Tag: korvasin

Muunfel Unexplored

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A lot of Muunfel is left without a specific map of the area. The Timewilds of Synka used to be better known to cartographers, but because of the shifting nature of the region and its hostility to settlement, that knowledge has shifted to the coastline and not far inland. Going off the road in Synka is terrible luck, so says the superstition.

Another region that comes to mind is the vast forest covered by the Faelands. Some would argue this land doesn’t count as “unexplored” because it actively prevents anyone from truly knowing where they’re going. The local fae lords and the leaders of the whole nation are able to clear the roads for visitors, but they can also trap trespassers in an area that may not let them leave.

Most regions of Korvasin, Genfierz, and the North are pretty well known. Rutan’s desert and the lands beyond it were unknown until recently, but as the country gains more of a foothold in the international world, more corners of the map are being filled in to the west.

Work in Muunfel

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Mankind is known as the hard workers of Muunfel, since on the surface they have so few natural gifts that they have to cultivate and practice at. Their lives are generally shorter than most other species as well, thanks to their part in exemplifying the life/death cycle created by the first two gods. As such, most people look to them when they wonder what “work” is.

Agriculture and industry both have found niches in Muunfel, with rural areas generally doing well and urban areas building workshops and the like. Korvasin exemplifies an agriculture-based economy, with many of the industries even in the cities working to cater to the many people out working in the fields.

Genfierz, on the other hand, has far less farmland. With more beasts and monsters roaming the wilds, it is tougher for agriculture to truly thrive. The soil is not of the same quality, either, often littered with stones that need to be tilled away. In response, Genfierz is the continent’s leader in metalworking, machines, and invention.

Pastimes in Muunfel

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There are a lot of team sport style games found throughout Muunfel. Regional variants of (European) football are common in Korvasin, Genfierz, and even Meraev after the Solians picked it up from their human neighbors. There aren’t very big tournaments for it (yet), but it’s a good source of entertainment in many communities.

A sport a lot like American baseball is prevalent in the east and north, with a more volleyball-like game gaining prominence in Rutan and the Northwest. In the latter cases, any game that doesn’t rely on the ground being flat and solid is more likely to be played.

Besides team games, individual pastimes for those with the leisure time to pursue them range from art to education to trades. There are few limits to the hobbies people can take up if they have a mind for it. Communities will often share in a few of these as well, usually headed by the socialites who don’t care what they’re doing, so long as they’re with other people.

Favored Hobbies by Region:

  • Korvasin – wandering/exploring, drawing/painting
  • Genfierz – Tinkering, building, researching
  • Rutan – Street sports, glassblowing, gardening
  • North – Building, cooking as art, social gatherings
  • Faelands – social gatherings, singing/dancing

These are, of course, just a general sense of the types of things people are most likely to get into in these regions, either because of the demand for that type of thing or the ease of finding the materials/space to do them.

Holidays and Traditions

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Holidays across Muunfel vary with the people. There are some regional variants that all center around the same idea but which are attributed to different gods. For example, a spring thaw festival over most of the continent celebrates the children of the earth god Kuro and their stewardship over plants and animals. However, in Rutan, the harsh desert nation, the same festival is held in honor of the god of storms, Elias, in the hopes that he will bring them plentiful rains.

Most people will have a low key celebration of the New Year on the first of Queen’s Eyes. It celebrates another cycle in the passing of time, and a new beginning. The Fae celebrate it for nine days, some for an excuse to party and others for their respect of the cycle.

Some other holidays found throughout Muunfel:

  • Korvasin has a Festival Day on the birthday of the reigning monarch, though it is mostly celebrated in the cities – more rural folk will actually prepare all year to bring some of their produce into more populated areas to sell.
  • Korvasin also shares a holiday with the Fae, in remembrance of the battle in which a previous king oversaw the maiming of a previous Una of the Fae. It is a somber day of reflection.
  • In Rutan, there is a three-day celebration of the formation of the Rebel Kingdom, one day for each of three key figures in the success of the rebellion: Aaron and Leah Stride, spies for the rebels, and Vale Rutan Galen, the first king of Rutan.
  • Genfierz celebrates the birthday of one of its most prominent inventors: James Mercy, the innovator of steam power. His contribution to the mainstream importance of invention is honored all over the country.

Who’s in Charge in Muunfel?

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Korvasin: Run by a monarchy through bloodline, Korvasin used to be an empire that spanned a lot more land than it currently occupies. It has since stopped growing outward, but the economy is stable so the royals of Korvasin (the King/Queen of Crows, colloquially) are content to preside over their landlocked nation.

Rutan: Another monarchy through a bloodline, by virtue of being formed when a prince of Korvasin was cast out and fueled a rebellion against Korvasin. Its government is a blend of the monarchy and emissaries from the various groups throughout the vast desert.

Genfierz: Gen has a mixed Monarchy/Republic. The “royals” have always been figureheads and diplomats, and their duties reflect that. They are not offered as much decorum as the royals of Korvasin or Rutan, but they are respected as the voice of their nation’s leaders nonetheless. The sovereign and the heir-apparent of the royals of Genfierz are cursed to have tongues of living silver, though their “silver tongue” curse also grants them a natural charisma.

Meraev: Meraev’s main governance consists of several separate clans, each made up of multiple families, that govern their issues internally in most cases. Occasionally the clan heads will meet for matters of bigger importance but they usually keep to themselves. The cities in Meraev are where the non-Solian citizens tend to live, and the city governments cooperate with the nearby clans.

Faelands: The fae are governed, such as it is, by the Una and the Aubry.

Currency in Muunfel

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In the middle and western regions of Muunfel, there is an easily recognized gold standard. Coins minted in Korvasin, for example, are acceptable in Genfierz or Rutan and vice versa without much haggling. Genfierz also employs a silver standard, and recently there have been calls for a copper one as well, owing to the material’s importance in the nation. In several cases, however, these three nations come to a direct bartering agreement when it comes to exports/imports.

In the North and in Meraev, the people blend bartering and currency much more fluently. With the people spread out in more isolated clusters, it’s simpler to go with what is easiest for both parties to manage when they do run into each other.

The Fae deal in favors and information. Not all of them are instantly good at striking a deal, but the ones that are should be dealt with carefully. People have gotten themselves into deep debt without realizing it, and debt to the fae will be collected.

In the elflands and the timewilds, they lean towards a barter system but have a silver standard for trade with Genfierz, their most regular trade partner.

Civilizations/Architecture in Muunfel

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Because Muunfel is so varied in geography and peoples, this largely depends on the area you’re looking at. However, there are some common trends among certain locales. I’ll break these down by country.

Korvasin: With mainly fertile plains and flat or gently-hilled land, even the smaller towns have enough economy to build decent walls for defense. The buildings are a mix of wood and stone, and the streets usually meander – they don’t use grids. The biggest cities, like the capital in Divali, sport extremely high walls with multiple openings for defenses.

Rutan: The desert was once occupied by the Solians. Their cities remain in some places, with rounded buildings and advanced infrastructure like aqueducts throughout. The ruined cities are repaired with wood and newer stones in places, but are largely left unaltered. Colorful glass and tiered city levels are a theme with most large settlements in Rutan.

Genfierz: The landscape is more hilly and sometimes abrupt than other areas, but there are also several ruins of Solian cities in Gen. The Solians tended to either use grid patterns for their streets or radial patterns. The big difference between Rutan and Genfierz is that Genfierz is more friendly to technology, so it attracts more innovators, builders, and creatives, and thus the ruins are more modified with machines. Newer cities try to imitate the style of the old Solian cities, but with more consideration for building and invention.

Meraev: It is occupied by Solians, mostly, in separate clans consisting of a few families. These clans don’t often get together, and their settlements tend to differ to the tastes of the individual families. They don’t build large permanent settlements like the empire used to.

Faelands: Foresty wilds hide buildings and structures connected directly to the trees. The local fae tend to have an influence on how these clusters of buildings are organized and styled.

North: The people of the north are hardy and more familiar with war. They tend to build into the sides of cliffs, hills, or valleys so a lot of their architecture looks like it’s growing right out of the earth or being buried.

Muunfel’s Inspiration

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It’s the final day of World building June, and I made it to the end! Somehow I managed to condense a bunch of my nerding out over this project into smaller posts that I hope were easy to follow! For the final bit of world building, I want to go into the first ever inspiration for the world of Muunfel.

Way back in my high school days, I had a random dream about a train in a desert. That train was derailed and tipped over by bandits. That’s all I really remember from the dream itself, but it sparked much more.

From that inspiration I came up with the story of a certain thief on a prison train, and what would happen if some other criminals came to his rescue. Rutan and Korvasin became the first countries I thought of for Muunfel, and from there I developed the train network, the fiery desert, and the maps of these places (which I then continued to expand and expand, adding more paper as I needed). Before I knew it, I was coming up with lore halfway across the continent and completely unrelated to this prison train.

But I won’t forget my roots. The Desert Rises is the first planned story in the Muunfel project, and for July I am going to be participating in Camp NaNoWriMo, just like last year! It’s back to Ness and Aaron and Calista, my desert golden trio. This story will shape the history of Rutan and Korvasin, and hopefully you’ll tune in for any Letters from Camp posts I might make, with updates on progress and excerpts from what I’m working on.

Korvasin Folly

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One of the more popular songs in Korvasin and Rutan, well before Rutan had even become a recognized country, was the Korvasin Folly. It told a tale of a curse supposedly laid on the empire by the fairies, though no one truly believed it for a long time.

In Korvasin there lived a king,
son of last king’s daughter.
He ruled the Empire from a tower
o’erlooking Snake Eye water

The King of Crows flew out to war
with the Forest of the Fair.
At Yarrow’s Gate he made his claim
on rivers, trees, and air.

Sweet Una, patient Aubery
laughed gaily at this game
“The Queen gave up her crown too soon,
her cub lacks Lion’s Mane!”

“Though valiant among mortals, he
is wanting in her wisdom.”
With anger on his brow, the King
struck out at their Fair Kingdom.

A woeful day for Fae and Man,
when a Korvasin Grey Arrow
struck lovely Una, gentle queen,
through spine and shattered marrow.

Her body lamed, her lonely cry
brought end to that short battle.
The king had wronged the Fairy kind,
but only he was rattled.

The Aub’ry, standing tall and strong
did scold the King of Crows
for seeking more of what he has
instead of what he knows.

“Your kingdom never East shall go,
nor south from where you are.
You seal the fate of Korvasin,
you blot its brightest star.”

The King of Man could tell a curse,
much like one tells a blessing.
He pleaded with the Una then,
“O please, I’ve learned my lesson!”

With painful breath the Una sighed
and honored last king’s daughter.
“I spare your kingdom from its death,
but ban you from West Water.”

“The Ocean you will never touch,
O Korvasin the Mighty,
your line will break, I promise you
your heirs will e’er be fighting.”

“A brother casts a brother out!
An heir goes to the Fire!
And in his heart, O King of Man,
the power to inspire!”

“Your Korvasin will break, O King,
much like the heart you broke,
when you did choose to chase a dream
and felled me in one stroke.”

The Una never walked the earth
Not on her own white feet,
since Korvasin’s young foolish king
did she in battle meet.

Korvasin Grey Metal

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Throughout history, the people of Muunfel have found reasons to fight one another and drive rifts between them. One of the most violent rifts is between the people who can channel magic directly (Tamkind, gods, and fairies) and those who must direct it some other way (wizards and sorcerers, etc).

This fighting saw a turning point when scholars of Korvasin discovered and developed what they simply dubbed “Grey Metal”. This material, created through alchemy, enchanting, and rigorous rituals, can be shaped into almost anything. It is an absolute bane on magic channellers.

When it comes into contact with someone with magic in their blood, it floods them with its own strange, false magic. The afflicted person cannot use this Grey Magic, and are rendered almost helpless because of it.

Grey Metal has been made into chains and manacles as well as weapons. In some regions, it is common for magic folk to be detained using Grey Metal, while in others there are those who lobby against its use at all. The ethics behind its use are often brought into discussion, and many of the naysayers cite some of its more catastrophic uses as reasons to ban it without considering its usefulness:

  1. Manacles made of Grey Metal were used on Trace, Biim, and Fiorebell in the incident that resulted in Fiorebell’s death. The land surrounding the village where this took place still cannot support any growth, and Biim himself received an incurable curse thanks to the way his and Trace’s godly magic fled.
  2. The previous Una of the Fae was shot through the spine with an arrow tipped in Grey Metal. Because she was unable to heal, she spent the rest of her days unable to walk. The Aubry placed a curse on the entire empire of Korvasin for this, and it has yet to recover from it.

Regardless of anyone’s stance on the subject, Grey Metal is dangerous and not to be used lightly in any scenario.