The Premise
Hundreds of years ago, the Four Kingdoms of Celyn did not exist. It was a wild place that seethed with magic. The oceans, forests and skies were populated by strange creatures. There were the wonderful and magnificent, like the unicorns whose chivalry and healing powers were renowned throughout the lands. There were also the grotesque and malevolent, such as the dragons whose endless hunger and greed turned the skies dark and the snow ashen grey with their ceaseless fires.
Humans, incapable themselves of wielding magic, lived an uneasy existence, barely managing to survive. It was their ingenuity and perseverance that, over time, allowed them to push back the darkness. Strongholds, and soon castles, rose and they propagated, eventually expanding into four distinct Kingdoms. There was Gandryll in the broad forest whose trees touched the clouds, Afon along the coast whose colorful structures were interconnected by canals, Ofera in the desert where caravans rode the dunes like waves, and Bryn in north whose castles of ice shone for miles. The kingdoms were not peaceful and they faced threats from both the beasts who paced the outskirts of civilization and each other.
Their hatred for the unknown united them, and an unsteady alliance formed. They pooled their resources and devoted their military strength to wiping out all of the creatures they saw as threats. Human greed and pride led them to indiscriminate slaughter and soon it was not only the hides of dragons or the teeth of basilisks that were sent home as spoils of war, but also the horns of unicorns and the wings of the Fae that were sought out as luxury items. Soon, only creatures that seemed to possess no magic, such as draught, game and domestic animals, were left and magic appeared to be gone forever.
There is a saying among the old and wise of Celyn that within every man is a beast. This is true for some of them. A race, not quite human but not quite beast, survived the relentless slaughter that seemingly brought true peace to the Kingdoms because they had both a human form and an animal form. They were called the Canavar. Many years passed and, feeling their own existence threatened, they completely assimilated into the human population, stifling their abilities until they nearly lost them. That is until a single man, who was a close advisor the King of Gandryll during the day and soared the night skies as a silver hawk, began searching for those who shared his ability. Often they were teenagers or young adults whose parents or grandparents passed them the power which lay within them waiting to be accessed. These powers were often uncontrollable to those untrained in their use, and during moments of extreme emotion, were set free. The man followed strange reports, often of possessed neighbours or feral children, that led him to what he sought.
His motives were not pure as he had an agreement with the King. He would take these people in, people who were often outcast and half-mad, and teach them how to harness their powers. However, what he sought to create were weapons - tools of espionage and assassination that would target the enemies of the throne. What better spy than a man who can, at will, turn into a cat that can openly stalk the meeting places of political adversaries? What better assassin than a woman who can seduce a man into bed with her before becoming a wolf and tearing his throat out?
The Four Kingdoms appear outwardly peaceful, but political intrigue and revolution is stirring beneath the surface. Fear of magic is creating intense paranoia in the lower classes, causing witch hunts that have resulted in uncontrollable mobs and murder sprees. The nobility eye the thrones lustily, using money and influence to steal power away from the King. The Kings themselves fight. They accuse each other of being involved in hoarding resources, stealing land, and worst of all - dealing in magic. And the last bit is hardly a lie. Your existence is enough to prove that. You are half human and half beast. You have just learned how to use this power that you have and you are being thrust into center of it all. But what is your role? Are you the hand that stokes the fire of a pot ready to boil over, or are you the frog that sits within, unaware that he is slowly being cooked alive?
Plot Idea
You have many options for characters, but one choice would be a Canavar employed under the King of Gandryll. These creatures are extremely complicated individuals. Many are unaware of what they are and most of them experience their first transformation during extreme duress. Many do not know what they are as they have grown up in a world where humans have eradicated most information involving magical creatures. They have often separated themselves from society, gone mad, or been killed - either by their own hand or by terrified family or neighbors. You could hail from any Kingdom but note that the Kingdom in which you were raised often determines what type of beast you could transform into. A Canavar from Ofera might be a snake or coyote...etc. A Canavar from Bryn would likely be a wolf or a bear...etc. This is just a suggestion as you can certainly be as creative as you want, within reason.
Canavars under the employment of the King of Gandryll would be involved in assassination and espionage missions. They would have more discreet transformations such as felines, fowl, or canine. However, many prove to be unpredictable and uncontrollable.
Some Canavars live within society, hidden but functional. There were rumors of a dragon that lived in a cave on a remote peak beyond Bryn. But, when a military unit arrived, all they found was a lone hunter checking his traps. But how can anyone explain the massive plumes of smoke emanating from the region every few nights? In a role such as this, you could be a black market trader, a revolutionary, a pirate...etc. This could give you limitless options.
A goal of this story would be to explore a world in which magic is the ultimate taboo - yet if you look close enough it can be found everywhere. Another goal would be to make sense of the dysfunctional world of Celyn, a land of people so obsessed with pushing back the darkness that they failed to recognize it within themselves. There are many ways that this story could go, but I am interested in it being very character driven. The ambitions, hopes, dreams, and weaknesses of people will ultimately shape this landscape.
~
Please let me know if you're interested! This is just a rough outline and I would love any contributions to this concept that you have. Also, if something is unclear, do let me know, because there's a good chance I simply overlooked or failed to clarify an important detail.
Hundreds of years ago, the Four Kingdoms of Celyn did not exist. It was a wild place that seethed with magic. The oceans, forests and skies were populated by strange creatures. There were the wonderful and magnificent, like the unicorns whose chivalry and healing powers were renowned throughout the lands. There were also the grotesque and malevolent, such as the dragons whose endless hunger and greed turned the skies dark and the snow ashen grey with their ceaseless fires.
Humans, incapable themselves of wielding magic, lived an uneasy existence, barely managing to survive. It was their ingenuity and perseverance that, over time, allowed them to push back the darkness. Strongholds, and soon castles, rose and they propagated, eventually expanding into four distinct Kingdoms. There was Gandryll in the broad forest whose trees touched the clouds, Afon along the coast whose colorful structures were interconnected by canals, Ofera in the desert where caravans rode the dunes like waves, and Bryn in north whose castles of ice shone for miles. The kingdoms were not peaceful and they faced threats from both the beasts who paced the outskirts of civilization and each other.
Their hatred for the unknown united them, and an unsteady alliance formed. They pooled their resources and devoted their military strength to wiping out all of the creatures they saw as threats. Human greed and pride led them to indiscriminate slaughter and soon it was not only the hides of dragons or the teeth of basilisks that were sent home as spoils of war, but also the horns of unicorns and the wings of the Fae that were sought out as luxury items. Soon, only creatures that seemed to possess no magic, such as draught, game and domestic animals, were left and magic appeared to be gone forever.
There is a saying among the old and wise of Celyn that within every man is a beast. This is true for some of them. A race, not quite human but not quite beast, survived the relentless slaughter that seemingly brought true peace to the Kingdoms because they had both a human form and an animal form. They were called the Canavar. Many years passed and, feeling their own existence threatened, they completely assimilated into the human population, stifling their abilities until they nearly lost them. That is until a single man, who was a close advisor the King of Gandryll during the day and soared the night skies as a silver hawk, began searching for those who shared his ability. Often they were teenagers or young adults whose parents or grandparents passed them the power which lay within them waiting to be accessed. These powers were often uncontrollable to those untrained in their use, and during moments of extreme emotion, were set free. The man followed strange reports, often of possessed neighbours or feral children, that led him to what he sought.
His motives were not pure as he had an agreement with the King. He would take these people in, people who were often outcast and half-mad, and teach them how to harness their powers. However, what he sought to create were weapons - tools of espionage and assassination that would target the enemies of the throne. What better spy than a man who can, at will, turn into a cat that can openly stalk the meeting places of political adversaries? What better assassin than a woman who can seduce a man into bed with her before becoming a wolf and tearing his throat out?
The Four Kingdoms appear outwardly peaceful, but political intrigue and revolution is stirring beneath the surface. Fear of magic is creating intense paranoia in the lower classes, causing witch hunts that have resulted in uncontrollable mobs and murder sprees. The nobility eye the thrones lustily, using money and influence to steal power away from the King. The Kings themselves fight. They accuse each other of being involved in hoarding resources, stealing land, and worst of all - dealing in magic. And the last bit is hardly a lie. Your existence is enough to prove that. You are half human and half beast. You have just learned how to use this power that you have and you are being thrust into center of it all. But what is your role? Are you the hand that stokes the fire of a pot ready to boil over, or are you the frog that sits within, unaware that he is slowly being cooked alive?
Plot Idea
You have many options for characters, but one choice would be a Canavar employed under the King of Gandryll. These creatures are extremely complicated individuals. Many are unaware of what they are and most of them experience their first transformation during extreme duress. Many do not know what they are as they have grown up in a world where humans have eradicated most information involving magical creatures. They have often separated themselves from society, gone mad, or been killed - either by their own hand or by terrified family or neighbors. You could hail from any Kingdom but note that the Kingdom in which you were raised often determines what type of beast you could transform into. A Canavar from Ofera might be a snake or coyote...etc. A Canavar from Bryn would likely be a wolf or a bear...etc. This is just a suggestion as you can certainly be as creative as you want, within reason.
Canavars under the employment of the King of Gandryll would be involved in assassination and espionage missions. They would have more discreet transformations such as felines, fowl, or canine. However, many prove to be unpredictable and uncontrollable.
Some Canavars live within society, hidden but functional. There were rumors of a dragon that lived in a cave on a remote peak beyond Bryn. But, when a military unit arrived, all they found was a lone hunter checking his traps. But how can anyone explain the massive plumes of smoke emanating from the region every few nights? In a role such as this, you could be a black market trader, a revolutionary, a pirate...etc. This could give you limitless options.
A goal of this story would be to explore a world in which magic is the ultimate taboo - yet if you look close enough it can be found everywhere. Another goal would be to make sense of the dysfunctional world of Celyn, a land of people so obsessed with pushing back the darkness that they failed to recognize it within themselves. There are many ways that this story could go, but I am interested in it being very character driven. The ambitions, hopes, dreams, and weaknesses of people will ultimately shape this landscape.
~
Please let me know if you're interested! This is just a rough outline and I would love any contributions to this concept that you have. Also, if something is unclear, do let me know, because there's a good chance I simply overlooked or failed to clarify an important detail.
