Week 1
Assignment 1. Mammon, Lord of the Hidden, an evil plane, began his attempt to conquer the mundane plane of Naiyam, recently. Even though this is causing changes for the entire world, I am focusing on Lapansi, one of the landmasses.
Sidhe, especially those who have been disenfranchised by the wealthy and powerful, are joining cults that promise everything from material gain to a more harmonious world. Most of these cults have ties to the Hidden.
After a time when monsters ruled the world, the Sidhe placed magical artifacts in all the tunnels that led to the Hidden. They were designed to stop invaders and sound the alarm if they attempted to infiltrate again. These devices are breaking down due to age, accidental damage, and sabotage.
The Scar is a hundred-mile-long line of "Dark Earth", one of the six evil elements. It extends down beyond the deepest Sidhe tunnels but is only five feet wide. At least it used to be. Over the last five years, the scar has widened to as much as twenty-five feet in some places. This expansion is accelerating.
A new terrible type of troll has appeared: the Dark Troll. Someone or something has corrupted a tribe of cave trolls so they are full of blind rage. Through their blood and saliva, they can spread disease, madness, and corruption. They have been targeting Mountain Folk but will attack anything that crosses their path.
Assignment 2. Wow, I haven't finished as much as I wanted to write about the random prompt but I have already written 400 words. I think the hardest part about camp is going to be keeping articles clear and concise. I am choosing to do 8 articles because I want to balance participating in the challenge and my other responsibilities.
Assignment 3. I don't have a lot of articles, so the categories I have are working for the most part. I did change one to better reflect my Meta. I don't
need tags at this point. However, I am putting tags for which of the six Terra my articles pertain to so that they mirror the timeline.
Assignment 4. I just found out about the Meta, so I am hurriedly working on it.
Week 2
Assignment 1. For this assignment, I decided to focus on the refuges my main characters will have through the plot as I have envisioned it.
Perhaps the biggest refuge for all the characters throughout the story will be Dan-Tu. He is a humble little man who cares for the other four. Seeming to have a sixth sense about who needs to talk, he actively listens to their worries and triumphs. Most importantly, he is a trustworthy keeper of all their secrets.
The first refuge after the story starts will be Shameto's home. He lives in a house befitting a Sidhe lord complete with servants, fine foods, and luxurious bedrooms. But what is truly important is that it is secure with no windows leading to the street and a sturdy front gate. This will give them a place and time to regroup, process events, and plan their next actions.
Finally, the characters will as the story progresses find themselves in a cave left behind by the Dilmanu, an extinct ancient race. While completely underground it is filled with a lush tropical jungle. There they can rest safely in its dense beauty as well as stock up on fresh water, fruits, and vegetables.
Assignment 2. I have my daughter who helps me world build. She brainstorms with me, makes suggestions, and expands ideas. However, I think I should also have a community I can't threaten with grounding. So I have introduced myself on the World Anvil Discord server.
Assignment 3. Oh my!?! There is so much I have found in settings. Give me the camera and pastels. I have so much work to do. So far I have
I had already chosen a theme
I have played with the background image
I am exploring public domain, creative commons, and other free art sources to add art to my articles.
I am adding symbols to replace the folders in my categories
Assignment4. I have just begun learning the bulletin board code World Anvil uses, so I think I will wait to learn CSS.
Week 3
Assignment 1. Answering this part of week three is kicking my rear. My daughter said the answer is polytheism and she isn't wrong. However, it is more complicated than that. The following is a brief overview.
There are no real atheists in my world since gods are facts. Or more, individuals that don't believe in the gods are like people in our world who don't believe the earth is round.
There are 18 gods including three belonging to the Humans and two to the Hidden. That leaves thirteen. Each of the six elements has three divine adjectives that describe it. Each of the remaining gods in some essential way relates to one of these adjectives. So obviously some adjectives don't have gods and some gods have more than one adjective.
While the gods are universal, religions are not. I envision them like Christianity's various faiths. They all have the same basic beliefs but differing messages and worship styles. As such these religions appeal more or less to different races and cultures.
Among my Characters, five gods and two religions are important. Fenet and Erashaka are members of convents belonging to The Church of the Sidhe. Their convents are dedicated to the gods Eyuna and Walai. Ckel is a spirit talker for Rafona. One of the Antagonists is a worshiper of I'ora and Vu-Hoeten.
I want to outline Ckel's religion to make my ideas more concrete.
Assignment 2.
My biggest source of inspiration is Wikipedia. It has such a large often in-depth bank of knowledge on many, many topics
I use Google Translate to make up words in imaginary languages.
I have a good memory, an interest in everything, and decades of experience.
Assignment 3. I have a huge bank of images on Pinterest that I don't have the rights to display. V.V But I did find a few images that are either Public Domain or Creative Commons Attribution Licence.
Both are great for the landscape of Lapansi without any editing needed.
This is a place in Malaysia that carves their homes into the earth. I would like to get rid of the modern elements, darken the courtyard floor, and add some wisteria-like glowies in the tree. (Note to self: learn how to make glowies) It has some elements like a courtyard with a tree and the way the dwellings are carved into the earth that look like the Sidhe vaults.
This is how I see the bedroom of a Snow Shrew nest looking. The walls are rounded and amorphous. The bed is big and cozy. And I can see curtains being used to divide the room. (I know it is a bug net but go with it.) Even though the license would allow me to alter the photo, I think there is too much modern to use it for anything but inspiration. V.V
Assignment 4. I went over my Pinterest board and had a spring cleaning. I threw out all the inspirations that no longer applied and categorized things properly. I also added a few pins when I got distracted.
Week 4
Assignment 1 Thinking about decay has me realizing that it is a motif, particularly in the Western Sidhe Empire. So I am trying to figure out how it fits my meta. Here is some of the decay.....
First, there is the socio-governmental decline. The biggest causes are a strict class system and no upward mobility. This means that many leadership and technical jobs are filled with less competent people of the noble and gentry classes while far more capable plebeians rot in menial jobs. This is especially true in the government as important positions such as viceroys, reeves, and chancellors, are inherited.
-Next, there is the decay of the infrastructure. The grand Sidhe vaults are crumbling around their occupants: Literally. Much of the underground home of the Sidhe was built before the Boggin Conquest. The techniques and magic used to create such wonders as impossibly large caverns, ultra-fast transportation, and automated cavern lighting are lost. Patches and other partial fixes have worked in many cases but are a temporary solution.
Then there is the population decline. Sidhe birth rates have always been low. However in the past few centuries, the birth rate has been significantly below the death rate. Whole caverns have become deserted. It has also led to fewer choices for marriage partners, fewer job candidates, and smaller social groups.
-Closer to home the convent where Fenet lives has the first Moon Tree at its heart. Ever since Eyuna gave the Sidhe the Moon Tree, it has been in perfect health and constant bloom. Recently whole branches have become blighted, literally decaying in days. No cause has been found and the Church is worried.
I have already mentioned the artifacts designed to detect the creatures from the Hidden and how they are breaking.
Assignment 2. I think things are as optimal as they are going to get. I have organized my papers and gone through the clutter. I have talked to my family with mixed results. I should have Thursday afternoon and most of Friday to myself this month. So let's get out the bug spray, pack our bags, and get to camp!
Assignment 3. I have created a cover for my home page and my global. It's temporary but I think it has a good feel to it. I put up my introduction. The page still needs a lot of work, especially the art (or lack thereof), but it is significantly better than last week.
Assignment 4. I don't have an author profile or pillar articles yet. That is in part why I am so excited to do camp. I am hoping to get forward momentum to make this a functioning world.
Comments