Dembar

The Natural Village

Dembar is a Draconian Village known for being close with nature, as its main magical focuses are Druidry and Beastmastery. It is due to this that it has gained its nickname of "The Natural Village" as its focus is on things of and relating to natural magics, though this was inherited from its predecessor village Ilder.
Its name Dembar derives from the old Draconian Village Erdenn, which was also the Natural Village back in -1753. It was split into two villages, Erra and Denn, and then both were destroyed. But Dembar was founded initially as Denn Bar, with Bar meaning better in Draconic. Therefore, Denn Bar was "Better Denn." However, many read the double N as an M, and ignored the space. Thus making Denn Bar into Dembar.
It is much newer than the other villages, being founded in the year 527, while all other Draconian Villages were founded in the negatives. Due to this, it has actually trained less specialized mages and has a much more scoffed at reputation than even the "Bardic Village" Ealla or the "Weak Village" Yirthum.
Dembar does not have an overall united populace, being fairly diverse as its residents settled in Dembar from various other Draconian locations. Draconians of all colors, backgrounds, and magical affinities live in Dembar. That is part of what makes it special, that its population is all the natural kinds of Draconians, not just some. It is, after all, the Natural Village.
Naturally, of course, its official religion is that of the Creator Goddess of the Draconians, Helle, whose Temple is quite close to Dembar. The Dembarians either pray from home, or pray outside of the Temple. No followers of Helle believe themselves worthy of stepping into her Temple, of course.

History

Dembar has a fairly short history in comparison to the other Draconian Villages, thanks to its history of only 21 years. Its history, however, begins long before it was founded.

Before Dembar

Erdenn was an ancient Draconian Village, founded in -1753. Its purpose was to help teach Druids and Beastmasters to control their magic alongside nature, and it was built beside the Elven Forest for that purpose.
However, it split into two villages, Erra and Denn, one for Druidry and one for Beastmastery, in -1030. The two villages went to war and, in -985, were destroyed both by each other and an invading force of Elves who wanted to finish the job.

Ilder

Otikul Nurdesh by Jarhed

Otikul Nurdesh, a Draconian noble, worked with Ordoth Mardaar to rebuild Erdenn in 498. To explain that this was Erdenn again, it was named Ild Erdenn, with Ild meaning Old in Draconic. It had the same purpose as Erdenn, to facilitate Druids and Beastmasters.
The Village's name was shorted rather quickly, as people didn't want to say Ild Erdenn. So they simply called it Ilder. This name stuck, and Ilder stood as a bastion of Druidry and Beastmastery for 28 years. All the way until the year 526.
Otikul was Chief of Ilder, and Ordoth was the head of the army, also known as Chief Protector of Ilder. The two ran a tight ship, keeping the village safe. Otikul had no family, but Ordoth had his wife Olthash and his son Oraakil Mardaar. Ordoth had trained the soldiers, and he and Otikul were each fairly strong.
Yet when Elves attacked, they were not ready. The Elves destroyed the village in what became known as the Ilder Massacre, and Ordoth accidentally destroyed the remainder in what was known as the Flame of Ilder, as his wife was killed in the massacre.

Founding Dembar

Otikul immediately moved on, finding a new plot of land owned by Tamd far to the East. He used his noble connections, as his family was from Tamd, to buy the land for Dembar. Within three months, in the year 527, a new village had been settled. Denn Bar. Better Denn. If Old Erdenn didn't work, he'd have to do better.
This land was not as close to nature, being in an open field beside the Great Dip, a massive whirlpool in the Great Sea that destroyed anything that got caught in it. However, there were animals that roamed these plains. Perfect for Beastmasters, but for Druids... not so much. Still, it retained the motto and purpose of Ilder.

"Restraint is the key to success. All good things are done with restraint, and Nature is the greatest of good in the world. Be like Nature, and you can be one with Nature. Be one with Nature, and you will be strong, in body and in mind. Be strong, and you will be successful."

— Ilder/Dembar Motto

Again, Otikul reached out to Ordoth to be Chief Protector. Ordoth and Oraakil moved there, but Ordoth was more distant. He was no longer kind as he was before, now full of rage. Many of his duties were shirked off to Yunxus Parvroth. Within a year, Ordoth had vanished. Even Otikul didn't know where he went.
Yunxus Parvroth took Ordoth's position, but many expected Oraakil to soon fill that role.

Oraakil Mardaar by fyrcracker

Oraakil, however, had other ideas. While he lived in Dembar for some seven years, eventually he grew bored of it. He saw no future for the Village, as it's trade was low and its population small compared to other villages. It was in a field far east of most civilization. No one wanted to go to Dembar, and its economy was suffering heavily for it.
So in 535, Oraakil Mardaar moved out of Dembar, being given a house to live in by Otikul, who still had sway in the capital city of Zephys thanks to his noble status. Otikul didn't like that Oraakil moved away, but knew he could still go see him when he was in the city, which he was quite often.
Otikul was not only a Chief, but was also a Magic History Professor at the Magic College in Zephys. This meant he spent most of his time in Zephys teaching students about the history of the world and its relationship with magic. It was a job that Otikul quite enjoyed, though he also had a responsibility to his village, which was now much farther away from his job.

With the Bigshots

Otikul was often a laughing stock among the other Chiefs, as Dembar was pitiful in comparison to the other villages. Otikul was an old man with no clear successor for Chief, and he often never showed his power, causing many to believe he was weak both in strength and in mind at his old age. Many downplayed Dembar due to this, as Otikul had just failed to keep a village only a couple years earlier. The other villages had survived for over a thousand years, so Ilder was a failure and Dembar seemed on the same path.

The Notable Figures and Families of Dembar

Dembar is quite different from the other Draconian settlements. As it was founded more recently than them, it has no great history behind people in Dembar. Any history of families come from outside of Dembar, as all natural residents of Dembar are first-generation Dembarians. Still, there are families of note from Dembar who have influence over it.
Nurdesh: (Green Draconian) A Tamd family initially, the Nurdesh's have multiple branches. One of these branches, the more noble family that lived in the city of Zephys, eventually went on to have the child who founded Dembar.

• Otikul Nurdesh- It is unknown when Otikul was born. The only thing living nobles know about Otikul is that he was around in noble society and already quite old when they were born. He initially founded the village of Ilder, but when that was destroyed, he founded Dembar. He has been Chief of Dembar ever since.

Mardaar: (Black Draconian) The Mardaars were a family from Bortan who helped co-found both Ilder and Dembar. They are famous warriors known by some for being rage-filled monsters, and by others for being kind fathers.

• Ordoth Mardaar- Co-founder of both Ilder and Dembar, Ordoth Mardaar was called the Chief Protector because he led the village guard in protecting the Chief and the village. He trained the soldiers of the village before disappearing.
• Oraakil Mardaar- Son of Ordoth, Oraakil abandoned Dembar after the disappearance of his father. Still, he is often said to be affiliated with Dembar, as he and his father were there for the founding. He has since gone on to gain Sword Magic and join the Magic College Class of 549.

Parvroth: (White Draconian) The Parvroth's are a family of soldiers who were not previously very influential. After the disappearance of Ordoth Mardaar, they have led the guards of the village in his place.

• Yunxus Parvroth- The current Chief Protector of Dembar, Yunxus Parvroth was personally trained by Ordoth Mardaar. Ordoth considered Yunxus second only to him in the army, though he disliked Yunxus's more relaxed and lazy work ethic.
• Krichor Parvroth- The daughter of Yunxus, Krichor is set to replace her father as Chief Protector when he retires. She has not only been trained by her father, but has studied many books on combat and studied in the Magic College Class of 540.

Soliann: (Blue Draconian) The Solianns were a former noble family of Evity, though they were never given a high noble seat due to the many noble families of higher prestige within Evity. Due to this, the Soliann's joined Otikul in founding Ilder, and joined for Dembar as well in hopes of one day becoming a notable family even among nobles.

• Funxeth Soliann- A water mage with a desparate desire to become a famous noble. Funxeth is known for her charitable donations to building (and rebuilding) Dembar anytime construction is done. Those that know her wonder whether this is truly because she is kind, or if she would rather do something else to gain fame.

Midrith: (Green Draconian) The Midrith's are a family of archaeologists who are one of the richer Dembar families thanks to their findings and artifacts.

• Yipustil Midrith- A student in the Class of 551 at the Magic College, Yipustil is an archaeological prodigy who has a rivalry with the Tamd Alchemist Fulros Fradarim. Yipustil intervened in the Battle for Southern Elone, making a name for herself there.

Ordoth Mardaar by fyrcracker

However, Otikul was not what people thought he was. He was quite intelligent, and incredibly powerful. However, he had a philosophy, which he also taught to all Dembarians.

"Never let anyone know all of the things you can do. If you have a secret, you have an advantage."

— Otikul Nurdesh

Otikul soon proved his intelligence in 538 when he gave a speech in Zephys on the history of Erdenn. He was a Magic History Professor, after all. He knew the past quite well. He explained the failings of Erdenn, and exactly how Dembar could be different. But ultimately, he said it was not up to him or even up to other Chiefs or the Grand Wizard. It was up to the future generations, who are always the ones that carry fate along.
Dembar saw a surge in population after that. More people who wanted their kids to carry the future of Dembar, or wished to gain power and take Otikul's position as Chief when died of old age.
However, he soon showed his great strength that was hidden. He did so in quite a simple way. No one knew exactly how old he was, but they knew he was ungodly old. His show of strength was living. He would often make a show of how fit he was, running places or lifting heavy objects. Again, more people realized how impressive Otikul Nurdesh was, and wondered if they could be the same in Dembar.

Conflict

Grand Wizard Salasar Feaphed was a bit worried at the growth of Dembar. He wondered if there was something going on with it, but was quickly assured by Otikul that was not the case. Still, he did not like Dembar very much. The feeling was mutual, as Otikul verbally expressed his distaste towards the title of Grand Wizard, as he had been around for the Grand Wizard Struggle, and his idea of a Grand Wizard was much less than what Salasar was proving to be.
Salasar was not the only one with concerns. The Alchemist Chief of Tamd, Ilxar Nimphonker, was also not a fan of Dembar. He had been the one to sell Otikul the land, expecting him to fail and throw the land away in a failed attempt like Ilder. The fact that it wasn't failing was getting worrisome, as Ilxar was getting no returns from his investment.

Ilxar Nimphonker by Jarhed

So Ilxar plotted something devious. He planned to sabotage Dembar by having his men destroy trade caravans that were making their way to Dembar. Slowly but surely, Dembar's trade was cut off, and the economy once more fell into a downward spiral.
Otikul, again, came up with a solution. Every caravan would be equipped with a horse, which was not suspicious to any attackers. They needed horses to pull them along, after all. However, these horses would be controlled by Beastmasters from Dembar, who would accompany the caravans. The most prominent of these was Chief Protector Yunxus Parvroth himself.
When they were attacked, the Beastmasters strengthened the horses and fought back. Eventually, Ilxar stopped interfering, and Tamd stayed out of Dembar business. Phund Monet, a Tamdian Drug Lord, even began making his own connections there to get a return on Tamd money from Dembar in any way he could.

Parvroth

Yunxus Parvroth had a daughter named Krichor. He trained her to be a great warrior who would one day take his place, as he had learned from Ordoth's mistake. Oraakil would never take Ordoth's place, which is why it was thrust onto Yunxus instead. So Yunxus would raised Krichor to be what Oraakil could not.

Krichor Parvroth by Jarhed

She learned Beastmastery at a young age, when Ilder still existed. She was allowed to hang out with Oraakil at some points, though she would only fight him. She mostly didn't even want to do that, but Yunxus insisted so she could train.
She also studied books on combat and magic, learning from the masters themselves and, in 536, joined the Magic College as a member of the Class of 540. She was there alongside Vardid Liloryas, heir to Ealla, and the Devil Aile, among others. Though she cared little for them. She had gained a Cursed Weapon, which would grant her immense strength.
Kricoth excelled in her schooling at the Magic College. She was sad not to have been in Otikul's class, but it was fine. Oraakil had been unable to make it into the Magic College, so just being there was enough for her. It did not, however, help her ego.
After some time, Dembar believed it would get its first valedictorian. Kricoth was quite powerful, leagues ahead of the rest of her class. She was destined to win the final year tournament. However, this was not to be. The Devil Aile had a trick up her sleeve, an Area Devil Ability that put all of Kricoth's training and study to shame.
Aile made Kricoth look like a fool by attacking her heart. She threatened to destroy Dembar with her Devilish friends, which made Kricoth forfeit the match. She wasn't sure why her heart ached so much at this idea. Perhaps Yunxuth had simply raised her with so much pride in Dembar that she would be unable to see anything bad happen to it. She graduated 3rd in her class, behind Vardid Liloryas and Aile.

Dembar Today

Otikul still leads Dembar. Dembar did not participate in the Chief Crisis, instead remaining a neutral party. Otikul kept the Grand Wizard company during the Birdcage Siege of Zephys while his interns stayed in Dembar.
One intern, the Human Jarded Runove, left Dembar to go seek help. He was turned into a Vampire by Dresmorlin Cobath and was ultimately killed by the Korvian Sinner, who was on the side of Waire in the Chief Crisis.
The other interns were led by Itask, the Lizardfolk amputee with metal magic. Bartharn, the Dwarven blacksmith who had made Itask's prosthetics, was another intern. These two in specific have an intense loyalty to Dembar and even swear fealty to Dembar over their actual homes and families. The same cannot be said for Tothra Staz and Zaud Foot Marauder, a Human and Orc who were trapped there in their internships. They had expected better locations, but instead were stuck with Dembar when Otikul wasn't even there to train them.

Profit by Jarhed

Dembar was partially destroyed at the end of the war. First, Profit and his intern Veladiel came to collect easy souls by slaughtering the village. Itask and Bartharn were able to stall the Devils, but the duo of Profit and Veladiel were stopped by Die Punchforce. Die Punchforce was the Strength Mage who was looking for a strong fight, and he found it with Profit.
He tried to fight Profit, but their battle was interrupted by Kath the Eternal. Kath and Die simply being there caused even more destruction to Dembar, though Kath ensured that no one died when he arrived. He wanted, instead, to protect the citizens of Dembar and, for that matter, the world.
Dembar did not join the Southern Elone Treaty Organization when offered initially, with Otikul even criticizing it as a concept. Dembar was in a much better state than the other Villages after they all went to war with each other.
However, he was stirred into action by Nalrik during the Battle for Southern Elone, and eventually Dembar joined, even adding some laws to the SETO Accords that would be the condition for them to join. Otikul even brought Itask and Yipustil Midrith, students of the Magic College who swore loyalty to Dembar. With them, he saved the asses of SETO in the Battle for Southern Elone.