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Skothar Overview

by Håvard

Skothar Regions:

• Nentsun
• Nentsun Plateau
• Thonian Wastes
• Bay of Thorin
• Esterhold
• Jen
• Empire of the Great Khan
• Tangor
• Minaea
• Zyxl

There are two types of published sources that can be used to detail Skothar. One is the standard Mystara material dealing with the topic. The other has to do with the location of Blackmoor. If Blackmoor was located on Skothar, as per the Hollow World boxed set, then that could have some implications for modern day Skothar, which I will refer to as Blackmoor Legacy. We do not even have to deal with the d20 material, most of the relevant details are already found in the DA modules. Note that DA1 Adventures in Blackmoor contains some information that is relevant for Skothar regardless of whether you accept this location of Blackmoor. In addition I have consulted this map for Rakasta breeds.

Nentsun

• Large parts of this region would fall into the region where the planet folds into the Hollow World and thus covered by darkness/anti-magic. Nentsun meaning "not sun"?
• The Cruel Nentsun use Longships (DA1)
• Arctic Climate
• Blackmoor Legacy: Ruins of Old Blackmoor probably fall within the borders of Nentsun and Thonia. The rest of the region would have formerly been part of Blackmoor's Skandaharian Jarldoms, likely related to Antalians (ie Vikings).

Nentsun Plateau

• The mountain Plateau south of Nentsun.
• Home to Snow Pardasta and Sherkasta.

Thonian Wastes

• PWA mentions Thonian Pirates. According to DA1, this is the region where the Thonian/Blackmoorian survivors of the Great Rain of Fire settled.
• Arctic Climate
• Home to Lynxmen
• Blackmoor Legacy: If Blackmoor was found on Skothar, then it is not unlikely that a number of Blackmoor devices (large and small) are scattered around this region. Before the GRoF these lands were the Vales and the Afridhi Empire.

Bay of Thorin

• Subregion of the Thonian Wastes?
• Blackmoor Legacy: I'd be very surprised if you wouldn't find remnants of Blackmoor's Dwarven Kingdoms here (see Thonia above).

Esterhold

• Alphatian colony. Described in DotE. These lands were formerly part of the Steppes of Jen (see below).
• Home to Fast-Runner Rakasta

Jen

• The Jennites are horsemen reduced now to a neolithic state. Golden Age Jennites are described in the Hollow World Boxed Set. IIRC they are based on RW Scythians.
• Home to Fast-Runner Rakasta
• Blackmoor Legacy: The Jennites could quite likely be descendants of the Peshwah. These could also be related to the Ethengars, even though the Ethengars had to relearn the mastery of horses later.

Empire of the Great Khan (Sword of Jennite)

• Nothing is known about this land. Quite possibly a culture related to the Jennites.
• Home to Pardasta

Tangor (Tangor Bay, Gulf of Tangor, Tangor Peninsula)

• Source of M-Africans. Tanagoro are also described in the Hollow World Box. They are related to the Nuari of the Pearl Islands described in DotE.
• Ogres and Half-Ogres may also live here.
• Trade with Zyxl. (Tangor Peninsula)
• Tropic Climate (Tangor Peninsula)
• Gombar and Suma'a are two (of several) Merchant Principalities here. (Tangor Peninsula)
• Home to Cloud Pardasta (Tangor Peninsula and Gulf of Tangor)
• Home to Sherekasta (Gulf of Tangor)
• Blackmoor Legacy: Possible connections to Dave Arneson's "Jungle Realm". Home to Gatormen.

Minaea

• Minaean Pirates are described in PWA.
• Settled by exiles from the Milenian Empire in 100 BC, thus bringing the M-Hellenistic culture to the local mix of Oltec and Tanagoro natives. (PWA III p. 43)
• Home to Cloud Pardasta

Zyxl

• Tropical Climate
• Inhabited by Demi-Ogres. (Dragon Magazine 189)
• Trade with Tanagoro.
• They sometimes travel across the sea to the Immortals Arm. Could this mean Ee'ar and Enduks visit Zyxl?

My appologies for the crudeness of this map. I tried to mimic OldDawg's Davania Regions map. I tried to avoid using the names Tangor and Nentsun more than I had to. That is why the Nentsun Plateau appears as the Skothar Plataeu and the Tangor Gulf is only known as the Gulf. I also considered adding a separate region for the valley that cuts into the Skothar Plateau.

Old Blackmoor and Old Thonia locations are based on a map by Zompatore. Old Blackmoor includes not just Blackmoor, but also its neighbouring regions formerly the Duchy of the Peaks and Plains of Hak. As identified by Zompatore, Nentsun is the remnants of the old Skandaharian lands. Other names are taken from the Master Set map and the HW Boxed Set maps.