halp
I've been banging out a homebrew city set in Pathfinder's Golarion for my players' requested series of gritty sword & sorcery games. I've been locked into writing mode for that and other projects to the point that I'm barely going to have time to manage this next bit:
I was going to gather a bunch of pictures, both fantasy art and real life analogues, to help inspire the players and bring some of the imagery to life. Mainly stuff representing the major cultures in the city and the surrounding area.
I've been hunting down pictures to gather together and present to my players, but between writing up the player's guide, writing a campaign journal for another game, incoming weddings, and work, I can't devote as much time to it as I'd like. That and you will always find art that you would otherwise miss by asking around.
If anyone can throw some stuff out there, I'd be plenty grateful!
Basically, there are four major cultures present with a few not so common. Three of them have real life parallels, the fourth not so much.
Osiriani - (Ancient Egypt) Generally what you would expect. Proud, shaped by strict tradition. Generally men and women both remove their hair for both hygeine and religious reasons, opting for wigs or some other headwear instead. The Osirani common class present in the city look very much like your usual Egyptian commoners, while the upper class in this city take on the trappings of the royalty and priesthood back home, indulging in ornate crowns, headdresses, metal skullcaps, jewelry that speaks of religious signifigance, etc. A lot of appropriated pharaonic imagery, owing to the nature of the populace's exile from their homeland. Perhaps the most unified of the major cultures in the city.
Mwangi - (Africa, wide ranging variety) Covers a wide range of cultures and traditions, including those found in the real world and some that never were. Steeped in magical traditions, Mwangi in the city represent a large percentage of the city's mages. The Mwangi common class present in the city have little in the way of unity, including representatives of from fierce and proud warrior cultures, peaceful farming tribes, to opulently attired merchants and magi. Most of the upper class representation are composed of the more successful merchants and mages, with an odd bit of deposed royalty thrown in. Of the four major groups in the city, they likely sport the most variety.
Keleshite - (fantasy Arabia) An odd take on the cultures of the medieval Middle East. The Keleshites of the area are traditionally united by the worship of a sun goddess, which has led to a matriarchal society. Women can take on multiple husbands, etc. The Keleshite common class covers a range of varying tribes, both those with sedentary roots and former nomads. The nobility is mostly composed of the leadership of the more politically and economically powerful tribes. Styles tend to run from the realistic to fantastic rather easily, even amongst the common class. In terms of centuries, the Keleshites are relative newcomers to the continent.
Ouahaen - The native people of the area. Descended from an ancient union of the earliest Mwangi and Osiriani settlers in the region. They were peaceful farmers for millenia until each of the other cultures came into the area. Since then, their culture has been splintered. They are the city's subservient, yet religiously honored, underclass who keep the city's strange ecosystem alive. They are also the tenacious warriors that harrass the invading cultures however they can before being driven back to the mountains, refusing to submit to the rule of foreigners. Physically, they are darker skinned people(ranging in tones between those found in Osirani and Mwangi folk. Traditionally, they dress lightly. For religious reasons, the vast majority shave their heads save for a "horsetail" of hair at the top or back of the head. Tattoos of various styles are common, often reflective of an individuals chosen duties(these styles have diverged futher with the splintering of their culture).
Outliers - There are a number of other tribes in the area descended from other peoples that have passed through the area ages ago, ranging from Reaver-like cannibalistic halflings and hardcore warlike bands of humans and half-orcs of various ethnicities descended from the stock of gladiators of centuries past. In the worst places, it gets downright Golden Axe at times.
These are just the broad, general strokes. I'd put down more about the city's fluff, but time and organizing all of the notes into something that wouldn't be a deluge of detail is a bit of an issue. If any further detail would really help though, I can fill in the blanks.
I've been banging out a homebrew city set in Pathfinder's Golarion for my players' requested series of gritty sword & sorcery games. I've been locked into writing mode for that and other projects to the point that I'm barely going to have time to manage this next bit:
I was going to gather a bunch of pictures, both fantasy art and real life analogues, to help inspire the players and bring some of the imagery to life. Mainly stuff representing the major cultures in the city and the surrounding area.
I've been hunting down pictures to gather together and present to my players, but between writing up the player's guide, writing a campaign journal for another game, incoming weddings, and work, I can't devote as much time to it as I'd like. That and you will always find art that you would otherwise miss by asking around.
If anyone can throw some stuff out there, I'd be plenty grateful!
Basically, there are four major cultures present with a few not so common. Three of them have real life parallels, the fourth not so much.
Osiriani - (Ancient Egypt) Generally what you would expect. Proud, shaped by strict tradition. Generally men and women both remove their hair for both hygeine and religious reasons, opting for wigs or some other headwear instead. The Osirani common class present in the city look very much like your usual Egyptian commoners, while the upper class in this city take on the trappings of the royalty and priesthood back home, indulging in ornate crowns, headdresses, metal skullcaps, jewelry that speaks of religious signifigance, etc. A lot of appropriated pharaonic imagery, owing to the nature of the populace's exile from their homeland. Perhaps the most unified of the major cultures in the city.
Mwangi - (Africa, wide ranging variety) Covers a wide range of cultures and traditions, including those found in the real world and some that never were. Steeped in magical traditions, Mwangi in the city represent a large percentage of the city's mages. The Mwangi common class present in the city have little in the way of unity, including representatives of from fierce and proud warrior cultures, peaceful farming tribes, to opulently attired merchants and magi. Most of the upper class representation are composed of the more successful merchants and mages, with an odd bit of deposed royalty thrown in. Of the four major groups in the city, they likely sport the most variety.
Keleshite - (fantasy Arabia) An odd take on the cultures of the medieval Middle East. The Keleshites of the area are traditionally united by the worship of a sun goddess, which has led to a matriarchal society. Women can take on multiple husbands, etc. The Keleshite common class covers a range of varying tribes, both those with sedentary roots and former nomads. The nobility is mostly composed of the leadership of the more politically and economically powerful tribes. Styles tend to run from the realistic to fantastic rather easily, even amongst the common class. In terms of centuries, the Keleshites are relative newcomers to the continent.
Ouahaen - The native people of the area. Descended from an ancient union of the earliest Mwangi and Osiriani settlers in the region. They were peaceful farmers for millenia until each of the other cultures came into the area. Since then, their culture has been splintered. They are the city's subservient, yet religiously honored, underclass who keep the city's strange ecosystem alive. They are also the tenacious warriors that harrass the invading cultures however they can before being driven back to the mountains, refusing to submit to the rule of foreigners. Physically, they are darker skinned people(ranging in tones between those found in Osirani and Mwangi folk. Traditionally, they dress lightly. For religious reasons, the vast majority shave their heads save for a "horsetail" of hair at the top or back of the head. Tattoos of various styles are common, often reflective of an individuals chosen duties(these styles have diverged futher with the splintering of their culture).
Outliers - There are a number of other tribes in the area descended from other peoples that have passed through the area ages ago, ranging from Reaver-like cannibalistic halflings and hardcore warlike bands of humans and half-orcs of various ethnicities descended from the stock of gladiators of centuries past. In the worst places, it gets downright Golden Axe at times.
These are just the broad, general strokes. I'd put down more about the city's fluff, but time and organizing all of the notes into something that wouldn't be a deluge of detail is a bit of an issue. If any further detail would really help though, I can fill in the blanks.
