The Floating Isles

Marked as mature content due to not-very-kid-friendly aspects of the history and dangers that plague the remains of Pyrrhia.
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THE
FLOATING  ISLES
<< THE REMNANTS OF A SHATTERED WORLD >> 
Long ago, a war broke out on what was once a continent. 
Who fought in it and why it began in the first place are questions rarely asked, with the answers long forgotten, but its effects are well known for they still plague the dragons of the world today. During the conflict, animus dragons on both sides met for the final battle of the war. As the soldiers clawed each other to bits on the ground, the animi dueled in the sky; spells and sparks and bursts of light flew, creating what seemed to be a second sun as they fought relentlessly. But the animus sun grew and grew and grew, spreading outward with the speed of a wildfire, until suddenly it exploded in a burst of blood and glory. The animus dragons fighting in the sky amid the blast were instantly reduced to mangled heaps of gore and bones, destroying their magic forever--but their violent deaths were not the only consequence of this unbridled magic.
As the troops fought below the white-hot explosion of pure magic above, the ground began to tremble, and then to break. Cracks spiderwebbed out from the site of the detonation, ripping Pyrrhia into two, then four, then six, then into pieces upon pieces. Seawater flooded in from the shattered coasts, reuniting after millenia of division and filling in the gaps that had formed, tempering the fires of the earth that had endlessly poured forth moments before. Even Pantala, miles across the sea, felt the shudders; the ancient network of tunnels collapsed, and a force long contained pulled itself free from the shackles placed upon it by ancient heroes. Towns and cities and kingdoms were drowned in the initial blast, but the queens held strong, confident that they could survive whatever came next--after all, what force other than themselves could bring down all of dragon society?
They were foolish to believe they could survive magic's wrath.
That night, the monsters came, crawling out of the raging newborn seas, their bodies and minds corrupted by magic and desperately starving for dragon flesh--and they slaughtered the unprepared dragons with ease. For the first time in millions of years, dragons had predators stronger than they; and there was nothing they could do. None of their weapons could harm them, none of their defenses could stop them, none of their soldiers could outrun them--and so they were killed.
In less than a year, dragon society fell; only those lucky and skilled few who managed to evade the jaws of the monsters, the claws of strange, evil creatures that came to be known as the cursed beasts, and the trails of wild magic that streamed from seemingly nowhere at all were left alive--though their existence couldn't be called truly living. If any were around to document it, dragons would be considered a highly endangered species at this low point in history; hardly any remained alive, and those that did had resorted to hiding, scrambling to keep themselves alive during the day and curling up in the meager safety offered by hidden dens at night, doing whatever it took to survive.
As time passed and new dragons were born, the old world was forgotten, immortalized only in stories passed down from generation to generation. These new dragons formed new factions, elevated new leaders, built new homes, and regained a little bit of the control they hadn't had in centuries. Dragons were born that could control the powerful magic that had been released onto the Isles, and they were loved, hated, and feared.
The world had changed, but dragonkind had persisted; and it seemed that, despite everything, they would survive this as well.
Isles
The Far Reaches
The Far Reaches are quite aptly named, for it is the furthest, coldest, and most desolate of the seven Isles.
Northeast Isle
Southeast Isle
Southern Isle
The Badlands
Floating Isle
Flotsam Archipelago
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Dangers
Monsters
different types for each isle, all as deadly; most dragons keep to the isles they know bc those isles' dragons know how to combat their respective monsters
The Far Reaches
*SNOWSTALKERS!!!!!!!!!!
*AND ICEWYRMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*AND ALSO GIANT DEMON BIRDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*im SO excited to do dev on these guys
Northeast Isle
*wolves, cougars, bears, and those weird goat things (on steroids). they have lots of legs.
Southeast Isle
*same as northeast but with the addition of ~DEMON BIRDS~ from the arctic and ~HORRIBLE INSECTS~ from the swamp.
*southeast life just kinda sucks man
*terrifying, awful scavenger-bat-demon things
Southern Isle
*a bunch of weird bugs
*also demon alligators
*dont even get me started on the things in the jungle
The Badlands
*sandstrider-esque things! (love u zoro)
*sandworms sandworms sandworms
*"my god thats one big bird-oh my god its a person"
Floating Isle
*glider bird thingies,, very pretty
*weird horses with six dragonlike limbs & heads
*funky creatures made by the luminaries
Flotsam Archipelago
*leviathans babey!! woo
Cursed Beasts
"After many years of evading the monsters, something strange began to occur. The monsters hunted as they always had, but those that fell to their rage returned... strange. They were twisted and contorted, wholly alien in appearance and bound to an unseen and unknown force through ancient magic, too potent to be that of a normal magic user. These creatures, for their state of misery, became known as the cursed beasts; only light could ward them off, but nothing could destroy them."          - Excerpt from a ranger's journal
*eldritch abominations; though all emerged from (tore their way out of the bodies of) dragons, they vary quite a lot in appearance, with most having either vestigial, horribly damaged, or no wings, and those who can fly being extremely dangerous rarities
*these guys are SCREWED UP in appearance!! go ham on their designs, though there are a few consistent traits across all of them: most of them are almost completely black in color (tinted blacks also acceptable), all have a glowing marking on their foreheads showing that they're bound to the Wild God (murderous, half-mad, basically dead animus who accidentally created the cursed beasts in his attempt to create a mind control spell), and most are vaguely draconic in shape. they can have as many eyes, mouths, tails, limbs, etc. as you want! some even have the faces/body parts of other animals
Magic
*they b sippin dat overpowered juice
*comes in different types, each with their own with different strengths & effects
The Society
*superintelligent scavengers with advanced technology
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Factions
Ever since the collapse of the organized tribes on Pyrrhia, there are a total of five major organized factions, as well as various loners and nomadic groups that fall under the banner of Drifters. Each faction occupies their own Isle, except for the Rangers and Drifters, and scarcely interact with any others. Tribe does not matter, and most dragons nowadays are mutts who are referred to as whatever tribe they present as, and the vast majority of dragons align with none of the five factions at all.
The New Kingdom
"quote" - sourceThe dragons of the New Kingdom are traditionalists dwelling in the southern part of the northeast isle, near the former Sky Kingdom. Though they claim to be a proper tribe who will restore balance to Pyrrhia and unite the seven Isles, they're not doing much of anything. Their entire faction is extremely small (only about 200-300 dragons) and all of the dragons live in the half-destroyed structure once known as the SkyWing Palace. They act very high-and-mighty and only consider factions led by a queen to be "true tribes", of which they are currently the only one. The rules of their group are very strict; the current Queen, a SkyWing-presenting mutt known as Queen Skyfire, demands all of her subjects obey her without question--after all, she is the queen.
Dragons of the New Kingdom view all outsiders as enemies; most who don't belong to the Queen are captured and taken to the palace, where they will be imprisoned or executed, forced into the ranks of the New Kingdom, or eventually released. However, members of the Rangers and those traveling under their protection typically aren't messed with due to the danger their highly-trained faction poses. Despite hoping to one day conquer the world and unite all seven Isles under one banner, their territory is not nearly 
Magic users are completely illegal in their tribe and any dragon caught using magic, no matter what kind, is killed on sight. Because of this policy, many magic-wielders among the New Kingdom's ranks hide until they're discovered; then, in a desperate flight, run to the Rangers for shelter... or die trying.
The Luminaries
"quote" - sourceThe Luminaries are a society of magic-using dragons (mostly NightWings) who live on the Floating Isle and generally keep to themselves. Though they are very small in size--numbering less than one hundred--their culture is unique in that they emphasize the use of magic and connection with the strange creatures that roam the land. They have domesticated and put many of the least harmful beasts--and even some of the more dangerous ones--to work; they are used as anything from pack animals and beasts of burden, to mounts, or even pets.
Their society is founded upon magic and magic use; while most common magic users don't know the full extent of their powers--and thus end up killing themselves due to overuse or improper usage of their magic--those who seek shelter with the Luminaries can almost always find a place to sleep, enough to eat, and even a dragon willing to mentor them in their rare and powerful ability. The Luminaries are the only faction who truly and fully accept the use of magic; others have superstitious fear towards it, or outright laws banning its use; most magic-using dragons die in dragonethood (as is not uncommon in the dangerous Isles), but those that survive may attempt to seek solace with the mysterious island society.
Despite their seemingly idyllic lifestyle, they are an exclusive society; magic users and only magic users may live among them, and any of their members hatched without the coveted ability to harness wild magic are thrown into the sea between the Floating Isle and the Badlands to drown or, if they somehow manage to reach the harsh desert shore, to die of thirst or be killed by a roaming monster.
==The Pyrrhian Rangers==
"Be cunning and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed." - Watership Down (pg. 37)Among the shadowy forests of the Northeast, there dwells a group of strange and powerful dragons; those who are fully in tune with the world around them, and are some of the most skilled warriors the Seven Isles have to offer. Dragons fully equipped to brave the wilds of the world; dragons who train for years before venturing out to protect dragons across the Isles. Dragons almost never seen, but oft whispered of around fires at night; dragons known as the Pyrrhian Rangers.
Despite the mystique and legends surrounding their ancient society, the Rangers are actually quite normal dragons. Their group is based in a cave system located directly below the northernmost forests of the Northeast, the entrances to which are well-hidden by thick woods and foliage, and every member of their group is trained from the time they can walk to battle the wilds. Weapons training, agility, first aid, herbalism, basic survival skills, and more are taught, with more in-depth training offered to any dragons who wish to pursue the paths provided by the Rangers, and special lessons provided for magic users.
Even though they seem to be everywhere at once, with small groups camping out everywhere east of the Badlands, their faction is quite small, numbering just short of 150 members, with only about 50 adults permanently manning the base, and up to 30 dragonets in training at any given time.
When it comes to treatment of magic users, the Rangers sit comfortably between the two extremes. While their society does not run entirely on magic, they won't kill those who seek to join them; after all, magic can be useful for fighting off monsters or surviving in the wilderness.
Stormclaw Clan
"quote" - sourceThe Stormclaw Clan are a gang of desert-dwelling warriors whose lifestyle--perpetuated by raiding drifter groups, stealing eggs and dragonets from camps to raise as their own, and killing to survive--is slowly destroying them. Led by the fearsome, one-eyed hybrid Dogface, members of the Stormclaw Clan are ferocious warriors, brutal hunters, and heartless thieves. However, very few of them are naturally inclined to such savagery--rather, they are products of a harsh and unstable life in the untamed and vicious heart of the Badlands.
Most members of the Stormclaw Clan live among the ruins of the Scorpion Den, with those of highest rank living closest to the oasis at its center, and the lowest dwelling in the shantytown that was constructed outside the wall once their population grew too big. As well, many members will roam the Badlands in groups, camping whenever they grow too tired to go on and attacking any non-Stormclaws they encounter.
Due to high dragonet mortality rates and the general danger of the Stormclaw lifestyle, couples will often have many dragonets in hopes that one of their children will survive to take their place in the future. As well, eggs and young dragonets are often stolen from drifter families to be raised among the raider clan's ranks; it is sad, but not unheard of, that these adopted Stormclaws may eventually attack their own parents on a raiding mission.
Though magic plays a large part in the lives of most other factions, dragons of the Stormclaw Clan don't much care for it; if a dragon has the ability to harness magic, they aren't treated any differently than a normal dragon; drifters joke that this is the only good thing about these brutal warmongers.
The Frostlings
Dwelling far to the north, near completely isolated upon the Far Reaches, live the Frostlings, a tribal society who worship the stars. Though most dragons living across the Isles are genetically muddled, the Frostlings boast some of the last true purebloods in the world; their three "exalted" families, each of whom lead the tribe, are almost entirely full IceWing.
Frostling society is quite similar in practice to what pre-Scorching ice dragon society may have been like; primarily survival-oriented, partially nomadic, and quite isolated from the rest of the world. The Frostlings are very family-oriented, and worship their family's elders nearly as much as the stars, with its members going so far as to place their family name before their own. The eldest member of each family is in charge, and is advised by his or her fellow elders; these elderly leaders are referred to with the honorable title of "Ancient:" (i.e. Ancient Snowfell) instead of their original given names. They are especially respected due to their incredible wisdom and knowledge; surviving so long in the Far Reaches is not an easy task.
Oddly enough, magic users are rarely found among the nomadic arctic society. If scholars existed in this world, it would be a matter of great debate as to why Frostlings are almost never hatched with the ability to control magic; however, there are none left to debate. As a result, those who possess this rare ability are hallowed members of society, treated with great respect and caution as to protect the non-magical from their powers, which frequently disobey their draconic commander.
Note to self: redo flag bc a. didn't draw the compass rose and b. it doesn't fit them
sections to do: story progress, significant/"main" characters, more wip stuff
Category:Content (Gøssamer)
Category:Alternate Universes
Category:Mature Content