Amanita says hello

[Amanita]

Hello everyone,

like a few others I found this site via NaNoWriMo and it seems really good, so here I am.
I've been reading fantasy since I can read, my early favourites were the Narnia books, the Wizard of Oz and the very similar series written by a Russian author.
Later, I've read and liked Lord of the Rings but it's always been a bit too mythological to really get sucked into.
I really like most of Marion Zimmer-Bradley's Darkover books and some of her contemporary fantasy stories, while the Mists of Avalon never did it for me and I've been an avid Harry Potter-fan. I still like the world and many of it's characters very much but the last book has left me quite disappointed.

For the last few years I've been working on a fantasy world of my own.
In one of the poorer countries lives a young girl who is part of a generation no longer accepting the strict traditions of her home country and is connected to the element chlorine which is too much to accept even for the most open-minded people around her. Therefore she has to travel into the neighbouring country and gets pulled into struggles she couldn't even imagine before.

By the way, some of the user titles in this forum almost sound like my Alchemist Circle-titles. Another reason to join.

 

[Behelit]

Hello Amanita.

We hope you enjoy your stay.

Seems like we're drawing quite an international community. All the better to provide several perspectives from around the world.

 

[Parqstu]

We sure are gettin' lots of poeple. Great.

Welcome Amanita

 

[Kittenmay]

Hey Amanita
I'm a newbie too

 

[Meg the Healer]

Welcome to the fold! Hope you find this site as enjoyable as I have. Always good to meet another weaver. Your current project seems very interesting. Looking forward to sampling it.

 

[Black Dragon]

Welcome Amanita!

is connected to the element chlorine

How does this happen?

 

[Amanita]

Thanks for your greetings.

How does this happen?

Oh, not so easy to answer this quickly.
In my fantasy world one form of magic is contained within the chemical elements, everyone of them having its own specific magic. Usually, humans aren't even aware of that, but some substances such as water, salt and various gemstones acutally have magically properties that can be used by everyone. Salt for example to a certain extend protects from evil spirits and magic (of the other kind).

If a child is very open-minded and curious about the world around him or her, it might happen that an element's magic lingers inside the child's mind. This happens quite often and doesn't have any effect per se, but it gives them the potential to develop elemental magic later. Many of them have the potential for various elements.
When the child grows up and his or her character is suited for the magic of one of these elements, when he or she takes a special interest in one of them for any reason or if he or she needs the element itself or his or her powers over it to safe their own or someone else's life, the dormant magic wakes up and becomes a part of them. The child or young adult till then gains power over their element, becomes aware of the magical and chemical structure of the world around them, is able to detect poisons and protect himself or herself from them to a certain extent and a few things more.

All of this comes at a price however. The elemental magic is an outside force affecting the person's feelings and personality. Many of them actually get very ill when the gift (or curse, opinions vary) awakes, because their mind objects to it. If they object too much, they don't survive. If they do survive the effects on the personality vary due to differences in character, behavior and element.
If we compare it to addictive substances, it shows itself like a taste for fine wine in a person who likes to drink a glass of it from time to time in some elemental magicians and like a strong heroine addiction that dominates the person's life completly and makes them stop caring for their fellow humans completly in others. There are also people who choose to abuse their powers of course and it's often not easy to decide how much control over their actions they still have.

Organisations teaching elemental magicians mainly focus on teaching them to control themselves and their abilities. The most (in)famous chlorine magicians before my main character weren't exactly living proof of the system's effectivness and so the others are not really happy to have her.

 

[Donny Bruso]

That's an interesting take on magic. I like how you're using magic somewhat like a drug. Very cool. Welcome to the boards.

 

[Philip Overby]

Hello! Welcome! Enjoy!

 

[Black Dragon]

Hey Amanita,

Thank you for the explanation. That is one of the more original magic systems that I have run across yet. As I've expressed in a recent article, truly original magic systems are hard to come by:

Are Magic Systems a Distraction?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject.

 

[elly]

hello Amanita! Welcome to Mythic scibes, I'm sure you will fit in very well

 

[At Dusk I Reign]

Hello everyone, like a few others I found this site via NaNoWriMo and it seems really good, so here I am.

Hmm, I have no idea what that is. Sounds like a cult. Then again, as someone who sacrifices goats every Thursday night to appease Cthulhu I can't say I'm too bothered. Welcome aboard, Amanita!

 

[Amanita]

It's ad extremely big writing side with the goal to have its members finish a story of 50 000 words during November.
No need to worry. Or at least I don't think so.

 

[At Dusk I Reign]

It's ad extremely big writing side with the goal to have its members finish a story of 50 000 words during November.
No need to worry. Or at least I don't think so.

Thanks for explaining.

As long as you leave my goats alone we'll get along just fine.