The Supernatural in Dragonlines
Brian Sanderson has some really good essays about using magic systems in a novel (or other work), and the difference between soft and hard magic systems. It's great reading, and I wished I'd come across it earlier in my writing of Dragonlines (or the Kazarim Campaign Setting, for that matter). As it is, I've gone back and applied some of the principles he mentions, much to the betterment of my novel.
Magic in Dragonlines primarily manifests itself in the presence of supernatural entities: ghosts, demons, gods, and primal manifestations of group thought. In Sanderson's schema, the magic in my novel would be a fairly soft system, as the reader doesn't receive a lot of detail on the hows and whys of ghosts and other spirits. This is from a combination of Felicity knowing only part of the information herself (Grandfather doesn't comment a great deal about the afterlife, even when she asks about it), and from Felicity's incomplete understanding of context as a narrator (she has lived with the ghosts around her since she was little, and some things don't occur to her to narrate). However, we do get a few rules as we progress through the novel (and without the big spoilers):
- Ghosts and other spirits are pretty much everywhere.
- There aren't as many ghosts as there are dead people. Something restricts this number, but it isn't clear what this mechanism is.
- Most ghosts are not cogent. The majority seem to be trapped in whatever emotions and circumstances they died with, and are mostly unaware of the world around them and the passage of time.
- A few ghosts are aware, and this potentially makes them dangerous. Grandfather is one such spirit, but Felicity indicates that Lao Fong is the first that she has met who as aware of the world on a similar level as Grandfather.
- Felicity must talk to most spirits directly, and out loud, although Felicty surmises that this isn't as much about the vocal chords as it is about the intent. However, the only spirit she can communicate with simply by thinking to them is her Grandfather.
- Ghosts are restricted in their ability to appear, even to people who are sensitive to them. Grandfather typically appears in only a handful of circumstances: in his old office at the Kennel, in kitchens, and in restaurants with good food. He appears in a few other places because of they've been altered to focus spiritual energy (Xi'an, the area around Lun Hau Temple in Ciqikou, Shibaozhai Temple on the Yangtze).
- Ghosts can't normally harm people directly, but they can play with their emotions and perceptions, causing people to harm themselves.
- At least some superstitions accurately apply to ghosts. Grandfather mentions several Chinese superstitions that work; he also mentions that his connection to Felicity negates them.
- Ghosts can possess living and inanimate objects. Felicity mentions that Grandfather's old pistol and Tejas Singh's sword both have spirits of some kind inside. She implies that Grandfather's ghost is tied to the pistol, but isn't specific about the spirit in Sirdar Akaldeep Singh. Also, it surprises both Felicity and Grandfather that Lao Fong can possess her, but inspires Grandfather to do the same when they are in Xi'an, facing Song's cultists.
- At least some spirits seem to have a different perception of time, or can divine the future (Sirdar Akaldeep Singh's predictions about Felicity's secondary school boyfriend).
- Places can be attuned to spirits, such as Xi'an.
And that's just from what we pick up in the text (minus a spoiler or two). However, there's another part of this that matters, and that's the stack full of notes I have on what spirits can or cannot do that I'm keeping to myself. Consistency is a pet peeve of mine, so I'm trying to walk the walk with these supernatural rules, even if the reader doesn't get to see the entire rule set. I'm looking forward to writing the second book in the series, which will explore the nature of the spirit world in greater detail. Not much more than some sketches of an outline at the moment, but it's in progress!
Cheers! --Rusty.
Terracotta Warriors, near Xi'an (2007). This place is awesome. Photo by Rusty Childers.