Quick update (Updated July 28th!)

[cherryfunk]

And keep an eye open for elephants...

[soibean]

everything looks great
keep it up

[Taranaich]

Ok, here we go:

Beast of War: Military Animals of the Hyborian Age

Throughout the ages of humanity, many things change, but much also remains the same. Men have always built great cities, created artworks and music, fashioned marvelous technologies… and warred upon each other. One constant from the Thurian, to the Hyborian, to the modern ages is the implementation of animals in warfare: as mounts, beasts of burden, and weapons.

Horses

Since the first men domesticated the first horse, the two have been brothers-in-arms through eons of battle and bloodshed.

Although the peoples of the Thurian age are known through fragments of pottery, sculpture and art to have used horses, the breeding and history of the beasts were lost in the rage of the Great Cataclysm. As with their masters, the Thurian horses became scattered throughout the new continent. Some became feral, wild and untamed, but with a dim glimmer of their former domestication in their brains. Others evolved to a greater degree, becoming not just feral, but evolving into a truly wild new species.

After the ice comes, once again the great horses of the civilized peoples descend into barbarism and beastdom. However, like those of their masters, the memory of these magnificent creatures lives on in the mythology and folklore of the modern world: the famous Mares of Diomedes are based on the Corinthians' practise of feeding their warhorses small amounts of human flesh, as part of their training to attack men in combat. The great horses of Norse mythology - Blóðughófi, Falhofnir, Gullfaxi, Gulltoppr, Hamskerpir, Gardrofa, Hofvarpnir, Svadilfari, Hrimfaxi, Skinfaxi and others - all are based on the famous steeds of Aesir and Vanir warlords: the great Celtic horses can also trace their memory from Cimmerian and Brythunian horses.

Hyborian Breeds


Goralian Pony
"Meanwhile the opposing host had debouched onto the plain. With the knights came what seemed a second, irregular army on tough swift ponies. These dismounted and formed their ranks on foot - stolid Bossonian archers, and keen pikemen from Gunderland, their tawny locks blowing from under their steel caps." - The Scarlet Citadel
This small, but deceptively tough pony is used by the Gundermen, Bossonians and Border Kingdomers, mostly as a transport for infantry to the field of battle, but also for their horsemen. It is nimble enough to negotiate the marshes of the Border Kingdom, the rough foliage of the Bossonian countryside, and the uneven hills of Gunderland, and has enough endurance for sustained skirmishing and chases. Although some individuals can be stubborn and devious, the average Goralian is good-natured and friendly, though fearless enough to be a valuable mount in warfare. Named for the Goralian Hills in northern Aquilonia.
The Goralian Pony is an ancient breed, with origins back beyond the Cataclysm. Its ancestor was the Atlantean horse, a large and ferocious breed which was transported in large numbers to the new Atlantean colonies on the Thurian continent. After the cataclysm, the Atlantean horse became first feral, then evolved into a new and totally wild beast. From this creature both the Goralian pony and the great Commorian Warhorse were born. The Goralian pony was domesticated independently by the Hyborians of Gunderland, and the aboriginals of the Bossonian Marches, and eventually even the Cimmerians would adopt this versatile and useful animal.
After the Hyborian Age, the humble Goralian Pony would survive, and mix with the Commorian Draught, to give rise to the legendary "Draft Horse" ancestor of western europe and the British Isles, from which animals as diverse as the Shetland Pony and the Shire Draught can claim descent.


Zingg Genet
The Zingg Genet is a light horse unique to the Zingg Valley of Zingara. Lightly built
The exact origins of the Genet are unclear: some horse breeders say that the horse was native to the region before the Zingg People came, others that it was brought with them from their eastern homeland. The similarity to both the Zhemri and Aphaka horses gives credence to the second theory, though the proud Zingarans would deny their horses anything but a true Zingg heritage. Named for the Zingg Valley in north-east Zingara.
With a smooth naturally ambling gait, compact and muscular build, and an agreeable disposition, the Genet was ideal for light cavalry. They are mostly used by the Genetos, mounted Picto-Zingaran borderers and scouts.

Shamu Rouncey
The Shamu Rouncey is the general purpose horse of the Hyborian kingdoms. Used as pack mounts, work horses, show horses, riding horses and more, they are also common battle mounts. The rouncey is used by many Hyborians, usually those of non-noble birth: scouts, squires, sergeants, watchmen and border guards favour them for their great speed and endurance, as well as their cheaper cost. Named for the Plain of Shamu in western Ophir.
Its origin is undetermined, save that it was first domesticated by the early Hyborians, before even the ancient kingdoms were founded. Perhaps because of this, the Rouncey's reputation is somewhat conflicted: a knight or noble would consider it a lowly creature of little worth, while a soldier would laud its reliability and strength. Elitism is the most likely cause of this, as a nobleman would obviously prize an expensive, well-bred horse over one of mixed breed and relatively cheaper cost, despite it being arguably more useful and cost-effective than a destrier.

Shirki Courser
"Zenobia had chosen well to selecting the white horse. His speed, toughness and endurance were obvious. The girl knew weapons and horses, and, Conan reflected with some satisfaction, she knew men. He rode westward at a gait that ate up the miles." - The Hour of the Dragon
The Shirki is a common and dependable breed of warhorse. Light, fast, and strong, they are the most frequently seen warhorse, used by soldiers, rich squires, men-at-arms and even some knights. Named for the Shirki Valley in Aquilonia.
Originally bred from the running horse of the Shirki valley, it was spread across the continent, becoming the primary warhorse of the Acheronians, Corinthians, Kothians and Ophireans, and even finding its way to Zamora and Zingara.


Khor Destrier
"The tall horses of the cavalry seemed hard and savage as their riders; they made no curvets or gambades. There was a grimly business-like aspect to these professional killers, veterans of bloody campaigns." - Black Colossus
The Khor is the primary breed of Hyborian destrier, used by knights and noblemen across the Hyborian lands. With powerful hindquarters, a short back, muscular loings, strong bones, and well-arched necks, they were able to charge with incredible power, and turn with remarkable fluidity. Named for the Khor Valley in Aquilonia.
The Khor was first domesticated by the Acheronians, although wild ones roamed in the northern regions, which would themselves be domesticated by the later Hyborian tribes. It was strong, sturdy, and versatile enough to be used in a number of situations, although it is as a war mount that it truly shines.


Valkia Warhorse
"The Aquilonian host was drawn up, long serried lines of pikemen and horsemen in gleaming steel, when a giant figure in black armor emerged from the royal pavilion, and as he swung up into the saddle of the black stallion held by four squires, a roar that shook the mountains went up from the host." - The Hour of the Dragon
The Valkia is the most sought-after breed of destrier: although related to the Khor, careful breeding (and, some say, more than a little sorcery) have made it the mount of Kings. Named for the Valkia Valley in Aquilonia.
The Valkia was originally bred by the Acheronians, later exported to Ophir and Corinthia, formed by crossbreeding the Khor with the Stygian: the result was a horse with the strength and size of the Khor, with the endurance and ferocity of the Stygian, forming a truly terrifying mount. When Acheron was conquered, most Acheronian horses were absorbed back into the Khor stock by the new Hyborians, but some populations were kept separate: these became the prized mounts of kings, princes and royal guardsmen. These beasts are so rare, they are usually only seen as part of a general's bodyguard, or elites like the Black Dragons, Scarlet Dragons, or Klibanarions.

Barbarian Breeds


Nordic Warhorse
Named for the Nordic regions. Strong, heavily built and difficult to control, it is used by rare Nordic and Cimmerian cavalry, though in the later Hyborian Age, it will be used far more frequently.



Shemite Breeds


Aphaka
"The hill steed reared wildly under the unfamiliar clash of the Kothic armor, and Conan's gusty laugh rose above the din as he led them to where the eastern ridge branched away from the plateau. Five hundred footmen - pauper patricians, younger sons, black sheep - on half-wild Shemite horses, charging an army, down a slope where no cavalry had ever dared charge before!" - Black Colossus
Named for the Aphaka region north of the Eastern Desert.
The Aphaka horse shares a name with one of the earliest tribes of the Sons of Shem. An enterprising tribe, they were among the first to trek out of their homeland in the east, eventually settling far south in Tombalku. The tribe and horse were so closely linked, that eventually all Shemites referred to the horse as the Aphaka, in honour of that great first tribe.



Stygian Breeds


Stygian
"First was a long line of chariots, drawn by the great fierce horses of Stygia, with plumes on their heads - snorting and rearing as each naked driver leaned back, bracing his powerful legs, his dusky arms knotted with muscles." - Black Colossus
Named for the Styx river.
Much like their human masters, the mighty Stygian is a horse bred and born to battle and the hunt. An ancient breed that came with the mysterious folk who would become the Stygians, they were the cavalry of the army that usurped the Giant-Kings and conquered the Winged Men of the Black Coast. As with the nobles, they were a strong, tall, virile race: centuries and centuries of husbandry, refinement and toil resulted in a truly masterful breed. In the days of the Stygian Empire, the Stygian was spread across the continent, and frequently used to improve other breeds by other nations, particularly the Zamorians and Acheronians: adding speed, endurance, strength and intelligence.
The Stygian is used not only by their original breeders, but among the Pelishtim, Zamorians, and the nobility of Kush, who either field pureblooded Stygians, or interbreed them with native stock. They are much more intelligent than the average horse, but this also makes them somewhat unpredictable.
The Stygians enjoyed great success throughout the Hyborian Age: though the Stygian empire contracted over time, the Stygian horse was still widespread and populous. The Hyrkanian horses gave them a run for their money, but when they rode back east with their masters, the Stygian prevailed. Over time, its preternatural endurance, ferocity and intelligence would lessen, though it would remain a beautiful and magnificent beast, as the Arabian Horse.

http://mobarakandish.com/asbiran/Ihb...s/turkoman.jpg
Kharamun
Named for the region northeast of Stygia.
The Kharamun is a horse of mixed Stygian and Aphaka breeding, and likely other horse breeds as well. Bred in Kharamun, a polyglot region changing hands between Stygians, Kothians, Iranistani and countless Shemite hordes, it was perhaps bound to be somewhat of a mongrel breed. Nonetheless, it is a frequently-used horse, found in the armies of Stygia, the Shemites and the southern Hyborian nations, especially Khauran and Khoraja.

Uncanny Steed
"Hadrathus bent to unbind the swooning girl on the altar, when from among the trees appeared a strange apparition - Xaltotun's chariot drawn by the weird horses. Silently they advanced to the altar and halted, with the chariot wheel almost touching the brown withered thing on the grass. Hadrathus lifted the body of the wizard and placed it in the chariot. And without hesitation the uncanny steeds turned and moved off southward, down the hill. And Hadrathus and Zelata and the gray wolf watched them go - down the long road to Acheron, which is beyond the ken of men." - The Hour of the Dragon
The Uncanny Steed is a horse unlike any other of the age. It is seemingly tireless, travelling hundreds of miles in a day without breaking a sweat, and are stolidly silent and still when not in motion, betraying a grim and unsettling intelligence. The exact nature of these mysterious beasts is known only to the sorcerers and priests whose chariots they pull - some say they are natural horses strengthened by unnatural means, others that they are warped by sorcery, and others still that they are not horses at all, but devils of the Outer Dark bound in equine form by their master.
The only sure thing about these impressive beasts is that they are a frightening force in battle: they can run faster and for longer than any other breed, and when they charge it seems no force on earth could stall them, save a veritable forest of pikes and thunderstorm of arrows.



Hyrkanian Breeds

Turanian
Named for the Turanians, who first bred them.

Balkhana
Named for the kingdom where it was bred and exported from.

Khorosun Bullhead
Named for its unusually-shaped head, which is wide and bull-like.



Elephants

Compared with modern times, even antiquity, elephants are abundant: with more land and no Roman Empire Venatios to devastate their numbers, they gather in herds of hundreds in Hyrkania, and enjoy greater population prosperity than after the Ice Age. As well as elephants, mammoths and mastodons share the landscape, and other megafauna of what would later be termed the Pleistocene. Most of these beasts are wild and untamable, but a few species have proven receptive to taming... and war.


Forest Elephant
The elephant from which modern African ones originate was a humble, relatively small creature: some 8 feet high at the shoulder, though with the distinctive large ears and concave back of modern ones. Their small size is a result of adatptation for life in the forests rather than the southern savanna and grasslands, though they are still the largest herbivores of the region, their only predators dire wolves and the great Hyborian lions. They are unarmoured, and are too small to be equipped with towers, though up to two archers could ride on the back behind the mahout, making it a light horse archer elephant.
The elephant was once found in armies across the continent: Acheron, Corinthia, Ophir and Koth used them to counter the gargantuan Stygian and Iranistani elephants: though they were far smaller, they were considerably more docile and maneuverable, so with effective commanding and decent support they could defeat their larger cousins. However, with the new Hyborian Kingdoms and the collapse of Old Stygia, the need for elephants in warfare was not as pronounced. Still, with the Shemites a frequent threat and the rising shadow of Turan, the southeastern kingdoms of Corinthia, Ophir and Koth have retained a small number of elephant squadrons, though nowhere near in the number of the Acheronian days.
After the Hyborian Age, the small elephants would be driven south into Africa, where it would give rise to the great Bush and Forest elephants of today.


Kush Elephant
"These they enslaved and set to building a city. From the hills to the east they brought jade and marble and lapis lazuli, and gold, silver, and copper. Herds of elephants provided them with ivory." - Red Nails
The great elephant of Kush is a strong, irritable and gigantic beast in comparison to other pachyderms, a relic of older times. At the time of Conan the creature is on its last legs, with competition from smaller Forest elephants, and overhunting by ivory prospecters. Still, there is life in this old beast yet, and it is ironically humans who sustain its populations most steadily.
The Kush Elephant has been used by the Stygians in warfare for many centuries, and as with the Stygian Horse - and Stygians themselves - sorcery and intensive breeding programs have created a true monster of warfare. Dark, almost black, in colour, 18 feet at the shoulder, with terrible 8-foot tusks and the reddish eyes of a creature half-mad, they are a fearsome foe indeed, among the largest creatures ever employed in warfare. Their berserk rage is unparalleled among elephant kind, though they are wont to run riot in friendly as well as enemy lines. Although they are unarmoured, their skin is toughened by strange and unnatural means, and one would need to hack it to near pieces to fully incapacitate it. Though obviously used by the Stygians most frequently, the territories and satellites of the Stygian Empire have some communities remaining, and some continue to use them in warfare and heavy work, Kush being the most prominent.
After the fall of Stygia, the largest elephant to walk the earth went into decline, and the loss of sorcery and training led to it reverting to its original, natural form: scientists today call it Elephas Recki. Sadly, this comeback was too late, for it was living on borrowed time: by the beginning of the Ice Age, it was already gone.


Straight-Tusked Elephant
The Straight-Tusked Elephant was a large beast, with long straight tusks and a height of 12 feet at the shoulder. First used by the Shemites to counter the great Stygian war elephants, they are used more as archery platforms for the famous Shemite Archers than proper cavalry units. They are usually drugged on a special concoction to keep themselves steady for the archers, making them less responsive and sluggish - though if pushed into a melee, their great tusks will slaughter enemy troops with frightening ease.
After Conan's time, the massive Hyrkanian Expansion brough the Straight-Tusked Elephant deep into the Hyborian lands, where they battled the Pictish Mastodons. After the Nordic Drift devastated the two empires, the Straight-Tusked Elephants went back to the wild, forcing the Mastodons out of their territory as far west as the Pictish Wilderness, before the Ice Age killed them off.


Hyrkanian Elephant
"Ahead of him he saw, looming against the sky, the Tower of the Elephant. He mused, wondering why it was so named. No one seemed to know. He had never seen an elephant, but he vaguely understood that it was a monstrous animal, with a tail in front as well as behind. This a wandering Shemite had told him, swearing that he had seen such beasts by the thousands in the country of the Hyrkanians..." - The Tower of the Elephant
Of all the beasts of war in the Hyborian Age, few are quite so awesome as the great Hyrkanian War Elephant. With a height of 13 feet at the shoulder and deadly 10-foot-long straight tusks, their mere size is impressive enough: however, when encased in shining steel and gold armour, with a massive tower brimming with archers straddling its back, the beast seems less an animal and more a juggernaut of living steel.
In the early Hyborian Age, elephants were a common form of combined assault cavalry and siege engine, being capable of smashing troop lines and wooden fortifications with great ferocity. While elephants largely declined in use falling the fall of Acheron and the rise of new, deadly siege engines, in the east, where the creatures are abundant, they are still a common sight. The Hyrkanians had realised the need for war elephants to battle the elephants of the then-mighty Iranistan, Vendhya, Bakhaurus and Khorala. Although the Iranistan Empire has fallen by Conan's time, Vendhya is still strong, and the new Shemite cities have elephants of their own, so Turan has continued to field war elephants.
After the Hyborian Age, the Hyrkanian Elephant was spread all across the eastern half of the Thurian continent from the Hyrkanian conquests. With the coming of the Ice Age, the Mammoths of Hyperborea started to encrouch on their territory, and they were pushed south. When the Swamps of the Dead descended beneath the oceans, small communities remained on the new islands around Asia, and evolved into dwarfs. Fossils of the Hyrkanian elephant are still found today - known as Stegodon.


Mastodon
""We encountered a bench-legged monstrosity about the size of a mastodon," said Conan..." - Red Nails
The Mastodon is quite modest compared to other pachyderms, but it is still a mighty and dangerous beast. Ridden by a single Pictish mahout, it has no armour, saddles or cloth, and it is decorated in hideous warpaint designs. The typical Mastodon is about 8 feet tall at the shoulder, with five-foot tusks.


Mammoth
Far in the northern wastes, a new breed of beast is growing common. Like the southern elephants, they are tusked, with legs like pillars and trunks that can lift a horse, but unlike elephants, they are covered in thick shaggy hair, and their ears are small to adapt to the tundra: mammoths. Most mammoths are confined to the colder parts of the world, but are most common around the Vilayet, taking advantage of land too frozen for their Hyrkanian competitors.
Mammoths are rarely seen on the battlefield: they are temperamental and unpredictable, and likely to run amok against friend as well as foe, so only the most highly trained mammoths are fit (or safe) enough to field. Nonetheless, the devastating power they offer has made them highly desireable as "terror" weapons, as much for show and intimidation as actual combatants. Most mammoths are tamed and trained by the expert trainers on the shores of the Vilayet, spending their entire lives working with and studying the great beasts, turning them from wild and skittish creatures into aggressive war mounts. As a mammoth has sturdier bones and greater strength than even the mighty Hyrkanian elephant, they can be equipped with heavy armour, a stout tower, four archers and a rider. They are even outfitted with metal spikes on their tusks, legs and flanks. So well trained they are, they even carry an oversized mace with their trunk, resting it on their tusks when not in use. With all this armour and weaponry, a troop of war mammoths is truly a sight to behold, and one of the most devastating units to ever cause a battlefield to tremble.
After the Hyborian Age, Mammoths would rise to the occassion during their finest hour: the Ice Age. Unfortunately this would not last, and coupled with hunting by the Sons of Aryas and Cro-Magnons, the Mammoth would fade into the mists of prehistory.



And, that's it for now. Any equestrians and horse/elephant fanciers champing at the bit to give suggestions/point out glaring inaccuracies please do. Until next time!

[Irishmafia2020]

Wow... have you made the mammoth model yet?

[Taranaich]

Not yet, sadly. Currently the Mammoth in the game is just the regular Medieval 2 elephant with a fur texture, but I really want to have a new model with the mammoth proportions: big tusks, small ears, etc.

Also, I should've mentioned which factions would get access to the elephants. These are the places that have an "elephant resource" at the game's start:

Forest Elephant
East Ophir, East/Central Koth, East Argos, Western Shem, Stygia, Kush, the Black Kingdoms

Kush Elephant
Kush, Stygia, the Black Kingdoms

Straight-Tusk Elephant
Eastern Shem, the Southern Desert, Iranistan, The Golden Kingdoms

Hyrkanian Elephant
Hyrkania, Eastern Turan, Ghulistan

Mastodon
Pictish Wilderness, the Golden Kingdoms

Mammoth
Northern Steppes around the Vilayet

Some might be moved about, but that's basically the idea.

[Cadwalader]

Very interesting. Especially the mammoths. I always loved mammoths.

[Taranaich]

Glad you like it!

Mammoths in the Hyborian Age are never directly mentioned by Howard, however I don't think its too much of a stretch to include them. We see Sabretooths, giant apes and snakes after all, and Red Nails makes it pretty clear that Conan' seen or at least heard of a Mastodon: why not Mammoths?

The only problem giving it to Hyperboreans would be the fact that, early in his life, Conan was captured by them. Yet in Tower of the Elephant, Conan's never seen an elephant, which is obviously quite similar. So how can the Hyperboreans have mammoths, when surely Conan would have seen one? I'm taking the "Conan was taken to western Hyperborea where there aren't any mammoths", and keeping the Mammoths relatively far over at the Vilayet.

At the start of the game, the Hyperboreans have a small force of mammoths, descendents of the original population of Elder Hyperborea's mammoths. Since then, Hyperborea has shrunken considerably, and the eastern cities have become semi-independent principalities: the city that trains war mammoths being one of them. The player will have to conquer or convince the settlement to become a vassal (bribe) in order to start training mammoths, or hire mercenary mammoths. A more costly but peaceful alternative is build a series of "trade link" buildings in a homeland settlement to simulate buying & transporting them from mammoth traders: sort of like "mammoth guilds".

[christof139]

Hyperborea sounds like it will be very interesting. I like the evil magic and the mammoths. Mammoths with whitish-grayish-light brownish hair would be great methinks for an added touch of originality.

There was a so-called Royal Mammoth in the USA and Canada that was very large, but I forget the proper name of it (was once studying vertebrate Paleo.), and some of the ealier Eles. and mamoths were larger than the African Savana Ele. I do believe. It is very neat that you are giving the Picts Mastodons, finally someone is making use of those straight backs!!!

For other beasties how about some prehistoric Crocidilli, I think you said earlier that you would have these in the southern areas, not sure. 40 to 50 -footers would be great.

Chris

[Taranaich]

Hyperborea sounds like it will be very interesting. I like the evil magic and the mammoths. Mammoths with whitish-grayish-light brownish hair would be great methinks for an added touch of originality.

Interestingly, study of mammoth genetics indicates that they could have a range of hair colours not unlike humans: in addition to the usual brown, there's red, black and even blonde! However, making multiple skins for mammoths would mean some big texture files, so I'll probably stick to one: I think a lighter colour like that you describe would work well for the snowy icelands of Hyperborea.

There was a so-called Royal Mammoth in the USA and Canada that was very large, but I forget the proper name of it (was once studying vertebrate Paleo.), and some of the ealier Eles. and mamoths were larger than the African Savana Ele. I do believe.

Sounds like the Imperial Mammoth to me (Mammuthus imperator). It's the largest American species, only the mighty Mammuthus sungari was bigger. I think the biggest prehistoric pachyderm was generally a toss-up between sungari, Deinotherium and Stegodon, sungari being the current champion.

It is very neat that you are giving the Picts Mastodons, finally someone is making use of those straight backs!!!

I always had a soft spot for Mastodons: it sounds such a great name until you find out it means "nipple tooth". To think they've been immortalised in the annals of science with such a weird name...

Also, the Mastodon is much more suited to the Pictish Wilderness because it was believed to be a browser, instead of a grazer like mammoths. Plenty of shoots, leaves and fruits in Pictland, not so much grassland.

For other beasties how about some prehistoric Crocidilli, I think you said earlier that you would have these in the southern areas, not sure. 40 to 50 -footers would be great.

Well, we know from Hour of the Dragon that the Stygians kept gigantic snakes (Sons of Set) in their temples, letting them out every so often to feast upon the unfortunate populace. We also know that the Stygians worshipped other gods: "apish" and "half-bestial" ones.

The Egyptian descendants of Stygia had a whole city dedicated to the Sobek cult, with a Holy Crocodile adorned with gold and jewels living in the temple.

I can imagine a Stygian city that worshipped a crocodile god having a similar setup to Crocodilopolis, but try to include the common people in the... sacrificial feasts. Like the Sons of Set, these crocodiles would be somewhat larger than their natural cousins.



Food for thought. Om nom nom.

[cherryfunk]

Food for something, that's for sure...

[Spartan198]

Food for something, that's for sure...

You took the words right out of my mouth.

What about Rhynos for the Black Kingdoms? You still planning it, or has the idea been dropped?

[Taranaich]

Nope, rhinos are still planned (I new I forgot something!) I also forgot the Kushite horse breed, as well as camels, I'll put those up too.

[Irishmafia2020]

How are things coming? No rush, I will wait for two years, but with so many promising units done, I hope that I don't have to...

[Geoffrey S]

Interestingly, study of mammoth genetics indicates that they could have a range of hair colours not unlike humans: in addition to the usual brown, there's red, black and even blonde! However, making multiple skins for mammoths would mean some big texture files, so I'll probably stick to one: I think a lighter colour like that you describe would work well for the snowy icelands of Hyperborea.

To be honest, despite the larger filesize I hope you go for the multiple skins approach. I can think of little that would look more impressive than a varied herd of mammoths bounding across the horizon in MTW2.

[GazzaD]

Note that the Kingdom of Zembabwe had units of flying reptiles....

Now that would be cool to see on a TW battle map.

[Taranaich]

How are things coming? No rush, I will wait for two years, but with so many promising units done, I hope that I don't have to...

Slooooowly. I have two big projects at work to get done, one for end of July, another August, and Cherryfunk's busy with Roma Surrectum. Still working on it when I get the chance though.

To be honest, despite the larger filesize I hope you go for the multiple skins approach. I can think of little that would look more impressive than a varied herd of mammoths bounding across the horizon in MTW2.

It would be nice, but I don't really know how feasible it would be. It would be a, literally, mammoth texture. Nonetheless, if I can get it to work it would indeed be very cool to see.

Note that the Kingdom of Zembabwe had units of flying reptiles....

Now that would be cool to see on a TW battle map.

Zembabwei's flying reptiles were a very cool idea, but there are two problems with it:

1. No sign of them in REH's work. I don't think they're too bad conceptually, Howard included a lot of Edgar Rice Burroughs-style creatures, and Conan did fly a big dragon/pterodactyl/"Thing Which Was Neither Bat Nor Bird" in The Scarlet Citadel, but I'm not aware of any nation using flying creatures in such huge numbers in any REH Conan story.

2. Flying units are, while possible, really difficult to implement successfully. The only one I know of is Lord of the Rings: Total War's Nazgul, and a Chinese modder put static dragons in Medieval 2. So while they are possible, I don't know if a non-REH unit for a non-player nations would be justified when the time used to make them could be better spent on other units for playable factions.

[Taranaich]

Been quite a while, so here's another mini-update!

Still not much concrete progress due to work issues, but again these should be over by mid-august.

In the meantime, following on from the "Beasts of War", here's something I thought would be a nice behind-the-scenes image, the scale diagram I'm using for Hyborian beasties inspired by the wonderful wikipedia images:



I forgot to add annotations and stuff, but the colours indicate the faction the creatures belong to. The squares denote 1m square.

Grey Humanoid = Conan, to offer a human comparison
Grey Primate = Bull Ape (Picts)
Purple Primate = Man-Ape (Zamorians)
Tan Primate = Grey Ape (Rebels)

Grey Wolf = Dire Wolf (Picts, ancillary of Zelata)
Grey Sabertooth = Sabertooth (Picts)

Larger Green Snake = Greater Son of Set (Stygians)
Grey Snake = Ghost Snake (Picts)
Smaller Green Snake = Son of Set (Stygians)

Lime Pachyderm = Hyperborean Mammoth (Hyperboreans)
Brown Pachyderm = Hyrkanian Elephant (Hyrkanians, Turanians)
Green Pachyderm = Stygian Elephant (Stygians)
Yellow Pachyderm = Straight-Tusked Elephant (Shemites, Iranistani)
Olive Pachyderm = Kush Elephant (Kushites, Stygians)
Grey Pachyderm = Pictish Mastodon (Picts)
Pink Pachyderm = Forest Elephant (AOR)

These are the creatures which are "top priority" among the beasties in the game, since they're the ones we've seen in a war context and have some sort of precedent in the Conan stories, or at least an internal logic (as with the elephants). Some of the more exotic creatures like the Karkadann, Petsuchos and Sirrush aren't there since there's no precedent in the Howard tales, but (IMO) work in the Hyborian contexts I have them in.

Descriptions of the beasties coming soon!

[Cadwalader]

Woah!
It won't be a good day for the poor troops when they have to face the Son of Set.

[Taranaich]

Woah!
It won't be a good day for the poor troops when they have to face the Son of Set.

Aye, a pretty grim prospect: all the fury and terror of a mammoth in a slim, hard-to-target form.

Though compared to some of the... things in the mod, the average soldier would be glad of an earthy foe to face, even if it is a 100-foot snake.

[Spartan198]

Hey, whatever happened to that Argos preview you mentioned was coming a while back?

Oh, BTW, I'm back after close to a month long absence (my IP address was banned, and I was just recently shown a work-around)!

*hears thunderous celebratory applause*

[Taranaich]

Hey, whatever happened to that Argos preview you mentioned was coming a while back?

Well, I regret to say that it's been... postponed.

Most of the work is going into a big giant "Conan: Total War" inaugural preview with a shedload of content and info regarding all aspects of the mod, but Argos will be the first regular preview after that.

Oh, BTW, I'm back after close to a month long absence (my IP address was banned, and I was just recently shown a work-around)!

*hears thunderous celebratory applause*

I was wondering where you were, nice to see you back!

Which reminds me, it's been a while since the last update. I'll have to do something about that...

[Spartan198]

I was wondering where you were, nice to see you back!

How could I forget about my absolute most favorite Total War mod ever?

[Taranaich]

Which reminds me, it's been a while since the last update. Well, no time like the present...

(take a deep breath, lots of text to get through!)



Unknown Lands of the Hyborian Age

While some Hyborian countries, cultures and peoples are charted in great detail, there are a few that are far more mysterious. Some are only known by name, others by their geographic whereabouts. Some are prosperous and wondrous nations, others desolate wilderness populated by savage nomads, or dark jungles inhabited by horrors terrible and indescribable.

What follows is a scholarly overview of some of these nations, including theories on their people, history and culture.

Saa'bah the Accursed


The entrance to the Temple of Yog in Sabatea

"The Black Ring was a fable and a lie to most folk of the western world, but Conan knew of its ghastly reality, and its grim votaries who practise their abominable sorceries amid the black vaults of Stygia and the nighted domes of accursed Sabatea." - The Hour of the Dragon

"Conan, you are of the West, and know not the secrets of this ancient land. But, since the beginning of happenings, the demons of the desert have worshipped Yog, the Lord of the Empty Abodes, with fire - fire that devours human victims." - The Man-Eaters of Zamboula

South of the Eastern Desert and West of Stygia lies a dark and evil land, one so feared that even the redoubtable Shemite traders will shun, and so little known it is believed to be long deserted like dead Kuthchemes. The many-domed city of Sabatea is the capital of Saa'bah, an ancient land long used as the seat of the Black Ring in the time of Old Stygia, and hotly contested by the old empire of Iranistan.

The first human habitation of what would become Sabatea was originally a system of caves built by a mysterious culture of cave-dwellers. Starting as merely hollowed-out tunnels, the artistry and sophistication of these caves developed into spectacular rock-cut temples, palaces and castles as every bit as impressive as the Caves of Jhelai in Vendhya or the subterranean temples in Stygia. Eventually more conventional buildings and constructions were erected around the mountains, and the city of Sabatea became a power in the East.

For many ages Sabatea stood strong, withstanding even the Great Cataclysm with its tremendously durable architecture and fortuitous position in a geologically quite area. However, the might of the people who would become the Stygians overcame the city, and it became part of the old Stygian Empire, where the notorious Black Ring made it the centre of their abominable sorceries.

Then the Hyborians came. When even the behemoth of Kuthchemes staggered under the onslaught of the Hyborian invaders, Sabatea was hard-pressed to defend itself. The Black Ring relocated to Keshatta, the nobility fleeing to Khemi: few soldiers remained in the city to defend itself from the northern plunderers. Fate was kind to Sabatea, as the Hyborians bypassed the hidden city and turned their attention elsewhere. This luck was not to last, however: centuries after Stygia's withdrawal, Sabatea was attacked by the kingdom of Iranistan. But Sabatea had not been complacent: in the years since being abandoned by the Black Ring, a new cadre of sorcerers came into power. Formed of fugitive sorcerers, priests and heretics cast out from their homelands, this polyglot ring of renegades and radicals builded up Sabatea from an abandoned relic into a stronghold of grim magicks. This ring cannily manipulated both Stygia and Iranistan, playing them against each other while they plotted and the Saa'bah people built up their military and infrastructure. In time, perhaps Saa'bah will emerge as a new power in the east.

The Saa'bah are insular and secretive, with a populace composed mostly of the indigenous Sabateans and a considerable Stygian presence. The Stygians naturally worship Set, and temples to the Old Serpent dominate the outer city: however, the old Sabateans worship Yog, the Lord of the Empty Abodes. Sabatea is the home of Yog's cult, being spread as far as Zamboula and Darfar.

At the time of Conan, Sabatea is a minor city, but with many unique buildings and resources that would be a great boon to any aspiring empire. Their greatest resources are the unique spices of the Red River, which are part of a lucrative spice trade among the priesthood and sorcerers of the world, and a primary source of income for Saa'bah. In addition, Sabatean craftsmen make finely-potted painted ceramics, most commonly vessels for incence, powders and elixers by priests and sorcerers, another

Saa'bah military is modest, but sufficient to defend their land. Three regional soldiers are available as mercenaries or regional recruits in Sabatea: Sabatean levies, Sabatean Warriors and Yoggite Fanatics. Sabatean levies are simple peasants and labourers armed with spears and Shemite-styled bows, a few members wearing light armour but most wearing cloth or silk. Sabatean Warriors are a rag-tag elite, formed from old Stygian warriors, Shemite nomads and Sabateans of noteworthy battle experience: they wear an eclectic range of armour, and wield a one-handed weapon and shield with a Stygian-styled longbow. Fanatics of Yog are wild, dangerous men with a fanatical devotion: clad in green robes, they beat their enemies with cudgels and maces - this prevents excessive blood loss, blood being an important part of their rituals.

In the end, even ancient Sabatea was lost as the Hyborian Age came to an end, but its legacy was not wholly forgotten: the great Arabic trade kingdoms of the Sabeans and Nabataeans can claim to be the heirs of nighted Sabatea, and it is rumoured that beneath the rocks of Arabah, the remains of an ancient system of corridors and tombs lurks beyond the stone floors of Petra. Who knows if someone will find an entrance into the lost halls of Sabatea - and the horrors that dwell within.

Cherkessia, the Country of the Knife

The Cherkess Mountains

"His only weapon was a broad curved Cherkess knife in an ivory sheath girdled high on his left hip, kozak fashion. " - A Witch Shall Be Born

The Cherkess are a hardy, dangerous people of the Cherkess Mountains south of the Vilayet. Proving indomitable to the Iranistani, Golden Kingdoms and even the Turanians, Cherkess men are reknowned as vicious warriors, their women famed for their beauty. The Cherkess mountains are rugged peaks, not as formidable as the Himelians, but still difficult to navigate, and extremely difficult to invade.

Part of the progenitor tribe which founded the Golden Kingdoms, the people who would become the Cherkess claimed the highlands and mountain range south of the Vilayet and north of the Great Plains, which became known as Cherkessia. Tribal disunity meant that they did not forge a kingdom of their own, but they managed to resist incursions from Turan, Iranistan and Ghulistan nonetheless: the relative remoteness of Cherkessia to the Hyrkanian and Hyborian worlds have made it largely of little interest to conquerers, in comparison to more attractive targets like the Golden Kingdoms.

Independent from the other Golden kingdoms, Cherkess society is quite different from that of both their southern neighbours and the western Hyborian kingdoms. A warlike people, men are expected to always carry a weapon, and all boys were trained in combat. Familial ties like those of western Hyborians were nearly nonexistant: each child was viewed as a son of the tribal community than that of their own parents, and many parents would foster their children to other adults. Cherkess society is also strongly matriarchal: the women are the heads of community, leaving matters of warfare to the men, although the women would frequently fight alongside the men in times of war. The Cherkess are also fairly egalatarian, with few stata outside community and community leaders, much like the early Hyborian tribes.

Cherkessia's main settlement is the town of Adegya. It has little appeal outside of a source of good soldiers, being little developed and extremely dificult to besiege. Allying or establishing trade would be ideal, and a soujourn into the province with a powerful general will attract many mercenaries. Nonetheless, Cherkessia's human resource is worth attention - and caution. Although the Cherkess are independent, many young men - and women - become mercenaries for other nations: they can be hired as mercenaries or regional recruits as Cherkessian Warriors. They are excellent assault and support infantry, fighting with swords, axes and the famed Cherkess knives, and are particularly adept at ambushing in mountainous terrain. Outside of warriors, Cherkessia is renowned for exceptionally beautiful women, who would be excellent princesses and ambassadors - and for a particularly dominant conquerer, slaves.

After Conan's time, the Cherkess continued to repulse Turanian attempts of acquisition, but by the time of Turan's greatest expansion the might of Turan was simply too great, and the Cherkess were made part of the Turanian Empire. For centuries it endured the indignity of subjucation, the desire to rebel palpable under the facade of tolerance for their new masters. However, when the Picts rose to challenge Turan, the Cherkess rose up, only to be beaten into submission. Time and again the Cherkess would rebel, but Turan was merciless in their reprisal: it was only by the time the Cimmerians came to divide Turan's army that the Cherkess finally threw off the Turanian yoke, and by then it was too late. The ice came, and the Cherkess descended into barbarism. Still, the memory of those strong men and beautiful women would be echoed in their descendents: the Circassians.

Kordafan

Kordafan Ancient Temple of Set

"The monster was a survival of a forgotten age, controlled by a dusky adventurer from Kordafan." - The Snout in the Dark Synopsis

Kordafan is a small but prosperous kingdom lying to the south-east of Kush, and was indeed a province of Kush in its earlier Imperial days. While Kush has expelled the Chaga nobility, Kordafan retains their dusky nobles, augmented by refugees from the Kushite revolution, and more than a few renegade Stygians.

Kordafan was originally part of Kush, when it was almost three times the size of its current incarnation, extending from Darfar to Abombi and encompassing the Southern Desert. When Stygia was attacked by the Hyborians some 3,000 years before Conan's time, Kush saw an oppurtunity to acquire some Stygian territory: though weakened by the Hyborians, Stygia repulsed Kush, and was vicious in its reprisal. Kush's borders started to falter: the eastern desert descended into anarchy, and tribes rebelled. The final straw was the Aphaka invasion, which settled in the city of Tombalku: Kush contracted to its present size, and Kordafan was among the newly independent satellite states.

Being a centre of Set worship and the Stygian priesthood, many of the Chaga of Kush's old territories made their way to Kordafan. When Kush expelled the Chaga from their kingdom, the southernmost fled to Kordafan, where the Chaga were more powerful. Being much smaller than Kush, its army must work harder to defend itself from incursions by the larger kingdom and the surrounding tribes. By the time of Conan, Kordafan is an insular but powerful realm, concentrating its power in a small area: and the bitter tree of the Chaga outcasts' memory may yet bear crimson fruit.

Like Stygia in miniature, Kordafan broods quietly to the south, content to explore its dark religion and ways: the treasures and prizes in the temples of Kharatu would be reward for daring to rouse the lions of the small state. Kordafan is an important region of the international slave trade, being one of the crossroads between the Black Kingdoms and Kush, and thus the Hyborian Kingdoms and Stygia: people of all shapes and sizes are trafficked through the caravan route of Kordafan. Kordafan shares a few regional units with the southern Stygian and outer Kush provinces: Chaga Warriors, Chaga Guards and Chaga Nobles, which are an infusion of Stygian and Kushite styles. Chaga Warriors echo both the mighty Stygian warrior-nobles and the chosen warriors of Kush, wielding Stygian-style bows and Kushite-style swords: they are unarmoured, but carry a shield with the unique Chaga art design. Chaga Guards are the chosen warriors of the Chaga elite, with uniquely-shaped spears and shields, and wearing a type of leather scale armour with leopardskins and a multitude of plumes. Chaga nobles are mounted on Stygian horses, rare so far south: they are armed with excellent quality Stygian axes, long lances and shields, and wear lavish gilt scale armour. In addition, elephants can be herded here, which the Kordafans sometimes raise for their armies.

After Conan's time, Kordafan was absorbed into the great Black Empire which threatened Stygia, rising up against their old foes and taking great swathes of territory. The Vanir conquerers of Stygia managed to turn back the hordes, which again fell to infighting and collapsed back into savagery. Some remnant of Kordafan's old kingdom remains, by a large army which settled just south of Stygia's successor Egypt, where it influenced the kingdoms Nubian kingdoms, especially the Kordofan region of Sudan.

Negari, The Land of Skulls

A Skull Temple of Negari

"I've roamed in the unknown countries south of the black kingdoms of Kush..." - Beyond the Black River

"Then the sea rose and shook himself. He thundered from his abyss and the thrones of the world fell before him! New lands rose from the deep and Atlantis and Mu were swallowed up by the gulf. The green sea roared through the fanes and the castles, and the sea-weed encrusted the golden spires and the topaz towers. The empire of Atlantis vanished and was forgotten, passing into the everlasting gulf of time and oblivion. Likewise the colony cities in barbaric lands, cut off from their mother kingdom, perished. The savage barbarians rose and burned and destroyed until in all the world only the colony city of Negari remained as a symbol of the lost empire." - The Moon of Skulls

Atlantis has long been a fixture of mythology and history in various forms, but even in the Nemedian Chronicles, the true history of the island nation and its people is complicated and unusual, and it is likely that the truth will never be truly revealed.

The original inhabitants of Atlantis were a race of black-haired, blue-eyed barbarians, of whom King Kull of Valusia was a descendent. The Atlanteans were settled in various colonies about Valusia, including a large area of land which became known as Commoria. The post-Kull history of Atlantis is unclear, but the startling evidence is that after the barbarian Atlanteans migrated to Commoria, a new ethnic group appeared on the land: a tall, dusky, strong-featured race, one that worshipped many gods, which built great gold spires and topaz towers and extended their maritime empire far and wide with their purple-sailed galleys. This race bears a remarkable similarity to the people of Bal-Sagoth, Khemuri, and the Stygians, arguing that these people are linked to each other.

Thus, Atlantis after the time of Kull was split between barbaric tribelands and a vast maritime empire, building their cities all across the world. The aboriginal Atlanteans war incessantly with these newcomers, and despite great sorceries and powers, the wizards could not fully subjucate the black-haired savages. Then the Great Cataclysm rocked the world: the savage Atlanteans left in great fleets of small boats, while the Atlantean Empire crumbled and sank: only some scattered outposts remain. The Atlantean territory in the eastern half of the Thurian Continent was largely unharmed, and the fleeing Lemurians were enslaved. A few islands and outposts in the new, nameless continent in the west survived: Bal-Sagoth and Khemuri. And far to the south of the Black Kingdoms, the last of the Atlantean successors built an empire stretching from the west to eastern coast - Negari.

Negari was initially the master of the Black Continent, subjucating the primitive tribes, and forging an impressive empire. However, by the time the Hyborian Age truly started, things went wrong. The old Stygian Empire under the Giant-Kings had started to encroach on its territory: its vassal Kush, far larger and more powerful than by Conan's time, was attacking Negari's northern provinces. The two titans struggled for dominion of the continent, with Negari's protectorates becoming increasingly embittered at their treatment and perceived abuse in the war effort. Eventually, after a particularly disastrous rout, the protectorates rebelled, and Negari was split apart: Alkmeenon, Punt, and Amazon broke away, leaving Negari vulnerable. Just at Negari's weakest moment, the Stygians retracted abruptly from the war: a new menace had appeared in the east, one that threatened to completely destroy them. This foe was the Eastern successors of the dusky Atlanteans: they eventually overcame the Giant-Kings, and became the ancestors of the modern Stygians.

With the Stygian menace no longer an immediate concern, Negari focused its fury on its old protectorates, using the levies and aboriginals to do the bloody work. The blacks grew disillusioned, with thousands of their people sent off to die, and eventually a full uprising exploded. The eastern half of Negari, being the regions with highest number of black Negari, took up arms against the predominantly dusky Atlantean Negari. The southern islanders too broke away, and preyed on the two nemeses impartially like pirates. Both sides were devastated by the conflict. By the time of the second Hyborian migrations, Kush had asserted its independence from Stygia, and the eastern Negari became a new, black nation: Atlaia.

By the time of Conan, Negari is still a powerful kingdom. It may have lost its coastal provinces, but it rules the inland lakes and rivers which lead to the sea. The Negari use this shipping route to trade and communicate with the other Atlantean diaspora in Bal-Sagoth and Khemuri, though the Black Corsairs - the descendants of the Island Kingdomers - are always keeping watch. Their old enemies Atlaia brood to the east, but they also have Zembabwei, Punt and Keshan to be concerned with, and so aggressive expansion into Negari is not likely at the moment. With no real foes to the immediate west, south and north, it could be time for the Negari to expand.

In Conan: Total War, Negari is far south of the map's southern frontier, though as with far places like Khitai, some buildings relating to the empire can be found. Stygia and Kush can build "Negari Trade Outposts": these are extremely exculsive and lucrative buildings that are tied to the vast Negari trade network, which bring the exotic goods from Khemuri and Bal-Sagoth to the Thurian continent.

Like Khitai & Stygia, Negari would survive the end of the Hyborian Age largely intact, though as shadows of their former glory. They survived and prospered in Africa well into the late 1500's, until Solomon Kane brought the ancient kingdom to an end.

The Golden Kingdoms

"As the girl's mind cleared, her first sensations were furious rage and shame. She was appalled. The rulers of the golden kingdoms south of the Himelians were considered little short of divine; and she was the Devi of Vendhya!" - The People of the Black Circle

The origin of the Golden Kingdoms is something of a mystery to Hyborian scholars It is believed that the kingdoms of Vendhya, Ghulistan, Iranistan and the Golden kingdoms have a common origin: this progenitor tribe is tentatively named the Ghuli. There are two theories for their origin, which I will add in more detail at a later date:

The Eastern Empires Hypothesis - descendants of the easternmost Thurian nations became the founders of the Golden Kingdoms.

The Hyborian Hypothesis - the Hyborian tribes which stormed over Kuthchemes 3,000 years before Conan's time continued southeast, and settled on the eastern coast & Vendhyan subcontinent.

For the purposes of the mod, I'm going to try and leave it as ambiguous as possible: although I overwhelmingly favour one theory over the other, I want to leave it unstated for now until one theory proves its dominance in wider Hyborian scholarship.

While the three major Golden Kingdoms are well explored in both the Nemedian Chronicles and the apocryphal legends, there may be others that are little known or investigated.

Bakhara, Realm of Knowledge

Bakhaurus, Capital of Bakhara

"The broad Bakhariot girdle that supported his knife in its ornamented scabbard would have matched the robes of a prince" - The People of the Black Circle

Its very name meaning "Full of Knowledge", The kingdom of Bakhara is a centre of eastern civilization, with its art, architecture and history being a veritable pillar of Golden Kingdom history, and is one of the most advanced kingdoms of the region. Its capital Bakhaurus is a great city of blue domes, with the great citadel at its centre an unassailable stronghold.

As well as the exquisite clothing items like the famed Bakhariot girdles and belts, Bakhaurus is renowned as a city of learning and science. Many learned and prominent scholars have studied at Bakhaurus: physicians, historians, poets, scientists, and polymaths of all fields and nationalities have graced the madrasahs and libraries of the city. Even now, many easterners - and even some Nemedians - consider the Great Library of Bakhaurus to be unequaled throughout the world.

The origin of Bakhara is rendered in the epic poetry of the region, particularly "The Book of Kings", which was later transcribed into the Iranian Shahnameh. Siavash, an Iranistani king of the Peshtahk Dynasty, had been driven from Iranistan by a conspiracy of rival Viziers, who were jealous of his skill, intelligence and popularity. Arriving in Turanian-controlled Secunderam, which was originally a Turanian city before the Ghulistan tribes conquered it, he married the Lord of Secunderam's daughter. King Afrasiab granted him a vassalage, and gave him territory on the Bukhara Oasis. Here he built the city of Bakhaurus.

Eventually, Afrasiab too became jealous of Siavash's power, and had him assassinated: in retaliation Siavash's father Shah Kai led his army and devastated Secunderam, killing Afrasiab and leaving the southern Turanian cities vulnerable to attack by the savage Ghuli hillmen. Shah Kai then took control of Bakhaurus, and declared it independent of both Turan and Iranistan, to forge its own destiny in the east.

Bakhara is a strong kingdom, which can be allied with or conquered as the player desires. There are three unique mercenaries and regional recruitment units available: Bakhariot Hillmen, Bakhariot Guardsmen and Bakhariot Lancers. Bakhariot Hillmen are light skirmishers native to the low hills of Bakhara, and are armed with javelins, axes and light bucklers. Bakhariot Guardsmen are a new corps of professional guards formed from recent Hyborian emmigrants: they wear the fabulous clothing their realm is famed for, as well as shining gold-chased scale armour, wielding spears and shields in both defensive and offensive formations. Bakhariot Lancers are famed throughout the Golden Kingdoms, a fusion of western and eastern Hyborian cavalry: they are armed with an unusual two-handed lance and a great axe, mounted on great Khorosun bullhead with scale barding. Textiles are the major resource of the region, along with some scholarly-related ones.

After the Ice Age, the memory of Bakhara would be echoed in the city of Bukhara in Bactria: a shining heir to its glorious predecessor of the Hyborian Age.

Khorala, The Forest Kingdom

Khora, Capital of Khorala

"So you could steal from him the only thing he would never give you - the ring with the jewel men call the Star of Khorala - the star stolen from the queen of Ophir, who would pay a roomful of gold for its return." - The Man-Eaters of Zamboula

West of Vendhya is Khorala, famed for its magnificent gems and exquisite jewelry. Like Bakhaurus, the origins of Khorala are remembered in modern times as myth and legend. The founder of Khorala was Parasurama, a warrior-wizard like the unnamed Hyborian figure who conquered Acheron with the Heart of Ahriman. Parasurama's people were great foes of the Kshatriya, the ruling caste of Vendhya: they said to have filled five lakes with the blood of fallen Kshatriya in their devastating wars. However, the guilt of his murderous rage weighed heavily on Parasurama's mind, and he sought penance with the priests of Asura. They decided that the lands he hand conquered from the Kshatriya should be given to the priesthood: he did so, and in return was blessed by the gods. Taking his axe, he came to the Golden Coast, and hurled his axe into the air. The spot where it landed would be the centre of his new city, Khorala.

Khorala remained independent from Vendhya and Iranistan for centuries: now on good terms with their old foe Vendhya, the geography of the region being easily defended by the redoubtable warriors of Khorala from Ghulistan and Turanian attacks. Their neighbour Bakhara is more interested in conquering the field of knowledge and wisdom than land and wealth, and is in any case too concerned with the threat of the Zuagir, Iranistan and Turan to seek imperial goals in Khorala. However, the jungle empire of Ghanara, the constant predations of the Red Brotherhood and the possibility of a seaborn invasion from Iranistan or Zembabwei means peace is not a forgone conclusion for Khorala.

Khorala's military is very different from Vendhya's: instead of highly trained nobles born and bred to warfare in lavish armour and shining weapons, the Khoralans are warriors from many backgrounds, and different levels of traning & battle experience. They have a greater range of light and heavy troops, and without Vendhya's reliance on the small population of Kshatriya soldiers they can field a much larger army in comparison to their civilian population. However, while their style of warfare is ideal to their forest haunts where they can ambush and whittle down a much stronger force, in open terrain their strategies may not be sufficient to defeat a powerful and disciplined foe.

Khorala would be a jewel in any emperor's parade of vassals, with riches and glories aplenty to enrich an empire. Khorala has many unique buildings and bountiful resources to exploit - precious metal veins, gemstone mines, peppers, spices and more - and with the highly developed and populated city of Khorala itself it makes a good centre of trade and a strong gateway to Vendhya and Iranistan. Khorala has three unique regional units: Khorala Hunters, Khorala Warriors and Khorala War Elephants. Khorala Hunters are skirmisher spearmen, wearing no armour and carrying light shields, spears and javelins. Khorala Warriors are expert heavy infantry and archers, wearing scale corselets and carrying round shields: they wield their longbows and great two-handed Khorala Axes with equal efficiency and deadliness. Khorala Elephants are not as large as their Vendhyan cousins, but more suited for their forest home: they are unarmoured, adorned with warpaint, with Khorala Warriors with longbows mounted on their backs.

After Conan's time, Khorala remained largely independent, occassionally falling under the rule of Ghulistan, Vendhya and Bactria when those powers experienced a territorial surge, eventually falling under the banner of Turan during the latter's greatest imperial sphere. After the Cimmerians destroyed Turan's empire, Khorala became independent, only to descend into barbarism and savagery. In the age of the rise of the Sons of Aryas, though, the early Indians would settle in the old lands of Khorala, and some memetic continuation of the ancient kingdom would arise, in the mythology and people of Kerala.

Ghanara, the Jungle Empire

Thunjuvar, Capital of Ghanara

"Conan pulled his eyes back from following a bold-eyed, red-lipped Ghanara whose short skirt bared her brown thigh at each insolent step..." - The Man-Eaters of Zamboula

"Tolkemec said they came from the east, long ago, from Old Kosala, when the ancestors of those who now dwell in Kosala came up from the south and drove forth the original inhabitants of the land." - Red Nails

Deep in the jungles, south of Ayodhya, the Ghanara Empire broods. While descended from the Ghuli like the other Golden Kingdoms, the Ghanara are an exceptionally dark-skinned people, possibly a result of admixture with the mysterious aboriginals of the region, or simply from the burning climate. They are a warlike and fiercely proud people, and of all the Golden Kingdoms the one which could become the greatest.

The farthest-reaching of the Ghuli culture that founded the other Golden Kingdoms, the tribes descended into savagery and infighting, becoming more like the Picts or Black Kingdomers than their advancing neighbours. After a millennia or so of constant tribal warfare, one tribe came under the rule of a chieftain who claimed to be descended from the Lemurian warlords of lost Kumari Kandam, one of the most powerful Lemurian realms. Uniting the tribes and destroying any rival confederacies, the kingdom of Ghanara came into being, ruling the southernmost tip of the continent. Even now, all the tribes south of Vendhya are called "Ghanara" tribes by outsides, even if they are not related to that particular group: a great horde of these tribesmen conquered the old kingdom of Kosala.

Being on the tip of the Vendhyan sub-continent, Ghanara was an integral point on the sea trade routes from the Golden Coast to Kosala, Khitai and Hyrkania: thus the ports of Ghanara became extremely prosperous. Ghanara also became a haven for pirates and miscreants, much like Messantia in the west, though the savagery of Ghandara's natives and officials prevent the black market from dominating the open trade. Ghanara boasted heights of excellence in its people's art, religion and literature: cyclopean architecture, gargantuan bronze and stone sculptures of mythic & legendary figures, and epic poetry famed throughout the Golden Kingdoms.

Ghanara's military is composed mostly of extremes: unarmoured jungle ambushers, supplemented with strong chieftains & religious fanatics as vanguards and assault infantry, mighty elephants serving as the hammer of the army. Each military unit is specialised for their role on the battlefield, with little training or ability to function outside their element, outside of a few mercenary units and the elites. They are thus a dangerous army, but one that can be thwarted with some cunning - and a good army to carry it out.

Ghanara's lands are mysterious and dangerous, but in the unexplored jungles there may lie untold treasures and resources, which would make braving the deadly tribelands worthwhile. Even if the jungles prove to be free from rewards, Ghanara itself is no small prize, the great city sharing the empire's name being a unique citadel with architecture unlike any in the world. As Ghanara is off the map in Conan: Total War, Ghanara cannot be conquered: however, Ghanaran mercenaries can eventually be hired through mercenary outpost buildings in the Golden Kingdom settlements. There is only one mercenary unit available from Ghanara: Ghanara Warriors, which are heavily armoured swordsmen with shields and bright colours, though their dark skin and eyes betrays their Ghanara heritage.

After Conan, Ghanara was locked in eternal battle with their northern foes Vendhya, taking huge tracts of territory, but they could never fully conquer the Kshatriyas. They eventually looked overseas to increase their empire, conquering southern regions of Kosala, Khitai and the Swamps of the Dead, forming a great maritime empire. Warring on three fronts meant that they could not extend their empire further, and by the time the Ice went the empire collapsed under its own power. Ghanara's great empire and glorious architecture was washed away when the modern outline of the world took shape, though flickers of that ancient kingdom can be found in the kingdoms and empires of the Punjab and Tamil people.

Yamal, the End of the World

A small Yamali community

"I was much interested in your remarks concerning findings on the Yamal Peninsula, the first time I had heard anything about that. Doubtless Conan had first-hand acquaintance with the people who evolved the culture described, or their ancestors, at least." - Letter from Robert E. Howard to P. s. Miller

In the great wilderness to the north of Hyrkania, a mysterious people roam the tundra. The Yamal are a far-flung offshoot of the short aboriginals of the land now ruled by the Hyrkanians, though few men venture as far north as their homeland. These people living on the veritable edge of the world are nomadic savages, adapted to the cold and very hardy. They are a spiritual people, and although not predisposed to warfare they are nonetheless dangerous fighters.

For the past few thousand years, the Yamal have remained savages: travelling by sled and reindeer, sleeping in animal-hide tents, living off the land, and worshipping ancient animalistic gods. There are two distinct groups of Yamal: the "Forest People", who were absorbed into the Lemurian stock to become the Hyrkanian tribes; the other is the "Tundra People", the group which lived in the icy northern regions. Their religion is based on shamanism and an animistic belief system, the clans looking to their Shaman for guidance on where to travel with the seasons and game.

The Yamal do not have a dedicated army, rather all men of "fighting age" rise to the occassion. On foot, they fight as light infantry with spears and javelins, being accustomed to bringing down mighty Cave Bears with their weapons. Having no horses so far north, they instead ride mounted on a large species of reindeer, the ancestors of the modern species: unlike the later Sami and Nenets, the Yamal have managed to tame the reindeer to act as war-mounts.

Yamal cannot be conquered: indeed, the only reference made to the area in Hyborian maps is Conan's mischievous "Here Be Dragons!" annotation north of Hyrkania. Nonetheless, some Yamal mercenaries can be recruited for anyone willing to venture so far north: Yamal Hunters, Yamal Warriors and Yamal Chieftains. Yamal Hunters are clad in heavy furs, wielding vicious barbed throwing spears and knives of curious design. Yamal Warriors are mounted on reindeer, using barbed spears in melee and at range. Yamal Chieftains ride war-sleighs pulled by four reindeer, with two warriors with throwing spears.

After Conan, the Yamal continued living their simple life in the far north of the world, but when Khamatar Khan came from the eastern shores of Hyrkania to forge an empire that would impress Ghenghis Khan himself, he recruited Yamal warriors to attack northern regions. Yamal warriors were instrumental in the campaigns against Hyperborea, and even though their savagery and ruggedness was not enough to conquer the Cimmerians, they did not shame themselves in battle with the black-haired ghouls of the dark land. Eventually the Hyrkanian Empire would fall, and the Yamal would be back to its old ways - where it would remain, until they branched off into the modern peoples of the northernmost edge of the world: the Uralic peoples. The Nenets are pure-blood Yamal descendents, the Sami and Finns of mixed Nordic-Yamal heritage, and the Ugrics from the descendents of Yamals settled by the Hyrkanians in Zamora and Brythunia. The name itself is remembered among the Nenets: "End of the World", and is given to one of their homelands.

Malayu, Beyond the Swamps of the Dead

Barobodar, a city of Malayu

"He travelled to Khitai and Hyrkania, and to the even less known regions north of the latter and south of the former..." - Letter from Robert E. Howard to P. s. Miller

"Many Lemurians escaped to the eastern coast of the Thurian Continent, which was comparatively untouched. There they were enslaved by the ancient race which already dwelt there, and their history, for thousands of years, is a history of brutal servitude...

...In the distant east, cut off from the rest of the world by the heaving up of gigantic mountains and the forming of a chain of vast lakes, the Lemurians are toiling as slaves of their ancient masters...

...Far to the east, the Lemurians, levelled almost to a bestial plane themselves by the brutishness of their slavery, have risen and destroyed their masters. They are savages stalking among the ruins of a strange civilization..." - The Hyborian Age

South of Khitai lies the forbidden land known as the Swamps of the Dead, and the little-known kingdoms of Lemurian descent. The old race conquered by the Lemurians may be gone, but their cities and citadels are occupied by their usurpers. The most powerful of these isolated states is Malayu, a kingdom of sorcerers arcane and dangerous enough to rival Khitai.

The mysterious people who enslaved the Lemurians is all but unknown: whoever they are, they were undoubtedly mighty, for the heirs of that terrible civilization are the powerful realms of Bal-Sagoth, Khemu, and Stygia. After the cataclysm, the civilization was scattered throughout the world. One remnant of the civilization was situated on the great landmass beyond the Swamps of the Dead, a cursed place where the superstitious Lemurians feared to venture. Without Atlantis as a capital, the civilization founded a new kingdom: Malayu. The sorcerers of Malayu were mighty indeed: in the early centuries after the foundation of the Lemurian kingdom of Khitai, Malayu set their sights on the usurpers of their imperial allies. Were it not for the wisdom of Yag-Kosha, who taught the Khitans old and mighty magic to combat Malayu's sorceries, Khitai could have been blotted out. Old Kosala also proved too powerful to subdue, with its unique technology-based sorcery making them unassailable: with Khitai and Kosala emerging as powerful sorcerous nations in their own right, Malayu had to turn from the offensive to the defensive, until Old Kosala and Khitai united to humble Malayu, turning it from the great power of the east into a footnote.

With Malayu seemingly reduced to a powerless state, Old Kosala and Khitai were locked in a Sorcerous Cold War, neither nation wanting to make the first move. This was hardly a bloodless conflict though: the satellite nations of both powers were manipulated into proxy wars to disrupt trade, economy and growth. All this time, Malayu bided its time: it worked in secret with Kosala and Khitai, playing each nation against each other, involving other powers like Vendhya, Ghanara and the Hyrkanian tribes in the intrigue. Through a masterpiece of subtle machination, the Malayu set in place the destruction of Old Kosala, by assisting the tribes of Ghanara to invade and usurp the old kingdom, driving the old people into the west, with plans to install the tribal conquerers as vassals. However, the tribal chieftains had their own plans, and were secretly working with Kosalan conspirators and Khitan outcasts to learn Old Kosalan magic and sorcery. Thus instead of a puppet kingdom, the Malayu had inadvertently just replaced their old foe with a new one, with the sorcerous influence of eastern masters infused with the vitality of barbarian genetics. Luckily for Malayu, Kosala's new masters were greedy, waging war on the entire east - they were thwarted by a coalition of Golden Kingdom states, leaving them wounded, but still a major power.

New Kosala thus is locked in a sorcerous Cold War with Khitai, neither side willing to make the first move, and wary to shift their imperial ambitions elsehere. This is not a bloodless affair though, as a series of proxy wars among the tribes of Ghanara, Hyrkania, Ghulistan and the Himelian Mountains fought for Kosalan and Khitan interests plagued the east, and to this day skirmishes and conflicts redden the land. Even far nations like the Black Kingdoms are affected by the two power's actions. Ever the oppurtunist, Malayu has become involved in international affairs again: this time more cautious. Thus far Malayu still seems to be of no interest or no threat to the eastern nations: a facade the Malayuri want to uphold until the time is right.

Malayu is a secretive and very difficult to find nation: only a few learned individuals know its current whereabouts, and the average person seems content to consider it extinct or even mythical. Indeed, most expeditions who venture into the Swamps of the Dead never return. Nonetheless, the evidence for some sort of presence south of Khitai is compelling: black-sailed galleys of uncanny design can be seen along the coasts of the Eastern Ocean, with unknown cargo in the hold, steered by unseen hands, which never dock at any ports save the shunned harbours of the Swamps of the Dead.

Malayu does not appear in Conan: Total War, being far off the map, but its presence can be felt in a few trade buildings. "Grey Lotus Supplier", a trader who can supply a nation with the insanity-enducing Grey Lotus, can have a trade building built by Stygia & Zamora to enhance their magical units, ancillaries and traders. "Upas Supplier", a trader who can supply clients with derivatives of the deadly Upas Tree, can be built by any nation to do the same: however, different nations have different applications for the tree's ingredients. The name Malayu is a portmanteau of Malay and Melayu, the Khmer name for Srivijaya. I'm still looking through Howard's stories to see if there's a more fitting name.



The main reason I wanted to explore these nations is because, for whatever reason, the pastiches didn't: they invented their own nations for their own purposes. I have no problems with that - I'll probably be doing that myself - but I don't see why so many cues from Howard should be ignored, and in a number of ways I think some of these nations could easily take the place of pastiche inventions.

Why invent Uttara Kuru when one could appropriate Ghanara as a rival for Vendhya?
Why make Khorala a ruined place when it could be a living, prosperous nation?
Why make up Venjipur when Bakhara could serve as a Golden Kingdom, instead of being wasted as a Hyrkanian city?
Why not tie in the mysterious lands north of Hyrkania and south of Khitai to other hints Howard left behind (the Yamal culture north of Hyrkania, the proto-Stygians that ruled Asia) instead of making up Pathenia & Kambuja out of whole cloth?
Why completely ignore the Cherkess, when their inspiration the Circassians were such a fascinating people, one that Howard and one of his heroes Harold Lamb are known to have admired?
Why not continue to tie Solomon Kane to Conan by making the Negari, which are probably of the same stock as the proto-Stygians, the "unknown countries" south of the Black Kingdoms?

Now, again, I have no problem with Uttara Kuru, Meru, Kushan etc, they're really cool and well thought out kingdoms. I just think that, for the purposes of the mod, I thought it would be more appropriate to try and enhance the Hyborian Age taking cues directly from Howard. I was surprised to see that it would be possible to take single words from the Conan tales and others, and make entire countries out of them: Sabatea, Cherkess, Kordafan, Negari, Bakhariot, Khorala, Ghanara, “north of Hyrkania” and “South of Khitai” - NINE new countries! I could add even more using names Howard only used once - Kyros, Ghaza, Yaralet, Akbitana - and make them their own nations, but because the west seems more concretely formed in Howard's map I'm content making them cities (in Ophir, Iranistan, Corinthia and the Eastern Desert respectively). Even then, the cities' history is a bit more complicated: Akbitana is more than just a "Shemite" city - like Zamboula it has quite a storied life.

The info here MAY be changed too, as more information comes to light, but this is the general outline. I may make a modification of Vincent Darlages' fantastic maps to show my personal interpretation of these nations. A few colour/flavour pictures could also turn up.

Of course, some ideas are likely to be very controversial, particularly the Negari, but trust me when I say a LOT of research has gone into these theories, and I'm fairly confident with them, and think it puts a fresh spin on the Hyborian Age.

[Justiciar]

My eyes. They bleed!

That's a lot of text, sir. Good job too. Excellent discriptions, esspecially considering they're almost entirely of your own creation.

[Spartan198]

I saw that preview last night on TWCenter.

But I still like it!

[Taranaich]

My eyes. They bleed!

I'm sorry, I'm sorry! *passes a pack of gauze to Justicar*

That's a lot of text, sir. Good job too. Excellent discriptions, esspecially considering they're almost entirely of your own creation.

Well, I had a lot of help from the back-room boffins, and I've taken much inspiration from history and Howard's own inspirer, Harold Lamb. Those Circassians were a wild bunch!

[Khazar_Dahvos]

Good work!!! You obviously did your homework Taranaich!!!! Been a big fan of Howards so I give you props. I even love some of his other works like his essay the Beast from the abyss!!!!

[Taranaich]

Good work!!! You obviously did your homework Taranaich!!!! Been a big fan of Howards so I give you props. I even love some of his other works like his essay the Beast from the abyss!!!!

Cheers! I think Howard's mythos is every bit as fascinating and mysterious as Tolkien's legendarium: working out how Kull, Conan, James Allison, Bran Mak Morn and others work together is great fun. There are some who think that Solomon Kane should be considered an "alternative universe" from Conan and Kull because the Atlantis of those works is so different from Kane's, but that's just part of the challenge.

[Taranaich]

For anyone wondering where these nations fit in Conan's world, here's a map:



I may treat the "north of Hyrkania" and Yamal references as separate, and make the land northwest of Hyrkania below the ice into the Manju Steppes, based on the Manchu. I'm also adding the mysterious nation of Timnar... a shiny golden luna for anyone who gets the reference!

EDIT: Also for anyone wondering: the Black Coast is now joined by the Golden Coast, named for the Golden Kingdoms, and the Jade Coast, named for Khitai, which possesses the largest royal Jade site in the world (which will become Burma).

[Spartan198]

For anyone wondering where these nations fit in Conan's world, here's a map:



I may treat the "north of Hyrkania" and Yamal references as separate, and make the land northwest of Hyrkania below the ice into the Manju Steppes, based on the Manchu. I'm also adding the mysterious nation of Timnar... a shiny golden luna for anyone who gets the reference!

EDIT: Also for anyone wondering: the Black Coast is now joined by the Golden Coast, named for the Golden Kingdoms, and the Jade Coast, named for Khitai, which possesses the largest royal Jade site in the world (which will become Burma).

Is that a map you photoshopped yourself or not? If not, do you have a link to a larger version of it?

I always had a soft spot for Mastodons: it sounds such a great name until you find out it means "nipple tooth". To think they've been immortalised in the annals of science with such a weird name...

Mastadon, Pterodactyl, Tricerotops, Sabertooth Tiger, Tyranosaurus!