WorldEmber 2023 | Ages of Magic
Lighting up the forge with an action plan and some hired bullies!
For too long, Malkora has existed without the slightest hint as to how the world actually functions. No more! We will have knowledge!
WorldEmber 2023 Pledge
This year I pledge to write 10,000 words of worldbuilding that help solidify Malkora's framework and magic system.
Goals & Accountabullies
I'm going into this year's WorldEmber with more concrete plans and ideas for what I'll be writing and developing. I feel like this is where I struggled most last year, and I was never quite able to set myself on track. Here's hoping that, with a plan and some friendly hired bullies, I can achieve my goals this year!Want Secrets?
Certain articles may have additional secrets for GMs — pick the role that suits you!Seeker — Player Knowledge
Dawnbringer — GM Secrets
Finding my Focus
Last Year's Focus
Last year during WorldEmber, I set my sights on Malkora's powers: the arcane, the divine, and the elemental, and the significance they had on the world. My mission there, unfortunately, was derailed by this magical thing we call life! Thus, our goals went largely unmet! I did end up with some great articles, still, such as the Kingdom of Arsavela, which continues to be a favorite article of mine, but the overall theme of "Powers of Malkora" did not really come through.Magical Reprisal
I am reviving my magical focus this year, with more of a plan in mind. The leylines of Malkora will be my primary focus, as their influence drives the primary themes of Malkora — but they still lack articles! I'll be putting together a list of the most pressing pieces of content I wish to create or expand upon, and my creations from Stubtober will provide a lot of extra ammunition for me to keep the ideas going, and keep in mind some of the important things I need to develop.Concept Priority
- WORLD PRIMER — Malkora still needs a primer. It's been five years, I think now is a good time. I'd like to start with one that is Arsavela-centric, that explores world concepts from an imperfect narrator's perspective.
- INTRO TO LEYLINES — The premise of Malkora is that it is constantly undergoing changes and shifts due to the influence of leylines flowing through the world and emerging in different parts of it. I think it's about time we make an article about them.
- Leyline of Oblivion — This leyline is said to be the very basis of the downfall of the Golden Age of Magic. Its continued influence on the world is laced with mystery and controversy, and many seek to learn its secrets. It's a crime I haven't explored this in greater depth yet.
- Vosra, the New Dawn — Speaking of crimes I've committed in my worldbuilding journey, how have I gone this long without having an article about the prinicipal goddess of the world? Let's fix that.
- Pantheon of the New Age — This is the pantheon to which Vosra belongs, formed in the final dregs of the Nameless Age, including an already written god, Atreimus, the Purifier. It'd be nice to put names to the rest of this lineup by the end of the month.
- Boharin — The most abundant flavor of human in all of Malkora, those of divine blood which haven't been altered by leyline magic. I may want to make an article about humans as a whole, as the three base flavors of human will all be quite similar until I have more details to share.
Setting the Scene
Mini-Meta: Powers Innate and Divine
Powers of the world is the focus of this year's WorldEmber, so let's dive in to some of the details. The scope of this focus is world-wide, but targetting specific aspects of the world's powers helps narrow the scope back into something more manageable. As Malkora's themes lie primary in transformation and evolution at the whim of leyline magic, it will be important to develop these concepts and provide more information that will better set Malkora's foundations as an evolving world.Leylines of Malkora
Leylines carry most magical energy through the world, and act as the cause of the world's shifting nature. They span the whole of Malkora, flowing as veins through a living organism. Though they largely function as self-contained fonts of power, they are known to surge in phenomena known as emergences. As their magic flows into the world surrounding these emergences, every aspect of the landscape, down to its inhabitants, changes. The goal this during this year's event is to focus on the most impactful of these leylines, primarily those which have affected the lands closest to the Kingdom of Arsavela, which will remain my regional focus for the time being.Divinity of Malkora
Divines watch over Malkora, their influence likewise spanning the whole of the world. Though they have far less influence on the world than the leylines do, their divine power does affect many of the people who reside in the world. Many pantheons have taken root in different parts of the world, some sharing deities, others wholly unique, but the Pantheon of the New Dawn and the Champions of the Dawn continue to have sway over all lands in the West. This year, I'll be planning to write up articles for the most historically significant of Malkora's deities, especially Vosra — how can I keep mentioning her in almost all of my articles, but not have an article for her? Silly. Goofy.Primer Prepping
For my Accountabullies
(You know who you are.)Part of my WorldEmber prep will involve priming myself (heh) for the creation of Malkora's own world primer! It's about time. This section is where I will be building an outline or a framework for what I'd like to include or focus on when I get to the actual writing part. My friends have permission to bully me if they don't see progress on this section week-to-week during prep month.
Primer-y Objective
For Malkora's first primer, I'd like to make something with a focus on in-world perspective, largely centered around having the Kingdom of Arsavela as its primary setting. This kingdom will function as an effective "starting zone" for new adventurers stepping into Malkora for the first time.Working Concepts
- I would like to incorporate my Ink-stained Map of Malkora into this primer, tying it in with the local lore, perhaps even establishing who made it. This yet-undecided character could even be the narrator for this primer, giving it that imperfect in-world narrative quality that I do love throwing into my content.
- With an imperfect narrator, readers will get to know what the world is like from the perspective of someone living in it — which means there will always be countless stones left unturned and new secrets to discover by adventuring within. Magic is not well-studied in Arsavela, so numerous misconceptions or misunderstandings may make into this introduction, however the narrator I have in mind would know far more than the average citizen.
Inspiring Worlds
There are too many worlds that delight me on WorldAnvil so, in the interest of my sanity, I've gathered a small collection of some of my recent favorites! Some have inspired me for years, and others are newer fascinations — but all are amazing, and created by amazing beans!
These are my current picks for their different approaches to worldbuilding and the way they inspire my path forward in Malkora, from the darker themes of Cathedris and Melior, to the abundance of life in the Yonderverse (and A to Zoo!), and the intensive magic and divinity systems of Istralar and Visctheria. Beautiful CSS in Shattered and JOY have me itching to redesign things left and right (in a good way!), and Wizard's Peak makes me excited to think of the ways I can involve future players in my setting. I've got a long way to go before Malkora is as built up as some of these worlds, but they light a path forward for me every day!
Final Homework Tasks
Categories Check-In
Introduction
Peoples
Powers
Places
Compendiums
Community
No subcategories here :)
Peoples
— Faithkept
— Eldwrought
— Leyborne
— Eldwrought
— Leyborne
Powers
— Divinity
— Worldspirit
— Leylines
— Worldspirit
— Leylines
Places
— Nefyran
Compendiums
— Herbarium
— Bestiary
— Bestiary
— Events & Challenges
— Patron Halls
— Patron Halls
Current Categories
I did some recent touching-up to my categories, so I can say that I'm quite content with my present loadout. The latest addition is the Compendiums category, which will house all of the articles that will make up my future bestiaries and herbariums, and any other large collections of things!Homepage Review
Much like my categories, I also touched up my homepage not too long ago! I realized, at some point, that I'd not touched its layout at all in years, so I moved some things around! I'm excited about a few things in particular! The first is the art box I set up, showing the Iskani I drew a long while ago now — she gets to be the face of the world, for now! Next is the header bar and pop-out nav panel I set up for quick access to all sorts of links! There's a shiny section in the nav bar where my future primer will go. There's some pressure for me to get it done asap!Friends & Support Groups
I wasn't too social last WorldEmber, but now I'm surrounded by wonderful friends at every turn! I invite you all to come hang out with my corner of the community any time! If you're looking for a cozy community for worldbuilding, creating, and general nerdery, join us in the Owlworks! This is also the best place to get updates on my worlds, my art, and my streams! Writing is a lot more fun with friends! Come join us over on Twitch, where I host cozy creative sessions for members and visitors of the Owlworks, with some gaming sessions to cool off.During WorldEmber, I will be streaming every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2PM EST — but I'll likely take the holidays off if I'm not home for them! Stay tuned for additional pop-up streams if I have free evenings or days off!
The link here takes you to the chapter I lead: Seven Tomes! We're a fantasy-focused chapter, geared towards mutual support and community appreciation! We'll be open for new members throughout WorldEmber!
There are other chapters out there to join! Find more information about them in the WorldAnvil Discord server, in the #info-chapters channel!
Community Fun
Comment Caroling
I'll be endeavoring to spread WorldEmber holiday cheer by joining Annie Stein's Comment Carolers!
Join us by leaving some friendly comments on the articles you read!
Creations & Event Progress
Coming soon!
yess reveal the magic to us! we definitely won't use it for nefarious purposes. this sounds like a really solid plan! i wish you the best of luck!
All shall be revealed in time! Well, we can hope so hehe. Best of luck to you as well, and I hope you get some excellent writing done this month!!
Seek a new dawn, in Malkora!
The Feral Sovereign sleeps peacefully, but will return...