The "Daily" Worldbuilding Prompt

[Ban]

Welcome to chapter 1 of the Daily Worldbuilding Prompt. To read the questions asked in this thread, you can download the file linked below. This file contains all 50 questions of chapter 1.

If you're a worldbuilder like me, there's little you like more than rambling on and on about your worlds at every opportunity you can find. Isn’t it just great to share and compare your ramblings with the ramblings of fellow worldbuilders? The problem is, that sometimes there's no question worth rambling on about.

Now wouldn't it be fun, if there was a thread around to give you a daily prompt for just that purpose? Luck would have it, that this is exactly where the Daily Worldbuilding Prompt thread comes in. Each and every day, I'll ask you a question for you to answer.

Each DWP thread runs for 50 days (and 50 prompts), after which a new ‘chapter’ will be opened to discuss the next 50 prompts, and so on. This is done to keep the discussions somewhat organized. Don’t worry however, you are still free to answer all of the questions from an old thread at any time. If you see one, two or however many prompts that interest you, hop on in and answer them at your leisure.

Have fun!

 

[Ban]

If you're a worldbuilder like me, there's little you like more than rambling about your world at every opportunity you can find, and comparing your ramblings with the ramblings of fellow worldbuilders. The problem is, that sometimes there's no question worth rambling on, so wouldn't it be fun, if there was a thread around to give you a daily question? Welcome to the Daily Worldbuilding Prompt thread, where I'll ask you a question every single day (or 2/3/4 days depending on interest and time available )

Question 1: Suppose I'm transported to the most pleasant place in your world; where would I go for lodging, and what should I order off the menu?

~~~

In the year 2080, the safest country in the world is MENUSCA (Mexico and the New United States of Central America). A central-american federation at the center of 2080's free world. If you make it over, you would only need to look up to see the many skyscraper megahotels that dot the cityscape of all great urban centres. On the streets of Mexico city, Guatemala City and Sueño Maya among others (Sleeping/Dreaming Maya, a name equating MENUSCA's current state in the world with that of the superpower China before it found its potential), you will find streetfoods from all over the world, though West-African and Latin-American cuisines are most prominent. For the sake of novelty, I'd recommend one of many hip new Mexican/Gulf-of-Guinea fusion foods that have blown up in popularity the last few years. These fusion foods vary greatly, but are known to use traditional Mexican recipes prepared with traditional food pairings from the Gulf of Guinea. Fans of the fusion food claim that replacing meat with fruits and starchy foods, makes for delightful sweet dishes suitable for a light lunch.

 

[Orc Knight]

Am I allowed to answer this? Cause you end up in Eld a lot already.

 

[skip.knox]

Most pleasant? I couldn't possibly answer that without offending a score of other places, but it'd probably be some place in Italy. For the food. Maybe I would put forward drinking limoncello in Anacapri. I've tried drinking limoncello in other places, but it just ain't the same.

But ... which century? An, there's a rub.

 

[Ban]

Am I allowed to answer this? Cause you end up in Eld a lot already.

You are 100% allowed and encouraged to answer it. It's never a bad thing to hear about food and tropes gone wild

Most pleasant? I couldn't possibly answer that without offending a score of other places, but it'd probably be some place in Italy. For the food. Maybe I would put forward drinking limoncello in Anacapri. I've tried drinking limoncello in other places, but it just ain't the same.

But ... which century? An, there's a rub.

I've never heard of Anacapri before, but reading a little bit about it (and ogling the pretty gallery) informed me that the island it's on was pleasant enough to make it the full-time home of a roman emperor. Those are some very high accolades for the pleasantry of the place.

 

[Agam Ridelle]

Thanks for bringing up this question...I forgot about the food.
I'm thinking...high protein gourmet food for the mind-magic people, street food with lots of fat and meat for the Commons, vegan for the animal-human hybrids, and gourmet animal food. To be developed after the draft is complete or I'd never finish the story.

 

[Usurper]

Why it depends on what you're looking for. If you want the city life, you'd be best to check into a hotel by the coast in Skelling; the sprawling capital and industrial centre of the mighty Empire of the Isles. By the docks you'll find loads of marketplaces selling wares from all over the empire. From tea and spices to rugs and shining baubles. As for the cuisine, you'd want some Miller's Darling: large piece of sourdough bread filled with caramelized apples and roasted pork, served to a large pint of ale or beer.

If you want something a bit more if a vacation in the sun, you could very well settle for one of the many islands off the northern coast of Thaxos, such as Kiserkos or Magiellas. Dry, sunny weather with white beaches and shimmering, blue water. You could easily enough find a town with a hotel for you to stay, and wherever you go, you should ask for karkinarakki: steamed crab cooked in a wide variety of ways, with each island having their own specialty, often served with other fish as well as bread, and some proper Thaxian wine. A treat in and of itself, as no one makes better wine than the Thaxians.

Oh, and don't mind the giant, musket-wielding sentient crab-things living out on the coral reefs off the coast. They're more or less friendly to Thaxians, and they're the ones who invented karkinarakki, so don't worry about that either. Just don't step on their reefs.

 

[Ban]

Thanks for bringing up this question...I forgot about the food.
I'm thinking...high protein gourmet food for the mind-magic people, street food with lots of fat and meat for the Commons, vegan for the animal-human hybrids, and gourmet animal food. To be developed after the draft is complete or I'd never finish the story.

Knowing me, there are bound to be more food questions in store for the future. My writing tends to center itself around café's, bars and diners, and I may be more concerned at times with what my characters are eating, than what they are saying. Let me know if you need some culinary feedback later on.

As for the cuisine, you'd want some Miller's Darling: large piece of sourdough bread filled with caramelized apples and roasted pork, served to a large pint of ale or beer.

Now that sounds like an appetizing lunch, though I'd whisk the caramelized apples with some soft cheese so it complements the pork and beer, and to make it more creamy (and because I'm a cheese addict).

 

[Orc Knight]

Question 1: Suppose I'm transported to the most pleasant place in your world; where would I go for lodging, and what should I order off the menu?

Most pleasant place is really a bit hard, as it's Eld, but the one I like the most and the one you've yet to visit is Val Royale. For those not in the know, it's Fantasy New Orleans and big on food. So much so contests are held at all parts of the year. For lodging, you've got a number of places, though the Three Sisters Inn is a comfortable little seaside inn just outside of the city run by three naga sisters. And easier on the budget and they also make their own cuisines there, usually from fresh ocean catches and the early market foods.

Though probably the best place to get a true taste is another oceanside place known as The Net & Ladle out on the piers of the Sea Gate. There is no menu and you are served a variety of whatever the cook made that day with the catches and market food. Usually gumbo's and it's like, with breads that are often stuffed with cheese and other stuff like shrimp and crab. Also serves sweet tea and mint juleps as a usual course.

Now for desserts, there are two big places. The Blue Light Bakery and Sinful Cakes Bakery, two direct competitors across from the street of each other. Blue Light is owned by an enterprising dwarf and focuses on cupcakes, hand held pastries and cakes. Sinful Cakes is run by an UnSeelee (demonic being) actually does donuts and breakfast pastries and the cakes are almost luxury and extremely decedent. So much so it costs a silver talon for a simple cheesecake.

For cafe style dining there is the Blue Shell Cafe, a coffee/tea shop and cafe in the downtown area, close to the nobs quarters. A nice, easy going setting and with a good variety of tea and coffee and fairly good food. Serves light sandwiches, appetizers and baked goods. For a bit of night life, there's The Sanctuary, the drow's underground den of inequity that serves all, makes no judgements for the most part and is home to more drow style meals and other sundry forms of entertainment.

This is just an in general of one of my most looked at cities in the world of Eld.

 

[Agam Ridelle]

Knowing me, there are bound to be more food questions in store for the future. My writing tends to center itself around café's, bars and diners, and I may be more concerned at times with what my characters are eating, than what they are saying. Let me know if you need some culinary feedback later on.

Thank you! I’m the world’s worst cook, and eat only because I need to. I think I’ll incorporate that somehow into the story, but I still need to write food in.

 

[Ban]

Though probably the best place to get a true taste is another oceanside place known as The Net & Ladle out on the piers of the Sea Gate. There is no menu and you are served a variety of whatever the cook made that day with the catches and market food. Usually gumbo's and it's like, with breads that are often stuffed with cheese and other stuff like shrimp and crab. Also serves sweet tea and mint juleps as a usual course.

If I get to choose my next trip, I'm in line for this place. There's nothing more fun about going out for food, than trying new recipes. And given the inspiration of the setting, I bet they make one hell of a Jambalaya on a lucky day.

 

[Usurper]

Knowing me, there are bound to be more food questions in store for the future. My writing tends to center itself around café's, bars and diners, and I may be more concerned at times with what my characters are eating, than what they are saying. Let me know if you need some culinary feedback later on.



Now that sounds like an appetizing lunch, though I'd whisk the caramelized apples with some soft cheese so it complements the pork and beer, and to make it more creamy (and because I'm a cheese addict).

Well, I'm no chef, and certainly no culinarian. Maybe that would be better. Maybe it'd be the Miller's Mistress, cause it's thiccer.

 

[Ban]

(Although this is question number 2, everyone is free to continue answering previous questions. For the sake of keeping things just a little bit organized, please mention the question you are responding to, if it is not the question of the day )

Question 2: Wandering through one of your world's cities, a thief steals my wallet. I report the incident to a local authority. Who would they be, and what will (Or won't) they do about my stolen wallet?

 

[Orc Knight]

Question 2: Wandering through one of your world's cities, a thief steals my wallet. I report the incident to a local authority. Who would they be, and what will (Or won't) they do about my stolen wallet?

Given that most cities have a standing city guard (sometimes sitting) at them, most will make an effort to at least get in contact with the locally known criminal elements (and maybe even a still standing thieves guild) and depending on where you got robbed, could have the wallet back in short time. Or at least enough coin to make up for it if it's well and truly gone. Or it might just show up rather quickly if they realize the currency won't work outside of the drow underground currency exchangers. If they even know about them.

If your wallet get's stolen in Paradise City, consider it a greeting and it will find it's way back to you with the money changed out to fit the city and an exploding peach in welcoming. Though it can still be reported to the nearest Beholder guard if you feel like risking it. Just enjoy the sights, sounds and smells and you'll get it back in due time.

 

[Ban]

Standard police procedure has not changed in the civilized world by 2080 (at least not in regards to pickpocketing), so the process remains the same old process you should all be aware of. Namely, you go in to report, spend too much time on needless forms and then never get your wallet back. In the open warzones of the (not-so) United States, Brazil and Middle Africa, it all depends on the local legislature of the party in charge. Some factions, such as the Prairie States of America, the Lone Star Republic and Deseret maintain a traditonal interpretation of the rule of law, trying to restore a semblance of order to their country (though sticking to international standards in order to lobby major powers plays a role). If you go into the true warzones however, where succesor governments are weak or non-existant, and where viscious warlords make the rounds; it's just as likely that the warlord hangs you instead of the thief.

 

[TheCrystallineEntity]

Oh, goody. This looks fun.

Question 1: Suppose I'm transported to the most pleasant place in your world; where would I go for lodging, and what should I order off the menu?

Well, it would be easier to list the not as pleasant places. The Psycheverse in general seems to have some of the best food, and any of the cities are hospitable and fully open to visitors.

Question 2: Wandering through one of your world's cities, a thief steals my wallet. I report the incident to a local authority. Who would they be, and what will (Or won't) they do about my stolen wallet?
I'm not sure how to answer this, since there's no thievery nor wallets in my OmniCosmos. Or city watch, for that matter.

 

[Usurper]

Question 2: Wandering through one of your world's cities, a thief steals my wallet. I report the incident to a local authority. Who would they be, and what will (Or won't) they do about my stolen wallet?

If we were to continue with the city of Skelling, that would be the local constabulary. Also known as Connies, Ermans, Rousches, and your friendly neighbourhood police officer. Unfortunately, unless they catch the thief red-handed, there is probably not much they can do. Even if you manage to give them a good enough description to lead to an arrest, it's unlikely they'll just be carrying your wallet around. So that's probably long gone.

 

[skip.knox]

You had your wallet stolen in the city of Rodez. You have your choice. You could either appeal to the Chapterhouse with their wizards or you could appeal to the Count and his court. The Chapterhouse controls half the city and has jurisdiction there, while the Count controls the other half. There is no constabulary, though the Count has his men-at-arms while the Chapterhouse has its Janitors who are often given responsibilities of enforcement for minor crimes.

If you were an Acolyte of the Chapterhouse and your wallet was stolen while you were out purchasing powders at the comtal market, where would you lodge your complaint? Similarly, if you were an honest workman who ventured to the Chapterhouse there to buy a potion, when your wallet was stolen would you turn to the Count or to the Magister?

And that's an easy one. The city of Brunswick has *seven* jurisdictions!

 

[ScaryMJDiamcreep]

At this point I haven't done much in the way of world building, so I couldn't really answer these just yet. All my characters that I've got nailed down as definitely appearing have been rather fleshed out, but the world is a shabby mess at the moment, so I think I'll just make up the answers for the first settlement that I feel like making: the native city for my two-bodied hive mind race called the Duongels by the humans. City name still pending.

For question 1, I'd say that there would probably not be any fast food places, as the Duongels are very obsessed with balance, so they would neither shop at nor work at a restaurant that doesn't offer a balanced diet. There might be places that just sell desserts, though the successful ones would know to have healthy desserts be an option as well. For proper restaurants, you'd probably want to go to one where there is an even mix of Duongel chefs and human chefs, as there's just something about having one body for your mind to deal with that makes food preparation a bit faster, so the wait for your food won't be as long as a purely Duongel-staffed restaurant, but won't miss much on the quality that the Duongels make. For the perfect dessert, however, you'd want to go to a place with only Duongel chefs, as the ability to look at the recipe and mix the ingredients simultaneously allows for a level of quality that humans just can't quite acheive. Also note that food tends to be a bit cheaper in the city compared to other cities due to the increased food requirements of the Duongels.

For question 2, if it weren't for the fact that the Duongels are the only race in my world that thook like humans but with feathery wings stuck on the back, there would probably be situations where a Duongel might dress one body as a police officer and the other as a thief, and pickpocket unsuspecting single-bodied induviduals, such as humans. This may have happened once or twice when humans first discovered the Duongels, as it was also the first time the Duongels had discovered a race with only a single body, but it quickly became standard that both bodies had to be on duty at the same time if a Duongel were to be a police officer, to prevent exactly this. It is very hard to pickpocket a Duongel, as the advantage of having two bodies is that it's generally possible for you to physically watch your own back. As such, Duongels never really explored the route of street crimes such as pickpocketing. If a human were to pickpocket you in the Duongel's city, however, you can be certain that, given a good enough description of the perpetrator, they will be found pretty quickly. On a typical day, there aren't many humans walking around, so it becomes quite easy for the police to find human thieves.

 

[Ban]

You had your wallet stolen in the city of Rodez. You have your choice. You could either appeal to the Chapterhouse with their wizards or you could appeal to the Count and his court. The Chapterhouse controls half the city and has jurisdiction there, while the Count controls the other half. There is no constabulary, though the Count has his men-at-arms while the Chapterhouse has its Janitors who are often given responsibilities of enforcement for minor crimes.

If you were an Acolyte of the Chapterhouse and your wallet was stolen while you were out purchasing powders at the comtal market, where would you lodge your complaint? Similarly, if you were an honest workman who ventured to the Chapterhouse there to buy a potion, when your wallet was stolen would you turn to the Count or to the Magister?

And that's an easy one. The city of Brunswick has *seven* jurisdictions!

Dealing with the retrieval of my waller, sounds like more hassle than actually losing it. An interesting situation. I wonder whether these different institutions can work together if the need is great enough. let's say the chapterhouse has trouble catching a local band of pickpockets, would they be willing, and are they able to work with he count to stop them?

At this point I haven't done much in the way of world building, so I couldn't really answer these just yet. All my characters that I've got nailed down as definitely appearing have been rather fleshed out, but the world is a shabby mess at the moment, so I think I'll just make up the answers for the first settlement that I feel like making: the native city for my two-bodied hive mind race called the Duongels by the humans. City name still pending.

For something you came up with on the spot, that was an interesting read. Feel free to continue using this thread for building your world