Miscellaneous Lore

Magical Places

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          There are many magical places in Annwn, but these are the most well-known.

 

The Wastelands

          During the God Year Bromios, a roughly 500-year-long period started (and ended at the start of the God Year Circe), during which magical plants and animals acted crazed and violent. During this time, many cities suffered famine as the creatures would attack their crop supply seemingly without reason (for those of you that rp on the server, you can include Monsters in the attacks). No one understood why this was happening until, finally, a dark energy crystal known as ‘Malkeshin’ was found in the area now known as the Wastelands. The existence of Malkeshin was never truly understood, but people did understand that while the entire world was being affected by its existence, areas farthest away from the crystal were less affected. The reverse was true as well, though, and in the immediate approximately 1,000-mile radius, rivers and lakes had run dry, all animals had either run away or died, all plants were dead and rotten, and the air was filled with a heavy fog that burns the lungs. That area was so polluted by the dark energy from Malkeshin that it was unfixable. Malkeshin was also indestructible. The only choice that people had was to gather enough Mages from all over Annwn to build a force-field. While the field prevents the dark energy from getting out, unfortunately, the dark energy consumes so much of the power of the field, that people and creatures can still effortlessly pass through. Due to this, the Wastelands have become the home of creatures and people that are drawn to the immense dark energy of Malkeshin. But, on the bright side it has also become an ideal spot for adventurers to test their strength. Be warned though, any person or creature that enters the Wastelands must wear an enchanted hood and face mask. This is to prevent both the fog from burning their lungs and the dark energy from infecting their consciousness.

 

The River Styx

            A legendary river located in Regenwoud that is rumored to be the entrance to the underworld.

• In ancient times, there was a myth that there was a spell protecting those who aren’t dead from entering the underworld by causing those that follow the river to go in circles. In reality, the river literally goes in a circle, which is very notable as no one knows why it flows instead of just remaining still like it should.

• The river flows clockwise, which is said to be a symbol of the passage of time leading to death.

• The river’s waters are a different color for everyone that looks at them. It is said that what color you see is the color of your soul, but this is just a myth and no one knows why this phenomenon occurs.

• Those that drink the river’s waters will experience intense hallucinations, but in some religions, doing so will cause you to uncover truths about yourself that your subconscious has hidden from you. In reality, though, these hallucination effects are likely caused by a native hallucinogenic mushroom species that grows along the river’s edge.

• About 5 feet around the banks of the river on each side is incapable of growing anything but mushrooms.    

 

The Lost City of Zaranga

            A Legendary city that is rumored to be hidden somewhere in the jungles of the islands of Retto. Legend says that the city is a place of extreme magical and technological advancements that is hidden by an extremely powerful unknown type of magic spell. The city’s buildings are said to be windowless and made of steel while the streets are lined with copper and gold. Everyone in the city supposedly has no eyes because they cut their eyes out at birth due to the belief that the best magic is produced from those that have no expectations of what it should look like – they use magic to ‘see’ instead (their magic shows them general shapes and locations of those shapes). Many people, both mages seeking power and explorers seeking adventure have tried to find the city, but due to Retto’s rough terrain and extremely high magical animal population, many never return. In fact, many expeditions have been launched by families of these lost mages/explorers to find their bodies.

 

Egig Ero Fa

            Translated from a dead language, known as Armelitian, as the “Sky-High Tree”. The tree, which is as wide as a castle and tall enough to touch the upper reaches of the atmosphere, is rumored to be on one of the islands of Ekosca. The tree is an incredible sight, but it has a very sad reality. Legend says that the center of the tree is hallow and at the bottom is a portal. If someone falls from the top of the tree (the only way to access the center) down into the portal, the portal will teleport the person back to the top of the tree, but only if they have something or someone to live for. Those that don’t will hit the exposed roots of the tree and die. Because of the nature of this place, many forlorn and suicidal people will go to the tree to see if they have anything to live for. If they die, then they are happy to have taken their own lives like they wanted to. But, if they don’t then they do have something/someone to live for, but unfortunately at that point they are trapped in the never-ending loop of falling. Once they die from starvation/dehydration or if their thing/person to live for is gone/dies, the portal will no longer teleport them, and they will fall to the roots. But, legend also says that the one way to save the person from the never-ending loop is for the soul mate of the person to also jump into the tree. If this happens, both will be teleported safely to on the ground outside the tree. For this reason, there are many love stories that have been written regarding the Egig Ero Fa.

 

Scholomance

            A legendary school located in the mountains of Gecaosga. Legend says the school is run by Morket himself, and that he teaches the most promising students the worst types of black magic. In reality, the school is run collectively by some of the top Mages in all of Annwn. The horrible myths and legends about the school being run by Morket to teach black magic were likely spread by people who were rejected when they applied to the school, as getting into the school requires immense magical potential (aka most applicants are rejected). The school has an incredibly rigorous academic curriculum, and even those that are accepted are constantly at risk of being kicked out. Unfortunately, this also means that they have the highest suicide rates for any school in Annwn. But, the students that do manage to graduate are some of the most capable and powerful Mages in the world.

 

Normal, Magic, and Colossal Animals and Plants

 

          In Annwn there are three different classifications of plants and animals; Normal, Magic, and Colossal.

Normal

          Normal animals and plants are all the animals and plants that currently exist irl.

Normal animals will be generally neutral (not innately hostile unless they have something to protect or they are attacked).

Magic

          Magic animals can be one of two types. The first is normal animals that, as a result of a mutation, can use magic. These magic animals will also typically have physical peculiarities such as strange colors, a mix of multiple animals, and/or extra limbs. The second type is an animal that naturally can use magic. Some of the magic animals that exist are owlbears, hippogriffs, krakens, manticores, and etcetera. These magic animals are considered different from the first type because they are much more abundant and can breed, whereas the first type are rare anomalies that are typically infertile.

            Magic plants are sentient plants that can use magic. Magic plants are different from Galdurlif in that magic plants have Inferior Souls and thus are not capable of abstract thought and will act similarly to animals.

            Magic animals and plants will be generally neutral (not innately hostile unless they have something to protect or they are attacked).

Colossal

          Colossal animals and plants are either normal/magic animals or magic plants that, through a massive ritual requiring hundreds of mages, are up to 30x their normal size and can have magic abilities such as a creature without wings being able to fly. Colossal animals are used for the sole purpose of transport (though in the past they were used in warfare, this practice was viewed as reckless and inhumane to the creatures and thus was outlawed by the URA in Hathor 100 at the centennial meeting). Colossal animals are an extremely prized commodity, and are used extensively all over Annwn.

 

In Regards to the Existence of Golems

 

            Golems do exist, and are created by making materials of any kind into a humanoid or animalistic form and infusing that form with a soul. Golems are different from Elementals in that when creating a golem, only an ‘inferior’ soul can be used. There are two types of souls: inferior and superior (Lost Souls aren’t included here because they are a subset of superior souls). Superior souls are fully developed souls that can be placed in beings that are capable of abstract thought and profound spiritual progress. Inferior souls, on the other hand, are only capable of being placed in beings that are incapable of abstract thought and that can only have minimal spiritual progress, such as plants (only certain plants) or animals (or in this case golems). Inferior souls must go through multiple lifetimes before being able to progress into a superior soul.

          Golems are capable of emotion, just like an animal would be, but they are incapable of abstract thought, and will have animal-like tendencies. Due to the magic involved in creating a golem, though, golems inherently will be able to understand and follow any command given to them by their creator. Golems are not soul bound to their creators, like elementals are, and are only capable of dying if their entire body is destroyed. If even a single piece of the golem body remains, the golem can rebuild itself over the period of 60 seconds with any surrounding materials. Golems are inherently good creatures, and although they are capable of following any command, they are also capable of refusing to follow a command; especially if it is something they may consider bad or evil. Unlike Elementals, Golems retain all memories of their previous lives.

          Creating a golem is much easier than creating an Elemental, as only small amounts of life magic are required. This is because inferior souls do not go the underworld; instead, they wander on the same plane as Lost Souls (Aequether) until they are reincarnated. An inferior soul will only go to the underworld once they have gained enough spiritual progress to be made into a superior soul. With a little help, anyone is capable of creating a golem. Golems are not a playable race.

 

Familiars

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        Familiars are animals that have been soul-bound to a person. This arrangement is most commonly done with magic animals, especially those that are summoned, but it is possible to do it with normal animals as well. Unless a clarification is put into the soul-binding spell, the animal will always be the ‘slave’ in the soul-binding. But, given that soul-bindings must be mutual, the animals do not view their service as restricting, and typically have a very deep bond with their master prior to the spell.

         In some cases, one may choose to also blood-bind a familiar to themselves. Blood-binding makes it so that the two that are bound can read each other's minds (no matter how far away), and that if one dies, so does the other. This is not commonly chosen given how it could be abused, but in some cases it proves to be very useful. 

 

In Regards to the Existence of Dragons

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            Dragons do exist, but they are a complicated group. Technically they are considered magic animals because they have animal-like tendencies and are not humanoid in form. But, they also have extremely high intelligence and are capable of abstract thought. Due to this, no one is quite sure how to categorize dragons. Dragons are not a playable race.

            Dragons come in many different shapes and sizes, and like the races of Annwn, each dragon can have a type of innate magic or innate individual magic. Depending on the type of Dragon, they can also breathe either fire, poison/sleeping/laughing gas, tar, or water (the dragon can choose how hot or cold to make the water, and can freeze or be so hot that it can melt flesh). Dragons also have innate shapeshifting powers, allowing them to shapeshift into any form, and the appearance of the form is completely up to them. This makes them especially dangerous as they can hide in plain sight and take their opponents off guard. Dragons can’t use any magic while shifted, but they can breathe fire/gas/etcetera while shifted. If a Dragon’s wings are cut off, they will never grow back.

            As stated previously, there are many varieties of dragons, but there are four main classifications of Dragons. These classifications are very general, and in each classification, there are many, many different varieties of Dragons. The four classifications are Royals, Ryugons, Hargons, and Ferals. These categories have lines that are easily blurred, and often it is very easy to categorize a dragon as being a member of multiple categories, but if such a case does exist, it is up to the person that discovers such a Dragon to categorize it at their own discretion. It should be noted that these are the official Common names, classifications, and categories set up by the URA, but that there are many different names that can be used to describe different types of Dragons. – Any type of Dragon can have multiple heads, but it is an uncommon trait.

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Royals

          Royal Dragons get their name because thousands of years ago these types of dragons were the prized possessions of many Kings and Queens all over Annwn. These dragons have 2-10 large wings and 4 legs. They are the type that most commonly gets featured in art throughout Annwn. Royal Dragons can’t fly if their wings are cut off. Varieties of Royals are categorized by color as most Royals are solid colored. If a Royal is multi-colored, they will be classified by the color that is most prominent or notable. Some examples of the varieties of Royals are: Red Royal, Yellow Royal, Black Royal, Green Royal, and etcetera.

 

Ryugons

          Ryugon Dragons get their name from a dead language of Retto known as Nikanoian. Ryugons have 0-12 sets of wings and 0-12 sets of legs. Ryugons tend to have long, snake-like bodies, but there are exceptions. Ryugons can fly without wings as they generally use magic to fly. Varieties of Ryugons are categorized by number of legs and wings. Ryugons with 0 legs and/or wings are called Wyrms, Ryugons with 2/4 legs and/or 0-4 sets of wings are called Drakes, and Ryugons with 6-12 sets of legs and/or wings are called Salamanders. When categorizing Ryugons, the number of wings takes precedence; aka if a Ryugon has 2 legs but has 6 sets of wings, they are called a Salamander instead of a Drake.

 

Hargons

          Hargon Dragons get their name because they are slightly similar to Harpies in that Hargons have two legs and two wings (these wings can take the place of another two legs/arms or they can be an extension of the legs/arms). Hargons can’t fly without their wings. Varieties of Hargons are categorized by the presence or absence of feathers. Wyverns are Hargons without feathers, and Cockatrices are Hargons with feathers (Not all Cockatrices are chicken-like, they can be just like Wyverns but with feathers).

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Ferals

          Feral Dragons get their name because they tend to be more animalistic than other Dragons. Ferals can have any number of wings/legs/etcetera, but they are typically much smaller than other Dragons, and they typically are incapable of speaking (they are capable of understanding language, as they are still intelligent enough to learn it, but they are incapable of speaking it) (instead they will communicate through growls, roars, etcetera). Other Dragons typically keep Ferals as pets. There are no categories for the many types of Ferals.

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Dragon Hierarchy:

          Dragon hierarchy is complex and while most dragons that are considered above another dragon do not have the title of nobility, there are a few that do. These dragon nobles are largely considered “tamed”, as they have entered into pacts with mages that have tamed their wild spirits through great magics (this magic is not possible by a typical person and is not allowed to be used by players on the server). There are only six known dragon nobles that remain untamed despite countless mages’ attempts to do so. It should be noted that dragon nobles have different abilities than normal dragons, this also extends to their breath weapon ability. 

These dragon nobles are:

 

• The Lord of shadow 

  • With strong ties to the God Morket, this dragon Lord has remained untamed as he has too many powerful allies in his corner. Not to mention the fact that he is extremely powerful himself. 

  • Capable of bending shadow and darkness to his will, he can become one with shadow and travel through it as well as use people’s own shadows against them. If one is truly unlucky, they might find themselves being the victim of having their shadow stolen by him. If someone has their shadow stolen, they become weak to sunlight, essentially crumbling to dust if in its direct rays and they lose the ability to feel one emotion of the dragon lord’s choice (could be anything from anger to happiness to even jealousy). He can also use the darkness he commands to warp and disfigure others to his content, transforming them into creatures reminiscent of the darkness that changed them. He does this simply because he can.

  • His breath weapon ability is to breathe a shadowy flame that can either consume or disfigure anything it touches, depending on what he wants to do.

  • He is also considered the Lord of chaos.

  • His name is Nocturnix or Duskmaw.

• The Lord of blood and bone 

  • Unable to satisfy his craving for battle, this dragon Lord has a habit of appearing on any battlefield all over the world. He has remained untamed as he is far too skilled a fighter with far too strong of a will to be tamed by the puny magics of the great mages. 

  • On top of his prowess in battle, he also has the ability to pierce people’s hearts with fear, and make them go into a rage or bloodlust. He is also considered an inventor for the sake of war, often using his magic and intellect to create creatures of war; homunculus beings mixed with weapons magically fused into their bodies with no will of their own. He can also use this same type of magic to create weapons, extremely skilled at making anything from regular sized weapons to gargantuan blades usable only by dragons.

  • His breath weapon ability is to breathe molten metal.

  • He is also considered the Lord of war.

  • His name is Grituk or Bonefell.

• The Lady of light

  • With strong ties to the Goddess Theia, this dragon Lady also has powerful allies in her corner. She is also extremely powerful, however and more than capable of remaining untamed on her own.

  • Her abilities are similar to that of a cleric, as she can cleanse darkness and curses away from creatures, objects, and places. She is also capable of bending light and fire to her will. This makes her a formidable opponent as she can bend light to make weapons or illusions as well as steal the light from someone’s eyes, effectively rendering them indifferent to all external stimuli until she so chooses to return said light. She can also catch anything on fire within 100 ft of herself at will. She can turn invisible at will. 

  • Her breath weapon ability is a concentrated beam of light that can either disintegrate or cleanse anything it touches, depending on what she wants it to do.

  • She is also considered the Lady of fire.

  • Her name is Lumino or Flamekeeper.

• The lord of nature’s might

  • With an extremely strong control over plant life, this dragon lord has remained untamed due to him surrounding himself with plant life in order to better utilize his abilities and shoo away any wandering mages. 

  • His abilities are the control over and growth of plants in accordance with his will. He can also use his magic to infect a creature with a fungus and grow the fungus inside of a creature’s body to the point that they either are incapable of movement or they die. 

  • His breath weapon ability is to breathe infectious spores that paralyze, poison, and kill those that breathe them in.

  • He is also considered the Lord of Spores.

  • His name is Claugh or Overgrowth.

• The lord of the Elements

  • The oldest of the known dragon lords, regardless of tamed or untamed, this dragon lord has beyond ancient ties to the God Phanes. He is considered to be the oldest living creature in all of Annwn (other than the Inklings), and some say he was made by Phanes’ own hand long before the world even existed. He is considered the strongest of the dragon lords, and thus obviously remains untamed.

  • He is capable of using all of the elements and is knowledgeable in every known spell in Annwn. This magical prowess means he can easily cast any spell he so pleases. He is often considered a benevolent dragon lord, though, so he rarely fights. Though this could also be because no one is brave enough to fight him. Regardless if he did ever fight, he would also have the ability to use creation magic, an extremely powerful form of Life magic. He often creates minions to do his bidding in fights or simply to do tasks around his lair. Unlike the creatures that Grituk (the dragon Lord of blood and bone) can make which have no sentience nor will, the creatures this dragon lord can make are completely sentient, however to do this it requires the use of lifeforce. Often he will take the lifeforce from sapient creatures to make a new sentient creature. He can wield life like a child with a plaything. Anything that crosses him risks having their lifeforce stolen and used to create another servant. The limits of this ability are unknown, making him all the more terrifying.

  • His breath weapon ability is to breathe a healing mist that gives mana back to anyone it touches. 

  • He is also considered the Lord of life.

  • His name is Lifnern or Spellwrought.

• The lady of lore

  • With no ties it may appear that it is unknown why this dragon Lady remains untamed. However, she has a particularly strong magical ability which allows her to remain untamed.

  • This dragon Lady has the ability to rewrite minor details in the world around her. So long as it is within 200 feet of her and occurred within one day of the time of rewriting. This can be devastating during battle, as she can completely rewrite the events of life as they happen. She also has the ability to create minions made of ink. These inky creatures have no sentience but are very strong, and will fend off attackers while the Lady of lore rewrites the fight to be in her favor. She has an obsession with writing and reading and will often add certain whimsical flairs to anything about reality that she rewrites. 

  • Her breath weapon is ink that gives her the ability to completely rewrite anything about the creature so long as the ink remains on their skin, no matter how far away they are or how long ago the event occurred. She cannot rewrite someone out of existence, however. 

  • She is also considered the Lady of the past.

  • Her name is Heluin or Storywrit

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Languages of Annwn

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          The official language of Annwn, which was created by the URA in the God year Enlil 213, is known as Common. This language is used all over Annwn for most interracial communication. Other languages depend on race, not on region or country. This means that typically members of the same race will communicate in their racial language rather than Common; though it should be noted that in larger cities, this may not be true and Common may also be spoken. To rp in a certain language, simply include somewhere in the text that the reply is in that language. You should only need to say this when you are speaking in a language other than Common, unless you are switching from another language into Common. For example, if you start a rp and you want to speak in Dwarvish, you would remark that that is the case. But, if later you want to switch into Common, simply say this. It only takes once to clarify, and the rest of the dialogue is assumed to be in the specified language until someone changes it.

 

Why Isn’t This Race Overrunning Annwn?

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          You may think that with some races capable of producing many offspring at once that Annwn is on the precipice of being overrun by one of these races. But, Annwn is actually very stable in regards to preventing the overpopulation of all races or any one race. This population stabilization is due to the high mortality rate (aka high rates of people dying) caused by a plethora of wars, diseases, famines, droughts, dangerous animals/magic animals (/monsters), evil Mages (which lead to curses and etcetera), and birth defects. On the bright side, all of this together keeps Annwn’s population from getting too high. But, all of this also means that it is very hard for races that grow few in numbers to replenish their populations, thus making extinction an ever-looming threat for the races of Annwn.