Dreamer

Medieval Fantasy Worldbuilding Roleplay (Elkarion)

Elkarion is an expansive, long term high fantasy worldbuilding project that is an evolving universe designed to grow across multiple creative mediums.

We are excited to share that Elkarion is now open for new members to join.

While the world is still actively being built and is not yet open for live roleplay, it is open for character creation, connection building, artistic exploration, and early immersion into the lore. This is your opportunity to step in at the foundation stage and help shape the future of the world.

Currently, fifteen members are developing characters within Elkarion, and we are thrilled to begin welcoming more.

To ensure every new member receives thoughtful guidance through the lore, kingdoms, and systems, we plan to invite people in waves of ten per week. This allows the admin team to give proper attention to each creator and maintain the integrity of the world as it expands. We don't want anyone to feel abandoned.

Activity Expectations

Elkarion does not enforce a required activity level. We understand that everyone has commitments outside of the project.

However, if you choose to create characters collaboratively with others, we do ask that you remain communicative and respectful of the connections you build. Character relationships are part of what makes the world feel alive, and we encourage engagement with those you choose to create alongside.

All roleplayers must be 18 years old by February 2027 (meaning you must currently be 17 or older to join).

Members under 18 will have limited access to certain channels and lore until they reach eligibility.

You do not need to roleplay to join.

Elkarion welcomes:

Writers

Artists

Character designers

Lore enthusiasts

Spectators

Worldbuilding collaborators

People who simply love creating

Most structured worldbuilding is handled by a designated core team (paid roles currently closed, volunteer roles open), but we are always open to thoughtful suggestions. The team operates flexibly and values collaborative creativity.

What Is Elkarion?

Elkarion is not simply a collection of maps or a single book concept.

It is a fully fictional world composed of island continents divided into kingdoms, sacred territories, oceanic societies, lawless frontiers, ancient ruins, and powerful trade cities. Each region holds distinct:

Languages

Religious systems

Political philosophies

Magic structures

Noble houses

Cultural identities

Some kingdoms are governed by divine law. Some embrace the sciences others fear. One forbids magic entirely. Another wields blood arts at the heart of it's governance.

These realms do not passively coexist, they compete, distrust, negotiate, fracture, conquer, and reform. History moves forward. Wars ignite. Succession lines falter. Religions splinter. New discoveries reshape what was once believed absolute.

Canon in Elkarion evolves.

Like real history and science, early concepts may refine, expand, or transform as the world matures. Every guide, map, and document reflects the world as it is understood at that moment in time.

And those who join may help shape what it becomes next.

It's A Multi Medium World

Elkarion exists across many creative formats, including:

Written fiction (novels and short stories)

Illustrations and character art

Roleplay

Lore documents and linguistic systems

Maps, heraldry, and bestiaries

Scholarly archives

Animated projects

A live action adaptation currently in early discussion/development

Long term goals include professional publication, anthology releases, and potential multi media adaptations as opportunities align. While these ambitions are long term and evolving, the structural foundation is already being carefully constructed.

Ownership & Copyright

This isn't as scary as it sounds. The world of Elkarion is protected by copyright.

But! Your characters are completely yours.

You retain ownership of:

Your original characters

Their personalities

Their visual designs

The art you create of them

You are free to post, sell, and use your character art however you wish. Your art cannot be used as official Elkarion media without both your consent, founder’s consent and the artist's consent.

However:

Elkarion’s lore, languages, maps, history, stories, kingdoms, and house names belong to the Elkarion Project.

If you ever choose to use your character outside of Elkarion, you may absolutely do so, you would simply need to adjust or rename any elements directly tied to Elkarion’s unique intellectual property (such as specific kingdoms, noble houses, or canonical groups).

Joining the server serves as official notice of the Usage & Copyright Terms.

Remaining in the server and participating indicates agreement to respect those terms moving forward. The project is prepared to pursue legal action if we ever believe this to be broken.

A full Copyright & Usage Guide is available within the server.

This ensures that both individual creations and the world itself remain protected and respected.

Community & Atmosphere

Elkarion operates with a specific tone and atmosphere in mind.

The server is intended to be a safe, creative environment. Conflict between members will be reviewed by the admin team when necessary. Anyone who intentionally creates repeated tension or discomfort within the community will be removed.

We are building something long term and ambitious. The environment must reflect that.

Why Join Now?

Because this is the foundation stage.

This is when:

Bloodlines are first drafted

Political rivalries are seeded

Languages are refined

Histories are written

Characters begin forming the bonds that may one day influence canon

To step into Elkarion is to enter a realm of ancient power, political intrigue, mythic wonder, and living magic.

It is not a world you simply observe.

It is a world you help shape.

How to Join Elkarion

If you’re interested in becoming part of Elkarion, the first step is simple:

Fill out the official Google Application Form.

The form allows us to get to know you, your creative interests, your experience (if any, not neeeded), and what draws you to Elkarion. This is not a test, nor is it about skill level. We are looking for people who align with the tone, long term vision, and collaborative spirit of the project.

Once your form is reviewed, you will be contacted directly with the next steps.

Because members are invited in waves of ten per week, response time may vary slightly depending on how many applications are currently being processed. This structure allows the admin team to properly guide each new member through the lore, expectations, and character integration process. You will be messaged with a approximate date of when we will be able to welcome you.

Please note:

Submitting a form does not guarantee immediate entry, but every application is carefully considered.

Want a Preview First?

If you would like to explore some of Elkarion’s existing lore before applying, you may visit the project’s Tumblr.

The Tumblr contains worldbuilding posts, concept lore, and early glimpses into the setting.

Please be aware:

The Tumblr is currently on pause while internal development continues. Recent posts remain accurate to the current canon, however some of the earliest posts may no longer fully reflect the updated direction of the world. Elkarion is an evolving project, and as the lore refines, certain older concepts are adjusted or expanded.

The server itself contains the most current and cohesive version of canon.

If you have any additional questions before applying, you are welcome to reach out.

We look forward to meeting the next wave of creators who will help shape Elkarion’s future.

You may fill out the form Here.

The First Mushers Of Aurellan And The Birth Of The Run Of The Dawn

Long before the towers of Aurellan pierced the clouds, before sky ferries traced luminous arcs between the islands, before the Dawn feather’s doctrine was carved into marble and glass, there was ice, hunger, and silence.

The old chronicles do not call them mushers.

They call them the Ground Bound, or the Ones Who Ran While the Sky Was Closed.

In the earliest recorded age of Aurellan, a winter fell so violent it is still spoken of only in fragments, The Sky Severing. Storms raged without pause for weeks. Snow buried entire settlements. Birds froze mid flight and fell like omens. The aurora burned red, and the priests declared the heavens impassable.

The two great Aurellan islands were cut off from one another.

On the northern island, the Dawn feather’s high shrine lay dark, its sacred fire failing. On the southern island, grain stores were locked behind ice, and sickness spread through the low halls. Messages sent by bird never arrived. Fires dwindled. Panic rose.

It is said the temples argued.

The nobles waited.

And the sky refused them all.

And so, a small group stepped forward, not knights, not priests, but hunters, herders, and ice walkers who had learned to live close to the ground.

They brought with them dogs.

The oldest surviving names vary by telling, but the most accepted canon speaks of Eiran Frostbound, a tracker priest cast out of the upper temples for refusing to abandon the ground born ways, and Thyra of the Low Pass, a woman who bred snow hounds from the last great wolf lines of the north said to be those that raised King Skaen of Skaegir.

Their team was not large, just six dogs, thick coated and sharp eyed, bred for endurance rather than speed. They fashioned a sled from whale bones and pine, bound together with rawhide and prayer cords torn from a ruined shrine.

They did not believe they would survive.

But they believed someone had to try.

The crossing between the islands had frozen, not smooth and clear, but cracked, groaning, layered with storm blown snow that hid death beneath beauty. Eiran is said to have carved the Dawn feather’s symbol into each dog’s collar with shaking hands, not as ownership, but as invocation.

And then they ran.

The crossing took three days.

The storms blinded them. The ice split behind them. One dog was lost to a fissure, its name, Bright Tooth, is still recited in musher rites. Another was injured and carried upon the sled rather than abandoned. Eiran walked the entire way, bleeding through his boots, refusing the sled even when his legs began to fail.

When they reached the far island, Thyra collapsed at the gates of the shrine, half dead, her hands frozen into the reins.

But the fire was lit.

The grain was moved.

The sick were warned and treated.

And the islands spoke again.

The priests called it a miracle.

The mushers called it survival.

The people called it The First Run of Dawn, the moment the sun rose again not from the sky, but from the ice.

After the crossing, the church could not deny what had happened. The Dawn feather had not closed the heavens to punish Aurellan, he had closed them to remind them that the ground still mattered.

The dogs were declared to be touched by endurance, creatures who could walk paths humans could not and return without corruption. The collars Eiran carved became the basis of the modern dawn talismans worn by sled teams today.

And yet, reverence came with fear.

For if the dogs could walk where death waited, then surely something walked with them.

During the rites honoring the first run, it is said one dog did not rest.

Bright Tooth’s body had never been recovered. On the night of the consecration, witnesses claimed a black coated hound stood at the edge of the torchlight, larger than life, eyes pale as frost, breath steaming though no lungs moved.

It did not threaten.

It did not approach.

It simply watched.

The priests declared it an omen,

A Grim of the Path, a guardian spirit bound to the trails walked in devotion.

Thus were born the Church Grims of Aurellan, spectral hounds said to appear on sacred sled routes, especially during storms. They do not guide. They do not warn. They test.

To see a Church Grim and continue forward is to prove devotion greater than fear. To turn back is not shameful, it is said the Grim shows itself only when the trail ahead will take a life.

Mushers still leave offerings at trail markers, bone, tallow, prayer thread. Not to command the Grims, but to acknowledge them.

The Church teaches that the Grims are the Dawn feather’s eyes upon the ice.

Mushers believe something older walks there too.

Every Run of the Dawn since then is not a race alone, it is a reenactment.

The starting prayer names Eiran and Thyra.

The dogs are touched with frost water and ash.

One empty harness is carried at the rear of the procession, for Bright Tooth and all who did not return.

And when the teams vanish into the white, the priests look skyward while the people look to the ice.

Because Aurellan learned its oldest lesson that winter,

When the heavens close, salvation runs on four legs.

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Keepers Of The Winter Paths

Aurellan was built on stone, silence, and snow, and nothing embodies that legacy more fiercely than its sled dogs. Before the high mountain passes were carved into safe roads and long before the invention of storm resistant skyferries, it was the mushers and their teams who kept the kingdom alive through winter. To be an Aurellan musher is to be part courier, part survivalist, part priest, because the work is not only practical, but sacred.

The dogs themselves are unmistakable, broad shouldered, long limbed creatures with glacier pale eyes and thick, layered coats that can withstand blizzards strong enough to strip flesh from lesser beasts. They are bred for endurance over speed, for intelligence over obedience, for loyalty that borders on spiritual. Some say they can sense avalanches minutes before they fall, or detect the mood of a storm by the taste of the wind. Others whisper they are blessed by Elyrion, the Aurellan god from whom the kingdom once took its stance for.

Mushers traverse the harshest territories of the Aurellan mountains carrying letters, supplies, medicine, and messages between towns cut off by snowfall. Their routes are called winter veins, the lifelines of the kingdom, and to run them is considered an act of service to both the crown and gods.

But their greatest trial comes once a year, The Run of the Dawn, Aurellan’s legendary long distance race. It is not simply a contest of speed, but of endurance, navigation, courage, and the bond between musher and team. The path changes every year, winding through the most inhospitable segments of the spires. Many kingdoms see sled racing as sport, Aurellan sees it as pilgrimage.

According to Aurellan belief, the Dawn Feathers walked the first path through the ice at the dawn of the world, carving a road with their light so mortals could follow. The annual race is meant to honour that journey. Mushers begin their run at moonrise, lanterns dimmed, trusting only the glow of the aurora and the instincts of their dogs. The first checkpoint is known as the Shrine of Quiet Footfalls, where runners offer a strip of ribbon or fur to symbolise humility, recognition that even the strongest teams are still small beneath the sky.

At the final archway, the Gate of First Light, the finishing mushers kneel and brush their gloves over their dogs’ foreheads, whispering old prayers of gratitude, to survive the path is to be reminded of the Dawn Feather’s protection, and to finish it is considered a blessing upon the entire kingdom for the year to come.

Many Aurellan families follow the race as devoutly as others follow holy festivals. Children carve little wooden sled dogs to bring luck. Temples ring soft, low chimes each time a team reaches a checkpoint. In the capital, priests light tall columns of pale flame to mimic the Dawn Feather’s guiding torch.

In Aurellan, the bond between musher and dog is more than practical, it is sacred. These teams are guardians of the winter roads, companions forged in ice, and living reminders that even in the coldest places of the world, devotion can carry you farther than strength alone.

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