Edda Revised
1/5/1009 EE
Scope
The motivation behind building Edda Revised
My motivation for building this world is to give myself the ultimate playground: A mass setting where I can zoom in on any number of potential stories, and potential genres, and enjoy it equally well. Either on the material plane in the different culturally inspired regions, or on other planes full of higher fantasy themes and concepts.
The goal of the project
I'm hoping to get imagination and full freedom out of it. A land where I can feel inspired to right any story as long as the irons are hot, and where I won't feel like I have to struggle with contrivances to get the good stuff out of the gate.
Edda Revised's Unique Selling point
I feel Edda's unique drawing point is that, so far, it is one of the most genre-inclusive settings I've thought of. You can have gothic horror, swords-and-sorcery tales, more animesque action stories, mysteries, I even plan to try writing a romance or two while I'm at it, and none of it feels forced or squeezed out of the setting.
Theme
Genre
Edda is a high-fantasy world, but also one with high magic and relatively high technology as well. There's a wide array of things magic can accomplish, especially when allowed to be tested and challenged, but in response those who are not as capable or trusting of magic have begun to invest into engineering and technology as well, with just as many more merging the two.
Some of the older cultures weave modern innovations in with their own cultural image or aesthetics, keeping a classic look to new developments, such as factories in the mostly Elven nation of Hippolyta being interwoven with large trees and naturalistic forms of magic, or the arid deserts of Afallon creating the magical equivalent of solar panels and windmills in the shape of pyramids and stone mesas.
But you'll also see more updating cultures, such as Laputa embracing steampunkesque technology or the specific city of Paris, an innovation epicenter, taking a roaring 20'sesque vision of development and exuberance.
Reader Experience
Edda should feel open. The different nations are wide and varied, the potential is endless, and the fact that the region of Edda is behind an arcane wall leaves a world outside to explore as well.
Edda should also feel shifting. Much is changing in a post-war era, and much more needs to change as well. Players and characters alike should feel that their actions can make an impact.
Reader Tone
Edda is a dark world full of bright people. For every tragedy and cruel twist of fate, there are those who refuse to give up hope and keep the vigil lit. The deciding question is whether or not hope will win out in the end, or if despair will take it's place.
Recurring Themes
Once I get to writing my stories of Edda, I plan for a lot of arc-specific themes that will have a range of intensity from simple fantasy quests to tackling stuff like the idea of reform or cultural individuality.
On a wide scale I'd say the most important theme is free will and individual agency: the power we each hold to make the world a bit better or worse, and if the confines of the would really let's that have an impact.
Character Agency
Player characters in Edda have full agency to change the world. While they are in the confines of a narrative, they still have every bit of agency and are rewarded for pushing the envelope, questioning why, and thinking of new things.
For written characters, they have as much agency as they need for the given plot, but in-universe this is a question they ask and challenge themselves on. Do they have the right to change the systems, and do they have the ability to keep it changed?