WorldEmber Journal

Like some of my friends, I'll be keeping a WorldEmber journal of our journey through WorldEmber together. It'll be my first time doing WE and I hope we can all do it together. :D I plan on documenting my journey ( as much as I can remember to) and try to encourage everyone to do their best and be awesome. If you write, you are a winner. <3 For WE, I am going to be working on a few different worlds: Araea, Quentriandal and the Necro-Industrial Complex (or NIC) If you want to get a primer of what Araea is like, a good place to start is here:

From the Heavens, to the Far Deep

Geographic Location | Mar 8, 2024

Araea is a vast place, from the blight-wracked Surface with knife-cutting winds all the way to the glorious Far Deep, with its titanic caverns and life in horrid abundance.

It is a weird-fantasy world where humanity is almost entirely underground and the surface is an irradiated and barren waste.

Tips for Surviving WorldEmber

First and most importantly: Have Fun! If you enjoy the writing you are doing, you're far more likely to do more of it! Second: When you want to write, minimize distractions. Turn off Discord and youtube.

WorldEmber Articles

ARAEA

by Richard Dorran

Araea is a weird-fantasy world set in a world very different from our own. The surface of the planet is a barren wasteland plagued by radiation and vicious dust storms, forcing mankind since time immemorial to shelter deep underground. There, they build cities and civilizations, farm fungi and mushroom, raise insects and cave newts, all far from the sun. Strange beasts prowl the dark and threats face humanity from every quarter, but against all odds, mankind survives. It is a world of mystery and many unknowns. Most of the surface remain unexplored and even after millennia of habitation, humanity's presence in the depths are a flickering candle in a sea of darkness.

Dūbavum - the Drowning City

Settlement | Jul 7, 2022

Also known as the Drowning City, Dūbavum lie on the shores of the Abyss. It is their blessing and curse, providing a plenty of seafood and dangerous, violent death.

Tibei

Settlement | Dec 28, 2018

Few can boast Shikei as skilled as those of Tibei. The small town draws pilgrims from all over Araea who seek to have their remains enshrined in the ossuaries of Tibei.

Khālī Region

Geographic Location | Dec 30, 2018

The Khālī region was once home to civilization and industry, but has been reclaimed by the wild. Life is never easy in Araea and the cursed lands of Khālī is a testament to humanity's feeble grasp of their domains.

Day of Light

Tradition / Ritual | Dec 23, 2018

The Day of Light is a celebration of light and darkness, where countless Ahi bugs are released to light up the caves.

Kaia-Heoa, the Warrior

Rank/Title | Dec 19, 2018

Kaia-Heoa are the warriors and the tacticians of the Kaia team - knowing not only how to fight, but when.

Kaia-Tani, the Wild Scholars - Draft

Rank/Title | Feb 15, 2020

Kaia-Tani are scouts, trackers and caretakers of beasts. It is their job to know all they can about all the different beasts that might wish to make a meal out of the Kaia.

Kaia-Ahere, the Pathfinder

Rank/Title | Dec 19, 2018

Kaia-Ahere are the navigators, trackers and map-makers of the Kaia. After all, who would pay for a discovery they cannot find their way to?

Atha - Hand of War

Military Formation | Jun 8, 2019

Atha is the smallest formation commonly used in Araea. A squad of warriors between 8 to 12, they fight most of the wars and do most of the dying.

Kaia-Tene, the Light-Bearer

Rank/Title | Dec 19, 2018

Kaia-Tene are the light-bearers of the Kaia teams, tasked not only with tending their precious sources of light but also rationing them for the entire expedition

Example Character: Altanan, the Medikari

Character | Aug 8, 2021

In the series of Example Characters for players or stories in Araea, Altanan is one of the Medikari - doctors and medics who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty.

Sun-Sickness

Condition | Dec 17, 2018

To those who have spent their lives in deep darkness, standing in the sun can be a powerful and vomit-inducing experience.

Hela - The Frozen Lands

Geographic Location | Nov 29, 2019

Hēla is far to the south of Araea's surface. It is a cold, unforgiving land of frozen tundras and mountains of ice.

The Seekers

Organization | Mar 11, 2019

The Seekers are one of the largest Kaia guilds today, with headquarters in many different city-states.

Hākari-Kaia

Profession | Dec 17, 2018

The Hākari-Kaia are a specialized group of the Kaia that focus their attention the procurement of delicious food and rare ingredients.

Starsteel

Material | Mar 25, 2022

Rarely, the meteorites that bombard Araea's surface carry with them a strange and valuable metal; star-steel. To be the first to find such a bounty is to ensure wealth beyond measure.

Phtangi Nomads

Ethnicity | Dec 15, 2018

The Phtangi Nomads are one of only three groups who actively make their home on the Surface. Even by the standards of Araea, theirs is a particularly hard lot.

Star-Chaser

Profession | Feb 12, 2020

Star-Chasers are prospectors of sorts, hunting the impact sites of meteorites for anything of value.

Example Character: Ahkan, the Warrior

Character | Jun 15, 2020

In the series of Example Characters for players or stories in Araea, Akhan is a warrior - adept at dealing death with everything from battle hammer to bar stool.

Goa Strider

Species | Dec 15, 2018

Long-legged creatures that live on the surface, Goa Striders make their home among the glaciers and tundras of the world. They are known for the devastating crushing power of their strikes and their awkward gait.

Ahi Bug

Species | Sep 12, 2021

One of the most commonly domesticated insects in Araea, the Ahi are invaluable for the light they shed in the dark caverns.

Nzata, the Unwelcomed Hunger

Condition | Nov 29, 2020

Nzata is called the Unwelcomed Hunger, because it compels its sufferer to believe they can gain nourishment from no food but human flesh and organs.

Mutations

Condition | Jun 28, 2020

In Araea, there are any number of ways that the flesh can twist and warp.

Feathered-Bat

Species | Feb 26, 2020

Like their name suggests, these bats sport feathers and dine on bugs and shrooms. To the well-travelled, their bone-marrow is enjoyed as a powerful narcotic due to their diet.

Ti'aturi

Organization | Dec 12, 2018

Located on the fringe of civilized lands, the Ti'aturi are a loose collection of villages and towns on the edge of the unknown.

Kharkorp - City of Ancestors

Settlement | Feb 26, 2020

The City of Ancestors honors their dead as gods and those who speak with them rule in their stead. Despite that, it is a colorful, vibrant city with a cheerful folk.

Shrouded Lands

Geographic Location | Jan 16, 2021

Most of the Surface world belongs to the Shrouded Lands; regions so blasted with blight that no human can hope to survive.

Example Character: Haranha, the Kaia

Character | Jun 18, 2020

In the series of Example Characters for players or stories in Araea, Haranha is one of the Kaia - explorers of the deep, willing to go where others fear to tread.

Example Character: Xael, the Theurg

Character | Jun 14, 2020

In the series of Example Characters for players or stories in Araea, Xael is a theurg - magi who channel powers from terrible spirit-creatures to warp reality.

Blight

Physical / Metaphysical Law | Dec 11, 2018

Invisible, insidious and deadly, Blight is how the denizens of Araea understand radiation.

Minor Bestiary

Species | Jun 16, 2021

A bestiary that contains some of the many creatures that walk, crawl, climb and fly across the world. From the blight-eaters of the Surface to the fish that swim the Abyss.

Nebiri-Shi, the Devil-Shrimp

Species | Mar 25, 2022

These large crustean predators are native to the Abyss and a hallmark of just how vicious its wildlife can be to those who live near it.

Ranged Weapons in Araea

Technology / Science | Mar 11, 2019

The best way to fight is often out of range of retaliation is the philosophy of any archer.

Thawke

Settlement | Dec 9, 2018

The city-state of Thawke is bound together by a complex weave of duty, greed, moral obligation and inevitable betrayals. Five powerful clans of nobles rule with the goal of enriching themselves by any means.

Blight-Trackers

Profession | Aug 30, 2020

Experts in navigating the shifting maze of radiation on the Surface, Blight-Trackers are some of the best explorers of the Surface world.

Raiders of Śaba

Organization | Dec 8, 2018

Dangerous pirates that prowl the Abyss in a ship made from the carcass of a leviathan. Reinforced with iron and chain, the beast's coming heralds violence and pillage.

Araea Cookbook

Tradition / Ritual | Apr 24, 2020

A collection of dishes and drinks commonly enjoyed in Araea. Well, "enjoyed", in some cases.

Katāri - the Art of Knife-Fighting

Tradition / Ritual | Aug 29, 2020

Katāri is an martial arts that used two long daggers both to strike at and control their opponents.

Aschar

Geographic Location | Apr 15, 2024

With barren mountains that pierce the clouds like teeth through flesh and frozen tundras beyond their base, the Aschar Region is one of the most dangerous of the Surface.

Spirits

Species | Dec 8, 2018

Strange, ethereal beings of great and terrible power. They exist beyond the veil of reality, only occasionally reaching a claw across to touch the life of humanity.

Atma - the Science of the Balanced Body

Technology / Science | Jun 26, 2020

One of the primary schools of medicine in Araea, Atma seek to cure by balancing the body in all ways.

The Howling Plains

Geographic Location | Apr 4, 2019

Wracked by eternal storms and violent winds, the Howling Plains lie near the equator of the Surface and sprawl for vast, wind-swept distances.

The Sprawl

Geographic Location | Dec 8, 2018

The tendrils of the Sprawl reach wide. One of the most traversed region in the Outer Shell, acting as a hub to reach many other regions of Araea.

Surviving On The Surface - A Practical Guide and Its Application

Document | Aug 5, 2019

A booklet on surviving the hazards of the surface, sold by questionable peddlers to people who don't know better

Q'x

Species | Dec 8, 2018

Visitors from another world, the Q'x are half-glimpsed memories. They are sighted as mysterious lights in the sky, remembered in terrifying abductions.

Welcome to Araea

Generic article | Jan 30, 2021

Welcome to Araea; a weird-fantasy world set mostly deep underground amidst darkness and desperation, horror and heroism.

Deva - the Art of Healing

Technology / Science | Dec 8, 2018

The second primary school of Medicine in Araea, Davā believes that the body is a complicated machine. Only by understanding its operations can it be healed.

Meteorite Tick

Species | May 31, 2020

Visitors from the stars, the ticks come to Araea riding meteorites. Strange and hostile, the ticks are a hazard to any who would be a star-chaser.

Skimmers

Species | Dec 8, 2018

Big insects native to the Abyss, Skimmers get their name from their ability to stay perched atop the black waters.

The Far End

Settlement | Dec 8, 2018

Located at the very edge of known territory, the town known as the Far End stares into the unknown - and seek to profit from it.

Slough-skin

Condition | Feb 26, 2020

Slough-skin, Miner's Cough or Farmer Fungi... This wasting disease is common among those who work in damp caverns.

Mahu'ca

Species | Feb 9, 2019

Titanic and terrifying, the legendary Mahu'ca are centipede-like creatures that slumber on the surface until ravenous hunger awakens them.

NECRO-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

The dead have been roused from their graves but not as terrors to haunt mankind or foes to be battled, but as servants and slaves. Undead work the lines in factories, tend to crop and fell trees at the order of Nekrobioteks, powerful necromancer-surgeons. Crypts and cemeteries have been emptied to fill mines, factories and gas-choked trench-lines.

Death has become a business transaction.

The world of the Necro-Industrial Complex (or NIC) begin with the question: What would we do if necromancy actually worked?

Welcome to the Necro-Industrial Complex

Generic article | Oct 20, 2019

Welcome to the Necro-Industrial Complex; a world that asks 'what would we truly do if Necromancy actually worked?'

The Undead

Species | Oct 22, 2019

The dead walk the earth, made to serve mankind. They man their factories, their mines and their battlefields. There is no rest for the deceased, not anymore.

Zombie Boxing

Tradition / Ritual | Sep 4, 2019

One of many new sports that have risen to take advantage of the undead, Zombie Boxing pits the undead against each other - or against humans.

Warbeasts

Technology / Science | Feb 26, 2020

Abomination of flesh and metal, Warbeasts are the latest terror unleashed upon the world. These creatures of science and necromancy are heralds of terrible things in the future.

Shinomas Magocracy

Organization | Dec 10, 2018

No other Great Power has taken to the art of Necromancy with as much fervor or skill as the Shinomas Magocracy.

Abhimaan Monarchy

Organization | Oct 28, 2019

First among the Great Powers, the Abhimaan Monarchy possess an unmatched navy and legions of the dead, as well as an endless array of rebellions and unrest.

Consumption

Character | Dec 11, 2018

An ancient and dangerous Occultarum, blind to everything but its own hunger. Its touch is corruption, consumption and death.

The Worm that Devours

Character | Jun 7, 2019

One of the Covenant, this Occultarum is most keen to keep humanity alive, for the feast they provide it is grand.

Nekrobiotek

Profession | Dec 13, 2018

The Nekrobiotek are necromancers, surgeons and engineers all in one. They have harness the powers of magic to reanimate the dead and fuel the growth of the necro-industrial complex.

Grounding Harness

Item | Dec 13, 2018

The Grounding Harness worn by the Nekrobiotek keep them safe from the dangerous levels of electrical currents they channel through their own flesh.

Butchers

Profession | Dec 13, 2018

Butchers are the servants of Nekrobiotek, tasked with everything from dismembering corpses to preparing them for reanimation. If it is dirty, dangerous and unpleasant, it is the job for a Butcher.

Master Nekrobiotek

Rank/Title | Dec 13, 2018

Among the Nekrobiotek, there are those who lead the way into the unknown and push the boundaries of science and necromancy: these are honored with the title of Master.

Treaties on the Art of Nekromanti - Condemnations Collected

Document | Apr 28, 2020

"Treaties on the Art of Nekromanti - Condemnations Collected" is a collected work of various condemnations levied against Necromancy in the early days of its industrialization.

Shi'ai - Corpse-Walker Armor

Vehicle | Aug 5, 2019

Shi'ai is an experimental type of powered armored constructed from the reanimated pieces of Undead.

The Riot of Red Rivers

Military Conflict | Dec 22, 2018

QUENTRIANDAL, THE DREAMING-WORLD

Quentriandal is a fantasy world that explores themes of narrative, story and archetypes. Set inside of a dream conjured by a distant creator-god, Quentriandal is a world were tale and narrative are laws of nature that define it more than any other. While the world may be a dream, the stories of those who Awaken inside it are real. Quentriandal function on assumption and story as much as fact; crops grow when planted and tended, the sun moves across the sky and fires burn because that is what these things are supposed to do. Stories and narratives govern the world and shape events in it.

Welcome to Quentriandal

Generic article | Apr 4, 2019

Welcome to Quentriandal, the Dreaming-World. It is a place where story and theme shapes the world as much as gravity, where dreams made manifest live and breathe.

Masque

Item | Dec 8, 2018

Masks of flesh and essence, these ornate masques mark the Sleepers of the world. Their masques marks their part in the story and the dream.

Awakened

Condition | Feb 10, 2019

The Awakened are those who shed their masques and become free. Beyond the power of any coin, blade or magic spell, they possess the power to change the world.

Cloud-Whales

Species | Feb 10, 2019

Majestic flying creatures that feast on clouds, the Cloud-Whales bear a remarkable resemblence to their ocean-faring friend, except for the wings.

Fading

Condition | Feb 10, 2019

What happens when the Dreaming-World forgets?

The Infinite Seas

Geographic Location | Feb 10, 2019

The endless oceans that surround the lands of Quentriandal. Reality blurs the further away from the dreaming-world one goes.

The Unformed

Species | Feb 10, 2019

Lost beyond time and beyond the dream, the unformed have survived the end of the dream and burrowed into the next. They are mad, terrible things.

Air Melon

Species | Feb 10, 2019

Part of the Elemelon family, the Air Melon grow from clouds and in the cold, with almost translucent flesh with a sweet flavor.

Fire Melons

Species | Feb 26, 2020

Though very similar to their green-skinned cousins, Fire Melons grow in sand and heat; the hotter, the better.

Earth Melon

Species | Feb 10, 2019

Earth Melons are one of the Elemelons, with a delicious pudding-like flesh shielded by a hard stone shell. Totally worth the work!

Squittens

Species | Jun 9, 2019

Squittens are amphibious felines, equally at home in the water as they are on land. Oh yeah, and they are half-kitten half-squids.

Wood Melon

Species | Feb 10, 2019

Wood Melons are one of the Elemelons, and are ferociously fecund.

The Kaoh

Ethnicity | Feb 10, 2019

The Kaoh are a sea-faring folk famous for their sleek, fast ship and the homes that they make on artificial islands of their own construction.

Glyphicons - Language of Tales

Language | Dec 21, 2018

Glyphicons is a hieroglyphical written language, innately understood by almost all denizens of the Dreaming-World.

Arete - Excellence

Spell | Aug 29, 2019

Arete is the first circle of magic - the art of excellence and doing the impossible.

Sleepers

Condition | Dec 8, 2018

The masque-wearing inhabitants of Quentriandal, each bound by the dream to their role and task.. Unless they break free.

The Ancient City

Plot | Dec 25, 2018

The Ancient City is a Narrative that takes places in large cities: the oldest quarters of the city, forgotten by all and avoided by good folk.

Narrative

Physical / Metaphysical Law | Jan 26, 2019

Narratives are metaphysical traits attached to things, people, places or events that define and reinforce their place in the Dreaming-World.

Spreading the Love

Here are some awesome people you should go check out for their awesome worldember stuff! BRASS, by TJ

WorldEmber Begins

Generic article | Dec 5, 2018

I'm a little bit excited.

ETHNIS, by Ademal & Barron & Co

Dec. 2018: WorldEmber and Going Live

Generic article | Jan 16, 2019

Going Live with the Ethnis Patreon, WorldEmber, and our December Plans

yeslittlehummingbird Oneriwien

Survived an Earthquake to Write This

Generic article | Jan 15, 2021

WorldEmber has been one hell of a ride but I am still standing.

Ninne

WorldEmber Diary

Generic article | Feb 3, 2019

So it begins! - Ninne124 (2018)

Dhelian

WorldEmber Journal

Generic article | Jan 6, 2024

Hurray! It's WorldEmber time!

Tikal

The WorldEmber

Generic article | Dec 30, 2018

A guide through the upheaval known as WorldEmber

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A Panda's Worldember

Generic article | Dec 31, 2018

A stressed Panda's journey through Worldember, kind of.

Milla!

WorldEmber 2018 Report

Generic article | Dec 31, 2018

More will be added as WE goes on!

Entry for WorldEmber 2018

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