Chapter 14: AN OVERVIEW OF KARA-TUR
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Chapter 14: AN OVERVIEW OF KARA-TUR
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Kara-Tur is the name of a vast continental
area, encompassing within it a tremendous range of climates,
terrains, governments, societies, cultures, and beliefs. Indeed, such
is its variety that to detail the continent
completely would require another work the size of this, devoted exclusively
to the campaign information
required. Presented here is a general overview of the principal lands-their
geographies, governments, and
societies. It is given to provide the DM with the very beginning basis
for an Oriental campaign.
Within Kara-Tur are four main empires-Shou Lung, T'u Lung, Kozakura,
and Wa. Surrounding these are
a host of other political units uncivilized tribes, tribal confederations,
warlord domains, petty kingdoms, and
trading outposts. Many of these form convenient alliances with their
more powerful neighbors while others,
feisty and rebellious, maintain their independence as best they can.
In addition to these settled lands, tracts of
unsettled and inhospitable wilderness are found throughout Kara-Tur,
inhabited only by a few hardy settlers,
bandits, dangerous head-hunters, non-human societies, and monsters.
Within the boundaries of Kara-Tur is virtually every type of terrain
commonly found in our world. In the
far northern reaches is the Land of Snow Demons, a vast expanse of
permafrost tundra, unbroken except for a
few stunted trees and upheavals of rock. The winters here are long
and extremely harsh and the summers are
cool and short. As one travels southward out of the permafrost, the
land becomes thickly-wooded and swampy.
These woods, mostly pine with a thick undergrowth of thorny berries,
mosses, and ferns, are rich in
wildlife--deer, moose, elk, bear, fox,
rabbit, etc. The land gradually rises to the south until it reaches the
Koryaz
Mountains, a series of low mountain ranges. Waters flow from the north
and south into this basin, forming a
network of streams, lakes, and swamps feeding the Ama River which drains
into the northern end of the
Celestial Sea. During the spring months the Ama turns into a raging
torrent, swollen with the runoff of melting
snow.
At the southwestern end of the Ama Basin are a series of rugged foothills
that separate the basin from
the drier steppes beyond. These steppes, extending for thousands of
square miles, are relatively flat and
featureless, only occasionally broken by rocky outcroppings. The area
is known variously as the Desert of
Horses or the Beastlands. To the northeast of the Ama Basin, the continent
curves around the northern end of
the Celestial Sea, extending a mountainous peninsula southwards. Breaking
off from the tip of this peninsula are
a series of rugged islands, including the islands of Wa and Kozakura.
Warm southern ocean currents bring these
islands a mild temperate climate.
South of the Koryaz mountains is a high plain forming the northern provinces
of Chukei and Pyint'sien
of the Shou Lung Empire. This area was once a fertile meadow region,
but changing weather patterns and poor
land management have reduced it to a dusty, cold, wind-swept plateau.
To the west, the Koryaz Mountains arc
to the south and gradually decline into a range of foothills, forming
a barrier between the Chukei Plateau and
the Desert of Horses. To the east the plateau drops in an abrupt series
of escarpments to the coast of the
Celestial Sea.
Still further south, the plateau gently slopes away into rolling hills,
and descends into the main river
basin of Kara-Tur. To the east are the fertile floodplains, well-watered
and loamy. Extending to the west, three
major rivers, the Ch'ing Tung, the Hungsete, and the Fenghsintzu, tumble
out of the mountains and descend
through the rolling hills to the Celestial Sea. The weather is warm
and temperate, becoming sub-tropical along
the southern side of the basin. To the west and southwest the Peerless
Mountains (Wu Pi Te Shan Mo),
gradually reach towering heights. The lower slopes are warm and humid,
covered with lush growth, while the
peaks are jagged and frozen. South of the Three-River Basin, the ground
again rises in a ruggedly rolling
countryside. The sub-tropical weather makes everything lush and green,
fed by the monsoons that sweep
through each year. The coast swings out to the southeast, marking the
lower end of the Celestial Sea. The ranges
of hills extend to the south and southeast, gradually rising into a
volcanic chain. The climate becomes fully
tropical, with thick verdant jungles filled with all manner of strange
and fanciful creatures. Feathery peninsulas
reach into the Eastern Ocean and island chains dot its waters.
In Kara-Tur the majority of the population is concentrated within the
Three-River Basin, its surrounding
foothills, and on the islands of We and Kozakura. Centered in the Three-River
Basin and extending to the west
and north is the Shou Lung Empire. To support its massive population,
nearly all arable land of the basin is used
for farming, while herding and some small agriculture is done on the
Chukei Plateau. The Peerless and Koryaz
mountains are mined for valuable ores that are sent downstream or overland.
Along the southern and
southwestern side of the Three-River Basin is the Empire of T'u Lung.
Here again farming is practiced,
primarily along the banks of the Fenghsintzu while farming and lumbering
are common in the southern hills. To
the north, in the Ama Basin, live tribes of nomadic hunters who practice
little farming but raise herds of elk and
reindeer. The few human tribes that live in the Land of the Snow Demons
survive by hunting seal, bear, and
reindeer. To the west in the Desert of Horses live several tribes of
nomadic horsemen, joined together in a loose
confederation. A strong leader has recently appeared among them and
is gradually welding them into a fierce
warrior-nation.
On the lower end of the peninsula to the northeast of the Ama Basin
are several petty kingdoms,
tributary states of the Shou Lung Empire. On the islands between the
peninsula and the islands of Wa and
Kozakura are several tribes of primitive fishermen and hunters. Wa
and Kozakura are populated by a people
different from those found on the mainland, most likely an offshoot
branch that settled the islands in ancient
times.
South of the Three-River Basin, the human population gradually thins
out until there are isolated tribes
living in the jungles. Those along the coast trade extensively with
the more civilized north and have formed
several small states that pay tribute to T'u Lung or Shou Lung. Deep
in the jungle are the remnants of an ancient
empire that once held sway over all the southern lands. Ruled by a
race of evil snake creatures (possibly
yuan-ti), this empire corrupted and transformed several of the human
groups it came in contact with.
Shou Lung (or "Receiver of the Dragon") is the largest and most powerful
empire of Kara-Tur. It is also
the oldest state of Kara-Tur and has been in existence for over 1.,200
years in one form or another. It has been
ruled by an emperor for all of its history, except for a few periods
of turmoil. The head and center of the state is
the current emperor Chin of the Kuo Dynasty, the eighth dynasty to
rule the land. The bureaucracy he heads is
manned by thousands of officials, major and minor, chosen by a system
of examinations given throughout the
land. Thus, within Shou Lung it is possible for even the poorest commoner
to rise to an influential position,
provided he is talented enough and studies hard.
Shou Lung is divided into 14 provinces, each headed by a governor. The
provinces are in turn divided
into districts, also with its own official. At each level the officials
are responsible for the management of those
beneath them, the hearing of court cases, keeping the peace, collection
of taxes, and the construction of public
works.
The provinces are connected by a well-maintained network of roads and
bridges, creating a regular flow
of trade between different provinces. There is also an extensive network
of Imperial Messengers stationed at
depots throughout the land to carry news to and from the capital city,
T'ien Shih. Extensive areas of dikes and
dams have been built along major rivers to reduce the risk of flooding.
Regular coinage and paper money are
minted and honored throughout the land.
T'u Lung ("Earth Dragon") was part of Shou Lung until a dispute over
imperial succession 300 years
ago. Claiming its own emperor, T'u Lung set up a separate imperial
court. After many wars between the two
states, the situation has stabilized. No love is lost between the two
empires. In the wars of succession, the
Emperor of T'u Lung was supported by powerful officials and nobles
of the rebelling provinces. This led to
their acquiring great power and strength. Although the government is
modeled after that of Shou Lung, the
Emperor of T'u Lung (of the Lui Dynasty) has never been able to break
the power of his nobles. Thus they
control the examination system and have arranged for various offices
to become hereditary. Furthermore, their
power has allowed them to exempt their estates from most imperial edicts
(including taxation). Now the
Emperor can only enforce his edicts with the consent of the majority
of the nobles. Commoners have little
chance to rise in the government and corruption of official posts is
common.
T'u Lung is divided into six provinces, each administered by a hereditary
governor. The provinces are
divided into districts and official positions are assigned on the basis
of family and graft. Although T'u Lung
inherited the public works of Shou Lung, these are poorly maintained
and new projects are seldom undertaken.
The people are easily oppressed, having no recourse to the law. The
prime activity in the capital, Chia Wan
Ch'uan, is political plotting. Many of the nobles of T'u Lung are leaders
of secret societies pledged to overthrow
the Emperor.
The island of Wa is a unified military state. Although there is an emperor,
the title is honorary and real
power rests in the hands of the shogun or "barbarian-suppressing general:"
The shogun is always a member of
the Hidetomi family. The island is divided into fiefs, granted by the
shogun, and ruled individually by daimyos.
Each daimyo has total control over his lands, provided he obeys and
enacts the orders of the shogun. Indeed, the
court of the shogun only involves itself in threats against its power
and in cases between different fiefs.
However, the shogun does retain the power to confiscate lands or resettle
a daimyo to a different fief, a power
that helps his family retain control. In return for his fief, the daimyo
is expected to provide military service and
administer his lands.
Within Wa the status of the warrior, particularly the samurai, has been
raised above all others. Each
daimyo maintains a household of samurai, paying them a stipend of rice
in return for their service. These
samurai are expected to give absolute and loyal service to their daimyo.
Under the warriors come the peasants,
then the craftsmen, and finally the merchants. Rigid laws have been
enacted to keep each social class separate.
Cities are customarily divided into walled wards. Those living in a
ward must pass through armed gates to visit
other parts of the city and must return to their own ward at night.
Samurai are given special privileges,
particularly those of the vendetta and the right to avenge insults,
as befits their military upbringing. Travel is
strictly controlled and leaving or entering the island is difficult.
The intent of these laws and regulations is to
prevent any possibility of rebellion or civil war against the shogun.
Kozakura ("Little Cherry Blossom") is inhabited by the same race of
people as found on We and shares
virtually the same customs and traditions. However, Kozakura is far
from a unified state. For several centuries it
has been the scene of incessant warfare between powerful daimyos, all
struggling to gain the title of shogun.
The island is divided into fiefs and estates, ruled by the daimyos.
It is a very turbulent place-one where fortunes
and might can be achieved by those of even the most common upbringing.
As such, it is the perfect place for the
adventurer seeking fame and fortune.
Currently, a struggle is raging between several powerful daimyos who
support the emperor in his bid to
regain his long-lost political power and the remains of the bakufu,
or shogunal government. Each side is
attempting to ally the remaining families on the island. Of these families,
some are joining out of loyalty and
others see the chance to amass more power themselves. Some families
are even arranging to be allied to both
sides so they cannot lose! Although the warrior is the most respected
and powerful class, Kozakura lacks the
rigid laws of Wa and more than once a humble peasant has risen to powerful
lord through his military skill.
Players who already have the AD&D
game rules may want to introduce character classes from these
worlds into the lands of Oriental Adventures.
However, these lands are very different from those of the standard
classes of fighter, magic user, cleric, and thief. The lands described
in this book are insular and closed-they
avoid contact with the outside world when possible. True, trade exists
with the outside world, but it is
infrequent and carefully controlled. Furthermore, many ply the sea
lanes and caravan routes with gold and
treasures only to disappear at the hands of bandits or other, more
cruel, dangers.
The result of this separation has left the inhabitants of the Oriental
Adventures (ands with two peculiar
traits. The first is a lack of curiosity about the rest of the world.
To most people of the Oriental lands, the
outside world is filled with rude and hostile barbarians (known as
gajin). As such they are not dealt with, having
nothing of value to offer. This leads to the second of their traits-the
belief that they are superior to the gajin, that
all gajin are below the level of culture and refinement of their lands.
Therefore, when other character classes enter Oriental lands perhaps
by a long sea journey or arduous
overland trip-they will discover that their level and character class
has little meaning to the Oriental population.
Instead, they are gajin, uncivilized outsiders.
As gajin, the characters have several disadvantages and advantages.
First, gajin are outside the social
order of the Oriental lands. The inhabitants of the land do not know
exactly where to place them in the caste
system. If a character can show some equivalent rank to a class that
exists in the Oriental lands, he will be
treated as if he were a member of that class, though always with a
slight edge of contempt. Thus, if a fighter can
show that he serves a great lord in his land, he would be treated as
if he were a samurai-although he would
never receive the full recognition a normal samurai would. Gajin are
also without a family or clan and can never
gain the benefits of belonging to one, as Oriental
Adventures characters do. Finally, the gajin must relearn a
great many basic skills. The common language of his land is not the
trade language used here. This must be
learned in order to communicate. Clothing is different and proper styles
and patterns of dress must be relearned.
Armor is also different and the gajin must receive instruction before
using it. Indeed, the very fabric of society
is different and the gajin on his own must constantly be careful to
avoid innumerable social blunders and
outrages while living among the Oriental people.
There are, however, advantages. Firstly, a change of location does nothing
to affect the abilities of the
character. Those powers a character possessed in one land still apply
here. Secondly, being an outsider, the
character is not affected by honor. This does not mean the character
has no honor, rather that the particular code
of honor used in Oriental Adventures
has no bearing on the gajin character. Gajin characters do not use the
honor system presented in this rulebook. Thirdly, the gajin character
is a novelty. If he behaves in a civilized
and proper manner, he will find himself the honored guest of one or
many lords, who gain great honor by
sponsoring the gajin. In this position, he will be closer to those
in power than his normal caste would allow.
The various non-humans found in the other AD&D©
works are even more unusual to the people of
Oriental Adventures. Whereas the
other gajin are at least human, these are totally unknown. They are often
mistaken for hairy men or spirit folk or spirits roaming the earth.
On rare occasions they will be attacked by
those who mistake them for dangerous and evil creatures. In all cases,
they are a novelty.
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