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Reposted by J. Maxwell - Author

R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

#CartAugust 22: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), most nations have a predominant trade city, with Freeport (in the Republic of Freeport) and Vizrala (in the Vizrani Empire) being the most bustling and active of these cities. Further on the continent, Anvara is the...

Back to the hand-drawn map, but this time, the points of focus are trade cities: Freeport (in the Republic of Freeport), Vizrala (in the Vizrani Empire), Rengdar (in the Kingdom of Hrothia), Anvara (in the Nation of Avenad), and Augtel (in the Empire of Atmoriel).

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

#AugustWorldbuilders 5: For Karnassia stories (co-created in @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), Rafaeliel Liberas-Faal is the Headmaster of the University of Freeport, a former scholar at the University of Atmoriel, and a character in The Great Famine and the Rise of Villainy series. He is the most...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

#Critteray 5: The vuleri in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) look essentially like small foxes, roughly the size of a kit fox, but covered in dark brown fur all over their bodies and with porcupine like quills all over their back. The spines have bioluminescent properties...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

#MythAugust 5: In the Valestral religion in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), there is a rough hierarchy that puts Graes (flora) as the highest ranking God(dess), with Draes (fire and sun) and Alaes (water and moon) close behind. Beneath them are Terratil (stone and dirt)...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

#CartAugust 5: Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) is surrounded by a saltwater sea on all sides, separating the mainland of the continent from the archipelago of Atmoriel and the lone island of Cyra to the north and Laecia far to the frozen south. On the mainland, Hroth...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

#CartAugust 6: Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) is full of harsh terrain that is unfriendly to travelers, with the best examples being the desert of Avenad (which the citizens of the Nation of Avenad mostly traverse through underground tunnels which have their own dangers)...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

#MythAugust 6: As in the case of all Karnassia deities (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), this is a complicated answer. While the Valestrals see five out of their six deities are benefactors, they recognize that the gods act through the world around them rather than in grand signs...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

#AugustWorldbuilders 6: The Universities of Atmoriel and Freeport in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) primarily share symbols with their nations. The flag of the Empire of Atmoriel is a white banner with a tower against a golden sun, and given this tower is also the...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

#CartAugust 7: When it comes to Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), it depends on what type of "forest" you mean! The Kingdom of Valestra is predominantly temperate forest, which is home to a significant amount of wildlife, including giant sloths, giant beavers, the hacidae...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

#Critterary 7: The vuleri in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) are quick and skittish little creatures, often bolting at the first sign of other forms of life. Their vocalizations tend to mostly be minimal squeaks and other fox sounds rather than outright speech (and they...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

#MythAugust 7: For the Valestrals in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), most religious stories allude to the gods living deep beneath the surface of Andos in the center of the planet, though the literality of this statement is a topic of fierce debate among religious...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

#AugustWorldbuilders 7: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the University of Freeport is its own institution in the Republic of Freeport, not run by the state, though the Constitution of Freeport does mandate that the University work to promote literacy in the population...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

#AugustWorldbuilders 4: For the two major universities in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the general culture has a fair amount has a fair amount of overlap despite surface differences. The University of Atmoriel is an advanced research institution, rife with petty...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

#CartAugust 4: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the desert Nation of Avenad has the largest collection of these. It is surrounded on one side by the Errias Mountains and on the other by the Velas-gav Mountains, both of which present natural barriers from invasion by...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

#MythAugust 4: While the Hrothian pantheon in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) has something like this, for the Valestrals, the main factions are just "Everybody Hates Aetal," with the other five deities being frequently at odds with the less than benevolent trickster god.

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

#AugustWorldbuilders 3: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), specialized trade schooling exists in the Vizrani Empire, (particularly for those seeking the profession of barrister, though there is also specialized schooling for alchemists available for a handful), while...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

#CartAugust 3: So for Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), my long-term plan is to essentially make a different map for each book AND have each map be an in-universe document that reflects the biases (and borders) of the mapmaker and their culture. While the map stays fairly...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

#Critterary 3: The Vuleri of Avenad in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) are one of several bioluminescent creatures that live under the tunnels of Avenad (though they are beyond a doubt the cutest) and are sometimes referred to as "spined fox(es)." It is likely that they...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

#MythAugust 3: The Valestral deities in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) morally align with the Valestrals for the most part (with Aetal representing on some level immoral tendencies that are meant to be kept at bay), though Valestral morality has some key distinctions...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

#Cartaugust 1: I'm R. T. Jenkins, and I am going to be using this month as a way to bully myself into actually sitting down and working on the maps for Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), mostly because a lot of what we have are very rough scans of massive paper maps (below).

A very rough, hand drawn map detailing the world of Karnassia (so rough in fact that north is in the top left of corner of the map because we effed up) (and we are are fairly certain this scale is no longer anywhere near accurate) (and also I'm pretty sure sections of this are completely out of date)

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

#AugustWorldbuilders 1: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), access to schooling (and how it's implemented) varies wildly based on location. For example, even though Atmoriel and Freeport have the only two Universities for higher education, the former has a strict system...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

#MythAugust 1:Last time, I focused on the Vizrani religion in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), so this time I'm going to focus on the religion of the Valestrals! This is a polytheistic religion, whose creation caused the initial schism between the (monotheistic) Atmorals...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

#CartAugust 2: I talk about the world of Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), but it is really the continent of Karnassia, mostly settled by colonists that have lost contact with their other continents on the planet Andos (here is an even rougher map of all those places).

If you thought the last map was rough, this one is even worse. It is four pieces of paper put together (poorly) with a table clearly visible in the background. The continent from yesterday is in the lower right quadrant, while other, less detailed land masses (sometimes comically so) make up the other three quadrants).

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

#MythAugust 2: The Valestral Pantheon in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) is composed of a pantheon of six god(desse)s associated with elements of the natural world. They are (in rough order of importance): Graes (Allmother of Andos, the Wood and Flower, the Watchful Woman...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

#AugustWorldbuilders 2: For Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the across the board learning in most nations will include math and language (both spoken/heard and written/read). For places with more formal instruction, science is also commonly taught, though more advanced...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

#Critterary 2 1: Hi all, had a lot of fun doing a bunch of different critters in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) last time, so this time, I think I will focus a bit more on the vuleri of Avenad: these are small foxes with purple bioluminescent streaks and porcupine-like...

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J. Maxwell - Author @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Proof I'm a writer #poetry #poems

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J. Maxwell - Author @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

In the past 4 days, I've revised 17 poems of my collection, decided to leave 4 untouched (they were previously revised), and removed 2 pieces. It feels good to be creative again. It's been so long (like 2 years). I wasn't sure it was going to come back.

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

#Juniplex 25: I don't have one for wars in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social [I TAGGED THE RIGHT PERSON THIS TIME]) off the top of my head, by the Grey Plague led to the creation of mangrove tinctures that, in addition to curing it, have done wonders for life expectancy on...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

#Juniplex 23: The same event that leads to the splintering of the Silent Hand and Time's Loss also changes the course of history for the continent of Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social). In addition to splitting the guild, it also leads to the next world war that embroils...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

#Juniplex 21: The basement and tunnels under Gems and Jewels becomes the main hideout for the Silent Hand in Vizrala and is initially unique in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) for being a much more elaborate headquarters for a criminal organization. While most reside in...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

#Juniplex 20: For the Silent Hand and Time's Loss in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the relatively young age of the organization means that no one is yet a legend, though Zri'Denn, the primary founder of the organization, works to make himself a bit of a living legend...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

#Juniplex 26: For the Silent Hand and Time's Loss in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), death and capture on the job are, more often than not, a "you're on your own, kid," kind of situation. While there are instances of guild members working to attend the hangings, bury the...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

#JuneWorldbuilder 30: It's a mix of both, but the degree to which its each depends on the project. Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) has a lot of extensively pre-planning (hence why I use it for more months than not), where as the worlds of the bub trilogy and How the...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

#Juniplex 28: The history of Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social) is full of various war crimes and crimes against humanity, with the Empire of Atmoriel's use of chemical and biological weapons across two wars leaving one island uninhabitable, the mass killing of civilian...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

#NovemberWorldbuilders 9: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), one figure who stands out as a typical example of evil is Dagal Draesi, whose reign of relative terror started approximately 70 years before most stories started. Due to the chances of royal politics, he became...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

#NovemberWorldbuilders 10: In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), Viz'Rah (more often called Vizra now) is the historical figure whose morality is most dependent on whose side you stand on now, particularly when it comes to nation and religion. As the founder of the Vizrani...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

#NovemberWorldbuilders 11: As far as the Karnassia stories go (co-authored with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), the main characters from the stand alone novels run the gamut, but the main characters in the Rise of Villainy series are, unsurprisingly, ethically compromised in a variety of ways...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

#NovemberWorldbuilders 12: In the Rise of Villainy series in Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), given the criminal protagonists, many of the antagonists that are outside the group are various members of the law. Mav'Karn Migao, in particular, leads the Vizrani Watch in...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

#NovemberWorldbuilders 13: As in all things Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), each nation has its own moral authority that selects for particular values (and forbids particular "sins"). Much of the story is set in the Vizrani Empire, where the blended church and state...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

#NovemberWolrdbuilders 14: I alluded to a few of these yesterday, but I'll add some more (AND INCLUDE A BONUS POLITICAL SOAPBOX, SO STRAP IN, FOLKS!). In Karnassia (co-created with @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social), morality is a product of culture, which produces a few places where morality differs...

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R. T. Jenkins @rtjenkinsauthor.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

...coming) is that the Atmorals and Vizrani are both racial supremacists (with the former practicing horrific eugenics), which in 2013 when @jmaxwell-author.bsky.social and I started writing this, was correctly known to be an absurd position, but fuck us, right, we now have to outright say this...

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