I just finished Rise and Fall of a Dragon King and I have to say that, to me, it's a great example of alternate history. I liked the book fine but the later official RPG sources don't credit it as canon. It has some neat ideas, though.
**SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK**
Sorcerers (I think this is used as a term for wizards in general) could become immortal on their own and rule a city.
It was Borys, when turned into the dragon, who caused most of the devastation to the world. Actually, this brings up too many questions for me. Why is the Tablelands hardest hit? In fact, if he spent a century in the area of the Tablelands, why isn't it *harder* hit?
Back to the book, according to it, Kalak, a non champion immortal sorcerer king, attacked Urik for some reason and in the ensuing battle, defiled most of the land around the city. It was this that destroyed the land around Urik.
Kalak also managed to trick Wyan and Sacha into giving Kalak's templars spells, since he couldn't. Weird but okay. I guess they were just heads.
It made Hamanu a bit more sympathetic, which was its point, I think. He became the troll scorcher for vengeance and then got caught in Rajaat's trap. He was still a very hard man, definitely a more 1800s attitude than "modern," and he did care about Urik. It was not how we would care today, though.
I do think it set up primordials in the guardians. Further, how did other humans become immortal if not for some other power? Or were they able to become that power? Again, good ideas to think about.
I came up with my own ideas and some I like a lot.
One scenerio has the champions become powerful and then contact a demon named Rajaat. After getting power from him, they use that power to cut Athas off from the Outer Planes, thereby denying Rajaat their souls. They then have to spend the rest of the time keeping him away or they will be claimed.
In another, Rajaat discovers magic and teaches it, more like a Jedi Master. However, some of his students go to the "dark side" and he tries to help them. He eventually dies and they take over. I haven't figured out what the levy is for in this one.
I have been playing Titan Quest, a computer RPG, a lot recently. I bring it up because in it, you are a human and *everything* you fight is non human. When that revelation hit me, I realized I was a sorcerer king! Further, since it's earth history, it didn't bother me that I was basically commiting genocide against satyrs, minotaurs, maeneds and other creatures. From there, I, at least, understood the Sorcerer King's attitude, in that they thought the world belonged to humans and were merely reclaiming it. It's what they believe to be true that was the important part. (The simple version of this is that they were nazi's, but it was easy to pick out the non humans and exterminate them. Hmm. Or they could be Daleks, which is saying the same thing.)
Hmm. What if the Messenger comet was Rajaat and somehow it was always aimed at the planet and the SKs have to deflect it every time it comes close? Or Rajaat caused it to constantly attack the planet as revenge for being betrayed? What if Rajaat meant messenger in some obscure language?
What if the other areas outside the Tablelands were defiled but now, thousands of years later, have finally grown back? Further, they are so prejuidiced against magic, that any wizards are killed violently and quickly? They don't mind psionics but they don't want to see their area laid to waste as they hear in the stories.
So, yes. Definitely like the idea of alternate histories. I am running a Dark Sun game now and want to run more after this, either in different city states to show a different perspective, or in a different history to keep the players interested.
turlough
