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BALIC, City of Sails

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Warunsun
Aug 23, 2010 17:24:53
Greetings.

Been reading up on Balic and its Sorcerer-King Andropinis. I haven't found much information outside of the 4E Campaign Setting and the 2E Campaign Setting boxed set. The revised/expanded 2E setting focuses on the merchant houses which take over if one allows the Dragon-King Andropinis to be captured/removed. I noticed that the 3E material brings Andropinis back with new Maenads comrades.

Was there a 2E source book or section of one that focused on Balic (Especially if it was pre-pentad)?

Maenads? Weren't these originally male medusas in D&D lore? Has Maenads been detailed in fourth edition?

Thanks.
#2
accuser
Aug 23, 2010 17:52:27 You're thinking of Maedars. Traditionally, Maenads are female followers of Dionysus who embody his unleashed hedonism. I don't know what they are in Dark Sun.
#3
Warunsun
Aug 23, 2010 18:50:52
Yup. I was thinking of Maedars.

Seems a lot of the DS core focus goes to Tyr. Sure Tyr is a popular location and all and semi "free" but that doesn't seem Dark Sun-ish enough with a normal human king. Balic seems like a good starting location and it has an immortal Dragon-King to boot.
#4
big_goon
Aug 23, 2010 19:08:24

Yup. I was thinking of Maedars.

Seems a lot of the DS core focus goes to Tyr. Sure Tyr is a popular location and all and semi "free" but that doesn't seem Dark Sun-ish enough with a normal human king. Balic seems like a good starting location and it has an immortal Dragon-King to boot.

Balic, Draj and Raam have received less than their fair share of love. I don't know of any supplement that talks extensively about Balic. Your best bets are the Veiled Alliance and Dune Trader supplements... but both are focused around Magic and Trade, respectively.

That's all I can offer...
#5
celticmutt
Aug 23, 2010 19:15:30 D&D Maenads (at least in 3e) are basically psychic Vulcans (from Star Trek) - extremely volatile emotions held in check by extreme self control. I think they sorta had an Amazon angle going too, but not sure. They can be male or female. They're from the 3.5e Expanded Psionics book.

I too dislike the traditional focus on Tyr. I'd dearly love more focus on Raam and Baalic, maybe even Nibenay and Urik. Gulg I'm indifferent on, and the only thing that comes to mind with Draj is that Tectucktitlay is the only SK I'd actively want to kill.

I think the only other cities that really got focus were Guistenal and maybe Ur Draxa in 2e - Guistenal in City by the Silt Sea, and Ur Draxa in Valley of Dust and Fire. But I never read Valley, so I don't know how much focus the city got.
#6
cnahumck
Aug 24, 2010 10:06:57 Athas.org released a City State of Draj product, though it does take place after the events of the Prism Pentad. I would recommend downloading it (its free) and taking what you want. Some things won't fit, but it could give good ideas for hooks and NPCs and the like.
#7
alevar
Aug 25, 2010 18:51:51 i have a bit of a problem, i like Balic alot, however one of my key role-players doesn't seem to think Balic is very unique compared to the other city states, i mostly like it because of the culture and the proximity to interesting areas, (Estuary of the Forked Toungue, Sea of Silt ect.) So what i'm asking is how could i make Balic be more interesting (One of the key things to know is that my party is mostly more wild characters, those who couldn't really deal very well in a political intrigue campaign)
#8
theomnipotentsco
Aug 25, 2010 19:20:38
i have a bit of a problem, i like Balic alot, however one of my key role-players doesn't seem to think Balic is very unique compared to the other city states, i mostly like it because of the culture and the proximity to interesting areas, (Estuary of the Forked Toungue, Sea of Silt ect.) So what i'm asking is how could i make Balic be more interesting (One of the key things to know is that my party is mostly more wild characters, those who couldn't really deal very well in a political intrigue campaign)

Watch the HBO series "Rome". When I read about Balic, that's immediately what I thought of. If they themselves may not be into the political intrigue, play it up in the background. Have various Praetors try to use them for their own bidding, and let the party take out their anger on them in battle after they found out they've been betrayed.

Example: A Patrician Family is training an elite group of soldiers as bodyguards for the only son of the family. A templar of the city wants to see this family fall, and hires the party to take out this band of marauders out in the desert. They come back to find that they are now wanted for murder of higher ranking soldiers of the state.

#9
cudmaster
Aug 25, 2010 19:47:46 Granted Balic proper is fairly cosmopolitan and civilized but as it is a city concerned with trade the travel options are considerably more robust than other city states, and there are a huge number of client communities of Balic or it's trade cartels. If you can figure out a way to get them a silt skimmer (or at least a ride on one) you can have them mucking about in the ivory triangle/mekillot mountains pretty fast and easy. Depending on when you set your game, there could be quite a bit of interest in Balic re: any mines anywhere remotely near them, given the sketchyness of the supply from Tyr during the period following Kalak's demise.
#10
commieclone
Aug 25, 2010 20:24:01 Dune Trader and Veiled Alliance were the only two sourcebooks that pretty much addressed every city-state. Veiled Alliance in particular was the go-to book on city-state culture aside from the wanderer's journal. As for other sources . . .

Tyr got lots of love from several supplements as it was the central city more or less.

Urik is touched upon in the arcane shadows adventure and the dragons crown adventure.

Raam during the civil war/dregoth's invasion got a lot of info in the dregoth ascending adventure.

Draj was never touched upon aside from DT and VA. Like, at all. The athas.org release is all there is.

Gulg got a lot of attention in both the Asticlean Gambit adventure and the Ivory Triangle boxed set.

Nibenay also got a lot of attention in both the Asticlean Gambit adventure (not as much as gulg) and the Ivory Triangle boxed set. Also the Marauders of Nibenay adventure.

Balic got a tiny bit of attention in the Merchant House of Amketch adventure.

Really, the only city-states that got a whole lot of comprehensive info during 2e were Tyr, Gulg and Nibenay.
#11
Warunsun
Aug 27, 2010 16:03:38 Thanks for the info pointers everyone. I think I am going to stick with Balic. It has just enough information out there to be helpful but not so much as to be demanding on creativity.

Good Gaming.
-Warunsun

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Warunsun Aug 23, 2010 17:24:53	Greetings. Been reading up on Balic and its Sorcerer-King Andropinis. I haven't found much information outside of the 4E Campaign Setting and the 2E Campaign Setting boxed set. The revised/expanded 2E setting focuses on the merchant houses which take over if one allows the Dragon-King Andropinis to be captured/removed. I noticed that the 3E material brings Andropinis back with new Maenads comrades. Was there a 2E source book or section of one that focused on Balic (Especially if it was pre-pentad)? Maenads? Weren't these originally male medusas in D&D lore? Has Maenads been detailed in fourth edition? Thanks.
#2 accuser Aug 23, 2010 17:52:27	You're thinking of Maedars. Traditionally, Maenads are female followers of Dionysus who embody his unleashed hedonism. I don't know what they are in Dark Sun.
#3 Warunsun Aug 23, 2010 18:50:52	Yup. I was thinking of Maedars. Seems a lot of the DS core focus goes to Tyr. Sure Tyr is a popular location and all and semi "free" but that doesn't seem Dark Sun-ish enough with a normal human king. Balic seems like a good starting location and it has an immortal Dragon-King to boot.
#4 big_goon Aug 23, 2010 19:08:24	Yup. I was thinking of Maedars. Seems a lot of the DS core focus goes to Tyr. Sure Tyr is a popular location and all and semi "free" but that doesn't seem Dark Sun-ish enough with a normal human king. Balic seems like a good starting location and it has an immortal Dragon-King to boot. Balic, Draj and Raam have received less than their fair share of love. I don't know of any supplement that talks extensively about Balic. Your best bets are the Veiled Alliance and Dune Trader supplements... but both are focused around Magic and Trade, respectively. That's all I can offer...
#5 celticmutt Aug 23, 2010 19:15:30	D&D Maenads (at least in 3e) are basically psychic Vulcans (from Star Trek) - extremely volatile emotions held in check by extreme self control. I think they sorta had an Amazon angle going too, but not sure. They can be male or female. They're from the 3.5e Expanded Psionics book. I too dislike the traditional focus on Tyr. I'd dearly love more focus on Raam and Baalic, maybe even Nibenay and Urik. Gulg I'm indifferent on, and the only thing that comes to mind with Draj is that Tectucktitlay is the only SK I'd actively want to kill. I think the only other cities that really got focus were Guistenal and maybe Ur Draxa in 2e - Guistenal in City by the Silt Sea, and Ur Draxa in Valley of Dust and Fire. But I never read Valley, so I don't know how much focus the city got.
#6 cnahumck Aug 24, 2010 10:06:57	Athas.org released a City State of Draj product, though it does take place after the events of the Prism Pentad. I would recommend downloading it (its free) and taking what you want. Some things won't fit, but it could give good ideas for hooks and NPCs and the like.
#7 alevar Aug 25, 2010 18:51:51	i have a bit of a problem, i like Balic alot, however one of my key role-players doesn't seem to think Balic is very unique compared to the other city states, i mostly like it because of the culture and the proximity to interesting areas, (Estuary of the Forked Toungue, Sea of Silt ect.) So what i'm asking is how could i make Balic be more interesting (One of the key things to know is that my party is mostly more wild characters, those who couldn't really deal very well in a political intrigue campaign)
#8 theomnipotentsco Aug 25, 2010 19:20:38	i have a bit of a problem, i like Balic alot, however one of my key role-players doesn't seem to think Balic is very unique compared to the other city states, i mostly like it because of the culture and the proximity to interesting areas, (Estuary of the Forked Toungue, Sea of Silt ect.) So what i'm asking is how could i make Balic be more interesting (One of the key things to know is that my party is mostly more wild characters, those who couldn't really deal very well in a political intrigue campaign) Watch the HBO series "Rome". When I read about Balic, that's immediately what I thought of. If they themselves may not be into the political intrigue, play it up in the background. Have various Praetors try to use them for their own bidding, and let the party take out their anger on them in battle after they found out they've been betrayed. Example: A Patrician Family is training an elite group of soldiers as bodyguards for the only son of the family. A templar of the city wants to see this family fall, and hires the party to take out this band of marauders out in the desert. They come back to find that they are now wanted for murder of higher ranking soldiers of the state.
#9 cudmaster Aug 25, 2010 19:47:46	Granted Balic proper is fairly cosmopolitan and civilized but as it is a city concerned with trade the travel options are considerably more robust than other city states, and there are a huge number of client communities of Balic or it's trade cartels. If you can figure out a way to get them a silt skimmer (or at least a ride on one) you can have them mucking about in the ivory triangle/mekillot mountains pretty fast and easy. Depending on when you set your game, there could be quite a bit of interest in Balic re: any mines anywhere remotely near them, given the sketchyness of the supply from Tyr during the period following Kalak's demise.
#10 commieclone Aug 25, 2010 20:24:01	Dune Trader and Veiled Alliance were the only two sourcebooks that pretty much addressed every city-state. Veiled Alliance in particular was the go-to book on city-state culture aside from the wanderer's journal. As for other sources . . . Tyr got lots of love from several supplements as it was the central city more or less. Urik is touched upon in the arcane shadows adventure and the dragons crown adventure. Raam during the civil war/dregoth's invasion got a lot of info in the dregoth ascending adventure. Draj was never touched upon aside from DT and VA. Like, at all. The athas.org release is all there is. Gulg got a lot of attention in both the Asticlean Gambit adventure and the Ivory Triangle boxed set. Nibenay also got a lot of attention in both the Asticlean Gambit adventure (not as much as gulg) and the Ivory Triangle boxed set. Also the Marauders of Nibenay adventure. Balic got a tiny bit of attention in the Merchant House of Amketch adventure. Really, the only city-states that got a whole lot of comprehensive info during 2e were Tyr, Gulg and Nibenay.
#11 Warunsun Aug 27, 2010 16:03:38	Thanks for the info pointers everyone. I think I am going to stick with Balic. It has just enough information out there to be helpful but not so much as to be demanding on creativity. Good Gaming. -Warunsun