Week 1:
Assignment 1
Consider what kind of changes would fit in with your world's themes, genre, and other foundational points.
As with most of my worlds, Naagani sits on the precipice of change.
The "Greenfall" is a pivotal event in the narrative of my story, "The Verdant Code," marking a catastrophic climate crisis triggered by human and technological interference with the environment. This includes unprecedented storms, severe droughts in some areas while others face flooding, and temperature fluctuations that damage ecosystems.
The major city of the Northern Province, Aerolith, has been siphoning water from Wadmo Lake. Some rivers and lakes that are crucial to both human settlements and natural ecosystems either dry up or flood unpredictably. To make matters worse, the Greenfall originates from a massive, ill-conceived climate engineering project intended to manipulate weather patterns and improve agricultural yields in Nagaani. This project uses advanced atmospheric modifiers—giant machines designed to seed clouds, alter local climates, and regulate temperatures.
The most immediate effect of the Greenfall is the disruption of natural habitats. Plants and animals, struggle to survive the sudden changes, leading to rapid declines in biodiversity. In some regions, the flowering cycles of crucial plant species are disrupted, which in turn affects the entire food chain. The intended benefit of improved crop yields turns into a nightmare as unpredictable weather decimates entire harvests. Regions that depended on stable seasons for planting and harvesting find their agricultural calendars thrown into chaos.
The failure of agriculture brings economic turmoil. Food scarcity leads to price hikes, social unrest, and increased poverty. Rural areas, already strained by urban exploitation, suffer greatly, leading to migrations towards cities and increased tensions between urban and rural populations.
Assignment 2
Based on this, decide how many prompts you'll go for during Summer Camp.
I’ve decided to reach for the completion of 24 prompts and the Gold badge. I’m not sure if I can accomplish more without driving myself somewhat batty, so I’ll aim for 24 and see if I can reach, or exceed the goal!
Assignment 3
Get your categories and tags organized!
My categories are divided into “Atlas”, “Encyclopedia” and “Visitor Guide”. I think these should help me structure Nagaani articles in a logical way.
I’ll use tags
#SummerCamp2024 and
#Naagani
Assignment 4
Take a look at your meta, primer, and any other high-level document and update it according to the current state of your world.
My Meta document is as fleshed out as I need it to be for focus and direction!
Week 2: Refuge
Assignment 1
Consider what kinds of refuge would fit in with your world's themes, genre, and other foundational points.
The most obvious refuge is a physical one from the worst effects of The Greenfall, but as someone else pointed out, refuge could also take on the form of clothing designed to protect the wearer from the most extreme weather. Refuge in Naagani could also look like a community built in the treetops to avoid extreme flooding.
Assignment 2
Find a community—whether that’s our Discord server, Facebook Group, your RPG or friend group, or something else.
Two wonderful communities have welcomed me. Storyteller’s Circle and Chapter Articles Anonymous. Each of them has its own merits, and each fulfills my creativity in its own way. Both are important to me.
Assignment 3
Find ways to improve styling and layout in your world!
Despite my dabbling in coding 100 years ago, I failed to take CSS in college. I wish I had. I want to learn how to wrestle CSS so that my design and content look how I want them to look, rather than being restricted by a template. There are two ways to do this. Pay someone to bring my vision to life - which would be expensive every time I wanted it updated. Or buckle down after SC and learn how to do it myself once and for all.
Assignment 4
If you’re a CSS wizard, maybe take the time now to give it a polish!
I am decidedly not a CSS wizard, although I wish I were! (See my thoughts on styling & layout above)
Week 3: Belief
Assignment 1
Consider what kind of beliefs would fit in with your world's themes, genre, and other foundational points.
I could see a cult growing up around the belief of some that artificial intelligence could save the inhabitants of Naagani from the worst effects of The Greenfall. I could also envision other people turning back to a belief in the “old gods”. I think the two widely different beliefs could provide some interesting conflict for the novel-to-come.
Assignment 2
Create a bank of inspirations! Quotes, music, description of experiences, shower thoughts, etc.
Quotes:
"
Magic flows not from the staff or the wand, but from the heart and the soul."
Ancient Naagani Proverb
Shower Thoughts:
- What if the veins of Ythryst are actually the lifeblood of an ancient being that once roamed Naagani?
- “What does a sustainable civilization look like, and how can we get there?”
- Could parts of Naagani's history have been deliberately erased or hidden by powerful factions? How powerful would they have to be to manipulate recorded history? Moreover, why would they do that?
- Do certain species migrate along the paths of the veins of Ythryst? Why?
- Why are massive, ancient statues scattered across Naagani? They seem merely decorative, but what if they hold ancient magic or spirits within, waiting to be awakened?
- Could there be specific points in Naagani where elemental energies converge, creating zones of heightened elemental magic (fire, water, earth, air)? How do these zones affect the inhabitants and the landscape?
Assignment 3
Find art and pictures that inspire you, and grab a map if you don't have one (and need one).
I have a mostly empty map of Naagani. It will be fleshed out as I worldbuild. I’d love to have a professional map made of both Naagani and Uclandia someday.
Assignment 4
Check your inspirations again. Are they still relevant? Can you find any that better represent the current state of your project?
Since Naagani is a new world, this assignment doesn’t really apply to it.
Week 4: Decay
Assignment 1
Consider what kind of decay would fit in with your world's themes, genre, and other foundational points.
Decay will be rampant as Naagani, and Aerolith, reinvents itself. Political decay, moral decay, and of course, physical decay will be everywhere!
Assignment 2
Describe your preparation rituals.
In a perfect world, I like to settle in with a cup of tea and my Worldbuilding Playlist, have a clean sheet of foolscap paper ready at my elbow and pen. Does it actually happen like that? Rarely. More often, preparation involves a pad of foolscap and a pen, music, and frequent interruptions from family.
Assignment 3
Review your world’s homepage to hook potential readers!
I’m not happy with Naagani’s homepage just yet. There’s not a lot of content, but I know I want the homepage to be an interactive map eventually.
Assignment 4
Polish your author profile and pillar articles.
My author profile hasn’t really changed much. Pillar articles? They’re coming.
That's it! Bring on Summer Camp 2024!
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