Empires & Factions

Pyrrhia is a much more divided place than it was in the days of old, when kingdoms were ruled by queens and dragons were happier. After a devastating event where two animus dragonesses battled for rulership of the world, known as the War for Pyrrhia, the MudWings, RainWings, HiveWings, LeafWings, and SilkWings have been driven to near-extinction and the NightWings into hiding under the Claws of the Clouds mountain range. Now, the two dragonesses' empires dominate the continent of Pyrrhia, and Pantala has been mostly overgrown and abandoned. Life is hellish for most dragons, but the world is coping.

Empires
The six kingdoms of old have been divided into two empires: the Empire of Dry Wind (ruled by Queen Porcelain) and the Empire of Many Storms (ruled by Queen Hurricane). Each is strict, and horrible for the average dragon to live within, but the two are quite different in many ways.

Due to a spell cast by the two Titan Queens after the end of the war, many dragons believe that the empires have existed for centuries, and that the Queens are much older and more powerful than they actually are. No dragons, except for the Queens themselves, know that this spell was cast (though many not affected by it, primarily outsiders to the empires, suspect that magic was involved to create this myth). The two factions are locked in constant, futile wars, battling over useless regions of high mountains, everlasting steppes, and other area destroyed by animus magic during the War for Pyrrhia.

The Empire of Dry Wind
The Empire of Dry Wind is the older and more organized of the two empires. It focuses on culture and history more than efficiency, resulting in a much more pleasant and fair civilization... or so it may seem. They claim superiority and divinity, preaching that IceWings are superior to all other tribes, and that they should rule over the rest of the world.

The empire is renowned for its strict and unforgiving caste system, much like the fallen Ice Kingdom once had. The empire's civilians are sorted into seven circles depending on their parentage; it is almost impossible to climb the ranks due to the way it is set up. When a dragonet turns three, they will be assigned to their parents' circle. One's circle is a matter of great pride or shame. If a dragonet's parents are from two different circles, they will be assigned to the lower of the two (this is to prevent breeding outside of one's circle).

SandWings are victims of heavy discrimination; almost all of them occupy the lower three circles, and even the poorest IceWing rarely sinks lower than the Third or even Fourth Circle. SandWings often take up jobs in labor or the military, where their superior strength and combat abilities can be used to their full extent. IceWings typically either don't work, or take jobs as artists/designers/performers, positions of authority, or government officials.

Obedience to their 'loving mother', Queen Porcelain, is ingrained into the empire's flesh and bones; disobedience and organized rebellion are nearly impossible in the empire. All dragons who wear a circle necklace (all except for young dragonets and the most noble of nobles) are perfectly obedient due to a spell placed upon the pendants, and can quickly become the queen's puppets at any time. It is illegal to remove said necklace, under threat of imprisonment or execution, and those who lack permission to consistently take it off will be apprehended by mind-controlled guards and brought to Porcelain.

The Empire of Many Storms
The Empire of Many Storms is brutally efficient, a society ruled by fear that functions like a well-oiled machine more than a cohesive society.

Dragonets are thrust into military training or trade school as soon as they can walk or fly, and will remain in their assigned profession until the day they become elders, upon which they will be killed. Mandatory breeding seasons are hosted every three months, when the whole empire will gather and pick mates to have a clutch with. Gravid females will be allowed time off of work to lay their eggs, but once the clutch is laid the eggs must be sent to the Wingery, a massive compound in which eggs are hatched and young dragonets are trained.

Any dragon even suspected of disobedience, whether or not they're guilty of it, is immediately arrested and brought to the Queen's Grand Arena. Hurricane doesn't care whether they win or lose, just that they fight. Prisoners who the queen finds to be 'boring' in the ring will be moved to the lower levels of her dungeons, where they will be brutally tortured by Peridot (or one of the queen's other torturers) for the queen's entertainment. The bodies of the dead are dropped into the sea.

Almost no dragons know who their families are, and honestly, Hurricane doesn't care either. The only lineages she tracks are her own and those of the richest, most influential nobles; thus, incest is somewhat more common than it probably should be. Deformed or unusual dragonets are killed immediately upon birth, unless the queen believes they can be useful to her (i.e. animi, firescales, etc.).

Much like in the Empire of Dry Wind, the two tribes encompassed within Hurricane's rule are divided; SkyWings make up the aristocracy and majority of the military, whereas SeaWings form the working class and peasantry. SkyWings are allowed much more power and freedom, and the tribe's rudimentary and largely unused legal system is heavily biased against the mountain dragons. Cases of SeaWings being mistreated and discriminated against are common; even the youngest of dragonets are taught this bias.

The Black Talon
The Black Talon is a rebel organization formed almost entirely of NightWings who escaped from the Titan Queens during the War. They live deep in caves below the mountains, and are the faction who enchanted and raised the Prophesized Six. They are led by a dragoness referred to as The Battlewinner, named in reference to the last NightWing queen before the NightWing Exodus. They harbor at least one animus within their ranks. Their primary motto, "We Will Survive", is often found carved in hidden places all over Pyrrhia, as well as a black talonprint symbol stamped nearby.