Finally got to making a map for Ru'aun! I didn't change too much, but I ended up added stuff to it.
Right Picture: Without Roads
Left Picture With Roads
Some Fun Facts:
You've heard of "All roads lead to Rome" now it's All roads lead to O'Kasis. Before the Tyrant King was taken out, he built connecting roads across Ru'aun. Most of these roads are used in the present time. Though some roads have been abandoned and overgrown. This is more prevalent in the eastern side, since the popular mode of transportation is by boat.
A part of why Scaleswind came to power was due to a man-made moat that connected the river to the southern ocean. This gave them massive power over trade.
Remember that random settlement that Aphmau found the exorcist (monk?) at? I have incorporated them more into the worldbuild, and they are now called "Nowhere Towns". They're basically small settlements where travelers can go to rest. [These are indicated by the emerald dots on the map]
In my world building I have Tu'la seperated into two kingdoms, North and South Tu'la, with each being represented by there own specific big cat. North Tu'la is represented by Tigers and Sout Tu'la is represented by Lions, with both kingdoms adopting features from the cats.
I am going into a long post so a keep reading is in place for ease
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North Tu'la - The Toraichi Empire - Tigers
Tigers are strong, solitary, and patient creatures, which is reflected well by the Toraichi Empire. It is a large and domineering kingdom with a very strong class structure. Everyone has a place and the royals are above everyone for the strong devour the weak. It is a very tense hierarchal dictatorship with almost no interaction between people of different classes as they each keep to their specific group. A very solitary existence which encourages loyalty to the crown while keeping the people separate enough as to not start rebellions. Loyalty through the guise of power and protection. Everything has its place, and they stick to it.
The Toraichi royal family are the epitome of tigers, the type of beasts who will wait in the tall grass and strike when their opponent is the most vulnerable. They are cold and distant, and much like how tigers will only come together to mate, love is a rather "foreign" concept in the family. The only beneficial marriages are political and children are tools to be used and left to rot if shown to be useless. There is no family only rivals to the crown. It creates strong leaders and broken people, where killing your family members is more of a right of passage than a crime, though the best leaders are the ones who can get the crown without spilling a drop of blood.... by their own hands at least.
TLDR: Cold, Ruthless, Isolated, but Powerful and Domineering.
South Tu'la - Kingdom of Sa'Haresha - Lions
Lions are loud, cooperative, and playful animals, creatures that more often than not, are friendly as long as they don't view something as a threat, the Kingdom of Sa'Haresha is much the same way. While having a royal family, the Kingdom of Sa'Haresha is more like a massive collection of villages across a wide grassland-desert. Like several prides all following the lead of one main pride. It is full of strong warriors but has no central military and no goals of expansion, everyone focuses on keeping their families safe and healthy. Type of people who have never met a stranger, for better and for worse.
The South Tu'la royal family is much the same way, as while royal and living in a castle of sorts, more often then not they are public servants. No different than a mayor's office where the castle doors are always open and you can talk to them directly. Though, that does not mean that they aren't territorial, they are lions and know their power. The royals help whoever they can and are always open for alliances as long as it doesn't involve giving up territory. They share, they don't give. Though, due to this nature from the royal family, of brute strength and acceptance, they are often vulnerable and can be misguided. Very much the brawn kingdom whereas North Tu'la is the brain kingdom.
(One difference though from lions is that they are matriarchal, female lions do all the work and I think it makes more sense for the MCD universe to have them have a matriarch. )
TLDR: Friendly, Warm, Familial but Vulnerable and Trusting.
Making an updated map of Ru’Aun rn and nothing pisses me off more than the fact that Aphmau never labeled where pikoro was on her old map and trying to figure out where the wolf tribes are located is fucking INSANE like what to you MEAN the SOUTHERN wolf tribe is closest to BRIGHT PORT and the SOUTHEASTERN wolf tribe is close to SCALESWIND and where the FUCK is the fucking EASTERN wolf tribe supposed to be I need fucking ANSWERS
For the worldbuilding of MCD how good do you interpret their knowledge of medicine as being? I don't remember if any other characters besides Irene/Aphmau have specifically healing magic that they perform (besides from maybe potions.) Do you think the majority of healers have magics or that maybe doctors of old studied Irene and her abilities and were somehow able to come up with new inventions in the field that the average non-magic person could use? Fictional healthcare is always interesting.
ooh you had me thinking hard about this one.
For one thing, I think progress in health care varies a bit by region. I'll make things easier by focusing mostly on Ru'Aun so I don't go off into a tangent. I'd say as a quick, rough comparison their probably up to 15-16th century standards as a whole. They understand certain things/activities/conditions make people unwell but they likely don't have a lot of scientific reasoning as to why.
Seeing as how persecuted magicks users are and the fact magicks cannot be learned, I'd say that the number of pure magick healers (like Aphmau's level of potency to just vanish wounds) in the region is pretty low. I could see these types of healers into two broad categories: I think the first would find safety as personal healers to high ranking noble families seeing they would likely be given their own security team plus the chance to live in relative comfort. The second type would be travelling healers- ones that would keep their power and identity on the down-low and just go from village to village performing miracles where they could. This would be a lot more dangerous but also morally-sound as they aren't being exclusive about who they heal and receive little if any payment.
We already know magick is an inherited trait, it's not something that can be taught, this leaves the only viable mix for medicine and magic (if I don't use the k assume I'm talking about the broader sense of the word) to be witchcraft and/or alchemy or something a bit more in-between. What interesting about this topic is that real world medicine/healing has had an underlying connotation of something magical/otherworldly for literally the entirety of human history up until, like, a couple of centuries ago. So I think the real question should be at what point do the Ru'Aunians separate natural remedy from the magical, or do they bother to separate it at all? Is it different depending on what part of Ru'Aun you live in? At what point does a cough syrup get the label of potion or elixir, or are all concoctions that affect the body given the potion treatment?
Personally, I haven't really decided on anything specific yet. My guess is that it's a very hybridized field where they don't make a whole lot of differentiation/hard classification on which medicines are natural and which are magic. You may have doctors performing witchcraft without them even realizing it and/or witches who sell the equivalent of tylenol in the bottle next to their nightvision and invisibility potions.
Also I'm just now realizing I brought up the subject of alchemy that I kinda wanted to expand upon but I might just save that for another time.
I’m making a calendar system for Diaries and let me tell you it’s a lot funnier than it should be. At least to me personally because I have the humor of a 5 year old.
Anyways, it’s a six day week that goes in the following order: Menday, Kulday, Esday, Kiday, Shadurday, and Irday
