Looking for information on Kara-Tur

[Rana]

I am in the process of creating a NPC and need some backstory elements to help flesh out her character. My experience with the D&D universe doesn't go beyond BG2: ToB, so I'm partially limited to whatever I can scrounge up on the internet.

 

Specifically, I'm looking for information on Kara-Tur and famous or prestigious monastic orders. I have a basic frame for the character which might help pinpoint her origin better, though all of this is up to revision depending on the new material I'm able to gather:

 

* Her family is from Shou Lung, specifically Karatin, capital city of the Hai Yuan province.

* She was the only daughter of a wealthy merchant family and was being groomed to be part of an arranged marriage.

* Her father sent her to be raised and educated in one of the most prestigious monasteries in the region as part of her grooming.

* While her education was supposed to revolve around cultural teachings and refinement qualities that would mold her into suitable wife, one of the more eccentric masters noticed she had a natural aptitude towards martial arts and began to personally train her.

* During the summer of her 15th year she was unexpectedly summoned home, where it was revealed that her family's business had been ruined and they were to set sail for Amn immediately. Don't have the details down yet but it likely will have something to do with her arranged marriage.

* Based on the frame I would like the monastery to be somewhere in Shou Lung - it wouldn't make sense for her father to send her to someplace like T'Lung or Wa considering their relationship with Shou Lung! I'd also like to provide a name for the master who trained her; one who actually exists in D&D lore, though this is not entirely necessary.

 

If some of the elements of the character seem familiar, then you've probably read about or played Barren/Leomar's Anishai One-Day NPC. Even before finding out the One-Day NPC mod I enjoyed the character's rather unique personality and saw her as a potential party member. The One-Day mod was a nice taste, but not enough to satisfy. I saw this as a perfect opportunity to create my own version as my first full-fledged NPC project.

 

Any information or help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[ericp07]

Kara-Tur Wiki should be of use to you.

 

Cheers,

Eric

[Rana]

Kara-Tur Wiki should be of use to you.

 

Cheers,

Eric

 

Thanks Eric. That was actually one of the first resources that I'd come across and it was quite helpful! Still hoping to find a few more, though.

[ericp07]

Kara-Tur Wiki should be of use to you.

 

Cheers,

Eric

 

Thanks Eric. That was actually one of the first resources that I'd come across and it was quite helpful! Still hoping to find a few more, though.

 

You can acquire more data through Usenet newsgroups, if you have access to Usenet. _Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting_, which is a wonderful, wonderful resource, has only a brief mention of Kara-Tur:

 

Kara-Tur

The Hordelands stretch for hundreds upon hundreds of miles, cast

from the lands of Rashemen and Narfell. Yet east of east, beyond

the sunrise, lies a vast and marvelous land of legend known as

Kara-Tur. Mountains as tall as the sky, impenetrable jungles, and

empty grasslands claimed by the fierce Tuigan tribes stand

between Faerun's easternmost lands and the sprawling empires of

Kara-Tur.

Kara-Tur is reputed to be a land of silk, spice, and gold, a beautiful

land ruled by haughty and cruel warlords. Travelers speak in awe

of the Shou Empire, a kingdom thousands of miles in extent guarded

by a mighty wall. In Shou Lung, it is said, the temples are roofed

in gold, and the Emperor presides over a court of a thousand kings

and a million swords.

From these fantastic lands a single trade route wends its way westward.

The Golden Way crosses the great expanse of the Hordelands,

winds through Rashemen and Thesk, and finally meets the Inner Sea

at the port of Telflamm. Here Shou silk and exotic spices from the

isles of Wa arrive in Faerun after a journey covering thousands of

miles and lasting many months. The Golden Way remains open only

at the sufferance of the Tuigan, who sometimes exact ruinous tribute

for their forbearance or shut down the road altogether.

 

Not very useful for your purposes, but that's all I've got in my own collection of gaming materials.

 

Good luck!

Eric

[Dakk]

I suppose you've already checked Kara-Tur on the FR wiki?

[Rana]

I suppose you've already checked Kara-Tur on the FR wiki?

 

Yep, already got that one too.

[erik]

May I suggest a used copy of http://www.amazon.com/Oriental-Adventures-.../ref=pd_sim_b_1 ? Seems like you can get it down to five bucks.

 

"the elaborate Honor system, oriental magic, and the unique monsters and treasures of Kara-Tur, all in one beautiful reference!" ... perhaps useful to you? The Kara-Tur boxed set is rather more expensive.

[Dakk]

As it turns out I've got a boatload of Oriental Adventures and the Kara-Tur set in pdf-version. Don't know the G3 policy for such and so though...