[Thorn's World that Was] Warforged of Blackmoor

[RobJN]

Rather than thread-jack another of Havard's topics (which I seem to do quite a bit -- sorry Hav!), I'll be starting my own threads here, marked as this one is, detailing how the Mystara of Thorn's past varies from canon.

Most of this work serves as background for the ongoing material found in Thorn's Chronicle, and is posted to my blog. I'll try to post notices here when I update the blog, but my web service also has an RSS feed available, so subscribe there in casebecause I'm too absent-minded to put something up here.

So, first up was a look at Uther's progeny and some events around their background. (See also Havard's topics on The Fey and Fairwind Circus)

My next topic is integration of Eberron's Warforged into Thorn's Mystara:

• Aaji'Sutah: Warforged of Blackmoor
• Warforged of Blackmoor: Betrayal and Desertion

Hope you can all find some use from my ramblings.

[Princess Strega]

Just a minor nitpick, the font size is rather small and it is dark. I had to highlight the text to be able to read it.

[RobJN]

Just a minor nitpick, the font size is rather small and it is dark. I had to highlight the text to be able to read it.

I've got the body text set to 14-point. I can always bump it up a bit bigger. As far as the contrast goes, I'll fiddle around with the other templates this week. The "nuts and bolts" pages (Bestiary, Magic Items) use a template called "Layered Paper" with mostly Arial font-- is that one easier on the eyes?

[Havard]

I like the idea of Warforged in Blackmoor! They seem to very much fit the concept of technology meeting magic, which Blackmoor is famous for. As I mentioned in FB, I don't like the idea of having the Egg too closely linked to technology. Rather the Egg IMC is basically Cthulhu. (Ripvanwormer made a good list of options including one similar to this). IMC, the source of Warforged comes from the Valley of the Ancients. Either they are from the fabled City of the Gods, or perhaps they are artifacts from that city which have been tinkered with my the mysterious Wizard of Cloudtop, the most powerful wizard of all Blackmoor.

In later years, the alchemists of Blackmoor University, working with the dwarves have managed to replicate this process, assembling parts and and adding some bits of their own basically making a few of these figures come alive. To distinguish these creatures from those of the Ebberon setting, I tend to refer to them as Automatons.

-Havard

[ghendar]

I like the idea of Warforged in Blackmoor!

Ironically so do I.

[Havard]

I like the idea of Warforged in Blackmoor!

Ironically so do I.

Why is it ironical?

-Havard

[Chimpman]

So... I'm trying to put the various pieces together from your story, blog, and various other comments, and I think I'm starting to get a clearer picture of what's going on!

1) We know Uther originally had 2 twin daughters (whether they were his own flesh and blood is another matter).
2) We know that Silva and Aurora look alike.
3) You've mentioned that multiple shrikes/sirens could be stationed at a Blackmoorian stronghold simultaneously.
4) We know that Blackmoorian soldiers could have their "souls" transferred into warforged bodies
5) We've just seen Aurora be reborn - with her memories (mostly) intact!

Therefore I must conclude that we are dealing with some variation of Cylon resurrection technology here The assumption here is that Silva and Aurora are unique in some way - at least in regard to other warforged. They could be the pinnacle of Blackmoorian technomantic wizardry, or they could have been the model that lesser warforged were based on. If the former, then at some point the real flesh and blood girls were transferred into warforged bodies at some point after they first emerged on the scene. If the latter, then I'm not sure where they came from. The first thought would be that they came directly from the City of the Gods, but somehow they are tied to the Fey Queen...

Hopefully I haven't jumbled too much of this up. At any rate, I'm really enjoying the direction this has taken!

[RobJN]

So... I'm trying to put the various pieces together from your story, blog, and various other comments, and I think I'm starting to get a clearer picture of what's going on!

1) We know Uther originally had 2 twin daughters (whether they were his own flesh and blood is another matter).
2) We know that Silva and Aurora look alike.
3) You've mentioned that multiple shrikes/sirens could be stationed at a Blackmoorian stronghold simultaneously.
4) We know that Blackmoorian soldiers could have their "souls" transferred into warforged bodies
5) We've just seen Aurora be reborn - with her memories (mostly) intact!

Therefore I must conclude that we are dealing with some variation of Cylon resurrection technology here The assumption here is that Silva and Aurora are unique in some way - at least in regard to other warforged. They could be the pinnacle of Blackmoorian technomantic wizardry, or they could have been the model that lesser warforged were based on. If the former, then at some point the real flesh and blood girls were transferred into warforged bodies at some point after they first emerged on the scene. If the latter, then I'm not sure where they came from. The first thought would be that they came directly from the City of the Gods, but somehow they are tied to the Fey Queen...

Hopefully I haven't jumbled too much of this up. At any rate, I'm really enjoying the direction this has taken!

Veeeeeery veeeeeery close.

[RobJN]

I like the idea of Warforged in Blackmoor! They seem to very much fit the concept of technology meeting magic, which Blackmoor is famous for. As I mentioned in FB, I don't like the idea of having the Egg too closely linked to technology. Rather the Egg IMC is basically Cthulhu. (Ripvanwormer made a good list of options including one similar to this). IMC, the source of Warforged comes from the Valley of the Ancients. Either they are from the fabled City of the Gods, or perhaps they are artifacts from that city which have been tinkered with my the mysterious Wizard of Cloudtop, the most powerful wizard of all Blackmoor.

In later years, the alchemists of Blackmoor University, working with the dwarves have managed to replicate this process, assembling parts and and adding some bits of their own basically making a few of these figures come alive. To distinguish these creatures from those of the Ebberon setting, I tend to refer to them as Automatons.

-Havard

My thoughts on the Egg were more along the lines of the secrets being some sort of magical formula, or an alchemical concoction (or both!) that the Men of Blackmoor applied first to golems (making automatons) and then to "beings of more than one element."

I'm a firm believer in the tech-y parts coming from the City of the Gods. Perhaps the Creation Forges are actually some sort of trekkie-like replicator, either producing matter whole-form, or recombining raw elements dumped into the hopper into whichever form is programmed into the machine.

[ghendar]

I like the idea of Warforged in Blackmoor!

Ironically so do I.

Why is it ironical?

-Havard

I consider Warforged almost proprietary to Eberron. I think that porting them to another setting requires more than just saying, "hey, guess what everyone, warforged will now be indiginous to the forgotten realms." Of course, people can do whatever they want with their campaigns, I just like to make sure that things make some sense. Having warforged in Blackmoor makes sense.

They would also fit in very well in an Iron Kingdoms campaign.

[Azaghal]

As long as someone is careful with Warforged they can exist in other settings. Blackmoor, certain Spelljammer settings and the like. Used solo they should be useable anywhere. I can see the twins being the ultimate fusion of Warforged-biotech.

[Havard]

I consider Warforged almost proprietary to Eberron. I think that porting them to another setting requires more than just saying, "hey, guess what everyone, warforged will now be indiginous to the forgotten realms." Of course, people can do whatever they want with their campaigns, I just like to make sure that things make some sense. Having warforged in Blackmoor makes sense.

If you want to avoid too strong an Ebberon connection, you could refer to Blackmoor's equivalents as Automatons, like the ones presented in the Hollow World boxed set. But yeah, robotic PCs fit very well into Blackmoor.

-Havard

[RobJN]

In Thorn's World that Was, the term "warforged" is actually somewhat derogatory, though some of the more infamous of the deserters bear the title proudly. There are even rumors of one who calls himself the "Lord of Blades," and has a camp somewhere in the Valley of the Ancients, perhaps even in the City of the Gods itself....

[RobJN]

So... I'm trying to put the various pieces together from your story, blog, and various other comments, and I think I'm starting to get a clearer picture of what's going on!

1) We know Uther originally had 2 twin daughters (whether they were his own flesh and blood is another matter).
2) We know that Silva and Aurora look alike.
3) You've mentioned that multiple shrikes/sirens could be stationed at a Blackmoorian stronghold simultaneously.
4) We know that Blackmoorian soldiers could have their "souls" transferred into warforged bodies
5) We've just seen Aurora be reborn - with her memories (mostly) intact!

Therefore I must conclude that we are dealing with some variation of Cylon resurrection technology here The assumption here is that Silva and Aurora are unique in some way - at least in regard to other warforged. They could be the pinnacle of Blackmoorian technomantic wizardry, or they could have been the model that lesser warforged were based on. If the former, then at some point the real flesh and blood girls were transferred into warforged bodies at some point after they first emerged on the scene. If the latter, then I'm not sure where they came from. The first thought would be that they came directly from the City of the Gods, but somehow they are tied to the Fey Queen...

Hopefully I haven't jumbled too much of this up. At any rate, I'm really enjoying the direction this has taken!

Veeeeeery veeeeeery close.

Very close indeed.

[Chimpman]

Cool!

I especially like the idea of a "mother" consciousness. If at one time there were more examples of Soulbound Constructs (at least as sophisticated as the twins), then I wonder if their might be other "parent" consciousnesses hidden deep within the world but cut off from it because they no longer have any bodies to use.

I'm also tempted to steal this idea for the M-Mars/Vaniae project, and my Exiles Campaign Setting as well. Perhaps there are other Blackmoorian consciousnesses scattered throughout the multiverse.

[RobJN]

Cool!

I especially like the idea of a "mother" consciousness. If at one time there were more examples of Soulbound Constructs (at least as sophisticated as the twins), then I wonder if their might be other "parent" consciousnesses hidden deep within the world but cut off from it because they no longer have any bodies to use.

I'm also tempted to steal this idea for the M-Mars/Vaniae project, and my Exiles Campaign Setting as well. Perhaps there are other Blackmoorian consciousnesses scattered throughout the multiverse.

This strikes me as a technology that could still be prevalent in the Shimmering Lands, with its workings either known (to a select few) or only dimly understood and repurposed for "immortality."

[Havard]

Very interesting

-Havard

[RobJN]

Thought Hoped y'all might like it

[Chimpman]

Cool!

I especially like the idea of a "mother" consciousness. If at one time there were more examples of Soulbound Constructs (at least as sophisticated as the twins), then I wonder if their might be other "parent" consciousnesses hidden deep within the world but cut off from it because they no longer have any bodies to use.

I'm also tempted to steal this idea for the M-Mars/Vaniae project, and my Exiles Campaign Setting as well. Perhaps there are other Blackmoorian consciousnesses scattered throughout the multiverse.

This strikes me as a technology that could still be prevalent in the Shimmering Lands, with its workings either known (to a select few) or only dimly understood and repurposed for "immortality."

Oh... I think it is being used there...