#calormen worldbuilding

[tarkhccna]

while all are welcome at the temple of the god tash, the immediate royal family is expected to pay a bloody homage to the diety as it is his ancestry that gives them the right to rule. a spindle stands in the doorway of each of his places of worship, and those of his blood must return it to him, pricking their finger and letting a drop pool in a golden dish resting below. it’s said that the sacrificial blood left in that font never truly dries, as it is divine. ( skeptics whisper that it’s simply rehydrated with essential oils by tash’s apostates throughout each day. ) 

[thornfield13713]

tell me about your childhood

Okay. Creepy. But- Okay. I'll go on a ramble about one very specific thing that has been brought back to my attention recently.

My favourite story as a child was The Horse and His Boy, but I didn't actually read it until I was fourteen, and was rather disappointed by the original.

The reason for this is simple - it was my father's favourite Narnia book as a child, and he knew it so well that he told it to me every time I needed a bedtime story off the top of his head without ever needing to glance at the book. However. Dad is…a great believer in the idea that all good stories deserve embellishment, and also a bit of a history nerd, and I was a child who asked questions, which meant that, over the course of my childhood, the story...expanded. By the time I was ten, there was a wealth of worldbuilding, geopolitical detail, backstory and so on and so forth, even as the bones of the story remained the same, and so did a lot of the more memorable lines. I didn't actually know how much of it was my dad essentially making up his own fanfiction to expand on his favourite story until I finally read the book at fourteen, when I was very disappointed to learn that the original book was a lot shorter and more overtly racist than the version I fell in love with growing up, with no lengthy digressions on the trade in coffee between Calormen and the North, and no explanations of the geopolitics of Narnia's emergence from the hundred-year winter. Which makes sense - it's a children's book, and Lewis's style didn't lean that way, and- well. It was written in the fifties, which is an explanation, if not an excuse, for featuring dialogue that even a middle-aged white Englishman didn't want to read aloud to a child in the 1990s and early 2000s.

So, should I ever be called upon to tell bedtime stories in the future, I'm probably going to go with Dad's version. It stuck with me more anyway.

[thegoldenage-roleplay]

The CALORMEN EMPIRE is the southernmost nation, a rich and powerful country isolated from the rest of the world with the Great Desert and an expansive mountain range on its northern and western borders.

Centuries ago, as the population of what is presently known as Archenland began to expand considerably, several of its citizens found themselves traveling south, so as not to deplete Archenland's resources and find themselves facing starvation.

After braving the perilous journey across the Great Desert, the pilgrims discovered a land rich with resources beyond their imagination. With hope in their hearts and a now bright future on the horizon, they established several settlements and deemed the newly discovered land 'Calormen'.

Over the next hundred years, the small fledgling nation began to evolve into the mighty empire that is known today. The expansion of Calormen began in year 300 when the conqueror, known as Mahunz the Great, united his country under a single banner and established himself as the first Tisroc of the ‘Great Calormen Empire’.

The years onward soon saw the rise (and fall) of several characters in Calormen's history, both good and bad. There was Ozan the Wise, who tried to expand the realm’s territories northward, to the region presently known as Telmar, only to be driven back by the harsh climate. There was Haluk the Mighty, where, under his rule, the Calormene military boomed mightily. There was also Tahaani the Radiant. Under her guidance, Calormen flourished into the colorful culture it is today.

Then there came the dynasty that began Calormen’s darkest era: in Year 800, a man who would forever be known as Rabbar the Cruel desired to make Calormen the richest nation above all nations. He believed the best way to preserve the country’s riches was to reserve them for those that, in his mind, truly deserved it. And so he deprived those he deemed the poorest and weakest of them all of their wealth and forced them into servitude of their ‘betters’.

And thus, the era of slavery in Calormen began.

Soon his descendants carried on his legacy of greed and cruelty. Rahava the Vain raised a great army and waged war against Telmar for several years in an attempt to succeed in where he believed Ozan the Wise failed. The senseless conflict led to the deaths of thousands on both sides, and left behind a deep-seated resentment festering between Telmar and Calormen. One that persists to this day.

Rhabarb the Gluttonous’ ambitions nearly destroyed Calormen's military might as well. Rather than attempt to conquer the North like his grandfather, he set his sights eastward, to the small island nations like Galma and Terebinthia. With Calormen's armada at his back, Rhabarb began the War of Red Waters, for much blood was spilled during the naval battles of this campaign. However, Rhabarb underestimated the naval prowess of both the Terebinthian and Galman navies, and after suffering several defeats, was forced to end his campaign and withdraw to Calormen's shores.

Only when Rabadash the Peacemaker, nearly a century later, ascended to the throne, did Calormen see the end of this dark era.

(It is often heavily debated between historians the true nature of the Battle of Anvard, instigated by Rabadash in the year 1007. While some believe it was a preemptive strike under the belief that Narnia and Archenland were prepared to unite and wage war against them, others claim that Rabadash pursued Queen Susan of Narnia in a foolish attempt to subdue her as his wife. Thus many, albeit in secret, refer to the current living Tisroc as Rabadash the Foolish)

A war was waged during Rabadash’s reign, though it was not fought by him. In the year  1009, a young woman, who would famously be known as both Tamara the Treacherous and Tamara the Fearless, rallied an army of former slaves (being one herself) and instigated the Great Calormen Revolution, a civil war between the peasant and enslaved citizens and the Tarkaans and princes of Calormen. The conflict carried on for two years, with heavy losses on both sides.

Only when Rabadash intervened did the war come to an end. He summoned Tamara to his court for negotiations, and after lengthy talks, an agreement was reached. For the emancipation of the enslaved, Tamara agreed to become Rabadash’s lawful wife and queen. Upon their wedding day and Tamara's coronation, all of Calormen was united once more under the rule of their Tisroc and newly crowned Sultan.

After centuries of war and bloodshed, peace had settled onto their nation once again.

(A/N: Calormen draws inspiration from the Ottoman Empire, the Persian Empire, and Indian culture. Preferable face claims should be of South Asian, Iranian, and Turkish descent. However any middle eastern faceclaims are welcome as well!)

[narnia-renaissance]

Source: Daily Fandom Memes

Jack was really thin on the coherence of the worldbuilding sometimes.  Got in Narnia head canon? For instance, are there female Satyrs and Fauns?  How do you get little Satyrs and Fauns? Or baby naiads?  Just where did that marmalade roll and sewing machine come from in the Long Winter? Where did Calormenes come from? 

[calormen]

I'll have to show my designs at some point, but Aravis has Oasis Naiad blood-- water has memory, and I think something like that fits with her skills in storytelling. Lasaraleen has cacti dryad blood, and her flowers bloom consistently and are lauded as some of the most beautiful in the Calormene empire.

Cor and Corin are dryad blooded, their designs reflect it easily. It doesnt very much tie into their personalities, but it serves as a sort of parallel-- how Corins dryad blood lauds him in Archenland vs how it does nothing for Cor in Calormen.

Nature magic is just inherently normal in certain people in Narnia ( the world ), it's a land of magic, but the gifts generally come through blood and how genuine a person is. It really reflects general need and environment. For example, Caspian X's power awakened when he started boatmaking-- something latent from his mothers side of the family ( she was an Old Telmarine, someone who kept the old practises of her people alive despite the Caspian rule alongside others of her people, and passed these stories and traditions onto Caspian X ) that allowed him to navigate easily, manipulate waters and the breeze to fill a sail. It's something he spends his life cultivating and passing down to his children.

But yeah, I'm relatively insistent in the kingdoms not being Human occupied in the way the Pevensies are human unless its specifically stated, and visual designs and such will be released and these ideas will be expanded on in full worldbuilding posts on my respective blog soon 🥰

[narniadynasty]

this is the ask to give you a reason to scream about your sunshine deities! im happy to listen to infodump 🥰

alfjdslajf omg thank you!

okay so to start off with what i already posted in the spareoom discord:

I started searching up what sunshine deities were called in Greek mythology since the Kingdom of Narnia has Greek and Roman inspiration littered throughout the series. I wanted to keep it consistent (yes Lewis, this is another dig at you and your mess at worldbuilding).

Unfortunately I couldn’t find anything specific for a general name for sunshine nymphs, just names of children of sun deities. I took a look at Roman sun deities and landed upon Sol Invictus which means “unconquered sun". Reading about Sol Invictus lead me to the Aurelian family (gens Aurelia) which established a cult for Sol Invictus. This in turn lead me to finding out that Aurelius meant golden BUT one Roman Grammarian from way back when had discussed that Aurelius would have actually been Auselius. According to them, Auselius was the word for sun in Sabine. Thus, Auselia for the sunshine deities was born!

Calormen beliefs and equivalents (bc you know me and how Calormen lives in my head, far away from Lewis, rent free):

Every Narnian deity has a different name in other regions of Narnia (bc we don’t play with all cultures knowing only the Narnian way like Lewis did).

The sunshine deities in Calormen are referred to as the Savitya which is a combination of Savitr and Surya from Hindu myth, both of which are associated with the sun.

Just like Calormen are the children of Tash, the Savitya are the Children of Satya. Thus they are Tash’s family, his siblings. They were created after Tash took his place as the head of Calormen with Satya’s blessings.

The Savitya reminds the Calormen that their Mata Rani is watching over and loving them even if she is not as present as she once was. In line with “unconquering sun” from the Roman version, they are fierce protectors and warriors that helped Azaroth and Tash keep Calormen alive and flourishing to this day.

The Savitya, while they acknowledge Tash and his Right of Ascension over Calormen, only bow their head to their Maa. They are Satya’s to command.

General Facts (a mix of Auselius and Savitya headcanons which may change in the future)

When looking for a sunshine deity, you have better luck finding a phoenix (or firebird). Phoenixes love the warmth and light from the deities and can often be found forming nests near the deities place of living. Phoenixes will give whatever shiny or warm things they find to an Auselius in thanks for their warmth and home. It is far far easier for a phoenix to lead you to the deities bc their homes are often found in the hottest of volcanoes or the highest mountains, closest to the sun. The phoenix can lead you through the difficult travels safely.

Sitting near an Auselius for too long will have you falling ‘sun-drunk’ like a cat. After you leave their presence, you will find yourself renewed with energy for days, some even staying awake through several nights after such encounters because of the rejuvenation.

Felines and dracongenia are as drawn to the Auselius as phoenixes are. Phoenixes will make nests outside the Auselius’ dwellings. Felines (cats, both big and small) will dare to wander further in making homes for themselves without pause. Dracongenia will lay at the outer ridges of the Auselius dwellings and protect their homes in exchange for their warmth. 

The body temperatures and energy of the Auselius will increase and decrease in accordance to the distance and appearance of the sun. If the Sun is covered on a cloudy day, the Auselius will be colder and slower. Few Auselius leave the sun’s reach but some can be found on the most coldest parts of the world bringing whatever warmth they can to the life there. These Auselius have a rotation set in place so one is not away from the sun for too long.

All sunshine deities awake when the sun rises and sleep when it sets. The Savitya in particular will always greet their Mother first before starting the day.

They ride chariots whenever they travel (a lot of sun deities in many religions apparently do and I wanted to keep this because it sounds so cool). The Savitya, in particular, will take advantage of the “coloured path”, referring to rainbows, and travel quicker. The rainbow path headcanon comes from Hindu mythology, again in reference to Surya who is often seen travelling in a chariot drawn by 7 horses which refers to the 7 visible light colours (and days of the week).

Fireflowers can be found setting roots down in gardens of the Auselia.

That’s all I got for now but I definitely will be adding on later as I come up with more!

Thanks for giving me the chance to just drop all of this, bud💕🌻

[edenfalling]

[Fic] “I Believe the Children Are Our Future” - Chronicles of Narnia

Summary: Helping your sister take care of her new twins is vexing. Figuring out a stable and robust system of government for Narnia that will outlast your death is even more vexing, but you can't properly manage the former task without eventually facing the latter. AU, no White Stag. (1,425 words)

Note: Written for alexseanchai, in response to the prompt: kids / babies, the Pevensie(s) of your choice, didn't-return-to-England AU. It is also a fill for the Genprompt Bingo square kids / babies.

--------------------------------------------- I Believe the Children Are Our Future ---------------------------------------------

"I still say having twins was a bit much," Lucy remarked as she held Ngoro on her lap, carefully propping her niece upright so the baby could stare out the nursery window at the summer rain pattering on an exuberant spray of ivy. "Yes, it's a marvelous way to trump Edmund and Margita for having the first child of House Pevensie, but when do you and Jurusi sleep?"

"We trade watches," Susan said, deftly folding the last flap of Alfred's diaper and fastening it with a silver pin, "besides which, all the good folk of Cair Paravel stand ready to lend a hand, paw, or wing whether we need the assistance or not."

"That's not-- well, yes, I suppose that is how things go around here," Lucy conceded. "Though frankly, as vexing as it can be to have everyone sticking their noses into one's decisions, I prefer that to the alternative. We've seen quite clearly what happens when people have no one willing and able to tell them they're being foolish or need more sleep."

Susan made a hideous face at her son, who giggled and flailed his pudgy, uncoordinated hands toward her mouth and nose. "I beg you, don't remind me."

Lucy made a face in turn, then swayed back to avoid getting smacked in the eye by Ngoro's equally uncoordinated excitement. "Alas, I think I have to -- at least in a roundabout way. It was fine when Ysavetta was the only heir, but we now have three children of House Pevensie and no established rule of precedence for which shall inherit what. Worse yet, I don't think we've established a principle of dynastic inheritance at all, considering our authority comes directly from Aslan and the land's own prophecy, which isn't what I'd call an easily replicable precedent."

"Lucy. I am too tired to think about political theory."

Lucy hefted Ngoro into her arms and stood from her armchair. "You won't become any less tired for at least a year." Ngoro made a noise halfway between a coo and a frustrated kitten-mew, and flailed again toward Lucy's face. Lucy intercepted her niece's hand with one of her own fingers, which Ngoro promptly wrapped her own tiny fingers around and tugged close to shove into her mouth. "Besides, you're far more honest when you're too exhausted to put on your regal face." And like it or not, some questions needed answers.

"You're far too honest all the time. It's most vexing, having a sister who's the next best thing to a living saint." Susan sat down on the broad couch that doubled as a bed for whoever was taking night watch in the nursery and guarding the infant prince and princess. Then she flopped down onto her back, pulling Alfred with her until he was lying face-down on her stomach. "Hello, darling! Yes, I know, that feels so much better now. Isn't it nice to be clean? How about we try to keep Mummy's dress clean for at least five minutes? Can we do that, sweetling?"

"Five candied chestnuts says he can't."

"Deal," Susan said as she grasped Alfred's hands within her own and began waving his arms back and forth, up and down, in mirrored patterns. "Now take your finger out of my daughter's mouth -- honestly, when was the last time you washed your hands? -- and tell me why you think we ought to settle the succession today rather than wait to discover if any of our children even wish to shoulder the weight of an entire country."

Lucy pried her finger out of Ngoro's mouth and tapped her niece on the nose to distract her from her thwarted gnawing. "The Tisroc's sons."

Susan's hands stilled for a moment. "Ugh. Yes. Fair point. There are any number of rotten strands contributing to that poisoned web, but the tacit rule that the throne goes to whosoever can take and hold it certainly bears much of the weight."

"I fear that accepting murder as a legitimate method of succession was the seed of a number of those other rotten strands over the generations," Lucy said. "I'd prefer for our family and our country not to turn down that path."

"The trouble, of course," Susan said as she continued to wave Alfred's arms about to his apparent glee, "is that any fixed succession method for a royal house opens the way to unfit or uninterested rulers. Moreover we face the problem of either converting a tetrarchy into a monarchy without creating hard feelings among any children who don't inherit a throne, or of establishing some equivalent to Peter's role as High King without divine appointment to back that person's claim over the other three rulers."

Lucy sighed. "Yes, exactly. I'd thought we might have the High Throne go by seniority -- whoever has been king or queen the longest when the current High King or High Queen dies -- but that only works if there's a clear rule for accession to the lesser thrones. This is why I need your help. The Lion only knows I haven't found any foolproof answers and I've been worrying at the matter since Ysavetta was-- Ouch!" Ngoro, both hands tangled in Lucy's hair, yanked again. "Yes, I know my hair is shiny, but we don't hurt people unless we're at war, and even then we warn them first. Let go. Why don't we go look at the rain again? It's shiny too!"

"One would think a soldier would know the value of braiding back her hair," Susan remarked to the white-gold stars painted in constellations across the nursery ceiling.

"Braids make my scalp itch."

"'Tis a great pity for you. Regardless, it occurs to me that you have framed the problem too narrowly. The question is not who shall inherit the throne or thrones of Narnia. The question is how Narnia shall be governed when we four are gone to Aslan's Country. Why have a throne at all? I seem to recall that some lands in Spare Oom managed well enough without one."

Lucy stilled, hand stretched out through the open window to cup a palmful of rain, cool and cleansing on her skin. Then she pulled her arm back in and let Ngoro smash one hand gleefully into the tiny puddle.

"Narnia has always had a king or queen, since the Dawn of Time itself. Will the land be satisfied without one?"

Susan rolled onto her side to meet Lucy's gaze, Alfred cradled safely within her arms. "Perhaps not. But I think that is the question we must answer first, before we seek to burden my children or our niece with the weight and duty of a throne. And further, I think we should draw others into our search. We have never ruled alone -- neither one king or queen without three others to hold the balance, nor four tetrarchs alone with no counsel from our people -- and a question so vital as this cannot be resolved behind closed doors. That, too, is a rotten seed I would not see take root in Narnian soil."

"It's most vexing, having a sister who would rather ask a dozen new questions than find a simple answer," Lucy said with a smile.

"Anyone who claims to have a simple answer to a complicated problem is lying or deceived," Susan said.

"Even Aslan?"

"Aslan is the only potential exception, but I prefer to reserve judgment until I reach his Country and examine the perspective from which he makes his decisions." Susan heaved herself upright and held out one hand to forestall Lucy's rejoinder. "In the meantime, because you're my sister and I love you, all vexation aside, I will give you one simple answer."

She crossed the nursery, pushed Lucy down into the armchair, and deposited Alfred on her lap beside Ngoro. "You wanted to know when Jurusi and I sleep? I'm going to join him in our bed right now. You may take my watch."

Lucy watched her sister stride swift and elegantly from the room, then glanced down at her niece and nephew. Ngoro and Alfred met her gaze with wide, curious eyes, before Ngoro turned back to the window and Alfred smacked his hands on Lucy's shoulder, making tiny noises with each touch.

Perhaps it was asking too much to find a simple answer that would keep these two small lives safe as Lucy herself had never been, save for a month of peace snatched here and there from the swirl of duty and chaos.

Even so, she could do no less than try.

---------------------------------------------

End of Fic

---------------------------------------------

Miscellaneous worldbuilding notes! In this AU, I am assuming the Pevensies are still interested in international alliances -- probably moreso since the whole Rabadash incident -- and this has resulted in Susan marrying a relative of the royal house of Kutu (the country south of Calormen) while Edmund has married a princess from Telmar. I am unsure about Peter, and as for Lucy, she's eventually going to go on a sailing adventure to the uttermost east and run into a suspiciously familiar Sea-Woman because if I'm already going AU, why not shove in the Lucy ship of my heart? *waves tiny Lucy/Sea-Girl flag*

[narniaandplowmen]

“And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me Beloved’’

So. This is it. The last book in our read-along. I am actually getting quite emotional. Thank you @lasaraleen for organising this marvellous read-along, I have enjoyed every second of it. Although I doubt my mum is very happy with it, because now I am even more sure I want a Narnia-tattoo, and she is not the biggest fan of that idea ;)

The Last Battle is easily the most theological entry in the series, as well as the most adult one. It shows once more C.S. Lewis’ amazing worldbuilding and gorgeously engaging writing. I mean, describing a cat’s look as “ever so prim and proper - you know the way a Cat can when it pleases”. You can definitely picture that look. 

First of all, poor Puzzle! Donkeys are some of my favourite animals, so I have always had a weak spot for poor Puzzle. The way he is treated is just so awful, and he means so well. 

I love King Tristan so much! He is so honourable and so incredibly professional. He makes sure his sword is dry after crossing through water, not caring about drying himself, and he feels so guilty after killing unarmed Calormenes. He is so loyal to Aslan, even though he has never seen or met Aslan before in his entire life. I love how, after he enters the New Narnia, it is said that “there stood his heart’s desire, huge and real, the golden Lion, Aslan himself” (emphasis mine). That is such a beautiful thing, which all of us should strive for: Aslan being our heart’s desire. 

I love the history the Unicorn shares, of Queen Swanwhite and Moonwood the Hare and King Gale, it again shows so much worldbuilding and makes the world so real. I also love the foreshadowing of Jill: “our world is going to have an end someday. Perhaps this one won’t.” Also, the foreshadowing when King Tristan is introduced: “the last of the Kings of Narnia”. Subtle and easy to miss, unless you know the ending. 

One of my favourite quotes in this novel is the following:

‘‘For though they were talking dogs, they were just as doggy as they could be: and they all stood up and put their front paws in the shoulders of humans and licked their faces, al saying at once “Welcome! Welcome! We’ll help, we’ll help, help, help. Show us how to help, show us how, how, how-how-how” It was so lovely that it made you want to cry.”

C.S. Lewis is a dog person, confirmed. I also love the phonetic pun with the ‘how-how-how’ echoing the sound a dog can make. I also found the following quote related to dogs quite funny: “So we do,” said the first Dog. “Or girls.” “S-s-sh!” said the Old Dog. “That is not a nice word to use!”. Is that a ‘bitch’ joke you put in there Lewis? You sly dog (pun intended)

As I previously mentioned, this book is the most adult one in the series. The amount of explicit - and emotional - deaths is astonishing, and I am honestly surprised my parents let me read this book as young as I did.

“The Bear lay on the ground, moving feebly. Then it mumbled in its throaty voice, bewildered to the last, “I- I don’t - understand,” laid its big head on the grass as quietly as a child going to sleep, and never moved again.”

It is indeed also the most theological entry of the series, and that is saying something! The whole scene with the dwarves in New Narnia is so telling, and so beautiful and sad at the same time.

“They have chosen cunning instead of belief. Their prison is only in their minds yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they cannot be taken out.”

I love Emeth. I love how he is so devoted to Tash, how he wants to do the good thing. ANd I love even more how Aslan tells him that “all the service thou hast done to Tas, I account as a service done to me.” And it is so beautiful to see the impact it has on him that Aslan calls him ‘Beloved’. It’s so beautiful!

And, as anyone who has read any of my previous posts on the read-along is probably waiting for now: REEPICHEEP RETURNS! KING OF MY HEART! I adore that he is described as ‘one of the greatest heroes of Narnia’. I adore all the rest of the reunions as well! They are all together again!

But, of course, with one person missing. One of the most tragic things in the entire series is, after all, this single phrase by Peter: “My sister Susan is no longer a friend of Narnia.” The number of sad fanfics out there of Susan Pevensie being left alone after one single train crash kills both her parents and her three siblings... The idea itself is just heartbreaking. However, I choose to believe that, as C.S. Lewis says, one day she will be old enough to start believing in fairy tales again. 

Thank you all for going on this amazing journey together. If anyone has pictures/official art of Reepicheep and/or the Lamppost, please send them to me/tag me in them, I need them as references for my tattoo! Thank you again @lasaraleen. And for now, let’s all go Further Up and Further In.

[bedlamsbard]

Dust, #11 and or #1?

Oh, I see we’re kicking it old school to my Narnia days!

11: What do you like best about this fic?

I love the worldbuilding, which in all honest is probably to some extent what killed it -- at the time I wasn’t really capable of reining myself in.  But I love this post-Telmarine, Calormene-occupied Narnia, with magic and myth and godhood trembling just on the edges of the completely prosaic, and all the tensions between different religions and species and social classes, and that shadow of Narnia’s legendary past hanging over it all.

[calormen]

can you tell me about your wyverns?? specifically gavriel but them in general too!!

hello!! omg. i can! i’ll be releasing full rundowns for wyverns as a species over on @oldnarnia when i have all the graphics and art ready, but i can tell you a little about gavriel now!

gavriel of the rose / of the thorn, is the son of the first wyvern, milcah, who was the companion of the first dragon, and helped spread dragon eggs out across narnia as it grew and populated further into each major city ( creating the dragons of archenland, calormen, telmar and the lone isles ). she then created more wyverns by building eggs from her own scales and filling them with her blood, which is a molten gold, and giving the eggs to the dragons of each city, thus creating the wyverns of each city. this is how wyverns create more wyverns, and the act is rare since it leaves them incredibly vulnerable to do so. 

in the time of the lion the witch and the wardrobe ( and the door in the willow, my fanstory where gavriel appears ), there are 3 wyverns in archenland, 1 in calormen, 1 in telmar, 2 in the lone isles, and gavriel is the last surviving narnian wyvern.

milcah, gavriel’s mother, was the wife to queen swanwhite, and swanwhite and milcah are the protagonist of the door in the willow, charlotte’s, mothers. this makes gavriel and charlotte half siblings, and charlotte half-wyvern. this grants her the magic and knowledge she has, as well as her physical resilience. 

as for gavriel, he was raised for 60 years in mt pyre, which is on the boarder of narnia and calormen, alongside his dragon and his mother. wyverns age slowly, and are a sort of shape-shifter. in the link above to view milcah, you can see her more human-esque form. this is a form wyverns will take when among humans to put them at ease, communicate easier, etc. it’s a painful process, but they’re proud creatures at heart, and enjoy showing off the extent of their powers.

at the time of the narnian rebellion, when charlotte returned through the willow, milcah recognised her-- and since swanwhite was long since captured, she recognised her authority and aided in leading the rebellion forces to attack and give charlotte a way into the witch’s castle, and gavriel complied and smuggled the rest of the non-fighting narnians away to archenland to keep them safe. of course, some were left behind out of their own choice.

anyway, in archenland gavriel was immediately taken to the summit of the mountain there ( which the city is built into in my worldbuilding! ), and treated like wyverns tended to be treated-- with great respect, bounty, and reverence. though, left with the prophecy given to the narnians by charlotte ( about the 4 pevensies, and the war against the witch to come ), he quickly adapted himself into a human form, and took to training as a soldier. 

he turns up again at the end of lww, after the 100 year winter, his ageing stunted along with his growth due to being removed from the magical source of his dragon at such a young age, as well as the winter-curse of jadis, since he is a fire-based creature. he took part in the war, and immediately pledged himself to the new monarchy-- something unheard of in wyverns, as they deem themselves greater creatures than man.

he becomes a soldier in edmund’s army, as well as peter’s housecarl. he retires from wars when peter does, and they have a very slowburn romance when they’ve grown into the adulthoods. it’s a little tragic. they get engaged, a week before the staghunt, and gavriel goes mad in grief. he dies, though the way he does is a little gruesome and hurtful, so i won’t talk about it here.

fgdfhgfs that was a lot, but those are the basics of gavriel’s stories and some wyvern tidbits. if you want to know specifics about anything, please send another ask! i’ll either put it on my list for oldnarnia rundowns, or i’ll answer it here! thank u for asking i probably gave you more than you wanted lol

[edenfalling]

For the DVD commentary meme - Chapter 7 of the Courting Dance (the wedding scene).

For @bluejayfic, forthe Fic DVD Commentary Meme (which is still open, fyi! just drop me an ask) 

TheCourting Dance: Marriage is a bit more complicated thanquarreling and making it up again, especially for the crown prince ofArchenland and an exiled Calormene Tarkheena. (21,000 words) 

Chapter7 - The Beating of Our Hearts: Running from your problems israrely a good long-term solution, but sometimes the change in environment canbe helpful – especially now that Aravis and Cor are on the same page. (1,600words) 

As @bluejayfic mentioned, this chapter is the one with the wedding scene. What was I thinking,putting the wedding halfway through the story? Well, I was thinking that theplot is as much about politics and worldbuilding as it is about romance, andthe wedding is a major symbol of Aravis and Cor deciding to commit to eachother despite various obstacles. Also, while it resolves their interpersonalproblems, it doesn’t resolve their external problems at all – in fact, itmakes some of them worse. So I figured it would make a good central turningpoint, where we switch from Aravis and Cor being pissed off at each other tostanding back-to-back against the world. 

———————————————Chapter 7 - TheBeating of Our Hearts, with commentary———————————————

Aravis disliked the journey into Narnia, though she had gonewillingly five times during her first year in the north, so that she mightspeak to Queen Lucy and spend a week or two in a place where her role wasclearly defined. The Narnians treated guests nobly and never begrudged herorigin, despite Queen Susan’s ordeal, whereas the Archens held ancient enmitywith Calormen and were rarely sure what to make of her status – somethingpartway between king’s ward, long-term guest, and unofficial hostage. 

This is a little repetitivein terms of story arc – we get it; Archenland has ISSUES with Calormen – butI needed to explicitly establish that Narnia, despite the Rabadash incident,doesn’t really share them. That will be important in future chapters. 

Even in the height of midsummer the mountain road was proneto enveloping fog, and the trees pressed thickly all around like disapprovingsentinels. Hwin and Bree passed the time trading gossip about their respectiveherds and territory negotiations with the centaurs and other grassland Beastsof Narnia. Cor rode silently, seemingly lost in thought. Aravis had nothing tocontribute to the Horses’ conversation and could not think of the right way tobreak into Cor’s reverie, not when they hadn’t spoken properly in so long. Sheheld her tongue until they were through the pass and safely down past thenarrow cliffside path, with the great valley of Narnia spread out before themlike a landscape on silk. 

She sat back in the saddle. Hwin took her suggestion andstopped. After a moment, Bree noticed he was walking alone and turned to eyethem questioningly, his nostrils flared to catch any strange scent on the wind. 

“We’ve crossed the border,” Aravis said. “Nowthat we’re nominally beyond Archenland’s reach, I want an explanation." 

Bree tossed his head. "An explanation of what? Youwanted to run away, Cor wanted to run away, Hwin and I offered to help, andhere we all are in Narnia. What could be simpler?" 

Bree is arefreshingly straightforward soul. *wry* 

Aravis ground her teeth. "I know why I wanted to leaveArchenland. I know why you and Hwin helped. Cor, on the other hand, has spentthe past two months treading dangerously close to denying me, which, after Iaccepted his courting gift, could well be considered grounds for blood feud. Iknow that you love your father and you wish to be worthy in his eyes,” sheadded directly to Cor. “I know why you were delaying, which is why I waswilling to take the dishonor of breaking the dance on myself. Yet here we are,fleeing Archenland as we once fled Calormen, with an even more uncertain futurebefore us. What changed your mind?" 

Context: culturallyspeaking, what Cor did was the equivalent of "it’s not you, it’s me”weaseling out of a betrothal, which is especially insulting after he’d put in afair amount of effort to buy some expensive and not-easily-acquired courting gifts,and by doing so had reinforced Aravis’s sense that he is the only other personin Archenland who shares her cultural background and perspective. Aravis hasevery right to be pissed off at him. 

Cor swung his left leg over the saddle and slid to theslanted ground. It was strange to look down on him from Hwin’s back. They hadbeen of a height as children, but he had three inches on her these days, justenough that she found herself tilting her chin when they spoke face to face. Itwas also fitting that he stand lower now, like a supplicant come to herfather’s court to beg her favor. There was no obligation to respond to theoverture of a dance, but Cor had met her, matched her, and then stepped back. 

“The king is under the law, for the law is what makeshim king,” Cor said slowly, stepping up the grassy hillside with his eyesraised to catch Aravis’s gaze. “Father said that to me on our first nightin Anvard – do you remember? A king in answerable to his country and hispeople. If he forgets that, he becomes a tyrant. I want to do right byArchenland. I wanted to make people see that you’re the best thing in my life,that you could never be a weakness. I wanted to obey the law, to work with theGreat Council rather than against it, and make Father proud." 

Hwin shivered and took a nervous step sideways. Aravisloosened the grip of her legs and held herself straight and strong under Cor’searnest gaze. "What changed your mind?” she repeated. 

“The law in Archenland isn’t the same as the law inCalormen,” Cor said. “It’s about personal honor as much as rules,just like debt and testimony – did you know that? What am I saying; of courseyou knew that. I should have known it, if I’d been thinking. The law is apromise between the people and the king.” He shrugged, a slightself-deprecating gesture. “How could anyone trust me to keep that promiseif I broke a more important one to you?" 

Cor’s reasoning hereis one of the major keys to the story. He is trying to balance two cultures,and realized he’d been swinging back and forth in response to each newstimulus, but really he needs to find his own synthesis and stand there. 

Or in slightly moreconcrete terms: when he accepted Aravis’s Calormene-style flirtation and madeher a Calormene proposal, he acted as if he were still in Calormen (whereAravis’s choice would have mattered a lot since she’s the daughter of a HighLord, and his would have been secondary at best since he was somewhere betweena peasant and a slave). 

Then he realized thatfrom an Archen perspective, he’d just made a huge decision of state withoutconsulting anyone, and that’s bad. (Slippery slope to tyranny.) Obviously theArchens have a bee in their collective bonnet about Calormen, because Aravis isobjectively a pretty good marriage prospect – she doesn’t have an inheritanceanymore, but she’s noble-born and grew up with court politics and such and cantherefore shore up Cor’s weak points, not to mention she and Cor are absolutelyunrelated which matters in the mountain kingdoms (I think their nobles are all cousinsof some sort at this point in history). 

But then Cor realizedthat Archen law is based on personal honor as much as an impersonal set ofrules, and if he broke his engagement to Aravis, he’d be breaking his honor andtherefore creating a hypocrisy at the heart of his kingship. (Plus he reallydoes think Archen prejudice against Calormen is wrong and wrong-headed.) So hefound the place where he said, "This is my line in the sand,” andrefused to be moved any farther. 

If Archenland won’thave him as he is, then they can’t have him at all. 

Aravis swung her leg over Hwin’s back and slid to the grassyearth. Cor stepped forward and took her hands. 

“Do you forgive me?” he asked. 

“We have two witnesses,” Aravis said rather thananswer directly. “Do you have objections?" 

Aravis understandsall the stuff I blathered about a couple paragraphs ago. She’s also bothCalormene (indirect verbal responses) and a fan of direct action, so herresponse is not to answer Cor’s question but to SHOW him the answer byessentially saying, "I not only forgive you, I want to make absolutelyclear that I stand with you, so let’s get married right here and now, and do itthe Calormene way to make an extra point.” 

For a moment Cor looked like the baffled boy she’d firstgrown to know on their journey. Then comprehension kindled a slow fire behindhis eyes, and his fingers tightened around hers. “Bree, Hwin,” hesaid, “will you stand witness to our marriage and attest its truth beforeany court?" 

Bree looked utterly confused, but he nodded his head. "Yes,of course, but don’t you need, oh, a dress, and some papers to sign, and anotherperson to say a bunch of nonsense to make it official? Possibly something withribbons or a fire?" 

The implication ofthe ribbons and fire, btw, is that northern marriages are not church weddingsas we know them; rather, they involve handfasting (tying ribbons around joinedhands) or jumping over a fire while holding hands. There’s probably also avariant where you jump over a broomstick, or just something to do with crossinga threshold, or crossing under an arch of flowering branches. Transitions andbinding, that sort of thing. 

"That’s only if they want to be grand,” Hwin saidfrom behind Aravis’s shoulder. “I saw humans do this in Calormen. All theyneed is themselves and a pair of friends to swear they said the words beforethey got down to mating." 

Horses, Aravis reflected, had a very earthy way of seeingthe world. She caught a blush rising in Cor’s cheeks and was grateful yet againthat her own slight embarrassment was not equally visible to him. "Wellthen,” she said, threading a note of challenge into her voice. “Willyou keep your promise?" 

Cor raised their joined hands to heart-height and said,"In the name of Soolyeh, I take you for my wife. May our marriage bewarm.” He stared into Aravis’s eyes, the slant of the hill putting themexactly on a level. 

Aravis held his gaze. “So may it be. In the name ofGarshomon, I take you for my husband. May our marriage be fruitful." 

The words were familiar. Aravis had heard them many times,for her father had been prone to grant the request of his slaves and thepeasants on his estate that he stand as their witness and thus bring greaterdignity to their unions. She had heard them again when Ilroozeh Tarkheena hadmarried her father, for though the trappings of the wedding might be grandbeyond belief, the rite itself was always the same. And she had been made toembroider them and paint them in calligraphy lessons as she grew to be ofmarriageable age, for no Tarkaan wished his daughter to embarrass him when sheleft his protection to join her new husband’s household. 

But this was a piece of Calormen, not of the north. To hearthese words, to speak the names of Calormene gods in the land of the Lionhimself, was vertiginously strange. 

Which is funnybecause Narnia is full of non-Christian gods and quasi-religious figures:Bacchus, Silenus, Pomona, all the various nature spirits, even FatherChristmas. And yet, it’s also a feeling I got while writing this, a sort ofnagging, "But is this really appropriate?” 

And that’s how I knewit was important to include this. Because religious pluralism is never inappropriate. (If Lewis just rolledover in his grave? GOOD.) 

“So may it be,” Cor said, his voice wavering as ifhe shared Aravis’s feeling of displacement. “In the name of your father, Itake you for my wife. May our marriage be honorable." 

Kidrash Tarkaan would approve of Cor, Aravis thought. "Somay it be. In the name of your mother” – whom she had never met, but KingLune had loved and respected her and therefore Aravis could but assume QueenElwen had been as bright and honorable as her sons – “I take you for myhusband. May our marriage be true." 

Someday I am going toget Queen Elwen textually into a story. Or else! 

"So may it be,” Cor said, and then paused, lettingsilence seep into the sunlit afternoon instead of continuing the last set ofpromises. 

“Is that it?” Bree asked. “Pretty enough, Isuppose, if you like that sort of thing. Only, don’t Calormene rituals go inthrees?" 

"They do,” Aravis said, knowing exactly why Corwas hesitating. She squeezed his hands, her sword calluses rubbing against his,and switched the lead. “In the name of Aslan, I take you for my husband. Mayour marriage be strong." 

She should have said Tash, but while she would alwaysrespect the god of war and vengeance, she had lost his favor when she gaveallegiance to the lands of his enemies. Even if she had still held him as theking of all gods, it would feel wrong to swear by his power in Narnia, and theLion was equally strong and fierce, his power more than enough to hold as asupport. Aravis had taken Aslan for her liege in the wars of heaven and so shewould make her future in his name. She would marry Cor by the ways of Calormen,but they belonged to Archenland too, now. It was fitting that she acknowledgethat heritage in her vows. 

And here again wehave the theme of finding a personal synthesis or balance point between twocultures. 

Cor blinked, and then smiled, a small, private curl of hislips just for her. "So may it be,” he said. “In the names of all the gods, I take you for my wife. Mayour marriage be forever.” He raised their joined hands, sliding hisfingers around to turn her hands palms upward, and kissed the soft inner skinof Aravis’s wrists: a feather-brush of skin on skin, his breath to the pulse ofher blood. His beard tickled across her open palms as he looked up into hereyes. 

I find beards hot,okay? There is no deeper motivation here. 

Aravis swallowed. “So may it be,” she said. 

She pulled; Cor came willingly. She met his breath with herown. 

Which is a veryroundabout way of saying, “they kissed,” but I dunno, this phrasingfeels a lot more emotionally and erotically charged to me. 

—————————————————————————————— 

The post-chapternotes are as follows: 

Cor and Aravis use a tweaked version of the Calormenemarriage ritual. The traditional version goes like this: 

Man: In the name of Soolyeh, I take you for mywife. May our marriage be warm.Woman: So may it be. In the name of Garshomon, I take you for myhusband. May our marriage be fruitful.Man: So may it be. In the name of your father, I take you for mywife. May our marriage be honorable.Woman: So may it be. In the name of your mother, I take you for myhusband. May our marriage be true.Man: So may it be. In the name of Achadith, I take you for my wife.May our marriage be strong.Woman: So may it be. In the name of Tash, I take you for myhusband. May our marriage be forever.Man: So may it be. 

And then they are married. The traditional divorce ceremonygoes approximately the same way. Either the woman or the man can end themarriage at any time by saying, “In the name of Nazreen, I divorce you. Inthe name of Nur, I divorce you. In the name of Azaroth, I divorce you” –again, three times makes it true. It’s not done lightly, since the person whoinstigates a divorce may start a blood feud with that action, but it’s stillpretty simple and egalitarian. 

I guess this would bewhere I explain some stuff about my Calormene pantheon? Okay. There are ninedeities: four goddesses, four gods, and Azaroth who is usually male but thereare some people who say otherwise. (Azaroth’s domain is death. Boundaries getfuzzy there.) The official mythology and theology are those promoted by Tashbaan,but there are hundreds of regional variants. 

Generally, Soolyeh isthe goddess of the sun, of marriage, and fertility/agriculture. Garshomon, thegod of rivers, earth, and agriculture, is her husband. (Soolyeh’s symbol is asun-disk; Garshomon’s is a bull. A sun-disk surmounted by bull horns isfrequently used on their shared temples and as a marriage blessing. 

Tash is the god ofwar and vengeance and generally regarded as king of heaven. Achadith, thegoddess of change, of victory, and of things out of place, is generallyconsidered to be both the queen of heaven and Tash’s wife. 

So the marriageceremony calls upon the deities most associated with marriage, as a generalblessing and also an indirect request for children; calls upon theparticipants’ own families as a reminder that marriage is ultimately a socialinstitution; and calls upon the two most powerful deities to sort of tie themarriage into the legal fabric of the Calormene Empire and also remind theparticipants that there are consequences for breaking their vows. (Neither Tashnor Achadith is a comfortable sort ofdeity.) 

The divorce ceremonycalls upon Nazreen (goddess of wisdom, memory, regret, and liminal periods),Nur (god of education/educated professionals, disease, and medicine), andAzaroth (god of silence, darkness, and death). Nazreen and Nur are also said tobe married, but their domains are more shadowy and associated with endings. 

Sokda and Zardeenah,the remaining two deities, have nothing to do with either marriage or divorce. 

—————————————————————————————— 

And that is pretty much that. :)