The Bind

## Official Description

The Bind is home to *Podraku* (Lake People) and is known as one of the strongest kingdoms of the Thirteen in The Claim due to their Ravensguard and highly protected settlements. They are ruled by the Ackerman family (Keikain Ackerman, Tano Ackerman, Levi Ackerman, and Akito Ackerman). Founded in 455 AD, The Bind is one of the first kingdoms to have formed during The Divide and before the Fall of Valyria.

## Geography

The most prominent feature of The Bind is its large quantities of lakes and ponds. The lands have few mountains and hills, and one mesa within the city of Whiterun. There are low hills around Raven Point. Tiverswell Reservoir is elevated, creating small waterfalls just behind Rains Fall. The island itself is most flat, but of course, there are mountains and hills. Forests, lakes, waterfalls, rivers, ponds, mountains, mesas, and beaches can all be found on The Bind, as well as one rainforest, the Raingathers. On Elm Tree Island, the landscape is slanted, and a hidden beach stands to the North of the island, resting between Westward and Eastwell, where Nobleword Port is.

The Ravensguard has a deep understanding of the geography and landscape, as well as the royals and many horse riders. The majority of the citizens of Whiterun know about the geography. Ravenmond citizens know as well. Rains Fall doesn’t know too much about the mountains or mesas, but they know the rivers well, as well as the reservoir waterfalls. Wildedeen is the most isolated out of all settlements, and they don’t leave as much as the others, so they don’t know much about the geography of the other settlements. They stick to the designated path to the pier, Ravemond, and Whiterun, but they rarely ever derive from this path. Very few have travelled from Wildedeen to Rains Fall simply because of the lengthy trip.

The very top of Netherhorn Heights remains a mystery, simply because the journey up is too steep, and there is no need to go up there. Dragon Tooth Mountain is somewhat explored, but there is still a good 80% that has not been discovered.

No areas on the main island are necessarily off-limits or explicitly dangerous. There are warnings to mountain climbers of the uncertainties that lay on the mountains, but no laws to restrict exploration. Elm Tree Island, however, is only for the Ravensguard, as the island acts as a lookout, an extra storage space, and a prison space. There is also a hideout bunker here for royals, as a backup plan in case the main island is unapproachable, seized, or destroyed. Anyone who travels to the island without clearance is punished with prison time, usually lasting 1-3 months.

WhiterunWhiterun with labelsRavenmondRavenmond with labels
Rains FallRains Fall with labels
WildedennWildedenn with labels

## History

### **Metanjula Outbreak**

All across The Bind between June 15th, 1463 and October 2nd, 1463, the Metanjula Virus overwhelmed Podraku citizens and took over one thousand lives.

The Metanjula beetle infected citizens’ cows, and after the meat and milk was taken from the infected cows and sold in the markets and ingested, hundreds fell ill with the Metanjula virus, a virus that causes lung failure after 6-10 days. Symptoms included difficulty breathing, fever, fatigue, and intense coughing. Over a thousand people were infected and died from the virus before the cause was found by farmers.

The King at the time had nine children, one of them being a 23 year old boy, Tavin, who was a twin. Over the course of the outbreak, King Engel and his wife, Queen Malai, along with eight out of his nine children, passed away from the disease. Tavin was the only one not to catch the disease due to him being lactose-intolerant, so he never ate any dairy, nor did he like beef, so he never ate it while the rest of his family did. Tavin assumed the crown, but it was far from a celebration, as he was the only living and surviving royal.

After farmers noticed the difference in their cows’ behavior, health, and sperm, they raised the idea that the disease perhaps came from the cows. Therefore, any infected cows were killed, along with any new calves born. After a few months, no signs of the disease were seen again, and the Metanjula species died out due to climate change and being hunted by other species. Tavin, who became King, declared that a two-headed raven would be the insignia of Podraku, as the banner his father made for him had a raven, and the two heads would pay tribute to his twin who died. The seven red swords on the flag King Tavin made officially represented his siblings, and the two black swords represented his parents.

### **First Defense Against the Red Raids**

The Mad Sun King of The Longroam terrorized the other kingdoms and tribes within the realm to gather sacrifices to appease the gods when dragons and natural disasters grew harsher and more deadly than ever, and The Bind was one of the many kingdoms to be attacked.

On September 15th, 2010, Mad Sun-King Kwame's Kestrels attacked in the middle of the night, pulling up along the Evening Bay of The Bind with galleon warships to send soldiers out to obtain *Podraku* captives, while the rest of the fleet attacked the city from afar with catapults equipped with flaming boulders. The Ravensguard of Whiterun fought back, but the Kestrels had both ranged and close-ranged weapons, along with shields. Many city guards were killed, but many more were captured and taken back to the Sun-Ring along with citizens, totaling to 3,952 captives, 991 of those being of the Ravensguard. Reinforcements came from Ravenmond and Rains Fall and chased out the Kestrels, and subsequently, they fled back to The Longroam. However, the attack hit hard, and 738 more citizens and guards died from their injuries or during the raid, totaling to 4,690 deaths.

The Captain of the Ravensguard was killed during the raid and the Secondary Captain was taken captive. In the aftermath of this, Prince Levi Ackerman volunteered to be Captain and vowed that they would be prepared for any future attacks and that such a tragedy would not happen again. More soldiers were being trained, going from 4,000 (5,000 before the raid) to 9,000 in just under seven weeks, the fastest training of any regiment. Sentries were appointed to all corners of the island, and bunkers were established from restricted government buildings in the event of another raid.

### **Second Defense Against the Red Raids**

On November 7th, 2010, Sun-King Kwame's Kestrels came to attack again. Upon seeing the galleon warships of The Longroam approaching at 10:27 PM, the sentries lit beacons as strategized by Levi to signal that hostiles were approaching. Lookouts on the high-towers within Whiterun, Ravenmond, and Rains Fall relayed these beacons and sounded the bells to warn citizens to hide in the bunkers. About 20% of the guards guided and went with the citizens into the bunkers, while 5% went to protect the royals, and the remaining 75% held the streets for the incoming Kestrels.

Projectiles were vaulted into the city, most crashing against Netherhorn Heights or landing in Whiterun Lake, but buildings were of course hit as well. Kestrels broke through the barred gates of Whiterun, and clashed with the Ravensguard, many on horseback, giving them an upper hand. Levi led the battle, and stationed ranged soldiers to stand on the roofs of the buildings, shooting at the Kestrels with flaming arrows. The guards upon the walls loosed flaming arrows at the ships to highlight where they were, then fired ballistas at the fleet, sinking them. Most of the Kestrels in the city were pushed out within a few minutes, just a little over a dozen city guards being taken captive.

However, many of the Kestrels were captured, about 286 out of the 6,000 that invaded on foot. 198 escaped, and the remaining amount were killed in the battle. The Kestrels were successfully repelled and they retreated from The Bind and returned to The Longroam. 374 citizens and guards were killed by projectiles or Kestrels, and about 28 members of the Ravensguard were taken and sacrificed in the Sun-Ring, totaling to 402 deaths, a 91.4% decrease in mortality rate from the First Defense. One of the most notable deaths was Levi's war horse, Kestral, ironic considering the name of the invading soldiers. Kestral had reared up and taken a spear to the chest, protecting Levi from being killed.

With the defense being a success and the Red Raids coming to a slow due to many losses on the Mad Sun-Kings side, The Bind took the time to rebuild any damages and relish in their victory. Levi Ackerman was celebrated greatly for his strategy and bravery, and more people volunteered for the guard. All captured Kestrels were executed, though Levi was hesitant with one man who was ashamed of his actions and begged for mercy. The Longroam did not attempt to attack The Bind again.

### **The Obliteration of the Nameless**

The Nameless was a group of men who would often pay for and abuse the prostitues in the brothels of Whiterun, but all were killed by Levi Ackerman after discovering their practices.

While on a horse ride alone at night after a fight with his mother, Levi Ackerman rode past the Happy Swallow Brothel and suddenly heard a woman’s screams for help. He turned around on his horse and broke into the brothel from the window, seeing a prostitute being abused against her will by a customer. Levi immediately took out his sword and kicked the man off of the woman and against the wall. He made sure the woman was uninjured, who told him that she was told that the man would bring more to hurt her. He reassured her, but the man attempted to attack him. Levi swiped his blade across the man’s unclothed abdomen, disemboweling him.

As he laid dying, Levi grabbed his throat and asked him who he is, to which the man simply said “we are nameless” before dying. Levi, covered in blood, turned to the woman and covered her with his cape, then found spare clothing for her in the brothel’s dressing room before taking her back to the castle for an emergency meeting with his guard. Levi ordered his guards to find any organization under the alias “nameless.”

The woman, named Nileya, cried to Levi, and he offered for her to stay with him for the night for safety. The next morning, there came no news from the guards, so Levi asked Nileya if she experienced this with anyone else. She provided descriptions of two other men, and told of other prostitutes who have had the same experience. Levi realized this had become a much larger issue, and ordered his guards to raid all brothels in Whiterun at night, 1 AM to be exact, from Nileya’s stats of when the most assaults happened.

They successfully raided the brothels and stopped 5 assaults from starting or continuing. The guards threatened the men to give up the identities of the other members, but only cracked once Levi showed up. Once all 33 men were lined up, Levi beheaded and castrated them all, ordering for their bodies to be thrown into the ocean, but to keep their heads and genitals in a chest.

The next morning, the citizens of Whiterun were called to the front of the castle for an announcement, where Levi kicked down the chest of body parts, letting them spill onto the ground, earning shocked screams from the crowd. Levi warned the citizens that any rapists would meet the same fate as these men, and that all brothels would be protected from that point on.

Guards were appointed to all brothels to make sure all transactions are consensual and that any threats would be removed from the premises. Laws were put into place to protect prostitutes and stop harassment. Verbal harassment of prostitutes is forbidden and will result in 7-16 days in prison, and physical triple the time, and since guards are everywhere, harassment and sex crimes have dropped to extremely low occurrences.

## Flora and Fauna

Some common plants are Earthrealm plants: ivy, grass, maple trees, elm trees, spruce trees, oregano, mint, ginger, wild onions, wild strawberries, wild carrots, lilies, roses, peonies, twinflowers, and marigolds. Some plants native to The Bind are: ekragloods, Queen’s Joy flowers, bleak belladonnas, orchish feverfews, river dewberries, chimera plant/seeds, and fraros root. They also have flora found on other islands such as silverpepper, iasrareek pink phramsies, and yonmosse.

Some of the fauna found on The Bind that can be found elsewhere are dragons species such as Riverside Serpents, Monstrous Nightmares, Gronckles, Deadly Nadders, Wildclaws, Tanglewings, Plasmadancers, Leaf-Hopping Nesters, Dandelion Dragons, Honeysucklers, Aboriginal Butterfly Dragons, Cuckoo Dragons, Common Garden/Basic Brown Dragons, Miniature Moordragons, Avea Pygmies, Spring Clickers, Autumn Axles, and Six Winged Birches. Other endemic life includes Swallowtail Jumpers, Anomalous Skinks, Myosotis and Alstromeria Foxes, Pocketmice, Coral Carpenters, Glasswings, and Wingdrakes.

Native to the Bind are Omenflies and Agurflies, along with Roundhorn Melprins, Cuckoo Dragons, Cuban Wyverns and Threadtails. There are also normal Earthrealm animals, such as bears, wolves, deer, foxes, squirrels, birds, beavers, beetles, butterflies, fish, and boars. In the mountains, cougars, elk, and yaks are found, and very rarely, leopards.

The wildlife is common and widespread, with some areas denser and some almost abandoned. Certain species, such as the Tanglewing and Honeysucklers are rare, but both for different reasons. Tanglewings simply migrate to uninhabited islands, but some individuals have stayed on The Bind for decades due to laziness or lack of flight ability. Honeysucklers are simply rare to sight as they only breed once in their lives and only come out during spring and summer. Some dragons are simply rare in nature, such as the Plasmadancer. The Threadtail is endangered as they’ve been hunted due to their feathers, but the *Podraku* clan has always treasured them and never harmed them. Other fauna such as the Myosotis and Alstromeria Foxes are naturally rare. Leopards are endangered due to hunting, so they’re naturally rare to find.

Although no dragons have been tamed by citizens on The Bind, many are friendly enough that there’s no aggression on either side. This is from the more docile species, such as Threadtails, Tanglewings, Riverside Serpents, and most of the Micro Class dragons. The endemic life is much more tame, and some species, such as the pocketmice, foxes, and even the omen/agurflies have been domesticated. However, these aren’t too common, as if pets are kept by families, the most common choice is a dog or a large bird of prey, such as a hawk or falcon.

Many of the species were evolved by Earthrealm animals, but as for dragons, time varies between their first creations and their evolving and species differentiation. The Threadtail was discovered as soon as the island of The Bind was inhabited by humans, along with the other species of flora and fauna native to the island. Omenflies and Agurflies, however, have existed since the realm was first created, along with yonmosse and fraros root. The more newly discovered species are Honeysucklers, Plasmadancers, and Anomalous Skinks.

Much is known about the flora, but not as much about the fauna, specifically the dragons. Although documents visually with some behaviors and habitats noted, not much else is known about their other behaviors, such as mating, day-to-day activities, or even tamability. Many functions are still a mystery, but curious individuals do set out to document the unknown. The most notable piece of literature is simply a cultural legend about a certain Riverside Serpent that was extremely calm around humans and often spent time by the rivers near settlements, watching people from the outside. Curious children would approach, and the dragon would not spook. One woman even claimed to bathe with the dragon in the river, but this was never confirmed. Other than that, there are scrolls and small journals about the wildlife and flora, but that is the extent of it.

Ekragloods, chimera plants, fraros root, and river dewberries are used in cooking and creating sauces and paste, most notably the chimera plant of which the seeds are used to create a spicy “Camire paste,” which is used in the popular “Shredded Camire Chicken” dish. Silverpepper is often avoided as touching it causes itchiness, but some kids use these as a prank (or adults if they wanna get back at their cheating husbands). Bleak Belladonnas, Orchish Feverfews, Queen’s Joy, and Iasrareek Pink Phramsies are simply for decoration or a friendly gesture in a bouquet. Yonmosse is used in healing, as it can be placed on a wound to act as a bandage/wound dressing. People who have domesticated Omen and Agurflies often use them as danger alarms, since they glow red when danger is nearby. Families that have falcons or hawks as pets will use them as messengers and may even make a letter delivery business out of them. Households that have dogs will almost always use them as guards or hunting companions.

## Culture

 **Main article:** Podraku
Click above to read about the culture of *Podraku*.

## Notable Residents

* King Engel
* Queen Malai
* The eight children of Engel and Malai
* King Tavin
* King Keikain
* Queen Tano
* Prince Levi
* Prince Akito
* Riko
* Kirana Shion
* Ksenija Braut
* Yu Jungseok
* Nileya
* Asa
* Neven
* Ekra Glodari
* Oskar Wessely
* Secondary Captain Decion Caesal
* Sergeant Hoyt
* Sergeant Hoyt's daughter
* Piet Frey

## Appearances

### Until Our Last

The Bind makes multiple appearances and is referenced often in the prequel series of Maya and Levi's story.

When Maya and Levi first met, it was on The Bind. Maya described Whiterun to be lively, with guards and the constant sound of blacksmithing filling the streets. She spent time within the castle, and entered the library to meet Levi properly. After being insulted by Levi, she ran to the gardens and climbed a willow tree. Later in the same chapter, The Bind is mentioned in Mileena's introduction of Prince Levi, as well as when Maya and Levi talk about his reputation back home.

In Chapter Three, Levi and Maya talk about what it's like to be Captain of the Ravensguard on The Bind.

In Chapter Four, Whiterun is mentioned when Maya calls Levi the "*manwhore of Whiterun.*"

In Chapter Eleven, Maya and Levi visit The Bind to talk to King Keikain and Queen Tano about purchasing weapons and criminalizing dragon egg smuggling.

In Chapter Thirteen, Maya and Levi return to The Bind, and Levi runs into an old hookup, Kirana.

In Chapter Fourteen, The Bind is mentioned after Maya asks Levi if he wants to go back home.

In Chapter Sixteen, The Bind is mentioned after Maya asks Levi if *Podraku* celebrates Christmas.

In Chapter Twenty One, Maya and Levi go to The Bind for official business and stay in Whiterun. Maya explores the city and intervenes an assault happening in a brothel. Levi tortures the perpetrator in the Howling Wind Jailhouse.

In Chapter Twenty Two, The Bind is mentioned when Maya introduces Levi as "*Prince Levi of The Bind*."

In Chapter Twenty Four, Levi and Maya go to The Bind to take part in the Sōkaizu Festival, something Levi never got to do as a child.

### Éternel: Wings of Fire

The Bind is only referenced a few select times in Éternel: Wings of Fire.

In Chapter Two, **Touch the Sky**, Maya indirectly references The Bind as she tells Yoongi that her friend Levi is *back home on royal duty*.

In Chapter Fourteen, **Euphoria**, Maya refers to The Bind as "*home*" when asking Levi when he came back and if he was finally done with his duties.

In Chapter 24, **Lost Stars**, during a Coalition Meeting on defending against Magister Mortalis, Prince Akito, the ambassador for The Bind, tells the others that sentries have been set up around The Bind.

### Éternel: Between Two Worlds

The Bind is referenced many times in the third installment of the Éternel series, and makes multiple appearances.

In Chapter Seven, **Ice and Fire**, Maya recalls the meaning behind Levi's wing tattoo, and says how he often tells others it's meant to honor him family on The Bind, when in reality it was for her.

In Chapter 25, **Slowly, Then All At Once**, The Bind is indirectly referenced as Yoongi talks to Maya about Prince Akito sending a bodyguard over from their Ravensguard for Maya, per her request.

In Chapter 37, **A Raven's Lament**, Levi and BTS go to The Bind to commission blacksmiths for bulletproof armor for both them and the dragons, and also visit Ksenija to ask for her support. Levi goes to Heinrich Castle after being summoned by his mother.

In Chapter 43, Levi talks to Yoongi about Maya, and mentions The Bind as he explains his love for her.

## Trivia

* The name *Podraku* means "Lake People" in Elder Speech.
* The Bind is inspired by Japanese, German, and many other Asian cultures.