under the braid

Remembered most fondly by Lacharyn for its rolling hills covered in golden wheat. A small, traditional settlement built around a stone plaza, a communal garden, and a statue honoring the Draig. As a secluded religious community, most inhabitants devote themselves to simple occupations in agriculture, carpentry, metalworking—tasks required to keep them largely self-sufficient.

A wide uphill pathway from the plaza leads to the crowning monastery where more complex religious ceremonies are held. Of course, the monastery also houses the local branch of the Order of the Maes Seren.

Ilysiau'r Draig experiences all four seasons in some measure, but errs on the cooler side for its latitude and elevation. Particularly harsh winter winds are often said to have been strengthened by passage through the surrounding mountains, while spring and fall are often defined by pleasantly crisp air.

The sort of place where everyone knows everyone; everyone is remembered by everyone.

As children of the Draig, the matter of reproduction often holds spiritual significance. This is often expressed not with explicit expectation for a continued family line, but reminding a Serenmade of how they resemble the Draig or any of their associated mythos can carry a tongue-in-cheek reminder that bringing a new Serenmade into the world is, in itself, a form of honoring the Draig by continuing their lineage.

For the same reasons, newborns are particularly beloved by the community. They represent a tangible expression of the Draig's continued presence in the world.

As one might expect, the perceived importance of reproduction varies widely between Serenmade, especially where investment in faith differs. The most devout of couples may expect raising children to be inherent to a healthy relationship. On the extreme ends, Serenmade who express no interest in bearing children can be perceived as dangerously unfaithful, while Serenmade who uphold the spiritual significance of childbirth can be judged as dangerously disrespectful of agency.

As with most things, most Serenmade live somewhere in the middle, and many possess an equal measure of prideful and complicated feelings about their obligations to the Draig's bloodline.

None are forced into service, and a young Made's interest in the order is often met with apprehension from their elders. Where a child might see the honor and glory of the Order, others understand the Order holds itself to the highest standards. Recruits are expected to live within the monastery and dedicate their education to practical matters of safeguarding the realm and performing ceremonies. Some concern comes from the toll this takes on the youth, but plenty also comes from separation from the family home and family trade.

Actively preventing a child from joining the Order is frowned upon, but the Order itself is careful to guide those seeking fantastical heroism to a more realistic understanding or away from its ranks entirely. There are, after all, many ways to honor the Draig.

Festivals are surprisingly common in Ilysiau'r Draig, owing in no small part to the relatively small community. Births, anniversaries, coming-of-age ceremonies, and even important birthdays can be celebrated in a communal fashion. Naturally, the purpose of these celebrations remains linked to the Draig: gratitude for their vigilance and grace and humble requests for future prosperity chief among them.

The harvest festival is the largest and most important festivity, such that even cloister inhabitants are expected to join if they lack more pressing business. For many families, the pain of a poor season has been soothed and the joy of an excellent one amplified by celebrating with an Order-bound child to honor the land's blessings.