The Magic Behind Where Carpets Fly

I love looking at different magic systems and learning about how they work. I’ve even written a blog post or two about developing magic systems. When it came to writing my own fantasy novel, the worldbuilding was one of my favourite parts. So, today, I’m going to share a few hints and insights into the magical background of Where Carpets Fly.

There are four main types of magic used in the country of Tamarin:

Tangible Magic

Tangible Magic is the ability to move physical, non-living items. For example, you could use it to shift heavy items around in your home—boxes, furniture, etc, or to carry objects long distances, or move them quickly into a particular position.

Biological Magic

Biological Magic is the skill of talking to plants and animals. Plants are mastered first, and those with this skill are excellent gardeners! From there, people move on to talking to small creatures such as birds, before progressing to larger animals. Once you become proficient at talking to plants, you can persuade them to grow in certain ways and produce better fruit.

Elemental Magic

Elemental Magic is the manipulation of the four elements: fire, water, earth and air. At it’s most basic level, it’s good for chores like digging the garden! At the other end of the scale, sailors sometimes use Elemental magicians to steer ships by manipulating the wind and the sea.

Cognitive Magic

Cognitive Magic is the ability to read people’s minds and to telepathically communicate with other Cognitive users. It’s a secretive kind of magic, and many people are not even aware it exists because it tends to be used for government surveillance and kept very quiet.

In addition, the various types of magic can be ‘fixed’ into physical items, using a process called Charm Conditioning. This then means that everyone can activate the magic using certain commands, even if they can’t do that kind of magic themselves. Generally, people can do one or two types of magic well, and they are likely to inherit similar skills to their parents or grandparents. Of course, hard work is required to become skillful.

Flying carpets are the best example of Charm Conditioning:

And another item that uses this magic are glow globes–the equivalent of lamps or torches. They are spherical globes, that produce a glowing light when tapped—a result of an Elemental Magic Charm. You will find them in every homeis.

And finally, no fantasy world would be complete without some other-worldly creatures. I mainly have human races in my books, but I do have a race of tiny fairies, called river fairies. The fairies are sentient, although not everyone realises this. However, rumours abound that they might have a sixth sense. A few people can communicate with them, but it tends to be trivial conversation. The fairies love to play with people swimming in the river, particularly children.

I hope you enjoyed that brief look into the magical world of Where Carpets Fly. If you’re intrigued, you can find the book on Amazon!