For today's creating Aragnar post, I wanted to firstly conclude my world-building session, before moving on to focusing on individual characters and what not. In my last article, I talked some about my inspiration for each of the cultures in the series, the Aragnarians, the Kyraen, and the (regular but definitely not boring) humans. With each ethnicity being so varied and different from the other, it is unfortunately expected for there to be conflict and prejudice in a fallen world.
While we all would love to live in a world of peace and unity, that concept is impossible as long as there is sin. Where evil is prevalent, destruction will surely follow...and even though we may strive for peace, it is not easily won, nor is it always wanted.
For the people who call Aragnar, Kyre, and Dimair their homes, their nations have a track record for terrible foreign policies. I won't bore you with the ins and outs of such minute details (because yes, I actually have created histories of such things) I'll make it simple; they fight a lot.
At one point in their history, the Aragnarians had conquered and enslaved the Kyraen, who they believed were lesser then them, and not as scientifically advanced. Eventually, the Aragnarians freed their Kyraen slaves and righted most of their wrongs, but the Kyraen never forgot, and never forgave. Knowing they could never defeat the superpower of a nation Aragnar had become, the Kyraen instead focused on a completely different target...the Dimarian humans. Kyre rose in power and might, focusing their strength on conquering Dimair and eradicating its inhabitants, whom they grew to detest and see as lower then themselves.
Naturally, their plan was thwarted by the humans with the Aragnarian's aid, and so on and so forth. In case you're wondering, yes, this is a fairly similar narrative to our own history. Why would I chose to use a comparison that has been often overused in fiction? Because it is not only a great platform on which to build a grand redemption story, but also it is a part of history from which we can pull many lessons.
As in our own world, there is a lot of deeply rooted hatred in each fictional culture toward the other...and that doesn't just go away with time or the soothing of hurt feelings. My own country is an example of that. Prejudice, hatred, and distrust often live much longer then their perpetrators...but that doesn't mean restoration is impossible.
Like we ourselves often have to do, the characters must overcome these obstacles in order to bring true freedom and salvation to their countries, only found through The One, but it must start individually, in their own hearts.
All three cultures come from a noble origin, and a bloodstained past. Each side would try (and often still does try) to vilify the other in an attempt to forget that they're all truly human...that they're mortal and just as real a flesh and bone person as the other. But war doesn't humanize us, it turns us into monsters. But when someone chooses to see through the haze of maddening rage and see the truth calling of righteousness despite depravity...that's when we truly become great.
(Image not mine, taken from google images)
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