Dark Karameikos: the People

Up next in my "dark and gritty" tweak of Mystara's The Grand Duchy of Karameikos (which I'm calling Dark Karameikos) is a look at the people who inhabit the Duchy.

Traldar
Formerly referred to as the Traladaran region, the Traldar were the first men to inhabit Karameikos.  They were taught basic survival skills by the elves prior to the Elvenking's descent into madness and the war on men which became his downfall.

The Traldar are generally of a short and stocky build, and tend to be a very rural, decentralized people who survive on fishing, hunting, and farming.  The family unit is very important to the Traldar and their society; important families are often looked to for leadership and government of a particular settlement.  While families (or family heads) may confer with the families of other settlements for alliances or trading agreements, the Traldar never supported or desired an overarching governmental structure; the Vandevicsnys made all the decisions for the settlement of Vandevicsny, for instance, and the Sulescus made all the decisions for the settlement of Sulescu.

The Traldar tend to be a superstitious people; their gods and faith are apparent in nearly every aspect of their lives.  While the Traldar never united under one government, they have united in their faith.  The Traldar have three gods: Halav the Beastslayer; Petra the Protector; and Zirchev the Grower.  Traladaran clerics usually pick one of the three as their patron (clerics of Halav tend to be very paladin-esque crusaders, whereas clerics of Petra take on a more supporting, healing role and clerics of Zirchev tend to be very nature-oriented and druid-like).  The Traladaran trinity of gods protect the Traldar and their lands from the horror of the Unnamed Gods of Chaos, who constantly seek to unmake the world.

Traldar view the use of arcane magic as chaos given form; most Traldar do not wish to get noticed by the Unnamed Gods, so true magic-users are uncommon.  That said, magic-use is not frowned on, and most settlements claim a magic-user or two among their residents.  Unlike their churches and clerical orders, the Traldar have no formal "magic-user schools"; those seeking to become a magic-user must seek out another magic-user who is willing to share their knowledge.

Thyatian
Compared to the Traldar, the Thyatians are taller and more lithe, and tend to be a very structured, organized, and bureaucratic people.  The government of the Empire of Thyatis has many levels, all based on the will of the Emperor, inheritance, or bargaining into power.  Commerce is important to the Thyatians; while the Thyatians have their hunters and gatherers, the bulk of the results of those activities are looked on as trade goods used to acquire the things they need, instead of as raw materials to make the things they need.

There is one faith that the Thyatians share, from the Emperor down to the lowest laborer: that of the Holy Light.  Everything not of the Holy Light is of shadow, and is forbidden.  Arcane magic use is considered to be of shadow, and the Church maintains Inquisitors to root out and "reform" magic-users in the Empire (this practice has not yet spread to Karameikos; Duke Stefan promised the Traladarans their faiths and practices, however, prejudices against magic use run high among the Thyatians in Karameikos and "conversions" are encouraged).