Coronus

The Coronus mountain range cuts across the heart of the continent. With a volcano at its center, it's a hotbed of geological activity, and atop its peaks, dragonkind makes its home. They rule skies, vistas, and all below; everything in their sight is part of their horde. Ignii count themselves among these masters: they oversee their domain from grand sparkling pavilions, so all may look up and view their majesty.

Geography

Coronus is a scattered country, with villages spread all across the mountains. Because the mountain range curls around the continent, its climates match The lowlands tend to be lush, green, and temperate: they're mostly fieldland, interspersed with stretches of forest and copses of trees. The ignii that live here tend to be more mild-mannered and social, and less violent than their neighbors at higher elevations. Those uninterested in the daredevil lifestyle tend to descend here. A majority of the farming happens in the lowlands.

As you go higher into the mountains, the fields become scrubby and rocky. Veins of stone rise to sharp cliffsides, and caves down to Dolsia or infested with wyrms lay bare in the open. Most Coric villages and cities are on this level, clustered around cliffsides, waterfalls, and lava flows. Ignii tend to favor locations with a view.

The mountain summits are a rocky, barren tundra. For most of the year, they're snowed over, and little lives there except the largest and strongest of dragons. Ignii who take matters of strength to their greatest extreme tend to live in this frozen wasteland. Training themselves to breathe the thin air, they build their homes atop spires that reach ever higher into the heavens.

Architecture

The Coric love large, open architecture. They love to live in places that dwarf them. Their cities are majestic places of marble pavilions and large, towering columns and archways. Their homes--any made to last, at least--are similarly made of stone, often with little gardens in the center. Occasionally, you see reliefs of mighty warriors set into buildings, but typically the Coric prefer to show off the natural grain of the stone, or to make mosaics of out of sparkling stone.

Building these magnificent buildings, however, takes a lot of resources and assistance. Many Coric people live semi-permanently in inns or log or mud cabins. These homes are much more modest, often just a collection of single rooms built around a hearth.

Notable Locations

There are a wide variety of landmarks within Coronus, from its snowy peaks to the fertile lowlands. A selection of some of its most well known ones are as follows.

Crysentis

The capital city of Coronus is the biggest in the nation. Wide expanses of shining marble pavilions and breezy open air buildings form steps up to the magnificent castle where the King of Coronus resides.

Volcano

The active volcano Crysentis was built on. Rivets and valleys allow its flows to pass safely through the city, while leaders gather for ceremony at its peak. The volcano is considered to be the still-beating heart of the Mother of Dragons.

Mother's Maw

An active volacano shaped like a dragon's head. The Coric faithful believe this to be the face of the Mother, and the rest of her sleeping body forms the mountain range they live on. The city in the Maw is full of the faithful, and pilgrims come to tell the Mother their troubles and secrets.

The Paint Pots

A collection of hot springs on the inner ring of the mountains. The pools bubble with radiant color from the natural minerals. While toxic to many other species, they are a popular vacation destination among ignii. A good long soak in the springs helps during shedding season.

Bromus Peak

An agricultural community located on the southwestern edge of the range. Long suffering from a neglectful ruler, a recent coup has put it under the new leadership of Rayleigh and Cirrus. Several players proved themselves essential in this resistance effort: Boomslang, Rhodes, Foreigner, Hermes, Eira, Raelene, Elena, Irvin, Arbor, Morgan, Fury, Cinnabar, Pip, Ajax, Citrine, Leon, Uriel, and Ryder. At the end of the coup, a hydra was freed from Rook's cruel imprisonment, and as it climbed free, it was adopted as the Guardian of this mountain.

History

They worshiped dragons for their strength and majesty, almost like gods. They considered them the superior creature. Their fevered passion was not well-accepted in Eniya, so many of these acolytes opted to migrate up into the mountains to live among the dragons.

Technology

Armor and weaponry.

Politics

Strength is everything in Coronus. A strong leader is someone who has the self-discipline to train. They see the long-term; they understand their goals and can work daily towards it. They understand their limits, and thus are able to push themselves without hurting themself. Raw power can be achieved alone, but true strength cannot: one must collaborate with others to test themselves, duel, and spar, and they must be willing to listen to others in order to see the flaws within themselves and continue growing. One cannot grow so proud to think themself infallible, or they will inevitably topple. Show kindness, make friends, support others, and one will find themself supported in turn.

An absolute faith in these qualities is why duels still dictate the rulers of Coronus. Coronus is split apart by its peaks, and each peak has a King of the Mountain. The King lives in a dedicated home, and at any time, anyone can challenge them to a duel. The duel is public. Should the current King win, they continue ruling. Should they lose, the home and seat of government passes to the victor.

This, in any case, is how it ought to work. In a land based on strength, there are always those who are willing to resort to less than savory means. To these ends, the King is in charge of a small militia, staffed by those of their choosing. This militia helps guard the King's home and acts as law enforcement on their Peak.

If the King rules well, there will be relatively few challenges to duel, as a sign of respect for a job well done. If the King rules poorly, then they will be challenged often, and if they refuse to respect those calls to duel? Coronus's history is littered with uprisings and rebellions. Corruption is weakness, and ousting a corrupted ruler is always a noble pursuit.

In the past, conflict between rebels and Kings have reduced entire peaks to ash. Towns and cities were left empty and fallow, until the earth could recover and grow again. Now, there is the Flame Emperor. Among all the Mountain Kings, the strongest of them all is the Flame Emperor, and one of his primary duties is to lead the others in putting down a conflict that will not end.

Each peak in Coronus is largely independent, akin to a city-state, but all answer to the Flame Emperor. The Mountain Kings meet up regularly at the peak of the current Emperor to talk of affairs in their respective Peak and make collective decisions as a nation.

When a Mountain King or Flame Emperor dies, there is no hereditary power. An heir apparent may be selected, but they must succeed in a gauntlet of battles from any challengers to actually secure the position. If there is no heir, then a tournament is organized among those interested in taking over.

Justice System

An eye for an eye.

International Relations

Coronus considers itself the best place in all the land: best culture, best people, best food, best land, and thus it concerns itself little with the affairs of other nations.

Dolsia

Being the ones who ousted Dolsia from the mountains in the first place, Coronus largely has little empathy for the Dolsian plight. If they wanted to live on the mountain, then they should have been stronger. Whatever those strange little birds are doing down in their caves is their business. The vitriol Dolsia holds towards Coronus is very much one-sided. Dolsians tend to be considered weak, with an affection for the needlessly complex.

That said, they are not unwelcome on Coronus. Coronus is secure in its control of the mountains, and they trade as gladly with Dolsia as any other. Due to the rarity of Dolsian immigrants--and Coric folks aren't often descending to the caves either--their understanding of each other's culture is very surface level.

Eniya

If Coronus considers any other country a threat, its Eniya. Eniya is large, populous, and protected by its magnificent desert. They have come to blows in the past in a war over Sayil, and this has not been forgotten. Leaders in Coronus treat Eniyans with a rare formality, keeping them at arm's length, and this chill is returned. Eniyans fear Coronus, its fire, and all its dragons. Coric commoners, however, often find themselves bonding with Eniyans, attracted to their gregarious and adventurous spirit.

Olitskur

Olitskur and its ianthina are a virtually unknown in Coronus; stories of the place are near legendary. Entirely land-locked, most Coric people have never seen the ocean, much less those who live there. Any exposure to ianthina are those who've made the transition to landdwelling life, or the rare freshwater commune.

The one exception to this is dragonriders. Riders with particularly strong dragons have seen the lights from above. Some have hunted those lights, but there has been a much stronger movement towards curiosity. People want to know if the legends are true. Certain dragonriders have become trusted visitors to the Olitsken homeland, able to travel safely with no risk of running into Olitsken raiders.

Sayil

Coronus's relationship with Sayil is overwhelmingly positive. When Sayil was first establishing itself as a real nation--something more than a scattered collection of villages in the woods--Eniya took that as revolt. Up until that point, it had considered all of Enchiron but the Coric mountains to be its own, and so Coronus stepped in to rescue the infant Sayil from invaders (and protect itself from Eniya's overreach). A great fondness for the young country remains alive and well, fostered by the active trading between the countries. If someone from Coronus is going on vacation, it is often to Sayil, and those tired of Coronus's everlasting conflict similarly tend to retire there.

Theriad Caravans

Caravaners face relatively little prejudice in Coronus. Whether or not someone believes in the Devourer or Lifebringer, the Coric impulse is always to evaluate someone on their own merits, first and foremost. And most Caravaners that travel through Coronus are, first and foremost, seen to be wonderful entertainers. Caravaners are often interested in joining Coric games, and they are welcomed in turn and trade freely.

This positive relationship is, however, somewhat one-sided. Some in Coronus see caravans as weak, poorly defended, and thus Coric highwaymen and extortionists are a pervasive danger for caravans who travel up into the mountains.

Economy

Barter and sale.

Dragon Taming

Dragon taming is a time-tested and honorable career for an ignii. Dragons are revered in Coric society, so being able to befriend one is a huge mark of honor--all the more so if you can do that for many. Dragon parents are able to leave a tamer at any time if they find the tamer's home substandard, so a successful career in taming requires a mountain of trust and an intimate knowledge of the chosen dragon species's preferences. Different people specialize in different species, and they raise the dragons for different purposes. Some are raising pets, and others raise working dragons (ex: mounts, blacksmith assistants, chef assistants, disability supports, herding, etc). Some people who run rescues for injured dragons, and other people run shelters for dragons that want a new home. (Sometimes, a homeless dragon will just return to the wilderness, but some aren't capable or--having lived in the company of ignii--prefer it.) Dragons have a long memory and recognize faces, and they'll point out ignii that can be trusted or are to be avoided to others in their family pod.

Different tamers have different strategies for taming dragons, and some are very secretive about their methods. Dragon breeding generally happens without ignii intervention. There's a certain subset of people who are convinced egg thieving and imprinting on the hatchling is the only way to successfully tame certain species of dragons--particularly for the more challenging species. While it is effective, improper socialization causes major issues when these dragons encounter others of their kind, and they often flounder if ever released back to the wild. Egg thieving is considered abusive in the modern day.

The most common method of taming involves spending time around a dragon and offering it things it likes (usually either food or things it hoards) until it begins to show an interest in you. It's a very dangerous process, however, because if anything gets pushed too far too quickly, or a dragon's invisible rule is broken, they may attack. Younger dragons are easier to tame, but parent dragons can be very protective of nests. Older, successful tamers are friends with parent dragons, allowing them access to hatchlings, and thus they can foster a whole family line.

Cuisine

The rich volcanic soil makes for great farming, allowing Coric farmers to grow a huge variety of crops at lower elevations. At higher elevations, farming becomes more restricted as the air gets thinner and the weather colder, but a robust trade system means those living higher rarely lack. Their diets typically are savory and salty, with more vegetables than you might expect. Grilling is the most common form of cooking, as is braising. Coronus has mastered spit and pit roasting. Coronus loves big, bold flavors and spicy foods. At higher elevations, cheese and cream based dishes become more popular, as more herding occurs there.

Religion

The great dragon that anointed them the worthy.

Guardian Dragons

Coric civilizations exist in a constant tension with the larger dragons they call neighbors. Large dragons tend to be antisocial, and in the worst of cases, they can be actively antagonistic to Coric settlements in their territories. But, at the same time, large dragons most embody the might and heat that Corics so worship. The bigger they are, the longer their lives, and the closer they're considered to be to their collective Mother.

Dragons that have maintained a peaceful relationship with their Coric neighbors or appeared at an auspicious moment in a community's history are often adopted as the Guardian of that community. The Guardian is given the community's name, and pious ignii will make pilgrimages to visit it. Offerings to the Guardian are akin to offerings to the Mother, and they are thought to bring good fortune. Occasionally, if one cultivates enough of a positive relationship with the Guardian, it may grant a boon. There are many legends of Guardian Dragons saving towns from disaster or granting a supplicant just the gift or omen they needed to navigate a conflict.

Guardianship can be revoked if the dragon turns on its community, and this is typically treated as a failing on the part of the town to appropriately honor it, rather than the whims of the dragon. Fallen Guardians are considered creatures of tragedy. When a Guardian dies, the entire community goes into mourning, and the position will remain vacant until another worthy dragon appears. While Guardians are almost universally large, there have been a few notable cases where a small dragon was chosen.

Culture

Hedonistic.

Strength

Coric culture values strength and athleticism above all else. The strongest person in the room is the one who can protect those they love; they can defend themself from anyone who seeks to trample them; and they have shown a patience and dedication to improvement of the self that is to be respected. Coronus is a dangerous place: for all the love ignii show to dragons, large species of dragons can and do see them as potential prey.

That said, strength is incompatible with cruelty. Cruelty is selfish, lazy, and antithetical to society. Coric people have a very strong sense of justice and how things ought to be, and they will band together to take out anyone they perceive to be abusing their power.

That said, this single-minded focus on strength has cultivated a rift in society. Children who are averse to fighting struggle. Often, they face bullying from their peers that gets compounded by worried parents who want them to be able to defend themselves. While things are better once grown--adults don't have such a desperate need to prove themselves, and many places in Coric society include no fighting at all--these reputations can follow.

Arts and Entertainment

Mosaics are a common art form. Drums are important in their music.

Polyamory is fairly common in Coronus. The heart wants what the heart wants, and if that's multiple people, then the more the merrier.

Childrearing

Coric children do attend schools. Education typically takes place outdoors, with a large focus on survival skills alongside more typical topics, such as reading and math. Coric education is very practical: there is always an answer to "when will I use this?" Children are split into cohorts by age, and a cohort will go through its entire education together, from youth to adulthood. Cohorts are passed from teacher to teacher and location to location as they learn their different subjects.

There are a few genres of popular names among Coric children: gemstones and metals, famous warriors and dragons, and anything with a hard consonant, something that evokes the clicking and grunting of a dragon.

Family

Ignii love their dragon brethren and nearly all will, at some point in their life, befriend a dragon and develop a companionship of some sort. Dragons are part of the family: they might be pets, pests, mounts, assistants, guides, or more.

Fashions

Coronus, being a place people fight a lot, favors leather armor. Leathers are easily accessible, since there's a strong culture of hunting and ranching, and it strikes the balance of protective and light, so people can still glide and be agile. Plate armors are not very common outside of serious battle, although chain mail is fairly popular. Outside of armor, most clothes are wool or linen, depending where on the mountains someone lives. Wool where it's cold, linen where it's hot. Scale mail and linothorax are also popular armor types.

Even beyond its protective qualities, leather is very popular. There's a massive respect in Coronus for intricate, well-done leatherwork. Fabric is typically more plain and utilitarian to highlight the more complex and visually interesting metal or leather accessories. Corics also love big chunks of shiny rock. Jewelry tends to be large, heavy, and chunky. Raw, uncut stones are featured just as often as faceted ones.

Because climbing is a necessary part of some Coric towns, there's also a tendency towards lots of pockets and belts with pouches instead of purses and bags, anything to keep one's hands free and wings unencumbered.

Coronus is also known for its quilts. What started as a way to pad clothes for protection and comfort has become quite the art form.

Death

Return them to the fires.

Romance

Hot dating tips: challenge your future spouse to a duel.

Holidays

Coronus loves holidays.

Fumir

Come autumn, as the leaves die and the weather cools, a favorite festival lights up the Coronus Mountains: Fumir. Fumir is the Coric new year, where you say goodbye to the past and release your regrets, your grudges, and your fears. Anything that holds you back is thrown to the fires so you may enter the new year unburdened and free. This is a time when enemies reconcile, secret admirers confess their feelings, and sour relationships reach their close, although many choose to simply remember. All bring their offerings to the bonfire.

Most importantly, however, Fumir is about eating lots and lots of delicious food. Fumir food is rich in flavor: heavily spiced soups, pockets of bread full of cheese and nuts, and skewers covered in sweet, spicy, sticky meat. Street food stalls pop up everywhere during the holiday, offering their wares to anyone roaming the plazas.

Ashfall

Great dragons are a subset of rare, notably large dragons that occupies the Coronus mountains, and they are especially revered by their Coric neighbors. Typically, there is a small group that tends to these dragons like priests, and when one is ready to pass, it is a funeral for the entire community. A pyre is built, and the corpse is dismantled and returned to the community and the earth: scales and skin become leather and armor; bones and claws become weapons; and every part is utilized.