Draconian Villages

The founders of each village became the first Village Chiefs as well, and for much of history these Chiefs were exclusively Draconian until the appointment of the Human Sirlini Glirdog in 498 as Chief of Ealla, and then the Korvian Sinner Caerxan in 547. Sinner Caerxan's refounding of Waire, in the name of the Draconian people, solidified the title as something that anyone could hold, and allowed authority in the village to go to anyone deemed worthy of it, not just Draconians.  

Village Techniques

The Draconian villages each specialize in something that makes them stand out from the others. These are, for the most part, magical techniques that each village is the best in the world at (or at least in the running for that distinction). These are as follows:

• Bortan- Combative Magics
• Evity- Necromancy, Puppetry, Divination, Forbidden Magic, Druidry (formerly), Beastmastery (formerly)
• Ealla- Bardic Practice
• Tamd- Alchemy
• Yirthum- Enchantment
• Ilder- Druidry
• Dembar- Beastmastery
• Waire- Undead/Vampire Exterimination, as well as the trial of hostile and evil mages.
• Zephys- Magic Education
• Erdenn- Druidry and Beastmastery (called "the natural arts" at the time)
• Erra- Druidry
• Denn- Beastmastery
• Zeldarr- Combative Magics and Divination

 

The Floating City

Only one "city" exists in the region: Zephys. Built by Kilprax Ildial, Kath the Eternal, and many Draconian settlers during the Great Draconian Migration of 797.   It is difficult to deny that Zephys is a city unlike any other, as it is the largest city in the world, with two large layers of the settlement floating above the city proper. The three layers (Lower Zephys, Upper Zephys, and the Magic College of Zephys) individually are larger than some of the other villages, and one can see them from most of the other parts of Draconia.   Kilprax Ildial distinguished Zephys from other Draconian settlements during its construction, as he intended for it to be the capital of a unified Draconian nation, and so while other large settlements remained villages, he called Zephys a city. This way, it was seen as a higher tier of settlement compared to places like Bortan or Ealla, allowing more Draconians to accept it as the center of their government. Even when the territories are not united, Zephys is seen as a neutral ground belonging to no one, and it has a small territory around it that belongs to the head of the city, the Grand Wizard, who all village Chiefs are also technically subordinate to.  

Population

Each village has a different population makeup compared to the others. Tamd is the only village with a Draconian population of around 99%, as it is very closed off from the others thanks to its Poison Peninsula, whereas Ealla has the lowest population of Draconians (still around 66% at least), with the largest population of Gnomes and Humans.   Dembar has a high population of Emetians and Nereids, while Yirthum is full of Elves (due to being an Elven puppet state in Draconian territory for most of its existence). Bortan has the largest Dwarven population, though it isn't as notable as other villages minority populations, while Ilder, Evity, and Waire also both boast large Elven populations. Due to the strong anti-Elven sentiment in the village, Ilder is also home to some Dwarves.   One can find all species in Zephys, though as is the case in most Draconian settlements, there is some prejudice for any non-Draconians there that makes many feel unwelcome even in the world's largest city.   Ranked in terms of population, the villages (and Zephys) are as follows:

• Zephys
• Bortan
• Evity
• Ealla
• Yirthum
• Ilder
• Tamd
• Waire
• Dembar

Waire and Tamd have little else inside their territories, save for the villages themselves, so their populations are towards the bottom (though Dembar's remote location leads to few moving there and many young Dembarians choosing to move out once they come of age, leading to an even lower population, though if one were to count the animals in the village it is above Ilder).   The village of Bortan is not as densely populated as Evity, with more Bortanni living in smaller towns and fortresses outside of the village, but it has more people living within its territory than the Forbidden Village does. Ealla, Yirthum, and Ilder are balanced throughout the village and towns of the territory, with Ilder in particular having more farmland than larger towns, while Ealla and Yirthum have towns that are sometimes just as known as the village itself due to their cultural relevance.  

Rivalries

Each Draconian village has a famous rivalry, which is another reason why it is difficult to get them to work together.   Bortan and Evity is the original, as Bortanni defectors founded Evity following the War of Creation. This rivalry is more heated than the others, as it created two distinct cultures that all other Draconians can be distinguished between, along the lines of the major religion of the two. Bortanni were followers of Phrixus while Evitians were followers of Helle, and this schism was what led to the war between the two and founding of Evity.   Ealla and Tamd were founded around the same time by two groups that simultaneously left Evity to practice their techniques on their own, and a war not long after the founding of Tamd led to the Poison Peninsula's creation and the most heated rivalry in Draconia. This rivalry started when Ealla's founder, Shirthecmonis Eravarax, approached Tamd with a concert to show off their progress. Colmiceth Nurdesh, founder of Tamd, detested the sound of their music, and attacked them. Following a Tamdian victory in the ensuing war, the two remained bitter rivals for all time.   After Ilder was destroyed in the Ilder Massacre, Dembar was founded by its survivors, but when Ilder was refounded its old Chief (then Chief of Dembar) Otikul Nurdesh detested Ilder for trying to improve upon his failure, and so a rivalry sprouted between the two. This was a continuation of the old rivalry between Erra and Denn, which is what broke apart Erdenn in ancient times (though before that, Erdenn conflicted with Zeldarr, as Zeldarr was a close ally of Bortan and Erdenn was close to Evity).   For a long time, Yirthum was seen as a rival of Zephys, as Zephys was the center of Draconian politics and Yirthum was under the control of the Elven crown. This changed when Waire was founded against the wishes of the Elven crown, as its founder stole land in the Elven Forest for his village, and settled it with Elven defectors and refugees during the Elven Civil War.   Only three figures have ever managed to unite the villages despite their petty rivalries. Kilprax Ildial up until the end of the Draco-Elvish War, Nalrik Tilrak with the Southern Elone Treaty Organization, and Rhoziros Nimphonker following the Yirthum War for Independence. Technically the villages remained united from Kilprax's death until the rise of Wiscys Nicandir, who granted them the right to self-govern again, though they'd gone to war amongst each other in between those two periods, so they were still not considered united, and the rivalries did not cease.  

Village Founders

Some of the most legendary figures in Draconian history, the founders of each village each carry with them enough tales to fill entire history books. Their names are immortalized, and they will be listed below, alongside some of the co-founders who helped settle and build each village (alongside the refounding dates and those who led the efforts in Waire and Ilder, which were completely destroyed and resettled).

• Bortan (~-1975)
• Wrakris the Orange

Mamrin Suzita by Jarhed
• Evity (~-1880)
• Voleth Saxan
• Ealla (~-1757)
• Shirthecmonis Eravarax
• Tamd (~-1756)
• Colmiceth Nurdesh
• Erdenn (~-1753)
• Mamrin Suzita
• Zeldarr (~-1750)
• Impak Daxur
• Erra (-1030)
• Laamethir Suzita
• Denn (-1030)
• Kincel Yathiris
• Yirthum (-797)
• Accith Durzire
• Themptih Thampoc
• Kilprax Ildial
• Ilder (498) (548)
• Otikul Nurdesh
• Ordoth Mardaar
• Oraakil Mardaar (Refounding)

Otikul Nurdesh by Jarhed
• Drorthod Lormorn (Refounding)
• Lorzavur Exikmaan (Refounding)
• Uustac Acoria (Refounding)
• Rharked "the Rogue" Monion (Refounding)
• Waire (527) (548)
• Yernok Caerxan
• Uustac Acoria
• Laccun Vracvull
• Sinner Caerxan (Refounding)
• Dresser Caerxan (Refounding)
• Narjeth Yelrath (Refounding)
• Aurrin Alevradates (Refounding)
• Luth Rumbleblood (Refounding)
• Dembar (527)
• Otikul Nurdesh
• Ordoth Mardaar
• Funxeth Soliann