2025 Summer Camp

An eruption of articles on the people and places of Lorgaire collected after the gate event known as the 2025 Summer Camp planar breach, in which curious otherworldly entities directed native scholars to pen papers and treatises on all manner of subjects as a means of psychically exploring the first world.

Week One - Nourishment

Beyond The Zahd ↠

Outside the safe space and trade zone for visitors to the necromancer ruled nation of Fehr Volgi.   Originally written answering "A place people aren't supposed to go" Wild Card Location prompt.  

Furrow Maker's Blessing ↠

Ritual to prepare the land for planting among the adherents of Grudas Hoe-Handed of the Sovereign Host.   Originally written answering "A ritual related to agriculture" Ritual prompt.  

Aureplagia ↠

Metropolitan commercial hub at the mouth of King's Bay.   Originally written answering "A city many people want to visit" Wild Card Settlement prompt.  

Aetheros ↠

A tiny kingdom whose primary goal appears to be providing relief to the poor and needy of its neighbors.   Originally written answering "A charity dedicated to helping those in need" Organization prompt.  

Elven Fertility ↠

Accelerated fecundity through consumption of fertility inducing herbs was needed by the elves as an adaptation to Lorgaire after being outcast from Fae'erie.   Originally written answering "A condition you can get from eating specific foods" Condition prompt.  

Freamhor - Golden Root ↠

Starchy root vegetable with a rich golden color and slightly nutty flavor favored by the ogres.   Originally written answering "A delicious staple found on every dinner table" Item prompt.  

Maniki Extract ↠

Fragrace component derived from buffalo of grassy central Eirghar, traded in distant cities as a luxury.   Originally written answering "A substance known for its unique smell" Material prompt.  

Tears of Folstille ↠

Myth of the curative and protective powers of the a tear from the eye of the evil god Folstille, the Thirsty One.   Originally written answering "A myth about a legendary food or drink" Myth prompt.  

Wraithwing Moths ↠

Giant diaphanous moths that have a symbiotic relationship with the redwoods of Zaratan and eastern Eirghar.   Originally written answering "A species that feeds through a symbiotic relationship" Species prompt.  

Chirotheon ↠

Common soldiers trained in divine spellcasting, serving as the Spark of their unit.   Originally written answering "A profession related to spirituality or philosophy" Profession prompt.  
All 10 prompts for week one fulfilled! It took a bit of time to conjure up ideas for some of the consumption related articles, but I brainstormed on the range of meanings in each word of the prompts and found ideas that fit the terms and my goals. Over 4,400 words for the articles alone, and a few linked stub articles for me to fill in later. I'm quite pleased with this start to Summer Camp, and hope I can keep up the pace.  

Week Two - Roots

Marshes of Kesskolin ↠

Ancient ogre prefecture where the human race arose as a caste of low ogres, bred to fulfil the role of petty ritual spellcasters.   Originally written answering "The place of origin of a people in your world" Location prompt.  

Sea Crown War, The First ↠

Legendary conflict among the early nations of the King's Bay region which gave rise to the Empire of Aupstelus and the Dukes of Aupstelus.   Originally written answering "A war that resulted in the creation of something new" Military Conflict prompt.  

Lysander Lamprok ↠

Lecherous Lord Lamprok is unable or unwilling to pay his debtors with his castle nursery overflowing, and has little time left to settle the debts.   Originally written answering "A character known for their numerous progeny" Person prompt.  

Reis Toga ↠

Simple but opulent displays of power in the form of layered cloth of contrasting colors worn by high Ogres to command attention and respect.   Originally written answering "A garment traditionally associated with a culture" Item prompt.  

The Bog-Child's Echo ↠

A regional myth from Alderhorst of a young lordling who will take actions that bring an end to King Harvald's suffering.   Originally written answering "A myth surrounding the birth of an important person in your world" Myth prompt.  

Urdah Labra ↠

Formal language of the high ogres with a poetic structure and heavy with symbolism.   Originally written answering "An ancient tongue from which many common idioms spring" Language prompt.  

Codex of Edicius ↠

Artifact containing the guiding tenets of Edicius's clergy including the 39 Principles of Order.   Originally written answering "A foundational document for a country, religion, or other organization" Document prompt.  

Shadowsong Academy ↠

Dedicated to protecting Lorgaire from powers of the outer realms by studying and bargaining with those very outsiders.   Originally written answering "An organization rooted in controversial principles" Organization prompt.  

Tower of the Sun ↠

Structure built by students of a civil magical academy for sparks to demonstrate their abilities.   Originally written answering "A symbolic building" Wild Card Building prompt.  

Orcs ↠

Banished as outcasts by the elven outcasts stranded on Lorgaire, orcs live a constant fight for survival.   Originally written answering "A diaspora spread around the world" Wild Card Ethnicity prompt.  
All 10 prompts for week two fulfilled! It was a struggle to wring ideas out of some of the prompts. Over 4,900 words for the articles this week, and plenty more stub articles to work on later.  

Week Three - Metamorphosis

Hojhagn ↠

Capital of Guldflosen and the great marketplace at the center of Gold Coast trade.   Originally written answering "A settlement that has been rebuilt several times" Settlement prompt.  

Zarija's Emberquell ↠

A magical ward against uncontrolled fire, frequently applied to homes and other small buildings.   Originally written answering "A technology invented to prevent or delay a transformation" Technology prompt.  

Soldier Beetles ↠

Raised by the Dwarves primarily as a last line of defense, they also serve a variety of utilities for a colony.   Originally written answering "A species that undergoes a metamorphosis" Species prompt.  

Skybreakers ↠

Aerial cavalry of the house of Ur Raida in the Principality of Zaratan known for their unusual daukageit mounts and spellcasting.   Originally written answering "A formation known for its adaptability" Formation prompt.  

Rite of Dergahn ↠

Coming of age ritual for elves involving a hunt.   Originally written answering "A ritual that's changed meaning throughout the years" Ritual prompt.  

Hawkers ↠

Secretive faction coalescing in Agryos to oppose the new royal line.   Originally written answering "A subculture that appeared due to social changes" Ethnicity prompt.  

Kolkos Nektaros ↠

The Valley of Nectar lies between the trembling Talaman Mountains and the magically volatile Dragon Storm Plateau, and residents of the valley reap the blessings and curses of the exotic location.   Originally written answering "An ever-changing location that requires its inhabitants to adapt" Location prompt.  

Retirement ↠

An aspiration for most adventurers which may be denied or diminished by the audacity of the risks they take.   Originally written answering "A job many people aspire to but few achieve" Wild Card Profession prompt.  

Spirit of Ostrogy ↠

A mystical animal guardian of the mountains standing between two counties of southern Gronvald.   Originally written answering "An animal celebrity" Wild Card Person prompt.  

Weaver's Knot's ↠

Geometric arrangements of the moons and sun around Lorgaire associated with unusual metaphysical phenomenon.   Originally written answering "A transformation caused by a celestial body" Law prompt.  
All 10 prompts for week three fulfilled! I was able to spin enough articles to attach some to most of the adventure ideas gathered under the Discovery Campaign . Almost 5,400 words for the articles this week, with a bit of prose to change the style of some. The pantheons are also well on their way to having stubs for the majority of the major gods.  

Week Four - Tomorrow

Caravel ↠

Swift new ship designs from Kulmnet seek to compete forms of transport powered by sparks.   Originally written answering "A vehicle hailed as the transport of tomorrow" Vehicle prompt.  

Duth Chomhdial ↠

League of nations which gave rise to the High King Harvald of Hoabb and his ruinous ambitions.   Originally written answering "An organization seen as the next superpower" Organization prompt.  

Castle Kedropras ↠

Seat of Kedropras County and the cousin of king Mavros of Agryos, the new palace awaits completion.   Originally written answering "A building that hasn't been finished yet" Building prompt.  

Shadowed Path ↠

Philosophy adopted by a subculture of Elves proclaiming the sun to be the source of the taint robbing them of their immortality.   Originally written answering "An idealist manifesto published by a movement, political party, or other organization" Document prompt.  

Ruby Silver ↠

Rare crystals of silver that are highly prized by spellcasters and enchanters for their ability to augment sensory perception.   Originally written answering "A resource with an alternative or secret application" Wild Card Material prompt.  

Medomir Tallfriends ↠

Dwarven priest who advocated for peace with humans as the dwarves colonized the west.   Originally written answering "A visionary that changed the course of history" Person prompt.  

Paper ↠

A substitute for parchment resisted by some Sparks institutions, poised to make Spellmongers services more affordable.   Originally written answering "A cutting edge technology expected to change the future" Technology prompt.  

Grenbana ↠

Honorary non-heritable titles granted to warriors of Guldflosen who fought the elves for Crown Prince Algirdas.   Originally written answering "A recently created title or honor" Rank prompt.  

Nimerou Stone ↠

Small enchanted gems popular among the traveling folk that function as a compass in response to a ritual to Nimerou The Stranger.   Originally written answering "A tool used by a nomadic culture" Wild Card Item prompt.  

Essence Entanglement Disruption ↠

A scholarly theory proposing that a magical effect produced by dwarves or humans may be responsible for suppressing the terrifying magical powers of the ogres.   Originally written answering "A new condition unknown in olden times" Condition prompt.
  All 10 prompts for week four fulfilled! Bringing the total completed for the event to 40 and the number for the world to over 300! As in earlier weeks some of the prompts came easily and others were a struggle to spin into ideas that would fit with the setting or adventures in Discovery Campaign . Over 5,100 words for the articles of the final week, and squeaking in just over 20,000 words in the event articles.  

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Reading Challenge 2025

  Another summer camp wrapped up, and with a sense of goals met and unmet. I'm glad that I was able to meet my general article count goal for the event, and surpassed the previous build out with a full 40 articles and over twenty thousand words in pledged articles, with many more stubs started for locations and deities. I was also able to meet some of the more technical goals set to link together a web of articles and integrate some images, quotes, and other in-line bits within articles.   A few of the other article and map goals I set to follow after other events were missed previously, however, and I'm hesitant to proclaim more of the same as the reading challenge would suggest. If I can turn what I have now into hooks for adventures in the Discovery Campaign I'll consider myself happy.  

Inspiration From Fellow Worldbuilders

  High Summer Well Dressings in The Discontinuum demonstrate a great piece of worldbuilding with a cultural custom as ritual. Regional tradition and demonstrations of belief are something I'd like to build more of for Lorgaire.   Siphoning - Agriculture in The Caradon Fossils shows another concept I hope do deliver on in Lorgaire, a forest of spells used for and by the little folk. I hope players can see their adventurers spectacular deployment of magic as an evoloution out of every day tools.   Anindas in Samthô shows how a world and its people will perceive something simple that we take for granted, and players will tend to use more familiar meta-language for. From the worldbuilding perspective it is still important to see them with an in-world lens that can spawn unusual applications.   The Mirror Vault in C’NAELIA is the kind of almost mythical destination I could use more of in my world. Something for characters to aspire to, or adventurers to seek out as a solution to their dilemma.   The Hollowhorn Toast in Ys Talovar frames a description of the prompt as in-world prose by an elder who has seen the meaning change. Perhaps this is one idea I can feel comfortable pledging to do more of, as my own in-world prose articles have generally been my favorites, despite being much more trying.   Topple in Eternal Lakes is a great example of a serious event, an execution, becomes something else entirely as children mimick it with their play. Many games symbolically portray war and other strife. I need some versions of these for Lorgaire, to avoid simple shadows of reality.   Zylgloth in Baelonmor is a kind of 'hero' figure I need more of. In most cultures there are myths and legends of heroes, and I'd like to have at least a few in Lorgaire the players could reference.   Dragon blood in Sunev reminds me to set some values and uses for items the players will expect to collect in their adventures. It is important to put some unexpected limits in too, to add exotic flavor.   Tears of the Starmaiden in Avaleen is another wonderful example of in-world prose that serves the setting. It becomes a series of in-world references and opportunities to hook the characters.   Moon of Agapanthus in Arcathia shows a wonderful example of the kind of in-line quote for a prayer that I need to include as I develop pages for Lorgaire's deities, cults and pantheons. One of the lingering anxieties I have for the setting and its preparedness for new players are the religions.   I don't think this reading event inspires quite what it was meant to. The theoretical purpose is to improve our own writing by exploring and giving feedback on the event writings of other anvilites and I have endeavored to do that. What I observe however is a peculiar kind of dogpiling, in others articles and in my own.