What happened to Pharazia?
What happened to Pharazia?
So this has been bugging me for a little while now. Island of Terror originally came with a poster map of the new domains it discussed, including Pharazia. The thing is, the domain it depicts versus the domain that appears as part of the Amber Wastes is...different. Part of it I understand- they had to go through some editing to merge sebua and Pharazia. Fine. But they also essentially cut off the eastern half of the domain in the process. Am I crazy or did it shrink?
I'm just a ghost in this house.
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Re: What happened to Pharazia?
You're not crazy, but it's not the whole eastern half. The IoT map, (which by the way, is a really odd shape) has Phiraz in the middle, with the river splitting three ways. The western branch turns south and goes down what I'll call the "western arm" of the domain. The center branch goes straight down the "body" and the eastern branch goes straight out to the eastern edge. That's all still there in the DoD cluster map (which is the same shape as the 3e version). What's missing is the "eastern arm" (a comparatively small blob with an oasis in it), and 2 of the four "heads" of the domain. Based on the shapes, I'm going to say the western-most "head" merged with the "shoulder" and became part of the connection to Sebua. (Essentially the bit of Mists sticking up into the domain on the western side got filled in.) And it looks like the 2nd and 4th "heads" (going from west to east) line up best with the remaining 2 heads. What was lost was the 3rd one, I think, crowded out as the other two moved together.
heh... actually, I see now that IoT describes the shape as resembling a "2-headed celestial being". So one might just say the "wings" got clipped... just as Diamabel's wings shrivel to bone at night. Is it perhaps the "night" of the land in some way? If you really want to read into the map, you could add some prophecy about a journey to the lost "wings". (and why is the hand gone? maybe Diamabel metaphorically stole something and this was the punishment?)
or maybe some cartographer just liked the look better this way.
heh... actually, I see now that IoT describes the shape as resembling a "2-headed celestial being". So one might just say the "wings" got clipped... just as Diamabel's wings shrivel to bone at night. Is it perhaps the "night" of the land in some way? If you really want to read into the map, you could add some prophecy about a journey to the lost "wings". (and why is the hand gone? maybe Diamabel metaphorically stole something and this was the punishment?)
or maybe some cartographer just liked the look better this way.

"We're realistic heroes. We're not here to save the world, just nudge the world into a better place."
Re: What happened to Pharazia?
The writer in me wants to make it more of a thing, like part of the domain is being hidden away by a Mist Djinn.
Also, I think genies should be corruptible by the demiplane like elementals are so things like Mist Djinn can exist.
Also, I think genies should be corruptible by the demiplane like elementals are so things like Mist Djinn can exist.
I'm just a ghost in this house.