So since we are going to follow the production process for grydscaen: dissonance, we might as well follow the writing process for “The Seer of Grace and Fire” which is the new Fantasy story that I will start writing in October. I wanted to talk about the magic system of the world of Arenth today, the land in which the story takes place. This will as much be a blog post on worldbuilding process as it will help me with the task of getting the Magic System down for this world. So lets get started, shall we…
The Magic System for Arenth which is the world, the story takes place in a certain region and includes Jahnae, Elves and Humans. There are dragon lyres but I am not sure if there are dragons in the story yet. I still need to flush that out. The Magic System of the world includes learned ability, innate ability, magical objects and something akin to summoning up demons by the Valkyris and Dalannin, the mage. Lets talk about these a little.
Magical Objects – These are used by Jahnae, Elves and Humans. Humans need them to do magic at all. These can be jewels which can provide healing powers or daggers that can cut to the quick or be thrown with amazing precision. I think Timorn has a magical daggar on him when Ishika tries to steal it in the pub. Healing stones are also available. Ethesian has a magical dragon lyre which he can play like a small harp. I am not sure what the music does but it does do magic. I need to flush that out.
Learned Ability – The cleric Kabal who is a human works as a scribe translating works at the Ecclesiastical University in Ekhrine. He has learned to translate Jahnae, Human tongue and Elven. He is also a cleric so he is a religious person. He can use his learned ability to heal and he is very clever when it comes to identifying those with magical abilities. He teaches a little so his skill is learned and he imparts his wisdom to his students at the university. Kabal uses a magic system like the Kabbalah and a celestial writing system for his magic. He can also use this writing system to conjure up familiars which he can control. He has a cat familiar he conjured up and a hawk.
Innate ability – Ethesian has the ability to play the magical lyre. This is a female instrument and the magic is only gifted to females. So even thought Ethesian lives as a female he is male. I think I will make him intersexed so that we can get around the gender issue with the magic. If he is both or his body is male and his mind is female making him transgender I think this tricks the magic so he can use it. I still need to explain this a little more but this is the basic premise for his power. Being intersexed he is a third gender person or a spirit walker and I think this is how he is able to get the prophetic dreams he has which fortell the future. In grydscaen he would be a Trance Channeler but that is not something that is in this story.
Incantations/Conjuring – this is used by the Valkyris and Dalannin the evil entities in the story. Dalannin is a mage so he can classify as good, evil or neutral. I think I want to corrupt his neutral power some how to make him evil but I don’t think he is innately evil like the Valkyris he just supports her which makes him on the side of evil. I think he has a conscience though. The Valkyris has conjured herself up a horde of demon spawn using her ability and she has cast a spell which gave her the rule of the South lands when she killed the newborn male children in Kannon to end the royal bloodline. This power must somehow take a toll on her but she can use glamoury so even if there is a physical toll on her it is not seen, she still displays as a beautiful woman. I wanted to make the Valkyris female since we have Ethesian who is male and posing as a female. This will make me write a female character. I will have to study this a little. The Valkyris can conjure up a creature from the depths and control it using her words. This is how she got her army of minions.
Spells – These are used by the clerics in the court. There are no Jahnae mages but there are clerics. This will have to be defined a little bit better. Like Kabal the Jahnae clerics at court can heal. I am unsure at this time if there are dragons that can be controlled.
Music – This is also a magic system. Ethesian uses a dragon lyre in court to make magic. I am unsure what this does besides healing or making people feel joy. This is a female magic so it will have to be defined, like discussed above why Ethesian can use it.
All in all, these are the basics for the magic system on the Arenth. I am still making a map but I have a general knowledge of where everything is at this time. The dragon lyre will play a prominent role in the series as we discover more about Ethesian. Timorn and his magic dagger will also be important. I think Timorn got the dagger from the Elves in his travels which Ishika tries to steal.
Anyway I hope you enjoyed this short stint into the magic system of “The Seer of Grace and Fire.” I know it helped me to get an early better understanding of how magic works on this world.
