Shadowfire Worldbuilding Awards 2024 submissions
Very pleased to provide an overview of the articles i submitted to this years Worldbuilding awards. Last year I was very pleased to win the Most Beautiful World Award for Shadowfire, and a nomination for best myth.
The competition is inspiringly awesome this year, and I'm definitely looking forward to spending the next week looking through all the amazing submissions others have done. The amazing Amelie has put together a cool tracking sheet with all of the submissions which will help me immensely. Check it out.
For my submissions, I selected some of my favourite articles I've done which fit the categories. I've added them here for those interested.
Best of luck to all.
Hearts and Minds
For me, the idea of the Kithweaving came from a personal desire to see non-standard ideas of parenting and child rearing from our world turned on their head and normalised for my favourite goblin culture in Shadowfire. It was fun to explore what duty to the larger kin group could look like while keeping a freedom for more personal relationships. Hopefully you'll like it too.
Rise of Nations
Continuing with my focus on my favourite goblins of Uferbrech, my Rise of Nations submission focusses on the Tokari. Ironically for this category, the central tension for this clan of the goblins is their fall and near defeat by the invading Protectorates, but this also shows also their tenacity and adaptatibility since the fall. This article explores the Tokari's history, legacy and the changes that have occured during their ongoing resistance to their oppressors.
Wondrous nature
Shadowfire's magical source is the very molten core of the planet, known as Uhd, or the blood of the earth. When the Destruction ejected the magical core of the planet into the atmosphere and stopped the world turning, it created insatbilities that are still apparent millenia later. This article looks at the impacts of the magical and techtonic instability where disaster can strike at any time.
Strength and honour
The Protectorates are not as unified in their fervour as they might want others to believe. This failed rebellion by one of the Lord Protectors, ushered in global alliances that saw the birth of the modern era with the Tempest Accord, but also sowed the seeds of ongoing resistance to Protectorate doctrine across the lands they control.
Pillars of progress
Sudengard is a shining example of progressive ideals driving change within the Protectorates. This is where the clash of cultures forged a vibrant community where art, innovation and social equity are held up as examples against the usual Protectorate doctrines of duty and subservience.
Myths and legends
One of my favourite earlier writings which adopts the voice of the Goblin Shadowseer as it tells the myth of the world's creation. The creation myth shows their interpretation of Destruction that changed Shadowfire forever and also drives the goblinkin's duty to their ancestors and the Vigil to restore the cycle of birth and rebirth.
Best article
This was hard to choose, but i went with the Gleaming City, as it the focal point for such an intriguing part of the world, and i think i've described the city quite well. The Gleaming City is where the avatars of the Elder Gods who escaped their prison during the Destruction settled, and have been ruling their corrupt theocracy from there ever since.
Best world
Shadowfire is a world where the world has stopped spinning, there is no day or night cycle, and magic transforms internal desires and hunger into power. The dichotomies of Fire vs Ice, Desire vs Duty, Dominance vs Freedom, and Tradition vs Progress are felt through out all levels of the world. It feels very presumptuous to submit this considering the array of amazing worlds out there, but it is a world i am proud of and enjoy the building of.
Best map
The main map for Shadowfire was hand drawn by me, and then manipulated in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for stylistic elements. From the Sea of Black Ice to the Desolation of Ghul Drazul, I have added the key locations, people and the stories i have written that explore the land in detail. Explore and enjoy!
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