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Fantasy The Dragon Princess | Lore Thread

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Isolus

Lady of the Lexicon
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The Witcher Kings: The Conquerers

"I am not a king, I am a conquerer just as my grandfather was.
The Northerners will kneel or they will die."
- Edwin II Dewguard, Current King of Thalantis

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House Dewguard is one of the seven Great Houses. They are most notorious for their history as religious conquerors and its current status as one of the most powerful families in the west. Their banner is a green backdrop where a golden dagger is piercing a white rose tangled in black thorns. The Witcher Kings are stockholders in the Emerald Bank and own two of the most productive diamond mines in the west. It's the current the ruling house of the realm of Thalantis and its current Head of House is the young King Edwin II.

Once a western lesser houses, the infamous Witcher Kings began their reign circ. 900 AP. They were the victors of a four year long war of succession against previous ruling house, House Ormend. The Dewguards were able to successfully contest the crown's legitimacy by upholding House Ormend’s female heirs as perpetrators of witchcraft and thus any child born to them would be illegitimate. With the eventually support of the Emerald Bank, the Church of the Sectarians and several other lesser houses, House Ormend was violently deposed.

The first Witcher King, Charles the Conqueror, declared the worship of the Apostates (That is worship of the dark gods) as equal worship to that of the Architects (the creators of the world). Charles the Conqueror would lead the first of the Great Crusades, a religious purification of the civilized West.

The Dewguards are responsible for the Three Great Crusades (also known as the White Conquest or the Great Purges), which were a series of religious & ethnic purifications supported by the Church of St Elbern. The 1st Great Crusade (905 AP - 1021 AP) involved the establishment of Apostate (Dark Gods) Worship through an armed pilgrimage across the sea to the east coast of Western Isakar. The 2nd Great Crusade (1144 AP - 1259 AP) aimed to resolve bloody religious conflicts between worshipers of the goddess Scyllia (goddess of disease and ambition) and their supposed adversaries, the Bluemoon Brotherhood. This resulted in the near extinction of moon elves in the west, where the survivors fled as pilgrims to the east.

Under the reign of Edwin the Great in 1366 AP, the Dragon Kings of Illyia were removed from power and Valdarr Snowborn's bloodline was rumored to be eradicated.

The 3rd Great Crusade (1448 AP - Current) involves the contest of the races akin to the Níðhö (Dragon Men) and their relationship to the Apostate Doctrines, which sustains Men and Elves' racial superiority over the other races. In the west, Níðhö are not on the same level as the race of men. When their northern colony began their rebellion in the winter of 1448 AP, the Dewguards sought to quell the uprising with a realm wide cleansing of all Níðhö in order to justify the extinction of Valdarr Snowborn's lineage.
 
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The Dragon Kings: The Guardians

"They rose from the stone like a phoenix rises from death into new life.
If these dragons did it once, then I have no doubt that they will do it again."
- The Den Mother, Head of House Aeryn; Northern Sympathizer

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The Níðhö (Or the Dragon Men of Cerodaele) are an old Northern clan whose earliest ancestry is believed to go back all the way to 200 BP (Before the Phoenix). Up until 1366 AP, they were ruled by Valdarr Snowborn and were considered one of the Great Houses of Isakar. Their sigil was a white dragon circling two silver crossed swords. Their House words were "Power, not tyranny."

History & Mythology
Before 0 AP (After the Phoenix), Nöern was a snowy landscape consisting of jagged peaks and barren snowlands. It was a rigid and untamed realm where smaller family tribes competed against one another for resources and territory. Yet as the snows receded, the tribes moved further north into what is known as Illyia today. Historians commonly agree that the first northern king to be a demigod referred to as Ordon the Terrible, who came into power in approx. 200 BP.

According to the Nöernian mythology, Ordon was the offspring of a dire wolf and the god Saelon (the god of the hunt) -- Stories say that Ordon stood nine feet tall and bore three snarling wolf heads upon his shoulders. Sealon's original intent was to raise this demigod as the true king of the free northern peoples. But when Ordon broke his sacred oath to this father and enslaved the North instead, Saelon is said to have created the Níðhö to overthrow the tyrant and take his place.

The mythos describes Saelon chasing a star across the sky until its starlight fell to the earth and struck the mountains’ side. The stone cracked apart and the first men of the Níðhö awake from the fiery rock. Upon breaching Mount Cerodaele, the Níðhö drove Ordon out over the peaks where they fought the demigod for eight days and eight nights. On the morning of the ninth day, the Dragon Men cracked the cliffs apart and banished the titan deep beneath the earth where he remains to this day growling secret plots of revenge.

After stability returned, many of the Níðhö tribes went south and spread throughout Western Isakar. But Eingil Snowborn (the first Dragon King) stayed to rule the north and his reign started circa 80 BP. His descendants would protect the Northern peoples for thousands of years. Much of this record's accuracy is still debated among scholars to this day.


Appearance & Magic
It's unsure if the Níðhö carry an otherworld affinity to fire as the Nöernian mythology suggests or if their passive magic abilities come from old magic in the north that was long forgotten after 0 AP. As Níðhö age, they develop scales upon their skin that come in a variety of colors (white, black, brown, green, and red are the most common colors). While they cannot breath fire like dragons do, Níðhö are resistant to heat and have proven to excel in the arcane arts that surrounded flame. Contrary to western propaganda, Dragon Men do not feast on the flesh of other men though they are known for their ferocious appetites and vile tempers when they haven't had a proper meal.

Notable Snowborns
≫ Eingil Snowborn (Approx 80 BP - 22 AP): One of the Great Eight and the First Dragon King. He fought Ordon upon the peaks of Cerodaele and helped seal the titan under the ice for eternity. There is little detail regarding his reign due to lost records, though it's agreed that his actions over time helped spur the first Dawn Age (Circa 200 AP) and the eventual Northern Renaissance (Circa 450 AP). He is believed to have died peacefully at a ripe age of 102. He left behind a legacy of eight children.

≫ Iesha Snowborn (Approx 86 AP to 180 AP): The First Dragon Queen to rule over that of the king. It was said she was plagued visions of shape shifting dragons who bore the faces of men. Seeing this as a sign from her god, Saelon, the queen would establish the Order of the Dragon Knights. Yet the origins of these warriors' mystical armor as well as the names of the first 901 knights chosen in service of the queen is said to have died with Iesha. She was laid to rest at the age of 94 surrounded by her twelve children and her devoted knights.

≫ Valdarr Snowborn (1398 AP to 1447 AP): Also known as Valdarr the Valiant. The young king would be removed from power by the more experienced Edwin the Great during the pivotal battle at Sterling Shore. During the first Thalantian Purge, Valdarr Snowborn would only barely escape with this wife Freja and his eldest daughter Aesa. And while there were rumors that his younger brother, Agvar, had survived the conquest, the Snowborn legacy was weeded down in mere months. Valdarr slowly succumbed to illness, though many believed he was poisoned by a Thalantian spy in Noria. The valiant king would wither away in a small hut at age 49.

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≫ Agvar Snowborn (1401 AP to 1448 AP): While he was never trained to take the throne, Agvar was found as next in succession when his brother Valdarr would fall ill and perish. As there were no other Snowborns who survived the first purge, the rebels turned their hope towards Agvar. However where Valdarr was reknowned for his Martial skill, Agvar's main verse was his diplomacy. At the Battle of Eo, Agvar fell in battle and the rebels would be pushed back to the north to deal with their heavy loses. Edwin the 2nd ordered the Níðhö's body skinned and had his bones thrown into the canyon where they remain to this day. Agvar's skin was then displayed at the threshold of Eo. He was 47 when he died.

≫ Aesa Snowborn (1418 AP to 1450 AP): The Rebel Queen to the Thalantians. While originally not the first in line for the crown, she remained the last of Valdarr's surviving children after the first purge. With the death of her father and her uncle, the crown fell onto Aesa. While his advisors urged the young king to keep Aesa prisoner to force the rebels to bend to their demands, Edwin made an example right then and there. On the steps of the Iron Wall, Aesa Snowborn was beheaded at age 32. Her bloodied head was mounted in a spike over the gate for the rebels to see.

≫ Eira Snowborn (1442 AP to Present): The Child Queen of Nöern and last of the Snowborns. Her reign has yet to begin but the hope is growing along with the small child. So long as she lives, so does the rebellion.
 
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Religion: The Deities of Isakar

"Before there was life, the world was a barren crypt. But Alosïa, The White Mother, took pity on the nothingness and from her hands came the beauty of the world we all know."
- 1st Obadiaus 1: 1-2; The Sacred Book

In Isakar, there exists two pantheons commonly worshiped throughout the realm. They are the Architects and the Apostates. There are ten gods and goddesses in total, each representing aspects of the world that the moral races are most familiar with.

The Architects refer to five gods involved in the world's creation story. Worshipers of this order believe that the Architects designed all living things to exist in their purest forms - but this purity was corrupted by the Apostates and that is why there is evil in the world. The only way to return to one’s original wholeness after death is to acknowledge one’s current impurities and to not further indulge them. This can be done by upholding the Architects values and denouncing all they detest.

The Apostates (sometimes called the 'Dead Gods') refer to five deities who dissolved the original purity of the world. They actively seek either restore it to its previous voidity or establish a second world that only exists in complete disharmony. Followers of this pantheon believe corruption equals wholeness and that the acceptance of this is a rebirth into the further purity of self. In many of the free cities, worship of the Apostates tends to be more taboo though this is more so in the west than the east.



The Architects: The Beloved Creators


Alosïa | The White Mother (Aliases: The Mother or The Great Phoenix)

Alosïa is head of the Architect pantheon. She represents the wind, time and all the places beyond mortal understanding. Her values are hope, kindness, justice, and the Mother’s role. The White Mother loves all who are pure of heart -- but those who bear evil intent should be weary of Alïosa’s wrath.

In art & temples, Alosïa is depicted as either a white phoenix, a white hand or a veiled figure in all white with a circlet of five stars surrounding her head. Circlets in Kartheen Doctrine represent eternity and circlets around the head represent knowledge of the infinite. It is believed that rulers wear crowns in a mirror of Alosïa.

Her symbols are the phoenix (rebirth), the crimson dragon (righteous anger) and the redwood tree (eternity). Her sacred number is 8.


Orkstacees | The Hearth Father (Aliases: The Great Bull)

He's depicted in the orcs’ image either as a red or black orc holding a silver hammer in his right hand and a bronze axe in his left. He represents fire, craftsmanship, and the warmth of home (or the hearth). His values are courage, valor, diligence and the Father’s role. Orcs, the Blacksmith and the Warrior are most deserving of his favor, while the Slothful, the Abuser and the Coward shall never receive his blessings

Interestingly enough, Orkstacees may on some occasions be depicted as female though he is most commonly referred to as male. It’s also not uncommon for elves and orcs to both worship Alosïa & Orkstacees together, where many southern tribes depict the two gods as two halves of each other. The common understanding is that elves and orcs are apart of a distant bloodline rather than hated enemies.

His sacred animals are the ox (duty), the brown bear (power) and the oak tree (strength). His sacred number is 3.

Toria | The Mother of Moons (Aliases: The Everlight)

Toria represents water, moons and the desire of wanderlust. Her values are curiosity, innocence and adventure. The Sailor, the young at heart and the curious at mind are among her favorites. But Toria detests the Werewolf and those who make secret pacts under the cover of night. Upheld as the protector of children, virgins, mothers and newly married women, it’s commonly believed that any who harm one of her beloved will incur Toria’s wrath.

She may be depicted as a silver fish or as the dual moons themselves. But the most well known depiction in art is her visages as a young maiden with long flowing hair tied and wearing robes of the night sky (silver, violet or light blue). In many human cultures, maidens wear their hair down while married women tie their hair in braids or with decorate clothe. Her eyes may be pale to represent where the moonlight meets the sea.

Her sacred animals are the robin (spiritedness), the ivory otter (curiosity) and the primrose flower (youth/innocence). Her sacred number is 2.

Saelon | The Father of the Hunt (Aliases: The Chaser)

He represents the earth, the harvest and the thrill of the hunt. His values are freedom (one’s desire to be free), boldness and perseverance. Beastfolk and those who are wild at heart are most deserving of his attention, while Saelon will punish the Slaver, the Meek and those who kill needlessly.

Saelon is one of the few gods described as a formless god. His presence not necessarily seen, but rather felt in one’s wildest natures. Thus in art and in temples, his place may be represented by a circle of animals that represent various elements of the wild; a snarling bear, a howling wolf, a fleeing rabbit, a bounding doe, etc. Regardless of the animal chosen, they bear the mark of Saelon if their eyes are made of gold pieces. Saelon’s emphasis is that the pursuit of wildness should come out of natural order and from one’s innate desire to be free. It should never come out of needless cruelty or from pleasure in the death of the weaker creature.

His sacred animals are the fox (cunning), the emerald elk (freedom) and the apple tree (luck). His sacred number is 5.

Karine | The Mother of Fellowship (Aliases: The Beloved )

The creator of the Soul. Karine represents love in all its forms, both romantic and platonic. Her values are love, beauty, desire and companionship. All who seek her shall receive her favor, but Karine detests the necromancer, the vampire and those who seek to create life on their own accord.

Like Saelon, she does not have a singular forms as she represents many forms of love that exist. Thus temples and alters may present her in many forms, but the identifying feature is the candles placed within the hole in her hands, which signify her giving of spiritual energy to all living things. While she may also be associated with sexual companionship, Karine more commonly affiliates with the power of the soul and in some doctrines, the strength of mortal-kind over that of the gods.

Her sacred animals are the hound (companionship), the golden sparrow (community) and the hibiscus flower (healing). Her sacred number is 7.





The Apostates: The Feared Destroyers


Nepherion | The Dark Father (Aliases: The Ever Watcher or The Deep One)

Nepherion is head of the Apostate pantheon, where his jealousy of Alosïa's creations spurred him to bring evil into the world and open the gate for other Apostates to spur their curses. He represents evil, the sin within man, forbidden knowledge and the dark places where men fear to go. His values are cruelty, domination and contempt. Few are actually able to win his favor, as he will attempt to force any he can catch to do his bidding unwillingly -- but those who practice violent acts, the necromancer and the undead are most likely.

Eyes are a common association with Nepherion and he is portrayed as a massive unblinking eye with several blinking eyes within his pupil. Mages and witches studying he dark arts may paint a third eye upon their forehead to foresee peeks into the places of the Dark Father, which have more than once proven to be an unwise endeavor.

His sacred animals are the leviathan (wickedness), the cerulean squid (never-ending growth) and the cypress tree (bad omen). His sacred number is 1.

Scyllia | The Scourge Mother (Aliases: The Whisperer)

She represents disease, poisons, pacts, seduction and the overthrow of lawful authority. Her values are ambition, deception, reason and secrecy. Liars, Traitors and those of great ambition are most worthy of her attention.

She is depicted in the form of a cobra with a human face for her head; the face is different to everyone who looks upon, as she takes the form of what the wearer views as most beautiful. Scyllia can whisperer one's deepest desires and promises to fulfill them in exchange for completing her pacts. In parts of the far east, there is mythos that believes Scyllia seduced Nepherion and became his dark mistress; thus fulfilling her pacts is believed to appease the dark gods and protect their souls in the afterlife.

Her sacred animals are the serpent (deception), the pale moth (illness) and the willow tree (learning). Her sacred number is 11.

Eoden | The Father of the Void (Aliases: The Pale Rider or the Maw)

Eoden represents war, violence, passion, discord and strategy. His values are greed, achievement, and calculation.

In art, Eoden is depicted as a horse skull without a jaw for a head and a long pale neck made of ebony marble. He may also be depicted as a three headed stallion, similar to a kelpie in appearance, with a dark cloaked rider upon its saddle. In some religions, Eoden and Scyllia may be referred to as siblings due to their overlaying representations of reason; though that is commonly seen in eastern peoples along the ivory coastlines.

His sacred animals are the raven (foreboding), the black stallion (war/conflict) and the willow tree (learning). His sacred number is 9.

Obesdia | The Sleepless Mother (Aliases: The Weaver or the Screamer of the Cold Silence)

She represents death, burial rights and the afterlife of mortals. Obesdia blesses the Undertaker, the Assassin and those who partake in the affairs of the dead. And while rare, she might take out her spite against the Healer.

She takes the form of a white giant spider who bears eight human arms for legs. Instead of fur, she wears human skin which is said to hide her true form from the eyes of mortals. She supposedly weaves the night sky together and can catch Alosïa’s stars within her web, allowing her peeks into the infinite. In the far east, there’s a belief that she also weaves bridges between the mortal realm and the immortal realm - whenever completes a sector of her web, monstrous beasts are able to pass into mortal realm to torment mortals at will. But she’s actually is the least evil of all the Apostates as her role is more of a consequence of the evil released into the world rather than a pursuit of it (in other words, death finds us all in many ways, violent and non-violent).

Her sacred animals are the spider (time), the ebony tortoise (uncertain steadfastness) and the rue (sorrow). Her sacred number is 4.

Valamorae | The Mad Mother (Aliases: The Cold Laugh)

She represents madness, folly, greed, and transformation.

She is presented as an astral creature who bears resemblances between a monkey and a woman. She bears six faces each with a grinning maw that is made up twelve black writhing tongues. Like Scyllia, many followers may see her as yet another mistress of Nepherion who, in old mythos, made it so that her cries are actually a song of tongues that can awaken sleeping sleeping monsters within herself. Another mythos is that she, herself, is the breeding ground to worldly curses (similar to a Pandora’s box) and that invoking her attention brings about the 'curse of eternal laughter'.

Her sacred animals are the monkey (greed), the amber fish (transformation) and the lemon tree (scorn). Her sacred number is 6.
 
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Solantius: The Gem of the South

"My people are the Shonai Foxmen, a Solantian stock.
In these golden lands, we are not bothered by whims of a king."
- A Foxfolk Merchant regarding the Solantian government

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Solantius is one of the five realms of the Western Isakar. It's the southernmost part of the continent and is known for its mediterranean climate in the northern regions with harsher desert regions in the south. Under a democratic monarchy, the kingdom is ruled by one king and one queen who are chosen through tests of courage and cunning. They are held accountable through a council of five members who represent the five districts of Solantius. It's the 2nd largest kingdom on the western continent and is the 3rd wealthiest economy in all of Isakar. It's capital city is Sangria. The current ruling monarchs are known as the Khah Rajar and the Khal Sirah -- they are not apart of the seven great Houses.

It runs under an Elective Monarchy. One King and one Queen are elected through trials of creed. The two rulers are meant to symbolize the Shield of Night and the Bow of Light, two beloved heroes in southern folklore. While they rule together with equal responsibilities, the Khah and the Khal are not typically not married and live personal lives outside of their political duties. The nobility is also elected by the people to serve on a small council of five individuals. Their main duty is to ensure the appropriate balance of power between the monarchy, the church and the people.

Geography
Solantius is the hottest region of Western Isakar, known for its long summers and mild winters. However the region in the far south is rocky, arid and dry while the northern regions consist of rolling plains that blend into the woodlands south of Meridia. Even during a long summer, there is enough rain from the monsoons to keep Solantius habitable. It experiences seasonal rainy seasons, which transforms large areas of Solantius from desert regions into vast greenlands. Inland water is almost as valuable as gold coins and its wells are fiercely protected. Its trading port is Caldona, located on the Summerland Peninsula.

People Groups
According to the yearly census of 1450, the recorded demographic numbers are as follows:
✦ [40%] Humans (Solantian)
✦ [20%] Sun Elves
✦ [20%] Foxfolk
✦ [10%] Gold Dwarf
✦ [5%] Lynxkinn
✦ [5%] Goblins
✦ [Less than 5%] Half Elves
✦ [Less than 5%] Half Dwarves

Religion
The most common worship in Solantius is under the Architects Pantheon. While there are smaller temples for each god scattered throughout the realm, the most worshiped deity is Karine (the goddess of the soul). It's not uncommon for young mothers, unable to feed their children, to dedicate their sons and daughters to the temple's care. Worship is often done in the inner sanctum, where Karine's golden statue stands. However, priests and priestesses may carry small idols of Karine to worship in their travels. Offerings often include burnt incense or rose incense, often around candlelight, and the reading of beads which tell the importance of each relationship that mortals may know.

Culture & Trade
Seeing that Solantius does not have large irrigation systems (such as large lakes, rivers, or snowmelt areas) like the rest of Western Isakar, the Solantian people depend on the summer monsoon to fill their aquifers for the rest of the year. Resources such as rice and tea rely heavily on the summer rainy season. Dairy farms also depend on the monsoon rains to keep dairy cows healthy and well-fed. Many trading caravans come and go from Solantius as their marketplace provides many exotic enviable products sought out by the rest of Isakar. Such trading goods include olives, pomegranates, almonds, cloth, seasoned spices, peppers, perfumes and Solantian blood wine (described as a sour wine with a rich taste).

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