Worldbuilding SFWA Style: Reiassan
From this link, from the sfwa.org
A. Basics
o Are the laws of nature and physics actually different in this world, or are they the same as in real life? How does magic fit in? How do magical beasts fit in?
Nature, physics all work the same as in real life, although use of sira/aether can speed up/slow down/nudge these laws’ effects.
o Is this generally an earth-like world? Is it an “alternate Earth”?
The world in which Reiassan is on is slightly smaller in diameter than Earth. It is a Class M planet, with an Earthlike water-to-land ratio. The flow of sira through the entire planet has led to some differences; i.e., the trench between Reiassan and the homeland continent has what could be called massive fire demons.
o Are there different human races, whether or not there are non-humans like elves or dwarves? How does the cultural and ethnic diversity of this world compare to the real world?
In Edaly Academy and Into Lanamer, we are only on one continent. The people there emigrated from another single continent, which originally had three major ethnic groups (often referred to as West Coast People, Blondies, and proto!Calenyena); two of those groups made up the majority of the immigrants.
Thus, the ethnic makeup on Reiassan is determined mostly by settlement patterns in the 1750 years since landfall on this continent. The Calenyena are short, wide-hipped, and dark of hair, skin and eyes; the Bitrani are taller, more squarely built, and pale of hair, skin, and eye. Many regions have mid-range mixes common, and the east coast has a small, genetically isolated population who have curly hair and copper eyes.
o How long have there been people on this world? Did they evolve, or did they migrate from somewhere/when else?
Undetermined, but there are at least about 3500 years of human history between homeland continent and Reiassan.
o How many people are there in this country? How does this compare with world population? What is considered a small town/large town/city in terms of number of people?
Good question!
o Where does magic power come from: the gods, the “mana” of the world (as in Larry Niven’s “Warlock” stories), the personal willpower or life force of the magician, somewhere else? Is magic an exhaustible resource? If a magician must feed his spells with his own willpower, life-force, or sanity, what long-term effects will this have on the health and/or stability of the magician? Do different races/species have different sources for their magic, or does everybody use the same one?
Magic comes from the sira within the earth, which theory holds it, is formed when two things rub together.
Magic is controlled in Into Lanamer mostly with willpower and stamina, and in Edally Academy with mechanisms and devices.
There are no nonhuman races yet determined.
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