My idea for an Epic Fantasy

[Patar he/him]

So basically I've had these stories that I've created in my head that have been with me for years, and Brandon has really inspired me to perhaps one day put these stories on paper. I really want to share my ideas with the 17th Shard community, and see what you guys think! If my ideas sound complicated, that's because they are. I know that none of this is set in stone, and most if not all of my ideas will change. I really want my stories to be in the same "universe", similar to the Cosmere (it's not quite a universe, but I'll explain that in a bit). Here is a basic outline.

 

The War That Started It All: Thousands of years before the events of most of my books, there was a great war. The winners of the war would achieve godlike powers. And after the dust settles, the bad guys (name pending) win. However, the war was so cataclysmic that it shattered the world it took place upon into several smaller worlds. The high-ranking bad guys that survive the war attain demigod status, and are granted dominion of a minor world. The big bad guy gains control of the "main" world. (Note that while they are extremely powerful they are NOT actually God. They are not omnipotent). They are prevented from completely wrecking havoc on their worlds, however, due to the fact that a handful of good guys (the main characters of the story) also attain godhood (not telling how), and rule over the minor worlds alongside the evil dudes.

 

The rest of the series happens thousands of years after the great war (name of war is pending). I want people to be able to read each book without having to read every book on every other planet, similar to the way Brandon writes his books. I will make illusions to the war in these books, and a certain character or two will make an appearance in these (I know you may be thinking that I am just ripping off Hoid, but the characters personalities and goals will be completely different, I promise ). I also want my worlds to have an intricate magic system, but I'm still thinking of most of those. Here are some of the ideas for my minor worlds, I'll try to be brief.  

 

World Number One: A world with a magic system based of of cards. I actually had a dream that inspired this one. Basically, the bad guy that rules over this world enjoys card games, so that influenced the way he helped shape the magic system of the world. Different cards grant different powers (increased strength, better leadership capabilities, etc.). Drawback is that one can only hold so many cards, most can only hold two or three. If you go over your limit, your mind and body starts to deteriorate. Cards are "ingrained" in one's soul, so once you have one you're stuck with it.

 

World Number Two: I haven't fully thought out a magic system for this one, but the basic idea right now is that a VERY few amount of people can manipulate the spirits of the dead to get the living to do their bidding. Obviously, people who can do this are hunted down and killed because of the power they posses. I don't want to give to much away on the story, but I have some VERY interesting plot twists in mind.

 

World Number 3: This world is pretty much the land of the dead. The main bad guy who achieved the highest power sends all innocent souls who have perished to this world to suffer. Their bodies deteriorate to the point where even their closest friend couldn't recognize them. The residents of this world cannot die, but can be captured and tortured, which is a terrible fate when one cannot die. The longer one remains sane in this world, the more memories return to him/her. I want the ruler of this world to be absolutely INSANE, and feared by all. 

 

I do plan on having more minor worlds, these are just a few of what I have in mind. This next world is the second "main" world, as it is the largest of the worlds after they all shattered. The main characters of this world are super powerful, and they have been with me the longest.

 

I want the powers in this world to come from important events in a person's life, be it happy or tragic. The most basic form can come from a small event, like a birthday party or a pet dying. The second level comes from something a lot stronger, such as getting married, having a child, or having a loved one pass away. Third level (and perhaps fourth) is unheard of, and leaves one with immense power. They could pretty much destroy The Lord Ruler by looking at him. They are not overpowered however, because the gods of other worlds are just as strong, and they will want to rid themselves of these super-powered beings. 

 

The characters that I mentioned early (the ones that will appear in other minor worlds) will be major characters in this series. Not the main characters, but certainly important. One will be visiting other worlds looking for something (RAFO on what ) and the other will be investigating the "Lanes Between". This is what connects all worlds. Instead of separate planets, one could travel to another world by traveling through these lanes, which only a handful of people know about. I really want to talk more about these characters, they have been with me for so long, but I can't give all my ideas out now can I?

 

Small Note: A select few characters will survive the Great War but will not become gods, perhaps you will see some of them in these worlds...

 

Anyway sorry for the long read, and thanks to all of you who powered through it. I know it is complicated, and I apologize for that. But please, tell me what you all think! Is this a good idea? If it was written well, would you read them? Also, offer me any advice you have, constructive criticism is always welcome! Again, I realize that several of my ideas will change. I've considered doing this for a long time, and this is the first time I have ever shared them with anyone. So what do you guys think?

[WayneSpren he/him]

Sounds very interesting.

I have one thing to say, and that is that I am pretty much ripping off the Cosmere too, so don't worry about it. A universe of connected books, characters, places, and Sticks is too great an idea to ignore.

When do you think you'll finish this?

[Quiver he/him]

I'll get back to you about the ideas themselves...

About 'ripping off' the Cosmere though? Don't worry about that. The cosmere is an ambitious setting -with it's extensive shared lore, characters and interacting realmantics- but Brandon didn't invent the shared universe concept for novels. The Dark Tower and Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champions series both used that concept first- Brandons main contribution to it is intending his books as coexisting in a common universe from the beginning, and planting the seeds for that, rather than forcing it all together later.

[Patar he/him]

This would not get done for a LONG time. I'm kind of doing it as a side thing right now. If I enjoy it, and I think I will, I would need to do a lot of research in order to make it as interesting as I would like it to be. That and I just started my first year of college, so doing well in my classes is my top priority. But thanks for the feedback guys! I'm glad you're interested.

Edited August 15, 2015 by patar365

[WayneSpren he/him]

I'll time you by making 1 post here a day until it comes out.

[Patar he/him]

You will be posting for a long time my friend!

[Quiver he/him]

Okay, so.

 

I have one problem with what you've posted. Note that I'm saying "problem" in comma's because... well, it isn't really a problem. But I wasn't sure what else to label it as.

 

My issue with commenting is that what you've presented is a fairly broad overview of the setting and the cosmology. Which isn't bad; in fact, it's ambitious, and I like it. I'm sure that the Cosmere and a lot of other "shared universe" stories grew out of the same idea. But it make's it a little difficult (for me, at least) to offer constructive criticism since, while you have some information about the universe as a whole, I'm less clear on details about the worlds themselves, so... I hope you don't mind my asking some questions.

 

For instance... do the people's of each world know of other worlds and the War before? How has that shaped the way they view things, particularly since they are being ruled by (essentially) the devil(s)? If they don't know about it... what do they believe about their cosmology on each world?

What causes the magic on each world to take the form that it does? You mentioned world one has magic based around card games, whereas world two and three both have magic related to necromancy. Is this coincidence? Related to the villain's ruling their world? RAFO?

 

I can understand being reluctant to give out details about characters and plot's on a public forum though, and I'm sorry if pressing this is making you uncomfortable.

 

As I say- it's ambitious. And it could work very well. I would recommend checking out how other authors, like Brandon and Moorcock have seeded their "shared universe" ideas, if you want some perspective. Alternatively, you might be interested in checking out a comic book that is being released at the moment; Secret Wars. It's Marvel's big Summer event, and the pitch for it is that it is set on a planet which is made-up of bits and pieces from different dimensions and realities. The background to it isn't quite like yours, but it might be a helpful thing to reference.

[Patar he/him]

VERY few people know of the war and other worlds, most of the main characters don't even know. So no, the general public do not know the war ever happened. They don't know they are being ruled over by a malevolent God. And some villains are not as evil as some others (the one who rules over the card world is evil, but not as cruel as the one that rules over the land of the dead). The religions of each world are different, and are influenced by whatever god is ruling over that planet. I'm still not quite sure how I am going to handle space, since there are no other planets. I will have to do some heavy thinking on that, thank you for bringing it up. 

 

The magic systems are, for the most part, related to the villains ruling their world, and what they were like before they became gods. And the fact that world 2 and 3 are both connected to the dead is not a coincidence. I can't really go into to much detail without spoiling anything, so i do apologize for that. I also apologize for this being so confusing. I realize that it probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense without every piece of information. And if I didn't answer some of your questions, I'm sorry. I still haven't figured out some of the details for this story. As I've said before, I have a LOT of work to do if I want to make this as good as I want it to be. Thank you for the comments!   

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

This sounds awesome.