So, as I expected, I didn’t get around to posting a short story, though I have an amazing idea for next month now which I will start writing tomorrow. Anyway, I felt guilty about not having a story ready to post, so I decided to post this instead, to go into more detail about the world of Nocturna that I don’t really get into in the book.
The hierarchy of Nocturnian citizens is similar to what you would find in a regular monarchy. At the top there’s the king and his queen, then there’s the princes and princesses, then the councilmembers and the king’s personal advisor. The king’s concubines fall under the advisor and then there are the lords of the land and provinces, soldiers, royal guards and human slave traders, merchants and artisans, farmers and workers, and then finally human slaves at the very bottom. As there was no official religion in Nocturna (as it was meant to be kept within the privacy of the home), there were no priests to have any substantial power as they did in other ancient societies.
However, this system becomes a little complicated when you add powerful monsters into the mix. The king has always been a dragon. The founder of Nocturna, King Rusafa, was a dragon, and as such, each subsequent ruler has been a male dragon. They are powerful creatures who cycle through elements, starting with water, then air, fire, and earth, and then repeat.) Water dragons, like King Rusafa and the current King Alexei, are the most powerful of the dragons, but that is not to say that they are the most powerful creatures in existence. It is merely tradition that a dragon sits upon the throne.
Power levels vary in other species of monsters just as they do with dragons, and power is the true decider of someone’s rank in Nocturna. A peasant farmer with praiseworthy amounts of power and a proper education—which all monsters are guaranteed to receive despite wealth differences—can eventually become a soldier, guard, or slave trader if they desire. Powerful lords or their sons can become councilmembers or advisors. Daughters of the Nocturnian lords can become the king’s concubines and perhaps even queen, and later more career options are open to them. Human slaves, unfortunately, will always be slaves. They are not able to be free in the monster society and if they become useless, they are killed. Or, at least, that’s how it has been for many years.
Nocturna is still a relatively new country, as it has only been around for just over sixty monster years (though that is over 8,700 human years). Laws are constantly changing to improve the quality of life for its citizens. Hopefully, under the proper leadership and care of the king, the country and its provinces will continue to prosper for many years to come.
That’s all I have for this time! If you’re not already following my blog and would like to receive an email for posts with book news or any new short stories, remember to sign up with your email here to get an update every time I post. Hope you enjoyed this, and I’ll be back again soon with a new short story!
Novels by Ashley Elliott 