It should be possible that there are frozen tundras on Athas, probably only at the north/south poles.
IIRC, isn't Athas a bit smaller than Earth? If it wasn't, then either:
-the Tablelands would just be a bad neighborhood near the equator and there are more temperate areas nearer to the poles
-or the equator is not crossable, and the poles are temperate
If Athas is smaller than earth, then the whole planet could be blighted, but the poles freeze during the months-long night and the frost might last a little bit into the months long dawn. This might come close to approximating something like our four seasons.
Snow requires moisture in the air. This would result in more problems for adventurers when the snow melts since sweating does little to nothing in moist environments (take this from a life-long South Carolinian). The characters would die of heat stroke instead of sun sickness.
I don't have it on me, but someone went and took all the maps released for Dark Sun ever, stitched them together to scale, and then placed it on a world map to scale. It really wasn't much. You could potentially drop the known areas of Dark Sun in some parts of Australia, and have the Tablelands become an obscure legend that noone gives any regard until air travel is invented.
I dont have the original handy, but I stitched it together further to give that 'zooming-in google earth' feel. The misty border ends up looking pretty odd this way, but otherwise very cool to see the whole (fan-created) thing.
The only cold places would be high altitude, and maybe underground.
Fascinating questions.
The Tablelands are actually more like an 'island' floating in the elemental chaos. Escape the edges of the tablelands and you walk off the edge of the world. In fact, the tablelands are an island of relative peace within a sea of utter chaos.
To answer the OP's question: the elemental chaos migth have some pockets of darkness and cold - maybe even another (or many) island of 'relative peace' that have different environments.
Hell yes, what to think about certain chaotic magic zones with artifacts from Rajaat's time, like the Pristine Tower. I'd imagine some weird situations there.
Speaking about magic, what to think of the (introduced in 2E, don't know the dimensional story / background of DS in 4E) parts called 'The Black' and 'The Grey' ?
Also underground places, like Under-Tyr or cave systems.
Agis, where did you go, Agis?
Snow requires moisture in the air. This would result in more problems for adventurers when the snow melts since sweating does little to nothing in moist environments (take this from a life-long South Carolinian). The characters would die of heat stroke instead of sun sickness.
Well I heard Antarctica is the driest continent but its covered in ice and snow so I'm confused
Are there any cold places?!
Hell yes, what to think about certain chaotic magic zones with artifacts from Rajaat's time, like the Pristine Tower. I'd imagine some weird situations there.
Speaking about magic, what to think of the (introduced in 2E, don't know the dimensional story / background of DS in 4E) parts called 'The Black' and 'The Grey' ?
Also underground places, like Under-Tyr or cave systems.
what I was wondering is if the primordials won the war wouldn't they set up shop on Athas? the Elementials would set up and pretty miuch run everything barring the fact that at some time or the other they mess up and get caught. Some times I think the full extend of the impact is not really though out for this world.
The primordials are now slumbering. The SK's and the Dragon have moved in and taken over. A lot of the Primordials no longer exist i assume because the land has been beaten up so badly. Look at the Genasi of Athas very good information.
hmmm well that would explane a lot where is Genasi of Athas? i read the books like a dozen times i see cosmology page 17 and secret history of Atlas and nothing say about details of the out come of the battle or what happen to the primordials. honestly I think it is a once again short sightness of Wizard. I do like you idea maybe primordials are sleeping after a huge fight like they had (still) but it still does not explane why the elemential are not just over running everything and demon just running over everything now i can see that the area could be the only safe place on the planet and everything else is is over run but again Wizard is silent on the subject and the way hasbro been leaking money i dont think we are going to see much support for our game.
For DDI subscribers they are actually giving us DS support. There have been several adventures, creatures, the genasi race, and a new city state. So the content is there you just have to pay for it.
Ah yea give yet more money to Wizards hmm I just got to pass on that. So i guess I will have to do without.
For DDI subscribers they are actually giving us DS support. There have been several adventures, creatures, the genasi race, and a new city state. So the content is there you just have to pay for it.
Ah yea give yet more money to Wizards hmm I just got to pass on that. So i guess I will have to do without.
Earlier you said:
everything else is is over run but again Wizard is silent on the subject ...
Where exactly do you expect Wizards to speak on the subject if not in a publication you have to buy...?
Right now I'm running my players through Cairn of the Winter King, one of the farming villages on the outskirts of Gulg has been blighted by winter from a being who lives high up in the reaches of the nearby mountains. The crops are dead from the cold and none of the messengers they sent to the Sorceror Queen have returned, and it's up to the PC's who stumble across the village in their journey to Gulg to save the villagers.
Then of course you have altitude changes. Was in white sands Nevada in July, 100 degrees on the sands, went up in the nearby mountains and temp dropped to 60 quickly as we went up to a solar observatory.
On reason desert dwellers tend to wear alot of layers is so that they can adjust to the shifting temperatures and environmental changes that happen so quickly there.
Athas is just a world of extremes.
So how about those cold places on Athas guys? Remember, the thing the thread is about- not DDI or WotC's financial state?
Right now I'm running my players through Cairn of the Winter King, one of the farming villages on the outskirts of Gulg has been blighted by winter from a being who lives high up in the reaches of the nearby mountains. The crops are dead from the cold and none of the messengers they sent to the Sorceror Queen have returned, and it's up to the PC's who stumble across the village in their journey to Gulg to save the villagers.
the top of the ringing mountains have snow and ice on them.. they are so tall that the lack of oxygen makes your ears ring.. hence the name.. also.. the mountians near Kurn are home to winternest which is snowy also
the top of the ringing mountains have snow and ice on them.. they are so tall that the lack of oxygen makes your ears ring.. hence the name.. also.. the mountians near Kurn are home to winternest which is snowy also
Makes me wonder where the rain comes from. On a planet like earth, that is a 75% water, we get tons of as the sun heats the oceans, but on Athas the largest (known at least) body of water is the Last Sea-unknown to most people. Hmm, what about the Lake of Golden Dreams and the Lake pit (Grak's pool?) Sure the water may be toxic, but maybe not after it evaporates from and rains down.
the top of the ringing mountains have snow and ice on them.. they are so tall that the lack of oxygen makes your ears ring.. hence the name.. also.. the mountians near Kurn are home to winternest which is snowy also
Makes me wonder where the rain comes from. On a planet like earth, that is a 75% water, we get tons of as the sun heats the oceans, but on Athas the largest (known at least) body of water is the Last Sea-unknown to most people. Hmm, what about the Lake of Golden Dreams and the Lake pit (Grak's pool?) Sure the water may be toxic, but maybe not after it evaporates from and rains down.
depends on the timeline your using really.. but with the current 4th ed timeline rain is rather rare with rain accuring like every 15 years or so.. most of the water is locked into the underground water table.. if your playing after the events of the 5th prism pentad book than you get some rain from the cereluam storm which is caused from tithians inprisonment.. they dont really explain it all that well but i would say that it would have to be something to do with a link to the para elemental plane of rain.. there is a decent amount of rain fall in the forest ridge.. so you kinda have to suspend disbelief as there are lots of weather issues that can only be explained by its magical.. ie the silt acting the way it does.. cuz in real life the silt sea would have compacted down into a dry plain..