Okay, no help remembering needed this time. I've been making an effort to integrate my magical system and the conworld it's in more. I see a lot of systems in published and amateur work that seem tacked on because magic is a fantasy convention, and I'm trying to avoid that feeling in my story.
So I have two requests:
1. Can anybody recommend to me some fantasy novels that they think have particularly well-integrated magical systems? I'd really oike examples that work with the setting and the plot, though if they are more connected to the setting, they'd still work for me. I'll probably have read some of them, but I won't hold it against you.
2. Since this world is already fairly well developed, at least in the broad strokes, I would love to hear some opinions on the version of magic I have so far. It's not fully developed yet, of course, and I have some possibilities that I haven't yet extrapolated upon, but I think there's easily enough to give a good idea of how the system works in a general sense, so that any possible holes are likely to be real mistakes on my part, and not an illusion caused by lack of information, or an incomplete/underdeveloped explanation. There's also a thread around here somewhere that discusses how the world is constructed, so I'll see if I can find it and post a link. But, for convenience, I'll give a quick rundown here.
The world is confined to a single planet, with s imilar solar sysstem and composition to that of Earth. It is divided into three "super-Layers", each of which contains one or more very similar "sub-Layers"(individual independent realities). To use a simple comparison, these Layers are suspended in a fluid medium, and retain separate identities by being surrounded by a sort of fluid-proof membrane. The fluids main purpose is to provide a form of lubrication and keep these Layers from rubbing up against each other. You may now substitute "fluid" with "spiritual/magical substance". The super-Layers are stacked on top of each other, with the center splitting into a linear string of sub-Layers, and the top and bottom being split vertically.
Magical "energy", for lack of a better term, is generated from the interaction of the fluid and membranes. Friction between these substances releases a form of power that can be manipulated in various ways by animate and inanimate forces. As a sort of nutrient transport system, there are streams of this power that penetrate the Layer membranes, forming a sort of ciculatory system. The fluid itself acts much like water in plant cells. As long as there is equal pressure on both sides of the membrane, the structure is solid. You couold look at this like the turgor pressure of a plant cell. The fluid also exists on the inside of the membrane.
The power generated by the friction of the membranes and the fluid can pass into the cell/Layer, where it is then usable for "magic". However, the physical matter inside the cells can interact with the ambient energy created by friction. Though no new material is created, the energy can be converted back to fluid, thus increasing the pressure/concentration on the inside of the membrane. Because the energy diffuses, and the fluid cannot, energy can keep entering a Layer, but fluid will never exit. This build-up causes the membrane to expand, and over time, it can expand enough to come into contact with other membranes. Friction between membranes wears them out, leaving holes and openings.
Because the pressure in the Layers is always higher than that outside, the fluid can diffuse through these leaks, and thus the membrane deflates. Matter cannot exist entirely without the Layers, and so, of course, this is not a good thing for those living in the Layers. But, their mere existence furthers this process, and eventually, equilibrium is unsalvageable. There are various methods employed to relieve this pressure, both purposefully and incidentally, but they are not exactly entirely good things either. That should explain the current interaction between the magic and the world at a physical level. It gets a lot more complicated after that.
So I have two requests:
1. Can anybody recommend to me some fantasy novels that they think have particularly well-integrated magical systems? I'd really oike examples that work with the setting and the plot, though if they are more connected to the setting, they'd still work for me. I'll probably have read some of them, but I won't hold it against you.
2. Since this world is already fairly well developed, at least in the broad strokes, I would love to hear some opinions on the version of magic I have so far. It's not fully developed yet, of course, and I have some possibilities that I haven't yet extrapolated upon, but I think there's easily enough to give a good idea of how the system works in a general sense, so that any possible holes are likely to be real mistakes on my part, and not an illusion caused by lack of information, or an incomplete/underdeveloped explanation. There's also a thread around here somewhere that discusses how the world is constructed, so I'll see if I can find it and post a link. But, for convenience, I'll give a quick rundown here.
The world is confined to a single planet, with s imilar solar sysstem and composition to that of Earth. It is divided into three "super-Layers", each of which contains one or more very similar "sub-Layers"(individual independent realities). To use a simple comparison, these Layers are suspended in a fluid medium, and retain separate identities by being surrounded by a sort of fluid-proof membrane. The fluids main purpose is to provide a form of lubrication and keep these Layers from rubbing up against each other. You may now substitute "fluid" with "spiritual/magical substance". The super-Layers are stacked on top of each other, with the center splitting into a linear string of sub-Layers, and the top and bottom being split vertically.
Magical "energy", for lack of a better term, is generated from the interaction of the fluid and membranes. Friction between these substances releases a form of power that can be manipulated in various ways by animate and inanimate forces. As a sort of nutrient transport system, there are streams of this power that penetrate the Layer membranes, forming a sort of ciculatory system. The fluid itself acts much like water in plant cells. As long as there is equal pressure on both sides of the membrane, the structure is solid. You couold look at this like the turgor pressure of a plant cell. The fluid also exists on the inside of the membrane.
The power generated by the friction of the membranes and the fluid can pass into the cell/Layer, where it is then usable for "magic". However, the physical matter inside the cells can interact with the ambient energy created by friction. Though no new material is created, the energy can be converted back to fluid, thus increasing the pressure/concentration on the inside of the membrane. Because the energy diffuses, and the fluid cannot, energy can keep entering a Layer, but fluid will never exit. This build-up causes the membrane to expand, and over time, it can expand enough to come into contact with other membranes. Friction between membranes wears them out, leaving holes and openings.
Because the pressure in the Layers is always higher than that outside, the fluid can diffuse through these leaks, and thus the membrane deflates. Matter cannot exist entirely without the Layers, and so, of course, this is not a good thing for those living in the Layers. But, their mere existence furthers this process, and eventually, equilibrium is unsalvageable. There are various methods employed to relieve this pressure, both purposefully and incidentally, but they are not exactly entirely good things either. That should explain the current interaction between the magic and the world at a physical level. It gets a lot more complicated after that.
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