Okay, so I just acquired a copy of Atzlan and I'm reading it slowly, parsing it for useful (pay)data. Several topics are completely new & foreign to me and--even after skimming Unkie Ancient's datahaven--I'm left scratching my noggin.

Some help(*)?

1) Does anyone have any further intel on the foveae? They're described as "blind spots in the mana flow," geographical areas of dead astral space. Mages who assense these areas "sometimes go mad or even die as a result of the experience." Sounds like localized mana warps to me, but what's causing them? Ehran the Scribe (posting as "Wordsmyth") seemed mightily perturbed at the news of these things and that just hikes my curiosity even higher...

2) Who is Brightlight? The inner circle of self-important muckity-mucks who play peanut gallery throughout the text(**) make frequent reference to this individual.

3) For that matter, who's Jungle Cat? I gather they're a jaguar shapeshifter involved with the Amazonian resistance, but does anyone have any more concrete info?

4) I'm probably gonna fraggin' regret asking this, but here goes: what the frag are the tzitzimine? Aside from "demons," natch.

Thanks in advance for any help!


* (all quotations are from the Atzlan sourcebook)
** (Lady of the Court, Hecate, The Laughing Man, The Big 'D', Wordsmyth, Jungle Cat & Umsondo)

1) I think they're explained more in details in later sourcebooks. I don't remember which (T:AL, T:WL, others ?). Actually, I think the effeects are quite similar to what happened in Chicago after the FAB release by Ares.

2) an IE who used the identity of Leonardo da Vinci in the novel Black Madonna. He is somewhat a techno genius, and made a deal with Renraku whose the terms were roughly that he provided some tech goodies for Renraku to make technological and market breakthrough, and Renraku funded his project (a city in Africa that would become a haven against the Horrors).
Brightlight was involved in some manner in the elaboration of the Arcology SCIRE which would become the IA Deus. He is involved in the bequest of Dunkelzahn refereing to a certain room of the Arcology.
He last appeared in the novel Technobabel, in which his relations with Renraku are stopped, and in which Lofwyr teaches him a lesson (and burns his stronghold in Africa).

3) not much more information than you already have. He's probably part of the Awakened Army of Hualpa, that "liberated" Amazonia.

4) It's the Aztech name for the Horrors, creatures from a far metaplane described in Earthdawn. When the mana is high enough, their metaplanes comes close enough of the etherean plane (basic astral plane) and the Horrors can reach our world, and devast it. The last period it occured was just before the Earthdawn PCs start, and is named the Scourge. During this period, which lasted dozens of centuries, people were hidden in Kaers, undeground citadel with heavy magical protections. More explanations could continue on pages and pages, I'd recommend you t omake some searches on the forum archives, they are full of similar discussions.
The main information for Shadowrun is that at the moment of Aztlan sourcebook publishing, the crossover between ED and SR was the main metaplot, and this metaplot was that some things and people were on the verge of allowing the Horrors to come back several centuries before they should have been able to come back. A campaign book has for objective to ahlt this, and the Ryan Mercury novel trilogy put an end to this metaplot.

Thanks for the clarifications, they're very much appreciated.

Any ideas on what was caused (is causing?) the foveae to appear?

Which sourcebook(s) dealt with the Horros/tzitzimine?

Also, does anyone know who the final voices are? At the end of the sourcebook, after Dunklezahn and its guests departed, there are two voices addressing one another: they apparently eavesdropped on the "meta-chat" carried on by the Peanut Gallery of Power and posted their comments to Shadowland. Who the heck are these people who meddle in the affairs of Great Dragons, shapeshifters and Immortal Elves?

Would be interesting to see how advanced Shadowrun gear gets by the time the horrors really show up.

Basic Ammo: Antimatter filled magpoints, holdout pistol inflicts 60DN damage.
Omegaware Cyberflesh: All organic tissue in the body is replaced with a self-repairing neutronium matrix. Body set to 35 times racial modified limit, melee attack inflicts naval damage codes, strength and speed each set to 100 times racial modified limit. 1 Essence
And there's no telling what the mana effects of that much magic will do to metaraces.
Hmm, probably too powerful for the general feel of shadowrun, it'd be a whole new game.

- Fovea are caused by the syphoning of mana through a locus (sort of huge tremendous power focus dating back from Earthdawn era) located in Aztlan and used to build a ritual that would allow the Horrors to cross to our world.
- no Shadowrun sourcebook deals with horrors, but some adventures and campaigns mention/use them: Harlequin's Back being the most obvious one. In Earthdawn, there's at least one sourcebook dedicated to Horrors.
- I don't remember well the end of the sourcebook. You may talk about otakus working for BrightLight.

Yup, if I recall correctly those last page comments were by Otaku - the next big metaplot thing to happen at that time. Foevae were probably detailed in either The Grimoire (2nd ED) or its updated companion volume Awakenings (also 2nd Ed). But I'm surprised that any rules for them weren't included in the back of the Aztlan sb, unless the description ewas all that was needed. IE: don't send PC's into them because they'll bugger up any awakened characters. GM's choice of what they want to do. I do know that the novel Blood Sport deals with a lot of these things due to it being set around Aztlan.

If you really want to know about the Horrors, then check out any Earthdawn links. This was the 4th World BTW. FASA released Horrors sb which is very interesting in its insight as to what these things can actually do and their modus operatii. Don't expect Shadowrun stats though - its a totally different system. The closest thing SR has to Horrors as published, would be the mini-campaign Harlequin's Back (they're called the Enemy therein), the Threats sbs, and the free spirit called Twilight detailed in Total Eclispe scenario (1st Ed). BTW, as a GM courtesy don't even bother with that one - it's plot sucked big time.

If you'd like to read more about them try to scan the Dragonheart trilogy or better yet the Earthdawn novel The Longing Ring. I'd say check out Scars and Little Treasures by Caroline spector too (the prequels to Worlds Without End set in the 6th World) because these detail quite a bit about the Horrors (one in particular) and several Immortal Elves. Unfortunately they were never published in English, only German. However, keep your peepers peeled because author Jak Koke is putting something together whereby they will see english translation and publication soon.

Most of your questions were answered, but for reference check out the SR/ED and Immortals pages on my site.
Saves time.

I noticed that Kaers were mentioned. I've been rereading my ED 1st edition and was wondering what happened to the Kaers and why no one has discovered one recently.

A friend posed the theory that the dragons destroyed them so as to make meta humanity rely on dragon kind more.

any suggestions? any clues? any answers?

Here's the text of an e-mail from Jak Koke (The Book is Liferock, his previously unpublished Earthdawn novel):

Hello everyone!

I'm happy to say that copies of the book have shipped from the printer and will
be here by early week! Woohoo!

In celebration, I'm offering a 20% discount for anyone who preorders a copy
before they arrive. I will have the books in hand in plenty of time to ship them
out to all US and most international destinations to arrive by Christmas.

The Liferock Trade Paperback includes an official Earthdawn map, a forward by
me, and a special preview of Scars by Caroline Spector. All copies will be
signed by me (and personalized if you'd like).

Buy a copy as a present, or just for yourself. :>

Go here to order: http://www.lostearthdawn.com/orderform.html

Best,

--Jak

PS. Please feel free to announce this on as many bulletin boards and web sites
as possible. :>

Even if it wouldn't be a true horror per se, it certainly seemed like some kind of negative spirit closer related to horrors rather than our "true" spirits.

Edit: And the more I hear about SR novels, the more Im convinced I will never read one.

The only other reasonable guess I've heard would be Liam O'Connor, but yes Brightlight is just a guess.

I'm pretty sure it was 2056. Right after that, Dunk sent Mercury down to check things out, then soon after checked out himself.

Nah, I think it's an absolute. You can have spirts that act like horrors. However, horrors are trapped in their metaplane and don't really have any hope of getting into the sixth world. Yet.

SOMEONE didn't read the Dragonheart trilogy. *tsk* So ka.;)

Ryan "Quicksilver" Mercury is a drake Physical Magician trained by Dunkie hisself and bangs the VP of the UCAS on a regular basis. He's also in charge of Assets Inc., Dunkie's own private group of hideously well-funded shadowrunners. Some think he is twinkiness distilled. He was sent into Aztlan to find the Locus, which he did, which is why DUnkie blew hisself up. In his Will, DUnkelzahn left his heart to "Ryanthusaur" which is Ryan Mercury.

I so need to get/ read that trilogy.

I found a brief mention of the name here: It's about the African creation myths.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/rsa/rsa01.htm

OK, it appears as though the mystery may be solved, a little.
Osmundu appears to be an immortal from the African Elven nation. It appears I must read Nosferatu to get more info, so I'll be starting that today.

This has some interesting thoughts, and it's especially cool because it was obviously written before the Dragon Heart books were published.

http://www.afn.org/~afn64066/shadow/aztlan/

Oh, man... suh-WEET. This totally rocks, thanks so much for the links. This'll make for some damn fine reading tonight.

I'm sure I'll be back with comments + questions in a couple of hours.

I think Mr. henry could withstand some alternative viewpoints.

Funny, I was just thinking of you, AH... what do you think of his theories concerning Hecate and her possible "true" identity? On your site, you suggest that Hecate may be a pseudonym used by Sheila Blatavska or Aina; Henry thinks otherwise. You think he's full of drek?

Yeah. My personal preference is for Aina, I'd also say that Alachia fits the profile but she's not haughty enough.

Why is that? Bear in mind that what I know about Earthdawn and Immortal Elves could fit in Thomas Roxborough's ear...

Aina is known to have practiced Blood Magic relatively openly in the past.

We're not sure where Roxy's ear is or what portion of his liver decided to be it today.

Aina was a Nethermancer that used a LOT of blood magic. She learned from, and was impregnated by, the horror Ysthgrathe.

So, I think she could definately be said to have feeligns regarding blood magic and a history with the abhorrent.

Likewise, Alachia was Blood Queen, which is both abhorrent and implies a hands-on history with blood magic. Hecate would also be a suitably arrogant title for her, but frankly the text doesn't sneer like I think she would.

Of course, Jenna Ni'Fairra would also work for Hecate.

Shiela Blatavaska I added simply because it appears in Threats and is as good a guess as any.

Of course, Shiela herself could easily be Aina or Alachia.

I highly doubt it. They could come up with a better excuse than "searching for Atlantis" and they wouldn't be stupid enough to steal from Dunkelzahn either. Frankly, I think it's a mortal.