Breathing Lands
Type: Individual
Length: 3 months, Ended December 2024
Publisher: DigiPen Institute of Technology
overview
What if there were a society that harvested the blood of the gods found in their beating hearts in the center of their lands? This blood is made into a powder and used in drugs to heal and give short bursts of strength. By harvesting the god’s blood, the people of this earth are harming the heart, leading to the decay of the land.
In this 88-page bible, I focused on 3 living cultures and one fallen culture, going in depth on one to build out the world of Breathing Lands, exploring how resources, values, and religion play a role in cultural divides. Download your own copy here.
I took inspiration from the Arawak, indigenous peoples of Puerto Rico. They inspired the names and religion of two of my cultures, the Aniki and O’una’ni Aniki, meaning “heart” and “traveling heart” respectively in Hiwatahia. The cultures also live differently, as one lives a nomadic life, valuing cultural connection, while the other lives in the north, valuing separationism. They both practice Ubuntu values, a collectivist philosophy native to South Africa.
Research
These cultures separated because of religious differences. They both believed in the same religion, but disagreed on fundamental aspects, leading to conflict similar to that of Sunni and Shiite muslims.
The third and final living culture is the Amuiwa culture. It is more inspired by America’s stark class divide, where there is clear class division. This is a more industrialized nation as it has a bloodier history than the other two cultures.
Each culture has their own traditions, economy, factions, leadership, and resources. Download the PDF to learn more about each culture
World History
I created a world map after learning more about how continents are formed by geography and how cultures move and interact with the world around them.
The world has history dating centuries. The physical geography has changed, but so have the cultures. The cultures are now in a different place from when they were initially, but some have fallen due to past wars and uprisings.
Each culture is influenced by the flora and fauna native to each biome. Download the PDF to learn more about each the geography and ecology.
Reflection
Though there is a lot of work I could do to make this project even better, I learned a lot about the process of worldbuilding, political relations, and geography by creating this world bible. Over the three months I was creating this world bible, I was working on 4 other classes, which strengthened my time management skills. I also constantly got feedback from other students, which helped me catch inconsistencies and weak points.