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[Let's Read] Nyambe: African Adventures
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<blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 7634987" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/DZwszz2.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p>Our chapter first starts out with the major geographical regions of Nyambe, along with comprehensive random encounter tables for each of them. In regards to this last part the average Encounter Level, or level of challenge of comprised monsters, tends to hover around the low-middle range of 5 to 9. Only one region drops as low as 2, and only the most dangerous places, the Isle of the Overpower and Kayalu Island, go above 10. What this means is that going by the book wilderness travel in most of Nyambe is very dangerous for starting-level groups, but once you hit high level most of the encounters become trivial. I’ve never been a fan of this on such a large scope, as it has the unintended effect of “gating off” entire nations and regions from casual travel. In such cases this makes sense, but if you wanted to do a 1st-level game in a bIda Rainforest village you’re out of luck.</p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/oEP8WuG.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p>Going by regions, we have two large mountain ranges, the Giko Taaba and Kuba Taaba prized for their rich mineral veins, with the former rumored to have vicious monsters in the depths and the latter’s peaks home to icy ruins guarded by white dragons. The Gudu Ji Pingu Desert is the hottest and least hospitable place in Nyambe in which humans can live, which is why the Marak’ka prize it for they don’t have to worry about outsiders fighting them over resources. The D’okan Desert of which Bashar’ka is built upon is strangely one of the coolest regions in Nyambe, being more badlands than sandy dunes. As a result, armor of all varieties may be worn normally here. The Great Mangrove Marsh is absolutely teaming with all manner of deadly monsters, from dragons and hydras to the legendary snake-like lau. The mighty bIda Rainforest covers 25% of Nyambe-tanda and is so huge that many simply call it bIda, or “forest.” It is home to verdant resources prized by many in spite of its dangers. Lake Gomala is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Nyambe, but some mysterious curse scours all life in a 5-mile radius every few centuries. The four major oceans vary wildly in their climate and danger, with the placid Eastern Ocean the most-traveled by foreigners, while the deadly Northern and Western Oceans are plagued with sea monsters and violent weather. The Southern Ocean contains sunken cities of possible Kosan origin, and the Empire of Nibomay is gathering mages to conduct a deep-sea diving expedition.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Our regions are topped off with several islands: the Isle of Shadow is a fortress of ngoloko who only accept members of their own, and those admitted are never seen again once they set foot inside. The nearby nation of Mademba is worried as to what they’re up to, especially given the entire place is scry-proof. Marak’pInga is an island where the Marak’ka sail to in order to bury their dead, but as of late said departed souls have been resurrected by an unknown party as mummies which cross over to the mainland and harass their descendants. The Isle of the Overpower is so named for it’s said that this is where the god ascended to the heavens on a spiderweb. The place is covered with crystalline formations and portals to celestial realms, and is also home to the vaunted artifact the Throne of the Overpower. Kalayu Island, by contrast, is said to be where the Kosan made first contact with the fiendish orisha and is home to all manner of fiends as well as the Tarrasque!</p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/TBsVvdc.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Nations of Nyambe</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>At this point we get some rather in-depth discussion of Nyambe’s population: it has an average population density of 5 humanoids per square mile in a continent around 9 million square miles, slightly below real-world Africa’s 11 million. This is not universal across the board, as certain regions are vast wilderness while others are more settled. This works out to a population around 43 million, and monsters and nonhumanoids are not included due to being much harder to estimate. The book also says that it came up with these figures based on the world population of 1200 AD being around 360 million, so that Nyambe would contain around 12% of your campaign setting’s population. This feels a bit in-depth for most gaming groups, although I can appreciate this on some level given that global population figures and density aren’t something many settings take into account.</p><p></p><p></p><p>The below nations include both seven large nation-states with an overarching form of government, as well as more informal cultural and geographic regions. The latter examples are often titled after the land of the people who traditionally reside there: Marak’ka-Land, Shome-Land, or even things like Entare-Land and Silwane-Manzi-Water for monster-dominated regions. About 28.5 million Nyambans live in one of the seven proper nations, the rest under more localized governments.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Bashar’ka:</strong> This theocratic nation is ruled by fire priests. The mightiest among them takes the title of “king” or “queen” but said title is not hereditary. Instead it’s determined by whoever has the most truck with the orisha of flame, heat, and related phenomena. In spite of this fluctuating leadership the country as a whole has a largely peaceful history, although Queen Nyathera’s son will spell a possible war with the Caliphate of Boroko. She has yet to launch an invasion on account of wishing to gain the Great Udamalore artifact first. This ivory scimitar traditionally served as the badge of office for a Barshar’kan King or Queen, so she’s offered the princely sum of 250,000 gold pieces to whoever can bring it back to her.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Boroko:</strong> The Caliphate of Boroko is independent, but highly reliant upon trade with the Near Easterners and as such Caliph Ragheb is akin to a puppet-prince. The capital city of T’ombo is the largest settlement on the continent, and its Great University teaches a variety of subjects. Alas, the city is plagued by a monster of unknown origin known as the Devil of T’ombo which stalks lone individuals and small groups at night. Caliph Ragheb has been instructed by the Near Easterners to deny fathering the Queen of Bashar’ka’s son, while more domestic problems speak of a conspiracy of Nuba wrestlers planning a coup for having their sport outlawed on Near Eastern holy days.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Entare-Land:</strong> The greatest foes of the Shombe are this race of lion-folk. Said monsters do not go out of their way to invade other lands save to steal cattle, and those brave or foolish enough to go into their territory are charged with “protection fees” of valuables. However, due to being Lawful Evil the entare are sticklers for oaths and contracts and are not in the habit of killing people who peacefully surrender their belongings or offer to serve them for a short time. Unfortunately they do not extend this mercy to the Shombe who usually fight back, and it’s said that a powerful entare chieftain is planning to invade and slaughter all of Shombe-Land.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Kaya Vua Samaki/East Nyamban Merchants’ Confederation:</strong> Seven city-states and a northern peninsula form a loose alliance of trade hubs. They do not have a large standing army, instead relying upon private soldiers and adventurers to guard trade routes and estates. They accept goods and coinage of all kinds, and the fish-catching towns are a cultural blend of native Nyamban and Far Eastern styles. This multiculturalism is not necessarily a peaceful one: many Nyambans fear the foreign traders and their faiths as threats to their way of life, and this sentiment helped formed the Leopard Cult. In fact, said cult has grown into a multi-city issue to the point that the lycanthropes are widely believed to rule the city-state of Kogo in all but name. The anti-arcane magic attitudes may result in military action which may put many innocent Kogons in danger. There’s also a secret conspiracy among some merchant groups to seize Mabwan gold mines in the Kuba Taaba Mountains once the nation gets distracted by the next convenient crisis.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Mabwe:</strong> The most powerful nation on Nyambe-tanda, both in military and economy, is also its most repressive. The veritable gold mines are the largest source of its kind in the world and are exclusively owned by the nobility. A great emphasis is placed on law and order, and the death penalty is common for a large number of even victimless crimes. The high number of divine spellcasters to ascertain truth and guilt has prevented some cases of innocents being unpunished, but this is not always enough to overcome classism and corruption. The upper class are descended from merchants, and the Oba (or king) has come from varying lineages due to various assassinations and civil wars. Its capital city, Dzimba Dza Mabwe, is made of stone with an impressive wall and whose royal palace has magically-treated acoustics so that the Oba’s proclamations can echo far into the city. Most curiously, the general public has not seen the Oba’s face in generations, leading to some rumors that a replacement is posing as the original king. A cavalry of elephant-riding warriors guards the capital, and there’s an entire industry of wakyambi merchants dedicated to scouring the rainforest for edibles in order to sustain these powerful beasts.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Mademba:</strong> In spite of scenic hills and mild weather, many humans regard Mademba as some kind of hellish place nobody would willingly go to on account of how “soulless” the native kitunusi appear in addition to them living in underground cities carved from volcanic rock. But Mademba is overall a safe place. The major cause of concern is the Isle of Shadow off the coast, as well as rumors of Bashar’ka’s Great Udalamore being spotted here causing many foreign adventurers and mercenaries to flock to the nation. Mademba’s government is purposefully baroque, its membership unknown and only major government building a windowless Office of Test Administration. Decrees carved upon stone appear in public spaces bearing new legislation, and a magical mouth-shaped glyph reads the contents in both Kordo and Gnomish for the illiterate.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Marak’ka-Land:</strong> Besides the dangers of the desert Marak’ka-Land is a rather boring place for adventurers. There’s a lack of bustling cities to visit, dangerous monsters to fight, or notable ruins to explore. The Marak’ka themselves are largely peaceful, which ironically is why they need outside help as of late. Their ancestral burial ground, the Isle of Marak-pInga, has been overrun with undead. This is a huge issue, for this island is where all Marak’ka bury their dearly departed. In addition they must also conduct rituals to ensure their safe passing.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>MbUi-Land:</strong> The gnolls of MbUi-Land have more males than females among their fighting force, an overall oddity for the otherwise-matriarchal race. But they do share a penchant for violence and slavery, making raids into Nibomay, Shombe-Land, and Utuchekulu-Land for captives for labor and nourishment. They are allies of the Entare and keep out of each other’s way, although most MbUi as of late are locked in a civil war between followers of Na/inga the Warrior Queen and Dar!ak the Bloody. The fighting’s gotten so bad that some even contemplated hiring outside adventurers, although nobody’s taken them up on their offer on account that most people would rather see them kill each other than their own civilizations.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Nibomay:</strong> The proud Nibomans refer to their nation as the First Empire, and their capital Arabo as the First City. And while they have a rich history, the country has faced a decline and loss of terrain. Where they once possessed a monopoly on iron weapons and armor, technological advancements by others allowed foreign nations to stay their hand. The JamIkadi (ruler) of Nibomay has begun seeing visions of Amazonia herself, to the concern of the court who cannot verify the accuracy of such premonitions. That the JamIkadi claims that Amazonia wishes her to invade and reclaim old territories, included allied countries such as Mademba, has riled the more jingoistic members of the populace into action. More domestic issues include a high disappearance rate among the Tuslan minority, and people suspect human sacrifice by fiendish orisha cults to be the culprit. But the Tuslan believe that the Amazons are responsible instead! Sadly it is not a tolerant land, as its majority population is almost exclusively Tisambe human and those of other races and ethnicities are not allowed entry into Arabo.</p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/zj4P9eQ.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Shombe-Land:</strong> There’s not much to say here that hasn’t been covered in the races and culture chapter besides the foundations of their villages and makeup of their buildings. Villages known as kraal are surrounded by thorny branches, with houses made from mud and savannah grass reinforced by cattle dung with a central pen to hold in herd animals at night. Their most pressing conflicts include escalating skirmishes with the entare that threaten to blow over into full-scale war, as well as violently reacting to Taumau-Boha’s attempts at “civilizing” them via teaching them how to farm.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Silwane-Manzi-Water:</strong> Silwane-Manzi is the Nyamban name for sahuagin. Primarily living in the Northern Ocean, they attack vessels which cross their waters and live in sprawling underwater cities far off the coast. As a result not much is known about their culture besides the fact they worship Sama/ the Poison One and their own creation myths claim they arrived in the Material Plane from another world long ago. They recently found ways of appearing many miles inland, raiding otherwise landlocked settlements. Many fear that they found some means of living on land indefinitely.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Tauma-Boha:</strong> Mabwe has gold, Kaya Vua Samaki a gateway to the East, and Nibomay a proud history and martial traditions. Taumau-Boha’s claim to fame is more humble, possessing the most fertile farmland on the continent. Although technically two kingdoms, Taumau and Boha, they are ruled over by a single Mwanamutapa with the Boha Kingdom having its origins in the near-vanished Boha-Boha people. Both they and the Azzazza share a common history in being former slaves of the Water People, and the latter group’s pyramids are now used as storehouses in large urban areas. Being bordered by jungle, mountains, and ocean prevents the kingdom from expanding, which encouraged them to try their hand at ‘civilizing’ neighboring Shombe-Land.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Unthlatu-Land:</strong> Dangerous monsters, diseases, and unfarmable land mean that most people rarely visit the Great Mangrove Mash. People more or less leave the Unthlatu alone, and when they seek trade with outsiders they rely upon a blind barter system where piles of rocks and samples of items are left in a commonly-designated area for both parties to negotiate. The unthlatu are some of the best sorcerers in Nyambe-tanda, so those seeking arcane secrets often venture into the Marsh at great personal risk. The other resource of interest here includes skin from the monstrous lau, giant tentacled snake-like reptiles, of which a merchant is will to pay in great sums of gold. A rumored treasure vault guarded by the “king” of the lau only sweetens the deal.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Utuchekulu-Land:</strong> Not much new information here besides the fact that the dwarves call the Giko Taaba mountain range Utuchekulu Taaba, and there are large excavation projects underway into returning to their ancestral homeland. Unfortunately ghostly undead giants known as the rom are stymying efforts, and attacks from MbUi-Land and Tuan-Ti-Land have divided the dwarves’ attention.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Wakyambi-Land:</strong> Once widely spread out over the bIda Rainforest, the wakyambi suffered greatly in the ongoing war against the Yuan-Ti invaders. They lost most of their land to the serpents, and while Mabwe’s willing to provide them with weapons their own warriors have not directly intervened. Almost every elf knows of a friend or family member who was killed or carried off in battle, and their alliance with the agogwe and Nghoi one of their few advantages.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Yuan-Ti-Land:</strong> The ruins of the Kosa Empire, avoided by all save daring adventurers and scholars of forbidden lore, now have new occupants. The Yuan-Ti came among the Far Easterners for reasons unknown, conducting major expeditions to claim territory in the bIda Rainforest. And while they retain some of their own faith, a large number of these monstrous reptiles found a kindred spirit in Zombi the Serpent Lord, and like many other fiendish cults seek out slaves and sacrifices. Little truly know of their plans and the Yuan-Ti go out of their way to kill all witnesses and loose lips. Some theorize that they seek ancient Kosan magic for world domination.</p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/t3izR08.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Nyamban Societies:</strong></p><p></p><p></p><p>This very brief section outlines twenty major organizations of the setting. They are organized on a table detailing their title, location, and primary members and goals. Specifics beyond this do not exist, instead briefly going over the generic society types. Most are self-explanatory with a few exceptions: fertility cults range from ritual sex workers to support groups for childless couples, who all have their own means of encouraging conception. Fiendish cults subject prospective members via alignment screening to weed out do-gooders and those lacking the stomach for their misdeeds. Mask-making societies are pseudo-secret and serve as a combination lorekeeper and police force afforded protection in their anonymity. Organized religion is rare save in Bashar’ka and Boroko, and most temples and shrines are locally funded and open to the public. Finally, warrior societies are often public organizations but have their own secret hand signs, passwords, and other means of communicating information to fellow members.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Thoughts So Far:</strong> The main setting chapter takes a very big-picture approach, but even then it feels sparse, as the nations are described in broad sweeping terms with information on specific locations relegated to the capital city at most. There is a healthy assortment of conflicts and adventure hooks, but many nations feel like they have one big problem rather than a bunch of smaller ones GMs can build off of and rework. In some cases we get repeated information from earlier chapters, which makes the truly new information for some regions barely perceptible. There’s a relative lack of “wondrous” locations, be they dungeon environs or overtly supernatural areas with mysterious powers, perhaps in part due to the big-picture overview. Although the second-longest chapter, only the random encounter tables of the geographical areas felt the most fleshed out.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Join us next time as we cover some sample plot hooks in Chapter Eleven: Adventures in Nyambe!</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Libertad, post: 7634987, member: 6750502"] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/DZwszz2.png[/img][/center] Our chapter first starts out with the major geographical regions of Nyambe, along with comprehensive random encounter tables for each of them. In regards to this last part the average Encounter Level, or level of challenge of comprised monsters, tends to hover around the low-middle range of 5 to 9. Only one region drops as low as 2, and only the most dangerous places, the Isle of the Overpower and Kayalu Island, go above 10. What this means is that going by the book wilderness travel in most of Nyambe is very dangerous for starting-level groups, but once you hit high level most of the encounters become trivial. I’ve never been a fan of this on such a large scope, as it has the unintended effect of “gating off” entire nations and regions from casual travel. In such cases this makes sense, but if you wanted to do a 1st-level game in a bIda Rainforest village you’re out of luck. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/oEP8WuG.png[/img][/center] Going by regions, we have two large mountain ranges, the Giko Taaba and Kuba Taaba prized for their rich mineral veins, with the former rumored to have vicious monsters in the depths and the latter’s peaks home to icy ruins guarded by white dragons. The Gudu Ji Pingu Desert is the hottest and least hospitable place in Nyambe in which humans can live, which is why the Marak’ka prize it for they don’t have to worry about outsiders fighting them over resources. The D’okan Desert of which Bashar’ka is built upon is strangely one of the coolest regions in Nyambe, being more badlands than sandy dunes. As a result, armor of all varieties may be worn normally here. The Great Mangrove Marsh is absolutely teaming with all manner of deadly monsters, from dragons and hydras to the legendary snake-like lau. The mighty bIda Rainforest covers 25% of Nyambe-tanda and is so huge that many simply call it bIda, or “forest.” It is home to verdant resources prized by many in spite of its dangers. Lake Gomala is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Nyambe, but some mysterious curse scours all life in a 5-mile radius every few centuries. The four major oceans vary wildly in their climate and danger, with the placid Eastern Ocean the most-traveled by foreigners, while the deadly Northern and Western Oceans are plagued with sea monsters and violent weather. The Southern Ocean contains sunken cities of possible Kosan origin, and the Empire of Nibomay is gathering mages to conduct a deep-sea diving expedition. Our regions are topped off with several islands: the Isle of Shadow is a fortress of ngoloko who only accept members of their own, and those admitted are never seen again once they set foot inside. The nearby nation of Mademba is worried as to what they’re up to, especially given the entire place is scry-proof. Marak’pInga is an island where the Marak’ka sail to in order to bury their dead, but as of late said departed souls have been resurrected by an unknown party as mummies which cross over to the mainland and harass their descendants. The Isle of the Overpower is so named for it’s said that this is where the god ascended to the heavens on a spiderweb. The place is covered with crystalline formations and portals to celestial realms, and is also home to the vaunted artifact the Throne of the Overpower. Kalayu Island, by contrast, is said to be where the Kosan made first contact with the fiendish orisha and is home to all manner of fiends as well as the Tarrasque! [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/TBsVvdc.png[/img] [b]Nations of Nyambe[/b][/center] At this point we get some rather in-depth discussion of Nyambe’s population: it has an average population density of 5 humanoids per square mile in a continent around 9 million square miles, slightly below real-world Africa’s 11 million. This is not universal across the board, as certain regions are vast wilderness while others are more settled. This works out to a population around 43 million, and monsters and nonhumanoids are not included due to being much harder to estimate. The book also says that it came up with these figures based on the world population of 1200 AD being around 360 million, so that Nyambe would contain around 12% of your campaign setting’s population. This feels a bit in-depth for most gaming groups, although I can appreciate this on some level given that global population figures and density aren’t something many settings take into account. The below nations include both seven large nation-states with an overarching form of government, as well as more informal cultural and geographic regions. The latter examples are often titled after the land of the people who traditionally reside there: Marak’ka-Land, Shome-Land, or even things like Entare-Land and Silwane-Manzi-Water for monster-dominated regions. About 28.5 million Nyambans live in one of the seven proper nations, the rest under more localized governments. [b]Bashar’ka:[/b] This theocratic nation is ruled by fire priests. The mightiest among them takes the title of “king” or “queen” but said title is not hereditary. Instead it’s determined by whoever has the most truck with the orisha of flame, heat, and related phenomena. In spite of this fluctuating leadership the country as a whole has a largely peaceful history, although Queen Nyathera’s son will spell a possible war with the Caliphate of Boroko. She has yet to launch an invasion on account of wishing to gain the Great Udamalore artifact first. This ivory scimitar traditionally served as the badge of office for a Barshar’kan King or Queen, so she’s offered the princely sum of 250,000 gold pieces to whoever can bring it back to her. [b]Boroko:[/b] The Caliphate of Boroko is independent, but highly reliant upon trade with the Near Easterners and as such Caliph Ragheb is akin to a puppet-prince. The capital city of T’ombo is the largest settlement on the continent, and its Great University teaches a variety of subjects. Alas, the city is plagued by a monster of unknown origin known as the Devil of T’ombo which stalks lone individuals and small groups at night. Caliph Ragheb has been instructed by the Near Easterners to deny fathering the Queen of Bashar’ka’s son, while more domestic problems speak of a conspiracy of Nuba wrestlers planning a coup for having their sport outlawed on Near Eastern holy days. [b]Entare-Land:[/b] The greatest foes of the Shombe are this race of lion-folk. Said monsters do not go out of their way to invade other lands save to steal cattle, and those brave or foolish enough to go into their territory are charged with “protection fees” of valuables. However, due to being Lawful Evil the entare are sticklers for oaths and contracts and are not in the habit of killing people who peacefully surrender their belongings or offer to serve them for a short time. Unfortunately they do not extend this mercy to the Shombe who usually fight back, and it’s said that a powerful entare chieftain is planning to invade and slaughter all of Shombe-Land. [b]Kaya Vua Samaki/East Nyamban Merchants’ Confederation:[/b] Seven city-states and a northern peninsula form a loose alliance of trade hubs. They do not have a large standing army, instead relying upon private soldiers and adventurers to guard trade routes and estates. They accept goods and coinage of all kinds, and the fish-catching towns are a cultural blend of native Nyamban and Far Eastern styles. This multiculturalism is not necessarily a peaceful one: many Nyambans fear the foreign traders and their faiths as threats to their way of life, and this sentiment helped formed the Leopard Cult. In fact, said cult has grown into a multi-city issue to the point that the lycanthropes are widely believed to rule the city-state of Kogo in all but name. The anti-arcane magic attitudes may result in military action which may put many innocent Kogons in danger. There’s also a secret conspiracy among some merchant groups to seize Mabwan gold mines in the Kuba Taaba Mountains once the nation gets distracted by the next convenient crisis. [b]Mabwe:[/b] The most powerful nation on Nyambe-tanda, both in military and economy, is also its most repressive. The veritable gold mines are the largest source of its kind in the world and are exclusively owned by the nobility. A great emphasis is placed on law and order, and the death penalty is common for a large number of even victimless crimes. The high number of divine spellcasters to ascertain truth and guilt has prevented some cases of innocents being unpunished, but this is not always enough to overcome classism and corruption. The upper class are descended from merchants, and the Oba (or king) has come from varying lineages due to various assassinations and civil wars. Its capital city, Dzimba Dza Mabwe, is made of stone with an impressive wall and whose royal palace has magically-treated acoustics so that the Oba’s proclamations can echo far into the city. Most curiously, the general public has not seen the Oba’s face in generations, leading to some rumors that a replacement is posing as the original king. A cavalry of elephant-riding warriors guards the capital, and there’s an entire industry of wakyambi merchants dedicated to scouring the rainforest for edibles in order to sustain these powerful beasts. [b]Mademba:[/b] In spite of scenic hills and mild weather, many humans regard Mademba as some kind of hellish place nobody would willingly go to on account of how “soulless” the native kitunusi appear in addition to them living in underground cities carved from volcanic rock. But Mademba is overall a safe place. The major cause of concern is the Isle of Shadow off the coast, as well as rumors of Bashar’ka’s Great Udalamore being spotted here causing many foreign adventurers and mercenaries to flock to the nation. Mademba’s government is purposefully baroque, its membership unknown and only major government building a windowless Office of Test Administration. Decrees carved upon stone appear in public spaces bearing new legislation, and a magical mouth-shaped glyph reads the contents in both Kordo and Gnomish for the illiterate. [b]Marak’ka-Land:[/b] Besides the dangers of the desert Marak’ka-Land is a rather boring place for adventurers. There’s a lack of bustling cities to visit, dangerous monsters to fight, or notable ruins to explore. The Marak’ka themselves are largely peaceful, which ironically is why they need outside help as of late. Their ancestral burial ground, the Isle of Marak-pInga, has been overrun with undead. This is a huge issue, for this island is where all Marak’ka bury their dearly departed. In addition they must also conduct rituals to ensure their safe passing. [b]MbUi-Land:[/b] The gnolls of MbUi-Land have more males than females among their fighting force, an overall oddity for the otherwise-matriarchal race. But they do share a penchant for violence and slavery, making raids into Nibomay, Shombe-Land, and Utuchekulu-Land for captives for labor and nourishment. They are allies of the Entare and keep out of each other’s way, although most MbUi as of late are locked in a civil war between followers of Na/inga the Warrior Queen and Dar!ak the Bloody. The fighting’s gotten so bad that some even contemplated hiring outside adventurers, although nobody’s taken them up on their offer on account that most people would rather see them kill each other than their own civilizations. [b]Nibomay:[/b] The proud Nibomans refer to their nation as the First Empire, and their capital Arabo as the First City. And while they have a rich history, the country has faced a decline and loss of terrain. Where they once possessed a monopoly on iron weapons and armor, technological advancements by others allowed foreign nations to stay their hand. The JamIkadi (ruler) of Nibomay has begun seeing visions of Amazonia herself, to the concern of the court who cannot verify the accuracy of such premonitions. That the JamIkadi claims that Amazonia wishes her to invade and reclaim old territories, included allied countries such as Mademba, has riled the more jingoistic members of the populace into action. More domestic issues include a high disappearance rate among the Tuslan minority, and people suspect human sacrifice by fiendish orisha cults to be the culprit. But the Tuslan believe that the Amazons are responsible instead! Sadly it is not a tolerant land, as its majority population is almost exclusively Tisambe human and those of other races and ethnicities are not allowed entry into Arabo. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/zj4P9eQ.png[/img][/center] [b]Shombe-Land:[/b] There’s not much to say here that hasn’t been covered in the races and culture chapter besides the foundations of their villages and makeup of their buildings. Villages known as kraal are surrounded by thorny branches, with houses made from mud and savannah grass reinforced by cattle dung with a central pen to hold in herd animals at night. Their most pressing conflicts include escalating skirmishes with the entare that threaten to blow over into full-scale war, as well as violently reacting to Taumau-Boha’s attempts at “civilizing” them via teaching them how to farm. [b]Silwane-Manzi-Water:[/b] Silwane-Manzi is the Nyamban name for sahuagin. Primarily living in the Northern Ocean, they attack vessels which cross their waters and live in sprawling underwater cities far off the coast. As a result not much is known about their culture besides the fact they worship Sama/ the Poison One and their own creation myths claim they arrived in the Material Plane from another world long ago. They recently found ways of appearing many miles inland, raiding otherwise landlocked settlements. Many fear that they found some means of living on land indefinitely. [b]Tauma-Boha:[/b] Mabwe has gold, Kaya Vua Samaki a gateway to the East, and Nibomay a proud history and martial traditions. Taumau-Boha’s claim to fame is more humble, possessing the most fertile farmland on the continent. Although technically two kingdoms, Taumau and Boha, they are ruled over by a single Mwanamutapa with the Boha Kingdom having its origins in the near-vanished Boha-Boha people. Both they and the Azzazza share a common history in being former slaves of the Water People, and the latter group’s pyramids are now used as storehouses in large urban areas. Being bordered by jungle, mountains, and ocean prevents the kingdom from expanding, which encouraged them to try their hand at ‘civilizing’ neighboring Shombe-Land. [b]Unthlatu-Land:[/b] Dangerous monsters, diseases, and unfarmable land mean that most people rarely visit the Great Mangrove Mash. People more or less leave the Unthlatu alone, and when they seek trade with outsiders they rely upon a blind barter system where piles of rocks and samples of items are left in a commonly-designated area for both parties to negotiate. The unthlatu are some of the best sorcerers in Nyambe-tanda, so those seeking arcane secrets often venture into the Marsh at great personal risk. The other resource of interest here includes skin from the monstrous lau, giant tentacled snake-like reptiles, of which a merchant is will to pay in great sums of gold. A rumored treasure vault guarded by the “king” of the lau only sweetens the deal. [b]Utuchekulu-Land:[/b] Not much new information here besides the fact that the dwarves call the Giko Taaba mountain range Utuchekulu Taaba, and there are large excavation projects underway into returning to their ancestral homeland. Unfortunately ghostly undead giants known as the rom are stymying efforts, and attacks from MbUi-Land and Tuan-Ti-Land have divided the dwarves’ attention. [b]Wakyambi-Land:[/b] Once widely spread out over the bIda Rainforest, the wakyambi suffered greatly in the ongoing war against the Yuan-Ti invaders. They lost most of their land to the serpents, and while Mabwe’s willing to provide them with weapons their own warriors have not directly intervened. Almost every elf knows of a friend or family member who was killed or carried off in battle, and their alliance with the agogwe and Nghoi one of their few advantages. [b]Yuan-Ti-Land:[/b] The ruins of the Kosa Empire, avoided by all save daring adventurers and scholars of forbidden lore, now have new occupants. The Yuan-Ti came among the Far Easterners for reasons unknown, conducting major expeditions to claim territory in the bIda Rainforest. And while they retain some of their own faith, a large number of these monstrous reptiles found a kindred spirit in Zombi the Serpent Lord, and like many other fiendish cults seek out slaves and sacrifices. Little truly know of their plans and the Yuan-Ti go out of their way to kill all witnesses and loose lips. Some theorize that they seek ancient Kosan magic for world domination. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/t3izR08.png[/img] [b]Nyamban Societies:[/b][/center] This very brief section outlines twenty major organizations of the setting. They are organized on a table detailing their title, location, and primary members and goals. Specifics beyond this do not exist, instead briefly going over the generic society types. Most are self-explanatory with a few exceptions: fertility cults range from ritual sex workers to support groups for childless couples, who all have their own means of encouraging conception. Fiendish cults subject prospective members via alignment screening to weed out do-gooders and those lacking the stomach for their misdeeds. Mask-making societies are pseudo-secret and serve as a combination lorekeeper and police force afforded protection in their anonymity. Organized religion is rare save in Bashar’ka and Boroko, and most temples and shrines are locally funded and open to the public. Finally, warrior societies are often public organizations but have their own secret hand signs, passwords, and other means of communicating information to fellow members. [b]Thoughts So Far:[/b] The main setting chapter takes a very big-picture approach, but even then it feels sparse, as the nations are described in broad sweeping terms with information on specific locations relegated to the capital city at most. There is a healthy assortment of conflicts and adventure hooks, but many nations feel like they have one big problem rather than a bunch of smaller ones GMs can build off of and rework. In some cases we get repeated information from earlier chapters, which makes the truly new information for some regions barely perceptible. There’s a relative lack of “wondrous” locations, be they dungeon environs or overtly supernatural areas with mysterious powers, perhaps in part due to the big-picture overview. Although the second-longest chapter, only the random encounter tables of the geographical areas felt the most fleshed out. [b]Join us next time as we cover some sample plot hooks in Chapter Eleven: Adventures in Nyambe![/b] [/QUOTE]
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