DC Lore AMA

[TJ09]

Also, Where is Galsreim in Valkenmare? I am very curious as to where that is geographically. I am trying to make a map in my head of where places with names are. I am wanting to expand a little of my imagery of the world.

The big continent you see in the middle of the map in the home page? That whole landmass.

[TJ09]

Is there a canon explanation for the thuweds and how sought after they are?

I could come up with one, but it'd probably be self-serving and more of an ego boost to myself than anything, so I'll leave it for others to decide.

[TJ09]

Okay, most pressing questions first...

 

We dragon breeders (echoing the earlier question of what ARE we called?) have our own aeries/dens/fortresses (again, what ARE they called?).

 

What would be the status of a (dragon breeder) in human society?

Probably revered to an extent, but just breeding dragons doesn't really contribute much to society (unless you're harvesting some materials from them...), so it's probably not a very influential position.

 

^ I think I just wrote an entire sentence without actually saying anything.

[TJ09]

Can any of the humans in Valkemare potentially use magic, or is there some inborn talent needed, á la Harry Potter? And does it take years of training to control magic, or can even children cast simple spells?

Answered already, but no special biological requirements.

 

Doesn't mean "anyone can do it;" everyone is capable of learning advanced chemistry, but not everyone has an interest in/aptitude for it. It's some amount of skill and some amount of talent.

[Avarule]

Are there any wars going on right now in Valkemare? If there are (or ever have been) have dragons gotten involved? Do dragons ever mix with human society (like by moving into/near towns and opening stores, interacting with the residents, getting jobs that suit their specialties, etc.)? Do GoN live forever? Do avatars? Could someone (theoretically, of course) raise a GoN and some Avatars and try to take over the world? Can any of them be killed?

 

...I'll stop now.

[JavaTigress]

As to someone else's question about dragon religions...I will share MY personal ideas.

It is sort of MY headcanon that my other dragons sort of worship the GoNs.

 

I am not entirely sure I have worked out what that involves/what the practice precisely.

 

I don't know about TJs take on this and MAYBE it isn't the same for all dragons.

 

As in, perhaps different dragon clans have different beliefs... just like different poeple groups often do.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Silverswift

[grishiu]

About Heartstealers:

 

Do they often get caught stealing things, because their body is so shiny and attention drawing that it seems rather unlikely they'd be able to steal anything unless they covered themselves in coal dust. Also, they don't really have very many places to hide stolen artifacts (except maybe in that thin mane they have.)

 

Does their stealing lead to feuding, because I doubt every person would react like "welp, I've think I've lost my valuable scroll" or "I can't find my jewels I guess I'll go buy some more."

 

Does their gifting ever backfire and cause wars, because after people try and move on from the misfortune of losing a possibly irreplaceable item only to find out that their neighbor mysteriously acquired it on Valentine's day might have some rather aggressive results.

[Daydreamer09]

How interconnected are the human settlements with dragons? Considering farming, do dragons help tend fields and livestock? What about with mining? And craftmaking? Do we rely on the help of dragons for us to live and for livelihood?

 

Also, considering that each dragon species has a certain element affinity to it, is it possible for a dragon to posses all? I know some have none, or are neutral.

[TJ09]

As a note, this would be fun to add some location names to the biome map.  Just saying. 

That requires naming a bunch of things, which will eventually happen but has not yet done so in a useful capacity.

 

How do dragons and people inter-communicate?  Can all dragons speak English (or whatever language is spoken in Valkenare) like the outspoken ones in our holiday adventures so far?

Given a canon of telepathic communication, language should be a non-issue. The concept of verbal and written language doesn't need to exist if you can just beam "thoughts" to people and people simply "perceive" it however they will (e.g. in their language of choice).

 

And on the subject, if we're friendly with so many of the dragons, why do we steal eggs from the cave?  Wouldn't that eventually start to hurt people/dragon relations?  And if we're not stealing the eggs from our dragon friends, where are they coming from?

It's probably not actually as widespread as DC gameplay implies. I've also used the claim in the past that the eggs in the front of the cave are those deemed to be the weakest of the litter, and thus have already been abandoned.

 

[Ruby Eyes]

Where did Frills go to?

[CaesarZeppeli]

The big continent you see in the middle of the map in the home page? That whole landmass.

Ok , now that is so much more to add to my geographical idea of our world! /goes to add more to it/

 

Thanks!

 

I may have more questions later! When I can think about them without killing my head or yours!

[TJ09]

Is there some sort of central power like a council in charge of controlling the scroll owners? Is that why we have to document everything via the scroll? It would also make sense because it would ensure nobody gets ahold of a powerful dragon and ruins everything with it.

 

Also, is there some kind of scroll owner headquarters where we can be trained, group up or join forces in times of need (like the keep in magistream)?

I don't think there's a League of Extraordinary Dragonkeepers or something, no.

 

The concept of "guilds" probably exists, and there are probably a number of them, but some sort of centralized entity doesn't really make sense to me.

[Stormphoenix42]

Quoting from the encyclopedia:

Valkemare has two moons: The large, golden moon Aurax, and the smaller, blue moon Cirion. These two moons not only create interesting tidal patterns; they also are believed to have effects on wildlife and mana itself.

 

What effect, if any, do the moons have on mana? Is either associated with a specific element (creation, destruction, change)?

 

I've been thinking about a series of descriptions involving a group of dragons that believe in a third, black moon... a bit like Dragonlance's Nuitari.

[Laugh]

I am obvs not a TJ but I think that's up to the scroll owners. I think I own some of my dragons and am simply recording the life histories of others. As for why I'm cataloguing, it's because it's fun!

I was asking more-so about the RP/lore. As in is it just for sketching and recording details? owo

[grishiu]

What's beyond the map that we explore? Moar dragons? Will the map ever get an extension?

[Marrionetta]

Are there other planets in the starsystem Valkemare inhabits? Do any of them support life, and if so are there possibly other dragons in their neck of the woods?

[TJ09]

Are any of the dragon breeds hunted for food? We know humans hunt dragons, as evidenced by the Golds' description and the presence of dragon-hide gloves in the Halloween event, so I've been curious about how far their usage of the carcasses goes.

Well not all dragons are at the top of the food chain, I think. It's almost guaranteed that some dragons hunt other breeds of dragons. Given that it's known that humans hunt dragons, it's probable that it happens for more than just scales. Though I think I view it as more like illegal ivory trade.

 

Are there any draconic religions, either among the breeds or widespread across them all?

My current leading idea is that there's three churches, that each follow the Avatars. Or maybe three factions of a unified Church of the GoN.

 

similarly, are there any cults or religions that worship some of the breeds?

Well, I guess my previous answer covers there.

But in terms of cults, probably.

 

Are there any other significant land masses in Valkemare, in addition to Galsreim? Are any named?

Well you can see two/three other continents on the map. And there's probably something on the reverse side of the planet. I don't think any of them are named yet.

 

How advanced is draconic culture?

I'm going to leave this intentionally unspecified.

 

How deeply are humans affected by prolonged exposure to large quantities of mana? Do they experience radical changes, like plants, or do they have a high enough tolerance to it that any changes are minute and unnoticeable?

Yes, radical changes. I've had a few ideas for what different types of mana do, but it might involve things like earth mana turning people into something that resembles traditional "orcs."

[TJ09]

Where on the map is the Abandoned Pile located?

Next to the cave, which at one point had a canon location set (near the inside of that giant "bay" right in the middle of the content), but that was very early in the map design so I'm not sure that location makes sense anymore.

[JavaTigress]

My current leading idea is that there's three churches, that each follow the Avatars. Or maybe three factions of a unified Church of the GoN.

 

Interesting idea.

 

So that would mean that the Avatars are revered, to some extent at least, as well?

 

Would it be that a dragon reveres the avatar that their element represents?

 

Edited February 18, 2015 by Silverswift

[TJ09]

Are there any wars going on right now in Valkemare? If there are (or ever have been) have dragons gotten involved? Do dragons ever mix with human society (like by moving into/near towns and opening stores, interacting with the residents, getting jobs that suit their specialties, etc.)? Do GoN live forever? Do avatars? Could someone (theoretically, of course) raise a GoN and some Avatars and try to take over the world? Can any of them be killed?

 

...I'll stop now.

"right now" is undefined as far as DC goes.

 

But there is probably a faction of dragons that resents humans and their "interference," so it's likely there's been a war over that.

 

There's probably been inter-dragon war(s).

 

There are probably dragons in/near towns. I think deep interactions with society (like shops, as you mention) are unlikely.

 

Dragons live a really long time. GoNs/Avatars are probably on the higher end of that. But given how infrequently they're seen, it's hard to say if people are seeing the same GoN/Avatar or different ones across generations.

[angelicdragonpuppy]

About Heartstealers:

 

Do they often get caught stealing things, because their body is so shiny and attention drawing that it seems rather unlikely they'd be able to steal anything unless they covered themselves in coal dust. Also, they don't really have very many places to hide stolen artifacts (except maybe in that thin mane they have.)

 

Does their stealing lead to feuding, because I doubt every person would react like "welp, I've think I've lost my valuable scroll" or "I can't find my jewels I guess I'll go buy some more."

 

Does their gifting ever backfire and cause wars, because after people try and move on from the misfortune of losing a possibly irreplaceable item only to find out that their neighbor mysteriously acquired it on Valentine's day might have some rather aggressive results.

Probably better to ask their creator (Aangs-Sister) than TJ

[TJ09]

Quoting from the encyclopedia:

 

 

What effect, if any, do the moons have on mana? Is either associated with a specific element (creation, destruction, change)?

 

I've been thinking about a series of descriptions involving a group of dragons that believe in a third, black moon... a bit like Dragonlance's Nuitari.

Well there's going to be tidal effects on liquid mana, which with two moons is going to be different from Earth.

 

I just thought of a cool idea of one (or both?) of the moons having mana on it, which means that it being closer/farther has a measurable effect on mana. It'd certainly he one explanation for the colors (the other being being composed of some exotic materials).

 

I think a lunar-ish dragon would probably be associated with Change/Time in some way, so the moons probably fall under that. It's not really Creation/Destruction since nothing is being created or destroyed; things are just periodically changing.

[JavaTigress]

Do dragons have any kind of laws/rules of conduct that they abide by?

[TJ09]

What's beyond the map that we explore? Moar dragons? Will the map ever get an extension?

The map on the site does have some more drawn than you can see, but not a ton more. The land masses on the edges aren't fully designed.

[TJ09]

Are there other planets in the starsystem Valkemare inhabits? Do any of them support life, and if so are there possibly other dragons in their neck of the woods?

Excellent question that I have put no thought into. There's some potential for cool things there, but my initial thought is the more boring one: the things Valkemare are most likely planetbound, by way of space travel being hard. Though magic has the ability to change that...