The moon is dying and the world around it is slowly following. Other ideas are fully welcome!

Followup of the Core Concept workshop for my main project, Eldara, on which I've been working since mid-may 2014. 1: #Origin Myths & Creation Stories I'll preface this one with the fact that Eldara's history is basically endless and largely circular. The so-called "Cycle" is roughly 40000 years long, and is aligned with the natural cycles of magic as well. Because of this, whatever the peoples of Eldara have come up with is entirely fictional, and has a lot of religious, spiritual, and cultural biases in it. I'll be mostly talking about the Erigian Basin and its people, and most prominently about the New Erigian Empire, as that is the main focus of my story. > Who first recorded or told the origin story? A priest, scientist, AI, alien race, or unknown source? In the current Cycle, what exists of a creation story is mostly down to state propaganda, invented by religious fanatics around the time of the New Erigian Empire's formation. It was refined and then spread by the Emperor's advisors, priests, and the institute of the church as a whole. It goes something like this: "At the dawn of time, during the First War two opposing warrior gods met in battle. Kadros and Menit fought relentlessly, so long and brutal that eventually all that was left were the two of them on the battlefield. As they fought eachother, their spilled blood became the oceans and seas, while their discarded bits of armor became the continents, mountains, and islands. Once the two deities tired of battle, they settled, and, having nobody left to fight, united. Menit soon gave birth two a set of twins; Mirro and Aati, the gods of Hard Times, and embodiments of the suffering inflicted by war. Their second set of twins, Anku and Kerrid are in turn, the gods of good Times, the embodiments of the spoils of war. Together, these six war gods make up the pantheon of the Empire's state religion, the Faith of the Six."

1. What kind of world do you want to build? I've got sci-fi, fantasy, and historical fiction going at the moment. 2. Why are you building it? Story/novel writing. At least at the start (and I hope to get back there), at the moment it's kinda gotten away from me and the details are maybe getting in the way of actual writing. But I'm having fun and isn't that what a hobby is about? 3. How do you want this process to feel? I don't really know. All of the above? I'll probably have a better idea once everything really gets going.

I'm gonna go through the Core concept Workshop and post my answers here chapter by chapter. Genre: High-Fantasy Target Age Range: Young-adult and up Word count: 37k+ and counting Links: - Story - Worldbuilding (don't forget to check the comments too if you're interested) - Fun facts/Prompt Answers 1: #Define Your World’s Vibe - Tone: Semi-serious, but hopeful, and, as far as I can make it, logical. - Emotional Energy: There is definitely a lot of (semi-)suppressed anger in it, but for the most part, characters remain civil and try to hear eachother out. - Metaphor: Here be dragons. 2: #Genre-Bending Without Getting Lost - Primary genre: High-Fantasy - Additional genre-elements: cosmic horror, science fantasy, gaslamp-punk There is a feeling of whimsy to Eldara, but if you dig deep enough, you'll find sinister and possibly even Lovecraftian elements buried under the world, and the sheer scope on which the gods operate can work as cosmic horror on its own. The story itself is much more concerned with the small picture, the immediate effects, and explores systemic and ideological issues, genocide, rebellion, and totalitarian oppression. 3 #The One Question That Defines Your World - Who should be the ones leading, planning, and/or acting out the actions of a rebellion? The people involved all have their own agendas, which might collide at certain points. Resolving or sidelining these until a more stable solution is reached might be necessary. - What happens when someone is left with nothing to lose, and an impossible enemy to defeat? The inciting incident of my main story is the result of one man's mission to kill a god - a task that is not only definitionally impossible, but also drags everyone into more serious and high-stakes conflicts, not to speak of the god themself.

My world feels like standing in a cathedral… but the cathedral is a starship.