Estagon Notes, Worldbuilding, Etc.
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aftanithRaces of Humankind
Pale (Nordic, Celtic)
Northerners, Snowskins (slur)
Cream (East Asian)
Easterners, Dragonlovers (slur)
Peach (Generic Fantasy)
Estagonians, Dragonslaves (slur)
Olive (Greco-Roman)
Imperials, Godtoys (slur)
Tan (Egyptian, Middle Eastern)
First Men, Dustmen (slur)
Copper (Amerindian, Mesoamerican)
Farlanders, Barbarians (slur)
Dark (Indian)
Southerners, Mudfaces (slur)
Races and Species of Estagon
Dragonkind and humankind are residents of Estagon. The Draconians live in the wealthy districts of glorious cities, while the wealthiest humans rule small towns between them. Other than that, nonmagical humans tend to live in the cities (less often, in the towns and villages) under fairly strict Draconian rule. (Until Charon, at least.)
The dragons themselves have all but vanished, and the last three guard the borders of the kingdom (again, until Charon).
Sorcerers, once identified, are sent to the mages' academy to learn to control their powers under constant guard. The Draconians looked favorably upon sorcerers, regarding them with more respect than your typical human or elf. Under Charon's rule, though, sorcerers were treated with great suspicion and no longer permitted in the cities, while witches were forcibly relocated to the academy or outright killed. (Prior to this, witches were common in poor villages or among nomadic groups.)
Vampires and werewolves are two human subspecies known as the Night Children. Being a Night Child is punishable by death, and most Night Children are vicious and deadly. Werewolves are known to masquerade as humans while preying upon a town, while vampires as said to possess the power of thrall--that is, mind control over nonmagical humans. Both species are commonly found in forests near to settlements, but sometimes Night Children manage to infiltrate cities.
The reanimated are considered by some to be one of the Night Children, being corpses enchanted and enslaved by powerful warlocks. Rarely, a corpse will outlive its master, and there are legends of ancient burial grounds and abandoned warlock hideouts completely overrun by the living dead.
It would be fairly accurate to say the continent where Estagon lies is divided between Humankind territory, Elvenkind territory, and Dwarvenkind territory. The four species of elves have much land under their control, though the races are not unified.
The High Elves have the most human-like domain. They have a kingdom that spans a mountain range and live in grand cities and palaces carved into the stone or villages scattered throughout the meadowy valleys.
On the other side of the valley and mountain range live the Shadow Elves. They live in cities carved like caverns into the mountains, while the untamed forests of the mountainside are home to outposts.
Forest elves live in the forests beyond the valley, building villages deep in the woods.
Orcs live on the Great Plain, a massive prairie region where men maintain a nomadic lifestyle (based on the Mongols) while women and prepubescent children live in farming villages.
Dwarves live, like shadow elves, deep in the mountains. Unlike the elves, they build grand kingdoms beneath the stone and rarely, if ever, come to the surface. They share their kingdom with the goblins, the Cro-Magnon to their Neanderthal.
Hobbits, known for their pacifism, live in hilly regions, building their houses into the hills themselves.
Giants live alone or in groups of two or three, and can most often be found on the Great Plains.
Trolls, also fairly solitary creatures, live in caves at the surface of the mountains. Though elves attempt to keep them out of their region, trolls can still often be found in Estagon.
Ogres live deep in cave systems and are most commonly encountered by dwarves. No one is quite sure where they come from or whether they have a civilization deep in the mountains, past the point where even the dwarves turn back.
Nox can be found anywhere, from the most crowded tavern to the most desolate cave, but are most commonly encountered when one is alone after sunset. There are also legends or sorcerers who have the power to bind nox to their will... but such tales usually end badly for the sorcerer.
Pixies can be found everywhere aboveground, but they do not venture into caves or buildings. Different races of pixie can be found in different regions, from the seaside to forests to prairies and beyond.
Nymphs, like the giantkind, tend to live alone or in small groups of three or less. They are guardians of small regions such as ponds, meadows, groves, and the like.
Map Concept
EURASIA EQUIVALENT
Nordic (N)
Celtic (C)
Greco-Roman (GR)
Egyptian (E)
Middle Eastern (ME)
Indian (I)
East Asian (EA)
AMERICAS EQUIVALENT
North American (NA)
Mesoamerican (Ma)
AUSTRALIA EQUIVALENT
Fantasy (F)
Magic System Idea
Magic in Estagon works via "magic words"; in Estagon, practitioners of the magic art are actually speakers of an ancient tongue known as "the Voice of the Gods". Anything spoken in this tongue comes to pass, and so spells are quite specific and tricky. Metaphor is nonexistent in the language, and for a spell to be cast upon an individual, a person's unique name--which can be an assumed or assigned identity, as long as it is clear who's being referred to--must be known.
Two individuals sharing the same name will both suffer the effects of a spell meant for one of them, so parents attempt to distinguish their children, and those wishing to go incognito often choose extremely common, non-identifying names that only an absolutely unhinged practitioner would dare curse, considering how many innocent bystanders would suffer, as well.
Spells, then, are similar to instruction. Saying "Burn Charon the Dragonslayer" in the language would set the king on fire. To do something more elaborate, a more elaborate spell must be cast, such as "Burn Charon the Dragonslayer on his fortieth birthday" or "Burn Charon the Dragonslayer if he breaks his oath" or whatnot. More simple things like "create light" also work.
While this form of magic gives practitioners infinite possibilities, it has its drawbacks. The "Voice of the Gods" will grow increasingly incapable of referring to technology as new tech is developed (unless the gods choose to intervene and teach additional words to practitioners). And more presently, much of the language remains unknown and forgotten, with certain words being closely guarded secrets among various sects. Most intimidating, though, is that anyone using their Voice runs the risk of catching the less-than-favorable attention of the gods themselves.
Estagonian Pantheon
Jrr, the High God
Grr, the Dark God
Tam, the Patroness of Women
Jo, the Patroness of Sorcerers
Sking, the Lord of Nightmares
Hedon, the Deathbringer
Rio, the Patron of the Demigods
Howl, the Mad God
Kane, the Patron of Heroes
Grimm, the Father of the Night Children
Elias, the Guardian & Patron of Children
Beth, the Muse
1) Jrr is, according to the people of Estagon, the creator of the world and its sentient species*: the dragons (but not the dragonkind), the humankind (excluding the Night Children), the elvenkind, the dwarvenkind, and the giantkind.
2) Grr is the god of the darker aspects of humanity: ambition (as opposed to divine right), politics, and war.
3) Tam is the patron of women, from mothers and grandmothers to queens and warriors.
4) Jo is the patron of sorcerers; the magical gift is her blessing and sorcerers are her favored. Yet she is also tasked with punishing those who abuse their gift.
5) Sking is the giver of nightmares and the god of fear--but also courage. Some groups dedicated to eradicating the Night Children pray to him as well as Elias.
6) Hedon is the Deathbringer, the Reaper who strikes men and women down before their time. Superstition goes that one must take care to in times of joy, lest Hedon snatch their lives away. To die of old age is to have escaped Hedon in favor of Jrr's afterlife.
7) Rio is the patron of the demigods, the children and descendants of the Twelve.
8) Howl is the god of madness and the Outer Realm (space). He is feared or ignored by most Estagonians, but his cult considers him the priest to the primordial pantheon of Old Gods (in which most Estagonians don't believe). He and his cult is widely believed to have something to do with the Sunken City.
9) Kane is the patron of mundane heroes (which excludes heroic sorcerers and demigods) and the bane of criminals. Warriors pray to him before battle.
10) Grimm is the creator of the Night Children (vampires, werewolves, etc.). He is also known as a tempter of sorcerers, offering great power in exchange for participation in dark, murderous rituals and rejection of the patronage of Jo. He is hated and feared by the Estagonians, who use his name as a way to scare disobedient children. The nox are sometimes thought to be his servants, though other traditions hold that the nox aren't Night Children at all and that they are instead something older and even more dangerous.
11) Elias is the patron of children, as well as humankind's guardian against the Night Children. He created the pixies to help humankind ward off the nox.
12) Lastly, Beth is the Muse. She is the patron of every kind of artist, her blessing is inspiration and talent, and she is also known as the Dreamweaver. Some versions of the creation myth hold that she guided Jrr as he shaped the world.
Book Two Note
In the second installment of the Estagon universe, the POV character is a sixteen-year-old Mage who tracks down Adrasteia, Erynis, and Charon in order to become Adrasteia's apprentice (against Themis' orders). The kid essentially hero-worshipped Mars and Adrasteia while they were at the academy, and now that he's forcibly inserted himself into her life, the two of them end up tangled in Mars' web of madness. (This would probably be a good opportunity to introduce the high elf kingdom, since Mars is a high elf. Perhaps his destruction of the Mage academy was an attempt to escape, with returning to his ancestral home being his ultimate goal?) And as Adrasteia/Charon evolves from bitter enmity into unexpected affection, the young MMC remains a shipper on deck for Adrasteia/Mars.
Worldbuilding Tidbits
The Sunken City off the coast of Estagon, known for its unpronounceable name, mysterious cult, and disastrous fate, is a reference to R'yleh.
Under Caderyn's rule, Estagon begins its transformation from a wild, sparsely populated kingdom to a human realm capable of rivaling those of the dwarves and the elves, and this path leads it to becoming a vast, united human empire... which may not be the greatest thing for everyone else--especially anyone living outside of the human, elven, or dwarven kingdoms (such as the orcs).
So, let's see. There are seven major cities in Estagon during the Dragon Age, one for each of the dragon species: Gold, Silver, and Bronze (rare); Crimson, Green, and Black (common); and the ultra rare White. By the time of the Dragonfall, the dragons have become increasingly rare. No one knows where they have gone or if they still live. (Perhaps they're hibernating and will reemerge in some future era?) All they know is that only three still intervene in the lives of man and Dragonkind: a White, a Golden, and a Crimson. During the Dragonfall, each of these dragons is slain by Charon.
Under Draconian rule, each city is named for one of the great families: Winterfreeze, Goldenblaze, Silverback, Bronzeheart, Bloodsky, Shadowlurker, and Evergreen. They are renamed sometime after Charon's revolution, becoming: Hightop, Dawnwatch, Starfell, Goldglenn, Widow's Pride, Shadows Deep, and Timberland.
Estagon's Sentient Species
Dragonkind
• Dragons - seven races (white, golden, silver, bronze, crimson, black, & green)
• Draconians - seven royal houses corresponding to the seven dragon races: Winterfreeze, Goldenblaze, Silverback, Bronzeheart, Bloodsky, Shadowlurker, and Evergreen.
Humankind
• mortals
• sorcerers - witches (untrained), mages (trained), warlocks (Grimm)
• vampires
• werewolves
• reanimated
Elvenkind
• high elves - live in grand cities, fair, tall
• shadow elves - live in secret cavern and forest cities, purple-black skinned, tall
• wood elves - live in forest tribes, peach- to tan-skinned, average height
• orcs - live in prairies, gray-skinned, tall, muscular, originally bred as slaves (for the Draconians?)
Dwarvenkind
• dwarves - carve kingdoms into mountains, short and stocky but very strong, ostensibly rule the goblins
• hobbits - build houses into hills, short, very docile
• goblins - brains behind the dwarves' successes
Giantkind
• giants - nomadic and solitary, wish to be left alone, very tall and quite muscular
• trolls - live in caves, very violent, above average height and quite muscular, similar to gorillas
• ogres - live in mountains and caverns, enormous and nigh-unstoppable
Spiritkind
• nox - incorporeal but can manifest with help or if very powerful; deal in temptation and trickery
• pixies - tiny, Disney-style fairies capable of repelling nox under most circumstances
• nymphs - protectors of nature (unspoiled places and animals in need of help); normally compassionate and nurturing, even to humans in need, but quickly turn deadly at the first sign of danger (to themselves or their charge)
Pale (Nordic, Celtic)
Northerners, Snowskins (slur)
Cream (East Asian)
Easterners, Dragonlovers (slur)
Peach (Generic Fantasy)
Estagonians, Dragonslaves (slur)
Olive (Greco-Roman)
Imperials, Godtoys (slur)
Tan (Egyptian, Middle Eastern)
First Men, Dustmen (slur)
Copper (Amerindian, Mesoamerican)
Farlanders, Barbarians (slur)
Dark (Indian)
Southerners, Mudfaces (slur)
Races and Species of Estagon
Dragonkind and humankind are residents of Estagon. The Draconians live in the wealthy districts of glorious cities, while the wealthiest humans rule small towns between them. Other than that, nonmagical humans tend to live in the cities (less often, in the towns and villages) under fairly strict Draconian rule. (Until Charon, at least.)
The dragons themselves have all but vanished, and the last three guard the borders of the kingdom (again, until Charon).
Sorcerers, once identified, are sent to the mages' academy to learn to control their powers under constant guard. The Draconians looked favorably upon sorcerers, regarding them with more respect than your typical human or elf. Under Charon's rule, though, sorcerers were treated with great suspicion and no longer permitted in the cities, while witches were forcibly relocated to the academy or outright killed. (Prior to this, witches were common in poor villages or among nomadic groups.)
Vampires and werewolves are two human subspecies known as the Night Children. Being a Night Child is punishable by death, and most Night Children are vicious and deadly. Werewolves are known to masquerade as humans while preying upon a town, while vampires as said to possess the power of thrall--that is, mind control over nonmagical humans. Both species are commonly found in forests near to settlements, but sometimes Night Children manage to infiltrate cities.
The reanimated are considered by some to be one of the Night Children, being corpses enchanted and enslaved by powerful warlocks. Rarely, a corpse will outlive its master, and there are legends of ancient burial grounds and abandoned warlock hideouts completely overrun by the living dead.
It would be fairly accurate to say the continent where Estagon lies is divided between Humankind territory, Elvenkind territory, and Dwarvenkind territory. The four species of elves have much land under their control, though the races are not unified.
The High Elves have the most human-like domain. They have a kingdom that spans a mountain range and live in grand cities and palaces carved into the stone or villages scattered throughout the meadowy valleys.
On the other side of the valley and mountain range live the Shadow Elves. They live in cities carved like caverns into the mountains, while the untamed forests of the mountainside are home to outposts.
Forest elves live in the forests beyond the valley, building villages deep in the woods.
Orcs live on the Great Plain, a massive prairie region where men maintain a nomadic lifestyle (based on the Mongols) while women and prepubescent children live in farming villages.
Dwarves live, like shadow elves, deep in the mountains. Unlike the elves, they build grand kingdoms beneath the stone and rarely, if ever, come to the surface. They share their kingdom with the goblins, the Cro-Magnon to their Neanderthal.
Hobbits, known for their pacifism, live in hilly regions, building their houses into the hills themselves.
Giants live alone or in groups of two or three, and can most often be found on the Great Plains.
Trolls, also fairly solitary creatures, live in caves at the surface of the mountains. Though elves attempt to keep them out of their region, trolls can still often be found in Estagon.
Ogres live deep in cave systems and are most commonly encountered by dwarves. No one is quite sure where they come from or whether they have a civilization deep in the mountains, past the point where even the dwarves turn back.
Nox can be found anywhere, from the most crowded tavern to the most desolate cave, but are most commonly encountered when one is alone after sunset. There are also legends or sorcerers who have the power to bind nox to their will... but such tales usually end badly for the sorcerer.
Pixies can be found everywhere aboveground, but they do not venture into caves or buildings. Different races of pixie can be found in different regions, from the seaside to forests to prairies and beyond.
Nymphs, like the giantkind, tend to live alone or in small groups of three or less. They are guardians of small regions such as ponds, meadows, groves, and the like.
Map Concept
EURASIA EQUIVALENT
Nordic (N)
Celtic (C)
Greco-Roman (GR)
Egyptian (E)
Middle Eastern (ME)
Indian (I)
East Asian (EA)
AMERICAS EQUIVALENT
North American (NA)
Mesoamerican (Ma)
AUSTRALIA EQUIVALENT
Fantasy (F)
Magic System Idea
Magic in Estagon works via "magic words"; in Estagon, practitioners of the magic art are actually speakers of an ancient tongue known as "the Voice of the Gods". Anything spoken in this tongue comes to pass, and so spells are quite specific and tricky. Metaphor is nonexistent in the language, and for a spell to be cast upon an individual, a person's unique name--which can be an assumed or assigned identity, as long as it is clear who's being referred to--must be known.
Two individuals sharing the same name will both suffer the effects of a spell meant for one of them, so parents attempt to distinguish their children, and those wishing to go incognito often choose extremely common, non-identifying names that only an absolutely unhinged practitioner would dare curse, considering how many innocent bystanders would suffer, as well.
Spells, then, are similar to instruction. Saying "Burn Charon the Dragonslayer" in the language would set the king on fire. To do something more elaborate, a more elaborate spell must be cast, such as "Burn Charon the Dragonslayer on his fortieth birthday" or "Burn Charon the Dragonslayer if he breaks his oath" or whatnot. More simple things like "create light" also work.
While this form of magic gives practitioners infinite possibilities, it has its drawbacks. The "Voice of the Gods" will grow increasingly incapable of referring to technology as new tech is developed (unless the gods choose to intervene and teach additional words to practitioners). And more presently, much of the language remains unknown and forgotten, with certain words being closely guarded secrets among various sects. Most intimidating, though, is that anyone using their Voice runs the risk of catching the less-than-favorable attention of the gods themselves.
Estagonian Pantheon
Jrr, the High God
Grr, the Dark God
Tam, the Patroness of Women
Jo, the Patroness of Sorcerers
Sking, the Lord of Nightmares
Hedon, the Deathbringer
Rio, the Patron of the Demigods
Howl, the Mad God
Kane, the Patron of Heroes
Grimm, the Father of the Night Children
Elias, the Guardian & Patron of Children
Beth, the Muse
1) Jrr is, according to the people of Estagon, the creator of the world and its sentient species*: the dragons (but not the dragonkind), the humankind (excluding the Night Children), the elvenkind, the dwarvenkind, and the giantkind.
2) Grr is the god of the darker aspects of humanity: ambition (as opposed to divine right), politics, and war.
3) Tam is the patron of women, from mothers and grandmothers to queens and warriors.
4) Jo is the patron of sorcerers; the magical gift is her blessing and sorcerers are her favored. Yet she is also tasked with punishing those who abuse their gift.
5) Sking is the giver of nightmares and the god of fear--but also courage. Some groups dedicated to eradicating the Night Children pray to him as well as Elias.
6) Hedon is the Deathbringer, the Reaper who strikes men and women down before their time. Superstition goes that one must take care to in times of joy, lest Hedon snatch their lives away. To die of old age is to have escaped Hedon in favor of Jrr's afterlife.
7) Rio is the patron of the demigods, the children and descendants of the Twelve.
8) Howl is the god of madness and the Outer Realm (space). He is feared or ignored by most Estagonians, but his cult considers him the priest to the primordial pantheon of Old Gods (in which most Estagonians don't believe). He and his cult is widely believed to have something to do with the Sunken City.
9) Kane is the patron of mundane heroes (which excludes heroic sorcerers and demigods) and the bane of criminals. Warriors pray to him before battle.
10) Grimm is the creator of the Night Children (vampires, werewolves, etc.). He is also known as a tempter of sorcerers, offering great power in exchange for participation in dark, murderous rituals and rejection of the patronage of Jo. He is hated and feared by the Estagonians, who use his name as a way to scare disobedient children. The nox are sometimes thought to be his servants, though other traditions hold that the nox aren't Night Children at all and that they are instead something older and even more dangerous.
11) Elias is the patron of children, as well as humankind's guardian against the Night Children. He created the pixies to help humankind ward off the nox.
12) Lastly, Beth is the Muse. She is the patron of every kind of artist, her blessing is inspiration and talent, and she is also known as the Dreamweaver. Some versions of the creation myth hold that she guided Jrr as he shaped the world.
Book Two Note
In the second installment of the Estagon universe, the POV character is a sixteen-year-old Mage who tracks down Adrasteia, Erynis, and Charon in order to become Adrasteia's apprentice (against Themis' orders). The kid essentially hero-worshipped Mars and Adrasteia while they were at the academy, and now that he's forcibly inserted himself into her life, the two of them end up tangled in Mars' web of madness. (This would probably be a good opportunity to introduce the high elf kingdom, since Mars is a high elf. Perhaps his destruction of the Mage academy was an attempt to escape, with returning to his ancestral home being his ultimate goal?) And as Adrasteia/Charon evolves from bitter enmity into unexpected affection, the young MMC remains a shipper on deck for Adrasteia/Mars.
Worldbuilding Tidbits
The Sunken City off the coast of Estagon, known for its unpronounceable name, mysterious cult, and disastrous fate, is a reference to R'yleh.
Under Caderyn's rule, Estagon begins its transformation from a wild, sparsely populated kingdom to a human realm capable of rivaling those of the dwarves and the elves, and this path leads it to becoming a vast, united human empire... which may not be the greatest thing for everyone else--especially anyone living outside of the human, elven, or dwarven kingdoms (such as the orcs).
So, let's see. There are seven major cities in Estagon during the Dragon Age, one for each of the dragon species: Gold, Silver, and Bronze (rare); Crimson, Green, and Black (common); and the ultra rare White. By the time of the Dragonfall, the dragons have become increasingly rare. No one knows where they have gone or if they still live. (Perhaps they're hibernating and will reemerge in some future era?) All they know is that only three still intervene in the lives of man and Dragonkind: a White, a Golden, and a Crimson. During the Dragonfall, each of these dragons is slain by Charon.
Under Draconian rule, each city is named for one of the great families: Winterfreeze, Goldenblaze, Silverback, Bronzeheart, Bloodsky, Shadowlurker, and Evergreen. They are renamed sometime after Charon's revolution, becoming: Hightop, Dawnwatch, Starfell, Goldglenn, Widow's Pride, Shadows Deep, and Timberland.
Estagon's Sentient Species
Dragonkind
• Dragons - seven races (white, golden, silver, bronze, crimson, black, & green)
• Draconians - seven royal houses corresponding to the seven dragon races: Winterfreeze, Goldenblaze, Silverback, Bronzeheart, Bloodsky, Shadowlurker, and Evergreen.
Humankind
• mortals
• sorcerers - witches (untrained), mages (trained), warlocks (Grimm)
• vampires
• werewolves
• reanimated
Elvenkind
• high elves - live in grand cities, fair, tall
• shadow elves - live in secret cavern and forest cities, purple-black skinned, tall
• wood elves - live in forest tribes, peach- to tan-skinned, average height
• orcs - live in prairies, gray-skinned, tall, muscular, originally bred as slaves (for the Draconians?)
Dwarvenkind
• dwarves - carve kingdoms into mountains, short and stocky but very strong, ostensibly rule the goblins
• hobbits - build houses into hills, short, very docile
• goblins - brains behind the dwarves' successes
Giantkind
• giants - nomadic and solitary, wish to be left alone, very tall and quite muscular
• trolls - live in caves, very violent, above average height and quite muscular, similar to gorillas
• ogres - live in mountains and caverns, enormous and nigh-unstoppable
Spiritkind
• nox - incorporeal but can manifest with help or if very powerful; deal in temptation and trickery
• pixies - tiny, Disney-style fairies capable of repelling nox under most circumstances
• nymphs - protectors of nature (unspoiled places and animals in need of help); normally compassionate and nurturing, even to humans in need, but quickly turn deadly at the first sign of danger (to themselves or their charge)
