The Afridhi

[Havard]

Thanks for the info on the origins of Toska Rusa. When I saw the name Naffziger, I immediately thought of George Nafziger, whose name is very well-known among historical wargamers for his very extensive ORBATS and TOE's of many battles.

Interesting. I wonder if there is any relation?

Being well-versed on the subject of the Anglo-Afghan Wars, I was immediately struck by the ethnonym Afridhi used in DLA's early campaign (as well as the proper noun Peshwa). If I were to have a Blackmoor campaign I would take much of what I've learned about the 19th c. Afghan tribes (fierce, stubborn, balkanised, superstitious, renowned swordsmen, deadly snipers with the long-ranged jezzail, treacherous, etc. incited to acts of bloodshed by raving holy men known as Mullahs and Fakirs) and adapt it to a fantasy milieu. 8)

These are great ideas! They are also quite appropriate IMO. The risk here is to produce something that is potentially very offensive to some people. This is not such a big problem in home campaigns, but for publishing online it is worth thinking about. The Afridhi are generally to be seen as an evil race, although DA4 does include information about subversive groups.

Another useful difference from real world cultures is that the Afridhi are a Matriarchal Culture, dominated by female priestesses. Toska Rusa holding the high title of Mistress of God, while her priestesses/officers are known as Handmaidens of Death.

I would love to hear more about your ideas on this subject!

-Havard