2023 Summer Camp Plan

Note: Click through the table of contents below, or scroll down to each week's sub-section, for links to completed Summer Camp articles.  

 

Intro/Disclaimer

  Greetings, Stargazers and other interested parties!   This article, frankly, is less a summer camp pledge and more of a plan/statement. I went into last year's summer camp thinking that making a hard pledge would push me harder to meet my word counts and publish all the articles I planned to, yet life turned out to have plans that didn't really factor in my lofty aspirations for July 2022.   The plan for this year, quite simply, is to get back into fleshing out my world here on WA after several months spent focusing on short story-writing (and school, and work, and relationship stuff, and so on). I think it'll be healthier and more productive for me to not focus on achieving a particular word count or chasing particular contest prizes. I'm simply going to worldbuild as time and energy allow, and if I happen to earn any medals or awards in the process, all the better!

 

A quick(?) refresher: What the heck is Tahuum Itaqiin?

  Tahuum Itaqiin has a millenia-long history and spans an entire supercontinent, but generally speaking, it is a low fantasy*, low magic* world in which several (mainly human) civilizations are chasing progress and contending for hegemony. Thematically, the stories and worldbuilding within Tahuum Itaqiin explore the inherent contadictions in the notion of "progress." Northwest Tahuum Itaqiin, the current focus of my worldbuilding efforts, is roughly North Africa-like in its climate zones and its cultural features, and its political situation centers Andaen and other city-states which jostle with each other for economic opportunities, political influence, and occasionally military power. For reference, Andaen and other states surrounding the Haifatneh Sea are populated mainly by the Haifah people.   _{*By "low fantasy," I mean the setting and circumstances are notably dark at times, though not grimdark or hopeless. By "low magic," I mean magical force is an important element of the fabric of this world, and there's a decent number of practitioners of spellcraft, yet magical force and spellcraft do not have a strong, obvious role in everyday life. Spellcraft also has quite a few limitations, such that even its practitioners will sometimes have to solve their problems without magical solutions.}   An etymological note: Tahumm Itaqiin is but one name for this continent, derived from the language of the mysterious Shadrusun, the only humanoid, sapient species aside from humans in this place. The widespread adoption of the placename Tahuum Itaqiin is the result of the hegemony of Shadrusun civilization during the first half or so of this world's Ancient Era. The exact meaning of this placename is debated among human scholars, and the Shadrusun have proven taciturn when asked about it, as usual.

 

Theme 1: Power

  I was delighted to see that this was the first theme unveiled for next month's summer camp. As it happens, the story-driving conflicts in Tahuum Itaqiin are mainly concerned with power, whether that is political hegemony (including hints of proto-colonialism), persistent social hierarchies and inequities hiding under the guise of "progress," or "advancement" in knowledge and spellcraft that in fact grant authority to fewer and fewer individuals while constraining the types of magical practices that are deemed legitimate.   Political hegemony: As several large states collapsed during the Internecine Period and the subsequent Grim Era, the main power centers in the Northwest are independent city-states—most notably Andaen—as well as warlord states and small political coalitions. Petty political powers contend with each other for land and resources, while the greater regional powers try to build up their own coalitions and/or undermine those of their rivals. While armed conflicts do occasionally break out, the desire to maintain stability and "peace" after the hardships of the Grim Era leads to many conflicts unfolding through economic rivalry, political subterfuge, and other less overtly violent means.   Hierarchies: Tahuum Itaqiin's scholars have referred to their current time as the beginning of their world's Revival Era, as both technological advancement and increasing political stability have demonstrated a remarkable turn from the destructiveness of the Internecine Period and the Grim Era. Nonetheless, it's rare for everyone to equally benefit from this progress. Political power and wealth are both concentrated in the hands of the few, and the apparent political stability of the Northwest in particular tends to disproportionately benefit Andaen and other leading powers.   Knowledge and Spellcraft: Tahuum Itaqiin has multiple rich traditions of magical practice, but not all traditions are respected equally and can be practiced openly. The Northwest and beyond once had diverse practices of witchraft, herblore, and the like, the Order of the Returning Sun suppressed many of these practices, limiting magical practice to priestly rituals and prayers. The Reborn Theocracy and its religious order were then overturned during the Internecine Period, yet the institutions for magical study that have risen in the aftermath, such as the Andaen University of the Esoteric Arts and Lore, arguably seek to regulate magical practice more than anything else and deem "non-rigorous" spellcraft to be illegitimate.Division amid Shared Challenges: All of these factors accumulate into the greatest peril facing Tahuum Itaqiin: The continent faces growing threats to its continued progress, including under-the-surface political tensions and incursions of strange magic and eldritch phenomena—yet the social divisions, hierarchies, and intellectual arrogance that define this era compromise the ability of Tahuum Itaqiin's diverse people to face these threats collectively. It remains to be seen whether this hunger for power from above and resentment from below can be set aside for long enough to meet these shared challenges they lead to untold suffering and calamity.  

Completed Articles

A culture that has suffered under the rule of a stronger nation:   A conflict between two unequal powers:   A seat of power (of any kind!):

Theme 2: Frontiers

  Among scholars of Shadrusun Language and Literature Studies at the University of Esoteric Arts and Lore, it is widely believed that Tahuum Itaqiin refers to a frontier of some sort—an odd conclusion, to be sure, seeing as the mysterious Shadrusun people have lived on the Continent for millennia. Frontiers of the conventional sort define several landscapes and locales in Tahuum Itaqiin. While the centers of human civilization has been growing more prosperous, the borderlands and wildernesses often remain under-explored and dangerous. A fine example is that piracy has been virtually abolished in the Haifatneh Sea by Andaen and its allies, whereas the overland borderlands en route to vast Takhet and the highlands of Saukkan-Ghat are rife with brigands. The frontiers yield opportunities too, of course, whether natural resources or foreign cultures and potential markets for trade. The Continent's frontiers are also where the remnants of the Grim Era and the Ancient Era before it remain tucked away: Forgotten ruins, dead languages, hidden treasures, and ancient magics all await interprid explorers or scavening pillagers to unveil them.   Intellectual frontiers are key to the fabrics of the Continent's societies. The early decades of the Revival Era have seen advancement into previously unknown territory in both science and magic. The invention of volatile black powder in the lands of Au-na-Lai, and the dissemination of this technology abroad, threatens to revolutionize warfare for better or for worse. Studies of human anatomy in Andaen's medical colleges are forcing scholars to reconcile their findings with their traditional beliefs about the human body and spirit. Most earth-shakingly of all, perhaps, the increasingly rigorous and technical practice of spellcraft has led scholars to reconsider the roles of the many gods that were popularly worshipped during the Ancient Era and the Internecine Period. What awaits Tahuum Itaqiin's societies at the other side of these technological and magical revolutions remains to be seen.   An existential frontier, too, is unfolding, at least in front of those who are paying attention. From the ruin-dotted expanses of the Continent to the deepest depths of the Archives in the Esoteric University, a new, terrible magic of still-unexplained origins is emerging, as are anomalies of space-time and abberant creatures. While much of the world remains minimally aware of these phenomena, those who have encountered them directly are often left wondering—or understanding, to their horror—how small humanity truly is compared to the greater, unknown forces of the Cosmos.  

Completed Articles

An unclaimed, unregulated, or lawless region in your setting:   A character driven by wanderlust or the desire to explore:   A settlement at the limits of the "known" or "civilized" world:   A cuisine from a sparse, barren or remote region of your world:

 

Theme 3: Relics

It looks as if I'll be excavating the Continent's history even more than I initially expected. This certainly isn't a bad thing, though it might involve more of a creative leap on my part to engage with a significant number of prompts in this theme.I like to lean into concepts from the social sciences to add focus and depth to my worldbuilding. From both cultural anthropology and archaeology, an informative concept for this theme is material culture, the very wide-ranging study of the tangible objects which are part of a culture's way of life and/or have some sort of intrinsic value within that culture. (To illustrate: While archaeologists are probably still stereotyped as trying to unearth treasures and artifacts—thanks, Indiana Jones—they're often at least as interested in collecting and analyzing what remains of people's food, crafts, used tools, dwellings, and so on. Even piles of refuse and old fire pits can do much to demonstrate how a group of people lived in the distant past, especially if they didn't have written histories, journals, etc. to tell us about their lives.)   For Tahuum Itaqiin, I'm going to interpret "artifacts" rather broadly (though I'm not likely to write entire articles about archaeological trash, don't worry). While the wild reaches the Continent certainly do hold harbor ancient ruins and artifacts of the fantasy-and-magic sort, at least as much of my writing about artifacts will focus on pieces which reflect changes in the histories of the lifestyles, mystical and magical practices, status symbols, and the methods and means of warfare across Tahuum Itaqiin.The Free City of Andaen will be one focal point of this historical and archaeological worldbuilding, as it's a city built upon the ruins of a citadel and still bears some of the scars of of its ancient conflicts. The broader Haifatneh Basin has played host to quite a few civilizations and their downfalls, as has Vast Takhet, a neighboring region heavily inspired by the Atlas Mountains and Sahara Desert of North Africa. It's possible that I'll also write more about some of the Continent's remote places, as I did last year.  

Completed Articles

A historical culture whose influence is still felt today:

Theme 4: Communication

Communication and frontiers: I must say this theme blends nicely with the theme of frontiers, as the extent to which a place feels remote has much to do with the ease of staying in contact with one's place of origin.* Indeed, the rate of linguistic and cultural change in a given region is a function of that region's connectedness to other places. In Tahuum Itaqiin, innovations in oceanic maritime travel and the growing stability of certain states' control over their surroundings are shrinking the distances from the world's power centers to its frontiers. It is also hoped that courier systems and more reliable navigation will mean that word of the new threats emerging from these frontiers will be shared with the powers that be—before it's too late.   _{*I can attest to this as a former English teacher in China. Compared to foreign teaacher who'd gone there a decade before me, I found the experience considerably easlier: Translation software eased my shopping before I could read all that many characters, and faster Internet connections meant I could keep in touch with friends and family abroad through decent-quality video calls.Language and (political) power: "A language is a dialect with an army and navy."}

Both hard and soft power meaningfully shape the linguistic landscape of a place. Imperialism, whether by force of arms or the influence of a dominant culture, can flatten the communication barriers between disparate peoples. In Tahuum Itaqiin, considerable numbers of people are familiar with the mainstream languages of the Continent's power centers, and pidgins (trade languages) and creoles (languages produced by long histories of hybridization) have emerged in major trade hubs and ethnic enclaves. That said, these developments come at the cost of disempowered ethnic groups and polities seeing their heritages eroded bytthe influence of the powerful. In those times and places where a heritage language or culture has been suppressed by new leaders, continued use of one's mother tongue can signify loyalty to a group of underdogs or even subversive intentions.*The quote is often attributed to sociolinguist Max Weinreich, though it may have originally come from an audience member at one of his talks.

Dead languages and... relics? In our own world, the notion that language is powerful is popularly believed today and more so across pre-modern cultures. Naming traditions from the ancient Levant to dynastic (and modern) China are based on strongly held beliefs that the right name can afford a person divine protection or change their fate. This is no less the case in Tahuum Itaqiin. The Reborn Theocracy that pre-dated the City-State of Andaen practiced magic largely through intercession, as priestly invocations and desperate prayers were used to ask their god to intervene on the speaker's behalf. Elsewhere across Tahuum Itaqiin, many ancient spells are passed on verbatim through languages that have since evolved or fallen out of use entirely. Classical Shadrusun texts, too, are thought to harbor any number of spells that human mages have yet to discover. suppressed many of these practices, limiting magical practice to priestly rituals and prayers. The Reborn Theocracy and its religious order were then overthrown during the Internecine Period, yet the institutions for magical study that have risen in the aftermath, such as the Andaen University of the Esoteric Arts and Lore, arguably seek to regulate magical practice more than anything else and deem "non-rigorous" spellcraft to be illegitimate.

Division amid Shared Challenges: All of these factors accumulate into the greatest peril facing Tahuum Itaqiin: The continent faces growing threats to its continued progress, including under-the-surface political tensions and incursions of strange magic and eldritch phenomena—yet the social divisions, hierarchies, and intellectual arrogance that define this era compromise the ability of Tahuum Itaqiin's diverse people to face these threats collectively. It remains to be seen whether this hunger for power from above and resentment from below can be set aside for long enough to meet these shared challenges they lead to untold suffering and calamity.