Meta - Summer Camp 2020

MOTIVATION

Casayran has existed since 2018 in scattered notes and word documents, but now I want to finally write it down and develop it more, turning the individual ideas into a whole coherent world. I hope to get out of this a setting that is interesting and exciting, filled with dangers and adventures, and that serves as a creative outlet and an intellectual challenge. One day this may serve as the setting for some novels, but right now I'm not focusing on that, I just want to create this world for the fun of it.

GENRE

It’s a High Fantasy world. It has a medieval-ish level of technology, especially when it comes to weapons. Swords, bows and arrows, spears, etc., are the norm. Nevertheless, magic has been responsible for a number of significant advances in medicine, agriculture, architecture and communications, among other fields, which increases the “technology” level (and the average quality of life), but there’s no modern industry yet, everything is still fairly localized, and in some cases magical innovations are still a bit rudimentary.

SCALE

The scale is a part of the continent of Casayran, which is somewhat vast. I will try to concentrate on the some of the countries that can be found there, which are (from north to south): The Five Duchies of Urnikel, he Vilorian Kingdoms (the number can vary), and the Empire of Morash. I want to develop each of these places as much as I can, with their individual histories, alliances, rivalries, cultures and political systems, which means I will also develop some of the states that preceded the current countries (the Vilorian Empire, the Gharavian Empire, and others).

There are other countries in the continent, which I may develop later, but for now the scope will center around those.

MOOD

The mood varies a bit. In the Dark-Bright Scale, I think it would fit between Neutral and Gray. Casayran is not a completely dark world but bad things do happen, sometimes frequently. This world is no stranger to war, imperialism, poverty and prejudice. Despite that, it contains bright spots, there’s moments of wonder, beauty, love and hope at the end of the day. Things can get pretty bad, but it’s not always the worst place to live. In the Grim-Noble scale, it could fit in the Neutral part, with some variations depending on the situations. Characters do have the chance to change their world, but it does have a price, sometimes a very high one, and success is not always a sure thing.

THEMES

• Unity: The importance of working together in the face of adversity. Learning to find common ground and accept differences.
• Identity: Finding out who you are and what you truly want, beyond the narrow categories others may want to impose on you.
• Idealism vs Pragmatism: Finding a way to be yourself and follow your dreams in a what can be a cold and pragmatic world, if it can be done. What could you sacrifice to achieve your goals? Is it worth it?
• Ambition: Why do people want power and how can they achieve it? The consequences and responsibilities of it, as well as the mixed legacies it can leave behind.
• Justice and Equality: Trying to build a world that is fair and can right past wrongs can be extremely difficult, but it is a necessary endeavor.
• Family: The different and complex relationships that can exist with family members. Related by blood or not, people will always look to form connections, but it's not always easy.
• Change: The world, and the people in it, are always changing, nothing stays the same. It may be difficult to accept and adapt, but it is not always a bad thing.
  
  

CONFLICTS

• The Unification of Urnikel - Recently there have been attempts to unify the Five Duchies of Urnikel into a single kingdom to bring peace, order and stability to the region. Not everyone is on board, as some people fear that they would lose more than they could gain with such an arrangement. Power, wealth, identity, freedom and even lives are at stake, with many fearing the Unification could herald a more intolerant age. Confrontation seems inevitable.
• Political Disunity in the Vilorian Kingdoms - The five Kingdoms that resulted from the fall of the Vilorian Empire, are constantly fighting amongst themselves, trying to assert their power and protect themselves from their neighbors. Alliances and rivalries shift with ease, and war is always close by. Internally the Kingdoms are also experiencing power struggles among their own factions, sometimes with disastrous results. Such infighting can and does blind them to the true problems around them.
• Imperial Invasion - To the South, the Empire of Morash wishes to expand its territory, starting with the Vilorian Kingdoms and Urnikel. After emerging from a terrible civil war, the victorious Empress wishes to cement her legitimacy with a new conquest, taking advantage of the turmoil of her neighbors. Ruthless and cunning, she’s a formidable foe, that will stop at nothing to get what she wants and destroy those who oppose her goals.
• New Types of Magic - For a long time it was thought that Light Magic and Dark Magic, sources of great power, only existed in legends and religious stories, but a recent discovery seems to imply that they’re very real and it’s possible to access them. As powerful as they may be, they’re even more dangerous, but that will not stop certain persons to try and find a way to unlock them with little regard for the cost.
• Religious Discord - In Casyran several religions exist, with different degrees of acceptance in each country. In many places there’s tolerance and coexistence, but with in some other parts cults and strange sects have emerged, ready to impose their beliefs unto others. Some of the cults dream of reestablishing old empires, others of building new states, but they’re all capable of creating great trouble.