| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| EltonRobb |
Posted - 12 Jul 2025 : 22:41:15
Okay, I'm really digging into Al-Qadim lately. Zakhara is a continent that looks open for expansion! The Middle Eastern culture of Zakhara is something I'm looking into. It's too bad it wasn't redeveloped for 3e, though.
What do you think about Al-Qadim? Did you think it was cool to adventure in? |
| 13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| EltonRobb |
Posted - 14 Jul 2025 : 23:11:20
quote:
Originally posted by TomCosta
There are a few Al Qadim references in the Grand History IIRC that could help align the timelines.
Ah. I have that.  |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 14 Jul 2025 : 23:06:20
quote:
Originally posted by Gary Dallison
Depends upon how in depth you want to go.
We have various broad touch points, some of which are already identified.
The arrival of giants and genies, which has some fairly obvious links with Faerunian history, but unfortunately they may be correct.
The falling meteors, with an obvious link to Faerunian history
The arrival of humanity, we have a rough date for this in powers and pantheons, although it may only apply to the far north east (Ruined Kingdoms) of Zakhara and the Utter East.
crossovers with Calimshan (possibly linked to Calim who may have had a presence in Zakhara), and Anauroch (portals), and Raurin (genies and bedine in Raurin post Imaskar's fall)
The bloodforges which have already been plotted on the timeline in Grand History of the Realms.
After that you are looking at tiny details and snippets that may not appear obvious, such as the arrival of outcast deities from Unther (driven out by Gilgeam), trade links and piracy links with Calimshan. I'm sure there are many more events but it would take a lot of delving to find them
There's the earth elementalist cult (The Geomancers I believe they were called). There's also the "New Dynasty of the Necromancer Kings".... which implies there was an "Old Dynasty of the Necromancer Kings". There's the Kingdoms of Nog and Kadar that fell in the past. Just listing these as things that would be decent enough in importance to include in some past history and put some details to them over time as well. |
| TomCosta |
Posted - 14 Jul 2025 : 22:46:03
There are a few Al Qadim references in the Grand History IIRC that could help align the timelines. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 14 Jul 2025 : 19:24:30
Depends upon how in depth you want to go.
We have various broad touch points, some of which are already identified.
The arrival of giants and genies, which has some fairly obvious links with Faerunian history, but unfortunately they may be correct.
The falling meteors, with an obvious link to Faerunian history
The arrival of humanity, we have a rough date for this in powers and pantheons, although it may only apply to the far north east (Ruined Kingdoms) of Zakhara and the Utter East.
crossovers with Calimshan (possibly linked to Calim who may have had a presence in Zakhara), and Anauroch (portals), and Raurin (genies and bedine in Raurin post Imaskar's fall)
The bloodforges which have already been plotted on the timeline in Grand History of the Realms.
After that you are looking at tiny details and snippets that may not appear obvious, such as the arrival of outcast deities from Unther (driven out by Gilgeam), trade links and piracy links with Calimshan. I'm sure there are many more events but it would take a lot of delving to find them |
| EltonRobb |
Posted - 14 Jul 2025 : 17:50:50
quote:
Originally posted by TBeholder
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
I know somewhere we got more of the history of the yak men as well and something of how they got involved with earth elementals/dao.
Well, it’s an ancient story.
But the relatively common knowledge is that their Faceless God defeated the Great Khan of the dao and won a concession. So the dao must serve the yikaria and not attack them under any circumstances, for a thousand years and a year. The details like nature of the contest (from a fight to gambling) and exact date are not clear.
To line it up with other yikaria related incidents, less than 1001 year in the "current" era of AD&D2 (late 1300s) means it happened long after the fall of Netheril (-339). The war at Galuil Mountains in Mortal Consequences (discussed further in that thread) was before the fall of Netheril (and maybe for some time after).
That is certainly helpful. Although matching Zakhara's timeline to that of Faerun would take a lot of work, right? |
| TBeholder |
Posted - 13 Jul 2025 : 21:47:36
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
I know somewhere we got more of the history of the yak men as well and something of how they got involved with earth elementals/dao.
Well, it’s an ancient story.
But the relatively common knowledge is that their Faceless God defeated the Great Khan of the dao and won a concession. So the dao must serve the yikaria and not attack them under any circumstances, for a thousand years and a year. The details like nature of the contest (from a fight to gambling) and exact date are not clear.
To line it up with other yikaria related incidents, less than 1001 year in the "current" era of AD&D2 (late 1300s) means it happened long after the fall of Netheril (-339). The war at Galuil Mountains in Mortal Consequences (discussed further in that thread) was before the fall of Netheril (and maybe for some time after). |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 13 Jul 2025 : 18:00:41
quote:
Originally posted by Gary Dallison
That is the crucial point, what happened to the giants. And depending upon future reveals ultimately determines the answer.
Once it happens I'm ready to go on looking at alqadim again, but there is no point in it for me until I have that bit of information about the giants
There are some definite hints that the fey could have been involved as well (and by fey, I'm not talking elves, brownies, etc... I'm talking more along the lines of hags and possibly something akin to what happened with certain giants turning horribly ugly, etc... like the Fomorians and the cyclops that we see in 4e that live below the earth with the fomorians could easily be the "island giants" or even "ogre giants" of Zakhara and that would make sense).
I know somewhere we got more of the history of the yak men as well and something of how they got involved with earth elementals/dao. But I think it would be a worthwhile delve to make a history of that... that giants may have been enslaving dao or other earth elemental beings, and maybe at some point the yak men helped free them in return for being owed their support on occasion. It could be a really interesting thing to develop this history, where the yak men may have just been some form of basically minotaurs who learned how to contact the "forgotten god"... who could be someone like Tharizdun or Ghaunadaur .... possibly even twisting or developing their magical casting into other forms like that of warlocks or binders instead of priestly casting (these concepts coming AFTER 2e was over). For instance, if they were like binders, who "host" another spirit within their bodies, it could very easily fit with them projecting their own spirit into another being's body via their magic jar ability. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 13 Jul 2025 : 15:29:13
That is the crucial point, what happened to the giants. And depending upon future reveals ultimately determines the answer.
Once it happens I'm ready to go on looking at alqadim again, but there is no point in it for me until I have that bit of information about the giants |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 13 Jul 2025 : 15:23:19
quote:
Originally posted by Gary Dallison
giants founded lands in alqadim, they likely brought the genies, and fought off the dragons, but the when is important.
I think we're in agreement with this statement. I think giants founded lands down there. I think giants brought in/enslaved genies in the form of tasked genies more than likely. I think ultimately geniekind turned on the giants... but not in a rise up rebellion.... more the way genies would do it.... twisting wishing, laying curses, instituting magical diseases, bringing in other people to fight for them, etc....
Also, agreed on at one time I would have loved to have explored and developed this timeline. One day I may get that fire in me again. |
| Gary Dallison |
Posted - 13 Jul 2025 : 09:35:44
Al qadim is a brilliant place to delve into now. It has an awful lot of lore associated with it (a sourcebook and at least 6 adventures, plus a number of dragon articles etc).
Even better the lore is portrayed in the ultimate if unreliable narrators (bardic myth and legend tales).
All that stuff needs sorting through, codifying properly, with dates attached and relating to the rest of toril, because nothing exists in isolation on toril.
Its a monumental task.
Personally I prefer to work only with toril lore, and stay away from real world stuff.
I made a start, but have put it onto hold because alqadim has its foundations in giant and genie empires and there is some big reveals in the works regarding some of those historical empires. I felt it prudent to wait for them to be set in stone before exploring alqadim and deciding which events came first and when (giants founded lands in alqadim, they likely brought the genies, and fought off the dragons, but the when is important. |
| Azar |
Posted - 13 Jul 2025 : 04:53:16
"We removed the dragons; we found them to be...troublesome...guests." Now, that is a tough land. |
| sleyvas |
Posted - 13 Jul 2025 : 01:11:25
I will say I only REALLY learned of Al-Qadim as the campaign setting in depth AFTER it had fallen by the wayside. I didn't buy the material at the time, because I didn't have the money. But looking back, the lore is wonderful, but needs further development. There are some tropes that are just a little overdone (by that I mean monsters that were created that were just a rinse/reuse that didn't need to be done or that basically got repeated throughout the various monsters they introduced.... all that to say they could have reduced the number of creatures by simply combining some as they were so similar... but it was 2e and they were putting out monster splat books left and right).
The area definitely could use a bit of a dig into the history of the region, by that I mean if someone with the love enough to do it right would sit down and try to develop something akin to the GHotR for the region to go into the various fallen empires, etc... it could really turn it into a shiny gem. However, it doesn't really need that to be a viable game resource... it just would be a fun thing to try and develop this history and then possibly synch it up with the rest of the world. |
| Azar |
Posted - 12 Jul 2025 : 23:29:43
I enjoy its thoroughly unapologetic nature: D&D meets 1001 Arabian Nights. We would never see Al-Qadim in this day and age. |
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