How do create a fantasy setting based on persia?

Gorillion man strong slave armies

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The best way to start is by taking their mythology and seeing what part of it is gamifiable. With such a huge empire, of course you will find a lot of internal diversity. Most things will be tolerated, as long as they are in the name of the emperor and all gods accept to be inferior emanations of Ahura-Mazda.

On the other hand, you already have 300, where the empire is "evil", but delivers enough bizarre fantasy races to start with.

If you are a weeaboo, you can also use Magi, which is very much of a dungeon crawler.

Add magic.

>>53490206
>Giant ubiquitous empire, dominant to the point that its emperor exists like a god, and his emissaries are seen as prophets.
>What differentiates places are their local ways, colloquially referred to as "the old ways", including magic, alchemy and smithing.
>Perhaps a half-dozen core cities that are centers of trade and wealth, but also rife with corruption.
>The late children of nobles spend their entire lives in study or craft to become undead eunuchs which serve as advisers, stewards, and bureaucrats and essentially run the country.
>Barbarian tribes and strange empires on the fringes attack frequently, though none think highly of them. They are unenlightened and have strange customs. They lack the unity that the central empire commands.

>>53490206
Take Persia, add wizards. Boom.

>>53490206
Be flamboiantly homosexual.

Like asking how to create fantasy setting on Rome.
>Do you mean pre-Caesar Rome?
>Pre-iconic-armor Rome?
>Post-iconic-armor Rome?
>4th and 5th century Rome?
>After fall of western Rome?
>Early Rome?
>11th century AD crusade Rome?
Etc

Some would say Persian empire didn't end with Alexander and technically lasted until Islamic expansion.
Do you mean Cyrus' empire?
Or Seleucid?
Or Parthian?
Or Sassanian?

You probably reefer to Achaemenid Empire.
But that's still 200+ years.

>>53490206
You should check out Al-Qadim. AD&D setting all about fantasy Arabia

>>53490206
Hot harem girls. I know why you're here.

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>>53492130
>>53492361

>>53490206

The Shah-en-Shah (King of Kings) is never present in court without Four Lesser Kings arrayed before him. His Crown is a made up of several crowns tiered above each other (a tiara).

Each nation should have its own bizzare rituals and customs on the march yo war or within the court.

Cannibals from the Indus who devour their dead relatives so they will always be a part of them. Bald hairless Sorcerors of the lifeless steppes of Scythia followed to their dark lairs within the great palace by their blinded slaves toiling with huge jars filled with serpents and venomous reptiles. (Read Herodotus, he goes on forever about the variety of nations in the Persian Empire).

Magi stargazers who veil themselves to stop their breath corrupting the sacred fires gathered from lightening strikes and feed on the most sweet smelling wood for kindling. Should they go out the darkness of Angra Mainyu and his scions, such as Azhi Dahakha the terrible may destroy the realm through barbarism, decay or a harsh winter cold.

Great open-topped Towers dot the landscape out in the wilderness where the dead (whose bodies are now infested with demons of decay called the Druj) are left to be picked clean by giant Vultures. Their vast wings cast shadows across the earth and bring good luck to those who fall under their darkness.

How can there be cute anime girls in such a setting?

>>53492117
Actually the word magic came from Persian practitioners called Magi, so he doesn't need to add anything you idiot.

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>>53494992
summon a moe jinn, or simply buy a slave

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>>53494992
Watch Legend of Arslan, plenty of cute girls in a fantasy Persian setting.
The cutest of them, however, is the prince (male).

>>53490206
This guy >>53495322
Isnt even wrong about Arslan
The manga was made by the Full Metal Alchemist lady who based it off of novels by the dude who wrote Legend of the Galactic Heroes

>>53494992
There is a manga about that region of the world actually, though like two thousand years after what OP is talking about. The girls are pretty cute.

>>53495322
>>53495436
And if you want some more stylish inspiration, the movies/OVAs were made by Yoshitaka Amano, the same guy who lent his art style to the early Final Fantasy games and Vampire Hunter D.

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>>53490206
Read Herodotus, it's basically a fantasy setting already so you should be good

>>53490206
I know quite little about the Persian empire, but it is very clearly the connection between the Mediterranean and the riches of the Indus. It also contained of all empires and countries the largest population as a percentage of the world population, at some point housing 25% of the world's people. Combine these two elements and you get this:
>A huge empire where pretty much everything worth mentioning happens
>What connects most (though not all) of this empire is a large trade road going from the far east to the far west, bringing in goods and luxuries beyond your wildest imagination
>Entirely human empire (started by one BADASS motherfucker subjugating every other human realm in the region), beyond it only beastmen and weird creatures live (some of whom friendly enough to trade with, others... not so friendly)
>Angry bearmen to the North
>Angry camelmen to the South

>>53492231
>and technically lasted until Islamic expansion
The thing is that the Greek name for the place is Persia. Do you know what the Persians themselves called it? Iran. A country that's still around under that name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_Iran#Etymology_of_.22Persia.22

>>53498870
Wasn't he the nigger who made up the golden giant ants based on some mistranslation?

>>53499183
>Wasn't he the nigger who made up the golden giant ants based on some mistranslation?

That's Herodotus alright. He also wrote that Egypt is opposite land.
To be completely fair to the guy, he's pretty good for local stuff like the Greco-Persian wars, and he does make a point of outlining his sources.
"The Spartans say X is why they have two kings, while the rest of the Greeks hold that it's because of y" that sorta thing

>>53490206
Al Qadim (and Arabian Nights) are a good start, OP.

>>53492257
>>53500375
Are you aware that the Persian Empires weren't located in Arabia, weren't populated by Arabs, and their inhabitants didn't speak Arabic?

>>53490206
Step 1: Base it on Persia
Step 2: Create it

>>53490206
There should be lot of good reading materials about Persia folklores and history.
Just read it up and add your own brand of flavour.

>>53500375
>>53492257
Persia is not arabia at all. The climates, languages, native religions and cultures are distinctly different. Do your research friendo.

>>53500502
>>53501108
The Arabian Nights was based on Persian literature.

>>53501671
And it isn't even called arabian nights in most languages, that's anglos dun goofin again.

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What a coincidence. I just finished building a table of rulers based on Byzantine history. It works reasonably well for Persian history prior to 800 >>53487365

>>53490206
Ignore faggots trying to base it on greek memes. There's place for subject peoples and multiculturality, but a setting based on Persia should have it's focus on PERSIAN folklore.

This means shit tons of chivalry. Solar heroes, paladins and knights in shiny armour should be the base for your archetypical protagonist(s) and they should be killing dragons, demons, beasts and barbarians (specially nomadshits) on a daily basis. Dealing with the ionians/rum may be relevant for politics and shit, but the concern of heroes is to fight against the way more relevant dark threat of the steppes. Also loyalty is super important, even if the king is completely retarded you have to save his ass like Rostam did.I

And then you can have all the other guys that herodotus mentions, because of course the glorios king of Iran and non-Iran rules over a lot of nations. But they're not persian and probably not heroic unless they're medians, parthians, etc. (iranics in general) or armenian.

>>53502057
Animist when?

>>53499183
Yes, but after Islamic expansion it no longer were Iranians ruling Persia, but Arabs. That was my point with "Persian empire" lasting until Islamic expansion. Then it was mongols. You can't call these empires "The Persian empires" but you can with the former.
And the current isn't an empire, so to say.

>>53490206
A l l a h u?

>>53502458
There were iranic dynasties ruling in Iran after the arabic invasion. There's even a whole intermezzo of iranic supremacy in the plateau between arabs and turks.

I mean, they're not exactly the Achaemenids or the Sasanians but some were pretty strong.

The classic dark vs light, evil vs good theme is pretty much a must have in anything persian related.

How do you deal with this, considering that most people today prefers something different and find this dualist morality boring or unoriginal? (ignore the fact that grey morality is what's actually unoriginal today)