The Meresthian Project: An Intro

If you're looking for a 'dying-world' fantasy with an overabundance of magic, monsters, and a gritty protagonist, then welcome to my current project - a long-form fantasy series set in the world of Meresthian (pronounced Mher-rehs-thee-an). I've been working off-and-on in the Meresthian world since I first designed the world for a college course on Fantasy, and over the past two years, I've buckled down and made Meresthian my main project. Currently, book 1 of the series is well underway. Here are some basics about the world that might help you to understand the project.

1. The world is ending

2. Meresthian has an affinity-based magic system

3. The protagonist is not a 'hero'

4. The world is full of monsters

Alright, let's dive in.

Once of the defining aspects of this world is that the world is ending. This means that the Meresthian project technically fits into the sub-genre of 'dying earth' fantasy, although, because it isn't Earth, I'm more likely to call it 'dying-world' fantasy. While this becomes part of the 'stakes' of the book, what this really means is that the protagonist, a teen boy named Ty, faces similar concerns to many of us growing up in the world today, such as; what will the world look like in 20 years? Am I doomed? What is being done, and why does it never feel like enough? Ultimately, he feels as powerless and out of control as many of us do in today's world. He desperately wants to believe in the possibility of a better, brighter future - but he just doesn't.

The way in which the world is ending also connects directly to our own world; Meresthian's water levels are rising too rapidly to be controlled, and all of society is being forced to struggle to literally stay afloat. (More accurately, most of society is struggling - the Merfolk and Okafi races which can breathe under water are far less concerned; just like the people in today's world who have the privilege to feel that global climate change doesn't affect them, or that the personal or corporate benefits of current policies outweigh the costs.) While each is an exaggeration, these fantasy struggles reflect the effects of global climate change which we see increasing annually in the world around us, from seasonal weather changes to coastal flooding. Additionally, magic potential is rising with the waters, lending more fuel to the world's conflicts and offering more power to individuals and organizations than may be wise.

That brings us easily into the topic of Meresthian's magical system and how it works. If you're bringing in conventional conceptions of fantasy magic; wizards, sorcerers, witches, paladins, ect. you're not wrong - I'm not looking to redefine good fantasy concepts. However, most of these labels only matter when characters feel that they do - essentially, these terms are superfluous and used personally. What people care more about, now that magic levels are rising and 'everyone' theoretically can access magic, is what types of magic they have a natural gift or 'affinity' with.

They've essentially categorized magical skills into three 'classes' or categories; Elemental, Sensory, and Affecting. Each class breaks down into Powers - the flavor of skills a magic user might have an 'affinity' with. The Elemental Class has four distinct subsets; Water, Fire, Air, and Earth, and I'll get more into the magic system in later posts. The key thing to understand is that people in the world view magic as an 'affinity' or skill that can be build over time through study and practice. Mages can even learns the skills in disciplines they aren't naturally gifted at; it's all about utility. Think about it like picking a college major - A Biomedical degree might make your parents happy, and set you up well in the future, but your real passion is actually History. You could chose to major in History anyway, you could minor in Biomed - or you could pick Biomed as you major and dabble in History on the side. While either path requires study, and has rules, one is the path which personally calls to you.

This brings us to back to the protagonist of Book 1, Ty, a teen boy who lives in a world where he feels 'doomed,' despite the prevalence of magic. He's not a hero. Part of this relates to the worldview on magic - that it is seen as a tool, resource, and commodity, rather than being sacred, special, or personal. Ty is a cynic, an older brother with more responsibilities than he should have, and is also, secretly, a Psionic mage - a mage who has the power to read other's emotions and thoughts and occasionally glimpse the future. Additionally, in a world with plenty of monsters, this is a dangerous skill which he feels draws too much attention to himself, so he does his best to hide it. He's also avoiding the mandatory service which he's likely to be conscripted into if anyone finds out about his affinity. Ultimately, this means that he must walk a line between his own safety and the safety of others, and he must determine when he has a responsibility to act. That's a lot for a teenager to consider, and he's going to make mistakes. He doesn't fit in with the archetypal 'hero;' he's too cynical, calculating, and ultimately flawed for that. However, he's compelling, because he's gritty and 'real' and down in the muck with everyone else. He's an every-man, a nobody. He's on an unwitting journey to find himself.

So, if you're looking for a 'dying-world' fantasy with a gritty protagonist, an overabundance of magic, and plenty of monsters, stay tuned for more about Meresthian.