Dave L - 05-23-2010
Archlis is where I come from.
It's a port in south east Blackmoor, technically on an island.
Erak is about 50 miles to the SW, and Jackport about 50 miles to the NW.
- Havard - 05-23-2010
A few things to consider.
Other than Vestfold, Archlis and the Dragonhills, the Wizards Cabal gives very little information about geography, but rather just the rulers.
The Duchy of Ten is just wilderness at this time, as is most likely most of the Blackmoor Swamps (Gloomy, Pim etc).
We could use the information to device new realms as Aldarron mentions, but I think it would make as much sense to use this info to flesh out the history of what Arneson already created.
I think having Raddan as the ruler of Blackmoor at this time also makes sense.
I am wondering about Surrinya Vadaley, but I think it could make sense to have her linked to the Duchy of the Peaks as suggested in the OP. Rafe links the Duchy of the Peaks to the Red Wizards, which might fit with this storyline actually. The only thing I wasn't sure about was whether it would have been too far away.
Wild Magic:
I have also come to wonder about whether the Wild Magic could be linke to the Egg of Coot somehow. Most likely the Egg is not the source of Wild Magic, but rather the usage of Wild Magic (White Magic) is what has drawn the Egg to the Surface. Similarly such use of magic creates scars on the fabric of reality, as seen in the Redwood Scar module. The scars are actually linked to the Egg of Coot, strengthening the Egg as they spread.
Skelfer:
We have just learned that in the Last Fantasy Campaign, Skelfer and the Ran of Ah' Foo are likely the same individual. This is certainly a very dark take on the legendary wizard. But going up against the Egg of Coot does have its price. My own personal theory is that Skelfer's secret laboratory in the Dragon Hills is at the same location as the current location of Robert the Bald's stronghold (Cloudtop). Robert has been compared to Skelfer on a number of occasions. He is the most powerful wizard in Blackmoor today.
Havard
Re: Making sense of the Mage Wars (Again) - Yaztromo - 06-29-2020
I'm adding just a few other (not-really-canon) names to the list of mages fighting, but in the MMRPG episode 44 Things to Come there are three mentioned: Deldyn (a Cumasti Elf worshipping Hella), Angdan (another Hella's worshipper) and Uskela (a female gnomish wizard).
Quite uncommon characters!
Re: Making sense of the Mage Wars (Again) - Yaztromo - 06-29-2020
Havard Wrote:Kargas Dolmut: He discovered the raw magical power available in Blackmoor. This must have been in the early 800s or late 700s. He witnessed the destruction of a village called Gryssburgh. Where was Gryssburgh? I guess it doesn't matter, but making it the same location as say the Blasted Woods might have been interesting.
Raddan Goss: A Half-Elf, being the ruler of a "semi-Autonomous barony". Where might this be? I guess it could be anywhere, but why not make it Blackmoor? I think that would make the most sense.
From MMRPG episode 47 The Night of Goss:
Quote:Raddan Goss, a student of the teachings of Kargas Dolunt, had learned how to increase the effectiveness of Dolunt’s theories of land-magic transfers and had discovered how to increase one’s self to an almost divine state of being.
After years of exhaustive study he finally decided that more land was necessary for his experimentation and violently expelled a neighboring sorcerer from his lands. That sorcerer was allied with a powerful woman named Vadaley who brought quick retribution to one of Raddan’s own students situated near her lands.
This conflict began the Mage Wars erupted into a massive conflict for dominance of the lands of the North and their magical abilities.
Raddan Goss' tomb is located beneath the mountains of the Ash Hills. This doesn't necessarily mean that his semi-autonomous barony was there, but it may be an indication.
Re: Making sense of the Mage Wars (Again) - aldarron - 07-05-2020
I think there is another thread (maybe the one on mage wars borders) where we dig in a bit. I ran a mage war era campaign for a couple years and had the situation pretty well worked out for that at least. Per canon there were 4 and then 3 factions. Beside Raddan, who controlled Blackmoor there was Xavien the Grey (SP) who controlled Maus but eventually gets conquered by Goss, and in the OD&D material we have the Red Wizard's Coven who control the land of Coot, and we also have Vadeley's from somewhere, but seem to be good candidates for being from Starport/Duchy of the Peaks.
What bothers me is that when Raddan is in charge we really have no idea what is going on at Blackmoor Castle. Raddan seems to be somewhere else (Vestfold perhaps).
Re: Making sense of the Mage Wars (Again) - Yaztromo - 07-05-2020
Does this mean that the "semi-autonomous" Barony governed by Raddan Goss is what will become the Barony of Blackmoor (minus Maus)?