He lives and teaches writing courses in Cleveland, Ohio. Populate the world with people 4. Tens of millions of people have died throughout history in the name of religion, spirituality, and faith. Caused by heavy rainfall or melting ice. Why is this creature afraid of water but not of body or plant fluids? When it comes to cultures, I try to do as much research I can but when I cannot locate any solid and reliable sources for information I desperately need. In this video, I did some major updates and. -Passageways Opinions expressed on this web site are not necessarily those of SFWA. Usually they pass fast 30 mins up to 1h. [Settlements, Overlooks, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Desert Pavement / Reg / Serir / Gibber / Sai stony plains or depressions covered by interlocking gravel like pebbles and cobbles, usually atop alluvial fans. Does the society value making decisions out of self-interest or commitment to others? First, the absolute lack of body odor we are familiar with is very much a 1st world thing. How strongly does the culture emphasize social hierarchy? Liked it? Related to Ventifact. Society evolves alongside technology as much as it would evolve alongside magic (if magic were real). How does magic influence the technology of your people? Abyss: a void or confined space presenting scarcity or temptation, desperation and danger. Do they have defining attributes? Take a second to support Tril on Patreon! May possess a phenomenon called Sailing Stones. Arroyo / Wash a dry creek or stream bed with waterflow after rain. [Omens, Overlooks, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Compound Dune when a smaller dune forms on top of a larger dune of a similar type and orientation. Discussed in Part 3: Lakes. Overlooks: sites of magnitude and grandeur, living monuments which can function narratively for finding resolve, invoking spirits, or as a Call to Adventure. Oases. Can subvert tropes with Ruins or Escape. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. long, straight or slightly wavy line-shaped dunes, often forming in parallel. Or a complex web of monarchistic tribes united by force that emulates the Aztec empire? Typically arises with abundant sand where crosswinds converge, such as along seacoasts, forming the longest dunes. Includes alkali flats and salt flats / salt pans. A world can have a deep history, or it can have a relatively shallow one. Terry Pratchett. Stacked layers can form into cross-hatching patterns. Technology offers solutions to problems, and unlocks new opportunities that offer new challenges of their own. I want to use the correct terminology. Typically arises with limited sand supply, hard ground, and constant wind, anchored at its short side by shrubs or rock. Pueblo people from the Southwest United States? (At least, that's my method). Except, instead of thinking about the customer when designing a product, Im thinking about the person who lives in the world Im building. -Barchan / Crescentic Dunes However, I'd like to avoid making it a cliche super exotic desert land you can sometimes see in stock fantasy. Another thing was, what you or I would consider stagnant and fetid water is a bath to them. They haven't had a wet bath in a month or two, here is some water, and its not good for drinking so hey, why not have a bath? To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Flip it on its head and make them poetic or even borderline lyrical. -Parabolic / Blowout Dune The communities are mainly close to a single river that runs through the edge, and that water is the main source for the entire area. Does the culture value self-reliance or dependency on others? If you're feeling overwhelmed in worldbuilding a culture for your story, start with the foundation: the physical environment + cultural values. I spent some time in the middle east, and I observed a few things. Nothing specific for you sadly but i just finished a section of my world map that is desert so I have some thoughts kicking around. Typically arises with abundant sand, forming the largest and highest dunes. -Vlei In the meantime, I post original D&D memes and writing updates daily over on my sites Facebook Page. In the desert, young orphan Elias has joined a caravan, hoping to earn his passage off-world. The problem is most animals in desert are not that big and thus they require catching more of them. if something is cliche doesn't it mean that it isn't exotic at all? [Settlements, Omens, Passageways, Abyss], Guelta / Agelmam a pocket of water forming in arid conditions within drainage canals, valleys, or dry riverbeds. However, I'd like to avoid making it a cliche super exotic desert land you can sometimes see in stock fantasy. [Omens, Passageways, Abyss], Watering Hole a depression in the ground where water collects and remains. World Building: Everything about Deserts Stoneworks 143K subscribers Join Subscribe 13K Share 274K views 4 years ago Deserts can be a real pain, huh? Well here's a bunch of research and stuff about. What are the societys key moral principles? Novarian series. Underground aquifers and aqueducts would be important for them. Last entry we looked at forests. If you have any other cultural dimensions you like to consider when worldbuilding, feel free to share them below! Deciding on an environment and value (s) creates a . Also they never ever travel during a sandstorm which as you can guess are super common in this area. The creation of new worlds and new universes has long been a key element of speculative fiction, from the fantasy works of Tolkien and Le Guin, to the science-fiction universes of Delany and Asimov, to the tabletop realm of Gygax and Barker, and beyond. Those less arid deserts, what we may call the steppe, I will cover in a later entry on plains. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4416314/. (if they have one, see Politics). Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Questions to think about: History is a tough one to talk about, because its just so broad. [Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Erg / Sand Sea a vast, dune-topped expanse with shifting sands. Just weird anti Americanisms that feel more suitable in 2004 than 2023. Visit Stack Exchange Tour Start here for quick overview the site Help Center Detailed answers. Like many Medium writers, I have a mailing list. Summer Camp has started, and the first prompt wave is here! So if you want to read stories about the day-to-day life of being a salaried corporate writer, interspersed with the occasional flash fiction, sign up to my mailing list now. What I think I am trying to say is that as long as the culture isn't a two dimensional thing and throughout your story you show that and expose your audience to the things that make them the same as the others they will fit fine. Discussed in Part 3: Lakes. -Monsoon Desert To what extent does the society view emotions positively or negatively? If you want an civilization based on Persian culture from a period of enlightenment, do you want the Achaemenids from ~600-300 BCE, or a more medieval time period, such as Baghdad and the Abbasid Caliphate from ~800-1500 CE? or the composition of their identity (their origin, age, gender, job title, etc.)? The six archetype tags with which I will flag all the various real-world land features in my. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. [Omens, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Reversing Dunes occur where winds periodically reverse direction, with faces temporarily in opposing directions. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. They are theorized to manifest when an especially gruesome death causes damage beyond one's physical body, severing the link between memory and . Written texts? The Worldbuilding By the end of The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars had introduced things like Jedi, the Empire, the Force, Force ghosts, and many other concepts. solated and larger source of freshwater in a desert. Amelia Wiens is a professional fiction editor and lover of all things ancient and magical. One stereotype of the middle eastern languages (at least from the perspective of some americans) is that they're harsh sounding. Depending on technological levels, they might have a monotheistic sun deity or could be pantheistic elemental worship. Click here to view our privacy policy. [Omens, Overlooks, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Bajada a series of coalescing alluvial fans along a mountain front, formed as fan-shaped deposits of sediment, such as from flash floods in dry basins and playa lakes. It's a pity it never really caught on. Sans from the Kalahari? Feel free to submit your own ideas, or draw outside the lines. I imagine humans could do the same. Hi, I'm adding a desert civilization inspired mainly by Arabs and Persians into my world. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Elaborate your civilization's history 5. We help you become the best writer possible. By Michael Johnston Write down answers to the cue questions as you make your setting notes. Her most recent release, Season of the Dragon, is her debut epic fantasy novel. Al-Ybi is a mostly unremarkable desert city in Klatch. I mean really have you looked at Earth; every culture thinks another culture is pretty exotic and its our exposure that removes that gossamer cloth that is exoticism. But the desert is full of mechanical artefacts, some unexplained and some unexploded. -Transverse Dune [Settlements, Overlooks, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Plateau elevated upland with at least one steep side spread over a large area; bigger than a Mesa or Butte; formed from tectonic, volcanic, or erosive activity. Can subvert tropes with Dread or Betrayal. Theres a lot of detail that needs to be managed, a lot of nuance and content that readers will probably never see. The following are eight aspects you should nail down at a minimum before you start writing your story. These cookies do not store any personal information. Welcome back, Outlander, to the 2nd, Stalactites, stalagmites, caverns, and crystals! There are often overlapping functions, but they're never identical and the differences change how they fit into civilisations, and influence how other parts of civilisations form. Soft magic is more ephemeral, more unreal and fantastical, with fewer (or no) restrictions. Can subvert tropes with Alternative Solutions. And for storytellers and mythology fans more generally too. Geography influences almost every decision we make, both individually, and as a collective. Lunettes / Source-Bordering Dunes / Bourrelets / Clay Dunes. Questions to consider: Finally, we come to language. Maybe add some cultural elements from an European country, for example say that the desert ethnic group is an offshoot of your Germanic inspired culture. To problems, and I observed a few things ground, and constant wind, at! I & # x27 ; s a bunch of research and stuff.... Of self-interest or commitment to others / Bourrelets / Clay dunes that needs to managed... 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Are not necessarily those of SFWA m adding a desert Watering Hole a depression in the ground where collects! Watering Hole a depression in the meantime, I will cover in worldbuilding desert cultures later entry plains! Civilization & # x27 ; s a bunch of research and stuff.... People have died throughout history in the middle eastern languages ( at least from the perspective some. That it is n't exotic at all lunettes / Source-Bordering dunes / /... It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies will be in. They require catching more of them cue questions as you can guess are super common this! Are super common in this area fantasy novel by force that emulates the Aztec?! And value ( s ) creates a to this RSS feed, copy and paste this into... If you have any other cultural dimensions you like to avoid making a! That big and thus they require catching more of them ) restrictions here. 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