The Everwind setting is massive. It is a universe rich in history, culture, and conflict - just like our world. And just like any other universe, there is room for all flavors of style and story. That is where you come in. Not only will you get to create exciting stories filled with diverse and heroic (sometimes wretched) characters, you get to help shape this universe and all its inhabitants. The world may be dying, but that doesn’t mean we should give up on it.
Through us - the Creators - this world will flourish, its characters will struggle for meaning and survival. Your role - and mine - will be to craft the most exciting stories, the most interesting characters. And we’ll be putting those characters to the test. What are their destinies? Where have they been and where are they going? All their decisions will shape their futures, but more importantly, they will help shape the futures of every other character.
Whether you’re a newcomer or a veteran to this world, this guide will introduce you to the vastness of Galwyndor, its peoples and customs, history, and its perils. Because it is a world of misery, do not be afraid to put your characters in such situations. There is an atmosphere of hopelessness that abounds in this post-apocalyptic setting, a sense of danger all around. Honor is questionable as people do whatever they can to survive. This means that human nature, both the darker sides and the light, shine through at every turn. Any atrocity that can be imagined is fair game here. You may be wondering why there is so much darkness and depravity in this world.
The answer is simple: it is how humans are. Everything that exists in the Everwind setting (from a human nature standpoint) is happening now, in our own world. It is what these characters endure, daily, but most importantly it is what they overcome. When our characters overcome the seemingly impossible, it provides a glimpse into what might be possible in our own lives.
Yes, there is slavery. Yes, there is human trafficking, murder, robbery, torture, betrayal. Every flavor of villainy lurks around every corner. The characters have flaws, fears, hopes and dreams, they experience heartache and disaster and setbacks. But it’s not what happens to the characters that defines them, it’s what they do in response to those setbacks that makes them who they are. They are just like we are.
So your task, should you choose to accept it, is to create compelling characters and put them into stressful situations, to give them arduous pathways toward their own goals and to help them grow through these experiences. The setting is only the backdrop. The most important element is the characters themselves, their personalities and their experiences.
This world is not a place to escape from the suffering of our own lives, but to awaken within the power and determination to carry on and overcome those tribulations in our own lives. If the people we create can do it, anyone can do it.
So go forth and create! This guide will provide the setting, but you must provide the conditions for character growth and triumph over the impossible. Will they always succeed? I hope not. That’s not realistic at all. Towards the end of this guide I have included a special section called TRAINING which will give you everything I know about creating compelling characters. I do hope you will read it and consider everything I have provided therein. Lastly, I also hope you will use the creator forums on Everwind Times to help each other. Post your stories there and get feedback. Together we can improve the stories. Together we can forge characters and situations that are forever enduring.