Nyumbani
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Nyumbani is the fantastic setting of Charles R. Saunders' original Imaro trilogy. It details a fictional Africa with an alternate history that diverges from our own in very interesting ways. Magic exists, and the Cape Buffalo, Rhino and Zebra have been domesticated and used as both pack animals and war steeds. And strange, twisted creatures stalk the land, living artifacts dating back to the Mizungu War that took place a thousand years previous to Imaro's time. Evil exists in the form of the demonic Mashaatan and their many servants. Advanced African empires rule the continent of Nyumbani, foremost among them is Cush.[1]
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[edit] A Brief History of Nyumbani
| The world of Nyumbani is set thousands of years ago in an alternate Africa, probably about the same time as the Hyborian Age.
Timeline courtesy of the Chronicles of Nabatti compiled by Dale Rippke [2] |
[edit] The Veil
A thousand years prior to the birth of Imaro, invaders from the island of Atlan subjugated the nations of Nyumbani. This invasion was referred to by the inhabitants of that continent as the Mizungu War.
The seeds of the Mizungu War could be traced back to events that took place eight thousand years before the time of Imaro. A group of demonic beings called the Mashataan discovered that the veil separating their dimension from that which held Nyumbani was very thin. They found a way to enter the dimensional plane of the continent of Nyumbani and began to destroy and corrupt the inhabitants. The chieftains of the Watu-wa-Kwanza, the First Tribes, rose up against them. Their uprising failed and the evil Mashataan captured them, using powerful magic to transform them into golem like creatures they called Mangabaan.
[edit] Maintaining the Balance
After a time another group of "outsiders" hurtled the Mashataan off of the dimensional plane of that was home to Nyumbani. This other group called themselves the Cloud Striders, they referred to themselves as gods-who-were-not-gods, and sought to uplift and enlighten the inhabitants of Nyumbani.
There now existed a balance between the power of the Cloud Striders and the power of the Mashataan. Most of the time this balance was stable and the people of Nyumbani were free to do as they wished. Occasionally the balance would shift and one side would gain more influence than the other. Whenever that happened, the two powers would come into conflict, and the result was chaos and upheaval. For their own reasons, both sides decided that they would only fight using human intermediaries.
[edit] The War Begins
The Mashataan, harboring a millennia long grudge and lusting for vengeance, came up with a way to shift the balance. The greatest of the Mashataan, a demon by the name of Yugg-Thuggathoth, corrupted the priesthood on the island continent of Atlan in the Bahari Magharibi--the Western Ocean. The Atlanteans were duped into attacking Nyumbani by the priests of Yugg-Thuggathoth.
The warriors of Atlan sailed eastward with barbarian allies from Thule, they landed upon the western coast of Nyumbani and used terrifying war beasts and magical weapons to enslave the native population. Though the peoples of the West Coast fought mightily, the sorcery of the Mashataan had given the Atlanteans--named by their victims the "Mizungu" or "those-without-mercy"--a seemingly insurmountable advantage, and the kingdoms of the West Coast were crushed beneath their pale heels. Thousands upon thousands of captives were sacrificed on the altars of Yugg-Thuggathoth and the other Elder Gods and many more were shipped off to labor as slaves on Atlan. For fifty years, the Mizungus laid waste to the western half of Nyumbani, and ravaged the jungle kingdoms, they even crossed the Ataissan Mountains to wreck havoc on the empires of the Soudan.
[edit] Cush Intervenes
Then the people of Cush, an ancient land in the far north of the continent, got involved in the war. Thutanas, a scientist of Cush, bred huge, black lions that were able to match the azuths in battle. But more importantly, the priesthood of Cush sought to arrange an intervention by the Cloud Striders.
It was at this time that the Mizungus had overrun the West Coast and the Forest Kingdoms, the empires of the Soudan, and were undermining the East Coast kingdoms. The Bana-Gui betrayed the peoples of Nyumbani, and sided with the Mizungu. The sorcerers of the Bana-Gui had been promised the magical power of the Demon-Gods and did not believe that Nyumbani would ever unite to drive out the Mizungus.
[edit] Summoning the Cloud Striders
The priests of Cush discovered a means by which the Cloud Striders could be summoned back to the land from which they had driven the Mashataan ages ago. And the Cloud Striders, the gods-who-were-not-gods, had come. The sorcerous power the Mashataan had bestowed upon their Mizungu, Thule and Bana-Gui acolytes was now reclaimed for their conflict with the Cloud Striders.
Far above the clouds, the Cloud Striders engaged the Mashataan in a conflict that burned the sky. Badly beaten Yugg-Thuggathoth and his fellow Mashataan fled the earthly plane, nullifying the power of the Mizungu's eldritch devices and abandoning the Atlanteans. Their task done, the Cloud Striders departed. The outcome of this battle marked the end of Atlantean conquest.
[edit] Rise of the West
Bereft of their magic, the Atlantean Mizungu became vulnerable to the vengeful fury of the people of Nyumbani. The broken kingdoms of the conquered west arose in rebellion. Cush and other kingdoms not yet subdued by the Atlanteans joined forces with rebels in the conquered lands to drive the Atlanteans south westward into the sea.
[edit] The Fall of Atlan
A large number of Atlanteans and their allies escaped to return to Atlan, but many were left behind. The victorious armies of the west scoured the land of all signs of the presence of the Mizungu, slaughtering them without mercy. Some Mizungu managed to escape the slaughter and found refuge in the most inaccessible corners of the continent.
An Atlantean force under Vorstos had been forced to flee to the east, for their way westward was blocked by thousands of black horsemen. Many Atlanteans died before Vorstos had found refuge in a remote jungle area. It was in this forest that the Atlanteans built the "lost" city of Yahannis; intending to survive until rescued by their Atlantean brothers. About fifty years after the end of the war, for reasons unknown, the land of Atlan sank beneath the waves of the Bahari Magharibi. There was no reprieve for the pale men of Yahannis.
[edit] Harrowing of the Bana-Gui
After the Mizungu defeat, the attentions of a victorious people turned to those of Nyumbani who had betrayed the continent to the Atlanteans. The West Coast kingdoms fell upon the Bana-Gui and their fellows in the East, and the Bana-Gui were banished from the world aboveground.
[edit] Kingdoms of Nyumbani
The source material for some of the data in these tables was originally compiled by Dale E. Rippke, in the Gazetteer of Imaro.[3]
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A bloodthirsty, West Coast nation of the Jungle Kingdoms that over the centuries has come to dominate the entire region. The enigmatic nation lies on the southern coast of the Gulf of Otongi, south of the kingdom of Abomey and west of the village of Kulala and the Ituri Kubwa rainforest. Ashanti's capital is the city of Kumasi. |
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A mercantile kingdom of the East Coast, lying on the Bahari Mashiriki. It shares borders with Kundwa in the north, Ruanda in the west, and Pemba in the south. The Azanian capital is the port of Malindi. The king is called the Sha'a, and Pomphis was once a jester in his court. |
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A land of many nations lying across the Bahari Mashiriki from the continent of Nyumbani. They send formidable trade delegations only to the northern nations of the East Coast, due to a trade agreement with the nations of Hsing Nu. Many strange stories are told of Bahindhya: tales of men who worship cows and walk unscathed across beds of flaming coals and of hooded snakes that sway to the music of pipes. |
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The most wealthy, powerful nation on Nyumbani, lying to the north of Axum and Punt, east of Darfur and Nuba, and south of Zaghawa. The western borders of Cush are the towering Gwardi-Milima mountains. Cush has the highest level of civilization on the continent. It inhabitants are referred to as the "People of Atun". They are ebony-skinned people with strange amber-yellow eyes. The capital of Cush is located at Napata, and its queen is called the Kandiss. The emblem of Cush is a golden sun-disc. |
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Also known as the Jungle Kingdoms, it comprises the area of Nyumbani stretching along the Gulf of Otongi. It is crowded with hundreds of towns and city-states. The warriors of this area ride a horse-sized antelope called an ikenga, and use a pinwheel blade called a shongo. |
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A land that lies across the Bahari Mashiriki from the continent of Nyumbani, far beyond the nations of Bahindhya. They send trade delegations only to the southern nations of the East Coast, due to a trade agreement with Bahindhya. Some strange tales speak of masters of the Sha-lin, an order of the Hsing Nu who are artists at fighting the way others are artists at painting or singing. |
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The three united kingdoms of the Maguvurunde. The king moves his court between the three capitals at various times. The Empire's cavalry rides a type of large zebra and a type of small rhinoceros. |
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A city-state ruled by Mashataan worshipping sorcerers called the Erriten. Their Serpent Citadel lies at the southern tip of Nyumbani, in the shadow of a flat-topped mountain. The city is sometimes called Naama Harbor. |
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Also spelled Rwanda, it is a kingdom located in central Nyumbani. It lies to the east of the Great Nyanza, and to the west of the kingdom of Azania. The nation is hilly, with many trees and green grass. A race of seven-foot tall people called the Mawambututssi rule Ruanda from its capital at Nkore. Its king is called the Mwami. |
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A great land of nations and empires that lies in Northern Nyumbani. The area is renowned for their fine warhorses and big men. |
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A land of barbarians, they were allies of the Atlans during the Mizungu War. Its location is unknown |
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A mercantile kingdom of the East Coast, lying on the Bahari Mashiriki. It shares its northern border with the nation of Kilwa, and its southern border with the nation of Kundwa. The Zanjian capital is the port city of Moshambi. The land of Zanj is mostly covered by savanna. This kingdom is known to trade with three of the nations of Bahindhya. |
[edit] Races of Nyumbani
The source material for some of the data in these tables was originally compiled by Dale E. Rippke, in the Gazetteer of Imaro.[3]
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The Cloud Striders are a race of mortal gods who are the enemies of the Mashataan. A nameless Cloud Strider is said to have fathered Imaro. |
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Malevolent supernatural beings that sometimes go about in human guise. |
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The men of the First Tribes, were also known as the Watu-wa-Kwanza. An ancient race of hairy men who ruled Nyumbani before the coming of the Mashataan. They rose up against the Mashataan invasion, but their uprising failed and they were defeated. The Mashataan used powerful magic to transform the five chieftains of the Watu-wa-Kwanza into composite half flesh, half stone golems now called the Mangabaan. |
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A race of humanoid sea-dwellers created by the Mashataan during the Mizungu War |
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The Humans are the largest and most diverse racial group in the world of Nyumbani. From the many tribes and kingdoms of Nyumbani's continent such as the Giant Kings of Ruanda, to the pagodad temples of Hsing Nu, the snake charmers of Bahindhya, and the barbarians of Thule. |
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A shape-changing forest-spirit once worshipped among the cattle-raising people of eastern Nyumbani. |
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Quadripedal, carnivorous human mutations created by the Mashataan during the Mizungu War. |
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Spirit beings that manifest themselves on Earth by imbuing an animal with their power. The Kambu can control the actions of the animal they invade, and can even take on human appearance. |
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Powerful half flesh and half stone golems, the sad and corrupted near immortal remnants of the five chieftains of the First Tribes, now referred to as the Lost Warriors. |
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The Mashataan are a race of Elder Gods who discovered that the veil separating their dimension from earth was very thin. They found a way to enter the dimensional plane of earth and began to destroy and corrupt the inhabitants of the continent of Nyumbani. |
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The term Mizungu was a name conferred by the black peoples of Nyumani on the white Atlantean servants of the Mashataan, during the time now referred to as the Mizungu War. The only survivors of Atlantis' sinking were their debased descendants living beneath the lost city of Yahannis, to which they had escaped after the end of the war. |
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The Naamen are a race of possibly demon tainted or serpent blooded humans, ruled by the Erriten a society of hideously deformed Mashataan worshipping Sorcerers. |
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The living dead. They have slate gray skin and doglike snouts. In all other ways they appear human. |
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A type of demon that sheds its skin at night to wander the land and drink the blood of the unwary. |
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A long lost race of reptilian men created by the Mashataan during the Mizungu War. |
[edit] Beasts of Nyumbani
The source material for some of the data in these tables was originally compiled by Dale E. Rippke, in the Gazetteer of Imaro.[3]
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A sabertoothed ape-bull created by the Mashataan during the Mizungu War. |
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Rhinoceros like animals used as war-beasts ridden as Heavy Cavalry by the armies of the Maguvurunde. |
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A pygmy breed of hippopotamus, used as a pack-beast by the people of the West Coast. |
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A small, delicate antelope the size of a small dog. The people of the Forest Kingdoms keep them as pets. |
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A water lion. A cat-like creature larger than a lion, it has the dense brown fur, long thick tail, and short legs of an otter. |
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A war beast similar to a horse used as a mount by the armies of the east coast. Each of its feet has three digitigrade toes instead of a hoof. |
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A gigantic, two-horned war-beast used by the Cushite army. |
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A fleet, domesticated antelope. The brawny, horse-sized ikengas boast a deadly pair of forward-pointing horns that are tipped with steel when used as cavalry mounts. |
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The shapechanging lion-demons enlisted to fight on the side of the Naamans. A second mouth on the back of their neck marks them as creatures of the Mashataan |
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A viper more venomous than a mamba or spitting cobra. It is brown with distinctive octagonal markings. |
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A red panther. |
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A trained hunting hyena. |
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Zebra or Quagga like beasts used as ridden as Light Cavalry by the armies of the Maguvurunde. |
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The legendary bear-dog, a huge, shaggy creature with long talons and curved fangs. Possibly a carnivorous ground sloth. |
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A race of hairy man-apes that live in remote regions of Nyumbani. |
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A long necked war beast used as a mount by the armies of the east coast. Looking like a cross between a giraffe and a camel, the ten-foot high creature was trained to strike with its head like a serpent. Possibly a member of the Okapi family. |
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A legendary river iguana that can grow to be over twice the size of the largest crocodile. It has no natural enemies. |
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A were-creature of the Mashataan, that once a month must drink the blood of humans. |
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A Deinotherium, this legendary creature is known as the "elephant's mad cousin". An average piobo is a tall man's height taller than the tallest elephant, which they closely resemble. They differ from elephants in that their tusks push downward from their lower jaw, their shaggy coats are the color of mud, and their ears are small and round. Mindless rampage and utter destruction are two other attributes of the piobo. |
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A sable antelope that grows nearly as large as a horse. |
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One of the most feared creatures of Nyumbani, its name means "Eater of Souls." |
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"Death's Guardians," a lion-sized creature that protects the realm of Death from intruders. Its appearance is a cross between an lizard and a carnivorous rhinoceros. |
