(The following is taken from various sources)
--Native Barovians speaks Balok.
--Gundarakite do speak their own dialect..Luktar
(Gundarakites speak both Balok and Luktar)
--740 B.C. The Great Upheaval—Strahd XI annexed neighboring Gundarak
--Gundarakites are an oppressed people who mostly stay in the vestiges of their old homeland in western Barovia.
--They refuse to intermarry…preserving their ethnic identity
--Gundarakites are often poor peasants and serfs
--Some may be small farmers, fisherman, and herdsmen.
--Typically boys marry at 16; girls at 13, however, there are no fixed marriages…no divorce…and widows do not remarry.
--Farm families tend to be very large.
--No formal schooling…usually only the wealthy can read.
The Barovian people, despite their varying ethnic backgrounds, all share at least one thing in common: a dislike of strangers, almost to the point of xenophobia. Their harsh glares and lack of hospitality are due to the years of living under the stern rule of Count Strahd. Barovians care little for the ways of others and prefer to mind their own business—and usually their own business consists of day-to-day survival
All Barovians have an almost crippling fear of the supernatural. Their daily rituals involve locking every door and window at sunset. They regard magic with equal superstition. Arcane magic, in particular, is believed to be the gift of demons, and the foolhardy spellcaster in Barovia will likely find himself facing an angry mob
--Strahdt is increasingly becoming despotic.
In 593, the western border revealed the nation of Gundarak, believed by many Barovians to be inhabited by the descendants of the Neureni.
This geographical arrangement was forever changed in 740 BC, during a powerful supernatural event called the Great Upheaval.
Strahd XI seized this opportunity by conquering much of Gundarak and annexing it into Barovia. After a brutal nine-month siege, half of Gundarak was annexed and brought under the rigid control of Barovia. The rest of Gundarak was seized by the nation of Invidia to the west.
The Gundarakites are an oppressed people. Openly resented by the Barovians, their spite has brewed over the last decade and a half into a full-blown rebellion. The rebellion’s leader, Ardonk Szerieza, believes in a vision of Gundarak that never truly was, often ignoring or revising history to fit his patriotic ideals. Ardonk moves back in forth between Barovia and Invidia, leading the rebellion in both nations.
1. Those Gundarakites involved in the rebellion are zealots who dream of a Gundarak that never was. Before Strahd annexed half of Gundarak, Duke Gundar was a far worse, far bloodier tyrant than Strahd ever was. When Duke Gundar was assassinated in 735 or so (for reference, the current year is 760), few Gundarakites shed a tear for him. While the Barovians treat the Gundarakites as second-class citizens at best, they actually have it better in some ways than they did under Gundar. However, Ardonk and his dreams of a Gundarak that never was has ignited the spirits of the younger generation of Gundarakites who might not fully remember the true horrors of Gundar's reign. While Ardonk is able to whip the younger generation into hero-worship of their former ruler, the older generation remembers all too well the hardships they faced under Gundar.
2. Under Duke Gundar's reign, the state religion of Gundarak was worship of the god Nerull, a god of death and murder imported from the World of Greyhawk. Most Gundarakites participated in the religion out of fear more than a devout belief in him...and most abandoned the religion when Gundar was assassinated. A small part of the Gundarakite rebellion in Barovia has rediscovered the religion, though Ardonk and the larger part of the rebellion find their violence and lust for death to be too extreme.
3. This is just strictly for reference: The two major cities in Gundarak were Zeidenburg and Teufeldorf, which are now part of Barovia. Duke Gundar's castle, Hunadora, lies in the part of Gundarak that was annexed by the nation of Invidia. The majority of the Gundarakite rebels are in the two occupied cities, though a few have struck out into the heart of Barovia (a.k.a. the lands represented by our server).
In the far west of Barovia on the Crimson Road lies a large town, called Zeidenburg which is the largest and most prosperous town in Barovia. The outskirts of town possesses criminal elements and the rebels. Ardonk Szerieza bases operations here, founded since 748B.C.
--Breadbasket area…full of cereal crops.
--Invidia is to the west of Zeidenburg
Bluebomber wrote:
You got the religions mostly correct. The reason why so many Gundarakites flock to the Cult of the Morninglord (and the reason the cult is unpopular amongst the rulers of Barovia) is because of the cult's message of undying hope. The Cult's promotion of optimism in the face of adversity has strong appeal to the Gundarakites.
Nerull was the state religion of Gundarak when Gundar ruled. After his assassination twenty years ago, the religion was quickly abandoned. It was only recently that the cult of Nerull has resurfaced among some of the Gundarakite rebels. The Gundarakites who have turned to Nerull are all too young to remember Gundar's bloody reign, and believe that the worship of Nerull is just one more part of Gundarakite culture being oppressed by the Barovians. While the cult of Nerull wishes to be included amongst the greater Gundarakite Resistance, most Gundarakites find the cult's rituals and attitudes far too violent and vicious, thus they keep their distance from the Cult of Nerull
Blue wrote:
1. The belief that the Gundarakites are descended from the Neureni hordes is only held by the Barovians. The Gundarakites flatly deny this. The Gundarakites believe they were led to their lands by Nharov Gundar the first. If you can find the book "The Abridged History of Gundarak" in one of the bookshelves in the game, it'll help...if not I can DM spawn one for you.
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Gundarakite Male Names: Baltasar, Csepan, Demetrius, Elfric, Fredek, Gusztav, Istvan, Lazlo, Miklos, Paszkal, Rognvald, Stefano, Ubul, Varady, Zeteny
Gundarakite Female Names: Antonia, Boriska, Dominika, Ethelhild, Hortenzia, Ingrid, Jusztina, Mariska, Orzebet, Piroska, Serafin, Szabina, Tzigane, Vilhelmina, Zsofika
Gundarakite Surnames: Ajkler, Aladár, Andras, Artali, Balassa, Baltar, Cizinski, Corvinus, Csapek, Csurgo, Czako, Daroczy, Divos, Doczi, Dohnanyi, Dvorzsak, Egerszegi, Eötvös, Farkas, Födes, Foldenyi, Gabor, Gaspar, Goencz, Götz, Groditje, Gyorffy, Hlady, Horansky, Hrutka, Jaszi, Joska, Lajtha, Lerch, Liptak, Lugosi, Mandula, Mindszenty, Nagy, Nejedly, Nemeth, Noszaly, Palagyi, Petrahn, Pokolytsch, Pongratz, Rdzavolgygi, Rubik, Sandor, Sebok, Sjsiengel, Solti, Szabo, Szeman, Szokefagy, Temesvari, Tokody, Varga, Verboczy, Wajda, Zsivozky, Zsoldos
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