Reveal: New Badges and Stickers, oh my!
Check out some of the cool new things we've developed!
Now, those of you who know me and my work know about the badges that riders of various types wear on their dress unforms. As it stands now, there are dragon, gryphon, pegasus riders, and airborne magi. Aside from the “winged units” so to speak, there is the sea elven infantry. These make up the series of badges I’ve had commissioned as a major part of the lore behind the Irynvandaliir elven military, Tharisian (Tharis) airborne magi, and the sea elven infantry of Thias’Kel and the Coral Colonies among others. Today, I am revealing to my followers from Facebook the two newest and final badges: Tharisian airborne magi and Thias’Kel sea elven infantry badges.
Airborne Magi Badge
This badge is a more advanced version of the existing dragonrider’s badge that Irynvandaliir’s riders wear. Looking at the uniform, it sits on the right side of the chest in the upper quadrant. The actual dragonrider’s badge is gold in appearance, with the dragon, an orb, and a spear facing down. Just what do all these things represent? Well, they indicate the three phases of the dragonrider’s academy: weapons and infantry tactics (spear), the arcane arts (orb), and flight school (dragon/wings). This was deliberate and is a constant reminder of what all of them go through to achieve receiving the badge. The school is 10 years long, regardless of if elf, human, or half-elf. Depending on what race you are depends on what rank you can typically achieve in your lifetime.
Just where does the airborne magi badge fit in since I talked about the dragonrider’s badge? Simple. This badge is a more decorated version of what Irynvandaliir offers its riders. That being said, typically elves and half-elves, or even humans with a sliver of elven blood, apply to be airborne magi, but if any of the above listed races can make it through the training, then they are offered a slot, no matter how long they might live.
The badge has four points protruding from each corner, which represents not only the four cardinal directions, but more importantly, they are meant to indicate the four primary elemental spheres of magic: air, earth, fire, and water. The second and smaller set of wings means they have extra flight combat training rather than what the average Irynvandaliiri riders experience during their training. The training for the airborne magi is twice as long as the standard riders of the elven kingdom, and for good reason—advanced magical training and how to implement and execute it in the air and on the ground. All airborne magi train up until the eighth sphere of magic, and all the spheres and paths are listed below.
The remaining sphere is trained in a more advanced school which the airborne magi train at later in their careers.
Regarding the symbolism of the badge, the burning sphere also represents more advanced magic the airborne magi possess in their arsenal, and it sitting in a holder indicates what they do on the ground and in the air. All other representations are the same as the regular dragonrider’s badge.
Sea Elven Infantry Badge
A badge unlike any of the others, the Thias’Kel sea elven infantry badge stands by itself in design and meaning. The sea elves are highly religious, following the founding sea elven deities Thelasira (goddess of the oceans) and Keoral (god of survival). The badge has its roots in the symbol of Keoral’s trident, which has three prongs, and an eel wrapped around its length, which is where the sea elven infantry derives its name—the eels. The two swords facing down represent the members of the infantry themselves. The circle represents life in all its components, knowing that from birth to death, all things are connected, and we return from whence we came.
The sea elven infantry is revered by allies and feared by enemies, given their tenacity and prowess in waterborne warfare and even on land given the advanced training they go through. The school they attend involves not only infantry and weapons tactics across several weapons, but it also involves magic in the elemental spheres, which the sphere of water being the most adept with the earth sphere making a close second. One of the most important schools they go through, and rightfully so, is the school of survival, which involves terrestrial and waterborne tactics.
They have specific sea creatures they train with during combat to give them advantages when in certain geographies. Additionally, they also train, albeit briefly, with airborne units in the event they find themselves in a certain area alongside airborne units. While rare, it does happen, and of late, it has happened much more frequently.
All in all, the training is approximately 30 years, with one of the highest attrition rates, even beating out the fabled Irynvandaliir dragonriders or Tharisian airborne magi, which has the second highest attrition rates when compared to other combat schools.
Elves in the sea elven nations and kingdoms, at least those mostly of high birth, often choose the prestigious sea elven infantry path to become officers in the storied units, as most end up in direct conflict with their sworn enemies in the oceans and seas—the nefarious Eylasin. This has been a conflict ongoing for centuries and has taken the lives of thousands of sea elves, both magi and infantry along the way. To be a sea elven mage is training of 40 years, even longer than the infantry and schools of similar setup when compared to their land-based counterparts.
The sea elves are mostly recluses, keeping to their cities and nations and only appearing with land-based allies when their homes are threatened, or when the rare call comes to serve alongside their brethren on the surface, which has occurred recently as will be demonstrated heavily in book 3 when it is released next year.
For those interested, these two badges will have stickers made and will be available for free for those who buy book 2 directly from me during preorder time. I hope this little bit about the two newest and final badges has been informative and enjoyable and that you continue to read on as new substacks are published later, especially as I work on the first official reference guide for a very prominent and powerful city in the Great Realm. The timeline guide covers the first 900 years before part 2 of book 1 starts. The years transition seamlessly into the events of the book as they happen, setting everything up. Release TBD but I’m shooting for early next year, with book 3 released probably in the fall of 2026.
Stay tuned for more updates, especially as I release original and new artwork to be made for characters and events occurring in the reference guide. Enjoy!