Realm Contest (Judged!)

[FlyingPanther]

Realm Name: Bacchan Vinyards

Lay of the Land: The rather large size region is completely covered in vinyards, some specializing in reds, whites, and sometimes even specializing in both, or desert wines. There are also a few of the Vineyards that solely use their grapes as grapes and raisens, or in some case juices. There are scattered grass feilds here and there, one or two trees littering amongst it for shade during festivals held there. Close to the Court of Hearts is the Theatre of Dionysus, yes, just like in Ancient Greece, they to have a Theatre to Dionysus.

Colors/Patterns: Bacchae are considered amongst the most beautiful of all the regions, the men being rather feminine and the women being absolutely model quality with their veluptuous curves. They are definately up there in the scale with Avingtons, Morganberries, and Highlanders, and are thought to possibly be a mix of these regions if not more. They tend to be the colors of wines, their base color usually a beautiful maroon wine color, and on rare occation can be a white wine color. Their markings form beautiful bubble like markings, bordering on dappling, as well as sweeping stroke like markings. These come in several different wine related colors, a darker Red Wine or on occation White Wine, and on even rarer occation, purple, green (like red and white grapes), golden brown or a dark black (like the color of raisens). If they ever have manes, which they commonly do, it is curly and blond in coloration. If on the rare occation it is not blond, it is jet black, however this is considered undesirable in looks compared to the blond hair. They often wear golden or silver jewelery that looks like vines or grapes.

History: The history of the Bacchae is a very long and strange one. It makes one wonder what exactly was in the mind of the people that first settled and began to create the region. For the sake of time, this is the briefest history I can attempt to write.

It all started when one of the colonists of the region had come across the ancient text of Eurpidies' The Bacchae. (for shortness' sake, here is the Wikipedia page where you can read the synopsis: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bacchae) Being a man who wasn't exactly well...sane...he grew crazy with fear of the God Dionysus. What great power one must have to convince one's own mother to rip their beloved son to shreds! And he, like Pentheus (the son who was ripped apart), also was an unbeliever in the god Dionysus! But he was going to be quick to rid himself of his ignorance, and upon that day he decided he would henceforth worship the god, and tell others of his awesome power.

For many a year he wandered around the known regions, preaching of what could happen to anyone if they did not worship Dionysus, and he spoke of the benifits of worshiping such a god: beauty, fame, and revelry. Many thought him completely crazy, and still others believed him to have connection with the god himself. After a time, he grew to have a company, and they set out to find a land to call their own, and to devote it to their god Dionysus. Along their travels they picked up all sorts of ancient texts, and pretty much anything that ever had to do with Dionysus.

When they had finally set a claim of land to themselves, with the help of wine-loving Highlands, they called the land the Bacchan Vinyards, after their lord, and what would come to be their trade. They flourished, their lands quickly being covered in Vineyards, all testiments to their love for their god, and it is thought that they became prosperous because he grew happy with them. But Dionysus was not only the god of wine. He was a Liberating god, one who allowed his worshipers an annual festival, where they could wander in the wilderness, and become one with it, drinking and partying, hunting, and of course, having lots and lots of sex. And so they created a way to allow themselves once a year to 'let down their hair' so to speak, and worship their god to their fullest extent.

When they attempted to find other texts on their god, they also found other plays, both including him, and others written by the playwrite Euripides. It was then they also decided to take up Theatre, as they saw it as a form of Revelry and a cleansing of the soul through it's tragic tales.

It is strange that the company that would be the founding fathers of what is known now as the Bacchan Vineyards, seemed to have very little trouble in founding themselves, and seemed to have equally little trouble becoming known for fantastic wines and preformances. Perhaps, Dionysus is watching over them...

Location: It is located directly above the Highlands and along side Avington, spreading into the west. It covers part of the road to the Court of Hearts.

Feelings: They are very well recieved by most all regions, this is due to their temperment and their trade. Wine makes everyone happy after all. They are a very welcoming people, and are always hospitible to wanderers. They are also extremely well known and recieved for their Theatre, and acting skill. It is not uncommon to see a Bacchae in any theatre production outside of the Vineyards. They are probably looked up to even by certain regions, though the exact regions are unknown. It is as common to see them in royalty as it is to see a highlander in royalty, possibly having to do with the fact that they might have 'evolved' from the Highlands among other regions.

However, their playful, seductive, and generally kind demenors can have a darker tone. If you EVER cross one of the Bacchae, they can prove to have an extremely vengeful and even murderous personality. The rule of thumb is NEVER to double cross them, and always to treat them with the same kindness and respect that you would wish to recieve. A little ass kissing never hurt anyone either with the Bacchae. In fact, it helps you get free wine and sex.

Basically, they are thought of as extremely beautiful and kind regioners, but can potentially have a darker side if provoked.

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Where it is located on the map


This is a very common looking Bacchae, a Male Bull. Bulls and cows are actually really common breeds amoung the Bacchae, and its thought that it was bred into the region to properly praise Dionysus (whos animal was a bull). This one is a little more masculine looking then most of the Bulls, or Bacchae in general. He has the most common coloration, and very little markings compared to most Bacchae, whos sweeping markings are often alot thicker, and tend to meld in with the base color (much like morganberry colors meshing into eachother). Isn't he a pretty boy <3.

[Vyn]

Realm Name: Desuric Fjord

Lay of the Land: The vast majority of the Desuric Fjord is water. What little land there is can be found in the steep cliffs surrounding the ocean inlet and even then the cliffs are largely inhospitable. Residents have adapted to living on modified docks extending from the cliff base and out into the water or take up residence in houseboats. The only way to travel through the region is by flight or boat.

Despite branching off of the Selkie Lakes, there is little natural drinking water within the region. Natives have evolved to being able to drink the toxic water but the few outsiders that risk a drink will find themselves suffering highly unpleasant side effects that range all the way from mild hallucinations to death.

The overall aura of the Desuric Fjord is one of mystery with a hint of chill foreboding. A heavy fog lays over the still black water at all times and the sun never seems to penetrate the heavy cloud cover of the daytime sky. At night, however, its a completely different story. The fish in the area have bioluminescent mutations similar to those of deep sea fish and, at nightfall, the inlet is alive with the ghostly lights beneath the surface.

Colors/Patterns: Residents are varying shades of sea blues and blue-greens and (on rare occasions) blue-purples with seaweed-like markings in lighter shades of their respective coat-colors or in black. Eyes are typically bright ice blue, any other color is considered odd. All Desurian children are given a piece of gold jewelry by the parents.

Mutations are not entirely uncommon and typically consist of fish-like scales or, in rare occasion, tentacle growths.

History: The first inhabitants of the Desuric Fjord were a ragtag group of exiles sent to their deaths in that cold and inhospitable strip of toxic sea water. With enough rations to last them a month, they were left upon a small strip of beach to live or die as nature saw fit. As days turned to weeks, the group managed to survive better than anyone would've predicted until one night when everything changed. No history texts accurately document what made the first man stumble to the sea for his first drink of that black water, but the night he did everything changed.

Within hours a quiet sort of madness took over him. He could hear an unearthly music playing somewhere in the middle of the lake and as he fell to sleep his dreams were filled with strange and fantastical beings. When the camp awoke the following morning he told them all what he had heard and of the dreams he'd had but his tales were passed off as the ramblings of a mad man. Yet, night after night strange occurrences began to steal over the camp. Men and women dropped liked flies, supplies ran afoul and more and more people began to hear that unearthly music from the center of the lake. On the first full moon following his drink from the tainted waters, the man returned to the much depleted group and told them he had had a dream in which the creature which lived beneath the lake claimed it would give them all that they would need to survive so long as they did something for the creature in return: once a month a sacrifice must be left at the small isle in the center of the fjord where the water was darkest and then -and only then- would their water be safe to drink, their fishing ever bountiful, and the secrets of the fjord's wealth revealed to them.

The group swiftly split into two groups, the believers and the non-believers. The believers, calling themselves the Order of Narilaqu for that was what the creature of the lake called itself, were quick to amass and on the night of the sacrifice they kidnapped a man from the non-believers and took him to the center of the lake as commanded. As promised the Order's nets were always full with fish, the water grew safe for them to drink and when at last the final member of the non-believers was sacrificed, they discovered a gold mine in the caves along the cliff base. Over time their colors changed to the colorations seen today, supposedly a marking of the Order of Narilaqu.

As years passed, the Order appears to have become more myth than reality but outsiders remain unable to drink from the black water and, behind closed doors, the Order remains strong within the ranks of the Desurians. Outwardly, however, they appear to be a wayward band of gypsy-like creatures, known for their skills in goldsmithing and barding. Their unearthly jewelry is world-renowned and their music has a haunting edge to it that is both unsettling and strangely alluring. They guard their secrets jealousy, which has made them more enemies than friends especially between the Villas and the Selkies.

Each Desurian child is given a piece of golden jewelry handcrafted by one of their parents. They may sport opals, pearls or sapphires but any other gem or stone is considered to taint the jewelry.

Location: Borders the Selkie Lakes and extends down past the Villa en Miir. Large but mostly water.

Feelings: Due to the highly unusual nature, mannerisms and history of the Desurians, many regions tend to give them a rather wide birth. They are considered heathens by some of the more 'upper-class' regions and the courts especially and there are rumors of the whole lot being cannibalistic, not to mention the frequent habit of outsiders vanishing from thin air in the middle of the night.

Yet despite the fear and unsettling aura of the area and the inhabitants, many can't help but visit. Curiousity draws the majority of visitors, but the Desurian's skill in goldsmithing, their exotic brand of music, and the exquisite calamari dishes available make them a prime spot for trading and vacationing -- so long as one can risk the oddity of the natives.

(I apologize for the length of this and if anything was incoherent. Vyn is quite tired. For examples of the jewelry, Nat, feel free to PM me about them. [snug])

[Yuiven]

Realm Name: Kaimana Ocean

Lay of the Land: The waters of Kaimana Ocean are, in one word, pristine- uncontaminated by pollutants caused by modern civilization. Warm, glittering white sand covers the ocean floor. Interspersed with a brightly coloured coral reef are a variety of rocks. All kinds of marine animal and plant life call this home.

An earthquake had cleaved a stretch of ocean floor similar to the rupture in the Yarrow Gardens. It's a long and narrow crevasse merging into a cold, crushing darkness. Gases that escaped during its initial eruption helped give birth to floating islands. Several large land masses hanging in midair over Kaimana Ocean. It's possible these floating islands support life, but no one- including the natives of this region- would know for sure. Occasionally gases still escape from the depths of this fissure as searing white puffs of steam crack open the ground, bleeding lava that heats up the water. It's death to go near when that happens.

Located on the bottom of the cold waters of Kaimana Ocean, miles away from the fissure, lies the main kingdom. An underwater city arranged in an odd circular formation, with clear pathways leading to a kind of hub: a grand citadel. The faint pearly gleam of beautifully polished buildings constructed out of marble and concrete and built in the style of ancient Roman architecture. Since most of the inhabitants breathe air and not water, the sunken city is designed to make sure they never drown. Every room in each building has airy caverns, fully furnished. Life sustaining machinery hums in the background, lending an eerie aura to the cityscape.

Colors/Patterns: Most natives of this region have bodies sleek as a dolphin. Born in monochromatic shades of blue, ranging from light blue to navy, with striking white webbing patterned over the contours of their bodies. As if they were part of the water. Their eyes are black. A little set of pectoral flippers is situated on their forelimbs to aid in steering. Everyone has a dorsal fin between their shoulders. On average, females have a short, slightly curved dorsal fin, and males have tall, upright dorsal fin. The powerful, streamline tail end in either flukes or caudal fins. Their slightly webbed fingers give them added impetus when swimming.

Gills are a rare yet advantageous mutation that not only allows an individual to breathe underwater; it also enables communication in the common tongue. It is interesting to note that those with gills can just as easily breathe air.

The ones possessing a bipedal form have the ability to transform the lower half of their bodies from a pair of legs to a tail at will, enabling the individual to swim faster. It isn't outside of the realm of possibility for individuals with a human form to change their legs into a tail too, but nobody has ever seen such a transformation.

History: This might sound strange, but over the course of thousands of years Kaimana Ocean gradually developed its own sentience. Now it is a conscious entity that thinks and feels. Kaimana Ocean is regarded as a female by the people who love their "Mother Ocean," speaking of her in reverent tones. These people are known as the Kaiman (pronounced kai-mahn).

What are the Kaiman? To put it simply, they are a race of mer-people. Like dolphins they are mammals and must breathe air (unless they have gills), but they can hold their breath for thirty minutes up to an hour. It depends on the individual. They don't have blowholes but they can close up their noses. Since most can't breathe water, they can't speak the common tongue underwater either unless they've surfaced. So when submerged they use a special language that sounds like the clicks, whistles, and squeaks a dolphin makes. The Kaiman are shy, friendly, courteous, yet too trusting mer-people. After all, they have never had to deal with betrayal or lies in their lives. Everything has always been right up front. So although they know in theory that people do lie, they don't understand how others could do such a thing. Consider this a warning because they can hold a grudge until the day the world crumbles to dust. If you dare offend a Kaiman in any way, your name will be dishonoured in their stories and songs, which form their history and are recounted through the ages.

Kaimana Ocean inhabitants are renowned as master storytellers, weaving fantastic tales that often leave the audience spellbound until the story has reached its conclusion. They also have beautifully melodious singing voices. Large crowds gather just to hear one of their stories or their songs.

Like any self-respecting merperson, Kaiman are scared of heights; which is too bad because they would love to attend a musical concert in the mountainous region of Villa En Miir. They're also scared of fire. It's an unnatural element in their universe; a blasphemy of heat and bright in their oceanic environment of cool and dim.

Underneath the waves of Kaimana Ocean, they have built their own independent society. Hearts, Diamonds, Spades, and Clubs get along in harmony with each other. No point in holding prejudices against each other if you're living together, far apart from normal society at the surface. The Kaiman like practically everyone except Corvistowneians. They aren't happy with Corvistowne because the residents had the audacity to try to dump their trash into Kaimana Ocean. Notwithstanding these incidents, they will at least try to be civil towards them.

Location: Located in the vast expanse of uncharted territory behind Corvistowne and Villa En Miir, Kaimana Ocean extends past Morganberry and the Forest of Kahmden to border the Selkie Lakes, where the tides converge.

Feelings: Everyone in Wonderland had no idea Kaimana Ocean existed at all, due to the way the region is presented. It was originally assumed to be an extension of the Selkie Lakes, but that theory was debunked upon discovery that the Kaimana Ocean is composed of salt water. Until quite recently, very little was known about the inhabitants because they live most of their lives underwater, save for periodically surfacing for air. What information is known about them comes from Beowulf and roughly two or three other people who had managed to locate native inhabitants within the region, and gain their trust in order to learn a thing or two. Everyone from all of the regions in Wonderland seems to like the Kaiman for their simple and elegant beauty, masterful storytelling, harmonious singing and friendly nature.

Well, almost everyone. Corvistownians are wary of them, due to several reported incidents when a handful of scientists were caught trying to illegally dump their failed experiments into the ocean. Imagine their surprise when fouled chemicals were spat out into their faces as if they tasted like sour milk, or a broken-down clank was thrown hard at their retreating backs like a football.

[Spiderfly]

Realm Name: Sanfango

Lay of the Land: The ground here holds some moisture but is in noway marshy like their neighbours. The land is fairly plentiful and lush, but most inhabitants prefer to make their living through more physical means. (Dancing, fighting, etc.) Many travel here just to see the best dance troupes, or to hire workers.

Colors/Patterns: BEETS! *cough* Well no but really X3. Their colouration seems to be an interesting mix of their neighbouring um neighbours. (I'm tired okay!) Beautiful rich purpley-crimson-reds are their base colours. However, brown mud-like colours splash upwards. Covering their feet, bottom of stomachs and the like. The browns vary from light tan to a deeper more purple brown. I quite like the speckling in the red circle in the last picture as an example. Basically . . . coloured like a splashed beet *cough*
www.personal.psu.edu/staff/k/a/kah19/Breyer/splash.jpg - minimum
www.mustangs4us.com/colors/splash-Gambling%20Man_small.jpg - maximum
www.getairo.com/suits/beets/3.jpg
www.getairo.com/suits/beets/1.jpg
www.getairo.com/suits/beets/2.jpg

History: The people of Sanfango are extremely creative and are natural born dancers. Along with Kahmden they tend to follow orders well, though they will question authority if it is warranted. Many dancers from this region make the trip to Villa en Miir to perform in that realms playhouses. For males of this realm, sometimes the bred in dancing abilities transfer well to different martial arts and fighting techniques. A warrior from this area is a good one indeed, and a dancer from this area is even better.

Location: Bordering part of the Josiggy Marsh the whole border of the Forest of Kahmden and some of the Morganberry border. It lays over the Court of Diamonds. Or rather, the Court of Diamonds is within this realm.

Feelings: Warriors from this area are sought after individuals for anyone's army/bodyguard. And with their dancing and athletic physique they really are quite muscular and beautiful. Dancing troupes from Sanfango tour around different realms, spreading inspiration amongst those that perhaps don't normally get to see some of the finer things in life. Though. .they tend to not tour in some of the less savoury realms, if only in fear for their own lives.

[Nathalia]

not sure if it matters anymore but here's my idea for a region if you'd like to read it:

Realm Name: Ilion (Ill-eee-uhn)

Lay of the Land: Ilion used to be beautiful and green, with lush hills and flowers of all colors; but now, it's just a pass-through for the residents to get to town and sell their wares/services.

Colors/Patterns: The Colors of Ilion are blue and golden yellow. For reference of the clothing typical to them: www.thenervemagazine.com/images/2006/02/gogol.jpg

History: Ilion started from a family of gypsies who roam between that valley (in between Torquehelm and Tulgey Wood) and the road of hearts. They Originated in Torquehelm but were cast out for being too... strange... Their front is being merchants but really, their ultimate goal is to control all of the other Realms. The main family is in control and sends the other residents to do their bidding.

Location: The valley in between Torquehelm and Tulgey Wood

Feelings: Most regions don't know they are there, the inhabitants only go to town as Merchants. There are elder residents of Torquehelm that may recall the family but for the most part, it's a legend.



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This entry from Kaeia was pm'd by mistake but will still be taken into consideration <3 I'm judging as fast as I can, luffs X3 it's so hard to choose <3

~Nathalia

[Satra]

Eee! I'm still really excited. x3 Choose 'em good, judges! :DDD

[Nathalia]

Winners!!!!

1st Place: Itsover9000 with the realm: Raemblen Bog!

2nd Place: Xenon with the realm: The Solandria Glacier

3rd Place: Kari with the realm: Esterberry

4th Place: Sera with the realm: The Mid-Range

5th Place: Nyx with the realm: Midori Beach

Congrats to the five winners! To 2nd through 5th place winners, your prizes will be up soon <3 (Yes the randoms are being chosen from the new realms!)

Itsover9000: please PM me with the form below for your semi-custom first prize! (I'll also poke you a bit more on your revisions, they look great!)

Gender:
Realm: (Any realm except for Tulgey Wood or Hisstor Wastes. This includes any of the new ones 83)
Breed: (No mixed breeds, but feel free to throw me an odd one...like a moose or something XD)
Suit: (yeah, I was going to make this random...but we'll just make your rank random. Be whatever suit you want XD)

~Nathalia

[Shinigami]

Congrats, everyone! All of these entries were awesome, and I don't envy Nat having to pick just five of them!

[FlyingPanther]

Congratulations!

[carcinoGeneticist]

jdioshegflerghjrajege

*head explodes* @___@ omg omg I am so excited <33 I'm so glad you liked it!

congrats to everyone, this was an amazing contest. so much creativity!