2022 Worldbuilding Summer Camp

Introduction

I began the endeavor I call “The Telluria Project” nearly three decades ago as a personal creative outlet and a way to direct my curiosity. My goal then was to create an imaginary world nearly identical to the one we occupy IRL, but as subtly different as I could make it while keeping it recognizable. At the time I had never heard the word “Worldbuilding,” and had no idea it was even a thing.

After years of imagining and writing and drawing, I had produced pages and pages of Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and random image files – an enormous mass of disjointed unusable imaginary information. Someone once called me “a DM with no players.” Basically, I didn’t know what I was doing, nor how to do it.

Then I discovered WorldAnvil and found I was not alone in my fantastical imaginings, and there was actually a way to bring order to the chaos of the secret world within my mind. I have been gradually building out Telluria on this platform ever since. This year I will participate in my third Summer Camp competition. As I have for the past two years, I hope to step up my game this year and improve both the quantity and quality of my work.

The Challenge

The grid below will be populated as the challenge prompts are announced. When an article is published in response to a prompt, the image will change from the Summer Camp logo to the Telluria Project masthead. Check back in often for new articles.

Progress to Date

TOTAL WORDS WRITTEN

TOTAL ARTICLES COMPLETED

COMPETITION LEVEL ATTAINED

17,469

16

SILVER!

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Copper Level Prompts

Theme: EXPANSE

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Prompt 1

Prompt 2

Prompt 3

AN OCEAN, DESERT, PLAIN, POCKET DIMENSION, OR OTHER LARGE EXPANSE

A RELIGION OR ORGANISATION CONNECTED TO A NATURAL PHENOMENON

A SPECIES THAT SURVIVES IN AN UNLIKELY PLACE

Prompt 4

Prompt 5

Prompt 6

A VEHICLE OR TYPE OF VEHICLE USED FOR LONG JOURNEYS

A SETTLEMENT BESIDE OR IN A GREAT EXPANSE

A MATERIAL ONLY HARVESTABLE FROM NATURE

Prompt 7

Prompt 8

A CULTURE WHO LIVES BY, NEAR OR WITHIN AN OCEAN, DESERT OR OTHER EXPANSE

A FOOD THAT MARKS A RITE OF PASSAGE FOR A CULTURE IN YOUR WORLD

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Silver Level Prompts

Theme: LEADERSHIP

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Prompt 9

Prompt 10

Prompt 11

A SETTLEMENT THAT LEADS THE KNOWN WORLD IN SOMETHING

A MILITARY CONFLICT RESOLVED THROUGH EXCELLENT LEADERSHIP

A BUILDING ASSOCIATED WITH GOVERNANCE, LEADERSHIP OR CHANGE

Prompt 12

Prompt 13

Prompt 14

AN ORGANIZATION ASSOCIATED WITH GOVERNANCE, LEADERSHIP OR CHANGE

A PROFESSION ASSOCIATED WITH LEADERS IN YOUR WORLD

A TITLE THAT COMMANDS RESPECT FROM THOSE IN THE KNOW

Prompt 15

Prompt 16

A GREAT LEADER OF THEIR PEOPLE

A TRADITION OR CEREMONY WHICH CONFERS AN HONOR ON SOMEONE

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Gold Level Prompts
Theme: DISCOVERY

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Prompt 17

Prompt 18

Prompt 19

A SETTLEMENT THAT WAS LOST OR DISCOVERED

AN ASTONISHING NATURAL WONDER

A RECENTLY DISCOVERED, OR REDISCOVERED, SPECIES

Prompt 20

Prompt 21

Prompt 22

A LOST OR DISCOVERED ARTIFACT OF SIGNIFICANCE OR POWER

A TECHNOLOGY LOST, FORGOTTEN OR SHROUDED IN MYSTERY

A LOST OR DISCOVERED MONUMENT

Prompt 23

Prompt 24

AN EXPLORER, RESEARCHER OR OTHER CHARACTER MOTIVATED BY DISCOVERY

A TRAVEL LOG OR OTHER DOCUMENT ASSOCIATED WITH DISCOVERY

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Diamond Level Prompt

Theme: MONSTROUS

Prompt 25

Prompt 26

Prompt 27

A SPECIES CONSIDERED MONSTROUS BY SOME

A MYTH OR URBAN LEGEND ABOUT A “MONSTER”

A TRADITION THAT KEEPS MONSTERS OR BAD LUCK AWAY

Prompt 28

Prompt 29

Prompt 30

A CONDITION CONSIDERED MONSTROUS OR “UNLUCKY” BY SOME

AN ORGANIZATION CONSIDERED CRUEL OR MONSTROUS BY SOME

A PERSON CONSIDERED VILLAINOUS OR MONSTROUS

Prompt 31

AN ARTIFACT THAT EMBODIES A HIDEOUS OR MONSTROUS IDEA

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Creative Goals

I have several creative goals I’d like to pursue this year:

GEOGRAPHY

I find I have focused on the western continent of Heremonia, with only vague references to Heberia in the East. I hope to use Summer Camp 2022 as an opportunity to open up the geography of the exotic “Old World.”

BIOLOGY

I want to continue to expand on the flora and fauna of Telluria, to add new species which are like those we know, but different, and to further explore the four human species of Telluria.

HISTORY

I would like to add to my understanding of the Mílesian Era in the West, and to add detail to the events of the Great Intercontinental War, which so greatly impacted and shaped the economy, politics and culture of modern Telluria.

POLITICS

I want to develop characters to fill the leadership roles in the major countries of Telluria, and also to detail the political histories of the great nations of Telluria.

CULTURE

I would like to add to the folklore of Telluria, and to develop an understanding of the cultural significance of the East, especially as eastern culture becomes increasingly popular in the West.

TECHNOLOGY

I would like to flesh out the look and feel of Telluria and provide a better sense of its development into the modern age.

Motivation

My motivation is the same as it has ever been – to explore and discover a world that is just beyond our reach, identical in almost every way to the world we live in, but not our world. I want the differences to be where the creativity blossoms. And in the process, my research will provide me with ever-increasing knowledge of the world I’ve lived in my entire life, but still do not know or understand.

Challenge Goals

My Challenge Goals for this year can be stated simply:
1. To actually publish a Pledge Document! (Hooray for achieving goals – even if a bit late)
2. To write every day;
3. To limit the scope of my articles to around 500 words or so, which should help…
4. To publish at least 30 articles and earn a Gold Badge.

Integrating the Themes into the Telluria Project

This year’s themes appear to provide a tremendous opportunity to develop Telluria along the lines described in my Creative Goals above. I imagine the Copper Level theme of Expanse will fit in perfectly with my first goal, as I already know that there are deserts in southern Heberia, and a vast steppe region in the North of the continent.

The Silver Level theme of Leadership would seem to play well with my third and fourth Creative Goals (Politics and History), and the Gold Level Theme of Discovery could be used to advantage for nearly all of them. The Diamond Level Goal of Monstrous appears to be tailor-made to help with my second goal (Biology), but after reading several other Pledge Documents I can see potential for several other goals as well.