#SeptemberWorldbuilders 14: Within Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the process of distillation to make spirits is confined to only Atmoriel and Freeport, but since the latter has a significant multicultural population, spirits that embody each of the culture's predominant..

#Septopolis 14: The staple food of the Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) is rice, and so Vizrala is no exception, with rice being a common accompaniment to most dishes. For the commoners and merchants who are not explicitly wealthy, Vri'Till's chicken...

#Septopolis 13: Since Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) is fantasy with no out-right magic and the Vizrani Empire as a whole has technology that is roughly equivalent with the cusp of the Renaissance, there is less to say here that doesn't hit on trade (yet again). With...

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 12: An invented food in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) is the honeyed noniel of the Atmoriel archipelago, which is a fruit that looks much like a breadfruit but that, when ripe, has a golden interior with a similar texture to a mango. The Atmorals...

First of the stand alones, The Grey Plague, a grimdark fantasy exploring how people (well, elves) live though a pandemic. Currently revising: one beta reader (@dukeofnothingham.bsky.social) has looked at this one, @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social is revising (current draft is 103,342 words). (3/?)

#Septopolis 12: In Vizrala in the Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the city has a strong multicultural and cosmopolitan character compared to the rest of the Empire. Given the centrality of trade to its economy, the city is much more accepting of its...

#Septopolis 9: In the Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the major cities that all trace their founding back to Viz'Rah's initial settlement are: Vizrala (the port city I've been focusing on), Vizra (the capital), Vizrol (a Western mining city), and Vizrei..

#Septopolis 8: Like all cities in the Vizrani Empire, Vizrala was founded when Viz'Rah/Vizra landed in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social). As is stated in the official beliefs of the Empire and its religion, VIzra left the old continent when the people there went astray...

#Septopolis 7: Vizrala was founded along with the other cities in the Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) as a part of the conquest and expansion by Vizra and his initial group of settlers, initially as port and hub for travel. While it would ultimately...

#Septopolis 6: As far as natural beauty goes, Vizrala on the southern coast of Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) sits directly on the southern sea, which is known far and wide for its pristine waters. Most other wonders are man-made, as much of the city is seen as a...

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 26: While it is hard to find one MC for the Karnassia stories (co-authored with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), Zri'Denn is probably the closest character to an MC, and he only really has a least favorite season of winter, due to the lack of opportunities for profit that...

#Septopolis 5: Vizrala's location in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) gives it ample access to freshwater (given where tributaries of Mistwood River empty into the ocean all around it) and while farming does not happen in the city, numerous farms surround it (including...

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 5: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) the beginning of winter marks the start of the New Year across the continent, and Valestrals in particular celebrate this with a festival and feast to the New Year, marked with celebrations to honor all six of...

#Septopolis 4: Vizrala is on the southern coast of the mainland continent of Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), along one of the peninsulas that encircles the Cove of Caverns (the other peninsula being the volcanic Vein of Fire). This makes it the city of the Vizrani Empire..

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 4: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the Kingdom of Hroth celebrates the autumn harvest with a festival to Naianya, the Harvest Mother, with a celebration and feast of freshly harvested produce, hunted animals, and music and drink to celebrate. At..

#Septopolis 3: The inspirations for Vizrala in the Vizrani Empire in Karnasia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) include both real and fictional sources, including: Alexandria, Egypt, ancient to medieval Chines architecture, Madrid, several cities from The Elder SCrolls (especially...

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 3: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) in the Nation of Avenad, the Avendrals celebrate the midsummer of each year with the Carnival of the Wastes. While most Avendral cities are underground, during the summer, craftsral and artisans from the cities...

#Septopolis 2: Vizrala in the Vizrani Empire on the southern coast of Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) is the primary setting for several stories written in that shared world, especially the Rise of Villainy series where the main characters move into the city to try their...

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 2: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the culture with the biggest spring celebration is the Valestrals, who mark the end of winter with a celebratory hunt throughout the day in praise of Stratil (and in the hopes to keep Aetal from tricking the...

#Septopolis I am going to focus on the city of Vizrala in the Vizrani Empire, since it is the city where a large chunk of Karnassia stories (co-authored with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) are set. I'm hoping to share a lot of the broad strokes ideas and to get prompted to fill in details the two...

#SeptemberWorldbuilders 1: The Karnassia stories (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) take place across all seasons, which each of the four stand alones (The Grey Plague, The Great Famine, The Second War, and The Rippling Cataclysm) covering about one year, and the Rise of Villainy series🧵

#MythAugust 31: This has been a lot of fun (and thanks to @professoremily.bsky.social for doing this)! I think that the day on initiation rites led to the most expansion for the religion of the Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social). I also think the day-to-day..

#AugustWorldbuilders 31: So, uh, Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) would be a pretty unpleasant place to have to live. If I had to choose somewhere, it would probably be the Republic of Freeport or the Nations of Avenad or Cyra (as the most politically "free" locations), but..

#MythAugust 30: The religion of the Vizrani Empire shows up in Karnassia stories (co-authored with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) as a cultural force shaping the characters in stories set at least partially in that setting (mainly The Great Famine, The Rippling Cataclysm, and the Rise of Rogues...

#AugustWorldbuilders 30: For Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), some of the rabbit holes have included: megafauna, per-refrigeration food storage, miasma theory of disease, ancient forms of torture, famine and cannibalism throughout history, forms of microorganisms with...

#MythAugust 29: As with many Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) pieces of worldbuilding, the Vizrani Empire has a few different sources. The pantheon construction was influenced by some summaries of ancient Chinese mythology and pantheons I'd read (including the phrase...

#AugustWorldbuilders 29: @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social mostly use Google Drive and Slack for Karnassia worldbuilding documents these days

#MythAugust 28: In the religion of the Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), everyday rites include prayers before meals or before challenging or uncertain tasks. People vary both in their level of religiosity as well as in their ability to incorporate...

#AugustWorldbuilders 28: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), cultures that believe in magic are likely to see it as coming from a deity. Whether that deity is exclusively malevolent (as in Hroth), may be a part of malevolent deities or benevolent divinity (as the Vizrani...

#MythAugust 27: Oh, shoot, I already kind of answered the question about these yesterday, but for the religion of the Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) on additional piece is that in addition to invocation of the "relevant" god for each of these...

#AugustWorldbuilders 27: Given magic in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) is mostly a belief and social convention among certain cultures but not others and is not something that is observed directly (and from a meta-narrative level, doesn't actually exist), the short answer..

#MythAugust 26: For the religion of the Vizrani Empire in Karnasia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), there are consecrations in the faith that happen around birth and as a coming of age ritual that are predominantly held for Vizrani citizens. While non-Vizrani are legally required...

#AugustWorldbuilders 26: Let me sum up the Karnassia story (co-authored with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) MCs beliefs as rapidly as possible: The Grey Plague: Rashad (skeptic), Morella (skeptic), Esmiraalda (believer, thinks that's what her dreams are) The Great Famine: Mir'Tenna (agnostic)...

#MythAugust 25: In the religion of the Vizrani Empire in Karnassa (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), there are several important holidays/festivals, some of which are tied to days of the calendar, while others mark specific events. For calendar days, New Year's Eve is a celebration...

#AugustWorldbuilders 25: Within Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), there is an esoteric religion that refer to themselves as the "Followers of the Eight Parallel Paths Plus One" though they are often referred to as the "Ninth Path Syncretics," both by outsiders and by the...

#MythAugust 24: In the religion of the Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), prayer is the predominant form of ritual utilized, particularly when one is seeking personal boons and blessings. Prayers typically ask for good health, good fortunes (especially in...

#AugustWorldbuilders 24: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), most allegedly magical traditions are religious in nature and are particularly prominent among the polytheistic religions of the Valestrals, Hrothians, and Vizrani. This is probably most pronounced in the animal...

#MythAugust 23: In the Vizrani Religion practiced throughout the Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the primary sacred text is the aptly named Book of the Law, allegedly penned by Vizra (well, Viz'Rah) himself before his ascension to godhood, describing...

#AugustWorldbuilders 23: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the Hrothian religion puts particular stock in this, believing that the Valestrals in particular are practitioners of various form of magic and thinking that their language is full of various magic phrases that...

#MythAugust 22: In the Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), worship occurs both in public and private. Every major city and town has a table devoted to public worship and service, built to various degrees of opulence and grandeur reflective of the wealth...

#AugustWorldbuilders 22: I mean yes, kind of, but in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), while characters may belief in magic and religion and gods, the truth of these things is ambiguous at best. Stories of magic are particularly common in the religions and cultures of...

#MythAugust 21: In the religion of Vizrani Empire in Karnassa (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), apocalypse beliefs and creation beliefs have a parallel in that there is not a singular agreed upon belief. While the state religion very much controls worship and the relationship with...

#AugustWorldbuilders 21: Off the top of my head in Karnassia stories (co-authored with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), there are two scenes in The Great Famine where music is playing and Morragine is feeling a mixture of anxiety, disgust, and dread, and in The Rise of Rogues where the characters...

#MythAugust 20: The religion of the Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) has a variety of places individuals can go in the afterlife, based on which god they were devoted to and any sins that defined the overall story of their life. These beliefs do play a...

#AugustWorldbuilders 20: As mentioned yesterday, in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) one particular singer is the bard Arron McCord, who mostly makes his living playing in various taverns, brothels, and the illicit gambling hall of organized crime group known as The Silent...

#MythAugust 19: The religion of the Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) holds up deference to authority, orderliness, purity, moderation, and duty is primary virtues, particularly when it comes to things like social harmony and maintaining the social order...

#AugustWorldbuilders 19: While none of the current Karnassia stories (co-authored with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) have main characters that sing or play instruments, there is a minor character Arron McCord who is a bard. Given my habit of sometimes elevating minor characters in other stories...

#MythAugust 18: Within the religion of the Vizrani Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), two predominant sect "categories" exist: monastic orders and treasonous heresies. Monastic orders are primarily made up of devotees to specific gods who revere all the gods but...

#AugustWorldbuilders 18: After reaching out to @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social, I think I can confirm that while we have in-world academic texts and some in-world religious writing, we haven't, at this time, written in world lyrics or poetry, let alone any that characters sing (yet)

#MythAugust 17: Within the religion of the Vizrnai Empire in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the priesthoods, monastic orders, and Imperial family (given the tie between religious and state power) are incredibly hierarchical and organized, each serving different...