Hyrkanian

Starting Languages

When a player selects a culture, they automatically gain ability in the primary language associated with that culture. This language represents the common tongue or dominant language spoken in that cultural region. Each culture provides a pool of additional languages that players can choose from. This pool should include languages associated with neighboring regions, historical influences, or significant trade partners of that culture. The number of additional languages in the pool can vary based on the diversity and historical context of the culture. For example, a culture with extensive trade routes or a history of conquest might have a larger pool. You may select an additional language from this pool for each point of edge you have in Intellect, and another for each additional point you gain as you level up in your adventures.

Starting Arms & Armor

Players are afforded their starting weapons, clothing, & tool proficiencies by the age associated with their homeland. So Stone Age cultures and Dark Age cultures might both grant ability with a mace for example, but only the Dark Age culture would grant ability with guns, for example. Over the course of your adventures you may choose to use your progression to gain proficiency in a different age's tools.

The People of the Plains

Hyrkania, situated as the western neighbor of Khitai, shares a complex and often tumultuous relationship with its eastern counterpart. Historically, tensions between the two lands have run deep, with conflicts and territorial disputes frequently punctuating their interactions. Scholars speculate that the construction of the Great Wall, a formidable barrier separating the two realms, was motivated by the imperative need to curb Hyrkanian encroachments into Khitan territories. This physical barrier stands as a testament to the enduring rivalry between the Hyrkanians and the Khitans, serving as a symbolic divide that delineates their respective spheres of influence.
Despite their shared ancestry tracing back to the Lemurians, Hyrkanians and Khitans exhibit distinct physical and cultural characteristics. Hyrkanians are noted for their taller and leaner stature, a physical manifestation of their nomadic lifestyle and deep-rooted tradition of horse-riding. This physical disparity underscores the nuanced differences between the two peoples, reflecting divergent lifestyles and historical trajectories that have shaped their respective identities.

Hyrkanian Code of Honor

Central to Hyrkanian society is a rigid and uncompromising code of honor that governs the conduct of warriors within their tribes. This code, deeply ingrained in their cultural fabric, dictates the hierarchical status of individuals based on their adherence to notions of honor and valor. Crimes perceived as affronts to honor are deemed particularly egregious, warranting swift and decisive retribution. Such transgressions are viewed through the lens of communal responsibility, with the entire tribe often mobilized to exact justice and restore honor.
Within the intricate framework of Hyrkanian society, honor is not merely a personal attribute but a collective ethos that binds individuals to their tribes and communities. The enforcement of honor-bound obligations fosters a sense of solidarity and cohesion among Hyrkanian clans, reinforcing the social fabric that sustains their nomadic way of life. This code of honor permeates every facet of Hyrkanian existence, shaping their interactions, rituals, and conflicts with both neighboring lands and internal factions.

Names

Evolving into tribes known as Tatars, Huns, Mongols, and Turks, Hyrkanian names reflect this. Horses are often named 'Irem,' and rulers incorporate titles such as Agha, Shah, and Khan into their names. Examples: (male) Alafdhal, Amurath, Angharzeb, Aram Baksh, Atalis, Ghaznavi, Isparana, Jehungir, Jelal Khan, Jehungir Agha, Jungir Khan, Kerim Shah, Khosrun Khan, Than, Yar Afzal, Yezdigerd, Yildiz. Suggestions: (female) Conchaka, Khultulun, Mandughai, Orqina.

Religion

In Turan, there are two known deities—Tarim, almost the patron god of the Turanians, and Erlik, 'Lord of the Black Throne,' a god of Death. Other gods, possibly including Ishtar, are likely worshipped. In Zamboula, Hanuman the Ape God, a deified form of the carnivorous grey apes around the Vilayet Sea, is worshipped. Turan, known as the 'Empire of the White Wolf,' might also worship some wolf totem.

Related Organizations

• Her Unpure Children

Playing a Hyrkanian Adventurer

Starting Arms & Armor: Bronze Ages
Automatic Languages: Hyrkanian, Trade Tongue
Favoured Tropes: Nomad
Bonus Languages: Brythunian, Zamorian, Kothic, Corinthian, Hyperborean, Vendhyan, Iranistani, Khitan, Yuetshi, Shemitish, Stygian