Flight Rising Discussion

My dragons are already dead in lore and just chilling in some kind of afterlife/dream purgatory, but getting exalted is something else. it's like when your existence does not really matter at all. A dragon will simply fade into obscurity when it's time to go (aka when the exalt happens). Maybe no one recalls them anymore or they were struggling to resume their existence on this abstract plane, but simply one day they will just stop existing

At first, the dragon notices their time has come (aka preparation to exalt the dragon yknow how it goes). And so they crawl into the very edge of the land- which is named vain's verge. they know it's something they can't resist, and they accept it, thus they will slowly dematerialize as they spend their last moments there. kinda dark, but maybe that's when they actually go to afterlife or meet their deity or something. who knows

I guess it is a bit like heaven but they stay alive. They just get magically sent to a godly plane of existence where they can't "come back" to Sornieth*. They just are magically transported to wherever the Arcanist is and do tasks for him. It's not at all a sad thing for my clan and like canon says its the highest honor.

Edit: *It's like a second Sornieth but like a spirit world where all the exalted dragons live. Well it's the same Sornieth but on another plane of existence. Like different layers of reality where Sornieth dragons and exalted dragons can't interact.

[quote name="bulrush" date="2023-11-28 06:27:52" ] dragons never existing is just nicer on my brain like no you did not witness my project fail im sweeping that under the rug and now i can reuse their occupation for a dragon that suits it better. [/quote] in some ways this is more sensible than what I do (having exalts be canonically living their lives like normal and their lore all still exists). I've had multiple cases where I like a dragon's lore, but the dragon themself no longer sparks joy and I yeet them Marie Kondo style. but it wouldn't feel right transplanting their lore onto a different dragon. but it means I have a bunch of ex-permas with lore, and then a bunch of permas with no lore, and it's awkward. [quote name="Recallback" date="2023-11-27 23:49:19" ] Now in my lore, the deities aren't a confirmed force to actually exist but still have enough weirdness kicking about around the concept of them that religions do exist dedicated to the deities. [/quote] in my lore, the deities are confirmed to exist. however, no one worships them (except a few first-generation immigrants from Sornieth). that'd just be weird. they are very powerful dragons with creation magics who exist a world away - a subject of interest for historians, scholars, and dragons who enjoy "who would win in a fight" debates, but not objects of veneration.

I haven't worked out my exalting lore for most flights aside from Wind, but in all cases it's going to be something akin to a dragon deciding to become a monk. What your monk duties are depends on the flight and their values and what their societies and deities need from them, but it's universally moving away from your family to participate in a large religious order that is devoted to a particular deity and usually performs specific important jobs for the flight. Exalted dragons are absolutely still alive and can write home or visit home or whatever, they just made a Big Life Decision.

The Windsinger's Exalted have four houses which engage in different jobs that serve their flight and deity, but the task that is of utmost spiritual importance to their order is: The Postal Service.

Freedom of information is critical to the Windsinger's Exalted. Nearly every region of Sornieth has a scattering of Posts, which are Wind Exalt communes that run delivery services both in-flight and inter-flight, and also provide free medical supplies and skills training to anyone who wants it.

The process of joining the Windsinger's Exalted is effectively an apprenticeship in one or two of several fields, which include but are not limited to:

• Combat training (in which case you will largely be escorting couriers with valuable cargo)
• Wayfinding (helping lost folks get back on track)
• Cartography
• Couriering (mail and package delivery) (difficult and highly respected)
• One of several art forms (it's wind, come on)

...All of which are actually split into multiple disciplines, because depending on a dragon's breed and which area of the world they'll be working in, each field requires different knowledge, abilities, and equipment. Like for example, inter-flight couriering usually involves one or two couriers of an absolutely massive breed (imps, guardians, etc) with the stamina to go far, accompanied by a team of couriers of much smaller breeds who hitch a ride on their back for the long distances and then scatter out to do the individual deliveries at each stop while the big fellas rest. Doing couriering to the underwater settlements in the Sea of a Thousand Currents generally involves an undertide or guardian escort and couriers generally need to be wind- or water-flighted. Etc.

And since The Post is such a massively important service for the whole of Sornieth these days, generally the Windsinger's Exalted enjoy diplomatic immunity wherever they go. It is incredibly taboo to attack or hinder someone displaying the sigil of the Windsinger on their person, and equally taboo to wear such a sigil if you're not one of his Exalted.

I actually have 10 lore dragons (and counting!) who are canonically Exalts of the Windsinger even though they still exist in my lair. They're just funky mail delivery monks and I love them dearly.

for my lore, its just working for the arcanist! its kind of like those monks that go live on the mountain, though, like its what they're committed to doing for the rest of their lives, which is why they dont come and go freely.

my progen altair was exalted but then i felt bad and restored him, so my lore for that was:

he was working for the arcanist but then was so worried about his sibling (my other progen) and the clan that he couldnt focus on his tasks, so the arcanist decided he would work best from his home. so now, he assists those who wish to work under the arcanist, preparing them for all their expected duties and whatnot, making sure they're truly ready for the commitment.

There's only one area I really go into exalting in my lore, and it's specifically for my Fae Mad Scientist Ginessa's children.

Ginessa is trying to create an army of Fae soldiers with heavily augmented bodies to be a sort of bodyguard squad for Boss Dad (as if he needs it). Instead of roping in other Fae or stealing eggs (that'd be barbaric), she uses her own hatchlings as labrats.

If they were exalted to The Stormcatcher; These Fae didn't survive receiving their augmentations. This is the vast majority of her hatchlings.

If they were exalted to anyone else; The experiment still failed, but the Fae was able to escape and fly away, and ended up moving on to another Flight. I like to believe they're happier away from their mother.

The only three exceptions are AMPS (successful prototype baby), Intern (not successful, brings tea to people), and Diamondeath (face exploded, scurried away like a cockroach when Ginessa thought she died)

My lore is loosely inspired by Bloodborne, but dragons.
Dragons who seek exhaltion seek the realms beyond what they can comprehend. They seek the secrets of the kosmos.

Some make it to true ascension, transforming into horrifying monstrosities; eldritch abominations trapped in writhing agony.

The unlucky ones are stricken with scourge; a pitiable existence that causes wasting sickness, consuming their bodies and driving them mad. These dragons may eventually turn into horrible monsters.

Wildclaw and Skydancer hunters are employed to seek and kill them.

Exalting in my lore is hit or miss. You never know if you'll win the coin flip and ascend to be just like your maddened gods, or if you'll become cursed and wither away.

for me "being exalted" just means "being retconned out of existence"

It's a bit like a horror story because nobody in my lore knows where exalted dragons go, not even the Deities. It's just a "I suddenly really want to serve the Deities!" and then boom you're gone. There's nothing anyone can do. Not dead, but certainly not around anymore. It would be like they never existed if they didn't have a family or friends who were searching for them.

They actually are helping though, just in ways the Deities aren't aware of. They can't leave and aren't likely to return, but some rarely can.

@FlareFighters that's very eerie, I like it