Summer Camp 2022 Pledge

This year will be my second time participating in a summer camp event. Unlike last year I have a better idea of what I'm getting into and am far better prepared for it this time. Despite being unprepared, I had a blast with last year's camp and can't wait to see what this year's camp brings. The timing is a bit unfortunate though since I'm moving to the states from South Korea, so I'll probably have to miss the latter half of the prompts. Either way, I'm not letting that stop me from trying to do as many prompts as possible.

Creative Goal

Just like last year, my goal with the summer camp is to expand my world. This year is slightly different, as this time around I'm focused on fleshing out Stelwen and its inhabitants, the Roctane. With this in mind, I'll try to keep my answers to each prompt focused on that part of the world, though sometimes I take my focus elsewhere depending on the prompt. With me not having any control over the prompts, it'll be a good way to expand on this part of the world in was I didn't think about before.

Themes

As with my creative goal, the idea is to keep the majority of my articles focused on Stelwen since that is my current focus with Blinding Veil. There is lots to dive into with this secluded continent of the world, and the four themes of this year's camp with help nicely in diving deeper.

Expanse

The continent of Stelwen is a land of many vistas. From the dusty Ratr Isva at its center to the thick jungles of Mongrasil, the fertile land is many things, but bland is not one of them. Depending on the prompts though, this theme could be a great way to introduce some other parts of the world.

Leadership

Throughout the history of the Roctane, many leaders have arisen who have turned the tides of history and shaped them into who they are now. From Queen Mulloran, who unified the scattered colonies in their early years to the mighty Beloran Dreddar, the patriarch of the blessed Dreddar family, the fertile land has no shortage of interesting leaders.

Discovery

Stelwen is a strange and interesting land, laden with many secrets to be discovered. Furthermore, with their bodies being specially adapted to the use of magic, the land is a hotbed for new magical innovations and discoveries.

Monsterous

The flora and fauna of this continent are wild and untamed, a perfect representation of nature's beauty, as well as its savagery. With creatures being one of my favorite topics in worldbuilding, Stelwen has loads of interesting beasts to write about. However, don't think it's all just going to be monsters, I have a host of evil and villainous individuals to talk about, particularly a certain sadistic member of the Dreddar family.

Motivation

One thing I like about the summer camp is that it's a great way to expand your world in ways you may have never considered and push you out of your comfort zone a little. Coming up with new ideas on the fly and integrating them into my world was a fun experience that I can't wait to do again.
Blinding Veil and the world of Nostrina are a passion project of mine, and I'll take any opportunity I can to expand it in fun and interesting ways. With this year being focused on Stelwen and the Roctane, one of my personal favorite parts of my world, it'll be a blast.

Challenge Goal

Last year I only made bronze since I started the challenge late and generally wasn't sure what I was doing. This year, the goal is to make at least silver with the hopes that I could make gold. With me moving and traveling throughout July, I think Diamond will be out of my reach, but we'll see, never say never.

Inspiration

The continent of Stelwen and the Roctane has two main sources of inspiration: the Aboriginal people of Australia and the Dunmer from the Elder Scrolls Series. With Stelwen sort of being the Australia of my world, it only made sense to take some inspiration from the Aboriginal people, the first people to have settled on the continent.

Images

The Dunmer are some of the most unique people I have seen in fantasy, with a rich culture that stands out among the fantasy crowd. One particular aspect of them that has always stuck out to me was their clothing, which draws its own inspiration from south-east Asia to give it an interesting look.

One aspect of Aboriginal culture that has really stuck with me is Aboriginal dot art. This unique style has quite a history to it, with the artwork itself being based on "the Dreamtime", ancient Aboriginal stories about the world's creation. The cultural art style of the Roctane takes a ton of inspiration from Aboriginal dot art, using it to tell the stories of their cultures through symbology.

Lastly, I have to give a shoutout to the alien landscape of Morrowind itself. This, along with everything else about this crazy land helped make it one of my favorite locations in all of fantasy.

Music

Like many of you, I like to listen to ambient music when I write. Depending on what I'm writing about, I'll tailor the music to fit in to get me immersed. Here's a few picks for music I like to listen to when writing about Stelwen and Roctane culture.