So, for today, we have:
- Core Themes & Keywords
- General character of people living here
- General ambition of people living here
- Location: Climate, General Terrain
- Village name
I had a lot of fun with this one; heck, it became almost 1.000 words, so that’s a good start!
I started with themes. I like the idea of playing with Chaos vs. Order on this one, with Chaos also being Freedom, and Order also being Conformity and Homogeneity. I also love themes of “changing times, encroaching ‘civilization’, the march of progress, fading into history”, as seen in, say, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean. I think “magic” ties into that nicely, with it being both a way to impose order through force, yet also being inherently chaotic (especially in Block, Dodge, Parry). This led me to a list of keywords that define the positive and negative aspects of both Chaos and Order, which we can use to tie factions and NPCs to the main themes later, and also work as ambitions.
| Chaos | Order |
|---|---|
| Freedom Creativity Ambition Individuality Passion | Structure Safety Stability Protection Unity |
| Lawlessness Isolation Selfishness | Conformity Stagnation Rigidity Homogeneity |
I made 2 tables for character traits next, so we can roll for the virtues and vices of encountered NPCs, based on their relation to the tension between Order and Chaos.
| Positive Trait (1d6) | Order | Neutral | Chaos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disciplined | Practical | Free-spirited |
| 2 | Diplomatic | Adaptable | Traditional |
| 3 | Reliable | Curious | Intuitive |
| 4 | Dutiful | Mediating | Creative |
| 5 | Progressive | Independent | Passionate |
| 6 | Protective | Observant | Mystical |
| Negative Trait (1d6) | Order | Neutral | Chaos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rigid | Opportunistic | Reckless |
| 2 | Controlling | Cynical | Xenophobic |
| 3 | Judgmental | Apathetic | Volatile |
| 4 | Bureaucratic | Greedy | Superstitious |
| 5 | Arrogant | Wavering | Rude |
| 6 | Oppressive | Deceptive | Disobedient |
For Climate & Terrain, I figured that “desert” always works well with frontier settings (in say, the Wild West). So, I went looking for deserts, and figured the Gobi desert would be a really cool region to explore and be inspired by.
The village is on the frontier between wilderness and “civilization”. I made some general notes on how we’ll define both, but since this will mostly be about the wilderness, I figured I’d focus more on the “civilized” side now, so we have that as a reference for later.
The Empire has a ‘standard’ Medieval European Fantasy aesthetic, but to create an interesting twist and to explore our ‘Gobi desert’ inspiration more, its dynamics and structures will take inspiration from Ancient/Imperial China.
I wrote out a Caste system, a few notable faraway big cities, and a naming convention. I’m basing myself off of Latin here, as it is easily recognizable as “Imperial” at first glance, and I think it creates a further interesting mix of styles.
This also helps with creating an interesting name for the village; I went for Limentis, derived from Limen Orientis, “Threshold of the East”, the name once given to this outpost by the Empire.
The wilderness will be inspired by native Gobi cultures, which I’ll explore more when that comes up on the schedule.
A note on cultural inspiration: While this setting draws inspiration from Mongolian and Chinese history and culture, particularly in its depiction of desert nomads and imperial structures, it does so with respect and awareness of the limitations of the author's knowledge. These elements are used as creative inspiration rather than attempting to represent historical accuracy or real cultural practices. The setting intentionally blends and reimagines these influences with other elements like European medieval fantasy and American frontier stories to create something new, rather than trying to depict or simulate any real cultures. Any resemblance to actual cultural practices is intended with respect and appreciation, while acknowledging that this remains a work of fantasy.
And that’s it for day 1! Not each day will have extensive notes such as this one, but when I have the time, I’ll certainly try.