Today in our ongoing tour of the authorial wiki, a bit about some other topics. Today, we’re taking a look at the topical pages, which come in two groups, Magic and Topics.
Magic
I have lots to say about magic in Albion. (Unsurprisingly!) But I also wanted to make it easier for people to find more about particular aspects of it. Each section has a sidebar that makes it easy to go to other articles in the section, as well as links to other pages as relevant.
Some of what’s here has been explicitly explained in the books so far, and some of it hasn’t.
Magic in general
The main section about magic covers general background. This includes:
- An overview (linking to other pages)
- The Pact and the Silence. Includes some notes on how that works outside of Albion.
- Applications of magic. Ways magic can be used, with comments on tools like working stones, wands, Pleasing Tokens, and Words of Command.
- Magical capacity. See the note below.
- Land magic
- Portals and journals.
On magical capacity, one of the things I thought about a lot when working out some details for Albion has to do with the question of how many people have comparatively strong magic, and what the difference is between being inherently powerful and having the training to use your magic most effectively. This obviously varies by profession (the Penelopes, higher ranks of the Guard, the Council, and some magical specialties obviously require substantially powerful magic, as well as training.)
But I also wanted a world where small amounts of magic could make a meaningful difference in someone’s life. For about half the population, what they have is more on the level of keeping the milk sweet longer, avoiding infections, reducing the threat from illness, or using magical tools (like keep-cool boxes and stoves) created by someone else.
In other cases, there’s magic underlying the infrastructure (heating, indoor plumbing, safer furnaces on ocean liners), but it’s not terribly visible to most people on the average day. Check the article out for some specific character examples.
The magical world
Here we have articles talking about Albion as a culture and community.
- Magical creatures (fauna) and plants (flora) and other materials.
- Magical beings (The Belin, custos dragons, merfolk, naga, plant beings, and selkies. Basically any magical being who is visibly and obviously magical, rather than human shaped.)
- The Fatae and the Cousins
- Bohort and pavo, the magical sports of choice.
- Falconry
- Families, specifically the categories of family heritage relevant to Albion.
- Music (focused on the musical culture of Albion and the way magic and Albion’s history affect music.)
I’m glad to add other topics – just let me know what you’re interested in seeing! I’m hoping to spend some time in the theatre community of Albion at some point, it just hasn’t come up much so far.
Magical skills
The Magical Skills page links to all the different kinds of magic – Agricultural to Sympathetic. Each page includes a summary and information about the necessary education. I’ve also included examples (avoiding explicit spoilers) and notable experts, with links to the relevant pages.
The Duelling page has more details both about the different rule sets and the process for duelling.
Topics
Our last category of articles for today are topics – basically everything that isn’t specifically about magic.
- Demographics for some numbers about the population of Albion.
- History, particularly how it diverges from our history.
- Education
- Government
- Judicial system
- Religion
- Gender and sexuality
- Magical community in the Great War includes examples of who did and did not serve.
- Non-magical community and the places that overlaps most noticeably.
- Titles and forms of address (including why the title for Lord and Lady doesn’t work quite the way it does in non-magical society.)
Have other topics you’d like to see?
Drop me a note in the contact form, or reply to any of my newsletter emails, and let me know! Questions are a great way for me to know what people are interested in hearing me natter on about a bit more.
