#the firebreathers

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Happy wbw my guy!! Here's a question that ive always wondered: why are the rebel group called firebreathers, and how did you come up with it?

Happy WBW, Lila!!! And happy early new year!!! <3<3<3

This actually gets into a bit of lore, so buckle up for an info dump!!!

Okay, so, the main religion on Ehl (Mayhism) is based around six Goddesses, right? The oldest of which is Delta, the goddess of change. She’s generally the patron goddess of those who are attempting to better themselves or the world around them, and the way you traditionally show your devotion to her is by growing out your hair. (This is why so many of the rebels have long hair, btw!!)

As the oldest of the goddesses, she’s also got power over creation, and when Ehlves were given the powers of Elementalism, she asked Venn (the goddess of magic) to bless a lot of them with fire, which is part of why Fire Mages are so common.

Now, she’s symbolically related with the number 3, triangles, and flames, which is how the Firebreathers came up with their symbol - essentially, it’s a triple-hit of religious significance and calls to action. As an added bonus, she and Venn are the creators of the Millennium Cycle, so it’s also a little bit of a call back to why Evergreen is in power in the first place.

But their name also comes from association with Vii, the goddess of life, and Lib, the goddess of death. See, a big part of why the Firebreathers formed in the first place was due to King Evergreen’s insistence on starting a war in Deltierin to regain his control over there. And while death itself may not be seen as a bad thing in Mayhism, war very much is.

Now, life makes sense in this context, but involving the goddess of death might seem a little weird. My explanation, however, is that Vii and Lib share power over air - Vii specifically gives the first gasp of life, and Lib is called through the final dying breath. So, the ‘breathe’ in Firebreathers, paired with the symbolism of Delta, is kind of a double meaning? Like, it’s calling for a rebirth of sorts, but also asking for the old ways to die out and give way to the new.

At the end of the day, the name ‘Firebreathers’ is just a big ‘fuck you’ to the religious institution that demands unquestioned obedience to Evergreen, using their same language and ideals to drive the point home :D

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Thank you so much for the wonderful question, Lila!!!! I hope you don’t mind that I wrote A Whole Essay™ for it a;slkdjf;alskfj

Ehlverse Worldbuilding Taglist (ask to be +/-):

@charles-joseph-writes ; @linariouswrites ; @violetcancerian ; @phiwrites ; @hannahs-creations ; @rhikasa ; @writeblrfantasy

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday! Are their any royal families in your wip? How exactly did their line become royalty? Is their rule accepted by the people, or are there those who dislike the monarchy, and for what reason(s)?

hey, happy wbw!!! thank you for the ask, and sorry the answer is so late!!!!

So, in Firebreathers, there is a king (Tieling Evergreen) but because he’s immortal, there’s no one else in the “royal family”, and the same goes for King Arthur Coldstone of the humans, since they were both immortalized in the same event.

Tieling Evergreen was set to become the King of the Ehlves before he was ever immortalized - as the Chosen One, part of his duty after stopping the great decay would be to unify the Ehlves under one leader, so he was being prepared his whole life to take the throne and begin diplomatic outreach as soon as he completed the Journey. After his immortalization and the smite on Fahrial, that process became a lot easier - everyone was thoroughly convinced he was blessed by the Goddesses, and because of that, they were quick to please him and unify.

Arthur Coldstone, on the other hand, was only ever meant to be Tieling’s guard on the Journey, and then he was to return to Avatica with Tieling’s blessing and take his place back in the Royal Guard of the king. But because he was the only other survivor of Fahrial, and the entirety of the King and his court had been attending the celebration there, well... when he was the only one to return, harrowed and Blessed, there was no dissent when he sat on the throne and forced himself to deal with the ramifications of the catastrophe.

Where Tieling was prepared all his life for unification at any cost, Arthur was taught to protect and defend those he cared about with everything he had. Tieling was known for his ruthless pursuit of control from the beginning, and though it took a long while for his people to realize it, once they did, he was forced to quell rebellion each time he became lax. Meanwhile, Arthur actually cared, and any war he entered was a reaction to those threatening his people.

Or, of course, threatening Evergreen. There’s been speculation for hundreds of years over just how devoted Arthur is to Tieling, even though Tieling has never once moved his own troops in defense of Avatica. But most people decide not to dwell on it for too long; Arthur is a good king, all things considered. They would rather let him fight for Tieling than be stuck with anyone else.

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I’m invoking my worldbuilding taglist for this, because this is all a pretty major factor in the Firebreathers rebellion!

Worldbuilding Taglist (ask to be +/-):

@charles-joseph-writes ; @adaparkwrites ; @overlap ; @linariouswrites ; @violetcancerian ; @apricotwrites ; @hannahs-creations

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Happy WBW from writingamongthecoloredroses! What festivals does your world have, besides/if not Pride?

thank you for the awesome ask, @writingamongthecoloredroses!!!

There.... isn’t really a concept of Pride on Ehl? Gender and sexuality are pretty fluid almost everywhere, and those places where they aren’t are still much better than the real world, so there hasn’t ever been much need to protest/riot on behalf of the LGBT community, so I doubt it would have ever started.

However, there are definitely a few other festivals, especially in places that are primarily Mayhist!! Mayhism is one HELL of a celebration-savvy religion.

The first example we see in Firebreathers is the Festival of Magic, which is held in Aree every year starting in the beginning of summer, and lasts for about 3 months, usually ending once the Godwoods’ leaves start turning. It’s a very important celebration, both in terms of religious relevance, and also in the fact that it’s one of Aree’s biggest tourism moneymakers. 

The Festival of Magic consists of a night market filled with local artisans, creators, and smiths of all kinds, a weekly firework show, nightly Central City Circus performances, and magical entertainment of all kinds. Masters are invited to perform weekly, showing off their skills and the possibilities of magic. Libraries often show off their textbook collections on the machinations of magic, summer camps and school extracurriculars educate kids about all the different ways magic can manifest, and local temples are full to the brim with Venn’s Priestesses and followers.

Another interesting note: due to the nature of this month-long holiday, most protests in favor of Dark Mage rights happen during the festival. The common talking point of the nature of magic is really helpful in getting the point across to the public.

Worldbuilding taglist:

@charles-joseph-writes ; @adaparkwrites ; @vioaeon

(since it relates to Firebreathers pretty heavily; also, Mayhism and the Dark Mage rights movement are big pieces in that story)

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday! Is there a lot of discrimination in your world? What kind (eg. racism, classism, sexism) is most prevalent? Is bigotry seen as banal, or culturally accepted?

aaaa thank you ada!!! this one caught me while i was in bed last night, but I hope you’re having an awesome day nonetheless!!!

There’s DEFINITELY discrimination on Ehl, and it depends on where you are, but for Ehlves, the most prevalent are Classism and magic-related discrimination. Classism, at least, is considered rude to voice in public, but magic-related stuff is common and accepted. Those two, combined with the xenophobia that’s common in Impalfahr, are big reasons that the Firebreathers started in the first place.