~about: the basics~

Added December 1, 2008: I figured I should write up something like this. You can read about my influences on the FAQ and, if you have any more questions, I'll be happy to elaborate. Just email or note me on one of my online accounts.

The simplest way to start would just be to say that "OneLand" was created when another world, a kind of God world I just call Morning, over flowed with magic. A lot of magical beasts, relics, and lore found in OneLand have their origin there, even though hardly any of OneLand's inhabitants know anything about it anymore. OneLand consists of 3 major countries that are all influenced by a mythological beast: There's the Unicorn, the Dragon, and the celestial Lion; (Which in our world I hear is one of the first constellations ever noted.) In my stories it's a Lion with the wings of a Crow. Each country has its own main race of people; with visual differences, customs, language, etc...

At one point in time OneLand, what ever it was called then, was a very grand and flourishing world. There was an event- a darkness, that was banished from Morning and it was sent to OneLand in a desperation to be rid of it. Doing this caused cataclysmic events and the land was torn up, the ruling house split, and most of the people died fighting the darkness, the wizard, the power- what ever It is. (Many of OneLand's legends and prophecies originate from this time.) And, ever since, the inhabitants of the place called Morning have been trying to help make up for what they had to do. If I had to come up with an example: It would be kind of like the whole christian idea of Lucifer being banished (because he was a warring threat) and now God is trying to help humans deal with him but, not always in a very hands on way and, there's conflict between the two that mortals don't always see... So, Morning and the Darkness, they always end up negating each other's power. It's gotten to the point where there are almost rules to what they can do. Things must be equal: Very much like the Russian movies Day Watch and Night Watch. In short: In OneLand the main deal is that the Darkness is trying to get back to it's home world and Morning is trying to keep it where it is.

During the cataclysm, (for lack of a better way to explain it,) and in the chaos, three huge dragons were spawned, from the dark power, as its agents. The three dragons, the World Dragons, took the form of humans and (like Zeus was want to do) stole away some mortals from the royal bloodlines. Not too long after, the eldest of the three World Dragons was slain by a beloved hero king, one of the few of the royalty to survive. In later times his name is lost and he is simply referred to as "The Dragon King" or "The Great King." The second oldest dragon managed to kill the king but was wounded and cursed, by the powers that protected the king, in the process. This curse contained it to the spot it was wounded and so it now lives on an island in the center of the world and is only strong enough to escape it's curse for a few moments every hundred years. It wreaks havoc, burns cities to the ground, eats and steals what ever it can, and flies back. You know, basic dragon stuff. There's a legend that another Dragon King will come into the world and and kill this dragon, which is just called "The World Dragon" by everyone now... but *heh* the dragon makes a preemptive strike, manages to break free early, and kills the kid before he's old enough to fight back. *Oh despair, you are so much fun* The third dragon, the youngest, disappeared when his remaining brother was wounded during his fight with the Dragon King. But... he's simply biding his time, hibernating in the safe mystical nether regions of the earth.

From the Dragon King's lines sprung a race that resides in the northern section of the remaining land. I haven't decided on a name for that land yet either; heh, I've been calling it the Dragon Land for so long that I just can't get away from it. Something with an "N" sound, it feels like it's on the tip of my tongue. Anyway, he doesn't know it, but Urack's name literally means "Second Noble Dragon" in the old speech of Morning: Ur is the number two and an "Ack" is this species of cogniscent green dragons that live in Morning. Some came over to fight -but that's a whole 'nother story.

The Dragon King's sister, Eselhelm, was the daughter of the second dragon in Unicorn form. She was a valiant fighter and was given first pick of the remaining lands. (She is often pictured in plate armor with white banners and an spiral horn-like spear of ivory.) She chose the fertile land to the south. It still bears her name and the people are called Esquitines. Keireia is her direct descendent.

The Twins, sons of the third dragon in the form of a celestial Lion, took the lands that held the most residual magic from the Place called Morning: The deserts in the East. It is called Celestine. Two lines sprung from them. One that, like the other races, is plainly mortal (the lion is their symbol), and the other (the crow is their symbol) is comprised of the only people in OneLand that can still use magic. They, the Celestials, are the smallest in number but are the most connected to Morning; the place they are the still vaguely aware of. They are forever trying to unlock it's secrets, always looking to the stars; one of the many reasons for them to do this is the desire to learn more about how to cure their world and rid it of the plague of dark powers. It's with them that the legend, of the bloodlines uniting and raising the lost land that will unite the worlds again, is kept with real excitement. Korin is one of these. He's fulfilled another prophecy too because he also unites the blood of the two desert tribes. By the way, the word Celestial, from which I thought Celestine would sound like it could be derived from as a people in a country, only came from the constellation idea that I liked, not the Celestine Prophecy- I didn't know what that was about until I googled the word this year and the Wikipedia page caught me. The fact that Korin's race has some eastern influences too is completely a coincidence.

The name OneLand comes from a legend, a prophecy, that if all the bloodlines unite again (considering they were all once brothers and sisters) that the "lost world" will arise and connect everything. As is, the three continents, and their people, are very segregated. The prophecy is an utopian idea that the nobility has been trying to follow (most of the time; there was a purging era where they tried to kill off the tainted blood- roughly like the inquisition) simply because it's been so baked into their laws. (An exemption from this "not really caring attitude" would be the Celestials.) They're doing this even if they really don't believe in it, or care about it, any more; It's been thousands of years since the world split up anyway. They're all racists who war against each other, why would they really want their blood to mix? Anyway, it's a major theme in my stories that the blood got diluted but is getting built up to a more pure 1/2 mortal 1/2 beast again and the climax, with all the prophecies, is about to happen. This connection is why I used the name for the site. It's not REALLY the name of their world, their world, their "globe," doesn't have a name. They have their countries and their world is just earth- because earth is what is under our feet.

Three and five are very important numbers in this world. Three is the number of the human realm and five is the number of the "other realm." Like how norse myths have different levels of the world tree.

There are a few other races. Hold up- I should also say: the three main "races" started because, over a great deal of time, most of the common people ended up with some nobility in their blood. (History proves: The rich always breed way too much) But, there were/are others too; there's a tribe of "Goat" people that are gypsy's that wander around the world. Twall's mom was one of them. Like the other races, there other realms than just the main three countries. There's another "plane" where fairies; all kinds of fair-folk, live. Elwren, Indra's lover, is one of these. There are also dwarves and some talking beasts, that go between the realms- that, I think, could considered races too. You know I'm all for animal rights.