Magic

The magic of Cunabula Deae is largely based on willpower, the secret to many of the oddities of dragonkind and its other races.

This magic works on the principle that all things in existence, in this world or in others, is created of energy (for example, the charges in particles in atoms). This energy can be manipulated by those with a great enough will, and can be changed to suit a different purpose, much like in alchemy. It can be sustained, rearranged, and altered simply by the power of Will, though it takes years of training to master such tasks and magic-working is often left to dragons, who have adapted naturally to subconsciously manipulate this energy to their benefit. That being said, there are still several institutes scattered on the smaller continents, aiming to train young humans and sylvans to control this will.

Overview and Religion: Sylvans

Sylvans

When the Goddesses turned their attention from dragonkind to creating the other races of the world, they functioned as two individuals rather than one entity. As such, there were inconsistencies between their creations.

Calyen, who admired beauty and power and looked for majesty in a creature, created beings inspired by and connected to the long-standing forests of Cunabula Deae. These creatures were tall and slender, with skin that ranged from as pale as the ashiest of bark to as dark as the darkest. These creatures were called Sylvans for the trees that they lived among and for the forests that they tended.

Sylvans are a race of elf-like creatures with similar mannerisms and lifespans (ranging anywhere from 500-700 years naturally). They are generally cold, arrogant, and more than a little secluded. A sylvan individual will rarely interact with a non-sylvan, and has very little tolerance for human beings at all.

Most of the Sylvan population lives in a large forest on the continent of Esus (mentioned later).

Sylvan Religion:

Sylvan religion centers around the Goddess Calyen, since it was she who had created them. They call her the Mother and Creator. They are devoted to her, and anything that happens to their world they believe was her will. Since they were created by her, its one of the reason while they believe themselves superior to humans. They were created for beauty and knowledge why the humans were just fleeting creatures. Within cities, temples have been made in honor of their dear Mother and often pray to her. If they do leave their home to go out into the world, they pray to her before they leave and when they return from their journey so they also believe she gives them luck and wish to thank her for it.

When a Sylvan dies, no matter of gender or age, a Death Ceremony is given in honor. Two experienced Sylvans devoted to Calyen's temple dance for the dead and invoke their will to ensure that the dead spirits return to their Mother's heavenly womb to be born once again upon the Earth if she be willing to breath life into them once more.

They have one last celebration that honors Calyen and Sylvans take turns dancing, singing and telling lore about her that glorifies her in any way possible. They build a small fire of scents and others prepare food for everyone during this festival and give praise to their Mother for the life they had given her to live and thank her for her gifts may the be good or bad. These two ceremonies are one of the few where the race actually interacts with each other on a much larger scale. Usually, they go about their business without too much contact.

Like the dragons, Sylvans are born and more than capable to wield the energy they call magic. They too need to be strong willed to accomplish anything and the longer they have train.

Dragons: Overview

Anything in purple is information changed to suit the timeline for The Rise

Life Span

Dragons have extremely long lifespans, inhibited by very few and far between factors. Occasionally, outbreaks of illnesses have been known to kill many dragons all at once, and there was a time at which a dragon had to watch its back around other dragons, for fear of a clan feud or a war. However, they have grown into largely peaceful race who, rather than aging and falling apart with time, grow and strengthen through magic.

For obvious reasons, a dragon ages very much more slowly than a human does, emerging from infancy at more than ten years old and remains in a growing juvenile for a period of about two hundred years. At exactly two hundred and twelve years old, a young dragon is considered an adult, though it will never cease to grow.

Shape-Shifting

The majority of dragons choose to spend most of their lives in a humanoid form, which keeps their otherwise ever growing population of ever growing individuals from crowding the Great Continents. This is only traditional choice, however, and it is not considered illegal or impolite to ignore this tradition for things like travel and celebration (as a matter of fact, once a year for two Holy Calendar weeks, dragons spend much of their time in their natural forms for the Festival of the Walking Mountains (explained later)). This human form is created subconsciously when the dragon first begins to comprehend mankind (at a young age) or consciously in the case of dragons who learn to shift much later in their lives.

Though they are capable, it is uncomfortable for a dragon to change shape to only a partial extent. When manifesting aspects of their dragon form in human form, these aspects appear smaller, stretched out and elongated to fit large amounts of body into smaller amounts of space. This often results in painful headaches and uncomfortable dizzy spells, and if done often enough can cause permanent inability to make these changes (as the body will begin to reject them to avoid the discomfort).

Most dragons are as of yet reluctant to take on a human form, as sea dragons have very high standards of beauty and honor, and consider the newly developing humans beneath them. When they do change, their bodies and faces more closely resemble that of a sylvan, whom they consider to be more elegant and worthy of their consideration. However, there have been dragons who have tried to meld the two.

Family Life

A dragon's lifespan allows for (and actually creates the need for) an interesting magical ability that they have developed over time. Female dragons can control their ovulation cycle, leading for the most part to a smaller family size overall. Many dragons do not have more than one or two offspring.

Dragons tend to be very good parents, often nurturing their young until they leave the nest with a spouse of their own (or allowing them to stay even after that, creating large family groups). Young dragons are taught song, legend, and several courses on the history of the world before they reach adulthood.

Dragons have no surnames, only given names and family crests.

Love and Separation

The dragons of Cunabula Deae pair for life, and it is even whispered that their mate may be pre-determined by the Fates.

Throughout much of a young dragon's life, up until the point that they encounter this mate, who can (seldomly, but not unusually) reside outside the range of their usual sexual preferences, they are burdened by a tugging sensation on the right side of their chest (where their heart resides). Many dragons consider this to be an obvious sign that their mate is pre-determined. Dragons are not limited to coupling with other dragons, and may be drawn to human or sylvan individuals, whom they tend to keep alive through will magic alone.

Though this changes in later years, as of our current timeline dragons who couple with humans (less common, as humans are only just beginning to develop) or sylvans are often rejected by their peers and expected to live among their newfound mates.

Upon the death of their mate, a dragon typically begins to become depressed, and the willpower that had previously sustained their great and powerful forms turns destructive. Their bodies begin to bend and break under their monstrous weights, their scales turn dull and their eyes go cloudy. Typically, a dragon will live a decade or so after the death of its mate, though dragons with drastically weak or strong wills have been known to live two or three years to a century or more, respectively. It is one of the few forms of death in a world where fragility is reserved for ancient tomes and works of art.

Though this situation is well known by sea dragons of this age, arranged marriages between the children of prominent figures is not uncommon. The majority of these marriages are purely political, and often the marriage is never consummated. Extramarital affairs from both parties are regular and have come to be accepted.

Flight

Like many aspects of their strange existence, a dragon's power of flight (while facilitated by its physical characteristics) is powered mainly by the dragon's will. Unlike most large flying creatures, the ways in which their bodies are designed function for speed and ability in the air, not necessarily reduction of weight. Therefore, most dragons who have reached adulthood rely almost completely on the strength of their will to propel their body into the air and to keep it from falling until they land. Luckily this is not hard, because most dragons are trained in flight from a young age and could not be persuaded that they could not fly, scientifically.

Dragons adapt uncommonly quickly to a change in their physical environment. Because of their longevity, they do not rely on evolution to make these adaptations for them, but create the changes themselves through painful but necessary processes, most of which initially involve magic. Young dragons that come directly from the sea take about one century to learn to fly, since their developing bodies can adapt more quickly. Adult dragons who have come directly from the oceans can take anywhere from five hundred years on, if they learn to fly at all (if they choose to learn to fly at all, even).

Genetic Compatibility

Because dragons spend so much time in human form, they are fully capable of having children with both human and sylvan partners. This is possible because dragons are born with two sets of chromosomes-one for the humanoid (human/sylvan) body, and one for the dragon body. In half-dragons, the dragon-parent's genetic information duplicates in order to form a fully functioning set of dragon chromosomes identical to the parent. The sex chromosomes, however, are not affected by this process.

In hybrids, there is an increased chance for recessive traits to show in dragon form. This is because chromosomes that dictate that form are all, as we say in biology, homozygous (both contributed traits are the same, because they're contributed by the same parent).

Other Notes On Genetics

Unlike many creatures, who retain only two of the possible contributed traits, a dragon's DNA contains an imprint of its entire family line. The genes to produce offspring of any color dragon that has existed in the family line remains throughout all generations to follow.

Much like humans and creatures of our own world, there is a tremendous amount of variation from one dragon to the next. Their abilities, their strengths, their sizes, and even their shortcomings differ greatly, creating a wide, encompassing scope of possibilities. There is also leeway for several aberrations in a dragon's genetic code, which give rise to abnormal (though for the most part harmless) traits, such as pointed ears or slitted, red eyes. In rare cases, dragons cannot properly sync their eyes with the receptors in their human forms, causing crippling migraine headaches and often requiring some kind of corrective eye wear (yes, folks, dragons with glasses).

Like animals in our world, dragons are also capable of experiencing accidental changes in the chromosome numbers, which often result in miscarriages. The only cases in which this is not true are cases where the chromosomes in question are the sex chromosomes, producing a particularly feminine (usually sterile) male individual, or a particularly masculine (always sterile) female individual.

Because dragons spend a particularly small amount of time in their humanoid forms on the present timeline, a handful of these traits have not yet been discovered.

Other Abilities and Oddities

Dragons are extremely gifted in comprehending the art of song, and a dragon singer may paint beautiful pictures with its musical gifts, using only pitch and tone to relay a story in the minds of its listeners. To truly appreciate a dragon's song, however, one must go through years of training to catch the deeper meaning of the singer's melody.

Dragons are also great record keepers, their longevity and careful attention to detail making them excellent historians. In the library of one particular dragon, who resides beneath the world's largest mountain range, there rests a complete history spanning from the dragons' first rise from the oceans to the present day.

Obviously not a very long span of time yet.

They are particularly skilled in magic, and often use it in their everyday lives.

A dragon in human form is very susceptible to the smell of sulfur, which produces a kind of sensory overload and often causes them to pass out.

Religion: Dragons

Religion for dragons, rather than being a strict and complex system, is a very fluid and often-changed concept. Their goddesses, who tend to be fickle and tampering when it comes to the events of their world, are merciful and lenient, though sometimes in a very frightening way. Once a year, for the two Holy Calendar weeks (two weeks=eighteen days) that both moons are full, dragons celebrate their birth, their nature, and the gifts of vitality they have been presented with. They honor their goddesses, who often walk among them, with ancient songs and spectacular celebrations throughout this Festival.

The Festival of the Walking Mountains occurs at differing times each year, because while the Holy Calendar is charted by the motion of the moons, the everyday calendar is very similar to our own, charted by the changing seasons and the planet's travel around the sun.

The Origins of the Universe

In the beginning there was Nothing. It is here, however, that generally accepted theory and reality begin to differ, for it was not the power of a greater being that brought this Nothing to an end, but the existence of Nothing itself. You see, Nothing had just one flaw, one imperfection that made everything in the world around you possible. Nothing, because it could never truly be Nothing, created a Something, and this Something was Balance. At this point, Nothing ceased to be, and Balance, which was fueled by a fiery drive to keep things equal and opposite, was left alone, the only Thing that existed. And so, driven by this will, this urge, Balance began to create things as the world sees them today.

But this was not enough for Balance. It wanted more.

What Balance wanted, after years of creating and keeping order among its new and growing world, was freedom. It had imparted free will into its greater creations, but now, after the primordial ooze had cooled and there was naught left to do but observe what it had made, Balance desired above all to take part in the world it had created. To keep itself and the universe in order, Balance split itself into two pieces, which, though they were the same, by their very nature conflicted and fought with one another.

For a time following the split, the new face of Balance was unseen, unrecognizable by any who did not have the power to discern its original identity. However, as time went by, each side grew much more distinct, exactly alike and yet exactly different. Before long, a conflict arose, and though it was only for a moment, Balance's orderly influence on the universe was broken, resulting in the happy accident some like to call the multiverse.

Though the worlds created by the multiverse are many and strange, developing on their own independent of one another, there is one world that is most certainly a point of origin. Called the Cradle of the Goddesses (or Cunabula Deae), it is a world where Balance's most prized creatures still reside.

Calyen and Shira

It was at this point that the young man realized he did, indeed, know the woman's name. He had forgotten it quickly in the face of her piercing gaze, but now, caught off his guard by this revelation, her absinthe eyes threatened to expose the bitter secrets hidden just beneath the surface of his soul. Tucked into a finely structured face of too-pale skin and surrounded by silvery-white hair, her eyes were an ominous symbol of a deeper nature, an animal nature. "What's the matter, pet?" she asked sweetly, her voice dripping like venomous honey. "Has the cat got your tongue?"

--------

She hadn't seen him yet, and for that he thanked his lucky stars. His knees were still weak from their first encounter, his heart racing beneath his ribs. Still, even in his anxious, frightened state, he couldn't help but notice that her voice seemed different in this haunting song than it had when she'd spoken to him. Perhaps there was more than one side to this woman after all.

After a moment, the heartfelt lullaby faded. "I see you've met my sister," the woman commented, her voice softer and more sincere than that of the woman he had just met. She turned to face him, a smile on what seemed to be the exact same face as before. Upon closer inspection, however, her eyes were darker, gentler somehow. "Don't let her frighten you; this is as much my realm as hers."

--------

For a time following the split, the new face of Balance was unseen, unrecognizable by any who did not have the power to discern its original identity. However, as time went by, each side grew much more distinct, exactly alike and yet exactly different. Before long, a conflict arose, and though it was only for a moment, Balance's orderly influence on the universe was broken, resulting in the happy accident some like to call the multiverse. From there, the rift could only deepen.

Calyen grew into a reckless, chaotic individual who acted simply for her own pleasure, choosing to create or destroy on a whim. She had always been the more antagonistic sister, and this trait made her unpredictable and argumentative where her sister was involved. To many, Calyen seems the more welcoming of the two siblings; to near an equal amount, she is intimidating and frightful. She often finds herself struggling against laws that she and her sister set down in order to better amuse herself.

Shira's self-assigned role as the responsible sibling was reinforced by Calyen's decision to take the role of the chaotic one. She is considered by many to be the gentler, more welcoming of the two, though many people she meets consider her cold and reclusive.

The Festival of the Walking Mountains

Information on the Festival and similar practices will be added as these things become relevant to the roleplay.

Character Creation: Dragons

Dragons can be very difficult to name and create, so I've taken the liberty of putting forth a guide to help you do so.

1. Names - A dragon's name is a very important aspect of his person. As dragons don't have surnames, many dragon names are created on the spot for the sake of individuality. These names may have some sort of meaning in regards to language, or may have no meaning at all save for the sound that the combination of letters and vowels creates (see: Cunabula Deae Information Blog--Dragon Song). I am currently playing with the parameters of this name generator (http://www.vivtek.com/fantasy_namer) in order to find what I consider the proper criteria for a dragon name. That will also be posted on the information blog.
2. Family Crest - The family crest is a combination of both one color and one image, generally combined to represent the origins of a family or clan. Much like surnames, family crests change with marriages and sometimes with major events. Because there are so many ways to represent an image, it is recommended that you are very specific about the depiction of your family crest, specifying how realistic and detailed the image is, and making sure these details are noted. The only two crests I will not allow are a white rose and a black serpent. Neither of these should be relevant anyway, since you are only just making your crawl from the sea.
3. Age/Size - Dragons, as you might have guessed, grow to enormous proportions because there is very little in place to control their aging and thus their size. Keep in mind, however, that younger dragons are very much smaller than their older counterparts (because age = size), and that most of the dragons making the migration will be fairly young. Their advantage in the war will not be size but speed and flight (as flight begins to develop).
4. Appearance - Both draconic and humanoid appearances should be described, and mention should be made of how often they take either one. Remember that dragons have colored scales, and be sure to describe the "helmet" (which is to say, the horns on the creature's head, if they have any) in detail. This is sort of like a lion's mane (not limited to males) as it is a symbol of strength and age.
5. Place of Birth - Whether a dragon was born on land or sea should be noted, as well as the sea/continent/country they were born in. Most dragons at the beginning of the Rise will be born in the sea. The only exceptions to this will be half-dragons, whose parents would have moved onto land after coupling with a Sylvan or human (more likely a Sylvan).
6. Personality/History - There is no set history or personality for dragons. Though many of them are ignorant and arrogant at this point, there is always the chance that you could have one of the dragons who isn't. Put thought into their personality, look at the personalities of characters that have already been posted and take them into consideration. We will be helping you along in the character acceptance process, so don't fret if you aren't sure. CD is a complex world; I won't be upset if you don't quite know what to do just by reading a quick (and over-dated) overview of the world.
7. Allegiance - Make sure that dragons are spread out. I would like to have both sides played out about evenly (as well as the reactions of the races already prominent on the surface).

Parameters for the name generator seen in section one are so far as follows. You may edit as you like and tweak to get a name you approve of.

vowels i, a, e, o, u, y consonants c, d, h, k, l, m, n, r, s, t, v, w like a, i, e, v, s, o, u, b accents hard cv.v choices b.v, v.w, w.r, m.n=n, b.m, c.k=k, c.g, c.s, s.sh, ch.sh, tt.th syllables vcv, cvc, ccv, v, cv, vc, c max_syllables 1 prefixes Ey, Za, Vi, El, Ka, Ru, Ha, Kha, As, Az, Te, Ta, Sa, Se, Kat, O, Ol, En, Al, V, Z, I, E, A, D, R, N, An, Ad, Sh, Sha, Crys, Ai, Ais, Kar, Wy, Wyn, Em suffixes lin, ia, iia, ya, on, ik, n, er, ter, ael, rael, rin, rein, arn, en, ein, ion, aron, indor, alin, ai, i, a, ire, athe, imbre, val, dor, ix, yon, aea, eae, in, riel, sta, lynn, e, i, a, o, u, na, ina, ter, rys

Continents: An Overview

Zoom out. This world is a large, rocky planet, a "Super Earth", if you will, roughly the size of our own universe's Jupiter with two large, round moons of about equal size. Somehow, even with its massive size, this world is able to support life fairly well. Rumor has it that this is due to the close proximity and favoritism the Goddesses of this universe show to this particular planet and its inhabitants.

Two massive continents stretch nearly the length of the planet on one side, crossing over its equator and parallel to one another. These continents are roughly the size of our Pangaea, perhaps bigger, but more than dwarfed by the planet's massive size. They are the dragons' domain. Several much smaller continents litter the planet's vast oceans, inhabited mostly by Humankind and Sylvankind. Stretching across the far coast of the westernmost continent is a great mountain range which can often be seen from ridiculous distances.

These two continents, Esus and Espaea, look very different presently. Though Esus is still a large mass of land, a great chunk is missing from the northern tip. The continent of Ethevur, just to the north of Esus, will one day collide with this continent, forming the head of the mountain range known as the Moon-Lit Steps that lines the continent's western side. Espaea, while it will some day grow to be even larger than Esus, is currently a moderately sized continent just north of its much larger sibling. Over the years, Espaea will experience several rattling earthquakes as continental drift brings younger, smaller continents to it and those smaller, younger continents experience volcanic expansion.

The planet is very fertile, with large, dense forests to create an oxygen rich atmosphere. This atmosphere, untainted by the harmful releases of industry, allows for a fantastic array of gigantic flora and fauna living amongst the handful of evolutionarily-dormant humanoid species.

Even the seas, pulled violently by the planet's two circling moons, are inhabited with great and terrible creatures, the ancestors of modern dragons. Vast arrays of fish and other underwater creatures swim in their midst, guarded by these ancient monsters.

Esus

Currently the largest continent in all of Cunabula Daea, it is roughly the size of Eurasia (though quite a different shape). Across the western side is a great mountain range called the Moon-Lit steps, the tallest mountains of which have not yet been created. This continent is home to several primitive human groups as well as one particularly large forest near what will some day be the country's capital city, in a mountain range towards the eastern side of the continent. This forest houses one of the largest groups of Sylvans in Cunabula Deae. This group will likely remain the largest of its kind throughout the rest of Sylvan history, as normally the race is loathe to live in such close-knit groups.

Espaea

The current inhabitants of Espaea include a small group of humans whose culture resembles that of feudal Europe. They are agricultural and studious, though on the whole very wary of dragons. Unfortunately, much of this small culture will die out with the arrival of the now-land dragons. However, some will be saved.

Soon, Espaea will grow in size due to continental drift.

Ethevur

Ethevur is home to one of the most (evolutionarily, not technologically) advanced group of humans yet on Cunabula Deae. Though these eskimo like people seem primitive in their snowy landscape, out of need they have developed an aptitude for magic as a group that many humans need to come by individually. These people are the ancestors of the Cunabula Deae shifters, known to some as werewolves although their transformations are complete and willing.

Albuaron

This continent is nearly entirely forested, and the only inhabitants so far are the flora and the fauna. It is visible from the southern cape of Esus, and several different groups have had their eyes on it, including Sylvans and a very rare group consisting entirely of runaway dragons, strangely accepting Sylvans, and humans who are learning from these two. The latter group will become the ancestors of modern incubi.

Saoris

The culture on Saoris has taken a drastic turn in its development. Though relatives of the doomed culture on Espaea, they have traded their agricultural ways for a life at sea. Because sea dragons do not take kindly to human beings, they only grudgingly allow their presence and demand respect from these individuals in exchange for their lives. Saoris fishermen, for this reason, think of sea dragons as gods. Very angry gods, perhaps, but gods.

Welcome to the Cunabula Deae Information Blog!

Hello and welcome! This blog has been set up specifically so that the world information of Cunabula Deae can be tracked, rummaged through, sorted, looked at, asked questions about, commented on, edited, changed, tied in pretty bows, and basically made understandable.

The original concept for the world of Cunabula Deae is copyright of Brittany Wheeler (white-rose-petals137). Any added information is copyright its owner and as such will be specified below the post.

Thank you thank you!