Peoples of NE Davania
by Francesco DefferrariBy the way, has anyone thought about that name "Meghala Kimata"? It doesn't sound to have Greek-related roots to me (though my knowledge of Greek is very limited). Perhaps this is a clue to other cultures present in the area...
A quick search on google translator and my few recollections of high school ancient Greek seems to indicate that the word means "big waves" or "great billows" which is interesting.. could be an area of tall grass that seems to move like waves under costant winds...
Amosses however seems more Nithian, or maybe Aryptians? (see below).
About what I wrote in the other thread on people inhabiting this area of Davania, from canon and fanon sources, I have this rough scheme for now:
- In remote ages, elementals should have been the first inhabitants of Mystara.. traces of this past could or couldn't be present today.
- Medusas are canonically placed here by PWAII.
- Ents and other intelligent plants could have come after, probably there is a relation with the Emerondians, even if they are canonically aliens.
- Intelligent arachnids and insects should have come after (the canon and mysterious Mek were constructs created by an ancient race of intelligent insects of the remote past). Are pockets of them still around, like thrii-keen, formians and hivebrood? I'd like some formians and araneas in this region.
- Dragons, wood drakes and other fairy folks should also have a relevant presence. Wooddrakes are mentioned as common in Emerond.
- Dinosaurs, amphibians and reptlians have been a big part of the historical inhabitants of Davania, including the outskirts of the Y'hog empire and the Serpentine Empire, whose centres however were in other regions of the continent.. i.e. lizardmen, troglodytes, lamaras, sis'thik, caymen, gatormen and frogfolk could still inhabit several areas. Powerful Lizardmen with Trogs subjects canonically inhabit the Amalur lowlands.
- Chameleon men are IMHO the perfect link between fairy folks, reptilians and the later humanoid races...
- Centaur tribes are placed in the plains by PWAII
- Halfling and Elves didn't live exactly in this region and migrated to Brun centuries ago, but relic populations should be present IMO.
- Giants and brutemen could or couldn't have left some populations in Davania too, even if their origin seems to be brunian...
- Rakastas came from Brun since 40.000 BC at least, so many populations should be present: servasta, caracasta, fast runner, simbasta and pardasta.
- Gnomes are canonically placed in Vulcania from before the Great Rain of Fire.. some could also live in the north of Davania...
- About humans, the first ones, probably Lhomarrian and/or Oltec descended lived in this region of Davania since 8000 BC at least.. this indeed should be the first region of Davania inhabited by humans. The origins of the Manacapuru could trace back to this time. The name is a real place in Brazil, so they are clearly based on amazonian people.. PWAII describes them as copper skinned natives who honor snakelike immortals, a connection with reptilian races could be in order.
- I'd also place a M-oriental culture that from Skothar spread to Ochalea and Yasuko in ancient times (i.e. before 3000 BC).. they probably were influenced by rakastas. Yasuko is a Japanese female name that means "peaceful child", so a peace philosophy there could be appropriate PWAII describes them as perhaps related to Ochaleans.
- That also includes the non canonic Mawa (M-polynesian) that Zendrolion already mentioned, that should be around the coast from 3000BC or slightly before...
- Neathar humans are indicated in the HW migration map to be roughly in the area south of Garganin around 3000BC... several fan hypotheses exists about these people: a Blackmoor colony, and/or maharian people
- Thratians (the four kingdoms) are supposed by fan sources to be here since 2000 BC, arriving from the Isle of Dawn (due to cultural similarities with people living there).
- Varellyan civilization flourished in the Vulture Peninsula and Cestia, to the south, from 1500BC to 465AC, but from 3000 to 1500BC varellyan people moved around northern Davania. Geoff supposed them could be modeled after RW Phoenicians.. I agree with that, relating them to M-atlantean Lhomarrians and with a M-middle east Maharians/Oltec ancient culture that I'd use to connect all the middle eastern Mystaran people, i.e. Nithians, Ylari, enduks, Yezchamenids, the middle eastern cultural elements in Alphatia, ancient Hule and Arypt...
- Tanagoro people arrive in the Pearl Islands around 1000 BC
- In 1000 BC too, Nithians bring Thyatians and Antalians slaves to Davania, but in 600 BC due to Milenian expansion, the Thyatians flee. I give for granted that some stayed, maybe the Raven clan? According to this fan source the Nithian colony was in the area of Raven Scarp.
- The Milenian empire is from 1000BC to 100BC. It seems logic that some big nasty curse hit the centre of the empire, as it's now depopulated... also who were the "primitive tribesmen" that destroyed it, according to HWR3?
- The Bogdashkan are described as jungle orcs. Them and other humanoids canonically arrived in the area after 900 BC (HW migration map). As Bogda shan is a real place in China, I think they could have supplanted or absorbed a human and/or rakasta population related to the Yasuko. According to PWAII many humanoid tribes inhabit the Addakian mountains, the Meghala Amosses desert and the Desolate hills.
All this to say how interesting and complex can be the history of the area I mean that more than just Milenian ruins should lay around here...
Obviously not all this could be relevant for your map, but could be useful to know it because with a detailed history is much easier to fill empty spaces on a map...
But obviously that's just to play around, canon-wise I suppose your map is already perfect as it is...