The Only Way I Could Think to Start
This project is too big to hold as a picture in my head starting from an empty directory. So I painted the complete picture first – now I can use it to sketch the key lines onto a blank canvas in the right order.
Welcome to Phase 1 of Nubimancy – the Pencil Sketch.
Why Paint the Picture First?
The Teaching Challenge
I plan to teach Nubimancy from beginning to end – following the Aethernet Assembly as they receive the RFP from our five heroes, analyze their needs, plan the projects, and build the solutions. That’s the natural learning journey.
But to guide learners through that journey effectively, I needed a clear destination “picture” for them to paint toward. The complete ecosystem is too complex to design on the fly while teaching. I needed to:
- Validate every architectural decision works in practice
- Ensure all the hero business processes actually integrate properly
- Prove the technical patterns before teaching them
- Create a reference implementation learners can explore
This is the artist’s approach: Paint the complete reference picture first, then use it to sketch the key lines onto your students’ blank canvases in the right sequence.
The Three-Phase Approach
🔨 Phase 1: Paint the Complete Picture (COMPLETE!)
“Build the full end-state to create the reference painting”
What We Did:
- Built all 19 production applications with complete business logic
- Created companion test application structures (38 apps total – test code implementation planned for later phase)
- Implemented complete business processes for all five heroes
- Validated architectural assumptions through real implementation
- Proved cross-hero integrations actually work
- Created the reference implementation that validates the vision
Success Criteria: ✅ ACHIEVED
- Complete, working ecosystem demonstrating all hero business processes
- Functional integrations between all AppSource apps and PTE components
- Proven technical architecture – now I know it all works
🗺️ Phase 2: Sketch the Learning Roadmap (COMING SOON)
“Work backwards to plan the teaching sequence”
What’s Next:
- Use this end-state to build a learning roadmap in reverse
- Design waypoints: what needs to be learned when?
- Create “save state” snapshots showing progress at each stage
- Cast Aethernet Assembly consultants, PMs, and developers for each concept
- Plan the character-driven story that teaches beginning to end
- Map both refactoring and greenfield learning tracks
The Key Insight: I can take this complete picture and trace backwards to figure out the right order to teach the pieces. Then learners will follow forwards through the proper journey.
🎭 Phase 3: Teach from Beginning to End (FUTURE)
“Guide learners through the journey with the destination in view”
The Delivery:
- Start at the beginning: Aethernet Assembly receives the RFP from our heroes
- Follow the natural sequence: analyze needs, plan projects, build solutions
- Each step references the complete picture so learners know where they’re going
- Character interactions make technical concepts memorable
- Deliver educational content (books, blogs, streams) following the roadmap
- Learners build toward a destination they can see and explore
Meet the Complete Magical Business Ecosystem
Phase 1 is complete, and the world of Nubimancy is real. Let me introduce you to the five hero businesses and the 38 applications that power them. (In case you weren’t already familiar!)
🧝♂️ Bran Brightwood – Caravans of Fortune
The Business: Multi-realm logistics and trade coordination
“In the realm of Luminae Ascendant, floating cities pose unique shipping challenges. How do you optimize delivery routes when your destinations move with cloud patterns? How do you track cargo that travels through inter-realm portals?”
The Challenges:
- Geographic obstacles: floating cities, underground realms, desert trade routes
- Portal shipping logistics and dimensional coordination
- Magical communication integration for real-time tracking
The Applications:
- 📍 Mystical Route Planning – Multi-planar shipping optimization
- 📜 Arcane Scroll Processing – Inter-realm communication and order management
- 🎪 Caravan Festival Coordination – Trade event and vendor management
Technical Highlights:
- Enhanced inventory management with scrying capabilities
- Multi-location route optimization algorithms
- Integration with Nimbus Supply foundation for warehouse management
⚔️ Rini Glar – The Pinnacle League
The Business: Multi-arena combat sports tournament management
“The Pinnacle League hosts tournaments in arenas with unique environmental features – underwater combat zones, aerial platforms, enchanted forests. How do you track fighter progression across diverse combat styles? How do you broadcast matches to audiences in multiple realms simultaneously?”
The Challenges:
- Environmental combat arenas with unique rule sets
- Fighter career progression and skill tracking
- Cross-cultural tournament management and broadcasting
The Applications:
- 🏆 Dimensional Tournament Brackets – Complex tournament scheduling and advancement
- 📊 Fighter Progression Analytics – Career statistics and skill development tracking
- 📡 Multi-Realm Sports Broadcasting – Cross-dimensional event coordination
Technical Highlights:
- Advanced registration systems with skill assessment
- Complex ranking and matchmaking algorithms
- Arena-specific management and environmental tracking
- Integration with Nimbus Exhibition for event infrastructure
🐾 Weltina Boons – Haven Wildlife Preserve
The Business: Ethical magical creature care and conservation education
“Caring for magical creatures isn’t like managing traditional inventory. Phoenix eggs require precise temperature control, dragons need behavioral enrichment, and each species has unique conservation challenges. How do you track ‘living inventory’ that grows, learns, and requires individualized care?”
The Challenges:
- Living inventory systems (creatures aren’t static items!)
- Conservation ethics and creature welfare tracking
- Educational partnerships and public programming
- Warden coordination for creature care specialists
The Applications:
- 🏥 Advanced Creature Care Protocols – Specialized care tracking for magical species
- 🎨 Patron Auction Management – Ethical fundraising and donor relations
- 🌿 Multi-Habitat Management – Facility management for diverse creature needs
Technical Highlights:
- Living creature lifecycle tracking
- Patronage and donor relationship management
- Educational program integration with Nimbus Exhibition
- Cross-habitat care coordination systems
🪄 Delyra – Art of Facts
The Business: Multi-dimensional magical item crafting
“When you craft enchanted items across multiple dimensions with different time streams, production planning becomes complex. A day in one dimension might equal a week in another. How do you schedule work centers that exist in different temporal flows? How do you manage portal shops where customers browse from multiple planes simultaneously?”
The Challenges:
- Time stream acceleration in different dimensional work centers
- Complex magical processes and enchantment tracking
- Portal shop management (dimensional retail)
- Multi-planar inventory coordination
The Applications:
- 🏭 Multi-planar Work Centers – Production across dimensional time streams
- ✨ Enchantment Refresh Services – Magical maintenance and renewal tracking
- 🚪 Portal Shop Management – Cross-dimensional retail operations
Technical Highlights:
- Time stream workshop management
- Complex enchantment process routing
- Portal shop inventory synchronization
- Integration with Nimbus Manufacturing for production foundation
🍺 Thorin Caskmantle – Port & Pour
The Business: Magical ale distribution network
“Distributing Dwarven ale across multiple realms requires more than logistics – it requires preservation magic. Each ale variety has unique storage requirements, aging processes, and magical preservation needs. How do you coordinate distribution across aerial, terrestrial, and underground trade routes while maintaining quality?”
The Challenges:
- Magical preservation tracking and quality control
- Multi-modal logistics (air, land, underground routes)
- Regional hub coordination and inventory balancing
- Tavern network relationship management
The Applications:
- 🍺 Dwarven Ale Quality Tracking – Preservation magic and quality monitoring
- 🏛️ Tavern Network Relationship Management – Customer relations and distribution coordination
- 🎉 Community Event Orchestration – Festival and promotional event management
Technical Highlights:
- Magical preservation monitoring systems
- Multi-modal route optimization
- Alebound guild integration
- Shared logistics with Bran (Nimbus Supply)
The Three-Layer Architecture
How It All Works Together
Layer 1: Business Central Foundation
The bedrock of our realm – standard Business Central functionality
Layer 2: Nimbus Core Foundation (AppSource-Style)
Universal world foundation providing shared capabilities:
🌍 Cities & Trade Registry
- Master data for 20+ realm locations
- Geographic and magical characteristics
- Trade route infrastructure
🏛️ Guild Management System
- Cross-hero staff and membership framework
- Skill and certification tracking
- Guild coordination protocols
📜 Inter-Realm Communication Hub
- Magical scroll protocols
- Cross-business message routing
- Communication tracking
⚖️ Cultural Commerce Rules
- Trade customs and business regulations
- Cross-cultural business protocols
- Compliance frameworks
Layer 3: Specialized Guilds (AppSource-Style)
🚚 Nimbus Supply – Logistics & Distribution
- Multi-location inventory management
- Route planning and optimization
- Warehouse and shipping coordination
- Powers: Bran’s Caravans, Thorin’s Distribution Network
🏆 Nimbus Exhibition – Events & Services
- Event and tournament management
- Registration and participant tracking
- Facility and resource scheduling
- Powers: Rini’s Tournaments, Weltina’s Educational Programs
🔧 Nimbus Manufacturing – Production & Retail
- Production planning and scheduling
- Bill of materials management
- Work center and capacity management
- Powers: Delyra’s Magical Crafting
Layer 4: Hero Specializations (PTE Extensions)
Each hero has custom PTE extensions adding magical capabilities:
- Bran: Portal shipping, enhanced tracking, trade intelligence
- Rini: Skill assessment, arena management, broadcast coordination
- Weltina: Living inventory, patronage systems, education integration
- Delyra: Time stream workshops, enchantment processes, portal retail
- Thorin: Preservation magic, quality tracking, guild coordination
And what good is a fantasy worldbuilding effort without a map, right? 😆
Cross-Hero Collaborations: Integration in Action
Real-World Integration Patterns
Bran ↔ Thorin: Shared Shipping Routes
- Thorin’s ale distribution leverages Bran’s caravan infrastructure
- Shared warehouse facilities and route optimization
- Combined logistics for efficiency
Bran ↔ Delyra: Rare Material Shipping
- Bran ships rare enchantment materials for Delyra’s crafting
- Specialized handling for magical artifact deliveries
- Portal coordination for time-sensitive shipments
Rini ↔ Weltina: Educational Cross-Promotion
- Conservation education at tournament events
- Fighter training programs at the preserve
- Combined community outreach initiatives
All Heroes: Nimbus Core Integration
- Unified guild management across all businesses
- Shared world data and trade registry
- Standardized cultural commerce compliance
Why This Matters for Learning
These aren’t artificial integrations – they’re real architectural patterns you’ll encounter in Business Central development:
- AppSource foundation + PTE extensions
- Cross-module data sharing
- Shared infrastructure with specialized capabilities
- Multi-tenant considerations
By learning through hero collaborations, you’re learning real-world integration architecture.
What This Means for Aspiring Nubimancers
Your Learning Journey Starts from Proven Ground
Every Educational Module Will:
- Lead to this validated destination
- Reference working implementations you can explore
- Show both the journey AND the final result
- Demonstrate real Business Central best practices
You’ll Learn Through:
- Character-driven storylines that make concepts memorable
- Progressive complexity from simple to advanced scenarios
- Both refactoring and greenfield development paths
- Aethernet Assembly wizards and BC Team guidance at every step
The Educational Advantage:
- ✅ Proven Architecture – We’ve validated every pattern works
- ✅ Real Integration – Cross-hero collaborations demonstrate real patterns
- ✅ Complete Context – See how individual concepts fit the bigger picture
- ✅ Multiple Paths – Choose refactoring or greenfield learning tracks
The Technical Achievement
By the Numbers
38 Total Applications:
- 19 Production applications with complete business logic
- 19 Test application structures (test code implementation planned for future phase)
Complete Architecture:
- 4 AppSource-style foundation applications
- 15 Hero PTE extensions
- 108 modules across 20 extensions
- Object ranges 50,000-83,799
Real Business Processes:
- Multi-location inventory and logistics
- Complex event and tournament management
- Living inventory creature care
- Multi-dimensional manufacturing
- Quality tracking and distribution networks
Integration Patterns:
- Cross-hero data sharing
- Shared foundation APIs
- Standardized guild management
- Unified cultural commerce rules
What’s Next: The Path to Phase 2
Immediate: Phase 1 Documentation
- Detailed architectural documentation
- Hero business process flows
- Integration pattern guides
- Object and module reference
Coming Soon: Phase 2 Planning
- Learning waypoint design
- Character casting for technical concepts
- Save state snapshot planning
- Educational module sequencing
The Delivery: Phase 3 Content
- Books: The Chronicle of Nubimancy series
- Blog posts: Technical deep-dives with hero contexts
- Streams: Live coding with character interactions
- Samples: Reference implementations for each concept
The Bigger Picture: Teaching with a Clear Destination
The Artist’s Teaching Method
Think about how an art instructor teaches painting:
Traditional Approach:
- Teach individual techniques in sequence
- Students try to assemble techniques into a finished piece
- Hope it all comes together
- Discover composition issues late in the process
Master Artist Approach:
- Show the complete reference painting – students can see the destination
- Sketch the key lines first – guide the composition and structure
- Teach techniques in the right order – building toward the reference
- Students paint with confidence – they know where they’re going
The Nubimancy Approach
- Paint the complete reference ✅ DONE (Phase 1 – Pencil Sketch)
- Trace the learning roadmap backwards ← PHASE 2 (What to teach when?)
- Guide learners forwards ← PHASE 3 (Beginning to end with destination in view)
The Result: Learners follow the Aethernet Assembly from RFP to implementation, with a clear picture of where the journey leads. Every technical concept has a proven destination. Every learning module builds toward something real.
Join the Journey
For Learners
Follow Along:
- Watch for Phase 2 waypoint announcements
- See character casting and storyline development
- Get early access to educational content
Get Ready:
- Explore the hero businesses above
- Think about which storylines excite you
- Consider both refactoring and greenfield interests
For Community Members
Share Your Thoughts:
- Which hero business resonates with you most?
- What technical concepts do you want to learn?
- How can we make the educational experience better?
Connect:
- Join the Nubimancy community discussions
- Follow project updates and announcements
- Contribute your ideas and feedback
Conclusion: The North Star is Real
Phase 1 is complete. The destination exists. The architecture is validated. The hero businesses are operational.
38 applications. 5 heroes. 1 proven ecosystem.
Now we design the perfect journey to get you there – with the confidence that every step leads to something real, something working, something meaningful.
Moving Forward
Welcome to destination-driven development. Welcome to character-driven education. Welcome to the complete world of Nubimancy.
The Pencil Sketch is drawn. The adventure begins. ✨🏗️
Resources
Explore the Pencil Sketch
- GitHub Repository: github.com/Nubimancy/PencilSketch – Browse the complete reference implementation
- Learn How It Was Built: Building at Scale: Long-Running AI Agents for Real Development – The AI-driven orchestration approach
Explore Nubimancy
- Main Site: nubimancy.com
- Project Introduction: Introducing Nubimancy
- The Five Heroes: Learn about Bran, Rini, Weltina, Delyra, and Thorin
Connect
- BlueSky: @bc.jeremy.vyska.info
- LinkedIn: jeremy-vyska
May your learning journey be guided by clear waypoints, memorable characters, and proven destinations! 🌩️📖
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