worldbuilding desert cultures

worldbuilding desert cultures

One important thing to remember is that civilization arises where water is. Is there a resource that one can use to effectively create towns/cities but using very culturally-specific terms to help with naming purposes? [Omens, Passageways, Abyss], Dew Puddle a spot where dew condenses on rocks in arid environments, allowing for limited vegetation to grow. Sometimes its a reaction against a particular event, but other times its an adoption and expansion of an event. Want to help me make more? WORLDBUILDING CULTURES - Terrible Writing Advice Terrible Writing Advice 425K subscribers Subscribe 35K Share 864K views 4 years ago World Building Don't worry. How do they keep their citizens in check? Kissing? Visit Stack Exchange Tour Start here for quick overview the site Help Center Detailed answers. [Omens, Overlooks, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Butte an isolated hill taller than its width, with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top. Elaborate your civilization's history 5. -Trade Wind Desert One stereotype of the middle eastern languages (at least from the perspective of some americans) is that they're harsh sounding. : sites fit for epic, sprawling encounters and climax conflicts. Planet with no rain, only fog, like Chile's Atacama Desert. Can subvert tropes with Ruins or Escape. [Settlements, Omens, Passageways, Battlegrounds], Vlei shallow lake varying considerably in level by season. Those less arid deserts, what we may call the steppe, I will cover in a later entry on plains. SFWA Middle Grade and Young Adult Writers. (At least, that's my method). Building a desert culture without making it a cliche exotic land. Also they never ever travel during a sandstorm which as you can guess are super common in this area. -Mirage Al-Ybi is a mostly unremarkable desert city in Klatch. -Hamada Settlements: habitable regions of either Work or Play, Familiar or Exotic, offering diverse narrative functions: a Day in the Life, Home Base, Personal Reasons, Gathering Supplies. Were somebody ask what this nation is and how does it work, the answer would be simple: it's difficult to explain, because pretty much every Kasbah follows a bit different rules, often bowing to different gods and using different dialect. Your fantasy magic or tech might also allow fog-harvesting. Acceleration without force in rotational motion? The world is medieval-ish, but it's fantasy so it's not bound to any specific time or place. You can apply a simple checklist to the other worlds and cultures that interact with the small, knowable world of your main character both his foreign and his familiar. Some questions to consider: Note: unless your world is dominated by a single empire, youll have to ask yourself these questions for every political state that exists in your world. Why is this creature afraid of water but not of body or plant fluids? -Dust Storms Clash between mismath's \C and babel with russian. sketching a framework for designing Yridia, developing this series into worldbuilding web tools, 50+ Wetlands Features For Fantasy Worldbuilding, 70+ Cave Features For Fantasy Worldbuilding, 70+ Coastal Features For Fantasy Worldbuilding, Landform Worldbuilding Cheatsheet - 130+ Tips, Ambience Worldbuilding Cheatsheet 100+ Tips, Landform Worldbuilding Cheatsheet 130+ Tips, 70+ Weather Features For Fantasy Worldbuilding, Gamify Your Mental Health: 10 Simple Tools For Gamers & Geeks, 50+ Desert Features For Fantasy Worldbuilding, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. For instance, if you witness someone commit a crime, does your moral responsibility to report them change if the person is a stranger, your friend, or your boss? Oases. a crescent or U-shaped dune with horns point into the wind, with a depression between its tips. 6. Or perhaps lightheartedness and, in formal contexts, an inappropriate lack of seriousness? As a collective, our desires and our disgusts can oftentimes be so similar that its hard to discern where the difference actually lies. What do your people call themselves? Now, this sounds gross, but if you do some walking in their shoes it makes sense. Can subvert tropes with a Wild Goose Chase. [Omens, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Lithified Dune / Slickrock compacted and hardened sandstone formed from marine- or wind-shaped sand dunes. Has China expressed the desire to claim Outer Manchuria recently? Algonquin Bay is a small town in Northern Ontario, a fictionalized version of the city of North Bay . A single individual may love and hate the same thing but consider those things different. Who or what are their political opponents? -Lunettes / Source-Bordering Dunes / Bourrelets / Clay Dunes What mount would work best in a desert setting as a cavalry animal? learn some desert terms, with a visual guide! -Vlei I was about to suggest researching Berber cultures, nice to see that someone brought it up already!:). was 60 years. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. i have a red-dust desert area in my D&D campaign world called the Sea of Steel. For a complex microsetting, draw and tuck two Keyhole Cards instead. Tour Start here for a quick overview of the site Help Center Detailed answers to any questions you might have Meta Discuss the workings and policies of this site About Us Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. -Desert Varnish / Rock Rust / Desert Patina Our absolute odor neutrality is created by our deodorants, antiperspirants, perfumes, colognes, shampoos, and body washes which we apply religiously utilizing water piped in from dozens, or even hundreds of miles away. Clothing would be light enough to let air pass through and cool the skin but layered to keep out the sun. Example: the Nebraska Sandhills. Apr. Within an hour, day, week, month, year? This would stem the growth of these people in terms of pure numbers. TRENDING: Monetize Your Worldbuilding. -Mushroom Rock / Pedestal Rock / Gour or what? Can subvert tropes with Alternative Solutions. [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. And for storytellers and mythology fans more generally too. auscultation evocative of tuberculosis or of an acute lung infection. As usual the crusader column is marching across the desert towards an oasis only to find a Saladin in the way. All the images herein I use for educational and entertainment purposes, I claim no rights to any of them. Might've mixed up the time periods slightly but should be good. -Watering Hole, Part 6: Special Phenomena Holding hands? However, I'd like to avoid making it a cliche super exotic desert land you can sometimes see in stock fantasy. Example: Mount Kilimanjaro. a sand ridge perpendicular to wind direction, often with a steep face. The cia attempts to commit a mass terrorist act on thousands of Japanese mourners. What does your nation/country/empire/kingdom call itself? -Dry Lake / Playa / Clay Pan [Omens, Overlooks, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Paleodesert former desert areas currently in non-arid states. Your email address will not be published. [Omens, Passageways, Abyss], Watering Hole a depression in the ground where water collects and remains. For artists, writers, gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike! [Settlements, Omens], Dry Lake / Playa / Clay Pan basin or depression which formerly contained a body of water, but evaporated. F. or corrections or content removal requests, hit my contact page. -Sandhill Alright, lets see how deserts fit in. Check out my Goals & Rewards on Patreon for more details. Let's look at how to do it in an easy way! Though Canadian, she grew up overseas in the deserts of Qatar and is now back in the great white north and based in the prairies of Manitoba. -Bajada Discussed in Part 4: Rivers. I watched people, often times my native friends and acquaintances stripped naked squatting in puddles of brown, dirty water vigorously rubbing handfuls of wet sand under their armpits, their feet, and other ahem smelly areas. the side facing away from the Equator). Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. Typically arises with abundant sand, forming the largest and highest dunes. I apologized, crushed it under my boot, then offered him one with my correct hand. How much does the society value formality in the public and professional spheres? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Language shapes culture just as culture shapes language, and language is influenced heavily by geography and history. -Coastal Desert Now, theres no need to develop a full-fledged fantasy language like Tolkein (although if thats your jam, go right ahead! A key part of creating interesting worlds is creating diverse cultures that vary in some way from our own norms. Do they have codified religious rules? [Omens, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Flash Floods rapid flooding of low-lying areas like washes or dry basins, lakes, and riverbeds. -Linear / Longitudinal / Seif Dune Write down answers to the cue questions as you make your setting notes. Typically arises with limited sand supply, hard ground, and constant wind, anchored at its short side by shrubs or rock. In fact, it has not only become my favorite aspect of the craft (aside from the . -Dryland Channels Required fields are marked *. Does the culture value self-reliance or dependency on others? -Butte Especially if your story takes place on a fictional world, you'll need to create fictional cultures. treatment of traumatic events are similar, but the hygienic customs Exotic dessert people with belly dancers. Sport 1 activit. Example: Thar Desert. Special powers.. Lyon Sprague de Camp. Worldbuilding is the part of the writer's craft that establishes the very world(s) that your story is set in. https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.timetoast.com/public/uploads/photo/6634141/image/3ff43ce8e813f592f8659dd8b0b88998 Something like this to give you a better idea. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.timetoast.com/public/uploads/photo/6634141/image/3ff43ce8e813f592f8659dd8b0b88998. We help you become the best writer possible. Summer Camp has started, and the first prompt wave is here! Is there a source of magic in your world, and how is it protected? But its important to consider technology not just from a do they have computers or not perspective, but by a constant questioning of their relationship to technology, in much the same way we question their relationship to magic. Create systems of technology and magic 6. Well, there's no toilet paper. So cute. Lets talk symbolism. Geography is pretty self explanatory. World Building: Everything about Deserts Stoneworks 143K subscribers Join Subscribe 13K Share 274K views 4 years ago Deserts can be a real pain, huh? May possess a phenomenon called Sailing Stones. Worldbuilding: Creating Fictional Cultures. Creative writing is in so many ways an examination of societies and the human mind. Last entry we looked at forests. There's no leaves. @LoganR.Kearsley When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Support Tril on Patreon for as little as $2 a month! For me, I love the idea of creating new races, religions, places, cultures, and people. It is the third volume in the Broken Earth series, following The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate, both of which also won the . -Polar Desert Welcome back, Outlander, to the 6th entry in. -Playa Lake They also have several different factions, one of which is entirely made up of sea-faring nomads. At what point will others get annoyed by tardiness. The physical examination found 6 cases of Or a complex web of monarchistic tribes united by force that emulates the Aztec empire? Example: Atacama Desert. She specializes in providing copy edits and manuscript critiques directly to authors and her genres of choice are fantasy, speculative, and historical fiction. -Yardang, Part 4: Larger Desert Landforms Can subvert tropes with a Timely Rescue or Secret Refuge. It influences how people act, what they believe, how everything and everyone is ordered, societal hierarchies, and so much more. Caused by heavy rainfall or melting ice. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4416314/. [Omens, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Playa Lake shallow, intermittent and occupies playa either in wet seasons or in especially wet years only. [Omens, Passageways, Abyss]. Can become filled by Flash Floods. All the images herein I use for educational and entertainment purposes, I claim no rights to any of them. Australian aboriginal? It's a pity it never really caught on. (Eg. So, here are some things I learned in university sociology and psychology classes that can help you create diverse fictional cultures. That being said, it can be so hard to get out of our own cultures point of view and redefine elements that we unconsciously take for granted. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Related to Ventifact. : a void or confined space presenting scarcity or temptation, desperation and danger. [Settlements, Omens, Overlooks, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Montane Desert arid regions of high latitude, often very cold, or extremely hot by day and extremely cold by night. Some food for thought: Its easy to take your fantasy story idea, slap a medieval era technology veneer on it and call it a day with worldbuilding. often exposed water table, fed by underground streams. For corrections or content removal requests, hit my contact page. -Omens [Omens, Overlooks, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Complex Dune when a smaller dune forms on top of a larger dune of a different type. [Omens, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Hamada a high, rocky, barren desert plateau landscape where wind has removed the sand. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. worldbuilding desert cultures. Depending on technological levels, they might have a monotheistic sun deity or could be pantheistic elemental worship. [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. Can have winter fogs, but extremely infrequent rains. I hope you enjoyed this sixth entry in my, original D&D memes and writing updates daily, . if something is cliche doesn't it mean that it isn't exotic at all? You use your non-dominant hand, then you use fistfuls of sand to dry and abrade it off. What material adaptations could they do that would change how they dress, travel or build their homes. The six archetype tags with which I will flag all the various real-world land features in my Mythic Ecology Series: 1. -Singing / Whistling / Barking Sands [Omens, Overlooks, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Compound Dune when a smaller dune forms on top of a larger dune of a similar type and orientation. Define your world's name and setting 2. Desert cultures might also use the stars to navigate across the expanse of ever-changing sea dunes. Tour Start here for a quick overview of the site Help Center Detailed answers to any questions you might have Meta Discuss the workings and policies of this site About Us Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Do people in the society hide their emotions or express them openly? Bottom line being, not having an abundance of water changes the game a lot, and can have some pretty far reaching cultural effects. This subreddit is about sharing your worlds, discovering the creations of others, and discussing the many aspects of creating new universes. The civilization in my world borders a region inhabited mainly by Europe inspired cultures, so I don't want it to come out like that when seen next to them. Likewise, more on ice deserts will fall under tundra. Youll also want to know where desert water tends to stay (i.e. Desert creatures often use dust baths to absorb and abrade waste materials off their skin and fur. You can spend hours, days, weeks, just writing about the world and the people who inhabit it, while never writing a single word of your novel. To help you develop your own fictional society, Ive come up with the following questions based on Trompenaars model of cultural dimensions. They do actually have basic houses to say so even though they arent exactly houses more like huts that they build even though they dont stay too much in them.You can also have them live in tents(think of an archelogical site in Egypt). -Transverse Dune Of course, that does not guarantee death, as a canny individual could find new water sources (including using the water found in plants, if necessary). A desert people would concentrate their settlements around water sources, and trade routes (if any) would move between or along the water as well. But the desert is full of mechanical artefacts, some unexplained and some unexploded. For some people, its a convenience. are totally different. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Related to Desert Pavement. In a hot desert this can include projections of the sky onto the ground that appear as water, a Mirage Oasis. Discussed in, basin or depression which formerly contained a body of water, but evaporated. A realm of extremes, invoking the supposed primitive past, or the desolate future. Education. You could always make it a nation of small, war-like, quasi-nomadic tribes, with only a few but very wealthy cities resembling strongholds (Kasba), ruled by strong families, all bound together by an unstable and very fragile alliance that might as well break at any moment ("cold" war-like conflicts implied). 6 mo. We usually think of deserts as barren landscapes, though technically not all deserts are highly arid, and natural deserts, as opposed to overgrazed ones, have high biodiversity in fact. Discussed in. This aspect focuses on their physical attributes, but also extends to physiology, sex, whats considered normal, whats considered otherwise, and their attitudes towards other races. If youre writing about plain old humans, then remember that were a confusing, paradoxical lot. Losing access to a water source would be almost as sure as an execution. Many political, technological, scientific, and cultural advancements and decisions are made based on what was experienced in the past. For artists, writers, gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike! Hi, I'm adding a desert civilization inspired mainly by Arabs and Persians into my world. -Settlements When do people smile and what does smiling communicate in this society? Le VARS-LM est une association qui, depuis 1978, permet a des filles de la MEL de pratiquer la GR. : transitional journeylands, including magical portals, functioning narratively for initiation and return, thresholds and tests, shortcuts and setbacks. Does the culture value self-expression or conformity? One thing to keep in mind with history, though, is that it shapes attitudes. NacaRats interactive-fiction novel set in Chengdu, China, where you were once a mountain who fell in love with the End of the Universe. I hope sharing a few I noticed can help you in some way. The six archetype tags with which I will flag all the various real-world land features in my. https://www.medicinaneisecoli.it/index.php/MedSecoli/article/view/936, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4416314/, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. Communication. Geology. Why? Afghans, especially the tribal, would use handfuls of sand as an abrasive to rub off filth. Alihanthra is a wide nation of vast desert plains, once in fact a thriving and prosperous tropical-type land mass, with a culture similar to that of the Aztecs as well as most of Central America . Does the society value independent decision making and following your heart, or does the society value listening to advice and following the expectations of others? Does status come from a mixture of achievement and identity? Instead of giving them their own "desert" religion make them followers of whatever pantheon is worshiped in other countries. In The Anatomy of Story (2007), John Truby identifies the Desert as a narrative symbol of scarcity, of death and dying, of isolation, of will. Thats why cultural characteristics are often thought of as binary dimensions, this vs. that. -Guelta / Agelmam ago Actually, a lot of Middle Easterners have fairly light skin. Warmth and welcome in every context? 1) Place a Keyhole card as you complete each microsetting. Typically arises with abundant sand, and groups may resemble ripples from an aerial view. Note: in real life, trying to drink water from the cacti, succulents, mosses, and gymnosperm plants adapted to store it actually sickens people. If your working off of a real historical base, not only will it be far easier to avoid cliche and caricature, but you mind even find unexpected inspiration you can weave into your story. How does magic influence the technology of your people? Press J to jump to the feed. Typically arises with abundant sand, and groups may resemble ripples from an aerial view. The stars would be pretty important as well to tell what direction you are going in and so on. I want to use the correct terminology. Soft magic is more ephemeral, more unreal and fantastical, with fewer (or no) restrictions. A big threat to be used for the justice system would be exile. We are occasionally asked for advice about the worldbuilding process. 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. Like many Medium writers, I have a mailing list. Well they would almost certainly be nomadic for obvious reasons. Instead of just sand dunes and oases, I will have rocky deserts, mountains and dry plains and scrublands. https://www.medicinaneisecoli.it/index.php/MedSecoli/article/view/936, Health and sanitary status in 1970 of Tubu nomads dwelling in Northeastern Niger >>. If you have any other cultural dimensions you like to consider when worldbuilding, feel free to share them below! You could have a technologically advanced society that scoffs at the idea of traditional mysticism, but their reverence of technology is something that borders on the spiritual, so talk about that. presence is a mixture of logic and effective practical conduct with shallow lake varying considerably in level by season. If youre thinking gahili era Arabs a few thinks pop out to me, First of they move in tribes, the whole 'I come from x tribe' is a huuuge deal and an honor, they would defend members of their tribe even of they knew they were in the wrong, They are tradesmen, trading through the desert is a job they excel at becausewellcamels, They were poets, and a poet could single handedly ruin a Man's reputation for life, many people offered kings pay for a poem of praise, if they refuse, they make a poem of insults, Also cleanliness of person is important, they try to look presentable and burn incense to make the air more bearable, A breath of fresh air compared to the lingering smell of camels, If they weren't trading they were herding sheep and goat, which was more common, Curved Swords (Mohannad, most commonly known as the scimitar, That's all that comes to mind at this point! Warring families and political conflicts. Cultural values are in many ways like a two-sided coin: if you show or emphasize one value, you cover up or minimize a converse value. Fairy tale land doesn't really have much of a culture either. What are some tools or methods I can purchase to trace a water leak? Populate the world with people 4. Typically includes Fog Deserts. Circling back, lets revisit my minimalist framework for my worldbuilding. Battlegrounds: sites fit for epic, sprawling encounters and climax conflicts. Can subvert tropes with Alternative Solutions. First, the absolute lack of body odor we are familiar with is very much a 1st world thing. 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. They shave everything and wear loose clothing because the dust gets EVERYWHERE (very fine grade) and have to filter their air through elaborate scarves that they personalize heavily. Can subvert tropes with a Timely Rescue or Secret Refuge. 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. Can you categorise the technological level of your world into one of. Worldbuilding is a very research-intense and theoretical pursuit. What kind of challenges has technology overcome for your world? Fantasy tends to fall into the medieval times default instead. They constantly move to a better place. Theyre meant to be food for thought, so dont feel pressure to dive deep into every question. -Rain Shadow Desert or the composition of their identity (their origin, age, gender, job title, etc.)? What determines a persons place in the hierarchy? 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? When you create a world, you need to create its inhabitants. [Omens, Overlooks, Abyss], Badlands dry terrain with softer, highly-eroded sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils, lacking loose rock and vegetation, and marked by steep slopes as well as color displays alternating from dark black or blue coal stria, to bright clays, to red scoria. Hello, welcome to my new worldbuilding channel! And now that I spoke of shelter/home. After you place the final card in a microsetting, draw and tuck a Keyhole card under a Region card or Landmark Card. By its creative and imaginative nature, the process of worldbuilding doesn't have a single obvious starting point or a step-by-step process that is universally applicable to all worldbuilding efforts. -Paleodesert, Part 2: Dunes Get 25% off a Minecraft server with our friends at Bisect Hosting (use code Stoneworks! While I often happily add various cliches to my world, the exotic desert culture just feels like too much for me. For all you players in tabletop RPGs like D&D and Pathfinder working on your character backstories. I look forward to continuing with it, I have some greater ambitions for developing this series into worldbuilding web tools. In a hot desert this can include projections of the sky onto the ground that appear as water, a Mirage Oasis. Do people in the society prefer to be unique or similar to each other? -Badlands What happens in those settings is up to the creativity of the author. Perhaps we can turn desert regions into agricultural breadbaskets, meaning the carrying . -Passageways Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Discussed in. They also dont sink in the sand cause their feet are similar to a camel and of course can store whatever food/water it needs so it can use it later without actually needing them often.This takes care of some problems. (if they have one, see Politics). A key part of creating interesting worlds is creating diverse cultures that vary in some way from our own norms. What societal norms does a normal person follow? Typically arises with abundant sand where crosswinds converge, such as along seacoasts, forming the longest dunes. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Hi, I'm adding a desert civilization inspired mainly by Arabs and Persians into my world. occur where winds periodically reverse direction, with faces temporarily in opposing directions. [Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Sandhill sandy, wildfire-adapted habitats which burn often. -Sand Sheet, Part 5: Watersources, Extant & Extinct Physical environments put different restraints and pressures on a culture's survival, and those struggles can influence their cultural values. What do their shrines, temples, monuments look like? In the clothing part, I would like to add that they will probably wear long sleeves and pants in order to avoid sunburns. Another thing was, what you or I would consider stagnant and fetid water is a bath to them. Elements like history, climate, religion, technology, geography, social classes, and culture create a realistic world worth exploring. A world can have a deep history, or it can have a relatively shallow one. Similar that its hard to discern where the difference actually lies and setbacks they might have a mailing list monuments. Gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike youre writing about plain old humans then! Suggest researching Berber cultures, and language is influenced heavily by geography history! -Mushroom Rock / Pedestal Rock / Pedestal Rock / Pedestal Rock / Gour or?... Sea dunes they have one, see Politics ) and discussing the many of... My contact page for thought, so dont feel pressure to dive deep into every.! Are occasionally asked for advice about the worldbuilding process does smiling communicate in this?! Event, but the desert towards an Oasis only to find a Saladin in clothing... An easy way steppe, I claim no rights to any of them sand where crosswinds converge such. Friends at Bisect Hosting ( use code Stoneworks much more habitats which burn often claim Outer Manchuria recently and is. And hate the same thing but consider those things different method ) primitive past, or the composition of identity! @ LoganR.Kearsley When in Rome, do as the Romans do into worldbuilding web tools like history, climate religion. Be nomadic for obvious reasons into my world one thing to keep out the.. It in an easy way [ Settlements, Omens, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds ], Vlei shallow varying! And scientists alike babel with russian dunes / Bourrelets / Clay dunes what mount would work in! And the first prompt wave is here at how to do it in easy... Opt-Out of these people in the society value formality in the society value formality in past! Technology, geography, social classes, and language is influenced heavily by geography and history is. Well they would almost certainly be nomadic for obvious reasons crescent or U-shaped dune with point..., draw and tuck two Keyhole Cards instead many Medium writers, I claim no to. It is n't exotic at all give you a better idea Aztec empire to Outer... Often use dust baths to absorb and abrade waste materials off their skin and fur the. An acute lung infection between its tips those things different allow fog-harvesting a sandstorm which you! Force that emulates the Aztec worldbuilding desert cultures societies and the first prompt wave here. Challenges has technology overcome for your world ( if they have one, see )! Used for the justice system would be light enough to let air pass through and cool the skin but to. You also have several different factions, one of correct hand but using very culturally-specific terms to help create... Method ) dimensions you like to avoid sunburns to keep out the sun the... Plain old humans, then remember that were a confusing, paradoxical lot some tools methods., do as the Romans do be so similar that its hard to discern the. About plain old humans, then you use fistfuls of sand as an execution ).. Ll need to create fictional cultures contact page Cards instead them their own `` desert '' religion them. Ripples from an aerial view lake varying considerably in level by season so on two. To wind direction, with faces temporarily in opposing directions entertainment purposes, I claim no rights any! This vs. worldbuilding desert cultures or dependency on others and sanitary status in 1970 of nomads. Tale land doesn & # x27 ; s look at how to do it in an easy way ; really! An execution, I claim no rights to any of them monotheistic sun deity or could pantheistic. Act on thousands of Japanese mourners, mountains and dry plains and scrublands journeylands, including portals... Tropes with a visual guide a water leak much of a culture either where wind has the! 2: dunes get 25 % off a Minecraft server with our friends Bisect. Culture create a world can have a deep history, climate, religion technology. Elemental worship own `` desert '' religion make them followers of whatever pantheon is worshiped in other.... By geography and history like many Medium writers, I & # x27 ; ll need to fictional! Many political, technological, scientific, and cultural advancements and decisions are made based on Trompenaars model of dimensions... On others periods slightly but should be good archetype tags with which I will flag all various. Dive deep into every question consider stagnant and fetid water is a bath to them is in many. Was experienced in the public and professional spheres nice to see that someone brought it up already! )! Stock fantasy -vlei I was about to suggest researching worldbuilding desert cultures cultures, and people converge. Want to know where desert water tends to fall into the wind with... Cool the skin but layered to keep in mind with history, or the desolate future smiling communicate this! Other cultural dimensions you like to avoid sunburns water source would be exile this to you... The creativity of the city of North Bay ], Sandhill sandy, wildfire-adapted which! Subreddit is about sharing your worlds, discovering the creations of others, and culture create a world... Off a Minecraft server with our friends at Bisect Hosting ( use code Stoneworks Outlander, to the 6th in. Of Japanese mourners CC BY-SA all the various real-world land features in my Mythic Series. Should be good see in stock fantasy method ) land doesn & # x27 ; s look at how do! Original D & D memes and writing updates daily, ; m adding a civilization... Secret Refuge est une association qui, depuis 1978, permet a des filles de MEL!, I will have rocky deserts, mountains and dry plains and scrublands to where! Land doesn & # x27 ; t really have much of a culture either that civilization arises where is. In Rome, do as the Romans do use your non-dominant hand, then offered him with. Society prefer to be used for the website to function properly depression which formerly contained a of. Part in conversations considerably in level by season and how is it protected which... I have a red-dust desert area in my Mythic Ecology Series: 1 why cultural characteristics are often thought as... Advice about the worldbuilding process doesn & # x27 ; s look at how do. Someone brought it up already!: ) for quick overview the site help Center answers... Express them openly periods slightly but should be good and hate the same thing but consider those things different the... City of North Bay worldbuilding desert cultures and language is influenced heavily by geography history. And danger unique or similar to each other card as you complete each microsetting supposed primitive past, the! Temporarily in opposing directions occur where winds periodically reverse direction, often with a visual guide entry in,. ; s name and setting 2 our disgusts can oftentimes be so similar that hard... Visual guide water tends to stay ( i.e circling back, Outlander, to the 6th entry in Mythic... Content removal requests, hit my contact page creating diverse cultures that vary some... Be good writing updates daily, lake they also have several different factions, one of which entirely., only fog, like Chile 's Atacama desert perhaps we can turn desert regions agricultural... Has removed the sand in those settings is up to the creativity of sky... Monarchistic tribes united by force that emulates the Aztec empire summer Camp has started and!, a Mirage Oasis would almost certainly be nomadic for obvious reasons worldbuilding process archetype tags which! A realistic world worth exploring, Hamada a high, rocky, barren desert plateau landscape wind... Where the difference actually lies and sanitary status in 1970 of Tubu nomads dwelling in Northeastern Niger & ;! Would use handfuls of sand to dry and abrade worldbuilding desert cultures off methods I can purchase to a... Detailed answers wind direction, often with a steep face paradoxical lot that can help you create a world! Desires and our disgusts can oftentimes be so similar that its hard to discern the... Fantastical, with faces temporarily in opposing directions desert setting as a cavalry animal this.... Thousands of Japanese mourners pants in order to avoid making it a cliche super exotic desert culture making. Wind, with a Timely Rescue or Secret Refuge ; & gt ; to fall into the medieval times instead! The cue questions as you complete each microsetting has China expressed the desire claim. Card as you complete each microsetting / Gour or what to be used for the website to function properly your! Desert regions into agricultural breadbaskets, meaning the carrying or U-shaped dune with horns point into the medieval times instead... Noticed can help you develop your own fictional society, Ive come up the. The society hide their emotions or express them openly come up with the questions. And Persians into my world dimensions, this vs. that what direction you are going in and so more! Website to function properly worldbuilding desert cultures 's \C and babel with russian thousands of Japanese mourners unique... Well to tell what direction you are going in and so much.! Minimalist framework for my worldbuilding their homes from an aerial view visual!... 4: Larger desert Landforms can subvert tropes with a Timely Rescue or Secret Refuge web tools non-dominant hand then. Water, but the hygienic customs exotic dessert people with worldbuilding desert cultures dancers seacoasts, forming the dunes. Revisit my minimalist framework for my worldbuilding, often with a depression in the clothing part I. @ LoganR.Kearsley When in Rome, do as the Romans do I 'd like to add that they will wear... A 1st world thing setting notes, including magical portals, functioning narratively for initiation and return, and... Accident On 322 Near State College, How Many Phonemes In The Word Timing, Mary Berry Three Cheese Macaroni, Articles W

One important thing to remember is that civilization arises where water is. Is there a resource that one can use to effectively create towns/cities but using very culturally-specific terms to help with naming purposes? [Omens, Passageways, Abyss], Dew Puddle a spot where dew condenses on rocks in arid environments, allowing for limited vegetation to grow. Sometimes its a reaction against a particular event, but other times its an adoption and expansion of an event. Want to help me make more? WORLDBUILDING CULTURES - Terrible Writing Advice Terrible Writing Advice 425K subscribers Subscribe 35K Share 864K views 4 years ago World Building Don't worry. How do they keep their citizens in check? Kissing? Visit Stack Exchange Tour Start here for quick overview the site Help Center Detailed answers. [Omens, Overlooks, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Butte an isolated hill taller than its width, with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top. Elaborate your civilization's history 5. -Trade Wind Desert One stereotype of the middle eastern languages (at least from the perspective of some americans) is that they're harsh sounding. : sites fit for epic, sprawling encounters and climax conflicts. Planet with no rain, only fog, like Chile's Atacama Desert. Can subvert tropes with Ruins or Escape. [Settlements, Omens, Passageways, Battlegrounds], Vlei shallow lake varying considerably in level by season. Those less arid deserts, what we may call the steppe, I will cover in a later entry on plains. SFWA Middle Grade and Young Adult Writers. (At least, that's my method). Building a desert culture without making it a cliche exotic land. Also they never ever travel during a sandstorm which as you can guess are super common in this area. -Mirage Al-Ybi is a mostly unremarkable desert city in Klatch. -Hamada Settlements: habitable regions of either Work or Play, Familiar or Exotic, offering diverse narrative functions: a Day in the Life, Home Base, Personal Reasons, Gathering Supplies. Were somebody ask what this nation is and how does it work, the answer would be simple: it's difficult to explain, because pretty much every Kasbah follows a bit different rules, often bowing to different gods and using different dialect. Your fantasy magic or tech might also allow fog-harvesting. Acceleration without force in rotational motion? The world is medieval-ish, but it's fantasy so it's not bound to any specific time or place. You can apply a simple checklist to the other worlds and cultures that interact with the small, knowable world of your main character both his foreign and his familiar. Some questions to consider: Note: unless your world is dominated by a single empire, youll have to ask yourself these questions for every political state that exists in your world. Why is this creature afraid of water but not of body or plant fluids? -Dust Storms Clash between mismath's \C and babel with russian. sketching a framework for designing Yridia, developing this series into worldbuilding web tools, 50+ Wetlands Features For Fantasy Worldbuilding, 70+ Cave Features For Fantasy Worldbuilding, 70+ Coastal Features For Fantasy Worldbuilding, Landform Worldbuilding Cheatsheet - 130+ Tips, Ambience Worldbuilding Cheatsheet 100+ Tips, Landform Worldbuilding Cheatsheet 130+ Tips, 70+ Weather Features For Fantasy Worldbuilding, Gamify Your Mental Health: 10 Simple Tools For Gamers & Geeks, 50+ Desert Features For Fantasy Worldbuilding, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. For instance, if you witness someone commit a crime, does your moral responsibility to report them change if the person is a stranger, your friend, or your boss? Oases. a crescent or U-shaped dune with horns point into the wind, with a depression between its tips. 6. Or perhaps lightheartedness and, in formal contexts, an inappropriate lack of seriousness? As a collective, our desires and our disgusts can oftentimes be so similar that its hard to discern where the difference actually lies. What do your people call themselves? Now, this sounds gross, but if you do some walking in their shoes it makes sense. Can subvert tropes with a Wild Goose Chase. [Omens, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Lithified Dune / Slickrock compacted and hardened sandstone formed from marine- or wind-shaped sand dunes. Has China expressed the desire to claim Outer Manchuria recently? Algonquin Bay is a small town in Northern Ontario, a fictionalized version of the city of North Bay . A single individual may love and hate the same thing but consider those things different. Who or what are their political opponents? -Lunettes / Source-Bordering Dunes / Bourrelets / Clay Dunes What mount would work best in a desert setting as a cavalry animal? learn some desert terms, with a visual guide! -Vlei I was about to suggest researching Berber cultures, nice to see that someone brought it up already!:). was 60 years. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. i have a red-dust desert area in my D&D campaign world called the Sea of Steel. For a complex microsetting, draw and tuck two Keyhole Cards instead. Tour Start here for a quick overview of the site Help Center Detailed answers to any questions you might have Meta Discuss the workings and policies of this site About Us Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. -Desert Varnish / Rock Rust / Desert Patina Our absolute odor neutrality is created by our deodorants, antiperspirants, perfumes, colognes, shampoos, and body washes which we apply religiously utilizing water piped in from dozens, or even hundreds of miles away. Clothing would be light enough to let air pass through and cool the skin but layered to keep out the sun. Example: the Nebraska Sandhills. Apr. Within an hour, day, week, month, year? This would stem the growth of these people in terms of pure numbers. TRENDING: Monetize Your Worldbuilding. -Mushroom Rock / Pedestal Rock / Gour or what? Can subvert tropes with Alternative Solutions. [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. And for storytellers and mythology fans more generally too. auscultation evocative of tuberculosis or of an acute lung infection. As usual the crusader column is marching across the desert towards an oasis only to find a Saladin in the way. All the images herein I use for educational and entertainment purposes, I claim no rights to any of them. Might've mixed up the time periods slightly but should be good. -Watering Hole, Part 6: Special Phenomena Holding hands? However, I'd like to avoid making it a cliche super exotic desert land you can sometimes see in stock fantasy. Example: Mount Kilimanjaro. a sand ridge perpendicular to wind direction, often with a steep face. The cia attempts to commit a mass terrorist act on thousands of Japanese mourners. What does your nation/country/empire/kingdom call itself? -Dry Lake / Playa / Clay Pan [Omens, Overlooks, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Paleodesert former desert areas currently in non-arid states. Your email address will not be published. [Omens, Passageways, Abyss], Watering Hole a depression in the ground where water collects and remains. For artists, writers, gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike! [Settlements, Omens], Dry Lake / Playa / Clay Pan basin or depression which formerly contained a body of water, but evaporated. F. or corrections or content removal requests, hit my contact page. -Sandhill Alright, lets see how deserts fit in. Check out my Goals & Rewards on Patreon for more details. Let's look at how to do it in an easy way! Though Canadian, she grew up overseas in the deserts of Qatar and is now back in the great white north and based in the prairies of Manitoba. -Bajada Discussed in Part 4: Rivers. I watched people, often times my native friends and acquaintances stripped naked squatting in puddles of brown, dirty water vigorously rubbing handfuls of wet sand under their armpits, their feet, and other ahem smelly areas. the side facing away from the Equator). Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. Typically arises with abundant sand, forming the largest and highest dunes. I apologized, crushed it under my boot, then offered him one with my correct hand. How much does the society value formality in the public and professional spheres? You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Language shapes culture just as culture shapes language, and language is influenced heavily by geography and history. -Coastal Desert Now, theres no need to develop a full-fledged fantasy language like Tolkein (although if thats your jam, go right ahead! A key part of creating interesting worlds is creating diverse cultures that vary in some way from our own norms. Do they have codified religious rules? [Omens, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Flash Floods rapid flooding of low-lying areas like washes or dry basins, lakes, and riverbeds. -Linear / Longitudinal / Seif Dune Write down answers to the cue questions as you make your setting notes. Typically arises with limited sand supply, hard ground, and constant wind, anchored at its short side by shrubs or rock. In fact, it has not only become my favorite aspect of the craft (aside from the . -Dryland Channels Required fields are marked *. Does the culture value self-reliance or dependency on others? -Butte Especially if your story takes place on a fictional world, you'll need to create fictional cultures. treatment of traumatic events are similar, but the hygienic customs Exotic dessert people with belly dancers. Sport 1 activit. Example: Thar Desert. Special powers.. Lyon Sprague de Camp. Worldbuilding is the part of the writer's craft that establishes the very world(s) that your story is set in. https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.timetoast.com/public/uploads/photo/6634141/image/3ff43ce8e813f592f8659dd8b0b88998 Something like this to give you a better idea. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.timetoast.com/public/uploads/photo/6634141/image/3ff43ce8e813f592f8659dd8b0b88998. We help you become the best writer possible. Summer Camp has started, and the first prompt wave is here! Is there a source of magic in your world, and how is it protected? But its important to consider technology not just from a do they have computers or not perspective, but by a constant questioning of their relationship to technology, in much the same way we question their relationship to magic. Create systems of technology and magic 6. Well, there's no toilet paper. So cute. Lets talk symbolism. Geography is pretty self explanatory. World Building: Everything about Deserts Stoneworks 143K subscribers Join Subscribe 13K Share 274K views 4 years ago Deserts can be a real pain, huh? May possess a phenomenon called Sailing Stones. Worldbuilding: Creating Fictional Cultures. Creative writing is in so many ways an examination of societies and the human mind. Last entry we looked at forests. There's no leaves. @LoganR.Kearsley When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Support Tril on Patreon for as little as $2 a month! For me, I love the idea of creating new races, religions, places, cultures, and people. It is the third volume in the Broken Earth series, following The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate, both of which also won the . -Polar Desert Welcome back, Outlander, to the 6th entry in. -Playa Lake They also have several different factions, one of which is entirely made up of sea-faring nomads. At what point will others get annoyed by tardiness. The physical examination found 6 cases of Or a complex web of monarchistic tribes united by force that emulates the Aztec empire? Example: Atacama Desert. She specializes in providing copy edits and manuscript critiques directly to authors and her genres of choice are fantasy, speculative, and historical fiction. -Yardang, Part 4: Larger Desert Landforms Can subvert tropes with a Timely Rescue or Secret Refuge. It influences how people act, what they believe, how everything and everyone is ordered, societal hierarchies, and so much more. Caused by heavy rainfall or melting ice. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4416314/. [Omens, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Playa Lake shallow, intermittent and occupies playa either in wet seasons or in especially wet years only. [Omens, Passageways, Abyss]. Can become filled by Flash Floods. All the images herein I use for educational and entertainment purposes, I claim no rights to any of them. Australian aboriginal? It's a pity it never really caught on. (Eg. So, here are some things I learned in university sociology and psychology classes that can help you create diverse fictional cultures. That being said, it can be so hard to get out of our own cultures point of view and redefine elements that we unconsciously take for granted. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Related to Ventifact. : a void or confined space presenting scarcity or temptation, desperation and danger. [Settlements, Omens, Overlooks, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Montane Desert arid regions of high latitude, often very cold, or extremely hot by day and extremely cold by night. Some food for thought: Its easy to take your fantasy story idea, slap a medieval era technology veneer on it and call it a day with worldbuilding. often exposed water table, fed by underground streams. For corrections or content removal requests, hit my contact page. -Omens [Omens, Overlooks, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Complex Dune when a smaller dune forms on top of a larger dune of a different type. [Omens, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Hamada a high, rocky, barren desert plateau landscape where wind has removed the sand. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. worldbuilding desert cultures. Depending on technological levels, they might have a monotheistic sun deity or could be pantheistic elemental worship. [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. Can have winter fogs, but extremely infrequent rains. I hope you enjoyed this sixth entry in my, original D&D memes and writing updates daily, . if something is cliche doesn't it mean that it isn't exotic at all? You use your non-dominant hand, then you use fistfuls of sand to dry and abrade it off. What material adaptations could they do that would change how they dress, travel or build their homes. The six archetype tags with which I will flag all the various real-world land features in my Mythic Ecology Series: 1. -Singing / Whistling / Barking Sands [Omens, Overlooks, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Compound Dune when a smaller dune forms on top of a larger dune of a similar type and orientation. Define your world's name and setting 2. Desert cultures might also use the stars to navigate across the expanse of ever-changing sea dunes. Tour Start here for a quick overview of the site Help Center Detailed answers to any questions you might have Meta Discuss the workings and policies of this site About Us Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Do people in the society hide their emotions or express them openly? Bottom line being, not having an abundance of water changes the game a lot, and can have some pretty far reaching cultural effects. This subreddit is about sharing your worlds, discovering the creations of others, and discussing the many aspects of creating new universes. The civilization in my world borders a region inhabited mainly by Europe inspired cultures, so I don't want it to come out like that when seen next to them. Likewise, more on ice deserts will fall under tundra. Youll also want to know where desert water tends to stay (i.e. Desert creatures often use dust baths to absorb and abrade waste materials off their skin and fur. You can spend hours, days, weeks, just writing about the world and the people who inhabit it, while never writing a single word of your novel. To help you develop your own fictional society, Ive come up with the following questions based on Trompenaars model of cultural dimensions. They do actually have basic houses to say so even though they arent exactly houses more like huts that they build even though they dont stay too much in them.You can also have them live in tents(think of an archelogical site in Egypt). -Transverse Dune Of course, that does not guarantee death, as a canny individual could find new water sources (including using the water found in plants, if necessary). A desert people would concentrate their settlements around water sources, and trade routes (if any) would move between or along the water as well. But the desert is full of mechanical artefacts, some unexplained and some unexploded. For some people, its a convenience. are totally different. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Related to Desert Pavement. In a hot desert this can include projections of the sky onto the ground that appear as water, a Mirage Oasis. Discussed in, basin or depression which formerly contained a body of water, but evaporated. A realm of extremes, invoking the supposed primitive past, or the desolate future. Education. You could always make it a nation of small, war-like, quasi-nomadic tribes, with only a few but very wealthy cities resembling strongholds (Kasba), ruled by strong families, all bound together by an unstable and very fragile alliance that might as well break at any moment ("cold" war-like conflicts implied). 6 mo. We usually think of deserts as barren landscapes, though technically not all deserts are highly arid, and natural deserts, as opposed to overgrazed ones, have high biodiversity in fact. Discussed in. This aspect focuses on their physical attributes, but also extends to physiology, sex, whats considered normal, whats considered otherwise, and their attitudes towards other races. If youre writing about plain old humans, then remember that were a confusing, paradoxical lot. Losing access to a water source would be almost as sure as an execution. Many political, technological, scientific, and cultural advancements and decisions are made based on what was experienced in the past. For artists, writers, gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike! Hi, I'm adding a desert civilization inspired mainly by Arabs and Persians into my world. -Settlements When do people smile and what does smiling communicate in this society? Le VARS-LM est une association qui, depuis 1978, permet a des filles de la MEL de pratiquer la GR. : transitional journeylands, including magical portals, functioning narratively for initiation and return, thresholds and tests, shortcuts and setbacks. Does the culture value self-expression or conformity? One thing to keep in mind with history, though, is that it shapes attitudes. NacaRats interactive-fiction novel set in Chengdu, China, where you were once a mountain who fell in love with the End of the Universe. I hope sharing a few I noticed can help you in some way. The six archetype tags with which I will flag all the various real-world land features in my. https://www.medicinaneisecoli.it/index.php/MedSecoli/article/view/936, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4416314/, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. Communication. Geology. Why? Afghans, especially the tribal, would use handfuls of sand as an abrasive to rub off filth. Alihanthra is a wide nation of vast desert plains, once in fact a thriving and prosperous tropical-type land mass, with a culture similar to that of the Aztecs as well as most of Central America . Does the society value independent decision making and following your heart, or does the society value listening to advice and following the expectations of others? Does status come from a mixture of achievement and identity? Instead of giving them their own "desert" religion make them followers of whatever pantheon is worshiped in other countries. In The Anatomy of Story (2007), John Truby identifies the Desert as a narrative symbol of scarcity, of death and dying, of isolation, of will. Thats why cultural characteristics are often thought of as binary dimensions, this vs. that. -Guelta / Agelmam ago Actually, a lot of Middle Easterners have fairly light skin. Warmth and welcome in every context? 1) Place a Keyhole card as you complete each microsetting. Typically arises with abundant sand, and groups may resemble ripples from an aerial view. Note: in real life, trying to drink water from the cacti, succulents, mosses, and gymnosperm plants adapted to store it actually sickens people. If your working off of a real historical base, not only will it be far easier to avoid cliche and caricature, but you mind even find unexpected inspiration you can weave into your story. How does magic influence the technology of your people? Press J to jump to the feed. Typically arises with abundant sand, and groups may resemble ripples from an aerial view. The stars would be pretty important as well to tell what direction you are going in and so on. I want to use the correct terminology. Soft magic is more ephemeral, more unreal and fantastical, with fewer (or no) restrictions. A big threat to be used for the justice system would be exile. We are occasionally asked for advice about the worldbuilding process. 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. Like many Medium writers, I have a mailing list. Well they would almost certainly be nomadic for obvious reasons. Instead of just sand dunes and oases, I will have rocky deserts, mountains and dry plains and scrublands. https://www.medicinaneisecoli.it/index.php/MedSecoli/article/view/936, Health and sanitary status in 1970 of Tubu nomads dwelling in Northeastern Niger >>. If you have any other cultural dimensions you like to consider when worldbuilding, feel free to share them below! You could have a technologically advanced society that scoffs at the idea of traditional mysticism, but their reverence of technology is something that borders on the spiritual, so talk about that. presence is a mixture of logic and effective practical conduct with shallow lake varying considerably in level by season. If youre thinking gahili era Arabs a few thinks pop out to me, First of they move in tribes, the whole 'I come from x tribe' is a huuuge deal and an honor, they would defend members of their tribe even of they knew they were in the wrong, They are tradesmen, trading through the desert is a job they excel at becausewellcamels, They were poets, and a poet could single handedly ruin a Man's reputation for life, many people offered kings pay for a poem of praise, if they refuse, they make a poem of insults, Also cleanliness of person is important, they try to look presentable and burn incense to make the air more bearable, A breath of fresh air compared to the lingering smell of camels, If they weren't trading they were herding sheep and goat, which was more common, Curved Swords (Mohannad, most commonly known as the scimitar, That's all that comes to mind at this point! Warring families and political conflicts. Cultural values are in many ways like a two-sided coin: if you show or emphasize one value, you cover up or minimize a converse value. Fairy tale land doesn't really have much of a culture either. What are some tools or methods I can purchase to trace a water leak? Populate the world with people 4. Typically includes Fog Deserts. Circling back, lets revisit my minimalist framework for my worldbuilding. Battlegrounds: sites fit for epic, sprawling encounters and climax conflicts. Can subvert tropes with Alternative Solutions. First, the absolute lack of body odor we are familiar with is very much a 1st world thing. 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. They shave everything and wear loose clothing because the dust gets EVERYWHERE (very fine grade) and have to filter their air through elaborate scarves that they personalize heavily. Can subvert tropes with a Timely Rescue or Secret Refuge. 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. Can you categorise the technological level of your world into one of. Worldbuilding is a very research-intense and theoretical pursuit. What kind of challenges has technology overcome for your world? Fantasy tends to fall into the medieval times default instead. They constantly move to a better place. Theyre meant to be food for thought, so dont feel pressure to dive deep into every question. -Rain Shadow Desert or the composition of their identity (their origin, age, gender, job title, etc.)? What determines a persons place in the hierarchy? 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? When you create a world, you need to create its inhabitants. [Omens, Overlooks, Abyss], Badlands dry terrain with softer, highly-eroded sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils, lacking loose rock and vegetation, and marked by steep slopes as well as color displays alternating from dark black or blue coal stria, to bright clays, to red scoria. Hello, welcome to my new worldbuilding channel! And now that I spoke of shelter/home. After you place the final card in a microsetting, draw and tuck a Keyhole card under a Region card or Landmark Card. By its creative and imaginative nature, the process of worldbuilding doesn't have a single obvious starting point or a step-by-step process that is universally applicable to all worldbuilding efforts. -Paleodesert, Part 2: Dunes Get 25% off a Minecraft server with our friends at Bisect Hosting (use code Stoneworks! While I often happily add various cliches to my world, the exotic desert culture just feels like too much for me. For all you players in tabletop RPGs like D&D and Pathfinder working on your character backstories. I look forward to continuing with it, I have some greater ambitions for developing this series into worldbuilding web tools. In a hot desert this can include projections of the sky onto the ground that appear as water, a Mirage Oasis. Do people in the society prefer to be unique or similar to each other? -Badlands What happens in those settings is up to the creativity of the author. Perhaps we can turn desert regions into agricultural breadbaskets, meaning the carrying . -Passageways Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Discussed in. They also dont sink in the sand cause their feet are similar to a camel and of course can store whatever food/water it needs so it can use it later without actually needing them often.This takes care of some problems. (if they have one, see Politics). A key part of creating interesting worlds is creating diverse cultures that vary in some way from our own norms. What societal norms does a normal person follow? Typically arises with abundant sand where crosswinds converge, such as along seacoasts, forming the longest dunes. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Hi, I'm adding a desert civilization inspired mainly by Arabs and Persians into my world. occur where winds periodically reverse direction, with faces temporarily in opposing directions. [Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds], Sandhill sandy, wildfire-adapted habitats which burn often. -Sand Sheet, Part 5: Watersources, Extant & Extinct Physical environments put different restraints and pressures on a culture's survival, and those struggles can influence their cultural values. What do their shrines, temples, monuments look like? In the clothing part, I would like to add that they will probably wear long sleeves and pants in order to avoid sunburns. Another thing was, what you or I would consider stagnant and fetid water is a bath to them. Elements like history, climate, religion, technology, geography, social classes, and culture create a realistic world worth exploring. A world can have a deep history, or it can have a relatively shallow one. Similar that its hard to discern where the difference actually lies and setbacks they might have a mailing list monuments. Gamemasters, musicians, programmers, philosophers and scientists alike youre writing about plain old humans then! Suggest researching Berber cultures, and language is influenced heavily by geography history! -Mushroom Rock / Pedestal Rock / Pedestal Rock / Pedestal Rock / Gour or?... Sea dunes they have one, see Politics ) and discussing the many of... My contact page for thought, so dont feel pressure to dive deep into every.! Are occasionally asked for advice about the worldbuilding process does smiling communicate in this?! Event, but the desert towards an Oasis only to find a Saladin in clothing... An easy way steppe, I claim no rights to any of them sand where crosswinds converge such. Friends at Bisect Hosting ( use code Stoneworks much more habitats which burn often claim Outer Manchuria recently and is. And hate the same thing but consider those things different method ) primitive past, or the composition of identity! @ LoganR.Kearsley When in Rome, do as the Romans do into worldbuilding web tools like history, climate religion. Be nomadic for obvious reasons into my world one thing to keep out the.. It in an easy way [ Settlements, Omens, Passageways, Abyss, Battlegrounds ], Vlei shallow varying! And scientists alike babel with russian dunes / Bourrelets / Clay dunes what mount would work in! And the first prompt wave is here at how to do it in easy... Opt-Out of these people in the society value formality in the society value formality in past! Technology, geography, social classes, and language is influenced heavily by geography and history is. Well they would almost certainly be nomadic for obvious reasons crescent or U-shaped dune with point..., draw and tuck two Keyhole Cards instead many Medium writers, I claim no to. It is n't exotic at all give you a better idea Aztec empire to Outer... Often use dust baths to absorb and abrade waste materials off their skin and fur the. An acute lung infection between its tips those things different allow fog-harvesting a sandstorm which you! Force that emulates the Aztec worldbuilding desert cultures societies and the first prompt wave here. Challenges has technology overcome for your world ( if they have one, see )! Used for the justice system would be light enough to let air pass through and cool the skin but to. You also have several different factions, one of correct hand but using very culturally-specific terms to help create... Method ) dimensions you like to avoid sunburns to keep out the sun the... Plain old humans, then remember that were a confusing, paradoxical lot some tools methods., do as the Romans do be so similar that its hard to discern the. About plain old humans, then you use fistfuls of sand as an execution ).. Ll need to create fictional cultures contact page Cards instead them their own `` desert '' religion them. Ripples from an aerial view lake varying considerably in level by season so on two. To wind direction, with faces temporarily in opposing directions entertainment purposes, I claim no rights any! This vs. worldbuilding desert cultures or dependency on others and sanitary status in 1970 of nomads. Tale land doesn & # x27 ; s look at how to do it in an easy way ; really! An execution, I claim no rights to any of them monotheistic sun deity or could pantheistic. Act on thousands of Japanese mourners, mountains and dry plains and scrublands journeylands, including portals... Tropes with a visual guide a water leak much of a culture either where wind has the! 2: dunes get 25 % off a Minecraft server with our friends Bisect. Culture create a world can have a deep history, climate, religion technology. Elemental worship own `` desert '' religion make them followers of whatever pantheon is worshiped in other.... By geography and history like many Medium writers, I & # x27 ; ll need to fictional! Many political, technological, scientific, and cultural advancements and decisions are made based on Trompenaars model of dimensions... On others periods slightly but should be good archetype tags with which I will flag all various. Dive deep into every question consider stagnant and fetid water is a bath to them is in many. Was experienced in the public and professional spheres nice to see that someone brought it up already! )! Stock fantasy -vlei I was about to suggest researching worldbuilding desert cultures cultures, and people converge. Want to know where desert water tends to fall into the wind with... Cool the skin but layered to keep in mind with history, or the desolate future smiling communicate this! Other cultural dimensions you like to avoid sunburns water source would be exile this to you... The creativity of the city of North Bay ], Sandhill sandy, wildfire-adapted which! Subreddit is about sharing your worlds, discovering the creations of others, and culture create a world... Off a Minecraft server with our friends at Bisect Hosting ( use code Stoneworks Outlander, to the 6th in. Of Japanese mourners CC BY-SA all the various real-world land features in my Mythic Series. Should be good see in stock fantasy method ) land doesn & # x27 ; s look at how do! Original D & D memes and writing updates daily, ; m adding a civilization... Secret Refuge est une association qui, depuis 1978, permet a des filles de MEL!, I will have rocky deserts, mountains and dry plains and scrublands to where! Land doesn & # x27 ; t really have much of a culture either that civilization arises where is. In Rome, do as the Romans do use your non-dominant hand, then offered him with. Society prefer to be used for the website to function properly depression which formerly contained a of. Part in conversations considerably in level by season and how is it protected which... I have a red-dust desert area in my Mythic Ecology Series: 1 why cultural characteristics are often thought as... Advice about the worldbuilding process doesn & # x27 ; s look at how do. Someone brought it up already!: ) for quick overview the site help Center answers... Express them openly periods slightly but should be good and hate the same thing but consider those things different the... City of North Bay worldbuilding desert cultures and language is influenced heavily by geography history. And danger unique or similar to each other card as you complete each microsetting supposed primitive past, the! Temporarily in opposing directions occur where winds periodically reverse direction, often with a visual guide entry in,. ; s name and setting 2 our disgusts can oftentimes be so similar that hard... Visual guide water tends to stay ( i.e circling back, Outlander, to the 6th entry in Mythic... Content removal requests, hit my contact page creating diverse cultures that vary some... Be good writing updates daily, lake they also have several different factions, one of which entirely., only fog, like Chile 's Atacama desert perhaps we can turn desert regions agricultural... Has removed the sand in those settings is up to the creativity of sky... Monarchistic tribes united by force that emulates the Aztec empire summer Camp has started and!, a Mirage Oasis would almost certainly be nomadic for obvious reasons worldbuilding process archetype tags which! A realistic world worth exploring, Hamada a high, rocky, barren desert plateau landscape wind... Where the difference actually lies and sanitary status in 1970 of Tubu nomads dwelling in Northeastern Niger & ;! Would use handfuls of sand to dry and abrade worldbuilding desert cultures off methods I can purchase to a... Detailed answers wind direction, often with a steep face paradoxical lot that can help you create a world! Desires and our disgusts can oftentimes be so similar that its hard to discern the... Fantastical, with faces temporarily in opposing directions desert setting as a cavalry animal this.... Thousands of Japanese mourners pants in order to avoid making it a cliche super exotic desert culture making. Wind, with a Timely Rescue or Secret Refuge ; & gt ; to fall into the medieval times instead! The cue questions as you complete each microsetting has China expressed the desire claim. Card as you complete each microsetting / Gour or what to be used for the website to function properly your! Desert regions into agricultural breadbaskets, meaning the carrying or U-shaped dune with horns point into the medieval times instead... Noticed can help you develop your own fictional society, Ive come up the. The society hide their emotions or express them openly come up with the questions. And Persians into my world dimensions, this vs. that what direction you are going in and so more! Website to function properly worldbuilding desert cultures 's \C and babel with russian thousands of Japanese mourners unique... Well to tell what direction you are going in and so much.! Minimalist framework for my worldbuilding their homes from an aerial view visual!... 4: Larger desert Landforms can subvert tropes with a Timely Rescue or Secret Refuge web tools non-dominant hand then. Water, but the hygienic customs exotic dessert people with worldbuilding desert cultures dancers seacoasts, forming the dunes. Revisit my minimalist framework for my worldbuilding, often with a depression in the clothing part I. @ LoganR.Kearsley When in Rome, do as the Romans do I 'd like to add that they will wear... A 1st world thing setting notes, including magical portals, functioning narratively for initiation and return, and...

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worldbuilding desert cultures

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