Alternate Timeline: Magocracy of Ansalon

With a deep and rich history like Dragonlance has, it’s fun at times to imagine alternate timelines, like the Magocracy of Ansalon. Let’s learn all about it! Buy Legends of the Twins: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/3252/legends-of-the-twins-3-5?affiliate_id=50797 

Transcript

Cold Open

When the gods abandoned Ansalon and all seemed lost, the Wizards of High Sorcery became the heroes of the day.

Intro

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today I am going to talk about the alternate timeline: Magocracy of Ansalon. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Legends of the Twins sourcebook for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!

Discussion

In the Magocracy of Ansalon alternative timeline, there are four themes that seem to stand out. There’s the Class Struggle: You are either a mage and thereby an individual of substance, or you are something else, something lesser. Your role in society is completely dependent on your mastery of magic, not your individual merit. This inevitably breeds malcontent in a population, an ‘us vs them’ mentality. Another theme is Hope for the Underdog: You may come from nothing, but if you show an aptitude for magic, you could aspire to rise as high as your talents can take you. Then there’s the theme of Fighting the Yoke of Tradition: When the brotherhood of Wizardry is as strict in its practices and how one may join their ranks though scouts, schools, and tests, there will inevitably be those that spurn that regimented tradition. Those who believe you can be a true mage without toeing the line as it were. And finally the theme of the Politics of Wizards: There will always be factions within a faction that disagree. In this magocracy they are the Council of Three, the Conclave of Archmages, and the Knights of Huma. This balance is fragile and while some seek to strengthen it, others seek to end it.

The timeline that leads to this Magocracy begins with the Kingpriest, of course. The Lost Battles were devastating to the Orders of High Sorcery. The river forks with the destruction of the Tower of High Sorcery in Losarcum. As Leciane fled the destruction of Losarcum, she never saved Cathan Twice-Born, and the Disks of Mishakal were never taken to Xak Tsaroth. The gods now have an even more slim chance of returning. In 17 Prae Cataclius Leciane do Cirica, fearing for the future of the Orders, speaks to Merroc the White, who begins to work on plans to preserve High Sorcery. By 9 PC after failing to gain ground, they decide to retake the Tower of Istar. When the Cataclysm strikes, Merroc and a team enters the tower and transports it to an alternate plane of existence. When the Blood Sea of Istar formed, the Tower returned and floated above its center on a magical stone hundreds of feet in the air. This denoted the creation of a new age, the Age of Magic. Time is now referred to as Anno Magius, and begins with Merroc commanding the wizards to assist the people of Ansalon. They break Andras’ curse and retake the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas.

As magic rebuilds the land, the orders become stewards of Ansalon. The Black Robes are harsh, with bandits publicly executed, but many feel safe despite their dark rule. The Red Robes encourage self-governance, guiding leaders of local communities. And the White Robes protect the people and are praised for their generosity and good works. By the time of Merroc’s death in AM 32, the Conclave fails to find a replacement for the Highmage and this presents an opportunity for the Solamnic Rebellion. This led to two major outcomes: First, the uprising backfires as it forces the Orders together again, and splits the Solamnics. The Council of Three is elected to govern the Orders, and the Knights of Huma were formed to defend the Orders, honoring the partnership of Huma and the wizard Magius. Fistandantilus is defeated by their unity in AM 38, and his soul is imprisoned in the Tower of Palanthas. 

In the years of peace and prosperity that follow, every ten years there is a Grand Conclave in a different Tower. The Tower of Losarcum is rebuilt in AM 63, and the Tower of Daltigoth is raised anew in AM 94. By the eighth Grand Conclave the wizards have divided the land around the five Towers, with each Master of the Tower acting as absolute ruler. This is accepted as the mages have protected and supported the populations and the Knights have defended them. As Takhisis plans to reenter Krynn with the Temple of Istar’s Foundation Stone, a sixth Tower is built at the border of Silvanesti. At the fifteenth Grand Conclave, a seventh tower is ordered for Sancrist, which will be the training ground for the most prominent of mages. Outraged, the remnant Knights of Solamnia rise against the Knights of Huma and are slaughtered to the man, ending the legacy of Vinas Solamnus. The Tower of Sancrist is completed in AM 244. In AM 333 Takhisis’ agents infiltrate the Tower of Sancrist as a gnome activates a magical item and the two utterly destroy the Tower, laying waste to Sancrist and Crityne naming them the Blasted Isles where the land becomes twisted and magic runs wild.

Takhisis forms the Gray Robes in AM 337 in the nation of Blode. These renegade wizards serve Takhisis alone, not the three moons of magic. She rallies her forces and by AM 348 in the present time of this Magocracy of Krynn, the Dark Queen prepares to conquer the continent and its people. This alternate timeline is strange, yet familiar. With the Towers focused as the center of power, the nation’s borders are markedly different. Palanthas stretches from the Straights of Algoni to the Khalkhist Mountains and from the Turbidus Ocean to the New Sea. New Istar covers the land from the Khalkists to the Blood Sea Isles, and from the Turbidus to the edge of Losarcum. Daltigoth includes the isles of Northern and Southern Ergoth, Enstar, Nostar, and the Blasted Isles of Sancrist and Cristyne. Wayreth comprises Abanasinia, Qualinesti, Thorbardin, and the western Plains of Dust. Losarcum covers the entire Losarcum Peninsula including Kenderwood, and finally Silvanesti includes the elven Kingdom, Khur and the eastern Plains of Dust.

The people may petition the Council of Three in The Great Hall of the Three in Palanthas. No petition is too small to be heard, but all decisions are final. Once a month they will meet for up to three full days with petitioners enlisting up to a month in advance. Again, while this is a completely different take on the timeline, there are eerie similarities and the Dark Queen still wants to conquer all. Political intrigue, infighting within the Orders, and an oncoming war are constants in Dragonlance and it is no different in this Magocracy of Ansalon. Perhaps the heroes will search the bottom of the Blood Sea for the Disks of Mishakal, or they will guide Dalamar into the dangerous Blasted Isles? Adventure is ripe and you can feel free to alter heroic personalities as the state of the world would have changed or influenced them. I highly recommend trying a campaign in this alternate timeline.

Outro

But that is all the time I have to talk about the alternate timeline: Magocracy of Ansalon. What do you think of this mage run world? Would you join the orders of High Sorcery or stand against them? Or do they deserve to be in power? Leave a comment below. 

I also want to take a second and let you all know about my new project! I have been developing a system agnostic, dark fantasy campaign setting called DireLands. You can learn more about it on my Eviliv3 Play youtube channel. The link is in the description below.

Also, please consider subscribing to this YouTube channel, ringing the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and clicking the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember: 

Uh, I seem to have forgotten something. What was my name again?

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