Nightstorm
First Post
Just bought The Living Greyhawk. Could someone please explain the human races in a way I can understand them? which are compare to theones in the real world? Is there a black race ? A Asian race? I'm having trouble translating.
Human Races in Greyhawk
Guess I'm spending too much time in the lab and not enough in RL.
Okay...
Oeridians = Romans
Flan = Celts (or Native Americans, there's a blend)
Baklunish = Arabians
Suloise = Germanics
Olman = Aztecs
Rhennee = Gypsies
Now, that's a very basic breakdown, and plenty of people disagree. Culture (and nation) is far more important in Greyhawk than skin colour, but it does apply.
Each race has its own pantheon, but over the years, they have become somewhat mixed. (Something that should have been in the LGG is a list of deities by pantheon).
The Baklunish and Suloise participated in a great war 1,000 years ago that ended in the ruin of their civilisations, the Oeridians then took over and founded the Great Kingdom of the Aerdy - this is now in decline, much like ancient Rome.
The Suloise are fair-skinned; some of them are viking-like (the Snow, Ice and Frost Barbarians), which is why I equate them to the Germanics/Aryans.
The Flan are the original inhabitants of the Flanaess, now largely displaced by the invaders of the other three races. They had a druidical culture, which is why I normally equate them with the Celts; some versions of them act a bit like Native Americans (the Nomads, tiger & wolf).
Rhennee are wanderers originally from another world (Rhop?). They travel on barges, and have tight family clan groups - very gypsy-like.
The Olman aren't really seen very much of.
There may be a couple of other minor races, but that's the gist of it. There are no game differences between the races.
Cheers!
Oeridians = Romans
Flan = Celts (or Native Americans, there's a blend)
Baklunish = Arabians
Suloise = Germanics
Olman = Aztecs
Rhennee = Gypsies
Now, that's a very basic breakdown, and plenty of people disagree. Culture (and nation) is far more important in Greyhawk than skin colour, but it does apply.
Each race has its own pantheon, but over the years, they have become somewhat mixed. (Something that should have been in the LGG is a list of deities by pantheon).
The Baklunish and Suloise participated in a great war 1,000 years ago that ended in the ruin of their civilisations, the Oeridians then took over and founded the Great Kingdom of the Aerdy - this is now in decline, much like ancient Rome.
The Suloise are fair-skinned; some of them are viking-like (the Snow, Ice and Frost Barbarians), which is why I equate them to the Germanics/Aryans.
The Flan are the original inhabitants of the Flanaess, now largely displaced by the invaders of the other three races. They had a druidical culture, which is why I normally equate them with the Celts; some versions of them act a bit like Native Americans (the Nomads, tiger & wolf).
Rhennee are wanderers originally from another world (Rhop?). They travel on barges, and have tight family clan groups - very gypsy-like.
The Olman aren't really seen very much of.
There may be a couple of other minor races, but that's the gist of it. There are no game differences between the races.
Cheers!
coyote6
Adventurer
MerricB said:
I think you're thinking of the Rovers of the Barrens. Looking at the "From the Ashes" PDF (since it was faster to get to than the LGG or anything else), it lists the Rovers as being Flan, and the Tiger & Wolf Nomads as being mostly Baklunish.
Given the weapons ascribed to the Tiger & Wolf Nomads (tulwars & the like), and their chiefs' titles ("Ilkhan" and "Tarkhan"), I'd say they were more like the Mongols than the Lakota.
The Rovers' chief is titled "Ataman", which is a Cossack title. He's also "Chief of the Wardogs" -- the Rovers' "wardogs" are, IIRC, reminiscent of Cheyenne dog soldiers.
Alaric_Prympax
First Post
laurencio said:
You are correct with the Touv, they are in the southern half of Hepmonalond, see the book The Scarlet Brotherhood.
In the first Dragon Annual there was a map of the Oerth and a sentence or two of each area named. To the west of the Sea of Dust there is the Celestial Empire (China). To the Southwest of the Amedio Jungle there was a great bay area with an island in the middle called Nippon (Japan) and there was a land area on the continent called the Nipponese Dominion or Protectorate. There was also an area west of the Baklunish nations on the other side of a mountain chain called Orcriech. It was north of the Celestial Empire and there was a huge wall separating them. The western side of Orcriech was also defined by another mountain chain and another wall was being built by the Celestial Empire to keep the populations of IIRC Greater Khanate and Lesser Khanate (Mongols) out.
It's been a long time since I looked at that map. I don't think that it's 'offical' or canon. I also don't think it was well received by quite a few people out there but I always liked it. It gave me quite a few good ideas.
Sorry if I got any of that wrong.
Nightstorm
First Post
right. they are part of a fantasy world but the insperation for them come from the real world .
