Meteors of Dárdünah

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    • Meteors of Dárdünah

      Since I know now that meteoric iron is pretty unlikely in the universe of Dárdünah, I want to redirect this thread into general discussion about planetoids, meteors and other objects that game masters can use to rain descrution upon their world, or bless their players with alien materials.

      Meteoric iron has a lot of mystery surrounding it in the culture of man.
      Excalibur was supposedly forged from it, Tutenchamun was buried with a dagger made from meteoric iron and many other cultures used the metal from the sky to create unique trinkets, symbols and powerful weapons.

      But what about meteors on Dárdünah?

      Read the post by Scotty below mine to learn more about the celestial bodies and properties of the universe Dárdünah is situated in!

      What kinds of meteors or other gifts from the sky have you rained unto your world in your games so far, and why?

      Share with us ideas you have for falling stars, meteors, how you weaved them into yoru story, the portrayal of their dramatic entry, impact and descriptions of their material and it's special properties!

      The post was edited 2 times, last by Sherbie ().

    • RE: Meteoric Iron on Dárdünah

      We'd have to ask Aaron about his view of this, but I've been acting on the assumption that the "other universe" in which the world of Dárdünah exists shares with Shard's world the feature of metals existing only in the rarest of trace elements as well...

      If I'm not mistaken, in our real universe containing our planet Earth, metals exist in such abundance throughout the entirety of known space such that meteors and asteroids and other bits and pieces floating out there contain high amounts, and are largely responsible for the amount of metals to be found on Earth, since our planet is commonly bombarded by them... I recall reading in a recent scientific article that most, if not all, the gold found on Earth was deposited here by ancient space debris striking our planet in its formative years...

      I would assume that, in the alternate universe where Dárdünah exists, if trace amounts of metals found on Dárdünah are so rare,...it's because the conditions under which metals can exist in its universe as a whole are also incredibly rare, and thus there probably really wouldn't be huge deposits of meteoric iron (or other metals) floating out there in Shard's universal starry void...

      Instead, as we may have indicated in snippets containing clues about Shard's cosmology, there are many differences between the "laws of reality" of the "real" universe and ours... The suns of Shard's universe are actually vast spherical burning crystals. These suns and the planets that revolve around them float in a strange "aether" that might actually have vast bands of life-sustaining atmosphere that may link some star systems and their planets together,... These aethers have properties that allow the existence of "shattered worlds" such as Dárdünah to remain a viable place for life to exist, and surround it with a strange and veil-like scintillating atmosphere of colorful crystal dust... Etc. etc....

      When I had strange materials fall from space in the campaigns I was running, there were always crystalline in nature, and sometimes even sentient!!! But that's just me! And just ask Aaron,...I'd throw things in my game that Aaron might never feel good about throwing in his, nor necessarily including it as part of the prime fiction... So from a gaming standpoint, I'd say, if you want to introduce the idea of "legendary metallic weapons and armor" to your campaign, or other such coolness, well heck,...having it fall from space is as awesome a place to start as any!!!

      Scottie ^^
    • RE: Meteoric Iron on Dárdünah

      Originally posted by Scott Jones
      We'd have to ask Aaron about his view of this, but I've been acting on the assumption that the "other universe" in which the world of Dárdünah exists shares with Shard's world the feature of metals existing only in the rarest of trace elements as well...


      That's fascinating!
      I had assumed that Dárdünah with it's solar system was just an odd-one-out, but an entirely different universe similar to this...
      I wouldn't have thought of it, really :)
      Awesome!

      Originally posted by Scott Jones
      If I'm not mistaken, in our real universe containing our planet Earth, metals exist in such abundance throughout the entirety of known space such that meteors and asteroids and other bits and pieces floating out there contain high amounts, and are largely responsible for the amount of metals to be found on Earth, since our planet is commonly bombarded by them... I recall reading in a recent scientific article that most, if not all, the gold found on Earth was deposited here by ancient space debris striking our planet in its formative years...

      I would assume that, in the alternate universe where Dárdünah exists, if trace amounts of metals found on Dárdünah are so rare,...it's because the conditions under which metals can exist in its universe as a whole are also incredibly rare, and thus there probably really wouldn't be huge deposits of meteoric iron (or other metals) floating out there in Shard's universal starry void...


      Oh, I feel stupid! :D
      Yes, I see it now, when I wrote the thread I had not remembered that fact... this does pretty much rule out ferrous meteors, or meteors of any such metal for that matter.

      Originally posted by Scott Jones
      Instead, as we may have indicated in snippets containing clues about Shard's cosmology, there are many differences between the "laws of reality" of the "real" universe and ours... The suns of Shard's universe are actually vast spherical burning crystals. These suns and the planets that revolve around them float in a strange "aether" that might actually have vast bands of life-sustaining atmosphere that may link some star systems and their planets together,... These aethers have properties that allow the existence of "shattered worlds" such as Dárdünah to remain a viable place for life to exist, and surround it with a strange and veil-like scintillating atmosphere of colorful crystal dust... Etc. etc....


      And based on what you said, maybe one can turn the whole thing around and assume that many special kinds of crystals on Dárdünah were once meteros that impacted on the planet's surface!

      Come to think of it, Stones of Rabishu could actually be pieces of shattered stars, while a giant frosty meteor consisting of Nadar crystals crashing into a rich grassland could temporarily (or permanently) turn it into a chilly wasteland...

      If this is possible, I am absolutely delighted! :D
      Thank you for these insights, Scotty!
      And thanks for working on this awesome world, that yet again managed to deeply amaze me!

      Originally posted by Scott Jones
      When I had strange materials fall from space in the campaigns I was running, there were always crystalline in nature, and sometimes even sentient!!! But that's just me! And just ask Aaron,...I'd throw things in my game that Aaron might never feel good about throwing in his, nor necessarily including it as part of the prime fiction... So from a gaming standpoint, I'd say, if you want to introduce the idea of "legendary metallic weapons and armor" to your campaign, or other such coolness, well heck,...having it fall from space is as awesome a place to start as any!!!


      With GM-magic, it would be possible... by freak accident, wormholes, who knows.

      And then again, I have to say that mere iron just absolutely fades in comparison to sentient crystal.

      Compared to that, iron really makes a shoddy mystical material from the heavens altogether! :D

      I think I should derail this topic to a discussion about meteors of Dárdünah in general!

      The post was edited 2 times, last by Sherbie ().

    • Originally posted by Aaron de Orive
      I approve of all of the above. :)

      Heh! Awesome!

      Originally posted by Sherbie
      And based on what you said, maybe one can turn the whole thing around and assume that many special kinds of crystals on Dárdünah were once meteros that impacted on the planet's surface!

      Come to think of it, Stones of Rabishu could actually be pieces of shattered stars, while a giant frosty meteor consisting of Nadar crystals crashing into a rich grassland could temporarily (or permanently) turn it into a chilly wasteland...


      EXACTLY!!!

      You hit the nail right on the head!

      Scottie ^^
    • I am curious about the insistance that metal is ALMOST non-existent in Janah not completely non-existent but almost I feel the need to ask, do any Janah know what metal is? Has what scarce metal been found and identified by Janah I feel the need to ask because in my Fanfic when my Pig-Character Si'Ni is taken to an alternate dimension which contains a less developed Earth and she's placed in a cage with metal bars, would she be in a position to know the bars are made of metal?
    • Okay... I will say that for all but the rarest and most legendary characters the concept of metal is completely alien other than for the fact that metal is for all practical purposes a form of crystal.... The sheer scarcity of the substance upon the world of SHARD means that it would likely never be so much as glimpsed by anyone..... In the rarest case that it is somehow encountered it would likely be assumed to have a deep connection to the sky chariot the GREAT MOTHER AND FATHER used to travel to this world in the ancient past or some other mythological significance and as such would not be used to construct any mundane items by rather might be used as special artifacts and might perhaps even possess attributes which could be considered magical within the bounds of this dimension.
      That being said you might leave it to a dice roll based upon the ATTRIBUTE of WIT to determine if your character is able to recognize what metal is, further more I move that the roll should be subject to the DIFFICULTY MODIFIER TABLE( located on page 34 BASIC COMPENDIUM ) At the most extreme level possible for a legendary character which would be at least a -5 DICE MODIFIER but should and could be as much as a -11 DICE MODIFIER which would mean that even if your character had a WIT score of 12 it would only be possible for a single success to be gained from the dice roll.... In this way we use the rules as they are written to express the rarity of the appearance of metal upon the face of the world.... By using this one simple method we are able to keep even the very concept of metal at the barest minimum and allow it to be introduced only when and if a GAME MASTER has written it into a story as part of the fiction and after careful consideration being given to prevent this substance from becoming common place.... Such an extreme negative modifier serves to signal to the players themselves the true extreme of the rareness of the information they are attempting to access without placing it completely out of the grasp of those few who are willing to pay the costs for such knowledge.... because make no mistake about it.... that is what they will be required to do if you decide to use this method.... for they will need to spend the points to raise their WIT attribute high enough and then they will need to find ways to over come the law of diminishing returns as they attempt to discover what may be one of the most secret elements upon the planet.... It would be like discovering the ARK OF THE COVENANT in our own world....
      Those are my suggestions as to how I would personally deal with this topic. I really like this way of handling it....... because by using it, I never have to say " NO " directly to my players....Instead......
      I can simply say...." It would be highly unlikely, however, you can feel free to roll versus your WIT at a -11 to the dice and if you succeed...... then you will in fact have heard about it" ... Of course.... In almost all cases no character will even have a WIT of 12 to roll against.....which means they will fail, but it does give those who do possess such extreme ATTRIBUTES a small chance of having some knowledge of the rarest of all things.... I use this same method with many other rare topics or scientific information which we know in our own world but which would be difficult but not impossible for characters to comprehend.... and of course this also allows me as a GAME MASTER to award those able to make such amazing rolls with equally amazing information which only they may understand....
      Let me know what you think of this method and if you will use it in your game as well!!!
    • This isn't happening in a game it is happening in my prose story on writing.com

      While Si'Ni is a merely a Trade Caste Cook in the Tea House her Folks own she is a huge nerd who owns like a dozen books...So it could be possible she read of something like Metal in one of her books about heroic Janah and Famous deeds?

      Si'Ni finally appears in Chapter 4 of my Fanfic if you want to read
      fanfiction.net/s/12722318/4/The-Revenants-of-Dark-Earth

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Teenage Mutant Sarpah ().

    • My point is...... that.... although this is a fantasy story you are creating..... the main character's knowledge itself is based upon the game of SHARD..... and as such one might be able to assume, that even if she (Si'Ni) owned and read numerous books ( as you say) , those books she owned or had access to reading.... would most likely not contain any information about the concept of metal......due first of all to the extreme rareness of the substance itself, and secondly...... due to the rareness and possible cost of the few obscure pieces of printed material, in the form of ancient books or scrolls , which might refer to such esoteric knowledge as rare metals.
      The rules I used to express this in the text above was simply a way to quantify the degree to which the rareness might manifest itself for the purposes of putting into context DIFFICULTY or RARENESS MODIFIERS which might be encountered under various circumstances within the scope of the rules of the game...... and by extension any character's ability to grasp such concepts or to have any previously gained understanding of certain obscure information.....This of course would only be applied while they themselves are subject to the bounds of the SHARD known universe, .... Which causes me to wonder..... would it not be even better to allow her to experience metal for the first time while in the alternate dimension? This seems as if it would present an excellent opportunity to use your talents to express her reactions to being exposed to an alien substance, perhaps even discovering that it is in fact a form of crystal which she (Si'Ni) has never encountered... In this way as long as she was unable to transport any of this metal back into the realm of SHARD, her having encountered it previously in her visit to another dimension would not in any way upset the logistics of the game itself.... With the possible exception of those she choose to share such a recounting of her experience with, possibly considering her to be insane or at the very least the victim of powerful hallucinations. I look forward to reading your Fanfic in the near future to get an idea of how you ultimately decide to resolve this issue, I can only image it will be a great and well thought out piece of fiction based upon the ingenuity of the questions you have asked in this forum. :thumbup:
    • I know for the most part the rules apply even when writing a story, I merely meant that since I wasn't playing a game, dice rolls weren't gonna determine anything

      I'll give you the 411 Plot-wise Si'Ni is far from the only Janah who will be kidnapped and taken to Earth 6 in fact at least slightly more than 100 have been kidnapped before Si'Ni who is merely the latest...Some Janah have already been killed by the Humans...

      It is Si'Ni's uniqueness (i.e. her Asperger's Syndrome) That is what gives her an unusual 'mental edge' where the 'normal'' Janah quickly fall to despair after seeing Humans and the Cages made of metal they simply believe that this is the will of the Devah and they can not escape this fate

      (Also the Kidnapped Janah are from every nation of Dardunah and every caste from outcast to holy so when they DO get back...Not as likely to claim insanity or hallucinations not only because of the sheer amount of witnesses but because important Sunborn and Priests claim it as well)

      Si'Ni's unique destiny is she is the one who rescues all of them

      So...Back to the metal cage...What I'm planning is that Si'Ni is with many other caged Janah being stored in a cave of all things. The Cages are stacked on each other occasionally being moved by a Human driving a forklift (One more thing to freak the Janah out) none of the Janah understand Humans speaking English (Where the Janah are being held is a distopian Utah, Salt Lake City has been renamed Stone City)
      Si'Ni disorder helps her in the way TV Tropes calls 'Too Dumb to Fool' tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TooDumbToFool Though it isn't that Si'Ni is stupid more that she is 'Too Stubborn to Dissuade'

      Where the other Janah believe this is the will of the gods and give in to despair Si'Ni's overly logical mind is like "This can't be impossible! I'm not gonna die here!" And when she spies a rock she can reach through the bars of her cage she decides to utilize the rock to smash at the lock until until it breaks (Fortunately the Humans are understaffed and really busy so she's able to persist for at least 10 minutes with no one human seeing this)

      The lock finally breaks she's able to open the door and run to freedom...This mere fact sends hope to the formally hopeless Janah.

      But she is also naked and terrified...The story I've just told you is what Si'Ni will recount to the main Heroes the Ninja Turtles and OC Allies both 'Mutant Animals' and my own Anthro Animal Creations I call Humanimals...It is a Humanimal Mage a Cat-Witch I named Marzipan Cheshire who casts a translation spell on Si'Ni similar to translation spell from Autumnlands that gives Si'Ni the ability to speak with the natives of this universe...While she will return to Dardunah with rest of the Janah before the story concludes...Si'Ni's story won't be over...She will be a Heroine credited with saving her Fellow Janah...But...Si'Ni having found friendship in the foreigners she never had from her fellow Janah before this calamity (And also modern technology like indoor plumbing and machines that can wash and dry your clothes) Si'Ni finds herself longing to return to the Human Lands...Return to the First People she could really call her friends

      So yeah...I just spoiled future plot twists for you guys
    • It sounds like a wonderful story. And I would like to take this time to applaud you for your creativity and the wonderful way you have been able to use SHARD as an inspiration to weave a fantastic tale combining elements of different dimensions for the enjoyment of us all..... It really is quite amazing!!!!!
      However......
      If you could do me a favor...... I would like you to consider the number of people upon our own planet who have been kidnapped or abducted by aliens.... a number which is estimated to be somewhere between 1,700 individuals and up to between 5-6 percent of the general population... claim to have been taken aboard a spaceship and had various tests performed upon them..... Now also consider the fact that many of these people have never encountered one another but yet have amazing similarities in the recounting of the events which happened to them during the ordeal. These similarities might include detailed specifics related to the experiments which they were subjected to, as well as uncannily exact descriptions of the aliens themselves, they might also include information on how the ships looked and the general lay out of the examination rooms and detailed information regarding the types of tools used upon them, and share countless other fine points about the encounter which would seem impossible to fake.
      According to available sources those who have been taken.... all share at least the following similarities of events.....
      CAPTURE = The abductee is somehow rendered incapable of resisting, and taken from terrestrial surroundings to an apparent alien spacecraft.
      EXAMINATION AND PROCEDURES = Invasive physiological and psychological procedures, and on occasion simulated behavioral situations, training & testing, or sexual liaisons.
      CONFERENCE = The abductors communicate with the abductee or direct them to interact with specific individuals for some purpose, typically telepathically but sometimes using the abductee's native language.
      TOUR = The abductees are given a tour of their captors' vessel, though this is disputed by some researchers who consider this definition a confabulation of intent when just apparently being taken around to multiple places inside the ship.
      LOSS OF TIME = Abductees often rapidly forget the majority of their experience, either as a result of fear, medical intervention, or both.
      RETURN = The abductees are returned to earth, occasionally in a different location from where they were allegedly taken or with new injuries or disheveled clothing.
      THEOPHANY = Coinciding with their immediate return, abductees may have a profound sense of love, a "high" similar to those induced by certain drugs, or a "mystical experience", accompanied by a feeling of oneness with God, the universe, or their abductors. Whether this is the result of a metaphysical change, Stockholm syndrome, or prior medical tampering is often not scrutinized by the abductees at the time.
      AFTERMATH = The abductee must cope with the psychological, physical, and social effects of the experience.

      Now..... I ask that you take into account that these events have been happening for many years to individuals upon our own world starting prior to the year 1957 and continuing with out ceasing up until this current moment in time , and despite all of these testimonies....... even with all our scientific technology...... and the available knowledge of the vastness of the universe which we all have at our disposal due to our own scientific discoveries..... the people who have made these claims are largely considered by the general public.....to be either under the influence of some mass delusion or suffering from some form of collective madness. Indeed if you were to ask the opinions of the members of the population which are extremely devoted to religious ideas from the bible, they would further likely tell you..... that GOD only created us in his image.... and that there simply is no other intelligent civilizations in the universe, because the bible says we are the sons of GOD and the world and all the stars in heaven were created for our pleasure since we are undoubtedly the center of the universe by virtue of our elevated creation.... Any insistence to the contrary would likely cause you to have been burned for heresy in our own not so distant past, and might currently still result in you being immediately sent to a priest for a baptism followed by an exorcism or some other purification ceremony before being subjected to the intensified teachings of the church.... Even if you were convincing enough to be taken seriously by high ranking members of one of the various governments in charge of a specific country.... You would be subjected to the repeated examinations by specialized doctors to determine if you were mentally insane or if you were in fact not under the influence of one of the very creatures you claim to have been abducted by.... However....In no event would you be allowed to simply go on about your life as you had before convincing powerful people or organizations that you had in fact experienced a CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE FOURTH KIND....
      If this is possible here upon our own world where science is a matter of fact in the world of SHARD similar would also be possible except that many would suspect that you were somehow under the influence of powers from the pits of their version of hell which is known as NARAKA, or under the best of circumstances they might assume that you had glimpsed beyond the veils of HEAVEN itself, although if you claim that you were being held there against your will.... The religious orders of the world would quickly move to silence you from speaking such things to the faithful and might given the fact that they are the highest CASTES demand that you be sentenced to death...
      This is just food for thought of the possible things which could transpire within the game....
      Either way it makes for some very good story telling!!!!
    • While that is something to be taken into consideration considering real life alien abductions...I'm willing to give a few added benefits to aid the Protagonists to make the lives slightly easier like 1 at least one of the missing Janah was someone VERY important like the prince of a nation or an extremely important member of the clergy, if the Pope or President or Member of the Royal Family mysteriously vanished and then came back claiming they had been abducted by Aliens...It wouldn't be as easy to condemn them as if they were a common citizen also...How they return...Si'Ni and the surviving Janah all return to Dardunah in a group, the Foreign Mages cast a portal spell and they all walk through and all fall in a pile in some town square like...50 to 90 Janah who had been missing for days falling from a hole in the air in a busy town square at possibly an hour like lunchtime...Gonna be harder to dismiss

      I dunno I like to think societies that have actual magic are capable of being more charitable when extraordinary things happen they aren't always but they can be

      Edit
      Guess I feel I need to add things to add more context but in the story Si'Ni, the one who was granted the ability to speak with the 'Aliens' will come to the conclusion she knows to much and the planned path was after staying like two months at most back in Dardunah her her feelings of alienation, her longing for the friends she made among the 'aliens' and her longing for the Earth things she experienced from technology to foods (She can't stop remembering the flavors of Italian Pasta with Marinara or Strawberry Slushies)causes her to find a way to return to those things...So even if the elites were worried about her blabbing something...She doesn't reveal much about her experience and very soon takes herself into self-exile.

      Also while the Humans are indeed abducting Janah (And other creatures from other dimensions) The Humans are still HUMANS and aren't gonna act like 'The Greys' the Earth this takes place is Earth 6 which is currently in its own 1978 because as I said in another thread the primary purpose of this story is to be a Fan Sequel to the William Kotzwinkle Novella Doctor Rat
      amazon.com/Doctor-Rat-William-Kotzwinkle/dp/1497638348
      So...Spoilers for the Novella (Though you aren't missing much by not reading it) This story takes place 2 years after Humans wiped out all other animal life except for the titular Doctor Rat who in this story has become an Anthropomorphic Cyborg his entire lower half is mechanical and his tail is a hypodermic needle that he can utilize as a weapon similar to Cell in Dragonball Z



      While I've been explaining this story like Si'Ni will the the main heroine in reality I'm mere telling her side of the story, Si'Ni's main role in The Revenants of Dark Earth is to be a foil to the true 'Heroes' of Earth 6's Story two of the titular 'Revenants' or Animals who have been resurrected and anthropomorphized by Apollo a 'Cosmic Dragon' who is the Guardian of Earth 6's Animal Life while he is less powerful then the Devah not being an actual God More like a more benevolent 'Eldritch Abomination' his determination to destroy all Humans in revenge for what they did to his Animals has caused his banished sister Artemis to have to intervene by reaching out to two resurrected Animal Minds who weren't like the others a Female Mole and a Male Ring-Neck Snake to stop another war from happening and bringing piece to Earth 6...This story is a bit like the Christmas Carol in that regard as it becomes the task of the TMNT the Humanimals and the Heroic Humans to convince the Mole and Snake to not do what Apollo says and instead overcome their fears and prejudice to heal bot Humanity and the Animals...Si'Ni inadvertently becomes part of this plan, her innocent reactions to Humanity, and her tales of Dardunah help the Mole and Snake (They do get names but I'm not spoiling them yet) To see that Humans aren't all bad and that a Planet of all Animals wouldn't be a Paradise as Apollo says it would.

      But back to the Janah and the Native Earth 6 Humans, since all the Animals died including pollinating insects Earth 6 Humans mostly subsist on a disgusting Soylent Like 'Nutrigruel' which has all the nutrients they need but also turns their skin blue and hair white, earning them the nickname 'Bloomans' The Heroic Humans from other Earths disguise themselves by painting themselves blue and dying their hair white...The Titular Rat is essentially in charge of the Humans of Earth 6 (Though he claims to merely be working for the mysterious 'Head Scientist' who is never seen by anyone else) With limited psychic powers he is able to see into other dimensions telepathically contact wicked mages who in turn give him the power to enter other dimensions himself to kidnap creatures like the Janah.

      And that leads me to what the Evil Humans have planned for the Janah, after dissecting a few of them (Which unlike the Human Abductees tends to leave the Janah rather dead after being torn apart) they decide 'We've seen what they've got for innards...Put them to work men!' Unlike the Greys the main reason the Humans want the Janah is for slave labor, they harness them to classic wheels of pain

      tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WheelOfPain

      In order to draw a mysterious green ooze from the Earth as a new power source...Here the other Janah while they still can't comprehend a word the Humans are saying should be able to observe the Humans' body language and see these Creatures wearing overalls and flannel shirts (Remember 70s the henchman probobly look like azure versions of the original Brawny Paper Towel Guy) and witness some three stooges like bickering (Because seriously who doesn't love the bumbling henchman trope when done properly, like in Spaceballs or the Hyenas from The Lion King) and the observant ones will be able to see 'These don't seem to act like Demons, they seem to be Mortals...Stupid ones at that'

      So...Yeah...Can't help over explaining the plot

      The post was edited 3 times, last by Teenage Mutant Sarpah ().