In these next few posts, I’d like to discuss my approach to world building. For those of you who are writers, I hope this discussion helps you hone your craft. For those who are not writers, I hope that you’ll find insight into the process of my world creation interesting.
When designing a world, geography is perhaps the most important factor. There is a theory that the geography of an area can entirely predict it’s history, and while I wouldn’t go that far, it serves to highlight the importance of terrain. With the creation of Purovus, I already had a rough idea of the people groups that I wanted to inhabit my world and so I designed the world to produce that number. For instance, to keep the Halystrian Empire separate from the Vostakin tribes I needed a natural barrier. I used forests, mountains, rivers, and a steppe to separate the two cultures. The impediment of the terrain would ensure that movement between the two groups would be sparse and that their cultures could therefore remain distinct.
Alternatively, one could design the people groups around the terrain. This is how I created the Northmen, the Brithondians, and the Midneans. After I had placed my planned nations in their respective corners of the world, I found that I had many habitable niches that had been unclaimed. The Northmen and Brithondians nucleated around large river valleys that provide their nations with fertile soil and fresh water. The Midneans occupied a sheltered basin that is kept temperate and moist by coastal winds.
Another aspect to the geographic approach is that a terrain will produce certain cultural traits in the people groups that occupy it. Those who live rugged highlands are likely to be a hardy tribal people, unlikely to work together but difficult to conquer. People who live on plains made fertile by a river will become the great empires and nations that we know from antiquity, especially if their are passable routes to other such nations. Those who live on islands or regions with prominent coasts are likely to become a maritime people, using their ships for both fishing and trade. People who live on inhospitable plains will have to rely on horses and other livestock to survive and will likely be nomadic.
Geography can also predict certain conflicts, of which many are needed to fill the annals of a world. Mountain people will likely have to raid the lowlands to supplement their meager harvests. Coastal cities are vulnerable to pirates and other raiders. Nations wishing to expand will usually push for the next natural barrier, often a river or mountain range. Wars are fought over fertile fields, silver mines, mountain passes, and valuable ports. Victors like to consolidate their gains by making their conquests contiguous nations. There are always exceptions, but a survey of history reveals that geography plays an undeniable role in the events that unfold.
Next week we’ll discuss the importance of having a consistent fantasy time period and the role of magic, two factors which consistently trip up authors when they’re creating their worlds.
The Sensiahd word of the day is predun, meaning “plain”. Example sentence: Eth tegaloch ys ar eth predun. The city is on the plain.