Disclaimer: This is all OoC, intended to be properly roleplayed later, not being a substitute for IC RP.Well, this started as an interest from a Lurian character to investigate the Lurian anthropology (cultures, languages, ethnics and pre-history), which translated into an extensive OoC investigation of previously written documents in the wiki on that issue. I am opening this thread to ask for help both if you know about stuff I am missing and if you simply want to collaborate with the OoC story creation that always comes before the IC ancient history findings.
The anthropological references I've found so far were these (with their sub pages):
http://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/The_History_of_Dwilighthttp://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/Dwilight/Legendshttp://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/Dwilight/Sallowsitte_Dawnhttp://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/Dwilight/The_Far_West/The_Ancient_History_of_the_Echiur_Dynastyhttp://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/Dwilight/Peoples_of_Dwilighthttp://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/Everguard/Peoples_of_Everguard#Marinershttp://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/Springdale_%28Realm%29/Pre-foundinghttp://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/Dwilight/Flow_Peninsulahttp://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/Dwilight_University/Humanities/Underground_Lords_of_Unterstromhttp://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/DonghaiweiDirectly related to the issue:
http://wiki.battlemaster.org/wiki/Dwilight/Geographic_FeaturesThe long-term plan is to be able to create three somewhat complete wiki pages of different Dwilight historical periods, that can gather most of what was written by the different players on them, making the whole Dwilight lore and history a collective effort, if possible. The historical periods would Dwilight's:
Pre-History: Containing the old lore, the ancient civilizations and uncivilized peoples, this explains the next age's situation in ethnic, linguistic and cultural distribution of peoples around the continent.
Colonization Age: This is what the first settlers found when they started the first colonies. It's the base on which the first realms were founded on, and gives some extra flavors for some kingdoms, with local cultural, religious pagan and linguistic particularities in each region.
Present: The only age which would need somewhat regular updates, for the today's present is yesterday's future, and which won't be able to get its own maps (unless some of you are willing to make and alter maps constantly, or have an easy way for others to do so).
Scribed LoreShenron & Nosferatu's ToprakI suspect this is the first project of Anthropology in Dwilight, they divided the natives in just two peoples:
Dwili/Gunthor: The northern race, we could say, in contact with the founding realms of Morek and Springdale. They had ruled over both East and West in the past, and there seemed to be some of them even in Toprak Minor, for even Pian en Luries would have had conflicts with them.
Lurians: The southern race, in either only Toprak Minor, or in both there and in southern Toprak, they were peaceful and artistic hill dwellers. They would have blended naturally with the founders of Pian en Luries.
Ironside's Sallowsitte CapeThe very well-written history of the Sallowsite cultures and lore divides them in two main cultures:
Sallowsite Natives: A nomadic people of the badlands, they would have ruled a large part of the Sallowsite Cape, reaching at least the border of the Unterlands, the Divide Mountains, and the Lurian plains, having formed a great empire with a rich and diverse culture.
Western Immigrants: Arrived through the Tomb Islands, these immigrants would suggest pre-historic populations in the Tomb Islands and possibly Occidens too.
Astromancer's Dwili/Gunthor:
Dongese: Apparently based on the Chinese (at least ethnically, for there are no cultural or linguistic references I could find), they inhabit the Dongeselands.
Unterstrom Dwili: Apparently based on
German medieval society, they inhabit the Dongeselands.
Flow Dwili: Ethnically alike the Dongese (so could be considered of Asian or Pacific ethnicity), they have what seems a unique culture with elements of the Hawaiian native culture (a surf reference I didn't very much like, personally).
Northern Cultures (from Everguard and Springdale's lores):
The first case of overlapping histories, resulting in conflicting claims between the two lores.
Springdale records divide the North-Western land in three ancient nations and culures:
Old Springdale: City-estate of Springdale, allied to Vivorene and in conflict with the Nifel Kingdom.
Nifel Kingdom: Militaristic kingdom located in Nifelheim, Nifelhold and Storms Keep, with the conflicting (with Everguard RPs) claim to have also been located in Valkyrja.
Old Vivorene: Large empire said to have been Astroist even before the easter colonizers arrived, it would have managed to hold Muspelheim, Aegir, Mimer and Freke, and to have temporarily controlled "Libbi island", whose culture is described by Everguard RPs.
Everguard accounts divide the North-Eastern land in three civilizations with seven cultures:
Mariners: Divided in the highly praised Nordic (or Saxon?) Valkyrjans (based in Valkyrja), the uncharismatic light-olive-skinned (Mediterranean?) Dulesians (based in Eidulb) and the exotic (Japanese?) Eddo (located in "Libid island").
Steppemen: Divided in the allied peoples of the Gelen (based in Gelene) and the Aquiteurs (based in Aquitain and Gaston), these peoples draw a French cultural parallel, sometimes in what seems quite an excessive caricaturization: "The ruler of the Aquiteurs is called ze Roy deu lez Gelens" (sic).
Mountaineers: These clansmen inhabit the Shrine of Seeklander (Seeklanders) and the Dark Mountains (Mountainmen) and are renowned for their smithing abilities.
Ironside's Echiur Civilization:
A large civilization whose historical parallel, if any, I could not grasp, nor its ethnic looks. It is somewhat curious it claims to have hold the large area including the cities of Eichur, Koshtlom, Via, Shokalom and even the currently held by the Zuma Grympen Mire. That last possession sounds odd to me, and possibly overlapping with whatever the Zuma GM might have in mind for the Zuma lore.
My plans and my vision:
Well, the idea is that we can collectively build something, so I would rather we had the less possible bad-for-RP contradictions. I explain.
Good RP contradictions: Bowie Ironsides, in his treatise about the Sallowsite culture, claims their civilization reached as far as Ciarin Tut, and actually build the bridge that connects it to Garuk Udor. My character will have pleasure in contradicting him, explaining the claim on either exaggerations from the Sallowsite locals, or from Bowie himself, as his position of Prince of Sallowtown might have corrupted his impartiality, in the seek for making the culture he rules over greater than it actually is. Bowie will be able to present similar claims against my character, as he is a Lurian, and his pride and sense of Lurian superiority might not allow him to accept the supremacy of another culture, in what are now Lurian lands.
Bad RP contradictions: When two lores place two kingdoms and cultures in the same place, we end up with a RP problem. One will claim the local population to have one ethnic and language, and the other a different one. Unless one of the characters is schizophrenic, we have a problem. Such is the case between Everguard and Springdale's lores, though it can be solved with claiming the region to have been home of diverse conflicts, and temporally controlled by different nations.
Another terrible RP is the claim that the Valkyrjans were /the/ best sailors evah, even better than the Madinians (?). I feel it is not in our right to decide how good or bad are the other cultures (at least not as a serious historical claim, it can be the character's opinions, but not the players), and playing who is the best one, even more in historical RP'd accounts, is pretty childish and not very cooperative.
On the account of historical parallels, I feel that the best would be to have subtle historical references, such as languages whose general ambient reminds of a historical culture, perhaps similar to its ethnic looks (such thing as ethnic views will almost always have a historical parallel, unless we start making green men), but not outright explicit culture imports, like the literally Saxons, or the French "ze Roy deu lez Gelens". That is just a copy-paste and not really a work of RP. Well, that is just my vision at least, which I hope will be the guideline of what I make, no need for everyone to have the same preferences as me, anyway.
