Vrenes History
Long ago, ancient humans used to worship dragons as all-knowing gods. Dragons were few, though the power they had over the humans was immense. Humans of all rankings would provide offerings and sacrifices of all kinds to the holy dragons, who in kind would provide protection and prosperity to those they favored. The holy dragons found many humans “cute” in a way. Humans who admired the dragons, and dragons that adored the humans. Perhaps it isn’t surprising anymore that a dragon decided to use the form of a human to take a human lover.
Thus, the first Vrene was born.
However, this did not please many of the royal families who dominated the region at that time. See, this particular holy dragon had decided to take on a poor farmer as their lover. In the eyes of this dragon, she had been the most devoted to them. Their curiosity towards the poor farmer had turned into a crush, leading the dragon to favor her and her farm for years. When news broke of the birth of a child of the region’s holy dragon, royal courts were outraged. Of all the people in the region, why a lowly peasant? Why not one of the royal family, who held countless, flashy ceremonies for their beloved dragon? Surely no one else was more qualified than they.
Enraged by what they felt was owed to them, the royal family burned the woman’s farm to the ground. But when they searched for any remains, neither the woman nor the vrene were found. The dragon had taken the woman and child away, deciding then to no longer favor the royal family. A curse was placed on the royal family to never be favored by another holy dragon again and left the region entirely. Thus, the royal family eventually crumbled and the region fell into obscurity
Even so, the events of this tale didn’t dissuade other holy dragons from taking on human lovers. In fact, quite the opposite. Many holy dragons began taking on human lovers, much to the disarray of the human world. The cautionary tale of the first Vrene child hadn’t been enough to dissuade greedy and jealous humans with power from trying to monopolize the love and attention of the dragons in an attempt to gain favor from them. However, the holy dragons did not view the world the same way humans did, not caring for status and doing as they pleased. While many Vrenes children were born to royal families, just as many were born to poor families, granting this misfortunate family either great riches beyond their fantasies or great tragedy at the hands of evil humans wishing to be the only ones the dragons look at.
Perhaps that’s why the holy dragons disappeared one day.
When the dragons stopped appearing, many were confused. The dragons so adored the humans, why would they abandon them? It hadn’t made sense. Many were in denial, while many others tried filling the void. The obvious candidates to fill the void were those Vrenes children the holy dragons left behind.
Although, while the Vrenes shared many traits with humans, one thing they shared with the holy dragons is that they simply did not see the world the way the humans did. The riches and status of humans meant nothing to beings who possessed even an ounce of magic within their bodies. So, many Vrenes began to leave the humans behind as well, traveling back to the land where the first Vrene was born; the land forsaken by holy dragons and abandoned by humans who claimed it to be cursed. They made their home there, dubbed Vrenes’ Keep, the founders of the new settlement casting yet another spell on the land; one to keep them safe and away from humans. Vrenes may travel freely to and from Vrenes’ Keep, but rarely will a human, or any other humanoid creature, ever step foot beyond the mountains that isolate the area.
As time passed, and history began to blur, many Vrenes who made their home in Vrenes’ Keep began getting curious about the human world. Some left, some stayed, and plenty traveled between both worlds. The effects of Vrenes beginning to reappear in front of modern humans is something yet to be fully realized, but hopefully, history does not repeat itself once more…
Vrenes Magic
Being descendants of the holy dragons, Vrenes have been granted a fraction of the power the original dragons held. And yet, it is still far beyond what humans could ever dream of achieving. As children under the age of 5, a Vrene’s magic is nearly uncontrollable. As such, powerful sages will lock away a Vrene’s magic so they may only have access to a little bit of it as they grow and mature. Given how magic might be held as a weapon by those who intend to do wrong, leaving a child with the powers of what was once held as a god by humans would be like leaving a human child with a knife.
This “safety” spell wears off once a Vrenes has reached the age of 18 years. A Vrene’s 18th birthday is a very special occasion for them, as not only are they allowed access to their seemingly endless magic, but they are also allowed to summon forth a Dreemi to help them channel and use their magic.
A human might compare a Dreemi to a familiar, or even as a wise teacher for a Vrene. However, many Vrenes see Dreemis as much more. A gift from the original holy dragons, perhaps, or what remains of them. Some even see them as a sign that the holy dragons never actually left. Thus, many Vrenes view summoning their Dreemi as a blessing from their ancestors.
What a Vrene does with their magic, however, is solely up to the individual. Maybe they don’t believe in the legends around Dreemis and where their magic comes from and take it lightly, or they become serious about learning magic to become a sage of some kind. Perhaps they use it for evil, or to stop evil. Their Dreemi may leave them, or they leave their Dreemi. It’s entirely up to the Vrene what they want.
Factions
Originating from something long ago, Factions are rooted in the Vrenes’ human history. Before Vrenes abandoned the humans, they observed how they competed for the favor of the holy dragons by different human regions. Perhaps Factions came into existence as a mockery of the humans’ scramble for favor; instead of fighting each other for the attention of holy beings, Vrenes compete with each other for mere fun. It’s similar to a human sporting event in many ways. Though those more faithful to their ancestry may attribute more meaning to these events, many agree it’s merely a fun club for them to come together and show off their various talents.
Legend Faction
The Legend Faction values Pride and Determination to see things through; many are the stubborn type that like a good challenge and don’t know when to give up!
One of the two original factions to appear in Vrenes’ Keep, the Legend Faction has a long history involving different members and leaders over the ages. The original founder was said to be a stubborn, yet well-beloved man. It’s said it was his idea to have fellow Vrenes compete in competitions in this fashion; though whether it was for the reasons many Vrenes believe them to be is fuzzy, as he ran away with his main rival sometime after faction competitions took off, leaving both Legend and Lore faction with new leaders.
When the other two factions eventually came onto the scene, Legend Faction suffered a losing streak, causing many Vrenes to no longer favor the faction. When it was nearly to the point of disbanding altogether, a new face appeared on the scene. Her name was Finch, and she along with her friends rallied the faction together. The faction went from nearly falling apart to having quite the win streak. Finch was so beloved by the faction and fans that it was no surprise to anyone that she had the fastest climb to Faction Leader out of any other leader. Finch led the faction for quite sometime before an injury made her step down.
In her place, newbie Aspen stepped up. Though they held a lot of promise, they had big shoes to fill, and many Legend Faction members were skeptical of their abilities to lead due to their air-headed personality. Even if other Vrenes were doubtful of Aspen’s abilities, they had been hand-picked by Finch to replace her.
Lore Faction
The Lore Faction values Intelligence and Passion to solve any problem; many are careful to approach a challenge and do so when the time is right instead of rushing in!
The Lore Faction is the other of the two original factions, started by the rival of the Legend Faction founder. It’s said that their intense rivalry was a wonder to watch, and many Vrenes had thoroughly enjoyed watching such passion from both men. However, the reputation they’d received throughout the years ended up making things complicated when they eventually fell in love with each other. It was Lore Faction’s idea to run away, and thus they’d left the factions with new leadership.
Unlike its rival faction, Lore Faction has always held a steady reputation and strong leadership. Consistency was the faction’s outstanding trait in competitions, something the Lore Faction has held with pride for ages. Though the sudden decline and rise of the Legend Faction had initially caught the faction off guard, causing them to lose a bit of that consistency they were so proud of, they recovered fairly quickly once a shift in leadership occurred.
Bijou is the most experienced leader out of the current lineup of faction leaders. Having been a leader for the longest time out of each of them, Bijou has no problems giving advice to the newer leaders when they need it. Bijou’s faction adores her as a sound and stable leader. She easily keeps the other leaders in line when needed, though she can be quite intense when competitions start properly.
Fable Faction
The Fable Faction values Creativity and Spontaneity when faced with a challenge; being quick-witted and thinking on your feet is the way to go when it comes to overcoming any mountain you face!
Fable Faction popped up a few years after factions took off. Smaller, independent factions would tend to pop up here and there, though not many would ever gain any traction, let alone the sponsors they would require to enter their hats into the main ring with the Legend and Lore Factions. Fable Factions was different, though. For starters, their founder was a wealthy woman who was popular enough to gain both traction and sponsors! Though they didn’t become an official faction for years, it was finally decided to allow them to join the official faction circuit when fan demand was too high to ignore.
Once officiated, Fable Faction took Vrenes’ Keep by storm. Perhaps it was the novelty of a new faction, but they were both popular and taking home victories left and right for their first year. As time went on, things began to mellow out of Fable Faction, though as it was passed from leader to leader, their big ambitions never faded.
As it happens, the current leader of the Fable Faction, Selene, is one such Vrenes with big ambitions. Though many of her detractors think she is merely in it for the fame, Selene pays them no mind. Those who are close to her are fiercely loyal, so while on the outside Selene doesn’t appear as much of a threat, the other Faction Leaders know better. Her personality attracts capable faction members, and Fable Faction is as strong as ever.
Illusion Faction
The Illusion Faction values Strength and Cleverness to win the day; finding unconventional methods towards victory and holding steadfast to defeat any obstacle is how they operate!
Illusion Faction is quite the strange faction. Much like the Fable Faction, it was started as an independent faction. Unlike Fable Faction, its founder held no influence in any space. It seemed as though they’d just gotten lucky; not only did they attract strong and talented Vrenes to enter local competitions, but they attracted quite the fan base. It was small but fiercely loyal. After the introduction of the Fable Faction as an official faction, many began searching for the next big faction and turned to independent factions. Illusion Faction had caught the radar of many but wasn’t the fan favorite. Its founder was already facing troubles leading the faction, so many overlooked the Illusion Faction.
That is until the official faction circuit decided to host a competition for small, independent factions to compete in. There were rumors surrounding the competition that whoever won would become an official faction, which excited faction fans everywhere. Illusion Faction ended up entering this competition, hoping to prove themselves worthy. Oh, not of joining the official circuit, but of their fans and support. Given how they were struggling and the gossip around the faction, they needed to make it far enough in this tournament in order to have some kind of staying power.
Though, as it turns out, all their struggles paid off when they actually won the tournament! All eyes were now on the Illusion Faction as it became the fourth official faction in Vrenes’ Keep. While they initially struggled to find their footing among the big three, they never failed to put up a good fight and keep the attention of faction fans everywhere.
The current leader of the Illusion Faction, Sirius, is the newest among the group. The original founder stepped down rather suddenly, naming Sirius the new leader. A role the young Luirene was actually opposed to at first but had a sense of obligation to fill. After all, the original leader was a good friend of his. Nearing the end of his first year as a Faction Leader, Sirius has yet to find a suitable substitute. Maybe he enjoys the role more than he lets on, but no one could deny he is talented enough for the job.
The Factionless
“The Factionless” refers to Vrenes who do not participate in Faction events whatsoever; not even as a fan. They might be seen as a bit of an oddity, though many have their reasons to distance themselves from the spectacle. Naturally, there are those who are simply not interested in what factions have to offer. There are also those with a holier-than-thou attitude about it; feeling as though Vrenes are giving into their human-like desires by indulging in this faction fiasco. Then there are those who despise the whole thing in a more malicious way. Regardless of reason, those who have no desire to be a part of factions tend to leave Myth City- the heart of faction activities.