#prime.wip

[ofillyria]

                     THE FIVE KINGDOMS OF ISLAINE

Islaine is home to humankind, on the west side of the map. To the east are the wildlands of Epince, a land that is only populated by wild animals, monsters, and the dying gods. Islaine is a highly populated and diverse collection of kingdoms. The central kingdom, Asherall, serves as unofficial ruler to the rest of the kingdoms. But Poldarne, due to it’s large mass and thriving economy is steadily growing as a threat to Asherall’s reign. 

ASHERALL - The central kingdom, known for its lush boreal forests. It’s prone to heavy rainfall in the autumn and spring, with light snowfall in the winter, especially in the northern half of Islaine. The northern half features tall mountain ranges spotted with glistening silver lakes. That is the wilder half of the kingdom, whereas the southern half is known for its sprawling fields and meadows. The south features most of the kingdom’s towns and holds a majority of the population. These small villages are the center of many trading routes and draw artisans from all over Islaine. The kingdom is lively and well-organized with a strong central government and well-trained knights to enforce the laws. The largest city is the capitol, which is placed on an Island in the Caladain sea, close enough to be accessible from the landmass via bridges. Capitol City features a large castle and sprawling gardens, most of which have become overgrown. 

WINDMIRE - Known primarily for it’s logging and mines, Windmire is home to the more rugged sorts who shy away from living within the law. It’s technically its own kingdom but has not had an established central government in over two hundred years. Each town and settlement has its own laws and it’s governed by elected officials. Many precious ores and gems come from the mountains of Windmire and are traded to Asherall. The climate of Windmire is always cool and prone to harsh winters with deep snow. The entire kingdom is filled with tall spruce trees and rushing rivers. It is not a home for the faint of heart.  

DZEN - Dzen is the fishing hub of Islaine. The innermost sections of the landmass are dedicated to small farms. But most of the non-coast region is unestablished, and instead filled with sprawling fields which turn golden in the summer. It is dotted with the occasional lake or stream, with surrounding groves of oak trees, but otherwise, the land appears open and untainted by man. The coast, however, is lined by bustling ports. The western ports tend to be rowdy and filled with seedy sorts and adventurers, while the ports closer to the east and south tend to be more refined and closely monitored by local government. The eastern ports fish with the Caladain sea, often retrieving crabs and smaller fish. While the western ports venture out into the ocean for bigger catches. Dzen is responsible for feeding most of the kingdom. 

POLDARNE - Poldarne began much like the other smaller kingdoms, focusing on farm and trade. But because of its warm and consistent climate, it’s drawn more and more people to take up residence in the bustling and interwoven network of cities. It’s a neoliberal society, somewhat democratic, but with an economy free of government interference. Some believe it’s lawless, despite the fact that it has an ever-growing series of interconnected militia. The people of Poldarne are known for being self-reliant and anti-monarchy. It’s for this reason that the rise of Poldarne’s power poses a threat to the kingdom of Asherall. Despite there being no official declaration of war everyone expects conflict to start soon. Poldarne is also known for its grand carnival, where people pay to watch animals and monsters fight. These creatures are captured and held in captivity or sold off to private buyers. Poldarne is the kingdom which appeals to those looking to get rich at other people’s expense. 

TAKKERTIL - Takkertil is the smallest and humblest of all the kingdoms, often regarded as more of an unincorporated part of Asherall. The people of Takkertil are equally unassuming, tending to be farmers and craftsmen. Takkertil, despite the fact that it allows Asherall to declare laws and send knights to protect the towns, is a very self-contained kingdom. The people are peaceful and focus more on making a living for themselves than worrying about the larger world. Of course, this is only because Asherall does not tax Takkertil for the presence of occasional law enforcement. The climate of Takkertil varies greatly depending on the season, with hot summers and bone-chilling winters. The land features mostly fields and rolling hills, but also grand lakes and the occasional temperate forest. It’s a diverse kingdom and the closest thing to an utopia in Islaine.

[ofillyria]

so about your wip prime,,, are the gods from an existing mythology or are they your own? and if it's not spoilers who are the eight godlings descendants of? :0 (@kryskakikomi)

oooh thank you for these questions!! 

the gods are not from existing mythology but were loosely inspired by the greek and norse pantheons. the original draft of the novel featured the greek gods but i feel like i didn’t really have any super hot takes about them so it was better to just make new gods which would allow for more creativity! and the godlings heritage is revealed very early on in the novel so i don’t think of them as spoilers. 

obviously, the lead character, cordelea, is the child of the god of dreams, vynos. her divine abilities are yet to be uncovered but because she is the firstborn it’s likely whatever powers she has they will be extreme. no one knows why they’ve laid dormant for so long, since usually godlings’ powers emerge when they are around fourteen. and lea is twenty one. 

ava, the blacksmith and one of the secondary characters, is the child of varahin: god of fire. this means that she can superheat her hands and she is immune to fire. 

bash is the son of banir, god of death. because of his lineage bash has been ‘blessed’ with the ability to sense when people are going to die. the premonitions are loose but if someone’s death is encroaching he can feel it. 

ver is the last child of urros, god of weather. because his bloodline has grown weak ver’s powers are rather underwhelming. she can summon rain, which really only serves to ruin a nice day or water the garden. 

deidra is the daughter of the god of attraction, edea. thus she was granted the blessing of being perceived as beautiful no matter what. this also serves as a curse since she is always subject to the gaze of others and 

mira is the daughter of idis, the goddess of celestial bodies. as a result she can see the turning of the heavens and is gifted with premonition. she’s the oracle of the godling council and often provides valuable insight. 

henri is the son of tithos, god of the sea. henri’s blessing prevents him from ever drowning. this is quite helpful since he’s a sailor and a fisherman. 

calum is the son of anarin, god of war. calum doesn’t actually appear in the novel because he went missing a few years before lea’s arrival at court, but his absence can be felt. the godling’s considered him family and his disappearance left everyone confused. 

really, thank you so much for the question! it was so nice to compile a proper list! i want to make character intros for all of them but i’m so picky about aesthetics lol!

[ofillyria]

What’s ur wip about?

insert the gif of yung neil saying “that’s kind of a big question”. but a very good question, thank you! right now the wip that i’m dedicating the most mental energy to is called GODLING (or PRIME, which is the name of the first book in the proposed series). it’s the draft i’ve chosen for nanowrimo while i take a break on slogging through revisions of NIGHT TWELVE. GODLING is actually a rewrite of a rewrite of a fanfic. lol. 

GODLING takes place in a high fantasy universe where gods and monsters are real, but they are dying out. the narrative focuses on the children of the gods who know that they are going to be one of the last generations of half-human and half-god spawn, known as godlings. the relationships between humans and gods is tenuous, and the relationship between gods and godlings even more so. but the godlings are trying to do right by their parents, even if the relationship is distant. 

The main character, Cordelea, who goes by Lea, is about to take the final test which will allow her to become a priestess int he temple of the goddess Idis. But she makes a mistake and cuts her hand open during the ritual. When she does so, she is given a vision from the goddess: a warning to run. Lea is soon after attacked by strange humanoid creatures and only escapes by burning down the temple with the creatures inside.

She learns that she is a godling, the child of the dreamwalker, who has never before mingled with humans. As a result, she’s invited to join the godling council, a powerful collection of godlings which govern the kingdom. Overwhelmed, but without a choice, she begrudgingly accepts her role as one of the few inhuman leaders of Asherall. 

Obviously, there’s going to be resistance from her peers and from Lea herself about this change. And there’s going to be a quest to the wildlands where the gods live. But I’m still determining what to add to the first book and what to add to books two and three. For now I’m focusing on worldbuilding before I delve into plot! 

[ofillyria]

                                       PANTHEON: THE GODS OF ISLAINE

The gods of Islaine have a documented history going back two thousand years. They are the creators of mankind and each has control over a domain related to the world and it’s elements. The gods have no gender and can appear in any form, but some have preferences in how they appear or are addressed. There are many minor deities but most of them have faded to obscurity by this point: becoming nymphs or disappearing entirely. The primary pantheon has also begun to disappear but many of them are attempting to resist their own demise. 

Anarin - They god of war, with a domain that also includes rivalry, strategy, violence, games, and competition. They embody every clash of man versus man. They often manifest as a human at opportune and sparing times. They never reveal themselves as a god and instead pose as the perfect martyr, political figure, or voice in the crowd to inspire conflict. They don’t tend to have children unless it’s to procure a device to use during future conflicts. 

Ashera - The god of nature and the harvest. Their existence has been debated for centuries because they rarely, if ever, appeared in human form and never had an offspring with humans. They were happy to give up a mortal body and become one with the earth. Did so early on and is very well adapted. Has not been heard from in centuries but some people say they still exist and bless those who pray with good crop seasons. 

Banir - The god of death. There is nothing more to their domain, but they are responsible for shepherding all livings things to the afterlife. They are the most neutral, unchanging, and predictable of the gods. Some say that Banir is uncaring and cruel, but they actually display immense pity and empathy towards all the creatures of the planet. They only ever took on a physical form to carry the nearly dying to the gates of the Elseworld. Was not known to take on lovers but there were some, valiant heroes, on the brink of death, who earned death’s respect and love and were given a brief second chance.

Edea - The god of love, but their domain also includes beauty, family, and parenthood. They are the patron god of all things surrounding attraction, desire, and love (platonic, familial, and romantic). They manifest frequently and never feared any repercussions, never left for the wildlands. They tend to stay in the life of their children, popping from time to time to offer advice and gifts. A superficial parent but better than the rest.

Idis - The goddess of celestial bodies, including the sun and the two moons. Often just referred to as ‘The Goddess’. She is the most widely worshipped deity to this day. It is debatable whether she has a significant impact on the lives of humans since she only takes physical form through moonbeams to speak to their priestesses. But some come to her temple and ask the priestesses for guidance and are given prophecies in return. Most of these prophecies ring true, but whether or not they come from the goddess herself is unknown.

Selnir - The god of riches. Their domain includes all ores and precious gems, but also the act of trade. They are a protector of business deals and entrepreneurs.  When involving themselves with humans they are a trickster that would disguise themselves as a rich noble or prince and deceive others into worshipping them more than the rest of the pantheon. They often would stay in one form for an entire human lifetime and fake their own death when people started to get suspicious. They viewed this practice as a prank or a game and no one knows if they have continued this habit. Their last known identity was as the steward of Poldarne.

Tithos - The god of the ocean, and all other bodies of water. Much like their sibling, Urros, the ocean was known for taking on human form very often and cavorting with humans left and right. They were flirty and fickle, prone to one night stands that resulted in children. But they would bless the family of their future child with boons. Now, they manifest in the waves. Humans like Tithos, although some fishermen, especially those who travel across the ocean, know to fear Tithos’ power. Tithos protects the gods who live in the wildlands by making the ocean impassible.

Urros - The god of storms. He controls the weather, especially in regards to stormfronts, wind, and lightning. He is known for being a serial “romantic” and a terror to humans. Violent and needy, he would show up often in human form and take what he wanted. Then leave his partner behind, offering no help and no love to their offspring. Now, he manifests in raging storms,  newly frustrated to no longer have a physical form and no way to please himself other than striking out.

Varahin - The god of fire, the forge, creation, and rebirth. Varahin’s reputation has always been in flux, some say that they are destructive and temperamental, while others claim they are warm and giving. It’s clear that Varahin is an everchanging deity that cannot be predicted. They never desired a physical form and was never known to take one unless it was for the sake of union. They now can be found dancing in the sparks and flames. 

Vynos - Also known as The Dreamwalker. They are a god that most people don’t believe actually exists. They never took on a physical form before and have only appeared to humans as a vague figure that passes through dreams without a word. Elusive and mysterious, Vynos is the god responsible for helping humans fall asleep and the one who weaves their dreams. 

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