GAZ11 Darokin, 8 miles per hex

Darokin is a peculiar country, with territory sprawling across the Known World, bordering on no less than nine separate lands.  It’s so central that without it the other nations seemed isolated, on the edge of an unknown wilderness.

The country actually includes a very important stretch of fertile plains, which are likely the breadbasket of many surrounding lands.  The map is developed to a nice stage, although the lack of provincial names was a shame.  The gazetteer itself did contain borders for the provinces, but no names.

Replica Map (December 2020)

Sources

• GAZ11 The Republic of Darokin (1989) (PDF at DriveThruRPG)
  • Poster map (Cartography by Dave Sutherland, Diesel, Dennis Kauth and Frey Graphics)

Chronological Analysis

This is Map 106. It was published in March 1989. The updated version of this map is Darokin, 8 miles per hex. See also Appendix C for annual chronological snapshots of the area. For the full context of this map in Mystara’s publication history, see the upcoming Let’s Map Mystara 1989.

The following lists are from the Let’s Map Mystara project. Additions are new features, introduced in this map. Revisions are changes to previously-introduced features. Hex Art & Fonts track design elements. Finally, Textual Additions are potential features found in the related text. In most cases, the Atlas adopts these textual additions into updated and chronological maps.

Under Construction! Please check back again soon for updates.

Additions

• Settlements —

Revisions

• Settlements —

Hex Art & Fonts

• Hex Art —
• Fonts —

Textual Additions (GAZ11, 1989)

• History — GAZ11 provides various details that could be used to map out the history of the region.
  • 800 BC – “Elves settle in Alfheim and drive orcs from the open lands to the west. Human clans begin building permanent settlements in Darokin.”
  • c. 200 BC – “By 200 BC or so, the western half of what is now Darokin was divided into two factions: orc and human. The orcs controlled the land to the north and west of a line from present-day Corunglain, down the Streel River, and then due west through Akorros. They also controlled all of the Broken Lands, southern Glantri, nearly all of Ethengar, and the mountains between Ethengar and Alfheim. Fortunately, these large orc holdings were divided among 17 different orc tribes…” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 1c) But see GAZ12 about the state of Ethengar in 200 BC. “The humans living in the south of Darokin … gathered in small villages and raised crops in the excellent farmland. The best organised of the human groups was a clan called Eastwind, which inhabited the area between the Streel River and Alfheim.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide pages 1c and 3a)
  • c. 200 BC – 87 AC – “Slowly, over the next 400 years or so [note: actually about 287 years], the humans continued to expand their holdings. The orcs gave ground grudgingly, and bloodshed was a constant fact of life in the area. It was during this time that the Eastwind clan rose to dominance among the other human tribes…” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 3a)
  • 0 AC – “By the time the Empire of Thyatis was formed (0 AC on the standard Known World calendar), the Eastwinds had the allegiance of over three-fourths of the humans in the area.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 3a)
  • 21 AC – “Ansel I came to power early in the First Century AC…” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 3a) The date comes from the timeline on page 6.
  • 87 AC – “The Darokin line of kings abruptly ended in 87 AC when Ansel’s great-grandson, the newly-crowned Aden I, was killed in an orc raid near the present-day site of Fort Nell.” “The orcs were quick to take advantage of the situation, and in one bloody summer they reclaimed nearly all the territory that it had taken four Eastwind Kings some 65 years to take. … By the first snows of winter, the orcs had taken all of Darokin west of the Streel River except for Athenos and the Malpheggi Swamp.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 3a-b)
  • 88 AC – Corwyn Attleson’s repulse of the orcs takes place after “the first snows of winter” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 3b). This means likely means at the start of 88 AC (and page 6’s timeline confirms this date). “He quickly rallied the bickering factions under his banner, and won an important battle almost immediately, repulsing a major orc attack on the town of Darokin itself.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 3b)
  • 88 AC – 122 AC – “Under Attleson’s leadership, the orcs were steadily beaten back and more human clans pledged allegiance to Darokin. Corwyn died of natural causes in 122 AC…” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 3b)
  • 122 AC – c. 522 AC – “The Attlesons ruled for another 400 years, driving the orcs completely out of Darokin. The country was even bigger than it is now, as clans loyal to the Attlesons claimed portions of what is today Karameikos, Ylaruam, and Glantri. Roads were built and trade was established. It was a time of great peace and prosperity, a “Golden Age” for Darokin.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 3b)
  • 293 AC – “293 AC: Last of the orc tribes driven from Darokin.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 6c)
  • 846 AC – “846 AC: Orc horde from the Broken Lands loots Ardelphia, utterly destroying the city.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 6c)
• Migrations — GAZ11 provides various details on population movements in the area over the past centuries.
  • Early Settlers – “The first eyes to see the lands that were to become Darokin were probably those of an orc, in the earliest days of the Nithian Empire. Humans, elves, halflings, and even gnolls and other demi-humans were not far behind, but no race settled the area in large enough numbers to claim it.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 1c)
  • Migrations 1500 BC – “1500 BC: The Nithian Traldar clans land in Karameikos. As these colonists spread out, they become the first humans to inhabit Darokin.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 6b)
  • Migrations 1000 BC – “1000 BC: Gnolls cross southern Darokin and invade Karameikos. Most of the Darokin humans flee north, right into orc territory, where few survive.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 6b)
  • Migrations 250 AC – “250 AC: Thyatians colonise Ylaruam, causing many displaced humans to migrate to Darokin.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 6c)
  • Migrations 725 AC – 925 AC – “…the most important events of the era 725 – 925 were the continual migrations of refugees from other nearby lands. As more neighbours settled their own fates, losers in those struggles poured into Darokin.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide pages 4c and 5a) “In fact, nearly every major country surrounding Darokin had more than one group of people fighting for it, and the dispossessed from each of those conflicts came to Darokin, the one land, apparently, that nobody wanted.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 5a)
  • Migrations 828 AC – “In 828, the Principalities of Glantri established their independence and expelled all dwarves, some of whom fled south to Darokin.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 5a) “Principalities of Glantri expel all dwarves, some of whom migrate to Darokin.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 6c)
  • Migrations early 800s AC – “Also in the early 800s, the Emirates of Ylaruam declared independence, and those loyal to the previous rulers were kindly asked to leave. Many of them, too, ended up in Darokin.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 5a)
  • Migrations early 900s AC – “In the early part of the Tenth Century, colonists from Thyatis claimed the Duchy of Karameikos, and many of the people living there decided to come to Darokin.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 5a) “900 AC: Thyatis conquers Karameikos; many refugees flee to Darokin.” (GAZ11 DM’s Guide page 6c)

Maps of Darokin, 8 miles per hex