This post comes from bookbirdreads. The blog features a series of questions to ask yourself when coming up with a magic system for a new world. I thought I’d use this as an opportunity to share the magic of The Name and the Key trilogy with you. If it gets spoilery, I’ll say something…otherwise, here’s the magic of my world! As a heads up, these books are a done deal–they are all contracted with a publisher already and my writing is protected by copyright. I’m sharing this with you to entice you…please do not “borrow” or use the specifics of this magic.

Origins of magic

1. Where does the magic come from? Does it have a source? Are the gods involved? Or is it a natural resource like water?
   
   Magic is an innate ability inside of every human that is often unlearned or untapped because it has historically been hidden or described as not being real. Only families with secret magical traditions, like the Zataviers of Sindalia, keep it alive. According to their lore, it is remnant of the first creation of humans, where godlike beings, simply known as The Mother and The Father, made their “children” in their own image. They gifted some of their powers to humans, but humans took advantage of it and lost knowledge of it, except to the select few who do not abuse its power.
   
   
2. Is the magic system the same over the entire world?
   
   I don’t get into this in the trilogy (at least as far as I know–things could change at any time as I’m still writing it), but as in the real world there are religious and spiritual practices all over that differ, so to is the practice of magic, except for the names of the kind of magic: Magic by Will, Magic by Word, and Magic by Deed.
   
   
3. Are people born with a magic type or is it a trade to be taught?
   
   People are born with the ability to perform magic, but they must be awakened through proper study and training.
   
   
4. Is the magic passed down by generations?
   
   In a world where anyone can learn magic, technically it isn’t passed down. But with a family like the Zataviers, who help keep magic secret but the knowledge alive, they pass the information down through the generations.
   
   
5. How common is magic?
   
   It’s not actually common anymore because people don’t realize they have the capacity to do it. Magic is considered a performance art; a fraud; a sign of a pact with the Dark Ones; something to be feared; and something to laugh away. No one takes it seriously except to study it in relation to its role in history. As in real life, there were witch and warlock burnings in the past, and that made people afraid.
   
   
6. How do magical creatures/races fit into the magic system? Do they follow the same rules or different ones?
   
   Demons that used to be human possess magic. Demons that used to be angels possess magic, too. But there are limitations as they are not in Heaven but in the Underworld or Lesser Realms.
   
   Magical creatures like unicorns and dragons don’t figure in to the story, but if they did, they would be treated like magic–long ago relics of belief.

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Magic wielders

1. What kind of magic styles are there? (think types of magic like the elements, but also ways to wield magic, like summoning or channeling.)
   
   There are multiple manifestations of magic. In the books I use glamour, alchemy, “gates” (dimensional travel), and the manipulation of Fire (Fire being a manifestation of the energy that permeates all living things). Because Fire is like a human soul, it is treated delicately, and used mostly in healing and keeping up a person’s vitality, although darker purposes for it exist, such as a method to kill. Demons like to eat Fire.
   
   
2. Which magic is common? Which is rare?
   
   The use of magic is described in three ways: Magic by Will (activated by someone’s intention or desire), Magic by Word (incantations, True Names), and Magic by Deed (hand gestures, dancing, other bodily movements). Magic by Deed is the most common because it is the easiest to do. Magic by Will is the most difficult because intention has to manifest as a physical action in the world. It takes a lot of concentration and willpower. Only the most powerful magicians can do Magic by Will.
   
   
3. Does the wielder have a magic reserve or mana pool. Where is this located in their bodies? You don’t need to figure out any anatomy for this, just imagine where a magic wielder might channel their magic from, is it from their mind, their heart, their stomach? Or do they tap it from outside themselves?
   
   For this question I’m going to focus on how I interpreted alchemy for the magic in this book. Historically, alchemy had four “gates” or steps in which the materials being experimented with were to reach a certain point in the preparation of a philosopher’s stone. Nigredo, the blackening, meant the substance turned black and putrefied. The “cooking” steps are repeated again, then the next stage, albedo (white) is reached. After more processes and repetition and removal of impure substances, you’ll reach the next two stages: citrinitas (gold) and finally, rubedo (red–the color of the philosopher’s stone, which will grant immortality).
   
   In my book, the stages are treated literally like gates, and in the human body, there are four of them. Nigredo is in the genital area, albedo is in the hands, citrinitas is in the heart, and rubedo is the head. You can open these gates to pull Fire from them, enact certain types of spells that correspond to those body parts, and, if you’re doing the Magnum Opus, pass through the physical gates in the Otherworld that correspond with the body. Because alchemy is a process of shedding and refining and recomposing, if you do the Magnum Opus, you will shed the “human” or “impure” parts of yourself until you become godlike and achieve immortality.
   
   I have so many notes on this. It all makes sense to me, but it might not make sense to you, which means I need to not info dump (which is likely what I just did) but I also need to make sure whatever magic does get into the book, it flows well, seems to follow its own logic, and doesn’t have any holes.
   
   
4. Is it exhaustible? What effect does exhausting their magic have on the wielder?
   
   If you do too much magic, there is a possibility you could deplete your Fire, or, if you break too many magical boundaries, you can be punished by being turned into a demon.
   
   
5. Does not using their magic have any effect on a person’s health?
   
   If you choose to use magic, you are safe from its effects. No harm will come to a person who does not use magic.
   
   
6. Is there a specific way to recognise magic wielders? (A divîner’s white hair in Children of Blood and Bone for example.)
   
   Because magic is unseen, its wielders are the same way. You cannot tell who uses magic and who doesn’t, unless they show you that they can.

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Government & society

1. How do the people look at magic? Is it a hope or a curse?
   
   If you were to walk up to people on the street and ask, they will likely tell you magic is fake or not real, or a nice theatrical distraction.
   
   
2. How does the government look at magic? Is it a tool for war or a danger to the kingdom?
   
   Historically (in the novels) magic was looked on as dangerous because humans were punished for using it wrongly when it was originally given as a gift. Although all humans have the capacity in them to learn magic, it is considered a power aligned with the Dark Ones. The Father and the Mother punished magic users who went astray by casting them down and turning them into demons.
   
   
3. Is there a magical education? 
   
   If you are in a historical magical family like the Zataviers, your parents or relatives teach you about it, as well as historical books kept in the family. There are also the existence of grimoires out there that teach spells and summonings, but these are looked at as historical contributions to literature and myth, and not real.
   
   
   1. Who organizes this? The government? What are they willing to achieve with that? Do they plan to use the graduates to train a magical army? Or do they want to control magic as much as possible?
      
      While it’s not impossible for someone in government to know about magic–the countries in The Name and the Key are mostly ruled by monarchies–it is not used by the government openly.
      
      
   2. Is it mandatory to attend if you have magical abilities? What if you don’t?
      
      It is not mandatory to learn about magic if you are from the general populace, but if you are one of the historical families tasked with “keeping it alive,” you are required to learn.
      
      
   3. Does it cost money to attend, do they hand out scholarships?
      
      There are no formal magic schools. It’s word-of-mouth, hand-me-down lessons.
      
      
4. Which magic types are considered dangerous by others?
   
   Fire magic is considered dangerous by known practitioners because if you take too much of it, you can shorten someone’s lifespan. The general populace thinks all magic (except for theatrical performances and fairy tales) is attributed to the Dark Ones.
   
   
   1. Are there any magic types that are forbidden?
      
      Magic used to kill or harm can have serious consequences. Magic used to achieve immortality or bring back the dead is also considered taboo.
      
      
   2. What are the consequences of practicing them?
      
      If you hurt or kill others with magic, or commit taboos to try to become a god (such as become immortal), you run the risk of being cast into the Underworld or Lesser Realms, and changed into a demon.
      
      
   3. How does the government find out about that?
      
      To be honest, the government probably knows about all of this, but they are tasked with keeping magic secret from the world, so in the books, we will not see a way of them handling it.
      
      
5. Is religion involved with magic? Do they see it as a blessing of God or as a heresy?
   
   Because it was a blessing to be made in God’s own image, the gift of magic is like inheriting a little bit of God’s power. It was meant to be a blessing to make life easier, kinder, and more beautiful, but when magic was abused, The Father and the Mother punished magic users by transforming them into demons and essentially sending them to Hell or Lesser Realms (kind of like a limbo, or, if you go the Dante’s Inferno route, different circles of Hell).

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Worldbuilding is a little tough for me because I like to be sparse about it. In the manuscript, I only reveal as much of what is needed if it’s relevant to the scene. Most of the worldbuilding is hidden from the reader and only meant for me to keep things straight. This is probably the most coherent breakdown of the magic system I have made, despite my scribbled notes here and there about it. As a reader of my books, you might not see most of this make it into the final product, so I hope this is considered to be a special treat!