Fantasy cast my shadows on the fires of war | Dragon Riders

[Drekasal]

• .
• .
• .

• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  intro

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  fires of war

  
  
  
  

  kelli schaefer

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  premise.

  
  
  
  

  O

  n the day of Ragnarök, the sun and moon were swallowed whole, plunging the Nine Realms into darkness. The gates of Hel flooded open, drowning the earth in a sea of vengeful corpses. Gods and monsters met each other on the field of battle, both falling in the end. The world tree would finally splinter and break, and all would perish between fire and ice. And so, the world ended just as it had began, in chaos and destruction.
  
  But the end is merely another beginning, a part of the grand cycle of birth, growth, death, and rebirth. As once was the world born from chaos, so too would the new one be, under the light of a new dawn, a new sun, a new promise of life. Things would never be as they were before, but the hope of what lay ahead was all that mattered, under the branches of the reborn Tree of Life.
  
  In the absence of the gods, however, new defenders would be needed, and so arose the Vorðnir—the guardians of Yggdrasil, noble warriors to the last breath, the last bastion standing against the armies of chaos. Yet this battle they would not face wholly alone, for at their sides stood the mightiest of beasts: dragons. Powerful creatures of the old world, now poised to safeguard what remains.
  
  Together, dragons and riders take to the skies, and for a millennium they have fought, until at last, it seems, order has finally returned to Yggdrasil. Yet peace is a fragile thing, and beyond the borders, the shadows creep, biding their time. A prophecy warns of an ancient foe, threatening to undo all they have worked to build, even as simmering tensions already tear the Realms apart.
  
  For the Vorðnir to prevail, they must stand united, and stay fast to their purpose, lest they and all who live be overtaken by the darkness to come...
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  roles

  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  roles.

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  Höfðingi

  
  
  
  

  taken

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  The Hofðingi is the commander-in-chief, overseeing the entirety of the Vorðnir both in wartime and in peace. All orders, from the training of apprentices to the designation of patrols all come from them, and for the most part, their word is considered law.
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  Formaðr

  
  
  
  

  open

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  Second in command to the Hofðingi, the Formaðr sees to it that their orders are carried out and enforced, often serving as de facto leader should the chief ever be absent or indisposed. A degree of succession occurs between the two, as the Hofðingi chooses their Formaðr, who will in turn take their place should the chief die in battle, is exiled, or willingly retires.
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  Foringnir

  
  
  
  

  open

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  The Foringnir are the field commanders, in charge of the various "wings" assigned to them by the Hofðingi. While they all answer to the chief's orders, how each Foringi run their respective wings is never the same, and as such, different creeds have arisen over the course of the millenium.
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  Drengnir

  
  
  
  

  open

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  The Drengnir are the heart of the order, the warriors who fly forward upon their dragons to protect the Realms from those who would see them destroyed once more. Their duties to this end are many, from the training of the Svennir and patrolling of borders, to taking the fight directly to the enemy in times of total war.
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  Svennir

  
  
  
  

  open

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  The Svennir are the apprentices, destined to follow in the footsteps of those before them as the next generation of dragon riders. For now, however, they train with their partners under the careful watch of the Drengnir, until they are considered ready to join a wing in combat.
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  Einnsál

  
  
  
  

  open

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  The Einnsál are outliers within the Vorðnir, for they are without dragons, be it due to tragedy or an inability to form a bond with the great beings. Despite this, neither are cast out, for it was their inherent affinity that they were initially chosen for, and whatever talents they possess are often employed elsewhere within the order. Some, however, feel themselves to be nothing but a burden, and often keep themselves at distance from the rest of their peers.
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  rules

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  rules.

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  rule one.

  
  

  
  
  
  

  This roleplay has been adapted from one I hosted originally on FeralFront, prior to the website's closure a few years back. Most of the roles are the same as before, while others such as the Blacksmith and Seeress have been removed as they don't seem essential, and would better be relegated to NPCs. If you have suggestions on how to streamline this further, please let me know! The critique is appreciated!
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  rule two.

  
  

  
  
  
  

  This will be a rather slow paced roleplay, focused on character development and interpersonal relationships within the Vorðnir as they prepare for the larger story. As such, communication is important if you feel you are going to be absent for any given length of time—I understand that personal daily life can eat up a lot of time. However, I do ask that you fulfill the posting length requirements of 500-700 words if you're thinking about joining.
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  rule three.

  
  

  
  
  
  

  Given the nature of the story, arguments will undoubtedly take place, but I ask that you please keep them in IC and to not let them spill over into OOC discussion. Drama of any kind will not be tolerated within the group, and I expect everyone to be treated fairly. We are all here to write together and to have a good time.
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  rule four.

  
  

  
  
  
  

  Once all characters have been chosen, I will put together a Discord to serve as our OOC channel, as I feel discussion will be a lot easier there. This will also be where we will do our plotting, headcanons and character connections.
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  rule five.

  
  

  
  
  
  

  And of course, all rules regular to the RPN forums are expected to be followed here as well. Thank you!
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  
  

intro

roles

rules

cast my shadows

on the

fires of war

genre

mythology, fantasy

status

accepting

gms

drekasal

spots open

6/7

question

answer

cs

lore

ooc

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[cherry lips]

I’m just gonna chill here

 

[Abyss]

This seems awesome!!!

 

[Abyss]

Some of the links don't work. How are riders chosen and what are the dragons like in this world?

 

[Phayne]

Interested

 

[Drekasal]

Some of the links don't work. How are riders chosen and what are the dragons like in this world?

I hear you! I have yet to make the CS and OOC threads, which is why those links don't work, but I'll try and have them up as soon as possible!

As far as how dragons will be approached in this, they take their inspiration primarily from their Scandinavian and Icelandic interpretations, as well as some borrowing from other neighboring European mythos. The main dragons I envision seeing used within the Vorðnir are your traditional "true" dragons (four legs, two wings) alongside wyverns (two legs, two wings), but other dragon types—wyrms and knuckers (great serpents who live deep in the earth or under the waves) and drakes (feral, four legged beasts that prowl the wilderness)—exist out in the wilds.

The bond between dragon and rider takes many forms, but at the moment, how I see the standard practice within the Order is that that the older generation of dragons will time their layings, so that when the time comes the eggs will all be gathered for a mass Hatching. New prospects chosen beforehand by the Vorðnir are brought forward when this occurs, all of whom may potentially find a hatchling who will imprint on them, but it is not a guarantee.

 

[Chimeric]

I am also interested, and I want to ask;

Are dragons "playable characters" or are you regarding them more as npcs? Do we play our character's dragon, or do we have the opportunity to pair a dragon character with someone else's character?

 

[Drekasal]

I am also interested, and I want to ask;

Are dragons "playable characters" or are you regarding them more as npcs? Do we play our character's dragon, or do we have the opportunity to pair a dragon character with someone else's character?

An excellent question that I am glad you brought up!

Dragons in-universe are treated as characters as well, though for the sake of efficiency, they won't have a separate form in the CS thread, although they will have a mini-bio section you can fill in for them attached to the main form. During the roleplay, however, players can develop them further as individuals alongside their rider counterparts.

That said, having two players roleplay a rider and dragon separately as a team isn't completely off the table, but that would require coordination and communication between the two parties, and if one half is absent for any length of time, that could potentially be an issue for the other half as they'd have to wait before being able to progress further.

 

[Worthlessplebian]

I'm interested, always been a fan of Norse mythology.

 

[HolographicHydra]

I'm interested! This looks like fun!

 

[Feral]

Interested! This looks lovely

 

[Phayne]

Getting some major Eragon vibes o3o.

 

[Drekasal]

Getting some major Eragon vibes o3o.

You wouldn't be wrong on that front! I also drew some inspiration from the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffery!

Also, to everyone else, I'm currently working on the CS thread and should have it up fairly soon!

 

[Drekasal]

UPDATE: Thank you all so much for your patience! The CS Thread is up and ready!

 

[Abyss]

Can we use art as a faceclaim?

 

[Drekasal]

Can we use art as a faceclaim?

I would prefer if you try and find a realistic one first, but if you are unable to find one, let me know and we can try and find a close artistic substitute!

 

[cherry lips]

i'm just throwing some placeholders up for now until I have some free time today to work on sheets~

 

[bad wolf]

This looks very exciting! Will there be a lore page that explains the Vorðnir and world a bit more? Regions and whatnot?

 

[Worthlessplebian]

UPDATE: Thank you all so much for your patience! The CS Thread is up and ready!

I will post my CS tomorrow.

 

[Drekasal]

This looks very exciting! Will there be a lore page that explains the Vorðnir and world a bit more? Regions and whatnot?

That is definitely the intent, although that may take a bit longer to put together. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to really flesh out the world as much as I wanted in the original version of this back on FeralFront, and given this is an adaptation I may have to do some work-shopping. I do hope to get that thread up as soon as possible, however!

 

[Abyss]

When are SVENNIR chosen and at what age are they usually paired with a dragon for training? Also, how fast do dragons grow/mature?

 

[Drekasal]

When are SVENNIR chosen and at what age are they usually paired with a dragon for training? Also, how fast do dragons grow/mature?

So sorry for this late response, I was eating dinner!

In my head, Svennir are chosen from an age as early as ten to their early twenties, with the former being more common. Dragons, coincidentally, take about ten years to grow to maturity, so in the best case scenario where a dragon is hatched to a young Svenn, that means the mental age difference will not be as vast, and both will be considered full fledged members by the time those ten years have passed.

 

[Abyss]

So sorry for this late response, I was eating dinner!

In my head, Svennir are chosen from an age as early as ten to their early twenties, with the former being more common. Dragons, coincidentally, take about ten years to grow to maturity, so in the best case scenario where a dragon is hatched to a young Svenn, that means the mental age difference will not be as vast, and both will be considered full fledged members by the time those ten years have passed.

Oh, I see. I will likely need to edit some things then. I had thought they matured much quicker like something out of Eragon or His Majesty's Dragon.

 

[Drekasal]

Oh, I see. I will likely need to edit some things then. I had thought they matured much quicker like something out of Eragon or His Majesty's Dragon.

I did consider that angle myself! In the end, I kinda felt that those examples felt a bit too rushed for me, but I also didn't want the early life cycle to be too long either, so I thought ten years would be a fair enough compromise.

That said, Hatchings are not the only way for bonds to occur! I do have a character of my own planned who was actually raised by a dragon themself before the two of them joined the Vorðnir, so maybe that might offer some musing ideas!

 

[Abyss]

I did consider that angle myself! In the end, I kinda felt that those examples felt a bit too rushed for me, but I also didn't want the early life cycle to be too long either, so I thought ten years would be a fair enough compromise.

That said, Hatchings are not the only way for bonds to occur! I do have a character of my own planned who was actually raised by a dragon themself before the two of them joined the Vorðnir, so maybe that might offer some musing ideas!

Is there any magical aspect to the bond?