Hello everyone ! It's...been a while, since I last post anything. Sorry
But rest assured this fic is neither forgotten nor abandonned !
Since it's Christmas, I have a good surprise for you : a BIG update !
Have a happy end of the year ! See you (with a bit of luck) soon !
Fanelia the dragon kingdom
Long is the history of Gaea, and so is the history of the kingdom of Fanelia, the land blessed by the dragons.
Rolling fields of fertile land with deep forests is what Fanelia is known for, not the wealthiest country of the planet, nor the largest, but it's been prosperous nonetheless. It's capital, who gave the name of the country, was builded as a fortress at the bottom of the cliffs of the Drake mountains and was near impossible to take on by enemies because its defenses were high, it was nicknamed The Dragon Nest.
One may think the country is weak, or a farmer's land, and that person would be wrong. Fanelia was not known for its production of goods, but for its legends, and its people.
When Gaea was young, and the gods in constant turmoil over who would claim which land for itself, the dragon god of the sky, the great Escaflowne, chose a mountain, and its surrounding lands to claim as his own. Dragons were numerous and free to roam, sky dragons flying high, and land dragons roaming the mountains and plains, even water dragons were found in the rivers and lakes. A nicety between the dragon god of the sky, and its brother the dragon god of the sea, the great Jesha, who was revered in the land of Asturia.
With such a population, no settlement of men, or beastmen, could hope to prosper, as long as lands were not claimed and gained peace through the benevolence of a god, and the territory of Fanelia was avoided as much as possible. During that time of gods fights, and settlement of territories, men were wandering the planet to settle wherever they could, trying to survive the strife between the gods. Jesha, the dragon gods of the sea, was making typhoons, and tsunamis whenever he was displeased over the humans trying to dwell on his waters where the kingdom of Asturia would later prosper. For Jesha finally one day took a fancy to some humans who made a satisfactory offering to him, and his river brethren. Escaflwone himself was not a peaceful god by his nature as a dragon. His rage was feared by all for the skies would respond to his roar with thunder and lightning, rain and winds strong enough to destroy everything in its path.
But at long last, the land claimed by Escaflowne was settled, and the war between the gods ended, and human life started to wander the dragon land to find a home. According to the legend, the first king of Fanelia, tired of seeing his people, friends and family suffer from the endless wandering, walked up to the nest of the god, and managed through wits, and strength to get acknowledged as the human ruler of the newborn kingdom. For the dragon god himself, gave a piece of his heart. Or so goes the legend, and why each king has to bring back a fresh drake energist to access the throne.
Fanelia was not a farmer country at its core, but a warrior one. For as long as the kingdom has existed sword masters, and great samouraï learned their skill there, others were born and raised in these lands, some of these warriors became legends, and some of them were still revered all across Gaea. Some of the legendary warriors who went down in the history of the dragon kingdom had been women, a thing that was still uncommon in other countries of Gaea. For in Fanelia, your strength comes from your heart, not your gender. A rather unpopular idea depending on who was asked. And those tend to learn quickly, and painfully the saying of the country they were mocking : a dragon is dangerous enough, but even them bow to the wrath of a dragoness.
As time passed the kingdom made its place in the world. Fanelia, like a lot of warrior countries, also possess its own guymelef army, with famous pilots, in addition to its skilled warriors land army, and at it's head, one guymelf, piloted by the king himself, a one of a kind melef named after the god protector and founder of their land; the Escaflowne.
The one and only legendary white dragon guymelef. Gifted by the Ispano tribe to mankind, and also a link to the ancient gods of Gaea, for the Hispano tribe was the last living link to the gods. Even if shrines, and temples, were built, and prayers offered along offerings and sacrifices, only the Hispanos were able to enter the realm of the gods. And Fanelia was the only country to still possess such an artifact. The Jesha, the jewel of the Asturia kingdom, a melef able to dwell deep under the sea, was lost in the ocean centuries ago with its last pilot as a sacrifice to gain peace after a long war. The last dragon guymelef, the land dragon melef, built by the Ispano tribe and left in the hands of humans was destroyed a long time ago and its name forgotten, lost to time and fear, but some legends still mention its incredible powers. Its last battle was so fierce and terrible, no one wanted to believe it ever happened or existed.
The only one left is the white dragon melef of Fanelia, the Escaflowne, the unique melef was the pride and treasure of Fanelia, and the ultimate proof of the blessing received by the royal family from the gods, and the tribe that was closest to them after the great purge of the Atlantis. Such an artifact of course attracted the greed of many, but no one could ever hope to gain control of the legendary white melef.
Only the king, and in rare cases the queen of the fanelian bloodline, can pilot the dragon melef, after going through a trial kept mostly secret to outsiders. Their only knowledge being that no one could pilot the Escaflowne without the ritual and blood of the kings. Several times through history the rulers were murdered to try to gain control of the melef, but none succeed and all were punished. The last one who tried, nearly three centuries before, sacrificed a young fanelian prince to Escaflowne, thinking the blood of the innocent child would be the key to control the melef. For a moment he thought he succeeded in his scheme when the armor started moving and its energist chamber pulsing, it was his last thought before the object of his greed crushed him under its foot, unworthy of even seeing its blade unsheathed. After that tragic episode, a storm of a violence never seen before took hold of the skies of all of Gaea, lasting for eleven months. People saw that as the wrath and grieving of the dragon god himself. One month per year lived by the child lost to greed and foolishness.
Ever since then no one tried to gain control of the incarnation of the god, other than the fanelian royal family. If the family ever disappeared for good, no one knew what would happen, and no one was sure they wanted to know or see it for themselves.
Still the rules to choose the new pilot of the melef were unknown to the people outside of the family, and even they were only told when the time came for them to pass the trial that would eventually acknowledge them.
For the chosen heir to accomplish the ritual, and then becoming the pilot of the dragon, one has to hunt and bring back the crystal heart of a living land dragon, it's energist, showing one strength as a warrior, along one wit, determination, and courage. Then, and only then could the heir finish the ritual of the blood pact with the legendary Escaflowne, by linking themselves, their lifeforce, to the dragon, becoming the new chosen of the god. This trial killed many, who were still remembered as beloved children of the line, but not as warriors or leaders. To be the ruler of the dragon blessed land, one has to be able to shed blood, and show one strength.
Though this hard and mysterious trial showed his own worth as a warrior, and the amount of fighters living in Fanelia, the country wasn't a warmonger. Being a true warrior is to protect those weaker than you, to know when to fight, and when to not shed blood, even dragons weren't seeking blood for the pleasure of it, but were drawn to the people who were killing in anger and pleasure. It was the deep philosophy of Fanelia, the root of the honor and pride of its people, warriors, and royal family.
As such the country wasn't the wealthiest in the world, but it was still blessed with rich soil and lands, and a number of mines were making sure to offer the resources needed to partake in trades with the other countries. Crops from the lands, ores from the mines, wood from the forests were the main items traded. Only the rares, and heavily guarded energist mines were kept from the trades accords.
Fanelia also possesses a rich variety in its population, as the strong belief of the country make it a safe haven for many. Many beast tribes made their homes in the dragon land through the ages. But three species have settled for longer than others, nearly as long as humans.
The first species is the tiger tribes, who lived in small villages across the territory, and were victims of ruthless attacks from poachers, seeking the very skin of the people, have seen a drastic decline in their numbers after the last war that opposed Fanalia to one of the other countries. For if Fanelia offers sanctuary to those in need of it, others could care less about their morals, and only see the beastmen as valuable resources. At the end of this new genocide, many have lost their lives, and the survivors held fear that the cost of their protection would lead the kingdom to abandon or resent them. Their fear was for naught , because in the face of such a cruel event, the royal family decided to adopt the orphan tigress as their only daughter and princess. thay also hardened the laws and security, slavery and beastmen hunting was a crime in their lands, no one would be forgiven if caught breaking the law.
The second species is the wolves clans, living deep in the forests and the most loyal followers of the rulers of Fanelia. Their loyalty was well known and admired, but their knowledge of healing plants was also a source of respect. Many healers across the planet dreamed of at least traveling to Fanelia to learn more about some of the medicinal plants they possess. The wolves also hold the honor of having for generations taught the art of healing to many members of the royal family and nobles of the kingdom. Friendship often bloomed between the wolves and the royals they taught. No one would dare to try to hurt the wolves though, healer they may be, but they were also fearsome hunters, and to learn to heal one should also know what can hurt. Or it used to be this way before the Zaibach golden era, where medicine was no longer dependent on plants, and science was more popular than traditions.
The third species is the monkey clans who delved high in the mountains who separate the kingdom of dragons from the holy dukedom of Freid in the south. Keepers of the borders, and exemplary traders and merchants, no one could fault them for always being cautious of their interactions with outsiders. For too long had their clans and brethren been humiliated and hunted for looking too close to humans, and yet too much like beasts. If Fanelia was their safe haven for the clan's living within its borders, many others across Gaea had perished and with them their wisdoms and secrets. Yet they were part of one of the most prolific trade of the kingdom, their alcohol were renowned and seeked by aficionados of fine wines. It is said that the medicinal wine brewed by the monkey and wolves of Fanelia, was most effective especially if consumed while bathing in one of the natural hot baths the clans treasured.
It was better to not seek the wrath of the beastmen clans in Fanelia, for if they were not defenseless themselves, the best resource of the kingdom was always prowling around, eager to get their claws and fangs in anyone foolish enough to leave the paths mean for them.
If drake energist mines were what could decide the course of a war, or the economy of a country, it was logical that to have a mine, one needed to have a dragon population. Fanelia wasn't known as the land of dragons just because of its founding legend after all. Only a few selected ones knew how many mines existed in the seemingly rural kingdom, and it was better that way as long as it could last.
There were also rumors of another tribe living withing the borders of Fanelia, a forsaken one, because if discrimination against other species was less seen there, it was impossible to accept with open arms every creatures Gaea possess. Rumors had it that, high in the mountains, even higher than the clouds, but below the leviships travel paths, were one of the last settlements of the dreaded draconians.
No one was eager to explore the mountains to see if the rumors were true or not though, for the name of the mountains kept the people at bay and for good measure. No one was foolish enough to try and explore the Fangs Mountains where the dragons made their nests come spring. Even with melefs, armies and leviships, no one dared to seek the nesting grounds of the beasts.
Those knowing the truth were not foolish enough to reveal it, not when the current king, Gaou Fanel was one who knew the truth, and would sentence to death anyone with loose lips, benevolent as he was.
Things were prosperous for the kingdom of Fanelia, until a series of events led to what people would later call The War happened. Until then no one could have predicted the young second prince of the dragons would play a part in saving the world.