Crocuta Queen

Only the 2nd time I’ve ever managed to actually complete this. Upside of quarantine I guess. 

Day 30: Secrets/Unseen - Death is common. It is easy enough to explain away disappearances and lock up that which might ruin a great family whenever the moon grows heavy. 

Taking in strays is highly discouraged, as you never know who might be watching through whose eyes. 

The name connected to the sigil of the bear and a crumbling ruin was all but struck from history after the heir to the family name chose to side with those she was raised to hate. In some circles it is a cautionary tale about temptation. In others, a love story. 

The God of the forests was slain and yet there are whispers of their power lingering in a chosen few, reborn again and again in new vessels like a seed waiting to be planted. 

Day 23: Weapons

The mirror was said to have been a gift but from who or why remain a mystery. The only certainty is that by dawn, there was a not a living soul within the castle. 

The Volkov tombs are filled not with statues of great men, but their legendary steeds, memorialized in stone. 

The Corvina household began as family of blacksmith and craftsman, paid very little mine at all by their peers. Yet as the great families of old wars dwindle, their wealth and influence have only grown and solidified. All manner of great weapons, armor, and contraptions have been forged in the fires of this house. 

Those who have lost loved ones often claim to hear them calling through the trees late at night or strange lights. Its not suggested to heed either, as those who went looking don’t seem to find anything but trouble. 

Day 18: Foliage 

Some stories have become lost. Those left to interpret them are unsure if the legend speaks of a savior or an end. The only certainty is that the sea is its herald. 

To gain the favor of the Serpent, those families allowed to live along the coast will make offerings. The creature is not known to be picky and gems, fruit, scraps of fine fabric or even smooth stones are all accepted so long as there is blood in the water to call him. As entering the water is forbidden, they push their offerings out in small boats, holes drilled in the hull so the waves can more easily take them. 

A few dozen such restraints were made during the great war. Unfortunately, as effective a tool as they were for cutting witches off from their power, the dark metal also proved to have another side when heated: madness. Creation was quickly halted and the remaining raw material quietly disposed of. 

Each spring in the west is heralded by local festivals that proceed the beginning of a new planting season. These often include large puppets, themed regionally to honor old guardians or stories. 

Good or bad, the meaning of an omen often depends upon who you ask.

As the family diminished, generation after generation, the Volkav keep grew darker and darker. Now there are too few left to even man its walls and gates.