View source for Campfire Explore Update Archive

== 1. Really getting started now. (09/15/2021) ==
I've added a couple new brainstorming sessions, as well as updated the existing one to have a little bit more exposition.

I've also added a folder for what I'm tentatively calling “Blog” Posts, which I'll use to talk about more meta aspects of the project, which don't directly relate to the world itself. In the first article in there, I discuss more in depth my I'm doing this project, and what I'm hoping to achieve with it.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Impetus (Campfire Blog Post)|1. Impetus]]
* [[Different Worlds (Campfire Brain Dump)|Brain Dump: Different Worlds]]
* [[Magic Systems (Campfire Brain Dump)|Brain Dump: Magic Systems]]

=== Updated Elements ===

* [[God Lore (Campfire Brain Dump)|Brain Dump: God Lore]]

== 2. Religion and Specialness (09/15/2021) ==
I wrote up some musings on how I want to handle both religions, as well at the concept of specialness within the project.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Religions (Campfire Brain Dump)|Brain Dump: Religions]]
* [[Specialness (Campfire Brain Dump)|Brain Dump: Specialness]]

== 3. Let's Talk More About Gods (09/16/2021) ==
I've written up some more specific thoughts on the different types of gods that I outlined in [[God Lore (Campfire Brain Dump)|Brain Dump: God Lore]]. Next up I'm gonna go ahead a start building a random planet, and we'll see where it goes from there.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Origin Gods]]
* [[Caretaker Gods]]
* [[Universals]]
* [[Old Gods]]
* [[Young Gods]]
* [[Worldly Gods]]
* [[Lesser Gods]]
* [[Under Gods]]

== 4. The First World (09/18/2021) ==
I started some outlining for the first world within this project. I'm pretty happy with how it came out. I'm really looking forward to digging into the different aspects of the world more in depth and I'll hopefully get a lot of the foundational work for the world done throughout the week, outlining the different species, the world map and maybe even try and build the family trees for the three pantheons.

I also wrote up another little “Blog” Post about how I'm organizing the elements as I go, as well as how I'm going to approach moving forward with the project.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Getting Started (Campfire Blog Post)|2. Getting Started]]
* [[Kamirell]]

== 5. Really Starting To See The World Now (09/22/2021) ==
I've made some decent progress on fleshing out what the world will look like, and the species within it. Not every new element has a ton of info about them yet, but they are all beginning to fit together very nicely.

I've got a much more solid picture of what the different species look like now. While the humans will likely be the most populous species, it will be hard to go almost anywhere without running into a fairly diverse population. The other species will all be humanoid, but some will have some definite standout features.

As for the world itself, I've begun to sort out the continental climates, and I have a fairly solid picture in my head of what the map will look like, however I still need to actually get that picture down somewhere, I'm hoping to get that done by the end of the week.

Finally, as I went through and thought about when the different species were introduced, and how they all interact, I came up with a few key historical periods and events, which have been noted in the timeline.

Do please note that all of the names are fairly obviously temporary. I'm not so sure I want to commit to any specific names quite yet, as I'm not sure how far I'm going to go in terms of stuff like conlanging. That being said, I'll probably hold off on going that far for a little bit, and just pick some names that I like the sound of.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Human (Kamirell)|Human]]
* [[Eldarani]]
* [[Dendregaar]]
* [[Kallegari]]
* [[Hamatsii]]
* [[Delphassi]]
* [[The Great Beast]]
* [[Matrellis]]
* [[Jotdäl]]
* [[The Desolate Continent]]
* [[Draedunn]]
* [[Delphion]]
* [[Palidae]]
* [[History of Kamirell#The Age of The Gods|The Age of The Gods]]
* [[History of Kamirell#The Age of Beasts|The Age of Beasts]]
* [[History of Kamirell#The Age of Mortals|The Age of Mortals]]
* [[History of Kamirell#War of The Gods|War of The Gods]]
* Giraffe Thermoregulation

== 6. Maps, Maps And More Maps (09/25/2021) ==
I've finally gotten around to making the maps of the continents, as well as the world map. For now, they're looking pretty plain, but I'll be dressing them up with more details as I go. For now, I'm glad to have a visual reference as I begin to develop different nations and more details of the geography and about the world as a whole.

Additionally, I've also made a new “Blog” Post discussing why I chose to use Wonderdraft to make the maps.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Map Making (Campfire Blog Post)|3. Map Making]]
* [[Kamirell#Maps|Kamirell]]
* [[Matrellis#Maps|Matrellis]]
* [[Jotdäl#Maps|Jotdäl]]
* [[The Desolate Continent#Maps|The Desolate Continent]]
* [[Draedunn#Maps|Draedunn]]
* [[Delphion#Maps|Delphion]]

== 7. Names & Colours! (09/29/2021) ==
So I've made the world map a little bit prettier. And I've started to come up with some names.

In addition to those updates, however, I've also begun work on building out the three different pantheons for the world.

I originally was looking to have two pantheons which were more generally acceptable, and another which was more frowned upon to worship. However instead, I think I've ended up with one pantheon which will be more widely accepted to worship, one which will be more looked down upon, and a third which isn't really worshipped at all because it is more treated as forces of natures, as opposed to gods in the same way as the other pantheons.

Specifically, the third pantheon is responsible for life and death. They deliver life, maintain it, and deliver the dead to the afterlife. It is lead by two twin gods, one representing life and the other death. However they are not viewed as good and evil, but rather simply two parts of the natural order of things.

I've added the highlights below, so go ahead and check it, or see it all on the left!

=== New Elements ===

* [[Catarae]]
* [[Gods of Kamirell#The Life Bringers|The Life Bringers]]
* [[Onos]]
* [[Gods of Kamirell#The Reapers|The Reapers]]
* [[Yhton]]
* [[Qhixerin]]
* [[Gods of Kamirell#The Stewards|The Stewards]]
* [[The Afterlife (Kamirell)|The Afterlife]]

=== Updated Elements ===

* [[Kamirell]]

== 8. Nation Building (10/13/2021) ==
I've started outlining borders for the countries in the world. There are currently going to be 53 countries, based on the current borders, including one city state, [[Palidae]].

I've also updates the entry for [[Palidae]] with a lot more information. I've even moved it on from the brainstorm stage and created a proper layout for it.

=== Updated Elements ===

* [[Kamirell]]
* [[Palidae]]

== 9. Explore Has Launched, Let's Rename! (10/18/2021) ==
Now that Explore has properly launched, I've decided to rename the project to something that's far more accurate as to what the actual purpose of the project is.

I thought I'd also take a moment here to reiterate exactly what the purpose anis, and the goals I am looking to achieve.

The Many Worlds Project is a place where I am looking to explore new worlds, concepts, themes and ideas that don't fit into any of my main projects. This way I can explore an idea without having to commit to a full project that either has to be abandoned, or followed through with. This way even if an idea doesn't take me very far, it can still be a part of something bigger.

I do also hope to take the worldbuilding I do here an create final products within these worlds. At earlier stages, this will probably take the form of short stories. Going forward, however, I would love to try and push into longer form novels, scripts, maybe even partner with someone to create animated shorts or films.

I have no specific end goals with this project, and hope to continue to work on it for years to come. I intend to make 100% of the worldbuilding public, and even once tiered subscriptions become available within Explore, I will make sure that 100% of the worldbuilding is available free of charge. I am, however, still considering whether I may wish to monetize some of the final products (books, short stories, etc).

If you're seeing this project for the first time, since Explore just launched, please go ahead and check out everything that I've built so far. In particular, [[Palidae]] recently receive an update with a whole bunch of really interesting details about how that city state is going to work, and get along with the rest of the world.

- Michael

== 10. More Countries! (10/20/2021) ==
I've added some brainstorming for two new countries, bordering [[Palidae]].

I've also expanded a little bit on Palidae, in particular it's Trading Halls. Go check it out, and feel free to leave comments below with what you think about it all.

Finally, I've added a little section above where I'll start putting the element that I'm most excited to share, so people can have a place to start when exploring the world.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Kann Delhar]]
* [[Prettorrann]]

=== Updated Elements ===

* [[Palidae]]

== 11. Lots of Little Ideas (10/23/2021) ==
This update isn't a huge one. The two biggest updates, are to [[Kamirell]] and [[Palidae]], where I've updated some content and formatting.

In addition to that, I've also put down some brainstorming that had been floating around in my head for a few other worlds, however I don't intend to get working on any of them until I've made a decent amount more progress on [[Kamirell]].

In addition to those worlds, I've also sparked an idea for a first story (or maybe set of stories) set in the world of [[Kamirell]] which I hope to get started with in the not too distant future.

And one final note, I finally gave names to the “Elf-like” species, and gave one of them a country.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Treasure Transport]]
* [[Unnamed World 1|Unnamed World #1]]
* [[Unnamed World 2|Unnamed World #2]]
* [[Unnamed World 3|Unnamed World #3]]
* [[Unnamed World 4|Unnamed World #4]]
* [[Eldracor]]

=== Updated Elements ===

* [[Kamirell]]
* [[Palidae]]

== 12. More Details, Languages And A Magma Forge! (10/29/2021) ==
This time around, I've moved all of my current nations over to the “Nation” template I made, and added in some more details there.

I've also added in a first little worldbuilding nugget, about a special metal and cool magma forge which is used to produce it.

Finally, I wrote another “Blog” post with some musings on when and how I may introduce conlanging into this project.

Check all those things out below, as well as any other parts of the project which you haven't explored!

=== New Elements ===

* [[Languages (Campfire Blog Post)|4. Languages]]
* [[Black Platinum]]
* [[Magma Forge]]

=== Updated Elements ===

* [[Palidae]]
* [[Kann Delhar]]
* [[Prettorrann]]
* [[Eldracor]]

== 13. Soft vs. Hard Magic (11/04/2021) ==
I'm currently working on fleshing out about eight or nine more countries, as well as the oceans, seas and much more. However I was suddenly struck with an urge to talk about magic systems, specifically hard vs soft magic. So, while I continue to work on Kamirell, I'll leave you with this “Blog” Post about how I define hard vs. soft magic.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Hard vs. Soft Magic (Campfire Blog Post)|5. Hard vs. Soft Magic]]

== 14. The World Is Getting Bigger! (11/23/2021) ==
A lot have things have changed. A lot of new things have arrived. I've added 16 new nations, seven oceans, four seas, discussed musings on the state of technology in Kamirell. Through all of these new and updated elements, a new rich history has begun to develop for the world of Kamirell.

I have put a lot of effort into trying to make sure that almost every nation I've developed is really connected to world, and not just an isolated idea, but rather an integral part of Kamirell. Three major empires have emerged, headed by Keldaron, Rumellion and Kandemir, respectively. Additionally, I've also tried to make sure that no one country seems like it is the focus of the world, with the rest of them simply playing supporting roles.

In addition to the new worldbuilding, I have also started writing the first story which will take place in Kamirell. I'm looking to make it into an approximately 30k word novella, and I'm currently at approximately 10k, so I'm hopeful that I can get it out by the end of the year. I will likely post a little bit more about it before it's out fully, but I'm really lookin forward to sharing it with everyone.

I haven't linked all of the new and changed elements below this post, as it would be pages long, but instead I've highlighted some of my favourites and the most important ones.

Check out all of the new and old content, and feel free to leave a comment or a rating. All feedback, good or bad, is greatly appreciated!

=== New Elements ===

* [[Kamirell Tech (Campfire Brain Dump)|Brain Dump: Kamirell Tech]]
* [[Keldaron]]
* [[Rumellion]]
* [[Kandemir]]
* [[Arynaya]]
* [[Haft]]
* [[Amberfell]]

=== Updated Elements ===

* [[Kamirell]]

== 15. Where I'm Going + The First Story (12/19/2021) ==
Firstly, I'll address the latter portion of the title for this update. A few days ago I finished the first draft for a novella set in Kamirell. This will be the first actual story in this project and the first one set in Kamirell. As such, I'm very much looking forward to sharing it. As it's not a full-length novel, I'm hoping to get through the editing process fairly quickly (hoping being the key word here) and get it out by the end of the year; if not by the end of the year, then very early next year. I'm about half-way through the first pass of editing right now, so I'm still fairly hopeful about getting it out before 2022.

Secondly, I've written a short "Blog" Post discussing the possibility of moving onto a second world within the project. Check it out below for more details, but I'll be clear here that Kamirell will not be getting left behind, but instead I think adding in a greater variety of content to work on will actually help to keep me so invested in the project.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Moving On (Campfire Blog Post)|6. Moving On]]

== 16. New Year: 2022 (01/01/2022) ==
New year, new goals. I wrote up a quick “Blog” Post to discuss what my plans and goals are for the upcoming year.

=== New Elements ===

* [[New Year: 2022 (Campfire Blog Post)|7. New Year: 2022]]

== 17. A Whole New World (02/20/2022) ==
After a lengthy and unintentional hiatus from any writing activities throughout the month of January and a good chunk of February, I've got the new world that I promised. Introducing: Haleon. This world will be an urban fantasy setting, with modern technology, however it will not be Earth. So far I've got a solid premise outlined in the Location element for the world, as well as a world map that I am particularly happy with.

I'm also still working on an update for Kamirell, which should be coming out within the next few days, focusing in on major religions across the world as well as some larger cultural groups.

Finally, the novella which I had hoped to release before the new year hasn't been touched in almost two months after completing the initial manuscript and making a few editing passes. I'm currently debating whether I should simply release it as it is, or hold out for some additional motivation to come in order to keep editing. If anyone has a suggestion on this, please leave a comment with your opinion. It's currently in a state that I think it readable, and is largely lacking in prose issues (although I'm sure if I post it people will be able to find some) however I'm definitely not as confident on the content side. On the other hand, I'm also worried that I'm simply not going to ever be satisfied and should therefore just get it out there so I can move on.

All in all, I'm back on the writing and worldbuilding horse and I hope to get back to posting updates more regularly again.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Haleon]]
* [[Haleon#Maps|Haleon]]

== 18. About the people (02/21/2022) ==
Not a large update, but I'm bringing some culture and religion to the world. The list of cultures especially will definitely grow a log with time, but this should be a good seed to start off with.

I tried to make sure that each of the religions has something unique about it, and not just have them each worship different gods. In addition to those religions, I've also started sorting out some cultural divides. In particular, I've started with the [[Shonii]] and the [[Shasii]], the two major cultural groups amongst the [[Delphassi]], as well as the first nationality outlined: [[Palidaeans]].

=== New Elements ===

* [[Cataraeni]]
* [[Cult Of Onos]]
* [[The Acolytes Of The Elders]]
* [[The Children Of Draya]]
* [[The Monastic Order Of Rebirth]]
* [[The Servants Of Creation]]
* [[Worshipers Of The Light]]
* [[Shasii]]
* [[Shonii]]
* [[Palidaeans]]

== 19. It's Finally Here! (03/30/2022) ==
A full three months later than intended, I'm finally releasing [[Trials of Amberfell]], the first story set in the world of [[Kamirell]]. As of writing this, it still hasn't finished gong through review, however you should be able to access it via the link in the linked manuscript element. (if not, then you'll unfortunately have to wait for the actual project to pass through review)

I look forward to writing more in the setting of [[Kamirell]], as well as the new world of [[Haleon]].

=== New Elements ===

* [[Trials of Amberfell]]

== 20. Some Housekeeping (05/24/2022) ==
This update isn't as exciting, but includes a number of smaller updates, with the biggest being that I've populated all of the element descriptions so that they will show up when linked on this homepage or when you hover over a tag.

I will also say now that I have started working on [[Under Fire]] as a novel. It's in the very beginning stages, but I'm already making pretty solid progress, so I'm hoping to be able to make ongoing updates on that progress in the near future.

== 21. A better way to explore the project. (06/01/2022) ==
It has come to my attention that as the project as gotten bigger, it has gotten rather confusing as to where to actually get started reading it. To hopefully help combat this, I have put together a [[Main Page|Project Index]] which can hopefully direct new readers to helpful elements and articles to get started with.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Main Page|Project Index]]

== 22. Magic Comes to Haleon (06/04/2022) ==
I've started working on developing the magic system for Haleon. I've also begun working on some of the world's origin/history.

I'm really happy with this magic system, as it blends both variety of function and variety of usability. It is also a much softer magic system than I am used to working with which has been difficult, but also rather freeing, once I've actually convinced myself to let the little things go. I'm also attempting to broach a trope of magic systems that is a personal pet peeve of mine, the dichotomy of good and evil being built into the magic system. I couldn't bring myself to go quite that far, but instead I've developed a system which is instead misunderstood by most to act in that way, with the introduction of stable and unstable magic.

Check out the big picture elements linked below, as well as the specific magical disciplines described in their own elements.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Magic In Haleon#Stable Magic|Stable Magic]]
* [[Magic In Haleon#Unstable Magic|Unstable Magic]]
* [[Magic In Haleon#Magic In Society|Magic in Society]]

=== Updated Elements ===

* [[Haleon]]

== 23. Continents of Haleon (06/12/2022) ==
I've been pushing forward on developing a little more detail and personality to the continents in Haleon. Right now, their initial descriptions sound a little more like that of countries than that of continents, however as I develop individual countries within them their descriptions will become far more nuanced.

In fact, to aid in that venture, I've already gone ahead and drawn up the borders on all seven continents. My next goal will be to start developing the major political powers.

=== Updated Elements ===

* [[Haleon#Maps|Haleon]]

== 24. Project Videos (06/16/2022) ==
I've decided to start making some [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcEnzxiGF7NoHz4bd7eSVpQ supplemental videos] which will act as both a means of bolstering the existing content in this project, exploring different aspects of worldbuilding and how I plan on applying different techniques to those aspects. Check out the intro video below and subscribe to the YouTube channel to stay up to date.

Right now, there is only the introduction video, but more content will come soon. I've already got a number of videos outlines and ready to record.

== 25. A Discussion of The Hierarchy of Gods (06/24/2022) ==
I've just posted another video on The Many Worlds Project. This one gives an overview of the hierarchy of gods in The Many Worlds Project and how they both tie the worlds together as well as set them apart.

[https://youtu.be/yBhHWPGrwH0 Check out the video here] to learn about this backbone to the Many Worlds Project.

== 26. Populating Haleon (07/08/2022) ==
I've spent the past two weeks building out the world of Haleon a little bit. There are now 53 nations in Haleon, each with their own unique bit of flavour. Many only have a few sentences so far, giving a little bit of detail about how they formed, the role they play in world events or a little bit of something that makes them unique. While others have a few paragraphs going a little bit deeper into the history of those nations and the world.

While doing so, I also developed a little bit about a major world religion, as well as a new form of governance unique to this world which a selection of these nations have adopted. If you read through all of the nation's descriptions, you will also be able to begin piecing together this world's history and how to came to be in the state it is today.

Also, as you may have noticed, I've done a touch of an update to the thumbnail for this project. I'm trying to make a little bit of "branding" for the project. Let me know what you think, still not sure I'm sold on it.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Dominon (Haleon)|Dominon]]
* [[Haleon#Rika|Rika]]

=== Updated Elements ===

* [[Haleon]]

== 27. Giving Kamirell a Refresh (07/24/2022) ==
I recently popped into the [[Kamirell]] location element, to make a note of something and immediately realized just how long it had been since I had last updated it. The pages were full of "I think I might to this" and "I'm considering making something work like this". Pretty much the entire thing was speculation about things which I have long since established across other elements. So I went through and fully updated it. This may not be a massive update, but I do have another one in the works establishing a massive history to [[Haleon]], which I am really looking forward to sharing. Look out for that coming soon.

=== Updated Elements ===

* [[Kamirell]]

== 28. The Birth of Haleon (07/25/2022) ==
Today's update tells the story of how Haleon came to be as it is today, from the birthing of the Elder Gods to the emergence of humanity.

I was going to hold off on releasing any of the world history until I had it all completed, however instead, I think I'm going to release it in chunks to maintain a more frequent release schedule, rather than having big chunks of time in between each update. Go check out today's update over in the Timeline module!

== 29. A New Kind of Magic In A new Kind of Land (08/31/2022) ==
A new world joins the Many Worlds Project. Kaldrei.

Formerly Unnamed World #4, Kaldrei is a world of many different kinds of magic. There are nine distinct pantheons of gods, each granting their follows a magic which is wholly different from that of any other people. These magics operate on different underlying mechanics and result in differing effects. I have previously described Kamirell as being 'fairly standard high fantasy' however I more recently realized that it is actually quite grounded fantasy world. Kaldrei is, in actually, a far more fantastical place, with the likes of flaming forests and floating islands.

I did not really intend to brings in a third world to the project so soon, I had intended to get Haleon far more fleshed out before doing so, but inspiration can hit anytime, and you can't always control what you're inspired to work on.

=== New Elements ===

* [[Kaldrei]]

== 30. Mapping It Out (09/11/2022) ==
So, I'm not really happy with this map. It feels kinda cartoonish, but I also do kinda need to make things certain colours. Not really sure how I'm going to address this in the future, but for now I guess I'm just going to deal with it.

I've also made some great strides on the history of Haleon, and am hoping to get that out later this week. We'll see the early migration to Koneg, as well as follow the Ceden, Skandevv and Korokon empires. And finally, see the evolution of one of the world's religions, Maruganna Semphis.

Go check out the map for Kaldrei and let me know what you think! Is it too cartoon-y?

=== New Elements ===

* [[Kaldrei#Maps|Kaldrei]]

== 31. New Year: 2023 (01/05/2023) ==
It's been a while. The latter half of 2022 really took me away from writing and worldbuilding. This year, however, I plan on coming back in a big way. Read more about the past year, and what my plans are for 2023 in the "Blog" Post below. (or in the list on the side)

And on a much smaller note, I've finally gotten around to taking advantage of some of the newly released features for the maps module, so go check out the Kamirell and Haleon maps. (especially if you haven't already) They've received some great navigational and informational updates.

Thanks to anyone joining me here for another year of worldbuilding!

- Michael

=== New Elements ===

* [[New Year: 2023 (Campfire Blog Post)|8. New Year: 2023]]

=== Updated Elements ===

* [[Kamirell#Maps|Kamirell]]
* [[Haleon#Maps|Haleon]]

== 32. Progress + Ihave A Website Now (04/16/2023) ==
First, I want to say that I have been making some progress on a few different fronts within this project, however there don't feel quite ready for putting out there quite yet. I will tease, however, that somewhat unintentionally started going more for breadth than depth and will soon be coming out with a few new worlds, instead of the one I was planning on releasing.

On a slightly different note, I've recently started writing down some of my thoughts and musing on writing and worldbuilding. I wasn't initially intending to put them anywhere, I just wanted to get my thoughts down so I could formalize them a little bit. However after a little bit of working with them, I decided that there wasn't really any reason not to share them. As such, I put together a little website to host them.

The first article is live now. It covers some useful questions to consider when building a magic system. Whether the system you want to build is hard or soft, there are a few core components that every system needs. You can definitely get by with intuition, but actually giving these questions come careful consideration can really help to flesh out your system, or even give you inspiration for a new one.

Check out the article and website [https://michael3mod.com/posts/001-getting-started-with-magic/?utm_source=many-worlds-project&utm_campaign=site-launch here]!