Olman
Encyclopedia
The Olman are a fictional race of humans in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting
for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
roleplaying game. They inhabit the southern fringes of the Flanaess
and are primarily a tribal people, though in the past they commanded a great empire. The Olman are roughly modeled on the Aztec
.
n natives. This is primarily because they worship the same pantheon of gods. How this cross-universe colonization from Earth to Oerth
might have occurred, none can say.
. Some 500 years later, the Olman began warring with the Touv
people in the northern jungles of Hepmonaland.
Olman civilization advanced much between -1900 and -1500 CY, when they began working bronze and stone, and built great cities in northern Hepmonaland.
A great disaster befell the Olman city states of Alocotla and Xapatlapo circa -1100 CY, when their high priests made a pact with the god Tlaloc
, leading to the creation of the yuan-ti
.
Around -1000 CY, the Olman people began migrating from Hepmonaland to the Amedio Jungle. There, they erected a portion of their vast empire that would out-last that in Hepmonaland. In -805 CY, the Olman of the Amedio Jungle declared themselves the true Olman nation, marking this year as the beginning of the Olman Luna calendar (OL 1). By -800, however, all seven of the Olman Amedio city-states would declare themselves independent, though they were still considered part of the same empire.
In -490 CY, the emperor of the Amedio Olman empire, Tloqasikukuatl of Chetanicatla, was assassinated by priests of Zotzilaha
. By -425, the empire fell into civil war. The city-state of Tamoachan was destroyed in the magical warfare in a single day.
During the height of their civilization, the Olman built great temples and shrines deep in the Jungles of the southern Flanaess. They also explored the southern oceans to an extent that may have out-stripped even modern explorers from Aerdy
, Greyhawk
, and Keoland. They are also credited with developing the blowgun
, sometime in the seventh century before the Common Year.
, an island far to the south of the Azure Sea which was overrun by the kopru
centuries ago. There, many small tribes of Olman remain.
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
roleplaying game. They inhabit the southern fringes of the Flanaess
Flanaess
The Flanaess is the eastern part of the continent of Oerik, one of the four continents of the fictional world of Oerth in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. The Flanaess has been the setting of dozens of adventures published between the 1970s...
and are primarily a tribal people, though in the past they commanded a great empire. The Olman are roughly modeled on the Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
.
Description
Olman tend to have redish-brown or dark brown skin-tones, and speak their own language. There is a theory that the Olman are directly related to their alternate-world cousins, the Aztec and other Central AmericaCentral America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
n natives. This is primarily because they worship the same pantheon of gods. How this cross-universe colonization from Earth to Oerth
Oerth
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, Oerth, pronounced as "Orth" or "oyth", is the name of the fictional planet on which one of the earliest campaign settings, the World of Greyhawk, is located...
might have occurred, none can say.
History
Olman legend states that the Olman gods discovered Oerth and the Olman people circa -2400 CY. At that time, the Olman had not migrated from their homelands in HepmonalandHepmonaland
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the continent of Hepmonaland is Southeast of the Flanaess. Hepmonaland was created as a in-game region where the Aztec culture is dominant and dinosaurs are very common monsters.Hepmonaland is the Suel and...
. Some 500 years later, the Olman began warring with the Touv
Touv
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the Touv are one of the races of humans inhabiting Oerth. Found chiefly on the continent of Hepmonaland, the Touv people are known for warring with the Olman people in the northern jungles over the Olman Empire's...
people in the northern jungles of Hepmonaland.
Olman civilization advanced much between -1900 and -1500 CY, when they began working bronze and stone, and built great cities in northern Hepmonaland.
A great disaster befell the Olman city states of Alocotla and Xapatlapo circa -1100 CY, when their high priests made a pact with the god Tlaloc
Tlaloc
Tlaloc was an important deity in Aztec religion, a god of rain, fertility, and water. He was a beneficent god who gave life and sustenance, but he was also feared for his ability to send hail, thunder and lightning, and for being the lord of the powerful element of water. In Aztec iconography he...
, leading to the creation of the yuan-ti
Yuan-ti
The yuan-ti are a fictional species of evil snakemen in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. The species comprises a number of castes. In some campaign settings, the yuan-ti are descended from evil human cultists who mixed their bloodlines with those of serpents...
.
Around -1000 CY, the Olman people began migrating from Hepmonaland to the Amedio Jungle. There, they erected a portion of their vast empire that would out-last that in Hepmonaland. In -805 CY, the Olman of the Amedio Jungle declared themselves the true Olman nation, marking this year as the beginning of the Olman Luna calendar (OL 1). By -800, however, all seven of the Olman Amedio city-states would declare themselves independent, though they were still considered part of the same empire.
In -490 CY, the emperor of the Amedio Olman empire, Tloqasikukuatl of Chetanicatla, was assassinated by priests of Zotzilaha
Camazotz
In Maya mythology, Camazotz was a bat god. Camazotz means "death bat" in the K'iche' language. In Mesoamerica the bat was associated with night, death, and sacrifice.-Etymology:...
. By -425, the empire fell into civil war. The city-state of Tamoachan was destroyed in the magical warfare in a single day.
During the height of their civilization, the Olman built great temples and shrines deep in the Jungles of the southern Flanaess. They also explored the southern oceans to an extent that may have out-stripped even modern explorers from Aerdy
Great Kingdom
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Great Kingdom, or the Great Kingdom of Aerdy, refers to an empire that varied in size at various points in its history.-History:...
, Greyhawk
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
, and Keoland. They are also credited with developing the blowgun
Blowgun
"Blowpipe" and "blow tube" redirect here. For other uses of the terms, see GlassblowingA blowgun is a simple weapon consisting of a small tube for firing light projectiles, or darts....
, sometime in the seventh century before the Common Year.
Current populations
The modern Olman inhabit the Amedio city-state of Xamaclan (last remaining city-state of the Olman's Amedio empire), and are also spread out in isolated tribes throughout the Amedio Jungle. Sparse populations also exist elsewhere. One such remote location is the Isle of DreadIsle of Dread
The Isle of Dread is an adventure for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The adventure, module code X1, was originally published in 1981. Written by David "Zeb" Cook, and Tom Moldvay, it is among the most widely circulated of all Dungeons & Dragons adventures due to its inclusion as part of...
, an island far to the south of the Azure Sea which was overrun by the kopru
Kopru
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, the kopru are an evil race of amphibious, mind-controlling creatures. They are classified as monstrous humanoids, with the aquatic subtype.-Publication history:...
centuries ago. There, many small tribes of Olman remain.