Known World Regions
by Andrew TheisenI think I shared some of what I had been working on with you already (can't recall offhand; it's been a while since I last worked with Mystara 3E stuff), but if not, here are some of my thoughts:
I'm not a big fan of regions in the sense of feat restrictions/offerings- though I do like a lot of what FR did with them. In my experience trying to work Mystara Regions, I find that the nature of Mystara is a lot less forgiving when it comes to the broad cultural definitions found in the Realms. Places like Glantri, in particular (with its mishmash of many different cultures) tend to make regional rules not work all that well.
I prefer the Eberron take, where the Regions are presented as suggestions of skills, feats, and classes rather than "regional feats"; a big reason is that I don't feel that- for the most part- regional feats are unique enough to restrict to only one possible area. They are a little too broadly painted cultural strokes for my tastes to justify limiting them thusly.
I do like how the PGtF delineated differences between human and demihuman cultural regions, however, so have sort of incorporated that into my current frame of thought (I much prefer demihuman regions to generic "gold elf, gold dwarf" etc, particularly in Mystara where demihuman cultures can potentially be as diverse as human cultures).
These are the (still in progress) regions as I last had them:
Human Regions
Alfheim Town
Atruaghin
Darokin Heartlands
Darokin Borderlands
Emirate of Makistan
Emirate of Nithia
Ethengar Khanates
Fort Doom
Glantri
Honor Island
Ierendi Isles
Island of Hattias
Karameikos
Kerendan Plains
Minrothad Guilds
Northern Reaches
Principality of Aalban
Principality of Bergdhoven
Principality of Blackhill
Principality of Boldavia
Principality of Caurenze
Principality of Klantyre
Principality of Krondahar
Principality of New Averoigne
Republic of Darokin
Shadowdeep (Barimoor)
Shadowdeep (Cynidicea)
Thyatis
Ylaruam
Dwarf
Buhrohur
Fortress Island
Highforge
Ostland
Republic of Darokin
Rockhome
Shadowdeep (Korrag Dul)
Soderfjord Jarldoms
Vestland
Ylaruam
Elf
Alfeisle
Canolbarth Forest
Darokin Borderlands
Darokin Heartlands
Five Shires
Glantri
Radlebb Woods
Shadowdeep (Gwaithallin)
Vyalia Woods
Gnome
Emirate of Makistan
Glantri
Hardanger Mountains
Highforge
Ierendi Isles
Minrothad Guilds
Republic of Darokin
Rockhome
Wendar Mountains
Halfling
Alfheim Town
Darokin Borderlands
Five Shires
Ierendi Isles
Karameikos
Open Isle
Half-Orc
Alfheim Town
Altan Tepes Mountains
Broken Lands
Dymrak Forest
Jungles of Atruaghin
Land of Black Sand
Oenkmar
Orclands
Shadowdeep (Broken Lands)
Half-Elf
Alfheim Town
Belcadiz
Clanholds of Namahed
Darokin Borderlands
Glantrian Highlands
Minrothad Guilds
Vestland
The above regions I couple with a sort of "Races of Faerun" type approach to the various races of Mystara, breaking them down into cultural groups, like so:
Ethnicities, Human
Alasiyan: These humans were originally a subject race of the ancient Nithian empire from the Isle of Dawn. They are the principal ethnic stock of the Emirates of Ylaruam, and form minority groups in Thyatis and eastern Darokin. They are a ducky skinned people, with dark brown to black hair and eyes. They are slightly taller and leaner than most other humans, and have sharp facial features. Largely nomadic, they value the family and tribal unit above all, and have a deep reverence for the Immortals.
Cyprian: Derogatorily referred to as "Common" Alphatians these humans are the result of generations of interbreeding between the otherworldly "Pure" Alphatians and the Cypri civilization. Outside of the continent of Alphatia, they are found primarily in the islands of the Minrothad Guilds or in the Emirates of Ylaruam. Cyprians have coppery skin tones, and their hair and eye colour ranges widely, with brown hair and green eyes most common. They are tall and lean, with delicate bones and facial features.
Atruaghin: (The description here goes into more detail about the specific clan groups and their natures, etc.)
Ethengarian: etc.
Hattian: etc.
Heldannic: etc.
Makai: etc.
Thyatian: etc.
Traladaran: etc.
Other Human Ethnicities: Among the numerous other human ethnic groups on Mystara are the Aalbanese warmages, wizardly Flaemish, red-headed Klantyre clansmen, and romantic Sylairans of Glantri, the mysterious Honor Islanders of Ierendi, the dark Nithian necromancers, the Kerendans of Thyatis, and the pale-skinned "pure" Alphatians.
And so on for the other races (The only subrace of elf that I have is the Shadow elf, which has some different mechanics. I didn't feel that the Water elves were mechanically different enough to warrant a whole subrace to themselves).
Thus, you can have an Aalbanese human from say, the Traladaran region (maybe his parents emigrated there), or a Shadow Elf from Darokin (a spy, maybe, or transplant).
Anyway, I've gone back and forth on it a couple of times, and that was just the most recent concept that I'd had.