Welcome to the World Archive

The World Archive serves as a testament to the diversity found in the multiverse. These shelves serve as a reminder that we should never be so foolish to think we have all the answers or know what is truly right. Perhaps that is the message the Reality Engine is trying to teach us. Or perhaps, we are all just at the mercy of the Engine itself, dragged along on this journey like leaves in a current.

- The Director, Annual State of the Archive Speech, 1334

The World Archive is both a collection of information and the building that holds them. Floating through space, the timeless archive uses its Reality Engine to connect to various worlds. The archivists go through, collect stories, histories, conversations, maps, and catalogue as much as they can before the Engine brings them to a new location in a month. Nobody knows where the Archive or the Engine came from nor the Archive's goal beyond gathering information. For now, that might just be enough.
The World Archive is a collaborative writing project focused on world building. Each month a new "world" is selected with a set of basic characteristics. Authors write articles that cover various parts of the world, anything from a single person to an entire continent. This site will serve as a collection of the stories we write and the worlds we bring to life. The project will generally follow the Microscope style of worldbuilding, once something is written, it cannot be removed from the world. However, another author causing a major change is permitted and encouraged to make the worlds interesting.

Rules

While this project is fairly free-form, there are a few ground rules to adhere to:

1. Only edit your own articles! This ensures no overwriting or edits accidentally being deleted.
2. Collaborations are permitted, but make sure all authors are given credit! It sucks to not be given credit for your hard work, make sure you discuss where you want your article to go with all your authors and give credit!
3. Only write articles about the past and present of the world. This is to prevent speculation and wild deviations from the theme. It's not great to be talking about the wild west and then suddenly an article about space-faring is added.
4. Adhere to the anchors! Each month the theme will be published along with a set of anchors. These are a set of absolute truths about the world and should not be contradicted. There will usually only be a few, and only to give the theme clarity and direction.
5. Avoid conflicts with canon. Sometimes it can create interesting situations if the conflict can be resolved, but direct conflicts only cause confusion.
6. Don't shy from using other people's creations! This is what really makes the world interesting! See an inspiring character someone else has created? Write something that showcases who they are or the power they wield. See an cool town? Burn it down! This is from the Microscope style of play, where anything can happen. Do not diminish the work of others, but creating changes and adjusting the world makes for interesting situations that a single author might never have created.
7. Make sure to mark your articles with the right world. Under the Navigation tab for each article, make sure you select the current world for the category. This will help us maintain an orderly collection of creations!

Guidelines

Here are also some general guidelines for effective use of WorldAnvil and the Archive itself.

1. Target at least one article of a minimum of 200 words every month. You might not be able to do much for the archive one month and that is fine! We get it! However, the best way to stay in practice and get over the writer's block is to constantly do a little writing. 200 words is not too much, and it might inspire you to write more!
2. Add all the authors to the credits section. Each article has a Sections tab, towards the bottom is a box labelled credits. Add all authors to that box! Pseudonyms are absolutely allowed.
3. Talk with your other authors! This whole project is supposed to be collaborative and that is how you can spark new ideas. Play off of each others' ideas and create interesting situations. Never reject the work of others, but change and shape it into something new!
4. Declare your work! Whenever you start working on something, you hit a major milestone, or finish an addition, announce it to your fellow authors! Not only does this give you a chance to show off your hard work, it allows others to avoid conflicting ideas or to use your work for inspiration. Cohesion brings worlds to life!
5. Avoid preventing growth. Allow room for others to grow your ideas. If I say this building only has two rooms, that places constraints on the building's size and function. At times, this can be very useful if you want to set something in stone. However, by leaving the number of rooms general, it allows for other authors to add additional details. Balance is key!

Authors

A list of active authors.

• William Mullen