Well, there was SUPPOSED to be a post on Tuesday....

Obviously that didn't happen.

Oh yes. I have a partial schedule now.

Every Tuesday, I'm going to do a tag post. Taggy Tuesday, I'm calling it.

Now, why am I (being notoriously bad with schedules and deadlines this past year) attempting this madness?

I assure you, it was for dire reasons.

Between now and this time last week, I managed to acquire 2 more tags. Bringing the grand total up to....10. Not counting the next 4 tags of this series. Even doing double and triple tag posts (which is going to have to happen anyway) is not going to clear it before April. Especially if I keep missing them like I did this week. *grumbles*

Hence, the need for a schedule. I picked Tuesday in case Beautiful People comes back, or I decide to do Top Ten Tuesday again (which I haven't done in forever).

But enough chit-chatting!

There is a whole new world to explore! Because today is the day that I get to introduce the story world of my WIP, The White Rose!

Let us be off!




The simplistic, cleanly beauty of the surrounding landscape. Full of variety of colors and shapes. It is quiet with the exception of an occasional strain from an eija (which is a small wooden flute) or a bird chirping nearby.


Well...I suppose it would be a mix of England, Scotland and Nevada. I'm not sure how else to describe it.

England and Scotland give that Celtic/Germanic feel, but neither one of those climates has the mountains of silver, whereas Nevada does.

So imagine the western coast being like an English beach....




and then for most of the inland being a mix between northern England and Scotland, with a fair amount of rivers.




and then in the northwest the terrain changes to sparsely vegetated flatland before shooting up into large gray mountain ranges. These are the Fihells Sidabras, in English, known as the Silver Mountains. 



I'm still working on the rest of the kingdoms and states.....

Exotic food is often given as a gift in Duventoliel, as well as choice wines and other exotic alcoholic beverages.

The traditional gift between soveriegns for the Karala Games is the Saoirse-Tesni shrimp. This shrimp lives in the warmest waters of the Sea of Saoirse-Tesni, often near undersea volcanos and underwater cliffs. Divers take small nets down to these cliffs to harvest them.

Because of the relatively small habitat, the dangers of harvesting it, and the difficulty in packaging and transporting it...it's a rare delicacy in any case. 

One other exotic food is the Gwydion chestnut, also known as a sweet chestnut. They are bigger than the average chestnut, have more sugars present and are a little softer than ordinary chestnuts. The husks also have less tannins so the bitterness is dimished. These can only be grown in the Woods of Gwydion, in the low kingdom of Tawarthion (which borders Aistaraina to the north and Ceberlandon to the south).



Believe it or not, Duventoliel honors it's working class and working by the sweat of it's brow. There is more money in working as a laborer than being a manager. Most landowners will eliminate the manager and just manage it themselves. The expenses and workers wages eat almost all of the sale profits. But at least the workers all have good sound houses, plenty of food and can afford medical care and even a little savings.

There is a small number of nobles, but they are also contributors to society. There are the standard servants, and it is considered a high honor among the middle and poorer classes to be chosen for the royal household (a status). There are no nobles ladies-in-waiting for the royal women in Duventoliel, but there are trusted maids.

The class structure isn't really discussed in the story, except for the question of royals marrying commoners, as it is done in Ceberlandon, the third "high" kingdom.



Laziness, frivolty, deception and pride are shunned in Duventoliel. Tanned skin is valued more because it means that you are a hard laborer.

The good of the kingdom is always stressed above personal convictions when it comes to passing down the throne. But it is the opposite in marriages. The king the undisputed head of the kingdom, the queen the undisputed heart of the kingdom. And nary shall the roles be switched, as they are equal in dignity but complimentary in role.

Duventoliel society values honesty, transparency, and purity pretty highly. As well as chivalry.

They also highly value piety. 99% of the citizens, including the royal household, carry a paderau with them at all times. They go to church daily if they can and even the royals are heavily involved with fostering community life in the parishes of Duventoliel.

A paderau....also known as a Rosary :)

The main location is Castle Sidabras, the home of the Sigurdnirs and the headquarters of the Karala Games. There is some moving around to a large arena in Sidabras (the capital of Duventoliel), and to Aistaraina.

At Castle Sidabras, there are extensive gardens, with a few trees and streams. There are a couple of groves of trees – one being a grove of linden trees. There are gentle rolling slopes in the ground, with some flat sections. The city of Sidebras, the capital of Duventoliel, is a few miles off in the distance because the Castle Sidebras is surrounded by three large estate farms.



Smell of fields outside while inside it’s more of a dank, and musty smell. A lot of the people have the windows open for the fresh air. There are several flowerbeds around, especially near the princesses’ wing. It is especially prevalent near Alvilda’s room. Though you can smell the white rose bushes around some the castle ballrooms and especially in Janina’s room.



Duventoliel is known for the silver trade. The silver industry is still based in Sidabras, even though the production is based in other cities in Duventoliel. Aistaraina is known for the jasna or glass trade. Ceberlandon is known for it's paper and books. Each kingdom and state has it's primary export and several smaller exports. Food is generally not exported unless it is exotic, like the Saoirse-Tesni shrimp or the Gwydion chestnuts.

Trade is either done in inland market cities or in port markets.

Countries may also interact with each other during international social events such as the Karala Games, as well as annual diplomatic visits. But the bulk of the interaction is through trade.



At last! I can explain the Karala Games!

Known also as the Queen's Games (because it was named for the first queen of Duventoliel), it is a tournament of games to gauge a lord or sovereign’s strength, chivalry, and character. The Games last several weeks, in which the “bride” known as the Blue Star, mingles in with the contestants and gets to know them on a personal level. The champion is determined by the princess, and they will set up an official courtship.

The particular events that are to be held are chosen by the Blue Star - often to test traits that are complimentary to hers. For example, one potential event is the horse taming - an event that requires gentleness, firmness, and patience. If a woman has a fiery temper, these traits are necessary in order to bear it.

The Karala Games are only held when a girl of royal descent is:
 a) of appropriate age (which by Duventoliel standards, is 3 years after the girl's Moon Reckoning...which is the start of the monthly cycle in)
b) of appropriate maturity (it takes great strength of character to be a queen or high noble).
c) has no previous marital arrangements (such as an engagement)

There is also one other tradition that is a hallmark to all the "high" kingdoms: The Unstained Ring.


Above is what I imagine Janina's Unstained Ring to look like.

Crafted by the Angelas, (or Angels, as we call them) these rings of silver are inlaid with many stones corresponding to the month in which the girl was born. After a girl receives the Mark of the Dove (known to Catholics as Confirmation), the Leberecht (the priests) place this ring on the girl's left ring finger, and it painlessly partially binds to the skin. Only a matrimonial vow and blessing can release the ring's hold. It would only cause harm to the girl if her virginity was stripped by her own free will (if she was raped it would lose it’s sheen but would not blacken)


Well, as I haven't totally nailed the history of this particular world yet, I suppose I can talk about the creation of some of the "races" in my world.

See, there are three "high" kingdoms in this world - meaning that the original citizens descended from Elves. How they are descended is, interesting, to say the least.

You see, before the humans settled in this world, the Elves held a thriving trading civilization over the lands of Duventoliel, Aistaraina and Ceberlandon. As it happens in a lot of stories, the Elves wished to move on after a few centuries, especially as men started to populate the area.

Apologizes for the ginormous picture....it was pixelated otherwise!!!

The Elvish men of Duventoliel wished that no trace of Elvish blood remain in the land. Some Elvish women of the settlement, wishing that their legacy would live on in their progeny, intermarried into the nearby settlement of men by disguising themselves as mortals. The people of Duventoliel are descended from several clans of Elvish women/mortal men unions. One clan – the Sigurdnirs - became the royal line through conquest, helped by an old silver Dragon, as the legend goes.

In Aistaraina, all citizens descended from a single union of an Elvish man named Daermaethor and a mortal female named Seraphina, the eldest of the line being a daughter who married an original settler of Duventoliel who did many services for her father. Thus he was named Leofwine (elf-friend).

In Ceberlandon, 3 families of Elves stayed behind when the others left. Their descendants intermarried naturally into the men living there. Thus those of Ceberlandon heritage have more Elvish characteristics (they are taller, have much sharper vision, and are stronger. They almost always lack the pointy ears).


Umm...can I say everything?

Figuring out the littlest details has been the most fun for me. Like lately, I've been playing with standards, wax seals, and specific colors for characters. I love how it's all falling into a pattern! Once I get the royal family situated, I'll probably move on to developing more of the cultures and ethnicities of all the different kingdoms and states that are in this world. Which honestly should be NAMED one of these days....

As you can see, I still have a looooong way to go with developing this "world" of mine.

And now, I shall release you dear readers so you can go check out all of the other story worlds that are being revealed today!!

What is your favorite part of the "world"? Is there something that I should add? Any confusing details that I need to fix? Any suggestions for a name for this huge complex universe that I have? Chat with me in the comments!

Scribblingly yours,

Catherine