Fantasy Setting Summer Dawn - Lore

[SilverFlight]

Welcome to the world of Bryn...

Disclaimer: This thread will deal with controversial subjects like slavery, social inequality, racism and classism. Those who are not comfortable exploring these issues should refrain from applying.
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• The Lands
• The People
• The Magic
• Systems of Governance
• Houses and Clans
• Our Story So Far...

• 
  
  The world as a whole has been given many names, but in the common tongue it is called Bryn. The entire globe is divided, half is cast in a forever night, while the other half is in perpetual daytime. Needless to say the creatures and peoples of these lands have adapted, some developing better lowlight vision and sense of smell, others having improved eyesight in high light conditions. The plants have also adapted, providing food without light in Cyndara, though the variation is much greater in Summena.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sumenna
  
  The summerlands are wonderous, verdant, light-filled places. They are lush forests, golden plains and fertile fields and orchards. Even the swamps and marshes that exist to the south by Shoreglov forest are filled with the most exotic and amazing plants and the most brightly-coloured animals. There are glittering white cities and shining blue lakes and everything is bathed in sweet sunlight all the time. The summerlands are picturesque in almost every way and it is easy for the people who live there to believe they are blessed. The food grown there is sweet and wonderful and the economy is centered around the trade of luxury goods: silks, fine fruits, gold and gemstones. There are very few in Summena that lack the basic necessities, most of those that do not have, live in the lower rungs of the great cities. Generally, it is easy to begin a small farm almost anywhere there is a plot of free land, for those with little enough pride to take up farming.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Cyndara
  
  It is said the Mystlands are all the dark and cold places, where the Summer king’s light does not go. The plants there are not green, and there are many dangerous creatures that lurk in the shadows. They are called the mystlands because of the mists that creep about the edge of the Half-Sun Hills obscuring the true land beyond, protecting it, some say, from the harsh, greedy gazes of the sun people. It is always night there. However, the mystlands are not without beauty: Cynda’s eye casts a wonderous, pearlescent light down upon her people, and she has dotted the sky with points to help them find their way. She created trees with glowing fruits and lightning bugs and a magical assortment of the most amazing creatures. The wonders of the mystlands are known only to Cyndarans, and very closely-guarded secrets. The Sumennans believe that they are called the mystlands because of the mist barrier that lies at the edge of the land, however “Myst” is also an old wood elvish word for magic and so, to the Cyndarans, it means something very different. Food is not so easily farmed in Cyndara, the vast tract of forest that takes up most of the central land does not like to be cleared. Generally, it fights back. The denizens of Cyndara have learned to respect this and have taken to foraging and hunting, which, given the forest's bountiful flora and fauna this can sustain a large number of tribes very easily. The mystlands contain healing herbs that can cure any ailment. The people create music so wonderful it would bring anyone who hears it to tears of joy. The Cyndarans help one another and build their lives to fit in harmoniously with those of their neighbours. Their trade is more modest; in good food and medicines, hardy tools and of course, their musical instruments.
  
  
  
  The Half-Sun Hills
  
  Separating the two lands it a strip of land bathed in a sun that is constantly on the horizon. The gold light spills forth over rolling grassy hills, from the bright summer grasslands to the edge of the mysts shielding Cyndara from view. This sunset land takes half a day’s hard gallop to cross and is considered to belong to none but the gods. No one settled there and it is forbidden to enter there by both peoples. As you ride one way or the other the sun seems as if it is rising or setting, to be completely up or down whether you have reached Sumenna or Cyndara.
  
  
  
  

  
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  The Cyndaran Town of Delan
  Home to a tribe of wood elves and a small collection of other races, this town is a trading hub because it possesses one of the seven node crystals that are scattered about Cyndara. These crystals give off a stunningly bright light that grows bright and fades on a 12 mark cycle. The crystals radiate pure energy and keep darker, more violent creatures at bay. The wood elves guard this treasure well, for it brings them safety and prosperity. There was a time when this hub belonged to several orc tribes, but time and politics wore down the borders and the elves quickly moved in to take the coveted land.
  The town is partially on the ground with the market square, crystal tree and temple firmly planted on the soil. many of the houses are aloft in the tops of giant trees and tied together by an intricate web of wooden walkways and rope bridges.
  
  Spoiler: Delan

  
  
  The Sumennan City of Brynson
  Brynson is a prodominantly human city, rules by one of the three main houses that gave the city its name. Brynson is walled and sits on the edge of a vast lake, surrounded on all sides by the Summer Plains. It is very well fortified. Brynson is built of various districts, very different in their construction and their level of wealth. The Serving Quarter is the poorest, and houses slaves, servants and those less fortunate than that. the houses are wood and most of them are worn and ragged. The streets are cracked and grass and flowers grow everywhere. The second level up is the Merchants Quarter, filled with well-built houses and mansions, stone streets lines with trees and beds of flowers. The central district is the Noble's Quarter and is by far the most grandiose, with decorated squares and fine statues, fountains and gilded gates. The castle sits at the quarter's center and houses the family of Brynson, leaders of the city. There is also a theater quarter and this is a mix, the theater itself is very well kept, with lesser merchant houses scattered about its periphery.
  
  Spoiler: Serving Quarter

  
  
  
  Spoiler: Merchant's and Noble's Quarters

  
  
  
  Spoiler: The Theater District

  
  
  
  Spoiler: The Docks

  
  
  Gideon lives in the Merchant's Quarter, his mansion is set in the middle of walled grounds, set with a willow grove and seemingly endless beds of fresh flowers. The hedges surrounding the property are high and visually it is seperated from the rest of the district.
  
  Spoiler: Gideon's mansion

  
  
  The Dwarven fortress city of Dwerstand
  The majority of Dwerstand is in a massive cavern underground, with only a few poor houses and farmsteads above ground by the massive gates, set into the mountain itself. Most of the inner city's inhabitants are fairly wealthy, Dwerstand haveing by far the largest gold and gemstone mines in all of Sumenna. The high houses of Dwerstand live in the central part of the underground city, in a castle-fortress called The Citadel. Beneath the city proper are the mines, and the shrine where the Dragon Bell is kept.
  
  
  Spoiler: Dwerstand inner city

  
  
  
  More will be added here as the story progresses...
  
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  Sumennans
  
  The Sumennans are nearly all humanoid in form, generally quite beautiful. Their land is a sun-filled utopia and so they have been taught to fear the night-drenched lands of Cyndara. Many are vain and superficial, though many are not. Their lands are filled with bustling cities and tidy-housed villages. They rule themselves by eight powerful houses, each house placed in one of the eight major cities. Though relatively few have nothing, the nobles make the laws and the eight houses possess the vast majority of the wealth of Sumenna. In the summer lands being ugly is nearly a crime, and those without beauty are sent to the lowest rungs of society. Sumennan magic is centered around the sun, around heat, light and fire, though all variations exist, and there are both magical and non-magical people. Many Sumennans are trained to fight, the premise being to protect their lands from potential Cyndaran attacks, however the houses often employ these forces for their own petty bickering, and involve many innocent lives in their feuding. House wars are common. The higher-ranked nobles and tradesmen commonly employ slavery, the slaves often being the less humanoid citizens of Sumenna, or those of conquered houses or settlements.
  
  The Sumennans worship Summrbrynde, the Summer King and believe that the people of Cyndara are monsters, dark and vile and the noble houses do their best to perpetuate the most frightening stories: That they steal children, practice dark magic, that they are so ugly you could mistake them for wild beasts.
  Sumennans value precious metals and stones and these are the center of their currency and trade. The dwarves are, as a result quite wealthy people as they are the only ones willing to delve into the darkness of Sumennan mines to fetch them.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Cyndarans
  
  The Cyndarans come in all shapes and sizes and are happy with who and what they are no matter their appearance, though many are indeed quite lovely. Some can shift forms while others are the size of houses, or as small as infants. Generally, they have excellent night vision and hearing and are a much more accepting people than the Sumennans. Their societies exist in small tribes or villages, though there is a very large metropolis around the Myst Queen’s palace in the center of the land. They are a harmonious people, humble in work and deed, though there are always those who believe themselves better. They have generally been taught that the Sumennan people are arrogant and foolish and cruel, and they are to avoid them at all costs. The mystlanders are ruled by a monarch named by all as the Myst Queen, the embodiment of their creator goddess Cyndabrynde, the Mother of Spring. She is always a woman and thought she is the officially titled ruler, her presence in the system of governance is seldom needed, for the Cyndarans generally work to build their world for all. In Cyndara the ones who bring the most to their communities are the ones who are revered and celebrated and obeyed. Those that do not contribute or are selfish tend to be ostracized or excluded. Cyndaran magic is centered around things that are cool or dark: water, earth and shadow. There are shapeshifters and those that can heal, and many who possess no magical powers at all. Where the Sumennan’s try to dominate nature, the Cyndarans are very much a part of it. They befriend the creatures of the wild and live with them as friends rather than trying to make them servants. Those that wish to learn combative arts must seek out rare masters of the skill. These are often hermits, living on the outskirts of towns or villages or completely alone in the wilds of the mystlands, as fighting is looked down upon. The Cyndarans celebrate peaceful advancements, like star charting, or curing illness, or innovating new ways to farm small plots that the forest will permit.
  
  
  Spoiler: More examples of Cyndarans

  
  
  Language
  
  Generally there are many languages spoken throughout the cities, towns and villages of Bryn. It is interesting however that despite the isolation, the common tongue is still unchanged and the most frequent thing spoken in both Sumenna and Cyndara.
  
  Custom races
  
  Mythee -- Shaksran,
  also known as War djinn among other races in Sumenna.
  
  With small communities called 'bands' a little bit everywhere in Sumenna, they are a unique people with a harsh history. It tells the tale of how they began as mercenaries, but when the original band had grown too large and powerful, the world turned against them and most of their people were killed. Shaksran tradition was established wherein each city would home at most a single band so as not to impede on each other, and they would discipline their children to be soldiers for the lords of that land. Instead of being a threat to the powers of the world, Shaksran bands would be a force of order within their respective territories. If ever they were pitted against each other, the victorious band would carry on their tradition.
  
  Every two years, a grand gathering of the bands, the ‘War Circle’, would be held. Children would have the opportunity to come of age by passing a certain number of trials. The bands would discuss politics, introduce any new bands that have been formed (if any), and all ages would compete in a variety of physical competitions.
  
  They range from medium to dark skin tones and have colorful hair. In their old language, Shaksran means fire-eyes due to pigment of their irises, which can range from red-orange to yellow, so bright in hue that they would appear to glow in the sunlight. They are adapted to high heat, aside from which there are some marked differences from humans:
  Men and women are both equally predisposed to developing a stronger musculature than the average human, with no natural differences in strength. Additionally, they have a shockingly high pain threshold and natural endurance; their legends tell the tale of a Shaksran who fought a swamp dragon for six days and nights, though the average Shaksran warrior could only exert themselves uninterrupted for half of that time (which is approximately the notable human’s upper limit). In any case, one can see how they are in popular employ as soldiers even when they are not part of an official band. They live an average of 70 years.
  
  
• 
  Magic is not an all-powerful skill, generally it takes a toll, and it is limited in peopled based on the time they have trained and their mana wells which are slightly different for every person. The most powerful mage, training for 50 years is capable of setting fire to an entire village, or freezing a lake, otherwise, mages in training are generally only capable of small bursts of magic that could engulf a person and no more. magic is also energetically costly and a mage would not be able to use more than six or seven spells in a row before they would need to rest and replenish their mana. Generally, this means magic is used strategically rather than as a blunt instrument of destruction. Mages can be multi-elemental, however with each element they add to their skill set, their overall strength with the others decreases.
  
  The Sumennans, as said before, center their magical skill around heat and light. They are also masters of offensive magic and often enchant weapons or armour. Though there are water and earth mages they tend not to be as sought after as fire or light mages. Summenan’s have very little healing magic, as the art was never truly developed, so it is rare for healers to come from the summer lands.
  
  The Cyndarans are masters of water and earth magic. They can grow plants, divert rivers, dig cavernous underground temples. Their magic is used generally defensively or complimentary and seldom combatively unless they are forced. Their talents lie in healing, be it mending wounds or curing disease. They must be as dedicated to their arts as the Summennans to obtain full power.
  
  Magical and mythical creatures
  
  There are vastly different creatures between the two lands, but many in both are big and dangerous. You will find dragons, gryphons, unicorns, karkadaans, wyverns, direwolves, basilisks and an assortment of imps, ghouls, demons and elementals. Both lands are dangerous to travel in places and attacks by wild or magical animals are not uncommon, though the Sumennan people are more likely to go out and slay a dragon, and the Cyndarans are more likely to drive it off or just avoid it, because of this Cyndara has gained the reputation as being the more wild and savage land, though only to those that don’t understand how to live in it. There are creatures that can be trained or befriended, but these are generally no larger than a horse or a bear. Dragons are not trainable for example (despite popular belief), and make terrible pets.
  
  
• 
  
  Sumenna
  
  The Sumennans are a highly political people. The eight houses rule, however are consistently making and breaking alliances and vying for the most powerful standing. Though this is generally reserved for nobles, they are not above goading the lower classes into defending and supporting them. The eight houses are more or less divided by race with the three most powerful being one each of high elf, dwarf and human.
  There are three other elven houses, another human and one fairy house that are considered major players in the political game. It is not uncommon for houses to send very discreet assassins to take care of troublesome competitors. Heirs are guarded obsessively, as they are both keys to persistence and the best ways to make alliances. Marriage matches amongst the heirs of noble houses are never the choice of the heirs themselves.
  
  The religion is followed with great pomp and circumstance, though generally only lip service is paid, with little to no attention to the actual teachings of fairness, generosity and selflessness. The deviation from the teachings tends to run in line with the accumulation of wealth, with the highest houses being the most likely to show up for services, but the least likely to help someone in need.
  Punishment is strict in Sumenna, with petty crime like theft sometimes earning a death sentence depending on the circumstances. The courts are often swayed by political alliances and it is a public secret that they are used as play pieces in the great political game.
  
  Cyndara
  
  Cyndarans are vastly different, seeing complex ruling systems as taxing and unnecessary. Their monarch resides over much of the formal decision-making but most of the local choices are left to village, tribe or town leaders, which are elected by the people. The Myst Queen is not a hereditary position but chosen by the high priestesses of the temples, which form a passive decision-making system above the local leaders. They can be of any race, however they must be women. Their job is to provide divine guidance and to select the new Myst Queen if the former dies or becomes unfit to rule. So far there have been precious few tyrannical monarchs and even so, their power is watered down by the freedom afforded the local governors. Their devotion to their goddess is shown almost always in deeds. They do have temples, and grand ones, built out from the very stone or from the trunks of thousand-year-old trees. However temples are places for priestesses, and the Cyndarans believe their goddess is much happier seeing her teachings used, rather than chanting her name in a hallowed space.
  
  Punishment for petty crimes almost always involves community service, and rarely incarceration. Severe crimes usually end in ostracization from communities, which, depending on the part of Cyndara is likely a death sentence, as the dangers of the mystland wilds are not few.
• 
  
  Eight houses rule Sumenna more or less together, though the houses are by no means allies. There are three main houses that hold the lion’s share of the power in Sumenna: A high elf house, a human house and a dwarven house. Each of these three makes their home in a separate city, though they communicate regularly through messengers, heirs and representatives, as well as extravagant parties at castles and palaces. Grandiose displays of wealth are expected among the houses, as are political games, assassination attempts and underhanded maneuvering.
  
  The House of Evereach
  
  The most powerful high elf house, lead by Gladian Evereach. Gladian has a reputation of being ruthless in her dealings with other houses and is fiercely protective of her children and legitimate heirs. Her house found its wealth in magical technologies and training, providing services, weapons and potions to all of Sumenna. Her house gains further pull and power by lending money to lesser noble families and merchants. Evereach palace is in the city informally proclaimed the capital city Fayren, as it sits closest to the center of the summer lands.
  
  The House Brynson
  
  The human house of the most prominent three. This house makes its home in the city closest to the Half Sun Hills, and the people of this city have the most recent accounts and most experience with Cyndara, though that is still little. Holger Brynson is the lord of the house and though he portrays himself as a simple man, he is just as capable of playing the great game as the other houses. The Brynson family made its fortune by training soldiers, and they hold the largest military presence in the summer lands. This house has taken its name from the name of the entire earth, some think this is arrogant, while others think it empowering.
  
  The House Dwerstand
  
  The dwarven city where House Dwerstand resides is half buried in the high mountains to the West. Cornuld Dwerstand makes his fortune from mining precious metals and gemstones and is the wealthiest of the three most powerful houses.
  
  The other five houses can be left up to interpretation, the first person who wants to make a character involving one of these other houses can write them as they like as long as they are approved by yours truly. You may also add to the big three if your character is involved with them, but please do check with me before putting anything up, I will make sure it goes up on the official Lore posts.
  
  The House Soleil - by VainPharaoh
  
  Despite being as old as some of the governing houses of, Sumennan, House Soleil is one of the smaller noble houses. While their peers built large fortunes, armies, and technology, House Soleil built a network of spies, assassins, and diplomats. The head of the family at that time was skilled in espionage and underhanded tactics. He also had a way with words and was reliable for keeping a secret. Originally his children, siblings, and wife all worked to carry out deeds the larger houses needed handled discreetly. However, after he died, his wife branched out. The House of Soleil quickly became a secret school where they taught the beautiful students to be diplomats and spies, while the less appealing students became assassins, people who were disposable. This new structure brought them wealth and ties to the most powerful houses, as well as leverage should they need it. With a sizeable fortune, House Soleil built its official home in, the Summer Plains. A small castle distanced from the great houses to show they didn’t favor any family.
  
  Over the centuries, House Soleil has overcome its share of obstacles. Enemies, traitors, and even bankruptcy have threatened the family’s extistence. Luckily, their line of work is always needed and with the exchange of favors for information, House Soleil has persevered. In the current age, House Soleil is still sticking to its roots, but has recently taken to developing offensive magic to be used stealthily. Within its halls, a small group of would-be-assassins focus their time towards the creation of the aforementioned skills.
  
  Aurum Soleil is the current head of, House Soleil. He is every bit the politician and has spent much of his time in charge trying to strengthen the house’s alliances. Under his leadership, assassinations have become more costly, the number have spies has grown, and the house has been referred to as a viper’s nest several times.
  
  House Lambent - by Mythee
  
  House Lambent is a medium-sized house ruled by ancient family lines of light faeries. While varied in their heritage and outwardly embracing diversity (except of course for those beasts of the dark), they generally consider themselves to be the closest race to the Summer King Summrbrynde. They do not lord this over other houses, but may seem unnervingly patronizing in their kindness at times. What they -do- lord over other houses is that every other house - and their people - are boring compared to the light fae's fabulous flamboyance. Lambent’s higher classes' calendars are dotted with festivals all year long and the arts are considered to be their cultural domain, where greater artistic ability (be it dance, music, fashion, or other) increases their social status. Every noble is expected to excel at an art.
  
  Lambent's central hub city Emain Ablach rules over a long sprawl of towns from the grassy and sandy shores south of Brynson, up to the outskirts of the swamplands south of Shoreglov Forest. Their main exports are art, sea salt, and clay from the swamps. As the fashion and culinary hub of Summena, tourism allows House Lambent to survive economically, but barely, due to their extravagant spending. High society there enjoys an advanced culinary culture, hence the saying, ‘Once you eat fairy food, there is no going back.’
  
  Using their charisma to earn favors from the nobles of other houses, they have a reputation for seeding as much petty drama as they do bastard children. (Of course, not all members of a House are like their stereotype, but this would be the expectation others have of House Lambent.) It is such petty drama with House Brynson that spurred House Lambent to stop importing wheat from Brynson lands in the past year, causing the poorest members of the populace to experience a food shortage, which in turn has given rise to crime.
  
  (Under a tl;dr? )
  House Lambent has among the most unpredictable of judiciary systems. Their laws can seem strange and esoteric at times, susceptible to bribery. Crimes are often given capital punishment based on public opinion rather than the magnitude of the crime. If the criminal is popular, they may be taken into service by the fae court instead, which is in practice more like slavery than House Lambent would admit. A geas is set on them, an enchantment that makes them unable to leave the lands of the noble household they are assigned to. It is possible to earn greater favor and social status if one is wise, charismatic and lucky, but if they are not, they are like to be socially tortured into insanity before the term is done. Being boring can be fatal. To survive, they are driven into cooperation, and to earn favor and quality of life through efforts to become ‘entertaining’ sources of gossip; hence the saying ‘No-one who stays with faeries comes back unchanged.’ Orphans may be similarly taken in to serve the Faerie court, as a twisted ‘mercy’ for the children who would be left behind. Since putting foreigners on the chopping block for reasons that other cultures may not understand would be bad for tourism and reputation, these are also sentenced to serving the fae.
  
  The culture can be vastly different among the lower class citizens and is most prevalent in the Lambent capital, Emain Ablach.
  
  
  
  The Clans
  
  Cyndara’s clans are often but not always divided by race. There are many clans that are filled with varied species and these tend to be closer to the capital where the Myst Queen resides, simply titled: Myst. The clans are made up of small groups, families or villages that are generally interspersed throughout the lands and are very rarely all in the same place. I will not write much about the clans as I will leave people to develop their own clan lore as they write their own characters.
  
  
  The Orc Clan
  
  Most of the orcs are slightly apart from the other peoples of Cyndara, for their combative nature is very unlike the goddess that is revered in the mystlands. Because of this the orcs often remove themselves from direct contact with other clans, however if someone of another race can prove themselves, the orcs will train them in their devastatingly-effective combat techniques. Many of the tribes choose a single representative, taken from his or her orc family at a young age to live with the tribe of another race. They spend time in both clans and learn the ways of both, so they can better serve their orc tribe as a diplomat and counselor. Even so the orcs are often problematic, with many earning banishment from the more fruitful lands for aggressive or war-like behaviour. Generally, they keep their fighting between themselves and this is sufficient for most denizens of the mystlands. Their leaders, though chosen through ritual combat still bend a knee to the acolytes of the Goddess’ temple, and so, they exist in relative harmony.
  
  The Centaur Clan
  
  Forward, friendly and very accommodating the centaurs are generally a pleasant folk. They take to the Cyndaran rules of peace and tranquility like ducks to water, being keen aficionados of music, poetry and dance. They are expert crafters and strong fighters if they need to be. Most take up bows in defense of their settlements and their excellent eyesight make them very good shots, the weapon of choice is the spear and both are used for hunting as well as defense. One thing the centaurs generally resist is alcohol. They are aware of their unruly dispositions after the consumption of it and most desire to keep the peace. If they do drink they do so within their own settlements and never while on the road or visiting other races. Centaur tribes are divided often by their sub-race, most defined by the type of ungulate that makes up their bottom halves. Equine centaurs are most common, however cloven-hooved centaurs are also very diverse. Horns are not uncommon among the centaur people and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Despite being longtime residents of Cyndara their skin tones range from light to bronze to deep black and their sizes, like more humanoid races, range from Shetland pony to Clydesdale. Settlements usually consist of small units of several family groups but centaurs are also given to wander and find homes away from their own people. It is very common to find a traveling centaur bard or a troupe of actors making the rounds of Cyndara with their new pieces. They are dedicated to the principles of peace, though are less bound to the devotions of the Cyndaran temples. Very few centaurish settlements have their own temple and they commit more to the moral principles than the ritual of the religion.
  
  Recently Evereach has come upon a unique settlement of centaurs on an isolated island in Sumenna. Upon the conquering of this island the local people were enslaved, and centaur slaves are now a fad that seems to be circulating the noble houses of Sumenna.
  
  The Dovahro Clan - by Chione
  
  The Dovahro Clan is quite unlike other clans that reside in the Mystlands as they very much isolate themselves from the rest of the inhabitants, save for their tentative but beneficial relationship with the orc clans.
  They are a particular group of beastmen who believe that they're the descendants of the mighty dragon race, their human-like appearance with reptilian features being the foundation of that belief. True to that animalistic nature, they disregard Cyndabrynde's teachings of peace and community. They are fighters through and through, taught from a young age that self-preservation is everything and that protecting the Clan should be first priority.
  Incorporating forest magic into their way of life, the Dovahro are able to transform parts of their body to replicate a dragon's. For example, one could reinforce their entire body with scales as protective armour, someone else could modify their legs for added strength which would allow them to jump great distances and heights, another could sprout wings from their back and take flight. Those who do not possess the innate affinity for that branch of forest magic are seen as burdens and often looked down upon since it's very much a culture where those who are powerful are respected.
  
  Aside from forest magic, a Dovahro must also choose to specialise with a weapon since it is ingrained into them to use everything to their advantage. Weapon mastery can range from bows and arrows to spears, a fairly diverse range to choose from.
  Since the Dovahro rarely leave their territory, they are shrouded in mystery and not much is known about them which is why they may even be regarded in fear as rumours paint them in an unpredictable and violent light. That is not strictly true. Since their own safety is their prime concern, getting involved with the affairs of the other clans is just something that they'd prefer not to do, nor do they appreciate the spying eyes of outsiders. All in all, they're an ostracised group and many of them (particularly the Elders) would prefer to keep it that way.
  
  The Nagakin - by Mythee
  
  Nagafolk is actually an umbrella term grouping multiple races of people whose upper half body is more or less humanoid while the lower body is serpentine, such as Naga (magically inclined, occasionally shifters, highest population), Lamia (All-female race), Serpentfolk (think lizardfolk), Echidna (Think drow but for Naga), Nuwa (Very similar to Naga but with smaller builds, more light-skinned and have a different culture of mysticism), Ketu (four-armed Naga, more than having a buff/large build they are actually physically larger-bodied like half-giants), and others. Even within some of the species they have separate races and within these races, tribes; there is variety in their physiology, the most notably, cold-blooded vs. warm-blooded, and venomous vs. nonvenomous Nagafolk. Generations of harmony in shared settlements has resulted in Nagafolk of mixed racial lineage actually being the most common out of them. Historically, Nagafolk were a shy people whose settlements were secluded and difficult to reach for legged creatures, and there was an ancient time when most encounters with Nagafolk that other races were violent ones. However, that time is long past, and old misunderstandings have been resolved thanks to the work of diplomats on both sides; Nagafolk and non-Nagafolk alike can now roam the streets of each others settlements without fear of discrimination. Since their cultures and society matured in seclusion from the rest of Cyndara, and also due to their different body shape, Nagakin present a fair share of uniqueness when it comes to architecture, tools, magic, customs and cuisine. For the past 150 years, their settlements (often called 'havens') have been open to the rest of Cyndara, benefiting from tourism and cultural exchange, and though they are still not a common race outside of their settlements, many Nagafolk travel or live elsewhere.
  
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  Please find the updates in this link
  
  

 

[SilverFlight]

Special Locations

Spoiler: The Boon of the Sun, rough layout

 

[SilverFlight]

Our Story so Far...

April 29th, 2018
Our heroes met on the misty border of Cyndara. Desrick had found the orc village he had been searching for, but the houses had been ransacked and all life gone. The bodies of a family were lying amid the destruction. The orc met up with several other Cyndarans, and together they ran to meet a commotion on the trail up ahead. The sumennan people were there, but they had awoken a voracious blood oak. The battle with the carnivorous tree was fierce and finally, slashed and burning, they managed to subdue it. Answers about why the sumennans were there were vague, but the orc needed answers as to what happened to the village and so, he agreed to take them into Cyndara, in hopes that they might reveal more of their reasons to the village elders, or else be contained if they meant harm. The next harrowing trial was the wall of mist hiding true Cyndara from summerlander sight. The mists created visions of darkest memories and deepest desires, forcing our heroes to re-live haunting pasts, else show them things which they could never possess.
With the mists behind them and the wonders of Cyndara before, the members of this small band have only just begun their adventures...

June 2nd, 2018
With the Sumennan's in tow Desrick and the other Cyndarans came to rest at a small camp sight. They had not had long to rest before a skin changer attacked the group without warning, enraged that Cyndarans would dare allow Sumennan's to travel thier dark lands. After a short clash the skin changer was subdued and with her following stubbornly behind they made their way further into the forest. On the border of the village they were stopped by a group of wood elves, armed with bows, among them Desrick's brother who had thought that Desrick had been captured and was being held hostage bye the Sumennans he was escorting. Tensions are high as the group finds themselves with a dozen drawn arrows pointed straight at them.

July 26th, 2018
Our band was taken at spear point to the settlement of the woodelves, the home of Crispin and his adoptive orc brother Desrick. The feelings about their arrival were mixed: some stared in awe, some recoiled in fear, one elder flying into a furious rage, at which point Desrick stood to defend them.
The goddess then, called from her temple and they were bid to enter and be judged. Cyndabrynde would look into their souls and discover their true intentions. Two more Sumennan women were found on the outskirts of the village and taken too.
All were judged, and found true. No harm would come to the elves knowingly from the lightland strangers.
The giant crystal that shed light upon all the village grew out from the center of a tree in the square. Desrick led them through the marketplace, past the crystal and stopped when he saw a familiar face: The orc woman Razah, whom he had helped flee her tribe to marry a wood elf, keeping peace between both tribes while he did this. They met her son, a healthy half-orc boy called Tomo, and helped him choose his first weapon. Afterwards drinks were shared at the local pub and it was revealed that the arrow Desrick recovered at the orc village belonged to the Summenan house Evereach. Our heroes decided then to revisit the empty orc villages, after a rest, and try to pick up a trail.
As the crystal's light dimmed for the rest marks Desrick lead his small band back to his home in the village. His mother was eagerly awaiting the return of her sons and greeted all with a warm welcome. Now our heroes are about to bed down in the modest elven home, and a new adventure will greet them after a long rest.

Sept 3rd, 2018
The morning brought troubling news. Tomo, the young orc child they had met the night before had gone missing. Our heroes set out into the forest too look for him, but when they found him, they also found something very troubling: Orcs had made camp very close to the town of Delan. Razah took Tomo back to the town, escorted by Falsedge and Nevina while Desrick and the others continued to the orc camp. It wasn't long before they discovered that Evereach soldiers were in Cyndara, they had made a pact with some of the orc tribes and lent the orcs their forces in exchange for the light crystal, the heart of Delan. Captain Lassard lead the Summenan elf forces and captured all of our heroes except Ora, who managed to talk her way to freedom. Now they must find a way to free themselves from the orc camp and stop the elf armies and the orcs from stealing the crystal. Meanwhile in Delan, the first wave of soldiers pressed the attack. They rounded up the townsfolk, trapped them in the temple and are beginning work cutting the tree that holds the precious crystal in place. No one knows what ill happen if the crystal is taken, but it will definitely not be anything good.

Oct 18th, 2018
Ora allied with one of the orcs who was not happy with how their leader, Uxul had turned on the rest of Cyndara, she proposed Burgren go against his leader, bringing the rest of the tribe in aid against the invading orcs and earning enough favour with the wood elves to bargain for a fair treaty. Burgren, after challenging and winning against Uxul's second, who had been in charge of the camp, freed our heroes, and went to rally more of the tribes.

As the tree was cut the forest erupted in the angry cries of huge beasts, that had only been kept at bay and out of the village by the crystal's light. They reflected the goddess' anger, and it only took a small amount of prodding from Falsedge and Song to bait them into the village, spreading chaos among the soldiers of Evereach and the traitorous orcs.
Desrick and the others arrived soon after, meeting an Evereach scout that had been injured badly by the attacking beasts. The centaur, Pyrrhus, Valac and a few other stayed behind while the others pressed on into battle. By then the panicked Evereach soldiers had used their fire magic to try and repel the beasts, setting fire to the village in the process.
Pyrrhus and those who stayed with him met two more allies before they themselves dove down into Delan to help fight fires. As Falsedge rejoined her companions and fought at their side, Song galvanized the people of Delan to stand up for their town and help fight the spreading fire.
Burgren arrived just as Ora prevented the crystal from being taken, and he fought with Uxul, killing him, but not before taking a fatal blow.
The battle ended with the fires put out and the crystal safe. The Evereach elves with lassard at their head retreated long before the battle's end, for they had acquired another crystal, another arm of their forces had attack a different part of Cyndara, and their attack had been fruitful. Now the Sumennans return to their homeland to fulfill whatever greedy purpose they have dreamt up for the light crystal in their possession.

Nov 11th, 2018
After a council held and the finding of new allies, our heroes decided that the only way to prevent further disaster befalling Cyndara is to follow the soldiers of Evereach to try and uncover their plans for the crystal, and for the land of night. Getting them all into Sumenna would not be easy, they possessed forms that were uncommon or even unheard of in the summer lands and they needed to be clever. Luckily Ora had a merchant contact in the human city of Brynson that could get them into the city undetected and hide them in his mansion on the outskirts of town. Now our heroes prepare themselves, waiting in the half-sun hills to begin their long, difficult journey.

Nov 26th, 2018
The journey to the Sumennan city of Brynson was long and hot. The Cyndarans unused to the perpetual, scorching light. Without Ora's friend Gideon the group would never have gotten into the city.
Gideon explained to the party that there was a darkness plaguing his city. People being taken off the streets. Servants mostly, from households that were openly opposed to Evereach's push for war. Before Gideon gives them anymore help, he wants 'The Snatchers' stopped, and proof of their connection to Evereach found. Only then will he work to get our heroes into a highborn party where Brynson will attempt to buy Evereach off with a special, secret gift.

Jan 13th, 2019
Our heroes decided to split into two groups. Ora took Pyrrhus and Iolas into town to run errands while Azaria, Trileon and Quinn were lead by their new friend, a servant in Gideon's house, Marillene. Marillene's father was taken by the 'snatchers' and Gideon had sent them with her as protection to collect a flower Trileon needed for the sun tonic she was making for the Cyndarans. On their way they were attacked by the infamous snatchers and after most were distpatched by Azaria's quick action, they managed to capture one alive and returned to Gideon's mansion to question him. Meanwhile Gideon met with several of his old friends, an inquisitor by the name of Crow, and Brynson's very own vigilante, The Raven.
They learned from the captured man that the Snatchers were keeping their prisoners in an old flour mill by the docks, and transporting them across the lake in a ship called "The Boon of the Sun". Gideon and the others quickly formed a plan to rescue them, and get evidence of Evereach's involvement if they could.
The group split again, with Ora, Trileon and Raven going to free the prisoners in the mill, and Iolas, Azaria and Crow investigating the ship.
In the captain's cabin, our heroes found a magically-sealed box and a booby-trapped compartment containing several likely sensitive papers. Meanwhile Ora made her way to the prisoners hold, and there, found Marillene's father, along with the rest of the subdued and fearful prisoners.

Feb 15th, 2019
After a close call with the guards, and a little help from Desrick, Ora and Trileon managed to escape with the prisoners. Azaria, Crow and Iolas had retrieved the documents are were about to free the prisoners when they were met face to face with Lassard. Lassard challeneged their presence on the ship, but some fast speaking by Azaria and Iolas saved them.
Lassard retreated and they were able to escape with the evidence implicating Evereach in the kidnapping and with all of the prisoners that had been taken in recent weeks.

March 15th, 2019
With the kidnapped servants and slaves safe and Mari reunited with her father it was time to focus on the next step: Brynson's elaborate party to appease Evereach. Gideon learned a few things about the event: one was that there would be a very rare gift presented to the high elf house at the ball, and that there was a theme: Cyndara. With the glamourists working to change the beautiful Sumennan nobles into their own gaudy interpretation of the darklanders, it would be much easier for our heroes to sneak in.
The day of the ball arrived. Pyrrhus was given the sensitive documents and the others were tasked with finding some of the more trustworthy house heads to listen while also evading the ears of Evereach planted all over the party. Lassard was also there, prowling like a cat waiting for prey. He had recognized Iolas on the ship, and when he appeared at the ball, Lassard went to him at first chance. He threatened Iolas' friends in order to manipulate the other elf to procure his missing documents. After an overt display of power over Pyrrhus, acting as a slave, Iolas took most of the papers from him.

April 21st, 2019
The "gift" was truly a huge surprise. A crystal, not unlike the one stolen from Cyndara, however this crystal radiated a dark energy, and when revealed, it cast a veil of night upon the entire castle, bringing out the moon and the stars that were so familiar to the Cyndarans.
Trileon's mission was less about the papers and more about rescuing the three enslaved Sumennan centaurs Brynson was showing off to their wealthy guests. She and Azaria devised a plan to free them by first taking out the slave master controlling their magical cuffs. Pyrrhus, Pearl and Crow went to meet Crow's mentor Bishop Stennman, handed him the little bit of evidence Iolas had left and told him what Evereach had been doing, kidnapping servants from noble houses in order to bully them into compliance.
Meanwhile Lassard caught wind that the centaurs were of interest to his prey and quickly had them taken out into the gardens where he used them and Pyrrhus to threaten our heroes for the incriminating documents they had stolen from the ship. A clever play by Gideon had given Ora forgeries, which she handed to Lassard instead, while the real documents Nova passed to a noble ally she had made at the party. They could not avoid a fight with Lassard and his treacherous assassins but escaped with only a few wounds. When the Brynson guards finally caught wind of the commotion, Lassard already had an escape plan, and pretended his men were enemies of Both Brynson and Evereach, and had attacked him along with the other guests. Lassard walked away, but he left with the forgeries, leaving the real documents to be passed about Brynson's allies and turn them against Evereach and their plans for war.
A clever play by Nova's new noble ally had the three centaurs freed too and now our heroes our headed back to Gideon's mansion victorious.

September 18th, 2019
With the knowledge of the strange new crystal and troubling news about Dwerstand, our heroes decide to strike out for the Dwarven city. Intelligence gathered by Gideon told them that Evereach was gathering their presence their, and that the orcs may be with them. To top that off, they had learned at the party that Evereach had something on the Dwerstand noble family, to bend them to their will, Gideon's forces also uncovered that a priceless artifact had been stolen from the Dwerstand temple. The Dragon Bell. An old Dwarvish legend told of a great and terrible dragon that slept in the caverns beneath the underground city and that the tolling of the gigantic bell would wake it, causing it to lay waste to the city. It was suspected that Evereach was behind the theft and they were using the bell's disapearance to manipulate the dwarves into cooperating.
Once they had arrived at Dwerstand Ora used her family's resources, and an estate to hide her companions comfortably in the city and they set off to try and uncover some truths: Desrick took Pyrrus and Crow to the temple to investigate where the bell had once been. They climbed down into the massive cavernous space surrounding the temple platform and uncovered something unbelievable...
Ora, along with Crispin, Iolas, Azaria, Lohr and Meera went to draw information from the locals in the central market just outside of the citadel, where the Evereach elves had taken up residence.

Jan 7th, 2020
There was a dragon in the caverns below the city, the rumours were true, and with the Dragon Bell allegedly in the hands of Evereach, Dwerstand's hands are effectively tied. Our heroes uncovered information about a series of tunnels unearthed directly under the citadel, that are currently being cleared and explored by the dwarves forced to serve Evereach for fear of the dragon. The orc armies are also hidden there, waiting for a clear path directly into the unsuspecting Cyndara.
Crispin went topside to send a bird, trying to warn the queen, meanwhile the others must decide what to do. They should hurry however, because at this point, The full force of Evereach's elite army is marching steadily for Dwerstand, aiming to use the same tunnels and bring the fight straight to the heart of Myst.