Lore Log #2: May 2025

I still can't believe we're already at the start of summer - but here we are! I've been pretty busy with studying and writing essays and papers for my university courses, but I was also lucky enough to find time to dive deeper into my worldbuilding. Here are the highlights from my month:

Crux Umbra Development

This world means a lot to me for many reasons. It was originally inspired by one of the most memorable TTRPG campaigns I've ever played. Vampire: The Masquerade, and the World of Darkness setting in general, have been a huge source of inspiration for me. Of all the games I've participated in, Vampire remains my favorite.

Crux Umbra actually began as a nightmare experienced by my beloved character Hecate - a Tremere, of all things - after she was unlucky enough to “gain” that ominous flaw. In the dream, the world had ended, and many old personal demons returned to torment her. I was so struck by it that I just had to turn it into a story.

That was years ago. Since then, the story has remained quiet, waiting patiently for the right moment to resurface. World Anvil once again gave me the motivation and energy to bring it back to life. While the scope and themes have evolved significantly from my original vision, I’m loving the journey all the same.

This month, I reached a major milestone: I finished all five articles related to the different factions of the mortal Survivors. Each group feels distinct, and I’m genuinely proud of how they turned out. You can check them all out by following this link, and if you do, let me know which one’s your favorite! (Mine’s the Relic Hunters!)

Kena’an Keeps Growing

At the same time, my main high fantasy world, Kena’an, continues to expand - albeit at a slower pace these days. I’m especially happy with the session reports I’ve been posting after each game with my amazing players. Seeing this world finally brought to life by their choices and presence is a true blessing and exactly why I created it in the first place!

Challenges

In May, I took part in one of my favorite unofficial challenges of the year: May-terial 2025, hosted by the amazing Stormbril! It was a four-prompt challenge spread throughout the month, where we had to write about different materials. I wrote two articles in Kena’an and two in Crux Umbra. Here they are:

I also entered a unique challenge hosted by a very supportive Anvilite of the community: Asmod!

Dip-a-toe-in, had a special theme: it called on us to show our love for one of the many worlds here on World Anvil. It was a true celebration of creativity, and I’m thrilled I managed to take part. Choosing just one of the worlds I follow was really difficult, but in the end, I went with Mirintha by Leijona. My tribute was a tale inspired by one of her characters, Zeyra.

What’s Coming?

Summer Camp, baby!!

I cannot contain my excitement for this one! It’ll be my first time participating in this amazing event, and even though we’ve still got a month before the prompts drop, I’m already buzzing with anticipation. I’ve pledged for a gold badge, but between you and me, I’m aiming for that sparkly diamond one!

It’s a fantastic opportunity to keep expanding Crux Umbra in the way I envision it, and more importantly, to connect even more with the wonderful World Anvil community (not that I need an excuse for that!).

That was all!

Until next time,