Folklore

How does folklore in Avaria compare to the real world?

Dragons, vampires, werewolves?

Is the folklore of different cultures different; are there some similarities across them, and what can we expect mostly? Should we refrain from discussing any mythological being that doesn't have a wiki article, or can we assume that there is always going to be some kind of parallel to anything we can imagine?

Great question! Personally, I'd love to see us dive into the folklore of the culture. Jinns, huma birds (you know who you are), ifrits, maybe angels and demons? 

Let's leave Fantasy Europe behind! Forget that place!

**I'm not an admin, I just love the setting.

Hopefully I'll have time in the future to elaborate on some more Avaria-specific and special Avaria-flavored (nom) versions of mythological creatures, but for now I'll try to quickly address just these questions.

How does folklore in Avaria compare to the real world?

Folklore in Avaria is very much like in the real world, except for our purposes (to nobody's surprise) the folklore that our characters right now would be familiar with is mostly that of the Middle East and Africa. So:

Dragons, vampires, werewolves?

Dragons: Sort of, but not really. Dragons are believed to reside in the huge mountain ranges that separate Ruvera and Near Ruleska from Altaruleska and Riendu, but they aren't common to folklore in the Sirdabi Caliphate. There is the Dragonsblood Marsh in Rahoum, but this refers to the ancient river "dragon" Ennescu, after which that river is named. Ennescu's much smaller progeny are said to still reside in the upper reaches of the rivers feeding into the Ennescu, and to be responsible for their periodic devastating floods.

Vampires: There are plenty of flesh-eating, child-devouring, blood-lapping demons inhabiting the folklore of the Caliphate, but nothing really akin to the eastern European vampire. There are ghuls (ghouls), which eat human flesh, but these are considered to be one of the more horrific tribes of jinn.

Werewolves: Not werewolves per se (most of the caliphate doesn't even have wolves), but there are were-beings of other kinds, particularly hyenas, leopards, and jackals. The jury is out on whether these are actual races of were-creatures, variously cursed individuals, or purposefully shapeshifting sorcerors bent on doing dark deeds.

Dragons, vampires, and werewolves would be much more common folklore in Ruvera, however, and werewolf folklore is particularly prevalent in western Ruvera.

Should we refrain from discussing any mythological being that doesn't have a wiki article, or can we assume that there is always going to be some kind of parallel to anything we can imagine?

I think it's fine for characters to believe in or tell stories about any real-life mythological being that belongs to the proper regional folklore -- again, largely Persian, Arabic, and various North/Central African cultures. Indian and southeastern Asian folklore would also be fine for Jalanjhur and southern Riendu, and the islands in between. Many of these creatures would probably also exist in Avarian folklore, and some of them could well be real!

That said, just because these creatures are real doesn't mean it's common for someone to encounter one. It's not considered overly credulous to believe in them, but actually stumbling across one is another matter. Mountain lions are certainly real, but despite spending a great many months of my life trekking around in mountain lion country I've never seen more than the signs of them. And despite widespread acceptance of the fact of mountain lion existence, people might also question me if I said I'd seen a mountain lion here in my own neighborhood. It would probably be much the same for characters talking about fantastical creatures in Avaria, since even those that are real would be far from common. On the flip side, just because a lot of people question the idea of encountering them in daily life, that doesn't mean these creatures aren't in fact out there!

What about nature spirits, Faeries, ie, Asian or African versions of course, angelic beings?

Fairies/Nature Spirits

There is plenty of belief in nature spirits, particularly among the pagan peoples of Idiri who often call upon them through shamanic rituals. But these are more commonly perceived as elemental beings or forces, or even demigods, rather than anything fairy-like. The lands of the caliphate wouldn't really have stories about European-style fairies -- most mischief is thought of as the work of different kinds of jinn instead. Idiri folklore does include a belief in more genuinely fairy-like beings, but this would be found mostly in places like the Cloud Kingdoms or the Izendi Highlands.

Angels

Angel folklore, on the other hand, has a fairly prominent place in the caliphate as part of Azadi beliefs. Angels are thought to be beings of pure light and harmony, whose substance resonates the fundamental truth of the Song. Different angels are associated with different verses in the Perfected Song, which gives these angels different spheres of influence; these may be invoked for related blessings or protections. Angels are also associated with reason, and their aid invoked against madness (especially the angel Azkiralim) or willful folly (Sabuel). They also may carry messages to mortals in the forms of visions or dreams; it is said that one knows a dream is brought by an angel if one hears beautiful music in the dream, and that it is a particularly powerful dream if one still remembers that music for a short while upon awakening.

Angels are not considered quite infallible, but possesses such will and virtue that they seldom stray from perfect service to their divine master Annur. Angels are offended and repelled by dissonance, but are attracted to holy and harmonious places like sirdabs. One is said to sometimes be able to discern the presence of an angel through the sound of a distant humming, hovering almost past the edge of perception but impossibly beautiful and harmonous.

Aaaaah! Now I need to know about all the angels and their spheres of influence!

It sounds a bit like the way Catholics catalogue saints and pray to them for protection or intervention within their realm of relevance. This makes me think there might be a whole industry involved in producing angel memorabilia, and people might carry charms of specific angels whose intercession is most relevant to their lives, etc?