Real life cultures and Domains

[Gemathustra]

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

Actually, no.
The Mafia were originally rebels who were trying to overthrow the Turkish and Arab overlords who ruled Sicily in the Middle Ages.

[Dion of the Fraternity]

Here's my take:
EUROPE
Barovia: Romania
Borca: A cross between Italy and the Czech Republic
Dementlieu: France
Demise: Greece
Falkovnia: I'm guessing a meld between Nazi Germany and Prussia
Forlorn: Scotland
Graben: The Barbary States
Hazlan: Byzantium
Invidia: A cross between Spain and Hungary
Kartakass: Denmark
Lamordia: A cross between Switzerland and Germany
Mordent: The English countryside
Nova Vaasa: Belgium
Richemulot: Rural France
Tepest: Ireland
Valachan: Reading GazIV has led me to believe it's a cross between Norway and pre-gold rush California

As far as I know, the rest of the Core domains are non-Euro-based.

THE REST
G'Henna: A cross between the Goths and a random Near-Eastern culture.
I'Cath: post-Han China
Har' Akir: Egypt
Odiare: Italy
Paridon: I'm guessing Manchester during the Industrial Revol'n.
Pharazia: Persia
Rokushima Taiyoo: Japan
Sebua: Ethiopia
Shadowborn Cluster: Sort of what happens if the Celts gained a medieval culture.
Souragne: Haiti
Sri Raji: India
Vorostokov: Siberia

[Scipio]

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

Actually, no.
The Mafia were originally rebels who were trying to overthrow the Turkish and Arab overlords who ruled Sicily in the Middle Ages.

*In Marlon Brando voice* Gentlemen, please, speaking as an Italian American let me jsut say that the "mafia" is a hurtful stereotype. And don't ever ask me about my business...

[Wiccy of the Fraternity]

Paridon: I'm guessing Manchester during the Industrial Revol'n.

If I remember the Kargatane site, it was based on a mix of London and Paris, which is hinted to in the name of the city.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

-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.

The only thing to point out there is that G'Henna is a corruption of Gehenna, the Hebrew word for hell. If I remember Circle of Darkness correctly, the climate was sort of desert-like. And the clergy of ancient Israel did have a huge sway over the populace, much like Yagno does. It's possible that it's a twisted representation of Israel, but that's obviously a touchy subject for some folks.

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

You left out part Medeval Wallachia (Modern Hungary)

D'oh! Correct. Hard to have Falkovnia without Vlad himself.

[Gemathustra]

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

Actually, no.
The Mafia were originally rebels who were trying to overthrow the Turkish and Arab overlords who ruled Sicily in the Middle Ages.

*In Marlon Brando voice* Gentlemen, please, speaking as an Italian American let me jsut say that the "mafia" is a hurtful stereotype. And don't ever ask me about my business...

Was I talking to you?
Was I talking to you?
It just really really burns my canolis to think that you think that I was talking to you!

-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.

The only thing to point out there is that G'Henna is a corruption of Gehenna, the Hebrew word for hell. If I remember Circle of Darkness correctly, the climate was sort of desert-like. And the clergy of ancient Israel did have a huge sway over the populace, much like Yagno does. It's possible that it's a twisted representation of Israel, but that's obviously a touchy subject for some folks.

Yoinked from wikipedia.com

"Gehenna is a word tracing to Greek, ultimately from Hebrew Gai-Ben-Hinnom meaning Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and is still called Gai Ben Hinnom in Modern Hebrew(גיא בן הינום), though this is sometimes shortened to Gai-Hinnom in rabbinical texts. An alternate way to translate this word is Gehinnom. Originally it referred to a garbage dump in a deep narrow valley right outside the walls of outside Jerusalem (in modern-day Israel) where fires were kept burning to consume the refuse and keep down the stench. It is also the location where bodies of executed criminals, or individuals denied a proper burial, would be dumped."

Somehow, that still seems to fit G'Henna.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

G'Henna is plain weird, but if I had to pin it down, I'd trace its "cultural" roots to the kind of pseudo-ancient kingdoms of priest/tyrants that Conan often ran into, i.e. ones where the rulers were sacrifice-happy loons, and the "gods" were either fakes concocted by charlatans or horrible demons just waiting for their faithful servants to conjure them. Sure, you *could* link it to the IRL Inquisition, but it's one heck of a stretch....

So if you want inspiration for G'Henna, either rent the first Conan movie (or its "Beastmaster" knock-off; it had similar villains IIRC), or check out stories like "Vathek" that put their own spin on the warped-priesthoods-of-demon-gods idea.

[Dominique]

While Hazlan is mostly Turkish, I always thought there were slight overtones of the Dutch Afrikaaners to it; the tiny minority of pale-skinned Mulan ruling over the majority of laboring, darker-skinned Rashemani. That could just be me reaching, but it's how I read it.

As for Falkovnia: Drakov is Adolf Stalin the Impaler.

[The_God_Brain]

Blaustein: The original Bluebeard was French, I think.

Yes. Sir Gilles De Rais was French, though he bears little resemblance ot the Blubeard of legend, or of Ravenloft. The real Bluebeard never harmed his wife, but victimized children. However, because of the legend the term "bluebeard" has become synonomous with serial murderers who killed their wives or women who were close to them. In truth, the real Gilles De Rais was such a vicious murderer that he'd make most of Ravenloft's darklords look like neighborhood bullies.

Otherwise, Blaustein was heavily influenced by France.

[Manofevil]

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

Actually, no.
The Mafia were originally rebels who were trying to overthrow the Turkish and Arab overlords who ruled Sicily in the Middle Ages.

*In Marlon Brando voice* Gentlemen, please, speaking as an Italian American let me jsut say that the "mafia" is a hurtful stereotype. And don't ever ask me about my business...

I stand corrected. I based this comment on the following passage I stumbled across on AOL's Homework Help Site:

Mafia is short for the Italian term Morte Alla Francaise Italiania Anella. Mafia was an anti-French Society, originating in Sicily and Italy during the 1860s. It was quite different from the organized crime syndicate of the same name, although there are similarities in how they achieved their goals. The original group was more of a terrorist /guerrilla outfit interested in liberating Italy from French control. The Mafia role in the United States is quite different.

As all can see, The date is far too recent to apply in the case of Bluebeard. I would, however like to know your source material, Gemathustra, and...
Don Scipio, I am honored and grateful that you have chosen to invite me to your home on the day of your daughter's wedding. On this day, I offer my eternal loyalty for your daughter's bridal purse and my prayers that her first child shall be a masculine child.

[Joël of the FoS]

Souragne is Haiti and Louisiana:

- the domain's swamp and the river boat = similar to the Louisiana. There are few swamps in Haiti and no riverboat.

- the population (local slang, attitude and culture/zombie/voodoo) = Haiti population mostly, or a reflection that some haitian were brought to Louisiana to work (by the French IIRC) and they brought with them the voodoo & stuff.

Joël

[Gemathustra]

As all can see, The date is far too recent to apply in the case of Bluebeard. I would, however like to know your source material, Gemathustra...

Here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia
They said that the original, Middle Age occupiers of Sicily were Spanish, not Turkish.

[Charney]

As all can see, The date is far too recent to apply in the case of Bluebeard. I would, however like to know your source material, Gemathustra...

Here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia
They said that the original, Middle Age occupiers of Sicily were Spanish, not Turkish.

Sicily was occupied by:
1-Sicules : original natives who first occupied the territory.
2-Greeks and Phenicians from Carthage who colonised the island around 800-600 BC
3-Romans took over during the first Punic war. Roman occupation lasted until the Muslim conquest around 750 AD
4-Normands (yes Vikings!) took over
5-French under Count Charles of Anjou (brother of Saint Louis) took the island around 1270.
6-Eventually the Spanish arrived and took the island which was part of Charles Quint's empire.
now for the rest I don't know until Sicily was united along the rest of Italy during the war for Italian unification in 1860.

[jamesravenwing]

While Hazlan is mostly Turkish, I always thought there were slight overtones of the Dutch Afrikaaners to it; the tiny minority of pale-skinned Mulan ruling over the majority of laboring, darker-skinned Rashemani. That could just be me reaching, but it's how I read it.

Firstly, it Afrikaaners not Dutch Afrikaaners.

Secondly, I think that there are many countries that had a lighter skinned minority ruling over a darker skinned majority. Just about any European colony would do it in fact. Pile on top of that the fact that the Mulan culture is about as far as you can get from Afrikaaner culture and you can see that South Africa is not the best description.

I would go with Turkey, personally.

[Shoon VII]

Pile on top of that the fact that the Mulan culture is about as far as you can get from Afrikaaner culture and you can see that South Africa is not the best description.

i dont think the comparison was meant literally, but conceptually (small ethnic minority dominating a larger majority).