Hyborian Map included With 2E Core Book?

[David St-Michel]

So, it is a good thing to suggest that the good people at Mongoose Publishing churn out a nice, artsy, correct map of the Hyborian world for 2nd edition Conan.

 

[VincentDarlage]

Honestly, I don't know if their license allows Mongoose to change the map. I would not be surprised if Conan Properties insists the old map continue, despite the errors. That has been the map for as long as I can remember, and I doubt my opinion of the map will matter much to them.

 

[Twin Agate Dragons]

Will that place actually make a poster of a copyrighted image?

They already have made a proof for my inspection, so I'm willing to bet that they would go all the way.

 

[Strom]

Seriously man - get the map on ebay - it's damn nice looking and cheap. The perfect combination.

 

[GMAN]

Mu? Why is that in the corner?

I've always wondered about Mu. What is it? Did it come up in a pastiche story? I've never heard of it, so wasn't sure if it was something Mongoose put in to give them something to work with if they ever wanted to put something of their own into the game.

 

[VincentDarlage]

I've always wondered about Mu. What is it? Did it come up in a pastiche story? I've never heard of it, so wasn't sure if it was something Mongoose put in to give them something to work with if they ever wanted to put something of their own into the game.

No, it's REH... it just doesn't exist in the Hyborian age, except perhaps the tops of the mountains of Valla. I think it is also put on the map in the wrong place.

According to Wikipedia: In Robert E. Howard's Kull stories, Mu was a continent with many cities; when it sank, the mountain tops became the isles of Lemuria. See "Mu in the Arts and Entertainment" section of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mu_(lost_continent)

According to Dale Rippke: "Mu is only mentioned in two stories in the Kull saga; "The Shadow Kingdom" and "Riders Beyond the Sunrise". Both times no real information other than its name and the fact that it sends mercenaries to Valusia is imparted to us. Fortunately, there are two other Howard stories that tell of Mu. One is a Solomon Kane story, "The Moon of Skulls", and the other is a story fragment called "The Isle of the Eons". In "The Moon of Skulls" we learn that Mu's capital city has crimson walls, and that it was swallowed by the waves at the same time as Atlantis. "The Isle of the Eons" tells us much, much more.

"Mu was a continental-sized landmass lying in what is now called the "South Seas", the area of the Pacific Ocean south and east of the Lemurian Islands. There are twenty cities and millions of people on the continent. The capital of Mu is called Karath, the Shining City. The people of Mu are connected to Lemuria as they share the same alphabet and presumably the same language. The story tells the history of a religious war, where the nation's god, Poseidon, is flung down and the worship of the First God, Xultha, is reinstated. High up in the mountains of Valla, a new capital is built, called Na-hor, the City of the Cresent Moon. From this city, priests of Xultha were sent to the Seven Empires, Atlantis, and a place called "The Islands of the Sea". After a time, the god Poseidon returns and submerges the continent, so that only the tops of the mountains of Valla remain above the sea. The city of Na-hor flourished for several ages, at last falling into ruin near the end of the Hyborian Age."

According to HP Lovecraft: Further, if you want to include HP Lovecraft into this, read "Out of the Aeons." I think it should be included because it discusses Mu in relation to von Junzt's Nameless Cults, a book REH invented for his Mythos stories (keep in mind, according to REH, Nameless Cults is the best source on information on the Hyborian Age). IIRC, this story places the remnants (mountain tops) of Mu somewhere between New Zealand and Chile.

My concluding thoughts: Personally, I think a visit to the ruins of Na-hor (or perhaps its last days) would be a fine Hyborian age adventure... However, the current map has its size and placement wrong.

 

[David St-Michel]

*Bats eyelashes at Mongoose*

Make a nice current map? Pretty pretty please?

*waits a sec... shrugs*

Oh well. I tried.