Chapter Trigger Warnings Wrote:Explicit Depiction of Illness, Explicit Threat of Torture, Explicit Threat of Mutilation

The Life Of Dragons, Ánslo Academic Publications, 1563 Wrote:Pre-modern dragon social structures and culture were based around the institution of the nest, a result of the necessity of these sites for breeding. Due to the hunter-gatherer lifestyles of the dragons, all pre-modern nests had a finite ceiling to the population they could support, which led to a lifestyle that was a hybrid of sedentary and nomadic elements, with many dragons moving from nest to nest over the course of their lives (especially in early adolescence), and yet still spending a large portion of their lifespans in one location.

At the center of each nest's social structure was the nest's lord, the Thengill, typically the oldest, largest, and most powerful dragon present. The Thengill would—ideally—protect the nest and the eggs and hatchlings inside, organize and direct the nest's members (including banishing excess members when the nest had exceeded the number the region could support) and act as a social and military leader for the members of the nest. Regardless, their word was law and their decisions final.

While abuses by Thengills were sadly common as a result of this unchecked power, the resource they commanded in the form of access to the nest and the breeding potential it represented was such that the vast majority of dragons would accept their terms without question. And due to their age and experience, few other dragons could challenge the Thengill—and often the second-strongest dragon in the nest was the Thengill's auxiliary, or even their chosen successor. Still, when a Thengill weakened from hunger, illness, or injury, challengers would appear.

The Second Flowering Of Yggdrasil: An Analysis Of The Norse Resurgence, 1710 Wrote:Prior to the Norse Reformation, the ethno-religion of the Norse people was technically a folk religion with mixed shamanistic practices and no centralized doctrines. Lacking a canonical unifying text and relying primarily on oral transmission, the particulars of practice and belief differed from region to region, with some particular beliefs and practices being idiosyncratic in comparison to the whole of the religion—which was itself an offshoot of the archaic Germanic religion that had existed in central and western Europa during the prior eras. While pre-Reformation texts which are not from Berk and related tribes are comparatively rare, idiosyncratic differences can still be seen between what examples we do have. It was only later, with Berk's doctrinal canonization which overwrote a great deal of the variation in regional belief, that the Norse religion adopted a set of canonical texts.

One such example of a divergence in belief is that of Sif, Thor's wife. In eastern Norse beliefs, she was primarily an Earth fertility and farming goddess, with her golden hair being an allusion to fields of grain and her marriage to Thor being a symbolic bond between the earth and sky—especially that of life-giving rain on farmers' fields.

In contrast, Sif's depictions are expanded in the beliefs of the Eirish Sea Norse which were eventually canonized by the Norse Reformation. Textual analysis and primary sources show the primary movers of the divergence being the Bog Burglar tribe, which began as a breakaway Sif and Freyja cult sometime in the 800s AD. Here, Sif is still a goddess of the fertility of the earth—a fertility which is enhanced by the blood spilled on the ground by killing attackers attempting to destroy her home, hearth and family. In these depictions, Sif's role is expanded to be similar to that of Freyja, as a deadly warrior woman. However, in contrast to Freyja's focus on the offensive aspects of warfare, Sif's focus is decidedly defensive, that of a mother protecting her children and standing her ground with a refusal to retreat, and a fertility goddess who is completely willing to use the blood and bones of the fallen to enrich her fields.

Travolore Wrote:Phara contemplates the choices that led to her imprisonment aboard Home One. Meanwhile, the Alliance decides what to do with this rogue inquisitor...

(01-13-2021, 11:11 PM)Mamorien Wrote: Our own STMPD posted Divine Patronage (that R½ vs A!MS thing) Chapter 4: In which the Goddess makes a decision about what sort of people the hero needs in his life.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28685370/chapters/70481553

I'll let the author update with the link when the chapter goes up on SV.