Sculpting 101:
An exploration of The Ashling Saga's magical system.
Magical systems in fantasy novels are as wildly different as the stories they find themselves in. Some have clear structure and well-defined rules. Some are a bit more, well, fanciful.
Ours? We like to think of the magic in Vale, the magic that Liora and her cast of friends and family use, as the first sort.
Sculpting has a clear structure. It has set rules; though, all rules are meant to be bent a bit, aren’t they? But that structure isn’t always entirely clear in the books, especially when the main character is the primary bender of the rules.
So we are going to take some time over a few posts and really dig into this magical system that we are, admittedly, very proud of!
It seems simple enough on the surface. Sculptors draw upon the five “sources,” wells of power that are tied to the world: Arc, Construct, Radiance, Rage, and Void.
Each source has unique magical abilities that allow a sculptor to impose their will on the world around them. Some sources empower the sculptor, like rage, granting unyielding strength and durability. Others allow more overt magical effects, such a radiance and its ability to create intricate illusions.
Of course, without the well to pull from, there is no magic. Radiant sculptors flourish in the sunlight, a heaping well of light they can turn into magic. But an arc sculptor in the middle of the forest on a clear day with no electricity for miles? They are left with nothing to pull from and no magic.
Unless, of course, you count those tiny electrical pulses inside of the human body - something a truly skilled sculptor might be able to pull from.
Once a sculptor has access to their well, they can channel it into physical material. Incarnum is light turned to glass, nothingness to silk, bricks to swords.
The rules go on, of course. Sculptors are uncommon and most only use a single source. Those that use two are rare. Three sources is nearly unheard of. And all five? Well, only the royals have ever been known to access them all at one time.
I could go on. It’s actually really cool and pretty exciting to talk about if you’re a nerd for magical systems. I’m pretty sure one of our favorite questions to ask our readers is:
Which source would you pick?
Maybe, after we dive deeper into them over the next few days, you’ll have an answer. And we’ll give you ours!