Rise of Moltar -Hyperborea Rpg From Marvel's Saga of Crystar 1983 Comic Book Series & Action Figures Line -Session Report

 During tonight's Hyperborea Rpg session our party was supposed to save an Ixian merchant and his daughter from the clutches of bandits. Little did we realize exactly what were getting ourselves into! We made ourway into the belly of an extinct volcano & ran smack into Lavamen! We made our way into what we thought was an extinct volcano but all around were ruined suits of lava covered armor twice the size of our adventurers. And then we came to a pool of lava. From out of the depths came the face of evil & Chaos incarnate! Moltar and his warriors arose! 

In DM Paul's version of Hyperborea the time of Ragnork attracted the forces of Chaos and this included the armies of Moltar The Ruthless!  And apparently the bastard servant of Chaos has been there ever since. For some reason he has awokened now! We did not stick around to find out why. And simply saved the merchant and his daughter then left! 

We made our way back to a local village to drop off the merchant & saw swaths of destruction left by Moltar and co. This included wrecked cottages, burnt farms, and cleared out temples. We were in no shape to tangle with any horrors at this time. So we hid and camped for the night. 

Crystar Champion of Order - Crystar Champion of Order & Forces of Crystallium For Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea From Marvel's Saga of Crystar 1983 Comic Book Series & Action Figures Line

 Created ages ago on the plane of  Crystallium,  Crystar the Crystal Warrior  was one of two twin brothers who sided with the forces of Order  through the second Chaos Wars. He & his followers were turned into elemental Order warriors servants of Order forever more by the wizard of Order &  light Ogeode . Crystar as a champion of Order  have roamed the planes in the service of Order  when & where needed. Crystar's twin brother Moltar  serves the forces of Choas & always seems drawn to oppose his brother. Crystar's  elemental queen of  order & good Ika is never far from his side. The warriors of Crystar  are often seen acting as mercenary muscle for the forces of Order throughout the planes. Crystar  is a 9th level fighter & champion of order with all of the abilities appropriate to his level. Crystar's forces   act as  3rd level fighters. Warbow Crystar's champion of order acts as his right hand & scout (See Warbow's blog entry). 

Crystar Champion of Order - 
 Crystar  Champion of Order & Forces of Crystallium


No. Encountered: 1 (2d6)

Alignment: Lawful Good 
Size: L
Movement: 20 (swim 30)
Dexterity: 14
Armour Class: 7
Hit Dice: 4
Attack Rate: 1/1 Crystal Sword 
Damage: 1d6 (1d8) or by weapon
Saving Throw: 15
Morale: 9
Experience Points: 30
Treasure Class: P
Specials -Crystal Spell Scatter -once per day because of the crystaline nature of Crystar he is able to magically ignore one spell up to third level. Crystar's elemental magically infused body grants him the following: 
darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits, immunity to cold, vulnerability to fire, once per day Crystar  can summon a crystaline dragon mount. 

Because Crystar as a champion of Order,he is so attuned to & apart of the plane of  Crystallium he is mystically infused with supernatural power. Crystar  is sought out by dark wizards & their followers to be rendered down once slain as a fine mystically powdered drug. This horrid occult infused  drug adds +2 to all combat rolls, -3 on all intelligent & wisdom rolls. This occult drug  allows a dark wizard to cast spells at 2 levels higher then their actual level.  The price is terrible indeed the wizard or follower loses one point of wisdom & constitution permanently under the occult influence of this drug. Such users of this drug are subject to 1d4 chaotic mutations as well. The drug is worth 100 gold pieces for each dose to dark wizards & their followers. 
This however is not the end of Crystar himself. Any & all reminds of the champion can be gathered & taken to a powerful wizard of light with access to the entity that lives beyond  the Prisma-Crystal mirror. The wizard must be of 10th level or better, a dangerous occult ritual is performed & Crystar shall be returned to life to fight another day. 

The Saga Of Crystar - As Influence On Your Sword And Science Fantasy Campaign

 

Way back in 1983 there was a comic book series that seems to have faded into the background of the pop cultural landscape. The other day I was looking into my comic bins and came across this cultural relic from the Mighty House of Marvel.
I'm speaking of course of Crystar Crystal Warrior one of a wave of comics that came out during the height of the sword and sorcery craze of 1983.
According to Wiki : 

The Saga of Crystar, Crystal Warrior was a 1983 11-issue fantasy-based Marvel comic book with an associated toy line from Remco, consisting of seven figures, some vehicles and accessories.

The plot : 

Years ago, The Demon Lord sent his demon armies to conquer the world of Crystallium. The King of Crystallium led the fight against the Demon Lord in the Chaos War, but he was killed during the war. The forces of Order then sent the wizard Ogeode and the Prisma-Crystal to drive away The Demon Lord's minions and the forces of Chaos. In his defeat, the Demon Lord made the "Prophecy of Chaos", that he would one day send another of his servants to divide the planet against itself and bring ruin to all.

After the end of the Chaos War, the wizards Ogeode and Zardeth visited two princes, the brothers Crystar and Moltar, who had to decide whether their people would ally with Chaos or Order. Crystar chose Order and its champion, Ogeode. As Moltar considered Chaos, their uncle Feldspar tried to convince him that Chaos was evil. Moltar, feeling that his uncle had always favored Crystar, became enraged and fought Crystar, injuring Feldspar in the process. Leaving them for dead, Moltar led his followers to the Fountain of Fire to find the wizard Zardeth and ally with Chaos.

Ogeode saves Crystar's life by merging him with the great Prisma-Crystal, rendering the prince's body into crystalline form. Similarly, at the Fountain of Fire, Zardeth magically transforms Moltar and his followers with the power of lava. Moltar and his magma men then attempt to conquer the city of Galax. Crystar and his warriors, feeling that flesh and blood would prove ineffective against the transformed armies of Moltar, selected an elite group to be transformed into crystal form like Crystar: Koth, Stalax, and Kalibar.

 The weird thing was that Crystar never had a cartoon show, but there were a boat load of action figures, and he never had any appearances in any really major Marvel comic book series except Alpha Flight and a few of the Marvel second stringers appearances. They were great Marvel second stringers but still. 

The comic book series was set parallel to the Marvel Universe and featured guest appearances by Doctor Strange, Nightcrawler and Alpha Flight.|

The comic only lasted eleven issues and there was a ton that Marvel was trying to do be hind the scenes with the property. It was a time when toy properties with synergistic multi-media marketing tie ins were the word. Remember this was the Eighties 

Who's Who On Crystallium

 The following is a quick overview from Wiki :

Order[edit]

• Crystar - One of the twin princes of Crystallium. Leader of the Crystal Warriors for Order.
• Ambara - Former valet to Lavour. During the conflict between the princes, Ambara and Crystar develop a romantic relationship.
• Warbow - Crystal Warrior. Warbow shot Zardeth in the left eye with an arrow. Losing the eye, but otherwise unfazed by the injury, Zardeth shot out Warbow's left eye in return, leaving Warbow mortally wounded. Ogeode used the Prisma-Crystal on Warbow as he did on Crystar to save his life. Warbow secretly has romantic feelings for Ambara.
• Koth - Crystal Warrior with a ribald sense of humor.
• Stalax - Youngest of the Crystal Warriors.
• Kalibar - Crystal Warrior.
• Ogeode - Wizard champion of Order. An old man with a bald head and white beard. Father of Ika, whom he willingly sacrificed to become a crystal being in an experiment to learn the secrets of the crystal warrior physiology (so that he might learn how to heal one of Crystar's injured followers). Frequently, Ogeode claims to be of diminished mystical ability and of little use to the Crystal warriors thanks to the strain of turning the tide during the great war, yet manages to perform mystical feats during times of crisis.
• Ika - Half-enchantress daughter of Ogeode. Ika was compelled by her father to undergo a transformation to turn her body into crystal so that he could learn the secrets of the Crystal Warrior physiology.

Chaos[edit]

• Moltar - One of the twin princes of Crystallium. Leader of the Magma Men for Chaos.
• Zardeth - Wizard leader of Chaos. Lost his left eye in an altercation with Warbow.
• Lavour - Betrothed to Crystar before the princes went to war. After she thought Crystar was dead, Lavour allied herself with Moltar for the opportunity to become queen of Crystallium.
• Magma Men - The rank and file of Moltar's army.

Feldspar[edit]

• Feldspar - The appointed regent of Crystallium since the death of his brother, the King of Crystallium. Uncle of Prince Crystar and Prince Moltar, Feldspar has taken authority over the planet until the princes have settled their conflict. He arranged for both Ogeode and Zardeth to alter his body into a partly crystalline and partly molten form to symbolize neutrality in their dispute.

Using Crystar For Your Old School Sword and Science Fantasy Campaign 

Crystar Is weird sword and sorcery comic with lots of potential. There are elements here of the struggle of Law vs Chaos with warriors transformed into Quisi Elemental creatures from the pages of the Monster Manaul II or they might be giants. I've had these races as giants transformed by the powers of Law and Chaos.
In a recent Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea some of my PC's ran across Moltar and his crew. They counted as Fire Giants and if you take a look at the scale of the figure compared to Crystar. They're fire giants alright at least in the AS&SH universe.



Crystallium itself is a demi plane that shifts its position throughout multiverse. I had the Evil Elemental princes( from the Fiend Folio) try to take over the demi plane 

Crystallium which caused an alliance among the forces of Chaos and Order. There are also loads of artifacts left over from the Chaos Wars still on the demi plane guarded by both Crystar and Moltar's minor minions. They're just begging to be taken. All in all most folks have forgotten about Crystar which gives the DM ample opportunity to trot out this relic world and its crystal inhabitants. The fact is that the these brothers are cursed to fight forever after all they're made from the very forces of Chaos and Order itself. What is thirty years to these poor souls. 

On line support :
Every Thing You Ever Wanted To Know Crystalium
Crystar Himself
Moltar
Zardeth Chaos Wizard
Oegeode The Wizard Of Order
Once again this is a fan based entry and for entertainment purposes only. This is not a challenge to Marvel, its trademarks, copyrights, or anything of the kind. Crystar and its characters belong to their respective copyright and trademark holders. 

Moltar & His Lavamen - Servants & Champions of Chaos For Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea From Marvel's Saga of Crystar 1983 Comic Book Series & Action Figures Line

 
Created ages ago on the plane of  Crystallium,  Moltar the Ruthless was one of two twin brothers who sided with the forces of Chaos through the second Chaos Wars. He & his followers were turned into elemental chaotic warriors servants of Chaos forever more by the dark wizard Zardeth. They have roamed the planes in the service of Chaos when & where needed. Moltar's twin brother Crystar serves the forces of Order & always seems drawn to oppose his brother. Moltar's elemental queen of evil & chaos Lavour is never far from his side. The lava warriors of Moltar are often seen acting as mercenary muscle for the forces of Chaos throughout the planes. Moltar is a 9th level fighter with all of the abilities appropriate to his level. Moltar's  chaos warriors lava men  act as  3rd level fighters. 

Moltar &  His Lavamen
Servants & Champions of Chaos 

No. Encountered: 1 (2d6)

Alignment: Choatic Evil
Size: L
Movement: 20 (swim 30)
Dexterity: 14
Armour Class: 7
Hit Dice: 4
Attack Rate: 1/1(spear)
Damage: 1d6 (1d8) or by weapon
Saving Throw: 15
Morale: 9
Experience Points: 30
Treasure Class: P
Specials include the following: Burn - the ability to deal an extra +3 damage to any melee attacks & will set any thing  on fire that they hit with their enchanted stone weapons or fists,  darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits, immunity to fire, vulnerability to cold

Free Appendix N Sword & Sorcery Classic Downloads - Robert Howard's King Kull Stories

You can download em right over here. 

Conan always seems to get more attention then Kull in my humble opinion but Kull has a charm all his own in the annals of Sword and Sorcery. There is lots to use including the best depictions of the serpent men outside of their mention in Lovecraft. Then there is the entire depiction of Kull's Atlantis and all of its environs.

According to wiki : 

Featuring Kull, a barbarian precursor to later Howard heroes such as Conan, the tale hit Weird Tales in August 1929 and received fanfare from readers. Weird Tales editor Farnsworth Wright bought the story for $100, the most Howard had earned for a story at this time, and several more Kull stories followed. However, all but two were rejected, convincing Howard not to continue the series.

The Kull Timeline and the coming of the Barbarians To Atlantis 

While we see many of the echoes of Kull  in Howard's Conan's tales. Kull is a very different creature from the barbarian thief. There are many elements that would later be incorporated in other creations of Howard. Here Howard is at his Atlantian cycle's high and it shows. The evil that Kull face is real, in his face, and absolutely deterimined. 

Kull was born in pre-cataclysmic Atlantis c. 100,000 BC. At the time Atlantis was ruled by barbarian tribes. East of Atlantis lay the ancient continent of Thuria, divided among several civilized kingdoms, including Commoria, Grondar, Kamelia, Thule, and Verulia. Most powerful among these was Valusia. East of Thuria were located the islands of Lemuria, which were the mountaintops of the sunken continent of Mu.

Kull was born into a tribe settled in the Tiger Valley of Atlantis. Both the valley and tribe were destroyed by a flood while Kull was still a toddler, leaving the young Kull to live as aferal child for many years. Kull was captured by the Sea-Mountain tribe and eventually adopted by them. In "Exile of Atlantis", an adolescent Kull grants a woman a quick death so that she would not be burned to death by a mob; for this he is exiled from Atlantis.

Slave, pirate, outlaw and gladiator[edit]

Kull attempted to reach Thuria but was instead captured by the Lemurian Pirates. He spent a couple of years as a galley slave before regaining his freedom during a mutiny.

He tried the life of a pirate between his late adolescence and his early twenties. His fighting skills and courage allowed him to become captain of his own ship, creating a fearsome reputation for himself in the seas surrounding Atlantis and Thuria. Kull lost his ship and crew in a naval battle off the coast of Valusia but once again survived. He settled in Valusia as an outlaw but his criminal career proved to be short-lived as he was soon captured by the Valusians and imprisoned in a dungeon. His captors offered him a choice: execution or service as a gladiator. He chose the latter. After proving to be an effective combatant and gaining fame in the arenas of the capital, a number of fans helped to regain his freedom.

Soldier and king[edit]

Kull did not leave Valusia or return to the life of an outlaw. Instead, he joined the Royal army as a mercenary, pursuing elevation through the ranks. In The Curse of the Golden SkullKull, approaching his thirties, is recruited by King Borna of Valusia in a mission against the ambitious sorcerer Rotath of Lemuria. Kull proves to be an effective assassin.

Borna promoted Kull into the general command of the mercenary forces. Borna himself, however, had gained a reputation for cruelty and despotism. There was discontent with Borna's rule among the nobility leading eventually to civil war. The mercenaries proved more loyal to Kull than any other leader, allowing him to become first the leadership of the revolt and then King. Kull killed Borna and took his throne while he was still in his early thirties. In The Shadow Kingdom, Kull has spent six months upon the Valusian throne and faces the first conspiracy against him.

The series continued with Kull finding that gaining the crown was easier than securing it. He faces several internal and external challenges throughout the series. The conspiring of his courtiers leaves Kull almost constantly threatened with loss of life and throne. The aging King is ever more aware of the Sword of Damocles that he inherited along with the crown.

The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune finds Kull reaching his middle-forties and becoming progressively more introspective. The former barbarian is left lost in contemplations of philosophy. At this point the series ends. His fate is left uncertain.

Why Use Kull's Cycle For Your Old School Campaigns 

Kull isn't as well known today as he was when the 1970's Marvel comic book was out.

There are lots of sword and sorcery elements to borrow for your OSR sword and sorcery games. Kull is intelligent, dangerous, and his fate very uncertain.

The stories also contain some of the best depictions of Picts in the Howard cycle of stories.

 Here the serpent men in all of their evil are dragged into the light of day and we are given their doom in word and deed. A fate they nor their ilk would ever recover from. Then we are given the Pictish people at one of their cycles of civilization's heights. 

We see this according to wiki :

Several characters reoccur throughout the series. The best known is his trusted ally Brule the Spear-slayer, a Pre-cataclysmic Pict. First Councillor Tu is a trusted administrator, but also a constant reminder of the tradition bound laws and customs of Valusia. Ka-Nu, the Pictish Ambassador to Valusia and wise man, is responsible for the friendship between Kull and Brule despite the ancient enmity between Atlanteans and Picts. Kull's mortal enemy is the sorcerer Thulsa Doom.

 Thulsa Doom is one of the best depictions of a 'lich' in old school sword and sorcery around. He's nasty, completely evil, and very, very, dangerous. 

"Thulsa Doom first appeared in the short story "Delcardes' Cat" by Robert E. Howard, which featured the character Kull as the protagonist. Howard submitted the story to Weird Tales in 1928 under the title The Cat and the Skull^[1] but it was not accepted. The story did not see print until 1967 in the paperback King Kull published by Lancer Books.^[2] Thulsa Doom is described by Howard in "The Cat and the Skull" as being a large and muscular man (As he and Kull are said to be "alike in general height and shape."), but with a face "like a bare white skull, in whose eye sockets flamed livid fire." He is seemingly invulnerable, boasting after being run through by one of Kull's comrades that he feels "only a slight coldness" when being injured and will only "pass to some other sphere when [his] time comes.

In the end Kull is one of the best of Howard's creations and much under used by DM's and gamers in my humble opinion. These are simply some fast thoughts, humble opinions, and ideas use them as you will. 

Happy Gaming 

This blog entry is for entertainment and educational purposes only.  This blog post is not intended as a challenge to copyright or trade mark. 

The name Kull and the names of Robert E. Howard's other principal characters are trademarked by Paradox Entertainment of Stockholm, Sweden, through its US subsidiary Paradox Entertainment Inc. Paradox also holds copyrights on the stories written by other authors under license from Kull Productions Inc.

The Australian site of Project Gutenberg has many Robert E. Howard stories, including several Kull stories.^[2] This indicates that, in their opinion, the stories are free from copyright and may be used by anyone, at least under Australian law.

Subsequent stories written by other authors are subject to the copyright laws of the relevant time.
Even More Free Goodness Here 

Robert E.Howard