Closest real-world matches for Yrth cultures?

Sam Baughn · 06-22-2021, 05:03 PM

Yrth was populated by people from Earth and a lot of their culture has been preserved, but it isn't always clear which populations gave rise to which Yrth nation.

Megalos is kind of like the Byzantine empire, only their religion is more like Roman Catholicism, and they speak a Germanic (with a bit of Romance influence) language, and have a bunch of imperial Roman ideas.
Araterre is French, but due to geography and cultural mixing probably more like the early-modern French Caribbean than medieval France.
Caithness is theoretically similar to Megalos, but seems to have a more Western European feel, with some Celtic names and a more feudal society. I suspect it is meant to be a lot like medieval Britain.
Al-Haz is Shi'ite, but seems to be more Arab than Persian, since Arabic is apparently their main language. Without knowing which branch of Shia they follow, it's hard to guess where they come from; the main possibilities seem to be Zaidis from Yemen and/or central Arabia, Zaidis from Morocco and/or Spain, or (I think most likely) Twelvers from Iraq.
Al-Wazif is Arab and Sunni, which could mean they were drawn from anywhere in the Arabian peninsula or North Africa. There is apparently a significant Isma'ili population in the west of the country, who seem to be descended from those in northern Iran (i.e. the area around Alamut). If people from roughly the same region got dumped together by the Banestorm (which seems to be the case) that could argue for the Wazifis being descended from people living near to modern-day Iran. Alternatively (I think this is more likely), they could have been part of the same group which formed Al-Haz, assuming they came from Iraq.
Cardiel seems to have had a significant Christian and Jewish population even before the Megalan conquest, so I'm inclined to say they were taken from Spain (especially because GURPS Fantasy: Tredroy specifies that the Jews of Tredroy are Sephardic and speak Ladino, which is close to Spanish).
The Nomad Lands are a mix of various northern Eurasian cultures, from Ireland to Siberia, but Scandinavia seems to be most influential.

Does that seem about right?

06-22-2021, 05:03 PM	#1
Sam Baughn Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and some other bits.	Closest real-world matches for Yrth cultures? Yrth was populated by people from Earth and a lot of their culture has been preserved, but it isn't always clear which populations gave rise to which Yrth nation. Megalos is kind of like the Byzantine empire, only their religion is more like Roman Catholicism, and they speak a Germanic (with a bit of Romance influence) language, and have a bunch of imperial Roman ideas. Araterre is French, but due to geography and cultural mixing probably more like the early-modern French Caribbean than medieval France. Caithness is theoretically similar to Megalos, but seems to have a more Western European feel, with some Celtic names and a more feudal society. I suspect it is meant to be a lot like medieval Britain. Al-Haz is Shi'ite, but seems to be more Arab than Persian, since Arabic is apparently their main language. Without knowing which branch of Shia they follow, it's hard to guess where they come from; the main possibilities seem to be Zaidis from Yemen and/or central Arabia, Zaidis from Morocco and/or Spain, or (I think most likely) Twelvers from Iraq. Al-Wazif is Arab and Sunni, which could mean they were drawn from anywhere in the Arabian peninsula or North Africa. There is apparently a significant Isma'ili population in the west of the country, who seem to be descended from those in northern Iran (i.e. the area around Alamut). If people from roughly the same region got dumped together by the Banestorm (which seems to be the case) that could argue for the Wazifis being descended from people living near to modern-day Iran. Alternatively (I think this is more likely), they could have been part of the same group which formed Al-Haz, assuming they came from Iraq. Cardiel seems to have had a significant Christian and Jewish population even before the Megalan conquest, so I'm inclined to say they were taken from Spain (especially because GURPS Fantasy: Tredroy specifies that the Jews of Tredroy are Sephardic and speak Ladino, which is close to Spanish). The Nomad Lands are a mix of various northern Eurasian cultures, from Ireland to Siberia, but Scandinavia seems to be most influential. Does that seem about right? __________________ My blog.