NOME: Worldbuilding Project

1. Introduction

Nome is a Fyale Munya word meaning earth or dirt that become the default name for the setting within which my ttrpg (VEILBOUND) and all my conlangs are set. Nome is a grimbright fantasy setting inspired by the likes of elden ring, dark souls, and the cosmere series by Brandon Sanderson as well as my love for linguistics and ttrpgs like blades in the dark, pathfinder, and dungeons and dragons.

1.1 Themes, Tenets, and Conflict

Nome is governed by a core set of themes and tenets which guide my decision making processes whenever I add something to the setting. Beginning with the themes:

1. Perpetuation of broken systems. Nome's number one theme is the perpetuation of broken systems and how people cling to normalcy despite change having been long since required. All characters in this setting perpetuate or break away from these central broken systems, whether that be the law or the cosmology of the world itself.
2. Power and corruption. Will those who seek power always be corrupted by it? Is the process of seeking power an inherently corrupt act? Are good intentions alone enough?
3. Choices and consequences. If power does corrupt absolutely, has ones right to choice been revoked? Is cruelty the only viable choice? If cruelty cannot be cured or avoided, how can one go on without venerating it? If one becomes corrupted by the search for purity, then perhaps the desire for purification is inherently corrupting, or rather, exclusion is a corrupt act.
4. Dysfunctional parentage and mad gods. What does a creator owe its creation?
5. Nascence and futility. Cyclical guilt in impotent, imperfect creation.
   

As for the tenets of the world, these are more specific design guidelines which are meant to give the entire setting a coherent feeling, no matter where you look. Of which, there are three:

1. Everything decays. The hay-day of Nome has long since passed and no matter what it cannot be brought back to its former glory.
2. Low power, high stakes. Nome's many stories are about lowly folk rising to heights thought unimaginable by circumstance and the sweat of their brow. No primary character is allowed to be a "somebody".
3. Deep history and uncertain future. The past is hazy, a twisting spiral of events only heard of second hand, yet still effects every choice made in the present. The future is likewise, hazy, but the characters can make real, tangible changes to the world's trajectory. The glory days might be over, but as long as time keeps ticking, a new age is always around the corner.

And finally, the conflict. You can already see from the themes and tenets what kinds of conflicts might arise in this world, abuses of power, fear of decay, and generational strife. The world is very much focused on causing interpersonal conflict, fears of being a good or bad person, and the uncertainty of the future.

2. Magic

As a modern fantasy setting, Nome leans heavily on its magic systems (yes, plural). In total Nome has five magic systems, all of which stem from a single source. All magic systems in this setting follow a similar design philosophy to that of the setting as a whole. Each system has a fundamental principle, a single way in which it bends the rules of reality, a currency, the cost of bending these rules, and a consequence, the toll taken on your body for bending the rules.

2.1 Ashbinding

Ashbinding's fundamental principle is, unsurprisingly, called "binding". Through binding an Ashbinder may "bind" fundamental aspects of the body onto themselves.

 

They do this by expending a fundamental currency called "Earthroot Ash", the charred remnants of the root system of the Wodetre that once spanned the planet. By binding this ash to their body they gain increased physical strength, size, physical speed, mental speed, energy, and or senses.

 

As for consequences, with prolonged use Ashbinders' skin will turn gray from absorbing the ash, the most concentrated areas becoming blackened like tattoos that burn off as the binded aspects are used. Frequently spending time in the enhanced states of body and mind provided by Ashbinding will result in addiction to the power. When not binding, one addicted to it will feel slow, sluggish, and small. Ashbinding compatible ashes are not easy to come by and they cannot be reused.

2.2 Cursemarking

Cursemarking's fundamental principle is "marking". This ties in with its fundamental currency, the Cursemarker's own body parts. Body parts can be sacrificed, sealed and made unusable, in exchange for power. Marked body parts reduce or eliminate their effectiveness, but increase the effectiveness of another. For example, one might seal their left arm if they are right handed to increase their dexterity with their right. Or they might seal one of their eyes to gain super-human sight with the other. 

The fundamental consequence for such a thing is "rot". A Cursemarker's body will begin to rot, beginning at the most distal or most marked parts of their body, slowly creeping towards their heart where the rot will strike them down. Once the rot starts it cannot be stopped, but it can be slowed by minimizing the amount of cursemarks made or by consuming earthroot ash.

2.3 Devouring

Devouring's fundamental principle is "consumption", its fundamental currency is ones humanity. Through devouring, a cannibal can consume the flesh of any creature, destroying everything that made them unique and converting it into strength, increasing the physical limits of the cannibal's body. The consequence is simple, losing one's humanity.

2.4 Sorcery

Sorcery's fundamental principle is "releasing", its fundamental currency is motes of everflame, the medium within which the flames are stored. Motes of Everflame are crystals that sprout from the earth in locations where the Wodetre's roots still burn, they bear condensed everflame within them. Sorcerers collect these crystals and crush them to release the flames trapped within. When doing so, they can control them briefly.

The fundamental consequence of Sorcery is that, despite being able to control everflame briefly, sorcerers are not the masters of it. When their emotional state is in flux, their magic will do unexpected things. The idea emotion when doing sorcery is none. Sorcerers are not immune to everflame, they burn just as well.

2.5 Veilshifting

Veilshifting's fundamental principle is the shifting of power between two vessels, its fundamental currency is dreamglass, the medium within which shifted elements are stored. Dreamers produce dreamglass from their bodies. Dreamers cannot use the dreamglass they create, only bonded Veilbreakers can.

Through shifting a Veilbreaker can move fundamental aspects of the world into the dreamglass and temporarily store them. Fundamental aspects such as luck, weight, vitality, heat, and sound are all fair game. Sufficiently advanced Veilbreakers may even shift themselves into dreamglass vessels.

The fundamental consequence of Veilshifting is that dreamers, paradoxically, cannot sleep. For Dreamers there is no difference between being awake and asleep. Dreamers are stricken with a strange disease which slowly turns them to glass as they use their abilities. Additionally, a dreamer and veilbreaker pair must be bonded in order to for the dreamglass to be a viable shifting container. Veilbreakers can overfill dreamglass, applying strain on the material and causing them to crack. When dreamglass cracks or even shatters, the stored aspect will be returned to where it came from, often violently.

3. Creation

3.1 Guinonn and the Serpent

"Ganingsangmiistaaqriikavut Salmym naksasussior nimmenpsangriikavus."

great-and-terrible-rel-kill-long_ago-3sg/ind leviathan-erg 3sg.poss-corpse-come_from nimmen-birth-long_ago-3pl/ind

 "From the felled corpse of a great and terrible leviathan was birthed the Nimmen kind."