The Dragonlands: An Overview

The Dragonlands Continuity is Furcadia's "official" background and its one single default fiction Continuity. What happens casually throughout places like Meovanni Village and the Vinca are not part of a true Continuity. The only In-Continuity, In-Character officially supported by Furcadia is the all-IC Dream of Goldwyn, in Imaginarium. For more information, visit The Furcadian Bestiary.

When fiction is written in "the" Furcadia universe, this is the universe we mean: the Dragonlands Continuity. It has its own background, its own characters, its own geography, and so on. We call all the "official" in-character background written for Furcadia, "the canon".

What does exist in the Dragonlands continuity is outlined here, and we refer to things that don't "agree" with this body of writing as "not canon." If something YOU do outside of this is different, we don't say it's wrong, or that it's not as good. However, if you play in Goldwyn, please stay within the limits of what exists in the Dragonlands.

• Technology: In Goldwyn, Medieval. In Drakoria, metal turns to dust for some reason-- some places in Drakoria are Bronze Age. In the Olde World, some places have achieved Renaissance technology!
• Flavor: The Dragonlands theme is fantasy, with an accent on chivalry and martial conflict. Goldwyn is generally peaceful. Combat is "consent-based". Bear in mind that your character could come from the Olde World, where there is hardly any magic to speak of!
• Power Level: Any beginning Furre! character is allowed. You shouldn't invent or re-define your own races, character classes, skills or powers here. Sorry, no dimensional travelers, demons, etc.

Setting

There are 3 different continents in the Dragonlands: The quaint and nearly magic-less Olde World to the east, the dark and violent Drakoria where magic can be chaotic and cruel in the west, and, somewhere in the middle, Kasuria, where good tends to win.

It's also self-contained in that there are no other dimensions. In the Dragonlands Continuity, there's Drakoria, Kasuria, and the Olde World. There is, in our default Continuity, no gateway to Earth or any other world. For game purposes, those other places never existed. In the Dragonlands, nobody knows what a Human is! So this means there are no time-travelers or dimension-travelers.

Any kinds of mammals not represented directly in graphics are permitted (deer, elephants, porcupines, etc.,), but not humans, humanoids, dinosaurs, snakes, near-Furres, birds, extinct mammals, and so forth.

The Dragonlands have Dragon people ("Wyrmmes") and Phoenix people ("Byrddes"). Peculiar characters do exist and are called "Mythicals". They aren't always related to a Prime, but they should always have a connection to a Prime. For example, your character could be a unicorn who began as an ordinary horse who wished for healing powers, and got a horn when she discovered a secret shrine to Aristaya. To be "canon", if your character is a deformed or evil monstrous creature, they should have some kind of story connection to a Dark Prime. Creatures that don't resemble Furre versions of real-world mythological creatures do NOT exist in the Dragonlands.

1. History & Geography of the Dragonlands

2. Read the essential Premise

3. The Current Political Situation of Goldwyn

4. Information on Theriopolis

Some "Game" Things Don't Exist In-Character:

A couple of things that you see in Furcadia are there for OOC purposes. They don't exist in the In Character Dragonlands.

• Making "Dreams" is a player activity, not a character activity.
• If you leave the map and show up on another one, it is assumed that some in-character time has passed, and that you traveled there in an ordinary way.
• If you're going to log off, move out of sight of the other players first. "Dreams" and disappearing when you log off are not IC.
• Portals that are magical require tremendous energy and skill. Your character should not claim to make them or control them. It takes many, many mages to set one up permanently, and new ones get placed either by arrangement with Count Dragar or Lady Semathon.
• Whispers to somebody not standing in the next diamond over, are also OOC.

Dragonlands Advantages and Disadvantages

Being beautiful or fast or strong or skillful, or owning a dragon, or being noble-born.... these things don't come for free. They're Advantages, and for every Point of Advantage, you have to have one Point of Disadvantage. You're limited to 5 Points of Advantages and 5 Points of Disadvantages. This keeps your character from being too powerful. For the full rules, see Furre! Character Generation.

Advantages & Disadvantages Quick List

A printable annotated list of all Unrestricted Advantages and Disadvantages.

Special Features of the Dragonlands Continuity

No Metal in Drakoria

In Harshlaw and Drakoria, there are no metal tools or weapons. This is the kind of detail that makes it important for everybody Roleplaying in the Dragonlands to know the background!

The Mystery of the Phoenixes

Where did these winged wonders, with their ability to burst into flame intense enough to melt steel, come from? As yet no one knows, but it is said that the eldest amongst them can disappear, reappearing at their own familiar nest. Phoenixes themselves tell of a floating forest island, the Land of Lifted Woods. Alas, where this fabled and beautiful place is, even they cannot say. Perhaps it is gone forever, or maybe it never ever was... Phoenixes call themselves the "Children of Saligor". They say that Everflame, the first Phoenix to ever see the Olde World, was given gorgeous gifts from the crowned heads of Europe and she received many offers of marriage when she traveled. She was kidnapped and almost forced to marry an evil baron. Phoenixes relate this tale as the reason they tend not to travel there anymore. A more likely reason is that their power of "Fire Recall" doesn't work in the Olde World!

Scarhawks and Dragons

In Kasuria, a friendly rivalry exists between Dracoriders and Raptor Knights. The giant birds are less intelligent but both faster and more agile in the air. Yet the Dracosaurs are somewhat armored and more dangerous in close combat, making them more useful on the ground where a scarhawk would be easily damaged. In Drakoria, the Wyrmmes ride Dracosaurs to war, but also consider both raptor and Dracosaurs delicacies, to be consumed at victory celebrations...

Skyships

Another thing that exists in the Dragonlands is the Skyships. Constructed with the saliva of Gray Bugge larvae, these amazing galleons can hold up to thirty tons. Piracy of both air and sea Drakorian slaveships is a grand Kasurian national pastime.

Bugges and Wyrmmes

Two other types of character are introduced: The Wyrmme (a bipedal sentient draconid), and the Bugge (a bipedal sentient insect). Please remember that in Drakoria, the Wyrmmes rule ALL Furres and Bugges. And ALL Bugges there are slaves. No exceptions. Bugges and Wyrmmes are uncommon in Kasuria but there has been a steady inflow of refugees. Despite their beauty, Wyrmmes are treated with a bit of suspicion in Kasuria. NOTE: You may not dodge the Continuity by saying that your character is "some other kind of dragon". If you are a dragon in Goldwyn, you're a Wyrmme, and your ancestors were Drakorian.

Cannibals

Furres hate and outlaw the practice of "Sennibalism", that is, eating a sentient (intelligent, thinking, reasoning) being. A Furre's body is considered their own property. Even the more open-minded who have no horror of their blood being drunk by a Vampyre Furre are still outraged if this is done without the Furre's consent, considering it a combination of both theft and assault.

Other Continuity Rules

Nobles: You can play a noble but the highest-ranking positions in the Houses are already taken by those characters named in the list of Noble Houses. If you're a noble, you must take the name of one of the Noble Houses of Kasuria, and this will cost you 1 (Lesser House) or 3 (Greater House) Advantage points.

Weapons, Magical Weapons and Magical Items: Because there is no fair way to give them out, no magical weapons or items are permitted. Unlike in Persona Play, Magic Weapons and Magic Items are not something you add to your description and say it exists. The effects of your armor and/or weapons are glossed-over and assumed to be already included in the results of the Quickie table.

Alignment: When you make your character, you need to choose for them to be "Lightside" (pretty nice), "Neutral" (in it for themself, mostly), or "Darkside" (a bad guy). This is an out-of-character mechanic, not something that Furre philosophers and priests might discuss using these terms!

It's the nature of the Furcadia universe that beautiful locations help "lightside" people to fight, while frightening and ugly places make it harder. Conversely, the bad guys ("darkside" characters) do better in the scary areas, and do less well in the colorful cheery happy and well-populated areas. The vast majority of Furres in the world are "Lightsiders". Most Bugges are "Neutral". Most Wyrmmes are "Darksiders".

Locations have "Alignment" ratings too, which are the modifiers to Quickie table die rolls used according to the region. Goldwyn is in Kasuria; Kasuria grants a +2 to Lightside while penalizing all Darksiders -2. Drakoria gives Lightside characters a -2 and all Darksiders +2. Neutral characters get no bonuses or penalties to their rolls. See here for details.

The Once-is-enough Rule: There's no magical flip-flopping between "alive and undead", "alive and dead", and so forth. This is a slightly more serious world. A Vampyre Furre may be cured once and then they are immune to going back. Your mortal character should return from being thought dead no more than once, whether it's because they became an undead, received magical resurrection, or they simply weren't really dead but were just faking their disappearance. Note that changes in Alignment are subject to this!

Concerning Aging and Time: According to Furre! rules and the Dragonlands, aging can be accomplished temporarily by a Mage, and permanently by an Alchemist's potion. These are the only ways in which "insta-aging" can happen.

In Drakoria, this may be done to a tribal or court heir so that they will be "of-age". Drakorians practice trial-by-combat, and although the royalty are allowed many luxuries and protections, a champion in a duel isn't one of them!

It's frowned upon in Kasurian society to do this to a child, because it's seen as irrevocably robbing them of years of their life. Because their mind doesn't mature normally; they'll still be an immature person in an adult body, impulsive and lacking the amount of skill and experience their peers possess. Conditions under which it might be acceptable include the following: when preparing for a dire invasion by deadly enemies, when protecting a child from a deadly enemy, as a treatment for a disease that would be deadly to a child but not so harmful to an adult. (Potions don't work in the Olde World, so they don't have to deal with the question at all.)

In Continuity, Mages can perform a very temporary Youthing spell-- but the Alchemists have not yet come up with a permanent Youthing potion. As you can imagine, such a discovery would be valuable, indeed...

What time is it?: Officially, Furcadia defaults to FST: Furcadia Standard Time. Officially, furres age EXACTLY like humans do. They aren't mature after 3 real life years.

Dayside vs. Nightside: To distinguish IC from real life time, IC time is referred to as "Dayside" and "Nightside" instead of day and night. Dayside and Nightside are conditions to describe an IC location's current state according to the real life and IC time. "One-and-a-half Time" is the convention which means that day and night alternate at any given real life time. If you RP at 6 p.m. every real life day, one day it will be IC day. The next real life day, it wil be IC night.

This makes it fair for those who have a consistent but limited real life window of time in which to be on Furcadia. If you play a vamp-furre, whose powers and places-to-go are severely limited by daylight, you aren't stuck in perpetual daytime. If you play a mortal who doesn't want anything to do with vamp-furres, you can safely be on every other real life day.