[container:vigmarker]Letting the world that has been in my head for 35 years finally breathe the air and see the light[br]
– Kahuna The Elder[/container][br]

[center][h3][i]If you are looking for guidelines to create in Arnathia, click [url:#Guidelines]here[/url][/i][/h3][/center]

[p]About 35 years ago, an idea for a world came to my mind. Invaded it, really. From reading novels like Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series and playing AD&D as a teen (almost exclusively as the GM), I have always enjoyed creating worlds, giving players a sense of being in the world itself.[/p]

[p]Finally, technology and resources have finally come together, making it possible to bring to life the stories I have seen in my head. It is also now possible to share these worlds and adventures with others and allow them to play in the same sandbox.[/p]

[h2]Why?[/h2]
[p]My goal and desire is to create a world that I can share with others. This world takes the form of stories and scenarios that can be read or played. Yes, there is a monetary component. As I have aged, my body has made some of my previous activities and livelihoods more difficult to sustain. So this is also a way for me to find an alternate source of income, so I don’t have to risk my health. [/p]

[p]But perhaps the biggest motivation is the creativity involved. I am, by nature, a creative person. This world has allowed me to create images, draw maps, bring characters and locations to life, and learn new skills in coding. It gives me a place where I can always find something to keep my brain working and my creative juices flowing.
[/p]

[h2]Where Is It Going?[/h2]
[p]Arnathia should engage the mind and the imagination. It should invite others to come in and play. Ultimately, it inspires other creators to come in and help add to the world with their own takes and ideas. And yes, to help me make worldbuilding and writing a full-time job.[/p]

[p]There are really three things that would make this successful for me:[/p]
[ol][li][p]A series of stories/books published surrounding the stories of this world[/p][/li]
[li][p]A series of playable modules/adventures based in this world that are both in written and virtual tabletop form[/p][/li]
[li][p]A consistent, reliable revenue stream that allows me to continue to work from home and perhaps even “retire.”[/p][/li][/ol]

[anchor|Guidelines][container:vigmarker][h1]Creating In Arnathia[/h1][/container]
[h1]Overall Concept[/h1]

[container:Glossary][h3]Glossary[/h3]
[p][b]Arnathia[/b]: Over thousands of years, the pronunciation of the planet’s name changed to Arnathia.[/p]
[p][b]ATG[/b]: After The Gathering.[/p]
[p][b]BTG[/b]: Before The Gathering.[/p]
[p][b]Cataclysm[/b]: A massive explosion that destroyed most of life and civiliation on Urnati.[/p]
[p][b]The Gathering[/b]: A meeting of the Nine Nations to develop and implement a lasting peace on Arnathia.[/p]
[p][b]The Nine Nations[/b]: The nine coountries that make up the bulk of Arnathia’s peoples. These include Baduhm, Chadigartu, Chiber, Dangoang, Dun Berbyahr Empire, Kheghwuhyahr, Muvetusan, Orsholon, and Sife Enylrius.[/p]
[p][b]Urnati[/b]: The planet’s name before the Cataclysm.[/container][/p][p]The world of Arnathia is one of thousands of years of history with a rare event – a bright defining line between the past and the present. The world has nine nations and many, many factions. The past was filled with technology. The current age in Arnathia is absent technology. Those who inhabit the world are the descendants of survivors of a horrific, nearly extinction-level event. Before the Cataclysm, magic was understood to be an innate ability of all beings, enhanced by scientific knowledge, and commonplace. Now, magic is much rarer, and the techniques to make it available to all are lost to time.
[/p]
[p]The world has been ruled for thousands of years by just nine nations. There have been disagreements and dust-ups, but for the most part, they co-exist peacefully. These nations, and the breadth of land features in Arnathia, give many jumping-off points for stories and adventures.[/p]

[h2]What Makes Arnathia Unique?[/h2]
[p]Arnathia is a world where magic is accepted, and technology shunned after a tragic accident changed the world forever. And now, darkness is rising. What is it? And what does it mean for the world? [/p]

[p]Magic is still found, but us practiced by a select few who must be taught how to access it and control it. But how will they use it?[/p]

[p]These are the questions that will be answered – and more issues will arise. Arnathia is designed to be a living world. When there is enough information published to support others in creating, future writing will change the world, and the world’s clock will begin to advance. As features roll out, you may be able to set the date and see what was happening at that time.[/p]

[h1]Theme[/h1]
[h2]Genre[/h2]
[container:infobox][h3]Genre vs. Timeline[/h3]
[b]Pre Cataclysm[/b]
[ul][li]Magic is a taught skill, available to anyone.[/li]
[li]Technology is advanced and a major feature in everyday life.[/li]
[li]There are no established religions.[/li][/ul]

[b]Post-Cataclysm[/b]
[ol][li]Magic is rare and only taught to a select few.[/li]
[li]Technology is feared and shunned. What little remains that are found are considered taboo relics and it is not discussed.[/li]
[li]Religions are based on stories of the Emissaries.[/li][/ol][/container][p]Arnathia spans two different genres, depending on which era you examine. Until the events of the Cataclysm, Urnati (the original name of the planet) was a technological marvel. It was firmly within the sci-fi realm with a touch of fantasy, as “magic” was a researched ability inherent to all Urnatis. However, magic needed to be brought out through training.
[/p]

[p]After the Cataclysm, however, the world moves more in to a high-fantasy realm. Where technology ruled before, now weapons and grit are key factors in the lives of Arnathians.[/p]

[p]This gives creators a wide range of scenarios to choose from in adding to the story. Prefer to write sci-fi? Then pre-Cataclysm Urnati has a wealth of opportunities. The only restriction there is that these stories must fall within the main history arc of the world. But even epic stories can be told within this framework. [/p]

[p]Want to create something more along a sword and sorcery line? then post-Cataclysm Arnathia is where you’ll play. Again, the restriction here is that the story must fall within canon, but there is also the opportunity to create canon for future stories.[/p]

[h2]Player Experience[br]
[small]How does the world feel (player experience)?[/small][/h2]
YOUR_ANSWER_HERE_REPLACE_ME

[h2]Tone[br]
[small]What is the tone of your world?[/small][/h2]
YOUR_ANSWER_HERE_REPLACE_ME

[h2]Character Agency[/h2][br]

Character in Arnathia can change the world with a single act. These changes can be permanent changes, or merely temporary ones. As the stories progress and the Arnathiann clock begins to advance, stories and changes will be made canon. All future events will be affected by those changes.

[h2]Recurring Themes[/h2][br]

You can find the following themes repeated on Arnathia. They guide the storylines and advance plots.
Good triumphs, mostly: Good will generally triumph, but not always, and not without a cost. Characters will frequently have to choose between the lesser of two complicated evils, and decide whether the sacrifice is worth the potential outcome.
Balance: We cannot know good without evil, light without dark. The greater the hero, the more epic the villain. If a character is to make a significant change, they must face significant difficulty. And with this, there must be a balance. Players must never feel a situation is hopeless. But it is perfectly acceptable for them to fear that it is.
Hero/Villian arcs: Characters will have story arcs that take them from a minor character to an epic hero or villain. They must show a progression, not only remain flat. Everyone changes, even if just a little.

[h1]Meta[/h1]
[row][col]
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[aloud]
–Anvil Advice::Choose three to five focal points of your world from the list below to focus your worldbuilding on:–
[row][col]
[ul]
[li]Government Presence[/li]
[li]Rule Of Law[/li]
[li]Social Services[/li]
[li]Economic Strength[/li]
[li]Wealth Distribution[/li]
[li]Agriculture And Trade[/li]
[li]Race Relations[/li]
[/col][col]
[li]Class Relations [/li]
[li]Gender Relations[/li]
[li]Sexual Orientation Relations[/li]
[li]Military Influence[/li]
[li]Religious Influence[/li]
[li]Technology Influence[/li]
[li]Arts And Culture Influence[/li]
[/ul]
[/col][/row]
[/aloud]
[/col][/row]

[h1]Drama[/h1]
[row][col]
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[aloud]
–Anvil Advice::Add 5 points of drama to your world – you can use one or two of them for your main plot line, but the rest are just there to create the impression of a larger world in motion.–
[/aloud]
[/col][/row]

Scene
Does your world have magic or altered gravity, midichlorians or psionics? Starting with your world’s natural laws is very important, as they can have fundamental repercussions on everything in your world! Get them sorted now and they’ll create fascinating interactions! Forget, and they’ll create holes in your worldbuilding! And make sure you sense-check with your previous answers – if your genre is hard sci-fi, you might not want to introduce magic, for example.
Rules of the Worlds
What are the fundamental differences in the natural laws of your world compared to Earth?
There is magic.
The magic is the energy generated by your dreams and replenished during your sleep. It can be harnessed during your waking hours.
Magic is expressed differently based on your genetic predispositions, gender, and species.
Cosmology
How did this world come to be?
Nobody knows, but the dominant religion, The Children of the Suns, believes that the world is the child of the twin suns, La and Tho.
Birds-eye view Geography
What does the geography of your world look like?
This should be a generic vision of the geography to set the feel not a specific location.

The Old-World lands are filled with jagged dead coral reefs, titanic petrified skeletons of sea creatures. It’s covered with sand and dark silt. The trees of the continent look more like evolved sea-weed than the trees that you know.
Does your Geography have any special properties or features?
Because of the binary star system, once a week or so one sun eclipses the other. This has varied cultural and religious significance across the planet, but it leads to the day dimming for around 20 minutes or so as the light on one sun is blocked by the other.
Initial Scene Size
What is the initial size of your active campaign setting?
Because of the Exploration theme of the campaign, I’ll start by describing the west of the one continent which is the Known World. The Eastern edges of the New World will also be explored.
People & their History
Who used to live in your active campaign space, and what’s their history?
In the New World, there was an advanced empire of dino-folk (like lizardfolk but cooler) who were wiped out when a giant meteor hit the planet. They left behind a massive array of ancient cities, temples, objects of power, and all the trappings of a lost civilization.

The old world USED to be underwater until the meteor hit! The land is littered with the bones of gargantuan dead sea creatures, abandoned merfolk cities and calcified coral forests.
Which species/cultures live here now and what’s their history?
The old world is peopled by 5 human empires living, until recently at least, in relative peace. A kingdom of dragon-riding dwarves dominates the northern mountain ranges. The western wildlands are inhabited by the nomadic orc-clans of Torg-‘Xhai.

The New World is inhabited by the ancestors of the only creatures to survive the catastrophe, an ascending empire of sentient rat-folk who believe that the sun is a two-headed snake that requires sacrifices. There are also the vestiges of the lizardfolk.

What do they need, and what do they need from each other?
For each group (culture or race) in your active campaign area, limit your answer to one paragraph, and remember to include one sentence on their opinion of “others”. For each group not in your active campaign area, limit your answer to one sentence.

The human nations of the old world are hungry for power, territory, and resources, as the Old World continent is becoming overpopulated.

The Orc tribes are trying desperately to maintain their territories from human encroachment, as the human empires repeatedly try to seize their lands for agriculture.

The dwarves have an ancient pact with the orcs and are honor-bound to help them against the encroaching human nations.