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Summer Camp 2024 Worldbuilding Pledge

Pledge

Last year, my goal was the bronze badge, but due to unforseen circumstances, the whole month of July flew by with me only writting a single article. I haven't looked at my world since. A few weeks ago I received an email about my membership ending, and well, that's when I realised I missed this world. So, this year I want to give Summer Camp a go again.
About half a year ago, I started to play D&D with a group of friends as the DM. A few weeks ago we finished our starter campaign, and last week we started a homebrew. I've come to enjoy worldbuilding the small things: towns, shops, a single NPC. I feel like I've been stuck worldbuiling in Odezia because it always felt so big. Technology made it so that almost the whole world is a known place, so where do you start building? This year, I want to look at the smaller places, find inspiration in a single fishing village and see where things take off from there.
The limiting factor this year will be time. On the tenth of July I go on holiday for two weeks, visiting my best friend who moved abroad. This gives me two weeks left to write, but knowing myself, I need to wait until inspiration hits before I actually start. Because of this, I will attempt the bronze badge again this year. Hopefully, this year, I will manage to write more than one article!

Themes

Change

    Change can occur anywhere. The death of the Grand Vizier of Thène will disrupt the political landscape of the Walled City, and the birth of the next Oracle of Nir will cause religious zeal in Kritmorc. Drought or flooding of the Gar and Reva rivers will affect many settlements in the river basin. Similarly will a prolonged winter affect the people of the Frozen Isles.
    Change can also happen on a small scale: a death or birth in a family, a fire in a town, the arrival of strangers, coming of age, etc.

Refuge

    The first things that comes to mind is a thought I've been playing with lately: changing one of the core rules of my world. What if malevolent creatures don't just appear at random, but come from known locations in the world. For example, what if they come from a large rift that oozes darkness. The inhabitants of Odezia would have build fortifications near these rifts. Whether or not I will change such a core rule, I will decide this summer, I guess.
    My second thought was tradition, family, culture and religion, rather than a physical location where people can take refuge, but I guess that fits the third theme.

Belief

    My world currently has four religions: Bel Senir, Kysan, Geom Ateria and Niril. For some reason I tend to lean towards mythology, and instead of incorporating things in a single belief system, I designed several. On top of that, I've also written about other forms of belief: traditions and myths. Since I want to focus on small scale this summer, I will probably expand on local belief and myths.

Decay

    This theme sounds most ominous of all, and will thus probably be the one that eventually most inspires me. My world is grimdark, and bad things happen just to show there is always a little light that prevails. Decay thus goes hand in hand with change, and maybe it will be my jumping-off point. A small village where something disturbing will happen. I could even write it historically/chronologically. Would be an interesting challenge: all articles tied to a single event in a single location.

Prompts

Prompt 1

A tumultuous region prone to natural disaster.
The Sparkling Chain
Geographic Location | Jul 1, 2024

Prompt 2

An environmental or other large-scale natural disaster.
The Great Quake
Physical / Metaphysical Law | Jul 1, 2024

Prompt 3

A character who goes through a great change or metamorphosis.
Adelard Greenhand
Character | Jul 4, 2024

Prompt 4

A sickness that caused societal upheaval.

Prompt 5

A document that changed the course of history.
Treaty of Good Will
Document | Jun 30, 2024

Prompt 6

A displaced people in your world.

Prompt 7

A conlfict that involved a changing environment.
The Great Displacement
Military Conflict | Jun 30, 2024

Prompt 8

A vehicle that, when introduced, caused social upheaval.

Prompt 9 (Wild Card)

A myth about food.
Properties of Pygmy Hydra
Myth | Jul 3, 2024

Prompt 10 (Wild Card)

A building associated with joy and fun.

Prompt 11

A settlement considered a refuge.

Prompt 12

A technology used for defense or protection.

Prompt 13

A naturally sheltered place.

Prompt 14

A building considered a refuge against the world.

Prompt 15

A unit dedicated to guarding someone or something.

Prompt 16

A personal item that keeps you safe.

Prompt 17

A tradition that gives comfort.

Prompt 18

A species with protective anatomy.

Prompt 19 (Wild Card)

A sub-culture considered larger-than-life by some.

Prompt 20 (Wild Card)

A charity or other organisation focused around doing good.

Prompt 21

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Prompt 23

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Prompt 24

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Prompt 25

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Prompt 26

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Prompt 27

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Prompt 28

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Prompt 30

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Cover image: by Jari Hytönen

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