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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Levistus's_Leviathan" data-source="post: 9629409" data-attributes="member: 7023887">The Eastern Roman (aka “Byzantine”) Empire has been inspiring me recently. I’m making a <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/brainstorming-a-villain-based-on-justinian-ii-%E2%80%9Cthe-slit-nosed%E2%80%9D.712772/#post-9629284" target="_blank">villain based on Justinian II</a>. The Byzantines were extremely politically unstable in ways that would easily create adventuring hooks. Greek fire flamethrowers and grenades fit well in D&D (we already have alchemist fire). Steampunk automata could fit well. Also their role as a once mighty empire that covered most of a continent but has been vastly reduced in territory over the centuries works well in a D&D setting. I think I’ll base their religion mostly on Manichaeism, as the <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/overview-of-ennoism-homebrew-gnostic-religion.703804/" target="_blank">main religions in this setting</a> are inspired by Gnosticism and Buddhism. I also have been inspired by the Scythians and Huns as well as some other nomadic steppe groups. The <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-xrytosians-scythian-inspired-pegasi-riding-aasimar-steppe-nomads.707061/" target="_blank">Xrytosians</a> ride Pegasi and live on floating islands (earthmotes). Their religion has mostly Scythian, Zoroastrian, and Egyptian inspirations with a hint of Cahokia. The Aasimar city states of the setting have a quite a few inspirations. Most of them are isolationist theo-feudal trading hubs built on the ruins of a magocratic empire, but a few are more like maritime republics similar to medieval Venice. There are aspects of the ancient Assyrians, Israelites, Ptolemies, Greek city states, and other societies mixed together. One mountainous city state is more based on the Incas. There’s a racial supremacy movement akin to Nazis that wants to genocide all non-Aasimar.</blockquote>

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