Worldbuilding Ideas

Understanding a world means understanding how people function day to day. Worldbuilding Ideas are one way to build onto the comprehension of your world. In Qualx, Life Rights determine who is protected under the law and who is not. Once you know what Life Rights are and how they can be gained through lineage and marriage, we can explore other ways to obtain Life Rights.

Each path tells the reader something important about how the world works and what it values most.

Worldbuilding ideas don't need to stem from something profound. They can come from simple questions you ask yourself. For example, to figure out how Life Rights could be granted or earned, all Frank and Lucy had to ask themselves was: "How could an individual gain Life Rights outside of family ties?"

Access to Life Rights Through Guild Service

Unregistered beings are able to gain citizenship through working for the Guild. The terms and conditions of an individual gaining citizenship are often treacherous. While Guild service is risky, and comes with pros and cons, it can be a more secure path to citizenship. It is for this reason many individuals seeking Life Rights look to Guild service as the most preferred option.

Through the practice of Guild service in exchange for citizenship, the Conglomerate is able to ensure that the city always has enough trained defenders to both protect the citizens and enforce laws.

It is mandatory for every male citizen to serve in the Guild for an amount of time determined by the average lifespan of their species. This is a duty that comes along with the benefits of being a citizen with Life Rights. While Guild service can lead to Life Rights, the acquisition of Life Rights does not exclude that individual from further Guild service. Once a male gains citizenship, the citizenship responsibilities begin, and usually do not take prior time served into consideration.

In most cases, the way to Life Rights through Guild Service usually involves occupations with a high mortality rate. While the mortality rate for an unwrit attempting to gain Life Rights in Guild service is higher than the average Guild member, the survival rate of those with unwrit status is still generally at 87%. While a citizen and an unwrit have identical obligations on paper, in practice those without Life Rights face prejudice from both their superiors and fellow Guildsmen alike.

If an unwrit withdraws from Guild service before their contractual time is up, it is standard practice that they are incarcerated and demoted to vozh, or criminal muzh, status. This is an especially lethal outcome since they most often become a vozh for the RDMs, a fate that routinely ends in death from experimentation.

If an unwrit successfully gains citizenship through service to the Guild, he can be released from service with fully registered rights, though this is rare. Otherwise, the more common outcome is a renegotiation of service terms as a citizen with full or partial Life Rights. Along with the renegotiation comes a hearty bonus and increased rank, although it does vary by individual and service record.

While Guild service is a solid option for many, there are still beings who cannot gain Life Rights through this mechanism. For them, one of the few other options is Life Rights through political authority.

Granted Life Rights

Archons are able to grant Life Rights, and this is the only caste of citizen that can do so. The amount of Life Rights a conglomerate figure can grant is dependent upon their scope of responsibilities. The greater the responsibilities, the more rights they can grant. The ability for Archons to grant Life Rights serves as a tool that can strengthen the industries under their sphere of authority.

For example, the Archon of agriculture would be permitted to grant two Life Rights per annum while the Guild Archon is allowed to grant unlimited Life Rights because it is part of the exchange for Guild service.

A grant of Life Rights can be given by any Archon for any reason, with the exception of the Guild Archon since those Life Rights are given in exchange for services rendered. Most Archons grant Life Rights either as a reward or to gain loyalty (politically or otherwise).

The Grand Archon is the only other Archon outside of the Guild's Archon who is able to grant unlimited Life Rights, although he rarely ever does so.

The Grand Archon is the only being who is able to grant immutable Life Rights. Immutable Life Rights are different from other classes of Life Rights. The Grand Archon can issue all Life Rights, from the most basic to the most untouchable.

While only Archons can bestow Life Rights, it is occasionally at the behest of a senator. While senators do not hold the same power that an Archon does, they are extremely well connected. Because of this, it can be in an Archons best interest to grant the Life Rights that a senator requests, since it would potentially be as an exchange for other benefits.

Shaping Your Own Worldbuilding Ideas

These systems took time to discover and shape. They stemmed from small worldbuilding ideas which popped up sometimes unintentionally, but they transformed into a complex system through necessity. Your own worldbuilding can grow over time in a similar way.

Worldbuilding ideas can come from almost anywhere if you know how to look for them. A good place to start is by asking simple questions about how a world works. Everyday systems can be changed, pushed, or exaggerated to create something new.

By starting small and letting each answer lead to the next question, a world can slowly take shape in a way that feels natural and believable!

If you are interested in learning how simple ideas can develop even further, learn more about Life Rights, and how they are sometimes forged or fought for.