Young Writers Society

There are two main kingdoms here; Asturia and Synilas. Then there is the Council Lands, also known as Draconis. And finally, there is No Man's Land, usually occupied by roaming clans of magic users. They have a camp in the Grasslands of No Man's Land that they use a a meeting ground for all the various clans.

This is a hidden academy of magic that is rarely heard from. Rumour has it that it's in the Asturian Empire near the edge of the Great Western Desert where it meets the Central Plains. It's said to be crowned by a tall, pale-stoned tower with a golden dome. But it is just that; a rumour.

Humans
Humans can be found throughout the Realm and usually have little to no magic. Any magic they do have is limited and uncontrolled. Humans make wonderful soldiers, though, because they reproduce so fast. They are a varied and resilient people who often don't know when to give up or stay down. They're determined to prove their worth as dragon riders.

Elves
Elves are creatures of nature and can live for hundreds, even thousands, of years. Their powers relate to nature and the elements They highly dislike anything too advanced and tend to avoid cities, except for the few who live in small communties that incorporate nature into their construction. Elves are rarely seen away from the forests. Elves are the race most likely to bond with a dragon.

Tieflings, Fey'ri & Others Of A Fiendish Nature
These races have demonic bloodlines which may be reflected in their appearance and abilties, if they have any. Tieflings and Fiends are the most like their demons while the Fey'ri more often than not resemble the Elven side of their parentage. Those with fiendish blood are the least likely to bond with a dragon, and often struggle to adapt if they somehow manage to do so. They are often a violent, impulsive people, but can be reasoned with. If you're lucky.

Half-Elves & Other Half-breeds
Half-Elves are exactly what you'd imagine--half-elves. Others may be half-Dwarf or even half-elf and half-fiend--like the Fey'ri. They may live for a long time, or not very long at all. It's always a risk with half-breeds, but most resemble one sids or the other, such as half-elves, who live a lifespan somewhere between their human and elvish halves; almost as long as their Elvish brethen, but never the thousands of years some of the Elves reach. Half-breeds, especially half-elves, are second most likely race to bond with dragons, due to the varied races that are included in their bloodlines.

Dwarves
Dwarves are a short, sturdy race of humanoid people who prefer to live in mountainous areas and in the mines they love so dearly, deep below the surface where they're so rarely seen. They live almost as long as their Elvish cousins, but nowhere near as long as those with fiendish blood, and often outlive their human friends. They bond with dragons on a semi-regular basis, if they ever feel like stepping foot outside of their mountains and mines.

Dragons
Dragons are inherently magical creatures, born of magic and nature. The reproduce much like reptiles--by laying eggs--and can come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. These eggs often need a magical componet to hatch, coming either in the form of their dragon parents, some force of nature....or a bond with a human, elf or other race that inhabits the realm. They usually prefer nature to civilization and can often been found in forests or mountainous areas. Dragons are intelligent creatures and usually live alone or in small--very small--family groups. Most dragons are hermit-like in nature and will often have a cave or nest--a lair where they protect a small pocket of land they've claimed for their own--where they sleep and live. These lairs often contain treasure, though there are varying opinions on the type of treasure one can find in said lair. Some dragons, if they are old enough, can have a humanoid form, though this is rare and almost never seen. That humans and the like are aware of. Dragons seems to be semi-secretive creatures.

Dragon Riders
Dragon Riders are humans, elves or other races that have bonded with a dragon, either by finding the egg or by being approached by a dragon. They usually have some inherent magical abilities in one form or another, and are often young when they bond. Most are orphans, but a few have families. Once bonded, a Rider will be taken by the Council--who overlook all Dragon Riders--to their Hall in Draconis, the lands given to the Council generations ago. They will be raised, groomed and trained in how to fight on and off their dragon, or as a single unit, and learn how to interact with their bonded, how to use the inherent magic they have and how to draw on their dragon's strength.

There are two groups of Riders; The Council, as mentioned, and an elusive, nastier group known only as "The Conclave". They're a darker side to the Dragon Riders, often causing death and destruction wherever they go, but they're rarely seen and are hard to distingush from a Council Rider. They generally don't look any different, but their actions speak louder than appearances or words; they's a violent, secretive people who are almost always plotting something dark and dangerous made up of spies, thieves and assassins. It's best to avoid The Conclave whenever possible, if you can figure out who they are.

The Bond Between Rider & Dragon
The bond a dragon has with its rider is a sacred thing, often viewed with awe and respect and maybe a little fear. To harm or kill one is to do the same to the other. They're bonded for life and it's rare for dragon or rider to survive the loss of the other as the trauma of losing half of yourself usually kills a rider or their dragon. The Council honour this bond, but the Conclave don't care; Conclave members are not above killing a rider to force a bond on the dragon before it dies, which results in a horrible half-life for both dragon and rider, often corrupting the dragon with darkness and violence. It can happen the other way, too, with the dragon forcing a bond on a dying rider--often, it's a last ditch effort to save the rider and, potentially, the dragon they were bonded to, too. More often than not, forcing a bond fails and the dragon or rider will die regardless, sometimes taking the one trying to force the bond with them. It's not something an amature should attempt.

Both exist in this realm, but they are rarely seen or heard about. Magic users -- or mages, as they prefer-- are more common than monsters, but you don't hear them bragging about their magic often, if at all. As for monsters, well. If you hear about a monster, it's a pretty big deal and quite a few hunters/rangers will appear to hunt it down. For a price, of course.

Gypsies, Mages & Magic
Gypsies and Mages are two sides of the same coin. Gypsies are mages who wander, unlike Mages who settled down in one place. There are Light and Dark mages, along with every shade between these extremes. Both have magic in their veins, quite literally. They are similar to Sorcerers in many respects, but unlike Sorcerers, the magic often represents as psychical abnormalities such as unusual eye or hair colour, and sometimes even runes that appear naturally on the skin.

Some notable traveling clans are; Toril, Haverj, Almeric, Asyra, Shanni, Vanna and Belusa.

Sigil-weaving
Sigil-weaving is a way of casting magic that involves ritual and non-ritual magic, hand gestures and verbal magic and finally the applications of tattoos for permament magic. It's a rarer form of magic, almost obsolete and not one that's taught much anymore.

Monsters, Demons & Other Creatures
Monsters are beings, usually inherently magical in nature, with a nasty reputation for death and destruction. It is one of the main jobs of the Council to seek out these monsters and deal with them, either with violence or diplomacy--depending on the creature. They can be a purely natural creature--a giant wolf or giant spiders--to more fiendish or magically-inclined creatures, such as Leshi and other nature spirits/beings to Sphinxs and Gryphons, and even the odd fiendish hound or other such monsters.