Being  trained as an archaeologist and having worked in cultural museums I wanted Domo Terra to reflect a wide variety of cultures, and since Helm and Fein spend a good amount of time traveling we have the opportunity to meet a lot of people from these various countries and even visit a few of them too.

Alysphidel

Alysphidel is more or less modeled after the colonial period  British Isles with the corresponding  Greco-Roman influence and smattering of other cultural regions within its borders. It is an island nation with only one the small nation of Galea (which is a sort of mixed culture reminiscent of  the Scottish highlands and the Norse Northern European traditions) sharing its island home. Ulrich from the Sherwood camp comes from Galea.

Fetua

I wanted Fetua to have a  middle eastern feel to it so you might notice when Fein finally gets to Fetua that its more of a desert like place and some of the styles especially those worn by the prince are similar to early middle eastern fashions. Also the names of the cities in Fetua are mostly Arabic and other middle eastern dialects in nature as are the names of many of the people from there. Fein’s mother Kala is from Fetua.

The Islands of the Galataens

The Galataens, to me are one of the most interesting races that you will encounter in Sign of the Wolf. They are based off of the old Greco-Roman story of Pygmalion, the sculptor who carved a statue of a woman so beautiful he fell in love with her. In Pygmalion’s tale the Gods bring the statue to life. Like Pygmalion’s creation the Galataens are a collection of living statuary and as Helm and his companions see, they don’t grow up the same way we do but instead when their soul is old enough it is transferred into a new body that has been carved for them by their family . In order for a Galataen to reach adulthood they must carve a body for themselves.

Nueme

Nueme is an interesting place having  both French and Native American influences. Parts of the country are decidedly more French which is where Latron comes from, while other areas are more Native American such as the tribe that Cass comes from (although Cass is not herself actually native of the tribe, but has been adopted in when her mother married a tribal chieftain) where the members of her tribe carve their own bird masks which they can then use to transform into birds themselves.