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The great wheel (also known as the great cycle or the cycle of life) is the cycle of life and death or creation and nonexistence in the terrene plane in the lore of Dota 2.

Description
This great wheel is the cycle that ascribes the essence of change to the material world. 'Tis the reason why this material plane is ephemeral and fleeting, one plane of existence where eternity is impossible and faux. This is because a cycle or a wheel signifies change, hence whatever is included in the wheel is never the same as it undergoes different phases with each turn of the wheel in a cyclical manner. That being said, truly nothing in the terrene plane is eternal because they are all subject to the cycle. Everything within nature must come to an end.

Kaolin, once a mortal general and now the immortal Earth Spirit, aptly describes the great wheel in the form of proverbs.
 * That which is arises from that which is not.
 * Death comes so birth may follow.
 * What rises must someday fall.
 * Death is birth foretold.
 * Out of death comes birth.
 * From death's soil, new life sprouts.

When something is born, created, or given new life one way or another; the wheel turns and ends the phase of death or nonexistence. When something is killed or destroyed, the wheel turns and ends the phase of life or existence. Both phases end at each other's beginnings and in that terminus betwixt them their ways converge, completing the cycle of nature.

In Dota: Dragon's Blood
The great wheel exists in the animated series Dota: Dragon's Blood, but it is not called as such. It is essentially the same cycle, albeit it also applies to the immortality of some beings.

Such beings include the Eldwurms, cosmic dragon spirits who are the very elements and forces of nature themselves.

DOTA: Dragon's Blood, Book 3, Chapter 8: Consider Phlebas (1:49) *The Heroes watch helplessly as the planet is being ravaged by a meteor storm from the Mad Moon. Davion suddenly feels a familiar jolt of pain and falls to his knees. The rest of them react to his pain, with Bram catching him and staying by his side* Luna: It doesn't look like you took a hit. Bram: ''No, no...it's―it's not that. There's no wound. Davion/Slyrak: Gods, I can feel them. The souls. *Davion wears a mask of shock after realizing what he felt* Davion/Slyrak: All of them. *The death cries of dragons are heard, and we see every Eldwurm dead, floating in a void* Davion/Slyrak: The dragons. The Thunder. They're all dead.'' *The discarnate dragon souls descend upon their one final vessel in the planet, imbuing Davion with the essences of nature. Suddenly, the features of chaos, ionic, and earth dragon begin to manifest erratically on his form as Davion struggles against the pain of merging. The spectacle ends as Davion recovers* Davion: It's only me now. Filomena: The last dragon... Luna: “Last dragon?” I'd say we are the last anything. Filomena: Maybe we don't have to be. Davion: ''The Pillars of Creation. The Forge. Bram: Wait, wait. What? No. Blowing up what's left of the universe? That is your plan? Davion: Restoration requires destruction... Slyrak: ...little mouse.''

cycle also exists in gods. what eventually turns the wheel from a god's oblivion to their reexistence is (love? yearning for their return?) from worshippers. unlike the more powerful eldwurms, gods require a driving force beyond themselves to turn the cycle

In all reality and nature
The cycle can be observed in reality and nature. The process of reincarnation takes its course after a being's death. Whether they are reborn as something different from their previous life/incarnation or not is unknown.

It also exists everywhere in nature where everything is fleeting. The elements of those who have died are released back to nature, probably to be recycled for new life. The food chain in nature is a great example of the great wheel in action. Dead animals are not wasted and still consumed by other creatures, sustaining their life from the deaths of others. Decomposers like worms break down dead organic material to nourish the soil, bringing life from the deaths of other creatures to feed the plants that grow and provide food to those that eat them and thus completing the cycle.

Even in the vast cosmos beyond our planet, the great wheel still does its work.

Adherents
Most, if not all, of these adherents and followers are subordinate and subject to the great cycle, thus they are mortal and expect themselves to die and return to Nature. Those who are included in this list are usually aligned with nature or order, seeing how the cycle is a law of nature.

Heroes
says that all greenery will return to dust or the earth. He also believes that life is an endless cycle.

A warrior at one with the savagery of nature's beasts, the is well aligned to the revolutions of the great wheel of life. At one with the woods itself, leaves anyone and anything fallen at her wake to be consumed by the earth and its greenery.
 * Karroch states that all material beings must relinquish the elements of their bodies back to nature after they perish.
 * A process similar to the one above will also happen to him when he dies, with Karroch calling the soil that he falls upon his genesis.
 * He may invoke the cycle taking its course after killing someone  or when he is reborn. To him, death breaks an organism's life cycle.

The is a powerful earth elemental, his spirit at one with the soil and rock of this planet. As such, he is subject to and acknowledges the great wheel. is aligned with the cycle of nature, as he believes that anything that lives must die. The Titan also returns Tiny to the bedrock he came from after destroying him.
 * Born from the earth of Nishai through his sheer will, Raigor is destined to return to the earth from whence he came once he dies.
 * But Raigor isn't the only one who will be returning to his element. He expects those slain by his hand to return to the ground they came from.
 * Raigor references the cycle when he kills the Prophet, saying that life will continue with his death by wishing that a sapling will sprout from his remains.

was chosen as a vessel of a primeval nature deity's power to heal the blighted Wood Tomo'kan whose cycle of life has been disrupted by all sorts of pollution.
 * all that is material is perishable.
 * Besides those that he kills,
 * he also undergoes this process of reincarnation by appearing in a new form or "pattern" after he dies, but not all of his incarnations are instances of rebirth, such as appearing unto the world where he once did not exist.
 * As gravity itself, he is the force that ends the lives of stars, in contrast to Ezalor who sparks them to life. Together, the weak force and gravity complete the cycle of life and death, even in the seemingly desolate void of nature.

Sylla, the of the now extinct and forgotten Bear Clan, is in harmony with nature―from its vast variety of organisms to its strict laws.
 * Like many others who are attuned to nature, Sylla shares the same idea that all material beings that die must return to the earth from where they sprung.
 * His vital Seed of Renewal, entrusted to him by his deities, is meant to be planted once the planet has utterly died, so that it may revive nature and turn the wheel once more.
 * To him, quick resurrection (such as the one granted by the ) shortens the phase of death in the great cycle.

adheres to the natural order of the great wheel.
 * Even during war―a time of death and destruction―the Prophet continues the cycle of life by leaving the remains of his foes to be consumed by nature so that it may thrive from their deaths. He feeds corpses to the soil as nutritious humus,  while leaving their less perishable bones to nature so that it may grow anew from this foundation.
 * In accordance with the cycle of nature, The Prophet states that inanimate creations must return to nature, whence they were sourced from, to be recycled anew.     They may also return to nothing.
 * He has a looped beard style that may represent the brutal cycle of life in the wild.
 * inherited a sapphire gem imbued with a spark of his mother's essence. a fail-safe left in the wastes of a war-torn land to restore life and restart its cycle in places that may lack it.
 * underlords
 * underlords
 * He practices this by feeding the remains of his enemies as beneficial and vitalizing material for the greenery, such as fertilizer, humus,  mulch,  or simply a foundation to grow from.
 * Like all living things, he is sustained by the deaths of others.
 * Also like all living things, his death will sustain others as he returns to the earth.
 * As such, he believes that spent lives will fuel and support new life. His spell is a case in point as it siphons the lifeforce of his foes to sustain whoever and whatever he protects.
 * He is somewhat immortal by means of a reincarnation cycle. Should he ever fall far from his homeland's nourishing soil, a seed will eventually grow from his remains into another Protector that inherits his mission.
 * He still adheres to the great wheel in Artifact, still feeding spent lives and their remains into the earth they sprang from.   growth from not growth, even war  nothing new, adds that all things feed cycle
 * underlords

Gods
The three essences of the material elements and the surreptitious essence of the void itself, the Celestials are the guardians and enforcers of the natural order of life and death. Although divinity usually implies immortality, this was not case with the woods-goddess Verodicia.
 * isn't serious enough to talk about anything cosmic, but he was involved in the Monkey King's punishment for removing himself from the cycle, suggesting that he at least cared enough about it to do this.
 * isn't serious enough to talk about anything cosmic, but he was involved in the Monkey King's punishment for removing himself from the cycle, suggesting that he at least cared enough about it to do this.
 * isn't serious enough to talk about anything cosmic, but he was involved in the Monkey King's punishment for removing himself from the cycle, suggesting that he at least cared enough about it to do this.

Violators
Because these entities are beyond the great wheel, which includes death, these violators are immortal in one way or another. As lawbreakers, they are usually aligned to chaos.

The Undead
The great wheel is inapplicable in the Fields of Endless Carnage, a land where nothing can decay or decompose and no corpse that falls there will ever return to the earth. is just one of the many walking corpses that live in here, free from the cycle's phases of death.

Trivia

 * concept of material beings returning to the earth or anything similar is common in IRL cultures. reference to (bible? genesis 3:19)
 * great wheel reference to samsara?

Locations
outskirts of Hauptstadt

inn

tavern

foothills and a mountain, home to earth dragon nest and Uldorak

Inhabitants
militia Frühling

Visitors
Davion Bram

Mirana Gwanwyn

Kaden

no allowed
Elves

Princess of Nothing
After going through a long journey on foot, Davion, Mirana, Marci, and Sagan make it to the environs surrounding Hauptstadt. Mirana disembarks her mount and parks him in the woods and they continue their walk. However, Davion grasps his chest and groans in pain, with Mirana and Marci taking notice of it. Mirana asks him if he's still sick, but he assures them that he's fine and reckons that he might be sick from the food. Mirana asks him if he was questioning Marci's cooking (causing Marci to seemingly smile at him out of embarrassment, so as to dodge responsibility), to which Davion responds that he wasn't.

Walking through the street markets of Hauptstadt, Davion leads them to an inn off the market square. He tells them that its keeper owes him a favor and that the tavern isn't classy enough to have Icewrack White on their menu, but at least it has free lodging, courtesy of Davion's favor to the innkeeper. This pleases Mirana, who hasn't slept in a real bed for quite a while.

The Heroes arrive at the dilapidated inn. There are two people outside of the entrance, sick from whatever services the inn gave them. Mirana's expectations lie shattered as Davion tells them that the inn has gone downhill a bit. They enter the inn's tavern as Davion goes to the counter to call for the innkeeper. While Mirana and Marci wait behind him, the former notices a rat scurrying about the tavern, causing her to hide behind Marci who is unfazed by the pest. A wench in a worn dress approaches Davion and recognizes him. She looks under his robe to peep his shaft and remarks his scanty clothing, before asking him to buy her a drink. He greets her and explains that they just went through a long journey and he needs to lodge his companions first, but assures her that he'll jump her bones another night. The wench leaves him with a wink and assures him that he won't forget that night he promised to her.

Mirana has been watching their conversation the whole time with a hint of jealousy and approaches him, asking him if he knew her. Davion responds that he doesn't know her (just like the other wench he was with in the first episode) before Marci and Mirana turn their eyes to someone off-screen. The innkeeper expresses his surprise at seeing him and tells everyone in the bar to cheer for the Dragon Knight. The drunk and tired customers unenthusiastically cheer. Davion requests a single room from the innkeeper, but Mirana requests two rooms instead (not wanting to sleep with Davion). He also requests some clothes, explaining that he misplaced his previous ones. The innkeeper eagerly agrees and tells them to follow him upstairs.

As they walk up the stairs, Mirana and Davion notice a portrait of Kaden on the wall. Davion introduces him to her as one of the greatest Dragon Knights of all time. He reminisces the one time he met the legend in Dragon Hold as a young squire who filled his cup for him. He also remembers that Kaden once said that he showed great promise as a future Dragon Knight. Unimpressed and uninterested, Mirana agrees. Davion continues regardless, saying that he is the only knight who has killed all eight types of dragons. With the same tone, Mirana asks him how many dragon types has he killed, to which Davion responds that he has slain five. Just as he finished his answer, Mirana has already left him, giving him an insincere encouragement.

Upstairs, the innkeeper ushers them to their room. He claims that he has reserved his finest suite for them, but the room's filthy condition says otherwise. Hence, Mirana refuses the room, but the innkeeper tells them that the only cheaper room is out back. She withdraws her last refusal and decides to stay in this room, pleasing him.

Downstairs, Davion is drowning his sorrows at the tavern counter. Mirana and Marci approach the now-clothed knight and the former questions his drinking despite not feeling well. Davion puts down his mug and explains that he is indeed drinking to make himself feel better. The innkeeper asks the Nightsilver Duo if they want anything from the menu, all of which is in the house thanks to Davion. Mirana simply asks for directions to the Black Market, hence the innkeeper questions the kind of business that these women might have in there. She refuses to disclose her intentions, so the innkeeper (meaning no offense to what he said earlier) gives them the directions. The drunken Davion offers to escort them, saying that the city isn't safe at dark, but he suddenly throws up on the floor, disgusting Mirana and causing the other customers to look at him.

He throws up a ring which surprises Mirana, thus she asks him how did it end up inside of him. Davion tells her that he has no idea how, and the ring is picked up by Deeb who has the exact same bandit ring on his ring finger. Starting a scene in the tavern, he approaches Davion and tells him that this ring belonged to his friend who was found dead with five more of his comrades. He pulls Davion by the shirt and accuses him of killing them, which Davion denies. Deeb tells him that dragon armor was also found around the bodies, seemingly strengthening his accusation. Davion denies it again, so Deeb knocks him down with a punch to the face. Deeb kicks him in the stomach before Davion raises his arm to block his stomps as Deeb calls him names.

The bandit backs away as Davion rises and recovers, the former unsheathing his dagger. He thrusts it at Davion, but his training allows him to dodge him and catch his attacking arm, allowing him to slam it on the counter. The resulting pain causes him to release the weapon as Davion delivers an elbow strike to the face, causing him to reel back. He quickly drags him back by grabbing his nape and restraining his other arm behind his back, before slamming his face on the counter and breaking his nose. Deeb staggers from the blow and falls on the floor as Davion approaches him with an intimidating glare. Defeated, Deeb busts out of the establishment and threatens to kill him alongside his bandits tomorrow at noon. Davion picks up the ring he vomited earlier before passing out.

In this dark interval of unconsciousness, Davion has a nightmare about his encounter between the demon and the Eldwurm. Moments of that fateful event flash through his mind as he recalls the possessed Uldorak saying "I smell your fear" to Slyrak. Frühling begins to appear in his mind as well, who begins to succumb to Terrorblade's corruption. Terrorblade's voice resounds: "All you have to do is... Let. Me. In." Davion wakes up from the nightmare in a cold sweat. The innkeeper enters his room with a cup on a tray and finds him awake, asking him about his health. Davion replied, "Like I went through the wrong way of a dragon's asshole." "There's a right way?" the innkeeper said. Davion takes the cup and drinks it, only to retch in response to whatever was in the cup. The innkeeper reveals to him that it's an old family medicine and urges him to drink it.

He informs Davion that Mirana and Marci already left without him to go to the Black Market. He tried to let them wait for him, but they insisted on leaving. Davion tells him that he doesn't mind since he thinks that they're independent. The innkeeper decides to be frank about it and asks him to leave. Davion refuses, saying that the fracas from earlier isn't as bad as what his inn has been through. He explains that if Deeb and the bandits find Davion here, they'll burn down his inn and kill him. He also adds that they're good customers. Davion complies and prepares to leave, but he stops at his room's doorway and asks the innkeeper if he has a weapon that he can borrow for later.

The innkeeper hesitantly asks if he's actually going to fight them, not wanting to be complicit in the violence. Davion says that he'll fight them even with no weapon, although he doesn't prefer that. The innkeeper compliments his valor and perseverance. He goes on to say that his name means something and tells him that he'll not run from any fight against beast, man, or his customers. The innkeeper wishes him good luck on his fight and promises to hang his portrait on the wall if he survives the fight. Davion then leaves the inn to arm himself for his next fight.

Meanwhile, Marci and Mirana have arrived at the Black Market.

Description
has walls

Locations hau
forest on the way to haup? bandits domain, anyone passing here must pay toll to 'em. davion went there after exiting earth dragon warren, suggesting its between barrow and haup

Black Market
The aptly named Black Market is a hub for no-no activity.

Inn
One of the locations first visited by our protagonist trio is a run down inn. This dilapidated inn was first introduced as a rather gloomy and dismal place, in contrast to the lively tavern in Barrowhaven from the first episode. bandits are good customers and probably have connection to innkeeper painting of kaden, stonehall mercenaries from artifact,

Blacksmith's Workshop
There is a blacksmith's workshop in this city. They offer the typical smithing services, from forging weapons like swords to melting down precious items into currency. One of the smiths in the forge is familiar with Davion, perhaps due to his status as a dragon knight. The smith also knows and fears the bandits in this city, hence he refuses to stick his nose on any of their business, let alone touch any of their property.

The Narrows
The Narrows is an outdoor gambling corner somewhere inside Hauptstadt. The game played in the place seems to be a different version of craps. Simply put, craps is a game where players may wager on the outcome of the dice that are tossed across the wooden box and bounced against the corner. It uses four dice that have eight faces (known as an octahedron) instead of a pair of dice, and they're called "bones" instead of dice in this game. The Narrows seems to be owned or controlled by bandits, since the pit boss is one of them.

outskirts of city is Barrowhaven

Heroes
Davion

Mirana

Characters
Kaden

Princess of Nothing
Following his encounter with Terrorblade and Slyrak, as well as receiving the Blood Route from the latter, Davion emerged from the earth dragon warrens, seemingly revived yet exhausted. Dragging his sword behind him, he makes his way into a path in the forest. A group of bandits stalk him from the foliage, before they spring out of the bushes and surround him, ready to assault him. Among the bandits is their leader, who confronts Davion. He notices that Davion is completely oblivious to his captors as he continues walking past them, and one of them notices his poor welfare. The leader pulls him back by the cape, stopping him from walking away, and demands a toll from him for passing through their domain. The same bandit who noticed his health gets dibs on his sword, but his leader strongly rejects him and claims the sword for himself, before knocking Davion out with a punch.

Knocking out Davion was a poor choice on their part, however, as Slyrak only manifests when his vessel is asleep. As such, the Eldwurm manifests himself in the form of Slyvion, an intermediate form between Davion and Slyrak. Davion's armor was torn apart during the transformation and left strewn around Slyvion's feet, before the beast fell upon the bandits and slaughtered them all. He ate corpse

Notable Members
Deeb

Haupstadt
feared by many in haup, have connections to many services: the blacksmith's workshop to the inn. bandits are good customers and probably have connection to innkeeper

the narrows, pit boss there is bandit suggesting they own the place

Enemies
Davion Slyvion DOTA: Dragon's Blood, Book 1, Episode 2: Princess of Nothing *The drunken Davion puts down his mug and rises from his stool* Davion: ''Allow me to escort you. It's not safe after dark—'' *Right after saying “dark” in his sentence, Davion vomits on the floor. The other people in the inn watch* Mirana: ''Ugh. You know how to impress a lady. *Davion vomits a golden ring with a red gem fixed on its bezel* Mirana: Was that in your stomach? How? Davion: *whimpers* I don't know... *Someone picks it up off the floor, revealed to be Deeb* Deeb: The fuck? Did you just heave up this ring? This belonged to a friend of mine. A brother. He was found on the road, torn to pieces, with five more of my brothers. *Deeb grabs Davion by his shirt* Deeb: You did this! Davion: No... Deeb: They found dragon armor around the bodies, “Davion the Dragon Knight!” Davion: It's not possible!'' *Deeb punches Davion's face, knocking him down to the floor. Deeb kicks him in the stomach while he's down. Davion raises his arm to block the next few stomps from him as Deeb calls him names* Deeb: ''Savage! Fucking...cannibal!'' *Marci tries to intervene, but Mirana halts her. Deeb backs off as Davion stands and recovers. Deeb unsheathes his dagger, twirling it in his hand, and rushes at him with it. However, Davion's training prevails as he quickly catches his attacking arm and slams it on the counter. The resulting pain causes him to release his dagger, effectively disarming him. Restraining said arm, Davion elbows him in the face, causing Deeb to reel back. Davion grasps his nape, holds his other arm behind his back, and drags him back, slamming his face into the counter and giving him a broken and bloody nose. He staggers from the attack and falls down, clutching his bloody nose as Davion approaches him with an intimidating glare. Deeb bursts out of the inn* Deeb: ''Tomorrow. Midday. My brothers and me, we're coming for you! *Deeb runs away* Deeb: You're a dead man. You hear me? A dead man!'' *Davion picks up the ring he puked and passes out*

Mirana

Locations
on the way to Dragon Hold, there is a Dragon Knight redoubt on the way there

Invoker's Tower