World anvil examples8/8/2023 They had wings that let them fly through space (which is pretty cool, not gonna lie), tentacles, many eyes, and overall looked absolutely horrifying. In Lovecraft’s works, the Elder Things are a species of aliens that lived on Earth many millennia ago. Speaking about hope… yeah, this is the opposite. Elder Things: building horror through history So, depending on the mood and themes you want to express in your world, you can have a similarly extensive scale of events too! For example, if you want to show the resilience of humankind in a hopeful tone, showing a ninth civilization after presumably eight apocalyptic scenarios is a great way to do it! 4. But even so, this gives the world a feeling of immense historical depth and gravity. Numenera’s old civilizations mainly influenced over the technology of the new world, as no one really remembers the civilizations that came before so there isn’t much cultural influence. This is in stark contrast to Númenor (even though they have similar names). Clarke said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”! The ninth civilization is living in a medieval-inspired society… with super-advanced futuristic technology! Most of this technology has decayed or works in unexpected ways, but they still use it in their daily lives, with a catch: they see it as magic. Yes, this is from a role-playing game, but don’t skip it if you’re a writer! Numenera is a setting where eight technologically advanced civilizations have risen and fallen, and now the ninth civilization is just starting out (this is why it’s also known as the Ninth World). Underwater ruins are a great way to not only build fantasy history but also introduce a very attractive plot hook! 3. And that’s what will happen too in your world if your old civilization is shrouded in myth and legend. Instead of changing our governments or our traditions, it’s been a huge influence on our pop culture. Unlike Númenor, Atlantis is a myth, and this changes absolutely everything! It’s still influential in our culture, but for different reasons. And you’ve probably seen several interpretations of the story too. So it’s really interesting to see how we treat it in our world! Many people used to believe it existed, and there are tons of theories about its true nature. Unlike the other examples on this list, Atlantis is part of our culture beyond the story it was originally created for. This made them lose the favor of the gods, and consequently, they sunk under the Atlantic ocean. Speaking about Númenor… Atlantis was one of Tolkien’s inspirations for it! In the original story (by Plato), Atlantis was a prosperous civilization that went to war against Athens and lost. Atlantis: fantasy history in the real world! But think about how your lost civilization changes cultural and social aspects of the world too! 2. So, what can we learn from this? Well, it’s very easy to focus on technological influences when building a civilization. And the White Tree of Gondor comes from the one that used to be in Númenor! And if this is not influential enough for you, the fall of Númenor is the reason Middle Earth is round-it used to be flat before then! Ilúvatar, the original creator of the universe, intervened directly and punished the Númenoreans by sinking their island.īut Númenor is still influential! In Lord of the Rings, Aragorn is a Dúnadan, which means that he is a descendant of Númenor. As you can imagine, this didn’t go well for the Edain. But Sauron, who you’ll know from the Lord of the Rings, corrupted their last king, who in turn decided to wage war against the Valar. Númenor was created by the Valar (the “gods” of Middle Earth) as a gift to the Edain, a group of humans who fought alongside elves. You probably know about Númenor if you’re a fan of the Lord of the Rings books (or the Rings of Powers series, which actually has Númenor as one of its locations!). Númenor: deep history for a deeper culture What does your world have? Let’s look at 5 examples from fiction you can draw inspiration from! 1. In our world, we have Mesopotamia, the Maya civilization, and the Roman Empire, among others. So, to get started with this, I recommend building a civilization that was once powerful and influential but has since been lost. Creating history for your world can seem a daunting task, but it’s totally worth it! Not only will it give you more tools to create plot hooks and expanded context to create a richer world, but your players or readers will also feel more immersed.
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