Karameikos - Vaults of Pandius

The Demography of KarameikosKarameikos’ humans are split into two mainethnic groups – the Thyatians (15% of totalhuman population) and the Traladarans(65%) - alongside which in the last thirtyyears has appeared a large percentage ofhalf-bloods descended from intermarriagesbetween the two ethnic groups (18%).Moreover, there is a number of foreignimmigrants who populate the larger townsand cities (2%, coming especially fromYlaruam and Darokin). The Thyatians, mostrecent immigrants, tend to be morenumerous in larger population centers andconstitute a vast percentage of the nobleclass; the Traladarans are spread equally inall civilized areas, as well as in border areasof the country.Karameikos takes mostly place in theborderlands.And then there is the rest of the country,about 60% of total land area – which iswilderness (less than 1.3 people per squaremile in population density). Civilization hasnot taken hold there, and most of thewilderness is uninhabited by humans. Thesparse population which is found in theseareas consists of isolated houses of pioneers,bandit hideouts, exiles’ or fugitives’ shelters,lonely wizard towers, and the like. Thegovernment of the Grand Duke only controlsthis vast part of the country by name –actually most of it is controlled by humanoidtribes, monsters of various types, demihumanclans, and so on.Elves (pop. 18,800)A number of elves live in Karameikos,divided into two major alliances of clans ofdifferent cultures and traditions; bothgroupings are essentially independent fromthe government of the Grand Duchy.The first grouping is that of the wood elvesof the Callarii clan (58% of total elvenpopulation), who inhabit the RadlebbWoods (from the woods east of the cursedlands of Koriszegy to the Windrush River, onwhose banks the market town of Rifllian isfound), the western areas of the DymrakForest (as far as possible from the warlikeDymrak goblins), and the wooded hillssouth of Highforge. A lonely clan also livesin the forested hills north-east of Threshold,while another in the Hantu Valley, in theforested hills north-east of Penhaligon (nearthe famous Temple of the Gray Mountain).The wood elves live in small woodlandcommunities of about 100-200 inhabitantseach.17THRESHOLD: The Mystara Magazine Issue #1