Known World Amazons? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Known World Amazons?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Jul 30, 2004 7:41:49 Hello fellow mystarans! I'm returning to the world of Mystara after a long absence(by the Immortals its good to be home), and I have a question; well a few, but I'll get to the rest in time.
I'm introducing my wife to the wonderful(and often strange!) world of roleplaying and wanted her to start where I did-in the Known World. She wants to make a Xena amazon-type character. Does any such culture exist in Mystara? There is the Sisterhood of the Sword in Thyatis, which, while not specifically amazon, seems to fit the bill. I just wanted to double check with the experts to see if there was anything I was missing. Thanks.
#2
zombiegleemax
Jul 31, 2004 1:49:02 Hello,

I seem to recall that very subject was once mentioned in a letter to the Princess Ark series in Dragon Magazine. While I don't recall the specifics, I do remember this. Both the writer of the letter and Bruce Heard was surprised that someone had not already created such a setting for Mystara.

It is odd. Everything else can be found in Mystara. How come a militant matriarchal society never found a proper home in the patch work world that is Mystara?

If you opt to create such a setting, please share.

Regards and Best Wishes,

Donald Eric Kesler
#3
spellweaver
Jul 31, 2004 2:25:51 As far as I know there is no Amazon culture anywhere in Mystara.

The Sisterhood of the Sword might work for you or you could place the Amazon culture on an island on the outskirts of Ierendi in the Sea of Dread or a Thyatian island or perhaps even near the Milenian Empire in the Hollow World.

:-) Jesper
#4
havard
Jul 31, 2004 10:27:56 The Amazon culture Donald refers to, is the Matriarchy of Pelatan on the southern continent of Davania. Bruce Heard suggested that it be home to an Amazon culture in some issue of Dragon Magazine, though AFAIK, it has not been further detailed.

Pelatan may be a bit far away from the Known World to include such a character, though if the player comes up with a good story of how her character travelled from Pelatan to the Known World, I'd allow it.

The Sisterhood of the Sword is a good alternative. An other possibility is have her be a Shield Maiden of the Northern Reaches. In RW Viking Culture many myths exist about legendary Woman Warriors. It is believed that there may even be some truth behind these legends. Most likely, women would take up the sword in cases where she had no father or brother to defend her own or her family's honor. Because many men saw this as an insult, women warriors would face many challenges to battle, but those who survived proved to be superior warriors.

Havard

BTW: I'm sorry I havent been able to participate in recent discussions, just had too much work to do lately. I'll try to pick up some lose threads now...
#5
Cthulhudrew
Aug 01, 2004 4:29:49
Originally posted by havard
The Amazon culture Donald refers to, is the Matriarchy of Pelatan on the southern continent of Davania. Bruce Heard suggested that it be home to an Amazon culture in some issue of Dragon Magazine, though AFAIK, it has not been further detailed.

Francesco Defferrari did a little bit of work on Pelatan on the MML some time ago. His articles are on the Vaults here:

Matriarchy of Pelatan
Pelatan Society

Shawn Wilson also mentioned Pelatan in his work on Arica, but his Pelatan is a bit different (a religious monarchy). Of course, the area is plenty large enough to encompass both ideas:

Arica

Other places that Amazons might exist outside of the Known World regions:

You could always have an "Amazon" type culture hidden in the jungles around the Atruaghin Plateau- stick 'em between the Turtle and Tiger Clans.

Perhaps somewhere on the Isle of Dawn there exists an Amazonian culture?

The northern plains- the regions to the north and northwest of the Adri Varma plateau- might have some Amazons.

The Warrior-Maidens of Madarua in Cynidicea (don't think anyone's mentioned them) would also work, as might a more militant group of Traladaran women who serve Petra. For some ideas how to incorporate the above:

The Warrior-Maidens have learned of the aboveground, and have decided to leave Cynidicea to the drug-addled madmen and followers of the male Immortals and Zargon. They seek to find themselves a nation for women/by women on the surface. This could be an entire campaign in and of itself.

The followers of Petra (amazonian) might have been a very powerful and influential group/culture in ancient Traladara, prior to the coming of the Thyatians. Where are they now? They may still exist in pockets here and there, biding their time to come back into power.

BTW: I'm sorry I havent been able to participate in recent discussions, just had too much work to do lately. I'll try to pick up some lose threads now...

What he said.
#6
zombiegleemax
Aug 02, 2004 16:40:34 I designed a generic Amazonian culture similiar to what Thyatis is except the roles of gender are reversed more. Men aren't slaves per say, but they are rarely in the military or in ruling positions. I had the nation in the Izonda region where I later added a half-ogre society that I read about on some site. I don't believe it was cannon, but it was interesting. Some of my players helped the Amazonian nation overthrow the half-ogres and then join both nations into one warlike country. After that the same players involved tried to keep them from attempting to conquer Davania. The Rakasta of the Izonda desert aided those characters in stopping the Amazon armies. Long story short there. That took about a year and a half to play out among various side-adventures.
#7
zombiegleemax
Aug 02, 2004 17:51:47 IT would be a distant origin, but the Hinterlanders are known for having warrior women (perhaps she is an escaped slave?), and then also there could be some amazonian tribes on the Meghala Kimata plains of Davania.

Maybe she's a disgruntled Thyatian woman who wants to *start* her own amazonian kingdom? There could be plenty of inspirational "historical" stories of such in the Known World, from amazon-like tribes in the early days of Thyatis, to an amazonian kingdom of the Traldar, or, as Havard mentioned, there are always the shield-maidens of the Antalians, either classical as inspiration or even modern, perhaps from Soderfjord (the wildest, wooliest, and most wide-open of the Northern Reaches kingdoms).

Also, the Nuari are quite egalitarian, and black amazons are straight out of classic pulp fiction (Robert E. Howard's amazons were from the Black Kingdoms).

Then there are all sorts of non-Canon sources as possibilities, ranging from the Matriarchy of Pelatan to lost civilizations on the Isle of Dawn (there's the whole Upper Thothian Plateau that is wide open as far as canon is concerned). Maybe there is a tribe of Sindhi amazons around Lake Halli? Caerda (Norse/Scottish) warrior women of Furmenglaive? All sorts of places to build your own...
#8
zombiegleemax
Aug 09, 2004 7:50:03 If we're looking for matriarchal societies around the KW, isn't the lizardmen culture, following Ka, a matriarchal one? It could be nice - Lizardwoman Amzaons...
#9
zombiegleemax
Aug 09, 2004 7:51:25 Oh, and:

Originally posted by Cthulhudrew
What he said.

What he said.
#10
zombiegleemax
Aug 13, 2004 18:18:31 Thanks for the input guys! I think I'm going to go with the 'shield-maiden' from the Northern Reaches. That way I can develope a separate, more traditional amazon culture based more on the greek model and have them eventually meet up. I think it might make for an interesting clash of cultures roleplaying oportunity. Thanks again guys.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Jul 30, 2004 7:41:49	Hello fellow mystarans! I'm returning to the world of Mystara after a long absence(by the Immortals its good to be home), and I have a question; well a few, but I'll get to the rest in time. I'm introducing my wife to the wonderful(and often strange!) world of roleplaying and wanted her to start where I did-in the Known World. She wants to make a Xena amazon-type character. Does any such culture exist in Mystara? There is the Sisterhood of the Sword in Thyatis, which, while not specifically amazon, seems to fit the bill. I just wanted to double check with the experts to see if there was anything I was missing. Thanks.
#2 zombiegleemax Jul 31, 2004 1:49:02	Hello, I seem to recall that very subject was once mentioned in a letter to the Princess Ark series in Dragon Magazine. While I don't recall the specifics, I do remember this. Both the writer of the letter and Bruce Heard was surprised that someone had not already created such a setting for Mystara. It is odd. Everything else can be found in Mystara. How come a militant matriarchal society never found a proper home in the patch work world that is Mystara? If you opt to create such a setting, please share. Regards and Best Wishes, Donald Eric Kesler
#3 spellweaver Jul 31, 2004 2:25:51	As far as I know there is no Amazon culture anywhere in Mystara. The Sisterhood of the Sword might work for you or you could place the Amazon culture on an island on the outskirts of Ierendi in the Sea of Dread or a Thyatian island or perhaps even near the Milenian Empire in the Hollow World. :-) Jesper
#4 havard Jul 31, 2004 10:27:56	The Amazon culture Donald refers to, is the Matriarchy of Pelatan on the southern continent of Davania. Bruce Heard suggested that it be home to an Amazon culture in some issue of Dragon Magazine, though AFAIK, it has not been further detailed. Pelatan may be a bit far away from the Known World to include such a character, though if the player comes up with a good story of how her character travelled from Pelatan to the Known World, I'd allow it. The Sisterhood of the Sword is a good alternative. An other possibility is have her be a Shield Maiden of the Northern Reaches. In RW Viking Culture many myths exist about legendary Woman Warriors. It is believed that there may even be some truth behind these legends. Most likely, women would take up the sword in cases where she had no father or brother to defend her own or her family's honor. Because many men saw this as an insult, women warriors would face many challenges to battle, but those who survived proved to be superior warriors. Havard BTW: I'm sorry I havent been able to participate in recent discussions, just had too much work to do lately. I'll try to pick up some lose threads now...
#5 Cthulhudrew Aug 01, 2004 4:29:49	Originally posted by havard The Amazon culture Donald refers to, is the Matriarchy of Pelatan on the southern continent of Davania. Bruce Heard suggested that it be home to an Amazon culture in some issue of Dragon Magazine, though AFAIK, it has not been further detailed. Francesco Defferrari did a little bit of work on Pelatan on the MML some time ago. His articles are on the Vaults here: Matriarchy of Pelatan Pelatan Society Shawn Wilson also mentioned Pelatan in his work on Arica, but his Pelatan is a bit different (a religious monarchy). Of course, the area is plenty large enough to encompass both ideas: Arica Other places that Amazons might exist outside of the Known World regions: You could always have an "Amazon" type culture hidden in the jungles around the Atruaghin Plateau- stick 'em between the Turtle and Tiger Clans. Perhaps somewhere on the Isle of Dawn there exists an Amazonian culture? The northern plains- the regions to the north and northwest of the Adri Varma plateau- might have some Amazons. The Warrior-Maidens of Madarua in Cynidicea (don't think anyone's mentioned them) would also work, as might a more militant group of Traladaran women who serve Petra. For some ideas how to incorporate the above: The Warrior-Maidens have learned of the aboveground, and have decided to leave Cynidicea to the drug-addled madmen and followers of the male Immortals and Zargon. They seek to find themselves a nation for women/by women on the surface. This could be an entire campaign in and of itself. The followers of Petra (amazonian) might have been a very powerful and influential group/culture in ancient Traladara, prior to the coming of the Thyatians. Where are they now? They may still exist in pockets here and there, biding their time to come back into power. BTW: I'm sorry I havent been able to participate in recent discussions, just had too much work to do lately. I'll try to pick up some lose threads now... What he said.
#6 zombiegleemax Aug 02, 2004 16:40:34	I designed a generic Amazonian culture similiar to what Thyatis is except the roles of gender are reversed more. Men aren't slaves per say, but they are rarely in the military or in ruling positions. I had the nation in the Izonda region where I later added a half-ogre society that I read about on some site. I don't believe it was cannon, but it was interesting. Some of my players helped the Amazonian nation overthrow the half-ogres and then join both nations into one warlike country. After that the same players involved tried to keep them from attempting to conquer Davania. The Rakasta of the Izonda desert aided those characters in stopping the Amazon armies. Long story short there. That took about a year and a half to play out among various side-adventures.
#7 zombiegleemax Aug 02, 2004 17:51:47	IT would be a distant origin, but the Hinterlanders are known for having warrior women (perhaps she is an escaped slave?), and then also there could be some amazonian tribes on the Meghala Kimata plains of Davania. Maybe she's a disgruntled Thyatian woman who wants to start her own amazonian kingdom? There could be plenty of inspirational "historical" stories of such in the Known World, from amazon-like tribes in the early days of Thyatis, to an amazonian kingdom of the Traldar, or, as Havard mentioned, there are always the shield-maidens of the Antalians, either classical as inspiration or even modern, perhaps from Soderfjord (the wildest, wooliest, and most wide-open of the Northern Reaches kingdoms). Also, the Nuari are quite egalitarian, and black amazons are straight out of classic pulp fiction (Robert E. Howard's amazons were from the Black Kingdoms). Then there are all sorts of non-Canon sources as possibilities, ranging from the Matriarchy of Pelatan to lost civilizations on the Isle of Dawn (there's the whole Upper Thothian Plateau that is wide open as far as canon is concerned). Maybe there is a tribe of Sindhi amazons around Lake Halli? Caerda (Norse/Scottish) warrior women of Furmenglaive? All sorts of places to build your own...
#8 zombiegleemax Aug 09, 2004 7:50:03	If we're looking for matriarchal societies around the KW, isn't the lizardmen culture, following Ka, a matriarchal one? It could be nice - Lizardwoman Amzaons...
#9 zombiegleemax Aug 09, 2004 7:51:25	Oh, and: Originally posted by Cthulhudrew What he said. What he said.
#10 zombiegleemax Aug 13, 2004 18:18:31	Thanks for the input guys! I think I'm going to go with the 'shield-maiden' from the Northern Reaches. That way I can develope a separate, more traditional amazon culture based more on the greek model and have them eventually meet up. I think it might make for an interesting clash of cultures roleplaying oportunity. Thanks again guys.