Okay! Stuff I've added is
written in purple! The rest is a big chunk of the original Serendipity write-up from
the Wiki.
I haven't changed, deleted, or altered anything that was already written. :3 I've only added some stuff, based on that form that you guys filled out and my own vision--I did my best to blend our different visions into a whole and make it all work together. I figure it'd be easiest to just write it up so everyone could see what it'd actually
look like. ^^
If there's anything you want tweaked/added/etc, if you have ideas, if you wanna expand on something, go for it. :B
---------------------------------------------------Pre-historyThe ancestors of modern Serenians were fae folk who migrated from the Niahi Woods far to the west. Jagged, artificial rifts in the mountainsides and towering piles of boulders in precise locations suggest that numerous passes once lay between the eastern grasslands and the Niahi Woods, and that these passes were deliberately blocked. Residual energies left by violent magics linger over much of the mountains, the reminders of a truly earth-shaking war fought upon that land at the time of the migration.
These first settlers were the fae folk and those people born of unions between the native humans and fae. Over the centuries their loose collection of settlements developed more and more into an organized state.
Their influence spread north to the border mountains and east to the coast but the expansion halted as it moved south and the fertile grasslands turned to dense forest. Basilisks, wyverns, and chimeras ruled these midland forests, and the warlike native tribesmen there pushed ever northward, contending with the settlers for land.
Once these early Serenians reached their natural borders and encountered the dangers beyond, the need for more cohesion became apparent. Three of the most powerful clans—Siilan, Featherfall, and Talii—came together in Arca, the land's largest town, and there they raised up their first queen, called Shaith the Moonspear. They began keeping written records of their history and called their kingdom Serendipity.
Growth and expansion
A few generations passed and the fae blood began to dwindle, mixed with more and more human. It was during this time of growth and expansion that the original fae were ultimately pushed out. The Serenians, now more distantly removed from their fae kin, became disgruntled at their ancestor's refusal to aid in the Serenian's need to use magic to create beauty, which transformed into fear of their playful tricks and their abundance of power that the Serenians no longer possessed. Through their own selfishness, combined with the fickle nature of their fae heritage, the Serenians began pushing the fae back into their forests. This angered the Unseelie fae, for they were the reason the Serenians had magic.
Thus began a battle between the Serenians and the fae.
The Serenians soon learned that they were unable to tell the Seelie Fae apart from the Unseelie Fae and thus drove them all from the land indiscriminately, separating the Niahi woods and Serendipity with a powerful magic barrier to keep them out. Efforts to further consolidate the settlements and clans of the land marked the reigns of the early sovereigns, who have been mostly queens and few kings even to this day. At the time the eleven major Houses began solidifying their realms of influence, the Serenians' natural curiosity and drive to explore pushed frontiersmen north past the mountains and south into the savage midland forests.
The northern excursions resulted in tragedy as those explorers who had survived trickled back to Serendipity with tales of a savage people in command of packs of demon dogs. These people, they said, were as poison to the mageborn and wielded cruel iron weapons and shackles, the likes of which Serenians could not abide to touch. The throne charged its northern fiefdoms to close off the passes and protect the realm from this menace.
Explorers in the south had more success and discovered tribes open to friendship among the native peoples. Further settlers soon followed, interbreeding with the tribespeople and bringing with them knowledge of Serenian agriculture and architecture, but the constant wars between the tribal groups frequently cut off the growing settlements from Serendipity. From the never ending disputes emerged Ysaryk of Adela, who first conquered and unified the warring tribes and then demanded sovereignty from Serendipity. Faced with hostility from both north and south, Serendipity withdrew all claim to the lands under Adela's control.
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The Threefold War
After enjoying decades of peace, Serendipity endured it's second major war when the Connlaothan army spilled through the mountain passes and into the northern provinces. Taken by surprise, Serendipity at first suffered crushing defeats and the invasion pushed near to Arca. Their mageknights proved ineffective against the Mordecai-lead legions of Connlaoth, and though every major House called their banners to war, Serendipity's efforts had always been spent on training up its warrior mages, leaving its infantry and cavalry outnumbered by Connlaoth's efficient forces.
In desperation, Serendipity turned to it's southern neighbor and called for aid. Incensed by the tales of genocide perpetrated under the Connlaothans, Adela raised its banners and marched. Relying far less on magic and more on strategy, unaffected by Connlaoth iron traps, the Adelan host bolstered Serendipity's armies and halted the Connlaoth march, though being the least populated of the nations their numbers were too few to break the siege on the midland strongholds.
With the time bought by the Adelan host, Serendipity marshaled its mageknights one last time. Armed with newly developed long range techniques, the mages took the field once more and rained devastation upon the Connlaoth forces from outside the Mordecai's range. With the Connlaoth line broken, the Adelans then took up as scouts, directing the mages to key targets until they had pushed the invading army up against the mountains.
The Adelans attempted to follow the routed Connlaoth forces into their homeland and continue the conflict, but Serendipity sued for a white peace. Relations between Serendipity and Connlaoth remained forever difficult, but the war resulted in a formal mutual-protection alliance between Adela and Serendipity.
Folding the Veil
In the last century, some major changes have occurred. Under the rule of King Maerth Dumorai, predecessor to Queen Dawn Dumorai, the Serenians removed the barrier they had originally erected to keep the fae out.
The battle records from those pre-history days were poor at best, and the any records mentioning why the fae had been driven out were lost. The Serenians forgot why they fought with the fae in the first place. The barrier had held all through the centuries and kept their ancestors out (or so they thought) and, with all of their magical knowledge, they began wondering what else there was to their powers. So, forgetting the horrors of the battle from before, they removed the barrier and began searching for their ancestors.
They didn't have to search far, for with the barrier gone, the fae came in.
Unfortunately for them, the fae do not forgive so easily, nor do they ever forget when they are wronged.
Since the barrier has come down, strange occurrences have cropped up. There have been reports of missing children, or children just behaving strangely, like they aren't themselves; magic has started failing where it shouldn't, completely at random; strange deaths and disappearances, even kidnappings, have been reported; and here and there whispers of strange conversation has been overheard and spread.
King Maerth was a long-lived king and ruled for well over 65 years. Unfortunately, he was a flighty, eccentric king obsessed with beauty and magic and while he provided some of the most grandiose additions to Arca and the castle, he failed to produce an heir. Thus, on his deathbed he named Queen Dawn as his heir, for her beauty and magical talent.
Serenian peopleSerenians are a race of humans with a fey ancestry. They typically have fair complexions and delicate features and tend to be small boned. A wide variety of hair colors are common among them, even hues such as greens, pinks, and blues. This is due to the magic and faerie glamour that runs strong in Serenian bloodlines, magic which sometimes manifests itself via physical traits. Roughly three out of every five Serenians will have at least some minor gift, making magic a part of everyday life in Serendipity. Their individual height can range from tall to short depending on which fae clan they trace their origin back to.
Due to their fae ancestry, Serenians have earned a reputation for being flighty, vain, fickle, and jealous. Nobility especially have earned a reputation for (metaphorically) sitting around in their ivory towers, oblivious to the rest of the world (including the rest of working class Serendipity) while planning their next extravagant party.
On the flip side, Serenians are also known as great seekers of knowledge (especially regarding philosophy and magic), the human in them making them quite curious and ambitious. They have earned a reputation for loving to learn, and are known for being quite socially progressive and liberal for their time. While the glamour in their blood has given Serenians a strong predisposition for magic, it has also given them a weakness to iron. For some the aversion is so acute that the touch of iron will burn their skin. If cut or stabbed with iron they will grow weak and the injury would suffer potentially fatal infection, even though it may be a superficial wound. A Serenian's magic can be contained by iron shackles at their wrists and throat. Nets and traps made of iron produce similar results, and even proximity to iron can interfere with Serenian magic and weaken them physically, sapping their energy and making them feel dizzy or ill.
Despite this weakness, Serenians as a whole tend to be long-lived, though this varies depending on how much fae blood versus human blood the particular Serenian has in them.Social structureAll native-born people, whether man or woman, Serenian or not, are citizens entitled to the protection of the law and required to meet their obligations to throne and lord in the form of labor, service, and taxes. Only temple servants might be released from these obligations.
Commoners who own their own land owe no military service to the lord of the province or fiefdom, but are taxed on the land under their possession.
Most commoners, however, do not own land, but rather work the land of their lord, who then takes a cut of whatever they make. Those who own no land live under the rule of their lord, who will in turn live under the rule of a sworn House, which in turn operates under the rule of a charter House, which serves the throne.
The usual way for commoners to obtain land is to purchase it, though land can also be granted to them by lords or by the throne itself. Titles of nobility might also be granted for exceptional service. Non-natives may own no land but with enough money and social status may become citizens.
Slaves might own property (never land) and have a family at the discretion of their master, but they have no status or power. Very few slaves in Serendipity are Serenian, as any native-born Serenian who can prove their birth is guaranteed freedom within the kingdom's borders. Only Serenians born outside of Serendipity's borders and later brought into the country would be lawfully owned. Most slaves come in from the southern trade routes, especially those originating in the city-states of southern and eastern Le'raana.
Slaves freed within the borders of Serendipity may not lawfully be enslaved there again. Serenians free slaves liberally and often, usually as a reward for years of good service or if the slave earns back their own price.
CultureGender
Serendipity is an egalitarian society with a history full of powerful women. Men and women are viewed as equal, and women are perfectly capable of serving in the military alongside men--which they do today, and have done historically. Serendipity's first leader was a woman, and many hold high positions of power to this day.
Sexuality
Serenians are a fairly tolerant, liberal people. They believe that love knows no gender, so love as you will. Thus, they are accepting of homosexuality and androgyny. In fact, they even encourage homosexual relationships to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Transgenderism is an odd concept to the average Serenian, as they don't believe in gender roles, so children are raised to identify as whatever gender they chose. The idea of changing one's gender is odd to them, as it happens so rarely. Going from female to male or male to female later in life confuses them, as why didn't they just start out that way?
It is not uncommon for soldiers on the field to form intense bonds, nor unusual for them to turn into lasting relationships once they return home. Once home, most will still remain close friends and it's often encouraged in younger soldiers to sow their wild oats while out fighting.
For all that, they are also a fairly conservative, monogamous society. Public displays of affection beyond hand-holding and pecks on the cheek and lips are taboo, and they don't like to talk openly about sex, as that is considered improper. Sex is considered to be the next major step in a relationship short of marriage, reserved for when one is deeply in love, and it's not uncommon for some Serenians to save that until marriage. That doesn't mean they don't have fun, though, and they are encouraged to have multiple exploratory relationships before they settle on a partner and wed.
This is due to their fickle, flighty nature. Many Serenians have a tendency to fall in love hard and fast--and fall out of love just as easily, before moving onto their next "true love". So, they are encouraged to get all that out of their system before they marry, because marriage is a serious--and binding--contract.
Serenian marriages typically involve a binding spell that binds the partners together, literally, until one of them dies. If one spouse is unfaithful, it can be felt by the other--unless permission was given for them to fool around. Indeed, this can be a problem for nobility who often have arranged marriages--and can sometimes lead to dire consequences for the unwanted spouse, when the only way out of the contract is death.
Magic
As 3/5 Serenians are born with at least some small gift, magic is a part of everyday life. How big of a role it plays all depends on where one lives.
In the big cities where many of the more powerful mages are hired by nobles (especially Arca), magic plays a large role and often replaces more mundane ways of doing things. Healers take the place of herbalists, for example; no need to bother with plants when you can have a healer care for you instead, and usually with better results. There seems to be little that magic can't do--however, this reliance upon magic and neglect of the mundane makes it vulnerable to a Connlaothian Mordecai, whose very presence would malfunction anything magic-related in the area.
The further away one gets from the cities, the less prevalent magic is--well, at least, the flashy magic. Powerful mages are still born and live in the smaller villages and farming communities, but there tend to be fewer of them (as a number leave to learn in the big cities--and the number that leaves, becomes enamored with big city life, and stays tends to be much larger than those that return), though this varies from village to village, of course.
Still, with a smaller populace of powerful mages and a larger number of mages gifted with minor magicks, these villages turn more toward practical magic. Most common are hedge witches and hearth witches, who combine magic with herbs and other common ingredients. Some have found ways to concoct medicine since there are fewer healers out there, and many double as midwives.
Of course, there is still a ton of variation across Serendipity.
While most magic in Serendipity is benign, that's not to say there aren't individuals (and sometimes groups) who use it for darker purposes. While Serendipity as a whole frowns upon such crafts as necromancy and demonology, that doesn't stop curious sorts from studying it--or practicing it.
Style
Flowing, sleek, and elegant.
When it comes to social events, Serendipity's nobility likes to stand out. With hired mages at their beck and call to create magic-enhanced masterpieces, and with the coin to purchase bright, expensive dyes, they can. The nobility at large has earned a reputation for being showy, and many enjoy one-upping their neighbors, always keeping an eye on what the other Lords and Ladies are wearing so that they can outdo them. Indeed, social functions can be a sight to see (and competition can get fierce), for there is no length that they won't go to in order to be noticed.
It is not unusual for nobles to commission expensive, magical gowns that take hour or even days to make--which are only a one-time use sort of deal, vanishing back to their base materials after a few hours. Many mages can make it a permanent effect--but it takes far more time to craft, and more money. These works of art are typically not daily wear (though there are those people who make exceptions) and are generally reserved for special occasions.
For everyday wear, Serenians tend to favor loose, flowing designs--which is where the stereotype of mages wearing robes likely originated. Though simple, many Serenians work hard to make sure their clothing is still elegant, for there is elegance even in simplicity and Serenians value aesthetics. Traditionally, women wear floor-length dresses while men wear pants.
While that is the current trend, Serendipity also imports other fashions from their neighboring countries, so it is not unusual to see citizens wearing trends from other nations if they can afford it. It is also not unusual for mages to craft new styles that could not be possible with Serendipity's current level of sewing technology.
Food
Serenians love sweets, and have a low tolerance for spicy foods.
Fruits, vegetables, hearty grains, and dairy tend to make up the majority of their diet with meat as a side dish. Wealthier citizens who can afford it may make meat a larger part of their meals, but it is not the norm.
Perception of Other Races
Serenians are accepting of most other races, and the capital of Arca is especially welcoming. Curious by nature, especially when it comes to eccentricities, Serenians welcome other races and enjoy learning more about them.
They do have limits, however. The undead (including vampires) and demons make them uneasy, and are generally not welcome, as they are perceived as murderous, dangerous creatures. There is a reason they reject demonology and necromancy, and those creatures are part of it.
The Fae Folk
While Serenians are descended from fae, they are not on the best of terms with full fae. Back when Serendipity was formed, humans ultimately ended up driving the fae out of the land and back into the forests with their agriculture, development, and by simply out-populating them. Many of the fae are still angry, so the settlements near fae-filled forests often find themselves the butt of some fae prank or other. Many people who live near such forests have come up with traditions and customs designed to placate them.
However, that is rather mild compared to what some fae do.
Since the barrier was lifted, some fae have mixed into human society. While some Seelie (or benign) Fae take their anger out on the Serenians in more harmless ways, such as sabotaging spell-work, spoiling milk, and other such annoyances, Unseelie (or malignant) Fae take their quest for vengeance a step further. Changelings are a problem in Serendipity, with Serenian children being swapped for fae children. Sometimes the parents notice, because their child acts differently (a child that normally cried may suddenly be quiet, or a quiet child may turn bratty); worse still is when they don't notice, at least not until the child is older.
Kidnapped children are often raised by the Unseelie who stole them and taught to despise Serenians, especially their parents.
Other types of Unseelie have also cropped up, including shapeshifting Puca that like to lure adults and children into the woods and abandon them to the elements. Some Unseelie have even started preying on mages' thirst for knowledge, leading them to darker arts and instigating underground cults of forbidden magic, such as demonology and necromancy.
Technology and WeaponryUh, halp guys.LandmarksArca
Breathtakingly beautiful.
Located in Kia's Court (Serendipity's twelfth province), Arca is Serendipity's capital city and it is in and of itself a work of art and a true display of Serenian aesthetics: all sleek, elegant lines and architecture with fine detail-work that looks delicate and yet is surprisingly strong and sturdy. It is the center of trade and culture in Serendipity, and many Serenians born with real magical talent (and not just a minor gift, as is more prevalent) travel to Arca in the hopes of studying magecraft, getting hired by a noble, or just making it big in some other way and leaving their mark on society.
Because of the high population of mages that live in Arca, magic is a way of life, and there are beautiful works of architecture that could not have been created without it. Arca is also a cultural hub and melting pot, where people from all over (especially mages) come to trade, sight-see, look for work, and further their education.
LanguageOld Serenian was the language spoken at the time of the great migration across the Terrin mountains. Over time the Trader's Tongue, now simply called Common, gradually replaced Old Serenian, a process which began in the cities along the Ora River. Some commoners in rural provinces still know conversational Old Serenian, but it grows increasingly rare and is spoken mostly by scholars and historians. Among the general populace, only a few words remain in common usage.
Serenian religionSerenians are traditionally polytheistic and follow a specific pantheon of gods and goddesses. They have their own myths concerning the nature of the world and the origins of life. While the throne acknowledges and honors the gods of the Serenian people, there are no religious laws and people may worship or not as they choose, though anyone who engages in acts that might anger the gods would likely be shunned or even cast out of their village so as not to bring the fury of the offended deity upon the rest of the people.
Festivals and HolidaysHarvest Festival
An agricultural nation, Serendipity has a number of traditions and festivals that honor the passing of the seasons. One of its biggest celebrations is its autumn equinox festival, which is celebrated throughout Serendipity.
There are many,
many variations of this tradition that are practiced all across Serendipity; this is but one version of it.
While the big cities still acknowledge the holiday, usually with feasting and dancing, the larger farming community celebrates in its own way--with days of hard work leading up to the final day of harvest. The final harvest always occurs the day before the equinox, and the entire village tends to get involved in it. Serenian mythology states that the Goddess of the Harvest and Fertility hides in the last sheath of wheat, and the cutting of the final sheath is crucial, as it will foretell whether or not the next year's harvest (in terms of grains but also in terms of children born) will be bountiful or measly.
Villagers can get quite competitive, because whoever cuts the final sheath is said to be blessed by the Goddess, but they must also be careful. If the sheath is damaged, it will hurt the Goddess and their crops will suffer--and the person responsible will be rightfully hazed! Once the final sheath is cut, it is usually pleated and then preserved in a case where it is protected in the winner's home until it comes time to plant. Then it is burned to 'free' the Goddess again.
Some communities will also slaughter a pig or goat and give a blood sacrifice to the harvested land, but this practice is growing more antiquated.
The next day is the day of the equinox, which is regarded as a day of merrymaking and carousing after all that hard work. There's feasting, drinking, and dancing, and the celebration carries long into the night, where the last part of the celebration occurs.
Serenians will don masks, designed to impersonate Seelie fae and powerful, benign beasts. It is done both to drive away the malicious Unseelie fae and ensure that the coming year is good and peaceful, and also as a means of thumbing their noses at the Unseelie court, because they made it through another year and had a good harvest. Large bonfires are lit and burn through the night as part of a cleansing ritual, the smoke driving away anything nasty and the flames purifying.
In the bigger cities, while the first part of this celebration (the harvest traditions) is largely ignored, the second part is taken to a whole new level. Serenian lords often throw elaborate costume balls with magic-enhanced decorations and clothing that makes them seem almost ethereal. Truly, it is a spectacular sight to see.[/list][/color]
