Now that the player characters have reached a major city in Aggradar, they can start exploring the cultures. Okslad is a fine place to begin. It’s a huge city in the midst of a festival. Many folk from all over are here, playing instruments, listening to music, drinking and socializing. The player characters can spend as much or as little time as they like talking to the locals. Don’t forget that there is a language barrier which can be made even more difficult if you choose to limit how effective spells are (such as Comprehend Languages or Tongues) in translating these foreign words.
If the player characters decide to spend some time talking with the locals and immersing themselves in the local culture, they can learn quite a bit about the region they are currently in and what lies ahead.
What follows is a summary of what the player characters might be able to learn about the races, nations and lands. Only those who take the time to talk to the locals will gain this knowledge. If the players only spend a little time talking here and there, feel free to give them only parts of the information below.
The Sybren Empire is a large powerful, militaristic nation ruled by a queen. The sybrenar are tall, powerfully built red skinned, scaled humanoids with slightly bestial facial features and long, swept back ears. They have no hair, small sharp teeth and deep set eyes. They are aggressive, strong, proud and sometimes cruel. Definitely a warrior species. The sybrenar are genetically and racially related to the magrakians (they are distant cousins to each other) although neither race will admit it. The sybrenar are currently waging a misguided war against all of their neighbors under the delusions of racial and cultural purity. This war is primarily being fought between the Sybren Empire and the Padashan Empire (in Qeshir), although the war is affecting many races on Aggradar. Both the Magrakians and the Eshtari have been caught up in it.
This is the nation in which the player characters are currently. The Magrakians are open, friendly, blunt, stubborn and enduring. If there is one word to describe the Magrakians, it’s endurance. They are just ridiculously tough. Thick skinned, squat, square jawed, thick boned, floppy ears. They are a barrel of fun and love to drink. They have a high tolerance for alcohol. They are almost completely immune to pain, heat, cold, etc. They regenerate and heal quickly. They make loyal friends and stubborn enemies. They are very blunt and literal. They say what they mean and mean what they say. When a magrakian swears an oath, it is to the death and beyond. Magrakians are a bit dim witted and often don’t get jokes (you have to explain it to them). Subtlety is completely lost on them. Magrakians can eat just about anything (and consequently, they are terrible cooks).
To the north of Magrakia, the locals tell you of a land that has been recently conquered. This was an undeveloped wilderness area which was home to many tribes of people known as the Hyttar. The Hyttar are short, green skinned humanoids with tangled black hair. They are somewhat distantly related to goblins or orcs, although more primitive and not as evil. The Hyttar lived a very primitive existence as hunters and gatherers - very close to nature. They did not build grand castles and such. However, a few years ago, they were completely conquered by a new race that appeared out of nowhere. Rumors and tavern gossip so that these beings (which are called Trossalli which means “demon” in the Hyttar tongue) came from under the ground. The trossali wield powerful magic and are very cruel. They captured the nation of Hyttar and organized it into slave labor camps. The Hyttar are now being put to work digging mines, building castles for their overlords and the like. Thousands of Hyttar fled their homeland. Many are now living as refugees in neighboring states (like Magrakia). Many more have been captured and forced to fight by the Sybrenar in the war effort. Some have migrated north to the Iron Citadels looking for work. Several thousand fled west and ended up in the Moors (a cold wetlands north of Aukaria). Many of the Hyttar were turned away by the Aukarian Republic (who did not want such a severe cultural contamination).
To the far north, there is a land with dozens of giant “fire cairns” upon which are built citadels – one citadel per fire cairn. These unique mineral-rich geological formations are similar to volcanoes, but more stable. The fire cairns produce heat, power and raw building materials for the citadels. Culturally, this is a very war like place. Each Citadel is ruled by a clan. These clans make endless war upon each other. Sacking your neighbor’s citadel is not only considered honorable, but is the expected way of life. There are many dozens of these giant Citadels. They are called the Iron States or the Iron Citadels because of the huge quantities of iron used in their construction.
A peaceful land of farmers and fishermen. They have a caste society and roles and responsibilities are divided up by caste. They are a dark skinned human variation with dreadlocks and bright crystal grey eyes. They appear very similar to humans. The eshtari are friendly and approach life with a very relaxed, laid back attitude. The upine tree is an important crop for them. This common tree that grows by the thousand throughout the land provides them with food, drink, building materials and much more. The eshtaria are allies of the Magrakians.
Between Magrakor and the Aukarian Republic lies a desolate region… a maze of canyons formed by the unique geology of the region. If you want to travel from Magrakor to the Republic or vice versa, you have to travel through Fyrren’s Wandering. These canyons are home to all sorts of bandit groups and dangerous creatures. To facilitate trade and relations, these two nations have cooperated on the building of a major road that winds through the canyons. Protecting this road are five small keeps where travelers may stay for the night. As long as you stay on the main road, you’re relatively safe. But don’t stray from the road or you will become hopelessly lost in the maze of canyons. Caravans have wandered in and never come out.
Also, the same unique geology that produces Fyrren’s Wandering is also responsible for the creation of the fyrren crystals. These are similar to drellisite crystals in that they are tainted with strange energies and will befoul spells, but fyrren crystals are much weaker than drellisite crystals. However, spells are still affected due to the sheer quantity of these crystals scattered throughout the Wandering. Magic of all kinds is weaker and shorter lived while in Fyrren’s Wandering.
Beyond Fyrren’s Wandering, you will find a large nation known as the Aukarian Republic. (If the player characters have a translated copy of the Jaidor Talisman map, this nation is marked as the Kingdom of Naukaria. This discrepancy has not been explained yet but may be due to the age of the map). This land is heavily laden with laws and traditions. It is a land divided up into “houses”. There are thousands of these houses, each comprising a large family unit and extended family. Honor, social status, prestige, public service and reputation are all extremely important in this land. The Aukarains have complex economic and social systems. They have a complex system of honor which is easy to transgress. They have a unique governmental system in which all houses get an equal vote (hence, the name “republic”). The Aukarians are a proud people but they are also elitist, arrogant and a bit guarded. Their humor is clever, their songs intricate and their words often hold a double meaning. In some ways, the Aukarians seem to be the opposite of the Magrakians.
Of all the people the player characters talk to, none have been to the Chaddamar Theocracy and few people can tell them much about it. This is mainly due to the sheer distance. The Chaddamar Theocracy is very far away (other side of the continent). Here’s what the locals CAN tell the player characters: Chaddamar is very religious. There is a single state religion and adherence to it is mandatory for all citizens. Worship is regulated. Other gods are looked down upon. Also, the laws of this land are very strict. The Chaddamar Theocracy is ruled by a queen (although she’s more like a high priest-queen). Finally, there is a desolate region north of Chaddamar and a great wall cordons off that region from the rest of Chaddamar.
This website was last updated March 31, 2026. Copyright 1990-2026 David M. Roomes.