Written by Jackson Sardello
This is my first blog post! I just finished reading Liar’s Oath by Elizabeth Moon and I wanted to share a tidbit of world building that I found enjoyable.
Magic in Moon’s universe is explained super in-depth. The characters themselves live in an era where magical training has largely been lost. In addition, Gird (the main character of the first prequel) has somehow ascended into some form of divinity, and his power is just starting to be utilized by his followers.
The tidbit I find interesting is how magic is both a genetic resource and also a gift given to by the gods. Peasants have long had a splinter of magic in the form of being able to take away pain and transfer it to stone. “Mageborn” have their magical gifting transferred along their bloodlines. Also, there might be a distinction between the regular Mageborn and the “royal magery” wielded by the king and his bloodline.
This is contrasted against the followers of Gird, and the priests of other gods who seem to have their power granted to them based on their faithfulness and devotion to their god.
I don’t think I’ve seen the two different origins of magic blended into one world before. And there’s your tidbit!