Regions in your homeworld?

[Ferret]

I debated puting this in Homebrew, but theres not much brewing happening.

Has anyoneintroduced regions into your world where the races speak different languages, different cultures and so on? How has it worked? Did you use different races? Where the regions solely populated with different races of did you get races with the same culture? Anything?

 

[Crothian]

yes. First thing I did for my homebrew was toss out the idea of a common language. If you are in the human lands you speak their language, but in the dwarven lands they all speak dwarf. There are some languages that are trade languages and thus a little more common in lots of areas but still, language can be a big obsticle.

I do have different cultures most are dependant on geography then race. Soem races try to keep their culture in new places, but it usually blends with the cultures of the people already there.

 

[BASHMAN]

Oh yeah.

In my game world, there are no racial languages, just regional ones (although, there are some regions under the ground ruled by orcs and dwarves, which technically means you could say that there is a dwarf language or a orc language, but there is no elf language or halfling language, etc.

I have the world broken up into cultures, there are 2 continents that most characters come from, but there are 5 more that exist (most players are from the main 2, though). I will give you the short version of 2 continents:

Ostroth- the Eastern Continent has 4 main "nations" each with its own language and culture. I have written up a gazeteer that highlights the major cities, royalty, system of laws, and customes of each nation.

1 Tristania- Equivilent of Spain. Known for their seamanship and skill with the newly invented "rapier". Currently, the king's power is undermined by the grand Inquisitor, who even inspires fear in the nobles of being accused of heresy. (the main religion in the world is the Theodoric Church).

2. Argance- Equivilent of France. Known for using knights, even though heavy armor is falling out of fashion due to longbows and heavy crossbows. 100 years ago, the king disbanded an elven Duchy, giving it to his brother, forcing the elves living their to flee east into the frontier in modern Ruvia. Currently, Argance is expanding into this region, causing tensions between themselves and the Ruvian elves residing there.

3. Ruvia- Equivilent of Russia/other slavic nations, and about 200 years behind the rest of the world technilogically. Ruvia is not a united country, but a collection of multiple Boyars. Also, they do not follow the Theodoric Church, but the Ruvian Orthodox Church. Gypsylvania is a land said to be ruled by a Vampire, haunted at night by werewolves and ghosts. Many of its people have left, becoming Nomads throughout the rest of Ostroth, telling fortunes, etc to make a living. Another region is ruled by a great dragon named Frost, his people are a hardy band of rangers- bugbears, orcs, and humans living together defending Frost's territory. There is one place similar to the Tartars/Mongols, and another part that is the home of the aformentioned Ruvian Elves.

4. Thurillia- Equivilent of Italy. The seat of the Theodoric Church, Thurillia is also a disunited nation, made up of feuding city states each run by a merchant "prince". Thurillia is the center of trade with the more distant continents of Midestra and Faresia, and the only source of valuable silks and spices for the "civilized" lands. They profit greatly from this.

Vistroth- The Western Continent

1. Abeland- Equivilent of England- Known for its sailing ability and its lethal longbowmen, the word knight now is a title given to men of distinction in nearly any endevor, not merely warriors. Abeland is ruled by a King, and has a great school of Magery as well.

2. Cladonia- Equivilent of Ireland, Wales, and Scottland- This land has been under the subjectification of Abeland for decades, and has never stopped resisting. The religion is about evenly split between nature worship led by druids, and the Theodoric Church. This land is home to halfling potato farmers, as well as centaur and elven nature- worshipers. High in the hills live clans of humans and dwarves, wearing Kilts and wielding enormous claymores in battle.

3. Varn- Equivilent of Germany/Holy Roman Empire- Varn is a collection of multiple principalities, each ruled by an "elector". When the current Emperor dies, the electors get together to elect the new Emperor. Each principality is different, with one being run by a dwarf, another is a magocracy, another is led by an Orc Knight, and yet another is ruled by a seemingl imortal woman named Hadriana Gondora.

4. Nordica- Equivilent of Denmark/Vikings- This land has no united government, but is ruled by a series of Jarls (Earls). They live by farming, but go on "vikes" (raids) after planting to supliment their income. They are the scourge of both the Ostrothi and Vistrothi coasts. Like Varn, their leadership are a diverse lot, one land being run by a blind troll who is a high priest of Odin, another by dwarves, and the most bloodthirsy is led by an elven woman who never gives quarter in battle. There is one "jarl" who is an outcast, named Helain the Crone. She is rumored to be in league with Hel and other dark forces, and her island is home to a vast army of undead horrors.

 

[Ibram]

There are quite a few regions IMC, and all have several languages. For each continent I've made a "trade language" which the PC's get for free. The trade languages are Imperial, Arabic, and Cathayian. Other languages enclude Castillian, Normandish, Reiksprecht, Norscan, Rusich, Nihonese, Nubain, High Elvish, Old Dwarven, and Kataros. Those are just the living languages (ones spoken in every day life) "dead" languages enclude Ancient Dwarven, Classic Imperial Khemish, Murian, Archeronian, Stygian, Mornish, and Low Draconic.

Like the languages cultures varry across the four continents that make up my campaing world. Eras is vaguely European with countries like Reiksland, Normandy, and the Civil Government. The Jade lands are orental with countries like Cathay, Ind, and Nihhon. The Southlands are Middle Eastern / Africa with Araby, Nubia, and the Zanj City States.

 

[Galethorn]

IMC, there's one large region called The Four Kingdoms, and there are three languages between them. In Ennoria (the oldest and most mercantile one of the kingdoms) they speak Ennorian. In Dornlund (only recently independant) they speak Ennorian. In Tyrnia, they speak Tyrnian and a smattering of Ennorian along the borders. In Arnadûn, about half of the common people speak Ennorian as their main language, while the other hafl (and the nobles) use Arnaic.

So, everybody knows Ennorian, to some extent, in the Four Kingdoms, because the region is all inside of a giant 'basin' between three mountain ranges. However, as you go north, south, or east over the natural obstacles, Ennorian is totally unknown, except to merchants and scholars. That said, Ennoria is only used to speak with outsiders in Tyrnia, and Arnadûn frowns upon the language as a whole.

That's the situation with languages.

 

[Turjan]

I'm not sure whether this is exactly what you mean, but in the area of the world, where my campaign takes place, I have a multitude of races, languages and cultures. There is no general match of political, racial or cultural borders, but in some cases there may be .

Just regarding humans, there are 2 major race groups, and one of them splits up into 4 language groups, thereof 3 relativeley close (in the Romance/Slavic/Germanic sense). As there was a dominant Empire not too long ago, the language of the dominant people of that Empire with a smattering of other influences can be used as 'lingua franca' among most humans, some elven countries (west and southwest) and a few orcish lands (northeastern coastal). The humans of the northwest are better off with an orcish equivalent of the 'lingua franca', whereas the elves have a mostly dead language (except the area of one city state in the far west) that nearly every elf knows.
Cultures are somewhat tied to language groups, but not always, because people that have been part of another country for hundreds of years tend to take over lots of customs from the dominant culture in that country, so there is no general rule.

One example: The largest city of the campaign setting is part of a southern kingdom that is mostly inhabited by 1 of the major human races, and the country's king belongs to that race. This city is dominated and mostly inhabited by one of the other human races that speaks a dialect closely related to the language of the old empire. Culturally, the city belongs to a large neighbouring country. The population is cosmopolitan with some elven and orcish minorities, whereas elves are persecuted in the neighbouring country. This should illustrate the "no general rule" part .

 

[Stone Angel]

Once in a homebrew I had a little matrix made to what the races called each other, and how much of their languages were related. It was kind of cool. A lot of work.


The Seraph of Earth and Stone

 

[Knightfall]

I debated puting this in Homebrew, but theres not much brewing happening.

Has anyone introduced regions into your world where the races speak different languages, different cultures and so on? How has it worked? Did you use different races? Where the regions solely populated with different races of did you get races with the same culture? Anything?

Definitely, I have my homebrewed world divided and subdivided in this manner. I have several continents that each have an underlying theme and each continent is also broken down into specific regions. The best idea is to use major geographical landmarks as "rough" dividing points between regions (i.e. mountain range).

I also use many different races, whether they are standard races, custom races I've created, or unique races from a D&D/d20 sourcebook. (So far, I've stayed away from the "Races" series by WotC.) However, just using a different race isn't enough unless that race's culture is also modified. Don't feel threatened by the idea of turning a racial stereotype on its head.

A good way to do this is to mix up a "racial" deity's followers. For example, on the continent that I call the Lands of Harqual the deities known as Gruumsh and Vaprak have followers that aren't orcs and ogres. Sure those races are the favored children of those two deities but that doesn't mean they don't have human or even demihuman followers.

Another example is the fact there aren't any "true" drow on the World of Kulan. Sure the drow once tried to invade the Underearth of Kulan through a magical gate, but they were unsuccessful, as the Underearth races banded together to wipe them out. This has left a mark on how my Underearth is different than a standard Underdark. There is a half-drow/half-PHB elf race that are the descendants of those invading drow, but they are limited to one continent, aboveground.)

yes. First thing I did for my homebrew was toss out the idea of a common language. If you are in the human lands you speak their language, but in the dwarven lands they all speak dwarf. There are some languages that are trade languages and thus a little more common in lots of areas but still, language can be a big obsticle.

I did something similar to thing for languages. there is a Common language, but it is only spoken on one continent, Harqual. Each of my other continents, and several of the subregions on those continents, have a unique "common" language. For example, on the continent of Kanpur (the largest continent) there are dozens of common, regional, and trade tongues. I have a region based on the Land of Fate boxed set and its common language is Midani, which is from that 2e reference. I have a regional language called Dagira, which is spoken exclusively in the desert steppelands of Sogukol.

And I recommend researching historical languages and mixing and matching different spellings of words in different languages, for maximum effect in creating unique sounding place names and characters. For example, in one region on Harqual, many of the place names are based on a mixture of Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Sweadish, Spanish, and German words, spread across a peninsula. I recommend finding a translator, online, if you're not already a master of languages. Also use your local library to study about langauages.

I do have different cultures most are dependant on geography then race. Soem races try to keep their culture in new places, but it usually blends with the cultures of the people already there.

Great minds think alike, right Crothian? Yes, geography is your friend in creating different regional concepts. A race that lives in a forest environment will have a different culture than the same race that lives in a desert environment. Another great idea, as Crothy alluded to, are those races thar are considered to be exiles or "sundered". A race of elves forced to abandon their ancestral virgin forest due to undead infestation will have to find other living arrangements. Perhaps they become nomadic after several generations have gone by or are forced to scatter and live amongst humans. And a race doesn't have to be exiled by tragedy. Perhaps they left their homeland on purpose for some unknown reason only known to their elders.

Simply let your mind wander, Ferret, and study historical migrations for ideas on creating unique cultures. I'm no expert, but you could create a subrace of wandering gypsies or a mongol like race that came, conquered, and stayed to rule.

Stuff like that.

Cheers!

KF72

 

[Knightfall]

One other thing. Create a list of languages. Make sure you know what languages are spoken where and by whom. Me, i follow the standard language layout used on page 82 of the PHB, just heavily expandedand divided by region and/or race. And never "write" those languages in stone. Have them evolve or die out through your timeline. If you don't like something then make it become a dead language or one only spoken by scholars.

I just uploaded my languages Word Document to this thread: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=77467&page=3

Cheers!

KF72

 

[Psion]

Lots. I have 4 major human cultural regions, plus the various "demihuman" and monstrous races, a "mixed" region, and so on.