Pharazia Write-up

[Mistmaster]

The use of the Harakiri Pantheon does not convince me very much it makes Diamabel to much similar in Background to Akhenthepot.

[KingCorn]

Amber Waste ideas, in case this becomes a write up of the entire Amber Wastes

• Unraveled Time: The desert of Sebua is often called The Broken Hourglass, for time itself seems broken in that land. Caravans may go missing for months, even years, only to suddenly turn up just fine. Men may disappear during a nights watch and appear the next day as delirious old men, claiming to have been lost in the among the sands for decades. And even the cities though lost to the ravages of time may reappear. Grand aqueducts carrying pure water may appear, only to be found as ancient and crumbled structures the next day, while great manors and walled palaces appear out of nowhere. Despite this, these lands lost to time bear no living souls, with only the ancient dead and some wild children residing there. Some wizards have purchased great amounts of Sebuan sand to see if the sand itself is magical.
• The Bone Rush: While the people of the core hunger for the relics of Har'Akirian pharoahs, they have also begun to seek even more ancient prizes, the remains of the age before man. While Hazlan has a rich history of ancient races and its own archeological pull, the recent discovery of well preserved specimens of ancient creatures in the Amber Wastes has caused a race to find and catalog these ancient wonders. Archerological digs have sprung up like boomtowns in the Wastes, but not all are in it for professional reasons. Many necromancers are fascinated with the bones of these ancient colossi, and others are drawn by more hidious reasons. For not all these ancient things beneth the sand are truly dead, and their whispers drive the crews to dig deeper, and uncover them from their desert prison.
• The Set Animal: As legendary a creature as the rumored Furies of the Core, this creature is one of a kind, and is said to be a sacred creature to the storm god Set. Appearing from the clouds during lightning storms, its body appears to be composed of storm clouds, its eyes sparks of blue lightning which flash red when angered. Sightings of this creature are rare, and it is said to appear only when a great dishonor has been commited against Set. While the cults of Set consider it holy, they cannot control the beast when it appears, and are just as often to be its victims. It takes orders from no mortal, only its god.
• The Nomad Tribes: The tribes of the Amber Wastes are many, and not all reside in Pharazia, though it is those sands that they will always call home. While the Muad and Azd 'Haat both wander Pharazia alone, rarely going into the northern wastes, and focus on their war with Diambel under the watch of Allahn, the tribe of Koth travels far and wide and has grown very wealthy from this, though loses to the desert have whittled the tribe down to a fraction of its size. While the tribe of Koth provides Allahn with financial support, they mostly keep to themselves. One of the largest tribes is the tribe of Ru'haam, for it is most open to taking in outsiders. From lost and dying Dementliue archaeologists, to the many wild children of Sebua, all are welcome as family. While Allahn insists they join under his banner and the war against Diambel, the leader, and old man by the name of Hef, refuses, not wishing to see his family suffer in a war he has little stake in.
• Jinn and Elementals: The people of the nomadic tribes, while deeply reverant to Ra, have long respected the power of the elementals and spirits of nature. They understand that while men are meant to serve the gods, spirits and elements stand as embodiments of their will, though they are flightly and often switch alligences. The Living Flame may serve the blazing disk of Ra, and just as well the burning hatred of Apep. As such, they are rarely summoned unless truely needed (thus while the people of the Wastes can summon elementals, they rarely do so, way to control the amount of extraplaner beings). One spirit that can be controlled, but never trusted, is the Jinn. Invisible to all but their masters, they are summoned and bound through well guarded rituals. Some say they are spirits of fire, others say the air, and many others believe they serve no element at all, being destined to serve man. But just as man is flawd, so are the Jinn. For they are prone to the sins and extremes of man, be it wrath or greed or more complex faults such as obsession. And often they bring their masters to ruin. (Effectively dread familiars).

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

Amber Waste ideas, in case this becomes a write up of the entire Amber Wastes

• Unraveled Time: The desert of Sebua is often called The Broken Hourglass, for time itself seems broken in that land. Caravans may go missing for months, even years, only to suddenly turn up just fine. Men may disappear during a nights watch and appear the next day as delirious old men, claiming to have been lost in the among the sands for decades. And even the cities though lost to the ravages of time may reappear. Grand aqueducts carrying pure water may appear, only to be found as ancient and crumbled structures the next day, while great manors and walled palaces appear out of nowhere. Despite this, these lands lost to time bear no living souls, with only the ancient dead and some wild children residing there. Some wizards have purchased great amounts of Sebuan sand to see if the sand itself is magical.
• The Bone Rush: While the people of the core hunger for the relics of Har'Akirian pharoahs, they have also begun to seek even more ancient prizes, the remains of the age before man. While Hazlan has a rich history of ancient races and its own archeological pull, the recent discovery of well preserved specimens of ancient creatures in the Amber Wastes has caused a race to find and catalog these ancient wonders. Archerological digs have sprung up like boomtowns in the Wastes, but not all are in it for professional reasons. Many necromancers are fascinated with the bones of these ancient colossi, and others are drawn by more hidious reasons. For not all these ancient things beneth the sand are truly dead, and their whispers drive the crews to dig deeper, and uncover them from their desert prison.
• The Set Animal: As legendary a creature as the rumored Furies of the Core, this creature is one of a kind, and is said to be a sacred creature to the storm god Set. Appearing from the clouds during lightning storms, its body appears to be composed of storm clouds, its eyes sparks of blue lightning which flash red when angered. Sightings of this creature are rare, and it is said to appear only when a great dishonor has been commited against Set. While the cults of Set consider it holy, they cannot control the beast when it appears, and are just as often to be its victims. It takes orders from no mortal, only its god.
• The Nomad Tribes: The tribes of the Amber Wastes are many, and not all reside in Pharazia, though it is those sands that they will always call home. While the Muad and Azd 'Haat both wander Pharazia alone, rarely going into the northern wastes, and focus on their war with Diambel under the watch of Allahn, the tribe of Koth travels far and wide and has grown very wealthy from this, though loses to the desert have whittled the tribe down to a fraction of its size. While the tribe of Koth provides Allahn with financial support, they mostly keep to themselves. One of the largest tribes is the tribe of Ru'haam, for it is most open to taking in outsiders. From lost and dying Dementliue archaeologists, to the many wild children of Sebua, all are welcome as family. While Allahn insists they join under his banner and the war against Diambel, the leader, and old man by the name of Hef, refuses, not wishing to see his family suffer in a war he has little stake in.
• Jinn and Elementals: The people of the nomadic tribes, while deeply reverant to Ra, have long respected the power of the elementals and spirits of nature. They understand that while men are meant to serve the gods, spirits and elements stand as embodiments of their will, though they are flightly and often switch alligences. The Living Flame may serve the blazing disk of Ra, and just as well the burning hatred of Apep. As such, they are rarely summoned unless truely needed (thus while the people of the Wastes can summon elementals, they rarely do so, way to control the amount of extraplaner beings). One spirit that can be controlled, but never trusted, is the Jinn. Invisible to all but their masters, they are summoned and bound through well guarded rituals. Some say they are spirits of fire, others say the air, and many others believe they serve no element at all, being destined to serve man. But just as man is flawd, so are the Jinn. For they are prone to the sins and extremes of man, be it wrath or greed or more complex faults such as obsession. And often they bring their masters to ruin. (Effectively dread familiars).

Maybe we could make it a book on the Amber Wastes. I'm just going to have to reread my copy of Darklords.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

The artist I commissioned has done a finished version of Diamabel for the now Amber Wastes netbook. I hope you like it: https://www.deviantart.com/dividlibro/a ... -842857054

I also re-read Moosha's entry in Children of the Night: Vampires and I figured that over the years, he's made some progress and noticed how the savage children are connected to the ancient pharaohs of his time. What he does with this information will be up to the DM.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

Reading about Sebua it makes me wonder what Tiyet's relationship with the wild children in her realm is like. On one hand she wants companionship, but these are just lowly, low-class children, not the high-class people she's used to. And her curse doesn't help, either.

Throwing in Moosha's new plot point, what if Tiyet also finds out about what he's trying to do? It's just that her domain is pretty bare and I dp want to do more with it.

[The Lesser Evil]

As some potential (unofficial) source information that might be worth looking at for ideas, Pharazia and the Amber Wastes had a pretty substantive expansion and reworking in NeoTiamat's Quoth the Raven 21 article, "Domain of the Endless World". Quoth the Raven Issue 5's theme/focus was on the Amber Wastes, if you wanted some additional inspiration and locations to put in.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

As some potential (unofficial) source information that might be worth looking at for ideas, Pharazia and the Amber Wastes had a pretty substantive expansion and reworking in NeoTiamat's Quoth the Raven 21 article, "Domain of the Endless World". Quoth the Raven Issue 5's theme/focus was on the Amber Wastes, if you wanted some additional inspiration and locations to put in.

Man, there's some really good stuff. I feel a little intimidated to tell you the truth.

[The Lesser Evil]

I'm sorry; putting limits to your creativity or creating mandates for your work was never my intent. Certainly just as with canon sources, fan stuff represents certain perspectives and ideas on the Amber Wastes that may or may not add to and mesh with the ideas you present in your netbook. Even ideas and such that want to acknowledge need not be fully described but could be mentioned in passing or simply referred to, bringing the readers' attention back to the original source at the end for further information. That doesn't necessarily mean your work has to match or be compatible with what has come before. For example, NeoTiamat's version is great but represents some major change ups of what Pharazia is.

Like what has come before, the work here represents its own perspectives and ideas, like the additional NPCs and further detail upon Diamabel's relationship with his religion. I can see plot hooks, for example, from the changing of Diamabel's skin from pale to gold and the existence of converts from the Core like Hans writing books on Diamabel and his religion. Imagine, for example, how clerics of the Morninglord might respond to news of a golden-skinned supposed champion of righteousness. Would they identify him with their own god? (Martyn Pelkar described a divine revelation of the Morninglord with golden-hued skin after his childhood run-in with Jander Sunstar as described in Vampire in the Mists.)

As for sprucing up Sebua, that's something I approve of. I imagine the Wild Children-Tiyet relationship is a bit complex. From Tiyet's perspective, she is described as a "lonely and bitter creature" (Darklords p. 84) whom has parties where only invisible guests attend. Yet Tiyet only has any fleeting contact with the living and holds resentment toward living trespassers into her realm. Her curse makes it such that the beating of human hearts is somewhat painful. Yet she is also dependent upon them to some degree for her well-being- being compelled to eat a heart at least once per year- a dependency she feels disgust with. She and the Wild Children both inhabit Anhalla, seemingly implying she allows their existence if nothing else to give her a certain source of hearts over the years if she can't find foreigners to dine upon. I imagine she mostly avoids them. From the Wild Children perspective, we know little about what they think of- or how much they even know of- Tiyet. The wild children aren't described as having any religion- though viewing the desert itself as a sort of harsh mother figure. They could potentially view Tiyet as an anthropomorphic wrath of the desert. On the other hand, rangers and druids are recommended PC classes for Sebuans- such nature attuned characters may or may not agree with this assertion. In any case, I imagine the wild children in general mostly give her a wide berth, speaking of her in hushed tones with respect but mostly dread. A few of their more degenerate members, likely outcasts if such can exist within the tightly knit society of the wild children, might have more direct contact with her, possibly acting as emissaries, agents, and/or spies.

As far as Moosha goes, are you referring to him preying upon the wild children, or were you changing it that such that he was more aware and capable of/willing to educate them? (In canon, he's described as characteristically incurious and only feasting upon them rather than trying to alleviate his curse or even being aware they are the key). I imagine Tiyet's attitude toward Moosha would rely upon her knowledge of him. If she is aware, his continued existence implies approval or apathy since she can control all the undead in her domain. (Unless Moosha and his desert zombie spawn somehow represent an exception due to his curse or status as an outlander). Moosha likely preys upon the wild children more often than Tiyet and thus might come to represent as a threat to be eliminated minus some mitigating factor. Tiyet might spare Moosha her wrath if she recognizes the significance of Moosha's curse in relation to the wild children and comes to believe his release would lead to her own. Explanation for such a revelation might be a thing to explore within the Amber Wastes netbook. The only canon existent clue she might have is the resemblance of the Wild Children to certain carved pharaoh likenesses in the Valley of Death (see CotN:Vampires p. 34).

[Mistmaster]

I prefer my domains bigger and more populated, so I' m able to tell more stories in it. For Sebua, that means adding nomad tribes and oasis-town. Harakir became a true egypt-expy with a flowing Nilus and big cities and living and unliving pharahons.and Phaarazia became bigger.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

I'm sorry; putting limits to your creativity or creating mandates for your work was never my intent.
Like what has come before, the work here represents its own perspectives and ideas, like the additional NPCs and further detail upon Diamabel's relationship with his religion. I can see plot hooks, for example, from the changing of Diamabel's skin from pale to gold and the existence of converts from the Core like Hans writing books on Diamabel and his religion. Imagine, for example, how clerics of the Morninglord might respond to news of a golden-skinned supposed champion of righteousness. Would they identify him with their own god? (Martyn Pelkar described a divine revelation of the Morninglord with golden-hued skin after his childhood run-in with Jander Sunstar as described in Vampire in the Mists.).

What I meant by being intimidated is being able to write something as good as what is in QtR and the other netbooks. Anyway, thanks for the ideas and I'll put the Morninglord one in as a Dread Possibility. (It's been a while since I've read those bits of Vampire in the Mists back when I was in my late teens.)

EDIT:
Here's the links to concept sketches for the other three Pharazian NPCs...

Fatiha Ebeid: https://www.deviantart.com/dividlibro/a ... -842466743
Belenus: https://www.deviantart.com/dividlibro/a ... -842404837
As for Hans, I decided to give him a different look than what was put into my character description. He'll wear the ceremonial Pharazian headwear, but dresses in Lamordian outfits: https://www.deviantart.com/dividlibro/a ... -842853212

[The Lesser Evil]

I prefer my domains bigger and more populated, so I' m able to tell more stories in it. For Sebua, that means adding nomad tribes and oasis-town. Harakir became a true egypt-expy with a flowing Nilus and big cities and living and unliving pharahons.and Phaarazia became bigger.

The original Darklords accessory did describe groups of Sebuan black-clad nomads that remain silent in the presence of strangers. Supposedly they could also travel to Har'Akir. With the formation of the Amber Wastes, the nomads traveling Sebua have often been reinterpreted as meaning Pharazian nomads, though a contrast between native Sebuan nomads and Pharazian trading nomads traveling through Sebua might make for something to describe in an Amber Wastes netbook

The Red Oasis has frequently appeared on maps of Sebua and the Amber Wastes but to my knowledge never has been detailed. It seems like it might be a good site for some kind of hidden community. Tawhiel Akhar (detailed in the Ravenloft DMG) and the unnamed oasis with Al Khymer (Children of the Night: Demons netbook) represent other oasis communities that could be further developed.

[Mistmaster]

Interexting, I like to keep places and people and expand and rework them to suit my needs.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

I have the idea of a Dread Possibility for Tiyet's parties that her "imaginary friends" are the ghosts of the adult people she took hearts from. She can't control them, but they can't hurt her.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

Here's Divid's finished pic for Allahn: https://www.deviantart.com/dividlibro/a ... -842856869

I'll be working on the stats for the Pharazian characters tonight.

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

Fatiha Ebeid (Level 5 Fighter, Chaotic Evil)
Str: 17
Dex: 15
Con: 15
Int: 10
Wis: 12
Cha: 10
Proficiency Bonus: +3, AC: 13
Skills: Intimidation, Perception
-Fighting Style (Dueling), Second Wind, Action Surge: 1, Improved Critical
-The Glare*, Dark Devotion**
-Scimitar, Leather armor, darts, whip

*Due to the failed dark powers check of whipping that citizen to death, Fatiha can use her strength modifier instead of her charisma for intimidation checks. Doing this will give her a major headache that will last about an hour.
**Her faith to Diamabel has granted her advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.