Welcome to my A to Z Challenge 2019 posts. This year I’ll be writing about the world of Kinyal which is the setting of my epic fantasy novels and short stories. These posts offer insights into the world’s history, locations, and factions, but do not spoil any of the events or secrets from the novel.

You don’t need to read them in order, and as the challenge progresses, I’ll do my best to add links to related topics for each post.

The beginning

Magic doesn’t linger in Kinyal, but it didn’t stop ambitious and creative people from trying.

In the past, a skilled arcanist could contain some of it in a circle, giving it a specific purpose, but after the Cataclysm and the high mages’ persecution of the arcanists, the trust in “demonologists”—as the new name would brand them—faded. Even though high mages could perform spells when needed, their services were limited to “instant magic”, and their art didn’t allow any prolonged effects. Thus, voice rose that people should abandon magic altogether and look for other solution.

And Gildya Magna came to be.

The home of inventions

Gildya Magna, headquartered in Kaighal, is a guild of inventors and scholars who pursue mechanical and alchemical solutions to solve problems which in the past were deemed unsolvable or required magic. Over the few centuries, Gildya had grown and contributed to the general progress in Kinyal. They keep most of their knowledge to themselves, but don’t mind selling completed devices and engaging in projects benefiting Kaighal as a city, such as providing enough lamps to light up all its main streets.

Even though the adepts’ goal is to create way of living without magic, many of their invention require imbued stones as the source of power, so their reluctant cooperation with arcanists is somewhat necessary. Yet, few arcanists join Gildya, uninterested in magic-less pursuits, and they simply offer their services or sell imbued stones supplies to the adepts.

Internal and external politics

Gildya’s structure is based on merit, so the most brilliant among its members climb to the top and receive more funds for their research. Some are also sponsored by the wealthy people of Kaighal who seek specific devices, from simple lamps and water heaters, to more complex machines.

Yet, as always when power is involved, politics come to play, and some believe the decisions of Gildya’s council aren’t as objective and in line with Gildya’s ideals as they are supposed to be. There are also strict rules about ethics of research. Adepts aren’t allowed to include animals and humans in their studies, and plants are limited to non-magical experiments. The same applies to demonlings, though on occasion, the council grants chosen inventors the right to use them in non-magical research. Their decisions seem to have little to do with merit, and more with Gildya’s inner politics, and slows their progress in comparison to Tivarashan scholars who have more freedom when it comes to plant and animal experimentations.

At the same time, not many adepts decide to voice their concerns, and everyone seems to be happy enough with the current status quo since it ensured Gildya’s strong position in Kaighal, the one to counterweight the power of high mages. Any turmoil could limit their influence in the city, and no one in Gildya would want to risk that.

If you’d like a taste of the world, my free collection contains two of the stories from my free short story collection are set in Kinyal. The Arcanist and the Mage Killer and Scourges, Spells, and Serenades tell of the early adventures of Kamira and Veelk, the main protagonists of the upcoming novel.

You can get the collection by signing up to my newsletter.

All posts in this year’s challenge (links updated with new posts):

Arcane Magic || Barriers and Circles || The Cataclysm || Devanshari  || Essence || Free City of Kaighal || Gildya Magna || High Magic || Imbued Stones || Juamha || Kamira Altrainne || Languages || Mage Killers ||