WorldEmber 2024

The Fires Rise Again

Once again the call of the wind and the chill of the snow brings with it the lighting of a flame, one that brings warmth and stories to all that feel its glow. Across universes and worlds, people gather to share their travels and ballads, stories of creatures found and friends made. The ember burns bright once again as the fires of Winter's Evening are lit, ushering in the time of storytelling.

The WorldEmber

There are few that remain across the universes that do not know of the inferno that rages in the coldest parts of the year, stories and lore waiting to burst forth into the world and brighten the darkest part of the year. For a moment, all come together, across worlds and universes, planes and oceans, to share the stories that warm our hearts with those that bring warmth to our souls.

Focus

Mini-Meta

World

Inspiration

Checklist

The focus for WorldEmber this year is going to be all over the place, and that's because our campaign has been too! Beginning the summer of 2023, we were lucky enough to start a campaign that is still going strong and has resulted in two different groups and fabulous characters that inspire me to write all kinds of things. This means that overall, my focus will be on the Northern Continent of Isekai where our campaign is currently taking place, but I will be writing whatever fits with where the party is and where we're going.
I want to start WE by fleshing out my character Arina, who made her debut on World Anvil through the short story Misguided Faith. Arina is a Ursakin Paladin of Crommel, affectionately known as Her Lady Furriness to many in the party.
I also plan to branch out into a number of species, geographical locations, and many other things that not only have ties to Arina, but the rest of the party that has traveled for over a year through our sessions. If I find the inspiration, I may also delve into my second character Tasrin, a Gem Dwarf Ranger that has gained the blessing of an Adamantine Dragon.
All of this is to say that while I have a focus, I really don't. I want to go into WorldEmber this year like I did with Summer Camp, little plan but with the excitement to write whatever comes my way. I'll have a few articles that I want to tackle, but for the most part, it will be whatever best inspires me to write and see if we can get Isekai to the 1 million mark!

Scope

Over the last year or more of playing, the original party and the secondary party have only traveled within the Northern Continent of the world. Originating in the Spine of Kallex, traveling across the Elven Forest and splitting to travel across Lake Idryl to the Great Plains or across the Moorlands, the party has covered a great deal of terrain, but far from the entire continent. I want to focus on areas that the party has already traveled through or will be traveling to shortly so there is lore for interested players.

Geography

Moorlands
Crater Lake
Mammoth Glacier
Elven Forest

Orgs/Professions

Court of Wisteria
Corps of Engineers
Rangers
Clerics

People/Species

Arina
Ursakin
Nether
Nordland Bears

Miscellaneous

Noble Metals
Celestial Metals
Qimbyr
Leverion

Theme

Some days, our group is the definition of unhinged. We've dealt with inter-planar beings, the possible appearance of an Eldritch horror, grave robbing, loud-mouthed bards, and everything in between. The party is really its own theme of chaos.
Just recently, we were able to have our first in-person session and it really proved just how all over the place but in sync our party is. Each character is vastly different, meaning my writing for WorldEmber will be covering many topics and I'm really excited for it.

Homepage Revamp

Something that is constantly talked about amongst the Sages is the idea of an elevator pitch for our worlds. A couple of years ago, I was driven to create that pitch for Isekai and to revamp the homepage, especially to include the subscriber groups that would allow others to see our work in progress TTRPG system.
Since that huge revamp, I have seen little reason to change anything else on the homepage. Those that view Isekai for the first time are greeted with the elevator pitch to draw them in and then a longer explanation of the world and the link to the world primer. Scrolling further gives information about Storybook, our TTRPG system, and the ability to join subscriber groups to view the rules.
For how I've seen others move through our world and what our players have said, I'm pretty happy with the state of the homepage right now and how clean it is overall in terms of content and layout.

Cookie Cottage

My inspiration comes from many places, from the museum that I work at, the military history that I've studied, real-life militaries, and much more. This knowledge and inspiration drives me to make realistic and interesting militaries that define the world they live in.
As for people in the WA community, the Cookie Cottage is full of amazing people that love to share ideas and lift each other up. And of course I can't forget Mochi :)

Writing Music

I love listening to music while I write and it inspires me to continue on when I think that I should stop. This is the most common music I listen to while writing, but I also love listening to anime OSTs if I'm looking for a specific vibe.

The Final Countdown

I can't say if I'm more or less prepped for WorldEmber than I have been in past years, but either way, we are in the final countdown to an absolute writing frenzy.
Prep over the last month has been difficult with travel, work, and life, but I think this last minute prep is enough to rocket me to success in a little over 24 hours as the beginning of WE comes on Saturday.
Going into WE, a great deal of my writing will more than likely be done at work on my iPad unless for some reason I can write on my laptop. This is going to make everything take a bit longer, especially as I enter everything into WA and start formatting, but I don't want to waste a single minute of writing time.

Checklist

Support Group

The Cookie Cottage is amazing :) & my DnD party is unhinged

Workspace

My desk is clean for once but I will also be writing at work

Plans/Notes

iPad charged and ready to go

Images

In the works

Writing Schedule

I've given up on this one. There is no schedule ever

Snacks/Sips/Songs/More

All the things are ready to help me rock this out

WE Pledge

This year will be my sixth WorldEmber and I have learned a thing or two over the years. Some years I went into the event with a huge plan and others I have waited to see what happens. This year, I have a loose plan to fill in what I think are some of the most important for our campaign going forward.

by World Anvil

by World Anvil

WorldEmber Pledge

I pledge to complete WorldEmber and the articles and ideas listed here to the best of my abilities, but not by sacrificing time for family and self-care during the holidays.
I adore WorldEmber for so many reasons. The community, the stories, and the ability to just write what my heart desires brings so much joy.
While I've noted in my pledge that I would like to hit 25,000 words during WorldEmber, I have a much bigger goal in mind. I would love for Isekai to reach 1 million! words before the end of the year, but only time will tell.

Completed Articles