Welcome to our Worldbuilding Wednesday! On Wednesdays, we will discuss the creative process behind different facets of the Twinverse, from as lofty a concept as the entire cosmology, to specific characters and their role in the setting. Worldbuilding Wednesday is meant as a behind-the-scenes column to give insight into how the setting itself changes and evolves, beyond just the events of the books.
After the hook has been designed, several foundational concepts need to be deployed, and this is true no matter the purpose for this worldbuilding exercise. Whether the world is meant as the setting of one or more books; the background for a roleplaying game campaign; or simply an activity meant to be fun in itself, one of these concepts is magic.
What is fantasy without magic? Even low-fantasy series such as the Chronicles of Ice and Fire (a.k.a. Game of Thrones) include some mysterious magical elements in the story, even if the general population has no idea magic truly exists, and there are no practitioners of this art. Magic enriches the stories, can serve to create challenges for the heroes which are more than simply creatures to knock down, and can further delve into the psychology of the characters. It also gives the world a feeling of "otherness", a hallmark of fantasy.
There are several decisions that need to be taken about magic, and since the way magic appears and performs will inform the world's history, geography, and characters, this is truly a foundational concept. Of course, if the world is meant as the backdrop of a roleplaying campaign, you may be constrained by the way magic is represented in that game. But if you aren't, the world is your oyster in terms of how magic should look and feel.
There are several questions that would need to be answered. What is magic, exactly? Where does the power come from? How can it be accessed? What can it do, and at what cost? Who can use it? Why?
Each of these questions provides answers that define the magical system of your world. Magic could be the exhalation of a dead god still lingering in the world, or an undercurrent of power infusing all of reality. It could be an extradimensional infestation creeping out of portals to other realms, or it could be the summoning and shaping of the world's lifeblood. There are endless possibilities, each of which will give you further ideas. It could be accessed with pure willpower, or through arcane rituals, specific implements, the shedding of blood, summoning a demon, or a thousand other methods. Even its scope and cost are up to you, although I do recommend ensuring there is a cost to using magic. If there isn't, magic would realistically be abused by whoever can use it. This could create a great hook for certain worlds, but for others, it could simply throw a wrench in the machinery.
It also leads to the next question: who can use it? Is magic "democratic", so that anyone could learn it, if they applied themselves? Is it the province of an elite? Does it flow in bloodlines? Are only certain types of creatures able to use it, or perhaps magic comes in different flavors, and each species can only use one?
As you can see, there are infinite permutations in the way all these questions, combined, can give rise to unique systems of magic and, at the same time, provide you with ideas for the world's further development.
As an example, in the Twin Worlds, magic (called thaumaturgy) is a grouping of several only loosely related disciplines, from mighty sorcery to natural magic, from fleshcrafting to necromancy to curse-casting. Each of these disciplines can be accessed by different methods, and it is possible (in theory) to know and master more than one, although some are incompatible with each other. The scope of each discipline is different, although there are overlaps. And the source of power (as well as the cost) is different as well.
If you don't need to be shackled to a specific system of magic (which could happen if, for instance, you had already published seminal books describing qualities of your system of magic which now you must incorporate in it, or retcon), go wild. Don't overcomplicate things, unless you have to. Make magic intriguing, make it fun, and make it useful (or no one would ever learn it). Ultimately, magic is one more tool at your disposal to craft and shape the world and the stories within it. Use it well, and it can elevate your tales, but use it badly, and it can do the opposite.
Well, that was all for today's Worldbuilding Wednesday. Look for more info on the Twin Worlds thaumaturgy in an upcoming Codex entry, and as always, thanks for reading. I look forward to seeing you again next Worldbuilding Wednesday.
Comments