Compendium: Raiya Dragonwood
Raiya Dragonwood
Raiya Dragonwood – cropped headshot. Nyrva Dragonwood’s younger sister.
(Rae-Ya)
Brief Bio Data:
- Name Raiya Iriah Dragonwood
- Gender Female
- Race Elf
- Height 44 inches tall
- Weight 51 lbs
- Birthplace Riverwood, Oslaania
- Tribe Dragon Wood Elves
- Clan Wood Elves of Oslaania
- Date of Birth 7th Day, 5th Month (called “Targus”) 1833 A.O.M. (Age of Messiah)
- Age 26 Yarr. This is roughly 26 earth years old. But she is the physical, emotional, and mental age equivalent of a 10 to 12 year old human female elf children age 1 year every 2 earth years until they are 40 yarr – aging slows to 1 human year for every 5 earth years.
- Occupation None
- Religion Messianich Protestant
- Social Disposition Socially conservative, traditional girl. largely uneducated
Conception and Design of Raiya Dragonwood
Conceptual “cel” art of Raiya Dragonwood. The young sister of Nyrva Dragonwood. Raiya is a female wood elf of the Dragonwood Elf clan. She was separated from Nyrva during raids by Archanian Dark Elves during the Inqusition invasions in purges to exterminate Wood Elves from Oslaania. Both Raiya and Nyrva seek to find each other and other members of their family and elf tribe. This is a reconception of the character. There have been earlier conceptual drawings of Raiya (formerly called Ruth, but now “Raiya” in favor of a more “Elfin” sounding name) but this one was created to make her look more like her sister Nyrva.
I will not be sharing too many details about Raiya’s involvements or what happens to her in the story at this time. She was originally to be brutally killed by a Dark Elf. I decided not to do that. What exactly happens to her is not yet fully decided at this time, and even so, is not yet to be fully disclosed. I am beginning a policy of not releasing too much details about the specifics about characters in my fiction — I want there to be more surprises. However, I don’t mind sharing some of the characters who will grace the pages of my fiction, Raiya being no exception. But she doesn’t die, that I’ve decided.
This is all there is for now. Additional works of her will be added as they become available. But on a limited basis. Until the release of the novel, some details about this character are being kept “under wraps”.
Compendium: Nyrva Dragonwood
Compendium: Cast of Characters
Nyrva Dragonwood
Brief Bio Data:
- Name Nyrva Mariah Dragonwood
- Gender Female
- Sexual Orientation Heterosexual, strict
- Race Elf
- Height 60 inches tall
- Weight 135lbs
- Birthplace Riverwood, Oslaania
- Tribe Dragon Wood Elves
- Clan Wood Elves of Oslaania
- Date of Birth 3rd Day, 7th Month (called “Targus”) 1735A.O.M. (Age of Messiah)
- Age 124 Yarr. This is roughly 124 earth years old. But she is the physical, emotional, and mental age equivalent of a 25 to 29 year old human female as elves age about one human year for every 5 Earth years.
- Occupation Innkeeper’s Cook, Barmaid
- Religion Messianich Protestant
- Social Disposition Socially conservative, traditional girl.
Basic Background Sketch
Nyrva Dragonwood was born into a critical and dangerous time in her country’s history. Oslaania is a nation of Elves and Felinians (a race of people with cat-like ears and tails, but very human-like otherwise) in addition to humans. She was born roughly two Centyarr (200 Yarr – the equivalent of two Earth centuries) after the Reformation of Aegis that brought Religious and Political Freedom to her land. Her people have a general belief in the Great Messiah (“Christ”, the “Son of God” in their world) who came to their world 17 Centyarr before her time and was killed on a wooden stake by his own people before His ressurection as prophesied. After the fall of the Rahm Empire the Church took power. But it’s Patriarchal leaders oppressed the people for many centuries. Nyrva’s ancestors rose up after receiving news of a Great Reformation arising in a neighboring country. The power of the Church was threatened and the Oslaanians revolted, overthrowing the power of the nation who controlled them at the time called Archania. The Archanians are staunchly loyal to the Church, swiftly destroying anyone who stood in the way of the Church’s or their power. Because of the revolt sparked by the Dragon Wood Elves (aka “Dragonwood”) the Archanians decreed that all members of this Elf clan and tribe must be destroyed at all costs. None were ever intended to survive.
(In case you were wondering, yes, I have based this somewhat on elements of real human history in a parallel fantasy story setting. Melchizarius 20:45, 18 April 2011 (PDT))
Hidden by her parents and sent to a distant land to friends of her father for over 25 Yarr, Nyrva survived. She also grew up largely without any knowledge of other members of her family- as the survivors of the Dragon Wood Elf Clan (“Dragonwood” in their earlier Elvin toungue) were well scattered throughout the land. The Dragonwood Elves were one of 7 Elf Clans that belong to the Wood Elves of Oslaania- which the Archanians wish to completely eradicate and destroy via genocide. Nyrva only knew of her father and mother, but not of any siblings, and she barely remembered anyone else from her clan. After the rise of the Efrin Revolution (equivalent to the French Revolation) that crippled the Church, and with the newfound freedom of the Oslaanians to govern themselves freely, both religiously and politically, Nyrva returned to her country vowing to find any surviving members of her Clan and her family and reunite with them. But by this time, many of the Wood Elves of Oslannaia, especially the Dragonwood Elves, have already been destroyed — Men, women and children alike have all fallen at the hands of Archanian butchers.
Nyrva’s desire to reunite and restore what’s left of her family and her people will be a difficult task. And she has enemies. Unfortunately for her the Archanians have discovered her existence and have spared no cost or expense trying to exterminate her. In spite of their efforts she survives. The story involves her struggle to survive and to find her family and clan and escape with them, if at all possible. But since the Archanians also have word of other Dragon Wood Elves in Oslaania, they will be relentless until every single Dragon Wood Elf is destroyed. They have managed to completely wipe out two smaller Woof Elf Clans — the Darkwood and Greenwood elves are said to fully extinct. Little is known about how many of the Dragonwood elves are still in existence. Nyrva’s quest is far from hopeless though- she has learned of a young sister born to her parents secretly and hidden away as she was. And rumours abound of members of her family still being in existence. Will she find them and be reunited with them? Or die trying?
Origins of the Character
by Melchizarius 21:32, 18 April 2011 (PDT) – This is derived from previous writings I have written for this character.
Nyrva Dragonwood is a fictional female wood elf character I created in 1997. She was originally a character in a fan fiction I was writing at the time and has since undergone a few last name changes. However her first name “Nyrva” was always a constant. And she was originally written as half-breed (half human, half elf). I continued to develop the character and as such I liked the character well enough that I took her from the fan fiction and decided to put her into her own fictional universe. It became a question of what her surroundings should be, also who the other characters and people who surrounded her should be. Obviously a backstory for the fictional universe she was to become a part of needed to be developed.
This was also at a time when my longtime interest in Japanese Animation was resparked by the availability of some new cool anime at the time. (I grew up with “giant robots” as the central concepts in most anime) The new anime at the time was not shy about having female lead characters in an action-filled adventure and so I adapted that idea for my own work. I decided to make Nyrva the lead character as opposed to the typical role of being a supporting character behind a male lead. I figured there could still be enough action and intrigue to make the story interesting.
I spent several years developing the backstory. But because I have rewritten my fiction story several times, the backstory itself is currently getting a major overhaul. This process will redefine Nyrva’s entire background and the world she comes from – instead of my original idea of making an “alternate universe” of Earth with people like Nyrva in existence, I am making her world a whole other world with a history that in many ways parallels real human history in our own world. But with the creation of a whole new world for Nyrva and her fellow characters of course it gives me full license to do whatever I please. My original idea kept me paying close attention so that the events of Nyrva’s people would not affect the flow of real history. (Hard to explain, even harder to write that way!) So I am creating a whole new backstory with many parallels to real human events in our own world. Her world has its own Moses. it’s own Christ, it’s own “Napoleon” (for that matter) and many other parallels of events in our real world. Once I have things as I like them I am hoping the next rewrite will be more of what I want the story to be.
Nyrva Dragonwood reading the Oslaanian Scriptures revealing God while laying on a large rock – she finds herself surrounded by Unicorns.
Artwork
by Jade Dragon 22:23, 18 April 2011 (PDT)
About the same time the development of my fiction was underway, I had also rediscovered my love of drawing and cartooning. And while my skills at the time were rather shoddy at best I have spent well over a decade working on development. But because I work full time I could not spend more than a few hours a week on this new hobby- and to this day this has not changed. So I do the best I can with the time I have available. But as a result of my growing and changing drawing skills, Nyrva’s appearance has also changed. Even some of her defining characteristics, particularly with respect to hairstyle. She used to have a dome headed long hairdo with hair down to her knees in the back. I grew weary of the difficulty with drawing that so a couple years ago I made the hair go down to her butt instead. I also added spikier sideburn hair and a couple of hairs that managed to stick out the top of her head like two bug antennas. I have also adapted and changed a few of the other surrounding characters in the same manner. And changes have come also as I have sought to refine my technique. And since I am largely self-taught, and given my time constraints, it has been, needless to say, a slow process.
In spite of other galleries I may have on the web, Oslaania.Net is the OFFICIAL website page for this character! All other information can be quickly dismissed. This page contains artwork and all information currently available about the character.
Added 9-October-2011 by Jade Dragon:
Aside from these dangerous encounters of Nyrva’s – much of her story surrounds her search for any surviving members of her family and her lost elf tribe. Will she ever find the surviving Dragon Wood elves? Or like her lost tribe will she become yet another extinct member?
Character Discussion
Character Discussion
This might seem like a lame title for a post but I’m not sure what else to use. The new direction of Nyrva.org is now a character/art dBase and site about my original characters – namely my fictional character Nyrva Dragonwood for whom the site is named, and her fellow related characters, plus any crossovers, etc. I also will use Oslaania.net for that as well but Oslaania.net covers other hobbies too – this site is solely about my characters.
I wanted to talk somewhat on here about my characters in contrast to other fantasy.
I use terms like Wood Elves, Forest Elves etc. I call my characters “elves” – but my elves are not magical at all. They are elves but they are just beings – a humanoid race in my fiction, with no magical abilities. My use of terms such as “Wood Elf” and “Forest Elf” etc. has nothing to do with magic either – but more tribal, clan type stuff. Much similar to the kind of names used in the “Shire” of the Hobbits in the “Lord of the Rings” books, or perhaps like tribes and clans of old in real life countries like Ireland and Scotland.
Example – Nyrva Dragonwood is of the “Dragonwood” elf tribe – one of seven Wood Elf tribes of the country of Oslaania. If her tribe is wiped out, if all the “Dragonwood” die, say by genocide – one tribe is eliminated- if the other six also die, there are no more “Wood” elves- they become extinct. They are not a race in the same sense they are in other fantasy fiction – it is a name/tribal identity issue.
That is actually the case in the story I’m writing – many “Wood Elves” such as Nyrva have been killed by the Dark Elves of an opposing country called Archania in a largely religious and political war against the country of Oslaania – inquisition. Nyrva’s tribe, the “Dragonwood” are near extinction, as are other “Wood Elf” tribes. Two of the seven Wood Elf tribes are already believed to be fully extinct – fully destroyed by the Dark Elves of Archania who have heavily targeted the Wood Elves especially – and especially the females believing the females are the key to the race and that if you destroy the females, the race will die.
The “Wood Elves” of my story actually descend from the “Forest Elves” and as such are a “daughter” race – it’s members are considered “cousins” of the “Forest Elves”.
Nyrva Dragonwood, 2009 – Dragonwood elf tribe, female Wood Elf. the protagonist of my fiction.
For Nyrva’s “crime” of being a “Wood Elf” and the child of “heretics”, The Dark Elves of Archania would love to destroy her at any cost along with any other Wood Elves they encounter. The Archanians will not stop until every single Wood Elf is dead.
Because the Forest Elves are still so strong in number and allies of the Wood Elves in addition to kindred folks of the Wood Elves – they have taken the remnants of the Wood Elves among their own ranks. Of course this would eventually have to lead to war if the Archanians want to kill the Wood Elves who have come under protection.
Nyrva however starts out living among Felinians – a race of cat-eared people – her quest is to find any surviving members of her family and other Dragonwood elves that may still live.
This is a more “impromptu” pencil drawing I did of Nyrva. I may explore this avenue more with other characters – was going for a more “realistic” style drawing rrather than “Anime” – wanted to try and imagine what she might look like in a more realistic style.
There is the scene in the novel of Nyrva Dragonwood naked and defeated, laying at the base of the steps leading to the ruins of her long lost elf tribe, the Dragonwood Elves – sat this point she has been attacked by thieves but not harmed. However she has been drugged and stripped bare naked and robbed of everything she has; money, clothes, food, provisions, etc. Not wanting to risk anything above charges for theft, they do not rape or harm Nyrva’s body apart from merely drugging her with a weaponized, but non-lethal form of “Elfsbane”. The thugs simply use the substance to put Nyrva to sleep for awhile to prevent her from resisting them. She wakes up laying naked in the forest 5 days from home, forced to walk home in this condition. She would have to scrounge for food and water along the way and figure out ways to find suitable shelter a night.
(Elfsbane - is a sedative made from the sap of an Elfberry tree used for insomnia – or in a more “weaponized” form in this case can work like chloroform and in a way that will temporarily render an elf unconscious. can be ingested, inhaled or injected as with a syringe or a dart – it is not poisonous except in very highly prolonged concentrated dosages – high overuse, generally it is only a sedative – it is called Elfsbane because it only works on Elves. Humans and Felinians only seem to become temporarily intoxicated or “high” as in a marijuana high, on the substance. Thus they seek it for more “recreational” purposes. This is a problem for Elves when Humans or Felinians choose to “smoke” tobacco products laced with it. Elfsbane is not known to be poisonous when used in reasonable amounts by members of any race, including Elves suffering from a sleepless night — the most common purpose for the medicine used by Elves..)
“Anime-style” cel design of my character Raiya Dragonwood – the young female wood elf sister of Nyrva Dragonwood. The age equivalent of a 9-10 year old human girl. Raiya is still a young child growing up in a dangerous world. The Archanians would still brutally butcher her if they got half the chance, sparing neither age or sex.
Raiya is the baby sister of Nyrva. The two sisters were separated during a raid by Archania. Each believes the other was killed but still hopes and prays to God that if there is a chance – to bring them back together again. Raiya is protected and raised by Forest Elves, kept safe in their village – and I don’t bring the sisters together for quite some time in the book – actually I’m not going to reveal here if I bring them together at all. I have considered however a separate book for Raiya showing what happens to her – especially if I do decide to reunite the two sisters.
Nyrva Dragonwood gazing heavenward towards God.
My story is not a religious story in and of itself but there are some questions of faith among the characters. Some of my writing has been an elaborate roleplay using real life questions placed into the lives of my characters. Questions of right and wrong, good and evil, faith in God, etc. I figure people ask these questions for real so I decided to have some of this in my story as well.
There are at least two books planned featuring Nyrva – one is a collection of short story adventures of her’s during her hidden years in exile featuring this situation. The second is a singular story adventure where she actively tries to find her people.
Nyrva Dragonwood – Skyward Gaze 2010
A redo of a drawing from 2005 of Nyrva Dragonwood looking to heaven praying to God in her mind. The name of the Messiah, Iysus – in the Elfin tongue. He came to Eethos nearly 1700 Yaar ago to redeem those who would believe on Him – He was the Son of God. On Earth He would be known as “Jesus”.
Nyrva lives in the world of Eethos – a world that in many ways parallels Earth, with its own Moses, “Christ” (Iysus). it’s own Nero, Caligula, Constantine, Galileo, and Napoleon type figures, and the list goes on. They may not go under those names, but the same kinds of people have come and gone and done the same kind of things as on Earth. And now Nyrva finds herself in the midst of her own “Reformation Era” of which her own people, the Wood Elves of Oslaania, have come to fully embrace, and against the wishes of the Church City State of Vatacanus ruled by the self-prclaimed “Holy Pontiff” and the Country of Archania, read the forbidden “Sacred Texts” (the book that reveals the truth about God and shakes the power of the aforementioned “Church State”) and must choose to believe in Iysus, and face death as a “heretic” by the Dark Elves of Archania who constantly invade her country of Oslaania to force their own religious and political views on their land, or else submit to them and sell out her soul, and betray her own blood and people.
Nyrva chooses not to betray her beliefs.
Either way the Dark Elves would not care. They would still want to spill Nyrva’s blood – and the blood of all of her people for reading the “Sacred Texts”, embracing “Iysus” and rejecting the power of Vatacanus. The Wood Elves believe Iysus will one day return to restore Glory and Life to the fallen who believe in Him, avenge their blood, and destroy evil forever.
Another up close shot on Nyrva Dragonwood’s cute face….
And we close for now. More drawings and character descriptions as well as character profile pages are on the way.
Nyrva.org is now the new character and art dBase for Nyrva Dragonwood and other related characters of mine. Art characters and art © by me. All rights strictly reserved.
Until next time…
God bless!
Jade Dragon
Jade Dragon Gallery
