So I've been reading Frank Herbert's Dune series (yeah, I'm a little late to the party. I'm also reading them out of order, since I almost always find myself reading series out of order).
The desert world of Arrakis obviously offers potential inspiration for the Sea of Dust, though a potential difficulty lies in figuring out what elements existed during the age of the Suel Imperium. Purple worms are a canonical feature of the Sea of Dust, but what about sandworms (which are statted as sand leviathans in the D&D Creature Catalogue)? Mutations created by the Rain of Colorless Fire or something that existed in some form before? Could the ancient Suloise have had smaller, domesticated worms from which they harvested some exotic spice?
While the galactic culture in the Dune series seems more appropriate for the Baklunish in some ways, there's much that I can see existing among the ancient Suel: secretive orders of female mystics (perhaps worshiping Beltar, Wee Jas, or Lydia), shapeshifters and creators of bizarre hybrids (the latter two are canonical).
Cool topic. I haven't read the Dune series, but I've seen the David Lynch movie several times while a buddy lectured me on the differences between the book and its film adaption!
A few sandworm origins spring to my mind as possibilities:
1) purple worms, not sandworms, were created by the Suel. They were an inefficient attempt to harvest gems and minerals before the Suel created Derro. Sandworms then evolved naturally after the RoCF.
2) Same as above, but for more of a "spice" theme, purple worms were used by the Suel because they can harvest and store the radiation of the Underdark! Unfortunately, the method to distill said radiation for prolonged above-ground use and cheap magical energy was taken to the grave by the secretive priests of Sryndro.
3) the sandworms were originally snakes or eels, not worms. There are a lot of Suel sea gods (Xerbo, Osperm, Akwamon) and snake gods (Beltar, Ranet, and the "Suel snake goddess"). Maybe the gods saved some of their pets when the cataclysm hit. Maybe the Cruski brought some of the original monster eels all the way to Lake Abanfyl.
4) sandworms are terrible, extraplanar entities accidentally summoned to Oerth by early Black Brotherhood cultists trying to free Tharizdun.
For more sandworm stats, H'Calos the Star Worm in FMA2 Endless Armies is pretty awesome and could easily be adapted for the Sea of Dust.
rasgon wrote:
secretive orders of female mystics (perhaps worshiping Beltar, Wee Jas, or Lydia)
According to Nellisir's writeup in OJ25:
"[Ainatet] battled Syrul for control over
the growing number of Suel witches
- practitioners of magic reliant on
herbs, charms, potions, and other
talismanic symbols to work their
spells. Wee Jas kept herself aloof
from this debate, since neither chaotic
power appealed to her balanced
nature, and the winner would serve
under her regardless. The conflict
was not resolved before the Rain of
Colorless Fire and Ainatet’s death."
If the Rain of Colorless Fire created the Sea of Dust, perhaps it is the actions of worms ("dust" worms, "sand" worms, etc.) that keeps it a Sea of Dust, preventing the return of plant life, etc. This might also help distinguish the Sea of Dust from a typical natural desert of sand dunes, not as a desert of sand but one of ash and cinders. Like some plankton sifting whale, such worms might just constantly sift through the desert, their innards consuming any new life by re-incinerating it.
Such a worm might be an additional feature of the Bakluni retribution, and their elemental focused magic - or - a creation of Suel slave race/creature breading gone out of control in the aftermath of the Rain of Colorless Fire.
Perhaps the "dust" of the Sea of Dust has undiscovered, yet potent alchemical or magical properties as the spice in the Dune novels, which was a byproduct of the sand worm activity.
If the Rain of Colorless Fire created the Sea of Dust, perhaps it is the actions of worms ("dust" worms, "sand" worms, etc.) that keeps it a Sea of Dust, preventing the return of plant life, etc. This might also help distinguish the Sea of Dust from a typical natural desert of sand dunes, not as a desert of sand but one of ash and cinders. Like some plankton sifting whale, such worms might just constantly sift through the desert, their innards consuming any new life by re-incinerating it.
I like this idea, ABB. Additionally, like in the movie, Tremors, the worms can't tunnel through the mountains which surround the Suel Basin now encompassing the Sea of Dust.
You'll learn, if you continue the Dune series that the 'worms have a huge meaning and significance to Arrakis.
My players only ever made it to the Sea of Dust once in my old campaign, and they met 'sandworms' of huge size. Wisely, they fled as rapidly as possible. However I never worked them to be more than just enormous monsters.
But had I had the time, I would have loved to make them a vital part of Dust-ian ecology. Spice, the whole works. Even nomads who used them for various purposes; as mounts, weapons, and natural resources. The possibilites are endless. But unless you treat them as the same type of organisms as in the books, you'd be hard pressed to explain what the heck they ate to maintain huge size.
Dune is one of my very favorite series, and Frank Herbert one of my favorite authors. His son, Brian, is pretty good too, carrying on the franchise, but it's taken on more of a serial, space opera feel, IMHO. _________________ <div> Is THIS your card? How about THIS one? No?</div>
...But had I had the time, I would have loved to make them a vital part of Dust-ian ecology. Spice, the whole works. Even nomads who used them for various purposes; as mounts, weapons, and natural resources. The possibilites are endless. But unless you treat them as the same type of organisms as in the books, you'd be hard pressed to explain what the heck they ate to maintain huge size...
-I'll have to check, but there was an article in Dragon magazine [EDIT: # 325] which discussed Dune and D&D, including rules for the spice.
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