Unclaimed Horizons - Races and Classes (2024)

The People of the Lost Isle

Our story takes place in the finest traditions of Robert E Howard, on The Lost Isle in the Vilayet Sea. Wracked by storms, the island is isolated from the outside world, an Island Lost to Time.

You are a shipwrecked survivor, having been brought to the island by a ship and a great storm. Where you are from, what you were will be determined before you hit the beach, but once you arrive, your story is yours.

When you join the server, you will begin a journey that will start with you selecting a race. These races will be providing mechanicals advantages. Using the mods available to us, each race has its own individual size modifiers, mechanical advantages as well as the ones used through the dice system of the RP mod that we use.

Below are the races you can choose from.

Cimmerian

Culture:

Primarily hunters and gatherers, the Cimmerians are also raiders and plunderers, striking south into the Hyborian nations, west into the lands of the Picts, east into the Border Kingdom and even north into the frosty realms of the Æsir and Vanir. Cimmerians also raid amongst themselves, fighting blood-feuds and stealing cattle or wives. Battle for the Cimmerians is a way of life and the mark of manhood. The Cimmerians scream out a strange, ululating battle-cry when a battle is joined, an eerie sound that strikes fear into the soft hearts of Cimmerian enemies.

The Cimmerians do not practice refined sword-play as do the sword masters of Zingara or the martial artists of far off Khitai but battle with well-earned experience bought in blood on numerous battlefields where survival is not so much a matter of technical skill as it is intense spirit and indomitable will. Even the children do not pick up sticks to pretend at fighting. Fighting is a serious business among the Cimmerians. One does not make an enemy of a Cimmerian unless one is willing to fight for one’s life. That attitude makes Cimmerians polite to one another, although they lose none of their blunt directness in that courtesy. ‘Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.’ Impoliteness is an invitation to a quick fight to the death among the Cimmerians. Of course, few Cimmerians fear death.

Cimmeria Although Cimmerians will happily plunder those they kill in battle, they are not petty thieves and none make their living in Cimmeria stealing from the clans, especially their own. Such thievery is considered cowardly and dishonest. If a Cimmerian cannot win what he wants by fighting for it, then the Cimmerian solemnly goes without.

Cimmerians do not respect weakness or civilised softness and that which they do not respect they would just as soon kill as leave alone. Even Cimmerian women display this savage strength, fighting alongside the men in battle.

The songs of the Cimmerians tend to be somber dirges inspired by their dark moods and the grey lands surrounding them. Cimmerians do not hope that the gods will help them nor do they ask for aid from any source, divine or mortal. They are a practical people of tradition, custom and honor. Cimmerians are solemn folk and do not boast of victories, which would be considered prideful and rude, and an invitation to be forced to prove themselves. Unlike the Vanir and Æsir, the Cimmerians do not feast in a loud, boisterous fashion and they do not engage in ‘friendly’ brawls when drunk. If a Cimmerian fights, that Cimmerian kills.

Appearance:

Tall and powerful are the Cimmerians and their eyes sparkle blue or grey beneath their dark manes. Their skin is darker than other northern people, and when exposed to any amount of sun, a Cimmerian's skin will turn a dark bronze color.

Religion:

Crom

Cimmerians believe in a rather dark pantheon of gods, all of whom are ruled by Crom and are of his race. Crom is seen as a dire god, as gloomy and dangerous as the Cimmerians themselves. The Cimmerians do not pray to Crom, nor do they worship him or any of his kind. Crom and his race of gods despise weaklings who call on them for aid and would likely make the situation worse for the petitioner. The Cimmerians value individuality and self-worth; their gods expect them to take care of life themselves. Indeed, Crom only takes pride in a Cimmerian if that Cimmerian never calls upon him for aid in his life. Cimmerians are supposed to take what they want from life, not ask a god for blessings, wealth, health or anything else.

Badb

A war goddess who often appears in the shape of a crow. Badb favours the Cimmerians with the gift of battle fury at birth just as Crom grants the Cimmerians the might and will to slay their enemies.

Lir

The father of Mannanan Mac Lir, is the god of the sea in its primal, elemental form, which is a little strange as Cimmeria is a land-locked nation without access to the ocean. Perhaps in their history, the Cimmerian lands included part of Pictland (which would also account for some of the Cimmerian hatred of that dusky race). Lir’s son governs the weather as well as the sea.

Macha

A goddess of war but she also is in charge of fertility, helping to fill the land with warring Cimmerians.

The Morrigan

This god seems to be the favored war goddess of Cimmeria. The Cimmerians do not seem bothered that most of their gods and goddesses govern warfare and strife.

Nemain

Yet another war goddess but is also the patron of sacred springs and wells. In battle she is known as ‘the venomous.’

Cultural Inspiration:

Cimmerian culture is strongly based on Scottish and Irish Gaelic cultures.

Darfari

Culture:

The Darfari are quick to take offense and are fiery in temperament. They are utterly indifferent to human life, which makes them dreaded by neighboring tribes. The Darfari are ferocious and treat prisoners badly, often allowing them to starve if they are not eaten. The Darfari are also rather indolent, preferring to avoid work if possible. The men would much rather sit in the main hut of their village (the palaver house) and make thatch or fishing lines. They will laugh at even the slightest hint of humor despite their warlike, vengeful nature.

The savage Darfari are regarded as thieves and murderers, without a hint of basic trustworthiness. Still, they are considered valuable as slaves. Most adventurers are likely to encounter Darfari as slaves in Shem, Turan or Hyrkania.

The Darfari speak a guttural language. Strangers in Darfar greet each other by grasping one another’s upper arms, then, after a slight pause, clasping each other’s wrists. Friends greet each other by embracing.

The Darfari are most noted for their cannibalism. The Darfari eat other food as well – it is doubtful they look among themselves for food, for example. They live in a blistering land dense with an amazing variety of potential food sources. The primary food of the Darfari is millet. Their basic dish is a heavy porridge made from spiced millet. Milk is usually consumed alongside meals. Cooking is usually done outside in fire pits.

Cannibalism is not just an example of perverted dietary preferences among the Darfari; their ghastly cult demands such gruesome fare. The eating of people is a matter of ritual and symbolism. They do not eat just any old carcass. They do not eat their own relations but may sell their dead relations in exchange for the dead relations of the others. They also do not typically keeps slaves or prisoners and fatten them up for later consumption. They do not eat the sick – their bodies are simply thrown into the forest.

The cannibalism of the Darfar is ritualistic and grisly, part of their daily life as proscribed by their vile religion. In Zamboula the Darfari practice their cannibalism at night only but it is likely that in their homeland the Darfari are shameless in their cannibalism and practice it even in the light of day. They keep few slaves themselves, eating any prisoners they might take in war, although they probably buy slaves from the southern kingdoms and eat them as well. Probably their chiefs receive the choicest portions. The skulls of their victims decorate poles outside their huts and the hands and feet decorate trees outside their villages.

The Darfari believe that the flesh of a human tastes better if that human has been frightened and forced to run in order to try to escape, so they will usually try to arrange a chase instead of just killing someone if possible. When the victim is caught, he is made to sit on the ground with his feet under his thighs. His hands are place in front of him. The Darfari then bind the victim so that he is completely immobilized. In this posture he is lifted and placed in a pit lined with red hot stones that were heated by the women while the men bound the victim. The victim, still alive if all has gone well, is then covered with leaves and earth in the cooking pit to be roasted alive.

After the victim is cooked, he is taken out of the hot pit and to the palaver hut to be offered as a sacrifice to the black gods of Darfar. Some tribes paint the victim black at this point. Once the ceremonies are complete, the body is removed from the palaver hut, cut up and distributed to the tribe.

Appearance:

The Darfari are deeply dark skinned, tall and lithely muscled with extremely kinky and coarse hair. They have short, broad and nearly straight noses. As a race, the Darfari strongly dislike facial hair, so it is usually plucked out. Their chest and forearms are quite hairy. Probably their most distinctive characteristic is their f iled teeth. Both sexes file their front teeth (the incisors and canines) to fine points, which is seen as attractive throughout Darfar. They tend to walk with a slouching gait. The women of the Darfar tribes typically have almond-shaped eyes.

Religion:

The Zuagirs believe the Darfari worship Yog, Lord of the Empty Abodes, with fiery rites that always end with the consumption of human flesh. Yog, however, is a Shemite or Turanian god of the deserts who burns his victims through the blasting desert sun. Chances are the Darfari do not actually worship Yog outside of Zamboula, if, in truth, they even worship Yog there. Although the Darfari of Zamboula swear by Set, their masters are the Set worshippers.

The Darfari do not worship any one particular god but observe a nature religion based on many disgusting gods and numerous dark spirits of nature – animal and jungle spirits that empower the world with magic and life. Witchcraft, sorcery and juju are mainstays of their religious experience, although most of their magic is directed toward spirits to bring needed weather, to encourage a good harvest or to bring about success in war. Darfari magic is not usually directed against terrestrial foes. The spear and club are usually far more reliable against flesh and blood than magic.

The Darfari do have gods, though they do not worship any one more or less than any other. Any spirit or god that is ignored is likely to visit a host of ills upon the people. Their creator god, the Source of All Things, is named Anyambi and other shadowy gods include Nzame (who created people), Mabere (reptile god) and Nkwa (personification of destiny). Much like Cimmerian gods, the Darfari gods are indifferent to the sufferings of man but they insist on being honoured lest they send doom to those who do not honour them.

Cultural Inspiration:

Darfari Culture is heavily based on ancient African kingdoms such as Darfur, Nubia, Kush, Somaliland, Zimbabwe, and others.

Himelian Tribesmen

Culture:

Northern Ghulistan is peopled by urban populations. A number of small tribes inhabit the colossal hills and mountains of the south. These southern inhabitants of the Himelians are divided into many different tribes and clans of tall, hairy hill-men who are both strong and fierce. These hill-tribes have their own barbaric code of honor, disdaining civilized behaviors, making fun of the weak and foolish. Above all, they seem to hate traitors despite being bandits themselves. Like the Hyrkanians they prize horses and like the Vendhyans they prize customs and traditions. Like both, they fear mesmerism and sorcery. They are a fatalistic, superstitious lot but are easily enthused, especially at the prospect of slaughter and loot. They are of the east and bound by long traditions and ancient ideas. The survivalist hillmen have adapted well to their surroundings.

The Himelian Mountains are separated into different regions. The southern portion of the range, which faces Vendhya, is called Ghulistan. The south-western portion of Ghulistan is called Afghulistan.

The Hillmen have their own barbaric code of honor that teaches bravery, steadfastness, persistence and hospitality. The hillmen tribes believe strongly in this code, nearly to the point of fanaticism. Every action they take either enhances or weakens their honor and the honor of their clan. Hospitality toward their guests extends even to the protection of those guests. The hillmen will also offer refuge to a fugitive of another tribe or nation if he makes a sincere offer of peace.

Hillmen will defend their property, land and women as well as their honor. The right of revenge is also granted by their code of honor. There is no concept of ‘turning the other cheek’ here. Any slight against a hillman’s honor must be met and avenged. This right of revenge is called the blood-feud. To kill someone in an act of justified revenge is not a crime, nor is it dishonorable to the avenger or to the kin of either party. Unfortunately, one side often disagrees as to whether a killing was justifiable or not and this results in a vicious cycle of revenge and death that goes on for generation after generation – a true blood feud.

Another aspect of the Himelian honor system allows for a ceremonial, humble admission of guilt when a wrong has been committed; this admission usually requires forgiveness from the wronged party. This avoids the blood feud in most cases; however, if the wronged party does not forgive he becomes the transgressor and may be feuded against.

Appearance:

Himelian Tribesmen are typically hairy (at least the men) and ragged. Their hair is curly, and often kept long and they will normally have beards. Their faces are often cragged by wizened by the winds of the Himelians. They are are often tall, with broad hairy shoulders (again, the men).

As a people they are typically dusky skinned, much like the Hyrkanians and Vendyhans neighbor them.

Religion:

It is most likely that the hillmen subscribe to shamanistic beliefs, considering that their lifestyle is so entirely dominated by the ecology around them. However, the influence of Vendhyan religion has probably created a more complex and elaborate form of shamanism than would be found in Hyrkania. With such irreverent places as Yimsha and Raktavashi, where black magic and diabolism are practiced, shamanism in the Himelians probably centers around the destruction of evil spirits and spiritual battles with demons and sorcerers. These battles are grave indeed and the shaman does not enter such a combat unafraid; in a battle with a sorcerer either the sorcerer or the shaman dies. Fortunately, the hillmen believe a shaman can be killed three times before ordinary death can take his soul.

Hillmen cosmology is layered, with the earth at the base and the rest of the cosmos held up by the Himelian Mountains. The realm of the dead can be visited by traveling underground; the ways are protected by narrow passages to crush the weak and, of course, demons and monsters. The dead and any shamans traveling there to do battle must fight grim battles against cannibals, wild animals, devils and ordeals beyond the naming.

Hillmen shamans are highly charismatic figures, as they must be. The success or failure of any rite depends totally on the shaman’s ability to maintain the mood and atmosphere necessary for belief in his abilities. His performance must transcend normal reality and bring the tribesmen with him in total belief of the new reality promised and shown by the shaman.

Additional religions may exist in the area. Grey apes lurk in the hills, so cults of Hanuman may exist, as might other animalistic religions. Hillmen may also have picked up Vendhyan beliefs, worshipping Asura and the Vendhyan pantheon. Unlike most of the peoples of the Hyborian Age, the hillmen of the Himelians do not seem to use their gods’ names as curses. Perhaps this is a barbaric taboo of theirs. Perhaps they have no gods, or perhaps their gods have no names.

Cultural Inspiration:

Himelian Culture is very much based on Caliphate Iran.

Hyborean

Culture:

We will focus on three primary Hyborean cultures here. Aquilonia, Argos and Nemedia.

Aquilonia:

Aquilonia is the most advanced and powerful of the Hyborian kingdoms. Its people are proud and comparatively well-off. In Conan’s time, Aquilonia most closely resembles Medieval France in culture and ecology. The political situation is rife with intrigue, murder and horror and could easily be the setting for untold campaigns. Aquilonia’s barons and counts maintain ancient feuds from generation to generation and those along the frontiers fight Picts, Cimmerians, Nemedians, Ophireans and each other.

Aquilonia’s people are varied and interesting. Overall, Aquilonians have long heads and are a tall, rangy race. City dwellers tend to be portly in rich Aquilonia and relatively few suffer from hunger. Their military forces rely mostly on cavalry units commanded by heavily armed knights, although pikemen and spearman from Gunderland and archers from the Bossonian Marches are also prized.

Argos:

Argos is one of the Hyborian kingdoms that rose out of the ashes of Acheron when it fell three thousand years ago. Situated on a coastline with natural sea-ports, the people of Argos have become master sailors, crafty pirates and powerful merchants. Short and stocky, the Argosseans share traits with Zingarans and Shemites, whom the original Hyborian inhabitants have spent centuries marrying and breeding with.

Argos is an interesting land for a Hyborian kingdom. It is wonderfully varied. The sea-ports, especially Messentia, are cosmopolitan and liberal. In contrast, the inland provinces of Argos are peopled with more traditional, conservative farmers, craftsmen and labourers. The roads of Argos, lined with trees, fields and villages, are generally peaceful and the inland folk are friendly toward strangers. Nearly every village has an inn for travellers, most of whom are making their way to Messantia or one of the other port cities or toward Zingara, Ophir or Aquilonia laden with trade-goods.

With its command of the sea and the trade routes, Argos has become a wealthy kingdom. It is wealthy enough to be able to raise armies for war or to hire assassins, spies and diplomats for its own brand of intrigue and subterfuge involving the other kingdoms.

Nemedia:
Nemedia is the second great kingdom of the Hyborians, technologically and economically superior to the other Hyborian nations save Aquilonia. Nemedia’s culture is similar to Aquilonia’s, although the Nemedians emphasise feudal bonds more and personal freedoms less. Still, Nemedia is well regarded for scholastic and intellectual freedom for the greatest historians, the most famous philosophers and the pinnacle of powerful orators in the West are Nemedians. Nemedia is an ancient kingdom, proud of its cultured sophistication and civilised traditions. Although settled by the Hyborians, three thousand years ago this was the land of Acheron and traces of Acheronian blood flow through many of the veins of Nemedian Hyborians. The hills of Nemedia still hold groups of people who boast of their Acheronian descent

Appearance:

Hyboreans are traditionally fair haired with blond hair, light skin with blue or grey eyes. But there has been a great deal of drift with mixing of blood lines over trade and conquest. Only in the realm of Gunderland, a province of Aquilonia are these traits nearly universal.

Even with the mixing of blood from different clultures, Hyboreans are predominately fair of skin with lighter color hair heading into shades of brown with clear eyes. Hyboreans have aquiline, almost hawkish features due to their long heads, often with pronounced noses.

Religion:

Mitra

The Hyboreans worship Mitra, the ‘universal god of the Hyborians.’ Mitra is regarded as the one true god, standing in the universe with no pantheon nor even a consort to support his cosmic reign. He does command a heavenly host, however. The saints also stand with him, and in Argos other gods like Bel and Ishtar have found their way into Hyborean life.

The religion practices religious intolerance in order to better achieve secular power. The religion of Mitra is one of forgiveness and peace. It is a religion of civili\ation and pacification. It is taught that the wonders of the Hyborian world are the direct result of Mitra’s power. Societal problems in Ophir, Corinthia, Brythunia and Koth are depicted as the harvest reaped by those who are neglectful of Mitra’s seeds and who allow other religions to share their land. Priests of Mitra are taught many things in addition to theology and philosophy. Many learn practical aspects of their culture, such as smithy work, carpentry, stonework, mining, smelting, minting, marriage brokering, mercantilism and diplomacy. of The philosophy of Mitra’s religion is that Mitra is the Truth and serpents (such as Set and Asura) represent Deceit. The religion attempts to overcome fear of death, so it offers a form of afterlife as part of its belief system. The religion of Mitra has a heaven and a hell. Mitra’s followers are suspicious and intolerant of other cults, although certain cults raise their ire more than others. Most hated above all cults are the cults of Set and his entire pantheon of ‘apish gods that squat on the shadowy altars of dim temples in the dark land of Stygia’. Next on Mitra’s list of devils are the Pictish gods.

In addition to its intolerance toward foreign religions, the Mitran religion frowns upon ostentatious religious displays. Mitra’s temples are awesomely plain, yet stately, artistic and beautiful despite the lack of ornate symbols and massive, sweeping structural forms so prevalent in most Hyborian Age temples. The altar is a symbolic gesture at best, for followers of the Mitran religion do not sacrifice humans nor animals to their omnipresent deity. A single dignified statue is likewise permitted but is not worshiped. Any statues of Mitra are considered attempts by the faithful to visualize Mitra in an idealized form, for his true form is unknowable. Much more information about this religion can be found in Faith and Fervour, including initiation rites, religious symbols, taboos and mysteries.

Bori

Despite the oppressiveness of the Mitran religion, a few small cults exist in countries like Aquilonia. The Cult of Bori is one of these. The Gundermen originally worshipped Bori, a primitive god from their early polytheistic Hyborian origins and small cults dedicated to that ancient god still exist, for the Gundermen will return to worshipping this ancient god after Aquilonia falls. The practice of sorcery is considered unmanly among the Cults of Bori, so it is practiced by women called seidkona, who wear blue cloaks and black wool hoods trimmed with white cat fur. The cult is primarily animist and prayers to the spirit world constitute the majority of actual practice. Drunkenness is seen as a sign of Bori’s favor, for he has seen fit to allow spirits to possess the drunk person.

Asura

The Vendhyan god, Asura, has a small following in Aquilonia, although few, if any, native Aquilonians worship this feared deity. Fire, serpents and water are their major religious symbols of Asura’s religion. The Asuran dead are disposed of by sending them down the Khorotas River on a black boat piloted by a slave. For the Asurans, evil is relative and nothing is inherently evil. The religion champions equality and condemns treacherous violence. Followers are tolerant of other religions and preach vigilance, especially for Acheronian activity.

Cultural Inspiration:

Hyborean Culture is varied depending on nation, following is a list:

Aquilonia: Medieval France

Argos: Ancient Greece

Border Kingdoms: Baltic Countries such as Estonia or Latvia

Bossonian Marches: Medieval Wales and/or Scotland.

Brythunia: Medieval Poland, Germany or Lithuania.

Corinthia: Medieval Greece

Koth: The Byzantine Empire

Nemedia: The Germanic Holy Roman Empire

Ophir: Medieval Sicily or Malta

Hyperborean

Culture:

Hyperborea is a cold, windy land to the east of Asgard. The Hyperboreans are noted slavers. They ride and herd horses; these horses are likely shaggy ponies. At one time, they built homes out of horse hide; however, by the time of Conan the Hyperboreans live in cities. Hyperboreans know how to move through the pine forests and survive in the wild for days. Many Hyperboreans go on extended wilderness forays, even going so far as to visit other countries.

Hyperboreans are a cruel people, given to torture to create fear in others. They are extremely tall and rugged but centuries of oppression by their overlords has made them a people that are not strong in character or personal, inner strength. Still, they are physically strong, malicious and aggressive. Given their height and alien appearance and their reputation for cruelty, most people prefer to give wandering Hyperboreans a wide berth.

Those that practice sorcery, and there are many in this grim land, are known as Witchmen. They rule from many of the bleak fortresses that squat horribly on the tops of cleared knolls and wooded ridges. They serve sorcerous queens and kings, dressing solemnly in black with white, faceless masks. The Many of the Witchmen worship a death-goddess and often choose a powerful sorceress as her living incarnation. The Witchmen are also known as the White Hand, which is their symbol. The White Hand is a weird cult of pale wizard-assassins that holds power in Hyperborea through the terror of their horrible arts. Those who serve in the White Hand undergo strange mortifications of body, mind and will. They are considered the deadliest fighters in the world, immune to fear and pain. In addition to the death goddess, they worship a whole host of devil-gods and avatars.

Appearance:

Hyperboreans are tall and gaunt, often towering over other races. They are slow of speech and look brutish, and often this leads to people thinking they are simple minded.

They are traditionally very pale, with light colored hair and eyes as befitting their Hyborean Ancestory, but centuries of slaving has introduced foreign blood into their culture. While not common, it is not out of the ordinary to see Hyperboreans with darker tones akin to their neighbors the Hyrkanians.

Religion:

Most Hyperboreans still worship the old Hyborian god hero Bori. Isolated and aloof, these Hyborians missed the religious revolution that enveloped the rest of the Hyborian kingdoms and converted them to Mitra worship. Likely the worship of Bori is some form of ancestor worship. Still a primitive culture, at least by Hyborian standards, the Hyperboreans probably still worship their ancestors rather than some more complex, ritualized religion. Over time, and through contact from their slaves, the Hyperboreans may have added some foreign deities to Bori’s pantheon, such as Ymir from Nordheim or the sky gods of the Hyrkanians.

Hyperboreans also pray to spirits that inhabit the natural world surrounding them, such as individual trees, the rivers, the ridged mountains or even the forests as a whole. Possibly imported from Hyrkanian slaves, shamanism likely also exists as a means of interceding between the people and the spirit realms of nature. Shamanism usually co-exists with blacksmithing, so the town blacksmith may be considered vested with near-magical powers in strongly shamanistic areas. L. Sprague de Camp introduced the idea of a death goddess among the Witchmen of Hyperborea, a goddess that is incarnated in mortal form, usually an ancient crone or a sorceress. Likely this religion is one of blood sacrifices and vile rites, judging from the character of Louhi in The Witch of the Mists.

Cultural Inspiration:

Hyperborean Culture is based on Medieval Rus (Russia), particularly Novgorod.

Hyrkanian

Culture:

Hyrkanians are nomadic horsem*n, cruel and ruthless, whose violent rampages across the steppe are still spoken of in frightened voices as if the brutal conquests happened but yesterday and not years or decades or centuries before. Hyrkania extends from the Vilayet to the Eastern Ocean. The Hyrkanians conquer all that they see, swarming over the terrain in overwhelming numbers on fleet horses.

Hyrkanians are born to the saddle, learning to ride before they learn to walk. Hyrkanians almost always travel with three or four horses per warrior and they never stop to change horses; switching mounts is done on the run with the Hyrkanian simply gathering up his gear, including his saddle, and vaulting onto another steed. Their stirrups are designed for adroit maneuvers, being disk shaped to provide a solid platform. Horses are a measure of power and wealth among the Hyrkanians and all of them have names. Horse races, hunting and archery contests are popular pastimes. Hyrkanians rarely walk more than twenty paces unless the need is great. A Hyrkanian who needs to be somewhere rides his horse.

All Hyrkanians are taught survival skills, such as the rudiments of using dry dung for fuel (because there is little wood to burn in the steppe), how to cook, how to sew and even how to make and use a bow and arrow. An honorable Hyrkanian will know how to survive and will have these skills so as to not be a burden to the tribe.

Hyrkanians keep close watch on their reputations. A Hyrkanian would rather die with a good reputation than live with a ruined reputation. A Hyrkanian will typically fight if his reputation is challenged – although he is not stupid about it. If the person who challenges a Hyrkanian’s reputation is someone other Hyrkanians do not take seriously, he likewise does not take the challenge seriously. He may also wait for the opportune moment to avenge his reputation if an immediate attack is not possible. Hyrkanians are typically careful with other people’s reputations as well. Most Hyrkanians would define a well-led life as one lived in such a way that everyone knows the Hyrkanian’s name and legend throughout the lands.

Hyrkanians have a strong animistic belief in the spirituality of all things. This belief system teaches Hyrkanians to respect all animals, even those killed during a hunt. A Hyrkanian only hunts an animal to take its meat and hide for survival. Bears are holy, so after a bear is eaten, the skull is placed on a pole or high platform in the wilderness.

Hyrkanians do not wash dishes or clothes. Instead of washing their dishes, they rinse serving bowls with the boiling broth from the kettle and then pour the broth back into the kettle. Washing dishes wastes both water and food. Hyrkanians also do not wash their clothes out of fear of the gods. The act of hanging clothes out to dry causes thunderstorms. Hyrkanians will even beat people who wash their clothes and take the clothes away from them because people who would use clothing to anger the gods and bring down the lightning do not deserve clothing.

Hyrkanians are notably haughty in their dealings with foreigners, no matter what their status might be; for example, they will not show deference to a foreign noble. A Hyrkanian who would not think about lying to his lord has no problem lying to a foreigner. Although they rarely commit murder among themselves, killing a foreigner is of no consequence to Hyrkanians. Hyrkanians will gladly feed fellow nomads and share all they have but they are fiercely greedy and violently stingy toward foreigners, unwilling to share a thing

Appearance:

There are two types of Hyrkanian. The primary cultural type is dark, tall and slender but a squat, slant-eyed type is becoming more common due to an admixture with stunted but intelligent aborigines in the mountains east of the Vilayet which the Hyrkanians encountered as they migrated west from the coast.

Religion:

The Hyrkanians believe everything in the universe is interdependent and interconnected, circles within circles, built upon fundamental processes that appear in every aspect of the universe, large and small, visible and invisible. Everything is part of the universe, which is comprised of an infinite series of micro-universes. Thus, an open and wise mind can observe smaller facets of the universe in order to arrive at greater truths. If the universe is comprised of interconnected microcosms that work according to the same principles of the greater universe, then observation of one microcosm or phenomenon informs the observer about the rest of the microcosms. This leads the wise man to a fundamental truth: a person is a micro-version of the universe, wherein all parts are also interdependent and interconnected. Therefore, if a wise man understands himself, that man understands everything in the universe. ‘Know thyself’ is the ultimate truth of Hyrkanian religion.

Hyrkanians do not worship gods as most men in the Hyborian age do. Hyrkanians worship the nature spirits of the world around them. They worship lakes, rivers, mountains, forests and, as the most powerful of nature Hyrkania spirits, the Everlasting Sky. Some greater spirits are given names, such as Erlik Khan, who is a greater spirit who the khan of the lower worlds.

The Everlasting Sky (Tngre Etseg): The Everlasting Sky, Father Heaven, is both timeless and endless. The Everlasting Sky is not seen as a person but simply as the blue sky. He has two children, Erlik and Ulgen. All Hyrkanian rituals begin with an invocation of the Everlasting Sky, the Mother Earth and the ancestors. The Everlasting Sky is everywhere and sees everything, so he assigns fate based on the behavior of his worshipers. Spells designed to influence the weather are always directly addressed to The Everlasting Sky. Mountains are emblems of his power.

Mother Earth (Gazar Itugan): Like the Everlasting Sky, the Mother Earth is not visualized as a person. Trees are emblems of her power. She is prayed to for fertility.

Erlik Khan: Erlik is the khan of the lower worlds and his is the power to command the suns souls who reach his realm. He is an evil spirit, the brother of Ulgen Khan. Erlik is a son of the Everlasting Sky. His color is yellow and he is death personified. He has a strong sense of irony and humor. Although humans are supposed to reincarnate as humans, he often likes to force suns souls who have been particularly evil to reincarnate as monkeys. Erlik sends those of particularly vile natures to Ela Guren, the region of the lower worlds where souls are annihilated. Erlik created the eagle and disease. His holy direction is to the east.

Ulgen Khan: Ulgen is the khan of the upper worlds and his is the power to command the upper spirits. He is a good spirit, the brother of Erlik Khan. He is the creator of man and animals. His holy direction is to the west.

Usan Khan: Usan is the lord of water and his is the power to command the water spirits. His holy direction is to the south.

Tatai Khan: Tatai is the lord of violent weather and his is the power to command the weather spirits. He can summon tornadoes and lightning. His holy direction is to the north.

Umai: Umai is the daughter of Mother Earth and is the spirit of the womb. She is charged with power over ami souls, granting them to newborns. She sends spirit-horses to find a desired ami soul and bring it to the womb. If a sorcerer steals an ami soul to animate a dead thing, the child for whom the ami soul was intended will be stillborn. Umai is prayed to when fertility is desired.

Golomto: Golomto is the daughter of Mother Earth and is the spirit of fire. She is summoned by flint and iron. She is a patron of blacksmiths. She is prayed to when matters of purity are of concern.

Spirits of Nature and Sky: There are more spirits in the world than can be discussed in a volume of this size. Some spirits are so powerful a shaman cannot master them, yet others are so easy to control that a novice has but to speak and they listen. Listed here are some of the more well known spirits. The Games Master is free to create new ones for his campaigns.

Chotgor: These are suns spirits of the deceased that have become lost and cannot find their way to Erlik Khan’s dark realm – or find their way out of that bleak underworld due to accident or anger. These spirits bring with them death, disease and insanity.

Kut: Kut spirits are similar to chotgor spirits but were never incarnate, just troublesome.

Ozoor: Ozoor spirits are the suld souls of deceased persons that roam freely through the wilderness and the natural world. Sometimes they pick a natural place to reside, such as a rock, tree or cave. They are relatively neutral to man but can be angered or pleased.

Ongon: Ongon spirits are suld souls of deceased persons that reside in dolls and figures of the same name. They are helper spirits.

Utha: A shaman’s suld soul sometimes becomes a spirit who hangs about shamans of the same lineage, becoming a fourth soul. Some shamans classify the utha as a special type of ongon spirit; others give it its own category.

Burhan: Burhan spirits are demons that cause illness and disease. Burhan spirits are extremely powerful, much more powerful than chotgor or kut spirits. Shamans cannot usually master burhan spirits but require helper spirits if control is needed. Most of the time shamans simply plead with a burhan to leave a person alone. Otherwise, the shaman must battle the burhan spirit and force it into the form of on ongon spirit, which leaves the spirit weak and more easily handled.

Gazriin Ezen: The gazriin ezen spirits are the masters of nature, the spirits of the places on the earth. They are the spirits and voices of mountains, lakes, trees, rocks, buildings and settlements. They sometimes come into conflict with ancestor spirits who want to inhabit the natural things that belong to the gazriin ezen.

Cultural Inspiration:

Hyrkanian Culture is based on a combination of Mongol (east) and Scythians (west).

Khitai

Culture:

Khitai in the Far East is little known to the Hyborians yet is probably the most important and famous kingdom of that region. Robert E. Howard continually refers to it as shrouded in jungles. To most Hyborians, this is an alien land with unfathomable people. Even the Turanians find them unnervingly inscrutable. The people in general are called ‘kindly’ by Yag-Kosha but the few who leave Khitai to wander the West are rarely described so generously.

Khitai is an insular kingdom; few ever leave it. The common people are taught that the cheng-li, the white people who live outside the Great Wall, are cannibals. Their first reaction to such people is likely to be fear. The ones who do leave are scholars and sorcerers. That they are yellow-skinned worshippers of bizarre gods and demons is not to be doubted, however. The knowledge and traditions of these people are esoteric and ancient. They have a taste for spectacle and tradition. The Khitan people are also noted for being extremely knowledgeable and wise, well-versed in ancient lore and folk-tales.

The practice of sorcery is viewed with suspicion in many nations of the Hyborian Age but in Khitai it is viewed as a legitimate pursuit and great sorcerers are revered. There is a simple understanding that the ability to harness the powers of the universe is a marvelous gift that should be put to use in whatever ways or means necessary. This does not mean that sorcerers are common in Khitai because they are not; yet they are not shunned as they are in some nations. Itinerant mercenary sorcerers wander the jungles and plains of Khitai selling their services and attaining great prestige if their services help a Gong advance or better his enemies. Local rulers seek-out and sponsor sorcerers who live in their midst, putting their powers to practical, political use.

Nobles wear ceremonial articles and personal ornaments of exquisite craftsmanship, usually in designs such as coiled dragons, trumpeting elephants, charging tigers and crouching bears. Jade is especially valuable to the Khitans. It is, to them, the essence of heaven and Earth combined. Almost all items used in Khitan rituals are made from jade. It is more valuable than gold. If the Emperor sends a noble or scholar on a royal mission or duty, he often gives the noble or scholar a certain jade tablet to prove that he doing divinely charged work. Nobles often inscribe orders to their officials on bronze bowls. Great military or diplomatic conquests are likewise commemorated in bronze

Appearance:

The Khitai are a shorter people, with yellow hued skin and dark straight hair. Their eyes have a distinctive slant to them, and their noses tend to be flat.

Religion:

The Khitans hold to many strange beliefs and bizarre superstitions. One example is the legend that death must answer any question put to her by a man with courage enough to grasp and hold her. Khitan temples serve as sorcerous schools, teaching knowledge of all sorts. The emphasis on music in Khitan temples suggests some form of shamanism. The worship of Yogah of Yag also indicates that the Khitans like to worship beings they feel are real.

The Khitans believe the universe has three interconnected divisions: the heavens, the earth and the underworld. Each person has two souls: one soul is forever linked to his descendants and the other goes into the underworld after death to continue life. Much of Khitan worship revolves around ancestor veneration, spirit and demon worship and blood sacrifices. Khitans believe that any serious request of the gods, spirits or demons must be accompanied by blood. Also, music plays a large role in their sorcerous religious rites.

The sorcerers of Khitai probably summon to the earth their dark gods so that they can be worshipped in person. In many of the stories, cities founded by easterners have dark gods living in nameless pits. Salome, in A Witch Shall Be Born, is educated in Khitai and when she takes over Khauran conjures up Thaug to put in a temple, conducting sacrificial rituals to appease it. As more and more demons are summoned and worshiped, the pantheon grows and becomes ever more complex.

The Khitan pantheon, rumored to host more than nine thousand gods, is mysterious to the lands of the West. Doubtless even the strange, shaven headed priests of Paikang who talk to faceless demons in the lost jungles know the names of all nine thousand gods, so only a few are discussed below.

Cheng-Ho – Cheng Ho is the moon-goddess of Khitai.

Yogah – Yogah is a strange, elephant-headed star-being from green-breasted Yag who dreams in the great blue vastness of Space. His memory is worshipped still as a god in Khitai. He is probably a god of magic and sorcerous knowledge.

Yun – Yun is the main god worshiped in the jungle temples. Shaven headed priests conduct his ceremonies using the music of chimes and bells.

Cultural Inspiration:

Khitai culture is based on Fuedal Era China.

Kush*te

Culture:

Kush is separated into two peoples, the Gallah and the Chaga. The Gallah are the original inhabitants of Kush and are by far the most numerous. The minority Chaga are the ruling caste, descended from conquering Stygian adventurers. The Gallah people are described as being ebon giants; they are taller than standard Kush*tes and dark brown in color. The Chaga are even taller than their subjects and lighter in color, although they are darker than their dusky Stygian ancestors. The Chagas and the Gallahs live in a state of constant tension that seems always on the brink of snapping into open conflict. Since Kush is not a theocracy, the Chaga probably left Stygia because of the oppressive theocracy. The priests of Set do not rule here, although Set is the primary god of the Chaga.

The Chaga keep the aspects of their native Stygian culture that they like, such as their love for hunting and political maneuvering but discard elements they dislike, such as free-roaming giant serpents, an oppressive priesthood and an endless array of ceremonies and rules.

The Gallah Kush*tes are typically hunter-gatherers and are warlike and expansionistic. They live in villages of white clay, mud and grasses. They hold the aged in high honor, using their wisdom in counsel. Most are not nomadic – they do not need to move with the seasons because the climate is always hot. Their lives revolve around the game animals they hunt. The stalking and spearing of prey is their daily focus. They often provide mercenary services and serve as caravan or safari guards. They revere the passage of seasons, the night sky and other astronomical bodies.

The Gallah Kush*tes are prone to see omens everywhere and acknowledge the smallest coincidence as evidence of a spirit’s will. Men may have more than one wife. Robust and Straightforward Gallah Kush*tes are a robust and happy people despite their minimal resources. They are straight-forward and do not suffer from remorse. Most refuse to take life too seriously, although they tend to become sullen and moody if they cannot hunt, which is their pride and joy. They do not moderate themselves. If they feel an emotion, they express it, even if the situation is inappropriate. Look to a Kush*te to laugh when others are coming to grief, to sing when the urge takes them and to flare up in instant anger when frustrated.

Appearance:

The Gallah are tall, with very dark brown skin, often being described as ebon giants. The Chaga, the ruling class are also tall, but their skin tone is lighter, lending from their Stygian Anscestors.

Religion:

The ruling class of Kush worship Set, while the common masses of Gallah worship Jullah in opposition to Set. The Chaga have modified their Set worship somewhat over the centuries from the original Stygian ceremonies, mixing in doses of witchcraft, shamanism and Gallah superstition.

In addition to Set and Jullah, particularly along the shores and the border of Stygia, the Kush*tes have adopted Shemite Derketo as Derketa, Queen of the Dead. She is probably a type of Earth Mother figure, a goddess of fertility as well as of death, symbolizing the circular nature of life. She is probably represented as the mate of whatever god each tribe holds supreme.

The Gallah of Punt probably represent her as the mate of Jullah. Worship of Derketa, Queen of the Dead, probably involves orgiastic rites done before squat golden idols. Human sacrifice is likely also part of her ceremonies, possibly using the poisoned fruit called the Apples of Derketa. The juice of those fruit kills, whether by ingestion or external application.

Kush*te Witch-Finder: The Kush*te witch-doctors, witchmen or witch-finders are particularly famed for their countermagic abilities. Their duties are to protect Kush the tribe from rival witches, predict the future and curse tribal enemies, in approximately that order of importance. Most favor feathers, bones and animal skins as their outfits, in classical shamanic style. Often they also sport long, wild dreadlocks. The Kush*te tradition of scholarship is in many respects far more open-minded than that of the more supposedly civilied nations. They are happy enough to share their knowledge with others, even those from distant lands. Likewise their sorcerers rarely exert undue influence over their acolytes – though a senior witchman can be a harsh taskmaster, he is genuinely concerned for the welfare of his acolyte and desires to train him to be an asset to the tribe.

Cultural Inspiration:

Ancient African kingdoms such as Darfur, Nubia, Kush, Somaliland, Zimbabwe and others.

Nordheimer

Culture:

Asgard is the eastern part of Nordheim. The Æsir are a numerous people but Asgard is not a unified kingdom serving one supreme king. Essentially the Æsir are a village based people who are bound only by a common way of life. Vanaheim comprises the western part of Nordheim. The Vanir are also a numerous people but they are not as numerous as their foes, the Æsir.

Like Asgard, Vanaheim is not a unified kingdom serving one supreme king but has a more locally-orientated power structure. The Nordheimir are fierce warriors, proud and honorable. With white hot enthusiasm they pursue life, facing death fearlessly with a song on their lips. They are giant men who value honor, loyalty and reputation above all things, for their land is harsh. Even the women are strong, running households while the men war with each other across the icy plains and mountains .

Ferocity and courage are not the only measure of manhood among the Nordheimir. Self-esteem is also valued and to some degree self-esteem revolves around appearance. Using combs made from antlers, the Nordheimir groom themselves daily, braiding their hair, moustaches and beards. Many carry small tools to clean their fingernails and ears. The Nordheimir bathe at least once a week and use saunas for health.

Appearance:

Both the Vanir and Aesir are large and robust, with pale skin and bright eyes. The biggest difference between the two are their hair.

The Aesir are blonde haired, while the Vanir have heads of bold red hair.

Religion:

The Nordheimir worship Ymir the Frost Giant King. Dread Ymir rules icy Valhalla, a realm of long halls, snowy glaciers and eternal drinking, wenching and fighting. The dead dwell there. Ymir represents the Earth to the Nordheimir and both the Vanir and the Æsir spring from Ymir. Battle for the Nordheimir is not only the basis of their economy and social life, it is also the basis of their religious life, for Ymir is worshiped by doing battle all day, then eating, drinking and singing all night. Indeed, even those activities have religious merit, for ale is the drink of bold Ymir and, as such, is sacred and consumed in large quantities.

It is said among the Nordheimir that it is possible to come into direct contact with Ymir by drinking yourself unconscious. Thus, inebriation is a religious obligation as well as a social activity. It is likely that there are regional gods in Nordheim as well, considering the Nordheimir and their life-style. They have no unified government to enforce anything. If there are such local gods among the Nordheimir, the Conan saga does not mention them. Any local gods are subordinate to Ymir, in any case. Life in Nordheim is meant to be embraced with savage enthusiasm and death is to be met in the same manner. The Nordheimir believe in an afterlife and the afterlife often mirrors how one lives life and meets one’s doom.

For the common folk, the afterlife is dull and dreary, a life spent gathering and serving the warriors. For valiant warriors, however, the afterlife is filled with fighting and feasting in the snowy plains and halls of Valhalla. Among the Nordheimir, who are each fiercely independent, even religion is viewed as a personal matter. They have no time or interest in priests to interpret Ymir for them. Each man is his own intermediary to Ymir. Three times per year the Nordheimir hold ceremonies to placate Ymir, asking for victory in war and raiding, making sacrifices of animals and humans, feasting on steaming food hot from the fires, drinking ale in fantastic quantities and singing lustful songs celebrating their wars and heroes. These ceremonies, which occur in the spring, mid-summer and autumn, last for days and are loud, brutal affairs that reflect the every day lives of these people.

The Nordheimir do have shamans and oracles but they have more political and medical functions than religious ones. Male shamans are called Godi or Godar (Vanir or Æsir names, respectively). Female shamans are called völva. The völva are typically the ones who learn any form of sorcery, as magic is considered unmanly. The Godi and Godar are often more of a political force than a spiritual one in Nordheimir culture.

Cultural Inspiration:

Both of these cultures pull their inspiration from Viking era Denmark or Norway

Picts

Culture:

The Picts are a warlike race of barbarians, strong and shadowy, the fiercest of all the savage races. Their homes are decorated with the grisly skulls of enemies. They live in caves and tree shelters, as well as villages of mud-and-wattle huts. The villages are surrounded by a stockade.

Every aspect of their lives is dominated by an awareness of their lush environment. Every rite, ceremony and superstition emphasizes a respect for the environment. Their art expresses this connection with nature and portrays the plants, animals and people in their region. Art usually focuses on their tribe’s chosen totem animal. The Picts paint distinctive designs on their faces and bodies that identify their tribe and their purpose – hunting or war.

The Picts have a Stone Age culture, one of the most primitive of the Hyborian Age. They live in small tribes and hunt in their game-rich woodland wilderness, tracking with exceptional skill. These tribes are built around clans named for their totem animals. Identity is deep-seated and complete. These clans often believe they are descendants of these animal spirits or that their totem animals assisted a common ancestor in some way.

Each tribe lives in its own distinct region with its own traditions and rituals. These clans do not generally cooperate and usually war with one another. A clan is simply a group of related families. To the Pict, family and kinship is key to the stability of the tribe and defines each individual Pict’s rights and obligations toward others. Familial relationships define how Picts act toward one another. Those few foreigners who come to Pict villages for a length of time find themselves ‘adopted’ and given the name of ‘brother’ or even ‘cousin’ so the Picts know their social positions and how to act toward them.

The tribes are named after their totem animals. These totems are vitally important to the clans. To the Turtles, the universe is encompassed by the shell of the turtle. The turtle is enduring and patient, as are the clansmen of the Turtle. Their jewelry is made of tortoiseshell, which has an amazing luster and translucency when The polished. Alligators’ totem animal is a ferocious hunter, able to take down large prey. The Alligator clan sees themselves in this light. The alligator’s liver and entrails are used by the tribe’s shamans to create powerful magic. The Hawks and Eagles are among the most predatory of the clans; their totems symbolize warriors and hunters. The Wildcats are perfectly adapted killing engines, lithe and silent like their totem animal. The Wolf clan attacks in packs, often driving their victims over long distances while making sporadic attacks designed to exhaust their chosen foe. The raven, who taught the early Picts how to survive, is seen as a messenger or prophet from the spirit world.

Each clan’s totem animal serves as a spirit guide, especially to the shaman. Clans and Skills Different clans emphasize different skills, although all Picts tend to master most of the useful hunting skills as best they can. Those of the Turtle clan emphasize endurance, crafts, traps and listening. The Alligators emphasize hiding skills for their ambush tactics and many take ranks in Bluff. The Hawks and Eagles tend to be fantastic at Spot skills. It is hard to hide from them. The Wildcats are strongest at moving silently and sneaking up on their prey. The Wolf clan specialize in tracking skills, such as Search and Survival. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of tribes living in the Pictish Wilderness.

Appearance:

The Picts are a short, broad swarthy-skinned folk. They are a white-skinned race but the civilised folk never refer to them as such. Picts usually garb themselves in buckskin, but often go nude or barely clothed in loin clothes depending on the weather.

Religion:

Thousands of years of prowling darkly fantastic forests and reeking black swamps create a rather sinister outlook on the gods and the spirit world. The Picts believe that their bodies in the after-life resemble their bodies at death if they are not killed in war, so if a body is left for the vultures or mutilated, the Picts believe the dead will suffer greatly in the afterlife. There is no worse insult to a Pict or his tribe than allowing a fallen Pict to be mutilated – it is akin to telling him he will suffer eternal torment, and that he deserves it. Shamanism is the primary Pictish religion, although it is hard to speak of Pictish ‘religion,’ as being similar to the Western religions that exist alongside secular, daily life.

The Picts’ ideas of spirituality, superstition and rites are inextricably intertwined with their day-to-day lives in such a manner that separation is impossible. Religious life and secular life are one and the same; both are utterly dominated by the menacing environment in which the Pict thrive. The most minor and trivial of daily activities involve a deep spirituality. Mystical power resides in every thing and in every action. Every Pict must pay heed to the baleful spirits that infuse all things. To ensure a proper understanding of the threatening environment around them, a class of Pict evolved to speak to the dreadful spirits and harness the mystical powers of all things.

The shamans of the clans wield terrible magical powers and often have more influence than the clan chiefs. The shamans are the center of the nasty and horrible religious and ritual traditions of the Picts. Picts understand good and evil as indications of whether obligations to the malicious spirits are being met, The shamans control this aspect of life. They are mediums who act as intermediaries between this world and the hateful spirit world. If a Pict is ‘evil’ and does not meet the obligations of the spirit world and the ubiquitous environment, he may find hunting sparse, for darksome spirits control the quantity and quality of game animals. Intense rhythmic drumming induces a ritual trance when the hunters require the shaman’s help, allowing the shaman’s soul to enter the spirit world to find the source of the difficulty in hunting. The shaman then tells the Pict what will appease the cruel spirits and cause them to release the animals they have hidden away. To not meet the responsibilities required by the spirits is a sign of disrespect and destroys the balance and harmony of the environment.

The nightmarish environment and the hateful spirits are bound together as one, the source of life for all, the source of identity for the tribe and the source of strength for the individual Pict. Costume and performance are inextricably linked to a shaman’s success. Shamans may act like animals, dress as animals and possibly even transform into animals. Feathers hold mystical significance to the shaman and his followers. Masks are also common to enhance the mood or as magical foci.

The ability to change form to fight spirits is also crucial to the shaman, either in reality or via a convincing performance, for he must be a trickster to outwit the harmful spirits that plague the Picts. Drums are another vital part of the Pictish shaman ritual. Drums are holy to the Picts, who liken the sound of drums to the heartbeats of the spirits. With such emphasis on performance, for shaman magic must be shown and displayed to the tribe. He must hold the attention of the tribe and convince them they are powerful enough to command the spirits that infuse their wild land. Shamans are skilled at the use of herbal medicines and plants for rituals and spellcasting. Still, healing is not their primary focus. In the world of the Pict, catching game is far more important for the clan than healing, so most of the shaman’s magic is directed toward bringing about prosperous hunts.

Family and clan are still at the heart of Pictish society and the shaman exists as a community servant, not as some private sorcerer delving deep into his own personal needs and goals. Pictland The magic of the Pictish shamans is bloody and grim. Their altars are crude affairs, charred with fire and stained with blood. Accompanied by thundering drums, the shaman dances grotesquely as captives are sacrificed to the dire gods and vile spirits. Blood makes the shaman’s magic mighty. He burns captives alive in these gruesome ceremonies after capturing and torturing them. These ceremonies revolve around the hunt and the cycle of life and are held for births, rites of passage and deaths. The Picts believe in a dark afterlife. After death, their souls will enter the spirit world and haunt the black Mountains of the Dead in the uplands of the Dark Land.

In addition to the spirits that infuse everything, the Picts also have their own sinister nature gods that oversee the cosmos.

Jhebbal Sag, a pre-Cataclysmic god of darkness and primordial fear, is an ancient nature god that was once worshiped by all living things, man and animal alike. Both animals and man have largely forgotten him but a few still remember. Those who do remember are considered to be family, for they are brothers. The Pict who remembers treat animals and foreigners who remember as though they were literal brothers, for family and clan is important to the Pict. Jhebbal Sag has many children, each a god over a certain type of animal.

Gullah

One of these malevolent Pictish gods is Gullah, ‘The Hairy One Who Lives In The Moon.’ He is a gorilla god and the Picts consider the bull apes of their wilderness to be his totem animals. His altars are black with eternal flames set upon them. To summon Gullah and begin the process of destroying an enemy, a shaman paints a skull black and casts it into Gullah’s fire. Upon entering a trance, the shaman then can speak to the ghosts and spirits. Gullah, as a moon deity, probably also serves as a guardian of the spirit world. He mirrors the vices of humanity, for though he is of the animal kingdom his anthropoid appearance mimics man’s. Likely he is credited by the Picts as the inventor of time and, as a moon god, has a fertility aspect.

Jhil the Raven

Another son of Jhebbal Sag is Jhil the Raven, a bloodthirsty trickster deity. His children are the ravens, crows and certain f iendish spirits and he is likely the patron of the Raven clan of Picts. He commands dark spirits and is associated with mortality. Jhil taught the Picts how to survive in the wilderness and how to honor Jhebbal Sag according to his myth cycle. Jhil has a insatiable craving for food, blood and sex. He is also a messenger for Jhebbal Sag and the spirit world. Endowed with the gift of prophecy, he empowers mortals to use dice to reveal his messages, giving man a method of augury. His worship is a gory ceremony, for he demands that prisoners be flayed alive on his altar.

The Picts worship the old gods who sleep in the outer abysses but are not dead. With the help of sacrifices and magic, these old gods sometimes awaken…

Cultural Inspiration:

A rather inventive combination of Picts of pre Gaelic Scotland and North America.

Shemite

Culture:

Shem is a non-Hyborian land of decadent despots in the west and fierce nomads in the east. This influential nation is a powerful commercial engine, drawing in wealth through overland trade via the well-travelled caravan routes that criss-cross the arid deserts and pastoral meadowlands. Trade is the life of Shem and the debauched city-states seem to specialize in their manufacture of goods, living off the unending camel trains. The luxuriant kingdoms are constantly at war with each other, each trying to steal domination of various trade routes, trying to destroy competition in search of ever elusive monopolies in some good or another.

Roaming in their white-robed hordes, nomadic Shemites dwell in the eastern deserts. They raid their western cousins constantly, burning with a fierce hatred for their civilized kin. Many consider the cities, towns and villages of Shem to be little more than store houses for things the nomads want. Among the desert nomads, the most notorious, largest and most widely traveled tribe are the Zuagir. These determined riders of the hot sands range from Zamboula to Zamora, fighting savage battles along the eastern edges of the Hyborian nations. They survive through terrorism and plundering civilized lands.

Rich or poor, Shemites are renowned as unrepentant liars and tellers of tall tales. Treasures, riches and beautiful things cause the hearts and souls of the Shemites to soar. They live to accumulate wealth and beauty, surrounding themselves with jewelery and lovely slaves. Some are content to gather their wealth via trade and mercantilism, although many Shemites have roving minds and are willing to travel to f ind riches and slaves far from home. Most adventuring and wandering meadow Shemites are either merciless mercenaries or Pelishtim scholars.

Appearance:

Shemites are generally of medium height with hook noses, dark eyes and blue-black hair. Some families have Stygian blood, however and these people are gigantic, broadly and strongly built, with the same sort of facial features as the shorter Shemites.

Religion:

The polytheistic Shemites have a penchant for gods and goddesses. Each city state worships some obscene fertility god or goddess as its patron, trusting that their horrible, squat brass idols actually hold the essence and presence of those gods and goddesses. Most of these fertility deities are Earth Mothers of the sort common to agricultural communities. Gods are the subordinate lover gods of the goddesses. In many of these religions, male consorts are killed and reborn each year, coinciding with annual growing and harvest cycles. Many Shemite rituals involve enactments of this sacrifice and rebirth in caricatured, symbolic manners that often include human sacrifice and sexual rituals. Indeed, even coming before these awesome and feared gods, humanity must show humility, which often requires that worshippers approach on their hands and knees in the nude.

Most of these deities are simple in concept with elaborate and curious ceremonies dedicated to their worship. The gods are given copper or brass forms by skilled artisans who capture their obscene, pot-bellied forms and exaggerated sexual features. These idols are believed to be actual gods and goddesses. Although the temple districts of the towns usually have shrines to many of the gods, each city-state tends to identify with the aspects of one god over all the others. These symbols of deific power then become the chosen patrons. Bel, for example, is the patron of Shumir and Pteor is the patron of the Pelishtim. The patron gods have more than just religious power; they also provide political power. A powerful king is believed to have the support of a patron; a weak one is not. The religions of Shem teach concepts of predestination, resulting in fatalism among the Shemites, who believe that if their day to die arrives, nothing they can do will change it. The sons of Shem do not struggle against fates regarded as inevitable.

The eastern Shemites in particular pay homage to Fate and several of their gods and goddesses are deities of fate and destiny. The Shemites also believe in a just afterlife, a type of resurrection or reincarnation. The souls of evil men, according to the Shemites, are imprisoned in the bodies of apes as punishment for their wickedness. Lofty white zikkurats are reared to their gods, for to the Shemites, the gods are quite real, not just some illusions conjured by man’s mind to explain the mysteries of the world. Unlike the gods of the Cimmerians, the Shemite gods supposedly respond to prayer, worship and sacrifice. Indeed, the very vitality, fertility and prosperity of the sons of Shem, collectively and individually, depend on said ceremonies. So strong are these gods in the minds of the Shemites, who dread and fear their awesome gods, that worship of them has spread to foreign nations. Anu the Bull-God is worshipped in Corinthia, the worship of the unwholesome fish-god Dagon and his debauched mate Derketo has found its way all the way south to Zembabwei and votaries of Ishtar are found in many Hyborian kingdoms to the north, particularly in Koth. Some of the more prominent gods and goddesses of the decadent sons of Shem include Adonis, Anu, Ashtoreth, Bel, Derketo, Ishtar and Pteor. More information on these gods and others can be found in Faith and Fervour.

Adonis: The son of Anu and the mate of Ishtar, Adonis is a fertility god, both in a sexual, phallic sense and in terms of agriculture. His statues are nude, brass caricatures that emphasize his genitalia. Sex, for the Shemites, is not sinful but a complex and pleasurable rite that is spiritually and physically beneficial. Exotic techniques of sexual intercourse are highly prized by the sons of Shem. The myths of Adonis indicate he was slain or assassinated while hunting, either by a wild boar or by minions of his consort, Ishtar. Either way, the myth relates the message that death is necessary for life. Interestingly, Adonis is often symbolized by a boar, so his death by a boar is indicative of the fatalism of the sons of Shem – he was the instrument of his own death, bringing it upon himself. Ishtar traveled to the underworld to return him to life, passing through the seven gates of the underworld, shedding her clothing and threatening the demons that guard the gates as she went. In order to return to the earth, Adonis had to agree to remain in the underworld six months out of the year and, as a result, the earth must suffer through cold and infertile winters. In the spring Adonis returns and the priests celebrate by holding great festivals where the priestesses act out the journey to the underworld and the priests, stripped naked, gash themselves so as to spill their blood on the soil to symbolically awaken the fertility of the world. Even more important than the annual rites, the Shemites worship Adonis for personal fertility and sexual vitality. The love between Adonis and Ishtar sustains the world and physical love-play is allegorical to the intercourse between those two gods.

Anu: The sky-god Anu is worshipped throughout Shem. The domestication of cattle is significant in the civilizing of man, so Anu is often given the form of a bull, a symbol of male power and virility. Cattle, oxen and bulls Shem are sacred to him and, save for useful cows, are sacrificed to him. The symbolism of the bull is one of strength, fury and toil. As oxen are used to till the earth to bring forth crops, so too is Anu considered a creator-god, tilling the universe to bring forth the gods and mankind. His roar frightens the heavens into releasing its water, bringing forth rain upon the earth. He reminds the earth of his power via his horns, which form the crescent moon. He is a fearsome and distant god that does not want to be troubled with day-to day concerns and will send forth his wrath and fury upon those who bother him lightly. He is prayed to in order to bring forth the rains, for his roars still frighten the heavens into releasing water. In some regions, Ishtar is called upon to bring forth Anu’s seed in the form of rain to fertilise the earth. In the east, he is prayed to by the desert tribes to lessen the harshness of the sun, for the rising of his horns in the night sky brings coolness to the hot lands.

Ashtoreth: Ashtoreth is Ishtar’s handmaiden, a goddess of prostitutes. Sexuality in Shem is not considered base or sinful. Indeed, prostitutes are servants of Ishtar, commanded to sleep with any worshiper for a fee. The dancers of Ashtoreth symbolize sexual intercourse through the motions of their dancing. Ashtoreth desires that all Shemite virgins serve in the temples at least once in their lives and have sex with strangers. Sexuality is a form of purification and young girls are brought to the temples to have sexual intercourse with at least one man, often a priest but not always, before being allowed to leave. In some areas of Shem, Ashtoreth and Ishtar are identified as being the same, with both names used interchangeably. The goddess is often depicted in three forms: as a young woman, a virgin-harlot; as a fertile woman, her belly swollen with the fruits of her labors; and as an old woman, grown wise in the ways of men and women, a teacher of prostitutes and young wives.

Bel: Bel is one of the most travelled of Shemite gods. Worshipped in Zamora, Brythunia and elsewhere in addition to Shem, Bel is the god of thieves and patron of Shumir and Arenjun. He is often depicted as an eagle carrying a forked bolt of lightning, hinting that he can steal the powers of the heavens and even the powers of the other gods if he so desires. His worship does not involve animal or human sacrifice. Conan speaks favorably of this god and Conan rarely speaks well of a god that demands live sacrifices.

Derketo: Derketo is a seductress deity, a temptress that attempts to win Adonis away from Ishtar. She is the essence of depraved sexuality. Her rites are orgiastic, even considering the sensual natures of Ishtar’s and Adonis’ ceremonies. The exotic techniques taught in the temples of Derketo are extremely intense. Her sacred prostitutes are considered the embodiment of Derketo herself. She is a sexual predator who takes the vitality of her lovers into herself either in sacrifice or as a means of self-gratification. She copulates with others, particularly young men, via deceptive guiles or illusions, sheer coercion or by using her own personal attributes. Ishtar: Ishtar is the ivory-bosomed goddess of Koth, Shem, Khauran and the East in general. She is the daughter of Anu, the Queen of Heaven, a goddess of fertility and war. Women’s sexual fulfillment is part of her divine mysteries. Her cult uses languid but orgiastic rites to stimulate the earth into becoming fertile and productive. The priestess is believed to embody Ishtar during certain sensual rituals and bestow her favors on her followers to ensure prosperity and fertility. Sacred prostitutes probably aid in the rituals. The priests of Ishtar represent her sons and lovers and also aid in the rituals; if a woman is thought to be infertile, the priests attempt to impregnate her and give her a divinely-blessed child. If the various rituals of Ishtar are not followed, the worshipers fear that crops will wither and the urge to mate by man or beast will dwindle away. Ishtar’s shrines and temples are exotic, lavish and ornate, in the fashion of the East, with bright colourful decorations and objects. Although Ishtar does not ask for human sacrifices, animal sacrifices are often part of her fertility rituals. Her temples include ivory idols, which she is believed to inhabit. Priests and priestesses care for these sensuous idols and often dress and paint them depending on the ritual needs of the day or season.

Pteor: Pteor is the patron god of the Pelishtim. He is a minor god in the pantheon and is embodied by obscene idols that reflect the ‘grossness’ of his cult. The Pelishtim live in a fertile region of Shem, a region of herdsmen. Pteor may be symbolzed by a ram or a sheep. A ram’s horn symbolises male power. The male goat is often associated with sexual vigor. Pteor could also be a local version of Adonis.

Cultural Inspiration:

Western Shem draws its inspiration from the Levant, while Eastern Shem from Arabia

See Also

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Stygian

Culture:

Stygia is a decadent, sinister menace, a black land of nameless horror feared by the Hyborian races. Ruled by a dark theocracy devoted to the cult of Set, its small population is notably xenophobic and the people are obsessed with the subjects of death and immortality, building dark tombs for their mysterious mummies. The population of about four million people is notably small for a kingdom of its size, for there is little arable land for the people to live on and there is a constant demand for sacrifices by the cults. The cults utterly dominate Stygian society; the temples own most of the arable land and the government bureaucracy is filled with priests. As with many religions, this Stygian theocracy is conservative and closed-minded and minimal contact with the outside world is permitted. Thus trade is kept to a bare minimum. Stygia trades silk, ivory, skins, onions, papyrus, slaves and precious stones for grain, cattle and other agricultural products which their arid lands cannot produce or support.

Other Stygian customs likewise seem strange to foreigners. Stygians in foreign lands never eat in the presence of strangers, for example. These Stygians also refuse to discuss their native country. Perhaps they fear reprisals if they sound critical; perhaps they just do not want to think about the atmosphere and conditions they have left behind.

Appearance:

Stygians wear little to no clothing. What clothing is worn is thin almost to the point of transparency; the wealthier the Stygian, the more transparent the clothing. Silk is a common material in Stygia, worn even by base labourers. Linen is another material for clothing. Most Stygians remove all the hair on their bodies and wear wigs. Henna is a dye used to redden fingernails and hair. Kohl is a black powder used to rim the eyes, paint eyebrows and darken eyelashes.

Most Stygians

Religion:

Religion in Stygia is synonymous with the worship of Father Set, who reigns supreme over that darksome land. His pantheon, however, includes several ‘hideous, half bestial gods’ as subordinates. At one time, according to Xaltotun, much of the world was likewise dominated by the Old Serpent. Set, today, is worshiped primarily in Stygia and in places of strong Stygian influence, such as areas of Kush and Shem and by dark sorcerers everywhere. Set’s symbol is a scaled serpent, coiled, with its tail in its mouth.

Set’s is a bloody religion, a survival from the strange pre human culture that was thrown down by the Stygians in pre-Cataclysm days. At one time, Set walked the earth in the form of a man and created that ancient and mysterious race. Now the god of the Stygians, Set’s cult is outlawed by the Hyborians, who regard Set as the arch enemy of Mitra and fear the gruesome and mysterious rituals of Set’s priests. The specific rituals used to worship Set are a guarded mystery but they are known to be gruesome and sinister, comprised of unspeakable rites and human sacrifices in grisly quantities.

Priests wear monstrous, half-bestial masks surmounted by ostrich plumes in certain ceremonies. Silent, ritualistic processions also play an inexplicable part in this dark religion. Sacred objects, such as curious black candles that flicker with strange green light and staves with white skull heads abound in the Stygians’ grim ceremonies of black magic. Sacred beasts, both terrestrial and otherwise, abound in their religious culture.

Giant pythons hunt abroad in the dark alleys of black Khemi and innumerable human captives held in deep pits are sacrificed to amorphous monsters from the Abyss. Giant, drugged iridescent serpents coil in Set’s temples, ready to accept worship and sacrifice from the priests of Set. Almost all the priests of Set are sorcerers and they terrify their subjects as well as their enemies, for they can and will sacrifice their own followers to gain their corrupt ends. The most powerful of these priests are members of the Black Ring. These priests gather in sacred spots, such as the pyramids that dot the Stygian landscape, to perform their rituals.

The pyramids of Stygia, possibly built by the pre-human race superseded by the Stygians, now serve as temples as well as tombs for the mummies of Stygia’s elite. Mummification had been practiced by the Stygians long before the Great Cataclysm, even before they migrated into modern-day Stygia. It is still practiced today and represents a belief in an after-life for the faithful follower of Set.

Cultural Inspiration:

Stygia draws its cultural inspiration from Ancient Egypt.

Turanian

Culture:

Shining Turan is probably the wealthiest nation of the Hyborian Age save Vendhya. The Turanian Empire is built upon the foundation of a large Hyrkanian force that swept out of the east on their horses, swinging around the Vilayet and finding that great inland sea to their liking. Their empire is vast, extending west even to the borders of Zamora, Shumir in Shem and Stygia. Empire-building is a popular pastime for Turanian kings. The Turanian Empire shows no sign of slowing its growth, although the Zuagirs, kozaks and other races hinder its destiny of domination in the west.

Turan is an empire of incredible size, virtually encompassing the Vilayet Sea by the time Conan is king of Aquilonia. All but the most northerly reaches of the Vilayet are controlled by Turan on both sides of the inland sea. The northern reaches are too mountainous and cold for the Turanians to bother with.

Turan borders Zamora, Koth, Shem and even sends forays into Hyperborea. They conquered the indigenous aboriginal people that lived in the region of the Vilayet and turned the region into a bastion of culture, commerce and beauty. Dry plains were irrigated and turned into an agricultural paradise.

Turanians believe their civilization is superior and that only by doing things their way can one advance in society. They teach particular protocols to be practiced in court, in the baths, in the street and in almost every aspect of their lives. Most Turanians have trust in their civilization and their protocols. The Turanians are a proud people, pleased with the imperialism of their leaders and the wealth brought to them in tribute from subjugated people.

Appearance:

The Turanians are dark and generally tall and slender, the descendants of the ancient Lemurians once enslaved by the ancestors of the Stygians in ages past.

Religion:

Robert E. Howard says little about the religious practices of the Turanians, who worship Erlik, a god of death and Tarim, a mystic healer and patron of the Turanians.

Erlik

Erlik was supposedly the first man, a creation of Ulgen. Erlik was taken to the heavens and given the mantle of death and, in time, seemed to supplant his creator in popularity. Hyrkanians, of course, love the kill, so perhaps it is not surprising that a god of death, fire and war became more popular than a creator god. Erlik is called the ‘Yellow God of Death’ and he numbers among his followers cannibals with filed teeth. Erlik is called by many names. He respects the noble warriors who wield life and death on the battlefield. Lotus is considered a holy sacrament to the followers of Erlik and is reserved for those who reach Paradise. The followers of Erlik do not appreciate non-believers using lotus. The Paradise promised by Erlik to his true believers is peopled by beautiful mekhrani who live in the pleasure houses of eternity.

Erlik has an opposite number called Thutala, a trickster who appears to unbelievers in a whole host of different guises. The followers of Erlik call any foreign god ‘Thutala’.

Tarim

Tarim is supposedly a mystic who may have founded Turan. Since Tarim’s high priests are all under the mental domination of the Master of Yimsha, it is possible that the religion is spurious, an invention of the Black Circle used to dominate the Hyrkanians. The priests of Tarim do, at least, seem to have some loyalty to Turan and its king. The Seers of Yimsha probably pose Tarim as an avatar of Erlik himself in the form of a god of herding and animal fertility. Historically, Tarim led the Lemurians off their sinking isles to the shores of the main continent.

He lived on in the form of his descendants, for thousands of years later he led the Lemurians, now known as Hyrkanians, to the eastern shore of the Vilayet and founded Aghrapur. The Living Tarim, Tarim Incarnate, is a holy person descended from the original leader. Although few know it, the last descendant died in a war after he was kidnapped by rival Hyrkanians. Turan wisely has not let the people know that the ‘Living Tarim’ is dead. Turanians living near Koth or Shem have also added Ishtar to their gods, calling her Yenagra. She has alabaster skin and is otherwise worshipped as the Kothic Ishtar. Other Turanians still worship Ahriman and other bizarre deities, such as Ormazd, a bright god who battles the devil, Ahriman.

Cultural Inspiration:

Turan draws its inspiration from Seljuk Turkey

Vendhyan

Culture:

Vendhya is a land to the far southeast Its capital is Ayodhya, the most marvelous city in this exotic kingdom. Life in Vendhya is good, especially if one belongs to the Kshatriya caste. It is a mysterious, philosophical, religious culture but its mysteries and philosophies are geared around enjoying life.

Vendhyan artwork exemplifies this love of life and much of their artwork and written literature is of an erotic nature. The highest art form is dance. Dance in Vendhya is often a spiritual experience, which tells stories of the gods, great heroes or even moral lessons. As with all of its art, Vendhya’s dance is striking and distinctive, especially the beautiful and complicated codes of hand-gesturing included in the various dances. For the Vendhyans, the hand alone can portray emotions of all sorts, as well as represent gods, humans, nature, action and animals. Each pose, each movement of the body or hand creates an effect or atmosphere that borders on magic, affecting man and nature equally. The combination of man and nature impacts not just dance but all of Vendhya’s art. Paintings, carvings and sculptures feature hallowed,

Appearance:

The people of Vendhya tend to have an olive skin tone, a slim body-style and straight black hair. They are also remarked for having large dark eyes. The Vendhyan women use make-up to enhance their eyes to further that effect.

Religion:

Vendhya reveres the mystical religion of Asura, a religion born of enormously complex rituals derived from four great books, the compilations of centuries of religious thought and practice. The priestly class prize their intellectual acumen and they use that intelligence to further their own aims. The people believe in a cosmic order and in cause and effect that extends beyond the physical realm.

Even as the Vendhyan civilisation was taking shape, the priests taught that if these mysterious and shadowed rituals were performed incorrectly, the cosmic order would be disturbed and catastrophe would follow, for Asura kept a keen eye on how smoothly the world ran. Of course, the priests were the only ones that could perform these clamorous rituals properly, allowing them to rise as a class above even the Kshatriyan rulers, at least in spiritual matters. As a result of this sense of cosmic order and justice, Vendhyans believe in a heaven, a hell and the judgment of souls.

Asura: The chief god of Vendhya, the protector of the royal family there and anywhere else they have influence. For the Asuran priests, sorcery and religious ritual amount to nearly the same thing. These priests understand sorcery and the best ways in which to fight and foil the activities of sorcerers. They understand the power of magical links and counsel the Vendhyan royal family to destroy shorn hair, nail trimmings and other bodily waste materials.

The Vendhyans, with their strong belief in cause and effect, carry that thinking toward an idea of fate, an idea that reinforces the rigid caste system for each man’s position in life is a direct and unavoidable consequence of fate determined in a prior life. A man’s fate is his duty. The Vendhyans have developed an intricate system of astrology and cosmic laws to help divine both causes and effects, thus determining potential fate. The Asuran priests teach that life is illusory and the only final truth comes after death, in the light of the soul. The cult devotes itself to ‘penetrating the veil of illusion of life.’ Asura’s doctrines reveal that all beings reincarnate and that the purpose of life is the paying of the karmic debt against the soul. Each evil act extends the cycle of reincarnation; each good act shortens it. Those who suffer earned their trials in previous lives; they are not to be pitied.

The Vendhyans also do not believe that time is a steady, linear progression; time is cyclical. Everything that has happened before will happen again and nothing will ever happen that has not happened before. This cycle binds the universe together with Asura. Again, the priests insist their rituals are necessary for the proper functioning of this all important cycle, for each ritual is a mystical repetition of events crucial to the continuation of the universe.

Asura is the chief god of the Vendhyans, much as Mitra is the primary god of the Hyborians but, unlike Mitra, Asura does not rule the heavens alone. He leads an entire pantheon of mysterious gods. Katar is the vile goddess who leads the Katari, Vendhya’s dreaded assassins. Yama is the king of devils in Vendhyan belief. Yizil is another of their strange pantheon but little is known of him. Hanuman is also worshiped in Vendhya. His image often adorns the doors and windows of Vendhyan temples as a guardian demon.

Cultural Inspiration:

Vendhyan culture pulls its inspiration from Mughal India.

Yamatai

Culture:

Yamatai rests off the coat of Khitai, and is a island kept protected from the mainland by massive storms. It is home to a fuedal culture of warriors and farmers who live mostly by substenance farming. Each clan is essentially a small kingdom into itself, and while there is a unified culture among them, they war amongst themselves as much as they do with outsiders.

While mostly made up of farmers, they do possess a warrior class and are fierce and fearless fighters. Much like western cultures, they have their version of knights, which are warriors who fight with a code of conduct.

Yamatai itself is a magic land, close to its gods. They are very spiritual, and the reverence for their local spirit and/or god has a powerful impact on them.

Appearance:

The people of Yamatai are shorter in stature, typically with slim builds. They have yellow tinged skin, dark hair and slanted eyes.

Religion:

Each clan holds to its own traditions and gods, though all pay respect to Tsukuyomi, the goddess of the moon and dawn. She is a diety that is also known in Khitai. Several gods from Khitai are also revered in Yamatai, though they have slightly different names. Yun is chief of these.

Recently, Mitra has been introduced to some of the Islands of Yamatai by traders. Much like Mitra worship in Zingara, MItra is seen as a conqueror, and for those who worship him Tsukuyomi (renamed into Selene) is his bride.

Cultural Inspiration:

Yamatai draws its inspiration from early Medieval Japan. While a warrior culture that would become the Samurai exist, those terms are not readily used.

Zamorian

Culture:

Spider-haunted Zamora is a mysterious nation of thieves, kidnappers, extortionists, prostitutes and sorcerers. Small villages boast white hedge witches and the larger cities have powerful priests that work such potent magic that even the king fears them. Many trade routes pass through Zamora, particularly through Shadizar the Wicked, giving a cosmopolitan air to many of its cities and creating a melting-pot of humanity. Shemites, Corinthians, Turanians, Hyrkanians and others have found homes in Zamora.

Zamora is a lively place. A Wicked Race Priests and wizards seem to be ever in abundance in Zamora, although their presence is nowhere near as visible as in shadow-haunted Stygia. Zamora is an ancient kingdom, descended from a mysterious race known as the Zhemri, an elder and evil race from pre-Cataclysmic times. The fortunes of the Zhemri and, later, Zamora rose and fell constantly. Currently the 3,000 year old civilization has fallen into decadence and its people are viewed as a wicked race of thieves, cutthroats and sorcerers.

Zamorians do not respect the rights of others. They do what is best for them. Bribery is a way of life in Zamora and is expected and encouraged. Few Zamorians will even consider making a business transaction unless some sort of bribery is involved. Jobs are taken with the expectation that bribery will be part of the income. Jobs are offered knowing the applicant will accept bribes to grease the wheels of business transactions. Expert testimony, justice in the courts, as well as other goods and services are for sale to the highest bidder. Bribery produces cynicism and a general distrust of institutions among the Zamorians.

Zamorians, on the whole, do not trust in the integrity of professional services, of government and the courts, of law enforcement, of religion and of anything touched with bribery.

Zamorians do make the best thieves and are well-regarded for not betraying their employers if hired for thievery. This has nothing to do with honor but is entirely an instance of the Zamorians realizing that a certain degree of faithfulness is simply good for business.

Zamorians have a tendency toward egoist hedonism. Every pleasure is good and natural. Pleasure is preferable to pain, which is bad and to be avoided. Most Zamorians concentrate primarily on maximizing their personal pleasure and minimizing their personal pain. For many in Zamora, pleasure has become the measure of right and wrong. Sensual indulgence, for many, has become the ultimate in what is good, right and salutary.

Even a Zamorian’s pursuit of wealth is indicative of this basic hedonism, for power and status are deemed to be pleasures in life. The Zamorians, for the most part, believe the only way to deal with lust and vice is to satiate them, to satisfy their every craving. The Zamorians feel their ‘anything goes’ approach to sexuality is completely natural.

Appearance:

Zamorians, as a race, tend toward dark complexions with dark eyes and black hair. Pale skin is considered beautiful and healthy and is seen as a symbol of wealth and breeding. Those whose skin tones approach alabaster are admired by all for their grace and beauty.

Religion:

The Zamorians worship many divinities and have no problem with importing and accepting foreign gods. Most Zamorian cities have local patron gods that embody the cities in some manner. The spider-god of Zath is such a patron deity. Other gods represent natural forces or concepts, such as the Shemite god Bel, worshipped in Zamora as the god of thieves and patron of the city of Arenjun.

Foreigners to Zamora find the Zamorian pantheon extremely complex and difficult to understand, if not downright oppressive. All Zamorian priests enforce absolute obedience among their congregations and are quite skilled in mesmerism to ensure unwavering loyalty.

The Spider God

One of the most famous of Zamora’s many gods is the spider-god Zath. The cult center for Zath is in Yezud, where temple girls wearing black jet beads ‘dance before the black stone spider which is their god’. Zath is a god of purity and its priests battle degeneracy. Their goal is to purify Zamora and bring about a new golden age. The main temple of Yezud, larger than the palaces of Turan, boasts a mammoth statue of the spider god. It is a weird, hideous, black and hairy-legged idol of polished black stone. Zath is a deification of the huge, ogreish black spiders that are native to Zamora, such as the one at the top of the Tower of the Elephant. Religious rites to Zath are extremely ritualized and involve many priests and naked dancing girls draped only in black beads.

The people of Yezud believe that their statue of Zath is Zath, and that the spider-god can assume a living form at will, usually at night, in the presence of priests. The primary form of execution in Yezud to is feed a criminal to the spider-god.

Bel

The spider-god of Yezud is not Zamora’s only deity. The Zamorians import gods from other lands and peoples as well, depending on need and desire. One such god is Bel, a god of thieves in the Zamorian pantheon. Bel is described as both lusty and clever, as befitting a god of thieves. Bel is a Shemite god, yet is still regarded as the patron god of Arenjun.

Ong

Another god in Zamora is the lion-headed god of pain, Ong. Ong is worshiped by accepting various methods of pain and bondage. His centre of worship is in a city of the same name in the northern reaches of Zamora.

Cultural Inspiration:

Zamora draws its inspiration from Persia, specifically Baghdad.

Zingara

Culture:

Once the proud possessor of a major shipping industry, Zingara is an exotic land that exists between the Pictish Wilderness, the Bossonian Marches, Aquilonia and Argos. Although often thought of merely as Argos’ maritime rival, Zingara has in the past been a land of agriculture and elegance. Zingarans have concepts of honor and allegiance much like those of the Aquilonians. Zingara is now a land torn apart and ruined by civil war. Historically a king ruled the land out of Kordava but the elegant, bejeweled and hosed princelings and nobles, who usually fought petty battles among themselves and the Poitanians, rose up and destroyed themselves and their noble kingdom in flame and blood. The refined swordsmanship of the Zingarans had unfortunately turned against itself. Now the kingdom is faltering, unable to support itself due to burnt and salted fields, destroyed armies and crushed castles. The ghouls of the central region have begun to prowl all over the region, even in the north, toward the Poitanian border.

In Zingara’s prime, Zingaran swordsmanship was taught in both formal fencing-schools and the deadly backstreets of every city, though many Zingarans learned to use only the civilian arming sword, rather than the more military oriented broadsword. The Zingarans developed Zingara one of the most sophisticated forms of elite fencing ever created, a sheer art form to behold. Many of these fencing schools may still survive and those that have burned are slowly being rebuilt. Many feel that these schools, which also taught principles of chivalry, are essential to the rebuilding of Zingara, to keep it from sliding backwards into barbarism.

Zingaran Freebooters

The Freebooters were once loyal Zingaran subjects that were given legal charters as privateers to prey upon Argossean shipping and stop the Barachans. Fierce Zingaran independence soon reared its savage head and the Freebooters went renegade, preying even on their own country’s ships. This backstab did not endear them to the Zingarans. The Freebooters are not welcome in Zingaran ports.

Like as not, the renegade pirates will find themselves hanged if they show themselves. Likewise they are not welcome at Tortage in the Barachans. Their bases are outside of Zingara, although no one knows exactly where. Perhaps there are tiny nations between Zingara and the Pictish Wilderness or between Argos and Zingara. Perhaps the Freebooters have a city here where they can safely fence their goods. Any number of islands could lie off the shores of Zingara, Argos, Shem or the Pictish wilderness that are either not large enough to be depicted on the standard maps or have simply been forgotten.

The captain of a Freebooter ship is the absolute authority… at least so long as his seamanship, swordsmanship and success in plunder acquisition holds up. To obtain the rank of captain, a qualified Freebooter must kill the former captain in a fair fight. Anything less is considered a mutiny, the last choice for an oppressed crew.

The Freebooters dress in a typically pirate fashion. They wear sashes, bare chests, silken pantaloons, great loops of gold in their ears, sabers, cutlasses and so on. These pirates often sail in carracks; large, sea-worthy ships. The Freebooters are rapacious and cruel and are feared as much as the Barachans, especially by the Argosseans. They maraud ships and raid coastal towns. Fortunately for coastal nations and sea-faring trade, the Freebooters are not numerous, which makes the handful still out there all the more famous and well-known.

Appearance:

Zingarans are a blend of cultures. The original Zingarans looked much like Shemites, but they have had Pictish and Hyborean blood mixed into their bloodlines.

They tend to have swarthier skin tones, though not as dark as Shemites, and dark hair and eyes. They are usually slim, with intense eyes and exotic features when compared to the Hyboreans they share a border with.

Religion:

Mitra is the head of the pantheon in Zingara. This is interesting because in all other Hyborian nations, Mitra is the One True God. The melting pot of Zingara has also produced a melting pot of religions. Mitra, as the god of the last conquerors, now rules supreme over the other gods in a Zeus-like role. The saints have vanished but the legions of heaven and hell remain. A variant of Ishtar 252 probably serves as Mitra’s consort in a court that contains Shemitish and Pictish deities, all with portfolios of power in a complex fashion duplicating the complicated Zingaran court.

Cultural Inspiration:

Zingara draws its inspiration from Reconquista-era of Spain.

Class System

Unclaimed Horizons using the RP Redux Mod to create classes for players claim. Each of these classes gives abilites, both with the dice system that can be used as an alternate conflict resolution method, as well as ingame benefits. These classes can only be picked once. If you wish to change your class after your character has been created, you must open a ticket over Discord.

To avoid difficulty please choose your class before leaving the race selection area.

These classes can be progressed through completing skill challenges.

There are three ranks or levels of each profession. You gain the first when you create your character, the second through a quest and the third by opening a ticket to either complete a event, or a storyline provided by the team.

The classes are as follows.

Barbarian

Barbarians often hail from the lest civilized lands, where warfare is a constant battle for survival. Where they lack in dedicated training, they make up for in ferocity.

Cimmerians, peoples of the Black Kingdoms, Picts, Hyrkanians and Nordheimer are often barbarians due to their savage lifestyles.

Barbarian:

Gain the ability of Rage
Superb Reflex Defenses
Superb Fortitude Defenses
Strong Attack Bonuses

Borderer

Borderers are the scouts, and hunters who live in the outskirts of civilized lands, as well as among the barbarian tribes. They are skilled trackers, warriors and survivors. Once a Borderer is on your trail it is difficult to throw them off.

Borderers:

Superb Reflex Defense
Strong Ranged Attack Bonuses
Strong Stealth Abilities

Bonus to Skill Check: Nature

Noble

The leaders of the civilized lands, or even perhaps a more savage court that tries to be civilized. Nobles are masters of the spoken word, able to defeat their enemies through rhetoric alone.

Noble:

Superb Will Defense
Strong Ranged Attack Bonuses
Strong Stealth Abilities

Bonus to Skill Check: Nobility

Rogue

Thieves, pirates or assassin, you are an opportunist, looking to gain advantage wherever you can find it. A master of stealth and a blade between the ribs, you are not to be trifled with.

Rogue:

Superb Reflex Defense
Bonuses to Stealth
Sneak Attack Ability

Soldier

Professionally trained you are among the best of the best. Either a guard to a noble or king, a mercenary or somewhere inbetween. You know how to fight, and better yet, when you fight. A master of tactics and battle

Soldier:

Superb Reflex Defense
Bonuses to Attack
Bonuses to Armor Class

Sorcerer

A Stygian wizard, a Khitain magicker, a sorcerer from mount Yimsha, or even something else, you have the ability to delve into the greater universe and touch the power of the Outer Dark. Through study and communication with beings that most would call demons you can summon great power.

Sorcerer:

Superb Will Defense
Spells to harm, or aid you and others.

Magical Ability: Repulse

Stat Modifier: Magical Power

Priest of Mitra (Male Only)

A priest of the Hyborean God Mitra, you stand for the Mitraen Truth. You stand for order, and the spread of the one Mitraen truth to the world of man. As a Priest of Mitra, you are a servant to the cause of justice and to spreading the faith of Mitra.

Priest of Mitra:

Superb Will Defense
Bonuses to Heal

Magical Ability: Ward

Magical Ability: Repulse

Priest of Derketo (Female Only)

A priestess of the Goddess of death, and lust Derketo. You live to serve the lady, to to serve your own needs. Very little is beneath you in the pursuit of these goals. You can bring pleasure and pain equally with a touch, and your ability to inspire desire can lead to the death of others.

Priestess of Derketo:

Superb Will Defense
Bonuses to Seduction

Magical Ability: Pleasurable Touch

Magical Ability: Repulse

Priest of Set

A priest of the Great Serpent God Set, you live to a return of glory to the followers of this elder god. Human sacrifice, deceit, deception are all tools to accomplish this goal of secular, and spiritual power.

Priest of Set:

Superb Will Defense
Magical Ability: Wrack

Magical Ability: Repulse

Priest of Jhebbal Sag

A priest of Jhebbal Sag remembers the old ways, when man and beast spoke the same language and lived close to their insticts. A god of the savage places, Jhebbal Sag is the patron deity for the Picts and the Black Kingdoms.

Priest of Jhebbal Sag:

Superb Will Defense
Magical Ability: Curse

Magical Ability: Repulse
Special Language: Beast Language

Priest of Ishtar

Ishtar is the Shemite goddess of Love and War. She stands for freedom for women, and wisdom. She does this by providing sexual freedom to her followers. Priests of Ishtar give their bodies freely for such tasks.

Priest of Ishtar:

Superb Will Defense

Bonus to Seduction

Magical Ability: Mood Change

Magical Ability: Repulse

Priest of Yog

Yog is the Lord of Empty Abodes. He is a Shemite diety, who is widely worshiped in the Black Kingdoms, specifically by the Darfari. He is a harsh diety, and is known for his unending hunger, and is symbolized by the blazing heat of the desert sand.

Priest of Yog:

Superb Will Defense

Bonus to Intimidate

Magical Ability: Curse

Magical Ability: Repulse

Priest of Ymir (Female Only)

While Ymir is worshiped by Nordheimer, it is the Volva who delve into the magics of the great Frost Giant for the betterment of his people. While there are Male Priests, magic is considered unmanly, so those who wield magic are almost always women. The male priests, the Godi and Godar, are typically Nobles, as its a political role.

Priest of Ymir:

Superb Will Defense

Bonus to Seduction

Magical Ability: Curse

Magical Ability: Repulse

Priest of Zath

Zath is a Zamorian god of purity, he stands against the debauchery of his homeland, but ultimately seeks to spread his children (giant spiders) thoughout the world.

Priest of Zath:

Superb Will Defense

Bonus to Stealth

Magical Ability: Curse

Magical Ability: Repulse