Viola Avelide (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ebony_wings) wrote2027-08-31 07:10 pm
ebony_wings) wrote2027-08-31 07:10 pm
The lowdown and history of the cheeriest darkling
Firstly, an overview of Muan:
Visiting Muan, one might not see all that many differences between it and our regular old Earth, aside from differently shaped land masses and technology being roughly a hundred years back. It wasn't always this way, humanity has relatively recently bested the dark ages, with the constant threat of demons in an almost traditional style to fantasy worlds. However, magic was a strange and frightening thing, rarely being flashy without dark sacrifices or playing upon alternate dimensions. Most humans shunned it, with the exception of 'easy' offensive magic, healing arts, and grafting magic to enhancing objects (or even people), known colloquially as "spellbinding". Only those bold enough to seek to understand magic outside of superstition or the guidance of others could truly be called "mages".
However, the humans did initially have help. The fairies were guardians of nature, helping humans survive against the dark forces that would seek to subjugate or end them. However, as humans succeeded against demons and their population began to explode, they turned to science more than magic, to break their reliance on the fey. In turn though, when this world's industrial revolution occurred, there was far less investment in coal mining, and more in harvesting energy that would not cause pollution. Ultimately, what drew the supernatural out of the lens of the majority of humans was mere overpopulation, though malicious campaigns against non-humans did rear their ugly head every now and then.
But it turned out that the demons had friends on this side, the unseelie fae. Chaotic, amusement seeking creatures, they are the strongest creatures who rule the night, but rather than boldly attack humans as the demons have, a majority prefer to manipulate and corrupt from the shadows, though they can certainly fight if pushed. They can use spellbinding to create alternate spaces, turn humans into monsters, and lead them astray. The only thing standing in the way between them and wreaking havoc on all of humanity are the fey hunters, humanoids who have taken up the mantle in keeping the creatures of night at bay. (As a note, fey is not a catchall term for "supernatural creature", but refers to those who have lineage with the "common" fairy... a mistake easy to make even in this world.)
The nation state of Merigana, where much of Viola's world takes place, is a land divided into several states but united by a single main government, which then doles out the rules so that the individual states, ruled by regents, can make peace with each other. Similar to America, it was founded by people rebelling from the main church Melio Ecclesia, who easily lorded over the continent Plutia. As the land was only scarcely occupied by certain humans, these rebels eventually spread their influence, enough to battle Melio Ecclesia down to a stalemate once they inevitably gave chase. This sect of the church, known simply as "Mountain of Faith", continues its influence, being much more friendly and forgiving of any monster that is not an unseelie fey.
A powerful, mad entity known as Blackmore has surfaced from time to time, bringing deadly organization to the normally chaotic unseelie. Whenever she gathers enough troublemakers and evildoers, she will launch campaigns of chaos against humanity, and only the bravery of a few strong fairy hunters keeps her from getting her way. Not too long ago, a team, gathered by Mountain of Faith and backed by various nobles, managed to launch a surprise attack against a hidden but widespread cult that attempted to revive the vampiric being.
This is how Viola's father and mother met.
Visiting Muan, one might not see all that many differences between it and our regular old Earth, aside from differently shaped land masses and technology being roughly a hundred years back. It wasn't always this way, humanity has relatively recently bested the dark ages, with the constant threat of demons in an almost traditional style to fantasy worlds. However, magic was a strange and frightening thing, rarely being flashy without dark sacrifices or playing upon alternate dimensions. Most humans shunned it, with the exception of 'easy' offensive magic, healing arts, and grafting magic to enhancing objects (or even people), known colloquially as "spellbinding". Only those bold enough to seek to understand magic outside of superstition or the guidance of others could truly be called "mages".
However, the humans did initially have help. The fairies were guardians of nature, helping humans survive against the dark forces that would seek to subjugate or end them. However, as humans succeeded against demons and their population began to explode, they turned to science more than magic, to break their reliance on the fey. In turn though, when this world's industrial revolution occurred, there was far less investment in coal mining, and more in harvesting energy that would not cause pollution. Ultimately, what drew the supernatural out of the lens of the majority of humans was mere overpopulation, though malicious campaigns against non-humans did rear their ugly head every now and then.
But it turned out that the demons had friends on this side, the unseelie fae. Chaotic, amusement seeking creatures, they are the strongest creatures who rule the night, but rather than boldly attack humans as the demons have, a majority prefer to manipulate and corrupt from the shadows, though they can certainly fight if pushed. They can use spellbinding to create alternate spaces, turn humans into monsters, and lead them astray. The only thing standing in the way between them and wreaking havoc on all of humanity are the fey hunters, humanoids who have taken up the mantle in keeping the creatures of night at bay. (As a note, fey is not a catchall term for "supernatural creature", but refers to those who have lineage with the "common" fairy... a mistake easy to make even in this world.)
The nation state of Merigana, where much of Viola's world takes place, is a land divided into several states but united by a single main government, which then doles out the rules so that the individual states, ruled by regents, can make peace with each other. Similar to America, it was founded by people rebelling from the main church Melio Ecclesia, who easily lorded over the continent Plutia. As the land was only scarcely occupied by certain humans, these rebels eventually spread their influence, enough to battle Melio Ecclesia down to a stalemate once they inevitably gave chase. This sect of the church, known simply as "Mountain of Faith", continues its influence, being much more friendly and forgiving of any monster that is not an unseelie fey.
A powerful, mad entity known as Blackmore has surfaced from time to time, bringing deadly organization to the normally chaotic unseelie. Whenever she gathers enough troublemakers and evildoers, she will launch campaigns of chaos against humanity, and only the bravery of a few strong fairy hunters keeps her from getting her way. Not too long ago, a team, gathered by Mountain of Faith and backed by various nobles, managed to launch a surprise attack against a hidden but widespread cult that attempted to revive the vampiric being.
This is how Viola's father and mother met.