Category: World Building
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Write Fantasy Noble Houses
“One must always keep the tools of statecraft sharp and ready. Power and fear – sharp and ready.” – Frank Herbert, Dune Struggling noble houses are a fantasy trope, so you want to create a few for your fantasy story, as one does. Who wouldn’t?
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The Sword of the Crown
The crown needs to represent everybody and stay above mundane struggles to maintain the divine right to rule. This calls for loyal supporters both in the Crown’s Inner Council and in the field. Advisers and agents of the Crown to deal with the dark times at hand. This is the Great Game, my friends. Who…
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The Way of the Sellsword
“Back to the company. Back to business. Back to the parade of years. Back to the annals. Back to fear.” – Glen Cook, The Black Company (1984) Mercenaries and mercenary stories are probably the most basic fantasy tales in a world with lots of rain and morally dubious characters. Sellswords are mercenaries – soldiers for…
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The Secrets of the Demon Hunter
The demons have lingered on the fringes beyond the border of your reality since the Dawn of Time, and the Demon Hunters may be our last chance. One day the gates will burst open the gates and the world will end, or at least that is the beliefs of many loremasters.
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Writing Fantasy Religions
“I pray to the four winds… and you?” – Conan the Barbarian, 1982 Writing stories involving fantasy religions is fun and for some folks tricky. Religion is a large part of the human experience, and you lose some great story potential if you choose to omit religion from your world. This post is not about…
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Writing Fantasy Timelines
Anyone who has studied the timeline in the appendices of the Lord of the Ring knows what life is all about: writing fantasy timelines. Right? You can easily get lost in your creation when you write a fantasy timeline. I know I have, so you should make some basic design choices and nail down some…