Namely that whenever you're designing a world you need to take every element not just at its face value, but to ask how this element could change or alter the setting going forward. Or, phrased another way, if you're throwing a rock into a pond, watch the ripples and see how far they go.
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| But what if we made magic super common? |
Before we get into the details, you all know the drill by now. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to stay on top of all my updates, and if you've got any dosh to spare consider tossing it my way by becoming a Patreon patron! Every little bit helps.
Every Change Can Have Implications
The fun of world building is that you get to put settings together in different configurations to see what happens. You can tinker with everything from the climate, to the social structures of your people, to what strange and fantastical species exist in your world. You decide how magic works, what technological innovations exist, what gods are or aren't in this world, everything!
However, there is a flip side to this astonishing amount of power, and it's one that occasionally gets overlooked. Because if something exists in a setting, you have to ask what the implications of that thing's presence are, and how it can alter your world as a whole.
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| Let's take dragons... as an example. |
So, let's say your world has dragons. Awesome! Dragons are cool, and they always grab people's attention. However, every element of dragons in your setting will shape the way the world functions, and you need to ask what that means to your setting, and the stories you tell within it.
For example, are dragons sapient creatures, or are they merely large and dangerous animals? If the latter, then are dragonslayers a required profession to help deal with these territorial beasts the way you'd have game wardens or animal control officers? If dragons are intelligent creatures capable of thought and reason, though, then are there accords for negotiating with them? Do they form agreements with surrounding nations, or do they merely take what they want using their power? In either case, are dragons prized for their body parts once they're slain? Because if their blood enchants swords that are quenched in it, or their scales are impenetrable to normal steel, or their teeth can cure disease when powdered, that will make them highly prized assets to poachers looking to make a profit off a dragon's corpse.
You can keep asking questions like this (Are dragons used as mounts by elite warriors? Incorporated into armies? Do they bond with particular species?) all day long. And there's no wrong answer to these questions... but you do need to have answers, and those answers could lead to more questions as the ripples spread outward.
And you need those answers in order for your setting to have verisimilitude.
As an example, say that your setting has a kind of quartz in it that can hold a charge from magic to act as a power or light source. If such an item exists, why are people still lighting their streets and homes with candles and torches? Is it because the mineral is rare, and thus wouldn't be used for that sort of thing? Perhaps. Because if it were common then it's likely it would be used at least in towns and cities near where wizards train their apprentices, or where sorcerers tend to be born. Even if it's not universal, its presence could be a sign of a town moving up in status, showing that they can afford to have a lamp-lighter's guild made up of apprentices and journeymen wizards.
This Applies To Damn Near Everything
Almost every aspect of a world is going to have implications like this. They won't always be center stage and of import to your current plot and story, but it's important to think about them and to consider what aspects of your world might mean if extrapolated on. From whether your kingdoms use paper money, to whether they have a banking system, to whether elves and orcs can have children with partners outside their species, it's important to think through all aspects of a setting in order to make sure your world has internal consistency for the reader.
And because sometimes you'll find that an idea gets way wilder than you expected it to... and it turns out to be a far bigger and more interesting addition to your story than you expected it to be!
Incidentally, if you haven't seen it yet, you might want to check out 5 Tips For Creating Fantasy Towns and Cities. It's something I put together that has helped solidify my process, and I figured it would be of use to other creators!
As For The World I'm Building... Well...
I've been hard at work on Sundara: Dawn of a New Age for months now, and every time a new release for it drops the setting gets just a little bit stranger! So whether you want to see cities atop mountains ruled by a cooperation of dragons, massive volcanic forges making crucible steel, metropolises cared for by armies of the living dead, and more, check out some of the Cities of Sundara installments below!
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| Seriously, give them a look for yourself! |
- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and 5E): Built around the Dragon Forge, Ironfire is where the secret to dragon steel was first cracked. The center of the mercenary trade in the region, as well as boasting some of the finest schools for teaching practical sciences, Ironfire is a place where discovery and danger walk hand in hand!
- Moüd: The City of Bones (Pathfinder and 5E): An ancient center of trade and magic, Moüd was lost to a cataclysm, and then buried in myth. Reclaimed by the necromantic arts of the Silver Wraiths guild, this city has once again become a place teeming with life. Despite the burgeoning population, though, it is the continued presence of the undead that helps keep the city running, ensuring that Moüd is not swallowed up once more.
- Silkgift: The City of Sails (Pathfinder and 5E): Built on the cottage industry of Archer cloth (an extremely durable material used for sails, windmills, etc.), Silkgift is a place that prizes invention and discovery. From gravity batteries that store the potential of the wind, to unique irrigation systems, to aether weapons, the city positively churns out discoveries... and then there's the canal they cut through the mountains that makes them a major center of trade across the region.
- Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms (Pathfinder and 5E): A center of power across an entire region, Hoardreach is ruled over by a Cooperation of five different dragons. A place for refugees and outcasts of all sorts, Hoardreach boasts some of the most unusual citizens and creations from across Sundara. Infamous for their sky ships, which require the cast-off scales and unique arcane sciences of the Dragon Works to take to the air, one never knows just what they'll find in this city built atop a mountain.
- Archbliss: The City of The Sorcerers (Pathfinder and 5E): A floating city in the sky, Archbliss has been a refuge for sorcerers for thousands of years. It's only in relatively recent years that the city has allowed those from the ground below who lack the power of a bloodline to join them in the clouds. However, while there are certainly amazing wonders to behold, there is a darkness in Archbliss. Something rotting away at its heart that could, if not healed, bring the city crashing to the ground once more.
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That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my cat noir novel Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!
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