Campaign

The Known World

World

Mystara

Starting Land

The Grand Duchy of Karameikos (Second and subsequent characters can be from anywhere to which I have the Gazetteer)

Ancient History

The region now called the Grand Duchy of Karameikos was once the homeland of the Traldar, an indigenous human race. The Traldar were a short, stocky, dark-skinned race, and were not known to other human tribes or races within recorded history.

Scholarly excavation of buried and ruined Traldar villages reveal that, in the oldest settlements, the Traldar relied almost exclusively on fishing and hunting to survive. They made their weapons of wood and stone, constructed rude dugout canoes for transportation, and lived a frugal, subsistence-level based existence.

Then, so far as scholars can tell, Traldar civilization took a sudden jump in sophistication. Almost overnight, the Traldar were forging bronze weapons and armor, cutting roads through the dense forests of Traldar territory, joining communities into a trading network of some complexity.

In Traldar legndry, the immortals created the world from a roiling, chaotic mass, then created animals and man, and for many years let man live in ignorance, with poor homes, poor tools, poor weapons. Then, as told in “The Song of Halav,” they bequeathed to the Traldar the secrets of working tin and copper into bronze, of weaving with spindle and loom, of creating pottery with a potter’s wheel, and of using many other miraculous tools and weapons.

“The Song of King Halav” legends deal with a Traldar society very similar to that which the scholars have uncovered. The Traldar hero-kings reigned over large forest communities, engaged in trade, wore weapons and used armor of glittering bronze.

According to “Halav.” A fierce horde of beast-men descended on the Traldar, intent on exterminating the tribe and occupying these rich lands themselves. The fighting was bloody; ultimately most of the Traldar and beast-men perished; King Halav and the king of the beast-men slew one another; and the surviving beast-men departed Traldar lands while the surviving humans rebuilt their homes and set about making their villages prosperous again.

According to scholars, the legend is based on fact. The decorations on broken pottery, the inlay on weapons forged during that time, distinctly show beastlike humanoids in conflict with men. Scholars tend to believe that the beast-men were, in fact, gnollish tribes from the far west, though many pieces of art show the beast-men as being much more like dog-headed men or werewolves.

Character Creation

Races

Humans – Choose either Traladaran, Thyatian or mixed heritage. The differences below relate to when the nationalities confront one another. When confronting the rest of the world, Karameikans refer to themselves as Karameikans. – citizens of the best nation in the world.

Karameikans know their nation doesn’t have the sophistication of Glantri or Thyatis – and they’re glad. Too much sophistication, they say, is just another term for decadence. Karameikan fighters consider themselves as tough as the best fighters of any nation of the world.

Karameikans of Traladaran descent know that they’ve survived the worst – the “Song of King Halav” tells them so – and that, one day, they’ll build themselves again into the most prosperous and amazing nation in the world. This isn’t an arrogant chip-on-the-shoulder attitude, but the quiet assurance of people who know it to be true and patiently wait and work to bring it about. Most citizens of Thyatian descent who were born in Karameikos have been infected with this philosophy, too.

So, to be Karameikan is to know that you belong to a nation destined for greatmess. And to be a Karameikan adventurer, you must also believe that you are part of what will bring this greatness about. Karameikan adventurers aren’t braggarts, constantly tooting their own horns and insulting or slandering other lands…but they do have a quiet, stubborn assurance that no one else is better than they.

The Shearing Ceremony: The native Traladarans have a custom which is an important part of the Karameikan national character.

Called the Shearing Ceremony, it was developed in the village of Marilenev (Specularum) and was in common use there and in surrounding areas in the centuries before Thyatis conquered Traladara. Since that time, improved trade with the inland communities has spread the Shearing ceremony throughout the land. When Duke Stefan and the Thyatian settlers came, they were acquainted with the ceremony and generally adopted it.

When a Karameikan youth approaches adulthood, either he will approach his parents or they will approach him with the news that it is time for the Shearing.

Soon after, at a dinner to which other family members or village leaders may be invited, the youth stands silent while his parents solemnly dress him in traveling gear. The bottom of his cloak is sheared off and left ragged as a reflection of shi condition: That of an impoverished traveler.

From that time, the sheared youth is considered a friend of the family but not part of it. He must make his own way in the world until the family decides he is worthy of the cal. Usually, living apart from the clan for a few years and participating in acceptable adventures or trading ventures is proof that the youth is able to prosper on his own; when his parents reach that conclusion, he is invited to another dinner, at which time he is presented with a garment bearing the clan’s markings or coat of arms. This indicates that he is once again part of the family.

All young men between the ages of 14 and 19 are Sheared. (usually, the lad approaches his parents first, because it’s an embarrassment to wait so long that they come to you.) Young women are not approached by their parents, but may insist that they be Sheared. Being Sheared and living away from the family for a few years is a good way for a young woman to earn respect within her family.

When the Thyatians came to Karameikos they saw in the ceremony a way to separate the worthwhile from the parasitic ion their own families, and adopted the custom.

A Sheared youth from a titled family is not considered to have any title until he is invited by his family to rejoin their ranks.

Traladaran: The Traladarans, descendents of the native Traldar tribe of legend, tend to be fairly small (men average 5’9“, women 5’3”) and light of build They tend to have pale complexions, brown eyes, and dark hair (deep brown to black). In general, they are a very superstitious people-if you can call it superstition when it’s based on truth They are great believers in good luck charms, omens and portents (palm- reading, the reading of tea leaves or sheep en-trails, interpretations of natural phenomena If it’s a strange event, the Traladara consider it an omen) curses and evil eyes.

Outside the larger towns, education is not widely spread. In the more rural communities, most villagers are illiterate, though often a village cleric will be lettered. (Player characters, being exceptional people, don’t have to worry about this; if you have enough Intelligence to be literate, you can be literate if you wish. If you prefer, because of the way you conceive your character, that he be illiterate, that is also vour choice.)

For the most part, Traladarans don’t care Much for Thyatians. They see the Thyatians as The latest wave of bad luck which keeps the Traladarans from re-achieving their Golden Age. Since many of the original Thyatian arrivals were rotten land-grabbers, many of the Traladarans see all Thyatians as being the same. (If you don’t wish for your character to feel this way, he doesn’t have to.)

Though the majority of the population of Karameikos is Traladaran, the court language is Thyatian. Thyatian is the language of official documents and trade and is basically the “Common Tongue” of Karameikos. Most Traladarans under the age of 30 speak Thyatian, usually with a distinct accent which marks their Traladaran origins.

Names: Names have a strong Eastern and Central European flavor. Male names: Boris, Dmitri, Fyodor, Grygory, Ilya, Ivan, Mikhail, Pyotr, Sergei, Stephan, Yakov, Yuri. Female names: Anya, Darya, Ecatrina, Ilyana, Irena, Katarina, Kuzma, Magda, Misha, Petra, Sula, Zandra. Family names can be created by adding one of a number of suffixes to given names. Such suffixes include “os,” “ov,” “ev,” “nov,” “evich,” “escu,”etc. Example: Ivan becomes Ivanov; Dmitri becomes

Thyatians: Most of the nobles in Karameikos are of Thyatian descent, and a sizeable proportion of the commoner population is of Thyatian descent.

Thyatians tend to be physically larger than Traladarans, men averaging around 5’11” and women about 5’5”. The Thyatians have had centuries to interbreed with other nations, snd so there is no one Thyatian look; hair ranges from dark blonde to dark brown, with occasional redheads (including the Duke); eye color ranges from blues to browns and blacks. The Thyatians tan more easily in the sun than the paler Traladarans, who tend to sunburn easily.

The Empire of Thyatis is a large, flourishing empire with powerful armies, strong trade relations with the great nations of the world, lavish arts and entertainments, and a cultural standard equaled in few places in the world. So it’s natural that many of Thyatian descent tend to feel superior to the native Traladarans. Among many of the Thyatians, there is a sentiment that Traladarans are superstitious and ignorant, and many feel that Thyatian spoken with a Traladaran accent denotes lack of mental ability. (Again, this is a prejudice which you don’t have to foist on your own character if you don’t wish to.)

Names: Given names tend to be reminiscent of ancient classical Roman and Byzantine names: Varis (Varia), Alexander (Alexandra), Valerius (Valeria), Titius (Titia), Claudius (Claudia), Anastasius (Anastasia), etc.

Surnames tend to be strong, majestic-sounding monikers: Karameikos, Penhaligon, Korrigan, for example.

Half-Breeds: In the last thirty years, since the arrival of Duke Stefan and his followers, there have been born many children of mixed Thyatian and Traladaran descent. Most of them are the children of Thyatian men who immigrated to the duchy, fought in the Duke’s army, then retired to wed local women. Very few are children of Thyatian women and Traladaran men. A half-breed is likely to be somewhat taller than average for Traladarans, usually with dark hair and blue or light brown eyes. How he feels about Thyatians and Traladarans will depend on how he was raised, but in most cases the half-breeds recognize that neither Thyatian nor Traladaran has any great advantage over the other; the half-breed gets along well with people of both backgrounds.

Human Stats

Languages: Automatic - Common (Thyatian), Traladaran. Bonus – Elvish (Callarii

dialect), Gnomish (Highforge dialect). Given a good enough reason: Dwarvish (Stronghollow dialect), Gnollish, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Orc, Pixie

Special: You may choose your national heritage or have it rolled for you. Your family

social standing and home town will be rolled for you.

Elves – Most of the elves in Karameikos are of the Callarii tribe.

Callarii Elves - a merry and hardworking tribe proficient in riverboating,

riding, horsetrading, hunting and foresting.

Callarii elves are robust and healthy, with very pale hair (blonde to white) and blue eyes. They tend to wear tunics or robes of green with leaf-patterns embroidered upon them.

The elves are neutral toward humans in general. They become fast friends with humans who demonstrate honor and humor; they do not cooperate with humans who are pretentious, dishonorable or rude. Duke Stefan has a guard unit entirely composed of Callarii elves, which has given many elves the chance to meet him, and the Callarii are favorably disposed toward the Duke.

Names: Karameikan elves tend only to have one name, something lyrical and unique. Examples (Male) Thalaric, Allandros. (Female) Sythandria, Stellara.

Vyalia Elves - Another elvish community within the Karameikan

borders. More info. to come.

Elf Stats

Languages: Automatic - Common (Thyatian), Traladaran, Elvish (Callarii dialect).

Bonus –Gnomish (Highforge dialect). Given a good enough reason: Dwarvish (Stronghollow dialect), Gnollish, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Orc, Pixie

Special: Your social standing will be rolled for you. You may choose your home town/

forest (The DM can suggest the most common locations), however you may also choose your current residence. Depending on your background, you may have served in the Duke’s Elvenguard in Specularum. Backgrounds and skills should favor riverboating, riding, horsetrading, hunting and foresting.

Gnomes – The largest gnomish community, called Highforge, is in the mountain foothills several miles east of the town of Threshold. It’s a large and secluded community composed of gnomes (and one allied dwarven clan); it is mostly self-sufficient but profits from trade with the southern humans. The group is quiet, solitary and makes little effort to contact the outside world – but will deal with visiting traders.

There are 6,200 gnomes in the area, divided between a large lair if 2,500 and several smaller outposts of no more than 1,000 each. A council of elders chosen by the gnomes, 1 from each outpost and 3 from the main lair, guides the community in most decisions. This council will act as judges, handle trade, and distribute any money for the defense of the various outposts. However, any important decisions are decided by a general vote of the population.

The gnomes are excellent craftsmen, especially skilled in wood and metal. Their ware bring good prices in human lands. Trade is difficult, because of the goblins (of the forest) and the gnomes are involved in frequent skirmishes. Nevertheless, the Duke’s Elvenguard pays regular visits to the gnomes, picking up finished metals for the Ducal coining operations.

The gnomes are well-disposed toward the Duke; they did not observe much of the Thyatian abuses against the Traladarans, but are well aware of the improvement of trade and communication which have resulted from the Duke’s building of roads throughout the land.

The gnomes have no preference between Thyatians and Traladarans.

Gnome stats

Languages: Automatic - Common (Thyatian), Traladaran, Gnomish (Highforge dialect).

Bonus – Elvish (Callarii dialect), Given a good enough reason: Dwarvish (Stronghollow dialect), Gnollish, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Orc, Pixie

Dwarves – The dwarves living in the Grand Duchy are either members of the Stronghollow clan up in the gnome community, or are dwarven professionals who have immigrated into Karameikos – often acting as professional soldiers in the service of the Duke or one of his barons. When they do express a preference between Traladarans and Thyatians, the dwarves tend to prefer the company of Thyatians, who are practical people, and not superstition-ridden like the Traladarans.

Names: Dwarf given names are a bit hard-sounding and weighty. Family names tend to derive from wartime deeds or special abilities. Examples of given names: (Male) Thoric, Boldar (Female) Friya, Brunna. Examplkes of family names: Shieldcracker, Ironboot.

Dwarf stats

Languages: Automatic - Common (Thyatian), Traladaran, Dwarvish (Stronghollow

dialect) Bonus – Elvish (Callarii dialect), Gnomish (Highforge dialect). Given a

good enough reason:, Gnollish, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Orc, Pixie

Special: Your social standing will be rolled for you. Your hometown is Highforge, but you may choose your residence (or have it rolled for you).

The adventuring dwarf. The craftsmen and traders of Highforge don’t approve of their own children gallivanting around and performing adventures. Therefore, a dwarf adventurer will not receive any of the benefits of his family’s wealth until he returns (for good) to his family and community.

Halflings – The Halflings in the duchy are mostly immigrants from the Five Shires, drawn by the heavy trade in Karameikos and living as professionals within the human communities of the Duchy. There are many Halfling traders, craftsmen and innkeepers in Specularum, Kelvin and smaller communities. While there are no large Halfling clans in Karameikos, the halflings have their own “subculture,” and many frequent taverns and other facilities which cater only to halflings. When Halflings do admit a preference between Thyatians and Traladarans, they side beside the latter, whom they consider life-loving, romantic, expressive people, instead of the Thyatians, whom they think colder and less sympathetic.

Names: Halfling given names are just like common English given names. Family names have several syllables and describe family characteristics or professions, Examples might include Bill Trenchermann (from a family of big eaters) or Anna Hillfort (from a family with a well-defended hilltop home).

Halfling stats

Languages: Automatic - Common (Thyatian), Traladaran,

Special: Your social standing will be rolled for you. You may choose your hometown.

Classes

Cleric

Special: Churches: Church of Karameikos, Churh of Traldar or Cult of Halav

Fighter

Magic-User

Special: The Magicians’ Guild of Karameikos can teach you any spells of 1^st through 3^rd

level. They know selected spells of levels 4 through 7. They do not know any 8^th or 9^th levels spells. Spells other than those known by the Guild must be found or learned by adventuring.

Thief

Special: You may belong to a guild or be an independent.

Dwarf

Special: see race section above

Elf

Special: see race section above

Halfling

Special: see race section above

Druid

Mystic

Coinage

In Karameikos, the gold piece is called the royal. On the obverse is a side-view of the

head of King Halav, wearing his war-helmet; on the reverse are the inscriptions. “Grand

Duchy of Karameikos,” “Glory in All Deeds” and “One Royal.”

The silver piece is called the crona. On the obverse is the royal palace in Specularum; on

the reverse are the inscriptions, “Grand Duchy of Karameikos” and “One crona.’’

The copper piece is called the kopec. On the obverse is the great wolf of the inland forests; on the reverse are the (expected) inscriptions, “Grand Duchy of Karameikos” and

“One Kopec.”