Hey folks! This one was the recent winner of this WOF poll, so here’s my concept art that headcannons trading in Pyrrhia.
Read below cut for close-ups of the individual booths + the thought process / headcannons behind the design choices: 👇
Skywings: The Sky Kingdom’s mountain ranges provide plenty of pasture for raising sheep. As such, Skywing shepherds benefit from traveling to sell their wool, dyes, fabric, and woven tapestries. Many of these merchant tables also include herbs grown exclusively in the mountains, or ibex drinking horns that can be strapped on a dragon’s shoulder & carried in flight.
Along with goods, Skywing merchants may offer sewing services to fix tears, burn marks, or other fabric damage. They are sought out for their quality clothing, and most fabric across Pyrria originated from a Skywing’s talons.
Mudwings: Mudwings’ abundant food & cooking skills are envied almost anywhere in Pyrrhia. Their swamps have fertile soil, responsible for hosting diverse crops which can be purchased as produce at merchant stalls. For those lucky enough to find a traveling Mudwing merchant, the promise of a delicious dish can be whipped up and served at the stall in no time. Along with produce goods, Mudwings sell weaved baskets, spices, and cooking ware.
Sandwings: Sandwing booths offer luxuries of the desert: It’s most common to find accessories such as gold carved jewelry or musical instruments such as drums, lyres, & mandolins for sale. Though, even more sought out across Pyrrhia is Sandwing tattoos/piercings, which are done within the merchant areas. Ink etchings on papyrus paper are stationed outside their tents to showcase designs. All which can be selected, and poked into the skin with a tapping stick and plant dye ink by a trained talon.
Seawings: SeaWings sell a variety of ocean related goods; taking a share in the fish market with Icewings. Outside of food, there are den decorations like driftwood carvings, accessories such as seashell & pearl jewelry, and rope nets weaved by expert Seawing sailors. Some Seawings even sell fishing equipment, canoes, or offer sailor knot tying instructions to curious dragon buyers.
Nightwings: During the war, it was near impossible to find a Nightwing merchant. Most refused to participate in merchant territory, mostly as a way to keep up with their tribe’s mysterious nature.
Though in the more shady, unground parts of the market you can buy from a huge selection of obsidian weaponry, the sharpest in Pyrrhia. No one knew initially how Nightwings smithed so many weapons, or why, until their secret volcano kingdom and the intention to invade the rainforest was discovered. Then forging armor & weapons became clear. Along with a vast armory, for the right price, some Nightwing merchants offer Prophecies & Nightwing Literature (not always guaranteed to always be reliable) and assassin services as well (very reliable).
Rainwings: Though Rainwings haven’t been part of Pyrrhia trading for years, they have a vast hold on dragon medicine. An apothecary of herbs, salves, and remedies are all offered for various ailments due to the rainforest’s abundant resources. Along with medicinal goods, many Rainwings are fruit vendors, promising to any hesitant meat-eating dragons that such an array of flavors isn’t to be missed. Though, their fruit selling pitches often fall flat to most other predominantly meat-eating tribes.
Icewings: Icewings have everything a dragon could need to brace the cold, with a selection of goods only found in the most frigid regions of Pyrrhia. Furs, bone jewelry, and fresh fish (thanks to frost breath) are served on ice. Though Icewings themselves don’t require fur to withstand the cold, it’s considered fashionable and common in upper ranks to wear fur as a status symbol. Since metal is hard to smith without fire & in cold temperatures, fur and bone are more accessible to Icewings for clothing statements.
The Courts of Pyrrhan and Pantalan royals are made up of many moving parts. A Monarch can't rule on their own!
The court hierarchy is as follows:
Monarch/Queen: Monarch is used for most "queens" who don't identify as female, though Queen is the default. Referred to as "Your Grace/Your Majesty/Queen or Monarch [Name]"
King/Queen Consort: Referred to as "Your Grace/Queen or King Consort or Consort [Name]"
Royal Family: The monarch's offspring (biological or otherwise) who may or may not hold other positions within the court. Referred to as "Prince/Princess [name]"
Royal Advisors: The exact positions depend on the exact kingdom. Referred to as "Advisor [Name]"
Generals/Commanders: High-ranking military/guards are often parts of a council held by the Monarch. Referred to as "General [Name]"
Lords/Ladies: The family of the Monarch and their Consort, may hold other titles as well. May be aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, etc. Referred to as "Lord/Lady [Name]"
Ambassador(s): Referred to as "Ambassador [Name]"
Guards: Referred to as just their name
Royal Staff: "Servants" as scavengers would call them, though any and all positions within the Courts are valued. Include the cooks, smiths, favored craftsmen/artisans, assistants, etc
Not all courts are built the same, however. For example, the IceWing and NightWing courts follow this structure, while RainWings follow a looser structure.
Below the cut: The ranks for each court
SandWings
Monarch/Queen
King/Queen Consort
Royal Family
Generals/Commanders
Guards
Royal Staff:
-> Steward- manages the fortress and directs the other staff
-> Monarch's Personal Aid- Assists the monarch in their daily duties
-> Head Cook/Cooks- Prepares meals for the fortress residents
-> Dragonet Tender- watches over the royal dragonets as well as any dragonets belonging to any other court members
*Being a more harsh community (especially after the War of SandWing Succession), most Monarchs don't hold an advisory council like other tribes, instead tending to rule with a spy/informant network as well as their own knowledge of the territory
MudWings
Monarch/Queen
King/Queen Consort
Royal Family- Unlike other tribes, Advisors, Generals, Guards, and the Steward are chosen from the Monarch's Troop, and are also considered part of the Royal Family. If the Monarch decides to rule with a Consort, the Consort's Troop may be merged with the Monarch's (though to what degree is dependent on the Troop's cohesiveness). If the Troop isn't large enough or is no longer together, other dragons may be put into place
Royal Staff
-> Head Cook/Cooks- Prepares meals for the fortress residents
-> Dragonet Tender- watches over the royal dragonets as well as any dragonets belonging to any other court members
Royal Staff
-> Steward- manages the fortress and directs the other staff
-> Monarch's Personal Aid- Assists the monarch in their daily duties
-> Head Cook/Cooks- Prepares meals for the fortress residents
-> Dragonet Tender- watches over the royal dragonets as well as any dragonets belonging to any other court members
SeaWings
Monarch/Queen
King/Queen Consort
Royal Family
Royal Advisors
-> Aquaculture
-> Communication
-> Defense
-> Dragonet Care
-> Hunting
-> Magic & Publishing
-> Dragon Health
-> Justice
-> Secrets & Spies
-> Treasury
-> War
Generals/Commanders
Lords/Ladies
Ambassador(s)
Guards
Royal Staff
-> Steward- manages the fortress and directs the other staff
-> Monarch's Personal Aid- Assists the monarch in their daily duties
-> Head Cook/Cooks- Prepares meals for the fortress residents
-> Dragonet Tender- watches over the royal dragonets as well as any dragonets belonging to any other court members
Royal Staff
-> Steward- manages the fortress and directs the other staff
-> Monarch's Personal Aid- Assists the monarch in their daily duties
-> Head Cook/Cooks- Prepares meals for the fortress residents
-> Dragonet Tender- watches over the royal dragonets as well as any dragonets belonging to any other court members
Royal Staff
-> Steward- manages the fortress and directs the other staff
-> Monarch's Personal Aid- Assists the monarch in their daily duties
-> Head Cook/Cooks- Prepares meals for the fortress residents
-> Dragonet Tender- watches over the royal dragonets as well as any dragonets belonging to any other court members
Royal Staff
-> Steward- manages the fortress and directs the other staff
-> Monarch's Personal Aid- Assists the monarch in their daily duties
-> Head Cook/Cooks- Prepares meals for the fortress residents
-> Dragonet Tender- watches over the royal dragonets as well as any dragonets belonging to any other court members
Royal Staff
-> Steward- manages the fortress and directs the other staff
-> Monarch's Personal Aid- Assists the monarch in their daily duties
-> Head Cook/Cooks- Prepares meals for the fortress residents
-> Dragonet Tender- watches over the royal dragonets as well as any dragonets belonging to any other court members
Royal Staff
-> Steward- manages the fortress and directs the other staff
-> Monarch's Personal Aid- Assists the monarch in their daily duties
-> Head Cook/Cooks- Prepares meals for the fortress residents
-> Dragonet Tender- watches over the royal dragonets as well as any dragonets belonging to any other court members
SilkWings
Monarch/Queen
King/Queen Consort
Royal Family
Royal Advisors
-> Treasury
-> Education
-> Laws & Courts
-> Diplomacy
-> Education
-> Abilities
-> Arts & Commerce
Generals/Commanders
Lords/Ladies
Ambassador(s)
Guards
Royal Staff
-> Steward- manages the fortress and directs the other staff
-> Monarch's Personal Aid- Assists the monarch in their daily duties
-> Head Cook/Cooks- Prepares meals for the fortress residents
-> Dragonet Tender- watches over the royal dragonets as well as any dragonets belonging to any other court members
Royal Staff
-> Steward- manages the fortress and directs the other staff
-> Monarch's Personal Aid- Assists the monarch in their daily duties
-> Head Cook/Cooks- Prepares meals for the fortress residents
-> Dragonet Tender- watches over the royal dragonets as well as any dragonets belonging to any other court members
SilkWing metamorphosis takes a huge toll on the body. A dragonet has to grow an entire set of wings in only six days—how do they do it? Unlike caterpillars, SilkWings’ bodies don’t change enough to warrant turning into soup. Instead, the body enters a trance state, slowing down most metabolic processes except those needed to grow a pair of wings. Said wings are delicate, supported mostly by cartilage rather than bone. This makes them extra light and agile. A SilkWing’s cocoon regulates the humidity around them, creating an ideal environment for the growing and healing process. It also protects them from temperature fluctuations, lessening strain on the body.
Growing wings also takes energy. LOTS of energy. Prior to Wasp’s reign, SilkWing diets were well studied and pre-metamorphosis “bulking” was common practice. In the month or two leading up to metamorphosis, a SilkWing’s appetite increases tenfold. Communities would host small feasts and “foraging parties” for their dragonets to ensure a healthy transition. Candied nuts, grilled grubs, and pollen cakes were especially popular for their nutritional density. Unfortunately, contemporary medicine was dominated by HiveWings for decades, resulting in the erasure of this knowledge. Hungry SilkWing dragonets were brushed off as “needy” and metamorphosis recovery times increased. Without the energy stores, their bodies broke down essential tissues for energy, leaving many dragonets malnourished and sick after metamorphosing.
With the establishment of the LeafSilk kingdom, things have changed for the better. Cricket and Malachite have organized hundreds of dragons to search the wreckage of the Hives for books, documents, anything that tells the true history of Pantala. The elderly Flamesilks, now free, tell Blue stories from before the tree wars and fret over him like a grandchild. He always returns home well-fed. Mandrake pours over old field guides and maps, working with Sundew to restore the food sources Pantala thrived on all those years ago.
And when Dusky’s wingbuds start to grow, the Flamesilks put every dragon to work gathering food for a grand feast, the first of the Leafsilk kingdom.
As a rule of thumb, don't reblog donation posts or people asking for donations unless they've been vetted and reblogged by Palestinian bloggers. We usually go to lengths to verify this shit because we know scammers have been faking to get people to send them money, using the urgency of our genocide as bait.
It's disgusting this is what we're dealing with, but people are losing money because of some truly evil people out there.
Accounts don't just randomly spring up on tumblr without gofundmes while asking for someone to help them create a campaign. Fuck out of here with that shit.
I'm also gonna stop listing the reasons why I recognize something is a scam. It's becoming more and more clear there is 1 person behind this STRING of scams and they're leaving less trails behind but it still reeks of them and their MO.
DO NOT TRUST ANY GOFUNDME OR REQUEST FOR CROWDFUNDING THAT PALESTINIAN BLOGGERS HAVEN'T VERIFIED.
At this point I'm fine receiving a bunch of inbox messages asking me to vet x y z so y'all can avoid this shit. But please have some critical thinking!
Whether you wanna read the whole thing or not idc.
REBLOG IT.
The person this was about deleted the 4th or 5th scam account they made and are definitely gonna make a new one soon. I don't want anybody falling for this anymore.
I would like it if silkwing hatchlings were like caterpillars and they would be chunky and look drastically different from what they'd look like as an adult but I think that would make them even more of a confusing anatomical disaster then they already are
romaincrisis
prguitarman
jacobvanloon
germansingergirl
annaxmalina
