Aventuria (German: Aventurien) is a German fantasy role-playing world. It was created over time with the publication of adventures for the role-playing game The Dark Eye (German: Das Schwarze Auge). In the 1990s, it was first translated to Arkania, but the name was changed later to remain closer to the original version.

Aventuria is a continent of the planet Ethra. The other continents of Ethra are Myranor (also called Gyldenland in Aventuria), Uthuria and Vaestenland.

Peoples of Aventuria

Humans

There are three human nations:

• Middenrealmians: coming from Myranor, they landed on the western coast and spread in the centre of Aventuria
  • Garetians (template: central Europe centrale at the end of the middle age)
  • Horasians (template: Italy and France between the Baroque and the Renaissance)
  • Fountlandians (template: Russia at the end of the Middle age)
• Tulamides : natives of Aventuria, probably from the Rashtul; they spread in the south of Aventuria;
  • Mhanadistanians (template: caricature of the golden age of the arab civilisation)
  • Novadis (template: Tuareg): nomadic people of the desert of Khom ;
• Thorwalians (template: vikings): coming from Hjaldingard in Myranor, they settled in the north-west of Aventuria

Elves: Lea

Dwarves: dwarves from the Anvil mountain

Orks

Goblins

Other works involving Aventuria

Three video games, made by Attic in the 1990s, take place in Aventuria: Realms of Arkania (German: Nordlandtrilogie, literally « trilogy of the Northland » — Thorval and the Svelltland) — Arkania is the name of Aventuria in these games

• Blade of Destiny (Die Schicksalsklinge)
• Star Trail (Sternenschweif)
• Shadows over Riva (Schatten über Riva)

A trading card game named Dark Force also takes place in aventuria

Comment

The world is not very original. It was initially designed as a background for the modules (pre-made adventures for the pen-and-paper roleplaying game), and includes the most common clichés of heroic fantasy. However, it evolved over the time, and has now a complete history and geography, and different cultures inspired by historical nations.

In the video game, the world obviously caters to young teenagers and sports numerous puns and jokes that will make the adult reader cringe ("Ferarra" carriages and a "Schmitt und Westen" weaponsmith, to name two examples).