Dragonessence is the name of the cosmic energy—mana, power, chi, magic—used in The World According to Dragons. It will also be used in other series I’ve planned as part of the Sagaland Chronicles.
In designing the magic system, I wanted something that I hadn’t done before, and something that could be used for more than one purpose.
I’ve created a system for Pilgrim, one based on ‘bending one’s echo’ that uses a primitive way to judge how far someone has come in their cultivation using a simple stone and gauging once’s progress to a glowing tablet. In War Priest, I wanted to use a chi-based system that could be interpreted in three distinct ways including a healing medium (Revivaura), as a deceptive medium (Chimaura), and as a combat medium, (Thunderaura).
For The World According to Dragons, and the overall Sagaland Chronicle books, I wanted to design a system that had the flexibility of a soft magic system yet had the underpinnings of a Sanderson-esque hard magic system.
In doing so, I looked to something that has been a part of my life for a long time now—music.
I found inspiration in music in designing this system, a medium that can be as fluid as it is rigid.
As a former musician who was trained classically but learned to play by ear as well, I’ve seen the advantages of both systems. I’ve also seen how rigid focusing only on one can make a musician, and how those that can do it all by ear often miss out on improving their overall skill because of their inability to read from sheet music.
In thinking of this, it dawned on me how much I wanted the dragonessence system to work in a similar way.
I’ll explain how.
The first thing you should know is that at the start of The World According to Dragons and throughout this series, dragonessence is banned. It is a fantasy trope that plays well into magic worlds because it keeps everyone from being overpowered from chapter one. People are, however, able to reap the benefits of dragonessence through magically powered relics.
You don’t need to worry about any of that now.
All you need to know is that the magic is banned, yet it is flexible enough to be used in an organized way, or a much looser style, just like music. This means one could study the actual coded nature of dragonessence and use it. Or, they could figure out how to use it through a relic and benefit from this cosmic power in that way.
To keep things simple, this is explained to Twillo, the main character, in this way:
Dragonessense can be cultivated and stored, and it can be shut off.
Dragonessence can be used to augment a person’s physical traits.
Dragonessence can be used to imbue an object with power by coding it with a set command.
My wife, the same artist who has done the sketches in Cowboy Necromancer, has also drawn some pictures to better illustrate the system.
This first picture illustrates the first aspect of dragonessense, that it can be stored, cultivated, and turned off akin to the power system in Hunter X Hunter. This latter bit, turning it off, does play a part in the first book.
This second picture illustrates the second aspect of dragonessence, using it to augment ones’ physical power. In the illustration, we have someone who has used it to augment their attack power, and one who has used it to leap to the top of a cliff. Also introduced in the book is using dragonessence to create a shield around one’s body known as a dragonaura. This can also extend to certain weapons, also something illustrated in the picture of the left.
In this third picture, we see the third aspect, the relic-side of dragonessence by imbuing an object with a coded power. This is, possibly, the most advanced level of understanding and using dragonessence. Not only does it apply to inanimate objects, it can also apply to transferring a particular skill from one person to another.
The World According to Dragons represents the improvised side of dragonessence.
The main character comes to use these powers through chance, a divine encounter, and later an understanding of the relics that he already collects. Future series set in this world will explore other aspects of this system, the first of which will be published next year. I have a title, I have a concept, and I’ll reveal more about that soon!
For more about this project, check out this overview which contains the map of the Four Kingdoms.
To read about the yokai and other mythological creatures curated for this world, go here.
To read about the main character of The World According to Dragons, go here.