Vindrgard

Vindrgard
Primary Canon Heaven's Duality Demonym Vindrite Dominant Race(s) Humans, Atchi'taii Major Deities Dreivadr, Saaldyr, Hyaldirye Official Languages ​English, Taiin
Radius Gravity Orbital Period Rotation Period

Vindrgard is a pseudo-Jovian planet in the Manaverse. It is defined by floating, city-sized crystals, a thick atmosphere with a toxic mist at sea level, advanced technology, and a cataclysm that forces society to rebuild itself every millennium. The planet is far from its sun, but the thick atmosphere mitigates the cold that would come from this fact, trapping heat and causing a perpetual temperate climate in all but the towering mountains. Storms are extremely common, though acidic precipitation can be a serious hazard after the beginning of a new cycle.

Vindrgard has one large moon and four smaller ones; it is thought that these small moons were once a single moon, but that this moon was shattered upon the end of the Third Era. Prior to this point, reports invariably stated that the planet had two moons, while reports from the Fourth Era and later tend to vary, with five being the most common figure. At least one of these small moons orbits the largest of the five.

Geography

Map of Vindrgard.

Most of Vindrgard's surface is land; the entire planet is only about 15% water (the rest of the water from the frequent storms either evaporates, becomes snow, or becomes fog and mist). As such, most of the landmass is connected, with a few scattered islands in the shallow oceans. Continents are thus separated by mountain ranges or similar defining landmarks rather than by oceans. Most of Vindrgard's surface is damp but rocky and barren; its atmosphere is slightly over twice as thick as a planet of its size should have. A heavy mist lingers at sea level; this mist contains chemicals that could easily prove fatal to humans but which the Atchi'taii absorb for nourishment. Vast crystals known as the Crystal Network float over Casabaia and Zanitrica, on which human society lives separate from Atchi'taii, due to the toxic mist on the surface.

Continents

Arcatrand

Main Article: Arcatrand

Austrova

Main Article: Austrova

Casabaia

Main Article: Casabaia

Damorcova

Main Article: Damorcova

Peradus

Main Article: Peradus

Zanitrica

Main Article: Zanitrica

Regions

Crystal Network

Main Article: Crystal Network

The Crystal Network is a group of crystals that float through a combination of Mana flow and electromagnetism; the former grants the crystals themselves pseudosentience, while the latter allows communication between crystals via AeroComm. The crystals typically range from clear blue to bright red in color, with pinks and lavenders being common mediums. They tend to be dipyramidal in shape and structure, with long, sharp, narrow spars sprouting out in varying directions. The base dipyramid of the crystal can be considered the "heart" of the city, while smaller settlements on the spars "guard" the main city, in a sense. Both humans and Crystal Striders tend to chip away at the ends of these spars, whether it be to create jewelry, to feed the Striders, or even out of boredom; this prevents the crystal from growing so large as to fall out of its "course" levitating above the surface.

Major Landmarks

Arch Range

The Arch Range is a mountain range of towering height, its peaks locked in snow year-round despite the planet's generally temperate climate and slight water shortage. Blizzards rock the area frequently; not even the Atchi'taii reside here. Instead, scarce dragons have been reported, as well as a species of great wolf-like beasts called the Ulfric. One of the crystals of the Crystal Network often passes over the southern cluster of peaks on its usual path, and another tends to glance the western end of the range.

Ecology

Races

Humans

Vindrite humans live on the Crystal Network, the massive crystals above the planet. They have evolved a somewhat symbiotic relationship with these crystals, along with the Crystal Striders, though the occasional scholar or ecologist theorizes that this is instead more of a hive mind, with the crystal as the hive's "queen", than true symbiosis. This theory is strengthened by the capability of Vindrite humans to allow their minds to "connect" with their home crystal, resulting in the telepathic, internet-like feature known as AeroComm.

Atchi'taii

The Atchi'taii (singular Atchi'tai, referred in shorthand as the Taii) are feathered/scaled sapient creatures that live on the surface of Vindrgard. They are a reserved race, though they do not understand English natively and humans do not understand and are unable to pronounce Taiin- in fact, the very name of this race is the closest approximation of the actual pronunciation that humans can manage. They are an almost purely telepathic race, possessing no mouths and supplementing their telepathy with clicks and similar noises from their limbs and large, feathered tails. They also possess antennae that allow them to filter and absorb the mist they live in, making it perfectly safe for the Atchi'taii while also providing sustenance.

Native Species

Crystal Striders

Vindrite Crystal Striders are a species of domesticated animals native to the crystals above Vindrgard. The first humans to settle there considered them pests, due to their abundance and tendency to cut away large amounts of crystal, via the blades on their legs, for food. However, it was soon discovered that the Striders were extremely docile and easily tamed, and now Vindrite humans use them as mounts, similar to horses on other planets. They are quite fast runners, reaching speeds of nearly 70 miles per hour when unmounted, due to their lithe build, but cannot carry the weight of more than one person at a time. Striders are passive animals with no natural predators, easily bred in captivity, and come in a variety of light or pastel-type colors, the most common being white, pale blue, and pale pink.

Dragons

Vindrite dragons are less humanized than the dragons on, for example, Euthora, but are still sapient and more intelligent than those on Phantasia. They are rare and reclusive, residing primarily in the mountains on the surface of the planet, but may claim an unsettled floating crystal away from human habitation. Vindrite dragons have absolutely no interest in either of Vindrgard's races, instead becoming figures of awe and fear for both, particularly because of the lasting generational memories of each Nidhoggr.

Kiccaroq

large predatory birds with teeth

Ulfric

Gigantic wolf-like monsters that roam the planet's surface, Ulfrics hunt in packs and most commonly prey on Atchi'taii. Their chests contain a furnace-like cavity which converts the toxic air into fuel, allowing them to roam unhindered by the poison, and be unaffected by the venom the Atchi'taii secrete from their quills. The leader of an Ulfric pack is called the Fenrir.

Culture

Language

Most of Vindrgard's humans speak exclusively English, though those that frequent the AeroComm have developed a sort of "slang" used almost only in the AeroComm. Additionally, the Atchi'taii on the planet's surface have their own language, Taiin, although many speak English through rare encounters with humans.

Technology

AeroComm

Main Article: AeroComm

Theology

The Pantheon

Main Article: Vindrite Pantheon

Major Gods

• Dreivadr - God of Storms - Balance between order and chaos
• Saaldyr - God of Souls - Balance between life and death
• Hyaldirye - Goddess of the Void - Balance between the eternal and the ephemeral

Minor Gods

• ??? - God of Decay
• ??? - Goddess of Knowledge

The Renewal Cycle

Every millennium, Vindrgard undergoes a violent cycle of destruction, change, and renewal. This is instigated by the era's Nidhoggr, a force of nature and eternal law that manifests itself as a mortal dragon. The dragon, near the end of its assigned era, begins to destroy human civilization before going to a superweapon, using its own soul as fuel. This results in the complete destruction of civilization and the Nidhoggr's death.

Rather than the dragon's soul going to the Spirit World, [INSERT GOD OF DECAY] (masquerading as the leader of a pack of Ulfrics) collects it and delivers it to Saaldyr, who safekeeps it until the soul has regained its strength and the world is safe enough to allow the Nidhoggr to be reincarnated as a dragon hatchling. As some humans do survive the cataclysm, this cycle of death and rebirth has caused an inherent fear of dragons to take root in Vindrite society, despite most wanting nothing to do with humans.

The Vindrite pantheon created this cycle in order to attempt to create a perfect human civilization- barring luck, only the most resourceful or resilient humans survive the end of a cycle, thus passing on these favorable traits to their offspring. Over the cycles, society itself has evolved so that each renewal is quicker and easier than the last one.

Politics

The Eiclerians

Main Article: Eiclerian

The Vindrite Calendar

The Vindrite calendar is separated into eras of approximately 1000 years each, although a single cycle can vary from 950 to 1025 depending on circumstances with the era's Nidhoggr. A year is 400 days long, separated into ten months of 40 days each. The dating system notes the day, month, era, and year in that order- for example, the fifth day of the month of Saali in the 620th year of the Third Era would be written as "5th of Saali, 3E620".

The months are as follows:

• Fjoru
• Vigi
• Fyrafl
• Saali
• Eldur
• Iolvidri
• Symdratr
• Beldi
• Villtur
• Drekk

Inhabitants

Notable Characters

• Ateiya Takzanye (Not actually from Vindrgard)
• Calemvir
• Daniel Kuvalon
• Jaguar Version 21 (Not actually from Vindrgard)
• Kienaii
• Nathair Kigyo

History

• Project Reverie: Spiralsky's placement is unknown.
  • The Eiclerians' era is unknown.
  • Heaven's Duality ~ Line in the Sand's placement is tied into the Eiclerians and is thus unknown.
• As Algorithm of Fate's placement is unknown, so is Nathair's home era, though it is likely between the eighth and ninth eras.

First Era

• Nidhoggr: Kienaii
• Humans live on the surface alongside the Atchi'taii; some contact is established, enough for both races to know of each other through the later eras
• Kienaii proves far too destructive and the pantheon has to step in to stop her

Second Era

• Nidhoggr: ???
• The end of the previous cycle displaces a perpetual storm that spreads the toxins on Vindrgard's surface; the humans flee to the Crystal Network with the aid of Taiin magic

Third Era

• Nidhoggr: ???
• The end of the cycle shatters the moon into five
• Essence of Insanity shenanigans

Fourth Era

• Nidhoggr: ???
• An Atchi'tai tribe develops a memetic trigger that teaches about one of their personal deities when conveyed telepathically

Fifth Era

• Nidhoggr: ???
• Vindrite humans make huge leaps in technological progress and develop AeroComm

Sixth Era

• Nidhoggr: Calemvir

Seventh Era

• Nidhoggr: ???
• Standard Canon Time
• Silpelits begin to spread with Jaguar's arrival
• Heaven's Duality ~ Interface (mid to late era)

Eighth Era

• Nidhoggr: ???
• Vindrite humans recover quickly from the end of the era and develop interest in space travel
• Humans begin exploring the surface more regularly

Ninth Era

• Nidhoggr: ???
• Another gigantic leap in technology; humans begin building mechanical fortresses in the sky

Trivia

• Vindrgard is in the Seventh Era around the "standard" canon time, that being around the timeframe of Cult of Ustream (Canon), Fyreborne, and Oblivion Phantasy: Forsaken Malign.
• Vindrgard was originally conceptualized after the planet creator researched a particular video game boss and found it was based on the Nidhoggr of Norse legend.