Notes on the setting: Threads of Ruin

Threads of Ruin takes place in a small setting.

The entirety of the book unfolds within the equivalent of a 40 mile range of the village of Raven’s Hill. I chose to do this because I enjoy writing immersive fantasy, I don’t want to tell you about the world and everything in it from the beginning. I want you to experience the world through the eyes of the characters and experience it the way that they do. The world in this story is a hostile place, but not in the ways that you’re probably used to in this genre. There are dangerous creatures, and they are abundant. But they are not the only threat to survival.

The world that my characters live in was not created by a deity or deities. It is an inherently magical place, where the core forces of creation flow through the world like arteries in a body. I call them leylines. These leylines flow within the world and saturate it in magical energy. While I find this to be an exceptionally beautiful way to construct a world and fuel life, it has its consequences, as magic always does. The forested lands are hostile because they are fueled by the same magical energy that created the more sentient life that inhabits the land. The physical manifestation is different, but the magical source is the same.

This lends further to a world that feels hostile, because it is hostile. The struggle for life is not as one sided as it is in the real world. The forest has a will, and get’s a vote. When a village is constructed in these areas, it stays small, because the price of expansion is not a once time cost. It is an ongoing struggle that takes its toll year after year.

This is the lens through which the world is seen by my protagonist, and because of this his life has been lived close to the place of his birth. He has needed Raven’s Hill as much as it has needed him. So when need forces him to leave, you discover the wider world in the same way that he does.

I hope that you enjoy this setting as much as I have in the writing process. I’m very much looking forward to guiding you through this dark and magical world.

- A.G. Thornvale