How to do a good Uberwald fantasy counterpart culture

Like the title says. I plan to have a minor eastern Europe-inspired country in my work (which I'm just planning for now). But it will be a Fantasy Counterpart Culture as it's not Earth. (they're still human though)

They're supposed to be people that would live in an Überwald country, you know, the magical stuff, all that. But I want to avoid general Romani stereotypes. So what should I use/not use to make those people non-negative magic pseudo-east Europeans?

Also, any suggestions for fitting superpowers (other than magic) for an Uberwald country? Like, I dunno, werewolfing, nature affinity, something about darkness maybe?

Well, first step towards making them not-Romani stereotypes are naming conventions. Ditch Eastern-European names in favour of something different - English, Spanish, Chinese, whatever you want. Forget about vaguely-ethnic appearance and heavy supposedly-East-European accent. In other words, if you want Romani analogue, preserve culture, not appearance. Also, don't make them all Medieval Morons or anything like this - if the rest of your world has access to at least some primary education, don't make all Uberwaldians illiterate.

As for powers, IMO, shadow-manipulation is a good idea. For others... characters with When Trees Attack abilities? Nobles who can Charm Person with Compelling Voice? Glamour? Power of the Void?

Yeah, my world is far from a world of morons. That charm person stuff sounds interesting too. So basically they have to be physically "neutral", like they could come from anywhere. Like how Japanese draw themselves however they want in anime. Same for names. Gonna keep that in mind.

Also keep in mind to do at least a bit of research about real-life forests. A lot of people don't realize that forests have a habit of swallowing sound for a LONG way around you. Some people think the animals are quieter in the Pacific Northwest, but they're actually as loud as their normal counterparts—it's just that the Pacific Northwest is more thickly forested than most other regions in the USA, so even if they ARE making noise, you won't hear it because all the trees are blocking/scattering the noise.

An Uberwald-type region will usually be an old-growth forest, so do a bit of research on those regions.

Basic facts: Before modern society, forests SUCKED BALLS to travel in. And in national parks or other protected regions where modern roads and transport are intentionally minimal if not illegal for preservation purposes, they still suck to travel in if you're not used to it. There's dirt everywhere (and if there's been a dry spell, dust), vision ranges from "permanently overcast" to "fuck, I can't see past ten feet" because the trees are blocking the view AND the sunlight.

Plus, it's really easy to get loose clothes or hair caught on something—so on a culture/fashion standpoint, your Uberwald inhabitants probably won't travel in clothes with billowing sleeves or high-maintenance hairstyles. People who DO travel in impractical clothes are either foreigners/naive, rich people with servants to take care of them, or they were fleeing something in a panic/emergency.

However, there's also the problem of bugs to look after if you want to actually put that detail in—so while you wouldn't travel in excessively billowing fabric, you'd still want to cover most of your skin to keep the bugs off. Or use some insect repellent.

edited 7th Sep '15 11:50:09 AM by Sharysa

So really, light manipulation and/or echolocation would be the first thing every kid in a perpetually shady area would learn. And given the problem with bugs, I'd emphasize echolocation as part of a general sound control magical curriculum. A race of vaguely bat-like beings (sound) who contrast with land-based lantern fish analogues (light), who are in a symbiotic relationship?

And depending on the proportion of arable land to forest, you'll want agricultural mages to boost production in the arable land that they have.

Forest gardening will also help.

Man, is there any type of biome that people actually liked in the past?

Genesis 2? (Which is a pretty good illustration of the old rule: don't give people what they want, because they'll complain about it or screw it up. )

Well of course they liked the Garden of Eden; it was magic.

I assume you're already doing research on Romani culture.

Don't forget that they had their own folk magic traditions, which could be a source of a spell-casting or a category of spells for your project. A mage from England should use English-flavored magic; so it is with a Romani mage.

People in the past generally liked flat to moderately hilly open land. And rivers. Also some woodlands, but forests? Nope.

Modern technology makes things a crapton easier, especially cars.

A few suggestions of mine and things to think about: Don't just focus on the "dark and foreboding" stuff. What does this Überwald country look like in the daytime? What do the people do when they're not being attacked by Werewolves and the like? I imagine a daytime-Uberwald might look more like the "enchanted forest" of many a Brothers Grimm fairytale.^note It probably helps that the real-world Uberwald is part of Germany. Probably a few lumberjacks or huntsmen would wander around said woods. The "old noble family in the castle on the hill" might seem like a typical lord, at first glance.

That said, please do keep whatever "Uberwald" traits you have. I'm just pointing out a few ways you can make it a fully fleshed-out country. Cookie-cutters are great, but it always helps to embellish the final product with your own flair.

Eastern European, huh? A fitting superpower would be unshakeable, miracle-attracting faith. As much as I'm a staunch atheist and consider the local church a deeply corrupt one, playing off the Saintly Church and Real Men Love Jesus tropes seems to be the right call here. And if you're going full Uberwald, a Saintly Church makes a decent defense against vampires and the like.

Also, a protagonist from such a country would be either a Proud Warrior Race Guy or a Guile Hero, we had more than enough of both.