MYSTARA FAQ
Mystara FAQ
(version 7.0)
by Hervé Musseau
Table of contents:
Introduction to Mystara.
Geography and History of Mystara.
Personalities and Immortals of Mystara.
Miscellaneous.
Introduction to Mystara.
Q: What is Mystara?
A: Mystara is an imaginary world created by TSR as a campaign world for roleplaying games using the rules of Dungeons and Dragons.
Q: What is a roleplaying game?
A: Roleplaying games are games in which people play the role of imaginary fantastic characters like warriors or wizards and try to complete an adventure under the guidance of a game master.
Q: I never heard of Mystara, but I know a setting called the Known World which looks pretty the same. What's the difference?
A: Mystara got a name as a world only recently; before that, it was often referred to as the Known World, although Mystara is more than just the Known World.
Geography and History of Mystara.
Q: So, what's Mystara? The Known World and what else?
A: Mystara is basically composed of 2 main parts, the Outer World and the Hollow World, plus 2 moons, and some other exotic settings.
Q: A Hollow World?
A: Yes. Mystara, unlike our earth, is hollow, an empty sphere. It has an internal sun that lights the interior world, making it inhabitable. It holds old civilizations that are now extinct on the Outer World, placed there by the Immortals with strong magic preventing them from evolving much or dying away. The only entrances to the Hollow World are through underground passages between the two worlds, and through the holes that stand in place of the north and south poles.
Q: And the Outer World?
A: The Outer World is mostly like our Earth. It comprises:
* the Known World (now called Old World), where the most civilized countries are located,
* Alphatia (only before AC 1009),
* the Savage Coast and Hule,
* the southern continent, called Davania,
* the eastern continent, called Skothar.
Q: Why is Alphatia part of Mystara only up to AC 1009?
A: Because Alphatia, which is a large continent east of the Known World, sank into the ocean in AC 1009, at the end of the major event called Wrath of the Immortals. It is now a floating continent located in the Hollow World.
Q: What exactly is Wrath of the Immortals?
A: Wrath of the Immortals (or WotI) is an epic campaign that TSR published to update the Known World. It deals with the Great War that involves the major countries of Mystara and that was caused by the Immortals to obtain control of the Nucleus of the Spheres, a powerful artifact located under Glantri. At the end of the war, Alphatia sinks, Glantri and Thyatis have suffered dramatically from the conflict and three new powers enter the political scene of Mystara: the Heldannic Territories, the Hagiarchy of Hule and the "revamped" Kingdom of Karameikos.
Q: On the continental map published in the Master DM's book, there are some empires I've never read anything about in other products and on the list, like the Empire of Dorphin IV or the Empire of the Great Khan. Do they exist? Where can I find information about these?
A: The map in the Master set is "wrong, wrong, wrong!" In the series of articles written by Bruce Heard in Dragon Magazine, the first in the series (Dragon #153) explains this all. The map was released by a very imaginative Thyatian, and wrongly accepted for the truth.
There is no Empire of Dorphin IV, no Empire of the Great Khan, etc.
Also, as you probably guessed, the size of the Thyatian Empire was largely exagerated on this map...
Q: I've already heard of the Known World, and of the Hollow World too, but never as Mystara. What does all this mean?
A: This is because Mystara is a very old world, one of the oldest created by TSR, and, as TSR grew, so did Mystara. All of these product lines are revelant to Mystara:
* Mystara, of course,
* the Known World and most stuff that were made for D&D (as opposed to AD&D) like these old good modules B and X, or the Gazetteers,
* the Hollow World,
* Red Steel/the Savage Coast,
* Blackmoor.
Also, some products bearing the label First Quest are related to Mystara.
Q: Blackmoor? I know a Blackmoor, but it's part of Greyhawk, isn't it?
A: Blackmoor was, like Greyhawk, the campaign world of one of TSR's founder, Dave Arneson. It was later placed in both Greyhawk and the Known World (as a past kingdom in the later), effectively making three Blackmoors exist. It seems there is no further relation between the two Blackmoors of Mystara and Greyhawk, however, although some people made the assumption; on the other hand, Judge's Guild's Blackmoor likely has much in common with Mystara's, as the DA series for the Known World was also written by Dave Arneson (so that JG First Fantasy Campaign is considered Mystara-relevant).
Q: Where is it located?
A: Blackmoor was a techno-magical kingdom that blew itself up a few millenia ago. The event shifted the planet's axis and Blackmoor is now the north pole.
Sources are contradictory as to where Blackmoor stands; some place it on Brun, some on Skothar. Arguments in favor of Brun are the position of the Inn Between the Worlds and the Nucleus of the Sphere, and the fact that the Known World stands there; this is the solution proposed in some Gazetteers.
Arguments in favor of Skothar are its sort of canonical status, and the feeling that all civilizations should not systamatically come from the Known World; this is the solution proposed in the Hollow World box. Note that, if you consider the Hollow World solution to be the truth in your campaign, the map in the box does have a typo: the names of Blackmoor and Thonia have been reversed (Blackmoor was north of the Empire of Thonia according to all other sources).
Bruce Heard's opinion on this matter:
"Blackmoor -- the travelling legend. If there were archaeologist on Mystara, they would have a devil of time figuring where the darn place was really located. Officially, it's supposed to be up there by the Thonian Marches. Unfortunately, conflicting info has crept into several products, getting in the way of the Thonian theory. The best thing is to assume evidence of Blackmoor's presence elsewhere is the result of later colonizations and outposts. Other communities were also magically displaced (such as a certain ancient tavern in the Broken Lands of the Known World).
Definitely a messy development of the World of Mystara! :)" So officially the answer is Skothar.
Q: Ok, and now what's Red Steel?
A: Red Steel is a setting that is part of Mystara (west of the Known World), although it was released as a stand-alone setting.
Personalities and Immortals of Mystara.
Q: I have a player of the Church of Karameikos, and I whant to give him an Immortal, I suppose that it's a church with many Immortals (like the Greek / Latin church) but in Gaz 1 I dind't find any list of Immortals...
A: These are the immortals of the Church of Karameikos, as told by Bruce Heard in an old Dragon Magazine:
Asterius (Eternal of Thought), Leader
Kagyar (Eternal of Matter)
Ilsundal (Hierarch of Thought)
Valerias (Hierarch of Matter)
Vanya (Empyreal of Time).
Also, although Chardastes is a native Traladaran Immortal, he is venerated through the auspices of the Church of Karameikos, not the Church of Traladara. This is extrapolated from info in B1-9 In Search of Adventure.
The Immortals of the Church of Traladara are:
Halav
Petra
Zirchev.
Q: You spoke of Immortals, what are they? Are they Gods? Powers?
A: Mystara has a different pantheon when compared to other D&D settings. Most notably, it has no gods, but beings called Immortals.
Immortals are mortals who, through their deeds, have reached a higher status granting them more power than mere mortals. Basically, however, Immortals are not very different from Gods of other settings.
Q: Is Jaggar von Drachenfelds the Star Dragon?
A: No. According to Bruce Heard's article in Dragon #170 (downloadable from TSR site at: http://www.tsr.com/Dragon/Backissues/170jun91/170FromHatchlingTo.txt) he became the Star Dragon for a brief period but relinquished the title for absolution.
Q: Is Rad gone after Wrath?
A: No, he's been absorbed into the Radiance, and some of his life force was used to lessen the drain of the artifact on Mystara's magic (thus there is only a Day of Dread each year, and not a week as in Wrath). Rad is not dead though, but he has been put into a slumbering state to reflect on his deeds (and hopefully change).
This is covered in detail in the module Mark of Amber.
Q: So is Rad back after Mark of Amber?
A: The outcome of the module may vary from campaign to campaign, as the actions of the PCs decide his fate. The module's three outcomes are: 1. He returns as a mortal with no chance of being sponsored back to Immortality and no access to the Radiance (failure); 2. He returns as a mortal but can become an Immortal again sometime (normal success and most likely outcome); 3. He returns as a full Immortal (complete success).
Later products avoid the issue, and the general consensus is that he should return but be left in the background, keeping low profile for some time, either rebuilding his following (if an Immortal) or attempting to reach Immortality again (if mortal). Few favor him becoming a mere mortal as most love him as an NPC.
Q: Does the Radiance draw from Energy or Entropy after Wrath?
A: In Wrath, the Radiance is altered to draw from Entropy instead of Energy. Yet in Karameikos: Kingdom of Adventure, the rules for the Radiance are exactly the same as in Gaz3, stating that it drains from Energy. This is a mistake in K:KoA; the authors overlooked that event in Wrath and forgot to update the info from Gaz3. Thus the new rules for the Radiance are undefined, as are the effects of Entropy-draining. Various suggestion have been made on the MML, though.
Q: Where is Teldon? Is he dead?
A: This is a short excerpt from Dragon Magazine #207 about Teldon's fate:
"One of the attractions of the Magicians' Guild, its location in Karameikos' largest city, was its downfall. Such a collection of powerful (and often egotistical or secretive) mages in one location created great potential for conflict. The final straw was the creation of a mechanical beholder by one of the more advanced apprentices, powered by an Immortal's artifact. The resulting creation was turned loose in downtown Specularum, leveling a good section of the South End. The creation was defeated by the head of the Magicians' Guild, Teldon, but at great cost. Both mage and monster disappeared in a pure white ball of fire, and while they are assumed to have both been destroyed, they may instead have been teleported to some far-off location. The fact remained that the Magicians' Guild proved itself too dangerous to remain in Specularum, and lost one of its most valuable supporters."
Q: And Bargle, where is he?
A: After the fall of the Black Eagle Barony, Bargle is an itinerant villain that pops up here and there. He can easily be used as a recurring villain who the PCs bump into way too often (to their taste). He has been spotted in various place, including Esterhold and Serraine (always helping the evil guys, of course), but can have business just anywhere you wish. Well, good ole Bargle.
Q: Is Kol a Shadow Elf or a Kobold?
A: Earlier sources always presented Kol as a kobold who, using the rules from Gaz10, could cast spells. In Glantri: Kingdom of Magic, he is said to be one of the deformed shadowelf babies raised by the humanoids, thus explaining both his high intelligence and spellcasting abilities under the AD&D rules. It is both an interestesting plot, and a disappointement to many, as it removes again the humanoids any glint of chance that they can achieve something by themselves. Many people ignore that sentence in G:KoM (or ignore the box altogether, prefering good old Gaz3), and some love the potential of that plot. As always, use whatever version suits your campaign and your taste best.
Miscellaneous.
Q: You mentionned something about D&D not being AD&D. What does that mean?
A: Mystara was the world designed to be used with the rules of D&D (often called OD&D to better distinct it from AD&D and from the generic term D&D which could mean both; OD&D stands for Old D&D or Original D&D - note that some few people call it BD&D for Basic D&D to distinguish it from even older rules).
It appeared in the old boxed rules: the Expert box, the Companion box and the Master box. Most of the earlier modules designed for D&D were set in this world. Recently, however, Mystara has been converted to AD&D (along with Red Steel), but many people who play in Mystara do it with the old rules (or their reedition, Rules Cyclopedia).
Q: When I read stuff about Mystara I keep seeing acronyms I cannot understand like WotI or PWA. What do they mean?
A: There is a list of Mystara relevant acronyms in this site.
Q: I heard that the Mystara line was cancelled. Is this true?
A: It is unfortunately true. And Red Steel is cancelled too. Some novels pertaining to Mystara may be released as part of the First Quest line, and modules may be part of the Odyssey line. AFAIK, there is no such products in preparation however, though Wizards of the Coast (which bought TSR) has expressed its willingness to publish material for dead worlds, but never namely mentioned Mystara. Keep faith.
Joshuan's Almanach was the last product of Mystara (to be precise the novel "The Black Vessel" has been released after, and to be even more precise it deals with the Savage Coast) and the Savages Baronies the last of Red Steel (except for online exclusives).
Q: But I saw in TSR's 97 preview that there would be Red Steel modules released as online exclusive. What does this mean?
A: TSR has released these modules for free on its site and at MPGN at:
Q: So, if TSR has dropped the line, how can I get new material for Mystara?
A: There are many people on the web who love Mystara and have taken upon themselves to keep Mystara alive (and well alive).
There is a mailing list dedicated to Mystara (MML) where people discuss together about it, exchanging ideas, points of view, and more. To subscribe, send e-mail to majordomo@mpgn.com. In the body, have the single line: subscribe Mystara-L . It has 224 people, as of end April 98. Not quite a billion served, but we're getting there.
As a comparison, there are 395 people on the Realms list, TSR's flagship world (source : Leroy Van Camp, MML admin).
There is also the TSR Mystara Message Board (MMB) at http://tsronline.wizards.com:80/mb/system/addnewuser.shtml
where discussion revolves mostly around alternate Mystaras.
There are also many pages around the net dedicated to Mystara, sometimes with lots of interesting materials. Some of these pages are organized into a Webring, check:
http://www.oocities.org/TimesSquare/Dungeon/2967/mystring.html
for info about the Mystara webring.
Now more than ever you should express your views on how Mystara should be brought back at: http://CWSpot.com/Mystara/SaveMystara
or join the SaveMystara Writer's Group whose goal is to get as many adventures and articles to the periodicals as we can.
Q: Where can I find the old messages of the Mystara mailing list?
A: The digests are collected at:
ftp://ftp.mpgn.com/Gaming/ADND/Worlds/Mystara/MailingListArchive/
and the oldest ones (prior to 1998) can be found at:
ftp://ftp.io.com/pub/mailing-lists/mystara-digest/
However for your convenience the most interesting aricles the list has come up with are collected and sorted on Shawn Stanley's page at:
http://www.oocities.org/TimesSquare/5304
Q: Where can I find the old messages of the Mystara Message Board?
A: There is no archiving of the board. However for your convenience the most interesting articles the board has come up with are collected and sorted on Shawn's page at: http://www.oocities.org/TimesSquare/5304
Q: Where can I find a complete list of the material published for Mystara?
A: The most complete lists to my knowledge is at:
http://www.oocities.org/TimesSquare/Dungeon/2967/prodlist.html
It includes rulebooks and modules published by TSR, Mystara-relevant Judge Guild supplements, a list of various magazine #s that contain adventures, rules or world description pertaining to Mystara, novels, TSR net resources, and Clark Ashton Smith stories related to Averoigne. All of these are ranked according to compatibility with Mystara (explicit, implicit, compatible, etc.) and the type of product (campaign source, rules supplement, adventure, etc.).
Q: And where can I buy those products?
A: Since the Mystara line is out of print, it is difficult to find them. If you're lucky you can find them in any shop that sells RPG stuff, or buy second-hand books. Some places where you can find Mystara stuff on the web:
http://www.dragontrove.com/listing.html
http://www.rpgspot.com/main.htm
http://www.ida.net/users/groverm/sleeping.dragon/sdh.html
http://www.djhobby.com/catalog/index.html
the newsgroup rec.games.frp.marketplace
and I got a special page for all Mystara books at Amazon.com:
http://www.oocities.org/TimesSquare/Lair/8932/amazon.html
Q: Where can I find the FAQ for the Mystara mailing list?
A: Check at:
http://www.lesbois.com/members/malacoda/mmlfaq.htm
AFAIK there is no plain text version of this FAQ.