World-Building in the Age of AI - Introducing Elarah
The setting for my epic fantasy series under construction - The Broken Flame.
The nascent age of AI is upon us, and as a self-published author, I have decided to embrace AI as much as possible without selling my soul to it. That means using AI in as many aspects of publishing and writing as possible, with one exception. The words I put on the page. Those need to be mine for me to master the craft of storytelling with a unique voice.
That leaves all the research and world-building I put into my stories as fair game. These posts will discuss my goals for Elarah as well as my partnership with AI to make the world come to life. For reference, I am using a paid subscription of ChatGPT 4 and Google Docs to document the finished product. I won’t/can’t get into which AI model is best or what other world-building tools would be useful.
My goals (some of these have evolved as we enhance Elarah)
Build nations based upon historical analogs that allow references to culture, language, gods, mythology, and history.
Have these fantasy nations use D&D creative commons type elements so that the books might be turned into D&D-style campaigns.
To use unique races for most of my fantasy creatures and not use any D&D-type creatures/races beyond elves, dwarves, and gnomes. All other races should have some sort of historical, cultural, or folklore origin, where possible.
Build a magic system that is unique but can work within D&D-style role-playing games.
The seed for The Broken Flame was my one-time desire to create a fantasy version of the Holy family’s time in Egypt while they hid from Herod’s assassins. I abandoned that effort after writing four chapters.
In this new fantasy effort, I only drew on a few items from the previous storyline.
There will be a messianic element to the story that involves an immaculately conceived child who is the hope against overwhelming evil.
To use the Lochem, a fictional elite temple guard unit that I created and incorporated into the Lamentations and Magic series. These specialized warriors use teamwork as the basis of their fighting style. The two-man team is referred to as a Yoke, with one man as the Spear and the other as the Blade (Uses a special type of khopesh).
All else is new, and any resemblance to the story of the Holy Family is purely based upon the use of a nation which is analogous to Israel in 590 BC.
National Basics
In a few hours, the AI and I came up with the basics of the different nations. Over time, these basics below have expanded to geography, different races, political factions, historical events, key figures, current political situation internally and externally, magical orders, priests and priestesses, currency, and military makeup/units.
Below is just the bare bones of the seven nations of Elarah. Next, I will go over how I work with AI to create the different races of Elarah and provide a few examples.
Assural (Inspired by the Assyrian Empire)
🏛️ Description
A theocratic empire centered around courts, codes, and enforcement. Assural views law as sacred and unbreakable, enforced through the fearsome Justicars.
⚖️ Alignment
Lawful Evil
🧬 Dominant Races
Humans
Dwarves
deamhan aerig (evil Magic using miniature Elves based upon Irish folklore.)
Religion:
Bane (God of War and Order)
Asmodeus (God of Twisted Justice and Tyrannical Law) and Bane’s Wife
Bharajhati (Inspired by Late Vedic India) The Verdant Mandala
🏛️ Description
Bharajhati is a lush jungle confederation, a land of dense rainforests, sacred groves, and rivers winding through emerald valleys. Known for its music, prophecy, and living temples, Bharajhati’s culture blends joy and mystery. It is a place where spirits of the land are honored alongside ancient gods, and where travelers find both warm hospitality and deadly secrets.
⚖️ Alignment
Predominantly Neutral Good, with an emphasis on balance, compassion, and harmony between civilization and nature.
🧬 Dominant Races
Wood Elves: Spiritual leaders and guardians of the oldest groves.
Humans: Urban merchants, artisans, traveling performers, and city rulers.
Ohdows: Small, halfling-sized shapeshifting forest tricksters and fierce warriors in defense of their territory. From Native American folklore.
Gharial: Alligator-like humanoids who dwell in river temples and protect sacred waterways. (Indian folklore)
⛩️ Faith and Pantheon
Bharajhati’s faith is animist and polytheistic, honoring:
Forest Spirits: Countless local spirits of trees, waterfalls, caves, and beasts.
Great Primal Gods: Like Shamara, Mother of Canopies (life and growth) and Tazur, The Storm Serpent (destruction and renewal).
Ancestor Spirits: Revered for guidance and protection.
Huttugara – The Twilight Dominion (Based upon the Hittite Empire)
🏛️ Description
Huttugara is a dark, foreboding land of twisted forests, corrupted swamps, and bleak hills where the sun rarely pierces the perpetual twilight. Here, power lies in the ability to remake nature into a weapon—trees that bleed poison, beasts bred for war, and fungal growths spreading terror.
⚖️ Alignment
Predominantly Neutral Evil, with society shaped by ruthless ambition, predation, and the belief that might—especially mastery over nature—makes right.
🧬 Dominant Races
Twilight Elves: A cruel subrace of elves obsessed with bending nature to their will. They reshape forests into thorn-labyrinths, breed unnatural beasts, and practice botanical alchemy to poison or enslave.
Humans: Merchants, mercenaries, or petty nobles skilled at exploiting turmoil.
Gloam Gnomes: Corrupt gnomes who excel at poisons, sabotage, and cruel mechanical traps.
Lepri: Evil, shapeshifting cousins of the Ohdows, thriving on chaos and deceit.
Ishtari: Winged, raven-like humanoids who rule the skies as assassins and scouts.
⛩️ Faith and Pantheon
Worship dark deities of corruption, predation, and entropy, including:
Vorath, Whisper in the Gloom – god of secrets and cruelty.
Ashkora, Queen of Unmaking – goddess of decay and remorseless change.
Taarzek, Raven King – storm deity of death and sudden fate, revered by the Ishtari.
Kaethar - The Drowned Horde (Sea Peoples)
“We rise with the tide. We leave only ruin.”
🟥 Alignment: Chaotic Evil
🌎 Core Identity: Nomadic, sea-raiding confederation bound by chaos, survival, and primal strength (Culture references ancient polynesia.
🧬 Race Mix:
Ka’Ura– Brutal shock troops, war-leaders, and shipboard enforcers
Humans – Adaptable tacticians, emissaries, and fanatical flame-eaters
Mak-Tiki– Rabid skirmishers, reavers, and flesh-feasting raiders driven by bloodlust and hunger-rites
⚓ Who Are the Kaethar?
Kaethar is not a nation but a storm-borne tide of warclans, assembled from exiles, beasts, and blood-bound pacts. They live and die by the sea, honoring no law, god, or border.
They are a perpetual invasion—never building, always burning.
Their warbands are divided by ship-fleet and raiding legacy, not language or clan.
Each warrior is part of a blood-oath cult that praises destruction, storm, and strength over all.
Khemhotep (Inspired by New Kingdom Egypt)
🏛️ Description
Khemhotep is a vast, ancient desert empire of golden dunes, monumental pyramids, and labyrinthine necropolises. It is a realm where life and death intertwine: the living seek favor with the gods, while the dead command respect and fear. Ancient magic, forgotten kings, and bound spirits linger in the shadows of timeless stone.
⚖️ Alignment
Predominantly Lawful Neutral, reflecting a culture focused on eternal cycles, order, and the unchanging decrees of divine pharaohs.
🧬 Dominant Races
Sand Dwarves: Short, stocky folk adapted to desert life; skilled builders, tomb-keepers, and stone-carvers.
Humans: Form the majority, from peasant farmers along the Nile-like rivers to powerful priest-kings.
Anubi: Jackal-headed humanoids who guard tombs, serve as psychopomps, and track oathbreakers across the desert.
Sphinxes: Rare, majestic human-headed lions; some dwell as solitary oracles, others rule as god-kings.
⛩️ Faith and Pantheon
A complex pantheon blending aspects of Egyptian myth:
Atum-Ra, Lord of the Sun – supreme deity of creation and order.
Ma’at, Mistress of Balance – goddess of justice and cosmic harmony.
Anubash, The Black Jackal – god of the dead and keeper of souls.
Sekhet, Lioness of Flame – war goddess of righteous fury and protection.
Mykenara (Inspired by Mycenaean Greece) The Sea Born
🏛️ Description
Mykenara is a coastal and island-based civilization inspired by Hellenic city-states at their height, famed for their philosophers, powerful navy, labyrinthine politics, and glorious heroes. From gleaming marble cities perched above azure bays to undersea fortresses of Tritons, Mykenara thrives where land meets sea.
⚖️ Alignment
Primarily Neutral, with tendencies toward Lawful Neutral in major cities and Chaotic Neutral in pirate-haven isles.
🧬 Dominant Races
Humans: The most numerous; rulers, philosophers, sailors, and soldiers.
Gnomes: Inventors, shipwrights, and wily merchants; keep to cliffside enclaves.
Minotaurs: Respected as gladiators, bodyguards, and frontline warriors; many trace lineages to mythical heroes.
Tritons: Proud aquatic folk who claim Mykenara’s coastal reefs and deep harbors; essential allies and occasional rivals to surface cities.
⛩️ Faith and Pantheon
Deeply polytheistic; each city-state favors different gods, but key deities include:
Thalorian, God of Waves and Storms – patron of sailors and tempests.
Ariasta, Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy – revered by generals and philosophers.
Khazior, Lord of the Labyrinth – feared and worshiped by Minotaurs and seekers of secrets.
Elynor, Keeper of the Deep – Triton matron of ocean trenches and lost knowledge.
Yavara – Land of the Eternal Flame
📜 Description
Yavara is a holy kingdom defined by its unwavering devotion to He Who Is/The One Most High, the singular, unseen god. Known for the Temple of the Mountain Flame, Yavara is a place of sacred covenants, prophecy, and ritual. It is a land where divine law and royal authority are intertwined, and where spiritual and temporal power often clash. Society and faith revolve around oaths, covenants, and strict ritual law.
⚖️ Alignment
Lawful Neutral
🧬 Dominant Races
Humans
Mal'achi (Eagle headed and winged Humanoids inspired by creatures displayed in Ancient Assyrian temples, tombs, and palaces)