Summer Camp 2023 Pledge and Prep

Summer Camp was my favourite event of last year. It was my first time getting truly involved with a World Anvil event and the prompts were just what I needed to truly kick off both this world and Kal'shar. This year I hope it will do the same, as well as perhaps my primary project The Truth Sagaif the prompts permit. I pledge to shoot for Bronze, as I'm unsure how much my life and muses will allow me to work, but I'm hoping to reach Silver.

Theme Prep: Power

The dynamics of power at play in the world of Neria are complex. At first glance, there are the usual webs you would expect: those in power. Kings, Queens, Emperors and Governments. Institutions and companies are next. As with most hierarchies of power, however, the underdog has worked their way into every corner of the world. Though Magi are the most opressed class of people in many parts of the world, there are many underground organisations, movements, and other such groups that have woven their way into and through the most powerful places, pulling the strings in the background...
On a more literal level, the Magi have their own power dynamics. At the top, of course, is the Goran. The most powerful of Magi-kind and some of the more ancient among them, they take their place as mentors and are most present behind the scenes of mainstream society. Magi themselves tend to organise themselves around those who have the most control over their power as opposed to the level of power they have.
At a more literal basis is the main entwining mystery of the source of the Magi's power. Was it given by the war of The Old Magi or just a natural disaster? Are the Magi gifted with power from The Myriad or are they simply genetic mutations? Were Magi truly so rare before The Endless Night or have we lost their history to The Great Cataclysm?

Theme Prep: Frontier

The main focus of the Magiverse is its people. The Magi face many metaphorical and cultural frontiers in facing their emotions, their trauma, their oppression and their power. Most notably so far is the frontier midway through Beau Nikolson's story, in which she reaches a point where she realises that the country she lives in will not accept her and she would have to make a choice: move forward and create her own safety, or give in to the powers trying to stop her. Crossing this frontier is what gifted the country of Orralia with Shelter, which in itself is a frontier in that it is a solace for Magi, separated from the prejudices and dangers of the rest of the country.
There are many frontiers on a more geographic level, of course. The eastern and western shore of the continent are frontiers to a grand ocean and the island to the east. The desert of the Querian Empire and the tundras to the north. The vast, empty grasslands and woodland in the Orralian wilderness.

Theme Prep: Relics

During The Endless Night most of the past before the New Era was lost. I should probably have thought of how, why and what remains but I suppose that's what the upcoming camp is for! There is a major relic of The Great Cataclysm in the form of Tel Padria, the crater lake that is impossible to study. Perhaps there are ruins surrounding it somewhere?
And what of the rest of the world? What great disaster removed so many records and evidence of the past before the blackout? Perhaps small scraps of evidence remains. Perhaps The Old Magi themselves set their libraries to be destroyed, or perhaps they were hidden? Did they ever exist? This is definitely an area I need to think more deeply about.

Theme Prep: Communication

Oh boy, this is one I've been avoiding. I want to have a low-tech aesthetic with a modern-ish society so it's hard for me to conceptalise how communication will work in Neria. Are there telephones? Other such communications? Low-tech versions of cars exist known as 'auto-carts', security cameras and such. That assumes some form of film or cinema exists. Do televisions exist? If not, why not? Gods, this month's themes are going to be tough.
In fact tech isn't something I've thought about at all, oh boy.

Summer Camp Camp Chill Badge

by Rin Garnett

A custom badge made in honor of Annie Stein's Camp Chill.

Nnie's Camp Chill Guidelines

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-summercamp goals! Write that article you're itching to write, even if it doesn't fit any prompts.

(Shared with permission from Annie Stein. Read her thoughts on 'Camp Chill' on her Camp Pledge.)
If you'd like to repost this badge, add [imgblock:4574878] or [img:4574878] to your article.
If you'd like to repost the guidelines, Amy Winters-Voss made a block version you can use by adding [block:1050823] to your article.