#metawb

playing around with wombo.art & decided to plug in descriptions for the major settings in the martyr queen. i had to do it in a few different styles to get ones i was happy with but!

mharani - the underground town founded & run by assassins that alinora spent the last ten years in

the abandoned tower - where they find clues to get to the domed city

domed city - where they find the sword to defeat kai’os

mynera - alinora’s homeland. currently under the rule of kai’os, the betrayer.

vitala - aka the world tree, eldora’s first nymph & goddess of life. legend says that if she’s ever killed, the world will end, & those standing under her branches will become the next gods

not pictured:

talitha’s ship - because i couldn’t get a satisfying result

an excellent question!!! forgive me while i ramble a bit (or a lot!)

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so first, a little on where magic comes from, & how it’s used. (& i do apologize if this is something you’ve read before!)

eldora’s creation myth says that the planet grew from a seed—or, rather, that a seed was planted in the ether, and from that seed grew the World Tree, embodied by the nymph, Vitala, the goddess of Life. in her roots nestled the core of the world, and over these roots which grew the surface—forest, desert, swamp, ocean.

the core of the world is Eldora’s heart, and the heart is the source of all magic.

the magic of it travels up, through rock, caves, dirt, & soil to emerge at points known as wellsprings. these are treated as sacred places, often with temples built near them to whichever god it seems to represent in its manifestation. wellspring spots are varied. there are large crystals, pulsing with ethereal light; lush gardens with glowing flowers that bloom nowhere else, and all year round; standing stones that seem to hum, electricity snapping in the air; etc.

the spot of the World Tree is the most powerful wellspring.

there are also places where magic returns to the core, & is filtered back down to be cleansed, revitalized. these places are also called wellsprings, and are considered just as sacred—though people do not often set up near them, as these are “dead zones”, where magic can be used by few. they are still visited by pilgrims, or by those hoping to slow the effects of magical illnesses, curses, etc.

as such, magic flows through the very air of eldora. it’s in the soil; the plants; the animals; the food… and the people. everyone can use magic on eldora, though most are limited to what they can pull from the air. this is usually small quick spells.

enchantments, which are a stable of eldoran life, and often have functions similar to electricity for us, also run off of this power. (and too many enchantments, or too powerful of one, can cause the same effect as a reverse wellspring—creating a dead zone through which magic is hard to use).

there are also people who are born with their own internal supply of mana. no one is really sure why this is (including me), only that it can happen randomly—and is more likely to happen if one or both parents do have mana. these people are usually referred to as “mages” in general terms—though others pick up classes/jobs that have different titles.

these people are still able to cast in a dead zone, & can fuel an enchantment with their own internal power, though this can be draining, fast. they can also cast more powerful spells.

(this is getting long so! under the cut it goes)

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nbd, i completely understand!! hope you start feeling better soon <3

answering this for the meta series, bc of course.

🐉are there any magical creatures? if so, how is their magic different from a magician’s? how to magician’s think of their magic? is there anything the creatures can do that a magician can’t?

because magic literally flows through eldora’s air, there are magical creatures abound. (in fact, you could make the argument that most creatures on eldora are, to some degree, magical. but we’ll just focus on the ones that are blatantly magical.)

to start with, there are dragons. these are fairly rare on eldora. most of the time if you see a draconic creature, odds are you’re seeing a wyvern, not an actual dragon. however, actual dragons are quite magical, with abilities that… no one has quite figured out how to replicate.

dragon magic tends to be more instinctive and emotional, instead of purposeful. i mean—other than the elemental breath. that’s something they do consciously. but, other stuff, is… less within their control. for instance, if a forest dragon has the desire to sleep and not be found, then… their body will become covered in moss, stone, roots, flowers, whatever helps them blend into their environment. it looks like the product of decades of sleep—but it actually happened within a few hours.

you also have dragons who may instinctively create magical shields around their young, who’s anger can summon storms, who’s grief can create monuments or rain showers that last for weeks. i’m not coming up with great examples right now, but… you get the point i hope, lol.

there are more magic creatures, but i’ll hold off on elaborating in case i get asked again!

🪄🧚‍♀️🧵

- @akindofmagictoo

answering for the metanoia series :)

🪄 how is magic used? is it tied to a language? do people use foci? do they trace runes in the air? is it done simply by thought?

mostly, magic stems from taking energy within yourself---or within eldora's air---and then willing it to do something. however, magic is also tied to different runic systems (created by people to label the feelings that come with willing it). these runes help people shape their intent better---and also enable people to create enchantments.

some people find channeling their will through something makes their magic easier to control and shape. however, most people shape it through thought.

🧚🏼‍♀️where does magic stem from? does it come from within a person? is it a gift from gods? a pact between mortal & immortal? can it come from more than one source?

on eldora, magic typically stems from two different places. the first is in the air itself.

it enters the air through places called "wellsprings", though there are also wellsprings which suck magic back out of the air, channeling it back down to eldora's core where it can be "cleansed" and released back out again. it is said that the core, and thus the source of all magic, is cradled by the roots of the world tree, making the first nymph the source of all magic---though of course, no one can verify whether or not this is true. (there have been expeditions. no one has ever come back from these.)

thus, anyone is capable of using magic.

however, there are some who are born with their own internal supply of magic, giving them two sources from which to pull from.

and then there is alinora---the MC of the story. she has no internal magic, nor is she able to pull from the air. this makes her something of an anomaly. it turns out that she instead absorbs magic, which she can then turn into her own power. she is the only recorded example of this.

and later she becomes Death's Champion, and is capable of pulling from Death's power.

🧵is there a form of attire that’s typical associated with magician’s? if so, why? is there a practical reason for it, or is just ~aesthetic~?

hi!! it’s been a while since i’ve done wbw! :D tysm for the ask @nana-writes !

the newest thing…

so one thing about eldora / the world of tmq is that i actually started the idea/worldbuilding pretty far into the future and worked backwards! one of the things i’ve been backwards worldbuilding is the comm-crysts. (also spelled comcrysts, com-crysts, etc. i haven’t worked it out yet.)

basically, theyre crystals that work a little like “stoned of far-speech” in d&d, in that you can use them to communicate. however! they don’t just do speech, but instead make little… circles of light? in the air? that kinda show you the other person. like holoscreens in scifi but with more magic flair!

they also did some other cool stuff, like storing memories & music & such… and because i came up with them when i was like 13/14 they function like computers a bit too, so xD idk how much that gets to stay but!!

anyway. i’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how these crystals are made? and like where they originate & whether they can be made from any crystal or if it has to be specific kinds. i’ve decided to lean more towards the latter? and go with that, in the current time of tmq, they’ve been discovered; they’re being mined; but people don’t quite understand their potential yet.

sO mANY

so like i said on my previous ask (will edit with a link bc mobile), i actually started this idea & its plot & its worldbuilding pretty far into the future. so when i scaled back the worldbuilding & had to dial things down a bit i lost… so much.

so here’s a non-comprehensive (bc memory) list of the things i miss:

comcrysts (several alternate spellings, i’ve yet to decide which looks most pleasing / sensible) which function as sort of… memory storing, communication, network linked devices. basically computers but also magic? bc the memory storing is literal memories.

smaller scale airships that function more akin to cars? i guess? anyway, they provide a less… loud? large? manner of travel. they’re still expensive as hell (& pretty hard to buy outright) so they’re not a household item like a car is. but where airships typically cover long distances & require very special/large docks to be built, the smaller ones provide travel over shorter distances & don’t require the same large berths. also? they’re a lot better for like… dropping a team into a mission or getting some recon/scouting going.

um, in the future, there’s actually an even that happens called the “continental split”, which breaks eldora into two continents (the “north” and “south”). which is fun, especially given the cause links back to the main plot (heroes vs literal goddess).

thats stuff i had to cut, but, a few things i would love to work in properly somehow (but have yet to find a way)

floating!! islands!! in the sky!!! i actually potentially have a way to do this in upcoming books but i’m not totally sure abt it yet

dragons 🥺 i’ve had a vague mention of their existence but i’ve yet to work them in properly

So I think this is for Worldbuilding Wednesday, and I’m a few days late for that, but!! Thank you for the ask :D

So my memory is *wiggles hand* on the best of days, and I can’t quite remember what I’ve talked about as far as Slaeyr go versus what I haven’t, so uhhh. Have a list of my favorite aspects of the Slaeyr :D

The average lifespan of a Slaeyr is about 7,500 years, give or take a few centuries. This number may be changed, if I decide that it’s actually too long. Much like most species on Eldora, the more magic that a person has, the longer they’re likely to live.

Slaeyr have internal healing magic, which allows them to recover from wounds quicker! This healing magic is not something they can consciously control, at least not without a lot of practice/effort. When it activates, it makes them feel extremely itchy, and tires them out. They get really hungry/thirsty afterwards, too, though this can be mitigated by absorbing the magic naturally in Eldora’s air.

Though Slaeyr are more powerful than most of Eldora’s races, Slaeyr are limited to using magic from one of Eldora’s five elements. These elements are earth, water, spirit, air, and fire. I’m still working on how elemental magic works :D

In addition to that, though, Slaeyr are able to use another form of magic. They call it majera, and it’s magic that comes from music. To use the magic, they have to either sing or play an instrument. The magic can be weaponized, but is more often used for shielding and protection. The magic is called up by focusing on emotion & memory. Negative emotions will cause it to be uncontrollable and violent, while positive emotions cause the protective effect.

The last, and most powerful, aspect of a Slaeyr’s unique ability is their ability to  absorb other people’s mana. This ability is forbidden except in very rare cases, as doing so not only takes another person’s magic, but also their life--and it leaves nothing else. It makes the Slaeyr more powerful, and increases their lifespan as well. This is what makes Kai’os so dangerous in The Martyr Queen, and so difficult to kill---and the same for Kaltain in later stories.

Slaeyr tend to cluster in groups, even after their tribes disband in favor of creating a unified nation. These groups are called teams. Most Slaeyr will bond with a specific person as a partner, as well---a partner can be a sibling, close friend, or romantic partner. These groups are nearly inseparable.

Slaeyr often form telepathic bonds with one another. There are different ‘levels’ of bonds, as well, with some being deeper than others. Most bonds are temporary, though there are some that, once forged, cannot be broken.

One such bond is known as the soul bond. A soul bond is a link between two souls, which cannot be severed. These occur naturally in twins, but can be initiated between anyone. A soul bond creates a telepathic bond that can stretch across untold distances, only stifled when someone is in a dead spot for magic. (And even then, the empathetic bond remains!) There’s also an empathy bond, which I just mentioned, that allows them to feel what the other is feeling emotionally, and physically in times of great emotion. Due to the nature of soul bonds, it’s rare for a Slaeyr to initiate them.

And one final fact, which. I haven’t decided if I want to keep in canon or not!!

When Slaeyr die, they leave behind “dust” instead of a body. There are three kinds of dust-- silver, gold, and black.

Silver dust means that the Slaeyr is not dead. They sustained wounds too great for their body to heal and so they’re going to reform somewhere. (I don’t know where.)

Gold dust means they’re dead and have passed on into the afterlife / have assumed a ghost form, provided a Reaper has not come to reap them.

Fun question!

So, I’m going to answer this primarily for Slaeyr, because they were the first culture I started developing, and I still have the most stuff for them. (Oops!) Anyway. A few things they like to do for fun, in no particular order:

“medley” - a musical game where a group of slaeyr hums a tune and one person sings part of that song, and it goes ‘round a circle with different songs. usually children’s or bar songs are used. (this is actually inspired by the medleys Peter Hollens puts up on his yt channel!)

“shield surfing” - self explanatory. it’s very dangerous, but a lot of younger slaeyr think they’re invincible.

another musical game without a title, but it involves trading off line by line or even word by word. sometimes played as a group, sometimes just between partners.