World Overview: Building Blocks
The purpose of a World Overview Document is to provide a structured foundation for a fictional world, capturing its core themes, unique elements, and essential locations. This document serves as a creative guide and reference point for the Game Masters and AI alike.
This document will grow as you work your way through the world building process.
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Index
Section 1: Building Blocks
Art Styles
Section 2: Terra Cognita
Biomes, Geology, Environments and Resources
Cosmology, Magic, and Religion
Technology, Economy, Politics and Organizations
Section 3: The Origins and Tales of Old
History and Mythology
Races and Cultures
Section 4: Story Arcs, Plotlines and Players
Current State of the World
Setting the Scene: Campaign, Story Arcs, Acts and Encounters
Integrating Players into the World​​
Building Blocks of Your World
Here is a screen shot of NotebookLM. I use this to keep track of my world building content and leverage the AI as a world building assistant as I flesh out the details of my world. As I get things final, I move them into Google Docs and The Game Master Platform.
​Core Concept
The world of Tenebris Aeon is a realm of fading grandeur and desperate preservation, where landscapes alternate between awe-inspiring beauty and grim decay. Once the seat of a powerful and unified Final Empire, it now lies in ruins, inhabited by those clinging to remnants of the past and fighting to protect what little beauty and power remains.
What Makes the World Unique
The defining feature of this world is elemental decay: nature and once-thriving civilizations are slowly deteriorating. While large regions of the world crumble into ruin, untouched pockets of majestic landscapes and ancient structures persist, stubbornly holding against time. Magic plays a dual role here, acting both to preserve these last remnants and accelerating decay when exploited.
Artistic Vision
This world embraces Desolate Grandeur and Natural Sublime, where landscapes of vast, decayed architecture and somber beauty contrast against pockets of light and life. The palette consists of faded golds, silvers, and deep grays punctuated by occasional bursts of life and color. The architecture, much of it ancient and crumbling, speaks of a world caught between preservation and inevitable decline, with broken statues, ancient walls, and structures covered in creeping vines.
Cultural Identity
The Enduring Order is the dominant society, an ancient remnant of the once-mighty Final Empire. They are a deeply traditionalist people, valuing resilience and preservation above all else. They see themselves as guardians of what remains of their culture and legacy, wary of change and suspicious of any force or faction that would accelerate decay or introduce destabilizing influences. They are both a civilization of architects and historians, striving to honor and preserve the past while fearing that their efforts may ultimately be futile.
Magic's Role
Magic in this world is both a tool for preservation and a corrupting influence. Known as Arcane Preservation and Corrupted Vitality, magic is a finite resource that slows decay but at great cost. Those who tap into magic can temporarily halt or even reverse decay in buildings, people, or landscapes, but this ultimately hastens the surrounding world's degradation. Many who wield magic in preservation are revered, while those who exploit it selfishly are condemned as accelerators of the world’s decline.
Central Conflict and Struggle
The central struggle is a fight for preservation. Societies, especially The Enduring Order, fight tirelessly to maintain the last vestiges of beauty and power that survived the fall of the Final Empire. This preservation effort stands against forces that manipulate the magic of decay, seeing in it an opportunity to take control of power in a dying world. Factional conflicts arise between those who revere preservation at any cost and those who embrace decay, believing it will lead to a natural rebirth.
Historical Influence
The Fall of the Final Empire shapes every aspect of life. Once an empire of unmatched wealth and influence, it collapsed due to inner corruption, conflict, and reliance on arcane forces. The people of the Enduring Order carry the weight of this history, determined to keep what remains alive but forever haunted by the empire’s mistakes. This fall also led to the fading of the Forgotten Guardians, ancient protectors now diminished in influence, leaving societies to fend for themselves in a decaying world.
Spiritual Overview
The spiritual realm is populated by Forgotten Guardians, ancient entities that once protected the empire but have since faded, along with their power. These guardians are remembered in half-forgotten songs, rituals, and symbols that linger in old temples and ruins. Revered but rarely understood, the Guardians’ indifference adds a sense of isolation, where the people cling to relics and memories without any guarantee of divine intervention or salvation.
Emotional Resonance
Players entering this world will feel a mix of melancholy, awe, desperation, resilience, fear, and intrigue. The beauty of crumbling cities and grand, desolate landscapes offers awe and sorrow, while the struggle to preserve or exploit what remains leads to intense moments of desperation and resilience. The mysterious remnants of the Guardians inspire intrigue, and the pervasive threat of decay imbues a subtle sense of fear.
Moral Complexity
In this world, noble ideals often lead to corruption. Even those committed to preserving beauty and heritage must sometimes make morally ambiguous choices, pushing them toward actions that accelerate the decay they seek to prevent. Characters may find themselves wrestling with the cost of their values, as survival often means sacrificing ideals or making questionable alliances. In this realm, few actions are purely good or evil, as every effort to preserve something risks losing something else.
Important People, Places, and Things
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Velrin, the Last Architect: A revered member of The Enduring Order, Velrin is both a master of preservation magic and an innovator of decay-control methods. Though he believes in the nobility of his mission, his power grows as he consumes more magic, hastening the decay around him.
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The Shattered Peaks: A mountain range in the heart of the world where a catastrophic event tore apart the fabric of reality. The shadows here are alive, drawing from the decay and resonating with the memories of those who enter.
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The Cradle of Shadows: A valley nestled in the Shattered Peaks, where elemental decay is strongest. It’s rumored that those who enter the Cradle may lose themselves, as the shadows hold the memories of countless explorers and forgotten guardians, blurring the line between the living and the dead.
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The Obsidian Heart: An artifact from the empire’s final days, this black crystal-like heart has the power to freeze time around it, preserving its surroundings at the cost of erasing the memories of those who activate it. Many view it as a relic, yet some believe it to be a curse that draws its bearers into oblivion.
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Temple of the Fallen Guardians: An ancient structure in ruins, once dedicated to the Forgotten Guardians. Pilgrims still make their way to this desolate place, hoping for guidance, though most leave only with echoes of the guardians' faded whispers.
Art Styles for Tenebris Aeon
Purpose: Establishing the different art styles for your world allows for you to consistently produce images that are similar in style as you grow your world. I start with three art styles but may add more as my world expands.
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1. Ancient Ruin Aesthetic
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Atmosphere: Dark, somber, and reflective of a world in decay. Ideal for regions where relics of the Final Empire are preserved.
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Visual Elements: Cracked marble statues, faded tapestries, and architecture overwhelmed by creeping vines. Structures are grand but deteriorating.
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Textures & Color Scheme: Worn, weathered surfaces; muted golds, tarnished silvers, deep grays, and faint purples.
Suggested Images:
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A crumbling temple with statues encased in shadows.
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Ancient, overgrown tombs lined with the faded remnants of civilization.
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A decayed cityscape under a twilight sky, with barely-glowing embers.​​
2. Ethereal Veil Style
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Atmosphere: Mysterious and supernatural, ideal for places connected to the Forgotten Guardians or spiritual realms.
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Visual Elements: Soft, translucent veils of light and shadow; floating orbs and ghostly silhouettes evoke ethereal beauty.
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Textures & Color Scheme: Silken textures with misty overlays; pastel blues, grays, purples, and touches of silver and jade.
Suggested Images:
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A mist-covered forest with faint, glowing spirits among ancient trees.
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A spectral figure guarding an abandoned shrine, illuminated by pale moonlight.
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Wisps and shimmering lights surrounding a forgotten sanctuary deep in the woods.
3. Ironbound Gothic
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Atmosphere: Gritty, resilient, with a touch of grim determination, suited for strongholds and industrial regions.
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Visual Elements: Iron architecture with dark wood and shadowed interiors; intricate, stained-glass designs add color amidst heavy iron.
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Textures & Color Scheme: Rugged, metallic textures with rust accents; blacks, dark browns, iron grays, and occasional emerald green or blood red.
Suggested Images:
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A fortress gate made of heavy iron, shrouded in mist.
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An iron-forged community hall with banners worn by age and conflict.
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Sturdy, candlelit interiors with iron beams and stone walls marked by wear.