World Ember 2023 Prep
Welcome to World Ember 2023 Prep. This is an article about my process for getting ready for World Ember and contains my responses to the prep assignments that have been released by World Anvil. This article is specific to the world of Nonvyrox, not my whole set of worlds, part of my plan is to develop elements of all my worlds rather than focusing on one.
Week One - An Area of Focus
When looking towards World Ember this year, there are many things that I need to consider when choosing an area of focus. The best method for decision will likely be to discuss several areas that could possibly be focus and then furthering this into ideas.Ossalimar
The continent of Ossalimar is vast and diverse and actually one of the largest elements of the world that has no worldbuilding done in terms of people, settlements, or place. My focus would be on bringing this currently stagnant place to life. If working on this section of the world it would be extremely relevant for an upcoming campaign being run within this continent and would allow me to get a better understanding of how the continent fits into the rest of Nonvyrox. There's also a level of excitement in starting work on this continent because of the inspiration that invoked its existence. Ossalimar draws heavily from Wildemount in Exandria. However, my goal is to use this world and my own thoughts to put a new twist upon it and develop my idea of Empires and Culture. This continent also has a diverse link to several organisations that roam free among the realms. With this focus, I am able to look at a vast array of different elements within the cultures of Ossalimar, ranging from the clothing and food all the way to their interactions with the gods. This gives me a chance to work on templates across the spectrum rather than focusing on just one particular template, therefore giving me a large expans of elements to work with. Additionally, there are some unique playable classes and origins that can be explored within Ossalimar that would be interesting to develop from a Game Master perspective and will also give me a good insight as to what can be done for some of the other continents that require development.Style and Culture
A different but also important area of focus for me right now is the world's cultures. Over the 6 continents of Nonvyrox, there are at least 20 nation states and a variety of cultures and anvestries within those nations. While many of them may share some cultural and societal touchstones, there are some strong elements of the cultures that are missing. Part of this design would require an element of design that i have not worked with yet as I want to customise the design of a page based on the content within it. So content related to one continent/nation state/ancestry has one styling when compared to the rest of them. What excites me most about this is that not only will the world feel more cohesive as it will have a level of consistency and udnerstanding, but this will also enable me to be prepared for an organisational element after World Ember. Particularly in relation to old articles with now out of date information. Additionally, it will provide a good insight into a massive spectrum of the world's content.Cosmology and Divnity
The world of Nonvyrox is filled to the brim with deities. In my own planning documents there are at least 30 pure deities and several other minor deities, spirits, and divine creations. This is a grand and vast collection that in exploring will give a great insight into not only elements of religion, but also how the worship of certain gods have influenced society. Additionally, there is a large aspect of the Cosmology that is influenced by Divinity, particularly the Divine Domains and the different planes (Inner/Outer/Parallel). This would allow for a greater mapping and understanding of the cosmological side of the world that hasn't been fleshed out to as great of an extent as it could be. I'm excited about this concept as it gives me a wider scope picture of elements in the world. Looking at the different planes allows for a great expansion of planar creatures, from the fae to the divine creatures that are rare in the world. However, looking at divinity will allow me to return to the major disaster of the world known as The Shatter and build up a good mythological stand point. The Shatter and its effects may also impact on the story of the campaign I am looking to develop, so working further on its existence and timeline will help generate new information regarding this event and further my own understanding before dropping hints of information for my players to pick up on.Species, Ancestry, and Culture
There are many elements of Nonvyrox that are derived from typical fantasy elements, particularly with how it relates to different TTRPGs. This is something I have really wanted to diversify, particularly when its comes to the creatures and peoples of the world and their TTRPG statistics. I hope to use World Ember to develop further some of the unique creatures that exist in Nonvyrox, particularly developing a further understanding of both domesticated and wild creatures within the world that are unique to Nonvyrox. Looking towards ancestry and culture there are several unique ancestries that I wish to develop further particularly those which have little connection outwith the world of Nonvyrox. So while there are connections to typical fantasy ancestries through TTRPGs and fantasy tropes, the development of unique ancestries and the development of interesting and diverse cultures is at the core of the world.I think in short, there are many different points of focus that are prominent for the world, and particularly need development in the upcoming month, particularly that inspire me to work on them. As a result, the goal is to just work on most, if not all, of them. My focus is this world and the many goals that come with that, particularly as it is the world that inspired me to start worldbuilding.
World Inspirations for World Ember
Linked in this section are worlds that I am looking further into for inspiration not only for content, but also for styling, prose and organization. I will link the creator of each world, because of their simply excquisite work. This collection is specficially chosen for their design and work in the fantasy genre and designs close to Nonvyrox!
Malkora
Etrea
There are way to many worlds to write here that have inspired me, but know that I will (over the course of the month) try and highlight inspirations in some form of daily log (as possible as I can make it), to show my appreciation and awe of these amazing worldbuilders, authors, and people!
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