Worldbuilding Wednesday

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@pluttskutt

Worldbuilding Wednesday

Heyhey, whatcha know! It's WBW! Reblog this post with one of the emojis below for an ask in your inbox:

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These questions are for worlds with magic in them 🔮

Reblog and put in the tags that ONE video game series you’ve played more than any other

The thing I remember you most for is the tragic backstory of Nethen and Elain, and how it relates to the relations between elves and humans in general in your world!

Thank you, @clairelsonao3! I love that part of my WIP, and among the many backstories of The Last Wrath, it is one of the most compelling -despite its tragic nature. Also, I love using backstory as a storytelling tool to bring forth worldbuilding, so I am glad to hear that my attempts to do this paid off! (As in, I'm glad Elain and Nethen's past showcases the relationships between their species in Agrannor, as such is the intention of their story!)

I'm very happy that you remember this part of the story so vividly and that you liked this backstory! (:

I am transitioning from Google Docs, after the whole AI situation, and moving my work to Scrivener. Still have a long way to go until all my works are downloaded and out of Docs.

Happy WBW!

I saw all of the cool, different magic users in your main WIP. How do they interact with each other? Are their hierarchies? Are some magicks seen as evil? Are some seen as better or more powerful than others?

Happy (late) WBW! Thank you so much for the Ask, @anoelleart!

This is such an interesting and compelling set of questions!

Let's start from the beginning:

(About the Magic Users in The Last Wrath:)

How do they interact with each other?

In Agrannor, the relations between different kinds of magic users are as varied as they are unpredictable (and sometimes conflict-heavy in some cases).

Mageborn and Non-Human Magic Users (Elves, Faeborn, Vampires/Dhampirs, and Merfolk) - The most harmonious of interactions between magic users, since they're basically the same (with the exception of Mageborn being human and the others being of every other humanoid, sentient species in Agrannor). They view each other as equals - because they mostly are - and hold many similar beliefs and cultures. e.g. For example, a Mageborn (human) would treat an Elf magic user the same way they would treat another (human) Mageborn.

Mageborn and Human Sorcerers - This is where things get tricky. Most mages usually see Artificial Magic (the one extracted from nature and bound to artifacts by runes) as lesser and a waste of time, while Sorcerers usually see Pure Magic of the mages as too unpredictable and untamed. Still, they might get along and even learn some things about magic from one another, with some Mageborn and normal sorcerers even becoming friends for life.

Mageborn tend to see Artificial Magic as fake and surface-level, and Sorcerers tend to see mages as untrained and too wild.

Things get tricky when it comes to Blood Sorcerers - the ones who use Blood Magic to imbue their artifacts with Pure Magic harvested from the blood of mageborn and non-human magic users. Given the vile nature of how blood magic is harvested, Mageborn people rightfully see Blood Sorcerers as monsters, and some Blood Sorcerers only see Mageborn as fuel to their artifacts. It's pretty brutal.

Sorcerers and Non-Human Magic Users (Elves, Faeborn, Vampires/Dhampirs, and Merfolk) - It is pretty similar to the relations between Mageborn and Sorcerers, though - due to recent events and conflicts - Non-Humans are much more afraid of sorcerers (even the benign, artificial magic users) than mages are.

Normal Magic Users (Mageborn, Non-Humans, Sorcerers) and Dark Spellcasters - The deliberate use of dark magic is overall a heinous crime in Agrannor, especially with the nearing approach of the War of Prophecy and the return of the Secret Court. All regular magic users see Dark Magic as a dangerous, vile creation - and they would be very right. Dark Spellcasters are often villainous and twist/corrupt regular magic into dark magic, which makes it much more volatile and has serious repercussions.

Note:

FALLEN ONES - Those Mageborn who come into the world with their magic already tainted by darkness - due to the corruption of their bonded magic source - are outcasts from society, even though they cannot control their powers and are not to blame for them. Some, due to being shunned and rejected by something they can't control, become bitter and resentful, abiding by the perceived "nature" of their powers, while many others choose to become good and prove the world wrong by using their powers for good. Still, they are generally not very welcome by any of the other users.

Are there hierarchies?

Yes and no. There are hierarchies within the groups, with the most talented magic users often reaching the position of High Mage or Arch Sorcerer in their respective groups and orders. This is also true within sorcery academies, with the lower-ranking sorcerers being Apprentices, the middle-ranking ones being Mentors, and the highest-ranking ones, as mentioned above, Arch Sorcerers. Mageborn societies are indeed more lenient and less hierarchical, with magic being seen as a part of the person's nature and their identities, and not something that should be only seen as a career.

Within Non-Human communities, the strength of one magical ability can be life-defining, especially within Merfolk tribes - which are led only by the strongest and most apt who compete for a ruling position - and Elven cities - where the wisest and most magically talented individuals can rise to the ruling Council of Elders.

Are some magicks seen as evil?

Yes, as mentioned before in this post. Dark Magic and Blood Magic are both vile forms of magic (though one stems from the corruption of pure magic, while the other is pure magic harnessed from the blood of another person), which are seen as heinous and blasphemous by most of the other magical users. Mageborn, Non-Humans and normal Sorcerers tend to see those two forms of magic as the worst possible crime one can commit. Even the non-magical Human Kingdoms (especially in the Free Realms and the Borderlands) outlaw and look down upon Dark Magic, and prefer to stray from Blood Magic whenever possible.

Within the human territories of the Morosyn Empire, especially in areas where the Temple of Radiance is most prominent, Blood Magic is the most common and most endorsed form of magic, causing other - regular - magic users in their lands to have their lives put in terrible danger.

Are some seen as better or more powerful than others?

Objectively, pure magic is more powerful and intuitive than most artificial forms of magic, requiring little training to reach its potential, and being present with its users at all times - since it is a part of them. But regular Artificial Magic can be just as powerful if the user is willing to put in long hours of training and a lot of effort - though it will never be as intuitive and will always require the casting of runes to be precise. The use of Blood Magic was - unfortunately - created to try and make artificial magic more powerful and allow its users to reach their "potential" immediately, but it has serious drawbacks.

The legendary Sunscryer mage (someone who carries the full power of the sun - with both its beauty and eldritch horror) is by far the most powerful type of Mageborn that can exist and their magic is often the purest form in existence as well. Sunscryers are incredibly rare and often appear once in many centuries and even millennia. In TLW, Julyan Ashiren is the living Sunscryer.

Dark Magic is something untamed and of untapped potential, spreading as easily and unstoppably as a wildfire in a dry forest, and it can cause dreadful danger to both its users and the world around them. It is, by far, the most dangerous form of magic in existence.

I hope this answers your Ask probably! I loved your questions and had a lot of fun writing the answers!

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday!In the world of your WIP, what is the family structure that is considered "typical"? Why? As for the MCs in the story, would their family be considered atypical or different in any way, or do they come from a background considered "standard" in the world of your WIP?

Happy late WBW, Mystic!

OOOO I love this question!

In the world of your WIP, what is the family structure that is considered "typical"? Why?

Cue the sighs from anyone who reads any answer I have to anything: it varies lol. Humans keep with the typical, nuclear family structure that we are familiar with. Dwarves also have this but grandparents and extended family are a lot more involved with the nuclear family than in human families. As such, Dwarves have very caring relationships with each other and will live in the same neighborhood or town as their relatives. It should also be added, that the nuclear families of these two include same-sex or otherwise queer relationships!

Lizardfolk tend to have really big families, esp if the man of the house has multiple wives. Children are often looked after by their mothers and nannies exclusively, fathers only become involved around ikismal prep season. Seeing extended maternal extended family is not normal, since women move to their husband's hometown to support his clan and raise their kids.

Elves are communally raised once they get past a certain age. This is because their numbers tend to be on the smaller side and they want to prevent all sorts of infighting with each other so they want to socialize their kids as much as possible. It's common for children to call anyone older than them mother or father even if they aren't biologically related.

As for the MCs in the story, would their family be considered atypical or different in any way, or do they come from a background considered "standard" in the world of your WIP?

Mariel: Typical but despite this, her upbringing is atypical because of her circumstances.

Axtapor: Typical for a nobleman of the Empire but he doesn't like it.

Fay: Atypical. Her family was extremely impoverished and her parents were not very good parents so she was mostly left to fend for herself.

Wilkes: Atypical. He was orphaned and before that, his birth mother ran away from her husband's home with him.