Who We Are and What We Believe

Who are we?

Orthane Productions is an international motley crew of dozens of gamers, writers, artists and historians who adore all things role-playing, history, and fantasy.

What is Keshanar?

Our 5e+ TTRPG campaign setting The Kingdom of Keshanar is a fantasy world inspired by an ancient Egypt that could have been…if the magic, the monsters, and the gods were actually real. The Kingdom of Keshanar is the dominant kingdom on the world of Orthane, and the City of Keshanar is its capital. The City of Keshanar is where much of game-play takes place in our setting. While it reflects ancient Egypt and is populated with characters, monsters, gods and magic that are drawn from that culture, Keshanar is entirely fictional.

Why did we choose ancient Egypt to inspire our game?

Ancient Egypt was a diverse realm of manifold ethnicities, races, and religions who cohabitated and, together, wove a tapestry of complex experience unmatched almost anywhere else in antiquity. We want to celebrate the remarkable depth of ancient Egyptian culture through game-play. As collaborative, co-created experiences based on rich character interactions, role-playing games are inherently improved when set in robust, fascinating worlds. Ancient Egypt was certainly that!

What is our perspective on utilizing historical cultures to inspire modern game-play?

Through gaming, we believe it is possible to become more immersed in this world – the one humans inhabit now, and the one that existed for aeons of previous generations. With role-playing, thousands and even millions of people can co-create a shared story; when we are able to do so in a setting based on authentic historical detail, gaming becomes humanizing and celebratory.

Early TTRPG settings were largely rooted in Western European fantasy fiction, but as gaming has expanded, its settings have become more reflective of actual, global human experience. We believe that the celebration of the lived history of many more of the world’s cultures is a vital step in the right direction for gaming and, through the rapidly-growing influence of gaming, for modern society.

How do we ensure that we are honoring, not co-opting, Egyptian culture?

We strive daily for a foundation of historical accuracy in every detail of our setting, including Keshanar’s architecture, daily life, religion, magic, and even color schemes. Keshanar’s foundational myths, NPCs, locations and storylines do not lean on sensational stereotypes of ancient Egypt (with apologies to The Mummy and Stargate!). While Keshanar is a fantasy world that includes fictional gods and never-before-seen monsters, we have nevertheless rooted it in the archeological evidence base of the real ancient Egypt, which easily spanned 3,000 years of history. To ensure we do this well, our team includes a PhD Egyptologist, cultural and historical consultants, sensitivity readers, and play testers associated with the Egypt of today.

How can you help?

This collaboration is a continual effort, and we invite our audience to be a part of it. We welcome constructive discourse, as we earnestly believe it will positively impact our products and game design. If you have input, comments or questions on the Kingdom of Keshanar and, most importantly, concerns about our utilization of Egyptian history for our game design, we’re here for it. Email us at [email protected] to start a conversation.