The Mystery of Dragonspyre, Revisited

A while back, in the early days of my blog, I wrote a post about the culture Dragonspyre was based on. I was so positive I had figured it out! Then Mirage rolled out, and all of a sudden my theory came crashing down. Mirage, though mainly based off of the Middle East, has a location that parallels Constantinople, which contradicts my Byzantine Empire theory. Please read The Mystery of Dragonspyre before continuing to read this post, as I often refer back to it.

Mirage is, with out a doubt, the Middle East. Aquila is Greek, Valencia is Italian, and Polaris is Russian. So where does Dragonspyre fit in all of this?

It's All in the Name
As I always do, I started with looking at the names of the NPCs because they are usually closely related to the culture that is being used. Here is where the names originated:

• 9 Greek
• 7 Polish
• 7 Slavic
• 5 Hungarian
• 3 Czechoslovakian
• 3 Latin
• 2 Arabic
• 2 Bulgarian
• 2 Hebrew
• 2 Nordic
• 2 Russian
• 2 Turkish
• 2 Ukrainian
• 1 Croatian
• 1 English
• 1 German
• 1 Jewish
• 1 Macedonian
• 1 Muslim
• 1 Phoenician
• 1 Serbian
• 1 Spanish

Slavic Regions

What we see here is an overwhelming amount of Slavic and Greek names. Around 580 AD, Slavs attacked Thrace, Thessalonia, and other areas near Greece. They settled there, but never truly "conquered" the land. Plenty of Dragonspyre's NPCs are Slavic, and all of them have a Slavic/Russian accent. The architecture, however, is Greek or Roman. The ruling empire at the time of the invasion of the Slavs? The Byzantine Empire.

All Mapped Out
To help visualize the cultures represented by the NPCs in-game, I made a map with colors corresponding to the number of names used per country. Please bear with me on this terribly colored in map- I am not that good at this stuff!

Red represents the most used cultures. Orange is the second most used, then yellow, and finally, green. The pink stripes on Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic are also part of the wider group of the seven Slavic names used. The pink area was strictly Slavic.

I partially colored in some of the other countries because they were so far away from the center of things that I didn't want to draw attention elsewhere. Additionally, some countries were unable to be filled in (such as those represented by Arabic and Muslim names) because it wasn't on this map. They are not necessary to prove my point.

What we can gather from this map is that Dragonspyre has deep roots in Eastern Europe.
At this point, I'm sure a lot of you are thinking "Well what about all the Greek and Roman stuff you were talking about in that other post?" The great thing about this is the map helps us visualize the culture. This map best matches, to some extent, the maps of the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. These two empires had roots in Rome, so we still have that Roman influence that is clearly seen in the architecture and dialogue of Dragonspyre.

Map of the Byzantine Empire

Map of the Holy Roman Empire

My homemade map bears a some resemblance between these two. It's very possible Dragonspyre is a cross between these two cultures, but I am going to lean towards my Byzantine Empire theory.

Antiquity of Dragonspyre
The history of Dragonspyre is much like the history of an empire. Here is a short timeline of Dragonspyre history, according to the books from the quest "The Secret History."

• Dragons rule the sky, striking fear into the hearts of men
• King Mene and Gavarena, the Queen of the Drakes, meet in secret
• Gavarena accepts Mene as her rider
• Men and Drakes join together to overcome the Dragons
• Age of the Kingdom of Dragonspyre
• King Mene unites Dragonspyre by moonlight, when Gavarena's flames inspired the most awe
• The Kingdom of Dragonspyre grows
• King Jungen dies without an heir to the throne
• The Century was begins over the right to the throne
• Kilgor the Magnficent ends the war when he assumes the throne
• During this time, great advancements in culture, science, and learning are made
• Rydall the Conqueror unleashes a magical plaque upon his duchy
• Duke Sebastian fights with the lords of Dragonspyre for the knowledge of the cure
• Because of his bravery, Dragonspyre Academy is founded for the children of Dragonspyre
• Aldared the Usurper unseats the king
• Council of Wizards, Warriors, and King forms and removes Aldared from power
• Dragonspyre now ruled jointly by this Council
• The king's power wanes, and Warriors and Wizards struggle over power
• A battle takes place before the Council between a defenseless wizard and a warrior
• The wizard wins; Wizards now control all spells used in Dragonspyre

You'll notice that the only names that sound even remotely Greek or Latin are Mene and Sebastian. Interestingly, the Bosnian word for "raven" is "gavran," which is strikingly similar to Gavarena. (CONSPIRACY THEORY: Gavarena is Grandmother Raven!!) Bosnia is near Serbia (Yugoslavia), so this fits in. Most of the names above aren't real names, but sound like variations of Slavic and Eastern European names.

As mentioned above, the quest "The Secret History" chronicles the history of Dragonspyre. Procopius, a Byzantine scholar and recorder of the reign of Justinian, wrote a book known as The Secret History. However, there appears to be little relation between the contents of Wizard101's books and Procopius' book. (I didn't look through the entire book, so I'm sure there is something related.) I think this is a major piece of evidence that supports my Byzantine Empire theory.

In my previous post I explained how King Mene and Gavarena, when united, overcame the Dragons. I then said that it sounded like Justinian's campaign to take back the Roman Empire from the Barbarians. I would like to reiterate that point because I have another theory to go a long with it. Justinian I and Theodora ruled together, much like King Mene and Queen Gavarena. I think Justinian and Theodora are portrayed as Mene and Gavarena.

On Tuesday, January 13th, 532 AD, the Nika Riots broke out in Constantinople. The riot caused the rapid spread of a fire through out the city, and many buildings were destroyed. Is it possible that the awakening of the Dragon Titan was Wizard101's version/personification of the Nika Riot? Like the riot in Constantinople, the Dragon Titan desecrated Dragonspyre.

Another real-life explanation for Dragonspyre being fiery is that there a plenty of volcanoes in southern Italy, Greece, and Turkey. This could also be a contributing factor, not the main cause of fire.

Architecture and Locations
The locations and architecture of Dragonspyre are very important to solving this mystery. Some key places include

• Greek Locations
• The Labyrinth
• The Atheneum
• The Necropolis
• Roman Locations
• The Forum
• The Basilica

It is completely logical to have Greek and Roman locations and architecture. If Dragonspyre is truly based off of the Byzantine Empire, it would be historically correct. The Byzantine Empire incorporated Greek and Roman culture into almost everything they did!

Before the Byzantine Empire was the surviving remnant of the Roman Empire, it was a Greek colony known as Byzantium. It quickly grew successful and was often fought over by the Greeks and Persians. Later, it was fought over by Athens and Sparta, and was under the control of each state at different times. Eventually, Byzantium became part of the Roman Empire and was renamed Constantinople. This is where I believe the Greek and Roman factors come into play. Each culture influenced the Byzantium region.

Roman Forums were everywhere in the empire. The most famous forum is the Foro Romano (Roman Forum) in Rome. There are three forums in Istanbul (Constantinople), known as the Forum of Theodosius, the Forum of Constantine, and the Forum of Arcadius. The fact that there is a forum in Dragonspyre is important because it confirms that there is at least a little Roman influence in the game. The Forum in Dragonspyre also has an amphitheater, which is consistent with Roman Forums. Another essential component with in a forum is a basilica. We see this as the port hub when we get into Dragonspyre.

At the Plaza of Conquests, there appears to be a huge triumphal arch with two large statues standing on either side. This is also common in or near a forum. I've included a picture of the Triumphal Arch of Theodosius, which bears similar architecture of that throughout Dragonspyre and looks similar to the arch in the Plaza of Conquests.

Triumphal Arch?

Triumphal Arch of Theodosius

Dragonspyre itself appears to be surrounded by a three-tiered wall. It closely resembles the style Theodosian Walls, which was employed by Constantinople for protection from invaders. Take a look at the comparison between these two! The bottom third of Dragonspyre would be the moat, especially since it is sectioned off. In Constantinople, the moat was sectioned off to be flooded with water as needed. You'll notice that the walls get thicker as each tier gets closer to the heart of Dragonspyre, just like in the picture below.

Notice the 3 main tiers? 

Theodosian Wall

The Basilica in Dragonspyre is a square building. Is it a complete coincidence that the Hagia Sophia (Basilica of St. Sophia) is also a square building, and listed as an architectural marvel because it is topped with a dome? I know the Hagia Sophia is in Constantinople, which is represented by Catstantinople in Mirage, but Dragonspyre was made way before Mirage existed. Maybe it's a plot hole? I may be just really stretching for evidence here, but I honestly think it's possible.

Other Connections

Something I think that is overlooked is the fact that there are these little "pox" creatures that you battle in the Tower Archives and in the Loremaster's Chamber. In the Tower Archives, they are called Damage Pox and Protection Pox; In the Loremaster's Chamber, they are called Font of Life, Font of Strength, and Font of Weakness. I think these represent The Plague.

As mentioned in "The Aftermath of the Century War," great advances in culture, science, and knowledge were made in Dragonspyre. The same is true of the Byzantine Empire. The empire tried to improve its daily life. Engineers designed spectacular buildings (i.e. the Hagia Sophia) and improved public structures, like sewers and aqueducts. The Byzantine Empire was heavily Eastern Orthodox, so the culture advanced around it. Daily life was filled with social gatherings, as many people visited theaters or the Hippodrome in Constantinople. The Byzantines valued education greatly. The Imperial Library of Constantinople held books from both Greece and Rome, making it an excellent center of knowledge. This may be the inspiration for the Dragonspyre Library, as well as the use of Knowledge Crystals (books/scrolls). There was also 3-4 stages of education (schools) for boys, as girls were not usually educated at a school. Girls were literate, but only wealthy families could afford for a girl to be privately tutored.

Zanetta Stormbreaker states

"...Our culture is based on knowledge and warfare. The nobles of Dragonspyre sent their children to this academy to become soldiers and sorcerers. Because we are a warlike people, our education requires trial by combat..."

Since Dragonspyre is a militaristic society, many of you immediately think of Sparta. While this is a good guess, it doesn't really add up with the rest of Dragonspyre. The Byzantine military was extremely advanced. They used heavy cavalry and fast moving archers that were more efficient and successful than the Roman legion. Since the Byzantines used cavalry, I think the Wizard101 equivalent is the drakes and drake riding. The cavalry was the center of the Byzantine military, just as battle drakes are in Dragonspyre. 

The quest "Et tu, Statue?" is a play on the famous line Julius Caesar said as he was being stabbed to death in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. "Et tu, Brute?" is Latin for "Even you, Brutus?" There seems to be no relation between the two, rather just an interesting allusion in the game. 

To learn about smaller connections, take a look at my original post The Mystery of Dragonspyre. I did not feel the need to repeat everything in this post because it would get even more lengthy than it already is!

Nordic Champion's Official Theory
I'm not saying Dragonspyre is Constantinople- it does not really appear to be any particular city, just some area that was influenced by Romans and Greeks and later inhabited by Slavic people. Plus, it really can't be Constantinople since Catstantinople already exists... in Mirage. Therefore, I have concluded that Dragonspyre is one of two things.

• A ruined Roman/Greek area that was pillaged by the Barbarians, now inhabited by Slavic peoples
• A ruined Roman/Greek area that was pillaged by the Slavs, now inhabited by the Slavic peoples

I believe that it exists during the time of the Byzantine Empire or a little after the fall of the empire. It is likely set in the general area of Byzantium, but is not exactly the city of Constantinople. Greek and Roman influence is evident, but is not the main culture of Dragonspyre.

So yes, I stubbornly maintain my Byzantine Empire theory. After a lot of research, I couldn't prove it to be anything else. What is could it possible be? The Byzantine Empire satisfies all of the requirements: Greek, Roman, and Slavic cultures are all represented.

I apologize for such a lengthy post, I just had to share all the evidence that I found! Thank you for reading, and I hope you learned something new! If your opinion on the matter contradicts mine, please share below... I would love a good conversation about this.

**I am no scholar! I have no credentials! I'm just really good at stuffing a bunch of information together and relating to Wizard101. How I relate history to Wizard101 is completely subjective. If something isn't correct, please let me know so I can get rid of it quickly.

Sources:
"Advancements of the Byzantine Empire" - Champlain College
"Byzantines" - History World
"Byzantium" - Ancient History Encyclopedia
"Constantinople" - New World Encyclopedia
"Decisive Battles: Fall of Constantinople 1453"
"Education Byzantine Empire" - Britannica
"Hagia Sophia" - LiveScience
"Holy Roman Empire" - Britannica
"Procopius: The Secret History" - Penelope
"Slavs" - New World Encyclopedia
"The Military of the Byzantines" - Weapons and Warfare
"The Nika Riots" - Penelope

In the Middle of Things: Wizard City History

Wizard City is the starting place for our wizards. It's the first thing we see when we enter the game. Its where we began to learn our spells. It's the gateway to the rest of the Spiral. So, shouldn't Wizard City be based off of a certain culture or country?

The Commons during Yuletide

When I started researching for Wizard City, I started with looking at the names of the NPCs. These usually give me a good idea as to what the world was inspired by. The majority of the NPCs had names that originated from England (including Old English) and Greece, with a few Hungarian, Latin, Norse, and French names. Nothing stood out to me (country-wise). The only name that was helpful was good ole Eloise. Her name was a 12 Century English name. This tidbit of information is important a little but later, so don't forget it.

Merle Ambrose is clearly a play on the name Merlin Ambrosius, who is a character in the stories of King Arthur (Artorius). Merlin was a wizard, just like our Headmaster. Merle Ambrose is from Avalon, which is a world that is straight up King Arthur. This itself confirms that Merle Ambrose is Merlin, and could possibly point towards Wizard City existing in the same time period as Avalon.

Penny Dreadful gets her name from the "penny dreadfuls," which were cheap fiction for the working class in England. She and her parents are from Marleybone (London!) The quests that involve her are all titled:

• A Dreadful Situation
• Our Daily Dread
• Dreadful Deliveries
• A Penny Saved

...which point to her being named after the penny dreadfuls. Penny is proof towards English influence on Wizard City.

The Wizard City guards appear to have a rather modern looking set of armor as opposed to a medieval look. The clothing of other NPCs is sort of medieval. However, a very medieval part of Wizard City is the Fair Grounds.

I then began researching the meanings and origins of the names of areas and creatures. Again, they were mainly English and Greek words. This isn't very helpful in helping identify the inspiration of this world. However, many creatures and areas are very fairy tale-like.

The fish Sharkspeare is a reference to Shakespeare. Shakespeare lived in the late 1500s and early 1600s, which isn't to far off from the 12th Century. There is a lot of references to this time period, so it completely fits.

Looking at the architecture, it appears to be Romanesque. Romanesque architecture originated around the 10th Century. You can see this architecture in the fact that the houses are stone but the roofs are made of wood. Seeing as to the relation with Eloise, 12th Century name, Wizard City is based off the Late Medieval era. One may argue that the architecture appears to be Germanic. This is true, but there just isn't anything else to suggest that it's a German-themed world.

The stained glass in Wizard City is way to simple to assign a style to. Perhaps it's a blend of Gothic, Romanesque, Medieval and Renaissance. It just can't be determined by how simple it is. Avalonian stained glass is much easier to interpret given the fact that it isn't simple.

A subtle detail is the fact that Baldur Goldpaws, a viking (Norsemen) just happens to be in Wizard City. The Normans were invading Europe in the 12 Century. This also points towards Wizard City being based off the 12th Century.

However, Wizard City does not look like Avalon. Avalon is completely medieval. Therefore, Wizard City is not fully medieval, especially considering the fact that there appears to be electricity due to the lights all over the place. This does not discredit the fact that there are so many hidden references in Wizard City. There's so many that this post would be longer than anyone's liking. In fact, this also doesn't discredit the theory that Wizard City might be influenced by everything, making it the United States of America.

Wizard City is a mystery. There appears to be a lot of references to late medieval things, especially English. Yet there are many things in this world to suggest otherwise. The world is very broad in terms of inspiration. But this makes sense, especially the fact that no country or culture stands out. Wizard City was the first world made. I don't think Kings Isle was thinking about making a world inspired by any particular country. My guess is after Wizard City was created, Kings Isle thought it would be cool to base the other worlds off of countries.

I think it's safe to conclude that Wizard City was inspired by 12th Century European cultures and countries.

Do you have a different opinion on the inspiration of Wizard City? I want to know! Leave a comment below! :)

Sources

• Google
• Wizard101 
• Nameberry.com
• Infoplease.com
• Dictionary,com
• BL.uk.com
• StainedGlass.org

A Night Out on the Town: Marleybone's Real History

Marleybone is a unique world. It was a traumatic world if you fell victim to battles you didn't mean to fight. Big Ben felt like forever. But I think we all secretly enjoyed Marleybone for the scenery: It was refreshing. It was nice to see something modern. The clothing was fancy enough to be stitched even today. There's more to Marleybone's real life history than meets the eye!

Wolfminster Abbey

London in the Time of the Late Victorian Era

London, in the time of the late Victorian Era, was divided by the rich and the poor. Slums were overly crowded and crawling with diseases. The wealthy had little idea of the state of the poor. The use of coal burning stoves clogged the air. Street Gangs cast a looming shadow, striking fear into the hearts of many.  Police Officers were known as "Bobbies."

Food for Thought:

The name Marleybone is clearly derived from Marylebone, an inner-city area in London, England. This simple fact points us in the right direction. 

Locations, Locations

• Kensington, Chelsea, and Hyde Park are all real places in London. They all happen to be near each other, just like how they are located near each other at Digmoore Station.
• Located not to far from Hyde Park is Buckingham Palace. Barkingham Palace is near Digmoore Station and Hyde Park. 
• Scotland Yard, which is police headquarters in-game, is also the name of the Metropolitan Police Service headquarters. The real Scotland Yard is located near Westminster Abbey. 
• Wolfminster Abbey could be derived from Westminster Abbey. Wolfminster Abbey is located near the in-game Scotland Yard.
• Newgate Prison is real. The in-game version is aligned with the real version. The real prison was located in London.
• The Royal Museum is loosely based off of The British Museum. Both display artifacts of the same culture: Ancient Egypt (Krokotopia.)
• Halley's Observatory maybe referencing Edmund Halley, the English astronomer who calculated the times when Halley's Comet appears.

Marleybone is indeed London, England.

More Real Life Connections

One of the easiest evidence to recognize is Sherlock Bones and his fearless assistant Watson.  

• The stories of Sherlock Holmes were written in Victorian-Era England by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Something even less obvious is our sinister villain Meowiarty. Meowiarty happens to be the adaptation of the criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty in the Sherlock Holmes series. 
• 221B Barker St. is a direct adaptation of 221B Baker St, which is the address of Sherlock Holmes.

Katzenstein is clearly based off Frakenstein by English Author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley in 1818. Both are crazy scientists. 

Something less obvious is the plot of the Four Dungeons series instance of Barkingham Palace. Some of the characters and part of the plot follows closely with a well-known story. That story is The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Interestingly, the name of the State Wing quest is"A Strange Case," referencing the title of the story. Margherita Vizzini even calls Dr, Jackall "two-faced," further prooving the inspiration of the plot. At the end of the Rooftop dungeon, Dr. Jackall mentions a duality of self, unbound by rules and conscience. He even talks about research and alchemy. 

In the Wizard101 version, Dr. Jackall is trying to permanently become his evil alternate, Mister Hound. At the end of the instance, Dr. Jackall realizes what he did and asks us to leave him to his doom. In the real story, Dr. Jeckyll tries to prevent himself from becoming his evil alternate Mr. Hyde. In the end, his evil form completely takes over. Both end the same way.

• Dr. Jackall = Dr. Jeckyll/Mr. Hyde -- Two-Faced/Double Personality
• Enfield Trickster = Richard Enfield
• Lanyon Scratcher = Dr. Hastie Lanyon
• Mister Poole = Mr. Poole
• Mister Utterson = Gabriel John Utterson

Even though this is obvious, this needs to be included. Marleybone has a queen, which is a monarch. England was also a monarchy. The queen of Marleybone resides in Barkingham Palace, just like the queen of England resides in Buckingham Palace.

As mentioned earlier, street gangs were very much a part of everyday life. So much so that people were fearful of their lives, This is why there are so many street gangs in Marleybone, such as the O'Leary and the McTavish. Generally speaking, Dogs, Cats, and Rats are also gangs. The Marleybone gangs fight, rob, and cause trouble wherever they go. The London gangs did that and far worse. 

The rise of the use of coal plagued London with horribly dangerous air. Often, the smoke from the burning coal would mix with fog, creating the toxic "smog." The smog was so thick that it was near impossible to see things. Many respiratory diseases where contracted because of it. This is why there are so many references to smog, (i.e. Smogger) coal, (i.e. Stoker) and industry. (i.e. The Ironworks) Also, to clean the soot-covered chimneys, chimney sweeps would travel rooftop to rooftop to do their jobs. This is why we see Chimney Sweep mobs AND that most or Marleybone takes place on the roofs of the city.

Closing Time

As the pubs in Marleybone begin to close for the night, I hope you've enjoyed learning a little bit about this elegant city and London. We can firmly conclude that Marleybone is London and heavily based on England.

What other connections can you make?

Sources

• Wizard101
• Wizard101 Central
• Wikipedia
• Listverse
• Solar Views
• 20th Century London
• Victorian History

Worlds of the Spiral

This post was requested a while back, so I decided to finally do it!

There are many worlds in the Spiral. They are so very different from each other. Some are crazy hot, others are freakishly cold. Regardless, each world is unique and has an amazing story. Check out these brief descriptions of both the storyline worlds and side worlds.

1st Arc Main Worlds

Wizard City
The very first world our wizards quest in. This world is Renaissance themed. It is centered around Bartleby, the world tree. Home to Ravenwood School of Magical Arts and threatened by Lord Nightshade. You can access Aquila and Darkmoor from this world.

Krokotopia
The second world of the storyline. This world is Ancient Egyptian themed and is home to the Manders and the Kroks. Explored by the Royal Marleybonian Expeditionary Force and threatened by Krokopatra. You can access Kembaalung and The Upper Zigazag from this world.

Marleybone
The third world of the storyline. This world is Victorian English themed and is home to Cats, Dogs, Rats, Golems, and other creatures of the night. Home to Big Ben and Barkingham Palace and threatened by Dr. Von Katzenstein.

Moo Shu
The fourth world of the storyline. This world is a blend of Chinese, Japanese, and Indian cultures. Home to Samoorai and Ninja Pigs. Threatened by the Jade Oni.

Dragonspyre
The fifth world of the storyline. This world is a Byzantine themed world. The world was once a thriving military world and home to the esteemed Dragonspyre Academy, a rival school to Ravenwood. Home to dragons and ghosts of the past. Malistaire Drake was finally caught and defeated in this world.

1st Arc Side Worlds

Grizzleheim
A side world given access to at Level 20. This Nordic themed world is a trading post in the spiral. Home to Viking Bears, Wolves and Ravens. This world is threatened by The Coven and the Everwinter.

Wysteria
A side world given access to at Level 20. This beautiful world is home to another esteemed magical school, Pigswick Academy, which is another major rival to Ravenwood. Inhabited by sneaky Pigs and Goblins. This world is threatened by a Vine.

Aquila
A side world given access to at Level 30. This Ancient Greek themed world is home to the Immortals. Wizards participate in The Immortal Games, the ultimate test of skills. Home to the glorious gods and their bird legion. Aquila's greatest threat is YOU!

Wintertusk
A side world given access to at Level 40. This world is the icy expansion to Grizzleheim. Also home to Bears, Wolves, and Ravens. This world is home to Grandmother Raven, the narrator of your story. Threatened by The Coven, The Four Sons of Ymir, and The Everwinter.

2nd Arc Main Worlds

Celestia
The sixth world of the storyline. This Atlantis themed world was once a powerful empire capable of harnessing the power of Astral Magic. Home of Crabs, Sharks, and other sea creatures. Threatened by Mithraya and.

Zafaria
The seventh world of the storyline. This African themed world is heavily influenced by folklore. Home to Lions, Zebras, Elephants, and Apes. This world is threatened by corrupt ghosts and the Starburt Spiders.

Avalon
The eighth world of the storyline. This Medieval themed world is full of magical forests and knights. The home world of Headmaster Merle Ambrose was led by King Artorius. Inhabited by Goblins, Knights, and other Fairy Tale Creatures. Threatened by the White Dragon.

Azteca
The ninth world of the storyline. This Mayan and Aztecan themed world is doomed by Xibalba, a comet that appeared in the sky. Azteca is filled with pyramids, ruins, and beautiful scenery. Home to Aztecosaurs and Parrots. This world is threatened by the corrupted souls of Morganthe, including Malistaire the Undying.

Khrysalis
The tenth and final world of the 2nd Arc storyline. This insect themed world is a fragment lost in time. Inhabited by Scorpions, Centipedes, and other insects, this world is the final fight between the Council of Light and Morganthe, the Shadow Queen.

3rd Arc Main Worlds

Polaris
The eleventh world of the storyline. This cold, Russian themed world is under a harsh tyranny. The pengouins, a rebel group, seeks overthrow the empress. This world is home to Penguins, Polar Bears, and Walruses. This world is threatened by Rasputin.

Mirage
The twelfth world of the storyline. This dry, Arabian themed world is being torn apart by factions. The worlds is home to Cats.

I will update this list when more worlds or expansions are added!

Balance & Krokotopia: Their Relation with Ancient Egypt

Balance and Krokotopia

A Guide to their relation to Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt: a vast desert filled with towering pyramids and intricate beliefs. What a civilization they were! It's clear to see the relation of Krokotopia and Balance to Ancient Egypt, but we are going to look deeper, far past the obvious, to see the hidden relations KingsIsle has made for us to discover! 

Balance

Balance is a school that draws from the others and infuses it's own magic. But I bet you'd be surprised at how accurate Balance magic is when you compare it to Ancient Egyptian magic!

Magic

• Comparison of magicians and magic to schools of magic, not including balance (yet)

The Egyptians had many types of magicians:

• Elementalists
• Fire, Earth, Water, and Wind
• Storm & Ice are sometimes considered Elemental
• Necromancers
• Death Magic
• Diviners
• Charm Makers
• Healers
• Statuary

You'll notice that a lot of these are schools of magic in Wizard101. Could it be possible that Egyptian magic influenced basic Wizard101 principles?

So here is where I'm going with the types of magic and Balance...

• Elemental magic- let's use Fire, Ice and Storm.
• Elemental schools are the first part of the infusion of balance and other schools.
• Spells like Elemental Blast, Hydra, and Elemental Blade use Elemental Magic- which is Egyptian
• The description of each type of Elemental Magic perfectly describes the Wizard101 equivalent
• Necromancy, Death Magic, and Healers
• Death and Life Magic in Wizard101
• Necromancy and Death Magic Combined is the Wizard101 Death School
• Healers: What the Life School is centered around
• Chimera, Spirit Blades, and Spirit Blast use Necromancy, Death and Healing magic
• Statuary

• This magician creates figurines, or shabti, to help in battle
• Myth and their minions

Magicians summoned creatures, used avatars, and spells. They battled and dueled other magicians. Magicians used wands, staffs, and even amulets in battle.

Avatars were a version of the gods that helped empower them... Could this be a relation with auras?

Direct Relations of Egypt and Balance

Balance appears to be a desert themed school, centered around desert creatures and Egyptian culture.

Creatures of the Desert

• Scarab
• Scorpion

Desert Event

• Sandstorm

There are 3 spells that are related to Egypt:

• Scarab
• Judgement
• Ra

Scarab

• Sacred creature
• Symbol of Khepri, the Scarab God, who is an aspect of Ra in the morning
• Very common in Egypt
• Many amulets, jewelry, and hieroglyphs are of scarabs

Judgement

• Winged lady holding balance scale and possible khopesh
• balance scale- market place
• khopesh- Egyptian sword
• This is either the goddess/being/creature Ma'at, Goddess of Order (balance)
• Or Isis, Goddess of Magic.
• Both are winged
• I think it is most likely Ma'at, since she is the Goddess of Order, which is balance, which embodies the school.
• The only way Isis could be considered is because she is the Goddess of Magic, and she is winged- but with rainbows, so that potentially eliminates her.

*The goddess Isis is not related to the group of terrorists who's name is coincidentally the same.

   

Judgement

    

Ma'at                           Isis

Which one is Judgement?

*Note: a major difference is the head dress*

Ra

• Sun God
• King of the Gods
• Patron of Pharaohs
• In Ra's spell, he holds a staff and an ankh, which is historically correct
• He uses the sun to do damage, which is also correct since Ra is the sun god
• Ra spell: Ra appears as part bird; Gods had animal forms, and were also represented with an animal head.
• His animal is a falcon
• Almost the entire spell is historically correct with a little twist
• His head dress is incorrect
• Other minor incorrections

     

Miscellaneous

• Niles the Balance tree is named after the river Nile
• The Balance School is in Krokotopia
• Krokotopia

Krokotopia: land of the pyramids, restless spirits, enslaved manders and angry kroks. Sounds a lot like Ancient Egypt, right? Ancient Egypt, land of the great pyramids, tombs, enslaved people, and gods. Very similar indeed. But did you know there's more in common then meets the eye?

Obvious Similarities

• Pyramids
• Hieroglyphs
• Desert Environment
• "Krokosphynx"
• NPC names
• Location names
• Titles of NPCs

*I'm not going to expand on these because they are self explanatory

Less Obvious Similarities

• Marleybone explorers: Marleybone is like England, and they did explore Egypt and excavate it
• Mander slaves: could be similar to the Hebrew/Jewish people being enslaved by Egyptians
• Some hieroglyphs actually resemble real ones:
• Eye of Horus
• Ankh
• Misc. that are just Krokotopian versions of the real one
• Temples
• The Krokonomicon
• Necronomicon

The Zigazag Dungeons

These dungeons have a whole lot of direct references to Ancient Egypt! Some you may be able to pick up, others, you might not.

• Apep The Snaky One- Represented as a snake
• Apep, aka Apophis, was the snake God of Chaos
• Ammit the Devourer- Represented as a krok
• Ammit the Devourer stood beside the scale of Ma'at and ate the wicked souls after judgement
• She had the head of a crocodile, torso of a lion and hindquarters of a hippo
• Anubis
• God of the underworld/dead, guided the dead souls
• Mentioned in quest dialogue
• Ammit's location on the scales
• She is located on The Scales of Judgement
• Ammit stands on one side of the scale
• Battle her on this scale
• The poor manders are also there, awaiting the judgement of their hearts
• The other scale has a feather resting on it
• This is The Feather of Truth
• Hearts are measured against this

This will be updated as more similarities are made.

Sources

• The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
• Ancient Egypt Online
• Wizard101 Central Wiki
• Wizard101.com

Originally posted in Wizard101 Central > Guides on April 29th, 2015.

If you have made a similarity or contradiction to this guide, PLEASE leave a comment for others to see! I may add some similarities that have been brought to my attention!

The Mystery of Dragonspyre

Dragonspyre is a mystery. It's one of those worlds that you can't figure out what it's based off of. There's so much contradicting evidence that you can't pick just one culture. I decided to do some research, and I think I finally have the answer.

First, I started with a Twitter Poll. I asked if people thought Dragonspyre was based off of Rome/Greece, Russia/Czech, or Russia/Byzantine. Each tweet had the majority voting Rome/Greece. So I referred to everything I knew about Rome and Greece. Coincidentally, my current world history unit at school is Rome and the Byzantine Empire!

• I figured that the architecture is Greek and Roman, especially all the columns
• Creatures like the Minotaur and Cyclops roam the streets. These are straight out of Greek mythology
• Being a militant society, it could be based off of Sparta
• The Forum is a Roman place of government and exchange of ideas
• The Necropolis, meaning "cemetery," has the word -polis in it. -Polis is a Greek word for "city."
• The Atheneum, meaning "school," also means "Temple of Athena." Athena is Greek goddess
• The Basilica, which means "royal palace" or "church," is originally a Greek/Latin word
• The Labyrinth is from Greek mythology. 
• The Dragonspyre standard is from Rome's Eagle Standard

Not to mention the layout of Dragonspyre: It looks like an acropolis. Notice the tiered levels and walls, surrounding the more important parts of Dragonspyre? Dragonspyre Academy is in the up most area. Also, the volcano could symbolize Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii, which explains how destroyed the world is. Dragonspyre seems pretty Greco-Roman, right? But then we hit a wall...

Unless you played with mute on the whole time, chances are you heard the accents of the NPCs. They don't sound Italian or Greek at all. Their names aren't either. So I looked up the origins of some names, and what I got was unsurprising. The names were from Russia, Ukraine, and Czechoslovakia. 

This actually makes a lot of sense. Why? There was a blend of these cultures, and it was called the Byzantine Empire.

The Byzantine empire was created when the Roman Empire was split into East and West. While Rome fell and descended into the Dark Ages, Costantinople rose. It was located between Greece and modern-day Russia. Now we have Greek, Roman, and Russian cultures all in one area!

This excerpt sounds a lot like Justinian's campaign to take back the Roman Empire from the Barbarians.  

The Empire was brought down by a plague, which is mentioned in the History of Dragonspyre.

In short, Dragonspyre bares enough evidence to point towards being based off of the Byzantine Empire. Do you think Dragonspyre is based off of the Byzantine Empire? Why? I look forward to seeing other point-of-views!