New Year's Resolution 2024
Well, I had a good WorldEmber 2023. I wrote a little over 42K words - even more than last year - and beat my goal by quite a lot. I also revamped the Derkomai Home Page, which I thought was really boring and not very attractive. I hope people now will find it a lot more visually interesting, and it will draw people into exploring Derkomai more. I'm always open to feedback and comments, though! I'm always trying to improve the "reader experience" and make Derkomai a great setting for stories and RPG adventures and campaigns.
So, now it's time to take a look at what others have done for WorldEmber 2023. I'm looking forward to reading some super creative, inspiring, imaginative articles! Like I did for Summer Camp 2023, I'm going to use a random number generator to pick the articles to read to avoid my personal biases. I want to give everyone that participated an equal chance to get a bit of recognition for their work.
Here we go! There are 25 Special Categories. I'll first choose the category, see how many articles have been submitted to the category, then use the random number generator to pick an article in the category.
1. First is category #24: MYTH/LEGEND SPECIAL CATEGORY. There are 95 entries to this category, and the random number generator says...Entry #56. That is The Dracothane Colossus in the Dimminium world by Leo Haberkamp.
The Dracothane Colossus is the skull of a giant dragon, "the size of a mansion," left on the shores of the Drakemire Coast long ago, after a titanic battle between the Dracothane and the gods of the world. The gods ultimately prevailed, but left the skull of their opponent where it fell. It is now "a site of awe and mystery" holding wisdom and power. I enjoyed reading this article. Then concept is interesting, and I was left with several questions: What power and wisdom are to be found there? What might I encounter if I traveled there? I'll be following Dimminium to see how it develops.
2. The second category is #16: SETTLEMENT SPECIAL CATEGORY. There are 174 entries in this category, and the random number generator points me to #26, which is Ripper Star City, created by Lady Wynter.
Ripper Star City is a small, diverse city (really, a small town, it seems) founded on the world of Nisa at the location where the space ship called the Ripper Star landed. The hull of the ship still serves a district of the city (the Ship Ward). I'd like to know more about Ripper Star City, Caelum Prime, and Nisa.
3. The RNG points me to category #18 as the third category: CHARACTER SPECIAL CATEGORY. There are a #&^%load of entries for this category (as expected). The RNG says...Entry #222, which is Yurumi Maldi by Rahjar.
Yurumi Maldi is a young woman (26 years old) that appears to be a skilled fighter from a troubled family. The article hints about Yurumi Maldi's personality, past, and family (she has three younger siblings, one of whom killed their parents), but doesn't provide a lot of detail. I think to understand her better, I will need to read more about Rahjar's world, The Special Convention.
4. Next is category #20, the SPECIES SPECIAL CATEGORY. This category also has a ton of entries - 290 to be exact. The RNG points to entry #272: Masuge by Incorrigible on the world of Gụo.
Masuge are carnivorous humanoids with some similarities to large felines, including prominent canine teeth. It is worth noting that Incorrigible creates all of the artwork for Gụo. It looks to me that Gụo is still early in its development.
5. The RNG pointed me next to category #25, the LANGUAGE SPECIAL CATEGORY, which has 42 entries, out of which #10 was chosen randomly. That article is EDENIAN SLANG by E. Christopher Clark.
I was pleasantly surprised to be pointed again to one of eccbooks' articles. When I did my Summer Camp 2023 After-Action Review, I read another of his articles, and it was excellent - the most well-written article I reviewed then. This one, Edenian Slang, is another fun read. The slang of the Edenian's is pretty hilarious: "Cold as a yeti’s chestnuts: dead" Hahaha! Really imaginative and descriptive. Some is actual slang from outdated English; some is invented by the author. All is humorous and fun. Though Edenian Slang isn't technically a full language, it's another imaginative and well-written entry by the author. Everything I've read from eccbooks is well worth the time.
6. For the sixth article I will review, the RNG coughed up #14, which is the MILITARY CONFLICT SPECIAL CATEGORY. There are 56 military conflict entries, and the RNG rolled up article #49, which is THE SECOND MICRO REBELLION by elspeth87.
The Second Micro Rebellion was a conflict between the Macrans of P'Ache Micro and the Primians of P'Ache Prime, the second attempt by the Macrans to gain their independence and freedom from the Primians. Sadly, they were unsuccessful in both attempts, but did succeed in forcing the Primians to reconsider their peace treaties, presumably resulting in better treatment for the Macrans. Velikka, elspeth87's world, seems really interesting. I will be reading more.
7. For the seventh article, the RNG again pointed me to the MILITARY CONFLICT SPECIAL CATEGORY. This time it sent me to article #23, The Tempest War by auzins92, edited by Uselessroom.
The article outlines an interesting history of Nel'Akhiron, a country governed by magic users that eventually fell in a cataclysmic disaster brought on by a conflict between two orders of magic users (the Black Order and the White Order) over control of who is allowed to use magic and how. The Lost Realms (the world in which the conflict takes place) appears to be early in its development.
8. The eighth roll of the RNG points to category #2, the TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL CATEGORY. There are 73 entries in this category, and the RNG takes me to article #72: Magic Lanterns by MYTH-X.
I enjoyed reading this article quite a lot. The artwork is colorful and attractive. I liked reading about the several different types of Magic Lanterns. I found myself thinking that I have quite a few Magic Lanterns myself, but I have to plug mine into the wall or put batteries in them. As Arthur C. Clarke said in his Third Law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Reading this article reminded me of that - quite a lot of the technology that we take for granted today would be magical to someone of the not-distant past. The first non-magical lanterns were commercialized less than 150 years ago!
9. The next category the RNG pulled out of its hat was #22: GEOGRAPHY SPECIAL CATEGORY. There are 203 entries in this category, and the gods of randomness choose...#153. That leads me to another article by Lady Wynter, Caelum Prime.
Caelum Prime is the primary world that Lady Wynter has created. It is slightly larger than Earth and home to 26.3 million people. The ecosystem, biomes, and natural resources are similar to those on Earth, and the human population maintains balance between development and the health of the ecosystem. According the the Caelum Prime world meta, Lady Wynter intends to write a novel based on Caelum Prime. I'm looking forward to hearing more about it.
10. The tenth and final article I will review is in category #13, the DOCUMENT SPECIAL CATEGORY. Within that category, there are 77 entries, and I will read entry #16, Edicts of Arcane Law, created by Wulvenfire and Writer's Team, Gafgarion37.
The Edicts of Arcane Law are a compendium of (most of) the known knowledge of the magic users of Teralt, the world created by Wulvenfire. It was primarily written by Castor Valensra, a powerful mage that ascended to godhood. After a series of cataclysmic historical events, the Edicts of Arcane Law have been lost. Though the article is relatively short, it is interesting, and it appears that there is a creative and imaginative story behind the Edicts. I will read more.
The Dracothane Colossus is the skull of a giant dragon, "the size of a mansion," left on the shores of the Drakemire Coast long ago, after a titanic battle between the Dracothane and the gods of the world. The gods ultimately prevailed, but left the skull of their opponent where it fell. It is now "a site of awe and mystery" holding wisdom and power. I enjoyed reading this article. Then concept is interesting, and I was left with several questions: What power and wisdom are to be found there? What might I encounter if I traveled there? I'll be following Dimminium to see how it develops.
2. The second category is #16: SETTLEMENT SPECIAL CATEGORY. There are 174 entries in this category, and the random number generator points me to #26, which is Ripper Star City, created by Lady Wynter.
Ripper Star City is a small, diverse city (really, a small town, it seems) founded on the world of Nisa at the location where the space ship called the Ripper Star landed. The hull of the ship still serves a district of the city (the Ship Ward). I'd like to know more about Ripper Star City, Caelum Prime, and Nisa.
3. The RNG points me to category #18 as the third category: CHARACTER SPECIAL CATEGORY. There are a #&^%load of entries for this category (as expected). The RNG says...Entry #222, which is Yurumi Maldi by Rahjar.
Yurumi Maldi is a young woman (26 years old) that appears to be a skilled fighter from a troubled family. The article hints about Yurumi Maldi's personality, past, and family (she has three younger siblings, one of whom killed their parents), but doesn't provide a lot of detail. I think to understand her better, I will need to read more about Rahjar's world, The Special Convention.
4. Next is category #20, the SPECIES SPECIAL CATEGORY. This category also has a ton of entries - 290 to be exact. The RNG points to entry #272: Masuge by Incorrigible on the world of Gụo.
Masuge are carnivorous humanoids with some similarities to large felines, including prominent canine teeth. It is worth noting that Incorrigible creates all of the artwork for Gụo. It looks to me that Gụo is still early in its development.
5. The RNG pointed me next to category #25, the LANGUAGE SPECIAL CATEGORY, which has 42 entries, out of which #10 was chosen randomly. That article is EDENIAN SLANG by E. Christopher Clark.
I was pleasantly surprised to be pointed again to one of eccbooks' articles. When I did my Summer Camp 2023 After-Action Review, I read another of his articles, and it was excellent - the most well-written article I reviewed then. This one, Edenian Slang, is another fun read. The slang of the Edenian's is pretty hilarious: "Cold as a yeti’s chestnuts: dead" Hahaha! Really imaginative and descriptive. Some is actual slang from outdated English; some is invented by the author. All is humorous and fun. Though Edenian Slang isn't technically a full language, it's another imaginative and well-written entry by the author. Everything I've read from eccbooks is well worth the time.
6. For the sixth article I will review, the RNG coughed up #14, which is the MILITARY CONFLICT SPECIAL CATEGORY. There are 56 military conflict entries, and the RNG rolled up article #49, which is THE SECOND MICRO REBELLION by elspeth87.
The Second Micro Rebellion was a conflict between the Macrans of P'Ache Micro and the Primians of P'Ache Prime, the second attempt by the Macrans to gain their independence and freedom from the Primians. Sadly, they were unsuccessful in both attempts, but did succeed in forcing the Primians to reconsider their peace treaties, presumably resulting in better treatment for the Macrans. Velikka, elspeth87's world, seems really interesting. I will be reading more.
7. For the seventh article, the RNG again pointed me to the MILITARY CONFLICT SPECIAL CATEGORY. This time it sent me to article #23, The Tempest War by auzins92, edited by Uselessroom.
The article outlines an interesting history of Nel'Akhiron, a country governed by magic users that eventually fell in a cataclysmic disaster brought on by a conflict between two orders of magic users (the Black Order and the White Order) over control of who is allowed to use magic and how. The Lost Realms (the world in which the conflict takes place) appears to be early in its development.
8. The eighth roll of the RNG points to category #2, the TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL CATEGORY. There are 73 entries in this category, and the RNG takes me to article #72: Magic Lanterns by MYTH-X.
I enjoyed reading this article quite a lot. The artwork is colorful and attractive. I liked reading about the several different types of Magic Lanterns. I found myself thinking that I have quite a few Magic Lanterns myself, but I have to plug mine into the wall or put batteries in them. As Arthur C. Clarke said in his Third Law: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Reading this article reminded me of that - quite a lot of the technology that we take for granted today would be magical to someone of the not-distant past. The first non-magical lanterns were commercialized less than 150 years ago!
9. The next category the RNG pulled out of its hat was #22: GEOGRAPHY SPECIAL CATEGORY. There are 203 entries in this category, and the gods of randomness choose...#153. That leads me to another article by Lady Wynter, Caelum Prime.
Caelum Prime is the primary world that Lady Wynter has created. It is slightly larger than Earth and home to 26.3 million people. The ecosystem, biomes, and natural resources are similar to those on Earth, and the human population maintains balance between development and the health of the ecosystem. According the the Caelum Prime world meta, Lady Wynter intends to write a novel based on Caelum Prime. I'm looking forward to hearing more about it.
10. The tenth and final article I will review is in category #13, the DOCUMENT SPECIAL CATEGORY. Within that category, there are 77 entries, and I will read entry #16, Edicts of Arcane Law, created by Wulvenfire and Writer's Team, Gafgarion37.
The Edicts of Arcane Law are a compendium of (most of) the known knowledge of the magic users of Teralt, the world created by Wulvenfire. It was primarily written by Castor Valensra, a powerful mage that ascended to godhood. After a series of cataclysmic historical events, the Edicts of Arcane Law have been lost. Though the article is relatively short, it is interesting, and it appears that there is a creative and imaginative story behind the Edicts. I will read more.
My Goals and Plans for Derkomai in 2024
Yesterday and today, I started outlining my To-Do list for Derkomai. It's long! One thing I want to do is to improve my maps. My map-making skills just aren't great. Perhaps I'm being too ambitious, but I'd love my maps to be really beautiful - actual works of art - but they are a long ways from that. I've been mostly using Wonderdraft to create my maps, then using Visio to add markers, layers, labels, and so on, mostly because I'm really familiar with it. But as a technical drawing tool, Visio probably isn't the best choice for making beautiful maps. And while maps created in Wonderdraft can be decent looking, they usually aren't really beautiful - at least not the ones I've been able to create, given my low level of artistic talent. Anyway, I'll continue to work at it and try out other tools. As for worldbuilding, here's my To-Do list as it stands today (with a lot of the detail removed for this article). It will no doubt change...- Continue developing Sudland
- Finish Appleton and Dunton
- Finish Esten and Coalton
- Finish Southport
- Finish Daskar
- Describe and map other cities, towns, and villages
- Complete and add Sudland organizations
- Continue developing Senyon
- Develop a timeline of the imperial dynasties of Senyon
- Complete describing Yixing-Jiumin imperial family members - including updating character artwork
- Complete and upload map of Sendoshi
- Describe Sendoshi merchant shops and other locations
- Describe Senyon government
- Complete and add Senyon organizations
- Continue developing Koyon and Southern Wildlands
- Fix Koyon and Southern Wildlands map
- See Koyon page for To-Do work
- Develop other countries - see pages for each country for To-Do work
- Chessa
- Da Azmi Grissyond Okku
- Da Nis Grissyond Okku
- Danyund
- Manyund
- Nodyund
- Rigosland
- Teiyon
- Voatyon
- Yfel
- Add and describe points of interest
- Ruins, dungeons, habitations of monsters, etc.
- Describe additional species
- Fill out Dwarvirim and Orkrim
- Nomoedrim - Gnomes
- Halvirim - Halflings
- Kolbodrim - Kobolds
- Others?
- Fill out Sudkou and Nodkou languages (using VulgarLang?)
Thank you so much for reading my article, and it's great to hear that you found my world interesting! Good luck with your to do list! It looks long, but like there are a lot of exciting areas to work on! You've got this!
My whole to-do list is actually much longer than this, lol. I cut it down for the article, 'cause I was getting tired of formatting it, haha! I make a lot of to-do lists and set goals outside of WA. I mostly don't get everything done that I want to, but at least I have some sort of plan.
I love that! I'm a list maker at heart too. I read somewhere that every time you make a list, you should order it and then take at least one thing off the bottom, because we tend to think we can do more than we have time to. :) I always find myself putting something on the end of the list I wasn't really going to do anyway! XD