The Dragonlands

THE GREATER HOUSES OF KASURIA


Risharrd (Carnivore)
- Countess Anne ti'Risharrd (weasel/carnivore, mage), currently unwed under the Natural Order - County: Desdemond, Capital: Saffingwell
- Sigil: Left half of field white, right half of field red, with a light blue raptor standing in the middle, facing to the left.
- Main Species: Mustelines, dates back to the Kingdom of Tellish
- Lesser: House Glissamord


Kavillaur (Carnivore)
- Countess Kesondra ti'Kavillaur (otter/carnivore) - County: Malcom, Capital: Songhigh
- Sigil: A field of gray, with a thick palm tree flanked by a white glove on the left and a black glove on the right.
- Main Species: Mustelines, dates back to the Kingdom of Tellish
- Lesser: House Kelmothand


Carthamine (Carnivore)
- Countess Gladtail ti'Carthamine (wolf/carnivore) - Count Dragar ti'Carthamine (fox/carnivore) - North County: Aldric, Capital: Dragonclaw
- South County: Symbidia, Capital: Bannisard
- Sigil: Field blue, with three horizontal yellow stripes evenly spaced.
- Main Species: Lupines & some Vulpines
- Lesser: House Broderick


Desdicara (Carnivore)
- Count Harrystile ti'Desdicara (hound/carnivore) - County Rovarri, Capital Falbert
- Sigil: Field dark blue, with a circle of white, and a dark gold eagle with outstretched wings in the circle.
- Main Species: Dogs and some Lupines
- Lesser: House McDagger


Giovarri (Carnivore)
- Countess Reffa ti'Giovarri (North - arctic wolf/carnivore) - Count Niccolo ti'Giovarri (South - red wolf/carnivore)
- North County: Kosh, Capital: Kreegor
- North County: Mt. A'Kerry, Capital: Skyhaven
- Sigil: Field yellow with a dark red wedge coming from the top; a white wolf pawprint on the lower half
- Main Species: Dominated by Wolves, the most prestigious Canine clan, often marries canine unto canine
- Lesser: House Keung


Pala (Omnivore)
- Countess Velamay ti'Pala (rat/omnivore) - County: Ralston, Capital: Sephion
- Sigil: Field white, with four fat blue teardrops, their points radiating out from a central point to the diagonal corners
- Main Species: Rodents, mostly Rats
- Lesser: House Akaba


Moon (Carnivore)
- Countess Felicity ti'Moon K'Sormegar (North - angora/carnivore) - Count Dax ti'Moon (South - shorthair/carnivore) - North County: Sormegar, [/b]Capital[/b]: Raffamond
- South County: Challis, Capital: Challiston
- Sigil: Field black; three yellow crescent moons point-up in a vertical line, the one at the top larger and the one at the bottom smaller.
- Main Species: Smaller Felines, mostly "domestic" Cats
- Lesser: House Shalimar


Sabine (Carnivore)
- Countess Sethla ti'Sabine (North - snow leopard/carnivore - mage) - Count Solomon ti'Sabine (South - lynx/carnivore - mage, son of Kalthyr) - North County: Lithe, Capital: Port Payne
- South County: Sontray, Capital: Zellis
- Sigil: Field blue; a white cross
- Main Species: Felines; originally from P'ree in Frrance, one of the original settlers of Kasuria and also the wealthiest
- Lesser: House Kosani


Haala (Carnivore, Royal Family)
Count Gemini ti'Haala (atlas lion/carnivore) Count Bloodclaw ti'Haala (lion/carnivore) - North County: Spreekle, Capital: Alkus
- South County: Harfang, Capital: Zaydore
- Sigil: Field dark brown, with a golden sunburst in the center over a thin horizontal white line.
- Main Species: Lions; ancestors from the Aegyptian Lands. Currently the ruling Family of Kasuria (King Callistin ti'Haala)
- Lesser: House Paolo


Ayoubis (Herbivore)
- Count Emirava ti'Ayoubis (horse/herbivore) - Capital: Tranzish, Capital: Moorim
- Sigil: Field dark green, a white tent, like a circus tent, with a triangular black open doorway.
- Main Species: Horses; pride themselves on being "purebreed", and do not permit members of other races to even enter their private quarters, only marry horse unto horse
- Lesser: House Sherazi


Balsamud (Carnivore)
- Count Laslyn ti'Balsamud(tiger/carnivore - brother to Bantero ti'Balsamud the Lord Commander of the King's Guard, Aldryn ti'Balsamud the Archmage, & Fenwyr ti'Balsamud the Count) - Count Fenwyr ti'Balsamud - North County: Hurpha, Captial: Freemarket
- "South" County: Glasny, Capital: None
- Sigil: Field dark red, with a silvery lamp (like a genie lamp) at the top center
- Main Species: Large Felines/big cats; reputation for scholarliness
- Lesser: House Mundi


Yasmeen (Herbivore)
- Countess Yazeel ti'Yasmeen (antelope/herbivore) - Count Alnor ti'Yasmeen (boar/herbivore) REBEL - North County: Raideth, Capital: Treebore
- South County: Darvin, Capital: Ram Sovereign Rebel Nation Hadar A'vin
- Sigil: Field rich purple, with five gold balls in a diagonal line from upper right to lower left
- Main Species: Equines; famed for their opulent quarters
- Lesser: House Kithain

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THE LESSER HOUSES OF KASURIA

The Lesser Houses are the allies of the Great Houses. Unlike the Great Houses, they don't have any Countships, and they have considerably less influence and wealth.


Kithain
- Main Species: Felines; descended from sea raiders.
- Greater: House Yasmeen.


Keung
- Main Species: Tigers; trace their lineage to exiled Taigorian warlord Jiyarr Keung
- Greater: House Giovarri


Akaba
- Main Species: Equine; descended from Kohazzi nomads
- Greater: House Pala


Sherazi
- Main Species: Equine; descended from the famous Stallion Malponi Sherazi
- Greater: House Ayoubis


Shalimar
- Main Species: Entertainer Mustelines; dates back to the Kingdom of Tellish
- Greater: House Moon


Kelmothand
- Main Species: Semi-aquatic Mustelines; dates back to the Kingdom of Tellish
- Greater: House Kavillaur


Glissamord
- Main Species: Black Ferrets. Trace their ancestry to the Tellish Prince Svultan K'Glissamord, called `Golden Eyes'
- Greater: House Risharrd


Broderick
- Main Species: Vulpines/Foxes
- Greater: House Carthamine


Mundi
- Main Species: Canines
- Greater: House Balsamud


McDagger
- Main Species: Rodents, with relatives in Clan McDagger from Eriu
- Greater: House Desdicara


Kosani
- Main Species: Rodents, mostly Mice; famous as a banking family
- Greater: House Sabine


Paolo
- Main Species: Oddly enough, a family of Cats and Mice Cats after the Natural Order
- Greater: House Haala

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These are the traditional alliances of Greater and Lesser Houses. Most of them began as arrangements between the old-blood & old-money of the Greater Houses and the military or merchantingg prowess of the Lessers.

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Lithe, Kosh, Hurpha, Spreekle, Aldric, Raideth, Malcom, Ralston, Mt. A'Kerry, Glasny, and Sormegar are referred to as the Highlands or the Cold Counties. They are sparsely populated, and poorer because of the shortage of Raptors. Raptors, Ostrix, and Kiwi don't do very well in the cold, and Raptors will not lay eggs here.

Sontray, Challis, Darvin, Rovarri, Harfang, Symbidia, Desdemond, and Tranzish are referred to as the Hotplains or the Hot Counties. They are densely populated in comparison and much richer due to their bird economy. Raptors, ostrix, and kiwi thrive down in the south where they lay eggs and spend most of their lives.

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Below Talz will go over naming conventions and in depth into what it means to marry (as it pertains to being gay in Kasuria as Challiston Cross inquired with her about it), how inheritance is passed down, and how homosexuality plays a role in things.

(NOTE: The Gay Marriage portion has been edited from its original source to fit our community)

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NAMES

In Drakoria, names are generally formed of open syllables (start with a consonant and end with a vowel). So "Ravena" is fine but they'd think "Obama" is weird because it starts with a vowel. They sound "primitive". Wyrmme names are hissy and snarly and get longer with status; see their city names.

In Kasuria, names are similar to medieval European names but tend to end in a consonant. R, T, N, TH, and S are typical. Carsir, Raven, Lumareth, and Vernos would fit. Commoners don't have last names; they don't own real estate so there's no "family land" to pass on. Wealthy people often do, because there's something to inherit. Kasurian nobles do- they must belong to the canon Houses, and must be ti'This and ti'That. Names from the Olde World such as Ana, Jean, Fyodor, and Pieter may also appear.

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GAY MARRIAGE

In general the Dragonlands is a medieval world with some prejudice against gay relationships. Most people believe that marriage is for the purpose of producing an heir while forming a long term alliance with another family, especially families of nobility. Lower class furres concern themselves even less with these practices considering they don't have to worry about a major inheritance to pass down.

Kasuria is a medieval setting where arranged marriages are the norm. One doesn't have to be gay to resent marrying a particular person but most furres go through with what their families have decided anyway.

Not only does wealth, and the lands often tied with it, follow the line of inheritance but so authority does too. That means that every noble heir stands a chance of being liege Lord or Lady over more and more people; heirs concentrate political clout. Trueborn kings and queens are especially important because they can declare truces, and even though declaring war wasn't an acceptable kingly power in some countries it is one in Kasuria. Additionally, there is a superstition that being "trueborn" is inherently better than being born out of wedlock.

There is no law in Kasuria against gay relationships, nor is there a law against a married person having a lover on the side. Both however are severely frowned upon because only children born in wedlock may inherit and neither relationship results in a trueborn heir.

In uptight Kasuria it's often treated as an "inferior" kind of relationship because it doesn't result in the financial and philosophical union of two bloodlines. The more high-class the family is, the worse this gets. In general, low-class furres tend not to worry about it nearly so much.

Unlike the historical medieval world, furres in the fictional world of the Dragonlands are not as guilty of the real-world stereotypes. In the real world, human men were expected to take up arms and sacrifice their lives in defense of their families, while human women were excused from weapons duty for the sake of raising children. The societies of the Olde World are much like this too, but Kasuria is more egalitarian: both men and women could be soldiers, knights, and warriors. Kasuria also has a cultural recognition of furres who aren't either gender.

There's no law against gay marriage but that's probably because noble families already have far too many reasons to not do it -- or at least they think they do. By Kasurian law, inheritance goes to the male's first-born child, whether the kit is male or female.

After two furres are married their property and political power become united into a single entity, there's only one "package" that is going to be passed down. If a man marries three women, all four must contribute their resources to the pool -- in this example there are four families but only one heir. Noble families tolerate daughters being second, third, fourth, etc wives because any one of them might still be mother to the heir and older heirs might yet perish. A man with a first wife with six kids for instance is thus less able to acquire a second wife.

From a modern perspective, one might well ask, "Well, why don't Kasurians just throw out this nonsense of first-born-child-of-the-male-inheriting-everything...?" Perhaps because adherence to traditions we understand the least are the ones most difficult to undo. The Dragonlands court setting and the noble society of Kasuria are rife with intrigues and bitter oppression (such as arranged marriages).

In the Olde World, reactions to homosexual relationships vary.

In Taigoria (the Dragonlands parallel to Japan), homosexual relationships are accepted without any stigma as long as the person also upholds their duty to the family by getting married to someone of the opposite gender and producing at least one inheriting male child. Samurai openly "court" same-sex lovers.


TL;DR:
Same-sex unions do not product heirs. The primary reason for marriage, Kasurian nobles in particular, is the production of legitimate offspring for inheritance and bloodline purposes. Therefore, same-sex marriages are seen as lacking and looked at askance, similar to how an extramarital or premarital affair might be but so long as one does their duty to their families they are often left alone to pursue such relationships.