Arica, history and description
by Steven B WilsonAwhile back, Dragon Magazine ran a few articles about running an African campaign. I know next to nothing about African culture, but I wanted to put something like it in my campaign. My problem was, I didn't know where to put it. Later, while I was looking at the large fold-out map (from the Hollow World set) showing the migration routes of very peoples on the post-cataclysmic outer world. One place caught my eye - NW Davania near the Immortal's Arm Peninsula. It said "Tanagoro Colony 2,000 BC." Perfect. It also showed some humanoids moving through at various times. Good. Something to work with. Also, in Dragon #200 pg 62 last paragraph gave me the idea for the ogre-kin. I'm afraid the names of this place and of the surrounding nations aren't very creative. Anyway...here is another creation of mine:
Name: Arica
Continent: Davania
Location: NW of the Desert of Izonda
Climate: Tropical/Sub Tropical
Terrain: Jungle, grasslands, desert, and mountains
Inhabitants: Humans 95% Ogre-kin 5%
Population: Roughly 150,000
6% Civilised
14% Borderlands
75% Wilderness
Technological Level: Bronze Age
Cultural Type: Hunter-gatherer/Pastoralists/Minor Horticulture
Social Structure: Joint-sibling bands and bilateral descent
tribes
Government: Bands/7 political tribes
Language: Arican, Ogre
Resources and Products: Oxen and zebra herds, precious and
non-precious metals
Imports: None
Exports: None
Currency: Barter and precious metals in the form of plain
jewellery
Taxes: None
Social Customs: Siblings and spouse's siblings form bands which work and live together but the tribe which they belong to depends on their father (males) or mother (females). Men are the hunters, fighters, and herdsmen; women do the farming and raising of children. Bands make decisions on everyday life and tribes define an individual's function (class and usually kit).
Laws: Women may not become warriors. Disputes are brought before a temporary council of elders (usually the oldest) of the pertinent tribes or bands. Only major problems concerning foreigners are worth bringing elders from all seven tribes together for. Ogre-kin barely tolerated because of their mining practices. No thieves. (Use rakes from DotE instead)
History: 2000 BC - Tanagoro colonists arrive from the west and settle along the jungle-filled coast. They slowly move to the plains beyond and lose all contact with their homeland. They set up seven tribes based on "profession" to help deal with their new land but the younger generation feels they can look after each other without so-called laws (thus, the creation of the sibling bands).
1800 BC - Ten generations later they learn to domesticate the ox and zebra. All knowledge of their homelands is lost to myth and legend. They now think of themselves as Aricans.
1300 BC - A large horde of humanoids invades from the north and enslaves the Aricans. Ogres mate with Arican slaves and give birth to a new race of ogre-kin who are much smarter than their ogre parents.
900 BC - After four centuries, the humanoid horde finally gets bored with being rulers and head out for conquest across the Desert of Izonda. The ogre-kin stay around to mine precious metals in the mountains to the north.
800 BC - Most of the ogre-kin head north to find a land spoken of in the tales of their ogre forefathers. The Aricans experiment with horticulture, but prefer hunting and herding. They are too nomadic for serious agriculture.
100 AC - Explorers from the Empire of Izonda and the Pelatan Kingdom both try to convert and then subjugate the Aricans. They end up warring against each other while the Aricans ferociously attack both sides.
110 AC - The king of Pelatan, bankrupt from the war and too proud to admit that he lost, "cedes" the Arican region to Izonda ignoring protests that Pelatan never owned it to begin with. Izonda builds a fort near the gold mines and promptly forgets about it in the pressures of everyday dealings of the empire.
550 AC - Spread of lycanthropy. Rise of the Bokor and the Zande Witch Women. (see Dragon #200, pg 14-18)
1000 AC - Ogre-kin begin "encouraging" (read: enslaving) the Aricans towards greater participation in mining precious metals. Several bands are trying to get a Tribal Council together of all seven tribes.
Major Settlements
| Name | Area | Livelihood | Population |
| Carrock | W. Izonda Wall | Mining | 5000 (90% ogre-kin) |
| El Djazair | NW Izonda Wall | Fort/"Ambassador" office | 225 (Izondians) |
| Coroaci | S Arica | Religious mission | 115 (Pelatans) |
Neighbouring Lands
| Name | Government Type | Relationship |
| Izonda | Dictatorship | Ignore each other (for now) |
| Pelatan | Hierocracy | Occasional contact through missionaries |
Note: The only development I have
done on Izonda or Pelatan is all above. I know nothing of them save
what is written here. I do know that neither one is very big
(despite being named after some of the biggest geographical
features in the area ::big grin:: Maybe they are both REALLY
self-important) and there is some bad blood between them. Pelatan
is more religious (hence the government type) and Izonda is just an
all around crappy neighbour. As for what race they are, I have no
idea. I doubt Izonda is human but I would probably make the
Pelatans some kind of Neathar-descent. Anyone is more than welcome
to develop these two nations more - I would be more than happy to
hear what you come up with.