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T O P I C    R E V I E W
Seethyr Posted - 27 Dec 2017 : 22:08:35
For a few years now, the sticky post Maztica Alive Workshop has become a bit of a mish mosh of Maztica discussion, speculation on Maztica's official position in the modern Realms, an exchange of ideas, etc. Lost in those posts is each of the individual projects that have come from "Maztica Alive." I'd like to simplify that and put it all here with each release as they come. I'll save this area just for actual releases - not speculation on upcoming projects - I'll save that for the workshop.

I'll start with what's up so far...

TWC1 The Maztica Campaign Guide

This is the project that started it all. It takes MAztica to 5e and works like a combination Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide exclusively for a Maztica campaign. It contains new classes, history, religion and gods, equipment, adventure hooks and a small adventure, magic and magic items, and even a few monsters.

Please note that every product is free or pay what you want. I tend to put them up for a price just until I can pay for the art on the next product - which never quite makes it, but this is a labor of love after all.

TWC2 Lopango - Land of the Sacred Sun

Much like the Maztica campaign guide, this defines and describes the Inca-based lands of Lopango to the south of Maztica proper.

TWC3 Claw and Sting - The Scorpionfolk of the True World

Another campaign expansion that details the previously unknown Maztican underdark and its most numerous inhabitants - the Tlincalli and other scorpionfolk.

TWC4 Esmeralda - Island of Revolution and Supernatural Threats

The first major expansion for "Maztica Alive" written wholly by Candlekeep's own Paladinnicolas. Esmeralda is an island of war, colonialization and abject racism - yet there are threats from the supernatural, magic and creatures that are more than unique to this island nation.

TWM1 Diamond Eyes - A True World Tale of Betrayal

Qotal, the Feathered Dragon and Plumed Father, is widely considered the most well known god of good in the True World. Yet, he is known for an awful sin that is too horrible even to mention. This short story is accompanied by an artifact, magic items and location descriptions which give some insight into exactly what occurred, and Shar's subtle hand in Qotal's failures.

TWM2 Feathers and Fangs - A Book of Spells for the True World

As its title implies, Feathers and Fangs give a whole new assortment of pluma and hishna magic spells for the True World, bringing player characters in the True World up to par in power with the greater Realms.

TWM3 the Grand History of the True World

Written in the spirit of Brian R. James' amazing GHotR (possibly my favorite FR product to date), the Grand History of the True World attempts to organize and put major events in an easy to reference chronological order. The book clearly delineates canon events and "Maztica Alive" fanon, along with a reference for each bit of lore and its origin. This product will be updated annually as long as Maztica's lore continues to grow - an update is due very soon!

TWM4 The Penguinfolk

Though this product may seem to be written in jest, the Penguinfolk certainly don't known it. Displaced from their homeworld the dohwar of Wildspace have settled quite well into a remote corner of Maztica. Here, they have found an ancient relic from the time of the batrachi and its malevolent intelligence has both saved and cursed the penguinfolk.

Maztican Bestiary - Monsters of the True World ("TWC5")

This amazing and thorough book catalogues and updates EVERY canon monster ever to have appeared in an official Maztica 2e product. The author, Leonaru, has managed to give statistics to creatures even as obscure as the rhaumbusun and the dreaded Maztican ahuizotl. This project, while not officially tagged by the author, holds the place where "TWC5" would occupy and all monsters in the accessory will be used in upcoming Maztica Alive projects.

TWC6 True World Bestiary - Monsters A-H

This is the first installment in MORE monsters for Maztica that have never been brought here before. Some are appropriate creatures updated from earlier editions but never in Maztica (such as the corrolax), but the vast majority are taken from Mesoamerican myth or the imagination of the author. The second installment in this line will contain the remainder of the creatures (I-Z) and is set to be completed in early 2018.

TWA1 The Ruins

This is the first fully fleshed out adventure for MAztica Alive. It is based on the 2008 horror movie of the same name and contains a rather frightening encounter with a creature that the local Green Folk will not under any circumstances allow to escape.

TWA2 The Curse of Zarzumotl

This adventure is inspired by B4 The Lost City by Tom Moldvay, but is designed for a Maztica campaign. Set beneath the House of Tezca, the characters are conscripted with delivering an important trade agreement. When a terrible sandstorm strikes and the characters lose their way, they are introduced to a hidden underground kingdom of new races and monsters unseen anywhere else.

TWA3 Blood Offering

The third Maztica Alive adventure involves the awakening of the first Maztican vampire and his many spouses, the cihuateteo. Camezotz was the first human that rose from the severed fingers of the great god Kukul to become humanity. Talented in every way and highly favored by the gods, Camezotz's hubris grew until the gods were forced to bring him down. The betrayal of an ancient demonic entity allowed him to arise as the first and most powerful Maztican vampire.

TWA4 The Siege of Heroika

The first adventure written by Paladinnicolas set in the fabled land of Esmeralda.The adventure begins in a land of dreams, providing brief rules on how to interact with dreams with the power of imagination and spirit (Intelligence and Piety ability checks).

TWA5 Resistance!

The second adventure set in the land of Esmeralda and the third product by Paladnnicolas. The synopsis on DMSGuild is as follows...

The Village of Makarondo has been reconquered by the Dragon Empire, but some welcome this change and some resent it. Mysterious sights and dangers appear in the village formerly belonging to the Republic of Cordelliana, and different factions are willing to hire or seek the help of people they hate to deal with it. This will reveal that the observatories found in Esmeralda and Mainland Maztica channel mystical powers of the Stars, and that this power and the alliance of legendary rock giants, who may or may not actually exist, may be key to the liberation from or preservation of the pacification through occupation of Makarondo --yet, upon their return to their armies, the PCs will discover a crime committed by their own troops against their own and how a Fae hungry for mortal souls is sowing discord between mortal nations in the island.

15   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
sleyvas Posted - 18 Feb 2020 : 00:28:05
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas

I'm always up for throwing out ideas to share collaboratively. I've been doing so many 3d models that I was thinking about doing something that starts at a "high level" for the whole area that Seethyr's calling the "True World" and using my own art. I was thinking of calling it something like "Treatise of a Luneiran Sky Captain: Savage Taurics and Bestial Humanoids of Anchorome, Katashaka, and the Returned Shaar". Then I could show pieces of the maps and show the territories that some of them occupy, but not delve too deeply into any one culture... kind of like a captain who has only had tangential involvement with each might know or notice. Somewhat like the "Voyage of the Princess Ark" concept.


sleyvas Posted - 18 Feb 2020 : 00:04:46
I'm always up for throwing out ideas to share collaboratively. I've been doing so many 3d models that I was thinking about doing something that starts at a "high level" for the whole area that Seethyr's calling the "True World" and using my own art. I was thinking of calling it something like "Treatise of a Luneiran Sky Captain: Savage Taurics and Bestial Humanoids of Anchorome, Katashaka, and the Returned Shaar".

The races were to include
Anchorome:
Urskan Bear Folk (the "white bearfolk" on the northeaster side of the continent and the "brown bearfolk" just outside the western border of the Adusgee Forest, the white bearfolk being more brutal)

Shatjan (moose and reindeer headed humanoids in the Northwestern Adusgee Forest and points north and west)

Tauric Elk/Deer/Caribou folk (originally I was thinking hybsil, but I just want these guys as big... not size small... and looking very human up top) in same areas as Shatjan
Kercpa, the tiny squirrelfolk (northwestern Adusgee forest and amongst the snow elves)
Owlakocra - in the forests on the western side of the continent, Seethyr already placed some
Coontaurs (yeah, better name might be needed)- size small raccoon folk who live alongside some forest gnomes in the Pagunki Wood in the southern part of the Adusgee Forest.
Centaurs - they came with the Thayans to Fort Flame as soldiers when they built an enclave there during the Thayan civil war. They went native and allied with the Poscadari elves and are thriving in the Equuoni Geyvi.

Gnolls - they came with the Thayans to Fort Flame as soldiers when they built an enclave there during the Thayan civil war. They went native and have taken up many niches throughout the whole of Anchorome (and many areas formerly held by the "dog men" have been seized by these hyena men). The tribe of the coyote hates them.





Seethyr Posted - 17 Feb 2020 : 02:10:10
Just a FYI. I had always wanted to start a periodical True World based magazine. One that encompassed Maztica/Anchorome/Katashaka/Lopango and neighboring islands (Esmeralda for example). I had a running name in mind called “Macuahuitl” and maybe make it biannual or more frequent depending on the number of writers. Just a thought and a possibility.
Seethyr Posted - 17 Feb 2020 : 02:07:35
quote:
Originally posted by paladinnicolas

Dear all, I would like to ask whether you would be interested in writing a collective DMsGuild product on Maztica -a regional guide, with class ideas, etc. Cormyr, the Moonshae and Border Lingdoms, apart from Calimshan already have products there, and a collective creation would be cool and facilitate the writing due to time constraints for someone writing on her/his own



You could always count me in on a collaborative. Where are you thinking?
paladinnicolas Posted - 16 Feb 2020 : 01:28:39
Dear all, I would like to ask whether you would be interested in writing a collective DMsGuild product on Maztica -a regional guide, with class ideas, etc. Cormyr, the Moonshae and Border Lingdoms, apart from Calimshan already have products there, and a collective creation would be cool and facilitate the writing due to time constraints for someone writing on her/his own
Seethyr Posted - 22 Jul 2018 : 16:10:32
Started a new series of articles. They're all going to be 6-10 pages or so. In the 1991 Maztica Boxed set Douglas Niles mentioned that Maztica had a seperate cosmology from the Great Wheel. In 2e, this was a "Great Pyramid" of sorts whose platforms and were a variety of heavens and hells he called "tenemos." Since tenemos means "we have" in Spanish, I changed the letters around to make the word "temenos" which actually is a word that can easily refer to planes (but is unfortunately a Greek word). Can't fix everything!

Anyway, there are 17 of these temenos that correspond to different alignments and tendencies along with exceptions made for death through extenuating circumstances (women who die in childbirth, for example, are considered extraordinarily heroic and spend eternity in the Maztican heaven regardless of alignment).

The goal is to have an article sized write up for each plane and one to introduce them all. The new tag is MGP. Here is the first two - the introductory article and a write up for Xibalba. Xibalba is the hell of the Maya but in Maztica it has become the LAwful Evil temeno. I have tried to use much of the same terminology that is actually used in myth.

MGP0 The Great Pyramid

MGP1 Xibalba


Seethyr Posted - 28 Jun 2018 : 04:12:04
Zatal is many things; the center of the once great Empire of Nexal, the source of the Darkfire, the Night of Wailing and the Beasts of the Viperhand, and a massive set of chambers and tunnels set in the True World land of Maztica.

This product concludes the TWR series of adventures and products and offers an exciting conclusion against the weakened avatar of the Eater of Hearts and Bringer of War. Rewards include fabulous magic and the gratitude of the Mother of Life!

You may also discover a number of new creatures, a sandbox type setting that a DM could hold an entire campaign in and even an adventure that could be played as a standalone.

TWR4 Zatal - The Mountain of Fire
Seethyr Posted - 29 May 2018 : 18:52:26
TWA6 The Relic is a short, site based adventure that gained its inspiration from the 1997 movie also known as The Relic. It is a supernatural horror film directed by Peter Hyams and it stars Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore and Linda Hunt. The movie itself is based on the novel of the same name by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
The adventure utilizes the creature featured in the movie (known there as a kothoga but here altered to kothoggo) and tries to recreate events and the sense of horror that occurred in the movie. The setup is different however, and the ordeal that the players will have to go through is only designed to last for one session of adventuring.
The adventure is ideally designed for four players who should be around 5th level. The main battle is a CR7 encounter.
The creature in this adventure is exclusively Maztican and can be found in TWC7 True World Bestiary III, but is provided for easy reference.
The adventure could also be used as a sequel to the 2016 adventure TWA1 The Ruins, also based on a horror movie and set in the same region of Maztica.


TWA6 The Ruins
Seethyr Posted - 15 May 2018 : 04:36:59
Here is a small collection of magic items specific to Maztica. It's not as grand a project as most, but you may get some good use out of some of them. I try to focus on wondrous items created by plumaweavers and hishnashapers.

TWM8 Weaving Pluma and Shaping Hishna - Magic Items of Maztica
Seethyr Posted - 11 May 2018 : 21:47:02
TWR3 The Door of Stars is up. This adventure serves a number of purposes.

1. It continues the TWR adventure path which may or may not lead to the resurrection of the goddess Maztica.
2. It updates the City of the Dead "Mictlatepec" from the Maztica Boxed set including a 3D rendered map of the city and gives statistics to its undead inhabitants.
3. Gives PCs access to a portal which can transport them to as many worlds as the DM will allow - each of which has a Mesoamerican-based culture.
4. Revisits the world first outlined way back in 1983 by the author Gali Sanchez in Dragon Magazine 70! Also ties this adventure closely to the history of that world. All the pieces somehow fit.
5. The adventure allows exploration of a nation of Maztica that has been left somewhat untouched in the setting's history (Huacli).

Enjoy!
Seethyr Posted - 14 Apr 2018 : 20:21:50
TWC7 True World Bestiary III - Monsters I-Z

Finally complete! This bestiary contains an additional 32 monsters with 15 illustrations for use in a Maztica Alive campaign. Enjoy!
Wooly Rupert Posted - 30 Jan 2018 : 22:02:30
Uh... So it's half-undead?
Seethyr Posted - 30 Jan 2018 : 21:12:32
TWM7 Wyrms of the True World - Acalanahuatzi

Acalanahuatzi is known as "The Wyrm at War" because its two heads not only have vastly different personalities; they also desperately want to see the other destroyed.

Tlalocouatl, also known as Rain Dragons, are a species unique to the True World who are said to assist the god Azul in regulating the weather. Acalanahuatzi is one such dragon, but he has abandoned his god and developed a split persona. What's more is that only one of the halves has embraced the darkness and become a dreaded dracolich. The only threat to this powerful creature may in fact be himself.

This short supplement is designed in the same format as many of Ed Greenwood's old "Wyrms of the North" articles for dragon magazine. This product includes a description (along with statistics) of the dragon itself, its lair and even some unique magics the dragon has picked up over its long life (and unlife).
Seethyr Posted - 30 Dec 2017 : 17:33:12
An author named Dion Fernandez has written two wonderful short products for DMsGuild that he has agreed to connect to the lore in Maztica Alive. Below are link's to the products and the descriptions the author used on the product page.

The Smoky Mirror ("TWM5")

Half a world away from Faerūn, distant Maztica is a place of alien cultures, bloodthirsty warriors and strange feathered magic. Its abundant riches, however, are the ultimate prize of explorers; hundreds, if not thousands, have braved the Trackless Sea to plunder its wealth, and only a few lucky souls return home to relish the treasures they have taken from the True World.

The clash of cultures, though, does not go only westward. What was taken from Maztica can still exert a powerful influence on those who live on the Sword Coast, in ways that its hapless inhabitants could not possibly comprehend.

Presented in detail in this manuscript is The Smoky Mirror, a powerful artifact with a full history and a single-minded goal--but only those who possess it can truly know what its real motives are.


Children of Qotal ("TWM6")

The Children of Qotal is a minor faction that has existed in Faerun for more than 200 years. Created shortly after the plunder of Maztica, and having survived the blue fires of the Spellplague, it now watches over Maztica's influence in Faerun, beneath the eyes of the other great factions, working in silence to perform the will of the Feathered Dragon.

Seethyr Posted - 27 Dec 2017 : 22:18:07
Thought I'd separate the following due to the fact that these are part of an ongoing "phase" that hopefully sees completion in 2018.

TWR1 The Sea Demon's Pearl

This adventure set in a coatal village of Far Payit where pearl diving is a way of makling a living. One boy happens upon a black pearl of exceptional size, not knowing that it in fact belongs to a primitive form of ixitchachitl known as the Sea Demon. His village is now under siege.

The product also has an entire section on a new form of sea magic known as "Teoatl." Much like pluma and hishna magic this form of power is unique to the lands of Maztica and is a growing in influence with each passing year.

As the first book written with the tag TWR, there are also hints at a major event that may or may not occur depending on the action of heroes in the True World.

TWR2 The Maztican Ball Game

Cowritten using HooverDam's brilliant rules, the Maztican Ball Game gives rules for a game within the game. Fifth edition rules are applied to a sport that is uniquely Maztican in flavor and has a thousand year history. This cultural phenomenon has spread to Faerun and may one day be the football or basketball of the real world.

The product also describes a tournament in the nation of Kultaka that the players can participate in. Though there might not be dozens of creatures to slay, the challenges are real and the rewards are great. This product also continues the storyline introduced in TWR1.


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