Welcome back to Worldbuilding Diaries, where we embrace the creative chaos of building a romantasy world! This week, the map of my world went through some major updates, and let’s just say things got a little wild—mountains were raised, rivers flowed, and a massive wall made its dramatic debut. Oh, and I may have unleashed some soul-eating monsters. Just another week in worldbuilding, right?
Mountains, Rivers, and the Mighty Stronghold
First up, I tackled the mountain ranges and rivers that would shape the geography of my world. Using the ever-helpful YouTube videos by WSD20 (seriously, if you haven’t checked them out yet, what are you waiting for?), I worked on placing mountain chains and rivers to create a natural flow for my landscape.
But the pièce de résistance of my updates this week? The Stronghold—a massive wall on the southern edge of my map. Its purpose? To keep out the big bads lurking on the other side. Because, let’s face it, no high fantasy world is complete without a giant wall holding back unimaginable evil. Game of Thrones and The Wheel of Time both feature massive walls that the entire realm helps to manage and protect in order to keep the rest of the world safe from the evil forces that lurk beyond. Even From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout has walls that protect people from the craven—the zombie-like creatures in her series.
Regardless of whether or not you agree that "The Wall" is a common story element in high fantasy novels, I always envisioned the Stronghold in my fantasy world. In fact, the very first book I ever wrote a million years ago featured this very same wall. And since I'm finally creating this world, I definitely wanted to include it!
Introducing the Voidborn: A New Kind of Monster
With the Stronghold in place, I knew I needed to populate the other side of the wall with some seriously scary threats. In my original novel, I planned on zombie-like creatures (very much like the craven in FBAA). Not wanting to be compared to Armentrout in this way (and also just tired of zombies all together), I decided it was time to craft a new kind of monster.
Enter the Voidborn, terrifying, shadowy creatures born of human greed. These horrors tie directly into the Evestian Faith, the religion I introduced last week.
Every religion needs a villain, and the Voidborn are central to the mythology of the Evestian Faith. They embody the dark forces the faithful fear and fight against, making them the perfect addition to my world. Of course, this meant diving into some creature building to flesh out their origins, abilities, and the chilling lore that surrounds them.
A Whimsical Gypsy Culture (and Spin-Off Potential)
Although the map making wasn't quite finished, I ventured off to work on some other aspects of my world—building some cultures. In my original novel, I introduced a gypsy-like culture that I called...well, gypsies. (Very original, I know.)
Already having an idea of who these people were, I decided this was as good a place as any to start crafting the people in my world. A resource I tapped into was "30 Days of Worldbuilding" by A Trevena. Although I didn't follow her exact model and structure, I do like how this book breaks down worldbuilding into major topics, and then asks a variety of questions to help you think through the process.
So, off I went, crafting my new "gypsy" culture. I started with what I already knew about who they were: things like dress and appearance, magical elements I wanted them to have (hello fortune-telling!), some history I knew I wanted to include, and a very specific relationship with birds.😏
Next on the agenda was filling in all the holes, and there were many of them. This is were Trevena's book came in handy, helping me think through some of these details I hadn't considered before. The end result was a whimsical, nature-centered culture called the Orryshai. These nomadic storytellers are now steeped in a unique tradition, with legends & heroes revered by their people. They even have a unique faith of their own—a nature-based religion that celebrates balance, the fleeting beauty of impermanence, and listening to the whispers of the wind.
What I love most about developing this culture as much as I did was that it created so much potential for spin-off stories. As I delved into their traditions and lore, I realized there are so many possibilities for truly captivating romances. Their stories alone could fill books, and their legends are sure to weave beautifully into my main series.
What’s Next? Forests, Towns, Dire Wolves, and Pirates!
Even with all this progress, the map isn’t finished yet. I still need to add forests, plains, and smaller towns to round out the primary region. Plus, I’ve got another creature in the works (spoiler: it’s a dire wolf!), and I’m itching to dive into crafting my pirate culture. Who doesn’t love pirates, right?
Join the Journey
As you can see, the world of my romantasy series is shaping up to be big, bold, and brimming with potential. Want to follow along as I map mountains, build cultures, and unleash dire wolves? Subscribe to my newsletter to stay up to date on all the behind-the-scenes magic and be the first to know when new Worldbuilding Diaries posts go live.
Until next time, keep dreaming big and building worlds even bigger. 🗺️✨
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