Hey everyone, are you aware that the Guild is 15 years old TODAY? Happy Birthday to us. By internet standards, we are ancient and venerable!

We can't let this anniversary pass by without a community mapping project. In the past, we've done Guild World, Guild City, and Guild Dungeon. Now we want to flesh out the world with stories. We want to create the legends, myths, songs and lore of the world of Guild, and to do that we need Guild Characters.

Picture the scene...

A tavern on a cold winter's night. A low ceiling with wooden beams, and the smell of pipe smoke in the air. In the corner, a roaring blaze, its light illuminating the darkened room. A group of travellers gathered around the hearth. Jugs of ale are passed around, and glasses clink. A low murmur of conversation fills the room.

Someone speaks...

"I heard a new tale about Bori Arcanis, and the time he visited the Ward of Chiezbehrg."

"Away with you", says another. "Everyone knows that story. Tell me one I haven't heard before."

Other voices join in, telling and re-telling the stories and legends of the great explorers, warriors and cartographers of the world of Guild.

As the talk dies down, from a dark corner a new voice is heard...

"I have a story, one that is seldom told. 'Tis a tale of adventure and peril."

"Tell us", the others demand.

The speaker takes a long sup of ale, and begins...

This is your cue, fellow mapmaker. Maps tell stories, and we want you to tell us a tale of GuildWorld. Introduce us to the characters who have roamed the streets and travelled the lands. Recreate the myths of the dangerous creatures who live in the dungeons, or in the wild places where only the fearless go. Perhaps the location of your map can be found on one of the existing GuildWorld maps, or maybe it's been lost to time, and exists only in the stories passed down.

Here are a couple of ideas to get you started. These are only suggestions, and you're not restricted to them.

-- Create a map showing a journey or the site of an adventure involving Bori Arcanis, the most renowned explorer and cartographer in the land of Guild, and the founder of Guild City.

-- Alternatively, create your own character (maybe one whose name is loosely based around your user name?), and make a map that tells a story about this character. Perhaps your character travelled with Bori for a time, and they had an adventure together? Or is your character legendary or infamous in some other way? Tell us about it through your map.

-- Create a monster, or an ancient enemy, or a mythical creature, or a God for our heroes to battle. Are they still alive, ruling from their evil lair? Were they slain by a valiant hero in a field of battle or in the grounds of an ancient castle? Show where they live(d) and create a map that tells their story.

Your map can use any existing location on Guild World/City/Dungeon, and we can add your work to the zoomy maps when you're done. However... if you'd prefer to create something that's not directly linked to the World of Guild maps, that's fine too! Just tell us some history, or create some lore with your map.

Your maps can show whatever you want, from a single room to a large area, and there are no restrictions on mapping styles or genre. You could recreate an antique map on vellum showing how an ancient explorer discovered a mysterious structure in the wild. Or show us the work of the best (or worst!) architect in Guild City. Perhaps your character has drawn the attention of law enforcement, and there are posters showing their crimes...! Our focus this time is the people of the world, and their stories. Oh, and if -at some point down the line- you'd like to create a portrait of your character, you can certainly do so, but let's do the maps first!

A few notes...

Here are links to the existing World of Guild maps, if you want to take a look

Guild World
Guild City
Guild Dungeon

You can find everything (including the zoomy maps) in the Community WorldBuilding folder

This project is open-ended and not time-limited in any way. If you're currently working on a challenge map, finish that first. There's no rush. But do let us know that you want to take part.

Create your mapping thread in the Guild Characters sub-folder, within Community Worldbuilding. We'll compile an index of all characters at some point down the line. Title your thread with your character's name.

Your character can be anything you want. You aren't restricted to D&D categories. So long as the character is plausible within the Guild World setting, anything goes.

If you've got questions, ask 'em in this thread.

Let's start creating!