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 Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 1:50 pm
 Additional Info pertaining to the shop's pets and setting, as well as any other misc. facts.
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Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2013 10:10 pm
Setting General InfoCanis is a fictional country in a fictional world though it is one that can be comparable to our own. Even though it is set into the future, however, the technology of the world has never really had much of a chance to advance, and is more like that which may be found in the early 1900's (1900 to 1920). The sense of fashion style is something of a mix between the years of 1870-1920. Yet, because it is the future, some aspects of culture have continued to progress -- women are not suppressed as they would have been in earlier times, for example, and people are generally treated as equals across the board. A great deal of people, however, do seem to have a rather healthy dose of superstition for anything concerning luck or 'magic' and the like, no doubt a remnant of the Long Ago when magic was more prevalent.
Year 3479
Government Harking back to older times, Canis is a Constitutional Monarchy. The title is hereditary, but monarchs still must abide by a constitution. The current monarch is Queen Elisa I.
Religion Canis' native religion is refeered to as Earthaism, and harkens back to the years when mankind lived underground to escape the demons. Most believe such teachings nowadays to be archaic and superstitious, however, especially since many do not believe such a time existed -- at least not the way it's presented in texts. Practices for Earthaism include burning incense to ward off bad energies, leaving offerings on nights with a new moon to appease evil spirits, and respecting the land. Most believers can be found in more rural, or less advanced, areas as opposed to larger cities.
Language The language spoken in Canis is Common, which is the same as english. Dialects and slang may differ by region, however.
Currency Canis' form of currency is paper and coin based, similar to our own.
Other Details Please read below for more info on the geography, as well as the strange place known as the Underground.
GeographyCanis is a moderately sized, semi-peninsular, country about the size of France or Germany. It's northern reaches are frigid and snow-covered year round, and are difficult to traverse due to the large, craggy mountains, there. The south is warmer, but maintains a fair temperature even during the summer that hardly ever exceeds 85 degrees, while the rest of the country falls somewhere in between. To the east the land is largely forested, and the trees here help to act as a natural border to their neighboring countries, while the west is more flat plains that eventually stretch out to the sea.
Arkenvale is the capitol of Canis, and is located to the upper north-west atop high cliffs overlooking the ocean. Here, the people have a good vantage point and access to sea trading routes, and the weather is usually not too harsh, even in winter, due to the warmer currents of air brought in by the waters. Still, the waters here are much too cold to swim in, even during the summer.
Somera this is a large, ancient, city located in the south along the High Road at the edge of the ocean and the Alabaster Plains. It is rumored that, long ago, the ground where the city was built was where the first summoner rose from the Underground and slayed the first of the demons with her hound. Much of the city, however, is so old that it has fallen to ruin, though the newer areas are lively with traders and locals, alike.
The High Road is the main road used for traveling to and from Arkenvale, so named for it's popularity and the fact that this is the traditional road used by the Royal family for official business.
The Trilheim Mountains lie to the north and can be seen even from a great distance as shadowy, snow-covered, peaks that soar past the clouds. There is snow even in the deep, wooded, foothills of these mountains year round and are nearly impossible to cross.
The Alabaster Plains are so named for the great white stalks of grass that spring up here. The plains are considered by most to be a rather beautiful, as the stalks remain an off-white color throughout the year until they die off in the winter. The plains begin in sparse bursts to the west and gradually thicken to a sea of grass up to four feet tall in some areas. In the warmer southern climes the grass continues all the way to the sea, stopping short of the beach where waves crash only feet away.
The Barren Sea stretches along the western and southern edges of the country, and is so named for it's frigid and metallic looking waters. Even during summer the waves here are far too cold and rough to think of swimming in -- though the breeze brings in a current that keeps the worst of the cold at bay, inland, during the winters.
The Eldrig Forest is a deep and dense, sprawling, wood that borders the entirety of Canis' eastern side. It has helped to protect the country from invaders (of the human variety, at least) for thousands of years.
The UndergroundThey say that, at some point, hundreds of years ago, mankind took to the earth to escape the terrible demon plague that accosted the surface. Demons were interested in the resources found there, and so the only safe place was where most resources were scarce -- under the earth itself. Large, honeycombed, networks underground were created for shelter and housing, and people eventually made these places their homes. However, in their hurry to escape the monsters terrorizing them most did not bring much of history or technology and so much information was lost over time. Most people simply believe that the supposed 'demons' were some other sort of invader that came from a neighboring country, or from overseas, and discount the hounds and their summoners as little more than romantic accounts of particular heros on the battlefield. Whatever the case may be, however, not much is really known about this strange place other than what might be found in old histories and fairie tales.The TunnelsTunnels have been found all over the country and are now, apparently, what used to make up the large, ancient, underground network simply referred to as "The Underground" in current times. These tunnels extend for miles, in many case, with large cavernous pockets that clearly once housed small clusters of towns -- the remnants of humankind that managed to survive the initial demon attack. Most people, however, are not yet aware of their existence.
The majority of those who have discovered them are the Aelfir, those destined to bond with a hound. At the very deepest parts of these tunnels are large, open, caverns filled with ancient secrets. Their walls are carved with ruins that cannot be deciphered, and etchings and paintings of battles, terrible and great, scrawl over their surfaces and the ceilings. The air here is thick with magic - a current that numbs the senses and slowly creeps in until the person is left in a trance...
Only the Aelfir seem capable of entering this deepest of places. Others are blocked out several thousands of feet away by some invisible barrier which takes the shape of a wall - an illusion.TechnologyThe world, despite being advanced in years, has never really had a chance to evolve in terms of technology. When the first demons attacked long ago, the year was 1876. Most technology was just barely beginning to make it to more advanced stages, and many things we take for granted today hadn't even been invented yet. The first practical telephone would have just been invented (meaning practically no one even had a phone at this point), practical lightbulbs were not yet invented and so electric lighting was still largely impractical, and radios hadn't been invented. Since then, however, a number of improvements have been made and the radio was one of the first successful inventions, accompanied later on by simple electrical lighting, that would revolutionize the lives of those living in the Underground and, eventually, transfer to current times. This technological 'standstill' lasted for about 150 years until the first Hell Hounds were summoned.The PeopleEven though the world largely resembles a period of about 1920, much more time than that has passed. Because of this, people's general attitudes and beliefs about how things should be done have come quite a long way! Equality between people of various genders, cultures, and religious backgrounds are, in general, more widely accepted. However most people, especially those who follow Earthaism, tend to be somewhat suspicious of those who seem overly strange or foreign -- a natural sort of xenophobia, perhaps, after the events of the Long Ago. And, of course, there are always those factions that remain more conservative and traditional. Yet, overall, people tend to look like the typical 1900's men and women. Even their styles of dress is very similar, and women are not frowned upon (as much) for wearing pants or having shorter hairstyles. Most people are more community oriented than you might see in our own times -- television and the computer have yet to be invented, so they go outside for picnics, and baseball games, or families might sit together and listen to radio shows.FashionAlthough times are more advanced socially, the attitude toward fashion hasn't really changed all that much from older times. Since people have been stuck, somewhat stagnant, underground for such a long time, most clothing resembles fashions seen between 1870 and 1910 -though denim has been invented it's still not part of mainstream fashion and is used by cowboys, farmers, and other hard labor workers. Women's fashion is much the same as what you would see in these time periods. Dresses tended to be more conservative, though younger generations might prefer things that showed a bit more skin (such as short sleeves). Top/skirt combinations are also used but are seen as very cutting edge and bold, and might be frowned upon by more conservative folks and, while it's certainly not prohibited, women are able to wear pants as men but would be seen as quite eccentric and strange for the time period. Overall, there's more of a sense of 'old fashioned'-ness to styles across the board, though they may not necessarily be quite as strict as modern history would suggest.The Order of SocietyAs a Monarchy, a class system does exist in Canis. There is the Royalty, starting with Queen Elisa I, who is currently widowed, and her two children Arianna, the eldest of fifteen, and her son, Laith, who is twelve. The children are rarely ever seen, however, except on very formal occasions. Beneath the royalty are the Nobility, comprised of all the typical titles, and who own land across most of the country of Canis. Finally, there is the landed aristocracy (those who are not noble but were granted land of their own, or who bought it) and, beneath them, the common free men and women who own no lands or titles of their own but work for a living and make up the majority of the population of Canis.GovernmentQueen Elisa I is the end word to most arguments, although her decisions must still abide by the country's constitution. This prevents any monarch from making rash decisions that could destroy the country, such as sudden declarations of war or killing off half the men and women. The constitution is a set of rules, basically, which is decided by the Ruling Council, a group of two-hundred men and women that serve for life and are elected, when a seat opens up, from the Parliament which is made up of individuals (usually Nobles or wealthy Commoners) who are voted in by members of their county. However, it is possible for a normal Commoner to be voted into the Parliament if they are influential enough. Parliament members serve for a term of two years, after which they must either be re-elected or replaced. Aside from this, each country has a Mayor who is also elected by the town itself who helps to govern the actual city, but has no real say toward official government matters any more than anyone else.
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Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 1:05 am
Timeline
A quick timeline for reference of major events. 1719-1869 - The Purge
Demons have come to earth, and begin the surprising quick process of eliminating the human race. During this time humans take to living underground.
1869-1921 - The Long War
The first Summoner unlocks the secret to summoning the hounds, and the fight to reclaiming Earth begins -- and is won.
1921-2421 - The Long Peace
The Hounds and their Summoners rule for another 500 years in peace, though slowly their numbers decrease as the people have no need for them since the demons have gone.
2422 - The Last Among Us
The last of the Hounds disappear, and the secret to summoning them is lost with it's Summoner.
3476 - The Tolling from Below
A sound is heard from underground, though not all seem able to hear it. It is like a bell, deep and mournful, rising up from the earth. The tolling seems to follow the rise and fall of the moon, strongest on nights when it is full and new. Officially, this is also the first year when Hounds began to be summoned again, as people slowly, but rarely, found their way to the Underground.
3479 - The Hounds Return (current year)
Tunnel mouths have collapsed over the Underground, leading down into the earth. The tolling has been especially loud this year, and more people than ever are emerging with Hounds at their sides.
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Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 2:00 pm
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