Draconis (Series)

***Draconis*** is an upcoming high-fantasy drama story created by EDStudios. Set in the *Conjunctionverse*, *Draconis* is set on the titular celestial body of Draconis, a planet that was changed following the Conjunction, a cataclysmic event that brought magic into the world. It follows Hermoor MacDuff, a mercenary and one of the few survivng members of the Order of Wardens, and his travels across the continent of Pydwell. The series' lore has been in development since 2017 and the series itself has been in writing since 2020. At least three instalments, *Part I: The World Beyond*, *Part II: The Dragon of the Wind* and *Part III: The Tower of Dust*, are currently in writing or development, with the first to be released in 2022.

A companion series, titled *Mortal: The Marks of Power*, set in the Seventh Age is in development, alongside a prequel story titled *The Blade and The Pygmy*; a third prequel titled *Century: Ashfall* is also being written. A second companion series, tentatively titled *Blackreach*, will be set on the eponymous continent while ignoring the events of *Draconis*. A direct follow up to *Draconis* is also in early planning.

## Premise

*Set on the planet of Draconis several thousand years after the Conjunction, the series follows an ensemble list of characters as they confront the re-emergence of an ancient evil born from the catastrophic crossing of dimensions.*

## Seasons and Episodes

### Part I: "The World Beyond"

#### Plot

*In the vast land of Pydwell, realms collide thanks to intolerance and war. The Black Empire of the south marches towards the North, which buckles under the weight of its own independence. Peasants and rulers clash and scheme against their fellows. Monsters and madmen prowl the roads, feeding on travellers and backwater towns. Travelling these lands in search of work are mercenaries, warriors born and bred to thrive on Draconis in the aftermath of a great cataclysm. Through the eyes of mercenary Hermoor MacDuff and his loose band of allies, witness the beginning of a new age of violence.*

## Setting

### Lore

> *Main article(s): Timeline*
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*Draconis* is set in an alternate timeline where the Old Kingdom, an advanced but largely unknown society, was subjected to a mysterious cataclysm now called the "Conjunction", during which the strange force called Power entered the mortal realm. During the Conjunction, a metaphysical plane called "The Beach" became intertwined with the souls of all living things, causing them to enter the Beach in their sleep.

Guided by mysterious entities called the Primordials, the survivors of the Conjunction learned to harness Power and wield it as magic. By using the Primordials' language, called the Dialect, the survivors could manipulate magic to cast spells; those with this talent, known as mages, gained a stronger connection to the Beach than non-mages, allowing them to perceive the Beach as its own realm rather than as dreams.

Over the centuries, the survivors scattered into tribes and races; those with the greatest magical profiency became the elves, divided into the alders, avari and the nandor; those who used magic as a tool fled underground to built kingdoms made from stone and became dwarves; and those who had a weak connection to the Beach became humans. Some humans grew to massive sizes and became giants, either wandering the wilds or living in great cities deep within the mountains.

On the continent of Pydwell, the alders and the avari established the elven kingdom of Avarlell, while the dwarves built great underground cities. Humans remained divided and often warred for land and power, driven by ambition and greed. The continent remained untamed until, carried by the eastward wind, a new force arrived: the amatera, humans of the distant dragon-ruled land of the Blackreach, led by Raiden Felldragon. With their knowledge of draconic magic, the amatera settled their own kingdom, Drakengard, in Pydwell's centre and quickly conquered new lands, establishing the Drakengard Empire; those that were able to resist formed the realms of Bohaem, Sinder, Norgard, Illatorr and the Southern Realms. As the amatera grew in power, the old times were forgotten and replaced by the Ages, periods of time defined by the powerful druids of the Gesserit from their dwelling on An Harg.

Pydwell remained at peace until the fourth age, named by the Gesserit as the Age of War. Four great conflicts, the Great Pydwellian Wars, erupted across Pydwell: the Starscourge in the Archipelago; the Second Northern War between Drakengard and Bohaem; the religious Thalmonian Civil War; and the most devastating of them all, the Shattering, which broke apart the One Rune, the conduit of the elves' collective magical knowledge. The One Rune splintered into four Great Runes, which were scattered across Pydwell; somehow, humans learned of the Great Runes' power and learned magic, using it to wage war against the elves and claim more of their knowledge.

By the Age of Contempt, the ninth age of Pydwell's modern history, humanity is divided into three primary political entities: the Black Empire, the Northern Alliance and the Archipelago. The Black Empire is an authoritarian state ruled by Emperor Awaer van Peron that governs the entirety of southern Pydwell. In comparison, the Northern Alliance is a loose confederation of several human kingdoms: the United Kingdom of Medina and Norgard, Sinder, Bohaem, Vladland, Araad, Bwemer and the city-states of Wesaxe, Lŷr and Harz, which form the Hanseatic Cities.

## Characters

### Main

* Hermoor MacDuff: a mercenary known as the "Black Blade", one of the last wardens and leader of the Black Blade Company
* Minerva an Kett: the orphaned heriess to the land of Raven's Crest who joins the Black Blade Company
* Isolde de LeSarre: a sorceress and former member of the mage supremacist group the Knot and a member of the Black Blade Company
* Zolton Brievor: a giant of Hog afflicted with dwarfism and MacDuff's oldest friend
* Adam of Francisburg: a mage supremacist and leader of the Knot searching for a prophesied beachwalker
* Olga Farrowborne: a travelling troubador and hollowborn who forms a romance with Hermoor
* George Sain: a mercenary and member of the Black Blade Company
* Thorir: a skogarmaor cast out of his clan who roams the mainland and encounters the Black Blade Company
* Marzyciel: a troubador who leads the Larks on their travels across Pydwell
* Caradin: a warden who has pledged his allegiance to the Black Empire

### Recurring

* Coln: a werehog obsessed with the legend of the World Serpent and Adam's manservant
* Fiona Tenarb: a thief and archer who forms a friendship with Hermoor and Zolton
* Kiera Fenn: a member of the Knot who once tutored Isolde
* Logan Mac Terraes: a powerful conjuration mage allied with the Black Empire
* Awaer var Peron: the emperor of the Black Empire
* Rieva: the leader of the Crimson Rite, a militaristic cult that worships the Anathema
* Red Woman: a powerful stringmaiden with a strong connection to the Beach, and MacDuff's mother