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Shadow World: Things Forgotten?

There is an intersection between two topics I’ve discussed here on the blog: “originalism” and “retconning HERE and HERE” of Terry’s Shadow World material. Over the 30 years of Shadow World publications, the setting material has evolved, expanded and perhaps even matured. It’s easy to just adopt any and all material by Terry as canon, but some of his work was contradictory or vague. Other material was a moment in time, but when viewed through the entirety of his work product just didn’t fit well. Other material was seemingly forgotten or de-emphasized.

Perhaps no better examples are found in the Master Atlas 1st Ed., material that then originally defined the Shadow World tone and feel. It was the next step of the Loremaster series and “set the table” for all future Shadow World products. I recall when those first few books for Shadow World came out in the late 80s. We were already 7 years into playing Rolemaster (mostly repurposed MERP, Court of Ardor) but by then had graduated high school and our core group had gone off to college. Time was more critical so I embraced the Rolemaster specific setting as a valuable GM aid to save time.

Reading through the Master Atlas I saw the many similarities to the Tolkien world: an expansive timeline that spanned thousands of years, Elves, an epic high level feel etc. Looking back, that first Atlas seems almost quaint compared to the depth of books we have now, but these elements seemed important to the story of Kulthea:

The Ilarsiri. The Access Stones seemed ripped right out of the LOTR but nonetheless seemed a key bit of lore for Shadow World. Where were they located? Who had them? Were they the pinnacle of artifacts in this setting and drive a major narrative? The third party book “Norek” incorporated one of the Master Stones into the material and the Nameless One is rumored to have one. In those early days of Shadow World, the Ilarsiri seemed to be building a foundation for SW power and lore. But they sort of fell off the map. The Emer supplement took things in a new direction: the Ark of World, Shadowstone, Soulsword, etc. Perhaps this ended up being too derivative? The Master Atlas 4th Ed. only has 3 or 4 mentions of the Ilarsiri, so it certainly was minimized. To me, this is a good example of Terry discarding material in favor of his new ideas and writing.

Heralds of Night, While the Unlife was an omni present enemy going back to the Loremaster books, the Heralds of Night became the new baddie with the Master Atlas. There is some confusing and contradictory information about the Heralds. Are they a product of the Unlife, a remnant of the 1st Era, something else? I always felt these were the SW version of the Black Reaper. Subsequent books have introuced high level antagonists, evil cults and dark demi-gods that serve the same purpose. The Heralds, while still a entry in later editions of the MA feel minimized.

Implementors. Many fantasy settings had famous weapons, and Shadow World had the Implementors. First found in the Clourdlords of Tanara (the tomb of Ezra?), the Implementors were expanded in the Emer supplement book with both regular Implementors and Lord Implementors (wielded by Lorgalis). I think they are great, and I’m a fan of having a small number of major artifacts to drive story lines. The artifact of the week seems banal and perhaps reduces any awe/fear/wonder that such items should invoke. Nonetheless the Implementors haven’t been prominent since the early years of Shadow World.

Looking back, the Seeing Stones, Heralds and Implementors seemed like a test run, an early framework of artifacts and opponents that were mostly set aside. Rather than being bad ideas for the setting, I think Terry’s vision of Shadow World matured, or changed, as he wrote new material and these elements felt too generic?

I’d be curious how many people have used these elements in their shadow world campaign?

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Shadow World Channelers Guide v2.0

I recently posted up an updated version of my “Channelers Guide” over at the RM Forums and thoughts I’d make a few comments.

  1. Book title. I’m still not sure what to call this! I use “Guide”, “Handbook”, “Religions” interchangeably at different points. Is this work about Channeling, religions, Priests?
  2. Analog approach. Despite efforts to improve my work efficiency, I’m still using an old school approach to updates. I’ll jot down an idea, write a quick note or send myself an email and then put those scraps in a folder. Then when it accumulates I’ll add it to the master doc, add copy and then edit/page setup.
  3. Now that I have a group again the new material is piling up! I have 2 channelers in the group and I wanted to flesh out a few more religion details as part of their character backgrounds. I’m already thinking about v3.0 but want to finish up the Book of Essaence first.
  4. As Micael pointed out on the RM Forums, I left out 6 spell lists for some of the Gods of Charon. Most of those had some treatment already in Powers so I didn’t focus on either adding too, or creating a new religious organization. For now. I’ll be adding those in the next version.
  5. Other adds for v3.0. Summary of any significant religions in the various books. Artifacts, maybe some common temple floorplans or designs. With the spell lists and new material it’s going to push to 100-120 page count.
  6. Editing. I have no skills as an editor or in page layout. I wish I could put out a more professional product, but the last 10% just takes too much time.

Here are the links to the spell lists not included in the guide.

Andaras: https://ironcrown.co.uk/ICEforums/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=3787
Scalu: https://ironcrown.co.uk/ICEforums/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=3799
Nynaku: https://ironcrown.co.uk/ICEforums/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=3804
Kesh’ta’kai: https://ironcrown.co.uk/ICEforums/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=3782
Moralis: https://ironcrown.co.uk/ICEforums/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=3802
Klysus: https://ironcrown.co.uk/ICEforums/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=3803

Book of Essaence (BoE). This project has been a lingering goal of mine for quite some time. In fact I should have written this first, before BASiL, to help guide the design of spell lists. There are pieces of the BoE throughout this blog: powers and spells of the Earthwardens, Dragonlords, Xiosians, Essaence flows, magical languages. BoE is tying all of these pieces together into a cohesive whole, with a history starting in the 1st Era and following the origins of spells through to “present day”. The outline is currently at a dozen or so pages, but spell lists will inflate that for the final product. With the baseline finished I’ve come to the conclusion that early magic had to have 2 stages: Proto-Magic and then Arcane magic. That solved a lot of issues I kept encountering.

So why do the BoE? Much of it is academic and would have little if any impact on gameplay. Perhaps it’s my nature, but Terry left many gaps in the Shadow World setting, particularly in the underpinnings of the magic system. We have the “results” (Spell Law) but we never had a clear idea how it got there. Kulthea is not in a fantasy universe of magic; it’s in our “real” universe with a special circumstance that allows for magic. For me, this needed better road rules!

Anyway, I’m moving along quite nicely with my writing goals for 2026. Will I hit all of my benchmarks? Probably not, especially as my RL gets hectic again in a few months. Either way, I’m no longer waiting for any real opportunity from ICE to expand the Shadow World product line. If I have ideas in my head that need writing down I’ll keep on going.

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Adventuring in Post-Apocalyptic Shadow World

Back in 2016 I wrote about the Many Flavors of Shadow World; how SW has a variety of setting styles that could work with any gaming group or desired game setting. But one obvious genre/style I completely overlooked: the post-apocalyptic! Well of course the whole of Kulthea is by definition a post-apocalyptic setting, but I’m referring to a region to adventure with the P-A vibe. Basically wastelands. For a fantasy setting there isn’t really much wasteland on the Shadow World, but one certainly stands out: the Zor Wastes.

While mentions of the Zor wastelands go back to early SW products, most of the content can be found in the updated Jaiman book and the small supplement Aalk Vaalg. Despite the description as a wasteland, with miles of slagged surface, there is life and society: although mostly mutant and half mutant tribes of cannibals. But from such adventures are made! Terry’s focus on the Priest Arnak and their Messengers there could a be a number of adventure possibilities; one’s which I’ll be exploring with my group.

Adventure Hooks

Rare Herbs. There are a number of rare and useful herbs (Furk, Kylan, Shaub, Siri, Shumaran), with the “W” locale code (waste). Given the dangers of the Zor wastes, it’s unlikely that a herbalist, healer or similar would venture there themselves. So hire a group!

Lost Cities. The three largest cities were Tezra, Azodor and the capital Verzor. While destroyed, and Verzor described as a crater surrounded by glassy slag, it’s possible that the underground or lower levels of the city might still exist! I imagine something similar to the Morlock caves, The Underdwellers in the Dead city or even cooler, the underground ruins in The Mutant Chronicles. Creepy underground cities filled with mutants or a lost sect or civilization. Okay!

Rescue. The mutants are cannibals, but perhaps they also need “breeding stock” and kidnap nearby Jameri’s from the plains tribes. Whose going to save them?

Travel. Sometimes you have to get from here to there and the quickest way is going through the Zor wastes to get to the Vezarian Pass or the Otoni Gap into Tanara.

Challenges

“Radiation”. There are many allusions to the nuclear style device, a technology from the Ancients, that was activated to destroy Zor and the subsequent sicknesses and mutations. Of course the obvious analog is radiation.

Essaence Disruptions or Dead spots. I like using differing levels of Essaence to add challenges to the group. It’s possible that the cataclysm that destroyed Zor also created dead spots; areas with no Essaence to draw from or perhaps deadens all Essaence effects and spells. Better bring the fighters.

Aids

Tribes. The plains tribes to the West could be a great resource for the group.

Gryphon College. A great resource for the group in Jaiman is of course Gryphon College.

If you like your fantasy with blasted lands, mutants, dark Priests, rabid dogs and lost tech, then the Zor Wastes are for you! For some reason, my past player groups have never explored this area but now with my new gaming group I’m sending them in!

Have you used the Zor wastes in your game?

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Essaence Barriers in Shadow World

I’ve written a few blogs referencing Essaence Flows and Barriers over the years, but my current writing has me circling back to the subject. I’m not sure what our readership is here now, but I thought I would throw it out.

The issue. Excluding the inception of the Great Barrier, when did Essaence Flows begin to manifest into physical barriers on Kulthea?

While I still suspect that many SW groups don’t use Essaence Flow barriers as originally devised and envisioned by Terry, they are part of the setting and would necessarily direct societal interaction, commerce and trade. So when did they become “a thing”?

Essaence was detected on Kulthea during the 1st Era and was present during the technological evolution of the Althans and the rise of the Essaence Users, the Ka’ta’viir. So while the Essaence permeated Kulthea, it couldn’t have to the extent that it does in the current Era. We know the Essaence interferes with standard tech and the presence of invisible energy walls and even Flow Storms would have had an impact on the Althans. There is no indication of Essaence working like that in the 1st Era. That leaves us with a few basic conclusions:

  1. Essaence energy became more ubiquitous and powerful after the end of the 1st Era.
  2. While this coincides with the placement of the Northern and Southern Eyes, it could also be the result of time. The Interregnum lasted 100,000 years, so perhaps the Essaence was always growing and expanding on Kulthea.
  3. Alternatively, something about the installation of the Eyes and the creation of the Great Barrier created offshoots: smaller, less powerful, and perhaps temporary versions of the Great Barrier that ebb and flow around the hemisphere.
  4. Counter intuitively, weren’t the Eyes meant to stabilize the Essaence? You would think that Essaence would be more consistent and less volatile with the Eyes, but for a many reasons that seems the opposite.
  5. Another theory might be that the wars and cataclysms at the end of the 1st Era, damaged the Essaence permeation into the universe. The Essaence was out of control and the Eyes calmed it down, but not to the degree of pre-interregnum. So all of these could be partially true.

Is this academic? Perhaps not. While I’m working out the ontology of magic using, it’s equally important to define the what/how of the Essaence over time. Simply put, if the Essaence ebbs and flows, so to perhaps the power and scope of spells. That would dictate spell design for early primal magic, arcane magic and the contemporary magic realms.

Anyone have any thoughts?

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Winter Thoughts, Random Musings and Updates

First off, Happy New Year to all! Last year was fairly active for ICE and the finalization of the RMU product line. This blog has been fairly slow the last few years as the conversations have shifted to new platforms like Discord, but I still prefer the more deliberative blog format to memorialize work or organize my thoughts.

In that spirit I thought I would post up some random musings!

  1. Where have I been? With all he noise around RMU I decided to step back and let that process run it’s course. Instead I focused on writing AND I’ve been able to reconstitute a playing group to start testing new ideas, adventures and Shadow World in general. Having a semi-regular game creates a fantastic feedback loop that also drives my writing and new content. My players know and understand that their might be significant changes to the game rules, spells and even the adventure path from session to session so I can “move fast and break things” for faster game testing.
  2. Nomikos Library. A longstanding goal was to get Matt’s “Nomikos Library” back up and running. Not only has Matt got it back up and running, it’s now AI enabled to add functionality with more features forthcoming. I think this is a fantastic tool for the setting.
  3. Terms of Art. I’ve written about this before, but I’m constantly thinking about our word usage in Rolemaster. Specifically, whether it makes sense to mechanistically define words for the ruleset or to use them interchangeably. An example would be “illusions”, “glamours” “mirage”, “visions” “phantasm” or “summoning” vs “calling”. FRPG’s will often use these terms loosely, or as just spell name differentiators among casters. To some extent this has been done, and perhaps it’s moved further along with RMU, but it’s not quite there. By defining these terms we also create established guidelines around their use that fits into the setting, the ruleset or as coherent short hand for communicating ideas. This topic requires a lengthier treatment, but it’s been on my mind, especially in terms of written magic: runes, glyphs, sigils, marks, symbols etc.
  4. Re-writing. From a review of my work product so far, everything needs a re-write! I’ve always relied on the 80% rule, with the understanding that no work is every finished and/or that the final polishing could be done if ICE decided to move ahead with an official publication. But final edits are time-consuming and I’d rather push out 100 new pages than final edit an existing work with 10% new material for the same amount of time.
  5. 2026 Goals. My goals for this year are…ambitious. Of course I’m cheating a bit since some of my 2026 product is the result of work I did last year. My goal is 600 pages of material.
    • Chronicles Chapter 1: Kuor. I put out the first section of this a few years back but now I’ve been able to expand upon it with the new gaming group. For me, the Gods are the entry point into Shadow World. Religions create impetus, reasons and conflicts for adventure. That is not to say that I would lean on religions and gods if I were to create my own setting, but I use Shadow World and that’s that! I have a few other Chapters outlined so there is lots of material to plumb!
    • Shadow World: Book of Things. Tech, magic items, materials, trade goods, alchemical stuff, drugs, equipment etc.
    • Nontataku. I’ve been picking away at this for years. Barring maps, it’s almost there.
    • Empire of the Black Dragon. This has always been 80% complete and was expected to go into editing for official publication. Since that’s unlikely to occur it’s time to put it out there to finish off the Agyra Series.
    • Shadow World: Book of Essence. This has been my primary project for the last year. History and chronology of Shadow World magic: arcane, realms, languages, sources and history of lists, and re-writes of the BASiL lists for Shadow World (my version of it anyway). Lots of side info including expanded info on Ka’ta’viir families and merchant houses, Dragon lineages, Orhan/Charon cycles and influences etc.
    • Book of Channeling Addendum. I’ve added some inferred powers to the various Priests based on their aspects. I’ve shied away from level based powers–very D&D but I’ve warmed to it as my views have changed on Channeling.

Final thoughts. I’ve toyed with putting out my SWARM ruleset (Shadow World Alternate RoleMaster). I pullled a 30 page summary together for my players so they could make characters–and yes, they did character creation in 15-20 minutes! But after monitoring the endless rule debates online I’m going to stay away from it. Matt and I want to focus on narrative and setting, regardless of rules. Shadow World needs a d20 version!

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Updated 4-5-2025: Shadow World File List

I was recently asked about several of my upload files and thought this would be a good time to update my master Shadow World file list with the working forum links.

Please note that some of these files may be here on the Rolemasterblog, but to access these links to the RM Forums will require a Forum account–otherwise you cannot see or access.

Here we go:

  1. SW Healing Chart. This was a quick reference chart for cinematic healing, but taking into account cultural access to healing skills. I use it between adventures to quickly establish healing times & costs without a lot of more complicated calculations. It was included in my Master Atlas, but probably needs to fleshed out.
  2. RM/RMU Class Comparison. Another chart from my Master Atlas, this was a quick guide to mapping RMU professions to classic RM professions with notes specific to SW.
  3. SW Research Chart. Small chart to generate research results.
  4. Invoke Chart. I’ve blogged and written about invocation quite a bit. This chart allows PCs to call/pray for their gods intervention. This is a common mechanism in my SW campaign and brings the gods into gameplay in a less abstract way.
  5. SW Lore Table. Incomplete, but the start of summarizing skill levels/competence level and knowledge of various skills and lores.
  6. SW Metal Chart. Summary of SW metals and alloys with a unifying “breakage” number that use for material RRs and enchantments/imbedding.
  7. Master Herb Chart. Collated list of all herbs, plants, and poisons found in all RM books. May need some updates to include Terry’s more recent books.
  8. SW Crystal Summary. Crystals play a key role in SW, but Terry never really fleshed out a full system for the. This chart assumes that all “Essence Crystals” are basically the same–even if know as Zirix Crystals, or Essaence Crystals or Jewel Slime etc. It needs some work, but I use crystals as PP storage devices that can be drawn upon or recharged with channeling skill.
  9. Cantrips. Really this is part of BASiL, but in the thread.
  10. God Invocation Summary. This chart is used with the Invocation chart. Summarizes modifiers to SW’s gods responses and specific things they may do.
  11. SW Encounter Chart. This is a comprehensive chart for random encounters by region. Includes weather and Essence effects. Inspired by the encounter tables in the AD&D DM’s guide. Needs a little updating but I think a very useful tool!
  12. Void Knight Base List. Spell list for a organization I use in my SW campaign and features in “Priest-King of Shade”. It needs some touch up.
  13. Soulless. Update Pending. This is my effort to consolidate the concept of the Unlife, traditional fantasy Undead, corruption and possession. In my SW campaign, the Unlife possesses or inhabits creatures to various degrees.
  14. Hierax Guard. Organization dedicated to fighting Demon’s. Uses the Void Knight base list.
  15. Xiosians. My interpretation of the Xio Warriors mentioned in a few places and a way to integrate them into the larger SW story.
  16. History of the Earthwardens. I went through every single SW book and collated all the references to the Earthwardens. This is my conclusions.
  17. Notes on Tech & Languages. Quick excerpt from my Master Atlas.
  18. Elves. Again, this is my fleshing out of Elves: how they came to be and their place in the larger story. Plus a Shadow World explanation of the various types of Elves beyond the Tolkien archetypes.
  19. Alchemy Notes. I use alchemy skill a lot in my game. This is my simplified but flexible rules on alchemy. I plan on expanding on it at some point.
  20. SW Trade Goods. Treasure is more than gems, jewelry and gold!
  21. SW Civilization Summary. Chart from my Master Atlas with overview of the various ancient civilizations.
  22. Cult of Hraask. I wanted a “spider/insect” spell list grounded in SW.
  23. SW Cultural Skills. This is part of SWARM rules (Shadow World Alternate Role Master) and my “build a character in 10 minutes. Includes specific SW cultures rather than the broader types in RMU.
  24. SW Professions. List of vocations and skill packages for quick character generation.
  25. SW Background Table. Random background table, SW specific.
  26. SW Material Strength. Unifying method for breakage, VS RR’s and imbedding, enchanting and weapon runes.
  27. Weapon Modifier Chart. Combat modifiers and stats for specific weapons rather than general modifiers used in RM.
  28. SW Racial Chart. Conversion of bonuses to RMU. Probably will need a re-edit after RMU publication.
  29. Orhanian Base Spells Lists. God specific lists for Clerics and Followers. See “Religions & Channeling Handbook” below in #49
  30. Charon Base Lists. See “Religions & Channeling Handbook” below in #49
  31. Religious Organizations. Orhan. See “Religions & Channeling Handbook” below in #49
  32. Religious Organizations. Charon. See “Religions & Channeling Handbook” below in #49
  33. History of SW in narrative form. My Master Atlas version.
  34. SW Languages. My notes, needs some work.
  35. SW Special Armor. Cool armors.
  36. SW Archaeology. Notes on ancient SW civilizations.
  37. SW Antiquities. Price chart for REALLY ancient, “priceless” stuff!
  38. Jaiman Tradegoods. More trade items specific to Jaiman cities and cultures.
  39. Iron Wind Base Lists. Lyak. Yarthraak. Gaath. Athimurl. Dansart. Thargondaak.
  40. SW Notes on Currency. Summary of various coins and currencies.
  41. Shrapnel & Swarm Crit Chart. I use for explosions or insect swarms.
  42. SW Trade Goods: Drugs & Alcohol. Small file that needs more work!
  43. BASIL: Essence Lists.
  44. BASIL: Channeling Lists.
  45. BASIL: Mentalism Lists. Still working on these.
  46. For links to the spell lists above.
  47. Legends of Shadow World. Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5. Alternate all Priest PCs.
  48. Priest-King of Shade. Priest King Charts. Small module that takes place in SW Agyra.
  49. The Book of Pales. Summary and overview of the Pales.
  50. SW Religions and Channeling Handbook.
  51. Book of Herbs. White background version. Illustrated guide to all of the herbs found in the Shadow World books.
  52. SW Channeling Canticles. (Adventure Paths). Kuor. Phaon. Teris. Shaal. Updates Pending.
  53. Shadow World Suggested Patrons. Suggestions for patron Gods (Orhan and Charon) based on Professions.
  54. SW Transport Costs.
  55. Earthwarden Base Lists. Updates in Progress. Creations. Essaence Master, Dimension Mastery, Shapechanging & Life Mastery, Time Mastery, Mana Fires, Earthworks, Sound Mastery, Words of Power, Warding.
  56. Matt (Vroomfogle) Hanson Files. Languages of Kulthea, SW Combat Styles, Vroomfogles Magic Treasures, Compass Rules. Legacy of the Y’Kin.
  57. Misc Files & Maps. Esov Inquirer, Esov Inquirer 2, Meluria Map, Rhakhaan South Map
  58. Martin’s “Lethys” file.
  59. Jengada’s Files. Scorpion Attack, Rip/Tear Critical Strikes.
  60. Ultimate Shadow World Trivia Test.
  61. Empire of the Black Dragon. PENDING. Companion supplement to Priest-King covering the realms of Uyla Shek.

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Earthwarden Spell Lists

With so many projects going on, some are just gestating while others I pick away at when I get an inspiration or idea. One small project, an intersection between my BASiL lists and Shadow World material was designing 10 proto/Arcane lists that would have been the underpinnings of the original magic system used by the Ka’ta’viir and later Earthwardens. You can read my previous posts on this HERE and HERE. Well, in fact, I actually did the first run through on these lists under the general guidelines:

  1. As archetype lists, they are less singular and specific as the later spells broken into the 3 Realms. That also means the spells are subject to broader interpretation in the application and effects.
  2. These lists are powered by raw unrefined Essaence. I still used the Spell Law level format, but I wouldn’t say that the spell level is analogous to Essence/Channeling/Mentalism spells or the basic power levels in RM or RMU.
  3. These are powerful spells, and I’ve built in the idea that they are physically demanding to focus and cast. It’s unlikely most contemporary mortal races on Shadow World could cast them unless they had some mix of Ka’ta’viir blood, offspring of a Major or Lesser or local Diety or similar.
  4. These were created by several inputs, creative and specific: some BASiL spell lists (Physics & Time Mastery), Companion I Arcane lists, Loremaster and Navigator lists and others. It’s difficult to credit sources (and impossible to remember) when they are so varied, but let’s just say it’s a group effort and not mine alone!

I arbitrarily chose to make 10 lists. This seemed to cover on the various magical aspects I thought best represented the foundation of magic and it was achievable! Here are the final categories:

Creations – Crafting magical artifacts, constructs, and living statues.

Essaence Mastery – Foci, Power Point flows, travel, and arcane energy control.

Dimension Mastery – Gates, teleportation, interdimensional travel.

Shapechanging & Life Mastery – Polymorphing, biological manipulation, and ascension.

Time Mastery – Mastery over time, including dilation, stasis, and time travel.

Mana-Fires – Plasma-based energy manipulation, precursor to Elemental Essence.

Earthworks – Megalithic construction, geoglyphs, stonework, and tectonic forces.

Sound Mastery – Vibration-based effects, levitation, disintegration.

Words of Power – Spoken arcane forces, immediate and reality-altering.

Warding – Protective proto-magic, runes, barriers, and mystical safeguards.

I’ll be posting these lists over at the RMForums for download over the next few days and turn the titles above into hyperlinks. Note that you have to have a RMForums account to see and download files there. Then I’ll be returning to Part II and Part III of my Agyra series: Empire of the Black Dragon and Nontataku: City of Sails. On the off chance that Priest-King actually get’s published I’ll have the rest of the trilogy in edit review mode for queueing up.

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The Book of Herbs: An Illustrated Guide to Magical & Medicinal Plants of Kulthea

I’ve finished up my first draft of a game aid I’ve been picking away at for a few years. This is a visual guide and expanded description of the 120+ Shadow World herbs/substances that is found in the Master Atlas.

In my campaign, players learn a new Herb for each skill rank of Herb Lore (they can do additional research of course) and I can just print out the appropriate page so they can add to their own “Lore folder”. There are some rule mechanics and modifiers in some of the text, but I wanted to make it more of a reference book that ideally could be used in RMU or any other setting without a lot of work.

This does not include poisons, but I’ve got notes for an expanded version of poisons, antidotes and nefarious substances from my Alchemy rules that I’ll put in a short primer: Book of Dark Arts. A few of the plants don’t have pictures, and I need to make some changes to those-too many “green leafy” herbs.

Now that I’ve finished this, I want to go back and really expand my “Book of Pales” to include a variety of summoning and protection circles, more creature and Demon pictures and powerful artifacts or cool devices found in the Pales.

There is so much SW material that can be expanded upon–it’s endless! You can download the Book of Herbs over at the Rolemaster Forums, but you need an account to see and access it here:

https://ironcrown.co.uk/ICEforums/index.php?topic=15879.msg247765#msg247765

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Shadow World AI project: Art & Culture

Here is an AI generated poem written in Iruaric with an English translation. I think it’s generic but also pretty damn good?

Iruaric Version

“Viir na Thos”

Na-ia ndar, hith hír shúlare,
Thos aruls kygar suul.
Arul ahren viir,
Lak usuiv, phoen drasul.

K’lav, kort thea vash,
Lirnul man, sa lo spirith,
Emer hûl, mur shú,
Serephoen, phaol ryka trû.

Gaalekar lin, kuul eir,
Linær andos, aen aek her,
Nuul shaut nae, lair lanos,
Serem lorith, throk loar.

Viirnæ, xu darth, Fatean fæ,
Amorul raath mûn, hith ar,
Diræ kyrs kolth aern,
Uscurak phoen karn.

Dom arus, shulu syth,
Vuul lavan ryk mûr,
Rakkul kolth, raath utumkod,
Ahrenul laakh, viirnæ, Xul.

Puk karn, aer drayn suul,
Larn hir, lug neith,
Viirnæ, jaiarul, aerna vë,
Utumwomaw, Fatean—xu darth.

English Translation of Iruaric Poem

“Essence of the Mountain”

In the realm of lands, under the sky so clear,
Mountain casts shadows by starlight.
Seeing the hidden essence,
Through lakes and oceans, journey closely.

The Lord of the old world,
Dreams through dwellings, where spirits rest,
His heart, full of love,
The healer of secrets, his love so true.

Scholars sing, their voices old,
Singers of beginnings, songs of stone and sight,
Islands whisper of past, of days long eternal,
In green havens, where guardians build.

Believing, the mind’s fate, destiny bound,
Loving beyond the mist, beneath the hill,
Keys to unlock hidden gates,
Darken the path where travel once turned.

In shallow waters, where wet meets water,
The creator of souls finds his cause,
Snow falls, cold to the golden ancients,
Finding the lost, believes, the divine.

Through the wild heights, where thirsty dragons soar,
To the tall high, where ugly echoes,
Believing, forgiving, and finally seeing,
The golden secret, destiny—his fate.

For those “Shadow World Scholars”, I think this is a great poem for Kydak Dûm, the Gold Dragon and head of the Dragonlords (if such a title were to exist). You can read my own thoughts on the subject HERE.

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Upcoming: The Rolemaster Podcast

This might be too early to announce, but it’s probably given that we have a fairly small, but passionate fanbase so it’s sort of necessary. We are in the process of rolling out a new Rolemaster/Shadow World based podcast: In Search of Andraax. This will be a monthly production sponsored by the Rolemasterblog.com.

We have the first year production mapped out, but I want to solicit YOUR ideas for future podcasts content. Despite it’s current smaller market, Rolemaster was a GIANT of the industry, a pathmaker for other systems (DND 3ed) and for our readers, perhaps the RPG system of choice. It’s history needs to be further explored.

A quick search amongst Youtube and podcasts doesn’t generate a lot of great results: mostly game sessions, product reviews and the rare interview. I’m quite excited about our lineup and approach to the subject matter. If you have an “in” to a key person tied to Rolemaster, or an idea for us to explore, let us know. Is there someone we should interview or is there something you would like to know more about that hasn’t been explored?