Mystara is a

campaign setting A campaign setting is a setting for a tabletop role-playing game or wargame campaign. Most campaign settings are fictional worlds; however, some are historical or contemporary real-world locations. A '' campaign'' is a series of individual adve ...

for the ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

role playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, eith ...

. It was the default setting for the "Basic" version of the game throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Most adventures published for the "Basic" edition of ''D&D'' take place in "The Known World", a central continent that includes a varied patchwork of both human and non-human realms. The human realms are based on various real-world historical cultures. In addition, unlike other ''D&D'' settings, Mystara had ascended immortal beings instead of gods. The Mystara planet also has sub-settings. The older '' Blackmoor'' setting was

retconned Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...

to exist in Mystara's distant past. The

Hollow World The flexibility of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') game rules means that Dungeon Masters (DM) are free to create their own fantasy campaign settings. For those who wanted a pre-packaged setting in which to play, TSR, Wizards of the Coast ...

refers to the inner surface contained within the world of Mystara, similar to the real world legends of the

Hollow Earth The Hollow Earth is a concept proposing that the planet Earth is entirely hollow or contains a substantial interior space. Notably suggested by Edmond Halley in the late 17th century, the notion was disproven, first tentatively by Pierre Bougue ...

, while some adventures take place on the

Savage Coast Mystara is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role playing game. It was the default setting for the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons, "Basic" version of the game throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Most adventures published for t ...

, a -long frontier coastline about 2,000 miles to the west of the Known World. By the mid-1990s, gamers' attention started to shift towards the second edition of ''

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Several different editions of the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ...

'' and its official campaigns. Some Mystara adventures for ''AD&D'' were published between 1994 and 1996. Eventually, 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, and Wizards of the Coast support was discontinued by the time the game's third edition was released in 2000.

Development

Mystara originated as a fantasy world developed by

Lawrence Schick Lawrence Schick is a game designer and writer associated with role-playing games. Early life and education Schick attended Kent State University in Ohio. Career Schick, as the head of design and development at TSR, brought aboard Tom Moldvay ...

and

Tom Moldvay Thomas Steven Moldvay (November 5, 1948 – March 9, 2007) was an American game designer and author, best known for his work on early materials for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D). Career During the 1970s while a st ...

for their own ''

'' game sessions from 1974 to 1976. Their original setting consisted of a large continent with fictionalized nations that were based on real-world historical cultures. Inspired by author

H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (, ; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of Weird fiction, weird, Science fiction, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Born in Provi ...

and his work in creating a fiction

shared universe A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where one or more writers (or other artists) independently contribute works that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, charact ...

, Schick and Moldvay named their setting as the "Known World" so it could be expanded upon by other players. Schick then went to work at TSR Hobbies as a designer for ''D&D'' and other games. After being promoted to director of the Design Department he brought Moldvay in to join the company as a game designer, around the time when the ''

D&D Expert Set The ''Expert Set'' is an expansion boxed set for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1981 as an expansion to the '' Basic Set''. Having been told that Greyhawk was reserved for ''Advanced Dungeons & Dr ...

'' was under development. After being told that they could not use the existing

Greyhawk Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''—Dave Arneson' ...

setting, as it was being reserved for only ''

'' products, Schick and Moldvay got approval to instead use their "Known World" as the standard ''D&D'' campaign setting. Schick and Moldvay's "Known World" was used as a semi-generic setting in early adventure modules, first mentioned in Module X1, ''

The Isle of Dread ''The Isle of Dread'' is an adventure for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. The adventure, module code ''X1'', was originally published in 1981. Written by David "Zeb" Cook and Tom Moldvay, it is among the most widely circulated of al ...

''. It was then expanded upon in various ''D&D'' modules and sources, particularly a series of Gazetteers, many of which originally referred to the setting as "The ''D&D'' Game World". The first published use of the name "Mystara" came in 1991 from

Bruce Heard Bruce Heard (born March 9, 1957, in Nice, France) is a game designer, and an author of several products for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game from TSR. Early life Heard was born in Nice, France, on March 9, 1957, to his French ...

in the Letters section of his Voyage of the Princess Ark series in ''

Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

'' magazine. While the name was used in official publications after this, it was not until the conversion to ''AD&D'' 2nd Edition in 1994 that products were produced under the Mystara title with the official Mystara logo. 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. Trenton Webb for the British ''Arcane'' RPG magazine described Mystara as "a traditional Tolkienesque world".

Planet of Mystara

Three principal land masses are described on Mystara's outer surface: the continent of Brun, the continent of Skothar, the continent of Davania, and the island continent of Alphatia (up to AC 1010). In the officially published material, the Known World concentrated on the eastern portion of Brun and the lands of the Sea of Dawn. The continents of Mystara were designed to be similar in appearance to the continents of

Laurasia Laurasia () was the more northern of two large landmasses that formed part of the Pangaea supercontinent from around ( Mya), the other being Gondwana. It separated from Gondwana (beginning in the late Triassic period) during the breakup of Pa ...

and

Gondwana Gondwana ( ; ) was a large landmass, sometimes referred to as a supercontinent. The remnants of Gondwana make up around two-thirds of today's continental area, including South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia (continent), Australia, Zea ...

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

approximately 135 million years ago. In addition to human races, several archetypal fantasy races were included on Mystara: these include

elves An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda''. In medieval Germanic-speakin ...

, dwarves,

halfling Halflings are a fictional race found in some fantasy works. They tend to be depicted as physically similar to humans, except about half as tall and not as stocky as the similarly sized dwarves. Halflings are often depicted as having slightly p ...

s, orcs, and

dragons A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depict ...

. Nations created for the world of Mystara include the Thyatian Empire, the

Grand Duchy A grand duchy is a country or territory whose official head of state or ruler is a monarch bearing the title of grand duke or grand duchess. Prior to the early 1800s, the only Grand duchy in Europe was located in what is now Italy: Tuscany ( ...

Karameikos Mystara is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role playing game. It was the default setting for the "Basic" version of the game throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Most adventures published for the "Basic" edition of ''D&D'' t ...

, the

Principalities A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchical state or feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "principality" is often ...

of Glantri, the merchant-run

Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

of Darokin, the Emirates of Ylaruam, the Dwarven nation of Rockhome, the Elven Kingdom of Alfheim, Halfling lands of the Five Shires, and the chaotic Alphatian Empire.

The continent of Brun

The most commonly known land mass on Mystara's outer surface is only a tiny portion of Brun. In the officially published material, the Known World concentrated on the eastern portion of Brun along with the islands of the Sea of Dawn.

The Known World

Nations of the Known World display a great range of government types. Some countries are populated entirely by demihumans and/or humanoids. By standard convention, the boundaries of the "Known World" are those covered in the world map as initially published in the module X1, "

," plus Norwold, the Isle of Dawn, and (pre ''Wrath of the Immortals'') Alphatia. As the name implies, the "Known World" covers the most notable nations of Mystara, the ones most commonly used in Mystara-based campaigns and featured in fiction. It includes the Thyatian Empire, which could be compared to the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

; the Grand Duchy of Karameikos (which includes the town of Threshold, the default setting of many classic D&D adventures); the Principalities of Glantri, ruled by wizard-princes; the Ethengar

Khanate A khanate ( ) or khaganate refers to historic polity, polities ruled by a Khan (title), khan, khagan, khatun, or khanum. Khanates were typically nomadic Mongol and Turkic peoples, Turkic or Tatars, Tatar societies located on the Eurasian Steppe, ...

, a

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

-like society; the merchant-run Republic of Darokin, which is based loosely on the mercantile states of medieval Italy; the Emirates of Ylaruam; the Heldannic Territories, ruled by an order of religious

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

s similar to the

Teutonic Order The Teutonic Order is a religious order (Catholic), Catholic religious institution founded as a military order (religious society), military society in Acre, Israel, Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Sa ...

devoted to the

Immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...

Vanya; the Atruaghin Clans, which have an

Amerindian In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

feel; the nation of Sind, based on the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

; the Northern Reaches Kingdoms of Ostland, Vestland, and the Soderfjord Jarldoms, based on

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

at various periods of history; the Dwarven nation of Rockhome; the elven Kingdom of Alfheim; the Halfling lands of the Five Shires; and the Alphatian Empire, ruled by wizards and other spellcasters. To the distant Northwest of the "Known World", across the Great Waste, lies the mysterious lands of Hule, ruled by Hosadus, also known as "The Master". Also on the periphery of the Known World are the Kingdoms of Wendar and Denagoth, the first an elven-dominated nation and the latter a mountainous and dark realm of evil, with ill-intentions towards Wendar. The Adri Varma lies between Sind, Wendar, the Great Waste, and The Black Mountains, forming the northern border of Glantri and defining the northwestern limits of the region.

The Savage Coast

Mystara includes the Savage Coast, a coastal area located in the south-central part of the Brun continent, to the south and west of Hule. The area is a 2000-mile frontier

coastline A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

about 2000 miles west of the Known World. This part of Mystara is affected by the Red Curse. This sinister enchantment 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. It also imprisons the region's inhabitants, as debilitating effects result if they leave the cursed area.

=Atmosphere

= Savage Coast's swashbuckling flavor is very different from that of the Known World, closer in atmosphere to that of the

Age of Discovery The Age of Discovery (), also known as the Age of Exploration, was part of the early modern period and overlapped with the Age of Sail. It was a period from approximately the 15th to the 17th century, during which Seamanship, seafarers fro ...

than the fantasy middle-ages/renaissance tone of the Known World. The Savage Coast is complete with gunpowder ("smokepowder") weaponry.

=Publication history

= The first published information on the area was the module ''X9 The Savage Coast'' for ''

Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set The ''Expert Set'' is an expansion boxed set for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1981 as an expansion to the '' Basic Set''. Having been told that Greyhawk was reserved for ''Advanced Dungeons & Dr ...

''. The region was later expanded in ''

Dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably derives more from the Renaissance period. An oubliette (fr ...

'' magazine issues #6 and 7 (1987) with the adventure "Tortles of the Purple Sage". Two series in ''

'' Magazine, "The Princess Ark" and the "Known World Grimoire", described the Savage Coast in more detail. These articles were partially reprinted in the D&D game accessory '' Champions of Mystara'' (1993). The ''Savage Coast'' in 1994 was spun off into a campaign setting for ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (2nd Edition). This area was published in its own boxed set entitled '' Red Steel'', and later republished online as the Savage Coast. An expansion, ''Savage Baronies'', was released the following year. These supplements were for

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition Several different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ga ...

, as all the previous material had been for the "Classic" version of ''D&D''. In 1996, the setting was revised and re-released under the ''AD&D: Odyssey'' line as three fully online products available for free download. This range included the base '' Savage Coast Campaign Book'' by Tim Beach and

, a supplement ''Savage Coast: Orc's Head'', and a

Monstrous Compendium The ''Monstrous Compendium'' is a series of accessories for the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game released from 1989 to 1998. The title was then used for a series of 5th Edition ''Dungeons & Dragons'' supplements released ...

Appendix.

The continent of Davania

Even though most of the Known World civilizations historically originated from this part of the planet, it did not see much development while the Mystara product line was still in production. The only major appearance of the continent was in ''

'' magazine, where parts of it were sketched out during the Voyage of the Princess Ark series, by Known World Product Manager

. Many Mystara fans have been turning their attention to Davania with fan-made material in recent years.

The continent of Skothar

Very little was officially developed for this part of Mystara. Since the Mystara product line was discontinued, fans have created their material for this part of Mystara.

The Hollow World

Mystara is a hollow planet, with a habitable surface on its interior called the

, inspired by conceptions like that novelized by

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

. This world is lit by an eternal red sun at the center of Mystara, and serves as a "cultural museum", preserving the societies that have become extinct in the outer world, "based on Native American,

Aztec The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the Post-Classic stage, post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central ...

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

, and

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

. The existence of the Hollow World is not, in general, known to the inhabitants of the outer world. The poles are actually huge, subtly curving holes that allow passage between the outer and inner world, although it is a long, hard trek through a cold, unlit, stormy and anti-magic area. The curvature of the holes is so subtle that explorers from either surface do not notice the transition until after it is already made, causing quite a shock for most.

Moons

Two moons orbit the planet. Matera is a moon much like our own, whose phases govern lycanthropy (werewolves, werebears, etc.). Only the Immortals inhabit Matera. They live in a city, Pandius, where they can meet and watch over Mystara. Patera, or Myoshima to its inhabitants, is an invisible moon that cannot be seen from Mystara. Patera's inhabitants have a culture similar to that of medieval Japan.

Blackmoor

Mystara (like

) incorporated the Blackmoor setting by placing it in the world's distant past. Blackmoor evolved from a feudal kingdom into a highly advanced civilization, using more and more powerful – and destructive – technology. It ended itself in an apocalyptic explosion so devastating that it changed the climate and geography of the entire planet.

Mystara video games

Five video games were set in Mystara, spanning three different genres. '' Dungeons & Dragons: Order of the Griffon'' (

TurboGrafx-16 The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation of video game con ...

, 1992) and '' Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun'' (

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...

, 1992) are

role-playing video games Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...

. ''

Fantasy Empires ''Fantasy Empires'' is a role-playing fantasy wargame for MS-DOS made by Silicon Knights and published by Strategic Simulations in 1993. The game uses the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' license, and is set in the fictional world of Mystara. Gameplay T ...

'' (PC, 1993) is a strategy game. The plots and development teams of these games are unrelated. '' Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom'' (1993) and its sequel '' Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara'' (1996) are two arcade

beat 'em up A beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in Side-scrolling video game, scrolling, 2D c ...

with minimal role-playing elements. These two games are among the few D&D video games developed by a Japanese company, in this case by

Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...

Novels

* Timothy Brown (October 1995), '' Dark Knight of Karameikos'' () * Morris Simon (August 1996), ''The Black Vessel'' ()

First Quest

* J. Robert King (February 1995), '' Rogues to Riches'' () * Dixie Lee McKeone (May 1995), ''Son of Dawn'' () *

Elaine Cunningham Elaine Cunningham (born August 12, 1957 in New York City) is an American fantasy and science fiction author, especially known for her contributions to the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role playing game campaign setting of Forgotten Realms. Biography ...

(1995), '' The Unicorn Hunt''

Dragonlord Chronicles

* Thorarinn Gunnarsson (July 1994), ''Dragonlord of Mystara'' () * Thorarinn Gunnarsson (July 1995), ''Dragonking of Mystara'' () * Thorarinn Gunnarsson (April 1996), ''Dragonmage of Mystara'' ()

Penhaligon Trilogy

* D. J. Heinrich (October 1992), ''The Tainted Sword'' () * D. J. Heinrich (April 1993), ''The Dragon's Tomb'' () * D. J. Heinrich (October 1993), ''The Fall of Magic'' ()

Source material

''Dungeons & Dragons'' BECMI rules

These rulebooks are designed for the BECMI edition of ''Basic D&D'' by

Frank Mentzer Jacob Franklin Mentzer III is an American fantasy author and game designer who worked on early materials for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. He was an employee of TSR, Inc. from 1980 to 1986, spending part of that tim ...

Notable adventure modules

''Dungeons & Dragons'' Gazetteers

''Dungeons & Dragons'' Trail Maps

''Dungeons & Dragons'' Creature Crucible

''Dungeons & Dragons'' Hollow World

''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' Mystara

''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' Red Steel

''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' Odyssey: Savage Coast

Notes

References

External links

Vaults of Pandius
- website with most of the current fan based projects, to include conversions to other editions.
Cyclopedia Mystara
- Mystara in more detail including genealogies, areas, known people, etc.

{{D&D topics Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings Fantasy worlds Fictional elements introduced in 1981 Fictional planets