Summary
Perhaps one of the oldest
dragonkind 'traditions', vorahnko is a mixture of sport, artform, and method of debate. While it didn't arise in any one particular area or culture, the dragons over time sort of naturally gravitated toward its usage. It only really took on a more solid, stratified 'method' when the other peoples of
Veltrona tried to categorize and understand it. To the outside observer, it can look no more than a tremendous magical battle with one's life on the line, after all.
Understanding vorahnko requires looking at the mannerisms of dragons themselves. Being very 'direct' people, they communicate intent with words and actions, intermixing the two. Fighting, wrestling, shouting, singing, and more are not motivated by 'anger' or 'violence', but 'passion'. Through using their passion, they can communicate their position and ideas, all while trying to convince their conversational partner. A traditional draconic debate can look no different than a savage brawl, even though the participants themselves are in no danger whatsoever. Incidentally, this is usually why a lot of other peoples think of dragons as 'violently dangerous', given how incredibly powerful they are.
However, even among dragons, there are significant power discrepancies. Older dragons are simply more powerful as a good rule, upstarts and prodigies aside. This means debate between 'older' and 'younger' dragons can become dangerous because of the vast power difference. Resolving such a problem required them taking a different, more inventive approach. In essence, they boiled down the values of debate into the form of a magical performance. The 'rules' of this performance were:
An agreed upon 'maximum mana amount' one can utilize.
Using magic power to engage with magic power, unless one physically fought magic for some reason.
Soulful demonstrations that show the user's intent.
One must either exhaust their allowed mana, lose all their barriers, or forfeit to end the performance.
Since the root goal was to not allow power differences to be leveraged, the idea of vorahnko was to make 'convincing performances'. That is, through magic and its endless possibilities, create, articulate, and demonstrate one's position in a beautiful show. Through that, one could convince their debate partner, or even the audience if one is present.
What constitutes a show, of course, depends. Their surface level appearance of being a magical battle is not unfounded. For example, fiery blasts should be avoided no matter what, but in vorahnko they're an 'obstacle to overcome'. How one overcomes them is a response to said fiery blast; simply evading can suffice, but being cute or amazing can be a statement in itself.
Overtime, as vorahnko became more popular as a regular sporting event, all the other peoples took note of it–especially
mages. Aside from the initial misconceptions of it, such as duels of honor or to the death, many magically gifted people became interested in how it was done. In its own way, it became the root inspiration countless copy-cats shamelessly took for themselves. Others fused their own existing ideas of magical performance with it, creating unique hybrids that sometimes dragons took their own inspiration from.
Its greatest contribution to the world at large, however, was a platform for performing arts. Historians somewhat struggle to separate it out, as many would like to say, "surely a lot of people figured out peaceful magic themselves?". While undoubtedly true, it ever maddens them that vorahnko casts such an enormous shadow. Then again, its founding ideas aren't terribly unique. They are, however, roboust, and vorahnko has survived throughout the ages thanks to its elegant simplicity. Whether it is through different names or stories, it left its impact all the same.
Traditional Performances
Strictly speaking, vorahnko can be done anywhere at any time, the only issue is agreeing on the basics. Entire leagues, guilds, and associations form based on common sets of agreements, creating their own ideas of how things should go. These groups eventually caused general ideas to arise, allowing for otherwise random people to engage quite quickly in vorahnko if they desired. These artificial agreements served as 'objective' points of reference so people spent less time debating the setup and more time performing.
So, while it can be done anywhere at will, many usually refer to special performance arenas, festival locations, and other places people will gather at. The audience can become important in validating the vorahnko, ensuring nothing untoward or illegal happens, and solidifying the results of it. However, it can also become a language of its own, with those living farther away and on their own engaging strangers with it as a form of greeting.
Styles
The foundations of vorahnko gradually matured from its four defining pillars. Different styles emerged almost immediately, all of them taking on their own rules or understandings. A good example is the three camps that broadly encompass vorahnko: limited, freeform, and combat.
Limited
Emphasizing
downscaling; that is, the
less one puts forth and succeeds with, the more convincing they are. It is a sort of 'reverse bidding' method where one promises success with less. While it can lead to ridiculous outcomes, it is very useful in giving people leverage against those who proverbially tower over them. Quality becomes the key ingredient to success over any other idea.
Freeform
The norm most people doing vorahnko follow. The rules and limitations of freeform depend entirely upon the involved parties, but within the framing of the four pillars. The greatest range of possibilities means all sorts of styles, wasteful or not, emerge without the crushing pressure that limited enforces.
Combat
Combat encompasse much more aggressive shows, aimed at 'defeating' the conversational partner. These take the form of breaking barriers around the person, and when the last barrier is broken, a winner and loser is called. A fusion of artistic display and martial prowess, it captures the ferocity of fighting without the dangers of maiming or death.
They're not strict rules, and it's easy to intermix them–limited combat, for example, is a popular combination.
The Star Storm League
An organization founded around the dragon Yapolmej, of the Yap lineage, she was infamous in the distant past for her 'star storm' performance. While historians equate it to a meteor shower event, such a description does not encapsulate the enormity of it. Some would say she stepped into the realm of divinity, able to bring the very heavens into her performance through using it. The result was such a resounding success she became tremendously famous, and many wanted to study her unique form of magic.
The competitive league that formed around her school was one of the first vorahnko groups. Arguably the still oldest one active (depending on who wants to wear certain flags), they are the de-facto authority many will defer to when seeking arbitration or rules judging. Yapolmej herself is a connoisseur of vorahnko artforms, and travels frequently to observe the on goings. She claims to have seen more styles than even a
torzei could hope to remember, something few dragons are willing to contest her on. Anyone who wishes to be ranked in their performance, or compete in skilled competitions, comes to the league.
While its pedigree remains impressive, the league's real claim to fame is usually how it ended up being a diplomatic mediator for a long time. All sorts of people, from friends to enemies, fond common ground in it, and a strict enforcement kept them from causing problems. Few organizations have a list of backers as immense as the Star Storm League, and so offending them is a dumb mistake. As such, while the league itself doesn't directly intervene in political matters, all sorts use it as a convenient springboard. The formation of
Votyoger ultimately supplanted the league as a diplomatic medium. In some senses, it could be called a prototype for Votyoger's forum, as it did study from many of the league's rules when being made.
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