The Land of Wonder, also known as Wonderland or The Land Beyond The Looking-Glass, is a location in the world of the Hourglass.
History[]
The Land of Wonder's origin is shrouded in mystery. It is said that Wonderland was born from a sacred red rose watered by the white blood of one of the Oneiroi, the embodiments of dreams. Another myth states that it was where the imagination of humanity fled when people chose boring, normal, and civilized lives to live instead of how everything used to be.
Wonderland was once a very wild land, the battlefield of two warring ethnic groups: the Rubians and the Albans, or the Reds and Whites. It is unknown how these two came to quarrel, but their war ended with the arrival of Vaecordia, who completely reinvented the Land of Wonder in her own image. She was pleased with the Rubian people and their brutal, bloodthirsty ways, and so kept them close to her. The Rubians eventually split into the Cardians and the Clavans (Hearts and Clubs). Vaecordia was greatly displeased with the Albans and banned them from her dominions. The Albans became the Anancites and the Rustrums (Diamonds and Spades).
Inhabitants[]
The Land of Wonder is home to four ethnic groups, descendants of the Rubians and Albans, the earliest known people to live in Wonderland. Those descended from the Rubians generally side with Vaecordia, and live in her realm, while the Alban peoples live in the dense wilderness, or the Wood, far away from Vaecordia's castle.
Cardians[]
The Cardians are one of the two Red peoples, and are known as the Hearts. They are the aristocracy of Vaecordia's order. The Hearts are overly haughty and hedonistic, going by their own desires.
- The Duchess is a Heart that abandoned Vaecordia, and now dwells in a mansion located near the Wood. Although she opposes Vaecordia, the two are not unlike each other, mainly in personality.
Clavans[]
The Clavans, or Clubs, are the second group descended from the Rubians. They are extremely violent and brutish, and are commonly soldiers, mercenaries, or executioners. It is said Vaecordia and the ancient Clavans captured the Three Beasts of Elemental Wonder (Jabberwocky, Bandersnatch, and Jubjub bird).
Anancites[]
The Anancites, or Diamonds, are as pacifist as the Clubs are warlike. They are disciplined yet glamorous, and make up the aristocracy of the White peoples. The White Queen Coriolana is an Anancite.
Rustrums[]
The Rustrums, or Spades, are the second of the White peoples, and are not as common compared to the other populations of Wonderland. Some of them have innate magical abilities, and some of their number fled to Earth during Vaecordia's assault, resulting in their blood being found in multiple individuals (for example, Scarlet Dynes and her family).
Geography[]
The Land of Wonder is heavily forested; the forests are what separate the Red and White kingdoms. Outside of the forests, the land consists of verdant glens and clearings, but closer to the north, it becomes barren and mountainous.
Portals[]
The gateways of Wonderland are scattered all over Earth, but the most famous is the Rabbit-Hole, found in Oxfordshire, England, but the Hole will open for any person of Spade ancestry, and will appropriately be found near them. Wonderlanders can traverse to Earth via the Looking-Glass, a large barrier behind the mountains of Wonderland, resembling an immense, passable glass.
Three Beasts of Elemental Wonder[]
The Three Beasts of Elemental Wonder are extremely powerful and enigmatic creatures dwelling in Wonderland; they are the Land of Wonder's versions of the Three Elemental Beasts found on Earth (Leviathan, Ziz, and Behemoth).
- The Jabberwock corresponds to Leviathan, and is Wonderland's beast of water. It is a vicious, dragon-like creature who is impervious to all forms of weaponry, save the Vorpal Blade, a mystical sword designed with the pure intention of slaying it. It dwells in the Tulgey Wood, a section of Wonderland's woods, where it lurks in the darkness, waiting patiently for prey.
- The Jubjub bird corresponds to Ziz, and is Wonderland's beast of air. It is a pompus and passionate bird that makes it homes in a dismal valley found near the mountain ranges. It is lightning-fast whilst flying, and has the greatest eyesight compared to any of Wonderland's fauna.
- The Bandersnatch corresponds to Behemoth, and is Wonderland's beast of earth. It is a ferocious canid creature that stalks the forests of the Land of Wonder. Not much else is known about it, because very few live to tell the tale.
Trivia[]
- On the interdimensional map, Oz and Wonderland are located next to each other, although Wonderland is not physically located on Nonestica.
- Wonderland is based upon both Wonderland from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, as well as the Looking-Glass Land from Through the Looking Glass, also written by Carroll.
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