Khanjar Kuro

Fifty · Post by **Fifty** » Wed Jul 16, 2003 10:30 am

I've been through the second PNP campaign in an attempt to distill some of what we know about the continent of Khanjar Kuro.

Here is what I have come up with, plus a bit of my own speculation.

People from Khanjar Kuro have small eyes and slightly olive skin.

There is a type of undead there called Naikimono (I have tried to translate this. It is probably "unliving/lifeless creature." "ikimono" means living creature, and "na" means "un-" or "-less". It could be a strange alternative way of saying Mukimono, which would mean "spiritless creature" - only a small difference.) I assume that these creatures are fairly weak as they crop up a lot, and in large numbers. They have some small amount of magical ability. I assume they are from some Monster Manual or something?....

A type of spirit to be found is an Uraki-Oni, which means "treacherous spirit." This creature has the ability to summon and control Naikimono and use various other magics.

Khanjar Kuro is 1200 miles southwest of Mikona.

Small creatures with scaly skin, catlike eyes and a small lizardy tail seem to inhabit the continent. The only one encountered in the PNP seems to be evil.

In the woods live spirit creatures called "Ikiryo." The "iki" part of the name strongly suggests that they are NOT undead as iki often means "alive" or "living" creature. "Living spirit" is the best translation I can manage.

These creatures were found in swampy terrain.

Another dwarf-like creature exists. It seems possible that they are a kind of Jekyll/Hyde alternate face of the scaly creature above. These creatures are called korobukuro. I think it likely that this is a Japanese word for shapechanger, but I am not sure. They seem to live in villages but cope in forests okay.

A village exists called Rishi-do. There are so many possible translations for this that without knowing where to start, I am not even going to try.

Samurai are found in the service of local Daimyo. Daimyo are powerful, important Japanese warlords. The use of the terms samurai and daimyo suggest a very Japanese flavour to the part of Khanjar Kuro so far encountered.

Khanjar Kuro has, according to a Daimyo, been having much trouble with spirits. Local spirits seem to be common. At the time of the story they are causing much trouble by acting in an evil fashion, even ones that are not normally evil. People were often acting evil and displaying strange symptoms such as leathery skin and bleeding gums too.

One of the clans is called the Mashimizu clan. This may or may not be based on the real-life historical Shimizu clan.

Other monsters include a female spirit with snake arms, gigantic spiders and a ?bisan? which could possibly (unlikely) be a translation of Miss beautiful.

Some evil spirits encountered are called ?Gekido-Oni.? In trying to translate this I could only come up with one likely possibility ? Violently shaking spirits. They have the power to pass on a permanent strange malady or taint. This includes such symptoms as dodgy skin and retractable claws.

A new clan was formed called ?Kuro Mashimizu? which means Black Mashimizu. Other dark clans were also being formed.

There is a city of monkey like creatures who live in trees called Vanara.

It seems likely that elves and fairies are very rare in Khanjar Kuro as the Vanara had never seen elves or fairy hybrids before.

There is an evil lord called Oroki Yatoshi. (Or Yatoshi Oroki, depending on whether you use western or Japanese naming conventions.)

Superiors have the right to execute their juniors on a whim, as in historical Japan.

Tien Lung (celestial dragons) are found here. How rare they are is not made clear.

Also mentioned are fiendlike Gekido no Oni. I am not sure if these are different to Gekido Oni. If they are different, this is the only difference I can see in translation. Gekido Oni = spirit which shakes violently. Gekido no Oni = spirit of violent shaking.

A creature is described with wispy hair, a golden goatee and bloodshot eyes. It has a serpentine body and small wings. Is this the celestial dragon? I think so.

Another type of dragon encountered is a spirit dragon.

Ninjas exist. Up to now they have only been encountered in the service of evil.

Fifty · Post by **Fifty** » Wed Jul 16, 2003 10:31 am

Things we don?t know.

Whether there is just one Japanese-like country or several other countries too.
How Kung reached Mikona, or how much contact there is between the continents.
What different races live in Khanjar Kuro

Speculation

First I had some fun with the name Khanjar Kuro. I know that it is not necessarily Japanese, but almost everything mentioned above is. I decided to try and see what it could mean in English. I had to take some extreme liberties, but hey, no-one said this has to be perfect.

?Kuro? really only has one useful translation: Black. It is just about conceivable that you could translate it as ?The Black? and use this to describe some kind of wasteland. This doesn?t really work, but you can play a little bit on the grounds that the Kanji for black is very similar to the Kanji for Sato, which means region or area. As I said, I am taking liberties.

Khan would be ?Kan? which can be translated as God~

Jar is a bit of fun to. Ja could mean either (evil/unjust/wicked) or snake.

An extra ?a? could be added at the end meaning raven. (Well, not really, but as I said I am taking liberties with the language). An interesting feature of the kanji for Raven is that it includes the kanji for (evil/unjust/wicked). The kanji for raven is literally ?evil bird.? (For those who know nothing about Japanese, Kanji are those little pictures that they use as words)

So You could have Kanja Kuro ?The Black of the Unjust God?
or Kanjaa Kuro ?The black of the Unjust Raven God?
or Kanja Kuro ?The black of the God-Snake?

If any dwarves live in Khanjar Kuro there is a possibility that they would instead call the continent Kurogane, which means iron.

So, I have a picture of Khanjar Kuro as follows. (Or at least the Japanese part of it)

It is an area that is inhabited by an extremely high number of spirits. Many of these spirits are evil and mischievous.

The land is generally extremely hard to live on. There are a large number of swamps, mountains and uninviting forests. It offers little natural support for life. Undead are common, possibly causing this blight, or possibly be a common symptom of something else. The inhospitability of the place means that elves choose not to live there. I have a vague idea that maybe elves are very water-dwelling types if they exist on this continent at all.

The mineral wealth is probably much higher than that of real life Japan. I suspect Dwarves, being quite hardy, might be common here.

A feudal system exists, but it is at a point of breakdown. Central authority is failing and numerous warlords are vying for power. Many are tempted to evil to gain power and influence.

There are dragons, which are not really much of a part of Japanese mythology, which suggests that there may be a more Chinese country present.

It seems likely that people will have beliefs similar to Shintoism. They probably worship ancestors and spirits. Bearing in mind the presence of the negerai, a Buddhist belief in enlightenment (which could be compared to the attainment of godhood) may be either very common or stamped on ruthlessly.

Okay, I?ll add more stuff as I think of it.

I don?t want to contradict anything here that Orleron has already said, so I have tried to restrict myself to just summary and a little simple analysis of what I have read.

Mistakes, questions, comments and opinions?

Post by **Orleron** » Wed Jul 16, 2003 1:01 pm

It's interesting to see the point of view that is distilled from the campaign. It's very colored according to the viewer, and also the limited part of Khanjar Kuro that was covered in the story. But very interesting nonetheless.... I enjoyed reading that.

I'll throw you a small bone: Khanjar Kuro is a mixture of all Asian cultures, including Inidan, Indonesian, and Chinese. "Khanjar" is an Indian word. Kuro is a Japenese word, correctly translated as "Black".

The information distilled in the post above is *not quite* accurate enough to make a character. I CAN give you the basic background information on Khanjar Kuro, but I really hesitate to. It's not very well developed because it's the cutting edge of Avlis creation. Most of the stuff you are playing was created 10 or 15 years ago, or at the very least 2 or 3 years ago. Khanjar Kuro is not even a year old, and it's been a very sparse year because I have not really had time to do anything else but NWN in the last year.

Oh, and Gekido Oni and Gekido-no-Oni are the same thing... that's a typo. All creatures, character races, weapons, armor, and everything are from either the Oriental Adventures 3rd Edition, or from the Rokugan supplemental guides. I didn't have THAT much time to learn Japanese and make everything from scratch. I did have time to modify some of the creatures slighly however.

Fifty · Post by **Fifty** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 6:50 am

Orleron wrote:It's interesting to see the point of view that is distilled from the campaign. It's very colored according to the viewer, and also the limited part of Khanjar Kuro that was covered in the story. But very interesting nonetheless.... I enjoyed reading that.

Yes, I felt like we were only seeing quite a limited picture...

I'll throw you a small bone: Khanjar Kuro is a mixture of all Asian cultures, including Inidan, Indonesian, and Chinese. "Khanjar" is an Indian word. Kuro is a Japenese word, correctly translated as "Black".

What does Khanjar mean?

The information distilled in the post above is *not quite* accurate enough to make a character. I CAN give you the basic background information on Khanjar Kuro, but I really hesitate to. It's not very well developed because it's the cutting edge of Avlis creation. Most of the stuff you are playing was created 10 or 15 years ago, or at the very least 2 or 3 years ago. Khanjar Kuro is not even a year old, and it's been a very sparse year because I have not really had time to do anything else but NWN in the last year.

If and when you get around to building on Khanjar Kuro I would be very interested in helping out. I'll fill out one of the subcontractor forms. I have a few ideas, some of which you might be interested in, and others of which you might not. My main interest would be in Japan, predictably, but I have a fair bit of interest in helping out with any Asian ideas in general if you want. The only trouble is I don't want to step in your toes in terms of what you have already decided, so I don't want to let my imagination run away with me, especially on this forum. If you would like to hear some of my ideas, just to see if we are thinking along compatible lines, just let me know.

Oh, and Gekido Oni and Gekido-no-Oni are the same thing... that's a typo. All creatures, character races, weapons, armor, and everything are from either the Oriental Adventures 3rd Edition, or from the Rokugan supplemental guides. I didn't have THAT much time to learn Japanese and make everything from scratch. I did have time to modify some of the creatures slighly however.

Thought so...

Post by **Orleron** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 2:41 pm

What does Khanjar mean?

hehe.... see if you can look it up. I think you will find it humorous. The resource that has the word may be easier to get to than you think.

JollyOrc · Post by **JollyOrc** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 2:44 pm

LOL

that's good Orleron.

http://www.asiamaya.com/dictionary/khanjar.htm

Post by **Lycanthropy** » Thu Jul 17, 2003 6:01 pm

Hee hee. Cute, an Avlis injoke!

Fifty · Post by **Fifty** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 6:32 am

Yay! In jokes!

Post by **tindertwiggy** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 8:15 am

preponderance of nihongo up there. naikimono can also translate as nai ki mono, roughly non-existing-spirit thing, or, creature without spirit. All depends on the kanji, which we don't have.

Oni means devil or demon btw.

Fifty · Post by **Fifty** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 9:40 am

tindertwiggy wrote:preponderance of nihongo up there. naikimono can also translate as nai ki mono, roughly non-existing-spirit thing, or, creature without spirit. All depends on the kanji, which we don't have.

I said that: nai ki mono would more likely be pronounced Mukimono, as I said. I reckon we are dealing with na iki mono though.

There is a type of undead there called Naikimono (I have tried to translate this. It is probably "unliving/lifeless creature." "ikimono" means living creature, and "na" means "un-" or "-less". It could be a strange alternative way of saying Mukimono, which would mean "spiritless creature" - only a small difference.)

Does the guide book give the kanji? I expect not...

Still, not too important.

Is this a 2nd Ed supplement by the way? I wouldn't mind getting hold of it.

Oni means devil or demon btw.

Oni means spirit, devil, ogre etc.. It has no clear cut English translation. One of my dictioneries says "spirit", specifically a spirit of the dead. Another two say "devil" and one of those two also says "ogre." One also says "fiend". One says "demon."...

Anyway, I devil is probably a better translation, but you get my point that there is no clear cut right or wrong...

Interestingly I had a leaving party last night as I am moving back to England, and I was given a wooden devil mask. Do you know Kagura? Traditional dance in Takachiho. One of the masks from that.

Post by **tindertwiggy** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 9:57 am

ah, you in japan now? I am flying there the 31st to teach for a year+.

and no, nothing comes to mind with that name/word. Anything like the dancing masks they have on the floats during festivals?

Jordicus · Post by **Jordicus** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 12:18 pm

Oni really means all of those things together. The Japanese-English dictionaries always try to sum up the translations into simple things. In most cases you get an abbreviated understanding of the word that way.

that's one of the reasons Japanese is a fun/challenging language to learn. The kanji really represents a concept, not a word, in most cases. Its the use of the kanji that brings out the intent of the user, not the simple definition of it.

Fifty · Post by **Fifty** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 2:30 pm

Jordicus wrote:Oni really means all of those things together. The Japanese-English dictionaries always try to sum up the translations into simple things. In most cases you get an abbreviated understanding of the word that way.

that's one of the reasons Japanese is a fun/challenging language to learn. The kanji really represents a concept, not a word, in most cases. Its the use of the kanji that brings out the intent of the user, not the simple definition of it.

Yeah, that is exactly what I mean.

Translating between English and Japanese is very very different to translating between, for example, English and German.

The whole system of language is so different that you first have to understand the intent of the sentence, then re-write it in the new language, not just translatethe grammer. And the same piece of grammar won't necessarily be translated the same way under two separate situations, it depends on usage. This is why the Japanese method of teaching English in high schools is such bullshit. Thankfully it is slowly beginning to change.

Learning Japanese is a case of starting from scratch again and learning how to think a different way, not just learning how to change your same thoughts into another language like it is with English/German. I really enjoy studying Japanese, although I must admit I have been slacking off recently. Even now I feel like I haven't done a very good job of saying why it is such a challenge...

Fifty · Post by **Fifty** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 2:33 pm

tindertwiggy wrote:ah, you in japan now? I am flying there the 31st to teach for a year+.

and no, nothing comes to mind with that name/word. Anything like the dancing masks they have on the floats during festivals?

By any chance are you coming on the JET programme? That is what I am just finishing. Gonna be in Tokyo around the 31st then? I am gonna be in Tokyo then too, fancy a beer?

Where will you be teaching?

Also, I notice that you are from Salem, OR. If you turn out to be Kieve Saling, I will be amazed. If you are a JET and you are from Oregon then there is a pretty good chance that you have met him at orientation - he is my replacement. He is from Portland.

Jordicus · Post by **Jordicus** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 2:50 pm

i was fortunate in that I grew up in Japan, so the different language concept really isn't all that different to me.

Only ever made it to a Elementary level writing skill though. Not that I remember much of that now either..

Fifty · Post by **Fifty** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 3:11 pm

Jordicus wrote:i was fortunate in that I grew up in Japan, so the different language concept really isn't all that different to me.

Only ever made it to a Elementary level writing skill though. Not that I remember much of that now either..

Whereabouts did you grow up?

Post by **tindertwiggy** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 10:15 pm

Doing KET, not JET. In all honesty, same difference.

I'll be in Kawagoe, about 40 minutes north of Ikebukuro on the tobu tojo line. Spent my junior year of college in that town, so I am looking forward to going back and seeing my host family and a few friends.

I went to willamette U in salem, graduated last may. Don't know the guy from ptown.

So how did you like JET? Where were you assigned, etc.

Jordicus · Post by **Jordicus** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 10:43 pm

I lived in Ikoma Shi, Nara Ken - basically just east over the mountains from Osaka

Post by **tindertwiggy** » Sat Jul 19, 2003 11:04 pm

Been to nara, did the dai-butsu bit.

Fifty · Post by **Fifty** » Sun Jul 20, 2003 5:43 am

tindertwiggy wrote:Doing KET, not JET. In all honesty, same difference.

I'll be in Kawagoe, about 40 minutes north of Ikebukuro on the tobu tojo line. Spent my junior year of college in that town, so I am looking forward to going back and seeing my host family and a few friends.

I went to willamette U in salem, graduated last may. Don't know the guy from ptown.

So how did you like JET? Where were you assigned, etc.

Never heard of KET. What does it stand for? Are you still in a regular Japanese school on regular hours and stuff?

Never been to Kawagoe. Been to Ikebukuro, unsurprisingly. Had a conference there back in february.

I live in Takachiho. It is a small town but it is pretty famous. You might have heard of it if you know anything about Japanese mythology as it is all wrapped up with Ametarasu and stuff. It is in the North-West corner of Miyazaki Ken (2nd poorest ken in Japan, after Okinawa), slap bang in the middle of Kyushu.

INAKA RULES!!