World Building week 2
Added 2022-06-08 23:54:25 +0000 UTCI have a Campfire project set up now and you can view it here: https://www.campfirewriting.com/write/public/story/628f5682158fde27b1faffc8/project
It is still mostly bare and a lot needs to be filled in but the outline of what needs to be done is there now. The most developed pages are Locations: Nexus and Cultures: Runalymo which is my current world building focus.
This week I want to focus on Nexus Sub-regions. What kind of unique regional plants are there? What are they known for? What kind of unique social customs do they have? Last week you guys gave me a lot of good ideas and even if I don't use your suggestions it led to a different idea.
Worldbuilding requires a lot of thought not because it's hard but because one can't have a good idea all day. Good ideas are relatively rare and often needs some degree of existing knowledge that I don't have which I why I need your knowledge, experience and ideas to help me.
I am very grateful to have such a supportive community. Thank you so much!
Comments
Atlas Pro makes a lot exelant of videos on Island biogeography. I don't see many birds making a stop at the Nexus if their population is culled every time they visit the Nexus but if they roost only in the hard-to-reach mountain peaks then their eggs/feather may be prized because they are rare? they may even visit the other islands around like the Lunleyan Island and the other two. The main point of migration, however, is seasons which is different because of mana/mana weather and other planetary conditions. The Nexus is pretty the same climate all year with the exception of mana-storms so whichever birds do make their way there may just stay there.
Comiak
2022-06-11 04:44:01 +0000 UTCPerhaps you have already thought about this some, but consider looking into the natural history of some of the isolated island chains on earth. Places like Hawaii, Ascension, St Helena, and Lord Howe. There are some truly unique and wondrous plant and animal life on those islands due to how infrequently new life was able to reach. From what we know, the Nexus is not just incredibly isolated due to being in the middle of an ocean that would make the Pacific look like a lake, but it is also surrounded by mountains and flooded with mana. All of these things will lead to extremophiles and strange development of life, even without the benefit of mana. That there are dormr, which seem to be large crustaceans, is not surprising. But what else is there? Birds seem a dead giveaway. Some breeds of birds on earth can fly for thousands upon thousands of miles, even sleeping while in flight, so it is not inconceivable that some species have made the Nexus either their home or a migratory stop or a breeding ground or something. A migratory stop seems the most likely--and this would be something that could add some character to the Runalymo culture. After all, if they only get to eat dormr and fruit the entire year except for the 1-2 weeks when the flocks of [enter bird species here] migrate through the nexus, you can bet they're going to make some kind of hunting festival surrounding that time of year.
Collateral_ink
2022-06-11 04:24:23 +0000 UTCEnvironment effects vegetation. In the nexus that is high in mana density and has frequent mana storms, only vegetation that is resistant to mana poisoning and can survive a mana storm should be available in the region. For normal vegetation, growing mostly underground is an option. The ground could help shield from both mana poisoning and storms. Things like potatoes and other root based vegetation. Taking it a step further could lead to extensive root networks of wild vegetation that can lead to a mini ecosystem as well. Alternatively magical means could be used to survive, like mana devouring plants or plants or other mana enriched vegetation. Of course this is all pre-human habitation. Although fruit trees really speak to the godess of beauty, it really hard to fit them into the story because of the history. The growth of human civilization is always built upon the destruction of the natural habitat and the widespread growth of starch based cash crops. Rice, corn, and potatoes are what literally fueled human development. Most likely the Runalymo were unable to plant normal crops in the nexus, but it is possible they cross bread some plants with potatoes to create a cash crop. So potatoes really are the most ideal plant for the Runalymo Empire. If you really want to go down the fruit tree route, then I would recommend more of a palm style tree. These are great for harsh environments and some also bear fruit like coconuts and bananas. They also have tree sap that can be harvested and all parts of the tree have many uses. In the empire this may have been a luxury food, but after the environment was changed to islands, perhaps these trees not only survived, but thrived. Although not at the quantity of a cash crop, it is good enough to use them to feed small communities. I also bring up harsh environments because it was around this time that the mana type was changed to fire. Now the consequences of switching the mana type to fire can have all kinds of effects. So its also possible that the surviving vegetation mutated due to high mana concentration and the change in the element into a hybrid desert/normal plant. It may be interesting to explore that route. As far as culture goes, you may want to reference some pacific island culture. You can find many cultural practices around coconuts.
Michael Melendez
2022-06-10 05:20:19 +0000 UTCI have decided to submit an additional dumb idea. This idea is from the Zelda series, but in most games, you can usually summon your horse using some kind of grass whistle. It would be cool if in the nexus there was some kind of plant that could be used in such a manner. Obviously not to call for horses, since they don't have any, but maybe to preform at the lo... gio -that! and maybe some the lower level runalymo picked it up once they started exploring the dungeon as a cheaper alternative to telepathy and magic receivers.
Maury
2022-06-09 01:08:30 +0000 UTCIirc, one of the reasons curry exists is because it's spicy. The spice will get people's bodies to sweat which can help you cool down which was kind of necessary in the desert regions curry originated from. Anyways, how about a big dumb pit full of spicy nuts lol. Except there's a catch! the creature that pollinates the nuts is some kind of minor tier bee alternative! Since I'm lazy it will just be called "abeja" (bee in Spanish) Anyways since it's not too dangerous, runalymo children occasionally sneak in there to play chicken. You have to run in there and steal as many nuts as possible before you get turned into a pin cushion. The need for the abeja's to pollinate the nuts is one of the reasons this particular fruit doesn't have a standardized farming method. Perhaps this can be used as a side story where someone develops beekeeping
Maury
2022-06-09 00:19:59 +0000 UTC
