D&D General Fantasy Spain - what would it have?

[Shades of Eternity]

In sort of a followup of my Fantasy France thread, what would you expect from a Fantasy Spain?

Would you expect a history of horseman (that could very easily be translated into centaurs)?

Would the running of the bulls turn into raids of the minotaurs?

Would the many castles be fortresses where entire families feud.

How much a Roman/Phoenician influence would you add?

Is Don Quiote actually a demigod in the tradition of Fizban the fabulous?

 

[Dioltach]

Not Spain per se, but there's a river in northern Portugal (its spring is in Spain though) called the Lima, or Limia. The Romans believed that it was the River Lethe, the mythical river whose waters caused memory loss. The story goes that a Roman general wanted his army to cross, but his men refused. So he crossed the river by himself, then called them over by name, one by one.

The Lima valley is a gorgeous place. Across four days of hiking, you'll encounter scenery that's goes from Chinese rice fields, to the Scottish Highlands, to the Italian countryside, to Caribbean beaches. And halfway along the river is a place called Ponte de Lima, where a medieval bridge stands on the foundations of an old Roman bridge, with statues of Roman soldiers in the water.

 

[Quickleaf]

Meteorologically speaking, the rains would primarily fall in the plains...



But more seriously, you could take Moorish architecture like the Alhambra with its myriad of repeating columns flanking a central courtyard, and then imagine those columns as the D&D monster "caryatid columns" moving about in secret.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

So many windmills.

And yes, I wouldn't leave the Moorish elements out. The long Muslim presence in the Iberian Peninsula has been weirdly erased from popular memory in the U.S., but even a fantasy medieval Iberian Peninsula should have their presence. If nothing else, it adds a bunch of tiny domains ruled by different warlords and noble families to the map, which is always good for D&D.

 

[Dioltach]

I'm listening to an audiobook about the fall of the Roman Republic, and it describes how in Spain the Romans built silver mines on a massive scale: 10 square miles, with the air so polluted from the smelting furnaces that birds flying across would drop from the sky. Not very glamourous, but a great idea for a megadungeon.

 

[Faolyn]

I'm listening to an audiobook about the fall of the Roman Republic, and it describes how in Spain the Romans built silver mines on a massive scale: 10 square miles, with the air so polluted from the smelting furnaces that birds flying across would drop from the sky. Not very glamourous, but a great idea for a megadungeon.

If not an actual mine, an area with a bunch of very toxic monsters would work as well.

 

[Zardnaar]

Depends on when you set it.

Multiple feuding Kingdoms with foreign invaders.

Roman or post Roman?

Pre Roman?

Unification via marriage, driving out the last invaders?

Colonies and expansion?

Superpower of it's time?

Lots of options basically. Probably post Roman/precursor, old mines left over with multiple kingdoms would probably make the most sense.

Depending on ones taste on religion two opposed pantheon's.

Or not Spain is the villain invading your stuff/superpower or last days of Granada type scenario PCs flee or organize evacuation.

 

[Yaarel]

There is an amazing 5e resource for Latin America:

Aegis of Empires: Adventure Path

The link is to an ENWorld thread about it.

 

[Lanefan]

So many windmills.

And yes, I wouldn't leave the Moorish elements out. The long Muslim presence in the Iberian Peninsula has been weirdly erased from popular memory in the U.S., but even a fantasy medieval Iberian Peninsula should have their presence. If nothing else, it adds a bunch of tiny domains ruled by different warlords and noble families to the map, which is always good for D&D.

Unfortunately, perhaps, the faux-Spain in my setting is more than far enough away from anything remotely faux-Moorish (i.e. there's either a small ocean in between or the entire faux-Roman empire which mostly controls said ocean) that having that influence in it just wouldn't make sense. It's a fading realm with mountains on one side and otherwise surrounded by wild lands (most of which weren't always wild; the country is slowly shrinking).

Culturally, there's a lot of pride (for good and bad), not as much separation between nobles and commoners as some cultures, a bespoke pantheon that pretty much no-one outside the country has ever heard of, and - just because I could - a strong focus on looks and appearance. If my game had a Comeliness stat, one's Comeliness would go a long way toward determining one's social status and-or chance for advancement.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Unfortunately, perhaps, the faux-Spain in my setting is more than far enough away from anything remotely faux-Moorish (i.e. there's either a small ocean in between or the entire faux-Roman empire which mostly controls said ocean) that having that influence in it just wouldn't make sense. It's a fading realm with mountains on one side and otherwise surrounded by wild lands (most of which weren't always wild; the country is slowly shrinking).

If it were me, I would still try to go for a situation where the central order is crumbling and there are a lot of tiny kingdoms of various sorts (a D&D staple since Greyhawk) and lots of lovely Moorish-style buildings, because fountains and plazas are awesome.

 

[Aldarc]

I'm surprised to see that no mentioned that it would presumably have Fantasy Spaniards.

 

[Clint_L]

What period of Spanish history? The time of the Reconquista would be interesting, with the nation divided between competing power blocks and religions - I could see how that could be converted into D&D fantasy terms very effectively!

 

[aco175]

I saw a show about the Templars and how they moved to Spain and mostly Portugal. They eventually changed names to Something like Knights of Christ. There are numerous stories of them establishing the crown of Portugal and worshiping Baphomet as heretics.

This place looks cool. The Knights Templar initiation well at Quinta da Regaleira © Dan Stables

There was this castle (Arginass I think) that had some sort of secret entrance from the town below that they used to attack it or flee when under attack. I should watch that show again.

I mostly picture Spain as dry and grassland-like.

 

[King Babar]

Lotta casual wine drinking. More games need casual wine drinking.

 

[Zardnaar]

Lotta casual wine drinking. More games need more casual wine drinking.

Done that before. Gets messy.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I'd suggest the Inquisition, but you would expect that of me.

 

[Yaarel]

When an RPG portrays a reallife culture − even a fantasy version of it − it is probably better to avoid outsider stereotypes and at least try to get an insider perspective.

 

[Zardnaar]

When an RPG portrays a reallife culture − even a fantasy version of it − it is probably better to avoid outsider stereotypes and at least try to get an insider perspective.

Heh yeah I don't use extant real life cultures. I might use an area for inspiration. If I used my own country (NZ) it would be thick native forest and bird and lizard folk. And none of them would mimic Polynesian or Pakeha culture.

 

[humble minion]

When an RPG portrays a reallife culture − even a fantasy version of it − it is probably better to avoid outsider stereotypes and at least try to get an insider perspective.

I think we have at least a few Spaniards on ENWorld though. @LuisCarlos17f maybe?

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

The Spanish mythlogy based in folklore is very, very, very rich, specially about the feys. The Spanish Reconquest is a very interesting age. The conflicts in the Spanish XIX century also can be used as source of inspiration.

Even there is a Spanish TTRPG: "Aquelarre" based in Spanish mythology. And this is still be published.

Category:Spanish legendary creatures - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Spanish mythology

mythus.fandom.com

Spanish Mythology, Legends & Folklore Across the Regions - Travel n History

Read about Spanish mythology, mythical creatures, legends and folklore - richly interesting stories from various historic regions.

travelnhistory.com

Tales of the Alhambra - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The legends written by Gustavo Adolfo Bequer have got a special Spanish touch for the gothic horror you are used.


From Reddit:

The dip, a three legged "vampiric" dog who sucks the blood of drunkards and other easy prey in the streets at night.

A cuelebre is a race of giant snake, with strange magical powers that mostly stays alone with some treasure in streams and rivers until its big enough to go to the sea bottom and stay there forever, sometimes they attacks locals and kills people, so once San Juan killed one of them and since the Cuelebres powers wane at the summer solstice (noche de San Juan).

The meigas are basically how you call witches in Galicia.

The Busgosu is a goatman that causes tisis (horrible actual illnes) to hunters, woodchopper and other people in the forests.

The Nuberu is a tall old men, with basically the powers of storm from x-men controlling all the weather, is probably a celtic demigod or minor god that eneded as a myth after the romans.

A guaxa is a decrepit old lady, with owl eyes and a single teeth, she sneaks into houses with the objective of biting someone with her single teeth spreading an illnes.

The pesanta is a big black dog with heavy iron paws that sneaks into houses at night and puts his paws in your chest leaving you unable to move and barely breathin. Basically a mythological explanation for nightly terrors.

The Hesengu was a devil in dragon form who basically did dragon things but also making people go crazy when under his shadow.

The trasgu is basically a goblin (the original ones , not the orcs ones).

The lavandeiras are spirits of women who died giving birth or similar tragic deads and appear to people while washing clothes at night under the moon, and ask you for your help. To avoid misfortune you have to both help them and when the lavadeiras twists their clothes to pull out the water you must do the same in the contrary direction.

The ojoncanu is an evil rehead giant.

Down in the post people talked about the santa compaña and the ghost of count Arnau, the genti di muerti.

We also have dryads and nymphs but called alojas.