The Savage Land (Original Edition)
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Discover the dangerous past of the classic Talislanta RPG.
Talislanta is a fantasy roleplaying game and game-setting that was first published back in 1986.
Unlike most RPGs from the 1980s¸ the Talislanta milieu was not based on traditional Western mythology. It didn't have the usual Tolkien-esque trappings of games like D&D; in fact¸ ads for the game proudly proclaimed¸ "No Elves".
The original Talislanta RPG was inspired by the fantasy novels of Jack Vance¸ and by other sources such as H.P. Lovecraft's The Dreamlands of Unknown Kadath¸ Michael Moorcock's Elric novels¸ and The Travels of Marco Polo.
The game was set in a strange world of twin suns and seven moons that seemed to be practically overflowing with exotic peoples¸ places¸ and creatures. The time was the New Age¸ a Renaissance-like period that started a thousand or more years after The Great Disaster¸ a cataclysm that marked the fall of the once-great Archaen Age.
During this era¸ Talislanta was still a dangerous place¸ especially in the wilderness regions that lay beyond the walled cities. But for many who lived in the New Age¸ there was also a sense of hope¸ and the possibility of greater things to come.
That Was Now.
This Is Then...
Talislanta: the Savage Land is a prequel to the original Talislanta game. It takes place just a short time after The Great Disaster¸ which the inhabitants of this era refer to as The Fall.
This period is like a nightmarish version of our own Dark Ages. All knowledge of spell-casting has been lost; maps are nearly non-existent¸ and much of the world is unknown. Most of those who survived The Fall are illiterate¸ and governed by superstition.
There are no nations¸ city states¸ or even laws. In their place¸ tribes of warriors¸ nomads¸ slavers¸ and refugees struggle to survive in a hostile wasteland¸ torn by centuries of warfare and a malevolent magical maelstrom known as the Gyre.