| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 31 Jan 2017 : 23:57:33
So, I know according to Lady of Poison that there's a tattooed soldier named Gunggari Ulmarra. He's human. I know a few other facts, such as he's from Osse, they have a fascination with dream magic, known as Alcheringa. However, the one thing I can't find....
Gunggari is obviously meant to represent an Australian Aborigine.... but nothing anywhere says that he's black skinned that I can find. I find it unusual that they NEVER mention him being black skinned, or dusky skinned even. Do you think it would be a fair assumption based upon this that the people of Osse may resemble the people of Zakhara or the Shou? I mean it would seem to me to be purely my own interpretation of Australia that would make me say he should be black or dusky skinned with wiry hair. |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| TheIriaeban |
Posted - 20 Mar 2021 : 16:29:52
I read in the Brainstorming Anchorome thread what George and Eric had and that migration mentioned could also be when/how the Aearee came to Osse. Maybe one of the portals messed up and sent people to the wrong place. They could be a "lost tribe". |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 18 Mar 2021 : 18:24:19
quote:
Originally posted by TheIriaeban
I actually haven't looked at post 1372 for the continent yet since my knowledge of that period is limited. At the moment, I am starting off with the Days of Thunder and working from there. What I have so far is that the continent was part of the supercontinent before it broke off during the whole Ice Comet/First Sundering affair. The Sarrukh that were there in that period were hit really hard and their civilization collapsed. That is when the Batrachi appear in the northern bay and are able to survive there because of it being on the equator and thus saved from the cold. However, that opening at the top was caused by a supervolcano erruption and collapse and that caused their civilization to collapse. Then the Aearee show up (I still need to work out how they are there and not in their superpowerful, Days of Thunder form).
One idea I do have is that after Karsus' Folly, the three got together to protect themselves from changes in magic and there are these large, whitestone towers that are all over the continent that stabilizes magic. If that is there, the Spellplague would have not affected them in any way (the ToT would have been different for them too if they had completed their research and construction of the towers by then.)
The other idea, to really set them appart from the rest of Toril, is that each is mono-theistic. The Sarrukh have their "god with 6 faces". Since they were there first, the humans saw the Sarrukhan multi-faced totems and ended up taking one of the aspects as their own. The others I still need to figure out.
The drow and orcs are there because Eldath and Eilistraee moved them there (at different times) for their own protection. Their settlements were about to be wiped out so their god moved them to somewhere safer.
Oh, and since that continent was part of lower Kara-Tur originally, there are dinosaurs there.
So, if you don't want the actual aearee, don't make it be them. That makes it simpler. Make it be aarakocra and tengu that migrate from the jungles and mountains of Kara-Tur
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| TheIriaeban |
Posted - 18 Mar 2021 : 17:04:55
I actually haven't looked at post 1372 for the continent yet since my knowledge of that period is limited. At the moment, I am starting off with the Days of Thunder and working from there. What I have so far is that the continent was part of the supercontinent before it broke off during the whole Ice Comet/First Sundering affair. The Sarrukh that were there in that period were hit really hard and their civilization collapsed. That is when the Batrachi appear in the northern bay and are able to survive there because of it being on the equator and thus saved from the cold. However, that opening at the top was caused by a supervolcano erruption and collapse and that caused their civilization to collapse. Then the Aearee show up (I still need to work out how they are there and not in their superpowerful, Days of Thunder form).
One idea I do have is that after Karsus' Folly, the three got together to protect themselves from changes in magic and there are these large, whitestone towers that are all over the continent that stabilizes magic. If that is there, the Spellplague would have not affected them in any way (the ToT would have been different for them too if they had completed their research and construction of the towers by then.)
The other idea, to really set them appart from the rest of Toril, is that each is mono-theistic. The Sarrukh have their "god with 6 faces". Since they were there first, the humans saw the Sarrukhan multi-faced totems and ended up taking one of the aspects as their own. The others I still need to figure out.
The drow and orcs are there because Eldath and Eilistraee moved them there (at different times) for their own protection. Their settlements were about to be wiped out so their god moved them to somewhere safer.
Oh, and since that continent was part of lower Kara-Tur originally, there are dinosaurs there. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 18 Mar 2021 : 15:51:27
So, I don't want to drive your design, but I do like theorizing things. How about if I throw back and forth some ideas with you and see if it helps you flesh out where you want to go with it, and maybe it will help me flesh out my ideas as well (not sure if I'd ever even use the continent, but .... it is part of FR, so why not).
So, first off and foremost... answer this.... do you want Osse to have gone to Abeir (in whole or in part) during the spellplague and returning during the second sundering?
I say this because like with Maztica/Anchorome/Lopango/Katashaka we have this "reference" of Laerakond appearing roughly where Maztica was, and yet there's absolutely zero reference to the surrounding places in relation to it.... and they are so close that there should have been if they WERE there, so the easiest thing to assume was that all of these places went to Abeir (or at least the northern portion of Katashaka and the southern portion of Anchorome... but we've went ahead and assumed all of Anchorome). We don't have any similar reference for Osse, but if it DID or DID NOT happen should really affect things there, so you should establish it up front.
Personally, I like throwing into the mix the option that a portion of Osse went to Abeir as a "chunk", and it would be the eastern part that I would probably send there, just because I'd be sending those coastal islands. This then opens the option that some portion of Abeir has been on the western side of the continent for the past century and that it just a few years ago disappeared, and that these Abeiran forces have invaded the eastern side, established some foothold... and bam all their support just disappeared and the old continent returned.
Exactly what these Abeiran forces are that are now stranded? Maybe its some dragons and dragonborn with a bunch of trained zairtail (red iguana like creatures with teeth that might be really small or the size of a large dog, some of which are hot to the touch and spit burning bile) that they use like a hunting pack that ride on giant strider mounts (giant strider being the mounts usually of firenewts, but there's no reason others might not use them). Maybe its some group of elementals with an evil bent like the Court of Rorn. Maybe its a faction of the eminence of araunt with undead legions.
So, suddenly all their support networks go away and they're met with the return of the humans of Osse who have spent the last century in Abeir.
Meanwhile, maybe those creator races were being invaded by the Abeirans....
On the good drow and orcs (odonti) what were the intentions? |
| TheIriaeban |
Posted - 18 Mar 2021 : 14:11:34
My idea is that only the western part of the continent is controlled by humans and that is really the only part called Osse. The rest has areas controlled by the Sarrukh, Batrachi, and Araenee (due to various catastrophes, they are no longer what they were). The large island to the southwest of the continent is a refuge for good drow and Ononti set up by their gods (I need to figure out the attitude of the humans there). The Sarrukh have a "single" god: the god with 6 faces (based on Shekinester). I am still in the very early stages of working things out and I need to do more research on the Days of Thunder.
Oh, I was also thinking about having a Spelljammer port in there somewhere. I just haven't fully developed the idea. I am thinking that the reason it is here and not elsewhere is because it was the closest non-primative settlement to the tallest mountain on the planet (I am thinking that is a common method used by Spelljammers for determining the "prime meridian" for a world that is not dependent on civilizations since those rise and fall over time). |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 18 Mar 2021 : 12:01:16
My personal ideas for Osse have never been fleshed out, other than I would like to have there be some islands off the northeast coast that are friendly with interloping spelljamming vessels in return for providing some of their harvest. The spelljamming folk magically help these people improve their harvests with weather control magics and provide tools that improve their efficiency, such that its not a "slave" environment, but more they're improving the lives of the islanders without giving up all their secrets. The islanders still have their own leaders, but if they find themselves in need of aid, they know they can go to the spelljamming representatives on the island and they may be able to help. The spelljamming people also bring simple resources that the islanders just don't have access to because they don't trade to the rest of the world. I also still like the idea that periodically the elders of the island are taken on trips into space where they see things that leave them in awe. I wouldn't want them worshipping the visitors, but they shouldn't feel subjugated either. As time passes, the primitive culture might become more educated and capable, etc...
As to the rest of the continent, having this continent arriving on Toril from somewhere else (possibly Abeir) as part of the elven sundering or somesuch could be interesting, and I still favor the idea that a lot of the continent is controlled by non-humans... and I like the idea that they are jungle giants and dinosaurs and giant beasties, etc....
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| TheIriaeban |
Posted - 17 Mar 2021 : 23:55:05
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Ed did say in a Tweet that Osse isn't like Australia, but that's all we've gotten.
His words were "There is no Realms analogue for Australia (be misled not by talk of “Osse,” for it is quite different)."
Well, there goes the wambators, koalians, and kangarooites. 
But, that does leave intact my ideas about the creator races, ice comets/sunderings, supervolcanos, and various gods. Of course, I still have a HUGE amount of research to do so I am sure some of those will change. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 17 Mar 2021 : 22:51:03
Ed did say in a Tweet that Osse isn't like Australia, but that's all we've gotten.
His words were "There is no Realms analogue for Australia (be misled not by talk of “Osse,” for it is quite different)." |
| Lord Karsus |
Posted - 17 Mar 2021 : 21:00:57
-Official stuff? Nothing. |
| TheIriaeban |
Posted - 17 Mar 2021 : 18:00:25
THREADUS RESURRECTIS!
Happily, I found this thread on a search. I am nearing the end of my current project and was thinking about what I could do next when Osse happened to peak my curiosity while looking at the FRIA. I had an idea for what to do with this land and what y'all have here dovetails nicely in with my concept.
What I would like to ask is that if anything more has come out about Osse since activity on this thread ceased. Unfortunately, a search for osse turns up too many results because of tossed, possessed, etc. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 05 Jun 2018 : 13:38:08
This is true, and if I'm planning on a portion of the continent devoted to giants... why not also a portion of the continent devoted to giant animals that they hunt. But, as much as I'd love to develop this whole continent, I think I've already got too much on my plate.
Oh, and on the sky changing... some of what I wrote above was a cut and paste that I hadn't corrected yet. Basically, I thought Abeir only had a steelsky and no sun/moon/stars. Then I found out that it "shares the same moon and sun" as Toril according to the FR Players Guide for 5e. However, thinking on it, it might be an interesting transition, given Shar's involvement with the spellplague if the sun/moon/stars of Abeir suddenly disappeared and the sky of Abeir turned a sickly coppery green during the transition of the spellplague. The world may have suffered a sudden chill for a few days/weeks even. |
| BadCatMan |
Posted - 05 Jun 2018 : 06:17:41
Giant beasts don't have to be kaiju of Godzilla's height. King Kong and others on Skull Island are significantly smaller. King Kong had to climb the Empire State Building, Godzilla would knock it over. Or you could go smaller, with merely unnaturally large animals.
I'm kind of picturing the (now ended) Battlepug webcomic. The world is full of giant animals who can be commanded by beast mages (there are also seers, plant mages, and earth mages). The barbarian beast-mage hero rides a giant pug. Yes. And then there's this:
http://battlepug.com/comic/2015/8/13/this-is-it-catwulf
Your talk of changing skies reminds me of an Aboriginal creation legend about how the sky used to lay close to the ground, holding everyone down and in the dark, until the magpies took sticks and pushed it up and up, letting light flood in. I imagine there could be something attached there, but I generally favour more mythic stories in my fantasy.
https://jadurruindigenousart.com.au/the-first-sunrise-2014/ |
| Bragi |
Posted - 05 Jun 2018 : 01:23:57
As much as I dislike the Spellplague and the 2nd Sundering, I can see an opportunity here. Based upon BadCatMan's description of the dreamtime you could consider combing the dreamtime with Abeir. Maybe the inhabitants call Abeir the dreamtime. They formed their incarnum magic while in the dreamtime and they can sometimes visit Abeir when in a dream state. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 04 Jun 2018 : 22:58:03
The general idea is that the "creator race" of humans started in "Katashaka" back before the first sundering, but they were somewhat primitive. Then the Abeir/Toril sundering happened and the "Era of Stone Sky" started when these humans found themselves on Abeir in what becomes "Osse". Its during this time that this creator race steals some dragon eggs and essentially do a ritual that maybe Takhisis stole... they make draconians to fight dragonborn and dragons. The dragon overlords in Abeir are thus pushed out of Osse and the dragonborn & draconians form a new culture. Then the Elven Sundering happened, and SOME OR ALL of Osse actually leaves Abeir and transfers to Toril (thus beginning the era known as Return of Blue Sky). However, its not where Katashaka is because the elven sundering has shifted everything around. The two worlds are in essence no longer in synch. Then the spellplague happens, and SOME OR ALL of Osse transfers BACK to Abeir. Then the "second sundering" happens and SOME OR ALL of Osse transfers BACK to Toril.
Just how much transfers I'm leaving vague, as this is just one piece of what I've been trying to develop with the United Tharchs of Toril. For instance... was only a small portion of Osse sent to Abeir? Was it its own little set of islands and just the upper corner of Osse? Were they relatively safe as a result? Or did a small portion transfer and there was a whole continent of Abeir to their west (a continent now gone and the original Osse is there)? Or did the whole continent and its islands transfer and now its back? From my perspective, the red wizards from the sky city (my tharch of Luneira) will only interact with the islands and the coastline of Osse over the past century, but the people of Osse may have done more.
As to what to inhabit Osse with... BadCatMan kind of nailed it on the head. I want multiple races of humans (aboriginal natives, Kara-Turans who have turned Polynesian like, Zakharans, cannibals, and maybe even human offshoots like the githvyrik). I also want dragonborn & true breeding draconians who live amongst dinosaurs in the northwest. I also want there to be a thriving but primitive giant community (jungle giants, desert giants, sea giants that look like giant mermen, eldritch giants, the stone giants we see in Unther who are really stony and use dream magic... maybe those weird stone heads are these stone giants... maybe some kind of druidic/plant giant that's not a treant) that isn't evil... and maybe these giants have been defending the continent from Abeiran dragon overlords for the last century... and maybe they even awoke some dawn titans.
On the gods.. yes, I'm drawing from the ideas of the Maori, but I honestly don't know a whole lot. I'm purposefully leaving any affiliations very vague. Also, on the dream magic... I'm picturing dream magic and psionics as being more prominent here, as well as magic based upon symbology (usually accomplished with runes, scarring, and tattoos). Warlocks will more than likely occupy a strong toehold here as well, but not necessarily in an evil way, and their spells may be different. In fact, the traditional cleric probably won't exist here and the gods will more than likely be worshipped via warlocks in my version of spirit shaman (in my DM's Guild entry "the complete red book of spell strategy").
I don't want the giant beasts thing here though... I am doing the Kaiju in Katashaka. |
| Bragi |
Posted - 04 Jun 2018 : 20:24:24
This is a great topic of discussion. I'm wondering how Osse fits in to the realms. It seems like you have envisioned a land with a distinct pantheon based upon Maori deities.
Do you see the deities of Osse as being aspects of more familiar deities such as Sehanine Moonbow or entirely separate?
Is there any connection to the Dal Quor, region of dreams?
I see that you have a strong dragonborn presence here. Is there a connection with the draconic nation of Myrmidûne?
|
| Waterdeep Ways Means C |
Posted - 03 Jun 2018 : 23:44:37
Climate is also said to have played a part. Those coming from cold, northern climates (including many Eastern Asians) have lighter skin quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
Europeans probably inherited light skin from the existing Neanderthals. Along with a tendency for facial hair and obesity. The other human races got better traits from existing hominid populations.
If one doesn't mind real-world-inspired lands and cultures in the Forgotten Realms (and I do appreciate the representation rather than the actual execution of many of them), then the setting is ripe for an Oceania-like area.
Much of the continent of Osse can be based on Australia, full of desert and bush, home to Aboriginal-like peoples. The equatorial, tropical north with its peninsulas and large islands would hold jungle and rainforest like New Guinea (with actual cannibals!) and the Solomon Islands, and so on. The long chain of islands in the cold far north could be like New Zealand. Then lots of small islands all around hold Polynesian-like cultures, like Hawaii, Fiji, and Easter Island, home to great seafarers, weird stone heads, and volcanoes.
Then you can cram in more fantasy islands, like a Skull Island home to gigantic beasts or a R'lyeh for Lovecraftian madness. Throw sea monsters into the vast oceans and go!
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| sleyvas |
Posted - 19 Feb 2017 : 05:55:57
Tharch of the Oslander Islands
This Tharch was established months after the transfer to Abeir occurred by red wizards from the Tharch of Luneira. The Luneiran red wizards had watched the continent of Osse even when it had passed beneath them before the Spellplague. Some had even visited it only to discover that the natives believed in a strange form of dream magic which they referred to as Alcheringa, which the red wizards laughed at as an inherently inferior magic. Then the spellplague occurred, and the interest in cooperative dream magic grew, in addition, the people of Luneira lacked the terrestrial rains necessary to grow crops. So, descending from the stars in their sky ships, the red wizards contacted the simple people of the eastern islands just off the coast of Osse.
But this meeting was not one of conquering invaders come to bring bloody war to Osse. With the transfer to Abeir, the sky had turned steel gray, the sun and moon had disappeared, and the stars in the night sky were different. To the Oslander natives, the pale-skinned Mulans covered in strange and magical tattoos, and wearing elaborate and beautiful clothing and jewelry, seemed to be spirits of the moon descended from the heavens. To add to the fact, they actually brought a large number of the tribal elders aboard their ship and brought them to their flying city amongst the newly formed and solidified “Tears of Selune”. To the natives, this was indeed powerful Alcheringa and these spokesmen convinced their fellow tribesmen to welcome the outsiders.
The Mulan visitors were allowed to build a small village of their own in return for presents of simple magic potions, glass jewelry, collections of seeds and food spices, several simple plowshares and draft animals, and a small collection of musical instruments. They also educated these natives in the use of new farming implements and the care of new plants, and the red wizards used their weather control magics to confirm that their first crop was bountiful enough that the natives might share with their new neighbors. This also taught the red wizards which crops grew well in this new environment, and they soon setup an agreement with the natives to aid them in their trials and tribulations in return for a portion of the crops and the occasional gift of new land in return for additional gifts.
As a result, the red wizards have not expanded very far into the surrounding territory, but they have built up a very healthy relationship with the Oslanders. Over time, they have settled into 3 villages located on the coastline of the original island known as Kalgooratha by the natives. They send their flying ships on a regular basis to the villages that they control to collect their tribute and meet with their local representatives to see if there are any issues that they can aid with. The local representatives usually serve in six month stints, during which time they are treated as honored visitors by the natives. The natives supply their small children to serve as simple servants to clean, prepare meals, take care of small gardens, and generally perform the menial but simple tasks that the red wizards would typically use slaves for. The females amongst Oslanders are also very much attracted to their Mulan benefactors, and as a result a growing amount of the population are less honey golden or bronze skinned and instead more pale-skinned. They continue to grow their hair, which is typically dark, thick and wavy, and are very fond of decorating it with flowers.
It has become somewhat of a tradition amongst the Kalgooratha islanders to send their elders to make a pilgrimage to visit the moon with their immediate family before they die. The red wizards usually have no issues with this simple request, and it is a common thing for ships arriving and departing from the island of Kalgooratha to have Oslander natives who have spent a week or two on holiday at the Tharch of Luneira. As a result, many Oslander natives now make several trips to the great “Sky City” in the latter part of their lives, usually once or twice with their parents and possibly once or twice with themselves or their spouses. The islanders consider it especially rejoiceful if they are able to get a glimpse of Zulkir Mythrell'aa, whom they refer to as “The Painted Lady” for her tendency to periodically change her coloration of her skin, hair, and body art in outlandish colors that no human would possess.
Zulkir Mythrell'aa earned this measure of interest and respect in the years immediately following the spellplague, when a mated pair of green dragons and their dragonborn servants attacked the island of Kalgooratha and the Mulan settlement which had been newly established there. Many Oslander natives were slain in the assault, but none of the survivors would ever forget the sudden appearance of the blue-skinned woman with purple polka dots on her arms and whose entire body was wreathed in green flames. Within seconds, she had slain one of the dragons, its heart giving out of sheer fright it appeared. It dropped from the sky and crushed numerous of its dragonborn servants beneath its dying bulk. The other dragon tried to flee, but Mythrell'aa and her fellow red wizards followed it back in secret to another island just to the north. She then used compulsion magic on the dragon and had it murder all of its remaining dragonborn servants, then slew it while it was in its weakened state.
The red wizards then seized this northerly island and its crude structures for their own. Apparently the dragons and dragonborn had not dwelt there long, having murdered another culture of islanders and moved into their simple huts. The reason they had been drawn to the Island of Kalgooratha had been their sightings of flying ships travelling there from the moon. The red wizards renamed this island New Alaor, and set about setting up a ship building and lumber harvesting community. They use these ships to periodically hunt game, explore, and harvest lumber from the nearby continent of Osse. Over the past hundred years, several times they have run across dragonborn, dragons, and genasi with ties to Abeir, though the extent to which Osse has been overrun they have yet to put in a concerted effort to discover, for the threat has stayed primarily confined to the continent itself.
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| sleyvas |
Posted - 19 Feb 2017 : 05:51:26
I've been messing more with writing up my introduction pieces for Osse and figured I'd share for feedback. I've got two pieces. The first is just a continental overview for one section (I'm doing this for each major continent involved). Oh, and I know Mythrell'aa is supposedly dead. I got a few surprises up my sleeve. Anyway, here's the historical overview.
Osse History - a general overview of the past 32,000+ years with some insight on certain pieces
The history of the people of Osse is a rich oral history filled with references to the dreamtime and contains numerous tales filled with fantastic “great spirits”, talking animals, and the ghosts of their ancestors. Just how many of these tales are true and how many simple allegories meant to teach children the ways to live their lives is exceptionally hard given that the storytellers themselves are often unaware of the truth of such things. There is in fact a belief amongst their people that through their storytelling certain facts can be changed about their world. They call this strange storytelling magic Alcheringa, and it is generally a long, ritualistic form of cooperative magic which often involves stressing the body with dancing, sweats, and hunger, while making the mind more malleable and open by fatigue, the smoking of various pipeweeds, and use of various alchemical extracts. The participants enter a state of almost wakeful dreaming, during which to outside viewers it is obvious that some kind of connection is established between their group minds based upon their interactions. For those outside these rituals, their antics can be entertaining, if not even somewhat comical to those who have no understanding of what is happening. The exact effects that are made upon the world by these rituals are hard to interpret, but there can be no doubting how much those involved believe that they have affected their world through their dreams. Thus, new stories are born, and since they may have changed the world in ways that the outsiders didn't see, they are true, but only to some.
However, many of the stories do share common backgrounds. For instance, many older Osse stories speak of three different eras. First there was the “Time of Great Dreaming” when their people were led by powerful shamans who called upon the power of the na'amnumoans, or powerful spirit beasts from the land of nightmares. Little is remembered from this time, other than the stories of great battles between gigantic opponents, and the stories of humans who descended into bestial forms.
Then suddenly there came the “Era of Stone Sky”, in which the sky suddenly changed from blue to a light stone-like gray and they found themselves in another land entirely. The very earth itself was known to fly in the sky, and apparently it had formed a great glowing, grey barrier which blocked out the sky. Even the clouds had changed, for thunderous skies were said to bring green and copper hued clouds. Luckily, the trappings of their civilization had transferred with them, and they were able to prosper for a time. Unfortunately, they also found that their magic did not work as it had during the time of great dreaming. Their dream shamans were no longer able to call upon the aid of the na'amnumoans.
However, it seemed that in this new land the spirits were more tied to the world around them, creating a special form of magic energy which they called incarnum. They learned of this magic by talking with the spirits, great and small, particularly Olorborem, the spirit of imagination and the life-giving clouds and rainbows. Slowly, spirit shamans and totemists, able to harness the power of spirits of the ancestors, animals, and plants to aid them. Some of these cultures grew strong in power through ritual sacrifice of their enemies and entrapping their spirits to serve them. It is whispered that for a time, they awakened intelligence within the beasts that surrounded them as well, and as a result many villages were known to live and work alongside these noble animals. Of course, the fact that even today talking thylacines, a form of marsupial wolf with tiger-like stripes; Ossean ursines, a small marsupial resembling a mixture of dog and bear particularly noted for the strength of its bite; marsupial lions, kangaroos, and small numbats number amongst most Osse villages lends credence to this story. It was even said that many humans took to taming giant hawks, falcons, and ospreys and forming villages on the great skystones.
Although this period of relative peace and prosperity lasted for a long time, the “Era of Stone Sky” also held a darker period, for the arrival of conquering dragons and dragonborn caught many villages unawares. The humans were taken away to serve as slaves or food for their dragon overlords, meanwhile periodic raids upon Osse tribes continued for millenia. The dragons generally avoided the skystone villages, as their dragonborn soldiers were unable to fly up to them without aid, and thus these societies began to draw more and more of their earthbound cousins to them. Eventually, the dragon overlords began to move onto Ossean soil, so that they could more easily raid for slaves and food. Soon, much of the northern and western coasts were filled with foreign colonies.
The turning point came when these humans of Osse led a small raid against one of the less powerful dragon overlords and captured over a dozen dragon eggs and more importantly, the spirits of hundreds of dragonborn which were absorbed into specially prepared totems. Using a variation on the ancient arts of dream magic and powerful incarnum, they were able to split the spirits within the dragon eggs and transform a willing human into a creature somewhat resembling dragonborn, but possessing wings and a tail. These gliding, dragonmen were near fearless and upon their death, many were known to explode with elemental energies. The humans of Osse, with the aid of many human slaves already within the draconic colonies, soon infiltrated several other dragon colonies and made off with over a hundred dragon eggs. However, based on knowledge gained from the human slaves, they also planted evidence to make the various overlords suspect their fellows rather than the primitive humans. By the time the dragons realized it was the humans who had turned against them, an army of thousands of these dragonmen had been created to serve the humans in their Skystone villages.
The fury of the dragons knew no bounds, and even though they could not easily transport their dragonborn soldiers to assault the Skystone villages, several dragons moved against each of the nearest tribe to them. They were not prepared for the dragonmen, many of whom dived down in suicide flights from the backs of giant hawks to rend and tear at reptilian wings, forcing their enemies to crash to earth. Many dragons were caught unawares when they simply bit into a dragonman, only to have them explode in their mouth. The devastation was amazing, but it further incited riots amongst the overlords' colonies, as dragonborn saw in the dragonmen a reflection of themselves opposing their masters. Within a short time, all dragons had been slain in Osse, and their holdings seized by their servants. A new friendship was forged between dragonborn and human, as many of the transformed humans bred with dragonborn.
Several centuries later, the age known as “The Return of Blue Sky” came when the sky suddenly turned back to blue and a sun, moon, and stars once again appeared. At the same time, the Skystone villages came crashing to earth, destroying much of the civilization which had begun to flourish once again. Their once friendly dragonborn neighbors blamed the humans for the changes which had occurred, for their once great cities had been destroyed by earthquakes generated as they settled into the new world. These dragonborn cultures sank into barbarism, many of them turning to hunting and eating humans as a means of survival, forcing many human tribes toward the eastern and southern coasts.
Portions of the continent had even slid into the sea, leaving strings of hundreds of small islands and dangerous underwater obstacles surrounding Osse's northern and western coast. Over time, these islands saw immigrants from the lands of Kara-Tur and the western edge of Zakhara, but most of these settlements were due to ships being run aground and unprepared for a long stay. Usually their inhabitants did not survive more than a decade due to lack of resources or dragonborn capturing them, but the larger islands along the eastern coast proved a more fertile environment.
Some of these immigrants managed to move inland, resulting in a blending of their cultures to a degree. The idea of alcheringa, or dream magic, has always been strong in Osse, and the art of tattoo magics in various forms is explored by many tribes. Many spirits of far off Kara-Tur have become accepted into their society, and spirit shamans, druids, and totemists are all relatively common. Giant wood or stone carved totem defenders, tied to local spirits of crabs, rams, koalas, kangaroos, kylacines, marsupial lions, emu, goanna, crocodiles, bunyips (an odd seal-shark hybrid able to come on land), and the strange diprotodon (a herbivorous marsupial mammal somewhat resembling an extremely large, pigeon-toed, bear with a giant nose), are a common site in many villages. Sorcerers are rare, but not unheard of like wizards or wu-jen, though they do tend to be segregated from their communities, often imposing self isolation after an accident due to lack of control of their powers. Some tribes have embraced a variety of pact magics, usually with nature spirits or even genies. However, some tribes favor darker powers which favor ritual sacrifice of sentient beings in return for power, and such tribes often favor cannibalism as well.
Though many had heard the stories of the “Era of Stone Sky”, many natives of Osse believed these stories to be simple embellishments meant to impress small children. The idea of floating stone cities and a sky of stone seemed a little too much of a stretch for the imagination. Then a century ago, the sky turned a metallic silver hue, the earthmotes rose, and the sun, moon and stars disappeared. They knew they were no longer in the world that they had known.
Once again, the shamans of the many tribes felt the power of great dream magic, for in their dreams the moon was reborn as a part of a great ritual involving many different far flung peoples. The next evening, the moon appeared in the night sky. A few weeks later, they dreamed of a ritual to call upon Tama'nui'tera, lord of the sun, and Maoi, the trickster god which ensnared the sun with coconut tree vines and beat it with a jawbone to slow it down as it traversed the sky. The next morning, to their amazement, they saw the sun in the sky. When the red wizards, led by the tattoo covered Mythrell'aa, appeared on a flying boat descending from the sky to the East Ossean island of Kalgooratha, it was only natural that the natives treated them with awed fascination. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 08 Feb 2017 : 00:58:19
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
Nice work, it's evocative and appropriate to the setting, without being derivative of anything in the real world, which is a tricky tightrope to walk in many setting designs. And I also like my kaiju. 
If you're going with kaiju, you might draw a connection with the gargantuas from the Kara-Tur setting, and the Isle of Gargantuas:
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Isle_of_Gargantuas
You're right on about the incarnum and totemist – Eytan Bernstein put totemists on Osse in his Class Chronicles articles:
http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070904
(right at the bottom)
This was what I was able to find about Osse for the wiki, but I didn't cover Lady of Poison:
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Osse
Ah, thank you for these links. I'd already read the wiki one (and btw, thank you for keeping up that wiki, its amazing). The Isle of Gargantua and class chronicles I'll definitely review. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 08 Feb 2017 : 00:55:47
quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Someone likes his kaiju. 
Actually... I'm not a huge fan of them, BUT they have a place in the world, and after reading the entry for the Tabaxi in the GHotR, I figured this was the best place for them.
What I really like about what I did above was that I kind of twisted "the sleeper" concept. Previously, the sleeper in the story from GHotR was simply the tarrasque. Now, however, "the sleeper" is a human who is serving as a channeled avatar for the spirit version of a tarrasque. Said human is immortal, and after channeling the tarrasque for a short period, he must return to his sleeping to rekindle his connection to the world of dreams. Even more horrific, these humans sacrifice other humans when they wake up in order to feed the tarrasque spirit to anchor it to the world more to hold it there longer, and the people consider this acceptable and even an honor. It also makes this more believable, because these humans simply see themselves serving their leader, who is a human... albeit a powerful and immortal human. |
| BadCatMan |
Posted - 08 Feb 2017 : 00:08:34
Nice work, it's evocative and appropriate to the setting, without being derivative of anything in the real world, which is a tricky tightrope to walk in many setting designs. And I also like my kaiju.
If you're going with kaiju, you might draw a connection with the gargantuas from the Kara-Tur setting, and the Isle of Gargantuas:
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Isle_of_Gargantuas
You're right on about the incarnum and totemist – Eytan Bernstein put totemists on Osse in his Class Chronicles articles:
http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070904
(right at the bottom)
This was what I was able to find about Osse for the wiki, but I didn't cover Lady of Poison:
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Osse |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 07 Feb 2017 : 15:15:26
Someone likes his kaiju. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 07 Feb 2017 : 14:14:13
quote:
Originally posted by BadCatMan
I was thinking of our good friend the Wagyl. :) It's a good example of how these worlds fit together.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagyl
BadCatMan.... you are awesome. Everything you show me in this thread just gets my mind churning.
By the way, one of the ideas that's starting to come to my mind is to link Katashaka and Osse (and actually, Katashakan "migrants" will also infect/flood Faerun). Katashaka will be the source of many of the beast like humanoid races we've seen, and I'm imagining some of the humans from there may have spread to Osse. Just to see if I can get a little feedback for improvement, here's some of what I've written up of Katashaka to give a flavor to the continent itself (by the way, I picture some of the magic that they use to be similar to the totemist from Magic of Incarnum, but also similar to the binder from Tome of Magic).
KATASHAKA - A BRIEF OVERVIEW
Long ago during the time between the “Days of Thunder” and the “Dawn Ages”, Katashaka held a powerful and extremely inquisitive race of humans. This race would be known to many as a creator race in later times, though knowledge of them was little and far between. They had learned of a form of magic involving strange symbology, truenames, dreams, nightmares, and use of one's own will and imagination to force changes upon the world. These humans were in fact members of the original creator races, and it is believed that it was they that created many of the strange mammalian humanoid races of Toril that still inhabit the world.
When the Sarrukh and Batrachi empires grew and began to encroach upon their lands, these humans discovered Olurobo, the lord of dreams and nightmares, and his children, the nyama-nummo, or powerful dream spirits. Using special glyphs, totems, tattoos, and masks to depict the powerful, bestial nyama-nummo, they were able to call upon the power of collective nightmares. Gozirra, the giant spineback reptile which spit lightning and roared thunder; Tarrask, the giant rending horror; Kaeng, the gargantous, bonespur covered ape; Chup'po'clops, the great spirit spider; Gabara, the giant fire-breathing snapping turtle; Groedan, the giant pterasaur with the resounding shriek; Ghidoera, the many headed dragon-like beast; Kwaa'tal, the great feathered serpent; E'bearah, Vaerin, Mandaa, Kamaecuras, Baeragon, Gorasaur, Kumonji, Moegarra, Moettrah, Titanasaur, Khedorah, Norgraa, Ang'guer'ruu, these were all powerful creatures from the dreamtime which could be drawn forth at time of need to serve these humans. Many of these nyama-numo were also of simpler form, being spirits of the various animals in the surrounding world such as the great cats, savage canines, strong bears, inquisitive monkeys, the many horned beasts, fantastic birds, and even the strange reptiles, amphibians, and spirits of the oceans. The human dream shamans simply needed to open themselves to acting as a conduit to these powerful spirits, offering their own bodies as an anchor through which these primal entities could focus a melding of their souls. The greatest of these dream shamans could even serve as a powerful avatar allowing the huge nightmare beings to physically enter the real world, if only for a short time before the human conduit would have to rest and rebuild their bond with the realm of dreams, though they did discover that the interaction could be prolonged through blood sacrifice.
Many sought the power of the dream shamans, and they did bond themselves with various beast totems in order to obtain characteristics of said creatures. Over time, these characteristics began to breed true within the human tribes, such that after several generations what was once a human tribe would no longer be seen as part of the human race. Humans began to disappear, replaced by the monstrous creations that they had made of themselves in an attempt to perfect themselves. It is whispered even that these savage folk turned upon many of the remaining purebred humans when the humans began sacrificing them in order to appease the nyama-nummo. The nation of Mhairshalk, former powerhouse of the Sarrukh, had fallen, but its successors would prove no less of a thorn in the side of inhabitants of Katashaka. Eventually, the Batrachi Empire, Annam's brood, and even the feathered serpents of the Aearee intruded upon the disparate peoples of Katashaka. But then the batrachi did release upon the world many powerful entities, and the powerful dream shaman rulers of the humans did bind themselves with great beings from the dreamtime in order to protect their people. The battles that occurred are not well documented, but the destruction was believed to be vast and world threatening. Eventually, Asgoroth the World Shaper did breath its breath upon a celestial entity, causing it to burst and its blood drenched shards to fall unto the world. Shortly after this occurred, the majority of the humans of Katashaka simply were gone.
When the majority of human population disappeared, each of the fractious groups of Katashaka further separated themselves, eventually forming the melting pot of beast-like humanoids which would eventually become modern Katashaka. For millenia, the Tabaxi, a small remnant of this human population still thrived in the dark jungles, still serving “the sleeper”, a powerful dream shaman who had attained immortality through the sacrifice of his mortal servants. But, even these humans had been led away over four millenia ago by the servants of Ubtao. Still, it is whispered that deep in the jungles, some remnant of those ancient, nigh immortal humans still lies sleeping away the millenia, ready to draw upon the power of gigantic nightmares, the nyama-nummo, to defend their ancient homeland.
|
| BadCatMan |
Posted - 07 Feb 2017 : 13:48:18
I was thinking of our good friend the Wagyl. :) It's a good example of how these worlds fit together and how myth interfaces with the land.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagyl |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 07 Feb 2017 : 13:32:07
<<It probably should be a plane coexistent and coterminous with the material plane: those hills might be the body of a great old Dreamtime serpent spirit, and in the Dreamtime that serpent is very much alive.>>
So, kind of like the dragon wall in Kara-Tur. Hmmm, this part could be some rich fertilizer, and it fits kind of the idea of the feywild and shadowfell being various reflections of the world. It could either be parts of both of those, or an undiscovered third "reflection".... similar to the old Chronicles of Amber. |
| George Krashos |
Posted - 06 Feb 2017 : 08:18:43
I understood the "Dreaming" to reflect rites/customs/practices in the here and now explained and justified by reference to mythology stemming from the "Dreamtime".
-- George Krashos |
| BadCatMan |
Posted - 06 Feb 2017 : 02:27:50
quote:
Originally posted by StarshadeI am not quite sure personally, on how to understand the "dreamtime" concept, but I'm thinking there is possible to understand it by looking at an game series; Elder Scrolls. The Elder Scrolls series got the Elhnofey, and the "Earth bones", who seems to be Australian Mythology inspired. The gods both exist, and were an origin. The Dwemer tried to turn to gods, and, imho, quite possibly achieved their purpose. If so, they seemed to step outside of the "time", and vanished.
Could "dreamtime" be an non-time dimension? Dream Magic could then be both connecting to some dream magic, and for D&D in Forgotten Realms, time magic. Connecting and calling on the ancient totems gives the totems access to time.
Although much has been made of it, the Dreamtime is simpler than it sounds and is largely based on a mistranslation. Instead, the best description/translation of the Dreamtime I've heard is "Once upon a time..." I'm guessing here, but think of "dream" as a story or myth, and "time" as an ageless time in which stories occur. I suppose that as you tell a story or myth, it happened both a long time ago and happens right now as you tell it, it may or may not have happened at all, and yet always happens every time the story is told, and it changes to suit the current time, which it why it's timeless or out of time.
More simply, it's the era in which ancient Aboriginal myths and legends occurred, but also one in which modern Aboriginal myths are set. Even Aboriginal stories about British colonisation have become Dreamtime stories. It's similar to the time when Ancient Greek myths are set, that is, long long ago but no actual time and all kind of mixed together.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamtime
The Dreaming, on the other hand, is rather more complex and important and is generally what people refer to with the Dreamtime. It seems to be broadly the spirit world, the myths, and cultural practices like laws and customs and even artwork. Every tribe has their own Dreamings.
Dreams might not even have anything to do with it, but it's hard to dissociate now, it's what people expect. In D&D terms, treating the Dreaming/Dreamtime world with dream magic rules seems fair. For example, the Region of Dreams or the Spirit World in 3e's Manual of the Planes could be a Dreamtime populated by Ossian legends. It probably should be a plane coexistent and coterminous with the material plane: those hills might be the body of a great old Dreamtime serpent spirit, and in the Dreamtime that serpent is very much alive.
I'm 100% too much of a "whitefella" for this conversation though. But I grew up reading Dreamtime stories, so I'm fascinated by them. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 05 Feb 2017 : 22:17:57
quote:
Originally posted by Starshade
I am not quite sure personally, on how to understand the "dreamtime" concept, but I'm thinking there is possible to understand it by looking at an game series; Elder Scrolls. The Elder Scrolls series got the Elhnofey, and the "Earth bones", who seems to be Australian Mythology inspired. The gods both exist, and were an origin. The Dwemer tried to turn to gods, and, imho, quite possibly achieved their purpose. If so, they seemed to step outside of the "time", and vanished.
Could "dreamtime" be an non-time dimension? Dream Magic could then be both connecting to some dream magic, and for D&D in Forgotten Realms, time magic. Connecting and calling on the ancient totems gives the totems access to time.
Hmmm, I kind of like that idea that maybe using dream magic you can travel back in time as a "dream construct" or somesuch..... though time magic gets very hairy. |
| Markustay |
Posted - 05 Feb 2017 : 19:17:07
I recall a Westworld-esque type of near-future novel in which contestants played a game based on a point in history, and the novel focused on one particular event - the creation of 'super weapon' during WW2 - and for some reason it took place in the Australian outback. The only reason why I am mentioning it is that it was my first encounter with the 'dreamtime' thing, and I recall I was quite fascinated by it (I'm going back almost 40 years here, so forgive my utter lack of details). A more reent 'encounter' with it is that they used a little bit in the Nickolodeon cartoon The Wild Thornberry's; IIRC, the main character (Eliza) gets her power from a practitioner.
The only major thing I recall from that novel is that you were lead to believe the 'ultimate weapon' was going to be the Atom Bomb, but it turned out to be something else (and funny) entirely. |
| Starshade |
Posted - 05 Feb 2017 : 18:14:08
I am not quite sure personally, on how to understand the "dreamtime" concept, but I'm thinking there is possible to understand it by looking at an game series; Elder Scrolls. The Elder Scrolls series got the Elhnofey, and the "Earth bones", who seems to be Australian Mythology inspired. The gods both exist, and were an origin. The Dwemer tried to turn to gods, and, imho, quite possibly achieved their purpose. If so, they seemed to step outside of the "time", and vanished.
Could "dreamtime" be an non-time dimension? Dream Magic could then be both connecting to some dream magic, and for D&D in Forgotten Realms, time magic. Connecting and calling on the ancient totems gives the totems access to time. |
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