Welcome to Deklan and Kathiria’s world…

What is the Mapped World?

The Mapped World is the fictional domain in which my story takes place. It is a single-continent realm. For size context, the distance between Roth and Ardenvale on the map above is approximately 600 miles - about the distance between Seattle, Washington and Helena, Montana. The climate in the Northern territories, near the mountains, is more temperate, while the Southern territories near the sea are much hotter. In the North, you’ll find plentiful evergreen trees, apples, potato crops, deer, and boar. Meanwhile, the South harbors more deciduous trees, bananas, oranges, sea birds, and aquatic mammals.

What lies beyond its borders?

At story-present, explorers from the Mapped World have been unsuccessful in their efforts to find land beyond the major geographical borders boxing them in. Both the vast End Seas and the treacherous North Mountains have proven seemingly-endless and impassable. Many citizens of the Mapped World theorize they are alone in the universe, and that nothing but the realm of the great spirits lies beyond the horizon. Others maintain hope that other habitable lands and lifeforms exist, just waiting to be found. Perhaps someone will be able to settle this debate soon?

What deities do its citizens worship?

The citizens of the Mapped World practice a religion inspired by animism, or the belief that places, objects, and creatures all possess a unique spiritual essence. They believe that sentient, celestial beings known as the great spirits over the earth and sea formed and breathed life into the world and its inhabitants, gifting every living and non-living thing a soul. Every rock, tree, trickling stream and beyond is believed to be animated by spiritual energy.

For my characters, the idea of the afterlife is one’s soul joining with the collection of spirits that inhabit and animate the earth. Depending on how individuals conduct themselves in life, they may receive a desirable, or undesirable, vessel in which to exist for eternity. The soul of a kind-hearted healer who spent her life in service to others may find her soul settled in a warm meadow, to enliven the sweet-smelling flowers and bask in the warmth of the creators’ sun forever. Conversely, a cold-hearted killer may be sentenced to animate the inner face of a moldy, damp cave, where the warmth of the great spirits’ sun will never reach him again.

How are its citizens divided?

Geopolitical divides in the Mapped World consist of the Confederacy of Man, an organization of the human race into ten separate regions (illustrated on the map above) united under one banner, and the magical races, sentient and otherwise, that inhabit the wild spaces in between. Historically, these two groups - humans, and magic - live and operate amicably but separately.

At story-present, the unclaimed lands are void of the magical races after a devastating war. But traditionally, the tribes of centaurs, fairies, pixies, giants, gnomes, dwarves, werewolves and others existed in a cooperative society based on mutual respect for nature and for each other. Each race has its own elders/clan leaders, but powerful wizards and witches known as peacekeepers and oracles (humans born with essence, or a magical soul, who have forgone their place in Confederate society and moved to the unclaimed lands) stand as the respected unifying governing body over the creatures of magic.

How are the human regions governed?

The ten regions of man are headed by high overseers known as stewards or stewardesses, the highest-ranking leaders in each prospective territory. They reside in manors (the houses illustrated on the map above!) located in the capital cities of each region. Outlying villages and towns are headed by lesser lords and their families, who report to the stewards.

Steward and noble families in the Mapped World are similar to traditional royal families in our world, in the sense that their estates and titles pass to their offspring in hereditary succession. But their power is less than that of a king or queen, as ensured by the Confederate Council.

The Confederate Council is a collective of the ten region’s leaders, who meet to make decisions in matters of governance for the nation. For each council meeting called, the attendance of at least one representative from every region is required. Ideally, these are the stewards/stewardesses themselves, but if said high overseer is unable to attend due to illness or distance restrictions, an approved lord or stewardborn (the title given to a steward’s child, similar to prince or princess) may serve in their stead.

What is magic like in the Mapped World?

The magic system in the Mapped World can be described as soft. In other words, the rules and inner workings of how magic functions is never divulged in full - an intentional stylistic choice encouraging an aura of mysticism and wonder. Other well-known series that utilize softer magic systems are Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Harry Potter, for reference.

The Mapped World consists of creatures of innate magic (i.e. vampires or giants - they don’t do spells, they just are), and creatures who wield magic (i.e. wizards and witches, who can cast spells and use magic with intention)

Magic was installed as a necessary part of the world by great spirits over the earth and sea. The flowers in the Mapped World cannot flourish without fairy magic, for example: they thirst for it the same way they thirst for water and sunlight. Ponds stays clean and clear by help of the unicorns and their purifying magical horns. Rivers flow and flood by way of the freshwater dryad. Pest populations stay in control thanks to the hunting of dragons, griffins, and other sky predators. Magic is an important part of the Mapped World’s ecosystem, and both innate magical creatures and wielders have vital roles to play in keeping the lands functioning the way the creators intended.

Wieldable magic (healing spells, amplifier charms, etc.) was bestowed as a gift by the great spirits to their creations, intended as a help to be used for good. However, as with anything, something beautiful can be twisted into something ugly… and this is where dark magic comes in to play.

Magic performed with ill intent becomes dark. For example, if a wizard creates an orb of fire in his palms to help warm a shivering centaur child, he is using magic as a help; the way it was intended. If a wielder creates fire in his palms and uses it to burn down the cottage of a man who beat him at cards, he is using magic destructively, vengefully, and selfishly. This is decidedly not the sort of act the creators intended their gift be used for, and thus, would be considered a deed of dark magic.