Estya
14.2 Menarn 263
Scope
The motivation behind building Estya
I want to finish my book, currently titled A War of Men and Demons.
The goal of the project
I'm hoping to have a completed world that stands and breathes on its own. I would like to design a world I can revisit and relive old adventures for years to come.
Estya's Unique Selling point
The gates of hell have opened once before. We have made a mistake thinking they would not open again.
Theme
Genre
Dark Fantasy, Horror
Hard Magic, based around a -100 to +100 scale of dark to light magic. Elemental magic appears only in the context of light/dark magic.
Reader Experience
I would like the world to feel grounded and as realistic as demons from hell can be. Gritty, dirty, and the ugly sides of war and fighting for one's life.
Reader Tone
Dark. Things generally aren't good for the commonfolk, and when the assassin's guild are known as "Night Angels" coming to save ordinary people from their hell, you know things have gone to shit.
Recurring Themes
A few of the recurring themes are:
- To strive towards immortality is to strive towards despair.
- Sometimes the happiest endings are the saddest.
- The dead can speak. Listen.
- True peace only comes in death.
- There is no evil in magic, only in the hearts of men.
Character Agency
The main character is the primary driver of change, working to break the cycle of 2,000 years of war.
Focus
Drama
The gates of hell have opened and demons are invading the world.
Dark magic is punishable by death is much of Estya.
The Ebonblade and Darkforge are at war with one another.
The Shadi Order seeks to break the current power structures and raise themselves as the sole faction of Estya to restore peace.
There are small patches of Estya that have seen sustained peace despite the war. They fear the war may have finally come for them.