Who are the Rhodoks based on?

[A Disappointed Horse]

I think they're Italian but I'm really not sure.

[Shizu]

Originally posted by horsey:

Originally posted by Rambard:

...(Poland was an early adopter of the crossbow, they used very long spears, and they also used pavises, like the Rhodoks.)

..much like the whole european wider continent around 13-15th century in the past.

Then the reasoning that their weaponry makes them Italian or Swiss doesn't hold up either, does it? Besides, you haven't yet explained the rest of similarities. But maybe they're just inspired in many different places in Europe, instead of a single region like most other factions in M&B.

[Lonesome 77]

(as they are landlocked)

Oh? First, the Rhodoks are on the coast. But regardless, who IS known for their ships in 100% canonical native Warband Calradia? Do you see fleets going around? I have to assume that the sea raiders are the only real maritime faction in native, although have you ever seeing their vessels? I haven't anyways. The only thing is, in the Nova Aetas mod which takes place about a couple hundred years after Warband, there is a merchant republic which is on the coast of Rhodok lands, and it is pretty much THE outlet to the new world. It is modelled after Venice, as can be understood by touring the city itself. it is a mod, sure, not native, but again, when was the last time you saw a maritime power in vanilla Warband anyways? If there was to be one, I'd expect it'd be the Nords, hearkening to the Viking type seafaring, but they don't have anything pointing to seafaring.

[Shizu]

Originally posted by 53eSoD_aShotOfJameson:

(as they are landlocked)

Oh? First, the Rhodoks are on the coast. But regardless, who IS known for their ships in 100% canonical native Warband Calradia? Do you see fleets going around? I have to assume that the sea raiders are the only real maritime faction in native, although have you ever seeing their vessels? I haven't anyways. The only thing is, in the Nova Aetas mod which takes place about a couple hundred years after Warband, there is a merchant republic which is on the coast of Rhodok lands, and it is pretty much THE outlet to the new world. It is modelled after Venice, as can be understood by touring the city itself. it is a mod, sure, not native, but again, when was the last time you saw a maritime power in vanilla Warband anyways? If there was to be one, I'd expect it'd be the Nords, hearkening to the Viking type seafaring, but they don't have anything pointing to seafaring.

Ah, I wasn't even talking about Warband, I was talking about good old Mount&Blade, so that might be the reason why we see different things on the map. And yeah, I know that you do not "see" navies in Mount&Blade. Anywho, you do see hints of the Nords' seafaring on the game: Matheld tells you that the Nords hail from a distant land across the sea, and Ramun the Slave Trader, who works in Tihr, sells slaves as galley workers. Also, Matheld lets you know that the Nords bring linen from across the sea, and this is the only kind of hint that a player gets about any country's seafaring.

But granted, the Rhodoks might very well be inspired in several different civilizations with very little in common, as Veluca certainly remains one of Verona (at least in name), whilst Jelkala and Grunwalder, at least by name, don't really fit the italian naming. I pointed at Poland as a main inspiration simply because they gather most of the characteristics that I see in the Rhodoks, minus the complete disdain for cavalry.

[kaiyl_kariashi]

Rhodok are based on the Swiss/Upper Italian/Swabian cultures around the Alps.

Especially since Calradia is just Europe with Iberia, the lower boot of italy, and Denmark cut off (with the Nord who chose to settle, settling around the upper edge of modern Germany (due to the lack of a Denmark) after taking territory from Swadia and Vaegir. (the Sea raiders and Proto-Nord come from a Scandinavian-ish land somewhere in the North Sea)

From all evidence the Calradic Empire is actually Charlemagne's Empire.


Vaegir has Polish/Musovite roots, Sarrind are heavily influenced by the Abbisids and Mamluks with Sarrinid inhabiting what is essentially a desert version of the Anatolia Balkens, the Khergit have influences of any number of hordes around eastern europe (though they do appear to be a pagan horde rather then one of the muslim influenced hordes, just going from their mentioned rituals and customs, though I don't think they're the mongols as Bethesaur mentions a massive great horde of the east that the local Khans are in fear of)

Rhodok are the spitting image of the Alpine cultures, and Swadia has a lot of French and German influences.

The Geography especially is telling.

Effectively, it's like Swadia owned all of Western and Central Europe over to around Poland, with Vaegir having the rest over to the edge of asia. The Sarrinid came up from the South-East and ate the Balkens, and the Khergit eventually pushed in from the East (around where the Golden Horde or Crimea would be but pushing into as far as Bohemia or Bavaria), with the Nord stealing some contested lands from both Vaegir and Swadia up around East Frisa over to Lubeck or perhaps Pomerania and down as far as Cologne and brunswick, and following Grunwald's revolt, the Rhodoks setting up in that line of mountains running from Tirol over to the edge of Iberia with essentially what little bit of itally was HRE territory included)



http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=680587118

Here's a picture.

[Grondin Le Gredin]

Swadia = West of Europe (England/France/Germany)
Khergit = Mongols
Sarranids = Middle-East/Arabic
Vaegirs = Russians (Principality of Novgorord precisely)
Nords = Vikings
Rhodoks = Italians

[Eofor]

Swadia = England, France and Germany (The swabians!!)
Rhodoks = Flanders (cmon the weapons are based of flemish weapons!! also maybe Scotland but Scotland is of heavy Flemish influence anyway)
Sarranids = Sassanids!
Khegrit = Mongols
Vaegirs = Asian Steppe tribes
Nords = Norse (Not vikings, The game is set in the 1200s vikings no longer existed)

[Eofor]

Rhodoks and flanders are a great match.

Many Flemish crossbowmen in the army of Richard The Lionheart.
Both good at anti-cav.
A Flemish iconic weapon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goedendag is used by the Rhodoks.
Both amazingly strong, My Rhodok army in game has taken way bigger army's down just like the Battle of the Golden Spurs.
War with the Swadians who remind me of the French and the Flemish fought the French alot.

[Seal Enthusiast]

I still think Rhodoks are based on the Balkans, mostly because of there politics, bandit type, and name. This however belies the truth of the matter, and that is fact that its stricly impossible to claim the Rhodoks are any nation, 'alive' or 'dead'. Contrary to what many believe, the Rhodoks can't simply be Italians for the plain reasons that one, they have a king that is elected ( something that clashes with our knowledge of both Italian republics and Italian kingdoms, all expect for the Papel States), two, that Italians were always more troubled by pirates then 'mountain bandits', three, there is no mention of seafaring anywhere in there lore ( a fact that clashes very strongly with Italian economics during the 13th century, the century that mount and blade takes place in), and four, all Rhodok weapons except for the crossbow and pavise are never really used by the Italians ( Really, show me evidence of italians using glaives and mallets in battle). If anything, the Rhodoks are a mish-mash of random medieval things that were thrown together to create a major rival for the swadians; if its any cosolidation, the Rhodoks probably were at first based on a mixure of italians and Magyars (probably), but were drastically change for balance reasons.

[whlightnin]

Sarranids are very much more Persian than just general middle eastern, relying on lancers more than skirmisher cavalry, which were used throughout a large portion of the Muslim world during the Middle Ages

[Kandy]

Originally posted by whlightnin:

Sarranids are very much more Persian than just general middle eastern, relying on lancers more than skirmisher cavalry, which were used throughout a large portion of the Muslim world during the Middle Ages

I told you guys they were Iranian....

[⚜Yao Chi⚜]

Mount and Blade is set in the setting of The war of the roses Which consisted of Major World Powers then. Which where English French Germany And Middle East. Though many are saying rhodoks are of italian decent, Italy did not play a huge role in the war of the roses and thus can be concluded that they are not present in warband. The list below is my conclusion of who is who

Swadia is English
Rhodoks are French
Sarranid is Arab
Vaegirs are Prussia / Germany and Russia
Khergert are mongols
Nords are Swedish

[one piece]

actually mount and blade is set in a fictional realm known as calradia, where false claimants to the throne of the emperor wage war against one another for dominance over the entire continent. anyways who said it was set in the war of the roses

[[RCC]Ebdanian]

Rhokoks french??? Yep ok. Nothing says france like low tier tribesmen upgrading into pikemen. Or maybe its the best crossbows in the game that france was actually known for! Or how could I forget the complete deliberate lack of heavy cavalry the rhodoks have. France never had any heavy cavalry! (Sarcasm)

This guy had it right

Originally posted by kaiyl_kariashi:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=680587118
Here's a picture.

[Tuidjy]

Ha! That guy sure had it right.

A while ago, completely independently, I made my own[i.imgur.com] (much cruder and half-аssеd) attempt to place the factions on an European map, and came up with pretty much the same one.

I was trying to match the geography more than the cultures, but I was looking at that as well.

[CornLord]

id say Rhodoks is USA, the lore says it broke away from Swadia, and that seems english so following history, id say the USA