Help locating a Persian culture in Greyhawk

[Quickleaf]

To you Greyhawk fans out there, help! I'm trying to locate a Persian (Iranian) culture in the Greyhawk setting. My only lead thus far is the Baklunish West. Ideally, this will be a region with at least one town on the coast, and a population of raiders/horse nomads nearby.

The setting is modelled after real-world Persia cerca 600 ad (Sassanian dynasty), prior to Moslem invasion. There are nomads resembling the Scythians. There are raiders resembling the Dahai. There is a rival nation called Turan. The "feel" of the setting is based on the Shahnameh, the Epic of Kings by Ferdowsi.

How can I best locate this place in Greyhawk?

 

[Hand of Evil]

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~monax002/gh/ghbest1-1.html

The 1983 Guide to the WORLD OF GREYHAWK setting offers some history on eastern Oerik that makes it clear that the Suel, Oeridians, and Baklunish peoples migrated from their ruined western nations, traveling east to the Flanaess (Guide, pages 8 and 10). Details of the destruction (Guide, page 8; GREYHAWK Adventures, pages 89-90 and 98-99) lead me to think that the coast along the warm Dramidj Ocean where the Baklunish lived is probably known for its steppes and deserts, lack of old ruins, and many humanoids farther inland. The cultural basis for the area seems to be Middle Eastern--Persian, Arabian, or whatever. Similar countries probably lie westward along the coast, perhaps merging farther westward with India-type nations (vaguely like the Gupta Empire, Mogul Empire, etc.) and/or East Asian cultures (i.e., Oriental Adventures lands). I see that in the 1st Edition DMG, on page 89, that Gary Gygax provided lots of royal and noble titles of which nearly all were used in the 1983 WORLD OF GREYHAWK boxed set except for the Indian and Mongol/Tartar ones. It's a logical trend, though admittedly some parts of the Flanaess do not much resemble European medieval history very closely (e.g., the Suel/Suloise Empire).

 

[diaglo]

don't forget the Bakluni are not a common people.

that goes back to their war with the Suel.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

Yes, I believe you are looking for the Western Flanaess. Depending how deep into the Arabic-type culture you are looking to go, the farther west you want to go.

Possible countries:
Ket
Tusmit
Zeif
Ekbir

When I asked someone in the Living Greyhawk Ket mailing list to describe Ket a while back, they pretty much said "Think of ancient Persia. We are a trading hub between east and west. We have developed some of the cuture from the eastern countries and picked up the use of crossbows. However, we are very rooted in the religion and traditions of the Bakluni people. We still respect the Four Feet of the Dragon (the principles passed down by the Bakluni people since the days of their Baklunish Empire): Honor, Family, Generosity and Piety."

However Ket is the gateway, most of the people there are of mixed blood. Once you get to Ekbir, almost everyone there is Baklunish and the traditions are followed much more heavily. I don't know much about Zeif, but I hear its about as close as you can get to the old Baklunish Empire.

Edit: Sorry, I just reread your post, a city on a coast and a population of nomads sounds a lot like Ekbir.

 

[radferth]

Put it on the north coast west of the Darlene map. The Dramidj Ocean is warm for some reason, so the climate will be a bit cooler than modern Iran, but it should otherwise work pretty well. If you want it closer to the East, change Ekbir a bit to make it more Persian.

 

[Quickleaf]

Thanks! Your suggestions really helped!

Is there a Scythian culture somewhere in the Baklunish West?