J is for Journey

Strange Pathways

What does a magically-aided journey look like? In many fantasy stories, it looks like a portal from one world into another, such as the wardrobe in CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. It can be an object that transports people to a specific location, like portkeys in the Harry Potter series. There might also be interdimensional doorways that open up when a certain combination of things happens (full moon, a particular magical ceremony, etc.)

In some fantasy worlds, there may be less physical forms of magical travel. You might also use out-of-body experiences in your story. In gross oversimplification, astral projection is an intentional form of an out-of-body experience. How and why it happens in your story world will be dictated by your magic system, but whether it can only happen intentionally or by accident is important to consider.

And as a fun aside, you could also take a few minutes to consider if magic might be an actual source of energy in your world. Are there modes of transportation that have magically fueled engines?

Worldbuilding Exercises:

  • Is it possible, in your fictional world, for someone to move great distances very quickly with the use of magic? What might the benefits or drawbacks be?
  • Is this type of magic something any magic user can accomplish, or does it take study and practice?
  • What might a transportation spell gone horribly wrong look like?

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3 Comments

  1. In many of my stories, travel happens by dream. With this I mean that I like to give glimpses of the characters’ past or of their fears and desires through dreams.
    Yeah, not really magical. But then, dreams are never really as coherent as dreams are in my stories 😉

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