When constructing a world of fiction, I know one truth; the only thing that exists throughout all worlds is that nobody has all of the answers.

   The Sunlands is a fantastical world of political turmoil, religious zealousness, and grand questions beyond most being’s comprehension. The conceptualization of the world began in 2020, when Covid had sadly separated all of my college friends over many miles and I was simply seeking something to do with all that time. So, I messaged four of my friends I had met at the tabletop club at our university and invited them to join me for a limited-run Dungeons & Dragons campaign, “A King’s Visit.” (AKV)

   AKV was, strictly speaking, not the Sunlands campaign. At the time I had some semblance of what was to come in the world, with the player characters, and for certain the end of the campaign. But I had no idea the lengths I’d end up going to to create a world teeming with life for my friends to play in.

   Brennan Lee Mulligan once said of his campaign A Crown of Candy (Dimension 20 season 5) that one of his issues with the famous George R.R. Martin’s worldbuilding was the seemingly lacking power of the church. From a historical standpoint, religion played a massive role in the development of middle-age to renaissance-age societies. Kings and warlords were only as powerful as the spiritual beliefs which backed them. If you can convince someone you’re a speaker for God, chosen by God, or dare he say God himself, what more power do you need over them?

   This inspiration was the stepping stone from the limited-run AKV towards the larger campaign and world I often write my fantasy works in. AKV had a simple concept; Four adventurers are hired to protect the king during his coronation. However, I had approached one player before the campaign with an alternate mission. This player’s character, Merin Sylacine, had taken the job with the intention of being the one to assassinate the king. So, her goal was to get as close to him as she could through manipulating the party. The best part: She did it.

   So that leads back to the point on the powers that be in a monarchy. This ruler, King Jamus Rythune VI, had spent his life conquering and killing across the lands. At long last, he was to be crowned Emperor, ruling over all the Sunlands. But when Merin succeeded in AKV, there was a question of what comes next. Who is there to claim such a massive power vacuum left behind after a King’s death? Reflecting real-world history, when Rome fell, the Pope remained.

   Throughout my worldbuilding you’ll find more questions than answers. In-world texts are as in the dark as the reader is, with no real truth to be found in the world. Yes, the truth around magic existing, beings from spirits to gods and demigods existing is an inherent fact. But the very nature of these beings remains unknown in the world. These texts serve as supplementary to the at-home campaign, but also as a way for me to practice worldbuilding and ground myself in creating a living, breathing world both in my Game Mastering and creative writing. Give some of it a read if that interests you and enjoy!