Dragonfall begins with a brief description of the five dragon gods worshipped in The Lumet. I thought I would take this opportunity to talk a little more about the magic and religion of the Dragon Scales series. 

Magic in The Lumet has two strands—elemental magic and a softer magic—and each god has a patron saint that exemplifies another attribute. If you really hoped for a stroke of good luck, for example, then you’d pay to Saint Ini more than Kalsh. Another thing to note is that in The Lumet, anyone you respect, which of course includes gods, are given the honorific pronoun, which is a capitalized They/Them. 

The premise of Dragonfall is that humans betrayed dragons hundreds of years ago, breaking their bond, stealing most of their magic, and banishing them to a dying world. a Humans now worship dragons as gods, but the dragon ‘gods’ remember, and they do not forgive. 

Kalsh, the blue dragon of the sea, who shifts luck, fortune, and form like waves.

Kalsh is the god of water and shapeshifting. Arcady, one of our protagonists, has this type of magic. They haven’t mastered the water side of it, but shapeshifting is extremely helpful in their day-to-day life as a thief. Controlling water can be difficult—some might only be able to cause a few ripples in a bowl of water, whereas someone incredibly powerful could create a tsunami, redirect rivers to help with irrigation, and more. 

Saint Ini is Kalsh’s Patron Saint of Luck, but Arcady has never counted themselves particularly lucky. 

Piater, the strong god, metallic gray, who moves that which is heavy as stone. 

Piater is the god of stone, metal, and inorganic matter, and the other side of their magic is telekinesis, or the ability to move things with the mind. The working of stone and metal plus the ability to shift heavy things obviously has many uses in industries such as construction. However, nothing built with magic can last long-term. Magic always longs for balance. So, it’s usually a better use of magic to move the stones into place, but ensure things are properly held together with mortar and such, so it doesn’t degrade and collapse as the magic returns to the leylines of the world. 

Saint Dolard is Piater’s Patron Saint of the Wandering.

Zama, god of clarity, indigo-black, with power over wind, storm, and the magic best left forgotten. 

Zama is considered one of the more dangerous gods. Power over weather, for example, is very useful—Kalsh and Zama mages often work together, for example, since there are various ways to make it rain—amending the pressure, or helping water rise up to the clouds for more condensation. The other side of Zama’s magic—mind-reading—is strictly forbidden in The Lumet. Those who are found practicing it are put to death. This is a problem when Arcady half-bonds to the last male dragon, Everen, and realizes they can speak mind-to-mind. 

Saint Etter is Zama’s Patron Saint of Clarity. 

Jari, the green god of new growth and healing, who knits the world back together. 

Next we have Jari, who is the god of plants, animals, and organic matter, so a mage blessed by this god might be able to help something grow or wither. The other side of this magic is healing humans and animals. So, of course, doctors in this world are almost all Jari mages. Sorin, one of our primary secondary characters in the Dragon Scales series, is blessed by Jari. She’s an assassin working in secret for the Head Priest of the Order of the Dragons. She has the potential within her to heal others, but she’s only ever used her magic to hurt. 

Saint Wyndyn is the Patron Saint of Faith. 

Aura, the dragon red as blood and full of might, who might burn it down again. 

Last but not least, we have Aura, the god of fire on one side and alchemy on the other. Alchemy is about transmuting or transforming the elements, and many of the processes require flame. Aura mages often work with Paiter mages, or if you master one, it’s a bit easier to learn the basics of the other. In this world, you might have a natural affinity for one of the gods’ powers, but with learning, practice, and access to enough food to fuel your magic, you can learn others. In the series, Arcady’s friend Kelwyn has a grasp of Aura’s magic, though he’s not had the training to do much more than light a stove. Everen, our last male dragon, has red scales, and while magic isn’t as delineated for dragons, he definitely still has an affinity for fire. 

Saint Bryni is the Patron Saint of Righteous Anger.

And so there you have it—the five types of dragon gods, their associated magics, and a few details of how magic is threaded through the society of The Lumet. Most people in the country of Loc have the potential for magic, and everyone wears dragonstone seals either around their necks or set into their skin with metallic settings. These can help funnel magic, but they function more as identification as they are carved with their name and the stars of their birth. Spells can often be traced back to the caster, and a contract signed with it can be magically binding. Yet most people are afraid to do magic. Food and education remain largely the remit of the wealthy, and the cost of doing too much magic is high. If someone overstretches themselves, they might turn into a Starveling—their eyes turn black and their veins darken. They lose their senses and become nothing but hunger personified. They would eat anything—or anyone—until they’re sated and come back to themselves. If you are caught turning Starveling, even if you don’t hurt anyone, your seal is confiscated and you can never practice magic or even largely participate in society. 

I really love creating both religious systems and magic systems in my fantasy, so it was fun to interweave them both so closely in this series. I hope you enjoyed this short primer. Dragonfall and Emberclaw are both out now!

Dragonfall

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Emberclaw

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