Charmed and Dangerous finally hit the shelves today, and I figured I’d blather about world
building a little. Not because I’m an expert, but reading the other stories in
the anthology I kept going oh, that’s
brilliant, I wish I thought of it! And it started me thinking about world
building. So much of what makes a speculative fiction story solid is behind the
scenes.
One Hex Too Many centered on magic, the fae
only got a mention, but they were already in the background, waiting for their
chance to step out. They’ll get that chance in the sequel. Here are a few
tidbits about them.
In this world magic is real and paranormal
creatures share it with humans. The history if this reality was much similar to
ours up till the industrial revolution. At that junction the encroachment of
human technology forced a portion of fae kind deeper into hiding, some withdrew
completely—they might have even gone extinct, though one never knows for sure.
Others responded to the challenge by stepping out of the shadows, make their
presence known beyond all doubt.
As you might expect, humankind had a mixed
reaction to the arrival of these emigrants of another dimension. Preternatural
Beings (official term) still haven’t fully integrated into human society, but
the Fae Rights League is working hard
to change this. Some fae do better than others.
The strength and resilience made ogres
perfect for strong-arm jobs from body guards to mob enforcers. The drawback of
employing ogres is that you can buy only their services, not their loyalty.
That belongs only to their clans. Ogres are also smarter than they look, and
are staring up their own businesses—something not all humans find agreeable.
Trolls are as strong, if not stronger, than
ogres, but their solitary nature and idiosyncratic ways keep their interactions
with humans minimal. They are masters of adaptation a can seamlessly blend into
their environment. Griffin Park, across from the river from New Sky is the home
of sever rock trolls and forest trolls. There’s at least one city troll living
in Faetown, but he spends the daylight hours looking just another brick wall.
Well, that’s it for now. I might prattle on
about goblins and pixies at some other time.
