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Common questions
When was the name Mystara first used in official Dungeons & Dragons publications?
The name Mystara first appeared in official publications in 1991 when Bruce Heard used it in a letter column in Dragon magazine. The world had been shaping the adventures of thousands of gamers for nearly two decades prior to that moment.
What is the Hollow World in the Mystara campaign setting?
The Hollow World is a habitable inner surface that exists in parallel to the outer world of Mystara. This inner realm is lit by an eternal red sun at the planet's core and serves as a cultural museum preserving societies that have become extinct on the outer surface.
How do Immortals function in the Mystara pantheon compared to other Dungeons & Dragons settings?
Mystara features ascended immortal beings who were once mortal adventurers rather than a traditional pantheon of gods. These Immortals live in a city called Pandius on the moon Matera where they can meet and watch over Mystara.
What is the Red Curse affecting the Savage Coast region of Mystara?
The Red Curse is a sinister enchantment that eventually kills inhabitants of the Savage Coast through mutation unless they wear the fictional metal cinnabryl in contact with their body. This curse causes mutilation of the body and extreme degeneration of physical and mental health while imprisoning the region's inhabitants.
How did the Blackmoor setting become part of the Mystara history?
Mystara incorporated the Blackmoor setting by placing it in the world's distant past where Blackmoor evolved from a feudal kingdom into a highly advanced civilization. This civilization ended itself in an apocalyptic explosion that changed the climate and geography of the entire planet to create the foundation for Mystara.
Mystara
In 1974, two game designers named Lawrence Schick and Tom Moldvay sat down to play a new tabletop game called Dungeons & Dragons, but they refused to use the official world provided by the game's creators. Instead, they built their own continent from scratch, filling it with fictionalized nations that mirrored real-world historical cultures like Byzantium, Mongolia, and Scandinavia. They called this creation the Known World, a name chosen specifically to allow other players to expand upon it, inspired by the shared universe concepts of H. P. Lovecraft. This small, private campaign setting would eventually become the default home for the Basic version of Dungeons & Dragons throughout the 1980s and 1990s, overshadowing the more famous Greyhawk setting in the minds of millions of players who never knew it had a different name until the early 1990s. The name Mystara itself did not appear in official publications until 1991, when Bruce Heard used it in a letter column in Dragon magazine, yet the world had been shaping the adventures of thousands of gamers for nearly two decades prior to that moment.
A Planet With Two Sides
Mystara is not merely a flat map of continents and oceans, but a hollow planet with a habitable inner surface that exists in parallel to the outer world. This inner realm, known as the Hollow World, is lit by an eternal red sun at the planet's core and serves as a cultural museum preserving societies that have become extinct on the outer surface, including civilizations based on Native American, Aztec, Viking, and ancient Roman cultures. The existence of this inner world is generally unknown to the inhabitants of the outer surface, and the only passage between the two realms occurs through huge, subtly curving holes at the poles that allow travel through a cold, unlit, stormy, and anti-magic area. Explorers from either surface do not notice the transition until after it is already made, causing a profound shock for most who stumble from the familiar outer world into the strange inner one. The poles are not simple tunnels but massive, curved openings that twist the geography of the planet, creating a hidden dimension that has inspired fans to create their own material since official support for the setting was discontinued.
Gods Who Ascended
Unlike other Dungeons & Dragons settings that rely on a pantheon of gods, Mystara features ascended immortal beings who were once mortal adventurers. These Immortals, such as the ruler of the city of Pandius on the moon Matera, live in a city where they can meet and watch over Mystara, having transcended normal adventurer dynamics to advance in ranks as they explore the multiverse system. The Immortals' Fury campaign adventure saga, set in Mystara, advanced the timeline to AC1010 and included an update to the previous Immortal rules, providing a guide for players that had transcended normal adventurer dynamics. The Codex of the Immortals rulebook includes a chapter describing all the immortal NPCs in Mystara, and the Immortals' Fury campaign adventure saga is set in Mystara. This unique theological structure allowed for a different kind of storytelling, where the divine was not distant and unapproachable, but the result of mortal achievement and struggle.
What are the two moons orbiting the planet Mystara and their significance?
The planet Mystara has two moons named Matera and Patera. Matera is a visible moon whose phases govern lycanthropy and houses the Immortals in the city of Pandius, while Patera is an invisible moon known as Myoshima to its inhabitants who have a culture similar to that of medieval Japan.
To the south and west of the Known World lies the Savage Coast, a 2000-mile frontier coastline that is affected by the Red Curse, a sinister enchantment that eventually kills its inhabitants through mutation unless the fictional metal cinnabryl is worn in contact with the body. The specifics of the Red Curse include mutilation of the body and extreme degeneration of physical and mental health, and it also imprisons the region's inhabitants, as debilitating effects result if they leave the cursed area. This part of Mystara is complete with gunpowder, or smokepowder, weaponry, giving it a swashbuckling flavor closer in atmosphere to that of the Age of Discovery than the fantasy middle-ages tone of the Known World. The region was first introduced in the module X9 The Savage Coast for Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set, and later expanded in Dungeon magazine issues 6 and 7 in 1987 with the adventure Tortles of the Purple Sage. The Savage Coast was spun off into a campaign setting for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition in 1994, published in its own boxed set entitled Red Steel, and later republished online as the Savage Coast.
The Blackmoor Apocalypse
Mystara incorporated the Blackmoor setting by placing it in the world's distant past, where Blackmoor evolved from a feudal kingdom into a highly advanced civilization using more and more powerful and destructive technology. This civilization ended itself in an apocalyptic explosion so devastating that it changed the climate and geography of the entire planet, creating the foundation for the world that would later be known as Mystara. The Blackmoor setting, like Greyhawk, was retconned to exist in Mystara's distant past, and the apocalyptic explosion that ended Blackmoor is the reason for the planet's unique geological features. This backstory added a layer of depth to the world, suggesting that the current state of Mystara was the result of a cataclysmic event that had reshaped the planet's history and geography. The Blackmoor setting's integration into Mystara allowed for a rich historical narrative that connected the past to the present, creating a sense of continuity and consequence that was rare in fantasy settings of the time.
The Moon That Watches
Two moons orbit the planet Mystara, with Matera being a moon much like our own, whose phases govern lycanthropy, the transformation of werewolves and werebears. Only the Immortals inhabit Matera, and they live in a city called Pandius, where they can meet and watch over Mystara. The second moon, Patera, or Myoshima to its inhabitants, is an invisible moon that cannot be seen from Mystara, and its inhabitants have a culture similar to that of medieval Japan. The existence of these moons adds a layer of complexity to the world, with the phases of Matera influencing the behavior of lycanthropes and the presence of the Immortals in Pandius providing a divine oversight of the planet. The invisible nature of Patera and its hidden culture create a sense of mystery and intrigue, suggesting that there are more secrets to be discovered in the world of Mystara than those that are immediately apparent.
The Gazetteers of Nations
Each part of the D&D Gazetteer series treats one nation or empire and has three basic elements: cultural and geographic background, features, and adventures. The cultural and geographic campaign background section offers a brief history and timeline for each nation, basic geography, climate, and ecology, and fundamental social and political concepts of the region. Each Gazetteer also offers a list of scenario ideas appropriate to the campaign setting, allowing players to explore the diverse nations of Mystara in detail. The Gazetteers include The Grand Duchy of Karameikos, The Emirates of Ylaruam, The Principalities of Glantri, The Kingdom of Ierendi, The Elves of Alfheim, The Dwarves of Rockhome, The Northern Reaches, The Five Shires, The Minrothad Guilds, The Orcs of Thar, The Republic of Darokin, The Golden Khan of Ethengar, The Shadow Elves, and The Atruaghin Clans. These Gazetteers provided a rich and detailed backdrop for adventures, allowing players to explore the diverse cultures and histories of the world of Mystara.
The End of an Era
By the mid-1990s, gamers' attention started to shift towards the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and its official campaigns, and official support of the Mystara setting was transitioned to the Official Fan Site system wherein the Vaults of Pandius fansite was selected to become the official site for the future 3rd edition of Mystara. Wizards of Coast support was discontinued by the time the game's third edition was released in 2000, leaving the world of Mystara to be kept alive by fans who created their own material for the continent of Davania and the continent of Skothar. The setting was revised and re-released under the AD&D: Odyssey line in 1996 as three fully online products available for free download, including the base Savage Coast Campaign Book by Tim Beach and Bruce Heard, a supplement Savage Coast: Orc's Head, and a Monstrous Compendium Appendix. Despite the end of official support, the world of Mystara continues to be explored by fans who have created their own material for the continent of Davania and the continent of Skothar, ensuring that the legacy of the Known World lives on.