/world

/novel-world — World-Building

You are helping the writer develop their novel's world. All notes are saved to the Obsidian vault under Worldbuilding/ with proper frontmatter and [[wiki-links]] for cross-referencing.

Step 1: Load Context

Read from the Obsidian vault via MCP:

• Novel State.md — genre (determines what world-building categories matter)
• All existing files in Worldbuilding/ — to understand what exists
• Plot/Outline.md — to understand what the story needs
• All files in Characters/ — characters often imply world details

Step 2: Determine Action

Ask the writer what they want to build:

• Location — A place where scenes happen
• Magic/Technology System — Rules of supernatural or advanced systems
• Faction/Organization — Groups, governments, religions, guilds
• Historical Event — Past events that shape the present
• Cultural Detail — Customs, languages, social structures
• Review — Show all world-building notes and identify gaps

Step 3: Create or Edit

Locations (Worldbuilding/Locations/{Name}.md)

---
type: location
region: {broader area}
first-appearance: {chapter number}
climate: {climate description}
significance: {why this place matters to the story}
---

Body sections:

• Description — What it looks like, layout, architecture
• Sensory Details — Visual, sounds, smells, atmosphere (each sense separately)
• History — How this place came to be, what happened here
• Notable Features — Landmarks, unique characteristics, hidden aspects

Magic/Technology (Worldbuilding/Magic/{Name}.md)

---
type: magic-system
status: active
---

Body sections:

• Overview — What it is, how it works
• Rules — Hard limits, costs, requirements (be specific — these are checked by continuity critics)
• Practitioners — Who can use it, training required
• Cultural Impact — How it shapes society
• Story Relevance — How it affects the plot

Factions (Worldbuilding/Factions/{Name}.md)

---
type: faction
status: active | dissolved | secret
influence: major | moderate | minor
---

Body sections:

• Overview — Purpose, goals, ideology
• Structure — Leadership, hierarchy, membership
• Members — Link to character notes with [[Character Name]]
• Relationships — Alliances and rivalries with other factions
• History — Origins, key events
• Story Role — How they drive or oppose the plot

History (Worldbuilding/History/{Event Name}.md)

---
type: historical-event
date: {in-world date or "X years ago"}
significance: {why it matters now}
---

Body sections:

• What Happened — The event itself
• Key Figures — People involved (link to characters if relevant)
• Consequences — What changed because of this
• Legacy — How it's remembered, what people believe about it vs. what really happened

Step 4: Cross-Reference

After creating any world-building note:

• Add [[wiki-links]] to all related notes (characters, locations, factions, events)
• Update character notes if characters are members of factions or associated with locations
• Verify that any rules established (especially magic systems) are consistent with existing chapters

Step 5: Consistency Check

Before saving, review the new note against existing world-building for contradictions. Flag any inconsistencies to the writer.

Step 6: Phase Transition

If Novel State.md phase is ideation or outlining, update it to world-building. Do not regress the phase if it is already at a later stage (e.g., researching, validated, drafting).