#arellon

[ask-pokemon-ranger-kara]

Have there been attempts to form a league in Arellon like was done in Alola?

Arellon has a few problems with a league. For one thing, the region is huge, and would have to follow the idea of Kanto and Johto, where it would be split into two regions that share an Elite 4. Which would not go over very well. 

Most of our Gyms are also run by the various powerful families, and thier heads of the extended clans agather and make decisions, where usually the Elite 4 would be doing such. So.. even if we did make a league, it would be on the lines of Alola.. or the Orange Islands, since both leagues require quick thinking and challenges that aren’t merely trainer based. 

Who knows, it might happen, but it depends on what offers are made and what the Council thinks. Last I heard the biggest problem was how new trainers would treat the culture, or how traveling trainers from different lands would mess up the environment. and the issue with how there are generally only 8 badges allowed, so that’s a lot more jostling for rank that we don’t need, now that most of the clans are friendly towards each other. 

I suppose it comes down to what is offered by the league’s envoy. 

[ask-pokemon-ranger-kara]

Arellon, never heard of that place. What was it like over there? It sounds dangerous to go wondering all over the hills by your self, one big carnivore and *SNAP*, no more kid. How did that work? Are there not a lot of big predators over there or are, Drampa's unusual common over there or something?

Well I’m told the safety with kids in the woods and the pokemon not caring comes from a centuries old culture old pokemon and people working together and working to aid one another. Like farmers set up something so wild pokemon can have some of the crop if they need it, and wild pokemon help if the weather turns abd and such. At least.. that is how it is in a good chunk of the farming and city communities, but the further you get into the wilderness, the more you get pokemon and people who do thier own thing, or can be antagonistic to each other.

Thats where a lot of trainers head out, hoping that they will get a strong pokemon. And thats where the Snap no more kid stuff happens most. 

Ive already been through a near Snap No More Kid so… 

Drampas.. you see them sometimes, but most of the time its the family pokemon, or the family pokemon’s kin, or whoever else decides to follow the kid to keep em out of trouble. They know they will get some treats if they bring the kid back safe and sound. 

You wouldn’t believe how many kids go off with thier family’s Zigzagoon and come back with a few scrapes and 5 or so more zigzagoon and furret. I usually ran off with mom’s Umbreon or Dad’s Growlithe

[ask-pokemon-ranger-kara]

Back up? your not from Fiore? Where are you from then? (I bet it was Sinnoh what with the caves and forests) What was it like growing up there and if you don't mind me asking: Why did you leave and what was the biggest surprise you had when you moved?

I moved to Fiore when I was about 5. My parents and I originally lived in the region of Arellon, which is a bit south of Kalos. I hear its still off the map as far as most Trainer’s are concerned, but that’s because Trainers, and the pressure for gyms and such is lower on the hierarchy of what we focus on, and those we have are less like is considered the norm.I forget why we moved, I was very young. Maybe it was just a change of scenery for my parents? Or dad’s allergies were involved? He has a few…  I would have to ask them next time I am over….Er.. Arellon has a culture of working with pokemon and also a focus on old lore, some tradition, wandering in the wilds a LOT with little to no supervision, and hospitality. The pokemon are a bit human friendly, especially within a few miles of cities, and so its very easy to just let the kid run off into the woods by themselves or with whatever family pokemon you have and they will usually be just fine and home before supper. That said there are plenty of old castle ruins dotting the land, so its best to put boundaries on how far out the kids can roam. 

And for your final question.. hmm… I guess it would be how different it was to roam in Fiore. Sure, a little kid can usually wander around without too much problems, and there is usually a friendly ranger in the area if you get lost, but it isnt as encouraged to go out into the woods behind the house.. not that that ever stopped me and mom’s Umbreon from going out. 

[ask-pokemon-ranger-kara]

Arellon sounds a bit poodunk really with out a leagues really. What about those castles you mentioned though? You don't go to the effort of building castles without something worth defending? What was so valuable down there to cause some 2 bit lord to build to spend the money to defend such a rural area?

We are still finding out more about the ancient lords, but a lot of it was uncontested land, and enough natural resources that they ended up creating smaller castles and keeps and fortresses, old stone manors, and so on. There were… a lot… of lords and lordlings who had what seemed to have a complicated alliance and war relationships with each other. We have found records of some castles that had as many as 7 different alliances at once!

The lands were rich for farms and hunting, and the mountains with ores and metals and rare plants and minerals, some with mythical properties… if the lorebooks are true. I do know a lot of them moved over from the neighboring regions so they dint have to listen to some other ruler.. or the other ruler got fed up with them. A lot of them are said to have had a lot of stubborn opinions on being ruled. Or what belief system they followed. We have a lot of families with skill powers like psychics and earth sense that fled the kingdom wars of other regions. It wasnt such the money to defend the land, it was the freedom of having land to defend, without repercussions from someone with a prejudice or an eye to force people to assimilate or convert to the current whims. 

And that’s the thing. There were a lot of differences, but also a lot of uniting elements that bound the ones who built the ruins. Some are in better shape, thankfully, so we have the records of what it may have been like. Or you ask the ruling families, many of whom are descended from these, but abandoned many of the less used or too big structures as time went on.  They have been heading something similar to gyms. Their twist was they focus on species types and not necessarily elemental types. Someone focuses on reptile type pokemon, another on canines, Some have a unifying element, like bird pokemon, but that’s no guarantee, as you can also find gym families who focus on the pokemon native to their ancestral homes. A lot of traditions come from the founding times. But.. I think Ive gone a bit too far off topic. 

[ask-pokemon-ranger-kara]

I know you left when you were 5, but do you remember any old Arellon traditions or story's?

It’s not like I never went back. A lot of my family is still living there. 

Aye, we have a lot of traditions, often ones that center on the solstices and equinoxes, harvests, and the restless spirit practices that every region has in some form or another. 

There are small traditions, of certain plants and stones and gifts being good luck and health to the house. There is traditions for courtship that seems a lot more elaborate than a lot of cultures have, since we still speak with flowers, use handwritten notes, and there are other traditions for gifts for the dates, with bad luck or good luck attatched. 

Small domestic traditions and culture. Feed everyone enough for two, if you can. Favoring rugs and cushions and piling everything by the fireplace. The herbs and sages to burn as the new season starts. 

Thanking the forest when you got to where you were going, for the safe trip, and leaving gifts at the forest edge for the pokemon and spirits that oversaw your safe travels. 

The festivals and folk costumes that celebrate our past, with the roast sawsbuck that is ceremonially hunted for the blessing of the land. The pile of bones, with hand made gifts and a specially prepared pokemon food feast afterward to thank the herd for it’s contribution. Antlers and sawsbuck skulls still play a role in many of the old rituals. 

There is a story for every gym leader, and more still for every community. Often, these are conveyed with a song, a poise, or at least a tune. Telling a story, especially one of the old ones, with a flat voice and no soul is considered disrespectful to the story and the people within.