World Tour: Kosmyldar (5/5)
[Long post incoming, but it’s mostly story summaries]
While on one hand this world isn’t as creative as some of my other worlds, this is perhaps the one with the most details simply due to it being my “main” world, the world where a large majority of my stories take place. It is also unique in another aspect: unlike the other worlds mentioned up to now, space travel is a thing here. That being said, the planet where most of the stories take place doesn’t have space travel capabilities (at the moment anyway), so it’s not really something that comes up. There are a few stories set in space, though, unrelated to that one planet.
Any extra worldbuilding will be dealt with in the context of its connected story. What you need to know for now is what exists of the magic system (still in development). Basically, it boils down to a tier system, where every tier higher has new abilities gained. I do not currently know if it’s genetic or if it’s random [side note, in Mirrajers magic is genetic but mirrajing is random]. You cannot switch tiers, as that would be to gain abilities you were not born with any capacity to use. Innate magic exists as well as cast magic, depending on tiers. Bottom tier, the most common type of magic, includes physical enhancements (like increased speed, or strength). There is also some elemental magic, but it doesn’t follow the same ‘four element’ pattern - it mostly just means abilities that are connected to something that exists in nature, like ice, or lightning, or clay. Again, it depends on the tier. Higher tiers include non-elemental/natural abilities, like cast magic or telekinesis-esque abilities.
As for stories, there are, essentially, five longer series and a number of “one-shots” - either duologies or standalone stories - as well as a few short stories.
The first series on the planet Raskarr (or at least the first that comes chronologically) is about a young cripple girl, the daughter of a renowned general and king who believes that she is cursed; more specifically, a curse on him. Despite growing up in that (not so) loving environment, she grows up to be a brilliant military strategist - and the continent’s best chance against the invading army known as the Wolves. [tag: #Klarnbyr]
The next long series is more episodic, generally focusing on a different person/lifetime in each book. The first story is about Redrose, a hotheaded young archer whose family gets killed in a war between Safyre and Qwouse. At first seeking revenge, she trains to fight in the army and engage her enemies on the battlefield; but it soon becomes more than a personal vengeance quest as she is given the responsibility of caring for a small squadron of misfit guerrilla warriors. [tag: #Safyre]
The third (and my personal favorite) is set in the country of Kaslay. The first few books deal with the main characters getting involved in a civil war, caused by a former folk hero turned villain. There’s Lenesse, the idealistic warrior with undiscovered power, hoping that maybe there’s a way for her formerly idolized hero to be redeemed; Andren, a cynic, who’s just hoping to keep his three younger siblings safe in a war that’s too big for any of them; Tresha, a staunch pacifist planning on being the greatest field medic in the army; Esyin, a genius strategist struggling to find his place in his family and the army; and Narin, the wise-cracking youngest who’s terrified out of his mind, but is more afraid of being a liability to the ones he loves - he hopes to someday to be the one saving others for a change.
Andren, Tresha, Esyin, and Narin are all siblings (order of oldest to youngest). Lenesse is a close childhood friend of theirs, but she is from a different family and has two much younger brothers back home, one by blood and one by adoption. [tag: #Kaslay]
Crossovers are also a thing in this universe.
A standalone (that also happens to be my longest WIP) is set long after the events in Kaslay, in a smaller, more remote country called Nyviu. A boy goes missing, just before a war starts between Nyviu and the FireClan (no relation to the Fire Nation); the only people who either know or care are his cousin and a group of friends. Despite a city-wide lockdown, the group ventures into the mountains to attempt a rescue - but that goes south quickly when they are captured by the FireClan and accused of trespassing and espionage. However, they just might find an unlikely ally in the person of a young, dissatisfied FireClan soldier who dreams of a future where she can live, peacefully, in a world beyond the FireClan caves. [tag:#Nyviu]
I have the first and a half (rather terrible) drafts of that one done, but I’m currently working on another project that I want to finish before I get back to it.
Moving to space, we have the story of Jarryd, a half-”dragon” (actually an alien) hybrid who serves a sorcerer studying the effects of magic and abilities in different people/species, through... well, let’s call them experiments. Jarryd works as a bodyguard/spy/“talent scout”. While on an unrelated trip, he runs into a girl (Ashley) who seems to have multiple strong abilities - but those abilities clearly don’t conform to what’s known of magic’s tier system. Originally approaching her in order to “acquire a new test subject” (as his employer/grandfather terms it), he unwillingly ends up as close friends with her - which, while it doesn’t initially stop him from doing his job, does lead to him more closely investigate the organization he’s been blindly working for since he was a kid. [tag:#Jarryd&Ashley]
The other space-based trilogy is one of the latest stories, chronologically speaking. It follows a former headhunter (bounty-hunter) who, after an encounter with a target that goes wildly off-track, undergoes a redemption arc - and as a result reluctantly joins a small band of rebels fighting a powerful shadow organization with a stranglehold on all major systems. [tag:#headhunter]