eko-STEAM: World Builders- Science and Art and Dungeons & Dragons!

Promotional pricing through May 2021!

Fantastic worlds. High Adventure. Daring-do!

In the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, all of these start with the creative process of world-building. Brilliant and inventive minds will combine to develop the world of the Fallen Twins, a fractured, primal world surrounded by magical sky islands, traversed by skyships powered by steam, creatures, or the arcane weavings of sorcerous helmsperson!

In this 4 part workshop, we’ll explore the basics of this world from the design perspective and then create our own islands filled with vibrant ecosystems that mirror that of earth’s. From there, we’ll add in the stalwart castles, rainbow-highlighted “skyfalls” of water, gilded cities of elves, and floating lairs of dragons!

This cumulative world is being cooperatively built by Imo staff and our exploring learners! Each learner is part of a cohort of creators that will forever leave their mark on our Fallen Twins world. What they create becomes “canon” and every learner will always have access to the continuously evolving world of Falling Twins. Cohorts, with parental permission, will have their work placed into the annals of Fallen Twins history in a living documents of learning and creation!


Lesson 1- Introductions & Explorer Contracts!!
Learners will be introduced to the basic concepts of role playing and the specific nature of Dungeons & Dragons. They’ll explore the concepts of our special, learning-world. They’ll each create an explorer character who receives a contract from the Collegia Arcanum Ecologia to map floating sky-islands and venture into the depths of the wild!
They’ll be introduced to the concepts of world creation and biomes as they relate to the real world. This will be the basis for the remaining lessons.
Outwork- Learners will be asked to explore The Wild Classroom and pick 2 biomes that interest them. These biomes will become part of their lasting project and impact on the Fallen Twins world.


Lesson 2- Creating the Foundations of a World Fantastic!!
Learners will return to their explorations of Seorsus and the sky isles. Using their Cartographer’s Journal, each will pick a template island which acts as a “blank slate” for their analysis-based creation. They will use the biomes they selected from the outwork to give them ideas to base their creation in logic. They will decide which non-magical beasts live on their sky island. Each learner can create in the medium that speaks to them the most, paper journal, Google Jamboard (moderated by Project Imo instructors), or crafting. 
Outwork- Learners will be asked to conduct research on 2 real constellations and draw them in the provided Star Chart. This will become the basis for their Lesson 3 creation of the night sky in the Fallen Twins world for ages to come.


Lesson 3- Populating Your Worlds with the Arcane!!
The learning cohort will explore monstrous creations and beasts in the source materials (D&D Beyond and Monster Manual if they have it) and populate their island with a few beasties for future adventures! They do not need the Monster Manual, as our instructors will have it. D&D Beyond offers free access accounts for some content. Learners are also free to construct their own monsters!!
Outwork- Learners will be asked to create a mystical constellation to help us populate the night sky of the Fallen Twins. These can be based upon existing beasties or they can be of the learner’s own design!


Lesson 4- Cooperative Creation and Cohort Ceremony!!
This is an auspicious occasion! Our cohort of learners will turn their attentions from their individual islands to one MASSIVE group island. Project Imo instructors will facilitate cooperative creation as they build a large island which will sit in the skies over Seorsus amidst their individual islands. When complete, there will be a Expeditionary Ceremony as each member of the cohort presents an award to their peers and they choose their character Title to be bestowed by the Collegia Arcanum Ecologia upon fulfillment of their mapmaking contract.



The History of the Fallen Twins…

Pull up a chair, young traveler. Welcome to the Collegia Arcanum Ecologia. Grab a cup of cider and warm yourself at our hearth. We have a tale to tell. A tale of our world. Not as you know it now, but as it was. It is a sad tale but also a tale of hope, science, magic, and the power of cooperation.

Eons ago, our planet of Seorsus was a world filled with bustling cities, vast nations, and relative peace. Orbiting Seorsus were four moons. Yes, four. Not the three you see today.

The largest of these moons was called Theia. From our observatories here we could see Theia emerging from an age of ice and sleep. We could see life beginning to move about on the glaciers of the tall mountain spires. Creatures great and small roamed Theia. We watched in wonder for centuries, unable to reach out. It was this way that for ages untold, the moons of Seorsus danced across our sky. They illuminated the night and pulled the tides. Their paths were watched by child, sailor, wizard, and astronomer alike. But then came a revelation…

The path of Theia’s orbit was bringing the moon closer to the planet. Closer to the unthinkable.

The greatest minds of the age came together to discuss these events. Scientists and engineers, wizards and druids all saw one outcome. Theia was going to get too close to Seorsus and be pulled apart by massive tidal forces. The equations were solid. Many pieces of the soon-to-be-shattered moon would collide with Seorsus and bring untold destruction. But perhaps there was a solution…
While they could not stop the moon from getting closer, perhaps they could keep the pieces from impacting the planet! The combined efforts of all of these most powerful minds developed a plan to hold the pieces aloft in the atmosphere of Seorsus. A combination of magic and science would surely save the people of Seorsus. 

On the first day Theia came too close, a rending sound shook the very hearts of the people of Seorsus. In terror, the people of the planet watched as one of their beloved moons broke apart. From the Collegia Arcanum came the combined might of magic, science, and nature to hold the pieces of Theia in orbit!!! Most of them anyway…

Many large pieces of the moon struck Seorsus and laid waste. The massive iron core struck down on the other side of our beloved world. 

The ones that stayed aloft, however, found themselves in the safe embrace of magic, even holding each plate’s own atmosphere and life! These became known as sky islands, and they have traversed the skies over Seorsus these many hundreds of years since the “Falling of the Twins”, as that fateful day became known. Since the Sundering, as that day became known, the islands have encircled our world, waiting. 

The area where the iron core stuck down was covered in magical fire and ask for many, many years. The few people and beasts who survived this fled eastward, crowding into the largest cities. Their former homelands known only as The Blasted Reaches. For centuries this area lay sleeping, but now magic has breathed new life back into it! Over fifty years ago, travelers began exploring the Blasted Reaches and found it covered in strange new plants and inhabited by creatures of magic. You may have seen our newest Collegia residents, the Plankfolk. Seorsus and Theia combined to create a new race of beings. While strange to our eyes, the Plankfolk are brilliant observers of the natural world and possess an innate connection to the magic of the land. 

Now, the peoples of Seorsus are turning not only our eyes to the Sky Islands but also our ships. Look out this window at the glorious skyships ready to depart for Sky Islands all over the globe. Exploring. Charting. Building. I am sure you have already heard of the Knemarian Guild’s outpost on Isle Reshvalta and the glowing city of Port Bregnan. These floating cities act as hubs of sky exploration and trade. That ship there is leaving for Bregnan now. Watch how the helmswoman weaves her magic over the hull. That will ignite the steam boilers to fill the balloons. It is an amazing process. Perhaps you will own your own ship one day. But for now, we must return to the purpose of our gathering, your contract with the Collegia Arcanum Ecologia.