Introduction
Athas.
A desolate planet beneath a crimson sun lies home to oceans of deserts, wrought with savagery. Magic has torn this world asunder, destroying all but the most hardened life, plant and animal alike. The only resource which is rarer than the precious water is the scarce traces of metal… and civility.
Sorcerer-Kings, arcane wielders who defile the land, wish to keep Athas a barren wasteland in order to force a splintered population into serving their vile agendas. It is these sovereigns who rule their city-states in tyranny, chaos, fear, or whatever diabolical means further their reach and power. They are the Defilers.
The Preservers are the last bastion of hope for this dying world. Their numbers, while dwindling, are strong with moral fiber and iron will. The magic they weave takes care not to harm the precious land, and often will heal it. They are the only ones with the courage to stand up to the Sorcerer-Kings and their evil servants.
Meanwhile, beating down upon each faction with impunity, is the Dark Sun.
The Basics
Sundered Lands is a conversion/modification set in the Dark Sun Campaign World for the game Elemental: War of Magic, created by Stardock Entertainment.
You will choose the role as one of the Defilers or as one of the Preservers.
As a Defiler, or Sorcerer-King, your goal will be the conquest of Athas by any means necessary. Your greatest commodity is life itself, and those that wish to live, must serve you or surrender that life. You corrupt the land, offering small pockets of salvation in the form of city-states where your people live. You control powerful, life-devouring magic that you use to corrupt the land as well as destroy any of those that may stand in your way.
As a Preserver, your goal is to breathe life back into Athas. Your population is sworn to preserve the land, bringing back nature in all of its green glory from the hopeless desolation it finds itself in. The Sorcerer-Kings consider you outcasts, criminals, and traitors, yet they are the ones that stand in the way of returning Athas to a living, thriving world.
Elemental: War of Magic offers the foundation of bringing Athas to life, or extinguishing that life if that purpose suits you.
Game Terminology and Mechanics
Two factions, Preservers and Defilers, each consist of five sub-factions (races). These sub-factions will eventually be defined.
Each sub-faction will have unique technology trees, although there may be similarities. However, all sub-factions will have technologies, buildings, units, weapons, armor, and so on that are unique to their respective sub-faction.
Due to Athas’s savage and desolate nature, many common resources are either scarce or completely non-existent. For instance, gold is replaced with ceramic bits, which is the traditional Athasian currency. Also, water is an equally important commodity than food when attempting to grow your population. These are just two examples. A complete list will be available in time.
The 4E Dark Sun races and classes will be available through the hero system. Obviously, these heroes will be a representation of the races and classes, and the traditional and complete 4E mechanics may or may not be integrated.
4E mechanics will be investigated. However, due to their complexity, it is unlikely that they can be fully implemented for use with Elemental. Whatever degree, if any, of hybridization will be investigated and implemented as long as it does not break the system.
Neutral factions and creatures unique to the Dark Sun world will be created.
Individual units (singletons) will not exist except in the form of the sovereign and the heroes. Unit training will be done in stacks from the beginning, a la Master of Magic unit stacks. For instance, 8 halflings, 6 humans, 4 thri-kreen, 2 half-giants, etc.
More details will be unveiled as the conversion progresses and the XML is dissected more. In other words, stay tuned.
Join the Team
It is very likely (inevitable) that I will be looking for a 3D modeler to join the ranks as Athas is vastly different than the world of Elemental. Please send me a private message if you are interested.
Discussions and Suggestions
Feel free to discuss the project and offer suggestions along the way. My goal is to capture Athas in all of its chaos and harmony, and everyone's PnP experiences vary. If you have anything to share, be it a story, a quest idea, or anything related, please do not hesitate to post your thoughts.
I also intend to keep this thread updated as the project evolves. But please remember that this is an endeavor of enjoyment. Please respect that I will not offer a timeline for completion, and I also ask that all discussions be kept civil and friendly so we all can enjoy the project.
Thank you.
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