Dragonsmaw Manor
An Extended Brief Overview of Dragonsmaw Manor
-Luckyclaw
Dragonsmaw Manor is a massive, decentralized village-state whose territory occupies the southernmost region of the landmass of Furvilla. While 'Dragonsmaw Manor' originally only referred to its capital city, today it's more commonly used to describe the entire reach of the "Twisted Forest" that defines the nation's borders. The Dragonsmaw Manor territory is about 200 km wide and 350 km long, and is home to over 90,000 residents. With Oceandome to the east, Olde Foxbury to the north, and uncharted territory to the west, Dragonsmaw has had no shortage of border disputes over its lifetime and only in recent years has found lasting "peace."
Dragonsmaw Manor residents are often very patriotic, in spite of stereotypes that they're slimy backstabbers. To them, Dragonsmaw is the ultimate example of diversity in action. Demons, zombies, werewolves, vampires, mind-controlling parasites, and ghosts are just a portion of the population. Laws are very lax and there is little regulation on the kinds of goods and services one can buy. This paired with high rates of social mobility and anti-monopoly laws makes Dragonsmaw Manor the most free nation by far.
Not everyone sees this as a good thing. Dragonsmaw is also seen as a chaotic wreck because of the lack of government regulation. High murder rate, inhumane scientific experimentation, and harmful cult influence are only a few of the issues Dragonsmaw faces. This makes many villagers from other nations feel that Dragonsmaw is unsafe and almost lawless.
There is no ‘official’ language of Dragonsmaw, because the government will not endorse any one language over the others. Most members of Dragonsmaw are multilingual, though English is the most widely-spoken language. Common secondary languages include Latin, Howl, Windwhisper, and even a dialectal form of Whistle.
Dragonsmaw Manor is known for its high population of undead villagers, morbid sense of humor, fascination with tricks and treats, and general lack of government regulation. The current Mayor is Dr. Chester, and the ruling body of the nation is called the Dragonsmaw Council. Its main exports are monster parts, fabrics, and candy, though it’s also noted for being the only nation able to produce Wickerbeast potions.
History and Etymology of Dragonsmaw: The origin of the capital, the Moonlit Curse, and the two revolutions.
Dragonsmaw Manor culture by far predates the current government. Native canine, hyena, bat, and wickerbeast tribes are the oldest residents known, with the oldest surviving artifacts and cave paintings going back to pre-history. Since ancient times, there have been recordings of zombies, ghosts, lycanthropes, and others. Around the year 1400, disgruntled residents from Olde Foxbury (mostly consisting of skunk, corvid, and raptor descent) migrated into the Twisted Forest looking to start their own towns, and began to get into skirmishes with several native tribes. Tensions started high, but after a massive dragon-like monster arrived out of seemingly nowhere, the natives and the hunters combined forces to slay the beast. They took the monster's bones and hide to create homes and walkways, and fashioned its head and teeth into an impressive hall. Together, they'd established a mixed town in the very heart of the Twisted Woods. They named the town after the hall, and that was the beginning of "the Dragonsmaw Manor."
The building of Dragonsmaw Manor proved that the land was rich in resources. Villagers flocked to Dragonsmaw Manor seeking opportunity. Olde Foxbury, ruled by a king at the time, felt entitled to the fruits of Dragonsmaw's labor. By 1490, The king signed charters to remove the native tribes from "Foxbury Land." On October 17th 1497, a night with a full moon, The army invaded the capital village of Dragonsmaw, beginning what is now called the "Moonlit Massacre." All the residents immediately rushed to the defense of their neighbors, and hundreds of unarmed innocents were slaughtered in cold blood as all the rebels were beaten back and forced out of the capitol. It was, and remains, the largest singular loss of civilian life in all recorded Furvilla history.
The Foxbury army failed to account for the tenacity of the Dragonsmaw residents, both alive and dead. A curse was born out of the spilled blood, rippling through the entire forest. The surviving rebels regrouped with farmers around the outskirts of the capitol, who in turn contacted tribes further out in the wood. A second wave of rebels was upon the army before it had a chance to properly call in reinforcements. The living wielded farm equipment such as scythes, natives rushed in to the defense of their friends, and many of the restless dead were rising right off the bloody streets where they had fallen. The first mob of ghosts, zombies, lycanthropes, and scythe-wielders had united. Within two weeks, the Olde Foxbury army was routed, either forced to retreat or killed, officially ending on October 31st. This was the first of two revolutions.
The Moonlit Curse haunts Dragonsmaw to this day. Occurrences of lesser curses, hauntings, zombification, and other related things are much more likely to happen in Dragonsmaw than any other nation. The high concentration of dark energy makes necromancy and summonings much easier to do. The entire Twisted Forest is subject to this curse, and rates of the aforementioned curses only return to ‘normal’ levels passed Dragonsmaw’s borders. Being cursed is not something that is mourned in Dragonsmaw, but is instead celebrated annually during the Great Harvest festival.
After the Olde Foxbury army was expunged, a few short but violent years followed. There was suddenly an entirely new group of "undeads" living among an already diverse population of hunters, farmers, and several distinct tribal cultures... and none of them could agree on a ruler. With no one to mediate conflict and anti-Foxbury aggression running high, a "reign of terror" began were anarchy was supreme and public execution was a spectacle, lasting 10 years. Angry mobs would attack anyone who looked "a little too Foxbury-friendly", leaders came and went in violent blazes of glory, and farmers began to have difficulty supplying food in the tumultuous times. Right when all seemed bleak, an emperor rose to power, establishing the Dark Dynasty. This dynasty lasted for about 300 years, between 1505 to 1801.
The first two emperors worked to fix damage from the Foxbury Invasion, and made Dragonsmaw into an isolated nation for a few brief decades. This ended after a terrible famine, where a blight wiped out the crops. Seeking more fertile land to provide food to the populace, and fuelled by a vendetta against the Olde Foxbury king, the emperors began an invasion that would set a precedent for many years to come. Whenever crops failed, or a resource was lacked, Dragonsmaw would launch an attack on Foxbury. The Dark Dynasty did not rule over long eras of peace and was known for being extremely difficult to negotiate with, preferring violence as a first option instead of a last resort. The constant threat of fighting stunted world growth because of reduced spending on non-war-related science, leading to this time period being known as "The Dark Ages."
Warmongering served them well for 300 years, but began to break apart around 1760 when the Dark Dynasty began to falter. Seeking oceanic resources, Dragonsmaw escalated conflict over borders into a full-blown war with Aqualis (the nation which would later be known as Oceandome). Combining their powers with Olde Foxbury, and receiving aid from Quetzal Palace, the three nations united against the Dark Dynasty, forcing it to become desperate. Unable to steal resources from a well-defended Foxbury and suffering from border invasions, the people once again began to starve. The nation's treasury started to run low, and the military wasn't properly paid. The army was being rapidly whittled down, so the emperor forced a draft which could take citizens as young as 10 years of age. On October 27th, 1801, the military and the people revolted against the emperor, once again to defend themselves and their neighbors. The royal family scattered, but the emperor was killed in the process. The head general of the military took power, and opened peace talks with the combined nations of Olde Foxbury, Aqualis, and Quetzal Palace. That was the end of the second revolution.
The head general and other executive members of the former dynasty devised a new system of government, soon to be known as the Dragonsmaw Council, established on June 6, 1806 and lasting to this very day.
Dragonsmaw Manor's government is a representative democracy. All of Dragonsmaw's territory is drawn into 'regions', and based on the population of the region, there is a set number of individuals who will be sent to the Dragonsmaw Council. These are voted on every 3 years. Every 4 years, a Mayor is elected. Dragonsmaw Mayors have much less power than the council, but act as a sort of 'leader' to be the primary face of foreign relations, keep the public informed, and object to or support legislation. Several candidates are nominated by the council, and then a direct vote from the citizens selects the mayor. Doctor Chester is actually a very progressive mayor in Dragonsmaw, advocating for stronger protections for victims of emotional abuse and supporting measures that increase education standards for all.
In spite of the current council being a progressive one, Dragonsmaw Manor is still well known for its issues. It has the highest murder and assault rate of all five nations. Because of how voting works and how dispersed settlements are, harmful cults can have an uncomfortable amount of influence on the council. Last of all, scientific experimentation can be unethical in Dragonsmaw, so long as the patients sign away their rights or were created in the laboratory for the experiment. It is legal to create Frankenstein's monsters, test on villagers, and do gene splicing surgery. While this means that a lot of scientific advances come out of Dragonsmaw Manor, it is done at a great ethical cost.
Foreign Relations
Because of their warmongering history, Dragonsmaw does not have many allies in other nations. Quetzal Palace is their main rival because of cultural differences, but their hatred for Olde Foxbury runs deep thanks to their history. In recent years, a ceasefire pact was signed between Foxbury and Dragonsmaw, and trade routes have been established between the two. Current relations between the two are neutral but friendly. Dragonsmaw Manor and Oceandome have lukewarm relations between them, but have important trade routes and frequently offer scientific aide to each other. Historically, they've had little contact with Tigereye Peak, but in recent years have forged a strong economic alliance based on the trade of fabric, material, and most importantly chocolate. No nation would even consider a war pact with Dragonsmaw, because of its warmongering nature in the past.
Armed Forces
In recent years the DMM army has been considerably scaled back, but it was a powerful army for much of its history. Some undead generals have served for hundreds of years! The army has a whopping 10,000 standing troops, but it is no longer well-funded, making it only the second strongest army on the continent. This army serves two purposes: to keep the wild monsters of the Twisted Woods at bay, and to act as a warning to its rival, Quetzal Palace, which obviously owns the strongest military of the five nations.
Military service is seen as a noble thing for citizens to do, and the rewards for serving are superb. Because the army has been such an integral part of Dragonsmaw history, recent peace and lack of warfare has caused unrest in its ranks. The oldest generals think the younger generations are too soft and weak for wanting to negotiate trade routes, and long for the simpler days of pillaging villages and bullying Olde Foxbury.
Geography and Distribution
Dragonsmaw Manor stretches through most of the south of the Furvilla landmass, occupying a dark forest known as the Twisted Woods. The nation's state building is the Dragonsmaw Manor, which is located in the city of Dragonsmaw Manor, which is the capital of the Dragonsmaw Manor nation. This means, if you wanted to send a letter to Dr. Chester, you would have to fill out the address as "Dragonsmaw Manor, Dragonsmaw Manor, Dragonsmaw Manor".
The capital city is in the southwest of the Dragonsmaw nation, surrounded by woods and farmland, but the majority of the population lives in small settlements and lesser cities scattered around the Twisted Woods. The woods are thicker, and more treacherous thanks to stronger monsters, towards the east and south of the Twisted Woods. As a result, villager civilization is denser and more common towards the north and west portions of the map. Towards the southeast, there are many abandoned settlements where enterprising furries bit off more than they could chew, and either died in monster attacks or had to flee to safety.
The Twisted Woods
The Twisted Wood is a forest spanning through the southern part of the Furvilla landmass. It is surprisingly diverse for such a foreboding forest, home to hundreds of different kinds of trees, thousands of animal species, and well over a dozen families of monster types. A common joke about Dragonsmaw goes, "There's over a million things with its own unique way to kill you down there" which is painfully true. From angry plants that bite anything that walks by them, to spiders that can be ridden into battle, to colorful little beetles with stings that can kill a bovine villager, even the very environment of the Twisted Woods can be hostile.
Dragonsmaw residents don't usually sympathize with conservation efforts. Members of the haunted tree species which are quick to re-grow, frequent monster attacks, and hostile minipet species make them very skeptical to the idea of a "fragile ecosystem." They frequently develop the sentiment of "either we're going to kill the environment, or it's going to kill us." This has lead to the extinction of several species, such as the dontdont bird and the thylatiger, but political desire is still just not strong enough to fund a proper conservation movement as of now.
Though the flora and fauna adapted to this region are rich and flourishing, Dragonsmaw's soil is not particularly welcoming to outside species. Growing crops from other nations is particularly difficult and has been a consistent problem through Dragonsmaw's history. When native crops failed, Dragonsmaw would invade other nations to feed the populace. As such, Dragonsmaw puts a lot of significance on the harvest season and venerates farmers who discover intelligent ways to increase crop yields.
The region is also noted for its high concentration of dark energy, which was abnormally high even before the Moonlit Curse took effect in 1497. This leads to "strange effects" such as increased rate of zombie reanimation, hauntings, and strangest of all, hallucinations that give the feeling of 're-spawning' after a 'death.' Explorers can sometimes feel that they've died while exploring, only to wake up safely in their beds with all their found materials. The Twisted Woods is dotted with large purple crystal clusters and gigantic black rock slabs, called "dark crystals" and "shadow stones," that seem to be the source of this 'dark energy' and creates the high concentration. These landmarks are as old as the Twisted Wood itself, and it is not known why these mysterious structures suddenly became more potent after the Moonlit Massacre. Despite being so important to Dragonsmaw's environment and culture, very little is known about them and they are mostly respected and avoided, even by undead villagers.
Climate
Dragonsmaw is warm and humid for most of the year, and its lowest temperatures rarely go below freezing. Peak temperatures typically reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, and very rarely dip below 50 degrees in the lows of winter. Snow is very rare, and when it does fall, it's a celebratory occasion. Naturally, this causes Tigereye Peak residents to joke about how Dragonsmaw's greatest weakness is only two inches of snow. The weather is usually cloudy or rainy, so the stereotype of "Dragonsmaw Manor residents not being able to handle the sun" is partially true, when compared to how sunny a place like Olde Foxbury is. With high rainfall and a warm temperature, the Twisted Woods is technically a temperate rainforest biome, which is why it's so surprisingly diverse when it comes to fauna and flora.
Economy
Though its resource-rich environment also sees it exporting a wide assortment of goods, Dragonsmaw Manor is known for three major industries; textiles, candy, and monster materials.
Fabrics crafted from Dragonsmaw spider silk are known to be some of the richest, most durable, and most luxurious materials on the market, and even the spider silk itself can command a high price for its use in crafting. While other nations would create diverse breeds of piggies, mini moos, and basilisks for livestock needs, Dragonsmaw is home to over a dozen commercial breeds of specialized spider. The most valuable silks, however, are only found woven by wild spiders in the bowels of the Twisted Wood, towards the southeast border.
Tailors and textile workers weave these fabrics into long strips of haunted fabric, then these strips are enchanted by alchemists into classic "toothy scarves." The most valuable of all these scarves are the eerie and spooky toothy scarves, made from the finest silks and enchanted by alchemists with many years of training. Textiles in Dragonsmaw are perhaps more than just an industry, even being considered by some to be an art!
Candy and other desserts are also staples of Dragonsmaw exports, as Dragonsmaw has the best environment for growing sugar cane. Candycorn is the most widely known example for its use in cooking and weapon crafting, and crates of it are regularly purchased in droves and shipped off to an unknown location. Rumor has it that it's secretly being stored in a high-security vault just in case of an apocalypse, but of course, that's just a rumor. Terrormisu is a delicacy originating in Dragonsmaw Manor, and famous for its popularity among connoisseurs.
Of course, Dragonsmaw is also known for its fearsome monsters. The hunting and butchering of these beasts is another major source of revenue for the nation. The lips, tongue, and teeth of these monsters, sold under the common name of "monster tooth," as well as claws and hand sinews sold under the name "monster claw", are particularly important for crafting. Bones and meat are also sold from the monsters, usually for use in gourmet foods such as torn cheese steak.
Education and Politics
Social programs vary wildly in quality depending on region in Dragonsmaw, including schools. Most schools near the capital are prestigious with high education standards and graduation rates, while most schools further from the capital have an alarming difference in quality. Since most members of Dragonsmaw live in settlements away from the capital, homeschooling or sending children to boarding schools are two popular options. Schooling is currently a hot political topic in Dragonsmaw Manor, and the issue is very complicated because of how widely distributed settlements are.
In fact, many issues are complicated because of how widely distributed settlements are, because many physical programs, like hospitals, police departments, and other government offices are simply impossible to put in every settlement. Worse than that, settlements are so diverse that it becomes a mess to please everyone. Traditional werewolf clans don't like accepting government help, but witch covens are usually very supportive of it. Do ghosts have rights to the places they haunt, even if the land was a graveyard where families visit? Does a sentient body parasite have a right to live? Should you force zombies to have treatments to prevent the spread of their disease? How would any of this be enforced?
As a result, most settlements are left to their own devices and villagers vote with their feet. If they don't like how a settlement is run, they simply move elsewhere. The Dragonsmaw government is seen as less of a 'decision center' and more of a 'fairness enforcer,' whose main purpose is to stop unfair advantages and protect the freedoms of Dragonsmaw citizens by killing monopolies, stopping settlements that keep residents captive, and killing monsters and particularly dangerous criminals.
Culture
A dark sense of humor is a common trait in Dragonsmaw. Death is ever-present in the lives of residents, be it permanent death or undeath, and not even ghosts last forever. They don't avoid speaking about it, and a sense of humor revolving the subject is a way of coping with and claiming their mortality. Ancestors are honored and remembered, and residents use the fact that they will permanently die one day to live their lives to the fullest while it lasts. Death is not something to be feared and locked away, but something to be spoken about and tamed.
Dragonsmaw Manor residents find personal responsibility and intelligence very important, which is a reason why legislation to help citizens can often be difficult to pass. When people are swindled by con-artists or scammed, it’s often seen as the victim’s fault for being too gullible. Or, when contracts are signed with bad employers or evil demons, it’s seen as the sign-ee’s fault for not reading the fine text. On the flip side, this also makes vigilante justice quite common, as residents feel it’s their job to regulate their own communities, not the government’s.
Science is highly valued, sometimes to the detriment of villager rights. Scientists are allowed to perform inhumane experiments as long as the subject was created in a lab for the experiment, or the adult subject signed an agreement of their own free will (free from any hypnosis or physical coercion). Such ‘Mad Scientists’ will often prey on weakness, promising great wealth, power, or eternal life to potential subjects, and they’re allowed to tell half-truths as long as there is no outright lie. Visiting villagers are advised to never sign any text-filled documents while in Dragonsmaw, especially not if they’re asked to sign in blood or with sinister-looking pens.
As a multicultural society, there are varying traditions from settlement to settlement. Lycanthrope tribes have full moon celebrations where the night is filled with howling songs, demons have group magic sessions and beast summoning competitions, skeletons create puzzles to get acquainted with one another and pass the time. Many settlements have a mixture of several subcultures, making every town truly unique.
The traditions they all share tend to be ones based off agriculture. Dragonsmaw celebrates four major holidays. The Seed Sewing, held in Spring, is dedicated to meeting new people, understanding new things, and beginning new chapters in one's life, represented by planting seeds in the field which will one day bear crops. The Rain Calling, held in Summer, is a holiday about maintenance and nurturing, and is dedicated to maintaining relationships, cleaning the house, and stopping bad habits, in honor of the struggle of tending a field. The Winter Respite, held in winter of course, is a holiday about bonding with family and remembering family that is permanently dead. These are all usually overshadowed by the festivals of other nations, but are respected and observed by Dragonsmaw residents and school is usually on break around those times.
The largest celebration, and the best known, is the Great Harvest. Held in fall, this celebration honors the birth of Dragonsmaw Manor as a nation and celebrates the Moonlit Curse that allows so many ghosts and zombies to keep living. Smashing pumpkins is symbolic of the revolutions that tore down the old orders, and giving pumpkins is symbolic of the new life that the curse gave to many residents. Candy only entered the event in later years, simply because candy became a favorite part of Dragonsmaw diets. Candy is distributed by 'candy fairies,' which are typically just anonymous loved ones (or the mayor).
Though Dragonsmaw's diet consists mostly of crops such as pumpkins, mouth beans, cauliflower, or angry root, Dragonsmaw residents have a large amount of meat in their diets. One dish includes plucking small pot plants and stuffing them full of chopped meat and spices, referred to as "Stuffed Pottery." Thanks in part to their morbid sense of humor, Dragonsmaw also enjoys dishes that make other nations squeamish, like toad legs and salted slugs. Of course, they also consume a lot of sweets and pastries, such as candycorn, cakes, and chocolate-covered spiders.
Dragonsmaw has several unique languages that are rare outside its borders. Howl is a traditional language spoken by canine and lycanthrope tribes, while Latin is an archaic language still kept alive by the oldest undead residents. Some Dragonsmaw villagers have a hard time speaking ‘regular’ languages because of physical difficulties, such as certain ghosts and fish-lipped lagoon monsters. Windwhisper is spoken by all manner of spirits, ghouls, poltergeists and ghosts when they can’t make other verbal sounds, and ‘Swamp Whistle’ is a unique dialect of Whistle spoken by lake and marsh dwellers both on land and underwater.
In terms of music, the fiddle is a beloved instrument in Dragonsmaw especially among demons, and is just a little more popular than the piano and organ. Previously mentioned howl songs are loved even outside of lycanthrope tribes, skeletons have a unique style of music accented by the rattling of their bones, and being able to harmonize and sing with others is an attractive trait. The mixing of many different subcultures and music styles gives Dragonsmaw music a very distinct 'spooky' vibe that makes it easily recognizable to outsiders.
Many sports in Dragonsmaw would require a written will and a waiver in other nations. One popular competition occurs during the Spring, and is called 'spider-jumping.' A large spider-cow creature, called an Ushi-Oni, is brought into an arena, and a team of professionals will goad the creature into charging at them so they can skillfully dodge and jump over it. Several formal fighting sports are also popular, such as fencing and boxing. Of course, since Dragonsmaw is so diverse, there are many sports that revolve around ghosts, zombies, and other groups with special talents. "Possession Games" are a class of sports where ghosts will show off their talent in possession by possessing resistant targets or animals, "Cheerdeading" is a sport where zombies and skeletons perform circus-like acrobatic tricks while detaching their own limbs and heads for more complex maneuvers. Chess is recognized as a sport in Dragonsmaw and is played by several popular members of the council, including Dr. Chester himself.
The most popular sport among the citizens is baseball, and this sport is also closely tied to the Dragonsmaw revolutions. This is because the Batbat minipet is strong enough to be used as both a baseball bat and a weapon, and the Barbed Wire Batbat was a weapon of choice for poor revolutionaries in a hurry to overthrow the government. Playing baseball right outside a government office can actually get a resident charged with harassment.
National Symbols
The current national plant is the pumpkin, because of its cultural significance in agriculture, folklore, and jack-o-lantern carving. Legend has it that the Dragonsmaw Dragon monster hatched from a gigantic pumpkin, starting the event that brought all of the subcultures together for the first time. The current national animal is the Kritty, an animal known for its intelligence, trickster nature, and loyalty to their clans and owners.
During the Dark Dynasty reign, the national animal was a Barbed Wire Batbat because these animals doubled as weapons against the Foxbury Army, and the national plant was the Deadbow, for hardiness and adaptability.
-Luckyclaw
Dragonsmaw Manor is a massive, decentralized village-state whose territory occupies the southernmost region of the landmass of Furvilla. While 'Dragonsmaw Manor' originally only referred to its capital city, today it's more commonly used to describe the entire reach of the "Twisted Forest" that defines the nation's borders. The Dragonsmaw Manor territory is about 200 km wide and 350 km long, and is home to over 90,000 residents. With Oceandome to the east, Olde Foxbury to the north, and uncharted territory to the west, Dragonsmaw has had no shortage of border disputes over its lifetime and only in recent years has found lasting "peace."
Dragonsmaw Manor residents are often very patriotic, in spite of stereotypes that they're slimy backstabbers. To them, Dragonsmaw is the ultimate example of diversity in action. Demons, zombies, werewolves, vampires, mind-controlling parasites, and ghosts are just a portion of the population. Laws are very lax and there is little regulation on the kinds of goods and services one can buy. This paired with high rates of social mobility and anti-monopoly laws makes Dragonsmaw Manor the most free nation by far.
Not everyone sees this as a good thing. Dragonsmaw is also seen as a chaotic wreck because of the lack of government regulation. High murder rate, inhumane scientific experimentation, and harmful cult influence are only a few of the issues Dragonsmaw faces. This makes many villagers from other nations feel that Dragonsmaw is unsafe and almost lawless.
There is no ‘official’ language of Dragonsmaw, because the government will not endorse any one language over the others. Most members of Dragonsmaw are multilingual, though English is the most widely-spoken language. Common secondary languages include Latin, Howl, Windwhisper, and even a dialectal form of Whistle.
Dragonsmaw Manor is known for its high population of undead villagers, morbid sense of humor, fascination with tricks and treats, and general lack of government regulation. The current Mayor is Dr. Chester, and the ruling body of the nation is called the Dragonsmaw Council. Its main exports are monster parts, fabrics, and candy, though it’s also noted for being the only nation able to produce Wickerbeast potions.
History and Etymology of Dragonsmaw: The origin of the capital, the Moonlit Curse, and the two revolutions.
Dragonsmaw Manor culture by far predates the current government. Native canine, hyena, bat, and wickerbeast tribes are the oldest residents known, with the oldest surviving artifacts and cave paintings going back to pre-history. Since ancient times, there have been recordings of zombies, ghosts, lycanthropes, and others. Around the year 1400, disgruntled residents from Olde Foxbury (mostly consisting of skunk, corvid, and raptor descent) migrated into the Twisted Forest looking to start their own towns, and began to get into skirmishes with several native tribes. Tensions started high, but after a massive dragon-like monster arrived out of seemingly nowhere, the natives and the hunters combined forces to slay the beast. They took the monster's bones and hide to create homes and walkways, and fashioned its head and teeth into an impressive hall. Together, they'd established a mixed town in the very heart of the Twisted Woods. They named the town after the hall, and that was the beginning of "the Dragonsmaw Manor."
The building of Dragonsmaw Manor proved that the land was rich in resources. Villagers flocked to Dragonsmaw Manor seeking opportunity. Olde Foxbury, ruled by a king at the time, felt entitled to the fruits of Dragonsmaw's labor. By 1490, The king signed charters to remove the native tribes from "Foxbury Land." On October 17th 1497, a night with a full moon, The army invaded the capital village of Dragonsmaw, beginning what is now called the "Moonlit Massacre." All the residents immediately rushed to the defense of their neighbors, and hundreds of unarmed innocents were slaughtered in cold blood as all the rebels were beaten back and forced out of the capitol. It was, and remains, the largest singular loss of civilian life in all recorded Furvilla history.
The Foxbury army failed to account for the tenacity of the Dragonsmaw residents, both alive and dead. A curse was born out of the spilled blood, rippling through the entire forest. The surviving rebels regrouped with farmers around the outskirts of the capitol, who in turn contacted tribes further out in the wood. A second wave of rebels was upon the army before it had a chance to properly call in reinforcements. The living wielded farm equipment such as scythes, natives rushed in to the defense of their friends, and many of the restless dead were rising right off the bloody streets where they had fallen. The first mob of ghosts, zombies, lycanthropes, and scythe-wielders had united. Within two weeks, the Olde Foxbury army was routed, either forced to retreat or killed, officially ending on October 31st. This was the first of two revolutions.
The Moonlit Curse haunts Dragonsmaw to this day. Occurrences of lesser curses, hauntings, zombification, and other related things are much more likely to happen in Dragonsmaw than any other nation. The high concentration of dark energy makes necromancy and summonings much easier to do. The entire Twisted Forest is subject to this curse, and rates of the aforementioned curses only return to ‘normal’ levels passed Dragonsmaw’s borders. Being cursed is not something that is mourned in Dragonsmaw, but is instead celebrated annually during the Great Harvest festival.
After the Olde Foxbury army was expunged, a few short but violent years followed. There was suddenly an entirely new group of "undeads" living among an already diverse population of hunters, farmers, and several distinct tribal cultures... and none of them could agree on a ruler. With no one to mediate conflict and anti-Foxbury aggression running high, a "reign of terror" began were anarchy was supreme and public execution was a spectacle, lasting 10 years. Angry mobs would attack anyone who looked "a little too Foxbury-friendly", leaders came and went in violent blazes of glory, and farmers began to have difficulty supplying food in the tumultuous times. Right when all seemed bleak, an emperor rose to power, establishing the Dark Dynasty. This dynasty lasted for about 300 years, between 1505 to 1801.
The first two emperors worked to fix damage from the Foxbury Invasion, and made Dragonsmaw into an isolated nation for a few brief decades. This ended after a terrible famine, where a blight wiped out the crops. Seeking more fertile land to provide food to the populace, and fuelled by a vendetta against the Olde Foxbury king, the emperors began an invasion that would set a precedent for many years to come. Whenever crops failed, or a resource was lacked, Dragonsmaw would launch an attack on Foxbury. The Dark Dynasty did not rule over long eras of peace and was known for being extremely difficult to negotiate with, preferring violence as a first option instead of a last resort. The constant threat of fighting stunted world growth because of reduced spending on non-war-related science, leading to this time period being known as "The Dark Ages."
Warmongering served them well for 300 years, but began to break apart around 1760 when the Dark Dynasty began to falter. Seeking oceanic resources, Dragonsmaw escalated conflict over borders into a full-blown war with Aqualis (the nation which would later be known as Oceandome). Combining their powers with Olde Foxbury, and receiving aid from Quetzal Palace, the three nations united against the Dark Dynasty, forcing it to become desperate. Unable to steal resources from a well-defended Foxbury and suffering from border invasions, the people once again began to starve. The nation's treasury started to run low, and the military wasn't properly paid. The army was being rapidly whittled down, so the emperor forced a draft which could take citizens as young as 10 years of age. On October 27th, 1801, the military and the people revolted against the emperor, once again to defend themselves and their neighbors. The royal family scattered, but the emperor was killed in the process. The head general of the military took power, and opened peace talks with the combined nations of Olde Foxbury, Aqualis, and Quetzal Palace. That was the end of the second revolution.
The head general and other executive members of the former dynasty devised a new system of government, soon to be known as the Dragonsmaw Council, established on June 6, 1806 and lasting to this very day.
Dragonsmaw Manor's government is a representative democracy. All of Dragonsmaw's territory is drawn into 'regions', and based on the population of the region, there is a set number of individuals who will be sent to the Dragonsmaw Council. These are voted on every 3 years. Every 4 years, a Mayor is elected. Dragonsmaw Mayors have much less power than the council, but act as a sort of 'leader' to be the primary face of foreign relations, keep the public informed, and object to or support legislation. Several candidates are nominated by the council, and then a direct vote from the citizens selects the mayor. Doctor Chester is actually a very progressive mayor in Dragonsmaw, advocating for stronger protections for victims of emotional abuse and supporting measures that increase education standards for all.
In spite of the current council being a progressive one, Dragonsmaw Manor is still well known for its issues. It has the highest murder and assault rate of all five nations. Because of how voting works and how dispersed settlements are, harmful cults can have an uncomfortable amount of influence on the council. Last of all, scientific experimentation can be unethical in Dragonsmaw, so long as the patients sign away their rights or were created in the laboratory for the experiment. It is legal to create Frankenstein's monsters, test on villagers, and do gene splicing surgery. While this means that a lot of scientific advances come out of Dragonsmaw Manor, it is done at a great ethical cost.
Foreign Relations
Because of their warmongering history, Dragonsmaw does not have many allies in other nations. Quetzal Palace is their main rival because of cultural differences, but their hatred for Olde Foxbury runs deep thanks to their history. In recent years, a ceasefire pact was signed between Foxbury and Dragonsmaw, and trade routes have been established between the two. Current relations between the two are neutral but friendly. Dragonsmaw Manor and Oceandome have lukewarm relations between them, but have important trade routes and frequently offer scientific aide to each other. Historically, they've had little contact with Tigereye Peak, but in recent years have forged a strong economic alliance based on the trade of fabric, material, and most importantly chocolate. No nation would even consider a war pact with Dragonsmaw, because of its warmongering nature in the past.
Armed Forces
In recent years the DMM army has been considerably scaled back, but it was a powerful army for much of its history. Some undead generals have served for hundreds of years! The army has a whopping 10,000 standing troops, but it is no longer well-funded, making it only the second strongest army on the continent. This army serves two purposes: to keep the wild monsters of the Twisted Woods at bay, and to act as a warning to its rival, Quetzal Palace, which obviously owns the strongest military of the five nations.
Military service is seen as a noble thing for citizens to do, and the rewards for serving are superb. Because the army has been such an integral part of Dragonsmaw history, recent peace and lack of warfare has caused unrest in its ranks. The oldest generals think the younger generations are too soft and weak for wanting to negotiate trade routes, and long for the simpler days of pillaging villages and bullying Olde Foxbury.
Geography and Distribution
Dragonsmaw Manor stretches through most of the south of the Furvilla landmass, occupying a dark forest known as the Twisted Woods. The nation's state building is the Dragonsmaw Manor, which is located in the city of Dragonsmaw Manor, which is the capital of the Dragonsmaw Manor nation. This means, if you wanted to send a letter to Dr. Chester, you would have to fill out the address as "Dragonsmaw Manor, Dragonsmaw Manor, Dragonsmaw Manor".
The capital city is in the southwest of the Dragonsmaw nation, surrounded by woods and farmland, but the majority of the population lives in small settlements and lesser cities scattered around the Twisted Woods. The woods are thicker, and more treacherous thanks to stronger monsters, towards the east and south of the Twisted Woods. As a result, villager civilization is denser and more common towards the north and west portions of the map. Towards the southeast, there are many abandoned settlements where enterprising furries bit off more than they could chew, and either died in monster attacks or had to flee to safety.
The Twisted Woods
The Twisted Wood is a forest spanning through the southern part of the Furvilla landmass. It is surprisingly diverse for such a foreboding forest, home to hundreds of different kinds of trees, thousands of animal species, and well over a dozen families of monster types. A common joke about Dragonsmaw goes, "There's over a million things with its own unique way to kill you down there" which is painfully true. From angry plants that bite anything that walks by them, to spiders that can be ridden into battle, to colorful little beetles with stings that can kill a bovine villager, even the very environment of the Twisted Woods can be hostile.
Dragonsmaw residents don't usually sympathize with conservation efforts. Members of the haunted tree species which are quick to re-grow, frequent monster attacks, and hostile minipet species make them very skeptical to the idea of a "fragile ecosystem." They frequently develop the sentiment of "either we're going to kill the environment, or it's going to kill us." This has lead to the extinction of several species, such as the dontdont bird and the thylatiger, but political desire is still just not strong enough to fund a proper conservation movement as of now.
Though the flora and fauna adapted to this region are rich and flourishing, Dragonsmaw's soil is not particularly welcoming to outside species. Growing crops from other nations is particularly difficult and has been a consistent problem through Dragonsmaw's history. When native crops failed, Dragonsmaw would invade other nations to feed the populace. As such, Dragonsmaw puts a lot of significance on the harvest season and venerates farmers who discover intelligent ways to increase crop yields.
The region is also noted for its high concentration of dark energy, which was abnormally high even before the Moonlit Curse took effect in 1497. This leads to "strange effects" such as increased rate of zombie reanimation, hauntings, and strangest of all, hallucinations that give the feeling of 're-spawning' after a 'death.' Explorers can sometimes feel that they've died while exploring, only to wake up safely in their beds with all their found materials. The Twisted Woods is dotted with large purple crystal clusters and gigantic black rock slabs, called "dark crystals" and "shadow stones," that seem to be the source of this 'dark energy' and creates the high concentration. These landmarks are as old as the Twisted Wood itself, and it is not known why these mysterious structures suddenly became more potent after the Moonlit Massacre. Despite being so important to Dragonsmaw's environment and culture, very little is known about them and they are mostly respected and avoided, even by undead villagers.
Climate
Dragonsmaw is warm and humid for most of the year, and its lowest temperatures rarely go below freezing. Peak temperatures typically reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, and very rarely dip below 50 degrees in the lows of winter. Snow is very rare, and when it does fall, it's a celebratory occasion. Naturally, this causes Tigereye Peak residents to joke about how Dragonsmaw's greatest weakness is only two inches of snow. The weather is usually cloudy or rainy, so the stereotype of "Dragonsmaw Manor residents not being able to handle the sun" is partially true, when compared to how sunny a place like Olde Foxbury is. With high rainfall and a warm temperature, the Twisted Woods is technically a temperate rainforest biome, which is why it's so surprisingly diverse when it comes to fauna and flora.
Economy
Though its resource-rich environment also sees it exporting a wide assortment of goods, Dragonsmaw Manor is known for three major industries; textiles, candy, and monster materials.
Fabrics crafted from Dragonsmaw spider silk are known to be some of the richest, most durable, and most luxurious materials on the market, and even the spider silk itself can command a high price for its use in crafting. While other nations would create diverse breeds of piggies, mini moos, and basilisks for livestock needs, Dragonsmaw is home to over a dozen commercial breeds of specialized spider. The most valuable silks, however, are only found woven by wild spiders in the bowels of the Twisted Wood, towards the southeast border.
Tailors and textile workers weave these fabrics into long strips of haunted fabric, then these strips are enchanted by alchemists into classic "toothy scarves." The most valuable of all these scarves are the eerie and spooky toothy scarves, made from the finest silks and enchanted by alchemists with many years of training. Textiles in Dragonsmaw are perhaps more than just an industry, even being considered by some to be an art!
Candy and other desserts are also staples of Dragonsmaw exports, as Dragonsmaw has the best environment for growing sugar cane. Candycorn is the most widely known example for its use in cooking and weapon crafting, and crates of it are regularly purchased in droves and shipped off to an unknown location. Rumor has it that it's secretly being stored in a high-security vault just in case of an apocalypse, but of course, that's just a rumor. Terrormisu is a delicacy originating in Dragonsmaw Manor, and famous for its popularity among connoisseurs.
Of course, Dragonsmaw is also known for its fearsome monsters. The hunting and butchering of these beasts is another major source of revenue for the nation. The lips, tongue, and teeth of these monsters, sold under the common name of "monster tooth," as well as claws and hand sinews sold under the name "monster claw", are particularly important for crafting. Bones and meat are also sold from the monsters, usually for use in gourmet foods such as torn cheese steak.
Education and Politics
Social programs vary wildly in quality depending on region in Dragonsmaw, including schools. Most schools near the capital are prestigious with high education standards and graduation rates, while most schools further from the capital have an alarming difference in quality. Since most members of Dragonsmaw live in settlements away from the capital, homeschooling or sending children to boarding schools are two popular options. Schooling is currently a hot political topic in Dragonsmaw Manor, and the issue is very complicated because of how widely distributed settlements are.
In fact, many issues are complicated because of how widely distributed settlements are, because many physical programs, like hospitals, police departments, and other government offices are simply impossible to put in every settlement. Worse than that, settlements are so diverse that it becomes a mess to please everyone. Traditional werewolf clans don't like accepting government help, but witch covens are usually very supportive of it. Do ghosts have rights to the places they haunt, even if the land was a graveyard where families visit? Does a sentient body parasite have a right to live? Should you force zombies to have treatments to prevent the spread of their disease? How would any of this be enforced?
As a result, most settlements are left to their own devices and villagers vote with their feet. If they don't like how a settlement is run, they simply move elsewhere. The Dragonsmaw government is seen as less of a 'decision center' and more of a 'fairness enforcer,' whose main purpose is to stop unfair advantages and protect the freedoms of Dragonsmaw citizens by killing monopolies, stopping settlements that keep residents captive, and killing monsters and particularly dangerous criminals.
Culture
A dark sense of humor is a common trait in Dragonsmaw. Death is ever-present in the lives of residents, be it permanent death or undeath, and not even ghosts last forever. They don't avoid speaking about it, and a sense of humor revolving the subject is a way of coping with and claiming their mortality. Ancestors are honored and remembered, and residents use the fact that they will permanently die one day to live their lives to the fullest while it lasts. Death is not something to be feared and locked away, but something to be spoken about and tamed.
Dragonsmaw Manor residents find personal responsibility and intelligence very important, which is a reason why legislation to help citizens can often be difficult to pass. When people are swindled by con-artists or scammed, it’s often seen as the victim’s fault for being too gullible. Or, when contracts are signed with bad employers or evil demons, it’s seen as the sign-ee’s fault for not reading the fine text. On the flip side, this also makes vigilante justice quite common, as residents feel it’s their job to regulate their own communities, not the government’s.
Science is highly valued, sometimes to the detriment of villager rights. Scientists are allowed to perform inhumane experiments as long as the subject was created in a lab for the experiment, or the adult subject signed an agreement of their own free will (free from any hypnosis or physical coercion). Such ‘Mad Scientists’ will often prey on weakness, promising great wealth, power, or eternal life to potential subjects, and they’re allowed to tell half-truths as long as there is no outright lie. Visiting villagers are advised to never sign any text-filled documents while in Dragonsmaw, especially not if they’re asked to sign in blood or with sinister-looking pens.
As a multicultural society, there are varying traditions from settlement to settlement. Lycanthrope tribes have full moon celebrations where the night is filled with howling songs, demons have group magic sessions and beast summoning competitions, skeletons create puzzles to get acquainted with one another and pass the time. Many settlements have a mixture of several subcultures, making every town truly unique.
The traditions they all share tend to be ones based off agriculture. Dragonsmaw celebrates four major holidays. The Seed Sewing, held in Spring, is dedicated to meeting new people, understanding new things, and beginning new chapters in one's life, represented by planting seeds in the field which will one day bear crops. The Rain Calling, held in Summer, is a holiday about maintenance and nurturing, and is dedicated to maintaining relationships, cleaning the house, and stopping bad habits, in honor of the struggle of tending a field. The Winter Respite, held in winter of course, is a holiday about bonding with family and remembering family that is permanently dead. These are all usually overshadowed by the festivals of other nations, but are respected and observed by Dragonsmaw residents and school is usually on break around those times.
The largest celebration, and the best known, is the Great Harvest. Held in fall, this celebration honors the birth of Dragonsmaw Manor as a nation and celebrates the Moonlit Curse that allows so many ghosts and zombies to keep living. Smashing pumpkins is symbolic of the revolutions that tore down the old orders, and giving pumpkins is symbolic of the new life that the curse gave to many residents. Candy only entered the event in later years, simply because candy became a favorite part of Dragonsmaw diets. Candy is distributed by 'candy fairies,' which are typically just anonymous loved ones (or the mayor).
Though Dragonsmaw's diet consists mostly of crops such as pumpkins, mouth beans, cauliflower, or angry root, Dragonsmaw residents have a large amount of meat in their diets. One dish includes plucking small pot plants and stuffing them full of chopped meat and spices, referred to as "Stuffed Pottery." Thanks in part to their morbid sense of humor, Dragonsmaw also enjoys dishes that make other nations squeamish, like toad legs and salted slugs. Of course, they also consume a lot of sweets and pastries, such as candycorn, cakes, and chocolate-covered spiders.
Dragonsmaw has several unique languages that are rare outside its borders. Howl is a traditional language spoken by canine and lycanthrope tribes, while Latin is an archaic language still kept alive by the oldest undead residents. Some Dragonsmaw villagers have a hard time speaking ‘regular’ languages because of physical difficulties, such as certain ghosts and fish-lipped lagoon monsters. Windwhisper is spoken by all manner of spirits, ghouls, poltergeists and ghosts when they can’t make other verbal sounds, and ‘Swamp Whistle’ is a unique dialect of Whistle spoken by lake and marsh dwellers both on land and underwater.
In terms of music, the fiddle is a beloved instrument in Dragonsmaw especially among demons, and is just a little more popular than the piano and organ. Previously mentioned howl songs are loved even outside of lycanthrope tribes, skeletons have a unique style of music accented by the rattling of their bones, and being able to harmonize and sing with others is an attractive trait. The mixing of many different subcultures and music styles gives Dragonsmaw music a very distinct 'spooky' vibe that makes it easily recognizable to outsiders.
Many sports in Dragonsmaw would require a written will and a waiver in other nations. One popular competition occurs during the Spring, and is called 'spider-jumping.' A large spider-cow creature, called an Ushi-Oni, is brought into an arena, and a team of professionals will goad the creature into charging at them so they can skillfully dodge and jump over it. Several formal fighting sports are also popular, such as fencing and boxing. Of course, since Dragonsmaw is so diverse, there are many sports that revolve around ghosts, zombies, and other groups with special talents. "Possession Games" are a class of sports where ghosts will show off their talent in possession by possessing resistant targets or animals, "Cheerdeading" is a sport where zombies and skeletons perform circus-like acrobatic tricks while detaching their own limbs and heads for more complex maneuvers. Chess is recognized as a sport in Dragonsmaw and is played by several popular members of the council, including Dr. Chester himself.
The most popular sport among the citizens is baseball, and this sport is also closely tied to the Dragonsmaw revolutions. This is because the Batbat minipet is strong enough to be used as both a baseball bat and a weapon, and the Barbed Wire Batbat was a weapon of choice for poor revolutionaries in a hurry to overthrow the government. Playing baseball right outside a government office can actually get a resident charged with harassment.
National Symbols
The current national plant is the pumpkin, because of its cultural significance in agriculture, folklore, and jack-o-lantern carving. Legend has it that the Dragonsmaw Dragon monster hatched from a gigantic pumpkin, starting the event that brought all of the subcultures together for the first time. The current national animal is the Kritty, an animal known for its intelligence, trickster nature, and loyalty to their clans and owners.
During the Dark Dynasty reign, the national animal was a Barbed Wire Batbat because these animals doubled as weapons against the Foxbury Army, and the national plant was the Deadbow, for hardiness and adaptability.
