So I'm working with the idea that for centuries, they largely ignored their neighbors because they felt superior to the nations around them (Sindh, whose caste system and the failure of most Sindhi to be able to fight disgusts them and Darokin, who were never all that impressive until recently) and due to the conservative influence of most of their immortals. But now, with Darokin united the last century and reaching out to trade, this trade is beginning to reshape the Atruaghin ways of life, and the tribes are going to have to decide what to do about it.
Worse, the various nations are hitting the peak of their population cycle, which makes them likely to start invading each other and their neighbors to get more room for their lifestyles... (Many of the nations are ripe to ally with Ethengar to conquer Darokin or with the Desert Master to conquer Sind...)
I've tampered with the 8 mile hex map some, adding some waterways and differentiating between the more and less fertile parts of the plateau grasslands and some other changes. I've also added another nation (the Cattlelords, who have become pastoralists under Darokinian and Ethengarian influence) and tampered with all the ones from the Gazeteer.
I'm also toying with the idea of adding a group INSIDE the plateau, underground.
Having gotten a good hex mapping program and having some post-dissertation free time, I've been working on a revision of the Atruaghin Clans, as I wasn't satisfied with the Gazeteer, which tended to be pretty much 'look at the pretty Indian nations, but there's nothing to do here and they somehow have no cultural interaction with their neighbors,move along, move along' for me.
You'll get no arguments from me. I've done some things here and there (and largely in my head) to do much the same as you propose here.
So I'm working with the idea that for centuries, they largely ignored their neighbors because they felt superior to the nations around them (Sindh, whose caste system and the failure of most Sindhi to be able to fight disgusts them and Darokin, who were never all that impressive until recently) and due to the conservative influence of most of their immortals.
I've actually been working a different approach, and have been attempting to flesh out the sorts of contacts they may have had.
The major obstacle to this that I had to get in my head is that the region the Clans inhabit is the outskirts of the nations around them. Darokin has only been a unified nation for less than a century, which really puts the Clans (and Borderland territories) as the frontier for them. Sind, IMO, has been largely concentrated around the Asanda river and hasn't spread much outwards from it (despite the overall picture of the nation in CoM, which was too broad, IMO, to really do the nation justice. Not to mention that I just can't picture one "uber" culture filling such a large and spread out space without narrowing it down a bit.)
I have been looking at playing up the Young America Meets Italian City-States aspect of the Darokin gazetteer (seen particularly in Akesoli), in particular where the frontier exists.
To that end, I've been working on fleshing out conflicts between the Darokin (and Sindhi) settlers and the Clansmen, as well as the Red Orcs that live/lived in the Amsorak region for so long (and still prevail, in some areas, mainly the badlands off to the northwest of the plateau).
In particular, I've been working on developing a "mini-gazetteer" of the Akesoli region, which will showcase some of these ideas. Also, other people have developed similar ideas/theories, in particular the board's own DM (who, as I recall, was the author of this little blurb on Tenobar from the 1017 almanac) and James "Mystaros" Mishler, who developed the area into his Westerlands for his own campaigns.
But now, with Darokin united the last century and reaching out to trade, this trade is beginning to reshape the Atruaghin ways of life, and the tribes are going to have to decide what to do about it.
I agree with this, and it will particularly hit the regions that we know interact with Darokin- the Bear clans have begun trade, and the Tiger and Turtle clans should be affected.
As to those atop the plateau, it is a much more difficult thing to actually reach the top of a mile-high plateau, particularly without modern methods of transportation. I can easily buy their centuries long isolation up there.
Worse, the various nations are hitting the peak of their population cycle, which makes them likely to start invading each other and their neighbors to get more room for their lifestyles... (Many of the nations are ripe to ally with Ethengar to conquer Darokin or with the Desert Master to conquer Sind...)
I figure there already has been some of this, myself. Note the abundance of forts along the Darokin border with the Clans- and tags such as "Battle of Tenobar." The Tiger Clan certainly has been feuding with Darokin (moreso, I'd say, than their nigh-impossible to reach cousins atop the plateau, certainly). Could put a different spin on their seeming hostility, if you view them as being invaded rather than being mere Entropic worshippers.
Along those lines, I figure there are probably "reservation" type settlements in the Tenobar Borderland region- some areas where the native Atruaghin peoples settled in with their neighbors peacefully, some where they have been "shunted" off as unwanted inhabitants. The Council of Darokin has only recently begun to deal with the issue- they are hesitant to exercise their authority in the Borderlands and thus turn the Magistrates against the Republic (and possibly have their republic break down), but at the same time, they cannot long ignore the plight of the Clansmen down in those regions (such as the Clansmen who make their homes in the Malpheggi- like the Seneca and other Floridian RW natives).
I'm also toying with the idea of adding a group INSIDE the plateau, underground.
I've had the same thought, and will one day (if I ever get around to detailing them) post my idea for the Children of the Badger- albino clansmen who live within and below the plateau, in the upper reaches of Mystara's Shadowdeep. They guard the pathways through and inside the plateau, and only have regular commerce with the Children of the Bear- whose caverns as stated in the Gaz sometimes extend deep within the plateau.
I picture the Children of the Badger as based roughly on the Hopi (but of course, with the tendency to albinism greatly expanded). They might even be related to the Albarendi of the Ierendi Isles, distantly. They often paint their bodies (like the kachinas of the RW Hopi).
I also want to add another group- the Children of the Viper- in the region immediately south of the plateau, between the Turtle and Tiger Clans (in the region that can be found on either Thorf's or my own expanded and revised maps of the Clans.) Haven't yet decided on them per se, but I picture them as having gigantic serpent mounds (like the Mounds Indians) and possibly living underground themselves.
Speaking of Clans related ideas- I was recently thinking that Mystara has the Aztec (Azcan), Olmec (Oltec), possibly Yanomamo (Yasuko?), and Mayan (crystal pyramids of Davania?) cultures, but no Inca. Perhaps there is an M-Incan culture somewhere on Skothar, along the Tanagoro mountain-line? With all the Oltec migrations, and the terrain there, it would be a good fit.
In the meantime, a question came up on the MML recently that I responded to dealing with the Atruaghin Clans. Thought it might be of interest to those that don't frequent the MML:
Where does the water come from to keep the Children of the Elk's forest alive and those three lakes in the NW corner in existence?
My response:
Good question. From the Gaz, it appears as if the forested region of the Elk clan is the (seemingly only) region of the plateau to receive steady amounts of rainfall. Presumably the lakes up there also receive some in order to be able to continue to remain filled.
Not a wholly satisfactory answer to be sure. A more plausible explanation is that the lakes are fed by some sort of interplanar gate/wormhole to the Plane of Water, presumably opened by Atruaghin (or possibly some other Clans shaman, in the post-Atruaghin days, in order to accomodate an obvious need). Another possibility (perhaps related to the Plane of Water gate) is that there is an underground source within the plateau itself (where there might be some other, hidden, insular and oft forgotten Clan residing- Children of the Badger, anyone?)
As for the Elk clan, if you look at pictures of Mesa Verde plateau (here are a couple of images- Mesa Verde and Mesa Verde, or even pictures of Sonoma and such in Arizona, it seems reasonable to assume that there are trees all up and down the length of the plateau- that it need not be some stark, barren rock mesa from top to bottom. Perhaps the portion of the plateau that the Elk Clan inhabits is a more gradual slope than other areas, such that it might catch more rainfall, and such precipitation might drain off down the cliff, forming some streams and rivers and such, and making it a more forested area than elsewhere.
(To be sure, though, without some sort of magical explanation, it is going to be a far cry from the more fertile Eastern Woodlands terrain that the Elk Clan is based on- think the Iriquois if they were transplanted to Northern Arizona rather than Illinois.)
The more I look at the maps, the more convinced I am that this gradual elevation around the forested Elk Clan region (as opposed to the steeper elevations that seemingly exist around the rest of the plateau) is probably the best interpretation of things. The slow incline there, and the steep inclines on the plateau around it might serve to divert the coastal rains right smack into that area, and the runoff would help keep things fertile.
An answer to where the water comes from that feeds the rivers in the NW section. The hot winds blowing across the Fire desert, would be absorbing available moisture. This would be released on the plateau as the air has risen 1 mile. (ps -thats 5280 ft or 1.6Km 1600m taller then many mountain ranges in area. PWA2 puts the height as just being 2700ft above the surrounding low hills), the drop in air pressure means the air cools down rapidly releasing the moisture it has. The same can be said about the Elk clan area but would recieve more rainfall, as these winds contain a lot more moisture from the sea.
Or a slight tilt to the plateau dipping to the NW, with a underlying layer of non-permeable rock layer or clay makes the water flow underground feeding the lakes n rivers as it resufaces. Feed by the rain fall in the SE part of the plateau.