I decided that this week instead of giving you more information about a flag from a nation from my current project that's drawing all my attention, I'd do a spotlight of a country. I think that's going to be the format for things going forward so you'll get flag information and also information about the country so you have a better idea about the people.
This week, we'll start off with Preycia.
I've given you information about Preycia's flag in a previous post, such as the fact that it is also the coat of arms of the Arnuanna family, the ruling family of Preycia. I've mentioned about Sarai and his father, the tensions and briefly the diplomatic relations between Preycia and Vesmain, and some of more important events from Preycian history, which you can find in the Year End Wrap Up posts.
This post will cover a bit more about actual setting of Preycia.
Preycia is a peninsula, bordered on the south by the Gulf of Bientou, the east by the country of Leskovin which was mentioned in the last post, the north by the frigid Alcier Sea, and the west by the Malarsard Waters. The eastern border is marked by mountains, most specifically the Adamantine Peaks, a mountain range that contains Preycia's tallest mountain, the 10,000 foot Irosevain Summit.
The beaches and shores of Preycia are known for their white sand and very picturesque. They'd be perfect for tourism if not for the rather chilly temperatures. That said, the local Preycians still enjoy time at the beach and, given that Preycia is a peninsula, it is safe to assume that seafood is big part of their cuisine and fishing part of their culture. Of course, for those not into the beach scene, the northern shore has the Wintara Cliffs, fjords that boast stunning views.
Regarding climate, most of the western and northern coasts have a mild climate and are prone to sea storms while the southern coast and part of the western coast have an oceanic-to-subpolar oceanic climate which means they have mild summers and cool winters. The mountains have an alpine climate with a lack of warm summers and very few trees, if any, due to the elevation. Most of inland Preycia has a subarctic climate which leads to long, cold winters and short, cool summers.
Preycia has a wide variety of plants and animals, despite the chilly environment. Most of their plants include pine, spruce, mosses, and lichens. Wildlife is the most varied, especially their aquatic life. Beaked whales, narwhals, razorback whales, ringed seals, cod, and other fish all call the waters home. The air is home to ospreys near the sea, snowy owls, gulls, pigeons, doves, great crested grebes, and even geese and swans. Ermines, polar foxes, reindeer, muskox, and wolves also call Preycia home, though they aren't often seen near people if they can avoid it.
Preycia has a thriving navy, their ships mostly in the Gulf of Bientou. That said, their airships are primarily constructed in bases along the Wintara Cliffs. Their submarines that no other nation is aware they're working on are being constructed in the fjords as well due to how shielded they are from potential spies.
Those familiar with Earth geography can likely guess that I've based Preycia on Norway even though there are a few more countries more northern than Preycia that might fight the geography and climate of Norway better. Well, as the blog says, "life: a rough draft." This is just a rough draft of a project idea. Though I have a map that I'm working from to have an idea where my countries are, I'm not sharing the map and even if I do share it eventually there's no reason to think that it would be the map that would be used as the final product.
I'm not a professional cartographer. I'm not an expert at mapping out climate zones and whatnot. But, I am a writer and a world-builder so I can do that. I research. I know the look I want for the world and the feel I want for certain countries so what my job is, is to capture that with words so that when the editing is all done and someone with more skill than me is told to make the map they know where to put which country.
That's just a note to world-builders out there: You don't have to be the best at everything. You don't have to do everything for your idea. You don't have to create the map, make the language, draw the characters, or any of that. You can just write down the basics or you can just write your idea. It's awesome if you can do all of that, but you don't have to.
Yes, Tolkien created an entire language for Lord of the Rings. And that is really awesome, and believe me I have considered it and gone, "You know, I really want to do that, and it makes sense that there would be at least a few different languages in this project." But then I've thought about what actually goes into language, and linguistic studies, and realized that yes, that would be cool and something I would absolutely love if this project were ever to become something else, like a TV series where there would be people other than me working on it, but that at this point, it's not feasible for me.
Yes, I made a map and flags. These aren't the finished products. These are what I'm using currently to have an idea for where everything is because, as the Year End Wrap Up posts indicate this is a far-reaching story that involves crusades, curses, assassinations, gold rushes, revolutions, wars, and all of that. That's also why I have the flags. Having the flags and an idea for the meanings behind the flag colors and symbols give me ideas what the people of those countries value, what is important to them economically and spiritually, what they're like. All of these are import for figuring out setting which helps in the long run. Will the flags and map stay the same if/when this is finished and published? Likely no. Chances are, professionals will be involved in those aspects, but at least they'll have something to work from.
So yeah, a note to all world-builders and writers out there: You don't have to do it all. You can just write. You can do as much or as little as you need to for your project as you want. There's nothing wrong with not world-building and making it up as you go, but there's also not wrong with having a lot of it figured out or at least having enough information seeded in that you're excited to explore the whole history of your world because it feels real.
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