The Lands of Galatea

Noticing the map of Galatea, you have many lands in which to explore the world.  Make no mistake, however, the islands are either islands or sub continents.  In either case, the map shows only part of a planet.  The planet is bigger than you realize.

The Galatea campaign is centered around the Caithness Isles.  And because the planet is bigger than is perceived by the map, there is a whole world to explore beyond those Isles.  The Isles of Caithness are based on the Moonshae Isles of the Forgotten Realms.  Not in culture, but more closely to size.  The Isles of Caithness is dominated by an Anglo-Saxon culture -- British Culture -- during the Medieval period in our planet's history.  Although most fantasies equal a vacation in the English Countryside, starting small is the best way to go.

The Caithness Isles is dominated by Caithness in the East and Killyronde in the West.  Caithness is Human dominate and Killyronde is Orc dominate.  The other islands include Long Island, Khorium, Angland, Amazonias, New Massalia [Anglesey] and the Shakespeare Islands [that is "SHAKE SPEAR" to you].

The nations include: The Hordelands, Myst'ilanas, the Nomad Lands, Quel'lathor, Achaia, Amazonias, Quel'thalor, Caithness, Khorium, New Massalia, Northumberland, the Republic of Devonshire, Al-Caria, and Angland.  Lands without a government include the Savanna, the Mystic Snowlands, the Ancient Desert, the Deadly Swamp, the Shakespeare Islands, Long Island, and the Farlands.

Myst'ilanas: Myst'ilanas is a land of the Eladrin.  A few of the Eladrin had escaped Arborea after it had literally exploded.  They made their way to Galatea by way of magic and settled the land of Myst'ilanas. The deep virgin forests, lakes, and pristine land with a few ruins was the perfect place for the Eladrin to construct a new nation.  The elvish Eladrin are constructing a city of magic here, and maintain a portal to Arborea.  The elves of Myst'ilanas know that their time for glory has passed and they are only looking to maintain their culture here.

The eladrin still build their signature towers, but there are few of them.  The great towers are surrounded by trees and village houses as the Eladrin are starting over in the planet of the Ancients.  The homeworld of the very beings that created the Eladrin from human DNA.

The Nomad Lands:  A land of roving nomads, the Nomad Lands is deadly to the overzealous proselytizer of any religion or -ism.  The people are the survivors of the great Religious Purge that happened two thousand years ago when all the Non-Believers tried to slay the People of the Book (Christians, Jews, and Muslems).  As a result, the Christians struck back, won, and relocated everyone who didn't believe to either to the Nomad Lands, Long Island, or to Angland.  The people here are pagan, heathen, shamanistic, and anything else.  Their attitude on missionaries can be summed up as this: "Thor is a god, Krishna is a god, and Christ is a god.  What makes your god that says "I don't exist" better than any other god?"

The law here is nearly non-existent, as the nomads are mainly human and exist in a bunch of tribes that enjoy raiding settlements and people for food and goods.  The whole reason why the lands are considered a nation is because the Nomadic tribes here are generally well behaved to each other and use a tribal system of laws that default to Family Law.  And laws are often enforced by the point of a sword or the blunt end of a club more than anything else.

The Hordelands: The Hordelands is controlled by the orcs, the Gothicos horde.  These orcs are moving away from Demon and Devil Worship and are rediscovering Shamanism.  The Gothicos Orcs are a horde of tribes that are united by a Warchief or a High Chief.  The skin of the Gothicos horde are varying shades of green.

The clans include the Silverfangs, the Desert Vipers, the Battered Axe, the Black Talons, the Brown Elk, and the Flaming Sword.  The Hordelands government is progressive, the orcs generally are ruled by an enlightened monarch, therefore the orcs are on the road to prosperity.   Lately, since the badlands of Killyronde contains a lot of clay the major artform of the orcs is decorative pottery.  In fact, orc potters often feel pride and this has fueled healthy competition.


Quel'lathor:  Quel'lathor is a land settled by wood elves.  The wood elves have blended themselves well into the forests and trees of Quel'lathor and have built a society based around the pagan religion of druidism and sacred knowledge.  The druids keep the lore and maintain the spiritual of the people.  The bards sing and tell tales of the legends and history of the people, as the wood elves have a very oral history.  The Vates of the Wood Elves are often handed the task of enforcing the law while the druids judge the people by Wood Elf law.

The elves of Quel'lathor has opened a dialogue with the people of Myst'ilanas: but the more autocratic Eladrin are a source of problems for the wood elves of Quel'lathor.  The freedom loving wood elves take exceptions to the Eladrin's ways of making everything . . . hard.  Always pomp and circumstance with them.

Achaia: Achaia is a land that is good.  It's full of good farmland and is controlled mostly by peace loving Minotaurs.  The minotaurs of Achaia glorify in strength and in the Sun.  Their government is based on ancient Greece, but their land is small enough that the various towns and cities are united by one Tyrant.  The justice system is based on trial by archons (or triad). Their religious -ism is Shamanism and the worship of the Ancients.

part 2 next...