Re: (TFT) My Essay on the Thorsz

["Neil Gilmore" <raito@raito.com>]

> Hi Everyone,
> I don't remember if this essay got posted to the list,
> if it has, my apologies.  It was an article I submitted to the
> Fantasy Forum, but I think that magazine when under
> before it ran.

You did; I saw it in the archives.

> What is known:  Ardonirane is a powerful city ruled by a war leader
Dhallak m'Thorsz Carn.   He is ruthless,  and has gold (lots of gold).   The
Thorsz is actively hiring mercenaries so obviously there is sufficient
danger locally to require high quality troops.   Specifically we know there
are ruins in near by Quercim,  and some where there are Red Plains complete
with orks.   He is not the first of his line,  he is just one of a dynasty
of Thorszes.   The first or 'youngest' Thorsz must have been quite the mage
for he created the orbs from Orb Quest and distributed them to his wizards.
The nameless mage in Orb Quest spoke of the youngest Thorsz having to
civilize and tame the surrounding wilds with independent wizards armed with
orbs.   A few orbs were lost or stolen and are now being collected by some
one and are actively threatening the Thorsz.

I only got OrbQuest less than 3 months ago, and didn't even know it existed
before that. But it does fit pretty well into my milieu. There, the Quercim
ruins are on the east side of the Auric Mountains, north of Ardonirane about
a hundred miles. Also, it would be more fair to say that my Thorsz had the
orbs made, because he isn't a wizard. As for the dynasty, and the youngest
Thorsz, who's to say? Not everyone lives (seemingly) forever, and
speculation becomes legend becomes myth becomes history... But he did tame
the wilds around what was to become Ardonirane. Very few citizens even
suspect that the Orbs exist, or what role they played in the Thorsz founding
of Ardonirane.

It's my theory that the Council of Thirteen (and their wizardly troops) used
the Orbs to help tame the wilds in order to be able to build the City. Then
they were used to keep the Thorsz in power, both internally and externally.

> Geography:    There is very little known about Ardonirane.   A city must
have water so it is likely located on a river,  thus any adventure written
could talk of the ports.   If it is on a sea or ocean then trade could
account for some of the wealth that the Thorsz can spend.   However water
travel is never mentioned in any of the books and they speak of merchant
caravans requiring troop escorts,  so we can be confident of at least one
overland trade route.   I suspect that the area is mountainous because:  a)
There is no shortage of gold and it is rare to find gold deposits in plains.
b)  In Orb Quest they speak of the 'realms' (plural) of the Thorsz and yet
it seems as if his kingdom is centralized enough that all the recruiting of
the army is done thru the Death Tests.   This would only be possible if
travel times are relatively short.   Yet the geography is varied enough that
it is meaningful to speak of different regions all under the control of the
Thorsz.   c)  Las!

It would seem that we agree on this. To further explain, there's 2 tectonic
plates whose meeting edges are roughtly north-south. On the southern side,
one slips right over the other. To the north, they don't, hence the
mountains. FOr some reason, Gates don't seem to want to pass over/though the
mountains, and nobody's really sure why (except me, of course!). In my first
post, I stated that the Thorsz generates a lot of income from duties paid on
goods passing through the city, but it's not his only means of income.

> tly the Red Plains are presumably red because a large number of battles
have been fought there.   If the terrain is completely flat the fights could
happen any where.   If the terrain was sufficiently rough that
transportation routes would stick to the plains and valleys,  it could well
happen that a strategic choke point would be the location of many battles.

In my milieu, the sand is a red color, though certainly enough blood has
been shed there. Usually, a caravan will either have made arrangements with
some nomadic orc tribe which happens to be in the area, or with the first
one they meet to act as escorts. The other tribes will generally leave them
alone. Though the Thorsz doesn't appear to control the orcs, he does send
troops after a tribe if it gets too out of hand (attacking a caravan that
won't hire a tribe isn't 'out of hand', though). Because the Red Plains are
pretty flat, caravans could take any route they wished. But usually, they
take relatively straight routes, which means that there are practically
roads through the desert.

> Political Geography:    The Thorsz does not seem to be fighting a vast
empire.   On the contrary he seems to be in competition with other states
for quality fighting men.   In Orb Quest it speaks of the "youngest Thorsz"
sending out trusted wizards with the orbs to soften up the wilderness before
he went conquering.   Some of these wizards betrayed him,  presumably to
enjoy independent political power.   Lately the areas surrounding the Thorsz
have grown increasingly  "darker,  more foreboding,  and more dangerous".
They mention border patrols going outside of communications and then one in
five returning wounded or not at all.   Therefore the edges of the Thorsz'
realm are not peaceful civilized regions with politically stable boarders,
but wild areas requiring scouting by small groups.   Now some wizard (who
can travel and communicate far faster than normal folk) has started rounding
up the orbs that are scattered in all directions around the Thorsz' kingdom,
and is st!
> arting a policy of deliberate harassment.

He does have the largest standing army known, for good reaons not known to
players. It is true that there's no real wars going on (the west is to
uncivilized to band together, and the east craves the good that pass through
Ardonirane). However, many of the troops spend a lot of time up in the
mountains, sometimes for as much as 2 months at a time. When they return,
all they say about their tour is that they patrolled a lot.

> The nameless wizard in Orb Quest speaks of the missing orbs being aligned
towards evil ends.   This may be mere hyperbole and or propaganda but it may
be that the Thorsz is a relatively benign overlord in an area where such
things are rarities. I tend to believe that the Thorsz is an ok guy, because
in DT 2, he shows that (tho bad tempered) he treats his underlings with
respect and courtesy.

My Thorsz is basically an honest, though ruthless, dealer. He founded
Ardonirane for the money and power. Dealing fairly (and having the biggest
stick) is how he increases his hoard and holdings. He'd rather trade, tax,
and tariff for money, rather than conquer for it.

> Guesses about the Thorsz:
> The Thorsz seems to be new to this ruling business,  as he is still
setting up the Death Tests and working the bugs out of that procedure.
Also his system of awarding rank based on fighting prowess,  while no doubt
giving him brave officers,  will tend to put people with no experience of
command or knowledge of strategy,  in positions of power in his military.
This seems the act of a man whose family until recently was more at home
with fighters and heros rather than advisers and grandiloquent courtiers.
I would guess that the youngest Thorsz was the Grandfather of Dhallak
m'Thorsz Carn.   The current Thorsz is likely the first to rule from the
city and is just discovering the joys of economics,  guild politics,  and
the subtle web of influence that has grown around him.

Well, he's more perturbed that someone scerwed up the modified Telepathy
spells, and the inner workings of Death Test became known. He's remedied
that situation. As for the ranks, well, that's just screwed up. I dealt with
it a bit by making those not suited to be officers have the rank, but not a
commission. That way, they get their pay, but don't get to mess up the
structure of command. It can also explain why Ayoch is a Captain.

leader which is hard to believe.   Lastly I thought that a Thorsz guard
would either be a personal body guard,  or a member of an elite unit rather
than someone in the Line of Command.

Thorsz Guard tend to be Palace guards, and the overflow gaurds the
highest-class section of the city. They're also the special forces, of
sorts, and get sent out when there's sure to be fighting, or when the Thorsz
wants to impress someone.

> My suggestion is that at the time of the first 3 adventures, the way the
army is classified IS somewhat disorganized.  As well as the 5 ranks from
the Death Tests, there are any number of people with odd ranks and different
responsibilities.  This results in increasing amounts of confusion.

Those are the guys with commissions.

I never worried much about the actual structure of the army, because it
mostly doesn't come into play. Having a job in the Army is just a way to
build up some cash before mustering out to adventure (that's what I use the
jobs for, unless there's going to be extensive downtime for a character).

> The Orbs:  Before much more than a treasure hunt can be written about the
orbs, we have to decide what they do.
>
> What is known about the orbs: The orb we saw in Orb Quest had the
following spells on it:  Stone Flesh (self powering), Reverse Missiles
(s.p.), and Immunity to Sleep, Freeze and all controlling spells. I assume
that other orbs could have other spells on them, but even the mundane spells
on them are very expensive

And in a land where magic items are rare, they are even more impressive and
valuable.

> Large numbers of orbs were made. These were entrusted to a number of
wizards. Some of the wizards betrayed the Thorsz.  The orbs seem to be
highly valued by wizards.  The orbs are kept in towers on the mist plane.

I've been workng on answers to these very sorts of questions, in a manner
particular to my milieu. There always was a Council of Thirteen, but was it
always the same Thirteen?

> Questions about the orbs:
As well as the normal spells mentioned in the Orb Quest adventure, do they
have any powers?

Sort of. They have some additional stuff with limitations.

Do they become more powerful when they are collected together?

Yes. See above. However, getting this to fit the Rule of Five isn't going to
be easy.

Who built the towers that the orbs are kept in?

The ones who are collecting the Orbs.

What is their relationship to the mist plain that they were stored on for so
long? (Were they stored long on the mist plain, or have they just recently
been moved there?)

None. It's just a holding place that is very hard to get to.

Are the hostile orbs being left on the mist plane by the hostile wizard?

Yes, they are being left there until there's enough of them to being
together effectively.

Are the orbs on the mist plane friendly (or at least neutral) and they are
being recovered so that someone else doesn't get to them first?

The orbs have no ego, and so aren't friendly or otherwise. And yes, they are
being put there so that the Thorsz won't get hold of them (but he's found
the mist plane, now...)

Do the orbs affect mana?

No, though some may be ST batteries.

Do the orbs affect the minds of creatures, spirits, people, etc.?

Only by greed, or ordinary magic powers.

Why did the youngest Thorsz trust other wizards with the orbs?

He's not a wizard, so he trusted those close to him.

Was there some great danger that the youngest Thorsz could reasonably expect
to force these wizards to fight it and not him?

Not really. But the Council never really goes against the Thorsz, partly
because its a cushy gig, partly because they're fractious.

> I don't have good answers to these questions, and would love to see some
debate about just what the orbs are.  I don't think they are just another
magic item and I feel that their being placed in towers on the mist plane is
not a coincidence, but the exact story of their power eludes me.

Well, I treat them as just another magic item, just very, very powerful.

> Future Adventures: The Thorsz has several problems that future adventure
writers can exploit.   Most of his troops are there for the money so there
should be officers that have taken bribes,  which can put the players in hot
water.   His borders are growing more dangerous so small groups could run
into trouble on patrol.   Of course the Orbs are a major concern.   Lastly
the Thorsz would be in trouble if his income is threatened,  groups could be
sent out to gain vast treasures and then would be tempted to run off with
them.

There's undoubtedly officers who can be bribed in small ways, but certain
things are right out. The THorsz has spies everywhere. And he'd be extremely
pissed off if anyone tampers with his income.

Neil Gilmore
raito@raito.com


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