Summer Camp Pledge
This time, like many times before (can't believe this is my 6
th Summer Camp!) I have decided to create yet another new world and you are staring directly at it. Recently I have been loving the
Courts of Blades version of
Blades in the Dark, and decided to put my own goofy spin on it in the form of heroic knights and their companions. I am really excited to make my own setting from scratch, so I will only delve into my other creations on WA only if the prompt is just
*chef kiss* perfect for something else.
Second fact about me, that is consistent with all of the previous Summer Camps, is that I am an overachiever and
must. collect. all. the. badges. It's definitely
diamond or die for me. This is my favourite WA challenge after all!
Power
The first theme is one that inspired me to try to put my own spin on the
Court of Blades. The game is focused on exploring power politics and different noble houses competing against each other for influence over the city Ilrien. It borrowed some of the tools from
Stars Without Number and its factions turn. I love the idea of GMs having an easy way of letting the world flourish and move forward and change not only due to the PCs decisions, but also simply because other parties have their interests and woudn't just sit around and wait.
I aim for
Swords & Treachery to have plenty of nobles and clans competing against each other but also cooperate to meet greater goals. The other side of the power struggle will be the nature magic against the forming organised religion of worshipping saints and icons. And lastly, every world needs to have a little bit of evil, scoundrels and criminals running around.
Frontier
Kingdom of Avalonia is very obviously inspired by the mythical island of Avalon, an important part of the Arthurian legends. And as such it must be an island full of magic and other surprises. When I think about frontiers in relation to this setting, I think about water versus land, invaders versus settlers, castles and their walls and the borders of the mundane and the supernatural.
As for maps, my focus will be on the main island and what it is like to venture beyond it. Next in the line is crafting of the royal castle where all the cool knightly action happens and how the world of the rich contrasts with the world of the poor.
Relics
The search for the holy grail is one of the key components of the Arthurian Cycle. What more, relics were originaly mostly the bones of the saints, and I would like to focus in this world on the struggle between the up and coming christianity-esque new religion of saints and angels and the mystical forces of natures, spirits and magical creatures that were here first. Both of them have items very important to them and it will be interesting to explore the history of the world through their lense.
Communication
Being able to read and write is a priviledge not granted to many. Commoners mostly communicate with word of mouth and pictures. They get information about the world from the towncriers and from the clergy during sermons. There are some exceptions, a lot of herbalists and elders do know how to write notes to be pass down to their apprentices. I would like to build some special abilities around the ways people can communicate and spy and eavesdrop on one another.
The flow of information from region to region depends on horseriding messangers and some of the knights start their service as them or as an escorts for them. Rarer are birds of prey and pigeons being trained to deliver messages and even rarer is the use of magic to send information.
Dimi Mission
I have had the unique oportunity this year, to receive a super secret special mission from
Dimitris Havlidis himself, to make my Summer Camp experience a little more challenging... and it definitely delivered. I don't mean to take this competition lightly - but for me, Summer Camp itself is not really a "challenge" anymore. It is a month filled with excitement of dozens of new prompts that I can unleash my brain upon and let it come up with anything it wants. This is what makes July so special to me and this is why it remains my favourite time here on Worldanvil. I am here to have fun, and only compete with myself.
So while I ran through the words and created one article after another - this mission really put things into a deeper perspective and will continue to influence the direction in which to take this world. In my mind, librarians and authors are important keepers of knowledge and in order for that to work well, I really need to focus on fleshing out how the world really works behind the scenes and how it all affects the day to day life of would-be-heroes and common people alike. Creating this iceberg that is lurking in the depths of the ocean will be my next step. Which will most likely fuel me with plenty of material for the upcoming Worldember.
For the mission itself I have created a person called
Lorekeeper Aeron, inspired by the half mythical bard Taliesin and a lot of folklorists active during the Czech National Revival. His character is more of a sketch on which I plan to build upon in the upcoming months. People can't seem to agree if Aeron was real or not and the article itself is on purpose a bit ambiguous, even about their gender. Ideally, I would like to keep it that way, so every future GM could decide, if it was one person, if the name is more of a title that one can achieve, or if it was a simple group of rebels trying to protect their culture against an invading empire. It will be up to them to decide how big of a role books, written word and folklore actually has in their campaign and what kind of things their players will want to uncover on their adventures. Who knows, maybe I will be able to spin it into a campaign that would focus on finding the treasures mentioned in the books scattered all over the land... but it is too early to think about Adventure April xD
As for the
quotes, I only managed to attach them to the second half of the articles, but I do plan to add more to the rest of them and attach which books or poems or stories they are all coming from and where could the characters find them. Here is a list of all 21 quotes with a link to their respective articles.
"The glittering gold of fools who dare to believe."
"The embrace of my home feels cold as none of its stones remained unturned."
"I bow before his statue, unable to say goodbye to my friend and lord."
"They turned their backs on the common people and, like the gods they worshipped, they were gone."
"Jester Jill was the last to laugh."
"Those words cut deeper than chimaira's claws."
"They brought with them a fresh wind of new stories."
"Becoming a king is much more than just taking a crown and placing it on your head."
"I cannot wait to see the stars again while laying in your arms."
"The best sleep I have ever gotten while running away from my problems, as those were silly enough to hire mules."
"Burn ever brighter. Give them hope."
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed either."
"...and the people who yearned for freedom so strongly, lept into an embrace of another slavemaster."
"If you hear a crunch under your foot, it's already too late."
"While I trust witches, I would not believe a nose between wizard's eyes."
"As long as there is air in Avlans lungs, these words will rang true."
"Wait for a dove from me, only trust those with white feathers and a velvet ring around their legs."
"The gentless touch of a distant angel, has brought me back to life, my brittle bones being able to hold a quill once more."
"Her eyes made of embers could show you your fate within seconds, while you wished to stare into them forever."
"Hidden deep within the heart of the Earth, you can still hear their chants, unceasing."
"...and with the last drop of ink, my tale ends here."
Summary
Now all I need to do is manifest *myself* into a great author lol. Back to writing with me! xD
Link to the Reading Challenge will appear here soon~
