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The World Encyclopedia

The base of Aarda is the world encyclopedia, a collection of documents that contain knowledge from all aspects of the world. This collection of knowledge is used both for generating characters and contextualize interactions between the player and the generated characters.

The structure of the Encyclopedia​

The two key words that define the ideal structure of the encyclopedia are:

  • Modularizing
  • Labeling

The way knowledge is used on Aarda is based on retrieval and injection, therefore, it takes a lot of advantage of context that is atomic/one-off and properly labeled.

Here is an example of good and bad structure:

BAD
# City of Veloria

Veloria is a large city located on the eastern coast of the continent. It has a population of around 150,000 people, primarily humans, but also a small minority of elves and dwarves. The climate is temperate, with mild winters and warm summers. Veloria is a major trade hub because of its port, and the city is governed by a council of merchants who oversee trade regulations and ensure that taxes are collected. The city is famous for its Grand Market, where traders from all over the world come to sell their goods. The city is also home to the Temple of Sienna, the goddess of commerce. Veloria has a long history of conflict with neighboring city-states, especially Argoth, but in recent years, relations have improved due to trade agreements.
GOOD
# City of Veloria

## Location and Geography:
Veloria is situated on the eastern coast of the continent, benefiting from a temperate climate. Winters are mild, and summers are warm, making it an ideal location for year-round trade and commerce.

## Population and Demographics:
The city boasts a population of approximately 150,000 inhabitants. The majority are humans, though it is also home to small communities of elves and dwarves. Cultural diversity is celebrated through regular festivals and trade fairs.

## Government:
Veloria is governed by a Merchant Council. This council, composed of influential traders and business leaders, manages city affairs, oversees trade regulations, and ensures the collection of taxes. Political decisions are often influenced by the city's commercial interests.

## Economy and Trade:
A thriving trade hub, Veloria is known for its Grand Market, a renowned center of commerce where merchants from across the world gather to trade goods. Its strategic coastal location and well-maintained port facilities make Veloria one of the busiest trade cities in the region.

## Religion:
Veloria is also home to the Temple of Sienna, a sacred site dedicated to the goddess of commerce. Pilgrims and traders alike visit the temple to offer prayers for prosperous ventures.

## Historical Conflicts:
Though Veloria has a long history of rivalry with neighboring city-states like Argoth, recent trade agreements have significantly improved relations, fostering a period of peace and mutual economic benefit.

The knowlege brick​

The basic unit of knowledge in a world encyclopedia is the knowledge brick, each brick has:

  • Parent
  • Title
  • Content
  • Permission
  • Children

Title and content​

These are what the name implies, the content and title of the brick.

Parent and children​

They allow for the branching structure of the world encyclopedia, where child bricks can inherit context from parent bricks.

Permission​

This field describes who has access to that knowledge brick. Possible values are GLOBAL, GROUP, PRIVATE.

  • GLOBAL - Any character has access to this brick.
  • GROUP - Only listed groups have access to this brick.
  • PRIVATE - Only listed users have access to this brick.

The content of the encyclopedia​

As the name suggest, the idea of this work is to be a compendium providing summaries of knowledge that will be later consulted when fetching information about a chracter of prompt.

Here is an example:

Let's say that the characters in a world have the following attributes with the possible options:

  • Place of origin -> Ghost Forest, Sunken Depths or Grooveside Plains
  • Magical teaching -> Grunhilda's arcane arts, Merlin's glintsorceries, Baal's forbidden techniques
  • Element -> Nature, Time, Death

The content of this world's encyclopedia should contain information that expands on each option of each attribute, so that during the character generation and interaction, such information can be fetched and injected in the context.