1 Create a Map of Your Region

Using your Geography Brainstorm (Activity 1.6.1) as a starting point, create a map of your region. Your map should include:

• At least 3 distinct geographic features (mountains, rivers, forests, coastlines, deserts, swamps, plains, etc.)
• 2–3 settlements with names
• At least 2 connecting routes (trade routes, roads, water passages)
• At least 1 area of mystery or danger (unexplored wilderness, ruins, forbidden forest, monster lair, etc.)
• A compass rose and scale so readers understand the geography

Your map can be hand-drawn, digitally created, or even described in visual detail. It should tell a story on its own — a reader should be able to look at it and start asking questions about the world.

2 Write a Region Guide (900–1200 words total)

This is written description that brings your map to life. It contains four sections:

Section A: Region Overview (150–200 words)

• Name your region and describe its geography, climate, and overall atmosphere
• Establish the mood. Is this a place of beauty and peace? Danger and mystery? Hardship and survival? Contradictions?
• Help the reader feel the weather, the terrain, the sense of the land

Section A-History (100–150 words)

What shaped this region? Describe at least one major historical event that still affects the present — a war, a migration, a natural disaster, a founding, a betrayal. History doesn't just explain the past; it creates the tensions that drive stories in the present. Include at least one thing from the past that has been forgotten or is misunderstood by the people who live here now.

Section A-Current Tensions (100–150 words)

What conflicts simmer in this region right now? These are the story engines — problems that characters might be drawn into. Identify at least two different sources of tension. These could be between settlements, between cultures, between people and their environment, or between the present and the past. Not every conflict needs to be violent — economic rivalry, cultural misunderstanding, environmental change, and competing visions for the future all generate powerful stories.

Section B: Settlement Descriptions (200–300 words total)

• For each settlement on your map, write a brief description
• Include what makes it unique, who lives there, and what role it plays in the region
• Show how geography has shaped each settlement (why is it where it is, what advantages or challenges does the location create)

Section C: Cultural Details (150–200 words)

• Describe at least 2 cultural traditions, customs, or practices that exist in this region
• These should connect logically to the geography and the region's history
• Examples: How do people here celebrate the seasons? What do they value? What are their beliefs about the land? What trades or crafts are important? What are their stories and myths?

Section D: A Moment of World-Building (200–300 words)

• Write one vivid scene set in your region — a traveler arriving at a settlement, a market day, a festival, a dangerous crossing, a moment of cultural significance
• Use sensory detail (sounds, smells, textures, sights) to bring the reader into the world
• Apply the 3-2-1 rule: 3 visual details, 2 non-visual sensory details, 1 emotional or cultural detail
• Let the reader experience this world as a character would

3 Write Adventure Hooks (3 hooks, 1-2 sentences each)

An adventure hook is a story seed — a situation, mystery, or conflict that could launch an entire adventure. Great regions aren't just places; they're places where things happen. Write at least 3 adventure hooks set in your region. Each hook should:

• Connect to your region's geography, culture, or history
• Present a problem, mystery, or opportunity
• Make a reader want to know what happens next

Examples:

• "The old windmill on the ridge above Ashford has started turning on its own at midnight, even when there's no wind. The grain it produces glows faintly blue, and anyone who eats bread made from it dreams of the same place — a city none of them have ever seen."
• "Traders from the northern pass have stopped arriving. The last caravan that made it through reported that the mountain road was intact but that every signpost had been turned to face the wrong direction."
• "A mapmaker in Crestfall claims she can hear her maps whispering at night, but only the ones she drew of the Thornwood. She's offering a reward to anyone willing to go into the forest and find out why."

4 Write a Design Reflection (4–6 sentences)

Explain your creative process. Address these questions:

• What inspired your region?
• What techniques from Unit 1 did you deliberately use? (For example, did you use the 3-2-1 rule? Did you choose specific sensory details to create mood?)
• What would you add if you had more time?
• What did you learn about world-building through creating this region?