Character Brief #8

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As a continuation of last week's post which listed many of the character's from my recently released novel Queen of Swords, I am going to go over some of the key places and events that bring Azulyria alive.

Fantasy World-building

There are so many key components to consider when creating a world from your imagination. Some of these elements could include climate, religion, government, currency, agriculture, industry, language, special events or holidays, and so on. depending on how important these details are to your story, you may only briefly touch on some of them, or go into great detail with others. No two worlds or story-lines are the same, so be as informative as you desire.

Azulyrian Society

Physical Character Traits

Hedaris (central facet): pale skin, tall, and thin. Females have teal green hair and lavender eyes, while males have teal blue hair and icy blue eyes. Females are supposed to be demure, soft-spoken housewives and a woman's virtue is highly prized.

Boulderian (western facet): dark brown hair with pale green or grey eyes. They are of average height with angular features, and they usually keep their hair shoulder length or shorter; athletic build.

Arbouroth (northern facet): amber eyes with hair that is in varying shades of auburn and burgundy. They prefer to walk around barefoot and having body shapes. Instead of turning white, their hair turns golden as they grow older.

Fegrusiad (eastern facet): muscular, but not bulky. They have tanned skin, dark purple hair, and olive green eyes. Inhabitants are skilled warriors and aren't afraid to speak their minds.

Cuprisima (southern facet): silvery white hair with orange eyes. They customarily wear their hair braided and have copper hoops in their ears.



Important Sites / Known Locations

Ash Point Forest: forest where Ivyssa practices her archery

Birch Hollow: village where Teaken and Alderion are from

Blue Briar Moor: where Shar Cedara resided in the temple dedicated to their Goddess Octrisia

Ashterra Temple: temple where Shar Cedara conducts business and ceremonies. It is a stone structure with a wooden dome. Vines and a tree sap/crushed stone mixture hold the frame together.

Alter of Canopy: Arbouroth's sacred alter space; octagonal base with recessed fire pit and corithian style columns.



Ceremonial Events / Life Events

Illumination Ceremony: completed at age 10, this ritualis used to awaken a Stone Walker's elemental powers. Child walks to temple wearing a simple outfit fashioned with the region's cardinal colors. They will take a special torch to the alter space. The Shard of the region will administer a special tea to the child, and once it takes hold the child will have to prove that the ceremony was successful. This involves lifting a piece of stone and holding it for a given amount of time.

First Ascension: occurs when a future Queen of Sword's markings will appear, stamping her as the next ruler. This happens at age 15.

Second Ascension / Sealing: after the future Queen of Swords finishes her 5 year training period, her facial symbols will be be filled in at age 20.

Adulthood: at age 20

Bonding: performed on the newly chosen Queen of Swords and her Masculirum so that they can see into each other's past and better understand each other.



-all images belong tho their respective owner or creator


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