Post by Wyndbain on Dec 12, 2006 13:01:37 GMT -6
The Setting
The story of Shinkou Ookami is set in a world apart from our own and takes place in a time when our own reality was lacking the technologies and comforts of today. It is a land where animals are the dominant population and most humans are of little threat to their existence.
Children of this world are taught that magic exists, but it is still an unusual thing for those who do not wield it. There are those who are born with it, as they bear certain marks upon their body to show it and there are also those born without it, who may learn it from the spirits.
Spirits of this world are not the drifting un-dead types. When a resident of Shinkou talks about a spirit, they are talking about the spirits of the land. Unusual creatures of glowing light that can take on many forms and are made up of huge amounts of energy known as magic. Ironically, spirits cannot use all of their own magic without the aide of another vessel and so they often merge with the souls of living creatures and give them the ability to use their magics. It is said, that if a spirit visits an unborn child when they are still growing in their mother's womb, that the spirit may merge with the child's soul and gift to them it's magic. Though much is said about spirits, there is much still unknown about them, as they do not speak, rather they can push their emotions upon others and let them know how they feel in a form of telepathy.
The technology of this world is almost non-existent. Aside from the magical elements of lightning, there is no electricity. This means there are no cars, planes, trains, tvs, phones, radios, etc. Humans can occasionally be seen traveling with guns, but they are very crude and early inventions of them. In comparison with our real life time line, they would date back to before the 1500s.
While many, many different creatures call the landscapes of Shinkou home, it is widely known as a rich and ancient land filled with magic and spirits. Some creatures even think of it as a holy land. Spirits can be sighted all over the world, but the greatest number of spirits have been seen to make their home within the soils of Shinkou. Some believe the spirits like to linger in Shinkou because the land itself is so abundant with magic, though many think they prefer to live on Shinkou because this is where they are born, as the story goes.
War of the Wolves
Druins are legendary creatures that resemble both wolves and dragons, but because they appear more canine than dragon, they are thought of as a unique type of wolf breed. Druins are not natural creatures though, for they were created by demons to serve as fighters and vassals. Some decades ago, one druin in the service of demons could no longer take the abuse of his masters and led his kind against those who had created them, fighting long and bloody battles that eventually freed his race from servitude. This druin was nammed Tartarus. After winning freedom for his kin, they formed a wolf pack of Druins, electing Tartarus as their leader and making their home on the territory of Shinkou. At the time there were no other wolf packs or demons in the area and the land was plentiful and inviting to the freed Druins.
While the druins themselves were not evil, it was still a fact that they had been created by the dark magic of demons and eventually other creatures of similar energies were drawn to them. Unknowingly, the druins were attracting lesser demons and beastly creatures into the territory of Shinkou. The dark magics that they wielded were slowly corrupting the spirits that were being born and currently living in Shinkou. When the corrupted spirits left the lands, they would cause chaos elsewhere in the world. Wolves were the first creatures to respond to this change in the spirits and in the days past, many different packs traveled to Shinkou in the hopes of making things right.
Druins may be uncommon creatures, but they are widely known as servants of demons, even though it is not often by choice that they serve. Believing that the Druins were the cause of the land's corruption, the newly arrived wolves tried to force the druins to leave. Having grown attached to their new found home and freedom, the druins, being unaware that they were the reason demons and other dark entities kept appearing on Shinkou, refused to leave their territory.
It did not take long for battle to erupt between the packs. The wolvesw that had traveled to Shinkou allied themselves against their new, common enemy, but it was not without conflict. Even when fighting against the Druins, brawls would break out between the wolves and there was further confusion concerning the individual alphas. With all of these different leaders in one place, it was not exactly clear who anyone should answer to; most were torn between loyalty to their alpha and obedience to another. To counter this situation, a council was formed and a single alpha pair was eventually chosen to act as the highest alphas for all of the packs. With a single alpha pair and a council of leaders to direct them, the once separated packs merged and began acting as a whole.
As the elders like to tell their pups, after nearly ten years of fighting, the druins were finally pushed out of Shinkou by the brave efforts of the pack. Both sides had been devastated, but the druins in the end could stand no more. Not wanting to leave the land they had won, for the loved ones they lost and the fear that the druins may reclaim and re-taint the land and spirits, the wolves remained in Shinkou and made it their own territory. In honor of the lands they had protected, this single pack became known as the Shinkou Wolves, while the druins were given the name of Giaku.
The story of Shinkou Ookami is set in a world apart from our own and takes place in a time when our own reality was lacking the technologies and comforts of today. It is a land where animals are the dominant population and most humans are of little threat to their existence.
Children of this world are taught that magic exists, but it is still an unusual thing for those who do not wield it. There are those who are born with it, as they bear certain marks upon their body to show it and there are also those born without it, who may learn it from the spirits.
Spirits of this world are not the drifting un-dead types. When a resident of Shinkou talks about a spirit, they are talking about the spirits of the land. Unusual creatures of glowing light that can take on many forms and are made up of huge amounts of energy known as magic. Ironically, spirits cannot use all of their own magic without the aide of another vessel and so they often merge with the souls of living creatures and give them the ability to use their magics. It is said, that if a spirit visits an unborn child when they are still growing in their mother's womb, that the spirit may merge with the child's soul and gift to them it's magic. Though much is said about spirits, there is much still unknown about them, as they do not speak, rather they can push their emotions upon others and let them know how they feel in a form of telepathy.
The technology of this world is almost non-existent. Aside from the magical elements of lightning, there is no electricity. This means there are no cars, planes, trains, tvs, phones, radios, etc. Humans can occasionally be seen traveling with guns, but they are very crude and early inventions of them. In comparison with our real life time line, they would date back to before the 1500s.
While many, many different creatures call the landscapes of Shinkou home, it is widely known as a rich and ancient land filled with magic and spirits. Some creatures even think of it as a holy land. Spirits can be sighted all over the world, but the greatest number of spirits have been seen to make their home within the soils of Shinkou. Some believe the spirits like to linger in Shinkou because the land itself is so abundant with magic, though many think they prefer to live on Shinkou because this is where they are born, as the story goes.
War of the Wolves
Druins are legendary creatures that resemble both wolves and dragons, but because they appear more canine than dragon, they are thought of as a unique type of wolf breed. Druins are not natural creatures though, for they were created by demons to serve as fighters and vassals. Some decades ago, one druin in the service of demons could no longer take the abuse of his masters and led his kind against those who had created them, fighting long and bloody battles that eventually freed his race from servitude. This druin was nammed Tartarus. After winning freedom for his kin, they formed a wolf pack of Druins, electing Tartarus as their leader and making their home on the territory of Shinkou. At the time there were no other wolf packs or demons in the area and the land was plentiful and inviting to the freed Druins.
While the druins themselves were not evil, it was still a fact that they had been created by the dark magic of demons and eventually other creatures of similar energies were drawn to them. Unknowingly, the druins were attracting lesser demons and beastly creatures into the territory of Shinkou. The dark magics that they wielded were slowly corrupting the spirits that were being born and currently living in Shinkou. When the corrupted spirits left the lands, they would cause chaos elsewhere in the world. Wolves were the first creatures to respond to this change in the spirits and in the days past, many different packs traveled to Shinkou in the hopes of making things right.
Druins may be uncommon creatures, but they are widely known as servants of demons, even though it is not often by choice that they serve. Believing that the Druins were the cause of the land's corruption, the newly arrived wolves tried to force the druins to leave. Having grown attached to their new found home and freedom, the druins, being unaware that they were the reason demons and other dark entities kept appearing on Shinkou, refused to leave their territory.
It did not take long for battle to erupt between the packs. The wolvesw that had traveled to Shinkou allied themselves against their new, common enemy, but it was not without conflict. Even when fighting against the Druins, brawls would break out between the wolves and there was further confusion concerning the individual alphas. With all of these different leaders in one place, it was not exactly clear who anyone should answer to; most were torn between loyalty to their alpha and obedience to another. To counter this situation, a council was formed and a single alpha pair was eventually chosen to act as the highest alphas for all of the packs. With a single alpha pair and a council of leaders to direct them, the once separated packs merged and began acting as a whole.
As the elders like to tell their pups, after nearly ten years of fighting, the druins were finally pushed out of Shinkou by the brave efforts of the pack. Both sides had been devastated, but the druins in the end could stand no more. Not wanting to leave the land they had won, for the loved ones they lost and the fear that the druins may reclaim and re-taint the land and spirits, the wolves remained in Shinkou and made it their own territory. In honor of the lands they had protected, this single pack became known as the Shinkou Wolves, while the druins were given the name of Giaku.