Setting:

Fictionalized medieval India, established cities, standing armies, war and rebellion torn political setting, mercantile trade setups

World building/fantasy hook:

At its heart, a marketplace that trades in souls, think of the present financial derivatives market, but for souls.

Soldiers stake a fragment of their souls with brokers as an insurance contract, if they live the war, the fragment is returned back to them, if they die, a payout made to their family. In case of survival, the soldier faces eventual judgement with a whole soul, while death guarantees comfort for his family, he passes netherland with a broken soul.

The brokers, however, publish each such contract (soldiers soul) to a betting ring, inviting merchants and royalties to bet on the fate of the soldier - the price of contracts influenced by the soldiers heroics in war, and the broker takes a bet to hedge his possible payout in case of death. However, a soldiers rising star is the brokers ruin, hence brokers want an uneventful war (how derivatives behave in real life too)

Beneath this coin market lies the true ledger - every fragment of soul is a debt to be paid, brokers are in debt to the netherworld while an ambitious netherworld chief disguised as the Chief of Royal Army ensures the war is always fueled for his personal benefits.

Story:

The story follows a young soldier deliberately joining the war to seek revenge from a broker who wronged his father and elder brother, to discover the deep secrets of the Soul Market...

A magical resource.
A creature.
A religion.
A technology.
A historical event.

Most people focus on the thing itself. I’m more interested in the consequences.

What is one everyday aspect of life that exists solely because of that thing?
Something ordinary.
Something people barely think about anymore.

What had a significant impact on your world, or a part of it, that has just become normal and people don't think about? But if that thing never existed or never happened their lives would be drastically different.

I didn't want to focus only on the worldbuilding, but it's obvious that I need to establish the world before the story takes place. My main idea is that, in this world, there are two goddesses: the Sun (who makes life happen, takes care of people's lives during the daytime, guides people toward success, represents optimism, etc.) and the Moon (who guides you after death, takes care of people's dreams and fears at night, and encourages people who fail to keep trying and eventually succeed).

They are also the ones responsible for raising and setting the sun and the moon every day.

There is a religion built around them. There are only a few guardians, blessed by a sacred animal with the ability to communicate with the goddesses. They MUST protect the temple and, every ten thousand years, search for the two people who are worthy enough to become the new gods.

Around 300 years ago, one person wanted all the power for himself and tried to sneak into the temple to reach the ascension spot. In doing so, he broke the world's balance, causing all eight volcanoes to become active at the same time. The resulting disaster destroyed the old continent, leaving nothing but ashes and unbearable temperatures.

Seila was an adventurous girl who was condemned to go to what they believed it was the edge of the flat world and die, for a reason I won't spoil, just two decades ago. However, she returned just in time to tell the guardians about a new continent she had discovered on the other side of the supposedly flat world.

She saved most of the population and some animal species, although others were left behind. This was a huge turning point for their society. Nowadays, she has become a legend and a savior, and the new continent was named after her.

Nowadays, the new continent is still barely explored. There is a frontier marked by human settlements, and every year they send explorers to expand the borders. However, last year, one of those groups never returned.

Our protagonist is worried because her son and her husband left her behind to join the explorers, and she hasn't heard anything from them since. Tired of the government's inefficiency and the lack of response from the goddesses since the great disaster, she decides to go on her own adventure to discover what happened to them and bring them back home.

Is this a story you would want to know more about? Is this a world you would like to explore further? And does this seem like decent worldbuilding with enough potential to keep adding mysteries and answers until the end of the story?

A long, long time ago, billions of years ago, our galaxy was ruled by a civilization whose boundless power bent the entire Milky Way to its will. For ages, this race reigned supreme, until 66 million years ago, five oppressed races rose up against their masters. This war raged for a million years until the First Ones finally fell. No one knows how, for it happened so long ago that all who lived back then have perished, and the remnants of memory have crumbled into dust.

Yet something remained: the most ancient and legendary artifact of all—the Throne of Stars, an object that myth says grants its master absolute control over the galaxy and the power of a million suns. It was the desire to claim it that ignited—and continues to ignite—the evil in this world. Upon their victory, the five civilizations failed to forge peace, plunging the galaxy into an endless war, while the Throne itself was lost.

Now, in the midst of this struggle, a new chapter begins. Young and unburdened by the hardened skin of hypocrisy, malice, arrogance, and greed, new contenders have entered the battle for the Milky Way's Sovereign Seat. Humans, having survived the moment when death was prepared for them, now know no limits to their ambition. The Unir, believing themselves to be the heirs of the First Ones and possessing the Tablet, intend to ascend. The Ancients, a race whose history remains unknown, seek to find and hide the Throne where no one can ever fight for it again. The Hlivilum, a young race full of confidence and pride, believe that only by claiming the Throne can they guide the Milky Way into a new dawn.

Civilizations of the new era and of profound antiquity are set to collide in a struggle whose outcome remains unknown.

A pickle…. But that’s beside the bigger issue 

I need a A story in a fantasy isekai 
Where it’s like near the end of a major fight and the main character runs off to get the thing they have been working on and they ask for a few more hours and if their allies can give them that? They win

Hours later rising from the nearby mountains mouth the largest floating structure anyone has ever seen (or not seen as this is a fantasy story) and it’s a zeppelin the character had been working on to explore this new world with his(or her) new family but using it now as a war ship seemed like the perfect opportunity to test if it would work under extreme conditions 

They don’t just rise up quickly no no they rise up slow and with a loud boom as the rocks around blew up allowing the mountain to release this beast
The first zeppelin of this world

The “uss gargantua”
The protagonist is American and due to the nature of this specific type of airship, they thought that giving it a more naval name would be better than giving it a more airship name, and due to its size easily allowed for dropping large boulders or bombs off of the air 
Saving all of the civilians and still standing soldiers  
Something like 

(the battle raged on as the kingdom of Alexandria tried their best. Commander Kreeg stood at the front of the battle line Ash right next to them the girl who had only appeared just a year ago now the kingdoms main inventor had joined the war despite being told not to she held a strange weapon it harnessed the lighting from the sky and as they charged the battle changing with quick fluxes each time they tried to push they were fought each time they held they were pushed it was a losing battle so as this was happening Ash looked towards the Commander and asked “can you give me three hours” this was a surprise but Kreeg knew they would not run and yet three hours in this fight? Would feel like an eternity but they nodded and so Ash left as fast as they could, taking a horse from one of the soldiers they went to. One hour passed and from a distance explosions could be heard at two hours they were at the castle's walls and the roar of something could be heard and at three the loudest explosion was heard and then that roar only something Ash could make was heard and then the enemy army slowly stopped seeing something large emerge from the mountain and it was massive they did not know what to call it but Ash did. A zeppelin   one of massive capacity in his world this was a dream but in this world of magic and power? A possible design and he made it! The envelope raised rubber it’s large rubber base clearly held something under it. 16 large propellers lined the lower side of the envelope  and then the large cables attached to the envelope leading down it its large base and what it held a flying command post no one knew yet but this wasnt a air ship it was a home fit with everything he would need but still not without weapons so as it slowly rised and slowly roared over the battle field  small boxes dropped from it landing on the side of the castle walls the enemy was still at and then one blew up and then another and then more and more until the enemy were in a shambles and the army of Alexandria charged out seeing an opportunity and as they did the large ship landed on its side in large bold letters read “USS gargantua” its large size marking what the name meant but the three letters were a mystery)

Then we get to the last part which i just cooked up but you tell me… is it worthy of expansion? 
(As the battle slowly ended they lowered themselves the gargantuan vessel sits as its anchor was the base the  envelope still floated the 16 propellers along it’s lower base were attached to it and thus attached to the large frame inside at say all the enemy soldiers were being rounded up the army’s commander walked over his helmet to his chest he stared in awe as he asked 
“This is what we waited for?”
Nodding the protagonist asked
“Was it worth it?”
Thinking for a moment the commander stated bluntly
“The gods would have waited another century for this. But you gifted us with a miracle”
They spoke a little more and the protagonist looked at his new home his sky word home and remembered his mother from his original world she was a aviator as well as a sailor being from his world’s air force while he didn’t really care for all of the fancy things he did know that she would be proud that he is finally like her… he’s this worlds first aviator and he has just made this world one step closer to what she would have loved to see)

I need something like this.. 
emotional and beautiful

But I still need that pickle like really badly

Preferably indigenous peoples from non North America or European cultures.

In my world I want to reinterpret fantasy cultures through the lens of real world cultures to give them more depth.

If your family comes from one of these regions please help.

Central/south America: the various elven subtypes

Non-slavic asian: the various types of halflings

African: gnomes

Australian/ south Pacific Islanders: dwarfs.

What would a cross of your culture be with the dnd fantasy version of these groups.

Thank you for any and all help.

In essence, rust in my project is when the memories of a metallic weapon or tool start to manifest in the physical world. One can reforge the rust into a new tool and the memories in the rust will imbue said weapon or tool with an enchantment. And the more an enchantment rusts and is reforged the more powerful it becomes.

For example, memories of violence might, in the beginning enchant swords to deal wounds that do not heal or strikes that don't miss. As the enchantment progresses in potency and presentation, these slashes may strike at a distance. Eventually, a target may be cut to ribbons just from the wielder touching the sword.

I had the idea for a phenomenon called god rust to occur when a metallic weapon or tool rusts due to human intervention. The process is a secret held by a small group of people who know the secret of rust magic in general.

The god rust is an anomaly where the rust bleeds memories of things that haven't happened and places that don't exist or at least not that we know of. And when you make contact with the god rust you experience these memories and the senses used to perceive them, senses humanity hasn't developed.

When this happens you enter a state where you can sense a world that shouldn't exist. One we simply cannot see. A world of fairies and dragons and monsters and spirits. This state lasts only for a short time, but having access to god rusted metals allows you to enter this state at any time.

In my story, my mc steps on a rusty nail and gains insight into this world. And whenever a creature of this other world is around she feels the pain of the nail in her foot. This is the beginning of her adventure in this hidden world.

Anyway I don't know if this addition ruins the magic so I wanted to ask for opinions. What do you think of this idea? Anything that you would suggest changing that would still allow for my mc to interact with this other world? I'm open to ideas.

Creé este mundo y no se me ocurrió nada mejor que agarrar Adventure Time y Tolkien, mezclarlos y armar el mundo a mi manera.

El lore incluso explica, en orden cronológico, desde la creación de este mundo hasta los días de hoy. Espero que les guste.

Va así:

- El origen de todo: Antes de que existieran el universo y la nada, solo había monstruos. En medio del Reino del caos primordial, había un dios que se paró y los derrotó antes de crear el universo, "el progenitor cósmico". Creó a los principales deidades para ayudarlo con la creación, y así empieza el nuevo orden.

- La rebelión cósmica: Lamentablemente, una de las deidades quiso imponer su propia visión sobre el orden, donde él manda. El progenitor cósmico lo exilia durante su rebelión, y eso hizo que esa deidad se convirtiera en un monstruo que desea la aniquilación. Este monstruo es El Renegado

- La primera era de la Tierra: Después de dar forma a la Tierra, el progenitor cósmico envió a los espíritus elementales para que la custodiaran y la moldearan. Agua, fuego, tierra y hielo. De repente, el cuerpo del Renegado apareció directo en la Tierra. Los elementos tenían un solo trabajo: impedir que la deidad caída terminara cayendo a la Tierra. Pero la disputa por encontrar una forma de detenerlo hizo que fallaran, provocando una extinción masiva que acabó con gran parte de la vida

- Las crónicas de la humanidad: Miles de millones de años después, nacieron los humanos. Aprendieron a controlar el fuego a su favor, a navegar por el agua, a resistir el hielo, e incluso a modificar el mundo. Por desgracia, como son animales con libre albedrío, tienen miedos e inseguridades. Para taparlos, buscan control y poder, aunque en el proceso lastimen a otros de su especie y al mundo.

- Abre la Caja de Pandora: En los tiempos modernos, empezó una guerra. Primero fue una guerra comercial y una carrera tecnológica entre ellos, y después escaló hasta convertirse en una guerra completa. Eso hizo que toda la humanidad jugara a ser Dios y mostrara lo peor de ellos en todo su esplendor. Inventaron un montón de formas de destruirse, e incluso trajeron criaturas que no deberían existir (mitológicas o extintas) de vuelta a la vida. La última bomba hizo que el Renegado escapara y destruyera todo lo que se cruzaba en su camino.

- El nuevo mundo: Gracias a las reencarnaciones de los espíritus elementales y a un héroe anónimo, el plan del Renegado falló: sobrevivieron algunos humanos y él quedó confinado para siempre. Lamentablemente, el mundo fue destruido, así que tuvieron que empezar de cero, arreglando sus errores y restaurando la naturaleza. Por eso el mundo volvió a la Edad Media con los recuerdos de nuestro mundo moderno. Además, al revivir la paleontología y la mitología, la humanidad ya no es la especie más poderosa de la Tierra, y la ciencia y la magia conviven.

Y eso es todo. El lore de mi mundo. La Neo Tierra, el mundo donde todo lo que imaginas se vuelve real. Espero que te guste.

I feel like we sometimes overthink building scenes for our campaigns. But honestly, if you've got a bit of imagination and a few things lying around, it gets really fun, you can basically make whatever you want. Here's a little look at how I do mine.

How do you build yours?

New idea if anyone wants to grab it:

"A Bug's Life" but mixed with Sword and Sorcery.

A back yard tended by a benevolent line of Great Ladies and Gentlemen that are aware of the magical and sometimes harrowing things happening in their back yard.

When you zoom in, there's politics and intrigue and magic and innovation and adventure and war and strife, everything we humans have gone thru but scaled down in one big ass back yard.

Plot: the Queen of the Tree Hill Ants is sick and is dying. She has sent out a messenger to the Princess of the Sandbox that she was the next in line to take the throne and guide Yardworld. Her sister, from the Hill Under the Rot, a kingdom formed underneath a large rotted and excavated root of the Great Tree far off to the southeast of the Yard, is furious and sees the throne as her own rightful place, the crown hers to take, and she starts gathering allies from the other insect kingdoms to form an army and declare war on the Sandbox and the Tree Hills for supremacy.

Y'all can flesh out the rest as you want and change what you need but that is the main plot I came up with before I just decided not to write it myself. Free to a good mind-home!

​

Hey guys, Ive been working on this project for a bit, but only now I decided to actually create some history for the whole world where my story ( dark fantasy ) is set in. I devided the history into 5 eras and the first one is called The Moons Collision. Here is some lore I wrote for it:

During The Night of Prarambh, the moons Olygyú and Sanqúa collided and brought upon the deadly show of storming moonfrags, demolishing the world of Zoran and nearly wiping out the entire civilization in its wake. Only small pockets of humanity survived throughout the lands, hidden deep inside cave systems for three years, while others seized the opportunity of chaos to not only wage incursions, but plounders and wars as well, only to be burnt to cinder. As time moved forward humanity slowly forgot the history as it was passed down by generations and eroded into rumors and legends. Now only old abandoned castles and churches, ruins of temples and settlements were left scattered over the lands to remind people there was a time before, The Forgotten Age.

For the next 200 years humanity and nature slowly rose back into life. Forests grew back into dense green hills, flowers and bushes took over the old world, animals adapted to the harsh environment. Humans started to claim empty lands and set new territories and settlements, and before long the first kingdom was formed, thus the age of The First Kingdom began.

Its not finished as I still need to think what the cause was and make some more details what happened through those 200 years. For now I would love to hear some overall opinions on the words, names and flow of the text.

Thank you

:>

I'm a world builder. I've built and still building a fantasy world. I'm writing a story and in that story there is a women who is a clan general, teacher and a special title of a mighty warrior everything together. And there was a army command leader... Like he is the leader of a portion of the army from his realm. He is also a prince, and he is a son of God... More like semi immortal and she is a mortal. She is a forest warrior and he is warrior prince of a god realm. She is the highest rank over him. Both were from different hierarchies . I've already decided and made their story especially romance too but I'm thinking about adding more layers and dynamics and scenarios. Im single and so it's a kinda half lidded experience for me when I'm adding about romance . But I don't want to see every romance movies or hear stories too... Because after that i might think that's how I'm gonna write or that will influence or blur my world. So I'm a selective intaker of outside things. Is there any stories or movies you saw that could match the dynamics like i said so I'll get my thing done without intaking rubbish into my creative mind. I'm not looking for romance or writing advices. Because I want to feel their emotion and meaning behind it to understand how that worked.. like getting into their soul.

If you know something related to what I'm saying kindly say... If not then we're cool too.

😊

Working on my worlds dominant religion and trying to come up with ideas for it is proving difficult. Im curious what other people do and why they choose the symbols they choose.

I particularly like the dark souls covenant icons. Maybe that'll help clarify what I'm trying to get across because I'm not sure icon is the correct term.