Paristan is a lost civilization, or to be more precise, a country built off of several lost peoples, expeditions, entire empires having slipped from history. In truth, Paristan is a wormhole, a bridge between Earth and “the Source”, whatever it may be, having stabilized after thousands of years in existence. Due to its nature, the progression of time is nonlinear compared to Earth, those who have survived, and escaped, their trip to Paristan having either only spent a few seconds away from their origin despite their travels, or in turn, may have wound up spending decades, even centuries away from Earth. There are several “doorways” to Paristan, including an ancient spring within a submerged cavern beneath the Indian Ocean that had been infused by the nearly radioactive properties of the rare fauna and minerals that grew in the cave, the source of legends across cultures as the Fountain of Youth. Off the shores of ancient England, there is a misty isle that appears only once every full moon, the home of a coven of priestesses cultivating a sacred orchard, communing with their patron from the Otherworld known as “the Fair Lady of Avalon.” The major culture of the modern people of Paristan, known as the Paristani, is an evolution from the Persian and Roman Empires. The country itself is an exotic mountainous valley, bordered by rocky cliffs, a shroud of mist cast over the rolling fields of crimson poppies, poisonous due to their naturally opium rich pollen. Paristan itself sits atop a subterranean fungi jungle, practically a cavernous underworld compared to the countryside above. At the borders of Paristan, the physics of reality are warped and corrupted, the borders of the wormhole being literal mountains defying the natural laws of gravity, beneath them being nothing but an toxically abyssal and impassable desert, running off into the nothingness.
The ancient heartland capital of Paristan is Pulchra-Shahr, the ancestral home of the acclaimed Crowned Heads of the Paristan, and in the recent centuries, the seat of the Imperial Courts of Lord Oberon, the deformed bastard son of Julius Caesar and Shahbanu Morgana “The Fair Lady of Enchantments/Empress of the Fair City.”
The biggest inspirations for the character of Lord Oberon is obviously the character from a Midsummer Night’s Dream, but also King Pastoria and the Nome King from Baum’s works. I’ve been toying with this villain for a while, having carried him over from the original “Faerietale” Project, I’m just not sure where he fits into the overall story(ies) of the Faerielogues, right now just serving as background knowledge for a possible adventure.
I still need to draw Fulani the Sufi and the Brotherhood of Failings, but at least I can say that I’m happy with Oberon’s design so far. Also, updated Amoriel a little, fixing some colors and adjusting their head for the portfolio shot.