Last updated: 2025/08/25
While I am a general advocate for “exploring dungeons, not characters”, it is a simple fact that we are adventuring in a specific, non-Earth setting: the Known World of Mystara. In order to create characters that slot into this world with some degree of smoothness, it’s necessary to know a bit about the dominant culture; hence, this little guide.
One thing I would like to stress immediately is that our campaigns are those of professional treasure-hunters who are more or less decent people of heroic potential. This is not a campaign for sociopaths, edgelords, murderhobos, or other unsavoury sorts. Grumpy, perhaps a bit mercenary, sure, but actively unhelpful, amoral, or evil, no.
Our home region will be considered to be Karameikos, and this guide will be written with the assumption that our characters were born or at least primarily raised there. Humans and demi-humans from other areas are permissible, but as this guide is more of a courtesy, it will be up to the player to do his homework and justify the inclusion.
Karameikos is a large and only partially-tamed region. It is surrounded by the Five Shires to the west, the Republic of Darokin to the north, the Empire of Thyatis to the east, and the Kingdom of Ierendi across the Sea of Dread to the south. It was originally occupied by the Traladarans, but later conquered by the Empire of Thyatis. The current ruler, Duke Stephen, secured Karameikos’ relative independence in a trade with the present Emperor of Thyatis a number of years ago and presently rules from the city of Specularum. It has enclaves of the demi-human races, who tend to keep to themselves and are permitted relative autonomy, but the majority of the realm is human. The Common Tongue is that of the Thyatians.
Descendants of the legendary Tralador tribe. Men average 5’9” and women 5’3”; they are of light build and pale complexion, with brown eyes and dark hair. They tend to be a very superstitious lot, and outside of the cities tend to ignore education and are often illiterate, with the possible exception of the village Cleric. They don’t care overmuch for the Thyatians, seeing them as land-grabbers. They make up the majority of the population. Their typical names are akin to Slavic names.
Descendants of colonisers, they make up most of the noble class as well as a sizeable chunk of the commoners. They tend to be larger, men averaging 5’11” and woman 5’5”. They are a more diluted people, due to their endless colonisation, so their national appearance is more varied, with hair ranges from dark blonde to light brown, with occasional redheads (including Duke Stephan); eye colour ranges from blues to browns and blacks. They tan more easily than Traladarans. They tend towards national pride and a bit of arrogance (not without justification); they feel that Traladarans tend overmuch towards ignorance and superstition, and feel that Thyatian spoken with a Traladaran accent denotes a lack of mental ability. Their names are more grandiose and Romanesque.
Half-breeds are a recent occurrence and are almost exclusively born of Thyatian men and Traladaran women. A half-breed’s height is more in the middle, and they usually have dark hair and blue or light brown eyes. They carry some of the beliefs of the majority in the area they were raised, but often less strongly, and usually get along decently with both cultures.
The Dwarves in Karameikos are either members of the Stronghollow clan living with the gnomes, or are professionals who have immigrated into Karameikos, typically serving as professional soldiers in the service of the Duke or one of his barons. They have a slight preference for Thyatians, seeing them as more practical and less superstition-ridden. Dwarves disdain elves, and younger, more foolish dwarves sometimes stage prank-raids on the elves of Alfheim. Dwarves are well-known for being taciturn, hard-working people with a mighty appetite for both mineral wealth and ale. They favour strong, practical clothing and hate being idle overlong. They are noticeably shorter than humans, but of a comparable weight. Their names have a Nordic flavour to them.
Most of the elves in this region are from the Callarii tribe, who live in the forests near the Barony of Kelvin. They are seen as a merry and hard-working bunch, proficient in riverboating, riding, horse-trading, hunting, and foresting. Callariian elves have very pale hair and blue eyes, and are comparable in height to Traladarans. They tend to wear tunics or robes of green with embroidered leaf patterns. Elves disdain dwarves, but don’t go out of their way to trouble them. Generally, they are neutral to humans, but quick to befriend those who demonstrate honour and humour. Conversely, they quite dislike humans who are pretentious, dishonourable, or rude. They have a unit serving the Duke, and are favourably disposed towards him.
The other elves in the region are of the Vyalia tribe, and live in the woods on the border of Thyatia. They are dedicated to protecting nature and sharpening their minds, though they also work to repress emotions and opinions, striving for Neutrality. They are exceedingly disciplined and observant, and hate fighting if there’s any other choice; even when there isn’t, a Vyalian elf will always wait for the other side to strike first. Their tribe is divided into researcher mystics and travelling warriors, and they are the ones who created the Forester craft as taught to humans. They have pale skin, red hair, and green eyes.
Elven names appear to tend towards a mix of Celtic and Norse.
Shadow Elves are not regular, open residents of Karameikos, and are typically mistaken for Callariian elves, whom they greatly resemble, with the major tell being their larger-than-average ears. They are also paler, have white hair, and very light-coloured eyes. They are a mysterious people from deep beneath the earth and bear a grudge towards the elves of the nation of Alfheim, far north of Karameikos, for not allowing them to immigrate, and against humans, whom they blame for their long sojourn under the earth. They typically act as spies and infiltrators, though some may have a change of heart as they observe the conditions around them. Their names seem to have more of a Greek bent, but also sometimes Germanic or Celtic too.
Gnomes primarily live in the mountains north of the city of Threshold in a community called Highforge. It is a secluded community composed mostly of gnomes, but also houses an allied Dwarf clan, and mostly self-sufficient. The gnomes are well-disposed towards the Duke and neutral to the two tribes of humans. Gnomes are known for the exceptional work in jewellery and gems, mechanical aptitude, and for their talent in illusion magic. They are largely fairly jovial people with a deep love for practical jokes. Their size is comparable to a halfling, but they tend to look as though they age quickly, despite having a very lengthy lifespan. They tend towards earthy colours in both appearance and raiment, with a notable love for red hats. Their names have a Germanic bent.
Halflings are mostly immigrants from the Five Shires, attracted due to the heavy trade present. While there are no large clans present, halflings do have their own “subculture” and there are facilities which cater exclusively to halflings. In contrast with the dwarves, halflings tend to prefer Traladarans, whom they consider as life-loving, romantic, expressive people; they find Thyatians colder and less sympathetic. Halfing names tend to be simple English given names combined with a surname that describes some attribute of where they live or what they do.
The following chart sums up the various racial attitudes towards each other, to the best of my understanding:
| Traladaran | Thyatian | Dwarf | Callarii Elf | Vyalia Elf | Shadow Elf | Gnome | Halfling | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traladaran | P | T | N | G | N | N | N | G |
| Thyatian | T | P | G | N | N | N | N | N |
| Dwarf | N | G | P | A | A | N | G | T |
| Callarii Elf | G | N | A | P | P | A | T | G |
| Vyalia Elf | N | N | N | P | P | N | N | N |
| Shadow Elf | N | N | N | H | A | P | N | N |
| Gnome | N | N | G | T | T | T | P | G |
| Halfling | G | N | T | G | N | N | T | P |
P indicates that the race is generally preferred, and dealings with the members of the race will be reflected accordingly.
G means that considerable goodwill exists towards the race.
T indicates that the race is viewed with tolerance and generally acceptable, if not loved.
N shows that the race is thought of neutrally, although some suspicion will be evidenced.
A means that the race is greeted with antipathy.
H tokens a strong hatred for the race in question.