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Tales of the Conclave



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Points: 5175
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Wed Aug 11, 2021 4:07 pm
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winterwolf0100 says...



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The Conclave— a reclusive place built on ruthless dragons and brainwashed riders. It's the near invisible enemy of the Council, only mentioned in passing with hatred or fear by a citizen who can't keep their mouth shut. But if you find the right person, the one with a cruel glint in their eye and a mirage of kindness on their personality, you'll find awe. Awe and loyalty and viciousness. And those are the people you must watch for: because they blend in with a crowd, disarming smiles and quick hands and steel blades. You cannot trust anyone because you'll never know who they are unless you're one of them. And if you are, then you're already too far gone.

Growing up isn't an option if you're in the Conclave— it's the only path. You become an adult, or you die. You do what needs to be done, or you're abandoned to the freezing mountains. In the Conclave, this life isn't chosen: it is dictated. You let yourself be broken and reborn as the perfect weapon, loyal to a fault and unforgiving, because if you don't, you'll disappear without a trace. But how far are people willing to go to avoid their death, and is it worth the cost?

In this series, a variety of background characters will be thrust into the spotlight, showcasing the rituals of this secretive organization, the plot twists and corruptions, the power and forbidden romance, the faction quarrels. Dirty secrets will finally be shown in the light of day for what they are, and all the skeletons in their closets are about to be set walking. Stories dripping with vulgar lore, poison apples perfect to your Snow White: Are you prepared to hear the Tales of the Conclave?

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While the book as a whole is rated 16+, certain stories may be rated 18+ for graphic descriptions, language, and mature content. Those stories will be clearly marked as 18+ in their tags, as well as in their descriptions below.

This story is a part of the Young Writers Universe. If you are interested in getting involved with the YWU for lorekeeping, writing your own story, or joining a storybook, you can visit the Club Page or the Universe Hub for more information.


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Each post in this thread will cover the lore in each story, give a blurb, and provide a link to the story. (Ratings will also be posted in each post.) To avoid confusion, please do not post in this thread! If you have comments on the book as a whole or an individual story and the lore it covers, feel free to comment on the stories themselves or send me a PM. Thank you, and enjoy!
Last edited by winterwolf0100 on Sun Aug 29, 2021 4:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
he/she/they


winter you are an adorable bean and I love your bad social awareness xD ~Omni
omni played robin hood, stole winter's brain cell ~Silver
winter is the only person who would survive the machine uprising ~Europa
  





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33 Reviews



Gender: Genderfluid
Points: 5175
Reviews: 33
Wed Aug 11, 2021 4:13 pm
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winterwolf0100 says...



Table of Contents:


Last edited by winterwolf0100 on Tue Sep 07, 2021 4:12 am, edited 2 times in total.
he/she/they


winter you are an adorable bean and I love your bad social awareness xD ~Omni
omni played robin hood, stole winter's brain cell ~Silver
winter is the only person who would survive the machine uprising ~Europa
  





User avatar
33 Reviews



Gender: Genderfluid
Points: 5175
Reviews: 33
Tue Sep 07, 2021 4:11 am
winterwolf0100 says...



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Story Link:




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Description:


Spoiler! :
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Basic Information:


Rated: 18+ for mature content, language, and violence.

Word count: 13,974

Reading time (as calculated by the average reading speed of 265 wpm): 53 mins

Note: This story is split into eight sections with the intent that those are good places for a reader to stop and come back at a later time if they run out of time. While the story as a whole will flow better without too much time in-between, the splits are good places to stop for a short break. It is also important to note that the reader may read faster or slower than the average speed, and because of this, the times listed here are approximations. Individual section reading times are listed below (as calculated by the average reading speed of 265 wpm).

Section 1: 21 mins
Section 2: 16 mins
Section 3: 4 mins
Section 4: 3 mins
Section 5: 1 min
Section 6: 4 mins
Section 7: 2 mins
Section 8: 2 mins

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Lore:


Spoiler! :
In Rite of Passage, several aspects of the Conclave are showcased and discussed, both openly and through subtext. All these aspects will be expanded upon and added to in later stories. Spoilers are included in the lore below, so it is adviced that the story is read before the lore. Below is a summary of the basic ideas that are covered within the piece:

  • The basic faction quarrels showcased in this story is specifically the relationship between the Tobar faction and the Wintercloud faction. Most riders in these factions are ruthlessly mean to the other faction, which mainly stems from the ongoing fights and disagreements between Elder Wintercloud and Elder Tobar. The Wintercloud faction is also shown to have some serious problems with racism, even towards other riders, which stems from Elder Wintercloud's severe racism and those poisonous thoughts getting watered down through the rest of the faction. This poisonous relationship between these factions, as well as Elder Wintercloud and his influence on the riders closest to him, will be discussed further in later stories.

  • Arranged marriages and the skewed power dynamic between genders in the Conclave are also heavily touched upon within the piece, mainly through the example of Jovana, Juventas' older sister. While some marriages in the Conclave are out of love, many are forced, and while the rider in the relationship may be happy with their match, many of the women and girls are forced into it unwillingly and in abusive relationships they cannot escape. While the view on gender politics does vary slightly between factions, with some believing women can be riders and other thinking they cannot, within the Wintercloud faction specifically, women are viewed as subordinate and beneath the men. Elder Wintercloud does not consider age or willingness when assigning marriages, and again, the sexism that he holds does water down through the rest of the faction. As shown through conversations and references however, there are women who speak out and men who respect them. Lavinia is one such person, and will be discussed more in a later paragraph, as well as other stories. Arranged marriages will be more heavily discussed in later stories as well.

  • The rooming of the Conclave is briefly explained throughout this story. While the organization of rooming differs slightly from faction to faction, they are, in most aspects, similar, if not the same. For the Wintercloud faction, all 10-17 year olds room together. The only exclusion to this rule are those who are married and those who are particular favorites of Elder Wintercloud, like Malik. There are three rooms with 10-17 year olds for the Wintercloud faction, each room housing approximately twenty riders and assigned randomly. While this number may seem small, it is because of the fact that riders have a very high death rate. The rooming of 10-17 year olds together saves space in the Conclave so they can still grow in numbers without outgrowing their living spaces. Once a rider turns eighteen, they are automatically roomed with another single rider, or with two other riders. While marriages usually begin to take place around the age of sixteen for riders, many Elders do not get around to marrying off less favored riders for a while, which accounts for there still being sixteen and seventeen-year-olds in the rooms. The main way this may vary between faction is how these rooms are organized. While Elder Wintercloud houses riders of all ages in each room at random, Elder Tobar organizes riders based on their age range, with one room filled with riders from the ages of 10-13, 14-15, and 16-17. The size of the faction will also affect rooming, seeing as Elder Wintercloud and Elder Tobar both have expansive factions, and most of the other factions are smaller in comparison. Rooming is a piece of background lore that will be useful to know, but likely won't be expanded upon in much detail in later stories.

  • The family dynamic of Malik and Brock is also shown through this story. Malik and Brock are both characters in the YWU storybook "On Stolen Wings". Malik has an older brother, Cadoc, who is married to Lavinia. Lavinia is the only sister of Brock, Brock's twin Gyles, and their other brother Vince. These brothers are mentioned as a group because they are mainly thought of in that context, and Lavinia is also mentioned as being outspoken about her beliefs that women should not be abused or forced into marriages. Brock, Gyles, and Vince are known to rough up anyone who talks about her, with Malik and Cadoc known to step in sometimes, which is also hinted at within the story. The family dynamic of Malik and Brock will be discussed further in later stories.

  • The recruitment process is briefly touched upon in the story, but will be expanded on much more in a later story. Many recruits are kidnapped at young ages, and if they do not live up to expectations, it is common for them to be thrown out into the mountains to freeze to death. Kidnapped children are often harder to manipulate emotionally, but they are often more vulnerable than their peers. Depending on the age they were taken, they can be hesitant about the Conclave's ideals or fall head-over-heels into it

  • The entrance trials, commonly referred to as simply the trials, are briefly touched on in this story. While the exact process isn't described in detail in this story, it is hinted at. Recruits face their entrance trials at the age of ten. While they've been training for several years before this, the entrance trials are the place where their life is truly on the line. Tests in things such as stealth, fighting skills, and thinking on their feet truly come into play as they battle against the others in what is essentially a tournament of wits and strength. While the Conclave does not have many events that would be deemed "fun", this is one that riders often bring their families to, including young children. Bets are placed on which recruits are going to win and which will die, and while the event is taking place, it's all anyone can talk about at the Conclave. This exposure from an early age to violence for young children growing up in the Conclave can also contribute to their desensitization to violence because they've been taught to consciously cheer for people they want to stay alive and to boo for the ones they want to die. It's important to note that all recruits compete in the entrance trials, even the ones born and raised in the Conclave; however, because they've had several more years to train and have grown up in that environment, it is often a lot easier for a Conclave-born recruit to succeed in the entrance trials than someone from the outside. The entrance trials will be expanded upon greatly in later stories.


  • Ideaology on emotion and the concept of weakness are showcased within the story, and are mainly centered around the ideaology Elder Wintercloud and his faction holds— these ideals are not the same with each faction, though no faction could be said to be fully in touch with their emotions. This concept will be touched on in later stories, both for Elder Wintercloud's faction and for Elder Tobar's faction.

  • Family dynamics within the Conclave are touched on briefly in this story, where it is hinted that for many riders, children are a duty, and once children are had, they are sent off to the nursery and not interacted with much. While this can vary, the main way it varies is between certain riders and their spouses, not between factions. Some families stay more in touch with their children than others, even if they are living in another space. This absense of parent figures in many children's lives in the Conclave can lead to strong bonding between siblings and age groups, as well as a strong bond with their masters when they are old enough. Rather than learning many of their lessons from parents, children are told to follow their masters without question, which is why many riders have different points of view depending on what faction they're a part of. Family dynamics within the Conclave will be touched on more in later stories.

  • The rite of passage is, of course, the main piece of lore within this piece. The rite of passage is a social concept, and not one easily defined or restricted. A rite of passage marks a rider's passing from being a recruit to adulthood. The only way to achieve a rite of passage is to get injured and to survive. The injury has to be viewed as a "brave" injury, and it must be severe enough that it is seen as impressive that the rider survived it. Unfortunately, Juventas is just one of many recruits who becomes desperate enough to stage his own rite of passage. Some recruits who attempt this survive and have officially passed their rite of passage, but many are permanently crippled and tossed out or onto a lower faction. Many die in the process, as in Juventas' case. The rite of passage is viewed by most riders as a neccesary test and a badge of honor, but by a select few, it is viewed as toxic and harmful towards everyone. These people are mainly those who passed their rite of passage and something bad happened in response, whether their recovery took a long time or they were given up by their master in response. Most riders, however, give in to the thrill of being complimented for their achievement and buy into the idea that a rite of passage is necessary and important. While the rite of passage may be brought up briefly, it will not be explained in detail in any other stories.


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To keep this thread clear and easy to navigate, please comment any thoughts and/or questions on the story page. Thank you!


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he/she/they


winter you are an adorable bean and I love your bad social awareness xD ~Omni
omni played robin hood, stole winter's brain cell ~Silver
winter is the only person who would survive the machine uprising ~Europa
  








Poems were like people. Some people you got right off the bat. Some people you just don't get - and never would get.
— Benjamin Alire Saenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe