Note: This material is an overview culled from the various rulebooks, the novel Man of Gold, and postings on the Blue Room mailing list. It is of course modified for use in my own campaign, and as such is not "official." Contact your local Omnipotent Azure Legion Inquisitors for questions about any Heresies found in this material.
This world has been developed by Professor M.A.R. Barker over many many years. Empire of the Petal Throne is a RPG that takes place on the planet of Tekumel, lost and forgotten in the far future. Each culture is unique and many have working languages, scripts and grammers developed by Professor Barker. They are NOT Western, NOT Eastern. They are unique to Tekumel, the Five Empires, and the associated areas. No dragons. No Knights. No goblins or vampires. Instead, Ssu, Hlyss, Sro, Ahoggya and other aliens and artificial lifeforms share Tekumel with the descendants of the original colonists and later human inhabitants.
Check out the link to the Tekumel homepage (below). Read the FAQ there and this may make a little more sense. Suffice it to say that the cultures of this world are far separated from modern Earth in both time and space by hundreds of light years and nearly 100,000 years of isolation in a pocket universe. Hidebound and governed by tradition, mainstream culture in the Tekumel Empire of the Petal Throne (the nation of Tsolyanu and its protectorates and other holdings) has changed very little in the past several thousand years. Western concepts of "good" and "evil" or "sin" do not apply. Instead, values are made based on the concepts of noble or ignoble (Tsol. lan, bussan). The state religion embraces ten major and ten lesser "dieties" of which half are the Lords of Stability and the remainder their counterparts, are the Lords of Change.
Purdimal, a Tsolyani city... Several characters in my Empire of the Petal Throne campaign and examples of scripts... Who's the favorite to win the current Civil War in Tsolyanu? Take a look at the breakdown of Loyal and Rebel legions and decide for yourself... A brief summary of clans and celebrities of Mighty Lord Sarku... Cinematic Role-Playing System, modified for Empire of the Petal Throne... Talislanta Chronicles, 1st Edition conversion for Empire of the Petal Throne... Fast, Easy D100 Narrative Adventures for Empire of the Petal Throne Freeform Role Playing System/I>... The Official Tekumel Site.