Real life cultures and Domains

[Jester of the FoS]

Another big question I cooked up for the FAQ but didn't know enough to correctly answer.
What domains are based on real world places? And what languages relate to what real world languages?

Give me what you got and let the discussion begin!

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Alright, let's do the easy ones:

Mordent: English countryside
Dementlieu: Urban France
Richmulot: Rural France
Barovia: Transylvania (movie version)
Borca: Italy
Sri Raji: India
Har'akir: Egypt
Rokushima Taiyoo: Japan
I'Cath: China
Sourange: Louisiana
Tepest: Ireland
Forlorn: Scotland
Wildlands: Africa
Abber nomads: Native American
Paridon: part Paris, mostly London

Debatables:
Falkovnia: Part Hitler's Germany, part Stalin's Russia
Kartakass: I always thought kinda German, but the Vaasi language is kinda danish-ish, and I think Mangrum said he based the narrulve legends on Native American coyote lore.
Darkon: People always go back and forth on US/USSR on this one. The language is mostly latin, though.
Lamordia: German influence, but the language is... something scandinavian, I forget. Finnish, maybe?

Hard to pin down:
Invidia: I've heard both Spanish and Italian takes on it. Neither is a perfect fit.
Nova Vaasa: Kind of a hodge-podge. Closest directly visible influence is Tolkien's Rohan, which is itself slightly norse. Language is Danish, though. And there are the egyptian tombs plunked down in The Awakening, and the urban squalor/serial killer motif of London.

That should get us started.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Oops, forgot Odiare which is directly stated to be from Gothic Earth's Italy.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Alright, let's do the easy ones:

Mordent: English countryside
Dementlieu: Urban France
Richmulot: Rural France
Barovia: Transylvania (movie version)
Borca: Italy
Sri Raji: India
Har'akir: Egypt
Rokushima Taiyoo: Japan
I'Cath: China
Sourange: Louisiana
Tepest: Ireland
Forlorn: Scotland
Wildlands: Africa
Abber nomads: Native American
Paridon: part Paris, mostly London

Debatables:
Falkovnia: Part Hitler's Germany, part Stalin's Russia
Kartakass: I always thought kinda German, but the Vaasi language is kinda danish-ish, and I think Mangrum said he based the narrulve legends on Native American coyote lore.
Darkon: People always go back and forth on US/USSR on this one. The language is mostly latin, though.
Lamordia: German influence, but the language is... something scandinavian, I forget. Finnish, maybe?

Hard to pin down:
Invidia: I've heard both Spanish and Italian takes on it. Neither is a perfect fit.
Nova Vaasa: Kind of a hodge-podge. Closest directly visible influence is Tolkien's Rohan, which is itself slightly norse. Language is Danish, though. And there are the egyptian tombs plunked down in The Awakening, and the urban squalor/serial killer motif of London.

That should get us started.

Sebua is another Egyptian domain.
Saragoss is a take-off of the Bermuda Triangle and the Sargasso Sea (the latter of which is a real place ).
Pharazia is inspired by Middle Ages Arabia; so is Al-Kathos.
Some elements of the Nightmare Lands are based on the Australian Aborigine culture, and I've always thought the Abber were more like the Aborigines than American Indians (the name itself is suggestive).
The Shadowborn cluster is another one that's hard to place--maybe Arthurian England?

Hazlan is another one that's almost impossible to place; the language is Danish-based, but that's about it. Same for Valachan.

[Gemathustra]

Lamordia is based off of Switzerland, as Lamordian, at least in the Gaz #2, is based off of the Swiss dialect of the German language.
Actually, Souragne is more based off of Haiti, than Louisiana.
I remember reading one of the author's notes that Valachan is loosely based off of the Haida Indians, of the Pacific Northwest.
Kartakass always struck me as being German, particularly Bavaria or the Black Forest regions.
Hazlan makes me think of Turkey, if they spoke Dutch...

[Jasper]

"Hazlan is another one that's almost impossible to place; the language is Danish-based, but that's about it. Same for Valachan."


Hazlan is a Turkish/Hindi blend with mostly Turkish landscape and a Indian/Hindi caste based mindset.

Valachan seems almost like the early 1800's Congo area. New white explorers influance causing a strange blend of African folk lore and Europian sociaty.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Lamordia is based off of Switzerland, as Lamordian, at least in the Gaz #2, is based off of the Swiss dialect of the German language.

Right! I knew, I was confusing the language there. And the Alps map to the Sleeping Beast pretty well. As well as the reputation for precision clockworks and crafts, and the relatively neutral attitude toward Falkovnia.

Actually, Souragne is more based off of Haiti, than Louisiana.

My American bias showing. When I think Voodoo, I think New Orleans, but Haiti is probably more accurate.

Hazlan makes me think of Turkey, if they spoke Dutch...

Me too, perhaps due to it's location compared to the rest of Europe/The Core, and it's sort of exotic feel compared to the other domains. Plus, there's Opium, which Turkey is known for as well.

I could definately see the Abbers as Aborigine as well, again maybe my American bias creeping in there in labeling them native american, but I think the Dreamcatcher is a native american thing.

There's so little info on the Shadowborn cluster, it's tough to label it. I've seen people say Elena's Inquisition is similar to the Spanish one, but it jsut feels like a pretty generic fantasy setting to me. In the Shadowborn novel, the enemy of the Circle to the south is ruled by a Caliph, which would put it somewhere middle-eastern. But that's the enemy's land, not the Shadowborn lands themselves.

[Bluebomber4evr]

Pharazia always seemed to be more based off of pre-Islam Persia to me. Diamabel's curse, being both angelic and demonic, seems to play off of Zoroastrianism's twin deities of light and darkness, Ahura-Mazda and Ahriman.

Quick note about Hazlan: keep in mind that Hazlik is from Thay, and in the Forgotten Realms, Thay was founded by wizards from Mulhorand, which is Egyptian-based. Many Mulan ethnic names sound like ancient Egyptian names, like "Ephet-Kui" and such.

I agree that Souragne seems to be based off of Colonial-Era Louisiana...the swamps and bayous, and especially Larissa's boat scream "Louisiana" to me.

Darkon seems to have been loosely based off of the Great Kingdom, which was Azalin's homeland in the Greyhawk setting. The Great Kingdom itself was loosely based off of both the Roman Empire of ancient times and the Holy Roman Empire of the middle ages.

[Bluebomber4evr]

The Abber Nomads, as depicted in official artwork, resemble Native Americans. Their dreamcathers are also directly inspired by the dreamcatcher devices used by many Native American tribes. Their living tattoos also seem to be derived from figures in Native American folklore.

The Swiss setting for Lamordia makes sense, as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is set predominantly in Switzerland.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

took a quick look through the domain list looking for any we'd missed...

The Shadow Rift: Primariliy Celtic fairytales (although I caught some Brothers Grimm fairytales creeping in ,in Gaz V)

L'ile de la Tempete: Has a french name, but I don't remember enough about it to say more.

Markovia: Well, Dr. Moreau's island was somewhere tropical in the pacific, I think...

Demise: I wanna say greek, just for the Labyrinth and the Medusa.

Blaustein: The original Bluebeard was French, I think.

I think I remember Verbrek getting some country's flavor in Gaz IV, but I don't remember which.

Sanguinia: has Romanian sort of names, right?

Vorostokov: is supposed to be Russian, but we had a real Russian saying that it was a poor fit on one of the boards recently, I forget who and where.

Tough to say: Sithicus, Keening, Ghastria, Dominia, Liffe, Vechor, G'Henna, Bluetspur, Daglan, Farelle, Nosos.

[Nathan of the FoS]

took a quick look through the domain list looking for any we'd missed...

The Shadow Rift: Primariliy Celtic fairytales (although I caught some Brothers Grimm fairytales creeping in ,in Gaz V)

L'ile de la Tempete: Has a french name, but I don't remember enough about it to say more.

Markovia: Well, Dr. Moreau's island was somewhere tropical in the pacific, I think...

Demise: I wanna say greek, just for the Labyrinth and the Medusa.

Blaustein: The original Bluebeard was French, I think.

I think I remember Verbrek getting some country's flavor in Gaz IV, but I don't remember which.

Sanguinia: has Romanian sort of names, right?

Vorostokov: is supposed to be Russian, but we had a real Russian saying that it was a poor fit on one of the boards recently, I forget who and where.

Tough to say: Sithicus, Keening, Ghastria, Dominia, Liffe, Vechor, G'Henna, Bluetspur, Daglan, Farelle, Nosos.

Actually, Igor the Henchman said that Vorostokov evoked medieval Russia rather well; he REALLY didn't like the Darkon-Russia comparison, though.

The Isle of the Ravens was inspired by the Fritz Lieber story about the Birds of Tyaa, (that's what Steve Miller says) and also, (I infer) on the myth of Circe. I used those sources, plus Shakespeare's The Tempest and Mervyn Peak's Gormenghast trilogy, for inspiration when I wrote up the article in the Book of Sacrifices.

I think Nosus was inspired by the early Industrial Era cities of northern England; so was Paridon (Paris/London), obviously.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Pharazia always seemed to be more based off of pre-Islam Persia to me. Diamabel's curse, being both angelic and demonic, seems to play off of Zoroastrianism's twin deities of light and darkness, Ahura-Mazda and Ahriman.

Aha! Good call.

[Desmond LaRouche]

I always thought it interesting that, if translated, Azalin's new (full) name would basically make him "King Azalin King." A bit of a joke, there?

[Bluebomber4evr]

L'ile de la Tempete: Has a french name, but I don't remember enough about it to say more.

The darklord, Captain Monnette, is a werebat and the only inhabitant. The captain and his island have obviously French names, but as for culture...well, that's kind of difficult to base off of a population of 1, don't you think?

Markovia: Well, Dr. Moreau's island was somewhere tropical in the pacific, I think...

Hmm, I think this is one of those cases where a domain was trying to imitate a film/book rather than a particular culture.

Demise: I wanna say greek, just for the Labyrinth and the Medusa.

Agreed.

Blaustein: The original Bluebeard was French, I think.

True...although "Blaustein" sounds more like German. The domain probably is one of those "mixed bags" like Darkon.

Tough to say: Sithicus, Keening, Ghastria, Dominia, Liffe, Vechor, G'Henna, Bluetspur, Daglan, Farelle, Nosos.

Well, let's see:

-Sithicus was a twisted version of the Silvanesti homeland on Krynn, so it really isn't based off of a real-world culture much.

-Keening I include with the Shadow Rift, as Tristessa was Arak and banshees are from Irish folklore.

-Ghastria is obviously based on Oscar Wilde's The Portrait of Dorian Gray, and seems to have Italian-sounding names...so maybe Italian? Then again the towns have English names (East Riding). So I guess it could be English, too.

-Dominia is more of a theme domain (an asylum) with no particular culture as a basis.

-Liffe. Hard to say on this one. Most of the details for this domain come from several of the mini-adventures in The Book of Crypts. I couldn't discern any particular culture other than a sort of "generic" Western European type of society prevalent in most D&D gameworlds. Maybe Steve Miller or Mangrum would know?

-Vechor: this, ever since Domains of Dread has seemed to me based on the Roman Empire. It's got a Classical culture, it has latin names for everything, and, to top it all off, Easan seems very similar to Nero in many ways...a mad emperor whose decrees change on a whim.

-G'Henna: I was never able to figure out if this was based off of any particular culture. I really don't know on this one.

-Bluetspur is obviously a theme domain, one ruled by mind flayers. The Thaani who once inhabited the surface, now living in Barovia, don't seem to correspond to any real-world cultures that I can recognize.

-Daglan wasn't around for very long anyways....in my campaign it only existed for less than a day! I don't know if it was supposed to be based on any real-world cultures or not, but it certainly doesn't seem like it.

-Farelle: Officially, this domain was never developed much beyond "the darklord's a jackalwere, and there's jackals here." Which is probably why it dissappeared after the Grand Conjunction. I know there was an unofficial update in one of the Books of S_, but I didn't pick up any particular cultural influence there, either.

-And for Nosos, this one appears to be another themed domain, where an industrial revolution has occurred to deliberately pollute the environment. Nosos could technically be any city in Europe or even North America during the industrial revolution.

[Manofevil]

Falkovnia: Part Hitler's Germany, part Stalin's Russia

You left out part Medeval Wallachia (Modern Hungary)
Culturally of course
Also the time period Bluebeard comes from had France dominating Italy, in fact, the Mafia was originally an anti-french italian rebel organization so medeval Italian influences can also be used