Worldbuilding questions, yay!! In your world... How do people keep their history? Do they physically record it, or pass it down through spoken stories? | If they were to trade with someone else, what exports would they have to offer? Do they trade, do they take resources by force, or are they entirely self-sufficient? | What symbols are used to represent places or societies? What would be put on flags or banners? What do they represent and why is that important?
Quill! Excellent questions!! I’ve talked a lot about both Mynera & Illuminara in the past, so I think it’s time I answered these for Sylfae!!
Sylfae is a new country, built by an already established people. Of course, these people--the Slaeyr--were wanderers, living in different clans and groups, so figuring out how to set up a stable government/country is taking some time! I’ve got enough to answer these questions, though, I think :)
How do people keep their history? Do they physically record it, or pass it down through spoken stories?
Slaeyr have a special connection to music. They pass most of their history on that way--through songs. Oral histories/stories are also very common. However, now that they have stable buildings, they have begun recording those songs and stories on paper, so that they can be saved for generations to become.
In time, that will change as well. Though the written records remain, they will be accompanied by magical recordings. Though Eldora hasn’t reached that part quite yet...
If they were to trade with someone else, what exports would they have to offer? Do they trade, do they take resources by force, or are they entirely self-sufficient?
Right now, they don’t have much in the way of physical resources. They will, soon, because Sylfae is full of fertile land--and plants/animals unique to the island, though these haven’t been found yet. (Or, some of them have, but their unique properties haven’t been discovered!)
For now, what they have is their magic. The Slaeyr have a deep connection with the elements that other races don’t have. As such, they’re able to coax them into doing things other races can’t--or, at least, can’t do as quickly. They can help revive dying crops, carve tunnels through stone, etc. They’re also good fighters & can fight off things that other races can’t.
In addition to that, Slaeyr also don’t use currency. However, they do accept it, because it can be turned around to trade for other things--so, when all else fails they can sometimes fall back on that.
That said, though, eventually they begin trading other things. Slaeyr are so long-lived they become excellent craftsmen when they put their minds to it; they also, as I mentioned above, have some unique resources on the island; and they also can now collect things on their travels and not have to sell it as soon as possible.
What symbols are used to represent places or societies? What would be put on flags or banners? What do they represent and why is that important?
Right now, there are not flags or banners--no standard symbol used for the Slaeyr... except one. It’s the symbol that appears above their head (or on their forehead; I haven’t decided yet) when they’re claimed as a Slaeyr. I haven’t decided what that looks like, but it does become the symbol of Sylfae.
In the future, though, the Slaeyr government is divided into “guilds” and “factions.” Which. Normally mean the same thing, but, I’m using them as separate organizations until I figure out a different way of wording it.
Each guild has their own banner/flag, of course. As do factions.
Factions are made up of things like merchants; healers; and other tradsmen. Each of these tradesmen, though, can also belong to a guild. Factions are more loose; they do have their own rules, but not really a specific headquarters. They also don’t typically gather.
Guilds, on the other hand, do have headquarters and meetings. They also have their own internal governing system, which in turn informs the larger governing system. Guilds are typically responsible for protecting parts of Eldora--and/or they specialize in a specific type of enemy. Some guilds hop between realms, taking care of threats beyond Eldora/keep threats from spilling into Eldora.
Within those guilds there are “units.” Which are made up of several “teams.” A team is generally between 6 and 12 slayers, and units can have anywhere from one team to several dozen, depending on their function. Each unit has their own symbol, and each team generally has a symbol as well--though these are important only to their individual members. Famous teams will have theirs recognized anywhere, though.
I hope all of this makes sense, since I’ve been having concentration issues lately :)
