eldar begins

worlds/eldar/geography/creating-a-location.md

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+# Creating a Location in Eldar
+
+Every location in Eldar must have **a surprise** — something a traveler wouldn't expect. This is the core design principle of the world.
+
+## Structure for a Location Note
+
+```markdown
+---
+type: location
+world: Eldar
+---
+
+# [Location Name]
+
+> [!info] At a Glance
+> **Type:** Forest / Village / Ruin / Crossroads / River / Hill / Other
+> **First impression:** What a traveler sees at first glance
+> **Mood:** Cozy / Ominous / Melancholy / Strange / Beautiful / Dangerous
+
+## What You See
+## The Surprise
+## The Rule
+## The Spirit or Being
+## Secrets
+## Connections
+## DM Notes
+## Hooks
+```
+
+## The Required Elements
+
+Every location must have these:
+
+| Element | Purpose |
+|---|---|
+| **What You See** | Surface-level details. Keep it brief — the surprise is underneath. |
+| **The Surprise** | The thing that isn't obvious. This is what makes the location memorable. |
+| **The Rule** | An odd custom, warning, or local rule ("don't whistle after dark") |
+| **The Spirit** | A being tied to this place, with its own goals |
+| **Secrets** | Layered — surface, hidden, buried. Each requires more effort to uncover. |
+
+## Running It at the Table
+
+1. Describe **What You See** first — let the place feel ordinary
+2. Let player curiosity or investigation reveal **The Surprise**
+3. Let **The Rule** emerge naturally (an NPC mentions it, a sign, a consequence)
+4. **The Spirit** should have its own agenda — not just waiting for the party
+5. Layer the **Secrets** — don't dump them all at once

worlds/eldar/geography/creating-a-region.md

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+# Creating a Region in Eldar
+
+Every region in Eldar should feel distinct — different spirits, different rules, different kinds of surprises.
+
+## Structure for a Region Note
+
+```markdown
+---
+type: region
+world: Eldar
+---
+
+# [Region Name]
+
+> [!info] At a Glance
+> **Type:** Forest / Moor / Valley / Coast / Mountain range / Other
+> **Mood:** The overall feeling of this region
+> **Known for:** One sentence summary
+
+## The Lay of the Land
+## What Makes This Region Different
+## Locations
+## Local Spirits & Beings
+## Customs & Warnings
+## Connections to Other Regions
+## Hooks
+```
+
+## What to Focus On
+
+The key question: **what flavor of magic, spirits, and surprises does this region have?**
+
+Every region should have a character. Example: *In this forest, magic is tied to memory. Everything said or done here is remembered by the trees, and the spirits react to what they've heard.*
+
+## Don't Forget
+
+- Every location within the region should have a surprise (see `[[creating-a-location]]`)
+- Add local spirits tied to the region as a whole
+- What do locals know that travelers don't?

worlds/eldar/overview.md

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+---
+type: world
+name: Eldar
+tone: wonder, melancholy, discovery
+magic: common but localized, tied to place and nature
+---
+
+# Eldar
+
+> [!info] At a Glance
+> **Tone:** Every place holds a secret. Sometimes dangerous, sometimes delightful, always surprising.
+> **Magic:** Tied to places, nature, and ancient pacts. Not academic — alive, wild, and often strange.
+> **Themes:** Discovery, belonging, found family, the weight of old things.
+
+## The World
+
+Eldar is old in the way that old things get *older*. Hills remember when they were mountains. Rivers remember when they were seas. Nothing here is just what it appears to be.
+
+Every region, village, forest, and crossroads has something beneath, behind, or within it — a secret, a spirit, a story waiting to be found. The world doesn't hand this out freely. You have to look, listen, or stumble into it.
+
+That's what makes it dangerous. And wonderful.
+
+## How Magic Works
+
+Magic in Eldar is **tied to place**. It's not a resource — it's a presence.
+
+- **Ley lines and old places** concentrate magical power. Crossroads, ancient trees, standing stones, ruins, and places of strong emotion become magical.
+- **Spirits and beings** are local. A forest has *its* guardian. A river has *its* spirit. They don't travel far, and they care about their domain.
+- **Pacts and bargains** matter more than spell slots. Magic is often negotiated, not just cast.
+- **Everything has a cost or a catch.** Nothing is free. But the cost isn't always mechanical — sometimes it's social, narrative, or moral.
+
+### Reconciling with D&D 5.5e
+
+| PHB Assumption | Eldar's Reality |
+|---|---|
+| Spellcasters are common | They're rare and usually tied to a place, tradition, or pact |
+| Villages are mundane | Every village has *something* — a well that grants visions, a baker whose bread heals |
+| Magic items are trade goods | They're unique, often with a story or personality |
+| Adventurers are common | The party is extraordinary — most people never leave their home region |
+
+**The game still uses 5.5e rules.** Spell slots, combat, skills all work as written. The flavor is what changes.
+
+## The Core Principle
+
+**No location is generic.** Every place the party visits should have at least one of:
+
+| Element | Description |
+|---|---|
+| **A surprise** | Something unexpected about the place (the bridge only appears in fog) |
+| **A secret** | Hidden lore, a buried truth, a sleeping thing (the church is built on a slumbering giant) |
+| **A spirit** | A being tied to this place, with its own goals and personality |
+| **A rule** | An oddity of nature or custom (don't whistle after dark, never step on the moss) |
+| **A story** | Something that happened here that still echoes (a promise broken centuries ago) |
+
+When designing a location, ask: *"What's the one thing a traveler wouldn't expect?"*
+
+## Regions
+
+> *Each region should feel distinct — different spirits, different rules, different kinds of surprises.*
+
+### Region Structure
+
+```
+geography/
+├── the-whispering-woods.md       # A forest where the trees remember everything said in them
+├── bridge-of-the-drowned.md      # A bridge that appears only when someone needs it
+├── the-hollow-hill.md            # A hill with no top, where something sleeps
+└── ...
+```
+
+## Factions
+
+> *Groups that operate in Eldar. They should have agendas, secrets, and connections to places.*
+
+| Faction | Description |
+|---|---|
+| *[Name]* | *What they want, what they know, what they hide* |
+
+## Notable Beings
+
+> *Ancient, powerful, or strange beings tied to places rather than people.*
+
+| Being | Location | Nature |
+|---|---|---|
+| *[Name/Title]* | *Where* | *What it is, what it wants* |
+
+## Tone & Themes
+
+- **Discovery over domination** — the world rewards curiosity, not conquest
+- **Melancholy and wonder** — beautiful things are often sad, sad things are often beautiful
+- **Old things matter** — the oldest being in a place is usually the most important
+- **Found family** — people and creatures who don't belong anywhere find each other
+- **Consequences** — actions ripple. Breaking a promise to a spirit matters decades later
+
+## Campaign Hooks
+
+- A player inherits a place (a cottage, a bridge, a boundary) and must learn what it means to tend it
+- Something old is waking up, and the party is the only one who noticed
+- A spirit offers a bargain — but the price is something they can't anticipate
+- Two places are bleeding into each other, and the party must find out why
+- A village asks for help with a problem that turns out to be much bigger than expected