Paksworld

In Paksenarrion’s world different groups of characters have different kinds of magic–nobody has it all, and many people have none.

The sources of magic remain a mystery except for wizards’ magicks–a learnable, teachable technology.    The Elder Races are sure such magic as they have is part of their created nature, and consider their own gods responsible for it.  Magelords, the only humans with inborn magical ability, have variously believed the abilities came from their ancestors through normal inheritance, from the gods originally, or from specific techniques taught by a given deity.   Paladins believe their patron or their patron’s god grants the powers, and Kuakganni believe the green world grants theirs.

The difficulty for a writer inventing magic is to put the limits of such powers where they’ll do the most good for the story–and where readers can suspend their disbelief long enough to enjoy the story.  Many readers like (and many dislike) the very thought of magic in a story.   Multiple magic systems may seem more complicated, but also allow for constraints that help define different character groups.

For instance, the two Elder Races of Earthfolk have innate magery–part of their essence–but theirs is limited to specific places and materials.   Dwarves and gnomes can do things with stone no one else can do,  but have no magic touch with “the green blood”–with plants or with most animals.    Though a dwarf may be individually charming, he will not be able to charm (in the magical sense) a human. Read the rest of this entry »