Mazaron's Castle: Polynesia

ADVENTURING IN PARADISE:
Add the South Pacific to your campaign world

By Tim Martin

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons has sought to include many of the cultures and civilizations that existed in the world in its numerous campaign settings. The Forgotten Realms includes Kara-Tur, which represents the lands of China, Japan, Tibet, Mongolia, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Maztica, the continent to the west of the lands of Faerun, contains civilizations based on the Native Americans, notably the Aztecs and the Mayans. The Great Glacier represents the Eskimos or Innuit quite successfully. To seek the ancient civilizations of ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Sumeria one need go further than Old Empires. The Al-Qadim setting brings in the Arabian, Persian, and Turkish Middle East of fact and fantasy, though this culture has been represented in such other places as Anauroch and the lands of Calimshan as well. Dragon magazine has served to supply still other settings, notably an excellent series of articles on Sub-Saharan Africa and several of note on India. In my experience one culture has been left out, that of Oceania or the South Pacific Polynesian culture and civilization.

This setting is one ripe with promise, a land as potentially filled with action and excitement as any of those listed above. Imagine voyages of exploration into newly discovered islands, perhaps the eyes of the player characters being the first of "civilized man" to spy them. Islands rising out of the sea, still seething with the raw power of the volcanoes that created them and can as easily destroy them. Lands covered in dense jungle, bright with parrots and other brilliant tropical birds, serving to distract the unwary from the hidden dangers that lurk within; deadly snakes, dangerous flightless birds, hidden pirate coves, or treacherous cannibals. These island chains, arranged like constellations in the night sky in a region almost as vast, were the haunts of Captain Cook, where the mutiny on the Bounty took place, and where Robinson Crusoe called home.

These tropical lands could be easily placed in nearly any AD&D setting. All of the settings on Earth-like worlds have large oceans in the appropriate climate, where such islands or island chains could easily be dropped. Briefly, I will discuss their inclusion in several AD&D settings.

The World of Greyhawk has extensive oceans that, at least in the original boxed set, were poorly or completely unexplored. The jungles lands of Hempmonaland and the Amedio Jungles are at a similar latitude at which a fantasy version of Polynesia need be placed. For DMs using Oerth, I would recommend off the coasts of either of the two land masses as ideal locations.

The Forgotten Realms setting was the location I used for Polynesia during my campaign. The vast ocean to the west of Maztica and to the east of the lands of Kara-Tur was an ideal Pacific, and the various island groups I will detail later in this article fit in very nicely. If TSR's trend of making Toril very Earthlike in regards to its cultures could be continued, then the inclusion of Polynesia seems to me very logical.

The Al-Qadim setting continent of Zakhara is technically on Toril as well, but is often used as its own setting. The lands in that setting contain many interesting islands already, in the Corsair Domains and in the Crowded Sea. In my opinion, an enterprising DM could add Polynesia to the east or west of the Crowded Sea, allowing his PCs to truly experience what it must have been like to be Sinbad.

The land

The lands of Polynesia are for the most part volcanic islands or remnants of coral atolls, located far from continents and often far from other island groups. Created as they are, they might suddenly appear in deep water in mid ocean, though owing to the size of many of them they can be easily missed by the unobservant explorer as specks on the distant horizon

Although I have stressed above the tropical nature of these islands ' one has a hard time not imagining a land of swaying palm trees, coral reefs, and gentle surf on white sandy beaches ' in reality any proper Polynesia includes lands from tropical to almost arctic. While the majority of Polynesians live in warmer climes, the Maoris of New Zealand inhabit islands that are not far from the Antarctic Circle, with glaciated mountains and tundra among the terrain types present.

In truth though most of the lands of Polynesia, including the mythical examples described in this article, are located in tropical and subtropical climatic zones. Most of the land is covered in dense tropical rain forest or in the cases of more heavily settled lands, farmland. Owing to the fact that many of these volcanically created islands are very hilly, terrace farming is often practiced, with the land shaped and contoured to create more level areas for planting. Fields of taro, yams, or gourds are a common site on many an island.

The drier sides of islands, perhaps in the rain shadow of some massive peak or located in the interior, can be as dry as any desert. Cactus can even grow in these areas, and tropical plants such as bananas and coconuts would perish from the lack of moisture. Areas that are continually covered in flows of lava could be almost sterile and moon-like in appearance, with little in the way of life.

The islands for the most part are ringed by coral reefs, creating shallow lagoons. These lagoons serve many purposes to the people of Polynesia ' they can help buffer damage from typhoons, serve to keep out sharks and dangerous predators, and provide safe fishing grounds.

Beyond the coral reefs is the deep blue sea, with strong currents and heavy swells. The people of Polynesia though are a seagoing people, and this area is one of importance, for fishing, traveling, and inter-island communication.

Lands like New Zealand on Earth (and Maoria in this article) are much larger land masses, and are in effect mini continents. They possess all the variety of large land masses, including grasslands, swamps, deserts, and even permanently snow-covered regions.

The people

Although the many islands of Polynesia are widely separated, nearly all of its people share a similar ancestry. In the distant past, all of the islands were settled by wandering tribes, sailing the deep blue sea in catamarans, guided only by the stars, the sun, and their knowledge of marine life.

The dominant racial group is the Polynesians, a brownish, almost honey-skinned people of black hair. They are the most commonly encountered group, and can be found in most of the island chains. Two other racial groups exist, referred to on our world as the Micronesians and the Melanesians. They are darker skinned peoples, with differently textured hair. They bear much resemblance to the peoples of Australia, and indeed much of the lands of Melanesia and Micronesia are near that southern continent.

Although perhaps a strictly "authentic" Polynesian (or Oceanic) setting would not have races other than humans present, some modifications of the legends of those lands could supply such for use in a campaign. Polynesia mythology speaks of the lipsipsip or the menehune, a small faerie-like people that are either spiritually tied to or live in trees and stones. Tales often depict them having a gnome or dwarf-like appearance (though the menehune are on the small side). These could be made to represent dwarves or gnomes, with more of a nature connection that dwarves are generally thought of (perhaps similar to the korobokuru or Oriental dwarves of Kara-Tur).

Also mentioned in South Pacific legends are the tangata. Though depicted as giants, they can simply be tall elves. Virtually vanished from the islands in the present, the Polynesians venerate them as an ancient and wise people, a race that taught them the skills of navigation, the civilization-building laws of kinship, and the importance of land rights. Perhaps they journeyed off to some yet undiscovered island, unknown even to the Polynesians?

Fauna and Flora

The islands of Polynesia teem with life. The luxuriant jungles are the ideal habitat for all varieties of insects, spiders, snails, and other invertebrates. The full range from iridescent butterflies to deadly spiders can be found. Numerous amphibians, particularly tree frogs, feed on this bounty. With the exception of the rare snow covered peaks, reptiles can be found anywhere, not only in the jungles, but on the beach and in the desert areas of the islands as well. They range in size from tiny lizards and harmless little tree snakes to huge giant tortoises and monitor lizards. The largest of the lizards, such as the Komodo "dragon," hunt and eat animals like pigs, deer (when present), and even the occasional human.

The islands are very well known for their birds, ranging from sea birds nesting in gigantic colonies, to brilliant feeders on berries and insects, to huge predatory birds like moas. Owing to the great distance from continental landmasses and the difficulty for many animals to reach the islands, many islands have few if any native mammals. As a result, like the reptiles, birds can adapt to niches normally fulfilled by mammals, like the kiwi basically functioning like a rodent that roots around in the dirt for insects and worms to eat, and more notably many birds loose the ability to fly. With the often time lack of predators, and the danger of being swept out to sea by storms, flying can actually be done away with in many species. Unfortunately, some birds like the dodo are not able to adapt when predators do show up (notably man), and can become rare or even extinct.

While there are few native mammals (generally bats), the Polynesians in their dispersal through the islands have brought many with them. Their original purpose was to serve as food, but inevitably they escape and flourish in the islands. Rats are always present, and can be found in any terrain. Pigs are quite common, and once some escape into the jungle they are literally in "hog heaven." Dogs are also found, sometimes ranging in wild packs. If one includes European (or Faerun, or what have you) introduction, goats could be added, as well as weasels (introduced to control the thriving rat populations).

As the islands are surrounded and dominated by the ocean, marine life is of particular importance. The lagoons, deep sea, and in particular the coral reefs teem with fish which serve as food not only for the skilled Polynesian fishermen but for dolphins and sharks as well. Indeed, some of the largest sharks in the world can be found in this part of the world. Other marine life includes seals, whales, sea snakes, and sea turtles. Marine invertebrates include octopus, squid, crabs, and spiny lobsters.

Much of the islands in areas not heavily settled is densely covered in tropical forest. Several of the islands are the rainiest places in the world, resulting in dense jungles with plants that bloom and produce fruit virtually year round. Some of the plants are quite valuable, as several of the islands have large stands of sandalwood trees. In my campaign, the Kara-Turans were aware of the islands and referred to Polynesia as the "Sandalwood Islands."

Monsters

Although often lacking in large wildlife, the islands have many supernatural inhabitants. The buata is a forest creature and is in appearance similar to a huge, black, large-tusked wild boar, but with some notable differences. It can walk upright on its hind legs much of the time and possesses a rudimentary intelligence. The buata, which gladly eats humans if it can catch them, may be a primitive form of orc. I would suggest using the statistics for an orc, but lower the intelligence, increase the physical strength, and limit the buata to attacks with its foreclaws and its tusked bite.

The epalirai are dryad-like spirits of the forest. Little seen by even the natives, these in fact may be dryads, just known by a local name. Tied to individual trees, they exist in the deep forest away from villages.

The fe'e is a huge cephalopod, almost kraken-like in nature. This giant invertebrate makes it home on the ocean-side of coral reefs, feeding on large fishes, sharks, and dolphins. While some islanders worship the fe'e as a god, all Polynesians fear them greatly. Fortunately, they stick to generally limited territories and are not known to journey inside lagoons or towards shore.

Ogres can be used pretty much as they are in the books for Polynesia. Referred to as kewanambo, they live on isolated islands and are known to attack and eat humans.

In fact, several of the creatures detailed in the numerous AD&D publications can be used in a South Pacific campaign setting. Mermen live in the coral reefs and around the many islands of Oceania, and are called by the natives the ponaturi. Generally, human relations with the ponaturi are peaceful, though occasionally there are disputes over fishing. The yakirai are spirits of the sky, oftentimes mischievous. Suitable creatures to use as a yakirai include sylphs, sprites, or even the sakina from the Al-Qadim setting. The poukai is a giant, man-eating bird of the islands, greatly feared. The roc seems an ideal template for the poukai, but one could also use the giant eagle as well.

A variety of other creatures could be used successfully in this setting, without destroying its flavor and atmosphere. Owing to the lush jungle and frequent absence of land predators, giant insects, spiders, centipedes, and millipedes are ideal. Giant scorpions might even be used in the drier, volcanic areas of the islands. Giant snakes and giant lizards are very realistic encounters as well. Amphibian monsters like giant frogs would lurk in the lush jungles in sizeable numbers. Bird monsters of all sorts also fit well, particularly giant owls, giant eagles, and the like, and flightless birds like ostriches and phorohacos (to represent moas). Since bats are often the only native mammals on these islands, batlike creatures such as the azmyth might also be considered. The Polynesians have a strong belief in faeries, so many of those creatures can be used. The aforementioned menehune are often said to be brownie-like. In the areas of active volcanoes creatures from the Elemental Plane of Fire or the Paraelemental Planes of Magma or Smoke might be used, including elemental vermin, elementals, paraelementals, magmen, and firebats.

There are of course creatures that would not seem to fit this type of culture. While ghosts and maybe even zombies might be useful, undead for the most part do not seem to fit. I would not recommend the use of lycanthropes, with the exception of the wereshark. A fantasy version of the South Pacific would not be known for its dragons either, though if one really wanted to include them I would say the bronze and pearl dragons were the best choices.