Happy World-building Wednesday! Is there a race or species that dominates your world? Tell me all about them and how they came to power!
Hi, thank you for the ask lovely ❤️
Yes, there is. In Metalsea, there are the driadlin, the draar and the shar-dlin. I have a fairly detailed section dedicated to them in the project post. I’ll summarize the driadlin here because they are basically who rule most of the land in Onidia (the world’s name).
The driadlin have an elf-like appearance with pointy ears, tall figures and a physic that clearly was built for finesse. However, they have colourful eyes, and the colour can change. When they learn something, their focus is on that subject, and therefore the colour will change to that “subject’s colour”. For example, the warriors have red eyes, and the more they learn to fight, the deeper red their eyes turn.
Also, we all have these bone bumps in our bodies, at the wrist, the ankle and the knee. Now, the driadlin have the ability to make this bumps into spike-like sharpness. It’s something that will grow out a bit and sharpen, maybe even to the point where they can slice with it but at least pierce something through. It sharpens when they are in a heightened emotional state — overjoyed, raging etc. So to control their spikes, they need to control their emotions. Besides this, even their nails and teeth sharpen too, but that are the less visible part of this — let’s call it: transformation.
Anyway, because of their spikes, they mostly fight with their fists and legs, rarely using any actual weapon. Their fighting technique is basically more like martial art. Or the monks class from D&D lol.
And how they came to power, well. There’s a whole other story for that so I’ll put that under the cut because it’s getting long.
The draar and the driadlin always fought for lands, but one time, the draar Queen had enough. She chellenged the best warrior (the driadlin Prince) for a one on one fight, so they could decide the conflict once and for all. All their force stopped for that time, sealing the deal in a treaty. Then, the fight has come, and the Queen seemed to win. However, the driadlin Prince’s bride was so desprate for losing her love that she interrupted them, stabbing the Queen in the back, saving the Prince. The driadlin foces then sorrounded the draars in the valley kind of place they camped and conqured those parts.
Since then, the driadlin rule, because the draar are still suffering the loss of that event. However, this little detail is a shame spot in their history too, which they tried to erase with the exile of the royal pair back in the day. Their royal family is never mentioned, and mostly lives as a cursed tale in their lore.
Calling The Inquisition by Trevor Morris is one of the most epic songs that I listened to while reading Stormlight. So it's hard to reach that level. But, it did inspired this lil scene, hehe.
Context: The last battle of the story, where the group left Nareethi and Eldnar with the Shar-Dlin to convince them to join the battle. They didn't expect them to agree, but Cronyl still hopes, cuz he learned to hope at this point.
CRONYL ELDENWER | DEATH | KILLING | BLOOD | BOOK 4 EXPLORATION | WC: 654
Where are they?
Cronyl’s veins throbbed with adrenalin while he opened up his red eye and let the weaknesses reveal before him. He rolled away from the stomp of a Vessel giant, then sliced up its skin under the armor where he found the mark of tension in its feet. Black crimson streamed from the wound as the creature cried out, golden helmet quavering under the weight of the sound.
He made the creature limp, but his momentum vanished while the crystal merged into his calf slowly losing its glow. Cronyl was ready to pierce with his ankle spike anyway. A sudden crunch sent a shiver up his spine to make him stop. The giant stumbled and then fell under Bra’aka’s punch he landed so fast, Cronyl didn’t even register his movement. The old warrior’s crystal arm lost its shine completely.
“Behind you,” Bra’aka barked at him, his arm hanging heavy and useless from his shoulders.
Cronyl turned to shoot a wrist spike into the enemy’s neck, but he realized only then it wasn’t a Vessel this time. He quickly switched to his palm, then he dashed away from the driadlin warrior’s attack, danced him around, and pushed his weak point beside his neck.
The warrior dropped to the ground, unconscious.
Faint pain pierced into his left cheek. Blood stained his finger when he touched his skin there. He got slower, much slower it seemed.
Where are they?
Something heavy knocked him off of his feet at the next moment. All the air burst out of his chest as the whole of a draar warrior weighed him down. Her beastly knee pushed his upper body into the ground, her fangs showing as she snarled at him. She lifted her axe, ready to strike.
The warrior roared, when an evalonian pushed her off of Cronyl, rolling away with her in the dirt. Air as sweet relief ran back into his lungs, and coughing and gagging scratched his throat. His body seemed heavier than he ever felt, and when he stole a glance from his leg, he saw only dullness looking back at him.
Every inch of his body hurt, his limps felt like stones growing out of his torso.
The cries of the battle reached him only now.
Cronyl panted as he turned towards Bra’aka’s raw voice that howled so loud and so beast-like, he never heard before. Three Vessel giants surrounded him, blood dripping from his side, crystal arm hanging limp.
Warriors and fighters clashed around him, some falling, some dying, but none winning. At his other side, the evalonian wrestled with the draar warrior. Then some driadlin joined them, trying to cut her at every inch they reached.
Where?
A loud growl tore out from Cronyl’s throat as he forced himself to turn around, at his stomach. Avelyn and Darmon danced in the near distance, guiding the energy from one person to the other. Sweat soaked their figure from the concentration, both of their movements slowing second by second. Drehana and Syonehlia kept away the marching Vessels, yet they only could do so much, both panting and dripping from sweat and blood now. And the enemy did not steady, nor got tired.
Draar, driadlin, giants. Vessels, corrupted. They gathered, walked up to them, and surrounded them. With one person standing in the middle of the chaos, looking down upon them all.
He pushed his forehead into the rocky ground, trying to pull his weight up by his arms. The cries multiplied, and the ground seemed to tremble so hard it might have started to split into half again. Cronyl needed to get up. He needed to go back.
He…
A familiar whistle hit his ear, his eyes immediately shooting at Eldnar and Nareethi as they rode in on Naroq. Bringing an army of Shar-Dlin and a pack of djaanvar into the battle.
Are there any alcoholic beverages and/or recreational drugs unique to your countries? If so, what do they do?
Starlight! ❤️ Thank you for this ask, it's been a minute. I have one specific thing in Metalsea that I figured out from the start and it's a unique thing for the draar (my monster-looking fantasy race). That said, it's still under development of course lol.
The Nakor Plant
The draar has a plant growing on their land, which they call nakor and is sacred for them. It has thick, fleshy leaves and inside it has this jelly looking, translucent gel basically. It's literally aloevera with a little twist. Because the plant's inside they use for cleaning wounds, while they also discovered it helps the injury heal faster and better. However, if they press the plant's leaves out, it oozes liquid which is actually has the same effect as an alcoholic beverage, makes you drunk and ecstatic. So, they use that for celebrations and such.
But, they also use the plant for rituals. The draar has a tradition among their warriors; if they are worthy enough, they can earn the chance to embed crystals into their body which helps them give various kind of boosts. This, however, only achieveable through a ritual, which requires a crystal, a drop of driadlin blood (my other fantasy race) and the nak'oro juice (this is how the draar call the nakor plant's juice). The blood mixed with the juice acts as a drug for the consumers; giving them hallucinations and showing them their inner fears, thoughts they don't want to face etc. I tried to showcase how this looks in a scene in this three part something I wrote during winter lmao.
#FALL_inlovewithWIP🍂 : here's your sign to keep writing ! The world needs to hear your stories, let's do this :)
If you receive this, spread the positivity to two other writeblrs, and if you feel like it, please share your word count and 1 thing you love about your WIP. 💖
Thank you sweetpea! 💝 I’ll answer this for Metalsea as well because that’s my focus still.
One thing I love: The draar. I just adore working on their culture and everything. Bra’aka is our main draar character so he’s an important factor of why I love it as well. Plus, I LOVE winter so Atarq, the land of the draar is an eternal winterland for a reason hehe. I basing them mostly upon Norse Mythology which I’m also a sucker for, so.
Current Word Count: 22,307 and I still haven’t started the first draft lmao.
How does the government system in your WIP work? What type is it (is it a monarchy, or theocracy, or democracy, etc), how are laws passed, how are new leaders/rulers chosen, how does the justice system operate, etc etc?
Happy very delayed WBW @cherrybombfangirlwrites!! ❤️ This got me longer than expected, sorry!
Honestly, this is the aspect of my WIPs that needs a lot of work. Both of them. I usually start with a very vague idea of the ruling systems and most of the time I change them as I go.
But, for Project Metalsea I’ve planned to go with a monarchy among the driadlin since it’s fantasy and it would work with that the best. However, it can still change to theocracy later because religion will play a huge part of the story and the world. Because of these, rulers aren’t really chosen (or at least in the beginning of the story) but inherit the title of Kings and Queens. I’m pretty sure you know the drill of this one. Their justice system can be tricky tho. Social status and/or how people perceive you is very important in the driadlin's society.
For the draar tho, it's a funny thing. They call their ruler Queen (the system their is more of a matriarch, but not entirely or I'm just not sure yet), but they have more of a tribe, than a kingdom. Status is not depends on wealth or how the other's perceive, but what do you do. And how, why do you do that. So, warriors, who go to a battle to be famous are in lower "rank" than those who go for keeping others safe.
It's still under heavy development hehe, so I can only say this much for now! But if you're curious about something, go ahead! Questions may help to develop some aspects! <3
