Complexities - Where Do I Start?

Dude. Huck Finn has a plot.

And as to what I'm looking for? I'm looking for the plot to start within the first 17 000 words! You've just given background, as far as I can tell.

Again, as others have said, we're working on a very rough outline of your actual story, so maybe it's more interesting than it seems based on the outline. But for me...too much rambling, not enough story.

No, but if you can figure out the core Stuff of your plot, you can figure out where to begin.

Begin right before Nahmi's life changes. Begin right when Sonnia starts her war/whatever.

You are forgiven.

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You are gracious

If I were to start with change, that means I'm going back to my 700-year-old battle. The problem is that part of that change involves a shift in culture, which as I've said before, is very different from our own. And yes, I can weave backstory in the action pretty easily, but I can't do that with world-building. That's a whole different ballgame.

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Yes you can weave with worldbuilding. It's just harder. Then again no one said this was easy did they?

Difficult to give examples without knowing what you've read but to take an obvious one - LOTR doesn't start with the battle where Isildur finds the ring, which changes the culture, does it? The characters find that out later - as the plot happens and as they and the reader need to know it. LOTR isn't really a good example because it was published a long time ago and books have changed since then. But for this purpose, really look at it. (prologue aside - and please don't write that sort of prologue!) It starts when Frodo's life changes, from his normal to something else.

When I say 'moment of change' I mean 'moment of change for your lead character(s)'. Else we could go back to the beginning of the world lol. Presumably your characters have grown up in this changed culture, so that is their normal. Start when their normal changes. Show the rest in action.

It's hard, I know. But you can do it.