Adracanta - Introduction: Creation Myth 3
Mar. 27th, 2009 01:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sparkindarknessThe Birth of Adracanta and the Three Peoples
The people of Adracanta settled in the foothills of the Skyfang mountains because there was nowhere else to go. They had fled and been fleeing their homelands for so many generations that they no longer even remembered the name of that near legendary home.
They fled from the Orcish horde. They had fled for decades, perhaps centuries - no-one truly knew any more. Occasionally the People would stop, they would think they had found somewhere safe. And the Orcs would come. The towns that had been built would be raised, the growing population slaughtered and the flight would begin again. And with each year more was lost. Knowledge was lost, magic was lost, wealth was lost, power was lost. With each year the People stepped closer to barbarism and further from the glory their history tells them they once had. The hereditary Priestkings, the Angrekaren, with all their supernatural power could not prevent the loss and they could not protect their People - they could only run with what little they could preserve - run and die and lose. Loss and Flight - the only life the People knew.
And then they reached the Skyfang Mountains, coming from the south and the east to these cold new lands. To the west lay a vast an ancient elven forest, as barred to them as the impassable mountains to the north - dizzingly high and harsh peaks, laced with foaming rivers, dotted with clinging valleys - and haunted by dragons. They could run no further and here, at the end of the world, they stopped and built a town. Over some little time other towns grew and the beginnings of a nation began to take root.
And then the Orcs came.
The People fought. They has nowhere left to run. If they lost now they would lose everything. And they were losing. In despair the People turned to the Angrekaren. But they had lost too much, too much magic, too much knowledge, too much wisdom - they could not save the People. The People turned to their gods as they had so many times before - but the gods were death or helpless before the People’s plight. The People turned to the elves and asked for shelter or passage through the woods - but the elves would not allow so many through their ancestral lands and only offered sanctuary to a select few. The Angrekaren and their servants found safety through the elven lands - but with it they added to their loss - they lost the People they once ruled.
Finally in despair, the People turned to the Dragons. A man, a simple farmer, but a local leader of his people, took his flocks and headed to the mountains, to where the dragons soared, venturing forth only to steal what the desired and return to their lofty eyries. He took all he had among those jagged peaks, searching for the dragons, calling for them in sweet entreaties and humble pleading.
A golden Dragon saw him and She was intrigued. Moved by his humility, awed by his courage, honoured by his sacrifice, She came to him and they spoke. He offered everything he had to Her, up to and including his own life, for the sake of his people.
“Why, little human, do you risk your life so completely? Why do you give it to me? Whether you die to the Orcs or die to my claws, death is the same and the end.” She asked the man.
“Because I am a leader of my people and I have a duty to them. To serve, even unto death, is what it means to lead.” He said.
For many hours through the day and into the night She was silent before she lowered her head and a tear ran from her eye. “I am ashamed.” She said.
The man returned to his village, his flocks and life preserved - and She came with him. When next the Orcs faced humans on the field of battle the sky was darkened by shining wings. The battle was won. The People stopped losing. The People stopped running.
The man became a leader of the People. he took no wife, instead honouring the golden Dragon who had saved them and in time he presented magnificent jewel like eggs to the People and called them his children. From the egg hatched a giant man graced with wings and claws and horns, his skin glittering gold in the Sun and his eyes shining with noble power and so was born the first of the Dragon Princes.
Other men found the courage to enter the mountains and honour the Dragons who had saved them. they went in honour, in gratitude and humility - and the greatest of them returned with eggs and a Dragon who honoured their house and family. And so the first of the Draconic Houses were formed and the People had new leaders and a new home - Adracanta, Of The Dragon’s Tears. Or, to the Dragons, the Land Under the Mother and Father’s Gaze.
The people of Adracanta settled in the foothills of the Skyfang mountains because there was nowhere else to go. They had fled and been fleeing their homelands for so many generations that they no longer even remembered the name of that near legendary home.
They fled from the Orcish horde. They had fled for decades, perhaps centuries - no-one truly knew any more. Occasionally the People would stop, they would think they had found somewhere safe. And the Orcs would come. The towns that had been built would be raised, the growing population slaughtered and the flight would begin again. And with each year more was lost. Knowledge was lost, magic was lost, wealth was lost, power was lost. With each year the People stepped closer to barbarism and further from the glory their history tells them they once had. The hereditary Priestkings, the Angrekaren, with all their supernatural power could not prevent the loss and they could not protect their People - they could only run with what little they could preserve - run and die and lose. Loss and Flight - the only life the People knew.
And then they reached the Skyfang Mountains, coming from the south and the east to these cold new lands. To the west lay a vast an ancient elven forest, as barred to them as the impassable mountains to the north - dizzingly high and harsh peaks, laced with foaming rivers, dotted with clinging valleys - and haunted by dragons. They could run no further and here, at the end of the world, they stopped and built a town. Over some little time other towns grew and the beginnings of a nation began to take root.
And then the Orcs came.
The People fought. They has nowhere left to run. If they lost now they would lose everything. And they were losing. In despair the People turned to the Angrekaren. But they had lost too much, too much magic, too much knowledge, too much wisdom - they could not save the People. The People turned to their gods as they had so many times before - but the gods were death or helpless before the People’s plight. The People turned to the elves and asked for shelter or passage through the woods - but the elves would not allow so many through their ancestral lands and only offered sanctuary to a select few. The Angrekaren and their servants found safety through the elven lands - but with it they added to their loss - they lost the People they once ruled.
Finally in despair, the People turned to the Dragons. A man, a simple farmer, but a local leader of his people, took his flocks and headed to the mountains, to where the dragons soared, venturing forth only to steal what the desired and return to their lofty eyries. He took all he had among those jagged peaks, searching for the dragons, calling for them in sweet entreaties and humble pleading.
A golden Dragon saw him and She was intrigued. Moved by his humility, awed by his courage, honoured by his sacrifice, She came to him and they spoke. He offered everything he had to Her, up to and including his own life, for the sake of his people.
“Why, little human, do you risk your life so completely? Why do you give it to me? Whether you die to the Orcs or die to my claws, death is the same and the end.” She asked the man.
“Because I am a leader of my people and I have a duty to them. To serve, even unto death, is what it means to lead.” He said.
For many hours through the day and into the night She was silent before she lowered her head and a tear ran from her eye. “I am ashamed.” She said.
The man returned to his village, his flocks and life preserved - and She came with him. When next the Orcs faced humans on the field of battle the sky was darkened by shining wings. The battle was won. The People stopped losing. The People stopped running.
The man became a leader of the People. he took no wife, instead honouring the golden Dragon who had saved them and in time he presented magnificent jewel like eggs to the People and called them his children. From the egg hatched a giant man graced with wings and claws and horns, his skin glittering gold in the Sun and his eyes shining with noble power and so was born the first of the Dragon Princes.
Other men found the courage to enter the mountains and honour the Dragons who had saved them. they went in honour, in gratitude and humility - and the greatest of them returned with eggs and a Dragon who honoured their house and family. And so the first of the Draconic Houses were formed and the People had new leaders and a new home - Adracanta, Of The Dragon’s Tears. Or, to the Dragons, the Land Under the Mother and Father’s Gaze.
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-28 01:05 am (UTC)I love ceaseless questions
Orcs. humans, elves dwarfs etc were actually inhabitants of the world long before the dragons were. According to draconic legend (and these stories ARE draconic creation MYTHS so the accuracy of them could be questionable like any people's creation stories. however dragons are good at recording history even if they are prone to... elaboration) the world was created by the Earth Mother and Skyfather but they were "hands off" or deist dieties - they didn't micromanage much. And it kind of went all to hell and the deities wer ejust hacked off because their nice world wasn't pretty any more.. It was only THEN that they created the dragonkind to police it, manage it and basically stop the humans, elves, orcs, spirits, dwarfs etc etc from screwing it up.
As to the Orcs - well this world is the same world as Virtue of Steel - but in a land far far FAR away from that story. So the full history of the Orcs can be found here http://sparkindarkness.livejournal.com/161658.html Basically the Dracantari are the descendents of the first human kingdom that collapsed horribly because their Orcish neighbours went ape shit when the elves dropped the Gara Mirelka on them (basically a psychic atom bomb that caused contagious psychotic rage) destroying the Orcish civilisation and causing the Orcish races to go on a frenzy of destruction annhilating or badly damaging most of their neighbours
Aye that could do with a re-write. In part we are dealing with quasi-mythical heroes of legend so they're allowed to do some stylistically over-the-top things but that could do with a poke
The stories of the battle would be cool and will come - but not in the creation myth :)
She was very very honoured.
Ahhhh but where the dragons are and these houses will be in the main plot (centred around a scion of a dragonhouse):) this is the intro. But basically the dragons stay to the mountains and occasionally visit when called in times of need or to visit close kin and loved ones. But the half, quarter etc dragon children remain in the houses and inherit and rule (and are DAMNED dangerous in their own right)
The orcs still exist. but once the Gara mirelka faded with the death of the Orthorok the resorted to nomadic warring tribes with barbarian level technology. They still raid and are a nuisance and even occasional threat but they're very rarely on the scale needed to destroy the nation
I like questions. Questions beg answers that lead to more world building
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-28 01:43 am (UTC)poking is good. just a bit.
She was very very honoured.
*snirkle* I guess the obvious question that comes next would be can you write that? like, is it possible to actually write without brain implosion? I'm sure there's people out there who like Dragon smut. But can it be written well? I shudder to imagine. damn I love challenges though.
Ok so Dragon houses, the children and peoples are forthcoming. I look forward to where you're headed with it.
I will keep with the questions as long as you let me know what's useful. Let me know when the re-writes are posted.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-28 01:53 am (UTC)LOL I don't have the details involved but I suspect the experience is more sensual and magical than physical :) The logistics involved would be... boggling. A dragon is easily big enough to life a cow in each fore-claw. A human would be injured at best...
I look forward to where I'm heading with this as well! :)
questions are ALWAAAAAAAAAAAYS useful, it's how a world becomes full because you consider points outside