Summercamp 2023

July is getting closer and closer by the day and this means another round of Summercamp! This year will be the 5th time joining this event, which just doesn't sound right. Where did all the time go? Even if I only managed to achieve copper, it always sparked a lot of inspiration and new ideas for my world.
This year time during July is pretty rare. I won't be available for the first half of the month, and then will be moving apartments. So I'm not sure how much time I'll have to do Summercamp. Because of that - like last year - I will take it easy and just try to write as much as I can. Copper is the goal, anything else is a bonus. And even if I don't even manage to achieve Copper that's alright to, because every article written is an article I didn't have before!

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I pledge to write as many articles as I can, but I won't force myself to write. To Copper and Beyond!

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I'm joining Camp Chill again!

Challenges like Summercamp can be a lot of fun and can push ourselves to achieve more than ever. My best work came out of the challenges run here on World Anvil. It's incredibly motivating, joining all these amazing worldbuilders out there, but it can also be incredibly exhausting and draining. In the end, we are all taking part to have fun and improve our work, and there is no point in burning out while doing so.

by Rin Garnett

Last year Annie Stein came up with the guidelines to Camp Chill, and they worked great for me last time, so I will join again this year. You can read more about camp chill in her Summercamp Pledge here.

Remember the prompts are suggestions, not requirements.

Write what you're passionate about, leave what you aren't.

Relax when you feel tired.

Fight off any pesky brain-squitos trying to make you doubt your work.

Don't abandon your non-summer camp goals! Write that article you're itching to write, even if it doesn't fit any prompts.

Theme Preperation

Power

Power can come in all kinds of ways. From political power to physical power, over military power all the way to the powers of the universe. There are many things unexplored in that direction in Lothrea, but three major ones immediately come to mind:

Power Dynamics between the major countries on Teldora now and historically: I've started to explore the different countries on Telodra in the past, but given that there might be a map commission taking place at the moment, I want to dive deeper into this, especially exploring the historic power dynamics.

Power of wealth in the Golden Coast: The Golden Coast is the primary focus of my worldbuilding at the moment, and there is a huge divide between rich and poor and that region I haven't explored too much yet.

Natural Powers: This is an area I have explored way too little so far. How does magic work? Who can use it? What are gods? How can they influence the people of Lothrea? Are there powers above the gods? Could somebody abuse them? There are countless unanswered questions there that I'm looking forward to explore.

Frontier

Frontiers often describe edges, areas and places inbetween - this might be the space between two nations, the edge of a wild expanse or just the boundaries of an explored area. But frontiers might also describe non-physical edges. Scientific and Socialogical breakthroughs open up vast possibilities and opportunities, and this threshold itself might be considered a frontier. In Lothrea there are a couple places and events that might fit this description:

The Depths of the Ocean: Recently my DnD campaign started exploring the Depths of the The Golden Coast. I've already built some cornerstones of the history and culture (like The Eternal Reef a significant burial site to the Triton people, or Iriserend their capital city), but there is so much more to explore in the depths below.

Scientific and Arcane discoveries: I'm planning to move Lothrea more and more into a steam and magepunk direction. Scientific and arcane discoveries have been going on for a while now. Cities like Okodranous and Mora have been leading this progress, and might change the world.

Sociological Changes: The new scientific and arcane discoveries also come with their costs. In many places in Lothrea, inequality between the upper and lower classes has been growing for centuries, and many of these new discoveries are only accelerating this growth. Okodranous is already looking at a small rebellion growing around Mica "Shadowbloom" Conan and many more will follow pretty soon.

New Map?

Last week I did mention that I have commissioned a map, and this week I got the final result back. Still a lot of work left to add all the information and markers to it, but this theme felt perfect to share it here! Also take a look at the layers, there might be something hiding there!

The map was created by the amazing AP.. If you want to check out more of her incredible work, head over to her portfolio here

Teldora

Open full size

Relics

Relics can come in all different shapes, and Lothrea has countless old traditions, items, lost cultures, and ancient history. From the history hidden in the ruins of Kathal'Dir or the Silver-Heart-Bastion, to items forged during the War of Fate by the Divines, all the way to rituals with long lost origins. During summercamp I do want to focus on a few things:
The Giants of Kathal'Dir and the origins of the Triton people: The giants of Kathal'Dir ruled over the Golden Coast during the Dawnera and where in constant conflict with the first humans of the coast. Both great empires were destroyed by The Sundering, but their ruins and ancient artefacts are still around to this day.
Ancient Artefacts: Many ancient artefacts have shaped history, but I have written about way to litte of them so far. Divine artefacts, like Culporis, the Collector of Debt or Tempestas, the Stormbringer have been forged by the gods themselves. Other artefacts like the Tome of Infinite Wisdom, or the Maul of Flowing Rock created the foundations for magnificent countries and empires.
The Silver-Heart-Bastion: The Silver-Heart Bastion is stuck in broken time and is one of the most dangerous places in Lothrea, but holds answers to the fundamental workings of the world. Many people have tried to explore the ruins, but only a few survived. Whoever might unlock the secrets hidden here will achieve powers beyond Mortal comprehension.

Music

Music can provide a lot of inspiration, and is one of my major ways to relax and get creative. Recently I wrote a piece of music about Lost Empires and the wonders of times long past, which fit perfectly with the relics theme of Summercamp. Give it a listen, and I hope you'll enjoy it!

As you cautiously step into the dimly lit chamber of the ancient ruin, a surge of awe and curiosity fills you. The air is heavy with the weight of forgotten centuries, whispering secrets of lost empires and forgotten realms. Dusty tapestries adorn the walls, telling stories of grandeur and triumph, now reduced to faded threads.
You run your fingers along the worn surfaces of intricate carvings on weathered stone pillars, feeling a profound sense of connection to the past—a bridge between the present and a time shrouded in mystery. It is humbling yet exhilarating, for in these hallowed halls, you witness the echoes of greatness of those who came before.

Communication

This one is a tricky one. Communication is such an important and gigantic topic to cover - from languages, over secret signs, to art and technology. There are countless ideas in Lothrea that could fit this prompt - magical means of communication over long distances, secret organisations, artists using their music to show inequalities and many more.
The music of Mica "Shadowbloom" Conan: Mica was my entry for the Bard challenge and still one of my favourite articles. It even includes some original music! Mica is an artist in the city of Okodranous and famous for open critique of the ruling class. If possible, I want to expand more on her music, and influence on the city itself, because music is a form of communication - maybe even the best!
Technology and Magic: Lothrea has developed more and more into a high magic and steampunk world. There are countless ways of communicating even over incredibly long distances, and I haven't explored a single one so far. Summercamp might be the best time to get started on this.

Looking back

Summercamp always spiked great ideas in my world, so this week I decided to look back at my favourite ideas of previous summer camps and how they affected my world.

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Tria's Light has become one of the major landmarks in my current TTRPG campaign. The Star Seekers shaped the politics of the whole area, and the lighthouse itself, became one of the major inspirations while fleshing out the city of Okodranous.
Another Summercamp article - the Night of the Moon Festival also made it into my current TTRPG campaign. It's the biggest festival on the Golden Coast, and ends with the big prophecy of Tria - the latest one predicting the doom of the Golden Coast. This prophecy became one of the driving factors behind this campaign.

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While this article seems to stand by itself, and is unfinished in parts, the ideas behind it have shaped the way I think about magic in my world. It gives a reason to why some people are more skilled with magic and why it's not something to be toyed with. It's the reason of some of the major events in recent history, like the displacement of Plane Touched from the Kingdom of Abonaria to the Shadowcliff of Okodranous.

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While this article hasn't had a major impact on my world building, it's still one of my favourites. I came up with the map of Teldora years ago. During a "Trash my map" stream, Caeora and Dimitris mentioned that the river network of Teldora doesn't make geographical sense - and they are totally right - but instead of fixing the problem, I came up with an explanation why it is what it is!

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