Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Agent Graves 04-14-05, 11:50 PM	in my return to the WCP i'm submitting a new human culture. Out where the desert is schorching, the sun relentless and the air stangnant lies the now sunken city of Bhaga. It used to be a magnificent, sandstone city known for its exports of silks and carpets, magical weapons and exotic fruits. In fact, the markets there were once reputed to hold the rarest of wines, the finest perfumes, the keenest Khukuri and the most exotic animals. The land itself, around the city used to be fertile allowing for large amounts of crops and farming. That was at the height of Bhaga's resplendent history... Legend tells of the rage of the sun god Havar had against the city and caused it to sink into the sand. Scorching the ground, whipping up ferocious sandstorms and seeding the earth with deadly creatures. Now all that remains are the tallest of the towers sprouting from the sand. Once the towers of wizards and sultans, rich merchants and heros some stand straight up defying Havar, others are tilted haphazardly and one or two have given in and fallen over, slowly turning to sand. Because of Havar's anger against them the sand has now become unstable and a great many creatures lie under the surface waiting for careless adventures. There are a small number of inhabitants in the towers who did not flee. They are the most stallwart and include wizards and merchants (or a combination of the two). Their mode of transport is usually flying carpets since walking on the sand is a death sentence, thus many schooling includes some wizardry. I was thinking that the creatures that lie under the sand are probably giant, black scorpians. The towers have the tear-drop shaped rooves, think aladdin, ali-barber. They also wear turbins or fezs and some sport thin mustaches. They usually have dark hair and dark skin. weapons; [http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/items.php?coll=1&cat=4]
Brknlf 04-18-05, 12:46 PM	Interesting contribution. I'm going to make a few suggestions with this one. As far as communal living between the domes that remain atop the sand, instead of just using flying carpets, maybe they actually have a few rope-like suspension bridges between the more structural sound domes (not to the ones that are beginning to lean/topple). The Bhaga civilization that built the domes seem to be ancient, or many generations removed from the present. I can imagine the domes being far larger than earth standards. The dome and tops of the towers being able to hold 10s or even hundreds of people (probably a hundred or less, but quite a few people all the same). I think the flying carpets should lean more towars the uncommon side of things than the common everyday mundane; it takes away some of the enchantment of having flying carpets. Maybe there are two cultures of humans in this desert. There are the inhabitants of the sunken city of Bhaga and then there are the outlying nomads. The outlying nomadic people live in rocky outcroppings away from the shifting sands of the Bhaga area itself. Perhaps they were all, at one time, part of the same culture. However, after the time of Havar's rage, the culture escaped first into the desert. They became the nomadic people, however, some of the people returned to the city to live in the domes. Over the years (centuries?) they developed slightly different cultures. I like the unstable sand idea as well. I know some of the 'realists' will point out that sand is nearly impossible to give liquid like properties too (without making it more liquid (water) than sand). However, a combination of fantasy and the ravaging god that changed the desert, I think it is interesting to literally have shifting sands. I'm not saying if someone steps on the sand the fall into it like water with this suggestion, but it is a little loose, so that a foot might sink in a little while one travels on the open sand in and around the city of Bhaga itself. I also think a form of land yachting would work well with this culture. With more 'shifting' sands, a land yacht on treated wood (instead of wheels) would work. Though, a form on wooden wheels would also work on a hard packed desert. Along the lines of alternative transportation, I like the concept of giant scorpians being uncommon to common. I could imagine a few outlaws of the society training some of the scorpians to serve as mounts. Just some thoughts, I like this suggestion, Richie
Agent Graves 04-18-05, 09:35 PM	fantastic Brknlf. although i think we may have different ideas about the 'domes' Originally i was thinking they would be the highest towers of the city that haven't sunken and are still poking through the sand. The tops or rooves (or 'roofs' depending on which country your from) of the towers themselves are the tear-drop shape... like the disney movie aladdin... (kind of moscow architecture ish the more i think about it.) But they are open to changing. I love the idea about using rope to bridge the distances between communities. (I can see PC's crossing a rope bridge with a giant scorpian below waiting for the rope to break.) There is also the option for Region Feats; something along the lines of a bonus for using ropes or dexterity or the tumble feat etc. I also think limiting the use of flying carpets is a good idea. When i thought of it, I hade the idea of a rich, fat merchant flying around with his wares on the back of the carpet. Also, the idea of a nomad culture intrigues me. I'm sure there was a nomad culture on this board somewhere, but i forget. Maybe the nomads can use the scorpians as mounts, though it would be dangerous to capture and train them. Perhaps only the finest warriors are trained in used the giant insects. Once again there is the option for Region Feats here; Ride (giant scorpian), Somthing else to consider is the use of giant scorpian venom. more when i think of it. steve
the_one_true_shea 04-28-05, 04:13 PM	aka equipment... scorpian sting shields. Deal bashing and poison, -4 pircing and poison, or venom counters... thats the mtg term eh? venom, poison something. Tiger, Lion, and Bearscorpians oh my! I had this idea of a tiger stripped scorpian that is, like maybe huge, bigger than a tiger. And, the idea of calling it a tiger scorpian, and having bear and lion scorpians too would be cool. The "Lion scorpian" would be the smallest, but deadliest "the king (ooh what about prince?) of the desert" one of the symbols of Havar's justice perhaps?
Agent Graves 04-28-05, 08:22 PM	I like the idea of different types of scorpians. I'm guessings they'd have type specific traits. What do you think about the nomadic race that uses the scorpians as mounts? Maybe the Histories tell of wars between the nomadic tribes to gain Havar's favour. A great number of scorpians are ridden. Some of the riders use long, poison tipped jousting poles. (Although, jousting poles are very un-arabian/desert) They ride to battle on the backs of the hardier, more resilliant scorpian. Other riders squat on the backs of their smaller, faster scorpains ready to spring off and pounce on the unsuspecting opponent. They use two cruel-edged scimitars. The victorious tribe gains power from Havar for the next seventy-seven years (no particular reason, first number in my head). What is the favour of Havar? Something to do with wizarding or Clerical powers? Also, does anyone have and ideas on Havar? alignment, domains etc. Ofcourse this is all easily changed.
the_one_true_shea 04-30-05, 10:45 PM	just hyperbole, as far as the scorpians, what if they had varieties like horses. There are size and coloration differences, and the strength of poison would differ, but other than that its just name and fame. I like the idea of the lion scorpian being a small golden scorpian that is in possesion of the most deadly poison.
Brknlf 05-26-05, 10:50 AM	Been awhile since I've been to this thread, but I like it as well. I did understand it was the tops of the dome/onion towers that you were referring to, sorry if it seemed like I was talkinb about something else. Desert nomads didn't use lances, but they did use spears; poison tipped spears would be intriguing - or at least spears tipped with scorpian stingers instead of normal spearheads would be an interesting idea. I like the way this desert culture is developing as well, especially with the different scorpians. It plays into the various nomadic camel riding cultures of the real world. I especially like the idea of tribal warfare being a part of the nomadic culture as well. The warfare is in part a competition for the favor of their god, Havar, as well as skirmishes over resources. Something like the nomadic germanic type tribes (as portrayed in Beowful); fighting is an honor amongst them. Bravery and courage are traits they embellish in their culture. The men who capture, train and ride the scorpians being the most honored amonst their society, becoming tribal leaders/warrior kings (or warrior sultans/caliphs/padishas). An idea for a card would be something like: Bhaga Scorpian Rider. :r: :r: 1, Summon Human Warrior (or whatever subtype they give to human fighter types). Bhaga Scoprian Rider is a 2/1 creature with the special ability of poison (I don't know what the correct wording is for it in current rules, but when it deals any combat damage to a player, the player gets a poison counter). However, the civilized people in the domes might have antitoxins because of all the dangerous scorpians in the desert. Mayber they have a Cleric type that has the ability of :t: cleric to remove 1 poison counter from any player. I could imagine the civilized people have a few really strong warriors as well to deal with scorpians, also I could imagine occasional caravan expeditions that go out maybe annually to try and trade with cultures beyond the deserts. They are large because casualities are expected (like trading endeavors during the age of exploration on earth). Another though, and I usually don't think of this much stuff for M:tG type conversions, but it is interesting. There could be a rare land card to represent the scorpian pits that Steve mentioned in his first post (or the creatures under the surface that can capture beings walking on the sands). The land does not produce mana but has the ability of :t: prevent target attacking creature from dealing combat damage this turn, put a poison counter on target creature. Just some thoughts.
the_one_true_shea 06-14-05, 06:25 PM	However, the civilized people in the domes might have antitoxins because of all the dangerous scorpians in the desert. Mayber they have a Cleric type that has the ability of :t: cleric to remove 1 poison counter from any player. Brk! Thats just not done. I dont think that I have ever seen a card that removes a poison counter. ever. Thats a neat Idea for Havarian Cleric card. Buddy of mine plays allot of Prince of Persia, Makes me think about time magic. OR time nomads? Could Havar be something of a timegod - sun/time whatst the difference? The nomadic cities could move through time ... this idea could get out of hand....
Brknlf 06-15-05, 03:21 PM	I think, if we make this world unique, we should consider unique features to both game conversions that we work on. From my perspective, we're not really making a conversion of M:tG into D&D or vice versa. I see the World Creation Project as more like an expansion set of M:tG and a unique Campaign World for D&D. With the thought of it as an expansion, I think most expansions do introduce some new mechanics and this world should be no exception. I think as we progress we'll surpass the usual amount of new mechanics from an expansion because this project is simply on a mugh larger scale then M:tG expansions. I can imagine each unique 'section' of the world being more like an expansion in itself. With the amount of scorpians and poison in this setting, I think new mechanics for poison would seem appropriate. The cleric card could be something like a rare summon cleric card with casting cost of: :w: :w: 1. I like the idea of including time into the desert culture, but what if it wasn't something too massive to deal with (too much time travel can be a headache for story plotline/game mechanics/etc.). They do have some sort of time slip ability, similar to blink in D&D terms (its only a short distance back in time) - they can go back in time and only a short period of time in itself. WIth this concept you can play off the phasing mechanics from the Mirage expansion set. Instead of getting too complicated though, some of the nomad cards could just have abilities like: 1) If this creature is unblocked, it deals combat damage to target player and then untaps, or 2) If this creature damages another creature, it deals combat damage to that creature and untaps without taking combat damage itself. The second mechanic is a little better and should make casting costs higher, and the 1st one is pretty good, it should be around a converted casting cost of at least 3 for 1/1 creatures. Also, if Havar does include mirage/time like effects for his/her followers, it would open up the door for new spells specific to Havar and a new domain even. Further in D&D terms, these open up the way for campaign specific PrCs as well (both for followers of Havar, warriors who have the time slip like ability and nomads who fight on the scorpian mounts (with at least on pre-requisite being the capturing of their scorpian mount and possible some taming of it as well - perhaps with a preferred class of Ranger (that is, Rangers are best class to take to get into this PrC)). Just thoughts on game conversion type stuff.
ChaoticGood 07-04-05, 07:43 PM	OK, how about some D&D rules for the religion of Havar? From the sound of it, Havar is a petty, jealous, evil god, who demands cruelty and domination. If I combine all the ideas I've seen so far, this is what I get: HAVAR (NE Greater God) Portfolio: Sun, Time, The Bhaga Desert Domains: Evil, Sun, Trickery, Time, War Favored Weapon: Longspear or shortspear, often tipped with scorpion poison. History: Havar is a cruel and unrelenting deity who considers himself master of the Bhaga Desert. Since he destroyed the only major city in the region, most of the other dieties aren't really interested in contesting that claim. Thus, he is reluctantly worshipped (publicly at least) by all of the region's inhabitants*. Havar was not always the only god in Bhaga. The city itself was once a great center of trade, and as such it supported many faiths from diverse cultures. Havar became increasingly jealous of the other dieties' presence in "his" land, so his clergy gave the city an ultimatum: ban the worship of other gods, or face the wrath of the Master of Days. The city elders, fearing for the safety of their economy, almost gave in to the demand, but the visiting populace of itinerant merchants stood up in defiance, throwing the city into chaos. In the midst of the emerging civil war, Havar struck the city down. Havar's titles are "the Cruel," "Lord of Bhaga," and "Master of Days." * It should be noted that, while Havar is the only publically worshipped deity in Bhaga, almost all of the inhabitants of the city continue to follow their own "true" gods in secret. Should such practices ever be discovered, the clerics of Havar would no doubt have the offending "heretics" buried to the neck in the desert sands and left to the scorpions. Rituals: Scorpions are sacred to Havar, and many rituals involve supplicants handling or even sleeping in a bed of the creatures. Initiates of Havar's religion must survive the sting of a scorpion as their final test before being accepted to the clergy. The summer solstice is Havar's holiest day, when he requires his followers to participate in a grueling 8-hour-long ceremony in the heat of mid-day. The ceremony involves a long march, drinking scorpion poison, an animal sacrifice, and the building of a huge bonfire to return the "nurturing warmth" which he sends to his people. As though to prove his own dominion (and his cruelty), Havar requires the nomadic tribes under his dominion to war with one another in order to gain his favor. He prefers treachery to valor, and he favors warbands that practice tactics such as ambush, hostage-taking, and violence against non-combatants. Victors in these wars are generally considered to be granted divine right to rule by the evil god, and other tribes generally defer to the leaders of such tribes during rare times of peace. Clergy: Havar's clergy are treacherous individuals who plot to gain power among their peers, even within the structure of the church itself. They generally wear little to no clothing, often just a loincloth and sandals, as they prefer to bask in the glory of their god. They pray for their spells at dawn as they celebrate the rise of their cruel master. Clerics of Havar can be found pulling the strings of tribal politics, or leading bands of nomad warriors in the constant ritual warfare their god demands. Shrines: Havar's shrines are found only in the rocky regions of the Bhaga Desert, and are built of sun-dried mud bricks. Because the clerics who use them are usually as nomadic as the tribes from which they come, it is not unusual to find Havar's rituals being performed in rocky outcroppings or even in the open sands. Servants & Allies: Havar's servants are Fire Elementals and various types of Fiendish Monstrous Scorpions (see the Lion-, Tiger-, and Bear-Scorpions mentioned above). His avatar is a NE Half-Fiend Efreet Sorceror 20.
Ashtaroth 07-09-05, 07:48 PM	I like this idea. I just want to put forward some bookkeeping and other ideas. While the exteriors of the towers are covered in sand the people who live in them have clearly had enough time to excavate the lower layers. Towers would now be entered via the top level, which would probably be a kitchen area, while lower areas would be living space and bedrooms due to them being cooler. There's also the possibility that major towers are linked below ground aswell, either by carefully constructed tunnels in the sand (probably made with the help of wall of force type spells to hold the sand back while the stones are put in place) or cut through the bedrock on which the buildings would still rest. When building a plausible habitation in a hostile environment you have to consider the basics more than you normally would. These are: Where do they get water?; Where do they get food?; Where do they get clothing?; Where do they get fuel?; and How do they make a living? Water and food are the most pressing concerns. The desert you've described doesn't grow anything and water will be impossible to find. With food you could either say that they trade for it, or they've developed special techniques to grow food underground (fungus), in the sand itself (some kind of land algae which could be extracted with large sieves) or on the roofs of buildings (some sort of moss). Water is different, it's just not practical to trade for it. Some sort of water collection system maybe, I'm thinking large but thin metal screens that they'd put up at night to gather condensation. Clothing is something they're almost certainly going to have to trade for, there's not a practical way around that I can see. Unless you go with moss for food and say it's also the home for some kind of desert silk moth. Fuel is an interesting problem. Real nomads would burn the dung from their camels. Can you burn the droppings of giant scorpions? Who knows? If you can't then they'll need something else. The economy of the culture can be based on trade -- but that means they have to trade between several groups, not just with one group and themselves. It seems likely that nomads would perform this role, so in my view the people who live in one location must make something they can trade. Maybe this is scorpion by-products; armour, shields, weapons from carapace, maybe they even harvest poison for export. Maybe they grow or harvest enough food, water or silk from the ideas above to trade with nomads as well as meet their own needs. Maybe their wealth is from another source altogether, perhaps they perform a secret process rather than provide raw materials. All of these things mentioned will strongly affect the culture of this civilization.
ChaoticGood 07-09-05, 09:37 PM	It occurred to me that it wouldn't be unreasonable to suggest the city of Ur in ancient Babylon as a real-world parallel to Bhaga. Ur was a great trading city, located between the city of Babylon proper and Egypt. At some point, a great cavern opened under the city, swallowing it whole. Anyone feel like doing some research on the subject? It might prove useful. Ashtaroth: On the subject of water: Don't forget that the original city faced these same problems. Therefore, it is likely that the city was built around an oasis or well of some kind. Any farmland around the city (which would have been irrigated by the oasis or well in the city's hey-day) would have been destroyed when the sands covered the city. It would be nearly impossible to recover this land due to the infestation of scorpions; the well, however, may be salvageable. It would most likely have been enclosed in a structure of some sort, and it represents a single strategic point in the city. Thus, it would be much easier to capture and protect than an area of farmland. Another option is magic wells, siphoning water from another plane, much as the D&D magic item decanter of endless water. If the merchants have flying carpets, they can probably afford to purchase, or even have a wizard create, a source of water. Surely at least one of the city's wealthy merchants has taken it upon himself to obtain such an item... though whether or not that person charges for use of the item is up to him or her! On the subject of food: A trading city like Bhaga gets to be built where it is because it is midway between two (or more) great commercial powers, rather than from local trade. While there would have been local agriculture, the citizens have probably always traded for a lot of their food (and pretty much everything else as well). In fact, the geographic location of the city would be the only reason the place even has an economy in the post-destruction period. On the subject of the citizens: Anyone who lives in Bhaga these days would be one of two types. The common folk are primarily people who stay in Bhaga out of defiance of Havar, refusing to give in to the deity's destructive will. The rest are wealthy traders who don't want to let go of this strategic (and profitable!) base of operations. The commoners would spend a great deal of their time in soldierly duties, such as recovering parts of the city and wiping out scorpion nests. By protecting the city, the commoners also protect the traders' business interests. Furthermore, by doing the job voluntarily, they eliminate the traders' need to hire mercenaries to protect them from the depredations of the scorpions and nomads. Therefore, I see the traders being more than willing to supply the commoners with basic necessities such as food and water. As for those nomads, the merchants wouldn't be doing much trading with them. They're bloodthirsty savages for one thing, and they worship Havar for another. That doesn't mean the occasional trader doesn't get it in his or her head to turn a profit trading weapons and manufactured goods to them in exchange for that exotic scorpion carapace armor... On the subject of my taking liberties with the script: My deepest apologies to the original poster, as well as anyone else who may feel I'm stepping on their toes in either of my posts. It's just that I've been wanting a desert setting for so long, and this idea has really kick-started my creativity. Hopefully I'm offering more good stuff than bad, but if not... feel free to *slap!* me. :tiphat:
Ashtaroth 07-10-05, 03:05 AM	I see what you're saying Chaotic Good. I'm thinking more than, because the city was once in fertile land, it was probably not also in a great strategic position. I see a lot of the city's wealth as being destroyed or lost beneath the sands -- plenty of adventure opportunities for D&D players there -- and the merchants who remain being middle class or worse rather than powerful merchant lords. I think the easy option isn't always the best. A previous post suggested rope bridges instead of magic carpets and I was immediately much more impressed with the idea. We think players are going to be more impressed with magic carpets, but most players with a few years under their belts will have seen a couple of cities filled with magic carpets. The more memorable and impressively creative solution is the low-magic sollution, the one that normal people would actually use. It's for this reason that I think the city should avoid the decanter of water fix and the other elements which are made easy with magic. Fixing things with magic risks having exactly the same city repeated in different terrains and ignoring the chance to be genuinely different. Don't get me wrong, there's no problem with them being traders exclusively, but I want more. When I'm being a player and the DM says "these people are traders" I think "couldn't be bothered, eh?" Maybe it's just me. :D I do like the idea of there being some sort of natural cavern system under the city. The additional weight of the sands was just enough to cause certain buildings, maybe even whole sections of the city, to slide into these caves. The tops are now submerged, but the towers are probably quite intact. Some very tall towers might had slid into caves and their tops are still visible, these places would be more substantial than they appear to outsiders. Like icebergs of the desert! Only, you know, they don't move around :)
kirbykel 07-11-05, 05:51 AM	One of the things that I remember from Judge Dredd comics is the huge cities called Mega-city, or was it Megapolis? Imagine a huge city protected by a shimmering force field, with its own water supply, farms - again, huge domes of multi-layered, magically lit (with spells that duplicate sun light) farm land that provides basic food and wood. Groups of griffon with riders patrol the perimeter. Flying ships from all over the world visits to purchase the one unique item that the city produce in large quantity: Sand. Yes, Sand! Sand that can be transform into magical glass works that is in demand all over the world. It is also used in many potions and magical dust, enhancing the power of the brew. K.
ChaoticGood 11-19-05, 11:44 AM	Ashtaroth: (Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you on this... I couldn't for the life of me remember where this thread was!) I definitely see your point about the low-magic solutions, and I didn't mean to suggest that they would be totally absent. I also never intended to imply that the common folk make everyday use of magic and that the skies are buzzing with flying carpets. But in a fantasy setting, these things should at least make an appearance. Some of the major problems (such as water supply) may have been fixed by wealthy merchants who use the city as a layover on their great caravan journeys, but there would still be a great deal of environmental hazard to living in the city. (The rope bridges are an excellent idea, by the way, and something I would definitely incorporate in my own version of Bhaga.) I am leery about the idea of saying, "The city was once rich and fertile, but now has no strategic or commercial importance." I agree with the idea that the city's rich material wealth has been lost beneath the sands, waiting for adventurers to uncover it. (Actually, I thought that went without saying.) What I disagree with is the idea that the city could exist without any intrinsic importance. Without that wealth, the city is now little more than an outpost, a defiant fort in the middle of a wide swath of destruction. Defiance only carries a citizen's spirit so far; after that, he needs purpose to go on living in the wasteland. People just don't live in a place that has no value. If the city were of no strategic or commercial importance, it would have been abandoned long ago. It is crucial to the concept that this city have a purpose in the post-destruction era, or it is going to be a very boring place for the adventurers to visit in between their excavations. This is why I propose the "great trading center" approach. A trade city can still exist, even prosper, without any local commerce at all. It can afford to be little more than an outpost, because it makes the bulk of its living as a waypoint for travelers who would prefer safe accomodations, however expensive they may be, to the dangers of spending another night camped in the sand. For clarity, this is how I will be using Bhaga. If you choose to use it differently, so much the better... that's what the creative process is all about. :cool:
Agent Graves 11-20-05, 06:27 PM	Hey team, the city that sunk was once the centre of trade and fertile beyond its consumption. This is where you can choose between water sources. Three options; 1. a wizarding merchant saw that this place would be good for trade- instead of the merchants taking the long way round they could cut through the desert if there was a stoppover and so he opens a potral to the plane of water... Thus we have a buried portal that could be seeping water. 2. The city is built on a river. But what happens to the river when the city dissapears? Does it dry up completely or is it diverted? 3. Large wells to subteranean (sp?) lakes... havent actually explored this, just off the top of my head. Its reasonable to say that there were many visitors and the markets would have turned over a huge income, (maybe the government at the time or Havar demanded a portion of the revenue? Large vault full of coin anyone?). When it dissapeared all the valuables, food and tradeable goods went with it. Depending on how long its been since Havar's rage burned, then there would be a lot that is valuable that can be retrieved. And, if an archeologist sought out a specific item he would have to contend with the inhabitants. Do they welcome the archelogoist in? Are they warey of outsiders? Also, what can be found? Surely if they had an overabundance of food they'd have some stored up. The food out in the open or in uncealed stores houses would be worthless, but the storehouses that had sealed jars of food could be retrieveable. How populated is the city? Have they found any of the buried treasures? Originally my idea was for the city to be populated by a small community. Maybe monk/clerics who rever Havar, or a hardy, defiant culture that refuse to be beaten by Havar. Maybe a benevolent sorceror who rules with an iron right hand and a water spell for the left... Or a greedy merchant/cleric who has an army of undead that escevates the sands looking for legendary wealth. There is a lot of room for archeologists to come in and contend with the cleric and his army (theres a lot of bodies buried in the sand, a dozen hands thrusting through the ground, zombies emerging from the sand, how cinematic!) alright, i have to apologise for my unfinished ideas and brain dump, too much coffee first thing in the morning.
the_one_true_shea 12-30-05, 10:52 PM	braindump woot! My vote is this: The original city was built around a natural shallowing that connected the desert to the water plane. This manifested as sacred underground grottos. Holy, natural, divine, etc. Then: The rage of Havar closed this portal. The city is uninhabited for a while due to the lack of water. Later: Some profiteering arcanists found refrence to the ancient city and returned to set up a trading post. Used their magics to open a arcane portal to the water relm and used great magics to make that an eternal spring (similar to an eternal flame in that they have to renew the spell periodically) that has become a small river flowing from the center of the desert. Perhaps some elemental forces (evil outsiders! ) have plans to reopen the divine pathways? Perhaps stealing the energy of the magi? Perhaps the divine portal isnt closed just shrunken? And the caverns beneath the city are not filled iwth water anymore.. but are unreasonably moist and full of soggy monsters!
the_one_true_shea 01-31-06, 08:26 PM	will edit Intended for use with the_one_true_summary