Indy (she/they), lvl21, exhausted uni student The official blog for the Prime Nexus (a universe within Thaorin's Gate and my magnum opus). Feel free to send me asks about the lore! Past posts are reblogged from my original art blog. https://linktr.ee/sparkplug027
The Prime Nexus is a universe located within the Thaorin's Gate multiverse. It is one of many, but I consider it to be my magnum opus, as it is my current project that I have spent the last 2 years working tirelessly on. The Prime Nexus itself is an artificially created universe that has been shaped by interventions such as terraforming machinery. It has four accessible planes (Kipara, Orīrī, the Flush and The Void) which have different environments and societies. I am working on a website to post my writing on, but you can find the associated art on this blog!
Check the tags on this post to see more.
Learn more about what the Prime Nexus actually is here. (with pictures!)
Learn about Magic in the Prime Nexus here. (with pictures!)
The reason I call it a multiverse is that I'm too attached to past projects to just scrap them. So, I linked them all together! You can find these universes, such as the Broken Sanctum, on this blog too (although they're reblogged from my fanart blog, which used to be a combo blog with this one). I also have other projects I am currently working on within this universe, such as Earth 8, the setting for my Call Of Cthulhu oneshots (don't ask me to release those, they're really only decipherable to me).
Interested in old projects? Find the Broken Sanctum Masterlist here and the Neterar'iris here (I have repurposes these for the Prime Nexus so this information is outdated).
I like to use the broad tag of "Thaorin's Gate" on every post. No I don't know why there are two of them, frankly I'm too scared to figure it out at this point so I just tag 'em with both. I also use the tag “The Prime Nexus” for any work in that universe. "Drowsys Art" will have anything I've drawn.
Asks are always welcome!
Love my work? check out my fanart @tapiestre-fanart
All my species are open species. If you want to make an oc of one or just draw a funny little piece, feel free so long as you credit me when applicable. Tag me please (because I’d love to see it!!)
Do not repost my work without permission, and do not feed my work to generative AI. This is a passion project that has gotten me through university and some of my worst headspaces. Please don't take that away from me.
Do I know how to render? no. Did I try anyway? yes. ANYWAY--here's what the Nockvein are actually supposed to look like. This is the first installment in a small series where I design what the species of Siblath look like, as they have experienced different levels of radiation and socio-political climates influencing their characteristics. The biggest difference? Siblath's Nockvein have fur-length variety! Like cats, they can have long, medium or short fur, and this length is typically climate dependent, as well as genetic. Their hair still floats though, it is just less noticable in their fur, as fur naturally appears to have an air-like dimension (source: my super fluffy cat)
Yes I did say the Etzal/Nockvein weren't going to change. Due to recent lore-developments, I have altered my decision. Siblath experiences a high level of radiation due to the Azamaric Dominion POKING HOLES in the barrier surrounding POPs, causing magical radiation to leak into Siblath proper. Very bad.
Not to be a shill or such but something fun i think you should do if you have worldbuilding/specbio sapient species is make some animal crossing style depictions / chibi-anthro stylized things, either translating them to that humanoid shape or to what the species would recognize and identify with in a character design. What are the main features of my creatures
whats recognizable, what makes it wat it is, wat is it recognizable Without, how would it fit within certain constraints, how simple can you make this thang
Species design changes aside, I finished the map for Siblath!! That's right, now featuring both upper and lower sky islands, here is the topographical map in full. No, I will not be making rivers & forests this time; they are there I just think they detract from the map more than add to it. ANYWAY, ENJOY!
I am sick. I am writing my novel. WHY has Ameria (protagonist) become so insistent that the Gamaian had selective breeding programs that deliberately weakened the other species of Omuin? It’s in my lore, yes, but not to such an extent. Except now it is. So. Now I have to redesign (ish) the species before making the next continent to be what they were pre-Gamaian. All because the species of my world are products of age-old malfunctioning terraforming technology. So they’re the same but on different continents.
Ugh.
Fuck!
11 species I have to redesign! And it’ll be worth it, especially for a second draft, but FUCK this is going to take me all summer.
So uhhh PSA, any published species for the prime nexus (besides The Caretakers) are subject to changes. Not soon, but eventually. When I’m not relying on Tylenol and spite to get me through the day.
I am sick. I am writing my novel. WHY has Ameria (protagonist) become so insistent that the Gamaian had selective breeding programs that deliberately weakened the other species of Omuin? It’s in my lore, yes, but not to such an extent. Except now it is. So. Now I have to redesign (ish) the species before making the next continent to be what they were pre-Gamaian. All because the species of my world are products of age-old malfunctioning terraforming technology. So they’re the same but on different continents.
Ugh.
Fuck!
11 species I have to redesign! And it’ll be worth it, especially for a second draft, but FUCK this is going to take me all summer.
So uhhh PSA, any published species for the prime nexus (besides The Caretakers) are subject to changes. Not soon, but eventually. When I’m not relying on Tylenol and spite to get me through the day.
I've got way too much prepwork to finish before starting truly on Siblath, so have a piece of that. Maybe someday soon I'll release the lore on arcane casters as well. For now, dragons!
Whilst Wyrms and Dragons are the same creature at different stages of life, the two names are used to differentiate their two states of being. A wyrm is younger and more animalistic; they do not have a sapient level of intelligence, acting as more beast than being. A dragon is fully sapient, akin to that of any other sapient being. The only difference is their ages. Though they are fully fledged adults, due to their extraordinarily long life cycle (and likely radiation), a wyrm's intellectual development is incredibly gradual. It is only if they reach a thousand years of age that a wyrm becomes a dragon, and reaches sapience (during their life, they develop this intelligence; it isn't an immediate switch flipped on their 1000th birthday). As a result, dragons consider themselves and wyrms to be two separate species and treat wyrms like children, despite their physical maturity. Some dragons love to take wyrms under their tutelage and teach them the scholastic ways. Others avoid wyrms at all costs. Dragons are more commonly den-mothers than wyrms, and are another reason wyrms don't often age into dragons: the den-mother eats them. Especially during Darkhelm and Sored when food is scarce.
Wyrm/Dragon Species
Though intellectually distinct, Wyrms and Dragons are the same species, and thus, share the same characteristics. However, there is a distinction between Greater and Lesser Wyrms/Dragons that results in varying characteristics. These species are able to interbreed, though, creating an even wider variance. The main difference between them is the location in which they live: Greater Wyrms are suited for the skies and floating islands, whereas Lesser Wyrms prefer the network of caves beneath Ybis' surface.
Greater Wyrms/Dragons
With massive wings, Greater Wyrms soar above the skies, inhabiting mostly the sky islands and sometimes tall mountains. Their wings connect all the way down their tail, resembling a kite, and they have four legs, with a long tail that ends in a variety of shapes, though typically a spade. To blend in with the sky or flora, their scales range from blue to red to white. Scale colour is known to mix minutely in dragon clutches, with some hatchlings getting their sire's scales, others their dam's and the remaining a mix of shades in between. With massive horns that spread out like antlers, they shed only the outer lining during Bhodist. Their eyes, unlike Lesser Wyrms, have vertically slitted pupils and are yellow, brown or entirely black; they do not glow in the dark.
Greater Wyrms breathe fire. There is a small organ in the back of their throat that catches against the fire elemental threads of the Cords, pulling them together to cast various fire spells. Wyrms manipulate their tongue to accomplish different spell shapes.
Lesser Wyrms/Dragons
Lacking the wings and bountiful skies of their sister species, Lesser Wyrms lurk in Ybis' extensive cave system, even as far as the Planetary Core (PRE). As such, Lesser Wyrms are speculated to be found in Kipara, and there is debate as to which they are native to, Kipara or Orīrī. Their bodies are long and slender, resembling that of a snake, but still having four legs. Their horns are always shorter and far closer to their head, as to not get caught on the cave walls. Lesser Wyrm scales are often shades of browns, purples, greens, greys and blacks, which blend into their cave homes, and their eyes are yellow, green or purple. Unlike Greater Wyrms, their eyes glow in the dark, with horizontal slit pupils. Their tail is typically a spiked sphere, resembling a club, which they can use as a blunt-force weapon. Though it is not uncommon for a Lesser Wyrm to have a spade or heart-shaped tail.
Unlike their Greater cousins, Lesser Wyrms breathe ice. It functions identically to a Greater Wyrm's breath weapon, except it draws upon the water elemental threads. Hybrid Lesser-Greater Wyrms can breathe both fire and ice, and, additionally, water.
Collective Characteristics
Despite their division into Greater and Lesser, all Wyrms share similar traits. They have four-legged bodies, long snouts, are covered in scales and have at least two horns on the top of their head. Lesser Wyrm horns are often smaller due to their confined environment; Greater Wyrm horns are larger and more magnificent. All Wyrms shed their horns and the thin layer of skin on top of their scales. Horns are shed once every Bhodist and regrow during Darkhelm and Sored. They are at their full length at Sunrich during the mating season.
These majestic beings have two rows of sharp teeth and a slender, forked tongue. If one can get them to bleed, they bleed golden blood. Some scientists speculate that this is caused by radiation, others that this is a natural phenomenon. Opinions are largely hinged upon the same scientist's verdict on the Hiro.
Similar to ants, wyrms have pheromone-based hivemind networks. Though these seem to imprint on hatchlings at a young age, developing a strong bond that is strengthened by the female wyrm remaining in the hive during her first estrus (a female who wishes to remain in the hive spends her first estrus in the companionship of a close female friend, as opposed to leaving to find a male). This imprint will bring them back in the years to come—as well as their lair within the hive—after subsequent mating seasons, bringing with them their hatchlings. Hiveminds are generally a mundane aspect of wyrms and dragons, with both able to produce and detect pheromones. They are used to control social order for the hive and ensure food supplies; wyrms go out to hunt and bring back extra for the den-mother (typically a dragon) living at the centre of the hive. If they fail to do so, the pheromones ensure the wyrm is complacent and accepts her own life as forfeit. She is eaten by the den-mother, or at least part of her is; unless it is Darkhelm or Sored, the den-mother does not typically eat the whole wyrm and takes a leg, typically. Leaving her maimed but still able to hunt. Hatchlings are not an acceptable replacement for the lack of hunting. If a female with hatchlings is eaten, her hatchlings become the responsibility of the den-mother herself, and the den-mother must divide her tribute amongst them. Such rules are in place to prevent den-mothers from targeting fertile female wyrms. On the other hand, male wyrms do not have the same pheromone receptors, as they are not part of hives. Though they are still susceptible to a female wyrm's pheromones, which is what keeps them especially docile during mating season, whilst the eggs are being incubated. Male wyrms and dragons cannot produce pheromones.
All dragons have finger-like toes that are extremely dexterous, on both sets of feet.
Social Hierarchies and Mating Behaviours
Wyrms
Outside of mating season, female and male wyrms do not nest together. While during Sunrich and Bereat, the female (or several females) will share a nest with a male, which he constructed, outside of such the female lives in a hive. The main difference between the sexes is that females are social creatures and males are solitary creatures. If two males encounter each other, they clash violently, but if two females encounter each other, they are more likely to be friendly. A female and a male encountering each other outside of mating season results in a bloody battle, perpetrated by the female. Especially if he is close to her hive.
As stated previously, female wyrms are social creatures and live in hives. These hives are made up of at least a dozen female wyrms in massive lairs. Greater Wyrm females construct extensions on the exterior of their hives, especially if they're built into cliff-faces or sky islands. These extensions resemble bird nests, made of mud, plant matter and clay, and serve to create temporary, small lairs for hatchlings. It is important for hatchlings to have their own space and gain independence because males must leave the hive when they reach adulthood. Female hatchlings are allowed to stay, but often they leave together in flocks to establish their own hives due to a lack of space. The largest hive ever recorded had nearly three-hundred wyrms and was discovered underground in Eanodura. Within these hives, each wyrm has her own lair and her own horde. Curiously, females steal from each other's hordes with little to no consequences and often replace the item (with the original or a new item) after a brief period of time. Their lairs have antechambers to rear hatchlings in post-mating season, and all hives have communal spaces. Female wyrms sleep together more frequently in communal hordes, which are often constructed out of pillows, blankets, tapestries and other fabrics sometimes collected from nearby places, but not always. It is more common for female wyrms to make their own communal horde materials, and there is an extensive history of wyrms weaving, sewing, knitting and crocheting, which is in stark contrast to the assumption that wyrms are strictly animalistic.
In addition to creation, wyrms have also been observed communicating in verbal and non-verbal language. Though no writing systems have been found. It is possible that all wyrms are capable of such behaviours, but only females have been observed doing them, as males are too solitary to exhibit them.
Males live alone, typically within the same lair for their entire lives, which usually end by another male ousting them and claiming the lair as their own. These lairs are where male wyrms construct their nests. A bachelor nest is full of anything the male covets, typically shiny objects, but this can range from plants to books to sand. A mating nest is made of the softest objects a male can find, and it is usually constructed in a secluded ante-chamber deep enough within the lair that it is protected from unwanted intruders.
The coupling will incubate their eggs together until the end of Sunrich, at which point the eggs will hatch. Then it is up to both of them to take turns watching the hatchlings and hunting for them, until they are strong enough to fly. In this way, wyrms resemble birds, except they do not regurgitate food for their babies. When the hatchlings can fly, the female takes them back to her hive. Males, on occasion, will challenge the female for parentage, but females are larger and stronger than males, and this is more seen as a suicidal practice, contributing even further to the lack of dragons.
To the fascination of scholars, wyrms display "backward" gender-based behavioural characteristics. Male wyrms are timid, shy and build elaborate nests to attract a female partner. Female wyrms are brash, brutal and violent, as if testing their potential mate's strength. 1 in 12 male wyrms suffer fatal injuries during mating season as a result. These behaviours persist outside of mating season.
Wyrm mating season is during Sunrich and Bereat, though a female Wyrm's heat only occurs during Sunrich. The remaining weeks are dedicated to incubating eggs and raising hatchlings until they are able to fly and return with the female to her hive. Males do not maintain parental status of wyrm hatchlings, except in extreme cases where the female and her entire hive are deceased. Female Wyrms enter estrus for three weeks, even while pregnant, as wyrms have three uteruses, enabling them to carry three clutches at a time. If two or three are fertilized, one will wait until the first has laid its eggs before developing its own clutch. Wyrms lay 3-9 eggs per clutch on average, though it is rare for more than 3 to be viable.
Dragons
Unlike wyrms, dragons do not have a mating season. Though they are still fertile, they no longer have a biological need that drives them to procreate. If they elect to do so, it is on their own terms. Most dragons, both male and female, live in three types of lairs: solitary, communal, colonies.
Solitary lairs resemble those of male wyrms, who live alone and do not entertain nest-mates. Typically, solitary lairs are made by male dragons near communal lairs with female dragons, or even colonies the male wishes to join. (Note: there are instances of same-sex solitary lair courting, most commonly displayed amongst female-female same-sex pairings, where a female will construct her nest close to a communal nest to impress a potential female partner.) These lairs are elaborately constructed, meant to impress their potential partner, either to encourage them to leave their lair and join the new one, or ask the solitary dragon to move into their lair with their horde. Dragons are perceived as most compatible with each other if they have similar horde interests, such as collecting relics from the same historical era & culture. However, this is not always the case, as there are instances of solitary lairs constructed by dragons who wish to be left alone, rather than seek the presence of other dragons. Most often, solitary nests are done for courtship, but not always.
Communal lairs are similar to female wyrms, except they lack the same pheromone-controlled hiveminds associated with den-mothers; instead, they have a collective social system that resembles multiple dragons living solitarily together, rather than a hive. They can be mixed-sex, or strictly female or male. These lairs have weak interpersonal bonds and are typically a transitional period between female wyrm hives and colonies. Over time, the communal lair becomes a colony as more dragons move in and deep bonds form between the residents.
Finally, colonies are a mix of male and female dragons living together in a web of romantic, platonic and familial bonds (though familial refers to pseudo-family, not biological family). When the people of Ybis speak of dragons, this is the most common depiction. Akin to female wyrm hives, colonies are massive and appear to function off of a hivemind, except they have an oligarchical government that determines what is best for the colony and ensures all needs are met. Hunting, scavenging and all resources are communal, except for hordes, which are deeply respected. One is not permitted to mess with another's horde without facing dire consequences, such as wing clipping (which grounds the greater dragon until the wing heals), losing a finger or whole hand, and even tongue severing (which completely prevents the dragon from using their breath weapon). These punishments are also applied to any instance of rule violation; dragons are not forgiving. There are even instances of cannibalism if a dragon is perceived as too much of a threat, but never over lack of hunting skills, always over "criminal" behaviour. Dragon colonies can have up to a hundred citizens, and as such, the rules are incredibly strict, as that many large, powerful dragons living together without rigid guidance is a powder keg waiting to blow.
Hoarding
As mentioned previously, bachelor males often horde whatever catches their fancy. This is true for all wyrms and dragons. In their youngest stages, wyrms collect anything nearby that occurs frequently; if they live near ruins, they have all the statues or artifacts they can find; if they live on mountains, they have all the goats and flowers (it is curious to note that wyrms don't simply devour their animal hordes, at least not in abundance, and instead express farming behaviours). As they grow older, the wyrm's tastes become focused on a specific thing, like paintings from a singular artistic period or artist. Even as a dragon, this specific interest continues, and their hordes only become more elaborate. Though dragons notably exhibit trading behaviours, going as far as to collect items they know another dragon enjoys to swap them for a piece of that dragon's horde that they wish to add to their own.
Dragons are fiercely protective of their horde, growing greedier and greedier with age. A young dragon is far more likely to part with a piece than an old dragon. This is a major problem for historians, as dragons love to hoard the most random objects that, over time, become historical relics and sometimes even the only remaining ones. Dragons are not keen on giving these away, or even letting historians near them. Young historians entering esoteric fields are encouraged to befriend local dragons (if they're brave enough) in case this is required in the future; there are even guidebooks written throughout the ages on how to accomplish such a task.
Aging
Until the age of 1,000, they are considered Wyrms. Past the age of 1,000, they are Dragons. As previously discussed, there is an inherent distinction of intelligence between Wyrms and Dragons—such distinction is largely perpetuated by Dragons themselves, who see Wyrms as children or lesser beings... some Dragons take this belief quite far, becoming Den-mothers, whilst others elect to steer quite clear of Wyrms to avoid contact altogether. Whatever the case, it is undeniable that neither Wyrms nor Dragons wish to deal with young Wyrms, fresh out of the nest. Once they are no longer hatchlings, wyrms are left to fend for themselves, and the sudden disorientation of coddling to abandonment causes extreme aggression, attachment issues and territorial instincts to flare wildly. As a result, young Wyrms earn their ilk's bad reputation: the vast majority of rumours about Wyrms and Dragons pillaging the countryside are about young Wyrms on rampages.
Dragons themselves live to be around 100,000 years old, though some have been known to live far longer. Diet, threats and health are all contributing factors. If a Wyrm is lucky enough to make it to being a Dragon, they are likely to survive at least a few thousand years, bearing witness to the passing of time and becoming living records. Some even accept the company of immortal arcane casters who find themselves in similar situations. It is not unheard of for an old dragon and an immortal arcane caster to live together, especially if they have common interests, such as a shared field of study/hoarding. Beyond 80,000 years old, Dragons do begin to feel the weight of age; rarely leaving their lairs, they experience muscle atrophy, sluggishness, memory gaps and all other markers of age. To keep themselves alive, they take young dragons under their wing, tutoring them with knowledge and offering them their horde once they have passed on. Dragons are incredibly patient, even young ones, and know a good deal when they hear one. Thus, it is common to find either a handful of young Dragons living with an elderly Dragon, or an arcane caster sharing the elderly Dragon's residence.
I could have just developed a regular signature, but I decided I needed something that fully encapsulated my project and interests. Spelling tapiestre, each letter is a different symbol.
Breakdown under cut
t -> overgrown sword with a shut eye to represent the eras of the Prime Nexus. The eye references the various eye-motifs I incorporate in my work. The sword represents the harsh past of Ybis' many continents, whilst the overgrowth shows how on the backs of it, a new world blooms
a -> perpetuating intestinal motif that can be found throughout my work. symbolical of the themes of body and soul dualism I explore in the actual worldbuilding.
p -> a stylistic representation of Ybis at the top of the p, and Ybis' three, technically 4 moons (one is a moon moon)
i -> a hand reaching toward the sun; this one is more obscure. the terraforming infrastructure abandoned across Ybis, left by the Cord, has a frequent hand theme (semi "the hand of God" reference). It reaches toward the sun, as if reaching toward greatness; the sun's three blobs reference the three suns that Ybis orbits
e s -> the lesser and greater wyrms of Ybis. I just like dragons, and felt any illustrated signature without them would not fully represent me.
t -> a star, because I enjoy drawing stars in everything; referencing my love of sci-fi and also just for fun.
r -> rather simple, it is in the shape of a tiack, a biological magic detector, which are seen on both the Qate/Im'uth and the Hiro/Mos species.
e -> a soel. also referencing the body-soul dualism I explore. symbolizes the bizarre and esoteric nature of soels/souls in the Prime Nexus.
I was writing my novel and realized I had to change one tiny, stupid detail. In my head, the Dusk Uxder had veils (and this was pretty key to my MC Ameria's story)… but in the art, the Dawn had veils. So! Now, it's fixed.
I've been making some changes! I thought my original design for the Chrysalis didn't quite fit my vision, but I still wanted to perserve the design. So! I turned it into the Mos.
Featured on the right, the new design. On the left, the old.
What's this? Two maps for the price of one? Here's the current progress on Siblath, another continent on Ybis. I have included both the red-grass accurate version and the more muted colour scheme version. Enjoy!
The image is too powerful to upload here, but I updated Omuin's map to have an accurate colour scheme! Here is a screenshot of the change and a link to the full image
Small update to Omuin's map: the actual canonical colours. Flora on Ybis is actually red, as opposed to Earth's green. This alternative colo
