The Known World: The Skandaharians part 2

 Continuing from the last post post, we explore the second Skandaharian branch the Antalians as they  became a hardened warrior people in the cold north. The sight of their longships has for generations been a cause of fear on the high seas  and among the rich coastal lands of the south.

The Antalians

Following the Great Rain of Fire, the Antalians(equivalent to the Ancient Norse) traveled north avoiding the frozen glaciers and mountains further inland until they reached the Great Bay where they took refuge from the harsh northern seas. Over the next few centuries the Antalians spread out covering the entirety of the Northern Lowlands, around where the modern Great Bay is now, and along the coast all the way down to modern Landfall. Many Antalian kingdoms rose and fell and warred with each other and the Giant and Dragon kingdoms in the mountains. 

After many centuries of Antalian preeminence in the region the great Orc horde of Loark shattered the southern kingdoms and leaving few survivors who fled to join their northern brethren in the Northern Lowlands. The remaining Antalians in the north took centuries to rebuild and they became a more united people of common culture known as the Norsenians(equivalent to the Old Norse). At this point there were no kings or great lords, only small scattered tribes and homesteads trying to scrape out a living from the dark northern seas, and interdependence among the people became essential to their survival. 

During this period many Norsenians seeking a new life settled an island far to the north, which they named Kat-har after a stowaway cat on a longship. For nearly two thousand years the Kattes(as they called themselves) were isolated in the cold north with minimal contact between them and their cousins on the mainland, developing their own unique though parallel language and customs(equivalent to Old Gutnish). And then the conquering Alphatians arrived. The Alphatians viewed Kat-har as a backwards island not worth the resources required to subjugate the people there, but also would not deign to consider the small island capable of governing itself. A compromise was reached with the King of the island to avoid bloodshed, resulting in the King swearing allegiance to Alphatia and agreeing to send yearly tributes to the Empire. Over the centuries, the island has been a backward province of the Empire and been mostly left to itself. Due to Alphatian influence the culture and language of the island has evolved, and the island is now known as Quedhar and the people as the Quedish(equivalent to Faro Gutnish).

The Alfish

After half a millennium of Norsenian growth and recolonization of the southern Coasts disaster struck. The sea gods poured out their wrath on the north as glaciers melted and great tidal waves washed away many settlements. The land bridge between the continent and the isle of dawn sunk beneath the waves, the shoreline of Norwold retreated creating many fjords at the edges of the mountains, the Northern Lowlands became flooded as the sea rushed in and created the Great Bay. This great flood separated the surviving Norsenians in the north around the Great Bay from those in the south along the deteriorated coastline. Those in the north became known as the Alfish tribes(equivalent to the Old East Norse) while those in the south along the coast came to be called the Norwold tribes(equivalent to the Old West Norse) by their southern neighbors. 

In the north the Alfish people gathered on the peninsula of Alfmark(i.e. Alpha to modern Thyatians) and the surrounding lands to the south and west, forming many petty kingdoms over the centuries. In AC 12 a group of refugees from the Thang empire came to the land of Alfmark, and with many Alfish outcasts and lowlifes built the city of Alfa which quickly became the preeminent trade hub in the region. Virtually any Thang influence has died out as all the Thang refugees comingled with the natives and became assimilated to the Alfish culture. Nearly half a millennia after the founding of Alfa the Alphatian Empire invaded the Great Bay. After many years of warfare against incredible odds Alfish tribes defeated the Alphatians. The City of Alfa played a key part in this war, and afterwards many of the tribes of the Great Bay pledged fealty to the new King of Alfmark who made his capitol the City of Alfa. 

After the Great Flood many Alfish tribes migrated to the west instead of remaining near Alfmark. Over the next few centuries they warred with the orc tribes in the western mountains until most of the orcs were driven out of the valleys, which were in turned settled by the Alfish. In the year BC 300 a legion from the Thang empire was cut off from home in the far north; a small Alfish tribe saved them from the depths of a cold winter. The legion and the small tribe together began to broker alliances with other Alfish tribes, or where resistance was met, conquered them. This new empire, the Kingdom of Alinor, among the western mountains experienced a meteoric rise and came to dominate the region. As the soldiers of the legion grew old they settled down with Alfish women and passed on the reigns of power Alfish comrades. From this point the Alfish people became culturally divided between the east and west: the Alinish of the west(equivalent to Early Old Swedish) and the Alfish of the east(equivalent to Early Middle Danish). The kingdom of Alinor was destroyed only a generation later during a series of devastating earthquakes, yet the cultural memory of the kingdom remains with the Alinish people to this day. Over the centuries many Alinish traders and warriors went north among the barbarians north of the Great Bay. There a great kingdom was established which still exists in the form of the northern Empire of Cezavy, yet the Alfish conquerors quickly assimilated into the local culture, so that story belongs to another people. 

The Norwolders

In the south the Norwoldic people scattered among the fjords, hills, and isles of the eastern coast. They continued to live as their ancestors, being simple farmers and fishermen, while some few traded journeyed on long voyages to the south for trade or sometimes plunder. In the middle of the second century BC many Norwold tribesmen were overrun by Gothic invaders from the south who in turn were fleeing from a horde of Goblinoids. After this event a traditional boundary was formed at the Saffir river between the Norwoldic people of the north and Nordurlanders of the south. 

In the year AC 250 many raiders, or "Vikings" of Norwold began voyaging to and plundering the rich lands of the south including the Isle of Dawn, the green isles of Ostland, the lowlands of Vestland, and even as far south as the rich cities of Thyatis. These raiders set up temporary camps on the northern isles of dawn and these camps eventually transformed into a stronghold called Helskir(equivalent to Dublin). Over the centuries this settlement has expanded and conquered much of the island becoming the modern day Kingdom of Helskir, and the Norwold descended people speak their own dialect of Helska(equivalent to Old Faroese). 

The Kingdom of Helskir was not to be the only conquest of the Norwoldic people. In AC 400 Cnute the Bold led the greatest army ever gathered among the Norwoldic people to invade the rich green isles of Ostland to the south. For centuries the Southern lands had been ripe picking for the raiders, or "Vikings" of Norwold, but never before had so ambitious a plan been set in motion, and in a few short months Cnute had set himself up as the new King of Ostland. After his death the sons of Cnute also conquered the Kingdoms of Vestland, excluding Ghyr. For many years the two lands of Ostland and Vestland were ruled by one king, heir to the realm of Cnute, but eventually the tyranny of the king could not be tolerated by his unruly vassals and the Jarls of Vestland revolted. After a long and bloody war a king of Vestland was crowned and a peace established between Ostland and Vestland. The kingdom of Ostland became more isolated and insular over the years so much so that the Norwoldic people there have altered their speech and speak their own specific dialect, Nutish(equivalent to Norn), distinct from the Norwoldic spoken in Vestland and Norwold.

The latest chapter in the legends of the Norwoldic people occurred only 300 years ago. A great leader and shipbuilder, named Heldann, had a vision of a new land where he and his friends could be free from the tyranny of petty kings. He built a fleet of ships and gathered many to his cause. They sailed forth and made landfall in Kamminer Bay south of the Skaufskogr hills. They were almost immediately beset by goblins, but were able to drive them off. Over the next few years many outcasts and Vikings joined with Heldann in driving the goblins from this new land. Since that time the region has come to be known as Heldland and is populated by many freeholds of Norwoldic descent. They suffer no king to rule over them and settle any major disputes at the traditional Althing. The people of Heldland have come to call themselves Heldannic in honor of their national hero and speak their own dialect of Norwoldic(equivalent to Old Icelandic).

The Known World: The Skandaharians part 1

Continuing from the last post, here is the Skandaharian language tree as it developed after the GRoF. The Skandaharians are the equivalent of the Proto-Germans. The Great Rain of Fire decimated the population of the Skandaharians due to their proximity to ancient Blackmoor. Most of the tribes had become subject to the superior civilization of Blackmoor and were destroyed along with it. The few who survived were more primitive hill tribes who occupied the southern hills of modern Heldann. Three major tribes, the Goths, the Antalians, and the Vanitar, formed out of the surviving Skandaharians and expanded into the northern territories as the long winter caused by the GRoF began to subside. 

The Low Goths

As the various Skandaharian tribes scattered among the frozen territories of the north, the Goths remained behind and settled the lowlands of the modern Heldann region. Over time some of the Goth tribes migrated to the fertile mountain valleys of the north, but a portion always remained in Heldann. The different Gothic groups began to separate and evolve over time and those in the lowlands became known as the Low Goths(equivalent to the Ingvaeonic Germans.) while those in the high mountain valleys became known as the High Goths. The Low Goths had some contact with the Dunharians on the Isle of Dawn and the remnants of the Thonian tribes to the south and their culture began to be influenced by both groups over time. They came to call their land Gotland and themselves Gotlanders.  

Over the course of the centuries empires rose in the south, first the Nithians, and then the Thang. Each of these in succession made attempts at incorporating Gotland into their domains but ultimately proved unsuccessful; the wild hills of Gotland proved to be too harsh for the armies of the south. Truth be told, the greatest threat to Gotland was the Mengul goblinoids from the mountains to the west; the goblinoids repeatedly conducted raids on the lowlands, pillaging and destroying homes and fields. A cycle of destruction and rebuilding became the norm among the Gotlanders.

This all changed in BC 160 when a massive horde of Goblinoids came pouring out of the mountains. Many Gotlanders were killed, but many others fled, some north and some south. Those who went north fled to the elves of the Rhien Forest who offered humanitarian aid. With the combined efforts of the elves and the Gotlanders the Goblinoid horde was defeated in a great battle in the Skaufskogr hills. The Goblinoids took possession of all the lands between the Gotland and Skaufskogr hills, while the Gotlanders spread into the lands north of the Skaufskogr hills and Rhien Forest. These Low Goths assimilated the few Antalian tribes living in this southern coastal region and called their new land Nordurland. This remnant of the Gotlanders have become known as the Nordur(the equivalent of the Old Saxons) after the name of the land the land they come from.

The majority of the Gotlanders who fled from the invading goblins turned to the rich lands of the south. The great Gotlander horde defeated the armies of the Gwynish Kingdom led by King Atruaghin, who was slain in battle. The native Gwynish who were not enslaved or killed by the Gotlanders fled into the mountains of Rockhome. The Gotlander horde dispersed as it settled this new land, some settled the eastern isles and some settled the coastal fjords and plains. The isles became known as Ostland and their inhabitants the Ostish(equivalent to the Old Frisians), while the mainland became known as Vestland and the inhabitants the Vestish(equivalent to the Old English). Shortly after the fall of the Thang Empire, missionaries came to the land of Vestland, and the King converted to the the faith of the one true Church. Through his influence many Vestlanders came to see the light and The Church grew in power and influence throughout the kingdom. 

This period of peace was not to last however. Lured by the wealth of the unprotected monasteries of the Church of Vestland, raiders from the northern regions of Norwold began plundering the rich land of Vestland. After a century and a half of constant raiding many of the raiders stopped simply raiding and began to settle in the lands of Vestland and Ostland. This was followed by the invasion of a great heathen army led by King Cnute the Bold who conquered the Kingdom of Ostland. After Cnute's death, his sons invaded Vestland. As a consequence of these invasions the Vestish and Ostish have been for the most part assimilated or oppressed by their northern overlords, and many have returned to the old ways and worship the old gods in imitation of their overlords, though a few maintain faith in the one true Church despite the persecution they receive for their beliefs. 

A single Vestland kingdom has been able to withstand the armies of the north time and again, this is the Kingdom of Ghyr(equivalent to Wessex). Ghyr maintains the true faith and the kings of Ghyr hold out hope of reuniting Vestland under a faithful Vestish King. Just 30 years ago the King of Ghyr entered into an alliance with the King of Ylaruam to the south, and with his aid was able to defeat many of the northern jarls and expand the domain of Ghyr.

The High Goths

While some of the Gothic tribes descended into the lowlands, many ascended into the nearby hills and mountains of the Mengul, Final, and Wyrmsteeth ranges, mostly settling in the high mountain valleys between the ranges. The goths in these upper valleys became known as the High Goths in contrast to their Low Gothic cousins to the east, and the dialect they spoke became known as High Gothic(equivalent to Irminonic German). The High Goths lived a mostly pastoral and tribal way of life adhering closely to the traditions of their ancestors. Over the centuries they have expanded into the harsh wilderness of the north while keeping a single identity as a people with a common heritage. Each valley tucked away in the mountains may have some quirks in language and tradition that make it unique, yet the valleys are never isolated from each other; there is a network of communication and traditions that connect the tribes of the various valleys across great distances and the centuries of history. On occasion a single tribe has risen to prominence crowning its chief as "king" in a sign of unity among the tribes when defending against some foreign power, but these "kingdoms" have only lasted as long as the life of the king, and then the tribes have returned to governing themselves. 

The centuries have wrought changes upon the language and culture of the tribes, but of all the gothic peoples they still adhere closest to the ways of their ancestors. The modern gothic language is still called High Gothic (equivalent to Old High German) despite these changes, reflecting a direct continuum of ancestry, while the tongue of the ancestors is referred to as Traditional High Gothic. In recent history many of the tribes have once again been united, not under the rulership of a king, or under the oppression of a foreign conqueror but as equal partners in the Federation of Denagoth.

The Denagoths

Not long after the Goths entered the mountains to the west of modern Heldann, many continued west until they reached a forested highland valley guarded on all sides by high mountains. There they found a group of Demi-Humans calling themselves the Deng. The Goths simply called them Brutemen and warred with them for many centuries, eventually driving them out of the valley and into the mountains. As the Goths became the dominant people in the valley they cleared much of the forests to make way for farmland until elves from the south were encountered and with their help toppled the last Kingdom of the Deng. Two centuries of peace followed between the elves and humans. However, this peace could not last and due to population strain the Goths, now calling themselves Denagoths(equivalent to the Istvaeonic Germans) from the name of the original inhabitants of the valley, began to expand into the southern forest, clearing trees to make way for their farms. What followed was two centuries of expansion into the southern forest of the elves until a dark magic mastered by the elves decimated the population of the Denagoths. What followed were many centuries of cycles of peace and violence between the Denagoth people and the elves of the of the forest.

When the Thang Empire marched its legions north, many Denagoth tribes united with the elves in establishing peaceful relations with the newcomers, while others remained wary and sometimes openly hostile. The empire made use of Denagoth mercenaries frequently in their northern campaigns. During the decline of the empire, a new goddess appeared to the Denagoth tribes around the Blackridge Mountains. A Denagoth chief who had served as a former mercenary general among the Thang legions gathered the Denagoth tribes together under his banner and attacked the elves on either side of the Blackridge mountains, who still maintained a loyalty to the Thang empire. The Denagoth chief was crowned the first king of the Kingdom of Denagoth which ruled all of the valley of Denagoth and the old elven kingdom of Forenath. This precipitated a series of wars with the elves to the south, and in the process of these wars Hobgoblin mercenaries were at first simply used as shock troops against the elves, but later became an essential part of the military of the Kingdom of Denagoth. The kingdom eventually fell to infighting among rival heirs, some of whom had converted to the new faith of the one true Church, until the Denagoth were driven out of Forenath and back into the valley by the elves. The Hobgoblins who had formerly assimilated into the armies of Denagoth retreated into the mountains, and formed the Den Horde by subjugating all the other goblinoids in the mountains; the Den Horde periodically raided the Humans of the valleys below.

Amongst the chaos left by the crumbing Denagoth kingdoms rose a great chief, Nebunar(a parallel of Charlemagne), among the southern Denagoth who made peace with the elves and established the Kingdom of Essuria. Nebunar expanded his kingdom to reign over all the Denagoth people in the valley. The peace he established was short lived however, as upon his death the kingdom was split between his two sons Arus, who remained the King of Essuria in the east, and Gereth, who established the Second Kingdom of Denagoth in the west. It was at this point that the Denagoth became divided as a people. The Essurians(equivalent to Old West Low Franconian) in the east, and the Avien plainsmen(equivalent to Old East Low Franconian) in the west. 

Over the course of a century the royal family of the Second Kingdom of Denagoth fell into degeneracy and the king murdered the entire royal court before committing suicide. Following this Essuria rose to its golden age, reestablishing dominion over the entire valley and even expanding beyond it to the north. At its height Essuria ruled over the valley of Denagoth, the Llancevale and Clearwater valleys and also over the people of the Hill and Dale region. This golden age came to an end however when the King of Essuria, Gallathon, granted the provinces more autonomy in both rule and religion; the cult of Idris once again gained followers among the Denagoth people. This led directly to the catastrophe which ended the rule of the Essurian kings abruptly. The last Essurian king, Landryn Teriak, came to power after a sudden illness slew his brother Vespen. Landryn Teriak established the cult of Idris as the official religion of the kingdom and began performing dark rites. The northern provinces, still following the faith of the one true Church, united under the leadership of one Henadin and made an alliance with the elves of the south and together they marched towards Drax Tallen, the capital of Essuria, where a great battle took place and Landryn was presumed dead. 

This great campaign cost the lives of many elves and humans, leaving the valley of Denagoth virtually uninhabited. This opened the way for the Den Horde to pour into the valley from the Blackridge Mountains to the west and the Mengul mountains to the south. Over the next hundred years the Hobgoblins of the Den horde drove the humans to the far north of the valley and killed every last elf. The forests quickly regrew and overtook most of the previous farmland of the valley. There remained only a handful of human Essurian settlements in the south and a single city in the north on the edge of the swamp of the beast to which the Avien people fled. All that remained of the Kingdom of Essuria was the former province in the Clearwater Valley. 

About a decade after the last elf was seen in the valley of Denagoth,  a pair of adventurers, Ryan and Johnny, were captured by a tribe of Denag Hobgoblins and almost sacrificed to their dark mistress, Idris, yet were miraculously able to win their freedom and the loyalty of the tribe. Over the course of the next few months Ryan and Johnny united the Denag tribes and established trade relations with the few Avien and Essurian humans of the valley. Through an unprecedented era of cooperation of diplomacy, the Denag Hobgoblins of the Denagoth valley, the Blackridge mountains, and the Avien and Essurian humans of the Denagoth valley, and the High Gothic tribes of the mountain valleys to the east united in the mighty Federation of Denagoth. Ryan the Hermit established a shrine in the Denagoth forest and began spreading the word of the one true God to the Denag Hobgoblins. The Federation has been challenged by The Guild of Alphatia from across the sea to the east, and the Holy Empire from the south. The Federation also narrowly avoided war with the united elven and human kingdom of Wendar to the South. A tenuous peace has been established between the two powers after a joint expedition went to the ancient ruins of Soreth to investigate a dark power that had been growing for many years, and there the Dark Lord, Landryn Teriak, was destroyed forever.

The Known World: The Dunharians

I've recently been thinking about migrations and demographic shifts in my the Known World of Dracopolis. It got me inspired to go over my language lists again, look at the ethnographic history of mystara as developed by the fans, and finally I made some simple migration maps(just with colored pencil, I'll do better ones on the computer later) specific to fit my version of mystara. It ended up with me building a language tree of all the known languages. I then made this into a flowchart in illustrator which kinda acts as both an abstract migration maps and very simplified timeline. So I present the Dunharian Language Family as it developed after the Great Rain of Fire:

A brief explanation, which expands on the info I presented in this post follows. Immediately after the GRoF (keep in mind Blackmoor is in the Broken Lands in my Known World) the Dunharians were situated on the Isle of Dawn. During the Dark Ages following the disaster the Dunharians split into many rival tribes to the extent that they no longer saw themselves as the same people. These divisions resulted in two major groups, the Donn(so called because of their brown clothes) of the north and the Tal of the south. 

The Talians

The Tal fought many minor wars and fought off many invasions of  the various peoples of the mainland to the west. This eventually led to a mingling of cultures and language that separated the people on the western coast from those that had moved up into the central plateau. Over time the upland Nantalians were influenced by the Nithian descended Thothians on the west coast, yet over the centuries they have maintained a distinct cultural identity that harks back to their Dunharian roots. 

While the Nantalians were isolated by the plateau, the coastal Trantalians became civilized on the model of their neighbors to the west founding city-states and engaging in trade and diplomacy. Though having a different culture and language, a typical Trantalian city would be virtually indistinguishable from a Doulakki city to the west. Through the centuries, the empires of the west(Nithian, Thang, Thyatian) have always found it more useful to establish favorable trade deals and make allies with some of the more powerful Trantalian kingdoms or cities  than to directly subjugate them.

While the Tal were still warring with the people of the western continent, one tribe fled the Isle of Dawn and settled in the island to the south (Ochalea). Over a short period of time this tribe, the Kallians, either conquered or assimilated most of the indigenous population of the island. A few centuries later when the great flood sunk Taymora, a group of refugees fled to this island and called it Ochalea after the civilized people they encountered there. The two groups inhabited the island together for many centuries until the Thang Empire conquered it. During the the following centuries, the Thang language and culture came to dominate the island, though the people always retained some traits that spoke of their unique heritage.

The Donnians

Meanwhile, to the north the vast majority of the Donn left the isle of Dawn on a mass migration across the landbridge to the mainland(modern day Ethengar and the Northern Reaches); they became the Gwynish people and will be discussed below. The Donn who stayed behind were few in number and for many centuries their society remained tribal and simple. After the great flood which severed thier connection to the mainland, the Donn people became divided and many petty kingdoms rose up; these became known as the Dunael kingdoms. Over the centuries the great empires dealt with these northern kingdoms in the same manner as they did the southern Trantalian cities. 

Toward the decline of the Thang Empire, they often hired 'barbarian' mercenaries to fight their wars for them, and the the Dunael were considered some of the most reliable and ferocious warriors in the armies of the empire. Thus it happened that a Dunael captain, known as Atruaghin, became a great hero to both the Thang Empire and the Dunael people. Due to his great deeds for the empire, after his death Atruaghin's followers were given land in the western marches of the empire to settle. The people of Atruaghin keep their traditions alive and were some of the first to convert to the true faith of The Church.  

After centuries of division and outside powers influencing the wars and politics of the Dunael kingdoms, the vast majority formed the Dunadale Confederacy. Since the formation of the Confederacy, the Dunael people have had more independence, prosperity, and growth than ever before. Dunadale has become the preferred name of the people and their language in a show of loyalty to the Confederacy.

The Gwynish

After the GRoF the Great Bay north of Blackmoor emptied and became an expansive plain, also a land bridge was formed between the Isle of Dawn and the Northern Reaches. After the worst effects of the GRoF had dissipated and these new lands became viable for agriculture, a great flood of people spread into these new lands. For a time these people and the Donnian of the Isle of Dawn remained one and united. However, after the great floods sunk both Taymora and the land bridge the Dunael people of the continent were separated from those on the Isle of Dawn. Those on the continent, seeing the weakness of their neighbors, went on another great migration, this time one of conquest. They passed over the mountains and flooded into the Canolbarth plains(there was no forest at that time) slaughtering the inhabitants who had just suffered catastrophe during the quakes floods that had destroyed Taymora. 

Many settled the Canolbarth plains, while others continued on to the southern coast over the Cruth mountains. Those who continued to the coast slaughtered any remaining Taymorans and enslaved the native population of elves they found there. These tribes became isolated, developing their own idiosyncrasies, and became known as the Cruthin. Only a few centuries later the great Hin migration arrived at the shores of the Cruthin. Caught unprepared, the Cruthin were slaughtered and driven into the mountains. To this day a few Cruthin tribesmen can be found in areas considered uninhabitable by civilized folk. These 'wild men' follow their ancient traditions and have never converted to the ways of the one true Church. 

Following the great flood and subsequent conquest of the Canolbarth, the Donn people of the continent, though isolated from their cousins on the Isle of Dawn, shared a single culture and language which unified them. This united people, across Canolbarth, Ethengar, and the Northern Reaches, became known as the Gwynish. The Gwynish tribes flourished for several centuries unchallenged. this was not to last however, as first the Nithians from the east, and then the Thang from the west, built expansive empires and conquered the neighboring gwynish tribes; eventually the Nithians were defeated by the Thang and all the Gwynish became subject to a single empire. 

During this period of conflict between the Nithian and Thang Empires, a tribe of elves came to the Thang empire with an offer of an alliance. With the help of the elves, the Thang drove the Gwynish who had allied themselves with the Nithians out of the Canolbarth plains. The elves were given this now 'empty' land and cultivated a dense forest there. The Gwynish who were driven out of the Canolbarth fled north to their free cousins in modern day Ethengar. The refugees along with the bravest of the Gwynish in Ethengar headed to the snow covered peaks of the west and settled among the river valleys of Glantri. Eventually they too were conquered by the Thang Empire. 

During the decline of the empire, the northern frontier was abandoned to focus on threats from the west and south, and Imperial control was never reestablished over the region. A decade later 'barbarians' invaded the Gwynish provinces from the west. The Gwynish called on the empire for aid to no avail. In response to the plight of the Gwynish, a renowned warrior of the Dunael, named Atraughin, gathered an army and sailed across the sea to deliver his cousins. Once there all the warriors of the Gwynish united behind his banner and in a great battle drove off the invaders. Atruaghin was crowned King of the Gwynish and he built a great capitol city, Corunglain. He ruled for many years in peace and justice. He made an alliance with the Thang Empire and acted as the prime defender of both his realm and the empire, driving off several 'barbarian' hordes. He died in battle against an army of Gothic invaders from the north and his kingdom collapsed after his death

As noted above, his Dunael followers were settled by the Thang Empire to guard its western borders and became the Atruaghin Clans.

The Gwynish of the Northern reaches were slaughtered, driven off, or enslaved by the Gothic invaders who settled in their lands. The Gwynish who survived fled into the mountains and settled in the valleys of rockhome. These became the Dyffryn and are peaceful farmers and shepherds mostly who provide the mountain gnomes with food in return for protection. 

The Gwynish of the western mountain valleys in modern Glantri devolved into feuding petty kingdoms. Isolated among the river valleys they developed their own dialect and became known as the Gorllewin Kingdoms. To this day they have maintained their independence from any foreign power and the old traditions of their ancestors. After many centuries a new group, worshippers of the sacred flame, came to the Gorllewin kingdoms. Their were many wars that followed, but that is a story for another time. Suffice it to say that the wars resulted in the isolation of these newcomers, known as Flaem, to the magical city of Glantri.

The Gwynish Kingdom survived for another century and a half, however, with the limited territory of Corunglain and modern Ethengar. The kingdom falls to a tribe of western 'barbarians' in the same year as the Thang Empire is conquered by those selfsame barbarians. The Gwynish of Ethengar are slaughtered or enslaved, but a significant portion of the population is able to flee to the north. They reached the land of Wendar safely and built a new society there in harmony with the elves. They now call themselves the Carnuilh.

There remain a remnant of the Gwynish people in the lands of the modern Holy Empire. there is a significant population around in Corunglain, and most of the people living in the woodlands and hills surrounding the realm of Alfheim are of Gwynish descent. All these people speak the Canol dialect and are people of the Canolbarth. They live fairly rustic lives away from the big cities. Most have converted to the one true Church, but follow the traditions of the Church of Atruaghin, rather than the Church of Darokin.

Delvers and Denizens: Languages

Go to the Delvers and Denizens Index

 I'm a little surprise I haven't posted the language rules I've been using for awhile now.

Here is what I have written up at the moment:

Ethnic Tongues

-Characters may be fluent in one or more languages

-Determined by birthplace and Ethnicity

-Reaction rolls get a -1 if speaking a regional dialect

-Reaction rolls get a -2 if speaking a related tongue

-Reaction rolls get a -3 if speaking a foreign tongue

The Common Tongue

-A pidgin language also known as Trade Common

-All PCs with INT 6+ know this language(2 learning points)

-Treat as if speaking a foreign dialect when speaking with humans who do not know trade common

Language List

1. Ethnic Human*

2. Gobgob(goblin)

3. -Hobos** 

4. -Bugbear

5. -Kobold

6. Orcish

7. Elder

8. -Elfin

9. -Faerie

10. -Draconic

11. Gnomish

12.   -Denwarf’s Tongue

13. -Hinnic

14. Giantish

15. -Ogre

16. Ghebbelin

17. -Gnoll

18. -Hutaakan

19. -Lupin

20. Lizardman

*this list doesn't include all the human dialects, as the ones I use are specific to Mystara, and so I won't be putting them in the final rulebook.

**each dialect is indented(in case that wasn't obvious)

Learning Languages

-INT score = # of points to spend on learned languages

-familiar(1, weekly) = -2 reaction

-basic(2, monthly) = -1 reaction

-fluent(3, yearly) = no penalty

-may learn through study(only to basic) or daily practice

-make INT check at stated time intervals to learn language

How it works in play: I let the players tell me what they are trying to communicate, and then the dice basically tell me if there is miscommunication. For NPCs speaking adifferent language I might say that the characters don't understand every word but then tell them the gist of what the npcs are saying; the amount of info I give is based on  the degree of separation between languages(dialect, same family or not etc.) I don't ask for the players to describe their gestures or anything like that, I simply let the conversation go as normal, but then the reaction dice tell if their was miscommunication resulting in a violent confrontation or some other hostile reaction.

as far as the learning rules go I just finalized them now; I've experimented with a few haphazard rules for language learning, but never been satisfied. I quite like these ones, we'll have to see how it pans out in play