TheMerlin

Dragonier (Medieval Fantasy, Dragon Riders, Magic, War)

Done with Kovosia. Next up, the Dragonier which I probably should have done first now that I think about it.

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Kovosia

Like Norsinia, much of Kovosia is a wintry landscape that becomes more temperate towards the south as frozen ice shelves and glaciers give way to sprawling taiga forests and steppe lands. Unlike Norsinia however, Kovosia is home to the Black Mountain, an active volcano that dominates the west much like the World Tree does in Avalan.

Though it is surrounded by forests and much greenery now, the region around the Black Mountain was once a land of ash and fire and it is for this reason that the people of Kovosia were known as 'ashlanders', a name that has stuck since its founding a thousand years ago by the first Dragonier and dragon slayer, the Paragon Alaric.

Just as the land of Kovosia saw the first death of an Elder Dragon, so too did it see the death of the last and with it thousands of years of tyranny and oppression. Because of this, the people of Kovosia do not worship any deities but the hero-god Alaric, the human who gave hope to allkind and proved that the Elder Dragons - long thought to be immortal and invincible - could die after all.

Ever since they were wiped out entirely over 200 years ago, an age of peace and freedom followed with all the races of Tirn being able to choose their own paths for the first time in history. The Kovosians however, much like the dwarves of the Deep Kingdoms, quickly fell to infighting and the nation became divided into many petty kingdoms, each vying for dominance over resources and territories.

It was only recently that all these kingdoms became united under a single banner by the Warrior King Agememnar, who had returned from serving as a Dragonier in defence of Yolta against the Vaimese invaders, 30 years ago. It was there that he became aware of his power and responsibility as a Paragon, and those who knew him among the Dragonier would agree that he was a changed man ever since.

Where once his duty was to protect the age of peace throughout the land of Tirn, Agememnar now leads the armies of Kovosia in terrible conquest, armed with dwarven steel and a single promise to his people: 'the age of dragons is over. Now begins the age of humanity.' And so an empire is born...

The Empire of Kovosia.

Dragonier (Medieval Fantasy, Dragon Riders, Magic, War)

@Omni5876 Sorry for the delayed response, you already know why but just so everyone else does too, had a bit of a family emergency. Anyways, I do remember you asking a similar question before, which was:

how much of the Elven population is still remaining after the Fall of Avalan? Also, is their ruling body still alive or are they following their own Families or clans?

And my answer was:

Overall? I'd say about less than 100,000. Not in danger of going extinct, but getting there. The rulership of Avalan is no more, so whoever made it out would indeed only have their families and clans to look to. If they're not slaves, they're refugees and with your character being a noble, I'd imagine he'd have lost quite a bit after the fall.

But there's a bit of a distinction between those who survived and those who made it to Norsinia, isn't there? So on that I'd say only a fraction. About 10 to 20,000 or so. Really though, since you've brought it up, I'm more than happy to allow people to come up with their own ideas so long as it fits the setting and doesn't clash with the lore. Right now, I'm still just laying the groundwork (which is nearly finished), but after that you're free to add to it when it comes to the details.

Speaking of which, there is currently no one in overall command of the remaining Avalese forces so yes, each house will be in charge of their own men. With your character being the head of his house, this would also make him the commander of whatever's left of his house's fighting force, but I can tell you ahead of time that this may or may not be practical when I get to writing about the Dragonier. Well, we'll see how it turns out anyway.

As for the World Tree and religion thing, that's more than okay. In fact, once I'm done with everything else, I'll go back and add that into the lore for Avalan. Might also expand on the World Tree itself while I'm at it.

One thing I've realized throughout answering your questions is that I've been really stingy on coming up with actual numbers when it comes to the timeline of events. How long it's been since the Elder Dragons were wiped out, how long ago the fall of Avalan was and how long it took, etc. I think all I've mentioned in specifics so far is that the last invasion from the continent of Vaim was 30 years ago and... that's about it.

Think I'll throw up some ballpark numbers right now. How's 200 years since the Elder Dragons and 1 month since the fall of Avalan (which also took just 1 month to happen) sound? Paragons are serious business, they're basically the 'chosen one' for humans so that's something I really wanna get across. Anytime they appear, it'd be like the quote: There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen. Anyways, thoughts?

Dragonier (Medieval Fantasy, Dragon Riders, Magic, War)

@Omni5876 Will do!

Anyways, done with the Deep Kingdoms. Next up, Kovosia.

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The Deep Kingdoms

Vast caverns, labyrinthian tunnels and great cities hewn from the stone itself, these are the things that define the Deep Kingdoms lying far beneath the surface of Tirn. Though untouched by sunlight, the dwarven cities are ever lit by rivers of lava and phosphorescent lanterns, and water is drawn from nearby aquifers where fish, moss and mushrooms can be farmed for food.

Despite being referred to collectively as the Deep Kingdoms, each city is its own state with its own ways and laws, but in terms of culture they are generally alike with their love of wealth and status displayed through the way they dress, speak and act. Throughout the ages, the greatest source of conflict for the dwarves has been among themselves as they vie for dominance over resources, rulership or reputation. If there was anything that ever united them, it was a common enemy in the Elder Dragons who coveted the dwarves as slaves of labour. Without them however, the dwarves of the deep have once again fallen into quarrelling with each other for every reason imaginable.

In terms of religion, the dwarves of the deep mostly worship their ancestors and the stone itself, which they believe will hold firm as the surface world eventually sinks beneath the waves at the end of all time, leaving the dwarves as the sole survivors. In times of need, they invoke the name of a particular ancestor to draw upon their wisdom and expertise relevant to the situation at hand. If no such ancestor exists then praying to the stone will suffice, though it'd be less effective. For those who have disgraced themselves or brought disrepute upon their family, they are cast out as exiles on the surface and stricken from the records, their names and deeds to be forgotten by the stone.

With tunnels spanning the entirety of Tirn, there are many ancient gateways to the dwarven cities scattered throughout the land, but most of them have been blocked or destroyed over the course of time - especially during the war against the Elder Dragons - leaving only one common entry point in the heart of the Stormwall Mountains: the Frostgate. Now closed with war looming on the surface.

Before sealing themselves away from the outside world, the dwarves of the Deep Kingdoms traded mostly with the Kovosian Empire which they've held close relations with since the fall of the Elder Dragons, so it is of little surprise then why they chose to abstain from fighting. Even so however, with dwarven society as stifling as the tunnels they come from, there are bound to be a rebellious few who disagree as well as those born on the surface who stand to lose everything should the Empire prevail.

Stubborn, quarrelsome and uncompromising, the worst traits of the dwarves also happens to be their best. Though the lords of the Deep Kingdoms have refused the call to arms, there are those who remember the dwarves serving honourably as stalwart allies in the war against the Elder Dragons. Perhaps the few that have joined the Sunpeak Alliance will be enough to turn the tide or at the very least hold the line. Even so however, the Frostgate remains closed and as long as there is war on the surface...

None shall pass.

Dragonier (Medieval Fantasy, Dragon Riders, Magic, War)

@WolfHorns As long as they can fly, you can have whatever kind of dragon you like. It sure would be interesting to see an aquatic type dragon.

Anyways, done with Fera, next up the Deep Kingdoms.

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Fera

With vast deserts and savannahs in the north and dense jungles to the south, the region of Fera bears a dry climate with little rainfall and hot temperatures all year round. Such conditions are generally inhospitable to all but the various beastfolk tribes inhabiting the region, each one perfectly adapted to the environment they live in by design of the Elder Dragons who created them.

Even after the extermination of the Elder Dragons and the subsequent liberation of the beastfolk tribes, many remained in the areas they originally inhabited, marking the borders of their territories and leading to the current formation of Fera with its many different states. Any conflicts that arise tend to be kept within the tribe and territory they occur in, but for those that extend further, the Council of Elders step in as mediators and sometimes adjudicators with the Honour Guard serving as its military arm, a combined force of volunteers from every tribe in the nation.

It is these members of the Honour Guard who will be sent as Fera's contribution to the Sunpeak Alliance and though they all come from different tribes, they are dedicated to preserving the freedom and sovereignty of their people. They also share a spirit of competition with each tribe seeking to outdo the other, so they often hold joint training drills and tournaments. Each year, the winner of these tournaments is declared as the champion of the Honour Guard and receives a great sum of gold, crops and the equipment of their choice.

While every tribe's contribution is valuable, there are four who stand out from the rest as having contributed the most: the tribe of the lion, the bear, the wolf and the dragon. As it so happens, the current champion of the Honour Guard is a member of the lion tribe by the name of Shisom who will serve as the field marshal and act with the Council's authority in the war to come.

In terms of religion, the beastfolk mostly adopt the elven worship of Gaia and infusing it with a form of totemism where each tribe's totem usually reflects the animal they were hybridized from and serves as a conduit to the Allmother. In this way, they acknowledge the nature of their creation but credit it to Gaia, without whom the Elder Dragons could not have done without.

There are however disturbing reports of dragon cultists who worship the Elder Dragons as gods and engage in attempts to revive them from the dead, but so far none have been successful and such cultists are seen as a strange but minor fringe group. Best to be ignored or outright avoided.

In any case, with the Empire of Kovosia presenting a clear threat to allkind, the Honour Guard of Fera are eager to prove themselves in battle. To free the land from yet another tyrannical force and stand tall as liberators...

Like their ancestors before them.

Also, a few minor edits for Norsinia and Yolta.

- The preferred term for northerners is now 'highlander', not 'northlander'.
- Northerners like to refer to southerners as 'sitters' on account of them sitting around all day (I was thinking of making it 'city folkers' but that sounded a bit too vulgar).
- The capital city of Yolta has been renamed from 'Eto' to 'Kambuluk'.
- The 'Ayjin' have been renamed to 'Anjin'.
- Added a paragraph about the orcs who still follow the ways of their Vaimese ancestors, so there's some more lee way in terms of character ideas when it comes to orcs.
- Just realized I forgot to name the capital city for Fera. I'll have to come up with one later.

And that's about it for now.

Dragonier (Medieval Fantasy, Dragon Riders, Magic, War)

I'm sorry to disappoint, but that won't be allowed for this roleplay. Lorewise, the only intelligent dragons were the Elder Dragons and they've all been wiped out. Although there can be many different species of dragons, they would all be lesser dragons with strictly animal level intelligence and behaviours. No exceptions.

Dragonier (Medieval Fantasy, Dragon Riders, Magic, War)

Done with Yolta, next up Fera.

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Yolta

With the snows of Norsinia falling from the northwest and the desert winds of Fera blowing from the south, the nation of Yolta is a diverse region as snowy tundra and grassy steppe lands meet at the edges of the Iron Sea. Further towards the east however, the land becomes much more rich and fertile as humid rainforests, river valleys and misty lakes dominate the region up to the coast where the orc Shokhanate rules from in the capital city of Eto.

Like Norsinia, Yolta is a nation of two distinct people, though more in terms of actual race than culture. There are the native humans known as the Ayjin - distinguishable by their narrow eyes and yellowish skin tones - and the orcs descended from the first settlers to arrive from the eastern continent of Vaim, nearly a millennia ago. Despite arriving as conquerors, the orcs of that time ended up becoming liberators as they joined forces with the native Ayjin and the Dragonier to fight against the Elder Dragons, and so the nation of Yolta came to be.

Forged in the fires of dragon flame, the humans and orcs of Yolta are more or less one as a people with each having the same rights as the other. However, the nation's leadership is clearly biased towards orcs with the ruler, Oguma Khan, being an orc and a direct descendant of the first Shokhan at that. A lineage that has not been broken since the founding of the nation. A fact that has chafed at many of the Ayjin in the past, though that does not stop them from rising to the highest levels of the Shokhanate and influencing its rule.

Regardless, in terms of religion, the people of Yolta practice a form of sun worship originating from Vaim where they give praise at dawn's first light for each day they are still alive. This meshes well with the native Ayjin belief which holds that all things (living and non-living) possesses its own spirit, including the sun which is considered to be chief among all. It is therefore common for elements of both religions to be mixed together, such as the Ayjin practice of offering a portion of their meal to the spirits and the Vaimese practice of bowing in gratitude within the light of the rising sun.

On the matter of Vaim, several more fleets have been sent from the eastern continent throughout the course of history since the founding of Yolta, the most recent being as early as 30 years ago. Time and time again, they've attempted to establish their rule over the nation of Yolta, and time and time again, they were turned away by the elite warriors of the Shokhanate, the Keshirai. It is only a matter of time however before the Vaimese return to reclaim their wayward colony and it is for this reason that the people of Yolta are a martial society, ever prepared for warfare.

It is also for this reason that the Shokhanate can only spare a portion of its forces for the Sunpeak Alliance while the rest remain in Yolta, lest it be undefended from another Vaimese attack. Rest assured however, if the blades of the Shokhanate can break the Elder Dragons and fend off the fleets of Vaim then the Empire of Kovosia will be no different from the rest. Against all foes, the Keshirai stand...

Ready for war.

Dragonier (Medieval Fantasy, Dragon Riders, Magic, War)

Done with Norsinia. Next up, Yolta.

Dragonier (Medieval Fantasy, Dragon Riders, Magic, War)

@WolfHorns Once again, I'm tempted to skip the worldbuilding and start the roleplay already. I'm honestly impressed that you managed to spin so much detail from an incomplete interest check (which I'm working on) and I think there's a few ideas I'd like to incorporate as well, but as much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, I'd advise you to wait until I've finished setting up the lore. There's a lot that's not set in stone just yet, I'm actually considering changing a few details regarding magic, so basically try not to count your chickens before they hatch is what I'm saying.

All that said though, I did enjoy reading your character's backstory. You might end up having to change a few things when the roleplay does begin, but while the details are still coalescing, I see nothing wrong with playing around with what's available at the moment. I'll be looking forward to seeing more of your writing.

Dragonier (Medieval Fantasy, Dragon Riders, Magic, War)

Not yet.

Jewel of the Skies

@Omni5876 I had no idea you've been dealing with this heavy of a burden this whole time... I can't imagine how terrible it must feel right now, but like @deia876lat, I'm here if you want to talk.

Also, this comes a bit late, but I just want both of you to know that how things ended with Broken Skies is no one's fault but my own. I started the roleplay with a lot of half-baked ideas and simply couldn't decide what to set in stone when the time called for it. Moreover, I couldn't decide where to go after we left off, whether it was to keep the focus on our characters at the time or move to a new setting with new characters. There was probably nothing wrong with having both, but for some reason I thought it had to be one or the other and in the end, it was my own indecision that stalled the roleplay. I think you guys have faced similar challenges before judging by the gaps in activity here, but the difference is that the both of you overcame them. I failed. That's all there is to it.

@deia876lat, I promise you, you did not mess things up. You were a driving force for the roleplay and I'm grateful for it. Grateful still for continuing it here with @Omni5876. I'm glad my ideas didn't go to waste and I deeply regret not saying all this so much sooner. I've actually been meaning to for a while now, but just kept putting it off and putting it off and, well, at some point it felt like it was too late. It was only out of idle curiosity that I came here to check how things were going and after reading up on some old posts, I realized I should have just spat it out months ago.

Now that I'm here, I guess I should just lay out the rest of what I've been putting off. Bit late for it, I know, but you're both free to use my characters as your own if you want and I came up with a reason for why medieval things are still hanging around despite all the advanced tech going on: any weapon, piece of armour or clothing that is repeatedly imbued with ki over time will eventually inherit a portion of their owner's power. This means that ancestral equipment would be particularly powerful, even in the hands of an ordinary person, mage or ki user without a focus on imbuement, but they'll lose their stored power if neglected for too long, so at some point they'll need to be 'recharged' in a sense.

I have a few more final notes, but I'd like to send em through pm to you @deia876lat, if you don't mind. What with you being the gm and all. On that note, I should probably also mention that I've considered rebooting Broken Skies. Many times actually, I was a bit torn between doing that or working on my new roleplay, but after everything I've read here, it wouldn't be right to reboot and ignore everything you've built up with Jewel of the Skies. I'm also now committed to working on my new roleplay, so with all things considered, I just wanted to say that it's all you from hereon out @deia876lat. You are the captain now.