Fantasy World Cultures Questions Thread

While I have several projects I work on simultaneously (when I can be bothered) I'll use the one that is essentially Heian period Japan (albeit a fictional/mythical version):

The Subjugation of Northern Barbarians. While the conflict was inconclusive, it was effectively attempted genocide against the collective of tribes, which had long been a pain in the collective side of the Capital. The samurai built skull-pyramids in every village they razed from the heads of decapitated foes (women and children included). The extraordinary nature of the conflict is highlighted by this, as normally male heads would be used to determine battle achievements and loot. This campaign was beyond any personal glory, it was merely extermination. Nobody is entirely sure who or what was trigger for it.

In regards to effects, it effectively created an even stronger alliance of tribes in the northern reaches of the land, which is now in something of a cold war with the Capital.

Same question.

edited 10th Jun '16 1:31:09 AM by TerminusEst

In my World of Funny Animals, something along those lines had happened.

The Mouse Hunt. It had happened over 1000 years ago before the beginning of the series, when a great flood had washed over the country of Chestnut. Many a-folk had drowned and lost their lives in the flood and many searched for a reason, a cause for their Gods to want to wash them away. There were many people who had said it was just nature and that disasters just happened. Others, that it was a test of the Gods. But then, someone had decided to blame it all immediately put the blame on the Mice-not just a Mouse, but all Mice in general.

Mice were taken from their homes and murdered on the streets. Rocks were thrown at them, their possessions burned to the ground, people started paying others to kill them and drive them from their town. They were even used as sacrifices to the large Predators outside of towns, like the Foxes or Owls.

To this day, you'll almost never see a Mouse outside of their city-said cities being built around/inside/behind giant walls. Mice are not seen in the most positive of light either, often being seen as 'Plagues' or 'Harbingers of Death'. A mouse is sooner pushed away by another creature as oppose to being accepted, even if they've done nothing wrong. Likewise, Mice are very Xenophobic and are not trusting of others easily. Mice who leave the safety of their homes are branded as 'crazy' and labeled as 'dead'.

Are there any rules of war in your world, like the Geneva Convention? Anything no side is aloud to use or do during times of war?

In the land of Arcania, much of the 'rules' of war is based on honor. Whether the enemy has the honor to treat captured war prisoners with dignity depends on the one in charge. The most brutal kingdoms such as Thorn and Azyreth will not abide by such pesky 'rules' when dealing with the enemy. To them, what would be the point of giving prisoners rights when they are clearly undeserving. Other places, such as Silversun ^note at least before Crispin Walker took over and New Howland are much more honorable and treat captured prisoners with the dignity they deserve, as long as they aren't too dangerous. Then you have a place like Ryceraus, land of the Great Apes, who are unlikely to take prisoners on the account that they brutally dismember anyone who seems to be even vaguely a threat. The same could be said for the land of Terrum, a scorching desert that most Lizardmen call home. They're more likely to feast on those they capture than anything else.

What are the races in your world, and how do they normally interact with each other?

edited 13th Jul '16 11:17:50 PM by UltimateLazer

Well, in one book I'm writing (or at least trying to), the physical world has only humans, but in the Spirit World there's a variety of sentient races.

• The damasce are the most numerous and bizzare in appearance, with bajilion legs, hands, eyes of different species, beaks, teeth and what have you. They have something of a society, in that they rarely live or travel together, but meet and exchange news fairly often. They mostly hunt other spirit world creatures, but aren't above asking them when they need something.
• The cyclopes are large, one-eyed creatures on long, stilt-like legs, hunched and with multiple mechanical appendages on their backs. They are very few and far apart - as a matter of fact, there could be only one or two left in existence. They can live for thousands of years before falling apart. They spend their time gazing into the future and are adept manipulators of other creatures, trying to push them into the time-path they want to happen.
• The rapatskin are smaller than cyclopes, but larger than damasce, with body of a spider, front claws of a mantis, human head and sharp fangs. They have a raging superiority complex and hunt all other creatures, especially sapient ones, with glee. Bad at cooperation.
• The hiisii usually look like patterns of green light, but can also possess plants and control them. They exist in both physical and spirit world. They're the only spirit worlders to band together into packs, called clans, and can be wildly protective of each other. They're on the menu of most spirit worlders, so they often hide from them when alone, and hunt them down when in group.
• The Ones of Lightning are... kind of formless, abstract... somethings. They're shapeshifters who occupy the lowest layer of Spirit World, the Lightning Cities, and wield powerful magic. They mostly want to take over the damasce and cleanse the rest of the spirit world so that they'd stop annoying them, but are so far stuck in the Cities, where only damasce and cyclopes know about and fear them.

How did the country your story takes place in (or focuses on) come to be?

Sanctiros is the main continent of my world, around the size of the North American continent. 1000 years prior to the start of my story, it was once united by a great conqueror known as Manticos the Bright, whose empire lasted for 300 years before being divided by civil war. 500 years prior, another conqueror known as Aldric almost succeeded in uniting the continent once more, but was assassinated and replaced by Jadeus, who built the empire in his place. However, it was once again divided after just one generation due to the Tyranny of Jadeus II, and the lords who participated in the rebellion divided the land among them. My story take place first in the land of Millieos, which is directly in the center of the continent. The rulers of Millieos are the descendants of Queen Maria, who was the sister of Jadeus II who assisted the rebellion and was rewarded the small patch of land. Knowing that the lack of farmland, mines, natural barriers as well as low population means zero chance of ever rebuilding the past empire, Queen Maria advocated a diplomatic approach to the countries around it, making many military alliances.

The second setting is the land of Courones, laying just south of Millieos. Unlike Milleos, Courones is surrounded by all sides by natural barriers as well as bountiful mines . This is mostly due to the wisdom of lord Robert Couron, who noticed that peace would be impossible due to the more aggressive lords, and that before long there would be another conqueror like Jadeus, Thus, with the assistance of his wife Caroline Crevas Richelieu, who was smarter than he is, chose a place best suited to defend themselves. The natural barriers meant Courones was hard to invade, with the mines meaning they could manufacture plenty of weapons. Caroline was knowledgeable in agriculture due to interaction with farmers, thus fixed the issue occurring from the lack of farm lands. The main form of defense is deterrence, building up quite a powerful army as well as avoiding conflict as much as possible. This led to Courones being the third most powerful country that could easily fight of any invaders.

What are some of the folk tales or superstition that is common among the peasant folk?

Well, that's a lot of interesting questions lately.

What are the races in your world, and how do they normally interact with each other?

• Humans are the dominant race in the world, making up the overwhelming majority of the population.

• Sorcerers are members of the few human bloodlines gifted with magic. They can be encountered in every layers of society, from rulers and advisors to village witches and hermits. However, they are often the first to take the blame whenever there's something wrong.

• Werewolves are men who can take the form of a monstrous wolflike humanoid, at will, but only during night. In this form they are formidable combattants, able to wield enormous weapons, and vulnerable only to silver. One becomes a werewolf by drinking the blood of another werewolf ; it is also the only way to avoid death after being bitten by a werewolf. Most werewolf clans practice banditry, mercenary work, or simply live off the land away from humans.

• Abominations are undead humanoids who crave blood and possess mind-controlling powers. They are the result of a person dying from a werewolf bite without their body being burned afterward. They are even more formidable than werewolves, as long as they are not exposed to sunlight. Werewolves hate abominations and will readily hunt them down whenever encountered.

• Wights are mindless, murderous undead encountered in the Unhallowed Lands. People who die in this region rise the next night as a wight, unless their body is burned. They usually appear one at a time and do not pose much danger, but when an epidemic strikes thousands of them roam the land.

• Elves are mysterious creature living deep in unexplored forests. Little is known of them, but they are rumored to be immortal and to know extremely powerful magic that they use to defend their forest should men threaten them. Humans constantly encroach on their forests, while at the same time being deathly afraid of them.

How did the country your story takes place in (or focuses on) come to be?

Legend says the Unhallowed Lands used to be a large elven forest, until it was conquered by a human king. His armies fought the magical defenders summoned by the elves and won. In the final battle he captured all the remaining elves and put them to the sword. Then he razed the entire forest. But before their defeat, the elves gathered at the center of the forest and performed a powerful ritual, laying a curse on the entire land that has kept the dead from resting since then.

What are some of the folk tales or superstition that is common among the peasant folk?

A particularly popular tale, which has also been adapted into many a bard song, tells of a man whose village was preyed on by a werewolf clan. One day, with the help of loyal companions, the man trapped one of the werewolves and bled it. Then he snuck into the castle where the werewolves resided, drank the werewolf's blood to become a werewolf himself and slaughtered all the werewolves inside, freeing his village. Many versions exist, differing on details like how the hero dies in the end (usually from wounds sustained in the fight or by committing suicide) if at all, whether his companions also took part in the attack, or how he acquired the silvered weapon he uses in his rampage. Making the hero an ancestor of the lord you're trying to please is also a popular variation.

There also are a number of tales and superstitions surrounding the elves. How on some nights they ride out of their forest en masse and anyone who lays eyes upon their procession goes mad. How they kidnap unattended babies to be their servants. How, if you see an elf when you're in their forest, you'll die before the end of the year. Or how, if you hear footsteps behind you at night, it means an elf is following you and you absolutely must not look behind you.

What places are sacred in your world's religion(s)?

The Shrine of Azrael, located atop the Wynter Mountains. It is dedicated to Azrael, who became known as the God King after he harnessed magic on a level only seen by the Gods. During the Great Gods War, which happened a few millennia ago between Tyranous and Euthepious (among others), where the land of Arcania was the battlefield, it was Azrael who was able to restore the seal that separated the worlds apart from each other, the Gods were back in their own plane of existence were they belonged, and Tyranous was defeated. To this day people worship Azrael for having saved Arcania from the Gods, and is viewed as a man who became a God. This shrine was built atop the tallest mountains in Arcania, as that was where he originally hailed from. This is where people pray to Azrael for strength and forgiveness, and group of monks guard the location with magic that is believed to have been granted by their god Azrael.

What are the Deliberate Values Dissonance's that separate your world from ours?

edited 14th Jul '16 10:51:22 AM by UltimateLazer

Ohhh boy, let see:

With Dakhory, first they workship the Twilight lord as their supreme leader and almost god king and their decision are law, LAW I SAID, for them all other kings are just "governors" who dosent even know greatnest of the twilight lord.

But when it come to religion they actualy very tolerant, as long they dont denied the twilight lord rule they can workship whatever they like and actualy fairly suporty of it, more than our world actually.

Now one of the mayor issue other people have will be incest with the royal line, you see Dakhory need a special ritual to get a baby, being infertile until that happen, therefore is not uncomon for many family to be very clost with each other as they see marrige as buissnes proposal.

Also, because of this only noble have last name, everyone else have a very city-state going on.

Same question because it was very intersting

Thanks for giving me a chance to share my ideas on this.

There are several ways Arcania is separate morally from our own. The first is that any king (or anyone of high status for that matter) is allowed to have as many wives as he desires. Many in the real world would see this as weird, if not wrong. However, many of these cases are Happily Married. A perfect example is King Jelani Walker of Silversun, who has two wives with Pandora and Penelope. He's widely known as "The Kind King" for his benevolence. The fact that he has two wives means nothing to most, and all three involved are happy with each other. There's also the fact that the king giving in to temptation and cheating on his lovers, while not considered good, isn't exactly seen as being completely amoral like it is in real life. That's exactly what King Jelani did when he was away at war, he gave into his inner desires with a prostitute, and in turn brought back a daughter named Lara. She grew up despised by both of her "mothers" due to her being a permanent reminder that their husband cheated on them.

Another aspect are the elves. The idea that you Can't Argue with Elves doesn't exist here — decades ago, many elves served as slaves until the new king of Solace, the capital of Arcania, ruled that slavery was illegal. The old prejudices haven't gone away, and as such a lot of people, including characters that are mostly on the side of good, are at the very least a little bit racist towards them. Elf nobles do exist, but many still see elves on the whole as second-class citizens who don't deserve any better. Additionally, many elves feel a sort of Cultural Cringe, wishing that they were human instead. That said, this mainly applies to places where elves are minorities. The Elven Kingdoms located in the deep forests of Aylen are elves that live free lives devoid of prejudice against them. It should be noted though that elf slaves were originally sold to humans by elf slave owners from Aylen.

What are the royal families in your setting and what exactly do they do?

edited 16th Jul '16 9:01:42 PM by UltimateLazer

There are four "key" royal families in the world of my story: the a'Hallas, the an Rashis, the Sherehazis and the Sarnovs.

The head of a'Halla family is the king of Salgaard, while their spouse - Salgaard practices absolute primogeniture - is the duke or duchess of Halla, the lands from which the family comes. The king is responsible for shaping the foreign policy of the kingdom and is nominally the head of various National Councils - their equivalent of ministries/departments - that run the kingdom on day-to-day basis. The king has to approve of all the decisions made by the NatCouns before they can be put to practice, and also presides over the Sarate, the occasional grand meeting of all Salgaardian nobles where important national decision are made. While the king can accept or disagree with Sarate's decisions, the latter is frowned upon. The king is the head of the army and while they're not expected to lead it into battle, they take part in forming strategies and the like. The heir to the king is expected to perform diplomatic functions, either as an ambassador or negotiator, while younger children traditionally serve in the army.

The an Rashi family rules over Razen. The kingdom is practically a twin of Salgaard - the two are actually going to unite into one country over the next twenty years, via a marriage of a'Halla and an Rashi heirs - so the an Rashi king's job is very similar to that of a'Halla's. The only difference is that in Razen, deputies of high noble families are responsible for the Taarias - their ministries - so the king is not as involved in day-to-day management of the kingdom. The heir to the throne is expected to travel a lot and get to know the land and its people, while the younger child is sent either to the military or into diplomatic service.

Both the a'Halla and the an Rashi king, as well as an Rashi princes, are the highest judges - anyone can apply to them to pass judgement on any matter, but the application must be sufficiently justified, because the king and princes can decline to act as the judge if they feel the case is too trival.

The Scherehazi family are rulers of the Principality of Tosch. Tosch has a House of Lords and House of Commons, and the job of Scherehazi Prince is to preside over both, moderating the discussion and calling for voting session. They also visit various social occasions, act as a focus for national morale and are formally the leaders of the military, though in practice it's pretty much just a formal position.

The Sarnov family are the rulers of the Sarnovian Empire. The Empire is an absolute theocracy, and every Emperor is believed to be an avatar of the Sun, which the Sarnovians worship. The "family" is actually just the Emperor/Empress and their heir, as they don't marry and the younger children^note by concubines are raised as servants in the Imperial Palace. In practice, the Emperors' function is purely ceremonial - they're supposed to simply show themselves and receive worship, as well as preside in silence over all proceedings of the Imperial Council. The involvement of the Emperor and the heir - who's kept hidden until the previous Emperor's death - in behind-the-scenes politics of the Palace varies depending on the Emperor. The current one is fairly adept at pulling bureaucrats' strings, but his heir doesn't care much for it.

What is the main trade route in the country of your story? Any important places it goes through? What's the most common good being transported through it?

edited 16th Jul '16 2:14:54 PM by Kakai

(well, it died again)

The most busy trade route runs along the southeastern coast. It connects the five Draconic Exile city-states, as well as several of their allied Free Cities. All kind of goods travel there.

The second most important trade route crosses the Draconic Kingdom, from the larges mines in the west to the harbors in the east. Steel and silver go east, food comes back west.

Who is the most powerful person? What would happen if they died?

is that a setting question? it feel more a chararter related one

The question is about the top dog in the setting: a king, an emperor, maybe an powerful wizard, you see the picture.

Across this desert-setting I'm working on, there's multiple monarchs who hold power in their own domain. It's not exactly equally distributed power, but the monarchs all don't mind the other as long as they don't provoke an attack from another.

The most powerful in the setting is the main antagonist, King Wessam, who controls his own territory, as well as 9 other territories in his name with the acting 'rulers' just being his generals.

If he were to, say, die somehow, then the 10 territories he controls would be engulfed in wars. Civil Wars would break out and any order that came from the anarchy would start waging war on the other territories to try and engulf other territories into their newly-obtained borders.

Any kind of racism in your setting, Fantastical or otherwise?

Well yeah. In fact, racism is touched upon quite a lot in most of my series

edited 30th Dec '16 10:11:13 PM by ewolf2015

Racism is pretty rampant in my setting, with both ends receiving it. Demi-humans are human-like with animal features, such as centaurs or mermaids, and are generally treated as either monsters or barbaric. Elves are the pretentious hippies that would look down on humans for their lack of spiritualism. On the other hand, despite elves being divided into two groups, the fair-skinned and blonde day elves and the dark-skinned and silver haired night elves, there isn't any racism between the two groups at all. The most racist group are the fairies, who are supremacists and look down on all groups, and driven to the point of extinction by other groups when the chance came up. Between the fair-folk(distinct from the fairies), the only form of racism comes in stereotypes, and actual discrimination are more common among the older generation. Humans treat demi-humans similarly to how the Europeans treated their colonies during the age of exploration, and the fair-folk as the more mysterious and magical beings.

However, in the south lies the republic of Verenigrad, the country that all the races live in peace, with tolerance of all religion. As long as you identify as a citizen and are willing to follow the country's law, you will be treated as an equal, and any form of discrimination are dealt with severely. This originated from the state's founding, where a group of refugees from multiple races escaped and settled down at the southern lands from the great war that teared through the continent, which grew as more refugees joined. They were led by the great hero Veren, who kept the group united and peaceful, against all odds, and built a country from scratch with the settlers. Obviously, if Deven wanted to be king, he would have zero dissenters, but he believes monarchy as a faulty method of ruling, and stared a republic instead to ensure fairness.

What are the most notable conflicts in your setting and how did they affect the relationship between the countries?

there's a few

• in kaiego, the ice tribe had notable rivalry with the fire tribe way back during inter-tribal wars period. some disrupts derived themselves from debates on whether stream should be frozen or melted. (stupid i know.)
  • another one was a long lasting territorial conflicts between the beasani and the troll people of the feral wilds.

If you answer you must ask a new question.

The two largest wars in recent history were both civil wars, but they did affect the relationships between countries nonetheless.

The Draconic War of Religion led to the exile of numerous followers of the "heretic" religion, who fled across the Narrow Sea and founded the settlements who would go on to become the powerful Free Cities.

The collapse of the Magi Empire, a war of succession that turned into a rebellion against the ruling families, left the elven territories disunited and in shambles, and the imperial capital ruined. The power vacuum led to a complete redistribution of power. The Draconic Kingdom became, by default, the most powerful country on the Narrow Sea. The Draconic Exile cities gained commercial and naval influence. And a tribe of Wargs took advantage of the situation to found a kingdom in what was the heart of the empire.

Describe one of the religions in your setting. What are its core beliefs? What are some of its traditions and customs? Does it have holidays?

edited 1st Jan '17 7:01:05 AM by Aetol

One of the religions that sprung up in my post-post-apocalyptic Earth is called Sealism ("seal" as in "stamp", not the animal), and is based on what people know about magic. Sealists worship a being called Master of Seals, whom they considered to be not an actual deity, but an immensely powerful alien being that had spent millions of years hunting down the Eldritch Abominations that have caused the Earth to undergo the Apocalypse. Sealists believe that the magic appeared on Earth because the Master, in an attempt to rescue mankind, has forged a connection between men and the ether, where magic comes from, and mankind's triumph over the Elder Gods has forever bound the Master to Earth. In this context, sorcerers are seen as somewhat elevated - and therefore saddled with more responsibility - than regular men, as the Master of Seals has touched them directly. Hence why Sealism is sometimes called "sorcerers' faith".

Sealism is very much an "internal" faith, focused on a believer's personal relationship with the Master - a Sealists is encouraged to have conversations with the Master and trust in him. It doesn't have holidays or masses, and the only commonly accepted rule is to avoid using magic for "unclean" purposes - meaning, for example, that Mundane Utility is just fine, but using magic to commit crimes is a no-no.

Do people in your story celebrate some sort of non-religious holiday (Real Life examples - New Year's Eve, 4th of July in the US)? What is it, how is it celebrated, where did it come from?

The nation of Hayastan(Name still subject to change), as well as the surrounding territories of Westmount and Esterwall, jointly celebrate 'Bridge Day', although the customs vary between them all. Bridge Day actually lasts about a week, and celebrates the Armistice between the three nations from the Stone Wars, as well as the 50th and 100th anniversary of the armistice. The day takes its names from the anniversaries, during which two bridges had been built across the river that cuts through Hayastan.

The dragons tribes of Westmount and Esterwall, who primarily gained the right to cross through Hayastan, celebrate with Crossings, in which they cross over the bridges and into each other's territory, where the tribes will meet (With the side alternating each year). There the tribes congregate and engage in ritual skirmishes, sport contests, storytelling, and general gossip. Some dragons may be invited to leave one tribe for another, usually through gift-giving and egregious compliments, and new tribe members are greeted. It's treated mainly as a social holiday, giving distant friends a chance to catch up. It's also customary for the tribes that make that years crossing to purchase Water Buffalo and other foodstuffs to present to the hosting territory for feasting.

The humans of Hayastan, who mainly gained access to the mineral resources of Westmount and Esterwall, celebrate with festivals, especially in the two Bridge Cities. The festivals including dancing and music, recreations of some of the great battles of the Stone Wars, and feasts. The stone that crossing dragon tribes pay for their food with is used by better-off families for stone carving, the results of which are displayed proudly outside the home for the duration of the festivals. More rural areas of the country will use wood instead, but the traditions remain largely the same.

The dragon community within Hayastan have their own set of traditions, mostly derived from the Westmount and Esterwall traditions, but modified, and with some human elements. Because they have no crossings to make, the various tribes within a city will instead congregate for the sport contests and storytelling. Skirmishes are usually forbidden by the town authorities, so they've been replaced with contests of bravado and bragging—essentially talking up how good they would be in a fight, without ever actually getting to the fighting itself. There's also community stonecarving, the results of which are typically donated to the city. It's also used as a time to formally induct new members into tribes. Inductees are given a special meal of water buffalo that's been coated in a paste of rice and herbs, and baked by their new tribe members. The inductee is traditionally expected to do the work of making the paste and cutting the meat themselves, and is supposed to not know why, but the traditions has been going for long enough that most new dragons are aware of what's going on.

What is your country known for in the setting, to other countries? Are they respected for it, resented, or somewhere in between?

Trionard is a politically neutral country that refrains from engaging in military conflicts between other countries on the continent. It's natural barriers such as mountain ranges, deadly forests and large rivers make it nigh impossible to invade, especially against soldiers who are trained in said terrain. Trionard has economic ties with several countries, and its neutral status means that it would continue to maintain these ties even if said countries went to war. The countries surrounding Trionard has learned to leave Trionard alone after getting their ass kicked. Dractain has been itching to invade Trionard for while, faking friendly relations in order to prepare their invasion plan.

What are some of the heroic figures in your setting and the myths surrounding them?

edited 12th Jan '17 4:53:46 AM by Ikedatakeshi

In a book i'm writing, the fynari people tell to their younglings and larvae the tape of how the kaiego came to be. In this tale, the first of them formed when a great plague threaten to wipe them out through. By the efforts of the kaiego, the sun had risen once again and land returned to it's former glory. During the course of time, the tale would update itself, adding another chapter to the long encompassing saga that the elders believed would last for centuries to come. Unfortunately, after the kaiegos' help were no longer needed, the people had moved with their lives. They still remembered the great feats the mighty kaiego had done but it was long since forgotten.

Now that a new group of kaiego have came to the call, maybe, just maybe, the legends would be told once more.

does your culture have an idea of family? if so, how is it different from our own?

The humans have a family model that roughly aligns with our own. The main differences come down to being medieval, if middle-eastern medieval rather than western medieval. The dragons within and around the country, however, have a rather different 'family' model.

Dragons will have, on average, three children in their life time, and will rear one at a time. Because Mature Dragons are territorial and solitary by nature, Mothers rear the children (called whelps) alone for about five years, then send them off. Before sending them off, however, the mother will give them a gift they she made together with the father, as part of the mating process. As dragons believe that all the world belongs to all dragons, their parents' gift is considered to be the one thing a dragon will ever truly 'own', and they're taken very seriously. The firstborn child is given a gift of the finest materials the parents had gathered, while the secondborn is given one of less value, and the third of less value still. Any children that are born fourth or later are given no gift. Birth order is something taken very seriously in dragon culture, to the degree where they have a system of honourifics to denote it: Firstborn dragons prefix their name with Ko, secondborn with Tor, and third with Sal. Fourthborn use Bek, which is shared with orphans and whelps who were abandoned at birth.

The whelps are still juvenile when they leave their mother, and while they can survive alone, they haven't yet developed their isolationist tendencies. As a result, Juveniles (Aged 5-20) and Adolescents (Aged 20-80) will group together into tribes, which contain 10-15 juveniles and 1-3 adolescents at a time. There's no official system of leadership, but the oldest adolescents tend to be treated as the leader, or at least as a sort of surrogate parental figure. Kos tend to be afforded more authority, both among adolescents and juveniles, though it's not unheard of for Tors and even Sals to be treated as the leaders. Beks, however, will virtually always be on the bottom of the totem pole, if they're allowed into a tribe at all—Juveniles have to petition for membership in a tribe, and are usually required to pass some kind of test. The tests are often laughably minor as long as the tribe isn't too large, but some tribes will show preference for the children of former tribe members.

Dragons will usually leave the tribe when they're ready to begin mating, which ranges from ages 65-75. At this point they will start to grow more independent and isolationist. In some rare cases, however, adolescents will return to the tribe after they have left their child. Although this is uncommon, the returning dragon is let in unconditionally, which is a sign of how strong the tribal bonds are. Ultimately a tribe is the closest comparison to family dragons have. They live together, work together and grow together, and the bonds remain even when they've matured and retreated into isolation. In fact, it's believed that the tribal stage of their life occurs specifically to form these bonds, and keep mature dragons from killing each other over territorial disputes.

How was your setting first formed, or how to the people believe it was formed? How does this origin influence the setting at the time of the story?

When the universe tree was young, seeds from of it's branches fall down towards the soil below. The dirt warped them in nurturing warmth, which cascaded them with heat. The seeds slowly formed into beings. They were formless blobs with no indefinite shape. The beings began to shift in shape when they long for an identity. Thus, they changed from blobs into more humanoid beings.

The first to form was Rosana, the ani'kai of spirits. The second that followed her was Violus, ani'kai of the ocean. The third had become Sylvania, Ani'kai of the forest and the fourth turned into Tigaus, Ani'kai of fire. Finally, Su'long was the last to form, becoming the Ani'kai of the wind. The 5 Ani'kai gathered together to forge magea and it's people, the fynari.

So, how does all of this play into the setting? It's a plot point that I hate to spoil for everyone but here it goes. The universe tree is the one thing that's keeping the balance between the material realm and the ethereal realm. If the tree was ever to grow weak, the gate that divided the two realms would break. The resulting shattering would Set free the eldritch beings that resided in that realm, destroying the material realm as we know it.

does your society have any issue with same sex couples?

edited 14th Jan '17 5:10:13 PM by ewolf2015

In the fantasy setting that I have, it depends on the religion. Hagism doesn't have anything against same-sex couples, working under the assumption that their god, the sun, is blind to gender (being as it is a giant celestial body). Some more fundamentalist priests refuse to marry same-sex couples, though, as they often interpret the writings of the Avatars as defining marriage as "person of one sex marrying a person of another sex".

The Path of Spirits is all about self-discovery and self-development, and the spirits in question have all manners of genders and orientations, so in the eyes of the Path adherents, restricting people to only an opposite-sex relationship would be a sin of enslavement.^note The Path has four types of sins - self-delusion, narcissism, enslavement and uncleanliness.

The Renbritters are opposed to same-sex couples, and they believe that gay means trans, because in their view, the universe is perfectly symmetrical and to have a same-sex couple would disrupt the harmony. While this doesn't impact the general public, as renbritters are a minority religion, homosexuals born in renbritter families are forced into the social role of the opposite gender.

Tell us a myth or a legend from your world.