Cultures

Written By SulfuricAcid

Cultures of the Delta and surrounding areas are available to place a character more specifically into the world, as some are insular places that hold a solitary nation state while others are nomads or even wide reaching imperial remnants. Each one provides a small amount of insight to a character along with a pair of Proficiencies that can be utilized to exhibit your Character’s personality and origin

Cultural Traits

  • Origin - The people who established this culture and represent the Majority

    • Migration - The peoples from far to the South who have slowly encroached northward, the most Prominent of which is Quinnan (the remnants of the old Dwarven Empire)

    • Goblinoid - The indigenous peoples from the lands to the North who have slowly been fighting off the Migratory peoples

    • Hromarshii - The peoples from the harshly isolated desert and mountain chain in the southern delta are known for their own way of life

    • Draconic - The oldest group, represented in the wider world by their Draconic Heritage, including the Green Drake Arizzian and the Void Drake of Unlife

    • Oceanic - This extremely sparse group makes up the largest part of the North and regularly emerge from their underwater homes to enjoy life on land

  • Alignment - Represents how strong a centralized Administration and Laws dictate the daily life of their People

    • Chaotic - These forces have small effects on daily life, tradition is stronger a motivator than written law

    • Lawful - These forces are ever present and are encouraged by tradition

  • Religion - What the Majority Group believes in, organized by the peoples whom originally preached it

    • Migration Religions

      • Old Gods - The migration races held many Divines (16) in their realm of worship when they first arrived, and though different types have arisen most accept the worship of any from this group

      • Golden Worship - The first evolution of the migration worship occurred in the first great Migration State as it transformed into the Golden Empire, reducing the legal worship of Divines to 8

      • Platinum Worship - The most recent evolution has occurred within Sembasa, a type of Henotheism which preaches the supremacy of the platinum goddess Arantil above the 8. They do not restrict the worship of the other 7 but all churches must have the main shrine dedicated to Arantil

    • Goblinoid Religions

      • Ancestor - The belief that spirits linger after death until they reincarnate is a common belief for some cultures, with their practitioners’ focus on venerating old grounds and histories

      • Primordial - Within the Delta some very old cultures have kept the practices of Natural Magics alive, their belief system directly related to the worship of the land

      • Star Worship - Hailing from the sea peoples which populate the lush seas north of the continent this worship focuses on the power the stars and constellations have on the world around them

      • Sun Worship - This monotheistic version of Star-Worship is the evolution that some goblinoid cultures along the east coast had taken into account, with their belief being that all Stars are just the children of the great star in the sky which warms the planet, worthy of respect but absolutely not of worship

      • Triad Worship - From south of the Delta there are groups whose traditions follow the rotations of 3 celestial bodies and how they influence events

    • Draconic Religions

      • Drakoram - This alternate religion is brought on by the powerful control of the 5 Great Drakes who speak of an elder time only they know of about a great Dragon named Drake (the title of which being where their titles come from) who stopped the onset of Giants many centuries past

  • Type - The Cultures of the Delta are broken down into 7 Types, each representing the strongest habit within the Culture

    • Bureaucratic - Efficient, Lawful, but obtuse and slow to change - +1 Intelligence

    • Ceremonious - Form over Function, Lawful, honor and prestige - +1 Dexterity

    • Communal - Form tightly knit groups based on preconceived notions - +1 to any Attribute Score 

    • Egalitarian - Places emphasis on integration and common duty - +1 Constitution

    • Spiritual - Puts more value in faith than politics and power - +1 Wisdom

    • Stoic - Resistant to change externally and internally, timeless, live in the present - +1 Constitution

    • War Society - Society demands action and mastery of personal arms - +1 Strength

  • Tradition - This separates out the Different Cultures into their own version of the Type above, with some preferring Martial Traditions while others are Socially motivated even in a War Society

    • Social Traditions

      • Artisan Class - Proficiency with: Commerce and any Artisan Tool (your choice)

      • Bureaucratic Organization - Proficiency with: Investigation and Society (Advantage on Society Rolls of your own Culture)

      • Charitable - Proficiency with: Insight and Persuasion

      • Enlightened Philosophers - Proficiency with: History and Society (Advantage on Society Rolls of your own Culture)

      • Far-Reaching Politics - Proficiency with: Persuasion and any 2 other Common Languages (your choice)

      • Mercantile - Expertise with: Commerce (You can utilize your choice of your Charisma or Intelligence Modifiers with this Skill)\

      • Martial Administration - Proficiency with: A Martial Weapon Type (Axes/Hammers/Swords/Polearms/Ranged) of your choice and Warfare

      • Ocean Supremacy - Proficiency with: Sailing and Navigator’s Tools

      • Religious - Expertise with: Religion

      • Storytellers - Proficiency with: History, Religion, or Society (2 of your choice)

      • Torturers - Expertise with: Intimidation

      • Vengeful - Proficiency with: Simple Weapons and Intimidation

      • Welcoming - Proficiency with: Persuasion and Society

      • Slavers - Proficiency with: Athletics and Improvised Weapons (You have Advantage on Grappling when utilizing Athletics and wielding a Trap Item (such as a net, rope, or manacles)

    • Warfare Traditions

      • Desert Fighter - Proficiency with: Survival and Stealth (ADV on both when in Desert Terrain)

      • Forest Hunters - Proficiency with: Simple and Martial Bows and Survival (ADV in Forested Terrain)

      • Formation Fighters - Proficiency with: Simple and Martial Polearms, and Light Armor (You have Advantage on all Weapon Attacks with Polearms when fighting in a Formation)

      • Guardian Shieldmen - Proficiency with: Bucklers, Shields, Light Armor, and Medium Armor

      • Saddleborn - Proficiency with: Animal Handling and Riding

      • Sea Raiders - Proficiency with: A Martial Weapon Type (Axes/Hammers/Swords/Polearms/Ranged) of your choice and Sailing or Warfare

      • Skirmishing Experts - Proficiency with: Darts, Javelin, Sling (All are Finesse Weapons for you and you increase their Ranges by 10m)

      • Mercenary Travelers - Proficiency with: A Martial Weapon Type (Axes/Hammers/Swords/Polearms/Ranged) of your choice and Commerce

      • Mountain Infantry - Proficiency with: Constitution Saving Throws

      • War Priests - Proficiency with: Martial Hammers, Shields, and Religion or Society

      • Warrior Landholders - Proficiency with: Choose 2 between (Shields, Martial Swords, Light Armor, and Medium Armor) and Warfare

    • Niche Traditions

      • Bird Riders - Gain Proficiency with Animal Handling and Riding when Mounted on Windalian Greatbirds

      • Coastal Agriculturalist - Gain Proficiency with Nature and Sailing

      • Desert Caravanners - Gain Proficiency with Commerce and Expertise with Survival (when in Desert Conditions)

      • Mystic Smiths - Gain Expertise with Jotun Tools

Cultures by Region

Central Deltian Cultures -  Making up the main populations these cultures are almost completely agriculturalist, with the strong exception of the Taijik

  • Bediri - This strict group once dominated the region but has until recently been forced to remain within their mountains. Other groups constantly try to overtake their control but with their strict stratification of society they demand an elite group of spear-wielding warriors from each tribe be present for combat. This group strikes fear into its enemies and demands respect from its allies, their spear formation shredding Goblins and Humans alike

    • Origin: Goblinoid 

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Ancestor

    • Type: Stoic

    • Tradition: Formation Fighters

  • Hazzikite - Once the exterior members of the Dwarven Empire this culture developed from the counterculture within the old empire, growing to appreciate the wilderness and especially the equestrian pleasures of riding outside their cities. Still beholden to legalistic views on society this group seeks to assert themselves on the world stage and no longer play second to the Empire

    • Origin: Migration

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Bureaucratic 

    • Tradition: Saddleborn

  • Quinnan - This culture is the dominant one in Demovia, with its practitioners having lived in the areas controlled by the now defunct Dwarven Empire under the still newborn Imperium Nueva. They regularly interact with others as the prestige culture of the continent but their legalistic processes are found to be confusing and off-putting for any who try to integrate

    • Origin: Migration

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Bureaucratic

    • Tradition: Far-Reaching Politics

  • Ralilaush - Once the people controlled the whole region but now they must fight with their neighbors around the peninsula to stop their encroachment. They utilize their ability to strike quickly and disappear into forests to great effect and have yet to be conquered by any people. Now they stand adamant against the forces of the world and have begun their slow climb back to dominance

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Ancestral

    • Type: Stoic

    • Tradition: Skirmishing Experts

  • Sputch - This group of people once ruled the eastern coasts of the whole continent but their decline has resulted in them being conquered the throwing off their conquerors multiple times in the last few generations. They have developed into a militaristic society which centers around a chieftain whose sole task is to form war bands to strike out against their enemies. Their unique insight into the relationship between ancestral worship and the guidance of the stars has created a place of learning which could flourish only after their enemies are defeated

    • Origin: Goblinoid 

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Star Worship + Ancestral

    • Type: Communal

    • Tradition: Martial Administration

  • Taijik - The people of the plains under the desert were forced to become a society of warriors through conflict of arms against the old Dwarven Empire. Now they sit in their saddles and raise constant combat against the migration states, the desert tribes, and the mountain bandits which charge down into their lands to acquire its bounty. They believe only through force of arms will their culture remain

    • Origin: Goblinoid 

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Ancestor

    • Type: War Society

    • Tradition: Saddleborn

  • Vaulishi - Within the second peninsula this culture of goblinoids was incorporated briefly but effectively into the Dwarven Empire. After it fell soon after they developed into a new society with strict adherence to martial control of properties under the regimented rules of their Barons. Underneath that however a society of equality persists amongst the lower classes which forms their collectivist consciousness

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Egalitarian

    • Tradition: Warrior Landholders

  • Zentu - While the Taijik believe in their horses and the Haziks believe in their government the Zentu stand strong amongst the warrior which rule their society. This strictly regimented group of warriors maintains strength through arms and even though they have been on the losing end of wars recently they believe any moment soon could be the one in which they return to their long awaited glorious revolution

    • Origin: Goblinoid 

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Ancestor

    • Type: War Society

    • Tradition: Martial Administration

Southern Deltian Cultures - This group belonging to the most southern tip of the Delta are all influenced by the fog-ridden dunes of the Hromarsh and its windswept mountains the mark its edge

  • Aerinivichi - This culture has slowly been fading in the last decades, the members of which have formed equitable bands of people who offer their services to the highest bidder. They are seen throughout the region and are seen as excellent members of an army wherever they go and their societal preference for men of arms has lead to many not returning from their journeys, whether due to better economic opportunities elsewhere or the ceasing of their ability to fight depends on the man

    • Origin: Migration

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: War Society

    • Tradition: Mercenary Travelers

  • Coris - This wide reaching section on the tip of the peninsula is dominated by a grand society of people who seek connection and trade. They are mostly known for their great city of Peninsuluma but otherwise are made of quiet farmers keeping to themselves. People from here are regularly creating new monasteries and places of worship for those in their society to enjoy

    • Origin: Migration

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Egalitarian

    • Tradition: Welcoming

  • Hromarshii - The great desert of the Hromarsh is a mixture of dry air washing over the western mountains and the deep fog from the coastlines. This has created an extremely isolated society of tribes which rarely come together into federations but otherwise move through this extremely hostile environment with ease

    • Origin: Hromarshii

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Sun

    • Type: Communal

    • Tradition: Desert Caravanners

  • Jey - The center of the Arile city states, this political center treats all others as equals in the realm of geo-politics. This group is known for their strength of personality and magical ability to bring enemies to the table without an issue and to stand as the pillar of their new-age politics while other groups are still forming confederations of loose tribal networks

    • Origin: Migration

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Stoic 

    • Tradition: Far-Reaching Politics

  • Lowlaibic - This culture descends from the greater ones from its history where the ancient stories are kept. They are known for magical ways of retelling the tales of old and for holding elaborate performances on stage where each of the important peoples who have affected the region play prominent roles. Few groups have a negative opinion of these stories but almost everyone knows them

    • Origin: Migration

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Ceremonious

    • Tradition: Storytellers

Northern Deltian Cultures - This group of cultures is extremely varied and inhabits the widest areas but with low population density

  • Ariziian - The last of the Great Drakes which all Dragonborn worship as their divines this green dragon demands absolute control over the surrounding regions and even more so within their underwater temple underneath the Greenscale Lake. They command their minions to strike out to the desert on one side and to the undead on the other. This strict society demands subservience and only grants those of devout faith and militaristic utility the ability to rise above their peers

    • Origin: Draconic

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Drakoram

    • Type: Ceremonious

    • Tradition: Warrior Landholders

  • Ay’malute - Far to the north of the civilized societies there lies the Bakunavi Sea, which separates this culture from the rest. As an Oceanic culture they adhere strictly to the worship of the stars and give to all of those in need, though this nature had them deemed as naive fools to the society which has been Consumed by the cataclysm. Now they seek a simple life with little interference and even less conflict so they may attain enlightenment in peace

    • Origin: Oceanic

    • Alignment: Lawful Good

    • Religion: Star Worship

    • Type: Spiritual

    • Tradition: Charitable

  • Balnirz - The central and largest of the great wastes cultures this group holds the original source of sun worship, their influence being felt through their constant trade. This group of elite explorers regularly move across the wastes and are known for making all the supplies arrive at the right time regardless of season, dangers, or time

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Sun Worship

    • Type: Communal

    • Tradition: Desert Caravanners

  • Hanrin - Only the elite become warriors in this communal set of tribes, their small amounts of lumber being utilized to make expertly crafted shields with which they form units of elite defenders. They are known for keeping their allies close and the loose confederations that form into warbands of excellent infantry

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Sun Worship

    • Type: Communal

    • Tradition: Mercantile

  • Korent - This group of long since deceased traditionalist worship persists amongst the fear and violence of the overwhelming undead from their north by their adherence to the power of their communes. They seek guidance from their primordial divines and through their power have managed to fend off their attackers, though it’s not long before they are pushed back too

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Primordial

    • Type: Communal

    • Tradition: Religious

  • Qauri - This defeated society is slowly being destroyed as the dragonborn to the east and the undead to the north destroy their sanctums. With great trepidations this storytelling is being dispersed to the societies around them, their kind nature being taken down where it isn’t being exploited. However, to the groups far away the Qauri groups which arrive are generally treated with great respect and reverence for the knowledge which the held

    • Origin: Goblinoid 

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Ancestor

    • Type: Egalitarian

    • Tradition: Storytellers

  • Sealandric - North of the continent there lies a deep plain under the waves where societies make their home. However, this once fertile plain became rife with famine and the people there fled towards the coasts of the nearest continent for safety. Now these aquan people reach out to the land-dwellers in a diplomatic and endearing way. Few count this group as enemies and fewer still can say they had a conflict with them, but while they expand in influence they do not grow in power

    • Origin: Oceanic

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Star-Worship

    • Type: Egalitarian

    • Tradition: Far-Reaching Politics

  • Slathi - The members of this culture have been shaped by and shaping the powerful states around them, their elite warriors having taken up the newly arising desire for conquest within the dunes. The tribes of Bugbears which live here are seen in bright colored garments except when they embark on the night raids of brutal reputation

    • Origin: Goblinoid - Bugbears

    • Alignment: Neutral Evil

    • Religion:  Sun Worship

    • Type: War Society

    • Tradition: Desert Fighters

  • Tei’teran - a traditionalist society with strong roots in the tribes and confederation of tribes which live throughout these plains, this group adheres to the tradition of placing children upon the hill ponies at a young age and demanding excellence from them. Few children do not know how to string a bow and ride a horse and fewer yet haven’t killed a person whom they were raiding. This group is constantly roaming and few can distinguish between the myriad tribes of this region except by their own admission

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Ancestral

    • Type: Communal

    • Tradition: Saddleborn

  • Vagrun - Of the great waste tribes this group has grown the most independent of the others, being slowly influenced by its draconic and aquan neighbors. They regularly move both into the northernmost cool climates and deep into the southern dunes to trade stories with their neighbors, known for communicating the wisdom of the Stars and the stories lost by many other groups

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: True Neutral

    • Religion: Star Worship

    • Type: Stoic

    • Tradition: Storytellers

  • Voidling - Where once a great society had risen now the fallen Drake now just known as “Void” has become a Drocolich and controls the world around it absolutely. Any which fall within this society are turned to its undead servants or are enslaved to do Void’s wishes. All settled societies fear the day that the lethargic creature turns its gaze outward and stops demanding worship, and instead begins to demand blood

    • Origin: Draconic

    • Alignment: Neutral Evil

    • Religion: Drakoram

    • Type: Ceremonious

    • Tradition: Slavers

Island Cultures - Those to the East and of the central sea which is influenced mainly by the Commonwealth and its colonialist attitudes

  • Brahliga - Undaunted, driven, and noble, the Brahliga are Goblinoids who have resided in the far southern mountains of Ibn Zebijiil as far as the memory of their ancestors stretches. When raiders approach and armies clash, they flock to secret hides in the hills, larders stocked to capacity, and bide their time while troubles come and go. Their mighty mountain forts in the great cliff sides have remained unassailable for millenia. When not troubled, they are a hospitable and friendly folk who value and honor Guest Rights and the Gods

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Chaotic Good

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: War Society

    • Tradition: Mountain Infantry

  • Palugi - A Dragonstate without a Dragon to lead them, forced thousands of kilometers away from home, the Palugi people have recreated the strict realities of Dragonstate life and imposed it on the non-draconic masses below them whom they send out to populate their colonies. A state of second class citizens ruled by Dragonborn masters intent on never being brought low again have consolidated strength in a region with few competitors, and with no threats besides the tribal Oceanic peoples to the north their region is secure, they hail their almighty sails with every sunrise

    • Origin: Draconic

    • Alignment: Neutral Good

    • Religion: Star Worship + Drakoram 

    • Type: Bureaucratic 

    • Tradition: Ocean Supremacy

  • Proicarian - An occupied folk, forced to band together in the coastal plains and crags they called home for generations. Aggressively xenophobic, these goblinoids hold to tight knit Clans who survive by raiding vulnerable villages and hamlets for resources before vanishing into the night. Their Great Moot of Dusk is where the Clans gather to discuss business every two years, its location is a closely guarded secret, and its views of the sunset on the coast is legendary

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Ancestor

    • Type: Communal

    • Tradition: Skirmishing Experts

  • Tempestua - Hark and cling to the rocks of Western Ibn Zebijill, where warm coastal waters and cold sea currents mix to batter the works and bodies of men. The stolid Tempestua folk once claimed this place for their own in veneration for the god that protected them on the long voyage North through the perils and violence that sought to eliminate them. Here, mighty Fortress Monasteries are raised from the very cliffs by the Militant Friars of Tempest, funded by the regional leaders who depend on their abilities and connection with Tempest to protect the area from Palugian colonial ambitions

    • Origin: Migration

    • Alignment: Neutral Good

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Stoic

    • Tradition: War Priests

Alko Cultures - This western island is primarily occupied by the Aklopeluko Confederation (who of course named it after themselves) but other important groups stem from this region as well

  • Aklopelukan - This group is said to be the most influential of the migration cultures that didn’t stem from the empire. They settled within their secluded mountains at the head of Alo’s River. They built and maintained their center along this river and rejected the knowledge of the Golden Worship in exchange for the advances of the philosophy which influenced their worldview. However, recently there have been strange phenomena within this culture that people say are expanding their minds, changing them…

    • Origin: Migration

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Egalitarian

    • Tradition: Enlightened Philosophers

  • Ediguj - The Ediguj are arranged into a collection of fiefs which they call Domains, and hold onto relentlessly. The Ediguj have thus far failed to develop larger vassal systems because of a reluctance to cooperate or treat with one another on less than equal terms, meaning that each can be snuffed out with only general upset from the neighbors. All the same, each Baronet organizes his own levy, conducts his own trade, and upholds his own laws. The territory of the Ediguj has been shrinking, but external pressures will rapidly force them to make a stronger central authority or simply vanish

    • Origin: Goblinoid 

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Communal

    • Tradition: Religious 

  • Jaulsh - The eternal kicking bag of the Alko region, the Jaulsh are considered closely tied to their neighbors the Jaurk and generally derided by everyone else. They are a people who are interested in the accumulation of wealth but lack the cultural strength to maintain or protect that wealth. To that end they frequently import mercenaries of varying quality but merely prolong their fading regional merchant status to pirate attacks and Alko encroachment

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Primordial

    • Type: Egalitarian

    • Tradition: Mercantile

  • Jaurk - Loners and resistant to the tides of regional politics, though closely tied to their neighbors the Jaulsh, the Jaurk are kin to the rock and stone, and trace their origins to The Crater. There, daring smiths obtain primordial fragments of some ancient cataclysm to forge ancestral torcs to carry through the generations. It is said these torcs are infused with cosmic power, and the mightiest warriors are covered with dozens of these bands to fight with the fury of millenia. Otherwise, they are a people who eke out an existence in rocky soil, and pay little attention to the greater world around them

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Primordial

    • Type: Stoic

    • Tradition: Majestic Smiths

  • Perdisan - An unassuming place on the island’s North, where the days are mild, the weather fair, and the people friendly. Perdisans are gentle folk, more interested in tending to their crops and maintaining their family shrines than fighting or adventuring. They tend to build simple villages with extensive networks of underground larders and root cellars, and their harvest and solstice festivals are places of great merry-making and joy. They are, as a people, totally unsuited to greater conflict and thus have generally suffered at the hands of others. In this, like many other things, they merely grit their teeth and pray for change

    • Origin: Goblinoid 

    • Alignment: Neutral

    • Religion: Ancestor

    • Type: Spiritualist

    • Tradition: Welcoming

North-Eastern Demovian Cultures - This region just past the northern edge of Demovia is known primarily for the current which carries water northward and which allows for many ships to flourish travelling towards the Delta

  • Iharrisan - Archetypal raiders by necessity, their people have become increasingly predatory towards neighbors over the years, frequently getting into bush wars with unlike cultures. Their primary population centers are coastal and they relied primarily on interdicting maritime trade through the Dalbobeda straits until Rochellian naval strength forced them to rely on terrestrial plunder. To this day they are fading as a people, increasingly hemmed in by other, more organized, cultures

    • Origin: Goblinoid 

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Ancestor

    • Type: War Society 

    • Tradition: Sea Raiders

  • Kepcho - Nomadic raiders who are archetypal in their barbarity, and are often used as tools in Migration dogma against Goblinoid populations. Always a militant people, the arrival of the Migration people brought them into a xenocidal fury. They readily feed on dead Migration peoples, keeping them as beasts for slaughter instead of slaves, and use their bones and skin for armor and hide. They are, however, a dying breed, their own hatred resulting in vicious battalion-scale

    • Origin: Goblinoid 

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Ancestor

    • Type: War Society 

    • Tradition: Torturers

  • Kjat - A proud people, steeped in tradition, who have flourished in the years of trial and change. Their leaders rule from ziggurat complexes, though their festivals, ceremonies, and worship practices are actually just one more calculated expression of the state. Though the rulers profess faith and tradition, they are in reality dangerously cutthroat and devious, using fertile land and rich history to conduct slow and inexorable campaigns of social and legal domination over their neighbors. A Kjat noble would spend his entire life undermining his enemy, knowing he would never see the outcome, so that his scion may rule that land without drawing blood

    • Origin: Goblinoid 

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Ceremonious 

    • Tradition: Mercantile

  • Qa’ati - n unassuming people, they have generally passed through history, and will pass yet, as a distinct group of folk in a chaotic world. They have been in communion with the sea for a very long time, and their finest craftsmen build things from and on the sea. They are known for constructing triangle-rigged cutters, for working beautiful scrimshaw on the bones of the Rakklions of the coast, and for harvesting rich and colorful dyes from the shellfish beneath the waves. They are care-free and equitable people, not suited for grander politics, and easily overcome in the tides of realpolitik

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Ancestors

    • Type: Egalitarian

    • Tradition: Artisan Class

  • Rochellian - Bold, brash, and fabulously wealthy are just a few words to describe the Rochellians. You could also say that their entire people are a economic enterprise built on a carefully predicted social order, with the upper echelons of trusted administrators and foremen acting in the interest of their Fiefdom back home, while shipping in thousands of Migration peoples to subjugate, exploit, and administrate ever growing colonies of mercantile interests. Supported by the massive shipyards in the homeland, they have almost single handedly reduced pirate activities in the eastern coast since their arrival

    • Origin: Migration

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Golden Worship

    • Type: Bureaucratic

    • Tradition: Ocean Supremacy

Northern Demovian Cultures - This area is actually the northernmost region of the great continent Demovia and is encompassed by the great sea and deserts to the South, its true beginnings laying within the greatest forest in the world which stretches along the Equator

  • Ancalupish - Simply meeting an Ancalupish nomad is a rarity, for they are a people totally uninvolved in the affairs of this life. They are completely nomadic, following paths through the deep desert to find oasis and watering holes that have existed longer than the dunes they walk. Their people live in service to a greater calling, the raising of Wise Men who are blessed with understanding of the Stars and receive whispers and visions from those divine lights. These they send into the unfathomable and infinite depths of sand, hoping that one might return as a Chosen, blessed by the Stars with insight and prescient awareness. The vast, vast, majority, do not

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Star Worship

    • Type: Ceremonious

    • Tradition: Religious

  • Darasel - There are many groups living between the wide rainforests of the Purahtan and the ocean, but the Darasel are known for their elite tribes of warriors which patrol their lands and sling stones and javelins with ease. They regularly clash with the more settled City States and Confederations around them who wish to conquer the lush valleys of the region. This culture exhibits a strong independent streak and it doesn’t look like they will give up any time soon

    • Origin: Goblinoid 

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Ancestor

    • Type: War Society

    • Tradition: Skirmishing Experts

  • Ebu - This once elite empire of culture has long since lost its luster and is forced to combat that regularly. They maintain control of multiple important points from within their inner sea but they no longer control it like days of old. However, their intelligence and egalitarian ability to incorporate forsaken groups allows them to staff an elite navy with state of the art naval technology and their shipbuilders are like none other

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Neutral Good

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Egalitarian

    • Tradition: Ocean Supremacy

  • Kafiji - Along the western coast this culture has grown out of the Labaliga and Aklopelukan groups, but reject the centralization tenets that dominate them. They focus on their agriculture and maintain the prestigious ceremonies of the other civilizations but relegate their administration to more local leaders. They are known for growing special healthy types of crops and regularly trade with all types of cultures

    • Origin: Migration

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Ceremonious

    • Tradition: Coastal Agriculturists

  • Kiliji - Gobliniods across Demovia can feel the change in the winds. The Golden Order and its lapdogs push ever north, and animosity grows in the uncountable masses of Demovia. They have refuted the cultural differences with their Goblinoid kin in favor of forced integration. Under the weight of foreign occupation, they had no choice, and now hundreds of independent tribes fight under the Kiliji banner. They are Xenocidal and warlike against the invading Migration peoples, and more Goblinoids are drawn into their fold with every vicious act of vengeance the Rochellian take

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Ancestor

    • Type: Egalitarian

    • Tradition: Far-Reaching Politics

  • Labaliga - The oldest of the migrations, this group settled in the grand city of Ibba Dahun but slowly marched their way out along the coast. Those they didn’t conquer with their superior armaments they pulled into a one-sided confederation dominated by their merchants. Even know they are known as the prestige culture of the region and regularly impress with the skills cultivated across their society

    • Origin: Migration

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Stoic

    • Tradition: Artisan Class

  • Morini - The Morini people are a group which have a long heritage of culture and civilization, forming a confederation long before the migration cultures brought centralizing tendencies to the area. They are quick to gain allies and though their tribes have remained small they grow in acceptance and power within their alliances

    • Origin: Goblinoid 

    • Alignment: Neutral Good

    • Religion: Ancestor

    • Type: Egalitarian 

    • Tradition: Welcoming

  • Nazar - The Nazar are, in the eyes of many Goblinoids in Domovia, infected with the culture and religion of the Migration peoples. The Khaliji, hemmed by their own precedent, were forced to offer these tribes peaceful integration all the same. They have so far refused, and word spreads of their active collaboration with Rochellians, though some say that rumor is spread by the Kaliji to justify eradicating the Nazar as race traitors. All the same, initial Khaliji attempts to forcibly integrate Nazar ended in bloodshed, and the Nazar hold deep and fatal grudges against them to this day over the matter

    • Origin: Goblinoid 

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Communal

    • Tradition: Vengeful

  • Purahtan - The average goblin of this massive rainforest never goes more than twenty kilometers from their home, and even then risks coming in contact with forest monsters, rival tribes, or strange and lethal plantlife. They have lived this way for millenia and have not noticeably changed since the days of darkest yore, with stone being their most common tool. A tribe of a hundred such goblinoids is considered large, and their population is spread out through over a thousand kilometers of rainforest. They will invariably slaughter those who intrude upon their home range, or die trying, though their exact reasoning cannot be known as no other culture has ever successfully communicated with them

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Ancestor

    • Type: Communal

    • Tradition: Forest Hunters

  • Stelaliq - The Stlelaliq like to see themselves as being in tune with, or perhaps chosen by, the sea they sail. In reality they combine a formidable access to local shipbuilding timber with valuable metals from their cultural allies to form a natural regional naval advantage. It is they who have since harassed the inland seas of Demovia, and who send one in every seven captives to the briny depths as an offering to their pagan sea spirits. That they happen to always get favorable currents and avoid shoals is considered sheer coincidence. YAR HAR FIDDLE DE DEE BEING A PIRATE IS ALRIGHT TO BE DO WHAT YOU WANT CAUSE A PIRATE IS TRUE YOU ARE A PIRATE.

    • Origin: Migration

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Primordial

    • Type: Spiritual 

    • Tradition: Sea Raider

    Zemulik - The groups that hide within this strange community have been forced for decades to make choices on what side in the regular conflicts between their neighbors they stand on. Through trade with the incoming migrations they have picked up traditions and religions relying on a wide net of trade partners but still their heritage demand action against them. They have been slowly being eroded from their traditional lands for years and while most are still tied up in their mercantile prospects and methods of ingratiating themselves with allies others begin to grow in anger. The communities this group make are rarely large but always can be seen to include others into their group with great acceptance, at least as long as they have an interest in coin

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Chaotic

    • Religion: Old Gods

    • Type: Communal

    • Tradition: Mercantile

Far Reaching Cultures - The most powerful cultures of the areas outside the map’s range and which great numbers of people are found, allowing the occasional traveler to have made it across the world to here

  • Goldenian - In the lands far to the south there lies the great city, the first city, the central city, the one from which all the Migration races sprung into the world. They have a strict theocracy and are known for punishing dissenters with the conviction of a zealot and the brutality of a sadist. This authoritarian method is rarely seen in a good light by the denizens of the Delta, many of which have cultures that stem from migrations away from their policies

    • Origin: Migration

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: Golden Worship

    • Type: Spiritual

    • Tradition: Religious

  • Great Sea Cultures - These cultures are North of the the Golden Empire but just south of the great deserts of the Anacalupish and Mongungi mountain dwellers. From this they have adapted to quickly moving through the tumultuous seas of their homelands and extracting all the wealth they can from their tradesman lifestyle. Few leave their home without great provocation but those who do come north are seen as great boons to any merchant guild who can acquire them

    • Origin: Goblinoid

    • Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

    • Religion: Triad Worship

    • Type: Egalitarian

    • Tradition: Mercantile

  • Windalians - Those from across the wide ocean to the east this group normally must pass through the long southern continent before reaching here. They are a federalist society with a special ability for riding their giant birds which roam free on the wind ranging plains of that land and while are rarely seen outside of their homeland they are known for travelling in bands of elite mercenaries who are rarely matched in expertise or excellence

    • Origin: Migration

    • Alignment: Lawful Neutral

    • Religion: The Old Gods

    • Type: War Society

    • Tradition: Bird Riders

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