Help me brainstorm names and magic for kingdoms?

Writers' Corner
1

Hey guys! It’s been a while since I’ve posted a ramble-y thread about my recent writing project, I bet you were all worried I’d been replaced with an [name_u]Abby[/name_u] clone who doesn’t overthink anything. So to set the universe right and reassure everyone that I am still me and do, in fact, still overthink everything, I’m asking for a little help from anyone who wants to help me brainstorm.

[name_f]My[/name_f] most recent project takes place in a world called Delune, which has been involved in an internal war for centuries. About a thousand years before the story takes place, the world was controlled by a handful of kings who each possessed a specific form of magic. The kings fell at the hands of an AI-human hybrid who was created and programmed to be the perfect leader, and he has been trying to gain control of Delune by staving off dissenting forces who oppose him in the centuries since the kings’ fall.

One of the MCs, [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u], learns that he is a descendant of one of these kings. While I don’t think the kings’ lore is going to be as important in this book (I’m planning 3), I want to keep it in mind just in case I need throwaway lines or references. Especially because it will be important later on. I know I’ll probably get kicked out of the name nerd club for this lol but I’m not going to worry about naming individual kings because I think the lore might get too cluttered that way. Instead, all of the kings from every kingdom will simply be known as the [name_m]King[/name_m] of X or [name_m]King[/name_m] X. I figure even if they have names, this would still make sense considering any records my characters find of them will be about a thousand years old.

I’ve named 2 kings/kingdoms and identified 2 types of magic so far. I’m leaning towards having 5-10 kingdoms but haven’t decided upon an exact number yet. I’m also placing the kingdoms in different regions of the world so each one would have a different climate that might impact the magic that develops.

So far, I have:
Elor - the king [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u] is related to. They lived in the northern mountains and their magic is related light. It includes fire, which I figure would’ve been helpful for people living super far north in a cold, mountainous area. The “light” might also refer to beams of energy or laser-like streams that the kings can create. Not 100% sure yet on the specific powers but I am 100% sure on the light part

Anmos - these kings had wind magic that included an ability to fly. No idea where they lived

I’m looking for ideas of other magic types (and names of those kings/kingdoms that sort of match the vibe of Elor and Anmos, if you feel so inclined). I also know that one of these kingdoms had to have been in a vast desert known as the Wastelands but other than that, if you want to ignore the bit about geography, you can. I can decide those later.

I just want to see if there are more options beyond like elemental magic. So, any ideas?

Thank you! (I hope this ramble has proven I’m not a clone…)

2 Likes
2

This is just off the top of my head, so I may be back with more ideas if I can think of any :))

  • Necromancy
  • Healing
  • Telekinesis
  • The power to change shape? Maybe? Could be the user’s own shape, or the shape of other things
  • Manipulating time

That’s all I have right now, but hopefully that’s what you’re looking for!

I also had an idea for you about where Anmos could be but, if you don't want it, then feel free to ignore this

Perhaps it could be located in some kind of forest/rainforest? I feel like having tree around could help to explain why the ability of flight is useful or gifted to the Kings. Wind magic could also possibly be used to protect the people and animals (ex: stopping a tree from falling onto a habitat) or gathering fruit/food from high spots in trees. Just a thought :))

1 Like
3

I love these! Especially healing, that could incorporate an interesting plot point (or necromancy, depending on how things go lmao). Manipulating time is also a fascinating idea. I’ve never done anything with any sort of time travel but the idea is definitely intriguing.

I love that idea for Anmos! The only reason I had a king/dom outside of Elor was because a character was explaining the reasons behind the magnet trails laid throughout the world, which they use for their hovercrafts like bullet trains. The kings could fly and it helped them get around so they developed the system to help their people, and the other kingdoms adopted it!

Thank you!

1 Like
4

In that case, I’m glad that I could help! Your story sounds amazing!!

1 Like
5

Your story sounds amazing!! I second the suggestion of necromancy.

You mentioned one of the kingdoms was in a desert, and I instantly thought of illusions and mirages. Maybe that king, or some other, had the ability to create illusions? There’s a whole bunch of routes you could take with that, from physical manifestations to actually playing with the mind.

Maybe some sort of divination? Perhaps one of the kings had the ability to see into the future?

That’s all I’ve got right now, but good luck with your story!! The world sounds incredible!

2 Likes
6

Ooooh, I love that so much! Thank you! Another MC has a :sparkles: mysterious past :sparkles: lol so I’ve been playing with the idea of having her develop magic but haven’t made up my mind about it yet. I really love the idea of illusions though, and expanding that to include playing with the mind could actually work for her … :thinking: lots to think about!

The divination could also introduce some fun plot points! Maybe a king saw the fall of the kingdoms and whether or not he did anything to stop it (or whether anyone listened) could be a point of tension in the lore.

Thank you! I really love world building so I’m happy people find my creation to be intriguing!

1 Like
7

this world sounds so interesting!

originally, i thought of a forest, how wildfires are essential to regrowth. so in that kingdom, maybe there are fire powers, in which they use to regulate population and growth, and much darker world. or maybe, it’s not fire, but rather death. perhaps that world focused on the grim reaper, or their version of that.

as for a oceanic/marine kingdom, and i thought of telepathy and mind control. sound travels easily through water, so that reminded me of telekinesis. also, with water, i think of sirens, how they manipulated people, which plays into mind control.

for deserts, the play on hallucinations and illusions seems really cool! what about shapeshifting, because the sands in deserts are constantly moving?

lastly, i thought of grasslands. and for this one, i thought of camouflage/chameleon-type abilities. grasslands are vast, and pretty barren, save for the obvious grass. so, in order to hide and save yourself, you’d have to be able to blend in, which brings in the concealant agent.

i hope these thoughts were helpful, and that it was what you were looking for! good luck, your idea sounds great!

3 Likes
8

Thank you! I love so many of these! There’s already a grassland/plains area that I’ve identified so I really love the camouflage idea, and could also see shapeshifting be part of that too. A cool ability for an otherwise kinda lame sort of climate haha (I’m allowed to say that, I’m Midwestern :wink: ).

I was thinking about having island so I really like the idea of telepathy, although I’d have to figure out how that would work if only the king and his family has the ability. Maybe it led to the development of the instant messaging/calling technology that the story has? That could be cool!

Thank you so much for the ideas!

2 Likes