Prep Seventeen

Prep #17
Describe your novel's cultural, political, and religious setting, regardless of whether the cultural setting is fictional, historical, or modern.

(1) What do your societies believe?

*Elves:           Overall, Elves prefer to stay away from other races.          They keep to themselves and distrust beings they do not know or are contrary to their beliefs. They consider themselves caretakers of the forests. Their political and religious views vary depending on their Seelie or Unseelie Courts alignments. They believe in a god pantheon where the faithful followers of a specific deity will reward their followers with rewards. Their beliefs are as varied as other life forms and are not all-inclusive.
*Seelie Court:          The Seelie Court is one of the most well-known aspects of fairy lore. They are benevolent fairies who function as arbitrators and judges in fairy disputes. They are active during the spring and summer months. The Seelie Court is the "good" counterpart of the Unseelie Court.
*Unseelie Court:          The Unseelie Court is the darker counterpart to the Seelie Court. The Unseelie Court comprises many fairies, but they're thought to attract lower types of fae such as Boggarts and Bogies. The Unseelie Court is considered ugly or even hideous and scarier. The court can comprise dark fairies and lost spirits, so they tend to be most active during autumn (Halloween) and winter.
*Dwarves:                    Dwarves have a saying, "Long Memory, Long Grudges." This refers to the lifespan of the dwarf. They respect the traditions of their clans, tracing their ancestry back to the founding of their most ancient strongholds in the youth of the world, and don't abandon those traditions lightly. Part of those traditions is devotion to the gods of the dwarven ideals of industrious labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the forge.
*Leprechauns:          Leprechauns are descendants of the collection of ancient Irish gods known as the Tuatha De Danu, the old and mystical tribe of the Irish Goddess Danu. When around other fey, they are not as prone to mischief. They can be good comrades if they trust you. They do not have political affiliations.
*Trollkind:                    Large size, one and a half the size of an elf, built like a dwarf, green-skinned, body shaped like a Troll. Knowledgeable and clever, base decisions on facts. Believe in Law and Justice. They do not have a deity they worship because it can not be proven with empirical facts.
*Ogres:                    The only Ogres in the story are used as guards under highly tight supervision. Because of their limited intelligence, quick to anger, and quicker-to-act mentality, they have jobs as guards to the Ring gates. They hold Iron Pikes. They wear leather gloves because iron is fatal to all fey, even a tiny touch.
*Gnomes:                    Half the size of Elves; Gnomes are in a hurry to get as much as they can out of all the time they have to live. The gods of the Gnomes encourage the love of life, friends, travel, fun, and travel. The culture for the Gnome is to enjoy what you do, even in the most serious of situations.

(2) In what practices do they engage?


*Elves:                    The technologies in place are that of the current period - horses, swords, magick, palaces. The Elves have the more up-to-date versions due to their affluent lifestyles; however, they also prefer to live simplistically.
*Dwarves:                    The Dwarves use what has been handed down from generation to generation. They are resistant to change. If something has proven to work elsewhere, it doesn't mean it would work for them. It would need research and time.
*Leprechauns:          As Leprechauns are cobblers, their trade is relatively unchanged for their part. They will always make the shoes how they have been for years.
*Trollkind:                    Trollkind are ruled by order, as with their society. If there is discord, it is handled promptly without hatred or bigotry, just finality. Most societies would not tolerate this because of the severity of the form of justice, but for the Trollkind, it is the apparent result.
*Ogres:                    The ogre society is not represented in this story. The ogres in the story follow the rules and regulations of the Titania Academy of Magicks and Higher Academics.
*Gnomes:                    Gnomes are energetic in all they do. They learn and ask questions all the time. Their insatiable curiosity rules them. Their interests are varied. They could be in a deep conversation with someone, stop and walk away because their mind just got bored and decided to do something else.


(3) What laws or rules of society are in place?


*Elves:                    Elves are Lawful beings. There must be Order. They despise chaos. Even Elves of the Unseelie courts hate chaos. They are Lawful Evil.
*Seelie Court:          The Seelie Court comprises an Inner and Outer Courts. The inner Court has six deities who share similar attributes. They are loyal to their Queen, Titania. The Outer Court was not primarily loyal to Titania and had to spend time elsewhere.
*Unseelie Court:          Members of the Unseelie Court wholly oppress the Seelie Court and, as such, can be expected to be detested in kind. Members of the Unseelie Court are expected to engage in Wild Hunts, riding atop nightmares and aiding by yeth hounds.
*Dwarves:                    Clan and ancestry are important motivators to dwarves. A dwarf might seek to restore a clan's lost honor, avenge an ancient wrong the clan suffered, or earn a new place within the clan after having been exiled. Or a dwarf might search for the axe wielded by a mighty ancestor, lost on the field of battle centuries ago.
*Leprechauns:          Most Leprechauns were not very trusting of Dwarves, finding them too greedy, but they were on good terms with Elves and Gnomes. In general, they would be cordial with strangers but never invite them to their lairs. If they found an injured person, one might be taken to their shelter for help, but only if blindfolded and not followed. Leprechauns preferred to live in pleasant, grassy valleys with rolling hills, living in comfortable and dry furnished caves with fireplaces and rugs. They gathered in families or clans of about a score of individuals and never in large enough numbers to form a village or town.


*Trollkind:                    Trollkind usually lives within walking distance of either Elven or Dwarven domains and is considered friendly and beneficial to the groups. However, this has not prevented them from creating their customs, laws, and societal norms and practices. They greatly aid their society and others by their willingness to assist other cultures.
*Ogres:                    Ogres do not live near each other; they have their territories. This is due to the amount of food required to sustain one Ogre. Another factor in their solitude is their aggressive behavior.
*Gnomes:                    There are ten different Gnomes sub-species, each displaying other traits. The Gnomes have gone through several evolutionary cycles in recent history, partly because they have lived near the Elves. They are now to the point where they are very conscious about the environment and their place in the world.


(4) Who/what enforces the laws and rules, and how successful are they?


*Elves:                    Due to each race having specific rules and regulations, they enforce their people. However, Trollkind can be used to assist in the enforcement.
*Seelie Court:           Due to each race having specific rules and regulations, they enforce their people. However, Trollkind can be used to assist in the enforcement.
*Unseelie Court:          Due to each race having specific rules and regulations, they enforce their people. However, Trollkind can be used to assist in the enforcement.
*Dwarves:                    Due to each race having specific rules and regulations, they enforce their people. However, Trollkind can be used to assist in the enforcement.
*Leprechauns:          Due to each race having specific rules and regulations, they enforce their people. However, Trollkind can be used to assist in the enforcement.
*Trollkind:                    Due to each race having specific rules and regulations, they enforce their people. However, Trollkind can be used to assist in the enforcement.
*Ogres:                    Orges enforce their disputes.
*Gnomes:                    Due to each race having specific rules and regulations, they enforce their people. However, Trollkind can be used to assist in the enforcement.


(5) What technologies are in use?


*Elves:                    N/A
*Seelie Court:          N/A
*Unseelie Court:          N/A
*Dwarves:                    N/A
*Leprechauns:          N/A
*Trollkind:                    N/A
*Ogres:                    N/A
*Gnomes:                    N/A


(6) How does the setting impact your protagonist(s) in their pre-story lives?


*Elves:                    The anti-hero Elf Characters come from the Kemsinher Woods, in Oriashie, home of Titania's Academy of Magicks and Higher Academics. They each head in a separate direction to begin their individual quests. They do not meet until near the climax of the story.
*Seelie Court:          N/A
*Unseelie Court:          N/A
*Dwarves:                    N/A
*Leprechauns:          N/A
*Trollkind:                    N/A
*Ogres:                    N/A
*Gnomes:                    N/A







(7) How does the setting impact the plot of your story?


The setting is one of the most essential elements in the story. This story conveys the place, times, and cultures of the societies where the individuals are located when the action occurs. The rest is just words on a page without providing a believable setting.