Anachronisms

Historical Mashups!

Aorlis was developed with an Old World, medieval European feel. That’s my target flavor, and I have reinforced it with many period details. The material culture, social network, religion and mythology are baked right into the setting.
The late 13th century is the guideline, but there also are some historical anachronisms found in Aorlis. This was a conscious decision—the medieval European landscape was far from uniform, so it makes sense that an alternate reality version would be different on some points too. Anachronism is a creative tool that can mix things up and make a setting more exciting.
On the grand scale, Aorlis is designed with a north-south axis of development. In the far north of Aorlis, such as in Draas or Orlois, this world is still in its Dark Ages. As you travel south, you head into a zone of early medieval advancement, such as Thalium and Caindos, down to late medieval, as with Burlam and Noelred. In Aorlis’ far south, such as in Eldris, Kaldur, and Kaidlorr, a vibrant renaissance is underway and gaining speed. By the time you get to Alusia or Imerkand, science, philosophy, and early modern social institutions are in full bloom.
Here are some of the intentional anachronisms in more detail.

Academy of the Arts Sinister

The Academy of the Arts Sinister, a sort of academic thieves’ guild, is something that only gained a footing in our world in the 15th or 16th centuries. In Aorlis, this institution developed much earlier.

Boxing

While the martial art called boxing or fisticuffs was not yet codified in the Middle Ages, Aorlisians certainly know how to punch. Unarmed combat here employs punches and wrestling moves, so it resembles modern mixed martial arts more than boxing. These skills are a subset of Fencing/Defense and are usually referred to as open-hand techniques.

Communal Bathing

General nudity, male or female, is not yet heavily sexualized, and communal bathing in local stews (bathhouses) is the norm. Water still relatively is clean and un-polluted, making this more possible, and bathhouses were nearly as important for community building as was local church. Aorlisian and medieval people were far less prudish than later peoples.

Khemsid

The Khemsid peoples are a purposeful anachronism. They are Aorlis’ analog for the Romany peoples of our world, but the nomadic yurt dwellers portrayed in Name of the Shadow fit a more 18th or 19th century paradigm.

Recreational Drugs

We know very little about recreational and mind-altering drug use in our world’s Middle Ages. We may not know much about it, but we comfortably can postulate the use of magic mushrooms by berserkers, herbal-based pain management, and other uses. Essentially, Aorlisians made heavy use of all sorts of poppies, magic mushrooms, molds, tobaccum, chanre (cannabis), and other materials to achieve states of altered perception. Pipes and smokables are common here, with hookas and water pipes being less well known.

Slayers Guild

The Slayers Guild had no medieval European analog, but it is a key element of Name of the Shadow. This organization resembles the Hashashin of our world’s medieval Middle East.

Plaidens

Plaids, as worn by the Caindosian clans in northeast Aorlis, is a more 19th century phenomenon in our world, but I purposely backdated this into the medieval setting. The kilt is already well known in these lands, too.

Tarot Cards and Symbolism

In our world, Tarot cards are likely 15th century Italian inventions, and their use for magic readings is more appropriate to the 17th century. In Aorlis, Tarot cards developed much earlier, and their symbolic associations are ancient, and they are widely used for assorted occult and divination purposes.

Tattoos

We don’t know if medieval people got tattoos, but in Aorlis this practice is well known. Some cultures, like the ancient Picts, certainly painted themselves, but that’s a step shy of a full-on tattooing. Vikings commonly are believed to have adopted tattoos, so the peoples of Orlois are sure to be the same.


Women’s Hair Styles

In Medieval Europe, most women covered their tresses with bonnets, hoods, hats, etc., to keep their tresses clean, both outdoors and in sooty, poorly ventilated homes. In Aorlis, it is far more common for women to have uncovered hair, wearing it loose or braided. There was a sexual connotation attached to uncovered or loose hair, both in Europe and in Aorlis.