Snowpoint
Sage
(FYI - not Earth, even if I use France as an example) I have a fantasy setting where there are multiple "limited" systems of magic. Each country / region of the earth has a culture and magic system unique to them. Each system has a tight theme and ONE power they use to create however many spells they can manage out of that one power.
The problem is this. Everyone from Place A, has Magic A. Everyone from Place B, has Magic B. Why?
Is the source of their magic local? It can only be found in one place on Earth?
Is the magic a cultural phenomenon? French Magic only works for French people because they were born there and raised in that culture?
If magic is super localized to one place, does EVERY human there have magic?
There are a lot of questions I'm struggling with.
(FYI - Binders pull stuff together like magnets and ropes - Wardens make invisible shields.)
Binders believe everything is connected. That doesn't stop being true just because you were born in Germany. The Binders country is steeped in a religion and philosophy shaped by a small number of Spell-casters for whom the magic actually works.
Maybe the magic works for everyone all the time, but "Binders" are trained to do more with it. Like, Blacksmithing doesn't stop being real just because you don't know how to do it.
But then, Imagine you are from a place where the culture and religion was written by blacksmiths. Wouldn't every person there know how to make a horse-shoe?
I still haven't decided what the source is. The idea that everything is connected is a universal truth to Binders, but not outsiders. However, they still draw blood to cast spells. Implying that blood is a conduit to a third-party Supernatural being. Binders often use the blood of other people just to avoid pricking themselves. Does the magic ability stem from their understanding of a basic truth, or the reckless invoking of a third-party?
Binders draw blood and Wardens need fire to cast spells. Those things are a conduit to something else. But if the magic comes from a third party, does that invalidate the caster? If magic comes from a third party, then anyone could cast magic. The culture of the spell-caster, an element I want to explore, becomes a meaningless detail, if anyone can draw a pint of blood and work some Binding magic.
The problem is this. Everyone from Place A, has Magic A. Everyone from Place B, has Magic B. Why?
Is the source of their magic local? It can only be found in one place on Earth?
Is the magic a cultural phenomenon? French Magic only works for French people because they were born there and raised in that culture?
If magic is super localized to one place, does EVERY human there have magic?
There are a lot of questions I'm struggling with.
(FYI - Binders pull stuff together like magnets and ropes - Wardens make invisible shields.)
Binders believe everything is connected. That doesn't stop being true just because you were born in Germany. The Binders country is steeped in a religion and philosophy shaped by a small number of Spell-casters for whom the magic actually works.
Maybe the magic works for everyone all the time, but "Binders" are trained to do more with it. Like, Blacksmithing doesn't stop being real just because you don't know how to do it.
But then, Imagine you are from a place where the culture and religion was written by blacksmiths. Wouldn't every person there know how to make a horse-shoe?
I still haven't decided what the source is. The idea that everything is connected is a universal truth to Binders, but not outsiders. However, they still draw blood to cast spells. Implying that blood is a conduit to a third-party Supernatural being. Binders often use the blood of other people just to avoid pricking themselves. Does the magic ability stem from their understanding of a basic truth, or the reckless invoking of a third-party?
Binders draw blood and Wardens need fire to cast spells. Those things are a conduit to something else. But if the magic comes from a third party, does that invalidate the caster? If magic comes from a third party, then anyone could cast magic. The culture of the spell-caster, an element I want to explore, becomes a meaningless detail, if anyone can draw a pint of blood and work some Binding magic.