Atlas of the Young Kingdoms, Cassandra's Wave of Disjunction

Atlas of the Young Kingdoms: Volume One is a supplement for Elric.  Elric is one of the later editions of the original Stormbringer  game by Chaosium. The Atlas was released in 1996 and is described  as the first n a series of four. The intent was to break the Young  Kingdoms up into quadrants and describe them in great detail. As  is often the case the later promised volumes never appeared.

It is really too bad that the other three volumes were never  produced. The level of detail provided for first the game world  and then the areas covered in this quadrant of the map were really  quite amazing. I have read all of the Elric books and do not  recall the level of detail in the books being this rich. If the  author did not have input from Michael Moorcock then they went  above and beyond in the level of detail.

The book starts with an introduction and then spends about seven  pages providing the GM with more information about the world of  Elric than was ever provided in the books or at least more than I  can ever recall being there. Next we are provided with information on seven distinct kingdoms or important locations. These seven  descriptions occupy the vast majority of the book. The book  finishes with a section of story seeds that are really more than  seeds. They are actually full scenario outlines without any stats  or maps. Finally there are calendars provided. There is one for  the Young Kingdoms and the Melnibonean calender is also provided.  There is also a full index which is always nice to have in a 148  page supplement.

The areas covered in this book are gone over in a level of detail  that will make things easy for the GM if they want to run  adventures in these areas. They are present with a wealth of maps  of both the kingdoms and of individual cities. Each area is also  presented with a history and places of note. Varied across the  areas described there are also descriptions of customs, society,  ways of life and important NPCs. The locations described are as  follows:

Vilmir
Ilmiora
The Weeping Waster
Nadsokor
Org and the Forest of Troos
The Sighing Desert
Tanelorn

Unless you plan on running Elric or an adventure set in the Young  Kingdoms this may not be very portable. The setting is very  specific as is the history connected with these locations. I know  Tanelorn can exist anywhere so that is the exception. This is  still a great book to have as there are things that can always be  taken and used even if the whole can not. In the end the worst  part of this book is that the other three were never made.

From the back of the book:

"Great Imperial Melniboné lay swollen across the world. Her  fingers wound through the planes of the multiverse a hundred  times.

Among the earthly slaves of the great Melniboné were grunting  ape-men who ploughed and harvested the fields and vineyards.

When the ape-men changed, they challenged their betters, and won  against them. New kingdoms were gathered, this time by human  hands.

The Atlas of the Young Kingdoms: The Northern Continent discusses  the Sighing Desert, the Weeping Waste, heavenly Tanelorn, horrible  Nadsokor (the kingdom of beggars), the ancient evil of Org, and  the Forest of Troos, free-trading and progressive Ilmiora, and the  Lawful hell of dying Vilmir. We learn the origin of the Young  Kingdoms and the great rebellion of Vil Valario, the ways of the  people, histories, products, and attitudes, customs and holidays,  provinces and towns, and important leaders. There are plot ideas  and story seeds, scores of illustrations, full-page national and  regional maps, city plans, a Lormyrian and a Melnibonéan calendar,  and an index."


Spell:

Cassandra's Wave of Disjunction

Level: Seventh
Range: None
Duration: Special
Ares of Effect: Special
Components: V,S
Casting Time: 2 Segments
Saving Throw: Special


When this spell is cat the magic user caused a cone shaped wave to  eminate from their hands. The wave will affect all magic items or  spell affects that are caught in the area effect. The wave will  cause the magical bonds that hold the effect to the item to break.  The effect the wave has will depend on the saving throw.

The wave will begin at the casters hand with a base of 1/2" (5')  and extend out for a range of 6" (60'). At its end the cone effect  will be 3" (30') wide. The height of the wave will match the  height of the room.

Every magic items in the areas of effect as well as anyone or  anything with a magical effect on it will be required to make a  saving throw. Items or effects that make their save will have  their abilities disrupted for 2-5 rounds. Items or effect that  fail the save will have the bonds of the magical effect  permanently broken. Magic Items with pluses will receive those as  pluses to their saving throw. The save of the items will be made  as if the owner of the item is making a save versus death.

Disclaimer: The spells that you will see, for how ever long the  write ups last, were all written up or conceived of back in the  80's so the terminology may not appropriate for anything other  than 1e and depending on how well I did back then it may be  slightly off for that as well. If there is any duplication of  spells that exist now it is most likely I wrote mine first :)  Please feel free to comment on them but try not to be too hard on  me. If anyone wishes to use these in anything they print please  let me know in advance and all I ask is proper credit.