#sunblessed realm

[sam-glade]

Happy STS!

So. What's an Elemental Dancer? And will we see more of them?

Happy STS on a Wednesday, Elli💜

Swords to protect, Crystals to heal, Elemental Dancers to build and repair.

That's at least how it's told in the old tales in-setting. The truth is, Elemental Dancers aren't well understood during the times of Days of Dusk.

While Swords wield weapons and have magical powers and Crystals have healing powers, the powers of Elemental Dancers are much more varied and often subtle. Their abilities are neither offensive nor directly life-saving, and often go unnoticed.

They include things like manipulating existing materials (e.g. Renna of the Sixth Tree, the infamous gunsmiths, can ensure that there are no faults in the metal she casts), talking to animals (Catnip), imitating sounds, exceptional skill in acrobatics...

There are of course non-Gifted people who can almost match this level of mastery, but the more common explanation is that someone is channelling an appropriate Element to achieve such exceptional things. Their abilities, as with Swords and Crystals, correspond to the Element they channel (Matter for manipulating materials, Air for singing among other things, etc.). There's ongoing debate whether Elemental Dancers have an Implement (similarly to healing Crystals and Swords' Weapons), and there are tales of a suspected Elemental Dancer's favourite tool breaking upon their deaths, but people love to spin excited tales, and there are few objective accounts.

Since Elemental Dancers are not registered and kept track of like Swords and not always as famous as Crystals who are beloved by their communities, it's very hard to tell how many there are, though estimates say that no more than 5% of the entire population is Gifted by Fate.

They are named after the King Consort known as the Dancer, who is credited with singlehandedly creating the Chambers of Gold and the King's Palace in the Clouds, among other architectural wonders. Other famous Elemental Dancers include the Weaveress - the spouse of the White Dragon, best known for making the four legendary cloaks from this fairy tale.

By the time of The Truth Teller, Swords are unheard of, Crystals are rarer, and most Gifted (now referred to as Knacked) are an evolution of Elemental Dancers, channelling their powers through Implements - small items of sentimental value, such as a whistle or a pen and a ntoebook.

The only fool-proof way of telling apart anyone who's Gifted from those who aren't, is to measure the ambient energy around the person - every* Gifted will increase the readings when they use their powers.

*no, not every, of course there's an exception, because of how individual powers work. But there's only one known exception, so it's a valid statement, right?

[radiodaemon]

❛ if i didn't know any better, i'd say you were jealous. ❜ [Past Verse]

&. an assortment of dialogue prompts - [ ACCEPTING ] ;; @the-nexus

Anyone with eyes and even a modicum of taste can see that Lucifer is pretty. No, nay, not JUST pretty--- beautiful, gorgeous, the epitome of perfection, whether in HUMAN form or the otherworldly one shown only to ALASTOR in the mortal realm. Yet, beauty encourages ATTENTION, and not the type one may usually desire. A compliment here and there would not rouse Alastor's temper--- nay, he's not insecure, to any degree, that he fears a couple of silk woven words would be enough to shift Lucifer's attention away from him, but when physical contact comes into play, so, too, does Julie Jukebox.

An eye for an eye, as the saying goes, and this drunken stranger seems terribly SET on constantly reminding Lucifer how lovely his are, all whilst attempting to snake a hand imposingly 'round his thin waist. Lucifer handles it with class -- admirable, certainly, as the one whose personal space is being intruded upon -- but his Radio Host of a partner is hardly feeling generous. He patiently bides his time from where he stands behind Lucifer, acting as if he is hardly paying attention to the stomach churning exchange happening afront him. Yet, everytime those wrongfully adventurous fingers begin wriggling their way close to Lucifer's waist again, something SHARP imbeds its way into the intruding limb, prompting a barely contained hiss from the offender.

Were he not so IRRITATED, mayhap Alastor would have chuckled in amusement. Alas, that threatening aura reaches an almost suffocating level, to the point even the bartender seems to look over in concern, wondering why the SUNSHINE that was Lucifer seemed perfectly alright remaining seated by the festering darkness just beside him. More glances shift their way when Alastor, finally, reaches his breaking point, and leans in to bridal scoop the ruler of hell straight into his arms so he may carry him outside.

--- not, of course, without leaving a hefty tip for the bartender atop the counter, and locking gazes with the unwanted interruption to their peaceful date until the door behind them shuts and they are left alone.

" Hm~ " Lucifer hums, tone DRIPPING with amusement, and Alastor can already feel the shame setting in, " If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous. "

And there it goes. Alastor's cheeks darken, woefully against his control, and he is swift in the way he turns his head AWAY from Lucifer despite it already being too late. The way he carries him close, though, pressed against his chest in so territorial a manner, 'tis wishful thinking to pray Lucifer hadn't caught sight of the flush of his sunblessed cheeks.

" Jealous is not the word I would use. Merely... annoyed, " Alastor attempts to correct, HUFFING as he hears Lucifer chuckle. The devil, surely, would not let him live this down for as long as he breathed air, much to Alastor's chagrin, " Such desperation is so very unattractive. I almost pitied the poor man. Besides, I was standing right there, and you were leaned into me. Anyone with EYES could tell you are MINE. "

Emphasis on ' mine, ' with a none too friendly tone. The devil would be REMINDED of this, tenfold, 'pon their return to Alastor's abode ( hands upon his waist, solely worthy of such touches, and lips pressing any and everywhere they may find purchase--- Lucifer was his, his, HIS--- ) and when the devil left to return to his underworld domain, another reminder would come in the form of a BULLET ( from Julie Jukebox herself ) to a certain intrusive stranger's head, with a pretty little ' missing person's report ' slapped upon the walls of numerous establishments the very next day.

[mintygracious]

How would Lux react to being kidnapped by some 12 feet tall solarian twin spirit-like beings from another sunblessed realm previously disconnected from Runeterra that are somewhat immune to her light-based powers.

They view her almost like a human would view a lonely kitten, they wanted to protect her from mageseekers and help her to cultivate her magic within their metropolitan city which is atleast six times larger than piltover and zaun.

Lux Headcannon

Correct me if I'm wrong. It does help me alot. Thank you!

Being kidnapped is something scary for everyone. Even for Lux.

She was scared and confuse when she was kidnapped and bought to a huge city bigger than Piltover and Zuan. She tried to attack the kidnappers with her magic at first, only to find out they were immune to it which only made her feel worse and useless.

But when she started to realize they were no harm and helped her control and develop her powers.

She started opening up to them and became more comfortable around them.

She found out that they just wanted to protect her from the mageseekers, which made her heart warm.

She decided staying at the place was better than Demacia. Yet she still had to go back to her home, her brother will be worried sick.

When they let her go back to Demacia, she promised she will come to visit. She was greatful and thankful for having their protection and help.

[sabreina-archive]

@sunblesses​   ,   RESURRECTION   DAY   .   

FROM   FIRE   YOU’RE   REBORN   !   the   flames   of   hell   coat   your   skin   ,   immune   to   the   burning   unlike   any   other   entities   .   no   ,   those   who   carry   the   morningstar   blood   are   different   .   superior   to   any   other   mere   mortals   cursed   to   the   nether   realm   or   demons   allowed   within   the   presence   of   the   court   .   .   .   but   you   were   different   ;   it   was   your   home   .   yet   ,   YOU   DIED   .   .   .   so   what   were   you   doing   here   ?

STEPPING   FORTH   FROM   THE   INFERNO   ,   draped   in   red   gown   as   if   not   a   moment   had   passed   .   confusion   struck   over   ,   stepping   into   the   mirror   felt   like   yesterday   while   also   feeling   like   time   had   been   misconstrued   .   “   dad   ?   ”   furrowed   brows   with   wondering   eyes   ,   unsure   of   what   was   happening   ,   “   not   that   i'm   excited   to   be   here   but   .   .   .   i   died   ,   didn't   i   ?   ”   SOUL   TRAPPED   IN   OBLIVION   ,   IN   DARKNESS   .   .   .   was   that   your   version   of   mortals   hell   ?

[sam-glade]

Hello! :D Can I have some fun facts about your characters and world? Like your cool magic system, please!

Hi Carol, thank you for the ask💜

Let's do three fun facts in each category.

Character (cast map for reference):

Erya is visually impaired, due to her albinism, hence her handwriting is larger than average

Anthea's favourite colour is dark red, like the favourite wine of her tutor/mentor/honour guard

Catnip has a wife called Ilona who loves cooking - unfortunately she hasn't made an appearance in Days of Dusk yet, beyond a short mention

World (map for reference):

The area of the subcontinent covered by the Sunblessed Realm is comparable to Europe (I'm not 100% sure the scale is correct though. I eyeballed it)

Honestly, I picked the region and era as inspiration because of the aesthetic.

In setting, gold is reserved for the (absent) Sun King, and so is the symbol of the sun. That makes silver the most precious metal used for jewellery and such.

Magic System (info dump):

It's an elemental magic system, which is a choice I made with full awareness that it's so common it's almost a cliché, but given that it's governed by very strict rules, I wanted to have a foundation readers would be familiar with, so that I don't have to explain that before getting into the nitty gritty details. Beta readers liked it though!

As with everything else in the setting, the magic system is affected by people's beliefs. If enough people believe strongly that something is true, it will become true. The process is slow and subtle, but tangible. Hence, over the 3 millennia (ish) between Days of Dusk and The Truth Teller, new Swords aren't really born anymore, and the vast majority of Gifted can be classified as Elemental Dancers.

Relatedly, in the Days of Darkness, when demons prowled the earth, first Swords appeared thanks to people spinning stories that at some point these grim times will end and heroes will arise to fight the Darkness. Basically, all the Gifts of Fate were believed into existence and born from desperate hope of a terrorised people.

[sam-glade]

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday, Sam!

What is the most otherwordly/strange/ethereal (positively or negatively) location in the world of your WIP? Is it somewhere anyone can have access to at some point or is it restricted/unreachable in some way? + What makes that place so unique?

Hi @mysticstarlightduck, happy belated WBW💜

I'm going to talk about the Sun King's Palace in the Clouds here.

It is very much otherworldly in that it has been created initially as a palace on an artificial floating island, made by the Dancer, the King's spouse, who was the most powerful Elemental Dancer in history. It was a show of her mastery, the pinnacle of what can be achieved with human hands.

With time, people's beliefs took hold of it and raised it higher and higher, until it was pushed out of the earthly plane and became another dimension entirely. Nowadays, only those with level of power comparable to a dragon can reach it. Also, they need to have means of flying.

It's said to be a place of incredible beauty, a land of eternal summer, where there's no death or illness. The Sun King and the Dancer live there with their honour guard.

[sam-glade]

Happy WBW! What are holidays like in your world? Are they religious? Political? Historical? Seasonal? How do your characters feel about certain ones? How are they celebrated?

Hi Tori, thank you for the ask💜

I've received a closely related one from @tc-doherty, so I'll tackle both of them together:

We're approaching that time, so does your work have any kind of solstice festival? Or New Year's festival? What are the traditions?

Given that the beliefs in my main setting are inspired by pre-Christian Slavic paganism (what I could dig up about it), the holidays and celebrations are very much connected to solstices and equinoxes - these four dates.

I haven't described most of the celebrations in detail, except for a few fragments here and there.

The winter solstice is also known as the Night of a Thousand Lights. It involves burning a large pyre and remembering your late ancestors (the ash from the fire is meant to remind you of them), and walking in groups from household to household with a richly decorated, fanciful star (x), singing songs in exchange for a warm drink and a snack. It is also the peak of the ball season among the nobility, which Ianim absolutely adores and it's his favourite time of the year)

The autumn equinox is also known as Wreaths, and it's the harvest festival, where people make large wreaths of the last crops of the season (more details)

The summer solstice is the one with most historical significance for the main cast, who are in the military. It is the anniversary of the Battle of Burning Banners, when the Primaeval Darkness was pushed out of the earthly plane, by the first Swords standing side by side with dragons. Outside the Army, it's a time of general merriment and joyful festivities.

The spring equinox celebrations are a metaphor for expelling winter by drowning a puppet antropomorphising it.

[sam-glade]

Happy Blorbo Blurbsday!!

Do any of your character's names have a special meaning? If yes - who and what? If no - how then did you choose the names?

<3

CJ

Hi CJ!

I'm afraid none of the names have special meanings, or at least they weren't chosen for the sake of meanings. Lissan, being short for Lissander, may count - it started off as Alessander, as a bastardisation of Alexander, Defender of People.

Otherwise, I pick names based on 'vibes'. A spunky outlaw is called 'Renna' for the sharp R sound. The sweet princeling is called Ianim, etc. Quite often the names are small twists on real life names (e.g. Ristoff from Christoph(er)).

In-setting there are some naming rules. Firstly, the firstborn's name begins with the same sound as the name of the head of their family. So, Lissan's dad is Lineas, but his sister Marta. Otherwise, masculine names usually end with -n or -m, and feminine with -a or -is. Hence, Varré, being an enby, is Varré.

[sam-glade]

Happy World Building Wednesday! What does the early history of your setting look like? Do they have a city of Ur, a bronze age collapse or a 'not fully explained major event'? Any lingering mythologies hanging around?

Happy belated WBW, Scribe!

Oh, this is a good one. I'm going to answer for my main setting, the Sunblessed Realm, in which Days of Dusk is set, and take you back to the earliest surviving written records - is this early enough?

The time before written records, about three thousand years ago, is known as Days of Darkness, not just figuratively. At that time, the skies were permanently ruptured and the spawn of Primaeval Darkness prowled the earth, preying on human lifeforce.

People didn't travel much, and huddled in walled cities which fell one by one, and no trace of them remains to this day.

This is when the Fates gifted the first Swords and Crystals to people, so that they may defend themselves and push back against the Darkness. So that they may no longer live in fear. The White Dragon (then known by a different name which has been lost to time) was one of the first Swords to rise up. He travelled the continent and assembled others, yet even united, their powers were insufficient to sew the ruptures shut.

It took the Sun King commanding the dragons to tip the scales in favour of humanity. The battle in which Sword and dragons faced Primaeval Darkness together is known as the Battle of Burning Banners, and it took place on the day of summer solstice - the anniversary of this event is still celebrated by Swords across the realm.

While it didn't eliminate the Darkness entirely and even now ruptures still tear the sky every now and then, it gave humanity a much needed respite, so that they might live, not just survive.

Thus Days of Dawn and the reign of the Sun King have begun.

Chronicler's notes: the White Dragon is still alive, being the oldest known person in the realm, however he's retired from politics and the military. He spends his days writing accounts and memoirs of the events he'd witnessed and participated in.

Also, archaeology isn't a well-developed field of study yet, so there's a chance that by The Truth Teller times more discoveries will be made, e.g. rune-like writing carved into stone or wood.

[sam-glade]

Happy WBW! Are there any givens from our world that don't apply in yours? (The laws of gravity, the water cycle, seasons, the hours in a day, day and night cycles, things like that!)

Hi Nopal, happy WBW!

The answer is: YES.

It's the "people live for as long as they have the will to" rule. The average lifespan is 270-300 years, but there are people living for 2000+ years.

It gives me a chance to have a bunch of historical figures hang around, having great and/or terrible deeds to their names. Awkwardness ensues. Imagine being invited to a formal dinner, expected to make polite conversation and act all pleasant. While sitting next to... Brutus? Napoleon? Genghis Khan?

And I fully admit that half of my dear beta readers brought up the fact that I didn't do a good enough job of conveying it in the draft of GoF that they've been given, but that's hopefully remediated now.

[sam-glade]

Happy WBW!

What is the architecture like in your world? Does it vary by region/location or is it mostly the same? Is there anything unique about it?

~ @tabswrites

Oh Tess, you don't realise what you brought upon yourself.

Let's answer for the Days of Dusk times, so I can cover only half of the timeline. It evolves further as we progress to the times of The Truth Teller, but I still have some gaps to fill in this period, so I'll leave it be for now.

Where do I even start...

This isn't an exhaustive list, just what I remember including on page - it will mostly focus on manor houses of the minor nobility and greathouses of the princes.

Note: Red brick is associated with the Army buildings - the barracks in the larger cities and the outposts spaced out throughout the Five Princedoms. How much red brick is used depends on how sympathetic towards the Army a given region is. For this reason, Redguard, where the Central Command is located, has a bit different architecture to other cities. Here's a description.

Building materials

As a rule of thumb, the regional differences are:

Wood as a building material is more commonly used in the Princedom of Water and the north of the First Princedom. This comes from the availability of the material.

The First Princedom and Princedom of Air (East) prefer a combination of sandstone and brick, with more exposed brick used in the First Princedom. The heads of both states are Swords, and people don't shy away from the military aesthetic. But, wood is still cheap, and often used outside urban areas.

The Princedom of Rock (South) prefers yellow brick, pastel-yellow paint, and also flatter roofs - there isn't as much snowfall there

The Princedom of Fire (West) opts for plastered brick, often painted in flat floral patterns along the edges.

Manor houses

Smaller manor houses in the First Princedom are strongly inspired by Polish manor houses (though aren't always accurate recreations). They have a symmetric layout, and are one storey tall, two at most. They're bisected by a hall, and have a porch by the entrance, sometimes a terrace at the back.

In the Princedom of Rock, the symmetric layout is not a thing, and instead the manors are often L-shaped, with a terrace/balcony at the corner. In the West, they're often laid out in a square, enclosing a courtyard. In both of these princedoms, they also appear more enclosed, often built on hills. They may resemble seaside forts, and have a vaguely defensive aesthetic, especially if the local lord has responsibilities related to protecting the coastal towns from sea raiders.

(I actually have very little plot set in the East and North, so these two princedoms aren't as well developed).

The greathouses of the the Princes are much grander, and older. They'd have sprawling wings embracing large open spaces, and expansive manicured gardens behind them.

One unusual element you might find in some gardens is a gateway arch - a general of the Army is permitted to construct a gateway arch in their private residence, for personal use, and since a lot of the senior officers and generals come from the nobility, the arches were incorporated into the surroundings. They're vaulted arches made of brick, with crystals and wires embedded in them - the array that enables the gateway to function.

Historical timeline of the First Princedom's Architecture

The plot demanded that I figure it out, so now I'm info dumping it on you.

Not much is known about the architecture before the War of the Dispossessed which devastated the heart of the continent. That was about two thousand years ago.

The first buildings to be erected after that, which are still standing, are places like the city halls of the princedoms' capitals, the princes' greathouses, and the Chambers of Gold. The Chambers are where the Council of Twelve resides and passes judgement in the Sun King's stead, when he's in the Palace in the Clouds.

The one element they all share is a glass dome above the entrance hall - usually above the city's/family's/etc. crest laid out as a mosaic on the floor. The dome is reinforced by crystallurgist (more often Elemental Dancers with relevant powers) to not break from hale and similarly harsh weather. I particularly like the design of the entrance hall in the First Prince's residence:

The glass dome provided more than enough light. The ceiling around it was covered in frescoes of clouds tinted orange and pink, with pale sky between them still showing a few stars. Ahead of the entrance two symmetrical staircases intersected at a landing in the middle. Above it there was a painting of a lone rider, with clouds in the background forming wings behind his back. The floor was laid in stone, forming a tessellating pattern with the Moon-and-Star crest directly below the dome.

Then, the domes faded out of fashion, and more wood was used. Sandstone and brick buildings are often seen.

Minor nobility became a larger group, and honestly not that rich, so they used cheaper materials - a stone foundation, with a wooden structure on top, single-storey. However, said nobility was also prone to feuds and forays, and a lot of them burnt down or were otherwise destroyed.

In Gifts of Fate, the main trio spends a long time in an abandoned manor in a style that came afterwards - called 'post-revival' in setting. It started relying on a wooden frame filled with bricks, and the manors now became two storeys tall. I've got a description of this particular manor here.

Finally, contemporary buildings include less wooden elements, and are more often than not plastered in light colours, with sculptures adorning the corners and lining the edges of the roofs. The roofs are tiled or covered with copper sheets.

The First Prince had added some of these elements to the ancient greathouse, like light plaster and sculptures, so here are some pictures I used for the inspiration:

[sam-glade]

Happy STS, Sam!

please forgive my STS delinquency *offers up this question as penance*

For Gifts of Fate, did you have any particular inspiration in regards to your (really cool) magic system?

Also, I've been wondering how the elements affect the Crystal's abilities. If it isn't a spoiler, would you mind sharing? :D

Hi Anna, happy STS💜

Did you have any particular inspiration in regards to your (really cool) magic system?

Yes! Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach, Fairy Tail, and a lot of other shounen anime had the flashy fights I was craving. I then went with elemental magic because it seemed like a solid foundation to build a hard magic system upon. By that I mean, it's a concept a lot of people have come across, so I treated it as almost a shortcut to explaining the magic system.

Also, I've been wondering how the elements affect the Crystal's abilities. If it isn't a spoiler, would you mind sharing? :D

Not at all, I think I covered it briefly in the magic system info dump, but to summarise, any Crystal will be able to heal small cuts and scrapes, a runny nose, etc., but a Crystal channelling each Element will specialise in a different area:

Fire - heal serious (life-threatening) cuts, burns, fractures, and other injuries

Air - anything to do with germs and diseases

Water - poisons and purifying curses

Light - broadly covers neurology and psychiatry

Matter - deals with physiotherapy, rehabilitation, etc., can to some extent correct badly set bones or perform minor cosmetic surgeries (including things like top surgery and face feminisation)

[sam-glade]

Happy WBW! Totally not because I've been pre-anxiety attack for awhile... how's your world's mental health? Medically? Socially?

Hi Tori, thank you for the question 💜

Now that's a conundrum. On one hand, I've got magical healing abilities - very well, but still, they exist. I'd like to treat mental health as equally important to physical, so if magical healing can fix physical ailments, it should help with the mind, too, right? On the other hand, I don't want it to be so overpowered that all problems disappear with a wave of a hand, knowing how much work dealing with mental health issues takes IRL.

I'm trying to specify as little as possible, leaving the reader to fill in the gaps however they want. There are a few cases which I hope are clear, but I avoid making broad statements what it's like in general. One hard limitation though is that magical healing abilities are extremely rare, and those healers who are most suited to treat mental health make up 1/5 of that already tiny population, so chances are, people without connections won't have access to them.

As for good old fashioned medical approach, mental health (and pharmacology, as it happens) are ahead of their times, especially in comparison to understanding how internal organs work - it's a consequence of people turning to ash upon their death, so leaving no bodies for autopsies, and very limited ways of looking inside them.

Socially, what we see on page is people having the attitude of 'this is how that person is' or 'yeah, they're a bit weird, but they're family', but not seeing it as a medical thing - bear in mind, public primary education is just becoming a thing. For example, Lissan's dad has early-ish dementia, so his children know they need to double-check any documents he fills out and remind him about his obligations, but they accept it as a part of life.

[sam-glade]

Happy WBW!! I would like to ask about the ruling class in your world! What is their power based on? Is it for example military power like with warrior nobilities of some ancient societies, or land ownership like in feudal societies, or something else? How is the status inherited? For example by first born, distributed to all children, voted for by the members (like in many clan systems), something else?

Hi Karkki, Happy WBW

Let me roll up my sleeves and get on with some info dumping.

Tl;dr: it's heavily inspired, but not a 1-1 copy of the Golden Liberty system.

As of Days of Dusk, the Sunblessed Realm is ruled by the five princes - hence, it's now more often referred to as the Five Princedoms. The king is believed to be alive, but absent, residing in his Palace in the Clouds. He's more or less revered as a god, but honestly, he does jack shit, only serves as a reminder for the princes that there's a higher power. The princes of course test the limits further and further as time goes on.

The princes descend from the king's closest friends and supporters, who fought off the Primeval Darkness with him about 3000 years ago. Given the longevity of the people, it means a vastly different number of generation between the progenitor of the family and the current head of state. For example, Anthea and Ianim are grandchildren of the First Prince, the White Dragon, the King's closest friend, and they're 100-200 years old. The Prince of the North is also from the third generation, and he's just over a 1000. Other families have anywhere between 5 and 12 generations.

Upon assuming the title of the head of state, the prince names their successor, so that there's no squabble over inheritance. The successor's role is mostly representative - I like to compare it to the First Lady in the US, doing mostly charity and outreach work. They'll also attend all sort of formal events from weddings to openings of new factories. The successor can be the child of the prince, but often is the younger sibling, and in one case the spouse.

In the Southern and Western princedoms, which trade a lot across the sea and are very economy-driven, the merchants and guilds hold a lot of power, and the prince is a figurehead. In the others, the princes have a lot more direct power; e.g. the First Prince's power is nigh-absolute. If she weren't such a firm believer in the Sun King's divine rule, she'd quite likely become a dictator. Fortunately, her religious-like faith keeps her in check.

It's also worth noting that the army is separated from the government, in that it's an institution that spans all five princedoms and it's sole purpose is to kill demons, not fight against humans. However, every Sword is legally obligated to serve their 20 years while their Sword develops, and it's genetically inherited, so direct descendants of the progenitors of the princes' families who were Swords end up serving in the army and rising high in the rank (if only so that other officers gain some favour with them outside the army), thus giving them influence there as well. E.g. the White Dragon commanded the Winged Division, which evolved from his cavalry units, and now Anthea is the commander. There are questions raised about conflicts of interest.

By the end of Prodigal Children, this goes too far, and in the South, there's a revolt, which leads to that state declaring itself a republic, and being ruled by a handful of populist leaders, mostly guildmasters. The West on the other hand tries something modelled after elective monarchy, which has the nobility choosing the successor, so it's not locked to a single family, but still relies on inherited titles. Eventually, it will tend to various flavours of democracy (though 3000 years later, in The Truth Teller, it has again gone wrong, where you have basically one uncontested political party turning authoritarian.

So that's the aristocracy.

Now, for the nobility, it's modelled after the szlachta. The key characteristics are that it's a rather numerous class, and the poorer nobles are honestly not as wealthy as a homeowner in a city, as a rule of thumb, while district governors can are comparable to wealthy merchants, so there's a fair bit of spread. The noble houses usually own a village or two, so yes, it's serfdom. The poorer ones may end up co-owning a village, the wealthier - owning a handful of them. One example we see on page is the Sixth Tree, who don't own a village, but a gun making factory, and that's what pays for their taxes.

The noble titles are inherited by the firstborn or oldest adopted child, though that might be changed by a written declaration.

The nobility gathers at regular intervals for local/regional/state-wide assemblies. There, they vote on various changes to the law, resolve feuds, etc. Yes, they can vote by letter. Technically anyone can veto any resolution, and one veto is enough to send it back to the drawing board, which means the assemblies can drag on for a while. Also, there's a tonne of politicking involved, as you might expect - voting for something just to curry favour, etc. (Side note: I keep calling it assemblies, though I've seen 'parliament' used more often in English. It's based on the idea of sejmik).

The assemblies that involve the princes are the prince-wide and general assemblies, and yes, that puts another limit on the prince's power and what they can put into law. If they try taking too much power away from the nobility, they'll be vetoed. However, being too trigger happy with vetoing them is sure to put you on their naughty list ;)

Finally, if the nobility believes that the prince is really screwing them or the state over, they can call for a lawful insurrection - which is how one of the princes gets replaced in Prodigal Children. It's based on rokosz. Then, they choose the next prince from among themselves.

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Adding Days of Dusk taglist (please message me to +/-): @acertainmoshke @another-white-void @cee-grice @cljordan-imperium @elshells

@goldxdarkness @poetinprose @sparrow-orion-writes @tisiphonewolfe

[sam-glade]

Happy WBW! Inspired by your Halloween related question, I thought of giving you back another Halloween related question! Does your setting have harvest festivals or some other celebrations related to harvest or harvest season? How is that celebrated?

Hi Karkki, happy WBW!

Yes! Since we've got worship of the forces of nature, we have festivals at equinoxes and solstices. The autumn festival is lifted fairly directly from Slavic culture.

In-setting I called it Wreaths - it is the time to celebrate the end of harvest.

In preparation of the festivals, a wreath is made of the last crops of the season - from the very last sheaf of the grain crops, and decorated with rowan berries, nuts, and colourful fallen leaves. It's a tall thing, shaped a bit like a crown. The wreath is carried on someone's head to the lord's manor, to announce the end of the season. The procession also includes the farmers carrying their tools decorated with ribbons and flowers, as well as singing and music.

The festivities take place in front of the manor, with a lot of singing, dancing, and drinking.

Here's an 1820s painting of the celebrations by Michał Stachowicz:

[sam-glade]

Happy WBW, Sam! What does coming of age look like in your world? At what age is someone an adult and what does being an adult mean? Are there ceremonies to mark this, less formal social shifts, or just a legal change?

Hi Moshke, Happy WBW!

I promised to answer it for The Fulcrum, so here it goes:

We're talking about avians - sentient, flightless birds, with a similar lifecycle to Earth's birds, though a bit stretched. Fledging marks an important stage in their lives and the point at which they're considered almost-adult. Avians are hatched in communal hatcheries, where they are taught general life skills. When they fledge, their training changes to be more specialised, and in a year or so, once they learn their trade, they're on their own.

In the Fulcrum, the holy city, their future is very much dictated by the Priests, who determine which caste an avian will belong to and what their role will be. For the next year, they'll be trained in this direction, and then, when they're no longer considered fledglings, they'll join the workforce. In other societies, fledglings become apprentices to the tradesfolk of their choice, though there's still a fair amount of pressure from the elderly avians who work in hatcheries and observe the young'uns as they grow.

However, the answer might be also interesting for the Sunblessed Realm - in this long-lived culture, the age of majority is 35, and it is marked by the first shearing ceremony, in which the child's hair is cut short for the first time in their life. They also go from a (genderless) child to an adult, and most trans people would use this opportunity to declare their preferred name, pronouns, etc., though some make the announcements later - see: Anthea.

More on the first shearings this way.