Alphatia
Encyclopedia
Alphatia is a continent and empire in TSR
's fictional fantasy game setting, Mystara
for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
. The continent of Alphatia is nearly 2000000 square miles (5,179,976.2 km²) in area and has approximately 7,500,000 inhabitants. The continent of Alphatia is the center of the Alphatian Empire, which is founded on the exploration and exploitation of magic.
Unlike most humans on Mystara, Alphatians are a human race of ancient "alien" origin, having arrived 2,000 years in the past from another world after they destroyed their original homeworld, also called Alphatia (now known as "old" Alphatia), after a war between two factions of wizards devoted to the elements of air and fire respectively. The Alphatian people are the descendants of the faction devoted to air and consist of two sub-races, the pale-skinned, dark-haired "pure" Alphatians and the more common copper-skinned "Cypri" Alphatians.
Alphatia is described in the boxed set
Dawn of the Emperors: Thyatis and Alphatia
(1989).
within the Mystara
campaign setting, in the Dungeons & Dragons
roleplaying game. It is located east of the continent of Brun and west of Skothar. It is a large imperial magocracy (ruled by spellcasters), consisting of numerous Kingdoms loosely united under the rule of an Emperess.
Individuals with the ability to cast magical spells are automatically considered nobility and given the rank of aristocrat, regardless of their skill at spellcasting. Only aristocrats may attain the noble rank of Lord. People without the ability to cast magical spells are called "commoners" and can at best attain the rank of gentry or, at worst, the ranks of servants or slaves. Alphatian law distinguishes between aristocrats and commoners with crimes committed by commoners punished more severely, especially if committed against aristocrats.
In the module CM1, Test of the Warlords
, three crones call Alphatia "Atlantis
". This direct reference is not repeated again in canon, but Alphatia is partly inspired by Plato's description of Atlantis, and its ultimate fate draws upon the legend of Atlantis. However, the Dawn of the Emperors
boxed set, which details both Alphatia and Thyatis
, gives Alphatia a unique flavor.
The territories of Alphatia include the island-continent of Alphatia itself, the somewhat smaller island-continent of Bellissaria, the eastern half of the Isle of Dawn, the Alatian Isles south of the Isle of Dawn, Esterhold, a large peninsula of Skothar, and the disputed lands of Norwold. Alphatia's capital is Sundsvall, the "City Built by Magic", a large city in south-central continental Alphatia. Sundsvall is also the capital of the Kingdom of Vertiloch, which is ruled directly by Alphatia's reigning Empress Eriadna. Other major cities include Aasla, in the Kingdom of Haven, and Draco in the Kingdom of Stonewall, both of which are port cities.
Alphatia's traditional rival is the Western Empire of Thyatis
, which was ruled by Alphatia for two centuries (BC 192 - BC 2) until it successfully rebelled and carved its own Empire out of former Alphatian territories. In the AC 1000 timeline, the two powers are locked in a fantasy version of the Cold War
.
Alphatia is ruled by an Emperor or Empress who is advised by a Council of Wizards. The power of the Empire is mitigated by the fact that Alphatia's fractious Kingdoms, with their own rulers, are only loosely controlled and normally very hard for the central government to coordinate. An exception to this came in the Wrath of the Immortals, where immortal interference caused the normally disunited and chaotic Alphatians to unite in the cause of destroying Glantri
. At the end of this campaign, the continent of Alphatia was destroyed, though numerous Alphatian kingdoms on the imperial fringe remained active.
After the events of The Wrath of the Immortals, the continent of Alphatia is destroyed and sinks into the ocean. But the Immortals save the majority of the population by putting them into a state of unconsciousness and then moving them temporarily onto another plane. They then rebuild the main continent of Alphatia as a floating continent in the Hollow World before bringing the population there. The Immortals change the memories of the mortals, however, so that the majority of the population does not remember their life in the outer world and thinks they always lived in the Hollow World. The Immortals also implant memories among the majority of the population that a series of earthquakes ravaged most of the continent rather than that the continent sunk into the ocean. Only very experienced mortals remember the truth and their former lives in the outer world.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
's fictional fantasy game setting, Mystara
Mystara
Mystara is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game. Although it has officially been dropped from production by its creators, many fans continue to develop and evolve this fantasy setting jointly, continuing its original theme of group development.-Development:It...
for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game 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, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
. The continent of Alphatia is nearly 2000000 square miles (5,179,976.2 km²) in area and has approximately 7,500,000 inhabitants. The continent of Alphatia is the center of the Alphatian Empire, which is founded on the exploration and exploitation of magic.
Unlike most humans on Mystara, Alphatians are a human race of ancient "alien" origin, having arrived 2,000 years in the past from another world after they destroyed their original homeworld, also called Alphatia (now known as "old" Alphatia), after a war between two factions of wizards devoted to the elements of air and fire respectively. The Alphatian people are the descendants of the faction devoted to air and consist of two sub-races, the pale-skinned, dark-haired "pure" Alphatians and the more common copper-skinned "Cypri" Alphatians.
Alphatia is described in the boxed set
Boxed set
A box set is a compilation of various musical recordings, films, television programs, or other collection of related items that are contained in a box.-Music box sets:...
Dawn of the Emperors: Thyatis and Alphatia
Dawn of the Emperors: Thyatis and Alphatia
Dawn of the Emperors: Thyatis and Alphatia is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:Dawn of the Emperors is a campaign setting in the world of the GAZ series, and describes the two warring empires of Thyatis and Alphatia.The 32-page "Player's Guide to Thyatis"...
(1989).
The Alphatian Empire
Alphatia is a large empireEmpire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
within the Mystara
Mystara
Mystara is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role playing game. Although it has officially been dropped from production by its creators, many fans continue to develop and evolve this fantasy setting jointly, continuing its original theme of group development.-Development:It...
campaign setting, in the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
roleplaying game. It is located east of the continent of Brun and west of Skothar. It is a large imperial magocracy (ruled by spellcasters), consisting of numerous Kingdoms loosely united under the rule of an Emperess.
Individuals with the ability to cast magical spells are automatically considered nobility and given the rank of aristocrat, regardless of their skill at spellcasting. Only aristocrats may attain the noble rank of Lord. People without the ability to cast magical spells are called "commoners" and can at best attain the rank of gentry or, at worst, the ranks of servants or slaves. Alphatian law distinguishes between aristocrats and commoners with crimes committed by commoners punished more severely, especially if committed against aristocrats.
In the module CM1, Test of the Warlords
Test of the Warlords
Test of the Warlords is a 1984 adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Its associated code is CM1 and is TSR's product number 9117. The adventure takes place in Norworld, which is located in the north east corner of the Known World on Mystara...
, three crones call Alphatia "Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
". This direct reference is not repeated again in canon, but Alphatia is partly inspired by Plato's description of Atlantis, and its ultimate fate draws upon the legend of Atlantis. However, the Dawn of the Emperors
Dawn of the Emperors: Thyatis and Alphatia
Dawn of the Emperors: Thyatis and Alphatia is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:Dawn of the Emperors is a campaign setting in the world of the GAZ series, and describes the two warring empires of Thyatis and Alphatia.The 32-page "Player's Guide to Thyatis"...
boxed set, which details both Alphatia and Thyatis
Thyatis
The Empire of Thyatis is a powerful state in the Mystara campaign setting for the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Thyatis was first mentioned in Module X1, Isle of Dread, which describes it briefly. Along with the Alphatian Empire, Thyatis was more fully detailed in the Dawn of the...
, gives Alphatia a unique flavor.
The territories of Alphatia include the island-continent of Alphatia itself, the somewhat smaller island-continent of Bellissaria, the eastern half of the Isle of Dawn, the Alatian Isles south of the Isle of Dawn, Esterhold, a large peninsula of Skothar, and the disputed lands of Norwold. Alphatia's capital is Sundsvall, the "City Built by Magic", a large city in south-central continental Alphatia. Sundsvall is also the capital of the Kingdom of Vertiloch, which is ruled directly by Alphatia's reigning Empress Eriadna. Other major cities include Aasla, in the Kingdom of Haven, and Draco in the Kingdom of Stonewall, both of which are port cities.
Alphatia's traditional rival is the Western Empire of Thyatis
Thyatis
The Empire of Thyatis is a powerful state in the Mystara campaign setting for the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Thyatis was first mentioned in Module X1, Isle of Dread, which describes it briefly. Along with the Alphatian Empire, Thyatis was more fully detailed in the Dawn of the...
, which was ruled by Alphatia for two centuries (BC 192 - BC 2) until it successfully rebelled and carved its own Empire out of former Alphatian territories. In the AC 1000 timeline, the two powers are locked in a fantasy version of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
Alphatia is ruled by an Emperor or Empress who is advised by a Council of Wizards. The power of the Empire is mitigated by the fact that Alphatia's fractious Kingdoms, with their own rulers, are only loosely controlled and normally very hard for the central government to coordinate. An exception to this came in the Wrath of the Immortals, where immortal interference caused the normally disunited and chaotic Alphatians to unite in the cause of destroying Glantri
Glantri
The Principalities of Glantri is a fictional nation located within the Mystara campaign setting, in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game....
. At the end of this campaign, the continent of Alphatia was destroyed, though numerous Alphatian kingdoms on the imperial fringe remained active.
After the events of The Wrath of the Immortals, the continent of Alphatia is destroyed and sinks into the ocean. But the Immortals save the majority of the population by putting them into a state of unconsciousness and then moving them temporarily onto another plane. They then rebuild the main continent of Alphatia as a floating continent in the Hollow World before bringing the population there. The Immortals change the memories of the mortals, however, so that the majority of the population does not remember their life in the outer world and thinks they always lived in the Hollow World. The Immortals also implant memories among the majority of the population that a series of earthquakes ravaged most of the continent rather than that the continent sunk into the ocean. Only very experienced mortals remember the truth and their former lives in the outer world.
Additional reading
- Dawn of the EmperorsDawn of the Emperors: Thyatis and AlphatiaDawn of the Emperors: Thyatis and Alphatia is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:Dawn of the Emperors is a campaign setting in the world of the GAZ series, and describes the two warring empires of Thyatis and Alphatia.The 32-page "Player's Guide to Thyatis"...
TSR Inc., 1989 - Champions of MystaraChampions of MystaraChampions of Mystara is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1993....
TSR Inc., 1993 - CM1 Test of the WarlordsTest of the WarlordsTest of the Warlords is a 1984 adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Its associated code is CM1 and is TSR's product number 9117. The adventure takes place in Norworld, which is located in the north east corner of the Known World on Mystara...
TSR Inc., 1984 - M1 Into the MaelstromInto the MaelstromInto the Maelstrom is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, set in that game's Mystara campaign setting. TSR, Inc. published the module in 1985 for the D&D Master Set rules. It is part of the "M" series of modules. The module was designed by Bruce and Beatrice...
TSR Inc., 1985 - M2 Vengeance of AlphaksVengeance of AlphaksVengeance of Alphaks is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, set in that game's Mystara campaign setting. TSR, Inc. published the module in 1986 for the D&D Master Set rules. It is part of the "M" series of modules. The module was designed by Skip Williams...
TSR Inc., 1986 - M3 Twilight CallingTwilight CallingTwilight Calling is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, set in that game's Mystara campaign setting. TSR, Inc. published the module in 1986 for the D&D Master Set rules. It is part of the "M" series of modules...
TSR Inc., 1986 - M5 Talons of NightTalons of NightTalons of Night is an Egyptian-themed adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, set in that game's Mystara campaign setting. TSR, Inc. published the module in 1987 for the D&D Master Set rules. It is part of the "M" series of modules. The module was designed by Paul...
TSR Inc., 1987 - Trail MapsTrail Map (Dungeons & Dragons)The Trail Map series are several accessories for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Publication history:The TSR staff produced five Trail Map releases, each one published in 1989 as a very large color map in an outer folder.TM1 The Western Countries Trail Map detailed the travel...
TSR Inc., 1989 - Wrath of the Immortals TSR Inc., 1992
- Poor Wizard's Almanac TSR Inc., 1992
- Poor Wizard's Almanac II TSR Inc., 1993
- Poor Wizard's Almanac III TSR Inc., 1994
- Joshuan's Almanac TSR Inc., 1995
External links
- Vaults of Pandius Alphatia page Official site, and source of most of the current fan based projects on Alphatia.