> but if the setting is the middle Ages it would be just stupid and lazy -- UNLESS there is some effort to bring some lore into it. The article we're commentin

> but if the setting is the middle Ages it would be just stupid and lazy -- UNLESS there is some effort to bring some lore into it. The article we're commenting on does make the point that people of African / Asian descent being present in middle-ages Europe isn't unreasonable: "I will say that, as travelers and traders, it is not crazy that people with these backgrounds might be in England, even in the ninth century. The decision to include so many characters from Asia and so few from Africa is a bit more frustrating; I’d expect to see a lot more North Africans in 9th century England than either Middle Eastern or East/Central Asian characters (because it is closer, as a matter of trade-routes)." The article's quibble is mostly with it concentrating them into your settlement, rather than around pre-existing trade hubs. It's still a stretch to have a randomly diverse community... but the "historically accurate black African representation" is probably enough that you don't have to work at explaining a minority of diverse characters.