# WORLD CREATION

Your first step is the shared creation of the game world (also known as a “setting”) in which your characters’ adventures will take place. This process involves both the Game Master and the Players and provides everyone with a strong foundation for heroes, antagonists, creatures, and events.

You will need the world sheet and the map sheet.

The flowchart on the next page describes the world creation process. If you want, give your setting a name: even something as simple as Earth, Gaia or The Planet will work fine... we do the same in our real world, after all!

As explained on page 14, all Fabula Ultima worlds share some core elements — the Eight Pillars. When creating your setting, keep those elements in mind! Pay special attention to the following:

- Souls. Everything living and unliving is connected by the stream of souls. Some worlds might feature machinery fueled by soul energy, while in other settings, spiritual corruption might give birth to monstrous creatures.
  Discuss what people generally know about souls in your world.
- Conflicts and struggles. The cultures populating your world haven’t been able to unite themselves under a single banner. Their motives can range from centuries-old rivalries, ideological or religious strife, misunderstandings, perhaps even the cruelties of one nation against the other. Drawing inspiration from the real world can be a good idea, as it is (unfortunately) rife with turmoil and injustice.
- A fantastical, diverse world. When creating your setting, you shouldn’t concern yourself with realism, verisimilitude, or historical accuracy. A city-state inspired by ancient Greece might be bordering with a flying fortress, guarded by warriors clad in Song Dynasty-style armor and practicing a form of alchemy similar to that of the Italian Renaissance.
  What really matters is for each location's appearance to reflect the themes and emotions it will embody within your story.

The flowchart presents the world creation steps in a more intuitive order, but you’re always free to go back and make adjustments when needed.

The most important part is that everyone can share ideas freely. Whenever a step states that “each person should contribute an element”, that doesn’t mean they must come up with it entirely on their own: as with any other aspect of this game, dialogue and communication are key to a good experience!