Worldbuilding: Magic part 1
Parameter 3: Magical: magic comes from the gods, and is powered by faith in them. There are four forms, each requiring faith in the specific god it is tied to, as well as more general magics such as healing, which also require faith.
On this world ruled by a quartet of gods and goddesses, there are quite a few forms of magic available to those who have faith in their deities. First, there is the power that is given specific to those who worship the individual deities. So for each deity, there is a specific form of magic. As I have not named the deities yet, or yet put them in their geographic place, they will only be labeled by the element that they are connected to.
Water: The power connected to this deity is called River Running, and is essentially the ability to walk on water. Those with faith in this deity gain the ability to walk on the surface of water, whether it's rivers or lakes or seas. Over time, the function of this ability has evolved to facilitate message-running, the transportation of goods and persons quickly, and elaborate dance performances for festivals and holy celebrations. The vast majority of those who use the power and perform these duties are monk/nun-like people who dedicate their lives to their deity, expressing their faith through these forms of service to their fellow man.
- Implications: I see the people who have this power living in a place with a lot of rivers and lakes and inland seas, and all their towns and cities being located along these bodies of water. They would have an efficient and quick mail system using the waterways, making communication across long distances fast and secure. The abbeys and monasteries would be located along the waterways, and because they perform important functions for the economy they would at first be important figures and respected, but over time they would be treated more like tools than people.
Fire: Here, the power is called the Fire of Creation. The idea behind this one is the fires of volcanos creates land, therefore fire creates. With their faith, the wielders of the Fire can mold stone into objects such as buildings and tools, though the larger the intended object is the more power is required. With time, those who use this power have created elaborate and beautiful structures, sculpture art, and has even helped shape land around volcanos into beautiful shapes.
- Implications: This feels like the perfect power for island/archipelago dwellers. With the power of volcanos and the Fire, they would easily be able to expand, building new islands and growing into a large system of islands much larger than anything on Earth. Those that wield the Fire would be feared in this society, because even if it is creative, fire is still dangerous, even to those that wield it. The wielders would also work in teams to create the large-scale projects of islands and great sweeping buildings not possible under ordinary conditions, making collective groups of wielders an important aspect of the culture. The architecture and art of this people would sweep and swirl, like fire.
Air: This power is called Oracle Singing. This one is a little more vague and less physical than the previous two magics. At its core, this power is the ability to prophesy through the use of song. How it works is, while a faithful is singing, they could be prompted to sing certain things. Depending on the language used, the prophecy could be for a single person, a group of people, or for all people. Because this is not something the singer can actively do, but relies on the prompting from their deity, then it is imperative that someone, or multiple someones, be singing at all times, in order to catch every prophecy intended to be voiced.
- Implications: Music becomes a part of everyday life, with singing a near constant presence, especially in places of worship. Because of the interruption of a prophecy, it is also likely that word-less singing would be the most common, making it easier to identify what is prophecy. There would also be an emphasis placed on having scribes present, who can write down the prophecy quickly and accurately, preserving it for who it is intended for as well as future posterity. Because of the ubiquity of prophecy, I think perhaps there would also be a sect that places emphasis on checking to see if a prophecy has been fulfilled, and to compare the actual outcome with the wording of the prophecy, trying to work out a logic to better predict the meaning of things. This could theoretically lead to apostasy, if taken too far.
Flora: Instead of the more traditional earth element to round out the four, this instead deals with plant life, and brings in a little bit of animism to the system. In the geography of this deity and power, the plants all have souls and are animated such that they can move about and interact with what is around them. This part of the world, the deity chose to impart magic to the plants, rather than to the people, so the people do not have a magic specific to the faith in their deity. Instead, they interact and shepherd the flora like they would animals (called Verdure Husbandry), and the more faith a person has in their deity the easier of a time they have interacting with the ensouled flora.
- Implications: There would be a lot of fruititarians1 and carnivores in this culture, due to the specific religious knowledge that plants have souls. Basically all of the food supply would rely on "animal" husbandry skills, and the plant food supply would be managed by the faithful. There would be more connection to plants, much like humans have with animals as pets, and the density of plants within cities and homes would be much thicker.
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