On Mortality

Mortality, the state of being subject to death, is not an uncommon feature in fantasy. Lots of things die, either by time, or illness, or injury, or some other terrible thing, all things die...mostly.

In fantasy there is of course Immortality, the ability to live forever, and this gift is most commonly used as a feature of certain races like Elves or Dragons.

But how would you feel if I told you that in my world, in Palurin, almost everything is mortal...even the elves?

There are of course exceptions to every rule, and some slight differences, but let's start with the most common three - Men, Dwarves, and Elves. Men, can live to be almost 100 years old, though most perish well before that. Dwarves in Palurin have an extended life closer to 500-600 years, which of course stretches out what we would consider a normal lifespan, and how they age etc. But we'll get onto that. Elves in Palurin can live to be 10,000 years old, much like the Dragons. They aren't immortal, and this might surprise a few of you.

But they can be old enough to be wise and skilled, and that feeds into other things, like in the Manish early days as they were leaving the Forests, they came across the elves and worshipped them as Gods.

As with everything, but why? Is always the common question to consider, both in-world, and out of it. Out of it is simple, I want to try and make them stand out a bit more, away from the now traditional elf (even if they are tall and fair and skilled at many crafts). It also allows me to play around with time a bit more, which is what I'm often guilty of doing too.

The in-world answer is that the Gods created Mortals with extended lives, because they had already made a mistake gifting the first race, the Ju-noi, with immortality. And although the Ju-noi were special in the eyes of the Gods, and wielded much power, they lingered too long and created a life of their own, who became the Ninth God, Relufic. And Relufic tainted all of the Ju-noi until they became his followers, his all-powerful creatures of darkness; Demons or Fic as they're more commonly known in Palurin.

So who is immortal then?

Well, there's the Gods - officially only Nine in number, though that's likely to change too,

as I already know there's a further six who aren't connected to the first lot. Worlds are complex things after all - there's the Grey Spirits - innumerable, but basically the children of the Gods, a sort of amalgamation of Angels and natural processes like the Winds or the Sun and Moon, etc - and there's the Fic, which we've already discussed. But there is also one other, slightly significant type of immortal and they are the Prophets.

Yes, I have prophecies. And yes they rhyme!

This mechanic isn't a major device until book two, but my Prophets are Immortal, and upon completion of their Prophecy, they then pass away. I thought was a unique plot driver, but I've probably stolen it from somewhere, much like all good works of fiction! After all, gift or punishment, people who are destined to see out their words or spend all eternity longing to pass on.

After all, Immortals are free from death at all costs - which is why the Fic are so perilous, and why the Gods keep going, and going, and going.

So how do you kill a Fic? How do you kill a God? How do you kill the North Wind?

I think these plot holes are questions for another time. What do you think? Got any other questions for me?