Here is a list of characters from the Alvslog Deer Realms.
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Alvslog Deer realms
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General
- Abusive Parents: Quite a few parents in the Alvslog Deer Herds are emotionally and psychologically abusive to their children, thanks to the deeply toxic, bigoted, and hypocritical traditions that they are taught to uphold by the Elternteil Deer Pantheon. So far, all examples were part of royal families.
- Prince Golden Ash's parents were not outright abusive, but they were disappointed in their younger son's lack of combat ability and choice not to become a great warrior hero like his twin brother, Prince Rowan, and their ancestors. They did, however, approve and encourage his inclinations towards White Magic and community leadership, as they're still in line with Alvslog traditions.
- The mortal father of Queen Krásná Tradice was, in life, one of the nastier Alvslog Deer Kings who was emotionally abusive, teaching his daughter many bigoted and toxic traditions while becoming increasingly haughty, tyrannical, puristic, and paranoid overall. He was such a monster that when he executed one of Krásná's brothers for being a Deer-Draconequus hybrid, Krásná was too terrified to act against her father and was haunted by the incident ever since. Even his love and protective feelings for his daughter didn't help him realize what he was doing and change for good. After his death, Krásná continued clinging to her father's traditions despite her trauma because that's all she had.
- Appeal to Tradition: Deconstructed. Because of the Elternteil Deer Pantheon's influence, the Alvslog Deer Herds are deeply conservative, adhering to the ancient traditions of precursor Deer civilizations that promoted racial/moral purity and stalwartness as well as living In Harmony with Nature. Unfortunately, said traditions advocate the persecution of all things deemed 'evil' and 'corrupt', including non-Deer and Deer hybrids, causing the Alvslog Deer Herds to become increasingly puristic and xenophobic. Their perceived successes as rulers/guardians of nature has also led to them developing a collective arrogance as well. As a result, many creatures and divines, including other Deer Herds, hate the Alvslog Deer for their attitudes and treatment of others.
- Black-and-White Insanity: They are almost completely unable to accept that Temnobog and his evil has a natural place in Equus's Balance as a constructive force that tests heroic mortals, so they paint him as a completely wicked servant to Belyolen, as well as his "lesser" brother. This is one of many details they get wrong, as Temnobog and Belyolen are actually born elemental equals who literally exist to balance each other out. The Alvslog Deer also revere High King Irminsul as a wise and benevolent god, even though Irminsul was actually a horrible parent who emotionally abused Temnobog for being born "evil" and was extremely biased against anything he perceived as evil.
- Cultural Posturing: Due to the Elternteil Deer Pantheon's influence, the Alvslog Deer herds hold their forest societies and realms as "superior", and look down on other civilizations for supposedly abandoning the ways of nature. It's because of this that they are extremely distrusting of any form of innovation that might threaten their existence, which leads to them becoming backwards and increasingly vulnerable to the whims of a world that is leaving them further and further behind.
- Deity of Human Origin: Irminsul's entry notes that Ascending to godhood and being included in the Elternteil Deer Pantheon is considered one of the highest honors an Alvslog Deer can receive in life. A prominent example would be Irminsul's old student, King Aspen, who Ascended to godhood and was welcomed warmly by Irminsul and his wife, Arvan.
- Dishing Out Dirt: As indicated by High Queen Arvan, the Elternteil Deer goddess of Earth, earth magic is traditionally accepted among the Alvslog Deer herds, as it can be used to terraform lands into habitable forest realms.
- Druid: This is prevalent among the Alvslog Deer herds. The tradition of druidism goes back all the way to the First Age - after a great crisis that killed off a preceding Deer pantheon, Irminsul and Arvan rallied the survivors together and formed the Elternteil Deer Pantheon, and proceeded to guide mortal Deerkind's evolution by teaching them the ways of druidism and natural harmony. This led to the birth of some of the most powerful Deer empires and kingdoms, some of which exist in some form in the Fourth Age as the Alvslog Deer Realms. Of the three Deer herds, druids are extremely common among the Alvslog Deer, with plant magic, earth magic, and white magic being a few of the traditionally accepted powers. Druids are also employed by royal Alvslog Deer families, such as the ruling family of Thicket, as they were present during Captain Blackthorn's interrogation to see if he was actually the disguised Changeling Emperor Blackthorn in a comedy short written by BrutalityInc.
- Evil Reactionary: A huge majority of the Alvslog Deer Herds and Realms are stubborn reactionaries clinging to ancient traditions that mortal Deerkind held since the rise of its first civilizations/empires. This stems from the toxic influence of the Elternteil Deer Pantheon, whose members never quite got over their traumas fighting Grogar or the fact that their glory days are behind them. It's deconstructed as their attitudes made them extremely intolerant of progress of any kind, causing them to fall further and further behind and ultimately hurting themselves in the process, compared to other non-Alvslog Deer Herds who modernized themselves after departing to lands elsewhere.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: In-universe; they have a tendency to lionize anyone they see as "benevolent", regardless of their actual behavior in real life.
- They portray Temnobog's father, High King Irminsul, as a completely compassionate and nice god who was right for shunning him, as Temnobog was born a God of Evil. In real life, Irminsul was full of guilt and self-loathing over what he saw as "failures" on his part, including his inability to get rid of his own flaws, and tried doing the same to his unborn son, leading to Belyolen and Temnobog's birth. He also abused and shunned Temnobog as Belyolen's evil "cast-off", while encouraging others to do the same because he believed his dark son's very existence would "taint" the benevolence of the Elternteil pantheon, despite Temnobog doing nothing to warrant it. The abuse is why Temnobog became genuinely evil for a time, until he reconciled with Belyolen.
- Belyolen is also portrayed as Temnobog's superior and master by virtue of being a pure and radiant stag devoid of all flaws. Ironically, Belyolen sided with Temnobog in real life because he accepted him as his brother, and left home to form the Bogolenya Deer Pantheon so he could get Temnobog away from their abusive family. Belyolen also called out the entire Elternetil Deer Pantheon for being abusive hypocrites, stating they became no better than the evils they opposed with their undeserved treatment of Temnobog.
- King Aspen's portrayal in the MLP comic "Root of the Problem" was stated by Well-To-Do's entry to be an attempt by Aspen's radical supporters to glamorize his personality and actions during the Well-To-Do incident, while portraying the ponies and even Celestia and Luna as unhelpful and incompetent. In real life, he was largely unhelpful, belligerent, and had also largely refused any assistance from non-Deer, while the ponies' ability to help was greatly hindered by his self-righteous and eco-extremist attitude.
- They hold Gleaming Shield and his various incarnations as The Paragon and a shining example of what the ideal Deer should be. In real life, while Gleaming Shield is a noble hero, he's actually a flawed individual who broke into people's homes to steal their money and committed other minor crimes when not questing to defeat his Eternal Foe, Blood Fang.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: In-Universe; they see Temnobog as a straight-up villain and "wicked servant" of his radiant brother, Belyolen, with no redeeming or likable traits whatsoever, and openly depict him as such in their lore. This is one of many facts they get wrong, as while Temnobog is an unapologetic God of Evil, he's a decent person who preserves Equus's Balance with constructive Evil, and shares co-leadership of the Bogolenya pantheon as well as a close relationship with his older twin brother, Belyolen. He only became genuinely evil for a time because of the emotional abuse he received from his own family and peers, but he eventually reconciled with Belyolen.
- Holy Ground: The Emerald Woods, also known as "Zunach, the First Forest", is a primordial forest that was supposedly the birthplace of the first members of mortal Deerkind. It's also where the entrance to the Elternteil pantheon's domain is placed. The Emerald Woods is considered to be so sacred that only the most virtuous and stalwart Deer can live in it; its location is unknown, though it's speculated to be somewhere in Cervidia.
- Hypocrite: A huge majority of the Alvslog Deer are deeply hypocritical, both in beliefs and actions. It's deconstructed as their hypocrisy has contributed in part to their herds splitting away to form different factions and their reputation souring in the eyes in the world
- They are deeply intolerant of anything 'evil', such as dark magic, and will ruthlessly persecute anyone/anything they deem as such without so much an explanation why. However, they worship and lionize High King Irminsul, who misused his purification magic by using it to purify his unborn son of his flaws and turn him into a completely perfect and benevolent god, effectively mutilating and killing his son in-utero. This hypocrisy is what drove Shadow Sun, a former Alvslog Magic Knight, away from them in disgust once he found out.
- They claim to be In Harmony with Nature, living off the land and protecting the forests of Equus. However, they're so fanatically devoted to nature that some Alvslog Deer, like King Aspen, promoted the rise of eco-terrorists, which runs completely contrary to their pro-nature beliefs. They're also deeply xenophobic and persecute both non-Deer and Deer hybrids by virtue of their mere existence, adding to their hypocrisy.
- They hold Seers in high regard, holding them as infallible sources of wisdom and guidance. Alvslog Deer royals who are born with prophetic foresight are celebrated because it allows them to rule well and guide their subjects to prosperity. They are utterly blind to the fact that the future is entirely changeable, and that those who can predict it are just as flawed as the people they rule. A notable example would be High King Irminsul, who contributed to the fracturing of his pantheon by purifying his unborn son in-utero in accordance to a future vision he had, where a great Deer King led mortal Deerkind to a golden age.
- They support Deer like Aspen who 'do what must be done', including participating in eco-terrorism that would benefit their forests and people at the expense of innocent non-Deer. However, they become quick to harshly punish anyone they assume to be hurting their forests and their way of life, like what King Aspen tried to do to Blue Suede Heartstrings simply for talking with some Alvslog Deer. Their blatant Moral Myopia is what contributed to Prince Gicelig's decision to leave the Elternteil Deer Pantheon and defect to the Equestrian Pantheon.
- In Harmony with Nature: This is the Alvslog Deer Herds' hat. In their eyes, all forests and the animals that live in them are considered sacred and must be protected. Many Alvslog Deer also make their homes and palaces in trees, essentially living off the land. Ironically, because of the Elternteil Deer Pantheon's toxic influence, the Alvslog Deer Herds are fanatically devoted to nature to the point where they staunchly oppose anything that might 'threaten' the natural order; some, like King Aspen, are devoted to nature to such a degree that they gave rise to and promoted eco-terrorism, being willing to harm innocent creatures if it'll 'protect' nature from anything that will threaten it. They're also deeply xenophobic towards non-Deer and willing to persecute/kill Deer hybrids, seeing them as 'impure'.
- The Marvelous Deer: The Alvslog Deer invoke elements of Tolkien's elves like in canon, as they live in forested areas and have an affinity for nature and plant magic. It's subverted as a large majority of them, including their royals, are morally puristic, belligerent, and racist towards non-Deer, with King Aspen being largely unhelpful and dismissive of the ponies who offered to help him deal with Well-To-Do's deforestation.
- Nature Lover: All Alvslog Deer hold nature and all of its aspects in high respect, with the Emerald Woods being treated as Holy Ground, hence why they often live in forested kingdoms and cities. It's because of their affinity and devotion to nature that the "Captain Equus" cartoon of the Second Age is so highly beloved in their realms. It's because of this that some Alvslog Deer kingdoms and empires worship Battryu, a divine moth Kaiju who is known for his extreme protectiveness of nature... but it's noted that this admiration is one-sided as even Battryu is put off by them, especially when it comes to King Aspen, whom Battryu finds too fanatical and extreme for his tastes.
- Seers: Foresight is a prized ability in Alvslog Deer society, which is why they revere High King Irminsul, a precognitive, so highly. Kúzelník, a former Elternteil deity and the Deer god of Sorcery, was responsible for cultivating the largest numbers of seers and oracles among his worshipers, with many of them going on to work in the royal courts of great Alvslog Deer Kings and Queens - an example would be the realm of Thicket, whose royal family has many Seers and Druids under their employ, as they were present during Captain Blackthorn's interrogation to see if he was actually the disguised Changeling Emperor Blackthorn. Alvslog Deer rulers who are born with foresight, especially Deer Kings, are also highly celebrated by Alvslog Deer, as they are able to take care of their subjects efficiently.
- Stay in the Kitchen: In emulation of High Queen Arvan, female Alvslog Deer are expected to be supportive and intelligent, yet submissive, loyal, and deferential to their male counterparts. They also generally don't have any say outside of their roles, either. It's deconstructed in that this view is shown to be outdated, sexist, and psychologically harmful, and by making their females submissive, the Alvslog Deer Herds ended up encouraging and enabling toxic behaviors among themselves.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Invoked by Blue Suede Heartstrings. Blue Suede foresaw a great disaster through his Humility-based precognition and disguised himself as a mortal Deer stag so he could persuade the Alvslog Deer Herds to abandon their self-righteous, xenophobic, and puristic behavior. Unfortunately, he was exposed by the Elternteil Deer Pantheon, who wrongly imprisoned and abused him on the assumption that he was 'tainting' their subjects' racial purity, and wanted to punish him regardless of actual evidence of his wrongdoing. Belyolen saved Blue Suede, but the incident contributed to Blue Suede's growing psychological instability and, eventually, his near-Fall.
Queen Krásná Tradice's unnamed Father
- Abusive Parents: Despite loving his children, he was emotionally abusive and taught them many things that were actually bigoted, toxic, and hypocritical. And under Pokhot's influence, he became increasingly paranoid, tyrannical, and unpleasant overall. This left his oldest daughter and child, Queen Krásná Tradice, so terrified of him that she didn't intervene when he killed one of her younger brothers just for being a Deer-Draconequus hybrid. And after he died, Krásná clung to his teachings because they're all she had. When Blue Suede Heartstrings adopts Krásná as his daughter centuries later, no one objects to it, even though relations are made a little awkward by Krásná's younger half-brother, Prince Stoltur Skjöldur, being Blue Suede's husband.
- Asshole Victim: No one mourned him when he died, as he had become so monstrous, tyrannical, and insane that even the Elternteil Deer deities, who are huge traditionalists themselves, were disgusted with him. When Blue Suede Heartstrings adopted his older daughter, Queen Krásná Tradice, as his daughter, no one complained or objected to it, even though Blue Suede's marriage to Krásná's younger half-brother, Prince Stoltur Skjöldur, made relations a little awkward.
- Half-Breed Discrimination: Like many Alvslog Deer, he staunchly believed that Deer hybrids are 'impure' abominations that didn't deserve to live. When one of his sons accidentally revealed himself to be a Deer-Draconequus hybrid, he immediately executed him without remorse. His teachings on racial purity left his oldest daughter, Krásná Tradice, unable to grieve her dead brother for years and drove a wedge between her and her Bogolenya relatives because she kept clinging to his racist beliefs.
- Hated by All: By the time of his death, he is remembered by the Alvslog Deer Herds as a prime example of an Alvslog king who let himself be corrupted into becoming a tyrant so fanatical and insane that he did monstrous things in the name of 'purity'. Even his own subjects abandoned him when the depths of his madness became apparent. This was invoked by Pokhot, who was enraged by his decision to execute one of her sons just for being a Deer-Draconequus hybrid and wanted to avenge her dead child.
- Horrible Judge of Character: He fell in love with Pokhot, an evil Bogolenya goddess of Lust and Pride who wormed her way into his heart by telling a Metaphorically True story of herself being a Fallen Princess seeking revenge against her wicked, sadistic mother. He also killed one of his sons for being a Deer-Draconequus hybrid, regardless of the latter's innocence.
- Hypocrite: Much like the huge majority of Alvslog Deer and the Elternteil Deer Pantheon he worships, he is this. He is a staunch supporter of tradition, purity, and righteousness, yet he fell short of them by becoming increasingly evil and corrupt. He also has a puristic view of 'evil' and advocates killing anything that disturbed the 'natural order' like hybrids and non-Deer races, even though Alvslog tradition dictates they should support all of nature. It's deconstructed as his refusal to see the error of his Moral Myopia led to the suffering of his family, his corruption, and his eventual death.
- Karmic Death: He was emotionally abusive to his children despite loving them, and taught them extremely bigoted, toxic, and hypocritical lessons. When one of his sons accidentally revealed himself to be a Deer-Draconequus, he immediately executed him on the spot just for being a hybrid, which traumatized his oldest daughter, Krásná Tradice, for years. In revenge, his lover, Pokhot, would orchestrate his fall, culminating in him being killed by High King Irminsul after becoming insane enough to launch military campaigns against neighboring Alvslog Deer kingdoms for not being 'pure' or 'loyal' to tradition. By the time he was Dragged Off to Hell, he had become a screaming, gibbering wreck.
- Offing the Offspring: His Half-Breed Discrimination influenced him to execute one of his sons after the latter accidentally revealed himself to be a Deer-Draconequus hybrid. His oldest daughter and child, Krásná Tradice, didn't intervene due to tradition and fear, but treated the entire incident as My Greatest Failure for years afterwards. His action also provoked the wrath of his lover, Pokhot, who orchestrated his downfall and death at the hooves of the Elternteil Deer Pantheon in revenge.
Rauche, the Iron Hearted
Rauche, the Iron Hearted (introduced in this drabble
), Rauche is former Alvslog Deer who seeks revenge on them, and stands enough of a chance of succeeding only a prophecy can prevent his victory.
- Create Your Own Villain: Had the Alvslog Deer merely let him get a cure for his family's illness, Rauche would've never turned into an existencial threat to them.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: He was once just an average Alvslog Deer. After their strict tradition lead to his family's preventable deaths, he would leave, become a wealthy industrialist and return to seek his revenge. Notably, he poses such a massive, existencial threat to them that an entire prophecy was devoted to stopping him.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Rauche seeks revenge on his Alvslog Deer realm, and the Alvslog Deer as a whole, for the deaths of his family as a result of their traditions. His rampage is such a threat to them that an entire prophecy is devoted to stopping it.
Thicket
King Aspen, the Heart of Thicket
- See his folder entry here.
Queen Hazel, the Beloved Mother
- See her folder entry here.
Crown-Prince Bramble
Prince Bramble is the son of King Aspen and his wife Queen Hazel, and is the heir to his father's throne.
- Canon Foreigner: Like King Aspen and Captain Blackthorn, he's from the IDW comics.
- Divine Parentage: King Aspen is his father and a "Godling", while Queen Hazel, his mother, is a demigoddess. This makes him a demi-divine fawn.
- Family Theme Naming: He and his parents are named after trees and plants. In his case, he's named after the bramble, a rough, tangled, and prickly shrub that produces berries.
- Fantastic Racism: One of the ways his father influenced him. The Mane Six noted that he acted very snooty towards them when they visited Thicket, and looked down on them for being Ponies.
- Harmful to Minors: He was kidnapped by the corrupt Minotaur businessman Well-To-Do, and used as a bargaining chip to force King Aspen into being essentially Well-To-Do's slave in exchange for his son's safety, with subtle threats that an "accident" would befall Bramble if Aspen didn't comply. Some suspected that Well-To-Do would've killed the young fawn anyway and continued using Aspen as his slave, given Well-To-Do's corrupt and sociopathic nature. Fortunately, Bramble was rescued by helpful ponies, but the incident was worryingly noted to have a incredibly traumatic impact on him, to the point where he's at risk of becoming like his father in mindset.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: After he was kidnapped, Well-To-Do threatened to have an "accident" befall Bramble if King Aspen didn't comply with his demands, forcing the royal stag to become the Minotaur's slave in exchange for his son's safety. Some people suspected that Well-To-Do would've killed Bramble anyway and kept Aspen in slavery, given Well-To-Do's corrupt and sociopathic character, which made Bramble's rescue by helpful ponies all the more fortunate.
- Semi-Divine: He has a partial divine heritage by virtue of being the son of King Aspen, who sired him sometime after Ascending to godhood and founding the Alvslog Deer realm of Thicket in Everfree.
Captain Blackthorn
- Canon Foreigner: Like King Aspen and Prince Bramble, he's from the IDW comics.
- Mistaken Identity: Due to having the same name as the Changeling Emperor Blackthorn, he was imprisoned and put under heavy scrutiny for a few days, constantly prodded by the royal family's Seers and Druids to see if he was actually the Changeling Deity in disguise. Emperor Blackthorn reportedly considered it humorous when he found out.Emperor Blackthorn: "We are very much amused."
- Reasonable Authority Figure: He's far more reasonable than his divine leader, the close-minded, self-righteous, and xenophobic King Aspen. When Prince Bramble was kidnapped by Well-To-Do and Aspen essentially became the Minotaur's slave to ensure his son's safety, Blackthorn willingly teamed up with Fluttershy in summoning Thicket's animal population as an army to tip the scales in the heroes' favor. This is rather impressive considering the Alvslog Deer Herds' xenophobia against non-Deer.
