Official Backstory for Talus 1:

Currently the World of Talus (referred to as WoT hereafter) has 2 enhabited continents.
Neither appears to be aware of the other; developing at different paces after the technological holocaust described below.

he Ancients of Talus lived in a highly advanced technological society, which suddenly stumbled upon the secrets of magic one day. They were careful to keep it secret for some time, then as they mastered it they taught it and let those gifted be trained in proper safe uses and methods. Research was funded, and over time, they merged it with their society. Flying cabs... etc, etc. Their achievements were tremendous. They conquered all known diseases, and learned to fix injuries. Raising the dead was strictly off limits to common people, and only taught to those in outposts working vital jobs, when an accident was the cause (i.e. if you were one of 2 people in a space station, you could raise the other person since you might die without). Having already reached their moon by technology, and having successfully established mining bases there, it was only a matter of time before they decided to take the first steps away from Talus and head to other worlds, using magic. They set about months of research, designing the portals, ensuring safe returns, but they had little experience with portals as of yet. When the time came, the runes were carved, the powers called upon, the home point properly set... but the target... the target was improperly defined. Instead of a single planetary target, their portal opened upon hundreds of other planes. A swarm of monsters flooded through the portal from various planes. Many were warped and merged with those of other planes coming through at the same time. Others waited at the openings and consumed later arrivals. Some creatures randomly teleported upon arrival to stop the residents from following them. Many wound up in cities, and while the technology of the ancients was great, their magic was not advanced enough to stop the swarms of demons, devils, and other planar beings from wreaking havoc on their planet. The ancients resorted to nuclear weapons to halt the advance of armies from afar, buckling the crust of the planet. Sadly, they were too late to stop the fall of their society. Much of the population died in that time. Over two thousand years have passed since the catastrophy. During that time, the race of the ancients fell back to barbarism, and splintered into several variations. Mental and physical mutations occurred, and the technology... was lost. They had conquered nature here in their time, but now only some remnants remain to prove their greatness with science. The steam vents in the volcano, the water pumps at the end of the grand chasm, certain dungeons and... the still unopened stone tower... all are pieces of their legacy. Anyway... the creatures of Talus have slowly recovered.

In the planar maelstrom they released, Cthorna and other dieties emerged into this realm. Some were already present, but many new arrivals came through the rift, some sending representatives and warriors. Cthorna killed many of them, fought his way clear of the chaos, and made his way to Peridotia, drawn by the heat of the volcano. Once there, he made a pact with the ancients that remained there. He would protect the residents of the island... and they would let him stay there in the volcano pit... eventually, they too descended into barbarism and tribal society. Cthorna held to his word, and kept them from starvation, protected them, and gained power from their eventual worship. He now wields the power of a minor diety, but is still landbound. His main efforts are currently directed at recovering the technologies the ancients used.

In terms of remnant contamination from the cleansing the ancients did to save their world, Lomatin and Peridotia got the least contamination. The further north and east you go in lomatin, the worse things get. There are some places spared because of the geology, valleys, mountains, mines, islands, etc. The mainland of Lomatin is the only known civilized continent, but oversea travel is still in exploratory stages for the people of Talus.

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About the modules

World of Talus is a challenge-oriented world, which will be adding new quests as time permits.

Talus 1 is a high magic world & well rounded for all levels/classes.

T1 related

The island of Peridotia is threatened by its resident volcano. Can you make it through the deep mines to appease the god of the volcano, Cthorna? Being an important and busy god, he has many challenges to keep away pests, and only the worthy will make it all the way to
see him.

Places to go:
• Cities and Towns (Include but not limited to) Peridotia, Lomatin, Snow City, Alvar, Mirek.
• There are over 1000 areas. Feel free to just explore.
• There are 30+ scripted quests, some big, some small.
Here are some ideas:
• The Alvarian swamp to the east of Peridotia... City of Alvar is beyond that.
• The Island of Peridotia (take the boat). This is an extensive place. Worth checking out, and home to the challenges and the missions of Cthorna.
• Currently there are 13 challenges, suitable for all levels.. If you reach the bottom you will be given quests by the volcano god, Cthorna.
• Pirate Cove (hidden somewhere on Peridotia)
• Many areas north of Peridotia...

Talus 2 is a low magic world & well rounded for lower levels/classes. T2 began as a group project back in 2007. It never got past the written & sketch outlined as well as basic module phase before being shelved for almost 3 years. Badwater revived T2 utilizing Haks & Cep2.4 and has almost single handedly willed it into existence. T2 is currently online in a "beta" form.

T2 related (as of 10-2011)

Places to go:
• Cities and Towns are Anira Anma'a (Wood Elves) , Valahna , Cresent Bay , North Port , GnomeHome & HammerFall.
• Other places to visit are Hundvolk Isle , Alerra Isle & Hundevall Coast

Creator/DM: Lanthar D'Alton
Current T1 DMs: Badwater, Edhovi, Inviktus
Current T2 DMs: Badwater
Previous DMs: Vlotka, Nezumi, Chass, Rogue King, Lith, Jaiken, Tor, Madprez, Maju, Valdor, Loci, Longtide, Endarn, Dyrch , Rfreeborn , Mekerek , Ellis (others missed due to the loss of memory)
Server Name: Lanthar's Lair & Lanthar's Other Lair
Module Name: World of Talus & World of Talus 2
Game Type: Roleplay
Level Range: 1 through 40
Max. Players: 32
Plot Items: All will be unequipped.