Okay, I will try not to show my clear favoritism and turn this into a beast of a post while I discuss today's world Ruskhazar.
This land is the harsh and beautiful home of elves and men, it has existed for three eras, but according to the gods if the prophesied end of the world is not stopped then this will be the final era.
All of the books set in this world have "gods" somewhere in the title since I wanted a clear indicator that they are all a part of the same world. (my books set in Amar all have the name of the world in their series title—I like to make it easy to know what books are connected or not).
Climate and Terrain: Despite everything that happens in this world, Ruskhazar itself is not overly large. It is a peninsula that has been nearly entirely circled by mountains. The climate is a little on the frosty side although those in the valley in the center of Ruskhazar can enjoy all of the seasons.
For the most part, Ruskhazar is a rocky, highly forested land, and the people living there wouldn't have it any other way.
There are a few islands around Ruskhazar. Einan, the largest of these islands has been settled by elves trying to get away from the other races. The Spice Isles are used as a prison/labor camp. The smaller islands are used as burial grounds or private homes of wealthy and powerful individuals.
Creatures and Monsters: Ruskhazar is the home of men and elves, both of which can be divided into two clans each.
Lowlanders— humans that dwell in the valley, these individuals are born with the ability to use magic
Highlanders— humans that come from the mountains, they are entirely immune to magic
Lower Elves— tall, golden skinned elves of the valley, they have dark hair and eyes, and are virtually immortal and usually quite snobbish
Higher Elves— short "stone elves" with gray-blue skin, white hair and pale luminescent eyes, they originally dwelt in the mountains but after their people were nearly wiped out and their homes destroyed they now exist alongside everyone else, these elves age much slower than humans and many are not fully developed adults until they are in their forties
On top of that, there are also outsiders, exiles from the deserts of the south. These people cannot control magic, nor are they immune to it.
Then there are two types of monsters that an individual can become
Vampires—considered a curse given to the followers of The Lady of Night, these creatures cannot bear the sun's rays and must drink blood every few days or risk falling into a deep sleep; however, they are granted virtual immortality and do not age. Their characteristics include pale skin, red eyes, and fangs
Werewolves— considered a blessing granted on the followers of Neltruna, these creatures can choose to take on the more powerful form of a great wolf, their only noticeable characteristics is that those who are wolf-kissed have silver eyes.
For the most part, other than vampires and werewolves (which can blend into the general population and use them to grow their numbers), all of the monsters of old have been wiped out, hunted to extinction by the Highlander's ancestors. These old monsters were dragons, krakens, shapeshifters, and many other deadly beasts that Ruskhazar is better without...
The dead don't always remain that way and are often used as puppets by necromancers. Spirits who have died violently and lost their way to Skyhold can also occasionally be spotted.
Political Atmosphere: Ruskhazar is united under a dual kingship. The Greater King is a Lower Elf who has been in power since the forming of Ruskhazar, he is largely a figurehead and is rarely even seen. Most of the state affairs are handled by the Lesser King, a Lowlander. Many Highlanders are upset by this fact, that they are forced to subject themselves to a Lower Elf and a Lowlander rather than being ruled by one of their own, many of them would rather be their own separate kingdom.
Higher Elves for the most part are too scattered to form a collective opinion. Their civilization was destroyed when Ruskhazar was founded and now they exist on the outskirts of society as criminals, servants, or addicts.
Another thing of note are the criminal underworlds, one in particular run by an elf by the name of Elwis the Eel operates as an entirely separate kingdom, one where he is the king. There are few criminal organizations that would dare to oppose him, but The Order of the Bloody Hand—an honorific assassin guild who don't keep their killings a secret— and the Queen of Thieves—a vampire who a thousand years ago ran a criminal kingdom much like Elwis's before she fell out of favor and is now trying to rebuild her organization—do attempt to hold their own against him.
Likewise, werewolf packs, vampire hoards, and sorcerer cults tend to stick to themselves and ignore the politics of Ruskhazar as a whole.
Magic: The Academy of Magickers lies near the heart of Ruskhazar, a free opportunity for any magic-wielding individual to study there and become magickers.
So, in other words, magic is very important to the culture of Ruskhazar. The majority of the population (Lowlanders, Higher Elves, Lower Elves) are born capable of wielding the substance and while not everyone chooses to tap into their potential, many do.
Highlanders are entirely immune to magic, and this is a mystery that has yet to be unlocked.
However, there is also the art of sorcery, a partnership with a demigod to wield a portion of their power. Since magic is believed to stem from the goddess of magic, to turn to another source is considered perverse and sorcery is illegal, but that doesn't stop its practitioners.
Religion: There are five deities worshiped by the people of Ruskhazar.
Thyre—the head god, the guardian of time, seasons, and the underworld
Neltruna—his wife, the goddess of monsters, the dark, and all things unknown
Eirik—the god of humanity and the rival of Thyre, he also has dominion over life and death and the harvest
Meruna—the bride of Eirik, she is the goddess of magic, love, and the virtues
Dagmy— the goddess of beauty, lies, and carnal beasts
There were two other gods, the twins who created the elves, but they hated each other so much that they fought each other even unto death
Finally, there are the demigods, the children of the gods, these individuals were killed by their godly parents, but their essence lives on. Worship of them is considered a heresy.
Okay, I'll stop myself there. If you want to find out more about Ruskhazar then you can get the novella Between Gods and Demigods for free. You can also snag yourself a copy of A Tale of Gods and Glory or pre-order Rage Like the Gods and The Gods Created Monsters. Savage Gods and Spellbooks will be releasing next year on Kindle Vella (I told you that there were a lot of stories set in this world)
Such a fascinating world. Loving the sound of the higher elves. Some of my fae have the luminescent eye thing and it's such a neat concept.
ReplyDeleteThank you! The Higher Elves are definitely fun to write, those short angry stone elves XD. Luminescent eye colors is something that needs to be done more often!
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