Return of Inspiration

Summer Camp 2023 Pledge

Camp Feral Badge by Strixxline

I, ShadowPhoenix, pledge to enjoy myself during this Summer Camp, regardless of the badge colour that I (hope to) receive for my achievements. My goal is to get inspired again about my world, Hesli, while maintaining a healthy balance in life. Additionally, I will share the Summer Camp hype to help fellow worldbuilders getting inspired about their creative work.

— ShadowPhoenix

Dewy Diamonds Badge by Strixxline

I've got the Power!

The theme of this years copper prompts resolve around power, the manifestation of strength in many different forms. At the moment, Eshil knows a few powerful organisations, such as Limani Supplies Dealer and Sacred Knowledge. The only other power player currently missing from Eshil is the Kingdom of Illtresi. The dynamic between these organisations is something I still have to figure out.
Other power that exists within the world are individuals with exceptional skill. These skills would be interesting to figure out, see if they come from a higher power or maybe from some other source. Items of old age can contain magic from creatures that no longer roam the lands of Hesli, or soar through its sky. These individuals and items will definitely form a great foundation and resource for the campaign that I plan to develop... at some point... that's a whole different topic, let's not dive in there.

Power is like being a lady... if you have to tell people you are, you aren't.

— Margareth Thatcher

At some point, I will have to connect the dots between different individuals and organisations. Creating these webs will help me as a GM to keep an overview of the relationships. It could be an interesting idea to setup a timeline to visualise the way power has shifted over time between organisations or individuals.

Other Examples of Power in Hesli

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.

— Khalil Gibran

Summer Camp
When the writin' is easy
Words are flowin'
And the hype is high
Inspiration
Prompts'll help with that
Come,
Awesome beans
Let's write

During this summer
Your world is boomin'
Words are growin'
And articles form
In this July
You'll make new friends
Inspire,
Follow others
Spread the hype

Summer Camp
When the writin' is easy
Words are flowin'
And the hype is high
Inspiration
Prompts'll help with that
Come,
Awesome beans
Let's write

_{These lyrics are based on the song Summertime by George Gershwin performed by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong}

Most Improved 2022

Last year, I had the honour to be crowned Most Improved Worldbuilder of Summer Camp 2022. Truth be told, at the time I could hardly believe I had improved any significant or noticable amount. To my eyes, it was still the same crap brain ramble as ever.
Recently I looked back at my summer camp articles from '21 and the ones from '22 in hopes of getting my internal writing engine started once more. It has been a while since I last wrote for this world, or at all. My fresh eyes noticed the big differences right away. The articles of '22 were more cohesive and decorated with art. The contents were also less all-over-the-place and more geared towards what my world had become.
Looking back at my old work taught me to appreciate the strides I have made as a writer and worldbuilder. But also that improvements aren't directly visible when you're neck deep into it. Sometimes, you need to crawl out of that pit and take a break, so you can look back at your work with fresh eyes. That's when the improvements will be most visible.
Once again, I would like to thank everyone who has followed my journey so far and who believed that I improved most last year. You guys are awesome!

A peek into the Frontiers

The second theme for the silver prompts is all about frontiers. It is a subject that hasn't crossed my mind before and therefore is a bit difficult for me to tackle. However, I'm certain once the prompts are released, I can think of something to answer them.
Still, for now, I can imagine a few frontiers. Sacred Knowledge is trying to bring back an old empire in the most covert way they can. They don't want to alert the Kingdom of Illtresi to have the element of surprise. I can imagine that this would be a form of hidden frontier. In the cover of darkness, a political frontier is brewing, trying to oppose the kingdom or put them in a bad light to create division within the Kingdom. There are many ways to achieve this in multiple spaces and layers. Aside from the political frontier, a geographical frontier comes into play as potential battlefields and key locations for an invasion are forming. Creating a division within the Kingdom means that they would need to create a cultural frontier as well. A good canditate for that would be challenging the various religions that reach different ethnicities scattered throughout the region.
Another frontier I can imagine are related to the Limani Supplies Dealer. They have a vast influence over the Eshil region and have solidified themselves as the trading and merchant company that can get anything done. Within the organisation are multiple sister organisations providing the merchants with everything they need, from vehicles and carriages, to trained security personnel. The wares they transport are valuable, especially the ones that go beyond their tight influence zone. Theft and piracy become the standard in these situations, where the ethics of the security personnel is also tested as they need to defend the parcel at any cost.
The last frontier that comes to mind has everything to do with the campaign I eventually hope to set up, and if that doesn't happen it might make its way into a fantasy novel or something. Ancient lore claims that dragons roamed the world. The current sapient species used to help them maintain the intricacies of the world. However, there are signs that their return is upon the world in a less than friendly way. It might be interesting to see if I can drop bits and bobs of their civilization to make their presence more visible in the lore of the world.

There will always be a frontier where there is an open mind and a willing hand.

— Charles Kettering

Other Examples of Frontiers in Hesli

Clues for Foreshadowing

The gold prompts will be all about the relics of the world. I am so excited for this theme, because it fits perfectly with my world! To give some context, in the beginning of the world, dragons created and wandered the lands. However, after The Draconic War, most of the dragons disappeared. Their return is imminent and fast approaching, and it's up to the adventurers to do something about it.

If you want to read more on the early history of the world, check out The Day of the Rising Sun! It's the first document of the The True Historical Documents of Hesli series that outlines the rough history of the world.

So, where do relics come into play, you may ask? These dragons lived for quite some time on this world. Their civilization must have left something behind, be it items, ruins, graveyards, and more. All these things are relics! I really should add more of them throughout my world to make the old history come alive in the world. There are so many things I can do with it.
Most of the world people don't know the true origin of the world, and therefore don't know anything about the relics and what powers they might hold. Unless you're one of the High Elves that doesn't suffer from Cuille. What if these relics fall into the wrong hands? Can they be used for evil? But also, as relics and ruins become more known to the world and the truth comes out, what would happen? Would the people finally see the message that has been screaming at them all along?
The dragons will return. Are the people up for the challenge of defending themselves against these mystical beasts? Or can they figure out another way to change their glooming future.

Try as you will, you cannot annihilate that eternal relic of the human heart, love.

— Victor Hugo

Other Examples of Relics in Hesli

Upgrading Skills

If there's one thing that goes hand in hand with relics, it would be actually drawing them. I have put some of my drawing scattered through my articles. Most of them are not of the highest quality in my opinion, but I also know that I'm hard on myself.
This summer camp, I want to try and improve my drawing by simply.. drawing! There's no right or wrong; there is trying and practicing. Am I afraid that it might take precious time away from writing? Maybe.. probably.. but that doesn't deter me from making an honest attempt still. Everyone starts somewhere in their journey to improve on their skills, and mine is currently at the level of drawing stick-lanterns. Nothing wrong with that, I bet I can make a stick-latern look epic!
Here is the thing, summer camp hasn't started yet, so I have time to already start practicing. There is much to learn, but I hope that picking a relatively small and simple subject prevents me from getting overwhelmed too quickly.

Shimura in the Snow by ShadowPhoenix

I'm Going Live on Twitch!

Last year, I procrastinated a little too much on my summer camp prompts. As in, I still had to write 20+ prompts in just 5 days.. yeah, oops. So, in an attempt to give myself some extra anxiety motivation, I decided to go for an impromptu Twitch stream during those days.
It was loads of fun, so I have decided to give it another go this summer camp! This time, I intent to simply discuss prompts, do some writing on stream, and entertain you all with my attempts at drawing things. If, for some reason, I'm already through with the writing, I might do some reading sessions as well. I'm fairly certain I will need those for reasons that will be revealed.. later.
The plan, for now, is to stream during week days as I'm often away from home on the weekends. However, if there is time, I might as well, we'll see. This is a schedule that I think will be reasonable for me, but be aware that things might change once Summer Camp is actually happening. I will have a set starting time, but the end time may vary depending on how I'm feeling.
Tuesday: 20:00
Wedsnesday: 20:00
Thursday: 20:00

Managing energy levels will be a critical task for me, so if I don't appear online on a scheduled day, just know that I am most likely taking care of myself to avoid a burnout. ^^
If you feel like tagging along, feel free to follow me on Twitch.

Think First, Communicate Second

Talking with people from all around the world stands at the roots of civilization. Without a way to communicate, it's hard to innovate because how can you collaborate, or even elaborate, an idea without a means to contact other likeminded people?
One of the popular ways to communicate in Eshil, at least, is by using a WafflePhoenix to deliver a message. Most people use normal pen en paper to send their messages. However, the Limani Supplies Dealer have figured out another solution for their message. See, a trading organisation of this caliber doesn't want their messages to fall into the wrong hands. If thieves knew a valuable payload would be moved from point A to point B, there's a high chance of trouble. How? I'll explain that in the Limani Supplies Dealer Messages during this summer camp.
Sacred Knowledge is another big organisation, but this one relies on its secrecy and staying in the shadows to avoid detection of their plans. They certainly have to communicate in a unique way. If their plans for overtaking the kingdom leaks, they lose the element of surprise.

The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said.

— Peter Drucker

Other Examples of Communication in Hesli