"Myria is the dark heart of Ithria... a realm of
godless savages... treacherous, warlike and cruel."
- Agrassi Muer, Mage Priest of Vorkayne
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| Proper Name | Myria |
| Ruler | None. |
| Estimated Population | Unknown. Estimates vary between 1 million and 6 million. |
| Demographics | Human (Myrian) 85%, Karthasian 11%, Phellysian 3%, Human (Southerner) 1% |
| Adjectival/Demonym | Myrian/Myrians |
| Languages | Myrian 95%, Karthic 5% |
| Capital City | None |
| National Colors | None |
| Year Founded | 765 |
| Currency | Trade and barter |
| Natural Resources | Seafood, lumber, sunfish, oranges, bananas, barkrest fruit, llamas, donkeys, goats, rice, milk, cheese, obsidian, sugar, cocoa |
| Manufactured Goods and Major Exports | Timber, fish, citrus fruits, bone carvings, furs, leather, sugar, cocoa |
| Wealth | Very Poor |
| Government Type | Provincial |
| Government Stability | Unstable - frequent tribal wars |
| Allies | None |
| Enemies | Kalimura |
| Technology Level | Ancient |
| Primary Religion | Myrian Tribal Gods |
| Other Religions | None |
| Climate | Subtropical |
| Approximate Land Area | 4,260,000 square kilometers |
| Arable Land | 4% |
| Terrain | Jungle, heavily forested rough hills |
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Myria is a small human nation of hunter/gatherers. It is an ancient nation that has remained relatively unchanged throughout history. Myria is very primitive and, due to strict adherence to custom and an almost taboo-like fear of change, myrians are likely to remain poor and primitive. It is a wild, tropical land of native savages, fierce tribes and inter-tribal warfare.
Myria is contained almost entirely within a vast swath of jungle surrounded by the Shattered Mountains, the roughest, most broken group peaks and badlands on the continent. Spire-like peaks and deep trenches rise and fall with frightening regularity. Sheer cliffs and deep ravines are common. The fact that every valley and gully is filled with thick jungle and the deep, churning rivers are home to exotic and dangerous marine life makes this the most difficult region to travel. It is impossible to travel through the Shattered Mountains and much of Myria with horses or wagons and most non-Myrians, on foot, are lucky to make 20 kilometers per day. Much of the travel takes place beneath a canopy of branches and leaves overhead that all but block out the suns. However, when the unfortunate traveler stops to rest on a hilltop and takes a look around, he must marvel at the awesome beauty surrounding him. Myria is a tropical paradise. Thick foliage bursts with brightly colored flowers. And the canopy of trees, when viewed from above, is an emerald ocean. Myria is a warm, tropical rainforest and experiences virtually no winter. It is home to diverse fauna and flora including many species found only in this region - jungle pipe and the horrax, for example.
Myria is also home to a number of active volcanoes. The Shattered Mountains are volcanic and Myria is home to at least 70 volcanoes. These adds to the hazards that face travelers to this region.
The rugged lands of Myria contain all of the following: skypods, battrel, dungflies, bore worms, shimmer cats, krallinar, qirben, red asp, splinter slug, shimmer cats, horrax, at least one gumric, ekril and stone beaks, the latter being most common in the Iron Hills. Karth and Myria both have access to a staggering variety of plant life. A few examples: blood root, death blossom, itchvine, jungle pipe, meal nuts, tara root and tuskweed are but a few.
The Sundering caused great landquakes and with them huge tidal waves. One tidal wave, a thousand feet tall, obliterated fishing villages and farmlands in the southwest. As the waters rushed in, beaches were crushed, mountains were leveled and whole valleys sank beneath the waves forever. From this chaos, a precious few survived. These survivors banded together and stories were told about their campfires. The generations that followed looked to the skies with feared-filled eyes. This race of people blamed the outside races and their engines of war for the devastation that scarred the world. They believed that the gods had been angered by the vanity of those in the East. They vowed to return to the simpler ways of Nature and turn their backs on the rest of the world. Over the centuries, this race returned to the simple ways of natural wizards, practicing druidic nature spells. Technology and writing were abandoned. The Myrians, as they would come to be called, reverted to a primitive state.
Myria is one nation divided into 10 separate and distinct tribes. Although these tribes often war with each other, they are very similar in technology, spell craft and culture. The ten tribes are: the Rhotha, the Sosiki, the Sukanni, the Buriska, the Aibuta, the Tosh, the Gethyan, the Pahavi, the Amaputu and the Nengeli.
Each tribe rules a specific geographical region with hundreds of tiny villages. The chieftain of each tribe dwells in the largest of these villages. Village size varies widely, but typically will have about 50 warrior males, one shaman, ten to forty elders and about 150 women and children. Each village is self-sufficient and politically self-contained. The village is ruled by a council of elders. The oldest and wisest of the elders speaks for the council and is responsible to the tribal chieftain. The council of elders is supported by the village shamans. A typical village will have only one or two of these holy men who serve as healer, seer, spiritual leader and wizard.
The chieftain of a tribe is the absolute religious ruler and serves as a demigod/high priest of sorts. He is supported by a staff of shamans and servants which may number as many as 100. Other than this quasi-religious tribal system, no truly organized form of government exists. At present, Myria has not yet coalesced politically. It is more of a geography region bound by culture rather than a proper nation.
All laws are created and transgressions judged by the Council of Elders within each village. For serious crimes, the village shaman consults spirits to determine the truth. Punishment tends to be severe and include dismemberment, castration, beheading, execution (usually by boiling the victim to death), branding and banishment
Each village is defended by the same warriors that do the hunting. A typical village will have about fifty warrior hunters. An entire tribe will have several thousand.
Myrian warriors fight with spiked clubs, spears and blow guns. Bows are also used but these are smaller and weaker than bows from other cultures. They are less accurate and inflict less damage. Myrians are aware of the forging of metals done by outside cultures but do not themselves practice it. A cultural taboo against the forging and crafting of metal has held the myrians in a perpetual stone age. Spears and arrows are tipped with sharpened bone or stone shards.
Myrian armor is a simple lightweight affair. A typical outfit is made of bones and hardened wood bound with strips of leather. It is light, well ventilated, allows freedom of movement and covers only the torso.
Myria is a perfect trade and barter economy. What one makes, finds or takes is his. Within myrian society, if you want something that belongs to someone else, you are expected to give something for it. Almost all "business" is conducted this way - simple trades. Food, weapons, clothing, huts, women are all traded.
Money has not yet been accepted, even though Myrians have seen foreign forms of currency. Money captured in raids or from prisoners is kept and worked into myrian society. Gold coins are considered decorative and may be woven into hair or used to decorative huts. Kalimuran bills of credit (which are just paper) are casually tossed into the firepits.
Dance and music are important to Myrian culture as are orally recited tales which take the place of formally recorded history. Such festivals are almost nightly. Rhythm forms the basis of Myrian music and chanting. Therefore, drums are the most important musical instrument by far. Beyond entertainment and religion, drums also serve as a means of communication. Considering the incredibly rugged terrain they inhabit, travel is difficult. It is much easier to send a message to a neighboring village with sound rather than a runner. For this reason, huge drums sounding specific rhythmic patterns are used to convey messages. Smaller drums carried on the backs of warriors are used to communicate between war parties. Each tribe has its own unique drum language.
Myrians are aware of outside cultures, but tend to limit contact with them. Contact inevitably leads to change and the myrians attempt to avoid cultural corruption. In some ways, they are as xenophobic as the baenites. However, this is not to say that the myrians shut themselves off entirely from the world. Outsiders are considered spiritually unclean. The shamans teach that outsiders are not to be trusted or understood, only pitied. Visitors will be tolerated politely, as long as they show proper deference and respect to the Myrian culture and the chieftain. Gifts are gladly accepted and one can make friends with the Myrians to an certain extent. But eventually, the Myrians will turn outsiders away. Very few outsiders have ever found acceptance with these people.
Tribal shamans hold a very important position in the life and culture of the myrians. Their word is considered above tribal law and even above the chieftains... for the shamans are the voices of the gods.
Powerful magic cast by strange visitors is often seen as an offense to the myrian gods and the shamans will likely react badly. Any showy display of magic will bring down the wrath of the tribal shamans who will order that the outlanders be offered up as a sacrifice to the myrian gods.
Male Names
Akamu, Chanasar, Dakarilla, Fakudu, Haukea, Jandro, Komar, Kayolo, Makoa, Mawadali, Mutaki, Oko, Petera, Rangar, Tamatoa, Ugita, Veytu
Female Names
Anaru, Bakeewa, Daukeri, Herani, Kalena, Malakai, Melina, Palani, Ruyahi, Tiare, Uliana, Wikalia
Notable Noble Family Names
None. Not applicable.
| Tribe Name |
Chieftain's Name |
Estimated |
Notes |
| Rhotha | Senulyr | 630,000 | The Rhotha are the undistibuted masters of the Iron Hills. They jealously guard the hills from all comers and routinely attack Kalimuran mining operations. (As the name implies, the Iron Hills are rich in mineral deposits and the Kalimurans have an strong interest in seeing them properly mined). The Iron Hills offer easier terrain than the Shattered Mountains and the Rhotha take advantage of this with steeds. The Rhotha worship Stone Beaks as their totem animal and use them regularly as steeds. They have developed specialized saddles for the giant land birds. They favor bows and often fire from birdback. Thanks to the bird's incredible running speed, the Rhotha are able to make very fast attacks in small groups, raid quickly and then flee for the safety of the hills. Some bathyn influence on this combat style is undeniable, although Myrian bows pale in comparison to bathyn bows. Because Kalimura mines the Iron Hills and often hunt Stone Beaks, the Rhotha hate the Kalimurans with a passion and will attack them on sight if the odds are in their favor. |
| Amaputu | Bolush | 570,000 | The Amaputu paint their faces to mimic the animals about them. Also, they build stone shrines to their Myrian gods and believe these places to be holy. These places, once built, are left untouched... left to the creeping vines and weeds for the jungle to reclaim. They are the dwelling places of the gods. The most ancient of these sites are difficult to find. Trespassors upon these grounds will find themselves facing an angry shaman and Amaputu warriors. It is important to note that Amaputans will not set foot on the holy ground of these shrines. The holy ground of each shrine is designated by a ring of stones at its perimeter. An Amaputun will die before breaking this holy law. Someone fleeing an Amaputan tribe could conceivably find refuge in one of the shrines, but such sanctuary would be futile. The Amaputans would wait outside, indefinitely, to punish the infidel. |
| Nengeli | Vensoc | 540,000 | The Nengeli are masters of both land and sea. They build a variety of lean, oared longboat that carries 20 rowers and can outrun even the biggest western sailing ships for a short while. Nengeli can often be found throughout the western Pirate Isles. The region claimed by the Nengeli is a tropical paradise of white beaches, crystal blue water and palm trees. The beauty of this region is reflected in the Nengeli people who are the most physically attractive. The Nengeli women are strikingly attractive and female slaves from this area command extremely high prices in the east. |
| Sosiki | Fashiul | 500,000 | The Sosiki may be considered the bravest of the myrian warriors. Indeed, bravery is honored above all else by these people and tests of bravery are common. They have been known to hunt and even tame the dreaded Krallinar. Since these creatures are rare and very difficult to capture, only the greatest of the Sosiki warriors may ride one. And, of course, one must train the beast before it can be used as a steed - a dangerous prospect to say the least. |
| Sukanni | Narsuk | 450,000 | The Sukanni are masters of stealth. Their warriors breed a tall, lean bipedal lizard and use them as steeds through the rugged jungles and into battle. These creatures are incredibly fast and agile. This combination of speed and stealth makes them a dangerous opponent. |
| Pahavi | Hoveitos | 430,000 | The Pahavi are tall and somewhat gaunt. They excel at tribal witchcraft and common magic. Villages will typically have a half dozen shaman instead of one or two and these men are able to work a number of spells. These spells are nature based and always take advantage of the jungle about them. |
| Tosh | Clagor | 420,000 | The Tosh have befriended the Karthasians are trade with the insectoid race regularly. The Tosh worship birds and, as part of their religious beliefs, will sacrifice a bird before undertaking any endeavor. This is to bring favor from the gods. The Tosh decorate themselves with feathers and will trade valuables for unique and beautiful feathers (especially feather types that they have not seen before). In some cases, feathers are traded as a form of currency. |
| Aibuta | Veutu | 400,000 | The Aibuta are the most musical of the tribes. They have the most elaborate drum songs, use the largest drums and engage in frenzied orgies of dance. This inclination toward rhythm and dance has worked its way into their way of battle and a unique form of martial arts has developed. |
| Buriska | Ab'neuir | 350,000 | The Buriska are a heavy set people with heavy brows and thick limbs. Physical strength is considered the most important trait and Buriska warriors train with heavy clubs and large stones. Tests of strength are common. |
| Gethyan | Goeworu | 300,000 | The Gethyan inhabit a large network of caves in central Myria. They paint themselves white when entering battle and use the poison derived from the jungle pipe (lequerin) on their weapons. The Gethyan have been fighting a blood feud with the Buriska for several generations. Gethyan religion is complex, layered and has five main gods of differing strengths. |
This website was last updated February 29, 2024. Copyright 1990-2024 David M. Roomes.
