Shadow World Seminar

[Michael Andrew Cullingha]

Hi all,

Is there anyone out there that can summarize what's
in the RealAudio file on the Shadow World seminar
at the GenCon site? I'm away from home for another
few weeks without a Sound Card. :-(

Any info would be welcome. For those that don't
know, the URL is:

http://www.wizards.com/Leagues_and_Tournaments/Cybercast/GenCon97.html

Cheers,
Mike
- --
***********************************
Michael Cullingham
macullin@acs.ucalgary.ca
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~macullin/
***********************************

[breye@earthlink.ne]

Michael Andrew Cullingham wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> Is there anyone out there that can summarize what's
> in the RealAudio file on the Shadow World seminar
> at the GenCon site? I'm away from home for another
> few weeks without a Sound Card. :-(
> Actually there is a funny story about the Shadow World
seminars. That's right, seminarS. Apperently GenCon
changed the location of the seminar, and negleted to
tell Ed Stark (one of the people that was supposed to
be runing the seminar) that the location had changed,
so the seminar got run in two different locations at
the same time.

At this point, both versions have kind of run together
in my head, I'll give you a quick summary of both, but
the bottom line is, they haven't decided yet on a
whole lot yet, and they were looking for ideas from the
people there, so I'll just cover a couple of the major
topics. And then give some of the ideas that were
discussed, some of the ideas may be conflicting.

- -What is the Shadow World?
A dream world, whatever each individual expects to be
there, the home of Azrai, the Dark Side (like the TV
show), Azrai's big battery of energy to fight his
brothers and sisters, a birthright version of the
afterlife, all of these at different times (or
different places)

- -Who/what "lives" there?
Halflings, undead, normal people, creatures from the
demiplane of shadows, other special creatures unique
to the Shadow World

- -What relationship do halflings and elves have with
the Shadow World?
Halflings came from there fleeing Azrai's corruption,
some halflings are still there protecting the
remaining good parts, elves are responsible for the
creation of the shadow world, elves are not immortal
there.

- -Who/what is the Cold Rider?
a BAD guy. They were very vague about this topic,
there seems to be some plan for a procuct based
around him.
- -------------------------
There was more, but thats a basic idea of what was
talked about.

Bry

[MagnusKhn@aol.co]

Hmmm... If I had been there, and able to toss in my 2 GBs...
I think that the Shadow World was originally a combination 'Spiritworld' and
ever changing land of the Fey. At Deismaar, Azrai was destroyed in the mortal
realm, but was able to flee in some soul-form into this once-beautiful
land... His spirit began harvesting lifeforce from the "Fey World", and as he
consumed the lifeforces, the world started becoming the Shadow. Trees died
and became dieased and misshappen, etc... So, In time, the spirit became
powerful enough to take form... in the days of Michael Roele, he seemed very
vague and shadowy, but 500 years later, the Cold Rider may be alot more solid
and defined... Eventually, he will lead his new armies of undead and
shadow-beasts back into Cerilia, and begin consuming all those of divine
blood he finds, Including the minor Awnsheglien, but leaving the more
powerful ones until last, using them as generals, and adding their armies to
his own... Eventually, though, he would plan on taking back his 'gift' from
even the Gorgon...
Perhaps this concept would make a good, long-running, epic campaign, and
towards the end, the major Awns could discover that they are eventually to be
'eaten' by Azrai when he's done with them. The Awns would turn on Azrai,
making an unusual alliance with the 'good' forces! What's that saying?..."
War makes strange bedfellows...?"
On another topic in the seminar, they discussed "why are the elves so
uncomfortable with the Shadow World?"
...Well, perhaps, as they mentioned, once the Shadow and Aebrynis worlds were
one, but somehow got seperated. Perhaps the elves were responsible for the
event that caused this division... Elven pride and magic gone too far...

...(V)agnus |{haine...