World Building Contest; Event 1

[cntrstrk14]

.: World Building Contest :.

 
Hello NA,

This is a contest (possibly to be a series) that I decided to hold because I thought it would be fun. We have many creative people on this board and though in the past we have had contests for weekly creations and characters, we have never had a contest that was more Game Master-centric. This type of contest will not be held weekly, but honestly more on my own whim based on how popular this first one is. If people want more, I will create more. Winners will ultimately be chosen by myself, but I will take into consideration discussion and community opinions that will get posted into [this thread]. In addition, winners will be posted up in [this thread] whenever a contest finishes and the winner's creation will also be added to the NA wiki and made an official part of our world (when appropriate). The winner will also get some type of reward for each contest that I will make public when I announce each event.

 

That sounds cool cntr, but what is it?

 

Glad you asked! This is a World Building Contest, and the rules will be up to me for each round, but for the most part I will give you a small "seed" to work with and you will need to expand upon this seed so that it could be a stand alone wiki article. Give as much detail as you want. Whatever I give you as a starting point is your only constraints (bare in mind that the more it feels like it belongs in the NA universe, the better chance it will have at winning). This can be as little or as much as I want. 

 

- Post your submission in this thread.

- Do not post anything except submissions in this thread.

- Members may submit as many submissions as they want.

- All staff members may participate (except myself). 

- Other rules to be added as I see them needed.

- Don't worry about unknown things, information you are unsure of, etc. If there is a conflict with already existing stuff you can still win, but minor edits might be made before adding it to the world.

 

The goal of each contest is to create a slice of the world. GM's may use the winner's creation if they want, it will be added to the wiki and officially become part of our world. 

 

-----------------------------------------------------

 

.: World Building Contest; Event 1 :.

 

 

Reward: $80 to a character of your choice.

Goal: What/where is this place?

Discussion Thread: Right here!

[PandaMattMatt]

(The small white square in [what I believe is] The Land Of Iron)

Mifune; A Mining Village
The Land of Iron

 

 

Mifune was built on the continent’s second largest iron deposit discovered thirty years ago. For a decade, it was little more than a couple shacks set up for the miners to retire to. However, when the refinery/factory was built, more permanent homes were created. The factory made weapons of all sorts for both shinobi and samurai, as well as creating items requested from all over the continent. Families moved in and began thriving as a small village. The village was named after the late samurai who forged a pact with the Five Shinobi Villages during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

 

After the village’s official creation, it didn’t take long for people to begin to hate the factory and refinery. The local nature was beginning to feel the effects of having such an industrial endeavour in its midst. Trees were being cut down, the local stream had started becoming polluted and animals became scarce. A local group came together to help keep the area toxin free, but extremists felt that it wasn’t good enough. ‘Accidents’ have been traced back to several of these people, but records were heavily damaged during the NCIA War.

 

 

The refinery was often requested for help by both sides, the rebel ninja and the NCIA forces. Mifune and it’s factory saw a huge jump in revenue and sold to both sides. This helped further the prosperity of the small village, but it also created more than a few enemies on both sides of the war and even within The Land of Iron’s own borders.

 

Now that the war is over, it is again a relatively quiet place. The factory and refinery have taken several measures to help ensure the health of the nature surrounding them, but there are still a few extreme thinkers who plot to shut down, or even destroy, the practice. However, most people in Mifune are content with the quality of life.

 

 

The village has a population of about three hundred. There are only two stores, but there are several merchants who sell their wares in those two stores. One is a clothing store that also has a small selection of souvenirs, hand crafted by people in the village. The other is a food market. Hunters and farmers both bring their goods to this shop to sell. Because of the relatively cold weather, mostly winter fruits and vegetables are grown in Mifune, however, during the summer months the average temperature rises enough to get a variation of foods in.

[Cellar Door]

Shimotani Village

For many generations the way of the samurai has been viewed as an archaic, and increasingly impractical method of warfare. Even in its prime the Country Of Iron was not well populated, nor was it politically significant. As the years passed, the samurai who kept peace there dwindled, and the nation that was once the Land Of Iron was absorbed into the stronger nations that bordered it.

Shimotani Village is the last vestige of a dead nation. Nestled into a deep valley near the border of Yuki No Kuni and Tsuchi No Kuni, the small settlement has been all but forgotten by the passage of time. The tiny hamlet has rarely ever recorded a population of over one hundred.

The populace of Shimotani Village scratches out an existence in their valley home mostly through subsistence farming, and hunting. They live with fewer of the modern technologies that larger nations have come to take for granted, but they are a hardy people, who have produced at least one persona who has risen to notoriety in the shinobi world.

Just outside of the village proper, the only notable landmark of the valley dominates a small bluff. Fort Shirotora, keeps a watchful eye over the small burg, despite the few, wizened occupants. The fort itself is the last bastion of the traditions of the Land Of Iron’s samurai. Though most of the men who man the battlements of this ancient fortress are well in to their seventies, their numbers always seem to include at least a few youths from the village below.

Though largely unpracticed in the ninja world, the arts of bushido are still taught within the fortress to those willing to pledge their service in protecting Tetsu No Kuni. (A tradition, which reflects protecting Shimotani Village, the only population left who considers themselves a part of The Land Of Iron.)

The acting leader of the Shimotani Village, and general of Fort Shirotora is an ex-shinobi of Iwagakure, who upon discovery of the village, and its secular, but peaceful existence forsook his shinobi lifestyle and devoted himself to the protection of Shimotani No Toshi. Manji Yoshimitsu, governs the people, and ensures their safety, and in his many years within the fort, has come to be the foremost expert on Kenjutsu and Bushido in the world.

Politics:

Shimotani Village’s political structure is entirely militant, with a Manji Yoshimitsu as acting general, and chief decision-maker for the populace. He employs a handful of civilians from the village to council him on affairs when necessary and disseminate his orders amongst the people.

Law enforcement is handled by the samurai of Fort Shirotora, who act as the police and judges of all crimes and disputes within the village. Those samurai within the fort who’s jobs are solely to work amongst the people are known as the Ronin Guard, the most ancient of whom is simply referred to as Hanji. (literally meaning judge)

Economy:

The Village deals in resources and relies almost exclusively on the barter system, in a manner similar to a commune. The people are poor, and in most instances what can be hunted, grown, are gathered for sustenance is shared amongst all in the village without thought of repayment.

Bushido is the law in the village, and the tenant of generosity holds much sway amongst the samurai. The villagers themselves hold to the more pragmatic belief that providing necessities for those who are without is good karma, and hope that should they ever be so far up shit creek, someone else will do the same for them.

With little real currency circulating, it stands to reason that most possessions within the village are hand-crafted with raw materials. As such, many of the villagers have become some form of craftsman out of necessity.

Terrain:

The land around Shimotani Village is almost constantly coated in several inches of snow. The high altitude, and northerly location create an almost perpetual winter. As such the growing season in the valley is extremely important.

Many of the landmarks of the ancient Land Of Iron are within sight, or walking distance of the hamlet. The skyline of the village is dominated by the unique mountain formation known as the Three Wolves, which looks as if three cavernous maws are rearing up from the earth.

The only entrance into Shimotani Village’s valley on the Tsuchi No Kuni side is an ancient stone bridge, marked with the kanji for samurai. The monument was considered to be the gateway to Tetsu No Kuni during the nation’s hay day.

Edited March 21, 2013 by Cellar Door

[dowhatnow]

Manji Village

[insert location coordinates here]

Nestled in a valley near the borders of both Tsuchi no Kuni and Yuki no Kuni, Manji village has something of a history. Once, long ago, it used to be an outpost, used for housing supplies, training forces, and subject to near-constant attack in the last great shinobi war, the only indicator that anything was coming being a tower roughly in the center of the outpost, sitting atop a hill and overlooking a cliff. It became both a beacon and a watch tower quite quickly, and whomever happened to control the outpost took great care of the structure.

Unfortunately, now that the war has long past, and the outpost itself has become derelict, those who chose to live a simpler life outside of warfare, and even in the more recent past, people who have retired as shinobi still live here, along with their descendants, however few they may be in number. Modest homes dot the landscape, and merchants still sell their wares, and even trade with traveling merchants of all kinds. Despite all this, people have continued to live in this village, which the people have come to call Manji. Above all else, they have taken it upon themselves to take great care to preserve the tower at the center of their village in the valley, serving as both a landmark that travelers were near to the village and as a reminder to the people of what their village once was.

The people of Manji Village typically have little to no interaction with either Yuki no Kuni or Tsuchi no Kuni officials or military forces, especially given that official records on both sides indicate that it no longer "officially" exists, though it is possible that somewhere at the highest levels of power on both sides, those officials are considering reviving the village as an outpost, given the general tension and aggression between Tsuchi and Yuki.

No matter what happens in the future, one thing is certain: it's not every day one might run into a village that was once a military outpost.

[PN-Soul]

Oka no Sato, Hill Villiage.

 

A small frontier town, Oka no Sato lies in the foothills of one of the mountain ranges in the land outside the western borders of Tsuchi no Kuni and the southern border of Yuki no Kuni. Oka no Sato is considered to be one of the last frontier towns leading to the wild west. Originally a sleepy little settlement with just over 200 people, it was founded by a group of people fleeing the dangers of the conflict of the 3rd great Ninja war; 3 families from Amegakure no Sato, the Niji family, the Kasa and the Ida. These 3 families settled the valley in which Oka no Sato is situated, and are still prominent in the community. The 3 families left Amegakure to avoid war, so rather than just travelling west where they would still be too close to being between 2 of the 5 major countries the families traveled north along the western borders of Tsuchi no Kuni, towards the southern border of what is now Yuki no Kuni, which was then a relatively weak country whose isolationist policies made them fine neighbors for the the refugee families.

 

Once settled the 3 families enjoyed a simple quiet and peaceful life and even built a tower on the hill outside the villiage, a miniature of the tower in their home city, to keep a look out for threats and also to watch for villagers returning from hunting in the west. the 3 families got on well enough, though conflicts certainly did arise as is the case when resources are scarce but the families being already sick of violence solved problems in an alternative way, through inter-marriage. the 3 families became 3 branches of one large family, and things in the valley were relatively uneventful until the 4th great shinobi war, when more refugees from various other countries decided moving west was the best thing for their families as well. this second wave was small since the 4th great ninja war was not fought between nations, fewer people were displaced by it. but these new settlers were welcomed since in such a small community  some members of the 3 families worried that inbreeding would be an issue they viewed the new blood as a timely blessing. the settlement prospered but remained small, accepting small influxes of pioneers, acting as a last port between civilization and the wilds of the west. Oka no Sato though cold in the winter still has four seasons and so wildlife is abundant and some villagers began to make a living selling furs to their frosty neighbors to the north and buying goods and technology from the wealthy earth nation to their east and in turn selling some of those necessary goods to Pioneers and groups of people looking to settle the west. This decision to become a trade post would be what put the small town of Oka on the map.

 

During the invasion and subsequent 3 year occupation by Kumogakure, the number of refugees fleeing west exploded. This time there were even refugees from the 5 great nations, even a few shinobi. Some stopped and settled in Oka no Sato, while others traveled further west or northwest using the village as a way point or trading post. Oka no Sato now has a population of roughly 2,000 settlers. Still small on a global scale, but certainly a large leap from their humble beginnings as a little hamlet tucked away in the foot hills.

 

Politics:

Oka no Sato is run by a Tribunal, and for the last 150 years this council has consisted of one member from each of the founding families. once more settlers began to arrive they demanded some kind of representative as well, and so the position of Hoankan or Sheriff was invented, the Hoanakn is to be elected from the people outside the 3 families, and has the dual responsibility of presenting public concerns to the council and maintaining order within the village, the sheriff may appoint deputies to assist him, usually Ronin samurai and occasionally missing or retired shinobi who have settled in Oka no Sato.

 

Economy:

The economy of Oka is based primarily on trade and hospitality as it is a frontier town.

 

Climate/Terrain:

the Climate of Oka no Sato is a humid continental climate in the northern part of a temperate zone. the area in which Oka no Sato resides tends to have pleasant summers with highs in the 70s but with bitter cold winters when snow storms from Yuki no Kuni blow south covering the hills with blankets of snow, and temperatures occasionally reaching as low as -20 but on average stay at around -10 in the coldest months. There are dense evergreen forests to the north and west of the village , which make for excellent hunting grounds and provide fuel needed for fires to weather icy winters, though they have been known to be home to fearsome timberwolves. to the south rolling grassy hills dominate the landscape making it look like a rolling sea of green. This hilly grass land is ideal for sheep herding.

Edited March 22, 2013 by PN-Soul

[ZeroFate]

Shizukana Seiiki – “Silent Sanctuary”

Overview

Shizukana Seiiki is a small mining and farming settlement nestled deep in the mountain ranges far to the south, beyond the borders of Kaze no Kuni, in the Land of Pines (Matsu no Kuni). Resting in a large lowland basin, its name is derived from the way the circle of large mountains surrounding it act as a natural shield against storms and winds, making the area resultantly quiet. Furthermore, there are very few dangers to speak of within Shizukana Seiiki itself, as large predators rarely venture so deeply into the mountain range and there are no significant bodies of water to drown in, thus adding to the second word in its name.

 

 

Layout

The village consists of a scant dozen or so buildings, none exceeding a single story in height, haphazardly built upon the northern edge of the basin where there is a flat “shelf” overlooking the flatlands below. These buildings consist of a stable, an inn, and a littering of small craftsman shops and houses.

Approximately seven miles south of the highland shelf lies Horse-Head Rock, a cliff jutting from the center of the flatlands named so for being vaguely shaped like an equestrian cranium. Atop Horse-Head Rock stands the single largest structure within several hundred miles, Traveler’s Trial

Mining Tower. Surrounding Horse-Head rock are the lowlands, where most of Shizukana Seiiki’s food is grown. While there are no major rivers or streams in the area, runoff water from the mountains pools in the area, making an ideal area for rice farming.

Economy/History

Traveler’s Trial Mine is the reason the settlement was founded in the first place. The name originates from the Third Great Ninja War. While the accuracy of the story is suspect, it is said that a traveler to Kaze no Kuni committed a crime while passing through Arrakis (the nature of the crime differs depending on who tells the tale). Instead of executing him or throwing him in jail, they sentenced the traveler to seek out new sources of supplies to fuel Sunakagure’s forces. Six months later, he found Shizukana Seiiki, and the rich veins of minerals that ran through the valley.

While Travler’s Trial Mine is rather abundant in several of the ingredients used for ninja tools (notably phosphorus, which is a key element in explosive tags and smoke bombs), the relative inaccessibility limits its success. There are no water routes into or out of Shizukana Seiiki, and the only land route is a narrow “road” that can barely accommodate a horse drawn cart up the side of the steep mountains surrounding it. Because of this, Kaze no Kuni relinquished control of the settlement ages ago, deeming it a lost cause. Seiiki lived on, though, becoming nearly completely self sufficient, and acting as a small time supplier of ninja tool materials during the most desperate of times, such as the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Traveler’s Trial Mine Tower is two fold in purpose. Most of the miners live on the upper floors for convenience, the middle floors store all the excess minerals brought up from the mine (primarily phosphorus and coal), and the lowest floor is where steam-powered elevators shuttle miners and quarry in and out of the deep chasm.

 

Climate

Shizukana Seiiki is remarkably temperate in the summer, with relatively cool days and calm weather. In the winter, a blanket of snow will cover everything in sight, and this is when the “Silent” part of its name is greatly encouraged, as any potential avalanche (though none have yet occurred) would be disastrous for the settlement. Spring and Fall are both oddly balanced seasons for the area, with temperatures constantly bordering the freezing point and thus allowing scattered snowfall, but rarely icing over any standing water or rice crops. 

 

[Azure]

Aragane no Toshi [The Town of Ore]

 

On the surface, one sees a simple civilization detached from the bustling and crowded lifestyle of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. It is a land caressed by mountains and the air of the Northern Sea. The town lies south of Rai no Kuni, in the country touching its borders. Some call this place a tourist attraction simply for the little trinkets that are hand made in this town and a few others rent living spaces here while they pass by the borders (notably the world class journalist, Fuyaka Jun).

 

It is well known that much of the eastern ore that travels the content comes from the country that Aragane no Toshi derives, with many of her population bolstering that trade. Yet this town holds a secret, there’s more in those mountains beneath the surface.

It is home to the world’s most extensive underground tunnel network that is used primarily for living quarters. A whole city is light beneath the surface, operating on the use of the land’s ore and oil. The ones who travel and live on the surface sometimes joke that the ones who never see the light of day are mole people, but that’s a great misnomer. Only one clan resembles moles.

The idea for an underground came in the days of the First Great Ninja War, as an escape from the tremendous violence that reached across the lands. It began as pockets under the town and in the mountains and then grew over time. The network’s biggest spike was due to the dominance of the Kumogakure Empire, which propelled Aragane’s population to go underground. They didn’t fear the empire, they feared those who would topple the empire and burn them at the foothold to Rai no Kuni.

Today, Aragane operates smoothly and efficiency. They are a very cautious people, having been plagued with many accidents of cave ins and oil explosions. As many would expect, Aragane no Toshi’s military might derives from the weapons it creates and the explosions it can concoct.

[cntrstrk14]

This event will ends on tomorrow (Monday) at 11:59 PM. So if you are sitting on an idea you have until tomorrow night to get it in!

[PN-Soul]

so this is done right?

[cntrstrk14]

PandaMattMatt (Mifune)
 
I like the placement and story here. The mountains and snow do feel like that area of the map you indicated, I probably would have picked a very similar location. You set up an interesting seed for a story to take place there with the conflict between the activists/tinkers and the factory. It feels like you may have “solved” the larger issues with the area, which is not a bad thing, but the state you left the village in may feel less interesting because of it. Good work though!
 
 
Cellar Door (Shimotani Village)
 
I enjoy the setup, the small village being the last remnants of a dying nation. It feels very interesting, but I think you took it in a bit of an odd direction. The size of the village/population along with the fort and political structure don't seem to match to me. The placement of a fortress also seems weird considering the size and wealth of the village, even if it is a remnant of a lost time. I like what you got here, but the overall cohesion of the environment just isn't doing it for me. Bonus points though for including Iwagakure and my favorite font type.
 
 
Dowhatnow (Manji Village)
 
I had a bit of a roller coaster of feelings about this submission. I felt that it started out very lackluster, a shell of an old legend. But then I really like how you set up the pride of the village in their care for the landmark. It sets up any interactions with the village to drive players towards the landmark, which is good. I had mixed feelings towards the end, I don't like that a village with such an impressive landmark could not “officially” exist, but I do like the teaser at the end that plants a GM seed. Having this spot potentially be fought over because of its strategic placement and structure could be very interesting. Bonus points for use of current events. I would have liked a little more information on where this is (there is a large border between the two countries), but overall I enjoyed this.
 
 
PN-Soul (Oka no Sato, Hill Village)
 
I like the base story here, three families displaced from a great event in the world history create a new settlement and form the heart of a society. I can dig that. I also really like your attention to detail on the climate and how their economy became important due to their placement. Your strong point was also part of your weakness as well. You got a little too bogged down with details, I'm not sure if the information about refugees continuing in from the 4th war was necessary information. I feel with less information and explanation you could focus more on what the “core” of your idea is and let that be cool. Also, I feel 2,000 settlers was a bit much given the source image, and I was a bit disappointed that you didn't talk more about the tower which was the most interesting portion of the image. Overall I where you started and the ideas you had going, but I think the execution could have been a bit better. Good work!
 
 
ZeroFate (Shizukana Seiiki)
 
First off, I love the idea of this mountainy/snowy settlement being so far south that it gets cold again. Great way to think outside the box from normal Naruto geography! You did a good job of not getting bogged down by additional information which is good as well. I wish I could have known more about the settlement itself, after reading your description I am still a bit confused about how the settlement is spread out. Do most people live in Traveler's Trial Mines or do they live on the shelf? Some clarity there would have been good. The name Traveler's Trial Mines is a bit cheesy for my own tastes, but that is a personal preference that you probably could not have accounted for. Also, as a final note, Arrakis is a newer city, founded in the last few decades. This information is not really easily available so I won't dock much points for it, but this is more as an FYI so you know for the future. Overall great work, especially given your new membership and relatively shorter time to familiarize yourself with the “lore” of the world.
 
 
Azure (Aragane no Toshi)
 
I like the concept, but it is a bit weird. I would have liked more information about the city overall, how big the underground city is and how extensive, what kind of structures it has, etc. I feel like the most interesting bit had very little supporting information. The village name is a bit uninspired as well, and I feel that a village name like “Town of Ore” near Rai no Kuni seems a bit confusing with a Country of Coal on the other side of the continent, or maybe that is just me. With a similar name I would have preferred it in the Country of Coal, and with a different name it could probably have worked out better that way. I'm also not sure how much I would like another mountainy/snowy country with two huge countries already sporting the climate plus Snow and Iron which are canonically snowy. Big points for the creativity for the underground city, but a lot of the finer points just were not hitting home for me, sorry! Good idea though!
 
 
 

~Final Results~

 

So in my first verdict I am going to break the rules and award TWO winners in this event!
 

PandaMattMatt
dowhatnow

 
Both of your submissions had some really good pieces that I think when put together make a really interesting location. I enjoy PandaMattMatt's story and tension of his area, but his village name and location felt really tired to the Country of Iron, which as a staff we are not sure where we will be putting. Dowhatnow's submission had a great placement I believe, allowing us to build up some locational preference in Northern Iwa/Souther Yuki. What I believe both of you hit on that I thing really came across in the source image is the sense of this settlement being a small little nothing village with a very interesting centerpiece. 
 
So, because you both won this first contest you both will be getting $40 to a character of your choice! I will also in the near future be adding a combination of both of your villages to the wiki once I decide on some of the finer details. I will post again in this thread when I do!
 
 
This contest seemed to be a great success with six great entries, so I expect I will be posting another one in the near future. Keep an eye out for it!